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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Gear Wishlist: The Intern
In which we let the intern in to the gear closet. And he makes good choices.
Literary Las Vegas
Anna Stothard, who has just made the Orange Prize longlist, goes in search of the places famous writers found decadence and excess in Sin City? Click here for our interactive city guide to Las VegasMiles from the Las Vegas strip, along a dusty highway flanked by barbed-wire fences and strip malls, Sin City harbours an unexpected secret: a museum devoted to words. But of the three taxi drivers and two hotel concierges I ask for directions, not one has heard of the museum.It's amazing anybody could miss the Neon Boneyard Museum, which at first glance resembles a Scrabble set designed for a giant. The metal tips of lorry-sized words peak out over the fences of a huge industrial lot ? the curl of an "S" visible through the barriers, the peeling paint of an obese red "B" glinting. This is where the neon signs of Las Vegas come to die, forming a higgledy-piggledy poem to the city's history. Spanning from early neon offerings of "beer" and "girls" through to the atomic font of the cold war, this is Vegas in her own words. "Literary tours" might not be advertised in this city's neon, but fiction is everywhere in Las Vegas.When I ask a taxi driver to take me from the Neon Boneyard to the nearest library, he nervously replies: "You mean the Library strip joint on Boulder Avenue?" Vegas might be a literary inspiration, but the most popular "Library" in Vegas involves strippers wearing glasses.Instead I end up in a carousel-shaped ice cream parlour spinning above a circus-themed mega casino. It is here, rotating above bleary-eyed gamblers at roulette wheels and surrounded by sugar-hyped kids winning stuffed bears at arcade games, that Hunter S Thompson places the "vortex" and "main nerve" of the American Dream in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The same carousel horses have been marching over Circus Circus since it opened in 1968, but while the character in Fear and Loathing sipped Wild Turkey to take the edge off his mescaline high, I suck sugary vanilla ice cream off a miniature purple spoon. The "main nerve" of the American dream has become an ice cream parlour."Hunter would be disgusted, right?" says a man's voice. I look up from my copy of Fear and Loathing to see that my literary tour guide for the evening has turned up. Local journalist and author of Beneath the Neon, Matthew O'Brien has bought himself a Slurpee ? although you get the sense he'd rather have a whiskey ? and sits down next to me. "All these arcade games would have been the same, though," he says, sweeping his hand over our surroundings and taking my book off me. "Shoot the pasties off the nipples of a 10ft bull dyke and win a cotton-candy goat?" he reads from a marked passage."An orangutan named Boobie used to wander around Circus Circus in the 1960s and Hunter tried to buy him for $800," Matthew adds as we watch a trapeze artist spin from the rafters. Matthew interviewed Thompson over the phone a few times and was supposed to meet him the weekend that the movie of Fear and Loathing premiered in Vegas, but Thompson never turned up."He called me a few days before," says Matthew, "and asked me to buy him a miniature fridge for the weekend, along with a copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. In Fear and Loathing he describes Circus Circus as what everyone would have been doing on a Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war."Nightmares and dreams fill the literature of Las Vegas ? from Thompson's hallucinogenic American Dreams to the sci-fi speculations of Stephen King's post-apocalyptic epic The Stand and JG Ballard's Hello America. Vegas, after all, has dreaming at its roots. In 1945 the gangster Bugsy Siegel drove from LA through the Mojave Desert, fantasising about turning an isolated desert town into a sin city where celebrities and reprobates would flock. Take a trip outside the city today, to Hoover Dam or the pink-tinted mountains of Red Rock, and from afar you'll see what a bold dream this was: the neon city appears like a mirage inside a huge puddle of dust. Bugsy's dream quickly became a nightmare, and while he finished the first mega casino in Vegas in 1946, he was shot dead by rival gangsters a year later. A bronze plaque commemorates Bugsy today in front of the Flamingo wedding chapel."It lay in the middle of the desert like some improbable gem," writes Stephen King in The Stand, where America's population is nearly annihilated and survivors join two camps: good and evil. No prizes for guessing where evil congregates.As Matthew and I leave Circus Circus for the Strip, waving goodbye to the cross-eyed neon clown that guards the big top, Las Vegas looks like something Stephen King might have invented