Latest Dragon News
Vox Motus, the National Theatre of Scotland and Tianjin People's Arts Theatre present the world premiere of DRAGON.
Tommy can’t sleep. He hasn’t been able to since his mum died a year ago. Since then, life has gone from bad to worse. His dad is grief-stricken, his big sister ignores him and he’s become the target for the school bully. Then one restless night, Tommy goes to the window, throws back the curtain and…
…a dragon is looking at him. Straight in the eye.
An extraordinary visual story told without words, featuring puppetry, illusion and original music.
A show for adults, teenagers and children with vivid imaginations.
Recommended for 9 years +
The show is completely accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
A co-production with the NATIOnal theatre of scotland and the Tianjin children's Arts Theatre, China
CONCEIVED BY JAMIE HARRISON, OLIVER EMANUEL AND CANDICE EDMUNDS
Written by Oliver Emanuel
Directed: Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison
Designed: Jamie Harrison
Puppet Design: Jamie Harrison and Guy Bishop
Composed: Tim Phillips
Sound Design: Mark Melville
Lighting Design: Simon Wilkinson
Associate Lighting Designer: Derek Anderson
Produced: Susannah Armitage
Associate Producer: Shihui Weng
Assistant Director: Andy McGregor
Casting Director: Laura Donelly
Dad: Martin McCormick
Susie: Joanne McGuinness
Tommy: Scott Miller
Vanessa: Amanda Wright
David Hogan: Gavin Jon Wright
Ben Laing: Kai Zhang
Alison Brodie: Yan Tao
Production Manager: Chris Hay
CSM: David Sneddon
TSM: David Hill
DSM: Emma Whoriskey
ASM: Rosie Ward
Sound Supervisor: Andrew Kirkby
Lighting Supervisor: James Gardner
Lighting Programmer: Laura Whitley
Technicians: Jon Meggat, Neil Dewar
Wardrobe Supervisor: Stephanie Thorburn
Interpreter: Liang-Yu Sung


Feed Your Wanderlust is a travel blog dedicated to helping you experience our world and live life to the fullest. Wanderlust will especially focus on wellness travel that nourishes the mind, body, and soul. The author, Megan Jicha, believes this type of travel–or really any travel in general–is one of the best ways to discover, grow, and enjoy who you are as a person.
Megan will also go beyond her recommendations and reviews of wellness travel and simply recount her favorite travel experiences: From soul searching in Iceland and bridge climbing in Sydney to awesome pancakes in San Francisco. Megan simply wants Wanderlust to be a place where she can share her stories and hopefully inspire a few people to get out there and explore the world.
Last but not least, Megan will also document the steps she takes to become a travel writer. She hopes sharing these experience will help just one person pursue their passion for travel writing and help them understand that they too can delve into the wonderful, life-affirming world of travel writing.
About the girl, Megan Jicha
Currently residing in Orange County, California, Megan, 26, is a full-time freelance writer–splitting her time between corporate copywriting and travel writing. Her current life goals include: 1) surely and steadily growing Feed Your Wanderlust and her travel writing career, 2) dedicating more time to her yoga practice, 3) visiting at least one new country each year, 4) getting her finances in grown-up-girl order, and 5) continuing to learn how to reduce stress and embrace happiness on a day-to-day basis.
Her favorite travel excursions to date include:
- Camping around Iceland for a month and climbing multiple glaciers
- Camping in the Australian outback
- Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Playing on the rock slides of Sacsayhuaman
- Hiking, zip-lining, and rafting the Inca Jungle Trek
- Exploring Machu Picchu
- Rope swinging off a sunset cruise boat on a man’s back–in a black dress–in Aruba
- Driving the Pacific Coast Highway
- Eating veggie burgers, window shopping, and relaxing on the beach in Cape May, NJ
- Calling Boston, MA home for over 5 years
- Moving cross country to California


Seniors are Choosing Medicare Advantage in Greater Numbers which is Good News for Private Health Plans, According to HealthLeaders-InterStudy
May 31, 2012—Nashville, Tenn. —
HealthLeaders-InterStudy, the leading provider of managed care market intelligence, finds that Medicare’s growth and profit potential make it a good bet for managed care organizations looking to expand their business, according to the recently published National MCO Analyzer: Medicare
report. Even with the nation’s budget and debt problems, Medicare continues to expand as aging baby boomers enter the market and the weak economy pushes more people into retirement.
The 2012 Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment season ended with 13.3 million members in MA plans, up 10 percent from 2011. Much of the 2012 MA growth accrued to the large national MA plans, which benefited from Medicare age-ins, a successful annual enrollment period and several major health plan acquisitions in the Medicare segment.
“Medicare Advantage is maturing, and part of that maturation is the consolidation of the market as smaller plans either fail or are purchased by the larger plans.” said HealthLeaders-InterStudy Senior Analyst Paula Wade. “The top ten plans now have two-thirds of the MA market for 2012. As these large players realize greater economies of scale, particularly in drug purchasing, consolidation will continue as marginal players decide to put themselves up for sale.”
Seniors are choosing Medicare Advantage plans in greater numbers, because those plans offer better benefits than the government fee-for-service program. Medicare Advantage plans are part of a federal program providing Medicare coverage through the private insurance market.
“Baby boomers are accustomed to managed care,” said Ms. Wade. “They think it’s entirely normal to choose a private health plan for delivery of their Medicare benefits. This generation is also savvier about researching their coverage alternatives online and shopping for the best value.”
The National MCO Analyzer: Medicare
report includes a profile for each state and the District of Columbia to capture each program’s unique structure and operation. An abstract of the report can be found here:


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Marianne Boesky Gallery is pleased to participate in the 2022 edition of the Independent Art Fair in New York City with a solo booth featuring a new body of work by seminal Italian artist Pier Paolo Calzolari (b. 1943). The presentation follows Calzolari’s fourth solo exhibition with the gallery, Painting as a Butterfly (March 18 – April 23, 2022), which was the first significant presentation of the artist’s work since his retrospective at Museo Madre in Napoli, Italy in 2019.
The new paintings on display are works from Calzolari’s latest “Shop Signs” series (2019-ongoing). These new works were created in a period of isolation and delicately channel a collective longing for human connection. The series continues his long-standing observation of modern urban life, in which the artist creates fictional encounters such as a stroll past a shoemaker, flower shop, or a hatter. Working in a scale reminiscent of merchant signage, Calzolari uses commonplace signifiers such as a teapot or a shoe to transcend language and allow viewers to sit with the often overlooked beauty and simplicity of everyday life. The artist said, “I’ve always asked people to listen to the murmuring of things, the voice of objects, their secrets.” Painting with blue, red, and yellow pastels à l’écu, a medium that combines the tradition of Old Masters with modern chemistry,, Calzolari collapses temporalities on salt-strewn canvas and creates moments for viewers to meditate on their personal emotions and memories.
“We are thrilled to premiere this new body of work by Pier Paolo Calzolari at Independent Art Fair, a thoughtfully curated platform envisioned by our colleagues Elizabeth Dee and Matthew Higgs,” said Marianne Boesky. “The fair offers a unique opportunity for cross generational and cultural dialogues, putting Calzolari’s recent innovations in conversation with a younger generation of artists and dealers, who may be examining similar concerns through their individual lens.”
A central figure in the postwar Arte Povera movement, Calzolari continues to be one of the most important contemporary Italian artists working today. This recent period of fervent creativity, from a new studio in Lisbon, Portugal, has notably impacted the artist’s use of light and color, in particular seen in his experimentation with a pastel color palette that has never before been seen in his works. Calzolari’s creations are simultaneously highly charged and contemplative, both for the viewer and the artist himself. Shedding a new light onto his painting practice, Calzolari is at once conductor and audience.


He’s right. its not a political issue. its a human rights issue.
Missouri GOP Lawmaker Reveals He’s Gay And Opposes ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
A Republican lawmaker in Missouri on Wednesday announced that he was gay and called on his colleagues to revoke their support for a “horrible” bill that would prevent the discussion of homosexuality in schools.
“I will not lie to myself anymore about my own sexuality,” state Rep. Zachary Wyatt said during a press conference at the State Capitol. “It has probably been the hardest thing to come to terms with. I have always ignored it, didn’t even think about it or want to talk about it. I’ve not been immune to it. I hear the comments — usually snide ones — about me.”
“I’m not the first or last Republican to come out. I’ve just gotten tired of the bigotry being shown from both sides of the aisle on gay issues. Being gay has never been a Republican or Democrat issue.”
Wyatt warned that Missouri’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill would make it impossible for LGBT students to speak with teachers and counselors when they were being bullied.


