Alfreton Town manager Nicky Law has expressed his shock and disbelief at some of the big money deals which are flying around this summer.
The Reds chief is working tirelessly to bring new faces to the Impact Arena for the 2012/13 campaign, Alfreton’s second in the Blue Square Bet Premier Division.
And, despite the demise of both Darlington and Kettering Town due to financial problems from last season, Law feels it is going to be even tougher to survive second time around.
He said: “The game has got bigger this year. There are lots of clubs chucking massive money at players .
“Some of the wages being offered are staggering.
“I am hearing of players picking up huge signing-on fees as well as appearance money and other add-ons, but that is an avenue we can’t go down.
“It is definitely going to be harder to survive in the Conference Premier Division this season.”
Law is hopeful of making some progress from his ongoing negotiations with several targets.
It may be summer time but football is never far away and the Football Conference have confirmed that, barring any unforeseen issues, the fixtures for 2012/13 will be released on Monday, July 2.
Meanwhile, Reds supporters have just three weeks left to take advantage of the ‘early bird’ season ticket prices, the deadline for which is June 30.
Season tickets purchased up to and including that date are: adults (persons aged 16 and over) £289; concessions (senior citizens and children aged 15 and under) £194.
Ten Match Tickets Adult £150, Concessions £100.
Prices after June 30 rise to: adults (persons aged 16 and over) £310; concessions (senior citizens and children aged 15 and under) £206.
Ten Match Tickets: adult £160, concessions 110.
Orders can be made by contacting Lisa Towerzey on 01159 392090 extension 107.
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Print this pageSource: www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk
London King's Cross and Warren Street Tube stations get free WiFi - Digital Spy
Source: www.digitalspy.co.uk
'Ground-breaking' changes for London cancer patients - BBC News
The way London's cancer patients are treated changed on Thursday in a move the NHS hopes will save up to 1,000 lives a year.
Cancer services in the north and east of the capital have combined to be called London Cancer - responsible for more than three million people.
It has brought together hospital specialists, GPs and scientists.
Patients can now receive specialist care at major cancer centres and then the rest of their care closer to home.
London Cancer's chief medical officer Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones said: "We've got some of the best scientists and clinicians in the country in our capital city but we need to get them to work together much more effectively for the benefit of patients.
'Compete with the best'"I think this is a real opportunity to do something ground-breaking for our patients.
"We've been given the opportunity to think really big and to plan services for a population of three and a half million people in north and east London, so this means we can now compete with the very best in the world."
About 13,600 people die from cancer in London each year and more than 27,000 are diagnosed with the disease.
One patient is 46-year-old black cab driver Mark Fitzpatrick.
He is one of the first to experience what life will be like for future patients.
In January he was diagnosed with cancer at Barts Hospital. Since then he has been receiving his chemotherapy treatment at Whipps Cross Hospital - 10 minutes from his home - meaning he does not have to travel into town.
He said: "It's not a journey you'd want to do on a regular basis, particularly at the beginning - because if you are particularly ill you don't want to be travelling into central London.
"It's just so handy to go to your local hospital. I mean, I live 10 minutes away, it just makes life so much easier at a time when you don't feel well.
"It's nice to be treated locally as it's a small unit and they treat you particularly well."
At the moment the average survival rates for cancer in London one year after diagnosis are worse (63.8%) than the rest of the country (66.5%).
Satisfaction rates amongst patients are also lower.
It is hoped this new network, and one for south and west London, to be launched later this year, will change that.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Essex County farms could qualify for emergency loans - Press Republican
PLATTSBURGH — Some Essex County farms could qualify for disaster funding, due to crops destroyed by frost after March 1.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued federal agriculture disaster declarations for several New York counties. The original proposal championed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had included Clinton County as well, but it was not included in the disaster declaration made by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday.
“Farmers across New York who were still recovering from last year’s natural disasters risk losing an entire season worth of crops again,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “These disaster declarations are a good first step to open up access to federal resources so these farmers can get back to business and keep New York’s agricultural industry on the move.”
After a winter of record-high temperatures, many crops on New York farms blossomed earlier than usual. Many of these crops were then exposed to early spring freezing temperatures and were destroyed as a result.
