2008 November 11

Record Drugs Haul At Airport

November 11, 2008 By youngmartyn Leave a Comment

16kgs of cocaine with an estimated street value of £800,000 has been seized at Edinburgh Airport by Lothian and Borders Police.

The amount recovered in yesterday afternoons seizure is thought to be a record for the Edinburgh area.

A Mexican couple, Erindidael Lechuga, 37 and Noe Muchado, 40 will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today charged with being concerned in the supply of the class A drug. The record haul was recovered during a routine luggage search by HM Revenue & Customs.

The couple travelled from Mexico on a connecting flight from Paris along with four children. The children are currently under the care of social services.

Bill Skelly, temporary Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police has praised the work of the force along with HM Revenue & Customs for preventing class A drugs entering Scotland. Mr Skelly said: ”This is the largest recovery of cocaine the Force has made to date, and is an excellent example of partnership working between Lothian and Borders Police and HM Revenue & Customs.

“Safe-guarding communities against the scourge of drugs is a priority for Lothian and Borders Police, and our intelligence-led approach has resulted in a rise in the number of class-A seizures in recent years.”

Mr Skelly has also called on the public to be look out for any drug dealing activity going on in their local area:

“Rest assured that we will continue to build upon this success, and we would ask members of the public to play their part by providing us with information on any drug-dealing activity they suspect is taking place in local communities.”

Filed Under: Courts and Crime, Uncategorized Tagged With: Drugs Haul, Edinburgh Airport

The credit crunch for students

November 11, 2008 By brownedmund Leave a Comment

By Edmund Brown

The credit crunch has affected all social groups and students are no exception. Young people going to university today can expect to leave with a debt of around £26,000 with the majority of this owed in overdraft and credit card facilities given to them by the now under pressure banks.

Banks are therefore going to reform who they give money to after the government rescued them with handouts and as a result students are going to be affected by this more than most. If the banks do not give the same amount of money as they have done in the past, students will need to work more hours in part time jobs to survive. This will result in pressures from universities as students course work will suffer. The number of students who will drop out of courses will increase and surely result in universities reputation being in doubt. I put this to a Scottish Government spokesman who disagreed saying “ There will always be some students who are unable to complete their course but we do not foresee any significant change in these numbers. There is currently a very healthy demand for college places and we envisage that will continue.”

Students also borrow money from The Student Loans Company which gets paid back through their wages after finishing their courses. The repayment plan, however, only gets paid back when the student earns £15,000 or more. Statistics that have been released show that a third of the students who have had student loans have never paid anything back as a result of not earning enough money. It will therefore have a knock on effect for future students in years to come as government money will run out. The spokesman for the government said; “The financial implications are that these debts remain outstanding for longer with a greater likelihood of the debt not being paid back at all, resulting in greater costs to the government. The Scottish Government’s funding is of course not limitless and any additional costs can result in less resources being available in the future.”

This contradicts previous information given by the same spokesman who advised that the Scottish Government have provisionally put money aside to give students grants whilst at university instead of the current loans system. These grants will be given to part time students at first before being fully implemented in 2011. The Scottish Government did say they support the need for young people to experience further education regardless of the financial cost. They stated; “The Scottish Government believes that access to higher education should be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.”

There is still a high level of uncertainly when deciding whether to go to university as financial worries are at the forefront of the minds of these families. Whether the government can ease that worry, we will have to wait and see.

Filed Under: Economy and Business, Life and Society Tagged With: Credit crunch, scottish government, students

Guillemots Flock To Edinburgh

November 11, 2008 By jennyscott1 Leave a Comment

By Jenny Scott

With a hectic summer of festivals and gigs behind them the Guillemots have been taking a well-deserved breather lately. It wasn’t to last long though as last Friday saw the band set off on their nationwide tour, and frontman Fyfe Dangerfield couldn’t be more excited.

The “Fishbone for a Drink Tour” kicked off in Birmingham and sees the band hit sixteen different cities across Scotland and England. Fyfe explains the simple reasoning behind the tour’s slightly bizarre name: “It’s a B side of ours, so that’s how the name came about really. We just recorded the track recently and it seemed as good a name as any for the tour. There’s no great hidden message there.”

And although Dangerfield doesn’t have a specific venue he’s most excited about playing this time round: “ We’ve got all sorts really, I think they’re all going to be good. I’m just really looking forward to the whole thing,” he does mention the bands performance at the Somerset House Summer Series as one of their standout gigs to date. “We played one at Somerset House in London that was really nice… but there’s been loads.” Guillemots were one of ten acts, including the likes of Kasabian, Hot Chip and Amy Winehouse, to play the London Landmark’s Summer Series in 2007.