Supporters include MNEK, Amy Wadge, Ross Golan, Fred Gibson, Mikkel Eriksen of Stargate, Paloma Faith, Savan Kotecha, Jess Glynne, Natalie Hemby, Jimmy Hogarth, Liam Howe, Giorgio Moroder, Digital Farm Animals, Dan Bastille, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jin Jin, Plested, Ina Wroldsen, Tre Jean-Marie, Rick Nowels, Tiffany Red, Iain James, Dyo and Jessica Agombar.
300 writers, along with SONA (Songwriters on North America) and The 100 Percenters, have signed an open letter to all record labels calling on them to pay writers a minimum daily allowance (per diem) of £75 / $120 to each songwriter working with an artist to cover expenses and give writers at least four points on the master from the label share. The letter says that the per diem would be non-recoupable from the artist share and points should be on net revenue and shared amongst the non-performing songwriters on a record.
MNEK, artist, songwriter and producer said, “There are no songs without songwriters, lyricists and wordsmiths. To award ceremonies to the digital platforms even down to the conception of the song, the people behind the lyrics and melody are made to seem secondary. Pay songwriters for our minds and our time.”
Amy Wadge, songwriter and Grammy winner said, “It takes a village to launch a successful artist and songwriters are an essential part of the village and yet they are still at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to income. It’s time for a proper conversation and for a new precedent to be set but it has to be supported by labels and artists too. Songwriters need to be heard for what they are saying as well as what they are writing!”
Ross Golan, multi-award-winning and multi-platinum selling songwriter and producer said, “Just because the industry is the way it is, doesn’t mean the industry has to always be this way. Let’s make our community healthier and stronger.”
Tiffany Red, Grammy winning songwriter and founder of The 100 Percenters said “I’ll always be a songwriter. It’s the love of my life. I’m down to write for artists as long as they pay my songwriting fee, give me a per diem for my time, and points on the master.”
Songwriter Iain James said, “I’ve been extremely lucky in my career over the last 15 years in what I’ve achieved, but I can’t imagine trying to break through and make a name for myself in 2021 – I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Like in any other creative industry, we must nurture and look after the next generation of amazingly talented people coming through and this has to start by giving songwriters a fairer share of the pie.”
Songwriters invest in artists and emerging talent by spending time in the studio providing direction, inspiration and development at their own risk and often for no return. Unlike a label, a songwriter does not have the same means to absorb these costs. Coupled with the inadequate revenues songwriters receive through streaming, the risks and rewards writers face needs to be re-balanced.
The campaign argues that providing writers with a daily allowance and additional points on the master are immediate steps that labels can take to support, and invest in, creativity.
This campaign comes as the DCMS Select Committee inquiry into the economics of streaming holds an evidence session with UK Government Ministers on Monday 22 March. Helienne Lindvall, Chair of The Ivors Academy’s Songwriter Committee said, “We know we have to fix streaming so it’s fair, transparent and sustains the careers of the people that create the music we love. Structural reform is needed now more than ever, but in the meantime there are a few quick and easy measures which could help songwriters get by until such time as reform is achieved. While labels enjoy record revenues from streaming, songwriters are struggling to pay the rent. The #PaySongwriters campaign provides simple ways for the labels to support songwriters when it’s needed most.
“We commend The Other Songs and the other labels who have joined them already in paying points to non-performing songwriters, showing that this is a fair way to reward the huge contribution songwriters make to the health of the music industry. As a community of music creators, we call on all labels to support our campaign to #PaySongwriters.”


5 Reasons to Spend Your Thanksgiving Weekend at Park Place at Winghaven
Thanksgiving—a holiday steeped in tradition and filled with the three Fs: family, feasting, and football. But there’s a fourth ‘F’ that’s making its way into the Thanksgiving lexicon: flexibility. The holiday season is evolving, with many people now opting to celebrate in new locales, creating fresh traditions while still honoring the old. For those seeking a change of scene, Park Place at Winghaven in O’Fallon, Missouri, offers a perfect mix of comfort, luxury, and community spirit. Let’s dive into five reasons why spending your Thanksgiving weekend at Park Place at Winghaven could start your holiday season off right.
Comforts of Home in a Luxurious Setting
Park Place at Winghaven echoes the comforts of home with its inviting, well-appointed living spaces. The luxurious touch points make it an appealing choice for those who wish to enjoy the holiday in style. High ceilings and expansive windows offer a bright and airy atmosphere, perfect for watching the autumn leaves fall or the morning frost glisten while sipping on a warm cup of coffee.
While home-cooking is a Thanksgiving staple, not everyone loves the preparation and cleanup that comes with it. Thankfully, O’Fallon is a town that celebrates with fervor, offering a bevy of local dining options with Thanksgiving specials. You can savor a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner with all the traditional fixings—or a gourmet alternative—without the extensive prep and dishes to wash afterward.
The Splendor of Autumn in Missouri
Missouri in the fall is a sight to behold, and Park Place at Winghaven sits at the heart of this autumnal beauty. The landscape is awash with reds, oranges, and yellows, providing a gorgeous backdrop for holiday photos or a quiet walk to reflect on the things we’re thankful for.
Beyond the aesthetics, the season is perfect for outdoor activities before the winter chill sets in. Whether it’s a family touch football game or a peaceful hike through one of the nearby parks, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy the crisp November air.
A Sense of Community and Belonging
The holiday season, and Thanksgiving in particular, is about community. It’s about sharing not just a meal, but experiences and gratitude. Park Place at Winghaven fosters a genuine sense of community, something that can make the holidays feel even more special.
Residents and visitors alike can enjoy the shared amenities—a feature not always possible in a typical setting. Imagine kids playing in the common areas, forming friendships as parents exchange recipes or share stories of Thanksgivings past.
Generous Accommodations for Families
When you bring families together, space becomes a precious commodity. The apartments at Park Place at Winghaven boast generous floor plans that allow everyone to gather comfortably, a luxury during the holiday season.
Each unit is designed with both communal and private spaces in mind, ensuring that while the turkey is roasting, some can watch the parade on TV, others can play games in a separate room, and those needing a quiet moment can find peace away from the bustle.
Celebrate Without the Stress
Finally, the allure of a stress-free holiday cannot be overstated. Thanksgiving at Park Place at Winghaven means you can enjoy all the festivities without the usual anxieties. The maintenance team ensures that your holiday is about relaxation and celebration, not about fixing that wobbly chair leg or a clogged kitchen sink. Park Place is your place to savor life, find all amenities and services here.
Thanksgiving Weekend at Park Place
Now, let’s paint a picture of what a Thanksgiving weekend could look like at Park Place at Winghaven:
Thursday Morning: Start your day with a brisk walk or jog around the neighborhood, taking in the serenity of O’Fallon’s scenic pathways. As the parade floats across your TV screen, the aroma of turkey begins to fill the air, courtesy of a local caterer or a meal prepared by your family in a fully equipped kitchenette.
Thursday Afternoon: Gather around the spacious living room as the Thanksgiving feast is spread out on the dining table. The bounty is rich, and the company is even richer. Laughter and the clinking of glasses underscore a sense of togetherness.
Thursday Evening: After the big meal, why not take a leisurely walk around the community, or for those who can’t resist, catch some holiday specials or football games on the large screen TV provided in your apartment.
Black Friday: For those who live for the thrill of holiday shopping, Black Friday deals await at nearby shopping centers. The hunt for bargains is exhilarating and the victories sweet. And when you’re shopped out, Park Place is just a short drive away.
Weekend Activities: The rest of the weekend can be as active or as laid back as you desire. Engage in community events at Park Place, take in a movie at a local theater, or explore historical sites around O’Fallon. Visit our area attractions page to learn about nearby places that are fun to explore.
Thanksgiving at Park Place at Winghaven offers a holiday experience that combines tradition with the ease of a getaway. It’s a place where memories are made, where the holiday rush is replaced by leisure and appreciation, and where the spirit of Thanksgiving is not just preserved, but elevated. This year, make Park Place at Winghaven your Thanksgiving destination and discover a new way to celebrate the season.


Eligible: students, professionals
Register/Submit: 11 October 2010
Registration fee: none
There are 35 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England. But 90% of us live in towns and cities and most people rarely get out and visit them. So CABE is supporting a photo competition to find ‘Areas of Outstanding Urban Beauty’
The idea is to focus attention on the quality of urban areas and to find out what people love about the places where they live. You’re invited to take a picture. Write a few lines. And submit an entry. It could be a single building, a cityscape, a park or a detail like a paving stone. It needs to be in an English town, city or village. It must be somewhere that is beautiful to you.
The project is being run with with Dezeen, the online architectural and design magazine, with support from The Photographers’ Gallery in London.
To find out more information click here


UNO is an artist who lives and works in Rome from the early 2000s.
The techniques used in his artistic production are the classics of street art and muralism, although his preference, right from his first experiences in the street, are posters, repetition, collage, decoupage, stencils, and anything that has to do with the streets and the ephemeral, with the perpetual and incessant need to roam around burning the midnight oil.
By assimilating and actualizing the lesson of Warhol, Debord , and Rotella , through endless repetition and frequent use of bright colors, UNO plays with the advertising techniques and transforms them.
Focusing on the face of a famous chocolate advertising, he turns it into an icon of the possible revolution of the individual against the mass society. A face freed from the role assigned to it by its creators and that paradoxically becomes the ideal tool for a critique of the advertising practice itself.
Reinforcing this message his decoupages with torn paper and stencil-collages, that remind us of the individual and his uniqueness, continually manipulated until lost in the multiplicity of society.
One hundred thousand , no one , UNO.
His artworks are displayed in different cities: Los Angeles (USA), San Francisco (USA), Chicago (USA), London (GB), Moscow (RUS), Berlin (D), Amsterdam (NL), Madrid (E), Lisbon (P), Rome (I), Milan (I), Turin (I), Siracusa (I), Catania (I), Bologna (I), Salerno (I), Terni (I); Venice (I), Barcelona (E), Dortmund (D), Hamburg (D), Marseille (F), Athen (GR), La Turbie (F), and more.
His works appeared on:International New York Times; Juxtapoz Magazine; Huffington Post; Rolling Stones; LIFO art magazine; BBC travel; Artribune; Pow! Wow! Worldwide; Vandalog; Widewalls; Brooklyn Street Art.


