Jenjie

The Liverpool club credited with launching the career of The Beatles celebrates its 50th anniversary with a 13-hour party. The Beatles played hundreds of gigs at the Cavern Club between 1961 and 1963. It was demolished in 1973 but reopened 10 years later on part of the same site using reclaimed bricks from the original building. A piece of public art, showing the site of the doorway to the original club, will be unveiled as part of the events. Cavern spokesman Dave Jones said the invitation-only party would reflect all the bands which had played at the basement club over the past 50 years. "The Merseysippi jazz band, who played the first night of the club in 1957, are kicking off the gig and then we have around 30 bands performing," he said. "We also have more contemporary bands to reflect the history of the club over the years. "It is a celebration of the club as a live music venue from the 1950s through to today." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6265819.stm

A policeman has been jailed for masterminding a series of raids on cash machines on Tyneside. Suspended Northumbria Police officer Jason Singh, who was based in South Shields, was the ringleader of a gang targeting machines in Gateshead. Newcastle Crown Court heard he had turned to crime to feed his £600-a-week cocaine habit. The 24-year-old, from Dunston, admitted two charges of conspiracy to steal and was sentenced to six years in prison. Passing sentence, Judge Esmond Faulks, said: "You were at the time a serving police officer. "You have let everybody down, not just yourself and your family, but the general public and the police whose reputation for integrity and honesty you have tarnished." Singh, a promising footballer, joined the police after his career with Newcastle United ended when he was released at 18. Tony Hawks, defending Singh, said: "Once he started out as a police officer he found he couldn't cope. "He couldn't do his job properly and he fell back into his life of mixing with the wrong people and taking drugs." The offences involved in the charge included a raid at a petrol station ATM in Dunston on November 2005, which netted £13,000 and two attempted strikes on other garages in the area in December. He was arrested following a complex undercover investigation carried out by Northumbria Police, which had become concerned about the people he was associating with. Singh appeared in court with his brother Craig, 20, of Ryde Terrace, Dunston. 'Total policing' Also in court were: Mark MacDonald, 26, of Chelsea Gardens, Deckham; Shane Faife, 25, of Curzon Street, Bensham; Justin Brown, 28, of Fernlough, Windy Nook; Joseph McDonald, 27, of Colegate, Leam Lane, all Gateshead, and Peter Chisholm, 27, of Deerbush, West Denton, Newcastle. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal on the day their trial was due to begin, and received sentences ranging from 12-months to four and a half years. Detective Chief Constable David Warcup said of Singh: "It is extremely rare for a police officer to become involved in offences as serious as this. "I take satisfaction from the knowledge that when something like this does occur we have the systems in place to identify and dealt with it effectively. "Total policing is about tackling criminals at all levels, whoever they are." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/6264111.stm

Irish poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has been named winner of the TS Eliot Prize for Poetry, collecting a cheque for £10,000. He won for his latest collection, District and Circle, which draws on his travels to work on the London Underground in his younger days. The prize was presented by TS Eliot's widow, Valerie Eliot, at a ceremony in central London. Heaney's work was described by the judges as "exhilarating". "In an outstandingly strong field, this was an exceptional collection of poems," said chairman of the judges, Sean O'Brien. Poets who made this year's shortlist included Simon Armitage, Penelope Shuttle, Hugo Williams and Paul Farley. The TS Eliot Prize for Poetry is organised by the Poetry Book Society, which was founded by Eliot in 1953 to develop and maintain poetry reading in the UK. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6264699.stm

snooker loopy nuts are we

:P

The Rocky and Rambo star Sylvester Stallone took to the football pitch at Goodison Park before watching Everton play Reading. Stallone, 60, got a rousing reception from the 30,000 plus crowd on Sunday as he held up a blue-and-white Everton scarf and punched the air on the field. He said cheers from the 30,000-strong crowd turned him into an Everton fan. Stallone is a friend of Blues shareholder Robert Earl and is in the UK to promote his latest film. Rocky Balboa is his sixth film in the series. The original Rocky, released in 1976, told the story of a small-time boxer from Philadelphia who gets a shot at the world heavyweight title. Speaking at the match, Stallone said he thought David Beckham would be a "big hit" in the United States when he starts playing for LA Galaxy. "That's it! We've decided to steal your entire sport," he said. "We're bringing it west. No, actually I think it's fantastic, history repeats itself, maybe the seventies was too soon, with Pele and Beckenbauer, this could be great for everybody." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6261167.stm

wahey! I'm so excited :dozey:

