91Èȱ¬

Archives for January 2009

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Jennifer Tracey | 05:40 UK time, Saturday, 31 January 2009

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suggest a story

It doesn't matter how you get in touch. We read all your blog comments, your emails and your Tweets on . We've even had a couple of proper letters this week - one from a prison (complete with the rubber stamp in the top right corner - the censor?).

For the next few weeks we're thinking of looking at:
- How newly unemployed people might take unpaid, volunteer jobs.
- The effect that the recession is having on shoplifting and property crime.
- Whether 'organic' and 'local' foods are unfairly assumed to be more healthy than cheaper foodstuffs.

Is there something else we should be looking at? Share what you know.

iPM's Theme Time Radio Quarter Hour

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Jennifer Tracey | 10:00 UK time, Friday, 30 January 2009

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Bob Dylan has a radio show with a weekly theme. It's not a bad idea.

With iPM limbering up for its slimmer 5.45am slot, we're thinking about how we do justice to the things you share with us. With only 14 minutes to play with we'd like to try and tackle just one topic in each edition.

We're starting with a programme, prompted by listener , about what role mental attitude plays for those diagnosed with cancer.

In coming weeks iPM might* be about:

- Credit crunch crime. John Maher wrote to say that shop security guards treat him like a shoplifter. iPM is investigating whether theft is on the increase. And where do the stolen goods go? Does a recession make people more willing to buy things that have, ahem, fallen off the back of a lorry?

- Gissa volunteer job Following our item on the stigma of unemployment, Janiece Spence emailed to say that people shouldn't let their skills go to waste and while they hunt for a paid job they might consider becoming a volunteer. iPM called several volunteering organisations and found a marked increase in the numbers seeking unpaid posts. Have you lost a job, but become a volunteer? Are you in need of unpaid helpers? Or is it, in your experience, just not that simple?

*It's up to you, really.

Cancer: a 'fighting' chance?

Jennifer Tracey | 18:22 UK time, Thursday, 29 January 2009

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Eddie and Stephanie

Do people with cancer have to 'fight' it?

We brought together two of our listeners, and Rachel Pearce, who question whether you need to have a 'positive mental attitude' when faced with cancer.

This is the unedited version of their discussion with Eddie, part of which we'll play on Saturdays programme. Stephanie begins







We invited you to respond and Contemplative Arthur suggested we contact an oncology centre for some professional input.

Thanks Arthur and welcome to the blog. We contacted Prof of Cancer Medicine and oncologist .

Karol Sikora, Prof of Cancer Medicine and oncologist

This is the unedited version of his interview with Eddie, a shorter version will be broadcast on Saturday.







UPDATE: You can read the list of comments on our original posting on cancer here. There are a large number of comments covering all aspects of the subject. Sorry if you were unable to find it.

Snake news...update...

Eddie Mair | 07:53 UK time, Thursday, 29 January 2009

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snake.jpg...we welcomed a snake (with handler Mark Amey) into the iPM studio last week. Don't look at me like that - a listener did ask us for advice on how to pick one up - you can read more about that here. Well this morning, Mark is in .

"Battling" cancer...

Eddie Mair | 08:26 UK time, Wednesday, 28 January 2009

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The Guardian reports on the death of John Updike:

"Prolific chronicler of loves and losses of small-town America dies after battle with lung cancer"....

Cancer.

Eddie Mair | 13:29 UK time, Tuesday, 27 January 2009

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Thank you for ALL the comments below. If you haven't had a chance to read them please do.

What happens now? Well we're following some of the suggestions people have made for guests we should have on the show on for guests that have been made, and we'll make sure any guests we feature have had a good read of all that's been written.

We have already recorded a discussion between Stephanie Butland and Rachel Pearce. (Stephanie has her own blog - ) On Saturday morning's programme we'll only have time to air a small part of our chat...but you'll be able to hear a much fuller version here, on Thursday.

Sorry to make this post EVEN longer but it's worth saying that this is typical of how we make iPM. It's not a question of us - the "programme makers" - coming up with stuff which you respond to after transmission. We try to make you part of the production process by using this blog to shape what we do...you're part of the club!

So please keep sharing what you know about cancer with us...or if there's something else you'd like to talk about - please click here.

Cancer. Worth fighting?

Eddie Mair | 13:30 UK time, Monday, 26 January 2009

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Do people with cancer have to "fight" it?

We've heard from two of our listeners about this. Stephanie Butland wrote: "I'm amazed that no-one has suggested that attitude or state of mind could be instrumental in recovery or survival. I think this is worth investigating as I am using my mind as my main tool for recovery (along with surgery, chemotherapy and the rest...)"

