Straight onto the news today. A dentist has been reprimanded after coworkers and patients complaining about him breaking wind. Apparently he found liked to do it whilst his employees were on lunch break. Although the case is being judged by the medical council, I think it might be an interesting prospect if he was put in a cell for a few days. I'm sure his habit would stop pretty quickly then...
According to our friend Hugo (not Victor, Chavez), capitalism killed the martians. Yes, he must have kept hidden some compelling evidence to come up with that one. Maybe it's stored in the same place as the proof that the big bang was a western attempt at taking over Venezuela?
In a blow to cheap takeaways filling up our streets, the government has prohibited migrants from outside the EEA coming to the UK in order to work in takeaways. Yes, no longer will the server of your kebab or vindaloo be a person of non-EEA descent, just the food itself...
On that same theme, police are looking for an 18kg stick of kebab meat that was stolen from a takeaway in Trowbridge. If you see someone walking around the city with a huge piece of meat under their clothes, you might be sensible not to get too close, especially when it starts defrosting...
Visitors to Hamburg will soon be able to travel directly from the Garden Show grounds to the Reeperbahn via cable car if plans go ahead. No longer will you be forced to wander around watching meaningless flowers all day, but hop on to the cable car telling your wife you'll meet up with her in a couple of hours...
On a sad note, the BBC Caribbean radio service has been stopped due to funding cuts. Let's hope someone high up realises the effect this will have on independent news service in this region, and will relaunch it soon.
If you thought that the defense cuts that took place in the UK were a good way of saving money, you might want to read this article which discusses the role of the UK military in Libya, and the effects the choices in the cuts have meant to our ability to play any military role in the future. Seems a pretty compelling point of view...
And if you are filling in your census forms on the 27th March, before you have fun writing down Jedi as your religion etc, you might want to pause for a moment over the words "your data is protected for 100 years". This used to be the case, indeed the data from the census 100 years ago is now available for perusal. But, there was not a labour government around then who was whittling away all privacy of the population. Laws that came into effect after the previous labour government lost the election, and before the new coalition came in, mean that although your data COULD be kept private for 100 years, it is not guaranteed to be so. In fact, the list of the people who can use and pass on this data is nearly as astounding as how little chance you have to know what has been passed o to whom. Hopefully someone in this government is listening and wants to take up the case to reverse some of these privacy-stealing laws...
Now where is my Guy Fawkes mask?...
Friday, March 25, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
When the Cure is worse than the Problem
As men get older, they start to worry about losing their hair (especially it seems, if they are of Valencian descent). Many resort to medical treatments to try and get that fluffy stuff back up on the coconut, sometimes with success. However it has now been claimed that the chemicals used for these treatments have actually been found to cause the user to become impotent. Yes, before you spray, maybe it's worth considering the consequences fully...
Ever wonder why some languages have held on, despite all the odds, then an interesting piece of research has been published, claiming there is a mathematical formula to work out if a language will survive living alongside another more prominent one. Maybe that will make the welsh feel safe again...
Now for those of you who are fans of Jamie Oliver. On his website he is currently offering free recipe books in return for filling in a short survey. Go on, tell him what you think !
Another great saver for those of you with Thames Water. They are currently giving away some fancy shower heads, plus other water saving devices. Just fill in your details here and you'll be sent them through the post. No cheaper way to save money...
Despite only one entry in the last poll, I persevere and have made a few changes to the site to hopefully make it more appealing to you. Gone is the Google AdWords bar, as well as the Amazon search widgets. Nobody was using them, so I presume nobody will miss them. The polls were becoming a bit difficult to read in a half-width column, so I have now made them full-width. Hope you approve.
Talking of polls, this week's is asking whether there should be a section to list the current special offers I think you will be interested in? At the moment they have mentioned in the blog posts individually, but if you skim-read (why? surely the content is worth reading in it's entirety?) you might not have realised that you could be saving money, receiving free things, or having a cheap holiday. As a taster I will put it in already, and you can let me know what you think (more detailed feedback can always be written in a comment).
Get voting !
Ever wonder why some languages have held on, despite all the odds, then an interesting piece of research has been published, claiming there is a mathematical formula to work out if a language will survive living alongside another more prominent one. Maybe that will make the welsh feel safe again...
Now for those of you who are fans of Jamie Oliver. On his website he is currently offering free recipe books in return for filling in a short survey. Go on, tell him what you think !
Another great saver for those of you with Thames Water. They are currently giving away some fancy shower heads, plus other water saving devices. Just fill in your details here and you'll be sent them through the post. No cheaper way to save money...
Despite only one entry in the last poll, I persevere and have made a few changes to the site to hopefully make it more appealing to you. Gone is the Google AdWords bar, as well as the Amazon search widgets. Nobody was using them, so I presume nobody will miss them. The polls were becoming a bit difficult to read in a half-width column, so I have now made them full-width. Hope you approve.
Talking of polls, this week's is asking whether there should be a section to list the current special offers I think you will be interested in? At the moment they have mentioned in the blog posts individually, but if you skim-read (why? surely the content is worth reading in it's entirety?) you might not have realised that you could be saving money, receiving free things, or having a cheap holiday. As a taster I will put it in already, and you can let me know what you think (more detailed feedback can always be written in a comment).
Get voting !
Murcian Visits, Palacial Deals, and Thrice Uncle
Last weekend saw murcian Ali come and visit us in Oxford. We had a full program organised, so no sooner had she got off the bus, we set off to Bicester Village, the famous high class shopping outlets. Of course despite the 70% discounts, many of the products are still in a league of their own. No sooner had we found a good selection of jackets for Ali, than the price tags of over 400 pounds came into view. But it makes for a great excursion if you leave your credit card at home.
A cup-cake fair for neighbour Kate's London Marathon run to raise money for St. John Ambulance was also supported, coming away with a box selection of them for later :)
A trip down to London was also in order, meeting up with Andres and heading off for Camden Town. Despite it being a Sunday, this place was heaving, as always, and it really made for a lively atmosphere whilst wandering around the markets. We didn't find the Arepa&Co stall, but were filled up with the huge plates of Chinese food that were mixed for us. We made our way through the clothes, food and chucherias, and headed back towards the City. Buckingham Palace was passed, as well as a leisurely walk through the park until we got to Westminster to take a look at the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben's tower (we didn't visit Little Ben) and then went off to Chinatown via Leicester Square, stopping for a cup of tea and piece of cake. Wow, what a full day that was!
The sun came out on Monday, which is why it was perfect for a visit to Woodstock (England, not the festival in the US). After a filling late lunch at one of the local pubs we visited Blenheim Palace (where, incidentally, they currently give you a free annual pass when you buy an entry ticket). The history of Sir Winston Churchill, plus of the palace itself makes for a very entertaining tour of the building. Of course the grounds are also quite amazing, so we'll be using that annual pass to have a picnic in the summer.
There have of course been many birthdays in between posts, including those of Jordi, Lourdes, and Javi. Felicidades to you all !
And to top off the week, it seems I have become an uncle for the third time. Welcome to the world, Mary-Jane !
A cup-cake fair for neighbour Kate's London Marathon run to raise money for St. John Ambulance was also supported, coming away with a box selection of them for later :)
A trip down to London was also in order, meeting up with Andres and heading off for Camden Town. Despite it being a Sunday, this place was heaving, as always, and it really made for a lively atmosphere whilst wandering around the markets. We didn't find the Arepa&Co stall, but were filled up with the huge plates of Chinese food that were mixed for us. We made our way through the clothes, food and chucherias, and headed back towards the City. Buckingham Palace was passed, as well as a leisurely walk through the park until we got to Westminster to take a look at the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben's tower (we didn't visit Little Ben) and then went off to Chinatown via Leicester Square, stopping for a cup of tea and piece of cake. Wow, what a full day that was!
The sun came out on Monday, which is why it was perfect for a visit to Woodstock (England, not the festival in the US). After a filling late lunch at one of the local pubs we visited Blenheim Palace (where, incidentally, they currently give you a free annual pass when you buy an entry ticket). The history of Sir Winston Churchill, plus of the palace itself makes for a very entertaining tour of the building. Of course the grounds are also quite amazing, so we'll be using that annual pass to have a picnic in the summer.
There have of course been many birthdays in between posts, including those of Jordi, Lourdes, and Javi. Felicidades to you all !
And to top off the week, it seems I have become an uncle for the third time. Welcome to the world, Mary-Jane !
Sunday, March 06, 2011
The Non-Carnival Planner
In Barranquilla they're singing curramba whilst dancing in the sun, in Mainz they're shouting Helau! whilst marching through the streets, and here we're not doing anything of the sort. Yes, londoners like to celebrate carnival too, but aren't as mad as the Rhinelanders, and decide to celebrate in August when it's nice and hot (relatively speaking).
Further to the mention in my last post about the breast milk ice cream, it appears the police have now stopped the sale of these products pending further investigation.
The Panama Canal took a long time to build, many were killed through disease whilst building, and everything that could have gone wrong did. But now there might be an alternative in the pipeline. Colombia is apparently in talks with China to build an alternative passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It will be interesting to see how the planning comes along, and if as many problems occur. Let's just hope it doesn't have as many leaks as the Yangtse Dam did when it was finished...
And this week a call goes out to Carlitos who is off visiting Luigi in Paris. Let the Louvre be warned...
On a final note, you have just 12 hours to vote in the latest poll on this page...
Further to the mention in my last post about the breast milk ice cream, it appears the police have now stopped the sale of these products pending further investigation.
The Panama Canal took a long time to build, many were killed through disease whilst building, and everything that could have gone wrong did. But now there might be an alternative in the pipeline. Colombia is apparently in talks with China to build an alternative passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It will be interesting to see how the planning comes along, and if as many problems occur. Let's just hope it doesn't have as many leaks as the Yangtse Dam did when it was finished...
And this week a call goes out to Carlitos who is off visiting Luigi in Paris. Let the Louvre be warned...
On a final note, you have just 12 hours to vote in the latest poll on this page...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The alternative side of the news
It's hard to read or see anything different on the news as so much space and time is being taken up by revolutions, protests, and meerkats selling car insurance. Right, I thought, now it's time for me to publish some more of my really important alternative news stories of the week.
First up is Watson. No, not Sherlock's great sidekick, but rather a special supercomputer from IBM that has just finished beating the best contestants at the American game show Jeopardy. Yes, this machine was so clever at finding the correct answers (or questions) that it will probably be spending the rest of its life relaxing on some desert island with the winnings it made.
Talking about science, the Royal Society has published its annual report and said that there aren't enough schoolchildren studying scientific A-Level subjects, and the ones that do aren't helped by the lack of motivated teachers. This is leading to a never-ending spiral of film-studies and 14th century badminton rackets students . Okay, maybe their aren't that many types badminton rackets in the 14th century, but there definitely weren't any fast food burger joints offering degrees then either.
On a royal note, anything planned for the must-be-seen-at wedding in April this year? Well, for want of something unusual to write home about, why not visit Abingdon. This city will be having a bun fight in celebration of the occasion, catapulting thousands of currant buns from the rooftop of their city hall to the crowds gathered below. Just make sure you're wearing a hard hat in case they have had to bake them weeks in advance...
Not quite such a seamless link to this next story, but if you venture down to Covent Garden in the near future, you might get a shock when ordering an ice-cream. A parlour has started selling their deserts made from human breast milk rather than cow's. If tasting something which you haven't tried since you were born is not for you, you can always give some yourself. They pay for your milk in order to keep their ice-cream business up and running...
Remember the Russian spy caught in the US last year? Ever wondered what people get up to after being unveiled? Well, apparently they get employed to design the space suits for the next cosmonauts...
Other interesting news coming from that scientific centre in the East: Just under a third of Russians interviewed believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Yes, no riding on back of turtles or being flat for them. In addition, the majority said that all radioactivity is man-made, and 29% said that humans fought the dinosaurs for control of planet earth.
Animals sometimes seem so close to us humans though. Take monkeys. Some women would argue that most men are still closely related to these mammals. A further explanation has recently arisen, in that they have been found to wash themselves with their own urine. Before the females amongst you start saying "I told you so", the reason cited for this behaviour is that it makes them more attractive to the female monkeys. What does that say about you now? :)
If you decide to go off to the cinema to try and forget about that last piece of news, then be careful with your manners. In Latvia a viewer was shot dead after eating his popcorn too loudly. The rumours that this happened during the erotic parts of the Black Swan are as yet unconfirmed.
On a food note, the EU has given the humble Cornish Pasty a protected status just like Champagne, Parma Ham, and Stilton Cheese. So next time you go out to buy one, check it has the correct authenticity.
For those of you of an inventive nature, you'll be pleased to find out that something sought by thousands of students has finally been invented. Yes, a cocktail-dispensing-slot-machine. Play this one armed bandit and be rewarded with non-historic concoctions like a Long Island Beach or a Green Virgin Slammer...
And finally to something personal. As the last poll attracted a grand total of one participant, I think you've had enough of being asked what to do with this site. So I will make the changes from a democratic-dictatorship position and stop pestering you.
What about Mainz, you might ask? What's different about Oxford? Well, currently it's a lot milder here and we haven't seen snow since early Jan, whereas I have been reliably informed that there was some of that white stuff over in the Rhineland just last week. Being able to compare the Irish pubs is another major thing. Here you get the usual great Irish beers, as well as a couple of English ones too. Bu there is no fast-food ordering service from the place next door. No, sir. Here they cook you a lovely Irish Stew, or Steak and Guiness Pie, all served with the seasonal vegetables, just to make sure you have something healthy too. Has that whet your appetite yet Carlitos?? :)
Oscars tonight - better get the sparkling wine out...
First up is Watson. No, not Sherlock's great sidekick, but rather a special supercomputer from IBM that has just finished beating the best contestants at the American game show Jeopardy. Yes, this machine was so clever at finding the correct answers (or questions) that it will probably be spending the rest of its life relaxing on some desert island with the winnings it made.
Talking about science, the Royal Society has published its annual report and said that there aren't enough schoolchildren studying scientific A-Level subjects, and the ones that do aren't helped by the lack of motivated teachers. This is leading to a never-ending spiral of film-studies and 14th century badminton rackets students . Okay, maybe their aren't that many types badminton rackets in the 14th century, but there definitely weren't any fast food burger joints offering degrees then either.
On a royal note, anything planned for the must-be-seen-at wedding in April this year? Well, for want of something unusual to write home about, why not visit Abingdon. This city will be having a bun fight in celebration of the occasion, catapulting thousands of currant buns from the rooftop of their city hall to the crowds gathered below. Just make sure you're wearing a hard hat in case they have had to bake them weeks in advance...
Not quite such a seamless link to this next story, but if you venture down to Covent Garden in the near future, you might get a shock when ordering an ice-cream. A parlour has started selling their deserts made from human breast milk rather than cow's. If tasting something which you haven't tried since you were born is not for you, you can always give some yourself. They pay for your milk in order to keep their ice-cream business up and running...
Remember the Russian spy caught in the US last year? Ever wondered what people get up to after being unveiled? Well, apparently they get employed to design the space suits for the next cosmonauts...
Other interesting news coming from that scientific centre in the East: Just under a third of Russians interviewed believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Yes, no riding on back of turtles or being flat for them. In addition, the majority said that all radioactivity is man-made, and 29% said that humans fought the dinosaurs for control of planet earth.
