Thursday, 30 June 2011
I've Had Enough
Sorry, but the bug is back and I can't be arsed any more. I'm off into town for a look about and perhaps will carry on later.
Shame it's Only 1st Class
Malaysia Airlines has banned infants from flying in the first-class cabins of its jets, its chief executive, Tengku Azmil, reminded flyers. He said earlier this month that the policy was put in place after the airline received complaints from first-class passengers spending big money but unable to sleep due to crying infants. The first-class ban applied to the airline's Boeing 747 jumbo jets and will also apply to the Airbus A380 when Malaysia Airlines takes delivery of the superjumbo.
According to the Age newspaper, a survey last year found 60 percent of travellers wanted airlines to create a "family friendly" section of aircraft to keep children contained.
The survey, by Skyscanner, found non-parents were the biggest supporters of the idea, with the majority saying they wanted to sit "as far away as possible from children." Only 8% of those surveyed arguing that families should be able to sit wherever they like.
Earlier this year Ryanair said it would introduce child-free flights from October. The airline announced the child-free flights on 1st April and have not responded to suggestions that it may have been an April Fool's joke.
According to the Age newspaper, a survey last year found 60 percent of travellers wanted airlines to create a "family friendly" section of aircraft to keep children contained.
The survey, by Skyscanner, found non-parents were the biggest supporters of the idea, with the majority saying they wanted to sit "as far away as possible from children." Only 8% of those surveyed arguing that families should be able to sit wherever they like.
Earlier this year Ryanair said it would introduce child-free flights from October. The airline announced the child-free flights on 1st April and have not responded to suggestions that it may have been an April Fool's joke.
Results
Ladies' WC results from yesterday; Brazil seal a 1-0 win over Australia while Norway beat New Guinea by the same score in the opening Group D matches of the Women's World Cup.
Germany play Nigeria tonight and England take on New Zealand tomorrow.
Germany play Nigeria tonight and England take on New Zealand tomorrow.
Postponed
As the access to the Blog is a bit ropey to say the least, we'll carry on with funny filum title translations series tomorrow.
The King's Speech
I've resisted watching this filum as I didn't think it would be one I would enjoy. However, wifey watched and insisted I give it a go- and I am very glad I did. I'm not a huge fan of the UK monarchy but the acting skills were incredible as was some of the humour. I'm not sure exactly how much was fully accurate but I'm pleased I did see the movie and can't understand why Geoffrey Rush didn't get an Oscar. If Colin Firth did (and deservedly so) why didn't Rush?
Worth a look.
Worth a look.
Logical?
Windows NT was so named because the letters "NT" follow "MS", which is an abbreviation for Microsoft. Windows XP follows a similar convention, where the letters "XP" follow "WN", being an abbreviation for Windows.
Back to Basics
And the page view has defaulted to the odd one with all the side bar gadgets at the bottom of the page. I reckon they have big problems at Blogger HQ today. :-(
Fecked
FF5, Chrome and even IE are all coming up with the same error messages- so that will be it for a while until they sort things out their end. We may be back later today, but probably tomorrow if all goes well.
Time is Running Out
Today in exactly a fortnight we'll be packing our bags for the final time this year and leaving the Imm Fusion. Just the thought is depressing but we do still have two weeks to go and we are most definitely coming back before Christmas, so it's not all doom and gloom.
And we have so much more to look forward to- seeing friends and family after 5 years away, a week in Morzine with old pals, a whole month touring through Germany and then three months is delightful Izola with our friends Olivera and Orhan.
Life ain't too bad at all. :o)
And we have so much more to look forward to- seeing friends and family after 5 years away, a week in Morzine with old pals, a whole month touring through Germany and then three months is delightful Izola with our friends Olivera and Orhan.
Life ain't too bad at all. :o)
Good Run
Considering we get a wi-fi code for thirty days and we've been here for forty days now, I don't understand how come the original ticket is still keeping us connected. Neat.
And Yet
I clear history, I re-log in into our Blog and I get the option to post back.
Enough of this- we'll muddle through as best we can today and keep fingers crossed this sorts itself out soon.
Enough of this- we'll muddle through as best we can today and keep fingers crossed this sorts itself out soon.
What's Going On?
Another attempt to post and we get the following coming up with FF5. This is becoming very annoying... back to Chrome.
Bad Request
Error 400
And More Problems "Solved"
We use our vidcam so infrequently that we can't even find the icon to open the function. However, recently we've been having problems with our camera when using Skype (it comes automatically in this program) and so I thought I's have a look see at what the fault could be.
I've spent ages looking at how to get the Motion Eye Blah, Blah running and finally realised that it actually has a dedicated key on the laptop to start it off. Good to know in future but not sure if this will help in getting it to run on Skype again...
I've spent ages looking at how to get the Motion Eye Blah, Blah running and finally realised that it actually has a dedicated key on the laptop to start it off. Good to know in future but not sure if this will help in getting it to run on Skype again...
Very Strange
Did a Crap Cleaner, cleared history, cache and cookies and re-booted. Finally, we seem to be back with FF5 and all appears well- for the moment...
Oh, hang on- the "captchas" have appeared; just great.
Oh, hang on- the "captchas" have appeared; just great.
Quote/Unquote
"Humility is the embarrassment you feel when you tell people how wonderful you are."
- Laurence J Peter
- Laurence J Peter
Partial Success
OK, that published and I can see the post in FF5, but it still won;t unlock the "new post" option. Guess we'll just have to use Chrome for the day and see what happens later/tomorrow.
Trouble at the MIll
Hhmm- Blogger seems to have developed a hitch and I can't access my "new post" option in FF5. Chrome gives me the option but will it go through?
So, On the Subject of Beer
A handful of 7 year old children were asked what they thought of beer.
'I think beer must be good. My dad says the more beer he drinks the prettier my mum gets.'
