Rooney injury could cost World Cup firms millions

The injury to Wayne Rooney's metatarsal - a bone only a few inches long - has put millions of pounds at risk.
Major companies and television bosses will be following almost as closely as the England management team the progress of the Manchester United and England striker's recovery from the fracture he suffered on Saturday.
They have invested huge sums on the basis that he would become the star of the World Cup, which starts in Germany next month.
Rooney, 20, is one of the faces of Coca-Cola, an official "partner" of the World Cup and last week he launched a Nike football boot, the Total 90. With Ronaldinho, he is also promoting EA Fifa 2006, a computer game linked to the tournament.
In March he signed a £5 million deal with Harper Collins to produce five books chronicling his progress from the back streets of Liverpool to international stardom.
The publishers obviously hoped that one of the books would include a passage on his part in England's triumphant progress in the World Cup.
Rooney, who emerged last month as the sport's most marketable personality, was also due to appear on a wide range of licensed - and unlicensed - World Cup souvenirs, including stickers, posters and mugs.

BBDO, a German consultancy firm, said the Rooney brand was worth about £30 million. With time on his side, he is likely to eclipse the England captain, David Beckham, who, BBDO said, had a brand value of £31 million. An industry expert suggested that Rooney could make £100 million over the next 10 years if he remained fit.
Last night none of Rooney's sponsors was available for comment but all were facing difficult choices. If the player is unable to take part in the tournament, they will have to consider whether to continue with Rooney advertising campaigns.
Given his importance to England, many commentators think his absence would cost the team any realistic chance of winning the tournament.
Before Rooney's injury, England were among the favourites and considered likely to progress to the later stages at least.
In the past, World Cup matches have attracted television audiences of up to 20 million but only when England were playing.
Interest tends to wane after they are eliminated, so if they are knocked out early this time, television companies will miss out on a surge in demand for advertising slots during the latter stages of the tournament.

******************************************

If anyone had mentioned the word metatarsal to me a few years ago, I would have assumed they were talking about some Dan Dare villain: The Metatarsal, the sneering galactic Nazi who lives just along the Milky Way from the Mekon.
Then David Beckham broke his, just before the last World Cup in Japan, and we all found out precisely what it is.
As half the nation was shrouded in gloom that our footballing talisman might be hors de combat, we learnt more than we were ever required to know about this vital component of the foot.
Far from being a gentle marsupial, found only in the upper reaches of the Tasmanian sub-tropical forest canopy, the metatarsal turned out to be a bone that holds up almost our entire body weight as we walk or run.
Soon tabloid reporters became instant experts on the bone; there was talk of little else in the pubs and clubs of the land; and that summer, at Staffordshire University, the Department of Applied Beckham Studies offered students a module on the metatarsal and its meaning in the post-modern socio-cultural landscape.
Thus, when Wayne Rooney tumbled over into Chelsea's penalty area on Saturday, we all knew what had happened.
"Looks like the metatarsal's gone," was the analysis of the bloke sitting behind me in the Stamford Bridge stands the moment the player went down. But then he would know: we are all metatarsal PhDs these days.
And it is no wonder. Modern English footballers break their metatarsals more frequently than rugby players break wind. They snap with alarming ease, and every time they do, it seems to precipitate crisis.
Beckham, Gary Neville, Ledley King, Michael Owen, Rooney himself at Euro 2004, they have all bust theirs at crucial junctures in the footballing calendar, unleashing as they did so a whirlwind of speculation.
How long will it take to heal? Is that six weeks until he is back in training, or six weeks until he can play again? Will my praying with my hand on a picture of his foot on the front page of the Sun aid his recovery?
And the strange thing is, all these players seem to snap this crucial part of the physique under the softest of contact. Rooney was not assaulted by his Chelsea rival on Saturday, he merely brushed the top of his boot as he fell; the contact looked of less consequence than stubbing your toe on the desk.
It doesn't take a Grumpy Old Man, marinating in the false memory of nostalgia, to point out that it didn't used to happen like that.
Back in the 1950s, when they played with a bag of cement masquerading as a ball and were obliged to wade through ankle-deep mud in order to kick it, nobody damaged their metatarsal.
They still weren't breaking them in the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s. If they were, you can rest assured defenders such as Ron "Chopper" Harris and Norman "Bites Yer Legs" Hunter would have targeted the pesky little bit of ivory, stamping on it during the warm-up.
So what has changed? Physiques have not become more fragile, diets have got better and thuggery on the pitch is much reduced. Yet seemingly, the metatarsal has become so vulnerable that England's top players might as well wear an illuminated arrow giving directions as to their weak spot.
The answer has to be the footwear they strap on these days. Rooney trotted out on to the Stamford Bridge pitch wearing a new style of Nike boots that weighed slightly less than a sheet of tissue paper.
These streamlined slip-ons, so the glossy television advertising featuring Eric Cantona and soundtracked to a remixed Elvis song tell us, help him break forward at great speed.
Boasting the aerodynamics of a Formula One car and the luxurious comfort of a night at the Paris Ritz, they are state-of-the-art galoshes. And they give him the protection of a pair of carpet slippers.
So, a word of advice, Wayne: if by some medical miracle you make it to the World Cup, don't forget to pack a pair of your granddad's hobnailed size 10s. They never did Stanley Matthews any harm.

10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK

Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.

1. Domestic chores take up an average nine years, two months and 25 days over a lifetime.
2. The Labour Party spent £299.63 on Star Trek outfits for the last election, while the Tories shelled out £1,269 to import groundhog costumes.
More details
3. Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown says that when he needs inspiration he hangs upside-down in gravity boots.
4. John Prescott's middle name is Leslie.
5. The best-value consumer purchase in terms of the price and usage is an electric kettle.
More details
6. An artificial insect eye, the size of a pin head and containing over 8,500 hexagonal lenses, is being developed for use as an ultra-thin camera.
More details
7. Londoners spend four more hours per week using the internet than the national average.
More details
8. The most popular employment destination for graduates is the media, followed by teaching, investment banking, marketing and accountancy.
9. Retirement is viewed as a "time of happiness" by 82% of people in Britain - much higher than the global average.
10. Singer Tony Christie is to release a World Cup version of his song, (Is This the Way to) Amarillo? It is to be called (Is This the Way to) the World Cup?
More details

[Sources: 1:Times, 3: Independent, 8:Times, 9: Guardian.]

Last Week's News At A Glance

Friday April 21
he Prince of Wales led the nation in paying tribute to the Queen, his "darling Mama", on a day of both public and private celebrations to mark her 80th birthday.
Government figures revealed that more than a third of all children are overweight, with a quarter of 11 to 15 year olds classified as obese - double the proportion 10 years ago.
It emerged that tens of thousands of pounds of lottery money are being used to provide fitness classes for the staff of Manchester United football club and to build a gym which can be used by Coronation Street soap stars. An interview with George W Bush shed light on the US president's feelings about Tony Blair.

Saturday April 22
It was revealed that overspending on NHS salaries is £610 million - at least double the amount previously admitted to by ministers.
Iraq's president endorsed a tough-talking Shia as the country's new prime minister, ending the deadlock since the country's elections last year.
The United States arms control chief gave warning that Iran is "very close to the point of no return" in acquiring the technological expertise to make a nuclear weapon.
A dossier by the world's leading anti-corruption watchdog suggested that more than seven separate criminal offences - including bribery and conspiracy to defraud - may have been committed by the leading players in the "cash-for-peerages" affair.

Sunday April 23
Just over 34,000 people - from Olympic athletes to pensioners, celebrities to prisoners on special release - ran in the capital's 26th marathon.
One of the most experienced researchers into the Chernobyl disaster warned European leaders that flirting with nuclear power "is folly of the first order".
A United Nations official described the Democratic Republic of Congo's army as the "biggest liability the country has". Its soldiers are responsible for scores of rapes each month, despite the civil war having officially ended.
Osama bin Laden accused the West of waging a war against Islam and justified attacks on civilians.

Monday April 24
At least 21 people were killed and more than 70 injured when three bombs ripped through an Egyptian resort popular with British tourists.
Nurses and health workers threatened industrial action after Tony Blair admitted that the NHS faced a "challenging" year and more job cuts.
King Gyanendra announced a compromise with his democratic opponents that may save his throne after weeks of protests that brought Nepal close to collapse.
Gary Lineker's brother was jailed for two and a half years for masterminding a £220,000 tax fraud involving profits from his chain of football-themed bars.

Tuesday April 25
The Home Secretary admitted that more than 1,000 convicted foreign criminals had been freed from prison without being considered for deportation and that hundreds are now missing.
Tesco announced a raft of environmental measures alongside this year's record £2.2 billion profits, in an attempt to deflect criticism that it has become too powerful.
The parents of a graduate who jumped 70ft to his death in a daring cliff plunge blamed an American tour company for 'egging him on.'
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qa'eda leader in Iraq blamed for the beheading of the British engineer Ken Bigley and countless other atrocities, showed his face in public for the first time in three years.

Wednesday April 26
Tony Blair's Government plunged into turmoil after scandal and crisis left three of his most senior Cabinet ministers fighting to save their careers.
John Prescott, rarely thought of as a shrinking violet, kept the lowest of profiles as the scandal of a two-year affair with his secretary broke.
Infuriated nurses stopped Patricia Hewitt in her tracks as they interrupted her speech and demanded their voices be heard.
President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly sided with Russia's Greens, ordering the re-routing of a big oil pipeline away from the world's largest freshwater source.

Thursday April 27
Ministers loyal to Tony Blair said he would have to announce the date of his departure soon after Thursday's local elections if Labour suffers heavy losses
John Prescott's political future hung by a thread after Labour MPs said his affair with his Civil Service secretary had deeply embarrassed the party.
Crime figures showed that robberies, sex offences and incidents of violence causing injuries had increased.
A prominent virologist warned the government not to be sanguine over the supposedly "safe" strain of bird flu behind the latest outbreak.


And...
Pakistan's military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf, faced a new foe: the cross-dressing son of a retired colonel... A new travel guide painted an alarming picture of England ... John Cleese was again advising the British "not to mention the war"... A war of words erupted between food critic Michael Winner and celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, who barred him from his restaurant... David Cameron made tracks at Dunsfold airfield in a car that Noddy wouldn't have been seen dead in... Tony Blair and Michael Howard spent almost £1.3 million on advisers and make-up during last year's election campaign... A survey revealed that pet obesity is becoming so common that three out of four vets have set up special clinics to deal with the problem... Gordon Brown has been endorsed as the next prime minister - by Angelina Jolie.

Watch Out! - Legend Matthaus fears England win!!!

Legend Matthaus fears England win Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has tipped England to beat the 2006 World Cup hosts if they meet in the tournament's knockout stages.
Germany could face England or Sweden in the last 16 if they progress.
Matthaus, who was West Germany's 1990 World Cup winning captain, said: "I think Germany will get past the first round as they have an easy group.
"But England or Sweden are likely to be the next opponents in the last 16 and I think that could be a bridge too far."
Matthaus added: "We don't have the quality of players to match England, Argentina, Holland, Italy, Portugal or even Croatia."
The former German international midfielder believes England's current strength has a lot to do with Paul Robinson's emergence as a top-class goalkeeper.
"Robinson can make the difference between this World Cup and the last two big tournaments," said Matthaus.
"You can have a good team but you will struggle to get to the final if you do not have a good keeper.
"England are my favourites from Europe. They have great players - Wayne Rooney could be the outstanding young player of the World Cup, and then there is Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and David Beckham."
Matthaus also predicted Brazil's defence would be too weak to allow them to capture a sixth World Cup.
"I would say Argentina are the strongest team outside Europe. As a team they are very compact, and have very good players all round.
"Brazil's defence is a big problem - they do not have the quality there to win the title and they might even have a problem getting out of their group.
"They have to face Australia, who have a good coach in Guus Hiddink, who has sorted their problems out.
"They have to play Japan who drew 2-2 with them in the Confederations Cup and whose coach is Zico and knows all about Brazilian football; then they have Croatia who have caused them problems in their last two friendlies."

British cheeses make a comeback

Britain's traditional hard cheeses are making a comeback after years of being overshadowed by their more exotic counterparts.
Over the past year, sales of Cheshire, Lancashire, Double Gloucester and Red Leicester have grown by 15 per cent.
During the same period, sales of imported cheeses, such as Dutch Gouda and Swiss Gruyere, fell by around 0.3 per cent, figures from the TNS market research company show.
Tesco, the country's biggest cheese retailer, said that domestic regional cheeses, once wrongly regarded as bland and lacking in character, now outsold their imported counterparts.
The renaissance is being aided by the growth of small independent cheese makers which have encouraged supermarkets to stock more high quality, home-made cheese.
The real food movement, which promotes local, independently produced food, can also take some of the credit.
Celebrity chefs are also being credited. For example, they are increasingly recommending crumbly Cheshire - which contains half the salt of Greek feta - for salads.
Alain Guilpain, Tesco's cheese buyer, said: "Last year demand for our home-made blues, such as Stilton, Shropshire and Yorkshire, outgrew foreign blues, including Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Saint Agur, for the first time.
"Britain is becoming a nation of cheese connoisseurs on a par with the French and that is directly because of the wider and easier availability of regional cheeses.
Until about 10 years ago there was only a handful of big-selling home-produced cheeses, such as Cheddar, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester, Cheshire and Stilton.
"Others including Wensleydale, Lancashire, Caerphilly and Derbyshire sold well in their own regions but were not national favourites."
Sales of Wensleydale rose by 23 per cent after it featured in Wallace and Gromit films.
Nigel White, the chairman of the British Cheese Board, said: "We are delighted that people are discovering the huge range of regional cheeses now available.
"This has been driven by improved labelling, which tells consumers more about the origin, taste and benefits of our traditional cheeses."
After Cheddar and Stilton, Red Leicester is Tesco's next best-selling cheese, followed by Double Gloucester, Wensleydale, Cheshire and Lancashire.
Randolph Hodgson. the owner of Neal's Yard Dairy, in London, which exports British hard cheeses around the world, said the resurgence was "fantastic" news for the growing number of independent producers.
"As a country, we have seen a growth in demand for British cheese at the same time that better cheeses have got on to the market. Once you increase the quality, then sales go up.
"Going back years, when cheese-making moved into the factories, we lost quality. As the artisan market has grown, it has a set a benchmark and factories have improved their products."

Sunday roast back as the nation's favourite

The classic Sunday roast dinner is consumers' top meal, according to a new survey.
The result of the poll, commissioned by the Red Tractor food assurance scheme, will come as no surprise to pubs which have seen sales of Sunday lunch soar over recent years.
With the pub now a more popular place to eat out than Indian or Chinese restaurants, the triumph of the Sunday roast reverses a trend that had seen dishes such as chicken tikka masala threaten to oust the pub food classics.

The nation’s top 10 dishes in order are:
1. Traditional roast dinner
2. Steak and chips
3. Fish and chips
4. Lasagne
5. Green Thai curry
6. Spaghetti bolognese
7. Shepherd’s/cottage pie
8. Chicken tikka masala
9. Sweet and sour pork
10.Bangers and mash

70 Pop Acts

Scottish Word Quiz (May come in handy!)

"Twa things mak ma neb an een dreep - cuttin ingins an strainin on the pan."
Translation......
"Two things have always made my nose and eyes drip - cutting onions and straining at my task while sitting upon the toilet bowl."

Nappie – foaming, strong (ale).
Lippie – a glass filled to the brim with drink.
Cairry-oot – drink bought for consumption elsewhere.
Dochan dorus – a wee dram at the doorstep before you go (don't drink and drive, look what happened to Tam O Shanter).
Wee heavy – a strong beer usually sold in small bottles.
Half n half – small whisky and a half pint of beer.
Ram-stam – the strongest kind of ale, drawn from the first mash.
Brogart – a drink of ale and honey.
Red biddy – a drink made by mixing cheap red wine and methylated spirits. Moderation in all things and, with luck, maybe you will never have to taste it.
80 shilling – harks back to classification of the strength of beer based on price per cask. (20 shillings to one UK pound in the1950's.) (0.02 Euro would equal 1 shilling if any were legal tender now...

Scuds – foaming beer with a head.
Dram – a 'small' drink of whisky. A finger or two usually. Out of Scots artists I'd visit a sculptor, all others have slim fingers.
Ginger – Iron bru, Scottish fizzy drink made from girders.
Adam's wine – drinkable water.
Skoosh – lemonade or any fizzy drink.
Mountain-dew – whisky, from an illicit still.
Mutchkin – quarter of a pint Scots, three quarters of a pint imperial, 0.43litre.
Tappit-hen – a type of decanter, of a standard measure.
Peaser – a draught of whisky.
Nebfu – a small amount, a drop.
Pundie – a measure of beer, given free to workers in the brewery.
Inkie pinkie – a weak beer.
Tassie – a goblet for spirit based drinks.
Toddy – a medicinal drink made from whisky, hot water, sugar, and, if you want to be really health conscious, lemon juice.

Stovies – potatoes, onions and scraps of meat cooked up in a pot. Best served with oatcakes and milk.
Athole Brose – a potent drink made from whisky, honey and oatmeal.

Skirlie – oatmeal and onions fried in a pan. Moist with a slightly crunchy texture suits me.
Porridge – oatmeal or rolled oats boiled in salty water with options of milk and some honey and perhaps nutmeg. Can be ambrosia of the gods or rubbery prison food. Depends on the cook.

Het – hot.
Bile – boil.
Dreep – drip.
Foreshot – whisky from the lightest alchohol which, obviously, is driven off from the still first.

Quiz Nights In Bonnie Scotland

If you were wondering why I have published 'Today's The Day' feature up to May 1st it is because Quiztime is having a break (Well-earned too!)

Quiztime will be away from Thursday 27th to Sunday 30th of April in Glasgow for the Quizzers Weekend

The Quiz Inquisitor invites you to attend his local pub quiz on Thursday the 27th of April In the Clockwork Pub, Cathcart Rd, Glasgow. Near Hampden Park Starts 9.15pm free entry. Prizes - £25 - £15 - £10

On Friday the 28th of April invites you to attend his own quiz night at Giffnock Tennis Club 4. Percy Drive, Giffnock, Glasgow.
www.giffnock.org

Come along and join in the fun. For further details contact The Inquisitor at info@thequizinquisitor.co.uk

Today's The Day - May 1st

1st May 2006
May Day.

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Asaph St Corentin,
St Joseph,
St Brioc,
St Amator,
St Marcoul,
Saints Philip and James,
St Peregrine Laziosi,
St Sigismund of Burgundy,
and St Theodard of Narbonne.

History Test for May 1st
Today in 1912, a statue of which J.M. Barrie hero was unveiled in London's Kensington Gardens? -Peter Pan
In which London park did the Great Exhibition open today in 1851? -Hyde Park
Born today in 1937 who played Alf Garnett's daughter in TV's `Till Death Us Do Part'? -Una Stubbs
What type of American plane was being flown by Gary Powers when he was shot down over the USSR today in 1960? -The U2
What gambling facility was opened for the first time in Britain today in 1961? -Betting shops

QUOTE
"For, Heaven be thanked, we live in such an age, When no man dies for love, but on
the stage." - John Dryden, English writer, who died today, 1700.

QUOTE
"In a democracy everybody has the right to be represented, including the jerks." - Chris Patten, British cabinet minister, on this day, 1991.

Events today...
1517 In `Evil May Day' riots in London, apprentices attacked foreign residents. Wolsey suppressed the rioters, of whom 60 were hanged.
1700 Death of John Dryden, English poet.
1707 The Union of England and Scotland was proclaimed.
1786 The first performance of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro was given in Vienna.
1808 Charles IV of Spain abdicated in favour of Joseph Bonaparte.
1840 The first Penny Black stamps bearing Queen Victoria's head went on sale five days before the official date of issue.
1851 Queen Victoria opens the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London.
1862 The Union army occupied New Orleans.
1873 The Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone died of malaria in the middle of Africa. He was 60 years old. More than any other man, Livingstone helped to open Africa to the church - and to Western commerce. The London Missionary Society sent him to South Africa in 1841. He made the first-ever crossing of the Kalahari Desert, and, fled by a vision of peoples the church had not reached, began a dramatic journey further afield. It took him to Luanda on the west coast of Africa and to the Indian Ocean on the east coast, and he discovered the stupendous Victoria Falls on the way. Back in London his reports on central and east Africa aroused great interest. Livingstone then spent years searching for the source of the Nile, and was already feared to have died until the journalist Henry Morton Stanley found him two years ago, already a sick man, but determined to continue his search.
1898 During the Spanish-American War, an American fleet squadron slipped into Manila harbour and destroyed the obsolete Spanish fleet.
1904 Death of Antonin Dvorák, Czechoslovakian composer best- known for his New World Symphony.
1912 The brilliant young Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky scandalised Paris with a performance so sensual some critics described it as "bestial". Nijinsky was a faun amongst nymphs in Claude Debussy's L’Apres-midi d'un Faune, premiered - yet it was the final sequence, when Nijinsky danced alone with a long scarf, that was so outrageous. Nijinsky, 24, upset and delighted all at once - his performance, as ever, was stunning as is the whole ballet. Nijinsky's first effort at choreography, it brought alive the familiar friezes of ancient Greece. Like Debussy's score, it was pure impressionism. Nijinsky first came to Paris three years earlier with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and was an instant sensation.
1923 The BBC moved to new studios at Savoy Hill.
1925 Cyprus became a Crown Colony.
1926 British miners began a strike that continued until 19 November.
1931 US President Herbert Hoover opened the tallest building in the world in New York - the 102-storey Empire State Building on Fifth Avenue, which stood an incredible 1250 ft (380 m) high. It was the city's third new "skyscraper" in just one year. It went up with lightning speed, the steel framework being finished in less than six months. It met its deadline for completion with no time to spare - the day many New York office leases expired. The Empire State Building had more than 2 million sq ft (609,800 sq m) of office space, much more than the city could absorb with the Depression in full swing. The owners were hoping sightseers to the lofty observation decks would help to pay the taxes.
1932 The BBC’s Broadcasting House opened.
1933 A telephone link between Britain and India was established.
1936 Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia fled the country.
1941 Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane was premiered in New York.
1945 In Germany, Hitler's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels killed his wife, his six children and finally himself, the day after his leader's suicide.
1952 Death of William Fox, US film producer.
1960 A US U-2 aircraft piloted by Gary Powers, was shot down as it flew over the USSR.
1960 Days before US President Eisenhower and Soviet Chairman Kruschev meet at a Paris summit, an American spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union by a Soviet surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured. The US had denied Russian accusations that it was spying.
1961 Betting shops became legal in Britain.
1967 Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll and still the world's No 1 heart-throb, caused widespread female dismay when he married his sweetheart of seven years, Priscilla Beaulieu. The couple wed at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas at a civil ceremony with 100 guests. Priscilla wore a traditional flowing white dress and veil, and Presley a formal suit and black tie. The wedding cake was six tiers high. After the reception they flew to Palm Springs for a two-day honeymoon. Presley was due in Hollywood that week for final work on his new movie, Clambake, and then they’ll complete the honeymoon at Graceland, Presley's Memphis mansion.
1968 Death of Harold Nicolson, English diplomat and author.
1968 Legoland Family Park opened at Billund, Denmark.
1989 Anti-government protests in Prague demanded the release of jailed playwright Vaclav Havel.
2003 Veteran diplomat and Middle East expert Ole Woehler Olsen become head of the key Iraqi province of Basra.
2003 Israeli police launched a massive search for a Briton they say tried to carry out a suicide bombing on a Tel Aviv bar.
2003 Crispin Blunt quit the Tory frontbench saying Iain Duncan Smith must be replaced as leader.
2003 Actress Amanda Holden won libel damages over articles suggesting she made "diva-like demands" during the filming of "Cutting It".
2003 UEFA fined the FA £70,000 for pitch invasions and racist abuse during England's win over Turkey at the Stadium of Light.
2004 The new 25-member EU celebrated its historic expansion and looked ahead to future challenges.
2004 Andy Roddick and several other top players escaped from a hotel fire in Rome which left three people dead.
2004 Two Britons were among six shot dead by gunmen in an attack on the offices of a Western firm in Saudi Arabia.
2004 Singer Courtney Love denied two counts of drug possession at a California court.
2005 Singer Tony Christie claimed a seventh week at number one, giving him one of the longest chart reigns in recent years.
2005 Fans of Star Wars in New York followed those in Hollywood and began queuing ahead of the release of the last film.

BIRTHDAYS (for 01 May 2006)
Joseph Addison, 334 (born 01 May 1672)
English essayist, poet and Whig statesman who co-founded the Spectator in 1711.
Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith, 97 (born 01 May 1909)
singer.
Glenn Ford, 90 (born 01 May 1916)
Canadian-born American actor who appeared most notably in Gilda, Blackboard Jungle and The Fastest Gun Alive.
Joseph Heller, 77 (born 01 May 1929)
American novelist best-known for his novel Catch-22.
Rita Coolidge, 61 (born 01 May 1945)
American country rock singer and pianist.

Today's The Day - 30th April

30th April 2006
National Day of the Netherlands.

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Erkenwald,
St Pius V, pope,
St Forannan,
St Wolfhard,
St Maximus of Ephesus,
St Eutropius of Saintes,
and Saints Marianus, James, and Others.

History Test for April 30th
Who was inaugurated as the first American President today in 1789? -George Washington
Born today in 1943, which American singer had sixties hits with `Rubber Ball' and `Take Good Care of My Baby'? -Bobby Vee
Today in 1945, who committed suicide with Adolf Hitler - her husband of one day? -Eva Braun
Born today in 1933, who was the long-time presenter of ITV's `World of Sport'? -Dickie Davies
Following its fall today in 1975 Saigon changed its name. What do we call it now? -Ho Chi Minh City

Events today...
1789 George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the USA.
1803 France sold Louisiana to the USA.
1865 Death of Robert Fitzroy, English admiral and meteorologist.
1883 French painter Edouard Manet died in Paris.
1902 Debussy's opera Pelleas et Melisande had its first performance, in Paris.
1925 The Distillers Brewing Group was formed.
1938 The FA Cup final between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End was the first to be televised live, with Preston eventually winning by a single goal to nil.
1943 Death of Otto Jespersen, Danish philologist.
1945 Adolf Hitler committed suicide, along with his wife Eva Braun, in an underground bunker in Berlin.
1955 US evangelist Billy Graham ended a six-week tour of Scotland, having been heard by around three million people.
1962 The Metropolitan Police formed an under-water search unit.
1973 Four top Nixon aides were sacked during the Watergate scandal.
1975 The Vietnam War ended, with the South surrendering unconditionally to the North.
1979 The Jubilee Line on the London Underground was officially opened.
1980 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicated and was succeeded by her daughter, Beatrix.
1980 The Iranian Embassy in London was seized by armed terrorists who took twenty hostages and threatened to blow up the building if their demands were not met.
1982 President Reagan pledged American support for Britain in the Falklands conflict. Although the US would not get directly involved in fighting, they ordered economic sanctions against Argentina and would supply Britain with war material.
1983 Death of George Balanchine, Russian choreographer.
1983 Death of Muddy Waters, US blues singer.
1983 Former Beatle Paul McCartney was ordered by a West Berlin court to travel to the city for a blood test by a court doctor to decide whether he was the father of an illegitimate daughter.
1983 The Labour-controlled Thamesdown Borough Council in Swindon banned fox hunting on its land.
1984 The Independent Broadcasting Authority announced that a cable television channel for pre-school and primary school children was to be launched.
1984 The world's smallest printing timer was shown for the first time in London by Seiko Time (UK) as part of a series of technologically advanced sport watches.
1984 Three Indian sisters were found dead in a car after a family row over arranged marriages. A pipe led from the exhaust to inside the vehicle.
1984 Unemployed Dutch manager Wilhelm Gilberts became the hundredth heart transplant patient at Harefield Hospital, north-west London.
1988 English footballer Peter Shilton made his 825th Football League appearance in Derby County's game at Watford, to break the record of most league appearances, previously held by Terry Paine.
1988 In the world of Rugby League, Wigan beat Halifax by thirty two points to twelve to win the Silk Cut Challenge Cup.
1988 In the world of Rugby Union, Harlequins beat Bristol by twenty eight points to twenty two to become the first London club to win the John Player Special Cup.
1988 The 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket was won by the Aga Khan's horse Doyoun.
1989 A gunman went on the rampage at Monkseaton, near Whitley Bay, killing one person and injuring a further thirteen.
1989 Actor Ian McKellen was to help launch a campaign to save the site of the Elizabethan Rose Playhouse in Southwark, on the south bank of the Thames. The site was to make way for an office block
1989 Animal rights extremists were blamed for setting off two incendiary devices at two McDonald's hamburger bars in Birmingham. One device went off in a rubbish bag.
1989 Italian film director Sergeo Leone, responsible for such classic spaghetti westerns as 'A Fistful of Dollars' and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', died.
1995 British Telecom spent a record £44 million on advertising - more than any other company in Britain. Bob Hoskins made 16 commercials for the company for a fee reported to have been £500,000. The 'It's Good to Talk' adverts cost BT £25 million. The Top Ten advertisers were BT, McDonald's, Tesco, Currys, Boots, Sainsburys, Comet, Safeway, B&Q and MFI.
1995 A geologist, Professor Charles Sammis, predicted that a big earthquake would hit California before the 9th June and register 6.5 on the Richter scale.
1995 The Commons Transport Select Committee said in a report that the Government would not be able to cut the subsidy needed to support the railway network for at least five years after privatisation. The report went further, saying that privatisation might drive up the costs of running the railways.
1995 The BBC was to seek savings in its music, arts and factual programme departments to the tune of £20 million. Programmes likely to suffer included 'Omnibus', 'Horizon' and 'QED'.
1995 Greenpeace activists occupied The Brent Spa, a North Sea oil platform, north-east of Shetland in an attempt to stop the Government from allowing the rig to be dumped at sea.
1995 Police were pressing the Home Office to create a new classification of marine crime to help combat growing theft from yachts and power boats in marinas. It was estimated that £2 million of gear was stolen from boats in Dorset alone in 1994.
1995 It was reported that cancer of the prostate killed more men in Western Europe and North America than any other malignancy, other than cancer of the lung.
2003 An Arabic newspaper published what it said is a letter from Saddam Hussein urging Iraqis to rise up.
2003 The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attacked the judges who jailed his close associate Cesare Previti for 11 years.
2003 The former Yugoslav leader, Milosevic, was accused over the attempted murder of a rival - the second serious charge in a week.
2003 Israeli authorities said a suicide bomber who killed three people in Tel Aviv held British nationality.
2003 The High Court in London was told how Chris Evans lied about the events that led up to his sacking from Virgin Radio.
2003 A plan by Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou's to sell cheap cinema tickets was "resisted by distributors".
2003 In football, an experimental Austria side defeated Scotland 2-0 in front of only 12,000 fans at Hampden.
2003 Damien Duff produced a man-of-the-match display as Ireland claimed a deserved 1-0 friendly win over Norway.
2004 The Ministry of Defence began investigating newspaper pictures of British soldiers appearing to torture an Iraqi prisoner.
2004 Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty to 10 child molestation charges including a count of conspiracy to abduct.
2004 Bosnian Serb officials gave details of six new mass graves of victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.
2004 Macedonian officials admitted that seven alleged Pakistani militants killed in 2002 were in fact illegal immigrants.
2004 A man was ordered to serve at least 10 years in jail after he was convicted of killing his neighbour in a row over noise.
2005 Motorists angered by the new M4 speed cameras took part in a slow-drive protest along the motorway.
2005 The ex-general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union Ron Todd died aged 78.
2005 It was announced that "Bargain Hunt", the primetime TV antiques show hosted by David Dickinson, would not return.
2005 The Dave Matthews Band agreed to pay $200,000 after their tour bus dumped sewage on a boatload of tourists.
2005 Chelsea revelled in their first top-flight success for 50 years after clinching the Premiership.

BIRTHDAYS (for 30 April 2006)
Joachim von Ribbentrop, 113 (born 30 April 1893)
(Deceased) Hitler's Foreign Minister who was sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials. He was a wine merchant who became Hitler's adviser on foreign affairs and was appointed German ambassador to Britain in 1936
Margaret Stallard, 77 (born 30 April 1929)
British actress seen mostly on television in series such as `Crossroads', 'Emmerdale Farm', 'Last of the Summer Wine' and 'Lovejoy'
Willie Nelson, 73 (born 30 April 1933)
Country singer born in Texas. He has appeared in several films including 'Barbarosa' and 'The Electric Horseman' but is best known as a singer
Bobby Vee, 63 (born 30 April 1943)
American pop singer born in North Dakota. His first big hit was 'Rubber Ball' which he quickly followed up with 'The Night Has A Thousand Eyes', 'More Than I Can Say', 'Take Good Care Of My Baby' and 'Run To Him'. He had a further hit in America in 1967 w
Jill Clayburgh, 62 (born 30 April 1944)
American actress in Hollywood films since the late 1960s. Her films include 'An Unmarried Woman', 'Starting Over' and 'Naked in New York'. She married the dramatist and screenwriter David Rabe in 1979
King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, 60 (born 30 April 1946)
Leslie Grantham, 59 (born 30 April 1947)
London-born actor who is probably best known for his role as Den Watts in 'EastEnders' but has made regular appearances in television drama series such as 'Bulman', 'The Paradise Club' and 'Cluedo'
Merrill Osmond, 53 (born 30 April 1953)
The Osmonds, who started by appearing on the 'Andy Williams Show' in America. They had many hits including 'Double Lovin', 'Yo Yo', 'Let Me In' and 'I Can't Stop' but they only had one number one hit in the UK with 'Love Me For A Reason'.

Today's The Day - 29th April

29th April 2006
National Day of Japan.

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Catherine of Siena,
St Wilfrid the Younger,
St Hugh of Cluny,
St Endellion,
St Joseph Cottolengo,
St Robert of Molesme,
and St Peter the Martyr.

History Test for April 29th
Why was Muhammad Ali stripped of his world heavyweight title today in 1967? -He refused to be drafted into the army
Today in 1376 Sir Peter de la Mare became the first holder of which Parliamentary office? -Speaker of the House of Commons
Actress Anita Dobson was born today in 1949. Which character did she play in TV's `EastEnders'? -Angie Watts
Today in 1990, who became the youngest ever Embassy World Snooker Champion? -Stephen Hendry
Which useful fastening item was patented by Gideon Sundback today in 1913? -The zipper

Events today...
1376 Sir Peter de la Mare took office as first Speaker of the House of Commons.
1429 The Siege of Orleans was lifted by a French army under the leadership of Joan of Arc.
1707 Death of George Farquhar, Irish playwright.
1842 In Britain, the Corn Act was passed introducing a new sliding scale to the price of domestic corn at which foreign importation was allowed.
1884 Oxford University agreed to admit female students to examinations.
1913 Swedish-born US inventor Gideon Sundback patented the zip fastener in its modern form - earlier versions had not been successful.
1916 Republican rebels destroyed the Post Office in Dublin.
1930 A telephone link was established between Britain and Australia.
1933 Death of Constantinos Cavafy, Greek poet.
1937 American chemist Wallace Hume Carothers committed suicide just two months after he had patented nylon.
1945 As the Allies continued their advance into territory previously held by German forces they gradually uncovered evidence of unspeakable crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Nazis. The latest abomination was uncovered on the outskirts of the small Bavarian market town of Dachau, just north-west of Munich. In this ironically picturesque setting Hitler's SS set up a death camp, possibly as early as 1933. More than 200,000 people, mainly of Jewish faith, were estimated to have been exterminated there or held before being transferred to another concentration camp.
1945 The German army in Italy surrendered to the Allies under the British General Alexander.
1967 In London, 41 groups played at an all-night rave in Alexandra Palace.
1968 A new musical ‘Hair’ provoked a mixed reaction from its first-night audience at the Baltmore Theatre, New York. Comments included "vulgar", "dirty" and "juvenile backyard fence graffiti" from the antis, and "fresh", "frank" and "the most significant musical of the decade" from the pros. Sex, drugs, military service and religion were among the wide range of topics served up for human consumption in a number of new songs added since the original production, staged off Broadway the year before. A nude scene added fuel to the charge that Hair’s pruducers were more intereseted in cheap sensationalism than theatrical values.
1977 Trade unions were declared legal in Spain for the first time since 1936.
1982 Clive Sinclair launched the "Spectrum" computer, the big brother to the ZX81, this improved model boasted eight colours (hence, its name).
1985 The six-year wrangle between the family of the late Sir Charles Clore and the British Inland Revenue was settled. A total of £67 million was to be paid to the Revenue on Clore's world-wide assets, estimated at £123 million. The Revenue originally claimed £84 million because, it alleged, he was living in England. His son claimed his father had lived in Monaco.
1987 The musical Cabaret was pertormed in London without music when the orchestra went on strike.
1988 Death of Andrew Cruikshank, English actor.
1999 BT announced plans for their new CallFree service, where customers would pay no call charges provided that they accepted a 10 second radio-style commercial every two minutes. A trial was to begin in Tyne and Wear the following month.
2000 The Lowry Centre in Manchester was opened to the public. Although it was criticised as to not being totally complete; there were concerns over general safety due to construction work.
2003 The WHO withdrew its advice against travel to the Canadian business capital, where cases of Sars were now decreasing.
2003 The former personal lawyer of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi received an 11-year sentence for corruption.
2003 Serbian ultra-nationalist Vojislav Seselj and 44 others were charged over the killing of PM Zoran Djindjic.
2003 A 35-year-old part-time musician was charged with the murder of Brighton teacher Jane Longhurst.
2003 Real Madrid issued a statement strongly denying any interest in signing David Beckham from Manchester United.
2003 Shrewsbury were relegated from the Football League after being beaten by Carlisle who were now safe.
2004 The world's favourite internet search firm, Google, confirmed its long-awaited flotation on the Nasdaq or New York stock exchange, which valued the firm at $20bn.
2004 A capsule with three astronauts undocked from the International Space Station on its way back to Earth.
2004 Diego Maradona left hospital 12 days after being admitted for heart and breathing problems.
2005 David and Victoria Beckham's ex-nanny agreed in the High Court not to disclose further information about the couple.
2005 Prosecutors in Michael Jackson's abuse trial showed books with nude boys seized from the star's home in 1993.
2005 Sunderland clinched the Championship title by beating play-off chasing West Ham.

