angry – Rob Mansfield: Content-ment

Who would you want as a role model: Hina Khan or Amy Childs?

Two weeks ago, there was widespread condemnation of the Taliban, when they shot Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai in the head for speaking out about girls’ education.

Hina Khan

Now, another Pakistani schoolgirl, 17-year-old Hina Khan, has been threatened for doing the same thing and has asked the Pakistani Government for extra protection – something they seem unwilling to give.

These two schoolgirls are both amazing role models for girls in a country where education of women is still seen, by many extremists, as needless and ‘un-Islamic’.

Amy Childs

Now compare the actions of Hina and Malala with one of Britain’s current, most high-profile role-models, Amy Childs, famous for being the country’s self-proclaimed ‘vajazzle queen’ and appearing in reality TV shows.

I know Pakistan and the UK are very different countries, but step back for a second and compare the two.

Who would you want as a role model: Hina Khan or Amy Childs?

Lose the stickers

Apple OK, so the picture on the left is pretty crap, but I think you can tell what I’m getting at.

Why is it that every single individual piece of fruit now has to have its own special sticker? We’re not talking the branding ones like ‘Cape’ or ‘Zespri’, just the ones with number and name.

I know it’s to help staff differentiate between varieties of fruit, but does every single piece need its own identifier? Think of the manpower, adhesive and paper being wasted just to put it on.

It must be like being in The Prisoner in the apple section of Sainsbury’s. There’s probably one lonely Braeburn desperate to break free of the plastic bag and scream, “I am not a number, I’m an apple!”

The state of modern cinema

The Dark Knight cinema tickets We went to see the new Batman movie last night and caught the late showing, starting at 9pm.

Now first of all, a confession. As we have limited babysitting options, C and I haven’t been to the cinema together since before A was born.

However, I’ve been spoilt for many years because I get invites to see advance screenings of films before they go on general release.

I don’t go to as many as I used to, but for the last 10 years or so, the majority of my cinema viewing has been done either in the West End or in little Soho screening cinemas alongside other film journalists.

Consequently, I’m a bit out of practice with a general cinema-going audience and, boy, was I disturbed last night?

People arrived literally as the film was about to start, causing maximum interruption and disturbance who consider the ads and trailers as part of the cinema experience (in other words, me!).

There were all sorts of smelly and noisy snacks being consumed while the film was going – I pity the people who had to sit next to those eating nachos.

It never fails to amaze me that some people don’t turn off their mobile phone and then answer a call during a film. What part of anti-social behaviour don’t you understand?

Even if you’re only saying, ‘Sorry, I’m in the cinema’ that’s 5 words too many. Why bother answering it in the first place? What good does it do?

And film? Good, but too long and spoilt by there being no air conditioning and it being unbearably hot.