iblog

Rushda: Royal Mint has unveiled new designs for British coins which have not changed in appearance in over 40 years, since decimalisation April 1968. Described as one of the biggest events in British History, the new coins, which can be seen here combine modern designs with traditional elegance. They were announced as the result of a competition which ran since 2005 and received over 4000 entries. The winning designer of the coins is 26-year-old Matthew Dent, a graphic designer who lives and works in London. What makes the designs particularly striking is that the royal coat of arms has been split amongst the six denominations, the crowning piece being the £1 which displays the entire heraldic shield. This is the first time the coins have contained elements of a singular design. The other side will retain the traditional image of the Queen's head and the two pound coin has not changed. Dent is understandably amazed that his own designs will be on every new British coin. He says:

"For designs of mine to appear on a medium as significant and prestigious as the United Kingdom's coinage and to be produced and circulated in millions is a tremendous honour."

The new designs mark a huge event in British history. As Andrew Stafford, chief executive of the Royal Mint explains:

"It is the only work of art that every member of the general public touches every day, that is important to the nation's way of life,"

The coins will gradually begin to circulate in the summer, though old coins will remain legal tender. Personally, I really like the thoughtful new designs and though the old coins will be missed (especially the 50 pence coins with images of Britannia), I'm sure most people will like the fresh new look which was long overdue. I can't wait to get my hands on some (though I suspect I'll be reluctant to use them as anything but a jigsaw puzzle initially!).

Rushda: Alternative medicines and treatments such as aromatherapy and homeopathy will start to be regulated this year by the government for the first time. Not only have alternative treatments always been regarded with some suspicion before for how well they work, but their very dubious nature has allowed many practitioners to take advantage of the fact that there are no rules and they have been able to market whatever they like to gullible clients. Thus a new organisation called the Natural Healthcare Council, backed by the Prince of Wales, will make sure that certain minimum standards are met in both the medicines offered and the abilities and professionalism of the practitioners. Even though some alternative remedies are regarded as bogus by many, millions of people in the UK regularly use them. Indeed, it is estimated that £130 million a year is spent on complementary medicines with the figure sharply increasing by the year. The scheme will cover all complementary treatments such as "aromatherapy, reflexology, massage, nutrition, shiatzu, reiki, naturopathy, yoga, homoeopathy, cranial osteopathy and the Alexander and Bowen techniques". Surprisingly studies have also shown that over two thirds of people in Britain believe that such remedies are valuable, many even claiming that they are the same or even better than conventional treatments. It is therefore worrying that currently, unlike conventional medical practitioners, anyone can actually set themselves up as a reiki or reflexology professional and they would not be breaking any laws, leading much of the public into thinking that they are actually qualified. Now, the public will hopefully be able to ascertain the quality of different practices by checking if they conform to the government standard. Though joining the scheme is voluntary, businesses will lose out if they fail to give customers any evidence of their professionalism. As Ian Cambray-Smith, of the scheme, says:

"Although it is a voluntary scheme, we believe that in dealing with misconduct by therapists it will be almost as robust as statutory regulation, and as tough as we can make it. Suspension from the register will be the ultimate sanction. It will be good for practitioners, good for patients, and even good for the NHS. If there is a complaint, the council will convene a board of lay people, plus two practitioners, to review the case. If it is proven, a second board will determine what disciplinary procedures to take.”

Personally I am very sceptical about any alternative treatments, as they are probably harmful at worst and placebos at best. Whatever your views on them though, it is clear that there will be a lot of hoaxes amongst the genuine treatments. Therefore any proper regulation on the part of the government can only be a good thing.

