Friday 27 February 2009

ENDER A LEGEND

Wendy Richard, MBE, aka Pauline Fowler, Rest In Peace.

This woman played many roles in her career, including Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served?

Other programs she was in include The Likely Lads, On The Buses, and many Carry On films, including Carry On Matron.

She died of cancer in London’s Harley Street Clinic, with her husband John Burns at her side.

Farewell Wendy Richard (1943-2009) and thank you so much for so many years of entertainment.

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Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has finally found love again, with a model who goes by the name of Andrea.

The couple are said to of met in Barcelona, home of the Spanish football club Thierry joined in 2007.

Although it was sad to see his marriage, to English model Claire break up, it’s even better to see that he’s moved on.

Furthermore, Andrea has been credited in helping Henry regain his form on the pitch.

It just goes to show that becoming a WAG has its benefits for both the player and his partner.

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It seems that millionaire Manchester United football star Carlos Teves has to hitch a lift from his team-mates!

Cops impounded his £140,000 Bentley near the club’s training ground – then found out that Carlos may not have the right to drive in the UK.

The Bentley is now at his home in Cheshire, while he keeps hitching for a lift.

Here’s another option Carlos, since taking the bus is clearly too common for you – hire a cab firm instead.

It’s not as if you don’t have the money!

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I see that former footballer Paul Gascoigne has given an interview about his fear of drinking himself to death.

After admitting to the overdrinking of alcohol and taking cocaine, I see that he received his wake-up call when in September 2008, he had to fight off ugly rumors that he was dead in a Northumberland hotel room.

Now Paul is at the Tony Adams Sporting Chance Clinic in the Champney’s health spa at Forest Mere, Hampshire.

Mr Adams has had is own very public battle with the booze and drugs - he won, so having his help and support should make a real difference for Mr Gascoigne.

Now that Paul knows that he has got a future - simply because he now likes himself - Mr Gascoigne’s determined not to make the same mistakes as another football legend, George Best.

Good on you Paul and may you never drink again.

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The main actress of the hit film Slumdog Millionaire is on the front cover of Vogue India’s March 2009 edition.

Well done Freida Pinto and I hope we will be seeing more of you in the present and future – it’s about time we had more actress of colour doing well in films, whether they be independent or from Hollywood.

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The pictures by Clark Little, 39, of a crest of a wave are wonderful.

This man has clearly risked his life for photographing such pictures and is now publishing some of them.

Here’s a link to one of them: i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee65/kellychan3/ClarkLittle_Postcard_Front_02.jpg

Don’t hesitate to view my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

I’ve included some more pictures of my time in Barbados for you to see.

The one with the woman in the middle picture below, with her arms outstretched, next to an old-fashioned glass-based rum bottle, is when I attended a Mount Gay Tour in Bridgetown, the capital of this country.

Did you know the name for Barbados comes from the Portuguese – they called it Los Bardos, on route to Brazil.

Light and Peace

Andria

X





Monday 23 February 2009

I feel I’ve gone 12 rounds in a boxing match today

Hi to one and all

I’ve been learning how to use Final Cut Pro to edit television/film footage.

It took us – a team of four women - all day to get footage for a news package that only lasts one minute and thirty seconds!

My colleague Stuart – who was in a different team - was smart enough to start his on Friday just gone, so his news package is already sorted – nice one! (I say this in total admiration, not anger or jealously).

Everyone else, including my team, will have to finish ours on Tuesday.

I was a football steward again on Saturday 21st February, at the home ground of Queens Park Rangers – QPR - at home to Ipswich FC.

The final score, which I found out the next day on the internet, was QPR 1 Ipswich 3.

That probably explains why I had an unwanted discord with a QPR fan at half time, who was blocking a fire exit door but wouldn’t budge when I politely asked him to do so.

At least a third of the CES staff didn’t turn up, which explains why I was managing two VIP doors and the toilets – the men always seem to stray into the ladies room! In most cases, it’s a genuine mistake.

Nevertheless, what I enjoyed about this football game, which I didn’t get to watch, was distributing the left-over food to the stewards and hospitality staff who were working that day.

I always ensure to do this fairly, as many of these workers start their shift on an empty stomach, so if some food is available, I think it’s only right to make sure everyone gets a fair share.

I’m grateful the catering staff are aware they can trust me to do the right thing, rather than hog up the food for myself or reserve it for a few ‘favourites’ that get everything.

As I saw with my own eyes, the supervisors continuously pestered catering for free food and didn’t give two-hoots for anyone else.

I admit, I like the responsibility, as it shows the permanent catering staff realise I’m also a responsible and reliable person.

