Friday, April 20, 2007

Al Gore and His Lucky Number

In July this year, seven will be the number on everyone's lips as seven concerts are held in seven continents on the seventh day of the seventh month in this, the millenium's seventh year.

The concerts are all part of Live Earth - Al Gore's Live Aid for Climate Change. A call to arms for countries to act to prevent global warming.

They will be held simultaneously in London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Johannesburg, Shanghai and Rio De Janeiro, with an audience of millions watching live as proceedings are streamed on MSN.

Performances from The Police, Kelly Clarkson, Duran Duran, and The Foo Fighters to name just a few will raise awareness of the need to act on climate change and do for climate change what the Live Aid concerts did for poverty.

And that's where suspicion creeps in. What exactly did the Live Aid concerts do for poverty?

Very little really; plastering over the key issues behind word poverty, they provided a relatively insignificant amount of aid which made very little long-term difference. They raised awareness and we all donned white wrist bands and marched on Edinburgh to show our support. But for all the good intentions, very little came from it.

And that's the same worry with Live Earth. The main intention here is not to raise money (shame, considering its £55 for a ticket!) but to create awareness and pressure people into making a change - but at what cost?

With seven concerts on seven continents, musicians and celebritieswill be flown around the world to do their good deeds. This of course will require air travel which, if Al Gore has taught us nothing else, we all know is a major source of carbon emissions.

Only two line-ups have been announced as yet, with US-based bands The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters, Black Eyed Peas and Beastie Boys set to play in London whilst the UK's very own Katie Tunstall will join The Police in New York.

How many round trips accross the Atlantic does that make? You guessed it - 7. A total of 14 flights, travelling a combined 41,433 miles and splutterng a total of 16,158lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

But it doesn't stop there. Artists from the UK and the US are sure to be playing at the other concerts. While the line-ups have not yet been announced, one can assume the following as, at best a very conservative estimate:

Sydney - Two acts from the UK (a 21,106 mile round-trip) and one from the US (19,887 miles)

Johannesburg - One from the UK (22,511 miles) and one from the US (15,934 miles)

Tokyo - One from the UK (11,884 miles) and one from the US (13,506 miles)

Rio De Janeiro - One from the US (9,599 miles)

Shanghai - One from the UK (11,446 miles) and one from the US (14,746 miles)

That comes to a grand total of 203,164 miles - contributing a whopping 79,234lbs of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Suddenly the concert isn't as green as we think, and if you factor in the energy to power the concerts themselves, getting people to and from the show and then all the millions of computers powered up to stream it live on MSN the likey total is probably double that.

Admittedly, this is not a great deal in itself - in fact, even a small undeveloped country such as Tonga produces up to 240million lbs of carbon dioxide each year.

The concerts aren't going to have the seas boiling and the Sahara freezing over, but as Gore himself once said, "If we do not drastically reduce this blanket of global warming polution, the world would likely cross the point of no return."

So perhaps the number on everybody's lips this summer shouldn't be seven, but 79,234 - because that's how many unecessary pounds of carbon dioxide we will be dumping into the atmosphere courtesy of Gore's good intentions.


Click here to see how much carbon dioxide your air travel produces.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

You can have one hell of a party on Myspace


When you're 17 a houseparty is the best way to entertain your friends. Too young to go to pubs and clubs, millions of teenagers up and down the country have house parties every week where they can gather and have a drink... or 10. But for 17-year-old Rachel Bell from County Durham it all went rather sour when she broke the golden rule of house parties - never, absolutely never, make it an open invitation.

Just a rumour of a free house would have half the school planning an impromptu party. The key to success was always to keep it quiet - tell only those you want to arrive and tell them not to advertise it:

You got a free house? Having a party?
Yeah, just a small one.
Alright, I'll tell a few people.
Okay but no randoms.
Right-o.

Its one of the golden rules (along of course with no monkey business in your parents' bedroom). The rules developed over hundereds of years of teen house partying and to ignore them is asking for trouble. Otherwise hundreds of teens descend upon the house, keen for somewhere to have a few drinks and the reuslt was always carnege - it's hard enough to control your friends let alone hundreds of 'randoms'.

And that's exactly what has happened on a massive scale with the help of Myspace. Rachel Bell, 17, advertised her party on Myspace only to have hundereds of revellers turn up at the house - causing £20,000 worth of damage to her parents' home in Houghton-le-Spring in County Durham.



