Ridden with inaccuracies, half truths, and plain old news.
Posts tagged uk
We Are Not The ‘Beautiful People’
Nov 11th
British people are among the least attractive in the world according to BeautifulPeople.com. The site is described as ‘elite dating site for beautiful people only’ and those applying for an account must first be rated by members of the opposite sex. Apparently only 12% of British men who apply are accepted into the site. 15% of female applicants from the UK are considered attractive enough to use the site.
BeautifulPeople is the first community of its kind. To become a member, applicants are required to be voted in by existing members of the opposite sex. Members rate all new applicants over a 48 hour period based on whether or not they find the applicant ‘beautiful’. Should applicants secure enough positive votes from members, they will be granted a full membership to the BeautifulPeople Network.
Statistically speaking we can’t all be beautiful (I have a face for blogging) because beauty by its definition is outside of the norm. Strangely most people consider themselves to be of above average intelligence and looks particularly in comparison to other people (see Illusory superiority).
Georgia Jagger
The stats presented by BeautifulPeople.com clearly show that some people overestimate their attractiveness. Its also worth pointing out that the people who are accepted into the site are those who are considered attractive by the majority of those rating. When the majority vote we tend to end up with predictable and bland winners (see X-factor). If you look at the hottest rated people on Hot or Not most of the girls look like Barbie and most of the men look like Ken.
There are clearly lots of attractive British people but perhaps we aren’t as uniformly attractive as other countries. According to the site Swedish men and the most attractive (65% of applicants approved) and Norwegian women come out on top (76% approval). Brazilian women have proved to be considered attractive by the majority of members. 1.8 million people have been rejected in the last 2 weeks since the site went world wide.
American Cars
Oct 14th
Cars in England tend to be a bit smaller than their American counterparts. I guess this is because we have different types of roads (lots of narrow, twisting country lanes compared to big highways) and probably a different sense of proportion. Everything about America is bigger and and brasher (and it’s probably best I end that sentence there). I consider myself quite English (reserved, up-tight and of the opinion that guns are a Bad Thing) but I really like American cars. No Hummers or SUVs but good old fashioned long square ones with go-faster-stripes and a sense of style.
Modern cars leave me cold, I don’t understand why aerodynamics are considered quite so important, I would rather have a car that is a clearly defined shape than one that looks like a squished diamond. Ideally I would have a Ford Mustang or a Dodge Charger:
Unfortunately I don’t have the necessary spare cash to blow on one of these cars so I’m destined to own sensible second hand cars that are dull but get you falrom A to B. I have found that there are several car rental companies who specialise in classic cars so my dreams of driving one aren’t too far fetched.
Portuguese-Man-of-War Spotted of British Coasts.
Sep 15th
Unprecidented numbers of Portugese Man of War jellyfish have been spotted of the coasts of Devon and Cornwall over the last six weeks. There have been 60 reported sightings this summer acording to The Marine Conservation Society. The Man of War is known for its dangerous venom which can cause ‘whip-like, red welts on the skin’ which cause the victim a considerable amount of pain.
The Portuguese Man o’ War is not actually a jellyfish but rather a collony of seperate, individual zooids. Acording to Wikipedia
A Portuguese Man O’ War is not a single animal, but rather a siphonophore – a colony of four kinds of minute, highly modified individuals, which are specialized polyps and medusoids.[1] Each such zooid in these pelagic colonial hydroids or hydrozoans has a high degree of specialization and, although structurally similar to other solitary animals, are all attached to each other and physiologically integrated rather than living independently.
Those encoutering a Man of War are advised not to touch the creature(s). If contact occurs victims may need to seek medical attention depending on their reaction.
The Marine Conservation Society are unsure of why we are seeing increased numbers of Portuguese Man of War although persistent south-westerly winds may be a factor.
10 Recession Beating Holiday Tips.
May 15th
Here are 10 useful tips for keeping the cost of your annual holiday down. There is no point having an expensive holiday and having to worry even more about money when you get back! Saving a bit of money doesn’t necessarily mean making huge compromises (don’t worry I won’t be recommending a trip to Milton Keynes) just a bit of forward planning.
1. Book Early. I know this is a bit of an obvious one but it is worth repeating. Train travel, hotel rooms, car rental and Flights are often cheaper if you book as far in advance as possible.
2. How about staying with friends or taking part in a house swap? Just make sure you organize it well so you don’t end up returning home to find people in your house who expect to stay another night (true story!) [Guardian Home Exchange]
3. Buy your holiday from ebay. I had no idea but apparently people sell holidays they can no longer take via online auctions. This might be a bit of a last minute technique but look on the positive side, you benefit from someone else’s misfortune! [ebay.co.uk travel section]
4. Avoid paying ridiculous ATM fees Phone your bank before you go and find out the best way to reduce cost before you get there!
5. A Camping Barn is a minimally furnished self catering alternative to caravanning and camping. The cost from as little as £7 per person per night and are great for large families. [campingbarn.com]
6. Complain. If your holiday is not up to scratch or your airline sells your seat to someone else then you could get compensation. Sometimes it is necessary to hire someone else to chase a refund but the main thing is not to give up after one reply!
7. look online for discount voucher codes. For example enter FLIPFLOPS as a pro code on the easycar.com site for a summer discount. [vouchercodes.co.uk]
8. Avoid paying ridiculous mobile phone fees. Phone your operator before you go and find out the best way to reduce cost before you get there!
9. Compare prices online to make sure you’re not paying over the odds for your flight or hotel room. [travelsupermarket.com]
10. For those who don’t work hard enough outside of holiday time (how many people work in your office? About half of them, arf arf!) how about a working holiday. [workingholidayinfo.com]
Obama’s Gift to Gordon Brown: 25 DVDs.
Mar 6th
When Gordon Brown travelled to America to meet with President Obama he hoped to start a strong friendship with the new leader in order to continue the ’special relationship’ between the US and the UK. In these tough economic times forging strong international relationships with other countries is very important to us. Whilst many of us in the UK wished to distance ourselves from America during President Bush’s reign his departure could have heralded a new link between us.
It turns out that Obama isn’t so keen. Gordon Brown took three gifts for the new president when he visited:
- A pen holder fashioned from oak from HMS Gannet, a Navy vessel that served on anti-slavery missions off Africa. (The Oval Office desk is also made from the remains of the Gannet.)
- A framed commissioning paper for the HMS Resolute, a Royal Navy ship that came to symbolize British-American goodwill when it was rescued by the U.S. from icebergs and given to Queen Victoria.
- A first edition copy of Martin Gilbert’s biography of Winston Churchill.
Obama’s gift in return was… 25 DVDs of popular American films. It’s hard to read that as anything other than a blatant snub.
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