Paint Box Vandal

In the UK post office boxes are red ......

Sir Chris Hoy's 2nd Gold Post Box

.... except when they aren't.

Random Shorts From Everywhere

While much of the world fought Coronavirus with vaccines, others tried other remedies ....

Ting Mong's Scare Covid Aware

In Cambodia, farmers put up effigies known as 'Ting Mongs' along their fences to ward off coronavirus. The idea is that they drive the evil illnesses away and have been used on other occasions to avert Dengue fever and other diseases from the farmers.

As Cambodia has had fewer pandemic deaths than one might suppose, maybe the Ting Mongs have been doing their jobs ... or maybe its just that rural Cambodia is not a good place for the virus to transmit from person to person. 

What An Irony

Now when a person admits that they have a drinking problem, and decides that they will go on the wagon and start attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, then you naturally wish them the best of luck. But sometimes lady fate has other ideas.

Ray Galindo, a resident of Modesto, California had just attended an AA meeting in May 2021, and was walking back to his car, when he was struck by a car driven by Brandon Howe, a drunk driver and killed. The irony of this was not lost on his fellow AA members and one told the press "What an irony of life to come here and try and be sober, try to be a better person, and then you go out by one of us, technically."

 Vegan Crap

The Liberal Democrats and Greens on the Oxfordshire County Council had forced through a resolution to say that only vegan food be offered for refreshments at council events .... definitely no meat, and dairy products. But it went dramatically wrong when all 16 of the opposition council members decided to go to a local pub for lunch, instead of eating the new food offerings. Ironically it was the 'Slug and Lettuce' pub.

Naughty But Nice?

Women who have extra marital affairs have reported that it boosts their confidence and self esteem. This was the finding of a poll carried out by the 'married' dating site Ashley Madison (of which more in a moment). They apparently surveyed 4,000 women members, and 64 per cent reported that having a secret lover had boosted their femininity. 

While 45 per cent said that cheating on their partner gave them a sense of empowerment, and 54 per cent said that they felt "more desirable than ever". Lucy Beresford, a relationship expert commented that "Cheating can be the chance for people to feel seen and heard again." 

But, and those of you who religiously read this blogs post, will remember that there was something of a scandal a few years ago, when it was found that the Ashley Madison website was found to have only 12,000 women members (compared with 36 million male members). So frankly this could be a lot of nonsense, with just 4 women, not 4,000 ....

Rich And Spoilt

When toasted sandwich 'chef,' and model, and  photographer, Brooklyn Beckham got married to an older minor actress Nicola Peltz, it was a meeting of money, as well as presumably minds.

Beckham's father David is of course very famous and rich (approx £345m), while Peltz's father Nelson is even more wealthy at approx £1.3bn .... so Brooklyn and Nicola never have to worry about ending up stacking shelves, which I suspect is lucky for at least one of them. I wonder if they ever dwell upon how lucky they are to be born into such wealth and privilege, and ever think about doing something that gives something back to the world .... I might be wrong, but probably not.

Woke World

The cancel history brigade are now in full flow, and apparently the symbolic genocide of white males from history is continuing apace. 

Livingstone And Stanley Facing Cancellation

.... A statue of Sir Henry Morton Stanley, the 19th century explorer is next in line to be toppled.

World Takes A Short Pause ...

A short lead post this week ...  

World Takes A Short Pause ...

... Trump's US still hasn't extracted itself from Iran, so the real world is kind of on a short pause.

There Goes Anyone

I saw something odd early last year, and decided to write about it, as it stuck in my mind .....

A Life Spilt On To The Concrete?

....... It was the moment when a woman's life possibly changed.

Bodily Functions And Perceptions

A 10 year old boy has proved that humans actually do have some remarkable powers of recovery if given a chance. He developed a brain tumour and surgeons were forced to remove a great part of his brain in order to remove the tumour.

 

Human Mega Brains Are Possible

 

In all he lost a third of the right hemisphere (the side which deals with visual processing, sights and sounds). His prognosis was for a restricted recovery.

Between A Rock And A Hard Price?

Donald Trump claimed once again last Friday ......

Trump Between A Rock And A Hard Price?

.... that the U.S. has "already won" the war.  However its now week ten of the war and counting, and he's now saying in his inimitable way that he wants to "win by a bigger margin," and ensure Iran can never attain a nuclear weapon.

A Fishy Explanation

Power Transformers worldwide have suffered some strange animal sabotages over the years .....

Electrocuted Vervet Monkey

.... from Racoon's causing power supply problems in both Germany and the USA, to rats in Japan and monkeys in Kenya.

Oh What A Lucky Man And Other Crime Stories

Sometimes fate just takes a hand. Police in Bochum Germany spotted a man playing a one armed bandit in a arcade, and realised that he was wanted with a warrant out for his arrest, because of €710 in unpaid fines. He faced a 71 day prison term if he failed to pay up, so they moved in to handcuff him. 