It happened again this week in both Liverpool and Croydon as people advertised their parties on the social networking site - with equally catastrophic consequences. The house in Liverpool was left in a particularly dire state as people travelled from as far away as London, hell-bent on wrecking the house.

What is most astonishing however, is their reactions. A shocked Ms Bell said: "The party wasn't supposed to start until 10 but at half 9 we saw people pulling up in cars. We didn't recognise them and didn't know what was going on so we bolted the door."

Albeit for me to call someone an idiot.

Perhaps it wasn't the fact they showed up early, but the fact she advertised a party with the tagline "let's trash the house" to an audience of millions of teenagers that caused the ensuing devastation?

Or perhaps she gave the wrong impression in the advert?:

"ok so bring more drink - were gunna run out quick & you will be shitted then. Bring food if you like & SQUIRTY CREAM!

Glowsticks etc etc

If you're on acid or something, take that or whatever you have B4 you come in. Please don't leave it lying around for any unexpected plods arriving"

Doesn't really read like your typical invitation for a cheese and wine evening does it? I mean, Squirty Cream? I've been to a fair few house parties in my time but never has the entertainment been provided courtesy of a tube of whipped cream.

Perhaps its about time the golden rules of house partying were rewritten with the first one being 'DON'T ADVERTISE YOUR PARTY ON THE INTERNET TO AN AUDIENCE OF MILLIONS'.



Or perhaps that's just stating the obvious. Either way, one thing is for sure, she certainly won't do it again - next time use facebook, there's a much nicer class of partygoer on there.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Virgin's New Image Is Wearing Thin

Do you remember Marathon bars? Or perhaps the Opal Fruit? Now of course, they are more commonly known as Snickers and Starburst - a fantastic piece of rebranding so efective that few now know the old names.

But rebranding hasn't been quite so sweet for Ntl. Now Virgin Media, they arrived amid a publicity storm, offering an alternative to Sky: combining TV, internet, mobile and landline phone services in one unique package.

But like an Opal Fruit, or Starburst, or whtever they're known as, it all went quite sour. Sky upped the price of their channels and Virgin Media refused to pay. The result? Well, two comletely diffrent TV packages - one with all the Sky channels like Sky One, Sky News and Sky Sports News and another without.

So instead, Virgin Media is no alternative to sky, it simply doesn't offer the same channels for a start. And if, like me you thought 'I don't watch those anyway, it won't make a difference I still have Sky Sports and the movie channels' then you were quite wrong.

Virgin have taken on Ntl, a company so famous for its poor customer relations it spurned a website, myntlhell.com. And the re-branding has seen no change.

This week I had a V+ box fitted. It's like Sky+ but by Virgin. Quite simple really. The only problem is, mine doesn't work.

I can record programmes to its hard drive, i can watch a plethora of near pointless channels (one, i found this morning offered a programme 'Britain's most embarrassing illnesses' - nice) and I can access most sports. But I can't access the interactive service - the very platform upon which they hope to challenge Sky.

I can't watch movies, because I can't key in my PIN code to confirm that I am old enough to watch a PG-rated film. Similarly I can't watch pay-per-view football, or golf and I can't get movies and music on demand.

But, don't let one faulty box dirty your opinion of Virgin Media I thought. So I phoned them in the hope of finding a resolution so I can get my snazzy new V+ working.

True to their predecessor's reputation however, Virgin Media sent me round the houses in a vain search for a solution. Four phone calls (a total of 2 hours) and three promises of a call back later, I am still no nearer to watching a movie, or sport or anything else for that matter.

As I sit musing over Britains most embarrassing illnesses, I wonder why bother. Sky may be a bit more pricey, and they may attach what looks like a Russian space station to the side of your house, but they at least offer a service that works - and gives you channels you actually want.



myvirginhell.com - if the porn industry hasn't already got it, you might be onto a winner with that one.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Okay, just one more...


To follow on from the story below, for fans of 80s pop music you can now study an MA in Madonna studies in the US.

And if you can't decide on the course for you then why not go to Luton Uni to study BSc Decision Making!

It would probably take half an hour for each lecture to start as eager students decide on where to sit. And as for course social events... 'where should we go?' 'I don't know you decide'...'no, you decide'... 'no, I insist, you decide' - you get the picture.

But with the intensive training the course provides, within three years you too can be a whizz at making decisions.

Hooray for British Unis! The future is safe in their hands.

