Metro Herald, December 4, 2013

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Ross McDonagh gets Frozen out

»p13

Getting fit for an active winter »p18

Garda colluded in RUC murders

AN IRA mole in the Garda Síochána tipped off a terrorist hit squad that murdered two of the most senior RUC men to die in the Troubles, a damning collusion report has found.

Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan were gunned down on March 20, 1989 near the border in south Armagh shortly after a meeting with gardaí in Dundalk, Co Louth.

An eight-year tribunal found the officers might have been saved if gardaí had informed the RUC Mr Buchanan was on an IRA kill list.

As well as confirming long-held suspicions of the IRA mole in Dundalk, inquiry chief Judge Peter Smithwick accused Garda chiefs of trying to undermine a retired superintendent who testified that he passed intelligence on the Buchanan death threat to the highest ranks.

William Buchanan, son of the

by ed CaRty

murdered officer, said it was shocking his father had effectively been set up to be murdered.

Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore said: ‘I am appalled and saddened by this finding. It is a matter of grave public concern,’ he said.

Unionist politicians said it will have major implications for how the past is dealt with while Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers said she would raise the findings with Dublin.

The report found evidence former Garda detective sergeant Owen Corrigan passed information to the IRA – but it could not be proved he colluded in the murders. It was also found retired Garda sergeant Leo Colton helped the IRA get false passports, but there was no evidence of a relationship between them at the time of the killings.

LIFE AHEAD: Dhara Kivlehan is pictured with her husband Michael. The Indian woman’s family have been awarded almost €1m in damages from Irish health chiefs over failures in her care. The 28year-old died from multiorgan failure a week after giving birth to her first child in 2010 PICTURE: PA

Information was passed on to IRA

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METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Wednesday 04/12/13 How to contact us

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€24,000 Amount

being written off every Icelandic household’s mortgage by its government, costing the state a total of €900million

Ireland’s rate of newsprint recycling is now up to 79%. Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you.

Today is...

National Missing Persons Day Announced by Justice Minister Alan Shatter in October, this inaugural event allows us to remember those who have gone missing and the difficulties their families endure

From the archives (2006):

Video games can make you nasty

Violent video games are making children more aggressive, scientists warned. Such games increase activity in the part of the brain which controls emotions. It also leads to a dip in the area associated with control, focus and concentration.

Today’s birthdays

Jeff Bridges, actor, 64; Paul McGrath (pictured), Irish football hero, 54; Marisa Tomei, actress, 49; Jay Z, hiphop star, 44; Tyra Banks, model and presenter, 40.

CLOCkwORD

The solutions from 1 to 12 are all sixletter words ending with the letter L in the centre. Moving clockwise from 1, the letters in the outer circle will spell out the name of a British actress.

1. Of the nervous system 2. Middle-Eastern country 3. Breakfast food 4. Trying experience 5. Jim ---, Apollo astronaut

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

L

Attraction Package Lacking ethics Rock fragments Gloss paint Getting about Ornamental tuft

Yesterday’s solution: Stan Boardman.

Weather Weather Today

Max: 9°c

A cool and frosty start today, and it will remain dry and bright for much of the country with some good sunny spells. A few showers will affect parts of the west and the north. Temperatures between 6°C to 9°C in moderate west to northwest winds.

Derry

7�C

Donegal

8�C

6�C

Cavan

Galway

6�C

Athlone

Dublin

8�C

9�C

Tipperary Waterford

Tralee

Cork

SUPPORT OUR ANNUAL APPEAL SINCE 2009 SVP HAS HAD A 104% INCREASE IN CALLS FOR ASSISTANCE. THIS CHRISTMAS WE WILL ASSIST OVER 150,000 PEOPLE WITH FOOD, FUEL AND TOYS.

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Tonight

Belfast

7�C

8�C Sunrise: 8.22am Sunset: 4.09pm

Min: -1°c

Cold tonight especially in the Midlands, South and East with a sharp frost developing for a time. Temperatures between -1°C to 0°C with some icy patches.

EUROPE today

Tomorrow Very windy, with rain spreading southwards early on and temperatures rising for a time, but cold, windy, showery conditions will follow.

Temperatures between 8°C to 10°C in strong to gusty northwest winds.

8�C 9�C 9�C 10�C

10�C

9�C 9�C 10�C Max: 10°c

Athens

11 °c

Barcelona

16 °c

Berlin Brussels

4 °c 7 °c

London

8 °c

Geneva

6 °c 15 °c

Madrid Paris Rome

7 °c 15 °c

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

Slim gym fan demolishes 8,000-calorie sandwich (and fries) in just 36 minutes

Any chance of more chips?

He got the T-shirt: James Brettell is congratulated after his feat THERE are easier ways to earn €140 and a novelty T-shirt, but none quite so satisfying.

James Brettell doesn’t look like the classic fast food joint customer.

Yet his athletic frame hides an Olympian appetite and iron will.

After 116 people had tried and failed to gobble up the ‘Gigantwich’ – an 8,000-calorie heart attack on a plate – Mr Brettell succeeded.

The feast contains: sausage, bacon, ham, beef, turkey, lamb, steak burger, pulled barbeque pork, hash browns, various cheeses, stuffing, a cheese omelette, tomatoes, cucumber, salad, mayo, BBQ sauce, mustard and onion rings.

The fillings are sandwiched between six thick slices of bread with chips and coleslaw on the side. It weighs 2.5kg and costs diners €22 if not completed within 45 minutes.

‘I saw a picture of the sandwich on Facebook and it was the size of a baby. I just thought ‘‘I’ve got to

by TARiq TAHiR get me some of this’’,’ said Mr Brettell.

‘I’ve always been pretty trim but recently I’ve been training hard at the gym and only eating one or two big meals in the evenings.’

How did he manage it? He had help from the Rocky movies.

Mr Brettell, 26, said: ‘By the end it gets quite hard to stomach each mouthful without feeling sick. I think the owner could see I was flagging so he started playing Eye Of The Tiger through the restaurant speakers to keep me going.’

The chompion from Hadleigh, Essex, completed the task in 36min and 10sec on Saturday afternoon.

Will Fishenden, owner of the Mangetout bistro in Southend-onSea, said: ‘I was amazed when James finished it all as we have had a lot of much bigger guys than him come in and fail.’

Oh, boy: The 2.5kg (5.5lb) gigantwich is too much for this young diner.

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

€1m for family of woman who died week after birth

Witch way to our seats?

(L-r) Nicole, Pat and Katy Kenny attend last night’s premiere of the musical Wicked at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Picture:Brian Mcevoy

The family of a 28-year-old Indian by sARAH sTAck woman who died a week after giving birth to her first child has been Kivlehan at Sligo Regional hospiawarded almost €1million in dam- tal,’ Adrienne egan, a barrister for ages from Irish health chiefs. hSe told the court.

Dhara Kivlehan died from multiThe settlement agreed before organ failure in September 2010. the court was €790,000, which inShe had been airlifted from Sligo cluded weekly allowances for Dior General hospital to Belfast after as well as payments to Mr Kivlehan, suffering from a severe variant of his parents and his wife’s family in pre-eclampsia India. called hellp An undisclosed (haemolysis, eleout-of-court settlevated liver enment was reached zymes and low between Mr Kivleplatelets). han and the hSe her death and for personal injumaternity care has ries suffered. drawn parallels The couple met with that of Indian in London in 2002. dentist Savita haThey moved to Co lappanavar who Leitrim and mardied in hospital in Tragic: Dhara (left) with Michael ried in 2005.

Galway last October after suffering a miscarriage and blood poisoning.

Inquiries into Mrs halappanavar’s death found she was denied an abortion as she miscarried and subsequently suffered fatal infection as doctors failed to act on signs that her condition was deteriorating.

In the high Court yesterday, the health Service executive (hSe) apologised to widower Michael Kivlehan for shortcomings in his late wife’s care at Sligo, where the couple’s son Dior was delivered.

The legal action was settled in front of Judge Mary Irvine.

‘The hSe unreservedly apologises to the Kivlehan and Sandhu family for the shortcomings in relation to the management and care of Dhara

Carpet diem!

The ‘jokers’ lie on the mat in this photo posted on Facebook

Rug robbers ruse

A STUDENT nightclub has come up with a novel way to deal with the removal of a carpet by two revellers.

After photos popped up on Facebook of two young men lying on the branded floor mat they ‘borrowed’ on a night out at Carbon in Galway, instead of going to the Gardaí, the venue set them a challenge.

It reads: ‘These two jokers managed to sneak this mat out past security but if they can sneak it back in, we’ll give them a €100 bar tab and a free limo and vip entry for their friends. BUT if they are caught bringing it back in, BARRED for 2 months...So ye feeling lucky punks????..do it !!’ The story has had 10,000 hits on the nightclub’s Facebook page with fellow revellers offering tips on how the two carpet cons might succeed in their mission.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR ALL THE FAMILY AT FANTASTIC PRICES!

Ireland ahead of 2013 tax targets IRElAND is ahead of its tax targets and is on track to meet its yearly deficit goal, according to data released yesterday.

The 2013 tax take was 0.6 per cent above target at the end of November, while State departments spent 1.3 per cent less than budgeted.

The deficit, still among the highest in

Europe as a percentage of national output, fell to €8.6billion after the first 11 months of the year, from €13bn a year ago, the finance department said.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the strong performance indicated by the figures is ‘hard evidence’ that a recovery is taking hold across the economy.

Noonan: Recovery

Student to take action on union

Judge ‘astounded’ by gun dare that ended in death

A UCD student is considering taking legal action against the college’s students’ union after it refused his request to leave it.

Students automatically become members when they register at the facility, but there is no option to leave.

Samuel O’Connor wanted to leave because of the union’s pro-choice stance on abortion.

Speaking to UCD’s College Tribune, he said: ‘I am not going to let this disregard for my Constitutional rights lie.’

A MAN who shot and killed his friend after the victim had dared him to pull the trigger of a gun has been jailed for four years.

Craig Mullarney, 22, told gardaí that Kris emmet, who was aged 21, had assured him the shotgun’s safety catch was on.

Ballistics tests carried out on the legally held firearm more than a year later found the weapon would go off even when the safety was on. The licensed firearm had been a present from Mr emmet’s father to his son who was a keen hunter.

Mullarney, of Sheepmoor Ave,

Clonsilla, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the reckless discharge of a firearm at Fortlawn park, Blanchardstown February 16, 2010.

Judge Martin Nolan said there was an absolute obligation on Mullarney to make sure the gun was not loaded beforehand.

‘I’m astounded... he was a reasonably mature man. The idea that anyone would pull the trigger of a shotgun, even allowing for the safety trigger being on, without making sure it is unloaded, is beyond belief,’ he said.

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Man charged with murder in city park

supER bRAvE: Ireland’s youngest stroke survivors Jack Hersee, eight, from Arklow, Grace Manning, 13, from Rathfarnham and Alan Gleeson, 21, from Ballymore Eustace, Kildare, are pictured with TV presenters Marty Whelan and Diana Bunici and Monaghan Rose Eleanor McQuaid at the Irish Heart Foundation’s Life After Stroke Awards

A MAN has been charged with the murder of a man whose burned remains were found in the Phoenix Park, a court heard yesterday.

The deceased, Gerard Donnelly, believed to have been from Tallaght, had been sleeping rough in the park and his remains were discovered last Friday when gardaí spotted a fire near the Wellington Monument.

Mr Donnelly, who was in his 30s, had also suffered a fractured skull and was identified by gardaí through dental records and DNA samples.

