After three long weeks of competition in Thailand, the season concluded with five down-to-the-wire finals as BWF World Tour Finals champions were crowned. Re-live the day's action and reaction.

Welcome to the Olympic Channel live blog from Finals Day at the BWF World Tour Finals for the 2020 season in Bangkok, Thailand.

All times are Bangkok local time (GMT + 7 hours). If you missed any of the action as Tai Tzu-ying and Anders Antonsen claimed the singles titles, as well as from the three doubles finals, you can catch up below.

Watch the finals of the HSBC BWF Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 in Bangko...

What a day of badminton it has been.

Indeed, what a week or three weeks of badminton. Credit to the BWF and Thailand for successfully pulling off this bubble and three well-run tournaments.

The hosts have something to celebrate at the end of it all with Dechapol and Sapsiree winning the country's first Finals crown.

"I feel very happy and proud to be Thai," Sapsiree said. "Today we knew we could do it and have more confidence going forward. We will try our best at the next one too."

We were also treated to great performances in all five categories over the last three weeks.

This concludes the 2020 season, with the players due to begin the new World Tour season with the Swiss Open in Basel from 2-7 March.

Thanks for joining us this past week and see you soon! In the meantime, don't forget to check out all our badminton coverage on Olympic Channel.

The Thais gain match point after Dechapol deals well with a quick return at the net.

Unfortunately for them, Seo and Chae haven't really given a good account of themselves in this deciding game.

A looping shot from Dechapol to the far court and Chae sets up a hard return, but only into the net! Hosts Thailand have won a title!

Score: Seo/Chae 18-21, 21-8, 8-21 Dechapol/Sapsiree

Some words from the beaten men's singles finallist, Viktor Axelsen:

"I wouldn't say I'm as satisfied with my game as I have been the other days. There were way too many mistakes and bad decisions. I think mentally I've used up a lot of energy. Anders played really well and I want to congratulate him. It wasn't for me today, but I can still look back at a great three weeks."

11-2 in just nine minutes of this decider.

It's a long road back for Seo and Chae from here.

Well, well, well.

The Thais are out to a 7-1 lead in this decider. What has happened to Seo and Chae?

A 43-shot rally, the longest of the match, is won by the Thais as Dechapol smashes it just beyond Chae's reach.

Great play from the Thais.

Score: 18-21, 21-8, 1-3

If anything, it's Dechapol who's struggling more of the Thai pair, not Sapsiree.

Seo and Chae are controlling the rhythm and they're enjoying their badminton right now.

Game point up for the Koreans and Dechapol tamely returns the serve into the net.

Score: 18-21, 21-8

This is odd. Seo and Chae are not really under any pressure here from the Thais.

Is Sapsiree's hand giving her issues?

That's the interval. The Koreans lead by eight points.

Score: 18-21, 11-3

Anders Antonsen can't quite believe he's beaten Viktor Axelsen.

"I'm shocked and I'm so, so happy of course. It's overwhelming, I didn't expect to go all the way. It's amazing to get a title as big as this one. It's hard to process and I don't even know what to say. I've had a tough month, things have not been working well for me and I've been struggling a lot, so to win here is unreal."

A powerful smash from Dechapol is seen off by Chae. Sapsiree's return looks like it's going out, but Seo plays it and only finds the net.

Game to the Thais.

Score: 18-21

Runners-up at the 2019 world champs Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Youth Olympi...

Sapsiree is getting a cut on her right hand tended to.

The Thais are on game point.

Here we go six straight points for Seo and Chae.

All square at 18-18.

The Thais have strengthened their grip on this match and Seo/Chae look a bit lost right now.

A shot goes long from the Koreans and Dechapol/Sapsiree are up big.

Score: 12-18

It's Dechapol and Sapsiree ahead at the interval though as they string together a good series of points.

Score: 8-11

Seo and Chae have started well, and are looking bright. But the home pair no doubt cheered on by millions on TV are keeping things close.

Score: S/C 6-5 D/S

We've got one last match to wrap up the championships, Seo/Chae (KOR) v Dechapol/Sapsiree (THA) a re-match of their group stage meeting, which the Koreans won.

Dechapol and Sapsiree beat Seo and Chae in last week's Toyota Thailand Open final. Can Seo/Chae overturn that result?

Along with collecting his runner-up medal and trophies, Axelsen is receiving a prize for the best men's player through this Asian Leg of BWF World tour events.

Quick net play results in Axelsen sending a lazy-looking return wide and he walks away in disgust.

Antonsen sinks to his knees and lets out a big roar. Second game aside, he played well.

Score: Axelsen 16-21, 21-5, 17-21 Antonsen

Axelsen took a 17-16 lead but Antonsen has pegged him back.

Great flick of the wrist to hit a cross-court shot Axelsen couldn't get to.

Now it's championship point for Antonsen.

