Spare me the Truth by C J Carver Reviewed by Margaret Graham

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Simon Kernick says of this novel ‘it is right up there with the best.’ So is it?

I have become a picky reader. I become impatient at any hint of sloppiness by an author, my attention is on the whole, increasingly hard to hold. So is Simon right?

Yep, I couldn’t put Spare me the Truth down. I read until too late at night, which made me grumpy, but I picked it up again as soon as I could.

Spare me the Truth is clever. As an author myself I could imagine the intricacies of the plotting as Dan Forrester is approached in a supermarket by a woman to tells him everything he remembers about his life – and his son – is a lie. We are in Dan’s point of view, his body, and are rocked as he is by this news. We know nothing more than Dan. Is this a lunatic? Or is there something nudging at his memory.

We are led into the point of view of Stella Reavey who has so unsettled Dan, and begin to see that there is indeed something strange about Dan, some other life. What on earth has he done? Is he good or bad? And what about his wife? Is she who she seems?

We are as lost as Dan, but such is the writing that rather than feel confused and irritated, the reader totally buys into the mystery.

Then enter another character enters – stage left. , Grace Reavey who is Stella’s daughter, a doctor who has plans for her life, plans which are superseded by this tangled web that wraps itself around her, when her mother dies. Who is good, who is bad we ask again, and the what hell is going on?

A policewoman becomes involved, Lucy Davies – such a fascinating and complex character who shoves the book along.

This is a confident thriller, one that is written by an author who has a unique voice, a magical plotting ability, and a clarity of presentation that keeps us fully on track. I felt there was room for a series here. I do hope that is planned.

Brilliant. Read it, and lose yourself, and be glad you live in a simpler world.

Spare me the Truth Published by Zaffre, established in 2014 by Quercus founder Mark Smith. Available in paperback £7.99

ISABEL UPs & DOWNs | Down Syndrome Artist Uses Art To Cope, Brother Gets Her In Galleries

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Sibling love is a beautiful thing. Isabel, a 33-year-old talented artist with Down Syndrome, has had her work displayed in galleries thanks to her brother Ryan. Isabel has used art to cope with her condition. Here is her story in the words of her brother.

“Isabel started painting as part of her therapy to battle depression and through this we noticed that she really has a talent for it. My family and I were concerned when she stopped painting, so I basically just shot my mouth off and promised her that’d I’d get her artworks seen in a gallery in London.

So, I started sending out emails with high res snaps of Isabel’s works and eventually she was selected for an exhibition at the Menier Gallery in London Bridge. Through this, two other galleries have offered exhibition space. Until a few years ago she was a bubbly, outgoing young woman Recently, her mental state has deteriorated substantially and she has been fighting a string of terrible behavioural patterns like obsessional washing, self-harming and now has a severe depression along with very low levels of self-esteem. My mother takes her to a psychiatrist once a week and painting forms a substantial part of the therapy. Through this we discovered Isabel’s passion and talent. Unfortunately, Isabel thinks that there is no point in her continuing to paint, since nobody will ever appreciate or look at the works of a Down syndrome person. I am determined not to let her talent go to waste and to show her that there is an audience out there. To motivate her to carry on, I promised that I’d find a way of getting her work seen in galleries and this has become a huge source of motivation and joy for her.”

Ryan has already succeeded in helping Isabel, who lives in Berlin. Why not give your support? Click on the links below to get involved.

facebook.com/isabelupsdowns

http://www.isabel-ups-downs.org/index.html

The Queens Award for Enterprise 2016 has been awarded to the fabulous charity Forces Support

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Margaret Graham

A charity much admired by Frost is Forces Support which supports families who have lost a loved one in Afghanistan. The brilliant news is that to coincide with The Queen’s Birthday, they have been awarded with the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise 2016 in the Innovation Category, for their innovative approach to supporting bereaved military families.

