The Circus

Useless Fact Of The Day

2012-01-18T22:04:00.000Z

There are 4,200 clocks and 691 water fountains in the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

Bad mix.

2011-12-17T18:55:00.000Z

Beginning at the post–World War I 1920 Summer Olympics, the lighting of the Olympic Flame was followed by the release of doves, symbolizing peace. This gesture was discontinued after several doves were burned alive in the Olympic Flame during the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics.

I've Been Watching With My Eyes Closed

2011-02-20T00:22:00.003Z

Solaris - Cliff Martinez

Moon - Clint Mansell

I Heart Huckabees - Jon Brion

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Dead Man - Neil Young

4 Things

2011-01-13T18:03:00.003Z

About half of the essential elements needed to grow crops already exist on the Moon, in the dusty layer that covers the surface.

The number of disappearances that occur within the Bermuda Triangle is fairly similar to other ocean areas of similar size.

In Haiti, more people now have access to clean water than before the earthquake.

Almost all white cats with blue eyes are deaf.

Aperture Science

2010-07-22T23:24:00.004+01:00

1. View of Earth, captured by Japan's asteroid sampling Hayabusa spacecraft.

2. Image of a Neolithic henge near the site of Stonehenge, discovered using ground penetrating radar, magnetic surveys, resistivity and electromagnetic studies.

The Loneliness Of The Elementary Particle

2010-06-23T13:47:00.002+01:00

A neutrino is capable of passing through a light-year (about six trillion miles) of lead without hitting a single atom.

Start As You Mean To Go On

2010-03-24T14:10:00.001Z

Captain America first appeared nine months before the Pearl Harbor bombings, punching Adolf Hitler on the cover of the comic's first issue.

Manos: The Hands Of Fate

2010-03-17T21:43:00.002Z

Even on the hands of the most scrupulously clean people, about 150 different species of bacteria can be found, and these numbers are not significantly affected by regular hand-washing.

Even identical twins who share the same DNA profile have "substantially" different bacteria living and growing on their hands.

This suggests that the collective genomes of these microbes may be more personally identifying than our own human genomes.

BBC News: Forensic role for hand bacteria.

InEquality

2010-01-25T12:34:00.001Z

Domestic violence causes more death and disability among women aged 16-44 than cancer or traffic accidents.

In A Silent Way

2010-01-08T00:11:00.002Z

The Time Bomb

2009-12-30T22:42:00.001Z

Two out of every three people will die for reasons connected to the genes they carry.

Finally The Wait Is Over

2009-12-08T18:31:00.006Z

Pantone has announced 15-5519 Turquoise as its colour of the year for 2010.

Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors.

With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

The company chose the colour for the new year, as turquoise 'transports us to an exciting tropical paradise while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times.'

Pantone.

Like Lemmings, But With Added Science!

2009-12-07T14:09:00.002Z

Science Museum's Launchball.

Sci-Fact / Sci-Fiction

2009-12-04T15:24:00.008Z

1. Bright sun greets the International Space Station, STS-129, November 22, 2009. NASA.

2. Iron Man Attraction, Dubai World Marvel Super Heroes Theme Park Concept. Disney.

Hydra's Head

2009-11-13T18:12:00.002Z

According to the transcripts released, the self-proclaimed head of al-Qaeda's military committee, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who faces charges in connection with the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US, has admitted to:

*The organisation, planning, follow-up and execution of the 9/11 operation.
*Responsibility for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the bombing of nightclubs in Bali in 2002 and a Kenyan hotel in the same year.
*Responsibility for the failed attempt by the so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, to bring down an American plane.
*Plots to attack Heathrow Airport, Canary Wharf and Big Ben in London, to hit targets in Israel, and to blow up the Panama Canal.
*A plot to hit towers in the US cities of Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and the Empire State Building in New York, and to attack US nuclear power stations.
*Plots to assassinate the late Pope John Paul II and former US President Bill Clinton.
*The beheading of kidnapped US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

However some evidence may be inadmissable during a civilian trial, because of how it was gathered. He was waterboarded 183 times in 2003.

BBC Profile

What Dreams May Come

2009-10-20T13:47:00.003+01:00

Specifications for Chinese car maker BYD's E6 electric car:

* 0-60 mph (0-100 kmph) acceleration in < 8 seconds
* Top speed 100 mph (160 kmph)
* 250 miles (400km) on a single charge
* 7-8 hours charge time from a domestic plug
* 1 hour charge time from fast charging point
* Half a charge (50% capacity) in 10 minutes
* All chemical substances in battery can be recycled
* Available before the end of the year
* Cost: £30,000

BBC News Article: Electric Promise

Theory Of The Week

2009-10-16T11:22:00.001+01:00

"Two physicists recently suggested that the Large Hadron Collider may have malfunctioned because a Higgs boson, travelling back in time from a future experiment, wrecked the machine."

