Art deco inspirations

My long lived obsession with the 1920s and Art Deco style has now been translated to architecture. I can’t help but notice it everywhere I go now!

Here are some recent examples…enjoy:

Wetherspoon Pub/Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Close up of Art Deco windows

Art Deco style stained glass window, Cambridge – amazing what you spot when you look up!

Art Deco style interior of The Peter Cushing Wetherspoon pub, Whitstable

Art Deco style carpet, Whitstable Wetherspoon

I have also started spending my weekends buried in antique/charity shops and spending all my hard earned dosh on 1920s accessories and jewellery…post on this to come soon.

My photography site is now live!

Dominika Karpowicz Photography website 2013

Cycletta challenge: mind over matter

Just to let you know, I completed my Cycletta bike challenge on Sunday just gone ( 30 June 2013).

Despite the blazing sun and deceptively steep hills, I put my mind over matter and managed 40km in 1 hour 43 minutes (to be precise – organisers Human Race texted me my exact time!). This time was less than I was aiming for, originally 2 hours, and includes a 15 minute break at the Treat Stop (pic below), so I’m very happy.

About to set off

I also managed to raise £205.05 for Mind in Cambridgeshire – there was an overwhelming response which surpassed my initial target of £50. So thank you everyone for your generous donations. I am in conversations with Mind at the moment to see what this will contribute to – will keep you in the loop.

Saying that, my page will be open for another month so any further donations would be warmly welcomed:

http://www.justgiving.com/dominikak

Quick stop at the Treat Stop…

 A bit over half way, I decided to stop at one of the ‘Treat Stops’ as I was curious to what they offered. I was greeted by friendly helpers and a mountain of water bottles and endless plates of ‘naughty’ treats such as flapjacks, sweets and brownies. Although this was a nice reward, something a little healthier would have been more appreciated (apart from bananas which they also had). I don’t know, maybe that’s just me.

Treats galore…

 To my surprise, I reached the finish line much quicker than expected, which threw me a little. I think my initial training paid off, as well as the adrenaline driving me to reach my goal. Before the event I wouldn’t have called myself ‘competitive’ but I definitely saw a competitive streak in myself that day.

There was also a real sense of community and an upbeat, supportive vibe, with people standing on the roads cheering and encouraging us throughout the journey. Based in a stunning location, cyling through picturesque villages and freewheeling down hills was nothing short of liberating.

At the finish line I was greeted with cheers, clapping and ‘well dones’ from bystanders, as well as a lovely medal and free drinks.

Participants were also treated to a free spa and goody bag. The spa was provided by Unlisted – unfortunately there was too long a queue for the massages but I had a relaxing facial treatment and took part in a stretching class.

Overall, it was an unforgettable day and I would definitely take part again – perhaps opting for a longer distance next time to push myself even further. I’m happy that I have finally found ‘my sport’, discovered through continuous trial and error (running and rowing are just not for me).

I think it’s great that more people are coming together to take part in events like these (apparently the number of participants doubled since last year) and just goes to show that the Olympics weren’t a one off phenomenon but have gone on to inspire a generation.

I made it! Basking (literally)  in my glory

My Cycletta challenge – will it be mind over matter?

Wow these two months have flown by – but I do have an excuse for not writing in this time. Honest.

In early March, I signed up to volunteer with Mind in Cambridgeshire, as I know both friends and family with mental health challenges and have seen the effects it’s had on their lives. This is therefore very close to my heart and I wanted to keep supporting such a fantastic organisation, especially as everyone has ‘mental health’, admittedly to varying degrees. I want to help raise awareness of this and challenge the unfortunate stigma that is attached to it.

In the process I have met many wonderful people, attended volunteer training days and helped out with a Street Theatre Campaign in Cambridge which raised awareness of men’s reluctance to talk about their feelings.

Mind staff, volunteers and actors from the Street Theatre performance

In the meantime, I have decided to enter Cycletta – the UK’s leading series of women-only bike rides, supported by Olympic Gold Medallist Victoria Pendleton. I will be cycling 40km at the Bedfordshire event on 30 June 2013 – only three weeks away, eek!

The real drive behind signing up was to fundraise for Mind as I feel passionately about their mission. As a keen cyclist, I also wanted to push myself and it’s one of the only sports I actually enjoy and am reasonably good at. I have affectionately been nicknamed ‘Power Thighs’ by a few I won’t name. You know who you are 😀

As it’ll be my first long-distance cycle, I have invested in a second hand hybrid bike (am picking it up at the weekend, very exciting!) and will be following the smooth and oh so picturesque Guided Bus route all the way to St Ives and back – around 40km (24 miles). Wish me luck!

