Weather: Fog lifts at dawn to sunshine, but clouding over by midday. +7.

Travel: Fine out, but the bus back is missing. The 1702 is threatened by imbecile youngsters travelling without a ticket - the guard throws them off, closes the door, waits a tense minute, then departs. A hold outside Kings Norton means we don't arrive till 1725, and the Shrewsbury stopper has... gone on time! This throws me totally, Edinburgh and Walsall trains get me back for 1815.

Tony Blair's smooth run-up to a spring election is marred by a growing controversy over the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine. Tories called for Irvine's head after it was disclosed that he had sought donations from lawyers - over whose careers he could have a decisive influence - to back the Labour Party.
Senior Labour-supporting lawyers, and some MPs, charged that he had "thrown away" the historic impartiality of Britain's most senior law officer.
The row broke after details were published from a letter sent by Lord Irvine to Labour-supporting barristers and solicitors, inviting them to a dinner earlier this month. The letter on headed Party paper, said that in previous years diners had to pay for a ticket but this time there would be an appeal on the night instead to aid Labour's general election fund.
The letter went on: "The minimum you will be invited to pledge is £200 per person, but we know that many of you will take this opportunity to make a significant contribution to party funds in order to secure a second term." The dinner, with Cherie Blair as a guest of honour, took place at the fashionable Atlantic Bar and Grill in the West End on 7 February.
Former Tory Home Secretary Michael Howard accused Lord Irvine of a "fundamental corruption" of his office, saying it was outrageous that the man responsible for picking which lawyers should become judges and QCs should seek donations from people who could be candidates for those posts.
Senior QC and previous Labour donor, Anthony Scrivener, said: "I cannot think how anyone in their right mind could have thought it right. He has thrown away the impartiality of the Lord Chancellor."

Things They Didn't Know On The Weakest Link
They're always tough if you don't know the answers.

• What is polyvinyl chloride better known as - nylon? (everyone's favourite plastic)
• In which city was Constantinople - sri lanka? (istanbu-u-u-u-u-u-l)
• Is Xander a werewolf? (d'oh)
• Milo, Bella and Fizz are what? (tweenies)
• Bagpuss' young lady friend. (Emily)

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
The chance of an all Yorkshire final is possible, with Hull taking its place in QF3. But with colleges in QF1, 2 and 3, it's looking like Oxford should have at least one rep in the final.

QF1: In which University Oxford, the oldest institute (founded 1189) takes on Sheffield Hallam, founded as a polytechnic in the 60s, becoming a university in 1992. Birkbeck and Warwick were the losers in the last 16.
The box score shows that it was as one-sided as they come in the first half. Then Sheffield came back a bit, Univ got one wrong, and the sides were level. But Univ pulls away, thanks to their intimate knowledge of the Monopoly board, and the game is won.

Box Scores - Personal: Score +10 for a correct starter, -5 for an incorrect interruption. +1 for a correct bonus for each team member, +2 for the person who got the original starter.
Format: Person (Starters) Total
eg Paxman (55) 76

Team: +10 starter, -5 interruption, +5 bonus.

UNIVERSITY (29 bonuses)
Callaghan (15) 47 Gunatillake (85) 131
Gerrard   (20) 54 Graham      (20) 53

SHEFFIELD HALLAM (14 bonuses)
Berry   (20) 36 Wickert (10) 26
Picalli (40) 61 Boyce   (20) 37

UO 60 60 60 105 = 285
SH 35 35 75  15 = 160

Unlike some colonies, Monday was a normal working day. Though with the anklebiters on holiday from school, traffic was that bit lighter.

Finally gave in and got a new computer over the weekend. The old one was all singing, all dancing, state of the art for 1995. The new one comes with more bells and whistles, and should give good service through 2008.

Television: The Mole continues to heat up nicely, though it's a shame Oliver won't be taking any part in next week's nude modelling session. (Friday at 8 on 5, if you're now interested:) The Tribe looks like it's going to be explosive next week, with all the familiar faces coming back for one final heave. And Futurama is still more realistic than Tony Blair's speeches.

Also, news that James Marsters, that's Spike off of Buffy, is coming to town in June. I have my ticket.

I'm going to see Spike! Hurrah!

Weather: Again, fog early turns to sun turns to cloud. +9.