The world number three is hoping to tie his career head-to-head with Axelsen at 3-3 (Axelsen leads 3-2).

Axelsen, bronze medallist at the Rio 2016 Olympics, still trails in the decider but he's closed the gap to 14-15.

They've swapped sides on court now at the interval in the third game.

Antonsen is 11-8 up.

This is better from the world no. 3, who's put that second game behind him.

That was a very weird performance in the second game but he doesn't seem hurt and he's forcing a nervous Axelsen into mistakes.

Antonsen ahead by three.

Score: 16-21, 21-5, 6-9

"Finally, I won. When I can remain calm and patient, I can win the game. In the end it was a tight game and I was tired and happy at the same time. For every match, I hope I can be patient in my style of play, so before this match today I kept telling myself that I had to play patiently."

Well Antonsen really had no answer there.

Axelsen blitzes through in less than 10 minutes. Is Antonsen hurt?

Score: 16-21, 21-5

Well this is a turn-up for the books. Antonsen has lost his concentration, perhaps?

Two failed video challenges in a row as well. They seemed like desperate challenges.

Axelsen is up by 10 at the towel break in this second game.

Score: 16-21, 11-1

An audacious between-the-legs shot from Antonsen and although Axelsen does well to recover, he loses the point.

Antonsen then takes the next point but loses a video review on game point.

On Axelsen's serve, however, Antonsen hits a forehand smash winner to take the first game.

Score: 16-21

Unlike the women's singles final, while this match is close, it's notably of a slightly lower quality.

Both men look nervous and neither wants to go on the aggressive. Too many errors.

Score: 14-17

Axelsen slips at the net and Antonsen hits an easy winner to take the lead.

A return from Axelsen off Antonsen's service goes long and the world no. 3 leads at the interval.

Score: 9-11

Antonsen is actually the higher-ranked player in the world rankings, at third compared to Axelsen's fourth.

Both men will be innately aware of the other's strengths and weaknesses as Danish teammates.

Early on in this first game and it's level.

Score: 7-7

Time for an all-Danish men's singles final between Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen.

Marn and Tai are on the verge. Aggressive from both. This looks like it's going long from Tai

But it's in! Marn left it thinking it was out but it lands in bounds and the Chinese Taipei world number 1 has her third Finals tournament title!

Score: Tai 14-21, 21-8, 21-19 Marn

Tai, who was five points back at one point, has match point as Marn can't deal with a drop shot!

19-19! Marn with an unforced error, returning into the net.

Wow!

Marn pulls a great save out of the bag on another long rally and she's two points away.

Marn gets a verbal warning from the chair umpire as the game starts to slip back in the other direction.

Tai is growing in confidence.

Score: 14-21, 21-8, 15-17

Some words from Tai's compatriot Wang Chi-lin, one half of the winning men's doubles pair from earlier.

See the article here:

AS IT HAPPENED - BWF World Tour Finals, Day 5: Finals day in Bangkok - Olympic Channel

No one is invincible as Carolina Marin and Viktor Axelsen fall in the final. Men's doubles pair Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin clinch three titles in a row.

After three consecutive weeks of world class badminton, the back-to-back tournaments in Bangkok concluded with the World Tour Finals to bring an end to the delayed 2020 season.

The earlier Super 1000 Thailand Open double headers had seen four repeat winners over a fortnight of action, with Viktor Axelsen, Carolina Marin, men's doubles pair Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin as well as mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai go into the season finale unbeaten.

However only Lee and Wang were able to remain unbeaten after all fifteen played in Bangkok. Anders Antonsen clinched his maiden World Tour Finals title, while Tai Tzu Ying finally beat Marin the third time of asking in Thailand to seal her third season ending honours.

South Korea' women's double pair of Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan reminded us that comebacks are possible while Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai appeased the home fans when they became the first Thai players in history to win the season ending tournament.

Here's what we learnt from the 2020 BWF World Tour Finals.

When Viktor Axelsen won both the preceding Super 1000 tournaments, he seemed in a league of his own. None of the players he faced were able to match the Dane on court as he finished off his rivals effortlessly.

During the course of three weeks he beat the likes of Jonatan Christie, Lee Zii Jia, Anthony Ginting and Chou Tien Chen, winning most of his matches in straight sets. Coming back from ankle surgery it is safe to say the Dane has raised his game and it will be great to see him take on the likes of Momota Kento, Shi Yuqi and Chen Long in his current form.

Axelsen's was one win shy of a clean sweep in Bangkok but was denied only by his compatriot Anders Antonsen. The 23-year-old who finished runners-up at the 2019 world championship has also seemed to find another level in his game over the period of lockdown in 2020.

Having won the Danish Open last October, he's now added a maiden World Tour Finals title under his belt. Antonsen is capable of beating the world's best as he proved by beating Momota to clinch the 2019 Indonesian Masters title. If he can work on his consistency throughout a tournament, he will be a serious contender for a medal at Tokyo 2020.

