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Bethany Amos, Jeffrey Clark to wed

Oct. 28, 2012 @ 06:44 AM

Mr. and Mrs. Troy Amos of Rutherfordton, North Carolina announce the engagement of their daughter
Bethany La'Rae Amos of Rutherfordton, North Carolina to Jeffrey Charles Clark, son of Mr. & Mrs.  Jeff Clark of
Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The wedding is planned for November 17th, 2012 at 3 in the afternoon at Fairwinds Farm in Rutherfordton. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Hoyle & Nell Blanton and the late Carl & Annie Lou Amos.
She is a graduate of Chase High School and Western Piedmont Community College and currently pursuing her Elementary Education Degree through Appalachian State University and is employed as a Kindergarten Teacher's Assistant at Thomas Jefferson Classical Grammar. The future bridegroom is the grandson of George & Peggy Ledford of Candler, NC and Bud Clark & the late Roberta Boydston Clark of Rutherfordton, NC.  He is a graduate of Chase High School and Isothermal Community College and is employed by Clark's Automotive in Forest City, NC.


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If Louis is your favourite member of boy-band One Direction, read these top fun facts about Louis Tomlinson and see how many you don’t know!

  1. Louis’ middle name is William.
  2. Louis was born on Christmas Eve in 1991.
  3. His star sign is Capricorn.
  4. He is the oldest member in One Direction.
  5. He was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.
  6. Louis is 5’9″.
  7. Louis has four sisters. Charlotte, Felicity and twins Daisy and Phoebe.
  8. His mother is called Johanna and his father is Troy Austin.
  9. His step father is called Mark, Louis’ surname changed to Tomlinson at a young age.
  10. He does not have any cousins.
  11. His eye colour is blue.
  12. He has a dog named Ted.
  13. He once pulled a moonie to his head teacher.
  14. Louis got suspended from school and had to retake year 12.
  15. Louis supports Manchester United Football Club.
  16. He prefers a shower over a bath.
  17. He can play the piano really well.
  18. His favourite song to play on the piano is ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers.
  19. Louis likes the word boobs – he thinks it’s a funny word.
  20. His favourite colour is dark red.
  21. He doesn’t like that he is the oldest in the band.
  22. Louis had a chilly flavoured ice cream in France and said it was amazing!
  23. ‘The Fray’ is Louis’ favourite band.
  24. Louis was voted number four in Sugarscape’s Top 50 Hottest Males of 2011.
  25. He first met Harry in the X Factor toilets.
  26. Louis Tomlinson is not gay.
  27. Louis has licked Zayn’s lips before – the fact that he is not gay still stands.
  28. He has size 10 feet.
  29. On March 19th 2012, he reached 2 million Twitter fans.
  30. Whilst filming for the video of ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, Louis sent a message in a bottle.
  31. Louis doesn’t like birds.
  32. He dislikes baked beans.
  33. Tomlinson loves Marmite!
  34. He says he isn’t brave enough to get his nipples pierced.
  35. His favourite month in the year is December.
  36. He played ‘Danny’ in the film Grease.
  37. He was in an ITV1 drama called If I Had You.
  38. In May 2012, Louis was woken up by a naked man trying to enter his hotel room at five in the morning – The man was drunk and apparently just looking for the toilet!
  39. Louis wants to have children when he is older and would prefer to have a son.
  40. He holds a full UK Driving Licence.
  41. Louis admits to being very messy, although I don’t really see anybody complaining about cleaning up after him!
  42. In September 2011, Louis Tomlinson appeared alongside Harry, cooking on ITV’s This Morning.
  43. Louis admits he’s a really bad cook.
  44. Louis sometimes sleepwalks and he once tried to get into Niall’s bed with him!
  45. He enjoyed watching the Twilight Saga and pretended to be Edward Cullen for a night after watching New Moon.
  46. Louis says that fans who thinks he is gay, “are not real fans”.
  47. Louis was fined £80 for speeding on the way to V Festival in summer 2012, he was doing eight miles over the speed limit.
  48. He pulled down Niall’s pants at a service station!
  49. He started dating Eleanor Calder in October 2011.
  50. His Twitter profile is @Louis_Tomlinson.

Read More…

Pages: 1 2 3 4 56


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National, Native and Popular Flower of Bahrain

National Flower of Bahrain

Image of Beautiful Yellow FlowersBahrain is considered part of eastern Arabia and thus as part of the Saharo-Arabian phytogeographical region. This region is characterized by having perennial shrubby chaemophyte plants, flowers and with many ephemerals after rain. But the government of Bahrain has not designated any flower as the national flower or flower emblem of the country.

Other Native and Popular Flowers of Bahrain

Gardens and plantations are easily reached by exploring the myriad small roads and tracks in Bahrain. Some beautiful flowers grown in the cultivated areas are, Water hyacinth, Lotus, Capparis spinosa, Lantanas, Yellow Canna, Adenium (desert rose), Cactus Flower, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Larskspur, Asclepias curassavica, Cassia, Hibiscus, Carpobrotus flower, Oleander, Orange blossom, Tacoma Stans, Sunflower, Petunias, Violet Flower, Tacumaria, Passiflora, Ixora Chinensis, White Zinnia, Thespesia populnea, Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana, Kalanchoe Delagoensis, Amaryllis and Ixora. But outside the cultivated areas, numerous wild desert flowers also appear, most noticeably after rain, whereas desert shrubs, grasses, and wild date palms are also found.

Daisies, Roses, Jasmines and Sun Flowers are very popularly used by Bahrainis on various occasions.

from our stores - Pickupflowers - the flower expert

from the flower experts from the flower experts from the flower experts from the flower experts
from the flower experts from the flower experts

Online Florists Bahrain

A few of the major online florists who cater to Bahrain are PickupFlowers, Zhoors and Alia Flowers, Alia Flowers established in 1978 under the patronage of Mrs. Alia Darwish, a well known floral designer. For a list of Bahrain florists who do business online, please visit our page on Online Florists in Bahrain.

Send Flowers to Bahrain

The Flower Expert has arrived at a few parameters on which florists can be compared so that the customers can select a good florist who suits their needs. You can go through the comparative analysis of the top florists presented in this table. This comprehensive table will help you decide which florist gives the best service when you want to send flowers to Bahrain.

Facts about Bahrain

  • Bahrain, an archipelago of 33 islands, of which Bahrain Island is the largest, is a country in the in the Arabian Gulf offering a blend of ancient and modern civilizations. Skyscrapers share the landscape with majestic mosques, embodiments of Islamic art, culture and architecture.
  • Bahrain was the first of the states outside the Arabian mainland to convert to Islam (after they received a letter from Prophet Mohammed). This conversion changed the whole culture of Bahrain.
  • As it is in other Gulf States, the Bahrainis keep their social and religious identity and do not mix closely with foreigners except for business. Bahrain is among the more liberal states of the Gulf, though considered conservative by western standards.
  • With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude.

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Wed, Jul 29, 2015 ●
BathHarpswellTopshamBrunswickCumberlandNorth YarmouthFalmouthFreeportPortlandCape ElizabethScarboroughSouth PortlandChebeague IslandYarmouth

Police Beat

3/20 at 6:55 p.m. Barbara McHugh, 46, of Brackett Street, Portland, was arrested by Sgt. Frank Soule and charged with operating under the influence with three-plus priors.

There were no summonses during the period reported.

Return to sender

3/13 at 2:42 p.m. The animal control officer responded to a call that an Australian Sheepdog was running loose on Mountain Road. A scan of the dog revealed it had a microchip with the owner's information so the officer was able to return the animal to its home.

Friday night lights

3/13 at 9:14 p.m. Police received a complaint that someone was lighting off fireworks from a snowbank in front of Regal Cinema on Route 1 Friday night. Although responding officers found evidence of fireworks, they were unable to locate anyone who had set them off.

Will open doors for money

3/18 at 11:20 a.m. A woman was badly frightened but unhurt while sitting in her car at the Falmouth Shopping Center. A "scruffy-looking" white man in his forties opened her car door and asked for money and food to help him return to Boston. She managed to close the door; then locked all her doors and called police. When officers arrived, they were unable to locate the man but believed he had ducked into one of the stores in the shopping center.

Fire calls

3/14 at 11:47 a.m. Fire alarm, Whipple Farm Lane.

3/14 at 4:58 p.m. Fire alarm, Blueberry Lane.

3/15 at 6:56 p.m. Wires down, Ledgewood Drive.

3/15 at 7:42 p.m. Wires down, Ledgewood Drive.

3/16 at 11:49 a.m. Motor vehicle accident, Middle Road.

3/16 at 3:44 p.m. Motor vehicle accident, I-295

3/17 at 6:24 p.m. Propane alarm, Tall Pines Way, Cumberland.

3/18 at 8:50 a.m. Smoke in garage, Jensen Way.

3/19 at 6:07 p.m. Motor vehicle fire, Gray Road.

Falmouth emergency services personnel responded to 22 calls for service during the period reported.

More stories like this: police, Falmouth


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Axis unveils 3 new video encoder products.

Byline: Dubai

(Category: Media & Promotion )

(Image: axis.gif )

Axis Communications, a leader in the network video market, has introduced three new video encoder products that support the latest and highly efficient video compression format, H.264.

The products enable analog cameras to be integrated into a more efficient and powerful IP-based video surveillance system.

"The new and upcoming Axis products are based on a high-performance video encoder platform that has unparalleled image processing capabilities," stated Gilles Ortega, regional manager Axis Communications, Mena.

"It enables the products to deliver superb image quality with higher resolutions, frame rates and multiple streaming capabilities, and with much lower bandwidth and storage requirements using the H.264 compression standard.'

'In addition, there is increased capacity for running intelligent video applications that help users effectively manage large-scale video surveillance systems," he added.

The three products consist of the standalone Axis Q7401 Video Encoder for integrating one analog camera; Axis Q7406 Video Encoder Blade, which supports six analog channels; and Axis Q7900 Rack, which is one of the industry's highest-density rack solutions with support for up to 84 analog cameras.

