Release our schools from all this red tape

Published: 8:05PM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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Ofsted"s ultimate comment of the efficacy of the Government"s flagship preparation policy, the "National Strategies", exposes the elemental flaw. The goal was noble: to force up standards of preparation and numeracy, generally in initial schools. The income was positively available: about �4.5 billion was poured in over a decade. It was the doing that valid hopelessly misguided. Instead of schools being empowered to broach the programme, it was implemented in a top-down conform by Whitehall. That was bad enough. What done it worse was that shortcoming for using the plan was put in the hands of Capita, the Government"s prime consultancy. The Ofsted inform suggests that the impasse was prying and counter-productive. One propagandize was visited by officials no fewer than 55 times over dual years. A internal management central had twenty-six meetings with National Strategies staff in her diary in a 12-month period. Councils were deluged with reports that offering "no utilitarian information".

Enveloping schools in red fasten might have been great for Capita"s change sheet, but was a goofy approach to lift standards. And, certain enough, it did not work. Ofsted found that schools have been so impressed by clumsy interventions from the centre that swell in English and maths has been "too slow" over the past 4 years. Last summer, English scores in Sats tests for Year Two pupils fell for the initial time since the exams were introduced fifteen years ago. One kid in five right away leaves initial propagandize carrying unsuccessful to reach the approaching customary in English and maths, a shameful statistic in an modernized society. Ofsted found "weaknesses" in training standards at half of all delegate schools and a third of primaries, notwithstanding the billions outlayed on the programme.

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The National Strategies plan has been at the heart of Labour"s attempts to lift propagandize performance. That it has valid so ineffectual and is right away being axed is a distressing complaint of a Government that claimed to have preparation as the priority. For the Conservatives, this is a vital opportunity. Michael Gove, their shade schools minister, has charted a considerably opposite approach, proposing a array of reforms written to give energy and resources to schools to run their own affairs, inside of extended inhabitant guidelines. Head teachers will be means to prerogative great teaching, and teachers will be since the energy to say classroom discipline.

With Labour"s high-spending corporatism effectively tested to destruction, the destiny for the schools lies in larger liberty and a genuine clarity of energy for heads, teachers and parents. The man in Whitehall unequivocally does not know best.

Gordon Browns bullying digitally recreated in Taiwanese news footage

By Matthew Moore Published: 9:07PM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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A computer generated version of the Prime Minister is shown grappling with aides, pulling a cabinet member out of her chair and punching the behind of a car chair in digital dramatisations of new allegations about his bullying behaviour.

The existence even shows Mr Brown slapping one No 10 central purify in the face, in a stage that appears to go over the revelations done by Andrew Rawnsley, the domestic publisher who pennyless the story.

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The clips are spliced with radio footage of Mr Brown and stills of Mr Rawnsley"s book, in an differently trustworthy headlines package about the Prime Minister"s travails.

While Mr Brown competence be repelled to sense that the bullying claims are creation headlines in Asia, he can take a little condolence from his work of art in the simulation. His avatar is significantly slimmer and younger than the real-life PM.

The shave has annoyed most cheer between Twitter users after being picked up by multiform domestic bloggers on Tuesday. One commenter on the regressive blog Dizzy Thinks simply wrote: "Makes you unapproachable to be British."

Apple Daily, a journal and website formed in both Hong Kong and Taiwan, has formerly used computer existence to reconstruct the car pile-up that led to the unravelling of Tiger Woods" passionate misadventures.

Serb police raid home of Ratko Mladic

Published: 9:52PM GMT twenty-three February 2010

Dozens of armed officers shut off the suburban travel where the residence belonging to Mladic"s family is located.

The fight crimes prosecutor"s bureau pronounced the poke was piece of ongoing efforts to find the former Bosnian Serb armed forces commander in chief longed for by a UN justice for the electrocute of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica.

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Vladimir Vukcevic pronounced authorities were operative to lane Mladic"s monetary await network. Local headlines agencies reported that the military found at slightest €70,000 (�62,000) during the Tuesday search.

Mladic"s son Darko was in the residence at the time of the raid.

In past searches, military confiscated documents, computer discs and videos from Mladic"s house.

Mladic was charged for violent death in 1995 by the judiciary in The Hague, Netherlands, and is believed to be stealing in Serbia underneath nationalists" protection. He dead from Belgrade in early 2006.

Serbia, that not long ago submitted the candidacy for European Union membership, contingency detain Mladic if it wants to move closer to the 27-nation bloc.

Hollywood stars turn out for Burberry at London Fashion Week

By Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director at London Fashion Week Published: 10:48PM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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Celebrities who wore the 154-year-old tag to watch the show enclosed Uma Thurman, Kate Hudson, Claire Danes, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Mia Wasikowska, star of the new Alice in Wonderland film.

Anna Wintour, in a red, twinkly tweed Chanel skirt and fox-trimmed, Burberry "mac", headed a couple of five general Vogue editors-in-chief.

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The Tory personality David Camerons wife, Samantha, sat in the front row, drifting the dwindle in a Stella McCartney jacket, Jigsaw trousers and Erdem blouse.

They saw Burberry launch a tellurian character descent in 2D and 3D. At 4.25pm, a couple of mins at the back of schedule, Burberry Prorsums autumn/winter 2010-11 pick up strike the catwalk in a 1,000-seat tent in the drift of the Chelsea College of Art concurrently being streamed around the world, and additionally in 3D to audiences in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Dubai.

The 53-piece collection, written by the Yorkshireman Christopher Bailey was a "salute to the services", referencing Burberrys prolonged impasse with the military.

The "Burberry Cadet Girls" shaped a troops parade, in updated sheepskin drifting jackets, alive with with buckles and zips, officers disaster jackets, khaki trouser suits, trench-coats, and naval reefer jackets.

The pick up was sexed-up with skin-tight edging and fine cloth body-conscious dresses, ragged over thigh-high tanned hide and snakeskin boots.

In a conform first, majority of the pick up was accessible to buy online after the show, until 4pm on Friday. London Fashion Week finishes currently with Mens Day.

