Monday, 4 April 2011

Scan Yourself: Geeky Barcode (QR Code) Tattoos | Bit Rebels

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Home Technology Scan Yourself: Geeky Barcode (QR Code) Tattoos

Scan Yourself: Geeky Barcode (QR Code) Tattoos

04/04/2011 - 9:00 am By Diana Adams

Scan Tattoo With Your iPhone

I’ve read about these tattoos for a few years now, but only recently have they moved from obscure websites to popular culture. Many people like them because they make some sort of philosophical statement about numbers, databases and general consumerism, but I just think they are kinda neat because they make us look like we are part of the resistance fighting against the Terminators.

But don’t be fooled, there is much more to these tattoos than just a cool design. These barcodes are readable by any iPhone or QR scanner. The embedded information can be text, a URL or any other data. I think it would be awesome if we could upload and change the information on our QR code tattoo whenever we wanted to. For example, going to a new doctor? Just hit your laptop before you leave home, click a button, and upload all your medical history to your tattoo. When you get to the doctor, forget filling out a dozen pages of forms, just get scanned.

What about when applying for a new job? Your potential employer could give you one scan to download your entire employment history and references. How about maintaining all your social networking information from your QR code tattoo? You meet someone when you’re out, you want to keep in touch, just scan each other’s body to automatically follow that person on Twitter, friend them on Facebook, link up on LinkedIn, etc…

I could go on and on with ideas about how this type of tattoo could be useful. From what I’ve read, a lot of people get QR code tattoos that aren’t scannable. To me, that removes all the geeky goodness from the process, but to each his own! If you aren’t quite brave enough to get one of these yet, you can go to Barcode Tattoos and buy 3 temporary ones for 3 bucks.

Scan Tattoo with iPhone

Scan Tattoo With iPhone

Via: [Gadget King] [And Junior Shakers] Image Credits: [Deviant Art] [Flickr]

More Articles By Diana Adams | Articles: 1270

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Author: Diana Adams

By day, Diana is a mac geek and the CEO/owner of Adams Consulting Group, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia (part of the Apple certified consultants network). By night, she lives and breathes by writing. “I could write all night every night and not get tired of it. I think that is when you know you’ve tapped into a true passion." Diana also spends time assisting homeless men and women. She loves extra hot chicken wings, coffee, Star Wars and anything made out of Lego. You can find her on Twitter at @adamsconsulting or on email at diana@bitrebels.com.


One Comment

Annette @daNanner

April 4th, 2011

I used to have a QR code on my website for contact info. Only the geekiest of my friends whipped out their Android phone or iPhone to see what info I had embedded there. I eventually took it down. The temporary barcode is a great idea, especially when you run out of business cards at a networking event.

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BBC News - Panorama - Growing army of over-50s join the battle to find work

By Fiona Phillips
BBC Panorama

Fiona Phillips and Lord Digby Jones
Fiona Phillips asked Lord Digby Jones for job advice for the over-50s

We may not be familiar with the fact that "sick" means cool or that a spot of "chillaxing"' might be a good idea on a Sunday afternoon, but it turns out that we over-50s actually do have a lot in common with Britain's 18-24 year olds - far too many of us are unemployed.

There is currently an army of almost 400,000 over-50s who face a growing stack of rejection letters.

Perhaps more concerning is the fact that almost half are classed by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as long term unemployed , meaning they have been out of work for at least a year.

For the over-50s, the ONS data reveals that the odds of finding another job are lower than in any other age group and they rarely make headlines or are the subject of government back-to-work initiatives.

Put simply, time is not on their side.

Workplace ageism?

During the deep recession of the 1980s, my dad was made redundant from his job in middle management and the memories of his own battle to find work after a lifetime spent providing for his family made this a deeply personal story for me.

I hadn't realised how important the status of a job is, how you are identified by the role that you play
Lindy Griffiths, 52

I left my own full-time position on the GMTV sofa to embark on new challenges just as I hit 50 - so far, so good - but I know how fortunate I have been.

So is there a growing issue in the British workplace of ageism, are employers turning their backs on older workers? Or are aging workers too unwilling to change with the times?

Ian McCaffery from Salford, who turns 50 this year, told me that losing his job as a banqueting manager after almost 30 years in the hospitality industry has shaken his confidence and hit him harder than he could have imagined.

"When I lost my parents I thought there could have been nothing else worse, but when I lost my job it was like losing my parents, it was actually like losing my family."

He said as the people interviewing him get younger and younger, he feels that his experience, reliability and maturity are not valued and there is a sense that he is not capable of putting in the hard work.

FIND OUT MORE
Panorama logo
Fiona Phillips presents Panorama: Finished at Fifty?
BBC One, Monday, 4 April
2030BST

"I still am vibrant, I like to keep going. I can still work 16 hours a day no problem," he said of his energy for hard work.

Andy Harrop, policy director of charity Age UK, said while most employers have realised that they cannot overlook older workers for promotion based on their age without risking consequences, not hiring them in the first place is a different matter.

"There's much more age discrimination in recruitments where employers don't know the potential applicants," he said.

'Relocate, emigrate'

Former trade minister Lord Digby Jones said older workers are at real risk of being forced out of the workforce into an unwelcome - and under-funded - retirement before they are ready after enjoying a bountiful job market throughout their 30s and 40s.

