Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 1040

Reviving The Victims of Accidental Hypothermia with Extracorporeal Life Support

Dr Beat Walpoth

Just Two More Weeks Until The Opening of The World Extreme Medicine Conference

Dr Beat Walpoth, Director of Cardiovascular Research at the University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland, is a leading surgeon and expert on rewarming victims of hypothermia using extracorporeal life support (ECLS).

The technique has been adapted from cardiac surgery as early as the 60’s and 70’s when patients were cooled down to core temperatures around 20°C in order to perform complex cardiac surgical repairs in a state of deep hypothermic cardiac arrest with good survival after rewarming to normothermia.

Dr Beat Walpoth said, “Such operations would be impossible in normothermia because the brain has a tolerance to anoxia – not being perfused by blood – of about three minutes. However, when you cool the body to 20˚C, the brain’s tolerance is extended to around 30 minutes.”

“After the first successful rewarming of a patient in cardiac arrest with accidental hypothermia by Professor Ulrich Althaus, I joined the team at the University Hospital of Bern, Switzerland and we developed the method much further. This pioneering research has shown that it is possible to revive a victim in deep hypothermia with cardiac arrest by rewarming the body with ECLS (cardio-pulmonary bypass, or ECMO) and to give him a chance for a sequela-free long-term survival (published by our group in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997). Prior to this event such patients would have been declared dead.”

But could this technique be advanced to the point at which humans could lie dormant for years at a time? Suspended animation is the concept that lowering a person’s core temperature dramatically can enter them into a dormant state, waiting to be reanimated years later.

It is a theme that is often revisited in science fiction and is regularly proposed as a way of dealing with the long timescales of interstellar travel, but how realistic is the possibility of cryonic suspension?

Dr Walpoth continues, “It has always been the dream of many scientists and writers.”

“At the moment I’m not convinced that it will be possible for the whole body to be ‘frozen’ (cryo-preserved). As you may know, it is possible for cells; you can freeze certain types of cells for 20 years or even longer and they will still carry all of their capacity when thawed.”

“There is work in progress to try to apply this technology not only to isolated cells but to whole organs. So far, some organs have the potential to be cryo-preserved at -196°C and thawed; you can, for instance, do that with simple organs such as heart valves, which function quite well after thawing.”

“But from there, to go to ‘freezing’ a whole body is an enormous step. I don’t want to be overly optimistic or pessimistic but time will tell – my expectation is that these technologies will not be available in the near future.”

The pioneering cardiovascular surgeon is the founder of the International Hypothermia Registry, which gathers patient data and collates peer-reviewed analysis to improve the treatment of accidental hypothermia victims.

Dr Walpoth will be speaking at the World Extreme Medicine Conference and Expo at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS on 19 November 2016. The Extreme Medicine Exposition brings together leading experts from around the globe to share learnings on prehospital care, expedition and wilderness medicine, sport, endurance, humanitarian and disaster medicine.

Mark Hannaford, founder of conference organisers World Extreme Medicine, said, “Dr Walpoth’s great experience is relevant and poignant for a lot of doctors working in expedition and wilderness medicine, as hypothermia is a great danger to all mountaineers and polar explorers.

“Improving the efficacy of the treatment of accidental hypothermia is hugely important to safety in these extreme environments, and Dr Walpoth is at the very forefront of that research.

“World Extreme Medicine was founded around a campfire in Namibia, and we coined the phrase ‘World Extreme Medicine’ as an umbrella term for all practices of medicine outside of a clinical environment, whether it is prehospital, disaster and humanitarian, endurance, sport, expedition or wilderness medicine.

“Our message is that there is a great diversity of careers in medicine, and that traditional hospital environments are not the only option for a fulfilling career. To put it into a layperson’s terms, there’s never been a more exciting time to work in medicine.”

For further information about the Extreme Medicine Expo, which takes place 18 – 21 November 2016, please visit: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/events/event/extreme-medi… .