Ciaran Moran, 27, who has an address at Camden Hall, Camden Street, appeared in court charged with the murder of Mr Donnelly on or about November 29 last.

Judge Ann Ryan remanded Moran in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on December 10.

Picture: Photocall

Neanderthal Four brothers man kept an guilty of sex offender death orderly cave FOUR brothers who torched the home of a sex offender and his 21-year-old girlfriend seven years ago have been found guilty of manslaughter.

Niall, 38, Martin, 41, Christopher, 33, and Stephen Smith, 31, were found guilty at Armagh Crown Court.

The brothers, who had denied murdering Thomas O’Hare, 33, and Lisa McClatchey in Armagh in 2006, were also found guilty of attempted arson.

During the trial it emerged Mr O’Hare, then 17, had sexually abused Stephen Smith, the youngest of the brothers, when Smith was eight years old.

Sentencing will be passed down next year.

YOU might think you keep a neat and tidy home... but would it pass muster with Neanderthal man?

Our prehistoric cousins were houseproud creatures who liked to keep everything in its place, says new research.

Far from throwing their things all round the cave, they organised their living space in ways that would be familiar to us.

‘Neanderthals were purposeful when it came to domestic space,’ said anthropologist Dr Julien Riel-Salvatore. ‘They were more sophisticated than many have given them credit for.’

For instance, after a hard day trapping red deer or mammoths they would

Spotify’s email promo for F*** You is banned

by DANiEL biNNs

cut up the animals in a different part of the shelter from where they made tools or gathered around the fire. It is further evidence of our near relatives being more civilised than the knuckledragging brutes they were once depicted as.

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Archaeology, is based on excavations in northern Italy. Dr Riel-Salvatore, of the University of Colorado in Denver, added: ‘If we are going to identify modern human behaviour on the basis of organised spatial patterns, you have to extend it to Neanderthals as well.’

Allen: Email banned

AN EMAIL promoting a new Lily Allen song sent by music streaming service Spotify has been banned for being likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

The email from Spotify included the text: ‘Have you heard this song by Lily Allen?

Give it a try. F*** You.’ A complainant challenged whether the use of a swear word in the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

Spotify said it did not intend to cause offence and said the email was intended to recommend songs to a user, one of which was titled F*** You. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority accepted the expletive reflected the title of a song, but said email recipients from a general online music service would not expect swearing.

Will sprouts taste sweeter?

THEY may be a staple of the traditional turkey dinner, but Brussels sprouts are not everyone’s favourite vegetable.

A supermarket is hoping the much-maligned green will get a thumbsup as its growers have created a milder sweeter version for fussy children and grownups, who often reject it because of its perceived bitter taste.

Chief sprout taster at British chain Waitrose, Amy Lance, is hoping the new sprouts will win over even the most ardent sprout haters.

TO WIN, JUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION! BOOK EARLY

A. The Helix B. Never never land C. Far far away land Text SLEEPINGBEAUTYPANTO, followed by your answer A, B or C, your name, email, postal address to 53133 (texts cost 60c + standard network charge) Terms and Conditions: The competition closes at Midday Friday December 6th. The winners will be chosen at random from the entries received and notified by telephone or email. Usual Metro Herald rules apply. The Editor's decision is final. By entering this competition you agree to sign up to the Metro Herald promotions list - To optout text NOMETRO to 51155. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay, D2. Customer Service number 0818 286 606

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

Man stole €82k to pay for wife’s fertility treatment

by AOifE Nic ARDgHAiL

Beauty queen reveals mugging ordeal

A MAN who stole more than €82,000 from his employer to help pay for his wife’s fertility treatment has been jailed for 18 months.

Janis Stasulis, 35, who is now separated from his wife and has a baby with another woman, had been described as a ‘competent and diligent staff member’ by his employers at International Leisure Group Ltd. Stasulis, a Latvian man previously of Fernleigh Grove, Carpenterstown, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of stealing amounts totalling €82,052 between February 22 and November 28, 2008. He has no previous convictions.

He had been on the fitness centre firm’s finance team and exploited a glitch in the payroll system.

He opened files before the bank processed them and directed funds into accounts opened in his name, but handed in his notice to his employers in January 2009 after the firm had a budget review.

Stasulis had agreed to stay on until after the company audit, but left in January saying his wife was sick in Russia. He never returned to work.

The company later conducted a wage payment review for November 2008 and discovered Stasulis had given himself €12,457 for that month.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring heard his relationship with his wife had lasted less than a year and that his motivation in committing the offence had been to fund her fertility treatment in Russia.

Judge Ring imposed a three-year sentence with the final 18 months suspended and backdated this to when Stasulis entered custody in March 2013.

At least 139 people are sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin.

Dublin Region Homeless Executive said the numbers sleeping outdoors soared when volunteers did a head count one night last month, up from 94 in April.

It said about 80 new temporary beds are being provided to meet demand. the figures show 80 per cent were men, 14 per cent women and more than half were Irish. with 87 previous users of homeless services. the Peter McVerry trust, which has recently increased its bed capacity to 265, said the situation remained ‘extremely challenging’.

kovdovanikphotography.com

Dublin has 139 rough sleepers

Miss Ethnic Ireland Phokuhle Mafu: The title highlights the scourge of violence against women and female genital mutilation

by Luas

MISS Ethnic Ireland was left shaken on Monday night after her sash and crown were burnt by a mugger.

Phokuhle Mafu had just left the offices of Africa World newspaper, close to the Rotunda Hospital, when a man grabbed her handbag and a small kit bag and dragged her towards an alleyway.

The 22-year-old, originally from South Africa, had her phone in her pocket, but the bags contained her sash and crown, as well as shoes and her wallet. Her possessions were later found on fire.

Ms Mafu told Metro Herald she believes she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The incident happened around 10pm on Monday night as people were boarding the Number 11 bus.

Keaveney: Once said FF had ‘run the country into the ground’

Keaveney switches to Fianna Fáil THE former chairman of the Labour Party has joined Fianna Fáil, claiming the party has learnt lessons from the past.

Colm Keaveney, a TD for Galway East, first rebelled over Budget 2013 and then quit his former party claiming its time in government has turned into a political charade.

‘It has become clear to me that the only organisation in Irish politics that seems interested in learning from the lessons of the past and putting fairness at the heart of policymaking is Fianna Fáil,’ he said.

The switch was confirmed in Leinster House yesterday.

Ahead of the unveiling, Mr Keaveney tweeted a Latin message translated as: ‘Fortune favours the brave.’

‘Cuddle’ aid for autism A SINGLE spray of the ‘cuddle’ hormone oxytocin can temporarily help children with autism overcome their disability, research has shown.

A study, where 17 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders were given an oxytocin nasal spray or a placebo, was the first to look at the impact of the hormone, which helps seal the bond between mothers and babies.

The findings appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Win a Christmas Dinner Hamper a Day until 12th December Hampers feed 6-8 people and include a delicious, 4 course, freshly prepared, ready to cook Christmas dinner delivered to your door on 23rd December

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METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Thor star Hemsworth forced to flee deadly flash floods Chris Hemsworth cheated death while filming his new movie as five people were killed by flash floods and mudslides. The Thor actor, 30, was forced to abandon the Canary Island set of In The Heart Of The Sea, under emergency orders after a storm hit La Gomera. Film director Ron Howard, 59, shared the ordeal with his Twitter

followers, writing: ‘Rare, heavy rain forced us to our small converted stage. Then our access road began to flood.

Soon we were told to wrap and evacuate. Pronto.’

He added: ‘Good luck no cars or people were swept away or hit by tumbling rocks.’ The deadly storm comes weeks after the film crew was rescued by the coastguard when their ship ran aground off the island.

I thought I would die says ‘fat’ Ellie E

llie GouldinG has revealed how she feared she was going to die as she was hit by a panic attack in a taxi.

The singer needed drugs and therapy to get over the meltdown after bad relationships wrecked her confidence – leaving her convinced that she was fat and had a big nose. ‘one day, after a shoot, i was on a train going to a funeral and my heart was pounding – i thought i was having a heart attack,’ she recalled. ‘My connection was cancelled, so i had to get a cab with strangers. i was so scared i reached over to this woman and said, “i think i’m dying”.’

The 26-year-old went to hospital, where staff told her there was nothing wrong with her heart.

But she suffered several more panic attacks before getting her demons under control. ‘i’d convinced myself i was fat – i didn’t like my figure and i had a big nose,’ admitted the Burn hitmaker, adding romance had been her Achilles’ heel.

‘You should never change for anyone,’ she told Cosmopolitan. ‘And i say that because i’ve done it before – i’ve changed for a man. ‘i was so, so in love with him that i’d have done anything. i look back now and think, “What an idiot!” You only realise when you’re out of it how someone can have a hold over you. i thought he treated me horrendously and i just didn’t help myself.’

by ANDREI HARMSWORTH Goulding, whose old flames include BBC Radio 1’s Greg James and the uS electro dJ Skrillex, said her panicky period had been ‘the weirdest time of my life’.

‘Sick, horrible things would go through my mind but i didn’t want to draw attention to myself,’ she said. ‘it got to the point when i couldn’t even get into the car and go to the studio.’

The chart-topper, whose father walked out when she was five, began to recover when she came to realise she was haunted by her past. ‘i went to see an amazing woman to have cognitive behavioural therapy, and she flushed everything out,’ Goulding revealed.

‘With the help of things like diazepam in small doses to relax me at certain times, the attacks slowly stopped and now i’m through it.’

Read the full interview in the January 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan, out on Friday.

Figure fears: Svelte Ellie disliked her shape and revealed her mental torture to the magazine PICTURE: PETER PEdonomoU

Leona: I get wasted and throw tantrums Each month you will be able to vote for who you think is our best merchandiser.

Send us your nominations with why you think they should win and the location they work at to

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A monthly cash prize, their photo in Metro Herald & the prestige that comes with the title.

SHE might be known as a squeakyclean singer but Leona Lewis claims she is a hellraiser behind closed doors.

The 28-year-old Bleeding Love singer claimed a bout of road rage left her so angry she committed the ultimate rock ’n’ roll act of smashing up her hotel room...sort of.

‘Men always feel like they can take the mickey out of women on the road and I don’t like it,’ she said. ‘I smashed up my hotel room because I was angry. I gave a table a kick and I didn’t think it would fall over. I normally do it so that it won’t damage things but things got smashed. Champagne glasses broke. I had bad road rage.’

And when she’s not taking her anger out on a table, she’s puking her guts up with friends.

‘The other

night we went out to a show to see RnB Superstars,’ she told me.

‘Faith Evans was there, Kelly Price, Mario, Sisqo, it was so fun.

We were dancing for five hours. We do fun stuff like that and go out to bars. They are the kind of friends I can get roaring drunk around and let loose.

‘They have seen my worst side 150 times. They have been there through the ups and downs, the hair-holding when I’m so drunk I’m sick.’

Moving on to more wholesome matters, Lewis said she had a ball filming the video for Christmas single One More Sleep with her real friends. ‘They wanted me to cast a bunch of actors but that wasn’t happening because I wanted it to be realistic,’ Lewis said.

Clooney: I haven’t met ‘the one’ yet George Clooney says his search for ‘the one’ continues.

After the recent collapse of his romance to former wrestling star Stacy Keibler, 34, the 52-year-old hints his next lover has high standards to live up to. ‘When I was a kid, I was in love with Audrey Hepburn. I watched Roman Holiday when I was 11 and I thought she was as elegant as anything I’d ever seen. I fell madly in love with her,’ he told W magazine. ‘I also loved Grace Kelly. I mean, when she comes out of the water in To Catch A Thief, I thought, “That’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen”.’

