Furious Folly by Mark Anderson

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Furious Folly, created by Mark Anderson, takes place as night falls in a no-man’s land on the battle front. Audiences of up to 2,000 people per night find themselves immersed within an open-air collage of sound, light, pyrotechnics and performance.

Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, Furious Folly is one of 27 new commissions exploring how the Great War has impacted on the society we live in now.

Anderson, a specialist in multi-media and site specific performance leads a team of artists, who draw on the anti-war spirit of the early 20th Century Dadaist movement. Furious Folly challenges the inhumanity and senselessness of conflicts past and present.

 

Twice Turner Prize-nominated artist Richard Wilson, who has collaborated with Anderson on a number of projects, comments, Anderson has spent his professional career creating audio visual alchemy that uses light, heat, vibrations, electricity, oscillating chemicals and paraphernalia to dazzle our eyes and startle our imaginations. 

This immersive experience will take place in Oxford, Birmingham and Stockton – all chosen for particular local resonances with World War I and the themes of the show.

Created at 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space. Produced by Corn Exchange Newbury and OCM in association with Oxford Playhouse, Birmingham Hippodrome, Oxford Festival of the Arts and Stockton International Riverside Festival. Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and Stad Poperinge.

Furious Folly by Mark Anderson 17th – 18th June. School Field, Magdalen College School, Cowley Pl, Oxford OX4 1DZ

8th – 9th July Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham

4th – 5th August 2016 Preston Park, Stockton on Tees

Free but must be reserved in advance

https://www.1418now.org.uk/commissions/furious-folly/

 

 

Moment of Despair by Jenny Falcon

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Moment of Despair by Jenny FalconpoemI know nothing of their lives

They know nothing of mine

I can try to imagine

They cannot even begin……

Big, beautiful beseeching eyes

Searching for comfort

Yearning without knowing it

For a life they will never have

Not without the love of parents,

Struggling to keep them alive

Beyond indignation, too tired

To question their destiny

Too hot, too cold, too hungry

No strength to play, to laugh

Just misery is the norm

How can this be? – what shame

Completely helpless I observe

Desperate to end their pain

Knowing with grim certainty

It would take a miracle

As Western life envelops

I know it can’t be right

The help that is in place

Will never ever be enough

I want to see them smile

Not in a newsreel pose

But with the joy of a child

Carefree, hopeful, cherished

I want them all to know

They have done nothing wrong

The world does not condemn

Their fragile innocence

Captain America: Civil War Film Review

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_1453319820Based on the 2006 Marvel Comics crossover storyline Civil War is perhaps one of most adventurous pieces of comic book fare to be brought to the big screen. Based one year after the last Avengers movie; Age of Ultron and the colossal damages that occurred within all the previous cities the United Nations is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords; an international governing body to monitor and police the rapidly growing superhuman population. The team is divided; Tony Stark supports oversight because he feels responsible for creating Ultron and for the destruction the android brought to Sokovia, while Rogers is distrustful of any government having control over them and wishes the Avengers to remain free to act of their own accord. When the Winter Solider reappears accused of another assassination Iron Man leads the charge forcing Captain America to choose a side. This leads to Civil War; a war within.

Featuring almost every Avenger (with the exception of Thor and Hulk) in addition to new characters like Spider-Man and returning supporting characters like General Ross this film should perhaps be re-named Avengers 2.5. It seems like this year when it comes to comic book adaptions it is all about the showdown between big superheroes and sprawling cataclysmic battles. No doubt comparisons will be eagerly made between this and the previously released Superman Versus Batman with fanboys clamouring either side to say which one is best. Civil War has been released with far less fanfare than its DC counterpart, but like the good old Captain America quiet confidence is perhaps what makes it so great. I’ll settle the scrap now; in my humble opinion Civil War is a better film.

There are a number of advantages that Civil War has over its Dawn of Justice rival. First is the fact that Marvel has spent numerous movies developing each and every character in the build up to this showdown and most of the characters have had their own films (or significant pieces within) to develop. In the run up to seeing the film, my friends and I were enthusiastically discussing which Marvel films we liked the most; some liked Iron Man, some liked Captain America, some liked Thor. Although film-wise there have been a couple of misses, what is undeniable is that Marvel has been successful in creating movie comic book characters that are semi-independent of each other, films that have their own valid personality and structure. Indeed, you can almost be divided over the movies like you could be the comic books. How that translates into Civil War is that less time needs to be dedicated showing their back stories (parents murdered or motivating tragedies) and secondly we have already come to know the characters as multi-faceted beings through their own movies which makes the ultimate show down far more complex than simply choosing a side. Tony Stark; the narcissistic billionaire but an individual always touched by the plight of the weak and defenceless versus Captain America a soldier who fights for freedom but has increasingly become disillusioned by the corruption he has witnessed. In Civil War the fights are gruelling but not gratuitous, no one wants to hurt each other but they will for what they believe in and ultimately they do.