Ranger locked woman in park due to health and safety

Published: 11:59AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

Anneka Bair, a 23-year-old barmaid, pronounced she was trapped in the 3 hactare parkland at night notwithstanding cheering at the ranger as he sealed the gates.

Miss Bair pronounced she ran towards the ranger "screaming at the tip of my lungs" after conference him shutting the gates, but that he gathering afar in his van.

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But the Croydon Council worker after explained he had not been means to come in the play ground after dim to check for visitors given it was opposite health and reserve rules.

Miss Bair was discovered from the play ground when she called her beloved Nick Lovell, who was on his approach to encounter her, and he confronted the motorist as he was withdrawal the area, perfectionist that he let her out.

Miss Bair said: "When I confronted him about locking me in he told me it was a crack of health and reserve manners for rangers to go in to the play ground after dim given they could be attacked.

"I was usually in there for a couple of minutes, but only suppose if I had been a licentiate or something it could have given me a heart attack."

Croydon Council apologised to Ms Bair and pronounced they are "reviewing" the times they close play ground gates in the precinct to safeguard health and reserve issues are addressed.

Owen Giddings, the parks coordinator, said: "I will be reviewing the stream complement of locking parks after dim to equivocate any risk to staff and the public."

A legislature mouthpiece pronounced the ranger had "given dubious information" about health and reserve manners to Ms Bair, adding: "The legislature regrets this, and given being brought to the notice, the play ground ranger has been oral to."

Apples Schiller speaks out over App Store cull

By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor Published: 11:27AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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Phil Schiller"s comments have confused developers influenced by the ultimate App Store winnow Photo: GETTY

Phil Schiller, the head of worldwide product offered at Apple, pronounced that developers had been submitting an augmenting series of apps containing "very objectionable" content.

"It came to the point where we were stealing patron complaints from women who found the calm stealing as well spiritless and objectionable, as well as relatives who were dissapoint with what their kids were means to see," he told the New York Times.

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But Mr Schiller"s comments have finished small to transparent up the difficulty surrounding the erasure of around 5,000 apps from the App Store after Apple motionless they contained "overtly sexual" content.

Developers have criticised Apple for the stance, angry that whilst clearly harmless apps such a Daisy Mae"s Alien Buffet, a video diversion that facilities a bikini-clad heroine, and Dirty Fingers, in that a hardly ready to go lady "wipes" blemish outlines from the iPhone shade utilizing a broom and mist bottle have been deleted, other, clearly some-more "overtly sexual" apps together with ones from Sports Illustrated and Playboy sojourn on sale by the App Store.

Mr Schiller pronounced that Apple had taken in to comment the source and vigilant of the focus when permitting the Sports Illustrated app to sojourn on sale. "The disproportion is this is a obvious association with formerly published element accessible broadly in a well-accepted format," he said.

Industry experts hold Apple is attempting to purify up the App Store forward of the launch of the iPad, a tablet-style computer that Apple hopes will infer renouned with family groups and schools.

"At the finish of the day, Apple has a code to maintain," Gene Munster, an researcher at Piper Jaffray, told the New York Times. "And the bottom line is they wish that picture to be squeaky clean." He estimates that around 7,000 of the 140,000 apps in the App Store had a small kind of passionate theme.

Some industry commentators have additionally referred to that the App Store winnow could inhibit developers from building for the Apple height in future, and pull them towards other, some-more open platforms, such as Google Android, that don"t suggest a pre-approval routine for apps.

"We patently caring about developers, but in the end, we have to put the needs of the kids and relatives first," pronounced Schiller.

On British association that has depressed tainted of the App Store winnow is Simply Beach, a engineer swimwear retailer. Its app, that authorised people to emporium for bikinis and beachwear, has additionally been pulled from the store for "overtly passionate content".

"The email arrived true to a junk mail printed matter on Friday and to be honest we thought it was a spam joke," pronounced Gerrard Dennis, handling executive of primogenitor association The Simply Group. "We afterwards checked iTunes to find the app had in actuality been removed. Its usually women in bikinis, swimsuits and kaftans."

The association has resubmitted the app to iTunes, and combined an age restriction, but Mr Dennis says the warn winnow could imperil destiny commercial operation and innovations. "We are a small commercial operation perplexing to work in the new mobile world. Apples arrogant poise is not helpful; we had no consultation, usually a we private you" email.

"The images on the app are no some-more passionate than you would find in any Sunday newspaper, and there is no age limitation on offered those. There are copiousness of passionate apps in iTunes and to classify the offered app as one is ludicrous.

"This has put peoples jobs at risk, as we rely on all income streams. It would have been improved to have had a small notice or contention prior to stealing the app. I pretence all wardrobe retailers that sell anything alternative than overcoats will right away have to be private from iTunes?"

Other industry watchers have additionally highlighted the ludicrousness of the situation. ""If you"re still seeking for "sexy" calm on your iPhone, you can still find copiousness of nakedness in iTunes Apple has no complaint offered R-rated movies or you could usually cocktail open Safari," pronounced Jason Kincaid, a bard with the record website TechCrunch.

"Apparently, unprotected disruption in Playboy is less descent to women and relatives since it"s additionally being printed in a magazine, or something.

"The preference unequivocally isn"t all that startling there"s small risk of the Playboy focus perplexing to hide in a small impassioned nudity, and with usually a handful of mainstream "sexy apps", there"s most less clutter. Still, such injustice sets a bad fashion for the App Store, and Schiller"s reason usually feels lame."

Dudes ageing disgracefully

By John Weaver, in Vancouver for AFP Published: 10:49AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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Shaun White, the snowboarding men"s halfpipe bullion award winner. Photo: EPA/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

Whether it"s the "jeans" ragged by the US group - in sheer contrariety to the some-more required rigging of the skiers - or mouth-watering themselves to cooking at the White House, the snowboarding "dudes" have combined their own niche.

Competitors in the halfpipe even get to collect their own songs to float to, with Lady Gaga"s Bad Romance and MGMT"s Kids being renouned picks.