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

★ Good as gold: Car Cara Delevingne dumped her bra to slip into a gold smoking jacket for a Vogue photo shoot. The 21-y 21-year-old is filming her role in a film about Amanda Kno Knox. See more pictures in the January edition of Vo Vogue, out Monday Picture: ALexi Lubomirski

Harry keeps a Lowe profile during party If Harry Styles and Daisy Lowe really are dating, they went to great lengths to keep it under wraps at Playboy magazine’s 60th birthday bash. The pair arrived and left the party separately but wore matching Gothinspired outfits, including sheer seethrough black tops. They also betrayed no signs of a relationship as they mingled with their own pals at the Playboy Club in Mayfair, London.

Model Lowe, 24, and 19-year-old One Direction singer Styles have reportedly been ‘secretly dating’ after being set up by BBC Radio DJ Nick Grimshaw.

The pair were said to be ‘all over each other’ at Alexa Chung’s birthday party last month.

Kate Moss has warned fans who see her out and about not to bother asking for a happy snap.

The tetchy supermodel told Playboy her privacy was being compromised by the popularity of Instagram and other social networking sites.

‘Now with Instagram and everything, everyone’s so on their phones,’ the 39-year-old moaned.

‘Even when I’m in a restaurant someone will come up and ask to get a picture withme. I’m like, “No”.

‘There are no boundaries any more.’

10 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

in focus

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news@metroherald.ie

There’s life in the old Playboy yet A

T The ripe old age of 39, Kate Moss has donned her bunny ears – and only bunny ears – to pose naked to mark the 60th anniversary of Playboy.

She will appear in the January/ February 2014 edition of the magazine (available on December 17) – a sneak preview of her shoot was in this month’s issue.

A naked Marilyn Monroe graced the very first issue in December 1953. Unlike Moss, Monroe didn’t have a Playboy shoot – her image came from a calendar shoot she did four years earlier when she needed the money.

But a savvy young journalist from Playboy readers:

Playboy on: 81% are male

Facebook: 12m fans

Fahrenheit 451 19% are female

Twitter: 790,000 followers

40% are married 8% are students All appeared in Playboy: Marge Simpson Marilyn Monroe Sharon Stone Kelly Brook Madonna Kim Basinger Cindy Crawford

“

sues were sold each month, which perhaps explains why the magazine’s editorial reboot involved returning to its roots, albeit carefully selected ones.

An example is the July/August 2013 issue. The cover featured 25 synchronised swimmers forming the iconic rabbit head logo – an obvious nod to the art-directed aesthetic of Playboy’s 1960s golden era. Double-D surgically enhanced models are a thing of the past.

Recent issues have included interWriter Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed novel

Instagram: 743,000 followers

was serialised in Playboy in 1954

Moss coup as proof it’s here to stay.

‘This is a massive global brand,’ said Playboy’s editorial director, Jimmy Jellinek. ‘You’re talking about the face of Burberry – the biggest supermodel in the world – on the cover of Playboy.’

And Moss’s reputation is unlikely to suffer as a result of her decision to pose for the magazine. ‘examples are Cindy Crawford, Madonna and Sharon Stone.

Over the past 50 years, Playboy has become a lot more mainstream,’ said Prof Watts. ‘What it showed and advocated in the early days of the magazine with regard to sexuality and lifestyle are now part of the culture and really not that controversial.’

Although Playboy may have ditched the surgically enhanced models, it cannot possibly lower the ‘impossibly high – and often emotionally and physically destructive – standards of beauty faced by women’, said Dr Adrienne Roberts, a lecturer in the school of social sciences at the University of Manchester.

She added: ‘Women often impose these standards on themselves. They are, after all, the main consumers of most fashion magazines, but this has been conditioned by decades, if not centuries, of sexist advertising and other structural gendered expectations.’

As for the next 60 years, well hefner, now 87, won’t be around. But the magazine could well outlive him.

Whenever ‘hef’ does pass away, it will be some funeral – he owns the burial plot in an LA cemetery beside the remains of... Marilyn Monroe.

In the early days, religion was the primary barrier to buying the magazine, now it tends to be feminism

Playboy is 60 years old next month and is marking the milestone by putting model Kate Moss on its cover. But is the magazine relevant or a misogynist reminder of a bygone era? TAMARA HINSON reports...

Chicago called hugh hefner bought the rights to the photo and slapped it in the middle of his new magazine.

Playboy was born. Sixty years later, is the magazine doing Moss a favour or is it the other way around?

In August, the credit rating of Playboy enterprises was lowered by financial services company Standard & Poor’s, amid fears the famous brand could be about to disappear.

Playboy was at its most successful 40 years ago – in 1972, 7million is-

views with British actor Idris elba, a guide to creating the ultimate dinner party and an article offering advice to women in long-distance relationships. One in five readers are female and the average age of readers is 37.

Prof Steven Watts, an expert on American intellectual and cultural history at the University of Missouri-Columbia, believes the connotations thrown up by the magazine haven’t changed – they just exist for different reasons.

‘The stigma is at about the same level,’ he said. ‘In the early days, religion was the primary barrier to buying the magazine and now it tends to be feminism. In both cases, for different reasons, the pressure was for “respectable” people not to buy and read Playboy.

‘But now, as then, for people who don’t feel subject to such social pressures, getting the magazine is no big deal.’

I

n An age where viewers of pornography get their fix online, the brand has had these bases covered for some years.

Playboy enterprises has a TV station, digital network, online division, radio station and apparel and collectables lines, as well as nearly 30 international editions.

Today, about 1.25million copies are sold each month and the team behind the magazine are confident that the future is bright, citing the

Hefner originally wanted to call the magazine

Stag Party

but an existing magazine called Stag threatened him with legal action

Playboy founder

There is a

Playboy bunny logo,

often hidden, on the cover of every issue of the magazine

Hugh Hefner used a

$1,000

loan from his mother to set up the magazine in Chicago in 1953

All appeared on the cover: Burt Reynolds Steve Martin Donald Trump Jerry Seinfeld Bruno Mars

Authors who have all written for it: Margaret Atwood Roald Dahl Ian Fleming Norman Mailer

Playboy.com has

5.3m unique visitors per month

80% are male 20% are female Source: Playboy, GfK MRI, comScore

Marilyn Monroe’s naked centrefold spread in the first Playboy was taken from a calendar shoot she had done four years previously. Hefner had bought the rights to the image. He also owns the burial plot beside Monroe’s grave at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in LA

The first issue of Playboy in

December 1953

is undated as Hefner didn’t expect there to be another edition

Picture: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

D

Toxic mice unleashed on snake invaders TOXIC mice have been brought in to kill snakes that cause blackouts by climbing on power lines.

Hundreds of the dead rodents – each packed with 80mg of acetaminophen – have been airdropped across an area the size of 210 football fields on Guam, a US Pacific island. If ingested, the bait could drastically reduce the vast brown tree snake population which has caused millions of pounds of damage to the electrical network and wiped out some species of birds. The risk to other animals is slight, according to US Department of Agriculture wildlife services biologist Dan Vice. ‘It would take 500 mice to kill a pig and 15 to kill a cat,’ he said.

11

Bullets become backslaps as Thai police stand down

Through the barricades: Jubilant protesters celebrate peace breaking out Picture: reuters

World

digest UKRAinE: Police face protesters blockading parliament after a deal to build ties with the EU was put off.

President Viktor Yanukovych fears a coup attempt Picture: AP

Fisherman dies as shark bites off dangling foot HAwAii: A fisherman died after a shark bit off his foot as he dangled it over the side of his kayak. Patrick Briney, 57, of Stevenson, Washington, was attacked as he paddled between Maui and Molokini. A tour boat took him to shore but he died in hospital on Monday. A German tourist was killed by a shark in Hawaii in August.

‘Poet of the people’ Fouad negm dies EgyPT: Satirical poet Ahmed Fouad Negm died yesterday, aged 84. Known as the ‘poet of the people’, Negm rose to fame in the 1970s when his poetry was sung by blind musician Sheik Imam Issa. A self-proclaimed secularist, Negm (pictured) was a harsh critic of Islamists. His funeral will take place in Cairo.

Painkiller thief jailed for passing virus to patients AMERiCA: A hospital technician was jailed for 39 years for giving 46 people hepatitis C. Drug addict David Kwiatkowski, who carries the virus, would swap syringes loaded with painkillers with ones he had used to inject himself. The 34-year-old was hired by New Hampshire’s Exeter Hospital despite a poor track record.

and finally...

BOsniA & HERzEgOvinA: Martial arts expert Muhamed Kahrimanovic smashed his own Guinness world record by crushing 46 coconuts with his bare hands in one minute at a taekwondo contest in Visoko. ‘It was a tough nut to crack,’ he joked.

A VIOLENT battle between hardcore student protesters and the police turned into a ‘family picnic’ yesterday in Bangkok.

Within minutes of police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at them, the protesters outside Government House were cheering, clapping and hugging officers.

Their anger at prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra vanished when the police were ordered to stand down and let them walk through barricades and protest on the building’s manicured lawn.

By 11am, a police officer with a loudhailer urged his men to greet the approaching protesters ‘with a friendly smile’.

‘We don’t want anyone to go inside and ruin government buildings,’ said wellmannered protester Brenda Nong, 51.

by jOEL TAyLOR ‘We’re good people. We’re here for democracy.’

The violence was part of a long campaign to topple Yingluck’s government and banish the influence of her brother, exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

But the prime minister was not there yesterday and insists she sees no reason to quit.

‘The government is still doing its job,’ her deputy Pongthep Thepkanchana told reporters.

Anger is sure to bubble up again. Even if Yingluck didn’t resign immediately, she was still ‘a lame-duck prime minister’, said 70year-old protester Supradith Kamlai, who wore a T-shirt saying ‘No negotiations. No talks. No Thaksin regime.’

Bolshoi dancer gets 6yrs for acid attack A DANCER with the Bolshoi ballet was yesterday jailed for six years for his role in an acid attack on its director.

Pavel Dmitrichenko plotted with two other men to hurt Sergei Filin but claimed he had no idea he would be sprayed with the corrosive chemical leaving him blind in one eye.

Former convict Yuri Zarutsky, who admitted throwing the sulphuric acid, was jailed for ten years and their driver, Andrei Lipatov, for four.

‘I didn’t know about what was going to

happen to you,’ soloist Dmitrichenko, 29, told Mr Filin during a court session in November. ‘I still don’t Jail: Dmitrichenko relieve myself of moral responsibility.’

Dmitrichenko told Zarutsky that he disapproved of Mr Filin’s management style, the hearing was told. Since the attack in Mr Filin’s Moscow flat in January, he has undergone 20 operations to try to save his sight. ‘The pain was immense,’ he said.

i own warhol’s Farrah portrait, claims O’neal

Do you have Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning, Heat Pump or Fire Suppression Systems in your premises?

HOLLYWOOD star Ryan O’Neal has insisted he owns an Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett that a university claims was bequeathed to it by the former Charlie’s Angel. The Love Story actor said he asked former partner Fawcett to look after the picture in 1998, because his new girlfriend felt uneasy seeing it above his bed. He said it had been ‘no secret’ that he had taken the artwork from Fawcett’s home when she died in 2009, and that he’d talked it over with the executor of her will. O’Neal, 72, said Warhol agreed to make two copies of the portrait in 1980 – one each for him and Fawcett. But the University of Texas claims both pictures were for Fawcett and the one O’Neal took ought to be hanging at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin with its twin. The trial in LA continues.

