Archives for March 2009
Madonna and child - again
What's wrong with adopting children from another country?
Madonna is in Malawi hoping to sign the adoption papers for a little girl. In 2006 she adopted her son, David, from the same orphanage, and said she hoped her actions would make it easier for others to do the same.
She's established a charity, Raising Malawi, which aims to provide help and support to orphans in the African country, but is being criticised by some for using her wealth and celebrity to take advantage of a poor country.
Would you see red over blue movies?
What would you do if your partner rented pornographic films?
Jacqui Smith's family life is under scrutiny again because her husband, Richard Timney, submitted an expenses claim which included two porn films.
Ms Smith, the Home Secretary, is already facing questions over the rent for her second home.
Yesterday her husband made a public apology - something which must have been humiliating. How would you react if you discovered your partner had secretly rented porn?
Total badminton
Phil writes:
A few weeks ago on Weekend Breakfast I foolishly challenged Olympic silver medallist, Gail Emms, to a game of badminton.
Although I hadn't played for twenty years, and when I did play I wasn't very good, I mistakenly thought I'd be able to take a couple of points off her.
Here's what happened when I went to the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes:
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What should a modern monarchy look like?
Gordon Brown's been talking to Buckingham Palace about giving women equal rights to the throne and scrapping the ban on heirs marrying Roman Catholics.
You can read more about the plans on the BBC News website: PM and Palace 'discussed reform'
But does this go far enough? The King or Queen would still be head of the Church of England, so couldn't be Catholic.
Should the monarchy be secular, not specifically related to a religion or to a religious body? Or is it just fine as it is?
Call 0500 909 693 to have your say on the Phone-In between 9 and 10am, or you can post a comment here on the blog.
Abortion advice on TV and radio?
Do you want to hear abortion advice being advertised on radio and television?
That's what's being proposed by the advertising regulator. And they also want to allow condom adverts before the 9 o'clock watershed.
Why? Well they think it'll have an impact on Britain's high rates of teenage pregnancy and cut the number of sexually transmitted diseases.
The Pope recently said condoms were part of the problem of HIV and AIDS in Africa. What do you think? Is this part of the solution, or is it actually part of problem?
Call 0500 909 693 to have your say, or you can post a comment here on the blog.
Breakfast at the BRIT School
| 18:00 UK time, Wednesday, 25 March 2009
On Thursday morning, we're broadcasting from the BRIT School in South London, which is the only non-fee paying performing arts school in the country.
It's produced stars like Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis and Kate Nash. We'll be finding out what makes this school so successful, what a normal school day is like and what kind of children end up going there. And we'll also hear what happens to the hundreds of pupils who don't end up with big recording contracts or on the front pages of national newspapers.
Our entertainment reporter Colin Paterson took a look around at the school, courtesy of a pair of students - take a look inside the school gates in this short film:
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A recipe for disaster?
Schools are preparing for new, far stricter food rules on school dinners. From September in England children will have to buy a nutritionally controlled, two-course lunch rather than choose from a selection of items, as they do now.
There are similar plans to introduce tougher guidelines in Wales and Scotland. The aim is to make children eat more healthily, but the Local Authority Caterers Association warns it will actually drive children to the local take-away.
Read more in the BBC News website's article School lunch rules 'too strict'
Are these new menu plans the route to a nation of healthy eaters, or a recipe for disaster?
Call 0500 909 693 to have your say, or you can always post a comment here on the blog.
Pay not perks?
Should we give MPs a pay rise and scrap their expenses?
Gordon Brown has called for a review of their pay after another expenses row. All after employment minister Tony McNulty claimed £60,000 for a second home he shared with his parents.
The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith is being investigated for £116,000 she claimed. Nicky spoke to her on the programme this morning, but it's fair to say she wouldn't be drawn on the subject - have a listen below:
We also spoke to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, as well as our Political Correspondent, John Pienaar - have a listen below:
Some MPs support the idea of increasing their salary and scrapping the allowances, but what do you think?
Pay not perks?
Is Jade Goody's life one to aspire to?
There are pages and pages of coverage of her life in the papers. Her death brought tributes from all walks of life, from Gordon Brown and David Cameron, to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
But would you aspire to a life like hers? For young people, what kind of example did she set? Was she an inspiration? Has she given the word celebrity a new meaning?
