Stewart Bint's Blog

The Emotive Doctor Who Music of Murray Gold

12/31/2019

As Doctor Who returns to our television screens, what better time than to look back on the incredible music from the Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat eras, composed by Murray Gold.

My guest blogger today, who delves into this here, is my Twitter friend, @thedrewseph.

Between the years 2005 to 2017 'Doctor Who' fans were graced with the musical inspirations of the amazingly talented music composer Murray Gold.

Just like the composer John Williams is known for his signature work on 'Star Wars', Gold's musical direction has been seen as a huge staple to the success of the popular British science fiction series since it's return in '05. Having worked previously with Russell T Davies on several other projects (before 'Doctor Who'), he seemed like the perfect fit for the series return. Ever since then, fans of the show have always been able to look forward to the series music as a sort of added companion along for the ride with them.

He's lent his talents to creating some of the most iconic pieces of music from the show's recent history.

Gold is responsible for creating multiple themes associated with a ride range of elements of the show, such as themes for The Doctor ("The Doctor's Theme", "The Doctor Forever", "I Am The Doctor" and "A Madman With A Box"), Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, River Song, Clara Oswald, Gallifrey, The Master, the Silurians, the Daleks, and the Cybermen. Not only that, but he was even lucky enough to do the respective themes on both the 'Doctor Who' spin-offs 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' and 'Torchwood'.

Gold has also created, arranged and orchestrated three special live concert events for the music from 'Doctor Who'.

The first, "Doctor Who: A Celebration", was performed at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff in 2006; the second, the 2008 Doctor Who Prom, at the Royal Albert Hall in London; the third, the 2010 Doctor Who Prom, at the Royal Albert Hall again.

In March of 2010, his 'Doctor Who' soundtrack entered the UK radio station Classic FM's Hall of Fame as that year's second highest new entry. In 2011 however, it remained in the Hall of Fame, but this time at a lower ranking. It's been a refreshing dose of intrumental music that has come to inspire generations of fans to come. Not only just fans of the popular series, but future generations of television music production as well.

A story can be just a story sometimes, but music can invoke such feelings and emotion that one would never have been able to have if not for the music composition surrounding the story. That's why the music of 'Doctor Who' has really become an added character along for the ride on every journey we have taken with The Doctor and his companions.

Murray Gold has made us all feel a wide range of emotions over the course of his time on the BBC series, but none were more felt as he made his departure as the series music director before the start of Series Eleven this past year. While many discussions have been had over what makes a show so great, it's abundantly clear that with the legacy of Doctor Who must live on the scores and soundtracks we've all loved so much.

The series music has always resonated a lot with people, and it's surely brought us all together from many different walks of life. Something I know The Doctor would be proud to know after all these years. Music can be uplifting, inspiring, sad, happy, or even heroic. There's a song out there for everyone, you just need to listen long enough to find it.

Murray Gold's thought provoking pieces can heard through out space and time, and has been collected for people to enjoy through soundtracks.

Silva Screen released several compilations of music from the first and second series, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 3, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 4, and Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 5.

Funnily enough, he has also made a brief cameo in the show itself (wearing a fake moustache) in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned".

Additional music from the 2008–2010 specials was released, titled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 4: The Specials.

Editor's note: "We mustn't forget my all-time favourite, The Shepherd's Boy.

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Why The Greens are Near the Top of a Blind Taste Test

11/25/2019

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Ahead of the UK General Election on December 12, the four candidates hoping to become the new MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, have each written an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We've had Conservative Dr Luke Evans: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/dr-luke-evans-conservative-parliamentary-candidate

Labour's Rick Middleton: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/for-the-many-not-the-few

Lib Dems' Michael Mullaney: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/campaigning-to-save-local-services

Today, it's the turn of The Green Party candidate, Mick Gregg.

by Mick Gregg

Hi, my name is Mick Gregg and I am definitely not going to be your next MP.

My 52nd birthday is fast approaching. I live in Desford with my wife and 8-year-old son, who enjoys going to Desford Primary school.

We’ve been in the village for 2 years, and before that we were in Kirkby Mallory for 12. I have been a social worker in various Midlands councils since 1991, working in children’s safeguarding, mental health, courts and have now been employed with Leicestershire County Council for the last two years as a senior in a team for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, and I like my job.

As a hobby I like walking down canals that are no longer there.

As I say, I am definitely not going to be your next MP.

The truth is that most MP’s in our parliament are sitting on jobs that are pretty near as safe as any job you can get in the public sector. I think it’s bad for our democracy; it means that new voters, or even older voters, can wonder why they vote, when the outcome in most constituencies is a pretty near certainty. And it’s also bad for our democracy because it means that many of our representatives don’t really, deep down, have to worry too much about what the people they represent really want or need.

As long as they keep in with the local party members (the ones who chose the candidate) they can be pretty sure where they’ll be after the election. Now I am not saying, at all, that the other candidates in the election in Bosworth would take this attitude. On the contrary my fellow candidates seem to me to be decent people who want to work for our area. I am not picking a fight with them about how they’d perform if they were our MP; in fact, as a Green candidate we purposely choose to be polite and respectful to other candidates. And I think this Green Party principle of good manners shows when Caroline Lucas speaks out, and what you can expect when more Greens get elected.

In Bosworth, and everywhere else, we would change the voting system to one where you can show preferences for the parties and candidates. We’d give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote; we trust young people. How exciting would it be to feel that your vote choices really mattered even if you lived in a safe seat? and even (although I’d really rather you didn’t) if you wanted to vote for the Brexit Party!

So, if I know I’m not going to win then why do you stand?” The answer is because I want you to know us, and not the cliched stereotype that you might think of as Greens. I want to tell you of the Green solutions, and I most of all I want you to have the opportunity if you share our vision and values to be able to vote Green in Bosworth. My Party took the step to see where, if we stood back, a LibDem might be able to win; and they did the same with us. Bosworth was a long way off being on that list.

What I want to do with this time you have given me in reading this is to encourage you to look at what we stand for and what we want to do. When people are asked to rate various policies in a kind of ‘blind taste test’, the Green policies always come out near the top of people’s choices.
Try: https://voteforpolicies.org.uk

We have the solutions to all things in our lives and future, way beyond just the climate crisis.

I wanted to spend the next paragraph or two to tell you what distinguishes the Green Party from all the others; what it is that makes us different.

1. We are driven by a basic undeniable logic. Simply put, we know cannot keep taking things from the earth, and expect to grow every year on year, on year; eventually the things we take run out. What we ask is simply, “will this still be here as a way to do things for the next generation?” Even our ideas in detail are called “Policies for a Sustainable Society”!
You’ll find them at: https://policy.greenparty.org.uk/core-values.html

2. We take a global view of how to solve the world’s problems, but we are not naïve as to how difficult this is. However, anything other than this view of all people working together and you end up with divisions and blaming other countries and people. We embrace diversity and difference whether it’s in Hinckley or in the World. We believe, if we don’t view the world this way, we will see more wars for oil, wars for water, wars for land as these things get scarcer. We are citizens of one world. If this sounds naïve then it might be a good point to mention that we are not an overtly pacifist party, we would indeed avoid killing people and use every alternative method to change corrupt governments, and manage conflict, but a Green Government would still have our armed services. What makes us different is that we would take our place within strategies agreed through the United Nations. We would not start wars on our own or at the bequest of America. There is no ‘macho crusade’ in the Green Party. We would cancel Trident and in doing so find something like a £100 billion down the back of the sofa; (we’re also going to scrap HS2, and there’s another odd £100 billion).

We have some people in the world who would presumably do me harm for holding my values of tolerance and respect, whether they be Islamic extremists or fascists in our, or other, countries. But to have fought wars in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Libya has really solved what exactly? We do have an alternative international way forward, which doesn’t destroy countries, and in doing so create a new generation of bitter and angry people.

3. We recognise that there is real imbalance in the world between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. We simply want to help the people in difficult circumstances because we believe that to help people makes them more likely to be our friends, and less our enemies. When things are not in balance, they fall over. Without balance our world, or our country, will never really be safe, and at the moment we see the balance between those who have, and those who have not, becoming worse and worse.

4. It is this belief in ‘one world’ that leads, in part, to our stance on the EU referendum. We are very democratic in our Green hearts! I believe that the EU referendum was not fought with anything like accurate information and because of this was not democratic in the real sense. The ‘remain’ side never really believed that we vote to leave (and frankly neither did Boris Johnson).

Let’s say I go to have an operation I can only give my consent knowing all the facts, and all the risks; if I am sold PPI without then giving me all the details I get my money back. Where in the referendum was ‘this is going to really mess up Ireland?” or “we’ll be paying the EU at least £39 billion just to leave?”……...The reason we support an immediate new referendum - and were involved at the start of a People’s Vote campaign - is because now we really do know what it would mean to vote ‘leave’ or ‘remain’. This new vote will be taken with our collective eyes fully opened, and if it’s to ‘leave’ then we will leave. At our core, the Green Party believes in democracy, we believe people will do the right thing in the right circumstances with the right information - essentially, we believe in people!

4. Another big difference between Greens and the rest, is that we want you to work less, we want everyone to have more time to spend with family, finally learn to play that guitar (ok, that might be just me) or whatever; have access to green spaces and time to go there; feel less anxiety and angry. Our collective improving emotional wellbeing would reduce the cost of health services and everything that goes with it for families and communities. We are not simply here to work; we are here to live!

5. For this reason, and many others, we want to promote a Universal Basic Income - £92 per week paid into every citizens’ bank account. As we earn more this basic payment is reclaimed in tax. The idea that this would somehow result in people giving up work has no basis in reality or evidence from where it’s been tried in practice, we would still work as we’d want more for ourselves, there would still be people with much more money than others, Amazon would still be delivering your Christmas presents (but paying tax) It isn’t impossible, think about how many families get Child Benefit every month into their accounts. Think about how it could remove the whole benefits system, student loans, old age pensions and give people security.

6. Locally, or course, is where we believe decisions should be made, and the best decisions for our communities are made. We would create Citizens Assemblies and the right of constituents to call for a sitting MP to be removed, making it easier to get rid of corruption and self-interest. What is needed is more control for the people who use the services and not leaving to an MP to try to create change.

The Green Party would provide free public transport across the constituency, monitor air pollution, pay to reopen the Ivanhoe railway line that runs through Desford to passengers, and provide a safe cycle path alongside it.

We would spend the money, raised through specific taxation to restore, and provide parity of, the funding to Leicestershire County Council with other councils in England, and our local NHS Trusts necessary to ensure that services are local and accessible. We would make it illegal to profit from an NHS service. Provide enough money to reopen Surestart centres, and build quality local housing with a strategy that only small estates could be built, attached to existing villages and towns, that are relevant and affordable to local people, with a clear answer to ensuring that schools, transport and doctor surgeries have capacity to absorb the new families.

Your local candidates make promises, but be careful to consider what candidates tell you they can do about health, transport, creating jobs or other important issues for our local towns and our villages: remember to ask them “how?”

Now, I thank you for reading this and considering the ideas, and you’ll see that I hardly mentioned climate breakdown (I presume you already know where we stand on that - and how dangerous our situation is if we don’t do something big and do it now. All I’ll say is that as far as ‘Green New Deals’ go; the original is always the better than the copy. Who do you believe will do what is necessary without distractions?

https://campaigns.greenparty.org.uk/manifesto

IF THESE PRINCIPLES SEEM TO BE ALONGSIDE YOUR OWN, A VOTE FOR GREEN IS THE BEST WAY TO LET THE OTHER PARTIES AND THE GOVERNMENT KNOW

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Campaigning to Save Local Services

11/20/2019

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Ahead of the UK General Election on December 12, the four candidates hoping to become the new MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, have each written an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We've had Conservative Dr Luke Evans: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/dr-luke-evans-conservative-parliamentary-candidate

Labour's Rick Middleton: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/for-the-many-not-the-few

For the Green Party: Mick Gregg: https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/why-the-greens-are-near-the-top-of-a-blind-taste-test

And today it's the turn of Lib Dem Michael Mullaney

Michael Mullaney was the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bosworth in 2010,2015 and 2017 each time getting the highest Liberal Democrat vote in the East Midlands.

