Detroit Red Wings players from left, Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, Niklas Kronwall, of Sweden, Nicklas Lidstrom, of Sweden, and Johan Franzen, of Sweden, celebrate Lidstrom's goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings' Todd Bertuzzi, right, celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with teamamte Henrik Zetterberg, left, of Sweden, as fans react in the background during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings forward Danny Cleary (11) tries to shoot on San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, of Finland, as Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) defends in the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) of Finland, blocks shot by Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula (51), of Finland, during the first period in Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

Detroit Red Wings players from left, Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, Niklas Kronwall, of Sweden, Nicklas Lidstrom, of Sweden, and Johan Franzen, of Sweden, celebrate Lidstrom's goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings' Todd Bertuzzi, right, celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with teamamte Henrik Zetterberg, left, of Sweden, as fans react in the background during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings forward Danny Cleary (11) tries to shoot on San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, of Finland, as Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) defends in the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) of Finland, blocks shot by Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula (51), of Finland, during the first period in Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

More and more, elite female athletes are taking on a challenge greater than sports. They're returning to the competitive world of sports while juggling motherhood.

Soccer moms have long led the charge. The U.S. Women's National Team has consistently featured mothers on its roster since 1994, when Joy Fawcett became the first "Soccer Mom" to give birth and continue playing at the highest levels of international soccer. Carla Overbeck and Danielle Fotopoulos also had kids while on the U.S. team, and more recently, three moms have played for the USA in defenders Kate Markgraf (mother of Keegan), Christie Rampone (mother of Riley and Reece) and Tina Frimpong (mother of MacKenzie). Though retired from competitive play, Mia Hamm joined the Soccer Moms Club when she and husband Nomar Garciaparra welcomed twin daughters in 2007. Four years ago, Brandi Chastain became mom to little Connor and three years ago Julie Foudy, former captain of the US Women's soccer team, had a baby girl named Isabel. Former captain Kristine Lilly returned to play after daughter Sidney was born. She retired from professional soccer at the beginning of 2011 and announced she is expecting Baby #2.

Obviously, competitive women aren't waiting until their athletic careers are over to start families. And while the physical and emotional challenges of motherhood can be difficult, most athlete moms wouldn't have it any other way.  WNBA player Lisa Leslie sat out a season with the Los Angeles Sparks to give birth to a daughter but she returned to the pro team for a year and had a great season before giving birth to baby #2 and retiring. Leslie's teammate, MVP and Rookie of the Year Candace Parker is also a new mom enjoying baby Laila while playing in both the Euroleague and the WNBA. Other WNBA moms share their favorite Mother's Day memories on WNBA.com. But Parker and Leslie are far from the first WNBA stars to have their basketball careers impacted by pregnancy. In previous seasons, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Taj McWilliams-Franklin and others have missed time, and occasionally entire seasons, to focus on their families.

After pitcher Jennie Finch had a son named Ace with husband Casey Daigle she competed with the Women's National Softball Team at the Beijing Olympics and played for the Chicago Bandits. She is expecting her second child this summer. US National teammate Jessica Mendoza continues to play for National Pro Fastpitch usually bringing young Caleb on the road with her.

When the U.S. women's hockey team beat Finland to win the bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, forward Jenny Potter skated around the rink in celebration with her then 5-year-old daughter Madison in her arms. Potter's daughter was a fixture at the rink at an early age. A week after Madison was born in January 2001, Jenny was skating again. Three months later, she was back playing for the U.S. women's hockey team in the world championships. What's even more impressive is that Jenny did it all again. Just 83 days after having her second child, Potter helped the 2007 U.S. Women's National Team to a 9-0 victory over Kazakhstan in the opening game of the 2007 IIIHF Women's World Championship. 

Tennis player Lindsay Davenport had an amazing comeback after giving birth to her son Jagger. Just three months after the birth of her first child, Davenport became an instant and almost shocking success winning a number of high profile tournaments. She recently gave birth to her second child. Kim Clisjters came out of retirement after her daughter was born and famously won the U.S. Open as an unseeded player.