Call 0500 909 693 to have your say, or you can always post a comment here on the blog.
Should wearing helmets be compulsory?
The tragic death of Natasha Richardson after what appeared to be a minor skiing accident has reopened the debate about whether we should be forced to wear helmets when doing potentially dangerous sport.
This morning, Nicky spoke to former Olympic downhill skier and presenter of Ski Sunday, Graham Bell, and Peter McCabe, chief executive of the brain injuries charity Headway. Have a listen to their discussion below:
Cyclists are at risk as are horse-riders, skiers, ice-skaters, climbers. But should people taking part in all those sports, at whatever level, be required to wear protective headgear? Or is individual freedom more important?
Nicky's taking calls on this at 9, or you can post your thoughts here on the blog.
Does the sentence match the crime?
Josef Fritzl will be sentenced today -- the Austrian man who kept his daughter locked in a basement and fathered seven children with her. He pleaded guilty to charges including rape, incest, murder by neglect and enslavement.
The court's heard a recommendation that Fritzl is sent to a unit for the criminally deranged -- even though the court doctor, psychiatrist Dr Adelheid Kastner, says "He has always been sane in the legal sense of the word - that he was always able to discern between right and wrong, and that he always knew what he did was wrong. ... He will be a danger and he has to be kept in prison until he is no danger for others."
This morning, Shelagh got more detail from the BBC's Bethany Bell in St Poelten, where the trial's taking place. Have a listen below:
So how do you punish someone for a crime like Fritzl's?
UPDATE: 20th March 2009
Today Fritzl is starting a life sentence in a secure psychiatric unit. Technically, he could be released after 15 years. A court psychiatrist has said he's not actually insane, but will still serve his time in a unit for the criminally deranged.
What's an appropriate punishment for the worst criminals? Nicky takes your calls on this subject this Friday morning, on the phone-in.
Immigration: a strain or a help?
Is immigration putting a strain on our public services, or is it actually making Britain better?
The Conservatives say that teachers, parents and pupils in England are under pressure because around one in seven schoolchildren don't speak English as their first language. The Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green (pictured) says the figures show why we need an annual limit on immigration.
But we want to know what you think - are immigrants really stretching public services or are they actually making them better, doing the jobs many of us aren't prepared to do?
Is immigration putting a strain on our public services or actually making Britain better?
Call 0500 909 693 to have your say, or you can always post a comment here on the blog.
Who should pay for students?
Some Vice-chancellors of English and Welsh universities want to charge at least £5,000 a year in tuition fees for students. That's a significant rise on the current maximum of £3,145.
Could you afford it?
This morning, Nicky and Shelagh heard from two of our reporters, in Scotland and Wales, and then from the Minister of State for Higher Education, David Lammy:
Here's some of your texts:
My daughter wants 2 do medicine. She would be really good. It's not well paid unless u become a posh consultant. If fees were 7k and course 6 years there is no way she and i could afford it. From a single mum
Within a decade only well-off Brits will join the wealthy foreign students who even now throng campuses. A poor outlook for British competitiveness. Brian, Gloucester.
Nicky's talking about this on the phone-in. Scottish students studying in Scotland and Welsh students studying in Wales don't pay tuition fees. Who should pay for higher education?
The REAL Fighting Talk.
You're probably aware of Fighting Talk on 5live - the Saturday morning knock-about where sporting punditry is turned into a war of words.
Well on 16th March - 5live is home to The Real Fighting Talk as we consider the far more serious topic of how we view our Armed forces. An issue which can be one of life and death.
This morning, Nicky and Shelagh spoke first to our correspondent James Shaw, who spent time with the forces in Basra, reporting on the imminent troop withdrawl; and also to Karen Webster, whose son served in Iraq, and who founded the organisation "Support Our Soldiers". Listen back to the interviews below.
Earlier this month, we asked people to fill in a questionnaire about the forces online and this is a sample of some of the views you expressed.
Simon says:
"The Armed Forces should be well equipped and have sufficient resources and equipment to adequately carry out there deployment overseas. This includes having air support especially helicopters and medical facilities and staff to treat our casualties, not simply relying on NHS treatment and staff volunteering to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. The British Armed Forces are the most professional in the world and have done conducted themselves in some of the toughest fighting since Korea.