Alternatively, see a message transmitted from the International Space Station by astronaut Kate Rubins to the event organisers here, or a message from astronaut Tim Peake here

Links:

University Hospital of Geneva: http://www.hug-ge.ch/

Professor Ulrich Althaus: http://www.ctsnet.org/home/ualthaus

University Hospital of Bern: http://www.insel.ch/en/

International Hypothermia Registry: https://www.hypothermia-registry.org/

World Extreme Medicine Conference and Expo: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/

World Extreme Medicine Conference Info: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/events/event/extreme-medi…

medi UK launches new drug-free treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

Restiffic – Drug Free Treatment for RLS

medi UK announce the national release of Restiffic® compressive foot wrap for the treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Restiffic offers a unique and drug-free therapy for patients suffering from RLS and can be purchased online at www.restiffic.co.uk

“RLS is a debilitating condition for an estimated 10% of the UK population, with many suffering from depression due to fatigue and quality of life issues,” said Ian Grant, Director of medi UK. “The inability to sleep affects every aspect of their lives, as well as the lives of their close family”.

Restiffic offers innovative, drug-free therapy for RLS by applying pressure to targeted muscles in the foot, which in turn relaxes the muscles to lessen the symptoms of RLS.

“RLS is traditionally treated with powerful pharmaceuticals which may help to some degree but the problems encountered by the medications are often of equal or greater significance than the RLS,” said Dr John Sullivan, a neurologist based in Florida who was involved in Restiffic’s clinical trial.

The highlights of the Restiffic clinical trial include:

• Over 95% of patients had significant reduction in RLS symptoms

• Shown to be 40% more effective than the leading pharmaceutical treatment for RLS

• Patients experienced a 69% reduction in RLS symptoms after 6 weeks of device usage

Restiffic is available for purchase at www.restiffic.co.uk

About medi UK – medi is the global leader in innovative products and holistic concepts with the very latest technologies. Our product spectrum ranges from medical compression garments for prophylaxis and treating oedema and veins and orthopaedic soft supports through to braces.

Mark Hannaford – A Man of Extremes

Mark Hannaford

The world’s leading doctors, nurses and surgeons in the extreme medicine community will gather together for a four-day conference held at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh from Friday November 18 to Monday November 21 2016. The World Extreme Medicine Conference and Expo will see over 100 speakers who specialise in medical practice outside of a clinical setting share their knowledge. Mark Hannaford, aged 51, is one of the masterminds of the team responsible for creating this exciting and educational event.

“I have been interested in travelling the world from a very young age. I was six years old when I received my first atlas and what interested me most were the maps and then the stamps from exotic places such as Tanzania and Namibia. Interestingly, I ended up owning some land in these territories. The colours of the stamps were mesmerising and the place names were even more intriguing. I now share my passion of the great outdoors with my two children Jamie and Freya.”

My Early Career

“This love of travel began my journey towards World Extreme Medicine. I started working as an assistant field geologist in Australia, and after realising I had no strong passion for chemistry I moved to Operation Raleigh, which is now known as Raleigh International. As the Project Manager for the Tanami Desert Crossing in Northern Australia, I provided leadership for a group of international volunteers. We carried out scientific data collection during a study stretching from the Tanami Desert, across the Northern Territories and to the coastal shoreline of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

“Operation Drake was launched in 1978 by HRH Prince Charles and Colonel John Blashford-Snell and had scientific exploration and community service as its aims. Raleigh International continues to inspire young people to change the world and I was certainly one of them. It was around this time I also organised my first properly sponsored fundraising event with support from McAlpine and Sainsbury’s. We took a group of keen cyclists and fundraising volunteers from London to Land’s End, then to John O’Groats and back to London.

“During expeditions, organisers have a moral obligation to supply medics. In the 1980s I found out that many doctors and medics working in the wilderness and on expeditions were volunteers. In some cases, they had received minimal training for tackling problems in extreme environments. This approach could have disastrous consequences.”

Across the Divide

“In April 1997, I founded Across the Divide. We began with safety in mind and were the first company to introduce salaried medical staff on all of our international events. This is supported by rigorous risk assessments and comprehensive event safety procedures to ensure the wellbeing of the entire team. The corporate and community events we run help change the lives of individuals. We help plan and manage both UK and overseas events and expeditions.

“Since we started out, we have run hundreds of events and have facilitated the raising of over £87million for charitable and socially worthwhile causes, supported by my old school friend and entrepreneur David Weil. I’m looking forward to reaching £100million in the next three years.

“Across the Divide has provided medical support for CBS’s Survivor Series and helped Helen Skelton run and kayak for Comic Relief. We’ve helped Ben Fogle and James Cracknell ride from Edinburgh to London. Even Sir David Attenborough has reached out for our expert support. We have helped the BBC’s Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge team to raise more than £12million over the past five years. We are working with them again this year and have also taken part in the Countryfile Ramble for Children in Need.”