If so, you have legal responsibilities 1. Make a list of systems containing ODS and F-gases and label them 2. Have your systems checked for leaks and get them repaired 3. Only qualified technicians from certified companies can do this work. Check for certified companies online at www.fgasregistration.ie (Companies may also be certified in other member states) 4. Check that your system is not running on a banned gas e.g. R22.

From the end of 2014, R22 systems cannot be serviced 5. All waste gas must be treated as hazardous waste 6. Keep records to prove your compliance Contact details PO Box 3000, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, Ireland Lo Call 1890 335599 Email: pan@epa.ie www.ozone.ie

www.fgases.ie

12 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Email: Twitter:

mail@metroherald.ie Text: @metrohnews and Facebook: #metromailbox

‘Mail’ to 53131* Facebook.com/ metroherald

*Please include a name and location.

Texts cost €0.30 per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay, D2. Customer service number 0818286606

Adams story is echoed in tragic saga of abused abusing

I

n reply to Paul Anthony, our family was in a similar position.

A brother who we grew up with and loved was abused by a neighbour when he was 11. Unfortunately, it was his word against the neighbour’s and nothing was proven. He married when he was 46 and abused his own daughter. We kept it out of the courts by agreement, instead sending him and his daughter to counselling.

He lost his right to be a father and husband when he abused her, that’s accepted.

But doing time would do him no good. He survived a suicide attempt and is still in counselling. His now-grown daughter sympathises with his tragic past.

Gerry Adams testified against his brother.

I feel the entire family’s pain along with Áine’s pain. I see no empathy in Paul’s letter for either, only misplaced loyalty to his political party. Please let the Adams family come to terms with their grief for Áine and themselves and, let them all decide if they Maire could have acted sooner.

■ Help needed! I can’t think of a Christmas gift for my old man! He doesn’t read books, has every golf accessory and isn’t into food/holidays/movies. So what do you get the man who has everything? Stressed ■ Greetings from the north Pole!

Santa has asked if you would remind all the boys and girls to post their Christmas letters to him as soon as possible. All the elves are busy in the workshop making and packing toys. Mrs Claus is checking lists of names and planning the route for Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve! Santa loves reading the letters from children, particularly when they have taken the time to write themselves. So all they need do is put their letter in an envelope, write their name and address clearly on the top left-hand corner of the front of the envelope, stick a 60c stamp on the top righthand corner and post it Santa Claus, The north Pole.

I hope you have a very magical Chief Elf Christmas!

Quick pic

THEY WENT THATTAWAY: Everyone likes a good murmuration of starlings. A Belfast snapper sent us this image of the flock of birds pointing at something Send your photos to pictures@ metroherald.ie with ‘Quick pic’ as the subject and we will print the best each day in the paper

gOOD On yA

yEH bIg RIDE

● Thank you, Angela! It was lovely to have met you. I hope you made it to Naas. I’m still hoping it wasn’t my driving that made you ill!

Tram Driver Michelle

● To the blond guy who gets on the Luas towards Sandyford each morning. You may look like Ellen DeGeneres but I think you’re stunning. Stop hiding behind Metro Herald and say hi.

Girl With Nose Ring At Dundrum

● Huge thank you to the lads who helped me start my car after the battery died in the car park in Leixlip. Such gents! Rochelle

● To Olympia blonde – you are worth the ticket price alone...

Rockman

yOuR RusH-HOuR cRusH

RAnDOM AcTs Of kInDnEss

TREnDIng

@metrohnews #metromailbox

#ColmKeaveney

● Wow; stunned but wish you all the best!

You’re an asset to FF! Wouldn’t mind the Labour comments! Not a FF fan but Good luck! @AodhanC ● Colm Keaveney has no principles other

than power for power’s sake and could not care less about social progress. Perfect fit for Fianna Fáil. @DayvyG ● Imagine a party being so destitute that Deputy Colm Keaveney is a catch. @HugoBeB

Win tickets to the Irish Premiere Screening of

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

™

the release of the highly anticipated film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , from To celebrate the creators of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we’ve teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures, ™

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and New Line Cinema to offer you the opportunity to see it ahead of anyone else. The Irish Premiere screening will take place at The Savoy Cinema on Tuesday 10th December and we have tickets to give away! rom Academy Award -winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: The Desolation of F Smaug , the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, ®

™

by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug™ continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

To win, just answer this question…

THE DWARVES THINK BILBO IS A:

a) Burglar

b) Wizard

c) Warrior

Text HOBBIT, followed by your answer A, B or C, your name, email, postal address to 53133 (texts cost 60c + standard network charge). ™

WARNERBROS.CO.UK/THEHOBBITMOVIE

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SM AUG OPENS ACROSS IRELAND ON 13 DECEMBER

2013 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit ™, and the names of the characters, events, items and places therein, are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

©

Metro Herald Terms and Conditions: The competition closes at Midday Friday December 6th 2013. The winners will be chosen at random from the entries received and notified by telephone or email. Usual Metro Herald rules apply. The Editor's decision is final. By entering this competition you agree to sign up to the Metro Herald promotions list - To optout text NOMETRO to 51155. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay, D2. Customer Service number 0818 286 606.

D

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

13

Ross with writer/codirector Jennifer Lee and producer Peter Del Vecho

Freeze frames Q

The Snow Queen is the latest classic fairytale to get the Disney treatment. Ross McDonagh was recently smuggled into its animation studios for a behind-the-scenes chat with the people behind Frozen

uick: name your favourite Disney movie. chances are you said either The Lion king, Aladdin, Beauty And The Beast or The Little Mermaid. While recent Disney offerings have visually grown more and more impressive, the modern computer animated films have been missing something the four hand-drawn staples above had in abundance: music. Frozen is the first modern Disney film to come close to regaining that sing-along-ability. According to producer Peter Del Vecho, the song writing and the story writing elements were very much intertwined from the start.

‘We brought (husband-and-wife songwriters Robert Lopez and kristen Anderson-Lopez) on very, very early and met with them for two hours every day.

A lot of times we were just talking about characters or plots or story

arcs because they really needed to understand all of that before they wrote anything.’

‘You’re never sort of “stopping for a song”,’ added writer/co-director Jennifer Lee, and she speaks the truth. ‘(The Lopezes) have a very modern approach, it’s very fresh and edgy and playful, but there’s a sincerity that they can bring that i think is classic.’

Although it was clearly a labour of love, writing for film definitely sounds like a labour. Still, at least

12 Crown Alley St. 13 St. Andrews St. 14 St. Leinster St.

Traditional style Christmas gifts for everyone

when writing for a children’s film, Lee can take leaps of logic that restrict films set in the real world…? ‘i guess because we have a way with magic and there’s no real magic in the world, we get to cheat…’ She stops in horror as she realises what she’s just said to a journalist.‘…Did i just get a Disney director to say there’s no magic in the world?’ i jibe.

‘Don’t quote me on that!’ she bursts out laughing. ‘Please! i apologise!’

To understand how bodies move and work and to convey that convincingly, animators have to understand acting as much as actors themselves. ‘Great acting is great animation,’ says Frozen’s head of animation Lino DiSalvo, which is why he brought in seasoned acting coaches to work with the animators. ‘You see a little bit of the animator in every single shot, as you would in a really good actor, you

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14 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

film

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D

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

always see a little bit of them in every single role that brings the human side to it.’

Princess Anna’s animation supervisor Becky Bresee shows me a video – it’s herself in her office late one night energetically mimicking a scene from the film. ‘I go into my office where I have a little camera on my desk and I film myself acting the scene out. I’ll act it out a tonne of times,’ she says, hoping to capture those little body language intricacies that make these characters believable.

MAKING IT SNOW With Frozen, the animation team knew they’d need a way to create convincing snow. ‘The snow itself is kind of like a character, and when you’re trying to “act” to a character that’s not there, it’s very difficult to do,’ says software engineer Andy Selle. ‘So we looked at all the literature and research we could find in the graphics community and we really couldn’t find a good snow simulation technology.’

“The snow itself is kind of like a character” So they built their own from scratch: the cleverly titled Matterhorn. ‘It’s a snow simulator which understands the rules of snow,’ he says. ‘Continuum mechanics is sort of the study of how materials work.’

‘For snow it’s a lot more complicated. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say we were able to give the animators a tool which could tweak whether it’s chunky or powdery snow, so if you wanted newly fallen snow or just a one-night crisp frost on the ground, you can do that.’

The result is snow so realistic it actually makes you feel chilly in the cinema. And the same goes for the snowflakes: everyone knows no two snowflakes in the world are the same – and that’s the case for every snowflake in this film, thanks to a custom built ‘snowflake building’ software specially developed for Frozen.

MAKING THEM MOVE ‘What is rigging? Without rigging our characters are nothing more than waddling sculptures,’ computer graphics supervisor Frank

Cold cut: Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, and Kristoff, voiced by Jonathan Groff, in a scene from the film; Below: Ross tries out the motion capture camera Hanner both asks and answers the question.

‘The work we do is building a skeleton, finding ways to attach the skin, and then building a set of animation controls so the animators can push and pull the characters around.

‘We have a huge kingdom to populate,’ Frank continues. ‘We have 312 unique character rigs, which is more than we have built on any Disney film in the past. But the really outstanding number is 245 individual cloth rigs. 245 simulated costumes is more than double the amount we have had across all our Disney films before. There really is just a tremendous wardrobe. We also have 63 hair rigs. We even had to build a new piece of software just for hair, called Tonic.’

Elsa (pictured on the previous page), for example, has 420,000 hairs on her head, which is about four times more than a real person.

Even Rapunzel – star of Disney’s very recent Tangled and one you would assume would hold all the hair boasts – had only 27,000. ‘A bit thin compared to Elsa,’ Frank smirks.

Since we’re sitting in the rigging lab – a room filled with computers with two monitors apiece – Frank invites me to play around with controlling the snowman Olaf.

Left-screen Olaf is as he is in the movie. The right screen has a flattened origami version

with clickable points on every conceivable joint and moving part – it looks very complicated at first, but you very quickly discover how intuitive it is – I had Olaf picking his nose like a champ within minutes. Of course, he’s doing it like a robot.

MAKING THEM TALK Moving from the rigging lab filled with computer hardware probably more powerful than Nasa’s, I head to the voiceover recording studio where besides the mic, the only tools on hand are… a plate of Granny Smiths.

They are not simply there to snack on – I discover they are the answer to the most skin-crawling problem in all of broadcasting.

‘We use the green apples for people that we call “really clicky”,’ says sound technician Brett Voss, referring to the raspy voices of drymouthed speakers.

‘You would think water would help, but it doesn’t actually. But if you eat a green apple, it is tart, so it makes your mouth salivate. Water goes in your mouth and you swallow it and it is gone. But if you can get you mouth to salivate…’ he nods sagely.

A

CCORDING to Brett, 99 per cent of voiceover work is done before animation.‘The story and script come first; then the dialogue recording; then layout, which is walking animation, tech animation, cloth and all that sort of stuff… you can’t light a scene that hasn’t been animated yet if they don’t know what the dialogue is.’

Besides the mic (and the apples) Brett reveals they normally have cameras in the room when the actors are recording voiceover.