Song From Youth

2009-10-13T18:51:00.001+01:00

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

2009-07-29T22:23:00.002+01:00

That Mitchell and Webb Look, Series 3.

Webcam Watches Plinth

2009-07-06T18:17:00.001+01:00

http://www.oneandother.co.uk/

6th July - 14th October.

Big Bird

2009-05-31T23:52:00.006+01:00

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is the heaviest and largest aeroplane ever built. A strategic airlift transport aircraft, the An-225 was originally built to transport the Russian Shuttle equivalent 'Buran' orbiter, from its landing sites back to the launch complex.

First flown in 1988, propulsion on the An-225 is provided by 6 Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofan engines, with 32 wheels making up its landing gear.

The An-225 is still commercially available for flying any over-sized payload. It can take up to 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) internally, or 200,000 kg (440,000 lb) on the upper fuselage. Cargo on the upper fuselage can be 70 m long.

Since 2002, the An-225 has become the major workhorse of the Antonov Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as locomotives and 150-ton generators. It has also become a valuable asset to governments in transporting military supplies, and to international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations.

Currently there is only one An-225 aircraft operating worldwide, but a second mothballed airframe is being reconditioned and is scheduled for completion around 2010.

The Antonov An-225 on Wikipedia.

Gilliam, Je T'Aime

2009-05-22T17:09:00.003+01:00

From 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'.

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' screens today at Cannes.

Spring Has Sprung, Let's Have Some Fun!

2009-04-27T17:56:00.001+01:00

Scarygirl Game

One And Another

2009-03-26T15:08:00.003Z

Food Waste:

The UK throws away three times more food in a year than the entire volume of global food aid. (- 20m tonnes to be precise, a third of it directly from household waste).

This averages out at about £610 a year per family. And every tonne of it generates 4.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Cutting it out entirely would be equivalent to taking 1 in 5 cars off Britain’s roads.

Earth Hour:

Earth Hour is the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

The target is 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

More Useless Info From The Ether

2009-03-24T13:15:00.002Z

Ripening bananas exhibit a blue fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Writer/Director/Producer/Singer/Star

2009-03-11T13:54:00.003Z

A Film by Cory McAbee (Director of The American Astronaut and Stingray Sam).

Music by the Billy Nayer Show.

The Shape Of Things To Come?

2009-03-05T16:21:00.003Z

The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn starting in most places in 1929 and ending at different times in the 1930s or early 1940s for different countries. It was the largest and most important economic depression in the 20th century, and is used in the 21st century as an example of how far the world's economy can fall. The Great Depression originated in the United States; historians most often use as a starting date the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday.

The depression had devastating effects in virtually every country, rich or poor. International trade plunged by half to two-thirds, as did personal income, tax revenue, prices and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by roughly 60 percent. Facing plummeting demand with few alternate sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as farming, mining and logging suffered the most. However, even shortly after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, optimism persisted; John D. Rockefeller said that "These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come and gone. Prosperity has always returned and will again."

The Great Depression ended at different times in different countries. The majority of countries set up relief programs, and most underwent some sort of political upheaval, pushing them to the left or right. In some states, the desperate citizens turned toward nationalist demagogues—the most infamous being Adolf Hitler.

By May 1930, auto sales had declined to below the levels of 1928. Prices in general began to decline, but wages held steady in 1930, then began to drop in 1931. Conditions were worse in farming areas, where commodity prices plunged, and in mining and logging areas, where unemployment was high and there were few other jobs. The decline in the US economy was the factor that pulled down most other countries at first, then internal weaknesses or strengths in each country made conditions worse or better. Frantic attempts to shore up the economies of individual nations through protectionist policies, such as the 1930 U.S. Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act and retaliatory tariffs in other countries, exacerbated the collapse in global trade. By late in 1930, a steady decline set in which reached bottom by March 1933.

In the UK, the effects on the industrial areas of Britain were immediate and devastating, as demand for British products collapsed. By the end of 1930 unemployment had more than doubled from 1 million to 2.5 million (20% of the insured workforce), and exports had fallen in value by 50%. In 1933, 30% of Glaswegians were unemployed due to the severe decline in heavy industry. In some towns and cities in the north east, unemployment reached as high as 70% as ship production fell 90%.

The Great Depression on Wikipedia

Lets All Hijack Democracy!

2009-03-05T16:15:00.002Z

Name NASA Node 3 after Stephen.

Go to NASA and enter "Colbert" in the suggestion box!

The Colbert Report.

One For The Family

2009-02-25T13:04:00.005Z

Portrait of William Anne Hollis, 4th Earl of Essex, Presenting a Cup to Thomas Clutterbuck of Watford.

Thomas Gainsborough
English, about 1784-1785
Oil on canvas
58 1/2 x 68 1/2 in.