--Tim, 7 years old
'Beer makes my dad sleepy and we get to watch what we want on television when he is asleep, so beer is nice.'
--Melanie, 7 years old
'My Mum and Dad both like beer. My Mum gets funny when she drinks it and takes her top off at parties, but Dad doesn't think this is very funny.'
--Grady, 7 years old
''My Mum and Dad talk funny when they drink beer and the more they drink the more they give kisses to each other, which is a good thing.'
--Toby, 7 years old
'My Dad gets funny on beer. He is funny. He also wets his pants sometimes, so he shouldn't have too much.
--Sarah, 7 years old
'My Dad loves beer. The more he drinks, the better he dances. One time he danced right into the pool.'
--Lily, 7 years old
'I don't like beer very much. Every time Dad drinks it, he burns the sausages on the barbecue and they taste disgusting.'
--Ethan, 7 years old
'I give Dad's beer to the dog and he goes to sleep.'
--Shirley, 7 years old
'My Mum drinks beer and she says silly things and picks on my father. Whenever she drinks beer she yells at Dad and tells him to go bury his bone down the street again, but that doesn't make any sense.'
--Jack, 7 years
'I think beer must be good. My dad says the more beer he drinks the prettier my mum gets.'
--Tim, 7 years old
'Beer makes my dad sleepy and we get to watch what we want on television when he is asleep, so beer is nice.'
--Melanie, 7 years old
'My Mum and Dad both like beer. My Mum gets funny when she drinks it and takes her top off at parties, but Dad doesn't think this is very funny.'
--Grady, 7 years old
''My Mum and Dad talk funny when they drink beer and the more they drink the more they give kisses to each other, which is a good thing.'
--Toby, 7 years old
'My Dad gets funny on beer. He is funny. He also wets his pants sometimes, so he shouldn't have too much.
--Sarah, 7 years old
'My Dad loves beer. The more he drinks, the better he dances. One time he danced right into the pool.'
--Lily, 7 years old
'I don't like beer very much. Every time Dad drinks it, he burns the sausages on the barbecue and they taste disgusting.'
--Ethan, 7 years old
'I give Dad's beer to the dog and he goes to sleep.'
--Shirley, 7 years old
'My Mum drinks beer and she says silly things and picks on my father. Whenever she drinks beer she yells at Dad and tells him to go bury his bone down the street again, but that doesn't make any sense.'
--Jack, 7 years
Important
Just had an update on the "dry" times this election weekend. They've now decided that no alcohol will be sold anywhere in Bangkok from 18:00 on Saturday, 2nd July to 00:01 on Monday, 4th July morning.
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Flying Rabbits
German Bulls say they have caught an 84 year old woman who had been feeding her pet rabbits with cannabis. The pensioner was contacted by Dibble after they spotted a field of the metre-high pot plants growing in a field she owned next to her home.
While the elderly woman denied growing the plants herself, she says they just sprung up, she did admit using them to feed her pet rabbits, which the Rozzers say is plausible. She said that not only did the rabbits really enjoy munching the plants, but because they grew back so quickly they were an ideal food.
Unsurprisingly the Fuzz chopped down the cannabis plants and took them away in three large plastic sacks.
While the elderly woman denied growing the plants herself, she says they just sprung up, she did admit using them to feed her pet rabbits, which the Rozzers say is plausible. She said that not only did the rabbits really enjoy munching the plants, but because they grew back so quickly they were an ideal food.
Unsurprisingly the Fuzz chopped down the cannabis plants and took them away in three large plastic sacks.
Bargain
A handbag one owned by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been sold at auction for £25 000. The black Asprey handbag, which was being sold by Christie's to raise money for charity, was owned by Thatcher for more than thirty years before the sale.
It was famously pictured with the former Prime Minister alongside US President Ronald Reagan during her famous visit to the United States in 1985.
It had been expected to attract up to £100 000 during the sale organised by Jeffrey Archer and also containing donations from Eric Clapton, Bernie Ecclestone and Sir Michael Parkinson, but it wasn't to be and an unnamed Cypriot was able to snap up the bag for £25 000.
It was famously pictured with the former Prime Minister alongside US President Ronald Reagan during her famous visit to the United States in 1985.
It had been expected to attract up to £100 000 during the sale organised by Jeffrey Archer and also containing donations from Eric Clapton, Bernie Ecclestone and Sir Michael Parkinson, but it wasn't to be and an unnamed Cypriot was able to snap up the bag for £25 000.
Chilli Mint Sauce?
GENETICISTS have created a sheep that produces kebab meat, it emerged last night.
It's like something out of Star Trek
Scientist Stephen Malley said: "Nancy looks and behaves like a normal sheep, just with greyer, greasier skin.
"But when we humanely removed slivers of flesh from her back, cooked them intermittently on a spike for several weeks then ate them from a dough pocket with a bit of everything from the laboratory salad bar, the taste was unmistakeable doner.
"Kind of salty and fatty, with a hint of more salt and more fat."
He added: "Animal-grown kebab has long been the holy grail of the food science community. In 10 years' time even microwave burgers could contain animal meat."
Tom Logan, from Peterborough, said: "As a kebabist I'm not really comfortable with the idea of eating something that comes from an animal.
"I like to know that what's in my pitta bread comes from the obscure 'fourth place' that exists outside the tedious norms of the natural world.
"That said I would probably eat a used car if I were drunk enough and it was coated in medium chilli sauce."
DMash
Vying for Top Dog
The government has announced plans to introduce greater competition in the higher education sector, citing prime-time television as a perfect example of how quality dramatically improves when you introduce more competing choices.
Universities could be forced to compete for students, forcing them to offer things teenagers really want, rather than silly qualifications that they hope will be valuable in ten years time.