Travel: Fine out. Bus back is good, but the 1722 is very late. Take the Stafford stopper to town, then cross platform to platform to platform to get the 1742 running 23 late. Without so much as an explanation, never mind an apology. Bastards.

Britain and the US are to explore "smart sanctions" that focus on Iraq's arms imports after the international outcry over allied air strikes against Baghdad. The smartest sanction of all, one that doesn't exist, seems to be ruled out on an a priori basis.

Lord Irvine's role as head of the judiciary is to be challenged in a question tabled for the House of Lords by Liberal Democrat peer Lord McNally. Pressure is growing on the government to split the lord chancellor's judicial and political roles following the disclosure that Lord Irvine wrote to Labour-supporting QCs, inviting them to a Labour fundraising dinner. The Law Society has called for judges to be appointed by an independent commission.

Caller: "I can't get any sound when I play CDs on my PC."
Me: "Do you get any sound at all? A little tune when Windopes starts?"
C: "No, just a beep when I hit the wrong key."
M: "This is going to sound a ridiculous question, but do you have any loudspeakers attached?"
C: "No... I thought this was like my laptop, which doesn't need speakers."
M: "Ah, no, this desktop you have will need speakers. Were there any in the box you had?"
C: "No, I got the PC a few years ago and I've moved house since then."
{The relevance of this statement had to go untested, as I was concerned that a fit of the giggles was looming.}
M: "In that case, I suggest you pop down to your local PC parts stockist, and buy some speakers. They should only cost £20 or so, and will plug into the green output on the back of your PC."
{He said, forgetting that this model pre-dates the Green Convention, and all three sockets will be black. Never mind, we can pass them off as having come apart in the move.}
C: "Thank you!"
M: "Thank *you*."
{wait ten seconds}
{excuse myself to the bathroom}
{spend two minutes collapsing in laughter.}

Weather: A little early sun soon gets hidden behind cloud. 11 degrees, and slightly humid. Welcome to spring.

Travel: Again, fine out. Back is bus + 1703 from London (14 late, caught behind stopper) + 1745 bus. Still beats the train (13+ late at Wton.)

Gordon Brown today sprang a pre-election gimmick, cutting 2p off the tax on a litre of unleaded petrol. In an extraordinary move the Chancellor rushed to pre-empt his own Budget - to be delivered in two weeks' time - by giving details of the package for motorists.
The decision came a day after official figures showed public finances were a record £40 billion in the black. Yesterday, Treasury officials blandly announced that there was no room for a series of giveaways in the 7 March Budget. So this will be the only giveaway, then.
The 2p cut in unleaded is set to come in straight after the Budget and last until 14 June, including the whole of the election campaign, with polling day set for 3 May. The Treasury said today that while ultra-low sulphur petrol would be available in all petrol stations run by the big oil companies by the end of March, some of the 5,000 independent retailers would not be able to supply it until June. On the cynicometer, this rates a 154.

British farmers are facing a world ban on live pig exports to combat the first major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease for more than 30 years. Chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore warned a ban on all British pigs is planned following official confirmation of the outbreak in Essex.
National Farmers' Union officials have greeted the latest body blow with despair. NFU president Ben Gill said: "This outbreak has potentially catastrophic implications for the British livestock industry which already has too many problems to deal with. The priority now is to contain it and we fully support all the measures which have been speedily put in place by Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF).
"While these measures will be devastating to the farms involved, it is in the interests of the whole UK livestock industry that this disease is stopped dead in its tracks."

Victoria:
Aw, you remembered.
Hey, "Amazed" cropped up on the One Year Ago slots. How could I possibly *forget*?

Brendan's family has acknowledged our anniversary (though in a 'I can't believe they made it this long kinda way),
That's a really bad attitude to have. I can't believe it's not better.

I haven't posted in so long, I never did tell you all that I have reconciled with my father. We seem to finally be having a relationship in a small way.
Well, wonders will never cease.

I'll get better (:
Better than what? How are things in Weaverland?
Better than the joke some little way above. As regular readers will know, I'm currently buying a house, waiting on the solicitors to sort their lives out, and the bank to get through its credit clearance cycle and grant the mortgage I've been given in principle. No housewarming, though I am looking for a sofa that turns into a bed.

More as the events napkin unwrinkles. How's the takeover of the country going?