The J. Paul Getty Trust

Why We Know This Is Unclear

2009-02-16T14:36:00.000Z

The European Magpie, is the only non-mammal known to be able to recognise itself in a mirror.

Give

2008-12-16T18:49:00.002Z

Kiva Microfunds, is an organization that allows people to lend money via the Internet to microfinance institutions in developing countries, which in turn lend the money to small businesses.

It is a non-profit organization, headquartered in San Francisco, supported by donations from its users, and through partnerships with businesses and other institutions.

Kiva allows microfinance institutions around the world, called "Field Partners", to post profiles of individual qualified local entrepreneurs on its website. Lenders browse and choose an entrepreneur they wish to fund. As the entrepreneurs repay their loans, the Field Partners remit funds back to Kiva, and, as the loan is repaid, the Kiva lenders can choose to withdraw their principal, or, re-loan it to another entrepreneur.

Kiva claims that its borrowers have a historical default rate of 3.1%.

www.kiva.org

Take

2008-12-16T18:38:00.005Z

Tesco:
The corporate motto of the world‘s fourth-largest supermarket chain – ‘Every Little Helps’ – is applied with zest in minimizing its tax bills. A network of ‘offshore’ schemes set up by Tesco – which operates worldwide, including the Fresh n’ Easy chain in the US – is designed to reduce its tax liabilities.

One such scheme uses subsidiaries registered in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, said to be accumulating $100 million a year, free of corporation tax. Another has deposited $2 billion in the Swiss tax haven of Zug.

The corporation claims: ‘Successful companies need to plan and manage their investments… in a responsible but efficient manner, in order to compete successfully on the world stage.’ The world stage netted Tesco profits of $5.5 billion in 2006/7 and $5.6 billion in 2007/8.

Rupert Murdoch:
In four years prior to March 1999, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation paid just $250 million in corporation tax worldwide – a mere six per cent of its profits. At the time, corporation tax in its three main areas of operation - Australia, Britain and the US - was over 30 per cent. During the previous 11 years Newscorp Investments, Murdoch’s holding company in Britain, had paid no corporation tax at all, despite accumulated profits of $2.8 billion.

His ‘financial engineering’ constructed a worldwide maze of about 60 News Corporation subsidiaries in tax havens such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands.

At the same time, Murdoch was encouraging parents in Britain to compensate for the lack of funds for public education, by collecting tokens in his newspapers to buy school textbooks.

Bono:
Irish minstrel and anti-poverty campaigner Bono joined the band of celebrity tax dodgers (which includes the Rolling Stones) in 2006, when it was revealed that U2 had moved its royalty income from Ireland to the Netherlands.

For many years Ireland had famously – and much to the benefit of U2 – not taxed the income of ‘artists’. Then the Government decided to set a cap of $200,000 a year – a fortune for most artists, but not for U2.

Ireland is itself a corporate tax haven, and Bono would have done well enough had he decided to stay put. But the Netherlands offered a more competitive deal, partly through its link with the Antilles. Another band member, The Edge, pleaded: ‘Who doesn’t want to be tax efficient?’

New Internationalist: Nominees For Most Artful Tax Dodger

Some Christmas Games For You

2008-12-09T18:40:00.005Z

Star Wars: Clones v Droids
Line Rider
Super Obama World

It's Kitschmas!!!

2008-12-06T15:53:00.005Z

To celebrate the countdown to Christmas, the satirical Christian website, Ship of Fools, has published its annual selection of religious-themed gifts spotted on sale.

This military Santa gets to the emotional heart of Christmas with his universal message of peace and goodwill to all men - except the enemy, whoever they may be.

BBC: In pictures: Kitschmas

Continuing Americana

2008-11-27T21:57:00.001Z

Thanksgiving Prayer by William S. Burroughs, Directed by Gus Van Sant.

Summing Up

2008-11-05T18:25:00.001Z

Richard Lister: Why McCain Lost.

Your Home May Be At Risk

2008-10-23T18:01:00.001+01:00

The Sun is slowly getting warmer, as it burns the hydrogen in its core. In about 5 billion years, the Sun will begin evolving into a bloated red giant. Its outer gas shell will swell up, engulfing the Earth by the time it reaches its peak size and brightness, 7 billion years from now.

But long before that, in 1.1 billion years, the Sun will grow 11% brighter, raising average terrestrial temperatures to around 50 °C (120 °F). That will warm the oceans so much that they evaporate without boiling, like a pan of water left on a sunny kitchen counter.

Moving the Earth at New Scientist

Microcosm

2008-10-09T18:47:00.003+01:00

The state of Missouri has voted for the winning candidate in every U.S. Presidential election since 1904, with the exception of 1956. This phenomenon is known as the Missouri Bellwether.

Missouri Bellwether on Wikipedia

To The Scriptorium!

