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Brett Domino: Live in London
A short film documenting the first ever live performance of groundbreaking new keyboard band, 'The Brett Domino Trio'.
Featuring myself (Brett Domino) on keytar and stylophone, Mitch Hutchinson on keyboard, and introducing Steven Peavis on drums (on the keyboard). A short film documenting the first ever live performance of groundbreaking new keyboard band, 'The Brett Domino Trio'. ... more -
Amy Winehouse has been immortalized by Madame Tussauds in Wax
The singer's parents, Mitch and Janis, unveiled their daughter's wax figure at Madame Tussauds London on Wednesday, with her father calling its likeness "perfection."
Starpulse has something else to say about it...
Singer Amy Winehouse is unimpressed she has been immortalized in wax at London's Madame Tussauds Museum - reportedly branding the idea "crap".
The Back to Black hitmaker admits she was unavailable for a sitting for the waxwork, so the museum has crafted the statue from photographs.
But Winehouse was surprised to learn she would feature in the museum at all. She tells British magazine New!, "I thought you had to be dead almost before they made a wax of you."
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They spent 4.5 months making a wax statue of an ungrateful junkie out of photographs... just super. The singer's parents, Mitch and Janis, unveiled their daughter's wax figure at Madame Tussauds London on Wednesday, with her father ca... more -
New Celebrity Tribes
Once upon a time, it was all about the Primrose Hill set. But now there are new kids on the block.
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Climate change activist glues himself to Gordon Brown
A climate change activist attempted to superglue himself to Gordon Brown after he was invited to Downing Street to receive an award for his protesting work.
Dan Glass, of the campaigning group Plane Stupid, tried to attach his hand to the Prime Minister's suit as the pair met at an event to recognise the contribution of the voluntary sector.
The 24-year-old then demanded to know why the Government was refusing to meet residents opposed to plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport.
"We cannot shake away climate change like you can just shake away my arm," the protestor said, before the Prime Minister wrenched his sleeve away.
Downing Street laughed off the stunt, and said there had never been any threat to Mr Brown. A spokesman said: "As far as we are concerned, nothing really happened.
"There was a light-hearted and not particularly successful demonstration at a reception that was being hosted at Downing Street."
Speaking afterwards, Mr Glass, from Barnet, north London said he had smuggled five pouches of glue into the building in his underwear, before smearing the adhesive onto his left hand.
"I just glued myself to him and after 20 seconds he tore my hand off - it really hurt. He had to give it a couple of tugs before it came away," he said.
"He was just grinning about it. He didn't seem to take me seriously."
The protestor said he was given a round of applause by the audience as he urged the Prime Minister to change his mind on Heathrow expansion.
Mr Glass had been invited to Downing Street to receive an award from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation for his protesting work with Plane Stupid.
Police said there had not been any security breach, as Mr Glass was invited and did not cause any damage. A climate change activist attempted to superglue himself to Gordon Brown after he was invited to Downing Street to receive an award fo... more -
Amy Winehouse in wax
A wax figure of singer Amy Winehouse was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Check out the photos.
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'London's more violent than LA'
Well that's what soul singer Seal thinks. Speaking to Sky News he spoke out against the rise of violent crime in the UK, putting possible blame on the 'deconstruction of family values' as well as the rise in internet use.
Speaking to reporters prior to his Shepherd Bush gig he said:
"LA is no more dangerous than London; in fact you could say it's less so, but I think it's more dangerous all over the world – we live in a very reckless age."
"Over a period of time we've witnessed the deconstruction of family values and I think that's the problem.
"It's only going to get better when things change in the family – everything begins at home."
You think he's got a point or is it someone just bringing up this week' hot topic to try and get a few extra album sales?
There's a video of the interview at the link. Well that's what soul singer Seal thinks. Speaking to Sky News he spoke out against the rise of violent crime in the UK, putting possi... more -
Kids drive cars
Strange news story about a driving school for children … that's run by children.
