Archives for February 2008
Peter Allen in Red Square
Russians vote in their presidential elections this weekend.
Peter Allen's there for 5live and spoke to students there on Breakfast. He'll be reporting on Drive tonight and across the weekend
See pictures of Peter's trip. (this link will take you to an external website)
Sporting Giants
We were dwarfed by 'sporting giants' in the studio this morning.
You may remember last year, Sir Steve Redgrave launched an appeal for tall people to come forward for the chance to take part in the 2012 Olympics.
Well almost four thousand responded and 52 of those have now joined up with the British rowing, handball and volleyball teams.
Two of them, volleyball player, Chris Gregory, who's 6'9 (left of the picture) and handball player, Stuart Campbell, who's 6'5 (centre of the picture) joined Sir Steve to tell us all about the scheme.
LISTEN: Nicky and Shelagh talk to Sir Steve Redgrave about the appeal.
All Shook Up?
Did the earth move for you last night? Darling?
An earthquake hit much of England in the early hours, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, centred on Market Rasen in Lincolnshire.
Post your accounts of Britain's biggest quake in 25 years below.
Stevie Wonder - remixed
Who says I have too much time on my hands? After the unexpected on-air encounter with Stevie Wonder, I've been tinkering with the results. Here's my best effort.
Listen to my Stevie Wonder Jingle (requires Realplayer).
Listener Maurice Cheetham has also remixed the Stevie Wonder 5 live jingle.
LISTEN: Maurice Cheetham's remix.
Send your remixes to breakfast@bbc.co.uk
Nicky
When Shelagh met Hugh Grant
Nicky's been telling me about his long-distance encounter with Stevie Wonder yesterday. He was very excited.
This morning, there was another touch of showbiz - this time in the 5 live studio when Hugh Grant came in.
He was here to talk about Marie Curie Cancer Care's Daffodil campaign
Anti-depressants -- do they work?
16 million prescriptions for anti-depressants are written out by GPs - but do the drugs actually work? That's the question this morning after researchers claimed that it's only people who are severly depressed who get any real benefit from some of the most widely used modern anti-depressants.
Have you - or anyone you know - taken Seroxat, Efexor or Prosac? What's your experience?
Stevie Wonder - singing for 5 live
OK, it's not often I'm lost for words.
But when we suddenly got news while we were on air that Stevie Wonder was on the line, live from the Oscars - I blurted out "Stevie... I love you".
I meant it from the bottom of my heart - he's a hero after all. And Stevie isn't phased by such adulation - he's used to it I suppose.
But it did have one expected result - Stevie Wonder singing a 5 live jingle.
Hear Stevie Wonder singing the 5 live jingle and talking about his memories of winning an Oscar
Read this review in the Daily Telegraph.
Life with the US Air Force....
I visited Lakenheath, an American airbase in Suffolk. The programme came live from the base this morning.
Yesterday was busy: I had a good look around the base, I couldn't believe how much it felt like a little bit of the USA on British soil.
Have a look at the photos and you will see what I mean.
Watch the video below to see what else I got up to when I first arrived at the base.
Remember to have a look at the photos. You can also listen to some of my interviews below:
LISTEN: My interview with the top brass on the base here.
LISTEN: My interview with a dog handler.
LISTEN: I speak to a new mother at Lakenheath's military hospital .
LISTEN: I take a look around the amazing F-15 fighter aircrafts .
For more information on the base visit the RAF Lakenheath official web site.
Over and out.
Even Stevens
As I travelled to work this morning, I was convinced England's cricketers were staring at defeat in the fourth One-Day International against New Zealand - despite posting their third-highest ever one-day total.
But England took three quick wickets and suddenly victory was in their sights.
After all that, though, a match that swayed from one side to the other, ended in a tie - as New Zealand matched England's 340 with the very last ball.
Have a listen to what Geoff Boycott and our correspondent, Jonathan Agnew, made of today's dramatic match.
There's no business like snowbusiness...
It proved a busy morning for weather goddess Tori Lacey. Here's her blog...
I think you lot thought you'd caught me out this morning - people were texting in to tell us about snow in several parts of the country. The messages were coming from parts of Wales, the Midlands, right across to the northeast and East Anglia.
But there wasn't any snow to be found on the satellite pictures. The reason? Me having an off day? Not a chance. All about phenomena...
