Well, for a start, Ireland is out today as I can't improve on this photo of the front page of The Irish Daily Star from The Boiling Frog : I had considered North Korea and South Korea exchanging artillery fire across the border (from The Grauniad) : South Korea warned...
Sinn Fein opinion on the bailout of Ireland
Straight from their website, it doesn't need any comment to see what they think : And, if you are wondering why Osborne quickly stepped up to the mark by offering a loan to Ireland, look no further than the following chart (vis FT Alphaville) :
Ireland folds – next stop Portugal
Via RTE, Ireland has agreed to be bailed out after a week of will they, won't they speculation : Taoiseach Brian Cowen, has confirmed that a major financial assistance plan for Ireland has been agreed with the EU. Government statement on application Mr Cowen said the...
Poland joins the EU no smoking league.
Another day and another country bends over and takes the EU health regulations concerning smoking in public places : From today, Poland joins the growing list of countries where smoking is banned in restaurants, clubs, pubs and bars. Under the new rules, restaurant...
Eskimo Ice-cream – No thanks
Seen amongst a list of 50 of the highest fat content dishes that America has to offer is this somewhat nauseating concoction : Eskimo ice cream Ingredients: Reindeer fat, seal oil, salmonberries, blackberrie Sounds foul but doesn't look too bad : Most likely one of...
Pictorial Interlude – Soyuz Module Landing
A nice set of photos here of a returning Soyuz descent module landing in Kazakhstan - I have picked a few choice ones below. The landing looks a bit harsh - the source site states that "the dust below is from retro rockets fired just before landing to soften impact,...
Straight talking in the House of Lords
Spotted in a rather convoluted chain ending at The Register, the Hansard extract below is a rather refreshing change from the usual government gobshite obfuscation. Apologies for the rather lengthy extract but it is needed for context and I like his style - if you...
More alcohol pricing bollocks and a new angle for the righteous to try.
Another day dawns and another Doctor takes time off from what he is paid to do to lecture us all on our choice of lifestyle. From the Torygraph (emphasis mine) : Raise VAT on alcohol but not in pubs: doctor Tax on alcohol sold in supermarkets should be increased,...
Kids fight, kids throw stuff, innocent pedestrian dies.
A rather strange case from Pravda (the Russian one, not the BBC) concerning fighting kids and a dead passer-by. Probably fairly standard fayre these days unfortunately, but in this case not only have the police arrested the kids involved (probably something to do with...
Musical Interlude – Folk Edition
Whilst trawling YouTube (more on why later), I came across this rendition of a seventeenth century folk song which gives a idea of what Winter evenings in those times would probably consist of - a roaring fire, song and, probably, beer, beer and more beer (ok the...