That means so much to me, for which I’m grateful as to have authority does equal responsibility.

Those that abuse this, whether it be at a football match or running a national magazine, will be caught out, no matter what they do or say, or how much time has elapsed.

I’ve included some more pictures of my time in Barbados, including the Chase family vault and some school kids – please go and see this country!

Don’t hesitate to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Light and Peace

Andria

X

PS, if you want to have something to laugh about, please go to YouTube and see this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIqRvg3TAfk






Friday 20 February 2009

THE UK IS A FAST FOOD NATION!

Yes it seems that there are winners to be found in the current economic trend and it’s not just the pawnbrokers.

Demand for junk food is soaring, with KFC announcing plans to hire up to 9,000 staff to help open and run up to 300 new outlets.

Pizza delivery company Dominos and burger chain McDonald’s have also done well and revealed a big rise in profits this week.

Sandwich chain Subway is opening more shops in Britain and Ireland this year and budget chains Lidl and Aldi have also seen an increase in sales.

All this doesn’t look good when fighting obesity, which is already a real cause for concern affecting the UK as it is!

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The picture of magician Paul Daniels, 70, and his wife Debbie McGee, 50, are both funny and clever.

In a light-hearted take on the Beckhams’ recent fashion shoot for Armani, this couple are clearly determined to up their profile.

The full feature appears in Closer magazine, on sale now.

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The search for Lord Allen Stanford continues!

The U.S Securities and Exchange Commission has accused the Texan financer of defrauding 50,000 customers around the world in a multibillion-dollar investment scheme.

This Lord, who changed the shape of worldwide cricket with his winner-takes-all match in Antigua, can’t seem to be found anywhere.

Not surprisingly, English cricket’s governing body will not proceed with plans to stage further Stanford Twenty20 matches or the Stanford Super Series - the first match had been due to be held at Lord’s this May.

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IT SEEMS LIKE MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE WON THE TITLE – AGAIN!

I hope that doesn’t sound defeatist but I think that after the consistency this team’s shown, it’s more than likely that Man U have already romped home.

Many view Liverpool FC’s manager Rafael Benítez’s decision to sell Robbie Keane back to Tottenham Hotspur as a big mistake to their title chances, particularly now, looking at the current health issues surrounding Steven Gerrard.

With Scolari gone, it’s highly doubtful they’ll be another manager able to prevent Manchester United from gaining another title win.

Don’t get me wrong, I do want Sir Alex to have real competition and I hope he’s pushed to the limit but inevitably his team’s playing right and showing good, regular consistency.

I’ll be happy to be proven wrong but I doubt it.

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I’ve grown up watching The Simpsons’ so seeing the new shots of them going around the world trying to catch their sofa, instead of rushing to sit on it, is amazing.

I know all the other shots by heart, including Bart having to write lines on the chalkboard, Maggie being scanned through a till, Lisa showing indifference at being thrown out of the school orchestra.

But now their sofa will lead them out of Springfield to Venice and outer space!

To watch the new opening credits, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZGz1Ajg7QU

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It seems that Victoria Beckham has finally found her calling in life.

Her new range of designer outfits has gone down well.

I admit, looking at the range of clothes, I can now see why the critics were forced to ‘eat their words’.

Her sexy dresses are exactly that and are flattering too.

I would buy the mini-shirted purple one, displayed in the Metro newspaper on 17th February 2009, page 23, if I had the money for it.

Well done Mrs Beckham – as soon as my course is over, I’m making sure I’ll get the dress I like.

Don’t hesitate to view my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com


I've included some pictures when I was in Barbados in January 2006.

The one at the bottom is my cousin Stephanie with her arms around a cooking pot which was used to dish food out to the slaves who were working on sugar plantations - my ancestors.

The second picture is of my uncle Ambrose hugging his wife Margaret, with his daughter sitting on the right of them - may you truly rest in peace, dear uncle.


Light and Peace

Andria

Enc





Monday 16 February 2009

VALENTINE'S DAY SUCKS!

Well it did for me, as I had no one to share it with!

It seems that I wasn’t the only one, as England and Chelsea ace Frank Lampard has been dumped by his Spanish fiancée, divorcee Elen Rives.

It seems that after all the straying he’s done from the martial bed – yes they’ve never actually married but they do have two biological children together – Ms Rives decided to call it a day during a holiday in Florida last month.

I truly feel sorry for both of them, as Elen was Lampard’s first proper girlfriend and they’ll be no shortage of women who will be happy to replace Luna – so long as Frank keeps playing top-flight football and for a high profile club.

