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Not That Kind of Girl By Lena Dunham Book Review

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9780008101268Where to start? I guess with the fact that this book is not what I thought it would be. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I expected. Let’s get the controversy out of the way: I don’t believe Lena molested her sister. The passage about ‘spreading open her vagina’ makes for very uncomfortable reading but, in my opinion, is very different from sexual abuse. Same gender curiosity in young children is different from sexual abuse, many have said that if this book was written by a male things would be different, but not if the male did what Lena did to his brother. Young children don’t even know what sex is. So, end of.

The thing is, I don’t relate to Lena Dunham. Or at least I thought I did until I read this book. I don’t get the drug use, I am very anti-drugs and always have been. I don’t even care if I come across as boring but mentioning casual drug use as if it is not a thing to me is irresponsible. Many people think drug use is ‘cool’ and ‘artistic’ but it’s not. Drugs ruin lives and society. Now go ahead and judge me for my controversial view: I don’t care. The book is full of sex: masturbation and sexual encounters. This also makes for uncomfortable reading. Not bad reading, just uncomfortable. Dunham seems to want to punish herself with jerks and bad sexual encounters. It’s a version of self-loathing and it made me want to pick her up and hug her. Then of course there is the fact that Dunham was raped. Rape is never fun to read about, but Dunham’s courage in telling her story is commendable. The book is full of brutal honesty.

I know that in many ways this review will seem like a bad review, it’s not. I still think Dunham is talented, amazing, brilliant: a trail blazer. We are similar in age and I also made a web series about young twenty-somethings struggling to find their way in life, though with less success than the juggernaut that is Girls. We are both writer/producers/actors/directors and I always thought that Dunham was so together. I think she is now and that is what is interesting about this book. After all of the self-loathing, punishing herself dating/having sex with men who treated her terribly and other self-destructive behaviour the book comes beautifully full circle: she no longer runs away from people and herself, she in many ways, becomes a grown up. She finally stops causing herself pain. While I related more to Amy Poehler and her awesome book, Yes Please, there is something here to learn. Dunham is unvarnished, naked, almost embarrassing in her honesty. Dunham has been called the voice of her generation many times. Truth is, she doesn’t speak for me or many people that I know. But the thing is: it doesn’t matter. She is still paving the way for women, still creating waves in the film and TV industry, still making progress in a brutal, sexist industry. It doesn’t matter that I don’t 100% relate to her: she is still awesome.  I may not write endlessly about my vagina the way Dunham does but then, maybe my vagina just isn’t that interesting. There is a lot of stories of bad sex in this book, and I hope that other women who read it don’t think this is par for the course. It shouldn’t be.

This book is certainly worth a read. It really made me think and feel. This is essentially a collection of autobiographical essays which Dunham was paid £2.3m for by Random House. It is not as good as it could have been, and Dunham could have done with more editing, but she is certainly a talented writer and I am sure there will be more to come. As Dunham says in the book: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman,”

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned is available here.

 

 

 

 

Only 2% of Britons Know How Rich They Really Are

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moneyWe are not sure if you saw Channel 4’s How Rich Are You Show last night but it was interesting. Take the quiz and find out how rich or poor you are below. The poll is also an eye-opener.

In a new poll commissioned by Channel 4, people in the UK were asked to guess how their income compared with the rest of the country’s, and then answer a series of questions to calculate the true result. Only 2% of the people surveyed guessed correctly.

The poll was commissioned to accompany How Rich Are You (1 x60) which airs at 8pm on the 10th November. Presented by Richard Bacon, this one-off special will show each of us where we stand in the great money map of Britain – and what that position means. With the help of leading experts, a studio audience and individual case studies, the show builds up a shocking and surprising portrait of the country that is now – officially – the most unequal in Europe.

Alongside the programme, the channel has launched a website app which will enable every viewer to take the ‘How Rich Are You’ test at home. Visitors to channel4.com/howrichareyou can answer a set of simple questions to determine if they are as rich or as poor as they think they are. The data for the app has been provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

As many as 67% of the people surveyed underestimated their income compared by more than 10%, indicating a serious lack of understanding as to the economic state of the nation. Only 7% of people overestimated their income compared to the UK – but nobody overestimated by more than 10%. Just 2% correctly estimated their level of income vs the UK population.

The survey reveals that despite the struggles of the current economic climate, 75% of adults say that they manage financially, with 16% stating they struggle to get by.

Despite this there is still a bleak picture of life in 2014, as 61% feel that life in Britain has worsened over the last 20 years. Just 13% feel that life has improved.