Rachel Pearce, a medical statistician who is in remission from breast cancer wrote to say: "I have always been, and still am quite cynical about the 'battling cancer' attitude."

What's YOUR experience? Have you got or have you had cancer....what was your mental attitude towards it? Or maybe you are a health professional working with people who have cancer.

Please share what you know by clicking on Comments.

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Chris Vallance | 17:30 UK time, Saturday, 24 January 2009

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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 , 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

On iPM this week...

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Chris Vallance | 17:29 UK time, Saturday, 24 January 2009

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Say hello to the lovely Honey, the celebrity python who joined us in the studio. With honey's assihisssstance this week we featured


  • "Mary", Mark Flett, Stephen March, and Paul Fuller told us about the stigma of unemployment.

  • We took a second look at the great Thought for The Day debate with who's professor of Philosophy at the University of London, and the , a former atheist who is professor of theology at King's College London
  • Blog commenter Coppergatty asked how do you handle a python. politely declined to be handled so I got to know Honey a little better (and very charming she was too) in the company of her owner and reptile

Incidentally if you want to know how you do handle a python - step-by-step pictures are below:

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The key thing apparently is not to let the snake loop around your neck. Naturally I'm going to say don't try this at home - talk to experts like Mark if you really must pick up 8ft-long snakes. And as a cautionary tale here's a bit of the Hazard Assessment form we had to fill in before being allowed to interview Honey. I'm particularly fond of the "trip hazard" tick.

hazards.jpg Finally thanks also to our twitter friends who helped us try and find a python. her ball python but unfortunately he was in the US and our budget didn't extend to putting snakes on a plane.

Any more snake related puns welcome.

'Thought for the Day' uncut

Jennifer Tracey | 17:28 UK time, Saturday, 24 January 2009

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Prof AC Grayling and Revd Prof Alister McGrath

It's undoubtedly been the biggest talking point on the blog and you clearly wanted us to return to this subject.

We invited the people who make Thought for the Day on to iPM. They declined and referred us to Mark Damazer, who also declined.

But we didn't want to let the hundreds of thoughtful comments go without further acknowledgement.

And it was your comments that formed the basis of a discussion between the and . An edited version featured on the programme and you can listen to the full discussion here (22 mins).







Your News this week

Jennifer Tracey | 18:43 UK time, Friday, 23 January 2009

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Your News

Each week we create the Your News bulletin, using the single sentences emailed to us or left on the blog. Here's the latest script:

On The lonely moors, the wind cuts into my face. Stranded, far from home.

My tiny, very old, Rhode Island Red bantam called Ruby has disappeared, presumed eaten by a fox or a stoat.

Train spotting on Brighton Station with my 15 month old grandson William.

Started consultation process for 35 redundancies - not sleeping very well.

I now have my New Zealand residence visa - but have yet to sell my house to enable me to use it.

I have been watching my husband, gun under his arm, stalk the pheasants on our land. Bang! There goes another one.

On Monday I got a new, prosthetic left breast after my mastectomy last year.

Delighted to note from my kitchen window definite green shoots in my garden: here comes the spring!

I took on an additional trainee design engineer.

I'm battling with medication that causes worse symptoms than the illness it is desired to cure.

A heady mix of networking, marketing jargon, paperwork, Mexican food and Norwegian pop/rock bands.

I got a new mobile on Sunday and am trying to teach the predictive text to swear properly.

Wife out of hospital, but I need to keep nagging her not to do anything. I'm tired of trying to do everything, she of doing nothing.

Keep them coming. Email your one sentence of news to ipm at bbc.co.uk or leave a comment below.

It's like a bereavement

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Chris Vallance | 16:15 UK time, Thursday, 22 January 2009

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A man hiding his face

I've been talking to iPM listeners about the stigma of unemployment.

Stephen, told me unemployment was like bereavement: conversation became awkward and friends worried about causing offence.

"Mary" found it so difficult to talk about unemployment she asked to use a pseudonym.

Mark told us being on public view in the job centre was like a "pillory".

These are some of the stories I've heard this week, as I talk to iPM listeners about the stigma of unemployment. If you are unemployed I'd be very keen to hear your thoughts about this. Leave a comment below or email ipm-at-bbc.co.uk

Your News, we want to hear it

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Jennifer Tracey | 14:21 UK time, Thursday, 22 January 2009

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Missing bantams, gun-toting husbands, speeding trains, wood smoke, sleepless nights. It may sound like lyrics from a Tom Waits' song, but these are some of the topics you'll hear in our weekly "Your News" feature.

