Widower seeking gay love, the demise of the landline and the royals divide you, but ill singer gets your good wishes ✒ “It’s the best bit of the paper!” Pamela Stephenson Connolly, G2′s very own sex therapist, answers some remarkable letters every Friday. We still have fond memories of the woman whose husband wanted her to make animal noises in the bedroom. (Cat? Dog? Potbellied pig? We never did find out.) Last week’s problem was equally astonishing, but not for any nowt-so-queer-as-folk-ness. Pamela’s correspondent, a widower in his 80s, wanted some help to find a “male friend”. “When my wife was very ill,” he explained, “she told me that she would be happy if I had the luck to find a man, because I was gay in my teenage years and she thought I would like to renew that experience. My late wife understood because she was a lesbian from the age of 12 until we met.” Yes, there are arguments to be had about whether you can be gay one moment and not the next, whether homosexuality is an “experience” etc, but what struck us was the woman’s concern for her husband – and her lack of jealousy. Our hearts were lifted. At guardian.co.uk/g2, however, Causidicus was beside himself. How dare the letter-writer feel the need to be discreet about his desires because he was a “highly respected person”? He
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• Tottenham anxious over winger’s hamstring problem • Spurs face Real at the Bernabéu on Tuesday week Gareth Bale faces a race against time to be fit for Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday week having being forced to withdraw from the Wales squad for Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against England with a hamstring strain. The injury, which is a severe blow to Wales’s hopes of causing an upset at the Millennium Stadium, came to light after Bale complained of tightness in his hamstring during a warm-up on Tuesday. When the 21-year-old winger was unable to take part in training on Wednesday, Wales sent him for a scan which revealed he had been carrying the injury at Spurs the previous week. Bale played 90 minutes against West Ham United on Saturday but that was his first full game since 16 January, having been sidelined with a back problem for six weeks. He was struggling with his hamstring towards the end of that time and Spurs will be anxious that the latest setback could threaten his involvement at the Bernabéu. Gary Speed, however, tried to offer a more positive prognosis. The Wales manager said Bale could feature against Real Madrid and also claimed that his decision to declare him unfit for the England game had reduced the risk of him picking up a serious injury that could have ended his season. “The decision was made last night as soon as we got the scan,” said the Wales manager. “I think you can tell on the scans now with the fluid and blood that he was injured from last week. I’m no expert, but I’m sure it’s only a 10-day thing.” Speed could have been forgiven for questioning the wisdom of Harry Redknapp’s decision to keep Bale on the pitch throughout the game against West Ham, although he seemed determined to avoid becoming embroiled in a club versus country row with the Spurs manager. There had been the potential for a major fall-out on Thursday morning, when Raymond Verheijen, the Wales assistant manager, wrote “the incompetent amateurs struck again” on his Twitter page. Spurs reacted angrily to Verheijen’s comments, believing they were directed at them for their handling of the injury, but both the Dutchman and Speed have since clarified that he was referring to a newspaper article that incorrectly suggested Bale had strained his hamstring during training for Wales. “It was a total misunderstanding. In no way did that refer to Tottenham,” said Speed. “I can understand how it might be portrayed but I think the fact that it was reported that he did his hamstring in training on Wednesday, that was the incompetent bit.” Asked whether he had told Verheijen, who in the past has used Twitter to voice his disapproval of Roberto Mancini’s training methods at Manchester City, to rein in his comments, Speed replied: “Absolutely. It’s caused an unnecessary problem but we’ve talked about it and nipped it in the bud. There will be no more tweeting of that sort.” Aware of the problems international managers have had with their club counterparts in the past, Speed seemed keen to keep Redknapp onside and build bridges with Tottenham. “We don’t put any blame on Spurs. [Bale] was fit to play 90 minutes and played 90 minutes. He came to us, and maybe if we hadn’t been so thorough in our testing, he may have played. But what we don’t want is for him to play and then pull up and put himself out for the season. The player’s welfare is of paramount importance and that’s what’s happened.” Speed did, though, reveal that Bale, who will continue to receive treatment in Wales, would have preferred to delay the decision. “He wanted to wait and see if he could give it a go,” he said. “But the nature of the strain showed up on the scan. Although England is a huge game and we would want Gareth in, we don’t want to be putting him back for the rest of the season. Spurs also have some massive games coming up.” The Wales manager described Bale’s absence as a “big blow”, although he added: “Any team in the world would miss a Gareth Bale but between now and the next three and a half years we’re going to miss players, and if Wales are going to achieve anything we’re going to have to cope. We’ve had a great week training and the lads are really up for it so it’s not