The "And in other news..." thread

[Baxenden Bank]

Not external news but... a perfect thread coupling on the forum just now...

Keir Starmer and the Labour Party
Now playing
Football

View attachment 152408

Can he/they Ed Balls?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Attached from BBC News article yesterday.
So - depending on which "little fella" got to the egg, there's a chance that man's son is also his brother....

 

[Howardh]

Not external news but... a perfect thread coupling on the forum just now...

Keir Starmer and the Labour Party
Now playing
Football

View attachment 152408

Would be very impressive if the last one was Glastonbury!!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Can he/they Ed Balls?

Brilliant!

 

[birchesgreen]

The GOV.uk crown has been changed

Updating GOV.UK’s crown – Inside GOV.UK

Product updates and news from the Government Digital Service's GOV.UK team.

insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk

As of today, GOV.UK has a new crown in its logo. This blog post explains why we’ve made the change and how we’ve done it.

 

[75A]

The GOV.uk crown has been changed

Updating GOV.UK’s crown – Inside GOV.UK

Product updates and news from the Government Digital Service's GOV.UK team.

insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk

What a waste of money.

 

[Gloster]

What a waste of money.

All a result of the monarchical system as practiced in this country, which some may well consider a waste of money. Still, it will probably produce hours of internet discussion by those around the world who are fascinated by the Windsors, an everyday story of country rulin’ folk.

 

[dangie]

What a waste of money.

It’s not really a waste of money, it’s just moving money around

 

[birchesgreen]

I wonder what happens if you refuse/can't pay? Do the police arrest you for feeding pigeons?

I was fined for feeding a pigeon a chip. Is this really how councils raise funds now? | Peyvand Khorsandi

Local councils are strapped for cash, that is clear. But issuing fixed-penalty notices for things like this is not the answer, says journalist Peyvand Khorsandi

www.theguardian.com

The other week I found myself unexpectedly in the same place, subject to a different but equally searing injustice: I was fined £150 for feeding pigeons. This time, the man meting out injustice was a private enforcer for the local council.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Blimey - what next? Getting fined for having a feeder in my garden, in case the birds drop seeds in a public space after flying off....

 

[birchesgreen]

I wonder if you could argue the pigeon ate the evidence?

 

[AlistairCowell]

Sad news for Coronation Street fans today - Fred Elliot actor John Savident dies at 86:

John Savident: Coronation Street's Fred Elliott dies aged 86

The star played Fred Elliott, a character best known for his booming voice, in the ITV soap.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[AndyPJG]

BBC News-South Yorkshire

Alton Towers log flume boat washes up on Sheffield river bank
A log flume boat that spent most of its life at the Alton Towers theme park has been found washed up on the banks of a Sheffield river.
A walker joked it must have "travelled some distance" in a post online showing the boat next to the River Sheaf.
Owner Mick Foster said he had bought the boat after "a few drinks" and it had been placed in his Sheffield garden about half a mile (800m) upstream.
He is hoping to enlist the help of arm wrestlers to bring the boat home.
In the initial Facebook post, people speculated how the boat ended up in Sheffield - 37 miles away from the Staffordshire theme park.
Mr Foster quickly laid claim to the boat, telling people it had floated out of his garden in Sheffield after heavy rain led to flooding back in October.
"A friend said I should tie it up, but I told her it was really heavy. Twenty minutes later it's gone," he told the BBC.
He bought the fibreglass vessel after Alton Towers closed the flume ride in 2016.
The ride cars were auctioned off to collectors and enthusiasts, with Mr Foster buying one from a reseller months later for £350.
"I thought, I'll have one of those. An absolute bargain."

 

[OuterDistant]

I worked on the Log Flume in the late 90s. Once he gets the boat home, five arm wrestling types in it should be enough to stop it floating away.

Don't ask how I know!

 

[YorkRailFan]

She’s a sassy, assertive, and independent girlie who knows what she wants. But, is Peppa Pig turning kids into spoiled brats? Some parents seem to think so… as well as fearing she’s changing their nationality.

It’s been almost 20 years since Peppa oinked onto our screens and she’s still as popular as ever, having made a name for herself around the world.

She’s even attracted celebrity cameos, with US singer Katy Perry having voiced her own character recently.

However, the outgoing preschool pig has learned that fame comes with a price, as American parents in particular aren’t massive fans of her behaviour.So much so, that they’ve started complaining about the influence Peppa is having over their kids.Some have reported that their American children have picked up British accents and mannerisms, and they’ve even started substituting their American words for British terms.
For example, they might say ‘biscuits’ instead of ‘cookies.’

Taking to social media to unleash their frustrations, parents branded Peppa ‘rude’ and ‘impatient’.

