Archive

  • Who cares?

    The most common explanation for the alarming drop in the number of us bothering to vote is the general hostility we show towards politicians. Along with journalists, they are regularly bottom of the list when it comes to public esteem. While we must accept

  • Guests dine and dance to musical chef's tune

    As his fellow jazz musicians might say, Paul Smith is cookin' on gas. The virtuoso saxophonist has combined his love of music with his culinary skills to provide Sussex's socialites with the country's first all-in-one dinner and entertainment service.

  • You have no heart

    Oh, dear, Dave Stone, I think your letter will upset a lot of people. Anyone with a heart, any parent, aunt or uncle, would have sympathy for the parents of the girls killed by Graham Travers. Of course the girls were unwise to get in the car in the first

  • Car club eases city gridlock

    A pioneering car-share club hopes to change the culture of driving in Brighton and Hove. The club, based in Hanover, already has 24 members and three cars in the fleet. Each vehicle has its own dedicated parking bay and can be booked over the internet

  • Seafront eyesore set for makeover

    A notorious seafront eyesore will be given its first makeover in years this summer. Work to bring Embassy Court in Kings Road, Brighton, back to its original art deco splendour is expected to start in July after leaseholders agreed to back a £4.5 million

  • Belt up, Dave

    Regarding the letter from Dave Stone (March 25), he doesn't know the full facts about that fateful night. The girls did know the driver but they only met up with him late that evening. They did not know he had been drinking earlier. The reason the three

  • It will always be the Palace Pier to us

    While I congratulate the Noble Organisation on its successful running of the Palace Pier (oops, Brighton Pier), I think it will find that most people in this country and overseas refer to it as the Palace Pier. So how Noble got the notion people knew

  • Woolf portrait on show after 70 years

    A long-lost portrait of Virginia Woolf has gone on display in Sussex after its whereabouts were revealed by its owner. The work, last seen in 1934, was painted by the writer's sister, celebrated artist Vanessa Bell. It has been loaned to the museum at

  • Thrice blessed

    I suggest that, rather than dwelling on his festering hatred for sections of society less able or fortunate than himself, Tony Booker spends some of his spare time counting his blessings (Letters, March 27). For starters, not having to suffer the indignity

  • Swimming: Teen dream for Olympic hope

    Emma Eaves was just 12 years old when she became a contender for this year's Olympic Games. For most youngsters of her age, the closest involvement with the world's premier sports event is alongside friends and family in front of the television. But this

  • Watch the zebras

    I cannot believe the number of people who drive over a zebra crossing when I am half way across it. The crossing on Eastern road outside the County Hospital has to be one of the worst. Every day I try to scuttle across as quickly as I can and I never

  • Diving: Tanya sinks to new depths

    Tanya Streeter pulled her right hand through her waist-length blonde hair as the wind blew all around and the swirling dark grey clouds blotted out the sun. Tanya is a free diver and the only woman to have bettered a male world record in any sport. She

  • Historic cinema gets restoration green light

    Work on the restoration of an Edwardian cinema can begin after a £200,000 grant. English Heritage has pledged the cash towards a major revamp of the Dome in Worthing. It ends months of unease about the project's future. Belle Stennett, managing director

  • Sea defences

    I read with interest the article on the Palace Pier (The Argus, March 29). It certainly is a great asset to the town. The Noble Organisation is talking about the next 20 years and let's hope it is still here then. But what is it going to do about rising

  • Artist's unholy trinity

    Controversial artist James Cauty has unleashed an unholy trinity of images just in time for Easter. The pictures, which have a price-tag of £6,666 each, are being exhibited as part of the Brighton Fringe. Cauty, a political activist who is no stranger

  • Firm fined £2m over Paddington crash

    Thames Trains has been fined £2 million over the horrific Paddington rail crash. The penalty was imposed on the company, which had admitted two health and safety offences, by a judge at the Old Bailey yesterday. It was also ordered to pay prosecution

