2July

The Mir space station suffered a near-catastrophic collision when an unmanned supply craft ripped into a pressurised module, severing a power cable and a solar panel. Carlton and Granada was granted the digital terrestrial television license. The Global Positioning System improved its positional accuracy from 100m to 10m. Manufacturers of in-car navigation hoped to reduce the price from £2500 per unit. The first domestic CD writer was launched; the hardware cost £600 with blank disks costing £3 each. Newfoundland celebrated the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's arrival on the island; a wooden replica of his ship, Matthew, arrived in Bonavista.

Blur were amongst the massive falls, with On your own tumbling from 5 to 22. At this distance, it's difficult to recall just how odd it was for Blur to record an album that was so difficult. Yet looking back at the group's previous recordings, it's entirely in character. The group's 1991 debut, Leisure, was clearly related to the Baggy scene, but was equally clearly not as deliberately foolish as anything the Happy Mondays ever recorded. Modern Life Is Rubbish laid down the parameters for the Britpop boom that would stem from its 1993 release - acutely observed, almost wilfully parochial, and nothing to do with the grunge fad that had ruled the previous year. Parklife (1994) was the archetypal Britpop album, and The Great Escape (1995) was, at least in part, a celebration of the scene. But it was also a satire, a view that Britpop was running out of ideas, a sense that it was the group's point of departure. 1997's Blur album had only the one sing-along track, and the needle behind Song 2 was overlooked by many people. The rest of the album was a hard listen, almost deliberately non-commercial, and we still find the second half of the disk blends into a mush. By 1999, the group was being less obstreporous, and 13 was a gospel-tinged celebration of life. The group released one more album before splitting, 2003's forgettable Think Tank. There was also a singles collection in 2000, and some double-albums available at places like Fopp. Oh.

(More: N-Tyce, the Course, and what was the weather like at Wimbledon?)

No Doubt had one of the greater entries into the Follow That Files, as Just a girl entered at 3. This was far more typical of the group's fast-moving sound than their massive number one Don't speak. It was a slightly familiar song, having been released - and been a number 38 hit - the previous autumn. Highest new entry honours go to Sash!, this time with the vocals of Rodriguez. Ecuador was another techno work-out, this time set (obviously) to a South American beat. It couldn't dislodge Puff Daddy's I'll be missing you from the top, and it began to look as though nothing would.

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2July

We disagree with Mooism's claim that Mr. Major's initial re-shuffle was primarily to promote Norma Lamont to his old job. He also promoted Kenneth Baker to the Interior Ministry (since divided into the Ministries of Funk and Justice) by the simple expedient of kicking David Waddington up the Bakerloo line to Lords', prompting a by-election in his Ribble Valley seat, and giving the Lib Dems (as they had then become) a much-needed shot in the arm.

Mr. Major also had to replace Sleazil Parkinson, who had resigned from the cabinet alongside ancien British prime minister Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, and find a place for defeated rival Michael Heseltine.

We do not subscribe to the prevailing wisdom that Mr. Brown's shuffle is as far-reaching as the press is currently painting it. Given that he had four resignations, including vacancies in two of the most important departments, he had to make sweeping changes. No, we're more interested in the way Mr. Brown mentioned Britain eight times in his speech outside 10 Downing-street this Wednesday; he mentioned change a mere seven times. Mr. Brown appears to be hunting the racist fox, even though that has now gone to ground.

More 4 is to broadcast some of the best shows Channel 4 has ever made (and that it can secure rights for) when C4 celebrates its silver jubilee this autumn. Our nominees include:

* Countdown. Obviously. We'd go for the 1000th edition, starring Allan Saldhana and Tim Morrissey, if only so that we can finally work out how they scrambled MILLENIUM (sic).

* Drop the Dead Donkey. Is there any mileage in bringing the cast together for a reunion edition? Or did the demise of Globelink put a kybosh on that idea?

* Fifteen-to-One. Daphne Fowler's 432 from May Day 2000.

