Monthly Archives: September 2011

What are you doing for Black History Month?

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As the UK enters Black History month, NHS Choices, the national website of the NHS is putting the spotlight on black health heroes at www.nhs.uk/blackhistorymonth. The siteprofiles members of the African and Caribbean community who are improving the health and lives of others. NHS Choices also sheds light on conditions that are more likely to affect the black population, www.nhs.uk/blackhealth.

Amongst the celebrated health heroes is Dr Tunji Lasoye, an A&E consultant and surgeon in an inner city hospital, who often encounters victims of knife crimes. Also featured is Rudolph Isaacs, a rare-type blood donor whose donations are especially vital to people who suffer with sickle cell anaemia, which affects the black community more than others. The work of the trailblazer Nola Ishmael OBE, is also acknowledged for her contributions to nursing.
According to recent statistics from the NHS Information Centre, the numbers of BME (black and minority ethnic) hospital doctors are on the rise. There has been an 73% increase of BME hospital doctors, from 22,775 in 2000 to 39,476 in 2010.[1]

Barry Mussenden OBE, Deputy Director for Equality and Partnerships at the Department of Health says; “Black and minority ethnic people have contributed greatly to the NHS for over 60 years since the Windrush era, this recognition by NHS Choices shows the appreciation to all those inspirational health heroes throughout the UK.”

To further help ethnic minority communities to get reliable health information, NHS Choices has now incorporated a translation function into the site. This enables visitors to read most pages in more than 50 languages.

For more information about other health heroes, visit the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk/blackhistorymonth

Prince William Praises Queen For Help Planning Wedding

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A new book about the Royal Family has revealed that when Prince William was first handed his wedding list, he did not know anyone on it.

The book, called Our Queen also reveals that the Queen advised him to bin the official guest-list for his wedding to Kate Middleton and start again.

He said: “I came into the first meeting for the wedding, post-engagement, and I was given this official list of 777 names – dignitaries, governors, all sorts of people – and not one person I knew. They said: “These are the people we should invite”.

“I looked at it in absolute horror and said, ‘I think we should start again’. I rang [The Queen] up the next day and said, ‘Do we need to be doing this?’ And she said, ‘No. Start with your friends first and then go from there’. And she told me to bin the list.”

“She made the point that there are certain times when you have to strike the right balance. And it’s advice like that, which is really key, when you know that she’s seen and done it before.”

He also revealed that it was the Queen that insisted her wore his Irish Guards uniform for the wedding.

Made In Chelsea Stars Ollie Locke and Chloe Green Split Up.

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Made In Chelsea stars Chloe Green and Ollie Locke have split up.

Chloe Green joined the reality TV show this month as Ollie’s girlfriend and has said that the relationship could not survive the media spotlight.

The daughter of Topshop owner Sir Philip Green said: “We have split. It was nothing to do with Ollie being bisexual; I was fine with it and so was Dad. He met Ollie and thought he was a really nice guy.”

She also said that “World War 3 nearly broke out” a few times between her and Ollie’s ex-girlfriend Gabriella Ellis.

“It’s fair to say there were some awkward moments and World War 3 nearly broke out when we watched the screening of the first episode.”

However, the two seem to have become friends, Ellis went on to tell GLAMOUR.com: “Yeah, we’re really close friends actually. In the past kind of week or two, we’ve become really close. The show airs nearly a month after we’ve filmed the episode, so now we’ve become really, really close, but you’ll see it happen.”

Wendy's baby diary – baby scans

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Wendy’s baby diary – 26 weeks (5 months 3 weeks)

Pregnant memories

So much happens when you’re pregnant and I felt like I’d
remember everything but once you’ve given birth all you think about is the baby
and you start to forget cravings, indigestion, swollen feet, back ache and baby’s internal movements. So while I’m thinking about it I’ll record some pregnancy memories in this baby
diary.

Scans

Standard scan times are 12 weeks pregnant, then 20 weeks.
A lot of mums will only have these two
scans. We had more scans for personal reasons – I first saw Dillon at 6 weeks
old and he was just a heartbeat then.  Another
scan at 8 weeks and he looked like a little piglet, at 13 weeks like Skeletor
from He-Man, at 20 weeks like a normal baby and at 23 weeks we paid for a
private 4D scan at www.future-babies.co.uk  It was a great experience In some ways as his
grandmother-to-be attended and was able to see Dillon’s muscles and face as
well as his internal organs. We had a DVD made which was not very good – it was
recorded at double speed not real time so all his movements were too fast. They
also put music over his heartbeat recording so it’s not audible. And they got his
sex wrong.