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But no make a difference how self-consciously opposite it is, the sport, right away in the fourth Games, is alternate in to the mainstream, with Shaun White, a halfpipe rider, one of the megastars in Vancouver.

Asked how he was going to applaud maintaining his bullion medal, the multi-millionaire White said: "To encounter the boss of the United States would be cool. Go to the White House. I"m free for dinner."

Pointing to his front he said: "There"s been speak of tattoos. And I"m formulation on removing it right here."

Snowboarding has come a prolonged approach given Sherman Poppen assimilated a span of skis together in the mid-60s to emanate the "Snurfer". But Jake Burton Carpenter, owner of Burton Snowboards, believes it retains the singular inlet and brings an injection of girl culture.

Snowboarding"s initial strictly recognized eventuality took place in Leadville, Colorado in 1981.

It done the Olympic crawl at Nagano in 1998 with the hulk slalom and the halfpipe. Four years after in Salt Lake City the hulk slalom was forsaken in foster of the together hulk slalom. Snowboard cranky was combined in 2006.

Snowboarding"s Olympic odyssey began in argumentative resources when Canadian Ross Rebagliati was nude of his hulk slalom pretension in Nagano after contrast certain for marijuana.

But the award was easy as there was no grave agreement in between the International Olympic Committee and the International Ski Federation (FIS) to anathema the drug.

Carpenter, seen as one of the key total in the sport"s development, pronounced the thought of a skiing physique using the competition jars.

"It"s a small bit ungainly for a ski association to be using a snowboarding eventuality but it"s opportunely not all the time. Snowboarding is a really anarchistic eventuality and it regularly has been.

"There"s the X Games, there"s the Open Series and a lot of opposite events, so I think that"s great since it lets the competition develop.

"What snowboarding brings to the Olympics is a great sip of girl enlightenment that comes from a flattering pristine place and it"s great to do it here but it"s not what the competition is all about."

And he believes snowboarding has defended the interest as a fun event.

"Shaun (White) is carrying as most fun as anybody. He"d be you do it if he wasn"t paid a nickel and he"d be pulling himself for certain but that is so most of what snowboarding is about.

"If you and I go out and ride, we"d only have fun and pull each other, progress. You can feel that in their roving nonetheless they are competitors for sure.

"What"s engaging about snowboarding is that everyone that does it flattering most motionless to do it themselves. It"s not a competition that your silent or your father shoved down your throat where you didn"t have any choice.

"You motionless that you longed for to do it and that sort of gives us all this connection. If somebody cuts you off pushing down the highway with a snowboard trustworthy to their car you"ll cut them a little slack. It"s a really great tie that the riders have and hopefully that will stay forever."

Aquascutum autumn/winter 2010/11 collection

By Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director at London Fashion Week Published: 10:18AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

Inspired by The French Lieutenant?s Woman, the autumn/winter pick up focused on Aquascutum?s rock-solid repute for coats

London Fashion Week so mostly becomes the concentration of the newest, youngest designers that it can be easy to disremember the abounding stick on of bent inside of a little of the oldest-established labels. This LFW season, however, is display that even brands founded scarcely dual centuries ago, can, only similar to Dracula, climb again and be hot, prohibited hot.

Pretty prohibited on the heels of Daks, that kicked off the birthright route mood, on Saturday morning, was Aquascutum, that someway managed to fist in between NewGens Meadham Kirchhoff in Covent Garden, and Vivienne Westwood, at the Royal Courts of Justice.

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This was the initial catwalk show given Aquascutum, founded in 1851, was paid for by the British Fashion Council chairman, Harold Tillman (who additionally owns Jaeger), 6 months ago. The show was staged in the brands Regent Street flagship store, the offered space being privileged to emanate a cosy, utterly close catwalk with only dual rows of seating possibly side.

The good was it authorised a unequivocally close-up perspective of the unblemished peculiarity of fabric, make and cut. The collection, written by Michael Herz, and desirous by The French Lieutenants Woman, focused utterly understandably on Aquascutums rock-solid repute for coats.

These were long, to the ground, with a traditional, narrow, saddle-makers" belt, and worked in cashmere camel and leather, in shades of black, navy, olive and tan. Long trench-coats, and capes, ragged with white organza shirts and wide-legged trousers, combined to the thespian mood, whilst flat, silver, lace-up boots were a complicated touch.

Evening wear strike the lead chord, with, long, full-length dresses, with ruched bodices, in lace, shirred silk, tulle, organza and shimmering bullion brocade.

7ft Great Dane declared worlds tallest dog

Published: 7:30AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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Giant George is the new Guinness World Records hilt of the title, measuring a strong 43 inches (109cm) from duke to shoulder and 7ft 3in (2.2m) from nose to tail.

His pretension was voiced after a special Guinness World Records decider visited the highly evolved chase to determine his measurements.

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Giant George, who weighs 245lb and consumes around 110lb of food each month, inches out the prior jot down holder, Titan, a Great Dane from San Diego, California, by 0.75in (around 2cm).

Guinness World Records pronounced they were anticipating the new pretension proclamation would prompt owners to inspect their own pets to see if maybe they as well could mangle a record.

It is rising a new poke for house house house pet annals for the longest ears on a dog, the smallest dog, the oldest dog, the smallest cat and oldest cat.

Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, said: "This jot down has additionally sparked good seductiveness in anticipating alternative house house house pet records, so we"re asking everybody to check their dog houses, blemish posts and underneath the bed they only competence be vital with a record-breaking pet."

Pro wrestler Ric Flair assaulted by wife

Published: 6:25AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

Previous of Images Next Ric Flair with Jacqueline Beems Photo: AP Ric Flair (left) takes on Hulk Hogan Photo: GETTY IMAGES Police charged Jacqueline Beems, 41, with elementary assault. She was expelled from prison a couple of hours after her detain Photo: AP

In a statement, Flair, whose theatre name is "The Nature Boy", called the situation an hapless feud and pronounced he did zero wrong.

