Louise

Books on Louise:

	The Fat Flush Plan Ann Louise Gittleman and Barry Sears EDITION:  Hardcover MANUFACTURER:  McGraw-Hill RELEASE DATE:  06 December, 2002
	The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet: Boost metabolism, get rid of fattening toxins, safely lose up to 8 pounds overnight and keep them off for good Ann Louise Phd Cns Gittleman EDITION:  Hardcover MANUFACTURER:  Broadway RELEASE DATE:  08 April, 2005
	You Can Heal Your Life Louise Hay EDITION:  Paperback MANUFACTURER:  Hay House RELEASE DATE:  01 January, 1984
	Heal Your Body Louise Hay EDITION:  Paperback MANUFACTURER:  Hay House RELEASE DATE:  01 January, 1984
	Ocean Robert Dinwiddie, Louise Thomas and Fabien Cousteau EDITION:  Hardcover MANUFACTURER:  DK ADULT RELEASE DATE:  16 October, 2006
	The Complete Fat Flush Program Ann Louise Gittleman EDITION:  Hardcover MANUFACTURER:  McGraw-Hill RELEASE DATE:  27 November, 2002
	Comprehensive Classroom Management: Creating Communities of Support and Solving Problems (8th Edition) Vernon Jones and Louise Jones EDITION:  Paperback MANUFACTURER:  Allyn & Bacon RELEASE DATE:  27 March, 2006
	Diversified Health Occupations, 6E (Simmers, Diversified Health Occupations) Louise M Simmers EDITION:  Hardcover MANUFACTURER:  Cengage Delmar Learning RELEASE DATE:  31 March, 2003
	Customary International Humanitarian Law Boxed Set of 3 Hardback Books Jean-Marie Henckaerts and Louise Doswald-Beck EDITION:  Hardcover MANUFACTURER:  Cambridge University Press RELEASE DATE:  07 March, 2005
	Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet Ann Louise Phd Cns Gittleman EDITION:  Paperback MANUFACTURER:  Three Rivers Press RELEASE DATE:  03 September, 1996

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Europe

West coast rail passengers suffer seventh day of delays

West coast mainline passengers today suffered a seventh consecutive day of delays and disruption after the route was hit by another overhead power problem.Services had returned to normal following a power failure on Tuesday, which brought London's Euston station to a virtual standstill on Wednesday morning, when an overhead wire failed at Atherstone, Warwickshire, at about 9.30am.The latest difficulty left passengers on Virgin Trains and London Midland facing delays of up to 50 minutes.It raised further concerns about the reliability of the route, which has just undergone a decade-long £9bn upgrade.Network Rail described today's incident as "a minor problem" and said it would be quickly rectified.Earlier this week Virgin called on Network Rail to check whether there was "an underlying issue" with power supplies.Before the Atherstone problem arose Network Rail staff had worked overnight to bring services back to normal following an overhead power problem near Wembley, in north-west London, on Tuesday night.The problem prevented Virgin and London Midland running any trains in to or out of Euston for the first part of yesterday.After those repairs a Network Rail spokesman said the work had gone well, adding that a good service was expected today.Limited services were resumed by mid-morning yesterday, but ended earlier than usual to allow engineers to begin repair work.The damage added hours to journey times, leaving passengers to seek alternative routes.Some Virgin passengers were redirected to St Pancras for trains to Luton Airport Parkway, where coaches were running to Milton Keynes, while some other passengers were sent to Marylebone for trains to Birmingham.London Midland and overground passengers, meanwhile, had to catch buses from Euston to Watford, Hertfordshire.The latest incidents followed overhead cable problems at Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, and Rugby, Warwickshire, that hit services on Tuesday.On Sunday and Monday the west coast mainline was affected by overhead cable problems at Watford.Those problems came after a track near Stafford was shut when a light aircraft crashed close to it on Friday, killing three people.Virgin, which had asked Network Rail to delay introducing new, fuller timetables on the west coast mainline until the success of the upgrade could be properly evaluated, described the situation as "frustrating".The British Chambers of Commerce estimated that the disruption had cost businesses around £38m over the last three days.It also said it believed the recent disruptions had occurred because the west coast upgrade had been "rushed" in order to be completed by the end of 2008.Louise Ellman, the chair of the transport select committee, said Network Rail's recent failures on the west coast mainline were unacceptable, coming so soon after the expensive upgrade."This is the third consecutive time that Network Rail has let passengers down at the beginning of the new year," she added."Network Rail must conduct an urgent investigation into the reasons for this massive breakdown and take action to restore confidence in the rail system in which so much public money has been invested."TransportRail travelguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Published: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:50:15 GMT - Source: Guardian.Co.Uk - Read the article