The video encoders, which support all types of analog video cameras, convert analog signals into digital streams that are then sent over IP networks for viewing and recording on networked computers.

The Axis video encoders offer the market's most comprehensive set of network capabilities, optimising the network video solution for security, efficiency and manageability.

The products are also supported by the Axis Camera Station video management software, as well as the industry's largest base of application software through Axis' Application Development Partner program.- TradeArabia News Service

Copyright 2008

Copyright 2008 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group

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Growth Continues.

In this issue of Beverage Dynamics we celebrate Growth Brands, the spirits, wines and beers that have collectively driven the industry forward over the last few years. Throughout each year our spirits, wine and beer category stories, news articles and business reports talk about brands' current performance and marketplace activity, and while there are many reasons why a brand may show volume increases in one year, to do so consistently for five or more years is another thing altogether and certainly can't be attributed to a fad or plain dumb luck.

Looking at the brands included among this year's Growth Brands (see page 14) tells a lot about what people are drinking. Scattered among the Established Growth Brands, Rising Stars, Fast Track and Comeback Brands are 17 vodkas, the most of any distilled spirits category. Found at every price point, these brands include high-volume domestics, high-image imports and everything in between. The other categories with significant representation--cordials, rum, tequila, imported gin, cognac--are all those with strong overall growth in recent years.

Virtually the entire wine industry has seen growth in the last year or two, but as the charts show, a number of brands have skyrocketed past the rest of the industry. Among the Established Growth Brands, the five-year average compound growth rate runs from 9.6% to 41.4%, and among the Fast Track Brands the ACGRs run from a strong 13.2% (Beringer) to an amazing 94% (Talus). Rising Star wine brands like Arbor Mist (3.4 million cases in its second year on the market) and Luna di Luna (+104% in 1999) further demonstrate the vitality of today's wine business.

And in beer, some of the strongest growth is, not surprisingly, in the light and imported beer segments. Of the 28 beer brands receiving recognition, nine were light beers, including huge brands like Bud Light, Miller Lite and Coors Light, as well as much smaller brands with large percentage gains, such as Corona Light and Southpaw Light. And there were 13 imports among the Growth winners.

As I said at the outset, looking at the Growth Brand charts in this issue tells a lot about what people are buying and drinking today and by inference what they're likely to continue drinking. Take a look at the brands and their performance nationally and compare it to what's going on in your own store. Particularly take note of the Rising Star and Fast Track Brands. They're the established brands of tomorrow but the profit opportunities of today.

So please join me in applauding all the brands receiving Growth Brand honors on a job well done.

Robert Keane

Editorial Director
COPYRIGHT 2000 Bev-AL Communications, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2000 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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Exporting: growth continues.
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All Up In The Upfronts: Shows We Can’t Wait For This Fall, Part 2

By: Kate Torgovnick/ / May 18, 2010

Yes, I am bringing you your daily upfront news a little late today. But I have a good excuse! There is just so much television news that (a) it’s hard to keep up and (b) it’s hard to tear myself away. After the jump, the details and previews of the shows that caught my eye today, including “Lonestar,” which looks like “Friday Night Lights” crossed with “Big Love.” It doesn’t get much better than that.

The Show: “Outsourced”
The Deets: NBC, Thursdays, 9:30 p.m.
In this comedy, an American dude is sent overseas to run a call center. We’re hoping for “The Office” gone to India.

The Show: “Happy Ending”
The Deets: ABC, More Info To Come
This show is like “How I Met Your Mother” in an alternate universe where Lilly and Marshall aren’t perfect for each other. When a couple splits up at the altar, it sends ripples though their 20-something friend group. Holler, Elisha Cuthbert.

The Show: “No Ordinary Family”
The Deets: ABC, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.
Ever wish that “The Incredibles” were live-action and piped weekly into your boob tube? Congrats. That’s exactly what this series is! And it stars the awesome Julie Benz, who you know as Darla on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

The Show: “Lonestar”
The Deets: Fox, Mondays, 9 p.m.
It’s set in Texas and stars Adrianne Palicki, but that’s where the “Friday Night Lights” similarities end. This drama is about a conman who lives a double life with two women. Only, he’s sick of swindling both of them and wants his fake lives to become real.

The Show: “Raising Hope”
The Deets: Fox, More Info To Come
Continuing the theme of deception on Fox, this comedy is about a 23-year-old who has a one-night stand with a felon, played by model Bijou Phillips. Nine months later, he’s sent a baby to raise while the mama is in jail.


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Posts tagged "breaking wind"

The Frisky TV: Admit It, Do You Fart In Front Of Your Significant Other?

The Frisky is full of extremely serious questions about bedroom behavior — like this one: have you ever farted in front of someone you’re boinking? We sent Lori out onto the streets to get answers from regular folk — suffice it to say, some of them would be appalled by my complete lack…

By: Amelia McDonell-Parry / June 23, 2008


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Posts tagged "heavy"

Shun, Shag, Or Marry: Reality TV Weight Loss Shows

It’s January, which officially means weight loss reality TV season is in full swing. I’ve been so busy watching shows about dieting that I’ve barely had time to binge on cookies. I guess that’s the point. There’s “The Biggest Loser,” “Shedding for the Wedding,” “Ruby,” “One Big Happy Family,” “Heavy,” “I Used to be Fat,”…

By: Ami Angelowicz / January 21, 2011

“Over The Hills”: Lauren And Heidi Nearly Tear Each Other’s Grey Hair Out

Heavy’s “Over The Hills” series is hysterical, mostly because it features the actual dialogue from the real MTV show. Check out this clip of a crotchety old Lauren running into retirees Heidi and Spencer at a club. Why does Heidi have a Southern accent? She’s from Crested Butte, Colorado! [Heavy]…

By: Amelia McDonell-Parry / March 26, 2008


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Posts tagged "shark bite"

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

It’s hard to pose for a family photo after a barracuda tries to eat off your arm. Luckily, Koral Wira will recover from her fishing trip gone awry. She should totally mount that sucker on her wall. [BuzzFeed]…

By: Ami Angelowicz / July 31, 2010


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Air Date: Thursday, July 21, 2011
Time Slot: 9:00 PM-10:00 PM EST on The CW
Episode Title: (#101) "Friend Zone Jane" (Repeat)
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

"PLAIN JANE" - (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

"Friend Zone Jane" (TV-PG, D) (HDTV)

SEE JANE BLOSSOM - British fashion expert Louise Roe ("The City," "E! Oscar Show") hosts this new summer reality series. In the premiere episode, an uncomfortably shy and messy Jane attempts to shed her "one of the guys" status - along with her plaid flannels - to seduce her longtime crush, who only sees her as a friend (#101).

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[03/12/12 - 07:27 AM]
Animal Planet and 3Net to Simulcast Hit Series "River Monsters" on April 8
3net premieres a special 3D version of the episode with seven additional minutes of content.

[via press release from Animal Planet]

-- Jeremy Wade Fans to Get Double/Triple Dose in 2D and 3D --

(New York, New York, March 12, 2012) - Animal Planet and 3net have announced that the second episode in the fourth season of RIVER MONSTERS - titled "Pack of Teeth" - have a dual premiere on each network on Sunday, April 8, at 10 PM (ET/PT), giving fans of Animal Planet's best-performing series ever a unique, sensory experience. 3net premieres a special 3D version of the episode with seven additional minutes of content. It's the first simulcast between the two networks.

RIVER MONSTERS "Pack of Teeth" takes extreme angler Jeremy Wade to Southern Africa, where there are rumors of a terrifying river monster lurking in the eerie waters of the Okavango Delta. Witnesses say the fish have shark-like teeth and hunt in frenzied packs on schools of fish - and maybe even on human bodies. It sounds mysteriously like the work of giant piranhas, but there's nothing like that there. Or is there? Jeremy Wade sets out to uncover the truth. RIVER MONSTERS airs regularly on Sundays at 10 PM (ET/PT) on Animal Planet.

"RIVER MONSTERS has viewers on the edge of their seats on Animal Planet, and just wait until they see it in 3D," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager, Animal Planet. "We're delighted to partner with 3net on this simulcast and can't wait for Jeremy Wade to have RIVER MONSTERS diving into living rooms."

"Bringing a high-quality ratings hit like Animal Planet's RIVER MONSTERS to 3net audiences in immersive, native 3D for the first time ever underscores our ongoing commitment to deliver the most unique and compelling content possible," said Tom Cosgrove, president & CEO, 3net. "The series is a perfect fit for 3D and the kind of 'eyes wide open' experience our viewers have come to expect."

RIVER MONSTERS remains Animal Planet's top-performing series ever among all demos, with season three episodes delivering more than 1.5M P2+ viewers.

RIVER MONSTERS is a production of Icon Films for Animal Planet. Harry and Laura Marshall are the executive producers for Icon Films, and Lisa Lucas is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Charlie Foley is vice president of development for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.

3net, the joint venture of Sony Corporation, Discovery Communications and IMAX Corporation brings together three of the world's leading media, technology and entertainment companies to provide the nation's first and only fully programmed, 24/7 3D network and production studio. The three partners deliver an extraordinary collection of award-winning 3D content, technology and production expertise, television distribution and operational strength to the project, with a mission to bring viewers the highest quality and most immersive in-home 3D viewing programming possible. The channel features the most extensive library of 3D content in the world, including genres that are most appealing in 3D, including natural history, documentary, action/adventure, travel, history, kids and family, hyper-reality, lifestyle and cuisine, concerts, movies, scripted series and more. 3net is currently available on DIRECTV channel 107. For more information, please visit www.3net.com.

  [march 2012]

[07/28/15 - 04:55 PM]
Syfy and Universal Cable Productions Bring the Grindhouse Genre to Television with New 13-Episode Scripted Series "Blood Drive"
Set in a near-apocalyptic future, the project centers around LA's last good cop who is forced to join a twisted, gory cross-country death race - with cars powered by blood and a dangerous femme fatale partner who sees people as fuel.