BIRTHDAYS (for 29 April 2006)
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, 237 (born 29 April 1769)
English soldier and prime minister known ans the Iron Duke, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
Willlam Randolph Hearst, 143 (born 29 April 1863)
American newspaper proprietor.
Sir Thomas Beecham, 127 (born 29 April 1879)
English conductor famed for his acerbic tongue as well as his music-making.
Sir Malcolm Sargent, 111 (born 29 April 1895)
English conductor who was the chief conductor of the Sir Henry Wood Promenade concerts from 1948 until his death in 1957. Duke Ellington 1889, American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader.
Duke Ellington, 107 (born 29 April 1899)
bandleader and composer.
Rudolf Schwarz, 101 (born 29 April 1905)
Viennese conductor who survived Belsen concentration camp and went on to become conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Zubin Mehta, 70 (born 29 April 1936)
Indian conductor and violinist chiefly known for his association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Kevin Moran, 50 (born 29 April 1956)
Manchester United

Today's The Day - 27th & 28th April

27th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Zita,
St Machalus,
St Floribert of Lipge,
St Asicus,
St Anthimus of Nicomedia,
and Saints Castor and Stephen.

History Test for April 27th
Born today in 1959, which singer got her big break on the TV programme `The Big Time'? -Sheena Easton
In which park did London Zoo open today in 1828? -Regents Park
Which mountain was first climbed by Edward Whymper, born today in 1840? -The Matterhorn
What was the name of Thor Heyerdahl's raft on which he set sail today in 1947? -`Kon Tiki'
Born today in 1791 who invented a code consisting of dots and dashes? -Samuel Morse

Events today...
1296 An English army, led by Edward I defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar.
1521 Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator was murdered by islanders in the Philippines.
1828 The Zoological Society of London opened a zoological gardens in Regent's Park, almost two years to the day after its founding in 1826.
1882 Death of Ralph Waldo Emerson, US poet and essayist.
1915 Death of Alexander Skryabin, Russian composer.
1932 Death of Harold Hart Crane, US poet.
1932 Imperial Airways began an air service from London to Cape Town in South Africa.
1937 King George VI performed the official opening of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.
1937 With its 746ft high bridge towers, the tallest in the world, and its 4200ft span, the longest in the world, the new Golden Gate suspension bridge linking the city of San Francisco with Marin County, reached completion after four years.
1939 Conscription for men aged 20-21 was announced in Britain.
1947 Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl set off from Callao, Peru, heading for Polynesia to prove his theory that the original Polynesian islanders could have come from Peru.
1949 The first official performance of Handel's Music for Royal Fireworks finished early due to the outbreak of fire.
1950 The British Government officially recognised the state of Israel. (Oh look, there's the state of Israel!)
1960 French Togoland became independent as the Republic of Togo.
1961 Sierra Leone became an independent republic within the Commonwealth.
1968 In Britain, a new abortion Act liberalising the law on abortion came in to force.
1970 American actor Tony Curtis was fined £50 in London for possession of cannabis.
1972 Death of Kwame Nkrumah, president of Ghana.
1976 Pop star David Bowie's special train was halted for several hours on the Polish-Russian border while customs officers searched baggage, confiscating Nazi books and mementoes.
1984 The Philadelphia radio station W-WSH had a "No Michael Jackson" weekend in reaction to the pop star's over-exposure during the previous year.
1986 The nightmare of meltdown in a nuclear reactor finally became true. The first sign of trouble was picked up by American spy satellites which detected a fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, north of Kiev in the Ukraine.
1999 The Australian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", had a brilliant contestant in the middle of it’s first series. He was 2 questions off the "Big One". The authorities had agreed to extend his Visa which was to run out the following day.
1999 An Essex police officer issued parking tickets to a couple of childrens bike’s left lying against their garden wall, covering double yellow lines. The children returned and were distraught, believing that they would be going to prison. A spokesman for the police said the officer had issued the tickets as a joke.
2003 South Korea told the North to give up any nuclear ambitions, amid renewed tension over Pyongyang's plans.
2003 A man armed with a knife seized a bus in Berlin, in an apparent copycat attack after a similar incident teo days earlier.
2003 Man Utd went five points clear at the Premiership summit with a 2-0 win at Spurs.
2003 Madonna's "American Life" went straight to number one despite the album's first single release slipping to number 12.
2003 Paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Gauguin, with an estimated value of £1m, were stolen in a raid on a gallery.
2003 Former Spandau Ballet star Tony Hadley won the public vote in the final of ITV1's Reborn in the USA.
2003 England opener Nick Knight announced his retirement from one-day international cricket.
2004 Colonel Gaddafi offered to work with the West for peace and disarmament, in a landmark visit to Europe.
2004 Network Rail and the rail maintenance company Jarvis accepted legal responsibility for the Potters Bar rail crash.
2004 Complaints about an episode of EastEnders dealing with the aftermath of rape were upheld by the BBC.
2004 Dutch-born artist Saskia Olde-Wolbers won the 2004 Beck's Futures art prize, picking up a cheque for £24,000.
2005 Iraq's Prime Minister-designate submitted plans for a new government, as insurgents killed a woman MP in Baghdad.
2005 Russia's president arrived in Israel on the first visit by any Kremlin leader, to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
2005 The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, landed safely, having completed its maiden flight.
2005 Some of Britain's leading performers attended the funeral of Sir John Mills, who died four days earlier.
2005 A blue and white gingham dress worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz fetched £140,000 at auction.

BIRTHDAYS (for 27 April 2006)
Edward Gibbon, 269 (born 27 April 1737)
English historian who wrote the six-volume The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Samuel Morse, 215 (born 27 April 1791)
American inventor of the magnetic telegraph and Morse code.
Ulysses S. Grant, 184 (born 27 April 1822)
American general of the Union army and 18th president of the U.S.A.
Cecil Day-Lewis, 102 (born 27 April 1904)
Irish-born novelist and Poet Laureate.
Jack Klugman, 84 (born 27 April 1922)
actor.
Anouk Aimée, 74 (born 27 April 1932)
French actress, star of A Man and a Woman, and La Dolce Vita.
Michael Fish, 62 (born 27 April 1944)
TV Weatherman
Lynn Miller, 55 (born 27 April 1951)
Actress in TV's `The Bill'
Sheena Easton, 47 (born 27 April 1959)
Singer
Mica Paris, 37 (born 27 April 1969)
Singer

__________________________________________________


28th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Louis de Montfort,
St Vitalis,
St Cyril of Turov,
St Valeria,
St Pollio,
Saints Theodora and Didymus,
St Pamphilus of Sulmona,
and St Cronan Roscrea.

History Test for April 28th
Today in 1770, which naval hero landed at Botany Bay? -Captain James Cook
Who won the first Wembley F A Cup Final today in 1923? -Bolton Wanderers
Today in 1789, a mutiny took place aboard which ship? -HMS Bounty
Born today in 1801, by what name was philanthropist Anthony Cooper better known? -Lord Shaftesbury
Today in 1966 who reached the top of the UK pop charts, declaring 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me'? -Dusty Springfield

Events today...
1603 Queen Elizabeth I's funeral took place at Westminster Abbey.
1770 English navigator Captain James Cook and his crew, including the botanist Joseph Banks, landed in Australia, at the place which was later named Botany Bay.
1780 The first advertisement for an abortion clinic appeared in London's Morning Post.
1788 Maryland became the seventh state of the USA.
1789 The crew of the ship Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied against their captain, William Bligh in the South Seas. The captain of the 94-ft (29 m) Bounty, and 18 loyal crew members were put in an open boat and are now drifting in the direction of Timor, near Java. The mutineers, led by master's mate Fletcher Christian, were thought to be returning to Tahiti, where the Bounty recently took on board a consignment of 1000 young breadfruit trees which Bligh intended taking to the West Indies as a food source for the African slaves there. The cause of the mutiny was unclear, but Bligh's harshness had been offered as a possible explanation. It had also been suggested that the sailors had been beguiled by the charms of the native Tahitian women. One mutineer, John Adams, talked of the possibility of starting a new life on one of the many remote South Sea islands.
1918 Death of Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian revolutionary assassin who caused World War I by killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.
1919 After negotiations lasting three months the five Great Powers -Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States - agreed the terms of the post-war settlement. Despite the moderating influences of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and, especially, US President Woodrow Wilson, France insisted on her pound of flesh. French premier Georges Clemenceau, known as "the tiger", was hell-bent on recouping France's losses to Germany after the last conflict between the two countries in the 1870s. The major clauses of the Versailles Treaty agreed in Paris provided for war reparations to France, a limit on the size of Germany's armed forces and the creation of a League of Nations to safeguard world peace. Alsace and Lorraine had been restored to France and the Saar placed under French administration.
1923 The first FA Cup Final was held at Wembley Stadium.
1936 King Fu'ad of Egypt, who became monarch when Britain granted limited independence to Egypt in 1922, died aged 68.
1945 Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was shot and strung up head down by his own countrymen. The man once called "Il Duce", the leader, was now seen as little better than a common criminal. The same treatment was meted out to his mistress, Claretta Petacci.
1953 Japan was finally allowed the self-government of which it had been stripped after World War II.
1965 US marines intervened in an attempted communist coup.
1969 French president General de Gaulle resigned.
1977 In Germany, Baader-Meinhof group terrorists Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan Raspe were jailed for life - Ulrike Meinhof, one of the leaders of the gang which was dedicated to the violent overthrow of capitalist society, had already died in jail the previous year.
1980 The screen's master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, died in Los Angeles aged 80. The ghastly thrills which Hitchcock injected into his films were worked out in minute detail before he began filming. His unique brand of visual storytelling invariably centred upon his chief preoccupations of sin and confession, a reflection perhaps of his Jesuit upbringing. Some of Hitchcock's early work in Hollywood was marred by studio intervention. Potentially interesting subjects evident in Spellbound and Notorious, for example, tended to be submerged beneath a superficial Hollywood gloss. His most famous film, Psycho, starring Antony Perkins, was rejected by all the major studios, forcing Hitchcock to finance it himself. The film's success made him a millionaire. The film industry's ultimate accolade, an Oscar, eluded Hitchcock to the end, despite the fact that at least a dozen of his works are considered masterpieces.
1987 American real estate agents arrived in London with the intention of selling back to the Brits a famous purchase that they made 18 years ago. Yes, London Bridge was back on the market. The difference, apart from the price tag - £30 million as opposed to $1 million - was that the purchaser would not be allowed to transport the mammoth artefact back to Britain. Offered with the bridge was virtually the whole of downtown Lake Havasau City, the desert new town where oil mogul Robert McCulloch, rebuilt his purchase, brick by brick. The story goes that McCulloch bought London Bridge in mistake for the more picturesque Tower Bridge. Only after spending $3.7 million (£2 million) erecting the bridge did he realise his error.
1988 Twenty-eight-year-old Sian Edwards became the first woman to conduct at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
1992 Death of Francis Bacon, Irish-born painter.
1992 Death of Olivier Messiaen, French composer.
1999 It was announced that Tony Hall, the BBC’s head of News, had received death threats from a Serb over the Nato’s bombing of a Serbian TV studio. His personal security was stepped up following the murder of TV presenter Jill Dando a few days earlier.
1999 Following England’s 1-1 draw with Hungary in Budapest, temporary boss Kevin Keegan announced that he wanted the job on a full-time basis. He said he would be trying to sort out terms with Fulham FC over the next few days.
2000 The Lowry Centre in Manchester was officially opened. Although it was criticised as to not being totally complete; there were concerns over general safety due to construction work.
2000 Manchester City beat Birmingham 1-0 to go five points clear at the top of Division 1. Hopefully they would be promoted to the Premiership as Champions.
2000 Ruud Van Nistelrooy snapped his cruciate ligament in a training session. Manchester United said they would no longer be buying the PSV Eindhoven star.
2000 The American government announced that it was to split Microsoft in to two separate firms.
2003 Actor Chris Bisson hurt himself in a tree fall during "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here".
2003 Experts said that three paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Gauguin stolen from a Manchester gallery could be repaired.
2003 Quiz show Mastermind returned to the BBC with radio presenter John Humphrys asking the questions.
2003 Alan Shearer was ruled out of Newcastle's last two games of the season with an ankle injury.
2004 A fugitive Moroccan was charged with belonging to an al-Qaeda cell that helped plan the 9/11 attacks.
2004 Pop star George Michael was named the most played artist on British radio over the past 20 years.
2004 Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan and her husband were ordered to pay 1,500 euros to their former nanny.
2004 Stephen Hendry took on Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Championships semi-finals.
2005 MPs in Iraq approved a new government, but top posts remained unfilled despite weeks of negotiations.
2005 A South African farmer and his employee were found guilty of murdering a farm worker and feeding him to lions.
2005 TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough and former Commons Speaker Baroness Boothroyd joined the Order of Merit.

BIRTHDAYS (for 28 April 2006)
King Edward IV, 564 (born 28 April 1442)
English monarch, Yorkist leader during the Wars of the Roses who was crowned after defeating the Lancastrians at Mortimer's Cross and Towton in 1461.
James Monroe, 248 (born 28 April 1758)
American statesman and fifth president whose Monroe Doctrine declared that no European power would colonise any part of America.
Charles Sturt, 211 (born 28 April 1795)
English explorer who made his name for his Australian expeditions.
Lionel Barrymore, 128 (born 28 April 1878)
American actor who appeared in 144 films between 1909 and 1953.
Kenneth Kaunda, 82 (born 28 April 1924)
Zambian president who was imprisoned in 1958 for founding the Zambian African National Congress when the country was still Northern Rhodesia.
Ann-Margrait (Olsson), 65 (born 28 April 1941)
Swedish-born actress, singer and dancer whose films include `Carnal Knowledge', `The Cincinnati Kid', and `Tommy'
Jay Leno, 56 (born 28 April 1950)
American TV host
Lady Helen Windsor, 42 (born 28 April 1964)
John Daly, 40 (born 28 April 1966)
Golfer
Howard Donald, 36 (born 28 April 1970)
Former member of `Take That'

Today's The Day - 26th April

26th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Bragay of St Cletus,
St Riquier,
St Stephen of Perm,
St Peter,
St Franca of Piacenza,
and St Paschasius Radbertus.

History Test for April 26th
Born today in 1918, who became the first woman to win four Olympic Gold medals? -Fanny Blankers-Koen
Today in 1865, Abraham Lincoln's assassin was shot dead. Name him. -John Wilkes Booth
Who married the Duke of York today in 1923? -Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon - the future Queen Mother
At which site did the world's worst nuclear accident occur today in 1986? -Chernobyl
Born today in 1765, who was Horatio Nelson's mistress? -Emma, Lady Hamilton

QUOTE
"There's no such thing as a bad Picasso, but some are less good than others." - Pablo Picasso on Picasso - one of his paintings sold for a record $532,000 today, 1967.

Events today...
1865 As the American Civil War drew to its close, General Johnston surrendered at Durham station.
1865 Doubts were being cast on the claim that the man shot in Virginia in the early hours of the morning was indeed the killer of President Lincoln. Federal troops arrived at the farm of Richard Garrett, near Port Royal, after a tip-off that John Wilkes Booth, the president's alleged killer, and an accomplice were hiding in Garrett's tobacco barn. At about 3am the barn was set alight and "Booth" was shot, although whether by his own hand or a soldier's was unclear. The man lingered, conscious but saying very little, for some four hours before expiring. The body was then take back to Washington. Unequivocal identification was not possible because the body was so badly disfigured. The authorities' wished to close the case as speedily as possible, was to be hampered by the allegation that Booth, an ex-Confederate secret agent, did not in fact mastermind the president's assassination.
1874 French art critic Louis Leroy lampooned a group of artists, whom he termed "impressionists", whose works were on display at a studio in the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. His satirical article appeared in the periodical Charivari and centred on the lack of precision, and concern for symmetry and detail in the pictures. It seemed that the paintings had to be looked at from a distance if the viewer was to perceive the unifying elements in them, namely light and the interplay of coloured reflections. According to Leroy, art-lovers who appreciated classical art of the type practised by members of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture would have been well advised to retreat as far away as possible - or avoid looking at them at all. The exhibition had not created much of a stir among Parisian art-lovers, but perhaps it would now as a result of M. Leroy's bit of mischief. Among the 28 painters exhihiting were Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet.
1900 In Canada, a raging fire enveloped Hull and Ottawa, rendering 12,000 homeless.
1915 Allied troops landed at Cape Helles, in the Dardanelles.
1921 London saw its first motor cycle patrols.
1923 The Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, were married in Westminster Abbey.
1937 The civil war in Spain took a sinister and devastating turn on this day with the sudden and horrific bombing by German planes of the medieval Basque town of Guernica. The town was crowded with people who had come in from the surrounding area for market day. Much of the damage was caused by incendiary bombs which exploded into flames on landing. Survivors said that the aircraft also strafed the town with machine-gun fire, causing additional casualties. The attack was to inflame Republican sympathisers who alleged that the support given by the German and Italian governments to the rebel Nationalist forces of Fascist leader General Franco were in direct contravention of the non-intervention agreement reached by the League of Nations the previous year. The Soviet Union was the only country to extend a helping hand to the Republican government, although an International Brigade recruited from among opponents of fascism in several European countries had rallied to the Republican.
1940 Death of Karl Bosch German metallurgist and chemist.
1944 Russian and American forces met near Torgau in East Germany.
1957 English astronomer Patrick Moore presented the first broadcast of The Sky at Night.
1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to become the Republic of Tanzania.
1968 The largest underground nuclear device ever to be tested in the USA exploded in Nevada.
1970 Gypsy Rose Lee, dubbed "the queen of burlesque", died. She was 56. Her career began when she was only six years old and encompassed striptease, the theatre, movies, writing and, latterly, hosting a TV chat show. The events of her colourful early life were the ingredients that went into a famous Broadway musical and, later, a movie. The chief character of Gypsy was the star's indomitable mother, Rose, the driving force behind Miss Lee's success. Lee, however, was quite a character in her own right, as two quotes of hers reveal: "Royalties are all very well but shaking the beads brings in the money quicker"; and, "God is love, but get it in writing".
1975 In Portugal's first free elections for 50 years, former exile Mario Soares emerged the victor, as leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party.
1980 Death of Cicely Courtneidge, British actress.
1984 William "Count" Basie, American jazz pianist and bandleader, died aged 79.
1986 Death of Broderick Crawford, US film actor.
1986 Radioactive material was leaked from a damaged nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine; the effects could be measured thousands of miles away.
1989 American TV's queen of comedy, Lucille Ball, died on this day in an LA hospital after a heart attack, aged 77. She had recently undergone major heart surgery. The zany redheaded actress shot to fame in 1951 when she and her husband, Desi Arnaz, launched America's first TV sitcom, I Love Lucy- initially turned down by every major studio.
1999 TV presenter Jill Dando was shot dead outside her home in Fulham. She was 38. The murderer, a smart dressed man, had waited an hour for her to show up.
2003 Explosions at an arms dump in Baghdad which killed at least 12 civilians fuelled anti-US protests.
2003 The Pope voiced deep regret over Cuba's execution of hijackers and urges clemency for jailed dissidents.
2003 A Russian rocket headed for the International Space Station on the first manned mission since the shuttle disaster.
2003 The Polish Prime Minister, Leszek Miller, denied any role in a bribery scandal, testifying before a parliamentary panel.
2003 Arsenal's draw at Bolton left Man Utd in pole position to win the Premier League title.
2003 Bradford Bulls beat Leeds Rhinos 22-20 to win a classic Challenge Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.
2003 Arsenal missed the chance to top the Premiership as they lost a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Bolton.
2003 Michael Owen scored his 100th Premiership goal as Liverpool beat West Brom 6-0 at the Hawthorns.
2004 EU ministers decided to release 260m euros to northern Cyprus after it supported a UN reunification plan.
2004 Arabic TV broadcast a tape purportedly from militants threatening to kill three Italian hostages within five days.
2004 Three Irishmen were acquitted of training rebels in Colombia but were sentenced on a false passports charge.
2004 A man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the "brutal" and "savage" murder of Finnish student Suvi Aronen.
2004 Veteran broadcaster Michael Parkinson said he decided to move to ITV after BBC bosses tried to move his chat show slot.
2005 Angry opposition supporters erected burning barricades in Togo's capital as the son of the former leader won the presidential poll.

BIRTHDAYS (for 26 April 2006)
Marcus Aurelius, 1885 (born 26 April 121AD)
Roman emperor who was known as the philosopher emperor on account of his work Meditations, which consisted of 12 volumes of aphorisms in the Stoic tradition.
Leonardo da Vinci, 554 (born 26 April 1452)
Italian painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, engineer and inventor.
Eugène Delacroix, 208 (born 26 April 1798)
French painter who left more than 9,000 paintings, pastels, and drawings in his studio upon his death.
Michel Fokine, 126 (born 26 April 1880)
Russian choreographer who worked with Diaghilev's Ballet Russes in Paris, for whom he choreographed The Firebird and Petrushka.
Anita Loos, 113 (born 26 April 1893)
American novelist, poet and screenwriter, best-known for the book and film Gentleman Prefer Blondes.
Rudolf Hess, 112 (born 26 April 1894)
German Nazi leader who was Hitler's deputy in the early part of World War II but was imprisoned by the British when he flew to Scotland on a peace mission.
David Coleman, 80 (born 26 April 1926)
BBC Sports commentator and host of `Question of Sport'
Jack Douglas, 79 (born 26 April 1927)
actor/comedian
Derek Waring, 76 (born 26 April 1930)
actor
Carol Burnett, 70 (born 26 April 1936)
comedienne
Duane Eddy, 68 (born 26 April 1938)
American pop guitarist.
Koo Stark, 50 (born 26 April 1956)
Celebrity photographer, once romantically linked with Prince Andrew
Roger Taylor, 46 (born 26 April 1960)
pop musician (Duran Duran)
Dean Austin, 36 (born 26 April 1970)
footballer

Multiple Choice Quiz

1. Which two counties were the first to play each other at international cricket?
a) England & Australia b) India & West Indies or c) Canada & The USA
Answer c) Canada & The USA - 1884
2. Which Monarch owned the first wristwatch in England?
a) Queen Elizabeth I b) King Henry VIII or c) King George III
Answer a) Queen Elizabeth I - the first minute hand on watches was introduced in 1670!
3. Which was the first building in England to be fitted with a lightning conductor?
a) Buckingham Palace b) St Paul's Cathedral or c) The Tower of London
Answer b) St Paul's Cathedral
4. What was the first vegetable to be cultivated by man?
a) The Pea b) Lettuce or c) Broad Bean
Answer c) Broad Bean - and the first frozen vegetable was asparagus!
5. Who intoduced the game of Marbles into Britain?
a) The Romans b) The Vikings or c) Ancient Greeks
Answer a) The Romans - and the German's are current World Champions!
6. In which year were the first car ignition keys used?
a) 1909 b) 1919 or c) 1929
Answer c) 1929 - until then you had to turn the starting handle!
7. Who was the first cartoon character to have a statue erected in their honour?
a) Felix the Cat b) Popeye the Sailorman or c) Bugs Bunny
Answer b) Popeye - the statue was fastened to the plinth on which it stands by a mixture of concrete and spinach!
8. In San Franciso there is a road named after a Chinese resident called Mr Wong, is it called?
a) Wong Ave b) Wong Street or c) Wong Way
Answer c) Wong Way - I kid you not!!!
9. During his or her lifetime, the average person in the West eats food equivalent to the weight of how many Elephants?
a) Three b) Six or c) Nine
Answer b) Six Elephants (Topical at the moment!)
10. The Olympic games are being held in Athens later this year, how many verses has the Greek National Anthem?
a) 58 b) 98 or c) 158
Answer c) 158 - can you imagine having to learn that at school!
11. Geronimo, the great Apache leader, was not really called Geronimo, his real name was Goyathlay, which meant what in the Apache language?
a) one who leads b) one who teaches or c) one who yawns
Answer c) one who yawns - better than 'one who snores'!
12. What did the kind people of America send to the Queen on the birth of Prince Charles?
a) one and a half tons of nappies b) one and a half tons of baby food or c) one and a half tons of baby cream
Answer a) one and a half tons of nappies! - or should that be diapers?
13. Spain was originally known as Spania, which means land of the what?
a) Dogs b) Rabbits or c) Pigs
Answer b) Land of the Rabbits
14. Who is the only British Monarch to have been born in a private house rather than a palace, castle or royal residence?
a) Queen Anne b) Queen Victoria or c) Queen Elizabeth II
Answer c) Queen Elizabeth II
15. The first protective hard hats were worn by workers building what?
a) The Vatican b) The Eiffel Tower or c) Empire State Building
Answer a) The Vatican in Rome
16. The first motorist to be booked for speeding was travelling at what speed?
a) 8mph b) 12mph or c) 20mph
Answer a) 8mph - in a 2mph area and the policeman who caught him overtook the speeding car on a bicycle!
17. Dr Guillotine invented the guillotine as a way of executing people without causing unneccessary pain and suffering but in which year was it first used?
a) 1592 b) 1692 or c) 1792
Answer c) 1792 - 25th April to be precise!
18. The first cookery lesson on TV taught viewers how to cook what?
a) a Quiche b) an Omelette or c) Lancashire Hot-pot
Answer b) an Omelette
19. After he'd appeared in his first concert, Elvis Presley was advised to give up music and become a what?
a) A Farmer b) Lorry Driver or c) Preacher
Answer b) A Lorry Driver
20. The first World Cup contest was held in Uruguay in 1930, but because it was so far away how many European countries sent teams?
a) Four b) Five or c) Six
Answer a) Four

Did You Know?
One ordinary bucket of water could produce enough fog to cover an area of more than 250 square metres with a blanket 15 metres deep!!

Everton legend Labone dies at 66

Former Everton captain Brian Labone has died at the age of 66 after collapsing outside his Merseyside home.
Labone joined Everton at 17, making 534 appearances for the Toffees in a career in which he was only booked twice.
Rated one of the best central defenders of his era, Labone won two Championship titles and an FA Cup winner's medal with the Toffees.
He also won 26 caps for England, playing in three of England's four matches at the 1970 Word Cup in Mexico.
Labone joined Everton as a teenager in preference to going to university and although initially part of England's 1966 World Cup squad, he withdrew because of his impending marriage.
His playing career was ended during the 1970-71 season through an Achilles tendon injury, but he remained with Everton, working for the club in a commercial capacity.

Win a £50 Amazon voucher

A striking new shelter protects a walker at a British seaside resort. Which one?

The closing date for entries is midnight on April 26 2006

REGISTER ON SITE TO ENTER HERE

Grandstand finish

Grandstand presenters included [from left]: David Icke, Des Lynam, Bob Wilson, Steve Rider and Sally Jones

The BBC's flagship sports show Grandstand has being axed after 48 years, as part of a review aimed at adapting to the emerging world of digital broadcasting.
Mark Thompson, the director general, is to make the announcement this morning as part of a review aimed at adapting to the emerging world of digital broadcasting.

The intention is to overhaul BBC Sport's screen format. Grandstand, launched by Peter Dimmock on Oct 11, 1958, is being phased out to meet the demands of modern viewers who follow sport on the internet, interactive TV, mobile phones and screens in pubs.
An insider said last night that the BBC intended to make its sports coverage "the most advanced digital" production in the world.
The idea is to put on more stand-alone programmes for people who may be returning from an afternoon on the football terraces. A typical event would be last Saturday's Chelsea v Liverpool match, which was broadcast at 5.15 pm and attracted a huge audience of 9.7 million viewers.
Digital TV viewers already have access to round-the-clock coverage of snooker via the red button on the screen. Senior executives at the BBC believe that broadband and the onset of high definition TV later this year could spark a broadcasting revolution.
Grandstand, along with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, has been fixed in the calendar for so long that it inevitably became a target for the review, which is examining programming and content throughout news, music, drama, comedy and fare for children.
Grandstand, created by Paul Fox and Bryan Cowgill, has had only a few presenters, with the once ubiquitous David Coleman taking over almost immediately from Dimmock.
Frank Bough, Desmond Lynam, and Steve Rider were the other anchormen. Among the occasional hosts have been Alan Weeks, Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine, David Vine, Dougie Donnelly, Harry Carpenter, John Inverdale, Tony Gubba, Helen Rollason, Ray Stubbs and Sue Barker.
The show's memorable theme tune was composed especially by Keith Mansfield, and will be continued under the BBC Sport brand. Grandstand's dominance of Saturday afternoon television was such that in 1981, a spin-off, Sunday Grandstand, was launched on BBC2.
Just about every event has been covered including the Boat Race - now on ITV - Wimbledon, the FA Cup Final, the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the Grand National and the Football World Cup. As the final whistle approached in football games across the nation, an innovative digital device, the Teleprinter, brought the results, with each character displayed one by one.
New technology moved it to the Videprinter. There was also Final Score for football pools fans, which has already been removed from Grandstand to its own show. Only two people have regularly read out the classified football results on the programme: the Australian Len Martin, from the initial show until his death 11 years ago, and Tim Gudgin.
World of Sport was Grandstand's big rival between 1965 and 1985, but ITV dropped the show and now runs old films between big events such as the Formula 1 San Marino Grand Prix.
In fact, Grandstand is already being chopped up, with the Football Focus segment now starting sports coverage just after noon on Saturday. The Grandstand brand also disappeared during the coverage of the Commonwealth Games and the Winter Olympics.
The move will mean virtually all the big events such as the Derby, the Grand National, FA Cup football, England's home internationals and Six Nations rugby union, will go out under the BBC Sport banner.
The BBC retains a vast range of sporting events, among them Wimbledon, the Olympics until 2012, the football World Cup until 2014, Six Nations rugby, live England football until 2008, and The Masters to Open golf.

Source

Fruit & Veg Trivia

Give Me 5! Trivia
How Well Do You Know Your Fruits & Vegetables?
Click any of the selections below to learn more:
Apples
Corn
Kiwi
Tangerine
Broccoli
Cranberries
Peaches
Tomatoes
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Watermelon
Celery
Fresh Orange
Spinach
Cherry
Grapefruit
Strawberries

Source - http://www.wcboe.k12.md.us/content/d_s_food_trivia.cfm

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Four Editions of Trivia Times, the magazine for the Quizmaster have been issued so far this year and No.5 is out on May 6th.

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The Official UK Charts

Keep Up To date With

The Very Latest TOP 75 Singles
&

The Latest Top 75 Albums Chart

UK Top Ten Singles and Albums 1952-2005

The UK Top Ten database lists all the singles, albums and EPs to have made the UK Top Ten since 1952. Hits are grouped under the act in question, and includes the following information: musicians, songwriters, producers, record label and numbers, and complete chart runs for singles between 1952 and 2004. The database is continually being updated, and we would welcome any extra information and details of omissions and errors.
The database now includes all Top 50 singles, and Top 20 EPs and albums from 1952 to 1962

INDEXES
Acts
Musicians
Songs
Songwriters
Producers
Record labels
How to use the database

Further Reference Material - CHARTWATCH

Today's The Day - April 25th

25th April 2006
Anzac Day in Australia.

Religious events today...
Saint Mark's Day.
Feast day of St Mark the Evangelist,
St Heribald,
and St Anianus of Alexandria.

History Test for April 25th
Born today in 1932, who is the longest serving resident of `Coronation Street’? -William Roache
Which Daniel Defoe novel about a castaway was published today in 1719? -`Robinson Crusoe'
Born today in 1284, who was the first English heir apparent to be named Prince of Wales? -Edward II
Today in 1983, `Stern' magazine published the first instalment of what famous forgery? -The `Hitler Diaries'
Name the director of the film `The Third Man', who died today in 1976. -Sir Carol Reed

Events today...
1595 Death of Torquato Tasso, Italian poet.
1660 The English parliament voted for the restoration of the monarchy.
1719 Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe was published in London.
1774 Death of Anders Celsius, the Swedish astronomer who devised the centigrade temperature scale.
1792 The guillotine, Dr Guillotin's much-improved device for beheading people, was first used in Paris to remove the head of a highwayman.
1800 Death of William Cowper, English poet.
1859 Work began on the Suez Canal, supervised by the French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, who designed it.
1872 CB Fry, England football and cricket international, was born. As a cricketer he played for Sussex and Hampshire and was capped 26 times. In football he played for Southampton. Fry, an all round super-sportsman, also set a world long jump record in 1893 and played rugby for the Barbarians.
1915 Over 90,000 allied troops, most of them British and Australian, met stiff resistance from Turkish forces as they stormed ashore on the Gallipoli peninsula. The aim of the landings was to seize the Turkish forts guarding the approaches to Constantinople and open up a route to assist Russian forces. The landings were described by observers as a triumph of naval improvisation, for no purpose-built landing craft were provided and the troops received no special training for the task. Luckily for the Allies, they landed at the extreme end of the peninsula and some way from the main Turkish forces, which are commanded by Mustapha Kemal under the direction of the German general Liman von Sanders. Since the failure of the Anglo-French fleet to penetrate the main Turkish defences, Kemal's two divisions were reinforced to six, one more than the five at the disposal of the British commander, Sir Ian Hamilton.
1925 Paul von Hindenburg was elected President of Germany.
1926 Puccini's opera Turandot, was premiered with Arturo Toscanini as conductor.
1953 The world of science moved several steps closer to understanding man's genetic make-up with the publication of a paper which established the structure and function of DNA. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecules which store an individual's genetic code. British scientist Francis Crick and American biologist James Watson, both of whom worked at Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge, built a model which showed how the strands of DNA were coiled in a double-helix and connected by hydrogen bonds between the bases. DNA had been identified as the most important substance in the transmission of hereditary characteristics. The implications for medical science could not be over-estimated. The finding would undoubtedly help research into the prevention and detection of hereditary diseases. The break-through was made possible by the work of the Irish biophysicist Maurice Wilkins, whose X-ray diffraction studies enabled Crick and Watson to build their model.
1956 American heavyweight boxer Rocky Marciano retired unbeaten.
1959 The St Lawrence Seaway was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and President Eisenhower, linking the Atlantic with ports on the Great Lakes.
1960 Ten blacks were shot dead in Mississippi after the latest in a succession of racially inspired incidents.
1964 Tranmere Rovers needed just four seconds to score against Bradford Park Avenue and set a Football League record.
1964 The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen lost her head to thieves.
1969 The radio serial Mrs Dale's Diary ended after 21 years and 5,400 episodes. Her last words were: "I'm rather worried about Jim."
1975 The first free elections for 50 years were held in Portugal, resulting in a precarious Socialist government.
1976 Death of Carol Reed, English film director.
1982 Death of British actress Celia Johnson, perhaps best-known for Brief Encounter.
1983 In Germany, Stern published extracts from the so-called Hitler Diaries, also published by the Sunday Times in Britain. They were later found to be forgeries.
1988 Death of Clifford Simak, American journalist and science-fiction author.
1990 The Hubble space telescope was launched from the space shuttle Discovery.
1997 Bolton Wanderers played their last game at Burnden Park, their home for 102 years, against Charlton Athletic. Bolton had already won the First Division championship and looked forward to the following season in the Premiership; the game was a mere formality.
1997 Terrorist traffic chaos hit the motorway network in Britain. Two bombs exploded under an electricity pylon near the M6 in the Midlands, as the IRA caused more disruption to Britain's transport system. Sections of the M6, M5, M1 and M18 were closed for most of the day, along with Leeds, Birmingham and Nottingham town centres. Luton Airport was evacuated.
1999 Dozens of passengers were worried unnecessarily on a flight from San Francisco to Heathrow when a recorded announcement was played by error, telling that they were about to plunge into the Ocean. Cabin crew had to treat passengers for shock. (How many do you think would go up in a plane again?)
1999 A man was shot dead in a pub in Rochdale whilst watching the Manchester United v Leeds United. This was only days after five were shot dead in a bus queue in the town.
2003 Beijing sealed a key hospital and ordered 4,000 people to stay at home, as it announcesda $400m fund to tackle SARS.
2003 Iraq's former Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, was being questioned by American officials following his arrest.
2003 The hijacker of a bus in Bremen, Germany, released all his hostages unharmed and surrendered after a dramatic motorway chase.
2003 Mourners gather to say farewell to jazz legend Nina Simone in the French town of Carry-le-Rouet.
2003 Stephen Hendry struggled to see off the challenge of fellow Scot Drew Henry 13-10.
2004 The opposition candidate was elected president of Austria - the first Social Democrat to hold the post since 1986.
2004 Arsenal won the Premiership title after a draw with rivals Spurs.
2004 Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix for his fourth victory in a row.
2004 A last-gasp try from Trevor Leota gave Wasps a 37-32 Heineken Cup semi-final win against Munster.
2005 Tickets for a marathon screening of all six Star Wars films sold out in five minutes.

BIRTHDAYS (for 25 April 2006)
King Edward II, 722 (born 25 April 1284)
English monarch and first heir-apparent to take the title Prince of Wales.
Oliver Cromwell, 447 (born 25 April 1559)
English soldier and statesman, Lord Protector of England 1653-8.
Mark Isambard Brunel, 237 (born 25 April 1769)
French-born British engineer
Walter de la Mare, 133 (born 25 April 1873)
English poet and novelist
Guglielmo Marconi, 132 (born 25 April 1874)
Italian electrical engineer who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1909 for his work on the transmission and reception of radio waves.
Edward Murrow, 100 (born 25 April 1906)
American broadcaster and journalist whose broadcasts to the US from London during World War II won much US sympathy for the embattled Britons.
Ella Fitzgerald, 88 (born 25 April 1918)
American jazz singer.
David Shepherd, 75 (born 25 April 1931)
artist
Meadowlark Lemon, 74 (born 25 April 1932)
basketball player.
William Roache, 74 (born 25 April 1932)
Coronation Street actor
Jerry Lieber, 73 (born 25 April 1933)
songwriter
Al Pacino, 67 (born 25 April 1939)
American actor who found stardom in The Godfather.
Earl of Lichfield, 67 (born 25 April 1939)
photographer
Al Pacino, 67 (born 25 April 1939)
actor
Bjorn Ulvaeus, 61 (born 25 April 1945)
pop musician (Abba)
Digby Fairweather, 60 (born 25 April 1946)
jazz musician/broadcaster
Johan Cruyff, 59 (born 25 April 1947)
(soccer) -- Former Dutch international who enjoyed great success as a manager at Ajax and Barcelona
Eric Bristow, 49 (born 25 April 1957)
(darts) -- Winner of a record five world professional championships
Fish (Derek William Dick), 48 (born 25 April 1958)
rock singer
Andy Bell, 42 (born 25 April 1964)
pop musician (Erasure)

Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has claimed the

Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award.
It is the first time the 25-year-old has been named player of the year by his peers, although he was Young Player of the Year in 2001.

PFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1996: Les Ferdinand (Newcastle)
1997: Alan Shearer (Newcastle)
1998: Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)
1999: David Ginola (Tottenham)
2000: Roy Keane (Man Utd)
2001: Teddy Sheringham (Man Utd)
2002: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd)
2003: Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
2004: Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
2005: John Terry (Chelsea)
2006: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Today's The Day - April 24th

24th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Mellitus,
St Egbert,
St Wilfrid,
St Ives,
St Fidelis,
St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier,
and St William Firmatus.

History Test for April 24th
Born today in 1942 who starred in the films `Funny Girl' and `The Way We Were'? -Barbra Streisand
The song `Ebony and Ivory' reached the top of the UK pop charts today in 1982. Who performed it with Paul McCartney? -Stevie Wonder
Born today in 1743, who invented the power loom? -Edmund Cartwright
Today in 1989 who became the first National Hunt jockey to ride 200 winners in a season over jumps? -Peter Scudamore
In which city did the Easter Uprising take place today in 1916? -Dublin

QUOTE
"Any institution which does not suppose the people good, and the magistrate corruptible, is evil." - Maximilien Robespierre, in the declaration of Human Rights, on this day, 1793.

Events today...
1558 Mary, Queen of Scots married the French Dauphin.
1731 Death of Daniel Defoe, British journalist, novelist and economist, author of Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders.
1800 The US Library of Congress was founded in Washington DC.
1858 The best and biggest bell in the world, Big Ben, was finally ready to be hung in the clock tower of Westminster Palace, at the second attempt. The year before Messrs Warner of Cripplegate transported to London a giant bell cast at their Stockton works, only to have it cracked after being pounded by a 13-hundred-weight clapper fitted on the orders of Edward Denison, the man in charge of the project. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry were hoping that their recasting of metal from the cracked bell would fare better - it was only designed to have a four hundredweight hammer. It was due to be sounded the following month.
1866 President Andrew Johnson's programme of reconstruction in the wake of the Civil War was attracting much criticism. In the South a secret society called the Ku Klux Klan was formed by ex-Confederates dedicated to the principle of "white supremacy". The Klan hoped to stem the libertarian tide towards blacks by waging a war of terror against them. Meanwhile, radical Republicans said that Johnson was allowing provisional governments in the South to undermine blacks' rights.
1890 The Actuary Society of America was formed.
1895 US sailor Joshua Slocum forth from Boston, USA, to sail single-handed around the world; the voyage took just over three years.
1916 A bloody uprising against British rule threw Dublin into chaos. The day after Easter Sunday, a force of around 2000 Irish para-militaries succeeded in seizing the General Post Office. Street fighting continued as the rebels battled to establish positions in other areas of the city. The leaders of the rebellion, named as Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett and James Connolly, proclaimed a provisional Republican government. Given the military weight against them, however, it would only be a matter of time before they are forced to surrender. The uprising came two years after the decision by the British Liberal PM Herbert Asquith to suspend implementation of the Home Rule for Ireland bill until hostilities with Germany ceased. In this time there had been an increase in support for para-military groups committed to the aim of immediate independence for Ireland.
1939 Robert Menzies became prime minister of Australia as leader of the United Australia Party.
1947 Death of Willa Cather, US novelist.
1949 The remaining rationing of foodstuffs in post-war Britain came to an end as British children gained unlimited access to sweets.
1967 The Russian spacecraft Soyuz 1 crashed, killing astronaut Vladimir Komarov.
1970 The Gambia was declared a republic within the Commonwealth.
1974 Death of Bud Abbott, US comedian.
1980 An attempt by crack forces to rescue the 53 American hostages held captive in the US embassy in the Iranian capital Teheran since November ended in humiliating failure. Eight helicopters took off from US aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Oman early in the morning to rendezvous with a 97-man "Delta" rescue team at a remote area in the desert, codenamed Desert One. Dust storms forced down two of the helicopters short of the target area and another aircraft developed hydraulic problems, forcing the abandonment of the rescue bid. As the helicopters and six giant C-130 Galaxy transports attempted to retreat, one of the five remaining helicopters flew into one of the Galaxies, engulfing the two in flames. The deaths of eight US servicemen and the loss of five pieces of expensive military hardware were a bitter blow to president Jimmy Carter.
1986 Death of Bill Edrich, English cricketer.
1986 Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, for whom a British king gave up his throne, died.
1989 Herbert von Karajan resigned as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Karajan cited failing health as his reason for ending the 34-year relationship with the orchestra. Earlier in the year West Berlin's Culture Senator, Volker Hassemer, agreed to the 80-year-old conductor's proposal that the annual number of his concerts in Berlin be halved to six. The recent election of a Social Democrat-Green Party coalition brought the less sympathetic Frau Anke Martiny to the post held previously by Herr Hassemer. Frau Martiny, who shared the Left's general dislike of the maestro for his alleged Nazi past, made it clear that Karajan should retire.
1990 One of Britain's most notorious criminals, Charles Wilson, was murdered as he sat beside the swimming pool of his villa in Marbella, Spain. His killer coolly pumped three bullets into him before shooting his alsatian guard dog, then escaping on a yellow mountain bike. The killing was thought to be the work of a British "hit man" sent by a rival drug baron. Wilson, 57, was known to have been involved in drug smuggling and had ambitions to become the Mr Big of the trade on the Costa del Sol. The "treasurer" of the £2.6 million haul from the Great Train Robbery in 1963, Wilson moved to Spain with his wife Pat two years earlier. He was released from prison in 1978 after serving 11 years 4 months of a 30-year sentence for his part in the robbery.
1997 George Musgrove, who invented double yellow lines fifty years previous, found himself with a parking ticket after pulling up on a single yellow line to run an errand for his wife in the local shops.
1998 Manchester Metropolitan University’s Hollins Building, more affectionately known as The Toast-Rack became a listed building on account of its architectural characteristics.
1998 Great Universal Stores (GUS) took over Argos in an attempt to corner ‘home shopping’. At a meeting of the high street store’s shareholders, 58% were in favour of the move.
2003 Officials of the US military announced it had the former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz in custody.
2003 North Korea confirmed it had nuclear weapons, as the first direct talks with the US for months finished early.
2003 China brought in tough measures to try to curb the spread of the SARS virus, as many fled the capital.
2003 Police filed charges against Milosevic and eight others over the murder of ex-Serb president Ivan Stambolic.
2003 Pianist Jamie Cullum signed a £1m deal with Universal, the company believed he could become the "David Beckham of jazz".
2003 A Henrik Larsson goal gave Celtic a 1-0 win over Boavista and took them through to the UEFA Cup final.
2003 West Ham unveiled Trevor Brooking as their caretaker manager for the rest of the season.
2004 More than 75% of Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan to reunite Cyprus, ignoring Western pressure.
2004 Prince Johan of the Netherlands wed human rights activist Mabel Wisse Smit - forsaking his claim to the throne.
2004 Dame Shirley Porter agreed a provisional £12.3m settlement over the so-called "homes-for-votes" scandal.
2004 A 42-year-old from Wigan became only the fourth person in the UK to win the £1m jackpot on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
2005 Benedict XVI called for Christians to join together as he was invested as Pope in a packed St Peter's Square.
2005 Ecuador's ousted President Lucio Gutierrez went into exile in Brazil, after being offered asylum.
2005 Sir John Mills, one of Britain's best-known and best-loved actors, died aged 97 after a short illness.
2005 Fernando Alonso held off a stunning Michael Schumacher fightback to win the San Marino Grand Prix.

BIRTHDAYS (for 24 April 2006)
William III, 473 (born 24 April 1533)
king of England known as William of Orange.
Anthony Trollope, 191 (born 24 April 1815)
British novelist who wrote a series of novels set in an imaginary county of Barsetshire.
Philippe Pétain, 150 (born 24 April 1856)
French general and statesman who signed an armistice with Hitler and led the collaborationist Vichy government, thus earning himself life imprisonment after the end of World War II.
Sir Stafford Cripps, 117 (born 24 April 1889)
British Labour Party politician who, as chancellor of the exchequer, imposed an austerity programm
William Joyce, 90 (born 24 April 1916)
American-born British traitor who made propaganda broadcasts for Germany during World War II.
Shirley MacLaine, 72 (born 24 April 1934)
American actress, dancer and writer, Oscar-nominated for Some Came Running, Irma La Douce and The Apartment.
Barbara Streisand, 64 (born 24 April 1942)
American actress and singer, Oscar-winning star of Funny Girl.

Smoky, sweet and even spicy but never, ever 'peaty'

In a single sip, Jilly Goolden would "get" all sorts of things - perhaps newly cut grass, an autumn bonfire, candyfloss at the fair - but all I am getting is peat.
I have tried swilling, nosing, sipping and gulping, but my tasting notes remain the same. Peat. This whisky is peaty. But as luck would have it, my drinking companion has no such difficulty in describing the taste of a single malt whisky.
Dr David Wishart has spent eight years visiting 94 whisky distilleries, tasting their products, and studying the notes of their master distillers.
The result of this selfless research is a definitive list of 12 "cardinal flavours" that can be used to describe any single malt produced in Scotland.
Dr Wishart began developing a scientific analysis of whisky in the nineties, and the results of his research appear in a new edition of his book Whisky Classified: Choosing Single Malts by Flavour.
His system is now endorsed by the industry and today he will be admitted in a ceremony at Blair Castle in Perthshire to the Keepers of the Quaich, an honour bestowed on those who "recognise the nobility of Scotch whisky".
The system offers a new way to classify whisky that replaces the increasingly outdated classification based on geographical area. "The whisky distilleries of Scotland were originally classified by region solely for taxation purposes," says Dr Wishart.
"You can no longer talk about a Speyside malt as if that is a single type of taste. With different levels of peating, cask preparation and finishes, the flavours of single malts are more diverse than ever."
Naturally, I am disappointed that "peaty" does not make the final list. His sensory flavours are - body, sweet, smoky, medicinal, tobacco, honey, spicy, wine, nutty, malty, fruity and floral.
Many more adjectives may appear in tasting notes, but they are all catered for in the list. Laphroaig, my own favourite tipple, is not peaty in Dr Wishart's book. It is smoky and medicinal with a lot of body and some sweetness.
Dr Wishart, 65, a research fellow at the school of management in St Andrews University, first became interested in his subject as an undergraduate when his father introduced him to cask-strength Laphroaig which, he recalls, "blew my head off".
By contrast, the world's most popular single malt is a much easier proposition at lunchtime on Sunday. "Sweet, malty, fruity and floral," says Dr Wishart, having a nose and a sip of 12-year-old Glenfiddich in the old wooden bar of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Leith, Edinburgh.
Purely in the interests of journalistic research, he suggests we try something completely different: Glenfiddich Solera Reserve, a single malt from the same distillery.
"I'm getting sherry," I venture. "Actually, Mr Cramb," I am corrected, "you are getting more honey, it is much richer with a long and satisfying finish. Spicy, malty and fruity."
Of course, I would never say it out loud in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, but they all begin to taste the same if you drink enough.

Today's The Day - St George's Day

23rd April 2006
National Day of England.

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St George,
St Gerard of Toul,
St Ibar,
St Adalbert of Prague,
and Saints Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus.

History Test for April 23rd
Born today in 1775, which great painter produced over 300 oil paintings and 20,000 watercolours? -J.M.W. Turner
In which town was the first Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened today in 1879? -Strattord-upon-Avon
Name the patron saint of England, whose feast is celebrated today. -St. George
At which venue did King George V open the British Empire Exhibition today in 1924? -Wembley Stadium
Today in 1980, Saudi Arabia threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Britain following the screening of which TV programme? -`Death of a Princess'

QUOTE
"I came, I saw, God conquered." - Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, after the Battle of Muhlberg, 1547.

Events today...
1349 English King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter.
1616 Death of Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist and dramatist, author of Don Quixote.
1616 Mr William Shakespeare, a gentleman of substance well-known in theatrical circles, died at New Place, his home in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was 52. He entered the theatre as an actor and was soon engaged as a player by one of the foremost troupes of the day, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The troupe was renamed the King's Men on acquiring the patronage of His Majesty King James I, a keen theatregoer, and went on to hold the pre-eminent position among the theatrical companies of the day. Mr Shakespeare's contribution to their success was not inconsiderable, as he had by this time become a masterly playwright whose tales of life, love and the ever-changing nature of man's condition drew a devoted audience to the company's Globe and Blackfriars theatres. As a shareholder in the company, Mr Shakespeare reaped the rewards of his endeavours and shrewdly invested the proceeds in property in London and Stratford. None of Mr Shakespeare's large body of work, which included poems as well as plays, was available in authorised editions, although plans were afoot to correct this state of affairs. Mr Shakespeare left a wife, Anne, and two daughters, Judith and Susanna.
1661 Charles II was crowned king of Great Britain and Ireland.
1662 Connecticut was declared a British colony.
1850 British poet William Wordsworth died aged 80.
1860 Explorer John Stuart reached the centre of Australia.
1879 The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened at Stratford-on-Avon.
1915 British poet Rupert Brooke died of blood poisoning on his way to active service in the Dardanelles.
1924 The British Empire Exhibition opened at Wembley.
1932 The New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened at Stratford-on-Avon.
1935 Joseph Stalin officially opened the Moscow Underground railway system.
1962 In the biggest-ever Ban the Bomb demonstration, 150,000 people rallied in London's Hyde Park.
1968 Britain's first decimal coins, the 5p and 10p, were issued in preparation for decimalisation.
1969 A Los Angeles jury decided that Sirhan B. Sirhan should be sent to the gas chamber for the murder of Senator Robert Kennedy 10 months earlier. The jury rejected psychiatric evidence that portrayed Sirhan as a psychotic, mentally incapable of premeditated murder. Sirhan claimed to have shot Kennedy to bring attention to the plight of the Palestinian Arabs. He would join the 80 men already on Death Row in San Quentin prison. State law allowed him to appeal.
1986 US Film director Otto Preminger died aged 79.
1990 Death of Paulette Goddard, American actress who starred in Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times.
1992 Death of Satyajit Ray, Indian film director.
1997 The cricket legend Dennis Compton died; he was 88. Not only was he outstanding on the cricket pitch he had also had a sucessful spell playing football.
2003 The SARS travel alert was extended. The WHO advised against travel to Toronto, Beijing and China's Shanxi province amid growing concern about the spread of the deadly virus.
2003 Yasser Arafat and his prime minister Mahmoud Abbas ended a dispute over who would head the security services.
2003 The US warned Iran against interfering in Iraqi politics amid accusations Tehran had sent agents to stir up Shia unrest.
2003 There were scenes of joy as Greek and Turkish Cypriots crossed the green line after 30 years of partition.
2003 The US secretary of state said France would face the consequences for opposing the war in Iraq.
2003 An Iranian actress was handed a suspended sentence of 74 lashes for publicly kissing a male director.
2003 Man Utd beat Real Madrid 4-3 at Old Trafford - but Ronaldo's hat-trick sent them out of the Champions League.
2004 A top aide to the French prime minister quit after he was charged with soliciting sex from a teenage prostitute.
2004 The Danish defence minister resigned amid criticism of government reports of alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
2005 Italy's worst political crisis for four years ended as Silvio Berlusconi formed a new coalition government.
2005 Sir John Mills, one of Britain's best-known and best-loved actors, died aged 97 after a short illness.
2005 Police in Norway charged a third man over the theft of artist Edvard Munch's masterpiece The Scream.
2005 Steve Davis recovered from 8-2 down to beat Michael Holt 13-10 and reach the Crucible quarter-finals.
2005 Sunderland won promotion to the Premiership after they won, and Ipswich only drew at Leeds.

BIRTHDAYS (for 23 April 2006)
Joseph Mallard William Turner, 231 (born 23 April 1775)
English painter and engraver controversial for his innovatory approach to landscape.
Sergei Prokofiev, 115 (born 23 April 1891)
Russian composer and pianist best-known for Peter and the Wolf.
Lester Pearson, 109 (born 23 April 1897)
Canadian statesman, diplomat and prime minister who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his part in settling the Suez crisis.
Dame Ngaio Marsh, 107 (born 23 April 1899)
New Zealand writer of detective novels.
Shirley Temple Black, 78 (born 23 April 1928)
American child star who went on to become US ambassador to Ghana.
Roy Orbison, 70 (born 23 April 1936)
American singer and songwriter who had massive hits with "Pretty Woman" and "Only the Lonely".

Pictograms - 2

Can you work out the Phrase or Saying from each Pictogram.

ANSWERS HIGHLIGHT BELOW

1. BREACH OF CONTRACT
2. LAST DITCH STAND
3. TURN THE HOUSE UPSIDE DOWN
4. ATTORNEY GENERAL
5. SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
6. A PAIR OF TIGHTS
7. STORE IN A DRY PLACE
8. BREAK FOR LUNCH
9. FLAT BROKE
10. NOT ENOUGH TO GO ROUND

Musical Blockbusters - 2

The First Task is to work out the Artist (Singer or Group)

The Initial Letters are all from that artists Greatest Hits

Can You Work Your Way Across from Left to Right with the Songtitles?

ANSWERS - HIGHLIGHT BELOW

THE ARTIST - DAVID BOWIE

SO - SPACE ODDITY

S - STARMAN

JIOD - JOHN I'M ONLY DANCING

D-I S - DRIVE-IN SATURDAY

LOM - LIFE ON MARS

TLG - THE LAUGHING GNOME

S - SORROW

RR - REBEL REBEL

RNRS - ROCK AND ROLL SUICIDE

DD - DIAMOND DOGS

KOW - KNOCK ON WOOD

YA - YOUNG AMERICANS

F - FAME

GY - GOLDEN YEARS

SAV - SOUND AND VISION

H - HEROES

BKS - BOYS KEEP SWINGING

ATA - ASHES TO ASHES

F - FASHION

Useless Fact Of The Day

Today's useless fact:

The Moon weighs 81 billion tons

Why not visit http://www.ufotd.com/

Check out some more uselessfacts?

Today's The Day - 22nd April

22nd April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Theodore of Sykeon,
St Opportuna,
St Agipatus I, pope,
St Leonides of Alexandria,
and Saints Epipodius and Alexander.

History Test for April 22nd
Cynthia Payne spent her first day in prison today in 1980. What was used for currency at her infamous parties? -Luncheon vouchers
Name The Who's rock opera, performed live in its entirety for the first time today in 1969. -`Tommy'
King Henry VII died today in 1509. To which Royal House did he belong? -Tudor
Actor George Cole was born today in 1925. How did his best known character, Arthur Daley, often refer to his wife in TV's `Minder'? -'Er indoors
Car pioneer Henry Royce died today in 1933. What name was given to the first Rolls-Royce, produced in 1906? -`Silver Ghost'

Events today...
1500 On his way to India with 13 ships, Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovered Brazil and claimed it for Portugal.
1662 Death of John Tradescant, English naturalist.
1662 King Charles II granted a charter to the Royal Society of London, which became an important centre of scientific activity in England.
1778 Death of James Hargreaves, English inventor of the spinning jenny.
1821 Death of John Crome, English landscape painter.
1827 Death of Thomas Rowlandson, English caricaturist.
1834 The South Atlantic island of St Helena was declared a British Crown Colony.
1838 The first steamship to cross the Atlantic, the British ship Sirius, arrived at New York; it made the crossing in 18 days.
1876 The reputation of the fast-growing game of baseball looked set to be saved by the formation of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. Most of the teams that made up the discredited National Association of Professional Baseball Players, formed five years earlier, were to join the new league. In five seasons the Association gained an unenviable reputation as a breeding ground for drunkenness, violence and corruption. The league had drawn up a constitution to which each of the eight founder-member clubs had to subscribe. Alcohol was banned from sale at all League grounds and no play was allowed on Sundays. Any club which breached these and other undertakings would be disqualified from the League.
1889 An estimated 200,000 people were on the starting line at noon for the start of a land run in Oklahoma territory. At the crack of the starting pistol the rush was on to stake claims to the two million acres which Congress has agreed should be released for new settlers. Each successful claimant would receive 160 acres of prairie. The race was intended to ensure a fair distribution of the land, but there were reports that some settlers were already in the new territory, making themselves at home. The pressure on the US government from the railroads and land-hungry whites to allow them into Indian territory had been immense. Organised groups of people called Boomers, had been settling there illegally since at least 1879. The Indians could not be sure that the land race would be the last State-endorsed appropriation of their territory.
1908 Death of Henry Campbell-Bannerman, British politician.
1915 The Germans used poison gas for the first time on the Western Front.
1933 Death of Frederick Henry Royce, motor car manufacturer.
1964 British businessman Greville Wynne, imprisoned in the Soviet Union a year earlier for spying, was exchanged for the Soviet agent Gordon Lonsdale.
1969 Sailor Robin Knox Johnston returned to Falmouth after a 312-day solo voyage around the world in his ketch Suhaili.
1971 Haiti's hated leader François Duvalier, known as "Papa Doc", died peacefully in bed, aged 63. By Haitian standards "Papa Doc" lived to a ripe old age - the life span of the average Haitian male was 47 - despite a string of ailments, including diabetes, heart problems and suspected cancer. Duvalier's 14-year regime was remarkable for all the wrong reasons: violent suppression of all opposition, a private army of thugs called the Tonton Macoute to terrorise the population, and sinister dabblings in witchcraft. He survived six assassination attempts. During the last two years of his life he felt secure enough to venture out of his huge white palace with its four obsolete armoured cars and 40mm AA guns on the front lawn. He had a predilection for reading the future in chickens' entrails and keeping the heads of decapitated rivals.
1972 The first people to row across the Pacific Ocean, Sylvia Cook and John Fairfax, arrived in Australia; they had been at sea for 362 days.
1979 Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones escaped jail on a drug conviction in return for performing a benefit concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
1983 The German weekly magazine Stern announced that it had in its possession 60 volumes of hitherto unknown diaries kept by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The distinguished British historian Lord Dacre (Hugh Trevor-Roper) was convinced that the diaries were genuine. German historians, on the other hand, were expressing extreme scepticism. One, Herr Werner Maser, said that the whole business "smacked of pure sensationalism". Serialisation in both Stern and the London Sunday Times was expected.
1983 £1 coins are introduced in Britain to replace the paper £1 note
1991 The century’s worst cholera outbreak, hit South America and was the subject of an urgently convened meeting of health ministers and officials in the Bolivian administrative capital, Sucre. Over 1000 people in Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Chile died as a result of the disease and thousands more were registered as suffering from it. The worst-affected country was Peru, which had an estimated 145,000 cholera patients. The Brazilian government intended injecting $6 million (£3.5 million) into an emergency sanitation programme for the Amazon region, which was identified as a fertile breeding ground for the disease.
2000 BT intruduced its 2nd big number change in five years. All mobile and pager numbers were changed to begin 07- allowing a whole range of prefixes to be made available for new regional numbers such as 0208- being used for London.
2003 Nigerian incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo was re-elected with over 60% of the vote, but the opposition rejected the results.
2003 Scientists said that the virus thought to cause SARS was constantly changing form, which would make developing a vaccine difficult.
2003 MP George Galloway prepared to take legal action against newspaper claims that he took money from the Iraqi regime.
2003 Hollywood couple Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas announced the birth of a baby girl called Carys.
2003 Hospital scans revealed that West Ham manager Glenn Roeder had a blocked blood vessel in his brain.
2004 In North Korea, A huge explosion reportedly left up to 3,000 people dead or injured after two fuel trains collided.
2004 Roger Bruge, chief financial officer at the debt-ridden Channel Tunnel operator, resigned from the company.
2004 Lord Spencer said he was "sickened" at a US TV network's decision to show pictures of Princess Diana as she lay dying.
2004 A depleted Newcastle are held to a goalless by Marseille in the first leg of their Uefa Cup semi-final.
2004 Bolton Wanderers were close to signing the Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo.
2005 Benedict XVI, the new Pope, condemned a Spanish bill allowing gay marriage in one of the first acts of his papacy.
2005 The German man jailed for killing and eating a person he met over the internet was to face a retrial.
2005 A man and a woman were arrested by police investigating the stabbing of Abigail Witchalls.
2005 British sculptor and pop art movement founder Sir Eduardo Paolozzi died in a London hospital.
2005 The FA extended Lee Bowyer's ban for fighting with team-mate Kieron Dyer by three games.

BIRTHDAYS (for 22 April 2006)
Henry Fielding, 299 (born 22 April 1707)
English novelist, author of Tom Jones.
Immanuel Kant, 282 (born 22 April 1724)
German philosopher who maintained that there was an absolute moral law which can never be modified by expediency.
Vladimir Ilich Lenin, 136 (born 22 April 1870)
Russian leader of the Bolsttevik Revolution and first leader of communist Russia.
Vladimir Nabokov, 117 (born 22 April 1889)
Russian-born novelist and poet, author of Lolita.
Robert Oppenheimer, 102 (born 22 April 1904)
American nuclear scientist who developed the atom bomb.
Eddie Albert, 98 (born 22 April 1908)
actor.
Yehudi Menuhin, 90 (born 22 April 1916)
Died 1999. American-born violinist who gave his first public recital at the age of six.
Charles Mingus, 79 (born 22 April 1927)
American jazz musician.

Freeware for the weekend

DeepBurner 1.8
Powerful and free CD and DVD burning package
DeepBurner is an advanced and powerful CD and DVD burning package.
It removes the hassle of making CDs, DVDs, and autoruns. It even makes it easy for you to create and print your own labels and booklets.
DeepBurner supports a very wide range of internal and external (USB 2.0 and FireWire) CD and DVD writers. Burn any data, copy any disc, make backups, make ISO CDs with this very easy to handle software.
Version 1.8 adds Simulation burning feature and ability to select a number of copies before recording a CD/DVD.
LINK

WordWeb 4.0
A comprehensive standalone dictionary
If you've ever felt the dictionary or thesaurus in popular office applications doesn't go far enough, consider installing a copy of WordWeb instead.
This little utility sits patiently in your SystemTray, waiting for you to enter a word. It then offers a definition - along with synonyms and even types of, or parts of - the word you've entered.
For example, entering 'tree' will bring up the following definition: "Tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown". But press on the Types tab and you're presented with a list of every type of tree you've ever heard of and even many you haven't.
It's also easy and great fun to click on synonyms and find yourself effectively surfing a thesaurus.
WordWeb is a dab hand at solving anagrams and filling in the blanks as well, but this feature is sadly not available in the free version - crossword fans will need to buy the Pro version for $18.
Version 4.5 adds 'sounds like' homonym links, as well as new and updated entries.
LINK

PDFCreator
Create PDF files from any application
The PDF file format is pretty much a standard for sharing documents over the internet. Smaller than sending a scan, it still ensures that what is opened at the other looks as it did when it was created.
PDFCreator looks just like a printer driver to Windows, so it will work with any program that can print. Simply select the normal print option and PDFCreator starts automatically to select the title and other options.
PDF documents can be sent in an email immediately or saved to the hard disk for future reference.
There are lots of options for changing the quality of the final documents and it is possible to use the security options to prevent the contents of document being copied or printed.
LINK

Stars Of The Sixties

How many Stars can you identify?

ANSWERS - HIGHLIGHT BELOW

1. IKE & TINA TURNER

2. FRANKIE LYMON AND THE TEENAGERS

3. CAT STEVENS

4. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

5. JIMMI HENDRIX

6. CONNIE FRANCIS

7. RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

8. ANIMALS

9. PETER, PAUL & MARY

10. SIMON & GARFUNKEL

11. EVERLY BROTHERS

12. MAMMAS & PAPAS

13. SONNY & CHER

14. SEARCHERS

15. NEIL SEDAKE

16. MARIANNE FAITHFUL

17. BOB DYLAN

18. TONY BENNET

19. ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINK

20. HOLLIES

Oldest FA Cup presented to museum

The oldest surviving FA Cup trophy, made for the 1896 final, is to be handed to the National Football Museum in Preston on Thursday.
The cup is being presented to the museum by its owner David Gold, chairman of Birmingham City.
Mr Gold bought the trophy at an auction in 2005 for £478,000.
The trophy replaced the original cup, stolen in 1895 from the window of sports shop owner William Shillcock in Birmingham after Aston Villa won it.
Museum Director Kevin Moore said: "We are delighted that Mr Gold purchased this incredible piece of football heritage to save it for the nation.
"The Cup had been presented to Lord Kinnaird, Secretary of the Football Association, in 1910. It remained in his family, hidden from view, for a staggering 95 years until they put it up for auction last year," he added.
The trophy was the focus of several momentous finals.
Highest margin
In 1901 it was presented to Tottenham Hotspur who beat Sheffield United 3-1 after a replay to become the last non-league team to win the cup.
Two years later it was won by Bury who beat Derby County 6-0 in the final's highest winning margin.
It was also the first FA Cup won by Manchester United when they beat Bristol City in 1909.
The trophy will be the centrepiece of an special exhibition on the FA Cup which opens on 9 May.

Greasy spoons fight for survival

The traditional greasy spoon is to mount a fight-back today against the cappuccino culture of Continental-style coffee shops, amid fears that the institution could disappear.
A campaign to save the unpretentious caff, where fry-ups and dark tea still hold sway over croissants and vanilla lattes, is being launched following research that suggests it could be squeezed out of the high street by the end of the decade.
A survey found that almost one in three people was aware of a café closing down in their neighbourhood, and in London the number of independent cafés has declined by 40 per cent since 2000.
Meanwhile, there has been an explosion of coffee shop chains across the country, and the likes of Starbucks, Caffè Nero, Coffee Republic and Costa Coffee now represent nearly a third of the market.
The Save the Proper British Café campaign is to ask members of the public to sign an online petition, and buy brown rubber wristbands to show their commitment to the cause. Hundreds of café owners will be doing their bit by offering an extra breakfast free with every one purchased.
Paul Harvey, a spokesman for the campaign, which is backed by HP Sauce, said cafés were a "national institution", but he feared they could almost vanish by 2010.
"Britain has already suffered the demise of institutions like the red phone box and the faithful Routemaster bus, which is why it seems so important to start this campaign to Save the Proper British Café."
A survey of more than 5,000 people by the campaign found that three quarters felt better about spending their cash at a local café, rather than at a coffee shop chain. A quarter knew the name of one of the people who worked in their local café, while almost a third knew of a local café that had closed down.
Almost nine in 10 were concerned that their local high street was becoming overrun by big chains. George Michaelas, the owner of George's Café in the heart of Canning Town, east London, said that he had been in the business "before I could reach the teapot" because his father had run a café.
He has found that young people are drifting away, lured from his chrome tables and fish and chips by the bright lights of McDonald's and other fast food chains.
With the regeneration of the area in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, he fears new competition from American-owned coffee shop chains.
"They have no soul," he said. "They seem so impersonal. I know all my regulars and their likes and dislikes. People are always going to want a proper breakfast. There isn't much call for croissants from the Irish labourers who come here."
A favourite on his menu, the mega breakfast, would reduce nutritionists to tears, consisting as it does of two eggs, two pieces of bacon, sausages, mushrooms, chips and tomatoes, a mug of tea or coffee and two slices of toast, all for £5.50.
Susan Joslyn, 37, a regular, said: "I eat here every day. I like the pleasant staff, and the food is tremendous."
Clive Pitts, of Greenhill Café, in Hall Green, Birmingham, said "service and value for money" were the hallmarks of a traditional British café. It was not just extra competition that had hit the business, but a move towards healthier eating.

The Rich List

Smash hit TV talent show X Factor has helped music boss Simon Fuller quadruple his fortune over 12 months, according to the 2006 Sunday Times Rich List.
The 45-year-old former manager of the Spice Girls, who is a partner in the show with TV's Mr Nasty, Simon Cowell, is now worth £300million.
This is a four-fold rise from the £75million balance he was reported to have had in 2005.
His finances have also been boosted by the sale of the rights to a US version of the hit show called American Idol, which earned him £35million.
He also got a further £69million for the sale of his stake in 19 Entertainment to company CKX.
The increase puts him second in the list's Film and Television Millionaires, equal to film distribution moguls Nigel and Trevor Green.
Harry Potter
They were pushed off the top slot by Harry Potter author JK Rowling whose hugely popular fantasy children's novels have amassed her £520million, according to the latest data.
Madonna and her Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director husband Guy Ritchie take fourth place with a combined wealth of £248million.
Rich list compilers said the couple's £13million increase on last year's total was largely due to the success of Madonna's latest album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, and the sale of her stake in Maverick Records.
Other stars to feature in the Film and Television Millionaires list include Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas with £175million, which puts them into sixth place.
Granny's favourite romance author Barbara Taylor Bradford rises up the list to seventh place, with £145million, after revealing the full earnings from her 20 best-selling novels.
Rocker Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon, who is now famous for her appearances as an X Factor judge, take 10th position with £100million.

Last Week - In The News

Friday April 14
The Government's chief scientist said the world should get used to the idea of average temperatures rising by 3C as it was politically impossible to reduce global warming any further.
Researchers found that Britons gambled £50 billion last year - more than the state spent on defence and transport combined. That represents more than £800 for every man, woman and child.
President Ahmadinejad of Iran appeared to threaten Israel with a nuclear attack after he described it as a "rotten, dried tree" that would be annihilated by "one storm".
President George W Bush sought to quell the chorus of calls from ex-generals for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation by stressing that the defence secretary had his full support.

Saturday April 15
A minister admitted that white working-class families were deserting Labour and flocking to the British National Party because they felt neglected by the Government and angered by immigration.
It was claimed that Iranian scientists are secretly conducting crucial nuclear research and development, using university laboratories as cover to avoid international scrutiny.
The US government issued a guide to its tourists on how to behave abroad in an attempt to counter the image of the 'ugly American' on vacation.
The death was announced of Dame Muriel Spark, the Scottish novelist famous for her satirical novels and sexually liberated views. She died in Italy aged 88.

Sunday April 16
A leading Brussels official said the European Union's next budget would be £20 billion more than Tony Blair admitted when he unveiled a British-brokered deal last December.
Iran defied America and Europe by pledging a one-off payment of almost £30 million to the new Hamas-led Palestinian government.
Tony Blair attempted to turn the tables on his critics in the "cash for honours" row by admitting that he has always wanted wealthy businessmen who fund his flagship city academies to be given seats in the House of Lords.
A committee of MPs concluded that Britain faces electricity blackouts within 10 years unless a new batch of gas-fired power stations is built to meet demand.

Monday April 17
Relations between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian government plummeted to a dangerous low after a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.
Thousands of people across southern Europe were driven from their homes as the Danube, swollen by heavy rains and melting snow, thundered through the region.
The parents of a British officer killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq spoke of their enormous pride in their son's work.
Former employees sued America's foremost aircraft maker, Boeing, claiming that its 737 aircraft were manufactured with poorly fitting parts.

Tuesday April 18
Labour branded the new Tory leader "Dave the Chameleon" in a televised election broadcast, mocking his environmental pledges and claiming that he switched policies to appeal to different voters.
Peugeot, the giant French car-maker, announced it was closing its 60-year-old Ryton plant in Coventry with the loss of 2,300 jobs.
President Bush refused to rule out a nuclear strike on Iran as diplomats from the major powers met to respond to Teheran's defiance over its atomic programme.
Tony Blair defended large pay rises for doctors and called for the Government to "hold its nerve" in the face of criticism over NHS reforms.

Wednesday April 19
Plans were unveiled to appoint a "dignity nurse" in every health service hospital to ensure that elderly patients are respected rather than neglected.
The Queen hosted a pre-birthday lunch at Buckingham Palace for what she called her "exact twins" - 99 of her subjects who are due to turn 80 on the same day as the monarch.
President George W Bush clipped the wings of his trusted senior adviser Karl Rove as part of a major shake-up in the White House designed to rejuvenate an increasingly troubled presidency.
A lawyer for an al-Qa'eda suspect held in Turkey said his client claimed to have been one of the group that kidnapped and executed the British hostage Kenneth Bigley.

Thursday April 20
A paedophile supposedly being supervised by probation officers who repeatedly raped a girl from when she was six until she was nine was jailed indefinitely.
At least three people were killed by police in Nepal when anti-monarchist demonstrators defied a curfew to marched on the capital Kathmandu. They were met first by tear gas, then rubber bullets and finally live ammunition.
David Cameron visited a Norwegian glacier to view the effects of global warming.
A 10-month-old baby choked to death at a nursery that had previously been at the centre of child cruelty allegations.

And...
Sweden came under pressure to withdraw from the World Cup in protest at the vast number of prostitutes flocking to Germany… Producers of snuff said taking a pinch at the bar could become an acceptable way for smokers to beat the ban… Australians took revenge on the hated cane toad by turning the pests into fertiliser, or "toad juice"... An independent college in Berkshire announced it would be running lessons in how to be happy… An internet entrepreneur said he had traded up a single paper clip for a house... A hen which had spent eight months laying eggs apparently began turning into a cockerel... Motorists were stranded in up to 4ft of water after satellite navigation systems sent them away from a road closure and into a river... A former rabbi revealed that he has a wife for every day of the week, all living in the same house with five children, three dogs and two horses... Supermarket chain Tesco started selling diamond solitaire rings.

Today's The Day - April 21st

21st April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Anselm,
St Bruno,
St Maelnibba,
St Ethilwald,
St Anastasius of Antioch,
St Conrad of Prazham,
and St Simeon Barsabas and Others.

History Test for April 21st
Who singed the King of Spain's beard today in 1587? -Sir Francis Drake
`ITMA' made history today in 1942 by being chosen as the first Royal Command Performance of a radio programme. What does `ITMA' stand for? -`It's That Man Again'
Who played the title role in Woody Allen's film `Annie Hall', released today in 1977? -Diane Keaton
One of history's great romantics, Peter Abelard, died today in 1142. Who was his lover? -Heloise
Born today in 1923, who wrote the autobiographical play 'AVoyage Round My Father'? -John Mortimer

QUOTE
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure." - Mark Twain, who died today, 1910.