Have a listen to what both Antonsen and Axelsen had to say after their match below:

Two year ago, Carolina Marin collapsed on court with a torn ACL. Fast forward to the present and she won both the Thailand Open tournaments and was only one win away from clinching the World Tour Finals title. What a remarkable turnaround.

For the Spaniard who was only played a handful of tournaments since returning from injury, she was sent a clear warning to her rivals that her game is even better than before. In her three weeks in Bangkok, Marin convincingly trounced most of her opposition without even losing a game in either of the Super 1000 events.

The 27-year-old made winning look easy as she saw off seasoned tour veterans and fresh young talent alike. Rising star's like Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong and South Korean teenager An Se Young got a taste of what they are up against if they want to challenge Marin for her crown.

But even the triple-world champion showed she is only human. After playing their third final in a row, Marin fell to Tai Tzu Ying and will have to wait another season for a chance to clinch her maiden World Tour Final title. Nonetheless, Marin was upbeat about her month-long stay in Bangkok as you can hear below.

Tai meanwhile has given the rest of the field hope that there is a way through Marin's armour. But it took the Chinese Taipei player three tries to finally clinch victory in Thailand.

She will leave Bangkok with a clearer picture of what is needed to ensure that she can challenge for the title at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Meanwhile, reigning world Champion PV Sindhu has a dismal outing which included a first round defeat in the opening tournament. The Indian was a shadow of her former self on court, and has acknowledged that she will need to go away and dig deep if she wants to improve on her silver medal from Rio 2016.

Likewise, we got the sense that there is a lot more to come from the junior players on the circuit. Most notably from Chochuwong. The 23-year-old was thrust under the spotlight when she defeated her idol and senior, Ratchanok Intanon on the opening day of the World Tour Finals. She then went on to beat veteran Tai the following day to qualify for the semi-finals. Although she was beaten by Marin in the semis, the future of Thailand's women's singles seems bright.

Similarly for South Korea's An Se Young. At only eighteen years of age, she managed to reach the semi-finals of all three tournaments, displaying tremendous skill and consistency that was noticeably missing from some of the more senior women on tour. With such remarkable results, both An and Chochuwong have announced their arrival as serious title contenders.

Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin completed the perfect outing in Thailand, clinching both the Super 1000 and World Tour Finals titles on offer.

The Chinese Taipei pairing faced some serious opposition along the way and still managed to remain undefeated in all fifteen matches in Bangkok.

Missing from the field in Thailand were the world number one pairing of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo from Indonesia, as well as the top Japanese pairs, but that should not take off any of the shine from their victories.

Lee and Wang have certainly taken their game to a higher level and were able to beat reigning world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan which is never an easy feat. They explain the interview below how watching plenty of videos of the Indonesian veterans helped them to emerge victorious over their idols.

South Korea's World Tour Finals winners Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan will leave Bangkok with a lot more confidence than when they arrived.

The pair ousted their teammates Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong to the title, avenging the defeat they suffered at the hands of their compatriots in the second Thailand Open final.

With a title a piece, the pairs will have grown in their self-belief that they can take on the likes of Japanese reigning world champions Matsumoto Mayu and Nagahara Wakana as well as Fukushima Yuki and Hirota Sayaka who have hogged the top spots of the ranking.

Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu who beat Lee and Shin to the opening title on offer in Bangkok, have also shown that they can rise to the occasion and will leave Thailand knowing which areas they need to focus on before that important flight to Japan this July.

Home heroes Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai lived up to their billing as the tournament favourites by bagging all three titles on offer.

The Thai pair proved they can handle the pressure and despite losing their final group stage match, Puavaranukroh and Taerattanachai turned it on when they needed to make a clean sweep of the titles on offer. And if you need more proof, have a watch of their Play of the Day below.

While we were deprived of seeing world number one and double world champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong in action here in Bangkok, undoubtedly they would have been watching the field of contenders looking to topple them from the top spot with a keen eye.

Now retired Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir clinched gold for Indonesia at Rio 2016, and the results in Bangkok has shown that the current hopefuls of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti as well as Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to have any hopes of retaining the Olympic title for their country.

Read the rest here:

Badminton: What we learned from the 2020 World Tour Finals - Olympic Channel

FLUFFY TRADITIONAL BREAD

JIE BAKERY

Once you have tasted old-school handmade bread, it is hard to go back to those churned out by machine.

Jie Bakery (Tai Seng) makes its bread from scratch daily.

Go for the miniature traditional brown bread loaf ($1.70 for eight slices). It is so soft, it feels almost like cotton candy. When toasted, it turns out crisp, light and airy. Or make ice cream sandwiches with the miniature rainbow bread loaf ($1.70 for eight slices).

These two types of bread are available from 2.15 to 10.30pm.

