New Articles on The Daily Dust today

Miserable Nurses to be Sent to Laughter Workshops

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 06:06 AM CST

Nurses are to be sent to laughter workshops in a bid to cheer them up and make hospitals more enjoyable for patients

HumourUs is putting on ‘humourobics’ sessions, which breakdown what muscles are used when a person laughs.

Founder Kate Hull Rodgers told Nursing Standard magazine: ‘Nurses are now doing more prescribing and paperwork and some have difficulties juggling patient contact with their new role.

‘I help them to enjoy their jobs using laughter and humour. And that has a positive effect on patient care.’

Her husband Bill Rodgers, said, "It’s not about nurses telling jokes on the wards. It’s about going to work in a better perspective, because if you’re in a bad mood in the morning you will bring it into work.

‘If you’ve got a patient who is ill, if you talk to them with a smile on your face, that will make them feel better instantly.’

He added: ‘Children laugh 400 times a day but as adults we do it just 40 times. We coach people to reclaim the habit of laughter, because laughter is infectious - and it’s better to have infectious laughter than an infectious superbug on the wards. Above all, we tell nurses that humour is a very serious business.’

The workshops are thought to cost several thousand pounds each time. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: ‘This is a useful tool that trusts can use to help staff work more effectively.’

What do you think – is this a waste of money of something useful? Leave your comments below.

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Cheryl Cole immortalised as Angel of the North

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 05:30 AM CST

X-factor judge Cheryl Cole has been immortalised as the Angel of the North in a new piece of artwork.

Artist Lee Jones used Cheryl as his inspiration after watching her tearful performances on X-Factor. Jones, from Liverpool, said: “As an artist I feel the overwhelming warmth of the northern people towards Cheryl Cole and I wanted to portray this by depicting her as our very own Angel of the North.

“I see her as a new icon of popular culture for the 21st century, a beacon of light in these bleak times - a fine example of a northern lass making good.”

The paining will go on show in London in February

7 Alternative Christmas Dinners

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 05:04 AM CST

The traditional British Christmas dinner - How do other countries celebrate?

As the big day nears us, we thought we’d take a look at how other countries celebrate Christmas (feel free to take another look at our credit crunch busting Christmas dinner), some on Christmas Eve, some on Christmas Day.

Czech Republic - The traditional meal consists of fish soup, fried carp and potato salad followed by sweet biscuits.

France - Normally starts with oysters, smoked salmon, crab or lobster, then goose with chestnuts and stuffing and then traditional Christmas cake called “La Buche de Noel”.

Haiti - Fried pork or goat with spicy pickled carrots and cabbage and fried plantains followed by sweet potato, fig and banana pudding known as Pain Patate.

Romania - Stuffed vine leaves, sausages, black pudding and Cozonac (a Romanian Christmas cake).

Australia - Barbecues with seafood such as prawns and barbecued cuts of steak or chicken breasts, drumsticks and wings followed by a sweet called White Christmas.

Denmark - Roast Duck, served with potatoes, red cabbage and gravy, followed with a dessert of rice pudding, often with an almond hidden inside (like the sixpence in the UK).

Peru - Start with a tamale of fresh onion, tomato, lime and chilli sauce followed by turkey stuffed with ground beef meat and peanuts and decorated with fresh slices of pineapple and cherries, desserts includes marzipan, assorted bowls with raisins and almonds and other mixed fruit and nuts.

If you know any other ways of celebrating Christmas, leave a comment below.

How to Lose 30 Stone in Weight - Drink Shakes and No Food Adverts

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 04:32 AM CST

Peter Carroll weighed in at 47 stone and was addicted to eating before being told “lose weight or plan your own funeral”

Lorry driver Peter, 59, used to eat all day especially between meals..It was when he reached 47 stone that he was told by Doctors to start planning his own funeral.

Finally, after two life-threatening blood clots and nearly losing a leg, Carroll agreed to having a stomach bypass. By using this, he lost 12st and decided to change his life.

At this time he was eating the following:-

Breakfast: Enormous fried breakfast: four slices of bacon, three sausages, fried bread, four door stops of buttered bread, beans, tomatoes. A pint and a half of full-fat milk, two mugs of tea.

Snacks: Two bars of chocolate.

Lunch: Large meat pie and large helping of chips, four slices of bread and butter.

Snacks: Two bags of crisps or chocolate cake.

Tea: Two pork chops, mashed spuds, vegetables.

Dinner: Fish and chips, four Jack Daniels and Coke.

Late Supper: Huge ham sandwich on buttered bread.

TOTAL CALORIES: 12,000

Peter joined his local gym and now spends three days a week working out.

Carroll, 59, now drinks meal-replacement shakes during the week and leaves the room when food adverts appear on TV.

This is what he eats now (which is not a lot and frankly boring):-

Breakfast: Diet shake.

Lunch: Diet shake or meal replacement bar.