Rushda: Today marks a terribly sad day for Pakistan and indeed much of the world as Benazir Bhutto, the leading Pakistani opponant and former Prime Minister, has been killed in a suicide bomb attack whilst doing an election rally for next month's general election in the northern region of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad. This event marks a severe blow to any hope in the return of stable democracy in Pakistan as many believe that Bhutto's liberal views and bid to counter terrorism have now been in vain. The assassination was sudden as she spoke to thousands of people in the crowd. As Mohammad Zaman, a member of her PPP party, explains:

"The meeting went perfectly well. She delivered her speech, she came down the stage and got on the land-cruiser. She started coming out, we heard three [shots] fired, and after that the bomb blast went [off]. And when I came down the road I saw there was loads and loads of injured. And I really thought that her vehicle was safe and left the place safely. I was hoping she would be OK."

Though Bhutto was taken swiftly to hospital, she died straight away. It is unclear at present who was involved in the attack and what the motive was, but it is strongly believed that the attack links with Al-Qaeda who, amongst others, were angry at her secular leadership and affinity to the West. The country is in shock and in many parts considered to be a danger after the attacks with curfews in main city areas. Many are understandably emotional and angry, with some blaming the current president Pervez Musharraf for not ensuring that Bhutto received adequate security. Having studied at both Harvard and Oxford, Bhutto gave much hope to those in the West and in Pakistan who feel threatened by Islamic extremism. As the only woman to have been Prime Minister of Pakistan, she also represented women's rights in Pakistan which are often suppressed due to Islamic practices. Major world leaders believe that her death has been an attempt to kill democracy in Pakistan, but as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said in his speech:

"Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by terrorists but the terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan and this atrocity strengthens our resolve that terrorists will not win there, here or anywhere in the world. We will work with all in the Pakistani community in Britain and elsewhere in the world so that we can have a peaceful and safe and democratic Pakistan."

My heart goes out to all of Bhutto's family and supporters as we are reminded once again of the dangers extremists pose for those who wish to fight for tolerance. Who knows what lies in store for Pakistan now, and how safe it remains.

Rushda: It was strange enough when public figures such as Tony Blair and Oprah got their own YouTube channel but this is probably a whole new kettle of fish - the Queen on YouTube? No one would have ever expected it but she's here in all her 81 years of glory on her very own new channel. Her channel, which is naturally called The Royal Channel, will air the Queen's Christmas day message together with other interesting footage about the monarchy. The launch of the channel also "marks the 50th anniversary of the Queen's first televised festive address in 1957". The palace is hoping that the channel will help the monarchy connect to young people who often miss out on the Queen's yearly speech. The speech will be aired at 1500 GMT on Christmas Day. The Queen has always admitted that some changes must be made in order to adapt to modern times. For example, back on her first television address in 1957 she said:

"I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct. That it is possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us."

A spokesperson from the palace said upon launching the channel that the Queen still wants to remain in touch with the times:

"She has always been aware of reaching more people and adapting the communication to suit. This will make the Christmas message more accessible to younger people and those in other countries."

Personally I'm quite impressed with the layout of the channel. Only the royals could have managed to make even a channel on YouTube look elegant and classy! Something tells me, however, that the Queen won't be an active and addicted YouTube member churning out her responses daily in text speak. Unfortunately her appearences will be probably be rare and with little affiliation with the site. However, it is certainly an odd concept that she is "on there", especially considering the amount of abuse and spam the channel will get. Well, good luck to her! Maybe if she does something entertaining on YouTube, even I will tune in on Christmas day!

Rushda: Despite most Britons still celebrating Christmas with the same kind of vigour as before, a new study has found that fewer and fewer people know the details of the birth of Christ. Indeed the survey has suggested that "more than a quarter of adults in Britain do not know where Jesus was born." The survey was conducted for public theology think tank Theos, which found that only 27% were able to identify Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace. The same percentage also accounts for those who did not know who told Mary that she was about to have a son. Young people were affected the most as around one-third of them could not say much about the birth of Christ. According to Paul Woolley, director of Theos:

"The fact that younger people are the least knowledgeable about the Christmas story may reflect a decline in the telling of Bible stories in schools and the popularity of nativity plays. No one seriously thinks that being a Christian or a member of the established church is the same thing as being British today. But, at the same time, if we are serious about social cohesion we can't afford to ignore the stories that have bound us together as a culture for 1,000 years."