Sadly, Civil War does suffer from a long build up, yes there is action but like Dawn of Justice it spends a long time getting you to see the story from both sides and introducing you to the new characters. But what a line up it is, in addition to Robert Downey Junior’s incredible Iron Man (let’s face it; there could only ever be one Iron Man) and Chris Evan’s one and only Captain America, we have Chadwick Boseman making his debut as an impressive Black Panther, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and the all new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland.  I have to say I was a bit worried about the new wall crawler’s debut (I think we are on its third iteration within ten years) but with all honesty I think he was one of the many highlights and what he brought to the film was a much needed comedic boost to alleviate the movie’s more serious themes of lost friendship and broken trust. With Spider-Man a part of this film the credibility was seriously boosted in a way that perhaps only Wolverine could to a Hulk film. Overall then if you are a fan of Marvel, this film will excite and meet many if not all of your expectations. But we warned the ending is not a happy one. Last but not least there are two post credit scenes so stay until the very end.

O.k so my verdict:

Easily a 4 out of 5.

Under Italian Skies by Nicky Pellegrino Reviewed by Jan Speedie

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Under Italian Skies by Nicky Pellegrino, reviewed by Jan Speedie

It’s that time of year when thoughts turn to summer holidays. Nicky Pellegrino novel, Under Itlaian Skies y will surely put Southern Italy on your list of places to visit. Relax and let Nicky transport you there.
For the past 25 years Stella has worked for Milly Munro in her fashion business. Milly’s untimely death throws Stella’s well controlled life into confusion. At 49, Stella wonders what her future holds.
Following a chat with her friend, Birdie, Stella investigates the idea of a house swap to bring some changes to her life. Soon she swaps her small London flat for a beautiful old villa in Southern Italy (who wouldn’t).
At first it is very strange and a little lonely but as her confidence grows she makes friends in the village and so the fun begins.
Nicky Pellegrino has once again written a delightful, sensitive and fun story. It is clear she has a real love for Italy, so join her in her passion, immerse yourself in Italian village life.
Nicky Pellegrino now lives and works as a freelance journalist in New Zealand. She was born and brought up in Liverpool. Her father was Italian and they spent all their family holidays visiting Southern Italy. Her books are distributed in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and have been translated into 12 languages.

Published by Orion Publishing Group on 14th April 2016 at £12.99

 

 

How old is too old to have a baby? 44, according to British women

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how old is too old to have a baby? post natal depression, PND,How old do you think is too old for a woman to become a mother? Well new research conducted by the Private Pregnancy UK Show reveals that when it comes to having babies, British women believe that 44 is “too old” and should be the cut-off point. This is despite social factors such as focusing on careers and not finding the right partner, as well as advancements in medicine and science, playing crucial roles in the surge in older women having babies.

The research aims to start a debate on how far medical intervention and assisted conception can go in aiding women who wish to preserve their fertility or delay having children, as well as highlighting the need for increased fertility awareness for adult women and calls for sex education to include information on fertility options.

The five most cited reasons as to why women believe 44 should be the cut-off age are:
1.    It is unfair on the child to have old parents
2.    Increased likelihood of health complications like Down’s Syndrome for the child
3.    Women aged 50-plus should not be allowed fertility assistance via vitro fertilisation (IVF)
4.    Parents won’t live long enough to see the child grow up
5.    It is “unnatural” to have babies after that age

The research also reveals that almost three-quarters (74%) of women believe that there isn’t enough fertility education available for women about not “leaving it too late” to start a family, or the options now available to help preserve a woman’s fertility and likewise, to assist with conception. The majority of women (75%) questioned believe that the responsibility to educate women about these time-sensitive issues lies with government health officials.

Dr Amin Gorgy, fertility consultant and IVF specialist at The Fertility & Gynaecology Academy comments:

“The ideal age for women to become pregnant is in their twenties and early thirties. A woman’s fertility potential declines rapidly after the age of 35 and drops even faster after the age of 40. Indeed, successful egg freezing through vitrification has made it possible for women to postpone conception to later in life but as a society, we should be encouraging couples to have children at a younger age, in fact, I recommend that couples should aim to complete their families by the age of 35. There isn’t enough education available to women, many of whom still believe they can go on forever.

