Stunning YouTube Videos (3): June Edition

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the YouTube videos embedded in this article. All rights are reserved to YouTube and the YouTube Artists mentioned on this page.

If I have breached any issues, copyright or otherwise, please do get in contact with me and I will be happy to remove them on your request. Thank you.

Hey everyone! Jake here!

Believe it or not it is coming to the end of June. Really, where did all that time go? Who knows…Anyway, that means it is time to look at some of the Stunning YouTube Videos that have come to my attention across the month. Do not forget to leave your suggestions in the comment section below and who knows your video may be picked.

So here we go once again. Here is the selection for June.

Video 1: ‘Paper Hound’ by ayliffe1

‘Paper Hound’ is a deeply profound film by Connor Ayliffe. Without giving too much away, it depicts a teenage boy getting on a bus followed by a dog. This same dog appears to be following him on his local paper round with insightful consequences. The boy is forced to engage with his emotion and reflect on his actions. Simplistic in plot but rich in emotion, it demonstrates Connor’s remarkable directing. The locations and the shots are particularly powerful throughout, especially the scene with the sunset in the background. Combining the emotion-driven music with the humour and heartbreak you get a story that is definitely worth a lot of praise.

Copyright © 2014- by ayliffe 1. All rights reserved. 

Video 2: ‘Disney and Pixar Sings Let it Go’ by Brian Hull

I applaud anyone who can do impressions. Have you had a go? It took me all day to sound like a famous cartoon character and it simply did not work. So it is no wonder why Brian Hull deserves to be on this list. His video shows him successfully attempt to sing ‘Let it Go’ by Idina Menzel, taken from the animation film Frozen. He does so in the voices of many characters from famous Disney and Pixar films. They are all brilliant but Winnie the Pooh and Tigger are my favourites. What are yours? Thanks Brain for the fantastically entertaining video, you are amazing.


Copyright © 2014- by Brian Hull. All rights reserved. 

Video 3: ‘The Mountain’ by TESOPHOTOGRAPHY’s channel

You could really watch this all day and all night. The sheer beauty and wonder in his movie is phenomenal. Filmed across a week in April 2011, it depicts the stunning views of the Milky Way Galaxy and Spain’s highest mountain El Teide. You can really bask in the dedication it took to photograph these extraordinary sights. The peaceful melody combines so well with the elegant setting to such an extent it makes you admire the stunning places that can be found around the world. Thank you Tesophotography and everyone involved for sharing this with us.


Copyright © 2011- by TESOPHOTOGRAPHY’s channel. All rights reserved. 

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Thanks to everyone involved in producing such amazing work for all of us to enjoy. If you enjoyed them, subscribe to their pages for any future videos they may produce.

So could your video be featured next time? Do you have one to recommend? Let us know in the comment section below and you never know you may see it on the blog next time.

See you in July! 

Crohn’s Disease Makes The Headlines

Crohn’s Disease Makes The Headlines

News spread quickly that Crohn’s Disease was going to make the headlines in the United Kingdom on Wednesday 18^th June 2014. The night before, many who are affected were pleased to learn that after so many years their disability would be getting large coverage. By morning however as BBC Breakfast gave their report people’s emotions changed to anger, and rightfully so.

Crohn’s Disease, like Ulcerative Colitis, is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Both of which are chronic, incurable and have a devastating impact on somebody’s life. The original intention of the morning news report was to highlight the impact the disease can have on fatigue levels, one of many symptoms experienced by sufferers. 

Copyright © 2014- by LiamRuffCrohns and BBC Breakfast News. All rights reserved. 

Right from the off it was made clear by reporters Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin this was not going to be the case. Instead the focus was on the rising level of cases of the disability in young people, from 5,000 a decade ago to 20,000 as of last year. It turns out the figures also refer to amount of people admitted into hospital for existing Crohn’s Disease, not just new cases. What further arrogated viewers was their claim that “Doctors say junk food and too many antibiotics could be responsible”.

The video which was shown was definitely mixed. On a positive note there was a story from nineteen year old Liam Ruff. He has suffered from Crohn’s Disease from his early teens and had an ileostomy at the age of seventeen. From his story you can grasp that Crohn’s Disease is much more than just abdominal pains, fatigue and weight loss. So thank you for sharing your story Liam. You are a brave fighter.

