The Glass Box for Wednesday.
Be your own radio critic! Tell us here, frankly, what you thought of tonight's programme. In the PM office we meet every night at 1800 in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be your own critic. Comment on our hour by clicking on the comment link. Members of the production team will read the comments, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
Listen to PM
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~27~RS~)
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thanks for the sport-warning in the newsletter!
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Could we have less Burma, Jaquie Smith, whales, Nigel Wrench and more football?
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Your email made me want to kick something.
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Lady Sue (3) would his name be ....srs0c~#
Error 505 this blog is about to close down.
So long and thanks for all the fish...
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Thanks for sending us the lyrics, Eddie - what tune do they fit? ;o)
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Newsletter?
I've re-signed up for it at least twice recently, having been, I suppose, arbitrarily removed from the mailing list.
Still no newsletter.
So I went to the PM Home Page. Lovely! I can see last Friday's newsletter. But not todays. Or even yesterday's.
May I suggest that, for those of us who seem to be blackballed in some odd way from the emailed version, the online newsletter be kept up to date?
A link on the left-hand-side of the Blog page would be handy.
Meanwhile, I've re-signed, I'm not resigned to it, and I won't resign from the Blog.
Strapline suggestion:
PM: No newsletter, no blog, might as well listen, then
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Or even a link on the right-hand side... :o(
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Frances, I'll forward you mine whenever it comes in. (They send me a spare, so I'm not leaving myself short.) Today's is on its way ... ... ... now!
Nice to see Mister Knibbs has broken into the Glass Box and is leaving long cat-hairs on the furniture
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Fifi - do you MIND! That's not Mr Knibbs - it's GORDON! How could you mix up the two??? Mr K is big, tabby, short-haired. Gordon is big, tabby, & long-haired. The hearth-rug look gives it away.
Please pay more attention in future :)
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Its 'it's'. (Thats as it should be and as it is. Thats is how it should be, too).
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Ah, the old 'let's make the language easy to learn by changing all the spelling' argument.
Point [a], how incredibly insulting to suggest that this generation are so much more incompetent than all previous ones, and
Point [b], so nobody in twenty years' time would be able to read anything published before they were born without having had special training in how to read it.
Bye-bye Dickens, bye-bye Blyton, bye-bye Rowling...
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I wonder if this push to "simplify" the spelling of words is simply a part of the apparently ubiquitous "dumbing-down" of all supposedly mature societies. This idea would appear to represent the "Peter Principle", writ rather large!
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Re simplified spelling: As a lad, trying to spell such words as pneumatic, my old dad would say 'remember that the 'p' is silent, as in swimming pool'. I've never forgotten that, and as a result my spelling ability is exemplary.
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Anna (9) I prostrate myself before Gordon's paws. I just thought he looked familiar, but generally speaking I can only tell individual black cats apart!
On a serious Glass Box note, I am pleased the programme dug deeper into the fuel price issue. I didn't really follow the answer to the 'is it a cartel?' question (being too excited that you'd borrowed my question from another thread!) but at least now I know it has been aired.
And can we have much more on the humiliation of the Home Secretary please? (and no footie at all)
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Particuarly good prog tonight (tonite) I thought, very varied,without too much politics.
The way you skip from subject to subject reminds me of an ice skater doing a doubleaxle (or whatever it is called/ spelt) and landing safetly (safelee).
Enjoyable and dangerous.
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Lovely to hear Andy Sheppard's sax at the Bath Festival ... he's my favourite live jazz player, bar none.
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I dare Eddie to use the phrase 'Send in the clones' in a sentence in this piece!
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A resounding "Here! Here!" to Fifi @ 14.
Please may we hear less football commentary on the programme guys?
It's a waste of valuable oxygen (both the commentary and the playing).
Can we see legislation for the ingredients of an "English" football team please?
They're awfully like supermarket sausages these days - "Contains less than 50% English meat!"
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Very good Fifi!
I disagree with all this cloning stuff though.
