Boozing at the local VUE

Pretty soon we may be able to drink beer and wine while watching our favourite movies. The Vue Cinema in Newcastle has applied for a licence to sell alcohol from 9am until 30 minutes before the end of the last showing.
Film fans would be able to buy and drink alcohol in the foyer area as well as inside each of the cinema's eight screens. Although I love to have a drink when watching a film (at home), I wreckon this could be a pretty stupid idea. There's always one idiot at the flicks being a drama queen, over lauging, screaming, talking loudly, and basically spoliling it for everyone else, and this is when their sober!
I think serving alcohol may encourage even more people to be disruptive.

'Dog cried like a child'

What kind of a moron ties a dog, and not just any dog, a rottweiler, to the handlebars of a pedal bike, whilst riding a long? ...Steven Parry! Then when the lead gets tangled up in the wheels, and causes him to fall off, he looses his temper, kicking the animal several times, so hard that it "cried like a child." He obviously has anger issues, and the fact that he will probably get a free solicitor on legal aid and a slap on the wrists of the judge, isn't much of a deterrent to stop this kind of person from taking his frustration out on animals.

The boyfriend of the mother of late Baby-P was also caught abusing animals on numerous occasions but received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Maybe if he'd done some time in prison, he may have thought twice before going on to abusing and causing the death of this little one.

Violence and abuse is what it is, whether it's towards an animal or a child, neither can defend themselves, and the punishment should be just has harsh as it is for abusing children. Maybe if this becomes the case, abusers who start with animals may be prevented from moving onto children!

Save this pub!

The Coackmakers Arms, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent have handed in a petition signed by thousands of beer fans from around the world to the city council.
More than 7,500 supporters of Hanley’s Coachmakers Arms have backed the fight to save the Victorian pub, which faces demolition to make way for a £256 million shopping centre.
At first I disagreed with this fight as I think the new East-West Shopping Centre is going to be pretty spectacular and although the pub is popular, it would probably be just as popular moved up the road.
However, having watched a video, inlcluding interviews with the locals, I can now see that the petitioners are not trying to stop the regeneration of Hanley, but would like to be included in it, rather then demolished out of it.
The building actually looks quite pleasant, and if the new shopping centre could be built to include it, making a few structural modifications, I think it could end up looking similar to the old style restaurants build in the food quarter of the Trafford Shopping Centre (original).

Winging Wenger

I might have know Arsene Wenger would have spat his dummy our over loosing to Stoke City on Saturday. The players that Wenger played on Saturday were no match for Stoke's players, he can't play young lads, although talented, and expect them to be a match for grown men. As far as I could see there was no dirty play from any of Stoke's players and he needs to get on with things.

Jail for evil scum!

I'm over the moon that Susan Marie Foster and Edward Marshall Foster, of Whitchurch Road, Sound, near Nantwich, have been sent to jail for causing unnecessary suffering to three horses and breaching the terms of a previous sentence. The previous sentence obviously wasn't a deterrent and they showed a blatant disregard for the law in committing the crime again. There faces say it all this time around, they actually look remorseful (probably not for what they did but for the situation that they are now in.)

RSPCA

Lace to open later

It's not strip clubs that make me feel uncomfortable (not that I've ever been in one), but the men once they've been inside one. Lace, a strip-club in Newcastle, has applied to extend it's opening hours which has got my back up a little. At 3am (which is when they want to keep it open until), nowhere in Newcastle is open and it's worrying to think that these men, aroused but unable to touch the women in the club, will come out and potentially approach women who will be leaving night-clubs (probably due to excess alcohol and many barely able to stand up) and well, I'm sure you know what's likely to happen.... Whereas, as it currently stands, these men have the opportunity to leave Lace, go to a night-club and release a little tension on the dancefloor, messing around with mates, chatting to (awake) women, etc.