Europe

Miranda Sawyer interviews Christopher Ciccone

'I was born my mother's son, but I will die my sister's brother." So says Christopher Ciccone in his book Life With My Sister Madonna. It's an unauthorised biography, one that Madonna is reportedly unhappy about; it came out last summer and was yet another glitch in a tricky year for the Queen of Pop. She's a trouper and her career has been through worse patches. But despite the fact that her Sticky and Sweet tour was a hit (the highest-grossing tour of the year) and she was inducted into America's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's the other stuff that we, and she, will remember about Madonna's 2008. "2008? Well, she turned 50, there was the divorce with Guy, the stuff with her kids and there was my book. All these things that she has no control over came crashing down at the same moment. And my sister," says Christopher, twisting his mouth, "is big on control."We are in Los Angeles, at the home of a brother of a megastar. Christopher's apartment is in West Hollywood, a one-bedroom joint. It's surprisingly tiny and feels smaller: stuffed like a junk shop with heavy, antique furniture, piled up art books, umpteen family photographs and paintings, many done by Christopher. The artist is ill in bed, struck down by a stomach complaint the night before our interview is scheduled. So I'm shown around by Scott, one of his friends, who's over from Britain trying to launch himself as a presenter/actor. Scott, a very sweet chap, talks me through all of Christopher's work, including a series of photographs of men's behinds, which Scott thinks "predates that Dazed & Confused vibe that's everywhere now". I'm not sure - they just look like snapshots of bottoms to me, though I do like his colourful, impressionistic paintings. Anyway, I'm more interested in the family pics. Here's a young Madonna cuddling baby sister Melanie; Madonna and Christopher looking minxy and fun; a formal portrait of their mother, also called Madonna, who died when they were very young. Some of these photos appear in Christopher's book; he tells me his sister "went crazy" at their dad for giving permission for them to be printed.Christopher, two years younger than his famous sibling, has not been in regular contact with Madonna for some time now. The last time he saw her, in 2006, she sent tickets for her Confessions show in Miami and made a point of dedicating a song to him: "It was quite a nice moment," he says now, "but it was my sister's way of publicly showing how kind she is to her family. It was calculated." They haven't spoken properly since. She didn't know he'd written his book; by the time she got wind of it, it was printed and only three weeks from being launched. She emailed Christopher just two words: "Call me." But he didn't.Christopher receives me atop his bed, in pyjamas and striped silk gown, reclining on two enormous Versace pillows. A small picture of Frida Kahlo is positioned so he can see it, for strength, I suppose. I interviewed Madonna a few years ago and Christopher resembles her: heart-shaped face, strong eyebrows, beautiful, curly-lashed eyes. He also shares her bluntness though lacks her charm. This might be because he's ill; he's definitely uncomfortable, cutting our chat short and generally seeming tense, especially when Madonna is discussed. What an irony! You write a book about your sister to give yourself a separate identity. Then people interview you about it and, naturally, only talk about her. Which is what I do. What does she think of his book?"She probably thinks of it as a desperate attempt for attention and money," says Christopher, his voice a mellifluous tenor that seems to rumble up from his toes. "And, ultimately, a betrayal. I think of it as a thesaurus - it's different ways of defining people and myself - and also as another piece of art. "Other than that, there are two factions. People who hate me because they think I've betrayed their icon. And then the people who hate me because they think I haven't betrayed her enough. The other day, I was walking through a gay bar and I heard this guy whisper, 'Traitor!' It was pretty funny." As adults, the pair were very close, much the tightest of the eight Ciccone brothers and sisters. They were born and brought up in Detroit, Michigan; Madonna the oldest girl, Christopher the second youngest boy, fifth-born. Their dad Sylvio, known as Tony, married Joan, the family housekeeper, after his first wife died, at 30, of breast cancer. Joan ran a strict household, trying to keep all the kids in order, a hard task, especially as the six older ones weren't hers. Madonna's desire for fame and love is usually traced back to the loss of her mother when she was five. However, Christopher thinks that Joan hasn't got her dues. He says that as she gets older, Madonna has taken on much of their stepmother's sergeant-major tendencies, "insisting that everything has to be done her way, according to her timetable and that life must be lived by her rules". When Madonna left home and started out in pop, in the Borderline-Lucky Star-Holiday mid-80s, Christopher was one of the two male dancers behind her. He performed at