A final scan at 32 weeks to find out if Dillon was breech
and by now he was so big you could only see half of his body on the screen at
any one time.

Off meat

For about 10 weeks of my pregnancy I didn’t eat meat –
red or white. The look, smell and taste of meat made me feel sick. There was
something about the dead flesh that repulsed me.  That was a short lived veggie experience.

Baby Swimming

Dillon had cried in the last two sessions but his 30
minute swimming lesson went much better this week and he was dunked underwater
3 times. We booked his lessons through www.babyswimming.co.uk
and my husband does the class. Quite a lot of dads have been ‘nominated’ to do
the lesson – for us it is a good opportunity for some father son bonding as the
swimming lesson is on a Saturday. Dillon is so tired afterwards he sleeps for a
good hour and we get to eat out while he has his nap.

BBQ

Speaking of eating out we went to a friend’s bbq at the
weekend and saw some friends for the first time since I gave birth . Even
though you know having children will change your life I don’t think you
appreciate how much, and when friends organise get togethers in the daytime you
say a silent prayer of thanks, as it gives both parents the opportunity to
attend.  Evening activities mean that one
or the other or usually neither of us get to go. There’s a big lifestyle shift
from being single to being in a relationship, to moving in / getting married to
having children – you get more familiar with four particular walls.

Clothes

Buying a size larger for the baby has backfired, he’s now wearing outfits that are falling off him. Babies are tricky!

© Wendy Thomson 2011

Wendy Thomson is the editor of www.femalearts.com an online publication
which promotes women in the arts and in business.

How To Treat A Cold

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Aaachoo! Most of us will have a cold this winter, but do you know how to treat it?

NHS Choices reveals some of the myths around treating a cold and offers advice on how to
get well quickly

According to NHS Choices, on average an adult can expect to catch a cold between two and four times a year, with more people suffering during the winter months. But do you know how best to treat a cold?

Myths about cures for the common cold:
· Vitamin C – according to NHS Choices, one in three people believe that Vitamin C can help cure a cold. In fact, research has shown that Vitamin C doesn’t prevent or cure a cold.
· Echinacea – many think that Echinacea can be used to prevent a cold or treat one, but research has shown that there is no proof of this being the case.
· Over the counter medicines for colds – over the counter medicines do not cure a cold. The usual ingredients are painkillers and decongestants, which only help manage the symptoms.

In reality, the best thing you can do if you do get a cold this winter is to rest, eat well, avoid stress and keep hydrated. As most colds are caused by viruses, you don’t need antibiotics to help treat it.

Dr. Knut Schroeder, GP, says: “Many people will catch a cold this year – but there really isn’t any miracle cure out there. A balanced diet and regular exercise can help you to stay healthy. But, if you are to catch a cold then my advice is to try and stay warm, drink plenty of fluids and to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. All this can help your body naturally fight the cold virus.”

For more information on surviving colds this winter visit, www.nhs.uk/livewell/coldsandflu.

The Stig, a Black Cab…and Chris Evans

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The Stig, a Black Cab…and Chris Evans

• Top Gear Live’s tame racing driver in 400bhp London ExCeL blat

The Stig gave television and radio presenter, Chris Evans, a truly memorable ride yesterday morning when he took to the wheel of a Black Cab for a quick tour of ExCeL London, the capital’s venue for the all-new Top Gear Live 2011 (November 24-27th). The show also visits the NEC in Birmingham between 11 – 13 November.

Petrolhead, Evans, jumped in the back of a rather unique 400bhp version of the iconic London taxi to announce his appearance at this year’s show where he will take part in a special live rendition of Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

Negotiating service ramps, the underground car park, power-sliding through the show halls and across the central boulevard, The Stig gave his passenger a whirlwind tour of the 100,000 square metre venue.

Billed as ‘The Ultimate Top Gear Experience’, visitors can expect all the on-screen, supercharged excitement of the TV show rolled into one event, with the famous presenting trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May previously seen in the TopGearLive action arena now spilling out into the rest of the event.

At the centre of the new format is the new Top Gear indoor track featuring highlights from the TV show including Stig Power Laps and ‘Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car’ as well as the Top Gear Stunt Team, mouth-watering head-to-heads and supercar parades.

BBC Radio 2 breakfast DJ and One Show presenter, Chris Evans will appear on 24th November at London ExCel. Further celebrity names will be announced in the coming weeks.

Visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or facebook.com/topgearliveuk to see how Chris and The Stig got on.

Tickets start at just £49. For more information about the show or to book tickets visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or call 0871 230 5588.

