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Where Women in Politics Don't Dress to Impress

September 04, 2008 10:43 AM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

London has easily claimed status as one of the fashion capitals of the world, ranking up there with the style epicenters of Paris, New York and Milan.

Some of today’s hottest designers -- Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood -- hail from the British Isles. And this week, supermodels grace the catwalks during London’s fashion week, a biannual event that rivals next week’s show across the pond in New York.

But there’s one realm of couture in which Brits just aren’t keeping up with Americans -- the style of women in politics.

Michelle Obama graced the stage of the Democratic Convention last week in a turquoise dress designed by Maria Pinto, an up-and-coming designer from the Obama’s hometown of Chicago. And in the Twin Cities this week, even Cindy McCain’s magenta-colored cast showcased her proclivity toward bright, vibrant colors.

Compare this to the demure and, dare I say, staid styles of Margaret Thatcher, Sarah Brown and Camilla Parker Bowles. With the exception of Princess Diana, the Brits are not known for their fashion-forward forays.

And this has left some commentators in Britain frustrated. In the Telegraph this week, columnist Sarah Mower wonders why “dowdy” female politicians ignore fashion.

But wait, aren’t we beyond the days of focusing on female fashion choices? Does it really matter what pantsuit Hillary Clinton is wearing or how Sarah Palin wears her hair?

Aren’t we enlightened enough to look beyond A-lines, emeralds and taffetas, to policies, promises and plans?

The sad truth is that we love to look at fashion. Ever since Jackie Kennedy bowled us over with her savvy style, we -- regardless of gender, race, country or party -- will continue to ogle. It unites us. And although Mitt Romney’s suits, Biden’s “comb-over” and John Edwards' haircut inspired endless discussion, women trump men, hands-down, in this realm.

But let’s be clear: Fashion is not just something to distract us from the meatier issues of politics. It’s increasingly used as a tool in the political arena.

Next week, the two darlings of New York fashion, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and “Sex and the City” Star Sarah Jessica Parker, will co-host an Obama fundraiser at $10,000 a ticket for guests to preview designs by such designers  as Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Zac Posen.

But things are a bit more reserved on this side of the pond. Mower says the ignorance of fashion’s potential has actually “worsened.” She says British politicians, even though many of them are a decade younger than Hillary Clinton, “willfully look like Harman, Blears et al in their 40s and 50s.”

Think pleats, wool and turtlenecks.

Mower argues these icons actually cast a negative light on the more stylish British women. “Why do they look so much worse than most of us women of the same generation?”

But blame can’t fall on their shoulders alone. When Cherie Blair, the wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, tried to step outside the box and wear a sari to a state dinner, she was mocked for donning “ethnic clothing.”

Still, things may be changing.

Sarah Brown, the wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, will host a reception Sept. 15 to prepare for next year’s fashion week -- its 25th anniversary. She’s bravely invited about 150 members of the international fashion press to Downing Street to spark interest in the event.

It appears the Brits may be taking cues from the Americans...shhh.

September 4, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Palace Guards Meet Haute Couture

September 01, 2008 12:55 PM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

The Guards at Buckingham Palace are not camera-shy; they’re used to being photographed by the millions of tourists who visit the palace gates each year. But donning designer duds could be surprising for even the sternest of the notoriously staid soldiers.

The Guards may soon be trading in their traditional bearskin hats for synthetic versions created by chic designers like Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood.

The bearskin hats, which have crowned the tops of the guards’ classic red uniforms for nearly 200 years, have sparked countless protests from animal rights’ activists. And now, British army leaders are listening.

This week, representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will have a private meeting with senior officials at the Ministry of Defense to urge them to consider synthetic versions of the guards’ hats.

British designer Stella McCartney and American designer Marc Bouwer have both agreed to create the new caps if the Ministry of Defense agrees to proceed with the plans. PETA has contacted British designer Vivienne Westwood to create an “innovative design” as well.

“This is a campaign that’s been running for four year and now it’s escalated,” said Alexia Weeks, a spokesperson for PETA in the United Kingdom.