Weather: The odd bit of sun, but plenty of cloud and a bit of rain. 11.

Travel: Fine out. Back suffers from busses that don't stop (WM, you are still crap) a 1722 that's AWOL, and an 1804 that's at least 15 late. Call for a lift.

Foot and mouth disease returns to Britain, in farms across the east of the country. This outbreak is already more serious than the last one in this country, which was confined to the Isle of Wight in 1981. But we do not yet know if it will be as bad as the epidemic of 1967-68, when 400,000 animals were destroyed. The evidence of the disease in places as far apart as Essex and Northumberland is not encouraging.

Foot-and-mouth disease is not like BSE. It is not a by-product of intensive farming: it is among the most ancient of the plagues to have brought periodic famine or dearth to agricultural societies. Indeed, it is well controlled in rich countries with advanced agricultural systems. While it is an almost continuous problem across large parts of Southeast Asia, there has not been a serious outbreak in the United States for 70 years or here for 30 years.

Apart from the fact that the disease does not affect humans, foot-and-mouth should therefore be separated from BSE, pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modification as a source of concern for food consumers.

There is one respect in which modern economics might contribute to the faster spread of the disease, our increasing reliance on long-distance transport. Animals can now be moved from a Northumberland field to an abattoir near London by motorway in a few hours. One of the results of the recent raising of standards in abattoirs has been to force many of the smaller ones out of business, which means that pigs and cows have to travel longer distances to the remaining ones.

The other respect in which the foot-and-mouth emergency prompts greater discrimination should be in breaking down the idea of farmers as a monolithic block, identical in wealth, political outlook, and economic interest. Although many arable farmers still run highly profitable businesses, there should be no doubt now about the extent of the hardship endured by livestock farmers.

Pig farming has been particularly hit. Even before this week's foot-and-mouth outbreak and last year's swine fever, the industry was suffering from the costs of higher welfare standards that the Government rightly forced on them, although it wrongly failed to protect them from imports from countries with lower standards. The European Union moves much too slowly on such matters: although tethering sows has been banned in Britain, it will be allowed to continue in the rest of the EU until 2006. Anyone who cares about animal welfare should buy only British or free-range pork.

It is cold comfort for pig farmers, but anything that makes us more aware of where our food comes from and how it gets to our plates can only improve understanding. And that is vital to establishing that consumers and farmers share an interest in the humane production of healthy food.

Happy new year.
Happy new year.
Happy new millennium.

Someone's been lurking for too long.

Ross:
we live in a time of mass communications, broadband internet access is available to the masses rather than the privaliged few customers of the devil BT.
[spit] Zi, you *still* hogging the swear box?

Oneday, perhaps today, all the governments of the world terminate all immigration laws.
Actually, this is the logical conclusion to the process of globalisation that big companies are pushing. National boundaries become the artificial creation they are, and fall into disrepute, or merely historical and cultural curiosities.

I give it 25 years.

You can't choose the country you live in, or spouse, partner or significant other comes from or lives in. So Sara and I can't choose England or the US.
Regular readers *know* I have no sig other. Yay. I win. (: So the final result comes as no surprise. But let me digress a little.

Countries are seperated, ie. where you have like England, Scotland, Wales, they are three separate countries. So Sara and I couldn't pick England but we could choose Scotland or Wales.
[waves hand]
If we're going down this route, the USA as we currently know it doesn't exist. If I might group states by approximate geography as follows (argue amongst yourselves exactly which state falls into which group)
* New England
* New York / Pennsylvania / New Jersey
* Great Lakes
* Allegheny States
* Florida
* Deep South
* Texas
* Midwest
* Prairies
* Rockies
* Pacific Coast
* Arizona Desert

Similarly, Canada combines PEI, NS, NB into Newscoshireland. Saskatchewan and Manitoba might well join with the Dakotas, and fold the Yukon and NWT into Nunavut.

As for Britain... Scotland and Wales split off, and North England leaves South England behind. Birmingham is a boundary town.

With your choice of _real_ country or planet, whatever.. you must give a quality reason why.
Even without the reforms above, and I expect to be alive to see them happen, it's only the tiniest accident of history that prevents Newfoundland and Labrador from being an independent country now. The infamous 1947 referendum gave Joe Smallwood the tiniest majority to negotiate confederation with the west of Canada, rather than eventual independence from Britain.