her early club dates. When she graduated to proper tours, he was her dresser. In the book, he seems embarrassed about this job, refusing to tell any of his friends. When I ask why, he says: "Well, technically, it was beneath me. I did it because she needed me, but it bred resentment. Not many people would have been able to deal with her stuff [she shouted at him a lot]." You could see this as the fatal flaw in their relationship, for Christopher; he hated being subservient to his sister, but liked being needed by her and, like everyone else around her, enjoyed the perks. Anyway, Christopher stopped being Madonna's dresser when he progressed to becoming director of her live shows, Blond Ambition and the Girlie Show, both of which were dazzling successes. He was also in charge of the interior decoration of all of her houses; plus, on and off, he lived with her, right through the Sean Penn marriage and the Warren Beatty interlude. For many years, Madonna's life was his life. Rupert Everett wrote in his autobiography: "To know Madonna at all, you had to know Christopher. The one was incomprehensible without the other."So how come they fell out? What happened? She dropped him. In 2001, Madonna appointed a different director - choreographer Jamie King - for her Drowned World tour and didn't tell Christopher. Around the same time, she married Guy Ritchie, who nitpicked about her brother's interior work. And Christopher got into what he calls "partying", meaning going out and taking cocaine, a big no-no for Madonna. "From the moment I found out that I wasn't doing Drowned World, to her and Guy's wedding, everything became a bit of a blur, a dark, fairly negative period of time for me. You know, she was my family. I wasn't close to my other brothers and sisters, I moved out when I was 18 and moved to New York so... she was my family. Plus I'd come out of a 10-year relationship straight after the Girlie Show. So losing that, losing her - I was kind of out there for the first time in 15 years by myself." His eyebrows furrow, he clasps his hands over his stomach.For his part, Christopher began pulling away too. He was upset with Madonna for dispensing with his services; he disliked Guy Ritchie, who he thinks is homophobic (Christopher is gay); and, as he no longer worked with his sister, he realised he had to establish himself as a separate entity. He continued with his interiors, he directed pop videos, he designed T-shirts. But nothing hit the heights of what he'd achieved before.So he wrote his book, which reached number two in the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list and number one in the equialent UK list despite Christopher not doing many promotional interviews. Rumour has it that Madonna's people lent hard on US magazines and TV shows in order to curtail his press. To be honest, though, there's not much in the book for her to worry about. She goes to bed at 11pm every night! She gave Christopher his first ecstasy tablet! She wouldn't pay for her sister Paula to come to her wedding! I suppose the very fact that he wrote it at all is enough to drive her bananas. Christopher toyed with writing his story for years, but he knew he was still angry with Madonna and thought it would be unfair. It was only when he started therapy and (oh no!) studying kabbalah that he felt he could "look back on our work together and be proud of it and not hate her for dragging me through this". What's interesting about that is that it was Madonna who strong-armed him into both. The therapy began because she was trying to force him into rehab for cocaine: instead, Christopher went to a doctor, who established that he was just a recreational user and recommended therapy. Madonna then sent a list of demands to Christopher's therapist, which says quite a lot. And she pressurised him into attending kabbalah meetings by refusing to pay him money she owed for his interior work unless he went along.At kabbalah, he became friendly with Demi Moore, who has since dropped him, too. Of her - and of Madonna - Christopher says grumpily: "A certain kind of diva carries a gay man around like a handbag, like an accessory. And then once they find the right straight guy, they don't need a male companion any more." He quite liked kabbalah, though. "There are great things about it, but the people who run it are not immune to the Hollywood celebrity thing. They'd like to think they are, but they treat celebrities better. When Britney started running around the centre, I was like, 'OK, time for me to go'."Christopher is naturally acerbic and there are some good stories in the book, with funny "partying" cameos from Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Donatella Versace and Courtney Love. He describes how Sean Penn makes him do a blood brother pact - cutting their palms and rubbing them together - and then, years later, rushes across at a party to ask Christopher if he has Aids. And there's a Miami evening where several people, including David Geffen, all play truth or dare. Every person, apart from Christopher, vows that if they could have sex with anyone in the room, it would be with Madonna. Even David Geffen, who likes men! "No, it