Unfortunately this seemed to be overshadowed from the bias claim from consultant gastroenterologist Doctor Sally Mitton. She said there are “several factors that may contribute.” Interestingly she only focused on one, lifestyle. She assumes having lots of junk food in your diet prior to your diagnosis and lots of antibiotics in your early years increases your chances of getting the disease. It is quite possible that her segment was edited as she did not seem to talk about the other possible contributing factors. Then again perhaps not. Whilst this may have been done to get a good story for journalists, it is insulting to sufferers as it implies their pain is self-inflicted. This is certainly dangerous as it can cause a backlash, which we now know has.

The first signs of backlash started as soon as they returned to the studio. It is shown on the shocked faces of David Barker and Rachel Flint, who thought they were going to be talking about fatigue and had no idea the bulletin was going to be focused on junk food and antibiotics. David Barker, who is the CEO of the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK, tried to clarify that Crohn’s Disease is incurable and has no known cause as of yet. Whereas Rachel Flint, a fellow blogger and sufferer of the condition, stood her own ground by completely disagreeing with the assumptions by saying she has always had a healthy diet. She also discussed the big impact Crohn’s Disease has had on her life, from deep fear to extreme exhaustion.

You can read more on Rachel Flint’s reaction to the news story on her excellent blog article right here:

http://adventuresofthebaglady.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/my-crohns-was-not-caused-by-junk-food-my-story-after-appearing-on-bbc-breakfast-today/  

The problem with misinformed news reports is that they cause hundreds more to be born. Throughout Wednesday and beyond there have been television and radio reports and newspapers, all focusing on the assumption that Crohn’s Disease seems to be caused by junk food and antibiotics. This is not helpful as those who have never heard of the condition before will now take this as completely factual.

So it is kind of no surprise why there has been so much outrage. From complaints issued to the BBC, to loud voices being raised on social networking sites, to news reports arguing back, to letters being written to Doctor Mitton, to blogging articles like mine, all which are trying to fight the fight.

On a personal level I am deeply disappointed. When you suffer from any form of disability you want others to be aware of it so you can fix the rift between two parties; the sufferers and those not affected. By publishing inaccurate information you can cause the rift to grow.

The assumptions seem wrong to me. My first signs of Crohn’s Disease were at the age of nine. I can assure you that prior to this my diet was good and I had no antibiotics. My case is not an anomaly. It is one of thousands. There are even cases of people as young as one being diagnosed. Do you think they would be fed burgers? No. So to automatically assume junk food and antibiotics is invalid. Each case is different so to categorise us all in one way is insulting and belittling.

Is Crohn’s Disease caused by junk food? I doubt it…

Do not forget there are many other possible causes, from genetics to the immune system, to environmental factors. None of which are completely certain. So it is wrong to go around jumping to conclusions before you have the correct scientific evidence to show the world.

That nursery rhyme is in fact wrong. Yes sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can also hurt me. So let us all keep fighting the fight and hope one day the world is properly informed of our conditions. Thanks everyone and stay strong!

Voting System: Writing Blog Improvements (The Results)

Evening everyone!

The third voting poll has now come to an end and the results are now in.

Here they are:

‘How can ‘Jake Borrett’s Writing Blog’ improve’?

More articles on Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Dyspraxia: 6

Getting the chance to have your own creativity work featured on the writing blog: 4

Post more reviews and commentaries on issues found in the media today: 4

Transform some short stories, poetry, scripts and articles into watchable videos: 3

With further interactive features such as voting polls, quizzes and puzzles: 3

Getting to know Jake Borrett better through more ‘My Life’ Articles: 3

By regular changing the design of the blog: 3

Change the name of the writing blog to something else: 2

Having a new feature called ‘Your Adventure’: 2

A stronger connection between the writing blog, Facebook and Twitter: 1

No improvements are needed for the writing blog: 0

Other: 0

Total Votes: 31

Thanks to everyone who voted. Your valued views are so welcome. You will be seeing many improvements to the writing blog in the near future including more articles on raising awareness for Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Dyspraxia. 

In the meantime have a great day! 

Voting System: Writing Blog Improvements

Important: This voting poll has now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted. 

Hey everyone! Jake here!

Without you ‘Jake Borrett’s Writing Blog’ would not really exist. You make this place a success. Thank you. Your opinions matter so I have created this voting system asking how you would like the writing blog to improve in the future.

The poll officially closes on ‘unlucky’ Friday 13^th June 2014 (12:00pm, GMT: +00:00: London), but due to the spooky nature of blogger votes still may be registered after this time. I shall not be counting these.

Oh yeah and this time you can vote for as many options as possible.

So what are you waiting for? Start voting! Thanks everyone!

online poll by Opinion Stage