Get spreads to go with the bread. The kaya ($1.70 for 180g) is not too sweet, and the peanut butter ($2.20 for 180g) is runny in texture, but filled with the natural flavour and aroma of peanuts.

The bakery also offers buns with fillings, such as Chicken Ham & Cheese Bun ($1.30) and Chicken Sausage Bun ($1.30). The Curry Potato Bun ($1.30), which has slivers of chicken meat, is slightly spicy.

For non-meat fillings, you can go for the Sweet Potato Bun ($1.20) and Brown Sugar Coconut Bun ($1.20), a favourite among regular customers.

The cloud-like texture of each bun comes from kneading the dough by hand after a round of mixing by machine. Each bun is made by hand.

Buns are made in two batches daily - the first is completed at 11.15am and the second at 4.15pm.

WHERE Jie Bakery (Tai Seng), 123 Upper Paya Lebar Road MRT Tai Seng OPEN 7am to 10.30pm daily TEL 9823-9829

PU TIEN YA ZHONG XIAO CHI

Pu Tien Ya Zhong Xiao Chi, a coffee-shop stall in Rangoon Road, offers plenty of bang for the buck. Portions are generous and the quality of ingredients is better than what you would expect for the prices.

Order the Fried Lychee Pork ($6). On the menu, this dish is stated in English as Sweet & Sour Pork, but make sure you let the boss, Madam Weng Cui Jin, know you want the lychee pork fried without gravy.

The dish's name comes from the pieces of curled fried pork that resemble lychee, but there is none of the fruit in the dish. Pork collar is pounded with a cleaver and the batter, made up of mainly cornflour, has a powdery crispness.

The stall uses fresh seafood such as prawns and clams in its Lor Mee ($4 for small, $6 for medium and $8 for large). The Stir-fried Clams ($8) are fresh, well-cleaned and tasty.

The Fried Kailan With Dried Beancurd ($6 for small, $8 for medium) is an excellent example of the wok skills of the chef, Mr Zhang Jian Zhong. He and his wife, Madam Weng, both 63 and from Putian, China, started the stall in 2004.

The Fried Pig Intestine ($8) has an impressive mix of ingredients - leek, winter bamboo shoots and celery - for its price.

Every piece of vegetable is fried to tasty crunchiness. The rings of pig intestine are perfectly tender and springy, although the offal odour is too overpowering for me.

WHERE Pu Tien Ya Zhong Xiao Chi, Stall 4, 97 Rangoon Road MRT Farrer Park OPEN 11am to 10pm daily

HONG KONG STREET OLD CHUN KEE

Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee is launching an a la carte zi char buffet promotion at its Makansutra Gluttons Bay outlet. It will be available on Wednesdays from Feb 10 to March 31.

For $29 a person (a minimum of four diners is required), you have a choice of 10 dishes.

The standouts are Guitar Chickenand Fish Maw Hor Fun. For the Guitar Chicken and Chilli Crab or Black Pepper Crab, each table can order only once. The other dishes are available free flow.

For the Guitar Chicken, the meat is deboned, flattened and marinated for three hours to infuse it with the prawn paste, and then fried in a bamboo basket. The chicken stays crispy for at least half an hour after it is served.

Despite its name, the Fish Maw Hor Fun has no fish maw. Hor fun is dipped in beaten egg and deep-fried to golden crispness. The puffed-up noodles, which resemble fried fish maw or fried pork skin in texture, are doused in a thick glossy gravy.

The other dishes are Hong Kong Steamed Seabass, Bittergourd Black Bean Sauce Pork Ribs, Homemade Prawn Roll, White Boiled Prawns, Lohan Zai, Deep-fried Long Beans In Olive Vegetable Sauce, Thai-style Fried Tofu, and Chilli Crab or Black Pepper Crab.

Reservations are required. For takeaway orders, only one set of the 10 dishes will be included.

WHERE Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee, Makansutra Gluttons Bay, 8 Raffles Avenue MRT Esplanade WHEN The zi char buffet promotion is available on Wednesdays from Feb 10 to March 31; Feb 10: 5 to 7pm; Feb 17 to March 31: 5 to 7pm, 8 to 10.30pm TEL To book, call 8710-0511 from noon to 4.30pm

Correction note: This article has been edited to accurately reflect which dishes can be ordered only once at Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee's buffet promotion. We are sorry for the error.

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Friyay!: What to eat, Food News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

James Kon

Members of the public were awestruck by the 12 martial arts performances at the opening of the Martial Arts Open Day at the Jerudong Park Garden yesterday, held as part of the Brunei December Festival 2020.

Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) and guest of honour Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali thanked organisers, the masters and participants parents for making the event a success.

Our journey will not stop here. We will continue to work with media agencies and the government to produce a video series of all martial arts involved at this event.