So, that's where you wind up finding me, an independent Newfoundland and Labrador. Retaining close ties to both Britain and Canada, the economy is underpinned by the harnessing of the Hibernia oil field, and careful exploitation of the Grand Banks fishery. And the scenery is like nowhere else.

Weather: Sunny for much of the day, but cloud and the odd snow (!) shower spoils. A lot colder than lately. +6.

Travel: No problems out, and a bus to myself all the way into the city. Then the 1703 from London (+11) and wait for the 1742. On time. 3 late. 5 late. The train from London finally leaves. 8 late. Such festering incompetence!

A ban on the movement of all livestock throughout Britain was imposed today as fears grew of a nationwide contamination of foot-and-mouth. The order, initially lasting seven days, is one of the most drastic of its kind. The movement of sheep, cattle, pigs, deer and goats is prohibited. Poultry and horses are not included. Livestock markets and fairs are banned as well as foxhunting and hare coursing. Race meetings can go ahead.

The Mole

After a fallow day (after the night before) the four gather on the seafront. Glen is looking for a volunteer. Someone who will blend into any crowd. Mrs Curly (Jennifer) is volunteered.

Challenge 16: Pictures of experts in bowls, fencing, jetskiing. Each contestant picks an expert and a sport to challenge them at.

David goes jetskiing against Marcia.
Sara picks Jackson, quite a young hunk. No-one is surprised. They will go bowling.
Which leaves Zi fencing against John.

If the opponents have chosen well, they play against someone who knows nothing about their chosen sport. If not, it's challenger against champion. Two must win to pick £5000 for the team.

Cue footage of the contestants in training. Good to watch, and gives me a break (:

David on his jetski: it's a time trial over the same course. Marcia, the champion at something, goes first. She's competent, but that could just be in the editing. 36 seconds.

At the fencing, Zi takes on John in a dual to 15 points. John gets to a 3- 0 lead, but is pegged back to 3-3.

Sara plays the best of three bowls ends against Jackson. First shot is too heavy, just like her putting. But she wins a loose end to go 1-0 up.

David gets hit by a wave, misses a buoy, and has to turn back. 39 seconds. His challenge is lost. "Good experience."

Zi is confident, but trailing badly.

Jackson has the final bowl in end two, but it goes long. 2-0 to Sara, her challenge is won, and it's all down to Zi.

14-11 down, Zi loses. "Maybe he was lucky... maybe he was holding back." And the challenge is lost.

Jackson was the jetskiier, beaten by Sara. David "unluckily" (according to him) lost to Marcia, that top fencer, but she does jetski as a hobby. Which means Zi lost to a bowler. Who had never fenced. Well done, everybody.

Now, can Jennifer blend into a crowd, in...

Challenge 17. Jennifer is somewhere in St Helier on a Saturday afternoon. Two hunters will be on the roof, the other on the ground. Catch her in ten minutes, win £5,000. Fail, Jennifer gets a pass to next week's final.

Zi has a radio, the others have cameras to control. Sara spots someone looking like Charlie Chaplin. It's not Jen, coz it's a him.
Some kids have spotted the cameras.
Jen's not on a unicycle, but she could be just by that.
Maybe not.
Five minutes.
Sara's spotted a woman holding a child, but it's not her.
Who's juggling? She's moved. Not Jen.
David and Sara are having a nightmare!
Two minutes to go, Zi gets out of the van.
Zi's now out of contact.
He's guessing in the last minute.
Needle, haystack, anyone?
Game over.

Jen is in a short grey wig, dark glasses and jacket, but we didn't see David or Sara pick her out until time was over.

In the diaries, Sara is depressed that David lost. David is more disappointed in his loss, but knows Zi is awfully quiet about his.

Finding Jen in a crowd? Not a chance. She cut off the length of her hair to fit under the wig, and Zi got very hacked off. Zi is b*g*ered that he's the only surviving contestant who hasn't been offered a pass, and takes it out on David and Sara. (Zi is evidently forgetting the night on the island, when he could have fought David and Sara for the components of the mobile phone.) He reckons he can't win, and would happily take a flight home. David spots people are getting cranky. Sara's going back to Zi as the mole, based on the anger. My nomination remains Jen.

Challenge 18: A stretch limo takes the four to a silver service lunch. £15,000 is in the offing, but not till after lunch. Let's get our priorities sorted here!

