Jenjie

booooooo not old enough :angry:

Researchers in Norwich have set themselves an easy challenge: finding 150 women prepared to eat a bar of chocolate a day. The chocolate is free, and made specially for the trial by a Belgian chocolatier. The intention is to see whether it improves the women’s health. The volunteers must be past the menopause, must suffer from type 2 diabetes, and must already be taking statins to reduce their cholesterol levels. They will also need the approval of their GPs. Postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes are usually advised to avoid chocolate. Rich in sugar and fat, it is definitely not part of their recommended diet. Chocolate is also rich in flavonoids, compounds that have been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease. Chocolate companies have seized on the research — some of which they have funded themselves — to encourage the belief that chocolate can be good for you. Until now, few of the trials have met the highest standards of scientific rigour. A team from the University of East Anglia plans to put that right. The volunteers, all postmenopausal women who are not taking HRT, will be divided into two groups. Half will eat the special chocolate, the other half a normal bar as a placebo. The women will be checked at the start of the one-year trial, and five times during it. Ultrasound scans will measure the thickness of the wall of the carotid artery, and the total volume of plaque, the material that blocks the arteries in heart disease. Peter Curtis, who is co-ordinating the study, said: “The chocolate has three times the amounts of flavonoids you would find in a normal high cocoa chocolate. This has been achieved by a special extraction process that retains the chemicals we think are the important ones.” It tastes, he says, “quite nice” with a flavour of caramel. Soy has been added to provide an even greater dose of flavonoids. Aedin Cassidy, Professor of Diet and Health at the university, who is heading the project, said: “We hope to show that adding flavonoids to their diets will provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of heart disease in the future.” Ketan Dhatariya, consultant in diabetes at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, added: “If the trial confirms that flavonoids improve the level of protection against heart disease, it could have a far-reaching impact on the advice we give.” Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, which is funding the trial, said: “We certainly don’t advise people to start eating a lot of chocolate as it’s very high in sugar and fat. We would always recommend that people with diabetes eat a diet low in fat, salt and sugar with plenty of fruit and vegetables.” He said that older women with diabetes were five times more likely to develop heart disease. — To find out more or to volunteer, please telephone 01603 288570 and ask for Andrea Brown (study nurse) or Dr Peter Curtis (study co-ordinator) or email [email protected]. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3828144.ece

Kris Marshall, the star of My Family, is recovering from head injuries in hospital today after being hit by a car, police confirmed. The 34-year-old actor rose to fame as Nick in the BBC comedy, which co-stars Robert Lindsay, and is currently the star of BT's broadband ads. He was out with friends in Bristol on Saturday night when he was hit by a car outside a pub. He was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary where a scan revealed his head injuries were not life-threatening. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: “There was a collision between a car and pedestrian shortly before 1am on Sunday. “It happened in St Augustine’s Parade in Bristol City Centre. A man in his 30s was taken to hospital with head injuries not considered to be life-threatening. “Police spoke to the driver of the car involved, which was a VW Polo. He stopped immediately after the collision and we are looking into how it happened. He was not a drink driver.” The actor was out drinking with friends when the accident happened, The Sun reported today. Marshall, who lives in Windsor, won fame for his role in My Family and was recently better known for playing the toyboy boyfriend of a single mother in the current BT adverts. He also appeared in the film Love, Actually, and as detective Luke Stone in the drama Murder City, with Amanda Donahoe. His new film Hotel Caledonia, is a British horror comedy, in which he plays a seasonal worker in a remote Scottish hotel. Marshall was crowned Best Comedy Newcomer six years ago at the British Comedy Awards http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3831429.ece

Orang-utans have confounded naturalists by learning to swim across rivers and to fish with sticks. Naturalists were shocked to see the apes swim across a river to gain access to some of their favourite fruits at a conservation refuge on Kaja island in Borneo. Orang-utans were previously thought to be non-swimmers. The wildlife experts were equally surprised to see an orang-utan pick up a tree branch and stun a fish before eating it. Other apes introduced to the island were seen trying to spear fish with sticks after watching fishermen using rods. The naturalists also noted that the apes quickly worked out that it was even easier to steal fish from unattended lines used by the humans on the island. The unexpected behaviour has been captured in photographs published in the book Thinkers of the Jungle — the Orang-utan Report, by Gerd Schuster, Willie Smits and Jay Ullal, of the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Association. The pictures are thought to be the first to show an orang-utan using a tool for hunting. The apes live in Borneo and Sumatra and are regarded by some as second only to humans in intelligence. They are threatened with extinction as their habitats diminish. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3828123.ece