Michael has been a Councillor for Hinckley since 2011 having been elected four times a councillor.

He lives in Hinckley with his family.

Campaigning to Save Local Services

I'm the candidate for Hinckley and Bosworth who has the track record of campaigning for our area over the years.

I have been involved in a series of campaigns to save vital local services.
In 2012/2013 I helped lead the campaign which save Hinckley ambulance station when it was faced with closure and succeeded in keeping it open.

In 2015/16 I campaigned to stop plans that would have seen Hinckley's second fire engine axed.

I've been involved in campaigns to save vital local services in villages in our borough such as bus services and sure start Children's Centres in places like Barwell when they were threatened with closure.

More recently following the removal of X-ray facilities from Hinckley Hospital I campaigned to get xray services back in Hinckley and am delighted that the health authority has agreed to return them to the town.

I've a record of action before being elected Bosworth's MP. If given the chance to be the MP with the platform that gives you I can achieve so much more for our area.

Hinckley and Bosworth has been let down by the Tories. We have among the worst funded schools in the country. This leads to us having one of the worst levels of social mobility in the country. Someone born poor in our area is more likely to stay there throughout their lives than they are in most other places.

This urgently needs changing. Young people in Hinckley and Bosworth deserve a fair chance in life and that means properly funded schools. Our NHS is underfunded we need a new facility for our large and growing population like a Walk-in Centre or Minor Injuries Unit, instead we've had to fight to save basic local services like X-rays in Hinckley.

Our police are not properly funded people rarely see a police officer locally. We urgently need more police.

As Hinckley and Bosworth's MP I would bang the drum and speak up in Parliament for the extra resources for health education and police we need locally. Every seat in Leicestershire County voted Tory last time. The Tories take our area for granted and think we will continue to vote for them while they fail to give our vital local services the funds they need.

We need a change in Hinckley and Bosworth and we can get a change here. In May Liberal Democrats gained the council from the Conservatives. For the first time ever we won the popular vote with Lib Dems getting 42% Tories 36% and Labour just 15%. In the European elections Lib Dem's got more votes than the Tories and Labour here.

There's a real chance for change here in Bosworth this time. We can elect a new Lib Dem MP who lives locally and who has a track record of campaigning for years for our vital local services health, education and other key services.

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For The Many, Not The Few

11/18/2019

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With the UK General Election coming on December 12, the four candidates hopeful of becoming the MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, are each writing an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We have Conservative, Dr Luke Evans; Labour, Rick Middleton; Lib Dem, Michael Mullaney; and Green Party, Mick Gregg.

We have Dr Luke Evans - you can read his post here:
https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/dr-luke-evans-conservative-parliamentary-candidate

Michael Mullaney, for the Lib Dems: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/campaigning-to-save-local-services

Mick Gregg, for the Green Party: https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/why-the-greens-are-near-the-top-of-a-blind-taste-test

Today, it's the turn of Labour's Rick Middleton.

Rick Middleton, the Labour candidate for Bosworth is a father-of-one, lives in Hinckley and runs his own web consultancy business. He is also the chair of Bosworth Constituency Labour Party.

After studying IT & communications at North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, he took an apprenticeship in IT, working as a knitwear designer at a factory in Earl Shilton which later moved to Barwell.

Whilst later working at a web design agency, he also studied part time for foundation degree in Graphic design and E-media at Leicester college, graduating in 2014.

Here, he tells us why he feels he should be Bosworth's next MP.

by Rick Middleton

Local, Positive, Credible

Being an MP requires many qualities but these are a good three to start with.

Local

Don't get me wrong, I believe a candidate can move to an area, become an MP and make it their own over time but growing up here, going to the local schools here and knowing the local community gives me a huge advantage over some of the other candidates.

Whilst I grew up in Hinckley and that's where I live now, I spent 4 years living in the village of Barlestone which helped me to understand how village life differs from living in the town.

People in villages face different challenges from those in towns. Whilst many in towns are concerned about traffic and parking, the concerns of villages are often with a lack of employment in the area, especially when new developments take place without the sufficient infrastructure that will create jobs.

Whilst good quality, reliable public transport is very important to those in towns, to those in villages it's a necessity. Recently bus services have been cut across the borough in our villages with some of the smaller villages having had their bus services slashed entirely.

This is unfortunately what happens when private companies operate public services in the interest of profit over the needs of our local communities, something a Labour government will end by bringing transport networks back into public ownership.

Positive

Positivity is what being an MP should be all about. Anyone elected into the House of Commons should always be thinking about how they can make a positive difference to their local community.

Whatever I do in life, whether it be at work or in politics, I always look towards a positive outcome. I'm always looking at how I can influence change rather than concerning myself with anything that's outside of my control.

Right now, I'm focused on becoming the next MP for Bosworth. I'm taking action by campaigning across the constituency. Labour finished second to the Tories in Bosworth here at the last election and I believe we can do better. I'll be doing everything I can to win as many votes as possible to make that a reality.

Credible

Unfortunately, we live in a time where people's trust in politicians is at an all-time low.

This is evidenced by the hundreds of spoilt ballots in this year's local election, something that politicians need to reflect on.

During the EU referendum in 2016 a whole host of promises were made, many of which were not compatible with leaving the European Union. Voters were promised that if they voted leave things would change, and that they would change quickly. They have not.

David Cameron spent £9million of tax payers money in an attempt to convince the public to remain. The morning after the result was declared, he stepped down.

Theresa May promised the country she would get a good deal, she failed to do so and stepped down.

Boris Johnson said he'd “… rather die in a ditch” than fail in his mission to take Britain out of the EU on the 31st October. He failed and cost the tax payer an estimated £100million on advertising the deadline. To build bridges with those who have lost faith in politics we need credible policies.

Boris Johnson's slogan “Get Brexit Done” might be a great sound bite, but the truth is that it's not credible. It's “Get Brexit done” no matter what the cost, to our country, to jobs, to our economy. A position that even some of the most loyal, well-respected and long serving Conservative MP's didn't support in parliament, a position which cost them their party membership.

The reality is that even if a withdrawal agreement with the EU was reached, and was voted through parliament, this would not be the end. Brexit would not be done; this would be just the start of the process. We would be negotiating our future relationship with the EU for years to come.

This makes this slogan very misleading to those who want to get beyond Brexit.

How to get Britain beyond Brexit

Many people ask me on the doorstep how I voted in the EU referendum.
The answer is simple - I voted to remain. But I am also a democrat. After the result of the referendum in 2016, I refused to sign a petition calling for another referendum on the basis that we should respect the result of the first vote even if it wasn't the outcome I'd campaigned for.

I supported Labour's commitment to negotiate a Brexit deal that would keep our close trading relationship with the EU through a customs union and a single market deal.

By doing this we could avoid the disastrous no deal Brexit Theresa May put on the table as part of her negotiation strategy.

Three and a half years since the result of the referendum so much of parliament’s time has been dedicated to Brexit, with a lot of resources going on preparations for no-deal outcome. We have now reached a point where the only way to solve the Brexit crisis is to go back to the people with a deal on the table.

This would not be a re-run of the referendum because the choice would be between remain and a credible Brexit deal, this time offering an outcome rather than a promise for those voters who still want to leave.

This would not be reversing the 2016 result but updating it to reflect the will of the people in 2020, the year the referendum would be held, and when the decision would be implemented.

If we take action on Brexit in 2020 without going back to the people, this in itself would be undemocratic. We would be ignoring the views of thousands of voters recently turning 21 who did not get a say in 2016 and therefore will not have a say on their own future.

Giving the people the final say is how we get beyond Brexit.

Why I'm a socialist
Socialism is the reason that thanks to our wonderful NHS, when a child gets sick in this country, we all pay towards the care of that child through our contributions. We all value the lives and well-being of our fellow citizens and value their contributions that pay for our healthcare when we’re in our hour of need.

Socialism is not an economic system of its own, socialism is a set of principles that can be applied to an economic system to ensure power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few. The Labour Party believe that the market should work for everyone, not just those who have capital.

I come from a working-class household, I didn’t do well at school, I didn’t go to university. I worked as an apprentice in a knitwear factory and when I left home at 20, I had no capital.

Thankfully there were opportunities for me to study and further my skills. I studied a part time degree which was funded by a student maintenance grant, something that was scrapped by George Osborne in 2016. The same course today now costs students £6,000 in fees.

By learning new skills, I was able to start my own web consultancy business from home. I had to work two jobs as many have to today, I did this for several months until my business became self-sufficient.

Unfortunately, many don't get the same opportunities as I did. Over the last 9 years those from working class backgrounds have really suffered at the hands of Tory austerity. Many are too concerned with where their next meal is going to come from and how they are going to pay their rent to think about entrepreneurship or self-improvement.

Labour have always provided a platform for every man, woman and child in this country to reach their full potential.

From the 1945 Labour government that created the NHS, with the last Labour government that founded Sure Start children's centres, to the next Labour government that will create a National Education Service to give everyone the opportunity to learn at any stage in their life, no matter their background or financial situation.

I joined the Labour Party to play a part in improving people’s lives for the better. Labour governments have always achieved that.

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Dr Luke Evans - Conservative Parliamentary Candidate

11/17/2019

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With the UK General Election coming on December 12, the four candidates hopeful of becoming the MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, are each writing an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We have Conservative, Dr Luke Evans; Labour, Rick Middleton; Lib Dem, Michael Mullaney, and Green Party, Mick Gregg.

Labour's Rick Middleton: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/for-the-many-not-the-few

Lib Dem Michael Mullaney: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/campaigning-to-save-local-services

Green Party's Mick Gregg: https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/why-the-greens-are-near-the-top-of-a-blind-taste-test

This is Dr Luke Evans's post

by Conservative candidate Dr Luke Evans

I am a GP. I believe there are a lot of similarities between a good local MP and a good GP. You must communicate clearly and effectively. You must be able to deal with complex information and make decisions. You have to problem solve. But above all, you must care about the people you look after and work hard to earn their respect.

I come from a medical background. My father is a GP and my mother a retired nurse. I am the eldest of three brothers, all of whom have chosen a profession in medicine. I guess public service is in our blood!

I have spent over 15 years in the Midlands, starting my medical training in 2002, at The University of Birmingham Medical School.

Having successfully completed my medical degree in 2007, I worked in in Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Heartlands NHS hospitals.

After completing my 2 years as a junior doctor, I returned to The University of Birmingham to teach anatomy to first- and second-year medical students. I completed my GP training in 2013, proceeding to work across the Midlands including: Leicester, Loughborough, Birmingham, Rugby, Coventry and Leamington Spa. My wife is also a GP, and in 2018 we moved to Oxford for her to join a practice. The opportunity to come back to the Midlands was something we both relished.

For me, the chance to return to an area that has been so good to me over the years is a privilege. For my wife, to come back to the region she grew up in and to have family close by as we continue to build our life here. Living here, we share all the challenges you and your family face: buying a house, getting to work, maternity services, educating children, caring for family and supporting a community to live a fulfilled life.

This is my life. This is our life, our future.

Dr Luke’s Priorities:

1) Get Brexit done - End the Uncertainty

I voted LEAVE.

The country voted democratically to leave, and I want to see that decision upheld. Whether you voted leave or remain, as a nation we must end the deadlock to allow us to move on to concentrate on the domestic agenda like Schools, the NHS and Policing.

