Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Banrock Station Creates The World’s First Living Billboard

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Blooming Lovely!

Shoppers in London were treated to quite a sight today, as a billboard made entirely of living flowers in support of Natural England was revealed outside the Westfield Shopping Centre.

The interactive board has been created by environmentally- focused wine brand Banrock Station to mark the launch of their new special edition wines, proceeds of which will help Banrock Station work with Natural England to preserve 2,100 acres of British wildflower meadows. The billboard, made up of over 800 native British plants and from 14 different species took over two months to grow and more than 12 hours to install.

Depicting a bottle of wine pouring out a fountain of flora, the sun, butterflies and bees have all been intricately detailed using a variety of beautiful blooms. An interactive pump features as part of the installation, allowing passers-by to adopt the brand’s ethos of ‘giving nature a helping hand’ by watering the flowers to help them grow.

The hope is that the board will highlight the crucial role wildflowers play in the eco-system, providing the nectar and pollen needed by vital wildlife to prosper and in turn pollinate up to one third of the food we eat.

The brand specifically supports causes that give something back to the earth and has backed almost 100 environmental projects since 1994. Through these special edition wines, Banrock Station is giving £30,000 to Natural England who will use the funds on their National Nature Reserves to help protect and enhance wildflower meadows across Britain.

Simon Huguet, Principal Adviser for National Nature Reserves at Natural England said: “We are delighted to work with Banrock Station and thrilled at their support for wildflower meadows on our National Nature Reserves. Home to many rare plants, traditional meadows provide vital habitat for birds, bees and small animals and are wonderful places to visit. In recent years they have become a rare sight across our countryside and it is great to see these special places getting a helping hand.”

Kate Thorn, Environment Manager at Banrock Station added: “We are always keen to support projects that share our philosophy of enhancing the natural environment and giving something back to nature. ‘Good Earth, Fine Wine’ is key to our philosophy so taking care of the environment is crucial to making our great wine. We understand how small changes to our land can have a big impact upon our environment and there seemed no better way to showcase the plight of the humble wildflower than by displaying these beautiful plants directly as part of our glorious living billboard.”

The billboard will remain on display for two weeks and, once removed, all the wildflowers will be replanted in local communities to ensure they continue to grow and flourish long after the activity is completed. The billboard structure is made of 80% recycled material and will also be reused for future projects, while the printed elements are all fully bio-degradable.

Phone Hacking: Goodman Letter Reveals 'Everyone Knew”

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Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and Andy Coulson face fresh embarrassment after an explosive letter from former News of the World Royal Correspondent, Clive Goodman was published today.

The four-year-old letter was only published on Tuesday, and it claims that phone hacking was “widely discussed” at editorial meetings at the News of the World until Andy Coulson banned any future references to them.

Goodman went on to claim that Coulson said he could keep his job if he agreed not to implicate the paper in court and that his hacking had “the full knowledge and support” of other senior journalists, who he named.

The Murdochs may now be recalled to parliament to give more evidence in the light of Goodman’s letter. Rupert Murdoch said that Andy Coulson knew nothing about the hacking during the hearing.

The letter was published by the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. One committee member, the Labour MP Tom Watson, said Goodman’s letter was “absolutely devastating.” He added: “Clive Goodman’s letter is the most significant piece of evidence that has been revealed so far. It completely removes News International’s defence. This is one of the largest cover-ups I have seen in my lifetime.”

Goodman’s letter is dated 2 March 2007, soon after he had served a four-month prison sentence. Addressed to News International’s Director of Human Resources, Daniel Cloke, Goodman writes: “This practice was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference, until explicit reference to it was banned by the editor.” He reveals that the paper’s then lawyer, Tom Crone, knew all the details of the case against him.

In another embarrassing allegation, he adds: “Tom Crone and the editor promised on many occasions that I could come back to a job at the newspaper if I did not implicate the paper or any of its staff in my mitigation plea. I did not, and I expect the paper to honour its promise to me.”

Prose & Cons Casting and Update

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Prose & Cons update….

