TheBlindJournalist: Lancashire Lad Receives Honour From Queen Queen At 21

LANCASHIRE LAD RECEIVES HONOUR FROM QUEEN AT 21

Sufyaan Mustak Patel, 21 from Blackburn has been awarded the British Community Honours Award at the House of Lords. The award is one of the highest recognised awards in the Commonwealth communities. This is only one award from several. The Honour was received for Sufyaan’s outstanding contribution to the welfare and integration of the community.

Sufyaan’s passion and motivation for helping others took him to the House of Lords on 30^th September 2013 where he received the award. Sufyaan was put forward to the Prime Minister, David Cameron for the honour who then passed it onto the Honours Committee who investigated after which the Queen acknowledged Sufyaan’s work and granted the honour.

“Wow, what a hectic day it was. Rushing to get to the House of Lords to get my Honour. I had to get suited and booted, make sure my teeth were white and gleaming for the photos. It was a huge tribute. I never set out for these awards, I only wanted to do something of use with my time, helping others is my reward”

The BSc Dentistry Graduate who came out with a First now lives and works in Birmingham. Sufyaan has a long list of awards for voluntary work and services to the community. He has done over 500 hours of voluntary work and has been rewarded accordingly; attended garden party at Buckingham Palace, listed in Queens Birthday Honours List to name a few.

The brother of 6 who has always performed to a remarkable standard from a very early age is decorated with awards and honours which take decades for others achieve. “It all started from secondary school when I was ranked within the top 10 highest GCSE results in the UK and then did the same at Blackburn College with my A-Level results. I was never the type to go and play football when I was a teenager, I was always in the library reading and researching.”

Sufyaan who started his volunteering at the age of 16 through Blackburn with Darwen’s Volunteers programme went on to volunteer in several environments. He continued his volunteering until he started University.

“My first place of voluntary work was at Royal Blackburn Hospital where I used to befriend patients. I then went onto volunteer for the British Science Association where I had to help increase public understanding of the sciences. Then I went onto the Risk Taking Behaviour Project where I helped with vulnerable adults, after this I went onto the Youth Awareness Project and lastly the Youth Action Project.”

Sufyaan’s volunteering and community work has not only meant he has brushed shoulders with Royalty but also with highly acclaimed singers such as JLS who presented him with the National Young Person of the Year Award.

A Life in the Day of Sufyaan Mustak Patel

“Well, I have finished University now so I expected life to be a little laid back, but I couldn’t be more wrong. I am up at the crack of dawn at 6.30am; which ironically is earlier than when I was a student. After a quick shower, I offer my morning prayers and then it’s time to have breakfast and to watch the news. A few slices of toast, a bowl of cereal, a banana to try and meet my five a day and a cup of tea is my usual breakfast menu.”

“After breakfast I brush my teeth and take the ten minute walk to a local dental surgery where I am doing my vocational training. I work till 6pm with a one hour lunch break. I see 20-30 patients a day, with the most common procedure being fillings. For lunch I usually have a sandwich and a yogurt, I don’t like to consume food or drink which aren’t good for my teeth, I am a dentist, I need to lead by example”

“After work, I come back to my flat and have my tea and then head to the gym to let of some steam. After that I come back and socialise with my flatmates and then retire to my bedroom where I offer my prayers and then go to sleep, again earlier than I used to before I was a student. I understand now why they say enjoy your student life while it lasts”

An individual who has achieved so much at such a tender age, the mind only wonders what the future holds for Sufyaan’s shoulders.

“I am only 21, but I have an archive of honours that are great but I never let what I have done make me big headed, Many people carry burdens on their shoulders but I carry honours”

Fact File

·         British Community Honours Award

·         Medalist of the Order of the British Empire

·         Princess Diana Award

·         National Young Person of the Year Award

·         Young Citizen of the Year in Lancashire

·         Blackburn College Mayoral Role

·         Top 10 GCSE and A-Level results Nationally

Images

Sufyaan Patel latest photo

Sufyaan Patel receiving Young Person of the Year Award from JLS

Sufyaan as a baby

Links

Sufyaan's Twitter

Sufyaan's Facebook

Blackburn with Darwen Volunteer Centre

TheBlindJournalist: What is a Woman?

