Tag Archives: Frost Magazine

Politicians ‘Least Trusted Profession in UK’.

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POLITICIANS VOTED LEAST TRUSTED PROFESSION IN THE UK

The RatedPeople Trust Index, calculated from four different attributes, has today revealed that politicians are the least trusted profession in the UK from a list of professions, coming bottom for reliability, honesty and quality of work.

The research of 2,054 adults, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the online trade recommendation service, assessed a range of different professions on four criteria: value for money, honesty, reliability and quality of work. Politicians were most likely to be voted as poor or very poor for reliability (62%), honesty (70%) and overall quality of work (57%), performing worse than both bankers and estate agents despite the maligned public image of these professions.

However, politicians managed to place ahead of premiership footballers in one category, value for money, where premiership footballers fared considerably worse, perhaps as a result of their multi-million pound annual salaries (76% rated footballers as poor or very poor value for money, compared to 60% for politicians.) By comparison, teachers enjoyed a clean sweep coming top across the board on the four criteria.

The research highlights which professions are trusted most by the British public, and of the different types of tradesmen included in the list, gardeners topped the list, however they came second overall across all the professions, to teachers for reliability, value for money and honesty. Electricians were named as the tradesmen that provide the best quality of work (50% rated the quality of electricians’ work as good or very good).

Perhaps because of the trade’s reputation for cowboys, and reflecting the 2.5 million disputes that happen every year, builders were named as the least trusted tradesmen nationally, scoring the lowest marks of all the trades assessed.

The UK’s most trusted professionals from our list are as follows:

1. Teachers

2. Gardeners

3. Electricians

4. Plumbers

5. Roofers

6. Builders

7. Bankers

8. Estate Agents

9. Premiership Footballers

10. Politicians

Rated across all four criteria: value for money, reliability, honesty and quality

RatedPeople.com’s brand ambassador and celebrity gardener, Toby Buckland, commented:

“I’m delighted to see gardeners made it to the number two spot in this research.

“Perhaps the reason that we have fared so well in the study is that gardening is a labour of love, it’s very easy for people to see the amount of hard work that goes into doing a gardening job and the results can completely transform an outside space.

“Building trust with your customers is an essential part of being a gardener if you want to achieve the best results for them. Trust ensures that they take your recommendations on board and have the confidence to rely on you to achieve the highest standards. Like so many in the trade, our reputation as professionals is built on this.”

The RatedPeople.com Trust Index also assessed which attributes are most likely to cause people to feel distrust when they first meet them. For more than two thirds (68%) of Brits, they are most likely to distrust a person if they have bad manners. This is followed by poor eye contact (52%), an unkempt appearance (40%) and being inarticulate (28%).

Brits aren’t a superficial bunch however, as being shorter (0%), unattractiveness (1%) and being younger (2%) were least likely to be cited as factors that make the most difference when it comes to deciding whether to trust someone. A further 1 in 10 (9%) people said that there are no attributes that would cause them to feel distrust. With actions speaking louder than words for these people, the four trust criteria are all the more important for helping to build a positive impression of a profession.

The features that will most make a Brit distrust someone are:

1. Bad manners

2. Poor eye contact

3. Unkempt appearance

4. Being inarticulate

5. A weak handshake

6. Badly dressed

Tariq Dag Khan from Rated People commented:

“They say that you form an opinion on someone within the first 30 seconds of meeting them, and our research has shown that a person’s behaviour can make all the difference.

“Builders, like other tradesmen, need to improve their image. Shows like Cowboy Builders and Rogue Traders taint the reputation of all tradesmen when in fact the vast majority of them deliver a job well done and at good value. One way for them to counter the unfair misperceptions is to improve communication with homeowners, as not doing so can fuel distrust. What helps is to be clear upfront about each project, starting with: what work is required; when it will be completed; and at what cost.

“Investing in home improvement can be a major commitment. So it helps when homeowners can be sure that the people they’re hiring to carrying out the project can be trusted to do the job right. Services like RatedPeople.com give consumers the confidence to know what they are getting before they take the plunge. The service works like word-of-mouth, by allowing homeowners to review the recommendations of thousands of other homeowners as part of the hiring process. It also allows tradesmen to build a profile for the great work they’re doing. This only helps to boost their trust ranking, so that next year they top the chart.”

Sundance London Film Festival 2012 Highlights

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Sundance London Film Festival 2012 Highlights

 

This year Sundance came to London with resounding success. Frost went along and has picked out some highlights.

Extranjero by Daniel Lumb & Crinan Campbell. This won the first ever Sundance London short film award, and rightly so. Well worth a watch.

