Category Archives: Culture

Sleeping Arrangements Theatre Review

Posted on by

POSTERLOWRES-106x150I love musicals. I really do. Which is why I really appreciate how incredibly brave doing a new one is. It is a move that I feel has paid off for Sleeping Arrangements. It is fun and frivolous. A comedy that makes you feel completely involved with the characters. The story about two families who end up in the same villa in Spain at the same time with hilarious consequences. It is a production set during a holiday and it really feels like one.

What the two families do not know is that Hugh and Chloe know each other. Their wealthy friend Gerard double booked them Was it on purpose and if so, why?

It must have been hard to write a musical from scratch but Chris Burgess has achieved it perfectly. I really had fun watching this musical comedy. It really did have some great one liners. All of the actors are just brilliant. I completely believed in all of their characters.

Sleeping Arrangements is based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella, which has been described as the ‘perfect holiday read’, and this theatre production completely encapsulates it. A really funny comedy that is definitely a go see.

Aria Entertainment Presents
Sleeping Arrangements
Landor Theatre
17th April – 12th May

Sophie Kinsella’s Sleeping Arrangements adapted for the stage

 

Aria Entertainment is delighted to announce the full cast for the world premiere of Sleeping Arrangements, a new musical based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella, author of Confessions Of A Shopaholic.

 

The exceptionally high calibre cast includes Fascinating Aïda’s Liza Pulman and West End favourite Jenny Gayner who has trodden the boards as Roxie Hart in Chicago amongst other high profile roles and Sabrina Aloueche who is best known for playing the character ‘Scaramouche‘ in We Will Rock You.

 

The Confessions Of A Shopaholic novel was adapted into a film released in 2009, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy but this will be the first of Sophie’s popular books to be adapted for the stage.

 

“I am so excited to see my story on stage in such a hilarious and tuneful musical”
Sophie Kinsella


This exciting new musical will play at the Landor Theatre in Clapham London for four weeks starting in April 2013 (17th April – 12th May)


 


Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, the musical tells the tale of Chloe who desperately needs a holiday. She’s sick of making wedding dresses and her partner, Philip has troubles at work. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain – Perfect


 


Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than him and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he’ll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His friend Gerard has lent him a luxury villa in Spain – Perfect.


 


Both families arrive at the villa and realise the awful truth – Gerard has double-booked. What no-one else realises is that Chloe and Hugh have a history, and as tensions rise, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard’s ‘accidental’ double booking may not be an accident after all…


 


With music and lyrics by Chris Burgess, Sleeping Arrangements the musical is the perfect summer soundtrack, just as the original novel was “a perfect holiday read”. – Sunday Mirror


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Get Your Sh!t Together Book Review

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
thegritdoctorLet’s be honest. We all have areas of our life that are just not together. Life is tough and time is short. Add in human nature such as laziness and anxiety, common things most people have to some degree, and then it is clear why many people are not achieving their destiny.  Enter this book from the author of Run Fat Bitch Run, Ruth Field AKA The Grit Doctor. She calls it your prescription for life.


There are grit commandments. Do’s and don’ts, great quotes and advice on just how to locate your inner bitch and use her to your advantage.


The book is a bit sweary and that might bother some people. If so, just overlook it. This is a great motivating book. It takes big things and makes them smaller. The idea of cleaning a shelf in your house one at a time and then using the analogy for every part of your life is effective. We all have things that we want to do but make excuses instead of achieving it. This book kicks you into shape. It makes you put your thinking into shape.


The Grit Doctor wants you to throw out to do lists and instead do The GYST Facilitator. Which is not just to do lists but breakdowns of where you want to go to and how to get there. You then take things step by step.


In fact it starts by making sure that you have the basics of life together: Home, job and family. You master these basics through actions. The book is about action and overcoming fears. If you ever wanted a friend in your life who was harsh but fair then buy this book. It is a great prescription to sort out your life. It is smart and witty and brutal. Just what you need in your life. It is a new type of self help, not the kind where you just read something vaguely motivating and forget about it, but the kind that actually makes you want to connect with your inner bitch and become the best version of yourself. Courtney Love has this great quote, “I found my inner bitch and I ran with her”. This book will help you do the same.