In this blog post I would like to talk about a subject matter that is extremely close to my heart. It is the subject of women and how some men portray them. Before I start, I would like to clearly state that I am not talking about every male out there.

Is it widely acknowledged that there are men out there who view women as being 'sex objects' or just 'objects' in general who have no feelings or rights. Those types of men disgust me.

Those men who feel they can control a woman and decide what she does and doesn't do. these type of men think they are 'hard men' or in control but actually they are nothing but pathetic, idiotic fools.

There are women out there in the world who are imprisoned into their homes, that have to ask permission to do basic tasks such as visiting family members or going out for a meal with friends. They are being treated like animals. I can understand that the question can be posed; why don't those woman leave or stand up for themselves, but I am sure that there are other factors which entail that it is not that simple, a lot of these women are mothers and therefore worry for their children's well-being and are prepared to put up with their 'lack' of freedom, life and happiness to ensure their children have a roof over their head and food in their stomachs. Words cannot even congratulate those women for being such amazing mothers that are prepared to sacrifice their own happiness for their children. I am not an academic who is going to start pulling out statistics or quotes from books. I am just a 19 year old who is sick and tired of people assuming and treating women like animals. 

TheBlindJournalist: The Young Columnist

A Link To A Piece Of Published Work Written By Myself On The Royal National Institue For The Blind's Website

TheBlindJournalist: YogYums

Do you love ice-cream? Want a fat-free alternative? You do? Well, YogYums is the place for you.

YogYums is a new business venture taken by Mr Adeeb Malik, 25 from Bolton, a part-time law student who aims to bring a unique and delicious concept to the North West of England.  Mr Malik has a long-term goal to expand his business into a successful franchise. He hopes to start this off at the launch of YogYums on Friday 11^th October 2013.

The business based on Corporation Street, Preston is a modern frozen yogurt bar as well as a relaxing coffee shop.  Mr Malik also has smoothies and fruit juices for sale.  However, the key product will remain the frozen yogurt desserts. A small tub of strawberry frozen yogurt is £2.70.

Most of us love ice-cream and frozen yogurt is a perfect alternative as it is fat free. This product is perfect for those who are conscious about their health and those consumers looking for new trends and crazes. 

What inspired Mr Malik? He said:

“The idea initially came because I had to travel a very long distance to get my own frozen yogurt and that led me to think that I should be able to go locally and get what I want, and YogYums was born. Also I feel I have found a good niche market here in Preston.”

Mr Malik explained what makes his business different to others. He said:

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“YogYums offers tailor-made frozen yogurts that are not yet available in the North West.”

Consumers commented on the idea and said:

Katie Phillips, 21 a law student said:

 “A great idea but it is the wrong time of the year to open”

Mufassar Ali, 18, unemployed said:

“I love ice-cream, now I can be healthy and still enjoy desserts”

Ilyas Patel, 46, self-employed said:

“He has found a good location, near the university” 

TheBlindJournalist: Character Profile Write-up

"Hope can come from anywhere; just carry on without a care"

It was a sunny, yet extremely windy Tuesday in Blackburn when I was about to meet the young Scotsman. Musicians have a tendency to be wild both in looks and personality; this man couldn't be more different.

A young man standing tall in confidence with an impression which oozed confidence, this was it, my interview with an upcoming, extremely humble and talented blind musician.

We met at Blackburn College in the newly built Beacon Centre.  The library was where I would learn about my subject. A room within a library full of students that was small and dull but this young man sat with a shine which brightened up the room.

David Connelly who has been blind from birth has adopted an outlook on life that can only give one respect for the Scot and leave one feeling guilty for complaining about minor aspects of life.

"I can't go back, so I might as well go forward"

David started to master his red starburst acoustic guitar from the age of eight, being taught by his Grandfather.

