Afaan Oromo, the single most widely spoken language in Ethiopia, is also spoken in Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea which will give the BBC wider audience than any other language, making it the largest broadcasting and media market in Africa. Furthermore, the Horn of Africa, as one of the most volatile and democratically deficient regions of Africa, needs an impartial and independent mass media outlets that will provide credible and trustworthy news and information services that promote democracy, economic development, and mutual-coexistence of various cultures, religions, and values.

The Afaan Oromo speaking population, which constitutes close to half of the estimated 98.9 million inhabitants of Ethiopia (over 30 million of whom are mother tongue speakers), remains among the most affected with the prevailing democratic deficiency in the region. As a result, there is no single independent and impartial Afaan Oromo newspaper, news website, and radio or television station. This democratic deficiency is depriving Afaan Oromo speakers, particularly the youth which constitutes about 74% of the total population, access to any credible, impartial, and independent news outlets. The danger this poses on the national and regional peace and stability, poverty eradication and economic development is self-evident; and needs urgent attention from policy makers and all interested parties including the BBC and the government of the United Kingdom.

Consequently, we call upon the BBC governing bodies and the government of the United Kingdom to make an urgent policy decision to reach out to this highly disenfranchised and marginalized Afaan Oromo speaking population of Ethiopia and the Greater Horn through the radio programs. It is hoped that this will also help to advance the United Kingdom’s global economic development and poverty eradication policies as well as to promote free expression, peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

Needless to say, to launch programs broadcast to the region in other languages and not launch one in Afaan Oromo would mean contributing to the privileging of the less widely spoken languages in the region and to sanction the existing inter-linguistic asymmetry created by the States’ national media. Not to fall into this trap, it would be ideal decision if the BBC decides to broadcast in three languages widely spoken in Ethiopia - Afaan Oromo, Amharic and Tigrigna following the VOA’s model.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7718451.stm

Russell Brand has resigned from his post as a Radio DJ on BBC Radio 2 following recent, unnecessary controversy about what he and Guest co-host Jonathan Ross said on the answer phone of Andrew Sachs, involving Sachs' granddaughter.

The whole thing has been blown greatly out of proportion by the media, as despite the figure being quoted in its thousands, only two complaints were received about the show, both for Ross's use of an expletive.

Since then, the media have stirred up uncalled for and unnecessary amounts of controversy, considering the dialogue used would be water off a ducks back to viewers of many comedy shows e.g. Little Britain.
What's more, listeners were warned about possibly offensive language and content.

The Sony Award winning Russell Brand show originated on BBC 6 Music before moving to take the 21:00-23:00 Saturday slot as Radio 2's showpiece.

It has been one of the most successful of recent times and is certainly one of the funniest and really does brighten up the days of many people, with regular Co-host Matt Morgan, poet laureate Mr Gee and regular guest, Oasis star, Noel Gallagher.

The show has attracted over 400,000 listeners live or even 2 million (depending on which source you believe) and many more via podcast, for which it has dominated the charts on iTunes.

For the show's regular items, Nanacdotes, Pin pin, 'Gay', the jingle race war, Mr Gee's poems and the two hosts, Russell Brand and Matt Morgan, as well as former hosts and friends, Mr Nibbs, Trevor Lock and Christophe the Fish !

Russell's resignation statement: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698527.stm

---------------------------------

Russell, people need you to make them laugh, you said yourself that was the reason you did it and people need you to brighten their days once more.

A revolution in your honour, Russell.

Your loyal fans.

PLEASE REFER THIS PETITION TO ANY OTHER FANS OF THE SHOW YOU KNOW SO WE CAN MAKE AS GOOD OF A GO OF THIS AS POSSIBLE.

RUSSELL PODCASTS:

http://www.russellbrandpodcasts.tk

THIS WEBSITE HAS PODCAST FEEDS WHICH MAY AID TO KEEP YOU SANE IN THE MEANTIME, WHILE WE ATTEMPT TO BRING BACK THE SHOW!

Sign the petition protesting the closure of the National Book Centre of Greece (EKEBI)

In response to the many expressions of support from booklovers in Greece and abroad, the staff of the National Book Centre are collecting signatures for an online petition to overturn the decision made by Alternate Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Athletics Kostas Tzavaras to close EKEBI.

