january issue m&a express
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January Issue M&A ExpressTRANSCRIPT
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013 2
January 2013
Happy New Year to all our readers, clients,
printers and distributers I wish you all good
luck in the coming year and I hope your en-
deavours end in success and the year filled
with good tides. This year promises to be an-
other fast paced event as we sink further into
the information age with the parliamentary
elections only two years away and the start to
yet another regeneration program for the
Mansfield area. With the completion of the
new Bus Station and ground works set to
begin soon for the new £2.4 million retail and
office development on the former Queens
Head Pub site and also the re-start to that eye-
sore of a housing project on Stockwell Gate,
Mansfield should be getting a little face-lift.
Hopefully with a more comprehensive trans-
port system linked in with the trains and some
newer shops this should help regenerate the
town a little faster, and now that we are offi-
cially out of the recession according to the
government it seems things are getting better,
maybe it’s just me being overly positive in the
New Year but I have a good feeling about
2013.
Once again we will have another busy year for
the community calendar with Valentine’s Day
just around the corner and then bumbling into
spring it won’t be long until it’s time for the
summer in the streets and Oxjam Takeover
festival again! Well whatever events this year
brings we hope you hear about it from us first
or at least read the overview about it with us.
This year we promise to bring you more, more
Mansfield Nova Paralympic Gold Medallist
Ollie Hynd has been awarded an MBE for his
services to swimming in the New Years Hon-
ours List.
He won a gold in the individual S8 Category
200m medley, a silver in the 400m freestyle
and a bronze in the 100m backstroke during
the summer's Paralympic Games in London.
This set of performances meant that Ollie was
the most successful male swimmer on the Par-
alympics GB team at London 2012.
The 400m freestyle race even became a family
affair, with Ollie's brother Sam picking up the
bronze.
Ollie was quick to pay tribute to those who
had helped him achieve his success, including
his coaches, family and friends:
"It is such an honour to be awarded an MBE,
especially as such a young person, and I am
very humbled. I want to say a big thank you to
those who have worked and supported me to
achieve success in the water, in particular my
family and coaches Glenn, Jill and Tim."
Success in London was achieved in dramatic
circumstances, after he broke his wrist during
the first Paralympic swimming trials in Lon-
don. At one stage even attending the games
was in doubt, but with the aid of support from
medical and coaching staff, Ollie was able to
work his way back to peak fitness in time for
the games. A major inspiration for him during
that difficult time was his idol, Michael Phelps,
who sustained a similar injury before going on
to competitive success. Ollie said:
"I was devastated after I had my injury, but
knew that Phelps had a similar thing happen
to him and went on to great things. Very
quickly, I set my goal on going from being in
my cast to becoming Paralympic Champion,
and never looked back."
The hard work has already started again for
Ollie ahead of the World swimming champi-
onships in Canada this year. He has recently
returned from a training camp in Dubai, and
has already been back in competition.
MBE for Ollie Hynd rounds
off a year to remember
Mansfield District Council is set to purchase a
derelict block of flats and piece of land after
the owner of the site went into administration.
In 2004 the Council sold ten blocks of flats in
Victoria Court, Mansfield, for £1m to Finsbury
Estates Ltd. The sale was conditional on a
number of covenants, which included the right
of the Council to re-purchase within 21 years
of completion of sale if Finsbury Estates Ltd
failed to substantially complete the refurbish-
ment of the flats to the satisfaction of the
Council within 12 months. Although the com-
pany have successfully completed the refur-
bishment of the blocks numbered 1-18, the
remaining blocks (nos. 19 - 48) have not been
completed. Over the years, the Council has
been in discussions with the Finsbury Estates
regarding the completion of the works and
also to determine their plans for the site,
which included demolition of the remaining
blocks to make way for a new development on
the site. The Council adopted a flexible ap-
proach with respect to the company’s propos-
als. However over the last few years little
progress was made. The company has now
gone into Administration and Receivers have
been appointed by the company’s bank. The
Receiver has appointed two new companies to
manage the refurbished properties and the
site. The value of the site is now significantly
less than what the Council achieved in 2004.
The cost of acquiring and demolishing the site
is estimated to be approximately £240,000.
Cllr Mick Colley, Portfolio Holder for Tenancy
Services and Housing Needs, said: “This is an
exciting opportunity to make a real difference
to the area by removing what has become an
eyesore and creating a more attractive and
welcoming environment. “The acquisition and
redevelopment of this site will help reduce
crime, regenerate the area and create jobs in
construction, provide new housing to meet the
needs of a range of customers including vul-
nerable people and improve the current site
from an environmental perspective.”When the
purchase of the site is secured, the Council in-
tends to demolish the buildings and hopes to
start developing plans for a comprehensive re-
development of the area in spring / early sum-
mer 2013.
Council to buy back derelict flats
From the Editors Desk...
local news stories, and more film and book re-
views more local music reviews with the
bands themselves and hopefully get our Mayor
Tony Egginton back into print with his award
winning column and comments within our
publication instead (If the other, more promi-
nent local papers won’t help him get the word
out then I guess it will have to be the little old
express). However as I mentioned in my last
editor’s note, we can only cover so much here
without prior knowledge to events or without
your involvement within the context of local
news stories so please if you have a story that
you think needs telling, a local hero who de-
serves praise and has received none or a club,
group or society you are either establishing, is
going strong and needs promotion or is plac-
ing an event please contact us at the office on
01623 624 326 or alternatively you can write
So please ring or write to us regarding any sto-
ries you think deserve to be published, and
please keep in mind that we only promote
good news, meaning we try not to cover upset-
ting local tragedies, rather we would prefer to
cover uplifting stories, events that make us all
proud to be locals. I know that Mansfield isn’t
the prettiest place and some rather ugly things
happen within it, but it’s ours and this is our
attempt at a community paper that actually
cares, so let’s fill it with all the beautiful things
that DO happen that no-one mentions or is
given barely a moments attention, and let’s
make 2013 the year it deserves to be.
Yours Sincerely, Jake Manton, The Editor
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013
Reason. Feeling. Action =
The Case for Compassion
Do you think that compassion and empathy
have a place in society anymore? Would you
be surprised if I told that it is only in the last
10 years or so that science has started to
really study empathy and compassion and that
they are quite literally blown away by what
they are finding? Within an age of scientific
endeavours and materialism – what place do
inner values, ethics and personal integrity
have - if any?
Perhaps it’s easier to reflect on their absence
as an indicator of their importance. A distinct
lack of ethics, values and insatiable greed have
led to the banking crisis that is affecting us all.
And with the increasingly interdependent
society we can no longer just see ourselves as
local groups whose activities don’t affect a
wider whole. If the stock markets open lower
in Tokyo our own pensions are now affected.
Last weekend in London I attended the
Empathy and Compassion Conference and
helped facilitate workshops in ‘Compassion
and Empathy in society’. This conference con-
sisted of neuroscientists, educational profes-
sionals, community engagement workers and
professionals from all walks of life – even
lawyers and a British Lord showed up.
Scientist after scientist provided the research
as to how highly diverse the positive impact of
compassion and empathy is to our wellbeing.
The research may surprise you. They demon-
strated how it makes us wiser and enables us
to make more successful decisions by more ef-
fective use of our brain. It makes us more at-
tractive to potential partners and makes us
healthier by reducing inflammation in the
body. It has even been shown to slow down
time.
Basically there is now a substantial body of ev-
idence in evolutionary biology, neuroscience
and other fields suggesting that, even from the
most rigorous scientific perspective, unselfish-
ness and concern for others are not only in
our interests but also, in a sense, innate to our
biological nature.
What Do We Mean By Compassion
Part of the challenge is with the word compas-
sion itself. Somehow the word seems to have
become dislocated and marginalised in such a
way that it is now considered soft or unimpor-
tant – or something just related to religion.
What it certainly doesn’t mean is ‘pity’. Just
look at the work of Nelson Mandela, Aung San
Suu Kyi or the Dalai Lama, all who have prac-
ticed and embraced compassion and what
they have accomplished.
Compassion itself is defined as having 3 com-
ponents – a thinking or reasoning component,
a feeling component and an active element.
Thinking - We have the ability to understand
people as well as investigate the nature of cir-
cumstances and situations. We can reflect on
what helps and harms ourselves and others.
That is the reasoning component.
Feeling - Have you been in a meeting where
somehow at the end you are all feeling the
same mood? That is the feeing component –
we are actually biologically empathic. That is
scientific fact. Our brain and bodies are inti-
mately linked into the states of others. That is
why emotions are contagious.
Action - We’ve all seen the massive public out-
pouring of support for those affected by
tragedies related to the Tsunamis or wide
scale hunger. When we see suffering we are
spontaneously moved by a feeling to relieve
that suffering. That seems to be a fundamen-
tal experience of being a human.
You may be surprised that compassion has the
same impact on our brain as receiving money,
or experiencing pleasure – it feels good. We
even become happier when we see others per-
form acts of kindness. Participants in studies
who spend money on others rather than
themselves also feel significantly happier. We
become more creative and effective as it has a
broadening effect on the brain – more of our
resources become available to us. It’s the op-
posite of a narrow self focused attention that
restricts the minds view of the world it is in.
Self- absorption related to ‘me, myself, I’, is as-
sociated with increased feelings of sadness
and a rise of narcissism in the western world.
The amount someone uses ‘I’ in a sentence has
even been correlated to increased risk of heart
disease.
Compassion has been shown to make us more
attractive. We are social beings, feeling
strongly connected to people who show us
kindness. Research reveals that both men and
women rate kindness as one of their most de-
sired traits in their mates.
Inflammation in the body is at the root of can-
cer and other diseases and is generally higher
in people undergoing lots of stress or those
living the ‘good life’. But research with indi-
viduals who were happy because their lives
were filled with meaning and purpose – focus-
ing on others through compassion, empathy
and even altruism have low inflammation lev-
els.
The Harvard Men Study
One of the longest-running psychological stud-
ies of all time—the Harvard Men study fol-
lowed 268 men from their entrance into
college in the late 1930s all the way through to
the present day. From this wealth of data, sci-
entists have been able to identify the life cir-
cumstances and personal characteristics that
distinguished the happiest, fullest lives from
the least successful ones. George Vaillant, the
psychologist who directed this study for the
last 40 years, told the Atlantic Monthly that he
could sum up the findings in one word: “love”.
There are “70 years of evidence that our rela-
tionships with other people matter, and mat-
ter more than anything else in the world.”
So as we approach Christmas - perhaps we can
reflect on the importance and meaning of
compassion and empathy for ourselves, loved
ones and even strangers.
Fundamentally we all want to be happy and
none of us want to suffer. Isn’t that true? We
may go about this in very different ways, but
the goal is always consistent and makes us the
same in the shared human drama we call life.
May you have an excellent New Year full of
meaningful connections, love and laughter.
