MOLLIE MAULS MARCH!
22/2/02: Local singer and song writer Mollie Baxter has a new single now on sale and has lined up several local gigs in March to promote it. The first is on Saturday 2 March at the Gregson, supporting the Puma Sutras,.
"Tracy Don't Take Sugar is a much harder song than much of the material on my album, Hating Baby" says Mollie. "I was aiming for an early PJ Harvey soundbut with a more acoustic flavour. So far people have likened it to Alanis Morrissette, but not PJ Harvey! I'd be interested to hear what other people think."

You can buy the single at her gigs or order a copy of by e-mail:

HAVE YOU GOT THE WRITE STUFF?
20/2/02: LancasterUKOnline.net is starting a new Local Fiction section on its web site in association with Lancaster's Spotlight Club. We're looking for stories based in the local area, which reflect the community we live in. More information: Go

MIDLAND HOTEL LATEST
19/2/02: A new web site for news on Morecambe's Midland Hotel developments is now online: Go

Kalber Leisure also will be exhibiting their future plans for the hotel at the former Fatty Arbuckles restaurant on Morecambe's Marine Road. Kalber signed a lease for the property on Tuesday 19 February and plan to transform the building into a 1930s themed tea room and exhibition for the Midland Hotel - past, present and future.
Kalber is interested in hearing from anyone who may have memories of the Midland, or old photos of the hotel. Please send photographs (DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS) to Tudor Williams, General Manager, Midland Hotel, Marine Road, Morecambe. E-mail:

PUNK VENUE FOUND
15/2/02: Punk event organisers dogonastring have secured a new venue. The Hornsea Pottery cafe bar, Lancaster, will play host to a strong line up comprising Forenzic, Seraphim, Face of Change and The Filthy Lookers,3cr and Born Idle on 2 March.
Doors open at 7.00pm and it should run to 12.30ish. Admission is £2.00,or £1.50 with flyer, which you can download from the web site: Go
Although dogonastring promotes mainly punk bands, it also realises that there is a lot of potential talent out there,and so the six bands playing represent a mix of punk, grunge and nu-metal. "Sorry, no Gareth and Will - we are not that desperate," says organiser Ian Roberts. Further events are being planned.

HOT FLUSH BARBIE
15/2/02: Comedienne Jenny Eclair, actress, part time novelist and first woman ever to win the prestigious Perrier Awards, mades a welcome return to the Platform in Morecambe on Friday 15 February, in a brand new show.

SULTANS OF STYLE! Sultans Gallery Opens
7/2/02 The Sultan of Lancaster's Art Gallery in Brock St, Lancaster had its grand opening last Thursday - the regional glitterati gathered to sip mango juice and contemplate the fabulously romantic ceramics of Helen Capper. Charles Bray's endlessly curious and inventive glassworks rightly dominated the show. They really are something special. Michael Hipkins' travel views are delightfully reminiscent of the street galleries of Montmartre. Looking at his Havana fishermen I could almost smell the seaweed and engine oil and felt an overwhelming nostalgie de voyage. Ian Gardner may be resting on the laurels of a good review in the FT some time ago - walking past miles of (really very good) atmospheric watercolours of Morecambe Bay, the words 'production line' come to mind. An example of how less might be more. Geoff Woodhead has proven that it is possible to paint water and make it interesting. His grand dark gallery-size canvases anchor the whole show - yet close up they shift, multi-layered, primal and alive.

There's much more to see and it's an impressive and very attractive range of exhibits in a well-designed and smoothly ambient setting. Just walking in made me feel good. I want to go back already. Website

ART GALORE!
February saw a host of art events in Lancaster, including:

'You are Here' : A retrospective of textiles by Michael Brennand-Wood at the Storey Gallery. Colours, shapes, patterns, textures - Words fail me. You have to go see.

Elaine Jackson
7/2/02 In a complete contrast, Elaine Jackson's work currently on show at No6 cafe has a raw, manic vitality conveying warmth, humour and insight. Many of the exhibits could benefit from better mounting/framing - it takes a sharp eye to see past the trimmings to the intrinsic quality.

'Solid As A Rock' photography by David Herrod at the Maritime Museum. Cockermouth resident Herrod's close-ups of geological features on the coastline give testimony to his technical mastery of the medium combined with a subliminal insight into the evocations of forms and the harmonious flow of geology. From his civil engineering background Herrod brings a skill and precision to bear on on his passion for photography that makes it gloriously fine.