Been to 'uni'? Who cares!

Never has a word entered the English language that has made me more disappointed in the Oxford English Dictionary. But now a new word has seeped through British culture and is now in use from every studenty-type with long hair, growing debt and a laziness that would challenge even the sloth.


And that word is... uni.

In 1992, the number of universities in Britain almost doubled, as 38 former polytechnic schools or colleges changed status and names - ending a distinction that had existed for hundreds of years.

Now, you an get a degree from anywhere - the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), Northumbria, University of East Anglia and a whole host of other 'unis' which have sprung up.

Almost 50per cent of school leavers now attend a university - many of whom go to uni to do what would, 15 years ago, have been a vocational course (see BsC Glass at Sunderland Uni for example) and come out with a degree.

The idea was quite simply ridiculous. The very notion that if we hand out degrees like sweets at a fun fair, we would make our nation more intelligent was, well, just wrong.

With 50per cent of 19-26 year olds now gettng a degree whether from Oxford and Cambridge or from Middle-of-Nowhere uni, there are far too many graduates on the job market.

A graduate used to be able to walk into a well-paid job, employed safe in the knowledge that he or she had had the very best education and was the best candidate for the job. Nut now, Sainsbury's are getting just as many graduates apply to be check-out girls as some of Britain's top companies.

And why? Because a degree is almost worthless - almost everyone has them now. We (and yes, I am a student) spend three or four years shielded from the real world living off state and parental handouts to get our degrees but, after three or four years of partying/studying (delete as appropriate) we are no better prepared to go out to work.

There is little to distinguish between people academically as governments try year on year to put more and more underacheivers into Uni simply to pad out their statistics - all the while making a bigger and bigger profit on student debt.

Surely it is time they realised that, in order for the cream to rise to the top, there needs to be more stringent selection and we need to stop handing out degrees in Celebrity Studies and, yes it does exist, BsC David Beckham.

Universities offering opportunities for only the brightest young students? What a novel idea, who'd have thunk it? And technical colleges offering good, useful vocational courses - why, by George, I think I'm on to something here!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Funny news for the hard of hearing...

Ah, Stanstead Airport!

Quite possibly one of the most painful traveling experiences you're likely to find - the queues, the security checks, the waiting... not exactly a stress-free way to travel.



The mainstay of the departure lounge is of course 'anxious dad' - the stereotypical man who sits watching the departure screen to see what gate to go to. GO! GATE 85! RUN! FOR GODS SAKE... RUN! 85! FORGET YOUR BAGS, GOOOO! he screams as the gate number pops up, still at least half an hour before the plane actually boards.

Usually, watching anxious dad brightens up my waiting experience as I chew on my jumbo toblerone (well, you have to really) in the departure lounge. But today I found even better amusement - courtesy of Sky News.

As i watched the screens, i noticed a subtitled Sky News bulletin and keen to see what was going on in the world - besides anxious dad and that stubborn bit of toblerone stuck in my teeth - I watched.

But what I read on screen as Eamon Holmes (or whoever) read the news was pure comedy.

Speaking of the notorious Kensal Green Tribe muggings on the London Underground outside crown court, the subtitles read:

'They asked people for their mobile phones. And when people refused they resorted to threats of violence - often with knives or sisters.'

That's right - SISTERS!



Trying my best to stiffle the laughter I continued to watch as the subtitle machine made a flurry of comedy errors one after the other.

I'm sure you can imagine, come to the Freddie Flintoff story, what the subtitles translated 'pedalo' as...

Monday, March 05, 2007

Move over Jamie Oliver!



If only they taught that in schools!

BBC spit out their dummy

A short entry today you may be relieved to hear - I have a presentation to give on Wednesday and it is about as complete as a Virgin TV channel package.

Today it was announced that the BBC was finally allowed to reveal the contents of a key document in the cash for honours enquiry.

'A cover-up' the BBC call it. John Snow announces it on Channel 4 news and many others see a victory for the BBC, with the story surely being carried in many of tuesday's papers.

But whilst the BBC may gloat and present this as a victory, it is something far short of that - it is downright childish.

Revealing it is not, surely. Afterall, it is one of their main functions to peel back the veneer of government spin and present us - the public - with all the facts. But when this flies in the face of the law it is something quite different.