Pearl Boshomane wrote on X: ‘So happy we are discussing what a terrible role model Peppa Pig is. She’s rude and a total brat and she never gets called out for it on the show. She’s a selfish, body-shaming bully. And she gets away with it.’

Meanwhile, a mother named Armita Asgari, 41, told The Wall Street Journal that she believed ‘Peppa is a brat’.

Having noticed a change in her five-year-old son Luca’s behaviour after watching the show, she recalled him telling one of their neighbours that they had a ‘big tummy’.‘That was when I realised he had picked up all these behaviours from Peppa Pig,’ she raged.

The mum was also shocked when her son started saying ‘yuck’ in response to foods he didn’t like.

Then, if his mum did something he didn’t like, he would tell her: ‘You’re not my friend anymore.’Pearl definitely isn’t alone, as another mother told the Daily Mail that she has banned Peppa Pig from her home, blasting the characters as ‘rude and stupid’.

She also criticised their ‘poor values’ and expressed concerns about children ‘copying what they see and hear’.
Well aware of the criticism Peppa Pig has come under, Esra Cafer, Hasbro’s senior Vice President, has spoken out about the backlash.
The company stated that the titular character ‘has the ability to express how she feels’, defending her as ‘assertive and self-confident’, rebuking the idea that she is ‘too direct and rude.’

Regardless, there’s still a lot of love out there for Peppa, with plenty of parents encouraging their kids to watch her show.She’s also been praised for her humour, which makes little ones laugh given how it’s easy to understand.

Parents have even defended Peppa Pig against critics, urging those who dislike it to ‘press the off button’.

This is far from the first time Peppa Pig has caught heat, having been slammed last year by vile bigots after celebrating Pride Month.

Poor Peppa can’t catch a break!

American parents fear Peppa Pig is turning their children British

Peppa has been branded 'rude' by parents.

metro.co.uk

Perhaps a little bit too much TV for the kids.

 

[D6130]

American parents fear Peppa Pig is turning their children British

Peppa has been branded 'rude' by parents.

metro.co.uk

Perhaps a little bit too much TV for the kids.

Well isn't that just too bad for the poor little American kids....after decades of British children being horribly influenced in their behaviour, vocabulary, accents, etc. by awful American films and TV series!

 

[GusB]

While we're talking about strange Americans...

US man extends record for most Big Macs eaten in a lifetime to over 34,000

Don Gorske, 70, becomes one of Guinness World Records’ longest-running holders with intake of two McDonald’s burgers a day

www.theguardian.com

Don Gorske did not have many people betting on him to live into his 70s with his half-century-old habit of eating Big Mac hamburgers daily. But cutting down his intake of the famous McDonald’s burgers to two a day (rather than his previous high of nine), skipping fries with his meals and walking six miles daily for exercise has not only helped him become a septuagenarian – it has also allowed him to extend his Guinness world record for most Big Macs eaten in a lifetime to more than 34,000.

“Many people thought I’d be dead by now,” the 70-year-old Gorske said Thursday in an interview published by Guinness, which is known for maintaining a database of more than 40,000 world records. “But instead I’ve been … one of Guinness World Records’ longer-running record holders, so that’s pretty cool to me.”

It’s hard to overstate how central McDonald’s and its staple product have been to the identity of the retired prison officer from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. That’s the case despite longstanding warnings from experts who say regularly consuming fast food, including McDonald’s, can contribute to weight gain, obesity, heart disease and other health problems because the meals are densely packed with calories, sodium, sugar and fat. Gorske recounted how his love affair with Big Macs began as soon as he had his first one on 17 May 1972. “In that moment, I said: ‘I’m going to probably eat these for the rest of my life,’” Gorske remarked to Guinness. “I threw the cartons in the back seat and started counting them from day one.” He is not exaggerating. He has kept a receipt of every single Big Mac he’s eaten every day since that first one, and he’s retained each of the burgers’ containers.

Having worked in a McDonald's for a short time and eaten their food on a regular basis, I hate to think what his gut health is like.

To be honest, I'm not sure what's weirder - eating over 34000 Big Macs, or having to store that many containers!

 

[dangie]

While we're talking about strange Americans...

US man extends record for most Big Macs eaten in a lifetime to over 34,000

Don Gorske, 70, becomes one of Guinness World Records’ longest-running holders with intake of two McDonald’s burgers a day

www.theguardian.com

Having worked in a McDonald's for a short time and eaten their food on a regular basis, I hate to think what his gut health is like.

To be honest, I'm not sure what's weirder - eating over 34000 Big Macs, or having to store that many containers!

He’s lived a virtually healthy vegetarian diet, as there’s probably very little meat in a McDonald’s burger

Edit: I’ve just added a smiley face in case someone thought I was being serious. I stand by the ‘little meat’ but they’re probably still not too healthy.

