...returned to our programme recently. You can hear the item here:
We've had a LOT of requests for a written version of her poem, read on air by her daughter Stella. Sorry for the delay. Just click on the link below to read it. And by the way if you want to read much more about Hilda - just click on the link on the right - Hilda Gibson Land Girl.
As promised in a previous posting...we have been sent "a whole series of slightly blurred but more than identifiable pics of Hugh blowing up and bursting a condom in the gay club in Muslim, remote, north east China at 2am"
Here they are.
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Nigel Wrench is taking a look at the Fringe Festival for us tonight (it starts officially on Sunday) and he writes:
"There's a new seriousness in the air on the Fringe. Of course you can still go and see "Why We Ate Cliff Richard" or any number of stand-up comedians. But you can also spend time in a cellar that aims to recreate the experience of the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Here's a snap of one of the actors in "The Factory", Gary Faulkner
And if that's too relaxing (they're performing in old beer cellars in the venue that's become the Pleasance Undergrand), how about an evening on the flight deck of passenger jets about to crash (accidentally topical after last week's Quantas emergency over the South China Sea)?
Here's part of the script of Charlie Victor Romeo: a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder (hence the name of the play) of an American Airlines flight which hit trees as it approached a runway.
Below is the cast, from the US where the play has been a big hit, newly arrived in their rented Edinburgh flat and opening tonight:
At the back on the right, his face a little in shadow, is one of the show's co-creators, Irving Gregory, who's on PM this evening.
And this is Simon Stephens, the Olivier-award winning British playwright with the poster of his new play at the Traverse Theatre. "Pornography" is about the days just before and after the London bombings of July 2005. It promises controversy and an unflinching look at the motives of the bombers.
For light relief there is always the mayhem on the Royal Mile, home to every Fringe performer who wants an audience, ie all of them
The man on one leg is promoting Shakespod, one of several distilled productions of Mr William's plays that are available.
But my favourite poster on the Royal Mile yesterday belonged to none of the 2088 shows you can see on the fringe, but the one below, complete with legs of travelling minstrels
Who knows? Given the amount of reality theatre here this year, it's entirely likely that this poster will be transformed into a sleeper hit by the end of August."
Here are some words and photos to go with Hugh's report from yesterday Urumchi. Hugh is still heading towards Beijing and the Games from remote regions of China. On PM last night, he reported from an improbable venue - a gay internet station, and a gay nightclub, in Urumchi - in the 'conservative' far west of China, where about 40% of the population are Muslim.By the way, stand by for what are described as "a whole series of slightly blurred but more than identifiable pics of Hugh blowing up and bursting a condom in the gay club in Muslim, remote, north east China at 2am".
We are trying to extort money from Hugh first to see if he wants to stop publication. But in the meantime, those Urumchi words and pics from Hugh:
"Performer at the Red River Valley gay nightclub, Urumchi. It's open every night of the week, and open in every sense - located on a busy street full of bars and cafes. Ten years ago in China, homosexuality was defined as a mental disorder.
Bai Lu, a woman who was born a man. She had her sex change operation in Xian, in China.
Poster on the wall at gay internet radio station, cyboys.com
cyboys.com director Xia Ke. He's 24. He hasn't told his parents he's gay yet. He's their only child.
People's Park, Urumchi, at dusk. There's the boating lake, and an old fun fair, and ballroom dancing under the trees, and a carousel:
And here's one of Urumchi's multiplex cinemas...
....showing Kung Fu Panda.
The mainly Han Chinese end of town, which has a population of more than three million.
In the mainly Muslim quarter, there's the French chain Carrefour, and right across the road:
The old bazaar. Prices in Carrefour are lower. Big Foot effect.
My companion at lunch one day.
And then the cafe manager wanted me to take her picture too.
Boys listening to themelves 'live' on my recording equipment, on miniature headphones.
Oh, and do you remember Mehmet Tursun Chong, the Olympic boxer whose family I visited near Kashgar last week? I caught up with him eventually, for about ten minutes in a break in training in Urumchi. You can read about it "
Look at these!
Michael Buchanan reports tonight on the pre-historic art discovered buried in rocky outcrops and boulders in Northumberland and Durham. Michael will report from Barningham Moor. And you can read more at the .
Being in a glassbox today judging by the weather outside, would be like being in a greenhouse. But if you fancy joining us for a swelter, step into the box and tell us what you thought of tonight's programme.
.....That the national DNA database stores material taken from all people arrested by police, regardless of whether they are subsequently charged or convicted and remains on file for life.
We're going to be talking about it on the programme today after claims that a generation of young Britons are being criminalised for life. The database now contains the genetic records of more than 4 million people.
