Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Are The Royal Family Worth It?

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So are the Royal Family worth taxpayer’s money? As the recession starts to bite and unemployment rises it’s worth asking if we really need an unelected had of state that cost every person in Britain 69p. Frost wants to open up a debate on the Royal Family. Love them or hate them? Frost came across the video below that made us stop and wonder; should we rejoice that we have a Queen?

With Prince William and Catherine Middleton making royalty cool again and becoming more and more popular it seems that the royal family are having a resurgence. Posh has become cool again. Maybe we need more fantasy in our lives and the royal family gives us that.

Did the video change your mind? Are you a royalist or republican? Let us know.

Guess Watches Teams with Breakthrough Breast Cancer

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Too Many Women is an incredible initiative, which aims to raise £1million for the pioneering work of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre. It is supported by a number of high profile celebrities and ambassadors, including Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pippa Middleton and Matthew Williamson.

GUESS Watches is delighted to be working alongside Too Many Women and are launching a limited edition Sparkling Pink watch to raise money and help Too Many Women reach their goal of £1million.

The Sparkling Pink watch features with a polished silver bracelet and multifunction dial, which are both elegant and functional. With the addition of twelve pink accent crystals around the facia and the iconic pink Breast Cancer ribbon logo, this striking design supports a great cause and aims to be a chic wardrobe staple.

GUESS Watches is committed to raising funds and awareness to help fight the battle against breast cancer and is excited to be among the many supporters joining forces to assist Too Many Women and Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

For more information see: www.toomanywomen.co.uk and www.breakthrough.org.uk

Price: £149

Kelvin MacKenzie: I Was Hacked.

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Kelvin MacKenzie has described how he felt after learning his phone was hacked by the News of the World. MacKenzie was writing in this week’s edition of The Spectator (out tomorrow)

MacKenzie, who is the former editor of The Sun, insisted he will not sue his former employer.

MacKenzie says he was invited to meet officers from the Met’s phone-hacking inquiry Operation Weeting because his name and private details were found in notebooks belonging to private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

He said:

We went into a large empty room where the sergeant produced a tatty binder with my name down the side. By this time I was beginning to sweat. At that moment I would have even coughed to voting for Blair in 1997.

There was a dramatic pause as the sergeant opened up the binder. Sheet one had my name on it with a number by the side. Was it mine? Yes it was. The next page was more interesting. It had the pin code used to access my phone’s voice mails.

Up to this moment I had always believed that the pin codes of mobiles were 0000 or 1111 and that’s why it was so easy to crack. But no. In my case it was something like 367549V27418. That surely must kill the idea that the hackers guessed or blagged the number — they must have had inside help from the phone networks.

MacKenzie was going though a divorce and admitted that the experience made him feel ‘queasy’

He elaborated:

In any event, I won’t be taking News International’s money. That would be a betrayal of the many happy years I spent there, plus I have a sense that to pocket the cash — and one lawyer was anxious for me to know that it would be tax free, always attractive — would be to indicate I thought Rupert Murdoch would ever have turned a blind eye to the hackings.

I have an advantage over you. I know Rupert Murdoch and I know he would have gone ballistic at the very thought of such actions. At 81 he may be old but he’s not daft. I should be so daft.
Still, I do reflect that in those 60 minutes I spent with the two police officers by Putney Bridge that my previous hostile attitude to the hacked stars had changed forever. As has my pin number.

The Inept Girl's Guide To Cooking: Eton Mess

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I love Eton Mess, it is easy to make, healthy and just that bit different.

Here is what you need.

Strawberries (about 500g)
4 meringue nests
1 pint double cream
1 tbsp soft demerara sugar
You could make your own meringue, but this is called the Inept girl’s guide, and, really, who has the time.

Next….

1 Wash and quarter your strawberries.
2 Take about 1/3 of the fruit and place in a blender with 1 tbsp sugar to make a puree.
3 Whip the cream until it stiffens
4 Place it all into a bowl, crush the meringue and add that too.
5 Spoon the mix into sundae glasses or a bowl, add the puree and a cluster of delicious ripe strawberries.

You can also add blackberries or raspberries. All summer fruits are great with Eton Mess, enjoy!

London Art Fair

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London Art Fair

18 – 22 January 2012

Business Design Centre, Islington

London Art Fair, the UK’s largest art fair for Modern British and contemporary art returns, with over 100 galleries featuring the great names of the 20th century alongside exceptional recent work, from leading figures and emerging talent.