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I also agree - extremely good programme tonight.
Is the lovely Amanda at the helm:-)
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We didn't need telling that it was a Man Utd fan that was in Red Square wondering how Lenin had become such a folk hero in the Soviet Union. The Chelsea fans, of course, were all wandering around trying to find Karl Marx' tomb.
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So that was Football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football!
football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football footbill football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football footba!
ll football football football football football football footbal!
l football feetball football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football football
was it? Three and a half minutes on a fans tour of Moscow tourist sites.
I want to speak to the trades description people...
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I heard "Send in the Clones". I thought he'd made that one up for himself. Didn't realise there was a scriptwriter behind the scenes!
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Months ago I joked that the poor police would get their payrise back dated about the same time as my personal mystery was solved. That is looking more and more likely judging by the Home Secretary today. I was ONLY joking I thought, Eddie.
Be a dove? The song "Everybody help the boys back home" heard on PM today. Peacemaker.
Be a Prince amongst men perhaps? And let the peacemaker's ask their questions.
In the Pomp of his Rain - His Purpleness's lyrics came back to me - making like a bird of peace. Jacqui Smith and Jan Berry should note them too and talk to sort out the pay without more judical involvement or further reference to Mr Balls or smoking histories.
"Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like when doves cry"
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Months ago I joked that the poor police would get their payrise back dated about the same time as my personal mystery was solved. That is looking more and more likely judging by the Home Secretary today. I was ONLY joking I thought, Eddie.
Be a dove? The song "Everybody help the boys back home" heard on PM today. Peacemaker.
Be a Prince amongst men perhaps? And let the peacemaker's ask their questions.
In the Pomp of his Rain - His Purpleness's lyrics came back to me - making like a bird of peace.
"Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like when doves cry"
Jacqui Smith and Jan Berry should note them too and talk to sort out the pay without more judical involvement, betrayal accusations or further reference to Mr Balls or smoking histories.
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Agree with all comments that this was a very good programme for lots of reasons: variety, little football (thank goodness), that spelling business is so silly because English is so interesting and it appalls me every time I get a text from a youngster using eg. "de" for "the" or "sori" for "sorry" or any other of a number of abbreviations that corrupt the language. I understand that, in the interests of brievity and space constraints it is useful/necessary but it does jar the senses. The reports on that tragic case of the little girl who has died of neglect are just awful, not to mention the Jersey investigation. Did anyone else feel sorry for Miss Smith? Thing is, if she had a problem and called the boys in blue, despite all, they'd turn up. They're all heroes and she really should be making sure they get paid accordingly.
Agree with Frances O: no newsletter, no blog, might as well listen - as it is a pretty good programme. Well done chaps.
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Ohhhh.... and I forgot about cloning the dogs! Weren't you clever to point out that the chappie involved has been "caught out" being a tad dishonest before?
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I?m indeted to PM for hiliting the threat to our written language from that gastly man who, I asertain, is supporting the holesale removal of silent consonants. I rite to condem this. I may not be very nowledgeable but I believe such a move is just plain rong.
I also suspect that his motives are not benin and that he is in fact a foreiner feining interest in our language whilst taking the nife to our culture.
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Lady Sue and other newsletter-challenged froggers:
Fifi will gladly share her spare newsletter with you if you can find a way to get in touch. There's a web site called unhinderedbytalent org uk whereby you can contact her via a link.
Quick, before this offer vanishes! ;o)
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Fifi (16) I was lucky enough to see Andy Sheppard perform in the Lady Chapel of Lichfield Cathedral during the Lichfield Festival a couple of years ago. It was spine-tingling - I'll never forget the delicacy of his playing - his last notes of a tune just slowly faded away til all you could hear was a prolonged soft breath. Gorgeous!
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I think we probably reached a nadir this evening between about 5.35 pm. First the coverage of Bath festival. If I want to hear music I'll listen to radio station where hopefully they will manage to interview someone who could actually talk about something other than herself and if they do play music manage to do it properly without station staff talking over it. Who picked the music? Neither accessible or good. Perfect for Radio three.