Might you be one of them?
What about the argument that you shouldn't be bothered if you aren't intending to do anything wrong?
Or are you concerned about the amount of material that a government could hold on your personal details.
I'd love to know what you think before we do any interviews on this.
Hello by the way. I'm sitting in for His Edship today . Speak later.....
cquinn
depending on whether or not you have learning disablities.
That, in essence, is the picture painted by a new report we will discuss tonight. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ News coverage is https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7530624.stm , and you can read the full report . There is another version too, which we found via the website, described as .
Naturally, if you have experience in this area, we'd be especially pleased to hear from you. Just click on Comments.
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
What do you think?
This week's iPM wants to hear from you. Leave your comment here, where super-producer George has penned a word or two.
You can catch the programme's podcast fresh every Saturday, and join us on Radio 4, at 17.30.
Jack and Vera yesterday.
On the programme tonight, we'll talk to a peer about the pier, and hear whether history is any guide as to whether fire-ravaged piers can be saved. We will not talk about fire-ravaged peers.
I wonder whether you have any memories of the pier that's now been lost...
Here are some more snaps from Hugh in China - he's having a hard time getting them to us (a blocked photo sharing site, he suspects) , so they're out of step with his broadcasts. These illustrate his report about the Uighur city of Kashgar, in the far west.
"Here's a taste of Kashgar Old town:
...that's a melon market at about 11 pm. 11pm Beijing time that is - most local people observe local Xinjiang time, which is two hours back; so for them it was 9 pm. But local time is unofficial: China has only one time zone (imagine the USA with only one time zone...)
Planes and trains in the far west observe Beijing time, but local bus routes are timetabled on Zinjiang time. Aaagh! - here's some more of Kashgar:
..that's Mohammed Imin, who played the Uighur "Dotar" for us on Friday's PM. Dotar means "Two strings". 'Do' means two in Farsi (tar = string).
Kasgar tea house - "Charkhanah"..another Farsi word. But Uighur is a mostly Turkic language, and sounds quite like Turkish. "Hello" is "Yakshimesiz" (Say Yack and then take a run at Shimesiz) . And Bir, Iki, Uech, Doert, Besh are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in Turkish and in Uighur.
Itkah mosque, Kashgar. The scene is not always as peaceful as it looks. In the evenings, it is invaded by the sound of a large electronic billboard on the square, with loud music that offends Muslims praying in the mosque. There have been complaints to the police. Stones have been thrown at the screen.
Another example of Han Chinese insensitivity to towards local people. This is one of dozens of Olympic Games posters in Kashgar - written in Mandarin, and in English, but not in the majority language of the city, which is Uighur.
Hotel sign in Kashgar, listing the penalties for damage to the room etc. Never mind the butts, what is a 'freedom clamp' anyone? (£1 = 15Y)"
Hugh has had all sorts of trouble sending photos from China, so these are not in synch with his broadcast reports. Sorry.
But you remember the report from Xinjiang in western China? He visited a farm where one of the Chinese Olympic athletes grew up. Here are Hugh's words and pictures.
Mehmet Tursun Chong, (centre) Chinese Olympic boxer in a family snap provided by...
...his father Chong Mehmet and his mother Nurunsahan Reyim. Mehmet Tursun was away training. I'm hoping to catch up with him in Urumchi.
Cousins at the farm. The village is called Yizebah, which means Orchard Village in Uighur. Uighur is everyone's first language here - it is related to Turkish.
Grandson Merlan Jan.
Chong Mehmet with the feast he and his wife laid on for us. There was mutton soup, delicious cold chicken, round 'nun' bread, 'sambusa' (somosa)....
...and peaches and nuts, and apricots from his own trees. They also farm cotton and wheat. Here's a sense of the neighbourhood:
And here are Chong Mehmet and Nurunsahan Reyim teaching baby Merlan Jan to wave good-bye:"
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Or is it bits 'n' bobs?
We got lots of lovely emails on Friday from listeners in far flung places with all sorts of temperatures. If I get time today I might post some.
Also: the power of suggestion...did anyone else start to get hot during the interview about the hot curry on Friday? I did, when I was recording it, and again when it was broadcast.
Coming soon: loads more photos from Hugh in China.
And a question: does the Furrowed Brow really need renewed every week?
We're told that "it's been the hottest day of the year so far in the United Kingdom. The temperature reached 28.6C at Cranwell in Lincolnshire at 2.30 this afternoon, according to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ weather forecasters. It's possible slightly higher temperatures may emerge when readings from smaller stations are recorded. "
What's the temp where YOU are????