World Extreme Medicine

“In 2002 we introduced World Extreme Medicine as a training provider of expedition, wilderness and remote medicine courses for medical professionals. It was around a Campfire in Namibia we coined the phrase ‘World Extreme Medicine’ as an umbrella term for all practices of medicine outside of a clinical environment.

“We run courses in the UK and also in a number of carefully-selected locations around the world, including the Everest base camp. World Extreme Medicine provides quality training for medics who want to work in remote environments. Our courses are suitable for expedition doctors, paramedics, nurses and individuals providing medical cover in inhospitable locations. The courses enable participants to become valuable medical practitioners in a range of environments.

“Through this we have created the World Extreme Medicine Conference and Expo. Since 2012 we have brought together healthcare professionals across four disciplines: disaster and humanitarian medicine, extreme, expedition and space medicine, human endurance and sports medicine plus prehospital medicine. At the Conference and Expo these professionals showcase and share the latest developments in extreme environment healthcare and educate others in what they can do differently.

“My business partner David Weil has generously supported a bursary by World Extreme Medicine for a doctor from Nepal to attend the conference. Dr Aban Gautam leads a group of young medical doctors who are developing a higher standard of healthcare and education in Nepal. We have invited him to attend the conference and share the life-changing work Mountain Heart Nepal provides in one of the poorest and least developed nations in Asia.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming incredible individuals from across the globe to our event. It is now in its fifth year and continues to stimulate new thinking, build professional relationships and share new and more effective approaches to medical practice in challenging environments. New medical research findings will be shared, so that the World Extreme Medicine event will be making history, following in the footsteps of the scientific giants who are now household names.”

Masters in Extreme Medicine

“Education is a huge part of World Extreme Medicine. This year we introduced a Master’s programme in partnership with the University of Exeter Medical School. The Extreme Medicine programme educates in the practical skills, knowledge and understanding needed to perform at the highest possible level in the field of extreme medicine. The new post-graduate course includes environment specific modules that educate in mountain, jungle, desert and polar regions.”

About World Extreme Medicine Expo 2016

Location: Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS

Dates: Friday November 18 to Monday November 21

Website: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/

Videos: Being a Doctor Just Became the Most Exciting Career: https://vimeo.com/170846844

Extreme and Wilderness Medicine – Our Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPrFGFIFXI

Mark Hannaford LinkedIn: http://lnkd.in/B3CEKN

A message transmitted from the International Space Station by astronaut Kate Rubins to the event organisers here: https://vimeo.com/184097597

A message from astronaut Tim Peake: https://vimeo.com/186260992

New VP Services and Cloud Solutions Appointed at Nuvias Group

Karl Roe VP Services and Cloud Solutions

Nuvias moves further towards cloud and annuity-based channel models

Nuvias (Wick Hill) wins ‘Channel Partner of the Year’ 2016 at the ‘Cloud Hosting’ awards

London, England: 31st October, 2016 – Karl Roe has been appointed VP Services and Cloud Solutions for pan-EMEA high value distributor Nuvias Group. He will focus on transforming the delivery of services at Nuvias, utilising and enhancing current distribution routes to enable further channel adoption of cloud and annuity-based models.

Roe has over 20 years’ proven experience in qualifying, creating, selling and delivering profitable data centre, ASP, SaaS, IaaS, cloud and outsourced ICT business solutions into SMB and enterprise markets. He was instrumental in founding and developing the UK and MEA Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud marketplaces.

Roe has held global channel, service transformation and cloud enablement leadership positions, working on both vendor and reseller transformation, as well as working at major software companies such as Odin, Microsoft and Oracle. He has previously led ‘Buy & Build’ service acquisition strategies for venture capital backed businesses, and has created customer-success driven organisations with double digit business growth.

Over the last ten years, he has focussed on enabling cloud services across the Middle East, Africa and Australia. This includes being engaged by sovereign wealth funds and public companies in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to transform their local data centre investments into locally delivered, secure and scalable cloud service businesses.

“I am really excited about bringing my years of experience in developing market-leading cloud and managed services to Nuvias and its channel and vendor partners,” said Roe. “Having held senior leadership positions with both IT vendors and resellers, I believe I can bring a global view of the service opportunities that are available. My focus is very much on customer success through developing and delivering innovative support and partner enablement services.”