[07/28/15 - 03:55 PM]
Megastars Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige Ease on Down the Road in NBC's "The Wiz Live!"
Queen Latifah stars as the titular Wiz with Blige as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.

[07/28/15 - 02:18 PM]
Kari Byron and Tory Belleci Explore the Science Behind the World's Wildest Thrill Rides on Travel Channel's New Series "Thrill Factor"
In this 10-part half-hour series, hosts and thrill seekers Kari Byron and Tory Belleci take viewers along for the ride as they explore the exciting world of thrill rides, waterslides and heart-pounding experiences around the globe through a scientific lens.

[07/28/15 - 01:43 PM]
Animal Planet Promotes Andy Weissberg and Erin Wanner
Both have played crucial roles in establishing Animal Planet as a top-20 ad-supported network for men and the entertainment destination for viewers seeking a deeper connection to the wild world.

[07/28/15 - 12:36 PM]
Debut of NASCAR Drives NBCSN to Most-Watched July in the Network's History
NBCSN spins the numbers for the month to date.

[07/28/15 - 12:00 PM]
HBO NOW Available Today to Verizon Broadband Customers
HBO NOW is immediately available to all Verizon standalone broadband customers, including FiOS and high-speed internet customers, for a 30-day free trial.

[07/28/15 - 11:15 AM]
FOX Sports Reaches Agreement with Westminster Kennel Club to Bring Annual Dog Show to FOX Sports 1 and Nat Geo WILD
Beginning in 2017, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show airs in primetime on FOX Sports 1 live from New York City's Madison Square Garden as the seven Best In Group selections are made on Monday and Tuesday night, leading up to Tuesday night's Best In Show announcement.

[07/28/15 - 10:55 AM]
The Lines Are Drawn in Netflix's New "Narcos" Character Posters
All 10 episodes of "Narcos" will premiere on August 28 at 12:01am PST exclusively on Netflix.

[07/28/15 - 10:54 AM]
"Income Property" Starring Scott McGillivray Premieres on DIY Network in August
"American Rehab: Charleston" and "Attic Gold" are also on tap beginning next month.

[07/28/15 - 10:33 AM]
TV Land Picks Up "The Soul Man" Starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash for Fifth and Final Season
The sitcom is the network's highest-rated original series among African Americans 25-54 and African American Women 25-54.

[07/28/15 - 10:10 AM]
VH1's New Original Series "She's Got Game" Featuring Grammy Nominated Rapper Jayceon "The Game" Taylor Premieres Monday August 10th at 9 PM ET/PT
The new series "She's Got Game," follows him in his pursuit of the perfect love match as he embarks on a national tour.

[07/28/15 - 09:57 AM]
"48 Hours: Paradise Lost" Is Saturday's #1 Broadcast at 10:00 PM with Adults 25-54 and Viewers and Posts Year-to-Year Gains in Both Categories
CBS spins the numbers for Saturday, July 25.

[07/28/15 - 09:42 AM]
"Doctor Who" Returns to the Big Screen Nationwide to Feature Never-Before-Seen Prequel to Season Nine and Exclusive Interview with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman
The event will feature "The Doctor's Meditation" - a special prequel scene to the first episode of season nine - and an exclusive interview with Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, hosted by Wil Wheaton, in addition to the two-part season eight finale.

[07/28/15 - 09:29 AM]
The First Day of the Rest of Their Entrepreneurial Lives Begins Now on the Series Premiere of "Startup U," Airing Tuesday, August 11th, at 10:01PM ET/PT
It's a whole new game when ten savvy, creative and ambitious young adults get down to business and experience seven weeks of hard truths, tough lessons and plenty of drama on the series.

[07/28/15 - 09:28 AM]
ABC Family's Procedural Series "Stitchers" Brings on Damon Dayoub as Series Regular
He'll play Detective Quincy Fisher, an LAPD detective who is brought into the Stitchers program to assist with back-up and support for the team.


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[03/18/13 - 07:58 AM]
TV One Orders More Comedy with Second Season Pick Up of Hit Sitcom "The Rickey Smiley Show"
The second season is scheduled to begin production in April with a 26-episode order and is slated to premiere in the summer of 2013.

[via press release from TV One]

SILVER SPRING, MD (March 18, 2013) - TV One, on the heels of a record-breaking 2012 summer launch, has announced a second season pick-up of its original hit sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show. The second season of The Rickey Smiley Show is scheduled to begin production in April with a 26-episode order and is slated to premiere in the summer of 2013.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the positive reaction to The Rickey Smiley Show," remarked Alfred Liggins, President and CEO, TV One. "The show's humor and comedic performances have made it a weekly must watch and we're thrilled to offer it as part of a dynamic slate of original programming that is clearly resonating with audiences."

"I can't even tell you how excited I am about the show's upcoming second season. It's going to be like nothing seen before," commented Rickey Smiley. "We have so many wild plans for guests, characters, and new, crazy stories. Trust me, you have to see it. We are taking things to another level of funny. Everything will be MORE!"

The September 2012 premiere of The Rickey Smiley Show, which catapulted TV One to a network ratings high, garnered a 1.08 HH rating, delivering 621,000 homes and among P25-54, earned a .75 rating, delivering 468,000 viewers. The second original episode airing at 9:30pm improved on the premiere, garnering a 1.12 HH rating, delivering 642,000 homes and among 25-54, earned a .83 rating with a delivery of 515,000 viewers. Over the four telecasts of the premieres and encores, The Rickey Smiley Show had a P2+ gross average audience of nearly 2.3 million viewers.

The Rickey Smiley Show stars comedian and nationally syndicated radio personality Rickey Smiley. In the series loosely based on his life, Smiley plays a popular national radio personality who is a single father trying to balance his family life - including his ex-wife - and career in the spotlight. The half-hour multi-camera comedy also stars multi-platinum artist and actor Ray J as Kenny, Smiley's morning show producer and protégé; J Anthony Brown as Rickey's radio station manager Maurice, aka "Mo-Sweets" from his earlier rap career; veteran actress Roz Ryan as Aunt Sylvia; Jay Lewis as Rickey's 18-year-old son Brandon; Ajiona Alexus as Smiley's 16-year-old daughter De'Anna; Gabriel Burgess as his youngest son Aaron; Noree Victoria as his business manager Simone Renee Jackson; and Demetria McKinney as Rickey's uber-career oriented ex-wife, Monica.

The series also features several celebrity guest stars and special appearances from many of the original characters Smiley has made famous on his radio show over the years, including Mrs. Bernice Jenkins, Lil' Daryl, Minister Joe Willie and Beauford. The Rickey Smiley Show is produced for TV One by BobbCat Films. Executive producers include veteran television and film producer Roger Bobb (Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" & "Meet the Browns"), series star Rickey Smiley, Yolanda Starks-White, and Ward White. Executive in charge of production for TV One is Tia Smith.

About Rickey Smiley:

With his unique blend of comedy and originality, Rickey Smiley is firmly established as a standout in his field. For over 20 years, funny man Rickey Smiley is known for making millions laugh. As a much loved comedian, television host, and top-rated nationally syndicated radio personality, Smiley has earned a reputation for delivering on and off stage. With the distinct ability to take everyday observations and turn them into comedic gold, Smiley is a standout in the entertainment world. Rickey Smiley is one of the few "clean" comics amongst the upper echelon of contemporary great comedians. His audiences are treated to an array of his original characters such as, "Mrs. Bernice Jenkins," "Lil' Daryl," "Joe Willie," and "Beauford."

Rickey Smiley can be seen on various platforms, including his radio show, The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, his television shows, The Rickey Smiley Show and Dish Nation, and throughout the US as he performs his stand-up comedy shows. Over the years, he has made numerous television and movie appearances. He has released eight comedy CDs complied of hilarious prank phone calls, church announcements and parodies (see credits below). In addition to his comedy CD's Smiley released his live concert special, "Open Casket Sharp," that premiered on BET in the Fall of 2011 and debuted #1 on iTunes.

About TV One:

Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvone.tv) serves 57 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult Black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK; www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets Black and urban listeners; and Comcast Corporation [NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK; www.comcast.com], one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services.

  [march 2013]

[07/28/15 - 04:55 PM]
Syfy and Universal Cable Productions Bring the Grindhouse Genre to Television with New 13-Episode Scripted Series "Blood Drive"
Set in a near-apocalyptic future, the project centers around LA's last good cop who is forced to join a twisted, gory cross-country death race - with cars powered by blood and a dangerous femme fatale partner who sees people as fuel.

[07/28/15 - 03:55 PM]
Megastars Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige Ease on Down the Road in NBC's "The Wiz Live!"
Queen Latifah stars as the titular Wiz with Blige as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.

[07/28/15 - 02:18 PM]
Kari Byron and Tory Belleci Explore the Science Behind the World's Wildest Thrill Rides on Travel Channel's New Series "Thrill Factor"
In this 10-part half-hour series, hosts and thrill seekers Kari Byron and Tory Belleci take viewers along for the ride as they explore the exciting world of thrill rides, waterslides and heart-pounding experiences around the globe through a scientific lens.

[07/28/15 - 01:43 PM]
Animal Planet Promotes Andy Weissberg and Erin Wanner
Both have played crucial roles in establishing Animal Planet as a top-20 ad-supported network for men and the entertainment destination for viewers seeking a deeper connection to the wild world.

[07/28/15 - 12:36 PM]
Debut of NASCAR Drives NBCSN to Most-Watched July in the Network's History
NBCSN spins the numbers for the month to date.

[07/28/15 - 12:00 PM]
HBO NOW Available Today to Verizon Broadband Customers
HBO NOW is immediately available to all Verizon standalone broadband customers, including FiOS and high-speed internet customers, for a 30-day free trial.

