Archives for June 2009
Souvenir Jacko tickets
If you're one of the thousands of people with a Michael Jackson gig ticket then you face a dilemma. Get a refund, or have it sent to you as a souvenir.
PJ's been in touch with the programme. He just doesn't get it:
"Eh? People can EITHER have their Jackson money back OR keep their ticket as a momento? Why can't they do both? It's not like they can use it for anything else. Easy money for someone?"
The holographic souvenir ticket
Can Andy Murray win Wimbledon?
It was tense, it was thrilling, but it took Andy Murray five sets - and almost four hours - to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round at Wimbeldon.
The crowd under the Centre Court roof was right behind him but Murray had to battle back again and again against a Swiss player who shouldn't really have given him many problems.
Were you there? Did you see it? What did you think of how he played?
Can he now go all the way to the final and win it?
Listen to the Breakfast phone-in on BBC iPlayer.
You can submit a comment below.
Is rugby becoming too violent?
Is rugby becoming too violent?
Five of the British Lions were hospitalised after their match against the Springboks on Saturday, among them Luke Fitzgerald whose eyes were gouged by Shalk Burger - who's been suspended for eight weeks.
It's not the only eye gouging incident this weekend - the captain of Italy, Sergio Parisse got an identical ban for an incident against the All Blacks.
So, is rugby out of control? Does punishment for on the field violence go far enough?
Listen the programme in BBC iPlayer
Download the podcast of this programme
You can leave your comments below.
Still Life
Our reporter Andrew Fletcher writes...
"If you're anything like me, you probably haven't picked up a pencil to do some drawing on a regular basis since you were a kid.
A group of artists are hoping to remind us what we're missing with a new lunchtime programme on Channel 4. Viewers of 'Life Class: Today's Nude' will be encouraged to join in at home with their own sketches of the nude life models on the screen. A series of drop-in classes has also been set up and I went along to one of them to see if I could remember anything I learned in 'A' level art lessons. You can see my efforts below.
For the series of three sketches we were given a minute to draw the model Daniella in each pose. It was an exhausting experience! Then we were given 8 minutes to do a more considered study. Listen to Weekend Breakfast this Sunday to see what the tutor and, more importantly, the model made of my pictures.
Classes are being held in London, Manchester, Bristol and Southampton next week.
Details from the charity Artangel (www.artangel.org.uk - The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites).
'Life Class:Today's Nude' will be on Channel 4 on 6-10 July."
Memories of Michael
Your memories of Michael Jackson, his legacy and his life.
Post your thoughts below. You can listen to Nicky's programme in iPlayer.
This is how Breakfast reported the news this morning:
Is there too much sex and swearing on TV?
Do you think there is too much swearing and sex on TV and radio?
A BBC report says audiences are dismayed by the moral decline in programme standards and it's going to tighten its controls.
So is there too much swearing and sex on TV and radio?
You can read the BBC report's Key Findings below:
1. Where audiences are concerned about the area of taste and morality on
television as a whole, this is often connected with broader concerns about
falling standards in terms of quality and the over-reliance on reality
formats.
2. Standards of morality, values and behaviour in the media in particular are
not a top-of-mind issue for the majority of the public.
3. The BBC overall performs well in the audience's perceptions of standards
of morality, values and behaviour, compared to other channels and
broadcasters. The audience also has higher expectations of the BBC.
4. In general terms, the public do not want increased censorship or
regulation. The majority value the creativity of the BBC and accept that it
may sometimes lead to offending some people.
5. When prompted, a significant proportion of the audience have various
concerns about standards of morality, values and behaviour in the media
as a whole, including newspapers, magazines, broadcasting and online
content.
6. Strong language is an area of concern for some audiences; they
recognise when language is used for clear purpose or effect within a
programme - including comedy and entertainment - but dislike
'unnecessary' or excessive use.
7. In certain genres, the offensive potential of strong language can be
compounded when it is combined with apparently aggressive or bullying
behaviour. This reflects broader public concerns about aggression and
bullying within society as a whole.
8. There is little public consensus or agreement about what constitutes
offence: it means very different things to different sections of the audience.
9. The context in which potentially offensive content is placed is of
paramount importance to audiences, as are judgements of quality. Both
can make the difference between whether something is acceptable to
audiences or not.
10. Tone and intent can also make strong material acceptable: the 'twinkle in
the eye' of a performer and their skill in delivery can make the decisive
difference, even with potentially offensive material.
11. Age and socio-economic group go some way to describing who in the
audience is more likely to have concerns, but they do not tell the full story.
12. Younger audiences (11-15 year-olds) are uniquely self-selecting in their
choice of media content, through the web and magazines as well as
broadcast material. Though strongly drawn to more sexual content, some
express unease about the sexualised nature of the media world in which
they live and the pressure to 'grow up fast.'
13. Sexual content on television and radio was a matter of relatively low
concern for audiences. There was an expectation that the television
watershed should be respected, and content on radio appropriately
scheduled. There is no appetite for a watershed in radio.
