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Help us make iPM. The stories featured on the programme, and indeed the pythons, come from suggestions made by listeners and blog readers like you.
Whether it's a different perspective on something in the news, an issue which you think deserves further investigation, or just something fun, do get in touch.
This week, for example, following an email from listener John Mahler, we're particularly interested in the subject of shoplifting. John, wrote about his annoyance at suffering uncalled-for attention from shop security. If you are a worker in the world of retail loss prevention, or have been wrongly acused of pilfering the pick'n'mix, do get in touch.
Leave your idea as a comment below this post or email ipm-at-bbc.co.uk
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Response to Sat IPM Jan24
To all the unemployed:
Your skills are needed ! There are hundreds of Charities and other good causes waiting for you to help with their projects. As a volunteer you are guaranteed a welcome and have the satisfaction of knowing you are of use to someone. You will also make new friends and will be in a good position to hear of any paid job that comes up. Your weeks with the voluntary organisation will be an opportunity to learn new skills. They will also look good on your CV and give you a good reference .Find out where your local Volunteer Bureau is (Internet: libraries) and have fun !
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Please discuss kittens.
That should be acceptable to Mr Damazer and his Thought Police.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I fail to understand why the BBC should have any economic problems when it is sitting on a gold mine. I am a Brit who has lived in the Middle East for 23 years; my brother has lived in Ghana for 20 years. We are both avid listeners to programmes (not always the same ones) on BBC Radio 4 and 7. We are delighted that we get this service for free – and relieved that the BBC licence payers in the UK should be paying for our enjoyment.
According to a BBC News Report on 11/12/06, there were then 5.5m British-born people living abroad. I have been unable to find any up-to-date figures, but it was estimated that that would increase by another 1m by now. Add to that the enormous number of other people in the world who enjoy listening to the BBC and you have a truly gigantic audience; I would bet that a large percentage, like us, would be prepared to pay for the privilege.
Take for instance The Now Show/The News Quiz = The Friday Night Comedy podcast, which we await each week with great impatience. BBC could charge 50p a show, or £10 for a year’s access. Or we could buy a ‘book’ of 100 coupons for £50 and choose what shows to spend it on (Old Harry’s Game for me, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue for my brother!) – or be able to give ‘gift books’ of coupons as presents to friends and family.
A friend of mine had been in the camera shot when the Queen opened the Barbican in 1982 and I went to the BBC Shop in London to see if I could get a copy of it for her – the only thing they could offer was a CD of ‘memorable moments from the last 50 years’ which did not have the Barbican opening on it. There must be an extraordinary number of people who for personal or professional reasons would be willing to pay for clips from the BBC archives. And I haven’t even mentioned BBC TV yet – I found BBC TV shows at the iTunes US Store available for download – precisely 10 of them! Where was Horizon, Panorama or any of the drama series? Why can you only access BBC TV on your iPlayer if you live in the UK – I’ve read up about On-Demand rights, but is this really being actively pursued? And do you have to have a TV licence to access programmes in the UK? If not, why not?!
I envisage a ‘BBC iStore’ just like iTunes, where we could download audio and video into our BBC iLibrary – after all, we already have the iPlayer – couldn’t this be linked? And if the BBC wishes to maintain its mission to inform/educate/entertain the world for free then some of its flagship programmes could be downloadable at no cost – BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, for example.
It’s not as if the BBC doesn’t already ‘sell’ itself – but have you taken a look at the BBC Store on Amazon recently? 214 items, which include DVDs, audio CDs and books. The amount on offer is pitiful compared to the treasure trove that the BBC must already have in its archives, let alone what it is currently producing on TV and Radio.
Am I missing something here? Why isn’t the BBC making as much money from the older generation as iTunes is from the younger – according to Andy Hargreaves, a financial analyst, $190 million in 2007! Personally I would happily stop freeloading off the UK licence payers, particularly if I could pay the same licence fee as them and have access to all BBC TV and Radio programmes!