In 2006, PETA staged a demonstration with more than 60 naked protestors in London’s Parliament Square calling on Queen Elizabeth and the Ministry of Defense to replace the bearskin hats. Other protestors have dressed up as bears and followed members of the Royal Family around the world.

Weeks told ABCNews.com that she is optimistic that the Ministry of Defense will now buy into the idea. And the fact that more than 200 members of the British parliament recently signed a petition saying the ornamental caps serve no military purpose and are not even bullet-proof, may also help PETA’s cause.

Each 18-inch hat requires the entire skin of a black bear to make, according to a report in The Independent. PETA’s website claims that the bears used to make the hats are hunted in Canada, draining the population of black bears in North America.

The five regiments of the guards need between 50 and 100 new caps each year, according to The Independent. In March, it was reported that the army has spent more than $600,000 on bearskins in the past five years.

But this is not the first time the army has considered replacing the hats with synthetic fabric.

“There have been a few trials on them, but nothing has come forward yet that has withstood weather conditions and has met our standards,” a Ministry of Defense spokesperson told ABCNews.com.

“The Ministry of Defense is not opposed to the use of synthetic materials as an alternative to bearskins, provided such materials meet the requirement for a high quality product that performs adequately in all weather conditions. Regrettably, a suitable alternative continues to prove elusive.”

Last week comedian Ricky Gervais wrote a letter on behalf of PETA to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging him to stop commissioning Canadian black bear hats for the guards.

"I understand and appreciate the importance of uniforms, but continuing to use real fur in the 21st century is inexcusable, regardless of tradition," Gervais wrote, according to a statement released by PETA.

Gervais is one of many celebrities, including Pamela Anderson, Jeff Beck and “Golden Girl” Bea Arthur, who has supported the campaign to replace the hats with more humane models.

Bouwer, whose clients include Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker, said in a statement that he would be “delighted to take on this challenge.”

“I can't imagine a more distinct honor than to be asked to redesign the Royal Guard's bearskin hats with the luxurious faux fur I have used in my collections,” he said in a statement.

"England holds a special place in my heart, so I would be delighted to take on this challenge and am confident the outcome would be a wonderful hat that carried on the Guard’s tradition, but in a modern way that doesn’t involve the taking of bears’ lives.”

During the private meeting, The Independent reports that the British Army officials responsible for army equipment will be shown undercover video footage of bears being baited, shot and skinned by Canadian hunters.

The distinctive hats were first worn by British soldiers in 1815 after they defeated the French Grenadier Guards at the battle of Waterloo. The French soldiers originally wore the bearskin hats, but the British adopted them as a symbol of victory and now they are worn in ceremonial duties and to guard the royal palaces.

September 1, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

Prince Harry Ready to Return to Battle

August 29, 2008 8:01 AM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

Prince Harry is eager to return to fight in Afghanistan, according to today’s British tabloids.

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old served on the front lines for 10 weeks in Helmand Province but was flown home after his tour was made public, breaking a voluntary media blackout.

The news was leaked in February on the Drudge Report, which found the story on an online Australian women’s magazine.

When he returned home to the United Kingdom, Prince Harry told The Telegraph, that he enjoyed serving in Afghanistan more than he thought he would. "I enjoyed being out there, every element had something different about it," he said.

And although he expressed a desire to return to Afghanistan, it was ruled out for security reasons, according to The Telegraph.

But today, The Sun reports that he is "desperate to go back for another encounter with hostile Taliban forces."

The Sun says Harry is "eager" to return to Afghanistan and has "urged his Army bosses to return him to the front line."

The third in line to the throne is a Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals, one of the oldest and most senior regiments in the British Army.

He was the first member of the Royal family to go to war since 1982, when the Duke of York served in the Falklands. In May he was awarded his first service medal for his mission in Afghanistan.

A spokesperson for the Royal Family said today’s articles were "complete speculation," and could not back up the claims.

"He has gone back to work with his regiment to resume his regular duties," the spokesperson added.