[07/28/15 - 11:15 AM]
FOX Sports Reaches Agreement with Westminster Kennel Club to Bring Annual Dog Show to FOX Sports 1 and Nat Geo WILD
Beginning in 2017, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show airs in primetime on FOX Sports 1 live from New York City's Madison Square Garden as the seven Best In Group selections are made on Monday and Tuesday night, leading up to Tuesday night's Best In Show announcement.

[07/28/15 - 10:55 AM]
The Lines Are Drawn in Netflix's New "Narcos" Character Posters
All 10 episodes of "Narcos" will premiere on August 28 at 12:01am PST exclusively on Netflix.

[07/28/15 - 10:54 AM]
"Income Property" Starring Scott McGillivray Premieres on DIY Network in August
"American Rehab: Charleston" and "Attic Gold" are also on tap beginning next month.

[07/28/15 - 10:33 AM]
TV Land Picks Up "The Soul Man" Starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash for Fifth and Final Season
The sitcom is the network's highest-rated original series among African Americans 25-54 and African American Women 25-54.

[07/28/15 - 10:10 AM]
VH1's New Original Series "She's Got Game" Featuring Grammy Nominated Rapper Jayceon "The Game" Taylor Premieres Monday August 10th at 9 PM ET/PT
The new series "She's Got Game," follows him in his pursuit of the perfect love match as he embarks on a national tour.

[07/28/15 - 09:57 AM]
"48 Hours: Paradise Lost" Is Saturday's #1 Broadcast at 10:00 PM with Adults 25-54 and Viewers and Posts Year-to-Year Gains in Both Categories
CBS spins the numbers for Saturday, July 25.

[07/28/15 - 09:42 AM]
"Doctor Who" Returns to the Big Screen Nationwide to Feature Never-Before-Seen Prequel to Season Nine and Exclusive Interview with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman
The event will feature "The Doctor's Meditation" - a special prequel scene to the first episode of season nine - and an exclusive interview with Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, hosted by Wil Wheaton, in addition to the two-part season eight finale.

[07/28/15 - 09:29 AM]
The First Day of the Rest of Their Entrepreneurial Lives Begins Now on the Series Premiere of "Startup U," Airing Tuesday, August 11th, at 10:01PM ET/PT
It's a whole new game when ten savvy, creative and ambitious young adults get down to business and experience seven weeks of hard truths, tough lessons and plenty of drama on the series.

[07/28/15 - 09:28 AM]
ABC Family's Procedural Series "Stitchers" Brings on Damon Dayoub as Series Regular
He'll play Detective Quincy Fisher, an LAPD detective who is brought into the Stitchers program to assist with back-up and support for the team.


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Salman Rushdie reveals details of fatwa memoir

Joseph Anton – the pseudonym adopted by the novelist while in hiding from death threats over The Satanic Verses – will be published in September
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie holding a The Satanic Verses soon after its publication. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian Graham Turner/Guardian

Salman Rushdie is drawing the title of his new memoir from the alias he was forced to adopt during the decade he spent in hiding, Joseph Anton.

After the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Rushdie on 14 February 1989, sentencing him to death because his novel The Satanic Verses was accused of being "against Islam, the Prophet and the Qu'ran", the author went underground, living under police protection for almost 10 years. Asked to choose an alias for police to call him by, Rushdie plucked a name from the combination of the first names of two writers he loved: Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov.

"I made it the title of the book because it always felt very strange to be asked to give up my name, I was always uncomfortable about it, and I thought it might help dramatise, for the reader, the deep strangeness and discomfort of those years," said Rushdie.

Joseph Anton, out on 18 September, will tell of the years the author spent in hiding. "He talks about the sometimes grim, sometimes comic realities of living with armed policemen, and of the close bonds he formed with his protectors; of his struggle for support and understanding from governments, intelligence chiefs, publishers, journalists, and fellow writers; and of how he regained his freedom," said his publisher Random House. "How do a writer and his family live with the threat of murder for over nine years? How does he go on working? How does he fall in and out of love? How does despair shape his thoughts and actions, how and why does he stumble, how does he learn to fight back?"

Four years ago Rushdie received an apology in the high court from the author and publisher of a book about the time he spent under police protection, for false claims including that the author was locked in a room by his protection officers, with whom his relationship was claimed to be unfriendly. He has since been working with archivists at Emory University in Atlanta, where a collection of his papers is housed, to tell the story himself.

His publisher called Joseph Anton a book of "exceptional frankness and honesty, compelling, provocative, moving, and of vital importance. Because what happened to Salman Rushdie was the first act of a drama that is still unfolding somewhere in the world every day."


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Money men in shock

Investment banks are at the vanguard of global capitalism, so it is little wonder that they are now feeling nervous and vulnerable. Already, it is possible to discern profound psychological damage.

Tens of thousands of people working in the financial services industry have awoken to the fact that they are front line targets for international terrorists.

The perpetrators of the attack on the World Trade Centre have sent a frightening message to investment houses around the world: the best way to get at the politicians leading a system that they detest is to destroy the financial edifice on which it is built. Of course, financiers have been fair game since the Baader-Meinhof gang and other anarchist groups surfaced in Europe in the late Sixties. But never on this scale.

Bankers tend to be secretive people at the best of times, frightened about losing lucrative mandates if they are seen to be talking to the media about the work they do for corporate clients.

It was, therefore, no surprise that the shutters came down very quickly at the London offshoots of the big American and German banking groups, which employ thousands in the City and at Canary Wharf following news of the tragedy.

But as the week wore on, bankers and brokers were prepared to stick their heads above the parapet to share their thoughts about the impact of the atrocities, although not on the record.

Quite a few expressed deep resentment about being viewed as bogeymen, responsible for wreaking havoc on underdeveloped nations in Asia, the Middle East or Africa. 'That is a ridiculous notion,' said one banker.

But the overriding emotion was one of shock and a feeling of powerlessness about how to prevent future outrages. 'Clearly, from a security perspective, there needs to be more co-operation between ourselves, the police and the intelligence services. But short of having anti-aircraft missiles on top of buildings, it is difficult to know how last week could have been prevented,' said one US broker.

As always, at times of crisis, people pulled together. In this most competitive of sectors, banks offered to help rival institutions to carry on trading on the foreign exchanges, or the debt and equity markets. But in most cases, help was not needed. Banks that had offices in the World Trade Centre were able to evacuate key employees to contingency sites. These are offices that have been leased or acquired in other parts of New York or New Jersey to handle important trades or deals in an emergency.

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter was one of the biggest tenants of the World Trade Centre, employing 2,500 in the south tower and another 1,000 in the complex below. Most had time to escape. Several hundred were relocated to contingency sites that had been mothballed since they were acquired in the early Nineties.

The most serious casualty was Wall Street broker Cantor Fitzgerald, one of the largest traders in the US treasury market. The firm employed about 1,000 people on the upper floors of the north tower, where the first hijacked plane crashed last Tuesday morning.

Cantor is an important financial player as it accounts for about 70 per cent of the volume in the American government bond market. The group also has a big futures trading operation in Chicago. Cantor is still trying to account for all its New York employees.

It is not known what impact the disaster will have on the firm's business. But the fact that Washington has stated that it is ready to step in to provide markets with liquidity means all firms will be able to meet their financial commitments. This diminishes any risk to the system as a whole.

Other institutions that had offices at the World Trade Centre include Carr Futures - part of France's Credit Agricole Indosuez, Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, and Deutsche Bank. They report that their operations are running smoothly, but it could be a while before they can account for all their staff.

Financially, the banks are bound to suffer from the reduction of trading in shares and other financial instruments following the closure of Wall Street for most of last week.

That could easily be made up if there is a selling frenzy when the American market opens for business again tomorrow. After all, brokers receive commissions whether the market goes up or down.

Longer term, however,the picture is less than encouraging. Many deals have been put on hold, and may be shelved for months if the market falls flat on its face for a prolonged period. That means corporate financiers will receive less in fees, one of the most lucrative streams of revenue for the banks during happier times.

If investors stay away from the markets in large numbers, trading volumes will fall dramatically. That means slimmer profits, and softer share prices for those banks that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For some of the weaker players, the events of last week could quicken the pace of consolidation as the more vulnerable sell out to bigger, wealthier competitors.

As one banker put it: 'Someone has torn the heart out of the world's pre-eminent financial centre; like a lot of other people, we are badly shaken.'

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Hillary Clinton's history lesson

Clinton now says she didn't vote for "pre-emptive" war in Iraq. She needs to take another look at her hawkish record.
  • theguardian.com,
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"When I set forth my reasons for giving the President that authority," Senator Hillary Clinton explained last week to the New Hampshire Union-Leader, "I said that it was not a vote for pre-emptive war." And, indeed, she did say that. Speaking on the floor of the Senate on October 10, 2002 in favor of a resolution that would grant the president of the United States the authority to launch what he called a "pre-emptive" war, Clinton clearly stated: "my vote is not, however, a vote for any new doctrine of pre-emption, or for unilateralism, or for the arrogance of American power or purpose - all of which carry grave dangers for our nation, for the rule of international law and for the peace and security of people throughout the world."

But this doesn't put Clinton in the clear. The fact remains that the president asked the Senate for the authority to wage war on Iraq, and Clinton voted to give him that authority. What's more, on March 17, 2003, George W. Bush gave a nationally-televised address signaling his intention to use the authority Clinton granted him in order to wage a unilateral preventive war against Iraq. "Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours," the president said. "[T]heir refusal to do so will result in military conflict, commenced at a time of our choosing." Clinton released a statement of her own that day, supporting the president's position. "Tonight," she said, "the president gave Saddam Hussein one last chance to avoid war, and the world hopes that Saddam Hussein will finally hear this ultimatum, understand the severity of those words, and act accordingly."

On the question of unilateralism, Bush said that "under Resolutions 678 and 687 - both still in effect - the United States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. This is not a question of authority, it is a question of will." Clinton, similarly, argued in favor of unilateralism, saying that "while we wish there were more international support for the effort to disarm Saddam Hussein, at this critical juncture it is important for all of us to come together in support of our troops and pray that, if war does occur, this missiion is accomplished swiftly and decisively with minimum loss of life and civilian casualites."

