Readers Digest UK Sept2020

Change the things you can one of their activities. What subject are
What can you fix? For example, they passionate about? Find out more
if you live far from friends, family about it and discuss it with them.
and activities you enjoy, and it’s
not easy to reach them, consider Get involved
moving. And, if it’s possible, do it. Volunteering has been shown to be
good for physical and mental health,
8 MILLION reducing stress, taking your mind off
your problems or illnesses, and
PEOPLE LIVE ON THEIR giving you the opportunity to
OWN IN THE UK connect with people. Helping at the
local food bank or in a charity shop,
Build your community online say, will give you a warm, fuzzy
Obviously, moving isn’t an option feeling and you’ll also get to know
for everyone, but the internet has the other volunteers. It’ll also give
the potential to bring like-minded you something to talk about with
people together. However, it needs to friends and family.
translate into meeting up in real life.
Try the Meetup website, which lists Plan ahead
local groups and events, bringing Everyone’s busy, so getting people
people with common interests together can take organisation and
together. Facebook too will point you motivation. Rather than vaguely
in the direction of people who share suggesting meeting up, follow it up
your interests. quickly with a proposed date. Send
out a Doodle poll if it involves a lot of
Pick up the phone people—this is a free phone app that
Or, even better, start a video helps you schedule events. n
call on Zoom, Skype or Facebook
Messenger— there are so many ways For more weekly health tips and
you can talk face to face now. Don’t stories, sign up to our newsletter
wait for family and friends to make at readersdigest.co.uk
the first move; get in touch for a chat.
Make it a regular habit. Susannah Hickling
is twice winner of
Treat friends like dates the Guild of
Just as you would with a relationship Health Writers Best
prospect, find out about potential Consumer Magazine
friends. What do they like doing? Join Health Feature

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 47

H E A LT H

after-effects, such as amputation.
The good news is that if you develop
sepsis, it can be treated with
antibiotics, but time is of the essence.

So, What Is Tell me about the symptoms. Here’s
Sepsis? the thing—sepsis can be tricky to spot.
You might think it’s the flu, a stomach
What you need to know bug or a chest infection. But the UK
about blood poisoning Sepsis Trust has an acronym to help
you spot the signs that you need to act
Yes, what is it actually? You may on straightaway. Appropriately
know sepsis by its other name, blood enough, it’s SEPSIS—S for slurred
poisoning. It affects 245,000 people speech or confusion, E for extreme
a year in the UK and is essentially shivering or muscle pain, P for
an immune-system overreaction to an passing no urine in a whole day, S for
existing infection or injury. Something severe breathlessness, I for it feels as if
as banal as an infected insect bite or you’re going to die, and S for skin that
as serious as a burst stomach ulcer is mottled or discoloured. If you have
might lead to sepsis. Instead of fighting any of these symptoms, seek urgent
infection, the body attacks itself. medical help.

Why is sepsis so serious? It can Can coronavirus give me sepsis?
cause organ failure and death. Every It appears that some people who get
year, 48,000 people in the UK die of COVID-19 go on to have sepsis.
sepsis. According to the UK Sepsis What’s more, if you’ve had sepsis,
Trust, that’s more than the death toll there is evidence that you’re more
from breast, prostate and bowel likely to catch other infections
cancer combined. Survivors may have afterwards, including COVID-19.
crushing fatigue or life-changing
Who’s most at risk? Sepsis can affect
anyone, but some factors increase
your risk. These include being very
young or very elderly, having
diabetes, being on steroids or cancer
treatment, serious liver disease or a
serious illness affecting the immune
system or experiencing an infection
following an operation. n

48 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Ask The Expert: Prostate Cancer

Greg Shaw is a leading prostate cancer surgeon specialising
in robotic surgery. He works at University College London

Hospital and privately at Princess Grace Hospital

How did you become an What treatments are available?
expert in prostate cancer? If it’s caught early enough, prostate
I first got interested in prostate cancer cancer can be cured through surgery
when I was shadowing the England or radiotherapy. Once it’s spread,
football team doctor. I thought you can control it successfully with
I wanted to do sports medicine! We drugs and chemotherapy for five to
got talking about this fascinating PSA ten years.
(prostate-specific antigen) test which
could help identify cancer. From What messages of hope can
there my training took me into radical you give to men who are
prostatectomy, I lectured at Cambridge diagnosed with prostate cancer?
for five years and I learned about Prostate cancer can be cured if it’s
robotic surgery. caught before it’s spread. With
robotic radical prostatectomy we
What symptoms can do nerve sparing to prevent
should men look out for? impotence and can lower the risk
You need to get something done before of incontinence. When we’re
symptoms appear so that the cancer is investigating, we don’t biopsy as
treatable. Men over 50—or over 40 if many men as we used to and when
there’s a family history or they are we do, it’s only when there’s an
African-Caribbean—should ask
their GP for a PSA test. If PSA abnormal lesion on the MRI.
levels are raised, an MRI test And biopsies are less
will then pick out the men who dangerous now.
have cancer. Men who have
difficulty passing urine, blood What can men do to lower
in urine, slow flow, want to pee their risk of the disease?
all the time, feel as if they Stay healthy, eat a balanced
haven’t finished, wake up diet, exercise regularly, have
to pass urine or have
incontinence should a PSA test and don’t
see a urologist. smoke. Make sure
you’re not
overweight. n

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 49

H E A LT H

Shock Value I look at the man lying
down in front of me. I move
Dr Max Pemberton my hands away from his
revisits a controversial temples as his feet begin to
prodecure in the interest twitch and the assembled
nurses and doctors watch him. After
of a patient’s about 30 seconds the twitching in
mental health the feet stops and the anaesthetist
steps forward to bring him round.
Max is a hospital doctor, Another doctor looks at the readings
author and columnist. He being spewed out of a machine on
currently works full time in a seemingly never-ending ribbon of
mental health for the NHS. paper. It cascades onto the floor as
His new book, The he scrutinises it carefully. My hands
Marvellous Adventure of are still shaking slightly. I am aware
Being Human, is out now that what I have just participated in
is controversial. The man wakes up
and opens his eyes.

“Is it all over then?” he asks me
with a calmness that would make
it easy to forget that he has just
had a current of electricity passed
through his brain. He has, you see,
just undergone electro-convulsive
therapy, or ECT. This is where an
electrical current is passed through
the brain via two paddles placed
on either side of the head until the
person has a fit. It is used as a way
of treating untreatable depression.
In the past ECT has had bad press.
It was used as a panacea in the

50 • SEPTEMBER 2020

1950s and 1960s and the legacy of patient doesn’t shake wildly, doesn’t
this is difficult to erase. Despite scream, there aren’t any bolts of
being part of my training I have electricity flying around the room. In
avoided participating in ECT. Given fact, there’s barely anything to see.
the connotations of institutional
barbarism that this procedure ECT still has its critics, but
conjures up, I wanted to satisfy
myself that it really was in the “THE MAN WAKES UP
patient’s best interest. I wanted to
hear from people who had actually AND OPENS HIS EYES
had it so I started to speak to patients
about their experience and was ‘IS IT ALL OVER THEN?’
astonished by the number of people
who told me that ECT had helped HE ASKS ME WITH
them; how it had saved them when
they were in the quagmire of despair, CALMNESS”
when all other treatments had failed;
how it had saved their lives. I wonder how many of them have
seen the practice in its modern
I began to wonder about where context? It’s a bit like condemning
my initial repulsion to the idea of leg amputations carried out by
ECT had come from. Had popular orthopaedic surgeons because of
culture, with images from things like images of sailors having their limbs
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest not cut off in the Napoleonic wars. In
irrationally prejudiced me? So I tried fact, it has far fewer side effects than
to approach the subject rationally. I many of the drugs I happily prescribe.
read about the research, about the Certainly the science behind how it
evidence base, and alternatives. And actually works is not fully understood,
I was amazed to learn how safe and but this is the same for many of the
effective it was. The image treatments that we as doctors use.
I had was of some screaming patient, A few days later I walk onto the
tied down, being electrocuted until ward and see the man sitting there,
they were gibbering wrecks in some drinking a cup of tea. He smiles and
grotty back room in a 1950s asylum. waves at me, and I wave back. This is
The reality couldn’t be further from a man who has battled with suicidal
this. It takes place in an operating depression for years. In fact, he’s
theatre surrounded by doctors and made such a dramatic improvement
nurses. The patient is anaesthetised after just a few sessions of ECT, there’s
and given a muscle relaxant to stop talk of discharging him home soon.
them jerking during the seizure. The It’s clear that for him ECT is not
controversial. It’s a life-saver. n