You can read more about my story on the MiC website. 

At the end of training, feeling proud of myself

I have managed to raise £85 so far, surpassing my initial target of £50, so I am very happy and touched with all the contributions. If you’re feeling charitable, please visit my JustGiving page for more info. If we can reach £150 then then this will pay for a mental health awareness workshop for 1 local community group. Thank you in advance.Before Cycletta, I am also attending the Culture, Health and Wellbeing International conference in Bristol on 24 June and then in July The Festival of Public Health UK in Manchester. I cannot wait. Here’s to an enriching few months of health and fitness!

Write-up of Spring Wordfest’s Writing Science workshop, 13 April 2013, 10am – 12pm

Photo credit: Cambridge Wordfest

Last weekend (12 – 14 April 2013) was a brilliant, highly cultured weekend; it was Wordfest weekend. Eager to take part and highly aware of how geeky this was, I booked myself onto a few things well in advance. One of the events I booked onto was in fact a Writing Science workshop – it seemed a perfect opportunity to feed my growing appetite and fascination for science/health stories and news. 

So on Saturday 13 April I headed for the Dirac Room through the sunny grounds of St John’s College at 10am (no rest for the wicked) –  notebook in one hand, programme in the other.

The workshop was led by Alok Jha, science correspondent at The Guardian and Michael Regnier, science writer at the Wellcome Trust, with a special guest appearance from science and higher education journalist Penny Sarchet. All three speakers provided a wealth of useful tips, insights and exercises on science writing – by the time I knew it, the two hours had flown by!

Kicking off the workshop, Penny Sarchet, who now works for Research Fortnight and freelances for New Scientist, spoke about her personal experiences and top tips:

Penny Sarchet: Winner of the Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize 2011

How do you get into science writing?

• There are plenty of masters now in this area, for example City University in London prides itself on its Science Journalism course, while Imperial is good for Science Communication (although for the latter you will need a first degree in science to apply). Saying that, I didn’t find an MA was necessary as I got where I am today through work experience and contacts I made. There is no one-way route. If your background isn’t originally in science, then masters can be valuable for demonstrating your interest in the subject and open you to certain networks – people you study with go on to become your peer group.
• Career-wise, journalism is currently an uncertain, competitive profession to break into but there’s no denying it’s one of the most exciting ones! Journalism will always be around but in what form? No one quite knows. That is the unpredictable beauty of it.
• Read widely – familiarise yourself with different topics/formats. If you haven’t already, start a blog and put your reading into practice –  try out different formats and styles of writing, for example news, features.
• Enter competitions! The British Library sometimes has a layman’s medical writing competition and of course there is the Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize 2013 competition which I was lucky enough to win in 2011 with my essay on the ‘nocebo’ effect. Competitions are a great opportunity to test yourself – they give you an idea of how well you’re doing, almost like an official stamp of approval. Although blogging is invaluable, you are your own critic which can get a bit blurred sometimes. Even if you’re not shortlisted, you can put your entry on your blog and drop the judges a line asking for feedback. It’s about getting your name out there. Winning topics tend to be focused on how science affects wider society. The key is to be generalist and creative. Write about something people don’t know a lot about – find a niche and you could be onto a winner. There is still time to enter, the deadline for entries is 28 April 2013 – get writing! 
• People to follow are Ed Yong, Carl Zimmer and Kelly Oakes.

From left to right: Alok Jha, Michael Regnier

 Alok Jha and Michael Regnier then went on to outline the more technical do’s and donts of science writing, some of which sparked some serious debate:

• Be specific – the language needs to reflect your particular story.
• Avoid using jargon, i.e. genes, stress. 
  
• How technical should I be? It depends on your audience, but for a general audience assume they know nothing. Introduce technical terms, explain them, then use them. As a journalist you need to be prepared to go outside of your comfort zone – ask questions if you don’t understand a technical term used. If you don’t get it, your audience definitely won’t. For example, most people now know what DNA, stem cell and dark matter mean so they don’t need as much explanation. N.B. if people come across a word they don’t know, they will stop reading. Eliminate that barrier from your writing.  Headlines are often a good indicator of the article content and how science-heavy it will be.

Never underestimate a reader’s intelligence and never overestimate his or her knowledge.

• There is no such thing as a balanced story – but there is such a thing as being fair.
• A debate was later ignited surrounding the public’s preferred type of science stories. Some argued that people like reading about space/physics stories because they are fantastical and that they avoid health stories, about cancer for example, as they are depressing and they can’t relate to them. People become jaded by their abstract nature. It was debated that people are only interested in practical elements that affect them, for example cancer screening tests.
• When asked which publication they would trust more, Cancer Research UK or The Guardian, opinions were mixed. Although Cancer Research UK would perhaps have more accurate content, it is likely to be angled in favour of donations. This is their agenda. Whereas The Guardian is more likely to be objective and challenge ideas.
• Trends in fashionable science writing: 50s/60s – physics, 60s onwards – biology, now – neuroscience.