Other images from the world of women's sports clearly show the tide has turned. Legendary Czech cross county skier Katerina Neumannova collapsed on her knees at the finish line after winning gold in the 30-kilometre race at the 2006 Turin Olympics, her poles askew as she hugged her two-year-old daughter, Lucie. Former Ironman world champion Lori Bowden placed second at Ironman Austria, just 10 months after giving birth to her son Tyson. And pro cyclist Sue Palmar-Komar, a 2002 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, at age 41, had a sibling for her seven-year-old daughter Trinity. And who can forget long distance runner Paula Radcliffe who won the New York Marathon months after giving birth to daugher Isla. Kara Goucher is the newest marathon mom having completed this year's Boston race six months after having her son.

On the long list of athlete moms is Gold medal-winning swimmer Dara Torres, who made an amazing comeback while mothering toddler Tessa, and fellow swimmer Summer Sanders who is married to three-time Olympic skier Erik Schlopy with whom she has a daughter and a son.

Most of these working moms admit they can't do it alone. And while their spouses and families pitch in, they are also assisted by their leagues and teams. Potter said USA Hockey provides helpful financial assistance during Olympic years. And before the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) folded, the league mandated that home teams must provide child care for the mothers on visiting teams. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) takes things to a whole new level. Since 1993, the LPGA has operated the LPGA Child Development Center, which travels to more than 25 tournaments per year. Bardine May, the Center's director, said the LPGA was motivated to provide child care so that its athletes didn't have to choose between playing the game and having a family.

There are many different kinds of mothers in this world. There are professionals and homemakers. Some are fashionable, some conservative, some are modern and some are cool. Fortunately some are competitive athletes as well.

Be sure to tell YOUR mom how much you appreciate her this Mother's Day.

crossposted on prettytough.com

@jschonb

dare to dream

From Energy Circle:

Powerhouse Dynamics Announces First eMonitor Compatible Programmable Thermostats, Updated Mobile Apps.

The most comprehensive circuit-by-circuit energy monitor in the residential market has expanded their offerings to include more sophisticated mobile apps, better software, and compatibility with Wi-Fi thermostats.

Energy Efficiency in the Backyard.

Just because you’re taking it’s summer doesn’t mean you have to take a break from upgrading your home’s energy efficiency! Here: a few tips for making your outdoor haven easier on the environment and your wallet.

Curated Links from the Web:

How to Choose a Company to Do a Home Energy Audit.

So you’ve heard about the importance of a comprehensive home energy audit, but don’t know how to pick an auditor. Acclaimed building scientist and HERS trainer Alison Bailes discusses what to look for. (From Energy Vanguard)

Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Oil and Air Conditioning.

Amy Myers Jaffe discusses how whether gas prices this summer are just high, or unbearably high, may hinge on the demand for electricity for air conditioning in Saudi Arabia. (From The Energy Collective)

U.S. Budget Slashes Information Gathering on Energy.

The Energy Information Administration is facing a 14% budget cut in the 2011 spending bill -- ironically, just as gas prices are undergoing a steep rise and increasingly dominating national political discussion. (From Grist)

LEED to Embrace Demand-Response.

The U.S. Green Building Council is looking at ways to incorporate demand-response, or reducing power consumption to shave peak energy demand, into its LEED point system. (From GigaOm)

Energy Users in Finland to Get Smarter Still.

The largest utility in Finland -- which already is in the front of the pack in terms of smart electrical grid implementation -- is conducting a pilot program to give residents and building owners more insight into their energy consumption. (From Greenbang)

The Importance of Indoor Air Quality.

Indoor air quality is an essential component of the whole-house building energy picture. Jim Bushart discusses why higher energy prices may be leading to poorer indoor air quality in homes and buildings, and why we should be paying attention. (From Active Rain)

Another Energy Related Blog We Love:

Eric’s Blog.

Humbly and mysteriously titled, “Eric’s Blog,” written by Eric Sandeen, focuses on home energy while tackling larger energy issues as well. Noteworthy posts include discussion of hyper-watters and the appeal of wind-powered beer.

