Jenjie

Fantasy comedy Night at the Museum has knocked animated penguin movie Happy Feet from the UK box office top spot. The film, which stars Ben Stiller as a security guard facing exhibits which come to life, took almost £4m over the first weekend after Christmas. Happy Feet was well beaten with takings of £1.8m, while Casino Royale hung onto third place with £1.4m in sales. Body-swap comedy It's a Boy/Girl Thing is a new entry in fourth place after making £967,903. Transatlantic romance The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law falls to fifth place, ahead of another animated animal movie, Flushed Away. Time travel thriller Deja Vu is at number seven with dragon fantasy Eragon, literary adaptation Perfume and Clint Eastwood's World War II epic Flags of Our Fathers rounding out the top ten. The top money-making movie is Casino Royale with a total UK gross of £49.6m seven weeks after its release. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6229045.stm

Parents of a severely disabled girl in the US have revealed that they are keeping her child-sized in order to give her a better life. The nine-year-old, named Ashley, has the mental ability of a three-month-old baby and cannot walk or talk. Along with hormone doses to limit her growth, Ashley's parents also opted for surgery to block breast growth and had her uterus and appendix removed. They say the treatment will help to improve her quality of life. Ashley's parents, Seattle residents who have not given their names, went public over their daughter's treatment in a blog launched on 1 January. Their decision came after information about Ashley's case was published in a US medical journal last year, triggering considerable debate and criticism. 'Improve her life' "A fundamental and universal misconception about the treatment is that it is intended to convenience the caregiver," Ashley's parents wrote on the site. "Rather, the central purpose of the treatment is to improve Ashley's quality of life." Ashley has static encephalopathy, a rare brain condition which will not improve. Her parents call her "Pillow Angel", because she does not move from wherever they put her, usually on a pillow. The couple decided three years ago to take steps to minimise their daughter's adult height and weight. They authorised doctors to remove her uterus to prevent menstruation and to limit her breast growth through the removal of breast buds so that she would not experience discomfort when lying down. The surgery was performed in July 2004, and shortly after that Ashley began hormone treatment that is expected to reduce her untreated height by 20% and weight by 40%. Ashley's parents say that because she will remain the weight of a child, it will be easier for them to move her around, bathe her and involve her in family activities - movement that will benefit her physical and mental well-being. Ethics row They emphasised their love for their daughter and said that the amount of criticism their choice of treatment attracted had surprised them. "If the concern has something to do with the girl's dignity being violated, then I have to protest by arguing that the girl lacks the cognitive capacity to experience any sense of indignity." "The oestrogen treatment is not what is grotesque here. Rather, it is the prospect of having a full-grown and fertile woman endowed with the mind of a baby." The BBC's Laura Trevelyan says the case has triggered an ethical row in the US about the limits of medical intervention. When details of the case were published last year, it drew angry reactions from some people and the couple were accused of "Frankenstein-esque" behaviour. Douglas Diekema from the University of Washington in Seattle was on the ethics committee that gave the go-ahead for Ashley's treatment. "We said yes because the parents convinced us it was in fact in this little girl's best interests," he told the BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6229799.stm

not necessarily illegal, but you would likely have trading standards on your side. if you buy something, it has to be suitable for the purpose for which you bought it. so if you buy a game and the system requirements suggest that it will work on your computer and it doesn't, they ought to provide you with a refund. they can get round this by trying replacement versions. or PC world test it on their computers to see if it works.

i'm bored

course there is. you can't beat going into the shop and browsing. plus you get better information off the covers of the items than the blurb on some of the online sites. trying to find 2 player ps2 games online is a nightmare coz the majority don't give you that info

not any time soon then??? end of Feb????????/ that's 4 wjole weeks away

not necessarily doomed. they just need to respond to the changing market and re-evaluate how they do business. if they continue to try and price-match the online store they'll quite easily go out of business. but there are plenty of areas they can focus on to improve sales. the business & academic market; niche areas which online sites won't necessarily focus on; and even set up their own online services.

who has somehow lost 2 stone over christmas, and actually isn't looking so much of a minger any more

