Help find a Strictly Come Dancing Star for Comic Relief

Posted on September 15, 2014 By Chris

Strictly Come Dancing professionals are set to put a sparkle into the lives of members of the public by training them to strut their stuff for a new BBC series.

For the first time EVER the BBC team that brings you ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ is opening its dance floor to the public and they’re looking for inspiring everyday unsung heroes to go on this incredible journey. We would really like you to nominate your heroes or heroines for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – their very own televised Strictly experience for Comic Relief as part of the next Red Nose Day campaign!

We are looking for you to nominate inspirational people who genuinely change many other people’s lives – and of course, it is essential that they are Strictly super fans. The show is going to be a complete surprise to these individuals, so it is very important that they have no idea they are being nominated for the show. It should be an amazing chance to reward these amazing people, with an unforgettable experience that will be broadcast to the nation at a primetime slot on BBC One.

To nominate your hero, all you have to do is send an email to nominate@bbc.co.uk to receive an application form.

Deadline for applications is 31st October 2014. Good luck!!

Funny headlines from around the world

Posted on May 30, 2014 By Chris

Some of the more random headlines from the BBC News website over the last week or so:

Saudi street fridge to feed the poor: A man in the Saudi city of Hail puts a fridge outside his house so people can leave food for the needy.
Elderly driver hits 11 parked cars: An elderly driver in Erfurt, Germany, damages 11 parked cars while trying to exit a multi-storey car park.
Dating show man in murder confession: A contestant on a Turkish television dating show reveals he murdered his former wife and a former lover – and vows not to kill his next partner.
Shard hotel rooms ‘not so private’: Guests at a luxury hotel in a central London landmark are being warned to close the blinds at night to avoid being seen from neighbouring rooms.
US twin babies born holding hands: A pair of US twin sisters who have a rare condition which meant they shared an amniotic sac have been born holding hands.
US baby survives 11-storey fall: A baby in the US state of Minnesota has survived an 11-storey fall from an apartment balcony, local media report.
US trio return $40,000 found in sofa: Three friends in New York find $40,000 (£24,000) in an old couch they bought but return it to the woman whose name was written on the envelope.
Cat brings bag of cannabis home: NZ woman finds something strange on her doorstep
French embarrassment over rail error: The French train operator SNCF has discovered that 2,000 new trains it ordered at a cost of 15bn euros are too wide for many regional platforms.
How Greg got his holiday: How one man’s leave request became a top trend on Twitter
Ghostbusters car stops the traffic: There’s something strange in the neighbourhood in Surrey – a replica of the 1959 Cadillac ECTO-1 ambulance from the movie Ghostbusters.
Italy police get new Lamborghini: Lamborghini gives a sports car to Italian police.
Charity worker rescues Osborne’s cat: Freya, Chancellor George Osborne’s cat, is rescued by a charity worker after straying more than a mile from her Downing Street home.
BBC talks to youngest girl on Everest: Thirteen-year-old Indian schoolgirl Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl ever to climb Mount Everest, tells the BBC she wants to be a role model for tribal children.
Game stunt causes office evacuation: Watch Dogs’ publisher apologises after a publicity stunt for the video game caused the bomb squad to evacuate the offices of a leading news site.
Pensioners loot church ‘for thrills’: One motive was the rush of doing something ‘forbidden’.

Funny headlines from around the world

Posted on March 1, 2014 By Chris

Some of the more random headlines from the BBC News website over the last week or so:

US school confiscates pupils’ meals: School officials in the US state of Utah apologise after a worker confiscated lunches from students whose parents were in arrears on meal payments.
Boulder smashes through Italian farm: Dramatic pictures are released showing the destruction wrought by a huge boulder that smashed through a farm in northern Italy after being dislodged by a landslide.
Meteorite medals for Sochi winners: Ten gold medallists at the Sochi Winter Olympics will each receive an extra medal containing chips from the famous Chelyabinsk meteorite.
Barca fan to design Real Madrid stadium: Real Madrid’s new football stadium will be designed by an FC Barcelona supporter.
Rowling ‘got Potter romance wrong’: Harry Potter author JK Rowling appears to suggest the boy wizard would have been a better match for Hermione Granger than Ron Weasley in a new magazine interview.
Parting kiss ‘traps Paris robber’: An alleged jewellery store robber who says he kissed a hostage out of compassion was tracked down through his DNA, a Paris newspaper reports.
Indians bin official over rubbish: Residents in the north Indian city of Kanpur force a local councillor onto a rubbish heap in frustration at the build-up of mounds of waste.
Toddlers take up extreme sports: Australian toddlers take up extreme sports such as BMX biking, rock climbing and skateboarding.
Earliest UK human footprints found: Scientists discover the earliest evidence of human footprints outside of Africa on the Norfolk coast in Eastern England.
Angry villagers want to quit Uganda: Ugandan villagers want to redraw the border and join Rwanda so they can have access to basic services.
‘Love tents’ for volcano evacuees: Residents forced to flee volcanic eruptions in Indonesia can now access secluded tents for romantic moments.
Philippines thanks world for aid: The Philippines commissions billboards in some of the world’s prime advertising sites to thank people for their help after Typhoon Haiyan.
Boy, 10, wins FA Cup for sleepover: A 10-year-old Merseyside football fan impresses his friends by winning a sleepover with the FA Cup.
US sinkhole swallows museum cars: A sinkhole swallows eight rare automobiles at a sports car museum in the US state of Kentucky, including two vehicles on loan.
Torvill and Dean recreate routine: Figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean return to Sarajevo to recreate gold medal-winning performance 30 years after winning at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Reflective antlers ‘keep reindeer safe’: Herders in Lapland paint their reindeer antlers to glow in the dark so drivers can see them at night.
Fired for using forklift to get Twix: A man in the US state of Iowa lost his job after using a forklift to dislodge a chocolate bar from a jammed vending machine, according to state records.
Pasty help for victims of floods: Cornish pasties are being used to feed people trying to fight the flood waters in Somerset.
Massive Australian mango disappears: The seven-tonne monument “disappeared” overnight, according to Bowen Tourism chairman.
US pair found ‘$10m buried treasure’: A California couple found a stash of gold coins buried on their property last year that is worth as much as $10m (£6m), numismatists say.
US man found alive in body bag: A 78-year-old Mississippi man has been found literally alive and kicking in a body bag at a funeral home after being declared dead, a coroner says.