the end of the world.” Euro 2012 Wales England Gareth Bale Stuart James guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Tottenham anxious over winger’s hamstring problem • Spurs face Real at the Bernabéu on Tuesday week Gareth Bale faces a race against time to be fit for Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday week having being forced to withdraw from the Wales squad for Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against England with a hamstring strain. The injury, which is a severe blow to Wales’s hopes of causing an upset at the Millennium Stadium, came to light after Bale complained of tightness in his hamstring during a warm-up on Tuesday. When the 21-year-old winger was unable to take part in training on Wednesday, Wales sent him for a scan which revealed he had been carrying the injury at Spurs the previous week. Bale played 90 minutes against West Ham United on Saturday but that was his first full game since 16 January, having been sidelined with a back problem for six weeks. He was struggling with his hamstring towards the end of that time and Spurs will be anxious that the latest setback could threaten his involvement at the Bernabéu. Gary Speed, however, tried to offer a more positive prognosis. The Wales manager said Bale could feature against Real Madrid and also claimed that his decision to declare him unfit for the England game had reduced the risk of him picking up a serious injury that could have ended his season. “The decision was made last night as soon as we got the scan,” said the Wales manager. “I think you can tell on the scans now with the fluid and blood that he was injured from last week. I’m no expert, but I’m sure it’s only a 10-day thing.” Speed could have been forgiven for questioning the wisdom of Harry Redknapp’s decision to keep Bale on the pitch throughout the game against West Ham, although he seemed determined to avoid becoming embroiled in a club versus country row with the Spurs manager. There had been the potential for a major fall-out on Thursday morning, when Raymond Verheijen, the Wales assistant manager, wrote “the incompetent amateurs struck again” on his Twitter page. Spurs reacted angrily to Verheijen’s comments, believing they were directed at them for their handling of the injury, but both the Dutchman and Speed have since clarified that he was referring to a newspaper article that incorrectly suggested Bale had strained his hamstring during training for Wales. “It was a total misunderstanding. In no way did that refer to Tottenham,” said Speed. “I can understand how it might be portrayed but I think the fact that it was reported that he did his hamstring in training on Wednesday, that was the incompetent bit.” Asked whether he had told Verheijen, who in the past has used Twitter to voice his disapproval of Roberto Mancini’s training methods at Manchester City, to rein in his comments, Speed replied: “Absolutely. It’s caused an unnecessary problem but we’ve talked about it and nipped it in the bud. There will be no more tweeting of that sort.” Aware of the problems international managers have had with their club counterparts in the past, Speed seemed keen to keep Redknapp onside and build bridges with Tottenham. “We don’t put any blame on Spurs. [Bale] was fit to play 90 minutes and played 90 minutes. He came to us, and maybe if we hadn’t been so thorough in our testing, he may have played. But what we don’t want is for him to play and then pull up and put himself out for the season. The player’s welfare is of paramount importance and that’s what’s happened.” Speed did, though, reveal that Bale, who will continue to receive treatment in Wales, would have preferred to delay the decision. “He wanted to wait and see if he could give it a go,” he said. “But the nature of the strain showed up on the scan. Although England is a huge game and we would want Gareth in, we don’t want to be putting him back for the rest of the season. Spurs also have some massive games coming up.” The Wales manager described Bale’s absence as a “big blow”, although he added: “Any team in the world would miss a Gareth Bale but between now and the next three and a half years we’re going to miss players, and if Wales are going to achieve anything we’re going to have to cope. We’ve had a great week training and the lads are really up for it so it’s not the end of the world.” Euro 2012 Wales England Gareth Bale Stuart James guardian.co.uk
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The Sussex spinner will not be the last England player to leave a tour early for the sake of his mental health It is a glamorous lifestyle isn’t it, being a professional sportsman. Doing for a living the very thing that other people might do for fun, pay to do even, when they are not earning their crust. Become an England international cricketer and you are in clover these days. You get paid rather well, not in a Premier League footballer or elite golfer sort of way but enough to keep the wolf from the door. And then there is the travel and comradeship. Touring can be wonderful with the business class travel, five star hotels and your mates. Someone delivers your bags to your room and collects them again when it is time to leave, deals with your passport and visas, organises your golf or boat trips. They even tell you when to eat and drink these days. Beyond the actual process of playing cricket there is no need to lift a finger. But then there are the down days. Family at home say, or sweetheart. The England and Wales Cricket Board are generous in their accommodation of families on