The gang from the Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast met me in person at NYCC and we did a follow-up interview all about the Figment comic mini-series.
I’ve gone on at length about my love of tabletop role-playing games and how I feel they’re the best entertainment money can buy. Sitting down to create a new interactive tale with a group of friends is a joyous experience that few other things can match. Playing RPGs strengthened my storytelling skills and lead me down the creative path to becoming a comic writer.
I want to talk about one game in particular that stands out among the dozens and dozens I’ve played over the years: FENG SHUI.
Feng Shui is an Action Movie Role-Playing Game written by Robin Laws. It takes the heightened intensity of Hong Kong-style action films and, in a simple and cohesive way, creates a storytelling framework that encourages everyone playing to have a great time. It changed the way I played games and, for many designers and players alike, it was a milestone in the way that it injected storytelling ideas into the mechanical components of gaming.
Here’s the thing: In practically every tabletop RPG that came before Feng Shui, there was a distinct divide between narration and action. You could “role play” all you wanted as the story progressed but, once the action kicked into gear, it was time to break out the dice and hope for the best. No matter what you envisioned in your mind as weapons clashed, the rules alone would dictate who hits, how much damage they take, and the end result therein. The narrative component was completely pushed out in favor of cold numbers and probabilities.
What Robin did with Feng Shui was to weave the narrative back into the heart of the action and make it integral to how the game is played. Describing what you’re doing during combat, how you’re doing it, and making it as entertaining as possible grants you bonuses to achieve the very thing you’re describing. Instead of the rules working against your wildest imagination, it propels it forward and makes action scenes a bombastic rollicking part of the story instead of a number crunching speed bump. It’s no longer about min-maxing the stats and hoping the dice play your way, it’s about entertaining the whole table as the Game Master rewards your inventiveness and creativity.
That critical shift in focus made a massive difference in how our group played RPGs. It pushed Feng Shui to the top of the pile whenever we wanted to pull together a game or teach new players what RPGs were all about. It made the mechanical part of the game fun and encouraged everyone at the table to contribute in a way I’d never experienced before.
Feng Shui effortlessly codifies the ridiculous entertainment of action movies and empowers everyone playing to throw down in an over-the-top thrill ride with an infinite production budget. It rewards involvement, energizes storytelling, and never fails to surprise.
Our college gaming group ran a Mission Impossible-style episodic campaign called Agents of Intrigue. It started off as a simple throw-together format to run games when we weren’t sure who would be available from week to week and, over dozens of wild sessions and years of play, it evolved into a sprawling cast of colorful characters and weaving plot lines punctuated with wry humor and bone-crunching action. To this day that campaign is one of my favorite gaming memories.
The Feng Shui 2nd Edition Kickstarter is currently running down its last day of fundraising and I heartily encourage everyone I know who loves games to contribute. Beyond the PDF or physical book of rules, you’re helping support one of the best RPG games of all time while receiving a toolkit for creating new heart-pounding stories of ultimate ass-kickery.
DO IT and tell ‘em I sent ya.
Announced over the weekend, I’m part of the creative team launching a tie-in comic for the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series featured on the Disney Channel.
You can read all about it in our new Comic Book Resources interview.
Amazing Spider-Man was the first super hero comic I ever collected, so getting the chance to write stories for everyone’s favorite web-slinger is a pure delight.
Comic Book Resources has just posted up a new interview with me along with a new preview of Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur’s Gate. Click on through to read about how the series came about and my plans for the new series that launches next week!
Over on Sequential Tart, Suzette Chan interviews Steve and I all about Wayward, including our influences, research, Japanese culture, and the trials our characters are going through. Give it a read!
Another incredible convention season wraps up with the annual New York Comic Con. I’ll be there from Thursday through Saturday (I’m heading home Sunday before the show opens to spend Canadian Thanksgiving with my family) and, if you’re there, I hope you get a chance to come by and visit!
ARTIST ALLEY TABLE W-16
Wayward, Skullkickers, Samurai Jack, Pathfinder, Figment… lots of different books you can bring by to get signed.
In addition, IDW will have special advance copies of Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur’s Gate, with a space hamster-tastic convention-only cover, there for Max Dunbar and I to sign.
Beyond the table set up, here’s where you’ll be able to find me for signings/panels:
06:15-07:00pm Hasbro/IDW Panel – Room 1A14
11:00-12:00pm IDW Signing – Booth 1844
01:00-01:50pm Dark Horse Signing – Booth 1636
04:15-05:00pm IDW Panel – Room 1A14
02:00-03:00pm Image Comics Signing – Booth 1544
Today sees the release of FIGMENT #5, the final issue of our mini-series. From last December when Bill Rosemann first approached me about writing the story through to now, it’s hard to believe how quickly it all went.
I’m really proud of the work our team put together and I’m so happy that fans of Journey Into Imagination have enjoyed it so much.
Here’s the little note I wrote in the back of the issue for our readers:
I know it’s a groan-worthy cliché, but I can’t help it – Working on Figment has been a dream come true!
Right from the start – from concept, through development, and then into art production and lettering – everyone on the team clicked. All of us gathered momentum and enthusiasm as the project built up steam. I think that creative ‘spark’ really shows on the final printed page, each one lovingly rendered by Filipe and Jean-Francois.
Expanding the legacy of Dreamfinder and Figment has been a magical experience all around. I know how much these characters mean to fans of Disneyworld and I’m delighted that you’ve welcomed this new story into your hearts.
To the creative team, the Marvel crew, the Disney Imagineers, and our loyal readers – Thank you for letting me add a bit of steam-powered joy to the Magic Kingdom.
I was a guest on this week’s War Rocket Ajax podcast with Matt Wilson and Chris Sims. We talk extensively about Wayward, juggling multiple projects, the awesomeness of Charles Soule, Waffle House, and more. Give it a listen. My interview starts at the 36 minute mark of the podcast.
Wayward #2 arrived in stores last week and, once again, all of us on the creative team are blown away by the response from retailers and readers alike. Thank you so much for the praise and support. Keep telling others about the series as we continue to crank away making it the best we can.
• Bleeding Cool: “The new high school experience, the language differences, and exploring of a stranger world within a strange world, yeah, definitely the comic of the week.”
• 13th Dimension: “There is no question that the slowly unfolding series is brimming with promise and, in the meantime, if Zub can continue to regale us with Rori’s adventures in Tokyo, the series should continue to be an essential read.”
• All-Comic: 5/5 “Wayward is only on its second issue, but has instantly become one of most vibrant and fascinating titles in Image’s stable.”
• Big Glasgow Comic Page: 4/5 “Wayward is still a very, very open book: anything could happen.”
• Black Ship Books: “Rori continues to be a fascinating character and Cummings’ art alone is well worth the cover price. Don’t miss it.”
• Comic Book Bin: 10/10 “Wayward does indeed look to be one of the year’s best new comic book series and one of the best fantasy comic books period.”
• Comics: The Gathering: 9/10 “Wayward continues with an incredibly strong second outing that is vivid and eye-catching. Don’t miss this one.”
• Comix I Read: “Supernatural beings, a deep and confused main character and fantastic art make Wayward issue #2 a must read for this week.”
• Con Freaks & Geeks: 9/10 “As Rori’s story continues on, her powers manifest even more. Wayward’s story is progressing very strongly and is leading to something very big.”
• Emertainment Monthly: “Wayward has an incredibly unique take on both monsters and Japanese culture and Zub does an excellent job of establishing—and quickly fleshing out—his characters.”
• Fangirl Nation: “Anyone who is a fan of the fantasy/supernatural element would be interested in this comic. It is compelling, beautiful, and full of creatures that most people outside of Japan never heard of.”
• Four Color Bullet: “This is fast becoming one of my favorite books, both for content, and a nice price tag.”
• Geeked Out Nation: 8/10 “When everything is said and done you do have to take notice of the attention put into Rori’s relationship with her mom and how there are things about both of their lives that they don’t discuss for the sake of not burdening the other.”
• Iron Violet: 5/5 “I cannot express how much I love the artwork for this series! Its that rare enigma of being the perfect blend of comic book art with manga influences that doesn’t have too much or too little of either.”
• Major Spoilers: 9.5/10 “Wayward #2 is a visually stunning as the narrative is engaging. Cummings, Ruach and Zub are all on their A-game and work together effortlessly.”
• Mind Capsules: 4.5/5 “After two issues, this book has become a keeper and one to definitely pick up if you are not doing so already.”
• OmniJerBear: 10/10 “I really think it’s going to do great.”
• Pop Culture Company: “Image has another huge winner on their hands here”
• Pop Culture Maven: “Zub is not rushing things along. Cummings artwork is one of the key things that is really driving the book.”
• Reading Pictures: “Thus far, Wayward has shown it’s in a real class of its own with its hybrid version of a Japanese coming-of-age tale. Zub, Cummings and the rest of the team have something going strong and this book is just plain fun to read.”
• Reading With A Flight Ring: “I can’t believe I’m such a big fan of this book already it’s that much fun to read.”
• Rhymes With Geek: 9/10 “How nice to be able to say that Wayward is a series that only gets better in the second issue.”
• Shadowhawk’s Shade: 9.5/10 “What can I say, another mindblowing issue from a great team.”
• Talking Comics: “This art is absolutely stunning. It is beautiful, and grounds the story in the real world.”
• Unleash The Fanboy: 9/10 “Two issues in and I can say that this is something that deserves a spot on your pull-list. Highly recommended.”
• We The Nerdy: 87% “Issue 2 is continuing the trend of building and following a character worth reading about. As a reader, I can’t ask for much more than that.”
• What’cha Reading: 4.5/5 “I love Wayward more and more each issue. Rori is identifiable and the right combination of fragile and strong.”
• Word of the Nerd: 8/10 “The art is marvelous and so are the colors.”


Pelekai eliminated on 'AGT'
"America's Got Talent" viewers sent home a contestant with Hawaii ties for the second straight week, dismissing Oahu resident Ciana Pelekai during a second week of eliminations decided by a public vote.
Local dance crew Hype went home during the show's first live results episode on July 24.
Pelekai, 12, chose a cover of Emeli Sande's "Next to Me" for her live performance on Tuesday, July 30, at Radio City Music Hall
"This is a really tough one," celebrity judge Mel B. told Pelekai the following night, July 31, as she awaited her fate alongside country singer Marty Brown and sword-swallowing daredevil Alexandr Magala. "I'm so glad we judges don't have to decide this.
"You have a stunning voice. Your performance was great last night."
America didn't agree, however, that she deserved one of four slots available for the 12 acts featured this week. Instead, country singer Brown, operatic trio Forte, dance crew Innovative Force and impressionist Angela Hoover were selected to move on to the show's semifinal round, bringing them one step closer to a $1,000,000 grand prize and Las Vegas show contract.
They'll be joined by the KriStef Brothers, Collins Key, Brandon James and Anna Christine, who were all picked by viewers last week to advance to the semifinals.
Jason Genegabus is Entertainment Editor/Online at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and has covered the local nightlife, music, bar and entertainment scenes since 2001. Contact him via email at email@example.com.


