Feminarum issue 19

FEMINARUM

The world we live in.

Do we really know what is happening to it?

Read our exclusive Q&A with Polly Higgins.

We look at ecological issues.

Normal articles from our regular writers.

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April 2015

For women by women

Content

04-04 Looking at what we do.

06-07 Darren Essex.

08-09 Maxine Harley.

10-11 Pollyanna Hale.

12-13 Housing article by JasperRichmond.

14-15 Advertising.

16-17 Mis Sew and Sew on Recycling.

18-19 Janus Designs writes about Apple.

20-23 The Gallery of Guys.

24-25 Article about Bios.

26-27 Review of Fast and Furious.

28-29 Review of The Lord of the Dance in The Brighton Centre.

30-31 Review of the Michael Ball concert at the Brighton Centre.

32-33 Q&A with Polly Higgins.

34-35 Adverts.

36-37 Kate's Diary.

38-39 Book Review.

40-41 Adverts.

42-43 Katie's Diary.

44-45 Style me Confident.

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46- Contact page.

FROM THE EDITOR This months issue is all about looking at the community, city and the world we live in..

For too long we as humans have plundered and abused our position as keepers of this wonderful planet, but fear not..

Things are changing. We will be speaking with those who are fighting in the corner of the world.

People and organisations are standing up and shouting out about the changes that need to be made.

We have been working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and recycle where we can. It is easy for a small company like ourselves .

This months issue deals with all things connected with the world we live in. FEMINARUM encourages you to read the stories and features that will be in this magazine.

They might just influence you enough to think about making a positive change for the better...

Helen Wright, Founder and Editor.

Editor and Founder : Helen Wright Contributing Writers: Darren Essex Maxine Harley Pollyanna Hale Steve Wright Shahna Thwaites Katie Rose Kate Henwood Front cover image by Ruth Davey/www.lookagain.org

www.feminarummagazine@gmail.com @FeminarumMag

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Looking at what we do..

"It is important for us to invest in the heart of society and teach " C o m m u n i t y Cohesion to the next generation."

We are more concerned then ever about the world we live in.

With fracking and the price of food going up, is it any wonder all eyes are on our economy.

As we are coming out of a recession, (so we are told) things have not really improved. Our local councils still struggle to find and provide suitable housing. The price of food is so high that supermarkets are fighting amongst themselves for our money.

So how does this eect the world we live in.?

The average wage has not risen but the price of food has. This causes an imbalance. Our own communities are suering.

Councils forced to reduce buses in rural areas due to their budget being cut by the Government.

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"We live in a world that is full of fast food, fast information and fast living..when will it stop?"

There is also a problem with housing in the UK. Landlords are taking full advantage of the current situation and abusing their position by charging extortionately high rents on properties that are badly maintained.

Families are struggling to pay bill, and feed their children.

Recent stories in the national papers, highlight the need for children to eat well. This reflects in their ability to concentrate at school and achieve good academic results.

Growth and development are also linked with diet and environment.

The places we work and the jobs we do are a necessity in the 21st Century. But how many people can say that they really love their job and feel fulfilled by the role they play in society??

What sort of future and what kind of world are we leaving behind for the next generation. Will our legacy to them be fast food, fast information and an even faster pace of life. All of this will lead to a world where we burn out, eat less healthily and digest information without truly

understand what we are reading.

This can be changed by educating people about diet, encouraging leisure time and caring about the community you live in..

Helen Wright, Founder and Editor of FEMINARUM magazine.

(Photo by Double8)

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Darren Essex.

“Staying Fit And Healthy in The World We Live In Today” More and more people each year are realising how important it is to keep fit. We can really see the trends in society changing. All you have to do it look at how many gyms are sprouting up all over the place. 30 years ago there were very few gyms around and now there are as many as ten gyms in one single postcode in London.

There is a reason why there are so many gyms, and it’s quite simply because more and more people are trying to keep fit.

There are various reasons why more people want to keep fit in the 21st century; firstly people are much more conscious about the obvious health benefits, and everyone knows that leading an active healthy lifestyle will usually help you to live a much longer life. As well as living longer people tend to be a lot more comfortable physically and mentally when they exercise regularly.

This Month I have a simple exercise program for everyone. This is a full body program for 3 times per week.

Warm up 10-20 mins on the treadmill or cross trainer starting slow and low level building up very gradually.

1. Dumbbell chest press on flat bench (chest) perform 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting for only 30 secs between sets.

2. Incline Dumbbell Chest Fly (chest) Perform 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

3. One arm Dumbbell rows(back) Perform 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

4. Barbell upright rows (shoulders/upper back) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

5. Dumbbell Lateral raise (Shoulders) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

6. Lying Barbell Tricep press (Triceps) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

7. Barbell Bicep Curls (Biceps) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

8. Barbell Squats (Legs and Bum) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

9. Abdominal crunch on mat (Abs) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

10. Reverse Crunch (Abs) 12-15 reps and complete 3 sets resting 30 secs only between sets.

Cool down:10 mins on the treadmill starting at 7-10kph and finishing last 3 mins at walking pace.