tour, but nothing can compensate for being at home. Another flight, another coach trip, another hotel room. The itineraries now are so intensive that there is precious little time to relax. This winter, many players and management staff have been away from home since the back end of October all but three nights. And it would be an exceptional person who did not at some time feel a longing to be back in the family bosom. Last week Paul Collingwood, as hard bitten and good a tourist as there is, admitted that he felt a lump in the throat when he heard his young daughter wish that England should lose their match against West Indies so that he could return home. The down days, rather than economy, are the reason that once upon a time, tourists shared rooms. They do that no longer. The team can back you all they like but you return to your room alone and sometimes the walls just close in. Actually, it might be worse in these days of instant communication than when news from home came via airmail or a pre-booked phone call. Skype may bring people together but it can drive a wedge as well. Something about out of sight out of mind. And this is how it affects those who do not already suffer from an underlying depression. Michael Yardy is not the first England cricketer to leave a tour for the sake of his mental well being and you would not bet on him being the last. Marcus Trescothick’s travails have been well documented, his story articulated brilliantly in his book by an author who has been himself a sufferer. It was a revelation and brought home that depression is not a simple case of “pull yourself together”, but an illness. You cannot just jolly a depressive along. It strikes indiscriminately. One morning in Canberra in the winter of 2006-07, Trescothick and I were standing together by the hotel breakfast room toaster having a natter. He was in a fine mood and looking forward to the series. This was no front. Two days later, he had been spirited from the country and was on his way home. No support in the world was able to ensure that once he left the security of his family environment the curtain would not descend once more. It was a great loss to England cricket but quite literally saved Trescothick’s sanity. The back story with Yardy is not dissimilar. By all accounts he has been battling the illness for some considerable while, but this has been a long winter. He was not part of the England Ashes squad, but, in the knowledge he would be involved in the one-day matches that followed he played cricket in New Zealand before joining the squad after the fifth Test in Sydney. So he too has been on the road effectively for five or six months. There might be the thought that his inability to contribute as much as he might have wanted to the series in Australia and this World Cup would have impacted on him, exacerbating the condition that was already there. Certainly it has been disappointing, his selection, truth be told, a poor one. Yardy was an integral part of the successful Twenty20 campaign in the Caribbean last year, a revelation with his left arm stuff speared in. Perhaps this seduced the England management into thinking that this could be translated to the longer format. Twenty20 requires different skills however. A bowler who can concede but seven runs per over, say, has done an excellent job. There is little imperative to take wickets as opposed to restraint: batsmen will hit out and get out eventually. This does not apply in 50-over cricket, where a wicket-taking ability is also essential. Yardy’s record of around 20 first-class wickets in a ten year career, and not a single ball bowled in first-class cricket last year, tells its story on that front. His batting is not of sufficient quality. But once again this does not tell the whole truth. A bad run of form can be depressing for anyone but not in the overwhelming manner in which it embraces a clinical sufferer. There was no evidence to suggest that Trescothick, a player of considerably more stature than Yardy, was in anything other than pristine form, the prime years of his playing life ahead of him. Yardy will not play for England again but he will thrive with his county. This may not seem it at the time, but a weight of sorts will be lifted. There will be no more confusion in his mind. And no stigma attached. We can all wish him well. England cricket team Cricket World Cup 2011 Cricket Depression Mental health Mike Selvey guardian.co.uk
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Possible damage at Fukushima nuclear power plant could cause leak of high levels of radiation Nuclear safety officials in Japan fear the core of a reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have cracked, causing a leak of high levels of radiation. Growing uncertainty over the state of the stricken reactor prompted the government to tell people living within a 12-19 mile (20-30km) radius of the plant to consider leaving their homes temporarily. The government’s chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, said 130,000 residents in the area had been encouraged to leave to improve their quality of life, not because their health was at risk. The nuclear emergency, 150 miles north of Tokyo, has caused severe disruption to business, supply routes and other services in the area. On Thursday, three workers were exposed to radiation after stepping in contaminated water in the turbine building of the No 3 reactor. They were trying to cool the crippled reactor when the accident occurred. “The contaminated water had 10,000 times the amount of radiation as would be