Brighton Early Music Festival prepares for its 15th outing this October, with tickets going on sale on September 5 – the latest chapter in a story of remarkable success.
Festival co-artistic director Clare Norburn said: “I think we have been successful because we take quite a different approach to other classical music festivals in the way that we work with artists, and that’s becoming clearer and clearer every year. We have now started calling ourselves a development agency for early music. We don’t just take off-the-peg programmes from artists. We do that, but what is so distinctive about what we do is that we are also about commissioning work.
“We have always commissioned works, right from the start, but in the first ten to 12 years, we commissioned works and they were performed at BREMF and that was it. But what is exciting now is that one of our 2013 productions is now on tour. We put together a tour of 13 promoters.”
The piece explores the life and music of the Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo and is being performed by The Marian Consort: “And it is great for them because it has really accelerated their development, which is great for everyone. I think that is the kind of model we want to be working on.
“Brighton is at the forefront of creating new work with artists that then goes on tour, and this year we are commissioning at least a couple of works that will definitely follow that model. For one of them (recorder consort Palisander, Saturday, November 12, 11.30am), we have already approached promoters, and their performance will be the first performance of a tour if they can get their Arts Council funding. We are increasingly helping artists in a much more holistic long term way rather than just giving them a platform in Brighton. Increasingly we have had promoters that have given engagements to artists, but now we are much more proactive in helping them be much more forward-thinking.
“We are aiming to put our energies more into things that go on to have another life. It is great that we get the premieres in Brighton, but we want to support the artists further. The fact is that it is incredibly difficult for young performers to get started.
It has never been harder for young groups to make headway.
“Young people coming out of college might know a lot about music, but they probably don’t have any administrative experience or contacts, and that makes it terribly difficult. We passionately believe that the arts should be a meritocracy, that you should have an audience, that it shouldn’t just be about who you know.”
This year’s Brighton Early Music Festival takes the theme Nature & Science and runs from October 28 to November 13, with flagship events including a new play with music about the life and work of Galileo (Oct 29 and 30). Set during his final days, the play will relive key moments in Galileo’s life including his trial and excommunication.
www.bremf.org.uk or 01273 709709.
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Brighton Early Music Festival prepares for its 15th outing this October, with tickets going on sale on September 5  – the latest chapter in a story of remarkable success.


Ambitious programme for Brighton Early Music Festival


The King of the Fighters is back in full 3D glory and with the biggest roster of combatants ever.
The classic SNK title is out August 26th and is the first main-series game rendered entirely in 3D using 2D backgrounds - like Street Fighter.
KoF XIV should have a good pedigree considering it is being directed by Yasuyuki Oda who has previously worked on Capcom’s Street Fighter IV as well as other titles by SNK.
Developers have introduced the “Rush” system in order to revitalise the series and attract newcomers.
The Hyper Drive system from the last game is no longer present and has been replaced with a new version of “Max Mode” from earlier games in the series.
In Max mode, the player can perform unlimited EX special moves for a short period of time, and the timer changes depending on what position their character is in.
The roster of fighters is the standout stat ahead of launch, though, with 50 ... yes FIFTY ... characters to choose from.
Each will have three types of Supers: the returning “Super Special Moves” and “Neomax Super Special Moves” (the latter of which are only usable in Max mode), and a new type called “Climax Super Special Moves”.
Climax Super Special Moves are the strongest types in the game and will require a total of three power gauges (two with Max mode on). The game also features the “Just Defend” mechanic from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. The HD thrust system now makes the opponent hit the wall and crumple for follow up attacks.
For beginners, there will be the automatic and simple “Rush Combo” while the online lobby has three modes: team VS, single VS, and party VS with up to 12 people able to enter and also spectate.
The roster of fighters is the standout stat ahead of launch, though, with 50 ... yes FIFTY ... characters to choose from. Damien Lucas, gaming columnist
Whether Kof XIV can compete with the likes of the next gen Street Fighter or if it holds enough appeal to UK gamers remains to be seen.
But gameplay footage suggests it is slick, action-packed and should have lots of longevity particularly for those who like to master all fighters.

Console Corner: The King of Fighters lives on


The King of the Fighters is back in full 3D glory and with the biggest roster of combatants ever.


Musicians are planning a 21-hour marathon piano concert to raise funds for the Steinway grand piano in St Luke’s Church, Queens Park, Brighton.
Event organiser Adam Swayne, of the University of Chichester, who will be among the performers, said: “Thirty-five professional and amateur pianists will play the entire 840 repetitions of Erik Satie’s Vexations in a concert starting at 7.30pm on August 26 and continuing without a break until 4.30pm the next day.
“The performance will be accompanied by a live tweetalong from the @TheVexator account, and the performers are seeking sponsorship via www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/piano-restoration.”
Adam explained: “Our beloved Steinway is going to piano hospital for a few months, and the bill will come to £10,000. The old piano is a great asset to the church, but it needs a complete overhaul – repairing splits in the soundboard, replacing felts, re-stringing the piano, regulating the keys, action, dampers and pedal mechanism etc.
“Satie composed this atmospheric and mesmeric piece in 1893 following a difficult break-up with his girlfriend, and it wasn’t performed in its entirety until 1963 in a concert organised by notorious experimentalist John Cage.”
A complete programme for the performance may be found at www.adamswayne.com/vexations. To find out more about the series, visit www.stlukesconcerts.webeden.co.uk or contact musicandwineatstlukes@gmail.com to join the mailing list.


Musicians are planning a 21-hour marathon piano concert to raise funds for the Steinway grand piano in St Luke’s Church, Queens Park, Brighton.


Adrian Cox, one of the UK's leading reed players, is the latest guest at Steyning Jazz Club on Friday, September 2.
Adrian founded the Adrian Cox Quartet in 2012 acquiring a dedicated and enthusiastic following, playing their energetic mix of traditional jazz and swing from the 30s onwards, in the styles of Benny Goodman to Ben Webster via Ed Hall to Jonny Hodges.
Club spokesman Colin Jilks said: “Adrian has toured and recorded with T J Johnson, Paloma Faith and Bad Manners. He has hand-picked the very best from the UK's leading jazz musicians, to form his quartet: Nils Solberg guitar, who has played from The Kremlin to The Royal Albert Hall, George Trebar double bass and a leading player on the gypsy jazz scene, and Mez Clough drums, a London-based player for the main jazz venues in the UK.
“Since Adrian's last appearance at the club, there have been passionate and growing calls for his return, a return which promises to deliver a spectacular evening of the finest music, all tantalisingly wrapped in Adrian's irresistible playing style, with its syncopated fluidity and lilting cadences.”
Colin added: “This September meeting opens our new season and is membership renewal evening, so join us in a glass of fine wine and renew your membership for the coming year: annual membership is £10.”
Steyning Jazz Club meets at The Steyning Centre, Fletcher’s Croft, 8.30pm. Doors open 7.30pm. Information from Denis Cummings on 01903 814017.


Video game escapism in its purest form.
No Man’s Sky in undeniably a work of art, but have you got time to look around the whole gallery?
No Man’s Sky launched last week after much hype and billed as quite literally the biggest video game ever made.
The self-perpetuating game, which promises to be potentially endless, was four years in the making by a tiny team in game production terms. And you can tell as it will instantly take your breath away.
Make no mistake there has never been anything like this before. As you fly ever deeper into the universe, new planets and solar systems roll silently into view – some will have been seen before, others discovered for the very first time. And you have 18 quintillion of them to choose from...
Each has its own set of flora, fauna and inhabitants. By exploring, players gain information about the planets that they can submit to The Atlas, a universal database that can be shared with other players of the game and for which they are rewarded in currency each time.
Each planet is a work of art you could spend hours studying, analysing and dissecting. These works of art are housed in an endless gallery and for art connoisseurs it will be Manna from heaven.
However, most people’s playing time will be finite.... unless you’re at university and can afford to miss the odd class here and there to squeeze in just one more exploration of a peculiar alien planet.
And that is where one of the game’s key sticking points comes in. As much as No Man’s Sky takes us to Infinity and leaves us wondering what waits beyond, there is also an almost irresistible itch which you can’t scratch because you can never truly “complete” this game in the traditional sense.
But that is very much a personal take on NMS, many people might enjoy jumping on for a couple of hours here and there, discovering lots of different things and logging it to the Atlas, if anything it could be cathartic but many people like a beginning, a middle and an end to their games.
No Mans Sky is undeniably a work of art
The care, thought, time and brilliance that has gone into this utterly original video game is mindblowing and deserves to be experienced by PlayStation gamers.
It is the purest form of video game escapism we have ever seen and should be celebrated as such.
But it will more likely go down as a cult classic than the blockbuster success it’s craft deserves.