Founded by father and son, Bill and Billy McCance, the charity has a national support team helping about 80 families a year, and is supported by 22 shops throughout Britain. It is such a simple idea, isn’t it, to provide families with Remembrance areas, children’s play areas, and playrooms, garden and household maintenance when they are reeling with grief. It is simple yes, but inspired. Just imagine hearing the news that your husband or father has been killed and you need to move from a quarter into a new house when you are bereft and feeling helpless. Or if it is your son… Where can you go for solace?

Forces Support helps to ease the way along the rocky path of grief and adjustment. It creates a peaceful area, or decorates a house so that is fit to live in.

The charity funds the support they give through the profits from their furniture shops, making the charity self-sufficient and sustainable, and support also comes from donations.

This award is utterly deserved, and Bill and Billy, and all the builders, maintenance personnel and apprentices who help the families of service personnel should feel enormously proud of their efforts. Wonderful thought the Award is, work, of course, will continue unabated, as they have a waiting list of 8 months and more will be added to this, with each passing day.

There is no rest for Forces Support, because the need continues.

www.forcessupport.org.uk

Paint By Pixie Lott Hair Hi-Light Pen Review

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

The fashion for pastel hair shows no sign of waning and now Pixie Lott has joined in the fun. Singer/ songwriter and style icon Pixie Lott has delved into the world of beauty with her first range of hair products – a fun, commitment-free range of wash out, head-turning hair colours, which include Hair Chalks, Metallic Sprays and Wash Out Hair Colours.

I tried out the Hair Hi-Light Pen (£2.99). It is available in pink and blue. The packaging is great and fun. The pens are easy to use and give a good colour. You can see how the pink looks on my dark hair. You can change the look: applying lots for pink streaks or applying lightly for highlights. The pens can be used on wet or dry hair and then set with hairspray. When you are bored of it, simply wash it out. Simple, fun AND it looks great. The pen has a fine tip with wind up action which allows accurate application. I’m sold.

Also available:

Wash Out Hair Colour (£5.99)

Soft, luscious colour giving subtle pastel hues allowing you to flirt with your new hair colour then simply wash it out! Available in Sorbet – the perfect pastel pink, Hawaii – an ice blue, Starlight – a chic, silvery grey and Violet – a subtle but stunning purple, these pastel wash out hair colours are easy to use and wash out after 2-10 washes. Wash Out Hair Colour also contains ‘Fade Out’ shampoo to control the shade in order to create your perfect look.

Hair Colour Chalks (£4.99 per pack)

Available in six different bright colours; dark blue, light blue, green, yellowand orange these hair colouring chalks allows easy application of colour and are a handy size for a variety of styling and shading. Ideal to switch up your look for a night out, girl’s holiday, festival or even if you’re just in need of a temporary reinvention.

Spray On Colour (£3.99)

This easy-to-use compressed glitter spray, available in Silver or Gold, will help you achieve party hair in one simple step and also washes out easily the next day.

Pixie Lott comments; “I love experimenting with my hair, so selected some colours I thought would be fun to try and would look brilliant at festivals, at a party or even just to mix it up a bit when you’re bored with your colour.”

Twitter/Instagram: @PixieLott / @PixieLottPaint
The Pixie Lott Paint range is available at Superdrug stores and Superdrug.com

The Nation’s Cleaning Habits: Are We As Clean As We Think We Are?

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Frostie

Would you consider yourself to be a ‘clean’ person? Well, cleaning and hand wash product manufacturer Method UK has recently revealed the nation’s grimy habits and it looks like we aren’t as clean as we perhaps thought we were. It would appear that as a nation we have quite a few dirty little secrets and many of us take shortcuts when it comes to cleaning.

The survey of 1,000 people aged 18-40 found that 20% aren’t ashamed to dig something out of the dirty washing pile if they don’t have a shirt to wear to work and some of us will even go shopping for new clothes simply to avoid doing the ironing.