found in water circulating from a normally operating reactor,” said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan’s nuclear safety agency. “It is possible that there is damage to the reactor.” Two of the men received possible beta ray burns to their legs. All three have been transferred to a special radiation treatment facility. Edano said the source of the leak remained unknown. “We are exploring every possibility, but we don’t think this is a new situation, rather that a certain amount of radiation may have leaked from the reactor. This is a possibility that we have been mentioning for some time. “But at this point we don’t know if the radiation is coming from the reactor itself or from another source.” Nuclear officials say the leak may have come from pipes or the reactor’s pool for storing spent fuel rods, which workers have been struggling to cool off since the plant was badly damaged in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami . Officials were preparing themselves for the possibility that the reactor core was damaged in an explosion three days after the disaster that destroyed its containment building. The reactor contains 170 tonnes of radioactive fuel in its core, and is the only one of the facility’s six reactors that contains the potentially more dangerous plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel. Thursday’s accident forced a temporary halt to work on two reactors while technicians check radiation levels. “We should try to avoid delays if at all possible, but we also need to ensure that the people working there are safe,” Nishiyama said. Japan disaster Nuclear power Japan Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Siri Hustvedt’s new novel, The Summer Without Men, deals with many women’s worst fear: your husband leaving you in middle age. Just don’t ask her if she and Paul Auster are having marital problems Recently, the American author Siri Hustvedt received an annoying, if all
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The hip-hop star will be disappointed to learn his new single has not been chosen for Will and Kate’s nuptials in April Finally, sad news for those artistes who were hoping to provide the musical entertainment at the forthcoming royal wedding. For weeks, the competition has been hotting up. Operatic man-band Blake – featuring William’s Old University Friend Jules – have hopefully put out a wedding-themed single called All Of Me, while Snoop Dogg has furthered his case by casting lookalikes of Princes William and Harry in the video for single Wet . Without wishing to make the Windsors seem overly stuffy, LiS wasn’t certain that associating the heir to the throne with a song about vaginal mucus was the best way of securing the gig, and so it has proved. In the latest of its piping-hot royal wedding exclusives, Hello! has gobsmacked the nation with the revelation that the music at Westminster Abbey will be provided by the Choir Of Westminster Abbey, clearly shocking news to anyone who thought the royal couple would chose to go down the aisle to the theme from Steptoe And Son and the Exploited’s Fuck the Mods . LiS looks at Snoop’s crestfallen face and says: there’s always the buffet afterwards! Perhaps Her Majesty would like to hear your song about vaginal mucus there? Celebrity Snoop Dogg Royal wedding Monarchy Alexis Petridis guardian.co.uk
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Josh Halliday speed tests the new iPad against the original, and finds a running theme of small, incremental improvements Josh Halliday Richard Sprenger
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Democracy activist Liu Xianbin has already served 10 years in prison for subversion A Chinese democracy activist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for advocating government change in online articles. The trial came amid a crackdown on activism in China that may reflect government anxiety about unrest inspired by uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Dozens of well-known Chinese lawyers and activists have vanished, been interrogated, held under house arrest or criminally detained for subversion. Activist Liu Xianbin, who has previously spent a decade in prison, was found guilty of inciting subversion of state power by the Suining intermediate people’s court in Sichuan province after a trial that lasted a few hours, his wife, Chen Mingxian, said. Chinese law says inciting subversion carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, but a court can impose a longer sentence if the offence is deemed particularly grave. Chen said she and Liu’s elder brother were allowed to attend the trial. She said her husband was calm and composed and looked relatively well, but that the judge frequently interrupted Liu and their lawyer’s attempts to present a defence. “The 10-year sentence to me, because we’ve already been through 10 years … is a repeat of the painful process, one in which I can only watch and wait anxiously,” said Chen, who is a schoolteacher. The couple have a 13-year-old daughter. China’s government routinely uses the subversion charge to jail activists it considers troublemakers. It is not the first time Liu has been accused of it. An indictment advice issued by the Suining public security bureau points to articles Liu wrote between April 2009 and February last year that were posted on overseas Chinese pro-democracy websites. Liu was the author of articles that “libelled” the Communist party’s leadership as “autocratic rule” and “on many occasions incited others to subvert the country’s state power