Latest news with #Manda
Scotsman
29-07-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Dog Adder Warning: Owner warns of snake danger after Labrador nearly dies from bite - here's what you need to know
Oakley Valentino in happier times and nursing his adder bite. | Contributed A pet owner has issued an owner after a lucky escape following an encounter with a venomous snake. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... At just 17 months old, Oakley Valentino is a typical Labrador pup – mischievous and full of boundless energy. Having joined the Barnes family following the loss of their beloved elderly Chihuahua, Oakley was a perfectly-timed addition to a household full of dogs, cats, kids, and love. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But when Oakley suffered a shock adder bite during a routine walk, his devastated family was left wondering if he'd pull through. Owner Matt received a panicked phone call from his wife, Manda, informing him that Oakley had received a nasty bite while sniffing around. The curious pup had his nose deep in the grass when he disturbed a passing adder. The startled snake struck, latching onto the labrador's nose in a moment of unexpected drama. Pouring with blood and suddenly unable to use his legs, Oakley was rushed to the emergency vet. There, he received urgent anti-venom and was kept overnight for treatment. A mix of fluids, antihistamines, anti-inflammatories, and pain relief helped stabilise him, ease the swelling, and support his vital organs through the shock. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After a night of observation and treatment, Oakley spent the next day at his local clinic before heading home – feeling very sorry for himself but having made a lucky escape. Oakley's concerned owners, Matt and Manda, are now keen to make sure their terrifying experience acts as a warning to other dog lovers. Seeking veterinary attention fast and having the right insurance in place are essential to ensuring your dog recovers quickly and fully when a snake bite is suspected. Thankfully, after a few unusually quiet days without his usual shoe-stealing and bin-raiding, Oakley has made a full recovery,' said Manda. 'We're so relieved to report that he's well and truly back to his mischievous self. He's even become a bit of a local celebrity! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I posted a warning to other dog owners on the local social media pages, and we've had so many kind messages from well-wishers. Oakley even got recognised in person by a kind stranger.' Here's what you need to know, according to Lars Mortensen, Head Veterinarian at Agria Pet Insurance. What are adders? The adder is Britain's only venomous snake, and while human victims usually only suffer pain and inflammation, bites can be life-threatening to precious pets, who are more at risk due to their curious natures. They can be found across the UK, although are absent from Ireland and the Isles of Scilly. How common is it for adders to bite dogs? It's common for dogs to get bitten on their paws or front legs, but bites to the nose are more unusual and much more serious, as the venom travels to the brain at a much quicker rate. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Where and when are you likely to encounter adders? Adders are most active during the warmer months, particularly between spring and autumn, when they emerge from hibernation to nest, breed and bask in the sun. They are most commonly found on the UK's heathland, moorlands, and in coastal areas, vary in colour from silver-grey to brown, and can be identified by their small size and distinctive zig-zag pattern. What are the signs and symptoms of an adder bite? Following an adder bite, you will usually notice significant swelling at the bite site and this can be very painful. Sometimes two distinct puncture marks can be seen from the fangs but the visibility of these depends much on the location of the bite as well as the dogs coat density and colour. In more severe cases, the venom may have systemic effects on the dog which means that the dog can appear lethargic or even vomit. When should you contact a vet?
Press and Journal
17-07-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Findhorn beach huts: What's it like for the people living a 'hut life'?