What should Britain do with failed asylum seekers from Darfur?
Next week the Home Office will formally respond to calls from major British refugee organisations to change its policy which sees such people on deporting failed Darfuri asylum-seekers to Sudan's capital, Khartoum.
The Government stopped such deportations in December, but then said they'd resumed...only to announce they would stop pending a test case.
One Darfuri national WAS deported to Khartoum during the brief window of deportations. The next Darfuri due to be deported lives in Swansea. His fate could be determined by the test case. He is Abubaker Yousef Mohamad, and here he is in his living room in Swansea.
Ray Furlong went to visit him yesterday. "He's sharing the house with two other asylum-seekers, hoping that a test-case expected in September will save him from deportation. He's already fled from Darfur twice and is not relishing the prospect of trying his luck in Sudan a third time. He's a member of the Falaata tribe, which has been targetted by Janjaweed militia. He told me a moving story of butchery and escape. The government says he would be safe in Khartoum, and I'm told it has also suggested his ties to Sudan's opposition Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are not as close as he has claimed. He just says he's in fear for his life if he returns." More on the programme tonight
...is the headline for . We hope to talk to will hear from Dr Ronald Herberman tonight. You can read more .
We're following up our coverage this week with an item on iPM. You can read more, and hear an extended interview here. Feel free to add your thoughts, on the iPM page.
Here is another Gratuitous Al Gore Photograph
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Oh most beautiful Beach of the programme PM,
Where the Froggers congregate even though you can't see them,
With camels and surf and castles of sand,
As a refuge from woes and seriousness it was planned,
With a bar in memory of a presenter most grand,
And imag'nery sun to get most safely tanned,
Renewed by our host, most every Friday,
Visitor, relax and enjoy, and please keep it tidy.
The full judgement is . is how ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Online is covering it. Here's the report at the paper's .
The News of the World itself has a ....and :
And this is in his blog.
What do YOU think? Feel free to add your comment.
First take a lark, then add music. Nigel Wrench has been listening to noises again and writes:
"Two brilliant men inspired by birdsong. Both among the greatest 20th Century composers. But there the similarities stop.
Olivier Messiaen, the Frenchman who wrote music for prisoners in a Nazi prison camp, and Vaughan Williams, whose most famous work celebrates an ideal of pastoral England, are featured composers at the Proms this year.
If this was a cultural punch-up who would win?
Yann Pascal Tortelier is a Messiaen specialist who conducts the fourth symphony by Vaughan Williams in the Albert Hall this evening.
Here he is after a rehearsal with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester, where I met him. To the right is the orchestra leader, the violinist Yuri Torchinsky.
The rehearsal went so well that the orchestra was sent home early. Might be worth tuning in to Radio 3 later to hear the result.
Here's another score, being corrected by its owner after the rehearsal.
This is the rest of Judith Bradshaw, assistant principal cellist for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic taking her instrument through a tricky passage. Why are people who play in orchestras always so gentle and friendly? Or is that just an illusion?"
When Barrack Obama met the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah yesterday he was presented with a pastry "O" baked in his honour. Washington Correspondent Jamie Coomarsarmy went to sample the culinary delight for PM.
Here it is being prepared:
This is the baker Nasser Abdulhadi explaining to Jamie how the white cheese represented white Americans, the red tomatoes the "Red Indians" - or original Americans - and the black seeds, "Afro-Americans". And here is the final article:
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
We love maps. These days they can do all kinds of funky things.
Where are your local crime hotspots?
Is there an easy way of letting your local council know about potholes in the street...or barking dogs?
And then of course there's the question of the credit crunch crisis crunch and what's hurting the UK most?
You're really interested in the 20,000 smackers though, aren't you? Follow this link to learn more about the pot of money..
On iPM this week there's much more. Find out about the iPM Podcast here.
returns to our programme tonight. You can hear the interview by clicking on START:
And here is Hilda at Number 10 Downing Street from where she spoke to us.
And this is her new badge: 
If you'd like to hear and read more about Hilda...including her original interview with us in December, click HERE.
This is Hilda at Downing Street with her daughter Stella, who also appears in our interview (and thanks, by the way, to our Westminster colleague Paul Mason for taking the photos.)
There is more from DEFRA .
...or to be precise, the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament. AP reports: "The oldest surviving copy of the New Testament, a 4th century version that had its Gospels and epistles spread across the world, is being made whole again - online. The British Library says the full text of the Codex Sinaiticus (we've pictured it here) will be available to Web users by next July,
digitally reconnecting parts that are held in Britain, Russia, Germany and a monastery in Egypt's Sinai Desert."