The flamboyant city of Kochi is gearing up to welcome the biggest fashion spectacle the country has ever witnessed! ‘Lulu Fashion Week 2020’ is one of the most happening fashion shows which encompass all those who are associated with the field of fashion. It facilitates to expose the fashion conscious with the latest fashion trends domestically as well from across the globe. ‘LuLu Fashion Week 2020’ is touted to be the biggest exhibition of the season’s most eye-catching spring/summer fashion trends and styles by leading 45 brands with 29 fashion shows spread across five days from 15th April to 19th April 2020. The ‘LuLu Fashion Week 2020’ recognizes the exceptional contributions by eminent personalities from the fashion and entertainment industry with coveted titles of Pride of Kerala and Style Icon Awards. A ‘Fashion Forum’ which will have the inspiring presence of many stalwarts and dignified personalities from the fashion, entertainment and retail industry is also on the cards and promises to be an enriching influence for students of fashion technology.
So, mark the dates of 15-19 April 2020 on your calendar for a brand new fashion experience!


Hint: It’s behind the launch of Web 3.0
Back in the early 90s, while working for one of the earliest internet companies, I remember enthusiastically encouraging business people to migrate onto the online world using DOS prompts and modems. My advice back then was that the internet would, one day, change the world of business with its valuable tools like email, Telnet and FTP, so they should become early adopters of this emergent technology to stay one step ahead. It was until a few months later that the first web browser Mosaic was announced by Marc Andreessen, marking the launch of Web 1.0. This first ever ‘graphical user interface’ (GUI) browser was a huge deal, and made the newly-created World Wide Web accessible to the non-technical world. Today’s youth can’t fathom a world without ‘Googling’ any question, ordering takeaway food at the push of a button or spending their pocket money online in the e-commerce world of Web 2.0.
Now we’re on the brink of another critical ‘technical turning point’. We’re witnessing the birth of Web 3.0, built on a blockchain foundation, that will change our world in ways we’re only beginning to fathom. The most important benefit Web 3.0 brings to society is that the human frailties of greed and dishonesty can at last be kept in check like never before in history.
What is Web 3.0?
Web 3.0 is the term for the creation of a superior, digital infrastructure being built with blockchain technology, which has already brought unparalleled improvements in transaction transparency, speed and operating costs for all commercial, financial and legal activities that take place each day around the world. And new applications for this technology are being uncovered and developed every week.
So what is the technical innovation that, like Mosaic, has officially launched the new Web 3.0? Bitcoin. While Bitcoin was not the first attempt at creating a digital currency, it was the first decentralised and encrypted means of transferring value directly between two parties that didn’t know/trust each other. Since Bitcoin’s launch in 2009, blockchain developments have exploded from single use as crypto-currencies into a multitude of innovative, real world applications that utilise encryption and unchangeable (immutable), decentralised ledgers for any…


A special celebration of International Women’s Day in Utrecht on Friday 8 March at the University Hall.
Professor Berteke Waaldijk will historically contextualize this eventful day, for it is a day that is celebrated as well as disputed. According to Waaldijk, the strong and continuing disagreements about its history are proof of vibrant feminism and illustrate the need for future researchers who take an interest in what divides and what unites women.
Following her lecture, alumna and professor Anneke Smelik will chair the ROSANNA Fund for Women Grant Ceremony. The ROSANNA Fund for Women was founded by Anneke Smelik and professor Rosi Braidotti as they wish to make higher education more accessible to women.
Read more about the programme and the ROSANNA Fund for Women on our website


n the world of off-road enthusiasts and Jeep aficionados, the Jeep JL RGB headlights have emerged as a dazzling beacon of style and functionality. As the sun dips below the horizon and darkness sets in, these technologically advanced headlights not only light up the trail but also add a vibrant, customizable flair to the iconic Jeep JL.
Jeep, renowned for its rugged and adventurous spirit, has always been at the forefront of innovation. The introduction of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) headlights for the Jeep JL is a testament to the brand's commitment to merging cutting-edge technology with the classic design of their vehicles.
The primary allure of Jeep JL RGB headlights lies in their ability to transform the night-driving experience. Traditional headlights, while effective, often lack the personality and versatility that RGB headlights bring to the table. With a wide spectrum of colors at your fingertips, Jeep owners can now customize their headlights to match their mood, personality, or even the specific terrain they are conquering.
Beyond the aesthetic appeal, the RGB headlights offer practical benefits for off-road enthusiasts. The ability to switch between different colors can serve as a signaling system during group off-road adventures, enhancing communication between fellow Jeepers. Whether it's signaling a stop, indicating a change in direction, or simply expressing enthusiasm, these headlights transcend their illuminating function to become a form of visual communication on the trail.
Installation and operation of Jeep JL RGB headlights are surprisingly user-friendly, considering the sophisticated technology involved. Most RGB headlight kits come with a simple plug-and-play design, allowing Jeep owners to upgrade their headlights without the need for extensive technical expertise. Once installed, the accompanying smartphone app or remote control provides an intuitive interface for adjusting colors, brightness, and even creating dynamic light shows.
The durability and weather resistance of these RGB headlights ensure they can withstand the rigors of off-road adventures. Sealed to prevent moisture ingress and constructed with robust materials, the headlights maintain their performance even in challenging weather conditions, allowing Jeepers to confidently venture into the unknown.
Jeep JL RGB headlights not only illuminate the path ahead but also illuminate the Jeep community with a sense of camaraderie and individuality. As these headlights become increasingly popular among Jeep enthusiasts, the trails come alive with a kaleidoscope of colors, reflecting the diverse personalities and unique stories of each Jeeper.
The Jeep JL RGB headlights stand out not just for their vivid illumination but for the transformative experience they bring to night driving. A harmonious blend of style, functionality, and user-friendly technology, these headlights are a beacon of innovation that further cements Jeep's position at the forefront of the off-road community. So, buckle up, engage those RGB headlights, and let your Jeep JL become a rolling canvas of light on the off-road canvas of adventure.
Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.


The Disability History Association podcast features recent work in disability history—both inside and outside academia. Episodes can be streamed below, or you can download an mp3 or a pdf transcript.
If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, please contact Caroline Lieffers at email@example.com.
Episode 1 (January 2018): Disability and The Waltons
Haley Gienow-McConnell discusses her research on representations of disability in the hit 1970s TV show.
Haley Gienow-McConnell is a PhD candidate at York University in Toronto, Ontario. Her research interests include cultural histories of disability, deaf histories, and histories of women’s health and disability. She is a fluent ASL-user, and lives with her deaf husband and their daughter in Thorold, Ontario. Haley also recently published a deaf/disability positive children’s book entitled “A Sense of Love.” She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or on Twitter at @HaleyAnnGM.


This morning in Chapel at GIAL, they shared a video showing 5 families that have served with Wycliffe overseas. They tell of how they got involved with Bible Translation, stories of living in different cultures, and the love they have for sharing their hearts and lives to get the Word of God into the heart languages.
The video is 20 minutes long, but it is a great way to get a glimpse into the lives of some of the individuals who have served with Wycliffe.
We are privileged to see some of the individuals from the video (they are retired and live on the center) and others like them who have served overseas, to learn from them and to talk with them about what it will be like to be a missionary serving God overseas. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have gotten being here at GIAL to learn, grow, and prepare to serve in Cameroon.


Mojang has now confirmed that the popular block-based builder will finally arrive on the Nintendo Wii U this December. The announcement was made by Mojang in an official video, where lead developer Jeb Bergensten closed out a faux interview with the surprise announcement.
Minecraft will be releasing for the Wii U on December 17th, just in time for the holiday season. The company only confirmed that it would arrive as a purchasable title on the eShop, so those looking to buy it as a Christmas gift needn’t worry about wrapping paper.
Gamers looking to play Minecraft on the Wii U will have to shell out more cash compared to other console gamers, as the Nintendo edition will retail for a relatively hefty $29.99, whilst the Xbox One and PS4 versions sell for less at $19.99. Granted, the Wii U version will come with 6 add-on DLC skin bundles already included, but considering skins have always been free for PC players, that’s not much of an incentive to purchase the game at a higher price.
Fans can take a look at Jeb’s announcement video below, where they take a moment to talk about upcoming features in the PC release before getting down to the reveal:
Mojang also confirmed that more Minecraft content packs would be arriving to the Wii U in the near future, so those looking to purchase things like Nintendo-centric character skins will probably be able to do so sooner rather than later. Gamers from other consoles routinely get brand-specific downloadable content, and considering how easy it is for companies to make, it would be a baffling decision for Nintendo not to offer gamers the ability to mine dressed as Mario or Luigi.
As expected, the game will feature off-TV play, so gamers can continue playing on the GamePad while other family members take over the television. The studio also promised to keep supporting the core game with free updates, much like they do with the other console versions. PC Gamers still get access to the most updated version of the game ahead of time, and that won’t change, but it’s great to see that the popular building game will be available across all consoles.
Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, the creator of the game, recently commented that he thought it would be neat to see Steve as a Smash Bros character, so perhaps this announcement is the big catalyst in such a development. Only time will tell if Nintendo and Mojang evolve a larger partnership beyond launching the game on their console, but either way, everyone wins.
What do you think about Mojang finally bringing Minecraft to a Nintendo platform?
Minecraft is now officially available for iOS, Android, PC, Linux, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, and Nintendo Wii U.


