FIVE OF RAYMOND CHANDER’S MOST ENDURING CRIME CLASSICS RECEIVE A VINTAGE MAKEOVER, REPACKAGED WITH THE ORIGINAL HAMISH HAMILTON EARLY-EDITION HARDBACK COVERS, TO MARK FIFTY YEARS SINCE HIS DEATH

Published in Hamish Hamilton hardback on 26th March 2009, each priced £12.99

The Big Sleep • The Little Sister • The Long Good-Bye •The Lady in the Lake • Farewell, My Lovely

‘Anything Chandler writes about grips the mind from the first sentence’
Daily Telegraph

‘One of the greatest crime writers, who set the standards others still try to attain’ Sunday Times

The five titles in this 2009 series are being reissued with their original Hamish Hamilton hardback covers to commemorate fifty years since Raymond Chandler’s death. The series also celebrates the seventy years that Hamish Hamilton have been publishing Raymond Chandler, whose work continues to be read widely and to influence writers within and beyond the crime genre.

Raymond Thornton Chandler was born in Chicago in 1888, but moved to England with his family when he was twelve, where he attended Dulwich College, alma mater to some of the twentieth century’s most renowned writers. Returning to America in 1912, he settled in California, worked in a number of jobs, and later married. It was during the Depression era that he seriously turned his hand to writing and his first published story appeared in the pulp magazine Black Mask in 1933, followed six years later, when he was fifty, by his first novel, The Big Sleep. Chandler died in 1959, having established himself as the finest crime writer in America.

There is a Penguin competition starting next Monday

URL: http://www.penguin.co.uk/raymondchandler

VIRGIN MEDIA ARE LOOKING FOR AN INTERNET MAD FAMILY FOR AN UP AND COMING MARKETING CAMPAIGN!

Is your husband an eBay entrepreneur? Are your kids social networking experts? Does Gran go bonkers for online bingo? Does the whole family surf at the same time? If so, Virgin Media would like to hear from you. The UK's leading home internet provider is looking for Britain’s most avid net families to see how they might get on with its ultrafast 50Mb broadband connection. If you feel you are the most connected family in the country, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a description of your family and their internet habits!

BT ASKS RESIDENTS & COMMUTERS TO REVEAL THEIR CITY SECRETS

Competition launched to uncover local knowledge

BT is asking London residents and commuters to nominate their favourite haunts in a new competition launched this week.

With categories including best boozer, best kept secret, best independent trader, best local boutique and best market stall, entrants who live, work or visit the area can share some insider knowledge, with the most popular suggestions receiving great prizes such as Acer netbooks, tickets to the 39 Steps and 30 day Openzone subscriptions.

Local heroes are wasting no time in getting in on the act. Charlie Cook is a well-known 80 year old market stall trader. His favourite market is in Church Street: “It’s hard to choose from the 210 stalls in Church Street market, which is the biggest in Westminster. You can find anything from fruit and veg to rare antiques!”

The best entries will be profiled on BT MyPlace.com (www.btmyplace.com), the new free, location-based, personal information service that is available on any wireless device using the BT Openzone outdoor Wi-Fi network in central London and the West End. The service launched in February and has had over 23,000 unique users in its first month.

Bringing together content from sites normally requiring a subscription, the site is free for the 256,000 residents, 800,000 daily commuters, 23 million tourists and six million business people visiting each year. Content partners include Time Out, LOVEtheatre.com, Discovery Audio, audible.co.uk, KODAK Gallery, London Pass and Top Table. Westminster City Council information and transport detail is also available.

Leader of Westminster Council, Cllr Colin Barrow, said: "Westminster City Council is committed to supporting residents and businesses in central London and this is an example of how new technology can help during the difficult economic climate. This service will not only help people find their way around our city but also direct them towards local businesses that they otherwise would not have known about. We are taking some important steps towards becoming the best managed city in the world in time for 2012 and this joint project with BT is further evidence to support this goal."

BT MyPlace is a free service however customers wanting to use the wider internet over the BT outdoor Wi-Fi network pay as usual.

To enter the competition visit www.BTMyPlace.com, click through on the competitions tab and choose the My Secret City option. For more information about BT Openzone see www.btopenzone.com.