‘Not to the degree of motion capture, but we would have a camera tight on the face, all that stuff gets posted to the server. The animators don’t know what exact take that it is they’re animating to, but they can watch the whole session and maybe pick out “oh it’s interesting when they do that little thing with their eyes” – that gives it that magic of ‘it-kinda-seems-like-that-person-but-it’snot’. We’re not modelling them after a person’s face.

‘But there is something, a sort of intrinsic quality,‘ he adds. ‘Like my wife said: “Wreck-It Ralph kinda looks a lot like John C Reilly… am I right?” He doesn’t, but he shares some of his mannerisms, little things, like when he talks out of the side of his mouth.’

Brett then informs me it’s my turn to try recording some voiceover work. Turns out it’s exactly like karaoke, so I am a natural at it.

Well, as natural as a snowman with an intelligible Irish accent…

Frozen is out on Friday @rossvsross

AbOuT TOwn GIG The Band Perry

EVENT Sounds Damn Fine

Grammy-nominated Siblings Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry have parlayed a modest musical education in the churches of the Deep South into an impressive country rock career. Their big dark ballad If I Die Young has sold more than four million copies and one Barack Obama counts himself a fan Tonight, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 7.30pm, €25.40.

Tel: 0818 719 300. www.vicarstreet.ie

Smithfield’s new screen printing studio, Damn Fine Print, presents an exhibition of affordable screen-printed posters this week with 30 works from 30 Dublin-based artists including Jennifer Farley (work pictured).

To celebrate, the studio is hosting a BYOB event tomorrow with local DJs and visuals courtesy of Slip Draft Tomorrow, Block T, Smithfield Square, Smithfield D7, 6pm to 10pm. www. damnfineprint.com

READING Chris Binchy The Dublin novelist, currently visiting writer at the Oscar Wilde Centre in Trinity College, presents a free reading tonight from his state-of-thenation Celtic Tiger novel, Open-Handed Tonight, Uí Chadhain Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College D2, 7pm, free. www.ocd.ie/OWC

home cinema

Get caught in the act The act of killing (no cert) HHHHH

alan Partridge: alpha Papa (15A) HHHH✩

This extraordinary documentary is a film you have to rewatch – because you won’t be able to believe your eyes the first time you see it. A surreal plunge into the heart of darkness, The Act Of Killing focuses on the legacy of the ‘anti-communist’ genocide of Indonesia in 1965-6 – but its resonance stretches much wider. The perpetrators of the mass killings were usually gangsters formed into paramilitary death squads, who have remained not only unpunished but lauded as heroes by the regime ever since. Offered an opportunity by filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer to re-stage their actions for a film, they embrace the project with swaggering enthusiasm, creating bizarre scenes influenced by their favourite Hollywood movies and gleefully demonstrating their killing methods. (In

It’s been quite the year for Steve Coogan on the big screen but this feature-length outing for his greatest creation is the one you’ll want to watch again and again. By applying the classic siege-drama formula to North Norfolk Digital’s Norwich headquarters, the writers (including Coogan and Armando Iannucci) create a preposterous sense of bathos, as Alan Partridge finds himself the go-between in negotiations between the police and shotgunwielding, axed DJ Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney), holding the station’s new owners and broadcasters hostage.

Buoyed by his public role as Siegeface, Alan’s sense of his own importance swells to epically funny proportions. The script shimmers with tightly honed banter and inappropriate comments – it may not be as dark as some of Alan’s previous outings but he remains just the right side of petty and scarily mundane. SM

DVD, Blu-ray

DVD, Blu-ray, VoD

Predicted to be 2013’s biggest flop, this reboot of an old US TV series has just about broken even by grossing €184million worldwide. It should notch up a few more gold bars on home release because, oddly for a movie so expensive to look at, it’s better suited to home viewing, where the twoand-a-half-hour run time can be broken up. Armie Hammer is adorable as the by-the-book lawman who turns into a masked avenger after a baddie cuts out his brother’s heart and eats it. Johnny Depp is by turns kooky and soulful as Tonto, the Native American outcast. Dressed as a family adventure caper, with some high-budget train ‘n’ hoss chases, this meandering yarn is also a dark, revisionist tale of the colonialist evil done to Native Americans. It’s not always a comfortable combination but this is still one to buy for your dad this Christmas.

SM

Five films to see at the cinema

1 2 3 4

Gravity The out-of-this-world 3D film that’s made to be seen on the big screen, co-starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney and a whole lot of space.

Blue Is The Warmest Colour The erotically charged Palme D’Or winner, whose steamy lesbian sex scenes got tongues wagging at Cannes.

Saving Mr Banks Acting is supercalifragilistic in this funny and moving ‘real story’ behind the making of Mary Poppins, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson (right).

Philomena Judi Dench and writer/co-star Steve Coogan are the irresistible dream team you’d hope for in this hilarious, hanky-wringing true story, from the director of The Queen.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

15

PanToMiMe ReVieW

DVD, Blu-ray, VoD

The Lone Ranger (12A) HHHH✩

contrast, the fear of ordinary Indonesians is painfully evident; even in the end credits, where swathes of people, including the co-director, remain anonymous.) Oppenheimer’s ‘stars’ show bonechilling self-righteousness, concern about their public image and, in one case, a penchant for elaborate drag. But ageing executioner Anwar Congo (above right) starts to unravel as the impact of revisiting his crimes hits home – and it is his remorse that provides the film’s harrowing final scene. Astonishing at every turn. Siobhán Murphy

D

Looking ahead: THE HOBBiT: THE DESOlATiOn Of SMAuG Christmas cinema officially begins with part two of Peter Jackson’s lengthy adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s children’s fantasy classic. There will be dragons. Out December 13.

5

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Go Jen! Best actress Oscar-winner Jennifer lawrence returns for the second round of this groundbreaking, female action-led franchise.

Magic: Rachel O’Connell as Fairy Sally and George McMahon as Harry Smiles

Go on you beauty The SLeePing BeauTy HHHH✩

Having not been to a pantomime since I was about eight, I had forgotten that the aim of the game is to cram as many current pop culture references and pop songs (Birdy, One Direction) into a 90minute show, all the while dancing and then doing it all again ‘backwards, in heels’.

And so with a three-year-old princess addict to The Sleeping Beauty at The Helix, which is staged by Irish panto royalty the Tighe family and their TheatreworX Productions – in fact director Claire Tighe is due to give birth any day now, and so another star will no doubt be born.

And the cast are well up for it, from Steps-like ensemble dancing, to ballroom and ballet moves, you wonder how they can keep it all together at such a pace and not forget their words.

There are plenty of cheap gags and puns to keep the adults chuckling, although ‘the gay one’ being comically rebuffed by the lead Harry Smiles (Fair City’s Mondo, an eager, likeable George McMahon) in the first two minutes was unneccessary. Just call me the PC police.

Catchphrases such as ‘totes amazeballs’ are thrown about like snuff at a wake by party animal King Seymour (a decidedly Ivor of Damo and Ivoresque Adam Lynch). There are believing gasps when Aurora (Lauren Nevin) falls into unconsciousness and Eoin Cannon delivers the evil as Count Comovér, to many boos and hisses, while Rachel O’Connell’s time-travelling Fairy Sally is effortless. When Comovér’s doofus brother and court jester Tickles (Tighe’s husband Aidan Mannion, and Colin Hughes, both hilarious) get the whole theatre on their feet – adults and kids – to take part in a singalong of a certain recent online viral hit (with actions, of course) you know what going to the panto is all about.

Alan Caulfield Until Jan 12, The Helix, DCU, Collins Avenue, Glasnevin D9, various times, from €21. Tel: (01) 700 7000. www.thehelix.ie

Festive Lunch at The Exchange Sip on something sparkling Savour delectable festive treats Tuesday – Saturday 12.30pm - 2.30pm Email: theexchange@westin.com Web: theexchange.ie Tel: 01 645 1318

16 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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television

CoRoNAtioN stReet Tv3, 7.30pm Soapland has many mysteries and one of Weatherfield’s most curious ones is the magnetic attraction so many of its womenfolk have felt over the years for the much-married peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne, pictured). What is it about the former sailorturned-bookie-turned-jack-of- all-trades that makes so many go weak at the knees? We’re blowed if we know but in tonight’s hour-long episode Carla (Alison King) is lined up to be the latest mrs Barlow, that is unless the wedding plans are scuppered by street siren Tina (michelle Keegan).

28 Up soUtH AfRiCA uTv, 11.05pm Cameras track down young South Africans born during the apartheid era for this one-off catchup. Born into very different communities in a nation segregated under apartheid, the young contributors appeared in the first South Africa up aged seven, soon after Nelson mandela’s release from prison. Now 28, they look back on the social and political upheaval during their lifetime and share their experiences, with inspirational stories of hope intermingled with accounts of heartbreaking tragedy.

pADDy & sAlly’s exCelleNt Gypsy ADveNtURe Tv3, 9pm Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty goes on the road with Celebrity Big Brother’s Sally Bercow to look at gypsy culture around Europe in this illuminating series. In tonight’s episode, the unlikely pair travel around Ireland in a barrel-top wagon, where they camp and learn how to catch and cook their own dinner. At Nobber Fair, they have their palms read and learn the art of tinsmithing, while in Dundalk they meet Traveller girls who have taken up boxing. Later, they receive an offer they can’t refuse: to be agony aunt and uncle for Traveller Magazine’s next edition.

film of tHe DAy THE HOLIDAy, RTÉ1, 9.35pm

my top five films Comic Strip founder Peter Richardson to live

This is a really way-off, obscure film that probably no one has ever heard of.

It’s a Chinese film I saw about ten years ago about a family living through the Cultural Revolution and it’s just the most incredible film I have ever seen.

It’s kind of like a Chinese EastEnders, almost: children die and people get married and it all happens in the front room of this tiny place in Shanghai.

Christmas-set romcom in which London girl-next-door Kate Winslet swaps houses with uptight LA movie-trailer maker Cameron Diaz. They both fall in love in unlikely places: Kate gets a pool, a life and Jack Black (above with Winslet); Diaz gets Kate’s cottage, discovers carbs (yeah, right) and a wooly-jumpered Jude Law. Throw in a caddish self-obsessed hunk in the form of Rufus Sewell and a sweet old man with an intriguing past – played by Eli Wallach – and you’ve got perfect comfort cinema.

Nancy Meyers’ comedy is more than a tad on the cheesy side, but it really nails that singleton fear of the festive season: spending it alone or drunk-dialling your ex. This is one way to get into the Christmas spirit.

tHe KiNG of ComeDy

ved this I have always loved – Martin Scorsesee directs Robertt De Niro (pictured right) playing this kind of whoopee comedian who kidnaps his idol Jerry Langford, played by Jerry onderful.

Lewis. It’s wonderful.

tHe JeRK

This triggers fond memories for me of when I finally got to work with Steve Martin. It’s a flawed film because the last half is not as good as the first half – but the first half is fabulously funny.

A feW DollARs moRe

I love spaghetti westerns: they had a great influence on me when I was young. Rik Mayall and I did a spoof called A Fistful Of Travellers’ Cheques. A Few Dollars More was a real stylish film that lifted lots from fr Japanese samurai films. It’s very funny, as well.

tHe tRUtH ABoUt spRiNG

It’s a pirate comedy with John Mills, Hayley Mills and Lionel Jeffries – a lovely film shot somewhere in the Costa Brava.

It was one of the first films my brother and I saw. We used to love it and quote it all the time,

so I remember this as part of my childhood.