Since returning from Afghanistan in February, Prince Harry has traveled with soldiers to Africa to work for Sentebale, a charity he created in 2006 to help orphans of HIV/Aids. He also went on a two-month mission to build a school in Lesotho.

The Sun quotes an "inside source" from the British Army that says "Harry has made no secret of the fact he wants to be there when the regiment returns to the front line next year. With one mission under his belt, he has the skills and experience which will make him an extremely valuable member of the battle group."

But a spokesperson from the British Army told ABCNews.com that it is "inappropriate to comment on his future plans."

"He’s an officer and a troop leader and he is with his regiment," the spokesperson said, "but we cannot confirm whether or not he will return to Afghanistan in the future.

The Prince and members of his regiment will resume training at Windsor’s Combermere Barracks next week.

The Sun said Harry "will accept whatever decision the top brass make – and that he understands the difficulties related to his deployment." However they added: "It is clear he sees himself as a soldier and as such he is desperate to do the job for which he is trained."

His brother, 26-year-old Prince William, is also in training with the British military. He is serving on rotations in both the Royal Armed Forces and the Royal Navy.

August 29, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Iron Lady's Daughter Reveals her Mother's Dementia

August 25, 2008 12:38 PM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

The daughter of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has just published a book revealing details of her mother’s dementia The book, “A Swim-On Part in the Goldfish Bowl: A Memoir,” describes the Iron Lady’s mental condition, and many believe it offers too many details, too soon.

In an interview about her book this weekend, Carol Thatcher told the Daily Mail that her mother, now 82, is suffering from severe memory loss which has diminished her recollection of major world events.

Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in 1975, when her daughter was 22. She served on Downing St.as leader of the Conservative Party for 15 years.

In the book, Carol Thatcher describes how her mother confused Bosnia and the Falklands during a conversation about the war in the former Yugoslavia, according to The Guardian newspaper.

"I almost fell off my chair,” she wrote, “watching her struggle with her words and her memory, I couldn't believe it. She was in her 75th year but I had always thought of her as ageless, timeless and 100% cast-iron damage-proof.”

Carol Thatcher said her mother’s memory loss has gradually worsened over the past 10 years.  This recent expose may color her mother’s reputation as a solid leader with a sharp memory and an impressive ability to retain and digest large amounts of information.

The woman who had dominated discussions for so long could no longer lead debates or keep up with the thread of a drinks-party conversation. On bad days, she could hardly remember the beginning of a sentence by the time she got to the end," Carol Thatcher wrote.

But British tabloids, often keen to exploit family rifts – especially when they involve celebrities and political leaders - aren’t taking the bait.

In a review of the book, Amanda Platell of the Daily Mail, wrote, “however difficult it must have been at times for Carol to live in her mother’s shadow, I couldn’t help but feel saddened yesterday to discover that she has written an opportunistic book in which she describes the terrible dementia Lady Thatcher is now suffering.”

To me and to many who admired or loved her mother,” Platell continued, “it felt not only like a terrible invasion of an old woman's privacy, but a personal betrayal.”

Margaret Thatcher is still highly-esteemed by the Brits. In July, she made her debut in British “Vogue,” as part of a feature on the celebration of the ageless.

Although she no longer speaks in public, her advisors say her work is confined to maintaining the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, a trust devoted to political and economic causes. 

Carol Thatcher, now 55, kept a relatively low-profile while her mother was prime minister. After studying law at University College London, she became a journalist and worked for BBC Radio and The Daily Telegraph.

But her surreptitiousness ended in 2005 when she appeared in, “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here,” a celeb-reality TV show set in Australia. She was filmed going to the bathroom and competing in challenges like eating fish eyes and kangaroo testicles.

At the time, she told the British newspaper, “The Independent,” that although she told her mother she was going to Australia, she did not explain the show because her mother wouldn’t have remembered.”

“It's pointless,” Carol Thatcher told the Independent. “She can't remember the beginning of the sentence by the time she reaches the end."

