Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch selected in Earls Court

Like many of her fellow celebrities she is blonde, slender and has bright eyes. With her good looks Bambi a two-year-old Whippet from East Acton charmed the judge and was selected as the Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch at Discover Dogs Show in Earls Court on November 11.

At the Disover Dogs Show she was one of the relatively few crossbred dogs who visited the show which exhibited about 190 pedigree dog breeds.

Bambi got her ticket to the dog show by winning a local competition thereby qualifying for Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year arranged by the Dog Kennel Club.

According to Bambi’s owner Mary-Joy Langdon it was Bambi’s “prettiness and eye-catching charm” that got her to the final.

It was the first time Bambi participated in a dog show but Ms Langdon does not rule out that there may be a next time.

“This competition is quite fun as it gives the non-pedigree dogs a change to be stars, so maybe if we qualify again,” she said.

The Discover Dogs Show lasted from Saturday to Sunday and was held for the 11th time this year. More information on how to participate in the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition can be found on: http://www.scruffts.or.uk/.

Reflective report

When we were asked to write an animal story, I started looking for animal-hospitals and organisations in my area on the internet. In this process I found a link to Discover Dogs, a large dog show in Earls Court, and I decided to look further into it. When I realised that the dog show was a enormous event, I decided to focus on just one of the contestants to make the story more personal and less compound.
At the Discover Dogs web-page I found a reference to the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition. After I contacted the press-centre for more information, I was convinced that this competition would catch the eyes of many dog owners and families, as it was for normal family dogs and not just pedigree show-dogs.
Because of the distinctive title of this competition, I decided to do a portrait of the wining dog of Crossbreed Bitch of the Year. At the dog show I found Mary-Joy Langdon and Bambi after they won and asked for an interview and permission to take pictures. The interview went quite well, but taking notes in a hectic and loud environment was very challenging. Mary-Joy did, however, refuse to give me her age. I would have preferred to have this in the article but as the focus was on Bambi and not Mary-Joy, I did not find that it would distort the article noticeably.
I chose the intro and the choice of words after visiting the dog show. When I was at the show, I really felt that the dogs were being treated as stars; hence I found it suitable to transfer this impression to the article.
The piece is intended for a local newspaper as a funny, warm and easy-read story and this caused me to focus on Bambi and keep it around 200 words.

"Boycott Chelsea, shame on Chelsea!"

A man quickly covered up his wife’s fur-coat as 250 whistling and drumming demonstrators marched down Bromton Road, Knightsbridge, shouting “fur trade, death trade!”

The anti-fur rally last Saturday, then hit the corner of Sloane Avenue with a resounding “boycott Chelsea, shame on Chelsea,” while fingers pointed accusingly at several designer shops.

The demonstration was arranged by the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (caft), who spelt out the message against animal cruelty with appalling pictures of skinned animals.

Louise Stevenson, spokeswoman for caft, explained that Chelsea was targeted to encourage people to boycott the many designer shops selling fur in the area and added:

“There are things going on in the fur trade which are absolutely unnecessary, purely exploitative and have no place in civilised society.”

The demonstration ended in front of Harrods department store. There demonstrators held one minute of silence “in memory of the furbearing animals which die because of Harrods pro-fur policy”.

It was not possible to get a comment on the demonstration or their fur-policy from Harrods.


Reflective report
I found the story about the anti-fur demonstration by coincidence as I was shopping in the area and suddenly saw the demonstrators. Unfortunately I forgot my camera and pen at home but made some observations and picked up some leaflets and comments from the demonstrators.
As I could not take any quotes, I decided to call the organisation who arranged the demonstration the following Monday. I had the number from the leaflet, and after several attempts I got hold of Louise Stevenson. I found her comment on civilisation and exploitation very strong and therefore chose to use it as a quote. It would of course have been better to have a quote from the demonstration but as Ms Stevenson had been at the demonstration and was spokeswoman for the organisation, I thought her to be a good source. I also got permission from her to use one of the pictures taken by the organisation at the demonstration.
In the intro I attempted to bring the most vivid picture of the demonstrators and onlookers to the reader’s mind. I also wanted mention early in the article that the demonstrators were calling for a boycott on Chelsea, as I was confident that this would catch the eye of local residents - and the article was written with a local newspaper in mind.
I used many describing words to make the reader feel like s/he was there, and I also tried to give the article a quick pace as to recreate the energy and passion displayed during the demonstration.
As I combined the description of the demonstration with quotes and explanations from the demonstrators, I also wanted to give the target for the demonstration, Harrods, a change to present their views. But after several attempts by both phone and email I finally had to tell them that if I did not receive a comment within my deadline, the story would be published without their point of view in it.

Conviction Politician or Political Animal?