* Sample episodes: an early edition of Channel 4 News; a The Big Breakfast from the Chris 'n' Gaby era; a Network 7, all completely without alteration or cut.

* A one-day re-make of The Channel 4 Daily. They took this off and gave us Big Brother repeats? (Taps side of head.)

* Between Iraq and a Hard Place, the Bremner-Bird-Fortune special exploring the reasons why an invasion of Iraq would have been wrong.

* Without Prejudice?. Obviously.

* Sport on 4, a compilation of the channel's commitment to showing the highest-quality sporting action, such as British League Basketball and Italian Football and the 2.35 Mudlarks Handicap from Chepchestershire. Oh, and there was a bit of cricket, too.

* Still Wanted, because we do wonder what happened to the intrepid runners. Or if Paul Denchfield ever shaved off his eyebrow.

New on DAB across the country is Traffic Radio, a five-minute roads bulletin repeated every five minutes. A staffer explains. Lower down the page, the list of which areas get which regional service. This is currently a trial service; the Department of Transport and Kiddyfiddling expects to award a permanent contract to begin in April 2008.

Off DAB (indeed, off air entirely) goes Capital Disney, a victim of costcutting following GWR's takeover. GWR has announced that it will be leaving national stations Core and Life as jukebox stations, and will leave those stations and The Jazz in dis-satisfyingly awful mono. We also notice that Core and jukebox station Chill have been removed from UK cable television services, an extreme example of parsimony by GWR.

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3July

Regular correspondent Mr. Pokery writes about Facebook. The comparison between the /home.php page and one's Friends page is clear. What's the problem with having everything on a /home.php page?

You can go on about /home.php as much as you like, it's all Greek to us.

(In that case, discuss /οικοσ.φπ – ΕΔ)

Ah, much clearer. Mr. Pokery continues, Is it the implicit lack of customisation, as per the concept of Friends groups? Is it the encouragement of microcontent rather than fuller-length content?

We should preface our remarks by pointing out that we do not have a Facebook account, and – unless the company ever proposes a term of service that does not invoke the rebellious provinces of North America – we do not anticipate creating such an account.

It is both of these, and neither. The lack of customisation, if problem it is, could be addressed by carefully restricting the number of graph edges that each node declares. Such an approach militates against the site's implicit philosophy, that everyone is related to everyone else.

The latter problem is a greater one, and shows where Facebook's priorities lie. As we understand it, and someone who actually has an account may be able to correct any glaring mistaikes, the one-page hit is full of updates into events that are scarcely quotidial even to the people doing them.

Blah blah commented on Blah blah at 12.13
Blah blah changed their photo at 12.34
Blah blah joined Blah blah's group at 13.02
Blah blah went to the toilet at 13.23

Scale this up to all twenty-seven gazillion nodes and edges, and we have an awful lot of chaff floating about. In this cacophony of meaninglessness, any actual insight is going to get drowned out in the din. Facebook is confusing action for thought, substituting chatter for wisdom.

And that is our principal problem. When people say that it tells everything, they really mean everything. No attempt to differentiate the mind-blowingly important from the utterly trivial.

The plastic bag tax in Ireland has risen from 15 cent to 22 cent, as the number of bags in circulation has risen by almost 50% since the levy was imposed in 2002.

Nick Barlow wonders, has anyone famous represented Redditch before now? We suspect that the area where Redditch now stands was unrepresented until national representation was secured in 1832. If we understand the maps correctly, the progression since reform was:

1832 – 1918: Droitwich
1918 – 1950: Kidderminster
1950 – 1997: Bromsgrove (renamed Bromsgrove and Redditch for Feb. 1974 election only)
1997 – present: Redditch

We are not entirely convinced that Kidderminster is the correct constituency for 1918-50; the alternative is the even more dull Evesham.

Just two previous MPs have biographies in the ODNB: John Packington (1837-1874), a First Lord of the Admiralty who did a lot to bring education to the working classes and devolution to the colonies; John Wardlaw-Milne (1922-1945), an early free-marketer and one of the few people who though Churchill was soft in the war.