Paul Eccleston, CEO of Nuvias, said: “We are delighted that Karl has chosen to join Nuvias Group. Karl brings a unique blend of skills and experience to our business, with a strong background in traditional services, consulting, integration and engineering, coupled with unparalleled experience of assisting channel partners and vendors build and transition to cloud services. Karl has held key service and cloud roles throughout EMEA and APAC, and has invaluable experience in building services fit for all parts of the market. With a strong focus and track record on delivering customer success, Karl will be instrumental in helping Nuvias deliver new levels of business value to all our partners.”

Channel Partner of the Year award

Nuvias Group (Wick Hill) also announces it has won Cloud Hosting’s ‘Channel Partner of the Year’ award 2016. Barry Mattacott, marketing director cyber security for Nuvias, commented: “With cloud services becoming ever more important to our lives and businesses, we are particularly pleased to have been voted Channel Partner of the Year at the Cloud Hosting awards. This is particularly satisfying as these awards are voted for by Cloud Hosting readers. The award win shows Nuvias’ (Wick Hill’s) commitment to delivering and supporting cloud-based solutions and services through the channel.”

About Nuvias Group

Nuvias Group is the pan-EMEA, high value distribution business, which is redefining international, specialist distribution in IT. The company has created a platform to deliver a consistent, high value, service-led and solution-rich proposition across EMEA. This allows partner and vendor communities to provide exceptional business support to customers and enables new standards of channel success.

The Group today consists of Wick Hill, an award-winning, value-added distributor with a strong specialisation in security; Zycko, an award-winning, specialist EMEA distributor, with a focus on advanced networking; and SIPHON Networks, an award-wining UC solutions and technology integrator for the channel. All three companies have proven experience at providing innovative technology solutions from world-class vendors, and delivering market growth for vendor partners and customers. The Group has seventeen regional offices across EMEA, as well as serving additional countries through those offices. Turnover is in excess of US$ 330 million.

Know Your Flood Risk launches “the antidote to DEFRA’s resilience action plan” with its new practical Guide to Flood Resilience

Mary Dhonau OBE, Know Your Flood Risk

• Former flood victims take action and deliver practical guidance on making homes flood resilient

• Many real life case study examples published, following interviews with flood victims

• Guide aims to empower people to be aware, prepare and take practical precautions to reduce the impact of flooding

With the first anniversary of the Christmas 2015 floods approaching, the Know Your Flood Risk campaign is today launching a new edition of its free Homeowners’ Guide to Flood Resilience, which has been created by former flood victims, Mary Dhonau OBE and Carly Rose, to provide practical guidance on the steps required to make a home resilient to flood water.

As Mary Dhonau, Chief Executive of the Know Your Flood Risk Campaign explains: “As I see it, this is the antidote to DEFRA’s resilience action plan: the drive from government is that you must protect your property from flood, yet where on earth should people start? We’ve therefore launched a new edition of the Homeowners’ Guide to Flood Resilience, which includes a much-needed design of a flood resilient prototype home that walks readers through all the interventions that can be taken.

Having been flooded myself on many occasions I know just how appalling flooding is and the hardest part is the recovery. With people spending an average of nine months out of their homes after a flood occurring, I’ve made it my personal mission to help people reduce this time and by taking the steps included in the Guide, recovery time can be dramatically reduced.”

Mary has spent the last year interviewing people who have been affected by flooding and who have since made their homes flood resilient.

This includes Mr and Mrs Buttery, a couple from York who have been flooded 10 times and, following a number of resilience measures, can now get their home back to normal within one hour. Another is Sue Cashmore from Cockermouth who, having been flooded several times – including water reaching 7ft in one flood event, has used funds from a Government grant to make modifications to her home, which makes recovery much quicker.

Adds Mary: “Via Know Your Flood Risk, I am on a personal mission to help people be more aware of their risk and take practical steps to become flood resilient. Being aware, having a plan and taking precautions to reduce our own risk is half the battle. Whilst it may not always be possible to stop flood water getting into a home, my hope is that by reading this Guide, people at risk can understand what they can do to reduce the awful aftermath and recover far more quickly than in the past.”

The new Guide is designed to make people aware, prepare and take practical steps to reduce the impact that flooding can have on their lives. It contains the resilient home prototype design, eight new case study interviews with flood victims from affected areas such as Cockermouth, York, Kendal and Leeds, all of whom have put measures in place to prepare for flooding.