Bad evidence on whether drugs really work can arise simply because nobody asked the right research question

Some of the biggest problems in medicine don't get written about, because they don't concern eye-catching things such as one patient's valiant struggle: they're protected from public scrutiny by a wall of tediousness.

Here is one problem that affects millions of people. What if we had rubbish evidence on whether hundreds of common treatments really work, simply because nobody asked the right research question? A paper published this week looks at how much evidence there was for every one of the new drugs approved by the FDA between 2000 and 2010, at the time they were approved.

You might think drugs only get on the market if they've been shown to be useful. But "useful" can mean many different things: for FDA approval, for example, you only need trials to show your drug is better than a placebo. That's nice, but with most medical problems, we've already got some kind of treatment. We're not interested in whether your drug is better than nothing. We're interested in whether it's better than the best currently available option.

So it turns out that, out of all the 197 new drugs approved in the past decade, only 70% had data to show they were better than other treatments (and that's after you ignore drugs for conditions where there was no current treatment).

But the problems go beyond just using the wrong comparator: most of the trials we rely on to make real-world decisions also study drugs on highly unrepresentative, freakishly ideal patients. These patients are younger, with perfect single diagnoses, fewer other health problems, and so on.

This can stretch to absurd extremes. Earlier this year, some researchers from Finland took every patient who'd ever had a hip fracture and worked out if they would have been eligible for the trials that have been done on fracture-preventing bisphosphonate drugs, which are in wide use.

Starting with all 7,411 fractures, 2,134 patients get excluded straight off, because they're men, and the trials have been done on women. Then, from the 5,277 remaining, 3,596 get excluded again, because they're the wrong age: patients in trials had to be between 65 and 79. Then, finally, 609 more fracture patients get excluded, because they've not got osteoporosis.

This leaves 1,072 patients. So the data from the trials on these fracture-preventing drugs are only strictly applicable to about one of every seven patients with a fracture: they might still work in those who've been excluded, though that's not a judgment call you should have to make; and one problem, in particular, is that the size of the benefit might be different in different people.

To understand why this matters, finally, we need to go through one more study (written by people I work with, though I don't know if that's transparency or a boast). The new "coxib" painkiller drugs are sold on the basis that they cause fewer gastrointestinal bleeds than cheap old painkillers such as ibuprofen: and coxibs do seem to do this.

But the trials were conducted in ideal patients, who were at much higher risk of having a GI bleed, and this causes problems when you do a cost benefit analysis. Nice (National Institute for Healthcare and Clinical Excellence) estimated the cost of preventing one bleed, if you use a coxib instead of an older drug, at $20,000. But that's a huge underestimate, and here's why: they estimated the number of avoided bleeds from the figures in the trials, where patients were at high risk of bleeds.

If, instead, you look at the real data on people prescribed coxibs, in a database of GP records, the overall number of bleeds among people getting painkillers is much smaller: so the number of bleeds avoided is also smaller, and so the cost of each avoided bleed is higher: $104,000, in fact.

This explanation might make your eyes glaze over. You assume someone else is dealing with it. And that's why problems like these don't get fixed.

Clas Ohlson has signed a contract regarding a new store at Palokka Shopping area, Jyvskyl, Finland.

For something a little more unique than you'll find on the high street, marketing student Jonna Jarvenpaa picks five brands that combine high quality with vintage appeal

Despite the rise of cheap fashion, consumers have become more discerning when it comes to product quality – looking at where and how things are made. Even in the wake of the credit crunch, people want to buy products that are unique. Here we examine five "sleeping beauties" of the fashion and design worlds, vintage names that are due for a revival.

Delvaux

Despite being the world's oldest fine leather luxury goods company, founded in 1829 and patronised by the Belgian royal family, not many have heard of Delvaux. Their designs are simple and beautiful, often compared with Hermes. The company recently appointed Veronique Branquinho as artistic director, to freshen up their image, while the Belgian model Hannelore Knuts has collaborated on a selection of handbags.

