Hip-hop balls up: Hanging out in Davos: Bridge over troubled captain: The electric 99mpg tree part: and the museum of broken relationships.

Coldish, dryish, cloudyish and crummyish at the Castle this morn, just got back from inserting some go juice into the Honda at Tesco, there will be no post tomorrow because I have to be somewhere far, far away before Dawn shows her crack. 

Yester aftermorn I was “watching” the box and was in that nice state between alert and asleep when his Maj came in and deposited a still twitching Blue Tit in my lap-I freaked, he freaked, the bird landed on the floor and his Maj grabbed the feathered prey and disappeared up the stairs to finish it orf under the four poster. Which is where I found it an hour later; I didn’t mind but would have preferred a chicken because I could do with a decent Sunday dinner.

In what is left of our NHS

Allegedly Tens of thousands of British patients with metal hip replacements could be at risk of being poisoned by them.

According to the Sunday Telegraph more than 30,000 British patients have had the 'metal-on-metal' hip replacements - a metal ball that fits into a metal cup implanted into the pelvis.

Problems reportedly occur when friction between the ball and cup causes tiny metal filings to break off.

These filings can seep into the bloodstream and cause inflammation, which can destroy muscle and bone.

And advisers to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) say the devices could be causing "systemic toxicity" - effectively poisoning the body.

Medical regulators are drawing up new advice after taking "prompt action" to investigate safety concerns.

A spokesperson for the MHRA said: "On the evidence currently available, the majority of patients implanted with metal-on-metal hip replacements are at low risk of developing any serious problems.

Depends what you call “serious problems”.

Over to the cold place where “Sir” Mick (I don’t want to be part of the establishment) Jagger wouldn’t go

A few ladies decided to protest against poverty by getting their norks out, three topless Ukrainian protesters were detained Saturday while trying to break into an invitation-only gathering of international CEOs and political leaders to call attention to the needs of the World's poor. Separately, demonstrators from the Occupy movement marched to the edge of the gathering.

With temperatures around freezing in the snow-filled town, they took off their tops and tried to climb a fence before being detained. "Crisis! Made in Davos," read one message painted across a protester's torso, while others held banners that said "Poor, because of you" and "Gangsters party in Davos."

Bet that made a point....or six....

Over to the land of the Garfunkel and the home of the Simon

A cargo ship has smashed through a US bridge after being too tall to go under it, leaving a 300ft gap in the structure.

The vessel took a large amount of asphalt and metal with it which was left on the ship's bow as it destroyed two sections of the bridge.

At the time, four cars were on the structure that normally carries about 2,800 vehicles a day.

There were also 20 workers on the 300ft-long Delta Mariner that was transporting rocket equipment.

Emergency services and officials rushed to the scene to assess the damage on the Eggner Ferry Bridge.

Sail on silver girl, sail on by....

Here is the proper pic-it was just an excuse to listen to a couple of "old friends".

Still in the land of the oil well and the home of fuel economy

The Nissan Leaf electric car will get the equivalent of 99 miles per gallon according to its official EPA fuel economy label rating.

Since the Leaf uses electricity and not gasoline for fuel, the EPA had to create a "mpg-equivalent" rating.

The EPA estimates the Leaf's driving range on a full charge to be about 73 miles, according to the label provided by Nissan, a figure that is considerably lower than the 100 miles Nissan has regularly touted for the car.

The annual electricity cost for the Leaf is estimated to be $561. By comparison, the annual fuel cost of a Toyota Prius, which the EPA estimates gets 50 miles a gallon, is $867.

Does that mean that my laptop does 265 mpg then?

And finally:

Right more than a lot of thingies to privatised Blighty

An international touring exhibition which features keepsakes from failed love affairs has come to Lincolnshire.

The Museum of Broken Relationships has opened at the National Centre for Craft and Design in Sleaford.

Among the exhibits, which were donated anonymously, were a Taser stun gun, teapots and a toy caterpillar.

Artists Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic from Croatia came up with the idea after their own relationship ended, as a way of expressing the pain.

Laura Mabbutt, exhibitions officer at the centre, said one of the most unusual items on show was a small bottle containing the tears someone cried after their relationship broke up.

"It's not just teddy bears, pieces of jewellery and love letters, we've got some really exciting pieces and unusual objects here and that's one of them."