"Music is a big inspiration for me; I use music as a release from the stresses of life, Adrenaline pumps through me whilst I play my guitar. I play to impress and please my audience, that’s what makes me happy"

David, always wanting to please everyone around him and to make all he has met proud.

David who started off at a mainstream primary school went on to progress and study at St. Vincent’s School which is a specialist school for blind and partially sighted students. David’s attitude in life is such that anything that happens or that he has to face, he will look at everything with a positive and this is highlighted in the first song he wrote entitled ‘Upside Downside’.

 “If something goes wrong in life, trying to go upside or downside, - upside is positive and downside is negative”

David’s Grandma and Granddad gave him not only the inspiration to write this first song after their sad passing, but also moulding David into the person that he is today.

After David had finished his studies at St Vincent’s he moved onto a specialist college called Henshaws College for the blind in Harrogate to further his independence skills. Once he had done this, David wanted to come back home and focus on his education which is when he came to Blackburn College. His continuous love for music has never left him wherever he goes. David has never let his disability stop him life.

“I would say that you can make being blind a disability but I think being blind is simply doing things in different ways” 

David came back to mainstream education and studied an entry level course in IT however couldn’t resist studying music and therefore is now currently studying a level three diploma BTEC in music.

“I treat life very positivly; mobility can be difficult at times outside and inside college. 

Braille music is also difficult to learn but I will not let my disability stop me from achieving my course.”

David has also started to gig and is being invited to several events to perform.

“My disability is an advantage when performing because I can’t see the audience when I am on stage”

David is also a vehement sports fan and adores his international football team, Scotland. When asked whether David would rather perform or watch Scotland play, he was torn but said in his deep Scottish accent:

“That’s a very difficult answer, I would have to say I would rather perform than watch the mighty Scots play”

Through the independence David gained from his earlier years in life he is now living in sheltered accommodation. David has started to become a song writer as well as a musician and aims to one day become a professional performer but would always love to teach the guitar or keyboard to others as David can also play the keyboard.

“If someone offered me full sight tomorrow, I would turn them down. I am happy with my life”

TheBlindJournalist: Parking Petition

Mohammed Salim Patel                                    14^th April 2013                                     Parking

Politics student creates e-petition to introduce penalty points on driving licenses for parking in disabled bays without blue badges.

Stephen Anderson, 22 of Harrow, North West London has started an electronic petition to stop the abuse of parking in disabled bays without disabled badges as it is becoming an ever heightened issue for the disabled community. This abuse of bays which have been especially designated for people with disabilities is resulting in hardship and frustration for the disabled.

Although it is illegal to park in disabled bays without a blue badge, the London born youngster aims that through his e-petition he can ensure that drivers who do commit this action receive penalty points on their driving licenses.

Mr Anderson says:
"Disabled people such as myself should be able to park where we are legally entitled to, without worrying about lazy people cutting corners, literally"

The e-petition has currently received 37 signatures with its deadline on 25th March 2014 at 9.49AM..

The e-petition can be signed at:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/47503
                                                                 
                                                                           Ends

TheBlindJournalist: Self-generated Story

Mohammed Salim Patel                                  26^th March 2013                                 MAKIIS

UCLan student invents a ‘mimic of a professor’

Panagiotis Gnafakis, 20, a Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering student has created a telepresence robot called MAKIIS.

The third year student has created an enhanced telepresence robot which is capable of moving and giving presentations using an on-board video call system using an iPad.

Makroskopic Intelligent Interaction System can also detect a sound source using its four microphones and automatically turn and face towards it, these innovative capabilities have “never before been integrated on a telepresence robot.” The robot can also respond to voice commands and it has built-in human survival skills. MAKIIS has additional features which gives it 3D vision, with its eyes being 1.7 metres off the ground. Using ultra-sonic sensors MAKIIS also sees obstacles on the ground.  MAKIIS can be personalised with clothing such as a shirt or skirt making it a unisex robot.

The idea for MAKIIS was thought of in September 2012 when Panagiotis was discussing with his project supervisor Phil Tranter. As Phil is often away in China, on University business, he is unable to teach his students in Preston. A solution for this was the telepresence robot.

