Olympic Games - a temporary prop for unemployment figures?

The total of people classed as unemployed in the UK has recently taken a drastic fall from 65,000 to just 2.58 million in the three months to May according to the Office for National Statistics.


This would make employment at its highest in four years, and unemployment at its first decrease since spring 2011. 

The cause of this is suggested to be the 2012 Olympic Games, as the biggest increase in work is reported to be in London. 


This change in statistics has been hailed by ministers as "a step in the right direction", but  the short-term hiring for the Olympics could simply be masking the economy's underlying weaknesses. 


According to figures from The Office of National Statistics, long-term unemployment has actually risen, with the number of people out of work for over a year jumping by 26,000 to 883,000, the worst total since 1996.


The figures also showed an 89,000 rise in the number of people working part-time because they could not find full-time jobs, to a total of 1.4 million, the highest figure since records began in 1992.


Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: "The Olympic effect may give the impression of recovery, but it is a mirage. The number of the long-term unemployed is still rising, and huge numbers of women and young people are still struggling to find work."

The Five-Year Engagement Review

It was released in cinemas on 22nd June, but it feels as if I have been waiting a lifetime to see The Five Year Engagement starring Emily Blunt and Jason Segel. 

In my opinion, the likelihood of the film being exceptional is when the trailer has you in stitches, and the trailer for this was definitely one of those.


The trailer presented us with a slapstick version of a film we know all to well, boy meets girl and they fall in love, blah, blah, blah. But this film really does flip that notion on its head, and stomp on it. Not only does the film begin rather than end with a proposal, it successfully represents a realistic, down-to-earth couple who have to cope with the obstacles that we all encounter on a day to day basis.

Tom (Segel) and Violet (Blunt) are the perfect couple, right for each other in every way. On New Years Eve, exactly a year after they met, Tom proposes, and the couple are set for a fairytale ending. However, when jobs and academia start getting in the way, things start to go downhill and the couple end up having to decide if they really are as suited as they thought.

My concern, though, was that the three-minute trailer may have given away ever funny moment the film has to offer. This was not the case. The rom-com showcased a beautiful array of laugh-out-loud funny scenes that really did make it a film to remember.

Having been a fan of Jason Segel in previous comedies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You, Man, I was expecting the usual from him. When talking about Mr Segel, I refer to him as 'The Katherine Heigl type' as no matter what film they star in, they always manage to get away with playing the exact same character. This film was no exception. He remained the same character that he played in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but this time, he was a little less um..... naked. This doesn't mean that the mono-character he plays is a bad one, however, as his acting remained the same, if not better than ever before, as we saw him in a serious relationship with Emily Blunt who was a breath of fresh air, as always.

When a film poster presents us with "From the Producer of..." I don't know about you but unless it says something really fantastic, I usually don't even bat an eyelid. So when I saw Bridesmaids in bold pink letters, I was on YouTube, immediately searching for the trailer. I don't usually fall for this kind of subliminal 'see this film' messaging, but when I see the word Bridesmaids, my eyes light up. Of course, by putting that word there, they need to somewhat fulfill their promise, by offering us a jaw-aching comedy - and boy, they did just that.

While I wouldn't say it was neither as good nor funny as Bridesmaids or film of the year (in my eyes) Friends with Benefits, Five Year Engagement did offer us exactly what it said on the packaging, and more.

Consistently funny, sometimes crazy and never boring, this film is definitely worth a watch, or two...

8/10

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Graduation hesitation

The big day is approaching, the one that students all around the country are looking forward to... or in my case, dreading. This day is Graduation, and mine is worryingly soon.
I know what you're going to say, it's silly to worry about graduation - after all, what is there to possibly to worry about? Well, let me tell you...
When I realised the 18th July was soon approaching, my mother and I went for a well deserved shop and I found myself in the shop I would never have expected to find my graduation shoes in. I was planning on purchasing them from Office, Dune or perhaps Kurt Geiger, (if I miraculously won the lottery) however my mum took me into Next - my new found favourite shop for shoes. Their shoe display attracted me like a child to candyfloss and I managed to pick myself up a shoetastic bargain at £26. Yes, I repeat, £26!
Another shocker is that they feel relatively comfortable - even with a 5.5 inch heel....

So, do I really have to explain what I am scared of?  A stage, with steps and thousands of people, and me - and THOSE SHOES! 

Yes - I am scared of falling flat on my face because frankly, I am quite good at that!

But enough of my worries now, and onto the fashion side of things! 

I have my dress, which is a flowery chiffon black and pink dip-hem from AX Paris which I am completely in love with. As you can tell, the shoes are also decided on (hopefully) and I picked up the handbag today from one of my favourite boutiques called The Queen B in Penarth town.

So, here is my graduation outfit so far, before I decide to go barefoot.

Next on the list is jewellery, does anyone have any ideas? If you do I would be very happy to hear your opinions and suggestions! It would help me out a lot as at the moment I am completely stuck for ideas! Let me know what you think!

Speak soon guys!

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