2008-10-02T10:48:00.002+01:00

"The Holy Land Experience brings together the sights and sounds of the world of the Bible in a unique and interactive way unlike anywhere else.

"It is a living, biblical museum that takes you 7000 miles away and 2000 years back in time to the land of the Bible. Its combination of sights, sounds, and tastes will stimulate your senses and blend together to create a spectacular new experience.

"But above all, beyond the fun and excitement, we hope that you will see God and His Word exalted and that you will be encouraged in your search for enduring truth and the ultimate meaning of life.

"The Experience is closed on Sundays."

The Holy Land Experience

Gang Of Two

2008-09-26T18:55:00.003+01:00

The UK is one of only two nations without a written constitution. The other is Saudi Arabia.

Our Understanding Of The Universe Is About To Change...

2008-09-04T18:01:00.003+01:00

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a gigantic scientific instrument near Geneva, where it spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100m underground. It is a particle accelerator, which will be used by physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things. It will revolutionise our understanding, from the minuscule world deep within atoms to the vastness of the Universe.

Two beams of subatomic particles called 'hadrons' – either protons or lead ions – will travel in opposite directions inside the circular accelerator, gaining energy with every lap. Physicists will then use the LHC to recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang, by colliding the two beams head-on at very high energy. Teams of physicists from around the world will analyse the particles created in the collisions using special detectors in a number of experiments dedicated to the LHC.

There are many theories as to what will result from these collisions, but what's for sure is that a brave new world of physics will emerge from the new accelerator, as knowledge in particle physics goes on to describe the workings of the Universe. For decades, the Standard Model of particle physics has served physicists well, as a means of understanding the fundamental laws of Nature, but it does not tell the whole story. Only experimental data using the higher energies reached by the LHC can push this knowledge forward, challenging those who seek confirmation of established knowledge, and those who dare to dream beyond the paradigm.

The first attempt to circulate a beam in the LHC, will be made on Wednesday 10th of September, 2008.

The LHC in Facts and Figures:

The precise circumference of the LHC accelerator is 26,659m, with a total of 9300 magnets inside. Not only is the LHC the world’s largest particle accelerator, but just one-eighth of its cryogenic distribution system would qualify it as the world’s largest fridge.

At full power, trillions of protons will race around the LHC accelerator ring 11,245 times a second, travelling at 99.99% the speed of light. Altogether, some 600 million collisions will take place every second.

To avoid colliding with gas molecules inside the accelerator, the beams of particles travel in an ultra-high vacuum – a cavity as empty as interplanetary space.

When the two beams of protons collide, they will generate temperatures more than 100,000 times hotter than the heart of the Sun, concentrated within a minuscule space. By contrast, the 'cryogenic distribution system', which circulates superfluid helium around the accelerator ring, keeps the LHC at a super cool temperature of -271.3°C (1.9 K) – colder than outer space.

The LHC at CERN

BBC Radio 4's Big Bang Day

Quote Of The Week

2008-09-03T14:43:00.002+01:00

"Almost everyone has more than the average number of feet."

Just What Is Average?

Just About The Best Advertisting Campaign On TV Right Now

2008-08-13T18:12:00.003+01:00

Natural Confectionary Co.
Copyright Cadbury plc.
Featuring the voice of Matt Berry.

Where The Money Is

2008-08-07T17:44:00.003+01:00

Sovereign Wealth Funds are typically created when governments have budgetary surpluses and have little or no international debt. This excess liquidity is not always possible or desirable to hold, or to channel into consumption immediately.

To reduce the volatility of government revenues, counter the boom-bust cycles' adverse effect on government spending; and the national economy, or build up savings for future generations; Sovereign Wealth Funds may be created.

A Sovereign Wealth Fund is a state-owned investment fund, composed of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, property, precious metals or other financial instruments. Sovereign wealth funds have gained world-wide exposure recently, by investing in several Wall Street financial firms including Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch. These firms needed a cash infusion due to losses resulting from the credit crunch.

Sovereign Funds By Asset Size:

United Arab Emirates: $875bn
Norway: $380bn
Singapore: $330bn
Saudi Arabia: $300bn
Kuwait: $250bn
China: $200bn
Libya: $50bn
Qatar: $50bn
Algeria: $42.6bn

The BBC's Money Programme: Who Is Buying Up Britain?

Soviet Censorship For Comics!

2008-07-31T22:55:00.004+01:00

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb."

Garfield Minus Garfield

Meanwhile, In Some Dark Corner Of The Internet...

2008-07-31T22:04:00.005+01:00

"The particles named tachyons are, as we reminded readers when we first came across this particular form of fruitloopery (9 July 2005), entirely hypothetical and have never been shown to exist."

