and while we're on the subject of cunts

In her speech to the Labour conference today Harriet Harperson made a feeble attempt at a driving themed joke about Chris Huhne.

Given that only last year Harperson pleaded guilty to and was convicted of driving without due care and attention it's either bravery or hypocrisy on her part that's way off the measuring scale.

PETA - complete cunts yet again

Sarasota, Fla. — Prompted by reports that a man was bitten by a shark on Saturday while spearfishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Anna Maria Island, PETA plans to run an outdoor advertising campaign on benches and billboards near the island that makes the point that the deadliest killers in the water aren't sharks—they're humans. The ad shows a human "drumstick" hanging out of a shark's mouth next to the words "Payback Is Hell. Go Vegan."

I wish I was making this up but it's real. There are some really sick fucks working for PETA.

health and safety

I'm surprised this got passed the politically correct police (bloody sexist nonsense)!!

here we go yet again

The Sun has this anti-alcohol story today



As Anthony and Tom transition from the headline to the strapline those "kids" have become "young revellers" because, as we all know, selling alcohol to children is illegal and every person in that venue would have had to prove their age. So from the beginning this article is absolute bollocks.

A barman said of tomorrow's "2 Bob Tuesday" promotion: "It's gonna be pretty wild. "I'm sure a lot of students are going be really hammered. And the party will be going on till 3am."

A barman talking bollocks about a future event in an effort to make their life sound exciting? I've never, ever heard one do that. This speculation might prove to be accurate but for the moment it remains speculation.

Sun investigators visited the Showbar in Warrington, Cheshire, on Saturday night — and witnessed two girls writhing drunkenly together on the dance floor. Another woman collapsed in the gutter outside shortly after leaving.

As the venue has a capacity of 1300 one assumes there were more than three people (excluding the reporters) in the club? And this is the worst alcohol fuelled behaviour they witnessed? Sounds to me like the Showbar doesn't really have a problem at all.

Clubbers who pay a £5 entry fee tomorrow can sink half-pints of beer for 10p each — equal to just 20p per pint.

After considering the £5 entry fee I'd argue that the cost of a pint is much higher.

Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker blasted: "This shouldn't be allowed. It clearly incentivises drinking irresponsibly."

Fuck off Shenker.

manager Jenny Keep defended the move. She said: "It's really a student night. It'll be £5 to get in and then 10p for a drink.But they will only be allowed to have one drink at a time.

Only allowed one drink at a time? That will lead to long queues at the bar and long gaps between drinks. That 20p a pint target is looking a long way off now isn't it? It sounds to me like many promotional offers - fantastic until you read the small print.

Other places have had promotions of drink at 1p at time — now that is irresponsible."

Oh dear Jenny. You were doing so well defending your position then you made the error of trying to divert attention away from yourself by blaming others. But I'll forgive you if you resist these puritan cocktards, people like

Katherine Brown, research chief at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: "It's a prime example of how irresponsible the drinks industry can be, targeting particularly vulnerable students and young people. This is why tough minimum pricing should be brought in. Alcohol harm costs the UK around £25billion a year — we can't afford not to do anything about it"

Have you noticed that, rather than being the elite of the academic process, students are often described as vulnerable by the very people that, one assumes, went through the same system? And it's always the same few names that the media use for anti-[insert frowned upon substance] quotes. And they always seem to be ignorant of the statistics that show alcohol consumption dropping year on year.

Sarah Wise, of the British Liver Trust, added: "We're creating a generation of drinkers who find these deals normal, feeding their expectations to get drunk on a fiver."

Really Sarah? Until you produce proof that's happening it remains your opinion

Prof Sir Ian Gilmour,(sic) a special adviser to the Royal College of Physicians, warned: "I'm sure the local A&E department will be reaping the rewards of selling alcohol at 10p per drink."

But as we know from previous encounters with this twat he likes to phrase quotes for the media in vague and unspecific ways so that he can't be accused of directly lying.

So there you have it: A non-story dressed up as a massive problem that needs intervention.

the sky is falling!

According to the BBC

"Nasa says there's a one in 3,200 chance that a piece will hit a person somewhere on the planet but for one person specifically the risk is one in 21 trillion."

so the chances are high you won't be among the injured or dead when the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite crashes to earth later today. Fear not because

It seems likely that UARS will avoid areas inhabited by humans, but the experience will be something of a dress rehearsal for a greater danger coming in November.

A German satellite telescope called Rosat is expected to re-enter with much bigger pieces, including a very large lens, still intact.

So a bit like the Euromillions rollover jackpot then.

pseudo-machiavellian manoeuvring

Sometimes you find out about sneaky underhand things other people are doing. Sometimes it's through piecing together different bits of information from different sources, sometimes it's a snatched fragment of a conversation, sometimes it's because someone is passing on the information to someone else without realising who they are. However you find out doesn't really make a difference provided the source is reliable.

