Jeffrey Archer will be the guest speaker at a black-tie dinner to be held on Thursday 26^th April, entitled “Up close and personal with Jeffrey Archer: a private encounter with the man, his books and his life”, organised by the IoM Sporting and Dining Club and sponsored by HSBC.

Jeffrey Archer has sold over 270 million copies of his books in 97 countries and is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction. His next novel, ‘The Sins of the Father’, is volume two of a five book saga called ‘The Clifton Chronicles’ and is due to be published in March this year.

Having gained a Blue in Athletics at Oxford, Jeffrey served five years in the House of Commons and nineteen in the House of Lords. He acted as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from September 1985 until November 1986 and was made a Life Peer in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 1992. In 1999, he was charged with perjury and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, being released in July 2003, having served two years. An avid art collector and amateur auctioneer, Jeffrey has been married for 46 years to Dr Mary Archer, who is chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

A charity raffle will yet again be held during the dinner, with all funds raised being donated to a local charity selected by HSBC. At the last dinner of 2011, at which the guest speaker was Michelle Mone, £920 was raised for the Friends of Chernobyl’s Children (IOM).

The event will take place at the Mount Murray Hotel & Country Club in Santon, with dinner tickets costing £65 for members and £75 for non-members, available by contacting the Club on 07624 495749 or email john@sportinganddiningclub.com.

Kevin Cartledge, Senior Manager at HSBC in the Isle of Man, said:

 The calibre of speakers at the Sporting and Dining Club’s dinners continues to get stronger and stronger and I am sure that many people will be keen to come and hear from Jeffrey Archer, one of the most recognisable political characters and prolific story tellers of our day. Having recently announced that over £30,000 has been raised for local charities through these dinners since they began in 2006, I’m looking forward to seeing that total increase significantly this year.

John Wannenburgh of the Sporting and Dining Club added:

 There’s no doubt that Jeffrey Archer will attract huge interest from islanders and that this will prove to be a popular event, so I would encourage people to book their seats early. Jeffrey can draw on an extraordinarily broad range of experiences, achievements and interests for what promises to be a fascinating, enlightening and highly entertaining dinner.

17:00 Doors open – Drinks, complimentary snacks, and networking opportunity

18:00 “Enterprise and eBusiness Search Technology”

Connie Chen, Transparensee, New York City (speaker kindly supplied by US Department of Commerce)

18:30 Q & A

18:45 “Security Loopholes and Hacking Updates”

Mark Mann, Webtech Software, Ballasalla, Isle of Man

19:15 Q & A

19:45 Optional meal with the speakers and BCS Isle of Man committee

(£15 for 2 courses in Coast restaurant)

It sounds like a fascinating event for ICT professionals and also others interested in the sphere of technology. Entrance is free, but please email events@bcs.org.im to ensure a place is reserved for you.

More information on their website

This screening is part of a nationwide Ambassadors event, showing the film in small communities around the British Isles before it goes on general release in cinemas.

Tickets are available online at http://goodwithfilm.com/screenings, and cost £5 with all proceeds going towards Friends of Pestalozzi Isle of Man.

Doors will open at 6:45 and the film will start at 7pm, for further information please contact Katie@owciom.org or call 800464.

How many times have you handed spare change to a total stranger? Or donated something toward a cause thousands of miles away? We never know which of our small actions make an impact. But what if one small act can change a life? What if that person goes on to change another life?

Notes: Pestalozzi is an educational charity which takes students aged 16 to 19 from developing countries that are disadvantaged economically and politically to study the International Baccalaureate (IB) course at Hastings College for two years. The emphasis is on recruiting more girls who would otherwise be denied an education. With an IB students can apply for full scholarship at any university worldwide to do a degree relevant to the needs of their country including medicine, engineering and economics giving them the skills they need to return home and make a difference.

Image via Wikipedia

We all share planet Earth; but we don’t all see it the same way. Home is the spectacular view of Earth from the sky as seen through the lens of the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand the French photojournalist. The film tells the story of humanity’s rise and impact upon Earth by using images from around the world that are unique and quite breathtaking, and leaves you wondering if you know this planet at all!  Over 8 million people have viewed this movie made by the founder of Altitude Agency, ( known for its aerial photography! ) Yann Arthus-Bertrand is also the founder of the international environmental organization GoodPlanet.