New Scientist, 30 July 2008

Tachyon Water: £15.95

A Better Man Than I

2008-07-30T19:27:00.004+01:00

The Orwell Diaries

Each entry from Orwell's domestic and political diaries will be published on this blog, exactly seventy years after it was written, allowing you to follow Orwell’s recuperation in Morocco, his return to the UK, and his opinions on the descent of Europe into war, in real time.

Starts 9th August 2008.

Useful Things You Need To Know

2008-07-15T17:32:00.001+01:00

How long could you survive in the vacuum of space?

A Wiki For Everyone (No Life Permitting)

2008-07-14T18:52:00.002+01:00

http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia

Sound Man

2008-07-14T17:52:00.002+01:00

Ben Burtt (born July 12, 1948) earned a college degree in Physics from Allegheny College.

For his work on the special effects film Genesis, he won a scholarship to the University of Southern California, where he earned a Master's Degree in Film Production.

Burtt has pioneered modern sound design, especially in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Before his work, science fiction movies tended to use electronic-sounding effects for futuristic devices. Burtt sought a more natural sound, blending in "found sounds" to create the effects. The lightsaber hum he designed for the Star Wars movies, for instance, was derived from a film projector idling, combined with feedback from a broken television set, and the blaster effect (also from Star Wars), started with the sound acquired from hitting a guy wire on a radio tower with a wrench.

Burtt's memorable work has also included creating the "voice" of robot R2-D2, the heavy breathing sound of Darth Vader (by recording his own breathing in an old scuba regulator), and the speederbike chase sounds from Return of the Jedi. He has also worked on the sound effects for many other movies, including the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as well as all of the Indiana Jones films, including the most recent: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Burtt has also created the sound effects, and most of the robot "voices" (including that of the title character), for the 2008 Pixar film WALL-E.

Burtt has a reputation for including a sound effect dubbed "The Wilhelm scream" into many of the movies that he's worked on. Taken from a character named "Wilhelm" in the film The Charge at Feather River, the sound can be heard in countless films: for instance, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope when a stormtrooper falls into a chasm, and in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, when a Nazi soldier falls from a moving car.

Money Box

2008-07-11T00:15:00.002+01:00

It is estimated that there's a total of £14 million in loose change, currently lost in UK cars.

You Forget So Easy

2008-07-10T15:51:00.004+01:00

According to the RAC's 2008 Report On Motoring, in real terms, the cost of motoring has fallen significantly across 20 years. So although costs (buying a car, running a car and the cost of fuel) have risen, after inflation has been taken into account, it is still:

* 18% cheaper to buy and run a car, including fuel costs, in 2008 than 1988
* 28% cheaper to buy and run a car, excluding fuel costs, in 2008 than 1988.
* Over the period the Retail Price Index - inflation - increased by 102%

The RAC analysis also looked at buying a car, running a car and the cost of fuel in turn, and found that, in real terms, compared with 1988:

* It is 24% cheaper to buy a car
* It is 57% cheaper to run a car
* But it costs more than twice as much to fill it up

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/report-on-motoring/report-one/

The Slow Turning Tide

2008-06-04T16:09:00.006+01:00

General Motors is closing four truck and sports utility vehicle (SUV) plants in the US, Canada and Mexico as it looks to environmentally-friendly cars.

Surging fuel prices have heralded a shift to smaller vehicles, with GM also considering selling its Hummer brand.

But GM's board has approved the production of a new small Chevrolet car at a plant in Ohio, and the Chevy Volt electric vehicle in Detroit.

The world's largest carmaker said it was making the moves "to aggressively respond to growing demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and to economic and market challenges in North America".

GM has lost a combined $51bn over the past three years, with shares losing almost 60% of their value since their peak in October 2007.

Me, obsessed? Never!

2008-06-04T16:04:00.001+01:00

Facts Are Variable

2007-07-03T14:56:00.000+01:00

"Tired of the LIBERAL BIAS every time you search on Google and a Wikipedia page appears? Our study suggests that Wikipedia is 6 times more liberal than the American public. Now it's time for the Conservatives to get our voice out on the internet!"

"Conservapedia began in November 2006, as the class project for a World History class of 58 advanced homeschooled and college-bound students meeting in New Jersey."

"Conservapedia has since grown enormously, including contributors worldwide. Conservapedia already exceeds the number of entries in the Oxford Dictionary of World History. Conservapedia is rapidly becoming one of the largest and most reliable online educational resources of its kind."

"We don't make false claims of neutrality, as Wikipedia does. We have certain principles that we adhere to, and we are up-front about them. Beyond that we welcome the facts."

http://www.conservapedia.com

A Lesser Known Truth

2007-07-03T14:51:00.000+01:00

Current TV went on the air at midnight EDT (4:00 UTC) on the morning of August 1, 2005. A second network, operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, started its operation on March 12, 2007, for Sky (193) and Virgin Media (155) subscribers.

