Archive for the ‘News’ Category

BBC NEWS: Face Transplant Woman Can Smile

Item Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6190612.stm

First things first, this isn’t a dig at the woman for getting a face transplant because she got mauled by her dog – that would just be nasty. And definitely not funny.

No, this is about some of the phrases used in the article – one would have thought the BBC could be a bit more careful in their quotes, or maybe they just developed a sense of humour.

Don’t know what I mean? Well, how about here, in the fourth paragraph:

Mrs Dinoire has told him she could smile and looked like herself again. [my emphasis]

Little bit uncalled for, don’t you think? How can she look like herself again with someone else’s face…? Maybe I’m missing something, but, you know.

Or a little further down, once more her surgeon adds another inciteful piece:

Aesthetically, the transplant has fitted in very well with the shape of her face. People who hadn’t seen her before her accident now recognise her, which is very interesting.

Indeed, that is very interesting. Because, if you hadn’t seen her before the accident, how the hell would you recognise her? Presumably only if you’d seen her after the accident, when she was mauled and, without sounding insensitive, fairly damn memorable… Or, alternatively, you know the original owner of the face.

The article continues with some classics:

She is able to eat and drink without problems

Always a postive in the survival stakes.

…and in October, Peter Butler at London’s Royal Free Hospital has been given permission to carry out a full face transplant.

He is currently seeking suitable candidates.

Presumably a suitable candidate is someone with a fucked up face… or is there a checklist one must be able to complete?

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

BBC NEWS: Danish Ad Makes Road Safety Sexy

Item Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6181788.stm

Not much to say here except, bravo. It’s about time topless women on TV were put to another use.

Of course, the feminists out there won’t like the idea too much but, personally, I don’t see the problem with it. Looking at it from a purely rational point of view, is having breasts next to a sign reminding you of the speed limit going to attract the young, male audience and give them some sort of subliminal association of the message of the advert when they see the same sign (or maybe breasts) in the future? Almost definitely.

Is the same image going to make women speeders drive faster? Pretty damn unlikely.

Therefore, presuming that men and women are ‘equal’, this tactic should help, at maximum capacity, reduce the number of speeding motorists by upto a half.

Strikes me as pretty damn positive.

Damn feminists.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

BBC NEWS: Afghan ‘threat to wider region’

Item Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6160642.stm

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t this the first ‘succesful’ step on the long road of the War Against Terrorism?
Obviously, the lack of a captured bin Laden, continued terrorist attacks, and other things excluded, if Afghanistan was a success, and 5 years on the President of that ‘new’ country is commenting on how the instability still raging in the region threatens the continued stability of the wider region, one would not look forward to the results of Iraq in a few years time.
The article goes on to mention how the World Food Programme is two thirds short of the funds it requested to feed over three million Afghans in the coming winter. Bonus. Is this, perhaps, yet another example of our high and mighty ‘Western’ representatives wandering in, getting what we need, and then wandering back out again? Maybe all these bomb developments should be curbed whilst we actually feed the people we help to displace… Just a thought, wacky, I know.

Another article goes on to mention how the Bush administration is pushing for sanctions on North Korea… wait, you mean that those who actually have the ability to defend themselves (and more than likely, possess those dreaded WMD’s) get the option of sanctions over straight invasion? Who would have thunk it!? Sure as hell doesn’t send any messages of weapons proliferation to those other ‘rogue states’ out there…

*sigh* Do you ever get the feeling that it’s not worth reading the news anymore? Or at least not worth bothering to worry about it anymore? Drink and be merry!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

BBC News: Mailed Snake Sparks Postal Panic

Item Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5215506.stm

I know what you’re thinking. What, with all the things going on in the Middle East at the minute, it’s a slightly strange article to cite, but, when I read it, I nearly pissed myself with laughter. Don’t worry, I managed to nip it off before it became embarassing.

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

BBC NEWS: Legend Keane Announces Retires

Item Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/5071440.stm

A sad day for football, right there. Inevitable as it may have been.

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

BBC NEWS: At Least 1,000 UK Soldiers Desert

Item Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5024104.stm

Just read this whilst scanning the BBC RSS feeds and a line near the start (about something I was unaware of got me thinking.

Read the rest of this entry »

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Newer Entries »