Theoretically, through egg donation and using eggs frozen at an earlier age, women can conceive at any age, in fact, the receptivity of the womb for implanting embryos declines only after the age of 54 but usually, we take 50 as the age limit for assisted conception and only under special circumstances will we consider someone beyond the age of 50. IVF must be put into perspective if used after the age of 35 as the chances of having a live birth with an IVF cycle declines dramatically with age, for example, there is a 20% success rate at the age of 40 which falls to just 1% above the age of 45.”

Dr Alex Eskander, consultant gynaecologist at The Gynae Centre comments:

“My feeling is that women in the UK enjoy much more the liberty, freedom and opportunity to further their careers over settling down to have children, the latter of which is now a thoroughly outdated concept of the traditional family.

I find the two key points of pressure for these women to have children come from their parents’ “need” to have grandchildren and a growing understanding of their biological clock. As a clinician, let’s be clear, I am not scare-mongering, it is a fact that ovarian function declines significantly from 30 years of age and even more sharply after 35 years.

I agree that 44 is too old for women to have children. From the ovaries standpoint, the number of eggs decline and the egg quality is poor. As a result, it is difficult to conceive and the conception maybe associated with a high rate of chromosome abnormalities and increased chances of miscarriage. From the mother’s standpoint, there is a high risk of hypertension, pre-eclampsia and caesarean section.

My advice for young women who may want to delay conception for any reason beyond the age of 35 is to seriously consider egg or embryo freezing (with donor sperm) as your “insurance policy””.

The two doctors will be joining a wider panel of experts who will be hosting this debate in a women’s healthcare Question Time seminar on Sunday 22 May at the Private Pregnancy UK Show.

For more information, please visit www.privatepregnancy.co.uk

 

 

Super Luxury at the London Motor Show

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IMG_0114When I got to the London Motor Show, I started rummaging around in my pockets. No, I couldn’t afford the £600,000 for the Speedback GT by David Brown or the £250,000 for the Noble supercar. I realised that I would have to go back home in exactly the same way as I’d arrived: by public transport.

The London Motor Show is a great opportunity to see some wonderful cars. It’s a relatively small event – not like the major shows at Geneva and Frankfurt where the display halls are filled with hundreds upon hundreds of cars and where all the major manufacturers are out in force.

IMG_0119The London show probably has only 150 cars, but it’s cheap to visit (£10) and it has some exciting new offerings and plenty of people desperate to talk to motoring aficionados (or petrol-heads as they’re often known) and discuss specifications, engine sizes and prices. If you like cars, it’s a good place to be.

There were relatively few small family cars – the show seems to be more about recreational driving and the luxury end of the market. However there were some nice offerings. Ford was unveiling its new luxury 4 wheel drive car – The Edge (top left). And MG, -now making cars in Shanghai, unveiled the new GS – another luxury 4 wheel drive. Both of these – aimed unashamedly at the luxury urban driver – attracted a lot of attention. Ford and MG have yet to set a price for these cars.

IMG_0117A couple of attractive smaller cars, were turning heads at the event. The Alfa Romeo Spyder (above) is a light sports car that in its various incarnations has been in production for around 50 years. The new Spyder C4 has a carbon fibre body and a top speed of 160mph. The top of the range model has a price tag of almost £70,000. It’s ideal for people who’ve just been through a messy divorce, sold the family house and want to recapture their youth.

Rather more interesting is the Fiat Abarth 695 (above right), which looks like an ordinary Fiat 500, except that its souped-up engine can go at 143mph and it has a price tag of £33,000. It’s a stylish piece of engineering.

The show has very little by way of catering facilities: you can’t get much more than a coffee. But it is in Battersea Park, which is very beautiful, has a great view of the river and is just a short walk from the Kings Road in Chelsea, which has no shortage of great places to eat. When I visited, the organisers believed that the show would be completely sold out, so do check before you go.

Notonthehighstreet.com launch first Open Door event

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To celebrate their 10th Anniversary, our favourite online one-stop gift shop are treating us to a very exciting new venture. They are set to take over Spitalfields Market and transform it into a live and interactive shopping experience. Join them for Partner Workshops, demonstrations and food tastings and of course shop, shop, shop ’til you drop some of the UK’s best small creative businesses.