The survey also found that 13% of the UK only clean their bathrooms twice a year and fifth of us spend more time organising our wardrobes than we do cleaning. However, a quarter said they will always tidy when they know they have guests coming over. It would also appear 14% never wash their hands before eating and 15% of us are quite happy to eat off the floor – hopefully not when those guests are over!

But, 90% of those surveyed believed they had a valid reason for their uncleanliness, blaming it on the fact they simply do not have enough time to do it. Does that sound like you? As much as you hate to admit it you probably do have a few of these dirty habits – but what can you do about it if you don’t have any spare time?

Well, why not let the professionals do the hard work for you? 25% of those taking part said that their cleaner was more important to them than their doctor, dentist or hairdresser. With the arrival of spring why not check out what a service like Molly Maid Spring Cleaning can do for you – they might just be able to help you avoid a few of these:

Britain’s top ten most surprising dirty little secrets include:

Running out of clean underwear and going commando
Using a hairdryer to dust
Noticing a lipstick stain on a ‘clean’ wine glass and wiping it off with a finger
Leaving the bed sheets for more than six months before washing them
Following the five second rule and eating food that has fallen on the floor
Eating from the same plate at dinner that was used at lunchtime
Never washing hands before eating
Hiding mess away in cupboards rather than clearing up
Buying new clothes to avoid doing the ironing
Cleaning the house in the nude

If you have nodded your way through this post and got to the end thinking that perhaps you are not as clean as you thought at the beginning, then it may be time to make a few changes! With the arrival of spring what better time to make that change and start with a major spring clean – if you don’t want to do it yourself, call in the professionals and let them do it for you!

By Patrick Vernon.

The Prime Minister Who Dodged Tax

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

I know what you are thinking. It’s Dave, right? Well, no. There is no evidence Prime Minster David Cameron has avoided tax. Not so one of his predecessors. In fact, one of the most well thought of Prime Ministers earned a fortune and used his power to dodge tax.

Winston Churchill made a substantial amount of money but he conspired with the chairman of the Inland Revenue to cut his tax bill. The Inland Revenue have two thick files on Churchill, but no one found out about his tax dodging when Churchill was alive. In fact, the only newspaper I have read about it in is the amazing Sunday Times. In an article written by David Lough, author of No More Champagne: Churchill And His Money.

You only have to read Churchill’s archive to find out that Churchill was not as patriotic as one would think. He was happy to pay tax for the first 40 years of his life, even supporting Lloyd George’s introduction of a super-tax. But as soon as he was rich enough to be affected by it he seemed to change his mind.

When Churchill was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1924 he owed £400,000 in todays money but could not pay. He personally called on the Inland Revenue Chairman Richard Hopkins who sorted the issue out for him. Hopkins went off and found out that if Churchill retired as an author on the last day of the tax year, fees paid the following year could be treated as capital receipts not income. Capital receipts were not taxed. Churchill did so.

This was not the last time he called Hopkins to his office and Churchill resumed writing. He dodged much more tax and the Inland Revenue barely put up a fight. In 1945 he made £6 million from selling film rights to his books, all of which went untaxed. The IRS would not have any of it however, and Churchill’s executors had to settle with the American tax authorities after his death.

What do you think? Did you know that Churchill dodged tax?

Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Review

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

When the press release for Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction foundation landed in our inbox we thought it looked interesting. Vichy Dermablend are known for their market-leading formulas which correct skin complaints like rosacea, redness, scarring and vitiligo. Their new Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction promises to turn 3D imperfections into 2D. It is a gel which, according to Vichy, ‘unfolds like a second skin, only even smoother, and more beautiful’.

Here is our verdict:

“The texture of the foundation feels nice. It is a gel and smooths on well. Since being sent the foundation to review my skin has had its first breakout in years. I am not sure what set my skin off, but the foundation does cover any redness and also smooths out open pores. The colour I review is nude but my skin is pale and it is too dark. The colour is also a bit too beige for my white skin. I have this problem a lot with foundation so I cannot blame Vichy, I have just spent my life wearing high SPF and keeping out of the sun.

