Adebayor's started so well for Man City
Archives for March 2008
What constitutes sexual harassment?
HAve you ever been sexually harassed at work? How did your bosses deal with the situation?
The reason we ask if cos from next week employers will be duty-bound to protect their staff from sexual harassment by CUSTOMERS. And if your boss fails to protect you - you could claim compensaton. The rules are likely to have the biggest impact in the catering, hotel and retail trades where according to the Equal Opportunities Commission, sexual harassment is rife.
So if you work behind a bar in a pub, you're a waiter or waitress, you run a pub or hotel or restaurant - do you think the new law is fair and workable; what constitutes sexual harassment - could it include a customer calling you "love" or "darlin" as some suggest?
Interrupting one interview for another..
Mickey's complained about the bit of the show on Friday when I asked the Lancashire Police Officer who'd investigated the murder of Sophie Lancaster, if he would be comfortable with pausing while I interviewed the Brirtish Airways Chief Exec Willie Walsh about the chaos at Heathrow...Says Mickey, "So in order of importance a little bit of inconvenience in London is deemed more important that youths kicking a girl to death on the streets of Britain - always nice to have 5Lives priorities confirmed".
It's actually all over... which is a bit weird.
Former Apprentice contestant, Andy Jackson is blogging for us all week
Well my time here has come to an end. It鈥檚 been fun and I have really enjoyed the comments (both negative and positive) towards both me and the programme!
I don鈥檛 want to spoil the whole experience for you all but the weirdest thing to me is that The Apprentice has already been decided. The two finalists are already working for Sir Alan and the rest of the candidates have had to be quiet about the whole event since the end of last September when filming finished.
It's an odd time to be a candidate, finishing filming knowing that your life could dramatically change when the programme goes out, but you have to wait for six months in anticipation of it happening. You have to go back to your jobs and (under pain of death!) not say a word to anybody until a week before the first episode.
The Railway Children
..I watched this with my 4 yr old this afternoon. When Roberta, Peter and Phyllis's father returns at the end I shed some tears. My little boy asked me why I was crying - so I told him it was because it was a happy ending and that made me sad. He then asked me what I would do if it was a sad ending. ..
The Apprentice gets under way...
Former Apprentice contestant, Andy Jackson is blogging for us all week
WARNING - don't read on if you haven't seen the first episode of The Apprentice, as this article reveals who was fired...
Oh dear, where do I start? I hope you saw the first episode last night.
Well let's look at a few of this year's candidates.
Firstly Nicholas de Lacy-Brown (he's the Rory from last year), then Raef Bjayou (Syed Ahmed) and even Alex Wotherspoon (Adam Hosker)...
I could go on but it seems like different faces, same stereotypes. It's very easy to make comparisons from previous years as the only difference to me is that the teams are getting better looking...
In the line of fire...
Former Apprentice contestant, Andy Jackson is blogging for us all week
Good morning everyone. Firstly can I apologise for my spelling and grammar. I tend to have problems with the written word and it鈥檚 more difficult when I鈥檓 writing straight from my head and my heart to properly articulate my feelings onto paper. Please don鈥檛 use this as an advertisement to complain about my education (or lack of it) but it鈥檚 who I am and I can only strive to improve.
Have you ever "misspoken?"
Hilary Clinton has. She said she "misspoke" when she claimed she'd landed in Kosovo under sniper fire.
In fact she hadn't: it was a very calm and rather jovial landing back in 1996 in Tuzla. But she hadn't exaggerated, she hadn't lied, she'd simply "misspoken".
How much did you drink when you were pregnant?
Today the NHS watchdog is changing it's advice on how much alcohol you should enjoy when expecting.
If you'd ask NICE yesterday they'd have said ..nothing in the first 3 months and then if you must drink at all, then one small glass of wine a day. TODAY NICE is saying nothing in the first 3 months, and only 2 small glasses of wine PER WEEK. Why have they altered their advice? They admit it's not based on new medical advice. Some mums-to-be say they're confused - maybe it would be easier to abstain through the whole of pregnancy. But again, why? I was very cautious about alcohol the first time I was pregnant; the second time I was a lot more "relaxed" about my alcohol intake. Was I irresponsible, too casual, or just trusting my own judgement?