Like band mate MC Lord Magrão, Dangerfield admits he also shares a passion for small venues. “Smaller venues can be a lot more rewarding to play because you can connect with the audience more and obviously its more intimate.” That doesn’t mean however, that the band have been actively seeking out modest spots where they can cosy up to the audience.

“This tours more just about keeping it varied. Every night should be really different… the more varied it is for us obviously the more fresh it’s going to seem for the audience. There is that risk that you just go on autopilot a bit, and just with the places we’re playing as well.” This tour sees the Guillemots playing an abandoned custard factory and caves in Cornwall amongst a few other off-the-beaten track venues.

The content is geared towards being more spontaneous too as the band are being joined by film events company Future Shorts, who they previously collaborated with at the Latitude Festival, when they re-scored David Lynch’s classic Eraserhead. A selection of short films will be played before every show, and each one will feature an improvised soundtrack provided by the band.

With such a unique ensemble like the Guillemots it’s hard to believe they could ever sound less than spontaneous. Especially with the influences Dangerfield lists, among them: ”not even just music, it could be the mood your in, the food you’ve had that day or just someone sitting across from you in a café.”

He also mentions the song he’d most like to cover as Neil Diamond’s Red Red Wine. “The thing is I only heard his original version of the song recently, I mean his original, original one from the 60’s and it’s absolutely beautiful and amazing. I only ever knew the UB40 version, and I’ve got nothing against UB40, but it sounds like Mr Blobby or something like that. Really I prefer his original one, it’s such a special song, I think it’s amazing. The simplest things are the best, the way he delivers the lyrics, its just perfect. I dunno if I should cover it though cause it’d never be any better.”

The Guillemots are playing Inverness Eden Court tonight and the Edinburgh Picture House on Thursday the 13th of November. Some tickets are still available for both dates from Ticketmaster but be quick!

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Guillemots, music

News in Brief

November 11, 2008 By Calum Fraser Leave a Comment

by Calum Fraser

Vodafone Plans Cost Cuts
Mobile phone giant Vodafone have announced plans to reduce expenditure by £1bn a year by 2011. The cuts are being blamed on rising raw materials cost as well as a reduction in revenues. It is still unclear where the cuts will be made.

Winning Start for Murray
Andy Murray beat Andy Roddick in 3 sets last night in his first ever Masters Cup match. The end of season tournament sees the top eight players from the season compete in Shanghai. Andy has two more group matches remaining. Roger Federer lost his first match in the same section.

New Tsunami warning system
Indonesia today unveiled an early alert system for tsunamis. It is designed to give coastal inhabitants forewarning, prompted by the events of 2004. The system is expected to be complete by 2010 but critics have cited that some areas are not fully covered by the project.

Mars Probe ‘Dead’
NASA’s Phoenix lander has not communicated in more than a week, ending a historic Mars mission. The probe survived twice as long as was expect and was the first to confirm the presence of ‘water-ice’ on the Mars surface.

High Street Sales Slow
UK High Street sales in October dropped 2.2% compared to this time last year, the first 12 month drop in more than three years according to the British Retail Consortium. The statistics come on the same day super chain Starbucks announced that it’s profits had dropped from $158million to almost nil in a year.

Social Networking Positive in Workplace
A pan-European study has shown that the use of social networking tools dramatically increases productivity in the workplace. The independent survey reveals 65% of employees feel it makes them more efficient and almost half believed it allowed them to ‘spark ideas’.

Stand-ups to Fill Schedule
The hole left in BBC One’s schedule by Jonathan Ross is to be filled by a new run of Live at The Apollo. The stand up show, hosted by different stand-ups each week, will run until Ross’ suspension ends in January.

Filed Under: Economy and Business, Entertainment, Science and Technology, Sports

Hannah, 13, refuses heart transplant

November 11, 2008 By kickanolsson Leave a Comment

By Christine Olsson

Hannah Jones, 13

Hannah, 13, won the case in court when she was to be taken away from her parents custody because of her decision to not go through the risky heart transplant.

Hannah’s local health authority launched a high court action to insist on the operation against Hannah’s wishes. Hannah pleaded her case from her sickbed to a child protection officer, saying that she wants to enjoy quality life with her family and friends. Herefordshire Primary Care backed down.