The Return (Kthimi)

An amazing short film set in Kosovo. Everyone thought he died during the war but a man returns from being a prisoner of war and his wife, who he hasn’t seen in four years along with their son, has to tell him that she kept her rapists baby. Powerful and haunting.

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

Weird but kind of wonderful.

Tooty’s Wedding

This short film is hilarious. Especially when the lead actress tells her husband “Yesterday a man said my breasts were a 7, which is actually quite high”.

Under African Skies by Joel Berlinger

Highly acclaimed at the festival. Paul Simon’s historic Graceland album sold millions of copies and united cultures, yet divided world opinion on the boundaries of art, politics, and commerce. On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Graceland’s release, Simon returns to South Africa for a reunion concert that unearths the turbulent birth of the album. Despite its huge success as a popular fusion of American and African musical styles, Graceland spawned intense political crossfire. Simon was accused of breaking the United Nations’ cultural boycott of South Africa, which was designed to end apartheid.

 

I really liked this film. Very well-made and interesting story.


The Queen of Versailles
The Queen of Versailles premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and received the U.S. Directing Award for Documentary. Sundance Institute  provided creative support for the film at the 2011 Creative Producing Summit.

 

A very good documentary. Worth watching.


 

Did you go to Sundance London? What did you think?

 

Sir Tom Jones, Jason Isaacs, Tracey Emin, Rob Brydon and Sir Tom Stoppard to present South Bank Sky Arts Awards

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Sir Tom Jones, Jason Isaacs, Tracey Emin, Rob Brydon and Sir Tom Stoppard to present South Bank Sky Arts Awards

 

 1 May at 9pm on Sky Arts 1 HD

 

Sir Tom Jones, Jason Isaacs, Tracey Emin, Rob Brydon, Sir Tom Stoppard and Sir Terry Pratchett are among the names confirmed to present awards at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards on Tuesday 1 May.

 

Sir Terry Pratchett, Imelda Staunton, Wayne Sleep, Lily Cole, Ian Bostridge, and Michael Ball will also present 2012’s South Bank Sky Arts Awards winners with the Anish Kapoor designed trophy. The awards are one of the world’s most coveted arts awards, with the presenters joining host Melvyn Bragg to honour the best of British culture and achievement across the arts. Each category – visual art, theatre, opera, dance, comedy, classical music, pop, TV drama, literature and film – is traditionally presented by a celebrated talent within that field.

 

The Times Breakthrough Award, which honours the best new artistic talent, will return for 2012. This year it will be presented by violinist Nicola Benedetti. The award for Outstanding Achievement, in association with The Dorchester, will be presented by playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.

 

The awards will also see performances by the award-winning trumpeter Alison Balsom, jazz singer Gregory Porter and new opera sensation Noah Stewart to an audience of 300 guests from across the arts.

 

SOUTH BANK SKY ARTS AWARDS: CONFIRMED PRESENTERS

 
·      Sir Tom Jones: Pop Music·      Alison Balsom: Classical Music·      Wayne Sleep: Dance

·      Sir Tom Stoppard: The Dorchester Award for Outstanding Achievement

·      Lily Cole: Film

·      Rob Brydon: Comedy

 

 ·      Sir Terry Pratchett: Literature:·      Tracey Emin: Visual Art·      Jason Isaacs: TV Drama

·      Nicola Benedetti: The Times Breakthrough Award

·      Ian Bostridge: Opera

·      Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton: Theatre

 

 

The televised awards will broadcast that evening on Sky Arts 1 HD at 9pm and on the move with Sky Go.

 

This year also sees the return of The South Bank Show to screens from 27th May, following the announcement in 2010 that it would no longer air on terrestrial television. This iconic series adds to the growing roster of original British content across Sky’s entertainment channel portfolio.

 

 

“We are delighted that so manyof the most talented people from across the arts in this country are able to join us to celebrate the awards this year,” comments Melvyn Bragg. “It is testament to a particularly strong year for the arts that these performers and presenters are so keen to lend their support, both to the awards and our world class list of nominees. At a time when the arts are under pressure in this country, it’s quite useful to be reminded what a roaring success the whole sector is.”

 

WAIST-WHITTLING SUMMER SAVERS

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With the summer sun – and that longed-for beach break – now tantalisingly close at hand, our thoughts are turning to shedding the cosy winter layers and honing what’s been hiding underneath.

But if achieving that fabulous bikini body means losing a few extra pounds, it’s a relief to know even the smallest of changes can make a massive difference to your shrinking waistline.  Nutritionists agree that despite the popularity of diets such as the Dukan, Atkins and GI, the only path to long-term weight loss is to adjust diet and lifestyle to ensure you eat fewer calories than your body uses.

