Author: James Mahon

Irish Journalist, Broadcaster, Record Label Manager based in the UK. Video interviews at www.youtube.com/jpmtvuk @JamesMahonTV

New Software IdeasLog planning to succeed

An application that helps to plan your life, your business commitments and act as a social networking tool, this surely cannot exist!

Yet one young Irish web developer is the driving force behind a piece of software that promises to do just that.

Finn Krewer a Phd student at the University of Ireland in Galway is co-creator and developer of ideasLog.

The concept behind the planning application is to enable managers and those with significant personal, business or commercial strains to plan effectively and maximize their time.

Sample plans are provided as templates and are easy to follow and utilize and users can also offer their own planning models. ideasLog is available cross platform and described by Mr Krewer as “lean, smart and highly adaptable to everyday life”.

There are 200 active users already with over 2000 plans created and the team behind ideasLog spear-headed by Krewer hope that in the next twelve months the number of active users will reach well into the 1000’s.

Only time will tell if the application that claims to make your life and work easier and more effective can potentially plan our futures.

Full interview at http://www.mixcloud.com/james-p-mahon/ideaslog-creatorwebdeveloper-finn-krewer-interview/

Shopkeeper fights on after being stabbed and hammered.

A Sheffield shop keeper has been violently attacked by hammer-wielding thugs merely six months after being stabbed three times in an armed raid.

Michael Wiles, 58, has been running his shop on Langsett Road for over 35 years, suffering over six robberies since 2002. His father was also a victim in 2007 when he died after an argument with youth offenders over selling single cigarettes.

Michael is determined to carry on though and will not give in.

“You’ve just got to keep battling, get through the rough and jog on. I’ve been here for nearly 40 years and its only in the last 10 I’ve had this problem”, he stated.

“There’s a target on smaller business, because bigger places have got security. They won’t attack there, but I’m just on my own. There’s one or two who just want to be Mr Big Gangster”, Michael said.

The latest attack occurred after a football game when two hooded thugs attempted to rob the shop of its day’s takings. After Michael tried to defend himself and the shop, one attacked him with a hammer hitting in him the side of the head and shoulder five times, while the masked accomplice kept guard of the door. Police are investigating the incident, using CCTV footage.

“They know they get away with it a lot of the time, if they want to cause trouble, you can’t stop them really ” Michael said.

It is nearly six months to the day that Michael was stabbled in the stomach, ribs and shoulder after a group of armed raiders attempted to steal cash from the till. Michael said: “You’re just never expecting it. I check my doors every five minutes, when I see any doubtful characters I just clear off. If I don’t get it someone else will.”

In 2010 Michael was also attacked by a robber who tried to gouge his eyes out with a tent peg, and in 2002 he was smashed in the head with a wrench. Michael also receives frequent abuse from drunks and underage teenagers who want to buy cigarettes.

Britain’s Disabled Workers Speak Up

A protest  in Sheffield is being held to demonstrate the issue of disabled workers being let go from factory jobs in the UK. The Remploy workers are outraged at the closures and loss of jobs as they are seen as some of the most vulnerable in society. The issue affects workers in London as well as Sheffield and the protests are being staged outside of the Department for Workers and pensions in both cities.

Unions are particularly angry with closures to 36 of 54 Remploy sites this Summer including those in the surrounding cities of Chesterfield and Worksop.

With unemployment hovering around 2.6 million it looks as those with very few options and who are most at risk in Britain will also be joining the dole queues.

Sheffield Students Speak Out on Education Cuts
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Sheffield Socialists and Students Speak out

Sheffield Students from both Hallam and University joined together and spoke out against the cuts to higher education. The group totaled some thirty students mainly from the socialist parties of both colleges and included  megaphones and drums in what was a loud and passionate protest.

The group made their way down through the cities main streets and past the town hall just after midday escorted by mounted and walking police.

Today’s events across the UK are part of the “come clean” campaign which has followed on from previous student protests. This time  young people of Britain want answers as to why tuition fees were trebled to 9,000 pounds and also why the private sector have been given new degree awarding powers.

It is expected local MP Nick Clegg we be lobbied by both of the Universities unions as the push for change moves forward in 2012.

G4S Protests from Sheffield Asylum Supporters

G4S PROTESTS

South Yorkshire Migration & Asylum Action Group supported by ASSIST, City of Sanctuary and others  staged a demonstration outside Sheffield Town Hall to draw attention to the proposal by the UK Border Agency to award a major contract to the security firm, G4S, to provide accommodation and other services to people seeking sanctuary in the UK and Sheffield.

