The Book of Mormon Review | Theatre

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

The Book of Mormon is much hyped. Every paper and magazine is full of glowing reviews and the word of mouth is strong. But does it live up to the hype? Well, yes and then some. This controversial musical from the makers of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez, who is a co-composer/co-lyricist of Avenue Q, is actually one of, if not the, best thing I have ever seen in my life. While it could just comes across as mean and bullying, it is an incredibly smart musical religious satire. It will make you think, it will make you laugh and it will make you happy.

bookofm1

The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naïve and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share the Book of Mormon, one of their scriptures, but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are more worried about war, famine, poverty, and AIDS than about religion.

The Book of Mormon was in development for seven years and has now gone on to great critical acclaim, winning nine Tony Awards,

I laughed all the way through and I cannot wait to see it again. It had funny line after funny line and not one weak scene during the whole musical. The production values were extremely high. Everything was done without compromise. The sets and costumes were fantastic. The script was ingenious, the acting, choreography, music and singing was incredible. What more can I say? This musical will go down as an all time great, it probably already has, you won’t want to miss it. A must see.

Tickets available from Stubhub.co.uk

Russia: Disclose Whereabouts of Missing Pussy Riot Member. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Still Missing

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Frostie

Concern grows for missing Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.

Amnesty International has condemned the continuing refusal to disclose the whereabouts of a member of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot, who is rumoured to be in transfer to a prison colony in Siberia, saying it is clearly yet another attempt to silence her.

Denis Krivosheev Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director at Amnesty International said:
“Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has publicly complained of threats she received from prison officials. We are concerned that she now may be being punished for this and for speaking out about deplorable prison conditions.

“The Russian authorities must immediately tell her family where she is and allow her access to a lawyer. She is a prisoner of conscience who should have never been taken to jail in the first place. Refusing to say where she is simply fuels rumours of the worst case scenario.
“If reports are true, transferring her to a prison colony thousands of kilometres from Moscow would make it almost impossible for her relatives and lawyers to see her. This would be a violation of her human rights and of Russia’s own laws.”

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova’s whereabouts have been unknown since 22 October when she was reportedly taken from the penal colony where she was serving a two-year prison sentence. It is believed she is being transferred to another place, but the destination has not been revealed.
Her husband has now said a penitentiary administration source informed him of the possible move to a prison colony in Siberia.

Amnesty has made Nadezhda Tolokonnikova the subject of an urgent action campaign, calling on the authorities in Russia to disclose her location immediately.

Entertainment for Lazy Weekends

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Frostie

It’s a cold, wet Friday night in winter. You’ve been fending off anxious clients and reassuring harassed colleagues all week. Like everyone else in the city, you’ve been getting up, and going home, in the dark.

You listen to the beautiful “clunk” of the front door closing as you step inside the house. You decide that, if possible, it’ll be the last time you hear that sound this weekend.

Home alone. Fantastic! It’s going to be a properly lazy weekend – but how are you going to keep yourself entertained?

What’s On Telly?

Fifteen years ago you’d have been circling things you wanted to watch in the Radio Times with a red biro. With broadband and Freeview, your options are almost limitless. You won’t get through every episode of Breaking Bad this weekend, but you could make a start. If it gets a bit grim (which – spoiler alert – it does) try interspersing it with episodes of Modern Family. Or Bagpuss.

No need to traipse down to the video store anymore either. How about a World War Z / This Is The End / Frances Ha marathon? World War Z was supposed to be terrible – it isn’t.

Games

When all that drama gets too much for you (Bagpuss can be quite draining), there’s a huge number of online games to consider. They’re not going to play themselves, you know! Everything’s available, from MMORPG’s like the free-to-play Pandora Saga to online versions of the nations favourite game, Bingo. The hardest part will be deciding what to play.

Read

At some point you may feel the need to step away from the screen. Maybe just swapping to a smaller one – like a Kindle – would do the trick? That Morrissey out of The Smiths has a book out, you know. We’ve also heard rumours of some kind of Bridget Jones follow-up. There may even be an actual book on the shelves to read!

Listen

Now we’re going retro. Is there a forlorn-looking pile of vinyl LP’s in the cupboard? A decent record player in the attic? If you’ve spent the last decade listening to MP3’s, and you have a reasonably good system, you might just amaze yourself with the upgrade in quality. There’s a reason people are still releasing vinyl records!