In addition, there is helpful guidance on all the UK’s risk management authorities to explain ‘who does what’ in the event of a flood, plus useful overviews regarding Flood Re and the range of property-level products that are today available to homeowners.

The launch of the Guide is in advance of the Environment Agency’s #floodaware fortnight campaign, which starts on 1 November and encourages the public to be aware and prepared for potential flooding.

To download a free copy of the new edition of the Homeowners’ Guide to Flood Resilience, visit www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk. For more information, follow the Know Your Flood Risk campaign on Twitter.

Adventures in design at Top Drawer Spring/Summer 17

Top Drawer 2017 – Home Creative

With thousands of hand-picked brands on the map, most showing exclusively, and more world launches than ever, Top Drawer Spring/Summer 17 (S/S17) is the style destination of choice for creative retailers embarking on an exploration of the finest new products across the dynamic worlds of Home, Gift, Fashion and Craft.

Created to inspire the buying of style scouts searching for original design-led products across the lifestyle landscape, Top Drawer’s newest global edit reflects key trends and showcases Europe’s most directional lifestyle brands and Britain’s best loved labels, all curated by a panel of experts.

NEW FOR S/S17

This edition sees more exclusive brands and new products being launched across all sectors of the show plus a host of exhibitors who are joining the roster for the first time, making Top Drawer the perfect hunting ground for retailers in search of something new.

FOOD EMPORIUM

Food Emporium makes a triumphant return giving discerning buyers the chance to source everything they need to stock their own slice of foodie heaven. Doubling in size, the January edition will present over 80 of the best artisans and producers, offering a tasty collection of ‘giftable’ food products, from oils and condiments to seasonal treats and confectionery. Exhibitors include Makers & Merchants, Anglesey Sea Salt, Hawkshead Relish Company, Olives et Al, Fudge Kitchen, Joe & Seph’s, Pinkster Gin, Lime Bay Winery and Hasslacher’s Hot Chocolate.

HOME

Home will present more exclusive brands than ever at S/S17 as well as names new to the show including Design Letters, Maxwell Williams, Melin Tregwynt, Bluebellgray, and Tokyo Design Studio. They join destination brands such as Alessi, Black + Blum, BlissHome, Eva Solo, Garden Trading, LSA International, Grand Illusions, Joseph Joseph, Make International, ICTC , Orla Kiely Home , IBride, PR Home, Skagerak, Stelton and Umbra.

Animating proceedings, star potter Keith Brymer Jones, presenter of the BBC Great Pottery Throw Down, spins his wheel to bring live action and endless wonder to the heart of Home.

CRAFT

Craft, the curated showcase of handmade products, will feature ceramics, glass, jewellery, fashion, textiles and mixed media from over 150 hand-picked international makers including Ali Tomlin Ceramics, BTU Studio, Gilly Langton Jewellery, Moth and Mirror, Suzanne Breakwell, ren London and Catriona Faulkner. Look out for live demos, maker workshops and an exciting collaboration with online design portal In The Window.

FASHION

Presenting a selection of top UK and international accessories and jewellery labels, the Fashion floor is the place for buyers to update their offer for the coming season from new names to the show such as Celia Gould, Cluse Watches, Decadorm, Danton Fashion, Nordahl, Carla-M, Noa, Tatty Devine, Theodore Concepts, Sunjellies, Urban Kit, as well as from favourites like Azuni, Cabbage White, Hot Tomato, Estella Bartlett, Lisa Angel, Ottoman Hands, Rachel Jackson, Rodgers&Rodgers, White Leaf and Last True Angel. The uber-chic Fashion Show takes centre stage, with the latest trends in accessories and jewellery starring on the runway. UK Jewellery Collections returns showcasing extraordinary domestic talent. And, to complete the incredible jewellery and fashion accessories line-up at the show, talented makers can also be found in Craft.

GIFT

At the very heart of the show, Top Drawer presents an inspiring and expertly curated selection of the most original, beautifully designed products across Gift, Wellbeing, Children’s and Greeting & Stationery. UK and International exhibiting brands include: Nkuku, Wild & Wolf, Rice, Dassie, JellyCat, Kikkerland, Max Benjamin, Temerity Jones, Caroline Gardener, Katie Leamon, Orange Tree Toy, Skandi-Chic, Portico Designs, Ohh Deer and Captain Fawcett and new to the show Rex International, Sunnylife, Paprcuts, Shepherd of Sweden, Fenella Smith, Locomocean and Santoro.