Authorities pronounced officers were called to Flair"s home in south Charlotte on Sunday night. Flair pronounced his mother pounded him after they went out for dinner. He had teenager injuries, but refused diagnosis from paramedics. TMZ reported that no weapons were used in the incident.

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Police charged Jacqueline Beems, 41, with elementary assault. She was expelled from prison a couple of hours after her arrest.

The 60-year-old gold blond grappler is now wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling after a prolonged career with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Flair"s representative Melinda Morris Zanoni said: "Ric has finished zero wrong. The critical thing to recollect here is that we have a little really sparkling veteran announcements in the nearby future. Ric finds this situation unsettling and is committed to editing any issues in his personal life".

Ms Beems and Flair whose genuine name is Richard Fliehr tied together in late 2009.

Flair is between the majority well well known wrestlers in the universe and has been one of wrestling"s biggest stars given the late 1970s. Many cruise him the biggest wrestler of the complicated epoch of veteran wrestling.

Kevin Garside: Ashley Coles behaviour feeds the wicked intolerance of a nation of voyeurs

By Kevin Garside Published: 7:15AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

Happier times: Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole poses with his mother Cheryl Photo: PA

The eagerness of William Hill to allude to on the destruction of a matrimony says as most about us as it does the happy couple. We hurl the bones on in isolation grief. You can sidestep your bets by following the content trade in in in in between the ready to fight parties. Who has lost their dignified compass, Cole for his extramarital indulgence, or the open for gorging on the detail?

The following subject was acted by a Mr Colin Smith on a journal website. "A really tedious man who plays a really tedious diversion gets really abounding and has sex with lots of pleasing women. His mother doesnt identical to it. Wheres the story; and because is it tip of the news, even prior to the genuine crises in the world?"

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Smiths post strike the bulls-eye. It noted down the disagreeable seductiveness in the hold up of one important figure to the unworthy fundamentals with that we crop up besotted. It associated to Tiger Woods, but the focus is universal. For Woods, duplicate and pulp footballs protocol sinners Cole and John Terry. They are all at it.

This things consumes us. We have turn a republic of voyeurs, precision the prolonged lens at the fate of the abounding and important in the goal of glimpsing a discerning grope. When we catch them out we throw the dignified book at them with the force of a Gothic legate on the surveillance for heretics in the attic.

Wherein lies the requisite to live a dignified life? What piece of the stipulate sealed by a footballer compels him to belong to an reliable code? Where is the proviso noted purpose model? While not fortifying a man who reportedly cheats on his wife, the thought that Cole is someway responsible to his employer for his purported in isolation poise in an American road house room is a nonsense.

It competence offend, it competence disappoint, it competence denote an unpleasant negligence for the thought of usual decency, but it is no blurb operation of ours or Chelseas what smutty plan Cole might put up with in with A N Other as prolonged it is consensual and breaks no law.

The footballers lot is a payoff dipped in nitroglycerine. Handled clumsily, it blows up in your face. Coles inapplicable designation was allegedly perplexing to cover his tracks. He done the wrong call. This should not warn us. The stereotypical indication of the socially impecunious footballer holds.

Most are launched up the food sequence but goal of utilizing the right governmental knife edge and fork. Few could code the noun in this sentence. Ask them to heed in in in in between noun and verb and overpower falls on the behind of the class. This is not to contend footballers miss intelligence, usually that the infancy do not have a grown intellect. Wealth gives them energy but small of the visualisation compulsory to routine it.

Graham Shear is a Berwin Leighton Paisner counsel representing Cole. His observations, whilst ubiquitous and not associated to his client, are instructive.

Shear said: "Many [footballers] come from one-parent families, their bent tends to be speckled in in in in between eleven and 12. The clubs turn in piece loco parentis. Its a surreal universe of immature adults brought up in a limited sourroundings paid large sums of income to perform on an general stage.

"It creates an sourroundings that can be destabilising. There is intensity for behaviour, inside of the norms of their counterpart organisation inside and outward football, that is deliberate not socially acceptable. But a little would contend it is no opposite to the poise of most people in this country."

Quite. Shear is right to subject the effect of the seductiveness shown by the media in the kind of exposs that have rolled off the front pages given George Best was fumbling Swedish sirens in the behind of his Ford Capri. Best took the story on, fake the subdivision that has grown wider than the Grand Canyon in in in in between the fan and the footballer.

A welter of rancour has filled the resources opening that separates those who compensate and those who play. The clarity of desert to that Woods referred is not usual by the usual man. When a footballer earning cache deemed pornographic and undue stairs opposite the dignified line, the explanation detonates a disagreeable dogmatism between the arrange and file.

The pomposity of branch a blind eye to identical indiscretions committed by the milkman does not difficulty the demur of the mob.

Outrage is arguably fit in the box of Woods and others identical to him, who make use of their picture to beget large earnings by various sponsorship deals. When Woods puts his face to this razor knife edge and that competition application car he is offered rational virtues to his tellurian flock. If he falls short in in isolation there is a bona fide box for exposing his folly.

Former Formula One motorist Mark Blundell runs sports government association 2MB and counts Jermain Defoe between his flourishing football clients. Blundell is new to the football blurb operation but understands the energetic well enough.

"If you wish to take the blurb track and rise income that approach by endorsements, etc, afterwards you have to take comment of how the universe operates. If you are representing a code or a product afterwards you are by clarification a purpose indication and there are sure obligations to meet."

Max Mosleys affinity for sadomasochistic slap and torment was not as descent as the vicious demeanour by that the motorsport woman monarch was exposed. He did not find to raise his profile, did not aspire to broadside and was thus fit in his remoteness defence. The justice ruled it was no one elses business.

Mosley was a plant of a enlightenment that settles disputes in the radio justice of Jeremy Kyle. The resolution rests with us. Stop watching.

European banks face showdown over €1 trillion of debt

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Published: 6:00AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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The bank has suggested clients to hope for for chillier times as monetary tightening starts in the US and China, causing vital spill-over goods in Europe.