CD and DVD retailer Music Zone has gone into administration. The chain, which has 104 stores across the UK and 1,100 staff, had been struggling against competition from online retailers and the supermarkets. Music Zone said it had no alternative to administration after its banks decided to recover debts without notice and with immediate effect. Administrators said they would continue trading at the firm while seeking a buyer to run it as a going concern. Market stall Music Zone was bought in a £12m management buy-out in 2005, backed by private equity firm Lloyds Development Capital. A company spokesman said the firm was not alone in experiencing "challenging trading conditions" on the High Street. He added that pre-Christmas spending was also poorer than expected. Stockport-based Music Zone said in January last year that it was "optimistic about future growth". It made the comments after it bought 43 former stores from the MVC chain, which had itself gone into administration. Music Zone was founded by Russ Grainger from a market stall in Longsite, Manchester, in 1984. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6227971.stm

The birth of 10 baby rays at the start of 2007 is being celebrated at the Sea Life Centre in Brighton, East Sussex. The newborn undulate rays hatched out of their eggs over the course of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Currently measuring 8cm to 10cm (between 3in and 4in), the babies are being housed in a nursery display at the Sea Life Centre. "We are really excited... the baby rays are healthy and thriving," said curator Peter Jones. The new arrivals will only be placed with their parents and other adults once they have grown, but they are already showing the defensive behaviour common to undulate rays. Mr Jones said: "Even though they are only a few days old our rays are instinctively behaving as they would in the wild by burying themselves under the sand in their display. "This is how they would hide from potential predators including sharks and larger rays." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6227403.stm

Court threat for dog attack owner A man whose dog killed his niece could be prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act after it was confirmed the animal was a type of pit bull terrier. Ellie Lawrenson, five, died of severe head and neck injuries after being mauled at her grandmother's house in St Helens, Merseyside. On Tuesday, Ellie's family - including her uncle - laid flowers at the house. Anyone convicted of owning a prohibited dog can face a £5,000 fine or six months in prison under the 1991 Act. Earlier, Merseyside Police said post-mortem tests showed the dog was among the breeds prohibited by the Dangerous Dogs Act. Pit bulls are one of four breeds banned under the legislation. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokeswoman said: "If a person is found to be guilty of illegal possession of a prohibited dog they could face a 5,000 fine and/or six months in prison." Two previous complaints had been made about the pet, which belonged to Ellie's uncle. Supt Jon Ward, of Merseyside Police, said: "An assessment has been made by a recognised expert on the Dangerous Dogs Act, from the Metropolitan Police, and he has confirmed that the dog was a pit bull terrier type. "The results of this post-mortem will now be included in the investigation and we will be speaking to all family members about the circumstances leading up to this tragedy. "As soon as the investigation is completed, a report will be presented to the coroner and to the Crown Prosecution Service in terms of considering what offences, if any, have been committed." Ellie was attacked in the early hours of Monday at the house in Knowles House Avenue in Eccleston. She was staying with her grandmother, Jackie Simpson, while her mother and father went out to celebrate the New Year. Ms Simpson, 46, tried to lock the dog outside, but suffered arm injuries. She has undergone surgery at Whiston Hospital. Police have yet to speak to her about what happened. The dog was shot dead by a police marksman following the attack. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6227529.stm

Children's author Philippa Pearce, who was responsible for books such as Tom's Midnight Garden, has died aged 86 after suffering a stroke. The former BBC producer wrote her first novel, Minnow on the Say, in 1955, and her home - a Cambridgeshire mill house - inspired much of her work. Tom's Midnight Garden, about a young boy who finds a secret Victorian garden at his uncle's home, was among them. It sold millions of copies and was adapted for film, TV and theatre. It also won the British Library Association's Carnegie Medal in 1958. 'Recreate everything' Pearce once told how the idea for Minnow on the Say came while she spent a hot summer being treated for tuberculosis. "The hospital was boring and stuffy. I thought of my home and the coolness of the river, and how lovely it would be to go in the canoe. "I began to imagine exactly what that would be like," she said. "I found I could recreate everything in detail, even to the feel of the twine that tied the canoe to the landing stage that my brother once made." Tom's Midnight Garden was inspired by the sale of her family's home, which made her feel like her childhood had been "chopped off", she said. "I began thinking of writing a story based on the house and the garden, and this feeling of things slipping away." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6227309.stm

February????? we have to wait until Feb?????? :veryangry:

hmmmmmmmm!!! so the calcium in cheese is really bad for you is it???? I swear they've lost the plot. everything is bad for you if you eat it in ridiculous quantities. there should be a health warning on carrots, if you eat nothing but them for ages you turn orange! that must be bad!!!!!