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'Batman' accused of assaulting mom and sister
LONDON - Batman star Christian Bale was arrested Tuesday over allegations of assaulting his mother and sister, police and British media said.
British media had reported that Bale's mother and sister complained they were assaulted by the 34-year-old actor at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Sunday night, a day before the European premiere of his latest film, "The Dark Knight."
The women made the allegation at a local police station in southern England on Monday, Britain's Press Association news agency said.
Asked whether Bale had been arrested, a police spokesman did not refer to him by name but said: "A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment and was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault." He said the man was still in custody but gave no further details.
The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity because force policy did not authorize him to be identified. British police do not name suspects before they are formally charged.
U.S.-based representatives for Bale didn't immediately return messages seeking comment. Repeated phone calls to Bale's London representative went unanswered.
The Sun newspaper said police didn't question the actor Monday because they didn't want to interfere with the premiere of the movie.
Wales-born Bale first made a splash as the child star of Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" in 1987. His screen credits also include "American Psycho," "The Machinist" and "Batman Begins."
In "The Dark Knight," Bale reprises the role of wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman, a brooding vigilante superhero still scarred by the murder of his parents.
The film, which stars the late Heath Ledger as Batman's nemesis The Joker, took in a record $158.4 million at the box office in its opening weekend in the U.S. last week.
LONDON - Batman star Christian Bale was arrested Tuesday over allegations of assaulting his mother and sister, police and British medi... more -
John Cleese and Colin the lemur
Actor John Cleese gets to know Colin, a red ruffed lemur at Bristol Zoo on July 22 2008 in Bristol, England. The Monty Python star, who grew up in Weston-Super-Mare and went to school in Bristol, was there to promote a series of performances he is conducting next week in aid of the Zoo. John Cleese has a passion for lemurs and their conservation, he says started from school boy visits to Bristol Zoo and he has even had a species of wooly lemur's named after him. Check out the photos. Actor John Cleese gets to know Colin, a red ruffed lemur at Bristol Zoo on July 22 2008 in Bristol, England. The Monty Python star, wh... more
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Man "killed by electric wee"
The bad news is a man got electrocuted when he urinated on a live train track at a London station. On the other hand, it gave the Metro newspaper an eye-poppingly enticing headline opportunity. Swings and roundabouts, eh? The bad news is a man got electrocuted when he urinated on a live train track at a London station. On the other hand, it gave the Metr... more
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McDonald's Spaceship
An artwork entitled 'Life as we know it' by artist Slinkachu is displayed at the 'Trespass Alliance: Inside Urban Art' exhibition at the Andipa Gallery in London, on June 24, 2008. The exhibition includes a selection of paintings, sculptures and installations by influential urban artists. An artwork entitled 'Life as we know it' by artist Slinkachu is displayed at the 'Trespass Alliance: Inside Urban Art' exhibition at t... more
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Press Gang // Comment Picked for TV
Thanks to bakpa79 for uploading his comments after watching the pod, "Press Gang." After you hear what bakpa79 had to say, watch the pod yourself by clicking on the link below:
http://current.com/items/89080103_press_gang
Thanks to bakpa79 for uploading his comments after watching the pod, "Press Gang." After you hear what bakpa79 had to say, watch the p... more -
Gehry's Serpentine Unveiled [photos]
Architect Frank Gehry's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion for 2008 was unveiled in London on Monday, July 21. The wooden timber structure will remain until October 19. Check out the photos. Architect Frank Gehry's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion for 2008 was unveiled in London on Monday, July 21. The wooden timber structure wi... more
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London underground Oyster card hack to be unveiled
Instructions for copying the Oyster cards used on London transport, including the underground, are to be allowed to be published, a Dutch judge has ruled.
This decision overturns a previous injunction to suppress the details, won by the card's makers NXP: Now the researchers, who in June demonstrated how to copy the cards and thus travel free on the underground, plan to publish their results in October.