Universities minister David Willets said, “Do you remember what television was like before Sky, Virgin and Channel 5? That’s right, it was absolutely dreadful.”
“Now think about all the lovely gambling-related game-shows and docu-soaps following vacuous simpletons that we have today – all thanks to the wonders of competition.”
“You can’t count rubbish like Doctor Who, Luther or Sherlock, as they aren’t borne out of competition – the BBC will keep on making drivel like this until we can make them more like Channel 5.”
Higher Education competition
Education professionals claim the plans to give the ultimate power in the higher education sector to hormone-ravaged teenagers disliked even by their own blood, is as far from being a ‘wise move’ as it’s possible to get whilst not being illegal.
Former lecturer Simon Davies told us, “If you’re looking to get some building work done, then fine, a bit of competition is great – but I’m not sure the same principle applies when we’re talking about educating the people we will need to pay our pensions.”
“Remember, if we go down the competition route, nothing sells better than sex. Is that really a shock to anyone?”
“And do you know who likes to have sex? Teenagers. Especially teenagers dying to get away from home.”
“Trust me, the first university to offer a ‘you will definitely get laid’ pledge will be challenging Oxbridge for funding within a decade. Mark my words.”
NT
Universities could be forced to compete for students, forcing them to offer things teenagers really want, rather than silly qualifications that they hope will be valuable in ten years time.
Universities minister David Willets said, “Do you remember what television was like before Sky, Virgin and Channel 5? That’s right, it was absolutely dreadful.”
“Now think about all the lovely gambling-related game-shows and docu-soaps following vacuous simpletons that we have today – all thanks to the wonders of competition.”
“You can’t count rubbish like Doctor Who, Luther or Sherlock, as they aren’t borne out of competition – the BBC will keep on making drivel like this until we can make them more like Channel 5.”
Higher Education competition
Education professionals claim the plans to give the ultimate power in the higher education sector to hormone-ravaged teenagers disliked even by their own blood, is as far from being a ‘wise move’ as it’s possible to get whilst not being illegal.
Former lecturer Simon Davies told us, “If you’re looking to get some building work done, then fine, a bit of competition is great – but I’m not sure the same principle applies when we’re talking about educating the people we will need to pay our pensions.”
“Remember, if we go down the competition route, nothing sells better than sex. Is that really a shock to anyone?”
“And do you know who likes to have sex? Teenagers. Especially teenagers dying to get away from home.”
“Trust me, the first university to offer a ‘you will definitely get laid’ pledge will be challenging Oxbridge for funding within a decade. Mark my words.”
NT
Sir Cliff Does Tennis
Hi Cliff fans! Hi tennis fans! Hi Cliff fans who are also tennis fans! Hi Cliff fans who don't like tennis, but would still be interested in purchasing my new Christian rock CD!
I have so many happy memories of the place. Years ago a close pal of mine was Britain's Number One women's player and she showed me around the ladies' locker room at the end of play. I was like a kid in a sweet shop! "Think of all the really, really great women players who've been in here over the years. Look! There's Martina's kit bag over there - and there's a picture of Virginia Wade winning the Singles in 1977, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1!" I think my friend was feeling a bit stressed and tired because she'd wrapped herself in a towel, laid herself out on a bench and asked me to give her a back rub. Unfortunately I had one of my headaches.But the Championship isn't just about strawberries and cream or Andy Murray getting knocked out by one of three players who will always be better than him. It's about history, it's about tradition, and best of all it's about the Cliff Richard Celebrity Pro-Am Classic, which takes place on the middle weekend of every Wimbledon and, even though it remains consistently untelevised, is without the doubt the high point of the international tennis calendar.
The first year of the Cliff Classic I remember being paired with my great friend, the wonderful character actor, Richard Griffiths. He had the crowd in fits of laughter when, following a close line call, he stood in front of the official and bellowed his famous catchphrase 'linesman, you terrible c**t!'. So Richard, so Wimbledon.
Henri Leconte and Brian Dennehy eventually retained their title with a straight sets victory over Tracy Austin and Russell Grant.
The one thing I do miss these days is the old Centre Court - you know, the one minus that wretched roof. Okay, there are many who argue that it means play can go on and people don't have to wait around for hours during rain breaks. But what the organisers haven't taken into consideration is the fact that Cliff fans worldwide will never again experience the sheer joy of a fab, impromptu concert in the pouring rain.
All England Club? 'All Fucking Bastards Club', more like.
DMash
End of the Line
Thorntons is to close 180 stores after officials confirmed that the current economic climate has left many of its core market of gluttonous fatties unwilling to pay two quid for a bar of chocolate.
A chocolate maker, which gave a profit warning in May, said that unless fat people could be encouraged to pay a huge premium for chocolate patterned with different coloured chocolate, further closures might be possible.
A spokesperson told us, “We have a long tradition of charging way too much for what everyone knows is just a bar of chocolate in a fancy wrapper, but it’s a model that in the current economic climate is simply unsustainable.”
“People have realised that chocolate is chocolate, and there are cheaper ways to go about eating several pounds of it whilst crying in front of the TV about how miserable your existence is.”
Thorntons closing
Consumer expert Mike Smith told us, “Thorntons is suffering because fat people have learned that if they can be arsed to waddle their way to Aldi they can get a Kilo of chocolate for about twenty pence.”
“However, some people will still pay a lot for chocolate, I know this because I was at the M6 services yesterday and a Dairy Milk was 90p, NINETY PENCE! I tell you, if you want to know what prices will be like in 2020, go shopping at a service station today.”
The final word went to industry analyst Shane Williams who said, “Affluent fatties are a shrinking market, but they are also very lucrative. So you can’t blame Thorntons for hanging on in there.”
“They have lots of money, a desirable amount of self-loathing, and an innate unwillingness to get up and look around for a better deal.”