Animals sometimes seem so close to us humans though. Take monkeys. Some women would argue that most men are still closely related to these mammals. A further explanation has recently arisen, in that they have been found to wash themselves with their own urine. Before the females amongst you start saying "I told you so", the reason cited for this behaviour is that it makes them more attractive to the female monkeys. What does that say about you now? :)
If you decide to go off to the cinema to try and forget about that last piece of news, then be careful with your manners. In Latvia a viewer was shot dead after eating his popcorn too loudly. The rumours that this happened during the erotic parts of the Black Swan are as yet unconfirmed.
On a food note, the EU has given the humble Cornish Pasty a protected status just like Champagne, Parma Ham, and Stilton Cheese. So next time you go out to buy one, check it has the correct authenticity.
For those of you of an inventive nature, you'll be pleased to find out that something sought by thousands of students has finally been invented. Yes, a cocktail-dispensing-slot-machine. Play this one armed bandit and be rewarded with non-historic concoctions like a Long Island Beach or a Green Virgin Slammer...
And finally to something personal. As the last poll attracted a grand total of one participant, I think you've had enough of being asked what to do with this site. So I will make the changes from a democratic-dictatorship position and stop pestering you.
What about Mainz, you might ask? What's different about Oxford? Well, currently it's a lot milder here and we haven't seen snow since early Jan, whereas I have been reliably informed that there was some of that white stuff over in the Rhineland just last week. Being able to compare the Irish pubs is another major thing. Here you get the usual great Irish beers, as well as a couple of English ones too. Bu there is no fast-food ordering service from the place next door. No, sir. Here they cook you a lovely Irish Stew, or Steak and Guiness Pie, all served with the seasonal vegetables, just to make sure you have something healthy too. Has that whet your appetite yet Carlitos?? :)
Oscars tonight - better get the sparkling wine out...
Sunday, February 06, 2011
The Results Are In
Tunisia might have fallen, Egypt might be on the brink, and many other countries might be shaking in their boots, but here in this little corner of the cyberworld democracy has prevailed. Yes, the votes have been cast, the numbers counted, and the bribes ignored. I am therefore pleased to announce that this blog will be updated more often on a weekly basis. The fact that 3 voters consumed but did not inhale also pleases me.
So as promised I will unveil a bit of what's been happening recently. Christmas 2010 was spent in Wiesbaden, being Julianna's first celebration of this type we were allowed to enjoy it with her, her parents (Mark and Friedi), Christiane and the rest of the family. Snow was above the knee, cars were getting stuck, but it really was a great white Christmas, the like of which not seen for many years. Some photos of this event can be found here.
A trip up north was also on the cards the week before Xmas to see Doug, Gem, Dominic, Mia-Rose and bump. This was when the big snows had just started, but luckily we were not too badly affected. Some of the pictures can be seen here (including Olga enjoying the snow...).
New Year was spent here in Oxford with the lovely company of Ali, Luigi and Roberto. Typical tourist things took place like getting on the open top double decker bus to tour around the city (that was cold), visiting a good few traditional pubs, and some traditional British food for new year (yes, we did Indian). To check out some of the sights you could come and visit us, or just look at the photos here.
January also saw some familiar faces with cousin Jonathan and Sally being over here from Australia, and using that as an excuse to meet up with them, Juliette, Arnaud and Mariette, Clive and Wend. A great Spanish meal was had by all, although I think more time was spent catching up than actually eating...
And does Harald still appear in Neighbours? Apparently not (although his photo is still on the website), but Lou Carpenter, Paul Robinson, Karl Kennedy, Toadfish, and the lovely Libby are still there. Of course, it's never going to be the same without Charlene (aka Kylie Minogue).
I see that the the number of visitors has been going up steadily (not sure if it's because of my improving writing style, or just people are starting to wake up after a new year stuper). Thanks for that :)
You will also notice that on the right hand side of this page there are a couple of boxes from Amazon (one for UK, the other for Germany) and a Google ad column further down. These are little ways in helping to finance this site when people order anything through these links. However, according to my statistics, nobody actually uses them. So this leads to the next quiz: What would you prefer to have appear on the right of this site?
Maybe you like the idea of being able to buy via Amazon straight from this site, maybe you find some of the adverts from Google interesting, or maybe you want a list of great offers and links carefully picked by yours truly? Cast your vote and let me know !
One last thing before I let you get back to your Sunday papers: There is actually a button below each post allowing you to write your comments, post to facebook, tweet and email. Please use them! Nothing like getting the word out :)
So as promised I will unveil a bit of what's been happening recently. Christmas 2010 was spent in Wiesbaden, being Julianna's first celebration of this type we were allowed to enjoy it with her, her parents (Mark and Friedi), Christiane and the rest of the family. Snow was above the knee, cars were getting stuck, but it really was a great white Christmas, the like of which not seen for many years. Some photos of this event can be found here.
A trip up north was also on the cards the week before Xmas to see Doug, Gem, Dominic, Mia-Rose and bump. This was when the big snows had just started, but luckily we were not too badly affected. Some of the pictures can be seen here (including Olga enjoying the snow...).
New Year was spent here in Oxford with the lovely company of Ali, Luigi and Roberto. Typical tourist things took place like getting on the open top double decker bus to tour around the city (that was cold), visiting a good few traditional pubs, and some traditional British food for new year (yes, we did Indian). To check out some of the sights you could come and visit us, or just look at the photos here.
January also saw some familiar faces with cousin Jonathan and Sally being over here from Australia, and using that as an excuse to meet up with them, Juliette, Arnaud and Mariette, Clive and Wend. A great Spanish meal was had by all, although I think more time was spent catching up than actually eating...
And does Harald still appear in Neighbours? Apparently not (although his photo is still on the website), but Lou Carpenter, Paul Robinson, Karl Kennedy, Toadfish, and the lovely Libby are still there. Of course, it's never going to be the same without Charlene (aka Kylie Minogue).
I see that the the number of visitors has been going up steadily (not sure if it's because of my improving writing style, or just people are starting to wake up after a new year stuper). Thanks for that :)
You will also notice that on the right hand side of this page there are a couple of boxes from Amazon (one for UK, the other for Germany) and a Google ad column further down. These are little ways in helping to finance this site when people order anything through these links. However, according to my statistics, nobody actually uses them. So this leads to the next quiz: What would you prefer to have appear on the right of this site?
Maybe you like the idea of being able to buy via Amazon straight from this site, maybe you find some of the adverts from Google interesting, or maybe you want a list of great offers and links carefully picked by yours truly? Cast your vote and let me know !
One last thing before I let you get back to your Sunday papers: There is actually a button below each post allowing you to write your comments, post to facebook, tweet and email. Please use them! Nothing like getting the word out :)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Change is in the air
Winter might seem to be on the way out, letting spring into 2011, but that's not the only change that has happened. In fact, the other change has been the main culprit which has stopped posts being published on this blog.
If you hadn't noticed the change of heading, then maybe you should just give up now. Yes, This blogger has pulled up his roots, slung them over his shoulder and left on a mule. Well, sort of. After a good many years writing from the German city of Mainz, the wind has changed and posts will now be written from the wonderful city of Oxford, Great Britain.
If you think this might affect my writing style, then you might be correct. But it couldn't get much worse now, could it?
And in the chaos of the move, the new life, culture and bureaucracy, a new leaf will be turned, democracy fulfilled and some people sighing relief. Yes, YOU get to decide!
First decision you can influence is how often updates to this blog should be written? I know it's not the most frequently written page, and that most of you have probably given up (website analytics tell me it's about a tenth of what it used to be in it's heyday back in 2001), but maybe you don't have time to read it every day anyway. In fact, maybe you just subscribe to the RSS feed and don't visit the page at all. So in the interests of information gathering I have created two polls for you just over on the right hand side of the page. Please fill them in with your feedback, you have a week to show there is more than the three people that answered in the last two polls...
So what happened at Christmas 2010? How was the New Year 2011 celebrated? And is Harold still in neighbours? All this and more in the next post, coming to you...when you decide ! (a bit like on-demand viewing but fewer buttons).
Cast your votes !
If you hadn't noticed the change of heading, then maybe you should just give up now. Yes, This blogger has pulled up his roots, slung them over his shoulder and left on a mule. Well, sort of. After a good many years writing from the German city of Mainz, the wind has changed and posts will now be written from the wonderful city of Oxford, Great Britain.
If you think this might affect my writing style, then you might be correct. But it couldn't get much worse now, could it?
And in the chaos of the move, the new life, culture and bureaucracy, a new leaf will be turned, democracy fulfilled and some people sighing relief. Yes, YOU get to decide!
First decision you can influence is how often updates to this blog should be written? I know it's not the most frequently written page, and that most of you have probably given up (website analytics tell me it's about a tenth of what it used to be in it's heyday back in 2001), but maybe you don't have time to read it every day anyway. In fact, maybe you just subscribe to the RSS feed and don't visit the page at all. So in the interests of information gathering I have created two polls for you just over on the right hand side of the page. Please fill them in with your feedback, you have a week to show there is more than the three people that answered in the last two polls...
So what happened at Christmas 2010? How was the New Year 2011 celebrated? And is Harold still in neighbours? All this and more in the next post, coming to you...when you decide ! (a bit like on-demand viewing but fewer buttons).
Cast your votes !
Monday, October 18, 2010
Paella, Pa'ella, Pa'mi
First up, Lobelto now has a place in Mainz! Yes, he couldn't have chosen a better place except if it came with a ladyfriend included. So by the end of the month we should be seeing a lot more of him...
Saturday saw the latest Seacava Paella. This time cooked and organised by Ali and Mamen. Without wanting to put down the retired paella maker (Carlitos), it tasted great. Despite the slightly late start, the assembled group ate and ate, and drank and drank until there were only a few doggy bags to take home for the next day's dinner. After this filling meal, a trip to Haddocks was undertaken, where it ended at 2am with Lobelto asleep in the corner and a lot of burros playing cards. Pity that the following day had to be spent washing all the clothes as a table of guests saw fit to flout the no-smoking laws during our time there.
On another note, it looks like Jordi (yes, of 2000/01 fame) has been given a job in Brussels now where he will be doing what he does best. Good luck !
And now for something different - news related. What with Angela Merkel admitting that the German method of integration of foreigners has been a disaster, how do you feel? Go on, have a go. Hopefully more than the previous 3 will respond...
First up, Lobelto now has a place in Mainz! Yes, he couldn't have chosen a better place except if it came with a ladyfriend included. So by the end of the month we should be seeing a lot more of him...
Saturday saw the latest Seacava Paella. This time cooked and organised by Ali and Mamen. Without wanting to put down the retired paella maker (Carlitos), it tasted great. Despite the slightly late start, the assembled group ate and ate, and drank and drank until there were only a few doggy bags to take home for the next day's dinner. After this filling meal, a trip to Haddocks was undertaken, where it ended at 2am with Lobelto asleep in the corner and a lot of burros playing cards. Pity that the following day had to be spent washing all the clothes as a table of guests saw fit to flout the no-smoking laws during our time there.
On another note, it looks like Jordi (yes, of 2000/01 fame) has been given a job in Brussels now where he will be doing what he does best. Good luck !
And now for something different - news related. What with Angela Merkel admitting that the German method of integration of foreigners has been a disaster, how do you feel? Go on, have a go. Hopefully more than the previous 3 will respond...
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Licensed to Live
This last week has seen Olga complete her studies as a psychologist, and Rafa graduate as an electrical engineer. So if you have problems with your life or mind, see the former, and if you have problems with your TV or the computer see the latter.
You might have noticed an addition to the right hand side of this blog. Yes, the polls are back, asking you those relevant and important questions on life. So go on, give it a go!
This last week has seen Olga complete her studies as a psychologist, and Rafa graduate as an electrical engineer. So if you have problems with your life or mind, see the former, and if you have problems with your TV or the computer see the latter.
You might have noticed an addition to the right hand side of this blog. Yes, the polls are back, asking you those relevant and important questions on life. So go on, give it a go!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Website Fun, Dirty Pavements and Bottle Deposits
Nowadays everyone has a website, they are so easy to create. There are few companies that don't have some form of online presence, and most allow you to order their products or services directly. I like to call this user interaction. Well Hema (a dutch department store) brings this interactivity to a new dimension with their e-store here: http://producten.hema.nl/. This is going back to the roots of website building - for fun and enjoyment. Well done to the person that programmed that, and to the company for letting it go past prototype stage!
Now people say that we Brits are dog lovers. This is probably true, but I am sure that the Germans give us a run for our money. I remember when I first came over here to Mainz. I was walking along when I saw a mother with a young child in a pushchair and a dog on a leash. She stopped at the entrance of a supermarket, and to my astonishment, she tied up the pushchair to a lamppost and took the dog on the leash into the store with her. That's something that can only happen here.
Dogs can go anywhere. They are regularly taken into restaurants, supermarkets, swimming pools, which personally I don't find all that appealing. It will be of no surprise then, that I often come across a pile of dog turd in the street. Yes, there is a law forbidding them to leave a mess without the owner cleaning up, but with so many dogs about, how are you going to stop them all?
So the other day I was walking across the city and started to count how many different piles of poo I had to avoid. On this half hour walk which I repeat most days, I counted no less than 9 different dollops. This is getting ridiculous! Of course the reason why I decided to write about it now was that earlier this week, whilst carefully avoiding one steaming mess I accidentally trod in another. Next time I see a dog even bending it's leg in preparation for a squat, I am going to get out my camera and make sure a big flash goes off. Maybe some owners will learn to take control...
Talking of cameras, I am seriously considering having one permanently to hand whilst crossing zebra crossings in this city. At least twice a week I ma nearly hit because cars like to race across them rather than stop for pedestrians. Legally they have to stop as soon as my foot treads on the crossing, but in Mainz they like to speed up and keep driving across, despite being mere centimeters away from me. So be warned - next time I will have my camera to hand and there will be a nice clear photo being sent to the local police station.
So the UK is currently considering putting deposits on bottles of drink, like they did about 40 years ago. This of course is nothing new to the people of Germany who have had deposits on drinks bottles for as long as I cam remember. Although I have to admit they have changed the law a good many times as to which types of bottles have which type of deposit, and whether you have to take them back to the very same store you bought them from, with your receipt and a token (luckily that is no more).
But back to the UK. The main reason being touted for deposits being necessary, is that it would reduce the amount of litter on the streets. I don't have the statistics for the percentage of litter being made up of bottles, but I would hazard a guess at maybe 5% from what I personally remember seeing.
Now jump to Germany again. Asking a few locals gives differing answers with respect to if it helped the littering problem. Some say that it did, and there's less broken glass on the streets now (although if this were true, the streets must have been paved with glass before, as I still have to avoid at least 3 broken bottles on my daily walk - maybe I should do a proper count like with the dog turds). Others say that now instead of a few bottles on the ground, there a re many more vagrants combing the bins around the city, looking for any spare bottles. They will habitually empty out a bin whilst getting to glass container at the very bottom, which of course might mean that there's less glass on the street as a percentage of litter, but the amount of litter on the street has gone up considerably.
So I'm all for new ways to get our streets cleaner (personally believing that people who litter should be punished by having to clear up the town for at least a day for every piece they threw down) but maybe people should look beyond what the direct effects could be, and think of the side-effects too, to make an informed decision of whether the total balance is beneficial or not.
As a final note, for the doctor who recently celebrated his birthday and who used to be a frequent visitor to this site - welcome back !