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 51

H E A LT H

The Doctor Is In

Dr Max Pemberton

Q: I keep waking up gasping for air of is feeling tired during the day
and my husband says I often seem because they aren’t getting restful
to “stop breathing” in my sleep. I’m sleep. However, if the oxygen levels
starting to feel very anxious around drop further then the person will
bedtime. What’s going on? wake up entirely and often be
Willow, 57 gasping for breath. You need to see
your GP who may refer you for
A: This sounds incredibly scary and further, specialist tests at a sleep
I’m pleased you’re asking for help clinic to investigate. If it is sleep
now, because I worry that if this goes apnoea then there are some things
on untreated, you might start to you can do yourself.
associate bedtimes with anxiety. This
would lead to a disrupted sleep Losing weight if you are overweight
pattern, which can have a real is very helpful. Others find sleeping
impact on people’s lives. on their side helps. Stopping
smoking and avoiding alcohol also
It’s particularly interesting that help. If patients are still having
your husband says he’s noticed that difficulties, there is a device called a
you “stop breathing” during sleep. C-PAP machine which people use.
This very much sounds like sleep
apnoea. This is a condition This is a machine that gently
where the person stops and pumps air into a mask that
starts breathing while asleep. the sleeping person wears.
While they are not breathing, This ensures they get enough
the oxygen levels in their blood oxygen into their lungs and
start to drop and when the means they don’t wake up
brain detects this, it wakes and can get restful sleep. n
the person up. Sometimes
they just wake a bit and Got a health question
don’t recall it—often the for our doctor? Email it
only thing they complain confidentially to askdrmax@
readersdigest.co.uk

52 • SEPTEMBER 2020 illustration by Javier Muñoz

Order your NHS
prescriptions online
with Co-op Health

Free delivery to
your home

Search Co-op Health to register today

Service only available if you are registered with a GP surgery in England. Providing NHS services

H E A LT H

Make Remembering As Easy As Pi

This thinking trick from Jonathan Hancock will show
you just how amazing your memory really is!

F or thousands of years, zero—a life-ring, say, or a doughnut!)
people have been For example, 314 could be eat a
demonstrating mind-boggling
feats of memory. They’ve cake. For 15926, how about a sheep
shown off their skills using poetry, frightens my mother. The more visual
religious texts or playing cards. But and unusual your ideas, the more
in recent years, one particular set of memorable they’ll be.
information has become the classic
test for super-power memories: the So how far will you go? Here’s an
never-ending sequence of seemingly example of how you could store the
random digits known as “pi”. first 14 digits:

By using mental tricks and “Can I give a quick storyline to
techniques, pi experts learn assist those who would normally
thousands of digits. The current disregard numbers?” That’s an easier
record is held by Rajveer Meena: an way to remember 3.1415926535897!
unbelievable 70,000 digits, all recited
in perfect order from memory. And to take it up to 25, you could
imagine that “Quasimodo sat in his
Thankfully, you can learn much Parisian room, dining on creamy fish
less of pi and still enjoy the benefits. pie”. Again, that should stay in your
In the process, you’ll stretch a range head longer than 93238462643—
of thinking skills. especially if you “see” it happening,
and practise saying it aloud.
Pi memorisers have various ways of
doing it. They invent images to bring Try it yourself. Here are the first 100
the digits to life, for example, and decimal places of pi:
arrange them in complex scenes and
stories in their minds. 3.1415926535897932384626433832
79502884197169399375105820974944
But here’s a simpler way to get a 59230781640628620899862803482534
taste for this kind of learning. 21170679.

For each digit of pi, pick a word Use my trick to learn the first 25,
with that number of letters. You can but then challenge yourself to go
then create phrases and sentences further. And then, start looking for
that will trigger your recall (for zero, clever ways to remember anything.
pick something that looks like a Because, with a trick or two up your
sleeve, you can start counting on your
memory to work wonders! n

54 • SEPTEMBER 2020

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SAY

HELLO

TO
YOUR
NEW

CARER

The robots are coming…
to look after us. And they're
already helping out
in nursing homes
and beyond

BY Susannah Hickling

INSPIRE

J ustin Santamaria moves his
fingers across his iPad and
suddenly the creature comes
alive. The size of a baby, Zora
rises from the floor onto her feet,
flexing her white plastic limbs, joint by
joint. She stands there, her eyes round
and appealing, and the five elderly ladies
seated in a semi-circle in front of her are
full of anticipation.

PHOTO: ZORABOTS.COM Robot Zora “She’s giving me the eye,” laughs a lady
is a valuable in a wheelchair. But that’s impossible,
addition to because Zora is a robot. Since February
conventional 2019, the management of this nursing
home in Paris’s 15th arrondissement have
care been using her to complement the care
they offer their elderly residents.

Zora leads her class through a gentle
workout. She moves her head up and then

3579

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW CARER

down to her chest, then from side “No one has the impression they’re

to side, all the while accompanied working,” volunteers another senior.

by calming music. Her five students “It’s a welcome little distraction.”

follow her every movement. But for Maisons de Famille, the

The next exercise gets them chain of private nursing homes

working their arms. Everything, which has adopted Zora across its

including Zora’s speech, is pre- 16 centres throughout France, she’s

programmed by Justin on his tablet. much more than a bit of fun. She’s

But Justin is no mere puppet master. the future.

He is a specialist fitness instructor

for the elderly and disabled, and R obotic technology is all
while Zora shows her students the around us. We’re already used
moves, Justin is free to give them to autonomous devices that
individual attention. He walks vacuum clean our homes.

over to a lady in a wheelchair and We may even have come across

encourages her to stretch her arm robots that help surgeons operate

fully. “I know you find it difficult,” or disinfecting bots that clean

he says sympathetically. ZORA'S operating
He explains to the theatres afterwards.

group that circling PRESENCE But, increasingly,
their arms will help HELPS robots—especially
with picking things up. ones that look like mini
RESIDENTS BE humans—are being
The members of

this chair-based gym LESS ANXIOUS used to help care for
class at Villa Lecourbe AND MORE people and improve
obviously adore Zora. RELAXED their quality of life.
All have poor mobility,
“Zora brings a

some have cognitive fresh approach to the

problems, too. But they activities and overall

do as Zora tells them care we offer to our

and when she—they always refer elderly residents,” explains

to the humanoid robot as a “she”— Delphine Mainguy, director general

plays "La Vie en Rose", they sing of Maisons de Famille.

along, smiling. At Villa Lecourbe, that translates

“It’s like a toy,” one 90-year-old into a set of personalised care and

lady says after the session. “It’s activities for each resident. They

like being a child all over again. might be exercises for strength and

At our age we have a lot of balance, singing, dancing or reading

childhood memories.” books or newspapers aloud in a

58 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Zora leads a class at
a Maisons de Famille

retirement home

PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPE Z/AFP/GE T T Y IM AGE S group setting, or individual sessions elderly people who don’t talk but
for those with cognitive problems have begun to use gestures to
who are not at ease in the company communicate after copying Zora.
of others.
“In a centre in the south of France,
Zora might help staff coax one resident wouldn’t allow anyone
residents to get up when they prefer to touch him in order to change
to stay in bed, or entertain a resident a dressing. Thanks to Zora, who
who dislikes having her hair done. was able to distract him, he finally
“Her presence helps them be less accepted treatment,” says Boris
anxious and more relaxed,” Prévost, head of marketing and
explains Elisabeth Bouchara, innovation at Maisons de Famille.
manager of Villa Lecourbe. “We try “Some residents with dementia
our best to find solutions that don't manage to concentrate for twice as
involve medication.” long in sessions involving Zora.”

Studies have suggested that Zora Zorabots, the Belgium-based
and other social robots add value to robotics company which designs
conventional care. But, because their and develops the software for
use is still in its infancy, most of the several different humanoid robots,
evidence to date is anecdotal. has brought Zora to life in almost
Maisons de Famille tells of 400 healthcare establishments

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 59

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW CARER

in countries including Australia, In the UK, the Southend-on-
Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sea council in Essex has also
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the successfully integrated a robot into
US and some countries in Asia. its social care team. Going by the
name of Pepper, the child-sized
The company reports how one humanoid is used both with elderly
elderly person with dementia, who people with dementia and with
no longer spoke, rediscovered his children who have Autism Spectrum
taste for conversation thanks to Disorder (ASD).
his robotic carer, and how another,
who had forgotten the notes in Maxine Nutkins, the council’s
a piece of music, managed to community engagement manager,
remember the whole work while professes amazement at the
interacting with Zora. transformation she has seen in both
groups. She was present at a recent
The disadvantages? Residents session in a dementia care home
at Villa Lecourbe do complain when Pepper prompted the residents
that Zora’s voice is tinny, a to talk about their memories by
drawback for the hard of hearing. asking them questions.
Justin Santamaria feels that the
technology still needs refinements. One lady in her nineties wasn’t
“It’s not difficult to programme,” he participating, but when she had a
says, “but it does take time.” one-to-one session with Pepper, she
suddenly got up, started dancing,
S taff and some relatives were
concerned at the outset that
robots were being recruited to
take the place of nursing staff.
Not so, insists Elisabeth Bouchara.
“The robot accompanies, it does
not replace,” she explains. “Zora
is a little character who becomes
familiar to our residents, but she is
programmed by a professional. On
her own she is nothing.”