Events today...
753BC Traditionally, the date on which the city of Rome was founded.
1509 Death of Henry VII, king of England. He was succeeded by Henry VIII.
1699 Death of Jean Racine, French dramatist and outstanding tragedian of the French classical period.
1790 One of independent America's founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, was buried in one of the most splendid funerals ever seen in Philadelphia. Tributes to the man regarded as epitomising New World sensibility flooded in, especially from France, where Franklin achieved hero status. One of the most sought-after men on the Parisian social scene, Franklin could be seen everywhere - literally, for his portrait could be found on all manner of objects, from snuff boxes to chamber pots. Fellow Americans would remember his many witticisms with affection and his role in the drafting of the US constitution will be remembered with deep gratitude.
1828 A new dictionary compiled by lexicographer and philologist Noah Webster promised to put some cultural distance between US citizens and their British cousins. The two-volume work, entitled The American Dictionary of the English Language, was the first attempt to standardise the American language and distinguish it from the English of the British.
1831 The Texans vanquished the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto.
1898 The US declared war on Spain.
1901 Sculptor Auguste Rodin shocked Paris when his semi-nude statue of Victor Hugo was exhibited at the Grand Palais.
1910 Mark Twain, American journalist and author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, died aged 74.
1914 American troops occupied the Mexican city of Vera Cruz in order to stop German weapons reaching the Mexican command.
1916 Former British consular official Roger Casement arrived in Ireland from a German submarine to lead the Sinn Fein rebellion but is arrested by the British.
1918 The most feared fighter pilot of World War I, Germany's Baron Manfred von Richthofen, was killed, shot by a single bullet. Competing claims for the deed were received from a Canadian pilot of 209 Squadron, Roy Brown, as well as from British and Australian ground artillery. A report was also received from the observer of a British reconnaissance plane who allegedly fired on a German in a scarlet plane as he passed him. By the time of his death, the "Red Baron" had notched up 80 "kills", most of them British. Von Richthofen's passion for shooting down enemy airmen was reputed to be 15 minutes for each "kill". It is doubtful that his victims would draw any consolation from the fact that the Baron would order a silver trophy for each plane he shot down.
1946 Death of John Maynard Keynes, British economist who argued that unemployment can only be eased by increased public spending.
1952 Death of Richard Stafford Cripps, English lawyer and politician.
1959 Angler Alf Dean could not believe his eyes when he landed a mammoth man-eating great white shark at Denial Bay, near Ceduna, South Australia. Dean's catch, which weighed 2664 lb (1208 kg) and was 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) long, was the largest to be caught on a rod.
1960 Brasilia, the brain-child of President Juscelino Kubitschek, was dedicated as the official capital of Brazil. Building work in the new capital was still underway and several of the more ambitious projects planned by architect Lucio Costa and his adviser Oscar Niemayer would take several more years to complete. The new city stood on a plateau some 580 miles (930 km) north-west of previous capital Rio de Janeiro. Miffed at their city's loss of status, and the pouring of huge amounts of money into developing the interior of the country, the citizens of Rio de Janeiro denounced the plan. President Kubitscek intended Brasilia, and the region in which it stood, should be seen as a symbol of Brazil's future greatness. However, there were also fears that the ambitious programme would bankrupt the country, which had high inflation and had doubled its foreign debt since work began on planning Brasilia in 1957.
1964 BBC 2 began broadcasting.
1967 King Constantine II of Greece was removed in an army coup, and martial law was imposed.
1968 Conservative Party leader Edward Heath was handed a political hot potato by fellow Tory and former Cabinet minister Enoch Powell, who called for an end to non-white immigration from the Commonwealth. In a highly charged and emotive speech given in Birmingham, Powell likened the Labour government's policy of allowing 50,000 dependants of immigrants into the country each year to that of a people "busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre". The liberal-minded Mr Heath, who denounced the speech as racist and inflammatory, was expected to take a strong line with Powell, possibly ejecting him from the Shadow cabinet. Ironically, by supporting Powell he would revive his popularity with the British electorate, many of whom were worried by the number of immigrants entering the country.
1983 One-pound coins replaced notes in England and Wales.
1989 Over 100,000 Chinese students gathered in Tiananmen Square, ignoring government warnings of severe punishment.
1999 In British TV’s first transexual wedding, Coronation Street’s Roy prepared to marry Hailey. This was the first of a double cliff-hanger...
1999 Manchester United beatJuventus 3-2 to go through to the Final of the European Cup, which would be their first appearance in the final for 31 years.
2000 Manchester United announced it was about topay a record £18.5m for PSV Eindhoven star Ruud Van Nistelrooy. They called the deal off when he snapped his cruciate ligament in a training incident a few days later.
2003 China registered another jump in cases of the SARS virus while the number of deaths in Hong Kong rose by six to 94.
2003 The President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, collapsed twice during a live TV broadcast, prompting fresh speculations about his health.
2003 The couple found guilty of cheating on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? said the verdict had ruined their lives.
2003 Legendary jazz and blues singer Nina Simone died at the age of 70, at her home in southern France.
2003 West Ham manager Glenn Roeder was undergoing tests in hospital after taking ill the previous day.
2004 The US television network CBS announced it would show images of Diana moments after the car crash which led to her death.
2004 Football pundit Ron Atkinson resigned from ITV Sport after making a racist comment.
2004 Pirates of the Caribbean, starring Johnny Depp, was nominated for six MTV Movie awards.
2005 A commercial helicopter was shot down near Baghdad, killing all 11 foreigners on board, including six Americans.
2005 Ecuador's ousted President Lucio Gutierrez was expected to fly to Brazil after being granted political asylum.
2005 The lower house of parliament backed a controversial bill allowing gay couples to marry and adopt children.
2005 Comedian Vic Reeves was given a driving ban and a community punishment order after a drink-drive accident in Kent.
2005 Athlete Dame Kelly Holmes said she would end her career in Britain at the Sheffield Grand Prix.

BIRTHDAYS (for 21 April 2006)
Jan van Riebeeck, 372 (born 21 April 1634)
Dutch naval surgeon and founder of Cape Town, South Africa.
Catherine the Great, 277 (born 21 April 1729)
Russian Empress.
Charlotte Brontë, 190 (born 21 April 1816)
British novelist, eldest of the three Brontë sisters and author of Jane Eyre, Villette and Shirley.
Norman Parkinson, 93 (born 21 April 1913)
British photographer specialising in fashion and celebrities.
Anthony Quinn, 91 (born 21 April 1915)
Mexican-born actor who won an Oscar for Viva Zapata.
Ronald Magill, 86 (born 21 April 1920)
Emmerdale star
Queen Elizabeth II, 80 (born 21 April 1926)
Andie MacDowell, 48 (born 21 April 1958)
Actress

TELEVISION – NAME THE YEAR 10

Below are fifteen TV programmes and fifteen years- just match the programme to the year they were first shown on British Television

1 THE LONE RANGER
2 EUROTRASH
3 Z CARS
4 RAB C NESBITT
5 KOJAK
6 GROUND FORCE
7 THE DUKES OF HAZZARD
8 CALLAN
9 THE MUPPET SHOW
10 HOME AND AWAY
11 RISING DAMP
12 NO HIDING PLACE
13 THE MONKEES
14 CRACKER
15 BAYWATCH

THE YEARS
1956 1959 1962 1966 1967
1974 1974 1976 1979 1989
1990 1990 1993 1993 1997

ANSWERS - HIGHLIGHT BELOW
1 THE LONE RANGER 1956
2 EUROTRASH 1993
3 Z CARS 1962
4 RAB C NESBITT 1990
5 KOJAK 1974
6 GROUND FORCE 1997
7 THE DUKES OF HAZZARD 1979
8 CALLAN 1967
9 THE MUPPET SHOW 1976
10 HOME AND AWAY 1989
11 RISING DAMP 1974
12 NO HIDING PLACE 1959
13 THE MONKEES 1966
14 CRACKER 1993
15 BAYWATCH 1990

TELEVISION – NAME THE YEAR 9

Below are fifteen TV programmes and fifteen years- just match the programme to the year they were first shown on British Television

1 KNIGHT RIDER
2 THE BLACK AND WHITE MINSTREL SHOW
3 IT’S A KNOCKOUT
4 THE SWEENEY
5 WAITING FOR GOD
6 WIDOWS
7 CAMBERWICK GREEN
8 THE WONDER YEARS
9 THE WOMBLES
10 MISS MARPLE
11 A FINE ROMANCE
12 NOT ONLY BUT ALSO
13 HANCOCK’S HALF HOUR
14 BURKE’S LAW
15 I LOVE LUCY

THE YEARS
1955 1956 1958 1963 1965
1966 1966 1973 1975 1981
1983 1983 1984 1989 1990

ANSWERS - HIGHLIGHT BELOW
1 KNIGHT RIDER 1983
2 THE BLACK AND WHITE MINSTREL SHOW 1958
3 IT’S A KNOCKOUT 1966
4 THE SWEENEY 1975
5 WAITING FOR GOD 1990
6 WIDOWS 1983
7 CAMBERWICK GREEN 1966
8 THE WONDER YEARS 1989
9 THE WOMBLES 1973
10 MISS MARPLE 1984
11 A FINE ROMANCE 1981
12 NOT ONLY BUT ALSO 1965
13 HANCOCK’S HALF HOUR 1956
14 BURKE’S LAW 1963
15 I LOVE LUCY 1955

TELEVISION – NAME THE YEAR 8

Below are fifteen TV programmes and fifteen years- just match the programme to the year they were first shown on British Television

1 TOMORROW’S WORLD
2 DOCTOR WHO
3 SOME MOTHERS DO ‘AVE ‘EM
4 MAX HEADROOM
5 THE WORD
6 DINNERLADIES
7 DALLAS
8 ROSEANNE
9 THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW
10 ROWAN AND MARTIN’S LAUGH IN
11 THE NEW STATESMAN
12 THE RUTH RENDELL MYSTERIES
13 HAMISH MACBETH
14 THE FLOWERPOT MEN
15 THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW

THE YEARS
1952 1957 1963 1963 1965
1968 1973 1978 1985 1987
1987 1989 1990 1995 1998

ANSWERS - HIGHLIGHT BELOW
1 TOMORROW’S WORLD 1965
2 DOCTOR WHO 1963
3 SOME MOTHERS DO ‘AVE ‘EM 1973
4 MAX HEADROOM 1985
5 THE WORD 1990
6 DINNERLADIES 1998
7 DALLAS 1978
8 ROSEANNE 1989
9 THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW 1957
10 ROWAN AND MARTIN’S LAUGH IN 1968
11 THE NEW STATESMAN 1987
12 THE RUTH RENDELL MYSTERIES 1987
13 HAMISH MACBETH 1995
14 THE FLOWERPOT MEN 1952
15 THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW 1963

Next-generation DVD battle begins

The first HD DVD players and discs have gone on sale in the US.
The release marks the start of the format wars between the Toshiba-led HD DVD and the Sony-led Blu-ray systems.
The first Blu-ray discs are expected in late May, while the first players will be available in June.
Next-generation formats are able to store much more high-quality data, especially important for high-definition video.
Both technologies use a blue laser to write information. It has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored.
A Blu-ray disc will eventually be able to store 50GB of high-quality data, while Toshiba's HD DVD will hold 30GB. A standard single-layer DVD holds just under 5GB.
The disc formats offer much better quality audio and video, while next-generation console games will have stunning graphics and will fit onto a single disc.
Format wars
The two rival systems have been battling to win support for their competing approaches from technology companies and Hollywood studios.
Toshiba, with NEC, Sanyo and others, is pushing HD DVD; while backers of Sony's Blu-ray discs include Samsung, Dell and Apple.
The HD DVD format was given a huge boost last year when technology giants Microsoft and Intel threw their considerable weight behind the standard.
Hollywood is also still split over the new formats. Companies like Disney and 20th Century Fox have sided with Sony, while the supporters of HD DVD include Universal.
Warner Bros and Viacom have said they will support both.
However, the format war, which has been likened to the Betamax-VHS fight in the 1980s, may ultimately be won in the games console market.
Gaming is a $20bn industry worldwide, so is as important as the film industry in terms of money to be made.
Games consoles also tend to drive early adoption of technology because hardcore gamers, keen to get their hands on the latest titles, are prepared to buy the latest technology.
It is estimated that Microsoft sold 20 million of its original Xbox console, while Sony has sold four times that amount of its Playstation 2. Both consoles brought DVD players into people's living rooms.
Sony's Playstation 3, which will be launched in November, will come with a Blu-ray drive as standard.
Owners of the Xbox 360, which is already available around the world, will have to buy a separate HD DVD drive when they become available.
Games giants, such as Electronic Arts and Vivendi, have both backed the Blu-ray format.

Firefox sorts out security flaws

Computer users are being urged to update the Firefox web browser to close serious security holes in it.
Some of the security lapses in Mozilla software, which Firefox is based on, could allow malicious hackers to hijack computers.
There are 21 security flaws in the Firefox browser specifically, according to security firm Secunia.
Users are urged to download the latest versions of all Mozilla programs to protect their computers from attack.
The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Cert) warn that other Mozilla products including e-mail client, Thunderbird, and the internet application, Seamonkey, may also be affected.
The Mozilla Foundations have released a new version of Firefox and Thunderbird which contain fixes to some of the security flaws.
Programs like Firefox have been thought to be more secure than other browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer because of its links to the open-source software community.
There have been more than 100 million downloads of the Firefox software since its launch in 2004.
However, Internet Explorer is still the world's most popular browser with over 80% of the market.
Last year both browsers were hit by the same security bug.
The new security alert is thought to be the first time that so many vulnerabilities have been exposed in the Firefox browser.

Today's The Day - April 20th

20th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Caedwalla,
St Agnes of Montepulciano,
St Marcellinus of Embrun,
St Marcian of Auxene,
St Hildegund,
and St Peter of Verona.

History Test for April 20th
Novelist Bram Stoker died today in 1912. What is his most famous novel? -`Dracula'
Born today in 1941, which film actor starred in 'Paper Moon' with his daughter Tatum? -Ryan O'Neal
Scheduled for today in 1964, what event had to be postponed because of a power failure? -The opening of BBC 2, which eventually took place the following day..
Who wrote the first modern detective story `The Murders In the Rue Morgue', published today in 1841? -Edgar Allan Poe
In which Belgian city did the Olympics Games open today in 1920? -Antwerp.

Events today...
1526 A Mogul army led by Babur defeated an Afghan army at the Battle of Panipat, taking the cities of Delhi and Agra.
1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived on the coast of Labrador, North America.
1653 Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Long Parliament which had governed England during the Civil War.
1657 English Admiral Robert Blake defeated the Spanish fleet in Santa Cruz Bay, off the Canary Islands.
1750 Death of Jean Louis Petit, French surgeon.
1768 Death of Canaletto, Italian landscape painter.
1769 Death of Pontiac, American Indian leader.
1770 The Royal society of London received an update on the progress of its scientific expedition to the Pacific which had set sail two years previous. The 98-foot long coal-hauling bark Endeavour, commanded by 40-year-old Yorkshireman Lieutenant James Cook, had safely delivered a party of the Societies Scientists to Tahiti.
1887 The first motor race took place in Paris - with only one entrant.
1912 The Dublin-born writer Bram (Abraham) Stoker died at his home in London, at the age of 65. One of his greatest successes was Count Dracula.
1913 The two children of dancer Isadora Duncan were drowned when the car in which they were travelling rolled downhill and into the Seine.
1929 King Victor III of Italy opened a parliament composed entirely of Fascists under the leadership of Benito Mussolini.
1947 Death of Christian X, king of Denmark.
1949 The Badminton Horse Trials were held for the first time, at Badminton, Gloucestershire.
1967 A.D. Crompton patented the road traffic cone.
1969 Piene Trudeau became prime minister of Canada.
1969 Violence broke out at a free pop festival in Venice, Los Angeles - 117 were arrested and many were injured.
1990 Soviet troops stormed Lithuania's state printing works.
1999 In Colorado, two students thought to be members of the so-called Trenchcoat Mafia, massacred another 23 people at their college in a shooting rampage, before committing suicide. Yet again drawing concern over America’s firearm Laws.
2003 Another two senior Iraqi officials, including Saddam Hussein's son-in-law, were said to have been detained.
2003 Incumbent Olusegun Obasanjo took a clear lead in the first civilian-run presidential election for 20 years.
2003 Pope John Paul II said Iraqis must be given the chance to take charge of their future as he delivered his Easter message in Rome.
2003 The authorities ordered the slaughter of another 270,000 birds, after new cases of avian flu were found in northern Belgium.
2003 Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won his first race of the season at the San Marino GP.
2004 A cleric who said the Koran allowed wife-beating was held and waiting to be expelled from France.
2004 German police were investigating a woman who allegedly put her daughter up for sale on an internet auction site.
2004 Manchester United tightened security after media speculation that the club was to be a terrorist target.
2004 Tony Blair announced a referendum on the new European constitution but did not name a date.
2004 Norris McWhirter, founder of the world famous Guinness Book of Records, died aged 78.
2004 Gloria Hunniford led the mourners at the funeral of her daughter, TV presenter Caron Keating.
2005 Ecuador President Lucio Gutierrez was said to have fled, after Congress voted to sack him amid growing protests.
2005 Benedict XVI celebrated his first Mass as Pope, vowing to strive for the unity of all Christians.
2005 Stars arrived in London for the world premiere of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film.
2005 Bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code, criticised by the Catholic Church and derided by critics, was named best book at the British Book Awards.

BIRTHDAYS (for 20 April 2006)
Napolean III, 198 (born 20 April 1808)
French Emperor, nephew of Napolean Boneparte, who precipitated the Franco-Prussian War, thus losing his empire and causing his exile
Adolf Hitler, 117 (born 20 April 1889)
Austrian-born housepainter and subsequently German dictator, architect of World War II.
Sir Donald Wolfit, 104 (born 20 April 1902)
English actor-manager and fine Shakespearean.
Ryan O'Neal, 65 (born 20 April 1941)
American film actor who starred in Love Story, Paper Moon and What's Up Doc? among other movies.
Jessica Lange, 57 (born 20 April 1949)
Actress
Nicholas Lyndhurst, 45 (born 20 April 1961)
Rodney from "Only Fools and Horses"

Sounds of rarest wildlife on CD

The sounds of the UK's rarest species of birds, mammals, insects and frogs have been put on to a compact disc.
Vanishing Wildlife is compiled by the British Library, which says it is a "call for action" to aid animals facing extinction from shrinking habitats.
Among the 31 species featured is the last recording of a group of pool frogs before they disappeared from the UK.
But there are some good news stories too. Bittern numbers fell to single figures but have since recovered.

Listen to six clips

Richard Ranft, of the British Library Sound Archive, says the CD works on several levels.
"One is a call to attention to these species in imminent danger of disappearing from our countryside or those that were on the brink of extinction but have been helped by conservation measures and still need help to secure their future.
"But they are also extraordinary sounds to listen to, listen and escape to various corners of the British Isles.
"The woodlark has a most exquisite song and people think of frogs as not having a pleasant sound but these are probably the last few individuals 20 years ago, making quite a lovely musical sound."
Mr Ranft said the threats to these 31 species varied but it was sometimes due to deliberate persecution, in the case of adders or birds of prey.
Inadvertent accidents were also a factor, like deer fencing which birds collided with.
But a key reason was the loss of habitats, because they were destroyed or because they receded due to global warming.
In many cases these sounds are the only way to locate these animals, said Mr Ranft, so anyone hearing them in the wild should contact their local conservation group. Other than that, supporting such groups is the best way to help.
For years the British Library has been collecting sounds from a network of sound recorders, who have to endure many hours of waiting in the wild.
"These animals are very wary of man. The fact they are endangered may be due to persecution which would make them even more wary, so to get them singing and playing under natural conditions is quite a feat."
And Mr Ranft's favourite sound? The capercaillie, which he likens to the sound of wine being slowly poured from a bottle.

THE SIX SOUNDS REVEALED (IN ORDER)
The noctule bat has been hit by a loss of habitat and food. It likes to roost in hollows and trees which are disappearing and it eats pest insects - to the benefit of farmers - which are also less in number. The sound here has been through a bat detector because it is sonar.

The capercaillie was reintroduced in Scotland following extinction in the 18th Century but has since become threatened again. Its population is rapidly declining, falling from 20,000 20 years ago to only 900 birds today.

The field cricket needs a wetland habitat but this is drying out. It sings at night and the trilling sound carries a long way. It has become extremely rare although attempts to reintroduce them in Sussex has met with some success.

Numbers of woodlark have fallen dramatically. It can be found in southern Britain particularly on heathland but this habitat has become very scarce because it is often reclaimed for other purposes.

Sightings of otters have increased by 527% since their decline in the 1950s and 70s when numbers were seriously threatened by water pollution and wetland drainage.

Twelve years ago, the Norfolk pool frogs became extinct but it was re-colonised with introduced animals from Sweden in late 2005. Excavations of Anglo-Saxon sites revealed 1,000-year-old pool frog bones genetically similar to those found in Scandinavia, so scientists believe some developed in eastern England and went to Scandinavia up to 8,500 years ago.

World Cup winners appear in Carlsberg ad

Carlsberg has got together some of the biggest names from the last forty years of English football to star in its latest advertising campaign.
World Cup winners Bobby and Jack Charlton and Alan Ball team up with 1990 semi-finalists, Chris Waddle, Des Walker, Stuart Pearce, Peter Beardsley and Peter Shilton, as well as Bryan Robson and Peter Reid to represent the fictional Old Lion pub in a Sunday League match.
Managed by former England boss Bobby Robson, the team manage to put a cricket score past their less illustrious opponents.
Darran Britton, marketing director for Carlsberg UK, said: “The advert forms a major part of Carlsberg’s campaign behind England this summer with our giveaway of one million England glasses branded with the Three Lions logo.”

Pictograms - 1

First in a New series on this site.

Dingbats are always popular but the use of the word Dingbat can be confusing and apparently trademarked, so Pictograms is the title.

Can you work out the Phrase or Saying from each Pictogram.

ANSWERS - HIGHLIGHT BELOW

1. STARS IN THEIR EYES

2. PART EXCHANGE

3. ARM IN ARM

4. OUT AND ABOUT

5. SAWN OFF SHOTGUN

6. IN-BETWEEN TIMES

7. STAR TURN

8. DEAD-EYED DICK

9. THE START OF SOMETHING BIG

10. POTTER ABOUT IN THE GARDEN

DJ's Pay - Quizmasters Take Note!

Chris Evans, the prodigal son of broadcasting, started his new BBC Radio 2 "drivetime" slot yesterday with the theme from The Magnificent Seven on the day it was claimed he had negotiated a £540,000-a-year contract.
This is the equivalent of £17.31 a minute for his two-hour Monday to Friday show.

Terry Wogan: £25.64 per minute of airtime
Jonathan Ross, who hosts a three-hour Saturday morning show on Radio 2, is paid even more pro rata, earning a reputed £530,000 per year. This works out at £56.62 per minute. News of the sums commanded by the BBC's star radio presenters were seemingly leaked to cause maximum embarrassment.
The corporation is involved in a cost-cutting exercise demanded by Mark Thompson, the director general, which is likely to result in the loss of 3,700 jobs. He has apologised for the hardship redundant staff were facing, saying it was the price the broadcaster needed to pay to survive.
Publicly, the BBC is remaining reticent about the leak apart from saying that an investigation was under way "as a matter of urgency" into the circumstances of their publication in the Daily Mirror and The Sun. The salary list is headed by the long-serving Terry Wogan who is said to be earning £800,000 per year or £25.64 per minute of airtime for his five-times-a- week, two-hour show, which attracts an audience of eight million. Wogan turns 68 this year and Evans is a likely candidate to succeed him on his morning show.
At the age of 32, Radio 1's Chris Moyles, the self-proclaimed "saviour of early morning radio", is second only to Wogan in pay, apparently earning £630,000, or £13.50 a minute. His 7-10am, five-day-a-week show attracts 6.7 million listeners. The salaries paid may come as a shock to licence fee payers as well as commercial radio stations.
BBC Radio enjoys a massive and still rising 56 per cent share of the radio audience, well ahead of commercial rivals, which are also trying to cope with a fall in advertising revenue.
Insiders say that the pay scale is commensurate with their listener "pull", particularly for audience favourites Wogan and Ross. One said: "These are the market place figures these days."
David McConnell, the external affairs adviser for the Commercial Radio Companies Association, said: "You have to ask to what extent is the money going on delivering what the BBC is supposed to be delivering, its public service remit? A salary of £600,000 is approximately 5,000 licence fees."
Mr McConnell said: "If you take any day and run down the list of BBC broadcasters in radio, you find most started at commercial radio.
"The BBC is able to offer packages which make it difficult for commercial radio to compete, if these figures are right."
James Frayne, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "At a time when council tax is rocketing and ordinary families are struggling to make ends meet, people will be irritated to hear that so much of their licence fee is being spent on presenters' salaries.
"Of course, some of the presenters are extremely talented, but in Britain, people are forced to pay £150 whether they watch and listen to the BBC or not. That isn't fair.
"The licence fee was rightly classified as a tax recently, and the BBC's expenditure should be viewed like another Government expenditure."
Other Radio 2 DJs' salaries include Steve Wright, 51, who allegedly earns £440,000 for five three-hour shows a week, with an audience of 6.5 million. Wright has just upped his audience by 270,000.
Mark Radcliffe, a week-night presenter, earns £197,000 for his poetry, music and interviews from 10.30 pm. Ken Bruce gets £194,000 for his daily morning programme.
Janice Long earns £137,000 for her midnight to 3 am stint, five days a week, while the 71-year-old Michael Parkinson receives £115,000 for his once-a-week Sunday Supplement programme, playing standards from the Sinatra era and chatting to guests such as David Soul. Bob Harris, formerly of the Old Grey Whistle Test, earns a reputed £96,000.
• The BBC spent £80,731 on Christmas parties for some of its highest-paid presenters, it was revealed yesterday.
Some £30,600 was spent at the party for 830 BBC Television staff. The 600-strong Radio 1 party cost £20,310, while the Radio 2 party cost £22,880 for 96 guests. Around 100 Radio 3 presenters and staff ran up a £3,441 restaurant bill, while 90 Radio 4 staff spent £3,500 in a restaurant.
A BBC spokesman said: "We are conscious of the need to spend public money wisely but it is important for us to recognise the huge contribution these people make to our programmes."

Presenter / Salary / Shows per week
Terry Wogan £800,000 Five
Chris Moyles £630,000 Five
Chris Evans £540,000 Five
Jonathan Ross £530,000 One
Steve Wright £440,000 Five
Jo Whiley £250,000 Five
Sarah Cox £200,000 Two
Mark Radcliffe £197,000 Four
Ken Bruce £194,000 Five
Edith Bowman £175,000 Five
Colin Murray £170,000 Five
Janice Long £137,000 Five
Scott Mills £130,000 Five
Zane Lowe £130,000 Three
Michael Parkinson £115,000 One
Bob Harris £96,000 Three
Pete Tong £70,000 One

THE SUN - Jeremy Paxman earns 240,000 pounds for University Challenge

I've swapped my paper clip for a house...

... but what ex-backpacker Kyle MacDonald really wants is his own island. Still, there's every chance the internet entrepreneur will trade his way to one of those, too, reports David Leafe
Do you, like me, have a drawer somewhere at home stuffed full of assorted bits of junk which you've convinced yourself might come in handy some day? If so, the story of Canadian internet entrepreneur Kyle MacDonald may inspire you to take a closer look at what lurks among the abandoned screws, lonely rubber bands, and tail-ends of balls of string.

Last July, the 26-year-old former backpacker embarked on what seemed at the time an absurd and impossible quest - to trade a single red paper clip for a house.
Advertising this virtually worthless piece of stationery on the internet, he succeeded in swapping it for a succession of bigger and better things until this week - nine months and 10 trades later - he announced that his most recent deal has indeed secured him a property, a one-bedroom bungalow in Phoenix, Colorado.
This is all the remarkable given that MacDonald intended the whole thing to be "just a bit of fun". More hippy than hotshot businessman, he is the son of parents who ran a clothing factory in Vancouver. He graduated with a degree in geography from the University of British Columbia before travelling the world, doing odd jobs - from delivering pizzas to working on oil rigs.
Unsure of what he wanted to do with his life, he returned to Canada where, one day he received an e-mail from an old friend reminiscing about a game called Bigger and Better which they had played as children. This involved starting with small objects and competing to see what they could trade them for.
MacDonald finished reading the e-mail, glanced down at his desk and saw a solitary red paper clip. Why not see what people would give him in exchange for it? And so a bizarre and brilliant idea was born and launched on the web.
Alongside a picture of the now much-feted paper clip, he wrote a tongue-in-cheek statement of his ambitions. "I'm going to keep trading up until I get a house," he wrote. "Or an island. Or a house on an island. You get the idea."
The unspectacular nature of his first trade suggested that he might have a long time to wait. His first offer was a pen in the shape of a fish which two vegans from Vancouver had discovered on a camping trip. "Being vegans, I guess they wanted very little to do with a fish," said MacDonald. "I had never traded a paper clip with a vegan before, let alone two, so I figured, let's do this."
The fish-shaped pen was soon traded for a doorknob featuring a smiley face and the doorknob, in turn, for an outdoor stove. Next came a generator and then a party pack of beer plus a keg.
From the outset, MacDonald insisted on meeting each person with whom he was dealing. It was, he says, "just a great way to meet new people".
In this, he had some help. His father, an enthusiastic inventor, had come up with an idea for a shock absorber which stopped wobbly restaurant tables from rocking.
MacDonald travelled to trade shows across America and Canada to promote his father's product and, along the way, would stop off to meet the people who'd contacted him via his website and with whom he wanted to do business on his paper clip project. "I was doing trades all over the place without spending a cent of my own money on petrol or plane fares," he said.
As news of the website spread, MacDonald found himself having to choose from among hundreds of offers for each item he advertised but he says their monetary value was irrelevant. "I only dealt with people I liked the sound of, or who seemed to genuinely support the idea of the website."
His dreams of home ownership took a leap forward when, in exchange for the party pack of beer, a local radio celebrity offered MacDonald a snowmobile. Then, during an appearance on Canadian national television, he jokingly mentioned that he would travel anywhere in the world to do a deal, except for the unappealing sounding town of Yahk in British Columbia.
This prompted a viewer to offer him a trip to Yahk, which he managed to exchange for a lorry, which he then traded for 30 hours in a Toronto recording studio.
Next came the final link in the chain - at least so far. An up and coming young singer named Jody Gnant was desperate to record an album and so she offered MacDonald a year's lease on her home in Phoenix in exchange for the studio time.
Although MacDonald appears to have achieved his ambition for his humble paper clip, he has decided to carry on until he actually owns a home outright. So the lease on the house in Phoenix is being advertised on http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com.
Offers so far include a holiday in Hollywood and, bizarrely, a 24-hour lap dance by a club hostess in Tokyo. MacDonald is unsure about this last suggestion. "My girlfriend would probably frown upon the idea," he says.
As for the Hollywood sojourn, this may also be surplus to MacDonald's requirements. Later this week, after inspecting the house in Phoenix, he flies to Los Angeles for meetings with the heads of all the major film studios who are fighting among themselves to bring his story to the screen.
No one is more surprised by this success than the disarmingly down-to-earth MacDonald himself. Speaking on the phone from the ramshackle apartment in Montreal which he shares with his girlfriend Dominique and two other flat-mates, he apologised for the interruptions as his other line rang constantly with calls from media organisations across the world.
"I'm sitting here in my slippers, eating cereal, and there's an absolute bidding war going on around me," he said. "It's extremely unexpected. People might regard it as an eccentric way to spend your time but remember that before money was invented people bartered for centuries.
"I don't see it as any more strange than offering your time in return for a salary like most people in full-time jobs do. When it comes down to it, whether we realise it or not, most of us are bartering all of the time."
Suddenly he breaks off our conversation again - this time to shoo a squirrel out of his kitchen. When he returns to the phone, I am somewhat distracted. My attention has been caught by a small blue plastic object on my desk. It is the lid of an old ballpoint pen. Once I might have thrown it in the bin but now I pick it up and turn it thoughtfully in my fingers. Today, a plastic pen top... tomorrow a villa in Tuscany.

Musical Blockbusters - 1

The First Task is to work out the Artist (Singer or Group)

The Initial Letters are all from that artists Greatest Hits

Can You Work Your Way Across from Left to Right with the Songtitles?

ANSWERS - Highlight Below

ARTIST - PAUL McCARTNEY

AD - ANOTHER DAY

BSOMC - BACK SEAT OF MY CAR

GIBTTI - GIVE IRELAND BACK TO THE IRISH

MHALL - MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

HHH - HI HI HI

CM - C MOON

ML - MY LOVE

LALD - LIVE AND LET DIE

HW - HELEN WHEELS

J - JET

BOTR - BAND ON THE RUN

JF - JUNIORS FARM

LTWTMS - LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID

SLS - SILLY LOVE SONGS

LEI - LET 'EM IN

MIA - MAYBE I'M AMAZED

MOK - MULL OF KINTYRE

WALL - WITH A LITTLE LUCK

GT - GOODNIGHT TONIGHT

EAI - EBONY AND IVORY

Giant cruise ship thrills Hamburg

The world's biggest cruise ship, the "Freedom of the Seas", has drawn a crowd of thousands in Hamburg ahead of its maiden transatlantic voyage.
The Finnish-built vessel - flagship of Royal Caribbean International - will have a thorough check and final polish at Germany's Blohm and Voss shipyard.
It boasts the world's first on-board surfing pool, called "Flow Rider", a skating rink and a rock-climbing wall.
It will take up to 4,375 passengers at a time on Caribbean cruises.
The 160,000-ton ship is 339 metres (1,112 ft) long, 56m (184 ft) wide and has a cruising speed of 21.6 knots.
The crew had to carry out a tricky manoeuvre in Hamburg, as the ship's berth was only three metres wider and 12m longer than the ship.
The ocean liner Queen Mary II is six metres longer but 15m narrower than the Freedom of the Seas, which will be based in Miami, Florida.
The Freedom of the Seas will leave Hamburg on 25 April for a stopover in Oslo before crossing the Atlantic and starting Caribbean cruises in June.
Its features also include a water park with colourful sculptures and numerous restaurants, bars and salons.

Today's The Day - 19th April

19th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Leo IX, pope,
St Alphege,
St Geroldus,
and St Expeditus.

History Test for April 19th
Name the author of `The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection', who died today in 1882. -Charles Darwin
Which Hollywood actress became a real-life princess when she married today in 1956? -Grace Kelly (Princess Grace of Monaco)
Which armless statue was discovered by a peasant today in 1829 on the Aegean island of Melos? -The Venus de Milo
Which Victorian Prime Minister was created Earl of Beaconsfield and died today in 1881? -Benjamin Disraeli
Born today in 1957 which legendary horse won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times? -Arkle

QUOTE
"No, she will only ask me to take a message to Albert." -Benjamin Dieraeli, British politician, on his deathbed today, declines a visit by Queen Victoria, 1881.

Events today...
1587 In the incident known as 'singeing the King of Spain's beard', English navigator Francis Drake sank the Spanish fleet in Cadiz harbour.
1588 Death of Paolo Veronese, Italian painter who specialised in enormous scenes of the splendour of Venice in its Golden Age.
1689 Death of Queen Christina of Sweden, who abdicated in 1654 to pursue culture and Roman Catholicism and spent the rest of her life in Rome.
1775 The British government's impatience with its rebellious colonists in America finally led to bloodshed. The previous day, a force of 700 Redcoats was dispatched by the royal governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, to destroy the military stores at Concord. Local militiamen were ready and waiting for the British column, alerted to the danger by a member of the Sons of Liberty, Paul Revere, who had ridden through the night to warn them of the impending raid. Outnumbered by 10 to 1, the militiamen were soon put to flight at Lexington Green. The Redcoats went on to Concord only to find that the munitions had been hidden or destroyed and a force of about 400 armed rebels was ready to fight. The British were forced to withdraw and were reported to be making their way back to Boston.
1824 British poet Lord George Gordon Byron, English poet, died of malaria at Missolonghi on his way to fight against the Turks alongside Greek nationalists.
1882 Charles Darwin, the most controversial scientist of the age, died at his home in Kent, England, after 50 years of ill health. He was 73. Darwin rejected both medicine and the church before he took an unpaid job as naturalist on HMS Beagle's five-year Pacific voyage in 1831. The unique Galapagos Islands fauna were the main inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, which has revolutionised biology with the idea that man's ancestry is bestial. The previous year Darwin had published On the Formation of Vegetable Moulds, about earthworms. He concluded that they show intelligence rather than mere instinct - like a man.
1906 Death of Pierre Curie, French chemist and physicist.
1927 The police raid on the Broadway show Sex, starring Miss Mae West, was welcomed by moralists, who had been up in arms since the play opened the previous year. Even more satisfaction was gained by the sentencing of Miss West to 10 days' imprisonment. The play, which was co-authored by its star, was an unedifying tale of prostitution, sailors and blackmail. The critics described it as "vulgar" and "amateurish", but New York audiences loved it and flocked to each of the 375 performances. Another of Miss West's shows - The Drag, described as a "homosexual comedy" - was raising a few eyebrows at another New York venue. Miss West was reported to be pleased by the free publicity and had plans for even more scandalous shows.
1933 Britain banned all trade with the USSR.
1948 The US tested a plutonium bomb at Eniwatok atoll in the Marshall Islands.
1951 The first `Miss World' contest was held in London; it was won by a Swedish contestant.
1956 US film actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
1958 Footballer Bobby Charlton played his first international match for England.
1959 The Dalai Lama, Tibetan leader fleeing the Chinese invasion of his country, found sanctuary in India.
1966 Australian troops left Sydney to join the American forces in Vietnam.
1967 Death of Konrad Adenauer, German politician.
1972 Bangladesh joined the Commonwealth.
1983 A car bomb destroyed the US embassy in Beirut.
1988 A record $9,130,000 (£4,935,135) was paid for a diamond at Sotheby's in New York.
1989 Death of Daphne du Maurier, author of romantic thrillers such as Rebecca.
1991 The plan to help the Kurdish refugees who fled to the mountains to escape further persecution by the forces of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein became the cause of a diplomatic squabble between London and Washington. On Pentagon advice President Bush had been adamant that US troops would not get involved in Iraqi affairs once the conflict with Saddam Hussein was over. Western public opinion, however, had been outraged by the plight of the Kurds and by reports that 1000 refugees a day are starving to death. British prime minister John Major had launched an initiative, in consultation with other member states of the EC, which he then put to Bush. Turkish leader Turgut Ozal had also made it clear to Bush that his country could no longer cope with the flood of refugees. The British ambassador to Washington, Sir Antony Acland, complained of White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater's insistence that the EC plan had been an American initiative all along. Washington was now trying to soothe wounded British sensibilities by handing out laurels to all those involved in working out the plan.
1998 The Full Monty took four BAFTA awards, leaving The Titanic high and dry. Judi Dench won best actress for her role as Queen Victoria in the film Mrs Brown.
2000 Manchester United were knocked out of the European Champion’s League after a 3-2 defeat by Real Madrid at Old Trafford.
2000 It was announced that the old "twin towers" of Wembley would be erected on the A663, the approach road to Runcorn.
2003 Twelve more deaths from the SARS virus are reported in Hong Kong - the highest number in a single day.
2003 A helicopter carrying a group of skiers crashed in north-west Italy, killing six people after apparently losing control in thick fog.
2003 A US judge ordered the deportation of a 79-year-old man accused of being a Nazi death camp guard.
2003 Oil companies followed supermarkets in cutting petrol prices in the wake of the Iraq war.
2003 Ferrari's Michael Schumacher pipped brother Ralf to take pole position for the San Marino Grand Prix.
2004 Detectives arrest 10 people under the Terrorism Act 2000 following a series of raids involving four police forces.
2004 A painting by Scottish artist Jack Vettriano sold for a record price of £744,800 at auction.
2004 A note featuring what was thought to be John Lennon's last autograph went on sale for $325,000 (£179,500).
2004 Argentina football legend Diego Maradona was "unstable but not critical" in a Buenos Aires hospital.
2005 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI - the new head of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.
2005 An Argentine former naval officer was found guilty in Spain of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 640 years.
2005 Welsh bass baritone Bryn Terfel led the nominations for the sixth annual Classical Brit Awards.
2005 It was announced that Wembley would not host the Champions League final in 2007; Athens was awarded the match.