Dinner: Diet shake during the week. At weekends, steak and salad or tuna or chargrilled vegetables.

Snacks: Nuts.

TOTAL CALORIES: 1,200

So to lose weight, drink shakes!

(story and photo’s thanks to MEN)

How to Lose Weight Over Christmas

ITV Stop Pulling For The Boat Race

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 03:44 AM CST

Classic Oxford/Cambridge Battle Needing Broadcaster For 2010Citing their investment in a “fantastic football portfolio,” ITV have made it clear they will not be renewing their contract to broadcast the annual Oxford and Cambridge boat race along the Thames after the 2009 event.

The five year deal meant the boat race left the BBC in 2003, and since then the run of the river has been with Oxford, winning three of the last four races. The obvious destination for the race in 2010 is back on the BBC, but the corporation ‘never discuss rights.’

The race itself has a sponsor, but this is in part due to the visibility of the race on terrestrial television. Without this the value to any partner will be reduced, and could potentially force the race, first run in 1829, into making some hard commercial decisions.
(Hat tip to the BBC)

Epic Festive Fail On Christmas Tree Prices

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 03:34 AM CST

Christmas Tree Price Rises Reflect Economic Woes

London Major Boris Johnson is amazeed at the price of a Christmas Tree in the UK’s capital. Expecting to pay around £35 for his 8 foot tree this year, the infamous Have I Got News For You host was asked for the pricey sum of £55. And the price is all down to the strength of the Euro next to the pound.

“The price of Christmas trees is up by about 30 per cent, and here is a clear, unmistakable sign of how a fall in the value of the currency can hit every household in the land - or every household that buys a real Christmas tree.The pound has fallen against the euro, so that you pay more for your German tannenbaum.”

But hold on, points out Johnson, most of the UK Christmas tree stock is from the UK, why are we seeing massive price rises? It’s all down to a Common Market of festive firs.

“When they see their plantations in Scotland, they don’t see British trees. They see European trees. They see trees that could be sold as easily in Frankfurt or Paris as in London, and so they apply a universal euro price - and hey presto, I end up paying far more, in sterling, for a tree that is almost certainly grown in the UK.”

Personally we have a lovely plastic tree bought many years ago from the store that even the Mayor turns to for his replacement christmas decorations. Woolworths.

(Hat tip to Boris Johnson’s Blog )

Stars galore expected at X Factor finale

Posted: 09 Dec 2008 11:23 PM CST

The Sun has reported that that the X factor finale will feature a galaxy of stars including Duffy, Beyonce, Boyzone and Seal. A rather stellar and mixed lineup who basically ensure that the eventual winner gets reduced to an afterthought.

Beyonce is expected to perform her hit song Irreplaceable with Alexandra Burke in order to do one over their reality TV rivals,

A show insider said: "We are crossing our fingers. It will be a one-up on the BBC, who had Beyonce on last month.

"We always like to do things a bit bigger and better than Strictly!"

Redknapp told to slap Pavlyuchenko

Posted: 09 Dec 2008 11:16 PM CST

Harry Redknapp has received an interesting bit of advice from Roman Pavyluchenko’s former manager at Spartak Moscow, Vladimir Fedotov. Apparently Roman has a tendency to lose focus for entire matches if he doesn’t feel like playing, and the only solution is to administer a gentle beating about his brow prior to kickoff,

“When I had the feeling that he wasn’t going to be in the right mood for a game, I gave him a bit of help,” Fedotov has told Sport Express.

“So I had to shout at him or sometimes even slap him around the face. I did it fairly softly, although I do have a good punch if I need to.

“Pavlyuchenko is a very gifted footballer. It was easy for me to work with him as I knew his strong sides and his weaknesses.

“His greatest disadvantage is that, if he is not in the right mood for the game, he is an absolute disaster. He becomes a sap. I hope in England they’ll get rid of this habit.

“It was important that I noticed his moods well in advance. If I didn’t spot it, he’d wander around the pitch like a lost boy and it was impossible to do anything with him after kick-off.”

A winning Wednesday

Posted: 09 Dec 2008 04:31 PM CST

The quality racing in Britain this week gets underway on Thursday with the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon, but there are still some decent thoroughbreds to be with on Wednesday, including Ping Pong Sivola (2.50) at Leicester.

This five-year-old mare put up a much improved display at Wincanton last week when demolishing the field by a whopping 47 lengths and has been found an ideal opportunity to follow up today befoe the handicapper can officially raise her a stone in weight.

The second bet of the day comes on the Fibresand at Southwell, a surface that not many horses actually enjoy owing to the kickback – step forward Imprimis Tagula (3.30).

This gelding's two career victories have both come at this venue and he almost made it a third back in October when finishing fast over six furlongs. The manner in which he finished that day suggests today's extra furlong will suit and both efforts since then on Polytrack can be ignored.

Tune in on Thursday for my Peterborough Chase bet.