Eat, Play, Sleep

Once you’ve located the Billie Holiday LP, why not try cooking something you’ve never tried before out of that Rick Stein book that Auntie Beryl got you for Christmas? And when you’re done, you could hoist the dusty old guitar out of the basement and take a lesson on YouTube!

Or maybe it’s time for a nap. Whatever you decide to do on your Lazy Weekend, remember that catching up on sleep is never something to feel guilty about!

(Images courtesy of awsmblog.com, thesundaytimes.co.uk, wikipedia, wikipedia)

Tibits Restaurant Review

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

You think of many things when you think of a vegetarian restaurant but Tibits won’t fit into them. It is a gorgeous, trendy, classy and buzzing restaurant in Heddon Street, off Regent Street. Established 2 years ago, Tibits offers over 40 different delicious, nutritious and healthy yet affordable vegetarian dishes. Tibits is closely associated with Hitl in the Zurich, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world.

The stylish restaurant is also affordable, you pay by the pound. You go to the food boat and choose what you want from over 40 different foods from a food boat buffet and then they weigh your plate at the end. The simple labeling system makes it easy to avoid allergies and things you can’t eat.

The atmosphere was fantastic, very warm and friendly. The staff could not have been more welcoming. We went on a Monday night (the day after the big storm) and yet the place was packed. I got the impression Tibit gets a lot of regular customers. To start with I had a drink of fresh orange and carrot juice. I can really recommend this combination. The sweetness of the orange juice goes really well against the earthiness of the carrot. We also had some alcoholic cocktails; a Tequila Sunrise and a Mojhito. I also had a fantastic pint of dark organic lager which I recommend for those who like beer.

For our food we greedily piled on as many different things as we could onto our plates.

The food was all very vibrant and fresh. Everything I ate felt healthy. One of Tibits principles is that they use seasonal produce. The food certainly captured Tibits slogan – ‘Food that loves you back’.

There were a lot of big different flavors across the options, I can promise you your pallet will not be bored. In fact I’m not sure I’ve experienced so many different flavors and textures in a single meal before, it was a real treat.

I have a little bit of everything. I had guacamole, frittata, olives, potatoes wedges, tofu, falafel, cottage cheese and lots of different salads.

I really loved the dal and spinach dish. It was very subtle and had a beautiful creamy texture. Another highlight was the pumpkin salad which tasted nothing like the pumpkins I’ve had in the past. It was full of flavour and delicious.The onion rings were great and a million miles away from the oily mess I have experienced before from fast food restaurants. I was actually quite shocked at the difference after I ate one. The sauces such as the hummus and guacamole were very well made and a delight.

For dessert I have Panna cotta, sticky toffee pudding and mango mousse. Once again we piled our plates as you can see.

The mango mouse was light fluffy and creamy. It was very light and fresh and the mango was subtle.

The Pana cotta was excellent. I’m not usually a fan of Panna cotta but the texture and flavor of this one was different and in my opinion much better than what I am used to. Again it was smooth light, creamy and delicious. The stick toffee pudding was warm sticky and sweet.

It is all high quality and the prices are very reasonable. The staff are friendly and even though we reviewed Tibits on a Monday it was busy. Don’t think you need to be a vegetarian or a health nut to enjoy the food. You don’t. We will be returning.

12-14 Heddon Street, London.

http://www.tibits.co.uk/

3 Ways Your Environment Increases Your Risk of Pneumonia

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Shaun Chatman

With the winter months quickly approaching and the atmosphere varying from state to state, pneumonia is an issue that plagues the minds of many different people. A lot of individuals have no idea what it is, how they get it, or how they can fix it.

Even more don’t know just how easy it is to succumb to pneumonia-associated mortality. If you get down the nitty-gritty, even fewer people have knowledge that there are several key factors within their environment that can cause them to fall ill to the lung-wrenching ailment. Here are a few things that contribute to your higher risk of pneumonia within your environment.

Bacteria

When bacteria contaminates the lungs by infiltrating the sinus cavities and finding its way down the esophagus and into the bronchioles, they can cause massive amounts of swelling and discomfort. Because the body is responding to a foreign invader, it creates a substance we know as puss to try and force the bacteria out of the afflicted area. However, when this puss is inside of the bronchioles, it can cause a major problem with hardening. That hardening of the bronchioles is known as pneumonia and there’s a number of bacterium that can get inside of the lungs and cause a serious complication like strep.

