The Glass Box for Friday
Comment here about tonight's programme...INCLUDING the Princess Diana coverage.
Archives for August 2007
There are Blog problems across the system at the moment -
please accept our apologies.
Our Europe Editor Mark Mardell will report for us from Poland tonight.
I have been sent these photos of an event that happened during the making of the report. I have nothing to add.
Princess Diana.
After our Nelson Mandela strand excited such interest earlier in the week - we wondered what memories people have of the late Princess of Wales. Did you meet her?
On the way in this morning I saw this
in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ prop holders. Is it from the last one or for the next one?
The Beach
What is the Beach?
It’s a place to go when the stresses of your real life need relieving. Sometimes it is fairly quiet and you might feel like you’re the only one around, but you can leave your ‘footprints’ for others to find later on. Othertimes it is the home for a real party, with constant gossip, leg-pulling, rumour, innuendo, chit-chat and weirdness.
If this were a forum (and it sort of is because we post responses to each other, not just to Eddie, hence our term for ourselves 'Froggers', a combination of forum and blogger) then the beach would be the off-topic area.
It's a tropical location, no matter the time of year it's always warm and pleasant there.
Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, the evenings balmy. It has a number of different locations; the Nick Clarke waterfront bar; the smokers corner; Fido's Run for the dog-walkers; the Naughty Step and many others.
How do you find your way around? There is no direct answer to the question.
The beach is a moveable feast, literally. It will be renewed by our Lord and master Mr. Edward de Mair each Friday morning. This is because we have found in the past that when the number of posts exceeds about 600 the entire thing becomes unwieldy and unstable. A case of the beach turning to quicksand.
Froggers often leave bottles / glasses / trays of their favourite tipple on the bar for others to sample, not to mention big / small eats.
There is a herd of camels who frequent the sands, which froggers are very fond of. There are sun-loungers, so you can take it easy and catch some rays. Quite often the late-night attendees will have a barbie.
It's a fun place, with only one real rule; Be nice to each other; we are ALL chums here. New Froggers are ALWAYS welcome.
The real debate happens on the other threads. The beach is a place for banter, whimsy, relaxation and friendship, where jarring comments are not particularly welcome. There are certain very mild protocols, which you tend to pick up as you go along. So slip your shoes off, feel the sand between your toes, relax and enjoy yourself.
The Glass Box for Thursday
apologies for its lateness. The period between 1615 and 1650 last night was crazy. But that's no excuse. Sorry!
Divorce and co-habiting couples
Should unmarried couples who live together get new rights to help should they split? One of our guests, Marilyn Stowe thinks so. What about you?
How many lawyers is too many?
We have more than one on the programme tonight. I think Law in Action have done entire programmes with fewer.
DIVORCE
On the programme tonight we might be interviewing someone based on this PA copy:
The number of divorces in England and Wales has fallen to an almost 30-year low, official figures showed today.
A total of 132,562 couples formally split last year, a drop of 6.5% on 2005 and the third annual drop in succession, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The figure, which excludes Scotland and Northern Ireland, is the lowest since 1977 when there were 129,053 divorces. The overall provisional divorce rate for England and Wales - calculated by proportion rather than total - also fell to its lowest level for 22 years, to 12.2 for every thousand married men and women. It was the second annual fall in succession, with the divorce rate down 7% on 2005 of 13.1%. The figures show that the idea of the seven-year itch may be overly pessimistic - the average failed marriage now lasts as long as 11.6 years, unchanged since 2005. People in their late 20s had the highest divorce rates - with 26 divorces per thousand married men aged 25-29 and 27.3 among women in the same age group - but
overall the average age of people divorcing was higher, at 40.9 for women and 43.4 for men. The number of second-time divorcees has also doubled in last 25 years. In 1981 just over one in 10 people getting divorced had already had a previous marriage dissolved. Last year that figure was one in five. Across the UK as a whole, the number of divorces fell by a more modest 4.5% to 148,141 in 2006 from 155,052 in 2005. But in Scotland there was a near-20% surge in the number of divorces, up from 10,940 in 2005 to 13,014 last year. The ONS said the hike could be the result of a sharp cut in the required separation period which came into effect in May last year.
Under the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006, couples who mutually agree to divorce can do so after just one year apart instead of two. Contested cases can now go ahead after two years, rather than five. In Northern Ireland the number of divorces rose by 8.6% to 2,565 last year, compared to 2,362 in 2005, the ONS said.
We may well talk tonight about the Virginia Tech shootings
because of report.
A charming email arrives from Ann
who wrote to us yesterday (and then appeared on the programme) to talk about Nelson Mandela. She says, in part:
"re the Nelson Mandela email and fantastic recording done yesterday by you. I have never heard my voice before, even though I talk to myself all the time. With many, many thanks for one of the most exciting days I have had for years. Several people rang up to say they recognised my voice, and I haven't heard of them for a long time.
from Annie, as all my friends call me."
The Glass Box for Wednesday
THIS is the place to talk about what you heard in the programme. There are lots of other places to discuss other things - please have a look at FAQ on the right of the blog which has advice on what on EARTH is going on.
We just got this email from PM listener Ann Andrews. Have YOU met Mr Mandela?
I am nearly 78, and so I have had a long time to read about Nelson Mandela, we all knew what a remarkable person he was.
But I only saw him once, quite close to me, when he came to Brixton with Prince Charles.
We were packed in a side street near the railway bridge, so tightly that if any one who smoked wanted to light up they could not raise their hand to get their cigarettes out of their breast pockets.
The crowd went quiet as he and Prince Charles mounted the steps to the balcony where he was going to speak to us.
There seemed to be as many different citizens surrounding me as there are countries in the world.
As he raised his hand in that familiar gesture the crowd bellowed, and each one managed to get both their arms above their heads to idolize him.
Huge black men, tough and rough white men, asians, western europeans like me, and eastern europeans, and of course, African men and women had tears in their eyes, and black and white women were openly sobbing.