So, we are on IMDB! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2014324/ We are really excited now. We are tweaking the script, casting actors, getting ready for a funding blitz. )If you would like to become a producer contact us at frostmagazine@gmail.com)

Lots of people have asked me about casting, and hundreds of people have already applied. I have put a few of the characters we are casting below, but there is more. Feel free to apply, and if you are a filmmaker or actor who has something worthy of being in our film section then email frostmagazine@gmail.com.

The film has no funding at the moment so it is completely a collaboration. No one is getting paid anything, however, if we get funding; you will be paid. I know its annoying but Richard and I are not rich so we can’t fund our own projects.

Thank you!

Company: Run Pictures Film Company

Production Name: Prose and Cons

Production Type: Film (Feature)

Location: London

Salary: Pay depends on whether we get funding!

Production Details: We are doing a feature film, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2014324/ It will be entered into festivals. We are trying to get funding but if we don’t we will be making it for no money, no one will be paid, we have cameras and location, etc, all for free.

We understand if this is not for you, but please realise that if we don get funding, it is not just the actors not getting paid.

Paula: female, artistic, good at writing poetry, agoraphobic, anti-social, melancholic, slightly unstable, has to be okay with not showering everyday and looking a bit dishevelled. We are flexible on age. Gender; female Min Age 29 Max Age 40

Spud: Sarah’s best friend: Description25-35, must be able to drive a car. No exceptions.

Spud (not her real name, she loves potatoes) is a screenwriter about to make it big and go to Hollywood. She is best friends with Sarah. Spud has an on/off thing with Jamie.

Jamie: Male, 25-39, eccentric, slightly dim but warm and loving. Terminally unemployed. Loves Spud.

Two Dog Walker: We need two dog walkers with good comedy reactions for one day filming. Any gender.

Sarah’s Publisher; any gender. 35-45. Literary agent. A little heartless.

George White; Male, 45-55, TV presenter, think Philip Scofield but arrogant. Or any American TV anchor.

Anna Whiteman ; 25-35, Female. TV Anchor/presenter. Presents own TV show with Matt. 25-35.

We have more roles to cast but that’s it for now.

Ealing Man Dies After Riot Attack, 22-Year-Old Arrested for Murder

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The Ealing resident who was left fighting for his life has died. Richard Mannington Bowes was attacked after trying to put out a fire near the Arcadia shopping centre and confronting rioters. A 22-year-old man has been arrested.

The 68-year-old suffered ‘severe’ head injuries and died last night. His next of kin has been informed. Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane, of the Met’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “This was a brutal incident that resulted in the senseless killing of an innocent man.”

“I still need the assistance of the community who may have witnessed the attack to come forward and provide information or images they may have recorded on mobile devices.

“This information could be crucial in catching his killer.”

Scotland Yard said that officers had given Mr Mannington Bowes first aid despite missiles being rained down on them.

Have Fun On The Cheap

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In this economical climate you would be foolish to pay full price for anything. However, it can be hard to find inexpensive stuff to do now that the recession has kicked in. The answer is to have fun on the cheap. There is still fun to be had, and relatively cheaply if you look around. Frost has done the searching for you and has come up with a number of things to do without breaking your budget.

You can buy Peter Pan Tickets. I have seen it and it is an amazing experience. If you are a sports fan you can get San Diego Chargers Tickets at a reasonable price. There are few things more fun than a night of American football.

If sport is not your thing, music fans can get Celine Dion Tickets
Celine is quite the performer and that will be an experience you will never forget. If Celine is not your cup of tea you can get Rascal Flatts Tickets

If you are feeling more cultured then you can get Trans-Siberian Orchestra Tickets cheaply.

Everyone deserves to have experiences they will never forget, so just buy them at a price you can afford. Have fun!

Riots Will cost Taxpayer £100 Million, Mark Duggan 'Did Not Fire at Police'.

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Mark Duggan ‘did not fire at police’

It has emerged that Mark Duggan had a blank-firing gun which had been converted to hold live ammunition

16,000 police on duty in London

England game against Netherlands at Wembley tomorrow called off

Jamie Olivier’s restaurant in Birmingham was targeted by rioters

Police Cells are now full and 44 more police officers have been injured

Three people arrested for attempted murder of police officer

Cost of cleaning up the riots could cost taxpayers £100 million

Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled Parliament for Thursday so he can make a statement

Sloane Square Tube station was among dozens that were closed last night during the rioting

Youths congregating at Piccadilly, riot police are there

People urged to stay indoors

In Clapham youths went on the rampage trashing dozens of shops and walking out stolen goods.
Residents complained that police were very slow to respond as a Debenhams store was ransacked.