This is, however, all rather banal. Clinton is hardly an obscure figure, and her support for the Iraq War isn't obscure either. Everyone knows she backed the war and spent the subsequent years positioning herself as a leading Democratic hawk. From smacking down Howard Dean in December 2003, to calling for a larger army, to earning the praise of psychotic warmonger Marshall Wittman by attacking Bush from the right on Iran, she spent years affiliating herself with the party's miltiaristic wing.

The interesting question is why Clinton's campaign thinks she can get away with it. Most presidential candidates at least feel the need to nod in the direction of the anti-war liberals who will cast most of the primary votes. Team Clinton, however, seems to think that the liberal base - particularly African-Americans and women - are so entranced by her starpower that they'll swallow anything, including the bizarre up-is-downism implicit in her revisionist history of the war.

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text:
Is time up for Doctor Who?

Its stories might be getting darker, and its plots ever more outlandish, but the Time Lord still has millions of fellow travellers. Helen Lewis-Hasteley and Andrew Harrison debate the tea-time institution
'Perhaps the show has become too complicated for adults, but children seem to get it just fine'. Photograph: BBC/James Stenson/BBC

Helen Lewis-Hasteley is assistant editor of the New Statesman

God love the BBC, but they do make some baffling decisions. In Doctor Who, they have more than a TV show, they have a national institution. So what do they do? Monkey around with its scheduling – a split series this year, and the next 13 episodes to be spread across 2012 and 2013 in some unspecified way, like it's some failed American import that no one knows what to do with. Even worse, BBC1's controller, Danny Cohen, put the blame on the showrunner, Steven Moffat, who also executive produces Sherlock. Moffat took to Twitter to respond: "The scheduling of Dr Who has got NOTHING to do with Sherlock", so I'm guessing there was  a frosty atmosphere the next time the pair met.

Then there's the penny-pinching: I can't quite believe they scored the coup of getting Neil Gaiman to write an episode, then told him he couldn't have a new monster and would have to make do with a recycled Ood.

Andrew Harrison is editor-at-large of Word magazine

You know what? You're right. The BBC really should show more love to the series that practically regenerated the corporation's family viewing remit all on its own. The idea that there won't be a full, 13-part season for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary in 2013 is a crime on a par with Scaroth of Jagaroth forging the Mona Lisa.

But when you look at the figures, the idea that Doctor Who is fading just doesn't stand up. This season averaged about 7.5m viewers (a little down on David Tennant in his rock-star pomp, but hardly a collapse) and between 1.5m and 2m people watch it on timeshift. In September, four out of the five most-requested shows on iPlayer were episodes of Doctor Who. These are figures that TV executives dream of.

But let's talk about the stories instead. The other complaint is that under Steven Moffat, the show has become too complicated for kids. Too many loose threads (Amy's baby, the Doctor's death, River Song), too many time paradoxes, too much concentration on giant story arcs and not enough on one-off tales. All I'd say is, if it's too confusing for kids then nobody has told my nieces and nephews, all of whom understand the show completely. Perhaps it's become too complex for adults – but children seem to get it just fine.

HLH I wouldn't deny that Doctor Who is a phenomenally successful show, and I agree that the viewing figures are a red herring in the age of the iPlayer. But I will see your nephews and nieces, and raise you my own nephew, with whom I watched "The Curse of the Black Spot". He might only be eight, but even he could spot plot holes so big you could pilot a star whale through them (sorry, no more nerdy references, I promise).

The current vogue of 45-minute, high-concept single episodes means that everything else can get squeezed to the margins, resulting in dollops of exposition and all-over-the-place characterisations, like Hugh Bonneville's heartwarming-yet-bloodthirsty buccaneer, or the cheery Silurian medical researcher in "The Hungry Earth", memorably described by the Androzani review site as "lovable old Dr Mengele". And how could Rory and Amy lose their baby in one episode, and in the next be blithely unaffected by the story of a child who feared being abandoned? Instead they were larking about with giant scissors.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of Amy, what happened to Steven Moffat's hatred of "clingy girlfriends"? They've eased up this series, but I could definitely live with fewer longing looks across the Tardis console, and I bet your nephews and nieces could too.

And as you're clearly a "City of Death" fan, answer me this: how many of these episodes will you want to watch again? Isn't the danger with relying so much on cliffhangers, twists and big reveals that the shows don't stand up to repeated viewings?

AH Well, one person's plot hole is another's unfathomable mystery – and I'm glad that Moffat is pushing the Doctor back into the realms of inscrutability. It's more fun that way, and it's best not to focus on plot holes in a show that's based on the flatly impossible. But you're right to question Amy and Rory's weird reaction to the abduction of their baby. Spods like you and me know it was because the producers switched a couple of episodes around, so that a relatively simple pirate story would follow the plot-heavy "Day of the Moon". It's not the ideal way to play it, but neither does it constitute bad characterisation.

Instead, I prefer to think of it this way: Doctor Who is a kids' show – one that adults love because they can share it with their own children, and with the part of themselves that is still a child. It's one thing to see a human brain sliced out and inserted into a Cyberman's body (in fact, I'd say it's an essential part of a rounded upbringing); but a mother in weeping despair over a stolen baby would just be too raw and too real for Saturday tea-time. Better to treat it as a fairy tale, where children vanish and are rescued without any real pain.

Too much seething passion in the Tardis? When Russell T Davies resurrected the show, his masterstroke was to understand that it had to win over women viewers as well as nerdy males. Remove the "emotional content" and you've got a husk of a series. As for the re-watch value of new Who, how could you not want to see "The Doctor's Wife" or "The Girl Who Waited" again? They're self-contained modern Who classics, up there with "The Talons of Weng-Chiang".

HLH Hmm. I'm not sure that pointing out there's a reason for bad characterisation excuses it, when as you say, the vast majority of viewers wouldn't know about it.

That said, I'm pleased to see you acknowledge that some topics aren't right for a Saturday tea-time programme, because the classic deflection of anyone criticising Doctor Who is to argue that "kids understand a lot more than you think". I'm sure they do, but that doesn't mean there isn't a difference between a children's show and a grown-up drama, and the recent series have tended more towards the latter.

Still, I'm pleased to be having this argument. While I love the fact that Doctor Who fans feel so possessive about the show (I do, too), it can mean that any whisper of dissent is met with a thunderous wall of denunciation. And here's one thing I bet you can't defend: James Corden's acting when he was on the floor being attacked by that CyberWoodlouse. Preposterous.

AH The thing is, Doctor Who is like Queen: there's so much of it, and it's so ridiculously diverse, that no sane person can sincerely say they love every single aspect of it. I've got a soft spot for "Don't Stop Me Now" but I wouldn't care if I never heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" again. Similarly, I'd defend "Vincent and the Doctor" or "The God Complex" as epitomes of quality telly until the eventual heat death of the universe. But every time the music goes soupy and some tearful character tells the Doctor what a wonderful man he is – and every time that Love Saves the Day – I find my faith wavering.

No, I'm not going to stand up for James Corden and his Rod Hull-and-Emu routine with the CyberMat… the comedy bits are not for me. But following Doctor Who is a bit like following your football team: some Saturdays you get beaten 3-0. Some Saturdays it's a boring story about a girl whose drawings come to life. It doesn't mean that next week won't be amazing. And as for those over-possessive fans, my advice is to stay away from the message boards. There be dragons. And Skarasens, Myrkas and Slythers.


text:
Are Vaseline and other petroleum products environmentally sound?

What are the environmental merits, or otherwise, of petroleum-based cosmetic products?
Vaseline and other petroleum products make good moisturisers, but are they good for the environment? Photograph: Roger Tooth Roger Tooth/Guardian

I find Vaseline and similar petroleum products, including many sold for use in eczema, make for good, cheap moisturisers. But are these products environmentally sound? If I thought using them was contributing to excessive use of oil reserves I would try to find alternatives. What do you think?

Jane Green on email

Thanks to the wonderful powers bestowed upon us by the mighty internet we can readily read the original patent application for Vaseline filed at the United States Patent Office by its inventor Robert Chesebrough in 1872. In the document, Chesebrough describes for himself how he derived his self-titled "Vaseline":

The substance from which Vaseline is made is the residium of petroleum left in the still after the greater part of the petroleum has been distilled off … Vaseline is the product of the filtration of the said residiums through bone-black [bone char], and varies in colour as it comes from the filter.

Chesebrough goes on to say that Vaseline is "especially useful" for "oiling all kinds of leather", it is a good lubricator, and that the finest grade of Vaseline can be used as a "pomade for the hair". He adds that it is an "excellent substance for glycerine-cream for chapped hands, etc". Over a century later not much has changed, with petroleum jelly – first known to riggers in its black, unrefined state as "rod wax" – still as popular as the days when Chesebrough was said to have touted his wonder cure across the US by burning his own skin with acid and then rubbing on Vaseline to prove to onlookers just how effective it could be as a healant.

As a minor by-product of the oil industry, I think there's little, if any, need to worry about global Vaseline use plunging us faster towards the commonly predicted "oil crunch". It is just one of literally thousands of products that are derived from the refining of crude oil. Our homes would look fairly sparse if were to rid ourselves of the plastics, detergents, cosmetics etc that rely so heavily on petrochemicals and other refinery by-products for their manufacture. That's not to say such a dependence is a wise thing – it most likely isn't if the predicted crunchy peak occurs to our oil supplies. But I think, as do most of the commentators below, that worrying about the overuse of Vaseline, now owned by Unilever, is very low down our the list of concerns.

But I sense from your question, Jane, that you are equally, if not more, concerned about the health implications of applying petroleum jelly to your skin. There is, of course, a fast growing corner of the cosmetics market that meets the demands of those who seek products free from any petrochemicals. Ingredients such as propylene glycol, acetone and the various parabens are being increasingly shunned by consumers fearing they might be triggers for a wide range of problems, including eczema. Some even fear they might be carcinogens. Manufacturers now go out of their way to stress that their products are safe to use and all must meet strict regulatory standards, but the doubts among some consumers still persist. The precautionary principle is now being commonly applied when it comes to rubbing a product on one's skin. We know that our epidermis absorbs these products and that they can end up entering our blood stream, so why, some say, take the risk?