Instructions for copying the Oyster cards used on London transport, including the underground, are to be allowed to be published, a Du... more -
Carmakers 'send message' with new logos
When the Insignia, a new car from the General Motors brands Opel and Vauxhall, is introduced this week at the London Motor Show, it will come, fittingly, with some new insignias.
Opel, General Motors' biggest-selling division in continental Europe, and Vauxhall, its equivalent in Britain, are getting new logos as the company aims to "send a message that something is happening with these brands," said Alain Visser, chief marketing officer at GM Europe.
The new Vauxhall badge shows the brand's longtime mascot, a griffin, in a bigger, bolder way, zooming in on his upper body. The mythical beast, which joins the head and wings of an eagle to the body of a lion, also appears more three-dimensional; previous versions of the griffin were flat.
The Opel logo, a stylized lightning bolt, also gets more depth in the redesign, though the general shape is unchanged.
In giving Opel and Vauxhall an updated look, General Motors joins a series of other automakers, including Volvo, Fiat, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, that have recently refreshed or redesigned their logos, seeking an edge in a difficult market. When the Insignia, a new car from the General Motors brands Opel and Vauxhall, is introduced this week at the London Motor Show, it wi... more -
Mysterious insect baffles experts
Experts have been baffled by the presence of an unidentified insect in parts of London. The tiny red and black bug first appeared in the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Garden in March 2007. Since then it has become the most common insect in the garden and has also been spotted in Regent's Park and Gray's Inn. The bug appears to be harmless, but there is potential for it to spread throughout the UK, said experts. "It's not unusual to find something in the middle of a tropical rainforest," said Max Barclay, from the museum. "But when you're eating your sandwiches on the lawn you don't expect to find something that takes you by surprise." The insect was spotted on the seeds of some of the plane trees that grow in the museum's grounds. Despite containing more than 28 million insect specimens, the museum failed to find an exact match for the new bug. Experts said it closely resembles the rare species Arocatus roeselii that is usually found in central Europe. But the roeselii bugs are brighter red than this new bug and they are usually associated with alder trees. The National Museum in Prague discovered an exact match to the mystery insect but experts there have also failed to determine exactly what it is. "It seems strange that so many of these bugs should suddenly appear," said Mr Barclay. "There are two possible explanations - that the bug is roeselii and by switching to feed on the plane trees it could suddenly become more abundant, successful and invasive.
"The other possibility is that the insect in our grounds may not be roeselii at all." The museum will continue to work with international colleagues to analyse the bug's body shape, form and DNA, to see whether it is a newly discovered species. Experts have been baffled by the presence of an unidentified insect in parts of London. The tiny red and black bug first appeared in t... more -
Surgeons to be given bonuses for saving lives
NHS surgeons are to be paid bonuses based on the number of lives they save, in radical plans being drawn up by hospitals across Britain.
For the first time, they will receive performance-related pay according to the results they achieve on the operating table, with levels dependent on how well patients recover.
Leading surgeons said that this could deter doctors from taking on higher-risk patients, such as the frail and elderly, and from carrying out complex operations.
Patients' groups said those facing surgery would be "horrified" by the proposals and questioned why doctors should be paid a premium for fulfilling their basic duty.
The Government intends to link doctors' merit payments to patient mortality and other measures, such as rates of infection, readmission and post-operative mobility.
Britain's largest hospital trust is already preparing a pilot scheme that will link surgical outcomes to bonus payments.
Imperial College Healthcare Trust has begun measuring the performance of its doctors and Prof Stephen Smith, the chief executive, said that it intended to use the data on mortality, infection and the cost-effectiveness of its consultant teams, to reward the best-performing doctors.
The pilot scheme will concentrate on rewarding surgeons for the degree of mobility patients enjoy after their operations.