POTATO DAY
15/2/02: We've just had National Chip Week, so what better time for Potato Day? On Saturday 16th February, 12 - 4pm, Alan Roman a potato expert from Scotland was at the Gregson Community Centre, 33 Moorgate, Lancaster, to talk about potatoes, the different varieties and how to grow them.
25 different potato varieties of potato tubers were for sale at this event, for people to grow in their allotments or gardens. There will also be a wide range of organic potatoes for sale for cooking. The day will include some potato dishes to sample, as well as arts and crafts for children to enjoy. The event has received funding from the Lancashire Environmental Action Fund. It promises to be a real celebration of the spud!

BARKING MAD
15/2/02: National company Barking Mad, which places animals with host families while their owners are on holiday, is looking for participants in their business in the Lancaster area. For full details of what's expected of pet carers visit their web site or call 015242 73301.

BRIDGE AWARD
15/2/02: Lancaster's Millennium Bridge has been nominated for a national Structural Design Award. The winners will be announced in June. Does this means we're walking on art?

NUCLEAR SPECTRE STILL STALKS LAND
15/2/02: The Government's Energy Review, now public, has been welcomed as a step in the right direction by environmental groups, but Friends of the Earth say it is not the great strategic leap forward required to create a low carbon economy.
Although the Review recommends a big shift to renewable energy and energy efficiency, it does not go far enough. It also sends some very worrying signals about potential future support for the nuclear industry, and casts doubt over the UK's long-term commitment to tackling climate change. Meetings in Lancaster and Morecambe recently have raised concerns about the possibility of a third nuclear power station at Heysham.
Meanwhile, environmentalists have condemned US President Bush after his speech on Greenhouse Gases yesterday. Bush's critics say his administration caters to the oil industry and refuses to do its share to curb emissions from gasoline, coal and other fossil fuels. "Unfortunately, the Bush administration is using Valentine's Day to give a sweetheart deal to the corporate polluters that funded his campaign,'' said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, who singled out Enron Corp., Bush's biggest campaign backer.
Find out more about George W. Bush's environmental record: Go

DID YOU KNOW? A new study of 142 countries has found that Finland ranks first in the world for its environmental health and the United Arab Emirates ranks last, with the United Kingdom coming in at 98. The study by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University for the World Economic Forum found that although economic wealth does not necessarily correlate with a healthy environment, the level of corruption within a government does.
Full story: Go (registration required)

LOCAL PAPER ROUND UP
15/2/02: The Lancaster Guardian carries an in-depth feature on the arguments for and against the proposed Whinney Carr housing development in South Lancaster. The inquiry will report in mid-March, which will be followed by a government decision for or against the controversial scheme.
The newspaper also has introduced a cartoon. Could this be an original idea?
The Lancaster Citizen brings news that Morrisons plan to turn the former Frontierland site in Morecambe into a retail complex look certain to get the green light. Some local businesses fear the development could damage their business. The local free paper also features detailed reports on the alarming delays to turn Salt Ayre Leisure Centre over to non-profit trust management, and concerns that plans to close several homes for the elderly in the local area do not make economic sense. Geraldine Smith remains unconvinced while Hilton Dawson MP supports the planned government changes for elderly care but would not support any which had a negative impact.
The Morecambe Visitor warns of new mobile speed traps (conjuring images of large wheeled vans swallowing speeding motorists) and Heysham residents concerns about weekend dirt bikers who are wreaking havoc around the Smithy Lane area. There's also concern that council tax may rise by 9 per cent: a final decision on the rise will be made on 27 February at a special council meeting.

WIN A HOUSE
15/2/02: Channel 5's Hot Property programme is searching for first-time buyers in the Lancaster area to appear on a new series of the show, presented by Alice Beer.
The first-time buyers will be shown three homes for sale. They'll pick their favourite and use their skill and judgement to guess the selling price.
If their estimate is correct to within £500 either way then their house hunting problems will be over, as they'll win the property on offer.
Hot Property began filming from the beginning of February. First-time buyers who want to take part should leave their name, address on 02073499090 or email their contact details to

MOON MADNESS
A commercial US company is about to take a trip to the Moon ö and what's the first thing they're going to do? Drop litter. TransOrbital Inc. has just announced it is now selling transportation of cargo to the moon on the 2001 TrailBlazer lunar orbiter scheduled for launch in 2002. Customers can purchase the transport of their personal messages to the moon as well as the transportation of business cards, memorabilia, and small artifacts. All cargo items will be deposited on the surface of the Moon in a secure time capsule at the end of the 2001 TrailBlazer lunar orbiting mission.
Good job the Clangers are there already, eh?