rather than just riffed on. Matthew points out replica Venetian bridges, an Eiffel Tower, a pop-art parody of Venus de Milo, a glinting black-glass Egyptian pyramid, all hovering in an eerie neon glow and rising up in a heat that burns the soles of your feet through your shoes and melts your nail polish.We disembark at the entrance of the MGM Grand, where the finale of The Stand takes place "on the steps leading up to the lobby doors? where incoming guests had once parked while the doorman whistled up a bellhop". Cheered on by an excited "crowd-animal" of spectators, it was here that King's anti-hero readied himself to execute his enemies just moments before a madman drags a nuclear bomb into town and explodes the city.Matthew and I stand in the entrance to one of the largest hotels in the world, containing 18,000 doors, 7,778 beds and 93 lifts, watching a "crowd-animal" of tourists, and we agree that while it doesn't take much to imagine Vegas as the catalyst for apocalypse, the sheer exuberance and cheek of the city is nothing short of spectacular."It was an excess of fantasy that killed the old United States," prophesies JG Ballard in Hello America, where nomad explorers find android replicas of celebrities dancing in a deserted casino ? but fantasy doesn't seem to have killed Vegas yet.Matthew and I head downtown to Fremont Street, where I dance with three drunk Elvis impersonators under the awning of the Golden Nugget Casino. While the strip feels futuristic, downtown is gangster, old-school, local. The best alternative hangouts in Vegas are also down here, among bedraggled celebrity impersonators and low-rollers. The Griffin and a renovated beauty parlour called the Beauty Bar are the dives for meeting local artists and singers at night, while the Beat Coffeehouse and the Arts Factory are the places to curl up with a book and a hangover during the day.As our night draws to a close, Matthew raises his eyebrows on dropping me off at a hotel called El Cortez, near Fremont Street. "El Cortez has a very particular smell," he says, which is true, but this low-ceilinged and smoke-clogged casino turns out to be one of my favourite locations in Vegas. It's one of the oldest hotels in the city, and the only one where you can play slots with real quarters rather than fake casino cash.In the casino bar, drinking a whiskey sour while two middle-aged women with painted-on eyebrows discuss slot-machine etiquette, I begin to read the latest literary sensation to come out of Vegas, Charles Bock's Beautiful Children.Bock is the poster boy for contemporary Las Vegas literature, and much of Beautiful Children ? a New York Times bestseller described by Esquire as "dirty, fast and hypnotic" ? plays out in the city's shady perimeters and suburbs, where the strip is nothing but a "distant row of glowing toys". Bock himself is a Vegas local, and his story follows a spoilt suburban kid as he gets lost in the "crown jewel of a country that has institutionalised indulgence"; a nightmare world populated with local desert punks, dwarves, suburban mothers, comic-book geeks and surgically bloated strippers. Bock's fictional stripper, Cheri Blossom, controls men with the ease of "cutting away the mealy part of an apple that had been left on top of the fridge overnight", and I look up from my pages to see a vixen with 6in stilettos kiss the bald head of a man hunched in an oxygen-tank laden wheelchair. Forget tigers and comedy acts ? if you see one show in Vegas, it should be people-watching at El Cortez."You see some weird things growing up in Vegas," Bock told me on the phone. "Our weekend family lunch was an all-you-can-eat buffet in a casino; Vegas kids cut class to gamble away their pocket money."According to Alissa Nutting, another local Vegas author who recently published her first book of short stories, Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, "Vegas is a micro and macrocosm of every worthwhile fictional plot known to man ? it all plays out here daily. It's just in the air."In this fantasy city even the local low-rollers are dreamers, pushing their wages on to red and holding their breath. Elvises drinking in the street, burlesque dancers kicking feathers in downtown dive bars, hotel valets moonlighting as country and western singers in vintage casinos at night ? alternate reality rules this city. "You don't forget watching someone in a veil and a 'bride-to-be' jacket, on her knees throwing up into a sidewalk grate while Japanese tourists take photos," says Nutting.The city might be greedy and sweaty. It might even be like holidaying in the post-apocalyptic vortex of the American Dream, but one thing's for sure: you certainly won't forget the stories you find in Sin City (unless you're a bride-to-be throwing up in a gutter, in which case the details might be a little hazy).? Anna Stothard's novel The Pink Hotel (Alma Books, �7.99) is on the longlist for