The survey shed light on our embarrassment at talking about money. It revealed that 31% of adults surveyed would not be happy to discuss how much money they earn with family and friends, while 19% are not sure how they feel about it.

Interestingly, it is younger people who are more willing to discuss finances, with 60% of those aged 16-24 happy to talk about how much money they make.

When asked about inequality across the UK, the majority of adults (84%) think that the wealthy should pay higher taxes.

Those that feel they have enough money in their household (rating themselves as ‘well off’) feel less strongly on this matter, but still display strong agreement at 73%.

The survey also asked people about average salaries of other professions including a nurse, MP, care worker and average CEO. The results were fascinating with 70% of people overestimating the salaries of a CEO and more than half overestimating the salaries of an MP.

  • An average Nurse in the UK earns just over £26,000. Half of the adults that we spoke to correctly chose this amount, a quarter over estimated how much they earn, while a further quarter under-estimated their wage. Interestingly, those who were struggling in their household underestimated a nurse’s wage the most, while those that were well off overestimated their wage the most.
  • Just 27% of adults correctly knew an MPs current wage of £66,400, while a further 31% thought that MPs were on their soon to be higher wage of £72,000. A further 26% thought that they were paid nearly £20,000 more than their current wage.
  • An average care worker in the UK earns just under £13,000, 42% of adults correctly chose their wage. 50% thought that their earnings were at least 30% higher.
  • An average CEO in the UK earns an annual income of just under £118,000. Just 13% of the adults we spoke to correctly picked this amount, the majority (70%) thought their wage was significantly higher.

Dr Fazia Shaheen, Economist and expert on How Rich Are You? commented: “These numbers serve as a reminder of how little we understand about each other’s lives. We are failing to see the bigger picture – too busy trying to get by on our own wages to notice the growing gap between the very rich and the rest of us.”

John Hay, Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 commented: ““I’m convinced that years from now we will look back on the growing gap between rich and poor as the most significant issue of our age, and I think there’s a real hunger to understand it better (as well as to find out how much our neighbours earn). Richard and the team at Electric Ray have a gift for making important television that doesn’t feel like homework, so I hope this will be both revelatory and addictive viewing.”

Take the quiz here.

 

Cashing in at Christmas: Christmas songs earn £800,000 Per Year

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christmas songsTake a bow! Noddy Holder, the man who admitted his song ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ is like winning the lottery each year. He’s never admitted the actual income he receives form the PRS (Performing Rights Society).

The budding team of researchers at Prezzybox have spent the last year adding up all the factors that contribute to a wealthy annual Xmas cheque to find. For the first time here’s a definitive Christmas Royalty Calculator! As you can see here: http://www.prezzybox.com/apps/christmas-song-royalties.aspx the money keeps rolling in, second by second, minute by minute.

This shows the Christmas Songs Royalty Earnings so far in 2013 *Keep checking as it updates every second. In 2013 Noddy Holder has earnt an amazing half a million pounds so far.

 

  1.  Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody                        £512,000
  2. Pogues – Fairy-tale OF New York                      £386,270
  3.  Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas          £347,615
  4.  Wham – Last Christmas                                    £301,622
  5.  Cliff Richard – Mistletoe & Wine                       £98,408
  6.  Band Aid – Do they Know It’s Christmas          £78,030
  7.  Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas Everyone £53,834
  8.  Pretenders – 2000 Miles                                   £45,344
  9.  East 17 – Stay Another Day                              £30,219
  10. John Lewie – Stop The Calvary                         £13,258

By the 31st of December Noddy Holder will have made well over £800,000, Whilst Mariah will have raked in £455,000 and the Pogues £520,000, not bad for a year’s work! Our researchers take into account PRS royalties, plays on radio, TV, duke box plays, shop plays and compilation album sales.

Gordon Ramsay Interview

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Those who would like to see Gordon Ramsay in prison (including rival chefs, certain critics, and one or two specific journalists) will be disappointed to discover that his new series, Gordon Behind Bars, does not follow the famously volatile chef embarking on a lengthy custodial sentence. Instead, it is a thought-provoking, astonishing and occasionally moving look at Ramsay’s efforts to set up a catering business with the inmates of HMP Brixton.

Here, Ramsay reveals just how scary the experience was, why he’s convinced this could make a massive difference to prison life, and what made him want to tackle such a complex project. And, speaking of tackles…

First off, Gordon, how are you recovering from Teddy Sheringham’s somewhat robust tackle in the recent Soccer Aid match?

I’m all fine, thank you for asking. I didn’t see that one coming – I suppose no-one would have! I’ve never had a problem with my back up until now. I felt slightly embarrassed, getting stretchered off. I had this horrendous spasm that put my back into shock. I couldn’t feel the back of my legs. But I’m 100 per cent better, and ready to go for my next run.

