Latest news with #JoeSims
BBC News
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 2025 was 'one of the best'
This year's Bristol's International Balloon Fiesta - which saw more than 300 balloon flights over the weekend - was "one of the best", its director has of people descended on Ashton Court Estate over the weekend to watch the hot air balloons take off and see the iconic Hardy, executive director of the fiesta, said the event was in his "top three" after 15 years in the to Joe Sims on BBC Radio Bristol, Mr Hardy said a tear "rolled down" his cheek during Sunday's mass ascent. Official turnout figures have not yet been released, but Mr Hardy said he believes attendance was in the hundreds of thousands across the three final mass ascent of the 47th edition of the fiesta saw many colourful balloons soar across the city during a beautiful sunset."To finish a fiesta weekend with a mass ascent like the one we had straight over the city - I have to say me and a few team members sat in that arena as the last balloon took off, and a little tear did roll down the cheek," Mr Hardy said. The spectacle is a major part of the fiesta weekend, with six planned ascents across the three days showcasing a display of balloons across Bristol's year, only four ascents took place as two were called off due to poor weather included fan favourites that fly every year and new editions, such as a 143 ft (43.5 metres) dragon called Hardy hinted on BBC Radio Bristol that the owners of Oggy the Dragon may return with a scarecrow balloon next on next year's Balloon Fiesta begins in September, he said.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Go for your check-ups, father with prostate cancer urges men
A father-of-three has advised men not to put off routine check-ups after his own doctor's visit revealed he had stage three prostate maker Neil Maggs, 50, told BBC Radio Bristol presenter Joe Sims he could have died within 18 months had he not had prostate removal surgery in March last year."Just go and get it done – it's better to be alive," said Mr Maggs, from Fishponds in also spoke about the physical repercussions of the operation, which he said were "a massive wake-up call", affecting his mental health and sense of identity. "If your identity is, 'I'm a man, I'm a virile man', then suddenly you're having to wear a nappy at the age of 50 and can't get an erection, it becomes like a midlife crisis," he said. Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine, according to the disease tends to affect over-50s, and although there is not a definitive test for it, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test can indicate whether cancer is the cancer is slow-growing, it can be there for decades before it is presenter Dermot Murnaghan, cyclist Chris Hoy and former US President Joe Biden are all living with prostate Maggs said he was convinced into going for a routine check-up for over-40s in January 2024, after telling a nurse he urinated later had to have a biopsy – which he described as "arguably the worst part" of his experience."The needle to numb you, it felt like someone was squeezing my balls, and punching me in the face at the same time," he said. The diagnosis came back within a week. "The moment I knew was when the nurse came out and bowed her head."I was basically near to stage four, on stage three and a half – stage four is basically fatal where you need palliative care and you will die from it," he the time his surgery was scheduled, he had "fallen into a sense of thinking, 'this could be it'"."I was kind of ready for the possibility," he said. "I wanted to be present and be with my family – it's a feeling that's kind of stayed with me." 'Moments that get you' But Mr Maggs, whose children are 13, nine and eight, said nothing could have prepared him for the mental struggle after the prostate removal surgery."For some men who have never faced their demons, it's a massive wake-up call," he said after the operation "there are moments that can get you". "I was less prepared for that," he said. "Your testosterone is less so there is a physical thing that affects your mental health."Mr Maggs said "quite a few of my mates and family have had a check-up" following his diagnosis and surgery. He now has a PSA check every two months and has been told his current levels and prognosis are both good.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Ex-Chelsea player lucky to be alive after clot on heart
A former Premier League footballer said he is lucky to be alive after doctors spotted a clot on his heart during a routine scan. Dave Lee, who previously played for Bristol Rovers and Chelsea, said he did not experience any symptoms from the clot and without treatment, he could have died within said: "Another three weeks that would have risen and gone up to my brain and I wouldn't have been here anymore."The former defender has shared his story as part of BBC Radio Bristol's Wake Up Call health week, where presenter Joe Sims is asking people to talk about conditions that can go under the radar. In October 2024, he underwent a routine check-up after recovering from a stomach tumour five years Lee, who lives near Bath, said hours after the scan, doctors told him to pack a bag and prepare to stay in hospital for a week. He added: "What it was was a blood clot on my heart. It shocked me."The consultant was absolutely flabbergasted that I had no symptoms. I'm so lucky. If I hadn't had the tumour, I wouldn't have had the scan and I wouldn't have known."After undergoing triple bypass surgery, Mr Lee said he recovered within a month and started going for runs again."It was a really tough time but I'm glad I got through it," he Lee is raising awareness about the condition as part of Mr Sims' Wake Up Call healthcare week. The BBC presenter will host his show at Hartcliffe City Farm Friday morning, when he will speak to local people who can come along and agree to have their health checked.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawyers urging ‘caution' on antitrust remedies in Google search trial have cozy ties to Big Tech
