Film Review:- "G-I-JOE : THE RISE OF THE COBRA"
Written by Jane Harrison

THE film was as crammed as a rush hour train, action pact to say the least. With explosions coming with what seemed to me to be every three seconds.  At times you could be forgiven if you thought you where watching another film thanks to characters like a woman that seemed to represent Bat Man's "Cat Woman" not forgetting there very own Star Wars “Darth Vader” at the end.  With other parts of this film looking more like Transformers, due to acrobatic tricks some of the machines preformed, as they avoided the missiles being sent there way, you would think you were in for a treat. However, the film turned out to be rather predictable and came across as a poor mishmash.   The plot is the traditional goodies verse baddies film, which inevitable sees the goodies come out on top.   The start of the film was quick and dynamic allowing the audience to get straight into the action. This gets the viewers attention without having them watch meaningless footage before the film actually starts. This is all that you would expect from a modern gadget film. It has a kind of romantic undertone at times. This culminates in the happy ending cliché, where the girl realises she loves the boy whom she had earlier disregarded. Overall as I said at the start, this is action packed to the brim, explosions galore and a film that at time could keep your on the edge of the seat with the anticipation of what is going to happen next. Even with all this action, yet to come, will surely be better. Certainly however, if you are keen on action then this could be a must see film for you.  Well after a long debate, mainly with the editor, who likes action films, yet said this was a plastic action film and wanted to exile this film to Room 101, we have picked a rating of 2 stars out of 5.

...Fact File...
Directed by:-	Stephen Sommers
Written by:-	Stuart Beattie and David Elliot
Starring:-	Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Sienna Miller, Christopher Eccleston, Marlon Wayans and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
UK film classification:-			Run Time:-	118 min

RESURFACING FOR M58 IN £2M SCHEME

A £2m programme of improvements along the M58 around Skelmersdale and Orrell in Lancashire is to get underway next month.

The month-long Highways Agency scheme, including resurfacing of both carriageways and replacement of central reserve and verge safety barriers, is taking place from the motorway’s interchange with the M6 to a point just west of Tontine Road.

The scheme also involves renewing sections of the central reservation barrier.

The work is due to begin on Tuesday, 1 September 2009 and due to be completed between mid and late November 2009.

The majority of the work will be done overnight between 9pm and 5am and some being done at weekends. There will be a 50mph speed limit in place through the work around the clock.

However, the Highways Agency is advising drivers and firms in the area relying on the M58 that there will be some overnight carriageway closures - eastbound or westbound - to help complete the work.

Fully signed diversion routes between Junction 3 of the M58 and Junction 23 of the M6 at Haydock Island will be implemented during the closures.

Speed limits through roadworks are only ever used to ensure the safety of both road users and the road workers involved in the scheme. Drivers are asked to respect the limits through roadworks.

Highways Agency Project Sponsor John Mather said:- “This is an important scheme delivering new surfacing and safety barriers in this section of the motorway. It will need to involve some overnight carriageway closures but these will be undertaken at a time to minimise any disruption to drivers. We will be working hard to publicise these and suggest drivers reschedule journeys.”

Up to 23,000 drivers use the M58 in this area every day.

Sajjad Karim MEP Welcomes Funding for Jaguar Land Rover

THE Conservative Member of the European Parliament representing the North West of England and EU-India Free Trade Agreement Rapporteur, Sajjad Karim, has welcomed the securing of funding for Tata owned Jaguar and Land Rover, which is an employer of many of Mr Karim’s North West constituents in Halewood.

Earlier this year, Mr Karim had called upon European Commissioner for International Trade, Commissioner Ashton, to secure funds for the Indian owned firm in order to enable the company to emerge from the economic crisis. Mr Karim has also urged her to coordinate efforts to restore the functioning of the financial market in order to assist in overcoming the current crisis. The firm, although now owned by India’s Tata group, is seen as a ‘special case’ as it conducts almost all its research here in the UK.

Jaguar and Land Rover has now announced that it no longer requires the Government’s financial support as it has sourced support from private funding sources. Tata, the owner of Jaguar and Land Rover, has stated that it has secured direct bank loans in addition to the available £340 million that it is entitled to from the European Investment Bank.

Earlier this year, Mr Karim met with the Global Director for Government Affairs at Jaguar and Land Rover in Brussels in order to discuss how the firm is coping in the current financial crisis. Mr Karim has a special interest in the firm given that Jaguar and Land Rover operates in his constituency, in Halewood in addition to the West Midlands and the North East of England.