The Attorney General postponed the reporting of the document by taking out an injunction against the BBC. This may scream cover up, but in fact, he is well within his rights to do so. Section 4 of the Contempt of Court Act allows "the postponement of publication of a report or any part of a report to avoid substantial risk of prejudice to the administration of justice" (yep, still haven't pawned my law textbook!).

The case is sure to go in front of a jury, and reporting on vital evidence would no doubt have an effect on potential jurors. Some may argue that any trial is a long way off and any potential juror would have forgotten the report by then.

But the case is now so famous that reports such as these would lead many to the presumption of guilt on the part of Ruth Turner - resulting in what could only be seen as an unfair trial. Afterall, it is a pillar of the British justice system that someone is held innocent until proven guilty.

So for all its gloating and declarations of victory, the BBC is misrepresenting the ruling as it was (and is) nothing more than a fair and accurate use of the law, one that upholds a key principle of our justice system.

While the BBC whinge about 'cover-ups' and Government having one rule for themselves and another for everyone else, they would be wise to read the law and realise that no, in this case it really is one rule for everyone and surely they should be big enough not to spit the dummy out when it's used against them!

Sunday, February 25, 2007

10 Years in Prison - For Being Rational!

As I write this I am listening to 50cent – and guess what? I don’t have the sudden urge to go on a murderous rampage.

Well, that’s what many people would have you believe is the influence of this gangster-turned-superstar. After the spate of shootings in London this week, the BBC’s ‘Have Your Say’ site was filled with helpful hints from people on how to tackle gun crime.

“Ban rap music!” they shout. “Blame the single parents!” they roar. “Return to traditional values!” “Bring back National Service!” “Let people own guns to protect their homes!” (what more guns?) “Blame the immigrants!”… I could go on but for fear of sounding like a headline roll-call from the Daily Mail I shall stop there.

Ok, just one more nugget: “Enforce a zero tolerance policy like in the US!” proclaims ‘Jones’ from London. Funny that, I wasn’t aware the UK ever tolerated gun crime? I could spend hours picking holes in each one but I trust you would have already done that.

So why is it we look for such easy answers in what is a very complex debate. The politicians may have to, for the sake of publicity, blame it on one, maybe two key events but surely we can understand better than that?

Gun crime comes mainly from drug culture. Drugs culture leads to gangs on the streets. Faced with a low-paid job or a more ‘glamorous’ (and yes, popular culture does have some role here) gangland life, it is an appealing prospect.

As young people find themselves in the poverty trap – unable to make money or get a job, instead relying on the little that the state provides to get by.

And with little money and subsequently little education it is no wonder that many young men are turning to crime. So why not nip the problem in the bud? Reform the welfare state, legalise and control the drug trade and provide better education. Then we might have the answer.

Blaming rap music and calling for draconian measures can only make things worse. The same people who call for these measures would then surely be up in arms about state interference and a breach of civil liberties.

I’m no expert, the problem is complex and deep-rooted and it will take a lot to address it. In the meantime, I am going to continue to listen to rap music and watch gangster movies – if that makes me a criminal then so be it.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Milliband's Inconvenient Truth

The Environment secretary, and one of Gordon Brown's rising stars, David Milliband has set tongues wagging after hs recent appearance on
Question Time.

In his interview, Milliband suggested that, soon enough, people will be wishing Tony Blair had never left office:
“When I come back on this programme in six months time or a year, people will be saying ‘wouldn’t it be great to have that Blair back because we couldn’t stand that Gordon Brown’.”

He added that this would be true of whoever took over from Tony Blair - and it's not because he believes nobody can match him, simply that it is the nature of being Prime Minister.

And he has a point, it is almost inevitable that the job will end in failure. With criticism from all sides, there are always calls for a return for times gone by - it's the natural order at the top.

But, alas! Milliband's comments were spun in the media to be a crticism of Gordon Brown, turning them from a good and reasonable point to an attack on the premier-in-waiting.

And yes, you do feel for him personally but as a member of the Labour party - those who brought the phrase 'spin doctor' into the public lexicon - one can only say: 'those who live by the sword...'

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Obama? outFOXed?

One of the best TV news cock-ups your lkely to see for some time:

Barack Obama - Sex Offender? Click here!

Fantastic!

Policing the streets: as easy as A - B - C


A moral dilemma for you:

Disaster! You’ve run out of milk, midway through making that cup of tea you had been looking forward to for hours. So what do you do? You walk down to the shop to get some more of course – it’s easy. But on your walk, you come across a young hoodlum kicking a granny half to death in pursuit of her pension. So what do you do? Well, that’s the problem, nobody quite knows…

Viewers of BBC’s Panorama programme last night would have hoped to gain an insight into the solution – the official word from government on what you, as a responsible and concerned citizen should do.