Complete 5-10 mins stretching areas worked. Hold each stretch for at least 30 secs Written by Darren Essex Personal Trainer & Fitness Model

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Maxine Harley Choosing which world we want to live in....

Which world will you choose to live in?

what matters most to our survival.

In a previous article here I've spoken about both the diversity and the mosaic of life on Earth... so what's left for us to acknowledge?

Gaia (Mother Earth) needs us to clean up our act before we thoughtlessly chop off the hand that feeds us!

Maybe that we won't have anywhere to live or thrive unless we quickly snap out of our daydreaming and put aside our distractions and focus instead upon

According to Gaia theory the Earth is an integrated whole and living being in its own right. A complex self-regulating system – including the atmosphere – which is seeking an

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optimal physical and chemical environment for its sustained life.

We probably don't pay much attention to, or may not even be aware that, many of the conditions necessary for life depend upon the interaction of living forms such as microorganisms. Without the parts of the whole working as they should the balance of the atmosphere, temperature and even the

There is a parallel and fractal aspect to this too – our human body is also a world in itself. Teaming with micro-organisms, chemical reactions and changes in temperature and acidity. A balancing act, a juggling of needs, a promoter of life or a bringer of death – depending upon how we treat it.

When we take care of our inner world, particularly our minds, then we are better able to transfer that awareness and care to the outer world and the solar system within which we 'live'.

We're all in this together... we share a dormitory...we are all just house-mates and custodians of the planet. We're here for only a short time, but we share a massive responsibility to leave things in the same, or better, state than we found them.

those house guests who act like immature children, and who haven't yet evolved to see the consequences of their selfish egocentred actions.

My hope is that the 'ripple effect' of awareness will soon reach enough influential, compassionate and determined people, and that the scales will tip in favour of love and care for Gaia, and of enabling her to continue to nurture her offspring for many generations to come.

We each choose our world both inside and out – we choose how the present will affect the future.

Please let us all make that choice with awareness, wisdom and urgency.

Maxine Harley (MSc Psychotherapy)

www.maxineharley.com

Those of us with greater awareness and compassion should perhaps strive to tolerate and educate those who cannot think beyond their immediate self-centred needs. We need the patience to guide

www.psychotherapy-sussex.co.uk

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Pollyanna Hale.

Dear Diary...

Dear Readers,

An odd sensation came over me as I sat with hubby and kids in the café at the top of the Portsmouth Spinnaker Tower. The view is pretty spectacular – from the Isle of Wight to the South Downs and beyond, with hundreds of thousands of buildings, cars, and people (plus a few fields and the sea, of course) everywhere you look. And for some reason I got quite emotional. Here we are, four tiny, seemingly insignificant people, in a world that is vast beyond comprehension. If you’ve ever flown across America or Australia the awe at the sheer size of the empty space of rocks and desert below you is equally astounding and thought provoking.

What got me emotional was the thought of how inspiring it is that despite the world population being over 7 billion, some people manage to stand out above all others and, l i t e r a l l y, c h a n g e t h e w o r l d . I d o n ’t necessarily mean in terms of humanitarian or charitable efforts either. What would theatre be like today if William Shakespeare had not decided to write a play or two? If Nelson Mandela had kept quiet? If Bill Gates didn’t like computers? If Winston Churchill had given in to Hitler’s advances?

Who will be listed as ‘people who changed the world’ in 10, 20, 50 years from now?

You? Me? Your neighbour’s kid? The boy who does the paper round in school holidays? One thing is for sure, the world 10 •

wouldn’t be what it is today without little people in a big, big world, doing, very big things.

Polly xxx www.pollyannahale.co.uk info@pollyannahale.co.uk

Chinese

Chicken

Omelette

Serves 2 Put an ‘around the world’ twist on a simple staple dish to ring the changes. Feel free to substitute in whatever meat, fish or vegetables you have to hand.

INGREDIENTS 100g chicken breast, diced 2 tsp. sesame oil 4 Spring onions, sliced 1 Garlic clove, minced 2 handfuls mixed Chinese veg (beansprouts, cabbage, mushrooms etc.)

Small Handful fresh coriander, chopped 1 tbsp. Soy sauce 1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice 4 eggs, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS Heat 1 tsp oil in a frying pan and stir fry the chicken, vegetables, garlic and spring onions for 5-6 minutes until soft.

Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander, set aside.

Whisk the eggs with the five spice and soy sauce.

Heat the remaining tsp. oil in the pan and pour in the eggs, cook slowly until done.

Place the omelette on a plate and spoon the chicken and vegetable mixture onto one half.

Fold the uncovered side of the omelette over the filling, and serve.

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Housing shortage What needs to be done about this crisis.

Is there a housing problem in Chichester.

The simple answer to this is ‘yes’. Insofar as there is a housing problem in the country as a whole, so there is also one in Chichester.

A report issued by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation released in March gave the figures of: • 210,000 needed to be built per annum • 154,000 houses being built per annum • A predicted shortfall of 1.1 million houses in 20 years time But how have we come to this situation? The Conservative administrations of the late seventies and eighties had home ownership as a key policy.

Mortgages became cheaper (although the types sold led to huge problems later), and social housing was sold off at vastly reduced prices. As a result there was a boom in house prices, and for the first time the home as a wealth generator became a reality.