A Californian woman who took part in a water-drinking contest to win a video game system has died of water intoxication, tests have shown. Jennifer Strange had taken part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" game run by KDND 107.9 radio in Sacramento, which promised the winner a Nintendo Wii. A work colleague said Ms Strange had reported her head was hurting hours after the contest and was going home. Ms Strange, 28, was found dead on Friday at her house in Rancho Cordova. Health warning Local assistant coroner Ed Smith said initial tests showed death was "consistent with water intoxication". Contestants were first given eight ounce (225 millilitre) bottles to drink every 15 minutes. Contestant James Ybarra told Associated Press news agency: "They told us if you don't feel like you can do this, don't put your health at risk." Mr Ybarra said he quit after five bottles but remaining contestants started on larger bottles. "She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for her kids," Mr Ybarra said. One of Ms Strange's work colleagues, Laura Rios, said: "She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad. "She was crying and that was the last that anyone had heard from her." The station said its staff were stunned at the death. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm

rrp of the last one was £16.99, meaning those retailers who didn't want to make a loss were selling it for £11.99 minimum. The rest of the mad world who didn't mind making a loss so long as they dragged people through the doors were selling it for £8.99. there was one website who had a pre-order price of £7.99 with free p&p

rational thinking there i like it!!! Liverpool means more than Robbie Fowler you know! Its not a one man team :P

interesting!!

its years since I saw it otherwise I'd do you a summary. I remember nothing about it. one of those dvds on my list of ones to watch when I've got a spare couple of hours

The End of The affiar was made into a film. Its a good film, try watching that

Second Madrid blast victim found Spanish rescuers have found the body of a second man under the rubble left by Saturday's huge car bomb blast at Madrid airport, officials have said. The body is believed to be that of a 19-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant. The body of another Ecuadorean man was found on Wednesday. Both victims were buried under tons of rubble from the airport's multi-storey car park. Spain blamed the bomb on the Basque separatist group Eta, which had been nine months into a ceasefire. On Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he was "more determined than ever" to stamp out violence after visiting the scene of the blast. In a separate development on Thursday, Basque police said they had found a car packed with explosives. Grim discovery The body believed to be that of Ecuadorean migrant Diego Armando Estacio was found in a car on Friday, Spanish officials said. Rescuers - using a specialist camera - were able to spot an arm inside the car flattened by thousands of tonnes of steel and concrete. The removal of the body is expected to take several hours. The other victim, 35-year-old Carlos Alonso Palate, was found on Wednesday. Both men had been sleeping in their cars, and so did not manage to escape the building even though at least one telephone warning was received before the bomb exploded. The powerful blast flattened the five-storey car park. Rescuers and firefighters are still engaged in clearing some 40,000 tons of rubble, and about 400 wrecked cars. 'Right to life' On Thursday, Mr Zapatero said the attack "will achieve nothing, it is not going to intimidate anyone". "I am more determined than ever to devote my energy to seeing an end to violence and achieving peace", Mr Zapatero said. All citizens "have a right to a life without bombs or violence," he added. Eta has not officially claimed responsibility for the blast, though the warning caller said he was from the group. Eta's political wing, Batasuna, insists the peace process "is not broken". But Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba has declared it "finished". The deaths of the two Ecuadorians were the first attributed to Eta in more than three years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6233431.stm

An eight-year-old autistic boy with an obsession with postboxes is celebrating his own special delivery. Gareth Scott, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, has had a specially-adapted pillar box made by the firm which supplies Royal Mail. They met a request by Gareth's mother Denise by making him a smaller version of the official box, for easy reach, with personalised collection times. His grandfather Herbie Roberts said the gesture was "wonderful". Gareth's language is limited, but one of the words he can say is postbox, and his mother said his favourite trips out are to see his different examples. Stockport-based firm Romec made the box and delivered it to the family's home. Mr Roberts said: "I was absolutely flabbergasted. I don't know who was more excited - me Gareth, or his mum. "It's certainly a wonderful thing that they have done. I'm indebted to them, we are ever so grateful that they have made my grandson a very happy little boy." The postbox now has pride of place in the back garden. Nigel Fitzhenry, from Romec, said: "When we got the letter it was such a lovely letter and we were in a position to make his dreams come true, we couldn't not do it." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6232547.stm

Black tape has been put on civil servants' desks to show them where to put their pens. The pilot exercise at National Insurance offices in Longbenton, North Tyneside, is part of a UK-drive to encourage staff to tidy their desks. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union claimed the scheme was costing £7.4m nationally and branded it "demeaning" and "demoralising". HM Revenue and Customs said it was in line with workstation training. The exercise is part of the Lean programme, brought in by consultants Unipart, which has already seen public sector workers told to clear their desks of personal items. The customs spokesman said: "Part of the Lean processing is to clear the workplace and only keep essential items to hand. "This is in line with the workstation ergonomics training that all our staff receive and complies with the display screen equipment regulations (2002). "The markers on desks are used to demonstrate that it is much better to work in a tidy work environment where everything has its place. "Staff involved have confirmed they prefer the tidier workspace." Red tape But a PCS spokesman said: "The tape idea illustrates the madness of the Lean project. "The scheme is demoralising and demeaning. Staff know how to order their desks themselves. "We had a situation in some offices in Scotland where staff were asked 'Is that banana on your desk active or inactive?', meaning were they going to eat it? "If not, it had to be cleared away." The scheme is being implemented a month after Tony Blair outlined measures to save £2bn by cutting red tape. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/6230629.stm