14. Some respondents commented that the transfer of some successful series
from BBC Two may bring a somewhat 'edgier' tone to BBC One.
15. Respondents expressed few concerns about standards on BBC Radio.
However, of all the BBC's services, Radio 1 has the most divided
response in terms of morality, values and behaviour.
16. Audiences are conscious of the challenges presented by the growth of
online and on-demand content, but there is little awareness of the BBC's
'G for Guidance' systems, or understanding that iPlayer has a parent
password protection scheme which prevents children accessing adult
content.
Is Britain 'evil'?
| 08:22 UK time, Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Is Britain the "most evil" of the Western Powers? That's what Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said.
Four footballers who wore green wristbands during a World Cup qualifier have been banned from the national team for protesting about the results of the Presidential election. The pro-government Iran Daily newspaper says the players include the team captain. Relations between London and Tehran are worsening too with tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions.
So is Britain the most evil?
Breakfast at Wimbledon
There is always a lot of exaggerated hope for British tennis players during the Wimbledon fortnight but somehow this year seems a bit different....or is that me just falling for the same old hype again.
I'm trying not to get to carried away but having a World Ranked number 3 player in Andy Murray - someone who has just won the Queens title - somehow makes this years excitement seems a touch more justified.
I know I will feel that I've let myself down when there's no British players left heading into finals weekend.
So to build up to one of British sport's Crown jewels we sent Nicky down to the All England Lawn and Tennis Club and as you'll hear we bumped into a few famous faces including Rolf Harris who'd been painting some of Wimbledon's greatest Champions...
You can click here to register your vote for the Greatest ever Wimbledon Champion that inspired Rolf's picture. The winners will be announced ahead of the relevant finals.
Nicky also presented the Phone in from the commentary booth on centre court where we discussed whether class still determined whether you could excel at sport, and we got the views of Wimbledon favourite Tim Henman.
But one section of the show in particular generated a lot of response from you....
We asked you for your new words to describe the noise and you didn't disappoint.
Chunting.A cross between cheating and grunting
Clearly the term for the grunting has to be "rolfing".
Shrunting (cross between shrieking & grunting) - believe it or not this was in my predictive text!) Ivan from bath
Continue to listen to the whole of the Wimbledon championship on 5 live and 5 live sports extra.
Will a new Speaker make a difference?
Do you think the election of a new Speaker will make any difference?
John Bercow has been elected to the position. He will chair debates and choose which MPs can speak, but he's also responsible for running the Fees Office which looked after MP's expenses and allowances.
But do you think this appointment will make any difference? Are politicians capable of sorting out their own mess?
Do you need money to get on in sport?
Wimbledon is starting and most of the talk is about Andy Murray's chance of winning, but would he have made it big without a bit of money behind him ?
What are the chances of succeeding if you can't afford to pay for coaching and club membership ? What about other sports such as athletics, riding, cricket, rugby and golf? Do you need money to get on in sport?
Are strikes out of step with modern Britain?
| 09:08 UK time, Friday, 19 June 2009
Unions say thousands of workers walked out yesterday in sympathy with a dispute at an oil refinery in Lincolnshire.
BBC News: Total sacks 900 oil plant workers
Rail unions caused problems for millions of commuters last week in a dispute over pay and postal workers are striking in London and Edinburgh.
But are strikes a modern day solution to modern day disputes?
Should they be confined to the bad old days of industrial relations?
Or do workers in Britain have enough rights?
World Cup - exclusive pix
Rachel Burden is in South Africa looking at plans for the football World Cup next year - and will also be presenting Weekend Breakfast from there as the British and Irish Lions take on the Springboks in the First test.
Here are some pictures from Rachel's team.
Rachel and TV sports journalist Zayn Naddi at the new Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban
Rachel and stadium team
Builders working on the new Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban
Stadium builders Jabulani Mbanjwa and Mboniswa Dlamini
Ray Wilkins, Tony Adams and the Premier League trophy
With Didier Drogba being given a European 4 match ban for verbally abusing the ref after Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, it was quite fortuitous that we should have Chelsea's Assistant manager Ray Wilkins in the studio this morning.
He came in along with former Arsenal defender Tony Adams to talk about next season's Barclay's Premier League after the fixture list was announced. Manchester United start their defence of their title against Birmingham, while Tony's former club Arsenal are at home to Everton.
You can listen to the whole interview below
Does community service work?
Does community service work? After a public vote, it's been decided that community service punishments in England and Wales should include clearing up rubbish, painting over graffiti and gardening. But does it really work as a punishment?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below. You can also listen live to the programme from 9am-10am.
See what your MP claims - or at least some of it
MPs expenses have been officially published this morning on a Parliamentary website - to have a look click here - and then tell us what you think.
How widespread is serious racism?
Just how widespread is serious racism? Attacks in South Belfast overnight forced more than a hundred Romanians to spend the night in a church hall.
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Read more about the story on BBC News
What about the rest of the country? Is this sort of serious racism more common than we think? Is any sort of racism serious?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below. You can also listen live to the programme from 9am-10am.
Is file sharing theft?