 

[birchesgreen]

I just wonder where he stores all the boxes and cartons, although small its still over 34,000 of them!

 

[JD2168]

In a unusual case a man in Germany has been found to have been vaccinated against COVID between 134 & 217 times.

A video has gone viral of a woman outside a shop in Wales whose coat got caught in the shutters & was carried into the air whilst also grabbing hold of her shopping trolley, she was eventually released after the shop owner noticed her predicament.

 

[brad465]

A video has gone viral of a woman outside a shop in Wales whose coat got caught in the shutters & was carried into the air whilst also grabbing hold of her shopping trolley, she was eventually released after the shop owner noticed her predicament.

Shoplifting rife as ever.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Shoplifting rife as ever.

It didn't shutter up though, keeps going on about it.

 

[birchesgreen]

A video has gone viral of a woman outside a shop in Wales whose coat got caught in the shutters & was carried into the air whilst also grabbing hold of her shopping trolley, she was eventually released after the shop owner noticed her predicament.

In Soviet Wales shop lifts you.

 

[edwin_m]

Feel as if this should be the first line of a joke.

Two octopuses found walking on Welsh beach

The cephalopods had washed up in Ceredigion, where they were found by walkers.

www.bbc.co.uk

Two octopuses were rescued by walkers after they were spotted crawling along a beach.

The cephalopods had washed up at New Quay, Ceredigion, where they were found by Fran Fitzpatrick and Joshua Pedley.

They had decided to see if there was anything interesting on the sands after Storm Franklin and were able to help them back into the sea.

Wildlife guide Mr Pedley said: “To our knowledge both octopus are still safe and sound.”

But perhaps I'm just a sucker for punishment.

 

[Gloster]

Feel as if this should be the first line of a joke.

Two octopuses found walking on Welsh beach

The cephalopods had washed up in Ceredigion, where they were found by walkers.

www.bbc.co.uk

But perhaps I'm just a sucker for punishment.

Two octopuses were walking along a beach. One said to the other, “Why does it always take so long to stretch our legs?”

 

[Sun Chariot]

Two octopuses were walking along a beach. One said to the other, “Why does it always take so long to stretch our legs?”

Two octopus children go busking on the beach. They return home that evening, with a very unwell looking squid.
Octopus Mother scolds them: "No - I said to come back home with Six Quid"

 

[brad465]

I laughed way harder than I probably should have at this:

Sophie Ellis-Bextor performs Murder On The Dancefloor at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris where terrorists killed 90 people

Sophie Ellis-Bextor told the crowd that Murder On The Dance Floor was "not a song with any evil in its heart" before performing the 2001 hit, which has become a viral hit thanks to the film Saltburn.

news.sky.com

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has paid tribute to the victims of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, before singing Murder On The Dancefloor at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed.

In coordinated attacks across the capital on the night of 13 November 2015, 130 peopled died and hundreds more were injured.

By far the deadliest element of the IS-backed plot was the assault on the Bataclan when terrorists opened fire on the crowd who were watching the American band Eagles of Death Metal play.

Performing at the 1,500-capacity venue on Tuesday night as part of her European tour, Ellis-Bextor acknowledged the sensitivity around the lyrics of the song with past events in mind.

She told the crowd: "It didn't feel right to me to just waltz into a song called Murder On The Dancefloor without noting and paying tribute to the history."

 

[PG]

I laughed way harder than I probably should have at this:

Sophie Ellis-Bextor performs Murder On The Dancefloor at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris where terrorists killed 90 people

Sophie Ellis-Bextor told the crowd that Murder On The Dance Floor was "not a song with any evil in its heart" before performing the 2001 hit, which has become a viral hit thanks to the film Saltburn.

news.sky.com

Nearly spat out my tea reading that first sentence!

 

[YorkRailFan]

North Yorkshire Police arrested the boy on suspicion of theft, burglary and motoring offences including dangerous driving.

Officers received a call at about 15:30 GMT on Thursday that a caravan had been stolen from a holiday site near Thirsk.

They tracked a BMW they said was using cloned plates heading south on the A1.

The force said that 45 minutes after the caravan was reported stolen "we stopped the vehicle on the M1 after it left the A1 at Hook Moor Interchange near Garforth".

The boy has been released on conditional bail with further inquiries being carried out.

Police said a selection of vehicle registration plates was found when they searched the vehicle.

The force confirmed no-one had been injured.

Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M1

Police arrest the boy on suspicion of dangerous driving, theft and burglary.

www.bbc.co.uk

Looks like he got quite far from Thirsk to Garforth. I would've been quite shocked if I drove past him on the M1.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

...and here we go again with another perfect thread coupling!

Rishi Sunak and the Conservative party.
This is a scam, right?