Current features "pods", or short programs, of which 30% are created by viewers and users.

Current TV is an independent media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and businessman Joel Hyatt.

I'm doing my part.

2007-04-03T13:44:00.000+01:00

"Young people from all over the globe are joining up to fight for the future.

Are you? Help promote 'SCI-FI-LONDON' and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship."

Visit the website at; http://www.sci-fi-london.com/ (well duh!)

Link to our nice new banners (like the one bellow) at; http://www.sci-fi-london.com/2007web/links.htm

Join the Mailing list to keep updated at; http://www.sci-fi-london.com/2007web/mailinglist.htm

Vote for our trailer on YouTube, at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snZrLMMkSJg

And be our friend at; http://www.myspace.com/scifilondon

Thanks!

Don't Panic

2006-10-12T17:01:00.000+01:00

Since the attacks on the World Trade Centre, Norad has scrambled fighters approximately 2,210 times.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

2006-09-29T13:25:00.000+01:00

Now in its tenth year on the air, “The O’Reilly Factor” on the FOX News Channel remains the dominant number one cable news program in the USA.

"The Radio Factor," a two hour call in program, is heard on more than 400 stations in the United States and has become one of the most profitable radio franchises in the nation.

In addition, three of Bill O’Reilly’s adult non-fiction books ("The O’Reilly Factor", "The No Spin Zone" and "Who’s Looking Out for You") have each reached the number one spot on The New York Times best seller list, and Mr. O’Reilly’s book for children, "The O’Reilly Factor for Kids," was the best selling children’s non-fiction book of 2005.

http://www.billoreilly.com/

Down To Earth

2006-09-22T10:26:00.000+01:00

Astronauts often get kidney stones because of an increase in the amount of calcium in their blood, due to a loss of bone density in zero gravity.

From A Great Height

2006-09-21T10:02:00.000+01:00

Only two worlds in the solar system have rain that falls all the way to the ground. We live on one; the other is Saturn's giant moon Titan.

Let The Balloon Go

2006-09-21T10:01:00.000+01:00

The highest-altitude parachute jump was made by Joseph Kittinger of the US airforce, who jumped from a balloon at 31,333 metres on 16 August 1960. He was in free fall for 4 minutes 36 seconds, reaching an estimated speed of 1150 kilometres per hour. He opened his parachute at 5500 metres.

Cheap Tele (Part 2)

2006-09-19T10:54:00.000+01:00

Early results show that ITV Play could hit its first year profit target of £20m, on revenues of about £60m.

Home, Sweet Home

2006-09-15T18:14:00.000+01:00

Currently, one in every seven people lives in a slum or refugee camp.

Distraction

2006-09-13T13:22:00.000+01:00

It is estimated that in 2003, nine billion human hours were spent playing computer solitaire.

The construction of the Panama Canal took 20 million human-hours.

Big In America

2006-09-01T12:27:00.000+01:00

http://www.thenativitystory.com/

I Am A Minority

2006-08-22T12:04:00.001+01:00

What the Universe is made of:

70% Dark Energy
25% Dark Matter
5% Ordinary Matter

Arrested Development

2006-08-22T12:04:00.000+01:00

There are estimated to be 1.3bn smokers worldwide, 82% of whom live in developing countries.

Snapshot

2006-08-16T14:17:00.000+01:00

Leaks from water mains in London are wasting 300 Olympic swimming pools' worth of water every single day.

Pluto is smaller than the Moon.

Officially, Russia and Japan are still fighting each other in World War II.

Je Suis Un Artiste!

2006-08-15T13:51:00.000+01:00

http://jacksonpollock.org/
(Left click to change colour).

Happy 200th post to you all!

Points Mean Prizes

2006-08-04T14:04:00.000+01:00

Tesco shoppers will be able to earn loyalty points by not using new plastic bags in a move designed to cut waste.

The 13 million holders of Tesco clubcards will earn points for every old plastic bag they use and for using their own bags to carry their shopping.

The retailer hands out 4 billion plastic bags every year and hopes to reduce this figure by 25% by 2008.

Failure Is Not An Option

2006-08-03T13:25:00.000+01:00

Last year, the Professional Association of Teachers voted to replace the word "failure" with "deferred success".

Out Of Context Quote Of The Week

2006-08-03T11:54:00.000+01:00

"About 100 bears were caught up in this frenzied attack, some were merely little chews, whereas some of them had some quite devastating injuries.

"Heads pulled off, arms, legs here and there, it was a total carnage really. I've never seen such a mess, there was stuffing, fluff and bear bits everywhere."

Check Your Paranoia

2006-08-01T14:13:00.000+01:00

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/current-threat-level/

No Power. Environmental Disaster.