Federal agriculture disaster recovery programs provide tools to assist farmers in overcoming the challenges they can face as they work to recover from production and physical losses on their farms and rebuild their business. Help includes financial assistance to compensate for farm losses, low-interest emergency loans and assistance in rehabilitating farmland.
The Farm Service Agency said disaster emergency loan assistance is available effective June 5 for those who lost at least 30 percent of their production. Farmers may be eligible for production loss loans of up to 100 percent of their actual loss, the operating loan amount needed to continue business or a maximum principal balance outstanding of $500,000, whichever is less.
Eligible farmers must be unable to obtain credit from private commercial lenders. The interest rate on the loans is 3.75 percent.
Applications will be accepted until Feb. 5, 2013.
The Farm Service Agency office is located at 2530 State Route 40, Greenwich, NY 12834. The phone number is 692-9940, Ext. 2.
Source: pressrepublican.com
Law & Disorder: Man arrested in laser incident - Florida Times-Union
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A 40-year-old Jacksonville man was arrested after police said he flashed a laser light at one of their airplanes Monday night. Tyler John Pennywitt of Hanover Park Drive was charged with misuse of a laser lighting device on a Sheriff’s Office ...Source: jacksonville.com
London 2012: 50 of the best unusual museums in London - Daily Telegraph
2. Cartoon Museum, Holborn
Just a few streets away from the looming British Museum, the diminutive Cartoon Museum is easily missed but worth seeking out. Its mission is to preserve and promote British cartoon art, comic art and caricature and with a collection that dates from the 18th century to the present, visitors of all ages will discover cartoons that tickle their fancy or spark a childhood memory. Playful and popular cartoon strips featuring The Bash Street Kids, Billy the Whizz and Dennis the Menace are shown alongside rarer and more politically minded works; if you feel the subject matter warrants further exploration you can also make an appointment to access the museum’s library, where comic book connoisseurs can study the medium further.
3. Old Operating Theatre, London Bridge
In the 1800s, the Old Operating Theatre was used as an operating space for the deathly sick interned at St. Thomas’s Hospital. In those times medical equipment was primitive and effective anaesthesia unavailable so invasive surgeries such as amputations were terrifying ordeals for patients – although a skilled surgeon could perform the procedure in under a minute, novices would sometimes hack and chisel at mangled limbs for much longer. Staff talks on the theatre bring the innocuous wood-panelled space to gruesome life so it’s worth timing your visit to coincide with one; the adjacent herb garret exhibition space has complementary medical displays.
4. Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising; Notting Hill
Those same household products that we retrieve from supermarket shelves week-in, week-out are so familiar that we may not consciously consider our relationships with them, but the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising seeks to do just that. Started by consumer historian Robert Opie, the museum’s collection includes over 12,000 original items that should be familiar to all of us, be they packets of cereal, tins of baked beans or sachets of custard powder. Consider an amble through the space a rummage through a particularly well-stocked larder and prepare to encounter plenty of decommissioned products that once held pride of place on your family’s kitchen table.
5. The Vault at Hard Rock Café, Park Lane
With so many unique restaurants in London I despair when I see tourists queuing for a table at the Hard Rock Café but fans of music memorabilia will appreciate The Vault. So named because the space was once part of a Coutts bank and now holds valuable music mementos, the display area houses some impressive exhibits. Items in the collection include the guitar used by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in the November Rain video, a harpsichord frequently used by The Beatles and, strangely, one of Madonna’s old credit cards. Open seven days a week, The Vault’s opening hours are different from the main dining space (typically it’s open from midday to 9pm) and admission is free.
6. British Dental Association Dental Museum, Marylebone
Its origins may date back almost 100 years but there are still plenty of lifelong Londoners oblivious to the existence of the BDA Dental Museum. Its foundations date back to 1919 when Lilian Lindsay, the first female to qualify as a dentist in the country, donated a number of old dental instruments to the association. Today the museum’s collection includes some 20,000 items with dental instruments, furniture, photographs and art all on display. With few people enthusiastic about a trip to the dentist, going to the museum might be another way to pay your respects to this field of medicine.
7. Pollock’s Toy Museum, Fitzrovia
The space is cluttered and the collection of old, beady-eyed dolls could be considered somewhat creepy, but Pollock’s Toy Museum is an intriguing place. The museum itself occupies two conjoined houses near Goodge Street and when wandering from one small room to another prepare to encounter toys from your own childhood. Despite the ostensibly juvenile subject matter this museum is possibly better suited to adults who want to wallow in nostalgia than parents who want to provide their kids with distraction.