This is the end of the Gospel of Mark. Both photos courtesy of the . We'll hear from them tonight.
"If Hilda is knew to you - have a listen to this..."
Ahem.
sends this pointless postcard:
"As this is an advert for a well known brand of contact lenses. Have 'Blue Petered' it before sending..."
Got a pointless postcard for us? Care to send one from your summer holidays?
"Pointless PM Postcard Thingy, Room G601, ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV Centre, London W12 7RJ"
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Gratuitous Al Gore photo.
We know of bloggers' interest in this. The Guardian's been running pieces, first from its own and today from the Channel 4 chap , who appeared on The World at One the other day. By the way, the subject will form a big part of PM Letters on Friday.
12105 UPDATE: We're thinking of following up the Ofcom story on this week's iPM. Any thoughts?
.
What do you think?
is under arrest and on the programme tonight we'll try to piece together what he's been up to....or should we say Dragan Dabic? .
With the Olympics sprinting towards us, we've sent Hugh off to China to see what else is going on. We broadcast his first report on PM last night - and these are some photographs to illustrate it. He's on his way to the far west, to the Uighur town Kashgar near the Pakistan and Afghan borders. He began his journey in the far east of the country - on the coast east, in Shanghai. These are Hugh's words and pictures:
"The Huangpu river at dawn.
Shanghai's stunning Pudong international airport, capacity 20 million passengers a year.
Maglev, the magnetic levitation train that covers the 30 km (19 mile) journey from the airport to Shanghai in 8 minutes - reaching a maximum speed of 431 kilometres an hour (270 mph).
Mah Jong.
Street restaurant in an old Shanghai neigbourhood.
Mobile shopkeeper.
Penny Wan and Jeffrey Zhang watching Thierry Henri shaving, on their HD home cinema.
Penny and Jeffry.
Mr. Liu and Mrs. Zhang, and her 10-month-old son Zhang Hui Mei. They live in rented rooms in a rotting building with a leaking roof. "If the rain comes in," said Mrs. Zhang, "we just put a bucket down to catch it".
The building has no mains water supply, apart from the outside tap.
And finally, for pet lovers everywhere":
No idea what he's been up to.
We had quite a debate about this on the PM Blog...and in today's Daily Mail, Quentin Letts returns to the subject...upset at Guardian readers....
This latest photo was billed as "8,9,10 here I come..."
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Your thoughts?
TUESDAY UPDATE: I should have posted this yesterday....
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Karen sends this..."It was at Down House (in Kent) that Charles Darwin worked on his scientific theories and wrote 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' and '101 ways with mustard'" OK I made up that last bit. Karen adds that petrol in Ipswich is 116.9p per litre.
This just in:
"An airport worker has been suspended from duty after a family from Cardiff were checked into the wrong flight and ended up in Turkey instead of their intended destination of Lanzarote. Charles Coray, his wife Tanya and their 12-year-old daughter Phoebe were due to spend a week in the Canaries but have now flown back to the UK after arriving in Bodrum, Turkey, yesterday. Mr Coray, speaking from Cardiff Airport, said he had turned down the offer of alternative flights to Lanzarote from Luton. Mr Coray claims the blunder happened when they were checked on to the wrong flight after waiting in a mixed queue handling flights to two different destinations. A spokesman for the handling agents Servisair apologised for the mistake. He said the Coray family were accepted on to the wrong flight by one of the company's service agents at check in. The member of staff has been suspended pending a hearing. Thomson holidays say the tickets were processed incorrectly and neither the family nor the cabin crew were aware of the error until the Thomsonfly plane landed in Turkey. The company is working to find an alternative holiday for the family."
Serious talk.
What an incredible way to end Shatner week here on the PM Blog:
from the showbusiness bible, Variety. (You are looking for SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA)
Come September 21st I'm sure we are all hoping Bill can repeat the moment above, when, as Bill recalls in his book, he said to the audience "What took you so long?"
Share your joy with Bill .
"When I got into my car to drive home I turned the radio to a local music station. Suddenly I heard the male host say to his female co-host, "We've got William Shatner's new record here." They're going to play my record on the radio. This was thrilling; within hours I'd sung on the Tonight Show and I was about to hear my record being played on the radio for the very first time!
"Yeah," the female host responded. "What an a**hole."
"You're right," the male host said. "He really is an a**hole."
Here's what I did NOT think: I've got the title for my next album. Instead I got on my cell phone and called them. "This is William Shater," I said. "And I am not an a**hole!" Finally I asked them, "Listen, would an a**hole call a radio station to complain that he is not an a**hole?" I stumped them with that one.