Justin Santamaria agrees. “It’s
another tool, like a ball or a stretch
band,” he says. “It encourages
contact with residents but it’s not
going to replace humans.”

60 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Programmed maintain concentration. No
to help: Pepper one gets distracted.” Soon
(far left) and the the children are working

Probo, for kids together, crafting illustrated

stories based on their own

experiences and the things that are

important to them. All too often they

are unable to communicate these

passions to others, let alone work in

a team.

Thanks to Pepper’s creative writing

sessions, Jacob, one teenager with

ASD, has undergone a remarkable

change in the space of a year.

Previously, he would hide under

headphones and rarely speak,

but now he's a confident business

talking and holding hands with the student at a local college. “He’s a

robot, at one point even caressing its busy young man,” says Maxine

face. Her daughter, who was present, Nutkins. “And that’s great, because

said: “I wish you’d seen my mother he wasn’t a busy young man before.”

before. She’s never done this. This Nutkins believes the value of

is unbelievable.” “PEPPER Pepper lies in the
But Nutkins has ENCOURAGES fact that the robot
doesn't have human
seen the most benefit

with children who THE CHILDREN TO emotions and can’t
have ASD. Pepper goes COMMUNICATE. communicate
into two schools for NO ONE GETS unconsciously,
children with special and so, doesn’t put

educational needs and DISTRACTED” people off.
runs creative writing “There’s no

workshops. The robot pressure—that’s

is programmed with been one of our main

information about each child; they observations,” she says. “Pepper is

are thrilled that Pepper knows them. consistent. If you’re finding it hard

“The children are captured straight to engage with Pepper, Pepper’s not

away,” says Nutkins. “He encourages going to pressure you to talk. Pepper

them to communicate and tell will still be there two hours later

Pepper more. He motivates them to with the same offer, speaking in the

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 61

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW CARER

same tone of voice, still looking at Outwardly identical to Zora, but

you, still engaged with you, and driven by different software, Nao

that's really important for these is used for role playing so that the

young people.” children learn how to imitate, take

Clinical psychologist Professor turns and develop other social skills.

Daniel David agrees. “In the case The exciting thing about this

of ASD, there is an openness for work is that it's aimed at developing

interaction with artificial beings and the next generation of robot therapy:

technologies, often more so than in artificial intelligence.

interacting with humans,” he says. Robots will be able to learn

Professor David from their experiences

believes that robots’ “ROBOTS in order to assess
contribution to the WILL ALWAYS behaviour and select the
treatment of mental COMPLEMENT appropriate therapeutic
health issues could go response. They will

further still. Rather HUMANS, AND also act as a diagnostic

than the so-called tool by collecting data
during sessions with a
WILL ONLY EVER"Wizard of Oz" method
BE AN EXTRA child. The project team
used both for Zora

and Pepper, where SUPPORT” hope to publish their
operators have to findings shortly.

programme the robot’s Professor David is

actions and reactions, he is working convinced that robots have a role

on a European Commission-funded in the future of mental health

project to develop a supervised treatment, whether for children

autonomous robot to work with with ASD or for elderly people and

children who have ASD. other adults who need emotional

“We have already used it in and cognitive support at home when

real-life settings in about ten centres therapists aren’t available.

in Romania for 79 children with ASD “Technological development

with good results,” he says. is inevitable and robot-based

technology is unstoppable,” he says.

H is team have been using “That is why psychologists should be
two robots. One is a soft, proactive and be those who design
elephant-like robot this future.”
called Probo that models
The innovations are coming

communication skills, such as thick and fast. In Toulouse, French

asking for things and saying start-up New Health Community

thank you. The other is called Nao. is developing a medical care robot

62 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

called Charlie for use in hospitals. UN projections indicate that in 2050,
He not only keeps patients company people aged 80 and over will number
but can entertain them with games 434 million, having more than
or dispense information from a tripled since 2015. But the founders
touch screen. There’s even a video of Zorabots insist that robotic
conferencing facility so that patients technology is there to help and not
can talk to a doctor. to take over.

Charlie’s creator, Dr Nicolas “So-called social robots have
Homehr, a family doctor, came up already made all the difference by
with the idea after his young son was encouraging people to stay fit, by
seriously ill in hospital: it occurred being involved in the care journey,
to him that it would be beneficial for as a tool for physiotherapy, by
children in such a position to have a finding new ways of detecting pain
robot companion. or communicating with people with
autism, for example,” says Tommy
Meanwhile, AV1 from the Deblieck, who co-founded the
Norwegian company No Isolation company with Fabrice Goffin. “But
is available to rent for children with robots will never replace human
chronic illnesses who miss a lot of warmth and expertise. Even if
school and feel isolated. The small tomorrow artificial intelligence can
desktop robot can go to school in help with care or diagnosis, robots
their place and enable the student will always complement humans,
to join lessons remotely thanks to its and will only ever be an extra
live-streaming technology. support for patients.” n

Technology giant Samsung will
shortly be introducing its Bot Care
robot which will help and monitor
sick, disabled and elderly people
in their own homes. Bot Care is a
moving, talking robot with a screen
that doubles as a face with cute
digitalised eyes. It can measure
blood pressure, heart rate and
breathing, remind users to take their
medicine, tell them what’s in their
diary for the day, play music and
even alert family members if there’s
an emergency, such as a fall.

Autonomous caregivers like this
could be a boon in years to come.

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 63

My Unit"eINdCAKRDinIFFg, dWoITHmTH: E
ROOF CLOSED AGAINST A
GOOD WELSH TEAM, THE
NOISE IS IMPOSSIBLE TO
IGNORE. THE WELSH
UNDOUBTEDLY POSSESS
SOME OF THE MOST
PASSIONATE FANS IN
THE WORLD"
England rugby player,
James Haskell

64 • SEPTEMBER 2020

Jeff Morgan 11 / alaMy Stock Photo INSPIRE

My United Kingdom:

The Welsh capital city, Cardiff, is renowned the world
over for its rugby, castle and miles of traditional shopping
arcades. It also has a reputation as an extremely friendly
city, the centre point of the renowned Welsh hospitality.
Incredibly, Cardiff was just a small town up until the early
19th century, when its role as a port for the Welsh coal
industry propelled its rise to major city status—it was
officially declared as such in 1905, becoming the capital of
Wales in 1955. Since the 1980s, the city has undergone
major developments, resulting in the huge Principality
Stadium, BBC Drama Village and Wales Millennium Centre.

Despite these continual shifts in the appearance of
Cardiff, at its core it remains a cosmopolitan, sociable city
which deeply honours its roots and traditions. And its
residents are always ready to welcome an outsider—
especially if they have the opportunity to thrash them on
the rugby pitch.

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 657

MB EYSBTR OI TFA IBNR:I TCIASRHD I F F

STUART TALBOT, 45, has lived in adventure, nothing like it anywhere
Cardiff his whole life and his son else. There were puppies, rabbits,
Levi, 27, was born in the city. monkeys and any produce you can
Together they run the vintage think of. Over time, big shopping malls
gentleman’s outfitters, Hatts and supermarkets have come to the
Emporium, in Cardiff Market city bringing people from all walks of
life with them, but it’s still kept its soul
Stuart: I was born and bred in Cardiff which is quite a feat in this day and age.
and I could never leave. As a young
man, you dream of travelling the world Our business began out of necessity.
and living your life in a tropical paradise, My mum had Alzheimer's and I’d been
but as you get older you realise that looking after her at mine for a few
roots run deep and love binds you. years. My wife had left and I found
myself caring for my mum and young
I love the people of Cardiff. I always son at home.
feel proud when visitors comment on
how warm Cardiffians are. It’s true that Then, Levi came back from uni and
the whole of Wales is a very friendly could see things needed to change. He
place, but Cardiff is so cosmopolitan decided to open a business that would
that it brings the best of people to one enable us to pay our way and also give
place. The spirit of Cardiff lives through us the freedom to care for my mum,
its people—warm and welcoming and trading in something we know about
always offering a friendly word and a and feel passionate about. Over the
cup of tea to anyone who may need it. years Hatts has organically grown into
the business it is so it hasn’t really
Cardiff has changed quite a bit changed with the city—it more or less
during my life—the town has expanded evolved with the city. We listen to our
upwards as well as out and everything customers, then we serve them to the
seems quicker and newer. When I was best of our abilities.
little, the market was such an
Cardiff market is super special—the
architecture, the history, the fact that
all of the steel beams were shipped to
America to be drilled and then shipped
back in order to be installed, a feat that
shows this was something to be
marvelled at when first constructed. It's
the centrepiece of Cardiff, full of diverse
and wonderful people selling
absolutely everything you can think of.
It still has a real market atmosphere, full
of exciting sounds and smells. If you

66 • SEPTEMBER 2020

visit, be sure to look out for the clock
tower. When I was little, my dad told
me that the Lord Mayor lived in it.

