Feeling a bit horse: Surviving-at a price: Women wear the pants in Paris: Fast chuff-chuff—big brakes: and Dear, dear Mr Bean.

The suns not out, the sky’s not blue, there’s loads of clouds to spoil the view but who gives a shit, I’m warm and dry at the Castle this morn.

Not posted properly for a while, my one remaining left handed brain cell seemed to have run out of alphabet and went into standby mode, but after eating a couple of Findus lasagnes from Tesco my “mind” is racing I seem to be back on the gallop with the bit between my teef, full of unbridled enthusiasm and it looks like you are saddled with me for a while.

 

And talking of equine entrées

 

It seems that the secretary for the environment is to meet representatives from the Food Standards Agency and meat retailers and suppliers to discuss the horsemeat scandal.

Owen Paterson said investigations into how beef products had been contaminated with horsemeat were ongoing but "the evidence so far suggests... its either criminal activity or gross negligence".

Tesco, Aldi and Findus have all had to withdraw food products.

Food minister David Heath said frozen food should not be discarded, and advised consumers to carry on eating meat unless told otherwise.

The FSA has asked UK firms to test all processed beef foods, but said it did not "suspect there is any health issue with frozen food".

And Mr Heath said the government's advice was "exactly that" of the FSA.

 

That’s good because I like horses-roasted, grilled, fried, minced and especially anti inflamed....

 But if you are into dobbin dinners here are a couple of cheap, tasty recipes:

Pot-au-feu de cheval (horse stew)

Take meat of the second class (flank, topside, collar), place in cold water and cook over a gentle fire, removing the foam and grease as you bring it to the boil. Add salt, a clove of garlic, caramelised onion and a colouring of vegetables, such as leek, turnip, celery, cabbage etc. Leave to cook for seven or eight hours on a moderate fire.

Cheval à la Parisienne

Cook turnips in horse grease; add boiled horsemeat in thin rashers, with salt and pepper; wet with a little horse bouillon; add parsley, chives or shallots, and a dash of vinegar.

 

Num,num, num....

 

West to the home of the second amendment and the land of the citadel

A group of survivalists is inviting people to apply for places in a walled, medieval-style city it wants to build in the woods of northern Idaho.

The proposed fortress community, where residents would be required to own weapons and stand ready to defend the compound if society collapses, would have room inside for up to 7,000 families.

The citadel's promoter, Christian Kerodin was convicted in 2004 on federal extortion charges, and on charges that he illegally possessed a firearm when he posed as a counter-terrorism expert trying to coerce shopping mall owners to hire him to improve security.

He served 30 months in federal prison.

Apparently the compound's primary goal is defending "against a grid-down economic collapse scenario".

Residents would be required to stock enough food and water to last a year.

A 1,200sq ft house in the citadel would cost $686 (£438) a month, whether it was located within or outside the compound's walls.

Allegedly several hundred people have already paid a $208 (£133) fee to apply to live there.

The on-site gun factory would manufacture semi-automatic pistols and AR-15-style rifles, the type of weapon used in the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut,

 

Ah, the old Idaho survivalist I want your money ploy....

 

East to the capital of neighburgers

It seems that after many, many years “ladies” will finally be allowed to wear trousers in “gay” Paris.

A French politician has now decriminalised potentially thousands of Parisian women by saying that the law is incompatible with modern French values.

Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the minister for women's rights, said in a statement that while the order had not been taken off the statutes, it had been made irrelevant by changes in French law.

She said: "This order was aimed, first of all, at limiting the access of women to certain offices or occupations by preventing them from dressing in the manner of men.

"This order is incompatible with the principles of equality between women and men. From that incompatibility stems the implicit abrogation of the order."

City chiefs had originally issued the order in 1800 forcing women to seek permission from police if they wanted to "dress like a man".

The order was later amended in 1892 and 1909 to allow women to wear trousers if they were "holding a bicycle handlebar or the reins of a horse."

 

Or a burger, lasagne, sausage or any other part of an  equus ...

 

Even further East to the land of non-existent radiation

 

A Japanese railway company on Friday unveiled a new Shinkansen bullet train featuring an improved brake system that can reduce the stopping distance to 300-400 meters while speeding at 270 kilometres per hour.

The Central Japan Railway Company said the upgraded brake system would enhance safety during emergencies like earthquakes.