Many of the items on display have come from a permanent exhibition in Zagreb, which was awarded the Kenneth Hudson Award for Innovation earlier this year.

It houses more than 700 objects donated by people from all over the world whose relationships have come to an end.

One item on show at the permanent exhibition is a teddy bear with a note from one broken-hearted owner.

It reads: "I got this teddy bear on Valentine's Day. He survived because it wasn't him who hurt me, but the idiot who left him behind."

Someone get me a bucket....

That’s it; I’m orf to test some anti-matter

And today’s thought:

Angus

The car now passing platform two: Atheist temple: C.U. panda: Bacon tampon: and Irish bricks.

Cold, damp, drear and really ‘orrid at the Castle this morn, the mock orange shrub is still in place despite plans a, b and c, the shed is full of bags vandalised bits for the “recycling centre” and after my first full week of ‘retirement’ I am bored.

But even more crocus/s have pushed their heads up to meet the “arctic” weather we have been promised.

Dahn ‘ere in ‘Ampshire

An 85-year-old drove down a high-speed railway line for 80 yards after taking a wrong turn at a level crossing.

The woman had a 20-year-old man in her car as she drove towards Brockenhurst station in Hampshire's New Forest.

She turned on to the main line between Bournemouth and London Waterloo and drove for 80 yards on the tracks before her car came to a halt.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "BTP and Hampshire Police officers attended the line near to Brockenhurst rail station after a report that a car had been driven on to the line from the level crossing.

Rail services in the area were disrupted as a result of the incident, with buses brought in to replace trains.

 

But they couldn’t get past the car on the tracks...

Up in the Smoke

There is a bit of bovver over an atheist temple, Alain de Botton, the philosopher and writer, has proposed constructing a 150ft tower in the heart of the capital’s financial district to celebrate atheism as a positive force.

However, the idea has been condemned by Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist and author, as a waste of money and a contradiction of terms.

De Botton’s proposed temple is designed to celebrate more than 300m years of life on earth. Each centimetre of the tower's interior has been designed to represent a million years and a narrow band of gold will illustrate the relatively tiny amount of time humans have walked the planet. The exterior would be inscribed with a binary code denoting the human genome sequence.

Construction could start by the end of 2013 if permission is granted by the Corporation of London.

Almost half the funds for the project have already been raised from an anonymous group of property developers, de Botton said. He hopes to find the rest of the money with a public appeal.

He can appeal all he likes I don’t believe in atheism....

North of the border

Edinburgh Zoo on Tuesday unveiled a new panda tartan, commissioned to commemorate the pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang. It is black and white.

The tartan, approved by the Scottish Register of Tartans, was created by the Edinburgh Company Kinloch Anderson.

Senior director Deirdre Kinloch Anderson explained other elements of the design: "The green line is for the pandas' favourite food of bamboo. There are three fine red lines to represent China. Number 3 is China's lucky number, and also the red lines are in the heart of the design to indicate that the pandas are in the hearts and minds of the Scottish and Chinese people."

The two 8-year-old pandas arrived at the zoo last month from China: the female Tian Tian (aka Sweetie) and the male Yang Guang (aka Sunshine).

Other animals honoured by a registered tartan include springboks, Australian donkeys and the racehorse Red Rum.

Nice, but I would like to know how they are going to get the Pandas to wear it...

 

Over to the land of the snack and the home of the fry up

A new medical study recommends a method called "nasal packing with strips of cured pork" as an effective way to treat uncontrollable nosebleeds.

According to Ian Humphreys, Sonal Saraiya, Walter Belenky and James Dworkin who “work” at Detroit Medical Centre in Michigan they treated a girl who had a rare hereditary disorder that brings prolonged bleeding. 

Apparently “Cured salted pork crafted as a nasal tampon and packed within the nasal vaults successfully stopped nasal haemorrhage promptly, effectively, and without sequelae … To our knowledge, this represents the first description of nasal packing with strips of cured pork for treatment of life-threatening haemorrhage in a patient with Glanzmann thrombasthenia."

 

Fascinating, but will it work Dahn Unda?