Highlights of the 24th London Art Fair will include:

Main Fair

Galleries from across the UK and overseas will be exhibiting the work of over 1,000 artists covering the period from the early 20th Century to the present day. Museum quality Modern British art is presented alongside contemporary art from today’s leading artists.

Art Projects

Established as one of the most exciting sections of the Fair, Art Projects features solo shows, curated group displays and large-scale installations from contemporary artists and galleries across the world. New to Art Projects in 2012 are Beers.Lambert Contemporary Art, Edel Assanti, Hoxton Art Gallery, Limoncello Editions, Michael Klein, Tenderpixel and Whatiftheworld.

Photo50

A showcase for contemporary photography established in 2007, Photo50 features 50 works presented in an exhibition curated by Sue Steward.

Photography Focus Day, Wednesday 18 January 2012

Featuring a series of discussions and tours dedicated to contemporary photography.

Tours, Talks and Discussions

An extensive programme of talks and critical debates in association with key partners, plus daily tours of the Main Fair and Art Projects.

London Art Fair tickets are now on sale at £11 (plus £1.50 booking fee) in advance, including a copy of the 2012 Fair Guide (to be collected at the Fair). Tickets on the door are £16.

For a full list of galleries and the latest London Art Fair news visit: www.londonartfair.co.uk

Prince William Praises Queen For Help Planning Wedding

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A new book about the Royal Family has revealed that when Prince William was first handed his wedding list, he did not know anyone on it.

The book, called Our Queen also reveals that the Queen advised him to bin the official guest-list for his wedding to Kate Middleton and start again.

He said: “I came into the first meeting for the wedding, post-engagement, and I was given this official list of 777 names – dignitaries, governors, all sorts of people – and not one person I knew. They said: “These are the people we should invite”.

“I looked at it in absolute horror and said, ‘I think we should start again’. I rang [The Queen] up the next day and said, ‘Do we need to be doing this?’ And she said, ‘No. Start with your friends first and then go from there’. And she told me to bin the list.”

“She made the point that there are certain times when you have to strike the right balance. And it’s advice like that, which is really key, when you know that she’s seen and done it before.”

He also revealed that it was the Queen that insisted her wore his Irish Guards uniform for the wedding.

Made In Chelsea Stars Ollie Locke and Chloe Green Split Up.

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Made In Chelsea stars Chloe Green and Ollie Locke have split up.

Chloe Green joined the reality TV show this month as Ollie’s girlfriend and has said that the relationship could not survive the media spotlight.

The daughter of Topshop owner Sir Philip Green said: “We have split. It was nothing to do with Ollie being bisexual; I was fine with it and so was Dad. He met Ollie and thought he was a really nice guy.”

She also said that “World War 3 nearly broke out” a few times between her and Ollie’s ex-girlfriend Gabriella Ellis.

“It’s fair to say there were some awkward moments and World War 3 nearly broke out when we watched the screening of the first episode.”

However, the two seem to have become friends, Ellis went on to tell GLAMOUR.com: “Yeah, we’re really close friends actually. In the past kind of week or two, we’ve become really close. The show airs nearly a month after we’ve filmed the episode, so now we’ve become really, really close, but you’ll see it happen.”

How To Treat A Cold

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Aaachoo! Most of us will have a cold this winter, but do you know how to treat it?

NHS Choices reveals some of the myths around treating a cold and offers advice on how to
get well quickly

According to NHS Choices, on average an adult can expect to catch a cold between two and four times a year, with more people suffering during the winter months. But do you know how best to treat a cold?

Myths about cures for the common cold:
· Vitamin C – according to NHS Choices, one in three people believe that Vitamin C can help cure a cold. In fact, research has shown that Vitamin C doesn’t prevent or cure a cold.
· Echinacea – many think that Echinacea can be used to prevent a cold or treat one, but research has shown that there is no proof of this being the case.
· Over the counter medicines for colds – over the counter medicines do not cure a cold. The usual ingredients are painkillers and decongestants, which only help manage the symptoms.

In reality, the best thing you can do if you do get a cold this winter is to rest, eat well, avoid stress and keep hydrated. As most colds are caused by viruses, you don’t need antibiotics to help treat it.

Dr. Knut Schroeder, GP, says: “Many people will catch a cold this year – but there really isn’t any miracle cure out there. A balanced diet and regular exercise can help you to stay healthy. But, if you are to catch a cold then my advice is to try and stay warm, drink plenty of fluids and to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. All this can help your body naturally fight the cold virus.”

For more information on surviving colds this winter visit, www.nhs.uk/livewell/coldsandflu.