Police last night entered the homemade dungeon where a 73-year-old engineer allegedly held his daughter captive for almost a quarter of a century, sexually abusing her and fathering up to seven children. Behind a hidden door they discovered a complex of small windowless rooms, less than six feet high, where Ms F claims that she was kept imprisoned with three of her children. Ms F, 42, effectively disappeared in 1984. Since then no passport, driving licence or other official document has been issued in her name. There are no photographs of her since she was at school. Ms F claims that she was seized, drugged and handcuffed by her father soon after her 19th birthday and locked in the basement of their three-storey home in Amstetten, a small town in eastern Austria. She says she had been sexually abused since the age of 11. The basement was connected to the house by a hidden door and protected by an elaborate electrical locking mechanism to which only Mr F knew the code. Because he had been an electrical engineer and had access to explosives, police feared booby traps, but they gained entry last night after Mr F, in custody, disclosed the code. The rooms that they encountered contained sanitary facilities and cooking equipment, and one was described as a padded cell. The Austrian state prosecutor’s office said that Ms F’s claims were credible and that DNA tests were being conducted to see whether Mr F was indeed the father of her children. “She had been abused continuously during the 24-year imprisonment,” said a police statement, summarising the testimony of Ms F. “This led to six children.” Police said she was “greatly disturbed” and agreed to talk only after receiving assurances that her children would be cared for and that she would no longer have to see her father. A seventh child was born but died three days later. The body of the baby was later allegedly burnt in the garden by her father. The surviving children, three boys and three girls, are aged between 5 and 20 and all are being cared for by police psychologists. Police found out about, and freed, Ms F after one of her daughters, Child, 19, was taken to hospital eight days ago. She was one of three children living in the dungeon. All three were fed and clothed by Mr F but they were not allowed to go to school. According to her testimony, Ms F had to teach all three – the others were Child, 5, and Child, 18 – to speak, read and write. Her father passed clothing and food through a hatch. Page 1 of 3 (see rest of article, plus links to further articles here

ty guys :D :kiss: :kiss:

A goods train in southern France has been attacked by robbers who made off with cushions bearing the Playboy logo. The attack happened in the northern suburbs of Marseille, the regional newspaper La Provence reports. It says the thieves blocked the track with sleepers, causing the 700m (760-yard) train to screech to a halt, and forced open a number of containers. Apart from the Playboy cushions, police said it was not clear what else was taken. The train driver was not harmed. The car used in the robbery was later found burnt. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7368978.stm

post-mortem examination on a six-year-old boy found dead in a burning house has revealed he was dead before the fire started. The cause of Charlie-Bob Townsend's death has not been determined and the results may take some weeks, an Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said. His father, Christopher, 51, was found hanged in a garage by fire crews. Flowers and tributes have been left outside their home in Weston Road, Long Ashton, North Somerset. An Avon and Somerset spokeswoman said: "Over the weekend there are going to be more searches of the house, although the forensic examination is drawing to a close. We do not have a formal cause of death for Charlie-Bob Townsend and we are appealing for anyone with information to come forward." Floral tributes to Charlie-Bob, who has a 12-year-old brother, have piled up outside the house. Friends of Mr Townsend, a freelance set designer for the Bristol-based BBC drama Casualty, said that he had lost a court custody battle with his former wife, Paula, 48, just hours before the incident. People living in the village near Bristol said Mr Townsend had split from Paula, who lives with their other son nearby, within the last year. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7368288.stm

Sooooo with all the abandoned & mis-treated dogs in the UK, why would we bring more in? :confused:

