Wednesday 31 October 2007

Catherine wheel




The Catherine wheel is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its centre. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame. The firework is named for the wheel on which St. Catherine was martyred.




Catherine's story relates how she is said to have visited the Roman Emperor Maxentius and to have attempted to convince him of the error of his ways in persecuting Christians. Her legend states that Catherine succeeded in converting his wife, the Empress, and also many pagan wise men sent to dispute with her by the Emperor, all of whom were subsequently martyred. The Emperor ordered Catherine into prison, and when the people who visited her converted, she was condemned to death on the breaking wheel (an instrument of torture). The wheel itself broke when she touched it, so she was beheaded.

The Last Supper


A 16 billion pixel image of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper has been posted on the internet, giving art lovers a detailed view of the 15th Century work.
The image is 1,600 times more detailed than those taken with a typical 10 million pixel digital camera.
Experts will be able to see segments as though just centimetres away and examine otherwise unavailable details.

Mystery of the vanishing sheep

Swiss police are investigating after a flock of 90 sheep vanished from a remote Alpine pasture - for the second time.
It is the second time in a year that the flock has vanished, leaving no traces of their whereabouts.
After the first time, farmer Silvano Bacciarini, from the Magadino plain in Tessin, had to buy entirely new animals.
A baffled police spokesman admitted: "The only way to the pasture is by a remote track - the sheep were not driven away as there was no foot prints, nor was a lorry driven to the meadow.
"Yet we searched by helicopter and there is no sign of the animals anywhere."
Ananova:

Well, even extra-terrestrials get hungry (c:

Aliens blamed for fires

An Italian investigation into a series of unexplained fires in fridges, televisions and mobile phone is blaming aliens.
Ananova:

I rest my case ...

Tuesday 30 October 2007

Reconciliation


This statue, entitled 'Reconciliation', can be found in the grounds of Stormont and carved into the stone are names of cities such as Berlin and Hiroshima but not Belfast. Hardly surprising really since I don't think the word 'reconciliation' appears in the vocabulary of the majority of those employed up in the 'big house'.

MORE HERE:

Now here's a car ...

A Hispano-Suiza is unloaded for rare car auction on Monday.

The Automobiles of London Auction at Battersea Park included cars from Formula One mogul Bernie Ecclestone's collection. metro:

Kidnapped blonde girl found in Morocco

It has been reported that private investigators searching for Madeleine McCann, who went missing from the Algarve on May 3, have found a blonde girl who had been kidnapped by a Moroccan family.

Sources inside Spanish detective agency Metodo 3, hired by the McCanns, reportedly said Interpol was investigating the discovery of the girl living in the Rif mountains, the area where they were searching for Madeleine.

An insider said: "She was not Madeleine but she was an English speaker, possibly an American," adding: "It's entirely feasible that Madeleine could be in a similar situation."
metro:

Something good has finally come out of this.

Sunday 28 October 2007

Project Jason, how you can help

Project Jason is a non profit organization is to create and increase public awareness of missing people through a variety of outreach and educational activities. Project Jason seeks to bring hope and assistance to families of the missing by providing resources and support."

Now you can help by selecting goodsearch as your search engine:-

GoodSearch.com is powered by Yahoo! and raises money for charities using a model similar to paid searches on Yahoo or Google (Research): Advertisers pay a fee whenever Internet users click on a given link. Last year search engines generated almost $6 billion through such searches.

I forgot to mention that this was recommended by chillzero who has been very supportive of this charity.

'Blackmail plot royal not senior'

NO, I hadn't a clue what that particular headline meant either until I read the BBC report.
You would think they would learn the Queen's English (c:

No she's not, she's German (c:

Tourist jailed, for being black

A man wrongly accused of being an illegal immigrant may have been singled out just for being black, an Equality Commission spokeswoman has said.
Frank Kakopa has been paid £7,500 after the Immigration Service wrongly held him in prison for two days.