NT
Boring
THE latest Transformers sequel has somehow made enormous flying robots seem like the dullest thing that has ever happened, it emerged last night.
The face that embodies Michael Bay's dreary contempt for humanity
Professor Henry Brubaker of the Institute for Studies said: "Michael Bay's rendering of the Transformers franchise could force us to reassess our understanding of human psychology, specifically the maxim that large aggressive robots are inherently brilliant, a principle outlined in Carl Jung's seminal work Giant Robots and Giant Sharks: Why You Cannot Not Like Them.
"In it he describes how giant battle robots stimulate the cerebrum in a similar way to pornography or cheese and onion crisps, triggering a large release of serotonin that overrides more complex thought processes.
"Yet despite this the new Transformers looks shit."
He added: "In considering the paradoxical dullness of Transformers 3D: Dark of the Moon, we should perhaps begin by looking at the title.
"The phrase 'dark of the moon' makes virtually no sense, and suggests that it was going to be 'dark side of the moon' until about two days before the release date, when a studio executive's son suddenly reminded him of the title of his third favourite Pink Floyd album.
"Secondly but not leastly, its human stars are an underpants mannequin whose name simply does not matter and Shia LaBeouf, who seems to be the bastard child of KD Lang and Tintin."
DMash
Lacklustre
Boxer Wladimir Klitschko has said he is disappointed after boxer David Haye told reporters he wanted throw some punches his way ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight title fight in Germany.
Klitschko expressed his dismay after Haye was quoted as saying that he intended to “repeatedly punch him in the face until his is unconscious and probably bleeding.”
The Ukrainian told reporters, “I’ve told my lawyers, and we’re pretty sure a threat of this nature will go before the UK’s CPS in due course.”
“Of course, if he does actually hurt me then we’ll have the whole issue of premeditated violence to address, and that won’t look good for Haye at all.”
“I’d hoped we could resolve our differences like gentlemen, without the repeated attempts to push a fist through the back of each others skulls, but it appears this was nothing more than a pipe dream.”
Klitschko upset
Saturday’s fight is sure to have an extra edge now that one of the boxers has said some words about hurting the other boxer, much to the annoyance of that boxer.
Boxing commentator Ian Darke told reporters, “Not only do we have two men going into the ring to hurt each other, but we’ve got them putting the media into a frenzy by clearly articulating their intentions well in advance.”
“That’s well worth £14.95 of anyone’s money. What more could the nation’s fight fans possibly ask for?”
NT
News Briefly from DMash
Blue Peter already developing sense of entitlement
Long-running children's show arrives in Manchester and immediately begins blaming everyone else for its problems.
'Juéshì' is Chinese for 'sir'
Europeans to learn a series of handy phrases including, 'I am decadent scum not worthy of your inspiring leadership' (Wǒ tuífèi de bàilèi bù zhídé nǐ de gǔwǔ rénxīn de lǐngdǎo) and 'please may I have some more boiled guinea pig meat, oh wise and mighty overlord?' (Qǐng ràng wǒ yǒu gèng duō de shuǐ zhǔ tún shǔ ròu, ó míngzhì hé qiángdà de bàzhǔ?).
Ponce Charles Increases Freeloading by 18%
The amount of taxpayers’ money that the Prince of Wales spent on doing princey-related stuff increased by 18% last year.
Amongst the purchases included in the £1,962,000 he received from taxpayers last year was a mouthwash that was made using the tears of an orphaned pheasant.
It was also revealed that the full-time equivalent of 132.8 members of staff were employed to look a after Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and Prince Harry at the end of March this year, an increase in neediness of 7% on the previous year.
The Prince’s principal private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, blamed the figures on the rising cost of princing.
“People think that all Prince Charles does is get driven around in posh cars, attend functions where people fawn all over him, go on fancy holidays and talk shit.”
“I would suggest that People who think Prince Charles has an easy life should try walking a mile in his shoes”
“However, he buys new shoes after every five hundred yards, so that would be against royal protocol.”
NT
Unnatural Southpaws
Approximately 2% of female golfers are naturally right handed and play golf left handed. Among men, the rate is approximately 0.052%.
Five US Problems
Hopes that 2011 would see the US recovery strengthen have so far been dashed as higher gasoline and food prices erode the spending power of millions of Americans. Here are the five biggest threats faced by the world's largest economy, as per TTel:
The introduction in 2009 of a tax incentive to buy a home briefly spurred the market, but the volume of sales has retreated since it expired. While further declines in prices don't pose the threat to America's financial stability in the way they in 2008, the troubled state of the market remains a ball and chain around the economy.
After a disappointing 2010, the labour market gained momentum in the first four months of this year, helping push the unemployment below 9pc for the first time since the crisis. Importantly, signs of a turn in the market helped consumers battling higher gas prices.
Last month saw that momentum stall, with just 54,000 jobs created. Few now expect a quick turnaround. The Fed last week forecast that unemployment will stay above 8pc throughout 2012.
The more pressing question is whether May's disappointment is the start of a worrying trend. The release this Friday's release of June’s figure will begin to offer an answer.
Without an agreement to cut spending on programmes such as medicare, as well as tax increases, that ratio will worsen. Any accord before next year's presidential election would be a major surprise.
But there’s a far more urgent deadline. If Congress fails to lift the country's legal borrowing limit by August 2, the US could potentially default on its debt. Focused on Europe's debt crisis, bond investors have so far paid little attention. But Republicans last week walked out of negotiations that have become increasingly fraught.
Though a failure to lift the limit remains remote, the prospect of negotiations going right to the wire and fraying investors' nerves during a difficult summer is highly likely.
Mr Bernanke said last week that US banks have little direct exposure to Greek government debt. But there's no doubt a disorderly default by Greece would cause convulsions across financial markets.