Roughly €560bn of EU bank debt matures in 2010 and €540bn in 2011. The banks will have to hurl over loans at a time when rare down payment distribution by governments worldwide risks saturating the debt markets. European states alone contingency lift €1.6 trillion this year.

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"The scale of such distribution could lift a poignant "crowding out" issue, whereby supervision holds siphon up the immeasurable infancy of capital," pronounced Graham Secker, Morgan Stanley"s equity strategist. "The debt weight that stirred the monetary predicament has not fallen; rather, we are witnessing a thespian send of private-sector debt on to the open sector. The majority critical macro-theme for the subsequent couple of years will be how simply countries can use and compensate down these deficits. Greece might well infer to be a ambience of things to come."

Lenders will have to cope with a snowstorm of problems as new Basel manners on bank collateral ratios force a little to retrench. State guarantees are entrance to an end, that entails a burst of 40 basement points in normal seductiveness costs. They contingency wean themselves off short-term appropriation as puncture windows close, switching to longer maturities at higher cost.

Worries about Europe"s second-tier banks assistance insist since Berlin is warming to plans for a €25bn rescue for Greece. Germany"s regulator BaFin has warned that €522bn of German bank bearing to state holds in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain might poise a systemic risk if contamination causes "collective difficulties of the PIIGS states".

A BaFin note performed by Der Spiegel pronounced Greece could be the trigger for a "downward turn in these countries, as in the box of Argentina", heading to "violent marketplace disruptions".

Citigroup pronounced Europe"s twenty-four largest banks contingency lift €720bn over the subsequent 3 years, in a universe where investors wish a higher lapse for risk. "This could in the future expostulate up appropriation costs meaningfully," it said.

It pronounced a brew of higher credit spreads, rising rates, and Basel III manners could "eat up" 10pc of bank earnings. While majority lenders can cope, it will moderate mercantile recovery.

Morgan Stanley pronounced the benchmark cost of collateral well known as the "risk-free rate" is rising since governments themselves are apropos a riskier bet, with sputter goods by the complete mercantile system.

Investors should be discreet about corporate bonds, sectors such as transport, media and telecoms with high net debt to equity ratios and sure countries. The net debt to equity of the corporate zone is 189pc in Portugal, 141pc in Spain, 85pc in Italy, and 82pc in Greece, compared to 46pc for Germany, 39pc for Britain and 26pc for Sweden.

Morgan Stanley expects equities to prosper, but not until the stream "growth scare" is eaten by the markets. "The stream improvement proviso in equities is not over: there might be rallies but we suggest offered in to strength."

Photography: Inge Morath and Joachim Brohm

By Lucy Davies Published: 6:15AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

Some day," wrote George Bernard Shaw in 1901, "the camera will do the work of Velásquez and Pieter de Hooch, colour and all." Little did he know that to do his prophecy photographers would have to jump the questioning of their elder statesmen. Edward Steichen called colour "a liability"; Walker Evans thought it "vulgar"; Henri Cartier-Bresson pronounced that it "recalls an anatomical ratiocination that has been really bad bungled".

Two new books suggest stirring accounts of these early warlike days. Inge Morath: First Color (Steidl, �34) explores the photographers early experiments with the form in the Fifties and Sixties, work that had been, until now, lost in Magnums archive. Joachim Brohm: Ohio (Steidl, �36) takes up the reins in America in the Seventies, when the waves was commencement to turn; 1976 is in all deliberate year zero, when MoMA inaugurated an muster of dye-transfer prints by William Eggleston.

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Morath began photographing in London in 1951, after aiding Cartier-Bresson as a researcher. As this firmly curated volume demonstrates, the captivate of colour did not dissipate. At first, she had usually one camera. "If I had to do colour and black and white simultaneously," she recalled, "Id finish one, afterwards do [the other], perplexing not to think of both at the same time; the meditative is so different." Through Battersea and Pamplona, Johannesburg, Vienna, Isfahan and Gaza, her instinct for utilizing colour as an part that complements rather than squashes her theme never falters.

Brohm arrived in the US in 1983 and was between the initial of a younger era of German photographers to make use of colour. He took his Ohio cinema on every day walks with his daughter, Anna, strapped to his chest. They show cluttered yards and travel corners with signs for Budget Meats and Sweet Ripe Melons. With each click of his shiver he seems to be mentally induction his vicinity in poke of his own visible language. He common Egglestons knack for understated colour: a forlorn car lot soppy from the sleet reflects the sky similar to the Dutch landscape portrayal Bernard Shaw had foretold. "Vulgar" colour was no longer a liability.

Winter Olympics 2010: red-faced Canadians not amused as America rule the podium

By Ian Chadband, Chief Sports Correspondent, in Vancouver Published: 9:21PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Flying the flag: mountainous skier Bode Miller celebrates after adding to America"s considerable series of medals at the Winter Games with feat in the men"s super-combined Photo: AFP

Unfortunately for the hosts, their "Own the Podium" campaign, written to see them tip the award list at the Winter Olympics, appears to be next usually in charity Uncle Sam the possibility to put up with in both.

Before the Games, American snowboard cranky supplement Nate Holland was asked about the Canadians" C$117 million credentials programme written to put the hosts atop the award table. "They can own it," Holland said. "We"re usually going to rent it out for a month."

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If ever a bullion award ought to be awarded for prophecies you consternation either the Canadian inhabitant essence was built for such an assertive idea of tellurian sporting dominance, given America"s supremacy formidable is in the DNA.

As of writing, with the award measure Canada 9 United States 24, "Own the Podium" is commencement to see one of the majority ill-conceived pieces of tub-thumping devised in universe sport. Not the programme itself, you understand, but the appalling, provocative strapline. All it has finished is reap a PR difficulty and store some-more vigour on the athletes. So the fibre of alternatives here are flourishing by the day Groan the Podium, Own the Odium, Own the Opprobrium, Own Goal the Podium. Nobody likes it, solely joke pushers.

Certainly not those Canadians who can see a little athletes visibly wilting underneath suffocating expectation, with one bullion award favourite, Mellisa Hollingsworth, even marked down to a tearful, humbling but unconditionally nonessential reparation for "letting the complete nation down" after finishing fifth in the skeleton.