THE GRIT DOCTOR TAUGHT YOU HOW TO RUN


NOW SHE’S GOING TO TEACH YOU HOW TO RUN YOUR LIFE


 


Has becoming a capable, poised grown-up turned out to be more complicated than you imagined? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, and if you’re tired of the crappy stuff in life grinding you down, then it’s time to stop whining and GET YOUR SH!T TOGETHER. With this funny, frank and tough-talking guide, Ruth Fields’s alter ego, The Grit Doctor will help you:


 


    

  • Tackle daunting problems like a fearless superwoman
    • 

  • Figure out what you want from life and find the courage to GO FOR IT
    • 

  • Learn how to get more sh!t done in less time
    • 

  • Stop feeling bad about your less-than-perfect-life (because perfection’s overrated anyway)
    • 



 


 


The Grit Doctor does for self-help what she did for running: RIPS UP THE RULE BOOK.


 


Ruth Field is the author of RUN FAT B!TCH RUN and THE RUN FAT B!TCH RUN MARATHON PLAN. She is a former criminal barrister and lives in North London with her husband and twin sons. She blogs regularly at www.gritdoctor.wordpress.com and you can also find her on Twitter (@gritdoctor) and Facebook at  www.facebook.com/thegritdoctor.


 


Available from Amazon UK and WH Smith.


 


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
What’s On At The Pleasance Theatre

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
LAMDA Presents Summerfolk by Maxim Gorky


Theatre


Pleasance London » Tuesday 24th April – Friday 26th April, 2pm & 7:30pm


 


At the turn of the 20th Century a group of Russian friends retreat for their annual summer holiday in the countryside. United by their place in history as an emergent Russian middle class, but disparate in their political views and private lives, their friendship will never be the same again come autumn.


Maxim Gorky’s naturalistic masterpiece depicts Russia as it teeters on the edge of social upheaval – exploring the dreams, fears and vanities of one group of friends as they question their value in a transient society.


 


Free




 




 


 


LAMDA Presents Earthquakes in London


Theatre


Pleasance London » Wednesday 25th  April – Friday 26th April, 2pm & 7:30pm


 


How can you live in a state of constant impending catastrophe? Is hope possible, responsible even, when scientists and politicians are predicting an environmental apocalypse? Earthquakes in London tracks the tremors of hedonism, terror and activism through the lives of three sisters and their estranged, misanthropic father.

Written by award-winning Mike Bartlett (Love Love Love), the play premiered at the National Theatre in 2010.


 


Free




 




 


Robert Newman’s Theory Of Evolution: Work in Progress


Comedy


Pleasance London » Wednesday 24th April, 8pm

Join Rob as he tries out material in advance of a major new UK tour. Watch it evolve in front of your very eyes!


“I am completely in awe of Robert Newman. Of his talent, his passion, his intelligence, and the way he turns them to comedy with real firepower. If this world could be saved by a Superhero whose Superpower was Comedy, that hero would be Robert Newman.” Kate Copstick, The Scotsman


 


Tickets £10




 




 Joe_and_Eleanor


Joe Lycett / Eleanor Thom: Work in Progress


Comedy


Pleasance London » Thursday 25th April, 8pm


 


Joe Lycett Celebrity Juice & 8 out of 10 Cats):


Join award-winning sparky stand up Joe Lycett as he workshops material for his second hour show. Expect it to be rough round the edges, interactive, potentially slightly awkward, but most of all bloody good fun. Last year’s show got nominated for Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer so it can’t be all bad.


Eleanor Thom (Lady Garden, Absolutely Fabulous & Live At The Electric)


 


“The BBC said to me, ‘Bev, you need a vehicle’, so I’ve got one. Inclusive of drinks trolley. Get onboard.”


 


‘Britain’s funniest woman’ Sunday Telegraph


 


Tickets £5




 




 


Alan Davies: Work in Progress


Comedy


Pleasance London » Friday 26th April – Sunday 19th May, 8pm


 


Alan Davies returns to the Stagespace where, in 2011, he spent several evenings developing his last stand-up show. Life Is Pain toured throughout the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and will be out on DVD in time for the PGP (Prime Gifting Period or Xmas).

It’s now time to see whether there is any new material coming along that may be worth taking out of the borough in 2014…


 




Tickets £5 – £6


 




 


Ben Miller – My Million To One


Comedy

Pleasance London » Friday, 3rd May


What is My Million To One? – Well, you know your ‘bucket list’ or ‘100 things to do before you die?’ My Million To One is about helping you to achieve those goals/dreams. So we’ve asked lots of industry leaders to help us and they have. In Ben’s case: he wants to offer confidence to the UK’s aspiring comedians.