Local authorities were barred from reinvesting revenue raised in the building new social housing. The principal being that the private sector would meet the housing need.

This has not happened.

Chichester is a wealthy area. It would be hard to find a reasonable ‘starter’ home within the city for under £250.000. To purchase such a property would require a deposit of £25-£30 thousand. The family income would need to be over £60,000 to secure a mortgage.

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This is well beyond the means of many in the area. 25% of workers within the Chichester area earn less than the living wage. And importantly those who have to use the private rented market will be unable to save towards the purchase of their own home.

Little social housing is being built within the area. And the waiting list is long. New developments of private housing usually have a proportion of ‘affordable’ homes. But these are only affordable if you can afford them!

(Also it surely means that the rest are ‘unaffordable).

The private rented market is as a result expensive. It also requires funds up front to enable the property to be rented in the first place. Six weeks rent as a deposit, a month in advance and inflated fees (£200 for credit searches in some cases, which only cost £12) mean that many will end up in the unregulated sector. Certainly in areas like Bognor Regis there has been a rise in the number of unlicensed houses of multiple occupancy.

Poorly converted, over occupied and with no safety regulations in place these are nothing short of a criminal racket.

It is time we embarked upon a building problem of social housing. Houses that will be affordable by the people who work in the area.

Houses that are sustainable and warm. Where people can live without fear of being made homeless, without fear of energy poverty and can have a future.

The right to buy should be scrapped, so that housing stock is kept for the people. Small sustainable developments on appropriate sites will need to be utilised. One that comes to mind in Chichester is the old City football ground. A plot of forty or so family houses, these within easy walking or cycling distance of where people work would be of a huge benefit.

The District Council already own this land, so 70% of the cost is already met. And of course once built these properties would generate an income for the area. The Council could also employ their own workforce for the building and maintenance of the properties and communal areas. This would bring in well paid secure jobs. It would enable the young to be trained in the skills required and progress to being skilled workers.

Government initiatives seek only to try and stimulate the ‘first time buyer’ market. But by doing this they again push up prices so that any benefit is short term. They have also imposed arbitrary house building targets on local authorities which have been problematic to say the least.

The Green Party propose that 500,000 new social houses should be built in the UK over the term of the next Parliament (five years).

This is a low figure, but also we need to look at utilising the 200,000 empty properties in the UK (these are counted as having been vacant for six months or more).

As they will not build houses themselves they try to delegate this to private developers. For these to be profitable they have to be large scale projects such as the 1700 houses p ro p o s e d f o r t h e W h i t e H o u s e F a r m development.

The provision of decent affordable (really affordable) homes for the people of Britain should be the priority of any Government. The Green Party understand this, the future for our children and our grandchildren should be more important than pleasing the media or the wealthy institutions such as the banks that have done little to solve this crisis.

These have a very negative effect. They are not a natural development so will put strain on current infrastructure. This includes roads, schools and healthcare. This is going to be intensified at a time when funding for public services is being cut.

Also the impact on the environment is problematic. Farm land that should be growing food will be lost. Wildlife, woodland and open space will be lost for good.

Sometimes we should do things because they are the right thing to do.

Jasper Richmond.

PPC The Green Party Chichester.

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If you want to know more and support this cause, go to the website: www.homesforbritain.org.uk 

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Your Magazine • website.com • 15

Miss Sew and Sew and recycling.

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"Miss Sew and Sew is always ready to recycle anything that she can get her hands on.

That might be drift wood from the beach, to scrap of paper and materials.

She is defining the "Make do and Mend" attitude that seems to be very popular at the moment."

RECYCLING

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle -

We all know about recycling these days so why don't some of us do it? Do you not want the world and the environment in which we live to be a better place for everyone? Outside of most houses now, along with the basic rubbish bin, their should be a recycling bin. If not just place things in plastic bags and carry them to a local one which, nowadays, are everywhere.

It doesn't take much effort. All my paper/cardboard, plastic, glass (such as bottles, jars etc.), tins, metal, materials/textiles I put in the bins, along with taking all old clothes, shoes, books or unwanted furniture to the local Charity shop.

Recycling enables any waste material to become re-produced into another product. This in turn reduces air pollution via incineration or water pollution which thus goes on further to lower the need for conventional waste disposal therefore lowering greenhouse gases.

People may not realise it but recycling has been done since as far back as Plato in 400bc.

Which shows that when things were scarce people used common knowledge to, as the title says, either reduce, reuse and/or recycle.

Industrialisation helped a lot with this also by creating the enormous demand for items which people could afford.

This carried on through both wars where people were often in need of things and unable to reach them. Along with helping to supply more items for war efforts, which goes to show that recycling has always been useful, needed and often necessary even though many out there do not realise this.

Whilst recycling things the amount of energy used in re-making them is far less than it would be for making something from new. For more information on this you can look on The Energy Information Administration (EIA) .

Think broadly of the amount of money which you may or would save via recycling anything, as well as the emotionally good-spirited feeling, and it might just make you think about doing it.

Janus Designs.

Rotten Apple.

ARE THERE SIGNS OF A ROTTEN CORE IN APPLE?

