BBC: Why keep an ancient appliance?

After a national search, Digital UK claims to have found the oldest working television, made in 1936. But in a culture that sees everything as disposable, what makes us hold on to our appliances?

With its walnut veneer and Art Deco inlays, this 73-year-old television set was designed to be more than an appliance - it had to be an attractive piece of furniture to justify the space it took up, and its eye-watering price tag of 60 guineas (about £11,000 today).

Nor would its proud owners be able to spend all day glued to the box - back then, there was one channel, and two hours of programming a day.

But it was built to last and still works today, thanks in part to some jiggery-pokery with digital converters.

And now it has been named the oldest working TV set in the UK, after stiff competition from hundreds of entrants in a nationwide search by the National Media Museum and Digital UK.

Searches for the oldest TV, fridge, toaster, microwave, vacuum cleaner - delete as appropriate - typically throw up many challengers.

So why do people hang on to ancient appliances for so long?

It's definitely not because they're cheap to run. Older models drain energy faster than anything on the market today. And repairs are likely to be more expensive than the cost of a modern replacement.

No, it's down to something more important - loyalty.

Joan Archer's Kenwood Chef (top) and accompanying recipe book

Joan Archer bought her Kenwood Chef food mixer in the early 1960s and still uses it today for mixing stuffing, whenever she's preparing a roast chicken.

"I was first married in 1963 and either bought it that year, or the year after. It was from the Chorltons mail order catalogue, which eventually became Littlewoods, and if I remember correctly it cost me about £30."

The mixer became a trusted friend as Mrs Archer, 66 in August, turned out cakes and meals for her four children.

"It's never broken down. I've never needed a repair man or anything," she says, believing that build standards for such appliances have slackened over the years.

"I don't think more modern appliances are made to last. They don't seem to have the robustness about them," says Mrs Archer, of Jameston in Pembrokeshire.

Her loyalty is not that unusual. Among claimants to the various other oldest appliance titles are:

• 1931 fridge, bought second-hand for £7.50 in 1969 by Maureen and Alan Mace, of County Durham
• A 1963 washing machine, bought for £60 by Albert and Mabel Fletcher
• And a 1950s vacuum cleaner

Not bad, when a study by the National Association of Home Builders found you can only expect your gas cooker to last 15 years, clothes dryers and refrigerators for about 13, and dishwashers and microwave ovens for nine years.

This 1950s turntable would today be highly sought-after by collectors

It is an accepted rule that older appliances are better quality, says Richard Elliott, professor of marketing and consumer research at Bath university.

Manufacturers no longer build to last, so while modern devices fall into disrepair, older models continue to function beyond expectation.

And while durability is an inevitable factor in keeping a product, its associated memories are more important, says Mr Elliott.

"There is a lot of evidence that a particular item, whether a kitchen utensil or a toaster, is a carrier of meaning."

Not only does the owner trust its performance, it reminds them of the family member from whom they inherited it, or the occasion on which it was given as a present.

"Having a vintage piece may look like it's for fashion," says Mr Elliot. "But it's more likely to be an aunt or grandparent who owned it before."

He himself is the proud owner of an old fashioned measuring cup, kept as a reminder of his grandmother.

"It's still in ounces. It's one of the few things I have of hers, and I remember her using it every day."

Article as it appeared on BBC website. Full article can be found here. 

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BBC: Graveyard etiquette

Claims that tourists have been picnicking on a war grave in Scotland have prompted a hostile reaction from some. But what are the rules for behaviour at a burial ground?

How should you act where there are dead bodies under foot?

When it comes to visiting burial grounds, many people are unsure exactly what is suitable behaviour. While some attend to pay their respects or remember lost loved ones, many visit cemeteries and churchyards for less profound reasons - a leisurely walk, to take in the view or just out of curiosity.

There are codes of conduct - it's just not always clear what these are.

When, last month, a church in Wimbledon, south London, invited motorists to park in its grounds, pictures of cars tightly packed next to headstones prompted outrage in the press. This week, visitors to Culloden Battlefield, near Inverness, were criticised for picnicking where soldiers had died in the 18th Century.