DarranTruteBiography: Darran Trute has facilitated and
co-ordinated workshops which have helped
organisations integrate mindfulness and em-
pathy practises within intense business envi-
ronments. These workshops were specifically
for CEO’s, managers and staff across the vol-
untary, government and commercial sectors.
Email: [email protected]
What Do We Mean By Compassion?
Part of the challenge is with the word
compassion itself. Somehow the word seems to
have become dislocated and marginalised in
such a way that it is now considered soft or
unimportant – or something just related to
religion. What it certainly doesn’t mean is ‘pity’.
4
Mansfield Citizens' Panel member Emma Cor-
nell is celebrating after being picked out of the
hat to win a £50 gift voucher.
Emma is one of 380 members who belong to
Mansfield District Council's Citizens' Panel,
which gives members of the public the oppor-
tunity to express their views on a wide range
of local issues. The prize draw was open to
members who returned their questionnaires.
Emma said: "I enjoy being a member of the
Citizens' Panel, as it's interesting having your
say about Council services and I enjoy reading
the feedback from other members. The Panel
is an opportunity for people to give their opin-
ions and tell the Council what to focus on. The
questionnaire is very easy to fill in - I do it
from my phone."
Members are emailed an online survey in
March, June, September and December, in
which they are asked questions on topics such
as how the Council is performing, how it
should shape its services and what its
priorities should be. The survey is easy to
complete with tick boxes to mark your re-
sponses and the occasional comment box.
Anyone who lives in the District and is aged 16
and over can join.
Cllr Andrew Tristram, Portfolio Holder for
Corporate Issues, said: "Being a member of the
Citizens' Panel is vital to the development and
future success of Mansfield. The results from
each survey are fed back to Council depart-
ments, who use the information to deliver
services in the best possible way. We really
want to hear from the people of Mansfield and
the Citizens' Panel is an effective way for peo-
ple to get their views across."
For more information and to join the panel
visit www.mansfield.gov.uk/panel email
[email protected] or contact the Com-
munity Engagement team on 01623 463 372.
A paper version of the Citizen Panel survey is
available for people, who do not have access to
a computer.
Emma’s a Prize Citizen
•Advanced Periodontitis: In this final stage of
gum disease, the fibres and bone supporting
your teeth are destroyed, which can cause
your teeth to shift or loosen.
Is there a treatment? Yes, there is an effective
treatment available that allows the gums to
heal and retighten around your teeth. Gum
disease treatment involves measuring six
points around each tooth to determine the
severity and how far the disease has advanced.
The area is then anesthetised and using spe-
cial tools we remove any tartar or bacteria
from below the gum line. By doing so this al-
lows the gums to reattach to the tooth surface
giving greater support for the tooth.
What are the symptoms of gum disease? The
earliest sign of the disease is bleeding gums,
they may also look red and swollen. Symp-
toms can include:-
•Gums that are red, puffy or swollen, or tender
•Gums that bleed during brushing or flossing
•Teeth that look longer because your gums
have receded
•Gums that have separated, or pulled away,
from your teeth, creating a pocket
•Changes in the way your teeth fit together
when you bite
•Pus coming from between your teeth and
gums
•Constant bad breath or a bad taste in your
mouth
If you have any of the above symptoms it is im-
portant to seek advice from your dentist.
Gum disease is very common, it is estimated
that half the population has some degree of
gum disease and most people experience it at
least once in their lifetime. If left untreated it
can lead to Periodontitis which can destroy
the ligaments and bone that hold your teeth in
place which can lead to tooth loss.
What is gum disease? There are three stages
of gum disease, gingivitis, periodontitus and
advanced periodontitis.
•Gingivitis is the earliest stage which presents
as inflammation of the gums caused by plaque
build-up at the gumline. Plaque not removed
by brushing or flossing produces toxins that
can irritate the gums causing gingivitis.
•Periodontitis is the next stage where the sup-
porting bone and fibres that hold your teeth in
place are irreversibly damaged.
Ask Dr. HeathGum disease is very common, it is estimatedthat half the population has some degree ofgum disease and most people experience it atleast once in their lifetime.
6
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013
Beauty
Even when your skin is looking tired and pale, you can look blooming lovely byadding a touch of colour to your cheeks. Blushers are an essential part of a beauty regime for those without a naturalrosy glow. There are so many product types and colours to choose from andmany different ways to apply them.
Slim definition: if you have slightly chubby
cheeks and would like a more contoured look,
apply blusher in the hollows, just below your
cheekbones. For accuracy, suck in your cheeks
and brush in upward strokes in the hollows.
Use an illuminating highlighter along the top
of your cheekbones. This will create the illu-
sion of fuller cheekbones and a slimmer face.
Rosy apples: the apples of your cheeks are
the fullest part. If you use a pale illuminating
shade applied directly to your apples, it will
instantly create a fresh looking glow.
Application tip: do not get carried away with
applying blusher. If applied elsewhere on your
face it will look as though you are wearing the
wrong shade of foundation. Stick to the apples
or hollows. If you want to add colour in other
parts, opt for a bronzer that can be swept all
over your skin instead.
Hold a piece of blank white paper up to your
makeup-free face. What colour jumps out?
Most average, pale skin has yellow undertones
which look best with warm blushers such as
peach or brown. If you can identify red under-
tones, opt for cool pinks. Red tones usually
suit silver jewellery, while yellow suit gold.
Product choices
Powder: the ideal choice, for most. Powders
can either be loose, compact or in ball form.
They are easy to apply and will not overly dis-
turb your foundation base. Once applied over
your base, powder blushers are long lasting
and easy to add to for an evening look.
Cream and compact stick: these must be ap-
plied over liquid foundation but before you set
your foundation with a powder. You can obtain
a fresh, youthful finish with a cream or stick
blusher and are a good choice on warm sum-
mery days as they are more likely to stay put.
Fluid: these are an acquired skill. Fluids,
sometimes described as cheek stains, can be
difficult to blend to a natural finish. Lots of
blending may disturb your base so they are
best used in small areas, like your apples.
These are great for adding a healthy glow to
your well-protected face on holiday.
Blushing
with Beauty
1. Clean your hands
The first thing you need to do before you start
a manicure is make sure your hands and nails
are nice and clean. Using the pointed end of a
cuticle stick, dig out any dirt from underneath
your nails, taking care not to jab your nail bed.
3. File your nails
Once your cuticles have been carefully pushed
back you can start to file the nail ends. Make
sure to move in one direction from the end of
the nail to the centre and the same on the
other side. Moving your emery board back and
forth along the edge of your nails will weaken
them and may cause them to split. Aim to cre-
ate a natural looking oval shape, that is neither
too square nor too pointed but in line with the
natural shape of your fingers.
When you are pleased with the shape, gently
brush the nail file in a downwards movement
across the end of your nail to get rid of any ex-
cess nail ends.
Give Yourself a
Proffessional
Manicure
If the credit crunch has got you tightening
your purse strings, you might think a mani-
cure is a luxury you just can’t afford. However,
you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get
your nails looking good, in fact you don’t even
need to step into a salon.
You can get your nails looking salon-great in
the comfort of your own home, with little ef-
fort, expense or time. Simply follow the four
steps below to achieve salon-perfect talons. All
you’ll need is: nail polish remover, cotton wool
pads, cuticle remover, cuticle stick (often
called a hoof stick), an emery board and some
clear or coloured nail polish.
2. Remove cuticle
Once your hands and nails are clean and dry,
apply some cuticle remover to the cuticles
which is the skin that covers the top of the
nail. Let the remover sink in for a few minutes
and then gently push back the moistened cuti-
cle with the cuticle stick. This should not be
painful, if it is then chances are you are push-
ing too hard with the stick.
4. Apply nail polish
Once you are happy with the shape of your
nails, apply a coat of clear or coloured nail pol-
ish to each nail. Pick up a small amount of pol-
ish on your brush and paint one stroke down
the centre of your nail. Your brush should hold
just enough colour to accomplish this. Next,
gently apply a stroke of polish to the sides of
the nail. The nail should be completely
coloured in three strokes. Allow to set for a
minute or so before applying the second coat.
If you wear polish regularly it is advisable to
take it off and leave nails bare for at least two
days a week to ensure healthy growth.
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013 9
Homemade Beauty Everybody likes to try to look their best but expensive face creams and body lotions can take theirtoll on your wallet. However you can still treat yourself to a relaxing facial, some luxurious face-cream or body lotion all for next to nothing. You might think you'd need a degree in chemistryor cosmetology to make your own beauty products from scratch but in actual fact this couldn't be further from the truth. You can create some luxurious, natural products using items you probablyalready have lurking around your kitchen cupboards. As well as saving a penny or two you can resteasy knowing exactly what you're putting on your face. No need to worry about nasty chemicals andsynthetic fragrances. All these ingredients are natural and edible. So get in the kitchen and cook upsome natural beauty!
face mask repeat the mashing process and
apply the avocado liberally to the face area
and relax.
Soothing foot balm
1 tablespoon almond oil 1 tablespoon olive oil1 teaspoon wheat germ oil 12 drops eucalyptusessential oil Everyone's feet can get a bit whiffy in the sum-
mer heat but you don't need to spend a for-
tune on expensive foot creams. Simply
combine the ingredients in a bottle and shake
extremely well. Rub into the feet and heels
nightly to smooth and soften rough dry feet.
Soothing eye treatment
2 moist teabags 2 slices of cucumberWho says looking good has to cost the earth?
These two homemade eye treatments are sim-
ple easy and very cheap. For the first treat-
ment take two very thin slices of cucumber, as
these are great for brightening and nourishing
the eyes; press them lightly on to the eye area.
Make them thin slices so they make contact,
yielding into the contours of the eyes.
For the second treatment take two moist tea
bags and place them over your eyes. This will
help fade under-eye bags because they contain
tannin and polyphenols which have an astrin-
gent effect.
Chemical-free facial/body scrub
2 tablespoons of sea salt Forget paying out for posh facial scrubs, sea
salt removes dry, flaky, dead skin from your
face and body with ease. Wet your face or
body and apply a couple of tablespoons of sea
salt. Then gently massage the area with a wet
flannel or fingers. After one or two minutes,
rinse with cold water to tighten the pores.
Natural eye make-up remover
1 tablespoon castor oil 1 tablespoon light olive oil. Castor oil is excellent for removing eye
makeup. A combination of castor, olive or
canola oils is especially nice to remove mas-
cara at the end of the day. Even the most stub-
born makeup glides off effortlessly with this
light oil mixture - all without the addition of
harmful chemicals so close to the eye area.
Moisturising hair/face mask
1 medium avocado Avocados contain skin-nourishing vitamin E
and phytosterols, which are similar to the
skin's own lipids and provide a barrier to envi-
ronmental elements and lock in moisture. To
make a nourishing hair pack that will leave
you with a gorgeous shine, mash one avocado
into a smooth paste and spread on clean,
damp hair for 20 minutes, then rinse. For the
non-invasive cosmetic treatments still need
careful consideration and should always be
carried out by trained professionals.
