Being an intern is ... (great)

 

My Summer ‘ 14 in less than 300 words

After a long time without blogging, it’s time to get back to business. But I do really have a solid reason why I didn’t post a single word in the past months: I was for two and a half months working as an intern at LaVoz de Galicia – the fourth most read daily in Spain.

After this experience, as I feel the fears of approaching my final year of university, I could confidently say that I would like to become a journalist. An industry that continues decreasing sales and many researches argue it is dead. That was the most important thing I’ve learnt so far: realising I am right way.

My very first article published on its website

However, not everything is as easy as it looks when you pick a copy of printed press. There is a lot of hard work and rush behind it. My routine was simple and complicated at the same time. My mission was to go to the streets and find a good story. Sometimes worked well, but sometimes your sources let you down or there nothing really going on, especially in August.  So then is when you have to the editor and provide solutions. It was pretty hard to being able to find interesting news every single day.

Overall, I think there were ten incredible weeks. And as I talked with my fellows at the newsroom all of them agree that in order to build a successful future in this industry is essential to get some work experience. For personal and career reasons I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

Interview: Jay Lynchehaun

“They gave 6-9 months to live and I’m still here”

Carpe Diem, which translated to English would be similar to “seize the day”, is an antique way of life. People, who follow this mentality, seem, to me, slightly arrogant and hypocrite. One more time, Jay Lynchehaun, cancer fighter, charity founder and motor-racing devotee, proves that I was mistaken

Precise as a Swiss Cuckoo-clock, Jay Lynchehaun arrives on time. No minute earlier or later. 11:00am, as it was previously arranged.  As wedding-photographer, part-time graphic designer, ex-mechanic, motor-racing fanatic, charity founder and hopeful fighter, squeezing each second of his life is crucial.

Rigorously on time, the interview takes place on the spacious living room of his country house outside Blackburn.  We urgently need Jay’s advice.  How you manage your time? Is it possible? Does your day have 24 hours like mine? Do hours have 60 minutes for you?  Do the fighter, photographer and graphic designer fit in one person?  How do you plan yourself?

‘Take every day as it comes, I don’t know what I’m going to do in the future’, he gently reveals.

Jay Lynchehaun

Couple years ago, he was working as a mechanic in a local store after specialising in college in vehicle and motoring engineer. As car-addict, he often makes visible his passion.  With a navy jacket, Nurburgring circuit printed on the back, working jeans and stop-sign red Ferrari shoes, he welcomed me to his house.

When, on October 2011, he was enforced to quit his job and lifestyle; he become an unconditional fighter and cancer charity founder. Since then, Jay had to change his habits and mentality.
 The 28-year-old ex-mechanic was diagnosed brain cancer. 

He fortunately realized that he was having some symptoms he couldn't explain. 

At that moment, his tumour was so urgent that he needed immediate surgery.  He naturally explains how they have de-bulked 30% of his brain due to the malicious tumour.                                                                                                                                                             
‘I’m terminal. But they gave 6-9 months to live and I’m still here, two and a half years later’, he declares.

 Life completely changed for Jay. He describes the treatment as an eternal rollercoaster. ‘You are going up and down day after day’. Dealing with drugs is not painless. ‘The food replete of steroids and the strength of the drugs made me more sensible.’                                                                                                    

It is admirable his ambitious for life.  He is a natural fighter. Every minute, second, even split second, it is a continuous battle against cancer. ‘Some days you just don’t want to fight. But there is something inside that keeps you going.’

Jay has never pushed the brakes. He always kept accelerating until he achieved a ‘normal’ life. 

As he was going through cancer-treatment, permanently on bed, he decided to give a radical change to his life. He started exercising with the help of a neck charity.  That was the turning point. Two years later, in January 2013 he started this project: InBetweenEars. It is brain tumour cancer charity which aims to provide personal help and support for patients and to supply the funds for research.

‘I founded the charity mainly for two reasons: Firstly there was no support for young people like me. I didn’t want to attend to support meetings for older generations.’