BBC consultation on children’s programmes

Posted on April 20, 2013May 19, 2013 By Chris

Thanks to Mary Hawes for the heads up on a consultation the BBC is conducting about its programming (TV & Radio) for under 12s. The views of children are being sought as well as those of adults.

Click here to take part.

English Football Player Gives Broke Fan Free Tickets via Twitter

Posted on April 13, 2013April 24, 2013 By Chris

At a time when football has focussed on Paolo Di Canio’s political views, perhaps we should have been paying a bit more attention to Tyrone Mings

Mings is a defender for Ipswich Town FC, and he did one local fan a big solid before Saturday’s match against Bolton Wanderers. The story, which was reported on Digital Football, starts with a fan called Tris Monk, who tweeted a good luck message Mings’ way but said he was too “skint” to make the match in person

@tyronemings1 good luck today, wish i was there to watch, hopfully 3 points #skint

— tris monk (@blutris89) March 16, 2013

Generously, the player tweeted back and asked the fan if he could make it to Portman Road (Ipswich Town FC stadium). When the fan responded that he could get there, the defender tweeted:

The astonishing act of loyalty and generosity to a fan was a very simple act of kindness, but has quickly catapulted Mings to Twitter stardom with his initial tweet being retweeted 5,244 times. On top of this the youngster has seen his profile rise in the media with stories from the BBC, The Sun, Metro and ITV!

Funny stories from around the world

Posted on March 30, 2013 By Chris

Some more funny and random headlines from around the world:

Medellin is ‘most innovative city’: The Colombian city of Medellin is voted as the world’s most innovative for its modern transport system, environmental policies and cultural offerings.
Man says ex-girlfriend ‘stole sperm’: US media reports a Louisiana man sues a clinic accusing his ex-girlfriend of stealing his sperm and using it to get pregnant.
Dog ‘saves’ missing Polish girl: Firefighters in Poland say a small dog probably saved the life of a three-year-old girl who went missing from her home overnight in freezing temperatures.
Miners fired for doing Harlem Shake: Up to 15 miners in Australia have been fired after performing a version of the Harlem Shake underground and posting a video of it online.
Hanoi bans short, fat traffic police: Vietnam takes short, obese and abusive traffic police off the streets of Hanoi to improve the force’s tarnished public image, reports say.
Sabbath star pens Eurovision entry: Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi writes the song which will represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest.
‘Viking sunstone’ found in shipwreck: A crystal found in a shipwreck could be similar to a sunstone – a navigational aid said to have been used by Viking mariners, scientists believe.
Mind the Gap returns after wife plea: A 40-year-old “mind the gap” recording once heard across the Tube will return to one station – so the widow of the actor behind it can hear his voice.
Fake fingers ‘used for Brazil fraud’: A Brazilian doctor faces charges of fraud after being caught on camera using silicone fingers to sign in for her absent colleagues, police say.
Sick leave shark wrestler is sacked: A charity worker is sacked after his bosses saw footage of him wrestling a shark in Australia while he was on sick leave for stress.
MPs locked in after working late: Two MPs are locked in the House of Commons Library on Wednesday, having stayed there working late.
Titanic violin genuine, say experts: A violin thought to be the one played by the band leader on the Titanic as it sank is the genuine article, according to experts.
Doctor Who script ‘locked away’: Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat admits he is taking special care to protect the secrets of the programme’s 50th anniversary story in November.
BBC film ‘disturbed polar bears’: A film-maker who shot a BBC documentary about polar bears could be fined after Norwegian authorities said his methods disturbed the wild animals.
Marmite returns to New Zealand shops: ‘Marmageddon’ over as New Zealand shops restock locally-made Marmite, after shortages caused by the Christchurch quake in 2011.
Runaway lorry scare on German road: A heavy lorry careers along a German motorway for 10km (six miles) with an unconscious driver at the wheel, but nobody is hurt.
Canadian had knife in back for years: Doctors in Canada remove a knife from an unwitting man’s back more than three years after he was stabbed in a fight.
Groundhog ‘indicted’ for late spring: Ohio prosecutors issue an “indictment” against Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog famed for predicting spring’s arrival, after he got it wrong this year.
Pope calls kiosk to stop newspapers: Newly-elected Pope Francis stuns the owners of a Buenos Aires newspaper kiosk, by phoning directly to cancel his order.
Rare Beatles photos fetch £30,000: Pictures of The Beatles’ historic 1965 Shea Stadium concert, taken by an amateur photographer who bluffed his way backstage, sell for £30,000.
Ford sorry for Berlusconi advert: The Indian unit of Ford apologises for an advert showing former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi with a group of bound women in the boot of a car.
Lack of snow worries Sochi chiefs: Organisers of the 2014 Winter Olympic store snow for next February’s event after unseasonably warm temperatures in Sochi.
Lamb’s survival story on Twitter: Meet Micro Lamb – the tiny Hebridean lamb who survived the freezing North Yorkshire weather – and got her own Twitter account.
Game lets Argentina invade Falklands: An Argentine company develops map for the online game Counter Strike in which Argentine ‘police’ players fight British ‘terrorists’ on the Falklands Islands.
Louvre is most visited venue of 2012: The Louvre in Paris tops the list of the most visited art museums of 2012, according to the Art Newspaper.
Olympic Park opens up for tours: The London Olympic Park is reopened to visitors with 20,000 tickets sold in advance.
US ‘pregnant man’ refused a divorce: An Arizona judge refuses to grant a divorce for a transgender man who gave birth to three children.