Nowadays everyone has a website, they are so easy to create. There are few companies that don't have some form of online presence, and most allow you to order their products or services directly. I like to call this user interaction. Well Hema (a dutch department store) brings this interactivity to a new dimension with their e-store here: http://producten.hema.nl/. This is going back to the roots of website building - for fun and enjoyment. Well done to the person that programmed that, and to the company for letting it go past prototype stage!
Now people say that we Brits are dog lovers. This is probably true, but I am sure that the Germans give us a run for our money. I remember when I first came over here to Mainz. I was walking along when I saw a mother with a young child in a pushchair and a dog on a leash. She stopped at the entrance of a supermarket, and to my astonishment, she tied up the pushchair to a lamppost and took the dog on the leash into the store with her. That's something that can only happen here.
Dogs can go anywhere. They are regularly taken into restaurants, supermarkets, swimming pools, which personally I don't find all that appealing. It will be of no surprise then, that I often come across a pile of dog turd in the street. Yes, there is a law forbidding them to leave a mess without the owner cleaning up, but with so many dogs about, how are you going to stop them all?
So the other day I was walking across the city and started to count how many different piles of poo I had to avoid. On this half hour walk which I repeat most days, I counted no less than 9 different dollops. This is getting ridiculous! Of course the reason why I decided to write about it now was that earlier this week, whilst carefully avoiding one steaming mess I accidentally trod in another. Next time I see a dog even bending it's leg in preparation for a squat, I am going to get out my camera and make sure a big flash goes off. Maybe some owners will learn to take control...
Talking of cameras, I am seriously considering having one permanently to hand whilst crossing zebra crossings in this city. At least twice a week I ma nearly hit because cars like to race across them rather than stop for pedestrians. Legally they have to stop as soon as my foot treads on the crossing, but in Mainz they like to speed up and keep driving across, despite being mere centimeters away from me. So be warned - next time I will have my camera to hand and there will be a nice clear photo being sent to the local police station.
So the UK is currently considering putting deposits on bottles of drink, like they did about 40 years ago. This of course is nothing new to the people of Germany who have had deposits on drinks bottles for as long as I cam remember. Although I have to admit they have changed the law a good many times as to which types of bottles have which type of deposit, and whether you have to take them back to the very same store you bought them from, with your receipt and a token (luckily that is no more).
But back to the UK. The main reason being touted for deposits being necessary, is that it would reduce the amount of litter on the streets. I don't have the statistics for the percentage of litter being made up of bottles, but I would hazard a guess at maybe 5% from what I personally remember seeing.
Now jump to Germany again. Asking a few locals gives differing answers with respect to if it helped the littering problem. Some say that it did, and there's less broken glass on the streets now (although if this were true, the streets must have been paved with glass before, as I still have to avoid at least 3 broken bottles on my daily walk - maybe I should do a proper count like with the dog turds). Others say that now instead of a few bottles on the ground, there a re many more vagrants combing the bins around the city, looking for any spare bottles. They will habitually empty out a bin whilst getting to glass container at the very bottom, which of course might mean that there's less glass on the street as a percentage of litter, but the amount of litter on the street has gone up considerably.
So I'm all for new ways to get our streets cleaner (personally believing that people who litter should be punished by having to clear up the town for at least a day for every piece they threw down) but maybe people should look beyond what the direct effects could be, and think of the side-effects too, to make an informed decision of whether the total balance is beneficial or not.
As a final note, for the doctor who recently celebrated his birthday and who used to be a frequent visitor to this site - welcome back !
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The bane of malfunctioning credit card machines
To accompany the new design to this site, how about a bit of new content style too? That question was rhetorical, by the way :)
So in case you don't know, in Germany it is hard to pay for goods and services with credit cards. Big stores normally accept them, but otherwise you might just have a chance with the so called EC card. This is basically a debit card instead of the normal VISA debit cards etc one is used to.
Actually, an example I always like to give to people on the use of cards in Germany, is at a supermarket a couple of years ago. I was in the line to buy my groceries and as often happens, there is some special offer on some home electronics (or a chainsaw, but that's another story) this day there was a huge flatscreen TV on sale. It had a pricetag of around 550 Euros. And sure enough, the customer started to count out lots of fifty notes into the cashier's hand. And the cashier didn't flinch once - this is normal here !!!
But I digress, the card readers.
So to pay for a meal for instance, like in other non EC-card countries, a machine is brought out and the card inserted or swiped. The machine sends the details per wireless or cable to the base station where it checks with the payment authority if this card is valid. Then the customer is asked to either enter their PIN, or to sign a receipt.
Now I'm not the oldest person I know, but I remember this happening in some form for at least 10 years (pubs at uni accepted cards, don't you know). And I don't remember once ever having a problem with them.
Now wind forward to the present. Last night was the second time in two days (and on average I would say at least twice a month) when trying to pay for a meal in a restaurant (knowing full well they accept cards, so I don't bother making the treck to the bank to take out extra cash) that the waitress comes back and says sorry the machine isn't working today.
I know I long gave up on everything being so efficient here as people are led to believe, but I had hoped that at least this problem could just be a freak occurrence. So, we could be in the most rustic village in the middle of Spain, and the machines worked without a hitch, but here in Mainz they seem to have a malfunctioning rate of about one a week. Shouldn't someone investigate this? Did they get these machines on special discount from Aldi? Maybe they need to be sent to China to be repaired?
I think next time this happens I'll just give them my address and tell them to send me the bill. That way I don't have to do 3 trips to the bank a day...
So, about that chainsaw...
To accompany the new design to this site, how about a bit of new content style too? That question was rhetorical, by the way :)
So in case you don't know, in Germany it is hard to pay for goods and services with credit cards. Big stores normally accept them, but otherwise you might just have a chance with the so called EC card. This is basically a debit card instead of the normal VISA debit cards etc one is used to.
Actually, an example I always like to give to people on the use of cards in Germany, is at a supermarket a couple of years ago. I was in the line to buy my groceries and as often happens, there is some special offer on some home electronics (or a chainsaw, but that's another story) this day there was a huge flatscreen TV on sale. It had a pricetag of around 550 Euros. And sure enough, the customer started to count out lots of fifty notes into the cashier's hand. And the cashier didn't flinch once - this is normal here !!!
But I digress, the card readers.
So to pay for a meal for instance, like in other non EC-card countries, a machine is brought out and the card inserted or swiped. The machine sends the details per wireless or cable to the base station where it checks with the payment authority if this card is valid. Then the customer is asked to either enter their PIN, or to sign a receipt.
Now I'm not the oldest person I know, but I remember this happening in some form for at least 10 years (pubs at uni accepted cards, don't you know). And I don't remember once ever having a problem with them.
Now wind forward to the present. Last night was the second time in two days (and on average I would say at least twice a month) when trying to pay for a meal in a restaurant (knowing full well they accept cards, so I don't bother making the treck to the bank to take out extra cash) that the waitress comes back and says sorry the machine isn't working today.
I know I long gave up on everything being so efficient here as people are led to believe, but I had hoped that at least this problem could just be a freak occurrence. So, we could be in the most rustic village in the middle of Spain, and the machines worked without a hitch, but here in Mainz they seem to have a malfunctioning rate of about one a week. Shouldn't someone investigate this? Did they get these machines on special discount from Aldi? Maybe they need to be sent to China to be repaired?
I think next time this happens I'll just give them my address and tell them to send me the bill. That way I don't have to do 3 trips to the bank a day...
So, about that chainsaw...
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Dangerous Cheese, Spyclists, and the Purple People
So I've blogged before about the escapades of rolling cheese down a hill and people getting hurt trying to catch it. Well apparently it got too much, and this year's rolling has had to be called off. Next they will be banning egg-and-spoon-races...
The Shambles, in York, has been named Britain's most picturesque street, beating Bath's Royal Crescent into second place. Definitely worth a visit if you up that way...
You've heard of the warning about spies in our mists during the war. Loose tongues cost lives and the like. Well, what you might not have heard about, were the German touring cycle groups, which apparently went around the areas of possible invasions, to take note of the potential targets, and possible hostilities in the area. Is that why they love cycling so much in Germany?...
Movement is afoot in Italy. Not about the Vatican and the sex abuse claims, but rather on the political front. They don't have their own political party, but the Purple People are a large group of people that apparently formed through Facebook to show their dislike of Berlusconi. They have organised protests with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators turning out, all wearing something purple. It might not be a direct competition for the upcoming elections, but they do have a voice, and one which is getting louder by the day. It will be interesting to see when they reach a critical mass, how the current leader can cope (except for using violence of course)...
There once was a lovely village set in the middle of green pastures, where one could relax without noisy motorways, airports etc nearby. This Area of Natural Beauty is called the Chilterns. And this will no longer be the case if the government has its way and creates their new High Speed Rail Link between London and Birmingham going straight through this greenbelt area. Start joining the protests now...
And the Rugby. The latest Six Nations game is underway at the moment, France vs Italy, and then the final matches are being played next Saturday, which we will hopefully be able to enjoy with Luca, Carlitos, Luigi and a possible show by Lobelto. Then we will have to wait for the World Cup in South Africa...
So I've blogged before about the escapades of rolling cheese down a hill and people getting hurt trying to catch it. Well apparently it got too much, and this year's rolling has had to be called off. Next they will be banning egg-and-spoon-races...
The Shambles, in York, has been named Britain's most picturesque street, beating Bath's Royal Crescent into second place. Definitely worth a visit if you up that way...
You've heard of the warning about spies in our mists during the war. Loose tongues cost lives and the like. Well, what you might not have heard about, were the German touring cycle groups, which apparently went around the areas of possible invasions, to take note of the potential targets, and possible hostilities in the area. Is that why they love cycling so much in Germany?...
Movement is afoot in Italy. Not about the Vatican and the sex abuse claims, but rather on the political front. They don't have their own political party, but the Purple People are a large group of people that apparently formed through Facebook to show their dislike of Berlusconi. They have organised protests with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators turning out, all wearing something purple. It might not be a direct competition for the upcoming elections, but they do have a voice, and one which is getting louder by the day. It will be interesting to see when they reach a critical mass, how the current leader can cope (except for using violence of course)...
There once was a lovely village set in the middle of green pastures, where one could relax without noisy motorways, airports etc nearby. This Area of Natural Beauty is called the Chilterns. And this will no longer be the case if the government has its way and creates their new High Speed Rail Link between London and Birmingham going straight through this greenbelt area. Start joining the protests now...
And the Rugby. The latest Six Nations game is underway at the moment, France vs Italy, and then the final matches are being played next Saturday, which we will hopefully be able to enjoy with Luca, Carlitos, Luigi and a possible show by Lobelto. Then we will have to wait for the World Cup in South Africa...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Carnival Thaw
So the carnivals have drawn to an end. This year there actually seemed to be less broken glass on the ground...could it be fewer bottles were smashed? Or they were quicker in cleaning up? Or did the cold weather keep many people at home? I don't know the answer, but it was a nice surprise on the Tuesday morning to not have to pick glass splinters out of my shoes when I arrived at the office.
Of course, cold weather was never a problem in Barranquilla, where their carnival took place at 34 degrees celsius.
As most people are still recovering on the Tuesday after carnival, I suspect they forgot that it's also known as Pancake Day. Yes, you should pick up all your leftovers and use them as filling for the pancakes you make. Tasty...
Google StreetView has appeared in this blog a few times. And here it is again. This time the video-car came across something in Norway that was very unexpected...just take a look at this link.
Well, Luca is back in Germany, this time in Bochum, so maybe there will be a meetup again, once the weather has warmed up a bit.
Keep those woollies on...
So the carnivals have drawn to an end. This year there actually seemed to be less broken glass on the ground...could it be fewer bottles were smashed? Or they were quicker in cleaning up? Or did the cold weather keep many people at home? I don't know the answer, but it was a nice surprise on the Tuesday morning to not have to pick glass splinters out of my shoes when I arrived at the office.
Of course, cold weather was never a problem in Barranquilla, where their carnival took place at 34 degrees celsius.
As most people are still recovering on the Tuesday after carnival, I suspect they forgot that it's also known as Pancake Day. Yes, you should pick up all your leftovers and use them as filling for the pancakes you make. Tasty...
Google StreetView has appeared in this blog a few times. And here it is again. This time the video-car came across something in Norway that was very unexpected...just take a look at this link.
Well, Luca is back in Germany, this time in Bochum, so maybe there will be a meetup again, once the weather has warmed up a bit.
Keep those woollies on...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pricey Ham, Evils of Playstation, and Airport Security
Selfridges has decided that there are some people out there who would pay an arm and a leg for a nice piece of ham. They have put up for sale a piece costing 1800 pounds. Yes, that's pounds, not pesetas...
Amongst all the worrying things that the current president of Venezuela has done (taking over anything and everything) is the attack on the Sony Playstation. Yes, that's right, Chavez has decided that this piece of technology is evil. A bit like the pot calling the kettle black...
So after the latest attempt to blow up an airliner it's become all the rage to bring in the nudity scanners in airports. You know the ones - you walk through and the attendant no longer asks you if you have a canoe in your pocket. Well, in principle, the better you get at detecting these things, the safer for us, right? Well, it would be if humans were not part of this equation. Just take Munich airport (go on, take it). They have the explosives detection in place to work on laptops, and the machine says that this laptop was probably in touch with explosive substance. Well that should be the end of it you may think. Inspect the guy thoroughly until you are sure it was just a false positive. Well, no. The human element lets this guy take his laptop and walk away into the (security cleared) area of the airport. Here he can board a plane, make a transit in another country and not get rechecked.
So it doesn't really matter if we have to pass through a scanner completely naked, get all our orifices checked and have sniffer dogs all over us. In the end the human element will allow mistakes to happen. So what should we do? Well, maybe we should just sit back and await all the status updates that these new scanner machines could generate on twitter...oh, nobody told you they were attached to a SIM card?...
Travel safely...
Selfridges has decided that there are some people out there who would pay an arm and a leg for a nice piece of ham. They have put up for sale a piece costing 1800 pounds. Yes, that's pounds, not pesetas...
Amongst all the worrying things that the current president of Venezuela has done (taking over anything and everything) is the attack on the Sony Playstation. Yes, that's right, Chavez has decided that this piece of technology is evil. A bit like the pot calling the kettle black...
So after the latest attempt to blow up an airliner it's become all the rage to bring in the nudity scanners in airports. You know the ones - you walk through and the attendant no longer asks you if you have a canoe in your pocket. Well, in principle, the better you get at detecting these things, the safer for us, right? Well, it would be if humans were not part of this equation. Just take Munich airport (go on, take it). They have the explosives detection in place to work on laptops, and the machine says that this laptop was probably in touch with explosive substance. Well that should be the end of it you may think. Inspect the guy thoroughly until you are sure it was just a false positive. Well, no. The human element lets this guy take his laptop and walk away into the (security cleared) area of the airport. Here he can board a plane, make a transit in another country and not get rechecked.
So it doesn't really matter if we have to pass through a scanner completely naked, get all our orifices checked and have sniffer dogs all over us. In the end the human element will allow mistakes to happen. So what should we do? Well, maybe we should just sit back and await all the status updates that these new scanner machines could generate on twitter...oh, nobody told you they were attached to a SIM card?...
Travel safely...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Certain Weather, Riot Sledging and Chavez Stores
Whilst the weather here can't make up it's mind (finally the snow had cleared for 2 days and then in 2 hours 2 inches of snow had fallen in Mainz yesterday evening) let's have a look at what's been happening in the world.