He said that while the economy continues to shed jobs at every age and level, he believes many older workers have become set in their ways and that could turn into a barrier to finding employment.

"Have any of them thought of emigrating? What about being mobile within Britain?"

He also said some need to think of retraining and volunteering as a way to keep in the habit of going to work. Perhaps more painfully, he said the idea of accepting substantial pay cuts cannot be ruled out.

After 30 years in management in both the finance and legal sectors, Andrew Macreavy, 57, was made redundant a year ago and despite 490 applications he has only had seven job interviews and has yet to find work.

Andrew said while he had considered retraining, he has household bills to pay in the meantime. His small pension pot and his wife's part-time wages mean that the Kent couple do not quality for any state support.

"All that takes time, time needs funding and funds are sadly lacking at the moment."

Time bomb

Age UK's Andy Harrop said the bleak outlook for the public sector in Britain is a time-bomb for the over 50s.

Council worker: Job loss 'knocked me'

While it is expected that 400,000 jobs in the public sector will disappear by 2015, a survey of local councils by Wise Owls, an employment support agency specialising in older workers, found that the over 50s will make up almost 60% of their planned redundancies.

"We could see now a sort of second downturn, which would involve people in their 50s far more than the first banking-led crisis, which perhaps involved younger workers."

Lindy Griffiths, 52, was an early victim of sweeping funding cuts to local councils.

A trained teacher with 22 years experience, Lindy took up a senior position with Rochdale council's schools improvement team.

But a loss of funding last year cost Lindy her job and with it, she said, a part of her identity.

"I hadn't realised how important the status of a job is, how you are identified by the role that you play," she said of the shock of being jobless.

Employment minister Chris Grayling said the private sector would lead the recovery in the job market for workers of all ages.

"The evidence is the economy is growing and people will invest and they will create jobs," he said of private enterprise.

The jobless 50-somethings that I have met certainly hope they will be given the chance to participate in that growing economy.

If they are not, they and the thousands more expected to join their ranks in the coming months risk becoming Britain's latest lost generation.

Panorama: Finished at Fifty? BBC One, Monday, 4 April at 2030BST and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

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BBC News - China police silent on artist Ai Weiwei's detention

4 April 2011 Last updated at 07:09

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China police silent on artist Ai Weiwei's detention

By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing
Ai Weiwei poses with his installation Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern gallery in London in October 2010 Ai Weiwei is a successful artist and a vocal critic of the Chinese government

The internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been missing for more than 24 hours after being detained at Beijing airport.

The artist was stopped while passing through security checks for a flight to Hong Kong.

No one has seen or heard from him since. The authorities have not commented.

Ai Weiwei has become one of China's most outspoken critics, complaining about a lack of human rights.

The artist was detained on Sunday morning while travelling with an assistant, Jennifer Ng.

The documents of both were checked thoroughly before Ms Ng was allowed to continue on her journey to Hong Kong.

She told the BBC that Ai Weiwei was taken away by border guards.

"I went back to check with the security officers and they said, 'He has other business - you go on the flight on your own'," she said.

A few hours later, more than 40 police officers raided the artist's Beijing studio.

Dozens of items were confiscated, said another assistant, and several people were taken to a nearby police station. They were released a few hours later.

Vocal critic

Ai Weiwei's artwork is known across the world.

He helped design the main stadium used in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. It became known as the Bird's Nest because of its intricate steel latticework.

He currently has an exhibition at the Tate Modern gallery in London. It is made up of 100 million porcelain objects made to look like sunflower seeds, a popular snack food in China.

The artist has also become a vocal critic of the Chinese government.

Some of his work has political connotations - he tried to gather the names of every school child who died during the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.

This is a sensitive subject as many schools fell down in the earthquake, leading to claims that they were shoddily built.

The Chinese government is reluctant to talk about this issue and has arrested activists who do.

Ai Weiwei has also lent his support to others who have tackled the authorities.

He turned up outside the Beijing courthouse when fellow artist Wu Yuren went on trial at the end of last year.

He used the opportunity to talk to the foreign media, berating the government for what he believes is a lack of basic rights and freedoms in China.

These activities have brought him to the attention of the authorities.

The 53-year-old was last year prevented from travelling abroad and, in a separate incident, was briefly held under house arrest.

He is under constant surveillance. Miss Ng, his assistant, said the police had visited his compound three times recently.

She said that had led Ai Weiwei to wonder if his next detention was not far away.

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BBC News - No listed status for Trawsfynydd nuclear power station

19 June 2010 Last updated at 08:49

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No listed status for Trawsfynydd nuclear power station

Picture of Trawsfynydd nuclear power station at night (pic: Keith O'Brien) Some believe the station has a sculptural quality

A bid to list buildings at the decommissioned Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in Gwynedd has been refused by Wales' Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones.

Campaigners wanted the structures saved as they were designed by Sir Basil Spence, the architect behind Coventry Cathedral.

The power station was the first inland nuclear power station in Britain.

The towers' height is set to be reduced by half at the end of this year.

The building was constructed between 1959 and 1963 to a design by Sir Basil Spence, with garden designer Dame Sylvia Crowe as landscape consultant.

It began generating electricity in January 1965 as Britain's fourth nuclear power station.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Even the lake is man-made, so it's not as natural a place as it looks”

End Quote Jon Wright Twentieth Century Society

The power station was taken off line in 1991 and decommissioning began in 1993.