Hannah Jones, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five. Her medical treatment caused a hole in her heart which meant that she had to go through a heart transplant. The procedure is very risky for Hannah, if she survives the operation, there would be a risk for the leukemia to come back because of her weakened immune system. The heart would also only last for ten years and she would be dependent on drug treatment and another transplant later on.

Dad Andrew said: “We obviously want Hannah with us for as long as possible, but we’re not going to force her into something she definitely does not want. She has been in and out of hospital all her life and has decided that she has had enough of it.”

Hannah got a pacemaker last year when her condition got worse and was told that she would be lucky to live to Christmas, she has now outlived the predictions and is looking forward to the invitation from charity Caudwell Children; a trip to Disney World in Florida. Meanwhile, Hannah’s parents are worrying about obtaining medical insurance for the trip since they went through the same procedure when Hannah was five and had to cancel the trip to Paris and Disney World because they were unable to receive the insurance.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Scottish Business Man Steals from ex-Man Utd Boss, Court Told

November 11, 2008 By joelsked Leave a Comment

Joel Sked

The biggest donation in the Lib-Dems history – £2.4million – was swindled by a Scottish businessman from a former Manchester United boss, a court heard yesterday.

Michael Brown, 42, has been accused of stealing €12.7million from Martin Edwards who served as Manchester United’s chairman between 1980 and 2002 before selling his share in the club for a reported £90million.

It is claimed Brown persuaded Edwards into giving him large amounts of cash by pretending to be an international bond trader and assuring him that the money would be untouched in an HBOS account and that they would return healthy profits with no risk.

An official looking HBOS document helped trick Edwards into investing in the Scot.

Brown who is currently on the run, is being tried for nine offences betwen February, 2005 and April 17, 2006. The charges range from perverting the court of justice to three alleging theft of a total of $11,348,003

Martin Edmunds, QC for the prosecution told Southwark Crown Court that Brown used the money to lead an “extravagant lifestyle”. Some of the items he purchased was a $4million private jet, Range Rover, yacht, property in Mayfair and an entertainment system for his house in Majorca.

The items gave the impression that he was a successful business man along with the substantial donation to the Lib-Dems which prosecutors alleged made him look like a “well-connected man”. As well as pursuing his lifestyle Brown also used money to pay back other investors to make it look like they were making profits.

Mr Edmunds said: “He simply never intended that the funds would be used for the purpose of trading bonds or to stay in that account. Mr Brown used the money as his own.”

Judge James Wadsworth, QC, warned jurors not to let Brown’s absence influence their verdicts. He said: “This defendant knew the date of the beginning of the jury becuase he was in court when that date was fixed and announced.”

The trial continues.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Frozen in time

November 11, 2008 By Christopher Harress Leave a Comment

By Christopher Harress

Having come to the end of the most expensive, exhilarating and expensive presidential elections in American history we would be forgiven for neglecting the events of 40 years ago.

In January 1968 the American Government, still embroiled in the disastrous Vietnam War and the seemingly everlasting cold war with the Soviet Union, lost an A-Bomb in a plane crash near to a the American Military base Thule, Greenland.

The Pentagon believed the Soviet Union would take out the base as a prelude to a nuclear strike against the US and so in 1960 began flying “Chrome Dome” missions. Nuclear-armed B52 bombers continuously circled over Thule – and could head straight to Moscow if they witnessed its destruction.

A recent BBC investigation has reunited the two pilots to tell their story of the mission that nearly went so wrong.

On January 21^st 1968, the first day in office of Lyndon B Johnson, the B52, armed with 4 A-bombs, crashed on the ice just outside Thule.

Eventually, a remarkable operation would unfold over the coming months to recover thousands of tiny pieces of debris scattered across the frozen bay, as well as to collect some 500 million gallons of ice, some of it containing radioactive debris.

All four bombs had been detonated in the crash, but as the crew did not arm them the bombs were unable to explode. The Pentagon maintained that all four bombs had been destroyed as the bombs were no longer complete, however, the BBC investigation goes further to show that one of the bombs remained lost.

Panic ensued over the department of defense and they sent a Star III submarine to look for the bomb, something they had successfully done of the coast of Spain 2 years earlier.

Documents obtained by the BBC state that due to the winter weather setting in the mission likely have to be abandoned.