  • City know-how helps firms flourish

    A company that helps creative start-up firms find suitable office space and market themselves has exported its formula to London. Bizvizion, based at Brighton Media Centre in Middle Street, is behind a project designed to help small businesses flourish

  • Sussex churchgoers are stingiest in country

    Churchgoers in Sussex are among the stingiest in England. Research published by the Church of England's Chichester Diocese shows the average parishioner drops £6.20 per week on to the collection plate. The regional average for the South is £7.27. The

  • Blind woman hurt by Bomb Alley rail thugs

    A blind woman was hit on the head and showered with glass when vandals stoned a busy train. Fellow passengers were also hurt in the attack near Fishersgate station on Sunday. Police said someone could have been killed. Marilyn Baker, 53, had spent the

  • 9/11 led to arrest of fugitive father

    Edgardo Alvarez would probably never have been caught were it not for the events of September 11, 2001. The 65-year-old vanished with his daughter Esmeralda, then six, in July 1999 and sparked an international police hunt which lasted four-and-half years

  • It's time to be on allergy alert

    Summer is approaching and for hay fever sufferers that can spell misery as the pollen count rises. More people suffer from hay fever than ever before. Last year 36 per cent of young people aged 12 to 14 were said to be affected compared with 12 per cent

  • We simply don't need this poison in our water

    After my first child was born, I was told by my dentist to give him fluoride drops to prevent cavities. At the time I had no idea that fluoride has never been classified safe for human consumption and is more toxic than lead. But now, whenever my son

  • BBC's historical drama is hysterical

    I always find it hard to take seriously historical dramatisations (like BBC2's Gunpowder, Treason and Plot). Remember the BlackAdder series with Rowan Atkinson? It must be very difficult for scriptwriters in transcribing Old English into present-day parlance

  • Who cares?

    The most common explanation for the alarming drop in the number of us bothering to vote is the general hostility we show towards politicians. Along with journalists, they are regularly bottom of the list when it comes to public esteem. While we must accept

  • Guests dine and dance to musical chef's tune

    As his fellow jazz musicians might say, Paul Smith is cookin' on gas. The virtuoso saxophonist has combined his love of music with his culinary skills to provide Sussex's socialites with the country's first all-in-one dinner and entertainment service.

  • Digging for money

    Looking round the city this past month has given me a business idea. I now need backers. Here's the plan: Holes 'R' Us. We specialise in digging holes in the road during the month of March and filling them up again before the end of the financial year

  • Sign the petition

    Today I signed a petition about drivers who have no legal right to drive. I also met the parents of one of the girls and I admire their determination to toughen up the law concerning unlicensed drivers. The families will never get over this tragedy and

  • You have no heart

    Oh, dear, Dave Stone, I think your letter will upset a lot of people. Anyone with a heart, any parent, aunt or uncle, would have sympathy for the parents of the girls killed by Graham Travers. Of course the girls were unwise to get in the car in the first

  • Car club eases city gridlock

    A pioneering car-share club hopes to change the culture of driving in Brighton and Hove. The club, based in Hanover, already has 24 members and three cars in the fleet. Each vehicle has its own dedicated parking bay and can be booked over the internet

  • Belt up, Dave

    Regarding the letter from Dave Stone (March 25), he doesn't know the full facts about that fateful night. The girls did know the driver but they only met up with him late that evening. They did not know he had been drinking earlier. The reason the three

  • Woolf portrait on show after 70 years

    A long-lost portrait of Virginia Woolf has gone on display in Sussex after its whereabouts were revealed by its owner. The work, last seen in 1934, was painted by the writer's sister, celebrated artist Vanessa Bell. It has been loaned to the museum at

  • Swimming: Teen dream for Olympic hope

    Emma Eaves was just 12 years old when she became a contender for this year's Olympic Games. For most youngsters of her age, the closest involvement with the world's premier sports event is alongside friends and family in front of the television. But this

