But having mown the lawn I can sit in the garden with a clear conscience.
DD has asked me to explain the blog to those who are not aware of it, all I can say is that it covers the very important issues in the news, things like bananas and other dangerous foodstuffs, and the famous Honda radiator, human failings and Numtys, the lethal properties of GPS, and giant prawns, underwear that can be used for a month before changing, and of course the lawn.
So “All and Sundry” is devoted to bringing the latest cutting edge news to readers, to keep them informed of the world, and maybe to stop them falling into the traps that life lays for all of us.
The only snag is that the author has a distorted view of what is important news, but as those who are not aware of the blog don’t actually read it doesn’t actually matter.
Anyway, First up:
From over the pond in Arlington, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers against online programs that offer fast and easy high school diplomas or college degrees. As millions struggle to find a job, earning a diploma or an advanced degree is one way to stand out from the crowd, but some students found out the hard way that the diploma they thought they earned online wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.
Distance learning and online-based classes have become an increasingly popular option for students of all ages. According to a 2008 survey from the Sloan Consortium and Babson Survey Research Group, 3.9 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in 2007, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. More than 20 percent of higher education students were taking at least one online course. Unfortunately, not all institutions offering online diplomas or degrees are legitimate and individuals looking to get ahead are being duped by diploma mills.
“Education is one of the keys to advancing in life and having a diploma or advanced degree can certainly make a difference when it comes to getting into college or landing a higher-paying job,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “While the Internet facilitates learning through online curriculum, it also makes it easier for scammers to shill their phony high school diplomas and college degrees.”
BBB is warning consumers to be wary of online diploma mills and in particular:
Belford High School and Belford UniversityThe BBB serving Houston has received 117 complaints from students in more than 40 states who paid for high school diplomas and advanced degrees from BelfordHighschool.com and BelfordUniversity.org.
Students were led to believe that Belford High School was accredited and that more than 99 percent of colleges would accept its diploma. Students paid as much as $674 and earned their high school diploma by taking an online test or by qualifying through “life experience.”
Jefferson High School Online and Vencer High School OnlineBBB has received complaints from consumers in Texas, Ohio, and South Carolina who say they passed Jefferson High School On line’s test and paid more than $200 to receive a high school diploma. When the students tried to enrol in college using the diploma they were told that it was not valid.
The first part of the test is a questionnaire that asks students several “life experience” questions, including what type of music they like, how often they listen to music or read and how physically active they are. Jefferson High School On line’s Web site says the answers on this portion of the test will count toward the students “elective and life experiences credits.”
BBB cites the following red flags to help identify diploma mills: • Degrees or diplomas are awarded based on “life experience” and require very little or no work. • The institution guarantees you will receive a degree or diploma within a few days, weeks or months. • The institution offers deals if you sign up to receive more than one degree at a time, such as a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree for one low price.• Addresses for administration buildings include P.O. boxes or suite numbers.• Prices are stated per degree instead of per credit hour.
Always check the organization out with your BBB online at http://www.bbb.org/ and make sure the college or university you are enrolling in is accredited from one of the six regional accreditation boards. The U.S. Department of Education has a searchable database of accredited post-secondary schools at: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.
It still amazes me how many people fall for this, you get what you pay for, or in the case of education you get what you work for.
Thorpe park, that wonderful place for taking years off your life have issued an edict, banning visitors from putting their hands in the air while riding its roller coasters following complaints about body odour.
The new rule will apply at the theme park in Chertsey, Surrey, from Wednesday and signs will tell visitors to keep their arms down and 'Say no to BO'.
With temperatures expected to reach 84F (29C), managers expect an excess of perspiration as visitors queue to go on rides.
Wardens on the rides will also remind people to consider their fellow passengers and anyone ignoring the warnings will be escorted off. Those who continue to do so will be asked to leave the park.
Mike Vallis, a director at Thorpe Park, said: "We've found that when the temperature tops 77F (25C) the level of unpleasant smells can become unacceptable and we do receive complaints.