If you have considered the matter carefully,
and preferably talked it over with your GP,
here are a few non-invasive treatments that
are targeted at the facial area:
Restylane (www.restylane.com) is an in-
jectable gel that is administered by trained,
medically qualified practitioners throughout
the UK. It is designed to work by enhancing
the skin's stocks of hyaluronic acid, directly
adding volume to either soften the signs of
ageing or enhance features. The procedure
usually takes less than 30 minutes and the
benefits can be seen immediately. Restylane is
long lasting, but not permanent. The
hyaluronic acid gel of Restylane closely resem-
bles natural hyaluronic acid, helping to reduce
the risk of an inflammatory reaction or other
side effects. The most popular treatment is
Restylane Lipp, which is used to fill out wrin-
kles and folds or to sculpt lips. The product is
naturally degradable and it is estimated that it
lasts six to 12 months before a new treatment
is necessary. It is formulated to work in har-
mony with the natural anatomy of the lip. The
Face and Body Clinic (www.thefaceandbody-
clinic.co.uk) situated in London's Harley Street
offers non-invasive treatments for skincare,
anti-ageing and hair removal. Skincare thera-
pies on offer include non-chemical facial peels,
mesotherapy without needles and skin
tightening treatments.
Anti-wrinkle light refinement is the clinic's lat-
est treatment. It uses formulated ampoules,
infra-red and blue light and bio-resonance
waves to aid relaxation, stimulate skin and en-
courage cell regeneration. The treatment,
which costs from £80 per session, claims to
produce long-term improvements to wrinkles
and fine lines without any of the side-effects
associated with older-style lasers, such as
scarring, reddening and sunlight sensitivity.
Tear Trough Rejuvenation by Raman Malhotra
(www.ramanmalhotra.com) uses hyaluronic
acid products to help reduce the appearance
of bags and dark circles under the eyes.
In the lower eyelid and cheek area, loss of vol-
ume accentuates the bony orbital rim between
the lower eyelid and the cheek. This leads to
the pronounced appearance of natural fat
pockets and accentuation of tear trough shad-
ows. The treatment helps reduce dark circles
by creating a smooth lower eyelid contour and
reducing shadowing. It lasts between six and
12 months.
David Gault has recently launched a new anti-
ageing facial treatment at the Portland Hospi-
tal in London. Portrait Plasma Skin
Regeneration is a non-surgical procedure to
improve skin laxity, texture, pore size, acne
scars and surface pigmentation as well as re-
duce the depth of wrinkles by removing su-
perficial tissue. The treatment takes 20-30
minutes.
Non-Invasive
Treatments to
Cosmetic Surgery
Most men and women with ageing faces
would like to do something to turn the
clock back a few years. Filling the gap be-
tween invasive cosmetic surgeries and
over-the-counter beauty products is a
range of non-invasive cosmetic surgeries
that are easier on the pocket and far less
painful.
Non-invasive cosmetic surgery is taking off
fast in the UK thanks to the wide availabil-
ity of well-known treatments such as Botox
and cosmetic dermal fillers. But a word of
caution: before you take the plunge, re-
member that
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013
Fashion
The tide is definitely turning against the use of
very young, very skinny models as Brits cast
aside unrealistic aspirations and open their
minds to the natural look. There is strong pub-
lic consensus with 80% of Brits saying fashion
designers should not be allowed to use under
16s on the catwalk, and an equal number
wanting to see an end to size zero models on
the runway, according to the latest YouGov
poll. Interestingly, almost eight out of 10 peo-
ple feel that designers would actually help,
rather than hinder, their business by using
more average-sized women in fashion shows.
Debates surrounding the size and ages of
models appearing on the global catwalks are
as frequent as the shows themselves, with
proposals to ban models aged under 16 and
those below a certain Body Mass Index (BMI)
regularly suggested as a way to legislate the
controversial industry. At this year's New York
Fashion Week, the Council of Fashion Design-
ers of America tried to limit models to those
aged over 16, while in 2006 Madrid Fashion
Week organisers controversially banned mod-
els from the catwalk if their BMI dropped
below 18 - the lowest "normal" limit. But
while models under 16 were officially banned
in the capital in 2007, London has still to
make any moves towards setting a weight or
size limit for catwalk models, with many de-
signers adding fuel to the debate by still re-
portedly refusing to showcase their clothes on
models even slightly closer to the UK
averagesize 16. A report published last year
also suggested that "too-large" women on the
catwalk wouldn't necessarily promote a
healthier body image than continuing to use
their "too-slim" colleagues. The YouGov sur-
vey, conducted in the run-up to Milan and
Paris Fashion Weeks, echoes the findings of
ITV morning show Lorraine's search for the
UK's most naturally beautiful people, known
as the 'Lorraine: Naked' competition. Kate
Middleton - the Duchess of Cambridge - was
named the most naturally beautiful female
British female celebrity, gaining 33% of votes
from the 1,752 viewers who took part and
coming out streets ahead of her closest rivals,
This Morning host Holly Willoughby, Harry
Potter star Emma Watson and her own sister
Pippa, who drew 17, 16 and 15% of the votes
respectively. Also polling 15% were actress
Kate Winslet, singer and former X-Factor
judge Cheryl Cole, and singer, TV presenter
and model Myleene Klass. A total of 14%
voted for curvy model Kelly Brook and actress
Helen Mirren.
Famously sensual TV chef and food writer
Nigella Lawson follows on 13% while pop sen-
sation Adele tied with Strictly Come Dancing's
Alesha Dixon and fellow Strictly star and East-
Enders actress Kara Tointon with seven per
cent of the votes. Supermodel Kate Moss re-
ceived just four per cent of the votes, along
with singer Charlotte Church, and R'n'B star
and former X-Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos.
Fashion Needs to
Grow up Says Brits
There's no denying that shapewear has been a
godsend, designed to even out our lumps and
bumps and give us a smooth silhouette under
that little black dress. But let's be honest - it's
never been the most flattering option for a big
night out. Every woman of a certain age re-
members the scene from Bridget Jones' Diary,
where Bridget finally gets her man while look-
ing svelte and stunning in a figure-hugging
black evening dress - only to reveal at the cru-
cial moment that a giant pair of flesh-toned,
control top granny pants had been doing all
the hard work for her.
Thankfully, there is another option if you'd
rather wear something a bit sexier under your
outfit for that big date. The "It's My Secret"
range from www.kaleidoscope.co.uk features
beautiful designs with control panels built into
the clothes themselves. Choose from dresses,
jeans, trousers and skirts: there's an option for
every occasion so you can banish your unflat-
tering undies to the back of the drawer for-
ever.
The It's My Secret Dress (pictured, £59) comes
in sizes 10-22 and features a shaping tube,
running from the waistband to the thigh to
smooth your tummy and give you a flattering
silhouette, while the ruched sleeves and gath-
ered front will have you brimming with confi-
dence for that big night out.
Jeans can be a problem item if you're worried
about your tum, but the collection's stretch
jeans (pictured, £39), available in black or
or blue washes, feature a control panel in the
tummy area to offer a bit more streamlining.
The straight-leg style goes well with pumps
for daytime wear or heels for an evening look,
making them ideal for any occasion.
Also available in the collection are smart black
trousers (£32) and skirts (£28), offering the
comfort of an elastic waist but without the
bunching and wrinkling: ideal for a night out
our a day at the office. And for a more casual
look, choose from the long-line denim skirt
(£35) or black capri pants (£17.50).
With looks for all kinds of occasions, the It's
My Secret range is a secret worth keeping.
Featured items from www.kaleidoscope.co.uk
Dress - 24R225 (£59)
Jeans - 69X954 (£39)
Shapewear:
It’s My Secret
Shapewear: Useful but never themost flattening choice of under-wear for a big night out. Now anew clothing range with controlpanels has hit the market, so you can banish yourmost unflattering undies to theback of the drawer forever...
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013 11
High Heel Comfort?It’s the fashion faux pas that is rarely talked
about and remains one of the hidden secrets
at the bottom of many women’s wardrobes.
Most of us girls have parted with our hard-
earned cash for a pair of must-have shoes,
only to find these treasures are transformed
into a toe torture contraptions halfway
through the night. Once or twice is forgivable
and perhaps even understandable, but now
new research has revealed that women keep
making the same mistake when it comes to
fashionable footwear - and are frittering away
£2.5 billion a year on uncomfortable shoes
they rarely wear. The average woman in the
UK spends £136.52 on five new pairs of shoes
every year, at a cost of £27.40 per pair. But in-
stead of investing wisely in shoes they can
wear more than once, three out of the five
pairs of these must-have heels end up at the
bottom of the wardrobe having only had one
or two outings because they hurt their new
owners feet. The research, commissioned by
shoe specialist Hotter Comfort Concept, also
revealed that 40% of the 1,000 women ques-
tioned admit choosing their shoes purely be-
cause of how they look - and not how they feel.
But incredibly, almost a third who have tried
on shoes and know they’ll be sore but still buy
them because they just can’t resist the look,
and often kid themselves into believing their
feet will adjust. This determination to perse-
vere with their purchases means 62% of
women spend at least one day a week wearing
uncomfortable shoes, with 48% hoping to
wear them in until their feet get used to them.
But still we refuse to give up! More than half of
women say they hang on to their hellish heels
for up to a year before admitting defeat and
throwing them away, despite only wearing
them once. They also revealed that they own
at least four pairs of shoes just to be worn
when sitting down or Dinner Shoes that look
amazing but are excruciating to actually walk
in. Regionally, women in Chelmsford buy the
most shoes, treating themselves to an average
of seven pairs every year whereas women in
Leicester buy the least, getting by on just four
pairs a year. Worcestershire is revealed as the
worst county for footwear faux pas as women
there admit that 70% of their shoe collection
has only been worn once because they are too
painful, whereas Cambridge females are the
most comfort-savvy with just 20% of their col-
lection having been worn only once. Lisa Mc-
Carten from Hotter, said, “shoes really can
change your life: they have an impact on the
health of your feet, can influence how you feel
and play a significant part in how much you
enjoy your day. Not only do uncomfortable
shoes make for a bad day, squeezing your toes
into ill-fitting footwear can also damage your
feet causing pain and discomfort in later life.
We all want to look our best, keep up with our
busy lives and have fun; stylish comfy shoes
are an essential part of the modern woman's
wardrobe to help her tackle all three”.
Women brought to heel
on fashion faux pas
The UK fashion industry had a chance to cele-
brate some brilliant home-grown talent re-
cently, with the announcement of winners of
the UK Fashion Exports Awards.
The top prize, the Gold Award for Exporter of
the Year, went to Orla Kiely.