More than 4.5 million people in the U.S.are living with dementia, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International. And worldwide, more than 24.3 million people are estimated to have the condition.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s, however, are not interchangeable. Alzheimer’s is a disease, whereas dementia is a symptom. The two are often confused because many people who suffer from Alzheimer’s have symptoms of dementia.

The National Institute of Health reports that dementia is caused by changes in brain function; which typically occurs with aging. Symptoms include asking the same questions, becoming lost in familiar places, being unable to follow directions, getting disoriented about people and places and neglecting personal hygiene and nutrition.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? It’s a safe bet that most people know, or know someone who knows, someone living with dementia.

According to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, a leading research organization in the United Kingdom, 42 percent of the British population is affected by dementia through knowing a close friend or family member with the condition.

But not everyone is writing about it.

And although the British public was willing to put up with Carol Thatcher’s exploits in the jungle, they’re less willing to accept anything that will tarnish her mother’s reputation as the powerful Iron Lady she once was.

August 25, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (25) | TrackBack (0)

Lightning Strikes on the Great Wall

August 15, 2008 10:02 AM

By Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

The parents of British Olympic silver medalist David Florence were struck by lightning yesterday while biking near the Great Wall of China.

After watching their 26-year-old son win second place in the canoe slalom event just the day before, George and Jill Florence decided to end their trip with a bike tour to see the Great Wall.

But strong thunderstorms swept through the region, forcing the cancellation of many of the outdoor events. And when the couple found themselves in the middle of a torrential downpour, they sought refuge in one of the towers along the Great Wall to escape from the rain.

Seconds later the tower was struck by a bolt of lightning, according to a statement by Miriam Wilkens, chief press officer at the British Olympic Association.

“We took shelter in a tower and amazingly it was struck by lightning. We came back down the mountain and two of us were checked out by medical staff. We are all fine,” Jill Florence told the British newspaper The Telegraph.

They were treated for minor injuries at a clinic near the British Olympic team’s canoeing base in Shunyi, on the outskirts of Beijing.

“Mr. and Mrs. Florence were examined by one of the British team medical doctors as a precaution, but they were no serious injuries,” according to Wilkens’ statement.

Their son, David Florence, has canoed competitively since 1997 and has been part of the British Senior Canoeing Team for the past seven years. He graduated with degrees in math and physics and now lives and trains in England.

His father, George Florence, was once a slalom canoe champion as well and is a pilot for British Airways. He and his wife were in Beijing to support their eldest son along with another son, Fraser, 23, and a daughter, Lyndsey, 20.

The chances of being struck by lightning, according to Steve Marshburn, the founder of the Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors International (LSESSI), is about 1 in 800,000.

“That’s the general rule of thumb,” Marshburn said, “and that includes the people who are struck indirectly,” which he said is typically how people are hit by lightning.

“Usually people who are struck are struck if they are standing on a root, in a boat or standing close to where lightning has hit the ground,” he said. “And many injuries may go undetected.

The British Olympic Association reported that both George and Jill Florence are fine. “They were taken to the clinic as a precautionary measure,” according to the statement and that they are expected to return home to the United Kingdom this weekend.

August 15, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Globe-Trotting Garden Gnome Returns Home

August 13, 2008 12:01 PM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

 

 

 A small garden gnome, kidnapped seven months ago, has been returned to its owner after a worldwide tour through 12 countries.

 

 Eve Stuart-Kelso told the BBC she was “stunned” to see the gnome, which she called "Murphy," outside her home in England.

 

           And Murphy did not re-emerge empty-handed. He appeared with a photo album documenting his trip around the world.

 

 “The leprechaun went missing many, many months ago, and I had forgotten about it,” Stuart-Kelso told BBC News.

 

 Stuart-Kelso said the gnome appeared on her doorstep next to a tightly wrapped parcel, and although she was afraid the package might explode, she decided to open it up.

 

 “Then I saw this beautifully bound photo album,” said Stuart-Kelso.

 

 The album shows pictures of Murphy standing in a shark’s mouth, riding a motorbike and rappelling down a mountain.