The London trust's own surgeons admitted to risks if the plans were not handled carefully
A consultant, Justin Vale, who is the programme group director for surgery and cancer, said: "We have got to ensure we don't create a dangerous precedent, that the surgeons doing the big complex cases aren't discouraged from taking them on."
Ben Bridgewater, of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgeons, said that he would be very cautious of using data on a consultant and his team as the basis for bonus payouts.
"Surgeons would be quite anxious about using these measures in this way," he said. "They wouldn't be confident the data is robust enough, or that it reflects the mix of patients and activity that they deal with. I don't think surgeons will buy into this."
Katherine Murphy, from the Patients Association, said: "Patients will be horrified. There is a real risk that the most complicated cases, and the patients in real need, will be forgotten because they don't get the best outcomes.
"Doctors already have a duty to provide high-quality care. I think a good doctor would be insulted by the idea that they will only do their best on the operating table if there is extra money in it."
In the North West, 24 trusts are piloting a scheme that will pay bonuses to the 20 per cent of hospitals with the lowest rates of deaths, complications and other clinical standards for five common operations.
Managers will be able to pass the bonuses on to doctors and nurses.
In December, the Government will publish a set of indicators to measure the quality of treatment at every NHS hospital.
In a report published last month, Lord Darzi, the health minister, said that the national merit payment scheme for senior hospital doctors, which can pay them up to £73,000 extra for "exceptional" work or for outstanding research, should be altered to reflect performance against such quality indicators.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said that as the use of performance measures became more widespread and robust, they would become more influential in who received merit awards.
Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, said that clinicians needed more reliable data to see how they compared with their peers and to improve standards.
He said: "Lord Darzi's review of the NHS was very clear that quality should be at the heart of everything the health service does."
Sir Bruce said that all hospitals would be rewarded, firstly for improving the standard of the information they collected, then for the quality of care. NHS surgeons are to be paid bonuses based on the number of lives they save, in radical plans being drawn up by hospitals across Britai... more -
Parthenon frieze will be recreated in New Acropolis museum
LONDON. The long-awaited formal opening of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens has now been scheduled for September, after a series of delays. The gallery housing the Parthenon marbles, at the top of the museum, with a view towards the actual Parthenon 300m away, will be finally unveiled, although many of the other displays are not expected to be completed until next year.
After years of discussions, the museum has now decided how it will present the marbles. The originals are being displayed alongside plaster casts of the pieces removed from Greece, most of which are in the British Museum in London.
An earlier plan was to place gauze curtains in front of the casts, to make it obvious they are not originals. The museum has now opted for a simpler solution. The casts will be lighter in colour than the museum’s originals, which have a patina.
LONDON. The long-awaited formal opening of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens has now been scheduled for September, after a series of ... more -
Red Ken back for good in 2012?
Ken Livingstone has stated he intends to run for Mayor of London in 2012, just in time for the Olympics.
Does this mean taxes will be doubled to pay for the games? Will Boris disappear underneath that hair? Has London had enough of him already? Ken Livingstone has stated he intends to run for Mayor of London in 2012, just in time for the Olympics. ... more -
Drunken passenger tires to open airplane door- WHILE IN FLIGHT!
"A drunken passenger tried to open the door of a British charter plane over the Atlantic before he was restrained by crew, other passengers were quoted Thursday as saying.
The Boeing 767 made an unscheduled landing on Bermuda to offload the man, who had been drinking from bottles bought earlier at an airport duty-free shop, passengers were quoted as saying by the Daily Mail newspaper.
He had been arguing with other passengers, then when told to quieten down by crew members, he went to the aircraft's door and started meddling with it. The crew stopped him opening it.
'The captain decided it was better to make an unscheduled landing,' said a spokeswoman of the charter company, First Choice.
The passengers were put up at hotels before continuing their trip to Cuba. The man was detained by local police and faces a heavy fine and bill for the unscheduled stop."
"A drunken passenger tried to open the door of a British charter plane over the Atlantic before he was restrained by crew, other passe... more
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