 


Tickets Free




 




 


The London Cuckolds


Theatre


Pleasance London » Wednesday 1st May – Sunday 12th May, 4pm & 7:45pm


 


Let Them Call It Mischief present

The London Cuckolds by Edward Ravenscroft

The London Cuckolds tells the story of three City boys, their bored housewives and two frisky young cads, all intertwined in a caper filled with sex and intrigue.


 


Calamitous and bawdy, this is a rarely performed gem from the restoration era transported to the sparkle and glamour of 1920s London.


 


Tickets £10 – £12.50




 




 


Adam Kay and Enemies


Comedy


Pleasance London » Friday 10th May, 7:30pm


 


Amateur Transplants frontman Adam Kay is delighted to bring his brand new monthly residency to The Pleasance. Alongside his uniquely depraved pop music re-imaginings, Adam is joined on stage by special guests he doesn’t particularly get on with, but are funnier than him. He’ll probably do the London Underground Song.


This month’s guests are comedy superstar Ardal O’Hanlon and the supremely talented Adam Hess. 


“Bracingly intelligent… enormous fun.” * * * *  Times

“This made me very, very happy” Stephen Fry


Tickets £12.50




 




 


 


Murray Lachlan Young – The Incomers


Theatre


Pleasance London » Monday 13th May – Saturday 18th May, 7:30pm


 


It’s Gordon and Celia’s wedding anniversary.  They’ve asked their oldest and dearest friends Zach and Jane down from London.  The only problem is that Zach and Jane aren’t Zach and Jane anymore.  Jane has gone and Julia, the twenty five year old, French burlesque dancer, has taken her place.


Written entirely in his characteristic verse by BBC 6 Music poet in residence Murray Lachlan Young it will have you gasping and roaring with laughter in equal measures!


 


Tickets £10 -12




 




 


Finding Libby


Theatre


Pleasance London » Tuesday 14th May, 7:45pm


 


At the heart of Finding Libby is one of the many heartbreaking stories of young women for whom the 1960s were less swinging than swingeing – a hidden pregnancy, a premature birth, the death of a tiny scrap never referred to again and a life stalled. Pauline is now in her early sixties and has been persuaded by her neighbour to take her first holiday, on a canal boat. We follow her from worrying whether anyone will meet her at the station, to the unexpected turn in the journey that forces her to face her past and to finding that it is never too late for a fresh start.


 


Tickets £8 – £10




 




 


Rehearsed Reading of Making News


Theatre


Pleasance London » Wednesday 15th May, 7:45pm


 


Rehearsed reading of Making News the new play by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky.

It’s the start of a 24-hour news cycle and Rachel Clarke has been promoted as the BBC’s newest Head of News. When a crisis erupts, she has to confront rivals from within and without, and decide how to report on a story that could bring down the Corporation itself.


A fast-moving satire about the BBC starring Suki Webster, Hal Cruttenden, Sara Pascoe, Liam Williams, Dan Starkey and Phill Jupitus as the Director-General.


 


Tickets £5




 




 


Tiny Tempest


Theatre

Pleasance London » Monday, 20th May – Sunday, 26th May, 4pm & 7.45pm


 


Shakespeare’s fantastical tale of magic, murder and monsters retold in an explosive new actor-musician adaptation. Tiny Tempest is a visual feast featuring thrilling physicality,slapstick storytelling and live music and songs. Mini Mall present their world premiere production that promises to be a Tempest like no other.


 


Tickets £7.50 – £9




 




 


Voices in Your Head: The Phill Jupitus Experiment


Comedy


Pleasance London » Sunday 26th May, 8pm


 


Deborah Frances-White’s fringe hit returns to London, but this time with only one special guest performer taking to the stage.


Phill Jupitus goes head to head with a disembodied Voice on a microphone who will interrogate, provoke and cajole him to create dark-hearted comedy mayhem. See the hidden depths of the human unconscious pushed to their illogical conclusions in this unforgettable, unmissable, electrifying and hilarious show. Voices in Your Head just got even freakier.


“Inventive, funny and wildly ambitious – you’ll never see anything quite like it.”’

* * * * * The Skinny


 


Tickets £12




 




 


The Trench


Theatre

Pleasance London » Tuesday 28th May – Thursday 30th May, 7:30pm


 


After a sell-out five star run at the Edinburgh Festival Les Enfants Terribles tour the UK with their new award-winning show, The Trench. From the team behind The Terrible Infants, Ernest and the Pale Moon and The Vaudevillains, comes a new play inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War One. As the horror threatens to engulf him, he finds that not everything in the darkness is what it seems as he starts to discover a new, strange world beneath the mud and death. Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions what’s real, what’s not and whether it even matters?