CASIO ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH RED BULL RACING FORMULA 1 TEAM
BASEL, March 25, 2009 - Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today that it has signed a contract with the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team to serve as a Red Bull Racing Official Partner for the 2009 season. Under the sponsorship agreement, Red Bull Racing will act as brand ambassador for Casio’s Edifice line of analog metal watches for men.

Delivering the essence of speed and intelligence, the Edifice line of analog metal watches evokes a sense of velocity and motor sports energy with the movement of the hands and distinctive watchface. Edifice watches are especially popular with motor sports fans, thanks to their various stopwatch functions and standout design.

Red Bull Racing’s quest for speed and their intelligent racing strategy is a perfect match for the Edifice brand. Now, as a Red Bull Racing Official Partner, Casio will support the Red Bull team and its drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Edifice has been designated the official team watch for the contract term through December 31, 2009, and the Casio logo will appear on the racing suits and undershirts worn by these two drivers. The Casio logo will also be added to the trucks, garage walls, media walls, and press releases of Red Bull Racing, and Casio will have the right to use images of the two drivers, the F1 race cars, and the team, in its advertising.

Yuichi Masuda, Senior General Manager of Casio’s Timepiece Product Unit, said, “We are delighted to be able to support Red Bull Racing. The team is an ideal brand ambassador for Edifice, which embodies a sense of velocity and motor sports energy. We wish Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and the entire Red Bull team great success for the F1 season.”

There will be 17 races during the 2009 F1 season, the first of which will be held in Australia on March 27, 2009. Casio will conduct various sales promotion campaigns for Edifice in its capacity as an official Red Bull Racing partner.

About the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team
Red Bull Racing entered the world of Formula 1 in 2005, and is an up - and - coming team that continues to grow in its quest to win a championship title. The team includes the following two drivers for the 2009 season: Mark Webber, who has established a firm position as a regular driver, and Sebastian Vettel, who is gaining attention as the youngest man ever to set numerous records. The two have renewed its strong determination to win, and is ready to take the coming season by storm.

EVEN TOTS CAN PRACTICE THEIR SURF TECHNIQUE
A Cornish entrepreneur who launched a brand on the back of a TV put-down has aimed his latest invention at tiny tots.Hopeful entrepreneur Olly Daglish was told by Dragon’s Den’s Theo Paphitis that his Ollypop surf towel was “as useful as knickers on a kipper” when he featured on the programme two years ago.

Now, not only has his towel range gone from strength to strength, with more than 60 UK stockists selling it, but Mr Daglish has established a “Kipper’s Knickers” clothing line, inspired by Paphitis’ quip.In time for the new summer season, he has launched the latest of his surf-and-exercise towels which aim to improve users’ board skills by featuring printed-on instructions.

Like the grown-up versions, the “Tinypop” for 3-8 year olds, helps novices perfect the art of the pop up – going from lying down to standing on a surfboard without falling off.

“Having witnessed so many younger ones having a go on the towel at shows around the country, I was determined to create a product especially for them,” Mr Daglish said.

“It doesn’t matter if they’ve never even seen a surfboard before; the aim is to introduce them to the sport at an early age in a fun, safe and unique way.”

The towels are endorsed by the British Surfing Association and will, Mr Daglish hopes, achieve broad appeal across the mainstream children’s sector. “There’s a big emphasis upon fun,” he says.

The towel also comes with a CD featuring a professionally produced ‘Tinypop song’ with lyrics to guide the kids through the exercises. The song – aimed at getting little people moving – was penned by Mr Daglish’s wife, Tiny. His daughter Georgi, three, is already a big fan.

“We put together a rough tune and a friend of ours with a studio in Bristol, who has previously produced tunes for CBeebies, worked on it,” he says. “The finished product is a fun, catchy song with ‘kidult’ appeal. So far it hasn’t failed to get the kids moving, which can’t be a bad thing with 1 in 10 six year olds labelled as obese in the UK.”