As touching as it is to see a man like Mr Lampard on the football pitch, showing equal measure of skill, strength, passion and dedication to his team, they’ll be plenty of women who will be willing to be his mistress and others waiting to be Mrs Frank Lampard who only care about using his name and title to further their own talents and profile – if they have any!

Sadly they’ll be no shortage of "models" or "singers" who will see Mr Lampard as a meal ticket for instant fame, not like Ms Rives, who – unlike the majority of WAGS – kept a low profile.

Because Frank and Elen weren’t married, they won’t be going through a messy divorce, unlike Thierry Henry’s split from his wife, or Ian Wright’s divorce from then wife Deborah - she too had enough of forgiving Ian and decided to walk away.

Her interview in The Mail newspaper, after the revelation of another Chelsea FC player, Ashley Cole, cheating on his wife, Girls Aloud performer Cheryl, was moving and touching.

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It’s impossible not to know about Jade Goody’s increasing problem regarding her battle against cancer.

Like many who watched Ms Goody over the years, I’ve grown to see her take on one challenge after another and seeing the recent pictures of her with no hair are just as powerful as the interviews accompanying them.

Keep showing everyone that you’re a survivor Jade and I hope all goes well on your wedding day.

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Congratulations to Kate Moss on being pregnant with her second child.

She seems really happy with Jamie Hince and having a younger brother or sister will be great for Kate’s daughter Lila Grace, now six years of age.

She’s past the important 12-week stage so hopefully it should now be plain sailing – even with the delivery, as once you’ve had your first, it’s easy regarding the next delivery – so I’ve been told, as I’ve never given birth yet, ha ha!

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I was a football steward on Saturday 14th February, for West Ham Vs Middlesbrough, which involved a lot of tight stewarding but the match went well.

Since it was on a day that I had no red roses to give or receive, I’ll report on the day’s events like this:

This match reminded me of Kanye West’s album 808s & Heartbreak: both sides suffered their fair share of woes and scoffing the chocolates as the match ended one each side.

Both teams were upbeat and happy at the start of the event, which really wasn’t remarkable, with the ball simply passing from player to player.

A few challenges did happen but the pitch came alive after the 22nd minute, when Stewart Downing for M'borough hit home the first goal.

The hammers fans – who were right behind the goal, could only give blank stares, as if their valentine had thrown all the candy and roses back in their face and was openly cavorting with a new love, with the first track off the 808s album, Say You Will, ringing in my ears.

The M’broough fans cheered on at their team getting the first goal, even if it was a scrappy affair, like getting the girl you want then showing indifference towards her now she’s yours.

But West Ham weren’t to be beat, as in the 83rd minute, left-back Herita Ilunga scored a fine goal, again with the Hammers fans right behind them.

Their joy at equalising was ecstatic; like a husband who was glad his unfaithful wife was back with him for good, they simply didn’t care about what had happened in the past.

The fifth track of the Heartbreak album, Love Lockdown must have been the song on the minds of the West Ham fans, while the Middlesbrough supporters were left humming the 3rd tune, appropriately called Heartless, realising their lover – sorry the points – will have to be shared, whether they like it or not.

In all, both sides had their backs scrubbed: the 4th song off the above album, Amazing (featuring Young Jeezy) said it the best.

It was a good day, which started and ended well.

I’ve got some more pictures to show you of my time at Liverpool – including me with no make-up on – please go and see this city, you’ll enjoy yourself!

Don’t forget to check out my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Light and Peace

Andria Greaves

Enc





Friday 13 February 2009

I like the front picture of Michelle Obama on the front cover of the March 2009 US edition of Vogue

She is pictured in a Jackie Kennedy style picture with the perfect words fitting it: Michelle Obama, the first lady the world’s been waiting for.

Here, here!

Sadly I’ve also seen the front picture in The Sun newspaper showing 13-year-old Alfie Patten with his newborn daughter.

Children having children is a big worry and I hope this highlights just how important sex education is for adolescents and shouldn’t be ignored.

The far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been banned from the UK after unsuccessfully trying to see the British premiere of his anti-Islamist film.

It seems that he’s getting more publicity than ever as it was shown over the newsrooms how this previously little-known eccentric politician was man-handled at Heathrow.

The audience for his film, which was shown in UK Parliament, was less than 30.

It’s good to see that the latest X-factor winner Alexandra Burke has signed a £3 million US record deal.

I hope she cracks the US market like the 2006 X-factor winner Leona Lewis.

I’m going to be a football steward at West Ham FC this Saturday when they play against Middlesbrough – yes it’s the 14th of February, a day that single people like me don’t actually like!

No red roses for me, just hard work on an empty stomach – unless I have a big breakfast in the morning, as no safety steward is allowed to eat when you start working, which is hours before the kick-off.

