Damp squib MotoGP season finale

There was a mouthwatering prospect in place for the MotoGP end of season race with the title open to two riders: 5 time champion Valention Rossi or Nicky Hayden. Hayden was trailing by 8 points going in to the race, which meant he had to finish several spots higher up than Rossi to clinch it. Everyone was quite liderally dribbling with anticipation at the thought of a hard fought race between the two.

Unfortunately, though, the dribble proved to be Rossi’s downfall, as he obviously hit a patch of it on lap 5 and skidded out after a shocking start. Although he made his way from 20th to 13th by the end of the race, all Hayden had to do was finish and he’d win his first title.

Which he did, and that was that.

Still, it was more exciting than Formula 1.

Google in ten years

It’ll find anything… (click it for bigger).

What a load of cock

I don’t tend to get involved in political commentary, I’m much too apathetic to get worked up over all that business. But this one got me going.

A swingeing increase in tax on alcopops and other alcoholic drinks favoured by teenagers is being demanded by the health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, in an attempt to stop young people damaging their health by binge drinking.

She has written to the chancellor asking him to ratchet up the cost of alcohol in his next budget, to price it beyond the reach of youngsters’ earnings or pocket money.

It’s an interesting theory. There are young people drinking a lot. Therefore if we put the price up, then they can’t afford it. Huzzah! Of course, an unfortunate side-effect would be that it’s a blanket tax, and everyone would be affected, and so, unfortunately, the Government would raise a few extra squillion quid in the extra money. That’d be a shame wouldn’t it.

The most idiotic thing about this proposal is that it’s in part aimed at underage drinkers, or at least that’s the implication by saying that young people’s pocket money shouldn’t be able to afford booze. Now, I might be wrong, but I seem to remember there already being certain safeguards in place for this sort of thing. Something about an age limit for drinking? If kids are getting their hands on booze and drinking themselves silly (and we’ve all been there, I’ve certainly got the scars to show for it) then your average Joe Drinker shouldn’t be punished for it by paying extra taxes, the irresponsible shopkeepers hellbent on profit and the irresponsible parents who don’t do a proper job of supervising their kids should. I don’t know – lock them up, or fine them a million pounds. Make the punishments severe and you might see a reaction.

Of course, all this is entirely confusing and hipocritical. Last year they were worried about binge drinking, and then agreed to the principle of 24 hour drinking licenses. Now they’re telling us what we can or can’t do? If I want to go out and drink 18 pints of Wife Beater and get shitfaced, why shouldn’t I? If I end up getting run over or starting a fight, then I have to live with the consequences. If I die of an “alcoholic liver” then that’s my fault.

I’m getting increasingly bored with the Nanny State in which we’re living. Can’t do this, can do that, going to tax you for that. It’s such a load of bollocks. It’s so two-faced. It’s no wonder so many people are turning to drink.

You see some odd things

Everywhere. Not least eBay. I was just looking around, wading through the spam, when I saw this:

How do you make money from an auction site without selling anything? Crazy. And this made me chuckle too.

All episodes of 24… except the first one, the one where you find out who people are and what’s going on, you know, the most important episode of the whole lot. Fun times.

(Probably not as funny as this though. It doesn’t need a caption.)

Google loves me.

Kind of. Thanks to David for the heads-up. Try this Google. Now, I’m not say I’d necessarily want to be found for that search, nor would I like to know why people are particularly searching for that, but nonetheless NUMBER 1 BABY!

Little things.

Stupid American

Yesterday I remarked, somewhat cynically, about the “joys” of being British. I’d much rather be British than American though. Check out this idiot. It’s perfectly conceivable that the average person doesn’t know what a 419 scam is, or where its name comes from. But surely the principle that some random person contacts you randomly out of the blue and randomly offers you a shedload of cash must ring some alarm bells. Maybe he was just very greedy? Or maybe I’m “being British” by being this cynical.

The man was initially contacted by an e-mail which said he was the beneficiary of an estate of a relative who he had never heard of.

Or perhaps I’m just using some common sense. The worst bit is that they managed to get him to fork over the money on several separate occasions.

Being British

Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.

And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of anything foreign.

God bless the Queen.

(Only in Britain can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. )