A large number of railway users witnessed the departure of the company's first upgraded train -- N700A -- from the Tokyo station on Friday morning, Japan's NHK broadcaster reported.

The new model's top speed remains at 270 kilometres per hour, but its improved brake system can reduces its stopping distance from top speed by 300 to 400 meters while the current model requires three to four kilometres to stop.

The railway has been focusing on faster speeds to reduce travel time between Tokyo and Osaka, but the new model instead emphasizes safety in the event of earthquakes or other contingencies, when stopping time is crucial in avoiding serious accidents.

The new model's computer-controlled system also maintains a constant speed regardless of terrain. The company plans to operate the new train between Osaka and Hakata in western Japan also from March 16.

 

Spiffing 167.77 MPH to zero in 437.445319 yards; hope they have installed airbags....

 

And finally:

 

A year after Mr Bean piled up his £3.5 million motor

And more than 900,000 pounds Rowan Atkinson’s McLaren F1 is back on the road, Ben Stagg, specialty insurer with RK Harrison, said the quality components used to make an F1 are one reason the repair costs were so high.

All modern supercars are predominantly carbon fibre - most Lamborghinis, most Ferraris - and the smallest ding in carbon fibre is a big repair job," he said. "And part of the engine bay is gold, that's the best heat conductor. It's the materials they used compared to everyday cars that make it so expensive."

He said many owners baby their expensive cars, driving them only a few times a year in perfect weather conditions, but Atkinson actually drives his McLaren extensively.

The unusual repair job, thought to involve one of the largest car insurance settlements in British history, is extensively documented in Classic & Sports Car magazine, with a picture of the burgundy McLaren on the cover.

Atkinson, last seen by many playing piano as Mr. Bean during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, told the magazine he believes supercars should be used, not sequestered in garages.

"It depresses me when great cars are hidden away," he said. "It's a crime not to use it."

 

Funny that, the last motor I had that was damaged had a crack in the bumper-and was written orf, must be using the wrong insurance company...

 

That’s it: I’m orf to avoid some Elephants

 

Today’s thought:

one way to cut the cost of funerals

 

 

 

And today’s mellow melody-or neigh as the case may be

 

 

Angus  

Whining, dining MPs: Customised Tesco’s: Human wrongs-again: Wonder Vag and the Sperminator: and Because it’s there.

Cold, calm and clear at the Castle this morn, his Maj hasn’t discovered the joy of anything-thank him/her upstairs and I’m orf to Tesco on the stale bread, gruel and pussy food run in a mo.

Up to the bit attached to the leaning tower of Ben

MPs and their aides dining in the House of Commons restaurants have complained their soup bowls are too small, their beer is too expensive and their chips are not arranged in a ‘tower’ formation – despite receiving £5.8m a year in food subsidies from the taxpayer.

Their eggs are too watery, they receive change in coppers rather than five pence pieces, and the crisp packets from the vending machine are ten grams too light.

One customer said canteen staff made them feel “like a second class citizen” when they complained that breakfast had run out at half past ten in the morning, according to a log of complaints made to the House of Commons catering service.

One guest in the Members’ and Strangers’ dining rooms wrote: “’The bucket’ of chips, while attractive to some and no doubt trendy, makes for soggy chips. The tower arrangement is better.”

Another said their dinner in the wood-panelled restaurant with views of the Thames was a “dismal experience.”

A dish of kedgeree left one member feeling swindled. “The boiled egg had been cut into THREE quarters – no sign of the fourth.... Petty and insulting way to save a buck.”

The Commons catering budget received a taxpayer subsidy of £5.8m last year, an increase of £87,000, and the equivalent of a top-up of £7.60 for every £10 spent by an MP on lunch or drinks.

In the Members’ dining room MPs can enjoy Pan-fried red mullet with carrot purée and a soft boiled quail’s egg for £4.15 or Artichoke and tomato salad with truffle dressing for £2.05.

But drinks prices have risen after the Commons Commission ruled Parliament’s unlicensed bars should raise their prices to match high street pubs, prompting a boycott from patrons. A pint of bitter now costs £2.60 and a glass of Merlot is £2.35.

 The Commons authorities promised a “full investigation”.

Fuck off.....

And all across the land

My favourite retailer is expected to give its stores an overhaul to reflect the location and income of families who shop there, it was reported.