Oh What A Lucky Win

But as they detained him, the fruit machine paid out the jackpot of €1,000 so the man paid his outstanding fine in full on the spot and was released.

Time For A New US Political Party?

The US is becoming ever more divided politically .....

USA Politically Divided

 .... with the current two major parties both prone to being hijacked by and led by extremists of the left and the right, and assassinations and assassination attempts, now seemingly a real factor in political life.

It Just Ain't Worth It.

In a scene that is the stuff of nightmares, especially if like me, you are mildly claustrophobic (in truth this picture gave me nightmares for a couple of nights!!)  ....

Matilda Campbell Found Herself In A Tricky Situation.

 ... Matilda Campbell, a young Australian woman, found herself trapped upside down after slipping between two giant boulders.

Dead Dinner Guests And Other Questions

A lazy post this week .....

We Like Poll Lists .....

....... Yes its poll time again ... I don't come across them very often these days, so these are a couple of older ones that I thought interesting enough to type up at the time I saw them.

The Man Who Would Be King

 In the USA there have been a number of anti-trump mass rallies .... 

The Man Who Would Be King?

 .... They have been labelled 'No Kings' protests in an allusion to the revolt against King George III of Britain, which led to the formation of the American Republic.

Pink Flamingo's

Animal ecologists often claim that animals are better off in the wild than in zoo's ...

Ingo The Old Flamingo

.... but the fact is that it's tough in the wild and nature is red in tooth and claw. 

Aqua Bit Too Much

We have all heard the advice ....

Drink At Least 8 Glasses Of Water A Day

.... to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day (how much that is depends on the glass size, but in UK, the NHS recommends 1.2 litres or 6 - 8 200ml glasses = 2 UK pints).

Epstein: More Collateral Damage

With a British Prime Minister once again under pressure ...

Prime Minister Starmer: Epstein Collateral Damage

.... over an Ex-Ambassador to the USA's contacts with Epstein, and the handling of his appointment to that role, it's ironic that the Epstein scandal continues to damage so many in the UK. 

Thieving Crows

The prestigious Outback Queensland Masters ....

Many Animals Like Golf Balls

 ..... is an Australian golf tournament which takes place at Birdsville.

Migration Is In The Genes

I am something of a herpetologist .....

Building A Pond

 ... I specifically put a small ground level pond into my garden at the wettest point, to aid local frogs. I stock it with oxygenating plants, keep it from choking up, stocked it with water snails, and top it up from a rain water barrel purchased specifically for this role.

Claims of Victory

Wars that don't end in the total destruction and surrender of one side ....

"Mission accomplished" US President Bush 2003

   ... can often produce strange definitions of victory.

Tough Little Critters

We have discussed Tardigrades before .... 

Tough Tardigrades

 .... natures toughest little titans.

Toilet Issues

Dirty toilets and habits surrounding them are a common enough subject of occasional discussion ... 

Bad Boy - Zoom Call From Toilet

... so why not here as well.

Trump The Destroyer

Well here we go (again) ....

Trump The Destroyer

This week Trump has threatened to leave NATO, the US led defence organisation that it set up 77 years ago.

Flying Fish?

Its been reported that researchers have uncovered a strange fact .....

Disappearing Fish From Tanks

.... this is that up to 300,000 pet fish, simply disappear from their tanks every year in the UK.

Salt Slickers

The need for salt in their diet affects ..... 

Too Much Salt In Our Diets.

... both humans and animals alike.

Only The Devil Loves Wars

One of the surprises of the war in Iran are the casualty figures ...

Tehran Bombed - Low Comparatively Casualties?

 

.... I say surprises, because considering the sheer volume of munitions being expended by all sides, especially by the US and Isreal, but also by an Iran lashing out in all directions, you would expect many thousand upon thousands of dead and wounded.

Chamas Without The C

I think its fair to say that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas attack on Israel and its response ro that attack has exposed a fault line in the Western populations .....

 ... which is that in general, a sizeable number of the immigrant Muslim populations who are here, loose;y supported the attack and violently opposed the Israeli response, if not necessarily supporting the atrocities Hamas committed against Israeli citizens. While, probably the majority of the non-Muslims (over age 35 at least) supported the right for Israel to respond, and its subsequent actions to defend itself.

Small But Nearly Deadly

Britain is rather benign when it comes to deadly critters ....

Adder Attacks Rare In UK

 ... since the extinction of the wolf and bear, we are largely free of larger predators with perhaps the recently resettled wild boar as the only large wild animal that could maybe kill you.

Severed Feet Mystery

Surprisingly people lose their feet ....

Maurice's Lost Foot

.... only for them to turn up, washed ashore on beaches around the globe but predominantly the Northwest American coast. 

Animals And Tourists Wanted

Money from the UK's Postcode Lottery has been used to prepare habitats for beaver reintroductions in three English counties (Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire), which have been beaver free for over 500 years. 

British Beaver

Wild beaver are only currently found in Scotland and the English county of Devon.

