Table of contents for 08-Oct-2020 in Chat

What do you get if you multiply the opus number of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony by the year of its debut performance? Fit these numbers into the grid. One number doesn’t fit. This is the prize answer. 3 digits 119 134 164 272 282 364 388 463 691 833 4 digits 1781 4195 5367 6324 6950 7633 8094 8138 8668 8995 5 digits 17766 23225 46623 51616 61513 62484 62820 72647 73649 76513 95337 96101 6 digits 121136 675411 716517 733188 814727 818897 962761 986332 7 digits 3127637 7136179 8551787 8 digits 65349904 WIN £250 Puzzle 2 Your answer:…

Crying with happiness, my dad Dave, then 74, enveloped me in a hug. ‘Congratulations, love!’ he beamed. ‘Another baby in the family,’ my mum Sue, 68, joined in, glowing. It was December 2018 and we were celebrating my first pregnancy. My partner Jonathan had a six-year-old son. Our baby was the latest to join the Crease brigade. See, I’m the youngest of eight. That meant I’d already got 21 nieces and nephews, plus five greatnieces and nephews, too! A huge, close family. And Mum and Dad were always at the centre of it all. Growing up, I watched in awe as they both worked hard to make sure we were all supported. Dad as a gas man, Mum juggling various jobs. Living in London, we always loved a trip to…

Crossing the finish line of the London marathon, I felt I could conquer the world. My life was so full. Running, singing in a choir, weekends spent on long walks out in the countryside… But in October 2018, I started coming down with chest infections. Weeks of constant pain. And, despite taking steroid tablets to treat it, it just kept coming back. In December 2018, I was hospitalised after a serious asthma attack. ‘Something’s not right,’ I told my husband. And by the time I got home, I could barely walk up the stairs without needing a rest. Couldn’t even pick up our one-year-old daughter – such a simple task, yet exhausting. My body was sapped of energy. I felt worse than when I was on maternity leave and in…

In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, what is the name of the pleasure-inducing drug widely used by citizens of the World State? Solve the crossword, then read down the yellow squares. The yellow-shaded squares will spell out the prize answer. ACROSS 1 Bag in which money is kept (5) 4 1917 director _ Mendes (3) 5 Mate, buddy (3) DOWN 1 Send a letter (4) 2 Sloping surfaces (5) 3 Model and actor _ Ratajkowski (5) Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Top tip Ready-made curry paste makes this a recipe a doddle. Chicken korma A mild and fragrant dish with flavours of coconut and almond SERVES: 2 PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOK TIME: 25 MINS 1tbsp oil25g unsalted butter1 onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove, crushed1 thumb ginger, grated3tbsp korma paste2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks100g canned chopped tomatoes125g coconut yogurt25g ground almonds1 pack Tilda Pure Steamed Basmati 1Heat the oil and butter in a large pan, add the onions, garlic and ginger, and fry for about 5 mins to soften. Add the korma paste and cook for 1 min. 2Add the chicken and fry until sealed and slightly browned, followed by the chopped tomatoes and 100ml water and cook, uncovered, for 15 mins. 3Add the coconut yogurt and almonds and…

Hello again, You won’t remember me, but I think about you all the time. About that day in the autumn of 1982. I was 11 and came home from school with plans to curl up in front of cartoons with a hot chocolate. Instead, I found my mum, slumped on the living room floor. It wasn’t that unusual. She was an alcoholic. I’d often come home to find her incoherent or passed out on the couch. But something about this time was different. As I approached her, I noticed pills strewn around her body. Mum!’ I cried, shaking her. She was in and out of consciousness. ‘Let me phone you an ambulance,’ I begged. ‘Don’t you dare,’ she snapped back. Over the years, Mum had been both verbally and physically…