8. The Crime Museum, New Scotland Yard
London has plenty of macabre museums, but perhaps the most morbid is The Crime Museum, better known as The Black Museum, at New Scotland Yard. Housing an extensive number of weapons which have been used to commit murders or serious assaults in London, its collection includes items used by Jack the Ripper and Charlie Peace. The cases the displays are connected to remain shocking and emotive and it’s perhaps for that reason the museum isn’t open to the general public; however, members of the police forces or associated bodies sometimes access the space to attend lectures on forensic science, pathology, law and investigative techniques.
9. Geffrye Museum, Hackney
Anyone with an interest in interiors or design will be charmed by the Geffrye Museum in Hoxton. Based in a series of connected 18th century almshouses, the museum shows typical middle-class living quarters in a succession of period rooms. Visitors start their journey in a traditional 17th century living space and gradually work their way up to the present day. Period gardens in the grounds repeat the process so there’s even more to discover outdoors when weather permits.
10. Household Cavalry Museum
The imposing, Grade I listed Horse Guards in Whitehall makes an impressive setting for the Household Cavalry Museum. The Household Cavalry guards the Queen on ceremonial occasions and also forms an operational regiment that serves around the world; visitors to the museum can learn about its role in detail through interactive displays and can often see members of the cavalry tending to their duties and caring for their horses in the Horse Guards’ 18th century stables.
11. Magic Circle Museum, Euston
By Euston Station, The Magic Circle is a private club where magicians converge; the Magic Circle Museum is a connected space that gives the rest of us insight into how the world’s greatest illusionists operate. Accompanied by guides, visitors can view props used by the likes of Harry Houdini and Chung Ling Soo, the rifles used for Maurice Fogel’s ‘bullet catch’ and hundreds of rare posters.
12. Freud Museum, Hampstead
A short stroll from Finchley Road Underground station, the Freud Museum is housed in what was once the home of Sigmund Freud and his family. They moved here after escaping the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938 and it was occupied by the family until the death of Freud’s youngest daughter Anna Freud in 1982. It was her wish that the home become a museum that paid tribute to her father’s efforts, and the space remains crammed with his and her accoutrements. Most popular is Freud’s psychoanalytic couch, but visitors will also discover his collection of antiquities, Freud’s writing desk and items from his library.
13. London Sewing Machine Museum, Balham
Part of the Wimbledon Sewing Machine Company, the London Sewing Machine charts the history and evolution of sewing machines both domestic and industrial and contains some 700 different types. Those especially interested in these tools might be excited by an example of the first Singer machine and a machine originally owned by Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, but this idiosyncratic space is also enjoyed by all manner of designer. It’s usually open only on the first Saturday of each month.
14. London Fire Brigade Museum, Southwark
The London Fire Brigade Museum in Southwark is a must-visit for any adult who aspired to work in the fire brigade as a child, and an interesting attraction for everyone else too. Housed in what was once part of the original Southwark fire station, the museum’s most impressive exhibits are its historical fire engines and Victorian-era gear room but there’s plenty to explore. Visits must be arranged by prior appointment and guests are accompanied by an expert guide.
15. Sherlock Holmes Museum, Baker Street
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that his fictional characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson lived at 221b Baker Street and that is the location of the real-life Sherlock Holmes Museum. Despite the men never existing, the museum does a good job of creating a setting that seems authentic, with the multi-storey space crammed with antique artefacts that could have been used by the sleuth and his associate. An added attraction is the man in period costume usually stationed outside the door, providing a popular photo opportunity for visiting tourists.
16. The Royal London Museum, Whitechapel
Within the Royal London Hospital, the Royal London Museum documents the history of the hospital and the most notable cases treated there. Surgical instruments, old uniforms and assorted trinkets make for atmospheric displays but the venue is perhaps most known for its showcase on forensic medicine – which includes original material related to the Jack the Ripper murders – and its association with Joseph Merrick, the ‘Elephant Man’. He spent the last four years of his life in a specially adapted room within the hospital, and some of his personal effects (including his hat, veil and a cardboard church he made as a gift) remain on show.