I fear before long the cemeteries will become some sort of theme park for children's war games  Letter of complaint to CWGC Anger at 'war graves picnickers' Wimbledon fans park in graveyard

Burial ground etiquette is governed by a combination of convention, common sense and the law - both local and national.

The 1977 Local Authority Cemeteries' Order, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales, sets down some basic laws of conduct. Creating a disturbance in a churchyard, committing a nuisance, wilfully interfering with burials or graves, or playing games or sports, are all finable offences.

But the public are rarely aware of the order and, to complicate matters further, other rules are set out in by-laws - local laws that vary from place to place.

Even so, there has always been an underlying understanding - whether you're a mourning relative or just a visitor, says Peter Francis, spokesperson for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

Unruly children

"The correct behaviour almost dictates itself - most of it is common sense. Visitors are expected to be responsible, dignified and have a respectful manner," says Mr Francis.

St Mary's had offered the parking service for many years

The CWGC cares for hundreds of thousands of graves and encourages the act of remembrance. Mr Francis lumps playing football and having a picnic together as "inappropriate" behaviour when at a CWGC site. Whether "everyone knows" these rules, as he claims, could be up for debate.

Certainly, not everyone adheres to the unspoken guidelines. And the CWGC's current efforts to host school visits has not pleased everyone.

One recent letter to the commission complained: "[The children] ran about shouting and chasing each other around the graves and climbed all over the monument… I fear before long the cemeteries will become some sort of theme park for children's war games."

While games and dining are out - touching headstones and plaques is acceptable, says Mr Francis.

"[They] were made to be read and looked at - to commemorate lives. It is just a case of knowing when to draw the line."

But Lee Snashfold, director of Kensal Green Cemetery, in London, says the line between what is inappropriate or not changes with society's shifting values.

'Outrageous behaviour'

"There are three types of rules. Firstly the by-laws, secondly the cemetery regulations at each site," explains Mr Snashfold. "Then there are the rules of etiquette - common sense - that's anything that is an inconvenience to the people using the services."

A family was spotted leaning on a memorial eating scotch eggs

He cites the example of how changes to shop opening hours have had a knock-on effect on how people remember the deceased. Shops used to close mid-week, and families would take the time to visit dead relatives, says Mr Snashfold.

"I suppose there's been a shift away from the tradition, but the underlying expectations and respect is there. It may have eroded over the years, but it will always be there."

Sometimes, though, decorum has clearly been forgotten.

"I've seen some outrageous behaviour," says Mr Snashfold. "There was once a photographer and model who were taking photos without permission. He was clicking away as a service was going on."

Even those who might be expected to know the customs inside out, can find they have misjudged society's views. When, in June, St Mary's church in Wimbledon Village charged tennis fans £20 a day to park in its burial ground, it justified the decision by saying the graves were 200 years old or more. No living relatives would be offended, it said. It also gave the money to charities.

But faced with public distaste, the church called a swift halt to the scheme.

No matter how much time has elapsed it should not affect conduct, says Canon Tim Barker.

"Churchyards are still special places - consecrated ground - whether a grave is a year old or from the 1840s, whether there are living relatives or not."

Some churchyards do fall into a state of disrepair; in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, a town church has become an antiques centre. The surrounding graveyard is now used as a public area, so the accepted conduct is more lenient.

"If a churchyard is closed for burials it may affect the public's view," says Canon Barker. "But most people know it is still somewhere to be respected and naturally adapt their behaviour."


This article appeared on BBC News Magazine online here. 

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Stock still and stark naked

Models need to be fit to keep still for so long

Television viewers are getting a taste of how artists go about drawing life models with a series of classes on Channel 4. But what is it like to pose naked for art?