Kiely, a Dublin-born textiles specialist, has
rapidly become a household name since first
hitting the headlines in the mid 90s when she
was commissioned by Harrods to produce a
range of hats. This followed her spot on the
graduation catwalk of the Royal College of Art.
Since then, her signature stem print has ap-
peared on fashion products ranging from
clothing to china and chocolates. The Orla
Kiely retail brand includes new stores in Paris
and Hong Kong and its website now attracts
shoppers from 14 countries.
Also presented with an export award was
Joseph Ettedgui, founder of the Joseph shops.
For more than 30 years, Ettedgui has been a
well-known figure on the international fashion
circuit and has done much to create a positive
perception of the UK fashion industry.
Other London-based winners included, in the
lingerie and beachwear category, Amoralia, a
specialist in luxury maternity lingerie. Stars
such as Toni Collette and supermodel Karen
Elson are fans of the brand.
For women's accessories, Sam Ubhi picked up
an award, having notched up 20 years in the
business, beginning with luxury handmade
jewellery and subsequently expanding into
bags. And in the womenswear section, Ariella,
one of the UK's leading names in cocktail,
evening and special occasion wear since the
1960s, took the main prize.
Paul Alger, executive director of UK Fashion
Exports, says: British companies are having to
be even more creative both with their collec-
tions and their marketing to grow their ex-
ports year on year, but our award winners and
finalists demonstrate it can be done.
These prestigious awards are organised by UK
Fashion Exports, an independent trade
association that gives practical help to Brisitsh
fashion exporters, as wells as to overseas buy-
ers, designers and retailers. The industry is
worth some £3bn a year and represents one of
the most creative sectors within the UK
economy.
Past winners of the awards have included
some familiar names including the likes of Ben
Sherman, Rose Marie Bravo of Burberry,
figleaves.com, Jeffrey Rigers, Mulberry and
John Smedley.
The World Buys into
British Style
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013
Cheesy Music Keeps us Fit
The Pressure is On
12
stress-related illnesses, including emotional
problems. It can be very helpful during the dif-
ferent stages of pregnancy and for sufferers of
multiple sclerosis.
It would be wrong to say that shiatsu in itself
can cure all these ailments, but in some cases
it can help dramatically.
Acupressure was used to treat morning sick-
ness on 350 women attending the Royal Ma-
ternity Hospital in Belfast in 1988. They were
randomly allocated to three groups and the
severity of morning sickness was recorded
daily for four days. The treatment group
pressed a wrist acupuncture point, whereas
the second group used a pretend acupressure
point and the control group had no treatment.
There was much less sickness in the genuine
and dummy pressure groups compared with
the control group and no adverse side effects
were reported in the patients pregnancies.
The immediate effect of treatments differs
with each individual. A sense of wellbeing is
common. Because of the deep relaxation that
usually occurs and the stimulus to the major
body systems, you may have some healing re-
actions. But there can be a short-lived down-
side to receiving this sort of treatment. Some
people feel cold or flu-like symptoms, aches
and pains or headaches after the first treat-
ment. These symptoms will usually only last
for a day or so and subside with each subse-
quent treatment. If these symptoms persist
you should consult a qualified physician im-
mediately. In general, any such effects you may
experience are positive signs from your body
telling you it is making an attempt to correct
its own condition in a natural way.
Feeling stressed? Maybe a bit of alternative
pressure could solve your problem.
Shiatsu has been helping people for thousands
of years and is one of the growing trends of al-
ternative therapies in the UK.
Shiatsu is an oriental therapy that evolved
from a tradition of healing art stretching back
through the millennia.
It uses a combination of pressure and assisted
stretching techniques in treatments. This
stimulates the circulation and the flow of lym-
phatic fluid, releasing toxins and deep-seated
tensions from the muscles, stimulating the
hormonal system and the immune system and
acting on the nervous system. This allows the
recipient to relax deeply and to get in touch
with his or her own healing power.
Shiatsu can help alleviate stress and fatigue,
increase circulation of the blood and lymph,
reduce blood pressure and muscle stiffness
and increase vitality and stamina.
It originated in China at least 2,000 years ago,
when the earliest accounts gave the causes of
ailments and the remedies that could be ef-
fected through a change of diet and way of life.
The use of massage and acupuncture was also
recommended.
Acupuncture, massage and herbal medicine
evolved side by side to treat the range of dis-
eases. The traditional massage of ancient
China was known as anma and found its way
to Japan to be adopted and adapted by the
Japanese.
The therapy that is known today as shiatsu
has gradually evolved with time from anma
under influences from both east and west.
problems, musculo-skeletal problems and any
While you're purposefully pounding the tread-
mill at your local gym is your MP3 player se-
cretly blasting out 80s power ballads and Milli
Vanilli? If so you're not alone. Don't believe us?
Well next time you're working out, take a look
round because chances are that stern-faced,
muscular guy next to you on the rowing ma-
chine is enjoying Rick Astley's greatest hits.
This is because gym-goers love secretly work-
ing out to cheesy hits they wouldn't dream of
listening to in public, according to a new sur-
vey by gym operator Fitness First, which sur-
veyed 200 of its 400,000 members in the UK.
If you enjoy working out to Abba, A-ha and the
like then you're in good company as 60 per
cent of fitness fans pop on headphones and get
sweaty to songs they wouldn't openly admit to
liking because they are so naff. And it is not
just women who like exercising to their
favourite cheesy hits. Male gym-goers con-
fessed that Eye of the Tiger by the band Sur-
vivor is the song which inspires them most
while pounding away on a treadmill.
The song, made famous as the theme tune to
the Sylvester Stallone movie Rocky III , topped
the poll with 19 per cent of men having it on
their MP3 player for gym use only.
Psychologist professor Cary Cooper from Lan-
caster University, describes it as the ultimate
song about macho heroism and believes male
fitness fanatics probably imagine they are
Rocky while working out. Ah bless. However
women enjoy equally cheesy anthems to moti-
vate themselves in the gym with their
favourite being Dancing Queen by Abba
closely followed by Life is a Rollercoaster by
Ronan Keating. The artist both sexes freely
admitted listening to in the gym was pop icon
and fitness queen Madonna. A total of 26 per
cent of woman and 17 per cent of men say
they listen to the super-fit queen of pop while
training. Not surprisingly, calm and restful
classical music didn't feature highly as a
favourite among gym-goers with just two per
cent saying they tuned into the likes of Bach
and Beethoven. This is because gym goers
want to listen to upbeat music which inspires
and motivates them, according to Cooper. "The
kind of music people listen to in the gym is
very different from the music they might listen
to at a spa or health farm which is much more
relaxing and calming. At the gym people want
stimulating and motivating music. People will
listen to high energy stuff at the gym on head-
phones which they would never listen to at
home or in the car. But privately they probably
like it and it fits with what they are doing," he
says.
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013
Animal Magic
Wet and Wild
13
suggests that stroking an animal prompts
your brain to release endorphins or feel-good
hormones. This helps you feel calm and there-
fore lowers your heart rate and blood pres-
sure. This is supported by claims that families
owning a dog or cat are not as stressed and
visit their doctors less often than those who
don't, say scientists from Cambridge Univer-
sity. Pets make you feel optimistic and relaxed,
which lowers your blood pressure. Dogs give
the best results, as you get exercise when you
take them for walks. Studies show that older
people who own pets are more healthy and ac-
tive than those who don’t.
As well as feeling healthier, pet owners are
less likely to suffer anxiety, loneliness and will
have more confidence than people without
pets. There is also a positive effect on their
emotional health and people who live alone
with a pet are less likely to be depressed than
those without animal company.
But pets don’t just brighten up your mood.
Some could actually save your life. Many ani-
mals can warn their owners about oncoming
illness and there are many reports about dogs
detecting cancer, while some can identify
other types of illness, such as hypoglycaemia
(dangerously-low blood sugar levels) in dia-
betics and oncoming epileptic fits.
These health benefits of owning a pet are
strong reasons to get one, but consider all the
options first and do your homework. Animals
are a huge responsibility and although they
may seem like fun, there is a lot of hard work
involved as well. The Petclub website offers a
wealth of advice and tips on how to choose the
right pet for you and on keeping it healthy.
As a nation of animal lovers, many of us often
prefer our four-legged friends to our human
ones and it’s not difficult to see why. Animals
offer unconditional love, companionship and
fun, but did you also know that owning a pet
can reduce blood pressure, alleviate depres-
sion, conquer stress and release feel-good en-
dorphins that make you feel happy?
Its true, and it doesn’t seem to matter what
type of pet you have, from parrot to poodle in-
teraction with any animal can produce these
health benefits. According to a recent study,
owning a pet not only helps you to keep down
stress levels, it may also help to prevent heart
disease and depression. Even watching a tank
full of tropical fish can lower blood pressure,
at least for a while. Remarkably, studies have
also shown that heart-attack victims who keep
pets tend to live longer.
The publisher of the pet information website
petclubuk.com, Chris Jones, says looking after
a pet brings out our nurturing instinct and
makes us feel safe and unconditionally ac-
cepted. Pets make wonderful, loving compan-
ions and everyone should consider having one
as part of their household, he says. The
chances are you’ll live longer and feel better
by owning a pet.
If you thought only dogs and cats were good
for your health you couldn’t be more wrong It
doesn’t matter what pet you get. It could be a
dog, cat, parrot, a goldfish or snake. The only
thing that matters is that the animal really in-
terests you.
Among the many medical studies that claim
owning a pet is good for your heart, one
A growing trend in bathroom design in recent
years has been towards wet rooms. These are
state-of-the-art mini spa areas in your own
home with all mod cons and are particularly
ideal for the sporty family who like to be in
and out of the shower with no time wasted.
These are especially useful if you have limited
space and prefer showering to bathing. And
they are a doddle to keep clean. Wave goodbye
to grotty shower curtains or screens that get
grained with limescale. Many older homes
have tiny bathrooms quite out of proportion
with the other rooms in the house. If yours is
the sort of bathroom where you can't swing a
cat - tub, toilet and wash basin all squashed
into a few square feet - you may think the time
has come to make some major alterations.
Wet rooms do tend to be quite an expensive
option as the floor needs to be lined to make it
waterproof, but this doesn't seem to be affect-
ing the snowballing popularity of the projects.
The latest innovation in washroom design, the
wet-room is perfect for creating space with a
shower, toilet and basin - but no bath.
What makes it a wet room, as opposed to just
a bog-standard shower room, is that the
shower is open-plan. This means you can do
away with that lime-scaled cubicle and all the
water simply drains away through a hole in
the floor. As well as creating a feeling of spa-
ciousness, much of the reason that wet rooms
have become the latest big thing in bath-
room design is that they create a spa-like
ambience that many people are keen to
replicate in their own homes. Much of this
is created by the choice of more luxurious
shower fittings, with the addition of fea-
tures such as body jets and removable
shower handsets as well as a fixed head.