 

 Murphy’s album also contains a collection of immigration stamps for all of the countries he visited on his worldwide tour. He went to South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Laos.

 

 Murphy’s traveling companion, who is referred to only as ‘the Bear,’ said -- in a letter to Stuart-Kelso -- that the gnome had attracted unwanted attention from customs officials and was a heavy packer.

 

 “There’s more to life than watching daily commuter traffic and allowing passing cats to urinate on you,” the letter said.

 

 Stuart-Kelso said she was pleasantly surprised by Murphy’s return.

 

           "I just keep thinking how funny it is,” she said, “It makes me smile to see all the people he met on his travels.”

  

 And although Murphy returned missing both of his feet, Stuart-Kelso was unfazed.

 

 “That’s no real surprise, given that he was sent abseiling down a mountain,” she said.

August 13, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Archbishop Compares Gay Relationships To Marriage

August 07, 2008 12:46 PM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

          The leader of the Anglican Church is making headlines in Britain today because it was revealed that he believes homosexual relationships are “comparable to marriage” in the eyes of God.

In letters written eight years ago before he became Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams compared gay relationships to marriage and questioned the Anglican Communion’s traditional doctrine that homosexuality is sinful.

“I concluded that an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage,” Williams wrote.

The letters, which have been reviewed by ABCNews.com, were leaked to the British media last night. They were part of a private exchange between Williams and Deborah Pitt, a psychiatrist and evangelical Christian from South Wales.

Williams, who was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002, is the principal leader of the Church of England.  The leak of the letters comes just weeks after Williams presided over the Lambeth Conference, a meeting that happens once a decade to unite Anglican bishops.

Many see the release as an attempt to undermine the position of the archbishop, who has come under attack by more conservative members of the Anglican Church for his liberal views on homosexuality.

Conservative leaders of the Anglican Church see the letters as a “betrayal.”

The Rev. Canon Chris Sugden, executive secretary of an orthodox group of Anglican leaders called Anglican Mainstream, told ABCNews.com that the content of the letters represents a “real tension that must be in the archbishop’s own mind.”

“One hears a discussion with himself," Sugden went on to say. "He believes the Church should change over time, but his duty is to uphold the teaching of the Church.”

Sugden said this “inner conflict” reflects the controversy surrounding homosexuality facing members of the church. Tensions over the issue were made obvious in 2003 after the Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the U.S., consecrated the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

As archbishop, Williams has tried to hold a traditional line on homosexuality for the sake of the church, but the letters show his liberal views on the issue. And the letter expresses hope that the church will relax its rules to be more accepting of gay relationships.

"The Bible does not address the matter of appropriate behaviour for those who are, for whatever reason, homosexual by instinct or nature," he wrote.

A spokesperson for the archbishop declined to comment on the letters and did not provide information about whether or not the archbishop knew how the letters were leaked.

Stonewall, a leading gay rights advocacy group in the U.K., welcomes the views expressed in the letters.

“It’s refreshing to see the archbishop’s liberal comments in the public domain,” Gary Nunn, a spokesperson for Stonewall, told ABCNews.com.

Nunn added that many members of Stonewall believe that faith leaders inadequately reflect their followers’ religious objections to lesbian and gay sexuality. He said that many held “significantly more moderate views of homosexuality than is often claimed on their behalf,” Nunn said.

August 7, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (314) | TrackBack (0)

Rats, mice, fleas and all the pests you don’t want in your local hospital

August 06, 2008 2:06 PM

Eliza Browning, ABC News London

More than 75 percent of Britain’s public hospitals are infested with rats, fleas and other pests, according to a report released today.

Between January 2006 and 2008, there were nearly 20,000 pest infestations -- or suspected infestations -- in the country’s hospitals, and many of the incidents occurred in clinical areas.

The report includes evidence of rats in maternity wards, fleas in neonatal units, bed   bug infestations and maggots found in patients’ clothing.

The investigation was launched by the U.K.'s opposition party, the Tories, and the data were uncovered using Freedom of Information rules.