2) Our Schools

The Conservatives are investing £14 billion into our schools, increasing funding by an average of 4.6% per pupil in Leicestershire, with local schools here in Hinckley & Bosworth receiving and average of 5% per pupil.

I have been a school governor twice in the past and will continue to fight for fairer funding and better education for our children.

3) Crime in our area

Tackling crime here in our area is very important to me:

Rurally: fly tipping, hare coursing, machinery theft and speeding

Urban: antisocial behaviour, knife crime and drug use.

I will fight to make sure funding is not sucked towards Leicester.

4) Our NHS

I have spent my professional life in the NHS. The Conservatives have just delivered a £450 Million package to Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust, as well as £8 Million for Hinckley hospital. Some of this money will fund the new X-ray department in Hinckley.

More needs to be done to keep up with demand and the announcement of 50 million new GP appointments will go some way to helping ease pressure.

I will use my professional knowledge to continue to improve our local health services.

5) Our Local Development

Families and businesses want to settle here for the opportunities on offer. Development in the area needs to be managed, appropriate and sustainable, with proper scrutiny of amenities provided like schools and doctors’ places, otherwise we simply won’t cope.

I want to see congestion and HGVs on our roads tackled, including getting the A5 improved. We must have effective road infrastructure to support our community.

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Faulty Roots - A Film About Teenage Depression

11/7/2019

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My latest guest blogger is Ella Greenwood, an 18-year old Londoner, and the writer and producer of a short film, Faulty Roots, about teenage depression, friendship and dreams.

by Ella Greenwood

Having joined youth theatres and productions from a young age, I trained in both stage and screen. I made my screen debut as lead character Lina in New York Director Adam Llamas' horror 'In Front of You' and my stage debut at local theatres as well as the West End. I trained with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.

I’m also a voice-over actor, having narrated books for Audible/Amazon and having voiced a key character in a new American series. I have recently been called a 'Rising Young Acting Talent' by David Duprey of That Moment In and 'one of those "up-and-comers" to watch circumspectly' by Entertainment Writer Ruth Hill. Faulty Roots is the first time that I am going to work as a producer on a film, and I’d love to get to help share many more stories in the future.

I wanted to make a film on depression in teens and to raise awareness for mental health problems. This is because they affect so many teens and there is a lot more that can be done to help with this.

I've personally faced mental health problems and I think it’s rare that as teens we won’t have already faced them, be currently facing them or won’t do in the future. A lot of people still find it difficult to reach out and ask for help with any problems that they might be facing and so I wanted to demonstrate with the film what this may be like and to represent some of the struggles faced. This is why I decided to write the script, so that it would come from a teenager’s perspective.

I have worked as an actor for many years and wanted to help portray the story which is why I will be taking on the character of Lola.

The story follows Lola, a young girl with depression, and the friendship that she is forced to form with Zack. The two teens each have genetic conditions which affect their lives in different ways. The film will focus on the relationship built and the struggles faced, as well as how important is to talk to others.

To take on the character of Zack, we have the brilliant young actor Sani Thabo. I first saw Sani in the short film ‘Third Wheeling’ where he gave an amazing performance. From his audition, I knew that he could bring the same comedic talent and brightness that I had seen to the film. Sani has performed at the Brighton fringe festival and the New Theatre Royal. He has been in the short films Third Wheeling, Transteen and Listen.

Zack and Lola’s friendship is an important feature in the film. It demonstrates the importance of sharing pain and hurt as well as joy and happiness.

I also wanted to demonstrate the affect that a mental illness can have on the relationship between a parent and their teen and so this is why the character of Susan, Lola’s mother, is so important to the story. Susan will be played by the wonderful actress Sarah Eastwood.

I first worked with Sarah on the film In Front of You where she played my mother. We immediately got on and I learnt so much from her. Sarah has worked on over 40 projects, all predominately film & TV, including ITV, SKY & Amazon Prime productions. She starred in the award winning film ‘A Pinprick of Light’ that screened at Cannes Film Festival.

Sarah is also the founder of Visutap which offers Guided Audio Meditations.

She is passionate about helping others on their inner journey and I know from experience how helpful meditation can be to overcome such things as stress and anxiety.

We have an extremely talented Director of Photography on board, Ash Lang Wen Li. Ash grew up in Hong Kong, before pursuing a Film and Politics double major at Wesleyan University (Connecticut, USA), where she received the Freeman Asian Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship that covered 4 years of undergraduate tuition. She has a strong narrative background, and has worked with cinematographers whose work has been recognized by the Oscars, the Emmys and the BAFTAs. I absolutely love Ash's work and I know that she is the right DoP to bring my vision to life.

I’m hoping that the film will help to represent what it is like to suffer from depression as a teen and that it will raise awareness of the issue. I want it to both inform and entertain people. I’m going to submit it to as many film festivals as I can to try and share the story with as wide an audience as possible.

We have launched an Indiegogo campaign for the film and I’m hoping to raise as much money as possible to get the story told and to get it told well.

So many people have already helped to support the film and I am so thankful for that. We also have the wonderful Ruth DesRoches on board as an Associate Producer and Brent N. Hunter on board as a co-producer. I would love for more people to get involved with the film and I’d be happy for people to contact me if they would like to know more about Faulty Roots or ways that they can help.

Rehearsals for the film start this month and then we begin shooting it during the start of December. The film will be completed by spring next year where we will be having a screening of it and will be submitting it to film festivals.

I am so excited to start the production of the film and to begin working with the cast and crew.

You can follow our progress on Instagram and Twitter using the links below:
www.instagram.com/faultyroots

www.twitter.com/faultyroots

Please also check out the crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/faulty-roots-film#/

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Help Fight Mental Health Issues With Physical Fitness

9/23/2019

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My guest blogger today is mental health campaigner Jordan Langley. Jordan uses his experience as a personal trainer to help people fight mental health issues. This is his story.

by Jordan Langley

Back before I started my personal fitness journey, I used to really struggle with my own health battles; I had just being diagnosed with irritable bowel disease (IBD).

As a result of that, I felt weak! I was rapidly losing weight as I couldn’t eat anything with making repeated trips to the toilet. It got so bad that I didn’t even have the energy to get out of bed and I was rushed to hospital, where I spent the next five days.

Fast forward five years and I’m now four major operations on my core down and my colon removed with an ostomy bag fitted (feel free to ask what one is).

When health issues exist in your life, it pours over and takes control of other areas of your life as well, it’s like an overdose of negativity that can destroy your life.

It got to a point where I literally wasn't me anymore, I didn’t feel like myself and I had to do something about it. Not only was I fighting this illness I was going through my own mental health battle, thinking what the point in being here anymore is and came close to doing something stupid.

As I fell deeper into depression and wondering why me, my wife at the time decided to be unfaithful instead of supporting me which lead to me going through a divorce, which pushed me lower the low, now I had to deal with the possibility of being forever alone and this sent me to absolute rock bottom.

This went on for a good 12 months in which I became a house hermit, did nothing but cry and question why bother, but that’s when I reignited my love for sport so I started to work out for 15-30 mins for a few weeks to build strength and make a conscious note of what I was eating, as I was still learning what my triggers were.

The results I got at first were relatively slow as my focus was just on getting started and making it habit, rather than focusing on the quality of the routine.

But once I took it seriously, I started cardio training, as After all the time spent in bed after the ops it’s the one thing I needed back, as well as gaining core strength again and once I figured out my trigger foods then I implemented my own diet plan to help keep me energized. EVERYTHING changed, dramatically.

Once I saw my previous figure re appear and I felt physically stronger like I can lift the whole world again. My strength came back almost instantly and for my mindset this was more than a confidence boost this was confirmation it was my time to shine, no matter the battles I face.

To even think about what I was like before scares the hell out of me, which is why it's my mission to not let anyone else go down the same road, it’s one of the reasons I became a coach in the first place.

If my story sounds familiar to yours and you want to change it just like we did, I can help you. So if you are ready to make a difference to your world and lose weight/tone up no matter what battles you will face then please get in touch with me through Twitter, or my Personal Trainer Facebook page.

Let's see if I can help you like I helped myself reclaim my life back and become a better stronger version of myself.

My biggest love now comes from the inspiration I get of others and knowing I inspire them, I am using my experience as a personal trainer to help combat mental health issues! As it has saved me and set me on the right path so now I’m guiding others through my story.

If you wish to join my support network to help others or gain support yourself then contact me on Facebook or Twitter. Remember...your mind matters.

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Keep That Blood Flowing - Avoid A Pulmonary Embolism

9/8/2019

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There's a silent killer out there. And I don't mean of the Hannibal Lecter variety.

Ever since I had that pesky blood clot in my lung last year I've taken a keen interest in the subject, and discovered that one in four deaths worldwide is thrombosis-related.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a condition in which a blood clot forms - usually in the deep veins of the leg, groin or arm (known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) caused by being sedentary. It travels in blood circulation, lodging in the lungs and causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism (PE).

I came into contact with an organisation called RBR Active™, which runs an awareness campaign of the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, and has developed a medical device to drastically reduce the possibility of suffering a DVT. It works by significantly increasing blood flow to the legs.

Known as the RBR Legﬂow™, it's effective anywhere during long periods of unavoidable inactivity, such as air travel, working in an office, being in hospital, online gaming, recovering from an operation, or just when you spend prolonged periods of time sitting.

For almost 20 years, the medical profession has been aware that restricted blood flow in sedentary people was a key contributor to developing a deep vein thrombosis.

In fact, in the late 1990’s clinical research was being undertaken at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago, Wellington School of Medicine, which proved that individuals who led sedentary lives were 95% more at risk.

However, finding a way to address this issue – especially for those who found mobility a problem – has been a slow process.

Hospitals use compression stockings, airlines recommend foot exercises and there have been plenty of unresearched items designed at improving blood flow which have hit supermarket shelves.

But until the RBR Legﬂow™, there has not been a clinically-trialled and medically-approved product proven to reduce the risk of DVT.

It's undergone extensive clinical research, and has been independently clinically trialled. The results show an 11-fold increase in blood flow, by carrying out three simple foot exercises with it, each for one minute, while sitting...as I'm demonstrating in this picture. These exercises are shown in detail at the end of the article.

The Managing Director of RBR Active™ is Paul Westerman.

Paramedics brought him back from the dead after a clot the size of a man’s thumb, had travelled from his leg, passing through his heart and blocking both pulmonary arteries with coagulated blood. The clot had then moved on to fill the blood vessels of his lungs, so only a trace of oxygenated blood could flow.

Since that happened in 2011, Paul has built relationships with other survivors and their families, along with the bereaved. He has also offered his personal experience to inform changes in medical policy.

In 2013, he became a trustee of Thrombosis UK and the following year was appointed as a committee member of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its examination of thromboembolic diseases.

And in 2018 he joined a pulmonary embolism study (initiated by the NCEPOD), working to identify avoidable and remediable factors in the management of patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.

The RBR Legﬂow™ is the result of his collaboration with of some of the most eminent medical professionals in the field of thrombosis: Professor Richard Beasley, Peter Haythornwaite, Dr Shaun Holt and Dr Rodney Hughes.

While many VTE cases are preventable, most people don't survive a massive pulmonary embolism which, unfortunately, can easiy result from them. So, seek HELP immediately if you experience the main signs of its forerunner - a DVT - in the lower leg: Heat, Excessive redness, Localised swelling, Pain.

The RBR LegflowTM Exercises

Toe Point. Contraction of the calf muscle pump.

Place the RBR Legﬂow™ under the ball of the foot, point the toes downward, and hold for three to four seconds. Raise the toes and stretch upwards, hold for three or four seconds. Repeat this exercise for one minute.

Arch Press. Compression of the plantar reservoir.