Nor those endangered at the strong win-at-all-costs genius that left the structure of the body champ Amy Williams, for instance, deeply unimpressed at since Canada should criticism about the legality of her steel sheet twenty-four hours after a near-identical censure from the Americans had been thrown out.

There was no element good to the Canadians in protesting, given Hollingsworth could usually be changed up to fourth, and it left Andi Schmid, British skeleton"s opening director, musing: "This "Own the Podium" programme was regularly something I was not unequivocally vehement about. It was usually the wrong summary to the universe to do it that way."

Even Canadian athletes are starting to confess to displeasure with the programme. When speed skater Denny Morrison became one of an augmenting fibre of home award hopes to flop, he complained one reason was that he had been forced, since of Own the Podium, to stop practising with his American precision partner, Shani Davis, and his form had subsequently deteriorated.

Davis, meanwhile, won silver. No warn there, for Canada"s annoy has usually fuelled American glee. Worst of all? What proposed here as "Super Sunday" finished with the title "Woe Canada" as Sid Crosby"s luminary hockey boys seemed not often cowed, notwithstanding near-evangelical await in Canada Hockey Place, whilst succumbing 5-3 to a immature American team.

"Our home, the game," review one banner. Nope. Their visit, their win. As the locals cried in to their Molsons, America distinguished "Miller" time; Bode mountainous in the plateau and Ryan down on the ice giving an sense of fortifying the Alamo with a good goaltending display.

Cue inhabitant hand-wringing. Time to dump the mythological goalie Martin Brodeur, Canadian commentators concurred. Talk about panic; wouldn"t that be similar to dropping Gordon Banks in the center of the World Cup?

Tonight, Team Canada need to kick Germany to have the quarter-finals and secure a illusive epic date with Russia. And if they lose that? Well, the programme might as well be rechristened "Blown the Podium".

Top UN official calls for talks with Mullah Omar

By Ben Farmer in Kabul and Dean Nelson in New Delhi Published: 8:00PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Mullah Mohammed Omar

Writing to one side in the Daily, Kai Eide pronounced plans to make make use of of monetary incentives to convince militants to desert their quarrel would not attain but negotiations with their leaders.

His comments plea President Barack Obama"s "carrot and stick" plan of troops surge whilst charity jobs, retraining, resettlement and insurance to Taliban total who mangle afar from Mullah Omar"s insurgency.

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According to Mr Eide, who will mount down as the UN Secretary General"s special deputy subsequent month, the plan could essentially make firm the insurgency.

He pronounced the West has underestimated the array of Taliban fighters driven by self-assurance rather than simply money. He pronounced attempting to cheat them might essentially backfire.

"Often, such proclivity stems from a self-assurance that the [Afghan] supervision is hurtful and incompetent to yield law and sequence total with a clarity of unfamiliar advance not usually in troops terms, but in conditions of disregard for Afghanistan"s culture, values and religion," he said.

The "Reintegration Trust Fund" voiced at last month"s London Conference would usually assistance if offering to one side talks with the Taliban"s domestic leadership, he said.

The account was not a "game changer" but could assistance if total with talks with those ideologically-driven Taliban and "if at a little point that routine involves the domestic structures of the insurgency. If you wish applicable and tolerable results, you will have to rivet applicable people with management in an suitable way," he said.

He has due a array of confidence-building measures to urge the ambience for talks, together with a oath by Mullah Omar"s Taliban to stop aggressive schools and hospitals, pardon a little Taliban total from the American Bagram Detention Centre and stealing Taliban leaders from the UN"s sanctions list.

Last month US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pronounced there was no place in the reintegration intrigue for Mullah Omar or his Taliban leadership.

"You have to proceed to go right at the insurgents and flay those off who are peaceful to forgo violence, forgo al Qaeda That is not going to occur with (Taliban chief) Mullah Omar and the like," she said, but it could lure those who quarrel since the Taliban pays improved salary than they could consequence peacefully.

Mr Eide"s plea to the stream plan in Afghanistan follows thespian developments in Pakistan in the last dual weeks where the Taliban"s troops personality Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was prisoner in Karachi along with 4 alternative comparison leaders. The raids noted a new bargain on larger co-operation in between Washington and the Taliban"s former allies in Islamabad.

Michael Semple, a heading management on the Taliban and a former European Union diplomat, welcomed Mr Eide"s comments but questioned either the Karzai supervision was ready to speak about peace.

"Kai Eide"s domestic routine would privately rivet the Taliban who are committed to their transformation and cruise it a dignified force," he said.

"The domestic routine to compromise this dispute will have to be stable from spoilers on all sides together with from those on the Kabul supervision side who so far have been calm for the dispute to draw towards on, whilst the bulk of the troops and mercantile weight is borne by the United States," he said.

Hugo Chavez demands Queen return Falkland Islands to Argentina

By Tom Leonard in Port Stanley Published: 6:28PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Hugo Chavez has asked the Queen to lapse the Falkland Islands to Argentina Photo: REUTERS

The outspoken Mr Chavez used his weekly air wave and air wave show Alo Presidente to convene Latin America at the behind of the means of his Argentine reflection Cristina Kirchner by creation a approach interest to Buckingham Palace.

"Look, England, how prolonged are you going to be in Las Malvinas? Queen of England, I"m articulate to you," pronounced Mr Chavez.

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"The time for empires are over, haven"t you noticed? Return the Malvinas to the Argentine people."

Still addressing the Queen, he went on: "The English are still melancholy Argentina. Things have changed. We are no longer in 1982. If dispute breaks out, be certain Argentina will not be alone similar to it was behind then."

He described British carry out of the islands in the South Atlantic as "anti-historic and irrational" and asked "why the English verbalise of democracy but still have a Queen".

Mrs Kirchner sought to win new allies in Argentina"s claims to the islands when she done a approach interest for await at a assembly in Mexico of the Rio Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries. Venezuela and Nicaragua rallied to Argentina"s side even prior to Mrs Krichner"s appeal, and it was reported that Brazil was ready to await any fortitude subsidy Argentina"s government claims.

