Mood: Sparky ( ﾟヮﾟ)
Listening to: Frank Ocean’s Pyramids
Hello fair readers~
What does everyone think of post-Games UK? As a Londoner, I see things have gone back to the same-old same-old; depressing news about the economic downturn with recent pressure on Tory Chancellor George Osbourne, controversial issues such as Scottish Catholic Leader O’Brien’s snubbing of gay marriage (seriously? in this day and age?), concerns over more needing to be done about anything and everything, celeb gossip…etc *yawn*.
But what’s this? A change in Sunday trading laws seems to be in motion as a direct influence from the Games. Given that they were open for longer to cater to tourists and such, the Government is planning to keep this permanent. On the other hand, a number of groups such as the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), and Labour (pun unintended) have criticised this move. They claim longer hours won’t lift the UK out of the recession, nor will it help shoppers’ tight-budgets, and on a more personal level, it could be emotionally detrimental:
The Keep Sunday Special campaign said: “David Cameron came into government promising to make this country the ‘most family friendly in Europe’ but over one million families have at least one parent working on both weekend days, meaning they have little time to spend with their children.” 1
Honestly, like we don’t all work hard enough as it is! As convenient as it would be to have supermarkets open longer on Sundays, humans aren’t robots, obviously (you might want to note that A.I. Haley Joel Osment – it’ll save you the trip). There needs to be a day in the week where everyone can get their due rest. Sure, that won’t necessarily suit everyone, but it’s not exactly feasible to cater to each person’s needs. Sunday is traditionally a day for rest, and surely this shouldn’t change overnight? Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but deliberation and weighing of pros and cons is a must. I doubt though that this kind of decision will be reached any time soon, as there’s still the Paralympics to cater for.
Speaking of which, is anyone attending? I’m thinking of going, seeing as I didn’t get the chance to do so for the Olympics. Frankly I find this is more up my alley as it’s always awe-inspiring to see people do the best they can despite what card life has handed them (same applies for the Olympic athletes of course). And recent studies have shown that awe-inspiring moments are better for your health 2, though honestly, anything that makes you happy releases those good chemicals that will generally uplift you regardless. Even if that feeling’s temporary:
“tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all” – Alfred Lord Tennyson
On that note, I’m off finish some Spanish homework I got from my first A2 Elementary class with a lovely Colombian teacher (yes! South American accent!). Honestly, after not speaking Spanish for one year and a half you’d think I’d forget everything, but nope, the old dusty clogs are starting to turn!
So with all this said and done, what are your thoughts on the Games and their effect on a personal or public level? Vote and comment below!
Til’ next time!
sweet.magnetism 