And finally:

Right more than a snippet

Unemployed Irish artist, Frank Buckley, has built an entire apartment from the shredded remains of 1.4 billion Euros he borrowed from the national mint. He says the Billion Euro Home is a monument to the madness the single currency brought to Ireland.

In 2002, when Ireland adopted the euro, a wave of cheap credit flooded the country, fuelling a huge property bubble that eventually led to the country’s economic downfall. People were spending billions of Euros on buildings, but when the bubble burst in 2007, the country plunged into the deepest recession of the industrialized world, and those buildings quickly lost their value. Frank Buckley was one of the many Irish who was given a 100% mortgage by the bank, to buy a home with an estimated cost of €365,000, despite the fact he had no steady income. Now his house on the far reaches of Dublin’s commuter belt has lost a third of its value, and the artist is stuck with the credit.

The artist borrowed shredded euro bills from the national mint, made them into bricks and built himself an apartment in the lobby of a vacant Dublin office building. ”I wanted to create something from nothing,” Buckley says, “a reflection of the whole madness that gripped us.” He has separated from his wife, and has been living in his worthless Billion Euro Home, since December.

 

Hope he is paying rent.....

That’s it: I’m orf to check the moat out for ‘microplastic’ thingies. 

And today’s thought:

Angus

Compo coppers: El Colacho: The Txalaparta: Pass the bomb: B2 or UFO: and Jackson Pillocks.

Colder than the tip of the iceberg of sleaze in the Piss Poor Policies Millionaires Club Coalition at the Castle this morn, the butler is stuffing fat teenagers into the furnace faster than the economy is falling into recession and his Maj has discovered the joy of falling asleep on my lap and drooling all over my trousers.

All across broken, bonus led Blighty

According to the Sun, some woodentops are raking it in, and have shared £12 million of our council tax in compo.

One officer received £120,000 for a 'bruise', while another received £17,500 for 'noise-induced deafness from computer/keyboard'.

A Humberside sergeant received £14,000 after suffering from tinnitus caused by a 'buzzer in the cells', while a Lancashire kennel hand was given £46,604 after being bitten by a dog.

The payments, dating back to 2006, included £11,500 to a Humberside support worker who injured themselves lifting a bicycle and £17,664 to an employee who "slipped on a brick".

The size of payments to an officer who was "spiked" on his own radio and an employee whose hand was injured while "removing a file" was not disclosed.

Greater Manchester Police made the greatest sum of payments, totalling £2.58m, followed by Hertfordshire Police at £1.2m and West Midlands Police at £1.1m.

Makes you proud of Elfandsafety...

Dahn a fair way to one of the countries falling into the Eurozone black hole

The Feast of Corpus Christi is a religious celebration in late May or early June. The occasion is typically marked with a mass and a processional, and, in most cases, not much else. But near Burgos, Spain, the Feast of Corpus Christi is a big deal.

On the day of the Feast of Corpus Christi, the town has its own tradition, called El Colacho.

A man dresses up in a red-adorned yellow jumpsuit representing the devil and carrying a whip and baton soars over as many as a half-dozen dolled-up infants lying on a mattress as their parents and the rest of the town watch. Symbolically, the devil’s leap cleanses the babies of original sin, putting them on the path to a good life and entrance into heaven.





And the chance of a big compo claim if he doesn’t make the distance...

Still in the land of flat brats

 I want one-all I need now is a mate to play it with...

East to the place where they are trying to reduce the population

Chinese soldiers stand in a circle passing an explosive satchel from one man to another, until one of them decides to throw it in a hole just before it explodes.

The lethal game is played by six soldiers standing in a circle with a dug whole in the middle. They pass an explosive satchel from one two another, counting down until it detonates. Just before it explodes, one of the soldiers throws it in the hole and they all leap away as the ground trembles and dirt starts flying from the pit. 

Now there’s a game to play in Parliament…

Over in the land of the stealthy and the home of Roswell

Allegedly The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an advanced military aircraft that has unique capabilities that are far-ranging. Introduced in 1997 (with an alleged first flight in 1989) there are just 22 of them in the world. They incorporate low observable stealth technology. Some have speculated that they may even utilize anti-gravity technologies or that they possess other exotic features that are kept from public view.