And as he spoke I realised that he had something much greater than charisma, something more enigmatic than holiness, and that was why he was able to do more than any other person now on earth to help us become better human beings.
I am crying as I type this, so strongly do I feel.
We tried to bring you
Turkey last night, but what with one thing and another it got squeezed off (if I can use that expression) so as a public service - here it is, with the planned introduction:
Turkey has a new president - Abdullah Gul. He's the country's foreign minister and was elected after three rounds of voting by the country's parliament.
It's been quite a journey for him - not so long ago he was an Islamist - he was minister of state in the first Islamist-led government in 1996. But he and his party were driven from office not long after - by an army fearful of its pro Islam, anti NATO stance. Since those days Mr Gul has become very pro western and pro European Union - but his critics - some of them in the army have their doubts. Mehmet Shim-shek is an MP from Abdullah Gul's Justice and Development Party.
Ben Parkinson, his parents and the minister
What do YOU think?
The Glass Box for Tuesday
Yes this is the place to let rip about the content of tonight's programme. The editor will read the comments and give a response.
Don't forget if you want to let rip about anything else: Rip Torn, Rip van Winkle or Rip It Up and Start Again - there are lots of other places on the Blog where you can do so. Please check FAQ on the right to see what's what.
Diamond!
Or is it? Tonight on the programme we're talking about this... 
...is it the world's biggest diamond?
From the Listener Log for Friday...
"I feel that the term 'spit spotting with rain' should not be used because it contains the word 'spit' which is a rude practice and has no place on the airwaves."
Am contemplating today's newsletter. We had a lot of positive feedback to Friday's - which people seemed to find uplifting...and that was the intention. Paddy rather let the side down yesterday by sending out a newsletter that was well crafted and full of useful information. I will be having a word.
10.07 UPDATE:
Ever wondered what a reporter takes with her/him on a job? No, neither have I. But in any case, this is Nigel Wrench's (borrowed) desk for his item from the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Friday.
Essential items include coffee (foreground), a digital sound recorder (the black thing next to the laptop), laptop (used for editing sound clips as well as writing scripts), and just beyond it a small ´óÏó´«Ã½ mixing desk (a "Glensound") which plugs into an ISDN line to ring our "traffic" unit here at Television Centre and be put through on a quality line to studio S1 for broadcast. Oh, and an apple somewhere too.
The (ahem) Glass Box for Monday?
Comment here.
The Furrowed Brow
is the place for serious talk about serious things.
The Glass Box for Friday
is the place to talk about the programme's contents.
If you want to talk about other things - try the handy guide in FAQ on the right which explains that your own topics have a thread of their own...and there's another thread where barely a serious word is aired. Have a read.
If your comment is about a previous PM - click on the Glass Box link on the right and find the right day.
The Flooding in Hull
may well feature in the programme tonight - because of report.
Fenella Fielding
has just been into our office. She is, of course, fantastic.
Way back when, she was kind enough to record some idents for a programme I was doing in Scotland. Later, she helped us out with some stuff before I was fired from Broadcasting House. She will be on BH with Paddy this weekend and a few moments ago I met her for the first time.
She is, of course, fantastic.
...and she might pop up on PM tonight...
Is your comment in the right place?
If you're new to the Blog it can seem a bit confusing. So we created a guide - FAQ - which you'll find on the right.
I mention this now because I notice there are lots of good comments on The Beach which would get the right attention in The Furrowed Brow or in some cases The Glass Box.
If you've already posted on The Beach - why not consider re-posting in another place, after reading the FAQ.
If the FAQ needs updating or something isn't clear - feel free to add a comment on this thread.
The Beach
Relax. Have fun.
And here's a pic from Kevin Luff who says:
"Dear PM Crew
A lovely picture of the beach in Douglas, Isle of Man to brighten up your blog - if you want....
If you don't want, then OK, see if I care! Phillistines."
A snapshot of Carolyn Brown
taken tonight during the 1700 news summary. Through the glass you can see the (ahem) flash and also, seated behind the computer screen, the top of studio producer and tonight's deputy editor Jeremy.
The red mike in the foreground is mine. The blue bars you see in the background are the ones we use during taped items to keep limber.
The Glass Box for Thursday
is the place to talk about the programme's contents. If you want to talk about other things - try the handy guide in FAQ on the right. If your comment is about a previous PM - click on the Glass Box link on the right and find the right day.
Tonight's Sound of Summer...
comes from frogger Jonnie. You'll hear it on the programme - here is a photo he sent to go with it..
Blog Special: from Edinburgh
Nigel asked the comedian Andy Zaltzman, who you might have heard of Radio 4's "Political Animal" and who has a show at the Edinburgh Festival , to imagine cultural life in Gordon Brown's Britain. There's a bit of it in Nigel's report - here's the full version.
We get several of these emails every day. Should we be concerned?
"SKULL BASE RECEIVER IMPLANTS
UK police intelligence are using skull base receiver implants for male
targeting in prisons and at hospitals and are monitoring targeted males
on network telecom signal with voice to skull control signal onto bonded
skull base receivers. These work by bone anchored hearing to the cochlea.
This racket has been going on for many years in the UK.
The implants are classified devices. Surgery is done covertly by trained
retained surgeons. The voice to skull is restricted classified signal.
UK press and media do not refer to human targeting on implants
or to voice to skull signal. The UK internet is fully censored and
filled with substituted secret service disinformation.
Targeted males will not be helped by NHS surgeons to remove their
implant terminal and they will be implanted for life on the telecom
network. The network voice to skull signal is in every building, train
and tube train in the country and it has a range of 1,000 miles on
the European telecom network. Implanted victims would be advised
to go to America or to Australia if they can.
Police signals officers are barred from discussing these systems with
civilian victims and could be imprisoned under official secrets legislation
if they were to assist an implant victim. A culture of malpractice and
corruption has been spawned in police signals intelligence secure
units under the protection of the Official Secrets Act.
Victims could be suicided on excessive signal or even poisoned to
prevent leaks of information about human implanting and voice to
skull signal.