Social worker bitten by rabid dog A social worker, who runs a charity that brings street dogs from Sri Lanka into the UK, was one of three people bitten by a puppy infected with rabies. Kim Cooling was "nipped" on the chin, wrist and face by the dog, which died two days later in quarantine. The puppy was one of five brought by the charity to quarantine kennels in Chingford, north-east London. The other four dogs have since been put down, and tests are being carried out to determine if they had rabies. All the people bitten by the puppy have now been vaccinated by doctors. Because the dog died in quarantine, any public health risk was contained, the Health Protection Agency said. Animals being checked The five puppies had been held at the centre since 17 April. Mrs Cooling, from the London-based Animal SOS Sri Lanka charity, said the dog that died had been vaccinated before leaving Sri Lanka. She had been with the dog at the quarantine kennels on Wednesday when she was bitten. "She just snapped at me and she was snapping at the other pups. She was not her usual sweet self," she said. Other animals that may have come into contact with the puppy were being checked, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). But it stressed that further infections were "highly unlikely" and the UK remained "free of rabies" because the case had occurred in quarantine. 'System working' Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Alick Simmons said: "While initial tests show that this puppy has tested positive for rabies, this shows that the system is working and the case has been picked up while the animal is in quarantine. "We are now tracing animals that have moved from the kennels to ensure that all animals that have come into contact with the puppy are monitored." Jeremy Robinson, general manager of the quarantine kennels, said there had been immediate concerns about the health of the eight-week-old puppies and they had been placed in an isolated area away from other dogs and cats. "I am confident that no other animals can have been infected," he said. Effective treatment Rabies is a viral disease which affects the central nervous system. Once symptoms appear it is almost always fatal, but patients can be treated with antibodies and a vaccination to fight the virus after being bitten. Professor Hugh Pennington, an expert in bacteriology at Aberdeen University, told the BBC the treatment for rabies had a high success rate. "Basically it starts with washing the wound out with soap and water, which is highly effective at killing the virus," he said. "Then the wound itself is infiltrated with anti-serum and finally there's the immunisation set-up where people are given injections over several days to build up their immunity. "The virus often takes a long, long time to do anything and all these processes stop it dead in its tracks." Rabies was eliminated from the animal population in the UK in the early 20th Century, but it continues to infect a variety of animals in other parts of the world. Twenty cases of rabies have been reported in England and Wales since 1946, which were all imported. A licensed bat handler died in Scotland from a rare form of rabies caught from a bat in 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7368808.stm

Questions Answered?: Where is Mrs Psychiatrist hiding out? must be the Temple Why is Penny's Dad so desperate to find the island? because it was his first, so he says Who were the people that Sayid was killing? Why was he killing them? People who work for Penny's Dad. Because one of them killed his wife. That was a bit of a shocker of an episode. Ben may actually be human after all, he was so distraught when they shot Alex. Don't think I have many new questions. Is it really possible to go that sort of green when you're sick like Jack? Why is Jack suddenly sick? What the heck is the black smoke all about & how can Ben control it?

In Bruges - 10/10 Very dark comedy. Not laughed at a film so much in ages. Colin Farrell was brilliant. Couple of very icky, gory bits.

The arrest of a Colorado woman for allegedly impersonating an abused girl has cast doubt on the tip-off that led to a massive police raid on a polygamist compound in Texas. A total of 416 children were taken from the remote 1,700-acre Yearning For Zion (YFZ) ranch after an April 3 raid on the breakaway Mormon sect of the jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. The controversial operation against the 10,000-strong Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was provoked by a call to an abuse hotline from a 16-year-old girl who identified herself as Sarah. The caller said that she had an eight-month-old baby and was pregnant with another child after her 50-year-old “husband” forced her to have sex. Authorities have been unable to locate Sarah despite interviewing the children, and doubts persist as to whether she really exists. The whole operation has been thrown into question by the arrest on Wednesday of a Colorado Springs woman named Rozita Swinton. Ms Swinton, 33, is accused of making calls in which she claimed to be an abused child being held in a basement. She has also allegedly masqueraded as a desperate mother who threatened to abandon a newborn baby and commit suicide. Flora Jessop, a former church member who runs a centre for teenage girls trying to escape the polygamist sect, told the Denver Post yesterday that she received a call from Ms Swinton claiming to be an abuse victim named Sarah on March 30. Texas authorities say that a girl with the same name also called a Texas hotline on March 29 claiming that she was suffering abuse in the polygamist compound. The hotline call was not made public until after the raid on the YFZ ranch. “It does kind of indicate [Ms Swinton] made those calls,” Ms Jessop told the Denver Post. “There was no press on it at the time.” Ms Jessop said that she recorded between 30 to 40 hours of daily phone conversations with Ms Swinton, who alternately claimed to be Sarah, Sarah’s twin sister Laura and Laura’s friend. She would call after 8.30pm at night and speak softly, explaining that others in the compound were sleeping. “She was very convincing,” Ms Jessop said. “She very much thought this out.” Ms Jessop said that she confronted Ms Swinton when she called her two hours after her release on Thursday claiming to be Laura’s friend. Ms Swinton admitted that her name was Rose, she said. The raid has left a judge struggling to cope with the largest child custody case in American history. Judge Barbara Walther complained of a “free for all” as hundreds of state-appointed lawyers packed her courtroom and an overflow room three blocks away to represent each child. She must decide whether to return the children to their parents or to place them in foster care because of the risk of underage sex. Angie Voss, a child welfare investigator, testified that the officials who raided the polygamist compound were told that there was no girl known as Sarah. But interviews have now identified five Sarahs, including three who could have been the girl who called to report abuse. “We learnt that a few of the girls know of the Sarah we were looking for and that she’d been seen last week and she had a baby,” Ms Voss said. Ms Voss acknowledged that most of the children showed no signs of physical or sexual abuse. But she said that at least five girls under18 were pregnant or have children – with one becoming a mother at the age of 13. She told the judge that they should remain in state care because they were “at risk”. “They will continue to grow up in an environment where young women have sex with older men and young boys grow into adult men and have sex with young children,” she said. The sect is complaining that the raid – larger even than the infamous Short Creek raid in 1953, when 236 children were taken from the polygamist sect – violates its religious freedom. Case notes — 350 Lawyers involved in case — 139 Women accompanied the children — Age of husband of the girl whose call led to case is 50 — Number of wives he had before “marrying” the teenager = 6 — 27 Teenage boys, in addition to the 416 children, have been sent to a delinquent facility http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3776483.ece