We spoke for about five minutes and then hung up. The female asked, "Was that really Shatner?"
And her partner responded, "Yeah, it was. And he's still an a**hole."
Well that started a whole discussion. People kept calling the station to state their opinions. "I don't think he is an a**hole." "Well sometimes he can be an a**hole." "It depends on your definition of the word 'a**hole'". For the entire segment the topic of conversation was, is William Shatner an a**hole?"
(The ** are mine, by the way. And I have taken tips from the above for my next Any Answers...)
We have asked to speak to the great man. Stand by.
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
I asked "Have you ever saved someone's life in the street with your first aid knowledge? We'd love to hear from you for an item tonight. Please email"
We heard from Jo (who has her own ):
The opening of the new £8.35m cafe on the summit of Snowdon has been further delayed because of bad weather.
We're going to talk about it tonight but I wondered in the PM newsletter about other "high" cafes. No Amsterdam jokes, thank you so much.
Well, Patrick Barnes go in touch:
" I visited a few years back on the Tegelberg in Schwangau, Bavaria. Have a drink and watch the paragliders dive off the top of the mountain. Unforgettable. And let's not forget the Kehlsteinhaus in the Obersalzburg - built for Hitler's 50th birthday but now a 'tea house' and one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Germany. Info ."
Stella Bucci writes:
"Across the tops of Italian mountains - the Alps, the Dolomites, the Appenini - there are rifugi, large and small chalets, some with sleeping accommodation, and many with superb cafeteria-style restaurants. There's nothing better on a grim morning, setting off on a trek through the mist, than the thought of a wonderful carbonara, superbly grilled pork chop, or excellent wild mushroom risotto, not waiting, but yet to be freshly prepared on the distance peak. Bliss!"
Come on Stella - send us a snap!
1350 UPDATE:
We prepared to do an interview with the European Space Agency for last night's programme, about the International Space Station. For various reasons it didn't go ahead. But we did draft an introduction -
"It's more than 40 years since William Shatner and co went off into deep space in the fictional Starship Enterprise, but for real life astronauts, the main destination has been something closer to home - the International Space Station.
Scientists from around the world are meeting in..."
and the idea of a state funeral got a lot of people talking on the blog earlier this week. We're putting together tonight's material for PM Letters, and the blog entries and emails on this subject will dominate. I thought you might like to read by Simon Jenkins on this very subject.
"Now there has been considerable discussion among the true Shatner aficionados about precisely which was the worst movie I ever made..."
The PM Blog Beach is whatever you want it to be - a place to hang out with other bloggers, and be completely off topic. Over time it has developed its own identity, complete with camels, sand dunes, and a permanently stocked bar, but fundamentally it is a place to relax and have fun.
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
They're out for England and Wales. Here is a token picture of some knives: 
If you want to read the full report, it's .
On the programme tonight we're going to talk about crime perception...and maybe reporting. As you can see here the same stats have the . It's falling too in , knife crime is EVERYWHERE says the while
Well, not really. We were asking yesterday about Britain's oldest blogger . We got this email from Bill Lamin:
"The oldest blogger?
My grandfather, at 120, must be a contender - and one of the most successful. His blog is just approaching the 2 million page loads mark.
Ok, he's not still alive. But, the , with thousands of regular readers. On it, he publishes his letters from the World War 1 front in real time + 90 years. Currently, mid July, having survived Flanders, he's encountering of a bit of unpleasantness in the dolomites. "
(Think of the Doctor Who music).
Tonight Nigel Wrench will report on Dr Who, unheard tapes and dance music. He writes:
"I've been in a small office in Manchester University's School of Arts Histories and Cultures. Here are some tape boxes from a pile of 267 they have there (with tapes in them, by the way)
They've from the attic of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radiophonic Workshop pioneer Delia Derbyshire, who died in 2001. She made the original Dr Who theme from the written directions of its credited composer Ron Grainer (that's part of his name on one of the boxes above).
Here's Delia Derbyshire with her boss Desmond Briscoe in the Radiophonic workshop. Her work for radio and TV music was always a little other worldly. She took air raid sirens as one of her inspirations, her own voice as an instrument and routinely employed a lampshade as a musical instrument.
And here's David Butler of Manchester University who's in charge of a project to work out what exactly the sounds on these tapes are and what to do with them. He considers Ms Derbyshire's work important not least because it's been admired by musicians as diverse as Paul McCartney and the dance act Orbital.
The tapes have only been listened to in the past year or so -- some as you can see have more of a clue than others as to what's in them. I rather like this old-fashioned ´óÏó´«Ã½ label, somehow redolent of a lost time.