Panagiotis says that:

“From seven to ten I took all my toys and I broke them and I made new toys. My friends and teachers would ask me what I wanted to be when I was older and I always said robotics engineer but they never believed in me.”

The Greece born youngster’s first invention was at the age of twelve which was a toy helicopter that flew. This gave him the inspiration and motivation to prove his friends and teachers wrong and achieve his dreams of studying robotics.

Panagiotis came to the U.K to study because there was nothing for robotics in his hometown of Athens and he hopes to see his robot being used and enhanced by upcoming students.

Ends

TheBlindJournalist: March Budget 2013

On the 20th March 2013 at 12pm George Osborne who is the Chancellor Of The Exchequer read out the budget in the House of Commons. The budget is usually in March or April and it is where the Chancellor Of The Exchequer gives a speech about the Government's plans for taxation changes and the state of the national finances.

There were many key aspects to the latest budget such as from 2014 the government will pay 20% towards a new house's deposit and that no tax has to be paid below £10.000, however in this blog my focus is going to be on alcohol and cigarettes.
In 2012 a pack of cigarettes went up by 37p and alcohol cost increased by 5%. A pack of cigarettes were £7.95 however they have now increased by 25p meaning if you wanted a pack of cigarettes now you would pay £8.20 (RRP)
George Osborne in his budget announced that tax on alcohol has reduced by 1p. A pint is still £3.05 before tax reduction and with the NHS spending £8m a day treating alcoholics, should the price of alcohol increase? This debate did take place and responsible drinkers felt that they shouldn't be made to pay more for other people's problems.
Although the budget has been released, for cigarettes would come into affect once tobacco manufacturers have produced new packs however cash and carry's increases prices as soon as the budget is released therefore forcing newsagents to also increase their prices even though the stock that the cash and carry's bought was at a lower price, they do this to maximise profits.

TheBlindJournalist: Published Work

I wrote a comment for Insight Magazines Agony Aunt section and it has been published! This is my first piece of published work.

TheBlindJournalist: Who has the right?

I absolutely detest the word disability and disabled. What on earth and who on earth has the right to class someone with these terms?

There is no model human, nobody is normal or perfect so how can that give anyone the right to call someone disabled? The actual word is an insult, dis-abled. I may not be able to see 100% but I have abilities which someone else may not have so I'm sorry but how can I then be classed as disabled?
If anything all of us all are disabled absolutely every single human being is disabled in one way or another v


Why do some people think that just because I can't see too well that I can't be a 'normal' person and live my life?

The whole world needs to be taught that there is no such thing as disability or a disabled person.











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TheBlindJournalist: Blog Regulations

A vlog about The Royal Charter wanting to regulate the internet.

TheBlindJournalist: Population and Crime

An increase in population, a decrease in violent crimes. Why is this?

Since the previous census in 2001, there has been an increase in population and over the previous seven years, there has been a decrease in violent crimes.

Census 2011 figures from the Office for National Statistics show that there has been a rise in the population of England and Wales 3.7 million which is the biggest increase of population since records began in 1801.

In 2011\12 in England and Wales there was a population of 56.1 million compared to 52.4 million in 2001, this was an increase of 7.1%.

Why was there this increase?
Well, it is believed that some of the main reasons for the rise are that there is now an increased life expectancy, sustained immigration and robust fertility rates.

Crime Statistics England and Wales (CSEW) show the number of violent crimes have halved since their peak in 1995.

If we look at the amount of violent crimes since 1995 there is a big decrease in domestic violence at a 21% decrease. the possible reasons for a decrease in domestic violence could be the increase in media coverage of cases and police crackdown, scaring the abusers from committing this sickening crime.

These figures were from 2011\12 however the Home Office said:
"In September 2012, we announced that the definition of domestic violence would be widened to include those aged 16-17 and wording to reflect coercive control. The new definition will be implemented in March 2013."