17. Bank of England Museum, City of London
Global financial markets are more confusing than ever, so this could be considered a good time to visit the Bank of England Museum for some contextualisation and education. Tracing the history of the Bank of England from its 1694 foundation to the present day, the museum includes displays of old banknotes and coins, antique furniture, historic pictures and glistening gold bars. Entry to the museum is free which, given how much financial pain everyone’s already in, is just as well.
18. Garden Museum, Lambeth
Beautiful and tranquil, the Garden Museum lays in the church of St Mary’s in Lambeth, with the Thames surging past its door. Within the tastefully adapted church, changing exhibitions consider issues related to British gardens and are supplemented by a series of talks; permanent displays of paintings, tools and garden equipment provide further interest. Outside, the grounds contain a well-tended knot garden and the tombs of the celebrated gardeners John the Elder and Younger.
19. World Rugby Museum, Twickenham
Within Twickenham Stadium, the World Rugby Museum is home to one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of rugby memorabilia. Many of its 10,000 objects are kept in storage but trophies, historical photographs and early match programmes and tickets are typically on display. If visiting the museum, consider timing your visit to coincide with one of the tours of Twickenham Stadium (for which there’s an additional charge). When running, they allow fans to take a walk around the pitch itself, the players’ tunnel and the England dressing room.
20. New London Architecture, Holborn
New London Architecture concerns itself with all issues related to London-based architecture, planning, development and construction, and its publicly accessible galleries seek to inform Londoners about the capital’s rapidly changing cityscape. An ongoing programme of debates and discussions consider pertinent issues in depth, but if you only have time for a quick visit, be sure to check out the giant scale model of central London. Measuring 12 metres, the 1:1500 scale model also includes proposed London buildings that have secured planning permission and are in development.
21. The Cinema Museum, Kennington
The Cinema Museum celebrates all aspects of cinema, with a particular appreciation for the pre-digital days when ‘going to the pictures’ was a ticket to escapism and fantasy. The extensive collection deserves detailed exploration, including as it does countless photographic images, old cinema posters, cinema staff uniforms and antique cinema fixtures. Guided tours of the museum are available most days but must be booked in advance as they’re lead by volunteers; a varied complementary programme of talks and screenings attract all manner of cinema enthusiasts and film industry insiders.
22. Leighton House Museum, Holland Park
Its exterior may be unprepossessing, but Leighton House Museum’s beautifully opulent interiors must rival the most lavish private houses in surrounding Kensington. The building was once the home and studio of the Victorian artist Lord Frederic Leighton and it remains a showcase for his spectacular artefacts. The central Arab Hall displays Leighton’s dazzling collection of shimmering Islamic tiles, but other ornate rooms impress with antique furniture and tasteful contemporary art displays. If possible it’s worth timing your visit to coincide with the free tours given at certain times on Wednesdays and Sundays; otherwise it’s possible to download an MP3 tour of the house from the museum website in advance of your visit.
23. V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
The V&A Museum in South Kensington is known internationally as one of the world’s greatest museums of art and design; less recognised is its Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. This is where the V&A houses its collection of childhood-related objects and with displayed objects often dating back decades (and in some cases centuries), it’s worth a visit whatever your age. The curators deserve further kudos for providing a complementary programme of free daily drop-in activities for children, all designed to entertain and educate young minds.
24. Petrie Museum, Euston
Found within UCL, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology may be small but its collection of some 80,000 objects makes it one of the greatest museums of its type anywhere. Among its artefacts are sculptures of lions from the temple of Min at Koptos, dating from around 3000BC and the oldest wills on papyrus paper, as well as various ancient costumes and a series of Roman-period mummy portraits. Admission is free but opening hours are limited so check in advance of your visit.
25. Whitechapel Bell Foundry, Whitechapel
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is best known for two things: being the oldest manufacturing company in Britain, having been founded in 1570 and operating continually since; and for creating the Big Ben bell at the Palace of Westminster. The foundry includes a small exhibition space in its foyer but is best explored on a pre-booked tour. Detailing the efforts undertaken to cast bells and showing the workspaces in which they’re made, the tour provides detailed insight into the company’s operations and the limited numbers accommodated in the small space means places get snapped up quickly.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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