But it may not always be possible to keep such features from outside detection. One officially released film of the B-2 Bomber in flight that is very “revealing” may have somehow escaped the scrutiny of US Air Force censors. A recently-discovered segment of this video appears to show another of the B-2 Stealth’s capabilities: The ability to Morph.

The brief clip seems to demonstrate the craft’s “morph” of the metal skin of its outer hull. This would allow it to “intelligently” perform critical functions (and perhaps to “self-heal” if damaged by enemy action.)

Apparently it’s the back of the vents on the top of the wings at the front -about 2.40 mins.

Smokin....

And finally: 

Still in the land of fast food

A pair of US Numptys artists have recreated a series of classic artworks using nothing more than the ingredients for their lunch.

Brittany Powell and Tae Kitakata -- who plan to create a new art project every Monday in 2012 -- came up with the idea of replicating the works on a slice of bread.

As such the pair spent a morning turning toast into works inspired by the likes of Piet Mondrian, Damien Hirst, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

The Mondrian-esque grid system lunch used rectangles of cheese and a leaf of basil while the spotty Hirst one consists of blobs of mustard and ketchup.

 Yeah right....

That’s it: I’m orf to uninstall PC anywhere.

And today’s thought:

Angus

Going Dahn: The cost of morale: Heaven’s taxes: Mexican motors: Clipping dentist: In a hot hole: and a Brazilian Numpty.

Cold, wet and more than dismal at the Castle this morn, I spent most of yester aftermorn installing a new shower after the old one went tits up and deluged me with freezing cold water, and I spotted the first crocus in the garden.

Apparently U-Turn Cam is a bit disappointed over the economy

The Prime Monster said the worse-than-expected 0.2% contraction showed that the country was facing "extremely difficult economic times".

The contraction was driven by a 0.9% fall in manufacturing, a 4.1% drop in electricity and gas production as the warm weather caused people to turn down heating, and a 0.5% fall in the construction sector, while the powerhouse services sector ground to a halt.

And as the multi millionaire Eton shirt lifter couldn’t blame cold weather or an Icelandic volcano he decided that the "overhang" of debt run up under the previous government, high food and commodity prices, and the eurozone crisis was the cause.

 
Everyone else’s fault but the Piss Poor Policies Millionaires Club Coalition.

East to the land of exploding things

 

Celebrities embarking on “morale-boosting” visits to troops serving in Afghanistan cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds last year, new figures have shown.

Katherine Jenkins, the opera singer who is also the “Forces Sweetheart”, David Beckham, the former England captain and Cheryl Cole, the pop star, were among the high profile visitors to the war zone in 2011.

Defence chiefs organise the important “morale-boosting” trips to the front line as part of attempts to maintain troops' spirits as they battle against the Taliban.

Celebrities don flak jackets and helmets, travel on military flights before bedding down alongside servicemen and women during the publicised trips that generally provide favourable coverage.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures provided to Parliament on Tuesday show that taxpayers were billed £437,637 for celebrity visits "including an element for UK travel and mobilisation".

The MoD could not say if the stars were paid for the visits or how many trips were made.

 

That should read “would not say if the stars were paid for the visits or how many trips were made”

Left to the land of the tithe and the home of God

A 40-year-old man who told IRS agents he was not subject to man's laws but instead was an American national who "resided in the Kingdom of Heaven," pleaded not guilty this week to charges he filed false tax returns.

Russell P. Gentile, of Melbourne, Fla., also faces one count of obstruction of an IRS agent after a grand jury indicted him.

The indictment reported that in 2008 Gentile claimed that he had no reportable income for the years 2001 and 2002. Gentile sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service disputing the government's claims and stated that he didn't have to provide information about his income.

Investigators reported that Gentile told IRS agents that he would sue them in court if they continued to call him and ordered them to remove his name and Social Security number from the agency's databases.



Good try...bad plan.

Dahn to the place that doesn’t like Clarkson

Nissan Motor Co. announced Wednesday it is investing $2 billion to build a new manufacturing plant in Mexico. It will be the Japanese company's third in the country, helping it serve markets throughout the Americas.

Construction of the plant in the northern state of Aguascalientes will begin this summer and production should start by the end of next year, according to a company statement. It said an industrial park for supplier companies also will be built.