"Our rides are really scary and people tend to sweat more than normal due to the fear and anticipation they experience while queuing up so it can get really pongy. Therefore, we felt a ban in temperatures of 25C plus would be the best way to ensure our guests have the most enjoyable experience and aren't exposed to any unsavoury armpits."
Brendan Walker, an aeronautical engineer and theme park ride 'thrillologist', said people queuing for rides designed to release adrenaline would inevitably sweat more than usual.
Mr. Walker, who runs a design practice called Aerial specialising in the creation of rides, said Thorpe Park rides such as Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno were guaranteed to make people sweat.
"Because rides like Stealth are so scary - rocketing you 205ft high at speeds of 0-80mph in just 2 seconds - peoples' sweat pores will be working overtime. The other big rides on offer, including Colossus and Nemesis Inferno, are equally terrifying - so there is bound to be lots of fear-induced perspiration in these queues as well."
To be honest if I were 250 feet up in the air travelling at 80 miles an hour the last thing I would worry about is the BO of the person in front of me, I would be more concerned as to where I could find some clean underwear.
Or in this case do it to your landlord. A lodger, Raymond Douglas, tried to drill through his landlord Lee Woodford's head after he was asked to move out for making too much noise, the Old Bailey was told.
Douglas, 44, flew into a murderous rage when Mr. Woodford tried to evict him for constantly waking him up, jurors heard.
After threatening to kill Mr. Woodford, his son Jack and friend Matthew Ellis, Douglas - nicknamed Chaos - waited for them to go back to bed before grabbing his drill, it was said.
Douglas then rammed the whirling tool against terrified Mr. Woodford's forehead, it is alleged.
Screaming as the bit sunk into his head and fractured his skull; Mr. Woodford desperately tried to protect himself before Douglas then pierced his victim's chest with the drill.
As Jack Woodford and Mr. Ellis rushed to help, Douglas swung the weapon at them.
He knocked Mr. Ellis out cold and drilled into the younger Mr. Woodford's stomach, the court heard.
Lyall Thompson, prosecuting, told how Douglas lost his temper in the early hours of March 13, when Mr. Woodford's son and Mr. Ellis were staying over for the night.
He explained: 'This is a case of slow burning and violent anger.
When he was arrested, Douglas told the police the three men had attacked him when he asked for his rent back and he lashed out with the drill in self-defence.
Mr. Thompson added: 'There was no justification for this level of violence. Douglas was under no threat. This could have resulted in Mr. Woodford's death.'
The three men were rushed to nearby King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill
Lee Woodford was treated for a blood clot in the head and a fractured skull and had the wound in his chest stitched.
The other two men received treatment for less severe injuries.
Douglas denies attempting to murder Lee Woodford and a lesser alternative of causing him grievous bodily harm.
He also denies wounding Jack Woodford with intent and causing Mr. Ellis actual bodily harm.
The trial continues.
A case of “I need that like a hole in the head”?
More people who live at number 3 win the National Lottery than any other address, new figures examining lucky numbers and addresses have revealed. Residents at the lucky door number have scooped £77,180,678 since the Lottery launched in November 1994.
The second luckiest door number is No2, followed by No5, No6 and No4.
Other door numbers to make the top ten luckiest include: No17, No8, No1, No11 and No18.
The statistics were calculated on the number of Lotto ticketholders winning over £50,000 who had opted for publicity since the launch almost 15 years ago.
For confidentiality reasons, the number of winners at each door number cannot be revealed.
A National Lottery spokesperson said: ''It seems that three really is the magic number, having bagged some massive wins over the years.
''Players up and down the country will now be checking the numbers on their front door as well as their ticket to see if it their lucky day."
It also emerged that for the second year running, the top three postcodes have held on to their rankings as the luckiest 'hotspots'.
Medway Towns (ME) in Kent has consolidated its place as the luckiest postcode in the UK followed by Essex postcodes Ilford (IG) and Romford (RM) in second and third place respectively.