Anthony Gibson The Best Of Comic Strip Presents five-disc box set is out now on DVD.

books

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

17

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Restoring hope for Earth Journalist PADDY WOODWORTH talks to Adam White about ecological restoration – a potent green movement that is making waves right across the planet

A second chance: Woodworth (bottom left) details how ecological restoration is repairing ecosystems damaged by mankind both at home (a restored bog in Oweninny, Co Mayo, above) as well as in more exotic locations (below)

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s a journalist once specialising in both Basque politics and the Irish arts scene, Paddy Woodworth knows a thing or two about conflict and clashing egos. But when he decided to venture into the world of environmental issues, he was at times taken aback by the vitriol that such a passionate realm can be prone to.

Woodworth found himself in the firing line because of his new book Our Once And Future Planet: Restoring The World In The Climate Change Century, a sturdy and beautifully balanced examination of the movement known as ecological restoration. In one chapter, the Bray-born writer lauds the work done by Chicago activist steve Packard on the city’s North Branch. That this included some constructive criticism about a need for greater social interaction elicited in a venomous response from Packard’s supporters.

‘Most of the people I’ve met have been inspirational,’ the 62-year-old muses. ‘But restoration ecology, like any other field, tends to form factions. You rapidly discover that most people in most walks of life are incapable of keeping their minds open beyond a certain point. I have got more abusive emails about that chapter than anything else I’ve ever written, and I’m not using the word abuse lightly.’

With a hearty chuckle, he concurs that research for Our Once And Future Planet has been akin to an iceberg. Ecological restoration was a subject introduced to Woodworth during a writing fellowship with the University of Iowa when he came into proximity with the movement during a prairie excursion. The idea to travel the world documenting examples of the practice was germinated after a discussion with a novelist friend. Ten years of endless travel and research documentation have gone into the volume’s exploration of both the methods and the human story of restoration ecology.

The iceberg’s hidden nine-tenths revealed a huge amount to him, about not only plant life and soil composition, but also the uglier facets such as invasive species eradication and the human tendency to polarise situations as absolutely good or absolutely bad, ‘this rush to catastrophe,’ as he calls it.

‘There’s something exciting about the idea of restoration because it breaks down

book’ and getting this information out to the the traditional conservation model that you’ve then I got invited on to this fellowship and layman is ‘critically important’. ‘There are that was literally the first time I’d ever heard either got destruction or preservation,’ certain systems,’ he reminds me, ‘that once the word restoration in this sense before.’

Woodworth explains, jabbing his palms left they’re gone, they’re gone, like that horrible From Bord na and right. ‘I became ad says.’

Móna’s work on fascinated by this idea that At the core of his treatise is the idea that Ireland’s ravaged we could actually fix some ecosystem restoration is not only good for bogs to post-mining of the things that we’d plant and animal life, but for us too. regeneration in broken.’

‘Anyone can get to grips with this,’ Western Australia, It took Woodworth’s Our Once And Future Woodworth beams. ‘One of the joys of compass a while to lead Planet looks not only restoration is that you have to get your hands him into environmental dirty in it. It’s closer to gardening… It brings at why a restoration correspondence. Growing us face to face with the question of what our approach works so up in the 60s, he’d spend his effectively but how it relationship with nature really is. If we lose a summers birdwatching near sense of wonder about the planet, if people’s is often ordinary the sugar Loaf, before his people achieving the imagination doesn’t encompass the idea that teenage years saw extraordinary results. every species is worth getting its chance, I binoculars and bird books think that’s a very depressing thing.’

Already the book is give way to Beatles records Our Once And Future Planet: Restoring The winging its way to EU policymakers but and hippydom.

World In The Climate Change Century Woodworth stresses that while the research is While working in spain in the 70s, he fell (University Of Chicago Press) is out now scientifically sound, it is not ‘a scientific back in love with ornithology, but it would be many years before he could approach nature from a Evening Courses, Dublin City Centre journalistic angle. ‘It was a . t. . n. slow process because I had Dip t Ma Diptal Mk . PR n i Dip a in Dig Eve a in m this odd double career as an m o m l o l L G Diplo a in T T Dip A C Dip I T I arts journalist [Woodworth IA BL NnSd DIG KETIN VEGNEMPRE&N ED s, was arts editor for six years E a s M PUATIO ord R R W P A e L d e l e A with the Irish Times, where ELtensive Ogenmlinent Modu MSAOliCne PIRA, Gmooegrlece Modu1le4s MAhNPR, OdnialinModu0l1es4 R & ith On E-Com ary 20 Ex ana 4 he still contributes] and wit al Me ary 2 ed with vent M er 201 redited w u i and ru Soc th Febr nd Accredit Acc ob aE SEO h Feb political journalist in the t Extr h Oct of Ireland 24 ute of Irela 27 8t stitute it In Basque country, and I rode Inst ions ions elat elat CITY 30 ENROL lic R lic R Pub Brochure from Pub those two horses all the way CENTRE NOW! to quite recently.’ tel: (01) 283 4579 info@fitzwilliaminstitutegroup.ie www.fitzwilliaminsitutegroup.ie Also Available by Distance Learning When he’d finished Dirty War, Clean Hands, his book LAST CHANCE! LIMITED PLACES! about state terrorism in the CALL 01 283 4579 • 01 283 5259 Basque country, he felt . . . . a in p og. i D Prog ‘weary of conflict’. He was PG Prog Dipcle Pr lom a a in Dip ra va a in Jav a e m O J t m lo lo E ostgradua also turning 50.

Dip A ING Dip ACL V ‘You become much more R SQL G P JAVAAMMelopImNenHGt P A MM d J O aware of mortality,’ he sighs, PL/ MIN GoidRApp Domevputinrgi,ePnce GRcleACertMifioedule O M 2013 PRthO ‘and you begin to think: “Is R n ndr loud C rk Expe 3 A P ith Oraaratio 2014 A R wi ules, C ed Wo er 201 Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, D2 w Prep uary OG ecember this your life? Is this it?”

R Mod Arrang ecemb n m P a a J D x & D E 13th 3rd And I thought: “No, I’d 4th http://dublin.cervantes.es really like to get into natural ENROL 30 Tel: (01) 631 15 00 Brochure from NOW! history.” I‘d just left the Irish Times, and in those days that tel: (01) 283 4579 info@fitzwilliaminstitutegroup.ie www.fitzwilliaminsitutegroup.ie Also Available by Distance Learning meant you still got a decent www.FITZWILIAMINSTITUTEGROUP.ie redundancy package. And ited red Acc ent gem ana M l rcia me Com e of itut Inst

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18 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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body matters

Hitting peak condition If you are skiing or boarding this winter be prepared, says Vicki-Marie Cossar

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big sporting event requires training. but there will be those jetting off for a ski/snowboarding holiday this season without planning for the physical challenge ahead.

Spending up to six hours a day hurtling down the slopes over seven consecutive days can take its toll on your body. being ill-prepared opens you up to injury and can affect your time on the piste.

‘One of the biggest problems i’ve seen when people prepare for the snow is they use machinebased exercises, such as leg extensions, leg presses and Smith machines,’ says personal trainer gavin Walsh.

‘These don’t mimic real-life situations, nor do they improve your abilities on the slopes. A more effective plan would be to use only freeweight and bodyweight exercises.

Walsh says the things to focus on are improving leg and core strength, raising muscular endurance and agility. ‘These three things will give you better control of your body as you move down the mountain in various positions,’ he says. ‘They will allow you to ski or board for longer and give you the ability to turn sharply and handle the changing terrain.’

So is the same training required for a boarder as a skier? ‘There is a large crossover when it comes to skiing and snowboarding but the key difference is that boarders need to have stronger core muscles,’ he explains. ‘They don’t have Results where achieved in a one day procedure with our top DHI surgeons Re

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Focused: Raising muscle endurance is the best preparation for the slopes, says Gavin Walsh (inset) anything to support their balance such as ski poles and must lean heavily on the turns, which requires lots of balance and therefore core strength.’

And Walsh says skiers will notice their lower backs get tired very quickly. ‘in the typical ski stance, your chest should be directly above your toes with a slight bend at the waist and in your knees,’ he says. ‘This places your lower back in an unfamiliar position, so a skier should aim to improve their muscular endurance in their back muscles.’

To develop good ski legs, Walsh recommends jumping lunges.

‘They are fantastic and build up great muscular endurance, which is very much needed for a day on the slopes,’ he says. ‘And for boarders, calf raises are great to build up the calf muscles for those long toe slides, which will help you stop quicker and control your direction better. Plyometrics, or jumping exercises, are good for those advanced enough to do jumps and tricks.’

Walsh says most ski and snowboard programmes overdevelop the quads and underwork the hamstrings. ‘This could lead to imbalance so you’re more likely to suffer from injury,’ he

says. ‘You need to exercise your hamstrings with a variety of resistance exercises. This will stop you falling flat on your face.’

A large aspect of skiing and snowboarding is moving from side to side, so Walsh says you should mimic this movement in training. ‘This will help improve the speed at which you perform on the slopes,’ he says. ‘by working your leg abductors, adductors [inner and outer thigh muscles] and calves, you’ll ensure you have a solid platform to balance from and be able to turn much faster.’

Lastly, he says to beware of outof-date information. ‘There is no doubt the quads need to be strong for skiing, but a wall squat – which is often recommended by ski coaches – is slightly out of date,’ he says. ‘The joint motions in the knee during skiing and snowboarding range from around 90 degrees all the way to nearly straight legs. The wall squat simply doesn’t replicate the movement on the slopes.

‘Skiing and snowboarding require several ranges of motion through the knee joint, which is why it makes sense to train those different ranges as opposed to simply sitting at a 90-degree angle.’

fOR boarders Box jumps – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. rest for 15 seconds Kettlebell/ dumbbell snatches – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. rest for 15 seconds Bodyweight squat jump with 180 degree spin – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. rest for 15 seconds One-legged, straight-legged deadlifts (with or without dumbbells) – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds, alternating legs every five reps. rest for 15 seconds Russian twists – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds repeat the above workout once, then add an extra circuit each week.

fOR skIers Jump lunges – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. rest for 15 seconds Kettlebell/ dumb- bell swings – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. rest for 15 seconds Bodyweight squats – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds. rest for 15 seconds One-legged, straight-legged deadlifts (with or without dumbbells) – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds, alternating legs every five reps. rest for 15 seconds Lateral hops – as many reps as possible in 60 seconds repeat the above workout once, then add an extra circuit each week.

wHAT wE LEARnED THis wEEk Safe anD reverSIble Male

MEssy pLAy is bRAin fOOD If you want to stimulate your toddler’s mind, place him or her in a high chair, provide gloopy food such as jelly or porridge – and stand well back.

Scientists have shown the ‘mess method’ helps small children to learn. In the study the children were put into high chairs – a cue to get messy – which helped them identify and name non-solid materials that can be squished, thrown and shoved in the mouth.

The study reported in the journal Developmental Science shows how behaviour and environment help children acquire an early vocabulary, which is linked to better mental development.

pIll broughT a STep cloSer A MALE Pill that provides a safe, effective and reversible method of contraception has been brought a step closer.

Researchers identified two proteins that can be blocked to prevent the ‘launch’ of sperm cells from the testes during ejaculation.

Knocking out the proteins in genetically-engineered mice resulted in male animals that

were completely infertile, though they continued to mate normally. A similar goal could theoretically be achieved by suppressing the proteins with drugs.