The fourth of October marked the first 100 days of Gordon Brown’s premiership. When mounting his new seat Brown had to ensure the affection of the big majority, who felt deceived by Tony Blair, by condemning his predecessor. To do this and at the same time avoid denouncing the politics and actions he had supported for more than a decade, he had to deliver a masterpiece of a balancing act. Being unable to separate himself from the intimately interwoven politics, Brown seemed to choose a different tactical manoeuvre. He separated himself from the personal characteristics of Tony Blair.

When Brown made his first statement to Parliament, he proposed to transfer powers from the Prime Minister and Executive to Parliament - most importantly the power to declare war. This did not only state Brown’s distance to the grounds on which the country was taken into war but also marked his distance to the presidentialism of which Blair was often accused. Through a genuine rhetoric with strong emphasis on personal beliefs and morals Brown had left the shadow of Tony Blair. It seemed he had convinced the majority that Tony Blair, the great communicator and ruler had been replaced by Gordon Brown, the great listener and server.

Leading up to his 100 day anniversary Brown’s sincere appearance has begun to crumble. The Tories accused Brown’s surprises visit to Basra and Baghdad of being an immoral spin operation. It was not the only time Brown was to be accused of spinning, and the afternoon tea with Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street also put a spot on Brown’s sincerity.

But what exactly led to the negative polls on Brown’s anniversary? Appealing and sympathetic as Brown’s words about duty, honesty and equality are, the final push was not a defiance of Brown’s capability to live up to these. It was simply the excitement that David Cameron brought with him when he, much like Tony Blair in his early years, swept away his audience with a bold and renewing attitude. Like new love these kind of political gifts have a tendency to make people forget past betrayals. Consequently the question left for Gordon Brown to answer before his next anniversary will be - will he keep the characteristics that made him second lover for a decade or will the fear of losing his place to a new, charismatic leader make him change course?


Reflective report
The Gordon Brown comment piece was a set assignment in Central Government. It is aimed at evaluating Gordon Brown’s first 100 days as Prime Minister and at comparing Brown to Tony Blair.
Before I began writing, I spend a whole day reading articles about Brown trying to find the essential differences between him and Blair. I realised that their political views were not as different as I had initially thought. I used this observation when scrutinising some of Brown’s actions and understood that they could be seen as attempts to differentiate himself from Blair
As I did not have to contact any sources but could find all the information I needed on the internet, structuring the article was the most difficult part of this assignment. Having collected considerably more information than I needed, I found it difficult to se the right angle and was afraid of excluding important points. The first draft of the article was therefore too long and too complex. The angle to be chosen did not become evident to me before I shortened it the second time.
I have drawn a couple of parallels between Brows relation to the public and a love relation aimed at reflecting the very emotional “from the heart” rhetoric used by Brown. The length of this assignment was set, and cutting it to the requested 400 words gave it the right sharpness for it not to appear too speculative.

Life-size rhino for sale

A life-size rhino might not be on top of many present lists for Christmas this year, but it is exactly what a local theatre has for sale.

The Royal Court Theatre at Sloane Square is trying to find a new home for Zara, the 12-foot long star of the play Rhinoceros, after her last performance on December 15.

However, Zara, who is made in Hollywood and has circus performances on her CV, is not a cheap treat. The theatre expects a price around £6000.

In addition to a big purse, buyers of the rhinoceros costume in latex will also need a good fitness, as it takes two men to manoeuvre it around. Stephen Pidcock, press officer at the theatre, said:

“I don’t know if anyone would buy it for their own use, but it would be lovely to think that someone might buy it and donate it…For a charity for rhinos for instance where they could use it for public display”

A few offers on the life-like rhino have been made, but bidding is still open. And if Zara does not fit under the Christmas tree, her performance can still be enjoyed at The Royal Court Theatre.


Reflective report
I found the story about the rhino when I was looking at the Royal Court Theatre’s web-page to find some information about a cultural event in my borough. But when I saw the short note about the sale of the rhinoceros costume, I decided to write a story about that instead. I believed the story about the sale of a 12 foot long latex rhino to have a surprise-element, which would make people read it.
I felt it was obvious, almost un-avoidable, to use some sort of Christmas theme in the intro. After settling on this, I had to get some more information about the rhino. At the press office I got in contact with Stephen Pidcock, who helped my out with some details about the rhino’s origin, size etc. and provided me with a good quote. He also allowed me to use the picture the theatre had on their web-page for my article.
I tried to keep the tone in the article a bit humoristic, as the thought of anyone paying £6000 for a life-size rhino did seem a bit comical. For the same reason I described the rino-costume as if it was a real-life rhino. However, I used the quote from Pidcock to give the article a serious side, as I felt this gave a good balance.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital among three best trusts in London

Cheer spread through the white hallways of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on October 24, as staff celebrated the rating as one of the best three NHS trusts in London.

