Jenjie

With their vast intergalactic knowledge and ability to harness the Force, the task of convincing UN officials to recognise their cause should be a walkover for a pair of Jedi Knights. But self-proclaimed Jedis Umada and Yunyun, better known as John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law, have adopted a more conventional approach in their pursuit of recognition – delivering a protest letter. The unconventional pair are calling for the UN to acknowlegde what has become Britain's fourth largest ‘religion’ with 390,000 followers. The UN International Day of Tolerance, which takes place annually on November 16, is aimed at emphasising the dangers of intolerance and promoting integration and cohesion across the globe. Umada, 27, and Yunyun, 24, both from London, want the day to be renamed the ‘Interstellar Day of Tolerance’ to reflect millions of people across the globe who have chosen to follow the Jedi code as a religion and truly reflect social diversity. For the protest in Whitehall, the couple will wear full Jedi Knight robes and will be accompanied by a host of supporters including Star Wars favourite Chewbacca with a placard reading ‘Tolerance for Jedis’. Umada and Yunyun said: ‘For the last ten years the United Nations has marked the International Day of Tolerance. While we support this important work, we feel the UN needs to move with the times. ‘Like the UN, the Jedi Knights are peacekeepers and we feel we have the basic right to express our religion through wearing our robes, and to be recognised by the national and international community. ‘We therefore are calling upon the United Nations Association to change November 16 to the UN Interstellar Day of Tolerance, to reflect the religious make-up of our twenty-first century civilisation. ‘Tolerance is about respecting difference where ever it lies, including other galaxies. Please don't exclude us from your important work. May the Force be with you.’ In the 2001 UK Census 390,000 people listed their religion as Jedi Knight making it the fourth biggest belief in the country. There are also an estimated 70,000 Jedi knights in Australia, 53,000 in New Zealand and 20,000 in Canada. The United Nations Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the UK's leading independent authority on the UN and a UK-wide grassroots membership organisation. Although the association is independent of the United Nations, Yunyun and Umada hope the organisation will take on the case with the global peace-keeping body. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=416761&in_page_id=1770

TV viewers were warned yesterday against giving money to the BBC's Children in Need appeal. An independent watchdog said that donating to the charity is 'a bad idea' because of its huge administration costs - £2.4million last year, out of a total of £33million raised. Intelligent Giving said some of the money donated will be swallowed up by bureaucracy. This year's appeal, is expected to attract more than 11 million viewers. BBC stars and the trademark Pudsey bear will host the marathon show. The popularity of the charity, however, is not matched by its efficiency, the watchdog claimed. Its report said: 'Loathe as we are to knock the stuffing out of a one-eyed teddy, the fact is that supporting Children in Need is a lazy and inefficient way of giving.' It added: 'Giving your cash to a grant-giving charity like Children in Need is, 90 per cent of the time, a bad idea.' The main reason was that donations pay for two sets of bureaucrats: those who run the BBC charity and those in charge of the smaller organisations to which it gives money. The watchdog ridiculed the Children in Need claim that 'every penny you give goes towards helping children and young people in the UK'. It said: 'That is just clever wording. Children in Need does the same as all the other big clever charities: it invests your pennies (for six months or longer sometimes - do you want that?) and uses the interest to cover costs.' The most recent submission to the Charity Commission from Children in Need says that last year it spent £1,837,000 on 'management and administration'. A further £555,000 was spent on costs of generating funds - 7 per cent of the £33million raised. However, in 2004, Children in Need spent just under £42,000 on 'investment management fees'. Intelligent Giving - set up by magazine publisher Peter Heywood to advise donors on the most-efficient charities - also said that Children in Need was the wrong charity for anyone who wants their donation spent in their neighbourhood. Those who give money must expect it to be spread around the country, it said. It called the returns sent to the Charity Commission by Children in Need incomplete and 'plain false'. Children in Need said the criticism was 'inaccurate' but did not issue a detailed rebuttal. Instead it said: 'In 2005 our appeal raised £33million from public donations and we have since awarded £33million to projects across the UK. 'We are very open about how this is achieved. The donated funds generate interest in the bank which means that all our administration costs are able to be met by investment income and not donations.' The charity added: 'We are very lucky that we have a large audience who have the commitment and passion to raise millions of pounds, and in return they trust us to deliver the money to the greatest areas of need. 'The high profile of BBC Children in Need enables us to give grants to smaller organisations that might not otherwise be able to raise significant funds for themselves.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=416666&in_page_id=1770