Lord Carter is unveiling the Digital Britain report today and with as many as 7 million of us sharing music and video files, mostly without paying, the report will tackle online piracy.
So is file sharing theft?
Should we be able to download what we want?
Or is it just like taking a CD or DVD from a shop without paying for it?
Nicky took listeners' calls on this question. Listen to the phone-in in the BBC iPlayer.
You can post your thoughts below.
Is our comprehensive education system working?
Is our comprehensive education system working?
Not according to the former director-general of schools, Ralph Tabberer. He's criticising parents for failing to teach children to value education and to encourage competitiveness. He thinks the future of education can only be assured by the increased involvement of the private sector.
But both the National Union of Teachers and Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the disagree.
You can have a listen to Nicky's interview with Ed Balls from this morning's show - click below:
What do you think? Call us free on 0500 909 693, text 85058, or you can leave your comment here on the blog.
What turns children into killers?
What turns children into killers? Three men have been convicted of murdering 16-year-old Ben Kinsella. He was stabbed 11 times after a row in a north London bar.
How does an innocent child turn into a murderer? Or is it, as one youth worker has described, a form of disability?
Nicky spoke to former gang member-turned youth worker Darrell James on the programme this morning. You can hear the full interview below:
Is the recession over?
The recession has ended, according to a group of leading economists.
They say the economy bottomed out in March and we're actually seeing a little growth. Is that what you're experiencing? Is the recession over for you?
How should the NHS be reformed?
How would you reform the NHS? The NHS confederation says unless big changes are made, the health service in England will be £15 billion short of the cash it needs in just two years and with public services stretched everywhere, it's a problem facing the NHS across the whole of the UK.
So how would you reform the NHS? Would you charge to see a GP or to go to A+E? Scotland has free presciptions and eye tests - should these be kept or scrapped? What is your plan?
Rumour of the Day
Kaka's transfer to Real Madrid is no longer a rumour - it was a done deal overnight with the Spanish side paying AC Milan about 59million Euros.
So on to Alastair's rumour of the day, and it's linked to the Kaka deal in that it involves a certain Ruud Van Nistelrooy. But first let's clear up whether or not Kaka's move is a world record...
Should smokers pay for treatment?
If you get sick because you smoke, should you be made to pay for your treatment?
New research says smoking could be costing the National Health Service 5 BILLION pounds a year - that's about twice the government's official estimate.
Cigarette smoking is the biggest single cause of illness and premature death in the UK - 109,500 people die from smoking related illnesses every year. So if you smoke, and it makes you ill, do you think you should you have to pay for your treatment?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below. You can also listen live to the programme from 9am-10am.
How did you vote in the elections?
How did you vote in the elections, or did you bother at all? Why you did you do what you did?
It was a terrible night for Labour, if you abandoned them why? UKIP and the BNP did really well. Did you vote for them ? If so why ?
Two thirds of us didn't even vote, so why didn't you bother?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below.
Should Gordon Brown go?
He's lost another member of his Cabinet, the Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell has quit. He's warning the Prime Minister that the longer he stays in charge, the more likely it is the Conservatives will win the next general election.
Should he stand down as Prime Minister or should he fight on? Should he call a general election or just get on with the job?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below.
The return of Rumour of the Day
Our completely non-scientific look at the football transfer market is back now that the Football season has drawn to a close and the transfer window has open.
So far Garth Barry has been the one big signing so far when he signed a contract moving him to Manchester City from Villa for about £12 million, and Kaka looks set to be moving to Real Madrid.....or will Chelsea be able to scupper that?
Here's is George Riley - on a free transfer from Weekend Breakfast for the week giving us his top tips, and we want yours as well, tell us who you think will be moving where.
Today it's Tuncay to Liverpool...
Is football more fun when you've got no money?
At the top of the tree, Premier League teams are raking in more cash than ever but is grassroots football where the real excitement is?
Whatever your club, whatever the league they play in, we want to hear from you. Have you ditched a big club to support your local team? Are you involved in the running of a club?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below.
Has Gordon Brown lost his authority?
Senior Labour members have urged the Prime Minister to "take control" of the party. This morning's papers describe a government in "meltdown" after the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith became the first cabinet casualty of the expenses scandal.
Has Gordon Brown lost his authority or is it time for us to draw a line under the expenses scandal and let the PM get on with the job of running the country?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below.
Are reality TV programmes out of control?
Britain's Got Talent has just finished, its star Susan Boyle ending up in a private clinic. Big Brother is just about to start, another batch of wannabe celebrities looking for instant fame.
Is this obsession with celebrity unhealthy? And who's to blame, the programme makers for exploiting the dreams of vulnerable people, the media for the unrelenting scrutiny of contestants lives, or us for watching?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or post a message below.
What would make you vote for Labour?
With just three days to go until the local and European elections and the expenses scandal still rumbling on, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman is in the Breakfast studio to take your calls.
What can she say to convince you to vote Labour on Thursday?
Call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk. You can also post your comments here on the blog.
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10:06 Fri, 6 Nov 09
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