Mr Karim commented on the Jaguar and Land Rover’s earlier announcement, stating:- “The fact that Jaguar and Land Rover have managed to secure private funding is certainly a promising development, not only for the company itself, but also for the automotive industry as a whole. I welcome this announcement and the potential safeguarding of jobs for my constituents in Heywood and am reassured to learn that the £340 million from the European Investment Bank is still available should it be required.”

Diane Nash headlines Slavery Remembrance Day Festival

US Civil Rights activist Diane Nash launches a weekend of entertaining and thought-provoking events with a free memorial lecture on Friday 21 August 2009, Liverpool Town Hall.

Her lecture, Reflections on the American Civil Rights Movement, focuses on her life and the legacy of the civil rights struggle in light of Barack Obama’s historic election victory.

It is part of Liverpool’s 2009 Slavery Remembrance Day Festival, an annual international event that commemorates the lives of millions of enslaved Africans and their descendants and celebrates the spirit of resistance that ended slavery.

Diane Nash is a key figure in the birth and development of America’s Civil Rights Movement, and her efforts to fight against injustice and inequality have been internationally recognised.

During the 1960s she dedicated herself to many political groups fighting against the degradation and racial prejudice she experienced in Nashville, USA where she was a student.

As a tireless activist Nash was arrested dozens of times for her political activities. In 1962, when she was four months pregnant, she was sentenced to two years in prison for teaching non-violent protest tactics to children, but was released on appeal.

President John F. Kennedy appointed her to the national committee that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, and she also worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with Martin Luther King Jr. from 1961 to 1965, serving as an organiser, strategist and member of the field-staff. In 1963 the SCLC initiated the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his infamous I Have a Dream speech.
Although racial inequality is still prevalent today her work, and that of the Civil Rights Movement, has continued to inspire the fight against racism and the violation of freedom, respect and social equality that occurs because of it.

Dr Richard Benjamin, head of the International Slavery Museum, says:- “On Slavery Remembrance Day we commemorate the lives and deaths of millions of enslaved Africans and their descendents who were central to the rise of Britain as an industrial power. We are delighted to welcome Diane Nash to give this year’s memorial lecture which highlights the historical and ongoing resistance, rebellion and revolution against all forms of slavery, as well as the rise of popular movements for racial justice and social change.”

Following the lecture, a weekend of free Slavery Remembrance activities take place at the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool from 1100 hrs on Saturday 22 August 2009 and Sunday 23 August 2009.

Thought-provoking and entertaining activities celebrating Black culture and heritage include performances, live music, craft activities, talks and workshops, and are suitable for all the family. Market stalls will also be trading traditional West African and Caribbean food and crafts.

The weekend culminates on Sunday, 23 August 2009, a date marked globally as Slavery Remembrance Day, with a libation on the River Mersey – a traditional African ceremony, led by Chief Angus Chukuemeka, that remembers enslaved Africans and calls on ancestors to bless the event.

The 23 August 2009 is a significant date as it commemorates an uprising of enslaved Africans on the island of Saint Domingue (modern Haiti) in 1791, an act of rebellion which marked the beginning of a journey that led to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The date has been designated by UNESCO as Slavery Remembrance Day, a reminder that enslaved Africans were the main agents of their own liberation.

The International Slavery Museum is the first and only national museum dedicated to the transatlantic slave trade and its modern-day legacies. It holds slavery-related collections from around the world, and its exhibitions focus on current issues such as racism and human trafficking. The museum acts as an international hub for resources on human rights issues, both past and present.

BBC's James May in Liverpool
Photographs in set 1 and report by Patrick Trollope.

JAMES May's Toy Stories is a six part series for BBC2 that will air later this year, and from what we can tell you, it will be well worth watching! 

The program sees the TV star, from Top Gear and other programs like it, looking at 6 toys - Lego, Plasticine, Hornby Railway, Scalextric, Meccano and Airfix.

On Friday James was in Liverpool getting ready for the big event on the Saturday. Constructed on the new Pair Head was a bridge made out of Meccano, and lots of high viz' jackets.

As you might have predicted this visit ended with James walking across the Meccano bridge, above the new canal link, outside the Liver Building on Saturday, 8 August 2009, but to fined out why, watch the series!

Next set of photographs taken by Keith Fairbrother on Saturday

"Now what would be a challenge for Top Gear, would be to build a bridge out of Meccano, so that a car could cross the gap!" one spectator commented! Sadly Saturdays weather was not as good as Friday, but from what we understand, Liverpool looked stunning in the footage! We would like to thank Plum Pictures Ltd. and the BBC for their help and for letting us take the photos.  We look forward to seeing your program!