Since the death of Steve Jobs tech analysts and reporters have been predicting the demise of Apple, but nothing could be furthest from the truth. Apple is one of, if not the most, profitable company ever. Its share price has gone through the roof over the last few years and their profit margins, with high cost products, are bigger then most tech companies selling similar products.

However, all is not rosy in Camp Apple it seems. The two new products recently announced, Apple Watch and MacBook, are stretching the realms of sensibility in both feature capability and more importantly in price.

It can be argued that Apples products have always been a case of form over function. Their products are beautifully built with aesthetic qualities that many manufacturers have difficulty emulating. There products have always been value for money though, when you factor in the technology in them and the feature set they provide.. You may say an Apple MacBook Pro is expensive, but when you price a18similar specced and built PC Laptop you •

come to the same price, and in some cases the MacBook Pro is actually cheaper.

Then came Apples Spring Forward event in March. At the event they announced the release of both the eagerly awaited Apple Watch and a new edition to the Apple Laptop family, the new MacBook.

Apple Watch The Apple Watch heralds Apples long awaited entry into the wearable tech sector. Many analysts have said it will do for Smart Watches what the iPod did for music and the iPhone for Smartphones.. So it was with great anticipation that we sat down to watch the keynote presentation, anxious to see the new capabilities Apple would come up with for the Watch, and more importantly, how much we would be paying to have one of these on our wrist… Thats when the problems started to raise their head…

Everyone watching the keynote was expecting Apple to show new functionality for the watch or a killer app that every owner would be downloading on day one. Unfortunately what we got was a low key presentation that basically went over the same information we were given when the watch was first announced last year.

Then we came to the price… Apple could have single handedly taken over the smart watch industry in the same way they did the MP3 player industry with the iPod, as long as they got the price right. But a starting price of £300 for the Apple Watch Sport, going up to £12,000 or more for the Apple Watch Edition, Apple will have a hard time convincing anyone but die hard fans to buy this watch.

with the Mac. For example you can look up the meaning of a word or preview a file just by clicking and continuing to apply a certain amount of pressure to the pad. The pad doesn't actually click but instead uses haptic feedback to give you the feeling of the click. I would advise you to check out Apples Website to see all the functions that can be done with the new Trackpad, as no doubt this will be added to all of Apples other notebooks over time

Across all the versions of the watch the internals are the same, so it makes no difference if you're buying the entry £300 Apple Watch Sport or the top end £12,000 Apple Watch Edition, your user experience will be exactly the same. This is a problem, as Apple would obviously love to shift a fair amount of the top end watches.

So lets look at this new notebook then..

I have no doubt the Apple Watch will be a success, and initial indications from the pre orders are that this is exactly the case. My only concern is if Apple can convince Joe Public that they need to enter the smart watch world and buy one of these. At the moment thats a big ask, as in the few years Smart Watches have been about, no one has managed to convince the general public that a watch that connects to your phone is a must have gadget.

Apple MacBook In years gone by the Apple Notebook range was fairly easy to understand, you either bought a MacBook for consumer usage, or a MacBook Pro for business and design work. Apple then added a third notebook, The MacBook Air, for people who wanted a light and small notebook to carry around with them. Eventually Apple dropped the MacBook in favour of the much lighter MacBook Air, and thats the way its been for the last few years..

Now though Apple have reinvented the MacBook with a lighter, cut down notebook thats not much heavier then the iPad Air 2, and therein lies the problem. Apple have produced a MacBook that is obviously lighter then the MacBook Air, but although its more capable then the iPad its no where near as capable as the MacBook Air, but is a quite a bit more expensive at £1,049. The MacBook is again a triumph in engineering, it is amazingly thin at 13.1mm and extremely light at 0,9kg. For a 12 inch notebook it is a beautiful thing to behold. The Retina Display is beautifully crisp and vibrant, with over three million pixels at a resolution of 2304x1440. Apple have even managed to squeeze in a full size keyboard by using a new underlying mechanism for each individual key, which not only makes the keyboard thinner, but also allows for a more comfortable and precise typing experience. The trackpad has even been reinvented with a device they call a Force Touch Trackpad.. Basically the trackpad doesn't actually move or click like a normal one.

Force sensors underneath the trackpad detect how much pressure you apply and give you new ways to interact

• A much Lighter Notebook, but underpowered and more expensive then the Macbook Air • 1.1 - 1.3Ghz Intel Core-M Processor/256GB-512GB SSD, 9 Hours Battery Life.

• Available in Gold, Silver and Space Grey (Just like the iPad) • A single connector so you'll need to buy further adaptors to use anything with your notebook.

• Fantastic Screen • Amazing new trackpad So on paper the Macbook is a bit confusing, as I can't really tell who its been aimed at.. The processing power available for the Macbook, which is an Intel Core M processor, runs at 1.1 or 1.2GHZ is ideal for basic tasks such a email or web surfing or even document creation etc.. So you'd think this would be aimed at the consumer section of the market. However at a starting price of £1,049 its actually more expensive then the base 13” MacBook Pro, which is aimed at the professional market and is far more powerful then the even the top range MacBook.

