Daily Post

Everything's Rosy at Southport Flower Show

Classical

THE Object of the Month at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery is a device sometimes known as a Loophonium, and at other times as a Harpichord. The invention of the incorrigible Fritz Spiegl, it consists of a decorated lavatory pan on wheels, to the exhaust pipe of which has been attached a Tuba minus its bell. The pan thus acts as the bell of the instrument, and refinement is added by the provision of strings across the seat, intended to vibrate musically when played.

Film: The King of Cool ; Samuel L Jackson's New Film has Created a Stir On the Internet. Ben Falk Reports

FOR Sam Jackson, the decision was pretty simple. He was reading about a new movie being made and it was called Snakes On A Plane. Genius. "I was sitting at home reading the trades," recalls the actor - now free of reptiles and looking comfortable (and completely decked out in Snakes On A Plane paraphernalia) in a Beverly Hills hotel room.

Film: Tinseltown

ACTRESS Denise Richards may have reached an amicable 11th-hour agreement with ex-husband Charlie Sheen, but that hasn't stopped her sounding off about their very public split. "The dynamic of Charlie and me just didn't work," she tells the US edition of Harper's Bazaar.

Mersey Tunnels Comedy Breaks Theatre Records

THE comedy musical Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels is breaking all box office records at the Royal Court theatre, making it one of the biggest selling home grown new productions of modern times. Long queues have been stretching past St John's Centre and more than 100 people an hour have been trying to get through to box office phones, say theatre management.

Hockey Star Gets Three a Grades

A TEENAGE hockey star who hopes to play for England in the 2012 Olympic Games was celebr ating after achieving three A-grades. Will Miles, 18, from Formby, Merseyside, juggled training with the England under 18s hockey squad and revision for his A-levels in maths, chemistry and physics.

Spotlight On Special Rose As Million Blooms Shown ; Tv Gardener's Daughter Gets Named Flower

MORE than a million blooms were on display at the 77th Southport Flower Show yesterday. But the spotlight turned on just one flower as this year's four- day event opened at Victoria Park.

Prisoners Take Honours with Water Theme

A GROUP of prisoners serving long sentences yesterday won the Best in Show prize at the Southport Flower Show. The inmates from Kirkham Prison, near Preston, were awarded the Brockhouse trophy for their "Hydrological Garden".

Comment & Analysis: Dame Te Ata ; Obituary

DAME TE ATA was the Maori Queen for 40 years, and the longest reigning monarch of New Zealand's indigenous population. Born in 1931, her full title, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, was bestowed on her when she became monarch in 1966 and she was previously known as Princess Piki Mahut.

Comment & Analysis: The Daily Postcard

Comment & Analysis: Living On Your Own ; Lew Baxter

JUST when us older single blokes reckoned we'd escaped character assassination and a dismissive sneer at our pointless and blatantly selfish lifestyles, suddenly the glare of the spotlight has us exposed. It seems we are regarded with suspicion, fear, blame (?) and pity

Comment & Analysis: Thought for the Day

ALONG with all the hatred and war, think about the children. In both Israel and Lebanon, children have died. In both countries, children are refugees. They look to their parents and families for stability and comfort, and can only find instability and discomfort confronting them daily. "When are we going back home, Mummy?" must be a cry heard often both in Hebrew and Arabic. War is an indiscriminate thing. There is no such thing as surgical strikes. Collateral damage means dead women and chil...

Looking Back

Quiz Challenge

1. In music, how many notes are sharpened in the scale ofAmajor? 2. What was the main cargo of HMS Bounty at the time of the famous mutiny aboard?

Restaurants: Tips

PARENTS need a treat after slaving over those lunchboxes. Reward yourself with a sparkling sweet treat - a Champagne Summer Fruit Pudding, by Farmhouse Fare. It's made in Lancashire to a traditional recipe.

Restaurants: A Place of Bliss Failed to Deliver This Time ; Special Occasions Call for Special Meals. Louise Douglas Paid Another Visit

I'VE always had a soft spot for Jalons - when it opened in Waterloo five years ago, I reviewed it on these very pages and was blown away. It was a real experience - good food at reasonable prices (the fixed price menu gave us two courses for pounds 15)' a great atmosphere' staff who were only too willing to please, and an excellent crooner on the piano who belted out a series of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett standards.

Restaurants: Get Top Marks Next Term with Delicious and Healthy Dishes for Your Child's School Lunchbox ; Eating In

GO TO the bottom of the class if your child's back-to-school lunchbox is always filled with a boring sandwich and a sugary snack. Smart kids need smart food, so make sure their mid-morning meal helps boost brain power, and gives them energy to learn and cope with their busy day.

Newsquiz

1. Which Government minister is to be the subject of a new TV film? 2. Which pop sensation went on a maple syrup diet to lose weight for a new film?

Wales: Speedwatch

North Wales Police Arrive Alive vans will be targeting speeding motorists on the following roads across North Wales today Anglesey: Llangefni' B5420 Menai Bridge Denbighshire: B5120 Ffordd Pendyffryn Road, Prestatyn' A547 Prestatyn-Rhuddlan Wrexham: A483/ A5 Ruabon-Chirk' A539 Trevor- Erbistock

On This Day in ...

1227: Genghis Khan, Mongol emperor who conquered more than a million square miles of land, died after falling from his horse. 1587: Virginia Dare became the first child born of English parents in the New World -on Roanoke Island, North Carolina - seven days after Sir Walter Raleigh's second expedition landed.