Mr Kakopa, originally from Zimbabwe, was on a short break with his wife and young children in 2005, when he was stopped at Belfast City Airport.

He had proof he lived in England but was still strip-searched and jailed.
BBC:

Welcome to Northern Ireland, we don't discriminate - black, white, orange, green - you will be treated as unfairly as everybody else

Saturday 27 October 2007

Fireworks night at Seapark



Tonight, the local council held a fireworks display at Seapark (just outside Holywood) - along with the fairground rides we had a band playing some good rock music. Generally we get a crappy showband. We still have the fireworks display at the Odyssey to look forward to, on hallowe'en night.

I was hoping to include a piece of video but blogger keeps losing the connection. Video upload actually worked better in the beta stage.

The big rickety wheel - at night



The first pic was taken from Linenhall Street, behind the City Hall, in an attempt to show how the wheel rises above the surrounding buildings but to get a better idea of the height of the wheel take a look at blueboat's latest post: You can see the VIP pod at the top of the wheel, with its glass floor and different coloured paintwork.
The grand opening of the 'eye' was a total non-event, apparently it was too windy. That bodes well for its stint in Belfast. Did nobody tell the council the thing would have to be closed if it got 'too windy'. I don't know what sort of weather they are expecting here during the winter but we may never see the wheel opened at all.

Friday 26 October 2007

Autumn leaves

The sculpture 'Sheep on the road' by Deborah Brown at the entrance to the Waterfront Hall

Thursday 25 October 2007

The Thursday Comic Strip - Asterix




The Adventures of Asterix (French: Astérix) is a series of French comic books by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). Uderzo has continued the series since the death of Goscinny in 1977. The series follows the exploits of a village of ancient Gauls as they resist Roman occupation. They do so by means of a magic potion, brewed by their druid, which gives the recipient superhuman strength. This is often used for comic effect, as in a recurring sequence where the villagers sally forth from their village to rout the attacking Romans so easily as to consider it great sport. wikipedia

Evening at the big rickety wheel




My daughter is pushing for a 'night shot' (wants a bit of atmosphere) - so here are a couple of evening shots to tide her over until I can get a good night shot. ( ... and it's goodnight from him ... and it's goodnight from me)

A couple of things you don't often see in Belfast ...

... the Lord Mayor in his ceremonial coach and robes


.... and mounted police.

This is probably why we were treated to the pomp and ceremony.

If you were one of the unfortunate drivers to be stuck in traffic in Belfast City centre tonight at about six o' clock you now know the reason.

p.s. the big rickety wheel doesn't open tonight - they hope to have it finished by the week-end. Not my fault, I hasten to add, BBC said '(the) 60m wheel is scheduled to open on 25 October, giving passengers panoramic views 200ft above the city.

Further update: from the Belfast Telegraph - And this evening, members of the Metropolitan mounted police will be joining Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers for the official start of the show signalled by a parade through Belfast city centre.

The Lord Mayor will leave the front of City Hall in a horse-drawn carriage and, escorted by the Metropolitan police, will make his way to the Odyssey Arena, via Chichester Street, Victoria Street, Albert Square, Donegall Quay, Queen Elizabeth Bridge and Queen's Quay.

Extortion on a grand scale

... somehow I don't think so. But anybody wanting to waste their money on this can find tarifs here:

Wednesday 24 October 2007

The Blame Game


Anybody wanting to hear the joke mentioned here (in it's original form) can listen here: and more besides. It's a half hour program with a regular panel of comics joined by special guests and a live studio audience to debate the issues of the day, including 'The Ulster Scots Language', 'The Causeway Visitor Centre', 'Edwin Poots', 'Gerry Adams', 'Rampant Rodents', 'The Rhythm Method', 'The Dalai Lama' and 'The Belfast Eye'.
If you want to here the Wendy Austin interview with Mervyn Storey on Good Morning Ulster as discussed on Smelly Wardrobes then click here, select the Tuesday 23rd October broadcast and fast forward to 1hr 20mins.
How do you pronounce Himalayas - listen to thought for the day (just after the above interview) - I always thought it was Him-a-lay-as but Rev Ernest Grey pronounces it Him-mal-yas !!!!