They're more dangerous on the road

Boy Racers annoy me as much as anybody else, but I believe that it is a sensible idea to allow them to gather in one particular place as this keeps them from constantly driving around (like idiots). Stoke-on-Trent City Council want to ban boy racers in the area from gathering at the Festival Park, Etruria, and are considering banning them from gathering anywhere at all. I think this is daft and presume it will result in them showing off their cars in groups ON THE ROAD instead. This is where the real danger lies and these drivers are much more intimidating on the road than when they are gathered at festival park.

Rottweilers

I'm starting to get a bit fed up with certain dogs being branded as dangerous, especially Rottweilers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. You never hear stories of Dalmatians attacking people but i have been attacked by a Dalmatian on numerous occasions and have never been attacked by either a Rottweiler or Staffy. I believe it is the negative publicity that may have cause people to be fearful of the animal and to believe they will be attacked.

Don't knock The Gables

I regularly go out for meals in the week and one of my favourite (budget) restaurant's isTthe Gables in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent. I've never had any problem with the place, have always been served reasonably quick and think the food is lovely, which is why I was a little dissapointed when I saw a negative review by Alan Cookman on my local newspapers website.
Personally I think his comments are a little harsh, the staff are really pleasant and from what I can see try really hard. I'll be going back anyway.

Asking for trouble

My local football team Stoke City look set to suspend their ID card scheme for away fans during a trial period this season. Personally I think this is a very stupid idea. I studied football hooliganism and produced a documentary on the subject for a final year project at university. I conducted a number of interviews with hooligans (members of Stoke City's Naughty-40 and under-5s) and can remember a number of them informing me that they only attended home games because they didn't want to have an identity card. There's a strong possibility that trouble may increase at Stoke City away matches this season...

It's about time

Plans for a £250m shopping centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent have been revealed, and from what I can see they look fantastic! The planning application for the centre (to be completed by 2013) features a three-level department store, 70 stores, a host of cafes and restaurants, a multi-screen cinema, hotel, new bus station and multi-storey parking.
Personally I think this is exactly what Hanley needs. Don't get me wrong I think the Potteries Shopping Centre is great, but there's currently no decent restaurants to eat at, the bus station is awful so I drive, but it's always difficult to find a parking space and I'm not a fan of the Odeon cinema at Festival Park, Etruria.
So as far as I'm concerned roll on 2013...

Yipeeeee!

I'ts about time petrol prices stopped rising and became more reasonable again. Asda and Morrisons have cut petrol prices to below £1 a litre. I don't understand how we can be charge any more than this when Americans pay around ($3) £1.50 a gallon! I only use my car to go to work but don't feel I have anyother choice because there is no safe route by foot. It's costing me the earth!

Cwedit Cwunch

A couple of people have been trying to make light of the current credit crunch situation, referring to it as the cwedit cwunch, passing around jokes and comical slideshows, but the funniest thing I've seen so far is the Credit Crunch song. This really made me smile....

Bring on the fajitas!

Since going on holiday to the Dominican Republic a few months ago i've been addicted to Mexican food, and to my delight have just found out that a new Mexican restaurant will be opening in my local town. Hector Garcia's (formerly Pablo Frankies) is apparently going to be serving over 40 Latin American dishes... mmmmmmmm

What's wrong with people?

I think people who hurt animals are sick. Why harm something that can't defend itself?
Joanne Cole, who lives in Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent recently had to have her cat's leg amputated because some careless idiot shot it in the leg with an air riffle. It was also reported in the news not long ago about teenagers who repeatedly threw a cat of the top of a multi storey building until it eventually died! People who harm things that can't defend themselves should be severely punished!!!!!

You're never above the law

I think money and status can really go to peoples heads sometimes. This is when they start getting into trouble, and I believe it is especially true in the case of many footballers today. In just one week Luke McCormick has been jailed for killing two children by driving like an idiot (over the drink-drive limit, speeding, jet lagged...) and Nick Wellecomme has been jailed for affray, attacking a defenceless man during a drunken brawl. It's good to see they are being punished in the way any other citizen would be.