The Surrey town of Staines has officially changed its name to Staines-upon-Thames in an attempt to boost its riverside image. Councillors voted for the change last year after the town became synonymous with Sacha Baron Cohen’s spoof rapper Ali G. The name officially changed at 14:00 BST and followed a day of celebrations, including a regatta, [...]
By DeusExMacintosh
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Also posted in Britain, Fark!, Funnies, Media, Music, Politics, Popular culture
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Tagged ali g, comedy, music, rap culture, sacha baron cohen, staines massive, staines-upon-thames
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For those of you who read either the Age or Andrew Bolt, you will be aware of this article, which points out the following: More than a third of the winners of Australia’s most prestigious literary prize, the Miles Franklin Award, are now out of print. Of the 53 books that have been awarded the [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in Australia, Books, Bring Laws and Gods, Literature, science fiction
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Tagged Andrew Bolt, Antony Harwood, Michael Heyward, Miles Franklin Award, Text Publishing, The Hand that Signed the Paper, The Kindly Ones
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A London Underground train has hit an obstruction on the Bakerloo line, causing severe delays. The line was suspended between Elephant & Castle and Piccadilly Circus, while the rest of the line was severely disrupted. Transport for London (TfL) said the tunnel had not collapsed and that no-one was injured. It comes as maintenance workers [...]
Sounds like a Daily Mail reader, nicht wahr? The obsession with property values, the casual racism, the little-Englander mentality. Except the ethnic group is wrong. These days, people would likely love the thought of Jews moving in next door. They’ll look after the property, mow the lawn, always make sure the car is put away and [...]
With the awful inevitability of a dog chasing deer into oncoming traffic in Richmond Park, I present to you Trenton Oldfield (Hell’s bells, the names even rhyme), Australia’s shame. Yesterday, Trenton Oldfield did this at the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race: First, Sir Matthew Pinsent, the former Olympic rower, thought he saw debris in the water. Then, [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in Academia, Australia, Britain, Events, Fark!, Funnies, Popular culture, Sport, The Left
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Tagged Cambridge, Contemporary Urbanism, Emily Davison, Fenton, London School of Economics, LSE, OUBC, Oxford, Sir Matthew Pinsent, The Offspring, This is Not a Gateway, Trenton Oldfield, University Boat Race, Will Zeng, Zoe de Toledo
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February 23, 2012 – 2:19 am
Apologising for something one does not think is wrong is not very nice. Apart from anything else, it is insincere. I have done it several times in my life, once publicly. The public apology was not a success for anyone concerned (me or those who disliked me), and I have long since retracted it. Sometimes [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in Britain, Fark!, History, Law, scotland, Skeptics
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Tagged Adam Lusher, Camilla Long, Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph, kevin rudd, Mary Ann Sieghart, richard dawkins, Stolen generations, stolen generations apology, Tony Abbott, tories who should bloody know better
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January 18, 2012 – 7:16 am
This Sceptered Isle slides further into the shitter, alas: I can do no better than reproduce much of this excellent post from a British blog (it provides important context and background). The difference here is that I know the young man in question, and am young enough (just) to remember what school bullying felt like. [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in Britain, Education, Religion, Skeptics
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Tagged British Humanist Society, collective failure of nerve, islam, Jesus and Mo, peter tatchell, political correctness, Rhys Morgan, Stanislaw Burzynski, University College London, Will's Liberal Thoughts, wingnuts
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January 3, 2012 – 10:48 pm
The Leveson Inquiry, as readers of this blog well know, has exposed Britain’s tabloid media in ways that shouldn’t just make journalists or newspaper proprietors ashamed. The exposure has also shamed, by extension, the British public, as well as emphasizing the gulf between those who don’t read tabloid newspapers and those who do. Just as [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in Australia, Britain, Free Speech, Human/Civil rights, Law, Personal liberty, Popular culture
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Tagged 378 U.S. 184 (1964), computer games classification, Geordie Guy, Jacobellis v Ohio, Justice Potter Stewart, Laurie Penny, Leveson Inquiry, Nick Davies, Ofcom, OFLC, Onora O'Neill, Platonic Guardians, refused classification, regulatory capture, rent-seeking, representativeness, sexism, speech constrainst, Syndicate, taste
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January 2, 2012 – 3:28 am
Most people are not capable of staying posh whilst simultaneously shouting and swearing at their naughty dog. Fenton’s owner, however, managed the task with aplomb. His adventures in Richmond Deer Park have since gone viral. The original video: The poor beleaguered deer: This is Fenton! Fenton is, of course, now turning into the British version [...]
December 18, 2011 – 3:27 am
London tourists got something of a surprise on Friday – Boris Johnson delightedly gurning from the open rear platform of the capital’s new double-decker bus. The mayor’s manifesto pledge to erase the practical yet unloved bendy bus and restore the alleged freedom of the Routemaster’s open entrance has – in part – finally been delivered. [...]