The documentary team tracked down a number of officials who were involved in dealing with the aftermath of the incident. One was William H Chambers, a former nuclear weapons designer at the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory who once ran a team dealing with accidents, including the Thule crash.

“There was disappointment in what you might call a failure to return all of the components,” he told the BBC, explaining the logic behind the decision to abandon the search.

But the crash, clear-up and mystery of the lost bomb have continued to haunt those involved at the time – and those who live in the region now – with continued concerns over the environmental and health impact of the events of that day in 1968.

These fresh revelations come when Britain is facing up to new evidence of the Nuclear damage that they and the Americans caused between 1957-1962 on Christmas Island in the South Pacific.

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: a-bomb, americans, greenland, thule

Stagecoach Strike Effects Scotland Communities

November 11, 2008 By Dustin L. Gee Leave a Comment

By: Dustin L. Gee

Last week, Stagecoach announced a strike set to take place by Stagecoach bus staff is over pay and will result in disrupting thousands of children and families across the Highlands and northeast Scotland.

Stagecoach is one of the largest bus operators in the United Kingdom, and offer countless express and local bus services across the country, as well as a network of intercity operations under the Mega-bus brand.

According to the Stagecoach website, “We connect communities in over 100 towns and cities in the UK, running a fleet of around 7,000 busses and coaches.”

The site then goes on to state, “Our services play an important role in delivering social inclusion, helping people in rural and urban areas access work, education, health, shopping and leisure, with two million passengers travelling on Stagecoach services every day.”

However, today’s strike by bus drivers may lead many customers questioning the loyalty and commitment of Stagecoaches mission statement. Especially since the Aberdeenshire Council told the BBC that “over 4,000 pupils would be affected, and Highland Council said several of the region’s schools would be hit by the disruption.”

A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “Aberdeenshire Council’s focus is on the education of our children therefore our educational establishments will be open as usual. Parents were warned in advance of the industrial action and we expect them to make every conceivable effort to get their children to school.”

Public transportation authorities suggest that those who are directly affected by the bus strike should get together with neighbours and take turns car-pooling in order to get their children to school.

The BBC reports, “The firm urged Unite to call off the strike, and said that 150 of its engineering, administration and cleaning staff had already voted to accept a two-year deal offering a 9.5% pay increase – the same deal as the firm had offered to union members.”

A Stagecoach Spokesperson told the BBC, “We are extremely disappointed that some of our customers have been inconvenienced by this unnecessary union strike action, particularly families with young children who rely on school contract services in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.”

Tomorrow should be better, but future strikes are planned for the 21st and 24th of November.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Highlands and Northeast Scotland, Stagecoach, Strike

Three Match Ban for Jambos’ Stewart

November 11, 2008 By clarkkaren Leave a Comment

by Karen Clark

Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart has been given a three match suspension after his sending off on Saturday’s match against St Mirren. Stewart lashed out against St Mirrens’ Hugh Murray in the first half of the game but despite this, Hearts managed a one nil win with ten men.

images-11

The red head has a poor history of discipline on the pitch and this is his third sending off since signing for Hearts in 2006. He has also managed to rack up a total of 18 yellow cards. Ex Jambo’s gaffer, Steve Frail, has said about his temper, “There is no denying he is a good footballer but he has had a lot of bookings and red cards so it would be better if he could channel that aggression.” The midfielder will still play this Saturday in an away game at Inverness but will miss crucial home matches against Falkirk and Rangers.

The incident also overshadowed the Rememberance Service at Haymarket in which all the players attend to remember the clubs war dead. Hearts were flying high in the top of the league in Novemeber 1914 and 16 players went to France to fight in the First World War. Seven players didn’t make it back home and they are among those remembered every year at the service at the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial.

Stewart is also an amabassador for PoppyScotland and knows only too well the importance of this event. Speaking before Saturday’s game he said, “The best way to pay tribute and to be respectful to the history of the club is to get the three points.”

“Of course, this is a big occasion for the club with what is going on this weekend and the history we have. But the best way to pay tribute is get the three points and not dwell or concentrate on anything else.

“You don’t want to be distracted from what you are trying to do on the pitch because ultimately, if you get three points that’s the best way to pay tribute.”

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized Tagged With: Hearts, Michael Stewart, PoppyScotland

Protected birds found dead next to poisoned meat

November 11, 2008 By Euan Black Leave a Comment

By Euan Black

A magnificent white-tailed sea eagle like White G

Tayside Police have launched an inquiry after two protected birds were found dead next to over 30 cubes of poisoned meat

A sea eagle, endearingly known as White G by the RSPB, was found dead alongside a buzzard near the edge of the Glenqueich and Glenogil estates in Angus earlier this year.