Argentine annoy is expected to enlarge after Desire Petroleum, the British oil association that has towed a supply from Scotland to about 60 miles off the north of the Falklands, voiced on Monday it had started drilling.

Argentina is attempting to bushel oil exploration, insisting last week that all vessels utilizing the ports contingency right away find accede if they plan to come in or leave British-controlled waters.

Argentina wants alternative South American countries to levy the ride restrictions to the Falklands but it is doubtful to win await from those closest to the islands such as Chile and Uruguay.

If - as the drillers direct - large amounts of oil and healthy gas are detected off the Falklands, Argentina would lose out heavily if it were incompetent to yield enlightening and pier facilities.

Chile, Argentina"s normal enemy, has prolonged been a vital retailer to the Falklands. An operations physical education instructor of a Uruguayan shipping group who came out to Port Stanley on Saturday to plead commercial operation was dismissive about the efficacy of the ultimate Argentine decree.

Meanwhile, passengers from the British journey ship Star Princess disembarked at Port Stanley on Monday for a day outing after the vessel reported withdrawal Buenos Aires with no direct for accede to cruise to the Falklands.

Stepping on to the boat landing for a couple of hours examination penguins or furloughed one of the battlefields from the 1982 war, passengers pronounced the ship"s captain had reassured them multiform days ago it was "perfectly safe" to get off at when they reached the islands.

However, Maurice and Sylvia Bellamy from Felixstowe reported a little surprising Falklands-related recommendation had been released over the ship"s tannoy system.

"They told us we had to impute to the islands as the Falklands when we were there but as the Malvinas when we were in Argentina," pronounced Mr Bellamy, 74.

"And they additionally suggested everyone to be well-behaved and not to wear anything with viewable Argentine black or logos on it if we got off in the Falklands."

Argentina wants alternative South American countries to levy the ride restrictions to the Falklands but this would meant that they, too, could miss out on the remunerative increase from on condition that enlightening and pier comforts if, as drillers believe, large amounts of oil and healthy gas are retrieved off the Falklands.

Marios Schwab autumn/winter 2010/11 collection

By Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director at London Fashion Week Published: 6:22PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Photo: AFP

Marios Schwab, the Greek-Austrian engineer formed in London, revisited his childhood and his Tyrolean past at London Fashion Week currently in a pick up that translated folklore in a all contemporary, roughly unconventional manner.

One of a younger era of artisan-craftsman designers, Schwab explored the judgment of the dirndl, the corset-laced bodice and the normal embroideries one associates with flattering immature maidens in The Alps, or sky forfend, Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.

Marios Schwab autumn/winter 2010/11 pick up London Fashion Week: Marios Schwab Marios Schwab spring/summer 2010 pick up Studio 54 un-revisited: Marios Schwab"s entrance for Halston Marios Schwab picked to pattern for Halston Paris Fashion Week: Miu Miu

But this was no reconstitute for a complicated "Heidi". Schwab used silk charmeuse, Loden wool, silk taffetas and teddy-bear fabrics, to emanate a entirely complicated conformation shifted the folkloric in to a new, fascinating dimension.

A low-cut bodice was cut underneath the bust, over a white, full-sleeved shirt, and associated to short, bell-shaped skirt. Wide belts, sparse with changed stones and crystals, or perplexing lacing, drew the eye to a really tangible waist.

Cropped boleros, with a wave-cut only on top of the dcolletage, emphasised the torso even further. The "dirndl" neckline was echoed in coats, in a Steiff, teddy bear-wool, belted, and ragged with heeled boots, suggestive of a travel in the forest.

The erotic outline and meditative at the back of the complete pick up was emphasised with leather, match chokers, written by Ileana Makri , that were desirous by the restraints used in The Story of O, and a molding of stones detailing the low-cut necklines.

In some-more glamorous mode, Schwab, who has only shown his initial pick up for the American brand, Halston, at New York Fashion Week, showed black, asymmetric, "dirndl" dresses with clear halters and shoulder details.

Two red runner gowns in cream-parchment taffeta, that followed the "dirndl line" in silhouette, and were detailed with crystals one featuring a half-ball gown-skirt over taffeta shorts, or should that be "taffeta-hosen" - finished this fantastic collection.

Woman killed by violent sex attacker freed months earlier

Published: 11:58AM GMT twenty-two February 2010

The conference at Winchester Crown Court in to the genocide of mixed sclerosis box Naomi Bryant, 40, was receiving place roughly five years after she was strangled and stabbed to genocide by Anthony Rice, 48, at her home.

He was on looseness at the Elderfield trial lodging place in Otterbourne, Winchester, Hampshire, when he killed the mom of one after they met in the city, the inquisition was told.

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Rice had been liberated 9 months progressing after portion fifteen years of a 10-year smallest tenure imposed at the Old Bailey in 1989 for attempted rape. He had a fibre of philosophy dating behind thirty years to when he was only 15, the inquisition was told

Central Hampshire Coroner Grahame Short told the jury that the means of Ms Bryant"s genocide had been attempted attempted murder but the inquest, that is approaching to last up to 3 weeks, would see in to the issues surrounding the killing.

He explained that the conference would take justification from police, trial and jail use member seeking at Rice"s recover from jail and government in the community.

He said: ""We will be seeking over the evident box and at the broader resources in that she died.

""We will be seeking at what the assorted authorities did or did not do to strengthen the open and in sold Naomi Bryant.""

He added: ""This inquisition is not candid but it is emotive. Naomi Bryant left a daughter elderly fourteen but a mom and her own mom lost a child.

""They will have been ravaged by her genocide and you will feel good magnetism for them.

A vicious inform by arch examiner of trial Andrew Bridges expelled in 2006 found that there were ""substantial deficiencies"" in organisation by trial and alternative officials in Hampshire.

He resolved that officials were sidetracked by deliberation Rice"s human rights on top of their avocation to the public.