BIRTHDAYS (for 19 April 2006)
Richard Hughes, 106 (born 19 April 1900)
British novelist, author of High Wind in Jamaica.
Eliot Ness, 103 (born 19 April 1903)
FBI agent.
James Mollison, 101 (born 19 April 1905)
Scottish aviator and husband of Amy Johnson, with whom he made the first east-west air crossing of the Atlantic.
Sir Thomas Hopkinson, 101 (born 19 April 1905)
British journalist, author, editor of Picture Post (1940-50) and Drum International (1958-61).
Dickie Bird, 73 (born 19 April 1933)
Former Cricket Umpire
Jayne Mansfield, 73 (born 19 April 1933)
American actress known as much for her chest measurement as her acting ability.
Dudley Moore, 71 (born 19 April 1935)
(Died 2002) British musician and comedian who became a Hollywood sex symbol following his appearance in 10 with Bo Derek.
Murray Perahia, 59 (born 19 April 1947)
Chilean pianist noted for his Mozart interpretations.
Ruby Wax, 53 (born 19 April 1953)
American Comedienne and Chat show host
Trevor Francis, 52 (born 19 April 1954)
Birmingham Soccer boss
Sue Barker, 50 (born 19 April 1956)
BBC Sports presenter

TV THEMES CD

More Extensive & Better Quality than all the others.

This CD contains over 550 well known TV and Film Themes in wav. wma. & mp3 format
Allows for many hours of TV quiz fun

Original Themes
- All by Original Artists

CD track listing INCLUDES these top TV & FILM themes!

Movies
_________________

Back to the Future
Beverly Hills Cop
Blues Brothers
ET
Exorcist
Fame
Ghostbusters
Home Alone
James Bond
Jaws
JFK
Jurrassic Park
Mission Impossible
National Lampoons
Temple of Doom
Pink Panther
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rawhide
Rocky
St Elmo’s Fire
Star Wars
Superman

Drama
_________________

All Creatures Great & Small
Auf Wiedersen Pet – Series 1 – Start
Auf Wiedersen Pet – Series 1 – End
Auf Wiedersen Pet – Series 2 – Start
Auf Wiedersen Pet – Series 2 – End
Ballykissangel
Brideshead Revisted
Boon
Casualty
Dangerfield
Darling Buds of May
Dawsons Creek
Dream Team
ER
Fenn Street Gang
Who pays the Ferryman
Flying Doctors
Hadleigh
Heartbeat
Holby City
Howards Way
Howards Way – Vocals
Jeeves & Wooster
Jonathon Creek
Londons Burning
Lovejoy
MASH
Minder
Nurses
Peak Practice
Please Sir!
Rumpole of the Bailey
The Saint
Scrubs
Sharpe
Sir Francis Drake
Smallville
The Sopranos
The Waltons
Upstairs Downstairs
West Wing

Sports
_________________

BBC Cricket
BBC Grand Prix (The Chain)
BBC Snooker
Grandstand
Match of the Day
Question of Sport
Rugby Special
Ski Sunday
Superstars
The Big Match
Wimbledon
World of Sport

Crime
_________________

A Touch of Frost
Avengers
Batman
Bergerac
The Bill
Bugs
Cagney & Lacey
Charlies Angels
Crazy like a Fox
Crimewatch UK
Dempsey & Makepiece
Diagnosis murder
Hawaii Five – O
Hetty Waintropp Investigates
Hill Street Blues
Inspector Morse
Juliet Bravo
Kojak
LA Law
Miami Vice
Miss Marple
Mission Impossible
Murder She Wrote
NYPD Blue
Poirot
Rockford Files
Ruth Rendell
Spender
Starsky & Hutch
Taggart
Tales of the Unexpected
The Professionals
The Ruth Rendall Mysteries
The Sweeney
The Untouchables
Van der Valk
Wycliffe

Soaps
_________________

Brookside
Coronation Street
Crossroads
Dallas
Dynasty
Eastenders
Eldorado
Emergancy Ward 10
Emmerdale
Heartbreak High
Highroad
Hollyoaks
Home & Away
Neighbours
Neighbours (recent)
Prisoner Cell Block H
Sons & Daughters
Sweet Valley High

Quiz
_________________

Big Break
Blankety Blank
Blind Date
Blockbusters
Bullseye
Challenge Anneka
Countdown
Crystal Maze
Generation Game
Going for Gold
Have I Got News for You
It’s a Knockout (start)
It’s a Knockout (end)
Mastermind
Mr & Mrs
New Faces
Play Your Cards Right
Strike It Lucky
Weakest Link
Wheel of Fortune
Who wants to be a Millionaire
Who’s line is it anyway

Sci-Fi
_________________

Battle of the Planets
Battlestar Gallactica
Blakes 7
Buck Rogers
Dr Who (Favourite)
Dr Who (New)
Dr Who (Old)
Lost in Space
Seaquest DSV
Star Trek (DS 9)
Star Trek (Enterprise)
Star Trek (Original)
Star Trek (The Next Generation)
Star Trek (Voyager)
Stargate SG1
Twilight Zone
Xena Warrior Princess
X-Files

Kids
__________________________________________

Alf
Alvin & the Chipmunks
Animal Magic
Animals of Farthing Wood
Animaniacs
Around the World in 80 days
Art Attack
Babar
Bagpuss
Banana Splits
Bananaman (Start)
Bananaman (End)
Bertha
Black Beauty
Blossom
Bob the Builder
Bodger & Badger
Boy Meets World
Bucky O’Hare
Button Moon
Byker Grove
Camberwick Green (Start)
Camberwick Green (End)
Captain Planet
Captain Scarlet
Care Bears
Charlie Brown & Snoopy
Chip & Dale
Chucklevision
Count Duckula
Dangermouse
Dogtanian & the Muskerhounds
Duck Tales
Dungeons & Dragons
Earthworm Jim
Ewoks
Family Ness
Fingermouse
Fireman Sam
Flintstones
Flipper
Flumps
Fraggle Rock
Garfield & Friends
Gentle Ben
Going Live
Grange Hill
Gummi Bears (Short)
Gummi Bears (Long)
Heathcliff
He-Man
Hong Kong Phooey
Inspector Gadget
Itchy & Scratchy Show
Ivor the Engine
Jamie & the Magic Torch
Jamie & the Magic Torch (Full)
Jetsons
Jim’ll Fix It
Joe 90
Johnny Briggs (Start)
Johnny Briggs (End)
Knightmare (Start)
Knightmare (End)
Littlest Hobo
Looney Tunes
Magic Roundabout
Mickey Mouse Club
Mighty Mouse
Moomins
Morph
Mr Majestika
Mr Men
Muppet Babies
Muppet Show
Muppets Tonight
My Little Pony
Mysterious Cities of Gold
Paddington Bear
Penny Crayon
Pidgeon Street
Pingu
Poddington Peas
Pokemon
Popeye
Postman Pat
Potsworth & Company
Press Gang
Queens Nose
Qick Draw McGraw
Raccoons
Raccoons (Full Vocal Version)
Raggy Dogs
Rainbow
Record Breakers
Red Hand Gang
Ren & Stimpy
Roadrunner
Rocko’s Modern Life
Rolf Harris Cartoon Time
Roobarb
Rugrats
Rupert the Bear
Sabrina the Teenage Which
Samurai Pizza Cats
Saved by the Bell
Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo (another version)
Sesame Street
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Smurfs
Snorks
Spiderman
Stingray
Stop the Pigeon
Supergran
Superted
Superted (another version)
Superted (End)
Swap Shop
Swap Shop (Full Intro)
Tale Spin
T Bag
Teddy Ruckspin
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Telebugs
Teletubbies
Terrahawk (Start)
Terrahawks (End)
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thunderbirds
Thundercats
TinTin
Tiny Toons
Touche Turtle
Transformers
Trapdoor
Tweenies
Vision On
Wacaday
Wacky Races
Wallace & Gromit
Willo the Wisp
Winnie the Pooh
Wizbit
Wombles
Woody Woodpecker
Woof
Worzel Gummidge
X-Men
Yogi Bear

Comedy
_________________

2.4 Children
Absolutely Fabulous
Allo Allo
And Mother Makes Three
As Time Goes By
Beadles About
Benny Hill
Birds of a Feather
Blackadder
Bread
Brittas Empire
Cheers
Clive Anderson
Cosby Show
Cosby Show – Another
Dads Army
Desmonds
Dharma & Greg
Different Strokes
Doctor in the House
Drop the Dead Donkey
Father Ted
Fawlty Towers
Frasier
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Friends
Futurama
Golden Girls
Goodies
Grimleys
Happy Days
Home Improvement
I dream of Jeannie
Keeping up Appearances
Last of the Summer Wine
Mad about you
Malcolm in the Middle
Man About The House
Married with Children
Men Behaving Badly
Minder
Mork & Mindy
Mr Bean
On The Buses
One Foot in the Grave
Only Fools & Horses – Start
Only Fools & Horses – End
Osbournes
Rab C Nesbitt
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf – End
Roseanne
Seinfeld
Simpsons
Simpsons - Bartman
Smack the Pony
Some Mothers do ave em
Spin City
Spitting Image
Terry & June (Full version)
Terry & June (TV version)
Thin Blue Line
Third Rock from the Sun
Trigger Happy TV
Three of a Kind
Two Ronnies
Upper Hand
Vicar of Dibley
Watching (Start)
Watching (End)
Yes Prime Minister
Young Ones

Miscellaneous
______________________________________________

999
Angel
ATV Opening March
Big Breakfast
Big Brother
Big Brother (Full version)
Bouquet of Barbed Wire
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
California Dreams
Changing Rooms
Channel 4 News
Chicago Hope
Chicken Tonight (advert)
Children in Need
Coca Cola (advert)
David Frost Show
Dreamstone
Dukes of Hazzard
Eleven O’Clock Show
Ground Force
Harry Worth Comedy Hour
Hitman & Her
ITN News
Jerico
Kiaora (advert)
King of the Hill
McDonalds (advert)
Money Programme
Munsters
My Two Dads
Naked City
Out of this World
Parkinson
Pop Idol
Pop Stars
Popeye (with words)
Power Game
Robot Wars
Route 66
Sky at Night
South Bank Show
Suddenly Susan
Sunday Night at the London Pall..
Surprise Surprise
TFI Friday
The World At War
Thirty Something
This is your Life
This Morning
Tomorrows World 1
Tomorrows World 2
Top of The Pops (Attack)
Top of The Pops (Old)
Top of The Pops (The Wizard)
Top of The Pops (Led Zepellin)
Treasure Hunt
Underdog
Wagon Train
Walker Texas Ranger
Wild Bunch

American
_________________

Airwolf
Airwolf (End)
Ally McBeal
A Team
Baywatch
Bonaza
Due South
Fall Guy
Hart to Hart
Incredible Hulk
Ironside
Knightrider (Intro)
Knightrider (with vocals)
Land of the Giants
Little House on the Prairie
Lone Ranger
Love Boat
MacGyver
Magnum PI (TV Version)
Magnum PI (Full Version)
Perry Mason
Quantum Leap
Randall & Hopkirk Deceased
Renegade
Sex & the City
Six Million Dollar Man
Taxi
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV version)
Wonder Years
Wonder Years (Alternative
version)

This is a data CD ( wav. wma & mp3 files ) for use with your PC.
It can also be converted by your Media Player so you can play these tracks on your normal home or car CD player.
It is also a great tool for quizzes and DJ Intros and Jingles
The single data CD contains over 550 tracks in 636 MB of data and plays without a hitch on your Windows Media Player.
Track quality does vary, however most of the tracks are of CD or very high quality, with very few of poorer quality.

A full set of track listings will also be provided on the CD

QUIZTIME BARGAIN PRICE INCLUDES POST & PACKING
BUY NOW £5-50 (thats 1p per track! - Amazing!!!)

How I cracked the mysteries of the universe By Tom Leonard

I couldn't tell you where to find the Holy Grail, but I have everything else pretty much worked out. One glance at the ancient seal of the Templar order - two knights riding one horse - was enough to tell me that everybody had missed something crucial. Why did this image of one soldier rescuing another on his charger seem familiar?
Then I remembered the lines of a song - "Did you think I would leave you dying when there's room on my horse for two?" - made famous by a multi-talented artist, a Renaissance man who has even been compared to Leonardo da Vinci. Right down to the beard.
To borrow one of the great man's catchphrases, can you tell what it is yet? Yes, I have uncovered the Rolf Code and can back it up with evidence accumulated in the time-honoured plot-hunter's tradition of typing various words into Google and seeing what comes up.
I can understand the Archbishop of Canterbury's annoyance with The Da Vinci Code and all the other bestselling medieval conspiracy books. We seem to be obsessed with the feeling that all is not what it seems.
Next month, the release of the film version of Dan Brown's bestseller will reacquaint us with the tale of how the Holy Grail was actually Mary Magdalene, how she had a child by Jesus and how their bloodline has been protected through the centuries by the Templars and the mysterious Priory of Sion. Oh, and how the whole secret was hidden by Leonardo in the Mona Lisa. I hope Rowan Williams will indulge one more trip down conspiracy lane, because I think I have cracked it.
That Rolf Harris has so far escaped scrutiny by Grailists seems inexplicable, but then the Queen's portraitist has powerful friends. There are many clues pointing his way. Why, last year, did he undertake a giant re-creation of - need I say - the Mona Lisa? And why did he paint it in Edinburgh, just a few miles from the Rosslyn Chapel, linked to the Templars and the setting for The Da Vinci Code's dénouement? (Harris supposedly secreted hidden messages in a picture he once did of the kangaroo house at Sydney Zoo.)
More evidence. Why has Harris become such a fixture at the Glastonbury festival, unless to return year after year to the place thought since medieval times to have been the resting place of the Holy Grail? Is it a coincidence that "didgeridoos" is an anagram of "O Did God Rise"?
And what of Jake the Peg (with the extra leg), a song that has long baffled admirers of Harris's musical canon? Could it be a reference to Jacques de Molay, last Grand Master of the Templars, who hobbled to his execution using a stick after torturers maimed his feet? We need answers and we need them scribbled out with a giant marker pen.

Another shadowy group that fascinates me is the Historic Buildings Liberation Front (HBLF), which has staged dozens of attacks across Beds, Herts and Cambs against the likes of Barratt Homes. The front is dedicated to stopping modern housing developments and saving old buildings. Mock-Georgian affairs are attacked with white paint and angle grinders. The HBLF is threatening to "go national", its manual advising supporters to hide operational clothes under their garden sheds and take along flasks of tea to soothe their nerves.
Along with the guerilla gardeners of south London - covertly brightening up roundabouts and verges at the dead of night - we seem to be witnessing the birth of aesthetic direct action. It may be correct that an attack last week by a protest group on a golf club's greens near Bath was motivated by class, but which class?
Some may see golf clubs as unforgivably posh, others - no doubt the HBLF included - see them as irredeemably suburban, ruining the natural landscape and turning fine country houses into conference facilities for organisations such as the local Rotary Club. Which, incidentally, is said to be an offshoot of the Templars.

Today's The Day - 18th April

18th April 2006

Religious events today...
Feast Day of St Laserian,
St Galdinus,
St Idesbald,
St Apollonius,
and Saints Eleutherius and Anthia.

History Test for April 18th
The first Bob-a-Job week began today in 1949. Who founded the Scout Movement? -Lord Baden-Powell
In which Middle Eastern country was power seized by Colonel Nasser today in 1954? -Egypt
Today in 1775, which American patriot made a celebrated night-time journey on horseback to warn of the approach of British troops? -Paul Revere
Born today in 1946, who made her screen debut in the film `Tiger Bay', in which she starred with her father? -Hayley Mills
One of history's most notorious poisoners, Lucrezia Borgia, was born today in 1480. What was her father's occupation? -He was Pope

Events today...
1689 George Jeffreys, one of the cruellest of the deposed King James II's judges, died in the Tower of London, aged 44. Charged by the King with the task of setting up a court to deal with the rebellion of 1685, led by the illegitimate Protestant son of Charles II, the Duke of Monmouth. Jeffreys set about his task with bloodthirsty zeal. Over 300 of Monmouth's peasant followers were hanged at Jeffreys' "Bloody Assizes" and 800 sent to forced labour in Barbados. Jeffreys, a Protestant, was then made lord chancellor by his grateful monarch, a position he held until the Glorious Revolution, in 1688, swept James from power. Jeffreys attempted to escape the country disguised as a sailor but was caught and imprisoned in the Tower. He was awaiting trial at the time of his death.
1775 At the outbreak of the War of American Independence, US patriot Paul Revere rode from Charleston to Lexington, warning people as he went that British troops were on their way.
1791 William Wilberforce's parliamentary campaign to abolish the slave trade was defeated in the House of Commons.
1881 The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, was opened.
1902 Death of Erasmus Darwin, English physician and writer.
1903 Bury beat Derby 6-0 in the FA Cup final at Crystal Palace -- a record winning margin for an FA Cup final.
1906 At precisely 5.13am San Francisco was hit by the most violent earthquake ever recorded in its history. Worst hit by the earthquake and subsequent fire was the central business district, where an estimated 512 blocks in the four square-mile (10 sq km) area were thought to have been either destroyed or at least under threat. Survivors who were made homeless by the disaster made for the relative safety of the 1000-acre (405 hectare) Golden Gate Park to the west of the town, where temporary accommodation was being erected by the emergency services. First estimates suggested that as many as 700 people were dead and a further 250,000 made homeless. Earthquakes had hit San Francisco before - in 1864, 1898 and 1900 - but none wrought such widespread devastation.
1934 The first launderette, called a `washeteria', was opened in Fort Worth, Texas.
1936 Death of Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer.
1942 Bombers from a US aircraft carrier bombed Tokyo.
1942 Racing driver Jochen Rindt, who in 1970 became the only man to win the world championship posthumously, was born in Germany. The Austrian-raised driver was killed during practice for the Italian Grand Prix in Monza but his points total was not overtaken.
1946 The League of Nations was formally dissolved, its assets passing to the United Nations.
1949 Death of Will Hay, English comedian.
1949: The Republic of Ireland Act came into force as Eire became a republic.
1954 President Neguib of Egypt resigned, leaving the government of the country to be carried on by a council of ministers.
1955 Albert Einstein died in his sleep at Princeton Hospital, aged 75. Regarded as one of the most creative intellects in human history, Einstein made his greatest contributions to scientific theory before the age of 50. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921, for his photoelectric law and his work in the field of theoretical physics. His theory of relativity, which had its beginnings in an essay he wrote when he was only 16, was verified by the Royal Society of London in 1919. Einstein's commitment to world peace and Zionism brought him into conflict with right-wing opinion in his native Germany. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Einstein renounced his German citizenship and went to America. In 1939, after Lise Meitner split the atom, he urged on President Roosevelt the importance of US scientists developing an A-bomb ahead of the Nazis, and his recommendation marked the beginning of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. The horror of Hiroshima in 1945 shocked Einstein into issuing letters calling for the establishment of a world government to prevent future use of the bomb, aware that without his theory of relativity the nuclear age would not have dawned.
1958 After being detained in a mental asylum for almost 13 years the American poet Ezra Pound was to be freed by the US authorities. Pound, 73, was arrested in Italy at the end of the war and charged with treason for making anti-US broadcasts to American troops on Rome Radio. Doctors considered Pound unfit to stand trial on his return to the States, whereupon he was incarcerated in St Elizabeth's hospital for the criminally insane in Washington D.C. Pound continued to write and completed several more of his Cantos, among other works, during the long years of his imprisonment.
1966 The Sound Of Music won an Oscar after receiving an almost universal panning from the critics. It grossed 60 million in its first year.
1968 An American tycoon bought London Bridge for £1 million, confusing it with Tower Bridge. It was shipped it, stone by stone, to Arizona, where it was re-erected.
1979 Jeremy Thorpe, former leader of the British Liberal Party, went on trial accused of conspiring to murder his male lover.
1989 At the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Spanish tenor José Carreras gave his first concert for three years following his illness from leukaemia.
1991 Publisher Robert Maxwell launched his Mirror Group Newspapers towards public flotation on May 21, meanwhile complaining that the British press had never acknowledged his achievements.
1992 Death of Benny Hill, English comedian.
1993 Death of Elisabeth Frink, English sculptor.
1997 Leeds and Doncaster railway stations were hit by IRA bomb attacks in the run up to the General election. Fortunately no-one was hurt. Security alerts also closed part of the M6, Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent railway stations.
1997 Seven young members of a gang who raped an Austrian tourist and threw her into a canal at King's Cross were sentenced to between 10 and 12 years each.
1998 Chris Eubank underwent a brainscan following his WBO cruiserweight defeat by Carl Thompson. The 31-year-old was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary after the grueling 12 round contest. Eubank's eye started to swell during the fourth round of the bout which he lost on points.
2003 Poland agreed to buy 48 F-16 warplanes in the biggest defence contract signed by a former Soviet bloc country.
2003 Politicians said Russia was losing the battle with crime as the ninth member of parliament is killed in as many years.
2003 Tinder dry moorland and forests across the UK were hit by fires, threatening homes and wildlife.
2003 P&O Ferries said that twenty-eight people are injured after a ferry hits a wall in Dover harbour.
2003 Veteran US R&B singer-songwriter Luther Vandross was recovering in hospital after suffering a stroke.
2004 Spain's new PM, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero recalled Spanish troops as the US Iraq chief said local forces cannot ensure security.
2004 Ricky Gervais and Julie Walters both won Bafta TV awards for the third year in a row at a London ceremony.
2004 A song with 33 expletives, Eamon's I Don't Want You Back, entered the UK singles chart at number one.
2004 TV hosts Ant and Dec won two trophies at the Golden Rose awards for their Saturday Night Takeaway show.
2004 Sunderland 0-1 West Brom. Jason Koumas scored a late winner to all but condemn Sunderland to the play-offs.
2005 Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signifying that Roman Catholic cardinals had failed to elect a pope.
2005 Four people were charged over the 1982 London killing of Italian Roberto Calvi, known as God's banker.
2005 Six-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong announced he would retire from cycling after the Tour De France that year.

BIRTHDAYS (for 18 April 2006)
Lucrezia Borgia, 526 (born 18 April 1480)
Italian illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI who was married three times by the, age of 18 to further her father's political ambitions.
Clarence Seward Darrow, 149 (born 18 April 1857)
American lawyer.
Leopold Stokowski, 124 (born 18 April 1882)
English-born conductor and composer who became a US citizen in 1915 and conducted many of America's leading orchestras.
Barbara Hayle, 84 (born 18 April 1922)
US film actress
Peter Jeffrey, 77 (born 18 April 1929)
actor
Hayley Mills, 60 (born 18 April 1946)
British actress who first appeared in a film (Tiger Bay) at the age of 13.
Malcom Marshall, 48 (born 18 April 1958)
Barbadian fast bowler who regularly pulverised the English cricket teams.
Phil Simmons, 43 (born 18 April 1963)
(cricket) -- West Indies all-rounder
Graham Rowntree, 35 (born 18 April 1971)
rugby union player
Andrew Campbell, 27 (born 18 April 1979)
(soccer) -- Middlesbrough's England Under-18 striker
Matthew Upson, 27 (born 18 April 1979)
(soccer) -- Arsenal defender

For Sake's Sake

Sake and shochu, traditional Japanese drinks that were once derided as old-fashioned and the tipple of boozy middle-aged men, are enjoying a boom among trendy young drinkers.
Sales of sake, often described as rice wine but actually brewed from the grain, have fallen for years and the industry was in danger of dying out as its customers aged.

One-cup sake: now marketed at women
But suddenly fashionable bars specialising in sake have sprung up all over Tokyo, attracting new and younger customers.
Many, such as Buchi, in the popular Shibuya district, are tiny, with standing room only. But their stylish decor makes them a far cry from the dingy sake dens of old.
Buchi employs women staff to encourage a female clientele to try sake. A common reaction is surprise at the pleasant and subtle taste.
Some young women have been attracted because sake has been promoted as excellent for the skin.
Others have been impressed by the industry's rebranding efforts, most notably the transformation of "one-cup" sake, so called because it is sold in small glasses ready for drinking when you peel off the lid.
The one-cup used to summon images of sozzled salarymen boozing on the train home. Now, with cute and retro labels, it is gaining popularity with young women.
Hisae Iwakura, the manager of Buchi, offers more than 30 varieties of one-cup sake. "They are popular even with customers who were not keen on the idea at first," she said.
Even more remarkable has been the revival of shochu, a distilled spirit which can be made from barley, sweet potato or cane sugar.
Shochu has eaten into the market shares of beer and wine in the past two years and it dwarfs sales of Scotch whisky, which was marketed aggressively in the 1990s.
"Shochu is great because it comes in so many varieties," said Mika Watanabe, an office worker.
It is credited with preserving health, perhaps because it comes from Kyushu, a city noted for its citizens' longevity. Fans say it is also the drink least likely to give you a hangover.
"In Kyushu, they drink shochu until 2am, then have a bowl of noodles and head home," said Noriaki Arizumi, a Tokyo businessman.
"By seven, they are back in the office. How do they do it? It must be the shochu."

The Reason Why There Is NO Advertising On This Site

The nonsense about AdSense
Benjamin Cohen, the former teenaged dot.com millionaire, has run into a problem as he tries to make his next million: Google won't pay him for ads run on his website
Google AdSense lies at the heart of Google's advertising empire. AdSense ads are the funny little text boxes that are scattered across the internet, displaying links related to the content on a web page. For many sites, AdSense has become the sole source of income, with some small one man band publishing outfits claiming to make in excess of $100,000 through showing the adverts. AdSense also amounts to some 43 per cent of Google's total revenue.

However, my own experience of the program has been less than favourable.

From day one, I integrated Google AdSense adverts on to PinkNews.co.uk. It instantly provided advertising that was both relevant to my readers and that fitted into the context of the website. In addition, I was able to weed out advertisers that I didn't want my brand to be associated with, such as pornography and dating.

Sure enough, a couple of months later, a cheque for a couple of hundred pounds arrived from Google, which was duly banked and the funds cleared. So far, so good.

But a couple of days later, I was informed by e-mail that my AdSense account had been terminated due to "click fraud", and that I would receive no further payments and be unable to use Google's advertising products again.

Click fraud is where people or programs - automated robots, or 'bots - click on your to an advertising link in an attempt to defraud either or both the advertiser and Google. Click fraud experts tend to run up huge levels of traffic, generating thousands of clicks and each may cost a particular advertiser in excess of £10,000.

In my case, PinkNews.co.uk had received very little traffic and consequently very few clicks on advertisements. We're talking in the region of £100 of advertising, hardly the sort of figure someone seriously engaging in click fraud would bother about.

After a number of e-mails to Google without replies and no response from their press office, I decided to cut my losses and concentrate on selling advertising direct to clients, thereby bypassing Google's system.

Then a few months ago, I got chatting about my experiences with Google's AdSense product with some friends in the industry and it became apparent that the false allegations of fraud were not unique to my business. I also learnt that some advertisers claim that money they spent on "fraudulent clicks" was never returned to them.

In order to test Google out, I signed up to Google AdSense once again. I was accepted, despite the fact that they had previously told me in no uncertain terms to never use their products again. I wrote to them to make sure that my site would meet their admission criteria. Trinh, from the American based AdSense team, checked us out and said that we were approved for the ads.

A couple of hundred dollars’ worth of revenue later, once again an e-mail from Google appeared in my inbox. It told me: "It has come to our attention that invalid clicks have been generated on the Google ads on your site(s). We have therefore disabled your Google AdSense account. Please understand that this step was taken in an effort to protect the interest of the AdWords advertisers.

"A publisher's site may not have invalid clicks on any ad(s), including but not limited to clicks generated by:

"a publisher on his own web pages; a publisher encouraging others to click on his ads; automated clicking programs or any other deceptive software; a publisher altering any portion of the ad code or changing the layout, behavior, targeting, or delivery of ads for any reason.

"Practices such as these are in violation of the Google AdSense Terms and Conditions and program polices.

"Publishers disabled for invalid click activity are not allowed further participation in AdSense and do not receive any further payment. The earnings on your account will be properly returned to the affected advertisers."

Now let's be clear: I informed staff not to click on the Google ads, or indeed any other adverts on our site. We do not encourage others to click on the adverts, we do not run automated clicking programs nor had we altered any portion of the advertising code.

So seeking some sort of clarification from Google of which particular heinous offence our site was accused of committing, I wrote to the AdSense team asking them to explain what had happened.

In what I believe to be an automated reply, I was informed: "As you know, Google treats instances of invalid clicks very seriously. By disabling your account, we feel that we have taken the necessary measures to ensure that invalid clicks will not continue to occur on your site. Due to the proprietary nature of our monitoring system, we're not able to disclose any specific details of these clicks." I was also given the opportunity to appeal this decision but reminded that, "Google reserves sole discretion in considering whether to take any action on an appeal".

By refusing to give details of the clicks involved, it was hardly going to be an easy job to explain why I felt that their decision was reached in error. However, I gave it a shot, explaining that: " We do not click on our own adverts, we just wouldn't have time. The Google AdSense revenue constitutes a tiny fraction of our revenue.

"In addition, you have provided no evidence of IP addresses of the relevant clicks, so I cannot double check that they were not clicked on by a member of staff by accident. All staff are however informed not to click on adverts displayed sold either by us or by agencies so as not to distort the click through ratio we achieve."

As we suspected would be the case, Google denied the appeal. They said: "We understand that you wish to receive specific information regarding the invalid clicks we observed on your account. However, due to the proprietary nature of our algorithm, we cannot disclose any details about how our monitoring technology works or what specifics we found on your account.

"Publishers disabled for invalid click activity are not allowed further participation in Google AdSense. We appreciate your understanding."

This left a number of questions in need of answers. Such as whether the money earned by PinkNews.co.uk was returned to the advertisers concerned. On this, Google was, at best, ambivalent: "Unfortunately, due to our confidentiality restrictions", ah, those again, "we cannot provide you with a written declaration that the remaining earnings of your account will be returned to the affected advertisers.

“However, please be assured that the affected advertisers will be properly refunded in this way." Hardly reassuring at all, really.

Even most calls to its press office are left unanswered. Google, as a virtual company, is largely uncontactable, and judging by this instance, pretty much unaccountable as well.

In particular, I am concerned at the fact that both advertisers and syndication partners are denied the right to audit the figures produced by Google. All you are provided is an average cost per click figure, together with the total revenue for the day.

This is unacceptable for many online publishers as it means that you are unable to correctly identify the amount of money owed to you, nor are you able to identify areas of growth (particularly in regards to the type of advertisers your users are clicking on).

In addition, oddly, if you are advertiser based within the European Union, the sale is counted as an internal EU sale, with the billing handled by their Irish sales office, and VAT regulated under the Irish system. The reason for this, so Google argues, is that the transaction occurs within the European Union and is thus subject to VAT.

However, if you then place their AdSense product on a website based within the European Union (such as one owned by an EU individual or registered company), Google manage to consider this transaction to take place within California, governed by Californian law and therefore the supply is not subject to VAT at all.

I'm not at all suggesting that Google are engaging in illegal practices here, but it does create an unusual situation when it comes to the VAT affairs of small business for whom Google AdSense provides the bulk of their revenue. As my accountant explained to me: "A profitable company who operates online should always be making VAT payments rather than claiming them back, that is unless they are selling something like children's clothing.

“Therefore, the Google situation is odd because companies who rely on buying advertising on Google and then monetising traffic from Google adverts will never be net VAT contributors."

Or take this as an example: a user clicks on a Google AdSense link at the bottom of this article on Times Online. Assume the advertiser is based in Britain, like Times Online. For the two parties, the transaction will take place in different continents. As far as Times Online's relationship with Google is concerned, the transaction took place in California. However, for the advertiser, the transaction took place in Ireland and is therefore governed by Irish and European law.

The end result of all this is that a European AdSense client would have to go to California to mount a case against Google, rather than in their home country and perhaps taking advantage of the small claims court with its fixed costs to settle a dispute. While this may not be a problem for major partners, it is obviously beyond the reach of a small company owed less money than the transport costs to get to the court room.

In the end, I decided not to bother chasing Google any more for the couple of hundred pounds they owed my company or the cheques (totalling a further £1,500) I received well after the six-month deadline for banking a cheque. Instead, I decided to sign PinkNews up to Yahoo!'s pay per click programme, carefully noting the right to speak to a real human being, 24/7, if we were unhappy with the figures they provided.

'Da Vinci Code mystery is no match for the Gospel truth'

Church leaders said the novel was the product of a cynical society
CHURCH leaders have opened battle with the account of Christianity that forms the basis of The Da Vinci Code.
Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said that conspiracy theories would not undermine the truth of the Gospel. Dr Thomas Wright, the Bishop of Durham, said that an “ethically confused, navel- gazing society” had made Dan Brown’s novel a bestseller.
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Hundreds of churches are preparing events to coincide with the release next month of the film version of the novel, to help congregations understand why the version of events that appears in the book is untrue. The Da Vinci Code is based on the premise that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child, leading to a secret bloodline that was suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church and was the Holy Grail of legend.
In his Easter Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral Dr Williams said that the discovery of the Coptic text of a “Gospel of Judas” and the publication of The Da Vinci Code might appeal to a sense of mystery but did not match the challenges posed by the Resurrection.
It had become customary, he said, to mark Christian festivals with “a little flurry of newspaper articles and television programmes raking over the coals of controversies about the historical basis of faith”. He added that the Church’s position within the Establishment meant that it was mistrusted.
Modern society was fascinated by conspiracies and cover-ups, he said. Biblical texts were treated “as if they were unconvincing press releases from some official source, whose intention is to conceal the real story; and that real story waits for the intrepid investigator to share it with the waiting world.
“Anything that looks like the official version is automatically suspect. Someone is trying to stop you finding out what really happened, because what really happened could upset or challenge the power of officialdom. It evokes Watergate and All the President’s Men.

The truth, Dr Williams said, was more prosaic. “The Bible is not the authorised code of a society managed by priests and preachers for their private purposes but the set of human words through which the call of God is still uniquely immediate to human beings today, human words with divine energy behind them.”
People have become used to asking cynical questions, Dr Williams said. “We have become so suspicious of the power of words . . . the first assumption we make is that we’re faced with spin of some kind. The modern response to the proclamation ‘Christ is Risen!’ is likely to be, ‘Ah, but you would say that, wouldn’t you? Now what’s the real agenda?’ ”
Yet the New Testament “was written by people who by writing what they did made themselves less powerful, not more. They were walking out into an unmapped territory, away from the safe places of political and religious influence . . . it was written by people who were still trying to find a language that would catch up with a reality bigger than they had expected. Whatever this is, it is not about cover-ups, not about the secret agenda of power.”
Dr Williams, an expert on early heresies, said that the “Gospel of Judas” was a late text from a community on the fringes of the early Church.
He said that the world’s praying and suffering Christians were the real testament to the truth of the Resurrection. “If we want to know what it is about today, we need to turn to the people who are taking the same risks, struggling with the same mystery. We need to look at the martyrs and the mystics. There are places where conversion to Christianity is literally a matter of putting your life on the line. We have all been following the story of Abdul Rahman in Afghanistan, and his story is not unique. Whatever the Gospel means in circumstances like that, it isn’t a cover-up for the sake of the powerful.”
Dr Wright, an evangelical theologian, says that Brown’s novel “corresponds to what a great many people want to believe and to do, rather than to the hard and bracing challenge of the very Jewish gospel of Jesus.” It “appears to legitimate a free-for-all, do-it-yourself spirituality”. The bishop’s response, Decoding Da Vinci, is to be published by Grove Books weeks before the film is released.
80 MILLION EGGS
About 21 million Easter cards were bought this year by 7 million people, according to market researchers
Heathrow airport said that 214,700 travellers passed through its doors last Friday, with a further 201,000 on Saturday
Britons will have spent £520million on 80 million chocolate Easter eggs this season, the British Retail Consortium said
Easter is the most crucial period in garden centres’ calendar with 13 per cent of the £5 billion market’s annual sales during the period
Retail monitors said that there would be between 4 per cent and 5 per cent fewer shoppers out this Easter compared with last year
This year Roman Catholics and other Western churches marked Easter yesterday. The Eastern Orthodox churches will celebrate Easter next weekend

Grand National Picture Quiz - Not Quite!