Heschung

A former ski boot maker, Heschung has a strong presence in France but is relatively unknown elsewhere. Initially designed for skiing, hunting, and hiking, Heschung have developed a more cosmopolitan style while keeping their sense of tradition. Each pair of shoes is handmade and requires three to four weeks of production time. The focus on natural materials creates an authentic feel, while the designs are sober and clean, offering a combination of elegance and attitude.

Cacharel

The French fashion house Cacharel is known for its contemporary sportswear and perfume lines but has suffered an identity crisis in recent times after going through multiple creative directors. The head of womenswear, Cedric Charlier, appears to have succeeded in turning things around, creating collections full of youth, poetry and authenticity, whilst maintaining the brand's sense of heritage.

Lee

Lee, which was founded in 1889 in Kansas, missed the last boom for designer jeans but their persistence seems to have finally paid off. In the 1970s Lee shifted its focus from workwear to fashion but struggled to escape its middle America reputation until Terry Richardson's provocative advertising campaign helped put the company back on the map. The transition from work overalls to skinny jeans hasn't been pretty but Lee is finally there.

Iittala

Iittala could be the homeware accessories company of choice but is rarely appreciated outside its home of Finland. Iittala's products aim to reflect modern Scandinavian design and are widely recognised for their style and quality. From glassware to candle holders, items are created to achieve long-lasting, everyday use – at the core of their philosophy is an aversion to the modern cult of "throw away-ism". Responsible for interior design classics such as Oiva Toikka's mouth-blown glass birds, Iittala is deserving of international recognition.

Europe's inner circle meet to discuss possible debt restructuring for Greece as well as problems in Ireland and Portugal

Finance ministers from an inner core of eurozone countries were holding secret talks in Luxembourg tonight to discuss a possible debt restructuring for crisis-ridden Greece.

The single currency's leading creditor nations – Germany, France, Finland and the Netherlands – all attended the meeting, called amid concerns that Greece's problems were nearing breaking point.

Sources said negotiations centred on the mounting eurozone debt crisis, and included not just Greece but the terms of Portugal's bailout and Ireland's demands for easier repayment terms on its loans. But they denied reports coming out of Germany that Athens had floated the idea of leaving the single currency altogether.

The European commission was also at the talks at Château de Senningen, a site used by the Luxembourg government for official meetings, which involved the countries that have provided the bulk of the funds for the bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Most of the governments from the 17-nation eurozone were kept in the dark about the talks, and said they knew nothing about the crisis negotiations. Greek media confirmed that a plane carrying the Greek finance minister, Giorgos Papaconstantinou, had landed in Luxembourg.

Angela Merkel's spokesman said a prearranged meeting was taking place, but it had nothing to do with the idea that Greece would leave the euro.

"There is a meeting of some finance ministers that has long been planned. Greece exiting the eurozone is not on the agenda of that meeting, and it has never been," Steffen Seibert said.

Instead, sources said the creditors were looking at a range of options for Greece including a fresh bailout, giving it longer to repay its debts or forcing banks to take a loss on Greek bonds.

On the foreign exchanges, reports that Greece would be the first country to quit the single currency led to a sharp sell-off of the euro against the dollar. Spiegel Online, quoting German government sources, said that Greece would leave the euro unless it was allowed to restructure its massive debts. Greek officials categorically denied the report with many describing it as a "joke".

"We are putting all our effort into resolving our indebted public finances precisely because we are in the eurozone and want to stay there," said one official, requesting anonymity. "What it is saying doesn't make any sense."

Others described the report's timing as "strange and suspicious".

In a statement – released only after other countries had rushed to deny the report – the Greek finance ministry said the government had repeatedly rejected such scenarios. "Such reports are provocations that undermine the effort of Greece and the euro and only serve the profiteering game," the statement said.

Reports in Greece have already talked about a "velvet restructuring" that could include extending outstanding debt and a voluntary agreement to modify repayment terms before 2012. The country wants to return to the debt markets early next year, even though its debt is expected to reach 160% of GDP by then. The country's borrowing costs have been rising as its rating has been downgraded eight times since January 2009, when it had an A rating. A year ago, just after the bailout, it was the first eurozone country to have its debt rating cut to junk when ratings agency S&P; had warned that bondholders could recover as little as 30% if the country restructured its debt.