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3July

M'learned friend Mr. Pokery has been playing catch-up on some relatively old posts. To That's Overhang!, he comments,

There seem to be very clear advantages in knowing before the election how many members ought to be elected after it [...] and I am not yet convinced – though I think I could still be! – that the possible overrepresentation of one region is a price worth paying for this benefit.

The question might best be posed: is it better to have a parliament (assembly, council...) of absolutely fixed size, or one that does its best to accurately represent the voting patterns expressed by the electorate? Is the important thing to have a roughly equal number of representatives per member, or a roughly equal representation of their views? Expanding the Welsh Assembly from 60 to 64 seats would ensure a more representative democracy, but would give slightly more voice to those regions where Overhang seats arose. Fixing it at 60 ensures (roughly) the same number of electors per member, but reduces the representation for Overhang areas.

(More discussion of this topic - 600 words)

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4July

Prochain ancien British prime minister Mr. Gordon Brown has proposed a dozen constitutional reforms, with the aim of transferring to parliament many of the duties reserved to the crown. Or, as Mr. Brown put it, to hold power more accountable and to uphold and enhance the rights and responsibilities of the citizen.

(More: The twelve main proposals discussed, and others enumerated - 690 words)

In practice, nothing of this will make a tremendous amount of difference - we can expect closure motions, use of the guillotine, and plenty of whipping to ensure that the decision the PM would have taken will now be rubber-stamped by Parliament. Where could be embarrassment for the PM? Recalls of parliament, perhaps some of these pre-appointment hearings as and when they expose a weak candidate. Opening up the intelligence strategy is, potentially, a large can of worms.

That statement, and ensuing question period, in full

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4July

Jemima Lewis writes in favour of a press with teeth, as opposed to the Cult of Journalism elsewhere in the English-speaking world.

We have no doubt that someone will be interested in Doctor Whoogle. We're not, being of the opinion that Dr. Who should have remained cancelled in 1985 and that G****e is just a variant spelling of /dev/null.

Ever wondered what happened to Romana II?

One head talking about Carry On Up Your Qaeda said that planting another bomb to catch people as they flee from one attack is pure al-Qaeda. Nonsense, it's a tactic used by the I.R.A. as early as 1974, back when Mr. bin Laden was still selling snake-oil in Saudiarabia.

Ten lawyers, five secretaries, one receptionist, and a tea lady. The seventeen remaining staff of British Rail, there.

Our thanks to regular correspondent and Eurovision deity Mr. O'inomel, who reminds us that Lucia Evans was the winner of You're a Star, the RTÉ equivalent of Star Academy, only without Richard "Dogsby" Park. And hence far, far, far superior.

Things we don't profess to understand, number 82. Macro (n). The OED writes: 1. An instruction written so as to be equivalent to a chosen set of several instructions. (Short-form: Macro-instruction). 2. Short-form: Macro-lens. and cross-refers to Macro- (comb form), from the Greek makros meaning long, large. So what has this got to do with the current fad of taking a picture, and slapping some funny text over it. Folks, there's a perfectly good term for this: the caption competition. (See: every episode of Have I Got News for You, even the unfunny ones hosted by Alexander Armstrong.)

Things we do profess to understand, but only some hours later: Mr. O'Inomel's joke.

Things we do understand, don't find particularly appealing ourselves, but know that many readers will like: seven short questions for the Potterverse.

Norman Lebrecht really likes Myleene Klass. The bleeding chunks have nothing to do with the face on the cover, or with each other.

A telepathic parrot, capable of speaking 950 words, has now become invisible.

The Committee for Skeptical [sic] Inquiry [sic] investigates the physiology of prayer.

Following up our recent review of How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World, we note the presence of The Threat to Reason by Dan Hind. He's been answering questions posed by Ready Steady Book. (part 2, 3)

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5July

Next in the list of Great German Hits that were never even released in the UK comes Ben. He was twenty in 2002, when he had his big hit Engel. It's a slow song, written about a relationship that has soured. You do not feel this hurt in me, you do not see I can no more help me, he sings in the opening stanza, and continues the theme in the chorus, Angels cry - angels suffer, Angel spends times alone. Soured, but not beyond redemption, as the closing lines indicate, Where is the light that connects us? What separates us both? I read a word in the mote of your eye.