After more than 12 hours of deliberations, over two days, the 12-person jury decided that William Dabbs did not intentionally kill Larry Modena. This February, they found him not guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated assault, but guilty of manslaughter and fleeing or attempting to elude, and improper display of a firearm. Larry’s wife Roberta Modena said after the trial, ‘If need be that we come again, we’ll come again, I’m never ever going to stop fighting for Larry and getting his name cleared and justice for him. ‘My goal is to have Paulie serve the time for the crime that he did,’ she added, referring to Dabbs. Roberta had previously called her husband ‘Prince Charming’ and the ‘love of her life’. Judge Joseph Marx sentenced Dabbs to 30 years behind…

World health More than 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, but survival rates are increasing, too, thanks to earlier diagnosis and better treatments. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, sign up to Breast Cancer Now’s Wear It Pink day (23 October) to help raise vital funds. Visit wearitpink.org Cut down on TV Telly addicts can improve their health by spending less time in front of the box, according to a new study. Scientists at the University of Glasgow found that limiting TV time to two hours or less per day could reduce the risk of developing serious diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. ‘TV time is just one of a number of sedentary behaviours, which also includes watching videos on your phone, that may all contribute to adverse…

Q My eyes look tired all the time. I get plenty of sleep but my dark circles are really noticeable. What are my options? Andrea Stamatakis, 47, Wirral A Dark circles are a universal beauty bugbear. As we age, skin gets thinner, so it’s easier to see dilated veins under our eyes, which show up as dark circles. A hyaluronic acid cream like Cerave Eye Repair Cream, £10.99, superdrug.com, will plump skin and lessen transparency. Vitamin C is another great brightening ingredient. Used in Superfacialist Vitamin C+ Brighten Dark Circles Eye Cream, £14.99, boots.com, it boosts collagen to pad out the delicate skin. Neutralise the blue-ish tint with a peachy concealer, like NYX Dark Circle Concealer, £7.50, nyxcosmetics.co.uk. Apply in an upside-down triangle below the lower lashline, then blend with…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 Who does British broadcaster Clare Balding say gave her the best piece of advice she has ever received? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS 11 Stranger Things actor, _ Ryder (6) 12 Decorative objects (9) 13 Highest point (4) 14 Actor who played Ned Stark in Game of Thrones (4,4) 15 Bert’s friend in children’s TVseries Sesame Street (5) 16 Get away (6) 17 Scold (4,3) 18 See-through (11) 20 Number of colours in a rainbow (5) 22 French breakfast pastry (9) 24 Emma _, La La Land actor (5) 28 Condiment often put on chips (7) 29 Nordic island nation in the Atlantic Ocean (7) 32 Edge of a page (6) 34…

I have to run to the loo after food! Q Immediately after eating a meal, I have to run for a poo. It’s embarrassing! What’s wrong? Natalie, south London AIt’s your gastrocolic reflex! Eating a meal stretches your stomach, which triggers muscles in your rectum and colon – the lower part of your bowel – to squeeze and empty. It’s a normal reflex, and probably evolved to clear space in your bowel when you eat. But, in some people, the reflex is overactive, usually due to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It can be inconvenient and embarrassing, with abdominal cramps, bloating and diarrhoea besides the urgent need to rush to the loo. Drugs including bowel relaxants and antidepressants can help – not because you’re depressed, but because they reduce the gastrocolic…

COTTAGE KILLINGS On 12 January 1977, escaped convict Billy Hughes (right) took a family hostage in their Peak District home, Pottery Cottage. Arthur Minton; his wife Amy; their daughter Gill; her husband Richard Moran, and their daughter Sarah, 10, were held at knife-point. Hughes killed them all except Gill. After 55 hours, she was able to alert her neighbours, who called the police. Hughes fled with Gill on a high-speed police chase before he was shot dead by officers. BATTLE OF LEWISHAM Hundreds of members of far-right group the National Front set off from New Cross, London, in a march to Lewisham town centre on 13 August 1977. The demonstration led to violent clashes with both the police and counter-protesters. Around 200 people were arrested and more than 100 injured.…