Amadeu Altafaj Tardio – spokesman for Olli Rehn, the monetary affairs commissioner – would not confirm or deny the meeting. "I am not aware of any meeting in Luxembourg," he said. "We have no comment on the Der Spiegel report."

Sony Kapoor, managing director of Re-define, a Brussels-based thinktank, said: "It would be irresponsible for the creditor countries in the euro area not to be having serious and intense discussions about unresolved questions to do with ongoing problems with Greece, the Portuguese package and Irish demands for easier terms.

"However, it is most probably a vicious rumour or a wild Chinese whisper that Greece would have asked for a possible exit from the euro. This would be a disaster for Greece and the wider euro area."

But City analysts said the reports coming out of Germany were plausible. Jonathan Loynes, of Capital Economics, said: "If you are Greece and your country is in the mess that is in, and you are thinking about the next five years and the austerity measures you have to go through to stay in the euro, you have a responsibility, I would suggest, to think about leaving."

Gerard Lyons, chief economist at Standard Chartered bank, said pressure had been mounting from Berlin. "I think the Germans have been playing hard ball for a few weeks now. If Greece does go I don't think they will be the only one."

Spiegel Online said the meeting was being held under strict secrecy and that both the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, and his deputy, Jörg Asmussen, were attending.

It quoted from what it said was an internal German finance ministry paper that Schäuble was taking with him to Luxembourg, which warned that a Greek exit "would lead to a significant depreciation of the domestic currency versus the euro" and increase Greece's debt levels to 200% of GDP.

"The government has raised the possibility of leaving the eurozone and reintroducing its own currency," the report said.

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· American Airlines:
Finland, Finland, Finland that’s the country for me! Well at least that’s what American Airlines is singing, as they just started up nonstop service to Helsinki over the weekend. It’s a seasonal thing, so be sure to get all your Scandinavian stuff done before the end of October. The new flights depart from Chicago en route to Helsinki with a little help from Boeing 767-300s. This is the first time American is bringing their planes to Finland, so hopefully things will catch on and the flight will become a permanent option.

· JetBlue:
Alright we knew JetBlue would be jetting back and forth between Boston and beautiful Newark, New Jersey, but this week things became official. The airline that loves in-flight television and plenty of free up-in-the-air snacks started four daily flights between the two cities on May 4. There’s a couple morning flights and a couple afternoon flights, so you should be able to find something that fits your schedule. Expect Embraer 190s on this route, which are a little smaller but just as comfy. We actually just flew this route yesterday, so it's totally open for booking and going.

Streaming Germany vs Finland stream free online Justin.tv  HD Tv 6.5.2011 ICE HOCKEY International,World Cup Qualification

Streaming Germany vs Finland stream free online Justin.tv  HD Tv 6.5.2011 ICE HOCKEY International,World Cup Qualification

Lifeline Ventures, the Finnish early stage Vigo accelerator keeps on pumping deals through. This time they're announcing an investment into a completely new startup called Grand Cru Games. This is the investment we were speculating earlier this week in ArcticStartup based on their founder's, Petteri Koponen's, tweets. I got in touch with the founders of Grand Cru Games to dig a bit deeper. However, it was not an easy task. As I asked for screenshots on their development work, all they sent me was that guy in the picture. Either they're cooking something very wicked or they have a twisted understanding of the word humour.

The company is founded by six experienced gaming professionals. Five of the six founders fled the ashes of Mr. Goodliving that received the touch of death from its parent company Real sometime back (see our coverage on this). The sixth founder is from Sulake.

Markus Pasula, Harri Granholm, Mikko Lindstedt, Roope Kangas and Jarno Wuolijoki are from Mr. Goodliving and possess a wide area of expertise that could possibly hint at something they're developing.

Pasula was formerly part of the Mr. Goodliving management board and directed a team of 20 game developers. He currently works as the CEO and does game development as well. Granholm worked as the Lead Game Designer at Mr. Goodliving and has also in addition been contributing to a variety of different practices such as graphics and sound production.