We will also work with our partner to produce a Brunei version of Tekken. This is an initiative we have been dreaming of creating, and we need local martial art exponents support, because the character in the game will be you. I will be working very hard on this and hope this will materialise in a few months.

We have another project on December 27, and have invited some of the martial art exponents here. We plan to carry out another Brunei Book of Record event, with 2,020 tai chi practitioners in the country performing at several different locations simultaneously. The number 2,020 is to commemorate the Brunei-China Year of Tourism 2020, and also marks the Brunei December Festival 2020, Wardi said.

Wardi launched the Martial Arts Open Day by punching through a wooden board.

The martial arts showcased were Silat (Penguruan Pencak Silat Warisan Pelangi Brunei Darussalam), Taekwondo (Brunei Darussalam Taekwondo Association), Karate (Shitoryu Karate Association Brunei Darussalam), Shainji Kempo (Persaudaraan Shorinji Kempo Brunei Darussalam), Muay Thai (BDM Muay Thai), MMA, Hapkido, Judo (Judo Academy SSBN), Kendo (Kendo Federation of Brunei Darussalam) and Wushu (Brunei Darussalam Wushu Federation).

The rest is here:

Of flying kicks and seamless executions - Borneo Bulletin Online

An 80-year-old couple from Bromley Cross havebecome the first people in Bolton to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the community vaccination programme.

Michael and Ann Clubley, who both turned 80 earlier this year, were first in line to be vaccinated this morning at Tonge Moor Health Centre.

The couple were surprised but thrilled to be called up, and said they felt privileged.

Mrs Clubley said: We werent expecting it until January, but we feel very privileged to be the first.

As soon as we heard about the vaccine, we were happy to offer our arms over! We are very supportive of vaccination.

Both say they are usually quite active people in the community.

Michael loves his gardening and is a regular at all BWFC home matches under normal circumstances.

Ann usually volunteers at her local RSPCA shop and reads to children at her local primary school. She also attends a Thai Chi class.

However, the pandemic has meant that they could only enjoy walks together and catch up with friends via video calls.

The couple have two daughters and one grandson, and they have missed socialising with their family.

Mrs Clubley added: We have managed, but its not been the same. I feel sorry for people who arent as mobile as us.

Our daughters both work with the public so they have been protecting us by not seeing us as they normally would do. We know we could still get the virus but having the vaccine will give us the confidence to see our two girls. They are thrilled for us!

The first phase of Covid vaccinations in Bolton is being held at Tonge Moor Health Centre, Thicketford Road by appointment only.

Six GP practices are part of this first phase, and form Turton Primary Care Network. Primary Care Networks are made up of several practices working together to manage the health of their local population.

Senior Responsible Officer for the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme in Bolton, and Clinical Director of Commissioning at Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Helen Wall, said: Its fantastic to see Mr and Mrs Clubley receiving their vaccination, and they mark the first couple of many to be getting the best protection from the virus today.

We have all pulled together to make this historic event happen in just a few short days, and Im very proud to be leading such a dedicated team. We received 975 doses for this first phase, and we are fully booked!

Bolton Council Leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said: This is truly wonderful news both for those receiving the vaccine today and for everyone in our borough.

We have been hit hard by this pandemic but I commend the hard work and sacrifices everyone has made to see us through to this vital stage in our response to the virus.

Quite rightly, our older and more vulnerable residents will receive the vaccine first.

In the meantime, I urge everyone to be patient and stick to the rules so we can put this behind us.

Original post:

80-year-old couple become first people in Bolton to receive Covid-19 vaccine - The Bolton News

AN 80-year-old married couple from Bromley Cross made history yesterday by being the first people in Bolton to received the covid-19 vaccine.

Michael and Ann Clubley, who both turned 80 earlier this year, were the first in line to be vaccinated on Tuesday at Tonge Moor Health Centre.

The couple received their vaccination shortly before 8am, administered by Dr Helen Wall, clinical director of commissioning at Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group.

After having the vaccine, Mrs Clubley said: "We're very pleased and grateful to have had it, it was quite surprising actually to find out we were getting it.

"We're looking forward to hugging our loved ones again.

"Fortunately we've not had to self-isolate but the main problem we've had this year is not seeing our family.

"We've had no close contact with them, just having a conversation from a car window to the front door.

"Hopefully we can get back to meeting our friends and going out for meals."

Mr Clubley added: "To anyone who is unsure about the vaccine, just do it.

"It means you're no longer vulnerable and it's better to be vaccinated than catch the virus.

"It's amazing really that we've been able to receive it, there's been so much work gone into it in such as small space of time."

The couple, who've been married for 51 years, have two daughters and one grandson.

Michael is a former development chemist and Ann used to be a school librarian. They met while working together at a research library.

Since retiring they've enjoyed spending time together but this year they've been missing out on their usual activities.

Michael loves gardening and is a regular at all BWFC home matches under normal circumstances.