Nodding off in the middle of the day may be down to pollution generated by traffic, suggests new research.
The study shows exposure to traffic pollution is a trigger for daytime sleepiness - and may also trigger SNORING.
More than 12,000 adults were included in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study.
The findings show that people exposed to high levels of pollution had a 65 per cent greater chance of suffering from daytime sleepiness, compared to those who had no exposure.
Traffic noise in the bedroom was also a trigger - with people 46 per cent more likely to feel sleepy in the day if exposed.
And the research also suggests that people are also 29 per cent more likely to be a habitual snorer if they are exposed to traffic noise while they sleep.
Daytime sleepiness affected one in five people involved in the study, while one in four reported habitual snoring.
Ane Johannessen, an epidemiologist at Bergen University in Norway, wrote the study together with Professor Thorarinn Gislason and other Northern European researchers.
She said: “Exposure to traffic should be taken into account when planning treatment for patients with sleep disturbances, because reducing noise and pollution exposure in the bedroom may have a beneficial effect.
“Reducing exposure through relocating the bedroom away from pollution sources or making the bedroom more soundproof to protect against traffic noise, as well as mapping alternative and less polluted outdoor everyday routes may help patients with their sleep disorders.”
The study also showed that men, older subjects, smokers and those with lower education were more likely to report habitual snoring.
They were usually less physically active, with a higher BMI, and more likely to have a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
Women, older people, smokers, and those with lower education were more likely to report daytime sleepiness.
The new research is due to be presented at the European Respiratory Society’s International Congress in London next month.
Professor Jorgen Vestbo, President of ERS and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, said: “The question of who snores may be a running joke in some households but for many snoring is a serious issue, with direct links to physical and mental well being and the same is true for daytime sleepiness.
“We want people to think more about the environment around them and the impact it can have - from the way they sleep to the air they breathe.”
To coincide with Congress, the ERS will be holding some free public lung function testing, starting in Trafalgar Square on September 2 and 3.

Sleepiness linked to traffic noise and pollution


Nodding off in the middle of the day may be down to pollution generated by traffic, suggests new research.


UK motorists have been hit by a near-20 per cent rise in insurance costs in the last year, new figures show.
The average driver now pays £715 a year for fully comprehensive cover, up 19 per cent on the same time last year.
The figures were revealed by the Confused.com car insurance price index, which tracks quarterly and annual trends.
After dropping for several years from a high of £843 in 2011, insurance costs have been rising since the start of 2015. The latest figures, for the period from April to June 2016 show that costs have risen by 6 per cent since the start of the year and drivers are paying an average of £115 more for their insurance than they were in the same period last year.
Northern Irish drivers have been worst hit by the latest rises, seeing their premiums climb 25 per cent year-on-year. They now face an average premium of £863.
Also feeling the impact badly are motorists in parts of Scotland - the Highlands and Islands saw rises of 24 per cent and drivers in the Hebrides were hit with a staggering 42 per cent annual increase.
Conversely, Orkney’s capital - Kirkwall - was one of only two places to see a drop in costs, with a quarterly fall of four per cent. Hereford, in the West Midlands, was the only other place to see a fall in quarterly premiums - down two per cent on the first three months of the year.
While younger drivers might face the highest premiums overall, they have actually escaped the worst of the rises. Drivers aged 17 saw an annual rise of just eight per cent - the lowest of any age bracket - but still face average premiums of £2,013. A the opposite end, 61-year-old drivers saw a 24 per cent rise - the highest of any age group - but still only pay £418 a year.
And the gender gap persists, with male drivers facing annual rises of 21 per cent in comparison with the 18 per cent faced by women. This continued difference means the gap between the sexes is growing as men pay an average of £92 a year more - up from £27 in 2013.
Confused’s motoring editor, Amanda Stretton, said: “We’ve not seen price rises of this magnitude for five years - a 19 per cent annual increase is substantial to say the least. And these price rises are being felt across the board, for drivers of all ages and genders, across all UK regions.
“If prices continues to rise at the rate we’ve been seeing, we could be facing the possibility of average comprehensive premiums reaching a high not seen since 2011. This, combined with rising fuel prices and increased motoring costs across the board, could result in a sizeable dent in drivers’ pockets.”

Car insurance costs soar nearly 20 per cent in 12 months


UK motorists have been hit by a near-20 per cent rise in insurance costs in the last year, new figures show.


University of Chichester graduate Joe Perkins tries to capture a little bit of chaotic Quo in his new album.
Joe, who studied commercial music graduating in 2012, has long been a huge Status Quo fan: he first saw them, aged ten, in Bristol 16 years ago.
“And I have seen them with the modern line-up loads of times, always the perfect Quo. But then they played with their original line-up, and they were just all over the place in terms of the timing and the notes, but in terms of the musicality, they were just so exciting.
“They had the danger back, and it was just so much better for not being perfect, and I think that is one of the lessons I have learnt.
“You record a song and then you can edit it and edit it until it is perfect, but that’s not necessarily the best way to do it.
“You want the edge, which is what Quo had. They looked terrified! But that nervous energy made it the best Quo show I’d ever seen. It was so much more exciting for being edgy and dangerous. It was four humans all playing together with the whole thing likely to implode at any point. It was pure rock & roll!
“We are human beings. We are not perfect. We all make mistakes. With technology, you can make it perfect, but you lose the fact that we are all musicians playing together. It’s about the spontaneous things that can happen, and that’s what I have wanted to capture.
“There are little mistakes, but the album is what I sound like when I play the guitar. And it is the first album I haven’t done in a recording studio. I did it in the dining room at home. It was about giving free rein to the music.”
It was while he was at Chichester that Joe did his first album: “It was a very good course, but for me the most important thing was the studio facilities that we could book out. The course was very wide-ranging, but in your spare time you could get into the studio and having the studio was great. You got taught all the basics of making a record, but then you could develop it all further.
“I did my first album then which I released free online. So many people had got involved and given their time for free that it wouldn’t have been right to try to sell it.
“It was call Host of Other Artists. It was all songs I had written and played pretty much every instrument, but it was other people doing the lead vocals. I did some backing vocals, but I am not strong enough a singer to do the lead vocals.”
Now comes the new album, purely instrumental. Double Denim is released on Friday, September 2, as a vinyl + CD bundle (limited to 300 copies) and as a download – both available from joeperkins.co.uk. Both are priced at £7.99.
“Releasing the album on vinyl isn’t purely nostalgic,” Joe says. “Sure, I personally prefer buying music as a physical entity and enjoying it as a piece of art, and I think vinyl is the best for that.
“But the audio is actually much higher definition than the CD and has a more dynamic master. You’ll have to turn it up a bit, but it sounds more natural. Nowadays we all need to own our music digitally too, so with the enclosed CD you get that as well.
“So that’s Double Denim. There’s rock; bluegrass; ballads; a snare drum with far too much reverb on it; potentially the world’s loudest cajón; an army of pots and pans; an outrageous amount of guitars; a sense of humour; and real human musicians playing their instruments.
“And who else gives you all that on an outdated format from the 1930s?”
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University of Chichester graduate Joe Perkins tries to capture a little bit of chaotic Quo in his new album.


A busy few months lie ahead for Bognor’s Regis Centre as it launches into its autumn season.
Events coming up include:
Sunday, September 4 – Royal Marines Association Concert Band: Last Night of the Proms, 3pm.
Monday, September 5 – Shawn Cuddy, 7.30pm. Presented by Chichester Country Music Club.
Saturday, September 10 – All That Malarkey, 7.30pm. Critically-acclaimed vocal ensemble All That Malarkey make their debut at the Alexandrea Theatre this September with a specially-selected Beside the Seaside programme.
Thursday, September 15 – Sally Morgan: Call Me Psychic, 7.30pm.
Saturday, September 17 – The Definitive Elvis Experience, 2pm and 7.30pm –39 years after his passing, the legend of Elvis Presley continues to grow. The Definitive Elvis Experience promises “the most authentic live stage show produced to honour Elvis Presley’s legacy”.
Friday-Saturday, September 23-25 – Southdowns Folk Festival. Headlining Oysterband and Cara Dillon. Further details at www.southdownsfolkfest.co.uk
Thursday, October 6 – Barry Cryer and Colin Sell: Strictly Come Joking. 7.30pm. Barry Cryer and Colin Sell, billing themselves as the Ant and Dec of the sanatogen set reunite to bring you a new show.
Sunday, October 9 – Irish Concert with Frank McCaffrey and Michael Muldoon, 2pm. The Chichester Country Music Club presents a Sunday matinee event with two top Irish acts.
Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15: An Evening with the Bersted Boys, 7.30pm –James, Michael and Will, a singing trio from Sussex, bring their brand-new show to the Little Alex stage. Featuring songs from stage and screen.
Sunday, October 16 – The Take That Experience 7.30pm. The night features Take That favourites as well as all the classic songs from the past.
Wednesday to Saturday, October 19-22 – CAOS Musical Productions’ Avenue Q, 7.30pm, Sat 8pm; a hybrid of South Park and The Muppet Show.
Monday to Friday, October 24-28 – Family Fun Week. Times various, price free Come down to the Regis Centre during half term and enjoy a range of free arts activities in the foyer and studios. There will be everything from an owl display to free martial arts workshops and music making.
Wednesday, October 26 – The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, 2pm. Pied Piper Theatre Company presents a heartwarming telling of Aesop’s classic fable.
Friday, October 28 – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2pm and 6pm. A festive adaptation of C S Lewis’ timeless classic.
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A busy few months lie ahead for Bognor’s Regis Centre as it launches into its autumn season.


Busy autumn line-up ahead at Bognor’s Regis Centre


Chichester Art Society member Glen Smith has had a painting selected for the Royal Society of Marine Artists’ annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in central London from September 28-October 8.
Glen’s painting of Newquay Harbour was one of 1,100 submitted by non-members of the RSMA and is one of the small number selected to hang alongside the work of RSMA members at their annual exhibition. The exhibition’s theme is the sea and everything related to it, from beaches and creeks to harbours and boats.
Chichester Art Society spokeswoman Jean Campbell said: “This exhibition is regarded as the most prestigious and varied marine art exhibition in the country and will feature over 400 works from emerging and well-established artists across a range of media, including oil painting, watercolour, pastels, prints, and sculpture.
“The society congratulates Glen, whose work was a visitors’ favourite at its June exhibition this year and wishes him continued success with his work in the future.”
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Chichester Art Society member Glen Smith has had a painting selected for the Royal Society of Marine Artists’ annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in central London from September 28-October 8.