Ollypop surf towels retail at £24.95 and are available in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and online. Tinypop is £19.95 including the CD (free P&P with all online orders at www.ollypop.co.uk)
For more information on Ollypop products please visit www.ollypop.co.uk.
To hear the Tinypop song please visit www.ollypop.co.uk/tinypop.htm

CURTAINS UP: ALL NEW BOB THE BUILDER™ MOVIE IN 4D LAUNCHES AT LEGOLAND
Bob the Builder’s new movie, Bob the Builder in 4D: Bob the Builder and the Roller Coaster opens exclusively at LEGOLAND UK
Buy tickets to LEGOLAND Windsor at www.LEGOLAND.co.uk.
20 March 2009: Bob the Builder’s brand new movie opens at LEGOLAND Windsor this weekend. ‘Bob the Builder in 4D: Bob the Builder and the Roller Coaster’ will have its global premiere at LEGOLAND Windsor, and for the first time ever, in 4D. There has never been a better time to enjoy a day out with the family.

Bob the Builder in 4D: Bob the Builder and the Roller Coaster is exclusive to LEGOLAND, the new 10-minute film uses 3D computer generated (CG) animation with special glasses and special effects - such as wind and mist in the theatre - for a 4D effect.

From Saturday, 21 March 2009 fans of the much-loved children’s character, Bob the Builder, will be able to see their favourite fix-it man in a whole new dimension. Join Wendy, Spud and Bob’s trusty ‘Can Do’ crew as they work together to build a roller coaster from scratch but Spud embarks on his own project to build a birdhouse which inevitably falls apart. At the end of the day and with lessons learnt, everyone enjoys the new roller coaster and goes for a fantastic ride!

Bob the Builder will be at LEGOLAND every day from 11am.

For more information, visit the home of Bob the Builder at www.bobthebuilder.com

CRÈME DE LA MER LAUNCH THE BODY REFINER: DIAMOND INFUSED. MOISTURE RICH
Crème de la Mer introduce The Body Refiner, a NEW multi-faceted treatment which includes precious ingredients, including 1.75 carats of pure diamond dust - used once or twice a week in combination with Crème de la Mer The Body Crème will leave your skin looking smoother and brighter as its radiant fresh surface is revealed.

Ever since The Max Huber Research Labs began engineering their first body treatments, they have incorporated the most luxurious ingredients to care for skin all over the body. Now, they have poured a wealth of knowledge into the creation of Crème de la Mer’s latest innovation, The Body Refiner. True to Crème de la Mer’s heritage, this multi-faceted treatment includes precious ingredients—including 1.75 carats of pure diamond dust— to deliver a cushiony resurfacing treatment that both polishes and softens the skin.

Plush, creamy, and calming, The Body Refiner incorporates fermented acidic sea muds harvested from a natural marine source to detoxify and purify skin for a bright healthy appearance. Their low pH level makes these muds extremely gentle and especially suitable for sensitive skin. This essential purification process clarifies the skin and helps to restore its smoothness.

Pure diamond powder and polished sea quartz act as physical exfoliants, as this precious treatment instantly lifts away dull cells, gently retexturizing skin to reveal a smooth and supple new surface. The Body Refiner’s cream base serves to cushion the skin and protect its moisture barrier.

“To create the most effective exfoliator on earth, we incorporated the hardest material on earth – diamonds. When diamonds are crushed and polished they provide an extremely thorough yet gentle exfoliation,” says Loretta Miraglia, Senior Vice President of Product Development and Innovation, “Each bottle of The Body Refiner contains over one and a half carats of diamond dust to lavish the skin with extraordinary softness.”

As The Body Refiner is massaged into skin, Crème de la Mer’s piezoelectric (electrically-charged) minerals – tourmaline and sea quartz - convert the massage action into energy, helping to stimulate circulation and awaken skin. A new vitality appears to glow from within.

Usage

For best results massage with circular motions until the large particles completely dissolve. Rinse well. Use once or twice a week followed by The Body Crème.

Crème de la Mer The Body Refiner 200ml RRP £73.40 / €110.00

AVAILABLE AT HARRODS AND BROWN THOMAS FROM 28TH FEBRUARY 2009
AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE FROM 28TH MARCH 2009

SAFE AS HOUSES IN KENSINGTON & CHELSEA BUT THE HOME RISK IS HIGHEST IN DONCASTER
Virgin Money researchers rank the safest houses in England & Wales
Householders in the London borough of Kensington & Chelsea are literally safe as houses – or at least the safest in England and Wales, new research* from Virgin Money Home Insurance shows.

The Royal Borough, home to some of the world’s most expensive houses and wealthiest people, edges out Dudley in the West Midlands and Poole in Dorset for having the safest houses in England and Wales.