The big scam organized by the Louvre Museum in Paris, blatantly called ‘The Arts of Islam’, demands a response.

Indeed, it is perfectly understandable that there has been an immense sadness, incomprehension and anger expressed by thousands of Iranians around the world in response to this pseudo exhibition. Hundreds of emails exchanged during these last weeks clearly reflect these emotions.

How could the managers of the Louvre, particularly those of its Islamic department, put into the same bag the arts of diverse cultures, some rooted in a history of several thousand years, and label them together, ‘The Arts of Islam’? One can only assume either a great ignorance of these cultures, dubious intentions or a real disdain for the intelligence and culture of their French countrymen.

Particularly obnoxious is that the pieces from Iran, which make up the majority of works in this exhibition, have been labelled without shame as ‘Islamic’.

The following are a few examples of those who works are included:
The great Ferdowsi, author of the monumental Book of Kings in the 10th Century, who fought Islam throughout his life, reviving the heroic pre-Islamic culture of Persia; Omar Khayyam, whose beautiful quatrains in the 12th century speak constantly of happiness of the present moment, wine and kisses, who said: ‘I would never exchange a moment of happiness with my beloved or a glass of wine sitting in the moonlight, with all of Allah’s paradise’; the great Hafez, revered by eight generations of Persians, for his poems of unsurpassed beauty, who called mosques ‘houses of quackery’, who could not live without a cep of wine, without the lips of the beloved, without music and without the songs of nightingales, who was receiving from the wine bringer the messages of freedom from distant boundaries of Existence and who, in great reverence, refers 57 times in his poems to ‘the master of the Magi’, that is Zarathustra.

These great symbols of Persian culture would turn in their graves to see their works presented in this pseudo-exhibition under the label ‘the Arts of Islam’.
To better understand the ridiculousness of this situation, imagine for a moment that the management of the Louvre should collect the disparate works of poets or philosophers of different cultures in Europe, such as Shakespeare, Molière, Baudelaire, Goethe, Nietzsche, with the arts of different styles such as Louis XIV furniture, realism, impressionism, expressionism, cubism, and put them together in the same bag with the label ‘The arts of Christianity’! How would you, as French, react?

Our French friends must understand that today the Iranians are engaged in a relentless cultural struggle, against the Islamic Republic, to reconstruct their shattered identity from their history of several thousand years. In this battle, the radiant stars of Persian culture you shamelessly include under the Islamic label are precisely their symbols and the instrument of this struggle.

Dr. Khosro Khazai
25 October 2012

First known as the New Victoria, the cinema was built by William Trent in 1930. It houses a magnificent auditorium with Scotland’s largest and grandest proscenium arch. The sidewalls have niches with sculptures of the muses of art, music and drama (designed by the artist Beattie), and the ceiling is studded with stars that represent the Milky Way.

This beautiful building is ‘the best surviving example of architecture of its time’ in the UK, according to the Cinema Theatre Association.

The present owners, a property development company called Duddingston House Properties, want to demolish the auditorium to convert the building into a boutique hotel. In December 2008, they received permission from the City of Edinburgh Council for their plans. They are now waiting for the go-ahead from Historic Scotland.

This building is B-listed and on the Register of Buildings At Risk. The Edinburgh Council were considering an A-listed grading when DHP put in their planning application, which put a halt to the upgrading process.

Historic Scotland has confirmed that they will pass their decision over the next few days. If Historic Scotland passes DHP’s plans, we risk losing a national treasure.

Historic Scotland has been informed by DHP and Edinburgh City Council that ‘there is no sustainable economically viable use for the building assuming retention of the auditorium’. This is quoted from a report prepared by Montagu-Evans for Edinburgh City Council. However, nobody interested in acquiring and restoring the building was consulted in the preparation of this report. No feasibility study has been carried out to test the viability of retaining the auditorium as either a theatre or a cinema.

The building itself is enormous. Alongside the cinemas, there is masses of useable space within the existing building, as well as land behind the building (where the original queue shelter stood), backing onto Buccleuch Street. This space can be converted into a major digital media access centre, a digital film library, and a Scottish art gallery. With a café-bar and restaurant, this could turn into an economically viable and vibrant space for the community and a nationally important creative hub for artists and filmmakers.