This could suggest that in the upcoming years due to the change, there maybe an increase again for this category.
Word Count: 269

Sources:

Guardian Data Blog – Population rises link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/16/england-wales-population-rises

Crime Statistics Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/feb/07/crime-statistics-england-wales-violent-sexual-offences#data

Home Office source link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/violence-against-women-girls/domestic-violence/ 

TheBlindJournalist: Living With A Disability

Having any form of disability is difficult as in some way or form you are disadvantaged to an able person. Disability means that it is difficult to carry out basic tasks whether your physically or mentally disabled. A fact of life is that you want to fit in with everyone and sadly if your disabled it does mean that you can not do this however I am not going to write all the disadvantages because from personal experiences and fellow disabled people I know we are all happy, we all accept the way we are and would not change ourselves. If you have a disability then don't worry as although you maybe disadvantaged in one area your excellent in another. Life is precious no matter what form of life that is. Accept what life throws at you, ignore what the world says and stay strong and be happy.

TheBlindJournalist: Gay Marriage

My blog is going to be about David Cameron's attempt to change the image of his party by extending the rights of those people who choose to be gay. However, Mr Cameron's attempts have failed which is shown by a YouGay poll. Over half of the conservative MP's voted against David Cameron's attempt to broaden the rights of homosexuals. The total number being 134 Tories voting against the Prime Minister. Even though the majority of his party voted against him Mr Cameron succeeded in making civil partnership marriages legal.

It is felt and thought that the only reason why Mr Cameron did this was to change and modernise the views that people have of the conservative party but the YouGay poll suggests that:

• Two thirds believe that the Conservatives are now a divided party
• Both supporters and opponents to the vote say the Conservative party is in a worse light than before the vote.

Many people have rightly said that the PM is redefining marriage. The commons vote was basically modernists versus traditionalists. Also a big question was why did the PM choose to bring up gay rights at this moment in time when they're are more important issues to deal with such as the economy.
Richard Hammond, Conservative MP said that "In 26 years as an MP, I never once got a letter calling for gay marriage"
Nonetheless this shouldn't be a problem for the Conservative party because there has been previous occasions where MP's have not backed the PM, an example of this is the EU referendom split in 2011 and nothing happened after that, the topic was forgotten so the likelihood is this split won't make a big difference or be a big issue for the Tories and the main question is that even if there was an issue who would replace Mr Cameron?

Simply, David Cameron's plan has come back to bite him on the ...

TheBlindJournalist: Retinitis Pigmentosa

About the eye illness which every 1 in 4000 people suffer from in the UK, Retinitis Pigmentosa. This is one of the eye conditions that I suffer from. I talk about some of my experiences and about pioneering surgery that took place in 2012. Apologies, I didn't realise the camera was that close to my face!

TheBlindJournalist: UN Climate Talks in Doha

194 delegates representing their countries gathered in Doha, Qatar from the 26th November to 8th December 2012 to work on an ambitious, legally binding and fair global deal on the climate. It was the United Nations Climate Change Conference. This was the first time that a UN Climate Change Conference was ever held in the Middle East. The Conference in itself drew roughly 9,000 participants; 4,356 of the 9,000 being government officials, 3,956 representatives of UN bodies, agencies, intergovernmental organisations and civil society organisations, 683 members of the media. The main focus for this conference was to make sure that what was discussed and agreed upon in previous conferences was implemented.
What happened at the conference?
The package of “Doha Climate Gateway” decisions were adopted included amendments to the K
yoto Protocol to establish its second commitment period. Having been launched at CMP 1 in 2005, the AWG-KP terminated its work in Doha. The parties also agreed to terminate the AWG-LCA and negotiations under the Bali Action Plan. Key elements of the outcome also included agreement to consider loss and damage, “such as” institutional mechanism to address loss and damage in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
Smaller countries felt that this opportunity wasn't taken to really make a difference however that a path was paved for a better future. Countries agreed and signed a legally binding contract to the K Yoto Protocol for them to support the smaller countries against climate change. 
The larger countries such as America would pay the smaller countries for the amount of global warming they create i.e if America create a lot of problems for the earth then they'd have to pay the smaller countries money to hep them