the Orange Prize. To order a copy for �5.99 with free UK p&p, click on the link or call 0330 333 6846EssentialsVirgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) flies daily from London Gatwick to Las Vegas from �689.30pp return. Stay at the El Cortez, 600 E Fremont Street (elcortezhotelcasino.com), which has doubles from $31. The Neon Museum Boneyard (neonmuseum.org) offers tours Tue-Sat at 10am, minimum donation $15, advanced booking essential. Useful addresses: Circus Circus Hotel and Casino (circuscircus.com); MGM Grand (mgmgrand.com); the Griffin (511 Fremont Street); the Beat Coffeehouse (520 Fremont Street); the Arts Factory (theartsfactory.com); Beauty Bar (thebeautybar.com); and the Downtown Cocktail Room (thedowntownlv.com)Las VegasUnited StatesNorth and Central AmericaMuseumsHunter S ThompsonStephen KingGamblingHotelsLiterary tripsCultural tripsCity breaksAnna Stothardguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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Win a Trip to Fiji's Likuliku Lagoon Resort
OFFICIAL RULES ISLANDS Escape to Fiji ContestThe ISLANDS Escape to Fiji Contest (the ?Contest?) is sponsored by ISLANDSmagazine, a publication of Bonnier Corporation (the ?Sponsor?).
ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: One five (5) night stay for two at Likuliku Lagoon Resort inFiji, including over-water accommodations and two (2) round trip tickets from LAX toNadi provided by Air Pacific. Approx. retail value including taxes: $7,500.
Prize is valid for travel through December 2012; blackout dates may apply, subject to availability.
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited. NOPURCHASE IS NECESSARY; A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCESOF WINNING. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entriesreceived. PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THERESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administrated by, or associatedwith, Facebook. You are providing your information to the Sponsor and not toFacebook. The information you provide to the Sponsor may be used for advertising andpromotional purposes without additional compensation, in accordance with Sponsor?sprivacy policy, unless prohibited by law.
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or olderat time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States. Employees of BonnierCorporation and its parent companies, subsidiaries or agents, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciledwith any of the foregoing are not eligible.TIMING: The Contest entry period begins at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (?ET?) on March27 and ends at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 24th. Sponsor?s computer system is the officialtimekeeping device for the Contest.
TO ENTER: Visit our page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/islandsmag to complete and submit the entry form following the instructions. To enter the Contest,entrants must first ?like? (or have previously ?liked?) the Sponsor?s Facebook page.All information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissionsto the Contest must be received by 4:59 p.m. on April 24th in order to be eligible;entries received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible to win. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged; Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, or misdirected entries. Entry is limitedto one entry per person; no automated, photocopied or reproduced entries will beaccepted. Multiple entries will result in disqualification of all submitted entries. Entrieswill be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Facebook accountused to enter. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules.
JUDGING: A panel of judges consisting of ISLANDS editors will select the winningentry based equally upon the criteria of an essay contest consisting of 20 wordsdescribing why they deserve the trip, as well as answering a 2 question quiz. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects. Judging will be completed by May 1, and potential winners will be notified by [email] on or before May 11. Potential winners may berequired to sign and return a sworn Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release. If required documentation is not returned within seven (7) business days ofnotification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited andan alternate winner will be selected.
PRIZE AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded within _____ after winner verification.No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the rightto substitute a prize of equal or greater value, including cash, for any reason. Sponsoris required by law to report prize values to taxing authorities; all taxes and any otherincidental expenses on prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.
GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS: By participating in the Contest, each entrantfully and unconditionally agrees to be bound by and accepts these Official Rules and thedecisions of Sponsor (including, without limitation, decisions regarding eligibility ofentries, the selection of entrants and the winner, and the awarding of any prize), whichare final and binding in all respects. Entry and acceptance of a prize constitutepermission to use each winner?s name, prize won, hometown and likeness for printpublication, online posting, and any other promotional purposes without furthercompensation, except where prohibited by law. By participating in the Contest, youagree to release Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, employees,directors, officers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kindwhatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may besustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, possession, use, or misuse of anyprize. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, or othererrors or problems which may occur in connection with the Contest, whether computer,network, technical, mechanical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise, including,without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with theadministration of the Contest, the processing of entries, the announcement of the prizes,in any Contest-related materials, or that may limit prize fulfillment or a participant?sability to enter the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to amend these Official Rules.Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify or suspend theContest if, in Sponsor?s opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic ornon-electronic tampering with any portion of the Contest, or if viruses, bugs,unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical difficulties or failures or any other factorbeyond Sponsor?s reasonable control corrupt or affect the administration, security,fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest. In such event, Sponsor reserves theright (but does not have the obligation) in its sole discretion to award prizes at randomfrom among eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of suspectedimpairment. Sponsor may permanently disqualify from the Contest any person itbelieves has tampered with the entry process or intentionally violated these official rules.
PRIVACY: Sponsor collects personal information from entrants when they enter theContest. Information collected by Sponsor online is subject to Sponsor?s Privacy Policy.In accordance with applicable law and with Sponsor?s Privacy Policy, the informationyou provide may be sent to affiliates and marketing partners of the Sponsor; you may becontacted by the Sponsor and/or promotional partners with future promotional offers.Entrants may opt-out of marketing or promotional communications from Sponsor?saffiliates and marketing partners on the entry form. Consenting to receive such emails and information is optional, and is not necessary to enter or win this Contest, nor will itincrease or improve your chances of winning.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited by law, by entering youagree that: (i) all issues and questions concerning the interpretation, validity, andenforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participants andSponsor and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordancewith the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its rules on conflicts of law; (ii) any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of anyprize), shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of New York, and entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts forthe purposes of litigating any such action; (iii) any and all disputes, claims, and causesof action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall beresolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (iv) any and all claims,judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys? fees; and (iv) you hereby waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages andany other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rightsto have damages multiplied or otherwise increased.
ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: One five (5) night stay for two at Likuliku Lagoon Resort inFiji, including over-water accommodations and two (2) round trip tickets from LAX toNadi provided by Air Pacific. Approx. retail value including taxes: $7,500.
Prize is valid for travel through December 2012; blackout dates may apply, subject to availability.
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited. NOPURCHASE IS NECESSARY; A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCESOF WINNING. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entriesreceived. PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THERESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administrated by, or associatedwith, Facebook. You are providing your information to the Sponsor and not toFacebook. The information you provide to the Sponsor may be used for advertising andpromotional purposes without additional compensation, in accordance with Sponsor?sprivacy policy, unless prohibited by law.
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or olderat time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States. Employees of BonnierCorporation and its parent companies, subsidiaries or agents, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciledwith any of the foregoing are not eligible.TIMING: The Contest entry period begins at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (?ET?) on March27 and ends at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 24th. Sponsor?s computer system is the officialtimekeeping device for the Contest.
TO ENTER: Visit our page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/islandsmag to complete and submit the entry form following the instructions. To enter the Contest,entrants must first ?like? (or have previously ?liked?) the Sponsor?s Facebook page.All information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissionsto the Contest must be received by 4:59 p.m. on April 24th in order to be eligible;entries received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible to win. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged; Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, or misdirected entries. Entry is limitedto one entry per person; no automated, photocopied or reproduced entries will beaccepted. Multiple entries will result in disqualification of all submitted entries. Entrieswill be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Facebook accountused to enter. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules.