Please help save the old Odeon cinema. Please sign the petition or write directly to Historic Scotland at: Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh
EH9 1SH. Or phone Historic Scotland at 0131 668 8600. Please pass on this petition to as many people as quickly as possible, because we are battling against time.

See 'Minister calls in plans for Odeon' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Minister-calls-in-plans-for.5333682.jp

See 'Historic Edinburgh cinema wins reprieve' at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Historic-Edinburgh-cinema-wins-.5332706.jp

See 'Cinema's fate in ministers' hands' at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8081653.stm

See 'Ministers Urged to Save Historic Cinema' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Ministers-urged-to-save-historic.5310524.jp

See 'Don't let city's planners lose the plot over Odeon' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/opinion/Don39t-let-city39s-planning-lose.5297216.jp

See 'Hopes Raised Odeon will not be Razed' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Hopes-raised-Odeon-will-not.5289432.jp

See 'Cinema Report Against Demolition' at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8059054.stm

See 'Inquiry Call Over Odeon Demolition' at http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Inquiry-call-over-Odeon-demolition.5202763.jp

See article in The Skinny magazine 'Petition to Save Edinburgh's Old Odeon' at http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/45723-petition-to-save-edinburghs-old-odeon

See 'Save the Odeon' at http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/letters/Save-the-Odeon.5174750.jp

See 'Heritage group urged to stop final curtain falling on Odeon' at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Heritage-group-urged-to-stop.5165263.jp

See 'Petition Grows to Save Edinburgh Cinema' at http://www.edinburghguide.com/story/film/3162. Contains link to 'Thomas Crowne Affair' Premiere video footage filmed at the Odeon.

Listen to Ewen Bremner being interviewed about Edinburgh's old Odeon cinema on the Movie Cafe show on BBC Radio Scotland, aired on 2nd April. The programme will be online until 9th April at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074hml

See article in Scotsman: http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Thousands-sign-up-to-save.5127726.jp

See article in Evening News:
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Trainspotting-star-backs-film-hub.5115900.jp

Sujeita nos anos 40 do séc. XX a amplas obras de remodelação e inclusão de um órgão de concerto, esta sala dispõe de uma acústica ímpar gabada por artistas como Karl Leister (clarinetista solista da Orquestra Filarmónica de Berlim), Anthony Pey (solista inglês de grande nomeada), e os cantores Peter Schreier, Sarah Walker e Mara Zampieri, etc. e outros têm seleccionado este salão para efectuarem gravações de discos.

For humanity to move forward successfully in the 21st century, a spirit of unity
must be cultivated within the hearts of all nations and people.

A foundation must be laid that will allow each nation to grow and prosper
individually, but also collectively within the context of an interdependent global
community.

A successful future for all nations and people depends upon strengthening the
bonds of our commonality as human beings, while honoring our differences.

To create a healthy global environment for all nations to overcome the struggles
they face, we must recognize that all have erred, all have faults and none are
perfect, yet each has cultural gifts to share.

Let us recognize and value those gifts. Let us celebrate the wealth of our
diversity and strive to learn from each other and help one another in a spirit of
openness, understanding, trust and respect.

Click the banner to learn more about the LLP Global "World Unity Day" initiative.

Somerset Country Council have made the decision to cut 100% of next year’s £159,000 arts development budget. If you value the arts in Somerset then have your say...

If the cut goes ahead it will mean:

Arts organisations in Somerset will not be able to continue the same levels of arts activities within communities;

Children and young people will have fewer opportunities to access arts and education;

Vulnerable people, including isolated, older and disabled people, will have limited chances to benefit from social and health related arts projects;

Somerset’s arts organisations need to produce a petition signed by at least 5,000 Somerset residents in order to generate a new debate at a full County Council meeting on February 2011. Everyone in the family can have their say by signing a form or joining the online petition by the 16 December.

AS LONG AS YOU LIVE, STUDY OR ARE EMPLOYED IN SOMERSET YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO SIGN.

Under 18s need permission from a parent or guardian. Members of a household can sign using the same email address.

Friends of Douglas Bay Horse Tramway believe that the Tramway forms an intrinsic part of the Island's heritage offering to visitors; it is an icon for both Douglas and the Isle of Man.

This petition has been set-up to show the level of support that we know exists both on the Island and around the World for this service to be retained and financially supported by both Douglas Borough Council and the Manx Government