Ann usually volunteers at her local RSPCA shop and reads to children at her local primary school. She also attends a Thai Chi class.

Now they are looking forward to being with their family over Christmas.

Mrs Clubley said: "We do have a very small family so we're planning on seeing our two daughters over Christmas.

"We're looking forward to having freedom again and having the confidence to go out.

"We've been married 51 years but have never experienced a year like this before.

"Luckily we live near lots of reservoirs so we've been able to go on lots of walks together."

Dr Helen Wall, said: Its fantastic to see Mr and Mrs Clubley receiving their vaccination, and they mark the first couple of many to be getting the best protection from the virus today.

We have all pulled together to make this historic event happen in just a few short days, and Im very proud to be leading such a dedicated team. We received 975 doses for this first phase, and we are fully booked.

Six GP practices are part of this first phase, and form Turton Primary Care Network. Primary Care Networks are made up of several practices working together to manage the health of their local population.

The first phase of Covid vaccinations in Bolton is being held at Tonge Moor Health centre, Thicketford Road by appointment only.

In a huge logistical operation, over 900 vaccinations will be administered over three days.

Bolton Council Leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said: This is truly wonderful news both for those receiving the vaccine today and for everyone in our borough.

We have been hit hard by this pandemic but I commend the hard work and sacrifices everyone has made to see us through to this vital stage in our response to the virus.

Quite rightly, our older and more vulnerable residents will receive the vaccine first.

In the meantime, I urge everyone to be patient and stick to the rules so we can put this behind us.

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Couple who received first coronavirus vaccine in Bolton say they're 'looking forward to hugging loved ones' - The Bolton News

Somboon Booniam,1 Tinakon Wongpakaran,1 Peerasak Lerttrakarnnon,2 Surin Jiraniramai,2 Pimolpun Kuntawong,1 Nahathai Wongpakaran1

1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 2Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Correspondence: Nahathai Wongpakaran Geriatric Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, 110 Intawaroros Road, T. Sriphum, A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand Tel +66 53 93 5422 ext 320 Fax +66 53 93 5426 Email nahathai.wongpakaran@cmu.ac.th

Purpose: This study compared predictors of passive suicidal ideation (SI), active SI, and suicide attempt (SA) among elderly Thai patients in tertiary care settings. Patients and Methods: Psychiatric diagnoses and suicidality of 803 older people were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR. All participants completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS), 15-item Thai geriatric depression scale (TGDS-15), 10-item perceived social scale and the Core Symptoms Index. The chi-square test, t-test and ANOVA were used for bivariate analysis of predictors of specific suicidality types. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors for each type of suicidality. Results: The patients mean age was 69.24 6.90 years, and the majority were female (69.74%). Passive SI, active SI and SA were found among 20.42%, 3.74% and 2.37%, respectively, of the patients. Major depressive disorder (MDD) was a predictor of both passive and active SI (OR = 2.06 and 3.74, respectively). Other predictors of passive SI included hypomania (OR = 8.27) and positive score on the TGDS-15 (OR = 1.29). Predictors of active SI included agoraphobia (OR = 6.84) and hypomania (OR = 7.10). Predictors of SA included a family history of alcohol dependence (OR = 14.16), a history of depression (OR = 4.78) and agoraphobia (OR = 19.89). Surprisingly, hypertension and self-reported anxiety symptoms were protective factors for passive SI (OR = 0.51 and 0.85, respectively). Likewise, MSPSS was a protective factor for SA (OR = 0.90). Conclusion: Predictors of each type of suicidality differed. MDD was the main predictor for SI; however, agoraphobia and poor perceived social support were more pronounced among individuals with SA. Further investigation, especially in longitudinal fashion, should be warranted.

Keywords: suicide, elderly, risk, predictor

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Predictors of Passive and Active Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt | NDT - Dove Medical Press

Sisters Rowan and Blythe TwoSisters (their legal last name) were relaxing one evening in Rowan's Houston home, when a hoop dancing DVD showed up months after Rowan had ordered it. Its arrival led to an incredible legacy of innovation and inclusion within the world of hoop dance. And yes, there's a whole world of hoop dancing. But it was a long journey to get there.

Blythe and Rowan have always been tall, now 5'11 and 6'1 respectively, which led to them trying sports like basketball and volleyball in school. Rowan played basketball but was frustrated that she couldn't get a uniform that fit her correctly. She says, "I didn't feel confident just leaving the dressing room, much less trying to play a game in embarrassingly tight clothing. And even though the boy's teams had plenty of money for uniforms, the girl's teams never did." So when she tore her ACL at age 16, she chose not to return to the sport, focusing instead on hiking in the mountains with her dogs.

Blythe played volleyball in school. "I was terrible, but they let me play because I was tall." She hated all the running and feeling uncoordinated.

[READ: Creative Outdoor Exercise Ideas.]