Following a hugely successful debut at Top Drawer’s recent A/W16 edition, PaperFest and the PaperAwards, sponsored by G. F. Smith, will be hosted within Greetings & Stationery this January. The list of nominated brands and dynamic programme of talks from leading experts will be announced in November.

SPOTTED – NEW TALENT

Spotted returns with a top pick of emerging talent showcasing their products for the first time. Curated by Charlotte Abrahams, this edition presents over 40 budding brands spanning all sectors of the show.

The dedicated product trails are back, guiding visitors through the halls to discover specific categories. The Men Only trail highlights original gifts and accessories for him, while the UK Debut trail enables buyers to home in on new international brands. These will be accompanied by the ever-popular Product GB and Eco trails.

Academy Live brings expert business voices to the live stage. The programme will be announced soon.

Top Drawer will be held on 15-17 January 2017 at London Olympia.

Trade buyers are now invited to register online at www.topdrawer.co.uk

Follow the latest news and new launches @TopDrawerLondon #AdventuresInDesign

Commercial and property finance broker goes from ‘New Kids’ to major player after summer of growth

Ben Lloyd, Pure Commercial Finance

A SOUTH Wales finance specialist is celebrating a summer of success with a hat-trick of business awards.

Cardiff-based Pure Commercial Finance – which brokers and packages finance for property developers and investors – has scooped a clutch of honours during 2016.

In the startups.co.uk Top 100 list, the company has climbed to number 66 in the whole UK, to become the top-rated Welsh firm in the annual rundown of rising start-ups that are set for speedy growth.

Closer to home, the firm celebrated success in the inaugural Wales Start-Up Awards, which were announced in September. Pure Commercial Finance was named Financial & Professional Services Start Up of the Year.

Company founder and managing director Ben Lloyd has also secured a personal accolade, as the 31-year-old was named Young Dealmaker of the Year in the prestigious Wales Business Insider Dealmakers Awards 2016. One award judge paid tribute to the entrepreneur, saying: “He has shown leadership, risk-taking and ability.”

The company also gained recognition in two other awards, being shortlisted in the Best Bridging Broker category of the 2016 Bridging and Commercial Awards, announced in June, and was a

finalist in the Development Finance Broker of the Year category of the Business Moneyfacts Awards.

The honours cap a successful period for Pure Commercial Finance, which earlier this year further expanded its team and secured record levels of finance for its clients.

“These honours recognise the early successes we have enjoyed, and the potential that Pure Commercial Finance has in the future,” said Mr Lloyd.

“While we are a relatively new company, our staff offer extensive experience in the sector – experience which has already seen us become of one of the UK’s fastest-growing commercial finance specialists.

“We have already helped more than 100 clients secure funding and have plans to double turnover to £1.8m in 2016.

“This has meant we have needed to double our team and increased fee income by more than 500%, and our growth shows no signs of slowing – we have completed more than £110m in funding so far in 2016 alone across the UK.”

Pure Commercial Finance’s growth plans include funding more than £180m in transactions this year, while further expanding the team.

“Next year we hope to increase our standing in the marketplace by transacting more than £260m worth of business, which would continue the drive towards becoming one of the biggest independent brokerages in the UK,” Ben added.

“We will do this by continuing to provide excellent customer service and treating each transaction as a bespoke requirement.”

President Obama to appear on next week’s Real Time with Bill Maher, debuting Nov. 4

U.S. President Barack Obama during a presidential portrait sitting for an official photograph in the Oval Office on 6 December 2012 Source: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza – P120612PS-0463 (direct link)

PRESIDENT OBAMA TO APPEAR ON NEXT WEEK’S REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, DEBUTING NOV. 4, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Just four days before the presidential election, President Barack Obama will be a guest on next week’s REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, debuting FRIDAY, NOV. 4 (10:00-11:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO. Host Bill Maher is scheduled to tape his interview with President Obama – his first appearance on the show – this coming Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Noted Maher, “I’m thrilled that the president has finally accepted our invitation to come on the show – just like with the country, he always comes through in the end.”

            Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists and interviews with guests. The show was recently renewed through 2018.