"Part of the reason I was becoming better known was what people perceived to be an unusual. Speech. Pattern. Apparently I was becoming known for. Pausing, between words, in. Unusual places. People have commented that it calls attention to the. Words, I'm saying. It provides a different kind of emphasis on a line. I have no idea where that. Came from. Possibly it comes from the fact I was working so often in so many different types of plays and television program and movies that at times I need to hesitate to remember my next words.....I understand people hear me speaking. That way. They've even put a name to it, calling it Shatnerian. As in, ah yes, the character spoke with true Shatnerian eloquence."
The idea is front page news today...but you heard it first on our sister programme iPM. As ever, one of our listeners alerted us and we did the story two weeks ago. You can read and hear much more here - and if you know something we should know...that we can get on the air before anyone else, click here.
Oh and if you're old. I mean OLD - click here!
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
After yesterday's controversy in our 11.00 meeting, related to the difference between a kayak and a canoe (it was because of ) we received this email from Sam - a kayak and canoe coach.
"I'm emailing to enlighten you about the difference between kayaks and canoes.
Canoes are knelt in and paddled with a single bladed paddle. Traditionally paddled by American Indians and Ray Mears. Kayaks are sat in and paddled with a double bladed paddle. Traditionally paddled by Inuits. It's nothing to do with being 'enclosed'. It is possible to paddle a closed cockpit canoe which looks like a kayak but is knelt in and paddled using a single bladed paddle.
Confused?"
"The truth is that it wasn't physically my sperm, it was the sperm of several champion horses I owned."
We'll talk tonight about .
The Government has unveiled its plans to deal with youth crime in England and Wales. We'll talk about it tonight. You can read more of the Government's view .
1640 UPDATE: We've recorded an interview with Ed Balls, which you can hear tonight.
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
the amount of time spent in our 11.00 meeting discussing the difference between a kayak and a canoe.
"That cut down on the dialogue between us. There are a limited number of things an actor can do when playing opposite a clown who honks."
What do you think?
Most people have them...bookmarks or favourites of sites they visit all the time. Our sister programme iPM gets famous people to reveal all. Whose internet favourites would YOU like to see? Whose should would you like to peer over? Follow this link to see what previous examples there have been. And add your suggestion on this page.
Coverage tonight of the British athletics team...plus a report from Michael Buchanan. He writes:
"To my utter disgust, I've failed to make the British Olympic Team for Beijing. In any sport. And this after watching the Games in Athens and promising to get to China. It will simply have to be London in 2012. I've always though that some sports would be easier than others. Even with the aid of Boots' entire repository, I'd never presume to make the 100 metres sprint. But archery? All you do is stand there firing an arrow at a target, right? Well yes, but no.
The Beijing team have been practicing for years, and are calling on the latest technology to help them. For the past 18 months, they've been using high-speed cameras 
to record the arrow leaving the bow, to make sure it doesn't brush anything that could interfere with it flight path. On such small matters rest gold medals.
Another seemingly low-tech sport - clay pigeon shooting - is also using a timing device to work out what the optimum time difference is between shooting the first and second bullet. The typical difference is 0.4 seconds - far to quick to be using a hand-held stopwatch - so BAE have devised a timing device for them.
Olympic hopeful (and 2000 Gold Medallist) Richard Faulds says it'll be of great help.
Its all part of UK Sport's attempts to up our medal wins at the Olympics by bring the best experts in their field to sport. 
Cycling is the benchmark the rest have to follow. It won a pannier's worth of medals at the recent world championships, and is hoping for more success in Beijing.
Under former champion Chris Boardman, they've analysed ever aspect of the Olympic bike to see if they can make it better. The outcome is that it will cost on average £10,000 to physically make the bikes; add in the R+D says Boardman and the cost rises to between £50,000 and £60,000. For a bike.
Finally, a picture of archer Alan Wills. He's going to his first Olympics games and he's got a tattoo to celebrate. That'll be me in 4 years time - you heard it hear first."
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
has been around a long time. He's in his 70s. Maybe his 90s.
As Fifi rightly observes on the "next week" thread: "What's he got to do with news....?"
And the answer is of course, nothing at all. But it's summer. And I happened to read his autobiography on holiday and it made me laugh out loud. Not always for the right reasons. I should stress, at the start of this William Shatner week here on the Blog that I bought my own copy. I am not in league with the publishers or anything like that. Though come to think of it, maybe I should get onto that.
But by his own account it's been a varied life. And he has learned to laugh at himself. The passages on his speaking style ("Shatnerian") and the killer end line to the book had me laughing our loud. And his willingness to interrupt the narrative with a plug for his websites (where you can buy films he admits were crap, as well as Star Trek action figures) were a delight.