The female vocals are from Gim, a session musician who hasn't done much herself. Engel was a number two single in Germany for six weeks in March and April 2002, kept from the top throughout by Whenever wherever. He would have two more top twenty hits before the year was out, the more upbeat Herz aus Glas (Heart of glass) and another mushy number, Gesegnet seist du (Happy you). His second album, 2003's Leben leben was something of a flop, and Ben has since concentrated on television work.

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5July

Mainstreamness for the week to 1 July

Radio 1: 24.13%
Radio 2: 12.61% (18.5%)
6 Music: 31.87%
1Xtra: 10.37% (13%)
Virgin 1215: 34.58% (43%)
Virgin Extreme: 41.66% (43.5%)

Figures in brackets are estimates where one or more of the station's top 15 acts fails to return listeners.

Media Network reports the replacement for Radio 10 Gold on 1008 kHz medium wave. It's Groot Nieuws Radio, broadcasting to the Dutch evangelical god-bothering community. Would have thought it would be cheaper to phone them all up. Meanwhile, Arrow Classic Rock has left 675 kHz in favour of FM distribution. It is not clear who will take the frequency, or when.

Car bomb in Birmingham causes little damage. Not least because the explosion was six years ago, during a campaign by the I Can't Believe It's Not The I.R.A.

An interesting set of thoughts on inclusion and exclusion; see the section entitled When in Rome..., where Jamie outlines how the liberal reaction is to accept that other people have different moral codes from oneself. That's not to say that one should deliberately cause offence, but that using the law to encourage a specific moral code is wrong in itself.

Baby's first credit card, a Crooked Timber thread that eventually dissolves into a discussion about the nature of the corporation vis-a-vis the person.

The single European train fare, in which through ticketing across much of Western Europe is proposed for just 18 months hence. Regrettably, but typically, the UK is not included in the scheme, and we can blame the fragmented nature of the system following Labour's rail privatisation.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

McGazz asks, Does anyone else find the recent series of BT adverts with My Family's Kris Marshall horribly depressing? In the ads, which have been on our screens for nearly two years... All of which goes to show how effective our anti-advert filtering system is - we cannot comment on any of Mr. McGazz's points because we have not seen any of these commercials. That's what video-on-demand and videotaping and careful use of the mute button can do for you.

Even we know this is wrong: JK Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, will join cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger at today's European premiere of the new Harry Potter film in London's Leicester Square.

Blistering Barnet! Bozza versus Red Ken?

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7July

Brig Bother, 2 July: all the cool people are into Sasuke and Viking now. The Game Show Times for 10 January: 1900 ESP2 Viking – A cross between Takeshi's Castle and The Surely Impossible Way of the Warrior.

Which brings us to Mr. Pokery's paen of praise for Tchoukball, another show on ESP2. Other highlights on Eurosport2 have included Timbersports (competitive chopping of wood), Indycars (or Chump Car, or Dance Dogems Car, or whatever), Backgammon, Lacrosse, Indoor NFL, Three Cushion Billiards, as well as such regulation fare as Five Nations Rugby, GP2, Volleyball, Arm Wrestling, and one of the many body wrestling competitions.

On his other point, we have a vague recollection that highlights from the World Games appeared on Eurosport2 during 2005; they dribbled out over a period of six months or so, rather than an as-live orgy.

Not showing on Eurosport 2: Fifty Imperfect Sporting Moments and Five Great Sporting Interruptions.

Rod McKenzie on impartiality and why the BBC should explain a little more. Perhaps they need a much-heard show on music radio where the newsreader and DJ try to explain what's going on in the world. A bit like, er, Rodders and Mayo circa 1990.