  • Watch the zebras

    I cannot believe the number of people who drive over a zebra crossing when I am half way across it. The crossing on Eastern road outside the County Hospital has to be one of the worst. Every day I try to scuttle across as quickly as I can and I never

  • Historic cinema gets restoration green light

    Work on the restoration of an Edwardian cinema can begin after a £200,000 grant. English Heritage has pledged the cash towards a major revamp of the Dome in Worthing. It ends months of unease about the project's future. Belle Stennett, managing director

  • Missing pieces

    David Bennett asks how people are going to miss the bottom of the sea 20 miles out in the English Channel (Letters, March 22). It's not a question of missing it. It isn't a piece of a jigsaw puzzle lost down the back of a sofa but more a question of the

  • Basketball: Rico cleared for play-offs

    Rico Alderson is likely to be given the all-clear for Brighton Bears' assault on the BBL play-offs. The Bears star, ejected in the final minute of Saturday's title-clinching defeat of Leicester Riders, will receive a one-game ban. If the club do not appeal

  • Cricket: Lewry shines before rain intervenes

    Jason Lewry quickly made his presence felt with three wickets before the opening day of Sussex's friendly against Hampshire was cut short by rain. Only one hour 35 minutes of play was possible at Hove with Hampshire stumbling to 99-4 from 29 overs. New

  • Ban on assisted-death is cruel

    I would like to congratulate the Liberal Democrats. At its recent Spring conference in Southport it became the first political party in the UK to address the issue of assisted dying for the terminally ill. From its informed debate it is clear that, despite

  • Ryman: Hornets boss warns Rebels

    Horsham manager John Maggs has warned Worthing not to expect any favours in tonight's division one south derby at Queen Street. The Hornets are mid-table and do not have anything to play for, while Worthing are challenging for the title. Maggs said: "

  • Victory on the Albion menu

    Albion are taking a chef with them on the coach to Blackpool, to make sure the players have the stomach for the promotion fight over Easter. He will travel up with the players on Friday and be responsible for the on-board menu for the long journey to

  • Artist's unholy trinity

    Controversial artist James Cauty has unleashed an unholy trinity of images just in time for Easter. The pictures, which have a price-tag of £6,666 each, are being exhibited as part of the Brighton Fringe. Cauty, a political activist who is no stranger

  • Paying to work

    Crooked employment agencies are exploiting vulnerable workers by illegally charging them to find work, an undercover inquiry by the TUC has revealed. The investigation found some agencies were breaking the law by asking migrant workers to pay up to £100

  • Firm fined £2m over Paddington crash

    Thames Trains has been fined £2 million over the horrific Paddington rail crash. The penalty was imposed on the company, which had admitted two health and safety offences, by a judge at the Old Bailey yesterday. It was also ordered to pay prosecution

  • Sussex churchgoers are stingiest in country

    Churchgoers in Sussex are among the stingiest in England. Research published by the Church of England's Chichester Diocese shows the average parishioner drops £6.20 per week on to the collection plate. The regional average for the South is £7.27. The

  • Race hate crimes double in year

    Race hate crimes reported to the police have almost doubled in one year. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) released figures showing 111 people were charged with a racist offence in the year ending March 31, 2003, compared with 76 in the previous year

  • Pop history for Abba and Brighton

    Thirty years ago tonight, Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton. As the final strains of Waterloo echoed through The Dome, few realised they had just witnessed the birth of a global pop phenomenon. AS years go, 1974 was not a particularly good

  • 9/11 led to arrest of fugitive father

    Edgardo Alvarez would probably never have been caught were it not for the events of September 11, 2001. The 65-year-old vanished with his daughter Esmeralda, then six, in July 1999 and sparked an international police hunt which lasted four-and-half years

  • Can men be trusted to take the pill?