The MacBook Air is £300 cheaper, starting at £749, and again is far more powerful then the MacBook. So once again the question of “Who is the MacBook aimed at?” rears its head.

So have Apple taken their eye of the ball and lost all sense of reason? No I don't think so, both of these products will no doubt be successful, and in the coming years we will probably see a lot of these products on the streets of the UK.. I just think neither of them are really the fully rounded, must have items that we expect from Apple… Yet!!!

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The Bios Urn "A very good alternative to funeral options for those who are environmentally aware."

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The Bios Urn is a very environmental way of deposing ashes from cremation. The top of the capsule of the ecological urn was built to facilitate the growth of a seed.

Before buying the urn, you have to mix the components with some soil from where you want to plant the urn. The components will allow a proper seed germination. You can go onto the website and choose what seed you want included in your urn when you fill in the order online.

You have a choice of seeds, from Pine,Ginko, Maple, Oak, Or Beech.

The Bios Urn comes in a very simple box with everything you need to get your ashes converted I to a tree for life. I think this is much more environmentally friendly was of disposing ashes from both people and pets.

Many people plant trees instead of gravestones.

They are now viewed as morbid and more importantly, very expensive.

The prices range from $70 upwards depending on the size and seed you choose.

The company are based in Spain and was developed by a studio who believe that

design and nature can change the world.

The idea behind the urn is to change people's perspective towards death.

They wanted to show people that death is the final end but with the Bios Urns, it can be turned into a new beginning.

I think that it is a more humane and ecological way of using and storing the ashes of the departed.

their loved ones and myself for one, will defiantly be looking into this further as I think it is he way to go in the future concer ning alternative funeral options...

If you are interested or want to know more go to their website.. www.urnbios.com

The expense of a funeral is a real concern and also the fact that people are living longer means that spaces for inhumantion are few and far between.

More and more people are looking into ways of celebrating the departure of

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"We all love a good movie and this was no exception.. Great cars and great special eects.."

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Fast and furious 7 The long awaited movie of 2015 I recently went to see the most talked about movie of this month Fast and Furious 7. With the death of Paul Walker, who killed in a real life crash, many petrol heads had been wondering how this movie would do without one of its greatest stars.

As a fellow petrol head and a lover of fast cars, I was welcomed to the Cineword cinema in Chichester by a fleet of super fast replica cars from the movie parked outside.. Inside there was a generous gathering of girls with boyfriends and couples here to watch the NOS fuelled entertainment.

The film is a perfect for petrol heads, Vin diesel fans and people who want to escape for a few hours.

The cars are slick, the aerobatics breathtaking and the cinematography spellbinding. All the characters appear and have equal roles throughout the film. Obviously the baddy character played by Jason Stathem is well suited to the world of cars: he drives not only Maseratis but my favourite, the timeless Aston

Martins. He's cool, calculating and very determined.

Vin Diesel as always pulls the various threads of the story together.

It was amazing to see what they did with Paul Walkers character and the smoothness of the shots made it hard to believe it was not him.

I won't spoil the film but the ending is very poignant and it's clear from the faces of the cast that they miss their fellow actor and friend.

There are very touching moments in the film which are poignant when they concern the actor, Paul Walker. He died on November 2013, so this was eectively his last film.

Spoiler alert: the end scene was clearly very emotional for everyone working in the end scenes.

If you are a fan of the fast and furious films then I suggest that you go and see this. I for one will defiantly be getting this on DVD when it comes out.

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Lord of the Dance Final performance of Michael Flatley.

It was a great pleasure to see the final performance of The Lord of the Dance at the B r i g h t o n C e n t re . I h a d originally seen this show back in 1998. So for me it was very special. The theatre was packed as myself and my Mum waited for the show to begin.

Michael was scheduled to make a special appearance to hand the position of The

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L o rd t o a n e w d a n c e r named James Keegan.

He was quoted as saying that this would be his finally performance in the run of this amazing show..

Yo u c o u l d s e n s e t h e anticipation as the show began. It was full of wonderful music a theatrical light show of immense proportions.

The dancers were amazing in their costumes and performance added a whole new startle ring performance to the show.

Clearly this global phenomenon had not lost any of it's appeal even after all this time.

Michael also confessed that his dancers were the real stars of the show. I was impressed with the polished professionalism.

I was actually very luck because earlier on in the morning, I was invited to attend a press photo shoot. This enabled me to talk to some of the dancers.

I asked them how it felt to be involved in the show and they all agreed that it was hard work but well worth it. They do travel around and it is clear from what I saw, that there is a lot of camaraderie within the troupe.

We were sent on a magical journey between darkness and light it's a sprite as our guide.

With the use of holograms and light projects, a world of wonder and amazement unfolded before us.

When he danced with the troupe, the whole place was clapping and you could feel the energy.

I was amazed at the level of dancing and he co and he had of the crowds. They were lapping it up and he was loving the adulation he was receiving.

At the end of e show, the place was filled with "Encore" and "More." Of course Michael came and did one more dance. Again the applause was deafening..

All in all, it was an amazing evening and I highly recommend everyone to see this show if they can..well worth every penny..

The normal and highly expected appearance of Michael caused the whole theatre to erupt in applause.