Place the RBR Legﬂow™ under the base of your foot. Arch the foot forward, and hold for three to four seconds. Arch the foot backwards and hold for three to four seconds. Repeat this exercise for one minute.

Toe Raise. Muscle relaxation for inflow to reservoir.

Place the RBR Legﬂow™ under the heel of the foot. Raise toes upwards, stretch, and hold for three to four seconds. Point toes downwards and hold for three to four seconds. Repeat this exercise for one minute.

RBR Active™ website: https://www.rbractive.com/
RBR Active™ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rbractive

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Superb Debut Fantasy Chiller From Teen Author

9/8/2019

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My 5* book review of Helena Brady's The Secrets Of The Forest.

This fine debut novel from teenaged author Helena Brady may be aimed at young adults, but let me tell you, it's perfect for any fantasy lover, whatever your age.

I'm 63...and I loved it.

Helena began writing the book when she was 14, submitted it to a publisher at 15, and signed her publishing contract on her 16th birthday. Why is this relevant, you ask? Surely an author's age doesn't matter? Generally, no it doesn't. But I make reference to it because if you didn't know, you'd think it was written by an experienced, much older novelist.

This un-put-downable novel (I finished it in three sessions), displays maturity far beyond the author's years, skilfully developing the characters with depth and purpose, making them instantly likeable.

Many debut novels feature a good story, but badly written. Not this one. The high quality of the writing shines through from start to finish, as the moving (and sometimes gory) tale unfolds through a fine and balanced blend of dialogue and description. We're shown everything...not told. As soon as we turn the cover we almost become the main character, 16-year-old Sarah-Rose, seeing everything through her eyes, and feeling the tremendous mental pain and sadness she's experiencing.

When we take our first steps deep into the forest, we quickly met angels and ghosts, and see hints that reinforce the forest's dark and dangerous reputation.

In a way, it could be said to be a rites-of-passage story, as it revolves around Sarah-Rose's "turning," to reach "maturity." But this is no ordinary maturity...this is the maturity dictated by the forest.
There are some startling twists, and a completely unexpected climax.

The Secrets Of the Forest is probably the best book I've read this year, and Helena Brady is definitely an author to watch. In my opinion, she's got a long and highly successful career as a novelist ahead of her.

My rating of The Secrets Of The Forest: *****

For more information about The Secrets Of The Forest, and buying links, CLICK HERE.

And to read Helena's guest post on my blog, telling how this amazing book came about, CLICK HERE.

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The Secrets Of The Forest

9/3/2019

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Today's guest blogger is teenage author Helena Brady, who tells us here how her superb, recently published debut novel came into being. And it started life as an entirely different genre!

So, over to Helena

by HELENA BRADY

My debut novel, The Secrets of the Forest, was released into the world on July 31st 2019. It is a dream come true! I never thought I would be able to publish so young, but here I am, not even 18 years old and I already have a book out for other people to read.

I have always been an avid reader, and that love of reading turned into a love of writing when I was 8 years old. Back then, I would write snippets of stories in the back of my school copy books, some of which I still have today. As I got a bit older, I wanted to start writing actual books, but I would only get a chapter or two written before I got a shiny new idea that I jumped on, and the old one was forgotten about. I never finished writing any of my “books.”

When I turned 14, I decided enough was enough, I wanted to start and finish a book. Not stop halfway through, not give up after a few pages and move onto something else. No, I wanted to write an actual novel, and be able to hold it in my hands and say “I wrote this. This is my book and I wrote it.”

The Secrets of the Forest started off as something completely different to what it is now. Originally, it was a murder mystery story, with no fantasy elements at all. The initial idea came from a video game, and it took off from there. After I outlined it and took a step back, I knew that this was not the story I wanted to write. There was something not quite right about it, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what this was. I played around with the planning for a few months, adding things in and taking things out, switching things around to see what worked and what didn’t. The book went through multiple outlines, until one day, I had it. The perfect story. Or what I thought was the perfect story. I couldn’t wait to start writing, and as soon as I got my laptop for Christmas I dove into the book.

I’m quite a shy and reserved person, so I didn’t tell anyone I was writing a novel, not even my parents. Whenever I was writing and someone came into the room, I would slam the laptop shut to make sure nobody saw what I was doing. But regardless of this I forged on, spending every spare second in that story, typing furiously and getting as much words out as I possibly could. Nobody knew what I was doing until my uncle caught me writing the very last chapter, before I had time to close the document. From then on, my little secret was out there, and there was nothing I could do to keep it quiet anymore. Everybody knew I was writing a book, and to my surprise the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. This gave me an incredible boost of confidence, and made me feel like what I was doing was important and something I should be proud of, not something that I needed to hide and be embarrassed about. From then on, I was proud to be called a writer.

Once I had edited the book a few times, I decided it was time to step away and work on another book- Illusion. After Illusion came Somnus, and all the while I couldn’t stop thinking about The Secrets of the Forest. Being away from it for so long made me realise that it wasn’t the ‘perfect’ story I had imagined it would be, and that there was a lot I needed to fix to make it somewhat decent. Many things just didn't fit into the story, and it wasn't completely fleshed out either. It was only the skeleton of the book it is now. I didn’t want to give up on that book. I didn't want to shelve it and mark it as a failure. That book was my baby, my first-born, and I wanted to do everything I could to make it the best it could possibly be. This is when I decided I needed to rewrite the whole story.

I spent several months reworking the outline, straightening out the plot and giving the characters more depth and purpose. There was a lot that had to be taken out of the book, and a lot that had to be added. But I did it. I rewrote the story, and when I stepped back from it once again I was incredibly happy with it. This was the perfect story I had always hoped it would be. This was my book-baby, and I was proud of it. My baby had reached its full potential, and I couldn’t be happier. I had started writing this book over a year beforehand, and finally I was content with it.

After some more editing, I decided to take a leap of faith and jump into the world of publishing, just to see what would happen. I wasn’t expecting much (I was only 15 at the time), but I thought it would be a good experience and give me a taste of what lay ahead of me in years to come. Who would be crazy enough to take on a 15 year old, anyway? But miraculously I found someone who was willing to take that risk, and I signed a publishing contract on my 16th birthday.

Wheels started turning and things were set into motion- multiple rounds of editing, cover designing, conversing with the marketing team to figure out what was the best approach to take for my book. In the background, I was still chipping away at my other books. I even managed to get a short story published through Wild Words during all of this, which was amazing! Eventually, everything was ready, and I was given a release date. The excitement was immense, but so were the nerves. Suddenly everything became a reality and not a fantasy that I had built up in my head over the months it took to get me to this point. Overcoming self-doubt is not an easy process, and it is still something I struggle with, but I had to push it aside, as hard as it was, and just focus on giving this book the best shot it could possibly have, and hope that I was doing enough to make it somewhat successful. I knew it was not going to be an easy task, but I was prepared to give it my all and do whatever it would take to gain a foothold in the world of literature.

The day came quicker than I had imagined it would. Suddenly I was in the car with a boot full of my books and heading to my very first book launch party. How did I even get here? How did I manage to do all of this, at 17 years old? How was I already a published author? I wasn’t even an adult yet, how could I already be releasing my first book? It was insane and overwhelming at first, but soon the nerves gave way to exhilaration and I enjoyed the night surrounded by wonderful people in a stunning venue, and we celebrated late into the night. I was officially a published author.

It’s still hard to believe, sometimes.

Since then, I have been on the radio twice and featured in some newspapers, and I am still working on even more exciting things that are hopefully going to be happening very soon! Everything has turned out better than I thought it would. Even though I’m in 6th Year and the Leaving Cert is only a few months away, I still spend every spare second doing something with my books, whether it be drafting or plotting, or marketing and promoting The Secrets of the Forest. I am always working away quietly in my bedroom, trying to forge a path for myself and lay down foundations for my future. As of now, I have written 5 books, and I am working on my sixth. My second book, Illusion, also needs to be rewritten and I am hoping to have that done before the end of the year, so hopefully this time next year I can look at publishing it.

I know that this is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. This is what I will be doing until I take my last breath. I love it more than anything else- being able to fabricate worlds and create people from thin air, and share my stories with the world. I am so grateful for everything that has happened to me in regards to my writing. I have met so many amazing people on my journey as a writer (people like Stewart), and have had so many amazing opportunities.

Everything has turned out better than I could have ever imagined it would be. I am living my dream, and I am loving every second of it!

- - -
To find out more about Helena and her writing, check out her website here : Helena Brady
Helena Brady on Twitter: Helena Brady

Sarah-Rose is dying. The Forest is killing her. Soon it will own her soul and decide whether she dies and is buried beside her father, or becomes a spirit wandering through its trees for eternity. She should have listened to everyone when they told her to stay out of the Forest. But after a family crisis, it's the only place she wants to be.

But there is something dark at work in the Forest. Something is hiding in the shadows. It seems the Forest holds more secrets than anyone ever realised.

Drawn to the mystery and magic of the trees, Sarah-Rose is unable to resist the urge to see what lies beyond the borders of the Forest. She's determined to discover its secrets before it takes her soul. But maybe some secrets should stay secrets. They might be the things that kill her first.

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Cheap Smokes Only Cost You Two Lungs

7/27/2019

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The powerful and emotive words in the headline of today's guest post come from John D. Allen.

I came across John on Twitter after seeing the amazing story of how he gave up smoking by accident.

Never having smoked myself - I've not had even one cigarette - I can't speak personally about how difficult, or otherwise, it is to quit smoking. Neither am I endorsing the product he uses. I'm simply giving him a platform to tell his story.

A Smoker Who Quit By Accident

by John D. Allen

"A Smoker who quit By Accident." Nobody could dream up of a story like this, even in Hollywood.

It all began in 2006, when I, a smoker for around 30 years, had a stroke on left side of my body. I was barely able to call 911, but managed it somehow from the kitchen floor.

I thought I was going to die.

I spent 3 days in hospital. The first day I really didn't even know I was there. But after that I started getting better. Had a lot of tests, and 2 MRI scans I was very dizzy and that is when the ringing in my ear started. I was able to go home, but laying down I would still get dizzy. The dizziness got better but the ringing in my left ear got worse. I went to at least 3 ear doctors and each told me there was no cure for Tinnitus.

However, I was able to function, and went back to work. But the ringing was terrible. On a level of 10 it was ringing on an 8 or 9. It was terrible...but I was able to find a little relief with a small portable radio and earbuds. I'd listen to static from the radio with an ear bud in my left ear, and it felt so good. I carried this radio with me for maybe a year listening to static.

But later, I found my own solution.

Around 2008 I stumbled upon a newspaper article saying that Campral Acamprosate was maybe a cure for ringing in the ear. I was very excited and took it to my doctor, who gave me a prescription. It was an easy choice to take, either that or suck on a gun barrel. I took the drug for several months, and the ringing started to diminish. It didn't go away but went down to a level of 1 or 2 -- and I could go most of the day and never hear it.

Three months after starting to take Acamprosate I woke up one morning and didn't need to smoke! That was very strange, and scared me. It just wasn't normal. All the rest of that day I had no urge to smoke at all.

The next day, and in the days that followed, there was no urge to smoke.

Wow that was wonderful. I went months & months with no urge to smoke. Amazing: not one urge - and that's still the same today - 11 years nicotine free now.

I started telling people. But no-one believed me. I had no proof, it just my word - hopeless. Then, around four years after stopping smoking, I discovered something else.

I found out a few more things about Acamprosate: it's used in the treatment of alcoholism; rats were trained to press a lever to obtain intravenous infusion, and these results show that Acamprosate reduced cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior and suggest that Acamprosate might be efficacious in treating nicotine addiction in humans. Source: Pechnick RN, Manalo CM, Lacayo LM, Vit JP, Bholat Y, Spivak I, Reyes KC, Farrokhi C. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA June 22, 2011

I was elated that Acamprosate might be efficacious in treating nicotine addiction in humans. So, I wasn't crazy after all. I was right: Acamprosate may make a person quit smoking. I had some proof now, and thought people would believe me now. But NOOOOOOOOOO. Despite finding other items about it online, it's still no good. People still don't believe me.