    For thousands of years man and woman kind have being trying to prevent the unwanted patter of tiny feet. Primitive woman used dung and honey to stop pregnancy, put round stones in camels wombs, drank water which was used to wash the dead and took gunpowder-based

  • We simply don't need this poison in our water

    After my first child was born, I was told by my dentist to give him fluoride drops to prevent cavities. At the time I had no idea that fluoride has never been classified safe for human consumption and is more toxic than lead. But now, whenever my son

  • Gatwick prepares for passenger takeoff

    More than 440,000 passengers are expected to travel through Gatwick airport during the Easter holiday period. Thursday is expected to be the busiest day with about 93,500 passengers scheduled to fly. More than 82,000 are expected on Easter Sunday. The

  • No sense

    I have to respond to Dave Stone's letter. You say, "if common sense was so common", Mr Stone, when it seems to me that you have no sense whatsoever. It was proved that the girls had tried unsuccessfully to phone a cab. If they had refused the lift from

  • Seafront eyesore set for makeover

    A notorious seafront eyesore will be given its first makeover in years this summer. Work to bring Embassy Court in Kings Road, Brighton, back to its original art deco splendour is expected to start in July after leaseholders agreed to back a £4.5 million

  • Site should be used for affordable housing

    I refer to the pictures of the long-empty office block in Preston Road, Brighton (The Argus, March 27). Apparently, it has been empty for 17 years "due to the lack of demand" for office space in the Brighton area. My photo shows a prime city-centre site

  • It will always be the Palace Pier to us

    While I congratulate the Noble Organisation on its successful running of the Palace Pier (oops, Brighton Pier), I think it will find that most people in this country and overseas refer to it as the Palace Pier. So how Noble got the notion people knew

  • Thrice blessed

    I suggest that, rather than dwelling on his festering hatred for sections of society less able or fortunate than himself, Tony Booker spends some of his spare time counting his blessings (Letters, March 27). For starters, not having to suffer the indignity

  • Diving: Tanya sinks to new depths

    Tanya Streeter pulled her right hand through her waist-length blonde hair as the wind blew all around and the swirling dark grey clouds blotted out the sun. Tanya is a free diver and the only woman to have bettered a male world record in any sport. She

  • Sea defences

    I read with interest the article on the Palace Pier (The Argus, March 29). It certainly is a great asset to the town. The Noble Organisation is talking about the next 20 years and let's hope it is still here then. But what is it going to do about rising

  • Dr Martens: Kember set for debut

    Robert Kember is hoping for clearance in time to make his Crawley debut in tonight's Dr Martens League Cup final, first leg at Moor Green. The 22-year-old midfielder, who is the son of former Crystal Palace boss Steve, has been unable to play for the

  • April 6: Victory on the Albion menu

    Albion are taking a chef with them on the coach to Blackpool, to make sure the players have the stomach for the promotion fight over Easter. He will travel up with the players on Friday and be responsible for the on-board menu for the long journey to

  • Lastminute buoyed by reserve bookings

    Online retailer lastminute.com raised expectations for a busy summer today after seeing booking levels move "materially ahead" of hopes. The group said trading in the first three months of the year had beaten forecasts last month with bookings made for

  • Low-cost demand lifts TBI

    Passenger numbers at airports owned by TBI jumped 13% today as demand for low-cost services remained strong in the first three months of this year. The group, which operates Luton, Belfast International, Cardiff and Stockholm-Skavsta airports, said the

  • Gatwick prepares for passenger takeoff

    More than 440,000 passengers are expected to travel through Gatwick airport during the Easter holiday period. Thursday is expected to be the busiest day with about 93,500 passengers scheduled to fly. More than 82,000 are expected on Easter Sunday. The

  • City know-how helps firms flourish

    A company that helps creative start-up firms find suitable office space and market themselves has exported its formula to London. Bizvizion, based at Brighton Media Centre in Middle Street, is behind a project designed to help small businesses flourish