Perhaps the biggest impact of the current episode has been to drain some confidence from financial markets as well as businesses. The US economy can ill afford for more to seep away over the next few months.
Inflation
The petrol station is as reliable a place as any to take America's economic pulse. The sharp rise in gasoline prices in the first few months of the year knocked the confidence of consumers, who still account for about 70pc of the country's gross domestic product.
That squeeze has been all the more painful because the majority of Americans have not enjoyed pay rises since the crisis. Indeed, inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings fell 1.6pc in the past 12 months. Like Sir Mervyn King at the Bank of England, Fed chief Ben Bernanke insists that inflation will prove short-lived.
The good news for the bulls is that gasoline prices have dropped by almost 10pc since reaching a three-year high at the start of May. While the news is improving, the Fed and The White House know their control over such a key variable is very limited.
House prices
Alongside their wages, house prices are the yardstick most Americans use to measure their financial well-being. Prices have already dropped a third from the peak they reached in 2006, according to the S&P/Shiller Index. But the declines aren't, for now at least, over. Almost three years on and the housing market is still grappling with the excess supply of homes left over by the boom. That's meant more than a third of the homes currently being sold are classified as distressed sales.The introduction in 2009 of a tax incentive to buy a home briefly spurred the market, but the volume of sales has retreated since it expired. While further declines in prices don't pose the threat to America's financial stability in the way they in 2008, the troubled state of the market remains a ball and chain around the economy.
Unemployment
It's been the recovery’s Achilles heel. About 8m jobs were lost to the recession. Just over 1m have been created since.After a disappointing 2010, the labour market gained momentum in the first four months of this year, helping push the unemployment below 9pc for the first time since the crisis. Importantly, signs of a turn in the market helped consumers battling higher gas prices.
Last month saw that momentum stall, with just 54,000 jobs created. Few now expect a quick turnaround. The Fed last week forecast that unemployment will stay above 8pc throughout 2012.
The more pressing question is whether May's disappointment is the start of a worrying trend. The release this Friday's release of June’s figure will begin to offer an answer.
The deficit
As with unemployment, there's no quick fix to America's deficit. A combination of costly, state-funded retirement programmes, high defence spending and the financial crisis have sent America's share of debt to GDP ballooning to 62pc last year from 40pc before the recession.Without an agreement to cut spending on programmes such as medicare, as well as tax increases, that ratio will worsen. Any accord before next year's presidential election would be a major surprise.
But there’s a far more urgent deadline. If Congress fails to lift the country's legal borrowing limit by August 2, the US could potentially default on its debt. Focused on Europe's debt crisis, bond investors have so far paid little attention. But Republicans last week walked out of negotiations that have become increasingly fraught.
Though a failure to lift the limit remains remote, the prospect of negotiations going right to the wire and fraying investors' nerves during a difficult summer is highly likely.
Europe's debt crisis
Europe's debt crisis has been lapping against US shores for more than a year now. And the failure of European leaders to find an answer is an increasing source of concern in Washington.Mr Bernanke said last week that US banks have little direct exposure to Greek government debt. But there's no doubt a disorderly default by Greece would cause convulsions across financial markets.
Perhaps the biggest impact of the current episode has been to drain some confidence from financial markets as well as businesses. The US economy can ill afford for more to seep away over the next few months.
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 11
Okarito Kiwi
In coming years, EDGE of Existence will expand to include birds. Though full phylogenetic comparisons still need to be completed, it's safe to say that kiwis will place near the top of the list.The smallest of the ratites, a group that includes ostriches and emus, these flightless birds evolved without predators for millions of years. With the introduction of cats and dogs to Australasia, that's no longer the case.
Rarest of all New Zealand's kiwis is the Okarito kiwi, discovered in 2003 and numbering about 350 birds. Capable of living for a century, they're following in the footsteps of the dodo.
"We're entering a period of mass extinction. We will lose a lot of species," said Baillie. "It's essential to make sure that these creatures, so different from all species on the planet, don't get lost without us even noticing."
Image: Save the Kiwi
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 10
Mushroom Coral
After mammals and amphibians, EDGE of Existence has turned its attention to coral, which most people don't even consider to be animals.Unlike most colony-dwelling members of its class, Mushroom corals are solitary. They're also related to just one other species.
Image: Samuel Chow/Flickr.
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 9
Purple Frog
Discovered in 2003 in western India, Purple frogs are part of a lineage that originated 180 million years ago. They last shared a common ancestor with existing frogs in the southern supercontinent of Gondwana.Image: S.D Biju & Franky Bossuyt/Nature
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 8
Archey's Frog
Virtually unchanged in 150 million years, and belonging to a line that split 200 million years ago from other toads and frogs, this primitive resident of New Zealand even predates the existence of birds.Archey's frogs have muscles for a long-lost tail, but no eardrums: Rather than communicating with sound, they use scent. They're also an EDGE success story, with conservationists' attention helping to delay mining plans in the frogs' mountain habitat.
Image: Dr. Paddy Ryan/The Natural Heritage Collection
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 7
Chinese Giant Salamander
While EDGE of Existence started their conservation efforts with mammals, they've since moved on to amphibians.The largest of all amphibians is the Chinese giant salamander, which can reach lengths of 6 feet and weigh 100 pounds. Its origins date to 50 million years ago, though its ancestors were just a fraction of its size.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 6
mons
Image: National Human Genome Research Institute
Duck-Billed Platypus
The undisputed champion of mammalian evolutionary distinctiveness, duck-billed platypuses are the last living members of a family that originated 150 million years ago. The Australian egg-layers are so odd that some scientists have considered them reptiles.Image: National Human Genome Research Institute
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 5
Hispaniola Solenodon
"They are truly ugly creatures," said Baillie of the solenodons, a family of venomous, shrew-like insectivores that split 76 million years ago from all other mammals. Today there are two species: the Cuban Solenodon, found in Cuba, and the Hispaniola Solenodon, found in Haiti."They're part of a faunal group that evolved quite separately from both North and South America," Baillie said. "You had rodents the size of horses, a really unique animal mammal community. But with the colonization of those islands, most of those species disappeared. We're left with very few representatives."