JUDGING: A panel of judges consisting of ISLANDS editors will select the winningentry based equally upon the criteria of an essay contest consisting of 20 wordsdescribing why they deserve the trip, as well as answering a 2 question quiz. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects. Judging will be completed by May 1, and potential winners will be notified by [email] on or before May 11. Potential winners may berequired to sign and return a sworn Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release. If required documentation is not returned within seven (7) business days ofnotification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited andan alternate winner will be selected.
PRIZE AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded within _____ after winner verification.No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the rightto substitute a prize of equal or greater value, including cash, for any reason. Sponsoris required by law to report prize values to taxing authorities; all taxes and any otherincidental expenses on prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.
GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS: By participating in the Contest, each entrantfully and unconditionally agrees to be bound by and accepts these Official Rules and thedecisions of Sponsor (including, without limitation, decisions regarding eligibility ofentries, the selection of entrants and the winner, and the awarding of any prize), whichare final and binding in all respects. Entry and acceptance of a prize constitutepermission to use each winner?s name, prize won, hometown and likeness for printpublication, online posting, and any other promotional purposes without furthercompensation, except where prohibited by law. By participating in the Contest, youagree to release Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, employees,directors, officers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kindwhatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may besustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, possession, use, or misuse of anyprize. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, or othererrors or problems which may occur in connection with the Contest, whether computer,network, technical, mechanical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise, including,without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with theadministration of the Contest, the processing of entries, the announcement of the prizes,in any Contest-related materials, or that may limit prize fulfillment or a participant?sability to enter the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to amend these Official Rules.Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify or suspend theContest if, in Sponsor?s opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic ornon-electronic tampering with any portion of the Contest, or if viruses, bugs,unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical difficulties or failures or any other factorbeyond Sponsor?s reasonable control corrupt or affect the administration, security,fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest. In such event, Sponsor reserves theright (but does not have the obligation) in its sole discretion to award prizes at randomfrom among eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of suspectedimpairment. Sponsor may permanently disqualify from the Contest any person itbelieves has tampered with the entry process or intentionally violated these official rules.
PRIVACY: Sponsor collects personal information from entrants when they enter theContest. Information collected by Sponsor online is subject to Sponsor?s Privacy Policy.In accordance with applicable law and with Sponsor?s Privacy Policy, the informationyou provide may be sent to affiliates and marketing partners of the Sponsor; you may becontacted by the Sponsor and/or promotional partners with future promotional offers.Entrants may opt-out of marketing or promotional communications from Sponsor?saffiliates and marketing partners on the entry form. Consenting to receive such emails and information is optional, and is not necessary to enter or win this Contest, nor will itincrease or improve your chances of winning.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited by law, by entering youagree that: (i) all issues and questions concerning the interpretation, validity, andenforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participants andSponsor and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordancewith the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its rules on conflicts of law; (ii) any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of anyprize), shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of New York, and entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts forthe purposes of litigating any such action; (iii) any and all disputes, claims, and causesof action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall beresolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (iv) any and all claims,judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys? fees; and (iv) you hereby waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages andany other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rightsto have damages multiplied or otherwise increased.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Restaurant review: the Leeds Kitchen