But I'll keep telling people how this worked for me.

Then, in January 2019 I finally found another person who quit smoking with Acamprosate: Samantha Jones, of Westrern North Carolina, who stopped after being a smoker for 20 years. She and I have become good buddies, and talk almost every day.

There seems to be clear evidence that Acamprosate is used in the treatment of alcoholism, but there's little information about its effects on nicotine addiction. The object of the study was to determine whether Acamprosate inhibits cue-induced relapse to nicotine self-administration in the rats. The rats were trained to press a lever to obtain intravenous infusions of nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) that were associated with the illumination of a cue light.

After 29 days of nicotine self-administration sessions, extinction sessions were run, during which responses on the active lever didn't result in the infusion of nicotine, or the illumination of the cue light

After 14 days of extinction sessions the rats received twice-daily injections of saline or Acamprosate (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg/ intraperitoneally).

Seven days later the response to the previously conditioned cue was tested, but only saline infusions were delivered. Pre-treatment with all doses of Acamprosate reduced. responding to a cue previously associated with nicotine.

The lowest dose of Acamprosate (50 mg/kg) reduced responding for the cue previously associated with nicotine infusions, but had no effect on food-rewarded behavior.

These results show that Acamprosate reduced cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior and suggest that Acamprosate might be efficacious in treating nicotine addiction in humans.

Which has got to be good news...because, remember: Cheap Smokes Only Cost You Two Lungs.

Follow John on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/IQuitSmoking_1

And find more information on his website:
https://www.campralquitsmoking.com/

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Behind The First Human Footprint On The Moon - PART TWO

7/20/2019

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Click here to read Part One

In Britain all three television channels (Editor's note...at that time there was only BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV) gave comprehensive coverage of the trip, and, as for other star-rated events such as the FA Cup Final, the British Broadcasting Corporation and commercial television battled for viewers.

Independent Television News (ITN) used two mechanical "secret weapons" costing a total of £7,500. One, named Solari, electronically calculated heights and distances in relation to time, and took just a fraction of a second to do it. It enabled ITV to give viewers much information that the BBC could not supply, including instant estimates of the moonmen's speed and position as they approached the moon.

The other was a video-electronic brain, and could store thousands of words. These two devices meant that fact-packed captions could be shown on television screens at the same time as action pictures.

Almost 4,000 journalists were registered by NASA as having been sent to the Cape Kennedy launching site. Among them were 700 overseas correspondents, with 111 coming from Japan.

There were 64 reporters from the United Kingdom, and for the first time, a launching was watched by newspapermen from Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Rumania.

Among the dignitaries present were Lyndon B. Johnson, the former president of the United States; Colonel Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean; 69 ambassadors; and about a third of the American Senate and House of Representatives.

Included in Neil Armstrong's personal; kit was a small pouch containing three gold and two silver medals. It was the tragic cargo that he left on the moon as a memorial to the Russian and American spacemen who die opening the skyward road for others to follow. The special medals were struck in honour of United States astronauts Virgil (Gus) Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, who died when swept Apollo 7 during a countdown rehearsal on Cape Kennedy's blast-off pad. Medals remembering Soviet cosmonauts Yurio Gagarn, who died in an air crash, and Vladimir Komarov, killed in Soyuz 1, were also left on the moon.

The launch itself came after a 28-hour countdown, and the weather could hardly have been better. The South-East winds were registered at ten knots, temperature was in the mid 80s, and clouds were at 15,000 feet.

The astronauts had been woken up at 4.14 a.m., and after a breakfast of orange juice, steak, scrambled eggs, toast and coffee, they began suiting up.

At 6.27 a.m. they left in an air-conditioned van for the launch pad eight miles away, and entered the command module.

The craft's access arm was retracted, the first-stage engine ignited, and seconds later the massive ship was on its way. The last words from launch control were "Good luck and Godspeed."

Said Armstrong: "Thank you very much. We know this will be a good flight."

The flight went like a dream, and Collins was left in the commandship as Armstrong and Collins crawled through the tunnel into "Eagle" before dropping down towards the dead and hostile world below them. It was eighteen minutes past four on July 20th when "Eagle" settled with a gentle jolt in the Sea of Tranquility. Immediately Armstrong told Earth: "The Eagle has landed."

Aldrin described what he saw from the window as he looked out on to the scene, by saying: "Magnificent desolation."

It was over four and half hours later than planned, but still five hours ahead of the original schedule, when Armstrong opened the lunar module's hatch and squeezed through the doorway. Strapped to his shoulders was a portable life-support unit and communications system weighing a total of 84 pounds on Earth, but only 14 on the mon due to the weaker gravity. From the second stair, he pulled a special ring that operated a television camera so the world could watch as he planted his left foot on the surface of another world and said: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

That footprint of a lunar boot, which resembled an oversized Wellington boot, will remain there for ever, the surface being undisturbed, as winds are unheard of on the moon. The only way the astronauts could keep the "stars and stripes" flag flying was to thread wire into it.

Armstrong described the scene as being part of a United States' desert "with a stark beauty all of its own."

During their stay on the moon the astronauts had several jobs to do, like collecting rocks to bring home for analysis, and setting up a variety of instruments on the alien surface.

Richard Nixon, President of the United States, made what he called the most historic telephone call of all time. He was put in direct contact with the moonmen from the Oval Room at the White House, and told them he joined with people all over the world in recognising just what a feat the journey had been.

"Because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world. As you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth," he said.

About 21 hours after it touched down, "Eagle" prepared to lift off, using its base as a launching pad.

The astronauts took with them their soil samples, film, certain flags, other mementoes, and an aluminium foil used in one of their experiments. Several items were left behind to reduce the weight from the 15,897 pounds Eagle had taken to the moon, to 10,821. Included in the lunar junkyard were cameras, tools, portable life systems, lunar boots, the American flag, experiments which would continue working, and a host of other devices which had been useful to their adventure on the moon.

"Eagle" redocked with the orbiting mother ship, nicknamed "Columbia," and while making the 31st orbit the vessel began its homeward course.

"USS Hornet" was the recovery ship used to fish the module out of the Pacific Ocean, 825 nautical miles South-West of Honolulu. The astronauts emerged from the spacecraft in isolation suits and were sprayed with disinfectant as a guard against any possible contamination of Earth with "moongerms."

Their journey to Houston's lunar receiving laboratory was spent inside a mobile quarantine trailer.

A sense of relief swept the world as it was confirmed for millions to see that man not only knew how to land on the moon, but also how to get safely home again. It was just one hour and 17 minutes from splashdown to the moment the three heroes, as they had so obviously become, walked in to their mobile unit and were medically inspected by space physician Dr John Carpenter.

The President told them it was the greatest week in the history of the world since the creation, and because of their voyage mankind could now reach out for the stars.

Russia, who lost the race to the moon after blazing the trail with Yuri Gagarin's first Earth orbit, quickly conceded victory, and not only congratulated the United States, but sent good wishes to the astronauts themselves.

So ended man's first mission to the moon, 195 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds after it started. A three-man team had been, seen, conquered and returned. They came back to a well-deserved heroes' reception, albeit through windows of a quarantine unit for three weeks, but then emerged back into the glorious Earth sunshine, stepping straight from the pages of history to rejoin their families.

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Behind The First Human Footprint On The Moon

7/20/2019

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I'll never forget that moment when my Mum woke me up on the morning of July 21st 1969, when I was 13 years old, with the words: "Amazing pictures from the moon."

Given the time difference between America and the UK, it was actually still the 20th in the States, but early morning on the 21st for me.

Shooting downstairs, I sat glued to our little black and white TV with its tiny screen, to witness history in the making.

A part of history that is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

I kept a scrapbook with cuttings from a variety of newspapers and TV guides. And when I dug it out today, I also found, amongst its pages, an article I'd written about Apollo 11 and some of the background work that had gone on to bring us Neil Armstrong's iconic quote: "That's One Small Step For A Man, One Giant Leap For Mankind."

So, here it is...in all its glory. The totally unedited original words my 13-year-old mind had strung together a lifetime ago.

Man was destined to land on the moon sooner or later. He did it sooner. In the early 1960s, United States President John F. Kenedy pledged that his nation would land a human being on rthe desolate wastes of the moon before the decade was out.

That dream became a reality on July 20th 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped from their space-craft on to the surface of the new world, while Michael Collins circled high above them.

A lot of hard work down the years had gone into that historical moment, and although the three astronauts earned their place in the history books, they were merely the frontmen of a massive team.

It's also interesting to note that the day Apollo 11 lifted off for the moon, July 16th 1969, was the 24th anniversary of another technological milestone - the explosion of the first atomic bomb.

The following pages attempt to look deeper than the surface story reported in newspapers all over the world. I am indebted to National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington DC, for part of my research material.

American astronaut Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon was seen or heard by millions of people all over the world.

Mission commander Armstrong and astronaut Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin flew a four legged ferry craft down to the moon's surface for a stay of 21 hours 27 minutes, while the third crewman, astronaut Michael orbited the moon in the parent ship.

The insect-like lunar module touched down on a clear place in the boulder-strewn Sea of Tranquility on July 20th 1969. Its occupants spent about ten hours inside, resting, and checking the machines, before they emerged in their spacesuits and set foot on the surface OF THE MOON.

After thousands, maybe millions, of years, Man had conquered virtually eternity and landed on Luna while the Earth looked on with bated breath.

All the time we were only one-point-three-seconds away from the astronauts - the time taken for the sound and pictures to travel the distance it took Apollo 11 over three and a half days to cover.

Almost a miracle, is it not, when you compare the two and a half days it took us to hear that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing had had the quiet, lonely and private triumph of reaching Earth's highest spot, Mount Everest?

That miracle only came about thanks to the hard work of many men down the years, starting perhaps with Russian schoolmaster Konstantin Tsiolkovski, who wrote the first of his scientific articles on space travel in 1895. In 1903 he showed that a rocket engine was able to work in a vacuum, and a few years earlier had designed a space-craft to run on liquid propellants. He realised at the start of his experiments that the powder propellants used in war rockets and fireworks for at least seven hundred years were not sufficient for space flight.

It was October 4th 1957 that the space age really began when Russia sent a 23-inch satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit, and launched the first man into space, Major Yuri Gagarin, four years later.

Although astronauts' space suits look in many ways similar to those used by fighter pilots, they are much more expensive and elaborate - necessarily so to protect the wearer from extreme cold and heat, and keep him healthy and comfortable during flights of many days...and maybe in the future, for many weeks, inside cramped capsules.

Launched by the big Atlas and Titan rockets, the Gemini and Mercury spaceships paved the way for the exciting Apollo series and the eventual journey to the moon. For early unmanned testing of the Apollo range, America used the 190-foot high Saturn 1 two-stage rocket; and the three-stage Saturn V that sent the moon landing crew on their way was far larger than any other. It had an overall height of 362 feet, and launching weight was well over 2,700 tons. The five liquid propellant engines in the first stage developed a total of 7,500,000 pounds of thrust. No voyage of discovery had ever demanded greater courage than the journey of a quarter of a million miles to the moon.

Wednesday July 16th 1969 was the day the historic journey began, and the astronauts were said to be calm, cool and collected as they waited aboard their craft for blast-off. Flight Director Donald Slayton said they were ready to go to work the same as any other morning.