The demonstration  started at 12.30pm outside Sheffield Town Hall. There were numerous  speeches until 1.30pm when the protestors marched to the UKBA offices at Vulcan House and handed over a petition with 100’s of signatures reflecting the views of a growing number of people in South Yorkshire.

Prior to handing over the signatures  a passionate Wattra Wajontany from City of Sanctuary termed asylum seekers accommodation under G4S as similar to “concentration camps”. He described the contract to the firm associated with Palestinian human rights abuse as being similar to expecting a cat to help a mouse.

Jeni Vine of the Northern Refugee Centre said more needs to be done and this is an issue that will not go away. She also felt that the pressure that they were adding with the protest would help change the Border Control’s minds and offer the contract to a security group with a less questionable history.

Youtube Sensation: Fishing Under Ice: Exclusive Interview

Fishing Under Ice

Many Youtube videos in the past few years have been popular but none
have captured the world’s imagination quiet like a Finnish video
uploaded on Jan 4th. The clip shot at Lake Saarijärvi in Vaala,  shows
what the name suggests which is three men Fishing Under Ice. The
sub-aqua shoot is just under four minutes long and has been viewed by
over half a million people around the world per day since its upload.
In an exclusive interview the director Juuso Mettälä  told me that the
idea came about during lunch break chats with his friend Eelis Rankka
who plays the underwater fisherman. He said that it was a simple
decision who would fish as he was the one with the camera. Mr  Mettälä
said that the optical illusion of the entire shoot having the
fishermen walk upside down feet to the ice “takes a while for some
people to realize what is happening”. They shot the video in March and
April of 2011 and Juuso says “two videos were made and there are more
coming”.

Juuso is surprised by the huge interest in the video as diving under
frozen lakes is normal in Finland and admits that both himself and the
divers are flattered by the comments that Youtube viewers have left.
He also would like to add that he is grateful for the comments from
talented photographers and said that it would take a lot of time to
respond to all requests and viewer’s comments so he doesn’t do it. The
polite Finn and his remarkable video has drawn a world audience to the
remote area that has a population density of just 8 people per square
kilometre. The people of Saarijarvi can already claim Baywatch’s
Pamela Anderson as a descendant but for now the worlds audience is
awaiting more marine videos of a different from the talented Mr
Mettälä and his diving fisherman Eelis Rankka.

Chesterfield Train Death: November 8th 2011

A routine trip to Chesterfield as part of my Masters in Broadcast Journalism coursework turned into a tragic spectacle when a man died after being struck by a train at around 19.35 this evening.

As i stood waiting for my train on platform one in the distance a train seemed to slow and stop; within twenty minutes every train was cancelled and the station began to feel eerie as the gathered commuters became concerned and frustrated. A member of staff bellowed urgently for us  to vacate the platform and as we were forced out of the station a two carriage train appeared slowly and stopped. After nearly an hour Sheffield bound passengers were let back into the station and were made move to platform three, about twenty meters to my right a black blanket covered a body with two pale white torches either side of the track acting as beacons to the unfortunate man who lost his life, we were promptly ushered away and onto the waiting train.

Below are some witness reports and information regarding the incident available on soundcloud.com

One man, Richard Bradbury a local Network marketer was heading home from work  when he came across the scene.

My heart and thoughts are with the family and friends of the man at this time.

Police refused to disclose any information to me by 11.20 pm on the 8th of November stating only that the trains were now running as normal and were unwilling to make a statement.

Train, Chesterfield november 8th 2011

Doors sealed off,

JPMTV UK Beginning.
The Interviews. Lives Less Ordinary

The Interviews. Lives Less Ordinary

After twenty odd written articles to this blog site and collection of rants i have decided to go slightly more visual and now

on youtube.com/JPMTVUK will show a series of interviews i am conducting in the UK with people who live lives less ordinary.

Currently on the page is a two part interview with two Mormon missionaries sent to England to spread the word of their church.

Recently added is a short interview with a former Kashmir  Tv presenter currently living in the UK. I will slowly push the boundaries with the interviewees as the weeks and months go by and if you have any ideas dont hesitate to drop me a mail on either

Facebook: James P Mahon

or twitter: @JamesPMahon

I am also aware the editing and audio visual quality is not mind  blowing but bear with me and i will improve on the technical side, the interviewing ability and the quality and strangeness of the interviewees.

Thank you all once again.

New written articles to come on http://www.jamespmahon.com and weekly on the  www.thenufcblog.com

J