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I have heard recently that youngsters who wear hearing aids are not allowed to wear them in competition (for H&S reasons, I guess - though they can wear them in practice). This means they are disadvantaged in comparison to their hearing peers. I can see that there is a problem here - but I think it's one that may be worth discussing.
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It might help, of course, if I said I was talking about judo ...
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Now that President Obama is in the White House, could you please ask the UK Government when it is going to renegotiate the extradition treaty with the USA so that UK residents are treated equally with, and provided with the same protection as, their US counterparts.
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Hi,
I'd be interested in hearing something about standards in Local Government.
Here in Stoke-on-Trent our 60 elected councillors (plus one elected mayor until June) seem hell bent on self-destruction.
Last week they voted against changes to the system of governance recommended by an independent commission which now raises the prospect of government intervention.
Reading the local media and listening to the comments made by various councilllors there appears to be an obsession with the concept of "democracy". This apparently means that anything that threatens the status quo is immediately labelled as "undemocratic". Any option which doesn't allow a vote as frequently as possible - however disruptive that might be to political stability and the chance of actually improving anything - is immediately shouted down.
Are these issues peculiar to Stoke or are other authorities having similar problems?
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Now that iPM is going back to being on early in the morning. I'd like to suggest that a item is done on milk floats. Why are they called 'Floats' anyway?
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robstoke73 (9)
Our local council (Rochford) has switched to the govt-recommended cabinet system, and many cllrs feel that this does indeed reduce democracy. Instead of cllrs representing their wards, policy areas are allocated by the cabinet leader to various members of his party who then make the decisions themselves. Power is taken from individual cllrs and focused in the hands of the few.
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Mrs E - have you ever tried to sink one?
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You want a story. I will give you one that I doubt will be believed, although I think it is true. In fact I may end up betting my life on it being true.
Just over a year ago I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. I had an an operation to rumove the tumour, followed by 6 months of chemotherapy. I am now waiting to see if the cancer has returned.
During the last year I have spent a lot of time learning about cancer and the available treatments. What I have learned is surprising, frightening and it has made me very angry.
I am going to supply a link to a piece of text by Ralph Moss, who is more eloquent than me
www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990831140122
Somebody has got to investigate this whole sordid mess !!
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Sid
That argument is frequently used here as well. I'm not quite sure why so much account should be taken of individual councillor's feelings - the poor lambs.
I'm more concerned that an effective decision making process can take this city forward. Our members have shown that they are incapable of this - politcal in-fighting and obstructiveness always win out.
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(12) Sid. No I haven't! Eddie - how fast do milk floats go and how big are the batteries?
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Eddie - do I need a special licence to drive a milk float?
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Eddie - do milkfloats require an MOT?
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When did you last see a milk float?
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TROPHOBLAST, 13. The article that you link to discusses research done by Kanematsu Sugiura.
However, it appears to ignore [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator] that he published along with a number of others in 1978.
Given that Suguira seems to have changed his mind in the face of further evidence, there doesn't seem to be much to this story.
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Eddie - I've just seen a milk float it was the 8.4 kilowatt 72volt model. Very cute. It had a chiller cabinet on the back. But I did think the motor sounded a bit "over-run" by design. Still the milks here now, time for a nice cup of tea. :0)
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Okay Mrs Effingham - lets accept the convenience of having milk delivered. We all accept that. But it's a nonsense isn't it?
Why milk? Why not...beans. Why isn't there a beans float? Or a toast float, I like toast in the mornings. A Coffee float, a teabag float. A jam float. A Cereal float.
There's no reason for milk to be delivered above any other commodity. Absolutely no excuse for milk floats to be on the road. Why can people not buy their own milk? Presumably the old and infirm don't just survive off milk so they must venture out of the house at some point or have other ways of getting other food to them.
What is wrong with people buying their own milk when they get their shopping?