DO NOT REPLY. THIS SITE IS MONITORED."
If hearing about far off lands lifts your spirits -
here's an email from Clare Chesher who wrote on Tuesday after a 17.30 trail about podcasting.
"It was interesting to just hear your comment about how listeners increasingly listen online and time-shift their listening. As I write it is 8.30am in Anchorage, Alaska, where I live, and I'm listening to the programme over breakfast. I breakfast to PM and lunch to The World Tonight: you get used to it in the end! Clare"
At last the Gillian
frog picture appears - it was impossible getting it sent yesterday. Thank you again Gillian - here it is resting on my TV.
Tonight, from Edinburgh
Nigel has a piece about the arts under Gordon Brown.
And these two men are
Nathan Kiley (left) who plays Tony Blair and James Lark who plays Gordon Brown in "Tony Blair The Musical," sold-out on the Fringe. James wrote it.
We're in Edinburgh, or rather Nigel Wrench is, to talk about the future for the arts in the Brown era.
Nigel says he'll be live, technology permitting, at the Edinburgh Books Festival with the author Louise Doughty, who wonders if Gordon needs writing lessons, and with the playwright Mark Ravenhill as well as something from Tony Blair the musical, and, if Nigel can find him, the comedian Andy Zaltzman.
What will be the Brown equivalent of Cool Britannia?
The Glass Box for Wednesday
What did you think of the programme?
PM IN VIZ!
My colleague Jonty Bloom has just brought over this month's Roger Mellie, the Man on the Telly.
PM is mentioned.
1345 UPDATE: Viz have kindly given us permission to use their strip.
1455 UPDATE:
Here we are at the end of the strip (sorry to spoil the ending...)
Testing testing
Tried to post yesterday afternoon unsuccessfully so will try again - and maybe email our senior blog chums if it doesn't work!
10.00 UPDATE:
Ooh. It worked and yesterday's appeared.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank fifi for sterling work last week in getting addresses out of lots of regular froggers. She did that at my request, because I wanted to send a little something to all the regulars to mark our first birthday.
Sadly, somehow, nothing I sent has arrived. We are investigating this end, but I wanted to publicly thank her and apologise to regular froggers that the small something has not appeared. Rather cross about it.
1220 UPDATE:
Big Sis and Dafydd send this from Wales "Cofion o Cymru"
And thank you to Gillian - not just for this lovely card:
but a frog - a photo of which I've been trying to post here...without success so far. Stand by.
and here is bass guitar (Fifi's Nemesis) and then there's Gossipmistress
HOW TO SEND US YOUR SOUND OF SUMMER
Would you like to send us YOUR sound of summer? Please do!
We need at least 30 seconds of it - up to a minute is fine. You must also send a note of what it is, where and when it was recorded.
There are two ways you can get it to us - you can email it to us as an mp3, or put it on CD and mail it.
MP3:
Email to pm@bbc.co.uk. It's very important you put SOUNDS OF SUMMER CLIP in the strapline otherwise we may not see it.
BY MAIL:
Send your CD to PM SOUNDS OF SUMMER, Room G601, ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Centre, London, W12 7RJ.
In any case we will NOT be able to return anything you send us, so if you can't afford to do without it, please don't send it. There is no guarantee either that we'll be able to broadcast your item so please don't be sad if yours doesn't make it on. Sending us the sound also means you're happy for us to broadcast it and we can use it freely in any form without giving you a damn thing in return. It means we own you and there's nothing you can do. Nothing, do you hear??? (To be read as if a villain in a cartoon or horror film: HAHAHAhahahaha.)
If having read all that you're happy to give it a spin, please do. We can take sounds from anywhere in the world, and we're running them for several more weeks, so it you're going on holiday and want to send us something on your return you can.
Have fun with it!
The Glass Box for Tuesday
The place to comment on tonight's programme.
This card
got to us despite being addressed only "Radio 4 ´óÏó´«Ã½ London" and "Dear PM" -
It's from Ray Gosling who says "the second biggest gong to big ben is Little John atop building as over. Other great cities have bongs too".
And Rose used to live in Coventry between 1958 and 1968 and says she loved to hear the cahedral bells on a summer evening while she sat in her garden. She'd love to hear that before the pips. The photo is of Lytham's Windmill and Lifeboat Museum.
But never mind the pictures: what about these sounds? Humph and Mittfh
I am ripping a CD at the moment.
If I knew what to do after that, we'd be laughing.
More postcards to come today.
Learco Chindamo and Philip Lawrence
What do YOU think?
The Glass Box for Monday
is the place to comment on tonight's programme. Right interviews? Good reports? Correct story choice?
What do YOU think?
Add your comment and the PM Editor, Roger Sawyer will post a response to the comments later.
Our thanks to Gossipmistress for the postcard, Fifi for the smutty card and Jonnie for the card and coffee!
What a thoughtful bunch you are.
Meanwhile - this just in from regular Frogger Roberto:
"Roberto C. Alvarez-Galloso monitoring Dean with his computer in Miami Florida."
I'm sorry to report
that my colleague from Broadcasting House, Paddy O'Connell was apparently suffering from a sore throat yesterday. And a breathing problem.
You know our broken phone line? One of several at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ that's been useless for days...we got this call to the Listener Log on Friday.
"It is not fair that the programme continues when the phone line is not available.
This is just picking comments from the elite of the country who have the internet."
The Furrowed Brow
The place for serious talk.
I'm not certain, because
Friday was its usual chaos as we careered towards airtime at 17.00.
But I think some froggers may have sent us something.
There are cards and parcels in my drawer. Details and proper thanks to follow upon opening. But in the meantime - thank you.
The Glass Box for Friday
The place to talk about the content of tonight's programme.
Bored by tourist stuff?
Were going to debate this in the programme tonight: recording a discussion at 15.30.
PA says: Hot tourist attractions such as Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower leave Britons cold, according to a survey out today. UK tourists are also far from enamoured with the Louvre in Paris and the Angel of the North in Gateshead, the poll from Virgin Travel Insurance found. Other UK attractions on the "most disappointing sights" list include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London.