The big rickety wheel - a close-up


For more see Belfast Daily Photo (well, almost daily) and Smelly Wardrobes
... and check out the latter's contribution to the Causeway debate (it's classic)

Tuesday 23 October 2007

Arthur Square Artwork Competition





The Department for Social Development’s Streets Ahead Project has invited a number of internationally renowned artists to submit proposals for an artwork for Arthur Square in Belfast city centre.

Arthur Square is a key location and will be a major point of access to the Victoria Square Development. The artwork will provide the finishing touch to the refurbishment of Arthur Square by creating an iconic structure that will be recognised as special to the revival of the city centre.

The final selection of the Artwork will be decided by public vote, which will run from Monday the 22nd October to Sunday 4th November 2007.

This is your opportunity to have your say. If you have already seen the artworks that have made the final list then go ahead and vote for your favourite artwork online.


Dancing Tree
Phoenix Rising
Spirit of Belfast

Unfortunately there is not an option for - 'none of the above'
Wednesday 24th October 22:52 - I have just read the artists' descriptions: what a load of codswallop!

The Belfast Eye - phase 3 - the eye-pods

The wheel really is going up at a 'cracking pace' - the eye-pods are being fitted to-day so it should be completed for opening on Thursday.

Sunrise over east Belfast with vapour trails

On the way to work this morning, it being a crisp frosty morning, I couldn't help but notice a number of vapour trails in the sky. In this photo there must be at least 7 and there were a similar number behind me. Some were fresh and some were starting to disappear but the frightening thing was that I could see 6 planes overhead and they all seemed to be converging on the same point. Perhaps that reddish glow on the horizon wasn't the sun but a conflagration created by those planes arriving at the same point at the same time (c: It looked as if we were being invaded but the really frightening thought is that if you are on a plane then the odds are that there are probably another 5 in the near vicinity - is it any wonder that there are mid-air collisions?

Monday 22 October 2007

The case of the disappearing Christmas tree

The mystery of Ballymena's disappearing Christmas trees has been solved. Read on ...

It seems that a health and safety review discovered that the trunks of the trees were cracked and obviously posed a danger.

New trees will be on site soon.

Ballymena Times:

The local Ulster Unionist branch has already pointed out that the tree has gone up before Poppy Day .. which they deem improper.

Now it seems that all lights will be switched off as a mark of respect when ex-servicemen parade through the town to the Memorial Park.

Thanks to J for giving me the nod about this...

The Belfast Eye - Phase 2

Belfast Eye, my arse! It is only a ferris wheel and nothing very special, at that. As far as I can see it's just another glorified gimmick to con the unsuspecting Belfast public out of their hard earned cash.

I see blueboat has also posted two great pics of the Eye:

Does anybody know the name of Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter?

Yes, that's correct, it's Apple. The only reason I know that is because I was watching stand up comedy from Edinburgh last night and an Irish comedienne (Deirdre something) made a joke about it. Deirdre Something's almost as bad as Apple (c: )

Deirdre said 'did the parents not sit down and discuss the ramifications of naming a child Apple?'
'If she turns out to be obese she will be called the big Apple, if she is sexually active she will be known as Apple tart and if she contracts a sexual disease then she will be crab Apple !!'

Opera Monday - Lakmé - Flower Duet

Saturday 20 October 2007

Women in Film



Another of those very clever morphing videos

Run for your lives - The Martians have landed!!!