What's more they are incredibly simple to
keep clean with a simple swish around with
a mop and few crevices and boundaries to
trap unwanted grime. More people are en-
joying the liberating experience of shower-
ing under flowing water that cascades
across the floor free from restrictions of
doors and trays. It's usually most practical
to site a wet room on the ground floor or in
a basement. The entire room must be made
waterproof and the floor must be entirely
rigid, while having a slight slope in the di-
rection of the waste outlet. In older houses
with wooden floors this can be difficult, as
timber is flexible. Most wet rooms are clad
entirely in ceramic or stone tiles. The ap-
peal of a wet room is lost if you are standing
under a dribble of water rather than a pow-
erful flow. The importance of powerful
showering equipment cannot be stressed
enough. Shower columns are an ideal way
to combine all the requirements in one easy
to install unit.
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013
ACROSS
1. Soldier's weapon
4. Helicopter blade
7. Belief
8. Tense situation
9. Intervals
12. Drink, ... de menthe
14. Discover
15. Egypt's capital
16. Start
17. Solid earth, terra ...
DOWN
1. Regal
2. Makes easy
3. Equally balances
4. Red (complexion)
5. Stage-play enthusiast
6. Speed trap device
10. Disney dog
11. Intact
12. Main
13. Bonus
Solutions on page 24
Scribble Pad
ACROSS1. See through a cross father (11)
6. Irish group made to leave Madeira (1,1,1)
8. Estimating worth of ordinary seaman (6)
9. Navy chiefs seen with cup (8)
11. Officially noted on musical disc (2,6)
12. Whole ten affected by anger (6)
13. Spool unravels into coils (5)
15. Should rafters drop boat that takes the burden? (9)
17. Filed nails of chap I healed (9)
19. Fantastic kind of fuel (5)
21. More reckless than a slice of bacon! (6)
23. Hi, Jean! Nick sounds healthy (8)
26. Magnificence hiding under rag (8)
27. Cat has iron-on stripe (6)
28. Part of another article (3)
29. Spooner led debtors to undeliverable post (4,7)
DOWN1. Term heard ahead of oil disruption (7)
2. PM shows up after lunch (9)
3. Son and I could start a kind of boom (5)
4. Little Edward is in a whirl! (4)
5. Single rat switched shapes (9)
6. I rack key loudly for Baghdad native (5)
7. Responses show unusual rawness (7)
10. Cockney harms weapons (4)
14. Achieved goal or throne (9)
16. Dear old lover is dreamy (9)
17. The ideal man - could Orville or Wilbur be said to have
qualified? (2,5)
18. 24-hour periods in birthday suit (4)
20. Astronauts' shuttle service vehicles (7)
22. Fish to move on ice (5)
24. Clumsy pet after bins' contents (5)
25. Laura's displaying a charismatic glow (4)
Scribble Pad
Scribble Pad
Cryptic Crossword
Quick Crossword
14
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013
Homemade burgers are delicious and healthy, and these aremildly spiced with the addition of sweet chilli. If you prefer ahotter taste, add some crushed chilli flakes or finely choppedchilli peppers to spice them up even more. Makes 8 burgers.
INGREDIENTS
1tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
Lettuce
Tomatoes
450g lean minced beef
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
A dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp fresh mixed herbs,
chopped
1 tbsp egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese
Red onion rings
Burger buns
1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft. Remove from pan and drain any excess oil with kitchen paper, then leave to cool.
2. In a large bowl and using your hands, mix together the mince with the rest of the ingredients. (If you_ using extra chilli flakes, add them now). When combined, stir in thecooled onions. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the mixture evenly into 8 and shape each piece into a burger patty, then place inthe fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
4. Cook the burgers (dry-fry or grill) for 5 minutes on each side, then serve with the redonion, lettuce and tomato and a slice of cheese in a burger bun.
Steak and Ale Pie
Sweet Chilli Burgers
15
Mama’’’’’’s Cookbook
INGREDIENTS
1tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1kg braising steak, cut into small
chunks
500ml strong ale
3 beef stock cubes
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2tsp dried thyme
175g mushrooms, chopped
300g ready-made puff pastry
1 beaten egg, to glaze
salt and pepper
This traditional pie can be found on pub grub menus all over the country but is just aseasy to make at home if you've got a spare couple of hours. This recipe uses ready-madepastry for a bit less work. Serves 4.
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and add the onion and garlic, frying for
1 minute
3. Add the steak and fry until each cube is seared. Leave the juices in the pan.
4. Add half the ale and leave to simmer for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the thyme, chili and the rest of the ale. Season to taste, then crumble in the
stock cubes.
6. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes before transferring to
a large casserole dish, adding a dash of water if the gravy doesn't fully cover the
steak and mushrooms.
7. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes.
8. Whilst baking, roll out the pastry and cut to the right size for your casserole dish.
Remove the dish from the oven, cover with the pastry, trim to fit, brush with the egg
to glaze, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes at 180C/Gas Mark 4.
9. Remove from the oven and serve.
Method
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013 18
Dear Fred
I have been through two jobs in just one
year. The first I quit because I did not re-
ceive the hours they'd promised to me.
The other I was fired for data entry "er-
rors" which actually may have been made
by lenders going back into the system
changing numbers I had endorsed. Prob-
lem is, with such short periods of work in
addition to a termination, I feel it is work-
ing against me securing new employment.
And I don't know what answer to give
when asked why I left my last job. Please,
please help with any answers you might
have. I have been out of work for 8
months now and my dole money is not
sustainable
Suzie
Fred Says
Sorry to hear that as a result of unfair
treatment you've had difficulty finding
work. As for how to answer that question,
"I was blamed for an error someone else
committed" seems to cover it.
It's important that you find yourself
some employment as quickly as possible.
You're well aware of that, but it would be
particularly helpful if you found yourself
something, perhaps voluntary or perhaps
short-term, so you'd have updated refer-
ences and some constructive way of occu-
pying your time and proving that you want
to work and have skills to offer. Helping
out on a community project, a charity or
hospice would stand you in good stead
even if it were part-time. The websites of
local councils or particular charities could
be useful here. You might even consider
working overseas for the experience if that
would suit your circumstances and tem-
perament. Enter "working abroad" or
"volunteer work abroad" in a search en-
gine - and beware! Check that you don't
have to fund your travel or volunteer work
yourself. Then your "gap-year" (or month,
or whatever) would be a nice neat line be-
tween then and now.
But another approach is to talk to agen-
cies, especially ones offering temp-to-
perm work. That way you get the agency's
support to keep the company up to its
promises; you get to "try before you buy"
so you can find a company and work that
suit you while still getting paid; you have
the agency with all its contacts wanting to
find you a job to line their own pockets as
well as yours; and short-term work will
will help to dilute the impression given on
your CV by the two jobs in one year. Making
your CV more skills-based and giving less em-
phasis to start and end dates could be helpful
too.
If you haven't already done so you could try
www.jobseekers.direct.gov.uk and www.job-
centreonline.com. They, in combination with
your local Jobcentre, can give you information
and advice if you ask for it as well as point you
towards opportunities, including perhaps fur-
ther training, interview presentation skills and
so on. An online search may also find you op-
portunities for working from home, but do be
careful about what exactly it entails and how it
fits in with the tax and benefit position. Fur-
ther job-hunting offers, support and skills can
be accessed via our own
www.talktalk.co.uk/sitemap.
You can also make the best of offers the local
councils may have for the unwaged: free use of
swimming pools, for example, entry to exhibi-
tions and art galleries, or minimal prices for
adult education courses for vocation or pleas-
ure. You're entitled to have a life so while
keeping a firm eye on avoiding debt; I hope
you'll build in some sociable, fun and reward-
ing activities.
Well done for having the initiative to write in!
The main thing is to keep trying - and to be-
lieve in yourself.
Dear Fred
I love my partner dearly but I can't cope with
his aversion to soap and water and clean
clothing. He wasn't like this when I first knew
him. He lives in my house and helps with the
bills but I hate him being in my bed because
quite frankly, he smells. The idea of sex with
him is abhorrent for the same reason. I've
tried dropping hints and also just being direct
but nothing works. I don't want to ask him to
leave but I will have to if he can't respect me
enough to spend 5 minutes a day in the
shower. He has enough time to spend 4 hours
a day in the pub when I'm at work. Any sug-
gestions? Many thanks,
If you have aproblem or are inneed of advice,
contact Fred for hiswords of wisdom at:
Ask Fred
Fred Says
It's hard living with anyone whose personal
hygiene isn't good enough. It's not only of-
fensive to the nose, it can be a health hazard
and it can certainly spell death to intimacy.
You've tried to tackle this without a posi-
tive response from your partner. You might
try assertiveness once more: "I love you but
right now I don't want to be close to you be-
cause you smell unpleasant. Please will you
have a good wash and put some clean
clothes on?" may do the trick. Equally, it
may not. Alternatively you might ask him
what the problem is because you can't help
noticing he's been reluctant to have a
shower and wear clean clothes. Perhaps be-
tween the two of you, you can come up with
a solution. This problem-solving approach
could be viewed as supportive.
You could suggest having a sexy shower
together. You could tell him on any given
night, "I'd love to sleep with you on another
occasion but right now I don't want to be-
cause you smell dirty. Will you sleep in the
spare room/on the sofa tonight if you won't
have a good wash?" And stick to your guns,
politely but firmly.
If at the end of a week of these tactics he
still hasn't addressed the issue construc-
tively, you might give him an ultimatum.
The fact that he regularly has time to spend
hours in the pub could indicate someone
with an alcohol problem, in which case if
he's unwilling to sort it out, recognise that
that's not about you but his addiction. No
one can fix anyone else's drinking problems
so either you could go to Al-Anon (www.al-
anonuk.org.uk) for support in a relationship
with someone who has a drink problem, or
you could kick him into touch. Good luck.
Got a problem? Why not ask our resident agony uncle Fred. Don’tbe fooled, Freds wealth of life experiences make him the perfectman to offer quality advice and solutions to some of your biggestproblems.
“I love my partner dearly but I can't copewith his aversion to soap and water and
clean clothing. He wasn't like this when Ifirst knew him. He lives in my house and
helps with the bills but I hate him being inmy bed because quite frankly, he smells...”
“I have been out of work for 8months now and my dole
money is not sustainable...”
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 201319
PISCESFeb 20th - March 20th
AQUARIUSJan 21st - Feb 19th
CAPRICORNDec 22nd - Jan 20th
SAGITARIUSNov 23rd - Dec 21st
SCORPIOOct 24th - Nov 22nd
LIBRASept 24th - Oct 23rd
VIRGOAugust 24th - Sept 23rd
LEOJuly 24th - August 23rd
TAURUSApril 21st - May 21st
ARIES
CANCERJune 22nd - July 23rd
GEMINIMay 22nd - June 21st
January 2013 Capricorn Summary:
January is the month each year for Capricorn to shine. With
The Sun in Capricorn until January 19th you can maximize
your prospects in many aspects of your life. Take a little care
with romantic relationships however. Do not try to push your
partner too much with your point of view whilst Mars and
Venus are out of balance. Despite the two planets of male and
female opposition being equally either side of The Sun, they
are not favourably aligned with each other.