 


‘The overall vision stays with you like a strange, significant dream.’ Times


 


Tickets £10 – £12




 




 


Voices In Your Head


Comedy

Pleasance London » Friday 31st May, 8pm


Deborah Frances-White’s fringe hit returns to London as a cast of comedic performers go head to head with a disembodied Voice who will interrogate, provoke and cajole them to create comedy mayhem. Previous guests have included Phill Jupitus, Hannibal Buress, Russell Tovey, Mike McShane, Sara Pascoe, Humphrey Ker among many others.


This time the line-up includes Miles Jupp (star of Rev, The Thick Of It & Have I Got News For You) and Thom Tuck (Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee & star of Radio 4’s The Penny Dreadfuls) plus special guests.


Tickets £10




 




 


Laugh Your Farce Off


Theatre

Pleasance London » Sunday, 2nd June, 7pm


 


After its second sell-out show ‘Laugh Your Farce Off’ is back in Pleasance Main House, with another smash lineup…


 


Little Bear has challenged 5 award winning writers each to write a short but perfectly formed farce.


 


The only brief: ‘3 doors…’ – imagine the trouser dropping, mistaken identity mishaps and general all round chaos that will ensue!


Curated by Ursula Early with sensational new work from: John Luke-Roberts, Andrew Doyle, Caitlin Shannon, Charlie Partridge and Hannah Rodger – this is a night of sheer lunacy you can’t afford to miss!




Tickets £9 – £10


 




Parade


Theatre

Pleasance London » Friday, 14th June – Sunday, 16th June, 2:30pm, 3pm & 7:30pm


 


The tragic, true story of the trial and lynching of a man wrongly accused of murder is brought to emotional and theatrical life by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and Jason Robert Brown (13, Songs for a New World). Daring, innovative and bold, PARADE won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score, as well as six Drama Desk Awards.


 




Tickets £12 – £15


 




The Fantasist


Theatre

Pleasance London » Tuesday, 25th June – Wednesday, 26th June, 7:30pm


 


In the mind of the fantasist, the real and the fanciful become dangerously blurred. As Louise gazes into the night her fancy takes form. Objects move, time changes … and a seductive stranger opens up a world of exhilaration and magic.


 


Tickets £10 – £12


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Sunday Times Rich List 2013: Who Made The List

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
SIR PAUL McCARTNEY IS WEALTHIEST MUSIC MILLIONAIRE, WITH £680 MILLION FORTUNE IN 25th ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 


ADELE TOPS LIST OF YOUNG MUSIC MILLIONAIRES WITH A £30 MILLION FORTUNE 


McCARTNEY TOPPED 1993 MUSIC RICH LIST, WORTH £400 MILLION, AND HAD £80 MILLION IN 1989 


adele pregnant. tom cruise and kate holmes divorcing. The 25th anniversary Sunday Times Rich List, to be published on April 21, 2013, will reveal that Sir Paul McCartney is the country’s richest performer, topping the list of the 50 wealthiest music millionaires in Britain and Ireland. He has a £680m fortune, which is shared with his wife Nancy Shevell.


McCartney, 70, has topped all the charts for the country’s wealthiest musicians since The Sunday Times Rich List began in 1989, when the former Beatle was worth £80m. By 1993, the McCartney fortune had grown to £400m.


Aside from starring roles at the Queen’s diamond jubilee and closing the opening ceremony for the London Olympics, McCartney’s On the Run tour grossed $57m from 18 dates in 2012. The tour has helped add £15m to his fortune, which, at £680m, includes £150m for wife Nancy Shevell’s stake in her father’s New England Motor Freight trucking operation.


Profits from his hugely successful stage shows, such as Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Cats, have helped to boost composer and theatre owner Lord Lloyd-Webber’s fortune by £30m to keep him in second place in the Music Rich List, worth £620m. Lloyd-Webber also held second place in the 1993 Rich List of the top UK music millionaires with a £200m fortune, ahead of Elton John, who is now worth double his 1993 wealth of £120m.


The Sunday Times only started to measure wealth in Ireland as part of its annual Rich List in 1997.


THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 2013


THE 50 WEALTHIEST MUSIC MILLIONAIRES IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND


This list excludes music company owners and producers






Music rank2013
Name
2013 wealth
2012 wealth




1
Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell
£680m
£665m




2
Lord Lloyd-Webber
£620m
£590m




3
U2
£520m
£514m




4
Sir Elton John
£240m
£220m




5=
David and Victoria Beckham
£200m
£190m




5=
Sir Mick Jagger
£200m
£190m




7
Michael Flatley
£191m
£192m




8
Keith Richards
£185m
£175m




9=
Olivia and Dhani Harrison
£180m
£180m




9=
Sting
£180m
£180m




11
Ringo Starr
£160m
£160m




12
Roger Waters
£150m
£120m




13
Sir Tim Rice
£149m
£144m




14
Sir Tom Jones
£145m
£140m




15
Eric Clapton
£140m
£130m




16
Rod Stewart
£130m
£120m




17
Phil Collins
£115m
£115m




18=
George Michael
£105m
£100m




18=
Robbie Williams
£105m
£100m




20=
David Bowie
£100m
£100m




20=
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
£100m
£95m




22
Brian May
£95m
£90m




23=
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow
£90m
£72m




23=
Roger Taylor
£90m
£85m




23=
Charlie Watts
£90m
£85m




26
Enya
£87m
£86m




27
David Gilmour
£85m
£85m




28=
Jimmy Page
£80m
£75m




28=
Robert Plant
£80m
£80m




30=
John Deacon
£74m
£70m




30=
Noel and Liam Gallagher
£74m
£65m




32
Pete Townshend
£70m
£40m




33=
Engelbert Humperdinck
£65m
£65m




33=
Mark Knopfler
£65m
£65m




35=
Gary Barlow
£60m
£50m




35=
Barry Gibb
£60m
New




37
Nick Mason
£55m
£55m




38
Sir Cliff Richard
£52m
£52m




39=
Guy Berryman
£50m
£40m




39=
Jonny Buckland
£50m
£40m




39=
Will Champion
£50m
£40m




39=
Brian Johnson
£50m
£50m




39=
John Paul Jones
£50m
£45m




39=
Kylie Minogue
£50m
£45m




39=
Van Morrison
£50m
£50m




46=
Jay Kay
£45m
£40m




46=
Bernie Taupin
£45m
£45m




48=
Mick Hucknall
£40m
£40m




48=
Sade
£40m
£40m




50
Sarah Brightman
£36m
New






                                                                                                                


In the 1993 Sunday Times Rich List, Paul McCartney was also Britain’s richest performer with a £400m fortune. There were 15 music millionaires, see below, in the 1993 Rich List which measured the wealth of the 400 richest people in Britain, with David Bowie ranked 15th in the music list worth £20m.


The only two musicians to appear in the first Sunday Times Rich List of 200 names published in 1989 were Paul McCartney, who was worth £80m, and Elton John, with a £40m fortune.


 


THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 1993


TOP UK 15 MUSIC MILLIONAIRES


Excluding music company owners and producers






Music rank1993
Name
1993 wealth




1
Paul McCartney
£400m




2
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
£200m




3
Elton John
£120m




4
Mick Jagger
£90m




5
George Michael
£80m




6
Keith Richards
£70m




7
Mark Knopfler
£60m




8
Cliff Richard
£45m




9
Bernard Taupin
£35m




10
Dave Stewart
£30m




11=
George Harrison
£25m




11=
Rod Stewart
£25m




13
Bill Wyman
£24m




14
Phil Collins
£22m




15
David Bowie
£20m






 


Adele tops the 2013 Young Music Rich List, of entertainers aged 30 and under, see below, with a £30m fortune. With the continued worldwide success of her album 21, this is a 50% increase on the £20m fortune the Oscar-winning singer-songwriter topped the Young Music Rich List with in 2012.


New entries to the Young Music  Millionaires Rich List, each worth £5m, include singer-songwriters Emeli Sandé, aged 26, Ed Sheeran, 22, and all five members of One Direction, Niall Horan, 19, Zayn Malik, 20, Liam Payne, 19, Harry Styles,19, and Louis Tomlinson, 21.


One Direction have become Britain’s richest boy band, with combined wealth of £25m. This puts them just £1m ahead of the combined wealth of the four members of JLS, Jonathan (JB) Gill, 26, Marvin Humes, 28, Aston Merrygold, 25, and Ortisé Williams, 26, who now share a total fortune of £24m, being each worth £6m.