Who writes science?

• Journalists – they want to know things, they are fascinated enough to ask questions and share their story with other people. Journalism is an extension of a natural instinct to gossip. 
• Communications professionals.
• Bloggers – they are good at explaining things.
• Scientists.

What is science writing? 

• Writing about science for an audience of non-scientists.
• Informing, explaining and entertaining.

3 Sts of science writing:

1. Story – what makes a story? It must have a beginning, middle and end. The beginning must hook the reader, the middle should keep them engaged and not be a graveyard for boring descriptions and the end should give a conclusion. The headline needs to be punchy and specific – the content shouldn’t deviate from this. Did you know most people don’t read past the third paragraph? Don’t let that happen to your story!
2. Structure – mostly linear, start to finish.
3. Style – who are you writing for? Your story must be targeted, relevant and efficient (stay on track).

Now you are ready to write your story:

• Decide on your publication,
• Structure your article,
• Start writing!

Learn to edit your own work – be ruthless. It’s better to write too much then have to cut it down – this will only make it better and help you ‘carve your statue.’ Treat your reader with respect…bear them in mind, self-editing is designed to help them.

Happy science writing! 

A Polish Easter.

Nominate me in the Company #stylebloggerawards 2013 – closes Wed 10 April

For Best Use of Photography

Thanks very much!

Dominika x

Write-up of Cambridge Science Festival’s talk: How to spot a shabby statistic – 12 March 2013, 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Photo credit: Cambridge University

With Cambridge Science Festival now in full swing, I took the plunge last week and decided to take advantage of this fantastic, free festival right on my doorstep (this is shameful as I have lived here most of my life – better late than never eh?).

So on Tuesday 12 March I opted to go to a talk on ‘how to spot a shabby statistic’ by Professor David Spiegelhalter.  With my increasing interest in the news and how legitimate science/health stories really are, this talk seemed apt. It also happens to be the International Year of Statistics – you learn something new every day!

Photo credit: BBC News website

As I got to the Babbage Lecture Theatre, it was brimming with an electric energy and filled up extremely fast (turns out the event was fully booked). I loved it – it was like being back at university again, but this time I imagined that I was a Cambridge University student. These kind of events are also great for this reason – they open up places to the public that could otherwise never be accessed.

Professor David Spiegelhalter stole the show – his enthusiasm, extensive knowledge and charisma turned what could have been a potentially dull subject into a fascinating debate, challenging the audience to question whether we can trust the stats we see in the news. Below are a few of the main points he raised:

•  Headlines are exaggerated – generalised words such as ‘up to’ and ‘about’ are always suspect. A careless example of generalisation is portrayed in the following stat: ‘10% of all deaths could be avoided’. The word all is particularly problematic. 
• No independent comment – is there a critique of this? If not, then it’s most likely to be fictional.
• Small? Always look at how many people were involved in the study the article is based on – you cannot apply results based on a study of 8 people to the whole population. For example, one article stated that there is a ‘38,000 increase in unemployed’. However, unemployment is based on a survey!
• The same point goes for just a single study? Even if the study was carried out on a large sample, is it representative?
• Higher risk? Journalists use the common ‘mechanism of shifting possible risk to absolute risk’ just to sell a story. For example, the headline ‘Daily fry up increases risk of cancer by 20%’ is completely inaccurate.  Professor David Spiegelhalter worked out that eating a sausage a day would only cut 20 minutes off your life each day…and who wants to live until they’re 80 anyway?  Might as well enjoy that sausage while you can! Professor David Spiegelhalter comically demonstrated this by eating real sausages live in front of the audience – a great touch.
• Graphics? Often the images that accompany the article are manipulated to aid the deception. Seeing is not believing.
• PR Puff – half the picture, what am I not being told? Be cynical, don’t take anything at face value. The article/stat could be based on a hidden motive from an organisation, for example advocating their sponsor/their mission.
• Relevance unclear? The recent articles stating that a cure for Alzheimer’s disease has been found stem from tests on mice. Is this really the same?
• Unjustified advice? A recent article stated that ‘Fizzy drinks make teenagers violent’. Again, the sample for this was tiny and it might be explained by other factors not considered.

Photo credit: Cambridge University

When the floor was opened up for discussion and questions, some interesting points came up about how there are problems with medical research, as volunteers tend to be relatively healthy and therefore aren’t representative of desired target groups. It was also discussed that there is no kitemark for what is statistically acceptable in branding guidelines as it is difficult to police and regulate.