It will target more of its value ranges in poorer areas to keep customers from switching to budget stores Aldi and Lidl, while its premium lines will be promoted to stop those in wealthier parts from being tempted by Waitrose and Marks and Spencer.

The changes were revealed by Tesco suppliers in trade magazine The Grocer.

It said: "Tesco is set to launch a wave of price promotions and range reviews based on the affluence of areas they live in.

"Tesco has begun talks with suppliers aimed at launching price promotions in less well-off areas where it is facing competition from the likes of Aldi and Lidl."

Hope the Castle is in a cheap area...

An arse of a law

Taoufik Didi a foreign drug-dealing bigamist has won the right to stay in Britain because of his human right to "family life".

He had been sentenced to three years in prison for selling cocaine to undercover police officers, and so exceeded the criteria for "automatic deportation" under the law.

However, the Moroccan launched a human rights appeal, telling immigration judges he had been in a loving relationship with a British woman, Marina Gregory, for 10 years. He now intended to wed her and start a family.

The judges believed the 47-year-old criminal and, to the disappointment of Home Office officials, granted his appeal under the Human Rights Act – ruling that his "right to private and family life" entitled him to stay on in Britain.

Despite two surprising admissions made by Didi in court, he told them he already had a wife, who he had married in 1989, and was awaiting a divorce which would free him to remarry.

And he "married" Miss Gregory three years ago in an open-air ceremony in Cyprus, while legally wed to his first wife.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We will consider any new evidence of abuse and where we can prove an individual has obtained leave to remain in the UK fraudulently we will seek to revoke it and remove them from the country."

Yeah right, and then the “judges” will overturn it because he has a cat.

Still in Blighty

London health officials are launching a sequel to their controversial online sex-ed game for young people that features such characters as Wonder Vag and the Sperminator.

In the sequel, the virgin with the Barbie-doll figure will be caged and the Sperminator will have lost his penis-arms and become a force for good.

The original Adventures in Sex City, an online game from the Middlesex-London Health Unit, were banned by officials with the London District Catholic school board because it ran afoul of the school's official stance on abstinence.

In the original version, the infected Sperminator fired sperm from penis-shaped arms at characters such as virginal Wonder Vag, who when struck might say, "Aggg! Right in the face."

While the original will be kept available at Getitonlondon.ca, a second version will officially launch Feb. 14 during Sexual Awareness Week.

Whatever happened to the Beano?

And finally:

Looking up

Apparently Daredevil climbers are shunning mountains to scale cable cars, lifts and furnaces.

Mr Lama swapped craggy mountainsides for a blast furnace in industrial Duisburg, Germany.

According to free-climber David Lama, 20 ‘Whether you’re in a city, the countryside, on rocks or metal, what matters is the result.’

Unless you fall orf.....

That’s it: I’m orf to find a black whitebird

And today’s thought:

Angus

Flat battery: Aid loans: Armadillo attack: Crap alchemist: Big burger: and the Patterdale Blob.

Coldish, calmish and cloudyish at the Castle this morn, the study is devoid of all things broken and bollixed up and his Maj refuses to use the very expensive cat door installed in the rear exit so I sit here wrapped up in a blanket until the heating can go on. 

Inflicted even more vandalism on the garden yesterday, the trellis that the Virginia Creeper was growing on had rotted so it had to go, spent about an hour cutting the creeper back-a bit like unravelling spaghetti, and I made a fence out of the good bits which is just at the right height to put my feet up on while sitting on the folding chair.

The fifteen foot high Lilac “tree” was beginning to be infected with the same viral disease that killed the California Lilac and that went as well, I now can’t move my right elbow because of all the sawing-should have changed hands.......

I see that up in Brum

Inmates at the first UK prison to be transferred to the private sector were locked in their cells for almost a full day after a set of keys fitting every cell door went missing.

Staff at Birmingham Prison, which houses 1,450 prisoners and was taken over by the private security firm G4S this month, noticed the keys were missing on Tuesday. It is not known if they have been found, or what action has been taken by the prison, but the firm insisted there was no risk to public safety.

A G4S spokeswoman said: "All prisons have well-established contingency plans to deal with incidents of this nature."  

Like locking all the guests up.......

Meanwhile:

Still in Blighty

A government plan to make 2011 "the year the electric car took off" appears to have stalled, with uptake of a scheme to promote sales of environmentally friendly vehicles falling dramatically.