Kubler still buzzing from Lleyton’s wildcard call at KooyongPosted on January 11, 2018
After making his debut at the Kooyong Classic in very hot conditions Jason Kubler was still beaming with happiness contemplating his second Grand Slam appearance at next week’s Australian Open.
The 24-year-old from Brisbane was defeated by Japanese speedster Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5 6-4 but his mood was still bright after finishing his last competitive match before playing at Melbourne Park where he has qualified as a wildcard.
“It was tough conditions today, a little bit windy at the start and it was hot,” Kubler said after the match.
“We had some long rallies and it was just tough to get ready for the next point, but I think that’s what I need before the Open.
“I was happy with the match-up because he was going to get everything back, so I just need to complete my points, I don’t think I did that too well in the first set.
“But in the second set I was able to shorten the points a little bit.”
Last week he played a Challenger event in Adelaide and ended up winning the tournament, giving the world No. 242 more than enough time on court to make the most of his golden opportunity with a good preparation.
Kubler made his first and only appearance at a Grand Slam in 2010 at Melbourne Park, which will host the draw on Thursday night deciding who the Australian will play in the first round.
“When I was 16 I had like a month like this where I played Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne – it was just tough will all the pressure and stuff,” he explained.
“This time I’m really enjoying it and I was happy playing in front of a crowd, even though I lost, I thought I played some good tennis and I’m just pumped about it all.
“I gotta get used to the heat but I’m feeling pretty good.”
Having started the 2017 without a ranking has made the last few weeks all the more sweeter for Kubler who was ecstatic when Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt called his phone with news of his wildcard selection.
“Very excited with the wildcard, it was a bit of a shock to get it to be honest,” Kubler smiled.
“I didn’t think I was going to get it so when Lleyton rang I was pretty pumped about that.
“It was unbelievable (getting that call), I thought I was going to get into the quallies and I would have been happy with that and then he’s rang me and said, ‘do you think you’re ready for five sets?’
“I’m like, ‘of course I am, of course I am’.
“I didn’t expect it either, even four months ago I had made finals of a couple of tournaments but even the thought of quallies at the Aussie Open was out the window.
“Fast-forward four months and I’m here, even playing here today in front of a good crowd was great.”


Teen Summer Reading Video Challenge
The Connecticut State Library is co-sponsoring a national video competition for teens to encourage them to get involved with reading and their public library's summer reading program.
Teens across the country are invited to create a 30 to 90 second video with their unique interpretation of the 2016 teen summer reading slogan Get in the Game - Read.
$150 will be awarded to the creators of the winning Connecticut video. The deadline for Connecticut entries is Friday, April 1, 2016. Winners will be announced in April 2016.
Get creative and enter your video!
For more information and entry forms, check here.
According to Dictionary.com, e-piracy is "the illegal uploading of digital copies of copyrighted works to a website, or the illegal downloading of such material."
I was planning to write a post about e-piracy and how it hurts the publishing industry, but during my research, I came across two blog posts by Ally Carter, author of All Fall Down (Book 1 in the Embassy Row series) and the popular Gallagher Girls series. I think she explains it best, so check out these posts from Ally Carter's blog...
May 3, 2009: Pirates - Who They Really Hurt
June 18, 2010: Epiracy: Yes, It's Wrong. And Yes, It Hurts.
What is social media?
Blogs, wikis, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Pandora - any website or app that allows users to create their own content and connect with other people. That's why it's called "social" media.
What's my digital footprint?
"Digital footprint" is a phrase used to describe the virtual tracks that everyone leaves behind when posting information online. Pics posted on Flickr, personal info added to Facebook, comments posted on blogs, book reviews posted on Amazon -- all of these leave a footprint of where you've been, what you think, and details about who you are. Put all of that together, and someone may be able to create a pretty accurate (or inaccurate) profile of you.
So it's important to think carefully about your digital footprint...
You probably don't want everyone to see all the details of your life, so you need to make sure the personal information you post online can only be seen for the family and friends you choose. Most social media sites provide "privacy settings," so you can decide who can see the info you post. Make sure to check the privacy settings on all the social media sites you use.
College admissions officers and employers look at social media sites when they make admissions and hiring decisions. You don't want the info you post to stand in the way of getting into college or getting a job, right? That's why you need to manage your reputation online by:
Nicole Kent is the


“Colors of Kandy“ is a story about the diverse life in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Despite Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity being practiced in Kandy, and Sinhalese, Tamil, English and Arabic all being spoken, the appearance of a life of peace and harmony exists. However, there remains a subtle, not so obvious tension between the diverse communities in the city. Yet, amidst such diversity and quiet tension, Kandyans do choose and wish to live in peace amongst one another. The story offers a message of hope and a sense that we can all live together despite our self-imposed differences. With the recent violence in Kandy against Islamic communities inflicted by their Buddhist neighbors, it is important now more than ever to highlight the harmony that can exist. The beauty and kindness of Kandyans is equal throughout the diverse communities.


Welcome to The Song Foundry
We’re not like most songwriting sites.
We’re not about interviews with artists or anecdotes from the studio. We’re not about ways to win over industry execs. We’re not about the latest Cubase plugin or virtual synth.
We’re about writing great songs. We’re about how words, music and structure work. We’re about how to write songs that change people’s lives. We’re about how to think, breathe and live like a songwriter. We’re about how creativity is for everyone. We’re about how anyone, anywhere can learn to be a great songwriter if they want to.
We know we’re not for everyone. If being famous is more important to you than writing great material, we probably can’t help you. But if you’re here to master your artform, to find ways to unleash your creativity and create some really remarkable songs, you’ve come to the right place.
We’re glad to have you.
Risky doesn’t come with guarantees. But safe does: guaranteed mediocrity.Read More
Travel is great for the soul whatever you do. As artists, it’s one of the best ways to grow.Read More
It can be tempting to feel jealous and insecure around other people’s success. But that won’t do you any favors.Read More


As we dive into the vibrant and unmistakably nostalgic world of early 2000s design, the resurgence of Y2K aesthetics in fashion, music, and digital art has sparked a renewed interest in the iconic fonts that defined this era. The Y2K aesthetic, known for its futuristic curves, metallic textures, and playful embrace of technology, offers a unique blend of optimism and digital dreaminess that is now being celebrated once again. In this article, we’ll explore the best Y2K fonts available on Canva, each carefully selected to help you channel the spirit of the millennium’s dawn into your graphic design projects.
What we cover
1. Bebas Neue
Why It’s Y2K: Bebas Neue’s clean, all-caps sans-serif design captures the Y2K era’s fascination with minimalism and digital clarity. Its boldness makes it perfect for headlines that demand attention, reminiscent of early 2000s tech ads and digital interfaces.
2. Black Gold Display
Why It’s Y2K: With its sophisticated serif design, Black Gold Display brings a touch of luxury and high-end fashion that became popular in the late ’90s and early ’00s. It evokes the era’s glam and the emerging web’s elegance, making it ideal for designs that aim to blend retro luxury with modern crispness.
Why It’s Y2K: The geometric shapes and uniform thickness of Blinker echo the Y2K era’s love for simplicity and futurism in digital design. Its clean lines and modern look make it suitable for projects that require a touch of the new millennium’s optimistic outlook.
4. RQND Pro Ultrawide
Why It’s Y2K: The ultra-wide stance of RQND Pro Ultrawide reflects the Y2K fascination with space, exploration, and a broader perspective of the digital world. Its extended characters suggest the era’s push towards innovation and the unknown future.
5. Mokoto Glitch 1
Why It’s Y2K: Embodying the digital experimentation and the occasionally imperfect technology of the Y2K era, Mokoto Glitch 1 is perfect for projects that channel a sense of digital disruption, cyberpunk aesthetics, and the glitch art that began to emerge.
Why It’s Y2K: Gyanko, with its playful and somewhat quirky design, mirrors the Y2K era’s embrace of fun, personality-driven fonts in web design and digital media. It’s reminiscent of the friendly interfaces that welcomed many to the digital age.
Why It’s Y2K: Retropix captures the pixel art that dominated early web graphics, video games, and digital art of the late ’90s and early ’00s. Its pixelated style is a nod to the roots of digital culture, making it essential for nostalgic Y2K-themed projects.
8. VT 323
Why It’s Y2K: The monospaced, typewriter-like appearance of VT 323 brings back the DIY ethos of early web designs and zine culture from the Y2K period. It’s perfect for evoking the handcrafted, personal feel of early online communities.
9. Zico Display Inline
Why It’s Y2K: Zico Display Inline, with its inline detailing and bold presence, harks back to the era’s love for depth and dimension in text, often seen in logos, gaming, and digital media. It’s dynamic yet playful, fitting the Y2K vibe perfectly.
10. Ayr Saturday Night Interlock Regular
Why It’s Y2K: This font captures the party spirit of the Y2K era, with its interlocking design reminiscent of dance club logos and music album art from the time. It’s all about fun, connectivity, and the social buzz that defined the turn of the millennium.
Why It’s Y2K: Pixelion blends the digital pixel look with a modern design, reflecting the transition from the rugged, pixelated graphics of the ’90s to the smoother, more sophisticated digital imagery of the 2000s. It symbolizes the evolution of digital design aesthetics.
12. Kindred Youth
Why It’s Y2K: Kindred Youth’s handwritten style adds a personal touch that contrasts with the digital perfection, reminiscent of the personal blogs and handmade web graphics that became popular as the internet became more accessible.
13. TT Milks Casual Outline Shadow
Why It’s Y2K: Its geometric, structured form captures the architectural and design innovations of the era, echoing the Y2K focus on the future and the blending of form and function in urban design.
14. ITC Magnifico Nighttime
Why It’s Y2K: The decorative flair and sophistication of ITC Magnifico Nighttime recall the extravagant and bold design choices prevalent in late ’90s and early ’00s nightlife culture, fashion, and luxury branding.
Why It’s Y2K: Cyberjunkies embodies the edgy, rebellious side of Y2K culture, drawing from cyberpunk and underground tech scenes. Its bold, unconventional look captures the era’s exploration of digital identity and virtual realities.


