Ridden with inaccuracies, half truths, and plain old news.
News
Britain’s Sexiest Female Farmer Crowned
Feb 15th
Finally the question on everybody’s lips has been answered. In order to put an end to the endless debates and arguments Farmer’s Weekly magazine has taken on the noble task of working out who is Britain’s sexiest farmer. After weeks of closely examining photos from around the country the winners have been announced.
I live in Devon and you can’t throw a stick around here without hitting a farmer. Most aren’t what you might consider ‘good looking’ unless you like your men/women ruddy, overfed and slightly disheveled (each to their own). Apparently though there are good looking farmers including the winner Anna Simpson of Hutton Rudby in Yorkshire.
Miss Simpson was awarding the title along with £250 and a pair of welly boots. She said she had entered the competition in order to prove that not all farmers are 60 year old men with their trousers held up by a bit of old rope (I’m paraphrasing).
‘When they told me I’d won I thought it was a wind-up. I saw the competition and I thought I’d give it a go and I was short-listed which was brilliant. I was quite surprised I got through as there were so many good entries so I’m really happy. I won £250 but I think the title alone is a great thing to have.”
The male winner was Pete Mortimore of Widdecombe-on-the-Moor, Devon. Mr Mortimore and Miss Simpson fought off some surprisingly fierce competition although some entrants looked suspiciously like farm animals.
Miranda Kerr Defends Embarrassed Aussie Banker
Feb 5th
Australian model Miranda Kerr has spoken out in defense of the Aussie banker caught ogling her photos on live television earlier this week. David Kiely of Macquarie Private Wealth was seen in the background of a news item looking at photos of Kerr much to his embarrassment. The video of the news item has been watched over 2 million times in the three days it has been on Youtube.
Kerr has voiced her support for Mr Kiely who she says should not be sacked: “I am told there is a petition to save his job and of course I would sign it,”. Despite reports of Mr Kiely being let go he is apparently still employed at Macquarie Private Wealth although he is thought to have been suspended whilst investigations take place. The fact that he was sent the photos via email suggests that he may have been set up by a workmate.
Various petitions and Facebook groups have sprung up in the banker’s defense and concerned viewers have been emailing the bank in order to try and protect his job. The photos in question from Miranda Kerr’s recent GQ feature are not that explicit so it is hoped that the filthy banker will be back at work soon.
Aussies Celebrate Australia Day
Jan 28th
It feels like it has been winter in England for about the last 10 months, the sky is permanently gray and my kitchen is somehow always colder than the inside of the fridge. As I was eating my breakfast in front of the fire wondering if it was worth bothering to open the curtains I saw a clip on the television of Australians celebrating their national day. Personally if I lived in a country where it is always sunny and everybody hangs around on the beach all week (don’t pretend they don’t) I would celebrate every day.
The Australia day celebrations seemed designed to annoy those of us in the northern hemisphere who are in the depths of winter. Footage of people surfing and sunbathing and generally having a great time in the sun are the last thing I want to see in the middle of January. I consoled myself with the thought that it was very unlikely that I would be bitten by any native species in England whereas in Australia at least two thirds of the creatures are deadly.
The newsreader said that one of the events taking place was the ‘Havaianas Thong Challenge’ that disappointingly turned out to be something to do with flip-flops. There was also Vegemite wrestling (in rather than against) and presumably quite a few barbecues taking place.
The Australians certainly seem to have a pretty great lifestyle and if flights to Australia didn’t take so long (a flight to Sydney takes over 22 hours) I would have visited by now. It actually took me longer than that to travel to Florida because we took two flights in order to keep the cost down so perhaps flying to Australia wouldn’t be so bad. I would just worry that once I got there I would be unwilling to get back on the plane and come home.
Watch the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Live
Dec 15th
Last week I created a page which aggregates Twitter tweets which are related to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. All tweets containing #COP15 are displayed on this page albeit temporarily. The aim was to create a live stream of people’s thoughts and opinions about Climate Change Copenhagen and the events which were happening there. The good thing about drawing in content like this is that it has not been filtered through an organization like a newspaper or a television station so it is not overly biased. Whilst this is an interesting jumping off point (particularly if you follow a few links) it does not give you as much information as some other sources.
It is possible to stream live videos of some of the talks going on at the Climate Change Conference thanks to the wonders of the internet! Below I have embedded several live streams which you can watch until the conference ends on Friday. There are also links to the sites which are hosting the streams. If you have any more to add please get in contact via the contact page.
Live on TheUptake (Via live.tcktcktck.org)
OneClimate.net
Italy Bans Breast Enlargement for Girls Under 18
Dec 14th
Silvio Berlusconi has had a tough weekend, first he was attacked by a man wielding a souvenir model of a cathedral then Italy banned breast implants for girls under 18. (For any lawyers reading: I’m sure Berlusconi has never shown an interest in a girl under 18, although he has been to at least one 18th birthday party this year).
The new legislation aims to prevent girls from rushing in to having plastic surgery without having first considering the risks. There have been many reports of operations going wrong and of girls receiving sub-standard implants. Francesca Martini of Italy’s welfare ministry has suggested that a register of qualified plastic surgeons should be drawn up in order to prevent botched operations being performed by less skilled doctors.
“This legislation is primarily aimed at the growing number of girls under 18 who have breast enhancement surgery purely for fashion reasons and have no idea of the risks involved. Far too many adolescent girls are unaware of the fact that there are risks with this type of surgery and it should not be used purely for fashion and looks.At the moment we have a Wild West, cowboy style system of plastic surgery for young women and this must stop.”
It has been estimated that around 10,000 teenage girls had breast enhancement surgery in Italy in 2008. Most of these operations were paid for by the girl’s parents as a gift. In the UK it is still legal for girls under 18 to have cosmetic surgery although many surgeons are unwilling to operate on those who are still growing.
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