January 2013 Aquarius Summary:
Aquarius is well placed to make a positive start to 2013. Mars
remains in Aquarius throughout January 2013, adding to
Aquarius its power towards all types of interpersonal relation-
ships. You have a excellent opportunity to network and make
new friends. This can have very positive effects on both your ca-
reer and love life, as well as with friends and family at home
January 2013 Scorpio Summary:
Scorpio enters January 2013 from a position of power. Saturn
remains in Scorpio for some time to come, always a fallback of
solid foundations on which Scorpio can call when other align-
ments cloud the issue in hand. This now presents Scorpio with
a Series of opportunities as The Sun and the inner planets
move away through Capricorn and wend their way through
other people’s thoughts and feelings.
January 2013 Libra Summary:
January 2013 will require a lot of adaptability in relation-
ships with friends and colleagues from Libra. You will have to
think quickly and have answers ready for anything you
started last month. Any harsh words from you will more than
be repaid in this hangover from December. On several occa-
sions during January the aspects of Mars in Aquarius and
Venus in Capricorn against Uranus in Aries at opposition with
Libra will combine to further complicate the relationships
Libra has with other signs.
January 2013 Virgo Summary:
A new year and a renewed enthusiasm for Virgo in January
2013. With little of negative focus primed for Virgo there is
opportunity in many aspects of your life to make progress.
This is especially true in the work place as your career options
are at maximum during the next month or so, especially as the
balance of Jupiter in Gemini trine with Saturn in Scorpio still
provides an air of authority to Virgo carried over from last
month. If you are intending to make any work related de-
mands or changes then the earlier in January you implement
this better.
January 2013 Gemini Summary:
For Gemini, January 2013 is a time to take full charge of your
own destiny and not rely on anyone else to provide for your
needs. Since the ingress of Jupiter many months ago you have
allowed too many chances to pass you by. With a relatively
quiet time for Gemini this month, you come directly under the
focus of the King of Planets, and you can easily make this work
to your advantage.
January 2013 Cancer Summary:
With so much planetary opposition to Cancer in January 2013,
you may feel there is no way to turn for the best. At a time
when you should be able to call on friends and family for sup-
port, you may find them questioning your motives instead. The
conjunction of Mercury and Pluto on January 6th is one such
time. Whilst Pluto in Capricorn is well known to sooth Cancer,
the effect of Mercury is to turn this on its head.
January 2013 Leo Summary:
In January 2013 you may find yourself with more than one run in
with the authority figures in your life. With Mars in Aquarius at
opposition with Leo all month, you will find various people look-
ing down on you with a less than favourable demeanour. Once The
Sun enters opposition with Leo on January 19th, you will get the
feeling everyone's eyes are on your back. Leo will just have to
withstand the pressure and remember The Sun is your planet, and
if you try your best to resist you will make those uncaring individ-
uals realise Leo cannot be pushed around.
January 2013 Taurus Summary:
Make the most of the start of 2013, especially in your career.
With Saturn now well established at opposition with Taurus in
Scorpio, you have a greater sense of learning and intellectual
inner development. We never stop learning, and Taurus will
find knowledge easier to assimilate. Take this as an opportu-
nity to gain greater responsibility in your career.
January 2013 Aries Summary:
Make the most of the start of 2013 now that Uranus is well
and truly direct. Once the conjunction in Capricorn of The Sun,
Mercury and Pluto passes the square with Uranus after Janu-
ary 9th, outside influences on Aries are very much in the de-
scendant. This is the ideal chance for Aries to take charge of
those aspects of your life that others have too long tried to con-
trol for you. There are places in this world both physical and
spiritually you have never been too that are simply longing for
your presence. Go see where they are.
January 2013 Pisces Summary:
Pisces can look forward to a positive start to 2013. There is al-
ways the dreamy Neptune to fall back on when times are hard,
but you also have a little added power from the inner planets
combining with Neptune throughout January 2013. It is impor-
tant that Pisces does not get ahead of themselves at those times
Neptune is in direct resonance with the other planets. January
1st is a case in point as Mercury on the cusp of Sagittarius and
Capricorn is sextile with Neptune.
January 2013 Sagittarius Summary:
January 2013 is something of a relief for Sagittarius after the
hectic focus of recent months. Now The Sun has passed in to
Capricorn, and the inner planets are following, you can sit
back and do your own thing without the prospect of inquisi-
tion. The final little jolt to the Sagittarius senses will come on
January 9th with The Moon in Sagittarius at opposition with
Jupiter in Gemini just as Venus leaves Sagittarius for Capri-
corn. Expect any relationship issues unresolved from last
month to be at the fore and thrown in your face.
March 21st - April 20th
Your Monthly Horoscopes With Selina Santos... Your Astral Guide
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013 24
Puzzle Solutions
Foysal, owner of The Mint proudly displays his collection ofawards...
The magnificent culinary creations of chefs
like Hester Blumenthal have inspired an inter-
est in food with an historic flavour in many of
us.
While few of us can hope to equal the perfec-
tions of the ground-breaking food artist,
there's no doubt his influence has changed the
nature of what we cook in our own kitchens.
Now a stunning new book from the British Li-
brary aims to feed our desire to find out more
about recipes from days of old - and how they
can give us new ideas to spice up our own
menus.
The Curious Cookbook: Viper Soup, Badger
Ham, Stewed Sparrows & 100 More Historic
Recipes contains some of the most unusual
recipes from historic cookery books, from the
Middle Ages to the Second World War.
Collected by expert Peter Ross, the book in-
cludes recipes from the earliest manuscript
and printed cookery books in the English lan-
guage and takes the reader through the lavish
gastronomic spectacles of the 17th and 18th
centuries to the austerity of the Victorian
kitchen and the ration-book cookery of
wartime 1940s Britain.
The book is evidence of how there is far more
to food than just taste.
Some of the most outlandish recipes, such as a
pastry stag that bleeds and pies containing
live frogs, were clearly designed to delight and
entertain guests.
Others reveal a seemingly limitless appetite
for all manner of birds and animals. From bar-
becued otter and sauted tortoise to kangaroo
soup, roast peacock and sparrows on toast, it
seems no species was safe from the adventur-
ous cook!
The titles of some recipes give little away as to
their actual contents. But bunny hugs, bosom
caresser and whore's farts (mutton pancakes,
an egg-based cocktail and deep-fried fritters
respectively) do show the fun that could be
had with naming recipes.
To our delicate modern palates, dishes such as
chopped brain fritters, cod's head and shoul-
ders, imitation entrails and fishy mince pies
may not appeal, but there is no denying the in-
genuity of other creations, including ketchup
that lasts 20 years, portable soup and even a
cure for the plague.
Peter Ross, principal librarian at the Guildhall
Library, says: I have always loved learning
about what we ate in the past: it tells us about
how people lived in a way that almost nothing
else can.
Researching the book I looked at thousands of
recipes from the medieval period to the Sec-
ond World War; some were alarming or curi-
ous, and many showed the inventiveness,
sophistication and daring of generations of
British cooks.�
Through dozens of carefully selected recipes,
combined with an engaging and informative
commentary, the book offers an engrossing, if
not always tantalising, insight into what our
ancestors ate.
* The Curious Cookbook: Viper Soup, BadgerHam, Stewed Sparrows & 100 More HistoricRecipes is published by the British Library, price£14.95. The book is available from the BritishLibrary Shop, tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7735, and on-line at www.bl.uk/shop as well as other UKbookshops.
Weird and
wonderful
recipes from
throughout
the ages
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013 25
This was my first visit to The Mint restaurant and I
must admit that I was curious after checking the
website out as to why this Indian restaurant should
win not just one but four awards in the past two
years. Surely there must be hundreds of curry
houses all over the Midlands to compete against?
What makes The Mint stand out from the crowd?
The menu online did not seem expensive so I was
expecting quantity to reign over quality and had
prepared myself for such upon entering the doors to
the restaurant. Firstly I must point out that the wel-
come we received was heartfelt from the staff at this
establishment and put us in good stead for the
evening. Secondly, the restaurant is a lot larger than
perceived by looking at their website. It is apparent
that The Mint can cater quite easily for larger par-
ties as well as providing intimacy for those perhaps
on a dinner date. The decor was outstanding and
provided a relaxed ambience throughout our visit.
Now for the moment of truth as we placed our or-
ders with the staff. First up for our starters we or-
dered garlic mushrooms, chicken tikka and mince
samosa’s. The side dishes were brought out in-
stantly along with our drinks. First noticeable point
was the side dishes, they were fresh and unlike
other restaurants we have reviewed had not wilted
with age. A good start in my eyes but even more im-
pressive were the actual starters when brought to
our table. The chicken tikka was succulent and very
tender whilst providing a delightful experience on
the taste buds. The garlic mushrooms arrived finely
chopped wrapped in a pastry that can only be de-
scribed as a joy to consume with the sauce inside
providing a taste sensation of spices and herbs. The
third starter of mince samosa’s were probably the
best samosa’s that we had ever tried even if that
seems like a slightly over the top statement to make.
Already I was beginning to realise why this restau-
rant is so highly recommended and has
won the awards it has. Next we ordered the main
dishes and I was starting to look forward to trying
the arriving dishes. Out came a mixed Biryani, lamb
korma and a chicken jalfrezi. We sat in silence for a
half minute whilst we tried to register how large the
portions actually were. I had expected lack of quality
to replace quantity but we felt that we had been
given the best of both worlds. The korma was
cooked to perfection and oozed flavour. The mixed
Biryani consisted of tender chunks of chicken tikka,
lamb tikka and mushrooms assorted with an array
of herbs and spices. Yet again, this was a delight to
taste and I would recommend this dish to everyone
that enjoys good food. Last up was the chicken jal-
frezi with it’s mix of tomato, peppers and green
chilli’s. The taste explosion taking place within my
mouth was one that I will certainly be repeating in
the not too distant future. Unfortunately due to time
constraints put upon us with our next appointment
we did not have time to puruse the desert menu and
to be honest, i’m not sure if I actually had any room
left to fit any more food in my stomach. We left the
premises feeling like we had not paid enough for the
quantity and quality of the food that we had tasted
and will certainly be visiting the restaurant again.
Overall in my opinion, just like the impression from
visiting the Mints’ website we know that the restau-
rant is big on quality and quantity which is a rare
achievement in these times of economic hardship -
affecting a lot of eating establishments across the re-
gion. We left safe in the knowledge that the awards
this restaurant has won are completely deserved
and I know that the awards will carry on coming to
the owners whilst they are doing such a great job.