The "plug-in car grant", conceived under Labour and launched by Philip Hammond in January when he was Transport Secretary, offered an incentive of up to £5,000 to buy an electric car.

The number of vehicles sold through the scheme has dropped significantly since its launch, with only 106 being bought in the third quarter of 2011, down from 465 in the first quarter of this year, and 215 in the second. Despite an increase in the total number of electric cars being sold in Britain – from 167 in 2010 to 940 in 2011 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders – environmental campaigners have criticised a lack of infrastructure for its failure.

Or maybe it’s because NOBODY HAS ANY BLOODY MONEY!

 And: 

Up in Whitehall

The Government is to begin phasing out aid to India and gradually replace it with loans to small businesses in some of the country's poorest areas.

Details of the pilot scheme, which is being pioneered in India by the Department for International Development, emerged on Friday amid continuing questions over why Britain gives any aid to the world's second fastest growing economy. India is currently growing at up to eight per cent while Britain's growth forecasts have fallen below one per cent.

The decision to use India as a test case for replacing donor aid with recoverable loans was taken after Andrew Mitchell, the international development minister, voiced doubts earlier this year that British aid to India would continue "for very much longer." The Indian government has been indifferent at best to Britain's aid contribution and increasingly sees itself as an aid donor – it has pledged to give more than $500 million in aid to Afghanistan and is set to launch its own international aid agency.

 

No budget cuts for this “agency”. 

Wonder what Andrew Mitchell has got on Dave?

Over in the lone star State

Dallas police are on the hunt for a man who is accused of attacking a woman with a frozen armadillo. The Sept. 29 altercation occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex, where the 57-year-old was buying the carcass from the suspect so that she could eat it. An argument over the price led to the man allegedly throwing the dead animal at the woman—not once, but twice, MyFox Austin reports. She was reportedly bruised when it struck her in the leg and chest, and the man could face assault charges if located.

Is that the way to Armadillo?

Right a lot

A man from Northern Ireland has been jailed after an experiment in which he attempted to turn his own faeces into gold went wrong and started a fire in a block of flats.

Yahoo news reported that Paul Moran will now serve three months in jail and a further 12 months on license after the failed experiment caused a fire at his Housing Executive home in Derrin Park, Enniskillen.

Moran admitted arson and endangering the lives of others in the fire, which reportedly caused over £3,000 worth of damage.

It is thought that as part of the bizarre experiment Moran left his faeces, along with other waste products such as fertiliser, on a heater.

In his ruling Judge McFarland told Moran: “Rather bizarrely you were attempting to make gold from human faeces and waste products.

“It was an interesting experiment to fulfil the alchemist’s dream, but wasn’t going to succeed.”

Moran’s barrister mentioned that his client was a man of ‘considerable intellectual ability’.

And the IQ of a turd....

 
 

 Back over in the big bit of land on the left

A Detroit-area restaurant has cooked up another giant burger.

The Detroit News reports that Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate made a 338-pound "Absolutely Ridiculous Burger" on Thursday. A crowd of people gathered to salivate over the unveiling of the massive $2,000 menu item.

The 3-foot-high sandwich packs 540,000 calories and takes 22 hours to cook. Manager Jason Jones says it comes with fries and a drink.

Over the years, Mallie's has drawn attention for cooking up monstrous burgers. In 2008, the restaurant produced a 134-pound burger. Six months later it made one weighing 164 pounds. In 2009, it built 186-pound burger and in January it created one that topped the scales at 319 pounds.

 

Hope Eric Pickles doesn’t hear about it.

And talking of Eric Pickles

Up in the Lake District walkers have been left baffled by a quivering, translucent mass, nicknamed Star Jelly because it reputedly fell to Earth from meteors.

The latest bizarre sightings were on hills and pastures in Patterdale, Cumbria, where holiday-cottage owner Rob Shephard said: “I came across about 10 blobs floating on top of some puddles.

"They were the size of my foot. I didn’t touch the jelly, I just took some snaps.”

Village store owner Tom Driscoll, 53, has also been left perplexed, saying: “I was walking with my partner when we came across six or eight piles of the stuff.

“My initial thought was that it could be frog spawn, but when I had a closer look I realised this was not the case.