Regardless of your political views on Iraq and Afghanistan, the Armed Forces have acted courageously and the country should be proud of those men and women. We should have much more pride in those that serve; and the government should introduce an equivalent to the GI Bill after World War 2. This would offer future educational prospects to ex service personnel and equip them with skills that can be used in the civilian world."
Jimmy says
"I have just left the Navy, fives week ago, after completing 22 years service. Whilst I am proud to have served my country I think that this current government has used and abused our armed forces.
We have been underfunded and ill equiped for years and then sent off to fight an unnecessary war in Iraq and, in my opinion, an unwinnable war in Afghanistan. We cannot afford to continue to act as the world's police force and should only deploy our forces where there is a direct military threat to this country or our close allies.
Although I have stated that I am proud to have served my country and would recommend the forces as a career. I don't think the armed forces are nowadays truly understood, appreciated or respected by the general population in this country, although hopefully this is beginning to change."
Tom says:
"Overstretched, overwhelmed, over there". Our armed forces need to be better funded- it is imperative that we remain a global power and support American forces across the globe. We currently cannot do that as well as we should - the army is stretched to the limit - but they're ready and willing to do the job.
Preparing to leave Iraq
As part of The Real Fighting Talk, we are looking at what the future holds for the British Armed Forces as well as the impact of their current deployments. James Shaw has just returned from Basra in Iraq where he has been reporting on the British troop withdrawl.
You can read his report on preparations for the withdrawl from Iraq as well visiting a local school on a patrol on the BBC News website. He also recorded a video diary of some of his experiences there.
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He has also written on what the future might be and how British forces are coping with the current situation. You can see pictures on Flickr and in the slideshow below of some of the troops he met.
Can torture be justified?
Binyam Mohamed claims he was tortured in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Morocco before being taken to Guantanamo Bay. He's told the BBC he believes MI5 knew all about it and fed questions to his captors.
The government's denied MI5 was involved - saying the UK doesn't condone or use torture. Just a few days ago, the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "We absolutely oppose torture in this country. Our international partners know that is our position."
Can you deal with the threat of international terrorism? Can you stop attacks before they happen, without breaking the rules? What constitutes torture? And is it ever justified?
That's the Breakfast phone in with Nicky, from 9. You can let us know your views here on the blog, by text on 85058 or call us on 0500 909 693.
The Judgement Test
| 20:15 UK time, Thursday, 12 March 2009
Our reporter, Stephen Chittenden, has been given privileged access to CO19, the firearms unit of London's Metropolitan Police.
You can hear his report on Friday's Breakfast programme and watch his video below.
Stephen writes:
"These are the men and women who have been trained to carry and if necessary use weapons on the capital's streets.
Some patrol in Armed Response Vehicles. A minority go on to become Specialist Firearms Officers, the elite group who were involved in hunting and capturing the 21/7 failed suicide bombers.
I joined them at their purpose-built training centre in Kent - a complex of indoor and outdoor shooting ranges, plus a townscape where armed training takes place.
At the centre, I took the Judgement Test, which all armed officers must pass.
I stood before a simulator screen armed with a Glock laser-firing handgun while an all too realistic scenario unfolded before me. A disgruntled former employee had returned to his office with a gun and I had to decide how to react.
This is nothing like a video game. It is terrifying partly because of the sounds and scenes around you, but also because you have no idea what is going to happen.
See how I got on in this video:
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The Metropolitan Police faced enormous scrutiny after the shooting dead of Jean Charles De Menezes at Stockwell Tube Station. The criticism goes on as many people still struggle to understand why an unarmed man, wrongly identified, was shot dead by the police.
Time for a chocolate tax?
On this morning's breakfast phone-in... should people be forced to be healthy?
A doctor's calling for chocolate to be taxed in the same way as cigarettes and alcohol...Dr David Walker says it's so bad for us, it should be made more expensive -- forcing us to see it as a treat and not something to eat every day.
Have a listen to Dr Walker telling Shelagh more, from this morning's programme:
But is putting up the price of our shopping the way to tackle obesity? Recent figures show almost two-thirds of adults and a third of children in England are either overweight or obese....one in five primary school children in Scotland is overweight...is making bad food more expensive the way to solve the problem?
Tell us what you think - and join Nicky with the phone-in at 9
Have the protestors done anything wrong?