I just want to share with you, every day, a little quote from the book. Here is today's:
"There I was, caught in the eternal triangle, with a gorilla holding on to my rapidly shrinking scrotum. Eventually, she got bored."
Welcome to Shatner week. All this week. Only on the PM Blog.
(oh and Marcus, also from the Next week thread - he deals with the Twilight Zone episodes in the book...)
The place to talk seriously about serious things. Seriously.
a very special week on the PM blog. VERY special.
Unprecedented.
Oh yes.
In the meantime, some sunshine:
So long, farewell. The week is drawing to a close. What did you think of tonight's programme?
Time for a new Beach? The place to visit for a little rest and relaxation when real life gets too real. Off topic friendly chat.
...won't be joining us today because I got him in an arm lock earlier in the glass box and he's recovering in the corner.
No, seriously, he did ask permission. And the cardi (cashmere - what else?!) was a last minute thought after having frozen my wotsits off the previous day cycling home in torrential rain.
Mind you, if you think I look bad, you should see Roger Sawyer in HIS lycra get-up. He's in charge today so stand by...
all the best,
cquinn
Something strange happens in the PM office shortly after six o'clock.
Carolyn Quinn tidies up her papers, turns her computer off, and then disappears.
A few minutes later, this mystery cyclist walks through the newsroom.
For some reason I have been unable to access this blog for most of the day. Was it something I said!!
Anyway a very late hello....... and Briony will have a look at your comments about the programme. A bit of a whirlwind this evening - but we got there in the end.
see you tomorrow.
sequin
p.s. If you're looking for contact details for the new audience panel we're running, click here and send an email entitled "The New PM Panel" and we'll email you back.
So how did we do? This is the space to tell us what you thought of tonight's programme.
The editor and production team read your comments and respond where they can.
Every evening the team meet at 6pm in this glass box (usually without the menagerie) to discuss what worked and what didn't. Drop in virtually anytime.
Sequin had some tech trouble today, which is why I'm posting. I work on the iPM programme.
I haven't got any photos today.
Let your words be our entertainment as you tell us what you thought of tonight's programme......
.....we're going to be talking to the head of the newly-created Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects at the University of Sussex . He's going to explain to us what humans can learn from conflict resolution in insect societies?.
What do you think? Can you learn anything from this little fellow?
or indeed from these? 
This was Marc Settle's idea ..... I wonder if you can guess what THIS glass box is?
He promises he'll tell you later.... if he can find out himself!!
But this is STILL the place to comment on today's PM.
Producers, editors, reporters and the presenter all talk about the content of the programme in our Glass Box, and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met.
You are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
... your captions for the photos from synod yesterday. Great fun. Stewart M 's suggestion "Anglicans re introduce the confessional box" struck a particular chord with this wayward Catholic!
Am very envious of my ´óÏó´«Ã½ colleagues who've managed to cover the G8 summit in Japan - although the journalists' centre is apparently MILES away from the action so it's a bit of a logistical nightmare for them. As we've discussed on earlier blogs, we at PM are more accustomed to the luxury accommodation offered at the party conferences, at the heart of the action. We're already booking our usual champagne and fruit baskets....
We'll hear from Bridget Kendall in Japan again this evening - pre-recorded of course so that she can grab at least a few hours sleep.
see you later,
cquinn
One of the hazards of working on a live programme is that breaking news can sometimes get in the way of what was planned for the show.
It happened on today's PM, when the news of Simon Mann's came at about 5.30
That meant that a number of items which we had already lined up, recorded and indeed trailed ahead to, had to be dropped.
But in this age of modern technology, there's no reason for those "lost" items never to see the light of day.
Here's the cue to the first, as written by CQ:
A woman in Peterborough has undergone knee surgery using only self hypnosis as anaesthetic. It's the third time that Bernadine Coady has used this method.
Ahmed Shair, a surgeon at the Orthopaedics and Spine specialist hospital in Peterborough who carried out the operation, spoke to PM after the procedure...
And we were also going to run this item...but it too had to be dropped for coverage of Simon Mann's conviction:
Learning you're adopted can for some people prove an extremely unsettling and traumatic experience. Choosing the right moment to tell a child can be crucial. Imagine then having to explain to a youngster that they are the product of donated sperm. A Cambridge scientist has concluded - after a survey involving 165 offspring conceived by sperm donation that the earlier a child is told the better. The research was carried out by Dr Vasanti Jadva:
I'm sure you know the drill by now...but we always want to read your views on today's programme, and here's the place.