"Sabelmouse", for example, states that she (I'm, perhaps foolishly, assuming she is a she) would rather have "vegetable oils on my skin ie almond and other seeds and cocoabutter and such". "Jacqual" seems to agree.

"Iamtheurbanspaceman", wise as ever, points out that we should all be far more concerned about the use of palm oil in our everyday products. I can't disagree really, but then again, if there is a choice, I do instinctively tend to be far more concerned about the wider environmental impact of a product, and its manufacture, than what it might be doing to my own personal health.

On the issue of coal tar soap, I was intrigued to see "Englishmancastle's" note about coal tar soap now being banned by the EU. I had heard this, too, but it looks as if coal tar has only been banned when used in its purest form, such as coating the hulls of boats, and in non-prescription products, such as the famous Wright's Coal Tar soap, which is now called Wright's Traditional Soap and is "coal tar fragranced". Coal tar shampoos do seem to still be available, though, to those suffering from conditions such as dandruff.

I'm sorry, "Bluesauce". I, too, looked for some coal-tar inspired lyrics, but failed. The best I can offer you is a Japanese indie band from the 1990s called Coaltar and the Deepers. You remember their 1994 debut album The Visitors From Deepspace, don't you? Don't you?

On 8 February Leo originally wrote:

Jane, thanks for the question. I must say that I'm a little concerned about how much of these products you apply to yourself that leads you to wonder whether you might be helping to deplete the world's oil reserves.

But I take your wider point, and will return at the end of the week to look into the environmental merits, or otherwise, of petroleum-based cosmetic products. Readers' views are, as ever, most welcome. Maybe we could expand it out to include coal-tar soap? I still love the childhood-evoking smell of that stuff, but what exactly is it?


text:
Saving the missing Iberian lynx

Ten years ago, there were barely 100 Iberian lynx left. But an innovative Spanish conservation programme is rescuing them from the edge of extinction
Iberian Lynx
The Iberian lynx is the world’s most endangered cat, driven nearly to oblivion by habitat destruction, loss of prey and trapping. Photograph: John Cancalosi/Alamy

It took a very short time for Dactil the Iberian lynx to prepare his dinner. The four-year-old male clamped his jaws on a rabbit's throat, there were a few twitches of his prey's legs and it was all over. Within minutes, the rabbit had been consumed. Then Dactil wandered off to rejoin his mate, Castanuela, inside their enclosure at the Olivilla breeding centre, near Santa Elena in Andalucía.

Such behaviour is difficult to observe in the wild. For a start, Lynx pardinus is a reclusive hunter that leads its life as far as possible from humans. The lynx, with its distinctive large, tufted ears and woolly side whiskers that grow thicker with age, is also extremely rare. Its territory across Spain and Portugal had already started shrinking in the 19th century, before numbers plunged drastically in the 20th. Habitat destruction, loss of prey and indiscriminate trapping by landowners brought this beautiful predator to the brink of extinction. Ten years ago, there were only around a 100 of them, making the Iberian lynx the world's most endangered species of cat.

But at Olivilla, an ambitious attempt is being made to transform the animal's fortunes. Here 32 lynxes – a substantial percentage of their total population – are provided with shelter with each cat's behaviour being monitored by more than 100 cameras dotted round the centre's 20 enclosures. These images are studied by staff working in a control room that has enough TV monitors to do justice to a particle accelerator. "We can see everything they do, which is crucial when the lynx reaches its breeding season in March," says Olivilla's director, María José Pérez. "We can help if a mother gets into trouble, for example."

The high-tech surveillance and assiduous zoological care performed at Olivilla are critical to the work of the Lynx Life project, which was launched in 2003 and has since raised the animal's population, through carefully orchestrated reintroductions, to more than 300. Zoologists are even talking of moving Lynx pardinus from its category as a "critically endangered" species to "endangered" under the rules of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The story of the Iberian lynx project is therefore a modestly happy one – so far, at least – although we should be cautious. The Iberian lynx is a distinctive, beautiful creature and an iconic animal for Andalucía. Yet it has required a monumental effort by dozens of dedicated young ecologists, vets and others staff to pull it back from the brink of oblivion. Dressed in their distinctive dark fatigues, Lynx Life workers zigzag the region in jeeps, replenishing stocks of rabbits for lynxes to eat, tracking released animals and generally maintaining the animal's wellbeing.

Saving the lynx has also required political action: the introduction of laws in Andalucía to halt indiscriminate snare-laying by landowners; an intense PR campaign aimed at persuading owners of hunting estates to love the lynx; and the expenditure of €33m (£28.5m) – most of it provided by the government of Andalucía – to fund conservation. A further €50m (£43m) has been committed for work to reintroduce the lynx to other areas of Spain and Portugal, with the bulk of this coming from the EU.

If the story of the Iberian lynx tells us one thing, it is that saving an endangered mammalian predator from extinction is an extraordinarily difficult, expensive business. We should take note when considering how best to save our own threatened predators, in particular the Highland wildcat, whose numbers hover at a dangerously low level. It will not be an easy task. On the other hand, the Lynx Life project demonstrates that it could be done.

Spring is the most pleasing season in the Sierra Morena in Andalucía. The region, home to dozens of estates where deer, red partridge and boar are hunted, is bleached and burned for most of summer and autumn. During my visit three weeks ago, the mountains were cool and green. Rivers and streams were in spate, the holm oaks and shrubs – gum cistus, mastic, rockrose and palmetto – were flourishing, while black vultures and Spanish imperial eagles, some of the country's rarest raptors, swooped overhead.

Most abundant of all were the rabbits, an animal that is of critical importance to the story of the Iberian lynx. Most carnivores have fairly catholic diets and will kill and eat a range of animals and carrion. The lynx has a very different idea of a good meal, however. It is – more or less – rabbit or nothing, a predilection that is, in turn, closely connected to the lynx's physiology.

Lynx pardinus is small compared with other lynx species, including the North American bobcat and the Euroasian lynx from eastern Europe and Siberia. Adults are about two feet tall and three feet long and weigh around 25lb, about twice the size of a well-fed domestic tomcat. The Iberian lynx is a highly effective predator nevertheless. Its hearing is eight times sharper than a human's and its huge eyes allow it to see in extremely dark conditions. It also has powerful jaws and mottled camouflaged markings, features that have combined to make it the most efficient rabbit hunter on the planet. A rabbit caught by a lynx is dead in seconds and consumed in minutes. Only its skin, picked clean and turned inside out, is left. Mice and rats will do – at a pinch – when times are hard. However, without a meal of a rabbit a day, the female Iberian lynx is unlikely to have enough sustenance to reproduce, zoologists say.

This rabbit-hunting specialism has brought problems. In the 20th century, two major disease outbreaks – myxomatosis in the 60s and viral haemorrhagic disease in the 90s – devastated rabbit populations in Spain. The scarcity of food added to other stresses suffered by the lynx, including habitat destruction, caused by the spread of farming and townships, and by the large numbers that were being caught in snares set by landowners to get rid of foxes and other vermin. (In fact, the lynx kills foxes easily and will drive them out of areas as competing predators, a point that the Lynx Life team have had to stress to landowners.)

However, pockets of rabbits survived around Andújar in the Sierra Morena, its scrubland and fractured granite landscape providing a perfect habitat. Here hovered the last relatively healthy population of lynxes in Spain. After snaring was halted, numbers of lynxes began to expand slightly. And it is this excess that is now being exploited to re-establish populations elsewhere – with rabbits acting as bait. "Saving the lynx has revolved around one simple factor: providing them with rabbits," says Jose Maria Gil-Sanchez, a project worker. "If we can get them enough rabbits then we do a lot for the lynx."

Thus Lynx Life developed a twin strategy. Workers began trapping lynxes. Old adults were allowed to go free but adolescents were taken to new regions to set up fresh populations that would be sustained by colonies of rabbits established for their delectation. "To create homes for rabbits, we prune trees and shrubs of their branches, lay these down to cover the ground and the rabbits start to make their homes underneath them," says Simon Miguel, the leader of Lynx Life. Pruning trees of lower branches also improves the growth of nuts and fruits and so deer and boar have more to eat, another factor that has begun to make the project popular with landowners.

Before lynxes – typically a young male and female – are released to a new area of wild land, however, they are placed in enclosures and studied to see how they get on with each other. (Usually they do.) These enclosure are surrounded by electrified fences that might belong in Jurassic Park, a testimony to the lithe ease with which Iberian lynxes can climb and jump. I visited one of these enclosures, which housed two young lynxes, Ibera and Eve, which were being prepared for release. Gil-Sanchez and his colleague Maribel Garcia Tardio scanned the scrub with powerful binoculars and we were eventually rewarded with a clear sight of Ibera. He was looking straight at us, our hushed mutterings having long ago given away our position. He stared for a few more seconds, then he lay down in the sun and after a couple of minutes rolled on to his back with his paws in the air like a cat in front of a fire. This was an animal that was reasserting his rightful place in the landscape.

The second part of the Lynx Life strategy is more ambitious. This involves taking young animals bred in captivity – at Olivilla and a second centre at El Acebuche, in Doñano on the south coast – and setting them free. This is a trickier process, for these young lynxes have never been taught by their parents how to hunt, a key part of lynx family life. Nevertheless, early signs look promising. Last month, the first captive-bred Iberian lynxes were released into the wild and to judge from their movements, followed thanks to radio transmitters fitted to their collars, they appear to be thriving.