For anyone who has found the whole process of internet shopping too much like hard work Amazon has come up with a solution.
The online retailer today revealed that it is introducing its Amazon Dash Buttons to the UK.
The dinky little gadgets are a one-touch way to order a host of popular products without all that complicated rigmarole of actually logging onto your Amazon account and searching for them.
The Dash Buttons are literally that, small plastic boxes housing a button, which when pressed will connect via wi-fi to your Amazon account and using one-click buying order your selected products.
Each button is linked to a particular item and there are 40 brands available from launch so you can get everything from cat food to condoms and nappies to NERF ammunition delivered to your door.
Daniel Rausch, director of Amazon Dash, explained the thinking behind the devices: “We’ve all experienced the frustration of running out of something we need - Dash Button and Dash Replenishment Service are designed to make that moment a thing of the past.
“Dash Buttons offer the convenience of one-click shopping from anywhere in the home - they can be placed near those frequently used items you don’t want to run out of, and when you see supplies running low, the Dash Button makes it easier than ever to order more. Just press the button and your item is on its way.”
The £4.99 devices are only available to Amazon Prime customers, which means you’ll have to sign up to the £79-a-year service to enjoy the Dash Button’s convenience. The good news is that you’ll get £4.99 back off your first order of each product.
Alongside the buttons, Amazon also announced the UK rollout of its Dash Replenishment Service.
Like the button this links to your Amazon account but rather than having to do the ordering yourself it allows connected smart devices to order supplies themselves.
This means the likes of washing machines, dishwashers and printers from big-name brands including Bosch, Samsung, Whirlpool and Siemens can monitor your consumables usage and order more before you run out.
If they could just design a button that remotely loads the dishwasher too, they could be onto a winner.

Amazon Dash lets you order your loo roll at the touch of a button


For anyone who has found the whole process of internet shopping too much like hard work Amazon has come up with a solution.


Arundel Cathedral once again was the imposing venue for the 30th Annual Festival Organ Recital
Organised by the “Plumley Collection”, founded by the redoubtable Nick and Sarah Plumley, this year’s recital featured ace-organist Neil Wright from Farnborough Abbey, exchanging the Abbey’s Parisian Cavaillé-Coll instrument for the restored 1873 Hill organ of the Cathedral.
Neil specializes in French organ works by 19/20 century composers such as Theodore Dubois, Cesar Franck, Jean Langlais and Maurice Durufle. The only two exceptions today were the immortal J.S.Bach and Wright himself, who today gave the 1st performance (and possibly his last) of his own Improvisation on a hymn tune handed to him by Nick only seconds away from the performance!
Organists are expected to improvise at the beginning and end of Sunday services, and it takes considerable talent, ingenuity and daring to create a substantial piece using a given theme. Wright studied both improvisation and composition with some of the world’s finest teachers, winning prizes and performing in many countries across Europe
The organ is known as the King of Instruments, producing a plethora of magical sounds and effects in the capable hands (and feet) of the right performer. Today we were transported into the ether in “Fiat Lux” (Let there be light), the triumphs of “Pièce Heroique” and the glory of “Te Deum” (Praise be to God), as well as the spell-binding celestial sounds of “Pièce Modal de Re” and “Prelude and Fugue sur le nom d’Alain” Even the great J S Bach’s contribution sported a French title “Pièce d’Orgue”
Wright also studied piano, harpsichord and clavichord, and in addition worked as a choral director, organist and singer in the United States, founding and directing Lauda early music ensemble. But it was as a virtuoso organist that Wright earned the appreciation of today’s audience.
Marilyn Hurdwell
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REVIEW: ARUNDEL FESTIVAL ORGAN RECITAL, ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL


Arundel Cathedral once again was the imposing venue for the 30th Annual Festival Organ Recital


Paul Cook admitted Pompey are a long way short of firing on all cylinders.
The Blues boss feels there is a lot of progress which needs making in terms of the quality of his team’s performances.
Cook’s side go to Yeovil tonight in the Checkatrade Trophy looking for their third win on the bounce.
They did that on four occasions last season – but it took them until March to string three league successes together.
Cook is taking solace from the fact Pompey have put back-to-back victories together.
But he can see his team are not producing the kind of quality he demands.
Cook said: ‘The balance of the first team is not right at minute. It’s not right. I don’t care what anyone says.
‘I don’t watch us and think wow we look good. There were times last season when I did.
‘I haven’t done that yet but if we win on Saturday we’ll be right up there.
‘We’ll be in a good position with a win over Crawley but we haven’t fired this year yet.
‘I don’t like the way we’re playing.
‘I don’t like us at the minute. I look at us and think no.’
Pompey are four points off leaders Morecambe after five league games.
They can narrow that gap with victory over Crawley at Fratton Park on Saturday.
Cook noted that would ensure a very different mood will surround the club from a couple of weeks ago.
He said: ‘Our campaign is weird. If we get two results now it would probably be our best start in years.
‘That’s off the back at that disappointment at Morecambe.
‘It’s a huge game Saturday because we can get that buffer on our side.
‘That can give us the confidence of having three league wins on the bounce.
‘We nearly contrived to get beat on Saturday.
‘But I thought our performance against Carlisle was excellent.
‘Then we went and drew at Crewe and there was so much doom and gloom about.
‘We know we have to put teams under more pressure.
‘The amount of negative passes we have can allow teams to get comfortable.’
Cook believes a look back to last season shows what is needed for Pompey to build on their recent successes.
He feels striking early in matches was the recurring theme to the Blues’ best home results.
Cook said: ‘There are key points in games when you have to score.
‘We had some great wins at home last season and they all came off the back of us scoring early in the game.
‘When we don’t score early in the game the games quickly become hard work.
‘We can be sloppy and can refuse to be positive.
‘I don’t know if there is a Portsmouth negativity.
‘We have to be better as a club.
‘We are a big challenge for sides.
‘Our lads don’t get that bit of breathing space.’
– JORDAN CROSS


Paul Cook admitted Pompey are a long way short of firing on all cylinders.


University of Chichester music graduate Jennifer Owens releases her debut EP on August 26, available from iTunes, all the usual online outlets and her website jenniferowens.co.uk.
Originally from Basildon, Essex, Jennifer has opted to stay in West Sussex following her studies. She now lives in Trotton: “I moved to Chichester to study at the university, a three-year course which I have just finished. It was the BA hons in music, and I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the first year, and I struggled with the second. I was not sure what was happening, what I wanted. I didn’t see any longevity in the music industry, but I was lucky to come across the right people. But then once that started happening for me, I was able to settle down and enjoy the last year. I got a lot of experience from my degree. I got a lot of social skills, and I grew up a lot. I think it gave me direction. I now know exactly what I want to do.
“I only really got serious about music when I got serious about the solo stuff in the past couple of years. Before that, I was not really sure about what direction would be best. I thought about theatre for a while. But with other things, I just didn’t feel appreciated enough in that sort of environment. It was not enough. And now I have fallen in love with doing my own stuff, and that’s definitely the way I want to go.
“Most of my material is my own. I do a few covers. I cover some of the music of a writer in New York who is quite fond of me and what I do. He popped up last year, Scott Alan. He gave me free rein with his music. I do some of his stuff; the rest is originals. I started writing really recently. I never really had the tools to do it myself. I don’t play an instrument. I didn’t know how I could write songs by myself until my manager set me up with some co-writers, and now I do write by myself.”
As for the music: “Well, I want to say it is old-fashioned, but that sounds out-dated. I have got influenced by Karen Carpenter, Barbra Streisand, people like that. It’s a throw-back, not like the music now. There is a lot of heart-felt meaning to it. For me, it is really important that all music should reach out to people. It should be there for people and it should offer a hand in good times and in bad times. I really want people to relate to the lyrics in the way I relate to the lyrics in songs by Karen Carpenter and Barbra Streisand. I can really see what they are saying and understand that, and I want people to feel the same about my music.My nan passed away before Christmas. I wrote a song about her called Turn To Me. I have also written about my strange relationship with my father. I think we all have a tough ride, don’t we? Not everything is easy. The songs are very personal to me, but also for everyone else. We all go through things. I have also written a song about staying with someone forever.”
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Ex-Chichester student ready to seize her chance in the music business


University of Chichester music graduate Jennifer Owens releases her debut EP on August 26, available from iTunes, all the usual online outlets and her website jenniferowens.co.uk.


More than half of the UK’s grandparents are planning to look after their grandchildren over the next few weeks, according to a recent survey.
A poll of more than 8,000 over-50s shows that one in eight grandparents will look after grandchildren once a week over the school summer holidays, with a further one in eight will be on childminding duties twice per week.
However, one in twenty grandparents say they will be hosting their grandchildren three days a week while school is out for the summer, according to the research by Saga Car Insurance.
And it’s not just their time that will be donated - one in five say they will spend well over £200 keeping the children occupied. Days out to the beach (77 per cent) and on shopping trips (35 per cent) are the most popular distractions, although some grandparents are even taking their grandchildren on a holiday either in the UK (14 per cent) or abroad (5 per cent).
Grandparents in the North East are the most likely to babysit grandchildren over the school summer holidays, while those in the East Midlands are least likely to.
The Scots are most likely to spend big on their grandkids, with one in four expecting to spend more than £200 during the school holiday period.
Sue Green, Head of Saga Car Insurance, commented: “It looks as though children are in for an action-packed summer which is full of adventure if nan and granddad are in charge over the next couple of weeks. Grandparents really are generous giving up their time and money to help with childcare over the summer holidays and I’m sure they are really looking forward to spending some quality time with their grandchildren.”