It's cold, all eyes are on you, and you're naked. It sounds like a recurring nightmare, but this was an everyday occurrence for life model Sarah Snee.  The artists don't view you sexually - they see the body as a series of lines and shadows, a piece of art  Sarah Snee Life model From Leonardo da Vinci to Lucian Freud, artists have always taken their inspiration from the human body by turning to life drawing to understand the naked form. While the painter may get all the attention, on the other side of the canvas is the lesser-known life model. Sarah started modelling when studying at Slade School of Fine Art, University College London. As a student strapped for cash the allure of making money modelling for art was too much to resist. But there was another motivation - self exploration. "I was intrigued by the idea of being naked in front of strangers," says Sarah. "Especially at the age of 20 when you're still getting to know your own body and developing your own sexuality. It was a very romantic idea, a bohemian idea." Artist's gaze Sarah can recall the first time she modelled, as she met the eyes of the students posed to draw her, she felt self-conscious. Her mind raced with questions. "My first time was daunting. I was wondering what people thought of my body. Was I attractive enough? Did my bum look big? The things most people would be concerned with. The art world is littered with famous nudes "I had just got back from holiday and I felt like I'd put on lots of weight. I thought I can't do this, what had I been thinking? But then I realised what I felt was only natural. From then I relaxed and it was easier." Despite being under the intense scrutiny of a room full of pupils, male and female, Sarah found she quickly became used to being under the artist's gaze. "It made me feel more confident about my body. I felt liberated. I feel more self-conscious wearing a bikini on holiday with friends than I did when I was naked in front of strangers. "For me it was a means to channel that exhibitionism. I quite liked getting naked in front of strangers. I find it quite exhilarating, you're the centre of attention and you're enabling people to be creative." When Sarah decided to become a life model people were intrigued. "I think some guys liked it. It was a good line to use as a student meeting people in bars. It got people interested and I definitely got a few boyfriends from it." HISTORY OF LIFE DRAWING 1st Century AD: Roman philosopher Pliny tells of Zeuxis viewing women naked and selecting five to combine to paint an ideal image 1487: Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, depicts naked male form as proportionate 1580s: Carraci's art school in Bologna focuses on life drawing 1700s: Students in Jacques-Louis David's studio must master drawing Some artists see drawing from observation as the pinnacle of the practice, allowing a chance to capture the essence of the form, recreating it in a way that copying a photograph just cannot compare to. According to artist Alan Kane, life drawing has become less fashionable. Kane, the man behind the Channel 4 series, Life Class: Today's Nude, says life modelling should be viewed as "educational and non-sexualised nudity". However, life modelling has gained some dodgy associations, Sarah explains. "People say to me isn't life modelling really weird? Isn't it a bit sexual? Of course there are men who have this idea they're all going to draw these naked women and it's going to be thrilling. "But the artists don't view you sexually. They see the body as a series of lines and shadows, a piece of art." Depicting anatomy has been a valued skill for centuries Perhaps a more pressing issue for the typical life model is the cold. "There's a heater normally, but the worst place was the freezing Canvas Gallery in Islington [in north London]," says Sarah. "They had a gas burner and it blew towards you, it was a little scary. I was paranoid about it blowing up." As if catching a chill wasn't enough, posing can also be physically challenging. You have to be very fit to remain motionless. "I think I've got thread veins [small blood vessels near the surface of the skin] prematurely from modelling because you are cutting off the blood supply over long lengths of time. "I used to get extreme pain, some poses were just agonising. Imagine sitting down and resting on your hand, twisting slightly to the right. There's pain in your wrist, pain in your buttocks and the lower back from the pressure." There are always bad experiences, but life as a model can also be rewarding. One artist sold paintings of Sarah in a Paris show. A painting was bought by a top buyer, and is currently displayed alongside a Vermeer in the French capital. With her image holding pride of place in Paris, Sarah feels part of her will live on beyond her years. "It's nice to think there's a little bit of me that will survive out there somewhere. It's lovely to think my image is out there bringing people happiness." This article appeared on BBC Magazine Online here.

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Passengers that saved the day

When an emergency strikes, who are you going to call? You could do worse - much worse - than an off-duty doctor/engineer/pilot (delete according to the nature of your plight).

Doug White had to take control relying only on his rusty skills

It is like something from a boys' own adventure. A plane breaks down. The engineer is delayed. So a passenger offers to fix it. Good thing he turns out to be an engineer.

This is what happened on a Thomas Cook flight from Menorca, grounded by a mechanical fault until an engineer could be flown out from the UK. From the ranks of the stranded holidaymakers stepped a qualified aircraft engineer, who repaired the fault and spared everyone an excruciatingly long delay.