He actually got a standing ovation as he came onto to the stage. Is was before he had even started to dance.

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Michael Ball If everyone was listening show at the Brighton Centre I was very privileged to be offered to attend the wonderful show with Michael Balls19th solo album ‘If Everyone Was Listening’ show with Michael singing a wide repertoire of songs from his albums. The Brighton Centre was full of the older generation who were very excited.

I sat with my friend Helen and we waited for Michael to appear on stage. Michael Ball is Britain's leading musical theatre star, a double Olivier Award winner, multi-platinum recording artist and a hugely popular radio and TV presenter. November 2014 will see the release of his latest album ‘If Everyone Was Listening’, featuring 15 tracks chosen by Michael to include a mix of individual classics, award winners and contemporary songs spanning the years 1960 to 2013 For more than 25 years Michael has been at the top of his game starring in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway winning critical acclaim, a devoted following and awards for his stage work and recording career The event opened with some great songs and Michaels performance was so amazing.

He was on top form singing love songs, songs from a wide variety of musicals and also some of her personal favourites..

I had never heard of Michael until now but I was so blown away by his consummate 30 •

professionalism and the way in which he put his heart and soul into every song. Myself and Helen found ourselves clapping and waving during the energetic performance.

"Michael made his West End debut as Marius in the original London cast of Les Misérables and since then, has starred in West End productions of The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and on Broadway, in the London production of S t e p h e n S o n d h e i m ’s Passion.

In 2005 he performed onBroadway as Count Fosco in The Woman in White, which transferred from London's West End and, in the same year, made his New York City Opera debut as Reginald Bunthorne in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience. In 2007 he made his debut with the ENO as Haj/The Poet in Kismet." (Advertising press) I could see that his music was clearly moving people of all ages and I have to admit certain songs did start to make me ink about life.

When you have children and are a single parent, spending time on yourself is very hard. Coming to the Brighton Centre with my friend really illustrated how much I had neglected my own happiness. As a mum we all put our families best interests at heart and put our own needs last..

It was great to be myself and not Mum or anyone else for an evening..

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Polly Higgins.

A Voice for the Earth: POLLY HIGGINS, international lawyer and Ecocide warrior Polly Higgins is an inspirational speaker, a barrister, an award winning author and Chairwoman of the Eradicating Ecocide global Forum. She speaks on many platforms across the world and is named by The Ecologist as one of the “Top 10 Visionaries of the World”.

Polly’s story started some five years ago when she decided to dedicate her entire professional career to one client: the Earth. Stepping out into this challenging arena as an Earth lawyer, Polly has evolved how we can create a legal duty of care for the Earth: a Law of Ecocide.

W a t c h P o l l y o n Te d Ta l k s h t t p : / / eradicatingecocide.com/ (19 mins) She comes from the heart with a huge personal sincerity and from the head with the professional rigour of her legal training: a good combination to tackle the world’s big problems!

The Law of Ecocide is the 5th missing Crime against Peace. When internationally ratified, this would mean that all environmental devastation conducted by Corporations or Governments in the name of profit or commercial exploitation would become a crime. Those responsible would b e accountable in the International Criminal court.

At present a Corporate Director’s first legal responsibility is to increase profits for the shareholders...the cost to the environment is not a legal requirement.

The Law of Ecocide is indeed a huge game breaker which will radically transform our industrial economic paradigm. Polly likens it to the Abolition of Slavery which at that time seemed an impossible task and similarly transformed the age....

Clearly when the time for deep change has come it can and does happen. The Law of Ecocide brings in a safer and better world for all and for future generations. Let’s support it in every way possible.

Polly Higgins: a Voice for the Earth is hosted by Transition Chichester and in the nature of Polly’s work the event is by gift.

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Contact Anita 07904160954 if you wish to be involved/lend a hand/help plan

1: What is your mission in life?

To put in place the 5th Crime Against Peace, Ecocide law (to criminalise extensive damage, destruction to or loss of ecosystems) - as a means to ending the era of Ecocide.

2: What put you on your path?

the Alps before joining the king of strutters Mick Jagger to dance on stage.

8: Where do you feel most at home?

Anywhere I meet like-minded friends throughout the world - community who care, who enjoy life and who live and celebrate the beauty of nature.

I had a choice-point in my life when standing in court one day. A thought came to me: ‘it’s not just my client who has been badly injured and harmed, so has the Earth’. The next thought changed my life. Up popped the thought: ‘the Earth’s in need of a good lawyer.’

9: What plans do you have for 2015?

3: What is the last book you read?

My vision is a world where Ecocide law is fully implemented which in turn drives enormous opportunities for innovation and business in another direction; where environmental protection is a norm; where there is a vast reduction in pollution and there are amazing opportunities for all of us to collaborate on solutions that pave the way to far greater health and well-being for both people and planet.

I Dare You To Be Great (Klink Street, London & New York Nov 2014, £6.99). It’s a fast-track book on what you can do to help advance Ecocide law and break those patterns of harm, not just the outer world ecocides but also those that I call our inner ecocide.

4: How would you describe yourself in three words?

Passionate, committed and unreasonable.

5: What inspires you most and frustrates you most?