The concept is a ‘feasible mechanism of producing male contraception,’ the Australian and British scientists wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

19

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Gluten-free

Gwyneth Paltrow swears by a gluten-free diet. Gluten is the protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and oats.

The diet is generally only advised for people with coeliac disease (an autoimmune digestive condition), where gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines.

BDA verDict: ‘While important for those with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity, there is no credible published research showing that a gluten-free diet leads to weight loss in those without,’ says Sian Porter, consultant dietitian with the BDA. ‘Many foods contain gluten, such as pastries, cakes and biscuits, which are also high in calories. So, by avoiding them, many people lose weight.’

Diets to say a firm ‘no’ to Looking to shed pounds this January? These are the celeb diets that nutrition experts from the British Dietetic Association say to avoid, writes Vicki-Marie Cossar Breatharian

This diet involves pretending to eat food and gulping air instead. Individuals believe they do not need to eat food or drink liquids because they get nourishment and energy from air and sunlight. It is based around the idea that surviv on humans can survive lif prana (the Hindu life der force derived from ener in all the energy univ the universe).

Michelle Pfeiffer (pictur left) (pictured wa once part was of this diet cult.

BDA verDicT: c ‘We cannot stress tha enough that people should not diet, even consider this diet,’ says Porter. ‘We need food and liquid to live. Anyone attempting this diet would suffer dehydration, malnutrition and even risk death.’

Dukan

restricting food, so restricting calories,’ says Porter. ‘Creator Pierre Dukan was banned from practising as a GP in France this year, amid warnings of associated issues such as lack of energy, constipation and the need to take vitamin and mineral supplements.’

This high-protein, low-fat, low-carb diet is followed by Carole Middleton and Jennifer Lopez (pictured right). It’s split into four phases: the attack phase means you eat only protein; the cruise phase switches to protein and vegetable days; the consolidation phase allows you to add cheese and bread; and the stabilisation phase means you introduce all other foods.

BDA verDicT: ‘This works by

Alcorexia/drunkorexia

Ok, we’ve all done it: passed on the brownie for lunch and saved the calories for booze. it’s thought many top models live by a very low-calorie diet in the week so they can binge-drink at the weekend.

BDA verDict: ‘By following a very low-calorie diet, you will not be getting the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to function,’ says Porter. ‘Subjecting your body to an onslaught of alcohol could end up causing immense damage.’

children’s hospice lights up some lives for christmas Nira Bouzid (bottom), 11, and Joseph Henderson (right), 12, help turn on the christmas lights at LauraLynn children’s Hospice in Leopardstown.

Helping them are Today FM presenter ray D’Arcy and ex-B*Witched star edele Lynch. The hospice supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families by providing high quality care, home support, respite, crisis and end-of-life care.

Biotyping

This claims to match your diet to areas of the body where you are holding fat. The BioSignature system looks at six hormone types (cortisol, thyroid, etc). By cutting out certain foods, you can eas these recuce fat in the areas hormones affect. Singer Boy George (pictured above) claimed he lost weight with this diet.

BDA verDicT: ‘There is a grain of science (that hormones are involved in fat metabolism)’ says Porter, ‘but the only reason people might lose weight on this diet is because it restricts calorie intake and involves physical activity.’

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METROSCOPE

by Patrick Arundell

NEMI by Lise

Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

The potency of yesterday’s New Moon continues to reverberate, and this can give you that extra ounce of confidence. Though often a risk-taker, it can be around one longstanding blockage where you need to push the margins.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

This is the last day Mercury spends in your relating sector. While it may not have been all easy, what you have learned about yourself and about others, can prove invaluable.Listening more carefully is key.

METROKU Easy, Moderate and Challenging. For solutions, visit Metro.co.uk/metroku

For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

There doesn’t seem to have been too much slack extended in your direction. You are on the cusp of a change now, which is going to make it easier to focus on what you have in common, rather than what you haven’t.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

Cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

If you can think of the ways you can merge your creative ideas with your talent, the next few weeks will be particularly fruitful. Another ingredient you can add is neat enthusiasm. All in all, these are promising trends.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

Your thinking and attention may have been more than usually directed towards personal matters in the last ten weeks. At times, the same thoughts may have seemed to have circulated in your mind. A lighter phase does beckon, but stay attuned to your deepest needs.

PEARLs BEFORE swINE

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

ACROSS 1 Meal (6) 4 Peril (6) 9 Distance round (13) 10 Go before (7) 11 Tend (5) 12 Decree (5) 14 Did business (5) 18 Happen (5) 19 Swiss lake (7) 21 Receptacle for dossiers (6,7) 22 Straight (6) 23 Call to help (6)

DOWN 1 Formula (6) 2 Upright (13) 3 Relish (5) 5 Dispose (7) 6 Spanish dictator (7,6) 7 Staggered (6) 8 Bid (5) 13 Lasting a long time (7) 15 Took off (6) 16 Lax (5) 17 Kindly (6) 20 Hut (5)

Yesterday’s Solutions Across: 1 Invertebrate; 7 Might; 8 Query; 9 Pit; 10 Architect; 11 Refuse; 12 Filter; 15 Effective; 17 Ado; 18 China; 19 Pilot; 21 Intelligibly. Down: 1 Inexperience; 2 Rig; 3 Entice; 4 Requisite; 5 There; 6 Mysteriously; 7 Motif; 10 Associate; 13 Trait; 14 Dispel; 16 Feign; 20 Lag.

A real breakthrough is in the works which calls upon you to match your knowledge and skills. Seeming to be serious yet enthusiastic is quite a blend to get, but if anyone can do this, it’s you.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 76

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

A plan may finally be starting to shape up to your satisfaction. Saturn has not always been kind to you in the last fourteen months but now it could come up trumps, because it is the anchor for a more expansive energy that is emerging.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

The past ten weeks may have found you lacking confidence. That is set to change. But whatever challenges us can also teach us, and you can now make some telling observations and connections which guide your next moves.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

Saturn is the planet which provides the glue that helps keep structure and shape in our lives. The lovely thing about today’s influences is that someone like you, a solid citizen, can also be inspirational. Be open to this.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

You can find yourself thinking more about social possibilities. This will be especially so if you have been through an intense time of goal-chasing. After all the effort you have invested, something may well be shaping up nicely.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

If you’re thinking of where you could go over the holidays, you may decide to book somewhere. Then again, you may consider some type of night out with a difference, or mini-break.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

For a live one-to-one consultation with one of my gifted psychics, call 15809 113 68 or 1800 719 688 to book using credit card Astrology calls cost 1.27 euros per min from a BT landline. Live Services cost 2.40 euros per minute. Calls from mobiles/other networks may cost more. Callers must be 18 or over to use this service and have the bill payers permission. For entertainment purposes only. All calls are recorded. PhonePayPlus regulated(ComReg in ROI) UK SP: StreamLive Ltd, NR7 0HR, 08700 234 567. ROI SP:Moveda, 1 Courtyard Business Park, Orchard Lane, Blackrock, Co Dublin, 0818 241 398

QuIz

Crossword No. 872 See next edition for solutions

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23

ENIGMA Generic term for what girls wear Upon their legs so they’re not bare.

Firemen, most working days, Will use one to combat a blaze.

WHO AM I? A comedian, I was born in York in 1917. I died one day before fellow comedian Benny Hill. I made my screen debut in the 1954 film The Runaway Bus,

and starred in 1970s sitcoms Up Pompeii! and Whoops Baghdad.

WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO… wrote the novel Whisky Galore?

WHAT... instrument was the shawm an early version of?

WHERE... did the dance the mazurka originate?

WHEN... was the Cato Street Conspiracy?

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: Hose. WHO AM I? Frankie Howerd. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? Compton Mackenzie; Oboe; Poland; 1820.

QUICK CROsswORd

Although there have been some people that you have found it harder to get along with, part of this may have come from a difference of tone, as much as a point of view. If ever there was a time to extend a more generous vibe to those who see things differently, it’s now.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

SCRIBBLE BOX

20 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

rugby leinster

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD

in form kearney out to stop North star shining by gARETH MAkiM

Football fanfare: Ian Baraclough, manager of Sligo Rovers FC, holds his award after being named Philips Sports Manager Of The Month

fORMuLA ONE

Nico Hulkenberg has agreed a multi-year deal to return to Force India next season. The 26-year-old German (right) returns to the team after a year at Sauber, where he finished tenth in the drivers’ standings. ‘I am happy to come back to Sahara Force India,’ he said in a statement. ‘The team is aiming high for next year and I believe the experience I have gained over the years will help us achieve those goals. I genuinely believe we can have a competitive package in 2014.’ Team principal and MD Dr Vijay Mallya described Hulkenberg’s arrival as a ‘statement of intent’. His signature confirms half of Force India’s line-up, with Scot Paul Di Resta, Adrian Sutil and Sergio Perez believed to be fighting it out for the other seat.

‘We can’t afford to give him much space’ ‘He’s an unbelievable athlete, even last week for Wales, he moved into 13 as well and was still able to perform at a really high level.

‘I think we as a defensive unit just can’t afford to give him much space. this season we’ve been working really hard at getting off the line.

If we can do that and try and close the space off early that’s going to be the key, because if he gets a bit of space and gets to use that power and pace, he’s pretty tough to stop.’

Kearney performed well in the green jersey but the excellent form of Zane Kirchner and Luke Fitzgerald in his absence gives O’Connor plenty of options when naming his back line, although Fergus McFadden’s fractured hand has simplified matters a little in the short term.

‘You never are sure whether you’re going to be in the team,’ Kearney said. ‘You get that butterflies feeling in the stomach every single time. that’s not going to change. there’s a lot of competition here.

‘I’m happy with my performances of late. It’s really good for me to get the first cap and experience rugby at that level and intensity. I can take a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum from that. this game is going to be no different, intensity wise. It’s going to be a test level game.’

David versus Goliath: Kearney has had a great season to date but is set to face what could be his toughest test so far as he faces the might of George North when Leinster visit Franklin’s Gardens picture: inpho

ODDbALLs

Hungarian footy @Metrohsport slackers are left without wheels it’s all in a name for bosses at Hungarian football champions Gyori eTo were so furious with their players after a defeat at the weekend they confiscated the keys to their luxury cars. officals at the club, which won its fourth Hungarian league title last season, were angered by a humiliating 3-0 defeat at basement boys Mezokovesd-Zsory se which saw Gyori slip to sixth in the table. so now their cars – supplied by sponsors Audi – are out of bounds and it’s the bus for Gyori.

spORT DigEsT

Nico’s return is ‘a statement of intent’

It’s been a bIg month for Dave Kearney, but despite making his international debut against samoa and playing 80 minutes against the all blacks, it could be argued his greatest test could come this weekend in the form of giant northampton wing george north.

Kearney will be hoping for a place in coach Matt O’Connor’s back three as Leinster travel to Franklin’s gardens for the first leg of a Heineken Cup double-header against the saints and the imposing 6ft4in figure of north.

‘He’s definitely up there [with the best], most certainly,’ Kearney said of the in-form 21-yearold Wales and Lions star. ‘at the highest level and in the biggest games, the Lions and things like that, he has performed really well.

Read: Player of the year New Zealand have swept the International Rugby Board awards with Kieran Read crowned Player Of The Year.

The All Blacks, who won all 14 of their Tests in 2013, took Team Of The Year and Steve Hansen was voted Coach Of The Year.

Read, 28, was chosen ahead of South Africa’s eben etzebeth, Italy’s Sergio Parisse and fellow All Black Ben Smith.