Personally, what I find particularly dismaying is that traditional Christmas does seem to be vanishing from schools as well, with only 1 in 5 schools putting on a nativity play this year. For me, the yearly nativity play was an indispensable aspect of school life as a child and I always waited for it impatiently, regardless of whether I believed the story was true. It seems a shame, therefore, that so many children will miss out on all the features of it which made it so great - the festivities, the community spirit, and the general excitement which accompanies it. Though I am not a Christian myself, I empathise with those who think that there would be something lost if people started forgetting about the traditional story of the birth of Christ. A little bit of thought behind the festivities would certainly not go amiss for anyone.

Rushda: Over the last few days many have been in shock over what has happened to British teacher Gillian Gibbons who has been sentenced to fifteen days in prison in Sudan for allowing her primary school class to name a teddy bear "Muhammad". The act has been held to be an insult to Islam even though Gibbons had no idea she was causing any offence. The sentence comes after many thought that Gibbons may even receive 40 lashes for this apparent crime. The conviction has given rise to much controversy on either side. Whilst those in Britain and other western countries are absolutely appalled, especially considering it wasn't even her own suggestion that the teddy be called Muhammad but that of her pupils, many in Sudan are protesting violently because they believe her sentence had been too lenient. After all, why should anyone get away with making a mockery of their religion or worse, as some believe, being part of a western "conspiracy" to undermine the religion? The prison conditions are supposed to be "very harsh" in Sudan so it is a matter of urgency that Gibbons is freed. Many people have been in touch with Sudanese authorities, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown. As a spokesman from Downing Street says:

"We are doing all we can to ensure her release. Various intense activity is ongoing but I'm afraid it's not helpful for me to get into the detail of what that is at the moment."

The sentencing brings up many puzzling questions about how offence can be taken at the smallest of things and whether it was really justified. Indeed Western mentalities cannot understand how it can be perfectly acceptable to name boys "Muhammad" but not pets or toys. Will we be caught out again and again by trivial distinctions that make it impossible for anyone to live comfortably in the presence of those who interpret almost anything as insulting? And will we insist with dogmatic conviction at every opportunity that no one should take offence at the things we do? A little bit of compromise from both sides would certainly not go amiss.

Rushda: You wouldn't have thought it a couple of years ago, but now high-waisted jeans are finally coming back into fashion. Thankfully, one of the benefits of this is no more "muffin top" - the unflattering flab which overhangs your trousers. Though no one would deny that hips are great, muffin tops have become something of an embarrassment for everyone caught displaying them. And yet for anyone who is not a supermodel, it seems inevitable. So are high-waisted trousers the answer? Marks and Spencer certainly seem to think so, and the whole of their next summer's wardrobe will be filled with them. The term "muffin top" has now become such a vocabulary mainstay that it is even in the dictionary now. It conjures up the perfect visual image - only one that is not so sweet. Originally popularised by Australian comedy Kath and Kim, shown on BBC Two, it is now a term almost every woman knows and fears. Apparently the blame for muffin tops goes to designers, whose outfits, whilst fitting the models perfectly, do not seem to translate to an average British audience. As Andrew Groves, head of fashion at Westminster University says:

"They worry about what looks good on the proportions of a model but not your average woman. As a result, there is a mismatch of image from the catwalks to the High Street."

But remember before you go to rush out to buy a new pair of high-waisted trousers to hide your bulges that even with high-waisters there is a bulge problem, only this time it will be your tummy. It's a sad fact that for many women, though they will now have more of a choice, what a choice it will be: looking like a muffin or looking pregnant. Personally, however, I don't think there is really so much to fear. I think the obvious rule still stands that if you are overweight then anything to you wear that is too tight (low-waisted or high-waisted) is going to look terrible. Furthermore, it is obvious that the different styles of jeans out there are designed to suit women with different body shapes. When will women realise that wearing what looks good and not what fashion dictates is the ultimate fashion gospel?