  • Online bookie hit by extortion bid

    An online betting company suffered a Grand National wipeout after its web site was crippled by a Russian blackmail gang. Bosses at Sporting Options, based in Burgess Hill, received an email at 9pm on Friday demanding protection money. When it refused

  • Blind woman hurt by Bomb Alley rail thugs

    A blind woman was hit on the head and showered with glass when vandals stoned a busy train. Fellow passengers were also hurt in the attack near Fishersgate station on Sunday. Police said someone could have been killed. Marilyn Baker, 53, had spent the

  • The Big Issue could be made homeless

    The Big Issue, the magizine which helps the homeless to help themselves, is itself facing being turfed out on to the streets The magazine's Brighton and Hove distribution centre, set up in 1991 to help destitute people earn an income without begging,

  • Full Story: The hunt for my abducted girl

    Amid the hustle of Victoria station, Marcela Alvarez watched anxiously as her six-year-old daughter grasped her father's hand. She had never really trusted her estranged ex-husband and was more apprehensive than ever. This was the first time little Esmeralda

  • Mum's four-year wait to find daughter

    A mother wept with joy as she described the moment she was reunited with her abducted daughter. Marcela Alvarez spent more than four years not knowing her daughter's whereabouts - until the arrest of her ex-husband. Mexican-born Edgardo Alvarez, 65, is

  • It's time to be on allergy alert

    Summer is approaching and for hay fever sufferers that can spell misery as the pollen count rises. More people suffer from hay fever than ever before. Last year 36 per cent of young people aged 12 to 14 were said to be affected compared with 12 per cent

  • BBC's historical drama is hysterical

    I always find it hard to take seriously historical dramatisations (like BBC2's Gunpowder, Treason and Plot). Remember the BlackAdder series with Rowan Atkinson? It must be very difficult for scriptwriters in transcribing Old English into present-day parlance

  • Digging for money

    Looking round the city this past month has given me a business idea. I now need backers. Here's the plan: Holes 'R' Us. We specialise in digging holes in the road during the month of March and filling them up again before the end of the financial year

  • Sign the petition

    Today I signed a petition about drivers who have no legal right to drive. I also met the parents of one of the girls and I admire their determination to toughen up the law concerning unlicensed drivers. The families will never get over this tragedy and

  • Gatwick prepares for passenger takeoff

    More than 440,000 passengers are expected to travel through Gatwick airport during the Easter holiday period. Thursday is expected to be the busiest day with about 93,500 passengers scheduled to fly. More than 82,000 are expected on Easter Sunday. The

  • No sense

    I have to respond to Dave Stone's letter. You say, "if common sense was so common", Mr Stone, when it seems to me that you have no sense whatsoever. It was proved that the girls had tried unsuccessfully to phone a cab. If they had refused the lift from

  • Site should be used for affordable housing

    I refer to the pictures of the long-empty office block in Preston Road, Brighton (The Argus, March 27). Apparently, it has been empty for 17 years "due to the lack of demand" for office space in the Brighton area. My photo shows a prime city-centre site

  • Missing pieces

    David Bennett asks how people are going to miss the bottom of the sea 20 miles out in the English Channel (Letters, March 22). It's not a question of missing it. It isn't a piece of a jigsaw puzzle lost down the back of a sofa but more a question of the

  • Basketball: Rico cleared for play-offs

    Rico Alderson is likely to be given the all-clear for Brighton Bears' assault on the BBL play-offs. The Bears star, ejected in the final minute of Saturday's title-clinching defeat of Leicester Riders, will receive a one-game ban. If the club do not appeal

  • Cricket: Lewry shines before rain intervenes

    Jason Lewry quickly made his presence felt with three wickets before the opening day of Sussex's friendly against Hampshire was cut short by rain. Only one hour 35 minutes of play was possible at Hove with Hampshire stumbling to 99-4 from 29 overs. New