Levi: I grew up in Grangetown, just or ideals too hard and just let people
around the corner from my enjoy the experience. Cardiff Market
grandmother, uncles, aunties and is the heart of the city. It’s home to over
cousins. After graduating and setting 60 of the capital's smallest and oldest
up shop, I chose to stay and raise my independents. Its history is a
children in Cardiff because it’s conversation of how Welsh society was,
genuinely the greatest city in the UK! is and is going to be.
It’s got just the right level of bustle and
even though it rains a lot, when the sun I certainly love Cardiff
does shine you're close enough to the unconditionally. It's home.
coast or country to imagine being
anywhere in the world.

I established Hatts Emporium around
six years ago as an opportunity to work
and help care for my grandmother and
brother. We’ve always operated with
the idea that you leave a little room to
grow, so we don’t force our arguments

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 67

BMEYS BT ROI TF ABI NR I: TCI SAHR D I F F

end of the city to the other in about
half an hour. The city is surrounded
by stunning landscapes—within 30
minutes you could be in the heart of
the Brecon Beacons and just over an
hour to the west you could be lying
on the beautiful, unspoilt beaches of
the Gower Peninsula.

ERFYL PARRY has lived in Cardiff My favourite Cardiff moments
for 38 years. A former actor, he's happen when I’m sitting in the
now one of Cardiff Castle's most Principality Stadium with my English
beloved tour guides. Visit friends, joining 70,000 rugby fans in
cardiffcastle.com singing the Welsh National Anthem,
while watching Wales beat England and
I came to Cardiff to read drama at the making my friends buy the beer! The
prestigious Royal Welsh College of Principality Stadium is the best sports
Music and Drama and after graduating stadium in the world. Plus its sliding
in 1985 fell in love with a local girl, got roof covers the whole playing area,
married and made Cardiff my home. meaning you don't get wet when it
rains! When Wales play rugby at the
The first thing I love about Cardiff is stadium the whole city centre comes
its size. It's quite small compared with alive with a carnival atmosphere, and
all the other major cities in the UK, there's singing and dancing on
which means you can cycle from one the streets.

The Mansion and
the Clock

Tower of the Cardiff
Castle with the
Millennium
stadium in the
background

READER’S DIGEST

Most stadiums are on the outskirts of
cities but the Principality is bang in the
centre, so it generates millions of
pounds for our local economy. Indeed, if
you haven't booked your
accommodation in advance when Wales
are playing, then don't be surprised if
Visit Wales sends you to Weston Super
Mare because Wales is full!

giuSePPe PiazzeSe / alaMy Stock Photo I work as a tour guide at Cardiff Cardif Castle bomb shelter
Castle—the most important building in
Cardiff. It began life as a Roman Fort of Cardiff Castle with heightened
approximately 2,000 years ago. It's very medieval-style towers with a sequence
important to preserve Cardiff Castle as of dazzling interiors showcasing
it's part of our history. Throughout various types of marble, gilded gold
history the castle has been owned by ceilings and carved woodwork inlaid
several royals and medieval barons but with precious metals and stones.
between 1766-1947 it was owned by A true Victorian extravaganza all
the Marquesses of Bute. The second made possible by his friend, the art-
Marquess of Bute was responsible for architect William Burges. The result is
modern Cardiff. mind blowing.

In 1801 the population of Cardiff was During the Second World War, air raid
6,342. The second Marquess built our shelters for the people who worked or
docks with his own money, exploiting lived near the vicinity were built within
the coal industry. As a result, a huge the castle walls. It accommodated 1,800
amount of people descended on Cardiff people and the shelters can still be seen
from Ireland, Somalia, Sudan and other today. The castle was gifted to the city
far away countries all to find by fifth Marquess of Bute on September
employment within the coal industry— 10, 1947. The citizens of Cardiff can
not necessarily as miners, but in wagon apply for a "Castle Key Card" which
building, railway, sailing, steam ships gives them free access to the site and a
and saw mills. By 1851 the population generous discount in the cafe and shop.
of Cardiff had grown to 26,630 and Well over 350,000 visitors a year come
soon it became the biggest coal port in to marvel over its grandeur.
the world.
Glasgow has Mackintosh. London has
The third Marquess of Bute was Pugin. But Cardiff has Burges. n
known as the richest man in Europe
and he set about changing the exterior

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 69

INSPIRE If I Ruled

Rock legend and father of The World
three, Peter Frampton, has
worked with everyone from Peter Frampton
Ringo Starr to David Bowie,
and sold over 16 million I would make sure that everyone
albums worldwide had access to a great education.
Education is the thing that we need
more than anything. Good quality JASON MOORE / ZUMA PRESS, INC. / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
schooling is important because
without it, we witness exactly what’s
happening right now: people get told
lies over and over again. And what
happens when you tell a lie is, at first
it’s just a lie, but when you tell it 25
times, it becomes normalised. That’s

what Goebbels did.

I would solve the climate crisis.
We’ve got a problem here. And
whether we caused it or not—I tend
to believe we did—climate change
is devastating this world and there
are going to be fewer places to live
because water is rising. We need to
solve the major causes; we know
about fossil fuels, but also the
deep deforestation of the rain
forests. I used to think this was just
because of cheap beef but believe it
or not, it’s also coffee. I’m
switching to organic coffee from
now on, because I realise that
something as simple as coffee

being grown sustainably can make power from the sun. Companies need
a big change. Nowadays, they cut to actually help the people.
down the forest to lay down the
beans to quickly dry them whereas Religion would not cause tension.
the original way of making coffee took A big one for me is our freedom.
a lot longer. The large coffee chains As a world. My mother told me that
know this but continue trading this fighting for religion will never be
way because they’re not going to be sorted out in her lifetime or mine
around long enough to worry about and I’m beginning to realise she’s
it, so we need to put our money right. We need religious tolerance.
where our mouth is. We are also We need leaders who don’t try to
totally underfunded in green rule the world as a gang.
technologies, and we need clean air.
I would hand over the power to
Human rights would be the standard. women. I believe the women should
We always seem to have a problem. rule the world, not men. Which leads
We have come far, but we seem to go me to the fact that still to this day, a
backwards as well. From very small woman can do the same job as a
things like losing the ability to say man, and do it just as well but gets
“please” and “thank you” to civility, paid less. I don’t get that. I just don’t
respect for other people, and their understand. We need to change
dignity. If the US president has his the norm, which is this toxic boys’
way, we’ll be back in the dark ages. club attitude.
We need gender awareness, and
freedom to be gay. We’re all human I’d ban bad drivers. It’s illegal to text
beings. I think bullying comes into and drive yet annoyingly some people
this too, and racism is recently rearing still do it. But I think the thing that
its ugly head yet again. bugs me the most is when someone
slows down in front of me without
I would share the wealth. No child signalling and then they turn right or
should go hungry. And I go back to left. And it could cause a really bad
my corporation statement, these huge accident. Just signal and don’t stress
companies make so much money and out the driver behind you! n
yet they don’t pay tax and people
around the world are going hungry, As told to Jessica Summers
they don’t have clean water. Many Peter Frampton’s album, All Blues is
have limited access to electricity out now on UMC and his memoir,
and that’s not necessary anymore, Do You Feel Like I Do? is published
because we have devices that use on October 20

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 71

My doctor was astonished when he examined me ...

“How at age 63, I had the prostate

of a very young man!”

Here is Damien’s moving story. For the past five years, the suffering and discomfort linked to his prostate had only been increasing: it had

become hell for him. At night... he would have to go to the toilet up to 6 times without really being able to relieve himself. As for his sex life, it

was becoming more and more difficult. All this until the day... (Let’s let Damien tell you about it in his own words.)

Isuffered in silence for a long file about pomegranate polyphenol serum for myself.
time. Only men who are in serum helping to overcome A er two weeks it was already
the same situation as I can prostate problems. e prostate much better. In six weeks, my

understand the physical and men- was compared to an oxidized fruit prostate was back to normal.

tal suffering caused by prostate which, like an apple, swells under

troubles. the effect of this disorder. My life has changed. It’s been four

months now since I have felt a

Consider that I would have to get e tests showed that by giving very clear difference when I go to

out of bed up to 6 times a night the prostate a large number of urinate. I now have an excellent

Goodbye to those pressing feelings and most of the time for nothing. antioxidants, it allows it to return flow that really empties my blad-
and need to urinate. Now, I go out with My wife couldn’t do it anymore to its normal size. is is where the der. I no longer get up in the night
my friends and do what I want... freely. because, of course, every time I got “Prostaphenol” Serum comes in, a and I have a peaceful sleep.

out of bed, I woke her up. concentrate made of antioxidants

and anti-inflammatories targeting My wife too... and both of us have

Sexually, it was a nightmare, if the malfunction of the prostate. regained our long-forgotten sex

I may say so. I could not manage life. I now have firm and powerful

satisfactory erections. I didn’t e facts were precise and erections. I can go out again and

dare drive, go out with friends detailed, the results quantified see friends without being worried

or go to the cinema. I was stuck and proven. e pomegranate like before. I found confidence

living in hell. polyphenol Serum seemed to be in myself again. In short, I could

the ultimate natural remedy for live again.