Grandparents to the rescue over school summer holidays


More than half of the UK’s grandparents are planning to look after their grandchildren over the next few weeks, according to a recent survey.


A recruitment firm has been named the best company in the UK for work-life balance.
Financial recruiter Goodman Masson took first place in the list by jobs site Glassdoor, based on reviews submitted to its website by current and former staff.
The company, which is based in London and also has offices in Dusseldorf, was praised by staff for its “huge investment” in staff benefits and “great” parties twice a year.
“The attention paid to the wellbeing of staff is at a level rarely matched elsewhere,” said an anonymous employee working in the London office.
In second place was technology firm Cisco Systems, and in third place was insurer HomeServe.
West Midlands-based HomeServe, which employs 1,200 people at its headquarters in Walsall and has 2.1 million customers in the UK, was commended for its attitude towards the treatment of its staff.
“The salary is very competitive and you are rewarded very generously for your hard work and just for carrying out your role. The company has a great framework for career progression and is always looking to promote people internally for job roles,” said a water supply engineer working at the firm.
Greg Reed, chief marketing officer at HomeServe, said: “We believe if you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers. This means creating a culture where people genuinely enjoy coming to work every day because they feel what they do really makes a difference in our customers’ lives.”
Temping firm LOLA and Screwfix completed the top five. Other companies in the top 20 included Apple, American Express Lloyds Banking Group, Unilever and John Lewis.
Google is known for its plush offices, but doesn’t make the top 20 companies for work-life balance. Its new London office has sleep pods so workers can take a nap, although perhaps this is an indication of long hours.
For a company to have been considered, at least 50 work-life balance ratings must have been submitted by UK-based employees in the past year.
The top 20 companies for work-life balance:
1. Goodman Masson
2. Cisco Systems
3. HomeServe UK
4. LOLA Staffing
5. Screwfix
6. American Express
7. BP
8. Peninsula Business Services
9. ARM Holdings
10. Unilever
11.Thomson Reuters
12. Kantar Worldpanel
13. Atkins
14. Téléfonica
15. Credit Suisse
16. Rolls-Royce
17. John Lewis
18. Waitrose
19. Lloyds Banking Group
20. Apple

Revealed: The top UK companies for work-life balance


A recruitment firm has been named the best company in the UK for work-life balance.


Tom Davies is hungry for a Yeovil run out.
The Pompey defender wants to build on the momentum created by his first league start tonight in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Paul Cook is expected to ring the changes at Huish Park for the southern group stage fixture.
The competition rules state a club must pick six of 11 players who started the side’s previous or ensuing fixture.
Alternatively, a manager can select six of his top 11 appearance makers from domestic league and cup competitions.
The competition is clearly low on Pompey’s priorities – but it’s a clash Davies, 24, is keen to feature in.
He said: ‘There’s a game against Yeovil now and it would be nice to keep the momentum going.
‘We all know the main focus is the league.
‘We’ve got a couple of home games coming up now.
‘We need to keep the wins coming and keep the clean sheets coming.
‘Every player likes to play and, of course I want to.
‘It would be nice to keep the momentum going from a personal point of view, too.
‘But that’s not my decision to make and that’s why the gaffer and coaching staff are paid to do their jobs.
‘If I get the call I’ll play and I’ll be to keen to play.
‘That should be the case for any of the lads.’
The appearance at Exeter was Davies’ second in Pompey colours following his summer arrival from Accrington Stanley.
A back injury slowed his progress but he is confident that issue is now behind him.
He said: ‘It was tough for me in pre-season getting the back injury.
‘Hopefully now I’ve got my feet under the table a bit more.
‘I feel a bit more relaxed in the company of the players on the pitch.
‘It maybe was a bit too much running during pre-season which I wasn’t used to.
‘I worked with the physios to keep it at bay. It’s behind me now, though.
‘Now I’m champing at the bit to play. It’s out of my mind and I want to kick on and stay in the team.’
– JORDAN CROSS


Tom Davies is hungry for a Yeovil run out.


The Cola-Cola glass bottle has been voted as the most iconic packaging on the UK’s shelves.
A study of 1,500 Brits exploring the influence of packaging and branding on shopping habits found that one in six people thought the Coca-Cola bottle was the most identifiable in terms of packaging.
Indeed, it was deemed to be just as recognisable without its logo or the product itself.
The research, commissioned by Easyfairs, organisers of Packing Innovations and Luxury Packaging London, found the Toblerone triangular chocolate bar finished as a close runner up, with Marmite’s glass jar rated as third-best-loved product packaging.
Beauty brands, such as the Tiffany Box and the Chanel No.5 Bottle just missed out on the top ten.
Coke’s success has been attributed to its targeting younger audience, with one in five Millennials selecting the bottle as the most recognisable pack product.Pringles’ iconic cylinder tube, fourth on the overall list, was the Millennial’s second favourite.
The study also revealed barcodes as the greatest packaging invention, ahead of more traditional items such as the cardboard box (21 per cent) - although the younger generation, 18-34 years, voted for 3D printing and re-sealable zips as its top two.
Gerry Sherwood, Event Director for the Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, who commissioned the survey, said: “Millennials have officially passed Baby Boomers as the largest generation in history, and are more personally connected to their favourite brands than ever before. It is therefore not surprising to see 3D printing come out top in our poll for this age group.”
Top Ten Most Recognisable Brand’s Packaging
1. Coca-Cola Bottle
2. Toblerone Triangle
3. Marmite Jar
4. Pringles Tube
5. KFC Bucket
6. Heinz Ketchup Bottle
7. Fairy Liquid Bottle
8. Apple’s iPhone Box
9. Walkers Crisp Packet
10. Amazon Box

Coca-Cola bottle ‘most iconic packaging’


The Cola-Cola glass bottle has been voted as the most iconic packaging on the UK’s shelves.


Consumer experts are warning of a new series of online scams offering seemingly well-priced drones for sale.
However, the fashionable items being advertised on online shopping sites at lower than the recommended price often do not exist, according to Action Fraud.
After victims agree to purchase a drone, the fraudsters request payment to be paid via bank transfer, saying that it will quicken the delivery process.
After transferring the money the buyers never receive the drone and the fraudster blocks the victim to prevent further conversation.
Action Fraud has offered the following advice which applies to all online transactions:
Check the validity of the post.
Avoid paying by bank transfer and instead use an online payment option such as PayPal, which helps to protect you.
Check feedback online by searching the associated phone numbers or email addresses of the seller. Feedback will give you useful information about recent transactions other buyers have made.
If the item is below market value consider whether this is an opportunity too good to be true.


Consumer experts are warning of a new series of online scams offering seemingly well-priced drones for sale.


It’s a moment which has been eight years in the making.
Tonight at Yeovil Town, Liam O’Brien will pull on the goalkeeper’s jersey for Pompey.
Liam O'Brien during a friendly outing against the Hawks in his first stint at Pompey. Picture: Steve Reid
His senior competitive bow is something the 24-year-old has been dreaming of since signing for the Blues in 2008.
O’Brien departed Fratton Park in 2011 but has seen his career come full circle with a return earlier this month.
Now he will get his chance at Huish Park in the Checkatrade Trophy southern group A fixture.
It may be a much-maligned competition which has created headlines for the wrong reasons but try telling O’Brien the game doesn’t have its merits.
The former Pompey Academy talent is excited about the prospect of going between the sticks with the star and crescent on his chest.
O’Brien said: ‘I never had the chance to stay before. I would have if it was my choice.
‘But I’m grateful to be back now. I just want to show everyone what I can do.
‘It’ll be brilliant to play. I’ve never had the chance to play a first-team game for Portsmouth before. It’s going to be a proud moment.
‘It’s a professional game of football. I am going to have my name on the back of the shirt and a Portsmouth badge on the front.
‘I don’t care what is being said about this competition.
‘It’s 90 minutes of football and I’m here to play games. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.
‘I know now you want to get as many games as you can because you never know when your last one is going to arrive.’
O’Brien completed his Pompey comeback on a short-term deal, signing for an initial month with Amine Linganzi.
The London-born talent is keen to remain when that agreement comes to a close and is hopeful he can provide back-up to David Forde for the remainder of the campaign.
He said: ‘What happens happens but I hope I’ve done enough to stay.
‘We’ll wait and see but I know I’ve given everything while I’m here.’
O’Brien’s two stints at Pompey have been punctuated by stays with Barnet, Brentford and Dagenham & Redbridge.
He found himself looking for a new club, however, in the summer with the likes of Leyton Orient, Eastleigh and Nuneaton Borough keen on securing his services.
O’Brien decided to remain patient, however, and that was a policy which paid off.
He said: ‘I was trialling at clubs and offered a few contracts.
‘But sometimes you get offered something and it just doesn’t feel right.
‘So I said to my agent I wanted to hold out for a little bit longer and see what comes.
‘That’s when Portsmouth got in touch with me. I could’ve easily gone somewhere else.
‘I went to Orient and they said they liked me and I went to Eastleigh.
‘I also played for Nuneaton who offered me a contract.
‘I wanted to stay in the league so it feels like fate Portsmouth came in for me.’