I found out some things this week that, tied in with previous knowledge, made me open mouthed with wonder. I mean you're retired for fuck's sake. Doesn't age bring inner peace you petulant child? It certainly hasn't made you wise. Aren't you a bit old to be trying to play that kind of game? How very fucking sad you are.

And then I laughed.

And laughed and laughed and laughed.

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

how very thoughtful

foldit

A fascinating story in the Telegraph today

Scientists had been struggling to map the structure of M-PMV, a protein involved in a virus that causes a form of simian Aids, in an experiment called CASP9. The search, in that experiment and others, had been going on for more than a decade. The solution was not found by a laboratory but the players of an online puzzle game.

Where 'education' and 'knowledge' failed to find a solution 'creative thinking' and 'understanding the rules' triumphed. Or something like that. The thing I find most fascinating about the story is that the gamers

were initially hampered by the computer modelling that had already taken place. Trapped within the automatic analysis’s best guess, they were unable to make the radical moves that eventually led to the correct answer

found a solution without knowing anything about the problem apart from a set of rules that you have to work to.

You can find out more by heading over to Foldit. I'm having a play around with it and it's quite addictive in the early stages. Who knows? Maybe we work together to cure the virus that causes people to become lying, self important, self obsessed, duplicitous twats the moment they get elected to political office?*




*Very few are immune to this infection

hahahahahahahahaha

I just found out I was voted number 34 on this list (I wouldn't have known unless someone else told me)



So which one of you bastards is responsible then? You bloody piss taker! I shall, of course, not be adding any badges or links to the sidebar. I view this kind of award ceremony thing as funny and not the reason why I bother to log in and write about the shit that catches my eye. Still, it provided a moment of two of mirth when I found out.

Mean Poppa Lean

A chance meeting, followed by an easy conversation, (all thanks to a quick cigarette before the train came) lead me to this band .......



I like!

cocaine is overpriced ......

"A gram of cocaine in Yorkshire costs £40 [whereas] 40 grams of alcohol costs a pound if you buy white cider at £2 for a 2 litre bottle," said Robin Davidson, a clinical psychologist and chair of the newly launched charity, Alcohol Research UK. "The price of this drug is obscenely low."

Comparing the cost of a widely available LEGAL product with a widely available ILLEGAL product. That makes sense .....

beer news

Blogging has been light of late because, as well as moving home, the first brew from SouthDowns Brewery has been taking up a great deal of my time. In the first 10 days we've sold half the gyle so at this rate we'll need to brew again imminently to ensure constant supply ..........

If you're Sussex based our beer can, has, or will be found in

The Shepherd & Dog (Fulking) *the brewery tap
The Red Lion (Shoreham)
Suter's Yard (Shoreham)
The Royal Sovereign (Shoreham)
The Buck Arms (Shoreham) *delivery date TBC
Selden Arms (Worthing)
Evening Star (Brighton)
Jolly Tanners (Staplefield)
Jack and Jill Inn (Clayton)
The Eight Bells (Bolney)


Or for those of a more Welsh persuasion there is a very high chance that if you head over to Kilverts (Hay-on-Wye) after the 18th Sep they may well have our beer for you to try.

new arrival

A little light advertising this evening. If you are, or know, a landlord in the Kent/Sussex area who can buy direct from a brewery can I recommend this cheeky little beverage?



The SouthDowns Brewery is still in its infancy but our first beer, currently brewed under contract at Kent Brewery, is definitely not untested. We have trialled it successfully for nine months in one exclusive outlet where it outsold well-known and respected brands such as Harveys and Dark Star and received a very strong positive response from a knowledgeable customer base.

Ruskins Ram is a traditional style English bitter with a sharp, clean, taste. As you lift the glass to your nose you realise its mellow maltiness is complemented by a subtle vanilla aroma. Unlike many contemporary generic brews Ruskins Ram is fully hopped to give it a unique flavour. At 4.0% ABV it works well as either a session beer or an accompaniment for meals. The name is inspired by the Ruskin drinking fountain in Fulking.

All of our beers will be brewed with natural spring water that comes straight out of the Sussex South Downs. Every test we’ve had performed on this water confirms that it is of the highest quality, surpassing UK and EU regulations for drinking water. We believe that this unique water source gives our beers a character that makes them truly special.

For the landlord our beers are an opportunity to embrace the market trend for local produce without compromising on quality or profit. Modern brewing techniques ensure we can produce our beers to a consistently high standard at a reasonable price. We will sell and deliver direct to pubs to prevent wholesale companies taking a cut of your profits.

As an introductory offer we are selling firkins at £58.00 For more information about the beer, brewery, or to place an order, contact southdownsbrewery[at]live[dot]co[co]uk or follow us on Twitter @SDBrewery