Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts

Thursday 1 October 2009

Broadband blues: Something in the air; The mouse that roared; Sell your granny and Boris on the box


One year today (see earlier post) and still going (just).

It seems that there is news about the Pooh; Winnie the Pooh that is, a new character has been introduced-Lottie the Otter, to bring a bit of life to the follow up book to reveal what happened next to Pooh and friends.

Some 71 years later it is fairly obvious, they are all on pensions that have been decimated by the Gov, and are living hand to mouth unable to heat their homes or buy hay.

And Gord talking about “turning it round”, coming from a Prime Minister that has done so many U turns he has screwed himself to the floor of number 10, it is a bit of a flight of fancy.


First up:

Britain's broadband networks have been ranked 31st out of 66 countries in terms of quality.

According to the report from IT giant Cisco, the UK's systems were found to be "meeting needs for today", but lagging behind most European neighbours including Bulgaria and Latvia, a host of Asian countries and the US.

Technologically-advanced Japan and South Korea were leading the way in terms of overall quality, the study found, with their broadband systems already rated "ready for tomorrow".
Cisco - which looked at broadband speeds as well as penetration - said the Britain's facilities would improve through the looming upgrades of cable networks.

Joanne Hughes, from the firm, told the BBC: "It can be a bit misleading to look at the rankings. The important thing is whether the broadband quality of a country is good enough for today's needs and the UK falls well within this category. We forecast the UK will improve because of things such as cable networks being upgraded and the Digital Britain report focusing on next-generation access."

So why are Gord and his gang threatening us with a broadband tax?

A brawling husband and wife forced a passenger jet into an emergency landing after flight staff feared they could crash the plane.

Czech couple Jiri and Katka Bartek began the punch-up in Budapest airport as they rowed over the husband working late.

But they continued the fight after take-off from the Hungarian airport for Cyprus, punching and kicking each other and pelting stewardesses with bottles and safety equipment.

"They were out of control and the pilot had no choice but to turn the plane around and make an emergency landing," said one stewardess.

Airline Malev has banned both passengers from flying with them again and police are quizzing them over public safety charges.


Bit of a Czechered flight then?
A field mouse dubbed 'the bravest mouse in Britain' was able to fend off a cat from its natural habitat by standing up to it outside its nest.

The field mouse made itself as big as possible to the cat after it ventured too near to its nest in Swavesey, Cambs.

Rather than run, the mouse squared up to its larger opponent and stood his ground. Eventually the cat got bored and turned away, before the mouse went back into its home.

"It was incredible, the little mouse stood up and seemed to be roaring at the cat," said Wendy Rothwell, 45, who spotted the encounter in her back garden.

"The cat was much bigger than him and could have killed him at any moment but he didn't seem to care.


Apodemus Sylvaticus with Gonads.

Internet auction site eBay banned a 10-year-old girl's attempts to sell her grandmother claiming it breached regulations on human trafficking.

Zoe Pemberton advertised her grandmother Marion Goodall, 61, of Clacton, Essex, on internet auction site eBay.

The youngster described Mrs Goodall as ''annoying'' but ''cuddly'' in her joke listing.

But eBay bosses removed the advertisement because the site does not allow humans to be bought and sold.

''Obviously we have rules about the selling of people,'' said an eBay spokeswoman.

''We had to take it down but it was quite amusing and there were a number of offers.

''The little girl had described her grandmother as 'annoying' but had gone on to say she liked crosswords and was 'cuddly' and there were quite a few offers.''

The spokeswoman added: ''The advert was obviously light-hearted and had been done with the full knowledge of grandma - we do get these kind of things from time to time.''


So how did a ten year old get an account with eBay then?

And finally:

London mayor Boris Johnson pops up in an episode of EastEnders tonight, sharing a pint at the Queen Vic pub with landlady Peggy Mitchell.

The mayor, who is a Daily Telegraph columnist, is the first politician to be honoured with a guest appearance in the popular BBC soap, which regularly pulls eight million viewers – double the average number for the News at Ten.

He is no stranger to television however, having proved to be a popular host on the topical news quiz, Have I Got News For You.