Opening a restaurant in the surreal setting of a casino isn't a gamble when you have James Martin at the stoveAlea Casino, Clarence Dock, Leeds (0113 341 3202). Meal for two, including wine and service, �100There's no point pretending. If it was possible to conduct a health and safety risk assessment on restaurants of the sort applied to building sites, to ascertain the likelihood of a happy dining experience, I doubt anybody with a modicum of taste would ever set foot in the Leeds Kitchen. A restaurant fronted by a TV chef? Who's best known as the housewives' favourite? And who hasn't been in a kitchen full time in years? In a trashy casino on the edge of Leeds? Step away from the table. Surround it with red tape now. Slap condemned stickers all over it. On paper it looks like the Leeds Kitchen would be to a good night out what the Ebola virus would be to a children's party.Poor James Martin ? though, if his long speeches about the size of his classic car collection are anything to go by, poor is the last thing he is. But still. The fact that he was once a very fine restaurant chef ? I ate his food at the first Hotel du Vin in Winchester, in the decade before last in the century before this one ? stands for nothing now. He's the guy in the jumpers with the cheeky grin, the one who legions of post-menopausal British women would like to take home for a bit of hot chilli prawn-on-pilaf action. And that's the irony. The job he does around food (and, in my humble opinion, does well, on Saturday Kitchen) is the one reason you'd expect a restaurant he is involved with to be complete pants. TV is a casual, throwaway job. Restaurants demand seriousness.And so to the revelation. The food at the Leeds Kitchen is good. It's robust, well thought out and well executed. The location is weird. The Alea Casino is a hard-edged, shiny-floored echoey space, which feels like a train station without the platforms. In the ground-floor restaurant music booms. There are blow-ups of vintage French caf� posters of the sort you'd find in a Caf� Rouge, and a floor-to-ceiling photo of Mr Martin in chef's whites, which isn't a huge aid to the digestion. No one would call it calming.But there is some of that about the food, which is the sort of stuff anybody who has watched too much Saturday Kitchen would recognise: modern, big on flavour, uncontrived, comforting. There were soft pickled herrings, cured in-house, with a salad of beets and turnips and soda bread croutons. There was a scotch egg made from smoked haddock on a sparky mess of creamed and acidulated leeks. There was a duck dish, the breast roasted, the leg braised, and a butch take on boeuf bourguignon.What defined these dishes was not the work done on service, but everything done before: the balance of that cure on the herring, the forming of the scotch egg and the leeks beneath it. Best of all was that braised duck, spun through with orange zest then formed into a cigar and wrapped in crisped filo. We finished with a caramelised orange tart, and a white chocolate and whisky croissant bread-and-butter pudding. This is James Martin's signature dessert. Frankly, I don't want the man signing anything of mine, but his take on bread-and-butter pudding is good, in a bad way. Or bad, in a good way.Pricing for all this is steep by Leeds standards. Think �7 for starters and mid teens for mains. This is not helped by a wine list which accelerates from �14.50 upwards as quickly as one of the man's shiny, over-powered cars. Then again the restaurant is in a casino and perhaps this is the way for the house to get back a little of what they have lost to the successful gamblers.We slipped upstairs to play a bit of blackjack after dinner, surrounded by a curious clientele, some of whom were paddling at the bottom of the gene pool, bless 'em. My advice is to avoid the slots. Boycott the roulette wheels. Head instead for the restaurant. To my surprise it turns out to be the one part of the casino which isn't a gamble.Email Jay at jay.rayner@observer.co.uk or visit guardian.co.uk/profile/jayrayner for all his reviews in one placeFood & drinkLeedsRestaurantsRestaurantsJay Raynerguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
There were 9323 earthquakes in 2011
On Sunday night the kitchen sink water sloshed towards me in the kitchen of my 7th floor apartment.
Finland skiing holidays hiking hiking holidays Finland hiking holidays
British pursuit of healthy holidays increases
The days of fly and flop holidays seems to be out the window as 94% of people now seek holidays to pursue health and fitness. The Body Holiday survey commissioned by Health and Fitness Travel, experts in tailor-made active and wellness holidays worldwide found that 85% of Brits are now willing to try a health and fitness holiday to improve their body and mind.
Choosing a holiday is a big decision and health and fitness is very important to 82% of people when they are away from home with spa treatments, fitness classes, land and water based sports being the most sought after. It?s said that travel broadens the mind and 85% of people are likely to try new forms of exercise or body treatments on holiday so they can open their minds to new experiences.
Paul Joseph, Co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel, says ?Gone are the days when people want to return from holiday feeling sluggish with waistbands that little bit tighter. With our collective life spans increasing by approximately 30 years, the importance of a healthy lifestyle has never been so important.