Raindance announces Jury for Festival Awards

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Raindance announces Jury for Festival Awards for 19th Raindance Film Festival

28 Sep – 9 Oct

Raindance is delighted to announce the jury for this year’s Festival Awards. The panel, which includes
actors, directors, presenters, journalists and members of the film and photograph industry, will judge
the films nominated in each of the eight categories, with the winners to be announced on Saturday 8th
October, 8pm at the Festival venue, the Apollo Cinema in Piccadilly Circus.

The eight categories are:

Best International Feature, Best UK Feature, Best Debut Feature, Best Documentary, Best Microbudget
Feature, Best UK Short, Best International Short and the Film of the Festival.

“Our jury represents the spectrum of the film industry – from actors to directors and critics to
programmers – they bring an in-depth knowledge of film to the judging panel and will have the
difficult job of choosing winners from the outstanding titles nominated this year,” said Elliot Grove,
Festival Director.

The jury is as follows:

Sally Bibawy
Sally Bibawy joined analogue photography company, Lomography, in 1995 and took over the art direction
and product development in 2000. She is a board member, together with Matthias Fiegl and Wolfgang
Stranzinger, since 2004 and is based in Vienna.

Dexter Fletcher
Best known for his role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Dexter Fletcher has grown up on screen,
beginning with his role as Baby Face in Bugsy Malone and on the British TV series Press Gang. His many
credits include The Elephant Man, Layer Cake and Kick Ass. Dexter also appeared in the 2009 Raindance Film Festival Trailer.

Gillies MacKinnon

Scottish Director Gillies MacKinnon has assembled one of the most impressive bodies of work in
recent British cinema with directing credits including Small Faces, Trojan Eddie starring Richard Harris
and Stephen Rea, A Simple Twist of Fate with Steve Martin, Regeneration starring Jonathan Pryce,
James Wilby and Jonny Lee Miller, Hideous Kinky with Kate Winslet, and the Golden Globe-winning
television Film, Last of the Blond Bombshells starring Judi Dench. His other work includes The Escapist,
Pure, historical drama Gunpowder Treason and Plot with Robert Carlyle, Tara Road , and The Snow
Goose starring Billy Connolly.

Céline Masset
Céline Masset is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Brussels Short Film Festival, which will
celebrate its 15th anniversary next year. Her company, Un Soir Un Grain, also distributes and produces short films.

Helen McCrory

Helen McCrory is a multi award-winning actress on stage, television and the silver screen. She played
Cherie Blair in The Queen and The Special Relationship and played Narcissa Malfoy in the last three Harry
Potter movies. She will appear in Martin Scorsese’s soon-to-be-released film, Hugo and We’ll take
Manhattan for the BBC.

Wendy Mitchell

Wendy Mitchell is head of news at Screen International and ScreenDaily.com. Before moving to London,
she worked on staff in New York for Entertainment Weekly, indieWIRE, Rolling Stone and CMJ, as well as
freelancing for the New York Daily News, Playboy, Variety, Billboard, Time Out New York and The Wall
Street Journal. She is also the author of New York City’s Best Dive Bars (published in 2003).

Alex Zane
Alex began his career hosting the film review show Screenplay and fronting MTV’s flagship show, TRL.
A talented radio broadcaster, Alex began working at Xfm in 2002, and hosted the station’s Breakfast
Show for two years. His TV credits include Popworld, Balls of Steel, 8 out of 10 Cats and he hosted this
year’s Red Carpet Live for the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Alex currently hosts Channel 4’s Rude
Tube, Alex Zane’s Guest List and is the lead film reviewer for The Sun.

Festival Awards – nominated films

Best International Feature

Just Between Us / Rajko Grlic – Croatia
No Return / Miguel Cohan – Spain / Argentina
After Fall, Winter/ Eric Schaeffer – USA
Youth H2 “Come As You Are” / Kota Yoshida – Japan
War Games / Cosimo Alemà – Italy

Best UK
Acts Of Godfrey / Johnny Daukes – UK
A Thousand Kisses Deep / Dana Lustig – UK
Flutter / Giles Borg – UK
Hollow/ Michael Axelgaard – UK
Seamonsters / Julian Kerridge – UK
Stranger Things / Eleanor Burke – UK

Best Debut
Tilt / Viktor Chouchkov Jr. – Bulgaria
Synchronicity / Joe Tanaka – Japan
Exteriors / Marie Kristiansen – Norway
Restive/ Jeremiah Jones – USA