21

‘Dave’ Azpilicueta

ClEARly fed up no one can pronounce it properly, and possibly cheesed off with the whole ‘Dave’ thing, Chelsea’s Cesar Wotsisface has produced an idiot’s guide to how to say his name. The Spain full-back has been at Stamford Bridge for well over a year but it’s fair to say many of us still stumble when trying to say Azap…Aspa… you know the fella. Well, the man known as Dave to team-mates and fans, Cesar Azpilicueta (pictured), has produced a helpful video to instruct us, using only a blue pen and the last of his worn patience. So, now we know – it’s Cesar Ath-pilly-kwta. Easy.

Bruce: Hull owner’s rant at fans was lost in translation

fOOTbALL Steve

Bruce has defended Hull owner Assem Allam after he said fans opposing his scheme to rename the club could ‘die as soon as they want’.

City boss Bruce said Allam’s words were misinterpreted after he lashed out at supporters who do not want their team rebranded as Hull Tigers. The Egyptian (pictured) said in an interview, fans belonging to the City Till We Die movement who are against the club changing its name could ‘die as soon as they want’. But Bruce said: ‘I think what he was saying was he needs the situation to die, not the supporters to go away and die. I think there’s a misinterpretation. The owner’s been [in Hull] 45 years, and I’m not making excuses but if you speak to him he still hasn’t quite grasped the English language.’

O’Sullivan cruises into UK last 16 sNOOkER Ronnie O’Sullivan

reached the last 16 of the UK Championship in york yesterday with a 6-2 win over Scotland’s Marcus Campbell, with breaks of 100 and 108 helping him to victory. World No 1 Neil Robertson made the highest tournament break, 141, as he beat China’s li Hang 6-3.

22 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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football premier league

Martinez: Time to

21 Years

since Everton won at Old Trafford Move talk: Vermaelen

Vermaelen will be staying on as Gunners captain, Wenger insists ArsEnE Wenger is confident Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen will still be at the Emirates stadium when the January transfer window closes, he says.

Vermaelen has made just six appearances for the Barclays Premier League leaders this season.

Wenger, who has denied reports linking him with moves for strikers Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Pato, is impressed by the way the Belgium defender has dealt with his lack of opportunities.

‘It’s tough to leave Vermaelen out because of his quality, his attitude and his influence at

11 Times

Moyes took Everton to face United at their ground, with three draws and eight defeats

‘If he wants to move he’ll tell me’ the club,’ the Frenchman said.

‘It’s a difficult decision to make because he is a top-class player. ‘He certainly suffers but he handles it with great dignity and great professionalism.

‘I’m not concerned that he might move in January because if he wants to do that he will come and see me, which he has not done.’

Arsenal are hoping to extend their four-point lead at the summit of the Premier League when they host Hull tonight.

Bookmakers predict a threeway tussle for the title, with Manchester City, the Gunners and Chelsea competing for honours in that order.

However, Wenger believes it is unwise to dismiss the challenge from Manchester United, who are nine points below first place.

Wenger is puzzled by Hull owner Assem Allam’s attempt to rename his club ‘Hull Tigers’.

‘I don’t know why it should happen and I don’t know exactly what is behind the thinking at Hull,’ said the Frenchman.

Moving on: Moyes made it clear there will be no split loyalties tonight PICTURE: REUTERS

Pellegrini delights at return of his Kompany man

Leader: Kompany returns to City’s squad tonight

MANCHESTER CiTy boss Manuel Pellegrini admits the imminent return of captain Vincent Kompany is significant for the team’s title aspirations.

The influential defender is poised to return to action after ten games out with a thigh injury at West Brom tonight.

‘Kompany is in the squad list and is travelling with the team,’ Pellegrini said.

‘He is the captain of the team and he will normally be in the 11 starting.

‘We have other captains but all the team is happy with the return of the captain.’

Pellegrini added: ‘We don’t have as many problems in defending as the scores say. ‘i think we have the third best defensive record in the Premier League.

‘So the other defenders can do it as well, but Vincent is always an important player.’

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon is likely to be retained ahead of England’s

Joe Hart. Hart played in last week’s Champions League tie against Viktoria Plzen, but Pantilimon impressed against Swansea on Sunday.

Pellegrini said: ‘Joe Hart continues to be the No.1 of England. He is a very good goalkeeper. But Pantilimon has played

£6million Fee City paid to German side Hamburg for Kompany’s services in August 2008 seven games – four in the Premier League in which he has conceded just one goal, so that is also important for the team.

‘They are two important goalkeepers. i trust in both. At the moment i am playing Pantilimon, but you saw the other day when Joe Hart played he did very well.’

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013 METRO HERALD 23

beat the big boys But Moyes in no mood for past loyalties by gAviN bROwN DAVID MOYES and Roberto Martinez traded faint praise and implied criticism as Manchester United’s new manager prepares to face Everton, the club where he made his name.

Former Toffees boss Moyes and Martinez, his successor, both tried to play down the personal aspect of tonight’s Old Trafford clash but, with fifth-placed Everton two points and three places above the champions, the temptation to draw comparisons is hard to resist.

‘He [Martinez] is doing a very good job,’ said Moyes. ‘He has very good players. I always told them they could play without a manager because they’re very well organised.’

Relief: Chamakh gets a hug from team mate Barry Bannan after his goal PICTURE: REUTERS

Chamakh heads Pulis the perfect Selhurst start

‘We need to break that mentality at big grounds’ If Moyes’ comments suggest he considers himself in part responsible for Everton’s current success, Martinez highlighted the Scot’s failure to beat any of the Premier League’s big guns.

‘If we want to do something special this season, then we need to break that mentality of going to the big grounds and not being able to get good wins,’ he said. ‘That for us is something we need to address.’

But for all the debate over Moyes’ legacy, the United boss knows it is the present which matters now.

‘My job is to manage Manchester United,’ he said. ‘I don’t think anyone would have turned it down. The opportunity was too big. Obviously I have fond memories. You don’t just throw 11 years away. But I have had to divorce myself from it. United is my team now.’

pREMiER LEAguE CRYSTAL PALACE.........1 WEST HAM..................0

Big ambitions: Martinez believes it’s time Everton beat one of the big boys on their own turf

PICTURE: DAILY MAIL

TRANSFER TALK

Fulham eye move for Defoe and Dempsey FULHAM want Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe and former Cottagers favourite Clint Dempsey to fire them out of relegation danger.

Dempsey left Spurs for MLS side Seattle Sounders in the summer and is free to return to England on loan during their close season, while Defoe (pictured) has struggled to earn a starting place, with Roberto Soldado preferred for Premier League matches.

u LIVERPOOL boss Brendan Rodgers says a new forward is a top priority after Daniel Sturridge was ruled out for the next eight weeks, leaving Luis Suarez as the club’s only recognised frontman. u ARSENAL will have to cross Edin Dzeko off their wanted list after Manuel Pellegrini ruled out selling the Bosnia striker.

Baines still Reds target DAVID MOYES will be given the funds to make a triple swoop in January. The Old Trafford hierarchy will sanction a spending spree, with Everton left-back Leighton Baines (left) top of the list after Everton rejected United advances in the summer. Athletic Bilbao midfield star Ander Herrera, 24, and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan are also on the wish-list, although the latter is wanted by Real Madrid and Premier League leaders Arsenal.

CRYSTAL Palace finally put their goalscoring woes to one side to beat London rivals West Ham and move off the bottom of the table.

Marouane Chamakh’s scuffed header – his first goal since August and the Eagles’ first at Selhurst Park since October – in the 42nd minute proved enough to see off the Hammers.

In fact, Palace had only managed three goals in ten matches during which they had 67 shots on goal before last night.

Sam Allardyce will feel his men were hard done by after Stewart Downing’s secondhalf strike was harshly chalked off for a foul by Joey O’Brien.

It was West Ham who had the clearer openings early on.

However, they were stung by Palace’s opener three minutes before half-time.

Barry Bannan had a second chance to whip the ball in and Chamakh got the slightest of headed touches to the ball to send it past Jussi Jaaskelainen.

After the restart, the Eagles missed a hat-trick of chances to make it 2-0 before Downing saw his effort controversially ruled out by referee Lee Mason.

Tony Pulis was able to celebrate a first home win as Palace boss despite a late miss from substitute Jimmy Kebe.

24 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Chamakh strikes to give Palace win over Hammers at Selhurst Park

«see page 23

picture: Sean curtain

When Wood comes to town Olympians catch that flame The 2014 Special Olympics Ireland Games will take place in Limerick.

Coming after the successful staging of the event in the city in 2010, former Ireland rugby international Keith Wood, along with Dearbhla Savage from Armagh, were on hand for the announcement at University Concert hall, Limerick.

The Games will take place over four days from Thursday, June 12 to Sunday, June 15, 2014 in what will be one of the largest and most prestigious sporting events to take place in Ireland next year.

1,500 Special Olympics athletes from throughout the island of Ireland will travel to the Treaty City.

They will be accompanied by 500 coaches and official delegates as well as a contingent of more than 3,000 family members. The Games will be supported by a team of 3,000 volunteers who will be recruited over the coming months.

by DANIEL JONES CHELSEA manager José Mourinho has warned rivals Manchester United and Tottenham that any more slip-ups and they will be out of the Premier League title race.

The Blues moved up to second in the table, four points behind leaders Arsenal, following Sunday’s win over Southampton, and look to build on their momentum at struggling Sunderland tonight.

With Manchester City and Liverpool also still in contention, Mourinho concedes any one of six teams could be champions.

‘The six teams are very equal in their potential,’ said the former Real Madrid manager.

‘The club with most pressure to win is City’ ‘I see the six teams as very good teams and there are other teams doing very well. Everton and Newcastle are doing very well.’

But Mourinho believes United and Spurs will find it difficult to mount a challenge if they slip further adrift.

‘United are nine points behind Arsenal,’ he said. ‘It is a gap. Tottenham are ten behind. It is not a gap for us because we are speaking about five or six points, that is not a gap. It is something that in two matches can be over, but nine or ten points is a gap.

‘I keep saying that there are a lot of games to play in December and at the beginning of January we can have a look and see if all six are within shorter distances.

‘Spurs and United know that if the next step is to reduce from ten to seven or from nine to six it is to get them back in to the race, but they know that if the next move is from ten to Monthly Certified Distribution Sep 30 - Oct 27, 2013: 59,764

You can’t slip up again, José warns United and Spurs

13 it becomes hard. Arsenal are much more comfortable because they can slide in one match and nothing matters to them, but some teams know the next slide could be crucial.’

Mourinho refused to highlight a favourite, stating simply that Arsenal are currently ahead of everybody else, but does think there is more pressure on City, given their abundance of talent.

‘I don’t think that we can talk about favourites but we can say that there is one team at the top of the league,’ he said. ‘All of the six teams are title contenders but I keep saying the club with the most pressure to win it, because their squad is quite unique, is Manchester City.’

Chelsea will be hot favourites going into the clash with Gus Poyet’s Sunderland, who they

Mourinho: Keeping Blues in contention

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will also face in the Capital One Cup quarterfinals later this month, but Mourinho is not taking anything for granted.

‘I was analysing their match against Newcastle at home and Man City at home, these were the matches I focused on,’ the Portuguese said.

‘I think they are better than the points they have, the quality of their players is not comparable with some teams in that part of the table but I think they are in a moment where one point doesn’t make a big difference. They need three points, they need two or three victories to get out of the dangerous area.’

Mourinho has also confirmed he expects Ashley Cole to start after the England international lost his place to Cesar Azpilicueta.

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