Mikko Lindstedt worked as a Lead Game Programmer at Mr. Goodliving and has been developing many of the hit games at the company. Roope Kangas is in charge of server technologies while Jarno Wuolijoki was in charge of the game development platform, The Emerge, at Mr. Goodliving. The Emerge was used to create about 100 different games along the years.

The sixth founder, Mikko Wilkman, is the Lead Software Developer at Sulake and knows massive multiplayer games and virtual worlds and business models affiliated with these very well.

When I asked Markus Pasula what they're up to, I received the funny looking character in the e-mail together with the explanation;

We are about to make a free game that is actually social and fun. We hate how massively-single-player-games are referred as social.

In a follow-up question regarding the investment he answered:

"We are investing everything into game development, our penthouse office with sauna and fantastic view and grand cru champagne."

All in all, looks like Finland is cooking up yet another experienced gaming company that is onto something. In an interview with Kauppalehti earlier this week, Pasula stated that the company will be developing both computer and mobile games with a focus on the freemium business model. Furthermore, Grand Cru Games is a great example of creating something new when larger companies decide to get rid of their very experienced talent (in the case of Mr. Goodliving).

Grand Cru Games has only a smiley on their website currently, but you can also follow them on twitter for more info: @grandcrugames.

After raising interest rates by 0.25% a month ago, the European Central Bank (ECB) left interest rates unchanged at yesterday's meeting of its Governing Council. The press conference that followed was held in Helsinki; Finland just elected a new government that may block the aid package put together for Portugal. Adjusting to the Nordic spirit of not wasting time with small talk, ECB head Trichet was very much to the point with his answers:

"Nothing New, Nothing Special." Trichet's succinct explanation that no special programs are needed to support Portugal. The ECB is working with an established framework. To this point, Merk Senior Economic Adviser and former St Louis Fed President Bill Poole, recently pointed out, "stressful periods are less stressful if sound institutional arrangements are in place in advance."

"Not a Problem." Trichet's comment on whether the ECB could stomach any losses on its own balance sheet should Greece

Kate Abbott, commissioning arts editor for the Guardian, picks London's most interesting arts venues north of the river, from an old coffin repository to an artists' haven

Whitechapel Gallery

You never know what to expect at the original east London gallery. Since 1901, it has shown modern artists from Barbara Hepworth to Nan Goldin, Jackson Pollock and David Hockney. Famously, the Whitechapel is the only British space to have exhibited Picasso's Guernica, and it continues to champion challenging contemporary artists. It recently expanded into the Passmore Edwards library next door, which has a year-round free exhibition to tempt even more heads to peek through the doors. Once you've eaten up all the delights inside, pop around the corner and wander up Brick Lane to Story Deli for pizza served on driftwood slabs and street-side hipster-watching.
• 77-82 Whitechapel High Street E1, +44 (0)20-7522 7888, whitechapelgallery.org, open Tues-Sun 11am-6pm, Thurs 11am-9pm

Banner Repeater

Need to kill time while waiting for a train? Search out Banner Repeater on platform one of Hackney Downs station and be bored no more. This innovative rush-hour haven should spawn a slew of art spaces in unexpected everyday environs. It's an intimate gallery with a library trolley outside and a reading room attached, but it instantly breaks down the barrier that can make wandering into an official art gallery daunting. Banner Repeater is artist-run by Ami Hughes, with support from Hackney council's Empty Shops Fund.
• Hackney Downs Station, Dalston Lane E8, bannerrepeater.org, open Tues-Thurs 8-11am, 4-7pm, Fri 8am-6pm, Sat, Sun noon-6pm

Hannah Barry

The inimitable Hannah Barry gallery is surreptitiously tucked upstairs in an 18th-century corner building on the swish shopping promenade of New Bond Street. Once you've survived the tiny, clanking lift and shuffled across the fusty landing, the door opens into a luminous showroom that is bringing emerging artists to the central London masses. Visionary Hannah Barry first opened a Peckham gallery in a disused grain warehouse before launching this second space in 2010. Bold Tendencies, the annual sculpture show she founded in the dizzying disused heights of a south London car park, is now in its fifth year. The summertime show coexists with Frank's Café and Campari Bar, and is universally acclaimed for the art, architecture … and those views.
• 110 New Bond Street W1 (entrance on Brook Street), + 44 (0)20-7493 4224, hannahbarry.com, open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm

Freud Museum

While the main draw here is the pristinely preserved study, couch and all, this vast Hampstead house, where Freud and family lived after they escaped Austria in 1938, doubles as an art space. Exhibits take Freud's work, and the world's most notorious sofa, as a starting point. Artists that have interpreted Freudian terms – from the pleasure principle to free association – include Sarah Lucas, Susan Hiller and Sophie Calle. You can also gaze upon a Dali portrait of an ailing Freud that he didn't live to see, and Freud's own fine art and archaeology collection, not to mention irresistible morsels of the Freud clan's home videos.
• 20 Maresfield Gardens NW3, +44 (0)20-7435 2002, freud.org.uk, open Wed-Sun noon-6pm, adults £6, concessions £3-£4.50, under-12s free

Kate Macgarry

Head through the bottle-green industrial front doors on notoriously arty Vyner Street and up a sloping walkway and you will emerge in this classic white cube gallery. There is a relaxed feel about the place – the exhibitions continue into the curious glass-roofed office, where you can poke your head in and peruse the art while staff are hard at work. Kate Macgarry is on the international scene, presenting work by established artists including Peter McDonald, Francis Upritchard, Goshka Macuga and Marcus Coates. This part of Bethnal Green is a hub for great spaces – while you're here, try the newly opened Motel de Nowhere on Hollybush Gardens and Image Music Text on Cambridge Heath Road.
• 7a Vyner Street E2, +44 (0)20-8981 9100, katemacgarry.com, open Weds-Sun noon-6pm

Museum of Brands

The Museum of Brands is a product placement time tunnel that snakes from decade to decade, stuffed with everything consumers have filled shopping baskets with since Victorian times. Walls are stacked like supermarket shelves, with the first ever Dairy Milk wrappers, original Marmite jars and 1930s Mars and KitKat bars. The cafe has a looping video showing a history of TV ads since 1955, when they first appeared (look out for Joan Collins getting doused by drinks in the name of Cinzano). Director Robert Opie had a revelation 46 years ago that if he tossed packaging out no one could marvel, retrospectively, at the design hours that went into it. He's been hoarding ever since.
• 2 Colville Mews, Lonsdale Road W11, +44 (0)20-7908 0880, museumofbrands.com, open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm, adults £6.50, concessions £4, children 7-16 £2.25, family £15

Parasol Unit

Next door to Victoria Miro, one of London's leading commercial galleries, is Parasol Unit, its not-for-profit neighbour. Parasol Unit is housed in a classic old warehouse building that appears run-of-the-mill until you crane upwards and spot the architecturally curious grey-and-glass shoebox perched on top. The interior has impressive minimal design and never mundane multidisciplinary exhibitions. Take in the shows – four a year since 2004 – that spread out in vast rooms over two stories, or peer out of the floor-to-ceiling back windows into the bamboo-heavy courtyard. Parasol also runs an alfresco art scheme called Parasol Public – one to watch.
• 14 Wharf Road N1, +44 (0)20-7490 7373, parasol-unit.org, open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm, first Thurs of the month 10am-9pm

The Wapping Project

A post-industrial art-and-dining space in a former Wapping hydraulic power station, built in 1890 to convert Thames water into power for the docks. The Boiler and Filter House galleries have innovative site-specific exhibitions, such as the Yohji Yamamoto show where visitors can rent a rowing boat and paddle out to examine a dress hung in the centre of a makeshift lake. Next door in Wapping Food, the stark brick walls and now-silent mint-green machinery contrast with the modern, seasonal food (definitely book in for brunch). The owners opened a second space in 2009: Wapping Project Bankside, a round yellow warehouse opposite Tate Britain, which concentrates on photography and film.
• Wapping Wall E1, +44 (0)20-7680 2080, thewappingproject.com