“I touched it and it had the consistency of frog spawn but some of the pieces were as big as a person’s foot and I didn’t think it was anything that a human or animal could make.”

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh algae expert Dr Hans Sluiman investigated a 2009 sighting in Scotland, which was linked to stags’ rutting season.

He said: “I did discover the jelly is made up almost entirely of water but was not able to find out exactly what it was. It may be toxic frogs that have been eaten by other animals and then spat out. But nobody knows for sure.”

Obviously Pickles didn’t have a hanky to hand......

That’s it: I’m orf to have an ice cream sandwich. 

And today’s thought: I went into McDonald's yesterday and said, "I'd like some fries." And the girl behind the counter says, "Would you like fries with that?"

Angus

SATURDAY SNIPPETS

Bit of a mix today:

BBC NEWS Warning of food price hike crisis For a few months now I have been moaning about the price of food, and it seems I was right.

The Gov has finally admitted that: it believes food prices have peaked and it is tackling child poverty through increased child benefits and child tax credits.

According to The Grocer, a typical basket of 33 items of food cost £48 a year ago. That has now risen to £57.50.

James Ball, from the magazine, told the BBC: "It is the staples that have really gone up and that's tough for people who buy the cheapest food.

"Rice costs double what it did last year; baked beans are up more than a third. Lots of everyday items cost a lot more than they used to."

Rice - up 81%
Pork sausages - up 51%
Mince - up 22%
Milk - up 14%
Source: The Grocer

As the UK imports about 40% of its food, the weak pound has driven up prices. Unpredictable world harvests and a spike in oil prices last year have also played a part.


I knew it!






BBC NEWS Lollipop cameras to trap speeders

Lollipop men and women in Glasgow are to get cameras fitted on their signs in a bid to catch motorists who fail to stop at school crossings.

The company which runs crossing patrols in the city, Cordia, plans to test the mounted devices in the coming months.

Similar systems have already been trialled in London and Yorkshire but it is believed this is the first time the technology would be used in Scotland.

Good idea, but did you know it was in use in London and Yorkshire?

Ananova - White House gives out sex line number Journalists hoping to interview Hillary Clinton on the G20 summit were surprised when the number they were given turned out to be a phone sex line.

The White House accidentally listed a sex line number for journalists seeking an "on-the-record briefing call with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Jim Jones", reports Fox News.

Journalists who dialled the number heard a soft-voiced female recording that was clearly not Clinton, asking for a credit card number if you "feel like getting nasty".


Yeah right!



Ananova - New guide to keep PCs PC Police officers have been ordered not to finish off the sentences of people with a stutter.

Officers have been given a new "diversity handbook" advising them how to avoid offensive faux pas when dealing with the public.

The 140-page guide also tells them not to move people's walking sticks or lean on people's wheelchairs, reports the Daily Telegraph.

It tells officers that it would be "inappropriate" to handcuff people who can only communicate through sign language.

And it says they should not "chew gum, eat sweets, shout, turn away or cover their mouths" when communicating with the deaf.

The booklet also reminds officers it is legal "to wear clothing and accessories of any gender in public so long as their genitals are covered".

The pocket-sized handbook has been compiled by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and distributed to all Scottish forces at a cost of £4,500.

I love the bit about not handcuffing people who can only communicate through sign language, being “inappropriate”


The words “common sense” comes to mind.



Ananova - Mother-in-law survives rocket attack
A desperate husband tried to kill his mother-in-law with an anti-tank missile launcher after claiming she'd turned his wife against him.

Bosnian Miroslav Miljici wanted revenge after blaming his wife's mum for the break-up of his marriage.

And when his mother-in-law survived the rocket attack on her home, he tried to finish her off with a machine gun, a court in Doboj, Bosnia, was told.

Amazingly, she survived both attacks with barely a scratch, judges heard.

In defence Miljici - jailed for six years for attempted murder - told the court he could no longer take his mother-in-law's nagging.

I’m saying nowt!


And finally:


Only in England Ananova - Swimming pool to close if 'too wet' Swimmers at an outdoor pool have been warned it might have to be closed if it gets too wet.

Health and safety rules have been introduced at the London Fields Lido in Hackney, north London, for the protection of the pool's users.

But the policy raised fears that health and safety guidelines were being taken too far, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Swimmers were warned that they might have to leave the water if the heavy rain increased, but they were allowed to stay when the weather lifted.