They were found next to a plethora of poisoned venison cubes, which were laced with pesticides, including the banned substance carbofuran.

Tayside Police discovered the alleged bait on electric fenceposts on the Glenogil estate, along with the body of a hare on the adjacent estate.

RSPB Scotland claims this was the largest seizure of poisoned baits in Scotland.

Bob Elliot, head of investigation for RSPB Scotland, is very suspicious of the reasons the bait was left: “The bait on the ground – which is the hare – and then the 32 cubes of venison on the fence posts, it’s highly indicative of a really really strong attempt to kill anything that’s flying that likes to eat meat.”

Michael Russell, the environment minister, said: “The sea eagle is a magnificent bird of prey. Poisoning them is simply unacceptable.”

A spokesman for Tayside Police said the investigation was ongoing.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birds of prey, News

First World War Memorial Day

November 11, 2008 By maxim85 Leave a Comment

Maxim Lewerenz

90 years back from now the First World War ended and left Europe shattered in pieces. With the execution of the peace treaty the German army started the withdrawal of the left troops from France. 15 million people lost their lives and 20 million lost their health irreversibly during the over four years raging war. The static warfare let soldiers die for literally one square of land, absurd and senseless battles like people have never seen before. The entry of the American Army in 1917 led the Allies ultimately to victory.

The German government, led by Kaiser Wilhelm II., blamed the allegedly not supporting enough people for the defeat and started the stab-in-the-back legend which took all the blame from him and his generals. Still he couldn’t talk away the debts of war and the loss of former German property, that got lost to the French empire.

The rapidly advancing technologies set in motion by the Industrial Revolution caused the intervention by new and scaring military weapons like tanks, toxic gas, Bombing squadrons that left a scene of destruction on cities, harbors and airports and submarines which attacked defenceless ships. It was a terrifying modern apocalypse where men died by artillery like toy soldiers getting blown away by the wind. Approximately half of the soldiers in battle died by this new savage weapon of destruction.

With the aftermath of the war, no one could believe on this day that only 20 years later history would be repeated, in a more deadly and inhuman way one could ever imagine.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, World In Depth Tagged With: rememberance

Cameron Proposes Business Tax Cuts as Brown Fights Back.

November 11, 2008 By Lindsay Muir Leave a Comment

Leader of the Conservatives David Cameron who this morning announced Conservative Tax Rebates for Businesses.

By Lindsay Muir.

Leader of the Conservative party David Cameron this morning announced Tory proposals to slash the National Insurance contributions paid by businesses. The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Gordon Brown hinted at possible tax cuts in the face of a financial crisis that shows no signs of abating.

The Conservatives plan to save businesses £2,500 on their National Insurance contributions should they employ a jobseeker who has been out of work for 3 months or more. They claim that the scheme could save businesses around £2.5bn as well as creating 350,000 jobs. The scheme would be a saving on the £8,000 which the Tories claim is the true cost of unemployment benefit per unemployed worker.

Mr Cameron stated in his press conference this morning “we would like to take that money and give it to employers if they take people off the unemployment register.” His announcement follows, what he claims, was successful implementation of a similar scheme in the United States and Canada.

Gordon Brown has attacked the Conservative proposals after calls for him to “personally guarantee” that unemployment figures will not rise above 3 million. The Premier has defended the new deal scheme calling it “the best employment-creation scheme in the world”, a scheme that the Tories wish to scrap. Mr Brown also stated that the Tories proposal is an expensive one which would not necessarily guarantee the creation of more jobs. He also rubbished the Conservative rejection of tax-credits, which he claims offer the unemployed an added incentive to find work.

This morning’s verbal scrap between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition comes as a Populous poll for the Times newspaper put the Prime Ministers approval rating at 35% up five points on last month while the Tories were down 4 points to 41%. Interestingly 52% of those polled were of the opinion that Gordon Brown was still the best man to deal with the current financial crisis compared to just 32% in support of David Cameron. Nevertheless 42% still believe that David Cameron is the right man to lead Britain after the next general-election.

Filed Under: All Politics, Economy and Business Tagged With: Brown, Cameron, National Insurance, Poll, Tax, Unemployment

QE2 Runs Aground On Final Farewell

November 11, 2008 By clarkkaren Leave a Comment

The QE2 ran aground this morning on the final visit to her home port of Southampton. At 5.30 a.m strong winds caused the 70,000 ton vessel to run into a sandbank just off the Isle of Wight.