After our impressive visit to The Mint I had the oppor-tunity to speak to the owner and find out how theycan provide such a great service to the area and con-gratulate them on the awards they have won. Everybody, meet Foysal Chaudhury, one of Mansfieldsgreat success stories, local philanthropist and proprietor of The Mint.
Editor: Foysal, when did you realise that you had
a passion for cuisine?.
Foysal: When I was young (laughing), this is my
fourth year as a restaurant owner in the Mansfield
area. I am a local Mansfield resident and have lived
here for the last eight years. I believe that Indian
cuisine is the number one food in the UK and al-
though I have owned restaurants in the past, I never
worked hard enough to make them a success. Now I
am of an age that I work extremely hard for my suc-
cess and have gone out of my way to ensure that we
offer the best possible dining experience for all of
our customers. From day to day this business has
gone from strength to strength and although I do
earn a little money from it, I give a lot back to the
community through financing charity events, foot-
ball teams and other activities. As far as the restau-
rant goes, I will go out of my way to ensure that
every visitor is happy as I create friendships with
the majority of my customers and we gain lots of re-
peat customers. I deserve an award for my customer
services alone. (laughing).
Editor: I did notice how friendly and welcome
you make your customers feel which really im-
pressed us on our visit.
Foysal: I won the BCA this year, the Bangladesh
Caterers Association UK award which fills me with
pride as I beat so many other restaurants across the
region. This was a massive achievement for us and
we had TV reporters along with the national media
at the awards ceremony. We feel that we have put
Mansfield on the map as we beat finalists from
twelve other regions to be voted as the best.
Editor: How do you feel the local economy across
Mansfield has affected your business?.
Foysal: I have watched a lot of businesses go bust
whilst in Mansfield and this motivates myself to
offer better value to our customers. We work ex-
tremely hard to keep us at the top and that is why it
feels so good to be recognised with the awards that
we have won this year.
Editor: Any plans for expansion?.
Foysal: I would like to open the floor above to max-
imise the potential for The Mint but my dream
would be to open up the Midlands first ever gold
plated restaurant.(laughing). We could beat Gordon
Ramsey.
Editor: Any last words for our readers?.
Foysal: I would just like to thank everyone for sup-
porting us over the last few years and that I have
never been as happy from a business point of view. I
look forward to a great new year and seeing all my
customers who have now become my friends.
Charitable Restaurant Owner
Proves His Foods Worth
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013 26
indeed weaken and strengthen over time,
there is no indication that is has ever disap-
peared completely. A weaker field would cer-
tainly lead to a small increase in solar
radiation on Earth – as well as a beautiful dis-
play of aurora at lower latitudes – but nothing
deadly. Moreover, even with a weakened mag-
netic field, Earths thick atmosphere also offers
protection against the sun’s incoming parti-
cles.
Next is the doomsday ‘preppers’ guidebook,
the Mayan calendar and its mysterious end
date of twenty-first December 2012. Now if
you haven’t heard this theory of the end date
within the Mayan tzolkin calendar (Long
count) then you have probably been hiding
under a rock. Films, books, alternative re-
searchers and documentaries have all been
shouting about this supposed end date. Now I
am an open minded kind of person, but when I
read accounts such as “the Mayans knew long
ago about these catastrophes because they
were keen believers in following the trends of
time and tracked the passing of these cata-
clysmic events by watching the skies”. These
kinds of statements are half baked at best, yes
the Mayans watched the stars in fact they even
used child priests, called jaguar priests raised
from birth and were kept deep within the tem-
ple pyramid complexes in the pitch black until
night when they would come out and study the
stars. And to even further illustrate the point
there are references to ‘smoking mirrors’
which loosely translates as telescopes through
anthropologist interpretation of social context
within both the Mayan and Olmec civilisations.
The point is that even though they studied the
ecliptic plane of our galaxy the Milky Way, the
doomsday theorists are suggesting that the
Mayans knew of (supposed) destructive events
thousands of years before their civilisation was
even founded, and because of the cylindrical
stone calendars they chiselled towards the
end of that civilisation, you could interpret
them in such a way that they are about to end.
However what the Mayans actually said is
much stranger, whilst theorists are searching
for external events the Mayans were actually
studying human behaviour or cycles of con-
sciousness, not only are the tzolkin calendars
literally round like a circle (indicating that
they actually never end) but they are broken
down into sections indicating different peri-
ods of human behaviour. I think where these
doomsday prophets have got the destruction
theory from is that before the start of another
cycle (both short and long count aspects)
there is a period of ‘destruction’ or ‘breaking
down’ before a new cycle begins. This aspect is
far more fascinating because it shows the
Mayans had a greater understanding of the
natural world than we first previously thought
as science clearly shows us that before any
chemical marriage there is a chemical divorce
in any reaction, exothermic or otherwise. So in
conclusion of the Mayan mystery, yes they
studied cycles of time and the human condi-
tion, no they were not predicting the end of
the world, essentially what they were trying to
tell us is to watch our actions and make sure
we are ‘light of heart’ their term for a healthy
soul (which can also be found in the ancient
Egyptian culture) and that it is the species that
goes through these cycles of destruction and
renewal moreover than the actual Earth itself.
More space bound doom appears in the form
of impacts from comets and meteors which in
my opinion is the more ‘realistic’ option as we
can scientifically prove that these types of im-
pact events have occurred time and time again
throughout the Earths rough past, the most re-
cent of these events being ‘The Tunguska
event’ June 30th 1908 at the heart of Russia.
Although they aren’t always extinction level
Prophetic prophecies or fallacious
foretelling? The 2012 phenomenon is a huge
talking point both online and in general con-
versations between people who either find the
information intriguing or feel they have an in-
sight into esoteric knowledge. For those of you
wondering what the 2012 phenomenon is,
quite succinctly put it’s a collection of disas-
ters or Earth changing events of which some
were predicted (supposedly) thousands of
years before the fact. From rogue planets writ-
ten within ancient Sumerian cuneiform script
(one of the earliest written languages in west-
ern history) hitting the Earth or the ancient
alien culture that once lived upon the Earth
(Nibiru, Eris or Planet X) are coming back to
judge their mortal progeny, the former being
us the Human race.
Other theories range from an actual polar
shift meaning that the earths axial wobble will
fall over completely and thus physical north
and south will alter their positions, as you can
imagine this is a very silly idea, and it stems
from a truth about the magnetic reversal of
the poles. Scientists know that at some points
in the Earths turbulent past there have been
many magnetic reversals at least once every
two-hundred to three-hundred thousand
years. Meaning that the magnetic North and
South have swapped, and even if this hap-
pened today scientists predict that the only
group affected will be the compass makers
and possibly ships at sea, however most ships
today use satellite guided relays to track their
positioning globally. Another doomsday hy-
pothesis about a geomagnetic flip plays up
fears about incoming solar activity. This sug-
gestion mistakenly assumes that a pole rever-
sal would momentarily leave Earth without
the magnetic field that protects us from solar
flares and coronal mass ejections from the
sun. But, while Earth’s magnetic field can
events, the fallout from deuterium inundated
comets and meteors can leave an area affected
like the explosion from a hydrogen bomb.
However since the advent of modern space
flight we have put into Earths obit many detec-
tion systems, the latest of which is ‘The Sen-
tinel Space Telescope’ and this system will be
observing the inner solar system from the Sun
to Jupiter for extra orbital debris. This system
will then track and predict the orbit (calcu-
lated within seconds, thanks to the advance-
ments in Quantum computing and solid state
memory) of the objects trajectory. This infor-
mation is then relayed with the myriad of
watching stations around the globe to see if or
when the object will be heading to Earth.
However as with the nature of the giant cos-
mic game of snooker that our planetary solar
system is constantly involved with it would
probably only take a slight deflection from an
explosive or another solid object to propel the
‘extinction level event’ away from our orbit
and say towards a more hungry and apprecia-
ble Jupiter or Saturn. On the whole 2012 was
just another year, and people should spend
more time concentrating on real threats such
as nuclear war, starvation, poverty the avail-
ability of clean drinking water and major
droughts that are occurring worldwide. I think
the most succinct quote about the 2012 phe-
nomenon comes from Don Yeomans a senior
research scientist from NASA “There appar-
ently is a great deal of interest in celestial bod-
ies, and their locations and trajectories at the
end of the calendar year 2012. Now, I for one
love a good book or movie as much as the next
guy. But the stuff flying around through cyber-
space, TV and the movies is not based on sci-
ence. There is even a fake NASA news release
out there…”
Article By Jake Manton
We’re still here... every couple of years or so adoomsday prophecy seems to come along, lastyear, the ending of the ancient Mayan calendarhad many people believing that this coincidedwith the end of the world, thankfully they wereproved wrong (as usual) but the phenomenonmade quite a big impact on the year 2012... sowhat was all the fuss about?
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013 27
‘Were you expecting an exploding pen? We
don’t really go in for that anymore.’ That’s Ben
Whishaw’s Q to Daniel Craig’s James Bond in
‘Skyfall’ – a Bond movie that boldly struts for-
ward while looking back over its shoulder to
the past. That’s what the 007 films are all
about – an evolving mix of tradition and
progress – and here we have director Sam
Mendes (‘American Beauty’, ‘Revolutionary
Road’) bringing to the franchise a stately look,
sombre mood and ample room to breathe.
Saying that, the fiftieth anniversary of the 007
movie project demands the odd knowing
wink, to the likes of the classic Aston Martin
DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’ and even the crocodiles
that Roger Moore hops across in ‘Live and Let
Die’.
The Bond films are savvy magpies, smartly
pinching the shiniest, newest jewels of
moviemaking for themselves. 2008’s ‘Quan-
tum of Solace’ came a cropper by putting its
hand too obviously in the till of the ‘Bourne’
films. But ‘Skyfall’ much more subtly takes its
cues not only from the current, moodier breed
of superhero movies, but also from the world
around us. There are nods to terrorism, data
theft, hacking and even attention-grabbing
government inquiries – but nothing is specific
or exact enough to mean anything significant.
This is a Bond movie: atmosphere is all. The
appearance of contemporary relevance is
enough.
The story sees Bond in an emotional crisis
after a failed mission to Istanbul leaves the
names of secret agents in the hands of an un-
known villain. Trips to Shanghai and Macau
follow as 007 pulls himself together and tries
to find the culprit for Judi Dench’s M and
Ralph Fiennes’s Mallory, her Whitehall supe-
rior. There’s trouble at home, too, as a bomb
explodes in the MI6 building in London and it
becomes clear that M is under threat.
Meanwhile, a delicious foe emerges in Silva
(Javier Bardem), a camp, creepy and smooth
character who dares to challenge Bond’s mas-
culinity in an arresting scene in which his
hands run up 007’s legs. But the film’s many
commercial sponsors can rest easy: Craig’s
harried, stern Bond is as inscrutable and
wordless as ever. He has plenty of welcome
one-liners (‘I’m just changing carriages,’ he
quips, leaping from the roof of one train car to
the next), but delivers them like someone
cracking gags at a funeral.