Manda Stretch is a late adopter of hut life – but she says it's one of the best decisions she has ever made. The 74-year-old happily describes herself as 'a bit woo-woo' (she lives in Findhorn eco village and does a bit of meditation). Manda ended up with a shiny new beach hut – and the story of how she got here involves 'the call of the sea'. Her story is just one of dozens of hutters at Findhorn – and many more across the north and north-east. Some people buy to live the dream, some to entertain the grandchildren. Others let them out on AirBnB. Let's take a look inside hut life, with owners and developers… Recently, there have been headlines about the cost of buying a beach hut and a shock rise in fees at Hopeman. But on a sunny day in Findhorn, any controversy seems a world away from this idyllic 100metre stretch of brightly-coloured huts. Findhorn is an intriguing old/new version of beach huts. The beach had a thriving hut community in the 1930s, 1940s and into the 1950s. Now, a local company are well into the process of building and selling 30 huts. More than 20 are already up and 'inhabited'. Findhorn Holdings Ltd, owned by Sophie McCook, had their share of challenges to get the development over the line. A petition was raised to stop them being built in the first place and it was a fight that got as far as the Court of Session. Ian Sutherland McCook, architect, developer and Sophie's husband, has become the agent and official spokesman for the beach huts company. Kinloss couple Ian and Sophie's Findhorn beach huts plan came from hearing about Novar Estates selling off land in the area. A 100-yard stretch of the beach was purchased, with a vision to re-create the beach hut community of the 1930s-1950s. By the mid-2010s, the plan was becoming a reality. Ian said: 'There was some genuine opposition and genuine concerns that the huts might spoil the nature of the beach and detract from it. 'Our view was that there had been beach huts there before that were very popular and very heavily used. 'I just felt a family facility like beach huts would be an asset, not a liability.' Ian feels that has been borne out by the uptake of the huts and even thinks they acted as catalyst for other amenities – a motorhome park and coffee vans, to name but two. Ian added: 'Now, if you Google Findhorn, one of the first images that comes up is the beach huts.' So is there such a thing as a typical beach hut owner? Let's meet a few of them… Owning a beach hut might not have come until Manda was in her 70s, but it had been a childhood dream of sorts. The B&B owner and grandmother came to Findhorn about 22 years ago from West Yorkshire. She bought her Findhorn beach hut about three years ago. She said: 'I have very early memories of my aunt having a beach hut at St Anne's in Lancashire. 'When I was away on a winter trip to Thailand recently, I got a huge wave of nostalgia.' Manda came home preoccupied with renting a hut and Ian was the obvious first port of call. She got two weeks rent of an already-furnished hut – but within two days, she was sold (and so was the hut). Manda added: 'I phoned him up and said I cannot possibly move out, I'll have to buy it. And that was it. 'It's like a deep soul calling thing – the call of the sea. It was an inner drive and instinct.' Since then, Manda has made the most of her new place. Manda reckons she uses it at least twice a week ('as long as it's not raining') and her two grandchildren who live locally (she has three altogether) love it. She invites friends for picnics, singalongs and cherry stone spitting contests (it's exactly what it sounds like). She said: 'I might take my lunch down there. I've got a little camping gas cooker and I make a cup of tea, I open the doors and I sit and listen to Radio Four or I just have a little meditate.' Has it been worth it for Manda? She said: 'It's wonderful – the best thing I've done in my elder years. 'It's like a friend, always waiting for me. That's how it feels. No questions asked.' Gertrud Mallon and family own Number Nine Findhorn Beach. They make the most of it – but also share the love with others. Gertrud said: 'We love Findhorn and the beach hut is a family base for us. 'We use it all year round, whether it's for heating up after the New Year's Day 'dook' or for the summer holidays. 'We have a big family who all love coming here and we enjoy bringing friends, too.' At the times when Gertrud and co aren't using the beach ourselves, it's available to rent through Airbnb. Gertrud added: 'It's really special falling asleep to the sound of the waves and waking up to a beautiful sunrise.' Beach huts at Findhorn aren't a new thing, as these pictures from the past show. Ian, who runs 1 Architects, said: 'I just liked the idea that there had been beach huts there before. 'These huts are owned and used by people who live locally – they're not holiday homes.' Two of the huts still to be completed will be given to the community in the form of the Findhorn Village Conservation Company. Ian said: 'From day one, we said that we would make sure there was a community benefit, a long-term gain to the community.' Manda says 'go for it'. Ian and Sophie believed in them so much that they invested in building 30 of the things. But why should people spend their hard-earned cash on a beach hut? Ian said: 'For a family, it's just a massively enriching investment – there is no better experience than being down there and sitting on the beach with a drink in your hand and just listening to the sea. 'It's therapeutic and tranquil.' And what about the hut community at Findhorn specifically? Ian laughed: 'They're all unhinged. 'They're a bit like train spotters or stamp collectors – they really, really love what they've got and what they're doing. 'They're a remarkably pleasant, amicable, self-supporting bunch. We've got a WhatsApp group and everyone is always helping each other.' As Manda said: 'For those just looking on from the outside, it's £32k for a wooden shed with no windows. 'But it's so much more than that – it adds a dimension to your life that you don't really realise until it's there.'