The minister Alun Ffred Jones was asked to consider whether the reactor towers met the criteria for listing 20th century buildings.

His decision not to list them clears the way for the towers to be partially torn down, with work expected to start towards the end of this year.

Clayton Hirst, who campaigned to save the towers, said he was "obviously disappointed at the decision, but satisfied Cadw looked at it in a thorough and vigorous process".

Contamination

Writing about his reasons for saving the towers on the Waleshome.org website Mr Hirst said Trawsfynydd should sit alongside Coventry Cathedral as one of Spence's greatest works.

"The problem is that it is tainted by what is contained within," he wrote.

Coventry cathedral Spence was responsible for Coventry Cathedral

"Not only is the site contaminated with radioactive material, but the very fact that it houses two worn out nuclear reactors contaminates the public's attitude towards the structure, making it one of Wales' most unloved buildings."

The Twentieth Century society, which campaigns for the preservation for Britain's modern architectural heritage was asked to back the campaign for the listing, but declined to do so because there were too many "issues".

Although they agree the building is worth saving "architecturally" there were too many other considerations, not least the fact that the building is full of "toxic material", according to the society's Jon Wright.

"It's an important building, but it doesn't surprise me that it's not been granted listed status," said Mr Wright.

He added the society believed it was far better to keep it there than cover it up, which will happen under the decommissioning plans.

"You can't pretend it was never there, that's a bit silly," he said.

"Better to leave it as it is until it is decided how to deal with what's inside."

The station was built with all local mortar and stone, and it was designed for the landscape, he added.

"Even the lake is man-made, so it's not as natural a place as it looks," Mr Wright said.

"I am sorry it hasn't been listed, but pleased Cadw looked at it closely," he added.

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Sunday, 3 April 2011

Hard Won Wisdom: Autism Understanding and AcceptanceOpen Letter to the World

So, your child has been diagnosed with A.D.H.D., A.D.D, A.D.H.D.-N.O.S., L.D., Autism, Asperger's, P.D.D., P.D.D.- N.O.S., S.I.D., H.F.A.,P.D.A., Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, or any other "diseases" that haven't even been thought up yet...As a parent and teacher...here is the blog never around when I needed it. I hope it helps!

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Teenager uses Human Rights Act to sue health authority over vital growth drugs | Law | The Observer

A 15-year-old boy who suffers from a rare medical condition that means he cannot eat protein is to make legal history by becoming the first child to sue his local health authority under the Human Rights Act.

The boy's lawyers claim that he will suffer both physical and mental retardation at a critical time in his adolescent development unless Derbyshire primary care trust agrees to fund a drug that helps him consume a normal diet.

The boy, who is referred to as NL, is said by his solicitor to be half the weight of normal children because of his condition, phenylketonuria, or PKU.

The rare condition affects one in 15,000 people, making it difficult for them to produce an enzyme that breaks down the protein found in meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts and cheese. It is sometimes fatal.

Derbyshire PCT has refused to pay for the boy to receive Kuvan, a drug that can alleviate the condition and costs £30,000 a year, on the grounds that he is not an exceptional case and there are alternatives available such as a synthetic food diet.

The case, one of the first to invoke the Human Rights Act against a PCT, is highly unusual because the claim against the PCT is being made under article six, the right to a fair trial, and article eight, respect for family life.

The boy's lawyers claim article six is relevant because of the way in which the PCT reached a decision not to fund the drug. They also say the boy's mother has had to give up her job because of the stress on the family, while his two younger brothers have suffered because his poor diet has left him often short-tempered, indicating that a claim under article eight is also valid.

His family has raised sufficient funds to pay for a one-year course of Kuvan, but they say their resources have now run out. The boy's father, Max, said his son may soon have to return to a synthetic diet that he has refused to eat in the past, leaving him prone to malnutrition.

Since the boy started taking the drug, which is widely available in other EU countries, he has made a dramatic improvement, according to his family and experts at Birmingham children's hospital who have observed him.

The boy has been able to eat small amounts of protein – about a third of a normal child's intake, which is equivalent to a bowl of cereal a day without milk. He has gained weight as a result. His father said the family was not asking the PCT to supply the drug indefinitely, but for the next three years, during which time the increased protein intake could help NL with his adolescent growth spurt.

"We have pretty much spent our life savings," Max said. "We are down to selling our house to continue. If not, I've got to put my son through more pain by taking him off the drug."

He said that since NL had been on the drug it was "like having a different son. His whole character has changed. He's less angry, easier to deal with, far more tolerant, more relaxed, more humorous, his confidence has improved and he's more able to concentrate."

Oliver Wright, of MPH solicitors who are acting on behalf of NL, said: "The PCT said we couldn't prove that it works and that it only works for one in four people with the condition. Well, my client has paid for it for a year and shown it works. He's put on weight, he's grown, he's happier."

The PCT, which declined to comment, was preparing to fight the case in court after proceedings were issued against it in February. However, after a series of legal wrangles, it has now referred a decision to its specialist individual funding request panel. If the panel declines to approve funding, the boy's lawyers will seek a judicial review into how the PCT reached its original decision.

The case is being studied closely by medical lawyers. Experts predict an increasing number of patients will use the Human Rights Act to demand access to expensive drugs and surgery. This week the High Court is expected to deliver its verdict in the case of Tom Condliff, a diabetic who says he will die within a year if Staffordshire primary care trust refuses to pay £5,500 for him to have a gastric bypass.