2006-08-01T14:12:00.000+01:00

The Israeli bombing of the Jiyyeh power station in Lebanon has released approximately 30,000 tonnes of Oil into the Mediterranean, and created an oil slick which now covers about 80km of the Lebanese coast.

This is almost as much oil, as that which entered the water during the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker incident in Alaska.

Golden State

2006-08-01T10:30:00.000+01:00

If it was a country, California would be one of the worlds biggest economies.

Masters Of War

2006-07-24T13:54:00.000+01:00

On Friday 7th July, the UN world conference on small arms collapsed without agreement, despite the majority of governments, including the European Union, and many African and Latin American governments, backing tougher controls on the international trade in small arms and light weapons.

The conference collapsed after a small number of states, most prominently the United States, blocked key issues so consistently that no agreement was possible.

During the conference, moves to agree global controls on the small arms trade were also blocked by Cuba, India, Iran, Israel and Pakistan.

It is estimated that up to 12,000 people would have been killed by small arms during the two-week conference.

http://www.controlarms.org/

Proportional Response

2006-07-21T12:38:00.000+01:00

Number of Hezbollah rockets fired at Israel today:

3+

Number of targets bombed by Israeli war planes today:

40+

Numbers killed since fighting began 10 days ago between Israel and Lebanon:

330+ Lebanese
34 Israelis

Cheap Tele

2006-07-03T16:14:00.000+01:00

There are approximately 15 dedicated quiz channels on UK digital TV.

ITV Play is ITV's first ever channel without commercials - revenue comes from viewers' calls and text messages.

The network believes this channel will generate a £20 million profit in its first year.

According to The Times, Quizmania earned ITV over £1.2million during its first two weeks of transmission on ITV1.

Quiz channels are estimated to generate around 20,000 calls each day.

With an average call costing at-least 60p per minute, this theoretically generates a bare minimum of £12,000 a day.

Summer Blockbuster By Weight Of Marketing

2006-06-26T10:39:00.000+01:00

On June 26, groups of skydivers will leap from airplanes in carefully synchronized jumps above major cities across the United States to celebrate the impending release of Superman Returns.

"Look! Up in the sky!" skydivers will simultaneously take to the air above Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Phoenix and San Francisco.

In select cities, the skydiving teams will come together to form a human S shield as they float down to earth. In other cities, the skydivers will carry huge S shield banners, which will be clearly visible from the ground.

Own Goal

2006-06-23T18:06:00.000+01:00

Adidas pays $1.8 million (nearly £1 million) per year to French player Zinedine Zidane.

Meanwhile, the Asian workers who make the football boots and gear worn by players, are paid as little as $4.75 (around £2.50) for a standard working day.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/generationwhy/do_something/stories/world_cup_2006/offside/

Strike!

2006-06-23T13:38:00.000+01:00

There are, on average, about 1,800 thunderstorms in progress at any one time around the world with 100 lightning strikes every second.

A lightning bolt travels at about 14,000mph and heats up the air around it to 30,000°C - five times hotter than the surface of the sun.

The chance of being hit by lightning is about one in three million.

Watch Me Flickr

2006-06-06T14:11:00.000+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom_carrington/

And You Thought You Had A Choice.

2006-06-06T14:10:00.000+01:00

With over 2000 outlets throughout the country, Arcadia Group Limited is the UK’s largest clothing retailer.

There is hardly a high street or shopping centre across the land that isn’t host to one or more of Arcadia’s eight celebrated brands:

Burton
Dorothy Perkins
Evans
Miss Selfridge
Outfit
Topshop
Topman
Wallis

No News Is Not Good News

2006-04-21T10:15:00.000+01:00

Oxfam has launched the largest food crisis appeal in its 60-year history, which aims to assist people in Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

The East Africa Appeal, which hopes to raise £20m, follows a drought that has put 11m people in urgent need of help.

"This crisis might be getting less attention than the tsunami did, but the number of people needing help is even greater.” Judith Robertson, head of Oxfam in Scotland.

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/give_to_oxfam/donate/eastafrica_email1.htm?ito=2379&itc=0

Patronising Event Of The Week

2006-04-07T15:10:00.000+01:00

http://www.sabres.com/newsarchive.cfm?id=426

Catch Them While You Can

2006-03-29T14:06:00.000+01:00

In about 600 million years, total eclipses will no longer occur, as the Moon will be too far away from the Earth to cover the Sun.

Fortune Telling

2006-03-29T14:05:00.000+01:00

http://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/#

There Are Some Places Man Is Not Ready To Go

2006-03-29T14:03:00.000+01:00

Polish science fiction author Stanislaw Lem, best known for his novel Solaris, died in his home city of Krakow on March 27 after a battle with heart disease, the Reuters news service reported. He was 84.

Lem, whose books have sold more than 27 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages, won widespread acclaim for The Cyberiad, stories from a mechanical world ruled by robots, first published in English in 1974.