The assessment conducted by the Healthcare Commission was published one year after Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was granted Foundation Trust status and greater independence.

It places the hospital on Fulham Road in the top five per cent of NHS trusts in England. The news was well received by Heather Lawrence, Chief Executive of the hospital, who said:

“This is a tribute to the hard work and expertise of everyone who works at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.”

The annual assessment rates the quality of service and the use of resources between “weak” and “excellent”. Last year Chelsea and Westminster Hospital attained a “fair” and “good” rating.


Reflective report
I found the story about Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on the hospitals web-page, which had a press-release about the annual assessment by the Healthcare Commission. I chose to write the article because hospital stories have great news value as almost everybody has or has had some sort of contact with their local hospital. Furthermore I thought the good result for the hospital could be the basis for an eye-catching article in a local newspaper, as people are presumably inclined to read about it when something is going better (or worse) in their own area than in the rest of the country.
I therefore chose an angle with focus on the pride and joy the good rating of the hospital had brought with it. I did this to make the readers feel that they had a share in that pride. Hospital stories can, however, be a bit boring, so in the intro I tried to create a picture in the reader’s mind by referring to the white hallways full of cheer. I attempted to keep the story and vocabulary as simple as possible, and decided only to highlight a few facts to explain, who did the rating and what it meant. I could have explained the term Foundation Hospital in details but chose not to as to avoid twisting the angle.
The press-release had a couple of quotes in it, and I chose to use one of them as it worked very well wit the angle I had chosen.

Your MP; his opinions and history

“’Chelsea tractors’ are cars that have been subject to a great deal of unjust, political persecution,” says Conservative MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind of the term used to refer to the popular, big jeeps cruising around the streets of his constituency.

Sir Malcolm’s political opponents may have an objection or two to this, but one thing they can not claim is that inexperience led him to the conclusions. At the age of 61, he has been active for the Conservatives for more than 30 years, but still enjoys the challenges in politics. He said:

“My favourite part of the day is arriving at work in the morning, raring to take on the government to task on behalf of the people of Kensington and Chelsea.”

But it is not only the quiet part of the job Sir Malcolm takes pleasure in.

“Ken Livingstone often has some explaining to do as well.” He adds thereby implying that he actually enjoys his many political fights with the Labour Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

New conflicts come up regularly, and right now one of the most debated topics in London is the environmental concern regarding private transport. Sir Malcolm does admit that the “Chelsea Tractor” could be made more environment friendly. But he maintains that the criticism of the car, which he says is “indispensable to many families”, is not going to change his mind on the subject.

“Until the London transport system improves, I would expect people to hold on to their cars!”

He states making it clear that the Mayor of London has to make changes before he will ask his constituents to.

This attitude has brought Sir Malcolm a considerable share of success since he began his political career in 1970 as a local councillor in Edinburgh. During the Thatcher Government he was appointed Secretary of State for Defence and Foreign Secretary. Afterwards he got knighted in recognition of his public service.

But during Labour's landslide general election victory in 1997, Sir Malcolm Rifkind lost his Edinburgh Pentlands seat in Parliament. While this did not end his political career, it took him to a new constituency. In 2004 he got elected to represent the Kensington and Chelsea Constituency. Thus, turbulent changes have affected Sir Rifkind’s professional life but apparently nothing to put him off course.

“Every day in politics is different,” he calmly concludes.

Reflective report

The profile of Sir Malcolm Rifkind was an assignment in Central Government, and it was to be aimed at a local newspaper. I chose the angle on Sir Rifkind’s view on the “Chelsea Tractors” because I thought this would be something everybody in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, including Sir Rifkind, had a strong opinion about.
Thus, selecting the angle was not a problem, however, getting hold of Sir Rifkind was. Having done some research into his life and career, I called his secretary. But she was reluctant to promise me a phone interview with Sir Rifkind within my time limit. I therefore chose to write my questions down in an email to her and asked her to either send them to Sir Rifkind or email a timeslot within which I could call him. This turned out to be the right approach, and I received the answers by email just in time.
I used the quote in the intro as a “hook” to catch the reader’s attention. But I also wanted to present the fact that Sir Rifkind is an experienced and famous politician early in the article so as to get the reader to continue reading.
I am aware of the fact that you would not use a quote in an intro to a hard news story, but as this style is commonly used in profiles, I chose to do it this way.
When writing the article I aimed at a factual but warm, personal tone to make the readers relate to their MP and his work. The length of the article was decided in the assignment description, and I chose to keep it this way but lightened it a bit by putting some of the facts in a separate fact-box. This enabled me to include both more opinions and facts without slowing down the pace of the article.