A moment years in the making for Pompey keeper


It’s a moment which has been eight years in the making.


Tom Davies savoured his Pompey league debut and reflected: I seized my chance.
Davies is hopeful he’s given Paul Cook no choice but to leave him in the side after an impressive showing in the 1-0 success at Exeter.
The defender put in a powerful performance at St James Park as the Blues picked up their third shutout in four outings.
Victory was also Pompey’s first maximum on the road this season as they chalked up back-to-back successes.
Davies feels he’s had to show patience following his summer arrival from Accrington Stanley.
But he’s now confident he’s laid down a marker and seized his opportunity.
Davies said: ‘It was nice to finally start in the league for my new team.
‘It’s been a while coming and I’ve had to be patient. The lads who’ve come in have done really well.
‘So I knew when I had the chance I had to grasp it. Hopefully I’ve given the gaffer a problem when it comes to picking the team.
‘There’s a lot of good players there, although Jack (Whatmough) has had the injury and it’s been tough for him.
‘So I’ve had to bide my time but hopefully I’ve given the gaffer no option but to leave me in.
‘I came here to play. I’ve not come to Pompey to get away from home or move to the seaside.
‘So I’ve hopefully shown the gaffer what I can do and he’ll leave me in.’
Davies formed a sound partnership with Christian Burgess at the back as they repelled Exeter.
That was after he came in at the expense of Adam Barton in one of two changes from the win over Colchester.
Davies feels the players have the right attributes to form a strong link-up in the middle of Pompey’s back four.
He said: ‘Burge is a great player.
‘I’ve watched him from the sidelines for the last few weeks.
‘I know what he can and can’t do and hopefully I complemented him.
‘I don’t mind who I play with really, but being selfish I want to be on the pitch myself.
‘Hopefully me and Burge can start something good, though, and we can keep more clean sheets now. I think we blend together quite well.
‘He’s been good so far this season.
‘I’m a bit more aggressive and put my head on things and go out and put in tackles.
‘He keeps me in check, though, because I have a tendency to be a bit too aggressive at times.
‘All of the experience across that back five helps.’
Gary Roberts’ 85th-minute penalty was the difference between the two sides on Saturday.
But that paved the way for late Exeter pressure as the home side pushed for an equaliser.
There were also a number of blocks from Pompey in the second half which were important to the success.
Davies said: ‘It felt solid and to keep a clean sheet is important.
‘Teams aren’t going to come up against us and just give us the win.
‘You could see how desperate they were for the result and how much they stepped up their game because they were playing us.
‘They threw everything at us after Robbo scored the pen.
‘But, by hook or by crook, we stopped them.’

Defender hopeful he made his point to Cook


Tom Davies savoured his Pompey league debut and reflected: I seized my chance.


Worthing WOW (World of Words) Festival announces Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing as part of BFI Presents: Shakespeare on Film.
The season is a UK-wide series of screenings and events celebrating the impact the playwright’s life, work and legacy has had on cinema.
Worthing WOW’s special screening takes place on Thursday, September 15 at the Dome Cinema in Worthing and forms part of national celebrations marking the bard’s 400th anniversary.
Melody Bridges, artistic director of WOW, said: “Kenneth Branagh’s exuberant 1993 adaptation of this classic feel-good comedy stars Mr Branagh himself alongside Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsale and Hollywood hunks Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves. WOW have received funding from BFI Film/London to host the event and include Worthing as part of this countrywide celebration. They chose Much Ado for its summery romantic feel – a perfect frolic to end your summer.
“Much Ado is being shown in screen two at the historic Dome Cinema, Worthing for one night only, and is being introduced by Miles Leeson, senior lecturer from the University of Chichester who will be giving a brief pre-screening talk about the potent mix of farce and politics in this, one of the Bards most important comedies.”
Presented by the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) and led by Film Hub London, BFI Presents: Shakespeare on Film will see more than 300 screenings and events taking place across the UK with multiplexes, independent cinemas, film clubs, pop-ups and community venues the length and breadth of the UK.
Melody added: “I'm thrilled to share this uplifting film with Worthing audiences. Worthing WOW has been looking for a really special way to tie in with the celebrations of Shakespeare this year – and this evening is our way of Worthing being a part of these national events. I'm excited to learn beforehand from Dr Miles a bit more about the story and then enjoy a glass of Italian white wine whilst watching one of Shakespeare's finest plays on film. "
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “Shakespeare might have been a man of the theatre but his work offers endless possibilities to film-makers. Somehow the power of his stories, characters, his all too human resonant and relevant themes of power, politics, family, romance, tragic conflict and joyous comedy, manages to transcend barriers of time and the English language such that specific cultural settings can be interpreted by filmmaking artists, in all different kinds of locations, contexts and languages.”
Much Ado About Nothing is screening for one night only on September 15, 7.30pm at the Dome Cinema; tickets are £5 adult, £4 concs, £3 students available in advance only from http://www.eventbrite.com/e/much-ado-about-nothing-tickets-26898961518.
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Worthing WOW (World of Words) Festival announces Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing as part of BFI Presents: Shakespeare on Film.


Join Clare Balding for an afternoon of family entertainment to mark the publication of her first children's book, The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on Saturday, October 1 at 3pm.
The number-one bestselling author and broadcaster will share stories from her own childhood growing up surrounded by animals, give a reading from her new book and offer expert advice on working with and caring for animals.
The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop introduces Charlie Bass: a horse-mad ten-year-old who dreams of owning her own pony. So when she accidentally manages to buy a racehorse, Charlie is thrilled. The horse she buys, Noble Warrior, looks the part: strong, fit and healthy. There's just one problem – he won't gallop. In fact, he won't even leave his stable without his best friend, a naughty palomino pony called Percy.
This event will end with an audience Q&A and a chance to have your book signed, as well as some funfair-style foyer entertainment for all the family.
Clare became the face of the BBC’s horse racing coverage in 1998 and now works across a wide range of sports for television and radio. She has been a lead TV presenter for the Olympics, Paralympics, Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
In 2012, Clare was awarded Achievement of the Year at the Women in Film and TV Awards, the Media Award at the Red Hot Women of the Year Awards, was made TV Personality of the Year by Attitude magazine and won Racing Broadcaster of the Year for the second time.
Tickets on 01483 440000 or www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk.


Join Clare Balding for an afternoon of family entertainment to mark the publication of her first children


Deus Ex has you spoilt for choice.
Mankind Divided and so am I when it comes to reviewing the latest Deus Ex game after its launch last week.
There is so much to rave about in DEMD and I’m still enjoying it now over a week into the game.
But there are a number of elements which do not quite sit right with me.
Let’s start with the positives, though, and there are plenty of them.
There is layer upon layer in this game all expertly crafted together and beautifully designed.
The gameplay stands up to the high standards set by previous Deus Ex games and goes beyond them in many respects.
This is a game that will suit all types of gamers too.
Looking for a quick blast for an hour, you can jump on and get enough done to enjoy the experience, looking for longer, more involved sessions on your console then the gameplay rewards your patience, curiosity and creativity.
You play augmented human Jensen who is essentially the most deadly Power Ranger on the planet. I mean this guy has everything and would even give Superman a run for his money.
There are so many options to negotiate each scenario
And this is where my first problem lies with DEMD.
Sometimes, dare I say it, there are so many options available to you, so many ways to deal with scenarios and enemies and so much in your arsenal, it actually feels a bit ... easy.
‘Ramp up the difficulty setting!’ I hear you cry.
Well yes there’s that but my point is no matter what level you are playing at, Jensen just has too much at his disposal for his enemies to trouble him.
Sometimes, dare I say it, there are so many options available to you, so many ways to deal with scenarios and enemies and so much in your arsenal, it actually feels a bit ... easy. Damien Lucas, gaming columnist
But don’t get me wrong it’s still great fun entering a room littered with foes and walking out past a pile of them without breaking a sweat.
Another thing that doesn’t quite land for me is the Apartheid type references between the humans (naturals) and the augmented race. It is a poor attempt to give the storyline resonance with real life - for example there are posters dotted around saying things like ‘Augmented Lives Matter’ and it just feels a little frivolous.
I’m being hyper critical, though, and Deus Ex will go down as one of the games of the year of that there is no doubt.
Rating: 8.5/10

Console Corner: Deus Ex Mankind Divided review


Although sunlight boosts our mood and is good for us in small doses, too much exposure can lead to serious long-term consequences, including skin cancer as well as damage to your eyes.
The UV index measures the intensity of the sun’s rays in a given place and time. The higher the index, the less time it takes for your skin to burn and the faster damage can happen.
BUPA have gathered together data which shows how much exposure your skin can take - and also looks at the six skin types, which also affects the amount of time you can spend in the sun.


Although sunlight boosts our mood and is good for us in small doses, too much exposure can lead to serious long-term consequences, including skin cancer as well as damage to your eyes.