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 4
Asian Tapir
Of the four species of tapir, the Asian Tapir most closely resembles those that lived 50 million years ago, at the root of an evolutionary branch that later sprouted horses and rhinoceros, their closest relative.Their fleshy snouts, however, are believed to be a relatively recent adaptation.
Image: Suneko/Flickr.
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 3
Sunda Pangolin
Covered in scales made of keratin, the material from which fingernails are made, pangolins split off from edentates — the order containing sloths, anteaters and armadillos — 60 million years ago. Any features they share with anteaters are the result of convergent evolution, with natural selection and adaptation arriving at similar traits in unrelated animals.There are seven species of pangolin. One of the rarest is the Sunda pangolin. "When I first saw one, I was in Laos, on a boat. A woman put this bag in the boat. It was quite heavy. She said, I want $5 for it," said Baillie. "They're phenomenal creatures. Magical. Absolutely wonderful."
Image: Animal Concern Research & Education Society
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 2
Kha-Nyou
Until biologists found several at a Laotian food market, Kha-Nyou — less prettily known as Laotian rock rats — were thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago, along with the rest of their taxonomic family.Genetic analyses show that they last shared a common ancestor with any living species 44 million years ago.
Image: Florida State University
Animal Wonders of Evolution- 1
Wired takes a tour of their favourite EDGE (EDGE of Existence) animals.
The modern descendants of a lineage that can be traced to the dawn of modern mammals, tarsiers are the smallest known primates. Adapted for hunting insects and other invertebrates in nighttime forests, their heads can rotate almost 360 degrees, and their eyes can outweigh their brains.
Image: Geoff Deehan
Siau Island Tarsier
After receiving Critically Endangered status from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in June, the recently discovered Siau Island tarsier is expected to become an official EDGE animal.The modern descendants of a lineage that can be traced to the dawn of modern mammals, tarsiers are the smallest known primates. Adapted for hunting insects and other invertebrates in nighttime forests, their heads can rotate almost 360 degrees, and their eyes can outweigh their brains.
Image: Geoff Deehan
![Going Green: The Most Cost Effective Way To Live [Infographic]](http://s-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web03/2011/6/28/13/going-green-the-most-cost-effective-way-to-live-i-3457-1309281172-8.jpg)
EasyJet at Southend
Flying to Europe just got easier from Southend
EasyJet will start operating from London Southend Airport from April 2012, with the creation of 150 new jobs.
The 10-year partnership agreement between airport owners Stobart Group and the UK’s largest airline will see three A319 aircraft based at the Essex terminal in summer 2012.
There will be 70 easyJet flights per week and passengers will have a choice of around ten different European destinations including Barcelona, Faro and Ibiza. Tickets will go on sale at the end of July.
The new jobs will be a mixture of cabin crew, pilots and ground staff.
London Southend Airport’s Managing Director, Alastair Welch says “We are delighted to announce our partnership with easyJet, servicing a comprehensive variety of routes into Europe and hot on the heels of other significant developments at London Southend. This summer we open a dedicated railway station with up to eight services an hour to Stratford - site of the 2012 games, and to London Liverpool Street. A new state-of-the-art control tower is now operational; work on our runway extension is underway, as is a new terminal building to be completed this autumn. A new hotel will open in 2012.”
He added “As the operator of the newest fleet of any commercial airline in Europe, easyJet operate a quieter and more environmentally friendly fleet. Our target is to serve two million passengers a year, and with 800,000 easyJet passengers and a further 100,000 Aer Arann and Flybe passengers, we will be meeting almost half that target in year one.”
easyJet’s Customer and Revenue Director Catherine Lynn says “We are excited to be opening London Southend as easyJet’s 20th base airport. This is a unique opportunity to offer a world class customer experience, with passengers able to get from the plane to the train in 15 minutes. Through offering easy and affordable travel, we expect the new routes to appeal to customers in Essex and London looking for a convenient new departure point for many top European destinations. We also believe that the European city links will also attract a high number of inbound business and leisure passengers next year.”
For FF5 Fans
Firefox 5 is one of the best browsers on the internet right now. Despite of Google Chrome’s success, many people still prefer to use Mozilla Firefox as their default browser. The latest update of Firefox 5 was released few days back with many new features and improvements. There are number of addons available for Mozilla Firefox which can improve the performance, privacy and productivity of users. For that purpose, we have gathered a list of some useful Firefox addons which one user should install. if you are still using firefox 4, then you can enjoy with our last article about amazing firefox 4 addons.
1. Video Download Helper
With Video DownloadHelper, users can download and convert videos from many popular online video sites including YouTube, MySpace, Daily Motion, Google Videos, iFilm and many more.
Download Video DownloadHelper
2. Firebug
Firebug is an excellent addon for Firefox which will add number of development tools in Mozilla Firefox which can be used to edit, debug and monitor CSS, HTML and JavaScript live in any webpage.
Download Firebug
3. Greasemonkey
With Greasmonkey, you can install different scripts and can customize the way webpages are displayed in your browser.
Download Greasemonkey
4. Cooliris
Cooliris is an excellent Firefox extension with which you can customize the way your surf the photos and videos on the internet. Cooliris presents media on an infinite “3D wall” that lets you enjoy content without clicking page to page and works with Facebook, Google Images, Bing and many more.
Download Cooliris
5. Adblock Plus
AdBlock Plus is one of the most important Firefox addons right now. With Adblock Plus, you can block ads automatically on all web pages and improve your browsing experience. You can even customize it according to your needs and send error reports to the publisher.