And the overseas table of attractions we find easy to avoid includes New York's Times Square and Statue of Liberty, The White House in Washington and the Great Pyramids. Topping the UK "must-see" sights is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, with Bath's Royal Crescent, Scotland's Isle of Skye and Cornwall's Eden Project also
in the top 10. Leading the "must-see" overseas table is The Treasury at Petra in Jordan. Other top 10 entries include the Grand Canal in Venice, the Masai Mara game park in Kenya and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Commenting on the choices made by the 1,267 adults questioned, travel expert Felice Hardy said: "It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on cliched tourist sights around the world, but many of
them are overcrowded and disappointing. "Pick carefully and don't always go for the obvious. Natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made, and can be wonderfully free of tourists."
Ms Hardy dubbed the Eiffel Tower "frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced" and said Stonehenge was "an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field". She said the Diana fountain resembled "a colourless wet skateboard park" while as far as Big Ben was concerned: "Once you've seen it, you'll know what time it is - time to go somewhere else."
These are the 10 most disappointing sights:
OVERSEAS
1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris
2. The Louvre, Paris
3. Times Square, New York
4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona
5. Statue of Liberty, New York
6. Spanish Steps, Rome
7. The White House, Washington DC
8. The Pyramids, Egypt
9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
10.The Leaning Tower of Pisa
UK
1. Stonehenge
2. Angel of the North. Gateshead
3. Blackpool Tower
4. Land's End, Cornwall
5. Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, London
6. The London Eye
7. Brighton Pier
8. Buckingham Palace
9. White Cliffs of Dover
10. Big Ben
These are the must-see sights
OVERSEAS
1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan
2. The Grand Canal, Venice
3. The Masai Mara, Kenya
4. Sydney Harbour Bridge
5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia
7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey
8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia
9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia
10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland
UK
1. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
2. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim
3. The Royal Crescent, Bath
4. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark, south London
5. The Backs, Cambridge
6. Holkham Bay, Norfolk
7. Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Devon and Dorset
8. Tate St Ives gallery, Cornwall
9. Isle of Skye, Scotland
10. The Eden Project, Cornwall
GMX sends "Cornish Roadside in Spring"...
...an old yellowed card given for free "...when I bought some rather lovely views of Port Isaac (shame you can't see them, they're rather nice...) Love to all the froggers and PM team. PS: only LW reception here!"
Elvis LIVES
Here! This is the full interview with Sonny West, who was Elvis's bodyguard between 1960 and 1976.
He has a new book out: "Elvis still taking care of business."
He came into our New York studio at 1500 BST yesterday afternoon, and as you can hear, chatted for quite a while. I haven't heard the version here - I recall at some point...it may have been once we'd stopped recording...he talked about catching a flight last night to London - due in around 6am. He's appearing in Derby this weekend.
As you'll hear, he seems an incredibly nice chap, and our office staff in New York reported he was wonderful.
Oh, that news I promised you?
It's HERE.
1255 UPDATE:
The consensus (among people who could play it) appears to be that it doesn't make any bloody sense at all.
If YOU know what on earth the three people on the recording are talking about, and think you could form it into a programme submission to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 - please add it here. We'll send it on to the Controller.
What would the Berlin Wall look like - if it was rebuilt in Britain?
Well, like this perhaps -
An artist called Mark Gubb has spent the week with timber, cement and fake barbed wire for an unusual performance on Saturday. It's a re- enactment of the death of a teenager who tried to cross the wall exactly 45 years ago today.
Peter Fechter was shot by East German border guards and left to die where he fell, on the East side of the wall.
On PM tonight Nigel Wrench hears from the artist -- that's him in the foreground at a first rehearsal -- and we'll tell you why he asked us to keep the location a secret. And why do this at all?
The Blog is ONE TODAY!
Yes, it was a year ago today that the Blog came into existence.
As you'll remember it opened with several lengthy paragraphs I wrote about the meaning of modern communications, my views on future developments, and how our development as humans was being marked at this point in human history by our almost feverish adherence to technology: pointing out the potential dangers therein.
As for the future: watch this page for some news today...
The 50,000 Beach!
Created a day early after a number of requests...because last week's Beach was in danger of collapse - HERE is the place to celebrate!
Blog Picture Power!
You heard Hugh Sykes on the programme last night and on Tuesday - he sends us these photos from Pakistan and India and the two sides of divided Kashmir.
The Jhelum River in Indian-administered Kashmir, flowing west.
Dal lake in Srinagar, summer capital on the Indian side.
The main road to Islamabad near Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Security in the hotel in Muzaffarabad. The stern looks were only for the camera - they both smiled a lot.
Indian soldiers in Baramulla, on the Indian side of the Line of Control (the 1949 ceasefire line).
(l-to-r) Shaheeda, Hadiya and Saima - students in a school in Baramulla. They deeply resent the presence of the Indian army in majority-Muslim Kashmir.
Sayed Ali Geelani, General Secretary of the Movement for the Freedom of Kashmir and fierce opponent of what he calls the Indian 'occupation'.
Two brothers in Amritsar, in Indian Punjab. The older brother beckoned me across the street to take their photo.
Two girls with their brothers in Amritsar - they are reclaiming materials for potential recycling from this pile of stinking, putrid rubbish. And they are smiling.
Hurry - don't miss the...tractor. Pakistani revellers near Lahore heading for Independence Day celebrations at Wagha on the Indian border.
The passengers at the front of the same tractor and trailer.
A young Pakistani family on their way to the border celebrations.
Porters at the Wagha crossing to India. Yes, those are my bags. The large one is very heavy - the satellite dish I use for live broadcasts is in that bag, and a small sound mixer. I begged him to pull it behind him on its wheels, but he said he preferred it on his head.
We've reached 50,000 Blog Comments! Congratulations!
Here is the photo, - well two taken one after the other:
And Jonnie was the 50,000th!
This is MY 1,000th posting. We've done it in one year - tomorrow is our first birthday - when we'll let you in on a little secret....