University of Chichester graduate Joe Perkins tries to capture a little bit of chaotic Quo in his new album.
Joe, who studied commercial music graduating in 2012, has long been a huge Status Quo fan: he first saw them, aged ten, in Bristol 16 years ago.
“And I have seen them with the modern line-up loads of times, always the perfect Quo. But then they played with their original line-up, and they were just all over the place in terms of the timing and the notes, but in terms of the musicality, they were just so exciting.
“They had the danger back, and it was just so much better for not being perfect, and I think that is one of the lessons I have learnt.
“You record a song and then you can edit it and edit it until it is perfect, but that’s not necessarily the best way to do it.
“You want the edge, which is what Quo had. They looked terrified! But that nervous energy made it the best Quo show I’d ever seen. It was so much more exciting for being edgy and dangerous. It was four humans all playing together with the whole thing likely to implode at any point. It was pure rock & roll!
“We are human beings. We are not perfect. We all make mistakes. With technology, you can make it perfect, but you lose the fact that we are all musicians playing together. It’s about the spontaneous things that can happen, and that’s what I have wanted to capture.
“There are little mistakes, but the album is what I sound like when I play the guitar. And it is the first album I haven’t done in a recording studio. I did it in the dining room at home. It was about giving free rein to the music.”
It was while he was at Chichester that Joe did his first album: “It was a very good course, but for me the most important thing was the studio facilities that we could book out. The course was very wide-ranging, but in your spare time you could get into the studio and having the studio was great. You got taught all the basics of making a record, but then you could develop it all further.
“I did my first album then which I released free online. So many people had got involved and given their time for free that it wouldn’t have been right to try to sell it.
“It was call Host of Other Artists. It was all songs I had written and played pretty much every instrument, but it was other people doing the lead vocals. I did some backing vocals, but I am not strong enough a singer to do the lead vocals.”
Now comes the new album, purely instrumental. Double Denim is released on Friday, September 2, as a vinyl + CD bundle (limited to 300 copies) and as a download – both available from joeperkins.co.uk. Both are priced at £7.99.
“Releasing the album on vinyl isn’t purely nostalgic,” Joe says. “Sure, I personally prefer buying music as a physical entity and enjoying it as a piece of art, and I think vinyl is the best for that.
“But the audio is actually much higher definition than the CD and has a more dynamic master. You’ll have to turn it up a bit, but it sounds more natural. Nowadays we all need to own our music digitally too, so with the enclosed CD you get that as well.
“So that’s Double Denim. There’s rock; bluegrass; ballads; a snare drum with far too much reverb on it; potentially the world’s loudest cajón; an army of pots and pans; an outrageous amount of guitars; a sense of humour; and real human musicians playing their instruments.
“And who else gives you all that on an outdated format from the 1930s?”


University of Chichester graduate Joe Perkins tries to capture a little bit of chaotic Quo in his new album.


The Festival Players Theatre Company bring their outdoor summer tour of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) on Thursday, August 31.
Spokeswoman Su Gilroy said: “This year is the 400th anniversary of the death of the nation’s (arguably the world’s) greatest playwright, William Shakespeare, and The Festival Players Theatre Company is proud to present his most famous play, Hamlet. This theatre company from Gloucestershire, which has been touring professional outdoor Shakespeare productions for over 30 years, is taking the play across the UK and into Europe.
“Presented in full costume, an all-male company brings the excitement of this great thriller: intrigue, ghostly visitations, passion, a play-within-a-play, a gripping duel, and humour, in a crystal-clear and fast-paced two-hour production.
“The players perform more than 80 shows over the summer across England, Scotland, Wales and the Isles of Scilly and as far afield as Belgium, Berlin, the Netherlands and Norway, at an increasingly varied number of locations from stately homes to London commons, Scottish castles to English village greens, island botanical gardens to Roman amphitheatres.”
Su added: “Thought to have been first performed in 1600 and possibly the greatest tragedy in the English language, Hamlet is a story of revenge. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is haunted by the ghost of his father, who tells him that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Claudius not only wears the late king’s crown but has also married his wife, Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet has lost his father and his opportunity to be king, and possibly his sanity; can he believe the ghost, and if so how should he exact revenge? And who else will suffer along the way?”
Festival Players Artistic Director Michael Dyer has reduced the play to two hours.
He said: “Our shows are an amalgam of energy, entertainment and colour, and we aim to make them clear and transparent, as well as keeping them short for the comfort of our patrons. We set out to take audiences of all ages on a journey and make them feel very much part of the production.
“A small cast of six play multiple roles demanding quick costume changes, as well as performing as singers and musicians. This gives an exciting opportunity for the actors to show their energy and versatility.”
This will be Michael’s 12th all-male production in a row for the Players: “It is, of course, totally authentic. We are following in the footsteps of Shakespeare’s own Globe Theatre when all roles were taken by men. The Players have built a reputation for strong, all-male shows over the past eleven years.”
Last year The Festival Players toured As You Like it and Henry IV and many of those actors have returned this year. The title role of Hamlet will be played by Benjamin Way, who was Rosalind in As You Like It and Poins, Justice Shallow and Prince John in Henry IV. Mark Spriggs was Falstaff in Henry IV and Touchstone in As You Like It, and this year will play Claudius. Joel Daffurn, who has been with the company since 2013, will play Laertes, Guildenstern and the First Player, and taking the roles of Polonius, Gravedigger and Second Player is Paul Mills, also with the company since 2013. Michael Dyer himself will play the part of the ghost of Hamlet’s Father.
Newcomers to the company this year are Lee Peck and Jonny James-Jones, both of whom trained at East 15 Acting School. Lee Peck will be playing Gertrude and Horatio and has previously played Romeo in Romeo & Juliet and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Young Shakespeare Company, and was Malcolm in a radio production of Macbeth. Jonny James-Jones will be playing Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Osric.
Tickets on www.thefestivalplayers.co.uk/tour.
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The Festival Players Theatre Company bring their outdoor summer tour of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) on Thursday, August 31.


A young Arundel dancer is relishing the chance to work with the prestigious National Youth Ballet.
15-year-old Cleo Badcock will be taking part in a memorial gala performance on Sunday, September 4, at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, London at 7.30pm (020 7863 8000). The memorial celebrates the work and legacy of company founder and artistic director Jill Tookey who died in March this year.
Over three decades, Jill Tookey quietly became one of the industry’s most influential dance leaders, inspiring generations of young dancers and choreographers, many of whom have embarked upon successful professional careers after their time with NYB. Jill was appointed a CBE for services to dance in the 2016 New Year Honours.
Cleo is delighted to continue Jill’s work.
“I know a few people who have done it before, and they suggested I do it,” Cleo said. “I auditioned in January and then I got a letter saying I had got through to the final auditions in April. I did a few pieces from the choreographers for that – and I got through. I got a big information pack through detailing what dances I am in and what I am going to have to do.”
And then it was into ten days of rehearsals: “We have been doing it all day every day, but it has been brilliant. I love the dances I am in, and it is great fun. I am in Ruth Armstrong’s Swing Time and also in The Tribute. Swing Time is swing-style 1930s New York, and there are about 20 dancers in the piece. It is interesting because it is all different sections, and the music is so diverse you get to do different styles. At the moment, we are rehearsing The Tribute separately, and I am guessing we are going to put it all together later.”
It’s all fantastic experience for Cleo: “I am one of those people that started dancing when they were two or three, and then when I was 11 or 12 I started taking more and more classes. I dance six days a week now. The difficulty is fitting in the homework!
“But I can express myself when I am dancing in ways that I can’t when I am just walking or talking. I can use different parts of my body. I don’t know how to put it into words really, but it is like I am in a different world when I am dancing, when the lights are on and you can’t really see the audience.
“I suppose it depends on the setting or the piece, but I don’t really get nervous. I am not a wreck. But it is always good to have a few nerves. I guess it focuses you more. It turns you on more to what you are doing.”
Cleo is hoping to audition for vocational schools – and she would love to think her future lies in dancing.
She knows a lot of hard work lies ahead and that she will need to be tough and determined: “You have to accept that you might not get the dance or the company that you want, and you have to cope with that.”


A young Arundel dancer is relishing the chance to work with the prestigious National Youth Ballet.


Harvest great ideas from your company’s best assets


Seven weeks working ‘pro bono’ with a charity


Strategic and commercial approach with issues


The new wordpress theme called Consulting WP has been lauded by critics for its presentation. The theme is made by Style Mix Themes, who have been key players in the theme industry for a long time. People were excited to see what they would come up with next; their specialty has always been designing industry specific themes. This time they have focused on the consultation industry and have hit a home run.
There are many great things within the theme which are the cause of its popularity. The biggest factor is the appearance of the theme; it disrupts theme design clichés without being unprofessional. The different possible color combinations are also being appreciated by many companies. The theme continues to rise in popularity and many other companies have expressed an interest in deploying it on their new websites. The creators of the theme are happy with the response and have vowed to create further themes exploring the same concepts

Within the construction industry as their overdraft


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Three Social Media Hacks for the Busy Entrepreneur


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Retail banks wake up to digital lending this year


England will be looking to make it 2-0 while Pakistan 1-1 when the two sides lock horns in the second one-day international at the Lord’s on Saturday.
The hosts registered a 44-run (D/L) method win in the rain-curtailed first game in Southampton on Wednesday to go-up 1-0 in the five-match series.
Skipper Azhar Ali eventually ended his poor run while a dauntless 82 while Sarfraz Ahmed and Babar Azam made 55 and 40 respectively as the visitors made 260-6 after electing to bat first.
Riding on the half-centuries of Joe Root and Jason Roy in reply, the hosts reached 193-3 before showers arrived to force the early end of the game.
Despite the loss in the first game, Pakistan aren’t unlikely to tinker too much with the Wednesday’s XI.
The only change likely in their lineup is the replacement of all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz with leg-spinner Yasir Shah.
Mohammad Amir left the field after bowling six overs in the first game with a side strain but is fit to spearhead the pace attack.
For England, all-rounder David Willey will miss out again as he is still recovering from a hand injury that he picked up during Yorkshire’s NatWest T20 Blast semi-final against Durham earlier this month.
All-rounder Ben Stokes made a comeback from a calf injury in Southampton but was unable to bowl. He is expected to play only as a batsman in the Saturday’s match as well.
Probable Squad:
Pakistan:
Sharjeel Khan, Azhar Ali (capt), Babar Azam, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Umar Gul
England:
Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood


Honoured to be assistant coach @BelRedDevils. Thanks to Roberto Martinez & the Royal Belgian Football Association. Very excited.Can't wait.