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘God Is in the Details': Embracing Boredom in Art and Life
The Netflix drama 'Adolescence' requires its audience to linger — to sink into the mundane. Each of its four hourlong episodes was shot in one continuous take, allowing its harrowing story — centered on a 13-year-old boy accused of killing a classmate — to unfold in real time. As the visual point of view shifts, its audience is invited to eavesdrop on interactions that are extraneous to the plot, as characters loiter in hallways and cars, and make small talk with strangers. 'Adolescence' is unusual because, as a character study without a propulsive plot, it requires its audience be OK with being in the moment. It stands in contrast to most modern television shows, which are increasingly geared toward a smartphone-addicted viewership of people who scroll while watching (think fast-moving shows like 'Reacher'). It also stands in contrast to how we live our lives, with shortening attention spans, increasing isolation and an inability to sit still. 'Adolescence' challenges us to be OK with small talk and boredom, even if our impulse is to disappear into our screens. 'We're becoming conditioned for these fast filtered interactions that involve constant stimulation,' said Fallon Goodman, the director of the Emotion and Resilience Laboratory at George Washington University. 'So the consequences of that are shorter attention spans, making us more impatient with the natural flow of an in-person interaction.' Early in the fourth and final episode of 'Adolescence,' Eddie (Stephen Graham, also a creator of the series), drives to a hardware store with his wife, Manda (Christine Tremarco), and daughter, Lisa (Amelie Pease), to buy paint. The ride lasts eight minutes — an eternity in television time. Viewers ride along, too, watching as the family tries to maintain the illusion of normality, even as the couple's young son, Jamie (Owen Cooper), is sitting in jail. As Eddie puts it, they are 'solving the problem of today.' They discuss their love of the band a-ha and how Eddie and Manda met, and they make plans to celebrate Eddie's birthday. The sequence does not affect the central story line in a meaningful way, and one can imagine a less ambitious show condensing this scene, focused strictly on character work, to a minute or two, or cutting it entirely. But from the passenger seat, viewers learn Eddie and Manda are in therapy and observe the heaviness under which the family is living, despite their smiles as 'Take On Me' plays in the background. In real life, engaging in banal exchanges — with friends, family and strangers alike — is becoming a lost art, in part because of screens. According to a study published in the journal SSM Population Health, the average time spent alone increased to 333 minutes a day in 2020 from 285 minutes in 2003. The average time spent engaging socially with friends decreased to 20 minutes a day from 60 minutes over the same period. The pandemic only hastened this trend. Audiences have been interested in the mundane before. 'Seinfeld,' after all, was famously 'about nothing.' And apparent dullness can make for surprisingly captivating television, as Norwegians discovered in 2009. Norway's public television station, NRK, broadcast footage of a nearly seven-hour trip from Bergen to Oslo, taken from a camera mounted on the front of a train. It became a hit, and inspired a genre called 'Slow TV.' As Thomas Hellum, a producer of slow television programming, put it to CBS News in 2017: 'Much of life itself is boring. But in-between, there are some exciting moments.' 'Adolescence' is not by any means what the Norwegians would call slow television. Things happen. There are the standard-fare police interrogations and dramatic confrontations. But much of the show is about the day-to-day. Other artistic offerings in recent years have leaned into humdrum interactions as a way of developing characters. The playwright Shayok Misha Chowdhury did so in his play 'Public Obscenities,' which was a Pulitzer finalist last year. More than three hours long, it oscillates between Bengali and English and tracks a doctoral student's return to his family home in Kolkata, India, with his Black boyfriend. It is more meditative than propulsive, even for a stage play. Chowdhury said in an interview that it was 'an interesting challenge for me to try and illuminate all the tiny dramas that bubble up from within the most mundane conversations.' 'In theater we talk so much about what people want and objective,' he said. 'To me, all of that stuff is embedded if we listen really carefully to the conversations that we have on a daily basis.' By lingering in uneventful moments, 'Adolescence' and 'Public Obscenities' say something about the ways our increasingly digital lives have made that more difficult. One of the story lines in 'Public Obscenities' involves an older Bengali man, the main character's uncle, losing himself in an online affair. 