You may be wondering how you could get strep. If you have a child that’s of school-going age, or you work in a heavily populated environment, the chances of you contracting strep is very easy. It’s a bacterial infection that can be spread through saliva, or by that person simply coughing and/or sneezing on you. Stay away from infected people to minimize your chance of getting it.

Allergies

Yes, your sneezing, coughing, sniffling, runny nose, and redness are all due to your allergies. Your body is simply looking for a way to expel randomly roaming agents that are far from dangerous. However, your body’s way of trying to expel them can cause you more trouble than it’s worth.

By simply inhaling dust particles, pollen or other things that cause problems for many allergy sufferers, you can trigger your body’s response system, resulting in the swelling of the tiny nodes within your lungs. By the swelling of these entities, your body can cause you to have allergic pneumonia. This type of pneumonia comes in three different categories: acute, subacute, and chronic.

If you’re having an acute attack, chances are you’re too close to the aggravating agent. If you’re having an acute attack, you’ll start to feel like you are getting the flu in the worst type of way. The best way to help stop this type of attack is to move away from the allergen.

Perhaps you’re suffering from a subacute attack; chances are you’re going to feel like you have the flu and then some. You’ll start coughing up mucus and other wonderful juices from deep within your lung cavity. This is an issue that needs to be addressed by your doctor to keep yourself from sliding into the chronic category.

If you’re chronic, you’ll find yourself with myriad other symptoms including weight loss. If this stage has been reached, you need to completely remove yourself from the allergens and talk to your doctor on a regular basis to monitor your lung health.

The best way to avoid this is to minimize your exposure to any allergens that you might see or think of. You can also purchase an antihistamine to keep your body from attacking itself over something presumably harmless.

Smog

Most of us live in big urban areas, so we’re no strangers to the endless black mass of cloudy pollution called “smog.” However, this cloud can invade your home and infect you and your loved ones. If you have an issue with the quality of air in your home, you should immediately assess the easiest thing to change: your air filter. Breathing in contaminants from the outside can cause you to have a serious upper respiratory reaction.

If these contaminants have somehow managed to find their way into your home via the air intake filter, open doors, open windows, etc. then you need to find a way to cleanse your homes air immediately. Constant exposure to smog can act as an irritant within the lungs and cause the bronchioles to inflame and the body to start the production of puss. Look into getting a new air filter or investing in an air purifier in order to keep you and your family safe from these invisible attackers.

10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

If you have ever had your portrait taken and wondered at how the photographer created such amazing images of little ol’ you, then you’ll be surprised to hear that people are actually the easiest subjects to photograph. Unlike the natural world, people are actually willing and interested in having their picture taken and that puts you the photographer, in control. All of the elements of good photography are in your hands. You choose the subject, the light, potential themes, colours, etc. Technical details are not so important, the key here is imagination. SmugMug knows a thing or two about good photography and have compiled 10 tips to help you enhance your portrait skills. Watch out David Bailey!

1. Alter Your Perspective – Some of the best portraits are the ones that break the rules. So instead of shooting your subject at eye level, try changing the angle, either get up high and shoot down on your subject or get as close to the ground as you can and shoot up. Either way you will see your subject from a different perspective which will instantly add interest.

2. Play with Eye Contact – A strong gaze will give a powerful impact to your photograph and will also create a real sense of connection between the subject and those viewing. The direction of your subject’s eyes can also give character to your image. For example, you can create a little intrigue by making your subject look off camera, at something hidden from the viewer. Alternatively, you can give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame, creating a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. This will also help create a ‘story’ within the image.

3. Look for a Full Range of Emotions – This is a particularly good advice when taking family portraits. Do not just take pictures when a scene seems sweet. Every emotion a parent, sibling, or child display is worth capturing—fascination, tears, passion, even boredom. Interaction between family members will prompt these emotions.

4. Experiment with Lighting – The power of lighting is sometimes overlooked and there are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits. For instance, side-lighting can create mood, whilst backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful. Window light is also very beautiful for taking photos indoors, but you will need a reflector to put light back onto the shadowed side of your subject’s face. You can buy a reflector or even try making your own from a large piece of white card or a white sheet.

