Consumer Focus warns that thousands of cash Isa holders are losing money by sticking with poor savings products after introductory interest rates have expired As the new tax year gets underway savers with existing cash Isas are being warned to check their investments closely – while providers offer “early bird” deals to attract new customers, they are slashing the rates paid on older accounts. HMRC figures show there is £172bn held in cash Isas, but data from Consumer Focus indicates more than a third of cash Isa holders have had them for more than five years, suggesting they are losing out on interest that could be gained by switching. Two-thirds of people who opened a cash Isa with an introductory interest rate are likely to be losing out by failing to switch once it runs out, while a quarter of cash Isa savers did not know whether their account even had a bonus rate. A further third of account holders with an introductory rate weren’t sure if their rate had expired or not. Oliver Morgans, financial services expert at Consumer Focus, said: “Unfortunately it seems that banks use higher interest rates to lure customers in and then aim to cash in on their inertia. Sadly, Isa customers have to watch banks like a hawk if they are to get the best deals, and our advice is to check your rate. If you are not happy vote with your feet and switch to an Isa that pays more.” Current best-buys Savers investing the maximum £5,340 in Santander’s best-buy Flexible Isa , paying 3.3%, would earn £176.22 in interest this year – but it is only open to new investors. The headline easy access rate for those wishing to switch funds is Halifax’s Cash Isa , paying 3.2%, followed by Nationwide building society’s e-Isa , paying 3.1%, although this is only available if customers also have a card-based savings account with Nationwide. Fixed-rate cash Isas pay higher rates than variable or easy access cash accounts, with the average for all fixed-rate cash Isas currently at 3.44%, dropping to 1.88% on variable rate Isas and 1.75% on easy access products. Over one year, the Bank of Cyprus fixed-rate Isa pays 3.3% and accepts transfers, while Santander’s two-year fixed-rate postal account pays 3.7% and is also open to transfers. Leeds building society is paying 4.2% on its three-year fixed-rate Isa, which accepts transfers and allows investors to access 25% of their cash without penalty, while the best four-year fix is at Saffron building society paying 4.5%. BM Savings is the best-buy cash Isa over five years, paying 5%. Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com , said: “With little movement expected in the market, by shopping around and comparing the range of products that best suits their circumstances savers could be better off taking advantage of the good rates now, as they will benefit from accruing interest immediately rather than waiting for a better deal at a higher rate.” He added: “This year we have seen several providers keeping their good deals available beyond the Isa deadline, and have even seen some new market leading deals being introduced. But savers might need to act quickly as the headline rates could disappear.” Last year, Consumer Focus filed a super complaint with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over the cash Isa market , detailing a number of concerns including: low switching levels; confusing pricing structures; and unnecessarily complicated and slow switching processes. It also accused banks of giving poor information to their customers regarding the comparison of accounts. The OFT has since held banks to an agreement that interest rates be printed on customer statements by May 2012 and transfers be completed within 15 working days. Consumer Focus estimates this could save consumers more than £14m. Isas Savings rates Savings Banks and building societies Mark King guardian.co.uk
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Tales from the 50s discovered by avid fan in old magazines due out in new book Seven rarely-seen Dr Seuss stories from the 50s, which were tracked down by a Massachusetts dentist, will finally be published in book form this autumn. Dr Seuss’s art director Cathy Goldsmith was on eBay when she stumbled across a sale for tearsheets from 1950s magazines, purporting to be stories by the author, who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in 1904. She bought the stories, and discovered that the seller, dentist Charles Cohen, was a huge collector of “Seussiana” and an avid Seuss scholar. She travelled to Springfield, Massachussetts, to meet him along with Random House vice-president and publisher Kate Klimo. “His house was literally bursting at the seams with Seussiana: plush, toys, beer trays, puzzles, and a wide range of ephemera. Not only that, Dr Cohen was a fount of Seuss information, history, and theories about Ted’s artistic process,” said Klimo. “In short order, we had contracted Cohen to write what would become The Seuss, The