An accountant who stole £70,000 from two churches has been ordered by a judge to repay the money by selling his huge stamp collection on eBay. Derek Klein, 53, was jailed for 16 months in September after admitting taking the money over a 14-year period when he worked as the treasurer of two parochial church councils. Norwich Crown Court heard how Klein, one of the leading philatelists in Britain, had spent the money on funding his addiction to stamp dealing and internet gambling. Now his entire collection will be auctioned off on the website, triggering intense interest from stamp collectors around the world. Items in his collection include stamps issued to mark the silver jubilee of George V, the silver wedding of George VI and England’s victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final. Prosecutors had wanted to confiscate his collection of 100,000 first-day covers so that they could be auctioned to pay back the money he stole from the churches but Klein, who ran a stamp dealing business from his home in Ridlington, Norfolk, argued that a conventional auction might struggle to raise £25,000. He claimed that he could instead make £100,000 by breaking up his collection and selling the stamps in individual lots on eBay. During a hearing to confiscate the philatelist’s assets, Judge Peter Jacobs agreed that Klein could use the internet auction site to dispose of his collection, which had been amassed from the proceeds of his crime. The court heard that Klein, who has been released from prison, had already paid back £15,000 to St Peter’s Church in Ridlington and nearby St Andrew’s Church, Bacton, in Norfolk. The churches will get the first £55,000 that he makes from his eBay sales so that they can be paid back in full while he can keep any extra cash. Judge Jacobs said that the move would provide an incentive for Klein to achieve the best possible price and to ensure that the churches got their money back in full. He took the unusual step after hearing that Klein was one of the top five stamp dealers of his kind in the country. Judge Jacobs ordered that the sales be closely monitored by the police and managed by Klein’s solicitors. He cautioned Klein that he would be jailed if he tried to hide the proceeds of the sales. “If this man tries to cream off any of this money he would be a fool,” the judge said. “I’m sure Mr Klein will have been told of my reputation and he will spend a lot more time behind bars if he tries to rip us off.” Judge Jacobs said that he would give Klein five months to show that he could sell the stamps and would be given more time after that if he proved successful. But he cautioned that the stamps would be seized by the courts if he did not make enough from eBay. The Rev Eiler Mellerup, curate at Ridlington and Bacton, said: “It would be wonderful if the parishes received back the money that was taken. It would be very fair because they struggle to raise funds.” Klein pocketed the proceeds of fêtes, gifts and grants to the churches by taking cash from their bank accounts and spending it on stamps and gambling. He admitted stealing £57,000 from the 15th-century St Andrew’s church between 1984 and January 2007 and £13,000 from St Peter’s over 14 years from 1993. The court heard that Klein made many of his losses on an internet gambling site where his online nickname was The Bishop. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3775344.ece