Other postcode areas making the top 10 are: Sunderland (SR), Newcastle (NE), Perth (PH), Teeside (TS), Dartford (DA), Hull (HU) and Bradford (BD).
Sunderland and Perth both boosted their luck ranking in 2007, climbing four spots each to fourth and sixth place respectively.
However, Newcastle, Dartford and Bradford all took a dip in the luck stakes.
Newcastle slipped from fourth to fifth place, Dartford fell three places to eighth and Bradford took the biggest tumble, falling from sixth place to just hold on to its top ten ranking in tenth place.
Both Teesside and Hull retained their rankings - holding on to the seventh and ninth spots.
Since 1994 over 2,300 millionaires have been created by The National Lottery with over £23 billion raised for Good Causes across the country.
A spokesman added: ''With an average of 19 millionaires created in every postcode area in the UK, its clear there are lucky lottery hotspots everywhere.''
So the point of this “research” is?
And finally.
As worried onlookers gazed up from below, the car's emergency brake helped the woman defy gravity and remain stationary as the giant bridge opened.
"This car was rising, similar to a ride at Great America [a Wisconsin amusement park]," Arleigh Porter, the Sturgeon Bay police captain, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
After the bridge swung shut, the lucky driver managed to re-start her car and continued on her way, uninjured.
The incident happened on Thursday evening, but police only learned of the bizarre stunt after photographs of the car precariously perched on the bridge began circulating the state.
"At first we thought someone was just playing around with Photoshop," Mr. Porter said. "It really is amazing."
Police said they were hoping that the motorist will contact them.
"She's not in any trouble," Mr. Porter told the newspaper. "We just want to talk to her and find out how this happened so we can make sure that it doesn't happen again."
Wish my handbrake was that good.
And don’t forget, if you want the latest, most important news, you will only find it here on “All and Sundry”, but if you don’t read the blog, forget it.
Angus
Angus Dei politico
Angus Dei-NHS-THE OTHER SIDE
DD has asked me to explain the blog to those who are not aware of it, all I can say is that it covers the very important issues in the news, things like bananas and other dangerous foodstuffs, and the famous Honda radiator, human failings and Numtys, the lethal properties of GPS, and giant prawns, underwear that can be used for a month before changing, and of course the lawn.
So “All and Sundry” is devoted to bringing the latest cutting edge news to readers, to keep them informed of the world, and maybe to stop them falling into the traps that life lays for all of us.
The only snag is that the author has a distorted view of what is important news, but as those who are not aware of the blog don’t actually read it doesn’t actually matter.
Anyway, First up:
From over the pond in Arlington, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers against online programs that offer fast and easy high school diplomas or college degrees. As millions struggle to find a job, earning a diploma or an advanced degree is one way to stand out from the crowd, but some students found out the hard way that the diploma they thought they earned online wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.Distance learning and online-based classes have become an increasingly popular option for students of all ages. According to a 2008 survey from the Sloan Consortium and Babson Survey Research Group, 3.9 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in 2007, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. More than 20 percent of higher education students were taking at least one online course. Unfortunately, not all institutions offering online diplomas or degrees are legitimate and individuals looking to get ahead are being duped by diploma mills.
“Education is one of the keys to advancing in life and having a diploma or advanced degree can certainly make a difference when it comes to getting into college or landing a higher-paying job,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “While the Internet facilitates learning through online curriculum, it also makes it easier for scammers to shill their phony high school diplomas and college degrees.”
BBB is warning consumers to be wary of online diploma mills and in particular:
Belford High School and Belford UniversityThe BBB serving Houston has received 117 complaints from students in more than 40 states who paid for high school diplomas and advanced degrees from BelfordHighschool.com and BelfordUniversity.org.
Students were led to believe that Belford High School was accredited and that more than 99 percent of colleges would accept its diploma. Students paid as much as $674 and earned their high school diploma by taking an online test or by qualifying through “life experience.”