Not only will you be able to meet the people behind some of your favourite products, many of them will be looking for volunteers to make this an all encompassing, interactive experience. We’re sure our highlights will definitely include;

Naked Marshmallow; where the team behind Naked Marshmallow will be giving you the chance to toast your own marshmallows.

and…

Nia Tudor; talented illustrator Nia will be on hand to create some lucky visitors there very own personalised portraits.

As well as a host of other exciting things they have planned, it’s set to be well worth a visit.

Notonthehighstreet.com Open Door;

Friday 12-7pm

Saturday 10-6pm
Sunday 10-5pm

Old Spitalfields Market

Nearest Tube: Liverpool St

Top Tips on Reducing Sore Muscles after Your Workout

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Whether you’re a Gym Bunny or a Fitness Newbie, you may have heard the term DOMs floating around the gym a fair few times. Yes, that achy feeling you get the day after a workout when you can’t go down the stairs without assistance or as I like to call it, a Muscle Hangover. As a Personal Trainer, this has become a word engrained into my vocabulary on a daily basis and for numerous reasons. Top of the list is that it is the number one excuse from clients, especially beginners to training who complain this is why they no longer wish to carry on with their workout regime and on the flip-side, others claim to be not working hard enough if they don’t have DOMs. So let’s debunk DOM’s or as it is more widely recognised, ‘Delayed Onset of Muscles Soreness.’

Firstly, DOMs can occur anywhere and to anyone no matter how experienced or beginner you are. Some can’t live with it, some swear by it, in any case, if you have been recently exposed to unfamiliar or intense physical activity, chances are you will experience this soreness. Let us dispel the myth that this is a build up of lactic acid in the muscles, that’s generally not the case and even so, does this really answer your question as to what DOMs are and how to get rid of it? Probably not. So let me start with an explanation which is easier to digest, DOMs appear to be the product of inflammation caused by connective tissue micro trauma, the small tears we make in our muscles when training. This in turn can be productive if you’re trying to build your muscle groups however, extreme soreness can also be counterproductive and hinder your training abilities… in training much like your diet, there is an everything in moderation approach. Despite the fact that we may not be able to get rid of DOMs completely we can certainly help to reduce them and with summer coming up and many a marathon to be run, we popped in for a masterclass with Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel and Top YouTube expert Lucy Wyndham-Read, to provide us some much needed muscle relief tips.

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Cool down stretches are a must and exercise expert Lucy Wyndham-Read advises us on a few crucial cool down stretches.

IT band stretch – It’s very important to carry out this stretch after exercising as it helps to realign the body and avoid the risk of injury. Stand up straight with one leg crossed over the other and then lean towards the top leg. You will feel a stretch along the side of the other leg, so hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite leg. Remember to breathe deeply the whole time.

Hip flexor stretch – This stretch is similar to a lunge but requires you to leave your knee on the floor with your opposite foot out in front. Make sure your hips are aligned, pointing straight ahead to avoid any rotation in the pelvis. Press the toes on your back foot into the ground as well as your knee and your front foot to activate the lateral hip stabilisers. Hold for a minute and then repeat on the other side.

Sitting calf stretch – Sit on the floor with one leg straight out in front of you. Place a towel around your foot and gently pull your toes towards you until you feel a stretch in your calf. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. You can also rub Nelsons arnicare arnica Cooling Gel into your muscle, as it contains grapefruit and menthol which help to cool and revive.

Standing calf stretch – This is a classic stretch for the calf muscle which is ideal for doing after you’ve worked on your legs. Stand facing the wall, just under arms distance away from it. Hold your arms out in front of you and place your palms against the wall. Keep your feet parallel and take one leg back as if about to lunge. Bend your front knee and press through your back heel. Hold for approx 30 seconds and then switch legs.

And if you want to stretch along with Lucy, check out her YouTube channel;

 

As well as stretching, you can also help to reduce DOMS by using soothing creams or gels. We recommend specially formulated Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel. This non greasy formula is ideal for massaging into tired legs after a workout combining the natural benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of grapefruit oil and menthol to cool and soothe the skin. We just loved taking the time out to pay our body some much needed stress relief and being allowed to indulge in a little massage after a heavy workout to relieve our tired limbs.

Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel is priced at £5.40 for 30g and is available from Holland & Barrett, Superdrug, Boots and Amazon. Visit Arnicare for more information.

So no more excuses guys. Don’t forget your stretches, arm yourself with Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel and love your workout.