This is Mimi, the first cat to give birth to puppies, her owner claims. Brazilian Cassia Aparecida de Souza, 18, says three of the cat’s six offspring, which were born three months after Mimi mated with a neighbour’s dog, have canine traits. A geneticist from the Passo Fundo University plans to take blood samples from the animals to verify the claim. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=416816&in_page_id=1770

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has defended his controversial creation Borat, saying he is a tool to reveal racism. Baron Cohen dropped his alter ego for the first time since the Borat film was released, for an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. "The joke is not on Kazakhstan," he said. "I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist." The film has topped the box office for a second week in both the US and UK. The film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, has a naive yet enthusiastic Kazakh reporter meeting with people across the United States. Prejudice 'absurd' It has upset some because of Borat's anti-semitic, sexist and racist comments. A pair of US students are suing the film studio, 20th Century Fox, claiming they were duped into appearing in the film. But Cohen - a practising Jew - said the film ridiculed what people were prepared to believed about other cultures. "Borat works essentially as a tool," the former Ali G star said. "By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice, whether it's anti-Semitism or an acceptance of anti-Semitism." He added: "I think part of the movie shows the absurdity of holding any form of racial prejudice, whether it's hatred of African-Americans or of Jews." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6153420.stm

Two elderly women are being sought by police after a wallet was stolen from a bag that was taken off a train. British Transport Police (BTP) issued a CCTV picture of the pair of grey-haired women clutching the bag on a platform at Sunderland Railway station. The bag is believed to belong to a student who was travelling on a Metro train and while it was later recovered there was no sign of the wallet. Officers have urged anyone who recognise the women to contact them. The CCTV images show the women, thought to be in their 70s, with the bag as they walk out of the station in Sunderland city centre. Both were wearing knee-length skirts, white shirts or blouses and carrying shoulder bags. Both are described as having grey hair. A BTP spokeswoman said: "We are appealing for anyone who may recognise, or have any information regarding the identity of the women to come forward in the strictest confidence. "We believe the two females may be able to assist with inquiries into the theft of a wallet from a bag at Sunderland Railway Station. "We have released images of the suspects and are appealing for anyone who may recognise, or have any information regarding the identity of them." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/6153744.stm

Madonna's adopted son has been enjoying play dates with Gwyneth Paltrow's baby boy Moses. The 'Hung Up' singer has been taking 13-month-old David - who she gained interim custody of on October 12 - to the 'Shakespeare In Love' actress' North London home so the two tots can get to know each other. A source close to the pop superstar is quoted by Britain's The Sun newspaper as saying: "Madonna was keen for David to get friends his own age group." The two famous babies have also been joined by fashion designer Stella McCartney's 19-month-old son Miller and actress Kate Winslet's three-year-old boy Joe on several occasions. It is believed that Madonna, who is married to British film director Guy Ritchie, took David to meet up with seven-month-old Moses - whose dad is Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - earlier this week. Meanwhile, Madonna has revealed she is planning to adopt another Malawian baby - but this time a girl. http://www.femalefirst.co.uk

A school has cancelled a sponsored kidnap event in aid of Children In Need, after protests by the family of a pupil allegedly abducted last month. The parents of the teenage girl were reported to be "outraged" at the Wrexham school's insensitivity and had asked for the event to be called off. The head teacher "apologised for any distress caused". A man has been charged with kidnap in Wrexham on 19 October and is due to appear in court again in January. The girl was allegedly snatched from a street in Wrexham and later found 70 miles away in Bangor. The sponsored kidnapping was among a number of activities planned at the girl's school in Wrexham for the BBC's annual Children in Need Appeal on Friday. In a statement issued through Wrexham council, the head teacher said: "This has been an unfortunate misinterpretation of the intended event planned by pupils." "I have apologised for any distress caused to everyone concerned and assured them that this particular event will not now go ahead. "We are all looking forward to raising as much money as possible for Children in Need and to enjoying all the events planned throughout the day." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/6152670.stm