Protestors have greeted soldiers on a homecoming parade in Luton with placards accusing them of being "war criminals", "baby killers" and "butchers of Basra".
But have they done anything wrong? Are such protests the price that we pay for free speech?
That's the Breakfast phone-in with Shelagh Fogarty from 9, but you can get involved here on the blog too.
In the line of fire
Killed in the line of duty - two soldiers shot dead as they take delivery of a pizza - a policeman gunned down as he answered an emergency call ....Both incidents within about 30 miles of each other in Northern Ireland.
Are you serving in the forces, a police officer - or maybe you work for one of the other emergency services? Is one of your relatives serving in the front line? Tell us what you make of these incidents....do we value highly enough those who put their lives at risk in our name?
On the streets of Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK - in Iraq, or Afghanistan - do we do enough to protect those who seek to protect us. Is there enough help for heroes? That's the phone in with Shelagh at 9 this morning.
Is it OK to hit a woman?
A survey suggests one in five people think it's fine for a man to slap his wife or girlfriend if she's wearing sexy clothes in public. 14% of adults think it's ok for a man to hit his partner if she's nagging him.
The figures come as the government starts a new campaign against domestic violence - this morning on Breakfast we'll hear more on that from the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. But is it ever justified? Is it ever OK for a man to slap his partner?
Nicky's taking your calls from 9 on the Phone-in. You can get in touch by phone on 0500 909 693 or text on 85058 and you can post your thoughts here on the blog.
Bend it like Belmonte
Phil has been talking to Australian ten-pin bowler Jason Belmonte who is making waves with his two-handed bowling technique.
If you're curious as to how he does it, take a look below.
(We can't be responsible for content on YouTube but suffice to say that there's a lot more of Jason out there for those that want to look...)
Listen out for the interview on Saturday's Weekend Breakfast - from 6am.
Custard attack - plain stupid?
What do you make of Leila Deen's protest by throwing green custard over Lord Mandelson?
Leila Deen is protesting against a third runway at Heathrow - the group campaigning against airport expansion is called Plane Stupid. But was her protest clever?
Listen to our interview with Leila:
The UK Climate Change Diary has been launched as part of National Science and Engineering Week (6th-15th March) and is a way of collecting people's stories and memories to create a record of climate change.
Professor Jim Al Khalili talked to us about the project, and about climate change protests.
People can blog about how climate change is affecting them at UK Climate Diary.
What should your boss know about you?
The Information Commissioner has taken action against a company accused of selling workers' confidential data to building firms. The database included comments like "lazy and a trouble stirrer", "Ex shop steward. Definite problems. No Go" and "Communist Party".
What should your employer know about you? Maybe your Facebook profile paints a more accurate picture than your CV. Wouldn't you like to know about the annoying way someone eats their sandwiches before you employ them? Or maybe you'd like the inside story on your new boss before agreeing to a contract.
16-year-old Kimberley Swann was sacked earlier this year, after her employer spotted her Facebook page, describing her office job as "boring".
So what can/should your boss know?
Nicky's getting your thoughts on the phone-in.
Heavenly bodies
Shelagh mentioned looking at pictures from the Hubble telescope - here's the link http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album
Matt Stevens on why he took cocaine
England and Bath prop Matt Stevens believes he can return to rugby a better player once he has completed a two-year ban for testing positive for cocaine.
In his first broadcast interview since his ban he told 5 live's Matt Dawson that he turned to drugs and drink as an escape from the pressure of professional rugby.
You can hear the full interview during 5 live Sport from 7pm tonight.
Acorns needs help
On the programme this morning we heard of the financial problems facing the Acorns Hospice in Worcester .
They have set up a donations helpline 0845 120 6892.
We broadcast the programme from Acorns in September. You can read more in our blog post on being Live at Acorns Hospice
What if the miners had won?
It's twenty-five years since the miners - led by Arthur Scargill - went on strike over pit closures. They were out for a year, in a battle which divided friends and families, and ended with the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. But what would Britian be like today if the miners had won?
Nicky's talking about it on the phone-in from 9. What are your memories of the strike? What impact did it have on you? Could a strike like that happen now?