It has been a slow, careful business and not everything has gone to plan: an outbreak of kidney disease at one of the breeding centres last year killed a couple of animals and raised fears that reintroductions might have to be halted. Fortunately, the problem was overcome, though such incidents reveal the fragile nature of the lynx's recovery. Omens still look good, however. This month, females have been giving birth at breeding centres and a new generation of Iberian lynxes will be groomed for release into the wild.

Already that is having an impact on human behaviour. At Los Pinos hotel, in the mountains, where Gil-Sanchez and his colleagues gather every morning for breakfast before heading for work, they are joined by groups of hunters and walkers who come to the region in their dozens at this time of year. This year, they have been joined by a new set of visitors: tourists, armed with binoculars, whose one ambition is to catch sight of an Iberian lynx. The creature's fame has spread and could, it is hoped, bring new revenue to the region in the form of conservation tourism. This is the lynx effect.


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We Are the Best! Watch a clip from Lukas Moodysson's latest film – video

We Are The Best! is the new film from Sweden's Lukas Moodysson, the director of Together, Mammoth, and Lilya 4-ever. Here he returns to the teen-girl territory of his feature film debut Show Me Love, about three girls who decide to start a punk band. Lukas Moodysoon will attend a Q&A after a preview screening on 31 March at the Curzon Soho in London, and the film is released in the UK on 18 April


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Paul Hart is latest manager to be shunted out of QPR

Paul Hart has been in charge for just five games
Mick Harford lined up to take team to Blackpool
Paul Hart has been appointed as QPR manager until the end of the season
Paul Hart. Photograph: Neal Simpson/Empics Sport

Queens Park Rangers last night parted ways with Paul Hart after just five games in charge, according to reports. Strained dressing-room relations led to Hart becoming the sixth manager to be dismissed from Loftus Road since Flavio Briatore became chairman in late 2007.

The former Portsmouth manager was brought in on 17 December when Jim Magilton was sacked, also following a reported dressing-room bust-up. Mick Harford, Hart's assistant manager, is expected to step back into the breach for tomorrow's trip to Blackpool, according to the Daily Telegraph. The 50-year-old has previously been caretaker at Loftus Road after John Gregory was sacked in 2007.

Luigi De Canio holds the distinction of being the longest serving manager under Briatore's chairmanship. The Italian was in charge for 35 games, yielding just 12 wins, between late October 2007, when he took over from Harford's first stint as caretaker, and his exit in May 2008.

Hart's position at QPR is reported to have been undermined by a breakdown in relations with Adel Taarabt, a 20-year-old Moroccan midfielder on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, who has scored four goals this season.

Taarabt is said to have voiced his displeasure at having only started twice and made one further appearance as a substitute in Hart's five games as manager. Hart's reported demise at the hands of a dressing-room power struggle echoes that of his predecessor, Magilton, who left after a falling out with the midfielder Akos Buzsaky. The former Ipswich manager was in charge for 24 games between April and December last year.

QPR's record under Hart reads one win and two draws. His last game in charge saw QPR concede three goals in 70 minutes at home to Sheffield United in a 3-2 defeat to be eliminated in the FA Cup fourth round on Tuesday night. The club had let a lead slip for United to force the replay in their previous game. QPR sit in 10th in the Championship, four points on the play-offs, and have a goal difference of just two and a poor defensive record.

Hart is reported to have been appointed on a short-term basis until the end of the season and spent part of yesterday in discussions with his legal representatives to negotiate the terms of his departure. For Hart, the dismissal is his second departure from a managerial job following his exit from Portsmouth in November after 30 games in charge.


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FA 'look into' disorder which marred Preston's cup win over Blackpool

Steward trampled by police horse after pitch invasion
Behaviour was absolutely disgraceful, say police
Police officers
Mounted police officers enter the field after Preston fans invaded the pitch at the end of their game against Blackpool. Photograph: Clint Hughes/PA

The FA is looking into incidents of disorder at Preston's 1-0 win over Blackpool in the Capital One Cup, after which a steward was trampled by a police horse as home fans invaded the Deepdale pitch.

The steward, wearing a hi-visibility jacket, was struck by a horse as it cantered across the pitch, while another horse – also helping with crowd dispersal – appeared to step on the man as he lay on the ground.

An FA spokesman said: "We will be looking into what happened, including liaising with both clubs and the police to get a full picture of events and what preparations were in place."

The fans were criticised by the police, with the match commander chief inspector Nick Emmett saying: "The behaviour of those involved in the disorder and the behaviour of some people towards officers and stewards was absolutely disgraceful.

"This was a very difficult situation which presented significant challenges for both the club and for ourselves and we were able to bring the situation under control quickly. The disorder last night was completely unacceptable and we will be making significant efforts to locate and prosecute those involved."

Blackpool's manager Paul Ince labelled the scenes an "absolute joke" and added: "I understand that fans get excited … but who knows what can happen? We're not listening. Has someone got to be stabbed before we listen?"

He added: "I wondered if we have enough stewards. You see enough situations where fans run on a pitch and I can understand fans' excitement, but there have been enough frightening things that have happened to players that we need to stamp down on it.

"There were three or four hundred Preston fans, so who knows what could have happened? Has it got to take something else to happen before we listen? That's not just Preston but it's the whole football community in general. We need to knuckle down on this.

"We're disappointed as our fans were absolutely fantastic and their behaviour was impeccable. There were no louts on the pitch – unlike Preston – and we conducted ourselves in the right manner. We have to take pride from that as a club."

Police said two people were arrested for criminal damage to one of the supporters' coaches outside the ground, with another four held for minor offences.

Preston issued a statement on Tuesday that said: "Last night's cup tie was attended by 17,470 fans, some 4,400 from our visitors Blackpool.

"Given the historic rivalry between the two clubs we ensured that our ground safety pre-match planning considered all aspects of potential crowd issues to ensure that all supporters could attend the match in a safe environment. This pre-planning included a significant increase in stewarding and also appropriate police presence both inside and outside the stadium.

"At the final whistle a number of supporters [approximately 200] ran on to the pitch in celebration at the result.

"This incursion on to the field of play is totally unacceptable and is condemned by everyone connected with Preston North End.

"The measures that had been put in place in anticipation of such an event worked as planned and at no time were rival fans in contact with each other and the pitch was cleared as quickly as possible.

"Contrary to early press reports, the steward that was seen on TV in contact with a police horse was not taken to hospital and went home with colleagues after being given the all-clear by medical staff at the ground. The only steward to receive any injuries at the stadium was working in a part of the stadium occupied by the visiting supporters.

"In reiterating that any invasion of the pitch is unacceptable, we would like to commend the police and stewards for responding in a timely and appropriate manner."


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Swansea v Southampton: match preview

Southampton go into their final two games of an excellent season knowing their position of eighth cannot change and, with the shackles off, Mauricio Pochettino is set to hand a start to Sam Gallagher, the 18-year-old forward. Swansea confirmed their top-flight status with the 4-1 thumping of Aston Villa, a result which did the future of the interim manager Garry Monk no harm at all. Paul Chronnell

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Liberty Stadium

Last season Swansea 0 Southampton 0

Referee A Taylor

This season G19, Y65, R2, 3.7 cards per game

Odds H 6-4 A 2-1 D 12-5

Swansea v Southampton Swansea v Southampton: Probable starters in bold, contenders in light. Photograph: Guardian

Subs from Tremmel, Taylor, Fulton, Emnes, Lita, Cañas, Cornell, Pozuelo, Vázquez, Lamah, Tiendalli, Bartley

Doubtful None

Injured Michu (hamstring, unknown), Rangel (groin, unknown)

Suspended None

Discipline Y51 R3

Leading scorer Bony 15

Subs from Gazzaniga, Cropper, Chambers, Hooiveld, Targett, Reed, Do Prado, Schneiderlin, Lambert.

Doubtful Lambert (hip), Schneiderlin (thigh)

Injured Ramírez (ankle, 11 May), Yoshida (knee, 11 May), Rodriguez (knee, Sep), K Davis (back, unknown)

Suspended None

Discipline Y56 R0

Leading scorer Rodriguez 15

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1,000 Things for kids to do

A six-part series in the Guardian and Observer
Starts Saturday 27 March

1000 things for kids

Discover festivals, parks, farms, films and fun inside our six-part 1,000 things for kids to do series. Each guide is packed with inspiration for parents and grandparents to see your little ones through the Easter holidays and beyond, with a huge collection of ideas to keep the whole family entertained.

Day 1: Castles, palaces and theme parks
Day 2: Extreme sports and outdoor activities
Day 3: Parks, playgrounds and zoos
Day 4: Eating, cooking and gardening
Day 5: Museums and workshops
Day 6: Books, films and indoor activities

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Bowen named BBC Middle East editor

Jeremy Bowen
Jeremy Bowen: back on the foreign beat

Jeremy Bowen will become the BBC's first Middle East editor, a role intended to improve understanding and increase coverage of the region.

The 21-year BBC veteran is well versed in the politics of the countries in the region, having been Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem from 1995 to 2000.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of providing analysis and comment on this complex part of the world, and to help bring about a deeper understanding of events to BBC audiences," he said.

Bowen, 45, will take up the role in September after finishing his posting in Rome, where he covered the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Bowen will be based in London but will travel extensively throughout the region.

In 2000, he participated in the first online chat on the BBC News website and gave an illustration of the difficulties of covering the region.

"[The BBC is] not anti-Israeli. Unfortunately many Israelis seem to assume that if you are not a cheerleader for a country you are automatically against them.

"It is not true. We do a fair and balanced job of reporting both sides, who are both legitimate players on the scene."

After returning from Israel, Bowen - who has dispensed with his trademark moustache - did a two-year stint as co-presenter of BBC Breakfast.

More recently, he presented Jeremy Bowen on the Front Line, a BBC1 series that examined the lives and motivations of war journalists.

Last year the journalist was part of the BBC team that won the Sony Gold award for news story of the year, on the capture of Saddam Hussein.

He has also made two documentaries on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority and won a Royal Television Society award for his coverage of the 1996 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister. His other awards include two for his coverage of the Bosnia war in the 1990s.

