DVD Review: Notes on Blindness
By Leslie Byron Pitt/@Afrofilmviewer A recreational documentary in a similar vein to The Arbour (2010) or Dreams of a Life (2011), Notes on Blindness details us of the grand upheaval taken of famed academic John Hull as he loses his sight days after the birth of his first son. Directors James Spinney, Peter Middleton carefully craft a delicate series of vignettes in which we are informed of Hull’s frank dealings with losing his sight. We trace Hull recruiting a team...
Restaurant Review – Walkers of Whitehall
The great British pub is almost dead and I, for one, am unhappy. A few weeks ago, I visited Avebury’s The Red Lion Inn – the only pub within an ancient stone circle, built during the 1600s. Ten years ago, it was impossible to leave without having been filled with great cask ale, honest pub grub and scintillating conversation with nomads, druids, vagabonds, spiritualists and hikers. Now, having been taken over by Old English Inns, the pub’s décor has about...
CSI – Crime Series Interference
Dr Nigel Mellor is a bit confused about the revolving door for actors in cop dramas We’ve got a severe case of CSI : Crime Series Interference. Unfortunately our recorder can only handle one show at a time, which means we watch one, save one, get one on catch up and watch the news in the middle. So sometimes we’re watching three or four at once. Now, Annie’s dead, which is awful ‘cos she’s gorgeous and she’s been in everything...
How to Tackle Dropping Wealth Levels
Recent research has found that people in their 30s are half as wealthy as those in their 40s when they were the same age, signalling a drop in wealth levels. This has made it harder to afford houses, led to lower pension levels and made it harder to save up. In the short term at the very least, Brexit is also set to force down the standard of living for most people as huge drops in £GBP is leading to...
Labour Fined £20,000 For Not Declaring Ed Stone
Labour has been fined £20,000 by the Electoral Commission for failing to declare the infamous Ed Stone. The commission launched an investigation after it was found that “two payments “totalling £7, 614, relating to spending incurred on a stone tablet – referred to in the media as the “Ed Stone” – were missing from the party’s campaign spending return”. The body said that the registered treasurer of the party, Iain McNicol, committed two offences in delivering this incomplete return, which has...
Regulators Need ‘Cultural Change’ to Avoid us ‘Sleepwalking into the Next Financial Crisis’
Regulators need to undergo a cultural change if we are to avoid sleepwalking into the next financial crisis, a new report has found. The study by Cass Business School for New City Agenda revealed that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Bank of England need to go much further to improve transparency and engage with the public, and that the new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chief executive Andrew Bailey will need to demonstrate his independence from politicians and the financial...
Migraine related absenteeism costs the UK economy £2.24 billion a year
Migraine is a complex condition with a wide variety of symptoms. About one in seven people suffers from migraine and it is most prevalent among adults of working age. It is ranked globally as the seventh most disabling disease among all diseases, responsible for 2.9% of all years of life lost to disability (YLDs), and the leading cause of disability among all neurological disorders. For many people the main feature is a painful headache. Other symptoms include disturbed vision, sensitivity...
Women (and men) must regularly check their breasts – Breast cancer awareness month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here, Jackie Harris, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Breast Cancer Care, talks about the importance of checking your breasts, and what you should be looking for… Signs and symptoms When you think about breast cancer, you’re likely to think of a woman finding a lump in their breast. But in reality, there are many different signs and symptoms to look out for. A Breast Cancer Care survey found that a third of women aren’t regularly...
Corbyn: Forget “Hard” or “Soft” Brexit, we’re on Course for a “Chaotic” Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn has hit out at Theresa May saying the government is on course for a "chaotic" Brexit. The Labour leader criticised May's handling of the negotiations, saying he met socialist leaders in Brussels last week and "was given rather longer than the five minutes" that Theresa May was given to address European leaders. According to BBC reports, Corbyn claimed the government's approach has caused "anger and resentment" amongst European politicians, and says the government will not achieve its aims by...