This holiday hero is the latest in a line of off-duty experts who find their skills - however rusty these might be - come in handy in a time of need.

PASSENGER LANDS PLANE

The airliner was fixed by one of the passengers

A pilot is the best person to land a plane. But if the pilot is incapacitated, an amateur enthusiast is better than no pilot at all.

In April, passenger Doug White took the controls when the pilot collapsed during a charter flight home to Louisiana.

While Mr White held a pilot's licence, he hadn't used it for 18 years and had never flown this type of plane. So he told his family to "pray hard", and asked air traffic control for help.

With step-by-step instructions, he managed to land the plane safely. While understandably afraid, he says what he felt was "focused fear; I was in some kind of a zone that I can't explain".

IS THERE A DOCTOR ON BOARD?

Heart attacks. Fainting spells. Unexpected labour pains. Not what one would want to experience while cruising at 40,000 feet with little more than the on-board first aid kit and plastic cutlery to hand.

Would anybody die because of my perhaps inadequate medical skills?  Psychiatrist Steven Moffic

So when a flight attendant suddenly asks "Is there a doctor on board?" the hope is that the answer is "yes".

While travelling home from a holiday in India, a stewardess asked Dr H Steven Moffic to help when a fellow passenger fell ill with abdominal pains.

Dr Moffic, a psychiatrist, says he broke out in a cold sweat - especially as the plane was flying over frozen tundra, far from any medical facilities, at the time.

"Very briefly I hesitated. It's the biggest fear I have as a psychiatrist. Would anybody die because of my perhaps inadequate medical skills?

"Then the old reflex from internship years seemed to take over, and off I went."

Suspecting appendicitis, there was little Dr Moffic could do other than sit with the man to provide comfort until the plane made an emergency landing in Chicago.

Heart attack

In-flight medical events are becoming more common, according to a study published in The Lancet in February, as bigger planes stretch out journey distances, and more passengers with pre-existing conditions take to the air and perhaps suffer in the cabin's artificial atmosphere.

Dorothy Fletcher wasn't short of medics to help her

In 2004, when 67-year-old Dorothy Fletcher suffered a mid-flight heart attack, the call went out for expert assistance. Not one, but 15 cardiologists rose to their feet. The party had been travelling together for a conference.

Then there are the babies born mid-flight. Two years ago a Brazilian woman who didn't know she was pregnant went into labour.

Also on board was an Australian obstetrician, who delivered the little girl on the floor between the toilets and the food preparation area, equipped with only a basic first aid kit and an emergency oxygen mask.

FAMOUS FIRE FIGHTER

Paul Dadge helps out

Four years ago when rush-hour London was rocked by four bomb attacks, passengers and passers-by pitched in to help emergency workers.

One of the most recognisably images from that day was of a man helping a woman in a burn mask across the street - Paul Dadge, a former retained fire fighter, who happened to be walking past Edgware Rd Tube station as the first casualties emerged.

He helped set up an emergency centre at a nearby Marks and Spencer, and spent much of the day with the walking wounded, filling out triage cards and helping evacuate the casualties during a subsequent security alert.

Trained in first-aid, Mr Dadge says instinct played a big part. "I just happened to be on the spot and I did what I could to help."

JIM'LL FIX IT

Sir Jimmy Savile wearing the police jacket. Picture: Howard Silverman

Sometimes no specialist training is needed, just a dash of have-a-go spirit.

Last August veteran broadcaster Sir Jimmy Savile fixed it for motorists when he stepped in to direct traffic after a road accident near his penthouse home.

Sir Jimmy had been on his way to dinner in Leeds when his car narrowly avoided a collision with a Mercedes. The Merc then collided with another car head-on, and Sir Jimmy jumped out of his own vehicle.

The 81-year-old began directing traffic around the wreckage. When the emergency services arrived, a police officer gave him a hi-vis jacket and told him to keep up the good work. Those years fronting road safety campaigns perhaps came in handy.

This article appeared on the BBC on 8 July 2009 here. 

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