'Adolescence' explores the corrosive nature of social media on children. Like 'Public Obscenities,' the David Adjmi play 'Stereophonic' is roughly three hours long and takes a similar approach to stillness. 'Stereophonic,' which won the Tony Award for best play last year, was inspired by the sessions for the hit Fleetwood Mac album 'Rumours.' It follows a band recording an album, and there isn't much more to the plot than that. But it does transport the audience back to a time when there were no screens — when, to pass the time in enclosed spaces, people had to chat or just sit in silence with one another. (Or ingest substances. This was 1970s rock 'n' roll, after all.) Adjmi said there can be an 'expression of intimacy' between people even when discussing topics that may seem trivial. 'It's important to know who people are when they're not performing for you and when they are not being self-conscious,' Adjmi said from London during a break from rehearsals for the show's West End debut. 'There is a kind of knowledge that we can derive from these seemingly insignificant details. What's the phrase? 'God is in the details'? I think that's true and the details can look like dust in the air.' 'Adolescence,' 'Public Obscenities' and 'Stereophonic' make the argument, on some level, to look up rather than down, to try to make conversation even when there might not be anything to talk about. You never know what you might learn, and whom you might meet. Small talk can seem meandering, slow or pointless, said Dr. Goodman, the G.W.U. psychology professor. 'What we miss,' she added, 'is that the moments of social connection often occur in the spaces in between conversations.'
The Sun
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
DJ Manda Moor reveals top music picks as she's set to light up dancefloors this summer
DANISH-FILIPINO DJ and producer Manda Moor is set to light up dancefloors this summer with her signature blend of funk-laced house and tribal, hypnotic grooves. As co-founder of the record label, Mood Child, alongside French electronic maestro Sirus Hood, Manda has carved out her own space in the dance music sphere with the raw energy and deep soul you can hear in her music. 1 Mood Child as a label celebrates rhythm, unity, and pure, unfiltered dancefloor euphoria. She has compiled an exclusive playlist for us which brings together some of the most infectious cuts from the Mood Child back catalogue. All of these tracks pulse with groove, bounce with bass and never fail to move a crowd. Watch Them Come Roy Davis Jr. featuring Peven Everett Also be sure to check out Manda's new remix of Roy Davis Jr's Men From The Nile classic, Watch Them Come - a sun-drenched, feel-good rework. It's the perfect blend of nostalgia and forward-thinking house, and a testament to Manda's evolving artistry. Pakit Ban - Marian, Freenzy This track is definitely a Mood Child anthem made by 2 very talented Brazilian artists, who are some of the most prolific producers on the label. It's funky, has driving percussions, the famous 'Pakit Ban vocal' on repeat and an addictive synth. I remember playing it for the first time in Ibiza at the Paradise opening after party in 2023, then it became the tune of summer 2024 and is still very much played by the greatest names of the scene such as Carl Cox, Jamie Jones, Marco Carola, Joseph Capriati and Luciano to name a few. Just A Feeling - Nick Curly I have always been a fan of Nick Curly and to have his music on Mood Child feels surreal. This track is a groovy gem that has a unique and powerful build-up, with his signature rhythms imprinted in it. I'm very fond of this one and I love to play it. Believe - Reboot, Sirus Hood Absolutely obsessed with the groove on this tune made by German maestro Reboot and Mood Child co-founder Sirus Hood. To me it represents optimum class and quality, I'm in love with the bassline that feels like purrs of a cat. This one is special to me because it's my first release on the label. I made it in Ibiza during Covid times, in collaboration with my good friend Trangaz. It's bumping, and I really like the blend of the melodic elements like the piano with the raw analog sounds of the low ends. Lower Level - DJ Sneak Mood Child has been blessed with the mastery of the Chicago House legend DJ Sneak. It's a true honor to have him on the label, he is one of the true pioneers of electronic music. This track is released on 'Gangsta Moods', it showcases Sneak's signature gangster side that I love. Ritmo Bonito - Yaya Loving this minimal funky tune by Yaya from Italy, the chords and the fast groove are addictive. This track has been released on 'Fonky Moods', it's the perfect mood for it. Boothy (Manda Moor Spicy Remix) - Sirus Hood, Trangaz This is a remix I made for Sirus Hood & Trangaz's track called 'Boothy'. It's such a fun track to me, the vocal by Trangaz is playful and talks about the shenanigans in a DJ booth. Wabi Sabi - Manda Moor, Malikk This is a collaboration I did with my good friend Malikk from France who is one of Mood Child OGs. It's a hot banger with spicy percussions, I love playing it in my sets. Speaking of Malikk, this is my favorite track from him, it's part of his album released on the label. I play it at almost every set, the groove and the drum patterns are out of this world.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Malawi's debt crisis deepens as aid cuts hurt