Richard Burden, the parliamentary expert on Palestine and Looking Suspiciously Like Harry Potter, wonders what the hell the government is playing at. We told the Palestinians to go down the path of democracy, but then shunned the Government who came out of the elections that we supervised. We told Hamas to turn away from violence and to commit to democracy, so it stood for election, suspended its attacks on Israel and offered a long-term ceasefire. When that happened, we ignored those changes and we are still not admitting that they took place.

Laying the BBC's rotten science to rest: men do not talk less than women (2) Not that that's stopped Louann Brizendine, the quack who has been popularising the myth, from coming up with a bigger load of bullshit.

Bong!

7July

Regular correspondent Quirks writes regarding Myleene Klass and crossover classical music.

This style of music seems to be best considered as classical music trying to ape popular music.

Regular correspondent Mat GB had the misfortune to hear Mr. Lebrecht talking with Miss Klass. Now, we have no particular liking for Mr. Lebrecht - he's an adequate moderator for a radio discussion programme.

Overgrown Path explains the problem with Radio 3 at the moment. Giving in to commercial pressures and relinquishing the high ground has resulted in no audience gains against Classic FM.

We completely disagree with the conclusion, though. We suggest to chop off the head of Radio 3, and reach inside for the vestigial remnants of The Third Programme. Work out a sequence of live concerts and plays and intellectual talks, and dot them around the schedule. Broaden horizons. Include pieces on musical theatre, on light classics, on jazz, on science, technology, philosophy.

Yes, this will tread on the toes of Radio 4. So it should. The divide between 3 and 4 is a form of broadcast snobbery, as artificial as the divide between pop and classical. None of the BBC's stations have the variety one can hear on Australia's Radio National, on RTÉ's Radio 1, even on the World Service before it became a continual news programme.

There is a place for GWR Easy Classics, as a nursery slope for the classical music output of Radio 3. The BBC is right to offer entry points to a service that appears to be an inaccessible monolith, but it is wrong to make that entry point every minute of the week.

If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing properly, not the half-hearted efforts that pass muster under the control of Roger Wright.

(More: Soprani, Klass and Lebrecht, where BBC radio is going wrong, and why the press isn't helping. - 900 words)

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8July

Kurt Nilsen has a number one in Norway - the defending World Idle champion pushes Push push ahead of all-comers, including a new release from the Fray, entitled How to save a life. Worrying news from Poland, as Over the rainbow enters the top twenty in a version by Eva Cassidy and Ketevan Meluargh (to give her her full name). Scrappy Spice enters the Irish charts at number 4 with When you're gone, Rihanna's Umbrella is the new chart-topper in Flanders, Gregory Lemarchal's De temps en temps adds Walloonia to its week on top in France, Enrique's Do you know is most-played in Estonia, and the highest new entry (number 6) in Germany. Those getting a bit bored by the success of Rihanna should look at Denmark, where normal service resumes - after a six-week break, Trine Dyrholm's smash hit Avenuen returns to the top. It's the song's nineteenth week at number one this year, and the 62nd in total. That's a year and two months and more...

20 re DJ Ötzi - Ein stern
19 20 Reverend and the Makers
  - Heavyweight champion of the world
18 NE Bon Jovi - (You want to) make a memory
17 15 Timberland et al - Give it to me
16 16 Michael Bublé - Everything
15 14 Mark Medlock - Now or never
14  9 Mika - Love today
13 12 Fray - How to save a life
12 19 Gregory Lemarchal - De temps en temps
11 18 Marquess - Vayamos campeneros
10  5 Åvril Lavignnesøn - Girlfriend
 9 10 Mutya Buena - Real girl
 8  7 Mika - Grace Kelly
 7  4 Beyonce / Shakira - Beautiful liar
 6  6 Mika - Relax (take it easy)
 5 NE Åvril Lavignnesøn - When you're gone
 4  8 Enrique Iglesias - Do you know?
 3  2 Linkin Park - What I've done
 2  3 Nelly Furtado - Say it right
 1  1 Rihanna - Umbrella

8July

Obscure band The Rubinoos claim that Åvril Lavignnesøn's recent hit Girlfriend is almost identical to their work, I want to be your boyfriend.