The (ahem) Glass Box for Thursday
This is the place to comment on tonight's programme.
It's also where I'll be posting all comments today...as I think this will make 999 entries. Emergency!
Here is the latest total (at 1030) for the number of posts by me and comments by us all:
Tomorrow I expect I will have a blizzard of postings but today I will be good.
Also tomorrow - our BIG NEWS. YOU will hear it first right here.
1145 UPDATE:
1330 UPDATE:
We are VERY close to 50,000!
REAL 1330 UPDATE (sorry i jumped 30 minutes earlier) we are 49 away from 50,000. I will do my best to not the moment we go through 50,000, take a pic alongside the time! I suspect I will miss it but live in hope. Later: new photos from Hugh on his travels - the poor man just phoned five times in an effort to get a solid connection from India.
1350 UPDATE: 
1412: Fewer than 20 to go!
1420: WHO is it going to be? We are ten comments away from our 50,000th!
The Glass Box for Wednesday
THIS is the place to comment on the content of tonight's programme. Just click on the Comment link.
If you're new to the Blog and are wondering what on EARTH is going on - try clicking on FAQ, on the right.
With a little help
from some advice from Jonnie, I was finally able to take a pic of the screen that shows how many entries I've made on the blog, and how many comments there have been. I followed the advice to print it off and take a picture of the paper. After several blurry attempts, I managed this:
In fact the total will now be 997 for me, and it's 49,621 for all of us.
Friday will be quite a day I think. Our first birthday for sure, and possibly 1000 posts from me and 50,000 from us all.
Best of all: an announcement you won't be expecting.
UPDATE 14.30: Just had this email from Gemma Teale:
"I don't get a chance to listen as often as I used to, but if you still do the news round up thing at the end of the week, there's a cracking bit from the news on 5live (ok i know that's not strictly the thing). The intro said about people being told not to panic about the Foot and Mouth investigation at Chessington. The guy comes on to speak and all you can hear behind him are children screaming. It's a fabulous mental image. I think you have to hear it, I'm not doing it justice here...."
We're looking for the audio.
1550 UPDATE:
Scotland and Independence
will be a big talking point in the programme - sparked by from Scotland's first minister. Have a read - and, wherever you are in the UK - or the world - add your comment here.
The Glass Box for Tuesday
This is the place to comment on the content of tonight's programme.
ALSO: The Mattel recall that Nils mentioned: Customers in the UK and Ireland should contact Mattel's helpline on 01628 500 303 or email HelplineUK@mattel.com or visit the company's UK website at www.service.mattel.com/uk/.
And here's a visual aid for tonight's Sound of Summer...
Fifi
needs the help of regular froggers in a number of threads:
"I too am working on an anniversary project (among other things I'm a publisher).
Please, those of you who love the Frog, and who know Fifi enough to trust me, can you please send an email via the weblink attached to my name above, and I'll tell you more!
No obligation, and your privacy (as always) is guaranteed.
Look forward to hearing from you ... including lots who have dropped off the radar."
The web link is on the first comment on the "favourite blog moment" thread. Go on - help her out!
This will be my main thread of the day updating regularly - am trying to hit 1000 on Friday - already at 993. The total comment count at 1033 is 49148.
1330 UPDATE: We're busy chasing e coli, foot and mouth and Scottish independence. Will also look at maths teaching.
The Glass Box for Monday
This is the place to comment on the content of the programme - how WE did in bringing it to you.
Your favourite Blog moment from our first year...
The Blog will be a year old on Friday - and I'm curious about what it has come to mean to you.
An annoying interruption to the smooth running of PM? Something informative...amusing...or both? Maybe you've made friends through the Blog, or organised armed robberies.
What does it mean to you - and do you have a favourite moment?
(Oh and have a look at - we're doing it on the programme tonight. I would have done a seperate posting but I am trying to keep the figures down this week...)
The Furrowed Brow
The place to talk seriously about serious things.
48,693
This fine Sunday morning. Coming shortly - a London landmark captured in the sunshine yesterday afternoon.
0845 UPDATE: and here it is.
BTW I recommend John Simm and Adrian Bower (indeed the entire cast) in the hilarious Elling. The theatre is very near the scene of this photo. Laugh out loud funny.
11.33 MONDAY UPDATE: I have a new set of headphones. I've never had my own set for work before. This pair has come from Gillian's secret stash. Gillian has secret stashes of most things.
48,500 plus
is this morning's latest total. Did anyone go to bed?
Sorry to read this morning of the death of Tony Wilson. As a tiny addition to the justified plaudits about his life and career, I can add that he was a great guest! We spoke to him a few times on BH and PM - though thanks to his illness I think the last occasion was a while ago. But always huge fun - insightful, punchy and articulate. We'll miss him.
Now...what will we do IF we get through 50,000 by Friday? We had lots of ideas in the office and a few on the Blog but I took the view that none of them quite hit the mark. We're going to let the thoughts fester for a few days and see what happens. Actually, as I write this, I've had a thought.
In any case - beach anyone?
Alzheimers...this is how the press association is reporting the story. What's YOUR experience?
Campaigners battling for Alzheimer's sufferers to have access to anti-dementia
drugs on the NHS in the early stages of the disease suffered a High Court blow
today.
Although a judge ordered the Government's medicines watchdog to amend
"discriminatory" guidance on drug treatment for Alzheimer's, the ruling did
not pave the way for funding for all patients with "mild" symptoms.
Drugs companies, supported by the Alzheimer's Society, won a partial victory in
the first ever challenge of its kind to a decision by the National Institute for
Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which is responsible for providing
national guidance on treatments available on the NHS.
Mrs Justice Dobbs, sitting in London, ruled that Nice should rewrite its
guidance on how the severity of the disease is assessed.
Eisai, the Japanese company which makes Aricept, one of the drugs at the centre
of the case, and Pfizer, which distributes it in Britain, had accused Nice of
acting "irrationally and unlawfully" and argued that its decision was
"procedurally flawed".