He materialises after the Queen Vic's landlady Peggy Mitchell develops an interest in local politics and spends all morning trying to track him down when he visits Walford, the fictional London borough where the show is set.

He is initially given a dressing down by Ms Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, who is angry about the lack of street-cleaners in her area, but the mop-haired classicist's charms eventually win her over.





Thursday 27 August 2009

Sheds, Wishful thinking, Gissa job, Make an offer and self harm

Before the off some good news over at nourishing obscurity yesterday, James has written his 5000th post, oh yes and he is getting married to UBERMOUTH.

Celebrations all round and a small contribution from Angus.

Married bliss

James I heard is getting wed
Well at least that’s what his blog said
To Ubermouth no less
And to them both-bless

Marriage can be fulfilling
As long as both are willing
To give and take and share the load
And decide to live in whose abode

The ups and downs of married life
Are part and parcel of man and wife
They both have blogs And both write well
With causes fought and tales to tell

But just one problem I foresee
Who is in charge of the computer keys



First up:

Something indispensible in a good marriage.



The role of the humble shed in improving men's health is being explored at a national conference in Hobart.

The three-day conference is being run by the men's support network, Australian Men's Shed Association.

Association executive David Helmers says sheds offer men a place to belong and to spend time together.

"Quite often a man's social world revolves around his workplace and once he loses that, he either retires or becomes unemployed," he said.

"He's then at risk of social isolation which then spirals into a lot of other men's health problems."


You don’t need a three day conference to know that.




The chance to spend eternity on top of Marilyn Monroe is again available after a Japanese person withdrew a $US4.6 million ($5.5 million) bid on eBay for the burial space above the film legend.

"The person who was supposed to buy it turned out to be someone who couldn't buy it," said Steve Miller, a mortgage broker and banker who represents Elsie Poncher, the seller of the space.

Mr Miller says people who had put in similar bids have been contacted again with a "buy it now" offer.

There were another 11 bidders who offered at least $US4.5 million for the burial space, the Los Angeles Times says.

An unnamed Japanese bidder was the ill-financed winner of the space that currently holds the body of Richard Poncher.

Numpty


A man who has been jobless for six months has offered himself for work on eBay.

Richard Lloyd from Golcar, near Huddersfield claimed he would be an "outstanding employee."

The former pub boss says he will consider any role.

He is yet to receive a job offer, reports the Daily Mirror.


No surprises there then



NEW YORK (AP) - It's 9 1/2 feet wide and 42 feet long and is billed as the narrowest house in New York City. But there's nothing small about its asking price: $2.7 million.

Located at 75 1/2 Bedford St. in Greenwich Village, the red brick building was built in 1873, sandwiched between 75 and 77 Bedford.

It's famous for other reasons, too. Corcoran real estate broker Alex Nicholas says anthropologist Margaret Mead and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay once called it home.
The three-story structure boasts plenty of light with large windows in the front and back, and a skylight.

The current owner bought it in 2000 for $1.6 million.
Nicholas says it's a place for someone who wants a little history.

And has little furniture.
And finally:


Larry Tenbrink’s chickens started disappearing months ago.

He could see traces of the struggle in the mornings — blood and feathers — but couldn’t catch the culprit.

Sunday night, he caught a ’possum the size of a large cat in action. But a premature slip of his finger landed Tenbrink in the hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg, while the ’possum remains on the loose to strike again.

Tenbrink, a 61-year-old handyman who lives on the southern outskirts of town, was watching television about 11 p.m. when he heard his chickens “carrying on.”

Tenbrink houses dozens of chickens on his property as a hobby. But more than a dozen have disappeared in the past couple of months when a new predator started hunting there.

“The ’possum is kind of a newcomer to the property,” he said during a phone interview from his home Monday afternoon.

He said it’s been targeting the babies at night lately.

Tenbrink, .22 caliber pistol in hand, thought it would be over when he spotted the ’possum wandering his property Sunday night.
But he accidentally pulled the trigger too early, sending a bullet through his lower right thigh.

He was taken to the hospital. But doctors couldn’t find the bullet and sent him home several hours later.

“It’s sore, but if you don’t think about it, it doesn’t bother ya,” Tenbrink said.

Pillock.