The Glass Box is your chance to tell us - as frankly as you wish - what you thought of what you heard.
Once PM finishes at 6 o'clock, the programme production team gathers in the very box you see above - although admittedly there are no cats present. Roger Sawyer (for it is he) may well be there though.
We talk about the programme, and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't, the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met.
THIS virtual glass box is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
A few years ago, PM launched a panel of listeners.
After weeks of deliberation, heated discussions and many meetings, it was given the name of "The PM Panel".
It's been in hibernation for a little while - but it's now being revived, in a new format.
When the Panel was first conceived, it sought listeners' views and opinions. Now we're looking to tap into the Radio 4 audience's experience and knowledge.
You would help us cover the news better, by sharing your expertise on various subjects.
If you'd like to find out more about how to participate, then click here and send an email entitled "The New PM Panel" and we'll email you back.
...on the programme tonight will be Christopher Landau.
Here's a sneak preview of the introduction into his report
We'll know by the end of today just how the Church of England plans to proceed with the vexed question of women bishops. They're voting at their General Synod in York.
But you'll have to listen to find out the very latest.
They're not only voting, but they're also queuing to get in...
And if any photo was ever deserving of a caption competition, it's this one:
Big Sis writes:
"There are no gutters on my thatched roof, and the raindrops from the roof are better than a shower!"
It's grim - certainly here in Shepherd's Bush - unless of course you like a good bit of rain. Here's the view from my window at 10.30am.....
But at least it's not as bad as this:
This photo was taken yesterday afternoon by Paul Bolton from his flat in Birkdale, Southport. Funnel clouds have been forming by stormy weather and they've been spotted across Lancashire and Merseyside. Kind of beautiful but scary as well.
What's the view out of your window at the moment? Seen any funnel clouds - or indeed any interesting weather? If you get a chance send me a photo for the blog.
See you later,
sequin
Ed and I are still playing. Will this match never end??!!
While we do, why don't you tell us what you thought of tonight's programme?
Morning....
We've just been talking about this at our morning meeting - the Government's decision not to authorise a badger cull to help controle bovine tuberculosis? It's caused a real row.
We were wondering though how much of an impact this issue has across country and town. Do you care about badgers? Is it just a "country" issue? Would a mass cull distress you? Do you accept the advice from scientists that "there is no economic or practical case for culling badgers to control bovine TB." The Independent Scientific Group (ISG), conducted a 10 year study into culling and concluded it could not "meaningfully contribute" to controlling TB.
But farmers are fuming. They say it's devastating for the farming families who are really suffering at the hands of TB in their cattle.
What do you think?
As you listen to tonight's programme, Ed and I are going to continue our game of virtual tennis. Love all round.
You guys are sooooooooo on the ball. You already knew it would be MOI in the chair for the next couple of days.
Anyway, hello, and it's lovely to be back.
The TV has been quite surreal this morning. Sky News has been skipping between Gordon Brown at the two and a half hour marathon Liaison Committee session in the Commons and Kylie Minogue at Buckingham Palace getting her OBE (?) for services to music.
The Beach, The place to visit for a little rest and relaxation when real life gets too real. Off topic friendly chat.
For 60 years, the NHS has been Professor Harold Ellis' working life. He qualified the month of its inception in 1948. Today, at the age of 82, he is still working in it, teaching clinical anatomy at Guy's Hospital, London. We'll hear from him tonight on the programme and you can see some pics and hear more from him .
The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s NHS at 60 coverage is .
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
On the programme tonight, our health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys looks at how the NHS, as it approaches 60 itself, can deal with an ageing population. The numbers of over 80s are expected to grow rapidly, putting heavier demands on healthcare. Branwen has been to see how they do it in Japan, which has the fastest ageing population in the world. If you know what I mean. The Government there has been trying to cope by making changes to its system, that are proving hugely controversial. Much more tonight.
There's a good deal more on the NHS at 60, .
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
We may well talk tonight about the latest proposals on giving more and better protection to savers in the event of a bank getting into trouble. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ coverage is and there's your chance to read about a million pages of detail via .
give Shaun a listen when he appears on The World at One today, as he interviews one of Robert Mugabe's people, his spokesman, .
"Hi Eddie and team, this week finds me toiling away in Romsey! Strolling through the town yesterday I spotted this blue plaque. They are dotted all round the town, each inscribed with a piece of prose. I guess the must form some part of a 'town trail'. DiY"
"This is in response to Big Sister's comment (10) on the ''sex'' thread! It's all ''go'' in the veggie world ;o) Very best wishes from Gillianian"
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