A novel new use of police riot shields has been found in Oxfordshire. After a heavy snowfall with most people being snowed in, a couple of bobbies decided to take to the slopes on their aforementioned protective gear. Looks like fun, although that didn't last once their boss got wind of their escapades...
After devaluing the Venezualen currency last week, Chavez ordered soldiers to take to the streets and take over shops not offering their wares at their recent lower value. Is there anything this man won't keep his hands off?
Ever wondered what that whiff was when you drive out of London? Well it could quite easily be the recycling of sewage, which has been saving millions of pounds a year, and generated 14% of Thames Water's energy. Other ideas for recycling it as lip-gloss haven't gone down too well though...
Just left to say that the earthquake in Haiti has been taking up most of the news lately. Let's hope they manage to sort out the supply dispersion quickly enough to save as many lives as possible of those that are left...
Think before you apply that make-up...
Whilst the weather here can't make up it's mind (finally the snow had cleared for 2 days and then in 2 hours 2 inches of snow had fallen in Mainz yesterday evening) let's have a look at what's been happening in the world.
A novel new use of police riot shields has been found in Oxfordshire. After a heavy snowfall with most people being snowed in, a couple of bobbies decided to take to the slopes on their aforementioned protective gear. Looks like fun, although that didn't last once their boss got wind of their escapades...
After devaluing the Venezualen currency last week, Chavez ordered soldiers to take to the streets and take over shops not offering their wares at their recent lower value. Is there anything this man won't keep his hands off?
Ever wondered what that whiff was when you drive out of London? Well it could quite easily be the recycling of sewage, which has been saving millions of pounds a year, and generated 14% of Thames Water's energy. Other ideas for recycling it as lip-gloss haven't gone down too well though...
Just left to say that the earthquake in Haiti has been taking up most of the news lately. Let's hope they manage to sort out the supply dispersion quickly enough to save as many lives as possible of those that are left...
Think before you apply that make-up...
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Lidl Drugs, Bean PM, and Y2010 Bugs
If you're going shopping at Lidl in Spain, maybe you should take a closer look at that package of bananas you put in your trolley after one kilo bags of cocaine were found to be hidden in amongst the fruit. I suppose there's going to be someone that's not too happy about losing so much powder, and then there's going to be someone who's very happy with their latest banana trifle ;)
Spain's PM, Zapatero has often been likened to TV personality Mr Bean. So it was a funny surprise to see that a hacker had exchanged the PM's photo on his website for the new EU presidency for that of the comic. It would be interesting to find out how many people had seen the site without realising there had been a switch...
Ten years ago, you heaved a sigh of relief, that after so many reports of the world coming to an end, the millenium actually started with very few technical hickups. Pity the people with German cards then, who woke up on the 1st of Jan 2010 and tried to pay for their shopping, take out money from the ATM, or were on holiday trying to pay for that expensive meal they just ate - and finding out that there's a technical glitch with the chips on their cards and they don't work. Well this happened to around 30 million German card holders, who were without resolve until yesterday. Of course, this comes on top of the fact that in November last year, over 100 thousand German credit cards had to be recalled after there was a security breach in the payment system, and they were being used without the owners consent.
Well, there's been a lot of snow chaos going on all over Europe, temperatures reaching -22 degrees, airports being closed, planes being cancelled, lorries and cars in pile-ups and accidents, and water pipes bursting. If it wasn't so cold out there I'd take some photos and put them up, but you'll have to make do with this link to the BBC article here.
Wrap up well !
If you're going shopping at Lidl in Spain, maybe you should take a closer look at that package of bananas you put in your trolley after one kilo bags of cocaine were found to be hidden in amongst the fruit. I suppose there's going to be someone that's not too happy about losing so much powder, and then there's going to be someone who's very happy with their latest banana trifle ;)
Spain's PM, Zapatero has often been likened to TV personality Mr Bean. So it was a funny surprise to see that a hacker had exchanged the PM's photo on his website for the new EU presidency for that of the comic. It would be interesting to find out how many people had seen the site without realising there had been a switch...
Ten years ago, you heaved a sigh of relief, that after so many reports of the world coming to an end, the millenium actually started with very few technical hickups. Pity the people with German cards then, who woke up on the 1st of Jan 2010 and tried to pay for their shopping, take out money from the ATM, or were on holiday trying to pay for that expensive meal they just ate - and finding out that there's a technical glitch with the chips on their cards and they don't work. Well this happened to around 30 million German card holders, who were without resolve until yesterday. Of course, this comes on top of the fact that in November last year, over 100 thousand German credit cards had to be recalled after there was a security breach in the payment system, and they were being used without the owners consent.
Well, there's been a lot of snow chaos going on all over Europe, temperatures reaching -22 degrees, airports being closed, planes being cancelled, lorries and cars in pile-ups and accidents, and water pipes bursting. If it wasn't so cold out there I'd take some photos and put them up, but you'll have to make do with this link to the BBC article here.
Wrap up well !
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Cheese Charge, Being Swedish and Marmite Thefts
So, what's being going on this winter so far? After having the family over for Christmas Markets visit (and Clive getting addicted to the Glow Juice), Tati and Jan got married, and we had the first snow.
In fact, the first snow happened yesterday with -4 degrees, and despite being predicted, caused large scale chaos in Mainz. The buses were all held up as the city came to a standstill with the roads all gridlocked for about 4 hours. The roads and pavements were of course not gritted, so became sheets of black ice, and the emergency vehicles couldn't get through the traffic. This morning we had -13 degrees...
Hopefully you're not traveling off to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific, as it is currently having problems with mysterious toilet blockages on it's flights. If you are traveling these holidays, then now you know why the extra sick bags can be found in front of you...
You either love it or you hate it, but this saying is being brought to extremes as a petrol station manager is having to lock away his jars of marmite behind the counter after they were targeted in multiple robberies. It is not mentioned whether the assailants were armed with twiglets...
Ever wondered what being Swedish is all about? Well according to a local politician part of it is the ability to swing both ways in the same day. If you want the more detailed and exact definition she gave, check out this link.
The Cosmopolitan has some sound advice for those of you wanting to make sure you do everything possible not to catch the swine flu: avoid the missionary position - adopt the reverse cowgirl. Nice to know that they are thinking of our best interests...
The financial crisis is having it's effects felt everywhere. In Aachen, Germany a 74 year-old man and a 53 year-old woman disagreed about possession of the trolley. So to sort it out the woman got hold of a 4 pound wedge of parmesan cheese, and used it as a dagger, whilst the man counter-attacked with a stick of salami. The woman had to be treated for a cracked head at the end of the day. It is not mentioned who ended up with the trolley, nor what products were obviously so valuable...
History has been made by a man in the US who was put away in jail at the age of 19 for 35 years, only to be freed now on DNA evidence. Looking at the t-shirt he was wearing, maybe the police could have gotten a clue t his innocence a bit earlier on...
Well, nothing like freezing at home, wondering when the summer will come (or some more glow-juice, hey Clive?).
Wrap up warm...
So, what's being going on this winter so far? After having the family over for Christmas Markets visit (and Clive getting addicted to the Glow Juice), Tati and Jan got married, and we had the first snow.
In fact, the first snow happened yesterday with -4 degrees, and despite being predicted, caused large scale chaos in Mainz. The buses were all held up as the city came to a standstill with the roads all gridlocked for about 4 hours. The roads and pavements were of course not gritted, so became sheets of black ice, and the emergency vehicles couldn't get through the traffic. This morning we had -13 degrees...
Hopefully you're not traveling off to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific, as it is currently having problems with mysterious toilet blockages on it's flights. If you are traveling these holidays, then now you know why the extra sick bags can be found in front of you...
You either love it or you hate it, but this saying is being brought to extremes as a petrol station manager is having to lock away his jars of marmite behind the counter after they were targeted in multiple robberies. It is not mentioned whether the assailants were armed with twiglets...
Ever wondered what being Swedish is all about? Well according to a local politician part of it is the ability to swing both ways in the same day. If you want the more detailed and exact definition she gave, check out this link.
The Cosmopolitan has some sound advice for those of you wanting to make sure you do everything possible not to catch the swine flu: avoid the missionary position - adopt the reverse cowgirl. Nice to know that they are thinking of our best interests...
The financial crisis is having it's effects felt everywhere. In Aachen, Germany a 74 year-old man and a 53 year-old woman disagreed about possession of the trolley. So to sort it out the woman got hold of a 4 pound wedge of parmesan cheese, and used it as a dagger, whilst the man counter-attacked with a stick of salami. The woman had to be treated for a cracked head at the end of the day. It is not mentioned who ended up with the trolley, nor what products were obviously so valuable...
History has been made by a man in the US who was put away in jail at the age of 19 for 35 years, only to be freed now on DNA evidence. Looking at the t-shirt he was wearing, maybe the police could have gotten a clue t his innocence a bit earlier on...
Well, nothing like freezing at home, wondering when the summer will come (or some more glow-juice, hey Clive?).
Wrap up warm...
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Spanish Helping Hand, Stolen Cafe and Female Blue Pills
Government education plans have always been criticized as too simple, too difficult or too expensive. Well the Spanish region of Extremadura has hit the headlines after they have put forward 14000 euros for booklets telling children how to go solo (and no, I'm not talking about flying across the channel). It's not mentioned whether they get practical lessons too, and if they do, whether it's in mixed classes...
Imagine going in to work one day to find the building gone. Well that's what happened to the owner of the Tip Top Tasters Cafe in Keighley. The 2.5 tonnes of building with all of it's contents went missing overnight and nobody saw anything. Next time maybe chain it to a bike rack...
Now woman are allowed to get a similar amount of spam mail as men after the discovery of a drug that is claimed to be a female viagra. Look out for the Christmas his'n her sets this December in your local pharmacy...
And finally good news for men everywhere. Alcohol is good for our hearts. In fact, according to this report, having more of it makes our hearts better still. Somehow I have a feeling this news will be shot down by various medics though...
Well, get out there and do your xmas shopping...
Government education plans have always been criticized as too simple, too difficult or too expensive. Well the Spanish region of Extremadura has hit the headlines after they have put forward 14000 euros for booklets telling children how to go solo (and no, I'm not talking about flying across the channel). It's not mentioned whether they get practical lessons too, and if they do, whether it's in mixed classes...
Imagine going in to work one day to find the building gone. Well that's what happened to the owner of the Tip Top Tasters Cafe in Keighley. The 2.5 tonnes of building with all of it's contents went missing overnight and nobody saw anything. Next time maybe chain it to a bike rack...
Now woman are allowed to get a similar amount of spam mail as men after the discovery of a drug that is claimed to be a female viagra. Look out for the Christmas his'n her sets this December in your local pharmacy...
And finally good news for men everywhere. Alcohol is good for our hearts. In fact, according to this report, having more of it makes our hearts better still. Somehow I have a feeling this news will be shot down by various medics though...
Well, get out there and do your xmas shopping...
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Huge Meatballs, Oxford Street X, and Sexy Accents
So you thought the triple decker burgers were an exaggeration? How about a meatball that weighs in at 101 kilos ? Thankfully all that meat didn't go to waste - it was donated to a local kitchen to feed the hungry. It isn't noted, however, how many of them it managed to feed...
Oxford Circus has a new crossing. Based on a japanese design, it's based on the X shape, and apparently carries up to 70% more people across it. This blogger will be taking a look at it in the near future and be letting you know if he feels like there's 70% more space around him when he crosses it...
The Italians have been toppled ! The Irish have gone up to 1st position in the tables of sexiest accents in the world. The Scottish, Welsh and English are also in the top 10. In fact, all bar Australian and American were European accents. I suppose, had all the poor people in world also been given a chance to vote, maybe this would have changed the results. In fact, if the survey was done in more languages it would also maybe have attracted some of the more populous countries like China and India to take part. Then again, maybe they did, and still found the Irish accent the sexiest...
Ever thought bats were boring, nocturnal creatures that don't get to enjoy life? Well, think again, as the latest edition of Science has an article describing how asian bats get up to all sorts of naughty business that would put viagra-fuelled monkeys to shame. It doesn't state, though, whether this is due to them hanging upside down all day and the blood rushing to their heads...
Prepare yourself for Guy Fawkes Night...
So you thought the triple decker burgers were an exaggeration? How about a meatball that weighs in at 101 kilos ? Thankfully all that meat didn't go to waste - it was donated to a local kitchen to feed the hungry. It isn't noted, however, how many of them it managed to feed...
Oxford Circus has a new crossing. Based on a japanese design, it's based on the X shape, and apparently carries up to 70% more people across it. This blogger will be taking a look at it in the near future and be letting you know if he feels like there's 70% more space around him when he crosses it...
The Italians have been toppled ! The Irish have gone up to 1st position in the tables of sexiest accents in the world. The Scottish, Welsh and English are also in the top 10. In fact, all bar Australian and American were European accents. I suppose, had all the poor people in world also been given a chance to vote, maybe this would have changed the results. In fact, if the survey was done in more languages it would also maybe have attracted some of the more populous countries like China and India to take part. Then again, maybe they did, and still found the Irish accent the sexiest...
Ever thought bats were boring, nocturnal creatures that don't get to enjoy life? Well, think again, as the latest edition of Science has an article describing how asian bats get up to all sorts of naughty business that would put viagra-fuelled monkeys to shame. It doesn't state, though, whether this is due to them hanging upside down all day and the blood rushing to their heads...
Prepare yourself for Guy Fawkes Night...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Childish Lemonade and Online Memories
Fentimans traditional Victorian lemonade, fermented over 7 days, has caused controversy in the US, after the natural alcohol content of 0.5% was noticed by a schoolboy in Maine. He then complained to the principal and it's escalated up through the police and the state Attorney General's office.
All this over a drink that's been legally classified as a soft drink. It makes me wonder why this kid decided to tell his principal. Was he annoyed that he wasn't getting drunk on something he saw had alcohol content on the label? Did he try drinking 16 bottles to get the equivalent of a pint of weak beer? Or did he just not like the Victorian age in his history class? Well, at least it made sales soar with all the media interest...
Ever thought that technology is all well and good, but as soon as you die, it's not really helpful anymore? In order to prove this wrong, facebook has introduced a new feature allowing you to enshrine a profile as a memorial to that person. So just wait to hear about some celebrity's profile being hacked to make it look like they've died, especially around April 1st...
On top of that, if you're not quite sure where to get burial apparel, then don't worry, Walmart now has a selection of coffins for you to order online. Start getting worried when they have them on offer "2-for-1"...
So another month draws to an end, and in the next couple of days there are a few birthdays to celebrate. Mavi with be blowing out candles on Sunday, as will Patricia on Monday. Also on Sunday, Mariette will be christened. Enjoy !
Fentimans traditional Victorian lemonade, fermented over 7 days, has caused controversy in the US, after the natural alcohol content of 0.5% was noticed by a schoolboy in Maine. He then complained to the principal and it's escalated up through the police and the state Attorney General's office.
All this over a drink that's been legally classified as a soft drink. It makes me wonder why this kid decided to tell his principal. Was he annoyed that he wasn't getting drunk on something he saw had alcohol content on the label? Did he try drinking 16 bottles to get the equivalent of a pint of weak beer? Or did he just not like the Victorian age in his history class? Well, at least it made sales soar with all the media interest...
Ever thought that technology is all well and good, but as soon as you die, it's not really helpful anymore? In order to prove this wrong, facebook has introduced a new feature allowing you to enshrine a profile as a memorial to that person. So just wait to hear about some celebrity's profile being hacked to make it look like they've died, especially around April 1st...