Sky High Costs

When in September 1962, President Kennedy ..... 

Putting A Man On The Moon Was Costly

...... committed the United States to sending a man to the moon before the end of the decade, he said:

Exit Ramp Being Sought??

President Trump appears to have no apparent exit ramp from the attacks on Iran ... 

Wall Street Journal Headline - Exit Iran War

D.M a commentor last week, reported that CNN has an article that stated "Trump might just mirror his domestic approach by declaring victory, walking away and leaving everyone else to deal with the consequences. Trump’s signature move is to tear down established structures before seeing where the pieces fall and finding some way to declare a win." 

Expensive Pets

Pets can be a financial drain .....

Cat Breaks Vase 

 .... anyone facing vets bills can attest to that.

Most Boring Video ..... Ever!!

Chronic insomnia is a problem of old age (which I for one, can attest to <deep sigh>) ....  

Randy Smith Has A Strange Fame

 ... but affects people of all ages worldwide. 

Curtains For Iran

Last Monday, President Trump unusually used a teleprompter/auto-cue at a medal ward ceremony, which the press had attended ....

Donalds auto-cue controller

...... probably because his usual rambling disjointed style of talking, would probably have either alarmed the US public (especially MAGA supporters who he'd promised no overseas wars), or his military planners.

Dull Men

In the UK (November 2024) there was a TV show called James May & The Dull Men's Club .....

1936 Beer Can (From a collection).

 .... hosted by ex-Top Gear presenter James May (as suggested by the title Duh!), which is actually rather entertaining.

Password Control

Cyber security against three malicious states (Russia, China, and North Korea ... the 3 dictatorships most active in the Cybersphere) is a big thing in the increasingly beleaguered West .....

Password Quality Can Be Poor

So every country has a national Cyber Security agency in one form or another, but often they are not employing the best of the best (unlike the opposition).

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

While perusing the Web for current news stories ....

Should Vigilantes Guard Churches?

... I came across this disturbing little quote from Don Gaetz, a Florida state senator. 

Batty Deaths

When we think of migrating animals .... 

Migrating Bats

.... we usually think birds such as geese and ducks.

Is That An Otter In Your Pants?

Two strange tales from the world of Human animal interaction ....

Ducklings In Underpants

An arsonist in Melbourne was hunted by the police after starting several fires in the south-east of the city.

A.I. Evil

I suppose it was only a matter of time ....

Real Or Fakes - Its Hard To Tell

 .... before criminals and others with bad intentions really latched on to the uses of A.I. 

Nasty Box Of Tricks

 In May 2019 there was an unusual on-line tech auction ......

Dangerous Laptop

.... in which a 2008 Samsung NC10 Windows Laptop was sold for £1m ($1,286,540.00) to an undisclosed/unknown buyer.

Wrong Treatment

There is a belief amongst some in the United States, that an electric shock on the bite kills the snakes venom after a bite .... 

Rattle Lip

 .... this idea originated in 1984, from Dr. Ronald H. Guderian, a missionary doctor in Ecuador who believed that shocking a bite would neutralise the venom. It caught on in Ecuador, after some people claimed it had worked for them.

The Destroyer Of Knowledge

Trump vult ignorantiam per Civitates Foederatas regnare .... 

CIA World Factbook - Website Cancelled

Which is a fancy way of saying that Trump apparently wants ignorance to reign across the United States ....

Blowing Up Beavers

Beavers will dam any stream or small river they can ....

Tannerite Explosion

 ... but not all their neighbours like it when they do.

The Empire Grows

Over the last 100 years, Britain went from having the biggest empire the world has ever known .....

The Pink Bits Were British Empire

 ... to being a small overcrowded island, north of the European continent.

Acid Comments

Theofylaktos Kombos was a Greek Orthodox priest ....

Theofylaktos Kombos - Ex Priest

 ..... who was facing a disciplinary hearing, after being caught with 18 gram of cocaine hidden near his genitals.

History Condensed

In September 1962, President Kennedy gave his moon speech ....

President Kennedy - Moon Speech

 ..... it contained this summation of mans development history up unto that day.

Florida Woman And Man ... Yet Again

In September 2021, Police in Dunedin, West of Tampa, Florida, were in a stand-off with a gunman holed up in a buildings roof .....

Three Faces Of Florida Madness.

 ..... when everyone's attention was diverted by the arrival on the scene of a golf cart being driven at top speed which suddenly crashed through their perimeter and ignored all shouts to stop.

BOMBE

 The inventive manner of finding new ways to get 'high' ....

Would You Put This Up Your Nose?

 .... has probably reached its height in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although as reported before, Russia with is fairly well along the rod with its Krokodile drug.

Knob Throwing

Now I think I can guess what you thought this post might be about when you saw the title .....

No, It Has Nothing To Do With Big Knobs!

 ... maybe the more inventive of you might have thought outside the box and considered other less outre explanations.