The idea: You tell us your news in a single sentence, we string them all together as a bulletin read out by a 91Èȱ¬ voice.

Winston Plowes sent his news in the form of a haiku..

On the lonely moors, the wind cuts into my face. Stranded, far from home.

Moira Stuart

Last week, the sports broadcaster James Alexander Gordon joined the galaxy of Radio 4 stars who have read Your News. Listener Iris Wells made this request:

"Perhaps you would kindly consider asking Moira Stuart if she would read the listeners' news one week? It would be good to hear Moira again - I miss her reading the news on TV."

iPM has approached Moira's agent. Fingers crossed.

If you have a sentence of news (haiku optional) or want to nominate a Your News newsreader, leave a comment below or email us at ipm-at-bbc.co.uk.

Blocking out the drilling noise.

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Chris Vallance | 16:35 UK time, Wednesday, 21 January 2009

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We asked you to tell us how you listened to the pod. that he was listening to the iPM podcast - and added in his email that he was "at work, contractors currently replacing building windows, I need something to listen to to block out the drilling noises".

Martin directed us to this photo explaining how he listens to the iPM pod:

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Deborah meanwhile says: "I'm currently living in New Zealand and download it onto my mp3 player. I listen to it at night when I'm lying awake and can't sleep. A quick fix for Radio 4 Deprivation Syndrome."

Rob told us , "In answer to your questions - predominantly on my iPod whilst walking to or from work but I also put because, well, I could."

What does a shoplifter look like?

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Jennifer Tracey | 12:34 UK time, Monday, 19 January 2009

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John Maher's email began in the style of a personal ad:

"Professional, graduate, aged 61, tall, good-looking(-ish), casually dressed (joggers, cycle gear, flat cap, etc), wearing a backpack with my laptop and books...."

John's GSOH fails him, however, when he enters a shop and feels that security guards are subjecting him to close scrutiny.

"I find it very, very insulting. What to do? Normally, I buy the goods I intended to buy, pay for them, and then leave the shop without taking them."

Comparing notes with his colleagues, John found that other people are often so annoyed by the attentions of store security staff that they will dump their shopping and exit.

John says that given the economic climate, shops should be more welcoming to paying customers. iPM phoned the , which says that shoplifting is on the up. It estimates that there were about 9% more thefts in the 2008 pre-Christmas period compared to last year. Researchers suggest that retailers will be more vigilant.

Share what you know about shoplifting. Are you a magnet for store detectives? Are you a shop keeper or security guard with a story to tell?

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Chris Vallance | 17:20 UK time, Saturday, 17 January 2009

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Help us make iPM. The stories featured on the programme come from suggestions made by listeners and blog readers like you.

Whether its a different perspective on something in the news, an issue which you think deserves further investigation, or just something fun you think would make some entertaining radio, do get in touch.

Leave your idea as a comment below this post or email ipm-at-bbc.co.uk

Show Notes: Jobs, Football and Teleprinters

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Chris Vallance | 17:15 UK time, Saturday, 17 January 2009

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This week's show visited the seaside, looked at the world of work, and surviving downturns and traveled back in time to the days of the teleprinter. Links and further information for this week's programme below:


  • What support is there for apprentices who lose their jobs before completing their training? Tipped-off by an email from Melissa Bassil about her husband's grandson Luke we investigated the issue, talking to Luke and to local apprentice training providers, and . Finally we spoke to to find out what the government planned to do to help apprentices during the downturn.

  • Many of your comments on the blog stressed the need to keep positive during recessions. offered some advice. We're still interested in hearing from you about your experiences of dealing with the stigma of unemployment, do email if you've something to add to that.

  • The percussive poetry of the football classified check (as delivered by teleprinter) provided the excuse to head down memory lane in the company of Mark Lawrenson and the man who introduced the teleprinter to our screens -

Finally, many of you were keen for us to do more on Thought for The Day. We've not ruled that out for later programmes and we have been discussing how we might return to the subject in a fresh and informative way that reflects the vigorous debate on the blog. Suggestions and thoughts on how we might do that and who we should talk to would be welcome.

If you've any views on this week's iPM please do leave a comment or send an email ipm-at-bbc.co.uk.

Training terminated?

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Chris Vallance | 09:00 UK time, Thursday, 15 January 2009

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On iPM we're asking you for your stories of unemployment - many of you have decided to share what you know about the issue. Our initial post on the topic with well over 30 comments can be found here.