Adventurer, Travel Writer, Entertainer.
Charley Boorman’s charismatic “let’s just do it” approach to challenges has won him over to a massive TV and literary audience. He is also known for his enthusiasm for motorbikes, as demonstrated in several documentaries of his travels, including two with his friend, actor Ewan McGregor.
Round the world motorcyclist, travel adventurer.
In April 2019 Henry completed an epic 363 day round the world adventure on a motorbike where he clocked up 55,000 miles, 20,000 more miles than he had initially anticipated. Henry is the youngest person to achieve this tough challenge. Having suffered from depression since the age of 14 and having lost several friends to suicide, Henry says discovering motorcycling at the age of 19 saved him and that the experience has completely changed his outlook on life. Henry is an active supporter of the global mental health charity Movember
Chef, Food Adventurer, Restaurateur, Presenter.
Kiran’s most recent tv series, ‘The Fearless Chef’ produced for Fox International Channels packs a riveting punch as he traverses the globe showcasing fascinating Ingredients and extreme methods of harvesting. Kiran Jethwa is the creator, Chef and owner of Nairobi’s “Seven Experience”. His restaurants have become the most popular eating destinations for Kenya’s cosmopolitan capital and continue to raise the bar pushing culinary boundaries in the region.
Climber and Adventurer.
Based in the Lake District, UK, Leo is one of Britain's top climbers and among the best in the world. He is a veteran of a score of epic ascents, including Everest, but specialises in free climbing the most technical peaks and biggest walls in the world. Leo led a 3-man team across Antarctica by sled and by snow-kite and completed the first ascent of Spectre, the highest peak in the Gothic Mountains.
One of the world’s leading polar explorers & adventure guides.
Inge has successfully lead 20 north pole expeditions, taking the first blind person, Mark Pollock, to the South Pole, guiding 2 pioneering expeditions with injured British servicemen the south and north pole for the acclaimed Walking with the Wounded Expeditions as well as guiding countless private clients into extreme environments.
Inge has also presented, consulted and produced many extreme TV series including Blizzard and Race to the Pole, and is a proud global ambassador for Brietling as part of their inspiring Explorers Squad alongside David de Rothschild and Bertrand Picard.


The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, has announced that the Government on Tuesday approved the holding in the autumn of the Referendum to amend Article 34 of the Constitution to provide for the establishment of a Court of Appeal.
The need for a Court of Appeal arises mainly from the on-going significant backlog of cases before the Supreme Court and the consequent long delays in cases being dealt with by the Supreme Court. The average delay for new non-priority cases is now of the order of 4 years. Earlier this year, the Chief Justice announced her decision not to accept any new priority cases, given that there were already over 70 cases on the priority list.
Welcoming the Government Decision to hold the Referendum, Minister Shatter said "This is just the first step on the road to a Referendum of the People which will be held in the Autumn. Work will now proceed on the preparation of the necessary legislation and the Government will consult with interested parties on the detail of that legislation over the coming months. I intend to publish the proposed constitutional amendments as early as possible in order to give people time to reflect on what is proposed and to allow for a rational and considered debate. I look forward to that discussion and am hopeful that we will be able to convince the People that the proposal is worthy of their support. In all of this, the People are sovereign, it is their Constitution, and as democrats, we will respect whatever choice they make."
The Supreme Court in Ireland, unlike in other common law jurisdictions, is the Court of Final Appeal in all cases. This means that whereas in other countries the Supreme Court mainly deals with cases involving substantial points of law or issues of major public importance, in Ireland the Supreme Court is taken up with issues ranging from routine interlocutory orders to the major constitutional issues and everything in-between.
The new Court of Appeal will deal with most cases that are currently dealt with by the Supreme Court, thus reducing its workload and allowing it to focus on the development of the law. The model for the new Court of Appeal is largely drawn from the seminal Report of the Working Group on a Court of Appeal which was chaired by now Chief Justice Denham and which was published in 2009.
The intention is that after the establishment of the Court of Appeal, most appeals will be concluded at that court and only in exceptional circumstances, and subject to the Supreme Court’s own "leave to appeal" requirements, will cases proceed to be heard by the Supreme Court. This should result in the number of cases heard by the Supreme Court falling substantially.
2 May 2013
Note for Editors
Court of Appeal
The Working Group Report on a Court of Appeal was published in May 2009 and is available at
The Report considered a number of options and recommended the establishment of an intermediate court between the Supreme Court and the High Court. The Intermediate Court would be the Court of Appeal and it would deal with most appeals from the High Court, as well as appeals from the Circuit Criminal Court and the Central Criminal Court.
The main features of the Court of Appeal as recommended by the Working Group are:
1. The Court of Appeal would have civil and criminal jurisdiction and would replace the Court of Criminal Appeal, for criminal cases;
2. There would be a right of appeal of all cases, including those involving constitutional issues, from the High Court to the Court of Appeal;
3. Cases could be appealed from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court according to the Supreme Court’s own leave to appeal requirements, in relation to matters of exceptional public importance.
4. There would also be provision for the Supreme Court to hear appeals from the High Court, in exceptional circumstances, where the public interest so required, subject to its own leave to appeal requirements.
The Minister intends to consult widely on the detail of the Court of Appeal and would welcome submissions from all interested parties.


GSK’s Ebola Vaccine Candidate Progresses
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) reported on results from a small Phase I trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed that an Ebola candidate vaccine from GSK and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) was well-tolerated and produced an immunological response in each of the 20 healthy adult volunteers in the United States who received it.
The candidate vaccine used in the trial conducted by the NIH was co-developed by the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Okairos, a biotechnology company acquired by GSK in 2013. It uses a type of chimpanzee cold virus, known as chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 (ChAd3), as a carrier to deliver genetic material from two strains of the Ebola virus: the Sudan strain and the Zaire strain, which is responsible for the current Ebola outbreak in west Africa. GSK has been working with the NIH to accelerate development of both this bivalent version of the candidate vaccine and a monovalent version targeting only the Zaire strain in response to the current Ebola epidemic.
Further data from ongoing Phase I trials in the US, the UK, Mali, and Switzerland are expected by the end of the year. If the trials are successful, the next phases of the clinical trial program will begin in early 2015 and will involve the vaccination of thousands of frontline healthcare workers in the two of the affected countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Further safety studies will also be conducted in west African countries not affected by the current outbreak in adults and children.
GSK says it continues to work with the World Health Organization (WHO), regulators, and other stakeholders to determine possible solutions to accelerate the development of the Ebola candidate vaccine with the goal of trying to limit the further spread of the epidemic. Its potential future use in mass vaccination campaigns will depend on whether WHO, regulators and other stakeholders are satisfied that the vaccine candidate provides protection against Ebola without causing significant side effects and how quickly large quantities of vaccine can be made. GSK continues to actively explore with relevant organizations and partners ways to accelerate the development of manufacturing at an industrial scale. Additionally, the company is looking at whether use of a booster vaccine may help provide longer-lasting protection.


Latest PCW news – 30/08/2022
African Palliative Care Association Conference
PCW is delighted to report its participation in the African Palliative Care Association’s recent hybrid Conference, ‘Palliative Care in a Pandemic’, held on August 25-26th and live streamed from Kampala, Uganda.
A pre-recorded 10-minute oral presentation “Lights, Camera, Action - Innovation in the time of COVID-19,” about our new series of films, was aired on Day One, followed, on Day Two, by an hour-long demonstration workshop on the use of these videos/ films in palliative care education. This was led by Tanzanian colleague, Elvis Miti in Kampala and co-hosted from U.K. by PCW Trustee, Charles Campion Smith.
Full details of, and access to, all the conference presentations will be available in due course on the APCA website www.africapalliativecare.org.
For further details about the actual PCW presentations, please contact PCW secretary, Stephen Chowns
PCW’s Autumn Conference 2022
Where next? Rethinking global Palliative Care Education.
Mastering virtual learning.
Saturday 8th October, on-line via Zoom
View the conference programme and register
Register directly here
Lights, camera, action
Palliative Care Works launches five educational films. Intended to help trainers around the world explain the key issues of palliative care, they come with scripts and teaching notes and are FREE.
We are a not-for-profit organisation, and since 1st June 2015 we have been a registered charity
(Charitable Incorporated Organisation) no. 1161919