This is a big year for me. Getting Heads of State to call for Ecocide law by the end of the year is my quest.

10: How do you see the world in 5 years time?

Dr. Polly Higgins International Ecocide law advocate Barrister

People who have the courage to speak out for what they believe in, especially when noone else is prepared to do it - that really inspires me. What really frustrates me is political corruption.

Author of Eradicating Ecocide, Earth is our Business and I Dare You to Be Great

6: What’s the most rewarding thing about what you do?

CEO, Earth Community Trust

I love the fact that what I do attracts in people who care from all walks of life - it doesn’t matter if you are a Minister of State or a young mum. This greatly nourishes me and underpins my belief in the potential greatness of humanity.

7: What would be your most exciting day?

Chairwoman, Eradicating Ecocide Global Initiative

www.eradicatingecocide.com www.iamdaringtobegreat.com www.pollyhiggins.com

Photos by Ruth Davey/www.look-again.org

First thing, skinny-dipping in a crystal mountain lake on a beautiful spring morning.

Then, cruising on a Harley Davidson across

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Kate Henwood

Kate talks more about her diary and keeps us up to date on how she is doing

Kate Can Do This……

As I write this, it's 5am and I'm hoping you're asleep……I am awake thanks to the steroid tablets I need to take at the start of a chemo session. Today, 14th March, marks the start of Chemo 3 – session 3 of 6, which means that in 3 weeks time, about a week after this goes live, I w i l l b e j u s t o v e r h a l f w a y t h ro u g h m y chemotherapy treatment – hurrah!

Last month I gave you a bit of background to my story….if you missed it, here's the link to my blog site…..Kate Can Do This. This month, I thought I'd share with you a bit of my latest post – written just before Easter….

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Chemo 2 + 11 days…….

Well, let’s just say that the past few days have been interesting………

Chemo 2 went ok and the first days after were ok too; I didn't do TOO much and was mindful that I’d just had chemo…..after that, it all went downhill. By the end of Sunday I was in A&E at Worthing, feeling absolutely dire.

All through Sunday I couldn’t stay awake for more than 10 minutes and felt totally spaced out…..it was really scary.

I can’t praise Worthing A&E highly enough……mention “chemo patient” and you’re fast-tracked and top priority….because chemo kills your immune system, the risk of infection is sky high and infection will breed at a phenomenal rate. I’d been there less than 20 minutes and I was hooked up to 2 lots of IV antibiotics (don’t get me started on that one) and had bloods taken and fast tracked to check for infection. If I had an infection, I would be staying in – no discussion…..Two hours, a chest x-ray, bloods and antibiotics later and I’m given the all clear to go home, except that my port wasn't cooperating……

A trip to the Montefiore on Monday sorted my port (which was fine, if used properly!) and also gave the opportunity for a long heart to heart with Lou, my fabulous Chemo Unit Sister.

When you travel this journey, everything is very practical. It’s all appointments and drugs and regimes and blood tests……it’s very easy to get dragged in to the whole thing and push aside the very personal side of the journey…..it’s so much easier not to think about YOU as the patient and to just get your head down and get on with it……this week I've had to face some very personal fears.

In some ways this has been a very testing week - apt as it is Holy Week....a time that calls us to walk with Jesus as He prepares to sacrifice Himself for us.....this year I've not been able to take as full a part as I'd like in the church's preparations for Easter.....I guess I've been walking my own journey of faith but questioning "why me?" a lot, something that I don't believe Jesus did......

I know I’ll have to do this many times on this journey - I’m under no illusions. I’m also blessed with some wonderful friends who are holding my hand and walking with me…….this was one bit of the journey that I HAD to face on my own; having my friends on hand to support me while I did this is was so important – not to judge or comment but just to BE there……

Part of the crisis on Sunday was sheer exhaustion…..not sleeping more than 3 hours a night is a killer and combined with chemo and all the side effects really does take it out of you. My sleep regime needs a reset and so that’s being addressed too.

Yet again I’m having to revisit my diary…making sure that there are only essential things in it at the moment……going out for coffee and lunch count as essentials though!

And so hopefully the next few days will be a little calmer and productive and “normal"…..

Oh and I found this on Facebook……please do watch and share this…..it explains very clearly what secondary breast cancer is….”

Since then, things HAVE been easier, life has treated me kindly and I'm a happy bunny, most of the time!

Thank you for reading…..and sharing……

If you'd like to stay up to date with what's going on and can't wait for the next edition of FEMINARUM, pop over to my Facebook page, Kate Can Do This. You'll hear all the latest news and if you have questions, you can message me or post them there and I'll try and answer them.

See you all next month!

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Book Review Alexander McQueen

"Blood beneath the skin."

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A l e x a n d e r McQueen was one of the 21st Century's most influential designers and I have always been a big fan of his designs.

I managed to get my hands on his autobiography and really enjoyed reading it.

"Lee Alexander McQueen died in 2010 aged 40 and left behind a huge legacy of wonderful clothes and also a vacuum in the fashion world.

His work was new and re energised the rather staid and languid world of fashion.

He felt very strongly that the 21st Century women needed clothes that would equip and protect them."