Taxing inefficient light bulbs and allowing CDs and DVDs to be copied are among the most popular petitions listed on the Downing Street website. A scheme has been launched allowing people to petition prime minister Tony Blair online. Number 10 says it allows more campaigners than "ever before". Iraq, ID cards, inheritance tax and making Spandau Ballet's song Gold the national anthem are among the topics. Party political, obscene and libellous petitions will not be included. The most popular "e-petition" so far is for an exception to copyright law, which would allow people to make copies of their CDs and DVDs. There are several environmental ideas, from rationing petrol and diesel to taxing inefficient light bulbs - which is among the top votes. 'Stop bullying' The issues range from the international - there are two calls for Iraq inquiries - to the local, such as reviewing the roadworks on the M1, junctions 8 to 10. One petition is simply to "get people to stop bullying other people". All e-petitions not put on the site would be listed in a separate section, with reasons given for their rejection, a Downing Street spokeswoman added. The website is funded by the taxpayer, meaning party political material should not be included. The spokeswoman said there was a "fine line" in deciding which e-petitions to reject. She added that all paper petitions delivered to Downing Street in person would still be accepted. No "inflammatory" statements or swear words are allowed on the site, while calls for actions "outside the remit" of the government are forbidden. The system also prevents users from submitting the same petition twice. Tom Steinberg, director of My Society - the charity helping to run the project - said: "We are trying to make it as transparent as possible. "We will try to list all the rejected petitions and, even if we can't use the exact wording, if the petition is libellous, we will explain why it wasn't included." No 10 says there are anti-spam measures and people who want to sign a petition have to give an e-mail address and a UK address including postcode, or an overseas address. Last year, TV chef Jamie Oliver delivered a 271,677-signature petition to Mr Blair calling for improvements to school dinners. The government later announced it was putting £280m into raising nutritional standards. On Remembrance Sunday this year, families of service personnel killed in Iraq delivered a letter signed by about 750 relatives and veterans to Downing Street, calling for the immediate return of British troops. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6147842.stm

A German appeals court has found a Moroccan, Mounir al-Motassadek, guilty of being an accessory to murder in the 11 September 2001 attacks on the USA. The Karlsruhe court sent the case back to a lower court for sentencing. In August 2005, a Hamburg court jailed Motassadek for seven years, following a year-long retrial. But the Karlsruhe judge on Thursday overturned the Hamburg court's decision to acquit Motassadek, 32, on thousands of counts of accessory to murder. He now faces up to 15 years in jail. Motassadek was originally jailed for 15 years in 2003, convicted of helping the 11 September plotters, who were based in Hamburg, with logistical support and other aid. But that verdict was overturned by Germany's Supreme Court in 2004 and a retrial ordered. The court ruled last August there was no proof that Motassadek knew about the 11 September plot and jailed him instead for membership of a terrorist organisation. He again appealed. Defence lawyers at the retrial criticised the lack of direct testimony from witnesses held by the US. The Moroccan acknowledges he was close to the hijackers but has always insisted he knew nothing of their plans. He has admitted attending an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6153624.stm

HIPPITY HOPPITY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Definitely!! the book's ending is way better

I knew you'd like this article ;)

UK unemployment is continuing to rise - climbing by 27,000 to 1.71 million in the three months to September, the highest level in seven years. The jobless rate to 5.6%, up from 5.5% in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The number of people out of work and claiming Jobseekers Allowance rose by 1,200 in October to 961,300. Average earnings grew by 3.9% in the year to September, down from 4.2% in the previous month. Other ONS data showed that that 141,000 people were made redundant in quarter, up by 3,000 from the previous three months. The number of people working in manufacturing fell by 77,000 over the year to about three million - the lowest level since records began in 1841. However, the rise in the UK population led to the number of people actually in work increasing by 56,000 over the quarter to 28.9 million. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6149830.stm