My wife, Anne, and I, are once again A er trying several more or less fighting against the ravages of I went to see my doctor again
very much in love with one another. natural remedies, I thought there prostate hypertrophy. ere was

To the point that we no longer watch was only one solution le for evidence to support it; I read the yesterday a ernoon. He could not
television on an evening. Now we have testimonies of men who, like me, believe his eyes: my prostate had
better things to do together in bed! me: surgery! It terrified me had suffered in silence for too shrunk and returned to its normal
because I dreaded the possible

10 ml per day is enough complications and the long long. size. “At 63 years old, you now

to make a big difference recovery period. have the prostate of a 30-year-

To take full advantage of the Everything changed thanks to my All had experienced the old”, he told me. e funniest
“Prostaphenol” Serum, take wife. Without telling me, for some relief of normal urination with a thing was that he asked me for the
it on an empty stomach, 20 time she had been researching powerful and free flow, a normal Elite Trade address himself. To all
minutes before your two main to find me a natural solution frequency, peaceful nights and men suffering with their prostate,
meals , or failing that, 2 hours erections that met their partner’s I would like to say their suffering

afterwards. Take 5ml pure or rather than spending it on pool. expectations. is no longer fatal and that they

mixed with water, juice or fruit. One morning, she returned with should try this surprising Serum.

A measure accompanies each a file that would change my life I then told myself that if this

bottle. Once open, the Serum as a man. remedy worked on so many Personally, If I had known such a
will keep for up to 7 weeks in men, it could also bring a lasting treatment existed sooner, I think I
the refrigerator. Unopened, it It was the wife of a doctor who she solution to my prostate problems. would have given several years of
will last for one year. met in Geneva that gave her this So, I decided to try this famous my life to take it immediately!”

Here’s how the “Prostaphenol” Serum What is the secret of the “Prostaphenol” Serum?
will help your problems
As far as current scientific knowledge goes, it is probably in the fruit and
By releasing the amazing the flower of the pomegranate that the highest concentration of natural
concentration of pomegranate polyphenols is found. Scientists have succeeded in extracting these active
polyphenols directly on the polyphenols to make it the first serum which, with its targeted action to the
prostate walls, the Prostaphenol prostate, allows the latter to decongest quickly by significantly reducing its
Serum can relieve your oxidation. In a short time, the prostate returns to normal size and you can once
symptoms very quickly. Once the again urinate with ease and comfort. In addition, the prostate can once again
inflammation is reduced, your contribute to sperm production and therefore to a more plentiful ejaculation.
prostate will gradually return to
normal size. This tree makes a substance that can change your
life by putting an end to your troubles.
The result? Before After
The Serum of polyphenols
In just a few days, you will regain Hypertrophic Normal prostate extracted from part of the fruit
the ability to urinate comfortably, Prostate Your prostate will gradually and sap of the pomegranate
return to its normal size. flowers fights against the
Atrophic, your prostate dilates, oxidation of the prostate; no.1
cause of often serious disorders
have a full night’s sleep an until it presses painfully on You will be able to urinate that can make people suffer,
sometimes a lot.
omproved sex life, pleasure being your bladder and urethra. normally again and be more
successful sexually
with your friends, going out and Therefore you have urinary
playing sport with no worries. problems and difficulty
maintaining erections.

You already know that you have a prostate Say STOP to the troubles you have
problem otherwise you would not have with your prostate
read this article to here. Take this little

test to confirm it D. Kojsky, the “Prostate Master” from the scientific research laboratory:

Do you get up more than twice ❒❒ YES❒❒ NO “I am convinced that the “Prostaphenol” serum can truly transform your life
a night to try and urinate?
as a man... Let me explain how:
During the day, do you feel ❒❒ YES❒❒ NO
pressing needs that ruin your life? The first time I heart about pomegranate the same experiments with a group of volunteers
polyphenol was in Dublin, Ireland, at a with prostate disorders. My conclusions were
In spite of your best efforts, you❒❒ YES❒❒ NO science conference. also clear and confirmed what my colleague had
can no longer fully empty your bladder.
found in Dublin: the pomegranate polyphenol
On the sexual side, do you have❒❒ YES❒❒ NO
trouble getting satisfactory erections? I was stunned when I attended a conference Serum is without contest the more powerful

Do you feel that your urinary ❒❒ YES❒❒ NO by a colleague which talked for some time about natural remedy known to date for helping regain
flow is weaker than before?
the comparison between oxygenation of the the prostate of a young man. Many scientific

prostate and fruit. To a silent room, he publications on the subject are available to

demonstrated to an audience of luminaries everyone!

that when an oxidised fruit is nourished with

pomegranate polyphenols, it is not only To my knowledge, never has a natural product

regenerated but it recovers its original form! been so beneficial!

At least 3 “yes” answers confirms that you He then continued his demonstration by Now, when a man suffering with prostate
have a prostate disorder. It isn’t fatal. The proving that it was the same for the prostate. trouble comes to see me, I recommend the only
“Prostaphenol” Serum will allow you to naturally His observations were clear: all the men who remedy that to my knowledge can prevent him
had followed the pomegranate polyphenol from turning to painful and radical solutions:
regain the prostate of a young man.

Powerful and abundant urinary flows and Serum treatment had seen amazing changes the “Prostaphenol” Serum.

powerful erections, there are the first effects in their daily lives (or in their daily hell, should

that you will soon experience...this experience I say!) So why continue to suffer from urinary
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FORMAL GUARANTEES e result? Peaceful nights without the need much younger than you. So do not miss this
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As soon as I got back to the lab, I also started rest of your life.
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prostate: no urge to urinate that wakes you Try the “Prostaphenol” Serum
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Reader order: CODE ITEM PRICE TOTAL
Prostaphenol Serum £39.95
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urges to urinate · help me to empty my Start Date Expiry Date Signature
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74

INSPIRE

SISTERS
ARE

BREWING
IT FOR

THEMSELVES

Together, a new generation of women
brewsters are changing the face of
the beer industry

BY Norman Miller

BREWING IT FOR THEMSELVES

Back when water supplies could be pretty yucky,
a lot of people drank beer as a much safer option.
And that beer was mainly made by women. In
fact, women brewers—brewsters—remained in
charge of our beer industries for centuries, up to
the Industrial Revolution when Victorian societal
constraints and growing industrialisation untied
to push them out of the brewing front-line.

Now women are back at the helm At the forefront of driving that
at an ever-growing number of British change was Sara Barton, who set
brewers, large and small. People up her own brewery (aptly named
like Emma Gilleland, head brewer Brewster's) in the Lincolnshire town
at major Midlands beer-maker of Grantham back in 1998. She's
Marston's since 2007, who was once gone on to brew gold-medal winning
described by the BBC as “the most beers, and in 2012 became the first
influential woman in beer today”. woman to win the prestigious Brewer
of the Year Award from the British
“When I took the role of head Guild of Beer Writers.
brewer at Marston’s I was the first
female head brewer in its 175 years— “We were brewing a range
and the first female of 'famous women in
head brewer in England. history' beers since around
But women have been 2000,” says Barton. “Now,
brewing beer for a long Mothership and other
time, and it's reported female-led breweries are
they invented beer,” says following our lead. A lot
Gilleland. When she of pubs now run female
first entered the brewing brewer beer festivals—
industry 26 years ago, hopefully inspiring more
though, she didn't have female drinkers to try beer
much sisterly company. and see it as a female-
“I was one of just two inclusive product.”
women working in
production at the time. Perfectly epitomising
But in the early 2000s
that started to change.” that female-inclusive idea
is Jane Frances LeBlond's

76 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Ruby red ale "Harper's
Brewing Co." brewed

by Marston's

“BREWING BECAME A WAY FOR JANE TO
'SUSTAIN HER IDENTITY' WHILE RAISING

HER YOUNG CHILDREN”

Home Bird / AlAmy Stock PHoto all-women brewing team at increasingly involved in brewing at
Mothership. Jane came indirectly ever larger scales, it became a way
to brewing via a career in graphic to “sustain her identity” while
design which she entered partly dealing with the myriad stresses of
because the idea of women having raising young children. “Mothership
brewing careers just didn't seem began as an idea formed in the early
viable at the time. But her interest hours of mornings, during long
had begun burning early, after a walks pushing a buggy round the
teenage summer wine-making job park, snatching moments while
at Kent vineyard Chapel Down, babies sleep. Mashing in test brews
when she “fell in love with the idea at 5am and bottling after putting
of fermentation”. kids to bed.”