But even those men of steel, who must have felt greatly honoured, were frightened by the possibility of being stranded on that alien world. Christopher Columbus Kraft, Director of Flight Operations, said Michael Collins would have been powerless to help his colleagues if their moonbug failed to lift off for the link-up.
"There were no rules about that, I did not think there needed to be. I did not even like to think about it, because there really was nothing we could have done about a tragedy like that. We ran every test we could think of to detect any possible failure and make sure it could not happen again. The men did not carry any suicide aids, but they could have opened their space suits or landing craft cabin to the vacuous atmosphere on the moon. But I think they would probably have spent their last hours trying to learn what went wrong, for the benefit of astronauts who would have had to follow them."

What sort of men would National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) send to the moon? First, applicants had to satisfy basic requirements of being aged under 40 years, less than six feet tall, have a basic A1 physical condition, a university degree or the equivalent, and be an American citizen. From the hundreds of applications that poured in only 65 people survived the gruelling physical and mental tests. For seven days they filed through a maze of laboratory tests. Heart, liver, kidney, brain, spleen, eyes, teeth, ears and nose were all checked and double checked.

Heart function and lungs were found to be perfect after a more detailed examination, and the men went on to their next test - stress.

They were whirled inside a centrifuge until they blacked out. Then, with a task of keeping their chairs upright, they were blindfolded and put in vibrators until their teeth rattled.

Several more stress tests were used, but neither NASA nor the United States Information Service would comment, other than say they were being kept secret for security reasons. One they would divulge was that the men had to sit with their feet plunged in ice for unspecified periods.

Also, the mind and emotional breaking point of each man was tested to its limits, and those who broke first were out.

The three who won were Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. In brief notes abut them, NASA described Armstrong as a pleasant, ordinary-looking man who would not attract a second glance if you met him in a crowded street. He tends to talk briefly and to the point, and the only thing he wants to talk about is space. In training, the technicians who worked with him said he was mission-orientated, and was more air force virtually than the Air Force itself. He distinguished himself as a fighter pilot in Korea and was "probably the best jet test pilot in the world."

He was selected as an astronaut in September 1962, and before the historic moon flight had been in space only once, as commander of Gemini Eight, launched on March 16th 1966.

NASA said Aldrin was outwardly the same as his commander, a competent pilot who hardly ever made a mistake. He, too, had been in space only once after becoming an astronaut in October 1963, and that was as second pilot on the November 1966 trip of Gemini 12.

Michael Collins was of Irish descent, and totally unlike his Apollo 11 colleagues, spending a lot of his time smiling and joking. His only trip in space before the historic flight was as second pilot on Gemini 10.
After selection, came the intensive training period, years of learning to live and work with a battery of machines, a multi-unit process of inter-related electronic, telemetric communication and computer systems, and a horde of sub systems.

One computer controlled training simulator put the astronauts through the whole moonflight mission, and monitored human error. Another simulator was of the lunar landscape, built by geologists according to known facts about the landing point, the Sea of Tranquility, where the team repeated their movements until they could almost do them in their sleep.

The moonbug that took the three chosen men to the moon was nicknamed "Eagle." It was one of the most complicated and costly machines ever built, being constructed from over a million separate parts, and costing £30-million. Its window cost £3,000 each, and were double-glazed triangles with sun-blinds and chemical coatings to reduce glare.

Inside the seatless cockpit were more than 200 controls, including switches, dials, levers and gauges, all of which were used and checked during the 22 hours the astronauts spent on the moon. Seats had been done away with to save weight and give the men a better view outside.

The moment "Eagle" touched down Armstrong and Aldrin had to check every piece of equipment to ensure it was fit for an emergency blast off in an emergency. The two main engines underwent minute scrutiny, as did the 16 minor engines, five radio sets, 11 aerials, computers, telescope, radar machinery, tape recorder, air-conditioning system, hatch pressure seals, and water supply. These checks lasted about six hours, and then the men slept.

CONTINUES IN PART TWO - click here to read

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My Life And The Doctor

7/8/2019

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Regular readers of my blog, magazine column, and indeed, my Twitter account, will all know just how much Doctor Who means to me. The show got me through a hard time in my childhood after my Dad died when I was 11, and it was the inspiration for me becoming a professional writer.

Doctor Who means so much to so many people, including my guest blogger today, Simon Pearce. His story is particularly emotional and moving. So, over to Simon, and his article: "My Life And The Doctor."

by SIMON PEARCE

My name is Simon Pearce, and I’m 43 years old. Born in Woolwich, South East London, but have moved around and lived in a number of different places. I’m disabled with a number of medical conditions, and have been a Doctor Who fan since childhood in the late Tom Baker days.

Doctor Who has been a huge part of my life since childhood.

I started watching around 5 years old, in Tom Bakers last season. My mum was a big fan, and allowed me to watch it with her. The first episode I really recall, is Full Circle. Although I may have watched earlier stories cuddled up on my mum's lap.

As the years went on, The Doctor was my escape. I was bullied incessantly at school, and coming home to watch Doctor Who on the television (the scheduling changes in the 80’s meant I was able to watch on weeknights thankfully), or one of the few VHS tapes we had, allowed me to forget about the hell of school.

Peter Davison’s Doctor became one of my favourites because of this through his few years in the role. His optimism, his coin-flipping decision making, and those three words. Brave Heart, Tegan. I keep them with me to this day. I looked to the Doctor whenever I felt low. And he kept me strong.

I enjoyed the Sixth and Seventh Doctors too, but not as much, and I began to look at other things. As you do when you’re growing up. And I barely noticed when it was taken off the air.

Through the early 90’s I enjoyed reading the novels at the library, and the continuing Doctor Who Magazine, but it didn’t feel the same. And I drifted further from The Doctor. That said, I was ecstatic when it was announced it was coming back in 1996. I hoped, as we all did, for a new series. The TV movie was great, but sadly the series was never commissioned and again I let The Doctor go for another 9 years.

By the time 2005 came around, I’d spread my wings and moved from London to the North East. Finally we got a new series, and I fell in love with the show all over again. I started collecting again. The DVDs of the Classic era, as it became known, books, figures, all sorts.

Then Facebook happened. Lots of Doctor Who pages and groups were created. I joined a few and made many friends. Some I’m still friends with to this day. Some, are as close as family.

I even met my wife on there. Because of Doctor Who. At the end of 2011, I took over the running of a fan page dedicated to the Classic Years. In August 2012, Lucy found the page. Started submitting lots of photos for me to use.

We got talking, and eventually I asked her to help me out. Lucy agreed and became co-admin. Because she was in London, we were at opposite ends of the country at the time, so that’s all we were, Facebook friends.

Towards the end of 2012, I fell ill, problems with my asthma initially. And in all the time I had off work because of that, I started getting really depressed. Almost to the point of ending my life.

The one thing that stopped me? The Doctor. Re-watching old episodes, old stories. Reminded me there were people out there that love me. That I wasn’t alone. That I’d hurt them immensely if I did that. And I couldn’t bring myself do that. I felt like I would let them, and The Doctor, down.

I felt so alone, but there was one line Sarah Jane said in Journey’s End - “You know, you act like such a lonely man. But look at you. You've got the biggest family on Earth. “ - that made me sit back and think. Made me realise I wasn’t as alone as I felt.

So once again, I leaned on the Doctor to get me through the dark times, as I had in my school days. Doesn’t matter which Doctor I watched now. Had more choice and more ways to watch 20-odd years on.

They all helped. They all provided the crutch I needed to carry on. The Doctor’s morality. The constant fight of good against evil. The love between The Doctor and his companions. The fun of a lot of the stories.

My illness carried on all through 2013, and into 2014. I was eventually diagnosed with COPD and diabetes type 2. The Doctor saw me through some tough times those 2 years.

In late 2013, I came back to London for a few days to visit my mum for her birthday. Lucy and I decided that as I also had some spare time, that would be a good time for us to meet up for the first time. Which we did. And we sat and watched Tomb of the Cybermen. A day I shall never forget. The first Doctor Who we watched together.

But then I went back home to the North East and thought that was it. Didn’t know when or if I’d see her again.

May 2014 came around. I was still off work. My depression got worse, and after an intervention from a friend, my family eventually moved me back South to live with my brother in Kent, so they could look after me.

I’d quit work so I could move back. My brother lived in Dartford. And there were times I was bored while he was working, so I’d go wander round the town, and I found a great tattoo artist.

Over the next few months I had him tattoo a TARDIS design on me, a Dalek and a Cyberman, so in a way, the Doctor would always be with me.

By August 2014, I was feeling a little better and Lucy wanted to meet up again, as I was now living a lot closer. So we did. And we fell head over heels for each other. I started spending more time with Lucy than I did back at my brothers place!

We started dating, but only a couple months later in October 2014, Lucy was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. The hospital staff took samples for a biopsy, and I said to Lucy if it comes back with the worst possible diagnosis, we’re getting married - and she agreed! It did, so, we did.

We arranged it all in less than eight weeks. And in December, we had a Doctor Who themed wedding (what else!). Me as the Season 18 Fourth Doctor, and Lucy as Mary Tamm’s Romana (Romana’s white dress was a perfect inspiration for a wedding dress).

My wonderful step-mum even made us a Doctor Who wedding cake.

Over the next few years, we merged our individual items, and built up a huge collection of Doctor Who merchandise together. This included every DVD that’d been released, every Target novel, various figures, Big Finish audios and even a near life size plaster cast model Davros head!

We attended conventions and signings together. Lucy was an amazing artist and put together a great gallery of Who artwork on the Deviantart website, and through Facebook we continued our Classic Years page.

Sadly Lucy passed away in February this year. We had 4 and a half great years together. The funeral program had a TARDIS design. And of course, Lucy had asked for a piece of Murray Gold’s Doctor Who music at her funeral! We even agreed before hand that I’d have a Doctor Who memorial tattoo in her honour - the Tom Baker diamond logo, as that was the era we both started watching.

Since then, life has been hard. I’ve been struggling to cope with her passing. But again, as before, The Doctor has provided a light in the dark. Sometimes I’m ok, but when I’m feeling low, I’ll stick Doctor Who on, and remember the good times.

I’ve been involved with a couple of other fandoms over the years, Star Wars and Batman. But I’ve pretty much walked away from them since Lucy passed. Fell out of love with them. Somehow, it’s only been The Doctor that’s managed to keep me going.

And through Jodie Whittaker’s new Doctor, I believe she will continue to do so.

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Mental Health - Allie Turner's Personal Journey

5/6/2019

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May is 2019 Mental Health Month - #4MIND4BODY.

I invited two of my Twitter friends to contribute a guest post for my blog, here, on any aspect of mental health they wished. Today, fellow novelist Allie Turner writes about her own mental health journey, which began when she had barely progressed from being a toddler!

Here's her emotional and moving story

As a writer, I have written many short stories, blogs, novels etc. All about other people, some fictional, some real. But this is a first, to write about my own lifelong battle with mental health issues. It feels kind of raw, like I am laying my soul bare. But I am also kind of thinking that it will help someone else from feeling they are alone. We are none of us alone in this battle, we are all here to help each other in any way we can.

I guess things started to manifest themselves when I was very young, say around the age of 3 or 4. I was a very lonely child, anxious the majority of the time, scared of everything. I began being afraid of using public toilets, couldn’t use one outside of the house if there were crowds of people around. Nervous ticks then followed, funny little rituals I HAD to do, but I didn’t know why. They were compulsive. Suffice to say, I was very unhappy 99% of the time and exhausted.

Fast forward to my teenage years, and things hadn’t changed very much. But the layers that make up mental illness were increasing, and self-loathing kicked in, a layer of low self-esteem, another layer of days in bed because I just didn’t have anything to get up for, then a thick layer of black cloud, like icing on top of a very nasty tasting cake.