But the judge allowed their challenge on only one out of six grounds - that the
test to assess Alzheimer's is discriminatory to people with learning
difficulties or those who speak English as a second language.
Campaigners say that amended guidance will greatly improve the position of
"thousands of patients who would otherwise have been denied equal and fair
access to treatment because they could not pass a single, rigid test of how far
their disease had progressed".
Mrs Justice Dobbs announced: "In the light of the court's finding that the
guidance is discriminatory, the court directs Nice to amend the guidance so as
to ensure its compliance with Nice's duties and obligations under
anti-discrimination legislation."
Alzheimer's Society chief executive Neil Hunt said patients would now have
"much fairer access to Alzheimer's drug treatments".
However, he added: "But the ruling still falls short of ensuring that everyone
with Alzheimer's disease can have access to the drugs.
"There will still be some mild stage patients who are refused because Nice
considers that these drugs are too expensive."
Last year Nice, backed by an appeal panel, decided that three acetyl
cholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) - Aricept, Reminyl and Exelon - should no
longer be made available on the NHS in the early stages of Alzheimer's. It
recommended use of the drugs for "moderate" Alzheimer's, but not for mild
cases.
It decided that the drugs, which cost about #2.50 per person a day, were not
cost effective in relation to the benefits they offered to such sufferers and
their carers.
The watchdog, which described the drugs as having "only a small clinical
effect", said its decision-making processes were "open, transparent and
fair".
After today's judgment Nice chief executive Andrew Dillon said: "This ruling
strengthens Nice by endorsing our approach to evaluating drugs.
"Our guidance stands and the drugs continue to be recommended only for people
with moderate Alzheimer's disease, but the court has asked us to clarify our
guidance when it is used for certain groups.
"It was always our intention that people with learning disabilities or people
whose first language is not English should have equal access to the drugs in the
moderate stage of Alzheimer's disease.
"We will reissue our guidance to the NHS to make this crystal clear."
He said: "Alzheimer's disease is a devastating illness, but the evidence
indicates that these drugs are simply not effective for some patients.
"That is why we also issued advice last year on the broader support that
should be provided for people with Alzheimer's disease and those who care for
them, creating core standards for the NHS and care homes that will make a real
difference for patients and their families."
Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of Nice, said: "I do not regard this
as win or lose, but in five out of six points the judge has concluded that our
procedures are fair and rational and that is important for us, having been
tested in court."
The Glass Box for Friday
What do you think about tonight's content?
Humph, Rachel G and Aperitif sent these.
Can you guess who sent what???
My guess is
that we won't pass 50,000 comments in time for the anniversary on the 17th - though we are through 48,000.
Roger is in charge today - though he thought he was on a day off. Jeremy rang him at 0820 to get him in. He is still in his cycling gear. Which is odd because he takes the tube.
The Beach
What is the Beach?
It’s a place to go when the stresses of your real life need relieving. Sometimes it is fairly quiet and you might feel like you’re the only one around, but you can leave your ‘footprints’ for others to find later on. Othertimes it is the home for a real party, with constant gossip, leg-pulling, rumour, innuendo, chit-chat and weirdness.
If this were a forum (and it sort of is because we post responses to each other, not just to Eddie, hence our term for ourselves 'Froggers', a combination of forum and blogger) then the beach would be the off-topic area.
It's a tropical location, no matter the time of year it's always warm and pleasant there.
Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, the evenings balmy. It has a number of different locations; the Nick Clarke waterfront bar; the smokers corner; Fido's Run for the dog-walkers; the Naughty Step and many others.
How do you find your way around? There is no direct answer to the question.
The beach is a moveable feast, literally. It will be renewed by our Lord and master Mr. Edward de Mair each Friday morning. This is because we have found in the past that when the number of posts exceeds about 600 the entire thing becomes unwieldy and unstable. A case of the beach turning to quicksand.
Froggers often leave bottles / glasses / trays of their favourite tipple on the bar for others to sample, not to mention big / small eats.
There is a herd of camels who frequent the sands, which froggers are very fond of. There are sun-loungers, so you can take it easy and catch some rays. Quite often the late-night attendees will have a barbie.
It's a fun place, with only one real rule; Be nice to each other; we are ALL chums here. New Froggers are ALWAYS welcome.
The real debate happens on the other threads. The beach is a place for banter, whimsy, relaxation and friendship, where jarring comments are not particularly welcome. There are certain very mild protocols, which you tend to pick up as you go along. So slip your shoes off, feel the sand between your toes, relax and enjoy yourself.
Olympic boycott?
what do you think?
The Glass Box for Thursday
What do you think of it so far?
(r*!)
Nils Blythe will be on the programme tonight. We're asking if he could pep up his delivery a little....
perhaps like ?
Iain and Lucy sent
this...
LA White saw this in Devon...
and we have also been left this. We think it might be Cilla on the far right of the picture:
How to send us YOUR Sound of Summer
Would you like to send us YOUR sound of summer? Please do!
We need at least 30 seconds of it - up to a minute is fine. You must also send a note of what it is, where and when it was recorded.
There are two ways you can get it to us - you can email it to us as an mp3, or put it on CD and mail it.
MP3:
Email to pm@bbc.co.uk. It's very important you put SOUNDS OF SUMMER CLIP in the strapline otherwise we may not see it.
BY MAIL:
Send your CD to PM SOUNDS OF SUMMER, Room G601, ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Centre, London, W12 7RJ.
In any case we will NOT be able to return anything you send us, so if you can't afford to do without it, please don't send it. There is no guarantee either that we'll be able to broadcast your item so please don't be sad if yours doesn't make it on. Sending us the sound also means you're happy for us to broadcast it and we can use it freely in any form without giving you a damn thing in return. It means we own you and there's nothing you can do. Nothing, do you hear??? (To be read as if a villain in a cartoon or horror film: HAHAHAhahahaha.)
If having read all that you're happy to give it a spin, please do. We can take sounds from anywhere in the world, and we'll be running them for at least a month from Monday August 13, so if you're going on holiday and want to send us something on your return you can.