Jane took up brewing seriously by Beer and babies clearly can mix,
chance, after buying her husband as Mothership scooped a major
a home-brewing kit that he left industry award as Britain's most
languishing until its use-by date. exciting new brewery within months
“So I brewed it!” As she became of starting up in 2019. As well as

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 77

XXXXX

“WOMEN CAN FEEL THEY HAVE TO WORK
TWICE AS HARD AS A MAN TO PROVE
THEY ARE CAPABLE”

being an all-women brewing team, provide a networking forum, and a
their range focuses on women chance to come together regularly to
in other ways too. A celebratory make collaborative craft beers with a
series of brews under the heading 100 per cent female touch.
'Extraordinary Women', for example,
has kicked off with Codebreaker, “At the time I launched there was
a Double IPA dedicated to Joan no real talk about female brewers
Clarke, whose work in helping crack and their place in the industry,” says
Germany's Enigma Code during the Barton. “I'd come across women
Second World War saved thousands brewers over the years just getting on
of lives. with doing their job.”

Sara Barton's Project Venus So is there a different vibe when
provided a further boost to Britain's women brew together? “With all
brewsters. It was set up in 2011 to collaborations there's a great level of
fun,” says Barton. “But I don't think it
is too different… Maybe we're not as

78 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Left to right: Sara Barton, Jane Frances LeBlond, Catherine Maxwell Stewart

competitive with each other—but queens—plus "the monarch who
that could be me using a stereotype!” never was", Bonnie Prince Charlie.

The diversity of the women in But today Traquair is known for
British brewing makes stereotyping the ales made in its tiny riverbank
the last thing you'd think of. Take brewery. Using historic equipment,
Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Catherine and her team produce
Lady of Traquair—and the only bottled beers such as the House Ale
aristocratic lady brewer in the world. and Jacobite Ale voted best of their
Catherine makes globally-celebrated type in the world—“poetry in a glass”
beers from a grand 12th-century as one US expert put it.
house on the banks of the River
Tweed in the Scottish Borders. Not Research suggests a brewery was
only is this the oldest inhabited active here when Mary Queen of
house in Scotland, but a place that Scots visited in 1566—but by the 19th
has hosted 27 Scottish kings and century it had fallen into disuse. Its
very existence remained unknown

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 79

BREWING IT FOR THEMSELVES

until Catherine's father, Peter The blue blood pedigree in
Maxwell Stuart, stumbled upon the Traquair's DNA also gives rise to
old oak mash tuns—brewing vats— some regal irony. “We do a lighter
and 19th-century wooden stirring ale called Stuart Ale for spring,” says
paddles hidden in a long-overlooked Catherine. “We originally called it
outhouse in the early 1960s. Royal Stuart—until the government
said we weren't allowed to call it
“When my father walked into the 'Royal'… Though we have better
brew house it was just a repository Royal Stuart connections than the
for family junk and lots of old present Royal family!”
champagne bottles,” Catherine
reveals. “We knew it must have been In contrast to a Scottish aristocrat,
forgotten about because of all the is the former Colombian chocolate-
copper—if anyone had known about taster brewing up a storm in
that during the Second World War, Cornwall, Paola Leather. She's
it would have been taken off to be now quality manager at St Austell
melted down for munitions.” Brewery, after heading brewing
teams at other producers including
There was never much doubt Skinner's, Camden and Brains.
about her brewing destiny. “My early
memories are of helping my father Beer formed a backdrop to Paola's
when I was about ten,” she says. “It childhood, as her grandfather
was a great treat to help cool the worked in a brewery back in
beer. I'd stand on ladders and stir South America. “I grew up in the
with old wooden paddles. Then I was Colombian capital of Bogota, and
employed to clean out the vessels. worked in quality control for a
I did a bit of everything… It was very chocolate company and a coffee
much part of my growing up.” federation. I was always interested in
how every small change during the
While people like Emma Gilleland production process could transform
pioneered the breakthrough of the final flavour of the product.”
women at major brewers like
Marston's, Catherine's family were Another fine British brewster
pioneers at the small-scale end. hailing from foreign parts is Italian
“Traquair was the pioneer of micro- Alessandra Confessore. Now head
brewing in Scotland,” Catherine brewer at Yorkshire's Ilkley Brewery,
says. “In 1965 nobody was remotely she explains that being a woman in
interested in this kind of beer—it a male-dominated industry hasn't
was the time of the lager revolution. always been easy.
There was more interest in my father
being the first to get a licence to brew “Women can feel they have to
in a private house!” work twice as hard as a man to prove

80 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Paola Leather

“IT WAS HARD TO BE CONFIDENT—PEOPLE
AROUND ME THOUGHT THAT I WASN'T
STRONG ENOUGH FOR A MANUAL JOB”

they are capable,” she suggests. “I While research suggests that
met quite a lot of scepticism when women may generally have more
I decided to study brewing—it was nuanced taste buds than their male
hard to be confident when people counterparts, no-one I talk to really
around me thought that I wasn't suggests that women have different
strong enough for a manual job!” tastes in beer to men. Instead,
attitude has proved the most notable
Like Paola, Alessandra believes gender division.
tastes from her home country have
informed her brewing. “Italy is a “One of the biggest challenges
wine country—culturally we look years ago was the perception by
for complexity and balance when women they do not like beer, when
we talk about taste. Taking many hadn't even tasted it,” says
a traditional style and trying to Emma Gilleland.
create this poetry of flavours is way
more inspiring to me than using Now women are not only tasting
unusual ingredients.” beer, but once again taking charge with
making it. Welcome back, brewsters! n

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 81

U nder Communism, Ferenc Horváth
farmers laboured in the discovered
fields of Fejér County, belatedly that
west of Budapest, the state-owned
reaping wheat and corn land around his
for a government that had stolen tiny farm in
their land. Today, their children Hungary had
toil for new overlords, a group of been sold
oligarchs and political patrons who
have annexed the land through
opaque deals with the Hungarian
government. They've created a
modern twist on a feudal system,
giving jobs and aid to the compliant,
and punishing the mutinous.

These land barons, as it turns out,
are financed and emboldened by the
European Union.

Every year, the 27-country bloc
pays out 59 billion euros in farm
subsidies intended to support farmers
and keep rural communities alive.
But across Hungary and much of
Central and Eastern Europe, the bulk
goes to a connected and powerful
few. This is because governments
in Central and Eastern Europe have
wide latitude in how the subsidies,
funded by taxpayers across Europe,
are distributed.

A New York Times investigation in
nine countries, uncovered a subsidy
system that's deliberately opaque,
undermines the EU’s environmental
goals and is warped by corruption
and self-dealing. Europe’s machinery
in Brussels enables this corruption

82 • SEPTEMBER 2020

EUROPE’S
GRAND

LAND THEFT

Oligarchs and populists are
milking the European Union for

millions in farm subsidies

By Selam Gebrekidan,
Matt Apuzzo and Benjamin Novak
AdApted from the New York times

EUROPE'S GRAND LAND THREAT

because confronting it would mean off thousands of acres of state land to photos, previous spreAd ANd this oNe: Akos stiller/the New York times
changing a programme that helps his family members and associates.
hold a precarious union together. Those who control the land qualify for
European leaders disagree about millions in subsidies from the EU.
many things, but they all count
on generous subsidies and wide “It’s an absolutely corrupt system,”
discretion in spending them. Bucking said József Ángyán, who once served
that system to rein in abuses would as Orbán’s state secretary in the
disrupt political and economic Ministry of Rural Development.
fortunes across the continent.
Farmers who criticise the
This is why, instead of rooting out system say they've been denied
corruption or tightening controls, grants or faced surprise audits, in
lawmakers are moving to give leaders what amounts to a sophisticated
more authority on spending—over the intimidation campaign. “It’s not like
objections of internal auditors. when a car comes for you at night and
takes you away,” said István Teichel,
The programme is the biggest who farms a small plot in Orbán’s
item in the European Union’s central home county. “This is deeper.”
budget, accounting for 40 per cent of
expenditures. Yet some lawmakers in The brazen patronage was not
Brussels who write and vote on farm supposed to happen. Since the
policy admit they often have no idea earliest days of the EU, farm policy
where the money goes. has had outsized importance as
an immutable system of public
VIKTOR ORBÁN’S welfare. As the system has expanded,
GOVERNMENT HAS SOLD accountability has not kept up.
THOUSANDS OF ACRES
National governments publish
TO HIS FAMILY some information on recipients, but
MEMBERS AND CLOSE the largest beneficiaries hide behind
complex ownership structures.
ASSOCIATES Although farmers are paid, in part,
based on their acreage, property
One place it goes is Fejér County, data is kept secret. The EU maintains
home to Hungary’s populist prime a master database but, citing the
minister, Viktor Orbán. Though a difficulty of downloading the
harsh critic of Brussels and European information, refused to provide a copy.
elites, he's happy to accept EU money.
Orbán’s government has auctioned In response, the Times compiled
its own database that included
corporate and government records;
data on land sales and leases; and
leaked documents and non-public