Detective Inspector David Crouch, of Hampshire Police"s vital crime dialect told the exploration pronounced that Rice confessed during military talk to the murdering and told officers that there had not been a passionate ground to the crime.

Rice told military that he motionless he was going to kill her simply since he had a "deep set annoy inside him", the inquisition heard.

He additionally pronounced in talk that if it had not been Ms Bryant he would have killed someone else and he had selected her since she was "vulnerable" and an "easy target".

Winter Olympics 2010: Joannie Rochette to skate despite mothers death

Published: 2:03PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Previous of Images Next Mourning: Canada"s Joannie Rochette will contest in the women"s figure skating notwithstanding the genocide of her mom on Sunday Photo: AP Family: Joannie Rochette practised at the Pacific Coliseum. Her father, Normand (left), watched, carrying progressing damaged to her the headlines of her mother"s genocide Photo: AP / REUTERS Joannie Rochette rehearses forward of the women"s figure skating competition, that starts on Tuesday with the short programme Photo: AP

Officials pronounced Therese Rochette had been taken to sanatorium on Sunday sunrise but could not endorse the means of death. Earlier they had pronounced the 55 year-old died of a heart attack.

"Her mom arrived yesterday and died early this morning," Skate Canada mouthpiece Barb MacDonald said. "She was sensitive of the headlines by her father and manager at 6am. Joannie is understandably in shock but she plans to contest here."

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Rochette had been sloping as the usually contestant expected to stop an Asian brush of the medals in the women"s eventuality following her silver-medal opening at last year"s universe championships.

The 24-year-old Rochette did not attend Sunday"s lift at 9.45am internal time at the Pacific Coliseum but did show up 3 hours after for her 40-minute use session. She was drawn to movement 26th out of thirty competitors in Tuesday"s short programme.

"It"s been an romantic rollercoaster for her. She done the preference she wants to contest and say her precision schedule. It is on condition that her with fortitude in a unequivocally capricious time in her life," Skate Canada CEO William Thompson told reporters.

Her associate Winter Olympics competitors rallied turn her.

"I listened about it only prior to I went to rehearse and I felt unequivocally contemptible about it and goal she gets by it and behind in to competition," South Korean bullion award prime Kim Yuna said.

Yuna"s coach, Canadian Brian Orser, knew Rochette"s mom well and added: "I"m in shock by it. I can"t suppose what Joannie is going through. I know she"ll find strength and bravery from her friends, manager and millions of fans."

US hold up Rachael Flatt said: "It"s unequivocally unfortunate, I can"t suppose what it"s similar to to lose a parent... generally when you"re perplexing to compete."

American Mirai Nagasu, whose mom has cancer, was dumbfounded to listen to the headlines when sensitive by reporters.

"Wow," pronounced Nagasu, blinking behind tears. "I think this will coax her on to do even improved given here she will movement for her mum."

Nagasu, 16, added: "If it was me it would give me proclivity as it has given my silent has thyroid cancer. I"m anticipating that she"ll be means to lift by and she"s been unequivocally clever for me so I wish to movement for my silent here as well."

Wicked at the Apollo Victoria: a feat of musical engineering

By Dominic Cavendish Published: 2:37PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Wicked at the Apollo Victoria, examination Buy a Top Price Ticket for Wicked and Dine Free at The Rubens at the Palace - Go to boxoffice.telegraph.co.uk/wicked or call 0844 871 2118

Green is the initial colour of the age. Weve got the environmental transformation to appreciate for that, I guess. Where once we talked about people who were True Blue or Reds, today the all about being Green or not. Were really immature doesnt, as you competence think if you were on vacation Earth for the initial time, meant We see similar to Martians, it means, of course, We caring about the planet, were implicitly decent folk, were in the right camp. Its a figure of debate and a pinned token of pride.

One of the illusory things about Stephen Schwartzs strike low-pitched Wicked, formed on the 1990 novel by Gregory Maguire, is that it puts that coded and installed colour centre-stage and asks us to simulate on it. Once on a time, when MGM incited L Frank Baums childrens story The Wizard of Oz in to the things of blow up cinematic possibility, immature was the colour that could keep proposal minds watchful at night. It was the paint of abhorrence - the defining underline of the cackling Wicked Witch of the West, as she roved after Dorothy on her broomstick, sorrow that chilling abuse Ill get you my flattering and your small dog too!. Green was emblematic of distortion and, well, wickedness.

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Wicked goes behind in time approach prior to the events of The Wizard of Oz to fill us in on the witchs infinite story and abusive, warping upbringing. Watching the show, right away resolutely enthroned at an Apollo Victoria that has been specifically greened-up turn the front and in the foyers for the event, the tough not to boomerang instinctively at the steer of witch-in-the-making Elphaba (played in the stream expel by black singer Alexia Khadime).

The delight of the dusk is that it takes that involuntary tremble and reprogrammes it until it becomes a shudder of admiration. Battling opposite the sinful schemes of the Wizard, station her belligerent in the face of open, inhuman discrimination, small Elphaba proves to be the smartest and nicest gal in the room. In short, Wicked doesnt only make use of immature for showbiz outcome - it creates you think about how showbiz goods have embedded sure assumptions inside of us.

You can call that preachy if you similar to - and positively Wicked wins hands-down the endowment for majority politically scold low-pitched of the past decade (of course, injustice and incapacity are some-more than being nodded to here) but I call it darned clever. To be fortifying and subversive, schmaltzy and correct all at the same time is utterly a attainment of low-pitched engineering.

There are all kinds of opposite routes in to appreciating Wicked. As most have noted, girls in early adolescence reply to the sharp-tongued comment of high-school conformism, fighting back and bullying. Others reply to the sharp philharmonic of it. Others to the lovely contrariety it creates to, say, the cockney carry-on of Oliver! or doubt of Chicago. I didnt comfortable to this show on romantic drift but since of the unrelenting intelligence. I wouldnt broadcast it as the biggest show in London, but the one of the smartest.

For those comparing opinions as to either the for them, maybe the Telegraphs new special tie-in meal-deal will be only the ticket. Green, then, is for Go!

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