All Easyjet flights scheduled to depart from Bristol International Airport on Friday morning have been cancelled. Fifteen flights have been affected after the budget airline raised concerns about skidding when landing in wet weather. Other flights are unaffected and BA, Ryanair or Air Lingus have not cancelled any departures. The airport said safety was paramount and that it is reviewing the situation on the status of the runway surface. A passenger has reported that a pilot announced to the cabin that they could not take off because the runway was unsafe and too slippery. And 10 planes were diverted to Cardiff Airport on 30 December after three planes came off the runway at Bristol, it has emerged. A pilot, speaking to BBC News anonymously, added: "It has been like this for six to eight weeks. "I've landed in wet weather, put the brakes on and come to the bit that is being re-surfaced, and just skated across it - we actually speeded up. When it is wet, you have no grip." Easyjet spokesman Toby Nicol said the company would not run flights from Bristol while the runway was wet, and was moving its Bristol operations to another airport on Friday afternoon. "Any rain over the weekend will prevent flights from Bristol," he said. "Bristol airport has been laying a new runway and what they have not had a chance to do is cut grooves into the surface. "We have found that this is having an effect on braking distances on the runway in wet weather. "The safety of its passengers, crew and aircraft is Easyjet's first priority and this decision has been taken following discussions with Bristol Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority. "Customers are entitled to a refund of the fare paid or a free transfer on to another Easyjet flight within the next month." Ryanair told the BBC it had experienced no problems at the airport and was unaware of any concerns. BA would not comment further. Bristol Airport's operations director, Paul Davies, said: "Easyjet's decision has been made based on a number of factors including information passed to the airline by the airport on the condition of the runway surface. "Their decision to temporarily suspend flights in wet conditions is based on operational conditions within which its aircraft can operate. "Information on the status of the runway is regularly passed to all airlines as part of the airport's standard operational procedures." In December, a plane operated by Guernsey airline Aurigny with 52 passengers on board, ended up on the safety zone at the end of the runway after landing at Bristol. 'Diverting flights' And an Easyjet flight from Malaga has also recently strayed on to the safety area at Bristol while taxiing. The Easyjet spokesman added: "The runway conditions are slick at present and we are not confident we can land our aircraft in wet weather without skidding. "We are looking at the option of diverting some of our flights to Cardiff or Birmingham airports." Barcelona, Prague and Newcastle are among the routes served by Easyjet from Bristol. In October, the airport announced its £17m runway resurfacing plans, scheduled to last five months. Carl Lapworth, head of engineering at the airport, said at the time: "The resurfacing of the runway has been planned very carefully, taking into account the needs of the airport, local communities and the authorities." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/6233487.stm

blimey!! I've not seen anything about that anywhere, and I practically live on the BBC news site whilst I'm at work.

there was loads of space, coz its the hugest store ever, but there was just rack after rack after rack which was extremely daunting.

I'm not surprised. everyone knows about the Next sale, that's why so many mental people queue from 1am for the doors to open!! why buy something on the 24th Dec, when you can get it so much cheaper a few days later. although having said that, I didn't buy anything from the branch in Manchester because there was so much stuff it was near impossible to browse

blimey!! that's mental! what an amazing man

A Night At The Museum - 8.5/10 really fun, great special effects, good cast list, interesting storyline.

Its fab!!!!! :D

Postal plan begins on Potter book The Royal Mail says it is beginning to plan a strategy for delivering the final Harry Potter book to UK fans. The release date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows remains unconfirmed but the postal service is to meet online retailers next month. Demand is expected to be as high as last year when 500,000 pre-ordered copies of the sixth book were delivered in the UK. A Royal Mail spokesman said: "This kind of operation takes a lot of planning." A Harry Potter book release is one of the busiest times of the year for postal workers, next to Christmas. Speculation JK Rowling said recently that she was close to finishing the final book in the series but would not reveal any plot details. However the author has admitted two characters will die. This has sparked speculation amongst fans who think one of them could be Harry Potter himself. The first four novels in the series, based around a young wizard and his friends, have been turned into films. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is currently in production and is due to be released in UK cinemas on 13 July. Helena Bonham Carter joins the cast as the evil Bellatrix Lestrange and Imelda Staunton will play the part of dark arts teacher Dolores Umbridge. Sales of all Harry Potter books now total more than 300 million worldwide. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6214211.stm