Then to the roulette wheel. Four envelopes. Personal challenges. Red is harder than black. One relates to painting in (or as) a nude. One to piercing. One to shaving or dying hair. One to do all three.

Zi gets first pick. The red envelope. Be painted in / a nude. It's black. Paint a nude.

Jen goes next. She's not getting her head shaved. Green. She's... having something done to her hair... Black. Dye it.

David, blue envelope. The triple header. He'll have his hair shaved. And his ear pierced. *And* be painted as a nude. Result!

Which leaves Sara with the yellow envelope, and her piercing will be ... red. In her nose or eyebrow. She's had it done before!

Sara and Jen got their heads together, it later emerges, and would have declined the triple-header on sight. Jen thought the game was "sick," and the dye will be a nice peroxide blonde. She can always get it changed back when she gets home.

Zi is getting on with his artwork already. Not doing very *well*, but he's trying.

Sara has gone to the piercing studio early, and looked at the guy doing the business. Another hunk. Does Sara collect these, or something?

David calls his other half, and backs out. It would spoil his business too much.

Jennifer is resigned to her fate, and reading fashion mags.

Zi is finding it a new experience. He's never had a live model before.

[Interesting to note that 5 has not fuzzed out the model as they did on Fort Boyard.]

Jen has a cut, blowdry, the colour doesn't quite take, but she's pulled through.

Sara has blood down the back of her throat, a *very* pleased mother, and a nice nose ring. "It's not very attractive, no good at pulling the men. Not that I was anyway," Sara comments. She reckons no-one else has come through.

Zi reckons he's not the greatest artist. Not as bad as me!

Back to the posh hotel, and David comes down to the de-brief. With hair.

Sara comes sweeping down the stairs, with nose ring. "I look like a bull." Don't go to Spain, advises Glen. She might show up the contestants on the US edition.

Zi has a picture. Don't all laugh at once, he says. They do.

Jennifer has her - rather fetching! - new look. Not the most radical change in history, but it's been done.

The challenge is a success, bringing the total to £100,000.

But someone is about to leave with nothing.

Jennifer claims she's been given a pass to be a loser or a winner. *Or the mole*, you dope! She plumps for Zi, he's underperforming. As he has been for the past five episodes.

+ Zi - David, excuses to not get his head shaved, and quitting the interrogation. It's not manly. [Not David, not Sara]
+ Jennifer - Not playing [Zi, Zi, Zi, Zi, Zi]
+ David - Zi, still. There are clues being missed in Glen's introductions, after the hostage fiasco. David says he'll win. [Zi, Zi, Zi]
+ Sara - David, Zi's temper is natural. [Zi, Zi, David]

David should be safe, logic eliminated him as the mole in week 3.

Sara... holds hands with Zi and Jen next to her... you have to leave us.

Mole Hunt Clues

Boo. There's no justice in this game, as the MVP of the team leaves a week early.

Very few clues in this week's episode, perhaps David wasn't as good with the waves as he could have been, but he could easily have caught an unlucky breaker. Zi may have had Hobson's choice of sport.

Jennifer not playing to be caught in the street? The pass would be useful, but a genuine contestant might well have gone for the £5000 and reduce the suspicion.

Absolutely no new clues from the final challenge; Sara does what she has to, Jen bleats but does it, David plays sensible, Zi does what he likes.

Your nomination, Weaver?

So, with my bet for the series win falling at the final fence, what does next week hold? Jennifer is the mole, I'm sure of that. David looks set to vote for Zi, Zi has changed his vote every week, but not yet voted for Jennifer. No-one has. Next week is the time to suss her out.

Weather: A dusting of snow leads to bright sunshine but just +4.

Football: Bradford's woes continue, losing 2-1 to West Ham - Frank Lampard scores both for the Hammers.
Derby relieves a little pressure, winning 1-0 over Villa.
Ipswich's push for Europe continues, with two late goals securing a 2-0 win over struggling Everton.
In the battle of the strong starters, Leicester betters Sunderland 2-0.
Southampton brings Middlesborough's unbeaten run to an end; the 1-0 reversal is the first defeat since early December.
Man City wins 1-0 at Newcastle, further tightening the noose on Bradford.
Leeds beats Spurs 2-1, and Coventry and Charlton tie 2-2.
MUN thrashes Arsenal 6-1 in Sunday's match, and surely has the title in the bag.
Liverpool wins the League Cup, beating First Division Birmingham on penalties, after tying 1-1 after extra time.