His kids are scroungers Q I’ve been with a lovely man for eight months, and we’re planning a future together. Trouble is, I don’t like his kids – he has three, I have two. My kids are no angels, but they live on their own, work and have their own lives. His, in their 30s, don’t work and always ask for money. We rely on pensions, but he struggles to do anything as he’s never paid back. I suggested they work, but he said I was overstepping. I don’t want a partnership involving his scrounging kids. How do I strike up the conversation again? Eleanor, 65 ACome on, he already told you you’re overstepping. You’re an outsider looking in, but this is his decision, with his children. Keep your mouth shut or you…

3 ways to… build up your rainy day fund It’s more important than ever to have a pot of emergency savings. So if you need to get started, here’s how to do it… 1 How much do you need? It’s important to build up an emergency savings fund to prepare for the unexpected, whether that’s your car breaking down or a drop in income. A rough guide of the ideal sum to have is the amount you’d need to cover three months’ essential outgoings. So if you spend £1,000 a month on your mortgage or rent, food, bills and other things you can’t live without, aim for £3,000 in emergency savings. 2 How much can you save? Work out how much you can save each month. Go through your income…

Aries 21 March-20 April There’s a work meeting, as colleagues feel under pressure and are getting anxious. Help out with some suggestions. Company news may be beneficial. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May If you’re struggling to get through your chores, make a rota and stick to the times you’ve allowed for each task. You’ll see how well everything comes together. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June You relish the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Although you can feel lonely at times, you’re happy with your own company. Look for similar friends. Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July A friend needs advice and assistance with a new job. Plus you find yourself in the…

From the moment little Andrew Freund Jr was born, on 14 October 2013, he suffered at the hands of his mother. JoAnn Cunningham, then 30, had taken heroin during her pregnancy – and baby Andrew, or AJ as his family called him, cried constantly and suffered with tremors. His body was withdrawing from his mother’s drugs. At just days old, the doctors gave AJ morphine to alleviate his symptoms and he spent the first month of his life in hospital. Afterwards, he lived with his mum and dad Andrew Freund, then 53, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA. Andrew was also using drugs, addicted to alcohol, cocaine and painkillers. JoAnn’s own mother Lori Hughes, who already cared for her daughter’s teenage son, begged social services not to let AJ go home…

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS 20 OCTOBER 2020 (Three days later for postal entries HOW TO ENTER TEXT Simply text CHATD followed by a space and your answer/s (spaces between answers please) full name, door number and postcode to Texts cost 50p plus standard network charge (maximum 160 characters per text). When you enter by text, you may in future get SMS marketing messages from Future plc and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with OPTIN. Texting tips Don’t put any spaces in an answer that has several words: eg: CHATISTHEBEST not CHAT IS THE BEST. If the answer is a name, you need only give the surname: eg: CLOONEY not GEORGE CLOONEY. You can use capitals or small letters, but don’t use any…

Chat winners issue 28 (9 July 2020) £1,001 CASH A Feltham, Portsmouth £1,000 CASH A Smith, Bovey Tracey £500 CASH G Lesley, Manchester; S Elsey, Bognor Regis £250 CASH I Pearson, Bourne. £150 CASH S Bailey, Norwich. £100 CASH G Powell, Deal; G Owen, Oswestry; L Scott, Derby; D Crawford, Swadlincote; J Price, Birmingham. £60 CASH N Gillard, Nottingham. £50 CASH S Devlin, Birmingham; S Holmes, Liverpool; S McMonegal, Southsea. £30 CASH L Sheppard, Farnham; C Knight, Dewsbury; D Pepperell, Bude; M Oxberry, Canterbury; C McGarry, Prescot. £25 CASH D Finch, Bisley; A Johnson, Halesworth; J Hussain, Great Yarmouth; D Witherall, Benfleet; M Thornton, Newcastle upon Tyne; R Truman, Alvaston; P Barnes, Chorley; C Symes, Newport; D Deller, Nottingham. Anyone from your town in the list this week..? PUZZLE 2…