Whole Seuss, and Nothing But the Seuss . Published in 2003, it was a nearly encyclopaedic look at Ted’s career. But through it all, Charles always wanted to compile the stories he had found in various magazines.” Ten years later, The Bippolo Seed – described by the publisher as “the literary equivalent of buried treasure” – is lined up for publication in September. “These stories were published during what could arguably be called Dr Seuss’s most fertile creative period, a time that would yield both Cat in the Hat and Grinch, a time when his theories about how to reach children through rhyme, rhythm, and a resonant combination of nonsense and sagacity, were coming into full bloom,” said Klimo. “The stories are as good as anything in the already-published canon and readers of all ages are in for a treat.” The stories include The Strange Shirt Spot, the inspiration for the bathtub ring scene in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (“‘Have no fear of that ring,’ / Laughed the Cat in the Hat. / ‘Why, I can take cat rings / Off tubs. Just like that!’ / Do you know how he did it? / WITH MOTHER’S WHITE DRESS! / Now the tub was all clean, / But her dress was a mess!”) Gustav the Goldfish is an early, rhymed version of the Dr Seuss book A Fish Out of Water, about a fish that grows and grows, while The Bippolo Seed tells of a conniving feline (reminiscent of the Cat in the Hat, perhaps) who encourages an innocent duck to make a bad decision. The book is completed with The Great Henry McBride, about a boy whose “far-flung career fantasies are only bested by those of the real Dr Seuss”; The Bear, the Rabbit, and the Zinniga-Zanniga, about a rabbit saved from a bear with a single eyelash; Steak for Supper, about fantastic creatures who follow a boy home for dinner; and Tadd and Todd, a story about twins. Due out in late September from Random House in the US and HarperCollins in the UK, The Bippolo Seed and other lost stories will include an introduction from Cohen, explaining the significance of the stories in Dr Seuss’s career. The author, who died in 1991 aged 87, won a Pulitzer for his contribution to American education. He wrote and illustrated 44 books, making his name in 1957 with The Cat in the Hat. Containing just 225 words, it was written following a challenge from his publisher: to write a fun story using the list of words first-grade schoolchildren needed to learn. Dr Seuss Children’s books: 7 and under Children and teenagers Publishing Alison Flood guardian.co.uk
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Business secretary Vince Cable says increase to £6.08 an hour ‘reflects economic uncertainty’ The national minimum wage is to increase by 15p an hour to £6.08 in October, benefiting almost a million workers, the government has announced. Ministers said they had accepted recommendations from the Low Pay Commission , giving a new adult rate of £6.08, while the statutory minimum for 18- to 20-year-olds will increase by 6p to £4.98 an hour. The rate for 16- to 17-year-olds will increase by 4p to £3.68 an hour and the rate for apprentices will increase by 10p to £2.60 an hour. Vince Cable, the business secretary, said: “More than 890,000 of Britain’s lowest-paid workers will gain from these changes. They are appropriate, reflecting the current economic uncertainty, while at the same time protecting the UK’s lowest-paid workers. “I would like to thank the Low Pay Commission for doing a good job in difficult circumstances.” The commission’s chairman, David Norgrove, said: “We welcome the government’s acceptance of our recommendations. The commission was again unanimous, despite all the economic uncertainties. “We believe we have struck the right balance between the needs of low-paid workers and the challenges faced by businesses.” Pay Work & careers Vince Cable guardian.co.uk
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Witnesses tell how gunman opened fire on pupils at Tasso da Silveira primary school in Rio de Janeiro As many as 20 people are feared dead after a gunman invaded a primary school in Rio de Janeiro and opened fire. One witness told the Guardian he had seen between 15 and 20 children dead or seriously wounded inside the Tasso da Silveira primary school in western Rio. “It is a massacre, a true massacre,” said Roni de Macedo, a fireman who arrived on the scene shortly after the shooting began and dragged eight seriously injured children from the second floor classroom. “There is blood on the walls, blood on the chairs. There are 15 to 20 dead I think,” said De Macedo, who was covered in blood. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like something in the United States.” Witnesses said the shooting began outside the school at around 8.30am when a man opened fire on two boys, shooting one in the head and one in the arm with what was said to be handgun. He is said to have cotinued through the school’s metal gates and up to a packed classroom the second floor, opening fire on children aged between 11 and 13. “I saw a load of injured kids, bleeding kids. I saw a dead guy inside. I heard more than 30 shots. My daughter was inside,” said Hercilei Antunes, 44, a postman who lives opposite the school. “It’s always been a calm school,” he added, standing on his bloodstained porch where he gave first aid to children who had been shot. “Today I heard shots, shots, shots and more shots. I tried to go in but he shot more and I am not made of steel.” With police helicopters hovering overhead, Yvonette Fernandes, 51, wept as she looked for news of her 12-year-old niece alongside scores of desperate parents. “Where is she? I want to know where she is!” Brazil Gun crime Tom Phillips guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Sen. James Inhofe still supporting Gbagbo in Ivory Coast and says he has proof election results are wrong
April 7, 2011 No Comment
enlarge Sen. Jim Inhofe will never, ever, ever admit man-made emissions have anything to do with global climate change. Sen. Inhofe, the climate change denier is still claiming to have the knowledge that Gbagbo’s election was rigged and he called the French murderers for stepping in and trying to help sort the situation out. In a VOA interview, Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma says the Obama administration is backing the wrong side in the conflict and offered to provide evidence that it was mathematically impossible for Alassane Ouattara to win the disputed November presidential run-off vote over embattled President Laurent Gbagbo. “I do know that the French have always had pretty much control of the government in the Ivory Coast and that’s just the way the French operate, until President Gbagbo got there and, of course, the French have been running against him ever since that time. And, the current opponent, Ouattara, is no exception; he is the chosen one by the French and, quite frankly, they rigged the election,” said Inhofe. “The French have come in and I don’t know how many thousands of people they have killed because they won’t quantify it. They killed over a thousand in Deukoue, a town in the western part, and those were the people who are Gbagbo supporters. And they said that wasn’t us that killed the people, but it had to be because Gbagbo had no troops there. So it’s a reign of terror by Ouattara and it’s supported by the French…[I] am afraid I’m losing this one, but somebody has to tell the truth,” Inhofe said. Let’s look at Inhofe’s credibility when it comes to the matters pertaining to the military: Remember when Inhofe lied about military spending? INHOFE: Here we are in Afghanistan right now. We have our — our men and women in uniform in harm’s way. And we hear an announcement we’re cutting — and I would say gutting — our military . I’ve never seen a budget like this. We’re spending so much money. The Obama budget has increased welfare and all time we’re doing this, increasing all these welfares to an (INAUDIBLE), the only thing in the budget that’s being cut is military. Right here, things are going to increase. The numbers are going to increase and yet we’re cutting the budget. (END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: Cutting and gutting the military budget. Joining us now is Jim Arkedis. He’s the director of the National Security Project of the Progressive Policy Institute. You guys check on these things… JIM ARKEDIS, PROGRESSIVE POLICY INSTITUTE: We do. SANCHEZ: …to make sure the figures are right. So because you’re down now in the middle, I’m going to ask you the question — is Senator James Inhofe correct to say that President Obama is “gutting the U.S. military budget?” In fact, he goes on to say disarming America. ARKEDIS: Obviously, the senator’s words are pretty ridiculous. President Obama has proposed an increase, as the numbers you just rattled off suggested. And there’s absolutely no hint any time in the future that America’s military budget is going to be gutted or we’re going to be incapable of fighting the wars that — that we are in now and we will look to in the future — or have to in the future. Listen, I want out of our conflicts in the Middle East as much as the next guy, as you all know, but what Inhofe said about military spending is just a lie and ridiculous, so why are we to believe him now? And in the Ivory Coast, I’m backing the International community and what was a fair election that was validated by the UN. France is trying to end the hostilities in the Ivory Coast as the ex-leader, Gbagbo still refuses to surrender and remains holed up in his residence. Soldiers traded fire with guards at the residence where Laurent Gbagbo is ensconced, refusing to stand down as president, French officials said. France, the former colonial power, has called on Mr Gbagbo to resign after losing November’s election. Forces loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, are besieging the residence. They were driven