League tables:
1 (1) Man Utd pl 28 - 66
2 (2) Arsenal    28 - 50
3 (3) Liverpool  26 - 45
4 (4) Sunderland 28 - 44
5 (6) Ipswich    27 - 43
6 (5) Leeds      28 - 40

15 (15) Everton        28 - 31
16 (16) Derby          28 - 31
17 (17) Middlesborough 28 - 27
18 (18) Man City       28 - 26
19 (19) Coventry       28 - 23
20 (20) Bradford       27 - 16

Tracker points:
1 (1) MUN 1236
2 (2) ARS 1087
3 (3) LIV 1083
4 (5) CHE 1059
5 (6) SOT 1058

16 (11) NWC 947
17 (16) EVE 941
18 (18) MCY 902
19 (19) COV 874
20 (20) BRA 831

So, tapes of the Grammies pass through my sweaty little paws. Thoughts...

1) U2. I didn't realise how blinkin' *good* Beautiful Day was till now. Worthier than I thought, though still not ...Dance.

2) Toni Braxton's dress. Where?

3) Destiny's Child. Wha'?

4) Baha Men. Sorry, everyone, it's all our fault. We can take them back if you *really* want.

5) Moby. Good call.

6) Elton John's career... you have to leave us.
[Sidebar to all readers: This is the catchphrase for contestants leaving the UK edition of The Mole. It won't be as popular as Anne Robinson's "Goodbye," but works just as well.]

7) Eminem. Flipping the bird is bad manners. But you knew that anyway.

8) Britain's really, really low-rent attempt to ape the Grammies takes place Monday. Shelby Lynne, Leann Womack, Faith Hill and Creed combine for naff all, so I'm not really interested. Ant and Dec are hosting, so it could be *slightly* worse. Could be Davina Big Brother again.
Anyway. One of the acts featured will be the talentless cretins that have already received way too much attention on Popstars, which airs on the same network that will show taped lowlights of the ceremony the following night. And Dido, the one geniune local star scheduled to perform, has been bumped from the bill to be replaced by Elton John, reprising his duet from the Grammies.

9) Anyone got a tape of the ECMAs?

10) You can't discuss recording industry bashes without using the N word. Accountants Arthur Andersen wrote a report for the British record industry in the early 90s studying the use of digital technology to create a 'celestial jukebox' using music from all the major labels. The European Commission was approached to investigate the legality of such a system from a monopolistic standpoint and gave it the all-clear. As long as the celestial jukebox was open for all interested parties it could be created.
This was, of course, long before Napster. The record labels knew such a technology could be created - they're not that stupid, you know - but it was never created. Leading figures within the BPI argued over how acts would be promoted and charts operated within the proposed system.

11) Bring back Rosie.

Weather: Another dusting of snow overnight, it never quite melts during the day in spite of strong sun. +4

Chart News

Congrats to Eva Cassidy; her "Songbird" album storms 18-3 for no reason other than it's brilliant. More on Eva Cassidy. Wheatus has the highest new album entry, at #7.