This morning I catch an early train to Bournemouth to explore one consequence of rising unemployment - apprentices made "redundant" before completing their training. Later Eddie will be speaking with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills and Apprenticeships,.

Are you an employer or involved in the training of apprentices with experience of this issue? Do you have a question you'd like the minister to answer? Please do get in touch

Heathrow 3

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Chris Vallance | 23:04 UK time, Wednesday, 14 January 2009

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This just in. "Ministers have approved a controversial plan to build a third runway at Heathrow, the 91Èȱ¬ understands." (More )

It's an issue that we've looked at before. What do you think now the plans have been approved?

Forfar 5 - East Fife 4

Jennifer Tracey | 13:17 UK time, Tuesday, 13 January 2009

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Is this familiar?

Were the undulating tones of the football results part of your weekend growing up? Are they still?

Big Sis writes
'Now, perhaps this is an idea for iPM? The memories evoked by watching Grandstand, listening to the football results, etc? I can't be the only one who has very vivid memories of that weekly moment.

It brings back memories of sitting with my Dad while he checked his pools coupon on Saturdays, early evening (around 5.45, am I correct?)

I'd love to go back there for one day, just to be with him.'

UPDATE: For those of you who miss the real thing, here's Len Martin reading the results. His editorialness Rupert notes that while we are a, "bit vague about the year - but Leyton Orient were in the top flight this year, so that dates it."







Dining on super-foods, want to join us?

Jennifer Tracey | 11:59 UK time, Tuesday, 13 January 2009

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iPM listener Adrian Faiers isn't buying this .

He thinks people are being misled into thinking that expensive, inconvenient foods with tags like local and organic are better for you than cheap, convenient foods like frozen veg.

This is Adrian's list of myths that he thinks are hijacking the healthy eating message:

'- Traditional, natural, organic, fresh and local automatically equate with healthy
- Organic food always tastes better
- Organic food is automatically higher in nutrients
- Frozen food is low in nutrients
- Microwaving is an unhealthy way to cook
- Traditional methods of cooking like baking, roasting, grilling and stir frying are healthy
- If you eat super foods at the expense of more ordinary foods, you'll be healthier
- You can't get too much sugar from eating lots of fruit and drinking lots of fruit juice'

So, in good iPM style, we've invited ourselves round for dinner at Adrian's - that'll teach him for contacting us..

But I'm thinking we should take a guest. Someone who knows a thing or two about nutrition and food policy...suggestions welcome, maybe it should be you joining us?

Conjuring apprenticeships?

Jennifer Tracey | 10:45 UK time, Tuesday, 13 January 2009

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Vision On: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (91Èȱ¬, 1964)

'My husband's grandson has been an apprentice mechanic for a firm selling new cars..and has one year left to go to complete his apprenticeship.

He's now been made redundant and although the company has agreed to pay for his college course for the remainder of the academic year, it is up to him to find his own practical placement. He is unable to qualify without the practical placement.'
writes Melissa Bassil

The government's announced to help with employment during the downturn.

But is anything being done to safeguard those currently in training?

Got a similar tale? About to embark on an apprenticeship programme? Comment below or drop us a line.

Credit Crunch: The return of the map.

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Chris Vallance | 10:00 UK time, Tuesday, 13 January 2009

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fingers_crossed.jpg

What single factor is hurting you most about the credit crunch? In conjunction with the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, we're mapping the results:

To take part (or on the picture above), answer the question, and enter the first part of your postcode.

The map will update to reflect which factor gets the most votes in each region every hour or so. It's not a scientific study, we're calling it a mood map, but we hope to use the results to guide our reporting. If you think we're missing the real story, email us or post a comment below.

You can see latest . For the results of our previous crunch map

The excellent photo at the top of this post is from via the

'As if the stigma is not bad enough..'

Jennifer Tracey | 15:52 UK time, Monday, 12 January 2009

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'..they make you sit in the window so that all who pass the Job Centre can see you waiting for your state handout.

I have been made redundant several times - The worst thing is signing on at the local Job Centre.'

According to Flettie, responding to a posting on redundancy.

With so many people joining the dole queue - is there any less of a stigma attached to being unemployed? Is it perhaps less isolating than it used to be thanks to social networking on the internet?

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions Chris Grayling may be on PM tonight talking jobs.

Green Goo..