On top of that, if you're not quite sure where to get burial apparel, then don't worry, Walmart now has a selection of coffins for you to order online. Start getting worried when they have them on offer "2-for-1"...
So another month draws to an end, and in the next couple of days there are a few birthdays to celebrate. Mavi with be blowing out candles on Sunday, as will Patricia on Monday. Also on Sunday, Mariette will be christened. Enjoy !
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Battle of the Whales, Healing Curry and Court (in)Security
An event until now not captured on film, the BBC have managed to witness humpback whales fighting of the female. The video is worth watching here. It's amazing how close one can get, and feel like you can touch them (without getting hurt or wet, of course).
What students have been using for decades as a hangover cure, the humble curry now seems to also have cancer-healing powers.
Now those students (who are now more grown up) have a new excuse for going down the curry house - just trying to keep healthy, my dear !
In Germany, the trial begins of a man that stabbed a muslim woman to death in a courtroom. The original case was about defamation in the playground, but obviously it's gotten a bit more serious than that now. Let's just hope that they check for weapons at the court doors this time around...
Another case of ID cards not adding up today. This time, it's been calculated from government figures about total cost of the scheme, and cost for each person, that in order to be self-financing (as the government has said it will be) there need to be 28 million people that voluntarily join the scheme (and pay up the 30 pounds for the privilege). That's nearly half of all people in Britain ! Good to know that we are talking in realistic figures then. Maybe it would have been better to join up with the national lottery, and for every ID card registered, you get a free chance at the jackpot millions? It might make it past the two thousand volunteers that signed up in Manchester then. I thought maths was obligatory at all schools. Even those which politicians go to...
Just popping out for a curry... ;)
An event until now not captured on film, the BBC have managed to witness humpback whales fighting of the female. The video is worth watching here. It's amazing how close one can get, and feel like you can touch them (without getting hurt or wet, of course).
What students have been using for decades as a hangover cure, the humble curry now seems to also have cancer-healing powers.
Now those students (who are now more grown up) have a new excuse for going down the curry house - just trying to keep healthy, my dear !
In Germany, the trial begins of a man that stabbed a muslim woman to death in a courtroom. The original case was about defamation in the playground, but obviously it's gotten a bit more serious than that now. Let's just hope that they check for weapons at the court doors this time around...
Another case of ID cards not adding up today. This time, it's been calculated from government figures about total cost of the scheme, and cost for each person, that in order to be self-financing (as the government has said it will be) there need to be 28 million people that voluntarily join the scheme (and pay up the 30 pounds for the privilege). That's nearly half of all people in Britain ! Good to know that we are talking in realistic figures then. Maybe it would have been better to join up with the national lottery, and for every ID card registered, you get a free chance at the jackpot millions? It might make it past the two thousand volunteers that signed up in Manchester then. I thought maths was obligatory at all schools. Even those which politicians go to...
Just popping out for a curry... ;)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Celebrity Hitmen, PC Nursery Rhymes, and Messed Up Monkeys
So you are doing a show of murders that are happening in your city. Things are a bit slow. What do you do? Well, this Brazilian TV host decided to set about ordering killings which just happened to be his rivals in the drug trade. I wonder if one should start investigating Crimewatch...
Political 'correctness' is coming into the BBC now, where they've just made the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme have a happy ending. Isn't there any topic that doesn't end up being savaged by such political nonsense?
Fifteen years ago, pregnant monkeys were given cocaine. Now their middle-aged children are showing the effects. The male monkeys that were inside the womb at the time of the drug intake are impatient, and have no self control. I suppose the female monkeys were like this at this age anyway, which is why they didn't notice a difference...
Keep those monkeys happy...
So you are doing a show of murders that are happening in your city. Things are a bit slow. What do you do? Well, this Brazilian TV host decided to set about ordering killings which just happened to be his rivals in the drug trade. I wonder if one should start investigating Crimewatch...
Political 'correctness' is coming into the BBC now, where they've just made the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme have a happy ending. Isn't there any topic that doesn't end up being savaged by such political nonsense?
Fifteen years ago, pregnant monkeys were given cocaine. Now their middle-aged children are showing the effects. The male monkeys that were inside the womb at the time of the drug intake are impatient, and have no self control. I suppose the female monkeys were like this at this age anyway, which is why they didn't notice a difference...
Keep those monkeys happy...
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Driving Beer, PC Brain, Peruvian Food, and Conker Clampdown
We all know you shouldn't drink and drive. But how about driving your beer? That's what an German biker tried out, converting a beer crate into a sort of quad bike. Despite the police saying it was va very clever idea, they still confiscated it as an illegal vehicle. It isn't mentioned whether to go faster you have to drop balast, or drink a beer...
There are all sorts of addons for your PC. But I bet you never say a pulsating brain? Looking pretty life like, this gadget pulsates with the processor, expanding when the CPU is busy, and shrinking when it's running idle. You just have to see the video to believe it...
Peru is combatting the crisis by pushing it's food business. In fact, there are so many people interested in becoming cooks there, it's hard to find a place on a course. You could of course take the other route (preferred by this author) of just eating the food cooked by the peruvian cooks ;)
Here's waiting for some peruvian restaurants to appear around here soon...
I remember collecting a huge bag of conkers whilst doing the paper round and bringing them into school to try my luck in the one of the best playground games. It seems to have become a bit less fun nowadays, as officials in a village conker tournament in Gloucestershire have been checking all pieces of string, and putting the conkers in a vice to check that they haven't been tampered with. I suppose there will be no hot food being sold at this competition, as otherwise those unscrupulous players will be putting their conkers in the oven with vinegar to improve their chances...
Colombia is attracting tourists to an area that until recently was impossible to visit due to security fears. La Macarena is an area of natural beauty with it's famed red-tinted water, which is now attracting visitors doing eco-tourism. Hopefully this can keep up and the income can help to make more areas of this amazing country accessible to others...
Are you a fan of Friends? Or rather, were you? Well head down to London where they have built the Central Perk coffee shop and fitted it out with all the props that were seen on the set. Of course, the couch is the most attractive of them all to the visitors, as most of the filming was done on there, so get a drink, sit back and remember those good times...
Ever wondered what all the fuss was about in the playground when the latest fashion accessory is some cheapy plastic wristband? Well, wonder no more, as this article (commenting on an article in the Sun) explains it all. Just makes you wonder what really is going on behind those innocent faces...
The Wisconsin Tourism Federation has decided to change it's name that it has had since 1979 after realising that it might mean something else now. WTF will now be known as TFW (Tourism Federation of Wisconsin). Maybe they should have checked the meaning of this new acronym as well, as this page shows...
Now let's get those winter clothes out...
We all know you shouldn't drink and drive. But how about driving your beer? That's what an German biker tried out, converting a beer crate into a sort of quad bike. Despite the police saying it was va very clever idea, they still confiscated it as an illegal vehicle. It isn't mentioned whether to go faster you have to drop balast, or drink a beer...
There are all sorts of addons for your PC. But I bet you never say a pulsating brain? Looking pretty life like, this gadget pulsates with the processor, expanding when the CPU is busy, and shrinking when it's running idle. You just have to see the video to believe it...
Peru is combatting the crisis by pushing it's food business. In fact, there are so many people interested in becoming cooks there, it's hard to find a place on a course. You could of course take the other route (preferred by this author) of just eating the food cooked by the peruvian cooks ;)
Here's waiting for some peruvian restaurants to appear around here soon...
I remember collecting a huge bag of conkers whilst doing the paper round and bringing them into school to try my luck in the one of the best playground games. It seems to have become a bit less fun nowadays, as officials in a village conker tournament in Gloucestershire have been checking all pieces of string, and putting the conkers in a vice to check that they haven't been tampered with. I suppose there will be no hot food being sold at this competition, as otherwise those unscrupulous players will be putting their conkers in the oven with vinegar to improve their chances...
Colombia is attracting tourists to an area that until recently was impossible to visit due to security fears. La Macarena is an area of natural beauty with it's famed red-tinted water, which is now attracting visitors doing eco-tourism. Hopefully this can keep up and the income can help to make more areas of this amazing country accessible to others...
Are you a fan of Friends? Or rather, were you? Well head down to London where they have built the Central Perk coffee shop and fitted it out with all the props that were seen on the set. Of course, the couch is the most attractive of them all to the visitors, as most of the filming was done on there, so get a drink, sit back and remember those good times...
Ever wondered what all the fuss was about in the playground when the latest fashion accessory is some cheapy plastic wristband? Well, wonder no more, as this article (commenting on an article in the Sun) explains it all. Just makes you wonder what really is going on behind those innocent faces...
The Wisconsin Tourism Federation has decided to change it's name that it has had since 1979 after realising that it might mean something else now. WTF will now be known as TFW (Tourism Federation of Wisconsin). Maybe they should have checked the meaning of this new acronym as well, as this page shows...
Now let's get those winter clothes out...
Two Weddings, Six Spanish Cities, and a lot of Friends
What a lot of news ! I don't know where to begin...
A few days spent in the Spanish capital Madrid, seeing Javi and Andrea (preparing themselves for their wedding to come) as well as Lourdes (with whom we had the cheapest three rounds of drinks ever - it cost us negative 6 euros). The city was also visited, taking in the sights from the Turibus, having a coffee at the Juan Valdez, and having some great vegetarian food with Andrea and a menu del dia with Lourdes.
It was then off to Valencia by train. Here we stayed with Gemma, Victor, Alejandra and the newly born Claudia. The wedding of Fernando and Valeria was what everyone was waiting for here, and so we also met up with Nuria, Sylvia, Joan, Luca, Albakra and Sofia, Jose Marques and Angela, Paolo, Ali and Luigi, Juanfran, Bruno, Carmen, and many others that I'm sure to have forgotten to list here. Fun was had by all.
From here we went down to Cordoba, where arriving at 7pm with 34 degrees, we realised we weren't going to need any warm clothes. Great Mezquita, again great food, and then it was off the next day to Malaga. More specifically Torre del Mar. Here we met up with Marilo and Julio with their newborn Javi. Time was spent sunbathing on the beach and generally enjoying the seaside life in October.
Flying from Malaga to San Sebastian, we arrived just in time to miss the bus, so had to make our way by taxi to the city. The place is amazing. A proper sandy beach right next to the old town, with pintxos to be eaten non stop. Here we met up with Albakra and Sofia, Paolo, Jaume and Maria Jose, Albe, Luca, Jordi, el Putogues and Francesca, and Juanfran to go off to the wedding of Javi and Andrea. Here we ate until we were full, and then some more. The wedding was great, the meal was also enjoyed, and the party afterwards was just perfect for letting down your hair. Definitely a trip to remember !
From here it was then off to Bilbao before making our way to Santander to catch the plane back to Germany. Arriving to 6 degrees was a bit of a shock to us after temperatures of 30 degrees above that in Spain.
So many people, places and types of food (just think of those gambas in San Sebastian...) and all in all a very enjoyable trip. Now let's prepare the next one...
What a lot of news ! I don't know where to begin...
A few days spent in the Spanish capital Madrid, seeing Javi and Andrea (preparing themselves for their wedding to come) as well as Lourdes (with whom we had the cheapest three rounds of drinks ever - it cost us negative 6 euros). The city was also visited, taking in the sights from the Turibus, having a coffee at the Juan Valdez, and having some great vegetarian food with Andrea and a menu del dia with Lourdes.
It was then off to Valencia by train. Here we stayed with Gemma, Victor, Alejandra and the newly born Claudia. The wedding of Fernando and Valeria was what everyone was waiting for here, and so we also met up with Nuria, Sylvia, Joan, Luca, Albakra and Sofia, Jose Marques and Angela, Paolo, Ali and Luigi, Juanfran, Bruno, Carmen, and many others that I'm sure to have forgotten to list here. Fun was had by all.
From here we went down to Cordoba, where arriving at 7pm with 34 degrees, we realised we weren't going to need any warm clothes. Great Mezquita, again great food, and then it was off the next day to Malaga. More specifically Torre del Mar. Here we met up with Marilo and Julio with their newborn Javi. Time was spent sunbathing on the beach and generally enjoying the seaside life in October.
Flying from Malaga to San Sebastian, we arrived just in time to miss the bus, so had to make our way by taxi to the city. The place is amazing. A proper sandy beach right next to the old town, with pintxos to be eaten non stop. Here we met up with Albakra and Sofia, Paolo, Jaume and Maria Jose, Albe, Luca, Jordi, el Putogues and Francesca, and Juanfran to go off to the wedding of Javi and Andrea. Here we ate until we were full, and then some more. The wedding was great, the meal was also enjoyed, and the party afterwards was just perfect for letting down your hair. Definitely a trip to remember !
From here it was then off to Bilbao before making our way to Santander to catch the plane back to Germany. Arriving to 6 degrees was a bit of a shock to us after temperatures of 30 degrees above that in Spain.
So many people, places and types of food (just think of those gambas in San Sebastian...) and all in all a very enjoyable trip. Now let's prepare the next one...
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Ammo Rationing, Nude German Rights and Intimate Millions
Rumours abound when people start fearing something is about to happen. Look at the US. People believing Obama is about to stop sales of weapons have been buying up every last bit of ammunition available to them. The factories have been working 24/7 to try to keep up with demand, and Walmart has been forced to ration the sale of bullets per customer. Yes, you read that right. I didn't know either that whilst buying my groceries I could also pick up a good few rounds of armour-piercing weaponry...
Those Germans. What have they done now? Well...seeing as they love nudity so much (although I must say the adverts on TV are definitely reducing the amount of flesh they show, thankfully), a campsite owner is creating the first nudist walking trail. Yes, put on your walking boots, thick winter socks, backpack, headgear and gloves, just leave your trousers at home...
So you are a truck driver travelling along a major road in Sweden, what would be more normal than pleasuring yourself at the wheel, right? Well, that's what this German truck driver did, whilst also high on drugs, causing his truck to tip over and block the road for over 10 hours. When police interviewed him to find out what happened he began to pleasure himself again in front of them. As you can imagine, the police were not too pleased, and took him away to their station.
Just imagine the calls from people held up going to work, phoning their bosses: "Hi, I'm sorry, I'm not going to be coming in to work today, I'm in a 10 hour tailback because of some German w***ker".
Staying with Sweden - apparently the military are being heavily criticised, as their uniform bras are exploding in combat. Yes, due to all that hard work they pop open or burn up, causing a fire beneath the rest of their clothing. Both cases require the quick removal of their outer clothing. Apparently there are plenty of military men only too willing to help them in their hour of need.
You may think that this would deter women from entering the Swedish armed forces. Apparently not. This year there are over 2000 young women who have signed up to join. I would love to draw conclusions, but it's probably best I don't...
Ever wondered what your Sex degrees of seperation are? Well, according to Lloyds Pharmacy (no direct relation) the average guy or gal in the UK gets around with 2.8 million people (no, you're not missing out on something here, don't get worried yet). These are statistics of taking your partner's partners, their partners etc for 6 degrees. Of course, the reason behind publishing these statistics are not too well hidden. You can buy a testing kit from said pharmacy for a princely sum of 75 pounds...
Private data is just much too handle nowadays. I mean, who wants the responsability to keep hold of thousand or even millions of people's personal information? Well Demon ISP obviously don't, as they sent out a file with all the data of 3600 customers in it, to those customers. So if you wanted to find out the username and password of New Scotland Yard, for instance, you just had to scroll. Maybe someday somebody will get reprimanded big time for such lapses of security...