Even when the match has finished, football stewards are still working for many hours afterwards.

Nevertheless, I’m so glad to be working, once again doing a job that’s truly exciting – I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

This is an FA Cup match and considering West Ham were finalists in 2006 - losing to Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as Wembley Stadium was still under construction - it’s sure to be a good match.

Many thanks to CES – Controlled Events Solutions – for booking me and I’m really sorry Tajinder that we can’t meet this week.

Tajinder Gill is a colleague-turned-friend who I met when I was the deputy editor, many years ago at the now defunct London Voice newspaper.

She’s remained a true mate through thick and thin and now works for the NUT.

I assure you Taj I’ll explain all when we next meet.

It snowed again in North-West London on Thursday evening – 12th February - but I’m glad to say it didn’t result in the trouble we had last week in preventing people from travelling from A to Z.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor for London, has launched the London Delivery Board, in order to tackle the city’s homeless problem.

Half the country’s rough sleepers are found in London – a total of 3,000 people over the course of a year, so any plans to tackle this problem is bound to be welcomed by many.

I’ve got some more pictures to show of my time in Liverpool, a city that’s so unique.

Some of these pics are from the Anti-Slavery International museum, some are regarding my time being on the ghost-walk tour of Liverpool – there’s only one at the moment - and some are just from me walking around central Liverpool.

I’ve just remembered that when I was on the Magic Mystery Tour, I sat next to a guy from Norway who had flew in with two mates to see Liverpool FC, which shows the international appeal of this city and its football team.

Enjoy!

Light and Peace

Andria Greaves

Please don’t forget to visit my other internet address: www.andriagreaves.com





Thursday 12 February 2009

I’M GOING TO STAR IN A DOCUMENTARY!


Hi to one and all

A journalist on the International Journalism course, broadcast pathway, at the University of Westminster has asked me to feature in a documentary about being a football ground steward and how to tackle ground violence.

It will also be asking me about grounds behaviour, especially in the wake of a man fined £450.00 for head-butting a steward in Milton Keynes last week and the reactions of Chelsea FC fans regarding the decision to replace Luiz Felipe Scolari as their manager.

Other concerns addressed in the programme include managing rowdy fans, alcohol and drink issues.

I’m grateful that Natasha Kersh – the producer and presenter of the documentary - wants to hear from me and I’m willing to give my views, opinions and insights.

This reminds me when I visited the wonderful city of Liverpool – yes I know its the roots is slavery, as without it, Liverpool wouldn’t of developed into the marital might it became but I assure you, the people of this city are friendly, warm and looking at how multi-cultural it is today, it’s definitely worth a visit.

I spend four days in this beautiful city, seeing the Anti-Slavery International museum, the Roman Catholic and Church of England Cathedrals, The Beatles museum, the Yellow Submarine Tour, the Superlambananna statue - yes that's what it's called - and I went on a ghost tour, which included visiting a pyramid tomb of a man who tried to cheat the devil - to find out why, you must go on the tour!

I also went on the Magical Mystery tour which visits where the members of the Beatles grew up. They came from good, middle-class upbringings, certainly not the barely two-pennies-to-rub belief many have of their backgrounds!

All of these places I highly recommend anyone to visit but I admit, the highlight was going to Liverpool Football Club which included a tour – providing access to the team’s changing room and includes a visit to their museum.

I went for two days, firstly to capture the atmosphere of the fans before a Premiership home match – the warmth around me was truly amazing and magnificent.

I’ve included some pictures of my time at Liverpool and hope they can encourage you to see for yourself just why I highly recommend a visit to this area of the UK.

Don’t forget to visit my other internet page: www.andriagreaves.com

Light and Peace

Andria Greaves




Monday 9 February 2009

What a kroc!

Luiz Felipe Scolari is a victim of the “instant success” culture that now surrounds English football.

Sir Alex Ferguson took at least five years to bring silverware to Manchester United.

It took him that long to change the culture the previous manager Ron Atkinson had left behind.

Looking at the recent demise of Tony Adams and Paul Ince, the pressures on Premiership managers to achieve a quick fix result is immense.

This is Chelsea’s loss not Scolari, who is a well-respected manager in his own right.

Furthermore Luiz Felipe left a good job as Portugal manager to come here – he WILL get a good pay off.

But he’s only managed seven games at Chelsea FC – you can’t change a culture overnight and Luiz Felipe was working with a team he didn’t choose.

The Chelsea managerial job is now a poison chalice – who on earth will now want that job, after the treatment of Scolari and previous managers José Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri?

Perhaps Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich should run the team himself!

Don’t forget to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Light and Peace

Andria Greaves – never scared!