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Chris Vallance | 13:43 UK time, Monday, 12 January 2009

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We've reported before on the green cost of online

Now a Harvard physicist, controversially claims that two search requests on Google could produce as . Google says that is ""."

also aim to be carbon neutral, and the company says "We committed to being carbon neutral back in 2007 and achieved it that year. We don't have the data in for 2008 yet." So even if the company pollutes they clean up afterwards - which is more than my kettle does.

Other companies have tried to off-set online behaviour too. Here's UK based search engine. But it's shut down.Here's that earns as a result of your search and uses it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invests in renewable energy. Only, it too has shut down.

Better news Its planted nearly seven thousand trees throughout Australia, and there is a map of the forests they have planted on their .Good for Australia. And there others , and .

So how to best to surf and be green? Pedal-powered computing? Mice with little tiny dynamos inside? What would you do to minimise the carbon cost of browsing.

UPDATE: A blog commenter JeremyB helpfully posts that rather effectively scuppers the story. It's recommended reading. Key quote from Alex Wissner-Gross:

"Our work has nothing to do with Google. Our focus was exclusively on the Web overall, and we found that it takes on average about 20 milligrams of CO2 per second to visit a Web site." And the example involving tea kettles? "They did that. I have no idea where they got those statistics," Wissner-Gross said."

Tache Match Special - The answers

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Chris Vallance | 11:14 UK time, Monday, 12 January 2009

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For no particular reason we've been asking you to identify the owners of some rather grand moustaches (with the caveat that some were actually beards, and some weren't real moustaches).

The answers are here. Thanks to all of those who grew facial hair just for our competition.

tashanswers.jpg

Suggest a story

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Jennifer Tracey | 17:30 UK time, Saturday, 10 January 2009

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91Èȱ¬ staff sorting the post at Savoy Hill (1930)

If you hear or read something in the news or on the PM blog that you think needs more discussion or doesn't chime with your experience - comment below or email us.

We're always interested in new ideas, thanks.

Stories we cover in the programme

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Jennifer Tracey | 17:28 UK time, Saturday, 10 January 2009

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Tashe Match Special quiz

Tache Match Special
Can you guess the people behind these trend-setting moustaches?

Thought for the Day
We dipped our big toe into that epic debate: is there a place for The Today programme's Thought for the Day slot in contemporary Britain?

Kaupthing bank
We continue to follow the British savers who've lost money at the hands of the collapsed Manx bank.

One Laptop Per Child project
Chris put your questions to the founder of the One Laptop Per Child project, Nicholas Negroponte.

Things we're looking at for next week:
New Labour Exchange
With so many people joining the dole queue, is there less of a stigma attached to being without a job? And is it less isolating than it used to be thanks to social networking on the internet? Have you been made redundant recently?

Mixed Veg
iPM listener Adrian Faiers thinks the nutrition messages we get from official sources are confusing.

He thinks we're misled into thinking that expensive, inconvenient foods with tags like local and organic are better for you than cheap, easy to prepare foods like frozen veg.

Please share what you know below or drop us an email.

Thought for the Day: "a genuinely difficult question"

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Chris Vallance | 15:26 UK time, Wednesday, 7 January 2009

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damazer_web.jpg You've been discussing Thought for the Day on the blog. The controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer defends Thought for the Day in the statement below:

"I regard this as a genuinely difficult question. There may be a case for widening the pool of contributors on Thought for The Day by having someone with an avowedly non-religious perspective. However on balance the 91Èȱ¬'s position is that it is reasonable to sustain the slot with believers. Let me now set out the reasoning.

Thought for the Day is a unique slot in which speakers from a wide range of religious faiths reflect on an issue of the day from their faith perspective. In the midst of the three hour Today programme devoted to overwhelmingly secular concerns - national and international news and features, searching interviews etc - the slot offers a brief, uninterrupted interlude of spiritual reflection. We believe that broadening the brief would detract from the distinctiveness of the slot.

Within Thought for the Day a careful balance is maintained of voices from different Christian denominations and other religions with significant membership in the UK. We are broadcasting to the general Radio 4 audience which regularly engages with the comments and ideas expressed by our contributors from the world's major faiths - whether they are believers or not.

Read the rest of this entry

Your stories of unemployment

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Chris Vallance | 17:53 UK time, Tuesday, 6 January 2009

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We've been told could be made redundant this year. Some predict by mid 2010. We'd like you to help us tell the human stories behind those figures. Numbers alone rarely convey the reality of the situation.

For many, this will be their . If you have been made redundant or are facing the prospect of redundancy we'd like you to share your experience with us. Either post a comment on the blog or email us at ipm-at-bbc.co.uk. If you use or you can also use them to share your story.