The plant is projected to have the capacity to produce 175,000 vehicles a year, focusing on "B" platform vehicles. Those include the Versa, March and Tiida. The company says that will give Nissan the ability to produce 1 million cars a year in Mexico in the midterm.

Nissan manufactured more than 600,000 vehicles in Mexico last year, and it reported selling 1.56 million vehicles throughout the Americas, giving it a 7 percent market share for the hemisphere.

Nissan topped sales in Mexico last year with more than 224,000 vehicles, nearly 25 percent of the market.

Nissan said it expects to employ 3,000 workers, raising the company's total workforce in Mexico to 13,500. It projects the new plant will create 9,000 other jobs indirectly.

The company's production in Mexico includes the March, Sentra, Versa, Tiida autos, as well as the aging but still popular Tsuru model widely used as a taxi. It also produces NP300 light trucks.

Note to oneself-do not buy a Nissan-Datsun recalls

Up again to the land of private everything

In the state of many teeth a former dentist has pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud for using sections of paper clips instead of stainless steel posts in root canals in an effort to save money.

Michael Clair, who had a practice in Fall River, Massachusetts, is scheduled to be sentenced next week. He pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding Medicaid of $130,000, assault and battery, illegally prescribing prescription drugs and witness intimidation charges.

Some of Clair's patients reported infections after he performed root canals on them, said Grant Woodman, a spokesman for state Attorney General Martha Coakley, whose office prosecuted Clair.

Prosecutors say Clair was suspended by Medicaid in 2002 but continued filing by using the names of other dentists in his practice.

Clair's license to practice dentistry was suspended in Massachusetts in July 2006. Woodman said Clair is no longer licensed to practice dentistry in any state.

James Kulild, a professor of endodontics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry, said a paper clip should never be left in permanently.

And there are very limited circumstances under which a paper clip could be used during dental procedures.

Yeah, like holding the patients’ notes together.

Dahn Unda and right a bit

With just a few thrusts of a shovel, beach-goers in Coromandel Forest Park can watch a slow gurgle of warm, geothermal water rise from below the sand to gently fill a personal spa-like pool. In peak season, hundreds take to the beach with their bucket and trowel, digging pools just big enough to lie out in the water, which can reach temperatures of 147 degrees Fahrenheit. Those who forget a spade still can't be dismayed, as the local surf shop rents out digging tools for hot-tub creation.

Despite the comfort of the beach side spa, visitors must be careful not to venture to close to the water past low tide, as the breaking waves and rip currents near the beach have a notorious and dangerous track record, and high tide comes in and washes down the walls of their personal tubs.

Get a bleedin life....

And finally: 

Back over to the place I wouldn’t buy a Nissan from and dahn a bit

Security camera footage from Brazil shows how a hapless bank robber was quite literally the architect of his own downfall.

CCTV from a bank in northern Paraná, Brazil recorded the action when three armed men stormed the building on Monday.

All appeared to be running smoothly for the trio of thieves as the security guards quickly capitulated and the bank tellers handed over around 30,000 Brazilian reais (£11,000) to them.

Unfortunately the check-shirted man who was acting as the lookout at the front door was armed with two pistols and an apparent itchy-trigger finger.

Idly fumbling with one of the weapons he managed to accidentally shoot himself in the foot with the gun in his right hand.

He is last seen on the CCTV limping from the bank behind his two accomplices.

Natural justice.
 

That’s it: I’m orf to pour some whisky into the Hondas go juice tank

And today’s thought:

Angus

Silly Billy does a U-Turn: Piss Poor lies: No long-er a Ferrari: Sex meters: and Rubbish flats.

Moist, muggy and mild at the Castle this morn, there is more than a smidge of fast moving atmosphere and the coronal mass ejection is affecting my communication devices.

Up in the sinking House of Commons

Silly (but not gay) Billy Hague was forced to play down the prospect of war with Iran today, after an urgent question in the Commons raised concerns about military action.

The alien secretary said: "This is not a set of actions designed to lead to any conflict but to lead us away from conflict.”

"There are many grounds for quarrel with Iran but we're not planning military action."

Silly (but not gay) Billy added: "Any attempt by Iran to block the strait would be both illegal and unsuccessful."

Right up his own rear exit....but not gay...