By the time I was 19, I had contemplated taking my own life twice. I felt worthless, constantly tired, ugly, and that no-one liked me. But I had been part of a theatre group for 18 months by then and meeting like-minded people had lifted me. Finally, there were people who did like me, although I found it hard to comprehend. I had spent nearly 20 years of my life thinking most of the human race thought I was a waste of skin. So my acting career took off, and so did my confidence, to a certain extent.

Of course, I was taking medication by this time, for depression. I had issues with coping with rejection still, and was desperate for everyone to like me, to be my friend. I had separation anxiety with those I liked, and who liked me. But there were still the roots of my problem in my life, the seeds planted in my brain from an early age, those highly toxic entities that were forever in the background, tied by blood. It wasn’t until much later on in life, I learnt that if I didn’t distance myself, I could be in serious trouble. But of course, by this time, the damage had already been done. My informative years were poisoned, and it was always something I was going to have to deal with. Sadly, it would never completely go away.

A critical illness in my mid thirties gave forth to another serious bout of depression. So crippling was this one, I was again on the verge of giving up on this life for good. I was tired. I was tired of being tired. I wanted a break from my brain. I wanted to go to sleep, and never wake up.

It took a good 18 months to get over that, but I had to have counselling twice a week, and regularly phoned my counsellor in between times when I just couldn’t cope any more. She was my life line, and when I was let down catastrophically by those that I had expected support from, she taught me how to cope with it, painful as it was. Ironically, the doctors had saved my life, then all I wanted to do was end it.

Now I am in my early 50’s and my mental health is manageable. But it’s something I respect, and never rest on my laurels about. It can and does appear at the most unlikely of times, so regular management is necessary. I am still aware of the toxicity lurking in the distant background, but now rise above it, and keep it at a very safe distance. It is called self preservation, and it is vital.

I learnt many years ago, that talking things through with someone, be it a counsellor, friend or family member is of utmost importance. Never suffer in silence, and always remember that it’s absolutely fine to NOT be ok.

Yes, I have self-harmed, yes I have had my addictions, some of which I still have to this day. They probably never really will leave me completely, but because I live through this crazy thing called life, I try and manage them on a day to day basis; some days are good, some are great, and some are crap. I have a high level of determination though, and plenty to live for; a tenacious nature.

I am very fortunate to have a small group of wonderful people around me, a gorgeous child I thought I would never be blessed with, and my pets bring love and light into my life daily. I run, I write, I play the piano, I am a keen archer, and I still act. All of those things bring me joy.

Do more of the things you love doing, take the time.

You are worth it, and don’t let anyone ever tell you any different.

AV Turner is a writer, actor and full time Mum. She lives in the wilds of the Shropshire countryside, where she enjoys running and archery. The author of one full length novel and two children’s books (see direct links below), both of which were top 10 Amazon best sellers. She is also a keen fundraiser for the UK Sepsis Trust, and Stroke Association.

Allie Turner books on Amazon:
In It For the Long Run
Children's books:
Harris the Hedgehog and his Running Adventure
Harris the Hedgehog: And the Christmas Day Run

Allie Turner, Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AVTurnerAuthor

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Sights, Sounds and Smells of the Paranormal

4/27/2019

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My first-ever real-life paranormal investigation was certainly fascinating and memorable.

Right from the off, two things indicated that there was a least one presence with us. And as the night wore on, we made direct contact, both verbally, and visually through a Structured Light Sensor (SLS) camera.

I'd been invited to a private session at Hinckley's Haunted Antiques Paranormal Research Centre, by paranormal investigator Vicky Grant, of DeadXCentral.

Haunted Antiques, run by Neil Packer, comprises a growing collection of objects, including clocks, chairs, wheelchairs, dolls, mirrors, military uniforms, telephones, bones, and numerous other items which are haunted or hold energies.

First off, when he opened the door into the Occult Room, a rug behind the door was folded back, as though someone had kicked it over and moved it. And four chairs which Neil said had been left neatly around a table were completely out of place.

"It wasn't like this when we were last in this room," he said.

Unlike the bulk of the collection which contains largely positive energy, the Occult Room is home to dozens of objects said to be infected with negative energy - the most frightening being a large, arched, cracked mirror.

"I acquired it from a medium who had carried out a house cleansing, and said a lot of negative energy was coming through it. Many people experience bad energy when they touch it."

When Neil got the mirror it had just one crack in it. Now it has seven, none of which happened while anyone was in the room.

It's thought the mirror could be a portal to the 'other side,' as several investigators have used SLS cameras which have picked up stick figures in it, walking towards our world.

And it was when Neil took my photograph with the mirror that we realised something was with us.

In the seconds between the camera flash activating and the picture being taken, Neil saw a ball of light manifest itself at the bottom corner of the mirror and move in front of me diagonally, disappearing above my shoulder.

Ahead of starting the proper investigation, Vicky and Neil explained their philosophy as to why inanimate objects can be haunted or contain energy.

Vicky says if a spirit had something special to them in their Earthly life they could still have an attachment to it after death, and revisit it, either by choice, or when someone calls them to it.

And Neil believes that some of his collection contains energy of people who've been connected with it.

For example, a wheelchair which had been used in a mental health asylum, and later in a World War ll hospital, had been sat in by hundreds of patients and injured soldiers.

"I believe that when you touch things throughout your life you leave a trace of your energy behind. It's this energy that we're now tapping into.

As the investigation got underway with Vicky and her father, Gary, we quickly made contact with a child who communicated with us largely by manipulating coloured lights on a device called an Ovilus to answer our questions.

The Ovilus also contains a 20,000 word dictionary which spirits can access to communicate verbally with us. The child gave us a number of intelligent and relevant single word answers and comments. For example, my stomach rumbled at one point, and the voice clearly said: "Stomach," with the word appearing on the screen as well.

Vicky also used a special teddy bear containing a number of coloured lights to communicate with the child. The lights are triggered by an Electro Magnetic Field, and as spirits are said to be built up of energy, they can readily manipulate that type of device.

But for me, the highlight of the night came when Vicky's SLS camera clearly identified a small figure sitting on the table near the teddy bear, and then moving to Gary's outstretched hand.

Later, in the main room, with Gary sitting in the wheelchair and me in a rocking chair, Vicky suddenly smelled a powerful fragrance of Lavender.

At the end of the night, Neil told us that a medium has established a connection between the rocking chair and an elderly lady. And whenever the lady is present, she's accompanied by the aroma of Lavender.

Overall, my first paranormal investigation raised more questions in my mind than answers. But isn't that what makes this enigmatic realm so amazing?

Vicky Grant has been a paranormal investigator for seven years, originally being part of a team conducting investigations for the general public around the country. Then, around 18 months ago, she decided to investigate more privately, and now largely works with just a photographer producing material for her acclaimed paranormal blog DeadXCentral, and films.

Vicky Grant Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickyparanormal
DeadXCentral blog: https://deadcentral.blog/

Haunted Antiques Twitter: https://twitter.com/AntiquesHaunted
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauntedresearch/
Website: https://hauntedresearchcentre.com/

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Up The Stairs I Went

3/10/2019

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As well as regular walking, part of the exercise regime drawn up after that pesky blood clot in my lung last year, is to climb stairs. Even to the extent of using the upstairs toilet rather than the downstairs one during my working day.

But, somehow, I don't think this is what they had in mind: climbing all 20 floors to the top of Leicestershire's tallest occupied building.

It seemed like a good idea at the time to sign up for the LOROS St George's Tower Run, to climb 351 steps.

And do you know what...it turned out to be a good idea all the way through.

The night before the event, on March 9th, I was starting to have a little anxiety about whether I'd be able to complete it. But, complete it I did...I pressed the big red button at the finishing line to claim my glass of Prosecco and finishers medal.

The LOROS Tower Run is the biggest event of its kind in the Midlands, and this year well over 500 people ran or walked (that's me...I walked!) to the very top.

With everyone starting at intervals of 20 seconds, I expected to be quickly overtaken, but that only happened three times, and I really surprised myself to finish the climb in a matter of moments. Okay, I was a little breathless, and, yes, LOROS weren't kidding when they warned that leg burn was guaranteed. But what a sense of achievement. It was fantastic to do something I'd never considered before, and to help raise awareness of the incredible work that LOROS does.

Arriving at the entrance to the tower around 45 minutes before the start, I was issued with my race number to pin on my chest, and timing tags which normally go onto the competitors' trainer laces. But as I was doing it barefoot the timers were attached to elastic bands around my ankles.

When the time came, a group of around 15 of us were shown to the start line, where the 20-second interval beginning times were strictly adhered to. And then I was off. They say every journey, however long, starts with a single step. The first few flights quickly became a thing of the past. Then that leg burn began, just ever so slightly. And I wasn't breathing quite so easily.

Stewards were there on most floors, encouraging everyone along, and before I hardly knew it one of them was saying I was at the half-way mark. For the next few flights my breathing became more laboured, and the leg burn increased. I did notice a couple of people pausing on the landings, but, by then, I never doubted that I was going to finish it without having to stop.

However, the words of the steward on the penultimate landing were like music to my ears: "You're almost there...just two more flights, each with nine steps."

And then, there I was...on the 20th floor, with just a corridor down to the finish line. Crossed the line. Pressed the big red finish button. Presented with my finishers medal. Collected a glass of Prosecco. Had my official finishers photo taken. Looked at the wonderful view across Leicester. Chatted with fellow climbers about what a great event it was, and how LOROS impacts so positively on so many people's lives.

LOROS Hospice is a charity caring for over 2,500 people in my home county of Leicestershire and neighbouring Rutland every year. They deliver free, high quality compassionate care and support to terminally ill patients, their family and carers. The care they provide is unique, and tailored to each individual patient.

My Father-In-Law died in a hospice in London many years ago, so when the opportunity arose for me to help raise awareness for my local hospice in this way, I jumped at the chance.

I had actually been involved with LOROS, albeit in a minor way, around 20 years ago. I was an associate director with a full services marketing agency which was hired by LOROS to put their newsletter together, and I worked personally on writing and editing the publication. But this was the first time I've ever been involved in any of their activities.

LOROS is always organising superb fund-raising and awareness-raising events, and always on the lookout for volunteers.

Please do me a favour and check them out here: https://www.loros.co.uk/

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Jamie's Mental Health YouTube Channel

3/1/2019

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Mental health awareness takes many forms nowadays.

And with social media being such a major part of our lives, it's no surprise that a wide variety of channels are being fully utilised to get important mental health messages across.

I recently came across Jamie Lee Olivero on Twitter https://twitter.com/LeeOlivero.

Jamie Lee has a YouTube channel dedicated to mental health. Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCig7aUFt2q-Mnn-dQVLHrPA

Here, Jamie-Lee writes exclusively about why he started the channel.

by JAMIE LEE OLIVERO

Two years ago now, I developed Generalised Anxiety Disorder [GAD]. Who would have known I would have to suffer through this mental disorder and re-train my Brian again to live a somewhat normal life, as if I had been born again and had to learn everything all over again, except it was just re-wiring my brain.

It all started because I smoked a joint of cannabis, this joint pretty much ended my ‘care free’ lifestyle that I was so used to. The night I smoked that joint I had my very first panic attack, I was also extremely high and so my emotions and the situation itself was so much worse than it could have been.

After that night I would have frequent panic attacks for no reason, I developed Hypochondria [Health Anxiety]. As time went by I then developed Insomnia, Depersonalisation and a crippling fear of going insane. It got to the point where I would pull my hair and smack my self because I felt like I wasn’t even real. It became very dark and I became suicidal. I never thought of telling anyone or getting help until I hit rock bottom, I told myself it wasn’t my time to leave this world yet. I phoned my mother and immediately got help.