Before we begin, a roll of the eyes to Spice Girls fans, who picked this week to all download Stop in the hope of righting a wrong from March 1998 and getting the song to number one. They ran into a charity gig, and fell short by a mere 77 places. If you want to do that sort of thing, do it in the last week of December.

New entries include stuff from the Scissor Sisters (64), the Smashing Pumpkins (59), Go! Team (57), Shapeshifters (56), and Fall Out Boy (48). Notable re-entries following last week's charity gig include Lily Allen's Smile (49) and Take That's number one before last, Patience (47). The most recent TT single is their third biggest seller this week. It's also out of the top 75.

New Young Pony Club has been on the fringes of success for seemingly forever; Ice cream is their first top 40 hit, and only just. The Fray make 26 weeks in the top 40 by holding at 39, and Take That's last number one single Shine rebounds from 75 to 37 following their appearance at last week's charity gig. Sales from this week's charity gig will be reflected in next week's chart, which explains why Stacey Ferguson's Glamorous re-enters at 36. New entry at 35 for Mess 29 with the rather decent Over the barricades, they've been doing a lot of promotion in their native Peterborough. We're less impressed with Alibi's version of Sexual healing at 34. If there's one record from the current 1997 Nostalgia posts that should properly be left in 1997, it's the number one, I'll be missing you performed by Puff Daddy. 524 weeks after it began a six-week run at number one (SPOILER! Oh.), Mr. Daddy (with uncredited vocals from Faith Brown and 112) returns to number 32. Interpol enter at 31 with The Heinrich manouvere, or the one that goes How are things on the west coast? Bringing up our line to Weston-Super-Mare, we find the answer is muddy. Amazingly, that's this week's Highest New Entry; a few less sales and we could have had the second time the HNE had been a re-entry this year.

We can work out why the Editors slump thirteen places, but not why Timberland et al rebound three places to 27. We never understood their work in the first place. Nelly Furtado also benefits from the charity gig, rebounding from 54 to 26. The song has now filled every place between 23 and 27. Bobby Valentino's Anonymous climbs from 57 to 25, even though it's rubbish; it's three Timberland productions in consecutive places, making him the Stock Aitken and Dennis Waterman of our times. Surprised to see Gwen Stiffeny drop two to 24, though the nine-place climb for the Arctics is more pleasing.

Lily Allen covering the Kaiser Chiefs climbs 20 to 20, and the Enemy slump from 4 to 17. My Chemical Romance continue their climb, up 13 to 16, and Justin Numberwang is up 7 to 12. It's the biggest download-only song so far.

Four songs got physical releases and moved into the top ten. Stacey Ferguson's Big girls don't cry from 28 to 8, Nataaaaaaaasha Bedingplant's Solemate from 49 to 7, Timberland's The way I am from 18 to 6, and Åvril Lavignnesøn's When you're gone from 17 to 3. Rest of the top five: Hoosiers up one to 5, Enrique Inglescribbles down one to 4, Katherine Nash holds at 2, and it's an eighth week at number one for Rihanna.

The Chemical Brothers take the number one album, with We Are the Night. The Travelling Wilburys are back up one to 2, and Crowded House enter at 3 with Time on Earth. The Editors and Take That round out the top 5, with Velvet Revolver's Libertad and a climber from Nelly Furtado in hot pursuit. Take That (again), Lily Allen, and Rod Stewart have big climbs into the top 40. Other new entries: Robin Thickie at 30, Ash at 32, Air Traffic at 42, Andrea Bocelli at 43, Unkle at 58, and the Happy Mondays at 73. Climbs and re-entries include Elton John (23), James Morrison (25), Feeling (34), and Stacey Ferguson (51).