And allegedly the Piss Poor Policies Millionaires Club Coalition

Has been telling us non truths about WBankers bonuses, claims by U-Turn Cam and what’s his name that they are unable to influence the level of bonuses paid out by the Royal Bank of Scotland to its chief executive are misleading, documents provided to The Independent reveal.

RBS's board is due to meet today to discuss bonus payments for Stephen Hester and other senior employees. The meeting comes after the Eton shirt lifters suggested that the Government's ability to limit the payments at RBS – which is 83 per cent, owned by the taxpayer – was "constrained" as a result of "contractual arrangements" with Mr Hester by the last Labour government.

But it turns out that a copy of Mr Hester's personal contract with RBS, updated in 2009 and seen by The Independent, reveals he has no contractual right to a bonus – and the Government could use its position as the bank's largest shareholder to veto any remuneration it thought was excessive.

 

The Prime Monster and his fag lying to us...well, would you believe it...

Somewhere over the Limo

The world's fastest limousine – a modified Ferrari that can go up to 170 mph – may no longer be able to use the famous Italian name after the supercar manufacturer threatened legal action.

The owner of the vehicle Dan Cawley has been ordered to remove everything from the car that associates it with Ferrari as company lawyers claim he has infringed their trademark.

They argue that because he modified the 360 Modena when he cut it in half and stretched it with a 9.5ft section of hand-built carbon fibre, it is technically no longer a Ferrari.

But Mr Cawley said before he converted the 400bhp beast he specifically asked the car manufacturer whether he could go ahead and they agreed he could.

The new car is now 20ft long and seats eight people. It maintains a fast speed because it weighs just 160kg more than the original 1,390kg vehicle.

When it was built the modified 360 set the record for fastest limousine and longest Ferrari.

Mr Cawley built the car along with former McLaren carbon fibre expert Chris Wright for a total cost of around £200,000.

Stretching the truth?

Right a bit to the land of Vorsprung Durch Technik

A German city that introduced a surcharge on street prostitutes via kerb-side meters said Monday the programme had been a success and would continue.

The Bonn government said a "sex tax" covering levies on sauna clubs, "erotic centres" and automated pay stations similar to parking meters that were rolled out in August had brought in around 250,000 Euros ($326,000) last year.

"We are satisfied with that and plan to continue levying the tax," a city spokeswoman told AFP.

Bonn authorities said in a statement they had hoped to bring in 300,000 Euros in 2011 from the "sex tax" but had later lowered its projected revenue to 200,000 Euros based on the amount taken in early in the year.

About 14,000 Euros came from the sex meters, it added.

The former West German capital became the first city in Germany to introduce the meters for sex workers as a means of extending a general tax on prostitution beyond brothels to the streets of Bonn.

The meters were installed in an industrial area near the centre of town used by prostitutes to solicit clients, with each sex worker paying six Euros per night worked, regardless of how many customers they have.

Bonn voyage on the cards.

And finally:

Up North-ish

The view from these homes in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, really is rubbish -- because a refuse dump has been allowed to accumulate so much it is now piled higher than the flats around it.

The tip, has now reached a point that it towers over neighbouring four-storey buildings and can be seen from a mile away.

Standing at more than 30ft tall the rubbish heap is made up of household rubbish, rubble and industrial refuse and residents claim it's a health hazard.

They also say rats have been spotted running around the rubbish and that clouds of black dust coat their windows.

The company responsible for the dump, Refuse Derived Fuels Ltd, has now been told it has until 28 February to reduce the stack of refuse.

The Environment Agency was called in to help with the problem last summer and has repeatedly ordered the company to reduce the size of the pile.

David Hudson, environment manager with the agency, said: "Compliance has been very poor to date, very disappointing.

Rubbish flats, rubbish company and rubbish agency...

That’s it: I’m orf to forget about data.

And today’s thought:

Angus

Victory Mk1: No Swiss go juice: Calamita Cosmica: Onion committees: Aurora Blightyalis: and the Kuching cat museum.

Damp, drear and dodgy at the Castle this morn, I vandalised the mock orange with my new axe to try and separate it into smaller pieces so that I could move it-total failure-over to plan C.

Washed the Honda yestermorn-hence the weather today

And his Maj has discovered the joy of...........the magic red dot.