?More people lead cash-rich and time-poor lives making it harder to focus on their own well-being. A health and fitness holiday can be a great way to reset the body, learn a new approach and develop good habits to bring home. Ditching waist-expanding getaways for active and healthy holidays combines the fun of travel with fitness focussed activities such as yoga, beach boxing and hiking.?
As British people become more aware of the importance of staying fit and healthy, their holidays are now starting to reflect this trend. People don?t wish to sit on a beach sunning themselves for 10 hours a day, they want to return home with lasting benefits, long after the tan?s faded. Slim down the waistline, re-energise the spirit and tone up next time on your travels, your body will thank you for it.
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Blood, sweat and fears: the research scientists in Borneo's rainforests
Louise Murray joined an international team of research scientists in Borneo, where burrowing mites and enraged elephants are just part of a day's workStop, or sit down, and first one, then many, thin waving creatures appear in your peripheral vision. These are the vanguard of the leech community, using heat-seeking sensors in their multi-jawed mouths to locate the steaming, sweaty heap of wet clothes you have become just minutes after entering the rainforest.Even a mosquito can be deterred from its purpose, but a leech ? no. Think brain-dead, blood-sucking zombies, and you won't be far wrong. Once they have your heat signature, nothing will stop them. As researcher Nivaarani Arumugam from the University of Malaysia says, "Flicking them off is tough, they are like sticky rubber bands. Once they have arrived, they don't want to leave. The first few bites are a shock; there is something very uncomfortable about having a creature swell up as it drinks your blood."Oxford University entomologist Jake Snaddon hates leeches and was once foolish enough to say that he would trade them for ticks any day, "I lived to regret that, because the next day I walked into a seething, breeding ball of ticks, hundreds of pinhead-sized, biting, blood sucking beasties. I have no idea how many bites I got that day, the only way to get them off me was to wrap my hand in Sellotape and rip them off my skin."The two are part of an international team working in Sabah, Malaysia, on one of the most ambitious ecological projects ever undertaken ? SAFE, the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosytems. The 10-year study tracks the transition of every aspect of the ecosystem from secondary rainforest, through logging, and conversion to oil palm plantation.The project is the idea of Rob Ewers of Imperial College, London, and funded by the Sime Darby Foundation of Malaysia. "We are working with the oil palm industry to leave different-sized patches of forest standing to help us design the best way for these human-impacted landscapes to support the biodiversity for which the region is famous," Ewers explains. "Our work will help shape agricultural practice across the tropics."But to achieve results, tens of thousands of hours must be spent in one of the most difficult working environments on the planet. Ewers wondered why his young Malaysian field assistants ran off laughing as they were building one of the first of 100km of trails in the experimental area."I soon found out, as thousands of angry wasps swarmed around me. Fortunately they didn't sting, but tropical insects can be nasty," he says in his laconic Australian accent.This ancient forest is home to some of the largest insects on the planet, from the giant forest ant to the palm-sized, rhinoceros beetle, and centipedes with paralysing toxic bites. Heat and near 100% humidity take their toll on the scientists, making the work physically challenging."It's like doing aerobics in a sauna," says Terhi Riutta, a Finnish forest ecologist from Oxford University, who studies carbon dynamics. "The ground is slippery and muddy, and often steep. I carry 7kg of CO2-measuring equipment, and, on top of that, two litres of water and lunch. I think it was Lance Armstong who said it doesn't get any easier, you just get a bit faster."Some really struggle with the heat. Surprisingly, young Malaysian environmental scientist Anand Nainar suffers badly. "But I grew up in the city, with air conditioning," he says, "which is no preparation for trekking for hours in the heat and humidity. During this startup phase we are building water-monitoring stations, carrying in everything from cement, gantries, sledge hammers and drills."I couldn't do it without our local field assistants and must admit that I am much more physically and mentally fit having gone through this." But it is Timm D�bert, a towering German studying for his PhD at the University of Western Australia in Perth, who has the most problems with the climate. Smaller, slighter builds do best in high heat and humidity, while his tall, northern European frame is well adapted to