This is the second time in my quizzing career that I havent stopped laughing having run off 3 copies and given them out to the teams who annoy me the most on a Sunday.
All I can say is - you had to be there - to see the looks on their faces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Check out picture 20 which is a Llama!!!!!!!!!
The horse in Picture 19 has his nose --------
Sorry, but this was so funny tonight......
One team said they had identified 3 of the pictures???
Have fun and make sure you report back here with any more from a quiz which should have been released on April 1st
I'm still giggling...................

World Snooker Championship Picture Quiz

SNOOKER STARS

1. STEPHEN HENDRY
2. MARCO FO
3. STEVE DAVIS
4. PETER EBDON
5. DAVE HAROLD
6. KEN DOCHERTY
7. STEPHEN LEE
8. JIMMY WHITE
9. JOHN PARROTT
10. ANTHONY HAMILTON
11. TONY DRAGO
12. QUENTIN HANN
13. ALEX HIGGINS
14. ALAN MCMANUS
15. PAUL HUNTER
16. FERGAL O'BRIEN
17. GRAHAM DOTT
18. NIGEL BOND
19. JOE SWAIL
20. RONNIE O'SULLIVAN

Today's The Day - April 17th

17th April 2006
National Day of Syria.

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Donnan,
St Aybert,
St Stephen Harding,
St Innocent of Tonona,
St Mappalicus and Others,
and St Robert of Chaise-Dieu.

History Test for April 17th
Which Bucks Fizz song reached the top of the UK pop charts today in 1982? -`My Camera Never Lies'
Which American scientist and politician, the inventor of bifocals, died today in 1790? -Benjamin Franklin
What prize was introduced in Harold Macmillan's Budget today in 1956? -Premium Bonds
Born today in 1946, which yachtswoman wrote the novels `Night Sky' and `Wolf Winter'? -Clare Francis
American dramatist Thornton Wilder was born today in 1897. His play `The Matchmaker' formed the basis for which musical? -'Hello Dolly'

QUOTE
"In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin, who died today, 1790.

Events today...
1421 Over 100,000 people were drowned at Dort in Holland when the sea broke through the dikes.
1521 The Congress of Church and State headed meeting at Worms to decide the case of the nonconformist German priest Martin Luther and granted him an extra day's grace. At the meeting Luther requested time to reflect on the assembly's demand that he acknowledged or denied the vast body of heretical works attributed to him. The 38-year-old firebrand was not without friends in high places, despite the open hostility of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His refusal to accept the authority of the Church of Rome over individual conscience and the Bible struck a sympathetic chord in many quarters of German society. Luther's supporters feared that any moral triumph would be at the price of a ban on his writings.
1711 Death of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor.
1790 Death of Benjamin Franklin, American diplomat, scientist and author.
1860 The first match between an American and English boxer took place in Hampshire, England.
1919 Leading film-makers Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith joined forces to launch their own company, called United Artists Corporation. The talented quartet wanted control of their own artistic destinies and felt that this could only be achieved if they controlled the production and distribution of their films. Fairbanks, the moving spirit behind the formation of the company, planned to produce a series of adventure epics which promised to make full use of his handsome physique and natural grace.
1924 Benito Mussolini's Fascist party won the Italian elections.
1953 Charlie Chaplin, the world's most famous comic actor, announced from his home in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, that he would never return to the United States. London-born Chaplin left the States the previous year for Europe where he had been promoting his current film, Limelight. He seemed to be the latest victim of Senator McCarthy's campaign against "undesirables" - politicians and newspaper reporters repeatedly accused him of being a communist sympathiser and of having links with subversive organisations, charges which he strongly denied. The US government was also after Chaplin for non-payment of back taxes. After leaving the country Chaplin was informed that his re-entry rights would be questioned by the US Department of Justice if he attempted to return. He subsequently took the decision to surrender his re-entry permit in Geneva.
1956 The first Premium Bonds were issued in Britain.
1957 Archbishop Makarios returned to Greece after over a year in exile in the Seychelles.
1960 American rock star Eddie Cochran was killed in a car crash in England.
1961 US troops and Cuban exiles failed in their attempt to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
1963 In Moscow, British businessman Greville Wynne was charged with spying.
1964 The Rolling Stones released their first LP, entitled simply The Rolling Stones.
1969 The age at which a person is eligible to vote in Britain was lowered from 21 to 18.
1970 Country singer Johnny Cash performed for President Nixon in the East Room of the White House.
1972 Death of Kawabata Yasunari, Japanese novelist.
1975 The Cambodian communist Khmer Rouge captured the capital, Pnomh Penh.
1980 Southern Rhodesia became independent Zimbabwe.
1982 The Polish Solidarity organisation became legal after a 10-year ban.
1984 A peaceful demonstration in London's St James's Square turned into a battlefield when a gunman inside the Libyan embassy opened fire on the protesters. A tragic victim of the outrage was 25-year-old woman police constable Yvonne Fletcher, one of several police officers on duty in the square, who later died of her injuries in hospital. Ten other people were injured, none seriously. The embassy was sealed off by police while the British government planed its response. Politicians were calling for diplomatic bags to be searched in future to prevent the importation of arms. The government-controlled Libyan media were portraying the incident as an attack on their embassy by British police and "other foreign agents".
1985 Death of Scott Brady, US actor.
1986 El Al security staff at Heathrow Airport in London found a bomb in the luggage of a pregnant Irish girl, placed there by her Jordanian boyfriend.
1990 Moscow imposed a blockade upon Lithuania in an attempt to stem demands for independence.
1993 Death of Turgut Ozal, Turkish politician.
1998 Linda McCartney died of breast cancer in California, aged 56. The wife of ex-beatle Paul McCartney, she was a keen photographer, vegetarian and campaigner for animal rights.
2003 Barzan al-Tikriti - accused of massive human rights abuses - was captured on a tip-off in Baghdad.
2003 Sergey Yushenkov, a veteran pro-reform member of the Russian parliament, was shot dead in Moscow.
2003 A report said that some British army intelligence officers and police helped loyalists to murder Catholics.
2003 US-born billionaire philanthropist Sir John Paul Getty II died at a London hospital at the age of 70. He was fondly remembered by members of the art world who benefited from his generosity.
2003 A California jury ruled that drummer Tommy Lee was not responsible for the death of a boy in his swimming pool.
2003 Fulham manager Jean Tigana left the club with immediate effect and was replaced by Chris Coleman until the end of the season.
2004 Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, head of the Hamas militant group in Gaza, was killed in a targeted Israeli attack.
2004 Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's new prime minister was sworn in and then visits survivors of the Madrid train bombings.
2004 The Dutch national film archive discovered a copy of the long-lost 1922 Rudolph Valentino silent classic Beyond the Rocks.
2004 An Indian movie star who was campaigning in the upcoming elections died in an aircraft crash.
2005 Twelve people were killed as their bus plunged 250 metres down a ravine in south-western Switzerland.
2005 More than 100 cardinals were readying themselves to begin the process of choosing a new pope.
2005 Retailer Littlewoods announced it would cut up to 3,200 jobs as part of plans to shut down 126 of its Index catalogue-based shops.
2005 Tony Christie became the first artist to top the new UK singles chart, which now included downloads.
2005 The final episode of hit showbiz reality show "The Osbournes" was shown in the UK on MTV.
2005 Newcastle 1-4 Man Utd. Man Utd booked an FA Cup final meeting against rivals Arsenal after breezing past a lacklustre Newcastle.
2005 Paula Radcliffe overcame stomach cramps to win a third London Marathon.

BIRTHDAYS (for 17 April 2006)
Sir Leonard Woolley, 126 (born 17 April 1880)
British archaeologist most famous for his excavations at Ur in southern Iraq.
Nikita Khruschev, 112 (born 17 April 1894)
Russian politician, prime minister of the USSR 1958-64.
Thornton Wilder, 109 (born 17 April 1897)
American dramatist and novelist whose The Matchmaker was adapted to become the musical Hello Dolly.
Harry Reasoner, 83 (born 17 April 1923)
TV journalist.
Lindsay Anderson, 83 (born 17 April 1923)
British film director whose films include "If..." and "O Lucky Man."
James Last, 77 (born 17 April 1929)
Dutch bandleader, composer and arranger of international easy-listening renown.

On This Day - 1964

1964: 'Great Train Robbers' get 300 years
Some of the longest sentences in British criminal history have been imposed on men involved in the so-called "Great Train Robbery".
Sentences totalling 307 years were passed on 12 men who stole £2.6m in used bank notes after holding up the night mail train travelling from Glasgow to London last August.
The judge at Buckinghamshire Assizes in Aylesbury, Mr Justice Edmund Davies, said it would be "positively evil" if he showed leniency.
The robbery was the biggest-ever carried out in Britain.
The scale and style of the theft led to comparisons with rail robberies of the Wild West and the hunt for the perpetrators captured the public imagination.
But the judge said the robbers' crime had in no way been "romantic" and was obviously motivated by greed.
The attack on train driver Jack Mills was proof of their violent tendencies, he added.
"Anybody who has seen that nerve-shattered engine driver can have no doubt of the terrifying effect on law-abiding citizens of a concerted assault by armed robbers," the judge said.
Ringleader
Seven of the defendants - Ronald Biggs, Charles Wilson, Douglas Goody, Thomas Wisbey, Robert Welch, James Hussey and Roy James - were jailed for 30 years each.
Four were sent to prison for terms of between 20 and 25 years.
Another defendant, solicitor John Wheater, 41, was sent to prison for three years.
Wheater obtained the robbers hide-out - Leatherslade Farm in Bedfordshire.
Judge Davies said Wheater had no knowledge of the robbery until after it had been committed but should then have informed the police.
"I realise the consequences of your conviction are disastrous, professionally and personally," the judge told Wheater.
Three men involved in the robbery are still at large including the man said to be the ringleader, Bruce Reynolds.

In Context
All the three remaining gang members were eventually caught.
In 1969 the robbery's mastermind, Bruce Reynolds, was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
In the meantime two gang members had made dramatic escapes from prison.
One of them, Charlie Wilson, was recaptured in Canada in 1968.
The other, Ronnie Biggs, was free for nearly 40 years before he returned voluntarily to Britain from Brazil.
An impoverished Biggs, 71, came back to the UK in 2001 to receive free medical treatment after having suffered a series of strokes.
He was immediately taken to a top-security prison to serve the remaining 28 years of his sentence.
Flashback: The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery was the most famous heist in an era that made celebrities of some high profile criminals.
The gang, taking inspiration from the rail robberies of the Wild West, raided the Glasgow to London mail train and made off with £2.6m in used bank notes.
The audacious nature of the crime - even though driver Jack Mills was coshed with an iron bar - and their flight from justice made them as famous as the Hole in the Wall gang, who decades earlier had become the original Great Train Robbers.
The mastermind was Bruce Reynolds, a known armed burglar.
Using inside information on the movement of valuables, he assembled a gang to intercept a night train in a quiet part of Buckinghamshire.
On 8 August 1963, fifteen men wearing ski masks and helmets swarmed onto the train and grabbed 120 bags full of money - a record haul.
The scale and style of the heist captivated Britain and a huge police operation was launched.
They found the gang's abandoned hideout in nearby Leatherslade Farm - with fingerprints still in tact.
Members of the gang were sentenced to a total of 300 years. Reynolds, eventually found after five years on the run, was given 10 years for masterminding the crime.
But it was Ronnie Biggs that became its most famous member, and Britain's most notorious fugitive.
Escape
After escaping from Wandsworth Prison in a furniture van after just 15 months in jail, he fled the country.
He used plastic surgery to change his appearance and moved to Spain, Australia, and then Brazil.
Repeated attempts to extradite him back to Britain failed as the heist gained cult status.
Fellow robber Buster Edwards gave himself up after fleeing to Mexico for three years. His exploits were portrayed by Phil Collins in the hit film Buster.
Jack Mills never returned to work and died in 1970 without ever making a full recovery.

Famous Crimes - The Great Train Robbery ...was a simple game of Monopoly the real reason the Robbers were caught?

The Queen at 80

Through five decades of astonishing change, the Queen has been steadfast, performing her duties with ceaseless devotion and discretion. William Shawcross, the royal biographer, pays a personal tribute
There has been a big political row recently about the retirement age. The Government has caved in to union protests over plans to raise some public sector retirement ages from 60 to 65. However, there is one branch of the public services that is not unionised and has no retirement age at all. The Queen will be 80 next week. Her husband, Prince Philip, is almost 85. Yet both still carry out work schedules that would shatter, if not destroy, many people 20 years younger.
Last year, the Queen carried out 378 engagements in Britain and 48 on official visits overseas. Prince Philip's scores were 352 and 54 respectively. So far this year, she has travelled to Singapore and Australia, and, at home, she has had 82 official engagements, receptions and audiences.

The Queen's attitude to retirement is that she can't
By most standards, this workload, 20 years after reaching pensionable age, is extraordinary. Not to the Queen. Many years ago, one of her favourite prelates, Bishop Michael Mann, the Dean of Windsor, told her that he felt he must retire, and she replied: "It's all right for you. I can't." And she won't.
The Palace is at pains to stress that she has no plans to cut down the working week or to take longer holidays. She will continue to make overseas visits. The next meeting of heads of state of her beloved Commonwealth will probably be in Uganda, in 2007. I would bet that she plans to be there. Last week, a Buckingham Palace official even volunteered to me that the Queen expects, with the support of her family, still to be working at the age of 90. Yes, 90.
Sufficient unto her 80th, I think. Today, on such an occasion, even republicans must find it hard not to admit (through gritted teeth, perhaps) that Britain has been extremely lucky in having Elizabeth II as head of state during 54 years of astonishing, endless change, and by no means all of it for the better. She has performed her job with devotion, honour, discretion and constancy. The debt she is owed is incalculable, but huge.
Ten years ago, on her 70th birthday, I was asked to write a series about the Queen. It seemed to me that one of the secrets of her success as monarch was her mystery. At the centre of the British constitution and, indeed, British life, all this time has been a woman whose image is known throughout the world. Her life in public has been endless and endlessly demanding. And yet no one knows what she thinks and feels.
She never, ever gives interviews. She does allow herself to be filmed both at work and relaxing - as on the Scottish moors with her dogs - but she will not take questions. It's a neat trick in the age of celebrity to be perhaps the greatest international celebrity of all and never to have your words quoted anywhere, other than the annual exception, of course, of her Christmas Day speech.
She was born at the time of the General Strike in 1926, when the Royal Family, and many others, feared the Bolshevik revolution could swoop from the east through Britain. She was an adored child - her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, used to bargain with her parents for how much time she could spend with them. Winston Churchill first met her when she was only two years old and said: "She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant."
She was 10 when, quite unexpectedly and to the horror of her parents, she became heir to the throne on the departure of her beloved uncle David, Edward VIII. Duty was thrust upon her by the abdication, and duty became her mantra ever after.
On her 21st birthday, while hugging the secret of her love for Prince Philip, she made a filmed radio broadcast, which is still touching to watch or hear today. "It is very simple," she said. "I declare before you that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of the great Imperial Commonwealth to which we all belong."

No plans to reduce her official workload
Last week, one of her closest friends, her cousin, Margaret Rhodes, told me that she thought the Queen's pledge and all that it entailed was at the heart of her mystery. She has kept her promise scrupulously. More astonishingly, despite all the changes in British society, she has kept the vast bulk of the people's support.
It was only five years later that she became Queen on the tragically early death of her father in February 1952, while she was in Africa. Everything had changed for her; on the long, sad and anxious flight home she asked what would happen when she arrived. Winston Churchill, her first Prime Minister, was on the asphalt to bow deeply to his new sovereign.
Churchill, a deeply romantic monarchist, was a much-loved Prime Minister. Meetings with him were just such fun - they would often end up discussing race horses instead of the latest crisis. Since then, she has seen nine more Prime Ministers in and out; Tony Blair had not been born when she came to the throne. The personal relationship between monarch and premier is forged at regular weekly evening meetings, when the Prime Minister tells the monarch of his plans and predicaments. Her right and duty is to encourage, advise and warn the premier. The Queen has never spoken of these meetings.
More astonishingly, no Prime Minister has ever breached her confidence. At the lunch given to honour her Golden Wedding anniversary, Tony Blair said: "There are only two people in the world, frankly, to whom a Prime Minister can say what he likes about his Cabinet colleagues. One's the wife, the other's the Queen." Blair, who has little time for much of the constitution, is fulsome about her.
She came to the throne as much of Europe was disappearing behind the brutal Iron Curtain. She was still on the throne when it emerged, 40 years later, after the collapse of Soviet Communism. Vaclav Havel, Czechoslovakia's brave, democratic president, praised her for combining the "dignity of the throne" with "an open, honest attitude, an ability to take things as they are, and a sense of humour". (Havel had been even more impressed by the fact that his dog bounded up to her the moment he saw her. Dogs know dog lovers).

Elizabeth II has been head of state during 54 years of astonishing, endless change
Many other heads of state have been equally struck by her over the decades. After 9/11, she wrote a message to stricken New York that ended with the words: "Grief is the price we pay for love." Bill Clinton, who was in the church when it was read out, said: "It was a stunning sentence, so wise and so true. It somehow made people feel better, making us understand that we were grieving because we had that love."
Clinton formed a view of her. "I think she loves her country and I think she loves its history," he said. "Life thrust her into certain circumstances and she did an excellent job of dealing with the hand she was dealt in life. We should all do so well."
It cannot have been easy in the face of the massive changes in Britain since 1952. Then, a third of the population thought the Queen had actually been chosen by God. The Armed Forces were still a significant part of national life; every boy expected to do two years of national service before the flag. Britain was an overwhelmingly white society. The country was dominated by values that today are seen as old fashioned.
The half century since has brought many benefits. Britain is more prosperous than at any time in its history. More people (especially more women) have more opportunities than before. Society is more fluid. Britain is a mixed society, in which immigrants form seven per cent of the population. We have moved, without serious unrest, from a proud imperial role to an uneasy European partnership.
But there is a downside. Towns and cities have been ruined by careless modernisation; regions have lost their traditional identities. Education is more widely available, but it is shallower. In the early 1950s, people's sexual behaviour was often unhappily restricted; now there appear to be almost no restraints. Discretion is unusual. Tolerance has led to irresponsibility; Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe. The easy access to drugs threatens the lives of many young people.
Some of the changes must have been hard for the Queen to bear. But, because of her discretion, we cannot know. We can say that her Christian faith has been essential to her throughout her life. She attends church every Sunday without fail, wherever she is. After her accession, she asked the British people to pray for her on her coronation day: "Pray that Christ may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him, and you, all the days of my life."
When she was crowned in June 1953, she was not only anointed with holy oil, she felt anointed. Bishop Michael Mann said: "When she was consecrated, she saw herself as set aside for a special purpose. The whole of her life has been dictated by a desire to do her duty, and to fear God and to walk before Him humbly."
In her Christmas broadcast of 2000, the Queen noted that the birth of Jesus was "the true millennium anniversary" and that the impact of Christ's life was measured "in the good works quietly done by millions of men and women, day in and day out, through the centuries".
She believes in absolute freedom of worship, but she is not a multicultural relativist. In fact, she is convinced that one of Britain's strengths is that other religions are protected under the arch of the established Christian church. "At the heart of our faith stands the conviction that all people, irrespective of race, background or circumstances, can find lasting significance and purpose in the gospel of Jesus Christ," she told the Anglican Synod last year.
Along with faith comes family. Her relationship with Prince Philip has been at the core of her life. It was a love match, about which her parents were doubtful. She insisted. It was very hard for Prince Philip that, only five years later, he had to give up a promising Naval career to become her consort. His tabloid image today is a crusty old sea dog, given to unscripted and politically incorrect jokes. In fact, he has always been a moderniser. More than three million people in this country alone have enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards scheme since 1956. Many others have benefited from his work for the National Playing Fields Association. These are just two of his many interests.
He has never been a man to tolerate foolishness kindly. But he continues to work extremely hard and has been unceasingly supportive of his wife. And affectionate. One lady in waiting recalls an evening in the 1960s when the Queen looked particularly winsome. The prince said to her: "You look good enough to eat." She blushed scarlet, but was obviously delighted. Friends say that there clearly remains a charge between them still today, after almost 60 years of marriage.
The Queen is not demonstrative. Her generation was perhaps the last to be brought up to believe that public displays of emotion were bad form. During the war, when she was a teenager, people learned to accept constant, tragic losses with stoicism. In an age when the fashion is to "let it all hang out", her reticence has led shrill columnists to denounce her as "bad mother" heading a "dysfunctional family".
In 2002, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was infuriated by a series of such newspaper articles. To rebut the charges, she recorded an interview for Queen and Country, a series of films I was making. She was typically robust: "Astonishing, isn't it, the ability of people to comment on other people's private lives without any information to go on? I simply don't believe that there is any evidence whatsoever to suggest that she wasn't caring. It just beggars belief."
The Queen is sometimes criticised for not laying down the law to her children. The Princess Royal countered: "If she'd been a disciplinarian and said 'No' to everybody, we'd have all been psychoanalysed out of existence on the basis that we had too controlling a mother."
In the fevered week after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Queen was abused by tabloid papers for not responding quickly enough to the wide, if shallow, outpouring of grief that convulsed parts of the country. The truth is that, like millions of people, she was taken by surprise by what happened. She was also determined to succour Princes William and Harry, who were with her at Balmoral. When she returned to London at the end of that week, she stopped her car outside Buckingham Palace, stepped out and talked to the crowds of mourners. This took some nerve, no one knew whether she would be well received or hissed. But the crowd responded to her concern; she assuaged the anger.
There were those who thought that Diana's life and death would change the monarchy. Instead, the spasm of emotion in the week of her d eath was not repeated. By contrast, the affection in which the Queen was still held was never more plainly shown than in the 2002 Jubilee celebrations.
Republican and Leftish papers had gleefully predicted disaster for the Jubilee. In the event, it was one of the great success stories of the reign. The stage was set in an emotional manner by the death of the Queen Mother on Easter Saturday, 2002. The Queen accompanied her body when it was taken to lie in state in Westminster Hall. When she drove back home, she was clapped by the crowds already lining the streets. She said that that was one of the most moving things that had ever happened to her. Over the next week, hundreds of thousands of people queued in the spring cold to pass by the Queen Mother's coffin as it lay in state. The Queen made a television address in which she said how touched she was by the nation's response to her mother's death.
It was a curtain raiser for the Jubilee. In my favourite village, St Mawes, in Cornwall, local people had worked for a year to stage a children's re-enactment of the Coronation, complete with gold coach, smaller but otherwise painstakingly faithful to the original. All over the country millions of people staged street parties and other celebrations to show their enthusiasm for the Queen's 50 years. More than a million people flooded Pall Mall. Like George V, at his Silver Jubilee in 1935, the Queen was greatly cheered.
The Queen always moves deliberately. After Diana's death, she was cautious about Prince Charles's romance with Camilla Parker Bowles. But, a year ago, she gave a happy party in Windsor Castle after their wedding. In a witty speech that likened the obstacles to their romance to fences in the Grand National, which had taken place the same afternoon, she said how happy she now was to welcome her son and the woman he loved into the winner's enclosure.
The traumas that still attended her 70th birthday have now passed. Her relationship with Prince Charles is closer than it has been for a very long time. She is a particularly devoted grandmother - to Princess Margaret's children, also. Her staff know that she is always eager to speak to any of the children on the telephone. Last week, she attended Prince Harry's passing out parade; they grinned broadly at each other. She spends a lot of time with Princess Louise, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex. But she remains, as always, a working grandmother.
Roger Scruton, the quintessentially English philosopher, wrote this of her: "If ever the word 'irenic' could be applied to a public figure, it must surely be to her, who has placed herself and her office at the service of her country during 50 years of cultural decline... The emotion that the Queen inspires is one of unbelligerent tenderness... She was born to her office and could not avoid it. Her duties were not chosen and she symbolises, through her dedicated life, the sacrifices upon which nations depend and of which they become conscious when threatened."
Martin Charteris, her delightful, long-serving private secretary, had a favourite toast: "May the Queen live for ever!" As usual, she is doing her best.
• William Shawcross is the author and presenter of Queen and Country (2002) and is writing the official biography of the Queen Mother

Today's The Day - 16th April

16th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Bernadette,
St Magnus,
St Pacernus of Avranches,
St Encratis,
St Fructuosus Braga,
St Turibius of Astorga,
St Drogo,
St Joseph Benedict Labre,
and St Optatus and the Martyrs of Saragossa.

History Test for April 16th
Born today in 1922 which Booker Prize-winning novelist wrote 'Lucky Jim'? -Sir Kingsley Amis
Name the Swiss wax modeller who made death masks during the French Revolution and died today in 1850. -Madame Tussaud
Today in 1969 who became the first Jamaican artist to reach the top of the UK pop charts with the song `The Israelites'? -Desmond Dekker (with the Aces)
Name the Royal Yacht, launched today in 1953. -`Britannia'
Born today in 1889, which film genius won acclaim for 'City Lights'? -Sir Charles Chaplin

QUOTE
"Dear comrades, soldiers, sailors and workers! I am happy to greet in you the victorious Russian Revolution!" - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, in a speech made at Finland Station in Petrograd, 1917.

Events today...
1446 Death of Filippo Brunelleschi, Florentine architect and sculptor who built the dome for the city's cathedral.
1515 Roman Catholic mass was banned in Zurich as the Lutheran reformation swept Europe.
1689 Death of Aphra Behn, British novelist and dramatist and early feminist.
1746 The hopes of the grandson of the deposed Catholic king of England, James II, regaining the throne of England for his family were dealt a severe blow at Culloden Moor in Scotland. It was here that the so-called "Young Pretender" Charles Edward Stuart, decided to take on the might of the British Army under the command of William, Duke of Cumberland, the second son of George II. "Bonnie Prince Charlie" Stuart's 5000 Highlanders were no match for Cumberland's 9000 soldiers, many of them regulars equipped with the latest weaponry. Many questioned the wisdom of Stuart's decision to make a stand on flat ground which offered every advantage to Cumberland's artillery. Stuart managed to escape the carnage and was thought to be in hiding somewhere in the area.
1828 Death of Francisco de Goya, the Spanish painter whose deafness changed the nature of his work, making it frequently macabre and menacing.
1850 The founder of the famous museum of waxworks in London, Madame Marie Tussaud, died aged 89. Madame Tussaud learnt the art of wax modelling from her uncle, Philippe Curtuis. When the French Revolution broke out she was art tutor at Versailles, to Louis XVI's sister Elizabeth and, after a period of imprisonment, she was given the unpleasant task of making death masks from heads freshly severed by the guillotine. It is said that she recognised many of them as people she had known in happier times. She left Paris in 1802, accompanied by her collection of waxwork models and two sons from her unsuccessful marriage to a French engineer, François Tussaud. She spent the next 33 years touring Britain before opening a permanent display in London.
1879 Death of St Bernadette of Lourdes, French saint.
1883 Paul Kruger became president of the South African republic.
1902 More than 20,000 people rallied in Dublin Park to protest against British government legislation.
1904 Death of Samuel Smiles, Scottish social reformer and author of Self Help.
1912 US pilot Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
1917 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin returned to Russia after three years of exile in Zurich.
1951 Seventy-five people died when the British submarine Affray sank in the English Channel.
1953 The royal yacht Britannia was launched.
1954 The first stock-car race meeting was held in Britain, at the Old Kent Road stadium, London.
1969 Desmond Dekker became the first Jamaican artist to reach the top of the UK singles chart, with "The Israelites".
1972 The US spacecraft Apollo 16 was launched.
1975 The communist Khmer Rouge seize Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.
1988 The Palestine Liberation Organisation’s military commander, Khalil al-Wazir, was mown down by bullets at home in Tunis, the Tunisian capital. The PLO said the killing was the work of an Israeli hit squad. Mr al-Wazir (or Abu Jihad) had been a thorn in the Israelis' sides for years and masterminded many attacks into Israel from Lebanon. He was also thought to have orchestrated the Palestinian unrest in the occupied territories.
1990 Freed African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela publicly thanked the world for its support during his 26-year imprisonment by the South African government. His platform was Wembley stadium, where about 72,000 people gathered to hear 50 top British, American and African stars pay him tribute. The globally transmitted concert attracted names like Simple Minds, Lou Reed, Tracy Chapman, Neil Young and Terence Trent D'Arby and cost an estimated £2 million. It was hoped that some of the revenues would go to charity. Some Conservative MPs had accused the BBC of left-wing bias: the concert broadcast ended with public criticism of the government's opposition to sanctions against South Africa.
1991 Death of David Lean, English film director.
1997 Arnold Schwartzeneger underwent heart surgery, for treatment of a faulty valve which he had suffered from since childhood. He decided to have the operation while he was still relatively young and fit.
1998 Death of Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge which seize Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia in 1975.
1998 Snooker Great, Fred Davis died at the age of 84.
1999 Britain awoke to find taht up to twelve inches of snow had fallen overnight.
1999 Jockey Graham Bradley hed his licence suspended sfter allegations of cheating.
1999 A further 100,000 refugees fled from Kosovo.
2004 Seven people were killed and tens of thousands evacuated after a chlorine gas leak in China.
2004 Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi went back on trial for corruption following the lifting of an immunity law.
2004 California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger enlisted fellow actors to help boost the state's film industry.
2004 Thierry Henry hits his first four-goal haul for Arsenal as they thrash Leeds 5-0 at Highbury.
2005 Tokyo called for an apology and compensation after violent anti-Japan protests in the Chinese city of Shanghai.
2005 Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf began a rare visit to India at a time of improving relations.
2005 Pope John Paul II's ring and seal were destroyed to mark the end of his reign over the Catholic Church.
2005 The owners of MG Rover denied reports of a "black hole" in the company's accounts, as a formal investigation was launched.
2005 Actor David Tennant, star of BBC period drama Casanova, was officially named the new Doctor Who.
2005 A film about Pope John Paul II's early life got its premiere in Vatican City before being shown on Italian TV.
2005 A Robert Pires goal and a Robin van Persie double put Arsenal in the FA Cup final for the fourth time in five years.

BIRTHDAYS (for 16 April 2006)
Jules Hardouin-Mansart, 360 (born 16 April 1646)
French court architect to Louis XIV who designed the Gallery of Mirrors and the orangery at Versailles.
Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, 310 (born 16 April 1696)
Venetian rococo painter, the greatest Italian artist of the 18th century.
Wilbur Wright, 139 (born 16 April 1867)
American aviator who, with his brother Orville, invented the first powered aircraft.
Sir Charles Chaplin, 117 (born 16 April 1889)
English-born comedian much loved for his portrayal of a tramp in baggy trousers and bowler hat.
Henry Mancini, 82 (born 16 April 1924)
American composer responsible for many film scores.

The Easter Message!

From God’s rottweiler to 'my German Shepherd’ – the transformation of Pope Benedict

The Pope’s fearsome reputation as a defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy earned him the nickname of “God’s ­rottweiler”.
But now, the first papal fan club aims to show the Bavarian-born Pope Benedict’s softer side – with a range of car bumper stickers emblazoned with “I [heart] my German Shepherd”.

From beer steins...
The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club, which offers visitors a chance to purchase a range of papal mugs, stickers, sweatshirts and baseball caps, has become one of the most popular religious websites on the internet.
The fan club, which was launched in the days after Pope Benedict’s election, a year ago this week, has generated an increasing demand for its exclusive Pope-ware. Among the most sought-after items are a black-and-white “trucker-style” baseball cap with the word “Papist” written in Gothic script across the front, which sells for $11.99 (about £6.84). Beer tankards featuring a picture of the first German Pope (£8) and car stickers with “Proud 2 B Papist” (£1.99) are also proving popular.
It is not the image one traditionally associates with the ultra-conservative Pope Benedict, who earned a reputation as a ferocious enforcer of Catholic doctrine during his 24 years as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. His hard-line stance on issues such as homosexuality and abortion prompted some to call him “the panzerkardinal”.
This has done nothing to dampen the ardour of his admirers. The fan club sells up to 50 items each month. There are no subscription fees, but 300 people have signed up to receive regular e-mail updates.
It is not the first time that items related to Pope Benedict have stirred considerable interest on the internet. Last May, a clapped-out Volkswagen Golf once owned by the Pope was sold on eBay for £130,497 after attracting 8.5 million visitors to the internet auction site.

...to baseball caps
Christopher Blosser, 32, the founder of the fan club, said that he designed the site “to express gratitude and appreciation for Pope Benedict by those who read and enjoyed his works”.
The fan club also provides links to all of Pope Benedict’s major writings, both as Pope and in his former role as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Mr Blosser, a web designer from Queens, New York, said: “We originally set up a Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club as a response to his critics, who portrayed him as some sort of ultra-conservative Grand Inquisitor or Darth Vader of the Vatican.
“The best way one can respond to the absurdity of such criticisms was with humour. What could be more humorous than a fan-site?
“When he was elected Pope, we founded the Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club and launched the range of merchandise.
“We started getting thousands of visitors where ­previously we’d only have got a few hundred.
“We have a pretty active discussion forum as well. Visitors come from all around the world – predominantly the United States, Canada and the UK as it is an English-language website, but also from the rest of Europe, Africa, Russia, China, Japan, India, islands in the Pacific – and even a few visitors from the Vatican, although we don’t know who.”
The Pope, who is 79 today, is said to be aware of the fan club’s existence.
“A 15-year-old student once presented Cardinal Ratzinger with one of our T-shirts on a visit to Rome,” said Mr Blosser. “Apparently, he laughed at it and enjoyed it, but ended up returning the gift 'because he couldn’t be his own fan’, which we took as another sign of his great humility.”
The site’s address is www.popebenedictxvifanclub.com

10 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK

Snippets harvested from the week's news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.
1. The average British woman worries about the size and shape of her body every 15 minutes.
2. This Easter weekend will see 2.3 million people travelling through the UK's airports.
More details
3. Six seats in the Italian Senate depend on the votes of Italians living abroad.
More details
4. A flag expert is a vexillologist.
More details
5. Coins which are called "coppers", such as the penny, have been made from steel since 1992.
More details
6. Compensation payments to teachers following personal injuries, such as assaults by pupils, amounted to £7.6m last year.
More details
7. Berlin's tallest building, a television tower, will have a giant 32 metre football placed on top for the World Cup.
More details
8. Iceland has the highest concentration of broadband users in the world.
More details
9. The suicide rate in the UK is at its lowest rate since records began in 1910.
More details
10. Tony Blair is the first prime minister in recent times not to use RAF aircraft for family holidays.
More details

[Sources where no story linked: 1: Daily Telegraph]

Today's The Day - April 15th

15th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Ruadhan,
St Paternus of Wales,
St Hunna,
and Saints Anastasia and Basilissa.