5. Move Your Subject Out of their Comfort Zone – Head and shoulder shots and other standard pose images can be nice but will they really make your picture stand out from the crowd? Agree with your subjects to create something special and out of the box, make them jump for instance or do something with their body that might sound silly at first but might turn out to be surprising and create a unique portrait.

6. Shoot Candidly – Posed portraits can sometimes limit your creativity and also block your subject to standard expressions. Adopting a candid approach is particularly good when photographing children or really any active subject that is changing their position or pose in quick succession.

Photograph your subject in a familiar space or doing something that they enjoy. This will put them more at ease, reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. Get them to have some fun and be spontaneous. The resulting photos will be full of life.

7. Use Accessories – Your subject still need to be the main point of interest but by adding accessories to your shot such as a piece of jewellery, a hat or simply a beautiful textured fabric you will instantly create another point of interest that will help enhance your subject and add an extra layer of depth.

8. Play with Background – Once again, the person in your portrait should be the main point of interest. However, you can dramatically alter the mood in a shot when you place your subject in different contexts. For example, choose a dramatic or colourful background, or be as minimalistic as possible and make you subject stand out. Experimenting is the key.

9. Go with a Wide Angle – Shooting with a wide angle lens can help produce creative and memorable portrait shots. Often overlooked as just a landscape lens, a wide focal length can open up a whole new world of opportunities and, contrary to popular belief, you can still get a flattering portrait of your subject – you just need to shoot in a slightly different way. If you are planning to take a distorted style wide angle portrait it is crucial to make the effect look as deliberate as possible, otherwise it will simply seem as if you have used the wrong lens.

10. Share Your Photos with the Right Tools – Finally, what’s the point of taking stunning portraits if nobody sees them? You can share your portraits with your friends and family by using SmugMug. With secure photo sharing you can create an online photo album where you can store and share all of your photographs in a simple, safe and secure place.

Visit www.smugmug.com for a free 14-day trial. Membership starts at $5/month.

Chelsea Named as Britain’s No 1 Mistress Hotspot

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Frostie

If you are a newly wed then don’t move to Chelsea, it is where single women prowl for married men to have affairs with.

And ‘staid’ Tunbridge Wells comes second

Chelsea is the no 1 hotspot for single women seeking affairs with married men, according to new research from AshleyMadison.com. The world’s leading dating site for extra-marital affairs has found that 43.96% of its women members who are seeking affairs with married men in Chelsea are actually single.

Noel Biderman, AshleyMadison.com founder and CEO says: “Chelsea is part of London’s richest borough and home to some of the capital’s wealthiest men. Single women are drawn to status, to men who have made something of themselves, even if that includes having a wife and family. As Oscar Wilde said and James Goldsmith famously paraphrased, “When a man marries his mistress he creates a vacancy.” It’s no accident that so many mistresses live in Chelsea and our female members such as Lady Catherine and Rosetti Lover are looking for their own Jimmy Goldsmith.’

At Mistress Hotspot no 2, Tunbridge Wells has a more conservative image with its prep schools, Georgian architecture and spa heritage. Yet 42.04% of the women there are single and actively seeking an affair with a married man.

Noel Biderman says: ‘Does ‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells’ have an alter ego as Ashley Madison’s HardAsRock or RugbyJunky? There are a lot of well heeled, successful men there, however staid they may or may not be. A Tunbridge Wells man obviously holds promise as a lover, even if he is married.’

St Albans is 3rd on the list for would-be mistresses and Loughborough comes 4th.

With Oxford bottom of the list, it seems that while the single women of the city are inclined to stick to their studies, the academic world is not immune to passion.

Mistress Hotspots: % of female members who are single:

Chelsea, London 42.04%

Tunbridge Wells 42.04%

St Albans 41.01%

Loughborough 39.17%

Dartford 38.91%

Hemel Hempstead 38.36%

Chester 36.94%

Newcastle upon Tyne 36.55%

Bristol 35.70%

Oxford 35.45%

Are you going to avoid these areas?

The Buckley Poppy Now Available in Support of The Royal British Legion

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Frostie

In support of the Royal British Legion, QVC has introduced the beautiful Buckley Poppy to mark Remembrance Day on 11th of November. These great accessories are available as cufflinks, key-rings, bracelets and brooches. QVC has raised £378,000 so far, help them to raise more by splashing out.

Available from QVC.co.uk

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