Controversial laws allowing people with untreatable personality disorders to be detained, even if they have not committed a crime, are to be revived. The draft Mental Health Bill was axed by ministers in March after years of opposition. But some of the key proposals are to be retained in an amending bill to be announced in the Queen's Speech. Campaigners said the plans to update England's 23-year-old laws would represent an abuse of civil liberties. The draft Mental Health Bill had proposed allowing people to face compulsory treatment even if their condition could not be treated. Under the plans, they would have been able to be held for 28 days before facing a tribunal. The bill was first published in 2002 but redrafted several times among much opposition from campaigners, doctors, politicians and academics. One of the main criticisms was that it made it too easy to detain people with some warning even those with mild conditions may be locked up. The desire to change the law was largely driven by Michael Stone's 1998 conviction for the brutal murders of Lin and Megan Russell. Stone was regarded as a dangerous psychopath but, because his condition was untreatable, he could not be held under mental health powers. 'Treatable' Under the 1983 Mental Health Act patients can be sectioned, but only if their condition is treatable. The plan to amend the act is expected to be introduced quite soon, possibly before Christmas. It is likely to propose allowing compulsory therapy if "appropriate treatment will be available". Jane Harris, campaigns manager at the Rethink mental health charity, said: "If the government pushes ahead with this it will mean people with mental health problems have fewer rights than someone suspected of burglaries. "It will be an abuse of our civil liberties." And Andy Bell, of the Mental Health Alliance, an umbrella group of charities and professionals, added: "We have some major concerns about this. The law is getting outdated and needs some changing to bring it up to date with human rights legislation. "But if it goes ahead it will be a missed opportunity." It is also expected that the Government will seek to revise the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act to give single women and lesbian couples an entitlement to fertility treatment. The present law states that fertility doctors should take account of a child's need for a father before offering a woman treatment, irrespective of whether it is on the National Health Service or private. A crackdown on internet sites selling sperm is also likely to be part of the plans. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6147880.stm

Babies born at or before 22 weeks should not be resuscitated or given intensive care, a report says. The recommendation is being put forward by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which considers ethical questions raised by advances in medical research. For those born after 23 weeks, the recommendation is that doctors should review the situation with the parents and take their wishes into account. But doctors warned no two babies born at 22 or 23 weeks would be the same. The report has been released after two years of research. It also gives guidance on how parents should resolve arguments with doctors over the fate of their babies. The report comes against a backdrop of medical advances which have been able to sustain the lives of very premature babies. However, research shows that many of these babies do not live very long, or go on to develop severe disability. Part of the problem is that despite advances in modern medicine, it is not always obvious to doctors which babies will survive and thrive. Professor Margaret Brazier, who chaired the committee that produced the guidelines, said: "Natural instincts are to try to save all babies, even if the baby's chances of survival are low. "However, we don't think it is always right to put a baby through the stress and pain of invasive treatment if the baby is unlikely to get any better and death is inevitable." The inquiry also looked at longer-term support for families, and resource implications for the NHS. Bliss, the premature baby charity, is campaigning for one-to-one neonatal intensive care, and for decisions to made based on clinical reasoning, and not financial constraints. The charity said the UK had the highest rate of low birth weight babies in Western Europe. About 300 babies are born in the UK each year at 23 weeks. They have a 17% survival rate, compared with 50% for those born at 25 weeks. Figures suggest that no baby survives at 21 weeks, while only 1% survive to leave hospital at 22 weeks. Andy Cole, Bliss chief executive, said: "While only a small percentage of infants in the UK are born at 24 weeks or less, it is essential that every baby should be treated as an individual and given the best and most appropriate care at the point of life. "We strongly endorse the recommendation that assessment of care for the most vulnerable infants needs to be a joint decision between parents and clinicians." All babies different Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the medical ethics committee of the British Medical Association (BMA), said much of the report echoed "existing best practice". But he added: "The BMA believes that blanket rules do not help individual parents or their very premature babies. "Each case should be considered on its merits and its own context. While we believe that not all patients, including babies, benefit from medical intervention if survival is unlikely, it is important that each patient's circumstances are assessed independently. "We therefore cannot agree with stringent cut-off points for treatment." There are about 250 units in the UK offering neonatal intensive care, high dependency and special care. Earlier this month the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said it wanted a discussion over whether "deliberate intervention" to cause death in severely disabled babies should be legalised. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics was established in 1991 to examine ethical questions raised by advances in biological and medical research. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6149464.stm