back when they tried to storm the site in a chic district of Abidjan on Wednesday, after talks on a cease-fire and Mr Gbagbo’s departure ran into difficulty. The incumbent president continues to insist he won the election, despite international recognition of Mr Ouattara’s victory. Mr Gbagbo says Mr Ouattara’s troops want to kill him but they say they have strict orders to capture him alive. Earlier in the day, The Japanese ambassador says mercenaries had taken over his house and used it as a launching point of gunfire while he hid in a safe room with several other people: Late on Wednesday, French helicopters moved in to evacuate the Japanese ambassador, Okamura Yoshifumi, and his aides after his home near the presidential residence was invaded by unidentified gunmen. They were taken to safety in a French military camp at Port-Bouet, south of Abidjan, the French embassy said. The French said they had acted after a request from Japan and the UN. During the operation, French forces exchanged fire with fighters defending Mr Gbagbo’s residence. S peaking before his rescue, Mr Yoshifumi told AFP news agency that a group of “mercenaries” had occupied his residence for five hours. While he and others sheltered in a safe room, the gunmen used his residence as a firing-point to launch rockets and fire machine-guns and cannon, he said. He said he had later found that four people employed at the residence, security guards and a gardener, had “vanished”, and there was “a lot of blood” in the house. It was not clear if the gunmen were part of the forces defending the nearby presidential residence or the attacking forces loyal to Mr Ouattara. France has troops in the country alongside UN peacekeepers, attempting to maintain security around Abidjan under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said neither French nor UN troops were involved in the new offensive against Mr Gbagbo. The Red Cross says: “The population in Abidjan has been very hard hit” Hospitals have been over flowing with the wounded and bloodshed is being spilled as we speak and I do hope it ends as soon as possible. In any case, Alassane Ouattara has a very difficult road ahead if and when he takes over the torn country.
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For a unique take on the world of fashion, sign up to the Guardian’s fashion email and get all the latest news delivered straight to your inbox FASHION DILEMMA What’s going on with Kate Moss’s wedding dress? Never having fantasised about wedding dresses, FS generally fails to get interested in all things meringuey. However, the whole Kate Moss/Jamie Hince wedding thing has got us excited. First you need to be fully up to date on the dress saga … In the beginning … From the lips of the fashion gods themselves (well, Vivienne Westwood ), we heard that Kate was designing her own dress: “I think she’s designing it herself. She has done her own fashion range and she knows about clothes. She knows what she is doing, she doesn’t need my help.” We weren’t sure about this – designing for Toppers is one thing, designing your own wedding dress is a whole different ball game. On the second day … While taking bread at a Topshop dinner in February, Miss Moss said her longtime friend John Galliano would design it. Which turned out to be an EPIC bit of foot-in-mouthery as … On the third day … Dear John allegedly decided had a drunken antisemitic rant, and thus invoked the wrath of the entire fashion world (except, perhaps, for model Jessica Stam ). Despite this, people were still speculating that Galliano would design the dress. On the fourth day … The Daily Mail saw a fashion shoot in Harpers and remembered that Alexander McQueen had been a great friend of Kate’s. OBVIOUSLY then, the dress was to be designed by Sarah Burton, the label’s newish head of design. On the fifth day … Various publications cast around randomly for names connected with Ms Moss and magicked up Kate Halfpenny , the celebrity stylist slash designer who created the 70s dress Kate wore to her own 35th birthday party. On the sixth day … Kate’s fiance, Jamie Hince, spoke on the matter and cleared up the Galliano thing, saying the rumours were “unfounded entirely”. (He also shared his thoughts on the whole event, which is worth a look on Vogue.co.uk ). And lo! Upon the seventh day , every other publication was bored with talking about it, leaving us free to fantasise about who we’d choose. Here are our top three: 1. Maison Martin Margiela Before anyone had ever heard of Lady Gaga, there was Maison Martin Margiela. This avant garde fashion label would create a dress to defy all traditions. We imagine a long, sheer gown, perhaps decorated with a fringe of deconstructed wig running across the chest and under the armpits. Visible beneath the gown, Kate would wear a leather studded chastity belt that could be ceremoniously and theatrically removed during the ceremony. The shoulders would extend three feet out on either side, resulting in American football-style jostling down the aisle, and instead of a veil, Kate would wear a flesh-coloured stocking over her face – much like the models in Margiela’s S/S 09 collection . Amazeballs! 