Clare Grace, research dietician at the Queen Mary University of London reports: “Weight gain occurs when the number of calories eaten is greater than the number used by the body.” In fact, to gain, and therefore lose 1lb in weight, you’ll need to eat – or avoid – an extra 3,500 calories.

Sounds like a challenge, but it needn’t be.  Cutting back or burning off an extra 100 calories a day could help you lose 10lb a year, so just a couple of changes to your daily diet could see you beach-ready and bikini fit in time for the summer!

Five easy calorie crunchers

1.    Oranges and lemons – It makes for a refreshing start to the day, but that glass of orange juice packs a calorific punch with around 110kcals for a 250ml glass. Shave 100 calories from your morning tipple by replacing orange juice with a blend of PLj Lemon Juice and water (£2.29 for 500ml from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose).  At less than 7kcals per glass, it also delivers 75% of the RDA of vitamin C in every serving so makes good sense all round!

2.    Banish the biscuit tin – It probably comes as no surprise, but biscuits are crammed with calories – just two Hobnobs clock up a whopping 142kcals!  For a more nutritious snack with your cuppa, nibble on a kiwi fruit and a Satsuma.  At 14kcals and 18kcals a piece, you’ll be laughing all the way to a lower dress size.

3.    Keep things open – Providing the filling is relatively healthy, a good wholesome sandwich can make for a tasty, filling meal.  To save on the calorie content, think Scandinavian and opt for an ‘open sandwich’, using one slice of bread rather than two.  It’ll save you around 100kcals, and if substituted with a healthy side salad and fat-free dressing, will be just as satisfying!

4.    Season for the season – Rather than smothering steamed vegetables with lashings of butter, sprinkle them with lemon juice and fresh herbs for a delicate, fat-free and calorie-crushing flavour.

5.    Winning with wine – At the end of a long day, there’s nothing quite like an evening tipple.  Every 250ml glass of wine delivers 185kcals, so opting for a small glass (89kcals for 120ml) or better still, a gin and slimline tonic (56kcals for a single serving) will help you to continue the saving.

It’s not just about cutting calories from your daily diet though – you can also make a difference by moving more throughout the day to speed up your calorie burning potential.

Five easy calorie consumers

1.    Be a mean cleaner – Throw yourself into a 20-minute cleaning frenzy of vacuuming, scrubbing, mopping or tidying, should see you burn off around 100kcals.

2.    Go the extra mile – Walk a mile further than you normally would every day and you’ll clock up a 100kcal deficit.  Running the mile will burn the same – you’ll just complete the mile a little more quickly!

3.    Window shop – Take yourself off for a 40 minute shopping spree at lunchtime and burn 100kcals while you’re at it!

4.    Dig it – Digging and raking reap the biggest benefits in terms of calorie burning in the garden – just 15 minutes could see you 100kcals down.

5.    Ironing out – Work up a sweat with the ironing pile!  Just 25 minutes of enthusiastic ironing could see you burn 100kcals!

Making ‘Make-Do-And-Mend’ Sociable Again

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The make-do-and-mend movement is back. When the recession began, clever marketing people at John Lewis dug out and republished a 1943 governmental booklet on how to darn socks and re-patch roofs using wastepaper. World war two kitsch was duly rekindled there has been since 2009 an unrelenting stream ‘make do and mend’ media output. Channel 4 a launched a ‘Make Do And Mend’ TV show advising viewers on how to have fun with frozen vegetables. Joan Bakewell has recently joined the celebration of frugality with an article in last week’s Telegraph, describing valiant efforts to deliver parcels by hand.

 

Yet modern make-do-and-mend lacks the defining feature of its 1943 counterpart. The earlier version came out of the war effort and was predicated on a sense of community spirit born out of a need for help on the home front. Food was scare so city dwellers pulled together to turn parks into vegetable gardens. Clothes were rationed so women ran up their own or darned holes in what they had. However, these activities took place in the context of pre-existent community structures like church groups, knitting circles, the Women’s Institute, and the Women’s Royal Naval Service which made skill-sharing easier and reduced costs. The acquisition of a new skill takes not only time but patience and we are far more likely to succeed within a supportive social framework than of we go it alone. Watching someone whip up a pair of curtains on television is not the same as being shown how to do it first hand. At the very least, observes Joy Pite from the Wanstead Women’s institute, ‘in a social setting, there’s more incentive to complete the task’.

 

Modern make-do-and-mend is the DIY craze of the 90s clothed in rather more frayed robes, due to an absence of community space. Most neighbourhoods during World War 2 had thriving churches and community centres, which made for strong and intergenerational social networks. These days people are working longer hours, spending their free time online, moving around more and therefore feel a decreased sense of affiliation with those in their physical surroundings.