Bowen has reported from more than 70 countries and covered conflicts in the Gulf, El Salvador, Lebanon, the West Bank, Afghanistan, Croatia, Chechnya, Somalia, Rwanda, Iraq, Algeria and Kosovo.

He began his career as a foreign correspondent with a radio news posting to Geneva in 1987, three years after joining as a trainee.

Born in Cardiff in 1960, Bowen went to Cardiff High School, followed by University College London and the school of advanced international studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email or phone 020 7239 9857

· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".


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Web users back code for bloggers

Nearly half of all internet users would support a voluntary code of conduct for bloggers and online commentators, according to research.

A survey by legal firm DLA Piper said 46% of web users think bloggers should sign up to a code that reflected the laws on defamation, intellectual property and incitement, with 15% ambivalent and 4% strongly opposed.

Around 34% of bloggers opposed the idea but 32% supported it.

Three quarters of web users who have posted comment on blogs and news sites were oblivious to libel law, said the report, even though the person posting the comment, rather than the host site, would be liable for any offence.

The survey highlights the dangers created not only by self-publishing but also by more innocuous user content, such as video, photos and comment posted to media-sharing sites.

Only one in three of the web users surveyed said they had actually read the legal liabilities in the terms and conditions of the sites they use, though 14% had had material removed from a site in the past for breaching those terms.

Duncan Calow, a DLA Piper digital media law specialist, said there was a dangerous perception that user-generated content is immune to the law.

"The combination of confusion and complacency about the relationship between the law and UGC puts users at risk as they come under increasing scrutiny online," Calow added.

"It is clear that many internet users would benefit from some clearer guidance about posting comment online."

Calow said there is a difference between censorship and protection, and although a code of practice would not change the law it might help to make bloggers and web users more aware of the legal implications of what they post on the net.

· To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 7239 9857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 7278 2332.

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Badge greenslade blog

Guardian pays up for paidContent

In what will be seen as something of a new media coup, All Things Digital reports that Guardian Media Group has bought ContentNext, the company that runs the digital media news site paidContent. GNM is thought to have paid a price "north of" $30m (£15.1m). The site was founded by Rafat Ali in 2002.

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4 / 5 stars
Town Hall, Birmingham

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes's successful collaboration with his compatriots, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, gained a Grammy nomination for their recording of two Mozart concertos earlier this year, and his pairing of concertos by Mozart and Beethoven was the attraction of the NCO's current short British tour.

Andsnes's style of directing from the keyboard is as economical as his playing, so in Birmingham's Town Hall it may have been those looking down on proceedings from behind the platform, and seeing his face rather than his back, who had the most interesting perspective.

Yet the rapport between pianist and ensemble was clearly audible. In Mozart's Concerto No 14 in E flat, K449, which opened their programme, the central andantino's exchanges found Andsnes and the instrumentalists expressively tailoring the phrasing each to the other. While it was Andsnes's crystalline passagework that shone out in the final rondo, they achieved a seemingly spontaneous ebb and flow of tempo.

By contrast, the performance of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto in C minor, Op 37, had a natural nobility and integrity. Both in the silken arpeggios of the first movement's coda and the playfulness of the finale, the debt to Mozart emerged, making this a performance full of insight.

The concertos flanked works presided over by Terje Tønnesen, the NCO's violinist director. Prokofiev's Classical Symphony was crisp in discipline if at times curiously mannered, while Grieg's Holberg Suite was played - by heart and from deep in the heart - in honour not of the Eurovision win (delighted though they were), but of Norway's National Constitution Day.

At Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, tonight. Box office: 0141-353 8000


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Incoming Unite boss Len McCluskey urges BA to resume negotiations

Union's leader-designate says Unite members have made clear their support for crew who have embarked on 22 days of strikes so far this year
British Airways
British Airways. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Len McCluskey, the leader-designate of Unite, has urged British Airways to resume negotiations over a bitter industrial dispute with the Unite trade union, as tensions between both sides threatened a new cabin crew strike ballot.

Unite warned BA yesterday that the prospect of a new strike ballot had moved closer after the airline suspended an employee for holding a Christmas collection for sacked and suspended crew. McCluskey said Unite members made clear their support for crew who have embarked on 22 days of strikes so far this year. "In the election the BA dispute was raised by everyone, and they said they would expect our union to give them support in the same way as we have supported BA cabin crew."

BA has laid the blame for the prolonged dispute at the feet of Unite, claiming that it is unable to control its cabin crew branches. That view gained momentum from the moderate candidate in the Unite election, Les Bayliss, who said that the way the union had conducted the dispute had lowered its "standing and reputation". Bayliss added that at times the row over reductions in crewing levels resembled Life on Mars, the 70s-set BBC drama. McCluskey said the BA strikes, which affected hundreds of thousands of passengers during 22 days of walkouts earlier this year, were driven by a "duty to respond" to members.

"Les Bayliss has not got a great deal of experience so I can forgive him. When service workers in the private or public sector take industrial action ordinary members of the public suffer. That is a tightrope to walk: should you be concerned with the union's image in the eyes of the public, or is it your duty to respond to the needs and requirements of your members? I have no hesitation in saying we are here to support our members."

A BA spokeswoman said: "Unite said last month that the proposals we put forward after prolonged discussions, assisted by the TUC and ACAS, would be recommended as the best available through negotiation.

We continue to believe that these proposals address all cabin crew's concerns and represent a fair resolution of this dispute."

McCluskey expressed disappointment at the poor turnout for the leadership election, which saw leftwing candidate Jerry Hicks beat Bayliss into second place in an election that failed to excite Unite's estimated 1.5 million members.

However, McCluskey secured just 101,000 votes or 7% of the membership, with an overall turnout of 16%. "I don't think anyone can be pleased with that and that is one of the challenges I have with other general secretaries," he said.

"We have to connect better with our members. It is an interesting fact that when our members vote for their shop stewards, or a pay rise or industrial action, they regularly get 80 to 90% turnouts. There is an obvious disconnect. We obviously have to work harder at making ourselves more relevant to the rank and file membership."


text:
Heineken Cup team news: Leicester's Toby Flood has key role at Ospreys

Leicester make eight changes in pursuit of Pool 2 summit
Chris Ashton starts for Saracens against Racing Métro
Leicester's Toby Flood to face Ospreys
Leicester's Toby Flood has avoided a ban and is one of his side's eight changes to face Ospreys in Swansea. Photograph: Paul Harding/Action Images

Harlequins v Connacht

Saturday 1.35pm, Twickenham Stoop, SS1

Ugo Monye and Mike Brown return in the back three for Quins as part of seven changes from last week. Connacht make three changes, including Matthew Jarvis in at fly-half for the injured Dan Parks.

Match pointers Quins are aiming for a record fifth consecutive win in the Heineken Cup; Connacht lost the reverse fixture in October.

Zebre v Biarritz

Saturday 1.35pm, Stadio XXV Aprile, SS1 (red button)

Mauro Bergamasco starts for Zebre after being excluded from Italy's Six Nations squad, and Josh Sole moves from second-row to No8. For Biarritz Takudzwa Ngewnya makes way for former England international Iain Balshaw on the wing.

Match pointers Zebre are seeking a first Heineken Cup win; Biarritz last won back-to-back games in Europe in 2010

Toulon v Cardiff Blues

Saturday 1.35pm, Stade Felix Mayol, SS1 (red button)

Xavier Chiocci starts at loosehead in the absence of Gethin Jenkins and Andrew Sheridan, with Mathieu Bastareaud in the centre for Toulon. Leigh Halfpenny is one of four changes for the Blues.

Match pointers Toulon are one of three unbeaten sides left in the competition. Cardiff are looking to reverse their form after three successive losses.

Racing Métro v Saracens

Saturday 3.40pm, Stade la Beaujoire, SS1

Chris Ashton, Richard Wigglesworth, Mouritz Botha and Rhys Gill all return to Saracens' starting XV. Juan Martin Hernández ousts Olly Barkley to start at fly-half as one of three Racing changes.

Match pointers Saracens have beaten Racing twice in three Heineken Cup meetings. Racing were the first team to beat Toulon in the Top 14 last week.

Leinster v Scarlets

Saturday 6pm, RDS, SS1

Fergus McFadden and Isa Nacewa return to Leinster's starting line-up among four changes. Brian O'Driscoll is on the bench. Scarlets make six changes, including centre Scott Williams for Jonathan Davies.

Match pointers Scarlets have lost seven out of eight Heineken Cup games, and to Leinster in their past three meetings.

Clermont Auvergne v Exeter

Saturday 6pm, Stade Marcel-Michelin, SS1 (red button)

Captain Tom Hayes returns for the visitors who make four changes in total. Regan King and Jamie Cudmore return to Clermont's starting XV, at centre and lock respectively.

Match pointers Clermont and Exeter come into the game off the back of consecutive wins in Europe, against Leinster and Scarlets respectively.

Edinburgh Rugby v Munster

Sunday 12.45pm, Murrayfield, SS2

Richie Rees, Ben Cairns and Steven Lawrie are back for Edinburgh, with Scotland international Greg Laidlaw starting at fly-half. Keith Earls starts for Munster at outside-centre.

Match pointers Edinburgh have yet to record a win in Europe; Munster have beaten them twice this season.

Ospreys v Leicester

Sunday 3pm, Liberty Stadium, SS2

Leicester make eight changes from their win at Worcester last week while Toby Flood avoided a ban to make the game. Flanker Justin Tipuric is fit for Ospreys, centre Andrew Bishop also returns.

Match pointers Leicester have lost two of their seven Heineken Cup meetings against the Ospreys.

Toulouse v Treviso

Sunday 3pm, Stade Ernest Wallon, SS2 (red button)

Toulouse rest flanker Thierry Dusautoir, but Yannick Jauzion starts in midfield. Treviso retain just three players from the XV defeated by Glasgow last weekend.

Match pointers Toulouse boast an 85% win record at home in Europe; Treviso have five wins out of 31 v French teams.