  • Ban on assisted-death is cruel

    I would like to congratulate the Liberal Democrats. At its recent Spring conference in Southport it became the first political party in the UK to address the issue of assisted dying for the terminally ill. From its informed debate it is clear that, despite

  • Ryman: Hornets boss warns Rebels

    Horsham manager John Maggs has warned Worthing not to expect any favours in tonight's division one south derby at Queen Street. The Hornets are mid-table and do not have anything to play for, while Worthing are challenging for the title. Maggs said: "

  • Dr Martens: Kember set for debut

    Robert Kember is hoping for clearance in time to make his Crawley debut in tonight's Dr Martens League Cup final, first leg at Moor Green. The 22-year-old midfielder, who is the son of former Crystal Palace boss Steve, has been unable to play for the

  • Victory on the Albion menu

    Albion are taking a chef with them on the coach to Blackpool, to make sure the players have the stomach for the promotion fight over Easter. He will travel up with the players on Friday and be responsible for the on-board menu for the long journey to

  • April 6: Victory on the Albion menu

    Albion are taking a chef with them on the coach to Blackpool, to make sure the players have the stomach for the promotion fight over Easter. He will travel up with the players on Friday and be responsible for the on-board menu for the long journey to

  • Paying to work

    Crooked employment agencies are exploiting vulnerable workers by illegally charging them to find work, an undercover inquiry by the TUC has revealed. The investigation found some agencies were breaking the law by asking migrant workers to pay up to £100

  • Lastminute buoyed by reserve bookings

    Online retailer lastminute.com raised expectations for a busy summer today after seeing booking levels move "materially ahead" of hopes. The group said trading in the first three months of the year had beaten forecasts last month with bookings made for

  • Low-cost demand lifts TBI

    Passenger numbers at airports owned by TBI jumped 13% today as demand for low-cost services remained strong in the first three months of this year. The group, which operates Luton, Belfast International, Cardiff and Stockholm-Skavsta airports, said the

  • Gatwick prepares for passenger takeoff

    More than 440,000 passengers are expected to travel through Gatwick airport during the Easter holiday period. Thursday is expected to be the busiest day with about 93,500 passengers scheduled to fly. More than 82,000 are expected on Easter Sunday. The

  • Online bookie hit by extortion bid

    An online betting company suffered a Grand National wipeout after its web site was crippled by a Russian blackmail gang. Bosses at Sporting Options, based in Burgess Hill, received an email at 9pm on Friday demanding protection money. When it refused

  • The Big Issue could be made homeless

    The Big Issue, the magizine which helps the homeless to help themselves, is itself facing being turfed out on to the streets The magazine's Brighton and Hove distribution centre, set up in 1991 to help destitute people earn an income without begging,

  • Race hate crimes double in year

    Race hate crimes reported to the police have almost doubled in one year. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) released figures showing 111 people were charged with a racist offence in the year ending March 31, 2003, compared with 76 in the previous year

  • Pop history for Abba and Brighton

    Thirty years ago tonight, Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton. As the final strains of Waterloo echoed through The Dome, few realised they had just witnessed the birth of a global pop phenomenon. AS years go, 1974 was not a particularly good

  • Full Story: The hunt for my abducted girl

    Amid the hustle of Victoria station, Marcela Alvarez watched anxiously as her six-year-old daughter grasped her father's hand. She had never really trusted her estranged ex-husband and was more apprehensive than ever. This was the first time little Esmeralda

  • Mum's four-year wait to find daughter

    A mother wept with joy as she described the moment she was reunited with her abducted daughter. Marcela Alvarez spent more than four years not knowing her daughter's whereabouts - until the arrest of her ex-husband. Mexican-born Edgardo Alvarez, 65, is

  • Can men be trusted to take the pill?

    For thousands of years man and woman kind have being trying to prevent the unwanted patter of tiny feet. Primitive woman used dung and honey to stop pregnancy, put round stones in camels wombs, drank water which was used to wash the dead and took gunpowder-based