  • If you've a we'd like you to include #redundantuk in your post to help .
  • If you are on Facebook, Rupert's, where you can share your experiences

You can still email and we like receiving letters too. The address is iPM, Room G601, TV Centre, London. W12 7RJ.

Tweets for the day

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Chris Vallance | 12:46 UK time, Tuesday, 6 January 2009

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On (not sure what Twitter is? ) people are telling us . We're taking a look prompted by a blog comment from Cool4cads. Here's some of what people are saying.

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More responses can be . Do you have any thoughts?

Tache Match Special

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Chris Vallance | 13:55 UK time, Monday, 5 January 2009

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In Hollywood, we read, . Yet fashion is a fickle mistress, in India the soup-strainer is and the that in political circles at least, was unlikely to make a comeback. Whether or not we are seeing the green-shoots of tache recovery we thought it the perfect excuse to play Tache Match Special. There are no prizes, it's not a competition and you should only call a premium rate phone line if you find that sort of thing gratifying.

The task: identify the taches above and leave your answers in the comments. NB some of the taches aren't real, and some are included in a beard.

Clue: there is a Radio 4 presenter and one Today programme "guest editor" in there. Answers will be revealed later this week.

UPDATE: The results are available here.

Rumbling skies

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Jennifer Tracey | 12:26 UK time, Monday, 5 January 2009

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We looked at the increase in early morning flights after listener, Sarah Fisher, wrote to us in November last year.

Plans for a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow, to open by 2020, are due to be announced .

If it gets the go-ahead, residents in inner London should benefit, but millions of people in outer London and the 91Èȱ¬ Counties will either hear aircraft noise for the first time or an increase in aircraft flying directly overhead, says today.

If you think your home may be under the flight path - try

Millions will be affected, if you're one of them please comment below or drop us a line.

Suggest a story

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Chris Vallance | 17:50 UK time, Saturday, 3 January 2009

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helpusmakeradio.jpg
Help us make iPM. The stories featured on the programme come from suggestions made by listeners and blog readers like you. Leave your idea as a comment below this post or email ipm-at-bbc.co.uk

For those who care the picture credit reads: 'Daphne Oram blowing a Mijwiz, an Arabic reed pipe, while Richard Bird records the sound on a tape machine. 91Èȱ¬ Radiophonic Workshop, Maida Vale, 1958.'

'Mijwiz' is now part of my secret scrabble lexicon..

Useful links to items on tonight's show.

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Chris Vallance | 17:46 UK time, Saturday, 3 January 2009

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royston_forweb.jpg Today's show was made possible by all those who nominated people for an iPM honour, and Eddie's put up the full list of nominees in an earlier post.

Here are some links to useful websites related to the stories we covered in more depth on the programme.


  • You can learn more about becoming a milk donor at the website of the

  • Find out more about basking sharks at

  • Royston Price (pictured) spoke to us about macular disease. More information on .

  • More information about

  • Find out about Paul Burden's charity bike ride at
.

holdaway_web.jpgUPDATE! Here's a picture of our iPM honour winner, Hilary Holdaway and her daughter Ruth. Thanks once again, from all the team, to those of you who sent in nominations. In news you often only see the worst the world has to offer, so nice to see the very best too.

The iPM New Year's Honour nominations in full.

Eddie Mair | 17:45 UK time, Saturday, 3 January 2009

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So Matt Smith is the new Doctor Who. Congratulations to him. But more importantly, congratulations to all our New Year's nominees.

There just wasn't time in the programme to name everyone nominated...so here they are! There's no space here either to list all the reasons people gave for nominating...but we thought it was important to list them for you. Thank you for all the nominations.

"I would like to nominate Alma Hodgson of Leeds. Alma is the most astonishing person I have ever met." Susan Taylor

"I would like to nominate Maurice Marshal for an iPM honour for his tireless and outstanding contribution to technical theatre for the last 30 years." John Wallace

"I would like to dedicate, for the New Years' honours list, a trustee of Camp Quality UK, Russell Casey. He was diagnosed with cancer as a child and went on a Camp Quality UK holiday. Fortunately, he survived, and decided to help those who'd previously helped him." Adam Abbs

Read the rest of this entry

Tomorrow at 17.30

Eddie Mair | 10:07 UK time, Friday, 2 January 2009

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we will honour the people who've been nominated for an iPM New Year's Honour...here on the blog and on the air.

If you miss it - don't forget you can podcast ( you don't need a pod ) - click on the link on the right.

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