Return of The Apprentice
Former Apprentice contestant, Andy Jackson is blogging for us all week
I鈥檓 looking forward to coming onto Victoria鈥檚 show tomorrow but am a little nervous about what to say about the last year. The show didn鈥檛 make me a millionaire. I still have to iron my own shirts and I even made my own tea last night. Fame and fortune has definitely missed me by a mile here.
Mister Angry
It's in the news today - we're all getting angrier. Tell me about the angriest person you've come across, or when your temper has got you into trouble...
The Apprentice: I was fired
Former Apprentice contestant, Andy Jackson is blogging for us all week
Hi everyone. My name is Andy Jackson. You may/may not remember me from last years Apprentice. If you blinked and missed me I was the 1st to hear the immortal words 鈥淵ou're Fired鈥 by Sir Alan Sugar (SAS). One year on and time has flown. I鈥檝e been through two jobs and still waiting for 'the one' that will see me through to retirement as a millionaire (precious chance).
Contrite John Terry
Amazing to hear JT on Sportsweek this morning. Would someone have advised him to go on the radio and do an interview where he acknowledges players have to respect referees more than they obviously do? Will such words boost his chances of holding onto the England captaincy or is that far too cynical?
Happy Easter
Hope you have a brilliant weekend. Phil is here tomorrow and Nihal on Monday. Enjoy some male company..
Sorry for Publishing Lies..
The Daily Express and Daily Star say sorry for printing the following: "McCann's Hiding a Big Secret", "Madeline Killed by Sleeping Tablets", "Parents' Car Hid a Corpse in their Car". - the two papers admit this morning they were all lies.
Here's a quote from their unprecedented front page apology: "we now recognise that the stories suggesting the couple were responsible for, or may be resposnbile for the death of their daughter are untrue and that Kate and Gerry are completely innocent of any involvement in their daughters' disappearacne".
Express Newspapers have also paid 550 thousand pounds to the Madeleine Fund. Is that enough? Does an apology mean much? Should the Editor resign? Will you stop buying the Express or Star?
Dark satanic Heather Mills...?
Why have so many people got a problem with Heather Mills? She's overcome terrible adversity - hit by a police motorcycle back in 1993 - her injuries included crushed ribs, a punctured lung and severe injury to her left leg which meant it had to amputated. She's campaigned AGAINST landmines and FOR animal rights. And now without powerful and expensive barristers she's managed to secure her and her daughter nearly 25 million pounds in her divorce settlement from Paul McCartnery. Why do so many people dislike her? If she was a bloke and had achieved all that he'd be on a pedestal, lionised as a role model wouldn't he?
PS I have thrown a glass of liquid all over someone. It wasn't water it was wine. And it was one of the most satisfying feelings I've ever experienced - but I was rather cowardly. It was at university, she was called Rachel and she was all over my then boyfriend. I put up with it for about fifteen minutes then pretended to trip and spilt my glass of white wine all over her dress. I claimed it was an accident but she and I both knew.... Twenty years later I wonder why I didn't just chuck the wine over him.
What's wrong with people's attitude to the police?
They find Shannon Matthews alive after 24 days, and immediately some criticise them for taking so long. Why has repsect for the police eroded over time?
The Champions League Draw today..
.. If your team's still in it, I'm sure you're all praying for Shalke. Post your reaction to the draw here...
The right to a deaf child...?
Tomato Lichy and his partner Paula are both deaf. They want to have a child by IVF. But they say a proposed law would force doctors to screen out some embryos likely to develop disabilities including deafness.
Mr Lichy says that's discrimination. He says deaf people are not inferior to hearing people - so why should those embryos be screened out?
Listen to the interview and tell us whether you agree. Does he have the right to have a deaf child?
Thank God it's Friday
Can't wait for Friday - for all the obvious reasons but also cos you are going to get an EXTRA HALF HOUR OF THE SHOW FOR FREE. Yes for no extra cost the programme will bring you all the usual news and sport and your chance to ring in and have a go at me. But also a rare and saucy radio theesome involving myself, Mark Kermode and Mister Simon Mayo. It's the stuff of schoolboy dreams. ..
It's Tuesday and I'm at home..