The pandemic has made it clear that parents and families bear the ultimate responsibility for their children’s education, but Missouri’s education system is focused on funding buildings and systems instead of funding students. During the pandemic many Missouri families discovered a reality others have faced for decades — Our current system traps our students in the schools they are assigned to based on zip code regardless of whether or not those schools are meeting our child’s needs.
Missouri needs to break this education monopoly and give families the power, opportunity, and funding needed to ensure that every child is receiving a quality education that meets their specific needs.
Thankfully, this week the Missouri Senate is expected to debate the Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 55 (SB55).
Here are the top three ways SB55 will help Missouri students.
SB55 would create Missouri’s first-ever Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)program, giving families across the state the ability to design an educational plan that fits the individual specific needs of their children.
Families receiving an ESA scholarship could use the funds for private school tuition, textbooks, tutors, computer equipment, summer- and after-school programs, therapy, and homeschool curriculum. They could even use the funds to pay for their child to attend a public school in another district. This gives those families the funding they need to ensure their children are receiving a quality education.
ESA’s would also result in savings for both the state and local school districts, savings that could be redirected to improve education for students remaining in the public school system.
Charter schools have been a success in St. Louis City and Kansas City. SB55 would give families in five counties and about 50 cities the same chance to attend a charter school that residents of St. Louis City and Kansas City currently have.
SB55 would not require charter schools to open in these communities, it would simply give the communities the opportunity for a charter school to be opened in their district if enough families saw the need for better educational options.
Communities that would get this opportunity under SB55 include St. Louis, St. Charles, Jackson, Clay, and Jefferson counties as well as Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin, Springfield, and St. Joseph.
Charter schools have a proven track record of out-performing district schools they are located near. Twelve of the top 20 St. Louis schools in math were charter schools, 13 of the top 20 St. Louis schools in ELA were charter schools, 14 of the top 20 Kansas City schools in math were charter schools, and 15 of the top 20 Kansas City schools in ELA were charter schools. More importantly, close to half of all students in both Kansas City and St. Louis have chosen to attend a charter school and much less likely to seek out a different school than their peers in traditional district schools.
During the pandemic, many families have had horrible experiences with virtual education designed by their local district. At the same time, many districts have failed to notify parents of their legal right to access carefully designed and effective virtual education programs through the MOCAP program. Even before the pandemic districts were actively blocking families from enrolling in MOCAP courses, resulting in lawsuits across the state.
SB55 fixes Missouris virtual education program, by allowing parents to directly enroll their children in MOCAP programs without first having to get permission from their school district. This eliminates a clear conflict of interest from districts that are more concerned with finances than what is in the best educational interest of their students. SB55 also creates a clear penalty for district that do not inform parents of their right to access MOCAP programs, ensuring that every family has the option to receive high quality virtual education if that is what works best for their children.
You can learn more about the specifics of SB55 here.
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Alumi Craft Buggies Capture Crandon Gold and Michael Meister Wins Midwest Championship Again!
September 6, 2019
The 50th Annual Crandon World Championship at Crandon International Raceway, as expected, was a huge event that will be recorded as one of the biggest in short course off-road racing history. As usual, Alumi Craft Racers were there to rack up the accolades. The first Super Buggy event featured an all Alumi Craft podium finish, Trey Gibbs scored back to back wins Friday & Saturday, Michael Meister captured the Lucas Oil Midwest Short Course League (LOMSCL) 2019 Super Buggy Championship; his third straight title, with runner up Michael Hester and Eliott Watson was crowned the Crandon 2019 STEEL-IT Pro Buggy World Champion finale on Sunday.
The Labor Day race weekend at Crandon always attracts the world’s most prolific off-road racers, but for the 50th they came out in droves for a chance to forever be memorialized as part of this historic event, including a strong field of 22 Super Buggies. The legendary fans filled up “The Big House” cramming in a crowd of nearly 75,000 strong. Crandon International Raceway truly lived up to the hype and even featured a Kid Rock concert to get it all fired up on Friday night.
Everything started with the final rounds of the LOMSCL points racing. With over 20 buggies hitting the track, you can imagine what the famous Crandon Land Rush Start was like. Trey Gibbs took the Turn 1 sweeping holeshot and never looked back till he crossed the finish line. Maybe it was the perfect Alumi Craft race car, perhaps it was Gibbs, or it just could have been the brand new livery theme, but the #15 Super Buggy just looked awesome and hooked up to the checkers. Michael Meister, in the #94 Alumi Craft, started in the back of the field in 12th place and worked himself up to podium position on the seventh lap. With only one more chance around the course, Meister made the pass for 2nd place, on the last lap, which left Michael Hester in the #9 car for a 3rd place finish and an all Alumi Craft Super Buggy Podium.
Gibbs commented, “Coming into the Crandon World Cup weekend I was feeling super confident with sweeping the four previous rounds at Crandon. My team and I went into the weekend with our heads high and knowing what we could do as we had our Alumi Craft dialed. Friday’s points race went flawless. Instead of a land rush start, we lined up side by side, and I was sitting in the 5th position. I knew what I had to do, and as soon as the green flag dropped, it was time to hunt. I was able to clear the field in front of me in two laps, and for the rest of the race, I had open-air. I was able to gap the field by several car lengths which is always a good feeling. My spotter just kept telling me to keep my eyes up and stay loose, and this race is ours. My Alumi Craft pro buggy was performing amazing and helped me bring home the win.”
Meister was super pumped to gain the extra valuable points, as this had him well-positioned for another championship, “12th to 2nd place! I gained a couple of points as well! I am going for that ring and my 3rd championship! The Ponsse / Meister Logging LLC Alumi Craft Super Buggy was feeling the best it has all year long.”
Saturday’s Ponsse Super Buggy Race saw another stacked grid with 20 competitors starting the event. A super chaotic first couple of laps changed things around for the majority of the field, but Gibbs in the #15 Alumi Craft was untouchable. Trey cleared the field and went onto win his second race of the weekend. Meister & Hester were caught up in a mess and fell back while Alumi Craft racer Eliott Watson, from the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS), punched through and positioned himself for a 3rd place podium. Meister held on for a 4th place finish. Hester wound up in 7th and cleared the way for Meister’s third straight championship.
“BACK TO BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS! I cannot even believe it,” declared Meister. “It feels amazing to get the results I worked so hard for. The 2019 season was up and down, but we managed to stay in the hunt for points to finish strong. The 50th anniversary weekend at Crandon was one for the record books, and it brought out some amazing drivers from the west coast. Brad Shearer kept me safe in the buggy this whole year, and he worked his butt off. We couldn’t do it without you bud! Katlynn Nelson has been amazing support the last three years, and I couldn’t have done this without you either. Many people have stuck in with me the last few years, and it shows how the support of great people and companies can come out on top.”
Gibbs stated, “Saturday’s race was a little different story. The start of the race was a land rush start, unlike the previous day. I was lined up 5th from the very inside and got a decent jump off the line which put me in third place going into turn one. I battled with Mike Hester also running an Alumi Craft pro buggy for about two laps then capitalized on a mistake he made, putting me into second place. There was an incident farther back in the field, causing us to go yellow, so the whole field was stacked back up, which worked in my favor allowing me to be right behind the leader. The green flag dropped on the restart, and it was go time again. I battled hard with the leader for about two laps and was able to set up a pass and take the lead over. From there on out I had clean open-air and was able to run my lines and check out. My Alumi Craft pro buggy ran like a dream all weekend and pumped to bring home two big wins.
The final buggy race of the weekend featured the STEEL-IT Pro Buggy World Championship on Sunday. One of the fan favorites and year-long anticipation for the racers too. It is the one everyone wants, the big check, and the World Championship prestige.
Typically, the best racers with the best equipment are the ones who end up on top. Also, motivation and drive are essential factors. Eliott Watson felt like he could do better than the prior 3rd place podium and wanted the top of the box for the big race. Watson’s top finish in the last event established the #33 Alumi Craft in a premium starting position, and he took it to the bank. Watson made the pass for the lead on Lap 3 and kept it clean to the finish, capturing the win. “It feels so good to be the 2019 PRO BUGGY WORLD CHAMPION,” shared Eliott. “I came off the line in 3rd and made a crazy pass for 2nd. At the halfway caution, I was able to pick up another spot for the lead! I am so pumped!”
Watson continued, “It just really hasn’t sunk in that our team won the biggest Pro Buggy short course off-road race in history. To say I am excited is an understatement! We had a super fun week traveling back to Wisconsin with friends and watching some of the best racing ever. I am so thankful for everyone that supports our racing program.”
Another year of Crandon has passed but will not soon be forgotten. Another Alumi Craft Racer wins a third straight Lucas Oil Midwest Short Course League Championship while another crowned Crandon World Champion. Alumi Craft Race Cars provides the fast track to race wins and titles and is the preferred platform of winning off-road racers. Call Alumi Craft Race Cars for an expert consultation on what is needed to win races. Give Alumi Craft a call at 619-596-9841 or go to: http://alumicraft.info/ to find out more about our race products and services.


We are delighted to announce that the Karten Network has awarded Hedleys Karten Media Suite funding of £25,000 to buy new equipment.
The media project has been part of the Foundation’s adult day services for 9 years and provides opportunities for disabled people to get involved in multi-media activities.
Hedleys Karten Media offers people a wide range of multi-media training in high-end digital photography, digital and stop frame animation, web design, video streaming, interactive music, pod casting and film production.
The £25,000 will be used to help purchase new equipment and make existing equipment more accessible, flexible and user friendly.
The acquisition of this equipment will lead to increased sensory, physical and social benefits for the people accessing Hedleys Karten Media.
Mary Gallen, Support Manager at Hedleys Able 2, said: “We are very grateful for all the support we have received from the Karten Network and we look forward to working together in the future.”


On June 5th, 1968, less than three months after the murder of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles as he was campaigning for the Presidential nomination. His death shook the country to its core. To Paul Fusco and millions of other Americans it seemed to represent the end of hope.
Kennedy’s body was subsequently flown to New York City for a memorial service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and then carried by train from New York to Washington D.C. for burial at Arlington. That final journey took place on June 8th – a swelteringly hot early summer day. On board the train was the Magnum photographer Paul Fusco, then a young photographer on assignment for LOOK Magazine. As the train made its progress down the eastern seaboard, hundreds of thousands of mourners came out to line the railway tracks and pay their final respects to Bobby Kennedy and all he stood for.
From inside the train, Fusco began to take pictures of the mourners – people from every section of society – black, white, rich, poor, in large groups and on their own. By Fusco’s own calculation, he took approximately 2,000 pictures in the eight hours it took for the train to make the usually four-hour journey.
Go to Danziger Projects for more information. The exhibition runs from Sept 5 – Oct 4, 2008.