Finding the Right Exercise for Your Body

After high school, Rowan moved with her two energetic dogs to Florida, across the street from Cocoa Beach (literally A1A, Beachfront Avenue!). She would ride her bike at the beach with them and body surf to relax. At 22, she joined a gym and met some friends who were doing triathlons. They eventually talked her into giving it a try. She did great in the swim portion, but it went downhill from there, and she decided that one triathlon was more than enough.

Blythe's journey with fitness stopped as a young adult. Fitness had always been painful and dreadful. She eventually discovered that was because she had ankylosing spondylitis, a painful genetic inflammatory disease that reduces spinal flexibility but can often be managed.

Story continues

In grad school she found herself frequently flying out to California and wanted to try her hand at surfing, but knew that she had to get her fitness level up to do it safely.

At 32, Blythe joined a gym. That's where she discovered NIA -- which stands for neuromuscular integrative action -- a mind-body movement technique that's a fusion of many different movement forms, including yoga, thai chi, dance, martial arts and Feldenkrais. She was in love, so of course she called her sister. While Blythe was finishing grad school in Dallas, Rowan was in Houston, which was a major hub for NIA, and Blythe insisted that Rowan take the first level (white belt) training.

[READ: Yoga for All Bodies.]

The Hula Hoop of Self-Esteem

One year later, they were both on their way to completing the second-level NIA teaching certification. It was that evening, sitting in Rowan's living room, exhausted from their NIA training, they opened that DVD. Instantly inspired, Blythe found a second wind and grabbed a hoop that Rowan had lying around. It was a complete no go. Rowan's luck wasn't any better. Wondering, "why can't we hoop like the women on the video?" they went to bed frustrated.

Undeterred, Rowan convinced Jocelyn Gordan from Hoopnotica, a leader in hoop dance fitness instruction and equipment since 2006, to come give them a training. They learned that the hoop they were using was, in Rowan's words, "way too small. Like walking around in a child's size seven shoe when you need a women's 11." They added 8 inches to the hoop, and the whole world opened up. It wasn't their bodies that were the limitation.

As they learned, they began to teach, so that they could bring hooping to people of all body sizes. "Not everybody fits inside of a tiny hula hoop, and we will be damned if someone is gonna take that joy away from us or someone we love," Rowan says. "We created the hoop of self-esteem. That sucker is HUGE! Like it doesn't fit in most cars, so Blythe figured out how to make them collapsible. We spent hours and hours figuring out how to make a hula hoop that was inclusive as hell, with 48 to 54 inches of useable space inside."

Then they created even greater accessibility by teaching more "off the body" work. When we think of hooping, we typically envision the hoop circling the waist, but in fact lots of hoop dance is done with the hoop around the arms, legs and even neck.

And it wasn't just fat bodies they wanted to make sure were included. "Both hooping and NIA are centered around the thin feminine, traditionally pretty heteronormative narrative, and sure they give lip service to othering and inclusion, but that doesn't really seem to hold when it comes to being fat. So we both roll right over those norms," shares Blythe.

Blythe got her husband involved, and soon they had their own little hoop-making factory, with Blythe traveling to hoop trainings around the country.

[SEE: What Do Women With Positive Body Images Have That Others Don't?]

A Hoopful of Possibilities

In 2010 they held their first hoop retreat in Dallas. The next year they moved it to the Texas beach near Galveston, and Hottie Hoop Camp was officially born. At its largest, it included 54 people, two rented beach houses and an intensely busy week-long schedule that included hoop, burlesque, dance, yoga and fashion all done from a fiercely body positive perspective. They created their own teacher certification program under their business name, Punk Rock Hoops. They also created a series of 16 basic beginner lessons on their Punk Rock Hoops YouTube channel.

Now, both in their late 40s, they keep hooping. Asked how the world of hoop dance can be more inclusive, they don't hesitate. Rowan explains, "How about have furniture that fits many bodies... how about an activity designed for MOST people to do? You need adaptive techniques for bodies that don't find ease in movement and teachers who can break down what's not working and what is."

For Rowan, hooping allows a freedom not available with many other forms of exercise. "Hooping and flow arts are individual while being in community. So I didn't have to look like everyone else, I can look and land moves and have ease in my body in a way that doesn't mirror an instructor or follow a narrow description of what's 'right.' That's pretty freeing, being a part of an expressive and fitness community while not having to 'Wear Pink on Wednesdays.'"

After 10 years of camps they took a sabbatical this year due to the pandemic, but continue to get together every other Sunday with their friends to hoop in a park downtown, in an event they call Cool Honey's Circus. They are planning for the return of Hottie Hoop Camp next year, this time in the West Texas desert. And while their dance days in the park were shut down for a few months due to COVID-19, they're getting back to them with safety and social distancing practices. "We wear masks and stay far apart and don't hug (which hurts), but we need to see our people, and they need us too."