Solaris, published in 1961 and set on an isolated space station, was made into a film epic 10 years later by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and into a 2002 Hollywood remake shot by Steven Sodebergh and starring George Clooney.

Born on Sept. 12, 1921, in what is now the Ukrainian city of Lviv, Lem studied medicine before World War II.

After the war, communist censorship blocked the publication of his earliest writing.

After the fall of communism in 1989 Lem ceased writing science fiction, instead devoting himself to reports on near-future predictions for governments and organizations.

He wrote essays on computer crime, as well as technological and ethical problems posed by the expansion of the Internet.

We Report, You Decide

2006-03-27T15:56:00.000+01:00

http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/

The Easiest Charity Donation You’ll Ever Make

2006-03-22T13:48:00.000Z

The New NSPCC giving Search Engine:

www.clickscount.co.uk

Pick-up Sticks

2006-03-22T13:47:00.000Z

China produces about 45 billion pairs of chopsticks a year.

Problem Solved.

2006-03-10T14:34:00.000Z

Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone has offered to kiss "just about anybody" if it ends conflict in the Middle East.

The actress is visiting Israel on a trip sponsored by the Peres Centre for Peace, which promotes development and understanding around the region.

Stone admitted that she had been warned against visiting Israel, but was reassured by her publicist that Israel "invented security".

Blunt

2006-03-10T14:33:00.001Z

“There's no humour in his music and doesn't seem to be much depth. It's the sort of thing you'd write on a card if you were sending flowers.”

Graham Coxon on James Blunt

Obstacle Course

2006-03-10T14:33:00.000Z

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Scaremongering (Part 2)

2006-03-10T14:32:00.000Z

A Dubai-owned firm is already providing shipping services in the United States, it has emerged.

Inchcape Shipping Services, whose clients include the US Navy, has been owned since January by the United Arab Emirates investment firm Istithmar.

Istithmar is an investment firm ultimately owned by the Dubai royal family.

ISS arranges pilots, tugs and dock workers for shipping companies and works with the US Customs to ensure the smooth arrival and departure of vessels at ports such as New York, New Jersey and San Francisco.

Results From This Weekends Big Awards Show…

2006-03-06T12:41:00.000Z

The 26th Annual Golden Raspberry (Razzie©) Award “Winners”:

Worst Picture: Dirty Love

Worst Actor: Rob Schneider - Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

Worst Actress: Jenny McCarthy - Dirty Love

Worst Supporting Actor: Hayden Christensen - Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Worst Supporting Actress: Paris Hilton - House Of Wax

Worst Screen Couple: Will Ferrell & Nicole Kidman - Bewitched

Worst Remake Or Sequel: Son Of The Mask

Worst Screenplay: Jenny McCarthy - Dirty Love

Worst Director: John Asher - Dirty Love

Most Tiresome Tabloid Targets: Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Oprah Winfrey's Couch,
The Eiffel Tower & "Tom's Baby"

http://www.razzies.com/default.asp

When The Levee Breaks

2006-03-02T13:34:00.000Z

Video showing President George W Bush being warned on the eve of Hurricane Katrina that the storm could breach New Orleans' flood defences has emerged.

The footage, obtained by the Associated Press, also shows Mr Bush being told of the risk to evacuees in the Superdome.

It appears to contradict Mr Bush's statement four days after Katrina hit, when he said: "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."

Three Statements That Don’t Add Up

2006-03-02T09:44:00.000Z

The UK Government has recently received a debt repayment from Nigeria, one of the worlds poorest countries, totalling £1.7bn.

The UK National Health Service currently has a budget deficit of £250m.

"Loss creation" schemes, which allow tax avoidance for some of the UK’s richest people, have cost Revenue and Customs - and the country - £2.5bn.

World Myth No.2: The Land Of The Free

2006-02-27T14:05:00.000Z

Republican and Democrat politicians continue to criticise the transaction which would hand control of 21 US ports, including New York and New Jersey, to the United Arab Emirates firm Dubai Ports World, claiming it would make the country more vulnerable to terrorism.

Despite granting additional time for the security aspects of the deal to be scrutinised, DPW said it was determined to proceed with the acquisition.

“We consider our company to be a friend of the United States," Michael Moore, a company executive told BBC Five Live.

"We are simply trying to be helpful," he said of the 45-day review.

"It is clear that the nature of who we are, our operations and responsibilities is clearly being misunderstood."

Despite this, New Jersey officials are taking legal action to try and block the deal, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking to annul P&O's 30-year operating licence, claiming that it failed to seek permission for the transfer of ownership.

"There is a real prospect that the arrangement will lead to US port authorities revoking licences and leases held by joint venture companies which will cause sever financial losses," its petition states.

The Bush administration is backing the takeover, arguing that it poses no threat to US security interests.