Five tugs and the high tide managed to free the ship with 1,700 passengers and 1,000 crew members on board and she sailed on into port only fifteen minutes late arriving at 7.30 a.m. There is no known damage to the ship and all events planned for today will go ahead before she sets off this evening for her next port of call in Lisbon, Portugal.

A spokesman for Solent coastguard said, “She had only partially gone aground, and the tugs pulled her off.” Officials from the company that own the ship, Cunard, said “We are not aware at this stage of any damage to the vessel and everything is proceeding today as planned. We don’t know exactly what happened for the vessel to get stuck.”

The Duke of Edinburgh is due to make his seventh visit to the vessel today and will attend on board ceremonies, watch fly pasts and observe the two minute silence at eleven a.m. for Rememberance Day.

The QE2 will spend another seventeen days at sea before arriving in Dubai where she will be permanantely docked as a floating hotel.

Filed Under: Travel and Communities Tagged With: Add new tag, QE2, Southampton

Saturday night’s losers: X Factor viewers

November 11, 2008 By magnus31 Leave a Comment

The tragic contestant of Saturday night's X Factor

Laura White: The tragic contestant of Saturday night

By Magnus Huntly-Grant & Euan Black

Furore continues over the eviction of Laura White from Saturday’s X-Factor programme.

The anger and revulsion felt across the nation is just a natural response to the long line of televisual aberations which lead the discerning viewer to question the integrity of those on the other side of the camera. Brand and Ross, vote fixing, where will it end? the only problem is that the country’s viewers are not unitised, the only protest we can profer is simply not watching. But, really, not watch X-Factor? Too ridiculous for words.

In times of crises such as these people need a finger to point, someone to blame for a twist so cruel. Poor Cheryl Cole was too angry for words. Cries of ‘Fix’ and various conspiracy speculation abound. Laura’s rumoured dalliance with one of the shows executives, Matthew Firsht, possibly callled into question as a potential motive for her untimely offing.

But maybe things are more straight forward than that, maybe the scam is no secret, calls of a fix are

Cheryl during happier times

probably erroneous, after all, the votes are regulated by external bodies and Cowell et al understand that the public will to some extent make the next X-Factor elect someone who’s records they will buy but the eviction format provides a framework by which Cowell does retain the ultimate editorial veto. In this case the expedient move for him was to get rid of Laura, and no one dares question the marketing genius of Simon Cowell. except that in this case they do.

Proliferated by every imaginable form of media; blogs, forums, news and now it has rightly permeated our government, as Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, said in a discussion about the television during commons question time this week: “MP’s should resist that temptation to comment on editorial matters”

And then confusingly: “Although, the temptation is great in my case, having seen the wonderful and talented Laura White very harshly voted off X-Factor on Saturday.”

But most confusing of all was his negligence in forgetting to call for a parliamentry enquiry.

As enlightened viewers, you may feel like taking up the cause, in which case follow this link to sign the petition for her re-instatement. Sitting at a mere 14000 signatures at time of writing.

The performance, now being hailed as possibly the greatest performance by any living creature EVER, arguably lacked credibility in itself. Laura proudly explained that she would be playing piano and so she duly did but halfway through the song she stood up and the piano miraculously continued of its own volition.

Ultimately, sad piano music and ear jerking back stories may invoke viewers to vote in droves but wont necessarily sell records and if you are willing to participate in the utterly tasteless charade which allows for otherwise right thinking people (in most cases) to peddle the death of loved ones in the interests of buying that most valuable commodity – the tragic human interest cause, then how can you expect the people behind the format to have anyone else but their own best interests at heart. It also raises the question of how many people come through the X-Factor car wash unscathed.

If there was ever any doubt that of the proliferation of vacuous and pointless media, it is contained herein – The Laura White TRAGEDY – as the encyclopaedic mind of Goodwin69, the syntax challenged wordsmith of the ITV.com forum, reminds us: ” I am disgusted at what happened last night laura was miles better than ruth ive been a fan since it sarted ive been to all the tours but not any more simon voted ruth out for one reason only which is so unfair.”