Five police officers were injured when they crashed three patrol cars during a high-speed chase with a £120,000 Bentley Continental stolen by three teenage joyriders. The supercar, which has a top speed of 195mph, careered off the road and flew through the air before coming to rest on its roof. Debris from the mangled wreck, including the Bentley's front grille, its bonnet and one of its wheels, was flung across the road. The first police car, following close behind, hit the debris - then the second car smashed into the back of the first one. The third police car swerved to avoid the crash and plunged off the road, causing 'serious damage.' The Bentley was reported stolen shortly after 2.30am this morning after a burglary at a house in the leafy village of Burley, Hampshire. The owner had reported hearing his beloved car screech away from the house. Police were on the look out for the distinctive silver car and when they spotted it blasting along the A35, just three miles away, near Bransgore, they attempted to pull it over. But the car failed to stop and three police cars gave chase for around seven minutes along the narrow road, which runs through the New Forest. As the Bentley Continental approached Bransgore it suddenly left the road, ploughed through trees by the side of the road, and flipped on to its roof. The five police officers involved were all injured, although none were taken to hospital. The three in the Bentley, thought to be between 15 and 17 years old, were taken to hospital suffering from 'minor' injuries. They have now been arrested and are due to be questioned by police today. A witness, who did not want to be named, said the Bentley left the road in a bid to shake off police and crashed onto its roof. The witness said it was 'amazing' the three young occupants of the Bentley escaped the mangled wreck with just minor injuries. Speaking from the scene, he said: "It was like a Formula One type crash with bits of cars flying everywhere. "The Bentley flipped onto its roof. It was smashed up and completely mangled and the police cars all crashed too. "It's amazing no-one was seriously injured. I'm told the three teenagers in the car were aged about 15 or 17 and they were taken to hospital with minor injuries. "There was debris all over the place. One of the wheels from the Bentley came off as well as the front bonnet and grille. "The three police cars were also in various states of disrepair. "It looks like the Bentley went off the road with the three police cars following near behind. "The Bentley crashed on its roof and then the first police car either crashed into it, or some of the debris that flew off it, maybe the wheel or grille. "The second police car went into the first and the third tried to avoid the first two police cars and went off the road as well. "Looking at the wreckage, it's amazing the three occupants of the Bentley got out with minor injuries." Hampshire police spokeswoman Julie Jones said: "The Bentley had failed to stop for police after being seen on the A35. "A short pursuit took place before the Bentley left the road. "The first police car following the Bentley was hit by debris from the collision causing damage to the vehicle. "The second police car was in collision with the first police car causing minor damage. "The third police car left the road and suffered serious damage. The three occupants of the Bentley have been taken to hospital suffering minor injuries. "Five police officers suffered minor injuries in the collision but none have been taken to hospital." The crash closed the road, one of the main routes across the New Forest, at Bransgore for five hours while an investigation took place. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=559845&in_page_id=1770

Railway company Eurostar has launched an investigation after passengers on one of its services took ten hours to travel from London to Paris. More than 600 passengers who left London on Friday evening arrived in Paris on Saturday morning after technical problems caused delays. The cross-Channel journey should have taken two hours. Eurostar apologised for the "completely unacceptable experience" and said it had launched an internal inquiry. Working order When the passengers boarded the 2105 BST service to Paris, their train was in working order. But another train travelling in the opposite direction had got as far as Lille when a warning light came on, which meant it could not satisfy the Channel Tunnel safety requirements, or travel through to Kent. Both services stopped at Lille, where the passengers swapped trains at about 2300 French time. The Paris-bound travellers spent 90 minutes waiting in Lille station. On their second train, they continued their journey, but at 0100 French time, and 120km (74.5 miles) north of Paris, the train broke down, losing power completely. It took three hours for them to be moved to a third train and, because the broken-down train was stuck, the passengers walked along the trackside. After getting onto the third train passengers finally arrived into Paris on Saturday at 0910 local time, instead of the expected arrival time of 2326 on Friday. Eurostar and SNCF had begun an "immediate investigation" into the technical incidents, and why it took so long to move the passengers, a spokesman for the cross-Channel rail firm said. He said: "We apologise profusely to our travellers for the unacceptable delay, inconvenience and frustration that they have suffered. "We are offering everyone on board a full cash refund on both legs of their return tickets and in addition a free return ticket for future use." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7356283.stm

Happy Birthday Camuka :)