.. no not really. This is the first stage of the Belfast Eye, reported previously, which will be providing fun for everyone over the christmas period. I think I would prefer the Martians (c:<

Heard this on Radio Ulster last night - there's the London Eye and now the Belfast Eye and a lot of Protestants will think they're too close together. A little local humour but we will explain if anyone is mystified by the punch line (I had to explain it to my wife )c:

mp3 my mp3

Here is another great bit of free software - if you have been enjoying any of the music on my playlist then you can record and download to your own pc using mp3mymp3 recorder. It's easy to use and does not eat up memory. Once you have saved your mp3/wav file you can then burn it to CD for playing in your car or at home or wherever - you can even burn it to an mp3 player. Neat!


Record internet radio and save to mp3 or wav. Record streaming audio from the
Internet, microphone, or any other source for that matter. MP3myMP3 Recorder
works directly with your system sound card - if you can hear it, you can record
it! Use the scan tool to list all mp3, wav, aif, swa, or sun au audio files on
your computer - then play and record portions of any of these files. MP3myMP3
Recorder offers customizable colors, timer, on top mode, and skinning.



It may be that I have not set options correctly because I get a couple of error messages but clicking OK allows me to proceed and does not affect the recording.

The red circular button starts the recording, a square button then shows for stopping and a triangular button allows you to play back to check quality before you save as an mp3 or wav file. Couldn't be simpler. You can record on-line radio programs and save as a large file (you can record up to 1 hour) and then split it down later into smaller segments by playing back through Windows Media Player and recording via mp3mymp3 for as long as you want. So if you record a music program you could then chop it up into segments holding only the individual tracks.

You can record off youtube, radioblog etc. and build up a music library on your pc or mp3 player.



Thursday 18 October 2007

Deborah Kerr :

... another great Hollywood actress quits the stage.




British actress Deborah Kerr, known to millions for her roles in The King And I, Black Narcissus and From Here To Eternity, has died at the age of 86. Born, Deborah Jane Trimmer, in Scotland in 1921, the actress made her name in British films before becoming successful in Hollywood.

Nominated for the best actress Oscar six times, she was given an honorary award by the Academy in 1994.

Kerr, who had suffered from Parkinson's disease for a number of years, died in Suffolk on Tuesday, her agent said.
BBC:


Kerr was the unfadingly ladylike and prototypical English rose whose red-haired, angular beauty and self-possessed femininity distinguished more than 50 films in four decades of cinema.

She made serenity dramatic; and though her poise might be ruffled at critical moments in scenes of passion (most famously exemplified by her encounter on the beach with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity in 1953), her well-bred airs and social graces made her a model of British womanhood in Hollywood.

Her best-known film was probably The King and I, in which she played a haughty governess opposite Yul Brynner's Siamese monarch; and her principal problem as an accomplished actress was to convince Hollywood of her sensual potential. Although she herself was a more spirited, relaxed and informal person than her image on the screen suggested, producers were reluctant to cast her in passionate roles.

Nevertheless, when they came her way - as they did after From Here to Eternity - her type of refined sensuality proved refreshingly attractive, since it hinted at hidden desires and forbidden feelings, giving her acting an extra edge and interest.

If she still looked more at ease on screen as a nun than as a nymphomaniac, or as a governess rather than a seductress, Deborah Kerr loved to hint at what she called "banked fires", the volcano steaming away beneath the ice cap. And though she used merrily to deny that in younger days she had tried to seduce one of her old co-stars, Stewart Granger, in the back of a London cab (as he asserted in his autobiography), it was the contrast between her very British gentility and her sexual vulnerability that often gave her screen persona its savour.


Telegraph:

A little bit of France

L'Occitane opened a store here in Belfast about a year ago and as yet I have not ventured inside but instead have been savouring the aromas from the perfumes, beauty products and lavender (you can just make out a large tub of lavender in the window to the left) as I pass by. It brings back a lot of fond memories of holidays in Provence. It certainly brings a bit of colour to an otherwise dull street.

The company was founded by Olivier Baussan in the south of France in 1976 then the first shop and mail order service was opened in Volx, France, in 1980. The current factory in Manosque was established in response to an ever-growing distribution network and in the mid to late 1990s; subsidiaries were opened in the U.S., Hong Kong and the U.K.