84 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Farmland near Csákvár, Hungary.
The EU spends $65 billion a
year on agricultural subsidies

land records received from whistle- easier for big companies to receive
blowers and researchers. The Times more subsidies. Yet Babiš still denies
confirmed land deals that benefitted any wrongdoing.
a select group of political insiders.
The investigation built on the work In the spring of 2019, the Bulgarian
done by Hungarian journalists and authorities carried out raids that
others who have investigated land exposed corrupt ties between
abuses despite a media crackdown by government officials and agricultural
Orbán’s government. businessmen. One of the largest flour
producers in the country was charged
the EU champions the subsidy with fraud and is awaiting trial.
programme as an essential safety net
for farmers, but studies have shown In Slovakia, the top prosecutor
that 80 per cent of the money goes to has acknowledged the existence
the biggest 20 per cent of recipients. of an “agricultural Mafia.” Small
farmers have reported being beaten
In the Czech Republic, the highest- and extorted for land that receives
profile subsidy recipient is Andrej subsidies. A journalist, Ján Kuciak,
Babiš, the billionaire agriculturalist was murdered in 2018 while
who is also prime minister. The investigating Italian mobsters who
Times analysis found his Czech had infiltrated the farm industry and
companies collected at least £33.5m built relationships with politicians.
in agricultural subsidies in 2018. The
Czech government has, in recent Despite this, EU officials dismissed
years, ushered in rules that make it a 2015 report that recommended
tightening farm-subsidy rules. The
European Parliament rejected a bill

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 85

EUROPE'S GRAND LAND THREAT

that would have banned politicians its heart, the programme is defined
from benefitting from the subsidies by a simple proposition: farmers are
they administer. And top officials swat mostly paid based on how many acres
away suggestions of fraud. they harvest. Whoever controls the
most land gets the most money.
Few leaders have attempted such
brazen exploitation of the subsidy “THIS IS A CRONY
system as Orbán in Hungary.
ECONOMY WHERE
A Giant Land Grab
FRIENDS AND POLITICAL
The European Union officially
absorbed much of the breadbasket of ALLIES GET
Central and Eastern Europe on May
1, 2004. Hungary, the Czech Republic, SPECIAL TREATMENT"
Poland and Slovakia—all former
Soviet satellites—were among the ten Central and Eastern Europe had
nations that joined the bloc that day. lots of land, much of it still state-
owned, a legacy of the Communist
Amid the celebrations, Orbán was era. European officials worked closely
in political purgatory. He'd been the with incoming governments on
prime minister who helped guide issues such as meeting food testing
Hungary into the union—only to see standards, or controlling borders,
voters turn him out of office in 2002. yet only limited attention was paid
Now one of the first protest groups in to the subsidies. Before Orbán left
the new Hungary emerged: farmers. office, he sold 12 state-owned farming
companies to politically connected
Hungarian farmers clogged buyers. They got cut-rate deals
Budapest’s narrow streets in 2005 and exclusive rights to the land for
for a mass demonstration. They 50 years, making them eligible for
wanted the subsidies they were subsidies when Hungary joined the EU.
eligible for under the bloc’s Common
Agricultural Policy, or CAP, but the “This is a crony economy, where
payments hadn’t arrived. Hungary’s friends and political allies get special
left-leaning government was too treatment,” said György Raskó, a
disorganised and unprepared. former Hungarian agriculture minister.

The programme was designed Out of office, Orbán saw the
after the Second World War to ramp potential power of countryside
up food production in countries laid subsidies. He also was intrigued by
waste by conflict. Over time, it became the man who negotiated on behalf of
a critical foundation in creating the the protesting farmers: József Ángyán.
borderless economy that would grow
into the modern European Union. At

86 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

Right: József Ángyán, the former state
secretary for rural development in
Hungary, became an
unlikely crusader for
small farmers. Below:
Hungarian prime
minister Viktor Orbán
(left) and Czech
prime minister Andrej
Babiš have both taken
advantage of the
EU's farm subsidies

photos: (left) ©GettY imAGes, (riGht) ©Akos stiller After the fall of Communism, After Orbán’s landslide victory,
Ángyán called on the government to
Ángyán, a rural economist, made carve up its massive plots and lease
the case that small landholders them to small and midsize farmers.
could keep villages alive through But Orbán wanted to lease whole
sustainable practices. He founded swaths of land to a coterie of his allies.
an environmental programme at
one of the nation’s most prestigious “I had no chance to carry out what
universities and helped build an I wanted to do,” Ángyán said.
organic farm called Kishantos with
1,100 acres of wheat, corn and flowers. In 2011, Orbán’s new government
began leasing out hundreds of
Orbán again ran for prime minister thousands of acres of public land.
in 2010 and wanted to court the rural Much of it went to people close to
vote. Ángyán was now a member Orbán’s party.
of parliament, and his ties to the
farmers gave him political clout in New leaseholders paid low rates to
the countryside. Orbán summoned the government, even as they became
him to his home, where the two eligible for European subsidies. The
men spoke about the future of deals drew sharp criticism in the local
Hungarian farms. Ángyán envisioned media, yet ordinary farmers stayed
a government that gave small farmers quiet, despite being left out. Ángyán,
more clout. Orbán made it clear that feeling betrayed, quit the government
he wanted to implement Ángyán’s in 2012 but remained in parliament.
ideas and offered to make him under
secretary of rural development. At a closed meeting in early 2013,
Ángyán confronted Orbán in front of
“When Orbán speaks, he speaks his most trusted allies, saying, “You’re
with such conviction,” Ángyán said. going to destroy the countryside!”
“You believe him.”
Orbán launched into a soliloquy
comparing politics to a battlefield.

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 87

EUROPE'S GRAND LAND THREAT

Those who are loyal, he said, could businessman in Budapest, received
count on protection. “But those who £22 million in subsidies in 2018.
aren’t? We will also fire at them.”
They're eligible for a range
Modern Feudalism of subsidies—direct payments
based on acreage, subsidies directed
In 2015, Orbán's government at livestock and dairy or rural
sold hundreds of thousands of development programmes—all
acres of state farmland, much of distributed by Orbán's government.
it to politically connected allies.
Technically, it was an auction. But INVESTIGATORS SAID
many local farmers say they were THE FARM SUBSIDY
told not to bother bidding because
winners had been predetermined. PROGRAMME
Many more didn't even know about ENCOURAGED
the sales. COMPANIES TO ACQUIRE
MORE AND MORE LAND
Ferenc Horváth, 63, who lives in
a shack in Fejér County, belatedly “I’m always accused—and I'm
discovered that the government very angry about it—that I got the
had sold all the state-owned land biggest subsidies,” Csányi said in an
surrounding his tiny plot. “It interview. The reason, he said, is not
happened so fast,” he said. “We had politics. It's pigs. “I produce one-sixth
no idea you could buy land here.” of the Hungarian pig production.”

His new neighbour was Lörinc Rajmund Fekete, a spokesman for
Mészáros, a childhood friend of Orbán, said that Hungarian subsidy
Orbán. Fences sprung up overnight. procedures “fully satisfy” European
regulations but declined to answer
Mészáros, along with his relatives, specific questions.
has bought more than 3,800 acres in
Fejér County, according to a Times In Brussels, European officials were
analysis of land data. Orbán’s son- warned about problems in Hungary.
in-law and another friend have also A May 2015 report, commissioned
bought large estates a short drive away. by the European Parliament, cited
“dubious land deals”. More broadly,
It is a type of modern feudalism, the investigators found that wealthy,
where small farmers live in the politically connected landowners
shadow of huge, politically powerful had the power to annex land across
interests—and EU subsidies help Central and Eastern Europe. “This is
finance it. According to a Times particularly so when they conspire
analysis of Hungarian payment data,
companies controlled by Mészáros
and Sándor Csányi, an influential

88 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

with government authorities,” the subsidies to survive. That discourages
report said. them from criticising the system,
especially in the face of retribution.
Investigators said the farm subsidy
programme encouraged companies Ferenc Gal, who raises cows and
to acquire more and more land. grows alfalfa on his family farm, said
he applied to lease about 320 acres
“The CAP in this sense has clearly because the subsidies would have
failed to live up to its objectives,” made it profitable before he planted.
said the report, prepared by the Local farmers were supposed to get
Transnational Institute. In response, preference, but the land went to
European agricultural officials wealthy out-of-town investors.
denounced the findings as unreliable,
and declared it was up to leaders to When he complained, Gal quickly
enforce national land use policies. found himself a pariah. He said
government inspectors showed up at
That deference to national his farm, suddenly concerned about
governments is a hallmark of the environmental and water quality.
EU. But it has left the bloc unable or He said local officials told him not
unwilling to confront leaders who try to bother applying for future rural
to undermine its efforts, said Tomás grants. “Once you’re on a blacklist,”
García Azcárate, a long-time European Gal said, “that’s it.”
agriculture official. “The EU has very
limited instruments for dealing with A Policy Of Fear
gangster member states,” he said.
Retribution also found József Ángyán.
Out of government, Ángyán Months after he quit the cabinet,
meticulously studied the Orbán government officials retracted the
government’s land sales, interviewed lease on his organic farm. They gave
farmers who had been abandoned by the land to political loyalists. Farmers
the government and mapped political saw what happened to the man who
connections among the buyers. spoke up for them. “If Ángyán can’t
do anything, what can I do?” said
In Csongrád County, for example, Teichel, the Fejér County farmer. As
associates of János Lázár, a lawmaker, long as the government administers
were among the biggest buyers, grants, nobody can afford to speak up.
obtaining about 1,300 acres. And
in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County, Since working withe the Times,
associates and relatives of Orbán Ángyán has receded from public life.
government officials were among the When Teichel saw him recently at
biggest winners in the land auctions. a funeral, he looked defeated and
asked: “How should I continue when
While political patrons get rich, nobody is behind me?” n
many small farmers count on the