The answer comes from the minister for police and security Tony McNulty: "I think the general line must be to get in touch with the authorities and make sure that, if things are as bad as you paint, the police will be there as quickly as they can."

So, do I walk by, go and get my pint of milk, making a call to the police on the way?

McNulty to the rescue once more: "I think you should in the first instance. It may well be simply shouting at them, blowing your horn or whatever, deters them and they go away."

Ah yes, blowing my horn! Shame, forgot to bring it with me today.

Don’t worry public protector McNulty is here! Without a hint of sarcasm he offers: "Try some distractive activities” and when Jeremy Vine suggests jumping up and down, McNulty agrees: "I would say you know sometimes that that may well work."

So there it is folks – next time you are faced with such a dilemma jump up and down, blow your horn but for god’s sake, don’t kick ten bells out of him!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

THE WHEATSHEAF HORROR

The small north-east village of Boldon has been put firmly on the map after the tale of one of the its’s most haunted pubs fascinated a TV audience of 20million American viewers.

The Wheatsheaf Hotel is the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary, telling the chilling tale of the pub’s spirits and the unearthing of a 100-year old murder mystery.

The haunted pub was the scene of a gruesome murder over a century ago and with the help of the spirits, staff uncovered what became voted Britain’s Top Paranormal Event of 2004 – attracting the attention of the Discovery Channel and a wide audience across the Atlantic.

Licensee Claire Robson said: “It’s great that this story has become so popular. The Discovery Channel were interested in it and decided to fly all the way over to Boldon to film it.

“It’s the first time the channel has been over in the UK to film a documentary. We’re just so pleased the story is finally being told.”

Both staff and customers had long suspected that the quiet pub in West Boldon had been haunted.

It was not until spiritual medium, Suzanne Hadwick, attended a charity event at the Wheatsheaf that their fears were confirmed, as they found themselves involved in a real life ghost hunt, unravelling a chilling mystery.

Suzanne said: “From the moment I entered the pub I felt an evil presence. I began to get visions of a horrific crime that had taken place hundreds of years ago.”

Led by the spirit of a local girl, Jessica, Suzanne witnessed her horrific ordeal as she was raped, beaten and murdered at the hands of evil Landlord, Joseph.

Suzanne said: “It was like the spirits had taken me back to a time between 1899 and 1906. Jessica was appealing to me to help her.”

Researching the pub’s history at Boldon Library, Suzanne and the staff found records, including pictures, of both Jessica and Joseph.

With Jessica’s help, Suzanne was able to see how she was killed and where her body had been buried.

On Suzanne’s advice, staff worked through the night, knocking down a wall to reveal a lock of hair and clothes believed to belong to Jessica – though the body had been moved.

Suzanne said: “Jessica had placed a great trust in me allowing me to help her. In doing this I was able to release her spirit from the pub and set her free.


“Doing the documentary was great but there is so much more to the story that hasn’t been told.”

Suzanne believes there are still more spirits in the attic and is keen to conclude this chilling tale.

She revealed: “Since the documentary, I have discovered so much more. Jessica has actually appeared to me to tell me where her body is buried.”

Later this month, Suzanne will be hosting a sleepover and an all night vigil at the Wheatsheaf to finally bring closure to this century-old mystery.


A Haunting: The Wheatsheaf Horror is to be aired in the UK later this year

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

BROWN SHOWS HIS PRIMARY COLOURS - A VERY FAINT SHADE OF GREEN

I felt Gordon Brown’s ‘green’ tax come into effect this week after I received an e-mail informing me that the cost of my flight to London next month had increased.


It said:
“You may have heard that the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, recently announced that Air Passenger Duty (APD) - a tax implemented, controlled and collected by the UK Government - is due to increase on all flights departing from UK airports after 1 February 2007”


Well, there’s no doubting where EasyJet are laying the blame!

And fair enough, they’re certainly not wrong. But what is interesting about the tax is where it goes. As a ‘green’ tax it is (allegedly) implemented to reduce the number of flights and thus reduce carbon emissions.

Now, dear reader, let me tell you what the tax meant to me. My flight cost £8.99. It now costs £18.99 – an increase of almost 110%. But I’m still flying to London for just £18.99!