So your new series is Gordon Behind bars – what’s it all about?

This isn’t just a ‘let’s go and cook along with Gordon in prison’ thing. The idea came from the fact that there are approximately 80,000 inmates across the country now, which is a hell of a lot. It was about getting them doing something with their time, giving something back, and also getting job-ready. The biggest problem is the re-offending percentages, people just go round and round in the system.

It sounds like an incredibly complicated project to take on, on a number of levels. Why did you want to do this?

I quite like that jeopardy, those up-against-the-wall odds. I don’t like it when it’s over-comfortable, too easy, something that can be done in two or three weeks. I like a challenge. And personally, I’ve dealt with these kind of guys on many occasions, whether in a Young Offenders Unit when we were filming The F Word, or dealing with my little brother, who’s been an addict for 15 years. When we were filming in the Young Offenders Unit in Leeds, seven years ago, that’s when I started to think of the huge missed opportunity in these places. There was so much excitement and boisterousness from the guys in there, but they had nothing to do in there, none of it was being harnessed.

What was it like walking into prison for the first time? How did you feel?

I’ve been in a few dangerous situations. But this has been one of the most intimidating experiences, because at times, you could just sense the atmosphere reaching boiling point, and you were just waiting for that fight to start. Everyone got particularly nervous when the cameras were around. And we were a small crew. The sense of intimidation was rife. You could feel it in the air the minute you walked in there. It was bloody intense.

How did you select the prisoners to take part? Did a lot of them want to do it?

We had an overwhelming response. We spoke to over 100 prisoners, we had to find out what they were in for, what their sentence was and they had to be security cleared. You have to understand that a lot of them were on remand, so they get moved on a regular basis.

What were the biggest logistical problems you faced?

If someone wanted a knife or a peeler or a spatula or a plastic scraper, you’d have to go to the shadow board on the wall, take out what you wanted, sign for it, give them a number, and then they weren’t allowed more than two utensils out at any one time. When one thing went missing, it was bedlam, the place would be on lockdown, everyone would be searched, and you’ve lost half a day. Getting them out of bed in the morning was tough as well – they don’t have to be up. Most of them get locked up after dinner, at 5:15pm, and they’re not let out the next day until the morning. So gathering them around was just horrendous. You’d go to every wing, accompanied by an officer, you’d have to take the crap on the wings from those who didn’t get on the course, and so by the end I stopped gathering them, I had to get the officers to do it. But they came in dribs and drabs for the first couple of weeks. I had to say to them “If I say 9am, I really want you in here for 9am.” To be honest, that’s not that early to start.

How hard did you work the prisoners, and how did they find that?

First couple of months was tough because they couldn’t stand on their feet for anything longer than two or three hours, so making bread rolls and soups, that was it. They’d want a break within the first two hours. It was like a social event in there sometimes. They could chat, they can watch TV in their cells, some even have a DVD player. They’ll go to the gym, see the doctor or even the dentist. So the first couple of months it was hard, because they couldn’t work past two or three hours. But after that, you could see some really strong differences in some of them. By the end, I had 95 per cent of the brigade working 7- 8 hours-a-day. And another interesting feature of that was that they would put in a full day, go back to their cell, have dinner, a shower, and slept, as opposed to sitting around getting bored. And they would sleep better because they’d put in a full day’s work.

You can be quite aggressive in the kitchen. Did you have to modify that at all?

I’ve been with offenders, from robbers to smuggling arms to gang members, you name it, we dealt with it. You knew any time that it was going to kick off. It could be about anything. The first big argument was because somebody left his sauce in his cell, and didn’t have it to add to his sandwich at lunchtime. I had to walk on eggshells, because it was very fragile, insecure, awkward temperaments that I was dealing with. Every time something went wrong, you could tell it was going to kick off. They did push my buttons, I did get upset, because there’s only so much you can take before you get to boiling point. And I did end up letting rip in the end.

And lived to tell the tale?

Yeah! One of the inmates complained that I’d dirtied his stove when I was doing a demo to help him get through this exam. What did I get? “You just dirtied my fucking stove?” Man, I flipped.

Were there any stages at which you regretted taking on the project?