History Test for April 15th
Leonardo da Vinci was born today in 1452. By what other name is his `Mona Lisa' known? -'La Gioconda'
Today in 1964 which Manchester United footballer made his debut for Northern Ireland? -George Best
Born today in 1939, which British singer had chart hits with `Rubber Ball' and `A Teenager in Love'? -Marty Wilde
Which comedy actor played the power-crazed Khazi of Kalibar in `Carry on Up the Khyber' and died today in 1988? -Kenneth Williams
Author Jeffrey Archer was born today in 1940. What is the title of his first novel, written after a financial disaster? -`Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less'

Events today...
1611 English author Richard Mulcaster died.
1755 English lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary; he had taken eight years to compile it.
1764 Death of Mme de Pompadour, mistress of French King Louis XV.
1793 The first Bank of England £5 notes were issued.
1797 Sailors at Spithead, near Portsmouth, mutinied demanding better conditions; the British government met their demands.
1820 Celebrated surgeon John Bell died in Rome.
1865 Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the USA, died from gunshot wounds received on the previous day. Andrew Johnson was sworn in to complete the remainder of the presidential term.
1888 Matthew Arnold, English poet and educationalist. died in Liverpool.
1889 Belgian missionary Father Damien died in Hawaii.
1891 US inventor Thomas Edison gave a public demonstration of his Kinetoscope, a moving-picture machine.
1912 On her maiden voyage, the apparently unsinkable Titanic hit an iceberg and sank with the loss of 1,513 passengers and crew.
1922 Insulin was discovered by Canadian physiologist Frederick Banting and J. J. R. Macleod.
1925 US painter John Singer Sargent died.
1942 The George Cross was awarded to the island of Malta, for bravery under heavy attack by German and Italian forces during World War II.
1945 Art treasures looted by the Germans during the war were discovered in an Austrian mine. They included paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rubens, Goya and an altarpiece by Michelangelo.
1955 The world's largest hamburger chain, McDonald's was founded in De Plaines, Chicago, by Ray Kroc.
1961 At Wembley, England beat Scotland by nine goals to three in the highest scoring football match between the two countries.
1970 The first electronic handheld calculator was revealed to the press by Japanese company Canon Business Machines.
1974 Kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst took part in an armed bank robbery with her captors, the Symbionese Liberation Army.
1975 Actor and writer Michael Flanders died.
1978 Joyce McKinney, accused of kidnapping and sexually abusing a young Mormon missionary, disappeared.
1980 French philosopher, dramatist and novelist Jean-Paul Sartre died at the age of seventy four.
1982 Death of Arthur Lowe, English actor.
1983 A letter bomb sent to the hotel in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, where the Prime Minister was meeting Conservative Party candidates, was defused by a bomb disposal officer.
1983 Customs officers seized heroin with a street value of £1 million while searching a ship at Ellesmere Port, Merseyside.
1983 Sir Larry Lamb was appointed editor of the Daily Express.
1983 The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was considering legal action to end a wave of mouse racing meetings in pubs and clubs.
1983 Three Britons were killed and another critically injured when their aircraft hit a television transmitter mast and crashed in thick fog near Boulogne.
1985 The South African Government announced that it was to end the ban on mixed marriages.
1986 French dramatist Jean Genet died.
1988 British actor and comedian Kenneth Williams died at the age of sixty-two.
1988 English international footballers Terry Butcher and Chris Woods were found guilty of a breach of the peace at a match between Rangers and Celtic and fined £250 and £500 respectively.
1988 Public health officials were debating the correct method to fry an egg after a warning from American officials that lightly cooked eggs could be a health hazard, leading to salmonella poisoning.
1988 The fourth International Clowns' Convention opened in Bognor Regis, with clowns arriving from Britain, the Continent and the United States.
1988 The Soviet authorities launched their first ever beauty contest in Moscow.
1990 Legendary Swedish actress Greta Garbo died at the age of eighty four.
1991 The twelve Foreign Ministers of the European Community agreed to lift the sanctions imposed on South Africa
1992 Executives at Reliant Motors disclosed that they were in negotiation with the Russians over plans to build versions of their much-maligned Robins for Soviet yuppies.
1992 Recovering from a triple bypass operation, Liverpool manager Graeme Souness was photographed attempting to leave hospital without the approval of doctors. The fact, however, that most caught the press and the public's imagination, was that he was at the time wearing ostensibly outmoded striped pyjamas; promoting a number of polls on what men wore to bed.
1995 An Irish theme pub was at the centre of a row after Labour councillors in Birmingham said the proposed name, 'Scruffy Murphy's', insulted the Irish community. The brewer, Ansells, planned to spend £400,000 renovating the pub.
1995 Duke, a nine-year-old springer spaniel, escaped with a cut paw after falling 150ft down a disused mine shaft near Richmond in North Yorkshire. A mountain rescue team used a rope ladder and shopping bag to rescue the dog.
1995 ITV was set to launch Britain's richest game show in the autumn, Raise the Roof, with a weekly prize of a £100,000 holiday home.
1995 It was reported that copies of the first book written by Enid Blyton were found in a car boot sale in Yorkshire.
1995 The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Paul Condon, ordered the removal of freemasons from Scotland Yard's anti-corruption squad.
1995 Direct talks were to start within weeks between British government ministers and Sinn Fein.
1995 Britain's biggest Lottery winner was to be sued for nearly half of his £17.8 million fortune by a friend who claimed that they had agreed to share any payout.
1999 Britain braced itself as winter returned with snow showers throughout the country.
1999 At a court in Cardiff, the foreman of the jury announced that they found the defendant ‘not guilty’. Unfortunately, a member of the jury coughed and the magistrate did not hear the word ‘not’. The defendant was escorted from the courtroom to the cells to begin a two-year sentence. After a few moments, one member of the jury plucked up enough courage to interrupt the judge and rectify his mistake.
2003 The US confirmed it had shut down a pipeline that allegedly pumped illegal oil between Iraq and Syria.
2003 Palestine fugitive, Abu Abbas, who led the hijacking of a US cruise ship in 1985, was detained by American forces in Baghdad.
2003 The killer of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was jailed for 18 years - avoiding the life term demanded by prosecutors.
2003 Finland's first woman prime minister was voted into office by parliament - joining the female president in a unique double.
2003 DJ Norman Cook said his marriage was back on track after he and his wife Zoe Ball were pictured together.
2003 Portsmouth were promoted to the Premiership after a 1-0 win over Burnley.
2003 Wigan were promoted to Division One after Crewe drew with Bristol City.
2004 Russia evacuated 366 ex-Soviet citizens from Iraq and planned to bring out hundreds more.
2004 A deal to post UK officials at Brussels' Eurostar terminal to try to stop illegal immigrants was agreed.
2004 A new batch of hundreds of spare Glastonbury festival tickets went on sale - but sold out within hours.
2004 Singer Michael Jackson's lawyers said fresh allegations of child abuse were a "malicious" smear campaign.
2005 Inter Milan were fined £132,000 and were to play their next four European games behind closed doors after crowd trouble against AC Milan.
2005 About 5,000 MG Rover workers were made redundant after talks on a last-ditch rescue deal collapsed.
2005 Channel 4 drama "Shameless" led the network's winners at the Broadcasting Press Guild awards.
2005 Journalists working at BBC News 24 were to enforce a work-to-rule policy in protest at staff cuts.

BIRTHDAYS (for 15 April 2006)
Sir James Ross, 206 (born 15 April 1800)
English explorer
Henry James, 163 (born 15 April 1843)
US novelist
James J. Jeffries, 131 (born 15 April 1875)
US heavyweight boxer
Bliss Carman, 125 (born 15 April 1881)
Poet
Alvin Pleasant Carter, 115 (born 15 April 1891)
The Carter Family
Bessie Smith, 112 (born 15 April 1894)
American blues singer who died in a car accident
Joe Davis, 105 (born 15 April 1901)
Former world snooker champion
Meriol Trevor, 87 (born 15 April 1919)
Author
Joyce Jacobs, 84 (born 15 April 1922)
British actress who has starred in many Australian soap operas
Sir Adrian Cadbury, 77 (born 15 April 1929)
Former chairman of Cadbury Schweppes
Elizabeth Montgomery, 73 (born 15 April 1933)
Actress
Roy Clark, 73 (born 15 April 1933)
Country artist
Earl Russell, 69 (born 15 April 1937)
Claudia Cardinale, 67 (born 15 April 1939)
Italian leading lady whose films include 'The Pink Panther', 'Escape to Athena' and `Henry IV'
Lord (Jeffrey) Archer, 66 (born 15 April 1940)
Politician and now a prolific and successful author. He resigned from the House of Commons after bankruptcy but his books 'Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less', `Shall We Tell the President?', 'Kane and Abel' and ' First Among Equals' were blockbuster sell
Allan Clarke, 64 (born 15 April 1942)
The Hollies
Dave Edmunds, 62 (born 15 April 1944)
Singer who topped the charts with 'I Hear You Knocking'
Stewart `Woolley' Wolstenholme, 59 (born 15 April 1947)
Barclay James Harvest
Emma Thompson, 47 (born 15 April 1959)
Actress who married Kenneth Branagh, she has had a very successful career in fims including `Howards End', 'Much Ado about Nothing', 'The Remains of the Day' and 'Carrington' and 'Sense and Sensibility'
Samantha Fox, 40 (born 15 April 1966)
Former page three girl and singer

Union recognition

Four-hundred years old this week, the union jack is one of the world's oldest national flags... if you overlook the fact it's only meant to be flown at sea, the proportions are wrong and no one can agree on its name.
Its striking red, white and blue design harks back to a time when Britannia ruled the waves, but the history of the union jack is as tangled as all the mothballed bunting it decorates.
It is a story about custom over clarity, assumption over assertion, anomaly instead of consistency.
In the words of union jack historian Malcolm Farrow, "a mish-mash - but what do you expect from the British constitution?"
Even its real name has been known to pitch grown men into heated argument, 400 years after the flag's creation.
For the record, the BBC website disregards the term "union flag" because of its "great potential for confusion", preferring union jack (in lower case).
The union jack as we know it today dates back to 1801, when Ireland joined Great Britain in a single kingdom. But the original flag, which was set out by royal proclamation on 12 April 1606, was subtly different, lacking the diagonal red lines - the so-called St Patrick's cross.
The flag was the result of the union of the English and Scottish monarchies in 1603, under James I (as he was in England) or James VI (as he was in Scotland).
Several designs for a new flag were drawn up in the wake of this union (see panel, above), juxtaposing the St George's cross and the St Andrew's saltire, but none quite hit the mark for James.
Instead he plumped for a simple merging effect - with the English emblem overlaying the Scottish one - mistake number one in the eyes of many Scotsmen, who couldn't understand why their flag should sit beneath not on top.
Aggrieved Scottish sailors re-drew the nascent flag their way, and stuck with it for some years.
From the outset, the union jack had been a maritime flag - to be flown by naval and civilian vessels. Its use on land had never been considered.
Royals have it
"The concept of a national flag as we know it today, to be flown from a building or a back garden, just didn't exist then, just as nations didn't really exist. It was kingdoms," says Graham Bartram, chief vexillologist, or flag expert, at the Flag Institute.
Which touches on another ambiguity, says Mr Bartram - "since England and Scotland were still separate countries at the time, James had created a flag for a country that didn't yet exist".
The union jack was a royal flag, says Mr Bartram, and, in theory at least, remains so today.
Back in the 17th Century, wily seamen were using the flag to avoid paying harbour duties - a privilege restricted to naval ships at the time. So James' successor, Charles I, ordered it be restricted to His Majesty's ships "upon pain of Our high displeasure".
Those restrictions remain, and today it is a criminal offence to fly the union jack from a boat.
The origins of the "jack" in union jack could derive from its maritime associations - a jack is a national flag flown by warships - but other theories are that it comes from the "jack-et" worn by soldiers or from the Latin or French form of James: Jacobus or Jacques.
Whatever the real explanation, the debate about what to call the flag when it is flown on land - union jack or union flag - rumbles on.
Abolished & restored
Being a royal flag, the union jack was abolished by Oliver Cromwell in 1649, before being restored along with the monarchy, 11 years later. And so it stayed.

OUT OF PROPORTION
Original proportions set down by Samuel Pepys (secretary to the Admiralty), in 1687
Roughly translated as 1:1.6
But changes in thread size have effectively made it 1:2
The sky blue of St Andrew has mutated into navy blue

In 1801 a red diagonal cross was added to represent union with Ireland and after a bit of design adjustment by the Navy it gradually, says Mr Farrow, came to be used as a land flag.
"By the 1800s, Britain was building an Empire and so it needed a flag to plant to say 'this country's ours, it belongs to the UK'."
A further boost to the union jack's fortunes came with growing need for national celebration - Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, parties for troops returning from World War I and such like.
But even by 1918, the union jack had some way to go to being THE national flag, says Mr Farrow.
"All sorts of flags were being used at the time - red ensigns and white ensigns [both naval flags] and even the royal standard."
And while today, there's no question that the union jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it's got there by default rather than political will.
Sort of enshrined
No act of Parliament enshrines it as such - most countries have flag acts that set out, to the last detail, rules about their national flags. The best authority is cited in two spoken answers in Parliament - one from 1908, the other in 1933.
"There's nothing straightforward about the history. It has been adopted as our national flag without any national authority," says Mr Farrow. "Neither you or I can fly it from a boat, whereas every other country in the world, the first thing a citizen can do is fly their national flag at sea.
"And while there are many rules that govern its use at sea, there's nothing, not a jot, to say how the flag should be used on land - its proportions, its colours, when it can be flown, where it can be flown."
In theory it's a free for all. But, says Mr Farrow, the lack of explicit information has stymied the flying of the union jack rather than helped it.
"It's one of the oldest national flags in the world but a lot of people don't really feel comfortable about being able to fly it."

Singer Gates axed by record label

Former Pop Idol singing star Gareth Gates has been dropped by record label Sony BMG.
Gates, 21, who finished as runner-up to Will Young in the 2002 TV competition, has been told his third album will not be released by the label.
He notched up four number one singles but his second album, released in 2003, had disappointing sales.
A spokeswoman for Gates's management firm 19 said the company was working on the singer's "exciting future".
The spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that, sadly, Sony BMG have decided not to renew Gareth Gates's record deal.
"19 Entertainment, however, will continue to work closely with Gareth and support him on what we believe to be an exciting future and we look forward to revealing further plans for him soon."
Album flop
The singer, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was tipped to win the Pop Idol competition but was beaten by rival Young, who has gone on to have a successful pop career.
Gates's number one hits included Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake), Long and Winding Road, a duet with Young and Spirit in the Sky.
The singer, who has a stammer, was considered a pin-up by the show's younger viewers.
His second album Go Your Own Way dropped to number 73 in the charts only a month after it was released in 2003.
Since winning Pop Idol, Young has won two Brit Awards, had four UK number one singles, two UK number one albums and landed a film role in the movie Mrs Henderson Presents.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/4906788.stm

How much is a penny worth?

Rising metal prices could mean that United States one cent coins become worth more as metal than for their face value. Could that ever happen in the UK?
The soaring prices of zinc and copper have prompted fears in the US over the future of its one cent coin.
If the scrap value of the coin, which is made from these two metals, exceeds its nominal value then it becomes an unsustainable arrangement. It would be like selling fivers for £4.95.
So what will happen if the price of these metals continues to accelerate upwards? And could anything similar happen to coins in the UK?
Yes, it could happen here, is the answer from Lawrence Chard, of Chard coin dealers. And that's not just speculation because it's happened before.
"Copper" coins in the UK will not be affected directly by increases in zinc and copper - because the one and two pence pieces are made from copper-plated steel.
These steel coins were introduced in 1992 - which is why some penny coins are magnetic and some are not, depending on when they were produced.
"There wasn't much attention paid when they were introduced - but if the cost of producing coins is going to exceed their value, then there will have to be economies.
"They could have been honest and left them looking like steel," he says. And Mr Chard predicts that over time the coins will begin to look more grey.
Small-value euro coins are also made from plated steel, with their shiny coating made from an alloy of bronze and brass (confusingly known as "Nordic gold").
In the US, the issue is the steeply-rising cost of zinc. Cent coins were once almost entirely made from copper - but the increasing copper price meant that in 1982 they switched to being made from 97.6% zinc and only 2.4% copper. The changeover to cheaper metals brought annual savings to the US Treasury of around $25m (£14m). If zinc becomes unaffordable, expect further changes.
But the UK's currency system is not immune from such shifts in metal values. And Mr Chard says that if the price of steel increased sharply, then the UK's small value coins could also face similar problems.
So what would be the response? The same as it has been for hundreds of years, says Mr Chard. Reduce the proportion of the expensive metal, switch entirely to a cheaper metal or withdraw the coin.
King Henry VIII was nicknamed "Old Coppernose", says Mr Chard, because when the supposedly "silver" coins of his reign began to wear down a copper colour showed through, revealing how much the silver content had been debased.
"The old gold sovereign was nearly equivalent to its metal value," says Mr Chard, so the coin's purchasing power reflected the weight and cost of its gold.
And this linkage survived until the years following the First World War - when it became no longer viable to put gold into the currency.
Copper, in an unalloyed form, hasn't been substantially used in "copper" coins in the UK since the 19th Century, being replaced by successively cheaper alternatives.
Lawrence Chard says the next metal to be used in pennies could be aluminium, or else the small coins could be withdrawn altogether.
Copper, in the form of cupro-nickel, does still survive within the currency, but within the coins which we call "silver", such as the 10 and 50 pence pieces, which are made from 75% copper and 25% nickel.
The pound coin, since its launch 23 years ago, has been made predominantly from an alloy of nickel and brass.
The last time silver was used in coins was 1947, says Mr Chard, when the rising price of the metal made it unviable to include in one and two shilling pieces.
There is no escaping the economies of coin manufacture, he says, when it is such a massive production process. The Royal Mint produces more than 530 million penny coins and 230 million two pence pieces each year - and they can't be worth more as scrap than their spending power.

Last Week In The News

Friday April 7
Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, was cleared of using other writers' ideas in the book that made him the highest-paid writer in history.
Three suicide bombers launched a devastating attack on worshippers at a packed Shia mosque in Baghdad, killing at least 71 people and wounding 164 more.
Gordon Brown's promise to cut thousands of Civil Service jobs was undermined by figures showing that the number of people working in the public sector had risen to almost six million - the highest level on record.
It emerged that almost a million patients lost their access to NHS dental care after one in 10 dentists refused to sign up to new contracts.

Saturday April 8
An investigative writer with high-level Pentagon and intelligence contacts claimed that the Bush administration plans to use nuclear weapons against Iran, to prevent it acquiring atomic warheads.
David Cameron faced the biggest challenge of his leadership as senior party figures, including a former leader, Iain Duncan Smith, voiced fresh doubt about the Conservatives' electoral prospects.
The FA began investigating claims that Wayne Rooney, the England and Man Utd striker, ran up gambling debts of £700,000.
Secret Cabinet documents revealed that ministers are drawing up emergency plans to tackle food shortages in the event of a bird flu pandemic.

Sunday April 9
Patricia Hewitt faced pressure from Labour MPs to step in and help debt-ridden hospitals amid fears that up to 24,000 jobs could be lost across the NHS.
Ken Livingstone began a tour of China by comparing the Tiananmen Square massacre to London's 1990 poll tax riot, hailing the 'interesting history' of the two cities.
The Palestinian death toll in a series of Israeli attacks aimed at stopping Gaza-based militants firing rockets into Israel reached at least 15.
An intruder jumped over the White House fence and ran through the grounds before being subdued by police and an anti-terrorist team.

Monday April 10
Government efforts to stop foreigners entering into "bogus marriages" to bypass immigration controls were thrown into chaos after a judge ruled they breached human rights law.
Tony Blair accepted defeat in the "cash for peerages" controversy when he was forced to scale down Labour's list of new members for the House of Lords.
President Jacques Chirac surrendered to the power of street protest by abandoning a new youth job law after weeks of rioting that dented France's international reputation.
They were disgusted in Tunbridge Wells when, a fortnight after the start of spring, they awoke to a 5in carpet of snow.

Tuesday April 11
Iran declared that it had mastered the means of enriching uranium, boasting that "our enemies cannot do a damned thing" to stop its nuclear ambitions.
A defiant Silvio Berlusconi refused to concede defeat in Italy's general election even though his rival Romano Prodi was declared the winner in both parliaments.
Tony Blair was accused of using the Queen's Flight "like personal taxis" after figures disclosed that he had used the RAF aircraft for holidays.
Prince Harry's girlfriend Chelsy Davy was given the royal treatment when she arrived at Heathrow to celebrate the completion of his Sandhurst training.

Wednesday April 12
Ministers were accused of preparing to climb down over plans to scrap early retirement pension deals for council workers.
Prince Harry became a commissioned officer following a passing out parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Sickening thuds, pleas for mercy and a final defiant "Allah is the greatest" were heard in court as the cockpit recording of United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept 11 2001 was played in public for the first time.
Ségolène Royal emerged from France's job law crisis better placed than ever to become the country's first female president.

Thursday April 13
A former Government schools adviser who helped recruit wealthy sponsors for Tony Blair's flagship city academies was arrested as part of an intensifying "cash for peerages" inquiry.
An RAF officer who refused to serve in Iraq because he considered the war illegal was accused of arrogance and attempted martyrdom before being jailed for eight months at a court martial.
A whispering campaign against Donald Rumsfeld burst into the open with two generals who helped him plan the Iraq war denouncing his leadership and calling on him to resign.
Cigarette-style health warnings about the dangers of excessive drinking could soon appear on bottles and cans of alcohol as well as in pubs, supermarkets and off-licences, a Government minister said.

And...
The calendar girls of Rylstone and District Women's Institute launched their third naked offering… The contents of the Gospel of Judas, one of the most exciting archaeological discoveries for decades, were revealed… The £85 mother of all sandwiches was poised to make its debut at the Selfridge's sandwich counter… A hunt in four countries failed to solve the mystery over Teddy the tabby who disappeared on a flight to Bahrain… An album by the Beatles featuring "completely new music" was being prepared for release… Plans were unveiled to treat heart patients with dark chocolate, which is thought to lower levels of harmful cholesterol… The Automobile Association announced the return of a hallmark of its golden age - the AA salute… Ventriloquist's dummy Archie Andrews, a 'star' of the 1950s, was looking forward a new lease of life after being packed in a suitcase for more than 40 years… Sainsbury's is to conceal "lad mags" behind specially designed covers after complaints from customers… A church lay reader launched a one-woman protest against a bank's decision to use a grey squirrel in an advertising campaign… An airline pilot caused a four-hour delay for 150 passengers after losing his mobile telephone in the cockpit.

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Today's The Day - 14th April

14th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Tiburtius and Companions,
St Caradoc,
St Lambert of Lyons,
St Ardalion,
Saints Anthony, John, and Eustace,
St Benezet,
St John of Vilna,
St Bernard of Tiron or Abbeville,
and the Martyrs of Lithuania.

History Test for April 14th
Born today in 1907, the former President of Haiti, Francois Duvalier, was known by what nickname? -`Papa Doc'
Today in 1950 a character dubbed `The Pilot of the Future' appeared in the first 'Eagle' comic. What was his name? -Dan Dare
Born today in 1935 whose life was the subject of the film `Coal Miner's Daughter'? -Loretta Lynn
Today in 1917, Ludwig Zamenhof died. Name the universal language he devised. -Esperanto
Sir John Gielgud was born today in 1904. He won an Oscar for playing a butler in which film, also starring Dudley Moore? -'Arthur'

Events today...
1471 Death of Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, killed at the Battle of Barnet which took place in the Wars of the Roses, in which Yorkist forces defeated the Lancastrians, leading to the restoration of Edward IV.
1685 Death of Thomas Otway, English playwright.
1759 Death of George Frederick Handel, English composer.
1785 Poet Laureate William Whitehead died.
1828 US lexicographer Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language.
1865 America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, was shot at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. He died the following day, while Booth was later cornered and shot dead in a barn.
1917 Dr. Lazarus Zamenhof, the creator of the international language of Esperanto died.
1924 Celebrated US architect Louis Sullivan died.
1929 The first Monaco Grand Prix was run, round the streets and harbour of Monte Carlo.
1930 Soviet poet and dramatist Vladimir Mayakovsky committed suicide.
1931 Spanish King Alfonso XIII fled the country after Republican successes in elections.
1931 The British Ministry of Transport published the first Highway Code.
1951 Death of Ernest Bevin, British politician and trade-union leader.
1954 In Australia, Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov defected to the west. His defection exposed a major spy ring in the country and began suspicions that Burgess and Maclean were spying for the Russians.
1956 A device was demonstrated in Chicago which recorded TV programmes onto magnetic tapes and then played them back.
1959 TV personality Robin Day was chosen as Hereford's Liberal parliamentary candidate.
1975 US actor Fredric March, a double Oscar winner, for 'Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde' in 1932, and for 'The Best Years Of Our Lives' in 1946, died.
1980 'Kramer vs Kramer', starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, won the Oscar for Best Film, while English actor Alec Guinness won the special award for Lifetime Achievement.
1981 Columbia, the first American space shuttle, landed at Edward’s Air Force Base in California after a successful maiden-flight.
1983 A demonstration at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, set up to end the dispute over claims by Qualcast in their new advertisement that their lawnmower was superior to that of Flymo, proved inconclusive.
1983 The Consumers' Association claimed that slimming short cuts such as appetite suppressants and high protein powders were at best a waste of money and at worst harmful.
1983 The first cordless telephone went on sale in Britain.
1983 The President of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund claimed that the number of people surviving cancer had more than doubled since the Second World War.
1986 Death of Simone de Beauvoir, French feminist writer.
1988 Armed robbers shot dead an off-duty policeman when he tackled them outside a bank in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
1988 British politician and author John Stonehouse died at the age of sixty three.
1988 Jill Morrell, the girlfriend of kidnapped British journalist John McCarthy, accused the Government of not doing enough to help free him.
1988 Statistics released by the Department of Transport claimed that Britain had the safest roads in the European Community, with road deaths at their lowest level for thirty three years.
1988 Two airliners carrying a total of 311 passengers narrowly avoided disaster when they allegedly received instructions to pursue the same path at Heathrow airport. It was reported that they missed each other by only a hundred yards.
1991 The Cypriot tanker Haven sank off Genoa, taking around 100,000 tons of crude oil to the sea bed.
1991 Welshman Ian Woosnam became the smallest golfer to ever win the US Masters championship. He was 5ft 4ins tall.
1992 An album of previously unknown drawings by Swiss artist Henry Fuseli, owned for fifteen years by a couple who had no idea their value, sold for £748,440 at Christie's in London.
1992 Anti-terrorist police discovered an arms cache in a lock-up garage in Northolt, west London, close to where a couple were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
1992 Rumours were circulating that Conservative Party Chairman Chris Patten had been offered the Governorship of Hong Kong.
1993 According to a survey by the Independent Television Commission, television reports of celebrities such as Freddie Mercury and Rudolf Nureyev dying from AIDS were doing more to raise public awareness than documentaries or talk shows.
1995 Unseasonably warm weather brought chaos to roads and created some of the biggest Good Friday traffic jams for years. There were separate tailbacks of 18 and 22 miles on the M6 and around 4,000 vehicles an hour were heading into the south-west as tourists headed for Devon and Cornwall.
1995 Competitors at the British and World Marbles Championships had to make do with second-hand marbles after their 300 tournament specials got lost in the post. The secretary of the British Marbles Board of Control said: "Having new marbles each year is rather like having new balls at Wimbledon. We have never played a tournament with second-hand marbles before." The courier company that lost them just laughed and said "Oh dear, you've lost your marbles.". "I think they've lost theirs" said a tournament spokeswoman.
1995 Naturalists said they would ignore a council decision to end the nudist status of a beach on Humberside. The council said it had received complaints of peeping toms.
1995 Dr Jane Goodall was awarded the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal - their most highly regarded award - for her study of chimpanzees in east Africa.
2003 US marines took control of Saddam Hussein's birthplace, Tikrit, as the Pentagon began to withdraw forces from the Gulf.
2003 An Israeli court imprisoned four Palestinians involved in a suicide bombing that killed 29 people at a festival meal.
2003 Partial results gave Nigerian President Obasanjo's party more seats than the opposition in both the lower and upper houses.
2003 A tiny Greek village was in shock and mourning after 21 children died in one of the country's worst road accidents.
2003 Music impresario Jonathan King made a fresh attempt to have his case reviewed after being jailed for sexually abusing boys.
2003 An administrative mistake saw a Royal Marine's widow told to repay his salary and move out of the family home.
2003 Satirist Chris Morris announced his TV comeback, having caused major controversy with his Brass Eye series.
2004 President Bush backed the Israeli leader's controversial plan for unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.
2004 The CIA chief told the 9/11 inquiry that intelligence failings meant the US was not defended against attack.
2004 The home secretary ordered a review of the death in police custody of former paratrooper Christopher Alder.
2004 Two women faced life sentences for the murder of a teenage girl following a row about a boyfriend.
2004 Former television presenter Caron Keating died aged 41 after losing her battle with breast cancer.
2004 Detectives were investigating a further claim of child abuse dating from the 1980s made against Michael Jackson.
2004 BBC One suffered the lowest ratings in its history as audiences for digital services soared over the Easter break.
2004 Newcastle went through to the Uefa Cup semi-final by beating PSV Eindhoven 2-1 at St James' Park. Sir Bobby Robson pays tribute to Newcastle goal heroes Alan Shearer and Gary Speed.
2004 Michael Vaughan's century allowed England to draw the final Test in the West Indies, with the series won 3-0.
2005 US tycoon Malcolm Glazer submitted revised proposals for a £800m takeover of Manchester United.
2005 The BBC withdrew advice about Doctor Who being too frightening for children under eight to watch.
2005 Newcastle crashed out of the Uefa Cup after losing 4-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate to Sporting Lisbon.

BIRTHDAYS (for 14 April 2006)
Ortelius, 479 (born 14 April 1527)
Created the world's first atlas
Arnold Toynbee, 117 (born 14 April 1889)
English historian who coined the phrase 'Industrial Revolution'
Sir John Gielgud, 102 (born 14 April 1904)
Died 2000. Celebrated English actor of stage and screen, in films since 1924. A grand-nephew of Ellen Terry he appeared on stage in `The Good Companions' in 1931 and became a leading Shakespearian player and director. Latterly he has appeared in many cameo roles on t
Francois Duvalier, 99 (born 14 April 1907)
(Deceased) President of Haiti -known as the infamous dictator `Papa Doc'
Valerie Hobson, 89 (born 14 April 1917)
Actress and wife of Jahn Profumo she appeared in two memorable films of the 1940s, 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and 'Great Expectations'
Ivor Guest, 86 (born 14 April 1920)
Writer
Baroness Warnock, 82 (born 14 April 1924)
Author
Rod Steiger, 81 (born 14 April 1925)
American actor who won best actor Oscar for his performance in the film 'In the Heat of the Night' in 1967. He has since gone on to appear in numerous films including `The Specialist'
William Lucas, 81 (born 14 April 1925)
Manchester-born actor who played Dr. James Gordon in TV's 'The New Adventures of Black Beauty' and the character Stanley Webb in 'Eldorado'
Professor John Roberts, 78 (born 14 April 1928)
Historian and former Warden of Merton College, Oxford
George Walker, 77 (born 14 April 1929)
Former chief executive of the Brent Walker Group
Susan Davies, 73 (born 14 April 1933)
Photographer
Loretta Lynn, 71 (born 14 April 1935)
Country and western singer
Julie Christie, 66 (born 14 April 1940)
British actress in films such as 'Billy Liar', 'Darling' and `The Go-Between'
The Earl of Chichester, 62 (born 14 April 1944)
Richie Blackmore, 61 (born 14 April 1945)
Deep Purple
Dennis Bryon, 57 (born 14 April 1949)
Amen Corner
Julian Lloyd Webber, 55 (born 14 April 1951)
Cellist and brother of composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

Happy Easter From Chris's Quiztime

Who Does Not want To Be A Millionaire?

Bloke gets onto the TV show and gets the first question wrong, hence winning sod all. However, our cynical minds wonder whether he planned it that way, as surely there's commercial opportunities in being famous for making the wrong decision. Virtually any brand would do, "Should have gone to SpecSavers"
WATCH VIDEO HERE

Today's The Day - April 13th

13th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Guinoch,
St Martin I, pope,
Saints Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice,
St Hermenegild,
and St Martius.

History Test for April 13th
Born today in 1866 which American outlaw was portrayed by Paul Newman in a film? -Butch Cassidy- the film was `Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' with Robert Redford playing the Sundance Kid
Today in 1764 Madame de Pompadour died. She was the mistress of which French king? -Louis XV
Today in 1749, the Radcliffe Library opened - in which British university? -Oxford
Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy hit the top of the UK pop charts today in 1967 with which song? -`Somethin' Stupid'
Actor and singer Howard Keel was born today in 1917. Which character did he play in the TV series 'Dallas'? -Clayton Farlow

Events today...
1598 Henry IV of France issued the Edict of Nantes, giving religious freedom to the Huguenots.
1605 Death of Boris Godunov, Russian tsar.
1668 John Dryden, British poet and critic, was appointed the first Poet Laureate.
1695 Death of Jean de La Fontaine, French writer of fables.
1741 The Royal Military Academy was established at Woolwich, later being moved to Sandhurst, Berkshire.
1829 The British Parliament passed the Catholic Emancipation Act, lifting restrictions imposed on Catholics at the time of Henry VIII.
1860 The banners were out in Sacramento, California, to greet the first delivery of mail by Pony Express.
1882 The Anti-Semitic league was founded in Prussia.
1910 Death of William Orchardson, Scottish painter.
1912 The Royal Flying Corps, an armed service of the air, was formed in Britain.
1919 The Amritsar Massacre took place in the Punjab, India; British troops fired into a crowd of 10,000 which had gathered to protest at the arrest of two Indian Congress Party leaders, 379 people were killed and 1,200 wounded.
1935 Quantas and Imperial Airways inaugurated the London to Australia air service.
1936 In his debut as centre forward for Luton Town, Joe Payne set a goal-scoring record when he scored ten goals in one match against Bristol Rovers.
1937 The British aircraft carrier Ark Royal was launched at Cammell Laird's shipyard in Birkenhead.
1939 Italian dictator Mussolini invaded Albania. (what ! on his own !)
1950 Sheffield Forgemasters, producers of the alleged Iraqi Super-gun, claimed that forty four tubes had already been delivered to Iraq.
1960 British racing driver Stirling Moss lost his driving licence for a year for dangerous driving.
1964 Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to receive an Oscar, following his performance in Ralph Nelson's "The Lilies of the Field".
1966 Death of Abdul Satam Arif, president of Iraq.
1972 Twenty three explosions were reported in Northern Ireland in the worst day of violence there since direct rule was imposed.
1980 At the age of 23, Spanish golfer Sevriano Ballesteros, made history twice over as he won the US Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Not only was he the youngest ever champion, but he became the first European to win this coveted title.
1983 A man who died after jumping into the sea at Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, during a gale, was identified as being recently released from prison after serving twelve years of a life sentence for murdering his wife and three children.
1983 Death of Christmas Humphreys, English judge.
1983 Princess Michael of Kent appeared on BBC Radio 4's 'Women's Hour' programme.
1983 Seven police constables of the Special Patrol Group appeared at Wells Street Magistrates Court in central London charged with assaulting youths during the Brixton riots in 1981.
1983 Welsh international rugby player Richard Moriarty was fined a total of £120 and disqualified from driving for eighteen months for driving offences.
1988 A bill to ban the sexually provocative press pictures often shown in many tabloids was approved by 163 votes to 48 in the House of Commons.
1988 An unlocated smell of gas led to one of the largest peacetime evacuations in Britain when thousands of shoppers in central London were cleared from Oxford Street and half a mile around.
1988 The Army apologised for shelling the village of Enford on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, during exercises, which had forced a farmer to dive for cover from a 105mm shell which caused a crater six feet deep.
1991 Heavy fighting ensued between the Kurds and Saddam Hussein's army.
1991 The trial of the captain of the Bowbelle, involved in the 1989 Marchioness disaster, ended after the jury failed to reach a verdict.
1991 Wigan became Rugby League champions.
1992 After secret service agents tackled a man who grabbed a broadcasting award intended for Ronald Reagan and threw it to the floor, the former President commented: "Was he a Democrat, by chance?"
1992 As UN officials blew up the largest and most important buildings on the site of Iraq's nuclear arms programme, Britain, the US and France ordered Iraq to remove anti-aircraft missiles from the north of the country or face possible military action.
1992 Northern Europe experienced its biggest earthquake this century, with parts of Germany, Holland, Belgium and France suffering from the effects of a quake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale
1992 Whilst Nelson Mandela formally announced that he and his wife Winnie were separating, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Anne had petitioned for divorce from Captain Mark Phillips.
1993 Damien Devine from Cirencester, Gloucester, was accused of making alcohol in a home made still while working in Saudia Arabia. If found guilty he would face three hundred lashes and a jail sentence.
1993 Sir Andrew LLoyd Webber announced that he had chosen film star Glenn Close for the American opening of his musical version of 'Sunset Boulevard'. Close's role was made famous by Gloria Swanson in the 1950 Oscar-winning film version.
1993 Welsh rugby star Scott Gibbs and two other players were accused of drink driving and unlawfully taking a taxi in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan.
1995 Mechanics received an Easter surprise when a three-week-old rabbit hopped out from under the bonnet of a Renault 5 at a garage in Lymington, Hampshire.
1995 A statue of the Queen was beheaded by royalists objecting to the life-size nudes of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the Australian capital, Canberra. The statue was called 'Liz and Phil by the Lake'.
1995 A woman who lied about her age to get fertility treatment gave birth to a 6lb 4oz daughter at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon. She became the oldest woman to have a test-tube baby in Britain - a month short of her 52nd birthday.
1995 The Government was pressed by the mobile telephone industry for tougher laws to curb fraud and crime costing the business more than £100 million a year. Dealing in stolen equipment and number codes was one of the fastest-growing areas of crime in the country.
1995 The University of Copenhagen said that global pollution was to blame for the halving of sperm counts among men over the past 50 years and the sharp rise in abnormalities of the male reproductive system.
1999 During the Kosovo crisis, Yugoslavia invaded Albania capturing two villages, and then withdrawing hours later.
1999 Jockey Graham Bradley was charged with cheating.
2003 Seven American soldiers held in Iraq were rescued by US forces pushing north from Baghdad.
2003 First returns from the poll on EU membership show a large majority of Hungarians voting 'yes', though turnout was low.
2003 The ruling Nationalists in Malta won a general election, an outcome that confirmed a referendum result to join the EU.
2003 Joint British-Iraqi police patrols began in Iraq's second city, in an attempt to restore law and order.
2003 The Office star Ricky Gervais stole the limelight at the prestigious Bafta Television Awards. David Jason got a BAFTA Fellowship award.
2003 Arsenal reached their third successive FA Cup Final with a controversial 1-0 win over Sheffield United, and Brett Ormerod helped Southampton book a place in the FA Cup final with a 2-1 defeat of Watford. The final on 17 May was now destined to be an all-Premiership affair.
2003 Paula Radcliffe set a new women's world record as she successfully defended her London Marathon title.
2004 Foreigners were urged to leave Iraq, as four Italians joined a list of 40 hostages held by the US-led coalition's opponents.
2004 Hungarian police arrested three men suspected of plotting to bomb the Holocaust Museum in Budapest.
2004 Almost 100,000 workers staged a 48-hour walkout in what was thought to be the biggest industrial action in civil service history.
2004 The Beckhams appeared in public, presenting a united front amidst allegations of David Beckham's 'infidelity'.
2004 A rare strike from Gary Neville inspires Man Utd to a 1-0 victory over Leicester.
2004 Roy Keane made himself available for the Republic of Ireland, two years after walking out on the team.
2005 Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to carrying out the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing and three other attacks.
2005 Partners and children of Rover workers facing redundancy staged a protest at Downing Street.
2005 Pop singer Britney Spears revealed she was pregnant with her first child, following weeks of intense speculation.
2005 Ill health forced opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti to postpone two UK concerts until the following year.
2005 Liverpool sealed a Champions League semi-final with Chelsea after a goalless draw against Juventus in Turin.