Have fun with it!
Important Public Service Announcement
This is for the gentleman with the 1980s facial hair and foghorn voice who sat behind a group of us at a central London cinema last night:
It's clear to me that some of the rudiments of cinema etiquette are lost on you. Can I help?
Judging by your hugely expensive-looking and classy wardrobe (white tie...huge knot...black shirt) you are probably wealthy beyond most people's wildest expectations, and normally watch films in one of your full-size home cinemas, so perhaps it's understandable that you behaved as if you were alone.
But for the avoidance of doubt, there were other people in the room with you last evening.
I suppose chatting during the ads and trailers isn't too bad, but when the BBFC certificate appears on screen, that really is your sign to to shut your pie hole. It's possible that your "date" (did I see her card in a phone box near the cinema?) was mesmerised by your witty observations throughout the movie - remarks that put us all in mind of the late and much-missed Peter Ustinov. But honestly, we paid 13 quid a time to listen to the work of the people who made the film, rather than you.
I did worry your date may not have enjoyed the best of health, given your incessant efforts to revive her apparently lifeless body with your mouth and tongue. She also appeared to giggle a great deal at your hysterical remarks - yet when the lights went up there was no sign of the lobotomy scar we all assumed must be there.
I hope you find this message helpful. I hope it encourages you to continue visiting the cinema but perhaps with more regard for fellow patrons.
Oh, and you're ugly.
Holidays in Britain...
what's been your experience?
The Glass Box for Wednesday
is the place where you're welcome to comment about how we did on tonight's PM.
Fire away.
Andy Williamson - PM listener and Frogger
has had his kidney transplant. He is well. About to record an interview which will be on the programme tonight.
1510: UPDATE: We'll record it tomorrow. Andy and his donor Maff will join us. Andy tells me he feels fine.
This is a nursing home for WW2 veterans
sent by Roberto in Florida. He tells me it's a joint effort by the state of Florida and the federal government. Lots of nice stamps on it too thank you Roberto - all of the Common Buckeye.
Tonight's programme
as seen through the eyes of Eloise and me. Or I. (see comments passim)
OK - this is Leisler or "hairy-armed bat" - appearing on PM tonight!
Photo: ‘R E Stebbings / Bat Conservation Trust’
Photo: Hugh Clark/Bat Conservation Trust
Summer Sounds
Will be a new category on the list on the right. There you'll be able to hear the history of the item - including, shortly, the piece we ran on the programme last night. I also hope that once we're up and running, there will be a list of all the sounds we've had.
As I hinted last night, we may well use sounds sent to us by listeners. Please don't send us any yet. Details of what we are looking for and in what form will follow before the end of the week.
100
Anne P sent this:
"Thought you might like to see these.
It's my father-in-law Stan on his 100th birthday yesterday, at the tiller of a 1901 Lanchester that once belonged to Rudyard Kipling. He is, as far as we know, the oldest surviving apprentice of Lanchester, who built the first British petrol driven car in 1895. The car was brought to Sutton Park by the Jaguar and Daimler Heritage Trust, and has a 4 litre, 2 cylinder engine with epicyclic gearbox, no steering wheel, no foot brake and a foot operated bell. Stan remembers test driving such cars in the Malvern hills in the early 1920's. We think he really enjoyed his birthday surprise."
If you don't clean your ears out we're going to take your bloody radio away.
This from the listeners' log for last night:
""Eddie Mair should have told us who Clive Stafford Smith represents. He gave the
name but did not say who he was."
Here's what I said last night:
"I've been talking to Clive Stafford-Smith, legal director for the campaign group Reprieve, who has represented all five men."
The Glass Box for Tuesday
What did you think of tonight's programme? The stories we chose..how we told them..
Comment here!.
BONG UPDATE!
New category created on the right of the page...and we'll announce the idea we've chosen on the programme tonight.
Obviously it isn't one suggested by a listener - it was made up by a ´óÏó´«Ã½ producer who will also win a holiday. We can do this you know until The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Truth Commission has been built across the road from us.
And here's a titbit for you. L Bridges on the original bong thread suggested Beethoven's Fifth as a pre 1800 filler. My colleague Adam Bowen - producer of this parish - fished this out.
Member of the Public
sends this photo:
"This border runs along the western boundary of my garden from near the back of the garage to the pond where an enormous forsythia marks its end. Alongside the house the border is heavily shaded by trees and by a short run of leylandii in the adjoining garden which also make the ground very dry..."
I am awash
with new postcards. Will try to get 'em done soon. The timing the of Foot and Mouth stuff today is causing us problems. Not at all sure when it might happen.
New caption on Larry King:
"With 200 dollars to her name she overcame bad marriage, panic attacks to cook up millions"
On Larry King right now,
a caption saying "agoraphobia once kept queen of southern cooking a prisoner in her home for years".
We're bidding, obviously.
The Glass Box for Monday
The Glass Box is the place where you can comment on what you heard on PM. Did we get the right lead story?
Were the interviews terrible, or the reporting bad? Or was it all great? Just click on the "comment" link.
If you want to offer an idea to replace Big Ben - cursor down a bit till you see the giant face. The other giant face on the page is top right.
PM preview...
...well, not really. Here are Rupert and me just after our 11.00 meeting
BLOG EXCLUSIVE: BIG BEN SILENCED
Just heard that from Saturday 11th August for about a month, Big Ben will fall silent for maintenance work.
This means the pips will return at the end of PM.
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE EXTRA TIME?
When this happened before we asked for suggestions and chose a listener's idea of birdsong.
What about this time? The same thing for the entire month or so? Something different every week? I will mention this on air tonight but if you want to get your idea in first - click on the comment link.
An email arrived late on Friday which said:
"On the froggers beach... there are camels
Love
Country Lass
xx"
Now really there was no need for this
in today's Guardian.