 


THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 2013


YOUNG MUSIC MILLIONAIRES IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND


AGED 30 AND UNDER






Music rank2013
Name
2013 wealth
2012 wealth




1
Adele
£30m
£20m




2
Cheryl Cole
£14m
£12m




3=
Leona Lewis
£12m
£12m




3=
Katie Melua
£12m
£12m




5
Florence Welch
£9m
£7m




6=
Charlotte Church
£8m
£8m




6=
Jessie J
£8m
£5m




8=
Lily Allen
£6m
£6m




8=
Nadine Coyle
£6m
£5m




8=
Duffy
£6m
£6m




8=
Jonathan (JB) Gill
£6m
£5m




8=
Marvin Humes
£6m
£5m




8=
Aston Merrygold
£6m
£5m




8=
James Morrison
£6m
£6m




8=
Nicola Roberts
£6m
£5m




8=
Oritsé Williams
£6m
£5m




17=
Niall Horan
£5m
New




17=
Zayn Malik
£5m
New




17=
Liam Payne
£5m
New




17=
Emeli Sandé
£5m
New




17=
Ed Sheeran
£5m
New




17=
Harry Styles
£5m
New




17=
Louis Tomlinson
£5m
New






 


The 25th annual Sunday Times Rich List – the definitive guide to wealth in Britain and Ireland – is published on April 21 in a special 104-page supplement, which profiles the 1,000 richest people and families in the UK and the wealthiest 250 in Ireland. The list is based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. It excludes bank accounts, to which the paper has no access. This year, a £75m fortune is required to make it into the top 1,000 in the Rich List.


The Sunday Times Rich List 2013 is compiled by Philip Beresford, the leading authority on British wealth, and edited by Ian Coxon.




The Sunday Times Rich List

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Economics of crowd-sourcing under spotlight

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
A team headed by an economist at the University of Portsmouth has won £750,000 to establish why people give up their time to help scientists better understand some of the biggest mysteries, from searching for the cure for cancer to trying to understand the galaxies that fill our Universe.


Dr Joe Cox, of the Portsmouth Business School, will lead a team from Oxford, Manchester and Leeds Universities and colleagues from Portsmouth’s world-leading Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, to find out more about the people who volunteer to help online science projects.


The grant for the three-year project was awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of the Research Councils UK digital economy theme.


Dr Cox said: “Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world are giving their time to help find a cure for cancer, or to better understand the nature of the Universe, or patterns of global warming, but we don’t yet have a detailed understanding of the processes that drive these initiatives, which are more complex than they may first appear.


“The growth of the digital economy has dramatically affected the ways people interact with each other and engage in different activities, but little is known about the changing nature of volunteering and crowd-sourcing in this context.


“This grant will allow us to formulate new economic models to explain the choices, motivations and behaviours of digital volunteers.”


The project will also investigate ways in which volunteering can be optimised and sustained through strategic interactions and interventions on the part of the managers of these resources.


Dr Cox will be working with Dr Karen Masters of the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at Portsmouth to study the Zooniverse (www.zooniverse.org), a highly successful and diverse cluster of online citizen science and crowd-sourcing projects inspired by the success of Galaxy Zoo and now includes more than 20 projects including  Cell Slider  and Seafloor Explorer. Volunteers on these initiatives give up their time to interpret and classify data of scientific interest, ranging from images of distant galaxies to weather patterns and cancer cells.


Dr Masters is project scientist for Galaxy Zoo.


She said: “We hope this grant win will help us to understand how to improve the volunteer experience on Zooniverse projects so that people can feel confident they are contributing to real science when they spend time on our sites, and also gain the maximum enjoyment from the experience.”


Dr Cox said: “Technology has made it possible for the average person on the street to make a real contribution towards our understanding of the universe, the modelling of climate change and the development of a cure for cancer.


“Our research will show how these initiatives can encourage more people to volunteer, as well as enhancing the depth of their engagement, which will help to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and create significant social value.”


The findings will be of “considerable interest” to web communities and the broader voluntary sector, he said, and is likely to also have significant implications for commercial projects that make use of crowd-sourcing, such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.


The research partners include Dr Chris Lintott, Oxford University, Dr Anita Greenhill, University of Manchester, and Dr Gary Graham, University of Leeds.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Tartuffe | Theatre Review

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
Tartuffe and ElmireSinner or saint, the character of Tartuffe certainly divides opinion.