            Bill Maher has reaffirmed his status as one of the leading commentators on current events this election season. This season of REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER is averaging 4.4 million viewers (10% from HBO On Demand, HBO GO  and HBO NOW), and is the most-watched season of the show since its 2003 debut. The premiere of the Oct. 14 show on the main HBO channel alone drew 1.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched telecast of REAL TIME in more than 13 years.

            Politico has hailed Maher as “a pugnacious debater and a healthy corrective to the claptrap of cable news,” while Variety noted, “There may not be a more eclectic guest list on all of television.”

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

The executive producers of REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER are Bill Maher, Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Brad Grey, Marc Gurvitz, Dean E. Johnsen and Billy Martin; co- executive producer, Chris Kelly; producer, Matt Wood; director, Paul Casey.

World’s oldest active rally navigator takes part in New Zealand Haka Classic Rally at age 98

Dorothy Caldwell, Ace Navigator

Guinness World Record holder navigates for son, 73-year old ex-Formula 1 McLaren team manager, Alastair Caldwell in Oct/Nov Haka Rally.

Dorothy Caldwell, who lives in Flagstaff, New Zealand, and is the Guinness World Record holder as the world’s oldest active rally navigator, is to take to the roads again in the New Zealand Haka Classic Rally, a 5,354 kilometer classic car competition on the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The rally starts in Auckland on October 30th and heads to Wanaka before coming back to Auckland again, ending on 25th November. 98-year old Dorothy will be navigating for her son, Alastair Caldwell in his 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III. The same team and car took part in the TransAm rally from New York to Alaska four years ago and Dorothy won the “Spirit of the Rally” award and her team came 5th overall.

Alastair Caldwell grew up in New Zealand and in 1966 attended the Tasman series racing, where the mechanics encouraged him to come to England to work in motor racing. He did so and became a notable part of the multi-national McLaren Formula 1 racing team. In the 1970s he became team manager, managing world champions such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and James Hunt. In fact, this week, October 24th, marks the 40th anniversary of James Hunt winning the F1 World Championship at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1976, with Alastair as team manager, an event immortalized in the 2013 movie, Rush. Alastair has recently done an interview on Sky TV and a talk at London’s RAC Club to commemorate this anniversary.

Despite having retired from Formula 1, Alastair continues his colourful life both on the road and in business. In 1983 he established the United Kingdom’s first self storage company, Space Station.

Under increasing demand, Space Station is now the longest-running self storage company in the UK, operating in Berkshire, London and Birmingham, for domestic, business and student use – where Alastair can be found hard at work when not hard-rallying classic cars and taking part in public engagements in the racing world.

HBO News: Documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest to debut in March 2017

MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST, THE SHOCKING TRUE CRIME STORY ABOUT THE MURDER OF DEE DEE BLANCHARD AND THE DISTURBING LIFE OF HER DAUGHTER, GYPSY ROSE, TO DEBUT IN MARCH 2017, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2016 – HBO Documentary Films will present the true crime documentary MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST, the tragic, headline-grabbing story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard, in March 2017, it was announced today.

In MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST, provocative documentarian Erin Lee Carr (HBO’s “Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop”) again explores a crime in the age of social media. Things are not always as they appear, especially in the case of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose, and what starts out as a grisly tale of matricide morphs into a rabbit hole of deception. Child abuse, mental illness and forbidden love converge in this mystery of a mother and daughter who were thought to be living a fairy tale life that turned out to be a living nightmare.

“I am thrilled to be back at home with the team at HBO to bring this incredibly complex case and tragic story to audiences,” says Erin Lee Carr.

Dee Dee Blanchard and her ailing, wheelchair-bound daughter, Gypsy Rose, were beloved members of Springfield, Mo., but the tight-knit community was rocked when Dee Dee was found murdered in her home, and Gypsy was missing. Investigators tracked a graphic Facebook status stating, “that Bitch is Dead,” to Wisconsin. What unraveled next was a disturbing sequence of events that nobody saw coming.

Featuring exclusive prison access to Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the HBO Documentary Films presentation is a disturbing, first-hand look at this bizarre case and explores one of psychology’s most controversial conditions: Munchausen by proxy syndrome.

MOMMY DEAD AND DEAREST was directed and produced by Erin Lee Carr; produced by Andrew Rossi; co-producers, Alison Byrne and Andrew Coffman; editor, Andrew Coffman; director of photography, Bryan Sarkinen; music, Ian Hultquist. For HBO: senior producer, Sara Bernstein; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.