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Andy Burnham, Cheryl Cole, Laura White, TV, X Factor

‘The Audacity of Clothing Me’: the Sarah Palin story

November 11, 2008 By Michael Fern 1 Comment

by Michael Fern

palin1

The inspiring rise from the beauty pageant stage to the vice-presidential debating platform is the stuff best-sellers are made of. This is the belief of Sarah Palin, who may be set to write her memoirs.

The story of the maverick but wholesome family-minded hunter is one expected to chime with the public, according to a number of publishers and talent agents currently courting Governor Palin.

Stuart Applebaum of US publisher Random House said to the New York Post: “Several of our imprints are eager to talk to Governor Palin.

“She clearly has a constituency and we know books by conservatively centred politicos usually sell very, very well.”

Mrs Palin has never been considered an avid reader by the public, struggling earlier this year to name a single newspaper during an interview, but she could use a memoir as an opportunity to counter a number of stories which dogged her during the campaign, from the cost of her wardrobe to her role in the “troopergate” scandal.

Palin’s book would be in good company if she follows through on her idea of running for President in 2012. Every candidate for the presidency in 2008 had penned a memoir with Barack Obama writing two, the personal Dreams From My Father and it’s more politically minded sequel The Audacity of Hope.

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: America, Election, McCain, Palin

Bank Of China Eyes Up HBOS

November 11, 2008 By debzsmith Leave a Comment

Debbie Smith

The Bank of China has today emerged as a potential rival for Lloyds TSB in what could turn out to be a bidding war for HBOS.

It’s reported the bank is in “early talks” with former HBOS executive Jim Spowart and investment company European American Capital over a possible counter bid to the proposed takeover by Lloyds TSB.

Lloyds TSB says it will be able to deliver annual cost savings of more than £1.5billion by the end of 2011 through its deal.

But there are fears it could lead to widespread job losses, particularly in Scotland, which would be detrimental for the financial sector and wider economy.

However the Lloyds deal is still seen by the UK government to be the most attractive option as nationalisation is something they are keen to resist. However Alex Salmond, First Minister has always maintained that HBOS should and could remain independent.

Mr Spowart refused to confirm the report that the Bank of China was the potential backer.

The report emerged as a former bank chief insisted the current offer by Lloyds TSB was “no longer the best deal”.

Sir George Mathewson, ex-chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, is also trying to convince shareholders they will not benefit from the Lloyds deal.

Filed Under: Economy and Business Tagged With: Bank Of China, Banks, HBOS, Lloyds

www.webmail.juniata.edu

November 11, 2008 By Dustin L. Gee Leave a Comment

By: Dustin L. Gee

It’s only been six days since 47 year-old, Barack Obama was elected the first black President of the United States of America, and yesterday, George W. Bush welcomed Obama and his wife, Michelle, to the White House Mansion, located in Washington D.C. for a tour of their soon to be home, which they will occupy in less then two months.

Arriving early, Obama and his wife Michelle stepped out of a black limousine to be greeted by current President, George W. Bush and First Lady, Laura Bush. The two women hugged and the two men shook hands. All four posed for a historical photograph that was eagerly waiting to be captured by photographers.

According to Stephanie Cutter, an Obama Spokeswoman, told the Washington Post, “The two couples were all smiles yesterday, with no evidence of tension. The Obamas were warmly welcomed and the Oval Office meeting was productive and friendly.”

Once they entered the White House, Obama went with the man he will succeed, setting a side nearly two years of criticism that took place during the presidential election, to address the economy and tour the presidential private living quarters.

The Scotsman revealed “President Bush and Obama engaged in a private talk about the challenges of leading a nation freighted in this hand-over of power by a severe economic downturn and two wars.”

Both Obama and Michelle have visited the White House on previous occasions, but this was the couples first time to enter as future residents. Furthermore, this was Obamas first-time to enter the Oval Office.

On the other hand, the outgoing first lady led her successor on a White House tour that focused primarily on the upstairs private residence, including three bedroom suites and three living areas.

One of the stops on the tour that was of particular interest included the first lady’s sitting room, whose windows afford a direct view of the Oval Office below: “She can really keep an eye on who’s coming and going, who’s meeting with the president.”

Michelle Obama and Laura Bush also spent time discussing “raising daughters in the White House,” Stephanie Cutter, the Obama transition spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Mrs. Obama was honored to finally meet the First Lady, who was a gracious hostess.”

Michelle has already made clear that her first priority will be smoothly settling her daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, into this new life.