Orf the islands in the channel

There is a cunning plan in progress to raise the remains of the first HMS Victory nearly 300 years after it sank.

The vessel, predecessor of Nelson's famous flagship, went down in a storm off the Channel Islands in 1744, taking more than 1,000 soldiers to their deaths.

Along with a bronze cannon collection, some believe the ship was carrying a large quantity of gold coins from Lisbon to Britain, which would now be worth a reported £500 million.

And that’s the “cunning” part of it.

Dahn ‘ere in the sarf

One of the main oil refineries to London and the South East has been closed by its Swiss owner, raising the prospect of fuel shortages on the capital's forecourts.

Fuel sales from the Coryton refinery in Essex were stopped on Monday with "immediate effect" by Petroplus as the company's shares were suspended from trading on the Swiss market because of a dispute with creditors.

Coryton is a leading supplier of fuel to London and the South East, processing 220,000 barrels of crude a day and the indefinite closure of the refinery threatens major disruption to the region's petrol stations.

It matters not; most of us in the “prosperous” part of bollixed up Blighty can’t afford go juice anymore...

Over to the place where the demented El Papa resides

There lies Calamita Cosmica’ (Cosmic Magnet in English) a 28 meter long sculpture of a human skeleton created by Italian artist Gino De Dominicis and is on display at the Museo Nazionale della Arti del XXI Secolo – MAXXI museum of contemporary art in Rome, Italy. Except for the strange long nose, is a perfect scaled model of the human skeleton.

It toured Europe for a number of years visiting places such as Versailles, Naples, and Milan. The Giant was first unveiled in 1990 at Centre National d’Art Contemporain in Grenoble, France.

In 1996 it moved to the courtyard of the Palace of Capodimonte, Naples. In 2005 it was at display at Mole Vanvitelliana, Ancona, Italy - the home town of the artist. In early 2007 it moved to Palazzo Reale at Milan and after few months it landed in Versailles at 'Parterre d'Eau', in front of the facade of the Versailles Chateau.

In 2008 it was at display at Musée des Arts Contemporains, Hornu, Belgium. After the display in Belgium it was moved to Rome, where it currently resides.

Dem bones.....

According to the Flailing Sail

Interacting within a group – such as taking part in jury deliberations or mingling at a cocktail party - can lower your intelligence, with women being particularly susceptible, according to researchers.

Scientists at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate how the brain processes information about social status in small groups and how perceptions of that status affect expressions of cognitive capacity.

In other words, whether ‘feeling’ less intelligent than others can affect your decision-making.

When volunteers in a group were told how the others performed, it lowered their problem-solving abilities.

When placed in small groups and ranking their performance on cognitive tasks against their peers, and broadcasting those rankings to them, there were dramatic drops in the ability of some study subjects to solve problems. The social feedback had a significant effect.’

So committee meetings do make you dim-which explains the Piss Poor Policies coming out of the sinking palace of Westminster.

North of the border

Much of Scotland got a view of the Northern Lights on Sunday night, with green and purple colours visible across the sky.

The Northern Lights, known properly as the Aurora Borealis, are caused by charged particles colliding with the earth's upper atmosphere. These particles cause a change in atoms of the upper atmosphere which release light as they return to their normal state.

The aurora can take a variety of colours, depending on which atoms are involved, although green is the colour most commonly seen as this is associated with oxygen atoms.

The northern lights are normally only visible further north as the particles are attracted to the magnetic pole.

However, on Sunday the phenomenon was visible across much of Scotland on account of a solar flare which resulted in a far greater amount of the particles hitting the earth.

What a load of Borealis...

And finally:

A snatch of Pussy

East lots and lots of leagues there lay the Kuching Cat Museum which houses 2,000 different artefacts, ranging from a mummified Egyptian cat to strange cat headstones.

For centuries, Southeast Asia has had a history with cats, documented in great detail at the Cat Museum. Interestingly enough, Kuching actually means cat, making the location of the museum all the more apt. Besides stuffed cats, porcelain cats and gigantic fang doorways, the museum also recounts bizarre superstitions around the animal, like nearly drowning a cat in order to bring rain.

They also have the only stuffed specimen of Felis Badia, the rarest cat in the world.

Which has made it even rarer...

That’s it: I’m orf to freeze some Neutrons

And today’s thought:

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