A group of prominent lawyers claimed to be objective last month as they urged a federal judge to take 'caution' when imposing antitrust remedies against Google's online search empire — but many of them have cozy ties to Big Tech, The Post has learned. US District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to rule by August on the best way to rein in Google's illegal dominance over online search after ruling last year that the company was a 'monopolist.' The Justice Department, rather than merely punishing past misdeeds, wants Google and CEO Sundar Pichai to sell the Chrome web browser, among other remedies. On May 6, a group of former DOJ and Federal Trade Commission antitrust enforcers submitted an amicus brief warning the federal judge against aggressive remedies. The lawyers said their brief was made 'in support of neither party' and was intended to guide Mehta on following the 'proper remedy standard.' However, many of brief's coauthors have direct or indirect links to Google and other Big Tech firms. That includes Joe Sims, who last year dismissed criticism of Google's widespread evidence destruction as 'silly,' and Willard Tom, who once defended Google in the high-profile antitrust lawsuit filed by 'Fortnite' maker Epic Games. Their arguments closely match those of the defense offered by Google, which claims the DOJ's proposals go far beyond the bounds of antitrust law and that the court risks jeopardizing American AI leadership – and even national security. The lawyers' links to Big Tech raised alarms with Google's critics, including Sacha Haworth, executive director at the Tech Oversight Project, who told The Post that it 'speaks volumes that the only people rushing to Google's defense are people paid by Google to care.' 'If Google is broken up, it will be a win for our digital economy that will lead to lower prices and more choices for consumers,' Haworth added. Aside from a forced divestment of Chrome, the DOJ wants Google to share its search data with rivals. The agency has also asked Mehta to consider the potential impact of Google's massive investments in AI-powered search when crafting any remedies. Elsewhere, the feds want Google to be barred from paying billions to companies like Apple to ensure its search engine is set as the default option on most smartphones. They also propose a forced divestiture of Google's Android software if initial remedies prove ineffective. 'We've long said the DOJ's proposals go miles beyond the Court's decision,' a Google spokesperson said in a statement. 'We appreciate that a wide range of experts, academics and businesses agree.' An amicus brief – also known as a 'friend of the court' brief – generally includes information that interested third parties want to flag for the judge's consideration before reaching a verdict. In a filing, the brief's coauthors noted that they were not paid by any outside party and that no outside party had contributed to the writing. Contributors included Tad Lipsky, who heads up the competition advocacy program at George Mason University's Global Antitrust Institute – which has received millions in funding from Google and other Big Tech firms while frequently arguing for a light touch on antitrust enforcement. Sims retired as a partner at law firm Jones Day in 2016. In July 2024, Jones Day successfully secured dismissal of a class-action suit accusing Google of antitrust violations tied to its Maps service. Last August, Sims raised eyebrows when he argued that Mehta was 'silly' for criticizing Google over its deletion of employee chat logs during the DOJ's search trial – in violation of court orders to preserve evidence. 'No firm has an obligation to create a paper trail for people or entities that may want to attack it,' Sims wrote on X. 'If anything, it has a fiduciary obligation to do just the opposite.' Tom is a former partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius who represented Google against 'Fortnite' maker Epic Games's antitrust lawsuit until his retirement in July 2022. Google eventually lost the suit in a bombshell ruling that has major implications for its 'Google Play' app store. Richard Parker previously represented Apple in the ebooks case bought the DOJ and currently works at Milbank Tweed, a firm that advised Google in the search trial and helped argue its ongoing appeal of the Epic Games verdict. The brief notes that Parker contributed in 'his personal capacity' and had 'not worked for Google on this matter or any other matter.' Terry Calvani worked law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer from 2005 to 2019 – a period of time in which the firm served as an outside counsel for Google in several lawsuits. From 2020 to 2025, Calvini was a senior adviser at strategic communications firm Brunswick Group, which counts Google as a client. Several enforcers who backed the amicus brief, including Sims and Lipsky, are listed as authors for Truth on the Market – a competition law-focused blog with close ties to the Big Tech-funded International Center for Law and Economics. Jon Neuchterlein is a nonresident senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute, which acknowledges on its website that it has received from donations from the likes of Google, Amazon, and Apple, among other tech firms. From 2015 to 2024, Neuchterlein was a partner at the law firm Sidley Austin. During his tenure, the firm counted Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Intel among its clients. In their brief, the antitrust lawyers urged Mehta to take 'caution' when considering two elements of the DOJ's proposal – the forced Chrome divestiture and the search data-sharing requirement – to avoid overstepping the bounds of antitrust law. 'Antitrust remedies in a monopoly maintenance case are intended to terminate the unlawful conduct and prevent its recurrence, and remediate proven harm to competition caused by the illegal conduct,' the brief said. The lawyers added that remedies that 'further than that or that are not narrowly designed to achieve those goals can undermine the purpose of the antitrust laws by inhibiting the very robust competition that those laws are intended to promote.'