Professor David Spiegelhalter rounded off his talk by concluding that, despite all the points he made, the handling of the news is slowly improving- it is not as bad as it used to be. On the whole, he has a very high opinion of current science correspondence and thinks the main stories aren’t unreasonable – the headlines are the main culprits.

Cambridge Science Festival runs until Monday 25 March – so don’t miss out! Check the website for What’s On. 

On the street…Reykjavik, Iceland

The people of Reykjavik 

Reykjavik fashion 

So it seems an ongoing theme here comprises of very colourful/patterned tights or trousers, big boots, large woolen/fur coats and hats, and leather satchels/backpacks. I fell in love with this look – it was just so quirky.

I particularly fell in love with the coloured tights trend – they were everywhere, so I found myself buying a gorgeous pair of green ones and trying to secretly fit in (saying that, some shop keepers did actually start rambling at me in Icelandic! Perhaps it was due to the fact that I have a blonde haired, blue eyed Icelandic-looking boyfriend – I don’t know). I just have to say that they are the comfiest tights I have ever worn; they are actually made in Italy and called Oroblu Myriam (see a picture below). Anyhow, I don’t think I could get away with wearing those tights anywhere but in London, so I made the most of it.

The tights I bought

I also stumbled across the most unique, amazing shoes I have ever seen. Whether I would wear them is a different thing. If I ever had to say that shoes were a work of art, these would be it. I’m just glad that when I asked to try them on they didn’t have my size, as I was so close to spending an obscene amount of money on something I would probably just look at and never wear (like most of my shoes to be honest).

These shoes were made by Icelandic designer KronKron. An example of the kind of shoe you can buy can be seen below.

As it states on their Facebook page, ‘visiting the store is like coming into a sweets factory filled with goodies.’ I can’t argue with this.

The tantalisingly tempting KronKron shoes

Hadley Freeman on Sylvia Plath – a refreshing insight

My copy of The Bell Jar and Freeman’s column

I recently discovered Hadley Freeman, Guardian columnist and features writer. I actually discovered her by chance when I grabbed the Guardian on my way up to Manchester for work at the end of January. As superficial as it sounds, I was flicking through the Guardian magazine when her name, in bright pink, popped out at me, closely followed by Sylvia Plath’s name. I was instantly captured.

Always a literary fan and having studied Plath at Uni, I was intrigued by Hadley’s take on the controversial subject of Plath’s suicide. This is a topical subject at the moment, with many writers and journalists reflecting on what Plath’s work means to them, in the light of her 50th anniversary of death tomorrow (11 February 2013).

The thing that drew me to Hadley’s writing is that it offered a blunt but refreshing perspective on the issues surrounding Plath’s death and wasn’t ‘the same bitter arguments being trotted out’.  Her writing is like poetry within itself when she uses phrases such as ‘Plath’s fame bloomed under the cloud of her death, ‘flattened into a prototype’, ‘suicide attracts speculation like flies to rotting food’ and ‘skin-pricklingly beautiful’.

Unusually, Hadley seems to be one of the few not to demonise Ted Hughes and argues that he was not the cause of Plath’s death but that Plath was killed by what she described as ‘the owl’s talons clenching and constricting my heart’.

• Hadley satirises a journalist on Twitter for insinuating that Hughes drove all of his wives to suicide and that ‘thisbothersme#’ – Hadley reflects how Hughes must have been a lot more ‘bothered’ by his wives’ deaths than a stranger.
• Hadley also believes that Hughes did not publish all of Plath’s poetry because he was ‘genuinely looking out’ for Plath.
• Finally, Hadley ‘marvels’ at the egotistic suspicion that Hughes destroyed Plath’s last journal to ‘preserve his reputation’ – she thinks it was simply to ‘protect his children’.

No one can ever be sure of the truth behind this and I’m not sure I completely agree with Hadley, but I do agree that ‘a sensationalised story about a marriage is easier to read than poetry’ and that ‘no one can know what really goes on in a marriage other than those involved’.

The Bell Jar, published less than a month before Plath killed herself, is Plath’s only novel and has recently caused an outcry with Faber’s new anniversary edition. What do you think of this new cover? Does it devalue the novel or attract potential new audiences? Your thoughts are welcome.

Nevertheless, as Hadley says, ‘mark the anniversary of Plath’s death by reading her work’. This has inspired me to rescue my copy of The Bell Jar from under a dusty pile of books (pictured above) and push it to the top of  my ‘to read’ list. I know which cover I prefer.

You can also read Hadley Freeman’s column online and follow her on Twitter. I’d highly recommend it.