Download Adblock Plus
6. LastPass
LastPass is a free online password manager and Form Filler that makes your web browsing easier and more secure.
Download LastPass
7. Web of Trust
The WOT add-on is a crowd-sourced enhancement to your browser protection, helping you stay safe from online threats that escape from automated security technologies.
Download Web of Trust
8. Xmarks
With Xmarks, you can Keep your bookmarks, passwords and open tabs backed up and synchronized across computers and browsers.
Download Xmarks
9. Yoono
Yoono is an easy to use sidebar for your browser that allows you to connect to all your social networks and instant messaging services including Facebook, MSN, Gtalk and many more.
Download Yoono
10. Amazor Assist
Amazon Assist is an excellent addon for Firefox which provide users with faster and easier way to navigate Amazon.com without any interruptions.
Download Amazor Assist
From Smashing Hub
Typos
We're always having a chuckle at some of the misspellings of translations here but it's not just in Asia where they can sometimes get it spectacularly wrong. SL looks at some comical filum mashups- coming over the next few days.
Mind you, who's to say it's the guys translating the foreign title into English that are making the mistakes? And, it has to be said, some titles are better than the originals...
Mind you, who's to say it's the guys translating the foreign title into English that are making the mistakes? And, it has to be said, some titles are better than the originals...
Robbo
Williams It Was Really Something
I find myself conflicted by Wimbledon.
There’s so much about it that makes my Northern working-class gut retch acrid bile. Yesterday the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (and if you’re a true blue-blood when you get a title the lackeys just say ‘pick a town, any town’) got front-row seats because... because, I dunno, his Mum loved the tennis, didn’t she? Cue, moist eyes and me missus grabbing for the Kleenex.
Murray gave them a bow – it must’ve been sarcastic, surely – and I thought they least they could do was bow back, or tell him to stop being so feckin’ stupid. But if you’re brought up that way you just do an infinitesimally small nod as if somehow you deserve it.
I mean all the great and the good have been there to watch, haven’t they? – Bob ‘Wake Me Up When He’s Finished’ Willis, Dermot O’Leary (the little plank at the start of X-Factor), erm.... oh you know, all of them. It’s like one of them ‘orrible ITV C-list festival shows ‘An Audience With Andy Murray’.
Oh and Billie-Jean King was there – still looking like the scariest schoolma’am in the history of American education.
She’s regarded with great fondness by the commentators, with much being made of her ‘knowledge’, ‘expertise’ and ‘enthusiasm’. The implication is that she’s one hell of a bore.
'Course Wimbledon holds on to its traditions like a drowning man clinging to driftwood. Rafa Nadal is defending the Gentleman’s Singles which actually makes it sound like a website detailing exclusive public conveniences for closet homosexuals. The women compete for the Ladies’ title. Ha! That’s no lady, that’s a screaming Eastern European banshee.
Everyone’s still wearing white - presumably cos it looks proper against the green of the grass. I couldn’t give a toss what they’re wearing although I don’t think Venus Williams was helped by trying to play tennis in a lace bin-bag.
There’s also the major bug-bear of hearing two-bit also-ran former British number threes chuntering away about players whose deeds far exceed anything they’ll ever do. Like sparrows giving flying advice to albatrosses.
You watch the tired litany of English wild-card holders all bombing out in the first round and you know for a fact that in 2020, half of them’ll be working for the BBC for 2 weeks of every year.
And there’s the fans, bless ‘em, queuing up in their little tents and looking for all the world like the bit of Glasto that’s set aside for the Women’s Institute. (Incidentally, watched a bit of U2 and, like avocadoes and Little Britain, I’m still at a loss as to why they’re so popular. Beyonce, on the other hand... ha-cha-cha-chaaaa!)
And yet despite all the hackles on me back, it’s a fantastic tournament. This may have summat to do with the fact that we live in rare old times as far as the men’s game is concerned. Jimmy Connors doesn’t seem to appreciate the rivalries at the top of the game cos they’re all so nice. I used to hate watching Connors play meself cos it was hard not to wish a decent barber on the basin-haired grunter.
Federer and Nadal (complete with perennial injury cloud) we know all too well. Djokovic is clearly a magnificent player but appears shorn of any personality on court, except when he’s smashing the shit out his racquet. (I empathise with the lad; it usually takes me four points – or pints - to get to that stage, not two and a half sets).
But yes, they’re all nice lads.
People in the game’ll tell you that the Williams sisters are nice lasses n all. I’ve no doubt they are. Trouble is no one seems to warm to them in this country. Now let me be frank. I think it’s cos Venus and Serena stomp up here with their strapping, let’s not deny it, black limbs and make one Caucasian after another look like they’re made from so many stale twiglets.
Elena Dementieva - serves like a girl.
Now I could take or leave the Jehovah’s Witness stuff but then again I don’t remember either of them sticking their tennis racquets into my hall to stop me closing my front door. And I could probably do without the use of ever-increasing decibels when the point gets very serious.
But there seems to be an underlying sense that their achievements need to be downgraded somehow. They did it their own way, their Dad learnt tennis from a book, they don’t play enough tournaments, they seem to be able to win them whilst managing a business and having a life... all most irregular.
And maybe, too, it’s the fact that there’s two of them. If one don’t get you the other one will. And somehow that’s not fair.
It’s bollocks of course. I don’t think it’s possible to overstate their achievements. They grew up in Compton, played a sport in which black people are as rare as a decent salad in Newcastle. They’ve contended with implicit prejudice, personal tragedy and, as Serena’s blubbing proved after her victory in week one, they care deeply about the sport they play.
I mean what's not to like?