Hackney Council said the rules were only enforced in extreme weather, when there was torrential rain, hail or thick fog.

A spokeswoman said: "Very occasionally extreme weather can impair visibility for our lifeguards. We make no apology for providing protection for swimmers from drowning."

What next: no sunbathing on beaches if the sun comes out, or maybe no going to school if it snows-oh sorry that rule is already in force.

"Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed without legislation." Milton Friedman

Angus

NHS Behind the headlines

Angus Dei politico

NHS-THE OTHER SIDE

SATURDAY SNIPPETS 8

First item-the Australian GP qualifying.

If like me you were fed up with he same old teams winning every race, watch the Qualifying on BBC1 at 1PM today, you won’t be disappointed.


That’s my bit out of the way, now for the “snippets”:



One small step for naan Two Indian air force personnel are set to be blasted into orbit by the end of the next decade as part of an ambitious 2.5-billion-dollar project that follows the country's successful unmanned lunar probe launch last year.

Dr A.S. Bawa, director of the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), said food scientists, biochemists and microbiologists had already begun identifying dishes that will make the pilots feel at home as they hurtle through space.

"It will have to be in freeze-dried form for the sake of lightness and compactness. We have started work on curries like chicken and mutton as well as spinach, peas and mushrooms," he told AFP by telephone.

Breakfast could include "upma" -- a southern Indian dish made from refined wheat or semolina -- to be eaten from a squeezable tube.

Can you imagine the after effects of a curry in a very small space with no way of getting fresh air?

Reminds me of the old joke “about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit”





Our Maj’s hubby has apparently done it again Palace denies Prince Philip 'sponger' gaffe Buckingham Palace denied Thursday that Prince Philip had made another of his notorious gaffes by calling pop impresario Simon Cowell a "sponger" who feeds off the stars on his shows.

Prince Philip, who is well-known for his unguarded comments over the years, allegedly made the remark while chatting to performers after a Royal Variety Show in London in December 2007.

"It was actually embarrassing, I was on a show where she (the Queen) comes on at the end of the show and you have to stand around for hours," Cowell reportedly told "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" earlier this week.

"It is called the Royal Variety Show, so she is in the audience. At the end, if you are involved in it, you have to stand around for hours and then say 'hello', and she ignored me and her husband called me a sponger."

Cowell added: "I think he was trying to be rude. I just mumbled something and he walked off."


Grow up Cowell, and anyway the truth hurts doesn’t it?





Mathematical model to forecast divorce A British mathematician has devised a formula to predict whether loved-up couples are bound to spend their lives together or end their marriages in divorce.

Oxford University professor James Murray said his formula successfully predicted whether a couple would divorce 94 percent of the time, in a study of 700 newly-married couples.

"Some couples might as well get divorced right away," said Murray, who was to present his findings to the Royal Society in London on Thursday, after receiving one of its oldest awards.

As part of the research Murray and his team filmed the newlyweds discussing contentious issues such as money or sex for 15 minutes, and graded each statement made during their respective turns of speech.

Statements with humour or affection were given positive scores, while those with defensiveness or anger were given negative ones. The resulting scores were used to identify whether the relationship was likely to stand the test of time.

The couples were then contacted over one to two year intervals over a period of 12 years, with Murray's formula correctly predicting the divorce rate with an accuracy of 94 percent.

Here are the official divorce rates in England and Wales; I really don’t think that we need to use a Mathematical formula before we get married to “predict” whether it is worth getting wed.




Healthy eating-US ballpark to sell 4,800-calorie burger a baseball park in Michigan has created an artery-busting hamburger containing 4,800 calories and is daring fans to eat the "snack," promising a free t-shirt to anyone who succeeds.

In an apparent bid to cook up some comfort food during hard economic times, the West Michigan Whitecaps are offering fans a behemoth dubbed the Fifth Third Burger, named after the team's ballpark and the meal's five beef patties, which each weigh one third of a pound (136 grams).

And guess what size the T-shirt will be (XXXXXXL)?



Runaway kangaroos on the loose in France Vandals set loose 15 kangaroos from an Australian theme park in southern France, sparking a major search operation, with three marsupials still on the loose.

When we arrived on Saturday morning, five pens had been broken open, their padlocks were smashed and the perimeter fence was torn in several places," said Carole Masson, owner of the nature reserve in southwestern Carcassonne.