SECRET NUCLEAR STATION PLANS EXPOSED
1/2/02: Greenpeace has just published a leaked summary of Tony Blair's Energy Review, revealing how a Downing Street think tank is leaving the door open for a wave of new nuclear power stations across Britain. A third reactor at Heysham might be one of them.
Greenpeace reveals that the review does not rule out the construction of new nuclear power stations. Around a dozen new nuclear plants could now be built with government assistance, in the form of tax breaks and relaxed planning laws. The nuclear industry has said that new plants will be built alongside existing sites.
The confidential report, written by the Performance and Innovation Unit of the Cabinet Office (PIU) and presented to Blair before Christmas, also sets timid targets for the generation of energy by renewable technology like wind, wave and solar power. The PIU had previously been looking at 20% and 30% targets for renewables and has opted for the less ambitious target, even though the government's own Energy Technology Support Unit says the UK has three times the renewable energy potential than the figure recommended by the PIU.

The leaked draft summary of the Energy Review can be viewed at
www.greenpeace.org.uk

BUS FARE RISES CONDEMNED
1/2/02: Hilton Dawson MP and many locals have again condemned the latest bus fare rises imposed by Stagecoach. Many locals at last week's Forum on the Future, called by Dawson, were outraged by the rises, the second rise in nine months.
Dawson admitted that there although several new rural services had been introduced there had been no action on fares or other services. "Partnerships need to be developed to address the problem," he said in written comments on the meeting. Stronger regulation of bus services was suggested.
The meeting also raised concerns at community housing and facilities for young people in the Hala area, the Whinney Carr development and regeneration work planned for the Quay. Local police and Mark Cullinan, Chief Executive of Lancaster City Council addressed issues raised on crime, road safety and regeneration.

DYNAMO APPEAL
1/2/02: Local cycling group Dynamo is looking for someone at Lancaster University who would be interested in helping promoting cycling to new students at the start of each academic year. The request comes in repsonse to an appeal for help to Dynamo from Lancashire County Council. "We have plenty of contact with St Martin's, but we're a little out of touch with the University," says Dynamo Secretary Patricia Clarke.

If you're interested in helping, e-mail:

HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE BUDGET
Lancashire's Finance Portfolio Holder is now on-line to answer questions from council taxpayers on next year's budget. County Councillor Tony Martin is inviting Lancashire residents to pose any questions on the budget to him by e-mail ( ).
The proposals will be considered at a meeting of the County Council on 14 February 2002. (Thanks to County Councillor Jonathan Sear for this item).

Lancashire County Council's web site: Go

LOCAL NEWSPAPER ROUND UP
1/2/01: The Lancaster Guardian leads with news that at least five local senior citizen homes face the axe as Lancashire County Council looks to improve care; carries an exclusive on the victimisation of an Overton family by youths; and further expansion for locally-based Business Serve. Plus a revealing One to One feature with local singer Sue Parish, often mentioned in this newsletter.
The Lancaster Citizen reveals hard-up benefits claimants from Lancaster could be sent as far away as Kendal or Preston - to be told that they are not allowed to have more money.
Members of the PCS union claim that will be one of the results of the merger of job centres and benefits offices.
The Morecambe Visitor will have a special feature on Morecambe's future next week, after a State of the District debate declared decisions need to be made if Morecambe is to remain a seaside resort. The paper says a question mark has been drawn over whether the town really has a future as a tourist destination in a dwindling market.
The paper also reports that county council proposals to change the layout of Broadway - regarded as the red carpet entrance to the resort - have sparked anger among residents. Many Morecambe Bay Independent councillors are against the scheme and want to hear the views of residents on Broadway. Anyone wishing to make their opinion known on the proposed traffic scheme to their Independent councillor please write to Morecambe Town Hall or call 582841.
Lancaster University's student newspaper SCAN led last week with the news that a local landlord was seeking tenants for a 'Big Brother'-style house in Lancaster. The story was picked up by several local papers.

NO CENSORSHIP HERE
1/2/02: It's good to see that green activists are being treated fairly by media across the pond, just as they are here... or maybe not. US pressure group FAIR reports that many New York media outlets are serving up some of the same distortions that have greeted past globalization protests, as the latest World Economic Forum takes place in New York City.
Most articles in the New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times and Newsday mentioning the WEF have focused on police preparations for the protests. As a result, the political debate over the WEF has been obscured, as have concerns about police brutality and civil liberties. The New York Daily News (1/13/02, a Murdoch paper), referred to anti-WEF activists as "legions of agitators," "crazies," "parasites" and "kooks." No doubt some UK news outlets will cover the event in the same way.

For independent coverage of WEF issues and protests, visit the New York City Independent Media Center: Go

For links to protest organizers, visit the Mobilization for Global Justice: Go