2. Manish Arora Indian-born Manish has a penchant for all things circus. His dress could come in the form of a giant land-crab , a golden car or an entire fairground carousel . Eschewing the traditional white or ivory colourway, we could expect to see acid yellow, hot pink or gold sequins. Finally, if we’re REALLY lucky, there might even be half a Kate and a magician . 3. Giles Deacon Last but not least, we’d opt for Giles Deacon. Partly because he’s British and every now and then we like to do a little flag-waving, but mostly because he’s a bit wacky, which is our favourite thing about fashion. His dress would be more traditional (think chiffon and layers) but adorned with tarantulas . The train drag would be whipped up into a fancy headpiece , thus avoiding the problem of getting it dirty – but would she be able to hear the “I do” prompt? The veil would be a more like a shroud , tied into her hair, or perhaps a shiny, metallic Pac-Man head . Who needs to see them kiss anyway? And the bridesmaids would have to settle for catching a soft-toy dinosaur rather than a bouquet. BANG ON TREND Pleats So often associated with school skirts that would get hastily hitched up the second mum was out of sight, this season’s pleats are, thankfully, a far cry from maths homework. Instead, they’re all about summery floatiness inspired by the floor-sweeping skirts at Chloe. Ethereal pleats, if you will. NB. FS must point out that there are many types of pleat. The pleats du jour are knife pleats (what most normal folk would just call “pleats”) and sunray pleats (where the pleat is smaller at the top and fans out, like a ray of sunshine). For beginners, Zara’s floaty blue dress (£49.99) does the sunray pleat nicely, complete with a tan cinch belt to break up those straight lines. Or we’d team New Look’s pleated tunic blouse (£19.99) with skinny jeans and sandals for a perfect April sunny-but-not-that-sunny look. If you want to double up pleats with this season’s 70s trend, unleash your inner Stevie Nicks with Asos’s pleated maxi skirt (£45). Wallis does a slightly less see-through version at £40. Long blonde perm and tambourine optional. Topshop seems to have gone com pleat ly crazy (sorry). One of the many folded numbers is this daisy print playsuit , £52, while die-hard fashionistas can sleep easy in a cream pleated slip (£46), shorts (£25) and cape (£65). And finally, if you’ve just won the lottery, or are a banker, Chloe’s coral silk-crepe dress (£1,410) will look lovely and babydoll-like on its own, or with a nude belt and heels for some daytime glam. FASHIONISTA OF THE WEEK Emily Browning You might remember Emily Browning as Violet Baudelaire in the film adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Seven years later, having escaped from the evil clutches of Count Olaf, she’s back on the red carpet in this drool-inducing lace Erdem number. FS gives vintage bonus points for the Victoriana-meets-60s-babydoll collar and slicked 20s hair, while the Prada platforms and lick of plum lipstick give added sassiness. FASHION GRAVEYARD Quiana Grant If lilac mesh existed in 1831, Victor Hugo would surely have had Esmerelda dancing around in something similar to this in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Topping all the stakes in the very worst excesses of “peasant fashion”, swimwear model Quiana Grant’s half-dress, half-jumble sale is trumped only by the addition of an organza bolero. But then, who needs clothes when your day job is rolling bikini-clad around the world’s most idyllic beaches? QUOTE OF THE WEEK I saw my first show, which was the third show for Martin Margiela … It was a show where half the audience cried, including myself … Only at that point did I understand what fashion could be or what it could mean to people. It was the “white” show, where all the models wore dresses in white and transparent plastic. Margiela had no money at the time, so the Maison ended up going to a black neighborhood in Paris and asking if they could use a children’s playground for the show. The parents said, “Yes, you can have the playground, but we want our children to be able to see it.” So little black children were standing with the audience in the front row. The children started to run over to the models, and they picked them up and held them around their necks. Thank you to reader Sofie Birkin, who spotted this gem by Raf Simons in Interview Magazine and asked: “Is this what is referred to as a ‘fashion moment’? Or is it just a hilarious lack of self awareness?” SHOPPING NEWS Do you have a shopping addiction? If so, you’ll be pleased to hear that New Look has just launched its very own mobile site, suitable for use on all smartphones. So, next time you’re sitting on the bus feeling