The party asked all 171 public hospitals in England for details of pest problems, and nearly all of the 127 hospitals that responded reported experiences with infestations.

Seventy-percent of all hospitals called in pest control officers more than 50 times since January 2006: that’s about once every two weeks.

Eight out of every 10 hospitals had problems with ants, 66 percent with rats and 77 percent with mice.

Fifty-nine percent reported cockroach infestations, and 24 percent reported bed bugs.

Hospitals in the United Kingdom are part of the country’s publicly funded health care system and are managed by the government. The majority of services at these hospitals are free for all citizens and are funded by taxpayer dollars.

Health Minister Ivan Lewis said in a statement that "hospitals" must be responsible for ensuring buildings are clean and that patient safety is not compromised."

But Lewis went on to say that health problems surounding pest control have been "negligible."

Vanessa Bourne, a spokeswoman for the Patient’s Association -- an independent patient advocacy group -- said that the "vast majority" of British citizens use these hospitals.

"About 90 percent of people in the U.K. use some sort of service provided by the NHS [National Health Service]," Bourne told ABCNews.com.

In response to the disturbing report, Bourne told ABCNews.com that the findings are "truly revolting."

"How can patients be safe amid bed bugs, fleas and rats?" Bourne added, "If these hospitals were restaurants, they would be closed down and out of business."

Bob Mayho, the principal policy officer for the country’s Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, also expressed his concerns. His organization oversees all health inspections in the country but does not have jurisdiction over hospitals.

Mayho told ABCNews.com that environmental health officers visit hospital kitchens, but the inspection of other areas is the responsibility of the individual hospital.

Mayho said the risks pests and rodents pose to patients is clear.

"It’s obvious that pests and vermin in a hospital -- or anywhere else for that matter -- is not conducive to good health, especially because people are more susceptible to picking up infection or disease when they’re in hospital."

Mayho said that rats have been known to spread diseases like salmonella and leptospirosis (also known as Weil’s disease). People can also contract sickness and diarrhea from pests,    and some bugs can pose more serious health problems for vulnerable hospital patients.

Cockroaches are known to carry disease like listeria and salmonella,  but Mayho said, "there is no conclusive evidence to prove the pathogens spread by insects and other bugs can be passed along to humans."

The Department of Health has ordered the hospitals to take "rapid action and follow through with surveillance in place to avoid pest incidents and to minimize hazards. Use of pest control is a sign of good proactive management."

And the country’s opposition party is keen to make the issue political.

Andrew Lansley, the party’s health secretary, has called for a huge improvement in hygiene standards at the hospitals and blames the ruling political leadership, the Labor Party, for the problem.

"Labor have said over and over again that they will improve cleanliness in our hospitals but these figures clearly show that they are failing."

But speaking on behalf of the patient’s association, Bourne told ABCNews.com that solving the problem will fall on the shoulders of the people running the hospitals.

"Leadership is about speaking out if there are threats to patient safety. Titles are meaningless, it is action that counts. The cleaning budget should have the same importance as a clinical one."

Earlier this year, ABCNews.com published a story about a patient ordering the end of an operation because of the smell of a dead rat.