It was Heroes

A three-hour Heroes episode and the last ever ER series have been announced as part of NBC's new TV show line-up. The US network has also commissioned a remake of 80s drama Knight Rider and a spin-off series to The Office, which will debut in February 2009. Actresses Molly Shannon and Selma Blair feature in the US version of Australian comedy Kath & Kim and new drama My Own Worst Enemy will star Christian Slater. Golden Globe winner Ian McShane has signed up to star in new drama Kings. ER favourite Noah Wyle will return as Dr John Carter in the 15th and final season. New series of Law & Order, Deal or No Deal and My Name is Earl have also been agreed. The Office is due to be screened in the lucrative slot after the Super Bowl, which regularly picks up strong viewing figures in the wake of the annual sporting fixture. Original content on NBC has nearly doubled compared to 10 years ago, the broadcaster said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7330979.stm

bbc mentioned it a couple of weeks back but no date. mentioned a similar thing for heroes. or maybe it was the heroes 3 hour episdoe i saw :\

Gave up reading half way through the thread, so apologies if you've worked this out already but the dates are wrong. 29th June is a Sun, not a Mon, and My Bloody Valentine are playing the Apollo (although Mon 30th doesn't have anyone booked) 26th June is a thurs not a fri, but there are no bookings showing for 26th or 27 at Birmingham nia yet (but Boyzone are there on 10th/1tth, hurrah!!!) 25th June is a wed, not a thurs,nothing booked for the wed 25th, but Def Leppard are at Wembley on Thurs 26th

Your internet age is: 10

Hapy Birthday, bro :D

A grandmother from Merseyside has submitted a planning application to bulldoze the luxury home of Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy - because his firm wants to flatten her house for a new supermarket. Angry Dot Reid, 58, paid £265 to submit the plans to knock down Sir Terry's £1.6 million mansion in leafy Cuffley, Hertfordshire. Her own £80,000 housing association end-terrace home would be demolished by his firm who plan to build a huge new shop and a new stadium for Everton FC, in Kirkby, on the outskirts of Liverpool. But Dot and around 500 people, supporters of Kirkby Residents Action Group, are against it. The grandmother of three has now put in plans to pull down Sir Terry's home and turn the land into a public park. She has been helped by architects to prepare blueprints. Liverpool-born Sir Terry, an Everton fan, was himself brought up in a council house before rising to become one of Britain's top bosses and a multi-millionaire. Mrs Reid, a supporter of local rivals Liverpool, helped set up St Patrick's Housing Co-operative to get Government money to build the houses marked for demolition, which were only finished in 1992. She said: "My property is being threatened to be knocked down. It is not a slum clearance, it is only 15 years old. "Here comes Tesco's again trying to take over the world. "We want our voices to be heard. How would he like it if his house was flattened?" Mrs Reid said she did not know of the details of Sir Terry's house - but looked it up on Google Earth. She added: "It's massive - you would be able to put Everton's new stadium on his land." But Tesco said: "This is clearly a publicity stunt and has no chance of ever being implemented. "The only outcome will be to waste council time, effort and tax payers' money." Everton pushed ahead with plans to move to Kirkby after a ballot of fans showed a clear majority in favour of leaving their Goodison Park home. Mrs Reid's application is now with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council's planning officers. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=559218&in_page_id=1770