Hoar frost can occur where, 
as dew forms through the night and starts to freeze, crystals start to grow and can give a very wintry scene as bushes, tree branches, cars and grass verges amongst other things will start to become coated by the fine crystals which then grow from surrounding moisture as the night goes on. 
By morning, it can appear to have snowed, even though the skies will have been clear all night;
Riming, or deposition of ice, is very similar to hoar frost, but can occur when you have a moist layer near the ground, and appears very similar to hoar frost in that an ice crystals will build up. This forms from liquid which is supercooled to begin with, such as freezing fog.
Thanks for your text photos, it really does give a beautiful and snow-like scene - but technically, it isn't snow. Sorry!
LISTEN to me explaining all to Nicky and Rachel
Have a look what the Met Office says about hoar frost
Losing their bottle
The Environment Minister Phil Woolas has banned his staff from having bottled water at work. This is what he had to say: "I think it borders on being morally unacceptable to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on bottled water when we have pure drinking water - when at the same time, one of the crisis that is facing the world is the supply of water."
Bottled water is the subject of tonight's Panorama on BBC1 at 8.30. As an industry, it's worth 2 billion pounds a year. This morning, Nicky and Rachel were asking you for the best and worst tap water in the UK...
Somerset: water cold, sweet, beautiful - it's all my kids drink, David in Somerset
Birmingham water has 2 b the best, lovely + sweet. Kathy, walsall
If tap water is so good, then why is there such a large industry in water filters - creating more waste ? Discuss. Gareth, Midlands.
Our tap water is the envy of the world. Clear and crisp, I have drunk a gallon a day for forty years. Source of calcium too. Drink a pint of CO2 a day! From Chris in King's Lynn.
Last weekend I bought some bottled water. It was bottled in Turkey. How "green" is that! Chris in Bradford
My tap water is disgusting! Wouldn't dream of drinking it. Ian
I bought 1 bottle of water and continually fill it up from the tap. Jim. Northampton.
Apart from boiled water in coffee i haven't drunk tap water for about 5 years and won't for the rest of my life. Many people same as me. Jules in bristol
Best tap water? It must be Malvern water - and you can collect it pure and free from the various taps in the town and on the hills as it filters down.
The water on the Isle of Wight and London is the best water; the water in Manchester is DISGUSTING it tastes of chemicals!
The best water is Yorkshire water. So good it was even sold in supermarkets for a while. Albeit until the supplies to the taps were threatened and it all got a little embarrassing. Roberto in Leeds
Best water in the world in Tadcaster which is why there are three breweries in the town. Martin
Let us know what you think below
It really drives me mad when......
Sometimes it's the little things in life which really get on your nerves.
Amid all the big issues of life and the world in general, it can be something apparently trivial that just tips you over the edge. The smallest of sticks that breaks the camel's back.
I revealed on the programme that what really wound me up the other day was trying to put a perfectly good pound coin into a slot machine on the London Underground. I tried, tried and tried again - succeeding only in driving myself to distraction.
Lots of other people seemed to suffer similar exasperation about the littlest things
When people in front at bank machine dont tell u theres no money in it..billy wood greenWomen who refuse to take a seat on bus, train, or tube, when it is offered to them. ie feminists. Gus. when Gordon Brown's mouth tries to smile but it's clear that the rest of him doesn't want to. Tim in CheltenhamIt really irritates me when people constantly use T.L.A.'s (Three Letter Acronyms) !!! Ade Cotter, CheadleMinor irritations? The little bit of sugar that ALWAYS spills out when u open a new bag!! Drives me nuts! From mark-dursley glos.
What's the joke, Sly?
What was said when Rambo met Patto?
Colin Paterson - our entertainment reporter - seems to have hit it off with Sylvester Stallone on the red carpet at the premiere of the new Rambo movie.
But what were they saying?
The curse of crystal meth
There are fears over the likely explosion in the use of the drug crystal meth - our reporter Gavin Lee's been investigating.
Thanks to a number of listeners getting in touch with Five Live about their problems of crystal meth addiction, we decided to investigate the growing problem of the drug use in this country.