This screening, in conjunction with the One World Centre, is at Dalby schoolrooms on Monday 21^st of February starting at 7.30pm and is free. No need to book, just come along on the night; tea and coffee will be served, but bring your own wine of beer …. and bring your friends; it’s a film that shouldn’t be missed! There will be a voluntary collection to cover costs .

For more information, ring Cheryl 843471

Thom’s new album ‘Merchants & Thieves’ was released in May, topping the UK iTunes Blues Chart and No.5 in the respective U.S. Chart. The album showcases a new sound from Sandi Thom, bringing to light her passion for the blues.

Now is your chance to see the multi-million album selling international songstress live in concert – performing her hits and showcasing her new album in the intimate setting of the Promenade Suite. Here is a preview of her work:

So, when is Sandi Thom coming to the Isle of Man? It all happens on Friday 25th March with tickets priced at only £20. Don’t miss out on this great event: Book your tickets now

This is what the critics said about the movie following it’s premiere:

Eugene Hernandez, editor-in-chief of indieWIRE writes:

David Sington’s well-done new doc “The Flaw”, an exploration of the recent financial crisis that marries new interviews featuring economic experts and individual victims of the downturn with humourous scenes snipped from optimistic, informational training films of the 1950s, like “What Makes Us Tick”, an animated short that amusingly explains how the stock market works.

Not unlike Charles Ferguson’s “Inside Job”, Sington’s film aims to make sense of the economic crisis. As depressing as the Ferguson film, “The Flaw” delivers its message with a bit of sugar-coating to make it all the more digestible.

Val Kermode writes on Eyeforfilm:

Will you go to see a film about the American financial crisis of 2008? I hope you will, because this is one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time.

David Sington has made a film which is hugely entertaining and hugely insightful. This is a film without commentary, and there are no Michael Moore-type stunts. Instead Sington has found a range of economists and experts who explain in clear language the roots of the crisis.

Date and Time: Wednesday, 24th November 2010, at 6:15pm
Venue: Manx Museum Lecture Theatre, Kingswood Grove, Douglas.
Entrance Fee: £5; Students £4
Ticket sales: IBS Marketing Office (693704), Villa Marina Box Office (600555; pay by card), our IBS Facebook page (pay via Paypal) and at the entrance just before the screening (subject to availability).

]]> http://manxvoice.com/the-flaw-being-shown-in-the-isle-of-man/feed/ 0 http://manxvoice.com/festival-of-trees-2008/ http://manxvoice.com/festival-of-trees-2008/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:51:32 +0000 Editor http://manxvoice.com/?p=162   [ Read More ]]]> The Festival of Trees has become an annual display at Ronaldsway airport. Having started in 2001 in aid of Save the Children, it has become one of their biggest fund generators and promoters.

The first time I came across the Festival of Trees, it took my breath away. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. It was a surreal experience full of magic and inspiration. You would think that after the first year, it would have become repetitive and dull. However, not only is it not dull and boring, it actually manages to retain the magic and uniqueness every year that I experienced the first time I saw the festival. Each tree is a work of art and riot with imagination. The trees are themed, decorated and created by small Manx businesses. Anyone passing through can actually vote for their favourite tree. I can only imagine the pride of winning the best tree award, because each tree is obviously put together with pride, care and great attention.

I took my toddler son to the festival and he was in his own magical winter wonderland. He loved the rocket (though not quite so tree themed in my opinion) by Thomson Travel, but his favourite was the one with silver stars sprinkled at the bottom – Wish Upon a Star by One World Centre! I am sure that is because he did not notice the one with chocolate coins and monopoly money by Eden Park Garden Centre. I personally loved the tree made of Balloons by Balloons To Go, though the tree made out of little children’s hand prints definitely caught my attention. This is not to say that the others were not just as fascinating. You see, Santa was there having his beard curled for Christmas, there also was The Teddy Bear Tree (selling Teddies in aid of Save the Children), the table of Trees, The Opticians Letter Tree that wished a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, The Red Christmas Tree and so many more. There were more than 20 entries this year.

My biggest problem? Deciding who to give my vote for, as they were all so good. So, if you have time to pass by the airport, do go take a peek. It can make a good outing out that won’t even cost a penny bar perhaps a donation to Save the Children.

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