I think it's time we banned the milk float. Absolutely no excuse for it. We've all been trying to get to sleep at 3am after a batch of insomnia and been awoken by the clatter of glass filled trays being transported on or off the float. And the engines aren't quiet either are they? That awful wiring noise like an angry fridge.
Absolutely no excuse for the milk float at all.
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Oh... that's so awful Mr Blunt. Oi, your'e not Two-Ton Ted from Teddington are you...?
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robstoke73
It's not to do with individual cllrs feelings - it's to do with cllrs being elected by residents and then not being able to represent them because the planning portfolio has been given to a cllr from somewhere else.
Switching to a cabinet system will not get rid of political in-fighting - it may make it worse.
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Mr Blunt (21) My flabber has never been so gasted. Your are naughty. The humble electric milk float must be one of the most considerate vehicles ever designed. Not only are they pollution free as they glide around during the early hours, but the very reason for their quietness of operation is to make sure nobody gets woken up.
Usually the only evidence that they ever exist at all - is the appearance of a lovely fresh pint of milk on the doorstep each morning. Okay I know the increased number of supermarkets has meant that most people now buy their milk instead of having it delivered. But I say vote for the milk float before it’s too late! They're just so cute. Cute! cute! cute!
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By the way Mr Blunt. In case you didn't know - it's Jackson Pollock's birthday today.
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Follow up to #19.
If you want to see the article go to the PubMed web site and search for "sugiura k amygdalin". It only returns one result.
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eighty-eight
If a vice-president can blatantly lie in an interview, then rigging a lab report must be child's play.
What happened to the reports for the positive lab tests that Dr Sugiura conducted in 1972 - 1974. They appear to have been conveniently 'lost'.
But you are probably right - not much of a story here. Although it does remind me of another non-story some years ago when a few men were caught breaking into the offices of the Democratic Party. What was that building called again, Water... something or other.
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Eddie, do you remember first there were the Milanda and Dalziel’s Bakery vans which came round in the mornings selling fresh bread, rolls, cakes, bridies and pies - in fact all your carbohydrate requirements for the day.
And let's never forget dairy products were easier too. Alright I know that lovely little milk floats are increasingly rare these days but in the 1970s cute milk floats serviced most of the country - fresh milk without getting out of bed and without having to order it on www.pintofmilk.com.
Eddie - remember every Saturday morning the wee men in the white coats would arrive on your doorstep to peddle double, single or whipped. The fish van came on Fridays, the coal lorry delivered your fossil fuels, the rag and bone man obviated the trip in the 4x4 to the dump or the car boot sale. Ice cream vans and betterware salesmen are still around but best of all Eddie in the 1970s were the Alpine lorries, purveyors of huge 2-litre bottles of fizzy drinks, all in fluorescent colours, direct to your door. Where have they all gone?
Such was the customer relationship management techniques a generation ago that they knew what you wanted, or needed, without you having to order it first. Even financial services products were direct in a way that telephone banking or internet share trading can't achieve.
Eddie - whether it was the man from the Pru, the credit union official or the Friendly Society agent, you could transact your financial dealings in your living room with a real person. And before anyone accuses me of rose-tinted nostalgia, just tell me where you can get your kitchen knives sharpened now that the itinerant grindstone merchants are no more. Internet shopping? It’s just playing at it. Vote for the milk float before it's too late!!
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For Rob, Stoke - I think 'democracy' is limited in both local and national government while party groups pressure members to vote in particular ways, and often it's an "us" vs "them" situation and just point-scoring, not necessarily for the good of the electors.
On the subject of local government, however, I'd like some investigation of how much 'Freedom of Information' actually exists these days...
When I worked in education, in a south coast university, all sorts of information about the structure (heads of departments, deputies and so on, down the hierarchy) was easily visible to staff and (via the internet) the rest of the world. However, in UK local government, the 'officers' and 'staff' are nameless, faceless.