LW	TW	wks		pk
14	1	5	Ms Jackson Outkast	1
Gets its commercial release this week, and flies to the top. Beaten on sales by Atomic Kitten, but a strong foreign presence and massive airplay lead suffices to give a week at the summit. Shaggy, surely, will top next week.
1	2	4	Whole Again Atomic Kitten	1
Four weeks at #1 on sales volume, and probably the biggest crossover hit since "...Baby One More Time." And there's a lot of life left in this single, as it's still growing at radio.
2	3	3	Teenage Dirtbag Wheatus	2
Still no significant airplay, which is a crying shame.
3	4	3	Here With Me Dido	3
Looks like it's going to be larger at airplay than sales.
6	5	16	Dancing In The Moonlight Toploader	5
Slips out of the sales top 10, but airplay holds, sales barely decrease, and the lack of strong opposition means they're back up to match the peak of two weeks ago.
8	6	8	It Wasn't Me Shaggy feat Riff Rock	6
Make notes. Prior to this release, the biggest record on pre-release was Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca," which made #11 in July 99. The second release from "Hot Shot" (who remembers "Dance And Shout"? Exactly.) has halved the gap, and I don't think this mark is going to be challenged for a very long time to come.
4	7	10	Love Don't Cost A Thing Jennifer Lopez	1
N	8	1	Always Come Back To Your Love Samantha Mumba	8
You can tell it's half term, as five teen-friendly acts make their bows this week. Leading the pack is Ms Mumba's third single, a jaunty enough number, though a bit too close to Steps' 1999 smash "Love's Got A Hold Of My Heart." It's the phrasing of the chorus.
5	9	6	Rollin' Limp Bizkit	1
7	10	12	Case Of The Ex Mya	1
New Entries
N	11	1	Feel So Good Melanie B	11
The fourth solo single for sometime Spice Mel B sees a return to the breezy pop that the Girls popularised four long years ago. This is not mind-stretching, like "I Want You Back." It's not bitter, like "Tell Me." It's not even cliched, like "Word Up." It's a simple, upbeat, pop song.
N	18	1	No More A1	18
Another new entry, another teen-friendly pop song. This may actually be the most mature release yet, trading similar lines to Britney's Swedish sound. Perhaps a welcome move for the band, who have an unfair rep as talentless pretty boys.
N	19	1	Shut Up And Forget About It Dane	19
That's Dane Bowers, former lead singer with Damage, and collaberator with Truesteppers on two records last year. His first solo solo project is big on sales, poor on airplay. Smells like it's appealing to his existing fanbase only, and will sink like a stone.
N	24	1	The Ladyboy Is Mine Stuntmasters	24
Taking the beat from Modjo's "Lady Hear Me Tonight", removing the vocals, and adding the words to Brandy & Monica's "The Boy Is Mine." It's not big, it's not clever, and it would sound far better with Colin Sell at the piano.
N	51	0	Danger Mystikal	51
N	55	0	Chemistry Semisonic	55
The first release from the sophomore album has been criminally ignored by UK radio. Just like the first releases from "Feeling Strangely Fine."
N	60	0	The Fight Song Marylin Manson	60
N	65	0	Between Me And You Ja Rule	65
N	72	0	So Why So Sad Manic Street Preachers	72
Next week's charts will be Shaggy versus the Manics versus the Manics. The Welsh buffoons are releasing two singles at once. "Found That Soul" is a marker to the future, similar to the retro-punk of 2000's "The Masses Against The Classes." This is more of a throwback to the quasi-Beatles era of "The Holy Bible," all chants and singalongness.
N	136	0	Suffocate King Adora	136
Climbers
13	12	2	Back Here BBMak	12
27	13	2	Dance With Me Debelah Morgan	13
16	15	2	The Call Backstreet Boys	15
48	29	1	Nobody Wants To Be Lonely Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera	29
It's a fine line between a big hit and a career-threatening flop for both these acts, and they're walking it with a combination that promises more than it ever delivers in a slow-moving lumpen mass.
45	38	1	Butterfly Crazy Town	38
The UK release has been pushed back a fortnight to the end of March, to give this star track longer to grow at radio. It's charting on foreign points alone; I expect it could be the next "You Get What You Give."
54	45	0	Angel Shaggy feat Rayvon	45
Just outside the top 5 on the Hot 100, and yet to be released to UK radio, the next hit for Shaggy could be even bigger than "It Wasn't Me."
55	49	0	Jaded Aerosmith	49
It's the first new release for Aerosmith (as opposed to re-releases from "Nine Lives") since 1998's chart-topper "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing." The fast-paced track is already picking up good reports from rock stations ahead of its release in early March.

Personal Airplay Stats: 47 contemporary hit records passed my radar this week (38 last), for a total of 81 plays (59 last.)

Debuts:
"Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)" - Vertical Horizon (mod rock)
"Conversation Intercom" - Soulwax (mod rock, feb 19)
"I Need You" - Leann Rimes (ac, mar 5)
"Stranger In My House" - Tamea (r+b, feb 19)

Adds:
"Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)" - Vertical Horizon
"Conversation Intercom" - Soulwax
"I Need You" - Leann Rimes
"Stranger In My House" - Tamea

Most Heard: 5 plays for Here With Me, Dido's massive hit.
4 plays for the Grammy-winning Beautiful Day, the first this had had since last month.