Householders in Doncaster however have the riskiest houses ahead of near neighbours in Sheffield and Nottingham.

Virgin Money Home Insurance researchers rated the major towns and cities in England and Wales to find where the safest homes as ranked by risks of criminal damage, burglary and flooding and levels of protection from Neighbourhood Watch schemes, as well as numbers of police officers.

Cities and towns were allocated points which were weighted to reflect population. The degree of risk with London boroughs were also rated separately.

Kensington & Chelsea performed well across all criteria but scored particularly because of the low levels of criminal damage and because it faces limited flood risks. Burglary risk however was relatively high in the borough.

Doncaster, Sheffield and Nottingham all suffer from relatively higher risks of criminal damage and burglary while also facing increased flood risk, the research shows. The tables below show the safest and riskiest areas in England and Wales.

SAFE AS HOUSES RANKING
Kensington & Chelsea 1
Dudley 2
Poole 3
Brighton & Hove 4
Wandsworth 5
Lewisham 6
City of Westminster 7
Hackney 7
Tower Hamlets 7
Southend 8

HOUSE RISKS RANKING
Doncaster 43
Nottingham 42
Sheffield 41
Middlesbrough 40
Hull 39
Manchester 38
Reading 37
Rotherham 36
Leeds 35
Bristol 34

Grant Bather, spokesman at Virgin Money, said: “It really is a case of safe as houses in Kensington & Chelsea as well as Poole and Dudley. The criteria we have used helped to provide a guide as to how safe houses rather than people are.

“That doesn’t of course mean that Doncaster or Nottingham or Sheffield are unsafe or dangerous but it does help show that there are higher risks in those areas when it comes to a range of issues. There is no need to have nightmares.

“Householders can take action to improve the safety of their houses with simple steps such as improving locks and installing burglar alarms as well as getting home insurance for peace of mind. In the current economic downturn it makes sense to save money by shopping around for insurance but not by cutting the quality of insurance.”

Nottingham and Manchester had the highest proportion of burglaries while Poole and Swindon had the lowest proportion of burglaries.

* Research conducted in March 2009 by Virgin Money researchers using publicly available sources including the Office of National Statistics, Home Office, Environment Agency and Association of Police Authorities. Totals for each town/city/London borough were calculated using rankings for flood risks, numbers of police, criminal damage, burglaries and Neighbourhood Watch.

GIVE ME A BREAK - ‘ELEVENSES’ TOPS POLL
The nation’s love of ‘elevenses’ brings a new sense of community spirit to the UK

LONDON; 24th March, 2009 – Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) today celebrates the launch of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew into select London Starbucks coffeehouses. New research commissioned reveals that the UK unanimously cites ‘elevenses’ as its favourite coffee moment, with 61% of people craving a mid-morning coffee.

Indeed, this much-loved break is stimulating a sense of community spirit as almost 8 million people* will buoy their mood in 2009 by enjoying ‘elevenses’ and coffee mornings with friends and neighbours.

Futurologist and food expert Kevin Gould comments: “It’s great to see that ‘elevenses’ are back and booming, which could define a real change in our society. It appears that, in these uncertain times, we are lifting our mood by reconnecting with the people that really matter over a cup of coffee”.

The research also reveals that we Brits are an extremely discerning bunch. Over a third of the nation (37%) craves better quality instant coffee when away from home, and therefore the pressure is on hosts to provide neighbours, family and friends with a great cup of coffee.

Unlike traditional instant coffee, which lacks the essential oils that give coffee its flavour and aroma, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is 100% naturally roasted coffee, made with the highest quality arabica coffee beans finely ground to release their fullest flavour. In developing Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew, Starbucks created a proprietary, patent-pending micro-grinding technology to guarantee the quality, freshness and superior taste of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is Shared Planet™ certified - Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ is Starbucks commitment to doing business responsibly. In fact, it has always been dedicated to doing business the right way: it does not buy coffee on the commodity market because Starbucks works with farmers and suppliers directly to ensure its coffee is ethically traded and responsibly grown. Furthermore, it works directly with 185,000 farmers in 18 countries to ensure they receive an equitable price for their coffee, enabling them to strengthen their farms for the future. Starbucks is proud of its role to raise standards in the coffee industry, and looks forward to expanding its work with farmers to enhance coffee quality and the lives of their families and society. Therefore Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew customers can be confident that they too are helping to make a positive difference to coffee growing communities.

Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director, Starbucks UK & Ireland commented: “The arrival of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew to London is extremely exciting. It took time, effort and dedication to develop the Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew flavour and we believe we’ve created a way to enjoy the quality and great taste of a freshly brewed Starbucks coffee, in an instant. Consumers have increasingly sophisticated tastes when it comes to coffee and Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is uncompromising as it delivers the filter coffee taste in an instant format”.

The Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew ritual is simple. Tear the sachet. Add the contents to a cup, and then add hot (or cold) water. Stir and Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is ready in an instant. The perfect choice for an impromptu catch up with friends and neighbours.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew will be available in 32 Starbucks coffeehouses in West London from Wednesday, 25th March. Portioned into single-serve packets, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew will be packaged in packs of three or twelve and is available in two flavours – bold, nutty Columbia and smooth, rich Italian Roast. The suggested retail price for the UK will be £1.20 for three and £3.95 for twelve, making a great cup of Starbucks coffee for 40 pence or less.

www.StarbucksVIA.com
www.starbucks.co.uk

About the survey

Survey conducted through YouGov plc. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2075 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th-16th February 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

* Based on UK population 60,943,912 / 13% = 7,922,708.

100 YEARS OF THE POETRY SOCIETY THE UK’S FOREMOST POETRY ORGANISATION CELEBRATES ITS CENTENARY YEAR
Founded 100 years ago, the Poetry Society is the leading voice for poets and poetry in Britain today. Now one of the country’s liveliest arts organisations, the Poetry Society is dedicated to finding innovative ways to keep poetry at the centre of our cultural life. The Centenary year will launch this April with Andrew Motion’s valedictory lecture, Leaving the Laureateship, 28 th April, and the grand finale on 30 th April of the performance poetry championship, SLAMbassadors UK, at London’s Southbank Centre. April also sees the launch of the 2009 National Poetry Competition, the UK’s leading single poem competition.

Running since 1978, the National Poetry Competition has recognised many of the most famous names in British poetry, such as Tony Harrison, Jo Shapcott and Carol Ann Duffy. Poet Laureate and honorary member of the Poetry Society Andrew Motions comments: ‘The Poetry Society is the heart and hands of poetry in the UK – a centre which pours out energy to all parts of the poetry-body, and a dextrous set of operations which arrange and organise poetry’s various manifestations. It has a long and distinguished history, and has never been so vital, or so vitalising, as it is now.’ The Poetry Society’s presentation of Andrew Motion at Southbank offers a historic insight into the challenges faced by him during his tenure as Poet Laureate, a role whose relevance today has come under intense scrutiny. As anticipation mounts over who will be named as his successor, poetry’s role in public life is set to continue to be a source of debate.

With members across the world including Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Simon Armitage, Benjamin Zephaniah, Les Murray and Wendy Cope, the Poetry Society promotes poets and poetry from across the spectrum. The Society’s flagship magazine Poetry Review has a reputation as one of the leading literary periodicals internationally, and has published all the major figures in modern poetry from Eliot and Auden onwards. The search for new poetic talent continues via the competitions programme, including the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award and Popescu Prize for European Poetry Translation. The Poetry Society provides resources and advice for experts and novices alike, and engages successive generations of new readers and writers via its wide-reaching education activities.

The groundbreaking SLAMbassadors UK competition is the first ever online youth slam championship. Giving a voice to today’s urban generation, SLAMbassadors UK has been working with young people in London and Liverpool, who filmed their performances via mobile phone or digital camera, to be judged by their peers on YouTube prior to a live final showcase. The championship provides an empowering creative outlet in which young poets explore their place in the world, tackling everything from knife crime and immigration to the challenges of their everyday lives. Benjamin Zephaniah, poet, said of the SLAMbassadors: ‘Listening to last year’s poets reinforced my belief in the power the word. These poems were more powerful than any political speech, they were more honest than any lecture, they spoke of history, they spoke of now, and they spoke of the future.’ Further centenary projects are to be announced throughout the year. Watch this space!

To find out more visit www.poetrysociety.org.uk

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