His legal team has argued that without the operation there is a significant chance he will lose some of his limbs, making the cost of caring for him far outweigh that of the operation. But lawyers for Staffordshire PCT have said that National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines make it clear that he does not qualify for surgery in his current condition.

The case is the first to have been brought under the Human Rights Act against a PCT, with Condliff's legal team arguing that, under article two, the Staffordshire trust must respect their client's right to life. If it is successful, similar applications are expected to be made at many of the UK's 159 PCTs.

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Peter Reynolds The life and times of Peter Reynolds A Tale Of Two Conferences

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” 

 

A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens.

 

It was at its best as the brave Clark French and Cure Ukay gave their personal testimonies as medicinal cannabis users at the European Student Drug Policy Reform Conference.  It was at its worst when Peter Hitchens confronted me and Sir Ian Gilmore  at the University of Bedfordshire “A Ceasefire In The War On Drugs?” debate.

 

 

The Cannabis Panel

 

I am so proud to have been associated with both Clark’s and Cure’s contributions at the Manchester conference last weekend.  There were tears in the audience as first Clark, who has MS, then Cure, who has Crohn’s,  explained the reality of their daily lives and the relief that cannabis provides.  The following day, Clark had a relapse and he hobbled to the front to explain, his legs in spasm.  He went outside to take his medicine and literally skipped back into the conference hall.  It was like watching Christ telling someone to take up his bed and walk.  It was intensely moving.  It refreshed my enthusiasm.  It reignited my rage.  They are both warriors for the cause of great courage and dedication.  They are my inspiration.

 

The conference was a worthy and well-organised event.  Lembit Opik gave a barnstorming speech which had them whooping and cheering in the aisles. There were fascinating contributions from Sebastian Saville and Niamh Eastwood of Release, Darryl Bickler of the Drug Equality Alliance, Chris Hallam and Tom Lloyd of the  International Drug Policy Consortium.  There were very practical workshops on campaigning and an engrossing lecture from Chris Rose of Campaign Strategies.  I know I’m biased but I think Clark and Cure were the stars of the show!

 

And so to London on Wednesday evening for the debate at Kings College University, near Waterloo.  As I walked into the lecture theatre, there was Peter Hitchens chatting with Sir Ian Gilmore. I marched straight up and introduced myself, explaining to Hitchens that I am responsible for the four Press Complaints Commission complaints that he is currently facing.  I enquired after his brother’s health and he gave me a long and detailed explanation about Christopher’s oseophageal cancer.  He was extremely courteous to me.  I took my seat directly in front of him.

 

 

Peter Hitchens

 

Hitchens spoke first.  He is the arch dissembler, presenting facts in such a way that he draws you towards a false conclusion. To be fair, he is a fine speaker but at the heart of his argument is an intellectual vacuum.

 

Sir Ian Gilmore, ex-president of the Royal College of Physicians went next.  He was quiet and dignified and presented a very scientific approach to harm reduction. Finally, Tim Hollis, Chief Constable of Humberside, stood in for David Blunkett. He was an entertaining speaker. I always rather like intelligent policemen.  They have a difficult job to and I think the good ones are very valuable to society.

 

So to questions…and I was fidgeting in my seat with impatience!  I had my go, talked about the harms of prohibition, about taking the more pragmatic approach with a regulated system and the evil injustice of the denial of medicinal cannabis.  Right in front of me Hitchens was visibly seething. When I pointed out that his brother is a passionate advocate of medical marijuana he snapped.  He pointed at me, glared and shouted “Leave my brother out of it!”.

 

Steve Rolles from Transform spoke as did Harry Shapiro from Drugscope. Tom Lloyd, who had also spoken in Manchester contributed and there were many other intelligent observations and comments.  Hitchens was clearly unhappy.

 

We went back to the panel and Hitchens was aggressive in his response, gesturing at me and talking of  “idiots” and accusing Sir Ian of talking “drivel”.  I heckled him. he promised to “deal with you later” with another Alan Sugar-style stab of the  finger.  Sir Ian was next and he rather politely suggested that “Peter has his head in the sand” – at which Hitchens exploded!

 

He grabbed his coat and bag and made as if to leave.  It was a very deliberate flounce in high dudgeon.  Later it was suggested he did it for dramatic effect but no, it made him look foolish.  He was flummoxed by the opposition.

 

The chairman, ex-BBC presenter John Silverman, skillfully restrained him and persuaded him to stay.  In his closing statement Hitchens quoted some statistics from Portugal in an effort to disprove that country’s success with decriminalisation.  It would be against the rules for me to accuse him of anything more than dissembling but no one in the room recognised any truth in his figures.

 

It was an entertaining evening and a good opportunity to raise the profile of  CLEAR.  I’m back next week for another session entitled “How the World’s View of the Drugs ‘war’ is Changing”.

Written by Peter Reynolds 

April 2, 2011 at 00:50

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Saturday, 2 April 2011

My electric shock nightmare at the hands of the CIA's evil doctor | Mail Online

My electric shock nightmare at the hands of the CIA's evil doctor

By Celia Imrie
Last updated at 10:17 PM on 2nd April 2011

Living as an actor is rather like living life on the trapezes in a circus. Every time you jump on, you have to pray that when the time comes for you to jump off there is another trapeze swinging your way.