Jefferson High School Online and Vencer High School OnlineBBB has received complaints from consumers in Texas, Ohio, and South Carolina who say they passed Jefferson High School On line’s test and paid more than $200 to receive a high school diploma. When the students tried to enrol in college using the diploma they were told that it was not valid.
The first part of the test is a questionnaire that asks students several “life experience” questions, including what type of music they like, how often they listen to music or read and how physically active they are. Jefferson High School On line’s Web site says the answers on this portion of the test will count toward the students “elective and life experiences credits.”
BBB cites the following red flags to help identify diploma mills: • Degrees or diplomas are awarded based on “life experience” and require very little or no work. • The institution guarantees you will receive a degree or diploma within a few days, weeks or months. • The institution offers deals if you sign up to receive more than one degree at a time, such as a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree for one low price.• Addresses for administration buildings include P.O. boxes or suite numbers.• Prices are stated per degree instead of per credit hour.
Always check the organization out with your BBB online at http://www.bbb.org/ and make sure the college or university you are enrolling in is accredited from one of the six regional accreditation boards. The U.S. Department of Education has a searchable database of accredited post-secondary schools at: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.
It still amazes me how many people fall for this, you get what you pay for, or in the case of education you get what you work for.
Thorpe park, that wonderful place for taking years off your life have issued an edict, banning visitors from putting their hands in the air while riding its roller coasters following complaints about body odour.The new rule will apply at the theme park in Chertsey, Surrey, from Wednesday and signs will tell visitors to keep their arms down and 'Say no to BO'.
With temperatures expected to reach 84F (29C), managers expect an excess of perspiration as visitors queue to go on rides.
Wardens on the rides will also remind people to consider their fellow passengers and anyone ignoring the warnings will be escorted off. Those who continue to do so will be asked to leave the park.
Mike Vallis, a director at Thorpe Park, said: "We've found that when the temperature tops 77F (25C) the level of unpleasant smells can become unacceptable and we do receive complaints.
"Our rides are really scary and people tend to sweat more than normal due to the fear and anticipation they experience while queuing up so it can get really pongy. Therefore, we felt a ban in temperatures of 25C plus would be the best way to ensure our guests have the most enjoyable experience and aren't exposed to any unsavoury armpits."
Brendan Walker, an aeronautical engineer and theme park ride 'thrillologist', said people queuing for rides designed to release adrenaline would inevitably sweat more than usual.
Mr. Walker, who runs a design practice called Aerial specialising in the creation of rides, said Thorpe Park rides such as Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno were guaranteed to make people sweat.
"Because rides like Stealth are so scary - rocketing you 205ft high at speeds of 0-80mph in just 2 seconds - peoples' sweat pores will be working overtime. The other big rides on offer, including Colossus and Nemesis Inferno, are equally terrifying - so there is bound to be lots of fear-induced perspiration in these queues as well."
To be honest if I were 250 feet up in the air travelling at 80 miles an hour the last thing I would worry about is the BO of the person in front of me, I would be more concerned as to where I could find some clean underwear.
Or in this case do it to your landlord. A lodger, Raymond Douglas, tried to drill through his landlord Lee Woodford's head after he was asked to move out for making too much noise, the Old Bailey was told. Douglas, 44, flew into a murderous rage when Mr. Woodford tried to evict him for constantly waking him up, jurors heard.
After threatening to kill Mr. Woodford, his son Jack and friend Matthew Ellis, Douglas - nicknamed Chaos - waited for them to go back to bed before grabbing his drill, it was said.
Douglas then rammed the whirling tool against terrified Mr. Woodford's forehead, it is alleged.
Screaming as the bit sunk into his head and fractured his skull; Mr. Woodford desperately tried to protect himself before Douglas then pierced his victim's chest with the drill.
As Jack Woodford and Mr. Ellis rushed to help, Douglas swung the weapon at them.
He knocked Mr. Ellis out cold and drilled into the younger Mr. Woodford's stomach, the court heard.
Lyall Thompson, prosecuting, told how Douglas lost his temper in the early hours of March 13, when Mr. Woodford's son and Mr. Ellis were staying over for the night.