"We had 15 missing kangaroos -- it was complete panic," she told AFP.
Fire-fighters, police and gendarmes were mobilised to track down the animals as they bounded through the woods.

"We found five in the park, and some more in the woods nearby. But three are still out there somewhere," Masson said, adding that a warning has gone out to local drivers for fear the animals could stray onto a nearby highway.

"They are not aggressive or nervous animals by nature," she said. "They're probably just grazing quietly away somewhere."


Well I suppose it makes a change from immigrants, and they could always tell them to hop it (I know).




And finally:

Yes it’s back Ryanair chief defends on-board toilet charge on Tuesday The head of Irish budget airline Ryanair Tuesday defended his plan to charge passengers to use on-board toilets, saying it would lead to "less passenger inconvenience" during flights.

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary revealed last month the carrier was looking at the possibility of installing toilet doors in its planes which would only open with the insertion of a one pound coin (1.10 euros, 1.40 dollars).

"In our discussions with (aircraft maker) Boeing they haven't yet been able to manufacture a toilet door that will take coins in it," he told a news conference in Madrid Tuesday.

"But I think it's a logical development, if you use the toilet for example in train stations in England you pay to use the toilets. I don't see any reason why people on board an aircraft wouldn't pay to use the toilet."

He said the on-board charge would mean more passengers would use the toilets at airports, and would lead to "less passenger inconvenience on board the aircraft."

"We will charge for every possible thing we can think to charge for, but it will always be the passengers' choice whether they pay it or don't pay it," he said.

O'Leary said the company is now running an online competition to see what else the carrier can charge for on board.


I’ve got a competition he can enter-the world cheapskate and greed finals.

And if like me you get confused about this: the clocks go FORWARD tonight, we will then be in British Summer time-ha bloody-ha.


“I am pretty sure that, if you will be quite honest, you will admit that a good rousing sneeze, one that tears open your collar and throws your hair into your eyes, is really one of life's sensational pleasures.” Robert Benchley


Angus

NHS Behind the headlines

Angus Dei politico

NHS-THE OTHER SIDE

THE GREAT FOOD RIP OFF

I have posted this on my NEW blog Angus Dei politico (shameless advertising) it is just getting going but take a look.

From the BBC “Food prices rose sharply in 2008, after years of food price deflation, research from Verdict shows.”

They have been telling us for months now that food is cheaper, but it isn’t.

Up to the end of December food price inflation hit 11.9%, while the monthly increase from November reached 1.4%. Inflation is currently at 3.1%.

We are being robbed.

Will the supermarkets tell us why their prices have increased by four times the rate of inflation? Of course they won’t they will moan about how much their profits have shrunk Corporate Watch

October 2008.

Sainsbury's reported a 13% increase in half-year profits to £272m

Asda, the UK's second-biggest supermarket chain, reported a 6.9% increase in like-for-like sales in the three months to the end of September.

Tesco reported a 10% increase in pre-tax profits to £1.45bn for the first six months of the year.

Nough said!


Angus

The Cost of Living

Just a quick one today, I have fallen behind and have loads to do.

I have just returned from the local Smash and Grab-Tescos, it may be me but I have heard that food has reduced in price.

So why am I paying £10 a week MORE for my shopping?

I tend to buy the same things every week so I notice these things.

I know there is inflation, but a 50% increase is a bit much.

I live alone so my diet is crap, but, the basics such as bread, potatoes and meat are rocketing in price, just an example-I buy a particular brand of Corned Beef (yes I know it’s full of fat) but several months ago it cost 87p, now it costs £1.49, that is 52p more.

A month or so ago a loaf of bread was £1.29, it still is today, what drop in price?

Last week a pack of biscuits cost 36p, this week they are 46p. The price of fuel has dropped-eventually at my branch, they kept the price high for a couple of weeks more than the other Smash and Grabs.

But I can buy shrimps cheaply, or other “bargains” that I would never purchase, no bloody wonder Tescos profits have dropped, they are ripping us off.

They seem to think that we don’t keep receipts, well I do, and I can prove that they have increased prices or not reduced them since the so called “price drops”.

By the way, it is Pissing down here in ‘ampshire, and it is also freezing cold and very windy, just to let you know if you are thinking of visiting.


Angus