Lynchehaun confidently believes that cancer, as any other disease, has a cure. This is why a great part of the money raised is destined to cancer research at the University Central of Lancashire.

InBetweenEars ,a North West based  brain tumour charity that organises, through Social Media, family events and days-out with the only purpose of raising money. Managed by his mom Sharon and himself, they were able to connect and aware the local community with this wide disease. 

He describes the ceaseless support of his family as ‘a rock’. ‘Without them I wouldn’t have passed through treatment’.  Due to social media, he is also able to communicate and interact with other people around the world suffering brain cancer.

After 16 months of life, InBetweenEars has claimed for success. Last year, they were able to raise over £5,500, extremely helpful for researches and patients. However, Jay hasn’t crossed the finish line yet.   

‘The best about life is living every day’ he says as he reminded us his Carpe Diem mentality.  ‘I want to live on this earth for a really long time’, he sentences my arguments.

The Winter Olympics: Sochi 2014

The Sochi Olympics: Do politics prevail over sport?

 “This isn’t about politics. This is about sport.”  A presenter at the Russian state owned continuous news channel, (RT) pointed out in response to the absence of politicians such as Obama to the Winter Olympics, celebrated in Russia during February.

This is not quite right. The Olympics Games, nowadays, are (un)fortunately political biased.  

 

Holding the Games it is a huge investment; however this could be worthy when your country is in the world’s eyes for two entire weeks. Sochi 2014 is just an opportunity to show Russia as great country, and Putin as a great leader. This is what Russia might have thought. As it happened in 1992, Spain was set to be just the legacy of an endless dictatorship. Nevertheless, holding the Olympics, Barcelona ‘ 92, was like a face wash for the country. Spain opened its doors to the world, which was the key point of the subsequently enormously increasing of tourism.

 The Winter Olympics, held in Sochi has been tainted by the political problems, particularly corruption scandals. These could be the most polemical and expensive Olympics in the history.

According to International Business Times, Russia has spent over £31bn in order to be ‘great’ enough to hold the Olympics. The record amount of costs was due to the unexpected expenses on Sochi’s flagship projects.  Laura Biathlon and Ski Complex were originally estimated to cost over £ 300m but its actual cost was nearly a billion pounds.

Moreover, Bloomberg Businessweek programme reported that 14% of the total expenses were managed by Putin’s close friends. Previously, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation alleged that two contractors, responsible of the construction of the Fisht Olympic stadium, were submitting false costs. Putin denied that this case could be possible related to corruption.

However, what has caused more reaction within the western society is the new anti-homosexual law, imposed by Russian government last summer.                                                     On June 30, 2013 The Guardian reported “Putin has signed into a law that stigmatises gay people and bans giving children information about homosexuality.” This law states that fines can be imposed to anyone who provides information about gay, lesbian or transgender to children, or anyone who attends to a homosexuality raid.

President Putin in his interview for the BBC stated that Anti-gay law does not harm anyone. He added: “There is no social or professional discrimination against gays in the country.”  Al Jazeera reported that at least 14 gay activists have been arrested on the opening day of the Olympics. The activists were demonstrated with rainbow flags – a symbol of the gay rights movement at the Red Square, Moscow.

The western society didn’t stay immobile to this anti-gay law and society has showed its discord through social media.  Hashtags such as #gay #cheerssochi have invaded the internet as a way of protest.  The media has also joined this protest. Google created a doodle, homepage icon, which showed illustrations of different winter sports with the rainbow flag as background.  In the print media, The Guardian or The Huffington Post showed their disagreement.

US had a serious response to Russia’s anti-gay law. Multinationals denied the support to Russia by ceasing its sponsorship to the Games. Moreover, US President Barack Obama confirmed he was not going to attend to the Winter Olympics, even though he admitted that Russia is safe place to stay for Americans.  Instead Obama sent two gay athletes to represent US.

The tangible tension between the two powers, faced In the Cold War, has dropped thanks to the Olympic Spirit, which requires friendship,  solidarity and fair play.