I have been very lucky. So far they have kept swinging by and over the years I have had more than my fair share of roles on stage and television, including Upstairs Downstairs, The Darling Buds Of May, Dinnerladies, Acorn Antiques and Cranford.

Then there are the films, parts that have, to my surprise, given me quite a saucy reputation. After Calendar Girls, people might well think of me as something of an exhibitionist. I am not.

Famous friends: Celia Imrie, above left, with Helen Mirren and Julie Walters in the hit British film Calendar Girls

Famous friends: Celia Imrie, above left, with Helen Mirren and Julie Walters in the hit British film Calendar Girls

In fact, the scene where we had to take off our clothes was a source of great concern. It was shot one actress at a time  -  and it was my bad luck to be called ahead of Helen Mirren, Julie Walters and the rest of that wonderful cast.

I arrived at the studio feeling quite ill. It was as though I was in some horrible dream, wading through treacle. With a thundering heart, clutching my dressing gown around me, I made my way down to the set. Even I couldn't put it off for ever. I tried to imagine that somehow I wasn't really taking my clothes off and that, anyway, no one would ever see the film. How wrong I was, even if some strategically placed cupcakes preserved my modesty.

There was nothing understated about my part in Nanny McPhee either. Before it was released, the film was shown to a sample audience of children and they were terrified by the sight of my non-surgically enhanced bosoms.

The studio decided that there was nothing else for it but to airbrush out a large percentage of my cleavage - a move that cost the production company £150,000.

It is hard to believe, then, that as a child I dreamed of being a sylph-like dancer. While other girls swooned over The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, I worshipped Rudolf Nureyev and Isadora Duncan.

It was a yearning that was to lead me almost to the grave before I was 15 - not that I had any idea at the time. I pored over ballet books and magazines, and practised whenever I could. I was going to be a dancer.

Rising star: Celia with her mother and younger sister Katie

Rising star: Celia, aged five, with her mother and younger sister, Katie

My mother Diana was a trueblue aristocrat, descended from William the Conqueror and listed in Burke's Peerage. My father David, from a poor Scottish family, was a doctor.

I pressed them to let me attend ballet classes, to which they agreed. Always stubborn and wilful, I had my career planned. I would go to White Lodge, the junior branch of the Royal Ballet School in Richmond, South-West London, and serve my time in the chorus before being discovered, finally dancing in the arms of Nureyev, who would worship and probably marry me.

I practised and went in for every exam, bounding through the grades until I was good enough for my teachers to send me, aged 11, to audition for a place at the Royal Ballet School.

Waiting anxiously at home for the results to arrive, I yearned for the day when I would be whisked away from our home in Surrey to start my new life as a ballet student. One week. Two weeks. A month. But the letter never came. I knew something was wrong, so went searching for it, breaking into my mother's bureau. There it was.

Budding talent: Celia as Corinne Perigo in the hit television show The Darling Buds Of May

Budding talent: Celia as Corinne Perigo in the hit television show The Darling Buds Of May

Trembling, I slid the already opened letter from its envelope and read the fatal words: 'Celia is very good and advanced for her age, but sadly she is going to be too big ever to become a dancer.'

Too big? I was shattered. Surely this could not possibly be true? All right, so I might be too large at this moment, but I had seen diet adverts in newspapers. Surely if I worked hard enough at not eating, I would get small enough for the whole judging panel at the Royal Ballet School to get fat themselves - eating their words.

Over 18 months I lost an astonishing amount of weight. It was noticed first at six months by our nanny, known as Pop, when we had to try on summer clothes for our annual family holiday near Bognor Regis, West Sussex. After that I realised I was being watched at mealtimes.

I would look at myself in the mirror and, even though I was something near a skeleton, I didn't think I had gone far enough. In despair and I am sure with some embarrassment - my father being an eminent doctor - my parents brought in a child psychologist.

I was 5ft 2in and weighed 4st. What was the problem? Why couldn't they make me eat?

I was 5ft 2in and weighed 4st. What was the problem? Why couldn't they make me eat?

In those days there was not the excess of food there is now. People ate three pretty meagre meals a day if they were lucky, with no snacking in between.

Many people in those days were malnourished, but not through personal choice. So it was a mystery to the experts to find someone who had decided not to eat, just as it might have been then to find someone who was obese.

I was sent for a brief spell in the local hospital, where, bewildered by a condition they had not seen before, staff simply offered me three meals a day, which I politely refused.

After a few weeks, I was released to spend Christmas with my family.

I was happy to come home, but, far from being cured, I now knew that in future I must find even better ways of avoiding eating. I became sly. I worked out every way to dispose of food. I was so successful at it that soon I was little more than a carcass with skin.

Desperate now, my parents decided to send me away to St Thomas' Hospital in London, to enter one of the special wards belonging to the Department of Psychological Medicine. And once there I was placed under the care of world-famous psychiatrist William Sargant. I was 14.

Now, more than 20 years after his death, Sargant is notorious for his work for MI5 and the CIA, particularly its covert MK-ULTRA mind control programme.