 

This is what the organisers at Heathrow Grow are trying to remedy in the London suburb of Sipson. Heathrow Grow is predicated on the idea that cost-efficient and sustainable living requires somewhere for people to meet regularly and face to face. ‘It’s a lot easier to demonstrate things to people than it is to explain them’ says Alex, one of the project’s architects, ‘and it’s a lot cheaper to organise things as a group’. Built on an acre of land that was once an abandoned plant nursery, Heathrow Grow consists of a thriving vegetable garden and two greenhouses that have been transformed into workshop space. Its organisers have set up free classes on the basic principles of growing food, how to maintain a bicycle and even how to weld.

 

The Heathrow Growers have worked hard to convince the people of Sipson that community spirit is the key to the making daily life not only cost-efficient but ecologically sustainable. They have promoted the project by handing out free vegetables at the village market and have successfully involved themselves in the local Residents’ Society, Allotment Society and Young People’s Society. Local residents frequently come by make use of the facilities on offer or just to hang out and the site has proven particularly attractive to “N.E.E.T.S” looking to pick up new skills. ‘It’s great here’, explains Dan, an unemployed resident of Sipson who has recently become involved with the project. ‘I help out with the gardening. And it’s nice to have somewhere to potter around’.

 

Although the political outlook held by most of the project’s participants does not cohere with that expressed by the current government, Heathgrow Grow actively embodies many of Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ values. According to the the government’s online mission statement, the ‘Big Society’ exists to ‘give individuals more power and responsibility and use it to create better neighbourhoods and services’. Since Heathrow Grow has done far much more than the make-do-and-mend-movement to make this happen, those of us hoping for not only more financially efficient households but also the revival of flagging community spirits look forward to seeing more like it.

 

 

Plans to build a third runway through Sipson threaten Heathrow Grow’s continued existence. Its fate will be determined at Central London County Court on 18th and 19th June 2012. Sign their petition at: http://www.transitionheathrow.com/grow-heathrow

 

Win NEO Legend wristband worn by Tony Stark thanks to Avengers Assemble.

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Frost readers can win a NEO legend wristband.

Marvel Studios presents “Marvel Avengers Assemble” – the Super Hero line-up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. The film releases May 4, 2012, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Now you can win a Neo Legend.

Colantotte’s MagTitan Neo Legend bracelet combines a polished pure titanium core with an embellished, sleek, carbon fibre design, to deliver a stylised element of comfort and functionality. This striking bracelet epitomises the essence of fashion and craftsmanship which makes it the ideal accessory for casual, business, and superhero attire alike.

Entry is simple, go to www.facebook.com/ILoveTrionZ, click on the competition app, then submit your details as prompted. What’s more, you’ll be rewarded with an exclusive 15% off ALL Colantotte & Trion:Z products.

Hot Tights For Summer.

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I love tights and stockings. They are such a brilliant way to update your look. Frost has sourced some cool tights for this season and reviewed them for you.

Black Opaque tights.

You really cannot go wrong with Black Opaque tights. These Charnos 60d ones are comfortable (a rare thing in some tights) the waistband doesn’t hurt and they look great. Full marks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charnos Simple Bare Tights in Nude. These are 7D with the strength of 15 denier. The packaging says that they let legs breathe and they do. The tights feel very nice. They are good quality and they look good. They don’t snag easily and the waistband doesn’t hurt. A big thing for me. Some tights seem to cut you in half at the waist, and that’s not healthy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ava Hold Up has been made to celebrate 75 years of Charnos. It has a Leaf Print Back-seam Hold-up. Which is Silver.

These are elegantly sexy. Really lovely hold ups that stay on and look good. The band is comfy to. The silver leaf print back-seam is a beautiful detail. They are elegant and fashionable. These really do stay up all day. No slipping or sliding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Hold ups. Fan net design. Satin lace top.
These are far too comfy for something so beautiful. The band is good around the leg too. They stay up well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charnos Killer Figure opaque control tights. Tones bum, tum and thighs. Smooths your shape. Comfort waistband. Lifts the bottom.

These are slightly hard to get into but are very comfortable for control tights. The do smooth out your shape. It may be in my head but I did seem a little more toned the next day. They are good tights which look good on. I don’t feel like all of my internal organs are being squeezed together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stocking tights: Stripe mock hold up design tights.

These are huge at the moment; Tights that look like stockings. Lots of celebrities may have been seen wearing them but the look is still fresh. These mock stocking tights look great and are good quality. The are tamer than some of the ones I have seen, more elegant. They are both wearable and glamorous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 pair pack of socks. Eros pink mix. One size.

And let’s add some socks in. These Charnos cotton socks are comfortable and look good. They Eros pink mix is very sweet too. They are just very cute. The socks are good quality and don’t cut off your circulation.

What tights will you be wearing this year?