didn't make me laugh," says Christopher sharply. "It made me feel ill."His mood is darkening; he says we'll have to stop soon. So I ask him about his current projects. He's just finished some interior decoration work in Miami, is involved in a hotel project in Mexico City and it looks like he'll be directing a low-budget movie called Twist: "Sex, drugs and murder in Orange County," he smiles. These days, Christopher is just another LA hustler, talking up deals, trading on past glories, pitching for the future. There's nothing wrong with that - it's how the city works. But it must be hard when you've previously been whisked to the top tables, VIP'd at the best parties. Even - or especially - when you know it's only because of your more famous sibling. Maybe he should have pursued a career away from his sister, as the other Ciccones did. "Yes, but she needed me, and I wanted to do it," he says. "Also, even though my brothers and sisters lead very regular lives, that still isn't easy for them. Because first, you compare yourself with Madonna and her success, and because you can't get there, you consider yourself some kind of a failure. And then there's the expectations of other people who know you're Madonna's brother, so why aren't you rich and famous? "The life that she's chosen has had unintended consequences on all of our lives. And it's not as if she'd ever acknowledge that. Even with me, involved with her for 25 years... Madonna isn't big on recognising other people for their contribution." It's clear that Madonna's sudden dropping of Christopher is not unusual for her, though it seems crueller as he is her brother. She's done it with other collaborators, musical or managerial. In fact, her only long-term US employee is press officer Liz Rosenberg and even she might have blown it with her recent leaking of how much Madonna is paying Guy in the divorce settlement. A couple of weeks ago, Rosenberg gave different numbers to different publications. A joint release from Ritchie and Madonna was issued within a day, saying that all the figures were inaccurate. Oops. Christopher is generous about the divorce, despite his feelings about Ritchie: "As much as I dislike Guy and as much as he may dislike me, I would never wish for the end of their marriage. Though, without getting into too much detail, Guy isn't quite the gentleman I thought he was trying to be. There are some myths running around about this amicable divorce stuff. It's not quite as sweet and clear-cut and dried..." He won't elaborate, but later on says this: "Madonna isn't a cheapskate, she's very practical and pragmatic. However, like most people she has a tendency to give her money away with strings attached. She gets the best bang for her buck."What about Christopher? Has he got the best bang for his buck? He won't say how much he was paid for his book, but it must have been good money. Was it worth it? By writing about Madonna, he's burnt umpteen bridges. "Oh yeah. It's a fine line to write a book of this nature," he says. "You can absolutely destroy your career. But I think because it's not a vicious book, then people are reading it, it's worthwhile. And more importantly, I didn't tear our family apart."Do you miss her?"I miss working with her, on her tours and in her houses. Madonna isn't a really buddy-buddy, palsy-around, slap-you-on-the-back, beer-at-the-pub kind of girl. Because we were all so focused on her, I now realise that she really didn't know me at all as a person. But I did some of my best work with her, and she did with me, and I miss that part of it."You know, it's interesting. By doing a book like this, you get to see who are really your friends and who just wants the seats in the restaurants, the connections with Madonna, the access to the tickets. Now, I have a small group of people who care about me and look after me and I know who they are and that's great. But I lost quite a few people who I thought were my friends. It made me feel vindicated on some levels about certain people. But in the end, it makes me feel lonely."? Life With My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone is published by Simon & Schuster, £17.99Il Ciccone: Christopher's lifeBy Gordon Agar1960: Born 22 November in Bay City, Michigan, to Madonna Louise (who died of breast cancer, aged 30, in 1963) and Silvio "Tony" Ciccone. His siblings are Martin, Anthony, Madonna, Paula Mae, Melanie, Jennifer and Mario.1980: Begins career as a dancer with Le Groupe de La Place Royale in Ottawa.1982: Moves to New York; choreographs Madonna's Everybody video.1984: Appears as a backing dancer on Madonna's Lucky Star video.1990: Artistic director of Madonna's $65m-grossing Blond Ambition world tour, which included controversial depictions of sex and Catholicism.1993: Designs and directs Madonna's Girlie Show world tour.2003: Madonna dispenses with her brother's services, employing choreographer Jamie King to direct her Drowned World tour. 2008: In pre-production to direct serial killer thriller TwistMadonnaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Published: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:04:21 GMT - Source: Guardian.Co.Uk - Read the article