Best Microbudget Feature

MONK3YS / Drew Cullingham – UK
Julius Caesar / Adam Lee Hamilton & John Montegrande – UK
Uspomene 677 / Mirko Pincelli – Bosnia Herzegovina / UK
Meso Cafe / Ja’far ‘Abd al-Hamid – UK
Black Pond / Tom Kingsley – UK

Best Documentary

White Button / Igor Stoimenov – Serbia
The Echo Of Astro Boy’s Footsteps / Masanori Tominaga – Japan
Where My Heart Beats / Khazar Fatemi – Sweden
How to Start A Revolution / Ruaridh Arrow – UK
Heaven + Earth + Joe Davis / Peter Sasowsky – USA

Best International Short

The Lady Paranorma / Vincent Marcone – Canada
Martyr Friday / Abu Bakr Shawky – Egypt
Words / Sven Vinge – Denmark
Zoltan- The Hungarian Gangster of Love / Justin Reardon – USA
Hemingway’s Pen / Renzo Carbonera – Italy

Best UK Short

This Side of the Afterlife / Adam Horton – England
God View / Billy Lumby – UK
The Girl Is Mime / Tim Bunn – UK
Love At First Sight / Michael Davies – UK
Rough Skin / Cathy Brady – UK

About Raindance Film Festival

Raindance Film Festival will run from 28 Sept – 9 Oct at the Apollo Cinema in London’s Piccadilly Circus, with the
Opening Night premiere of Another Earth at Cineworld Haymarket on 28 Sept.
For press accreditation visit: www.raindance.co.uk
Tickets and passes to the festival will be on sale from 6th September on www.raindance.co.uk

Now in its 19th year, Raindance Film Festival is Europe’s leading Independent Film Festival showcasing feature films, shorts and docs from around the world and specialising in independent films and directorial debuts. The
festival has a strong legacy of showing alternative, edgy films. Since 1993 Raindance Film Festival has uncovered
the hottest new filmmakers to hit the cinematic scene. Raindance-premiered hits include Pulp Fiction, Memento,
the Blair Witch Project, Ghost World and Love Exposure.
Raindance – The Voice of Independent Film

Raindance is dedicated to fostering and promoting independent film in the UK and around the world. Based in the heart of London, Raindance combines Raindance Film Festival, Training Courses, the prestigious British Independent Film Awards and Raindance.tv

Frost will be covering the Raindance Film Festival.

SILVER FOXES ARE SEXIEST: What Turns Women On

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It’s official – men with grey hair are sexy.

A new study has found that over half of
women over the age of 40 prefer their man
to have greying locks like George Clooney
or Philip Schofield.

Dyed hair, however, is a big turn off, with one in three women
giving it the thumbs down. And the beard, though making
something of a comeback, still tends to rub women up the
wrong way.

The survey of 2,000 women by mature dating website
Footloose Dating aimed to discover the most, and least,
attractive physical qualities in a potential partner.
The poll reveals that for 54 per cent of women the “silver fox”
look is the number one turn-on.

Being clean shaven came second, with 22 per cent of
women preferring a smooth face to kiss, while having
“sparkling” eyes was voted third, with 15 per cent.

Other key physical qualities included well-manicured nails,
trim figure and strong – as opposed to double – chin.
A pot belly was the biggest turn-off, with 44 per cent
prepared to cut short a dinner date if greeted with a
bulging stomach.

Men with dyed hair left a further 32 per cent of women
unimpressed while almost a quarter found bushy beards or
eyebrows off-putting.

Foul breath, comb-overs and bad teeth also sent shivers
down women’s spines.

Top 10 Turn-Ons

1. Grey hair
2. Clean shaven
3. Sparkling eyes
4. Manicured nails
5. Trim figure
6. Strong chin
7. Hairy chest
8. Deep voice
9. Tall
10. Soft lips

Top 10 Turn-Offs

1. Pot belly
2. Dyed hair
3. Bushy beard or eyebrows
4. Bad breath
5. Comb-over
6. Bad teeth
7. Body odour
8. Excessive body hair
9. Tattoos
10. Thick glasses

Eleanor Selley, co-founder of www.footloosedating.co.uk,
said: “Though many men recoil at the idea of going grey,
this survey shows what I’ve believed for a long time: that
grey hair is sexy.

“It suggests maturity and dignity, a sense of being
comfortable with getting older, whereas dyed hair screams
the complete opposite. A pot belly, on the other hand, just
says ‘I don’t care about myself at all’.

“Looks aren’t everything to the mature woman –
companionship is just as important – but they do still count.
Thankfully for men, a little grooming will go a long way.”

For more information on Footloose Dating
visit www.footloosedating.co.uk