murderous as another teenager plays terrible music loudly on their mobile, distract yourself by visiting newlook.com . Charlotte Ronson is one of nine designers to team up with Uniqlo this season. Her seaside-themed six-piece capsule collection will hit the shops on 5 May. Pieces include a lace-up Breton stripe tank dress and a boat-print halterneck top. Other designers for the project include Costello Tagliapietra and Vena Cava. Lots of celebs have joined Selma Blair and the Scissor Sisters’ Ana Matronic in supporting H&M’s fourth Fashion Against Aids collection , in shops from 26 April. The unisex range offers printed T-shirts, pastel chinos, silky trench coats and jumpsuits. A quarter of sales will be donated to promote safe sex and HIV and AIDS prevention to young people around the world. OUT AND ABOUT Residents of Brentwood should beware of stampeding west Londoners this weekend as the Notting Hill home and furniture mecca, Graham and Green , opens its warehouse doors, offering up to 70% off sample and ex-display stock. Prices start from £10, which is rather bargainous by anyone’s standards. Birmingham’s Custard Factory will be host to tea sets, cake stands and furniture galore at this weekend’s vintage home fair . Vinyl DJs will be spinning a soundtrack for shoppers and there’ll be homemade cakes and a vintage hair and make-up salon too. The Do-Lectures – where you can go to meet and be inspired by celebs and hard-working types who are making a difference to our world – is launching a new website. The new fancy-pants design means it loads more quickly and they can jam in more interesting stuff from all their speakers. Check it out at dolectures.com . OFFCUTS What you shouldn’t wear this spring – and what you really should . Seventies fashion is back, but it doesn’t mean we can tolerate bad G-string etiquette, says Hadley Freeman . Fancy a career in fashion and want some top tips? The Guardian careers blog has them. For all the latest fashion news, visit guardian.co.uk/fashion News to tell us? Email kate.carter@guardian.co.uk Follow us on Twitter Fashion Fashion designers Kate Moss Models Rachel Holmes guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …We celebrate our 1,000th new band of the day with two free mix tapes, while new band columnist Paul Lester tells us how the feature has ruined his life
Continue reading …‘The fuckers got me’ said newspaper seller as he collapsed after being knocked down by riot policeman, court hears Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller knocked down by a police officer at the G20 protests, muttered “the fuckers got me” moments before he died. The inquest into his death has already heard how Tomlinson, a father of nine, was struck with a baton and pushed to the ground by police officer Simon Harwood minutes before he died in the City of London. Describing what may have been Tomlinson’s last words, a bystander told the jury in the case that watched Tomlinson colllapse about 100 metres from where he had been pushed. The former city worker Kamran Saleem, now a charity manager, said: “He said something along the lines of ‘They got me, the fuckers got me.’ His voice was more quiet than normal and there was an anger to it but probably more surprised than anything.” The jury, which is sitting at a venue in Fleet Street, London, has heard how Tomlinson was repeatedly turned away from police cordons near the Bank of England. The 47-year-old had been attempting to find his way home from work before he finally encountered Harwood, a member of the Met’s territorial support group (TSG). Harwood, a van driver who had strayed from his vehicle, has accepted Tomlinson posed no threat to him or anyone else when he struck him. He said he did so because he believed the newspaper seller posed a “breach of the peace” under common law. The heavy push sent Tomlinson sprawling to the ground on Royal Exchange Buildings at around 7.20pm on 1 April 2009. Tomlinson was helped to his feet by a bystander and stumbled along Cornhill for a minute or two before collapsing outside a Starbucks coffee shop. Saleem said he saw Tomlinson stagger along Cornhill “as if he was drunk” before falling to the ground “like a tree”. “He was kind of swaying as he came up the road kind of staggering from left to right,” he told Alison Hewitt QC, counsel to the inquest. “Just before I saw him fall over when he was coming up he kind of shook his head as if to like clear his head. “And that was when he fell into the wall on his left hand side. It was like he was not in charge of his body, it was like a tree falling over. His arms were by his side and there was no reaction when he hit the wall. “It was a forceful impact.” Saleem said people rushed to Tomlinson’s aid and he saw a redness on the man’s head. “I think he was still breathing and his eyes were still open.” When police medics rushed in to help Tomlinson he started slipping in and out of consciousness and his eyes were “flicking around”. “He had a grey look to him. He was a lot paler than before.” Saleem said protesters had been throwing bottles at the police who rushed to help Tomlinson. The hearing continues. Ian Tomlinson Police London Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk
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Shouting from the audience, picking up props, running on stage – does anyone share my strange desire to disrupt the show? There was a moment, watching Ryan Craig’s new play The Holy Rosenbergs at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre, when one of the cast accidentally knocked askew a photo frame. It sat on a low bookcase in the play’s living room set, and teetered perilously close to causing a domino effect on the other frames, or indeed falling off the bookcase altogether. Somehow this inoffensive prop suddenly became the focus of my attention. I was sorely tempted to reach out and set it right. I didn’t, of course. To do so would be a huge theatrical faux pas, smashing that fourth wall and breaking the spell of the invented world conjured by the actors in front of me. But, sitting in the front row of this intimate in-the-round production with my knees jammed up against said bookcase, the photo frame and other knick-knacks just an arm’s length away, I could have. Call me weird, but what a secret thrill this possibility gave me. This near-intervention is, I confess, part of a greater problem. My theatregoing years have been dogged by an underlying urge to disrupt the show I am watching. Normally it’s a sudden compulsion to shout something out during a quiet moment, or sometimes it’s the desire to get out of my seat and run on stage. I have never done it and, I hope, never would. But the urge remains. The strength of this feeling varies depending on the production. Those held in a traditional proscenium arch theatre are relatively safe; the raised stage and its distance from most of the seats creates a barrier between audience and actors which holds me back from contributing to proceedings. But smaller, thrust stages like the Donmar Warehouse should beware; indeed, such is the layout of the Donmar that a stalls-dweller on the edge of a row could easily trip up an actor on his way to the stage (I wouldn’t – I think). But that’s as nothing to the effect of in-the-round productions like The Holy Rosenbergs, or Hampstead theatre’s recent traverse configuration for Tiger Country , which practically invite disruption. Who knows what might have happened if I’d had an onstage seat for Spring Awakening . I wonder where this impulse comes from. Is it the same feeling that propels pitch invaders at football matches, or streakers at Wimbledon? Is it simply a desire for attention? Given my fear of public speaking, I don’t think so. It is something more instinctive than that, a sort of rebellious reaction to being in a situation where you are not allowed to participate, yet the means to do so is within your power. I want to because I can’t. You might think immersive theatre would go some way to indulging these fantasies. Shows such as Punchdrunk’s The Masque Of The Red Death or the Menier Chocolate Factory’s Accomplice are designed around audience participation, so quashing the urge to be inappropriate. Tim Crouch’s The Author at the Royal Court in 2009 encouraged us to interact with the cast, while recent musical The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee finally permitted a few theatregoers to step foot on the Donmar’s stage. But it’s not the same. Being allowed to participate in a show can’t beat the thrill – I imagine – of launching yourself into an established production uninvited. How I longed to pick up that photo frame, or help myself to a macaroon on the coffee table, or join one of the cast on the sofa. Before I take myself off for therapy I’d like to know one thing: is it just me? Theatre guardian.co.uk
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Lord Coe’s hymn to the new Olympic mountain-biking course may have been hyperbolic, but the circuit will test riders to the limit • Track cycling events at the 2010 Olympics: a brief guide “Probably one of the most beautiful venues I’ve seen anywhere in the world.” No, not Usain Bolt rhapsodising about Beijing’s Bird’s Nest after shattering the world sprint records. Nor Tiger Woods standing triumphant, again, at the final hole of Augusta. And no, it’s not a hyperventilating Alan Partridgeat his local Rover dealership. No this eulogy came from the mouth of Lord Sebastian Coe as he officially marked the completion of the Olympic mountain bike course in Hadleigh, Essex . Granted, the sun was beaming down unseasonably early, lending proceedings a cheery air; perhaps luckier still was the silvery haze obscuring all but the tallest towers of Canvey Island’s refineries a mile across the Thames estuary. But such unsolicited hyperbole left even the local officials slack-jawed. Coe went on to joke: “In the