Ook in Frankrijk kijken ze met open mond naar Duivelse keuze van Thierry Henry


Het nieuws sloeg in als een bom gisteren, niemand minder dan Thierry Henry komt de staf van de Rode ...,
lees meer op Kanaal
Sport


New inmates at the Huron County Jail, Aug. 23, 2016
Here are pictures and information from the Huron County Jail regarding new inmates for Aug. 23, 2016:


Here are pictures and information from the Huron County Jail regarding new inmates for Aug. 23,


New inmates at the Huron County Jail, Aug. 23, 2016


The union representing most workers at Canada Post has issued a 72-hour notice of job action as it tries to bargain a collective agreement with the Crown corporation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the notice spells out what actions it is planning, but stops short of a full-blown walkout.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek says Canada Post forced the labour disruption by refusing to accept a request from the federal labour minister to continue negotiations with the help of a special mediator.
But a spokesman for the agency says that's not the case.
The union's strike mandate was set to expire at midnight.
The two sides have been in negotiations for more than nine months but are far apart on key issues including pay equity for rural carriers and proposed changes to the Canada Post pension plan.
The Canadian Press

Postal union issues strike notice after it says Canada Post refused special mediator


Notice means delivery could be cancelled as early as Monday


If the arts speak to you, here’s an opportunity to speak to the arts.
The Capital Regional District’s Arts Development Service has launched Building our #Arts Future Together, a public consultation and engagement process to encourage regional community participation in identifying priorities and actions for the CRD Arts Strategy.
An online survey at placespeak.com/CRDArtsFuture will provide arts groups the opportunity to weigh in on the direction of the regional future of arts, said Colin Plant, chair of the CRD arts committee.
“Building our #ArtsTogether will provide many opportunities to participate in shaping the CRD Arts Strategy,” Plant said.
The survey is open to arts groups, whether they currently receive CRD grant funding or not.
Pre-consultation sessions in June helped to shape the design of the public consultation and engagement process and outreach to diverse stakeholders, including more than 100 arts groups.
In addition, arts community workshops will be held from Sept. 19 to 24 at various locations throughout the region to provide more opportunities to participate. The workshops will be followed by an Arts Champions Summit, taking place Nov. 3 to 5, with registration expected to open soon.
Community members interested in participating should visit placespeaksFuture.com./CRDArtsFuture.com.
The CRD Arts Development Service is supported by Saanch, Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Metchosin, Highlands, View Royal and Sidney.
The CRD awarded $2,121,240 in operating grants to 31 organizations in 2016.
For more on the CRD Arts Development Service, visit crd.bc.ca/services/arts-funding.


Capital Regional District’s Arts Development Service has launched Building our #Arts Future Together


OTTAWA – Contract talks continue between Canada Post and its largest union, but neither side is hinting as to whether any progress has been made.
A federally appointed mediator has been meeting with the two sides since Friday to try to reach a deal.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says if there is no deal by midnight, it would begin job action on Monday by having its members refusing to work overtime on a rotating basis, starting in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
CUPW served 72 hour strike notice Thursday night, accusing Canada Post of forcing a labour disruption by refusing to bargain in good faith.
The two sides have been deadlocked for months on the issues of pay scales for rural letter carriers and proposed changes to pensions for future employees.
A CUPW news release says the initial job action will cause little disruption to Canada Post customers and that its members will still be delivering mail every day.
The Canadian Press

Postal workers union give details of job action if no deal is reached Sunday


Talks continue, with rotating overtime ban set to begin Monday if no agreement by midnight Sunday


Aboriginal elders brought a Coast Salish talking stick into the B.C. legislature this week, in a solemn ceremony that had little lasting effect on the heckling and interruptions of political debate in Victoria.
A replica of the totem pole on the grounds of Government House, the ornate stick represents the right to speak and receive a respectful hearing in aboriginal tradition. It was carved by Songhees artist James Delorme and presented to former Lieutenant Governor Steven Point in 2011 at a ceremony to mark the official naming of the Salish Sea.
Current Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon was on hand May 11 to present the stick to B.C. legislature Speaker Linda Reid, with a ceremonial prayer in the SENCOTEN language by elders Elmer George and Mary Anne Thomas.
"We present it to everybody this House but also to everybody that may come through these doors in the future," said Chief Ron Sam of the Songhees Nation.
Reid said in a statement the talking stick will remain in the legislature until the next election in May 2017.
After the ceremony, Reid continued her struggle to maintain order in the rancourous debate of question period, which has declined more frequently into shouting matches as the next election approaches.

Talking stick tradition comes to B.C. legislature [with video]


Totem symbolizes Coast Salish tradition of respectful listening, with little effect on ill-tempered debate in Victoria


Modified versions of the 1969 Camaro SS and other popular vehicles will soon be eligible for B.C. collector plates, allowing occasional use for parades and car shows.
The B.C. government is expanding its collector vehicle licence system to include eligible modified cars made between 1958 and 1974, to capture the popular "muscle car" era of the 1960s.
The ICBC collector plate program gives car enthusiasts a lower-cost licence plate that allows occasional use for parades and classic car shows. ICBC plans to take applications starting in 2017 for eligible modified vehicles up to 1974, and replica cars resembling North American production cars from 1942 and earlier.
With strict rules that the cars must be in "collectible condition," changes will take in modified popular cars from the Dodge Duster to the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as replicas of the popular Ford "deuce coupe" from the 1930s.
Premier Christy Clark announced a break for older cars this spring, allowing vehicles from 1940 or earlier and their replicas to run without fenders or mud flaps when the highway is dry and paved.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the collector car industry is significant for B.C., with registered collector vehicles having doubled to 26,000 in the past 10 years.
"We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times," Stone said. "That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."
Currently, the standard collector plate is available to cars 25 years or older, as well as discontinued or limited production vehicles 15 years or older. It requires a stock engine with no performance enhancements, no rust, dents or "significant wear and tear" of the interior.
Modified vehicles from 1958 or older are currently eligible for collector plates, if they retain the shell of the original body but have parts replaced or modified in the chassis, engine, suspension, steering or brakes.
Owners have to apply for a collector or modified collector plate, with purchase and parts bills, photos and inspection reports.
Applications for collector and modified collector programs are available on ICBC's website, www.icbc.com, and can be dropped off at Autoplan brokers.

Collector program expanding to 'muscle cars'


Collector plates will be available next year for modified as well as stock cars made between 1958 and 1974


Unionized workers at the Empress Hotel gave 72-hour notice of job action on Tuesday morning, right before the Labour Day long weekend.
The earliest a strike could begin is Thursday morning if a deal cannot be reached.
“The ‘new’ Empress has a dirty secret: the renovations have led to harm and stress on the people who work there,” Stu Shields with Unifor said in a statement.
He said staff are being forced to work overtime because they aren’t enough people on shift. Some have worked 60 days straight.
The hotel announced its renovation plans earlier this year, including in the popular Bengal Lounge.
“The renovations are incomplete if the staffing levels remain stuck in the past,” Shields said.
Uniform Local 4276 represents nearly 500 workers at the Empress, including those in housekeeping, groundskeeping, serving, engineering and guest relations.
More to come.

Empress Hotel workers give 72-hour strike notice


Workers could take job action as early as Thursday -- right before the Labour Day long weekend.


The B.C. government has approved a master development plan for a new year-round ski resort in the Cariboo Mountains west of Valemount.
Valemount Glacier Destination Resort is a $175 million project led by Oberto Oberti, who designed the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden and the controversial Jumbo Glacier Resort proposal west of Invermere.
The Valemount plan includes lifts and gondolas that would carry skiers and sight-seers to the summits of Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Mount Arthur Meighen. Its vertical drop of 2,050 metres would be higher than Whistler-Blackcomb and the largest in North America.
"There are very few places in the world, and none in North America, where you go and ride a lift to the very top and the glacier is below you," said Jill Bodkin, a director of the company.
Valemount is a remote community of about 1,000 residents near the Alberta border east of Prince George. The region is west of Jasper National Park, which attracts visitors from around the world.
On the project's website, Oberti says people will travel to Switzerland for this kind of mountain resort experience, so a three-hour drive from Prince George isn't an obstacle to success.
Valemount Mayor Jeanette Townsend called the master plan approval "exciting news." She said the community attracts visitors who stay there to avoid the expensive accommodation in Jasper and the resort will take it to the next level.
Chief Nathan Matthew of the Simpcw First Nation said his community has been involved since the beginning, and he sees the project as an important economic development for the northern part of Simpcw's traditional territory.