The headmaster of an Edinburgh school where pupils have gone back to using fountain pens said they helped to raise academic performance. The writing policy at Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School in Edinburgh means children a young as seven are using the pens. Bryan Lewis, the school's head teacher, said the practice helped boost youngsters' self-esteem. It is thought the pens make pupils write neatly, which helps exam markers. Fountain pens have been used for many years by older pupils. The move comes after the Scottish Qualifications Agency said markers had difficulties with poor handwriting on exam papers. Mr Lewis said in the past four to five years the use of fountain pens has been extended, with seven and eight-year-olds using them 80-90% of the time. He said: "We believe if you write in fountain pen you must write neatly, but if you use pencil or ballpoint pen you can mask bad handwriting. "We have a particular writing style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that allows left and right handed people to write without smudging. "We think children deserve to be able to show their work neatly. We think children need to be literate and numerate and the way society is now we have to work harder. "The role modelling is not always there, so they need it in school." Reaped benefits Mr Lewis said developing neat handwriting was something pupils could then show to their family, who in turn could take it on board. He claimed being praised for good handwriting reaped benefits later and was one of the skills that has suffered as a result of progressive teaching approaches which meant less emphasis was put on basics such as grammar. A large number of pupils join the school aged 10, and have varying standards of handwriting. But within a matter of months they are able to get to grips with the fountains pens and a cursive, or joined-up, handwriting style, the head teacher added. The Headteachers' Association of Scotland believes handwriting basic skills should be taught as a "priority" as soon as children begin primary school. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6143844.stm

Sony has admitted that some games designed for older PlayStation consoles are not working properly on the newly released PlayStation 3 (PS3). The PS3 was supposed to be "backwards compatible", meaning it should run games written for PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Sony said that the audio features do not work on some titles, while others have problems with the graphics. It has offered to fix the PS3 problems via online upgrades for consoles. Limited numbers "We are aware that a select number of titles have compatibility issues but these problems will be fixed with a software upgrade that will be available in the near future," a Sony spokesman told the BBC News website. Japanese newspaper Sankei has reported that the problems affect about 200 games sold for the original PlayStation and the PlayStation 2. Sony has declined to give numbers. Games affected are believed to include Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy. But the problem affects only about 2% of all PlayStation 1 and 2 games which can be played on the PS3. Glitches of this nature are quite common when new consoles are released. Microsoft received complaints about scratched disks when it launched the Xbox, and other consoles have had compatibility issues. The console is described by the firm as its most important strategic product of this year, and it is intended to go head-to-head with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's upcoming Wii console. The PlayStation 3 was originally supposed to go on sale in early 2006, but production problems and shortages of key components forced a delay. The European launch of the console has been pushed back to March 2007. This has also meant that there are only 100,000 consoles for gamers in Japan. Sony said 400,000 will be available for the US launch on 17 November. Despite the shortages, Sony said it was confident of shipping six million PS3s by the end of March 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6146328.stm

The novel that propelled Czech writer Milan Kundera to international fame - The Unbearable Lightness of Being - has become a bestseller in his homeland. The first official Czech-language edition hit bookstores in the Czech Republic in late October, and has already sold out in many. The book, set during the 1968 Prague Spring, was banned under the communist authorities. Kundera, resident in France since 1975, reworked it for the Czech edition. "It has been a bestseller since 26 October here," said Vlastimil Benes at Kanzelsberger bookshop in Prague. "Many Czechs have not read it before - they knew about it only from the film. We've sold out now and are awaiting new copies," he told the BBC News website. Fragile lives The US-made 1988 film starred Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche. The story describes the lives of Czech artists and intellectuals caught up in the brief period of socialist reform in Czechoslovakia which ended when Soviet tanks rolled into Prague in 1968. It focuses on the fragile nature of individual lives amid the turbulence of world events. The book was first published in 1984 in France. Before the Czech Atlantis edition, Czechs had very restricted access to it in their own language. The only Czech edition was released in 1985 by emigre writers Josef Skvorecky and Zdena Salivarova. In a postscript to the new edition, Kundera says: "It was necessary to reconstruct the manuscript, partially lost, then compare it with the Skvorecky edition and above all with the French translation in which I introduced many small changes over 20 years." He urges readers to treat it above all as a novel, not a political commentary. Kundera was born in the Czech Republic's second city, Brno, in 1929. He studied literature and film and joined the Communist Party, but was expelled twice for political reasons. He went into self-imposed exile abroad after a Soviet-style regime was restored in Czechoslovakia in 1968. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6146494.stm

the book shop I used to work in had loads of different music books in, across a variety of subjects from biographies of artists/bands to information about the various types of music (punk/rock/classical/country etc) A friend recommended 'Ratpack Confidential' by Sean Levy to me as a good music biog to read. I've not got round to reading it yet though.

What version you got? I've been looking at the PS2 but not sure if I can spare the pennies for it at the moment.

What the heck?????? Randomness!