Despite the issue with the colour, it does cover well. Smoothing out the complexion, covering spots and eliminating redness. It does this without being too heavy. It looks like skin instead of makeup. You also only need to use a little for good coverage. A fine layer will do all you need and it leaves skin looking fresh. It is available in five shades so I would go with the next colour down. It still leaves my skin looking clear, even and a little tan. It also has an SPF 25 which I consider essential in products (note: pale skin!) Recommended.”

Transform the appearance of acne-prone skin with the Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation SPF25, a corrective resurfacing base that provides high coverage and an ultra-matte finish.

The Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation SPF25 takes coverage to the next level, smoothing the skin’s surface to minimise the appearance of imperfections. Enriched with salicylic acid and eperulin, the oil-free foundation will work to visibly reduce the appearance of imperfections day-after-day.

In just a single application, the texture of the complexion will appear smoother thanks to a texture innovation, AlliagelTM. The formula’s pigments and soft focus agents cover and blur imperfections like a second skin, for a natural result and comfortable wear that lasts for up to 16 hours.

Available in five shades, the lightweight foundation is perfect for those that want to correct their skin’s texture and colour, providing coverage that does more than just camouflage.

Available from feelunqiue.com Boots.com and Boots nationwide.

Snake Oil or Medicine? by Dr Kathleen Thompson

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Frostie

Every day we read on the Internet, in newspapers or in magazines about wonder drugs. With all these miracle cures around it is surprising that so many of us still suffer illness. Surely we just need to pop one of these pills and all will be well?

But maybe, just maybe, some of these potions can’t cure cancer, can’t make people with arthritis dance in the streets and can’t make you lose ten inches off your waist-line in a week?

If you have incurable cancer, or constant arthritic pain, you wouldn’t want to miss a useful treatment. So how can you know whether claims are genuine or snake oil?

Approved medicines are tested in numerous clinical studies, usually in thousands of people. Study data are scrutinised by regulatory authorities (FDA in USA and EMA in Europe) before doctors can prescribe them. Thus there is firm evidence that they work, and a great deal is known about side-effects or safety issues.

However, anything can be advertised on the Internet – Google has no truth filter. Impressive-sounding study results may not be scientifically sound. So here are some clues to help you assess them (See Table):

1. Has the ‘medicine’ been tested against placebo (dummy medicine)? If people believe they are receiving a beneficial treatment, they often feel better, regardless. Most studies should include some patients who only receive placebo, to make sure any benefit is due to the real medicine.

2. Measures of benefit (endpoints) should be chosen before a study starts. Eg an influenza medicine may measure fever. If fevers don’t improve, one can’t then change the endpoint to, say, sore throat, just because these improved more. Some symptoms will improve by coincidence, and it isn’t valid to cherry-pick the best results. This is often done in unregulated ‘studies’ and can make a treatment look better than it is.

3. Always check how many people were tested. If a study only had two patients, and one received real medicine and one placebo, even if the patient on the real medicine did better, it could have been due to chance. Statisticians calculate how many patients are needed to give a reliable result. Unregulated studies rarely include enough people.

Unapproved studies are not always checked, so there is more opportunity to ‘cheat’—results may be changed, ‘patients’ invented, or data from any patients who didn’t improve may be removed. Where the study was performed, and by who, may give reassurance on this, or not.

A respectable study will be written up as a report, and will be published in a good scientific journal. Be careful though – some ‘journals’ have impressive titles but are not what they seem. You can check them on Cite Factor (see below) to be sure.

I hope this helps you decide what you can believe. If in doubt, do ask your doctor’s opinion. And remember, if something seems to good to be true – then it may well be exactly that.

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co,uk

Further information:

http://www.citefactor.org

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/info/understand

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice

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