BIRTHDAYS (for 13 April 2006)
Frederick North, Earl of Guilford, 274 (born 13 April 1732)
English prime minister who introduced the Tea Act that led to the Boston Tea Party.
Lord North, 274 (born 13 April 1732)
British Prime Minister
Thomas Jefferson, 263 (born 13 April 1743)
American president responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence and founding the Democratic Party.
Richard Trevithick, 235 (born 13 April 1771)
English engineer and inventor of the first passenger-carrying locomotive
Frank Winfield Woolworth, 154 (born 13 April 1852)
American chain store magnate.
Sir Arthur Harris, 114 (born 13 April 1892)
British wartime commander of Bomber Command known as 'Bomber' Harris
Samuel Beckett, 100 (born 13 April 1906)
Irish playwright best known for his play 'Waiting For Godot'
Audrey Barker, 88 (born 13 April 1918)
Novelist
Howard Keel, 87 (born 13 April 1919)
Died 2004. Durable Hollywood star often seen in concert in Britain, he has appeared in many musicals and on film in 'Kiss Me Kate', `Calamity Jane', 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' and 'Showboat'. He was also in 'Dallas' from 1981 to 1991
John Braine, 84 (born 13 April 1922)
(Deceased) English author of 'Room at the Top'
Edward Fox, 69 (born 13 April 1937)
English actor, brother of James, who was the assassin in 'The Day of the Jackal' and played King Edward VIII in the television drama 'Edward and Mrs. Simpson'
Marjorie Yates, 65 (born 13 April 1941)
Birmingham-born actress, who has appeared on TV in 'The Bill', `Boon' and 'The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'
Al Green, 60 (born 13 April 1946)
Singer noted for his classic `Let's Stay Together'
Christopher Strauli, 60 (born 13 April 1946)
English actor widely seen on television
Peter Davison, 55 (born 13 April 1951)
English actor whose roles have ranged from 'All Creatures Great and Small' and 'Doctor Who', to 'Campion' and 'A Very Peculiar Practice'
Jonjo O'Neill, 54 (born 13 April 1952)
Successful jockey who beat cancer to become a trainer
Garry Kasparov, 43 (born 13 April 1963)
Soviet chess grand master
Andy Goram, 42 (born 13 April 1964)
Rangers' Goalkeeper

Picture Quiz CD

At last! Over 300 Picture Quizzes on one CD
All Quizzes are in PDF format
All Quizzes are in 20 Pictures per Quiz format
Just 'open' each file and 'print'

The Disc Contents -
1960's Picture Quiz.pdf
2006 Grand Prix PicQuiz.pdf
A Host Of Female Stars.pdf
A Host Of Male Stars.pdf
A to Z of Actors 1.pdf
A to Z of Actors 2.pdf
Action Movie Posters 1.pdf
Action Movie Posters 2.pdf
Airline Logos Quiz.pdf
Album Covers.pdf
An Actors Life 1.pdf
An Actors Life 2.pdf
An Actors Life 3.pdf
An Actors Life 4.pdf
An Actors Life 5.pdf
An Actors Life 6.pdf
Anyone For Tennis Picture Quiz.pdf
Art or Crap Quiz.pdf
Bank Logos.pdf
Blue Peter Picture Quiz.pdf
Bond Girls.pdf
Bond Movie Posters Quiz.pdf
Bonnie Scotland Picquiz.pdf
Britains_Best_20_Sitcoms.pdf
Britains_Best_20_Sitcoms_2.pdf
Britains_Best_20_Sitcoms_3.pdf
Britains_Best_20_Sitcoms_4.pdf
Britains_Best_20_Sitcoms_5.pdf
British Born Actors and Actresses 1.pdf
British Born Actors and Actresses 2.pdf
Car Makes and Models Quiz 1.pdf
Car Makes and Models Quiz 2.pdf
Car Manufacturers.pdf
Caricature Entertainment Quiz 1.pdf
Cartoon Characters.pdf
Cartoon Characters Picture Quiz.pdf
Celbrity Cyborgs PicQuiz.pdf
Celebrity Beauties 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Celebrity Beauties 2 PicQuiz.pdf
Celebrity Couples PicQuiz.pdf
Celebrity Impersonators PicQuiz.pdf
Celebrity Mugshots.pdf
Celebrity Pets PicQuiz.pdf
Childrens TV PicQuiz.pdf
Childrens TV Quiz.pdf
Classic Photos PicQuiz.pdf
Clowning Around PicQuiz.pdf
Come on you reds.pdf
Comedians Picture Quiz.pdf
Comedy Stars PicQuiz 1.pdf
Comedy Stars PicQuiz 2.pdf
Coronation_Street_PicQuiz 1.pdf
Coronation_Street_PicQuiz 2.pdf
Crisp Flavours PicQuiz.pdf
Daytime TV Picture Quiz.pdf
Disney Characters PicQuiz.pdf
Disney Films Quiz.pdf
DJ Heaven.pdf
English Landmarks.pdf
Evil Twins PicQuiz.pdf
F1Drivers MotorRacing 2004.pdf
Famous Athletes PicQuiz.pdf
Famous Cats PicQuiz.pdf
Famous Dogs PicQuiz.pdf
Famous Paintings.pdf
Famous Scots Picquiz.pdf
Famous Sketches PicQuiz.pdf
Fantasy Movie Posters.pdf
Female Stars.pdf
Film Stars.pdf
Films_Quiz.pdf
Films_Quiz_2.pdf
Flying Objects.pdf
Football Caricatures PicQuiz.pdf
Football_Museum_PicQuiz.pdf
Footballers PicQuiz.pdf
Footy Emblems Quiz.pdf
Formula One Racing PicQuiz.pdf
Formula One Quiz.pdf
Get Your Kit Off.pdf
Girls On Top - Of The Pops.pdf
Glam Rock Pop PicQuiz.pdf
Glamrus PicQuiz.pdf
Glory Glory ManUtd.pdf
Gone But Not Forgotten PicQuiz.pdf
Gone In 2005 Pt1 PicQuiz.pdf
Gone In 2005 Pt2 PicQuiz.pdf
Gone In 2006 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Halloween Picture Quiz.pdf
Help The Aged PicQuiz.pdf
Heroes And Villains PicQuiz.pdf
Horror Actors.pdf
Icons Of England PicQuiz.pdf
Ilove70s_Picquiz.pdf
Irish_Music_Quiz.pdf
Irish_Sports_Quiz.pdf
I-Spy PicQuiz.pdf
Jackpot PicQuiz 310705.pdf
Keep It In The Family.pdf
Manchester Music PicQuiz.pdf
Mens Tennis 2005 PicQuiz.pdf
Mens Tennis PicQuiz.pdf
Movie Monsters PicQuiz.pdf
Movie Posters 2004.pdf
Muppet Show Quiz.pdf
Musical Pictures 1.pdf
Musical Pictures 2.pdf
Musical Pictures 3.pdf
Musical Talents PicQuiz.pdf
Mystery Objects Picture Quiz.pdf
Name The Logo Picture Quiz.pdf
Name the Personality 1.pdf
Name the Personality 3.pdf
Name the Personality 4.pdf
New Balls Please.pdf
Newspapers Quiz.pdf
NW Presenters PicQuiz.pdf
Olympic Mascots PicQuiz.pdf
Paparazzi Snaps PicQuiz.pdf
Past and Present Pop Picture Quiz.pdf
PicQuiz 201105.pdf
Political Scandal PicQuiz.pdf
Pop Caricatures PicQuiz.pdf
Pop Trans-Mutations PicQuiz.pdf
Pops The Question 1.pdf
Pops The Question 2.pdf
Pops The Question 3.pdf
Pops The Question 4.pdf
Posers XXX Picture Quiz.pdf
Pub Signs PicQuiz.pdf
Quiz In Need Picture Quiz.pdf

Quizerama Series Picture Quizzes 1 to 114

Quiztime 2012 Olympics Quiz.pdf
Quiztime Birdwatch 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Birdwatch 2 PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime ChefsnCooks PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Dr Who PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Garden Wildlife 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Kids TV PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Logos Quiz 1.pdf
Quiztime Logos Quiz 2.pdf
Quiztime NewYear FunQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Open Golf PicQuiz 2005.pdf
Quiztime Santas Quiz 1.pdf
Quiztime Santas Quiz 2.pdf
Quiztime Santas Quiz 3.pdf
Quiztime Shapeshifters PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztime Telly Addicts PicQuiz 1.pdf
Quiztime Telly Addicts PicQuiz 2.pdf
Quiztime TV Presenters PicQuiz 1.pdf
Quiztime TV Presenters PicQuiz 2.pdf
Quiztime TV Shows PicQuiz.pdf
Quiztimes Snookered.pdf
Racially Abused PicQuiz.pdf
Radio Stations.pdf
ScrumDown.pdf
Seventies PicQuiz.pdf
Seventies Pop 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Simpsons Guest List PicQuiz.pdf
Simpsons PicQuiz.pdf
Sitcoms PicQuiz.pdf
Snack Time Picture Quiz.pdf
Snooker Stars PicQuiz.pdf
Soap Awards 2005.pdf
Soap Stars.pdf
Soccer Stars PicQuiz 1.pdf
Sporting Legends PicQuiz.pdf
Sporting Venues.pdf
Sports Bag PicQuiz.pdf
Sports Personalities 1.pdf
Sports Personalities 2.pdf
Sports Stars.pdf
Spot The Dog Picture Quiz.pdf
Stars Bad Day 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Stars Bad Day 2 PicQuiz.pdf
Stars In Their Hats.pdf
Stars Of The Sixties.pdf
Supermarionation PicQuiz.pdf
Swingin Chicks of 60s part 1.pdf
Swingin Chicks of 60s part 2.pdf
Taffy Or Not PicQuiz.pdf
Telly Addicts Quiz 1.pdf
Telly Addicts Quiz 2.pdf
Test Match Special.pdf
The Eighties.pdf
The Models PicQuiz.pdf
Trains and Railways.pdf
TV Ads PicQuiz.pdf
TV Cooks.pdf
TV Crimebusters.pdf
TV Drama PicQuiz.pdf
TV Shows Quiz.pdf
Ugly Footballers PicQuiz.pdf
US State Flags Quiz.pdf
When They Were Young PicQuiz.pdf
Where In The World 1.pdf
Where In The World 2.pdf
Who Are They 1 PicQuiz.pdf
Who Are They 2 PicQuiz.pdf
Wimbledon PicQuiz 2005.pdf
Wimbledon Tennis PicQuiz 1.pdf
Wimbledon Tennis PicQuiz 2.pdf
Women Of Tennis PicQuiz.pdf
World Athletics.pdf
World Champions PicQuiz.pdf
World Cup 2006 Team Strips.pdf
World Flags Quiz1.pdf
World Flags Quiz2.pdf
World Flags Quiz3.pdf
World Landmarks.pdf
World Leaders 1.pdf
World Leaders 2.pdf
World Of Sport PicQuiz.pdf
Year Of The Dog Picture Quiz.pdf
Zombie Celebrities PicQuiz.pdf

Plus
30 PicsQuiz A.pdf
30 PicsQuiz B.pdf
30 PicsQuiz C.pdf
30 PicsQuiz D.pdf

This Compilation of Quiztime UK Quiz Files is being made available to raise funds for

The Rosemere Cancer Foundation

No need to purchase or download another picture quiz with this fabulous collection - Three Years in the making!

Order your personal copy from Quiztime UK

Cheques made payable for £14-99 to MR C S MILLS

post to 34 Tag Croft, Ingol, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 7AQ

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World Records

Didi Senft, a 54-year-old cycling fan better known as 'El Diablo' sits on a giant so-called "soccer bicycle" he made himself, in the German city of Storkow some 50 km (31 miles) south of the capital Berlin.
Didi made the "world's biggest" bicycle out of more than 100 footballs and rides it around to promote the World Cup 2006 in Germany

More British than fish and chips

There is a royal celebration this month that will give a surge of pride to every Briton. It is an event that should be toasted by the Commonwealth, given a nod by all corners of our former empire and be universally acknowledged as a milestone by anybody with affection for the United Kingdom - the Union flag is 400 years old.
The quatercentenary of our flag should jostle with the Queen's 80th birthday for global attention, for the red, white and blue duster is as iconic as the monarchy itself.
It embraces empire and Swinging London, Cool Britannia and football hooliganism. It belongs to the Right-wing politician and the Left-wing union. It is the proud symbol of both the patriot and the expat and is displayed with equal pride on our government buildings and our citizens' bodies.
The tri-coloured diagonal, whether we like it or not, is a design that has long since transcended its brief as a naval flag of convenience. It has become the global badge of the modern Brit.
"It is a single design made from three very distinctive separate designs," said Sebastian Conran, founding trustee of the Design Museum and Conran's director of product and branding. "It is unique. The red, white and blue of the three countries fused together brilliantly symbolise British compromise. And yet unlike the French red, white and blue tricolour, it works in black and white. It was unusually foresighted of its inventor to make it fully faxable."
Four centuries ago, when James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne to become James I of England, there was confusion over what flag the Navy should fly. On land, the red cross of St George and the white cross of St Andrew were still, respectively, the flags of England and Scotland. But at sea there was a need for a single flag.
On April 12, 1606, a proclamation was issued to the Navy that stated that all ships "shall bear in their main top the red cross commonly called St George's Cross and the white cross commonly called St Andrew's Cross, joined together according to a form made by our heralds".
A white border around the red cross was added to this Union flag because the rules of heraldry demanded that the two colours must not be placed on top of each other. It was called "The British Flag" and it was not universally popular. The Scots were upset that the red cross was laid over the white cross and the Welsh weren't allowed to contribute because their principality had already been annexed by the English.
By the end of the 17th century, it was known colloquially as the Union Jack. (The origin of the word "Jack" in the title is uncertain, but probably stems from another royal proclamation, this one by Charles II, that the flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit.)
Four years after the Act of Union with Ireland in January 1801, when the red diagonal cross of St Patrick was added, Nelson ordered the Union Jack to be flown by the British fleet at Trafalgar as a battle flag. It has been flown on all ships of war and naval bases ever since.
Victoria used the Royal Standard rather than the Union flag as her official flag. The result of that decision was that the Standard became the personal banner of the sovereign, while the red, white and blue colours emerged, by the time of her death, as "the people's flag". It was carried at the Olympic Games' first opening ceremony, in London, in 1908. And it was the flag that covered the bodies of the four unknown soldiers buried in Westminster Abbey in 1920 to symbolise the casualties of war.
By 1926, the flag had been commercialised. The Empire Marketing Board used it in a poster campaign to promote trade with the colonies. The slogan on the posters was "follow the flag in all your purchases". Huntley and Palmers used its image to sell Empire Assorted Biscuits, while Fry's sold chocolate and Hovis advertised bread with its help.
After VE-Day and the coronation of Elizabeth II, it became ubiquitous for every national celebration, while the lowering of it in India, Aden and Hong Kong, among other places, came to symbolise our colonial decline. (It still flies above Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Rockall to remind us of our imperial past.)
Since the 1960s, it has been hijacked by modern culture. Carnaby Street loved it and Pete Townshend of the Who wore a Union flag jacket on the cover of the band's first album, My Generation. The Sex Pistols defined their image by bastardising the flag, while Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls wore it to the 1997 Brit Awards as a dress that was recently auctioned for £41,320. Even Prince William had a Union flag prefect's waistcoat at Eton.
Nowadays it decorates everything from Smeg fridges to dog tags to Rimmell beauty products advertised by Kate Moss.
And nobody cares any more if it is upside-down.
"It is so subtly asymmetric that, unless you know your onions, you don't know which way is the right way up," said Conran. (The correct way to fly it is with the thick white band above the red band on both diagonals.)
And yet despite its postwar status as a logo, it can still cause upset as a rallying banner. London's Southwark council outlawed it from council buildings during the last World Cup because it feared "a display of Britishness" would alienate ethnic minorities. That same year Billy Bragg sang the anti-Jubilee song Take Down the Union Jack.
Today it is part of the citizenship ceremony, when immigrants take an oath of allegiance to the Queen and sing the national anthem standing by the Union flag. And it is still officially flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham when the Queen is not in residence and on thousands of public buildings.
It is flown on the birthdays of members of the Royal Family and on state days and at half-mast on the death of a royal (and for Diana, Princess of Wales). It was lowered for 9/11, the Bali bombing, the Boxing Day tsunami and 7/7.
The results of a recent Reader's Digest survey from a wide range of age groups found that the favourite symbol of the country was the Union flag (16 per cent) followed by the monarchy (15 per cent) and fish and chips (13 per cent).
Earlier this year, the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, called on the British people to celebrate their patriotism and embrace the flag. He wanted a flag in every garden. "The Union flag is a flag for tolerance and inclusion," he said. David Cameron, the ecologically minded Conservative leader, replied that the British "don't do flags on the front lawn".
However, there may be a way to appease both men and celebrate the birthday of this extraordinarily evocative piece of design, which 400 years after its creation still represents the best of Britain.
"A home vertical access windmill could be installed in every home,'' said Sebastian Conran. "An LED could be fitted in the leading edge of the blades, which would then serve as a flagpole and display a lit-up version of the flag. Then you would be flying the Union Jack all day and producing 1.5 ecologically sound kilowatts of electricity."

Original Article

On This Day - 1961

1961: Soviets win space race
The Soviet Union has beaten the USA in the race to get the first man into space.
At just after 0700BST, Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin was fired from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan, Soviet central Asia, in the space craft Vostok (East).
Major Gagarin orbited the Earth for 108 minutes travelling at more than 17,000 miles per hour (27,000 kilometres per hour) before landing at an undisclosed location.
The Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev has congratulated Major Gagarin on his achievement.
He sent the cosmonaut a message from his holiday home on the Black Sea.
"The flight made by you opens up a new page in the history of mankind in its conquest of space," Mr Khrushchev said.
The Soviet news agency, Tass, made the first official announcement of Major Gagarin's flight at just before 0800BST.
National hero
Radio Moscow then interrupted its schedule to give details to a jubilant nation.
Major Gagarin's safe return has laid to rest worries that space flight would be fatal for humans.
It is also a blow to the Americans who had hoped to be the first to launch a man beyond Earth's atmosphere.
However, President Kennedy has congratulated the Soviets on their achievement.
It would be some time before the United States caught up with the Soviets in the fields of rocket boosters, the president added.
Rumours that a Soviet launch attempt was imminent began some days ago.
It was the culmination of two years of highly secretive training for Yuri Gagarin, 27, who beat off thousands of other hopefuls.
The previously obscure army major has returned to earth a national hero.
He has already been awarded the title of "Master of Radio Sport of the Soviet Union" and a big reception for him at the Kremlin in Red Square is being planned.

The USSR notched up a series of space firsts beginning with the launch of the world's first man-made satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.
Later the same year they sent a dog called Laika into space.
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman cosmonaut in 1963 and two years later Alexei Leonov became the first man to perform a space walk.
However, the Americans did beat the Soviets to the moon with the flight of Apollo 11 in July 1969.
Yuri Gagarin became an international icon but was disappointed to be banned from more space missions because the Soviet state considered him too valuable a propoganda asset to risk his life. In 1968 he was killed in a plane crash just outside Moscow in what some people believed were suspicious circumstances.

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Today's The Day - 12th April

12th April 2006

Religious Events today...
Feast day of St Zeno of Verona,
St Julius I, pope,
St Sabas the Goth and Others,
and St Alferius.

History Test for April 12th
Known as `The Brown Bomber', which boxer died today in 1981? -Joe Louis
Born today in 1950 who had UK Number One hits in the seventies with `Daydreamer' and `How Can I Be Sure?' ? -David Cassidy
Launched today in 1981, what was the name of the world's first space shuttle? -Columbia
American President Franklin D. Roosevelt died today in 1945. Who succeeded him? -Harry S. Truman
Actor Andy Garcia was born today in 1956. In which film, also starring Sean Connery, did he play an FBI agent? -`The Untouchables'

Events today...
1204 Soldiers taking part in the Fourth Crusade under the direction of the Doge of Venice, captured the Byzantine city of Constantinople.
1606 The Union Flag became England's official flag, incorporating the red cross of England and the white cross of Scotland.
1709 "The Tatler" magazine was published for the first time.
1748 Death of William Kent, English architect and landscape gardener.
1782 Italian poet and dramatist Pietro Metastasio died.
1782 The British fleet under Admiral Rodney defeated the French fleet in the Battle of the Saints in the West Indies.
1817 French astronomer Charles-Joseph Messier died.
1861 The American Civil War began when Confederate troops fired on a the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter.
1930 Fifty-two-year-old Wilfred Rhodes became the oldest man to play in a cricket Test match, when he played for England against the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.
1938 Death of Fyodor Chaliapin, Russian operatic bass.
1945 32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt died from a cerebral haemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia. Vice-President Harry S. Truman succeeded him as President.
1961 Twenty-seven-year-old Major Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space when he was launched in Vostok I for a single orbit of the earth lasting 108 minutes.
1962 Sculptor Antoine Pevsner died.
1963 Martin Luther King was arrested in Alabama for leading a civil rights march.
1975 Death of Josephine Baker US-born French singer and dancer.
1981 Former world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis Barrow, popularly known as The Brown Bomber, died in Las Vegas.
1981 The US space shuttle Columbia was launched from Cape Canaveral.
1983 Richard Attenborough's film 'Gandhi' won a total of eight Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards, the most ever for a British film. After taking the awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor, for Ben Kingsley, 'Ghandi's' monopoly of the top awards was stopped only by Meryl Streep winning the Best Actress award for her role in 'Sophie's Choice'.
1983 The Prince and Princess of Wales were mobbed for the second consecutive day in Australia, when Queensland police lost control of a crowd of 2,500 people after the royal couple made an unscheduled stop.
1988 An RAF pilot was awarded the Air Force Cross, the highest peacetime flying gallantry award, after landing his crippled Harrier jet which had been struck by a buzzard at over 500 mph, tearing apart his cockpit, severely damaging his engine and releasing the aircraft’s undercarriage.
1988 Death of Alan Stewart Paton, South African novelist and politician.
1988 King Olav of Norway began a four-day state visit to Britain.
1988 The National People’s Congress of China voted in favour of allowing capitalistic free-enterprise.
1988 Two hundred passengers escaped death when two aircraft narrowly avoided one another at Gatwick airport.
1990 Inflation rose to 8.1 per cent.
1992 Euro Disney was officially opened, with a concert starring such celebrities as Tina Turner, Cher and José Carreras.
1992 Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest by a goal to nil in the final of the Rumbelows Cup.
1992 Road lines that turned fluorescent blue in the cold to warn drivers of freshly fallen snow or ice were to be tested in the Midlands.
1992 Scientists claimed that Britons could face the risk of contracting mad cow disease.
1992 The London Marathon saw the closest finish in its twelve-year history, with the first four runners, led by Antonio Pinto of Portugal, separated by only eight seconds.
1993 A report claimed that in Britain, it was estimated, we spent £300 million pounds on 85 million Easter eggs.
1993 Krankies star Janette Tough revealed that she was being stalked by a girl midget who had threatened to kill her.
1993 Police in Exeter were being plagued by a new craze for stealing blue lights from patrol cars.
1993 The 1940 Buick Phanton used by Humphrey Bogart in the film 'Casablanca' was up for auction in California.
1995 Hundreds of passengers were stranded on a Eurostar train for four hours after its overhead power arm ripped down live cables in Kent, a mile from the Channel Tunnel.
1995 It was announced that households in England would pay an average of £499 in Council Tax in 1996, an increase of about 5.4%.
1995 Cornwall was enjoying a boom in tourism as hundreds of Canadians took their holiday in the West Country as a mark of gratitude to trawlermen supporting them in the fishing dispute with Spain.
1995 The High Court ruled that bans imposed by harbours and airports on live animal exports were illegal. Police and port officials were bracing themselves for mass demonstrations against the trade.
1995 The Assembly Rooms in Norwich were badly damaged by fire; antiques and oil paintings were carried to safety. The nearby city centre library was destroyed by fire in August 1994.
1995 A bank manager who fled to France with almost £100,000 that he had stolen from two cashpoint machines pleaded guilty to theft.
1997 The Turin shroud was saved by fire fighters, as flames engulfed Turin Cathedral in the early hours of the morning.
1999 Coronation Street actor Bill Roach finally declared himself bankrupt following a legal battle against The Sun newspaper for calling him boring. He was left with tremendous legal costs, and also sued his solicitors for bad advice.
1999 In protest at high fuel prices and an increased tax on five-axel trucks, a convoy of lorries and trucks caused major traffic problems in England’s major cities.
1999 Motor giant Ford took over the Kwikfit group.
2003 Saddam Hussein's senior scientific adviser turned himself in to US troops, as fighting flared in Baghdad.
2003 New cases of the mystery SARS illness were confirmed in northern China, reinforcing fears over the spread of the disease.
2003 Voting ended in the Nigeria's first civilian-run general election in decades after a day of delays and confusion.
2003 Russia's leader Vladimir Putin asked why no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq at a summit with French and German leaders.
2003 UK forces in the southern Iraqi city of Basra went on patrol with Iraqi policemen to try to prevent more disorder.
2003 Man Utd thrashed Newcastle 6-2 to go back above Arsenal, but Sunderland finally slipped out of the Premiership.
2003 It was announced that Tony Blair was to appear as an animated character in the cult cartoon show The Simpsons to promote UK tourism.
2004 David and Victoria Beckham dismissed "absurd" claims of infidelity involving the England captain and instructed lawyers.
2004 Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto was voted the favourite classical work of Classic FM listeners.
2004 Frank Sinatra was played on BBC Radio 1 as listeners took over the airwaves for 10 hours on Easter Monday.
2004 West Indies captain Brian Lara became the first player to hit 400 in Test cricket.
2005 An "exceptionally happy" Charles Kennedy and wife Sarah left hospital with their new-born son, Donald James.
2005 Chelsea reached the Champions League semi-finals despite losing 3-2 against Bayern Munich.
2005 Sourav Ganguly was banned for six matches for India's slow over-rate against Pakistan.

BIRTHDAYS (for 12 April 2006)
Giuseppe Tartini, 314 (born 12 April 1692)
Italian composer
Edward Bird, 234 (born 12 April 1772)
Painter
Lionel Hampton, 93 (born 12 April 1913)
jazz musician
Tiny Tim (Herbert Buckingham Khaury), 84 (born 12 April 1922)
singer.
Jane Withers, 80 (born 12 April 1926)
American child star of the 1930s
Hardy Kruger, 78 (born 12 April 1928)
actor
Elspet Gray, 77 (born 12 April 1929)
Actress
Bryan Magee, 76 (born 12 April 1930)
Writer, philosopher and former SDP politician
The Earl of Limerick, 75 (born 12 April 1931)

Montserrat Caballé, 73 (born 12 April 1933)
Spanish opera singer who widened her appeal when she recorded 'Barcelona' with the late, great, Freddie Mercury
Sir Alan Ayckbourn, 67 (born 12 April 1939)
playwright
Herbie Hancock, 66 (born 12 April 1940)
jazz pianist
Bobby Moore, 65 (born 12 April 1941)
English footballer who captained the 1966 World Cup winning side. He died in February 1993
Bill Bryden, 64 (born 12 April 1942)
Theatre director
John Kay, 62 (born 12 April 1944)
Steppenwolf. Their song 'Born To Be Wild' featured in the film Easy Rider, and hit the US charts. There followed two more hits Magic Carpet Ride and Rock Me John Kay broke up the band in 1972 but has, at various times, formed the group again
George Robertson, 60 (born 12 April 1946)
Defence Secretary
David Letterman, 59 (born 12 April 1947)
chat-show host
Jeremy Beadle, 58 (born 12 April 1948)
Telsvision presenter of 'You've Been Framed', who is also a writer
David Cassidy, 56 (born 12 April 1950)
He was cast in the TV series 'The Partridge Family', who had two big hits in the early 1970s with `I Think I Love You' and 'Cherish'. Going solo, David Cassidy had further hits with 'How Can I Be Sure?' and' Rock Me Baby'. He joined the musical 'Blood Brot
Andy Garcia, 50 (born 12 April 1956)
Actor
Will Sergeant, 48 (born 12 April 1958)
Echo and the Bunnymen. Their 'People Are Strange' was featured in the film `The Lost Boys' in 1989 but they had charted in the early 1980s with 'The Puppet' and 'The Killing Moon'
Howard Stableford, 47 (born 12 April 1959)
Presenter on television's 'Tomorrow's World'
Shannen Doherty, 35 (born 12 April 1971)
Actress
Emerson, 34 (born 12 April 1972)
Middlesborough footballer

Queen's 80th Birthday Quiz

Test your knowledge of The Queen's life with a special 20-question birthday Quiz.

World Cup winners get golden ball

The World Cup final will be played using a gold-coloured ball - and the winners will use the same design of ball in all their games for four years.
The Times newspaper has revealed that the winners of the tournament will keep the ball until the next World Cup.
Apart from the final - and for the first time since 1994 - a black and white ball will be used in games.
Adidas designed the Teamgeist ball in black and white because they are the traditional colours of hosts Germany.
A martial arts weapon featured on the design of the ball in the 2002 finals to symbolise the energy of hosts Japan and South Korea.
The 1966 tournament - when England triumphed on home soil - was the last World Cup to feature a football without logos.

Flintoff hailed as world's best

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been named Leading Cricketer of the World for 2005 by Wisden.
The 28-year-old, who was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year last year for his Ashes heroics, edged out Australian Shane Warne to the accolade.
"I'm pleased to have been given the award," said Flintoff. "It's very humbling and obviously a great honour.
"The last 12 months have been fantastic for English cricket and I'm looking forward to building on that success."
Flintoff, England's stand-in captain in India in the absence of Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, is the third recipient of Wisden's award.
Warne and Australia captain Ricky Ponting were the previous two winners.
Ponting and his Australia team-mate Brett Lee were named among Wisden's five cricketers of the year, a list which also included England trio Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Kevin Pietersen.
Wisden editor Matthew Engel revealed only Flintoff and Warne had been in the running for the top award for the 143rd edition of the cricket bible.
He explained: "Flintoff and Warne are shown embracing after the Ashes series [on the front cover of the 2006 Wisden published on Wednesday] - but one is just a fraction above the other.
"We felt in the end that 2005 was the year when Freddie touched greatness."
Flintoff scored a total of 402 runs during the Ashes series - at an average of 40.20 - and took 24 wickets in the five-Test series at 27.29 apiece.
Pietersen was delighted with his honour adding: "It's a fantastic achievement and it's good for Simon and Hoggy as well, so hats off to those boys.
"Hopefully we can make it a really great all-round next 12 months."

2006 World Snooker Championship

The battle to win the 2006 World Snooker Championship begins on Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Last year's competition produced one of the biggest shocks in the event's history, when qualifier Shaun Murphy beat Matthew Stevens to win the title.
Murphy, 23, has been drawn against Thai star James Wattana in the first round, while former champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will face 39-year-old Dave Harold.
Seven-times winner Stephen Hendry opens up his bid against Nigel Bond.
The 1998 champion John Higgins faces world number 34 Mark Selby, with two-times winner and China Open champion Mark Williams in a tricky opener against Nottingham's world number 15 Anthony Hamilton.
Three veterans of the game - Steve Davis, John Parrott and Jimmy White - will be hoping to prove that experience is worth more in the sport than youthful exuberance.
Parrott, 41, who failed to qualify for the championship last season for the first time in 21 years, has been drawn against 2004 runner-up Graeme Dott.
Parrott's BBC co-pundit Steve Davis, 48, will be looking for a repeat of his efforts last year, when he reached the quarter-finals.
The 'Nugget' is up against Andy Hicks, who is danger of dropping out of the world's top 32.
Meanwhile, 'people's champion' Jimmy White, 43, who has been a Crucible runner-up on six occasions, will face 2003 Regal Scottish champion David Gray.

80 facts from her 80 years

The Queen's reign is celebrated in the Palace's own birthday list
CAN YOU spot the link between Tony Blair, the 1953 FA Cup Final, 7kg of prawns and a Shetland pony called Peggy?
If the answer is yes, you are perhaps the world’s most ardent royal-watcher. Or you have paid a recent visit to the Buckingham Palace website, where 80 facts about the Queen have been posted in honour of her imminent 80th birthday.
The answer to the question above is that all four have featured in her life to date.
Mr Blair was the first prime minister to be born during her reign, which has already seen nine different incumbents in both Downing Street and the White House.
The 1953 FA Cup Final was the first football game she attended, and Peggy was the first horse that the young Elizabeth owned, a gift from her grandfather, George V, when she was 4. The prawns were given by an unnamed seafood enthusiast, and rank alongside sloths, pineapples and a box of snail shells as some of the more bizarre presents.
The Queen has sat through 91 state banquets, posed for 139 official portraits and — perhaps more onerous still — attended 34 royal variety performances.
In return she has given the nation a Christmas message every year except 1969. She has distributed 78,000 Christmas puddings to her staff, 100,000 telegrams to centenarians and 280,000 messages to couples celebrating their diamond weddings throughout the Commonwealth.
She has been sent more than three million items of correspondence, although it is unlikely that they all made her personal in-tray.
When not replying to post, the Queen has made 256 official overseas visits, endorsed 620 charities and organisations, and entertained 1.1 million people at garden parties at Buckingham Palace and Holyroodhouse.
She has opened 15 bridges, launched 23 ships and become godmother to 30 children.
She has performed the State Opening of Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively. With the birth of the former in 1960, she became the first reigning sovereign to have a child since Queen Victoria, who had her youngest child, Princess Beatrice, in 1857.
She was also the first British monarch to visit China, in 1986, and the first for 450 years to receive the Pope at Buckingham Palace, when John Paul II came to visit in 1982.
She is no slouch when it comes to technology, either. The Queen sent her first e-mail from an army base in 1976, and in July 1969 her message of congratulations to the Apollo 11 astronauts was microfilmed and deposited on the moon in a metal container. The official Buckingham Palace website was set up in 1997.
The Queen first used the Underground in May 1939, when she travelled with her governess, Marion Crawford, and Princess Margaret. There is no mention of whether she enjoyed the experience, but on joining the Army in 1945 she made sure that she learnt to drive.
On the trail of popular culture, the Queen has visited the sets of EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, and she is the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry, after 100,000 copies of the CD of Party at the Palace in 2002 were sold within the first week of release.
Her reign has been shared with more than 30 corgis, starting with one called Susan, a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. Perhaps less well known is that the Queen also introduced a new breed of dog known as the “dorgi”, when one of the corgis mated with a dachshund named Pipkin.
As well as owning all the sturgeon, whales and dolphins in British waters, the Queen claimed ownership of 88 cygnets on the Thames in 2005.
They are looked after by an official called the Swan Maker, but with the royal birthday at present sharing the headlines with a dead Scottish swan, they are perhaps a less desirable acquisition than they once seemed.
AND HERE ARE SOME NOT ON THE LIST
The Queen is the first British monarch to see three of her children divorce
She is the first sovereign to be forced to open Buckingham Palace to the public (in order to pay for the restoration of WIndsor Castle after the fire of 1992)
She is the first monarch to cause an Old Bailey trial to be halted, despite being Paul Burrell’s ultimate prosecutor as Head of State
She is perhaps the first royal to keep her cornflakes in Tupperware boxes
She demoted a footman for feeding her corgis whisky
With the collapse of Empire she has lost sovereignty of more countries than her predecessors

www.royal.gov.uk The full list on the Palace website

Today's The Day - 11th April

11th April 2006
Barbershop Quartet Day.

Religious events today...
Feast day of St Guthlac,
St Stanislas,
St Godeberta,
St Barsanuphius,
St Gemma Galgani,
St Isaac of Spoleto,
and St Stanislaus of Cracow.

History Test for April 11th
Today in 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed between Britain and which other country? -France
Which film, involving a record-breaking 300,000 extras, was awarded eight Oscars today in 1983? -'Gandhi' - the massive number of extras was needed for the funeral scene
Today in 1967, the play 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead' was premiered in London. Who wrote it? -Tom Stoppard
Actor Nicholas Ball was born today in 1946. Which private eye did he play on television? -'Hazell'
Today in 1961, who made his live concert debut in New York and later had a hit with `Like a Rolling Stone'? -Bob Dylan

Events today...
1514 Death of Donato Bramante Italian architect who began St Peter's, Rome.
1554 Poet and conspirator against Queen Mary I, Sir Thomas Wyatt, was executed.
1689 The coronation of William III and Mary II as joint sovereigns took place; the Archbishop of Canterbury refused to officiate at the service.
1713 The War of the Spanish Succession was ended by the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht; France ceded Newfoundland and Gibraltar to Britain.
1814 Napoleon abdicated and was exiled to the island of Elba; Louis XVIII became king of France.
1839 Scottish novelist John Galt died.
1855 London's first pillar boxes were installed in London. There were six in total, and they were painted green.
1884 English novelist Charles Reade died.
1890 Elephant Man John Merrick died at the age of twenty nine. One hundred years later Michael Jackson allegedly tried to buy his remains.
1919 The International Labour Organisation was founded.
1926 Death of Luther Burbank, US botanist.
1929 Popeye made his first appearance as a supporting character in a cartoon strip in Hearst's New York newspapers.
1930 The Daily Express newspaper became the first paper to publish listings of television programmes.
1934 English actor-manager Sir Gerald Du Maurier died.
1935 Severe dust storms hit Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Texas and New Mexico, destroying crops and making many homeless.
1945 Allied troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald.
1951 US General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of his command in Korea, after a disagreement with President Truman.
1957 John Osborne's 'The Entertainer', starring Sir Laurence Olivier, opened at the Royal Court Theatre.
1960 Noted New Zealand-born plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe died.
1961 Bob Dylan made his first public appearance in Greenwich Village, New York.
1961 Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann went on trial in Jerusalem after being kidnapped from Argentina, where he had fled after World War II. He was found guilty on 15 December of the same year and later hanged.
1963 Britain's leading female judo exponent, Karen Briggs, was born. She won four world titles, all in the 7st class, in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1989.
1967 Tom Stoppard's first play, 'Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead', based on two characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet, opened at the National Theatre.
1968 The Civil Rights Bill was signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, making it illegal to refuse housing on the grounds of race.
1970 Death of John O'Hara, US novelist.
1970 The FA Cup final at Wembley between Leeds and Chelsea ended in the first draw since 1912.
1977 French poet Jacques Prevert died.
1983 A Devon Magistrates Court heard how a signalman who drank too much on his birthday had arrived drunk on duty, fallen asleep in his signal box, and caused chaos on the Paddington to Penzance line, resulting in five trains being delayed for almost ninety minutes.
1983 A royal walkabout in Brisbane was cut short when a large crowd mobbed the Princess of Wales.
1983 Richard Attenborough's Gandhi won eight Oscars.
1983 At Worcester Crown Court, a business man denied several charges of dishonestly obtaining over £40,000 from disc jockey Noel Edmunds over payments for a boat which Edmunds intended to use for an attempt on the world water speed record.
1983 In the first large supergrass trial in Northern Ireland, fourteen men, including leading Ulster Volunteer Force members, receive