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 89

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

MYSTERY
Of The
PLAIN
JARS

The quest to solve one of
archaeology’s greatest puzzles

BY Bonnie Munday

Ancient stone jar sites in Laos
recently received Unesco World

Heritage status

91

MYSTERY OF THE PLAIN OF JARS

Shafts of sunlight

struggle to penetrate the mist

that's hanging over the forest on

a mountaintop in the northern

reaches of the Annamite Range in

Laos. It’s a cold day in February 2017

and a metal pot of coffee simmers

on a fire. Nearby, archaeologist

Dr Dougald O’Reilly, in a canvas

stockman hat and army trousers,

black puffer jacket and Grateful

Dead T-shirt, is crouched in a

precisely cut, four-by-four-metre

trench. At its edge is an oval stone

disk roughly one metre across. It’s

lying flat near a huge stone "jar".

This is Site 52 of the Plain of Jars,

so named for the plateau where the

best-known group of jars, Site 1, is

situated, near the city of Phonsavan.

From Phonsavan, Site 52 is an

hour’s drive on a paved road, then

another 45 minutes up

a precipitous dirt track. These megaliths are on this three-week field

Scattered all around found in some 80 trip—part of a five- PHOTO, PREVIOUS SPREAD: ALAMY IMAGES
this forest floor are some locations scattered year effort to solve the
400 stone vessels, one to across north-eastern mystery of the jars.
three metres tall, some Laos. Little is known
lying on their sides. about them, but they “The two most common
A number of the jars were likely made 2,000 questions I get are, ‘What
are broken, with trees were the jars for, and
years ago how old are they?’ ” says

growing through them; a few disks, the dark-haired, blue-eyed O’Reilly.

some of them perhaps lids, can be “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

seen too. The jars are empty except It’s a team effort that includes

for stagnant rainwater and spiders. O’Reilly and his project partner,

O’Reilly, 53, is an assistant fellow archaeologist Louise Shewan

professor at the Australian National of the University of Melbourne,

University and chief investigator together with Laos government and

92 • SEPTEMBER 2020

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK archaeologists led by Dr Thonglith one of the world’s poorest countries,
Luangkoth, director of archaeology so it's hoped that the World Heritage
with Laos’s ministry of information, status will boost tourist numbers and
culture and tourism. “We couldn’t do preserve the jar sites.
this research without some amazing
people on the ground,” adds O’Reilly. LITTLE IS KNOWN about the
megaliths, which are thought to have
One of their main goals in this been made a couple of thousand
project—the first of its scale in years ago. There are some 80 jar sites
some 80 years—is to map the sites scattered around northeast Laos, and
and the jars with remote sensing a handful in remote eastern India,
and GIS (geographic information hundreds of miles away. Many were
systems) technology. quarried a few miles from where they
sit, further adding to the Stonehenge-
This proved crucial in Laos’s bid like mystery: weighing as much as ten
for Unesco World Heritage status for
the jar sites two years later. Laos is

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 93

MYSTERY OF THE PLAIN OF JARS

tons a piece, how did they even get Site 1 was declared clear about
here from the quarries? Were they ten years ago. During the 2016
transported on log rollers, dragged excavations of that bomb-cratered
by elephants, or somehow rolled to plateau, home to some 300 jars, the
the sites? O’Reilly calls the search archaeology team found human
for answers “invigorating”. bones in smaller ceramic vessels
buried underneath flat stone disks
No major excavation has been beside the jars. The theory is that
done since the 1930s, when famed the jars were for mortuary practice.
French archaeologist Madeleine “The people of perhaps the Iron
Colani first studied these jars in what Age—2000 years ago—might have
was then part of French Indochina. used them to rot their dead, then
Then, in the 1940s came civil war and later transferred the bones to the
later the Vietnam War, during which smaller vessels for burial,” says
the US bombed Laos for a decade. It’s O’Reilly. Archaeologists including
said Laos is the most heavily bombed Colani (whom O’Reilly admires
country per capita in history. About so much he named his daughter,
30 per cent of the 260 million bombs Madeleine, after her) and Julie Van
dropped never detonated, so the

“TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO, IRON AGE PEOPLE
MIGHT HAVE USED THEM TO ROT THEIR DEAD”

unexploded ordnance, or "UXO" Den Bergh, a Belgian who mapped
has been a deadly obstacle—not some of the jar sites in the early
just for archaeological work, but 2000s, believed this. “But until we
for everything from road building get lab results from samples we’ve
to farming. The British non-profit taken, that remains unproven,”
Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has says O’Reilly. So far there aren’t
been in Laos since the mid-1990s to really any other plausible theories.
remedy that. It’s slow, painstaking A fanciful one is that some villagers
work, but the group has now believe the jars were used to store
cleared UXO from various locations rice wine for a mythical giant.
for a total of about 25 square
miles, indicating cleared areas by Back at Site 52, which had no
embedding the ground with bricks UXO, only machine-gun shells,
engraved "MAG". It has helped keep eight of O’Reilly’s and Shewan’s
about 1 million people safe. team members have been using
mattocks—pickaxe-like tools—to dig

94 • SEPTEMBER 2020

READER’S DIGEST

a precise trench into the Members of the research he’s disappointed, but

crumbly red soil beside team at Site 52—reached “sometimes you find

an oval disk. They want by a steep dirt track things, sometimes you

to see what’s underneath; winding up into don’t,” he says with a
O’Reilly suspects human the mountains— shrug. He’s been doing
bones, as at Site 1. But have marked jars with this kind of work for
the disk is thicker than orange tags for the more than 25 years,
expected—about 25 project’s inventory including leading an

centimetres—and too heavy to lift excavation in Cambodia at the 12th-

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DOUGALD O’REILLY without the help of levers. O’Reilly century Angkor Wat—the world’s

walks off into the forest with his largest religious complex—in which

machete, cuts down a couple of he and his team made a major

tree limbs and drags them over. discovery in 2010: another temple

As they use the levers to lift the underneath. “Even when what you’re

lid, the moment of truth reveals… hoping for isn’t there, it’s still about

nothing. They take a few more hours gathering information. And you just

to dig down another foot or so—and keep going.”

still nothing.

“Oh, that’s very interesting,” OVER THE THREE WEEKS at

remarks O’Reilly dryly, rubbing his Site 52, the team didn’t find bones

chin in faux contemplation. Sure, but, significantly, they discovered

SEPTEMBER 2020 • 95

In the spring of 2020,
the team discovered
ancient skeletons.

Left to right:
Thonglith Luangkoth,

Laos’s director
of archaeology;
Louise Shewan and
Dougald O’Reilly;
and Viengkeo
Souksavatdy, deputy
director of the Laos
heritage department

four previously unknown quarry 52. CAVE2 is the world’s largest PHOTO: COURTESY OF DOUGALD O’REILLY
sites. They also tried a new type virtual reality facility of its kind, no
of testing. In simple terms, says VR goggles required. “We can return
Shewan, stone can’t be dated, “so to our excavations to do things like
we took core samples from the take measurements and interpret
bottoms of the jars for ‘optically data,” says O’Reilly. And thanks
stimulated luminescence’ testing.” to drones, they’ll have a safe way
They hope it will reveal when the to check out jar sites that may not
jar bottoms were last exposed to yet be clear of UXO. “Of course,
sunlight—therefore, when they were you can’t excavate without being
placed on the ground where they sit. there, but you can gather a lot of
The process of taking those stone information on site location and the
samples was tricky, as no light can be surrounding landscape.”
present: black lightproof tarpaulins
were tented over the extraction site, It could be a year until the team
and O’Reilly held a torch covered in has results from soil and other
a red filter while he used a drill to physical samples—including a
extract the core. human tooth—gathered at Site 52,
and up to two years for the optically
Back at their base in Australia, stimulated luminescence results. But
O’Reilly and Shewan can "visit" O’Reilly hopes the data will provide
Laos any time they like thanks to some answers about these massive
the CAVE2 3D facility at Monash megaliths on remote, mist-shrouded
University in Melbourne. Drone mountaintops. “Archaeology,” says
photos gathered in 2016 have been O’Reilly, “is largely about untangling
used to create a virtual Site 1. They mysteries, and the Plain of Jars is one
also collected drone photos at Site of the world’s enigmas.” n

96 • SEPTEMBER 2020