So, another month drawing to an end, and this time a bit of a break for you. Yes, this blogger sometimes needs a rest too ;)
We'll meet again...
Rumours abound when people start fearing something is about to happen. Look at the US. People believing Obama is about to stop sales of weapons have been buying up every last bit of ammunition available to them. The factories have been working 24/7 to try to keep up with demand, and Walmart has been forced to ration the sale of bullets per customer. Yes, you read that right. I didn't know either that whilst buying my groceries I could also pick up a good few rounds of armour-piercing weaponry...
Those Germans. What have they done now? Well...seeing as they love nudity so much (although I must say the adverts on TV are definitely reducing the amount of flesh they show, thankfully), a campsite owner is creating the first nudist walking trail. Yes, put on your walking boots, thick winter socks, backpack, headgear and gloves, just leave your trousers at home...
So you are a truck driver travelling along a major road in Sweden, what would be more normal than pleasuring yourself at the wheel, right? Well, that's what this German truck driver did, whilst also high on drugs, causing his truck to tip over and block the road for over 10 hours. When police interviewed him to find out what happened he began to pleasure himself again in front of them. As you can imagine, the police were not too pleased, and took him away to their station.
Just imagine the calls from people held up going to work, phoning their bosses: "Hi, I'm sorry, I'm not going to be coming in to work today, I'm in a 10 hour tailback because of some German w***ker".
Staying with Sweden - apparently the military are being heavily criticised, as their uniform bras are exploding in combat. Yes, due to all that hard work they pop open or burn up, causing a fire beneath the rest of their clothing. Both cases require the quick removal of their outer clothing. Apparently there are plenty of military men only too willing to help them in their hour of need.
You may think that this would deter women from entering the Swedish armed forces. Apparently not. This year there are over 2000 young women who have signed up to join. I would love to draw conclusions, but it's probably best I don't...
Ever wondered what your Sex degrees of seperation are? Well, according to Lloyds Pharmacy (no direct relation) the average guy or gal in the UK gets around with 2.8 million people (no, you're not missing out on something here, don't get worried yet). These are statistics of taking your partner's partners, their partners etc for 6 degrees. Of course, the reason behind publishing these statistics are not too well hidden. You can buy a testing kit from said pharmacy for a princely sum of 75 pounds...
Private data is just much too handle nowadays. I mean, who wants the responsability to keep hold of thousand or even millions of people's personal information? Well Demon ISP obviously don't, as they sent out a file with all the data of 3600 customers in it, to those customers. So if you wanted to find out the username and password of New Scotland Yard, for instance, you just had to scroll. Maybe someday somebody will get reprimanded big time for such lapses of security...
So, another month drawing to an end, and this time a bit of a break for you. Yes, this blogger sometimes needs a rest too ;)
We'll meet again...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Japanese Gropers, Digital Inclusion, and Hospital Food Blog
First up, congratulations to Gema, who has just given birth to her second daughter Claudia. We can't wait to see her !
Of course, we can't forget Gigi's birthday either, albeit celebrated a bit late in an indian restaurant with a circling fly.
If you're out and about in Japan on the train system and female, then maybe it's worth checking out some websites to find out which lines not to go on, after a man arrested for groping a student told police that he chose that line because it got top marks for gropeability on a website he visited. And you thought there are some things not done yet on the internet...
Everything's possible in Second Life. Which is why it is also currently being sued for allowing counterfeit goods to be produced and sold. But these aren't just any normal goods, rather a specific type of sex toy that the creators claim have been copied by others, and the owners of the Application haven't done enough to stop it. I wonder if the laywers have to file their case from within the program...
The Office for Digital Inclusion (making all people have a computer, whether they like it or not) have managed to really spread the word, as their offices were broken into and all the PCs stolen. Sounds like that their marketing program did it's job then...
When you are laid up in hospital (yes, this includes Carlitos still) with pain, lack of sleep, strangers all around you, and very few friendly visits, you would hope that at least the food would cheer you up. Well, take a look at this blog, written from a hospital bed, detailing in pictures what gets served up at his bedside every day. I'm thinking of collecting all my tinned vegetables together and sending them across to him...
And for those students out there, if you are interested in getting hold of a copy of Microsoft's new operating system, then head along to this page, where you will be able to get Windows 7 for a measly 30 dollars or pounds...
Be thankful for your food...
First up, congratulations to Gema, who has just given birth to her second daughter Claudia. We can't wait to see her !
Of course, we can't forget Gigi's birthday either, albeit celebrated a bit late in an indian restaurant with a circling fly.
If you're out and about in Japan on the train system and female, then maybe it's worth checking out some websites to find out which lines not to go on, after a man arrested for groping a student told police that he chose that line because it got top marks for gropeability on a website he visited. And you thought there are some things not done yet on the internet...
Everything's possible in Second Life. Which is why it is also currently being sued for allowing counterfeit goods to be produced and sold. But these aren't just any normal goods, rather a specific type of sex toy that the creators claim have been copied by others, and the owners of the Application haven't done enough to stop it. I wonder if the laywers have to file their case from within the program...
The Office for Digital Inclusion (making all people have a computer, whether they like it or not) have managed to really spread the word, as their offices were broken into and all the PCs stolen. Sounds like that their marketing program did it's job then...
When you are laid up in hospital (yes, this includes Carlitos still) with pain, lack of sleep, strangers all around you, and very few friendly visits, you would hope that at least the food would cheer you up. Well, take a look at this blog, written from a hospital bed, detailing in pictures what gets served up at his bedside every day. I'm thinking of collecting all my tinned vegetables together and sending them across to him...
And for those students out there, if you are interested in getting hold of a copy of Microsoft's new operating system, then head along to this page, where you will be able to get Windows 7 for a measly 30 dollars or pounds...
Be thankful for your food...
Monday, September 14, 2009
Carnivals, Hi-Tech Wheelchairs, and Unhealthy Bed-Sharing
So, another August goes by, and another month of carnivals also survived. After the South American carnival from earlier on in the month, came the Notting Hill Carnival, which celebrates all things caribbean. Weather seemed to hold up, and many got to enjoy what is Europe's biggest street party.
Ever wondered why the wheelchair seems to look the same still as it did in the 1960s? Well, maybe you just haven't seen the latest technology coming out of Japan. Roll up their new product which includes such treats as integrated GPS and mounting from behind.
According to recent research, couples should consider sleeping apart in order to be able to relax whilst in bed. Suggestions like "doing it like the romans" spring to mind, but so do the early 19th century homesteads apparently, where there was enough space in the houses before the industrial revolution came about, to have seperate bedrooms.
According to a recent survey, some people actually believe that kebabs, fizzy drinks and crisps are actually oral contraceptives. Admittedly, if you've just eaten the aforementioned articles, it is definitely going to put any potential partner off, maybe that's what they were meaning...
A Swedish father has decided that he would like to be able to give children milk even when the mother is not there. So instead of just getting a pre-prepared bottle, he decides to massage his chest until after about 2 years he might have managed to produce about one drop of milk. I don't know if there exists a translation in Swedish for efficiency...
Ever wondered what the US government knows about you? Well, have a look at this article which contains the results of a Freedom of Information request, and contains gems such as full credit card numbers, expiry date, even of ones you didn't use for any booking in the US. Feel safe now? In fact, I wonder whether you are covered if these numbers get used fraudulantly? Do you have to prove that your number was on some government database in order to get any of the money back?...
Keep safe...
So, another August goes by, and another month of carnivals also survived. After the South American carnival from earlier on in the month, came the Notting Hill Carnival, which celebrates all things caribbean. Weather seemed to hold up, and many got to enjoy what is Europe's biggest street party.
Ever wondered why the wheelchair seems to look the same still as it did in the 1960s? Well, maybe you just haven't seen the latest technology coming out of Japan. Roll up their new product which includes such treats as integrated GPS and mounting from behind.
According to recent research, couples should consider sleeping apart in order to be able to relax whilst in bed. Suggestions like "doing it like the romans" spring to mind, but so do the early 19th century homesteads apparently, where there was enough space in the houses before the industrial revolution came about, to have seperate bedrooms.
According to a recent survey, some people actually believe that kebabs, fizzy drinks and crisps are actually oral contraceptives. Admittedly, if you've just eaten the aforementioned articles, it is definitely going to put any potential partner off, maybe that's what they were meaning...
A Swedish father has decided that he would like to be able to give children milk even when the mother is not there. So instead of just getting a pre-prepared bottle, he decides to massage his chest until after about 2 years he might have managed to produce about one drop of milk. I don't know if there exists a translation in Swedish for efficiency...
Ever wondered what the US government knows about you? Well, have a look at this article which contains the results of a Freedom of Information request, and contains gems such as full credit card numbers, expiry date, even of ones you didn't use for any booking in the US. Feel safe now? In fact, I wonder whether you are covered if these numbers get used fraudulantly? Do you have to prove that your number was on some government database in order to get any of the money back?...
Keep safe...
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Pornflakes, Stolen Member and Mayoral Miscreants
This Friday saw the visit of Roberto the Italian (as opposed to Roberto the Frenchman). As can be imagined, a visit to the Eisgrub was due, along with Ali, Luigi, Carlitos and Olgui, a few tubes were taken care of...
So you open up a nice new packet of cereal, want to pour on your milk and put the freebie DVD in the computer and watch that keep-fit episode. Imagine how shocked you would be if not only were there aerobics to see, but also plenty of smut. That's what happened to one Swedish woman who said that although she was shocked, she didn't get put off the cereal. In fact she went down the shops to get another packet (to watch the next episode in the series?). So make sure you open the new packets of cereal before your kids get an eyeful of something they shouldn't...
When the Lego version of a giraffe in the Berlin Zoo had its tail stolen again, there were a number of articles about it. None, however, happened to change the story as they UK version of Yahoo! News. They got a bit stuck on where the bit of anatomy came from and wrote:
Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento - the 30 cm long penis of a Lego giraffe.
Notice the careful use of double-entendres as well in that phrase...
Mayors can get found out for fraud, misuse of property, inappropriate expenses claims and taking bribes. But not many stand accused of breaking into women's houses in his district and stealing their underwear. Well, ok, he is no longer a mayor (he resigned after being arrested), but the ex-mayor of a Lancashire town called Preesall is accused of just that. It is not mentioned whether he intended to give them back at all...
Keep an eye on your underwear...
This Friday saw the visit of Roberto the Italian (as opposed to Roberto the Frenchman). As can be imagined, a visit to the Eisgrub was due, along with Ali, Luigi, Carlitos and Olgui, a few tubes were taken care of...
So you open up a nice new packet of cereal, want to pour on your milk and put the freebie DVD in the computer and watch that keep-fit episode. Imagine how shocked you would be if not only were there aerobics to see, but also plenty of smut. That's what happened to one Swedish woman who said that although she was shocked, she didn't get put off the cereal. In fact she went down the shops to get another packet (to watch the next episode in the series?). So make sure you open the new packets of cereal before your kids get an eyeful of something they shouldn't...
When the Lego version of a giraffe in the Berlin Zoo had its tail stolen again, there were a number of articles about it. None, however, happened to change the story as they UK version of Yahoo! News. They got a bit stuck on where the bit of anatomy came from and wrote:
Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento - the 30 cm long penis of a Lego giraffe.
Notice the careful use of double-entendres as well in that phrase...
Mayors can get found out for fraud, misuse of property, inappropriate expenses claims and taking bribes. But not many stand accused of breaking into women's houses in his district and stealing their underwear. Well, ok, he is no longer a mayor (he resigned after being arrested), but the ex-mayor of a Lancashire town called Preesall is accused of just that. It is not mentioned whether he intended to give them back at all...
Keep an eye on your underwear...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Scary Fungi, Scary Politicians, and Lots of Cheese
Ever thought that you should get a certificate for things you do every day? Well, a child from Bury was surprised to learn that he earned a certificate for getting on a bus. Before you laugh this one off, check the end of the article, where it mentions that this brother failed the test...
Twitter is the new texting, the new RSS, the new Facebook. Well, it's also the new botnet gateway, being used to tell computers where to download their latest payloads from. You have to give it to them, it's definitely a novel way of doing it. Let's just hope that it's just as easy to block them, otherwise Twitter will become known as the new malware...
Now for something not so nice. Sorry if you're currently eating...
A fungus has been discovered, that when eating away at living flesh, also controls the nerves and muscles of it's prey and turns them into zombies to go off to where the fungus can spread itself easier. Read the article, and then decide if you really want to do that jungle trip now...
On a similar note, a CDU politician in a district of Berlin decided there was no other option but to do something risque to try and win the local election. The problem is, she used a photo of Angela Merkel and herself, both in low cut tops, with the slogan "we have more to offer". Had they have been of some of Italy's politicians, then maybe it would work, but this...
The size wars have gone a step further now, with Tesco bringing into stock condoms of size XL after a growth in demand. Before you break out the champagne and laugh at the Europeans stuck with just L, take a look at the US where they already have XXL. Show offs...
Feeling a little down in the economy stakes? Got a bit of cheese lying around? Well why not use it as collateral for a loan with your bank. That's what the Italians do. In fact one of the banks which has been doing this since the 1950s has now got over 400 thousand parmesan rounds.
Now you thought that it was enough that Chavez decided to make the Venezualan time zone 30 mins different to what it has been, but spare a thought for the poor Algerians. Their weekend has been changed (again) and will now be Fridays and Saturdays...
Next time you are China don't be surprised if you get offered a piece of Stilton Cheese. Apparently, for the nouvelle riche, it's the status symbol, and western foods are used to impress business colleagues and partners alike. Finally an export market for SPAM...
And in case you are planning on eating rocket salad here in Germany, beware! It doesn't seem to have made it to the English-speaking press except for this one webpage from the Netzeit. Poisonous plants were found in packages of rocket salad in a Plus supermarket here in Germany, which cause damage to the liver. Check here for the information in English, and here for the original article from Der Spiegel in German. Best to keep with the iceberg lettuce then for now...But it always amazes me that this sort of occurrence (like the 5 year old meat that was sold as fresh) doesn't make it outside of Germany...Propaganda still seems to be working then...
And this weekend started off with a visit from Gloria, her sister with husband and child in tow. It was Gloria's first return to Mainz since our Erasmus year in 2000/1 so of course the visit had to include the (now finished) Theatre, Main Station, and of course lunch at the Eisgrub with a meter of beer. Great to see her again, and I think she enjoyed seeing Mainz again. Here's to the next time...
And tomorrow will be Roberto's turn to pay us a visit. Also a long time no see, but of the month variety, not years. Still, always good to catch up on all the gossip...
Don't eat green...
Ever thought that you should get a certificate for things you do every day? Well, a child from Bury was surprised to learn that he earned a certificate for getting on a bus. Before you laugh this one off, check the end of the article, where it mentions that this brother failed the test...
Twitter is the new texting, the new RSS, the new Facebook. Well, it's also the new botnet gateway, being used to tell computers where to download their latest payloads from. You have to give it to them, it's definitely a novel way of doing it. Let's just hope that it's just as easy to block them, otherwise Twitter will become known as the new malware...
Now for something not so nice. Sorry if you're currently eating...
A fungus has been discovered, that when eating away at living flesh, also controls the nerves and muscles of it's prey and turns them into zombies to go off to where the fungus can spread itself easier. Read the article, and then decide if you really want to do that jungle trip now...