Brusque and cold: Psychologist William Sargant used electric shock therapy on his patients

Brusque and cold: Psychologist William Sargant used electric shock therapy on his patients

Even then, Sargant was a world expert on brainwashing. Today his books are said to be studied by Al Qaeda. His work has links to the mysterious death of CIA biochemist Frank Olson after being given LSD; the Jonestown massacre in Guyana, where 900 people killed themselves; and to the mind-bending and occasionally lethal drug experiments performed on unwitting human guinea pigs at the Porton Down research centre in Wiltshire.

Sargant's methods were simple: electric-shock treatment and insulin-induced comas leading to continuous narcosis, or deep-sleep therapy, complete with taperecorded 'brainwashing' orders being played at the patients from beneath their pillows. And to think that all this came free on the NHS!

The hospital building is still there and even today it sends a chill through me when I pass it on my way to Waterloo station, the Imax cinema or the National Theatre. It is a gloomy, dark red-brick edifice, the green and white ceramic tile lettering still declaring it to be the Royal Waterloo Hospital for Children and Women, although today it houses the Schiller International University, a private American college.

From outside the Imax, you can see the window where I would sit waiting for my mother to emerge from Waterloo station, hurrying across the road, looking frantic. She was the only one who came to see me and I often wonder whether anyone else in the family even knew about her rushed, desperate visits. After all, I was the black sheep of the family.

At 14, I was the youngest in the ward. Most of the other patients were middle-aged women suffering from depression. From my bed, I watched them howling, moaning and screaming, fighting with the nurses. I thought: 'I don't want to be mad. I must get out of here.'

The doctors and nurses did their daily rounds. Twice a week or so, we were treated to a bedside visit from the Great Man himself.

Sargant still features in my nightmares. He was brusque and cold, and he never talked directly to you. Instead he issued orders over your head, talking about 'this one' and 'that one'. But that was preferable to making eye contact with this proud, incorrigible man with his dark, hard, evil eyes. I have only seen eyes like that on a couple of other people in my life.

HOW MY ACORN ROLE GREW

Celia Imrie starring in Acorn Antiques

I've often been asked on whom I based my portrayal of Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, the TV comedy I did with Victoria Wood and Julie Walters, and which later became a hit West End musical.

Many people cite the Prisoner Cell Block H governor, Erica Davidson. It is amazing to watch how similar our characters are, but in fact I didn't get to see Prisoner Cell Block H until after we had finished making the first series.

The hair is similar too, but that was a simple coincidence. Miss Babs came first. My main study was the marvellous Noele Gordon playing Meg Richardson in Crossroads.

After Sargant left the ward, the nurses would start preparing the horrors he had prescribed for the day  -  the electro-convulsive therapy. Friends have asked what it was like to have electrodes put either side of your skull before huge surges of power were fired through your brain, while you squirmed and wrestled and shrieked and moaned and dribbled into the pillow. But the truth is I don't remember.

I do, however, remember vividly watching the woman in the next bed when it was her turn to be assaulted in the name of health. I remember every sight, sound and smell. The huge rubber plug jammed between her teeth; the strange almost silent cry, like a sigh of pain; the shuddering contortions and jerky gyrations of the tormented body; the scent of burning hair and flesh.

I remember also the famous Narcosis Room, a ward where patients were forced into a drug-induced sleep for days while tapes played instructions to them from under the pillow.

Whenever I have been asked about Sargant's Narcosis Room, I can describe it perfectly. I used to sneak out of the ward to peer through the portholes in the swing doors, and gaze at dead-looking women lying on the floor on grey mattresses, silent in a kind of electrically induced twilight.

When people ask if ever I spent any time inside, I used to reply 'No', for I do not remember that ever happening.

But it recently occurred to me that everyone, in order to be put into the Narcosis Room, would first be drugged and that although I saw many women come back to the ward from there, I never saw any patient emerge from the place awake. You went in asleep and you came out asleep.

I don't think anyone who was treated by Sargant's sleep therapy was at any time aware of going in or coming out of that room. While inside, you were totally unconscious. So maybe I was in the Narcosis Room. I could not possibly know.

It is probable, I realise now, that I did go in. Like the electric shocks, I presume it definitely happened to me, though I can only recall it happening to others. I was certainly injected with huge doses of insulin. These injections are now understood to be one of the methods Sargant used to kick-start his sleeptherapy process.

I cannot know whether his mindcontrol methods worked on me as I do not know what the tape recordings under my pillow were telling me to do.

Some years back, I tried to find my hospital records, to see whether I could find out the limits of my treatment and if I had been in the Narcosis Room. I wanted to know the exact instructions on the tape constantly playing under my pillow, Sargant's wishes drummed relentlessly into my young, unconscious brain.

Unfortunately, my search was in vain. When Sargant left St Thomas', he illegally took away all his patients' records. By the time of his death in 1988, every single piece of paperwork about his inhumane treatment of us, the human guinea pigs, had been destroyed. So I will never know the absolute truth.

All-round appeal: Celia has appeared in everything from comedy to period drama - appearing here with Jim Carter in Cranford

All-round appeal: Celia has appeared in everything from comedy to period drama - appearing here with Jim Carter in Cranford

I do recall being given massive doses, three tumblers a day, of Largactil, an anti-psychotic drug. The effect of this drug was startling. My hands shook uncontrollably for most of the day and I'd wake up to find clumps of my hair on the pillow. But the worst consequence was that everything I saw was multiplied by four. When Sargant came into the room, I saw four of him. It was horrific and terrifying. Even simple tasks such as picking up a glass of water became impossible. The drugs had turned me into a victim.

