Mature Times - The voice of your generation

What has wealth got to do with happiness?

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:24:15 +0100

Gross national product "does not allow for the health of our families, the quality of their education or the joy of their play". Bobby Kennedy's words, 40 years on. But are they still relevant today?

Drop in - and raise money for pets

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:10:51 +0100

Freefalling at a rate of 120mph, the ground hurtles towards you before a fully-qualified instructor pulls the cord of the parachute at just the right moment to guide you back down to earth safe and sound ...

Threat of another huge hike in energy bills

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:54:10 +0100

Energy supplier Centrica today lifted the lid on the pricing pressure energy suppliers are coming under. As a result the outlook for consumers looks bleak, with comparison website uSwitch.com predicting that there could be an unprecedented 46% increase in household energy bills this year. “Given this scenario,” say uSwitch, “fixed rate energy plans are starting to look like a potential lifeline for worried consumers”.

Call for debate as Gordon Brown pledges to make care fairer

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:04:36 +0100

"Right care Right deal", the new national campaign launched to build public awareness and support for the need for brave and innovative solutions for the social care system, have today responded to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's pledge to build a "fairer Britain" as he launches a consultation on how to fund future social care for an ageing population.

Win a copy of Magnum P.I. - The Complete 8th Season on DVD

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:11:57 +0100

Tom Selleck (Three Men and a Baby, Friends) returns as the Hawaiian shirt wearing private investigator in the eighth and final series of Magnum P.I.

The show that defined the 80s is now available to own on DVD from Monday 19th May 2008 courtesy of Universal Playback.

The Emmy Award® and Golden Globe® winning series reunites hunky Thomas Magnum with his trusty butler “Higgins” (John Hillerman), his helicopter pilot/body guard “TC” (Roger E. Mosley) and his suave playboy companion Orville Wright (Larry Manetti) for more mysteries, near misses and beautiful women. Season Eight opens with Magnum laying in a coma and friends and family at his bedside, hoping that he pulls through.

Why SHOULDN'T patients buy their own treatments?

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:10:32 +0100

Several high profile cases in recent months have shown that NHS Trusts are taking an intransigent line when patients want to short circuit the NHS system and pay for drugs or treatments not approved by NICE. Now the debate has been taken up in one of Britain's leading medical journals.

Expats should check their investments – or face “a ruinous future”

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:21:14 +0100

Thousands of Europe’s UK expat investors/PEP and ISA holders could be facing a ruinous future by not bothering to review their portfolios during the current climate of market volatility and currency decline, warns online investment funds analyst Moneyspider.com.

Selling your home in a difficult market

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:04:20 +0100

In a tough market, home sellers across the UK are struggling to sell their homes. So if you're looking for ways to seal the sale, here are some handy tips.

Leeds launches its own website for older people

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:13:21 +0100

A new specialist website for older people in Leeds - The Infostore - has been launched.

Blue badge cheats get fined - and a criminal record warning

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:54:04 +0100

Recent editions of the Mature Times have carried considerable correspondence from readers about blue badges - as well as about those who routinely misuse disabled parking spaces. So it should come as good news to know that people who abuse the disabled badge parking system are now facing heavy fines and possibly a criminal record following three successful prosecutions by Lambeth Council for blue badge fraud.

Oh, the injustice of it all!

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:55:01 +0100

Of all the things that irk, injustice rankles most of all. Our sense of what's fair and unfair cuts in at an early age and it stays with you throughout life when you see dishonest people prosper or decent people cut down by illness.

Has the world gone mad - or is it me?

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:49:36 +0100

Do we now live in one of Stephen Hawkins' dimensions where common sense and helpfulness have been edited out?

"Secrets and Shadows" explores the dark side of the human psyche

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:54:04 +0100

"Secrets and Shadows" (Foyles Gallery, London, 12th May-18th May 2008) is a landmark exhibition for thirteen artists who are giving their own personal take on the darker side of the human psyche to mark the paperback launch of Sebastian Beaumont's latest novel 'Thirteen'.

Save Britain's waders!

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:38:03 +0100

The Countryside Alliance has launched a 'Save the Wader' campaign to protect wading birds in the UK in response to a report revealing their sharp decline in numbers - and the failure of anyone in the conservation establishment to do anything decisive about it.

Seminar looks at the power of music on older people

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:33:14 +0100

The effects of singing on the health and well being of older people will be explored at a free public seminar on Tuesday 13th May at the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health in Folkestone.