The same journey by train, on the same date would cost £55 and take twice as long. If I drove, the cost in petrol alone would be £35, with London’s congestion charge raising the cost to £43.

So how, with air fares so low at the moment, will a simple £10 tax stop people from flying?

The answer is, it won’t.

Instead, it is simply another of Brown’s stealth taxes, swelling the treasury’s coffers to be spent on education and health – two departments with bank accounts leaking so much money they make a Thames water pipe blush.

This ‘green’ tax is not helping protect the environment, it is simply increasing the burden of tax on the British public – now the most highly taxed populace in Europe.

If Gordon Brown really wants to be seen as a ‘green’ Prime Minister and challenge the Tories on it, he is going to have to go much further.

Tough on global warming, tough on the causes of global warming. Has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?

2007: YEAR OF THE PROG

Happy New Year!

History tells us this will be a hugely important one. From the calendar, it is clear to see that years ending in a 7 always seem to throw up something to remember. Throughout 2007, we will be invited to remember a whole host of anniversaries – some important, some forgotten and some entirely trivial.


Europeans will be pressed to remember the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which set up the European Union, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Despite the rejections of French and Dutch voters, we look set to cement the union further. The European constitution, rejected in 2005, has been slimmed down and sexed up and is set to be presented to government leaders this year. And as governments celebrate the Union’s birthday, they will reaffirm their commitment to it, keen that 2007 will not be remembered as the year the constitution was refused once more.


In Britain, we shall be celebrating 300 years since the signing of the Act of Union that saw Scotland and England forge the United Kingdom. The May elections in Scotland, could signal the beginning of the end for the Union and see 2007 as the year the Scots finally brake away. Amid unpopular policy emanating from Westminster (namely the Iraq war), the SNP hope for huge gains in the elections and continue to reiterate their promise to fight for Scottish independence. The argument has raged for many years on both sides of the border whether the union should be maintained now Scotland has a devolved parliament. Scottish MPs vote in Westminster on key issues affecting England such as health and education. English MPs meanwhile have no say over many such issues north of the border. It seems to many to be an unfair balance of power.
The Labour party are keen to nip this in the bud. Besides losing its 41 Scottish seats, Scottish independence would also see the likes of Gordon Brown and John Reid unable to hold positions in cabinet, or as is more likely, stand as Prime Minister. They argue that the union is beneficial to Scotland. At £7,597, public spending per Scot is 16% higher than the rest of the UK. English taxpayers are effectively subsidising Scotland. It won’t be too long before calls for independence are heard from south of the border as those in England resent paying for a country that wants little to do with them and secondly resent the power Scottish MPs hold in England, with little being given in return.
2007 will be an important year for the sate of the union. Whilst Labour will oppose a break-up, calls from the opposition (who are hopelessly weak in Scotland) and from the SNP will undoubtedly be heard in the corridors of Whitehall. Who knows, perhaps in 2017 the streets of Edinburgh will be lined with party-goers celebrating 10 years of post-union independence?


We will also be reminded that it is 10 years since Princess Diana’s death. The Daily Express will no doubt provide us weekly reminders (starting in fact with yesterday’s front page!) to remember her. The anniversary itself comes at a time when Prince William's girfriend Kate Middleton is being endlessly compared to Diana both in character and appearance and is being hounded just as closely by the popular press.

We will also remember 25 years since the Falklands War. Amid growing tension and an increasingly chaotic campaign in Iraq, it will serve as a timely reminder of the blood shed over the past 25 years. It would be a ridiculous suggestion that 2007 will see the end of the Iraq campaign but perhaps in 2032 we will remember it as the year we took a greater step towards peace in the Middle East. As I write this, 20,000 American troops are boarding a plane to Iraq so perhaps not. But you never know…


Then there's the trivial anniversaries. 60 years since a dog first went into space, 50 years since the Pina Colada was first invented by a Puerto Rican bartender, 60 years since Bill Hayley and the Comets first graced the UK charts… you get the idea!

There is certainly much to remember in 2007. Looking forward, it is also a year that holds much promise of creating its own history. Ban Ki-Moon will take over as Secretary-General of the UN, Portugal will take over the EU presidency, presidential elections will be held in France, Turkey and Argentina, and Britain too will unveil its new leader.

This time next year, the world looks set to be a very different place – if nothing else, in appearance alone!

Once again, Happy New Year.