The Thursday Comic Strip - Little Nemo


Winsor McCay (September 26, 1867(?) – July 26, 1934) was a prolific artist and pioneer in the art of comic strips and animation. His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators such as Moebius, Chris Ware, William Joyce, and Maurice Sendak. His early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set the model to be followed by Walt Disney and others. His two best-known creations are the newspaper comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, which ran from 1905 to 1914, and the animated cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur, which he created in 1914. Wikipedia:


David McWilliams - Days of Pearly Spencer



The boy from Ballymena with the original and still the greatest version of Pearly Spencer. Marc Almond never even came close.

Wednesday 17 October 2007

... and now for the local news

Even though Halloween has yet to arrive and Christmas is still almost two months away - Ballymena has already put up its tree.

The lights will be turned on on 1 November - 55 days before Christmas, making it perhaps the first town in the British Isles to light up for the festive season.
Even Oxford Street in London does not light up until 7 November and the Belfast switch-on takes place 13 days after that.
BBC:

A Belfast man scammed almost £250,000 worth of goods from B&Q and sold them on internet site eBay.
Philip Dumigan used fake barcodes which registered a lower price when he brought the items to the cashdesk.
A judge said the 36-year-old, from Tildarg Crescent, had been involved in a sophisticated scam which had required careful planning.
BBC:

Work has begun on the construction of a "Belfast Eye" in the grounds of the City Hall.
A 60m wheel is scheduled to open on 25 October, giving passengers panoramic views 200ft above the city.
The 365 tonne structure has 42 fully enclosed capsules, each of which can carry six adults and two children for each 15 minute trip.
BBC:

A source of geothermal energy found in County Antrim could have the potential to provide heat and electricity for Northern Ireland's towns and cities.
Scientists have discovered a subterranean water source 3,000 metres under Larne which reaches temperatures close to boiling point.
The energy source was found during the Tellus Project, which was undertaken to assess the potential of Northern Ireland's natural resources.
Garth Earls, Director of Geological Survey NI, said hot rocks deep under the surface of the earth had heated the natural groundwater at the site near Magheramorne to about 90 degrees Celsius.
BBC:


Prospectors rush to Ulster gold strike
Nine mining groups are seeking permission to explore Ulster sites for gold, following the success of the Galantas mine, near Omagh, County Tyrone.

Ireland ranked friendliest place in the world
Prestigious travel guide Lonely Planet names Ireland as friendliest country in the world.

Tuesday 16 October 2007

Anybody for mulled wine ??

This story will bring tears to the eyes of some - but frankly I think their wine was a tad over-priced.

The heartbreaking sound of corks popping on 60,000 bottles of vintage wine could be clearly heard as a fire destroyed a warehouse in County Westmeath, the owner has said.
The fine wine - worth up to £350 a bottle - was destroyed at a merchant's premises in Mullingar on Monday night.

"It's like farming - there's a harvest season, and Christmas is our harvest season," he said.
BBC:

More like rip-off season!

Junk Art

Here's another of those ridiculous stories :

An artist is turning a year's worth of unwanted junk mail into a sculpture in her
garden.



Actually, all it is is a pile of junk mail stuck on a metal spike and somebody has decided to call it art !!!

Strangford Lough



I know this one is a bit late - but better late than never. On sunday we made another trip to Mount Stewart for the autumn fair and on the way couldn't help but notice the large numbers of (what I at first thought were) ducks swimming in the lough but, on investigating further, found them to be Brent Geese. It seems that three quarters of the world population of Brent Geese winter in the lough. According to the BBC 'Up to 15,000 pale-bellied brent-geese make the 3,000 kilometre journey from Polar Bear Pass in north-east Canada each autumn to feed on the lough's succulent eel-grass' but I have heard it reported that they are expecting 29,000 to arrive this winter. More here about Brent Geese.