Rushda: The secret behind the intelligence of famous curvy women such as Nigella Lawson may be in their curves. New research from the US has revealed the very interesting finding that curvy women are, on the whole, more intelligent than their waif-like counterparts. Not only that but they are even said to produce more intelligent offspring as well. Apparently the bigger the difference between a woman's waist and her hips, the better. During the study, 16,000 women and girls of varying degrees of voluptuousness were asked to take cognitive tests and the results were striking - the curvy women did better on the whole and so did their children. Evolutionary scientists believe that the result could possibly be explained by the fact that fatty acids found around the hips is most likely to be Omega-3 which has long been said to boost mental abilities. I'm not sure to what certainty we can point to something abstract as intelligence as lying in particular fatty tissue. Many experts too feel that any result at this stage would be a little premature given all the different factors we need to take into account. For example Martin Tovee of Newcastle University says:

"On the fatty deposits being related to intelligence front, it's very hard to detangle that from other factors, such as social class, for instance, or diet."

No doubt curvy women will be very pleased to hear the findings of the study - not only have they long been shown to be the most attractive, now one is saying that they have the best beauty and brains.

Rushda: Designs for London's new Olympic stadium have been unveiled. As the picture on the left shows, the centrepiece will be a giant sporting bowl which will have seats for an audience of 80,000 and the stadium will be located in Stratford, in East London. Construction will begin next April in order to be ready a year in advance of the events. Apparently the costs of the stadium will be a huge £496 million even though the previous budget stated £280 million. Many feel uncomfortable with the idea of this much being spent for a singular construction, but budgeters have reassured everyone that after the Olympics the top tier of seats will be lifted off and the stadium will be able to be used as a standard sports venue with 25,000 seats. The stadium has been designed by HOK Sport, the same architects who designed other world-famous sports venues such as Sydney Olympic stadium and Wembley stadium. Chair of the Organising Committee, also a former Olympic champion, is excited about the project and thinks the plans for the stadium are modern and practical. He says:

"It's a stadium that delivers on everything we said we would deliver on: a stadium with track and field as its primary legacy; a stadium that will be reduced from 80,000 seats in Olympic mode to a 25,000-seater community base."

Though I'm no huge sports fan, I'm glad the excitement and patriotism for 2012 is still going strong, especially after the embarrassing and shocking logo (which, we are reminded, will not change despite thousands of protests). However, I am reluctant to believe that the design for the stadium will melt many hearts - after all, it IS essentially an unwarranted sum of money to pay for what looks like a very bogstandard and uninspiring stadium. It seems that the organisers behind 2012 want to emphasise coolness and youthfulness in everything they produce (see the promotional video for yet more of the same). Yet ironically this is what is making the young people cringe most!

Rushda: A recent survey conducted by the Television channel UKGold has revealed what people consider to be the UK's craziest laws, with the most voted being that it is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. Believe it or not, the law does still exist on the statute book - and needless to say, so wrong, on so many levels! The 3,931 people surveyed had to pick from a list of nominated stupid laws. Included amongst the favourites was the law against sticking a stamp upside down and the very ironic ban against eating mince pies on Christmas day. The entire list can be seen below:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. 2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down. 3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store. 4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned. 5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter. 6. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet. 7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen. 8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing. 9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armou.r 10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

Most people will be incredulous to note that all of these laws still exist - probably due to simply never being removed from the book (for example, Oliver Cromwell decided the mince pie law in the 17th Century) or because of some niggling pedantic loophole. I personally had not heard any of them, but they are certainly an amusing read! Maybe this will alert me not to wear a suit of armour on my next tourist trip to London, or alternatively, tempt me to wee in a policeman's hat when pregnant just because I can...