 


To Orgon, the master of the manor, he is the epitome of piousness, yet to his family, he is nothing more than a vagabond taking advantage of people’s good nature.


 


With his reputation tainted and restored at every turn in the opening scene, the audience is eager to pass their own judgement on Tartuffe but his stalled introduction to the stage acts as a clever device to build the mystery.


 


Orgon’s mind is possessed by Tartuffe and he intends his daughter Mariane to marry him (though she’s already promised to wed Valère), and he even signs over the deeds of his estate to the former beggar. 


 


The cheeky glint in Tartuffe’s eyes when he makes his grand entrance further enforces his view of ‘a secret sin is no sin at all’ as he commits the ultimate betrayal by confessing his love to Orgon’s wife Elmire. 


 


When the family try to expose his scheming nature, the play comes over a little ‘carry on’ as they hide behind curtains and under tables to catch him out. 


 


But once his deceit is unveiled to Orgon, it’s too late as the family’s ordered out of the estate which now belongs to Tartuffe. 


 


At each stage, Dorine the maid oversteps the boundaries of her role but gains the trust of the audience as she gives each member of the family honest advice with a touch of flirtatious charm. Played by Katherine Rodden, she was the unexpected the star of the show.


 


Jeremy Gagan convincingly plays Tartuffe and his command of expression in scenes of deceit against those highlighting his virtue are performed with charisma.


 


A modern adaptation by Paradigm Theatre Company of the 17th Century theatrical comedy by Molière, Tartuffe was presented in the intimate surroundings of the Canal Café Theatre in Little Venice. 


 Dorine and Mariane


The audience seating area is cleverly used as an extension of the stage, with the characters often mingling among the crowd and eavesdropping on the conversations taking place just overhead.


 


With a comedic value in the form of Dorine, the betrayal of a committed friend and with a heart-warming twist at the end, Tartuffe (artistically directed by Sarah Pitard and directed by Cat Robey) ticks all the boxes. And by no means a criticism, the cast should possess a little more confidence to balance their abilities.


 


Tartuffe runs till Sat 27 Apr 2013, with tickets for the 7pm show Tue-Sat costing £12 and for the 3pm Sat performance, it’s £10. To book tickets, visit www.canalcafetheatre.com and for more information, visit www.paradigmtheatrecompany.co.uk. 


Photo credit: Jon Bradshaw






					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Thatcherism:  The Ideology that Broke Britain.

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
margaretthatcher


The passing of Margaret Thatcher, who died on Monday aged 87, isn’t a time for rejoicing – even for those of us on the left, writes Tim Austin.  It’s a time for reflection and action.


While there can be an understandable feeling of jubilation in the communities that suffered horrendous poverty, persecution and unemployment as the result of the policies enacted by Maggie, I feel that celebrating her passing would do far more harm than good.


Quite beyond the crass tastelessness of finding joy the death of a frail old lady with Alzheimer’s (and I honestly believe that we should show compassion, even to our enemies), there is a danger of handing a moral “high ground” to those people who still see her as a saint.  It’d be a Thatcherite tabloid field day:  open season on the “loony left” and the “wet liberal mob”.


As someone who honestly detests the failed ideology of those currently holding the reins, it is not a backlash that I’d welcome – especially if we’re to get this country back on its feet.


So what should our response be?  Should we remain silent, contrite and “well behaved”?


Not quite.


For the right wing media are already playing a game that I find equally distasteful: the attempted deification of the “Iron Lady” and a shameless astro-turfing the social damage she did.  And I don’t think that this should stand.


David Cameron has already come out swinging, harping on about how Thatcher “Saved Britain”, a cry that has been welcomed as some kind of biblical truth by writers at the Daily Mail.


Now, while the country was certainly in a fairly poor state in 1979 and many of her policies (the privatisation of heavy industry and the winding down of the coal pits) were, with hindsight, inevitable, it was her callous disregard of the social consequences that will always stick in my mind.


A little careful planning, an injection of cash into areas set to be decimated, and a longer-term approach to the winding down of those industries, giving time for communities to adjust and survive, would’ve made all the difference.  But her ideology – the ruthless, black and white, survival of the fittest ideal – wouldn’t allow it.  The resultant devastation and social upheaval is still being felt today:  the underclass of benefits dependency, the ghettoised communities, one of Europe’s worst levels of social mobility and a general feeling of desperation in areas that were once hard-working and proud.