Laganside Courts

Recently I posted a pic of this new landscaping development at Laganside Courts Complex - well here we have the updated version and, as you can see, it is starting to shape up nicely. On the left is the old Belfast Courthouse with the modern Bar Library behind (looking not a bit unlike the new Opera House extension). To the right is the new Law Court and behind it you can see the new Victoria Centre (with the odd shaped roof). The (martian!) dome is hidden at this angle. In the middle distance you can just make out two women with suitcases - not (I believe) tourists but a couple of legal eagles who find it easier to transport all their paperwork in wheeled cases instead of arm-breaking briefcases. Ironic really when you consider how the term briefcase came about.

... oh and the public house hidden by the Bar Library was previously called Rumpole's (as in 'Rumpole of the Bailey') and is now called The Advocate in keeping with the legal connotations.

Saturday 13 October 2007

I'm a joker ....

One of the figures on the wall of the Grand Opera House, representing Comedy (there is another representing Tragedy).




Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah
Some call me the gangsta of love
Some people call me Maurice
Cause I speak of the 'Pompatus of love'

I'm a joker
I'm a smoker
I'm a midnight toker
I get my
lovin' on the run

Friday 12 October 2007

Hasta Siempre - Comandante Che Guevara



Hasta Siempre is a 1965 song by Cuban composer Carlos Puebla. The song's lyrics is a reply to Che Guevara's Farewell Letter, at the moment he left Cuba.

The lyrics recount key moments of the Cuban Revolution, glorifying Che Guevara and his role as a revolutionary commandant.

The title means always faithful or until always in Spanish.

We learned to love you
from the heights of history
with the sun of your bravery
you laid siege to death

Chorus:

The deep (or beloved) transparency of your presence
became clear here
Commandante Che Guevara

Your glorious and strong hand
fires at history
when all of Santa Clara
awakens to see you

Chorus

You come burning the winds
with spring suns
to plant the flag
with the light of your smile

Chorus

Your revolutionary love
leads you to a new undertaking
where they are awaiting the firmness
of your liberating arm

Chorus

We will carry on
as we did along with you
and with Fidel we say to you:
Until Always, Commandante!

Autumn Festival - Crawfordsburn Country Park

Crawfordsburn Country Park will be hosting another autumn festival from 13 - 14 October 2007 between 11am & 5pm. Apparently 170 varieties of heritage apple will be on display and we may even be lucky enough to experience the fungi display.




Send your senses into overload with the rich aromas, colours and tastes of the autumn season. See, sample and buy from the amazing variety of autumn produce from our orchards, fields and hedgerows. Excellent activities and entertainment for the whole family, with tasty autumnal refreshments available. Discover Northern Ireland:

Killer moths!


Moths on a billboard in Sydney, Australia, where swarms of moths are invading the city's business district, cloaking skyscrapers and infesting hotels
Photographer: Jack Atley/Bloomberg News

Swarms of moths are invading Sydney's business district, cloaking skyscrapers and infesting hotels as they succumb to the bright lights of Australia's biggest city.
While the native Bogong moths migrate annually from the plains of northeastern Australia to the southern Alps, unseasonable winds are blowing them off course this year.

"You look at the side of the building and it's just like a huge growth of black moths,'' said Allan Newman, facilities manager at the Governor Macquarie Tower in central Sydney, which houses the offices of the New South Wales state premier. ``We've put extra cleaners on to vacuum them up when they get inside and have been sweeping the sides of the building.''
The only defense for human city-dwellers is to dim lights on the outsides of buildings to discourage the moths from taking up residence -- and wait, scientists say. The insects' detour will kill them within weeks because they can't work out how to continue their journey.

"They can never leave because it's impossible for them to identify natural light,'' said Martyn Robinson, a naturalist at Sydney's Australian Museum. "They will most likely just dehydrate and die because of the heat.''