"Radio 4's PM has a highly enjoyable website, thanks to the droll musings of Eddie Mair. But the inclusion of "PM Team Photos" seems misguided. Part of this label is made unreadable by a dark background, so it appears to say "PMT Photos"; and the only faces on show are those of Martha Kearney, Carolyn Quinn and a mystery blonde."
It's me ok? Can't a man change his style?
BTW Rupert is in charge today but he had a big celebration at the weekend. If you're very lucky he might tell you about it later in the glass box.
The Furrowed Brow
Got something serious you want to talk about? THIS is the place...
The Glass Box for Friday
is here (late but here).
Our security correspondent
Frank Gardner will join us tonight with more on .
It occurs to me that
as we are at 47,400 comments...and we are a fortnight from our anniversary, perhaps - perhaps we might pass 50,000 before or even on the big day.
Whisky-joe and Gillian send...
from whisky-joe on account of being off to Mexico soon, and
from Gillian who dedicates it to "those amongst us who have more than one nom-de-frog"
PM in the AM
Here is Jasper chatting about tonight's programme.
Oh and I should have apologies to Miles Kington about the newsletter...
And apologised for the above nonsense too. Thanks to Roger. Who does have his uses...
A follow up to the snap
a few weeks ago of the plaque on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Star Terrace here at TVC - this is one of the names on the terrace itself...
It was on August 17th, 2006
that I accidentally started the PM Blog.
Since then, all our lives have been changed, for the worse.
We were wondering whether and how to mark the occasion. A few crappy ideas have been tossed around. As were some salads. But I tend to think the best ideas for the Blog come from you. And if not you then someone like you.
We thought - first anniversary...paper? First birthday...are we out of nappies yet?
You can do better than that. But hurry!
The Beach
What is the Beach?
It’s a place to go when the stresses of your real life need relieving. Sometimes it is fairly quiet and you might feel like you’re the only one around, but you can leave your ‘footprints’ for others to find later on. Othertimes it is the home for a real party, with constant gossip, leg-pulling, rumour, innuendo, chit-chat and weirdness.
If this were a forum (and it sort of is because we post responses to each other, not just to Eddie, hence our term for ourselves 'Froggers', a combination of forum and blogger) then the beach would be the off-topic area.
It's a tropical location, no matter the time of year it's always warm and pleasant there.
Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, the evenings balmy. It has a number of different locations; the Nick Clarke waterfront bar; the smokers corner; Fido's Run for the dog-walkers; the Naughty Step and many others.
How do you find your way around? There is no direct answer to the question.
The beach is a moveable feast, literally. It will be renewed by our Lord and master Mr. Edward de Mair each Friday morning. This is because we have found in the past that when the number of posts exceeds about 600 the entire thing becomes unwieldy and unstable. A case of the beach turning to quicksand.
Froggers often leave bottles / glasses / trays of their favourite tipple on the bar for others to sample, not to mention big / small eats.
There is a herd of camels who frequent the sands, which froggers are very fond of. There are sun-loungers, so you can take it easy and catch some rays. Quite often the late-night attendees will have a barbie.
It's a fun place, with only one real rule; Be nice to each other; we are ALL chums here. New Froggers are ALWAYS welcome.
The real debate happens on the other threads. The beach is a place for banter, whimsy, relaxation and friendship, where jarring comments are not particularly welcome. There are certain very mild protocols, which you tend to pick up as you go along. So slip your shoes off, feel the sand between your toes, relax and enjoy yourself.
The Glass Box for Thursday
The Glass Box is the place where you can comment on what you heard on PM. Did we get the right lead story?
Were the interviews terrible, or the reporting bad? Or was it all great?
Just click on the "comment" link.
If you want to post a comment about something that is on your mind but was not on the programme - use the link on the right to The Furrowed Brow. Also on the right, you'll find FAQ: try it. And why not visit The Beach?
July 22, 2005
will be our main news, we think - focussing on report from the IPCC.
No PM preview today -
the workshops were full.
I can offer you the front page of the Evening Standard, one of London's evening papers.
Straplines
If you're new to the Blog, you may not know that the words at the top of the page - under the big letters PM, are changed every day and are contributed by listeners.
We try to keep em fresh and Fifi has just emailed in some more. Care to join her?
Just send them by email to pm@bbc.co.uk. PLEASE put STRAPLINES in the subject line - and please don't use the comment button here to add them. Be clean, be creative and above all, bc.
Around noon yesterday
as we tried to do Mrs Pointon and Ms Allsopp, both scheduled for recording at almost exactly the same moment, this
was Manveen, who often works on PM, trying to fix everything with the use of only two telephones. All PM producers are trained to use five telephones at once, while typing, getting tea, and pretending to laugh at things I say. So two phones, as you can see, was something to smile about.
The photo was taken in the production booth of Studio S1 - where PM comes from. But at noon it's the property of Dame Martha who kindly agreed to let us borrow it.
Airlines, protesting and Heathrow
What do YOU think?
The Glass Box for Wednesday
The Glass Box is the place where you can comment on what you heard on PM. Did we get the right lead story?
Were the interviews terrible, or the reporting bad? Or was it all great?
Just click on the "comment" link.
If you want to post a comment about something that is on your mind but was not on the programme - use the link on the right to The Furrowed Brow. Also on the right, you'll find FAQ: try it. And why not visit The Beach?
BTW: The PM Blog has now had more than 47,000 comments...
Is it autumn?
We were wondering because of .
If you have some evidence that a new season has arrived - or even that it hasn't - let us know here. And if you have a photo to prove it - email pm@bbc.co.uk
1305 UPDATE: Jonnie sends these: "The first picture shows a Horse chestnut tree with browning leaves- this normally occurs towards the end of August. The second picture shows some conkers on the ground. As I took the picture a neighbour opposite remarked on how early conkers were falling. "
And DI Wyman says: "Summer or Autumn…..that is the question. Neither…..we are in the Spring of a New Ice Age here in Norfolk hence the picture of me and close family in the grips of the headless dinosaur!
1530 UPDATE: RJD says: "My apples are not usually like this at the time of the year and the crop is the best ever.
Stewart M sends this
RNID card..
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