Next up was the non story about scottish football fans failing to get to Russia because their plane broke down. Then we had the patronising report about football fans who strangely enough on going to a strange city actually went and looked at the sites just like normal people. Well there's a thing, football supporters who can think, even if the they are not sure about Lenin.
See they didn't know about Lenin. I can hear you metropolitans laughing all the way back to Hampstead about that one.
So in short lets have some proper news with a less patronising tone and less so called musical artists with their hands wedged up their own bottoms.
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I missed all of PM this evening (but how come I heard "send in the clones")?
On the English language, may I point people in the direction of Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain], who appears to have been the author of a ten-year plan to improve English spelling.
It removes silent and double constanants, corrects vowel and constanant sounds - e.g. when the letter "c" sounds like an "s" or a "k" etc, the latter replaces the former, and by year ten the text is unreadable by a native English speaker, but perfectly correct!
I only disagree with it in that he does not use the long redundant "x" for the "ch" construction, where is *is* used for that in Catalan, so would be logical to use it in English as well.
Due to my failing hearing, I've taken to using the NATO phonetic alphabet - Alpha Beta Charlie Delta.... - for spelling words. I can spell my name in phonetic alphabet too fast for most listeners - Juliette, Oscar, Hotel, November...
I love the idea of the non-phonetic alphabet, A for Aubergine, C for Cue, D for Dso, etc, but sadly it's not yet complete.
As for my hearing, I was talking to someone tonight in a crowded room, and realised if I looked them in the eyes, I had not a clue what they were saying, I had to watch their mouths and lip-read :-(
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I heard the whole of PM last night for the first time in weeks, lovely to hear Eddie's dulcet tones for a whole hour, even if it was because I was stuck in traffic!
Well done Fifi for 'Send in the Clones' - what special phrase are you going to set him for tonight's programme?
Thought the interviews with the clone chappie & the Icelandic Whaling man were both excellent & probing.
Saw Gordon the cat last night & he's much more beautiful in person!
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Hello, Wednesday's editor here. Thanks for your interest in the programme.
Selphie1410 & Jonnie(another string), you're right to point out the problems with our report from the Bath Festival. Our live satellite link wasn't as good as we'd hoped and so Nigel Wrench couldn't hear the music we were playing in the studio, apologies.
The cost of oil both financially and environmentally (another string) is definitely a big story and we will continue to pursue it on the programme. We hope the Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks will be able to talk to us soon (he wasn't able to come on yesterday).
Fortunately, our live link to Reykjavic was stronger than the one to Somerset and I was really pleased to get the fisheries ministers of Iceland and the UK to talk to us about whaling. We got quite a few emails on the subject, but little pick up on the blog (curious).
Any spelling errors in the above entry are entirely intentional.
Amanda Lewis
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Deepthought @ 32, let's get this one done with
A for osses
B for mutton
C for thighlanders
D for ential
E for one
F for vesce
G for police
H for wisdom
I for the engine
J for oranges
K for restaurant
L for leather
M for sis
N for ence
O for a life on the ocean wave (or O for the moon)
P for vex
Q for a pee
R for mo
S for ransome
T for two
U for me ( or U for mism)
V for la France
W for quits
X for breakfast
Y for husband (or Y for girlfriend)
Z for breezes
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Feefs - thanks! Gosh, wasn't that worth waiting for?
Chris - I love the Cockney Alphabet, which is what I was told 'ay for orses' was.
I wonder if froggers can explain these ones, though?
G for police
H for wisdom
P for vex
S for ransome
Z for breezes
I learned
O for the wings of a dove
and
Z for is 'at
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Frances O @ 36, chief of police, age for wisdom, peeve or vex, Esther Ransome (?), zephyr breezes.
Swap those for 'Z for 'is' at'?
O for the rainbow is another I have heard.
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'Z for 'is' at'
"his head for his hat"
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