and socialist system”, the police notice said, according Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a China-based rights group. In the articles, Liu allegedly also urged the Chinese to “create a strong opposition organisation”, and advocated large street protests, among other things, the advice said. “Liu’s harsh sentence is part of the Chinese government’s growing intolerance towards human rights activism, as reflected in the continued and widespread crackdown on activists following the online call for a ‘jasmine revolution,’” said the group’s research co-ordinator, Wang Songlian. Activists in Sichuan province and elsewhere reported being taken away by police to prevent them from attending Liu’s trial while others were warned against trying to go, Wang said. Liu was a founding member of the China Democracy party and was convicted in 1999 of subversion of state power and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was released in November 2008. After his release, Liu continued to be involved in several high-profile human rights activities, his wife said. He was a signatory to the Charter 08 manifesto, which called for an end to single-party rule and advocated democratic political reforms. Chinese authorities have harassed supporters of Charter 08, and co-author Liu Xiaobo was sentenced in December 2009 to 11 years in prison for incitement to subvert state power. Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize last year for his democracy activism, an honour that China condemned. Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xianbin are not related. China Liu Xiaobo Human rights Protest guardian.co.uk
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Community worker who lives near proposed nuclear power stations in Lancashire launches unprecedented case The government has ordered an expansion of the UK’s nuclear programme without properly factoring in evidence that nuclear power stations cause an increase in cancer cases in children living nearby, according to a legal challenge in the high court. The case alleges that the energy and climate secretary, Chris Huhne, did not properly review the evidence on cancer when giving the go-ahead for the expansion last year. Lawyers claim the action could delay, or even stop, the programme of new reactors. Rory Walker, a 24-year-old community worker from Lancaster, has won legal aid to launch the unprecedented case. Walker lives close to Heysham where two new reactors are planned, and says he is worried about having children who could suffer an increased risk of leukaemia. “It is folly beyond belief, and almost genocidal, to build new nuclear power stations,” he said. “Nuclear power is unsafe, uneconomic and a dangerous distraction.” Walker’s decision to go to court predates the Fukushima nuclear crisis following the Japan tsunami, though Walker said it has reinforced his fears. He is an active member of the Heysham Anti-Nuclear Alliance , and works on a project to help local people grow more food on a community allotment. Under legal aid rules, he has agreed to contribute 10% of his income towards the cost of the legal action. Walker alleges that evidence from government-sponsored studies in Germany was not adequately taken into account by Huhne. It suggests that young children who live close to nuclear power stations are twice as vulnerable to developing leukaemia. The studies , known as KiKK ( Kinderkrebs in der Umgebung von KernKraftwerken ), prompted an investigation by the UK Department of Health , which has not yet been published. Ian Fairlie, a consultant on radiation in the environment , is acting as an expert witness in support of Walker’s court challenge. “If the risks found following the KiKK study were applied to Heysham, infants and young children under five living within 5km would be exposed to increased risks of cancer, especially leukaemia,” he said. Huhne is accused of breaching a 1996 directive from Europe’s nuclear agency, Euratom . Andrew Lockley, a partner with Irwin Mitchell , said: “The fundamental purpose of the Euratom directive is to make sure that a comprehensive and detailed assessment is made before new nuclear reactors are built.” “It does not permit an approach which appears generalised, generic and deferred. Justification requires that the health detriments should be considered and balanced against the economic, social or other benefits which may occur – but this doesn’t seem to have happened here.” The lawyers want a judicial review to rule that Huhne acted unlawfully, and to quash his decisions. A spokeswoman for Huhne at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) said: “We are confident that the decisions were rightly and properly made. The safety of our nuclear power stations is the government’s number one priority and the UK has one of the most rigorous and robust regulatory systems anywhere in the world.” She added: “The government have asked the chief nuclear inspector, Dr Mike Weightman , to produce a report on the implications of the unprecedented events in Japan and the lessons to be learned for the UK nuclear industry.” A spokesperson for the Nuclear Industry Association , which represents nuclear companies said: “This matter is now part of the legal process and we are not therefore in a position to comment.” The government has until the end of the month to make a formal response to the legal action, which will then go to a judge, who may order a hearing in London. Nuclear power Energy Cancer Health Green politics Rob Edwards guardian.co.uk
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