Maybe, like the retrospective love-in that the (not very feminine) woman Martina Navratilova enjoys and deserves, there’ll come a time when a nostalgic fondness for the Williamses overcomes us all. I remember Chris Evert being ‘Miss Poker-Face’. Then she married John Lloyd and we loved her. Ahh!
Maybe Serena could take up with Jamie Murray, eh? Or we could just acknowledge that, even with injuries leaving them looking rustier than the bedsprings in a water bed, both Venus and Serena proved themselves to be two of sport’s greatest exponents and fiercest competitors.
In the meantime, Rafa’s foot’ll be fine and he – and Kvitova (who?) will be champions.
PS Is there a bit of you out there that wouldn’t mind if a bit of David Haye was left in Hamburg?
PPS Mike Doyle died today. A great player, one of them who, were it not for Bobby Moore, would’ve played for England many times.
There’s so much about it that makes my Northern working-class gut retch acrid bile. Yesterday the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (and if you’re a true blue-blood when you get a title the lackeys just say ‘pick a town, any town’) got front-row seats because... because, I dunno, his Mum loved the tennis, didn’t she? Cue, moist eyes and me missus grabbing for the Kleenex.
Murray gave them a bow – it must’ve been sarcastic, surely – and I thought they least they could do was bow back, or tell him to stop being so feckin’ stupid. But if you’re brought up that way you just do an infinitesimally small nod as if somehow you deserve it.
I mean all the great and the good have been there to watch, haven’t they? – Bob ‘Wake Me Up When He’s Finished’ Willis, Dermot O’Leary (the little plank at the start of X-Factor), erm.... oh you know, all of them. It’s like one of them ‘orrible ITV C-list festival shows ‘An Audience With Andy Murray’.
Oh and Billie-Jean King was there – still looking like the scariest schoolma’am in the history of American education.
She’s regarded with great fondness by the commentators, with much being made of her ‘knowledge’, ‘expertise’ and ‘enthusiasm’. The implication is that she’s one hell of a bore.
'Course Wimbledon holds on to its traditions like a drowning man clinging to driftwood. Rafa Nadal is defending the Gentleman’s Singles which actually makes it sound like a website detailing exclusive public conveniences for closet homosexuals. The women compete for the Ladies’ title. Ha! That’s no lady, that’s a screaming Eastern European banshee.
Everyone’s still wearing white - presumably cos it looks proper against the green of the grass. I couldn’t give a toss what they’re wearing although I don’t think Venus Williams was helped by trying to play tennis in a lace bin-bag.
There’s also the major bug-bear of hearing two-bit also-ran former British number threes chuntering away about players whose deeds far exceed anything they’ll ever do. Like sparrows giving flying advice to albatrosses.
You watch the tired litany of English wild-card holders all bombing out in the first round and you know for a fact that in 2020, half of them’ll be working for the BBC for 2 weeks of every year.
And there’s the fans, bless ‘em, queuing up in their little tents and looking for all the world like the bit of Glasto that’s set aside for the Women’s Institute. (Incidentally, watched a bit of U2 and, like avocadoes and Little Britain, I’m still at a loss as to why they’re so popular. Beyonce, on the other hand... ha-cha-cha-chaaaa!)
And yet despite all the hackles on me back, it’s a fantastic tournament. This may have summat to do with the fact that we live in rare old times as far as the men’s game is concerned. Jimmy Connors doesn’t seem to appreciate the rivalries at the top of the game cos they’re all so nice. I used to hate watching Connors play meself cos it was hard not to wish a decent barber on the basin-haired grunter.
Federer and Nadal (complete with perennial injury cloud) we know all too well. Djokovic is clearly a magnificent player but appears shorn of any personality on court, except when he’s smashing the shit out his racquet. (I empathise with the lad; it usually takes me four points – or pints - to get to that stage, not two and a half sets).
But yes, they’re all nice lads.
People in the game’ll tell you that the Williams sisters are nice lasses n all. I’ve no doubt they are. Trouble is no one seems to warm to them in this country. Now let me be frank. I think it’s cos Venus and Serena stomp up here with their strapping, let’s not deny it, black limbs and make one Caucasian after another look like they’re made from so many stale twiglets.
Elena Dementieva - serves like a girl. Now I could take or leave the Jehovah’s Witness stuff but then again I don’t remember either of them sticking their tennis racquets into my hall to stop me closing my front door. And I could probably do without the use of ever-increasing decibels when the point gets very serious.
But there seems to be an underlying sense that their achievements need to be downgraded somehow. They did it their own way, their Dad learnt tennis from a book, they don’t play enough tournaments, they seem to be able to win them whilst managing a business and having a life... all most irregular.
And maybe, too, it’s the fact that there’s two of them. If one don’t get you the other one will. And somehow that’s not fair.
It’s bollocks of course. I don’t think it’s possible to overstate their achievements. They grew up in Compton, played a sport in which black people are as rare as a decent salad in Newcastle. They’ve contended with implicit prejudice, personal tragedy and, as Serena’s blubbing proved after her victory in week one, they care deeply about the sport they play.
I mean what's not to like? Maybe, like the retrospective love-in that the (not very feminine) woman Martina Navratilova enjoys and deserves, there’ll come a time when a nostalgic fondness for the Williamses overcomes us all. I remember Chris Evert being ‘Miss Poker-Face’. Then she married John Lloyd and we loved her. Ahh!
Maybe Serena could take up with Jamie Murray, eh? Or we could just acknowledge that, even with injuries leaving them looking rustier than the bedsprings in a water bed, both Venus and Serena proved themselves to be two of sport’s greatest exponents and fiercest competitors.
In the meantime, Rafa’s foot’ll be fine and he – and Kvitova (who?) will be champions.
PS Is there a bit of you out there that wouldn’t mind if a bit of David Haye was left in Hamburg?
PPS Mike Doyle died today. A great player, one of them who, were it not for Bobby Moore, would’ve played for England many times.
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