As she increased the dosage one day, I overheard one nurse saying to her senior that I was exhibiting a 'dangerous resistance' to the drugs. Dangerous for whom, I wonder? Who could tell in that terrible place where, as far as I can see, the truly insane were the workers rather than the patients.

Sargant used to say that every dog has his breaking point - the eccentrics just took longer. I suppose my 'dangerous resistance' was what he was talking about. I like to think that I was one of those eccentric dogs he did not manage to break.

SWOONING FOR SEAN

Sean Connery as Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramerez in Highlander

I adored filming Highlander, which was released in 1986.

On the night of my arrival on set, I was told there was a farewell party for one of the main stars, Sean Connery, who had finished his scenes earlier that day.

I rushed to the room and entered just as Connery, pictured above in the film, was leaving. We met in the doorway.

'Who are you?' he asked, his face breaking into one of those famous heart-melting smiles.

'I'm Celia,' I gushed. 'I think you're absolutely wonderful. I start filming tomorrow.'

He gave me a wink and said: 'Pity you didn't start two days ago.'

Have you ever nearly fainted with simultaneous delight and disappointment? I have.

Many years later, I went with friends to see a film called Coma. It was a secondrate thriller starring Michael Douglas and Genevieve Bujold, in which Bujold discovers a ward full of patients suspended in hammocks in druginduced comas. When we came out into Leicester Square in London, my friends were laughing at the silliness of the plot, but I had the shakes and it took me some days to recover.

They probably thought I was coming down with something. In fact it wasn't until years later that I saw the link and realised why that film had upset me so deeply.

Whatever Sargant might have thought, my eventual cure was nothing to do with him or his bizarre techniques. The events that saved me from my self-induced anorexia came about in a very simple way.

Two things happened in short succession. First, one of the nurses, quite improperly I am sure, said to me one morning: 'You do realise that your selfish act of starving yourself means you are stealing the bed of a truly sick, possibly dying child?' She described other stricken children she had treated - those with polio and cancer.

She had no idea but what she said was more powerful than any of Sargant's insulin injections and taperecordings. My conscience was well and truly pricked.

A few days later, my dance teacher came to visit me. I didn't know the true reason at first but when I did, it was to send a chill through my barely there flesh. Miss Hawkesworth had been told that medical opinion was agreed that my weight was way below that which could possibly sustain life for any length of time. I would not survive the few weeks until Christmas.

Unlike do-gooders who tiptoe around the subject of illness and death, Miss Hawkesworth said: 'I came to visit you because they told me you would die in two weeks and I thought I ought to say goodbye.'

I had spent three years with everybody telling me: 'You must eat. You will eat. If you don't eat you will fade away. Please eat. Eat. Eat. Eat.' And so I didn't. Now here was a new order - 'You will die!' Die? How dare anyone tell me what to do. I wasn't going to die just to please them.

Whenever I am issued with an absolute order, my instinct has always been the same: do the opposite. And thanks to Miss Hawkesworth, I decided there and then I would not oblige these horrible, self-appointed gods of psychiatry and die just to satisfy their theories. Slowly, I started to eat.

I reversed the action that had been my secret weapon against them, and in twisting it round, it became my new secret weapon against them. I decided I would show them that they knew nothing about me. Plus, I was not going to let anyone think that my selfishness was responsible for depriving a sick child of treatment.

I later returned to school, somewhat changed in appearance. During a consultation with my psychiatrist, I had said I would like to have a baby one day, and hoped that would still be possible since I had upset the usual order of puberty.

Specialists at St Thomas' decided to give me a massive dose of oestrogen to kickstart the process. The trouble was that practically overnight it sent me from being flatchested to a 38in doubleD cup.

So, resembling a teenage brunette version of Jayne Mansfield in a fright wig, I took my O-levels and got the same number as Princess Diana (you can look it up if you're so interested).

I left school the day I turned 16, the earliest day I legally could. Determined to follow a life on stage, preferably with some dance connection, I applied for and won a place at the local drama school. I was on my way.

Years later I was talking to actor Nicholas Lyndhurst's wife Lucy. She had trained and become a professional dancer, even appearing with the Royal Ballet.

'A lot of it was hell,' she told me. 'Not at all what I had thought it would be. It often made me very unhappy.'

She described the strife and tension, the painful muscles, bleeding toes, rivalry and starvation diets. For the first time in my life I wondered if I had been fortunate by being forced out of dance and into acting.

I felt a tremendous surge of relief. I started to wonder what had impelled me to chase a desire that had almost killed me at 14. Now, I finally knew that my life had gone the right way. I had taken the best possible path.

© The Happy Hoofer, by Celia Imrie, is published by Hodder & Stoughton on April 14 priced £20. To order your copy for £15.99 with free p&p, call the Review Bookstore on 08 5 155 0730 or visit www.mailbookshop.co.uk.

 

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Friday, 1 April 2011

Getting wed the same day as William and Kate - Loughborough Echo

Getting wed the same day as William and Kate

Nov 24 2010 By Amy Watkins

IT WON’T just be Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrating their wedding on April 29...Loughborough couple Sophie and Peter have booked to take their vows on the same day.

Sophie Betts, 24, and Peter Aldiss, 23, of Biggin Street, Loughborough had arranged to get married on April 29 this spring and were shocked, but delighted, to find out they will be sharing their special day with Royalty.