Steve in London: "I started on some crystal meth at a club at least a year ago and regretted it for days,couldn't eat or sleep, a few of my friends have now started"
Rebecca in Manchester: "Crystal meth is here I work in a Sexual Health Clinic & I'm seeing more & more Men who have taken it & subsequently taken part in v.risky sexual behaviour"
We put these concerns to the Association of Chief Police Officers - ACPO - whose officers have been investigating the increase over the past six months and found that there are alarming similarities between the growth in use in Britain and the trend in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S, where the problem is now widespread.
ACPO has warned that within four years the class A drug, which is the purest and most addictive form of methamphetamine, could become as much of a problem as crack cocaine.
LISTEN: Our reporter Gavin Lee tells us why police are so concerned about crystal meth
LISTEN: Former crystal meth addict, Scott, and an expert on the drug, Doctor John Marsden
(You need RealPlayer on your computer to hear these interviews)
Have a look at the following helpful websites...
FRANK ...
Where in the world are you (pt 2)?
Thanks to all of you telling us where you are around the world listening to 5live - click here to add your story .
Where in the world is Shelagh Fogarty ? She's on her hols - and would only say there was white sand and blue skies? Any ideas?
Rachel Burden is taking over the hot seat to my left.
Where in the world are you?
On this morning's programme we got an email from a listener Angela Lewis, who tunes into Breakfast via the internet from Beijing. We ended up chatting with her on air about how today's story about Stephen Spielberg might be reported in China.
Listen to the interview with Angela here.
I was quite surprised to hear we had listeners in China...after all we hear a lot about the Great Firewall of internet censorship .
It made me wonder - where else are people tuning into Breakfast around the globe? Can we claim to be represented on all the continents? Post and let us know.
Down(load) and out...?
Ever illegally downloaded music or films on the Internet? Millions of people have - but could the days of superhighway robbery be numbered.
The government is considering rules that could mean repeat offenders be banned from the internet - although it's not quite clear how the ISPs would make that happen.
So, is it practical to pick-off the pirates?
Should Beijing be politics-free?
Silence is golden.....but does it lose a bit of its shine if it's forced upon the winners at this year's Olympics in Beijing?
Remember the black power salutes of the 1968 Games - well, that's the kind of politicial demonstration that the International Olympic Committee is now keen to avoid at any Games.
This summer in China of course, such a policy will be under close scrutiny. What if Olympians want to make a point about human rights, about the plight of the Falun Gong, show support for the Free Tibet campaign? Should they be forced to shut up?
The British Olympic Association is re-thinking a clause in its contract with Team GB members to make it clear that they CAN answer questions about issues in China - but deliberate political acts are definitely banned.
I spoke to former Olympian and former Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell to see what he thought of the so-called behaviour agreements. Listen to the interview here.
My council is great because....
The Audit Commission is giving its view of local councils this morning.
So tell us - my council is great because...........
My council is great because they are a bunch of bureaucrats in non-jobs trying to justify their own existence. Phil on m25 My council is great because a council van hides most of the day in our back alley while the driver reads newspapers & drinks flasks of tea. Karl. Belfast. My council is great because they spend most of the money on road signs and markings which makes us all safe. Chris in Cambridge.
Fabio's commandments
He's a stickler for rules it seems.....
Which got us wondering about what other Capello Commandments there could - or should - be..
Thou shalt direct all communication with the referee through your captain. Keith Marlborough Thou shalt sing the national anthem with pride and gusto or be dropped 4ever. God save the Queen. James in Ickenham Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's WAG. From Chris in King's LynnThou shalt not use the phrase 'world class' to describe any member of the england team. Ben - Maldon
Email on MRSA
Here is the email which sparked our story on the programme this morning
To: All clinical staff
From: Medical Director/Deputy Director of Nursing
Subject: MRSA Bacteraemias
Date: September 1, 06
We are very disappointed to report that we have had a further reported MRSA bacteraemia, this being the fourth for the month of August taking us 2 over our DoH trajectory. This has serious implications not only for patients but for the Trust and could adversely effect our Foundation Trust application.
The Trust currently carries out an average of 150 blood culture specimens per week, significantly more than other District General Hospitals of the same size. The detailed root cause analysis work now undertaken for each MRSA bacteraemia has provided evidence that questions a number of factors. Firstly, the rationale for obtaining a number of the samples in terms of whether they contribute to achieving a positive clinical outcome for some of patients i.e. the terminally ill and secondly a third of the reportable bacteraemias are from contaminated specimens.