Reet then, ladies & gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for with bated breath!! :laugh3: Our winner, with 23 correct answers is............................................... ....anna111 The runner up with 21 answers correct is.......................................... ... maxie1p And special mention has to go to texasluvsjonny for giving me a lugh with the most amazing set of random answers!! And for those of you who care, these are the correct answers: 1. Boxing Day falls on December 26th, but by what other name is it known? St Stephens Day 2. What was the name of the winter festival celebrated by the Roman’s? Saturnalia 3. What would a pagan be celebrating? Yule 4. In which town was Jesus born? Bethlehem 5. What were the names of the Three Wise Men? Balthasar, Caspar & Melchior 6. If you were in Germany, who would you be expecting on December 6th? Sankt Nikolaus 7. Who wrote “The Little Match Girl? Hans Christian Andersen 8. If I attended an Eastern Orthodox Church, on which day would I be likely to celebrate Christmas? January 7th 9. In what year did people in the UK begin sending Christmas cards? 1840 10. What would Christians in China call Santa Clause? Dun Che Lao Ren 11. According to the carol, with what should we deck the halls? Boughs of holly 12. Who wrote the song “White Christmas”? Irving Berlin 13. If someone said to you “Nadolig Llawen”, which country would you be in? Wales 14. What would you expect to receive from your true love on the 8th day of Christmas? Eight maids a milking 15. Who introduced the Christmas tree to England? Prince Albert 16. When would you expect to receive presents from Grandfather Frost? New Year’s Eve (Dec 31st) 17. Who is the main character in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’? George Bailey 18. Who was the author of ‘The Snowman’? Raymond Briggs 19. Who originally sand ‘We’re Walking In The Air’? Peter Auty 20. What is the name given to the 4 weeks before Christmas? Advent 21. What is the European name for Groundhog day? Hedgehog Day 22. If your Mum is Jewish & your Dad is Christian, what might you celebrate in winter? Chrismukkah 23. Which Christmas film from 1989 would you expect to find Chevy Chase in? National Lampoons Christmas Vacation 24. In ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’, who plays Dickens? Gonzo 25. For what occasion would you take an orange to church? Christingle 26. What would you expect to see on the BBC at 3pm GMT on December 25th? The Queen’s Speech. 27. Who fed the Wise Men on their journey? Baboushka 28. which plant would you stand under to receive a kiss? Mistletoe 29. Where does Santa live? North Pole 30. Which angel visited Mary? Gabriel

that would be dependent on my remembering how to check the IPs. Plus it would be no fun if you looked them all up!!

did you read past the first sentence of that post? that was sarcasm, hence the :P the rest is quite positive!!

why?????

ace, so one useful thing has come out of it then :D

I have plenty of fun, thanks!! but this didn't strike me as the most fun thing to be doing. more notice would have been useful, rather than logging onto the board at work and seeing what looked like a load of spam threads started by trolls like we've had problems with before. Luckily, work was fairly busy so I only moved 2 or 3 threads into the dustbin. I would have been way more hacked off if I'd spent more time doing so. having spent a long time clearing up after real trolls on previous occasions, and not having read the alias thread, it didn't look like much fun at the time. having had you point out what was going on when I came home, it made more sense and seemed quite funny. but then some of the threads started to head the wrong side of the board guidelines.

not read the whole lot of arguments throughout the thread as it seemed to be going round in circles. but one thing did come to my attention, which I'm going to comment on. its a feature, which as an admin I can't use because I'd be neglecting my duties, called the IGNORE BUTTON. If certain users are making comments that are annoying you, are upsetting you, or you think are just plain spamming, use it! to do so, click on the person's name, go to view public profile, and choose add xyz1 to your ignore list.

don't fret yourself too much. think of it as the first step in retaining your coldplaying award for next year :D

have you tried pming the named 4 so they know they're wanted?