 3 17 Åvril Lavignnesøn - When you're gone
11  7 Jack Penate - Once and never happy hour again
15 10 Reverend and the Makers
  - Heavyweight champion of the world
16 29 My Chemical Romance - Teenagers
17  4 Enemy - Had enough
23 32 Arctic Monkeys - Flourescent adolescent
28 15 Editors - Smokers outside the hospital doors
30 21 Mutya Buena - Real girl
31 NE Interpol - The Heinrich manouvere
33 20 Kelly Clarkson - Never again
35 NE Mess 29 - Over the barricades
39 39 Fray - How to save a life
41 37 Holloways - Generator
42 25 White Stripes - Icky thump
43 38 Fray - Over my head
44 31 Scouting for Girls - It's not about you
46 27 Cherry Ghost - People help the people
49 re Lily Allen - Smile
55 51 Åvril Lavignnesøn - Girlfriend
57 NE Go! Team - Grip like a vice
59 NE Smashing Pumpkins - Tarantula
62 56 Mika - Grace Kelly
63 55 Mika - Love to-day
69 NE Mika - Big girl (you are beautiful)
71 re Nelly Furtado - Maneater
72 re Lily Allen - LDN
74 42 Calvin Harris - Acceptable in the eighties

.. 41 Crowded House - Don't stop now
.. 44 Twang - Either way
.. 53 Killers - For reasons unknown
.. 61 Fratellis - Chelsea dagger
.. 63 Killers - Read my mind
.. 64 Paramore - Misery business
.. 67 Manic Street Preachers
  - Your love alone is not enough
.. 69 View - Face for the radio
.. 71 Mark Ronson - Stop me
.. 73 Killers - Mr Brightside

8July

This week, we've been watching and hearing...

• Paris (OU/BBC-2) The first two episodes of an exploration of the city.
• Coast (OU/BBC-2), in which Neil Oliver tries (again) and fails (again) to get to Bell Rock, and Alice Roberts breaks the Forth road bridge.
• Wimbledon (Radio 5), turning into Casualty with Williams Minor playing through her injury.
• Face the Music (BBC Wales for The Fourth Programme) An entertaining little diversion. They could lose the red backdrop.
• Women's Institute (Century Films for The Fourth Programme), bitchiness and petty bickering in the Yorkshire dales. A well-observed series.
• Triathlon (Eurosport) the Windsor event.
• London Calling (The Fourth Programme), going behind the scenes with the World Service Arabic programme in the invasion of Lebanon last year.
• Feedback (Radio 4) The lack of Now Show podcasts is given the attention it deserves, and answered by the BBC's Head of Carpets. There's a worryingly familiar feature on repeats on the radio, which doesn't explain why BBC7 has been spinning out the same 200 days' worth of programming for nearly five years. And, more pleasantly, a chat with Tom Sutcliffe about Round Britain Quiz.
• Fort Boyard (TV5) The annoying Samantha. No wonder Humph doesn't let her speak.

8July

The Sea Stallion of Glendalough, a replica Viking ship, left Denmark, bound for Iceland.

British police arrested nine people under anti-terrorism legislation, following the vehicle devices used last week. Two people were subsequently charged for possession of cannabis with intent to supply. The Ministry of Funk admitted that it had over-reacted, and lowered the threat level to normal.

The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, a Russian city on the Black Sea, near the border with Georgia. Sochi was preferred to Pyeongchang in Korea (South) by a narrow majority of Crass Spectacles.

The Australian Minister for War, Mr. Nelson, has confirmed that the invasion of Iraq was mostly about oil.

We regret to report the death of Hy Zaret, songwriter, best known for his theme to the 1955 motion picture Unchained.

8July

Traditionally - excluding last year - the opening week of July has been cool and wet. This year was no different, the fourth consecutive cool and wet week. Play at the Wimbledon tennis tournament was badly affected by the persistent showers, but just about finished on time.

02 Mo sun, showers      13/18,12.0
03 Tu sun, showers      12/19, 2.5
04 We sun, showers      12/18, 2.0
05 Th rain pm           13/19, 5.5
06 Fr sunny spells      13/18, 0.5
07 Sa sun               13/20
08 Su sun to showers     6/21, 8.5

Rainfall in July: 38.5mm; monthly average: 69mm

Degree cooling days: 33
2006: 132/360
2005: 78/238
2004: 57/198
2003: 81/328