The miners were treated disgracefully by Thatcher & the Tories. Communities are still being ripped apart today because of what went on 25 yrs ago. Davie
In 1984 I was a police inspector and went to the dispute nearly every week They were difficult days and I saw poor behaviour on both sides. However I also saw compassion for the hardship in the pit communities and was genuinely glad when it finished. Peter
My memory of the miners strike as a police officer was earning lots and lots through overtime. A fantastic time. Mike in basingstoke
5 live's Bob Walker revisited his hometown of Whitwell in Derbyshire to talk to former pit workers about how the strike affected their lives and divided families. You can hear how the impact of one man's decision to cross the picket line continues to this day.
You can also read Bob's full report here.
Q and A on QE
What is Quantitative Easing?
And are interest rates going down again?
On Thursday, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England meets to decide what to do about interest rates - and also whether Quantitative Easing is a good idea.
So on Breakfast we'll be trying to answer your questions about the impact of any change in interest rates on mortgages and savings, and what on earth you make of QE.
Rebecca Pike will be answering on the Breakfast blog - post your questions or thoughts now.
Questions and answers
So interest rates look ready to fall again this morning to a new record low of 0.5%. I'll try and answer all your questions about how it could affect you, as well as anything you want to know about quantitative easing (or QE as its know in the trade). Let's get the obvious questions out of the way first.
So what on earth is quantitative easing?
Well essentially it means that the Bank of England is going to create new money - basically out of thin air - and give it to banks and companies in exchange for assets. The idea is that this should give banks and businesses more money to lend to the rest of us and to businesses, and hopefully this will give the economy a much needed boost.
The BBC Business guide to quantitative easing has more detail.
And have a look at what the BBC's Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders, has to say about QE on her blog: Uncharted Territory
How will it affect the cost of your mortgage?
Well, if you're on a fixed-rate mortgage then the answer is not at all. The rate you're on is the rate you're stuck with. If you're on a tracker mortgage that tracks the base rate, then you'll see your monthly payments go down. The same goes for some variable rate mortgages (but check your small print).
What does it mean for savers?
It's just more bad news I'm afraid. The amount of interest your bank gives you will probably fall with the base rate.
The BBC Business Q&A on the bank rate cut and you has more information.
What impact will creating new money have on inflation?
Well part of the idea is to create inflation, as the Bank believes we're now at risk of deflation, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. In the past (particularly in Germany in the 1920s) printing money caused serious problems with hyper-inflation, when the cost of living rocketed and caused the currency to become practically worthless. This is highly unlikely to happen this time though, when the aim is to tackle deflation.
A crisis for TV?
ITV says it's going to cut around 600 jobs, and make other "significant" savings, after seeing a fall in profits for the last year. Advertising revenue's down because of the recession. Nicky's talking about this on the phone-in from 9 o'clock.
ITV's biggest problem is the programmes are total rubbish. If you removed it from my tv I probably wouldn't even notice. There is no intellectual or educational content, it's tabloid tv. Luke in Newcastle.
On ITV tonight -- Emmerdale, Corrie, The Bill, and Taggart. Will you be watching? Amidst the hundreds of channels now available...do we still need ITV?
Should Pakistan be banned from international sport?
| 08:09 UK time, Tuesday, 3 March 2009
On this morning's phone-in: Is it time for Pakistan to be banned from international sport?
Two Sri Lankan cricketers are in hospital and three others have been wounded after they were targeted by gunmen on their way to the ground in Lahore.
Five policemen were killed in the attack.
So is this the end of the road for international matches in Pakistan?
And should teams from Pakistan be allowed to play in other parts of the world?
Nicky Campbell will be taking your calls from 9am.
Priced out of a pint?
Dealing with the effects of alcohol abuse costs the Scottish economy an estimated £2bn each year. To cut the problem, the Scottish Government is thinking about introducing a minimum price for alcohol. Health campaigners say around 50p per unit would be appropriate -- that would make a 2-litre bottle of cider, which currently costs around £3, rise to £7.50. Discounted multi-packs of beer would also cost more.
Nicky's taking calls at 9 - your thoughts are already coming in...
If the cost of drink went up 4 times i would drink as much as now. Once again the low paid and poor suffer. R in Corby
To help prevent alcohol abuse just ban the sale of drinks in supermarkets. Pubs and off licences keep the price real and are properly regulated. Greg in Plymouth
This idea will create booze trips to towns in the North East of England that are hard hit by the recession, weekends with our town full of drunk Scots....yippee...great idea. Marie.
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