Facebook Being Sued Over Like Button

Posted on February 12, 2013February 23, 2013 By Chris

The BBC has reported that Facebook is being sued for its use of the “like” button and other features of the social network. It is being sued by a patent-holding company, Rembrandt Social Media, acting on behalf of a dead Dutch programmer called Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer.

Rembrandt Social Media said Facebook’s success was based, in part, on using two of Mr Van Der Meer’s patents without permission. Facebook said it had no comment to make on the lawsuit or its claims.

“We believe Rembrandt’s patents represent an important foundation of social media as we know it, and we expect a judge and jury to reach the same conclusion based on the evidence,” said lawyer Tom Melsheimer from legal firm Fish and Richardson, which represents the patent holder.

Rembrandt now owns patents for technologies Mr Van Der Meer used to build a fledgling social network, called Surfbook, before his death in 2004. Mr Van Der Meer was granted the patents in 1998, five years before Facebook first appeared. Surfbook was a social diary that let people share information with friends and family and approve some data using a “like” button, according to legal papers filed by Fish and Richardson. The papers also say Facebook is aware of the patents as it has cited them in its own applications to patent some social networking technologies.

Do you think the Like button is something that can and should be patented? Tell us your thoughts on the suit in the comments.

UK’s first Atheist Church opens

Posted on January 9, 2013 By Chris

Stand-up comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans will bring together a godless congregation in The Nave in St Paul’s Road, Canonbury for services – with wedding ceremonies and funerals for non-believers even on the cards.

News of the church, which will meet on the first Sunday of every month starting with a service on the Feast of Epiphany on January 6, comes after the census results revealed last week that nearly one in three residents are atheists.

Mr Jones and Ms Evans, a musical improv comedian who had a BBC Radio 4 show called Showstopper, came up with the idea for The Sunday Assembly after agreeing they liked many aspects of religion but didn’t believe in a god.

Sanderson Jones, recently became the first person to sell out the Sydney Opera House by personally selling all tickets by hand, told The Islington Gazette:

“We thought it would be a shame not to enjoy the good stuff about religion, like the sense of community, just because of a theological disagreement. It’s part atheist church and part foot-stomping show. There will be a speaker on a theme each month but there will also be an awesome house band, which Pippa will lead. We’ll be helping people try and stick to their new year’s resolutions in the first service.”

The comics will invite speakers to talk on a theme every month, starting with children’s author Andy Stanton, who writes the Mr Gum series, on the topic of beginnings. Future guest speakers include fellow comedians Josie Long, Lucy Porter and Arthur Smith.

Mr Jones added:

“We all should be ludicrously excited every single moment to be alive in one of the best countries in the world. If the church becomes a useful place for others, that would be a good thing. We just want people to feel encouraged and excited when they leave.”

But the Rev Saviour Grech, Catholic parish priest of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church in Amwell Street, Finsbury, said:

“How can you be an atheist and worship in a church? Surely it’s a contradiction of terms. Who will they be singing to? It is important to debate and engage with atheists but for them to establish a church like any other religious denomination is going too far. I’m cautious about it.”

It does leave me slightly confused as to why you would imitate a Christian service, but try and do it in the theological perspective of atheism, and deeply ironic to do it in an ex church. What does anyone else think?