Sunday May 20, 2012

Articles

YGTV Magazine Articles

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Picture a quiet Sunday evening. It’s around 10:30 on the clock. You are settling down to read quietly or watch some TV programme; one last moment of peaceful indulgence prior to the start of yet another hectic working week. It’s the perfect occasion to finally and completely unwind. Sunday night. The calm before the storm; an opportunity to ready oneself for the days ahead and a chance to draw the curtain across another splendid weekend of carefree relaxation. Everybody needs this moment.

This is not the case for some, however. There are certain elements of the proletariat among us who choose to perform a very strange ritual; a ritual that only they can truly understand; a ritual that is invasive; a sacrament of deliberate deep breathing and unrestrained reverberation; a premeditated act that even requires a specific outfit and a special “tool”! There is a thought process involved in this ritual that boggles the mind.

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Laos:

Chickens, Motorcycles & Passengers...

The Peoples’ Democratic Republic of Laos, to call it by its full name, is located in the center of Indochina, sharing borders with China to the North, Myanmar to Northwest, Thailand to the West, Cambodia to the South and Vietnam to the East.

Leo Hayes - Laos - Gibraltar TV With a total area of 236,800 square kilometres, around 70% of Laos’ terrain is mountainous, reaching a maximum elevation of 2,820 meters in Xieng Khouang Province.

The Mekong River is the main geographical feature in the west and is listed as the world’s tenth longest river; in fact it forms a natural border with Thailand in some areas. It was from one of these border towns that Mekong divides Thailand from Laos that started my journey into Laos.

At the end of October 2011 I was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, when I overheard an American bloke talking to a Thai lady about what was the best way to get into Laos. The Thai Lady in very good English replied the best way to cross into Laos is the slow boat, but you can fly or go by bus all good ways “but slow boat better”.

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The Great Greeting Card Swindle. A Hallmark Holiday Story.

The sending of greeting cards can be traced back as far as the ancient Egyptians, who would send papyrus scrolls to convey greetings or well wishes. The Chinese, are also recorded as one of the first people to exchange messages of good will around the time of the Chinese New Year.

The Germans are known to have printed New Year’s greetings from woodcuts as early as 1400, and handmade paper Valentines were being exchanged in various parts of Europe in the early to mid-15th century, with the oldest Valentine in existence being in the British Museum. (It’s also the most expensive).

Why do we do it? Its not like most of us keep the cards, most of them end up in the bin. The card industry is said to be worth in the region of $1.39 Billion a year, and an average of 31 cards sent per person per year in the UK alone.

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YGTV had the pleasure of meeting with His Worship, The Mayor of Gibraltar, Julio Alcantara in his prestigious office at City Hall. We decided to throw in some questions that were a little different...

Your Worship, you’ve been in office since July 2011, what would you say is a typical day for the Mayor of Gibraltar?

It varies so much, there’s no typical day, you almost wake up and sat, ‘let’s see what the day brings’. I’ve moved around from the world of Judo, to model soldiers, to the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and lads from Afghanistan. This is the beauty of the role. I’m increasingly surprised by the variety and depth of what goes on in Gibraltar... it’s a lovely town.

What would you say the qualities for the Mayor of Gibraltar must be, for them to really discharge their duties of Office?

Difficult to reply... essentially it’s wanting to represent your town. I am to some extent, the public face of Gibraltar when I meet people from outside. You represent your town and you need to be aware of it. [You need to] be proud of the fact that that is what you’re doing. [Some qualities needed are] an outgoing personality, [being] used to public service because the demands can be quite crucial. Demands on time, preparation of what to say, you need to be very careful. Like now, I need to be careful that I won’t put my foot in it.

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New Year Resolutions are an interesting concept if looked at completely objectively as a realist verging on the cynical. The start of the New Year heralds a new beginning and therefore is used to mark all manner of auspicious moments. It is a chance for rebirth, renovation, leaf-turning, out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new, a fresh start for everyone and everything with the dawning of a new day, a new year, a new chapter in the novel of life. Or... It’s just another day (according to the would-be objective realist-cum-cynic).

A day is the span of time it takes for the Earth to make one complete rotation about its axis (24 hours). Since the Earth’s orbit of the sun is elliptical and not perfectly circular, there are about 365.2422 days in one year, hence the need for a leap year every four, of which this year, 2012, is one. The commencement of the New Year is also an arbitrary moment in this cycle of celestial orbits. It all depends on which calendar or religion you follow really; Julian, Gregorian, Chinese, Jewish, Hindu, etc. Consequently, the concept of a New Year Resolution is inherently flawed (to the objective, realist cynic).