B.C. approves Valemount glacier resort plan


Designer of Kicking Horse and Jumbo resorts gets approval to proceed with $175 million project east of Prince George


Shaelyn Littlejohn accepts a $2,000 scholarship from the Canadian Airborne Forces Association and the Airborne Regiment Association of Canada. The Metchosin resident will attend the University of Victoria this fall and hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Like mother, like daughter.
Following in the footsteps of her mom, Metchosin’s Shaelyn Littlejohn has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship by the Canadian Airborne Forces Association and the Airborne Regiment Association of Canada.
Littlejohn, who received the award in a ceremony on Saturday at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 292 in Victoria, is a recent graduate of Pacific Christian School and is enrolled in the chemistry program at the University of Victoria this fall.
There, she’ll begin to pursue her dream of becoming a pediatric surgeon, an ambition that grew out of personal experience.
Littlejohn was born prematurely and with two congenital heart defects, leading to a childhood spent in and out of the hospital for various surgeries and appointments.
“I feel like I’ll be able to relate not only with what the child is going through, but I can relate to what the parents are going through,” she said. “As my parent’s first child, it was really scary … with all of these issues and they didn’t know what was happening.”
She added, “I like working with children; they’re so resilient and even though they are in the hospital and they are sick, they find joy in the little things.”
And Littlejohn knows all about resiliency, having had to battle throughout her childhood.
“She’s always just pushed through it … she never used it as an excuse,” said her mother, Paula.
The scholarship is given to prospective students in the Armed Forces or to one of their descendants. Shaelyn’s grandfather, William Willbond, was a sergeant in the airborne regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. “It’s even more special because he really encouraged all of us to go to school,” Paula said of her late father. “School was really important to him.”
Paula, a nurse, received a sum of $300 when she earned the very same scholarship in 1989. “She was excited … that it was [now] $2,000,” she said with a laugh about her daughter’s reaction.
Shaelyn Littlejohn was given the honour for her wide range of achievements in high school, which included being on the honour roll, participating in extra-curricular sports and music, and for her personal merit and potential. She was unanimously selected for the honour by the voting committee.
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com

Aspiring doctor from Metchosin duplicates mom's scholarship feat


Future UVic student earns Airborne associations' educational honour


Cameras were the focus as 70 photographers from across B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Nelson, competed in the fourth annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year Contest at the recent Abbotsford International Airshow.
Sponsored by London Drugs and Black Press Media, the contest took place Aug. 12-14, as participants captured their best air, crowd, static, and wildcard shots.
Photographers experienced close-up action at the airshow including Friday's twilight show, and earned the "hot-side" tour at the airshow where they shot exclusive aircraft including the F-35, CF-18, FA-18, Breitling Jet Team, the Snowbirds and more for a chance to win the title of B.C.'s next Amateur Photographer title.
Awarding categories also include The Best in-air photograph ($750 grand prize), The Best ground/static scene photograph ($500 prize),The Best crowd scene photograph ($250 prize ), The Best video submission ($500 prize) all courtesy of London Drugs and honorary acknowledgement for Best Wildcard entry.
For the People's Choice Award Winner, the time has arrived for the public to vote on their favourite photo and be entered for a chance to win BC Lions game tickets.
For voting and contest information, click here.

Voting open for People's Choice Amateur Photography Competition


Photographers from across the province competed in amateur competition


Eileen Zheng donated a kidney to her mother Wei and is encouraging other people to register as organ donors.
When Eileen Zheng wanted to donate one of her kidneys to her mother, family members were at first concerned about the effect of the procedure on both of them.
But five weeks after the surgery, Wei Zheng was recovering from polycystic kidney disease after seven years on kidney dialysis, and Eileen was logging up to 65 km a day on her bicycle. And a year later, Eileen is preparing to ride across Canada to encourage more people to support organ transplants.
"I want to raise awareness, so more people are willing to register after seeing that I'm healthy after donating an organ," Eileen said at a ceremony at the B.C. legislature to launch the bid Monday. "We're hoping to raise at least 1,000 more organ donors compared to last year, and around $75,000 for the Canadian Transplant Association, for the life-saving work they do."
She has three and a half months to make the journey, starting with a Terry Fox-inspired dip of her bike wheel in the Pacific before heading east towards St. Johns, Newfoundland. Eileen's ride is called Gift From Within has a website where people can link to organ donor registration sites in each province, and her route stops and updates will be posted.
There are more than 45,000 people currently waiting for organ donations across Canada. B.C. residents can check their registration status or sign up to become a donor here.

Cross-Canada ride to encourage organ donation


Gift From Within aims to register 1,000 more registered donors and raise money for the Canadian Transplant Association


Solitude in the wilderness is still available in B.C., between holiday weekends when demand peaks at B.C.'s most popular parks.
Foreign visitors and those on package tours are a small fraction of the demand for B.C. Parks campgrounds around the province, but B.C. resident campers are still using a few tricks to get spaces for high-demand parks.
Some have protested the use of online reservations by motorhome tour operators who sell them as part of a package for tourists.
"Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.," Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said this week.
Environment Minister Mary Polak told Black Press numbers are being tracked for the current year, and the proportions haven't changed much. In 2015, fewer than one per cent of reservable B.C. Parks spaces were booked by tour operators, who also use private camping facilities.
Three quarters of reservations are from within B.C. The second highest share is from Alberta at 14 per cent, the U.S. accounts for 3.6 per cent, the rest of Canada 2.8 per cent, and all European countries combined are 6.6 per cent of the total.
The BC Parks system has 10,700 camping spaces in total, and 5,600 are reservable, to manage demand for the most popular spots.
First-come, first-served sites are kept out of the reservation system in some popular locations to accommodate travellers who drop in along the road. For high-demand periods like the recent Canada Day weekend, savvy campers work the reservation system.
At Golden Ears Provincial Park, one group booked for two weeks as soon as the 90-day eligibility window opened, then dropped the first week, giving them the coveted Canada Day weekend dates before they were generally available.
"Every year we look to change things to keep people from cheating, and every year they find new ways," Polak said. "Really the only answer is going to be finding a way to expand the number of sites that we have available."
It's shaping up as a record year for the Discover Camping reservation service, with 92,000 bookings so far this year.
B.C. Parks has added four new sites for this summer. Reservations can be made for Garibaldi Provincial Park in the Whistler area, Ruckle Provincial Park on Saltspring Island, Okanagan Falls Provincial Park, Inland Lake Provincial Park near Powell River and Dry Gulch Provincial Park near Radium Hot Springs.

Provincial campsite rush mostly B.C. residents


Few BC Parks bookings going to commercial operators, solution is more campsite spaces, Environment Minister Mary Polak says


A young cougar has been spotted in the Whiffin Spit area
The Whiffin Spit area in Sooke is on edge after a cougar was seen peering into a resident’s home last week.
The cougar is believed to be the same animal captured, tagged and relocated from the Florence Lake area last spring, said conservation officer Peter Pauwels.
“There are very few that get ear tagged and released, so there’s only two possibilities which one it is,” Pauwels said.
There have been 15 cougar-related calls in Sooke region since April.
Still, a cougar sighting is rare and unusual.
Pauwels pointed out a rumour in another Sooke news outlets stating that an ear-tagged cougar has been seen in the Whiffin Spit area for years is “absolutely untrue.”
If captured, the cougar, a two-year-old male, will not be relocated again.
“We’re only allowed to do that once. With the behavior it’s displaying now, it wouldn’t be a candidate anyway because it’s showing unusual behaviour. It’s walking up to houses, looking in windows. It’s not afraid of people,” Pauwels said.
“Relocation can work in certain situations, but if you have an animal that’s habituated to people, that prefers to live around people, if you take it up in the bush, it’s going to come back.”
Pauwels said the cougar seen in Whiffin Spit is not acting aggressively towards people, but that doesn’t make it less of a concern, either.
“It has no fear of people, so it’s going to live amongst us. That makes it a concern because if somebody was to see it and do the wrong thing like run away, it could actually trigger an attack.”

Problem cougar returns to Whiffin Spit area


The cougar is believed to be the same animal captured, tagged and relocated from the Florence Lake area last spring


Daycare spaces are in short supply in some areas of B.C. and costs are high.
More than 1,800 new child care spaces should be under construction by this fall, with the latest round of financing from the B.C. government.
New or expanded facilities in 30 communities have been selected from funding applications received in January, said Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux. The $11.3 million budget for this year is the third phase of a child care expansion project funded by the ministry.
The province's goal is to have construction underway by September.
"It will vary somewhat from provider to provider, depending on whether they are building a facility from the ground up with this money, or whether they are adding to an existing facility," Cadieux said.
Projects in the Lower Mainland include six sites in Surrey, two each in Abbotsford, Langley and Coquitlam and one each in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Burnaby, Delta and Squamish.
On Vancouver Island, funding goes to three projects in Duncan and one each in Nanaimo, Victoria, Comox, Port Hardy and Tofino.
In the B.C. Interior, three projects are approved for Kelowna, two in Penticton, and one each in Naramata, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Enderby, Princeton, Houston, Kamloops, Merritt, Vanderhoof and Dawson Creek.
For a full list of facilities and number of spaces, see backgrounder here.
The ministry has posted a new child care map on its website to help parents locate facilities here.
The province provides child care subsidies to qualified low-income parents, and covers about 15 per cent of daycare operating costs. But the cost of land and operations drives the price of child care up to $1,400 per month or more in urban areas. Cadieux said the province is working with municipalities to review regulations.
"We're looking at the restrictions we put on child care providers in terms of outdoor space, in terms of sun access," she said. "We want to make sure that child care is safe and that we have quality, but we also want to make sure that we're not creating a situation that is unreasonable."

Child care spaces funded for 30 BC communities


1,800 new spaces in 30 communities to start construction this fall, minister Stephanie Cadieux says