a cool climate.D�bert sweats excessively in the tropics. To counteract this he has to drink ? and carry ? five litres of water, on top of the 10kg of cameras, tripods and other equipment needed for his work on invasive plant species in the forest. He sweats copiously and it is hard work just watching him. But the climate-change biologist has spent six months continuously in the forest, with only a few hiccups.Foot rot is a fungal infection that gets a grip when feet are never properly dry. "I had it so badly I couldn't walk," he says.He also thought that he had worms, after seeing tracks under his skin. Deworming made no difference, so he took himself off to the nearest doctor who diagnosed mites. "I keep an eye on the length of the tracks so I know if there are new ones, but they are very itchy, its hard not to scratch," he tells me, while surreptitiously running his nails over the spot.But not all the perils of the forest are small and bite; others are large and seriously life threatening. Entomologist and scientific coordinator Ed Turner speaks about his encounter with some very angry forest elephants, who are often in conflict with plantation owners when they wander in to feast on choice young oil palm leaves.Most of the pachyderms in Sabah will have had negative experiences with humans, as plantation owners use firecrackers and vehicles to scare them back into the rainforest. Turner and his team of field assistants were travelling back to camp after a long day when they turned a corner in their vehicle and almost ran into a group of five, including two babies.Turner takes up the story: "I was driving and the matriarch started thrashing vegetation at the side of the road, trumpeting, and shaking her head, making it crystal clear that she wanted us to leave. She charged as I slammed into reverse and shot off back down the road. Unusually, instead of then leading the family into the trees she stood her ground and held us there, charging each time we tried to pass. Seven of us crammed into the truck got pretty uncomfortable as she kept us there until after dark."Before travelling to Borneo, I had been warned by Ewers that the SAFE science base camp was rough and temporary, and it certainly makes an impression as we arrive, lurching down a track that was half-river and half-road during a typical afternoon rainstorm.Orange tarpaulins provide a makeshift roof supported by a framework of branches. Rudimentary tables support laptops and personal gear, and everywhere clothes are hanging out to dry, a near impossible task in the humidity.The nearby river provides washing facilities for both people and clothes and the yellow, sediment-filled water looks very intimidating as darkness falls. I decide to stay grubby. Men and women wash in different parts and most locals prefer to wash in the dark."It was scary at first, but once you know where the rocks are its really the best part of the day and a place for a rare moment of personal privacy. The fish nibble your feet and later the fireflies flit above the water's surface. Just gorgeous, my own spa," laughs Riutta, who adds that she has never mastered the Malaysian women's mysterious ability to wash without wetting their sarongs.Apart from the obvious discomforts of working in a rainforest, camp life is hard psychologically, particularly for long-term residents. The camp houses up to 40 scientists and more than 20 local field staff at peak times. Everyone speaks about the lack of personal space and privacy ? your hammock and mosquito net are separated from the next by only 20cm.The camp's designer, Johnny Larenus, has to organise the logistics, from food to fuel. He is also planning a more permanent base that will serve the SAFE project for the next eight years. He is justifiably proud of innovations such as his gravity-fed water supply that removes the need for carrying buckets of water from the river to the kitchen; and the sole flushing toilet. He is the one who allocates staff and vehicle resources to scientists, which can be a source of friction at busy times.A minor irritation to those sleeping nearby, is the satellite TV system ? installed by Larenus at his own expense to keep his Malaysian staff happy during their two-month on, one-week off rotas. It is bizarre to be listening to dubbed Mexican soap operas under a mosquito net in the forest. "It's hard to keep everyone happy," he says with a smile, "but I try."Everyone looks forward to the small luxuries that a more permanent camp will afford ? from a washing machine to, for long-term residents such as D�bert, mattresses and cabins with a door to close.But the leeches have the last word. Almost two months since I pulled more than 20 of them from my shoe and discovered I had been making blood donations all day, a batch of bites still itch like hell. Or maybe the parasitic mites have moved in?Graduate careersWork & careersScienceResearchHigher educationguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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