‘Skyfall’ is a highly distinctive Bond movie. It
has some stunning visual touches: motorbikes
racing along the roof of Istanbul’s Grand
Bazaar; the neon playing off the precipitous
glass of a skyscraper in Shanghai; the Scottish
landscapes of its bleak finale. Also, it mostly
manages to convince us that there’s something
at stake by giving a hint of Bond’s emotional
life beyond this story: rooting his crisis in his
relationship (or lack of) with his parents,
without coming on too heavy-handed or
pleading with the psychology.
Mendes knows there’s a risk of coming over
po-faced by omitting the traditional pleasures
of a Bond movie, and his approach seems cal-
culated to stick to the formula while moving
things forward. Still, the role of the Bond girls,
played by Naomie Harris as a MI6 colleague
and Bérénice Marlohe as a femme fatale, feel
token and underwhelming. The tourism ele-
ment of ‘Skyfall’ – especially the Macau section
– is awkward too.It’s only in the second half of
the film, which takes place entirely in the UK,
that you get the feeling that Mendes has
played the compulsory 007 cards that any
Bond director has to. Now he’s properly able
to get stuck into a punchier, more unified mix
of action, emotion and story that climaxes in a
fittingly isolated and lonely final showdown
between Bond and his latest nemesis.
Daniel craig returns
to the scr
een as Bond...
james bond. we review
the latest
bond movie,
skyfall
Ben Whishaw as Q in ‘Skyfall’...
Dench; M comes under threat in the new movie...
On ya bike... Skyfall sees Bond in an emotional crisis after a failed mission to Istanbul leaves thenames of secret agents in the hands of an unknown villain.
review - skyfall
Movies
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013
Mobile phones are now such a part of our lives
that for most of us they're the last thing we
see at night and the first thing we look at in
the morning.
Our addictive relationship with the gadget has
grown in proportion to the apps we rely on to
direct our daily lives - not all of which are to
our benefit.
The dangers of using a mobile while driving
are well documented and do attract a £60 fine,
three penalty points and higher insurance pre-
miums.
Yet new research reveals that despite the prac-
tice being illegal since 2003, three quarters of
British drivers see others using mobile phones
on some or most journeys, while a quarter
spot drivers using their mobile on every trip.
And it's not just talking that's the problem -
some drivers are texting, emailing, Tweeting,
updating their social networks or taking pho-
tographs on the move.
The AA/Populus poll of nearly 21,000 drivers
found 42 per cent say they used a hand-held
phone in the car even though nearly two
thirds admitted it distracted them from driv-
ing.
Some 20 per cent confessed to texting behind
the steering wheel, four per cent admit to
checking emails and two per cent have sent
emails or read Twitter or Facebook updates
on the move.
Another worrying and morbid development is
Another worrying and morbid development is
the advent of digital rubber necker drivers
who feel the need to use their phones to film
or photograph serious crashes on the motor-
way, says the motoring organisation.
In one incident on the M1 in Northampton-
shire, police recorded 80 drivers using their
phones or cameras to photograph emergency
services carrying out a four and a half hour
rescue of a woman trapped in her crashed
truck. The seriously injured driver was even-
tually flown by air ambulance to hospital and
survived the crash. The police have contacted
most of the drivers to warn them about their
illegal and irresponsible behaviour but have
not brought any prosecutions.
Edmund King, AA president, says: Drivers
need to concentrate on driving rather than be
distracted by their digital technology. Our re-
search shows that some drivers are now using
their smart phones for more than talking on
the move. It is really not smart to talk, text or
tweet on the move.
Digital rubber neckers who photograph
crashes really are morbid voyeurs who should
be concentrating on the road and not the vic-
tims of crashes. It’s beggar’s belief that these
macabre motorists should put their lives and
others at risk through their lust for twisted
metal. We would like to see the police target
more mobile phone abusers so that the mes-
sage gets out that it is not accetable.
Using a mobile while driving is dangerous and was
made illegal in 2003, yet it’s still common to see
drivers talking, texting, tweeting or even taking
photos on their phones - a crackdown is needed...
Motoring:Mobiles Driving Motorists to Distraction
Mobile Distraction
Mansfield & Ashfield Express, January 2013 30
Sport“Robbed by a Handball”
Mansfield Give Football Giants Liverpool a run for their Money
and Unfairly Miss out on a Much Deserved Match Replay...
Robbed by a Handball – Suarez controls the ball with his hand putting Liverpool unfairly in the lead
Mansfield Town put in an heroic performance
against one of the most illustrious clubs in
English and European club football – premier-
ship big boys Liverpool.
Facing Liverpool was a daunting prospect for
the Stags and securing a win would have
caused one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup
History – and while a win was highly unlikely,
Mansfield came tantalizingly close to securing
a match replay at Anfield. In fact, it can be said
that they undoubtedly deserved one as there
is no doubt at all that Suarez’s 59th minute
goal - which secured Liverpool’s victory –
came about after his hand made contact with
the ball. The goal should not have been al-
lowed. It appears that Suarez instinctively
controlled the ball with his hand, bringing it
down to his foot so he could easily tap the ball
over the line and into the net; unlucky for
Mansfield and gut wretchingly unfair.
Liverpool dominated much of the first half
with debut striker Sturridge securing an early
lead in just the 7th minute of the game. For the
first half hour of the game the Blue Square’s
Mansfield were outclassed by Premier League
Liverpool and many people were expecting a
Liverpool whitewash, but near the end of the
first half an improvement was evident in
Mansfield’s game and after the break they re-
emerged a completely different team. Mans-
field began an onslaught on the Liverpool
defence, coming tantalizingly close to securing
an equalizer several times, Liverpool keeper
Brad Jones was forced to make an handful of
saves, a shot was blocked and another was
plucked from the goal line. It was breathtaking
stuff, the Mansfield team were putting in a
performance they should rightly be proud of -
giving the seasoned Liverpool defence, which
included England international Jamie Car-
ragher a run for their money.
The score should have remained 0-1 but the
referee’s inability to spot Suarez’s handball
caused Mansfield to go 0-2 down. Undeterred,
the Stags fighting spirit persevered and they
were rewarded with what should have been
an equalizing goal, with Mansfield’s brilliant
striker, Matt Green firing a low shot past the
Liverpool keeper and into the back of the net.
With just 11 minutes to spare Mansfield were
dominating the game with Liverpool securing
the odd counter attack. It was incredible to
watch and I’m sure many football fans across
the country were rooting for the Blue Square
underdogs and craving a goal that would see
victory snatched from the premier league big
dogs at the last hurdle - the David and Goliath
element is an important aspect of the FA Cup
and one which makes the tournament so ap-
pealing. But unfortunately it wasn’t to be and
after four minutes of added time Mansfield’s
FA cup dreams were dashed and Liverpool se-
cured a place in the next round, facing Old-
ham, the team that knocked out Nottingham
Forest, another East Midland Team – who un-
like Mansfield, can boast of an impressive, il-
lustrious past European career.
But against a team that has won the European
Cup/Champions League a grand total of five
times and is 93 league places above them,
Mansfield put on one hell of a performance
and - to quote what Mansfield chief executive,
the beautiful Carolyn Redford was seen to
mouth at full time - were “robbed by a
handball.”
Mansfield - 1 Liverpool - 2
Mansfield & Ashfield Express,January 2013 31
Mansfield’s Matt Green fires one past England international Jamie Carragher
He said: "Carl Wright has been brilliant to us
but we needed bigger premises. This place is
special to Kirkby, it's got so much history and
as soon as you walk into the building you can
feel the atmosphere of what it used to be like.
"We've tried to restore this as a place for peo-
ple in the local community to enjoy."
The gym will be open six days a week for any-
body who wants to learn how to box or keep
fit. There is also Juniors and Ladies classes
running as well as the amateur boxing classes.
The club are also planning to host their own
big night of amateur boxing in Kirkby in the
spring.
Article by David Statham
For more information contact Richard on07968 369342 or visit Kirkby-in-Ashfield Ama-teur Boxing Club on Facebook
The signs inside and outside the dilapidated
Waggon & Horses pub in Kirkby-in-Ashfield
still advertise the public house's upcoming
events for the year 2009. The cosy architec-
ture inside remains and the steel sign hanging
over the entrance door still casts a shadow
over the Chapel Street pavement.
But soon a bell will sound in the building, not
to signal last orders but rather the rebirth of
the historic drinking establishment as a
brand-new fully-equipped boxing gym- the
new home for Kirkby Amateur Boxing Club.
Recently granted the forgotten, crumbling
premises on a minimum two-year lease by
owner Paul Clements of Nottinghamshire-
based letting agency Clements, Shelton & Co,
Kirkby ABC's coaches, gym members, amateur
boxers and their wives and girlfriends spent
their December holidays helping to renovate
the building which dates from the mid-17th
century and known as one of three Inns to
have existed in Kirkby in 1675.
And now they're looking forward to dropping
the paint brushes, drills and shovels and trad-
ing the hard-hats and boots for boxing gloves
and gum shields.
The large function room will host the punch
bags and a full-sized boxing ring and the gym-
nasium, complete with cardio machines and
free weights, will be in the space previously
occupied by tables and chairs in the seating
area.
Kirkby Head Coach Richard Wheldon said:
"It's a real shame to see such a great place as
this go to ruin. I drive past it every day and
I've noticed its condition just getting worse.
"It's been a big project. When we first came in
we found the lead had been taken off the roof
and all the copper piping inside of the building
had disappeared. There was no running water,
the toilets had been smashed to pieces, the
ceilings had caved in and every floor was
flooded." unsuccessful when applying for
much-needed funding meaning
every cost for equipment and refurbishments
has had to come out of the staff's pockets or
funds have had to be raised by various spon-
sorship events including bag-packing in a local
supermarket.
Richard said: "Because of the lack of funding
we haven't been able to pay anybody to come
in and help us do the repairs. But I'm a plas-
terer by trade, Chris, our coach, is a roofer by
trade and a few of the boxers are skilled
plumbers or labourers and friends and family
have given up their own time to help turn this
place around and I can't thank them enough."
Kirkby's boxing club has several registered
amateur boxers, including an East-Midlands
champion, and have members representing
the club almost every month at shows and
competitions around the region. Richard said
the club's increased popularity was the main
reason they had to relocate from their previ-
ous gym at Carl Wright's Haulage Company at
Station Yard on Church Hill.
'The Next Round's On Us!' Kirkby Boxing Club move into the Waggon & Horses pub Green celebrates his goal
By the tap: Club members Jay Lapko & Damon GodberMain picture (from left) Francine Wheldon, gav Carpenter, JordanCameron, Richard Wheldon, Chris Jowett & Samantha Flint