Europe

Public wants taxes that hurt the rich

Two-thirds of Britons want the rich to face punitive tax rates not seen since the 1980s, according to a new poll which suggests that the recession has hardened attitudes towards the wealthy.Bankers are now seen second only to footballers as being overpaid, while seven in 10 think that ordinary workers should sit on remuneration committees setting executives' pay to ensure that high salaries are deserved. The findings - in a poll for the think tank the Fabian Society, to be published this week - suggests that the credit crunch has provoked a backlash against the rich, with the public seeking retribution for alleged mistakes made by City figures. The findings will encourage Labour MPs who want Gordon Brown to go further in next spring's budget and rebalance the tax system in favour of more modest earners. His gamble in pledging to introduce a top rate tax of 45 per cent for those earning more than £145,000 is backed by three-quarters of those polled, while 69 per cent would support Labour introducing a higher top rate of 50 per cent for those earning more than £250,000.Tax has not been that high in the UK since 1988, when Margaret Thatcher brought the top rate down from 60 per cent. Neil Kinnock's threat to introduce a 50p tax rate in the 1992 election is widely held in New Labour circles to have cost him Middle England's support.However, the Fabian report found new demand for forcing the wealthy to contribute more, with 70 per cent of those polled by YouGov agreeing that "those at the top are failing to pay their fair share towards investment in public services". Louise Bamfield, senior research fellow at the Fabian Society, said the public had previously considered footballers and business "fat cats" overpaid but had largely accepted it as a fact of life. That had now changed. "There is a shift to a new group of people - bankers and traders - and the sense that not only have they been paid too much but what they have been paid has had a direct negative consequence on other people," she said."People had assumed that this group were more than competent and it must have been deserved. There is now a feeling that these people have been responsible for others losing their jobs."However, she said the anti-rich backlash had not greatly benefited those at the bottom. Focus groups conducted alongside the poll found that while there was sympathy for those losing their jobs, people still expected them to find work as quickly, despite the recession. Those polled significantly underestimated the cost to the Exchequer of tax avoidance by the wealthy and over-estimated the cost of benefit fraud. They blamed the government for failing to stop tax dodges rather than individuals, but saw benefit fraud as the fault of the individual. The findings may explain why Labour's poll ratings have increased; 55 per cent of the public blame reckless lending by the banks for the credit crunch, while fewer than a quarter think the government was mainly responsible. Labour's private polling suggests that two-thirds of Britons blame America for starting the credit crunch - the argument that Brown uses, to the frustration of Conservative MPs who argue that he left the economy overexposed. Bamfield said the poll suggested Brown had pitched his tax rise correctly. More than half of respondents wanted not only to see bonuses reduced, but for executives of failed companies to repay past bonuses as penance for mistakes.Tax and spendingCredit crunchTaxExecutive salariesGordon BrownLabourguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Published: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:04:03 GMT - Source: Guardian.Co.Uk - Read the article

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