This morning Clapham high street was cordoned off as a investigation and the clear-up got underway.

Rioting began in Hackney at about 4pm yesterday when hooded youths began hurling missiles at officers and setting fire to bins and cars. Masked rioters on BMX bicycles armed with batons attacked a crowded London bus during the evening rush-hour, chasing terrified commuters as they tried to escape.

Some of the thugs were as young as eight and they forced the driver to stop the double-decker by pelting it with champagne bottles stolen from a nearby Tesco. About 40 passengers ran away, some carrying their children.

Within hours similar scenes erupted in Lewisham, spreading to Peckham, Deptford and Croydon.
Hundreds of fires were started all over the capital, North London; Camden, Woolwich in the south, in West London; Ealing. People were forced to take the law into their own hands to protect themselves and their family.

In Dalston and Hackney, shopkeepers fought back against looting youths and protected their businesses. Surrounding areas were pillaged as members of the town’s large Turkish community stood up outside their homes and businesses to protect them.

Home Secretary Theresa May said this morning that there had been 450 arrests in the last two nights but she ruled out bringing in the Army and using water cannon. She told BBC Breakfast:

‘British policing has always meant and always depended on the support of local communities and that’s what we need now.’

She told Sky News the capital needed ‘robust policing’ – and claimed that police budget cutting had not had an impact on the violence.

‘Don’t let police budgets be used as an excuse for what is going on on our streets is sheer criminality and nothing else.’

Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP and former Army officer, hit out and told the Telegraph that tougher policing should be used.

He said: ‘I find it strange that we are willing to use these sort of measures against the Irish yet when Englishmen step out of line and behave in this atrocious and appalling way, we are happy to mollycoddle them.’

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh seemed to contradict the Home Secretary and said using the military had not been ruled out.

‘All options were discussed last night and that means, not that we’re doing it, the people of London need to know that the Commissioner and his management board team are considering everything and working through those options as we go forward,’ he told BBC Breakfast.

Mr Kavanagh said it was ‘a shocking and appalling morning for London to wake up to’ and he was struck by the ‘sheer scale and speed with which the attacks took place across London last night’. It ‘was truly unprecedented’

He said there was a ‘changing nature’ in the make-up of the rioters, with the profile changing ‘dramatically’ last night from 14 to 17-year-olds to ‘older groups in cars doing organised looting’.

He added: ‘And there was the far more focused attempt at injuring London Ambulance staff, there to help the community, trying to injure Fire Brigade officers and, of course, police officers.’

In Birmingham, West Midlands Police said it had made about 100 arrests and confirmed that a police station in Handsworth, Birmingham, was on fire. Merseyside Police said there were a number of incidents in South Liverpool and that cars had been set on alight.

Somerset Police reported 150 rioters were in Bristol city centre, with main roads closed and a number of shops damaged.

Councilors have said it will cost £227,000 to repair Tottenham

There is a brilliant article here on how the poverty these kids have is moral, not financial.http://www.thecommentator.com/article/359/london_rioters_are_the_pampered_children_of_the_welfare_state

And the Telegraph has a brilliant article with pictures of london before and after the riot

You can help people made homeless by the London riots by donating bedding, clothes, etc to Apex House, 820 Seven Sisters Road, London N15 5PQ

Sophie Michell & Ocado- Tweet Yourself Thin-recipes for summer: Tuesday

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TUESDAY

Coconut, Mango and banana smoothies

Makes 4
Prep time 5 minutes
300ml of natural coconut juice (like Vita coconut)
1 ripe mango
3 ripe bananas
1 lime
1. Peel and roughly chop the mango and bananas.
2. Place the fruit and the coconut juice into a blender and blitz until smooth,
then add the lime to taste and serve!
Sweet chilli and soy chicken wrap
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 1o minutes
3 chicken breasts (approx 180g each)
1 tsp soy sauce
2 step sweet chilli sauce
½ cucumbers
2 spring onions
2 carrots
Handful of rocket
4 flour tortillas
1. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and then mix with the soy sauce and a table spoon of the chilli
sauce. Leave while you prep the veggies.
2. Cut the cucumber into strips, and then do the same with the spring onions and the carrots.
3. Heat up a frying pan and then pan fry the chicken strips for about 10 minutes, turning
occasionally. Make sure the chicken is cooked throughout.
4. Then build the wraps, by piling up some veggies, chicken strips and rocket, in a tortilla with an
extra drizzle of chilli sauce if wanted.