The book goes into detail about

the beginning a of Lees life and also the influences that shaped this lad from London who had very clear ideas about fashion.

The book is also filled with wonderful photos that span the life of this sad figure who felt hemmed in and cursed by the world of fashion.

Once it inspired him and then towards the end, he saw it as a guided cage.

"The Savage Beauty Exhibition will be on at the Victoria and Albert Museum from March to August 2015"

This autobiography is graphic at times with a mixture of honesty and peels back the layers which enable the readers to understand better the driving forces behind many of Alexander's collections.

The Victoria and Albert Museum are exhibiting his work called "Savage Beauty."

It shows the transition from the first collection entitled, "The Rape of the Highlands" to the last one before his death.

If you read the book before going to the exhibition and maybe watch some of the fashion shows on You Tube, it will give you a better insight into the inspiration behind each collection. Lees turbulent private life

keeps rearing it's head as you read further on in the book. It really brings home the sacrifices that have to be made in the fashion world and how transient the whole industry.

From his autobiography you get a feel that he had become disenchanted by the world which in one aspect had given him the opportunity to make his dreams a reality but had robbed him of his freedom.

It is a really great book to read and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the world of fashion.

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Dear Diary, Over these last few months I’ve been signed up to take part in a scheme called Jump, which is partnered with Green Rewards. As part of Feminarum’s look at the wider world I’ve given it a go and why not? It’s a fantastic opportunity to do something good and change my bad habits for better ones Chichester University, where I am currently a student, is running this fantastic reward scheme to encourage staff and students to think more carefully about the environment, recycling and their own wellbeing.

The idea is to log your activities each week in order to earn green points for your subject department, at the end of the month the winning department is rewarded with £500 to give to a charity of their choice. It’s a very personal scheme - I have opted in to monitor my walking, running and recycling - but you can opt in for a great range of activities and positive actions that benefit not just your own health but the environment’s too.

I have really enjoyed getting involved especially as it’s encouraged me to join with my friends on a ‘Couch to 5K’ training program. It’s really tough as I’ve never been a good runner but I can feel that I’m getting stronger and building up some stamina. I already walked to and from university but once I worked out how long that actually was each week, I’ve been itching to get out in the sunshine and build up some more minutes (and some more points), which has really lifted my mood. As I mentioned in last months Dear Diary entry, I have now moved in to a new flat with my cats. Living alone (in human terms, cats are fantastic company of course) for the first time.

Although I was nervous initially I am now completely in love with my own independence.

Alongside increasing my activity with Jump, I’m on a mission to clean up my cupboards and my diet. My first shop was filled with whole grains, fruit, vegetables and legumes – I’ve also switched out my old cheap-as-chips cleaning fluids for ecofriendly alternatives and fair-trade washing up gloves. I’m making a promise to myself to cook everything from scratch, make up a packed lunch and only buy what I know I’ll need to reduce my food waste. The flat has a cute little courtyard, which I hope I can gradually fill up with bee–friendly flowers, birdhouses, feeders and a water table for the wildlife.

Of course, it’s early days and I’ve not long moved in so I’m full of ideas and the motivation to do it. As my deadlines loom I’m sure things will slip and I’ll treat myself to a take-a-way eaten at the laptop once in a while but so long as I try my best to keep to it, leave the car in the drive as often as I can, reduce, recycle and turn off the lights behind me. What more can a girl do?

All the best, Katie

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Style me confident.

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Press (dress) release – for immediate release:-

they just don’t feel right?”

Mirror Mirror on the wall – can you dress me for the ball?

“Would you like to be inspired, get compliments and feel more confident with what you wear?”

Sometimes we all need a fairy frock mother in our lives, a la Cinderella.

Well today is the day y o u r d re a m s c o m e true!

Gay Richardson (aka your fairy frock mother), Worthing’s best known & loved personal stylist, is l a u n c h i n g S u s s e x ’s first ever, online VIP style Club on May 1st 2015.

It will enable every woman to have the long established and well respected Gay Richardson of Style Me Confident, with them 24/7, via the technology of iPhone, iPad, laptop or computer.

Then the Style Me Confident VIP Club will give you access 24/7, to the legendary styling videos (over 75 already ) , d i s c o u n t ’s a n d benefits from Style Me Confident services and other personally recommended related businesses. Ask the stylist how to wear w h a t ’s i n t h e h i g h street, Stylofacts and basically more styling solutions than you can shake a wand at!!!

I t ’s j u s t £ 5 . 9 9 p e r month, up to the stroke of midnight on May 31st 2015.

Thereafter it will never be £5.99 again…….it will be £8.99 per month.

how to dress for your shape, whilst being on trend. They are great fun, very informative and a perfect length to slot into a busy day! A must see.”

Michelle, Horsham.

And another Cinderella said:

“For the first time in my life I really don’t mind my body shape because I now know what to do with it!”

Sarah, Worthing.

So now you can make all your dressing dreams come true and live happily ever after! h t t p : / / www.stylemeconfident .co.uk/vip-club/

It’s truly magic!!

Award winning Gay asks ….

“Are there clothes in your wardrobe that you don’t wear because

One Cinderella said: “I watch my inbox now for a new SMC video coming in, as they are a great way to find out

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