Sophie, who is classroom assistant at Shelthorpe Primary School, said: “At first I was a little frustrated because I wanted to go down to London to see the wedding because I’m a Royalist.

“But it’s exciting. At least Pete can’t forget the anniversary date now.

“I am a little bit gutted – she can’t steal my thunder.

“I’ve told people I want to be the glory of the day so guests will have to watch it afterwards or the highlights.”

She added: “I have always been into my history, and the Monarchy has always been my favourite area.

“Kate is just a normal girl who is going to be a Princess. I see it as a pleasure – I think it makes the day more special.”

She will be marrying Nottingham student Peter at St Mary’s Catholic Church, in Ashby Road. Loughborough.

Former Shepshed resident and Loughborough University administrator Laura Jones, 31, and her partner, Matthew Cottill, 37, a software engineer in Coventry, will also be getting hitched on the same day.

Laura said: “I just thought it was quite exciting to have it on the same day.”

Jackie Pope, superintendent registrar for Leicestershire, told the Echo: “We do have quite a big diary but at the moment we’ve only got one wedding booked for that day.

“However since the announcement we’ve had quite a few couples ringing and asking how much.”

* For pictures of the happy couples, see this week's Echo.

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Falcons have their wings clipped by Wymeswold - Loughborough Echo

Falcons have their wings clipped by Wymeswold

Mar 12 2010 by Richard Rush, Loughborough Echo

THE leaders of the Charnwood Sunday League Automedia Printers Premier Division Loughborough Falcons had their title hopes hit after they were defeated by Wymeswold.

Rob Pitman scored two, Matt Boyles and Scott MacLennan one each while Gareth Mills netted for Falcons.

Whitwick Compass closed the gap on Falcons to one point with a 4-2 home win against Birstall Trees with goals from Martin Fox, Brett Hinckling, Ash Edkins and Ben Pollard while Luke Smith scored for Trees.

Birstall Stamford are still very much in contention and played a rare league game on Sunday, coming from 3-0 behind against Shelthorpe Lions to win 5-3 in a thriller. Austin Cainte, Ronnie White, Brett Marvin, Ian Whittle and James May secured the points.

Loughborough Saints went down 3-1 at Gaunt despite Joe Hettersley finding the back of the net.

Birstall Stamford Reserves dropped valuable points when they could only draw 1-1 in the Charnwood Security Division One with Hathern Three Crowns, while Groby Dynamo beat second placed Whitwick Village 4-2 on their own patch.

Burton FC have moved further away from the relegation zone with a 3-1 win at basement side Epinal Rovers courtesy of Pete Aldiss, Jon Coles and teenager Josh Waite with Danny Clement replying for Burton.

Loughborough Rovers made it eight wins from eight in the Trophy Parlour Division Two with a 7-1 hammering of Markfield Rangers through a hat-trick for Sam Craig and one each for Tom Wright, Joey Wright, Ben Green and Danny O’Connor.

Riverside kept their promotion hopes intact with a 4-1 home win against Cossington Royal Oak thanks to a brace from Tom Marriott and one each for Tom Jones and Ash Aldridge.

Ashby Rovers went nap without reply at Mountsorrel Imps, Alex Cast, Stuart Beasley, Michael Sleath, George Elsworth and an own goal making up the 5-0 win.

Loughborough Celtics beat bottom side Donisthorpe Engines in Division Three 7-0 with four goals from Dara McGrenagham, and one from Simon Slater, Gary Brewin and Deon Zolino.

Twelve beat Shelthorpe Lions Reserves 3-0 through a Gaz Wisher double and one from Lee Tebbutt and Loughborough Rovers Reserves won 2-1 at home to Loughborough Academicals with Luke Wooley and Ben Clarke netted for Rovers as did Neil Jacques for the Academicals.

Swannington have opened an eight point lead in the Colin Wards Butchers Division Four after they won 5-2 at home to Charnwood Foresters Reserves, Matt Robinson knocked in three, Alex Nicholls and Sam Bently one while Richard Roberts and Dave Issett scored for the Foresters’ second string.

Walsh UK also recorded a 5-2 home win against the Three Nuns Reserves, Stuart Gibson scoring three, Adey Lake one and James Dinnesmoore one with Ben Morris and John Waymont netting for the Nuns’ Reserves.

Loughborough Royal Oak also record five goals beating Cropston Rangers 5-1 with goals from Sean Beale (3), Jamie Sharman and Josh Smith.

Glen Marston was Cropston’s scorer as Ashby Railway won 8-0 at Unied Aces, Matt Dennis with three, James Winstanley and Chris Nettel two and Pete Bright one.

Peacock beat Birstall Trees Reserves 3-0 thanks to goals from Matt Griffin, Alex Cuthbert and Simeon Thomas.

Elsewhere The Three Nuns and Sileby Athletic moved into the semi-finals of the S and L Trophy after the latest batch of quarter finals.

The Nuns hammered Breedon 10-1 as Steve Shapcott hit three, Rich Barker and Andy Heffer bagged two each and there was one each for Luke Green, Ash Heffer and Daz Barrett while Simon Colver was Breedon’s lone scorer.

Sileby Athletic beat Barton FC 3-1 with goals from Rob Wills, Leo Cogan and Sam Rimington. BJ

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