last seven years there have been two exchanges in my office – and my subsequent reactions – that I’m really grateful have never been recorded: the first was fairly recently when someone came in to tell me that the countdown clock had stopped. The second was almost four years earlier when someone else called to tell me that they’d found a mountain in Essex!” It’s the way he tells them. Readers may recall we visited the site back in the autumn as the trail-building process was well underway. And we had to take our hats off to Martin Seddon and his crew for bringing so much interest to such an unpromising location. Now we could see that development had continued apace, despite horrendous working conditions through a snowy winter: the main obstacles had been constructed and all the sections properly linked up. In only eight short months – and for the minuscule sum (in Olympic terms) of £800k – Hadleigh now joins the velodrome in Stratford as one of the few completed arenas. With the final stone laid, we were among the lucky few invited to take a spin on the virgin track. Before that it was the turn of the pros from Team GB’s mountain bike squad, with the most recognisable face among them 29-year-old Liam Killeen . As current national champion, former Commwealth champion and seventh-placed finisher in Beijing, Killeen represents the best chance for home medals in this event. So, how did he rate the Hadleigh circuit? “The designers have done really well. For spectators it’s great as they’ve used the natural bowl, and from one particular point you can see maybe 70% of the course. This is very rare for mountain bike events, which are usually enclosed in forest, so that bodes well for good television. But from a rider perspective, you have to say the course is very physically demanding. Average mountain bikers could ride around it fairly easily, but at race pace it’s a different matter altogether. There’s six or seven short but steep climbs per lap, and we’re maybe looking at eight, 13-minute laps, so it will be pretty relentless. And when you factor in these technical sections it really adds to the difficulty, especially when you’re fatigued.” Killeen rode his hardtail bike (front suspension only) the previous day, but was trying out a full-suspension model for the grand unveiling. Which did he think was more likely to be favoured by the world’s elite? “At the moment the course is very groomed, so a hardtail is fine. But actually it may become more of a full-sus course – when it gets cut up, and bearing in mind that you may be racing for the best part of two hours, it’ll be really important to keep your body in decent shape for a surge in the last two laps when the medals could likely be decided.” With that it was my turn to saddle up. From the start it’s a short switchback climb to the first of the rock sections, this one offering three alternative lines (see picture), before cresting on a wide track into a copse. This leads you to the second of the most interesting features, the “dual descender”, where the more technical “A” line will save several seconds compared to those opting for line “B”. This could be a decisive spot next August. Very quickly you’re on to a wooden boardwalk feature, again with two route choices – left involves a gap jump, while right is an easier roller. A swift double-track descent then takes you into the country park for a sustained climb up to what will be the main spectator viewpoint. After that height gain it’s downhill, via another rock garden, over and through a tunnel, before more mixed climbing returns you to the grandstands. Just out of view lies the last of the tricky drops, followed by another rapid descent and the appropriately-named “cardiac climb”. Reward for gaining the top here is perhaps the most fun section – a swooping, high-banked plunge that gives you a glimpse of the finish area. One more switchback ascent, a narrow chute and you’re done. We’d ridden at a sedate pace, stopping to assess each feature in turn and the general consensus was that it would rate as moderate in UK trail centre terms. But as Killeen suggested, you could easily see how it would become a different prospect at professional race pace. It’ll certainly be fast and furious, very likely a war of attrition, with refuelling and pacing becoming important strategies. And readers wondering if they’ll be able to ride at the site, watch this space. Essex County Council and the Salvation Army, which owns the site, say: “The intention is for the course to be available for public use from 2013 onwards”, although it is not yet clear how the course will be adapted or whether the public will be able to use it. • The mountain bike events take place on 11-12 August 2012. Tickets will be priced from £20-45 – enter the ballot now . • John Kitchiner is editor of London Cyclist magazine . Olympics 2012: Cycling Cycling Olympic Games 2012 guardian.co.uk
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