Whilst we understand the complexities of clinical decision making, we need to have confidence that decisions to take blood culture specimens is appropriate and carried out by competent individuals.
Whilst we recognise and very much appreciate that enormous efforts have been made, as the Medical Director, to Improve the position further tightening up of procedures is required as outlined below with immediate effect
Actions:
When identifying the potential need to obtain a blood culture specimen, seek opinion to verify the need with a Senior Medical Clinician ideally the Consultant or a senior member of the Nursing team. All bottles must be clearly signed with Bleep number by the person taking them and a clinical history Any specimen not containing clear details and signature will not be processed by pathology.
• Blood cultures should be taken when there Is evidence of a least 2 of the following signs/symptoms present and new to the patient and infection/sepsis are suspected
Core temperature> 38,3°C/<36°C
Heart Rate > 90
Systolic BP c 90 mmHg / fall of 40mmhg from patients normal
Respiratory rate >20 breaths I mm
Other signs and symptoms include
Neutrophilia, or neutropenia, (WCC> 12,000 <4000 units)
Chills with rigors; headache with stiff neck
New or worsening confusion
Additional Paediatric Indications
Toxic appearance including lethargy
Decreased glasgow coma score
Increase capillary refill time
Increased pulse and respiratory rates
Thrombocytopenia in neonates
• All medical staff that have not yet been assessed to undertake blood culture sampling must arrange with the Ward Sister for training and an assessment date by the end of next week. In the meantime if clinical staff question their ability to undertake sampling seek guidance from senior medical staff and out of hours the Night Practitioners
Celebrity endorsed products
Reporter Stephen Chittenden writes:
Are celebrities taking us for mugs? As Kylie Minogue launches her new range of soft furnishings we asked if it's possible to kit your entire home in celebrity-endorsed products.
We've made a start with a couple of mugs; Nicky's exclusive model is endorsed by Jamie Oliver, while Rachel has an original Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen. They also disclosed that each has a Nigella Lawson breadbin in their kitchen.
But these endorsements don't come cheap; the two mugs plus the breadbin would cost £76.50.
Let us know what products should be endorsed by which celebrities.
Early morning wake-up call
I had the role of playing 'Shelagh' this morning and it was a perverse pleasure to set my alarm nice and early as I've spent the last six months being woken by the alarm of small children demanding food in various ways. It's hard to imagine a time when I can chuck them out of the house to fend for themselves.
On the programme this morning we heard that the Conservatives want our children to "play out" more - maybe park rangers would persuade anxious parents that public spaces are safe. "But do you let YOUR children play out by themselves?!" I demanded of David Willetts. "Well, they are at university now...." was the reply. Ah.
Twickenham was one green space that proved particularly hazardous for boys playing out this weekend, only the four key injuries for England.
So would Brian Moore be drawn on what went wrong? Not the coach's fault, Moore insisted. But Gareth Edwards pointed out it must have been a hell of a half time talk in the Welsh dressing room. "A game of two halves" Campbell concluded. Quite.
Lolita furniture
We heard this morning that Woolie's have withdrawn a range of children's furniture for sale after complaints over the name - Lolita. That's because of the book of that name which featured a man's sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl.
There was a very strong reaction from listeners when we spoke to the woman who campaigned for its removal.
You can listen to the interview here - (you'll need realplayer for this)
Here are some of your thoughts, leave your comments below.
Who was that do-gooder on about the woolworths.. I have not heard of lolita as im sure alot of others as well. Get a life as its only a name! Lolita?
A problem? Oh do stop. Get her off the air for ruining my morning walk . Jon cheltenam Re Lolita, has that woman got anything better to with her time? It's a common name in Latin countries. How ridiculous. Phil in North Derbyshire
My 1yr old daughter is called Lolita. I know the connotations. I'd love a range of furniture in her name! Banning is nonsense Natasha
I suppose my 1975 Gary Glitter trousers are now ilegal? Brian in Bedford
The lady rattling on about the Woolies bedding thing needs to find a worthy cause to get upset about. There's young girls enduring real danger in the world. Jim
The lady who complained about lolita - utterly ridiculous. I'm called Damian - should i be considered to be the son of the devil?!
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