Behind a dimly lit bar in Malawi's capital, Ben Manda rubbed his tired eyes and poured a customer a drink. He had been working for 36 hours straight, packing in back-to-back shifts to feed his family of four. "I haven't been home in three days," said the 32-year-old barman in a run-down club in Mtandire, one of Lilongwe's largest and most crowded informal settlements. "Times are tough." Manda is a casualty of Malawi's economic struggles, his livelihood hanging by a thread as foreign aid cuts and mounting national debt tighten their grip on his destitute African country. A small television above the bar flickered with news reports of budget shortfalls, unpaid salaries, and a spiralling cost of living. "The problem is that our leaders divert the money from its intended use," Manda said, accusing the political leadership of misusing foreign aid. The country of 21 million people -- more than two-thirds of whom live in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank -- has for decades been dependent on foreign aid. The scaling back of funding from Washington's USAID agency this year as well as cuts by Britain and other donors has fed a storm of crises causing economic instability that is worsening ahead of general elections in September. "Since 2013, the country has lost an estimated five percent of its GDP, or roughly $545 million annually, due to reduced donor assistance," Agness Nyirongo, economic governance officer for the Centre for Social Concern, a non-government organisation, told AFP. "The aid withdrawal means the country has to prioritise the little revenue locally generated to repay loans at the expense of service delivery," said Willy Kambwandira of the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency. Malawi is one of six countries with unsustainable debt levels, according to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) February 2025 list. Public sector debt rose from 48 to 93 percent of GDP between March 2020 and March 2024, according to government figures cited in an IMF report this month. "Fiscal pressures that have contributed to this rise include spending to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and the aftereffects of three cyclones, high inflation, and rising foreign exchange rates," it said. - Little left over - Structural weaknesses and fiscal mismanagement have contributed to Malawi's economic woes, said university lecturer Bertha Chikadza, president of the Economics Association of Malawi. For example, tobacco dominates exports, making up 60 percent, and price slumps for the crop have cut foreign exchange earnings. "With little or no diversification in export earnings, the country has had persistent trade deficits," she said. Debt servicing consumes about half of domestic revenue, leaving little for health, education and other critical sectors, Chikadza said. With inflation of 28.5 percent this year pushing up prices, Malawians have taken to the streets in protest in several cities. Government coping measures, including cutting public spending and raising taxes, have been deeply unpopular. President Lazarus Chakwera, standing for re-election in September, repeated at the UN General Assembly last year pleas for debt relief to give his country -- and African nations in a similar plight -- some "breathing space". The topic is a priority this year for the G20 group of leading economies under the presidency of South Africa, the first African nation to hold the role. More than half of Africa's 1.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on social issues such as health, education and infrastructure, according to the South African government. The solution is not to write off debt, said David McNair, global policy executive director at the One Campaign non-profit group. Developing countries such as Malawi "need more borrowing to allow them to invest, particularly because of the demographic trends," he said. However, their debt is "too expensive," he said, calling for the G20 to put in place a review of ratings agencies' assessments of debt risk and find ways to unlock lower-cost private capital. str-br/ho/rlp