He explained: 'This is a case of slow burning and violent anger.
When he was arrested, Douglas told the police the three men had attacked him when he asked for his rent back and he lashed out with the drill in self-defence.
Mr. Thompson added: 'There was no justification for this level of violence. Douglas was under no threat. This could have resulted in Mr. Woodford's death.'
The three men were rushed to nearby King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill
Lee Woodford was treated for a blood clot in the head and a fractured skull and had the wound in his chest stitched.
The other two men received treatment for less severe injuries.
Douglas denies attempting to murder Lee Woodford and a lesser alternative of causing him grievous bodily harm.
He also denies wounding Jack Woodford with intent and causing Mr. Ellis actual bodily harm.
The trial continues.
A case of “I need that like a hole in the head”?
More people who live at number 3 win the National Lottery than any other address, new figures examining lucky numbers and addresses have revealed. Residents at the lucky door number have scooped £77,180,678 since the Lottery launched in November 1994.
The second luckiest door number is No2, followed by No5, No6 and No4.
Other door numbers to make the top ten luckiest include: No17, No8, No1, No11 and No18.
The statistics were calculated on the number of Lotto ticketholders winning over £50,000 who had opted for publicity since the launch almost 15 years ago.
For confidentiality reasons, the number of winners at each door number cannot be revealed.
A National Lottery spokesperson said: ''It seems that three really is the magic number, having bagged some massive wins over the years.
''Players up and down the country will now be checking the numbers on their front door as well as their ticket to see if it their lucky day."
It also emerged that for the second year running, the top three postcodes have held on to their rankings as the luckiest 'hotspots'.
Medway Towns (ME) in Kent has consolidated its place as the luckiest postcode in the UK followed by Essex postcodes Ilford (IG) and Romford (RM) in second and third place respectively.
Other postcode areas making the top 10 are: Sunderland (SR), Newcastle (NE), Perth (PH), Teeside (TS), Dartford (DA), Hull (HU) and Bradford (BD).
Sunderland and Perth both boosted their luck ranking in 2007, climbing four spots each to fourth and sixth place respectively.
However, Newcastle, Dartford and Bradford all took a dip in the luck stakes.
Newcastle slipped from fourth to fifth place, Dartford fell three places to eighth and Bradford took the biggest tumble, falling from sixth place to just hold on to its top ten ranking in tenth place.
Both Teesside and Hull retained their rankings - holding on to the seventh and ninth spots.
Since 1994 over 2,300 millionaires have been created by The National Lottery with over £23 billion raised for Good Causes across the country.
A spokesman added: ''With an average of 19 millionaires created in every postcode area in the UK, its clear there are lucky lottery hotspots everywhere.''
So the point of this “research” is?
And finally.
The unnamed motorist failed to restart her car as the Maple-Oregon Bridge opened to a 45-degree angle to allow a ship to pass in Sturgeon Bay.
As worried onlookers gazed up from below, the car's emergency brake helped the woman defy gravity and remain stationary as the giant bridge opened.
"This car was rising, similar to a ride at Great America [a Wisconsin amusement park]," Arleigh Porter, the Sturgeon Bay police captain, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
After the bridge swung shut, the lucky driver managed to re-start her car and continued on her way, uninjured.
The incident happened on Thursday evening, but police only learned of the bizarre stunt after photographs of the car precariously perched on the bridge began circulating the state.
"At first we thought someone was just playing around with Photoshop," Mr. Porter said. "It really is amazing."
Police said they were hoping that the motorist will contact them.
"She's not in any trouble," Mr. Porter told the newspaper. "We just want to talk to her and find out how this happened so we can make sure that it doesn't happen again."
Wish my handbrake was that good.
Numpty.
And don’t forget, if you want the latest, most important news, you will only find it here on “All and Sundry”, but if you don’t read the blog, forget it.
Angus
Angus Dei politico
Angus Dei-NHS-THE OTHER SIDE