About halfway through, I think. One of my guys had been sent to another prison, there were rumours going around that my team was on a jolly, they weren’t working hard, so they were getting treated differently when they were going back onto the wings. Then there was this turning point, when we set up a pop-up bakery in the middle of Clapham, and the response was amazing. I’d been worried that the general consensus of the British public would be ‘They were made by inmates, there’s no way I’m going to eat them,’ but the biggest message coming off the high street was really positive. They were really happy that the prisoners were working. Taking that message back in to the senior management meeting the following day was a real turning point. It meant that these guys, who had made a mistake and were serving their time, were doing something positive, were getting job-ready, and going to leave prison with a better work ethic and a better chance of not reoffending. Of course some won’t make it, but surely it’s a good start?

Did you form close relationships with any of them?

It was hard, because you spent so much time with them, you couldn’t help yourself, you got close to them. And they were desperate for the course to continue, it was a lifeline for them, to help them for their rehabilitation and get them job-ready. There was one guy in there, who showed such amazing determination. He lost touch with his family and when he left the army he started taking drugs. But he was such a talented guy, was passing every exam with distinction. He’s been on methadone for the past 12 months, and is out in 18 months, and is as keen as anything. Then there is Andrew who is working for the Roast group and he is doing really well.

Did you uncover any talent there who you would consider employing?

Well, Paul was working for me at The Savoy Grill. David I’ve got my eye on. He was pretty disciplined. There was another guy from Brixton, called Adonis. Smart guy, 6’5″, he got caught with a shotgun under his bed. He’s a talented, talented guy, so methodical, everything was really precise.

Is the idea in all of this to create a sustainable business that will exist and grow without you being involved on a day-to-day basis?

Yes. There are a large number of individuals in these prisons who are dying to get off their arse and work. So we’re looking at getting funding the Badboy Bakery so it can continue and grow. I’m hoping when we submit a business plan to Ken Clarke, the government will find someone to put money into it. And Café Nero has been brilliant, they’ve set up a pilot scheme whereby we’re flogging our amazing lemon treacle slice in eleven of their branches. They are presently not taking any money for them, all the takings for the cake going back into the Badboy Bakery. And it’s selling amazingly well, challenging their caramel slice to be the bestseller. So early indications are that this could be a real hit, if we get support from the government.

At some points you found the prison a terrible, oppressive place, at others you said you felt it was more akin to a holiday camp. What are your opinions now about prison?

What struck me most was the waste of time, effort and energy that could be channelled into something incredibly positive. Lying in bed, reading the newspaper, deciding what you’re going to have for dinner, playing the X-box, watching TV, going to the gym, their minds are so bored. They resent the outside world, they have a grudge, and they’re losing their self-esteem on an hourly basis. They have lost their will to work, and had all responsibility taken away from them. For me, it’s such a waste, such a missed opportunity. They’re just using the system, they’ve not motivated to do anything. They’ve got everything they need. If they were given more incentives to do some work, to get job ready, to be disciplined, it would help them, and surely their time would also go faster.

Do you think the project made a big difference to the self-esteem of the guys you worked with?

Yeah, I think it made a massive difference. Some of them had tears in their eyes when they got their certificates at the end, and they were saying “Is this going to continue?” And I said “If I can get the finance, and the support, and get individuals to understand the hunger of some of the guys in here to work, then of course. Currently we have funding in place until the end of July, while we look for an investor to keep it going. They would be mortified if they couldn’t work on a daily basis. At the end, we set up a pop-up restaurant in the prison, and served an amazing lunch for 50 guests, local restaurants and catering employers and community figures, and it was amazing. After that lunch it was like having a team of chefs, I almost forgot they were prisoners. In their minds now, they are ready and hungry to get out with real and realistic ambitions. They go back to the cell tired at the end of the day, they sleep well, and their sentence goes a thousand times faster.

Gordon Behind Bars is on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 9pm. Thanks to Channel 4.

Shoppers to return to the web on Christmas Day

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No rest for the thrifty – Shoppers to return to the web on Christmas Day

Although much of the country will have a day off from work on Christmas Day, there will be no recess when it comes to shopping online. It is predicted that £186 million will be spent online on Christmas Day, followed by another £367.8 million on Boxing Day as shoppers look to be among the first to snatch the best bargains in the sales.

Ellen Flood, independent shopping expert from Shopow, said, “Budgets have been tight for shoppers this year and so retailers have responded by rolling out rock bottom prices online and on the high street. But now they have bought presents for friends and family, many will be returning to the online stores at the earliest opportunity to get something special for themselves without breaking the bank.

“There are many discounted items being introduced immediately after Christmas and therefore plenty of bargains to be had. The danger is that shoppers could become desensitised by the idea of lowered prices and may not see the attraction as vividly as previous years. Those stores that did hold their nerve and their prices in the run up to Christmas have their last throw of the dice for this year if they are to recoup earlier losses.”