Protection from Common Sense

Why did they even bother to take their picture in the first place?

EU Shell Game

When does an EU constitution become a "treaty?"

When you promised a referendum on the former that you have no chance of winning.

This Pot is Getting Warm

John Lettice over at The Register has the perfect summing up of Labour's plans to incrementally introduce identity cards:

Boil a frog.

Crow T. Robot Takes The Stand

Cited $29,000 for using the F-word 73 times in a court deposition.

Here is the video

Dark Ages at Chez Szondy

Due to a billing mix up, the satellite television service at Chez Szondy has been interrupted for a couple of days, to which my wife remarked last night, "I guess we'll just have to go to bed early."

I could only agree. After all, we only had DVDs, the Internet, Youtube, itunes, online games, streaming audio and video broadcasts, and digital satellite radio to fall back on. Oh, and reading, board games, cards, playing with the dogs and child, watching the fireplace, or just talking to each other.

Yup, in our house survival tactics are how to get from the hot tub to the remote.

Now Can I Question Their Patriotism?

The anti-war movement in the United States has finally descended to the level of domestic terrorism with an improvised bomb planted at a military recruiting office in Times Square, New York City. Confederate Yankee looks at the incident and concludes that the target and lack of anti-personnel features rules out Jiahdists-- or, at least, competent ones.

But remember, they support the troops!

The Proms Are Double-Plus Ungood

Margaret Hodge, the "culture" minister, claims that the Proms are inappropriate as they are thoughtcrime do not promote "new British values."

So, flag-waving; patriotism; singing "Jerusalem", "Land of Hope and Glory", or "Rule Britannia"; or even innocent enjoyment will no longer be allowed in New Labour's glorious utopia.

No doubt this sort of thing is more what she has in mind.

Or They're Just Trousering The Money

The Royal Navy is building invisible warships.

At least, that's what they're telling us.

Big in Japan

AP headline:

Japan looks to a robot future

Sarah Connor demands six minutes for rebuttal.

Meet Little Ann

And now, I'd like to present the latest addition to the Szondy family: Little Ann, whom we've adopted as a playmate for Carl the Cattle Dog.

I'd forgotten the joys of looking after a puppy; so much energy, so much carpet cleaner.

Jumping the Treadmill

I see that gym membership in Britain is dropping for the first time in twenty years, though sadly this has more to do with chasing other will o' the wisps than any burst of common sense.

Not that I have any claim to immunity from the fad. I belonged to a gym back in the '80s when I decided to do something about keeping in shape over the winter teaching schedule between archaeological excavations. For about five weeks I did the usual round of treadmills, running tracks, and making odd machines move in odd ways until I figured out that this was too much like hard work. Besides, I have the sort of physique that exercise doesn't so much build up as pummel down. I still went regularly, however, since I discovered that steam baths are an exceptional way of nursing a hangover.

Nowadays I follow the Chez Szondy fitness plan, which consists of keeping up a house in the country while chasing after two dogs and a five-year old.

Things Fall Apart, The Centre Cannot Hold

If you can't trust celebrity chefs, then what hope is there in this vale of tears?

Recycled Truth

Head swimming with trying to worship Blessed Gaia follow the government's draconian recycling laws?

Turns out you needn't have bothered, as hundreds of thousands of tons of it end up on the tip anyway.

As I've said, if something is really worth recycling, private businesses would be buying it from you rather than the local council charging to have it hauled away.

Plastic PM

Having found Islamofascism, drunken hooliganism, violent crime, illegal immigration, decaying public services, a starved military and the British public's loathing of the EU too much to handle, Mr. Gordon Brown has found an issue he can bring the iron fist down on: plastic bags.

I want to make it clear that if government compulsion is needed to make the change, we will take the necessary steps.

Good Lord. Less than a year in office and Mr. Brown has revealed himself in one sentence as a cross between Vladimir Putin and Jimmy Carter.

Death Ray Update

Well, at least Prof. May could take solace in the fact that if the death ray thing didn't work out, there was always Alpha the Robot to fall back on.

Parts: The Clonus Horror

It doesn't get any worse than this.

I hope.

St. David's Day

This wasn't sung at Rorke's Drift, but it damn well should have been.

Happy St. David's Day from Ephemeral Isle.

E-Day Update

E-Day, an "independent operation" (even though started and backed to the hilt by the BBC) , has proven a complete bust. Designed to sell people on the idea of returning to mud huts and peasantry, the end result was that electricity consumption actually went up on the day.

The BBC has relegated the embarassment to the back pages of its web site and is now faced with trying to wrap its collective mind around the fact that the British people aren't a load of dupes after all. Meanwhile, Dr. Matt Prescott, the alleged brains behind E-Day said,

I will do my best to learn the relevant lessons for next time.

The relevant lesson being that there shouldn't be a next time.

Update: This just keeps getting better:

E-Day organiser Dr Matt Prescott said the drop in temperature on the day may be behind the rise, with more people leaving lights and heating on as a result.

Yes! A stunt to worship at the altar of Blessed Gaia combat global warming is defeated by global cooling!

Doctor X

When stem cell research goes horribly wrong.

Shame about the handcuffs.

Police Academy Dhimmitude

Police in Britain are to be taught the Koran and Sharia law as part of a programme to "combat extremism".

One would have thought that a solid knowledge of English law and how to write out an arrest report would have been enough. No doubt policemen will also now be versed in the Catholic Bible and the Napoleonic Code on the off chance that they have to lock up a Frenchman.