..looking after the children cos there's no one else to do it today. I'm writing this while they have a kip. We have got a Japanese woman staying with us at the moment who we met at the World Cup in 2002 but she's gone off to "Pooh Country" for a couple of days so I couldn't even rope her in to help with babysitting. Her name is Izume and she's never visited Britain before. It's a sort of pilgrimage for her because she happens to be a massive West Ham fan and has never seen them play in the flesh. Since she's been here she's seen them lose 0 - 4, 4- 0 and 4- 0. Finally her team has found a bit of consistency this season. She's going to see them against Blackburn at the weekend - it's her last game before going back to Tokyo. I would quite like her to experience Upton Park when her side score a goal...so far the most joyful moment she's shared with fellow hammers was seeing Frank Lampard sent off.
Sepp Blatter and Brian Ashton..
Two very important men in professional sport. says footballers shld be banned for life if they're involved in dangerous tackles. He says "players who do this kind of thing intentionally shld be banned form the game". What do you reckon?
And did England coach Brian Ashton do the right thing in dropping Danny Cipriani from the team for breaking a curfew ahead of his England debut? Or has Ashton been way too harsh?
The Mulrooneys are white and working class..
Frank and Helen Mulrooney are my grandparents on my mum's side. They are a white working class couple from Bury, and good catholics.
Frank was in the tank corps and fought in Egypt during WWII, and when he came home he worked for the British Gas Board.
Helen worked in a weaving mill and then a factory called Walmsley's that made paper-making machinery.
My grandad died a few years ago, my grandma is in an old people's home - she's had alzheimers for about seven years.
When we were still able to talk about stuff I know she felt that the UK was changing and she didn't necessarily like the fact that black and asian people were moving to Brtain.
She didn't express herself in fair terms particulary, and when you'd try and explain why what she'd just said was racist, she didn't lke it.
According to this Newsnight poll for the 大象传媒, 52 per cent of white working class people think immigration is a bad thing, compared to 33 per cent of white middle class people. More than half of those questioned feel noone speaks for them. So is that true - tell us this morning... and tell me about your working class roots ..
Big Hair Day
If you ever wondered if the 80s perm might make a comeback on the back of Ashes to Ashes, these photos suggest it probably won't.
Here's my curly-haired friend Helena and I at Liverpool Univeristy circa 1988
And here's me and my sister in 1989. Alex's hair however is naturally perm-like, whereas I paid 45 quid for mine.
Have a look, absorb, and then go back to your lives..
Ashes to Ashes, Keeley Hawes and perms
Anyone watching Ashes to Ashes? I am completely in love with Gene Hunt still and am also rather taken with DI Drake's perm. Tomorrow I promise to post a photo of me and a perm from the 1980s on this very blog. Then I'd like photos of you with a perm too. Email me victoria@bbc.co.uk
Have celebrities made it okay to take cocaine?
Kate Moss, Pete Doherty, and Amy Winehouse have all hit the headlines for their alleged drug use - and also for the perceived lack of action taken by the police and courts towards them.
says this in its annual drugs report published today: "celebrity drug offenders can profoundly influence attitudes, values and behaviour towards drug abuse, particularly among young people."
Cocaine is now the second most widely taken drug after cannabis, with 755,000 users in England and Wales, according to the British Crime Survey.
So is it celebs who make it acceptable, the norm, cool - or are some of you doing it anyway?
Has Britain forgotten the white working class?
If you think it has, telll me why and what your evidence is..
Shld Britain Ban Zimbabwean Sportsmen/women?
Really interesting this one: what difference will it make to Robert Mugabe if we ban his sportsmen and women from competing in this country? Does it hurt him one iota? What about when it comes to 2012 - will we ban them then? Wil weban Chinese athletes in 2012 because of their oppressive regime? Where does it end? Not to defend Mugabe but there are loads of horrible dictators around the world, so if we ban the sportsmen and women fron one horrid regime we ban them all don't we?
Reflection
Georgie is blogging for us all week about life as a teenager.
I know its late and for that I take full responsibility and I apologize. I hope you heard the debate on Friday morning regarding whether teenagers and youths are being demonized by the media and falsely generalized. There was more I wish I had said but overall I feel that valid points were made from both sides of the spectrum. Yes it is true something needs to be done and as to what needs to be done, well everybody who is anybody has an opinion and someone somewhere will agree with every single one of them.