176

Anita Zabludowicz is one of Britain's leading philanthropists; a contemporary collector; and a global power-patron. She runs three galleries, in the US, Finland and this Corinthian-columned Methodist chapel space that opened in 2007. It's a dynamic place that shows off not just her vast personal collection, but her curatorial nous. There's a programme of residencies and exciting exhibitions, and176 also has weekly £5 life classes for the public, and free performances, talks and festivals. In 2011, The Shape We're In group exhibition sees newly commissioned sculpture take over empty shops throughout Camden.
• 176 Prince of Wales Road NW5, +44 (0)20-7428 8940, zabludowiczcollection.com/london, open Thurs-Sun 12-6pm

The Crypt

This is an old coffin repository, and there are reminders of its former use everywhere: gravestones propped against walls, a coffin slot and the bones of 557 people underfoot. A faded red sign on the thrum of Euston Road points you in the right direction, but when you head around the moss-entrenched church walls towards the vaults, there's only an "uneven surfaces" sign to signal your arrival. Through the ornate red iron doors and down stairs, you are welcomed into a space full of eerie alcoves, and nooks and crannies that artists use for installations and innovative group shows. The crypt was also an air raid shelter, and it has an old operating theatre, still half-daubed in surgical green to display the blood of bygone days.
• St Pancras Church, Euston Road NW1, +44 (0)20-7388 1461, cryptgallery.org.uk

The teenage actor Saoirse Ronan looks right at home in the Arctic. With her startling ice-blue eyes, pale skin and fleecy white-blonde hair she's like her own camouflage unit, nearly invisible as she stalks among the snowbound woods of North Finland.

President Emanuel Mori last week accepted and received the letter of credence of Heikki Hannikainen, ambassador of Finland to the Federated States of Micronesia, in an official ceremony at the Office of the President here in Palikir, Pohnpei.

Tori Amos

With Night of Hunters, Amos carries on the classical tradition of variations on a theme: taking inspiration from classical forms to create a bold new work while paying tribute to the mastery of the original compositions.

On Night of Hunters, which she wrote and produced, Amos comments, "I have used the structure of a classical song cycle to tell an ongoing, modern story. The protagonist is a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship. In the course of one night she goes through an initiation of sorts that leads her to reinvent herself allowing the listener to follow her on a journey to explore complex musical and emotional subject matter".

"One of the main themes explored on this album is the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us." the singer explains.

The release of Night of Hunters will be supported by a tour in Europe and the U.S. starting in Helsinki, Finland on September 28. Check out all tour dates below.

TOUR DATES
09/28/11 Wed Ice Hall Helsinki, FI
09/30/11 Fri Oktyabrsky Hall St. Petersburg, RUS
10/02/11 Sun Crocus Hall Moscow, RUS
10/04/11 Tue Den Atelier Luxembourg, LU
10/05/11 Wed Grand Rex Paris, FRA
10/07/11 Fri Teatro Smeraldo Milan, IT
10/10/11 Mon Laeiszhalle Hamburg, GER
10/11/11 Tue Tempodrom Berlin, GER
10/13/11 Thu Sala Kongresowa Warsaw, PL
10/17/11 Mon Carre Theater Amsterdam, NL
10/20/11 Thu Sentrum Scene Oslo, NO
10/21/11 Fri Royal Theatre Copenhagen, DK
10/24/11 Mon KKL Luzern Luzern, SWI
10/25/11 Tue Stadthalle Vienna, AUS
10/26/11 Wed Alte Oper Frankfurt, GER
10/28/11 Fri Koningin Elisabethzaal Antwerp, BEL
10/29/11 Sat Bozar Brussels, BEL
10/31/11 Mon Philharmonie Essen, GER
11/02/11 Wed Royal Albert Hall London, GB
11/04/11 Fri Manchester Apollo Manchester, GB
11/06/11 Sun Royal Concert Hall Glasgow, GB
11/08/11 Tue Waterfront Norwich, GB
11/09/11 Wed Grand Canal Theatre Dublin, IR

Tori Amos Tour Dates :: Tori Amos News