Now, two years later, I go to therapy sessions once a week, I stopped drinking alcohol, changed my diet drastically, exercise every single day (except Sundays). Although it is still a daily struggle and I still have times where I want to give up, it is now a lot better and manageable. I had dug myself into this very deep hole and had no idea how to climb out of it. I thought that there was no way out, no matter what I did, I thought I was destined to die.

For anyone going through this, I have to tell you, it DOES get better, it always does. No matter how dark it gets there is ALWAYS a light at the end of the tunnel, you just need a little help to see that, that's all. Don’t be afraid of reaching out and receiving help. I make videos on the topic myself on YouTube so here is the link for anyone interested:

Https://www.youtube.com/JamieLeeOlivero

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Barefoot Up The Steps -- All 351 Of Them!

2/13/2019

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I've just started training for my latest charity awareness-raising event.

On Saturday March 9 I'm taking part in the LOROS Tower Run. This involves walking or running (I'll be walking, make no mistake about that!) up 20 floors to the top of one of Leicester's tallest buildings, St George's Tower.

That's 351 steps!

LOROS Hospice is a charity, caring for over 2,500 people in my home county of Leicestershire and neighbouring Rutland every year. They deliver free, high quality compassionate care and support to terminally ill patients, their family and carers. The care they provide is unique, and tailored to each individual patient.

My Father-In-Law died in a hospice in London many years ago, so when the opportunity arose to raise awareness for my local hospice in this way, I jumped at the chance.

The LOROS Tower Run is the biggest event of its kind in the Midlands, with hundreds of regular runners and first-timers alike all racing their way to the top of Leicester's tallest occupied building.

Right in the heart of Leicester City Centre, and just around the corner from the railway station, St George's Tower certainly stands out with its vibrant colours for all to see. But, as LOROS ask, could you run or walk up all 20 floors and 351 steps right to the top?

If anyone wants to join me, I'll be setting off on the middle shift, between 11.15 a.m. and 12.15 p.m. You
can register here: https://www.loros.co.uk/support-us/events/2019/03/09/loros-tower-run-2019

LOROS are proud that 91p from every £1 raised and donated goes directly towards patient care.

And, as ever with my charity endurance events, I'll be doing it barefoot. So, training is underway!

What goes up...

...must come down

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Teach A Person To Fish...

2/9/2019

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There's an old saying: "Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person how to fish and they feed themselves for life."

The same is true of mental health coping strategies. A good coping strategy means we can all better manage our day-to-day struggles without constant input from mental health professionals who play a major role at the beginning of our illness.

I'm one of the lucky ones. Mental illness enslaved me in the late 1990s. But I fought back. Strongly and fiercely. Not only against the curse of the illness itself, but against the curse of the stigma it uses to plague its victims.

Having now built a successful new life from the ruins of my old one, I can honestly say I owe it all to coping strategies. Nowadays, I don't generally need to consciously employ them, because they've become second nature to me.

But it was all so different when I was first diagnosed, initially with stress and depression, and then a period of temporary psychosis which saw me sectioned for 28 days under the UK Mental Health Act.

For around a year I had no idea what was happening to me, and soldiered on, as I suspect a great many of us do. Eventually my mind reached overload point, and during a ten week spell in the Woodbourne Priory hospital I was sectioned, and a nurse assigned to be constantly by my side for around four weeks.

My life was at rock bottom. My family thought I'd never work again. In fact, at one point they thought I might never leave hospital.

But eventually those dark days turned towards dawn and the light began to shine on me. Thanks to the love of my family and the dedication of superb mental health professionals, I learned how to create effective coping strategies and actually changed my whole outlook on life. Before my diagnosis I was an overly ambitious perfectionist, keen to please everyone and get everything absolutely spot on. That, coupled with the fact that three people who were very close to me died within a few months of each other, drove me over the edge.

During my treatment it was found I had repressed bad memories from my childhood. It was also discovered I had an inferiority complex. With all that out in the open I was on the way to recovery. And once I was discharged, my coping strategy became all about casting off the things I no longer needed in my life, including corporate success and the stress that comes with it. I returned to my first love of writing, and for the last few years have worked as a novelist and Public Relations writer, and have my own column in a local monthly magazine.

To me, coping strategies are highly personal, and you need one for every situation that can cause difficulty. For example, I realised that if I were to continue seeking perfection in my work and myself, I was destined to fail, and in all probability would face an even longer spell as a hospital in-patient. So my coping strategy for that was to accept compromise, both from myself and other people.

Whenever a deadline approaches I ask myself what is the worst that can happen if I don't meet it? Occasionally I need to burn the midnight oil, but in the olden days it was a daily occurrence. Now when I miss deadlines no-one worries. Least of all me.

I've now learned how to handle the stigma from some quarters facing anyone with mental health issues. Social media is a double-edged sword for this, and, in my op[inion, requires its own coping strategy. On the one hand social media is a positive, empowering tool, connecting us with others who can support us through the difficult times, and where we can support and encourage others. On the other hand, it can be used as a medium of evil and vileness, with people posting less than helpful comments.

So another coping strategy quickly came about - to simply ignore the attacks on me. Simple, but effective.

And that's the secret, not only of handling how the stigma is perpetrated by the darker side of social media, but coping with stigma in the real world, too. You can't make everyone be kind. You can't turn everyone into a decent human being. So don't try too hard to do that. Instead, enjoy the successes you have, and enjoy your family, friends, and online supporters. And ignore those who give you grief.

So, while I have numerous coping strategies for individual aspects which have become an integral part of my psyche now, I have one overall philosophy: today I'm very much my own person, going barefoot most of the time, which I find is a powerful influence on my mental well-being. The physical connection in this way with the planet that supports me, gives me inner peace.

The fact that my bare feet are constantly connected with the ground, drawing in the powerful energy from the Earth, is one of those original coping strategies devised before I was released from the Woodbourne in 1997.

So, let's take a look at it.

Going Barefoot Is Vital For My Mental Well-Being

Most exercises involving mental concentration are done barefoot - yoga, martial arts, tai chi, etc. Not that I do any of those, but I've discovered that walking barefoot has massive health benefits...both mental and physical.

We've all heard of reflexology. This involved freeing accumulated energy which, when not slowed to flow naturally, causes many types of diseases and ailments. Going barefoot on all terrains is a natural process of stimulating parts of the sole of the foot which are connected to our organs and other parts of the body.

Abandoning shoes in almost all situations stimulates my blood circulation; helps my body eliminate a fair amount of fats and toxins; prevents varicose veins; and improves my posture and balance. Many podiatrists and sections of the medical profession now recognise the enormous health benefits of going barefoot when it comes to fighting sleep disturbance, muscle and joint pain, asthmatic and respiratory conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, stress, heart rate variability, and immune system activity and response.

But to me, as well as these physical benefits which I believe have kept me young and fit, belying my 63 years, going barefoot has had an enormous impact on my mental and spiritual well-being.

When you're barefoot, whether it be on urban streets or woodland, you become so much more aware of your surroundings. You are at one with the terrain, not just a spectator. Focusing on your steps and not your problems, clears your mind, putting you at ease, considerably reducing stress and tension.

It means that with every step I take my thought process becomes more focused on the path I'm treading. Consciously I steer clear of stones, thorns, glass, and yes...dog poo, too! When that happens all negative thoughts vanish, and I'm able to focus solely on walking.

While it works for me, making me much calmer and largely stress-free, I'm not saying being barefoot all the time is right for everyone. You need to find your own way...your own coping strategies. But for me, having bare feet has changed my world.

My Experience Of Being Sectioned

As I mentioned, I was sectioned for 28 days during my spell at the Woodbourne Priory in 1997.

In many ways it was a bittersweet experience. On the one hand frightening and overwhelming, but on the other warm and comforting - forming protection against the outside world.

My counsellor had originally admitted me to the Woodbourne Priory private psychiatric clinic as a voluntary patient for stress and depression bright on by my intolerable workload as I climbed the corporate ladder and the deaths of two people who were close to me.

One of those two people was my Mother-In-Law, who suffered a lingering, painful death from cancer.

Almost immediately my Father-In-Law was also diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was constantly hoping, and telling people of my wishes, that he could die swiftly and painlessly to avoid the horrific ending his wife had suffered.

Completely unexpectedly, he did, about three weeks into my time in the Priory. Instantly, voices in my head told me I was to blame for his death. The voices were explicit as to how I must "atone for my sin." I had to slash my right cheek from the side of my eye to my chin, and then slash both my wrists. But I also had to take someone with me, and I must star selecting a fellow patient.

My last memory for about a fortnight was running from the Priory and finding a hairdressing salon on the road into Birmingham, where I demanded a pair of scissors to fulfil what the voices were instructing me.

Apparently - although I have no recollection of this; it's all what I was told afterwards - the police had already been alerted to the fact that I'd been seen running down the drive, and when the hairdresser called them, they were on the scene in minutes, taking me back to the clinic.

I was duly sectioned for 28 days. But because of the severity of my condition and my increasingly bizarre behaviour I was also "specialed," meaning s nurse was assigned to never be more than a few feet from me, around the clock.

To this day I have no memory of those first 14 days or so of being sectioned. When the fog did start to lift I demanded to be taken home immediately. The doctors had to explain again about me being sectioned and what it meant, as I could not remember having been told.

The fact that I was a prisoner sank in quickly. Actually, worse than a prisoner. Prisoners have right. My rights had apparently been stripped from me. I was detained against my will, forcibly drugged with lithium, so powerful that blood tests were taken every couple of days to ensure it wasn't harming me physically. Going to the toilet and taking a bath had to be done in full view of my "special" nurse, sometimes male, sometimes female.

The voices were still there, but the lithium was dulling them. However, I was constantly asking the nurse to get me a pair of scissors, explaining that the only way I could be redeemed was to obey them. I attempted to escape several times, the most successful being when I persuaded a hapless bank nurse to let me go into the grounds. Even though I was in pyjamas and barefoot I was able to outrun her. But it wasn't long before the police returned me to the Priory, this time in handcuffs as if I were a criminal.

Daily sessions were held with a senior psychiatrist, and gradually the voices were held in check. I'll always remember another patient saying I was returning to the real world. During this second half of my enforced incarceration I began to accept what was happening to me, and indeed to welcome it.

No longer was I rebelling against my jailors (and, make no mistake, that's exactly how I viewed them) - instead I metaphorically embraced them with open arms. Locked away inside the Priory I was warm, snug and safe from the outside world. They were giving me weapons to fight the voices, the armoury to overthrow the waves of bad, negative thoughts that had been invading my mind for so long.

No longer did I wake up every morning and immediately curl up in a ball, cursing the fact that I was alive. I woke up looking forward to what the day would bring and taking another small, tottering step towards getting my life back.

And all this was due to the fact that I'd been sectioned. The section ended after 28 days, but I remained specialed for a further fortnight. In total I was in the clinic for around ten weeks before being discharged into a care-in-the-community programme. Apart from one minor relapse the coping strategies I learned during that time have been successful, and I'm grateful to have been able to rebuild my life with new, stronger, firmer foundations.

I can still hear the gentle, soothing music during the relaxation sessions, still hear the clink of the croquet balls as we played on the front lawn, still relish the comradery of my fellow patient as we struggled together against the same foe. It was a time of my life that I'll actually cherish forever, as it marked the beginning of the spiritual, caring person I am today.

I have a vibrant Twitter account: https://twitter.com/AuthorSJB which I use to support and encourage others...not just with their mental issues, but in all endeavours. I live my life by the wonderful ethos of Desiderata, which I first discovered as a teenager, but became even more relevant during my recovery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNq_DTmVCWs as well as the words of the titular character from my favourite TV programme, Doctor Who: "Never be cruel. Never be cowardly. Remember, hate is always foolish, love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind."

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Jamie's Mental Health YouTube Channel

Barefoot Up The Steps -- All 351 Of Them!

Teach A Person To Fish...

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