On a similar note, a CDU politician in a district of Berlin decided there was no other option but to do something risque to try and win the local election. The problem is, she used a photo of Angela Merkel and herself, both in low cut tops, with the slogan "we have more to offer". Had they have been of some of Italy's politicians, then maybe it would work, but this...
The size wars have gone a step further now, with Tesco bringing into stock condoms of size XL after a growth in demand. Before you break out the champagne and laugh at the Europeans stuck with just L, take a look at the US where they already have XXL. Show offs...
Feeling a little down in the economy stakes? Got a bit of cheese lying around? Well why not use it as collateral for a loan with your bank. That's what the Italians do. In fact one of the banks which has been doing this since the 1950s has now got over 400 thousand parmesan rounds.
Now you thought that it was enough that Chavez decided to make the Venezualan time zone 30 mins different to what it has been, but spare a thought for the poor Algerians. Their weekend has been changed (again) and will now be Fridays and Saturdays...
Next time you are China don't be surprised if you get offered a piece of Stilton Cheese. Apparently, for the nouvelle riche, it's the status symbol, and western foods are used to impress business colleagues and partners alike. Finally an export market for SPAM...
And in case you are planning on eating rocket salad here in Germany, beware! It doesn't seem to have made it to the English-speaking press except for this one webpage from the Netzeit. Poisonous plants were found in packages of rocket salad in a Plus supermarket here in Germany, which cause damage to the liver. Check here for the information in English, and here for the original article from Der Spiegel in German. Best to keep with the iceberg lettuce then for now...But it always amazes me that this sort of occurrence (like the 5 year old meat that was sold as fresh) doesn't make it outside of Germany...Propaganda still seems to be working then...
And this weekend started off with a visit from Gloria, her sister with husband and child in tow. It was Gloria's first return to Mainz since our Erasmus year in 2000/1 so of course the visit had to include the (now finished) Theatre, Main Station, and of course lunch at the Eisgrub with a meter of beer. Great to see her again, and I think she enjoyed seeing Mainz again. Here's to the next time...
And tomorrow will be Roberto's turn to pay us a visit. Also a long time no see, but of the month variety, not years. Still, always good to catch up on all the gossip...
Don't eat green...
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Banking Brothels, Saving Water and Wedding Trains
The economy is in a crisis, you can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, so what do you do? Well ,maybe take a few leaves out of the Japanese banker's book. They have seen that the demand for brothels increase whilst other expenditures, like eating out, have decreased. So, now we know where all those finance people go after being laid off...
It's not just the economy that's in a crisis, so is the health of planet earth. Trying to help out, a Brazilian environmental group have released a video that's making it's rounds on YouTube, encouraging you to take a leak in the shower rather than flushing the toilet. Apparently it saves 12 litres of water per flush...
So what can a groom-to-be do to make his love stand out? How about, get his family and friends together to make the longest wedding train for his bride-to-be, reaching an astonishing 2162m long. The even sowed petals all over it. Apparently, though, the groom's mother didn't think much of the expenditure, and said it was a waste of money. At least the mother-in-law was probably positive about it...
Well, a humid week has been and gone, the thunderclouds are predicted for tonight, so hopefully it will cool off a bit for next week. Beatriz had her birthday picnic out by the river, enjoying the sun whilst one can, and Ester, Salvo etc came back from their Croatia trip full of enthusiasm.
Have a great shower...
The economy is in a crisis, you can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, so what do you do? Well ,maybe take a few leaves out of the Japanese banker's book. They have seen that the demand for brothels increase whilst other expenditures, like eating out, have decreased. So, now we know where all those finance people go after being laid off...
It's not just the economy that's in a crisis, so is the health of planet earth. Trying to help out, a Brazilian environmental group have released a video that's making it's rounds on YouTube, encouraging you to take a leak in the shower rather than flushing the toilet. Apparently it saves 12 litres of water per flush...
So what can a groom-to-be do to make his love stand out? How about, get his family and friends together to make the longest wedding train for his bride-to-be, reaching an astonishing 2162m long. The even sowed petals all over it. Apparently, though, the groom's mother didn't think much of the expenditure, and said it was a waste of money. At least the mother-in-law was probably positive about it...
Well, a humid week has been and gone, the thunderclouds are predicted for tonight, so hopefully it will cool off a bit for next week. Beatriz had her birthday picnic out by the river, enjoying the sun whilst one can, and Ester, Salvo etc came back from their Croatia trip full of enthusiasm.
Have a great shower...
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Expensive Scotch and Housewarming
Ever wanted to taste a really good scotch? Got too much money that just needs to be spent? Well head on down to the Glenfiddich distillary and buy yourself a bottle of 50 year old single malt for the handsome sum of 10 thousand pounds. If you can't quite make that, how about a shot for 357 pounds?
So we went off to Diana and Jan's place for a housewarming party. In the headlands of Hechtsheim, their top floor flat looked out over the rooftops of the surrounding houses, as smoke came out of the BBQ, and the marshmallows were going soft, we all tucked into the home made salads to accompany the meat. Fun was had by all.
Well, a bit short today, but lots to do...
Ever wanted to taste a really good scotch? Got too much money that just needs to be spent? Well head on down to the Glenfiddich distillary and buy yourself a bottle of 50 year old single malt for the handsome sum of 10 thousand pounds. If you can't quite make that, how about a shot for 357 pounds?
So we went off to Diana and Jan's place for a housewarming party. In the headlands of Hechtsheim, their top floor flat looked out over the rooftops of the surrounding houses, as smoke came out of the BBQ, and the marshmallows were going soft, we all tucked into the home made salads to accompany the meat. Fun was had by all.
Well, a bit short today, but lots to do...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Real Balti, Dry Beer, and BBQ Bust-Up
Most of you should know by now that the best thing to come out of Birmingham is the balti. Okay, that's harsh. The best foodstuff to come out of brum is the balti. How's that? Well, in order to protect it's reputation and stop other people coming along and trying to pretend to serve up a real balti, Birmingham County Council is considering taking it up with the European Union to protect it's assets. Yep, prepare to see it alongside such protected names as Champagne, Wensleydale, and Yorkshire Pudding. Now where's my balti dish...
It shouldn't happen. It just shouldn't happen. But the Beer on the Wye fetival had to be called off early as they ran out of beer. Yes, you read it correctly, the visitors appeared to be so thirsty that despite picking up another 18 barrels on the saturday, they still couldn't keep up with demand. I don't know whether to praise the participants for setting a good example, or to condone the organisers for not being well enough prepared...
Ever wondered what sort of discounts you get for being a cyclist? Well head over to Berlin where the current offer is for a 5 Euro discount off an intimate affair (or as TheRegister accurately puts it "a pop"). Just don't forget to take off your reflective trouser clips...
Fancy having a barbie for your birthday? A nice small group of 15 friends burning their sausages and talking about the old days...just be careful you don't mention it on any social network site. After announcing one on facebook as being an all-nighter (open-end til the food or beer runs out), one man was surprised to see a handful of police cars, a riot van, as well as a police helicopter arriving to shut them down. They didn't even get the music plugged in. Maybe that's why so many people turned up to the Beer on the Wye festival...a lot safer...
Want to know where to get your next joint? Got an iPhone? Well look no further than this new application that let's you know where your nearest dispenser is, and has a list of local lawyers too in case you get busted by the cops. Takes all the fun out of asking dodgy people on corners...
Next time you go to a charity shop, take a good look before you pick something up, after a Claymore mine was dropped off at one shop in Colorado. Luckily nobody thought about packing it in a box with other items on top...
Ever on your bike and realise you're mobile needs charging, but don't have the time to do it at home before you need to go out again? Well why not use your own pedal power to charge it whilst you're on the move? Two students in Kenya have produced these pedal chargers and hope to be making some more soon once they've finished their studies. Next up you'll need to charge the bike GPS as well...
Keep safe on the streets...
Most of you should know by now that the best thing to come out of Birmingham is the balti. Okay, that's harsh. The best foodstuff to come out of brum is the balti. How's that? Well, in order to protect it's reputation and stop other people coming along and trying to pretend to serve up a real balti, Birmingham County Council is considering taking it up with the European Union to protect it's assets. Yep, prepare to see it alongside such protected names as Champagne, Wensleydale, and Yorkshire Pudding. Now where's my balti dish...
It shouldn't happen. It just shouldn't happen. But the Beer on the Wye fetival had to be called off early as they ran out of beer. Yes, you read it correctly, the visitors appeared to be so thirsty that despite picking up another 18 barrels on the saturday, they still couldn't keep up with demand. I don't know whether to praise the participants for setting a good example, or to condone the organisers for not being well enough prepared...
Ever wondered what sort of discounts you get for being a cyclist? Well head over to Berlin where the current offer is for a 5 Euro discount off an intimate affair (or as TheRegister accurately puts it "a pop"). Just don't forget to take off your reflective trouser clips...
Fancy having a barbie for your birthday? A nice small group of 15 friends burning their sausages and talking about the old days...just be careful you don't mention it on any social network site. After announcing one on facebook as being an all-nighter (open-end til the food or beer runs out), one man was surprised to see a handful of police cars, a riot van, as well as a police helicopter arriving to shut them down. They didn't even get the music plugged in. Maybe that's why so many people turned up to the Beer on the Wye festival...a lot safer...
Want to know where to get your next joint? Got an iPhone? Well look no further than this new application that let's you know where your nearest dispenser is, and has a list of local lawyers too in case you get busted by the cops. Takes all the fun out of asking dodgy people on corners...
Next time you go to a charity shop, take a good look before you pick something up, after a Claymore mine was dropped off at one shop in Colorado. Luckily nobody thought about packing it in a box with other items on top...
Ever on your bike and realise you're mobile needs charging, but don't have the time to do it at home before you need to go out again? Well why not use your own pedal power to charge it whilst you're on the move? Two students in Kenya have produced these pedal chargers and hope to be making some more soon once they've finished their studies. Next up you'll need to charge the bike GPS as well...
Keep safe on the streets...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Real iPods, Chili Bombs, and Behind Crop Circles
If you're like me, you got fed up about 6 monhts ago about everything iPoddy. Well here's a piece of news that might cheer you up. The London Eye (yes, the big ferris wheel along the Thames) has started an upgrade to it's capsules, by floating the first one down the river. These capsules are otherwise known as pods, and they come from the London Eye...ok, never mind, moving swiftly on...
Think that the local curry house's vindaloo is a bit too hot for you? Well spare a thought for anyone on the receiving end of one of the Indian army's latest crowd control deterrents. It's a chili bomb. A grenade is filled with special chili powder that is about 1000 times hotter than normal chili. You'll need a gallon of lager to wash that down though...
Aliens or alien-wannabes are normally seen as the culprits of crop circles that appear all over the world in various forms. Well in Australia the secret is no more. Wallabies were found to have been eating poppy seeds and getting high on the opium within, that when they went around hopping, they couldn't do it straight, and went around in circles. Definitely sound more amusing to watch...
Ever wanted to see a volcano explode from above, but a bit weary about flying overhead? Look to the ISS for this great picture they took whilst passing by this eruption in the Far East. Amazing view...
And you thought that your church was a good sanctuary...not any more. One US pastor has held a service with the congregation bringing in their own weapons, saying that it should be celebrated that one can 'bear arms'...Thinking about this some more, maybe three was a misunderstanding when the original amendment was done to the US constitution. Maybe every American has the right to the arms of the bears. Also not particularly eco-friendly, but maybe a little less dangerous...
Before you go swimming in the local river, maybe it's worth taking note of what type of fish you might find. In the river Wear a rare blood-sucking fish was found (note the many teeth) recently. It's a thing of nightmares and horror films...I'll be going to the local swimming baths from now on...
Late breaking news is that the leader of Honduras has just been ousted by the military. Let's hope the situation sorts itself out peacefully in a short time...
Keep those toes out of the water...
If you're like me, you got fed up about 6 monhts ago about everything iPoddy. Well here's a piece of news that might cheer you up. The London Eye (yes, the big ferris wheel along the Thames) has started an upgrade to it's capsules, by floating the first one down the river. These capsules are otherwise known as pods, and they come from the London Eye...ok, never mind, moving swiftly on...
Think that the local curry house's vindaloo is a bit too hot for you? Well spare a thought for anyone on the receiving end of one of the Indian army's latest crowd control deterrents. It's a chili bomb. A grenade is filled with special chili powder that is about 1000 times hotter than normal chili. You'll need a gallon of lager to wash that down though...
Aliens or alien-wannabes are normally seen as the culprits of crop circles that appear all over the world in various forms. Well in Australia the secret is no more. Wallabies were found to have been eating poppy seeds and getting high on the opium within, that when they went around hopping, they couldn't do it straight, and went around in circles. Definitely sound more amusing to watch...
Ever wanted to see a volcano explode from above, but a bit weary about flying overhead? Look to the ISS for this great picture they took whilst passing by this eruption in the Far East. Amazing view...
And you thought that your church was a good sanctuary...not any more. One US pastor has held a service with the congregation bringing in their own weapons, saying that it should be celebrated that one can 'bear arms'...Thinking about this some more, maybe three was a misunderstanding when the original amendment was done to the US constitution. Maybe every American has the right to the arms of the bears. Also not particularly eco-friendly, but maybe a little less dangerous...
Before you go swimming in the local river, maybe it's worth taking note of what type of fish you might find. In the river Wear a rare blood-sucking fish was found (note the many teeth) recently. It's a thing of nightmares and horror films...I'll be going to the local swimming baths from now on...
Late breaking news is that the leader of Honduras has just been ousted by the military. Let's hope the situation sorts itself out peacefully in a short time...
Keep those toes out of the water...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Spanish Insults, Vegetable Revolution and Sticky Wallpaper
No sooner is one batch of news over and done with, than a few more stories catch my eye. So, part two of this week's news:
Want to let out your frustration and aggression from work before you get back home to the family? Well one barkeeper in Spain has decided that he will endure this for the good of mankind. The fact he thinks we need an invitation to do this is surprising indeed coming from a country that uses such obscenities in everyday language without raising an eyebrow...
Che would be turning in his grave. All that revolutionary spirit and strict beliefs...and what does his daughter go and do? Pose naked only dressed up in bio carrots and his famous beret for PETA...
Just got onto the netbook bandwagon, and decided that Windows 7 will be the best operating system for it? Just make sure you like Microsoft's colours, as they are not letting you change lots of settings like the background wallpaper...
Keep those colours free...
No sooner is one batch of news over and done with, than a few more stories catch my eye. So, part two of this week's news:
Want to let out your frustration and aggression from work before you get back home to the family? Well one barkeeper in Spain has decided that he will endure this for the good of mankind. The fact he thinks we need an invitation to do this is surprising indeed coming from a country that uses such obscenities in everyday language without raising an eyebrow...
Che would be turning in his grave. All that revolutionary spirit and strict beliefs...and what does his daughter go and do? Pose naked only dressed up in bio carrots and his famous beret for PETA...
Just got onto the netbook bandwagon, and decided that Windows 7 will be the best operating system for it? Just make sure you like Microsoft's colours, as they are not letting you change lots of settings like the background wallpaper...
Keep those colours free...
Crumbling Recession, Flying McDonalds and Sicily Vanishes
As the financial crisis takes its toll, people start to cut back on their luxury items. No longer wanting a second car, nor jetting off to those far off places. One thing apparently doesn't change in these circumstances - our appetite for food. We seem to go through our normal routines without turning to financial diets. Let's just hope the economy can survive on this in the long term...