August 6, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

A 462-pound British Teenager Hopes a U.S. Fat Camp Will Save Her Life

August 01, 2008 11:21 AM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

           Childhood obesity is not just a problem in the U.S., it’s increasingly becoming an issue in Britain, too.
            Georgia Davis, a 15-year-old girl from South Wales, has been told by her doctors that she could die if she doesn’t trim down. She weighs 462 pounds.
            Next month, she will enter a "fat camp" in North Carolina, where she will try to scale back her diet from 13,500 to 1,200 calories each day.
           Davis told the British newspaper The Sun that she’s scared.
          “Doctors have told me I could drop dead at any moment,” she said.
           Davis was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes earlier this year. According to the British health department, about 58 percent of type-2 diabetes is attributable to excess body fat. Obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths in England each year.
          Davis said she knows she must stop eating but it’s difficult.
          “It’s like a drug,” she told The Sun. “Some people choose heroin, but I’ve chosen food and it’s killing me.
          Davis said her food addiction began ten years ago, when her father died of emphysema. Although she was only five at the time, she turned to food for comfort.
          “I was a real Daddy’s girl and miss him dreadfully. By the time I was seven I was 11 stones (154 pounds),” she told The Sun.
          Now, Davis’ typical daily diet consists of a medium chocolate cake, six bags of chips, a gallon of milk, two loaves of bread and two plates of French Fries. She also snacks on sandwiches, toast, peanuts, chips and Coke.
         Davis said she was banned from her school cafeteria for overeating and stopped going to gym class last year. She tried dancing lessons for exercise but hurt her knee and stopped taking classes.
         Her mother, Lesley Davis, told The Sun she thinks her daughter’s weight problems are her fault. She, too, has struggled with weight and remembers “comfort eating” with her daughter after her husband died.
         But Lesley Davis said her daughter’s weight frightens her.
“Sometimes Georgia’s left leg gives way and she crashes to the bottom of the stairs. It’s very scary. But to me she will always be beautiful.”
        Childhood obesity continues to be a public health problem in the United Kingdom. The country’s health department reports that in 2006, 16 percent of all children between the ages of 2 to 15 were obese; that’s an 11 percent increase from 1995. Left unchecked, the department predicts that 25 percent of all children will be obese by 2050.
         Still, the country’s health department has ruled that 15-year-old Georgia Davis is too young for gastric bypass surgery, diet pills or a gym membership.
         Davis is placing her bets on the Wellspring Academy, a residential weight loss center that operates nine schools in North Carolina, California and one in the United Kingdom. She enrolls in the academy on September 1.
         According to Wellspring’s Web site, students receive core academic curriculum, instructions on nutrition and fitness, and psychological counseling. Each child also receives a pedometer to clock the 10,000 steps required by the academy each day.
         For now, Davis says she gets pleasure out of time spent online. She adopts a “cyber” alternative identity on Second Life Web sites.
          “You can be who you want to be,” she told The Sun. “No one judges you on what you look like. On the Internet I’m married and living in a little house with two children.”
          Davis hopes that enrolling in the academy will help her lose 280 pounds in six months, and that one day she’ll be able to live the life she pretends to have online.

August 1, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)

Car Dealer Struck by Ex-Formula 1 Star

July 31, 2008 2:34 PM

Eliza Browning, ABC News, London

A car dealer in England was sent flying into the air when he was struck by a van driven by one of his favorite car racers:

German ex-Formula 1 star Michael Schumacher.

On Sunday afternoon, Martin Kingham, 39, was putting up the security barriers at his car dealership, Millfield Garage, when a Fiat van struck the edge of the security barrier while driving by the entrance.

The barrier hit Kingham in the leg and he went flying onto the hood of a nearby car in the sales lot.

“Before I knew it, there was this almighty crash and I ended up on the bonnet of the car,” Kingham told ABCNews.com.

When the van turned around Kingham saw the driver, he knew the face looked familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“I had that feeling that I knew who he was, but it didn’t click at first,” said Kingham.

It wasn’t until he phoned the police and tried to describe the driver of the van that he realized the striking resemblance to the racing star Schumacher.

Kingham said when Schumacher’s “entourage” arrived at the scene he knew he was right.

Police arrived at the scene to investigate the accident soon after the crash. Kingham sustained minor injuries, including a bruise on one side of his leg, but he said he is not planning on pressing charges against Schumacher.

“At the end of the day,” said Kingham, “it was just an accident.”

But Kingham, who has followed Schumacher’s successful career, said his estimation of the racer went down after Sunday’s accident.

“All I wanted was an apology, that’s all I wish I had,” he said.

“After the police left, the first thing I did was phone my wife to tell her but she didn’t believe me,” Kingham said.

A spokesman for the seven-time Formula 1 champion told BBC News that the incident had taken place and that Schumacher had cooperated with the police.

July 31, 2008 in Eliza Browning | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)