‘Tis warmish, wettish and not a jot wobbly at the Castle
this first day of twenty eleven plus one, the study is bulging with busted ex
adding machines and his Maj has discovered the joy of stealing one of my slippers and hiding it whilst
I am in the land of nod.
I would like to wish all visitors, commenter’s and
blogosphere friends a very, very happy and prosperous new 2012.........well you
never know.
There is allegedly a bit of a hoo hah at the Al-Maktoum College of Higher
Education in Dundee, Professor Malory Nye, 47, claims he was dismissed from his
job because its hierarchy viewed his race and religion as a threat to its
Muslim values.
His wife Isabel Campbell-Nye, 42, alleges she was also forced out of her
position as head of the college’s English language centre because she brought
in too many students who were not Muslims or Arabs.
Or in other words white and Christian.
The independent college, which operates as a charity in
partnership with the University of Aberdeen, advertises in its prospectus that
“multiculturalism is at the centre of our vision and structure”.
According to a “spokesperson” “The Al-Maktoum College will vigorously defend
its reputation as a centre of excellence within the higher education sector and
the good name it has won over the last ten years here in Dundee, nationally and
internationally.”
“Professor Nye was dismissed from his post as Principal at the College
following a period of suspension on full pay and an inquiry conducted by the
College Chancellor.”
Which way is East?
And:
By dishing out special privileges to 'his friends in the
City' following the news that Mr Ruddock is to be knighted.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Michael Dugher accused the
Prime Monster of going back on his promise to 'clean up politics'.
Mr Ruddock is known for using a tactic described as
'short-selling' in the wake of Northern Rock's share price crash, after which
it had to be saved by the taxpayer.
This involves allowing the price of stock to plummet before
buying it back at a rock-bottom price.
Mr Ruddock's donations to the Conservatives – which total
almost £500,000 – date back to 2001.
He has been handed a knighthood for services to the arts and
philanthropy, on the back of his roles as chairman of the Victoria and Albert
Museum in London and as a trustee of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Meanwhile a Cabinet
Office spokesman defended the decision to award Mr Ronson with the honour.
'If someone has served their time and gone on to do
wonderful works, I don't think that prevents someone from receiving an honour,'
he said.
Mr Ronson is also known for bringing self-service petrol
stations to the UK and building the Heron Tower, the City of London's tallest
structure.
Oh well; that’s alright then.......
A Lexington man is
accused trying to use a fake $1 million bill to pay for his purchases at a Wal-Mart.
Michael Anthony
Fuller, 53, of 3 Parker St., walked into the Wal-Mart on Lowes Boulevard in
Lexington on Nov. 17. He shopped for a while, picking up a vacuum cleaner, a
microwave oven and other merchandise, totalling $476, an arrest warrant says.
When he got to the
register, Fuller gave the cashier the phony bill, saying that it was real.
Store staff called
police.
Fuller was later
charged with attempting to obtain property by false pretence and uttering a
forged instrument, both felonies, court records show.
The largest note
ever printed was the $100,000 bill, which featured President Woodrow Wilson.
The bills, which were not available to the public, were printed from Dec. 18,
1934, through Jan. 9, 1935, and were used for transactions between Federal
Reserve banks.
Fuller was being
held Friday night in the Davidson County Jail with bond set at $17,500. He is
scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Sod it, does that mean my stack of sixty two pound notes is
a bit dodgy then....
To the posh bit of the Smoke, a minicab complete with “driver” managed to lurch down a slope and land on top of a parked car in Hampstead, North London. No one was hurt.
Karel Asiyo, who owns the VW, said: “I normally park on the other side of the road – I wish I had this time.”
Still; at least she has a taxi to get about in while the insurance is sorted out....
Blackpool residents have been left baffled by a mysterious
foamy substance which has blown in from the sea, carpeting a number of roads.
The foam is piled several feet high in areas closest to the
sea, making driving conditions particularly treacherous.
Locals have expressed worries that the phenomenon is caused
by polluting detergents, and said it is forcing people to stay at home.
But environmental experts have allayed their fears and
suggested the foam could be the result of waves churning decomposing algal
matter.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: 'We have taken
samples of the foam as obviously if this is caused by any kind of polluting
material, we need to know about it.
'Early samples are not showing any trace of detergent so we
think it could be the combination of decomposing algal matter churned with the
tide and the westerly wind which is causing the foam.
It is not the first time the area has been awash with the
foam, which came in from the sea like a snow blizzard following recent winds of
up to 90mph.
'We know it happens occasionally and can disappear again
quite quickly so we will be looking further into what triggers it,' said the
spokesperson.
Entomologist Skye Blackburn breeds edible bugs and sells
them as novelty gifts.
The businesswoman puts crickets and mealworms into lollipops
or covers them with chocolate as a 'tasty' treat.
"Eating insects is a fairly new concept," she told
Sky News.
"It is a little bit unique and most people wouldn't
expect to get a gift like this but they have been really popular this
Christmas.
"We try to put the bugs in an edible form which people
would recognise."
Ms Blackburn grinds up roasted mealworms and uses the
flour-like powder to make other foodstuffs like banana bread and biscuits.
She said: "We kill them ethically; we freeze them which
put them to sleep so they don't feel any kind of pain.
"We keep them in a very sterile environment feeding
them organic grains and vegetables which increases the flavour of the bugs
themselves.
The chewy creatures, which have a crunchy, biscuity taste,
have proved so popular that Ms Blackburn says she is planning to expand her
menu in the New Year.
She said: "We are adding water bugs, scorpions and even
tarantulas."
Yum, yum........
To the county of sausages and a green colour, Lincolnshire
County Council is rolling out new signs at pelican crossings in Boston, and
walkers are being asked to wait for the green figure before they cross.
The authority says the signs are helping to keep the streets
as safe as possible, but critics have questioned whether the change has been
motivated by political correctness.
Alan Bell, senior engineer at the Lincolnshire Road Safety
Partnership, said: "We need to do all we can to help keep people safe on
the county's roads. These signs remind people to cross only when the green
figure is lit."
He added that the wording of the signs varies across the
county.
While some crossings retain the traditional green man, the
crossing at John Adams way in Boston has been given a new sign asking residents
to "Cross with the green figure".
Nice to see that the New Year is starting out just like the old one finished.
And today’s thought:
Angus