Overall, Stephanie Hess, a presidential Historian called yesterday’s visit a “symbolic moment” of the change to come. “When he walks out of the White House, he really is the president-elect,” he said of Obama, adding: “It’s part of the movement of power, the movement of democracy.”

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: Obama, US Election, White House Tour

Gesturing Player Apologises

November 11, 2008 By joelsked Leave a Comment

I'm Sorry

Joel Sked

An English footballer has issued an apology over an alleged gesture of support to imprisoned friend Luke McCormick who caused the death of two boys earlier this year.

David Norris of Ipswich Town, who play in the English Coca-Cola Championship, apparently crossed his hands to make a handcuff gesture after netting the winner in his side’s 1-0 win over Blackpool at the weekend.

Luke McCormick was jailed for seven years after killing Ben Peak, 8, and Aaron Peak, 10, while driving home from Norris’ wedding after drinking. McCormick who was driving twice over the limit crashed into the car carrying the two boys.

Although the player, who played with McCormick at Plymouth Argyle, has denied that his gesture was a message of support to his jailed friend, he has sent a letter to the family of the boys and issued a public statement apologising for how his actions had been misinterpreted.

He issued a statement on the Ipswich official website saying: “I would like to stress that I made no handcuff gesture or personal message to Luke McCormick.

“I can see how my actions may have been misinterpreted and for that and any distress this may have caused the Peak family I am truly sorry”

Even though the statement or letter failed to mention why he had done the ’celebration’ the Peak family have accepted his apology. Mrs Peak who was deeply upset with his gesture has said that an apology was all she wanted and that the letter showed Norris “had a heart”.

A statement from the football club confirmed that Norris has been fined and warned about future conduct. While the Football Association (FA) have said they will contact Ipswich for an explanation of Norris’ behaviour.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: David Norris, Handcuff gesture, Ipswich Town, Luke McCormick

Facebook scam

November 11, 2008 By kickanolsson Leave a Comment

by Christine Olsson

Cyber criminals are hacking into Facebook accounts, pretending to be a friend in need in an attempt to receive bank account details.

After hacking into the Facebook account they send out an e-mail to their friends with a sob story saying they are in desperate need of money.

The story came to light when a google employee, Karina Wells from Sydney, got a letter from her friend, Adrian, who supposedly was stuck in Nigeria and needed £220 for a flight ticket home. She became suspicious when she read the words “cell phone” instead of “mobile phone”. Ms Wells pretended to help and took all the details of where he was and forwarded them to Facebook.

Computer experts are now saying that people who has a lot of friends on Facebook are likely to be targeted. Graham Cluley from the security firm Sophos said: “Facebook has opened people up to a lot of new threats. The more friends you have, the greater the risk.”

Facebook, with its 8 million Brittish users, replies: “Only a small percentage of users have been affected by recent spam attacks. We are updating our security systems.”

Filed Under: Life and Society, Science and Technology Tagged With: Facebook scam, fraud

Portsmouth FC in “serious” talks with foreign buyers

November 11, 2008 By Michael Fern Leave a Comment

by Michael Fern

A South African business group are moving to buy Portsmouth football club in the latest of a series of foreign takeovers of Premiership teams.

Alexandre Gaydamak, the current owner of Portsmouth, has been looking to sell the club since October, when he admitted that he would consider any “serious” offers. There was concern that no buyer would be willing to take on the club’s debt, reported to be over £30 million, but South African gold-mining executive Greg James has led a group willing to offer £70 million for the team.

The negotiations have been described as in an “advanced” stage by the Independent, with the consortium preparing to examine Portsmouth’s accounts. One source said: “They are now talking and negotiations are going well”, and a deal is expected within a fortnight.

High-profile Israeli agent Pini Zahavi, who was previously thought to be planning a bid of his own, has been revealed as an advisor to the South Africans. His role in the buyout could lead to his client, former Chelsea manager Avram Grant, taking a job at the club as either director of football or manager.

The buyout would come during a period of increasing foreign investment in the Premiership. Manchester City’s recent high-profile takeover by an Abu-Dhabi based investor is the most recent, and has led to rumours that fellow United Arab Emirate country Dubai had an interest in West Ham United.

In previous recent seasons, Aston Villa has been bought out by American millionaire Randy Lerner, and Liverpool by George Gillette and Tom Hicks, while many Manchester United supporters were outraged at Malcolm Glazer taking over their team.

With Chelsea, Aston Villa and Fulham also under foreign control, the takeover of Portsmouth is the latest in a growing trend in English football.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Football, Portsmouth