[See: The Best Exercise for Every Mood.]

Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer and thought leader in the fields of body image, Health at Every Size, athletes at every size and corporate wellness. She is the author of the blogs DanceswithFat.org and Ironfat.com, and the book "Fat: The Owner's Manual." She's also editor of the Praeger Anthology "The Politics of Size" and co-founder of the Fit Fatties Facebook group. Ragen is frequently featured as an expert in radio, television and print, and appeared in the documentaries "Fattitude," "America the Beautiful 2," "A Stage for Size" and the PBS Independent Lens short "Ragen's More Cabaret." She is an ACE-certified health coach, functional fitness specialist, three-time national champion dancer, triathlete and two-time marathoner who holds the Guinness World Record for heaviest woman to complete a marathon. She lives in Los Angeles and is training for her first (and only!) Ironman triathlon. You can find out more at sizedforsuccess.com.

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Hula Hooping for Fitness and Health - Yahoo News

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, with Vietnam on his mind. President John F. Kennedy died on Nov. 22, 1963, 57 years ago this month, having told an aide to work up the Vietnam case for decision when he returned from Texas. My thesis is that if either had lived, we might not have had the Vietnam War which tore apart our society, violated the liberty of many young men and disseminated many families with the loss of life. No one knows what might have been, but here is some evidence.

Indochina (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) had been colonized by France in the 19th century. During World War II, the area was controlled by Japan. The American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the Viet Minh under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh (the leader of North Vietnam) cooperated together in anti-Japanese activities in the area. FDR did not want France to reassert its sovereignty over Indochina. At the Tehran Conference, FDR and Stalin agreed that Indochina should not go back to France and that a trusteeship was desirable.

FDR was opposed to colonialism anywhere in the world, and particularly wanted to prevent the French returning to Indochina. The United States was indeed preparing to grant independence to the Philippines in 1946. Ho Chi Minh on Sept. 2, 1945, declared independence for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He contacted the United States for its support. He noted the United States' support for independence for its colony, the Philippines.

If FDR had lived, it is entirely possible an amity relationship could have developed between Ho and the United States. It is possible this could have occurred in the trusteeship system being organized in the new United Nations. Russell H. Fifield in "Americans in Southeast Asia," wrote: If his trusteeship concept had been implemented, possibly two bloody and costly wars might have been avoided. But FDR died, and Vice President Harry S. Truman was not on the inside of decision-making with FDR; he went with the French inserting themselves into Indochina, which led to the French-Indochinese War ending with the Geneva Accords of 1954.

The United States saw the Geneva Accords as a communist victory. The Cold War had come to Southeast Asia. Our response was the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Thailand was the only member of SEATO on Mainland Asia. SEATO was, if effect, an American protectorate of Thailand. South Vietnam was designated as a protocol state. Ngo Dinh Diem, a Catholic, with American support, became president of South Vietnam (another story), in a Buddhist country! Sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem, was the slogan.

November and December 1963 was a watershed moment. Diem was assassinated Nov. 2 (we knew there would be a coup, but JFK was shocked over Diems death), JFK was assassinated Nov. 22, and Thai Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat died of liver failure (some might say of wine, women, and song) on Dec. 8 at age 55. These three deaths left a vacuum. Again, an American vice president, Lyndon Johnson, not in the inner decision-making circle, became president, and wound up committing over 500,000 troops and bombing North Vietnam to create a major American war, necessitating the military draft and costing 47,434 American battle deaths. Would JFK have done this?

A year earlier in the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK went with his legal/political advisers, not his military advisers, who wanted to invade Cuba. According to Robert Kennedy in his book "Thirteen Days," JFK was suspicious of military advice; it seemed they always wanted to go to war. It is likely JFK would have continued his clear and hold/strategic hamlet strategy within a counterguerrilla framework. President Johnson, on the other hand, followed his military advisers and pursued a search and destroy strategy. JFK had said he did not want to institute the military draft. He had said he did not want to turn the conflict into an American war. He wanted to conceptualize the conflict as something other than a war, perhaps as a challenge of nation-building. JFK was close to academics at major universities as constituents; they were predominately anti-war.

Perhaps, Roger Hilsman said it best in "To Move a Nation:" If South Vietnam could not be won, then the United States could accept the resulting situation and would be free to enter negotiations without fatal consequences to our position in the rest of Asia. In other words, Thailand would remain secure. No domino theory here.

James W. Pfister, J.D. University of Toledo, Ph.D. University of Michigan, retired after 46 years in the Political Science Department at Eastern Michigan University. He lives in Devils Lake and can be reached at jpfister@emich.edu.

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James W. Pfister: Untimely deaths of FDR and JFK and the Vietnam War - Monroe Evening News

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Toffee Market Will Reflect Significant Growth Prospects of US$ Mn during 2020-2028 with Major Key Player - Eurowire