Compare UK councils with some others such as Toronto or Chicago as their websites show potted cvs and contact details, some even have head and shoulders photos of the chiefs, so one doesn't just see minutes saying 'Chief Planning Officer' with no names!
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TROPHOBLAST, 27. Dr Sugiura's results were published here. There wasn't a cover up.
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Follow up to 30 - that link doesn't work but this one does, then look at the second article, the one that Dr Sugiura co-authored.
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eighty-eight
How can you categorically say that 'There wasn't a cover up'. Were you there ?
Sorry - there is just too much suspicious info for me to believe you. Have a look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanematsu_Sugiura
1. Board member Benno Schmidt was intent on proving that laetrile was ineffective BEFORE the tests started
2. Why were Dr Sugiura's initial reports suppressed. Did they not give the result that Schmidt required.
3. It shows that the board had the power to censor lab tests.
4. It is hardly surprising that the ONLY report that was issued was one that Schmidt agreed with
And then we have
http://www.naturalnews.com/023345.html
1. Why did Ralph Moss feel so strongly that he effectively sacrificed his job by publically refuting the board's claims.
2. Why did the Sloan Kettering employees feel so aggrieved that they took the trouble to form 'Second Opinion' to issue their own version of what was going on.
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I originally posted this on the PM Glass Box, but on reflection, thought it might be better over here:
Eddie and team, re: the "foreign workers coming over here and taking our jobs" item.
Is there any chance of doing a piece about British workers who've gone to other parts of Europe and found work? How are they doing? Is it a good way to work? Do the indiginous people where they are get up in arms about "Brits coming over there and stealing their jobs"?
It'd be nice to hear the other side of the story.
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I am wondering if anyone else had heard about the change in US law about children's books? My concern is that the UK will follow suit. I hear that only books that are guaranteed lead free will be allowed to be used by under 12's. In practise this means only books published after a certain (recent) date. Other books will no longer even be allowed to be GIVEN away! What about all the wonderful older literature out there? Isn't this censorship on a grand scale??
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This might be one for 'you and yours', but I have my t.v and freeview box on a timer to wake me up in a morning, but for the past few weeks, every time it comes on I get a blue page of bumff about a timer list which i quite frankly can't be bothered putting my glasses on to read fully at 6-00am. It essentially threatens me with the same rigmarole every time i switch on UNLESS I LEAVE MY SET-TOP BOX ON STANDBY- ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT; I'm using capitals at this point because they do to make their point. I feel totally hijacked- the whole thing goes off and 'retunes' for 3 minutes, leaving me to wonder whether i should have squandered some more resources just to start the day in a better mood...
Is this a national scam? Will it ever end?
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I don't usually think Roy Strong is dim, but he sure missed a trick on Saturday's PM, recommending that a bust of William Wilberforce should replace that of Winston Churchill in Obama's Oval Office. Wilberforce? A good man indeed but no no, it must be a bust of Thomas Paine. Tom Paine, the father of Liberty whom Obama quoted in his inauguration speech. Dear me Sir Roy, these are, as Paine says "The times that try men's souls". Mine too, listening to him whitter on about Wilberforce when he had an even better man to champion ...
So, would posting this on the PM message board perhaps allow the suggestion to venture over the pond, as Paine himself did in 1774? Thomas Paine installed in the White House; how he would no doubt smile at that!
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The unemployed are manured by the politicians,so said Shri Mataji,the guru and founder of Sahaja yoga.
How about the unemployed being told about Sahaja yoga,it helps in prisons and places like that,drug addicts benefit from Sahaja yoga.
Andrew Low
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Manufacturing in East Anglia is booming!!!
Despite the doom and gloom of the media saying things are at an all time low, in East Anglia we are bucking the trend.
SME's are pooling resources to deliver world class products and making significant progress in the Renewable Energy field.
Send one of your reporters up to see what's going on. Let the rest of Britain know of the success stories that abound in East Anglia to give them hope that they can do the same.
Regards
Paul Spinks
[Personal details removed by Moderator]
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