Pecorino, Pear and watercress salad with char grilled turkey breasts
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
4 turkey breast steaks (approx 180g per steak)
4 ripe pears
2 celery sticks
150g pecorino cheese
150g watercress leaves
50ml olive oil
Squeeze of lemon
Sea salt and pepper
2 tsp thick balsamic

1. Heat a griddle pan up very hot and then oil and season the turkey steaks. Then lay each steak
down on the griddle and cook for about 5 minutes each side.
2. Finely slice the pears and the celery (on an extreme diagonal looks great) then using a peeler add
shavings of the cheese and add the watercress. Mix with the lemon and the olive oil, and then
season.
3. Pile up the turkey breast and salad on the plates then drizzle with a little balsamic

26-Year-Old Man Is First To Die In London Riots

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London Riots: Worst Civil Unrest in Decades

A murder hunt was launched after a 26-year-old man died after being admitted to hospital suffering from gunshot wounds.

According to a police statement, the as yet unnamed victim was discovered in a car at about 9.15pm in Croydon, south London.

As the man became the first fatality of the ‘unprecedented’ London riots, David Cameron has come back from Tuscany early to deal with the unrest. He went into a meeting with COBR (the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms) at 9am and then made a statement saying: “If you’re old enough to commit these crimes, you’re old enough to face the consequences.”

This came after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s website queried: “Where were the statesmen as London burned?” ABC went on to say: “London burned and meanwhile Prime Minister David Cameron fiddled with the foil on a bottle of Pinot Grigio in Tuscany, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg quietly recovered at home from his getaway in sunny France and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbourne remained ensconced at a hotel somewhere in Beverly Hills.

“Britain’s already shaky confidence in its leaders, several of whom have spent the summer trying to wriggle free of their association with the hacking scandal, will be further disturbed by the determination of the nation’s powerbrokers to cling to the sun bed.”

The troubles started on Saturday after a protest outside Tottenham police station descended into violence. A crowd demonstrated after alleged gangster, Mark Duggan, 29, was shot dead on Thursday. The protest began peacefully, but soon descended into chaos and has since spread around the UK.

Last night it wasn’t just London that was affected – Bristol, Liverpool and Birmingham also suffered riots with mass looting – while surburban Ealing in west London was also hit by looters.

People have been left homeless after their homes were set on fire, shops were ransacked, and, in a chilling development, people were asked to get out of their cars by looters before their vehicles were set ablaze. One women talked of waking up to find a masked man at the foot of her bed, after looters broke into her home. It is also alleged that the rioters tried to set fire to Ealing Studios, while Tesco and Sainsbury’s were attacked. Shocked and determined locals met at the Ealing Horse pub to begin to cleaning up their neighbourhood from 10am today.

Frost found this video of the violence in Ealing:

 

In Notting Hill, acclaimed restaurant The Ledbury was attacked and dinners were mugged, before thugs were chased off by kitchen staff. There were also reports on Twitter of yobs wielding machetes in the area.

One rioter said: “We are getting our taxes back.”  It was, however, unconfirmed whether or not this person – and many others involved – have ever actually paid tax.

As 16,000 police are set to retake London, Home Secretary Theresa May said:  ‘We don’t do water cannon, we rely on consent,” as she ruled out tough action. She added: ‘We need robust policing but we also need to ensure that justice is done through the courts.”

As vigilantes are forced to defend shops, she has been criticised for the soft approach and the government appears increasingly out of kilter with the mood of law-abiding citizens.

In the meantime, the police have put photos on their website to try and find some of the culprits, link here

The Met added that 334 people have been arrested in London since rioting broke out on Saturday. So far 69 have been charged.

The youngest person to be arrested so far is 11 years old.