The hot, dry summers of northern Australia's Queensland state force the moths to migrate from their breeding grounds to the cooler mountains, Robinson said. The nocturnal creatures navigate with the aid of moon- and starlight, and are confused by city lights when blown off course.
By yesterday, the moths had made themselves at home on the building of the state Department of Primary Industries, the ministry responsible for monitoring the vegetable-eating insects. They also flooded the foyer of Prime Minister John Howard's Sydney office.
Torrence Belfroid, a 36-year-old visitor from the Netherlands, said he spent more than an hour yesterday trying to clear moths from his hotel room.
"It was very difficult to get them out because they're bigger than the moths we have in Europe,'' Belfroid said. ``I was expecting to see all kinds of insects here in Australia, but the groups of moths on the buildings are not that nice to look at.''

In the capital, Canberra, the moths are an annual scourge because the city is on their flight path.
Soon after Australia unveiled its new national parliament building in the city in 1988, an influx of moths left lawmakers clearing carcasses for months. Engineers were forced to cut the lighting and redesign air intakes, according to the country's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

Sydney building managers who want to deter the visitors should install yellow, red or blue lights that don't attract insects, said naturalist Robinson. Insecticides rarely work because the moths have tiny scales that protect their breathing holes from contaminants, he said.
Another option is to gobble them up. Australia's Aborigines used the moths as sources of protein and fat, roasting them in ashes and mashing them into a cake, said Robinson, who also feasts on the insects.

The name Bogong is said to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "high plains.'' The scientific name is agrotis infusa.
While some Bogong connoisseurs prepare omelets, Robinson said he prefers to pluck them off walls, remove the furry wings and eat them raw.
"They have a nut-like taste, but mostly they just taste like moth,'' he said.
Well thank heavens, they don't taste like chicken (c:

Killer Squirrels!

Florida toddler and cop in squirrel carnage
Stealing squirrel has sweet tooth
Spy-squirrel menace strikes Iran
Psycho squirrel attacks Germany
Rogue squirrel forces down plane
Asbo threat for feeding squirrels
Lord ignores squirrel menace
Squirrel goes postal
Squirrel conman in pipe scam
Squirrel attacks four-year-old
Squirrels attack veterans' graves
Suicide squirrel starts 30-acre fire
Squirrel takes out opera singer
Suicide squirrels strike again
Squirrel News: Kamikaze squirrel
More rampaging squirrels: Lawsuit
Gangster squirrels strike again
Killer squirrel takes on the world
Killer squirrel threat grows

Smelly Wardrobes thinks The Lizards Will Destroy Us! I think these articles might prove him wrong (c:

Thursday 11 October 2007

Édith Piaf (December 19 1915–October 11 1963)

The Crack - update

Here's an update to my previous post:

Doris Salcedo, the artist responsible for the latest Tate Modern Turbine hall commission, has said she wants visitors to look down when they encounter her work and engage in quiet contemplation - rather than be sidetracked by the space's spectacular architecture.
Some, however, have failed to look down carefully enough.

The work - a long, sometimes foot-wide fissure that runs the entire length of the hall - was unveiled at a private view on Monday night, when someone fell into what is becoming known as "Doris's crack" (its official title is Shibboleth).

"We saw the first poor victim, a young woman who went into it with both feet up to just below her knees. She had to be dragged out by her friends," said one onlooker.
"Unbelievably, as we watched to see whether she was OK, an older woman deliberately stepped on it (she later told us, amazingly, that she thought the crack was painted on the floor) lurched forward and landed on the ground. She had a sore wrist to show for it."
Guardian:

.... what can I say? She's a woman (c:

The Thursday Comic Strip - Peanuts

CHARLES M. SCHULZ (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) is the most widely syndicated cartoonist in history, with his work appearing in over 2,300 newspapers. He has published more than 1,400 books, won Peabody and Emmy awards for his animated specials, and is responsible for the most-produced musical in the American theatre, entitled "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown". All this diversity and recognition and continuous success began 45 years ago when the United Feature Syndicate ran the first installment of a comic strip it dubbed "Peanuts".