The people who live with Thatcher’s ruthless and callous legacy wouldn’t agree that she “Saved Britain” – she certainly didn’t save it for them.


And let’s not forget the further ideology that she introduced: Thatcherism – the creed of greed.


With the wholesale deregulation of the financial sector and the selling off of social housing stock, she created a credit bubble that taught the nation that it was their inalienable right to have whatever they wanted, without consequence.  And rather than recognising that this was unsustainable, as we’ve now painfully discovered, she spurred it on, lauding the rich and promoting an ideal that money, in of itself, was the new measure of wealth.  No longer would wealth be measured by happiness or community or self respect or the care you show to your fellow man – it’d be measured in greed.


After all “There’s no such thing as society”, right?


And even now, after being hit by 3 harsh recessions when boom crashed down into the inevitable bust, it is still this ideal that politicians continue to follow – growth comes from consumption, growth will make you happy, it is your duty to make yourself richer and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably a commie.  I see these sentiments daily in political sound-bites and the right wing media opinion-pieces.  Thatcherism is still very much alive and kicking.


And has it worked?  No.  We’ve now got some of the worst working wages in the developed world, as the more selfish among us follow through on the Thatcherite ideal – profit first, people second, make me rich and that’s all that matters.  We’ve seen the financial services gamble with pension funds and crush entire currencies, throwing tens of millions of honest working people into poverty. And worse, we’ve seen the victimisation of the poor in society as “scroungers” and “cheats”, because clearly they’re just not trying hard enough, are they?


We’ve become a far more cynical, more selfish, more divided and less compassionate nation than we were before the Thatcherite social experiment began.  If our society is “broken”, as the Tories delight in reminding us, it’s because Thatcherism broke it – and more Thatcherism sure ain’t going to fix it!


So maybe now isn’t the time to celebrate in Thatcher’s death but we cannot let her mistakes pass history by.


If you agree with me, make your voices heard.  Take this time to argue the case for a progressive alternative.  Remind everyone who holds Margaret Thatcher up as an icon, that her policies, rhetoric and ideology, while making them and their rich friends vast fortunes, have, ultimately, left this nation a much, much poorer place to live.


Just show a little class while you’re at it, eh?

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
The Shining Girls Book Review + 5 Copies To Giveaway

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
					


				

			
shininggirlsThe Shining Girls is a book about a serial killer who kills girls who shine. One by one they die, but not Kirby. The heroine of the story is a courageous, feisty girl who survives a vicious attack and then hunts down the man who tried to kill her. Kirby is definitely one of the most ballsy fictional heroines for a long time. You could imagine her teaming up with Lisbeth Salander. She is brave and as witty as she is determined to bring the man who tried to kill her and killed her dog to justice. (don’t be thrown about the dog, it is a heartwarming and sad part of the story. You will fall in love with the dog)


Harper Curtis, a violent and arrogant killer, stumbles across a house that opens up into other times, allowing him to visit his victims as children, teenagers and women. He murders them in a horrendous way across the decades. He is a skilled killer without mercy. He thinks he is invincible and undetectable, but is he a match for Kirby?


Kirby teams up with Dan, an ex-homicide journalist who investigated her attempted murder. He is burnt out and jaded. Covering sport instead when Kirby becomes his intern for a college credit. They make an unlikely pair but they are a great team. Kirby’s mother Rachel is another brilliant character.


This well written, pacy book was hard to put down. Written by Lauren Beukes who won the coveted Arthur C. Clarke Award for her visionary novel Zoo City in 2011. The Shining Girls crosses over a few genres and manages to do them all flawlessly. Crime meets thriller meets science fiction.


Beukes is an incredibly talented writer. It seems obvious to say a writer is good at putting sentences together, but some are better than others. The book is obviously well researched with wonderful gems of information and character observation throughout.


The killings in the book are quite horrific so the book may not be for the faint-hearted. The fact that the book is fiction does not make Harper Curtis any less terrifying. The Shining Girls is a very original book. An exceptional example of thriller writing.


Frost Magazine has five copies of The Shining Girls to giveaway. To win just follow @Frostmag on Twitter and Tweet, ‘I want to win #TheShiningGirls with @Frostmag’. Alternatively like us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter. Good luck.


 




The girl who wouldn’t die, hunting a killer who shouldn’t exist…


Lauren Beukes’ ‘The Shining Girls’ is out on Thursday 25 April. You can buy it here.


Sponsored Post