Two Royal Naval officers have appeared in a Chilean court for apparently stealing a life size Ronald McDonald statue, and throwing it into the harbour. I bet they wouldn't have had any trouble if they had just thrown their burgers in there...
Alitalia has been a bit red-faced recently after it printed maps in its inflight magazines missing off the island of Sicily. When someone checks in a horse's head, you will know why...
If you didn't already know, the summer solstice has just begun. You would have noticed if you were passing anywhere near Stonehenge, where over 36 thousand people attended the rising of the sun on this day. And you thought you had to be a musical star to attract that many fans...
Google's StreetView has had quite a bit of bad press, due to the privacy implications of everything being filmed when it's cars drive by. Well this time it gets some good press out of it. In the Netherlands StreetView was used by a victim of a mugging to identify his assailants. Now if you could only track them back to their homes...
If the weather is still being good to you, you might want to head down to Brighton to celebrate the arrival of the thousands of cyclists that are making their way down from London in order to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Of course, if you're in a car, you might want to avoid this route...
Dr Who fans everywhere should head down to Huddersfield to see the reappearance of a Tardis. And not for the television series, but actually being reintroduced for the local police force. Are we heading back to the good old days of old fashioned policing? Let's hope so...
Well, Karla's birthday party has been and gone, everyone enjoyed it, and now we have to get ready for a new week...
Keep out of the way of those Johannisfest revellers...
As the financial crisis takes its toll, people start to cut back on their luxury items. No longer wanting a second car, nor jetting off to those far off places. One thing apparently doesn't change in these circumstances - our appetite for food. We seem to go through our normal routines without turning to financial diets. Let's just hope the economy can survive on this in the long term...
Two Royal Naval officers have appeared in a Chilean court for apparently stealing a life size Ronald McDonald statue, and throwing it into the harbour. I bet they wouldn't have had any trouble if they had just thrown their burgers in there...
Alitalia has been a bit red-faced recently after it printed maps in its inflight magazines missing off the island of Sicily. When someone checks in a horse's head, you will know why...
If you didn't already know, the summer solstice has just begun. You would have noticed if you were passing anywhere near Stonehenge, where over 36 thousand people attended the rising of the sun on this day. And you thought you had to be a musical star to attract that many fans...
Google's StreetView has had quite a bit of bad press, due to the privacy implications of everything being filmed when it's cars drive by. Well this time it gets some good press out of it. In the Netherlands StreetView was used by a victim of a mugging to identify his assailants. Now if you could only track them back to their homes...
If the weather is still being good to you, you might want to head down to Brighton to celebrate the arrival of the thousands of cyclists that are making their way down from London in order to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Of course, if you're in a car, you might want to avoid this route...
Dr Who fans everywhere should head down to Huddersfield to see the reappearance of a Tardis. And not for the television series, but actually being reintroduced for the local police force. Are we heading back to the good old days of old fashioned policing? Let's hope so...
Well, Karla's birthday party has been and gone, everyone enjoyed it, and now we have to get ready for a new week...
Keep out of the way of those Johannisfest revellers...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
GPS Capers, Special Nurses, and Free Willy
So, we've heard about the people that follow their GPS blindly, even if it sends them from Birmingham to Liverpool via Calais, but how about the guys that bulldozed a house from it's GPS coordinated rather than an address? It was the first the owner heard about it too...
Ever wondered how life could get any worse than just being put in jail? How about if the nurse gives you an overdosis that makes you "stand up" for the next 3 days? You can imagine how that goes down in the communal showers...
And back to reality where Carlitos has been trying to survive on the hospital food here in Mainz whilst they operate on his leg. Here's hoping they let him out tomorrow and he gets back to normal soon. Okay, normal for him...
Don't walk under any ladders...
So, we've heard about the people that follow their GPS blindly, even if it sends them from Birmingham to Liverpool via Calais, but how about the guys that bulldozed a house from it's GPS coordinated rather than an address? It was the first the owner heard about it too...
Ever wondered how life could get any worse than just being put in jail? How about if the nurse gives you an overdosis that makes you "stand up" for the next 3 days? You can imagine how that goes down in the communal showers...
And back to reality where Carlitos has been trying to survive on the hospital food here in Mainz whilst they operate on his leg. Here's hoping they let him out tomorrow and he gets back to normal soon. Okay, normal for him...
Don't walk under any ladders...
Monday, June 01, 2009
Chasing the Cheese, Losing your Fingerprints, and Okay to Snog?
Fancy running after a cheese? How about rolling down a hill after it? That's what happened again this May bank holiday when the 7lb Double Gloucester was rolled down Cooper's Hill. Be warned however if you plan to join in next year - 58 people needed medical attention this year...
The Chinese theme park based upon sex, with naked bodies, large genitalia and the history of sex, has not been allowed to open. No, the government managed to step in and say that "Love Land" was just sensationalist and had no moral values. So, let's see if those flight tickets can be canceled...
An often used cancer drug has been found to remove patient's fingerprints. As it causes blisters and peeling of the skin, after using it for some time, the fingerprints become so faint that they can no longer be detected for ID purposes, for instance at the US border control. I can see spiderman coming back with this knowledge...
Ever wanted to know if your breath is minty fresh enough for chatting up that lovely lady in the pub? Well, first off, don't bother worrying, if you've had a few pints, it'll be the lager they can smell whether you've done your teeth or not. But seriously, an israeli inventor has come up with a "breathalizer" which you can use to check if you're going to put someone off before you get close to them. Of course, it's not mentioned about people from different cultures having different versions of their preferred smells...
So, another national holiday has gone by, weather wasn't good enough for a BBQ though. Have to leave that til august. Must say that "Educating Rita" at the English Theatre in Frankfurt was worth seeing, whatever the weather.
Keep it fresh...
Fancy running after a cheese? How about rolling down a hill after it? That's what happened again this May bank holiday when the 7lb Double Gloucester was rolled down Cooper's Hill. Be warned however if you plan to join in next year - 58 people needed medical attention this year...
The Chinese theme park based upon sex, with naked bodies, large genitalia and the history of sex, has not been allowed to open. No, the government managed to step in and say that "Love Land" was just sensationalist and had no moral values. So, let's see if those flight tickets can be canceled...
An often used cancer drug has been found to remove patient's fingerprints. As it causes blisters and peeling of the skin, after using it for some time, the fingerprints become so faint that they can no longer be detected for ID purposes, for instance at the US border control. I can see spiderman coming back with this knowledge...
Ever wanted to know if your breath is minty fresh enough for chatting up that lovely lady in the pub? Well, first off, don't bother worrying, if you've had a few pints, it'll be the lager they can smell whether you've done your teeth or not. But seriously, an israeli inventor has come up with a "breathalizer" which you can use to check if you're going to put someone off before you get close to them. Of course, it's not mentioned about people from different cultures having different versions of their preferred smells...
So, another national holiday has gone by, weather wasn't good enough for a BBQ though. Have to leave that til august. Must say that "Educating Rita" at the English Theatre in Frankfurt was worth seeing, whatever the weather.
Keep it fresh...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Birthdays, German Busts and Shorter Meetings
First up, birthdays have been on left, right and centre. Ester, Vanessa and Caro L have all been out celebrating an extra candle on their cakes. Happy birthday to you all!
Anyone wondering about the German preference for large breasted women can now go back to the origins, after a 35,000 year-old statue was found of the earliest 3D pornography. As one can see, here too were the proportions more on a fantasy scale rather than something realistic. Unless they are realistic, then I think there will be many people wishing they could go back in time to check it out for themselves...
Ever thought that the meeting you need to go to shouldn't take up a whole hour that it is set for? Maybe you wanted a quick decision on something without the filling in a whole block of your diary. Well, IBM has come up with a solution for you. You will be able to schedule shorter meetings than the one-hour unit. Yes, they will sell you software that will allow you to have a meeting of 50 mins if you like. Think you can do this yourself without their help? Well, watch out, they have just filed a patent on shorter-than-one-hour meetings...
You will probably already know of Google StreetView, where cars of the search giant go around cities filming everything they see, which is then made available for all to see on Google Maps. Personally I find it a great help being able to see what an area looks like before visiting it. Of course, there is the privacy to consider. After catching people in all sorts of positions, they were forced to integrate a face-blurring algorithm. This has been seen as a great way of protecting people's identities without losing the great quality images. Well, it seems that this algorithm is so good, it's also started protecting children from the fast-food industry. Yes, Colonel Sanders face has been blurred, looking eerily like one of those crimewatch videos...
The (polish) catholic church is fighting back and showing people it's up to date with modern wishes. Yes, a priest has decided to get people away from that far eastern Karma Sutra, and onto his own book called "Sex as you don't know it". It's already on a second reprint after selling out of its initial 5000 copies within a week...
Well tonight it's the Eurovision Song Contest. Get your vote in...
First up, birthdays have been on left, right and centre. Ester, Vanessa and Caro L have all been out celebrating an extra candle on their cakes. Happy birthday to you all!
Anyone wondering about the German preference for large breasted women can now go back to the origins, after a 35,000 year-old statue was found of the earliest 3D pornography. As one can see, here too were the proportions more on a fantasy scale rather than something realistic. Unless they are realistic, then I think there will be many people wishing they could go back in time to check it out for themselves...
Ever thought that the meeting you need to go to shouldn't take up a whole hour that it is set for? Maybe you wanted a quick decision on something without the filling in a whole block of your diary. Well, IBM has come up with a solution for you. You will be able to schedule shorter meetings than the one-hour unit. Yes, they will sell you software that will allow you to have a meeting of 50 mins if you like. Think you can do this yourself without their help? Well, watch out, they have just filed a patent on shorter-than-one-hour meetings...
You will probably already know of Google StreetView, where cars of the search giant go around cities filming everything they see, which is then made available for all to see on Google Maps. Personally I find it a great help being able to see what an area looks like before visiting it. Of course, there is the privacy to consider. After catching people in all sorts of positions, they were forced to integrate a face-blurring algorithm. This has been seen as a great way of protecting people's identities without losing the great quality images. Well, it seems that this algorithm is so good, it's also started protecting children from the fast-food industry. Yes, Colonel Sanders face has been blurred, looking eerily like one of those crimewatch videos...
The (polish) catholic church is fighting back and showing people it's up to date with modern wishes. Yes, a priest has decided to get people away from that far eastern Karma Sutra, and onto his own book called "Sex as you don't know it". It's already on a second reprint after selling out of its initial 5000 copies within a week...
Well tonight it's the Eurovision Song Contest. Get your vote in...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Birthday Wishes, Hedgehog Diet, Hidden Irish
So first up it was Olgui's birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday !!! This year's event took place in Havanna (the restaurant) with a fair number of tables being filled by guests. Highlights of the night were the rollos (of which were eaten about 15) and the birthday cake (with chocolate sticks for candles).
Now some people go on diets, then their cats and dogs go on diets, but this is the first time I've heard about a hedgehog having to go on a diet. It apparently weighs over 2 kilos...
Lined up for brain surgery? Maybe it's worth insisting that no Father Ted is shown on the hospital television beforehand. A Yorkshire man woke up from his with a full Irish accent, despite having never been to the country, nor having an relatives from there...
Next time you hear noises late at night have a thought for this lady that now has to appear before court for having breached her ASBO for noisy sex again. There apparently is no proof of the noise except for the neighbours not being able to sleep...
An interesting twist has come to the tale of Israeli oranges that appeared in Iran. Apparently they were faked brand oranges from China...
Finally wanted to get some use from Google Street View? Well how about for checking out the local ladies of the night...
Wrap up well...
So first up it was Olgui's birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday !!! This year's event took place in Havanna (the restaurant) with a fair number of tables being filled by guests. Highlights of the night were the rollos (of which were eaten about 15) and the birthday cake (with chocolate sticks for candles).
Now some people go on diets, then their cats and dogs go on diets, but this is the first time I've heard about a hedgehog having to go on a diet. It apparently weighs over 2 kilos...
Lined up for brain surgery? Maybe it's worth insisting that no Father Ted is shown on the hospital television beforehand. A Yorkshire man woke up from his with a full Irish accent, despite having never been to the country, nor having an relatives from there...
Next time you hear noises late at night have a thought for this lady that now has to appear before court for having breached her ASBO for noisy sex again. There apparently is no proof of the noise except for the neighbours not being able to sleep...
An interesting twist has come to the tale of Israeli oranges that appeared in Iran. Apparently they were faked brand oranges from China...
Finally wanted to get some use from Google Street View? Well how about for checking out the local ladies of the night...
Wrap up well...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Protective Underwear, Long-distance Loving and despicable parenting
Get nervous when youths enter a shop you are in? Feel intimidated when people start shouting at each other around you? Want to wear a bullet-proof vest but worry you can't disguise it? Well fear no more, all you need is a suitably wired bra, as a woman in Detroit found out. When four robbers trying to escape saw that a woman had been watching them, they fired off a shot at her. This bullet hit the underwiring of her bra and was deflected, not even piercing her skin. Now all we need to do is find something similar men can wear...
Technology can solve everything someone once said. Well, for the people that are a long distance apart yet need the intimacy between them to carry on, scientists have invented such a device that projects the position of one body through light on your own body and allows as such a virtual interaction. However, it's uses are not restricted here, they are also testing a similar device for virtual fighting...
The province of Alberta in Canada might not be well know all over the world, but a brief knowledge of geography and one can normally know that it's a land-locked (shouldn't this be logged?) state. So it was a bit of a surprise when their latest tourist video showed pictures of a family on a beach. Further investigation showed that the picture of the beach was actually from Northumberland in the UK. Well, I suppose the advert helped someone's tourism...
Feeling the pinch of the financial crisis? No longer able to do all things you used to? Feel insecure about how your family is going to survive? So what would you do? Well, hopefully not set off for Italy and then leave your three young children in a pizzeria and go into hiding like this faimly in Germany just did. It beggars belief what some people have for brains...
So a BBQ along the Rhine coming up if the weather holds, great way of sing up those sausages...
Get nervous when youths enter a shop you are in? Feel intimidated when people start shouting at each other around you? Want to wear a bullet-proof vest but worry you can't disguise it? Well fear no more, all you need is a suitably wired bra, as a woman in Detroit found out. When four robbers trying to escape saw that a woman had been watching them, they fired off a shot at her. This bullet hit the underwiring of her bra and was deflected, not even piercing her skin. Now all we need to do is find something similar men can wear...
Technology can solve everything someone once said. Well, for the people that are a long distance apart yet need the intimacy between them to carry on, scientists have invented such a device that projects the position of one body through light on your own body and allows as such a virtual interaction. However, it's uses are not restricted here, they are also testing a similar device for virtual fighting...
The province of Alberta in Canada might not be well know all over the world, but a brief knowledge of geography and one can normally know that it's a land-locked (shouldn't this be logged?) state. So it was a bit of a surprise when their latest tourist video showed pictures of a family on a beach. Further investigation showed that the picture of the beach was actually from Northumberland in the UK. Well, I suppose the advert helped someone's tourism...
Feeling the pinch of the financial crisis? No longer able to do all things you used to? Feel insecure about how your family is going to survive? So what would you do? Well, hopefully not set off for Italy and then leave your three young children in a pizzeria and go into hiding like this faimly in Germany just did. It beggars belief what some people have for brains...
So a BBQ along the Rhine coming up if the weather holds, great way of sing up those sausages...
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