Osian Pryce will give the VR4K Oreca FIA R4-spec car its international competition debut this weekend, when he contests the Rallye Ciudad de Granada.
Co-driven by Dale Furniss, Pryce will drive an Etios R4 on the penultimate round of the Spanish Gravel Rally Championship. The event will be the 25-year old Welsh driver’s first overseas gravel rally since he finished fourth in WRC2 on the 2017 Rally Finland (M-Sport Fiesta R5).
The R4-spec Etios that Pryce will drive will be run by Barcelona-based ASM Motorsport – a team that has created a separate R4 Rally Cars Division, dedicated to the construction, on-event running and worldwide growth of the new FIA-homologated category.
Until now, R4-spec cars have only been seen in public running as course opening ‘zero’ cars – in fact, the same Etios R4 that Pryce will drive on the Rallye Ciudad de Granada was driven by Stéphane Sarrazin on the Rallye du Var last year, as part of its initial test and development programme.
The Rallye Ciudad de Granada will be a good test for the R4-spec car – which has been developed as an affordable car to fill the void between lower-powered two-wheel drive rally cars and the more powerful and expensive four-wheel drive R5 cars.
Pryce has been seeded at number nine on the 55-car Rallye Ciudad de Granada entry list, within a top 20 dominated by high-powered four-wheel drive cars. Spanish Gravel Rally Championship leaders Xevi Pons/Rodrigo Sanjuan (Peugeot 208 T16 R5) will start at number one, Josep Basols/Xavier Amigo (Škoda Fabia R5) start at two and Spanish Gravel Junior Champions Javier Pardo/Adrián Pérez (Suzuki Swift R+) will start at three.
Osian said: “It’s nice to be asked to give the R4-spec car its world competition debut, and it’s come at the right time for me as I’ve been working hard on getting back to four-wheel drive international competition. I visited the ASM Motorsport headquarters last week to see the car in the workshop, and my first impressions were extremely good. When you sit in the driver’s seat, everything feels just right and you can instantly tell it’s a very cleverly designed and extremely well engineered car. It feels very driver friendly inside the cockpit, with a good interface on the dash – you just sink into the car and it immediately feels part of you. It really looks like it has all the ingredients to be a very good and competitive car.
“I’m looking forward to driving the R4-spec car for the first time, but that won’t be until the official rally shakedown on Friday. We hope to do as many passes over the shakedown stage as possible to get used to the car as best we can in such a short space of time. The event itself will be a good challenge, as are all the Spanish Gravel Championship rounds. The stages look to be more twisty and technical rather than high speed, so it will be extremely interesting to see how the R4-spec car compares to the more powerful, and more expensive, cars around us.
“It’s about sixteen months since our last overseas gravel rally in a four-wheel drive car, so Dale and I are super excited to be out competing on the international stage once again – especially as we’ll be making rally history by giving the R4-spec car its world competition debut.”
Álex Sabater, CEO of ASM Motorsport, said: “The world competition debut of the FIA R4-spec car is a very important step in the evolution of the new category and our new R4 Rally Cars Division. We are delighted to have Osian Pryce drive the car on the Rallye Ciudad de Granada. The event has received a very good entry, so it offers a great opportunity to compare the R4-spec car for the first time on an event against R5 cars from Ford, Škoda, Peugeot and Citroën. It will showcase to the world this exciting and affordable new formula, which ASM Motorsport is now fully focused on the development, build and running of these exciting FIA R4 rally cars.”
There is just one pass over each stage during the recce on Friday (2 November), before a ceremonial start and the first of nine stages in the evening, which is located near the IES Severo Ochoa part of the city of Granada. The remaining eight stages will take place on nearby gravel roads on Saturday (3 November).


A signed & limited edition Magnum Square Print from famous photographer Steve McCurry.
Not removed from plastic cover to avoid dirt or fingerprints
Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for over three decades, documenting international conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary society. Placing particular emphasis on individual frames, McCurry has produced some of the most recognizable photographs of the 20th century. His image of a young Afghan refugee with piercing eyes—the June 1985 cover of National Geographic—has become one of the most distinctive in photographic history. Speaking of his practice, McCurry has said: “What matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.”


Crash for cash scams have hit the headlines recently with the UK’s Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) estimating it they costs honest motorists around £340 million every year. So, how can you safeguard against the fraudsters and if you are caught up in a scam, what can you do about it?
What is crash for cash?
It’s when criminals purposely cause a car ‘accident’ with the intention of making a fraudulent claim for large amounts of money. The money earned through a crash for cash scam is often used to fund more crime.
The IFB have identified three main types of scam:
- The staged accident – this typically just involves the criminals, it’s when they purposely crash into each other and make a claim. In some cases, the cars are deliberately damaged by hand to make them look as if they’ve been in an accident.
- The induced accident – this is when innocent motorists are set up so criminals can make claims for compensation.
- The ghost accident – these are essentially fake car accident claims that fraudsters submit to insurers. In some cases, even the cars don’t exist and the entire claim is made up.
How does crash for cash work?
The most frequently highlighted cases are the ‘induced accident’ scams.
Induced accidents typically involve a fraudster’s car suddenly stopping, giving the innocent driver behind no chance to react. The result is, the unwitting motorist hits the scammer’s car from behind – with the criminals then claiming for compensation.
Other incidents include so-called ‘flash for cash’ which is where criminals behind the wheel flash a motorist to give them right of way but crashes into them instead. Some scammers also purposely disable their break lights in order to cause confusion – leading to an accident.
In all these examples, the criminal driver will make exaggerated claims for things like personal injury (for example whiplash), loss of earnings, car hire and vehicle recovery costs.
In a recent twist, some fraudsters are now trying to bribe innocent victims into giving them money there and then in order to ‘hush up’ the accident. Needless to say, this is also a scam and the criminals will take your money as well as put in a claim against you.
How do criminals choose crash for cash victims?
It’s not just unfortunate drivers at the scene of the crime that criminals are cheating. Fraudulent crash for cash scams are adding an average of £50 to every honest motorist’s insurance premium every year.
How can I tell if car insurance claims against me are a scam?
The IFB have put together some ‘tell-tale’ signs that could indicate you’ve been targeted as part of an insurance scam:
Immediately after the accident, the other driver is very calm.
The majority of people will be shaken up, in shock and in some cases, irritable and angry.
The other driver has their insurance details already prepared and written down.
Injuries appear over the top compared to the force of the accident.
Some incidents involve several passengers in the fraudster’s car. Each one will say they have whiplash (which can be hard to disprove) and go on to make a claim.
The other driver asks you for money in return for keeping quiet about the accident (they may even offer to take you to a cash point). After they’ve taken your money, they very often go on to claim anyway.
Are there any crash for cash hotspots?
Car insurance scams happen all across the country but the IFB have a list of crash for cash hotspots which tend to be clustered in larger towns and cities – they are:
- Birmingham – appears five times within the top ten, the most affected areas are postcodes B6, B8, B10, B11and B25.
- Bradford – particularly postcodes BD3, BD8 and BD9.
- Manchester – most targeted is postcode area M8.
- Oldham – postcode area OL8 is the ninth greatest crash for cash hotspot.
For a full list of the top 30 scam areas, head to IFB, crash for cash hotspots.
How do I report insurance claims frauds?
If you think you’ve been targeted by crash for cash scammers, tell your insurer about your suspicions. You should also tell the IFB, they have a dedicated Cheatline – contact them by phone on 0800 422 0421 or fill out their Cheatline report.
If you’re at the scene of an accident which you suspect to be fraudulent, insist on calling the police – this could put criminals off.
You should also try and take the details of independent witnesses who your insurer can call on for a statement. Be aware that some criminal gangs are sophisticated and will have planted false witnesses.
How to beat crash for cash fraudsters
Defending yourself against an intentional whiplash claim or scam, can be really difficult as it often comes down to your word against someone else’s.
If you’ve got false witnesses and convincing criminals, gathering evidence to prove your innocence can be hard which is why dash cams have proved so popular. Depending on your insurer, having one could even save you money on your premium.
Dash cams can cost as little as £20 so they’re well worth considering (although the more you spend, the better the quality). For suggestions and advice on what to look for, take a look at Car Magazine’s handy guide.
Alternatively, if someone’s made a personal injury claim against you and you don’t have a dash cam, ask for any CCTV footage from the scene of the accident.
If that isn’t available, you’ll need to tell your insurer why you think the claim is fraudulent. If you’re unhappy with the way your insurer is handling your case, you can report them to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
What’s in it for the fraudsters?
Crash for cash is worth a lot of money and estimates suggest that criminals can earn up to £20,000 per accident.
Compensation amounts vary but claims for severe personal injury alone can be in the hundreds of thousands. If you then add in additional payouts for vehicle recovery, expenses and lost earnings, the total value of an insurance scam can be staggering.
What’s the punishment for dealing fraudulently?
Insurers work hard to minimise fraud with some having a strict policy of investigating any claim that appears suspicious. Providers also liaise with the IFB to identify and prosecute criminals.
Punishments for car accident insurance scams vary but courts have shown how serious crash for cash cases are taken by enforcing prison sentences in many cases. In January 2019, a man from Kent narrowly escaped jail after making false claims worth £15,000.
Not so lucky was a Wolverhampton based crash for cash criminal whose claim (had it been successful) would have cost insurance group LV, more than £250,000. Instead, acting on their suspicions, LV investigated and were proved correct with the fraudster sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Crash for cash sentencing was also in the news in Wales last summer as the police and IFB saw more than 150 people convicted of car insurance fraud.
The crash for cash gang were found to have made false claims between 2002 and 2012. Of the 158-strong group, 81 were given jail time.
What is ‘ghost broking’?
Ghost broking is another type of car insurance scam but instead of staging accidents, criminals are falsifying paperwork.
Ghost brokers leave innocent motorists without valid insurance which could result in six penalty points and a £300 fine. For more information and advice on how to prevent becoming a victim this latest insurance scam, read our guide on the rise of ghost brokers.
Stay safe and insured
At mustard.co.uk, we work with some of the leading insurance providers in the UK which means you can be confident about finding a car cover policy that suits your needs and your budget – start your quote today.