Max Clifford, the man who trades in others' secrets, has for the past six months been harbouring one of his own. "Last October I was diagnosed with prostate cancer," he says. "I've decided to go public because I am nearing the end of nine weeks of radiotherapy. "I was lucky to have had an early diagnosis. Without it I wouldn't make it beyond two years, but as a result of my treatment I stand a good chance of living for a long time. "I hope that by speaking out I can encourage other men to have a regular checkup and perhaps save their lives, too." His timing is particularly poignant as five years ago, almost to the day, his wife of 37 years, Liz, died of cancer. She had been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer six months earlier, and many felt she fought against the odds to be with him for his 60th birthday celebrations in April 2003. She died two days later. They have one daughter, Louise, now 36, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since childhood. Last weekend, the UK's best-known PR man celebrated his 65th birthday but his problems began nearly five years ago. "I had an annual health check after Liz died," he says. "I was given a clean bill of health but told my prostate levels were high. "My doctor advised four-monthly check-ups including a PSA blood test." Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and about 27,000 older men are diagnosed with it annually. PSA is a protein manufactured in the prostate. An abnormally high reading should always be investigated and can indicate cancer - but not always. In 15 per cent of cancer cases the prostate is normal. "My check-up last October revealed the PSA had doubled and the doctor recommended an ultrasound and a biopsy. "I don't have private health insurance but decided to have private treatment because I wanted it dealt with as quickly as possible. I went to see Dr Nick Plowman, a prostate cancer specialist. "It was a real shock when he told me that two of the 12 biopsy slivers taken showed malignant cancer cells. Like anyone else the C-word is one you never want to hear." Max had to wait six weeks while it was investigated to find out whether it was a slow-developing or aggressive cancer. In the meantime, a bone and body scan were taken to see if there were any secondary cancers. He says: "I kept wondering what was around the corner." Max is by nature a positive person and told himself to make the best of every minute. He decided he wanted to know the truth, however bad. "My attitude is to face things full on. It's not about being brave, it's about being realistic. "It was particularly hard telling Louise because of what happened to Liz. But other than her and my partner Jo, I didn't want anyone else to know. "I am good at keeping secrets and I am sure no one has noticed what has been going on over these past six months." Jo Westwood, 45, a former nurse, who has been with him for three years, watched him closely. "It was particularly difficult for Max to wait for the results of the tests because what happened to Liz was often at the back of his mind," she says. Max adds: "When I eventually saw the specialist again he told me that, as far as they could tell, there was no cancer anywhere else in my body. " He explained that my cancer was the intermediate type - not slow-developing but not aggressive either. "We discussed my options. I could have radioactive seeds implanted in the prostate, undergo a course of radiotherapy, or have my prostate removed." Jo, 45, was with Max at the time and felt alarmed. "I asked the doctor, 'If he doesn't have anything done, what are you saying?' "He replied, 'Max may have two years left.' I started to cry but forced myself to stop because it was not about me. It was about Max and he was remarkable in the way he composed himself as he took it on board." The specialist explained that the seeds kill the cancerous cells over a period of time, but would take a while to work. Max wasn't keen. "I wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible," he says. "The large size of my prostate also meant an operation would be difficult, so the specialist recommended radiotherapy and I agreed." The Cromwell Hospital in London has a special radiotherapy machine - one of only three in the country - that is accurate within a hair's breadth, so as well as maximising the attack on the cancerous area, there is less radiation to areas close by, such as the bladder, and consequently there are fewer side-effects. "I started the treatment in February and for the past nine weeks I've been to hospital almost every day, Monday to Friday. Each treatment takes about 20 minutes and gives me six minutes of radiotherapy. "Many people suffer side-effects including lethargy and diarrhoea but - touch wood and whistle - I just feel more tired. "I still have a good appetite, play tennis three times a week and swim in my own pool nearly every day." Max continues: "I've now had 35 treatments with three to go and have been told I have an 85 per cent chance of a complete recovery. "Once the treatment is over I have to wait about six weeks before we can see if the cancer has cleared. "Although it's very much in my favour, nothing is certain. It has jolted me to redo my will, which I haven't touched for 20 years." Max's family were poor and his father, an electrician, could afford only a bicycle, but Max drives a new Bentley, uses private jets and has luxury homes in Surrey and Spain. And although he left secondary school at 15, he is regularly invited to speak at the debating society at Oxford and Cambridge universities. He has raised and donated six-figure sums to Chase, a voluntary organisation that provides services for terminally-ill children, and is behind a hospice, Christopher's, near Guildford, Surrey, where Jo is a volunteer. Max is a patron of Chase and has set up Max's Magic Fund to ensure money is available when financial help is needed for either equipment or a sick child's family. "Chase help care for many little ones as young as two who are not around for long," he says. "And when you see things like that how could I complain if, at 65, I am about to start the final chapter?" He certainly isn't thinking of retiring. "I get as much excitement and satisfaction from my work now as I did when I started as a Press officer for EMI record company in the Sixties. "I am busier than ever but I am also trying to be sensible. I don't drink or smoke and have been having lots of pomegranate and cranberry juice because I've read that it's good for the prostate." His upbeat attitude has affected Jo. "I am trying to be as positive as possible because Max is, and he gives me strength. But every so often I say 'Please God, let it be OK.'" Max has always regarded himself as being extremely lucky. "My life has been full of love and laughter," he says. He is hoping his luck holds a little longer. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=559226&in_page_id=1774