England football star Wayne Rooney will be questioned by police investigating reports of a fight outside a nightclub. The 21-year-old Manchester United striker will be interviewed by police over claims that a photographer was assaulted outside a club on 15 October. Rooney has not been arrested and the man did not need medical treatment after the alleged incident outside the Panacea nightclub in Manchester. Greater Manchester Police said inquiries were continuing. A spokesman said: "An appointment will be made for a 21-year-old man to attend a Greater Manchester Police station to be questioned in connection with an incident on John Dalton Street on Sunday October 15." He added: "Shortly after 5.05am on October 15, police received a report that a man had been assaulted on John Dalton Street in Manchester city centre." Manchester United beat Wigan away the day before. Rooney played in the match, but did not score. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6144262.stm

PlayStation 3 consoles advertised as used are appearing for sale in Japan shops as well as online auctions. They are being sold for up to four times the retail price of the console, which went on sale in Japan last Saturday for about £270. There are also reports that homeless people were paid to queue for the console on behalf of people now selling them on at a higher price. The product launch is one of the most crucial in Sony's history. Thousands of people queued for many hours in cities across Japan on Saturday and many people went home empty-handed. Sony has had difficulties in mass producing the console because of problems with a specific part of the console's Blu-ray DVD player. The firm put the European launch of the console on hold until March next year due to the shortages. One PS3 with a 60GB hard drive, which would have cost about $500 (£270) in Japanese stores, was on sale on Monday on the auction site eBay for an asking price of $2,300 (£1,200). Other PS3s were attracting bids starting from $600 (£313) up to $1,475 (£771). Brian Ashcraft, an editor for gaming website Kotaku in Japan, said: "I witnessed homeless people waiting in line as well as a high number of Chinese customers." He said he had heard similar stories from other shops around Tokyo and in Osaka. A Kotaku reader, Dirk Benedict, contacted the website about the launch day at flagship Tokyo store, Bic Camera. "The first buyers of PS3 were largely elderly Chinese men and young Chinese women with shaky Japanese language skills," he wrote. "Opportunistic Japanese businessmen have the largest presence, hiring poor Chinese men and women to wait in line for a PS3." Mr Benedict said the Chinese men and women were then delivering the consoles to Japanese men, who were paying them up to £90 for queuing. He wrote: "Sony should be scolded for staging a national launch event with 80,000 units. "An extreme lack of supply ignited an extreme surge of demand - that of which poor Chinese and opportunistic Japanese took full advantage of." Kotaku reports that PS3 consoles advertised as used are now being sold for 144,900 yen (£645) in some Japanese shops. The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is being sold in two configurations. The more expensive version has a 60GB hard drive and wi-fi on board and its official cost in Japan is 60,000 yen (£270). The cheaper version has a 20GB hard drive, lacks the wi-fi and will cost 49,980 yen (£222). European prices are expected to be higher than direct comparisons suggest. Both versions include a wireless controller, a Blu-ray high-quality video player and a port so they can work with a high-definition display. Buying a PS3 also gives owners free access to the online PlayStation Network where they can meet and take on other gamers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6142576.stm

Irish boyband Westlife have topped the UK singles chart for the 14th time in their career with The Rose. They are joined at the top by fellow Irishmen U2, whose collaboration with punk act Green Day - The Saints Are Coming - rises from six to two. All Saints climb from 11 to three with their comeback single Rock Steady, and Madonna's Jump enters at number nine. On the album charts, British funk act Jamiroquai debut at the top with their greatest hits collection, High Times. Entering at number two is the latest band put together by X-Factor and Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell, Angelis. The group features six children between the age of 11 and 14 drawn from choirs such as Royal Scottish National Orchestra and New London's Children's Choir. Last week's number one, The Sound Of Girls Aloud, is pushed down to number three, and Damien Rice enters at number four with 9. The next four places in the top ten are all new entries, with albums from Katherine Jenkins, McFly, Paul Weller and Sir Cliff Richard all making their first appearance. Westlife's chart accolade cements their chart reputation as the most successful boyband of the 21st Century. They have sold more than 35 million albums in the last eight years, and won the coveted Record of the Year prize four times. However, they have a long way to go before they beat the record for the most number one singles in the UK. That honour is held by Elvis Presley, who has hit the top spot 21 times. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6141664.stm

I love that book!!! Thought it was a million times better than the film, even if Colin Firth was playing Vermeer. The film missed bits out so you really didn't get the significance of some of the important bits.