Huck

Guardian: 'Skinny kid with a funny name' reshapes US politics

From the outset [US democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama] had described himself as "a skinny kid with a funny name". That his name was neither Clinton nor Bush may have mattered more than the fact that it rhymed with "Osama".

OK, there's no denying it: Barack Obama is quite a funny name. But it's nowhere near as funny as the name of US republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee.

A huckabee sounds like the sort of person who sits on his front porch in the Everglades all day, picking on his one-string banjo with his webbed fingers, while his wife, sister and daughter—that's one woman—cooks crawfish in the gumbo pot while giving birth to her little brother.

Mike is a pretty funny name too.

Great Scott?

The BBC is doing a silly Scott-versus-Shackleton vote on their website.

I've always taken the piss out of this sort of celebrity beauty contest by asking who was better, Alfred the Great or Davey Crockett—then insisting that the correct answer is Alfred the Great. (Which it is, by the way.)

But anyone who votes for Scott of the Arse-antic is a total div. Go and vote for Shackleton immediately!

It isn't easy being green

Guardian: Burning biofuels may be worse than coal and oil, say experts

Using biofuels made from corn, sugar cane and soy could have a greater environmental impact than burning fossil fuels, according to experts. Although the fuels themselves emit fewer greenhouse gases, they all have higher costs in terms of biodiversity loss and destruction of farmland.

Guardian: Palm oil: the biofuel of the future driving an ecological disaster now

… Oil palm for biofuel was to have been one of the best solutions in saving the planet from greenhouse gases and global warming. Instead the forests are being torn down in the headlong rush to boost palm oil production.

BBC: Low-energy bulbs 'worsen rashes'

The switch to energy-saving light bulbs may put thousands at risk of painful skin reactions, health charities warn.

BBC: Low-energy bulb disposal warning

The Environment Agency has called for more information to be made available on the health and environmental risks posed by low-energy light bulbs.

Hebden Bridge Times: Green bag makes me see red...

A severely disabled woman who suffered a potentially fatal allergic reaction to corn-starch bags provided by a Hebden Bridge shop is asking to be given back her "democratic right" to use plastic bags.

You have to do the cost-benefit analyses; weigh up the pros and cons. What might seem like an 'obvious' solution to a pressing environmental problem can often turn out to be anything but. And that which is treated as taboo by the tree-huggers might well turn out to be the only sensible answer.

It's time the politicians started listening to the scientists.

Overheard at a New Year's party last night

"… They haven't a clue what they're talking about: one minute they're saying meat is bad for you; the next, you should eat nothing but. Then they're saying you shouldn't eat carbohydrates; then they're saying you should. As far as I'm concerned, provided it's in moderation, you should eat whatever you damn well please."

"It's the in moderation bit that's my big problem."

"Oh, I know! I talk a great diet, but I can't eat one!"

Salt & pepper

While we were out playing the Paparazzo Game the other week, Stense complimented me on my "salt and pepper beard".

It wasn't until the following day that I realised what Stense was really trying to tell me was that my beard has recently developed quite a few grey flecks. I sent her a text message, pointing out that she had spoken about my salt and pepper beard as if it was a good thing to have. Her reply:

Of course! It's a very distinguished look - well done! Stense xx

Distinguished! I liked that! For about 24 hours, that was. Then it occurred to me that I have only ever heard the adjective distinguished used to describe elderly people. The cheeky cow!

The problem with having my particular salt and pepper beard is that three or four of its grey hairs have chosen to clump together directly under my left nostril. From a distance, when the beard hasn't been trimmed for a couple of weeks, this can look uncannily like a trail of snot.

Which isn't particularly distinguised.

In retrospect

One year ago today:

Times: Your stars for 2007

In the first part of a two-week horoscope special, Shelley von Strunckel explains why next year is all about healing the planet—and it starts with balancing your own personal ecosystem…

Aries
March 21–April 19

You struggle to maintain your inner balance this year. While your independent streak is a strength, it sometimes turns into rebellion, as could be the case early in 2007, when you're given advice. Once you realise others are wiser, however, you'll listen. This begins an informative year, in which challenges provide a springboard for valuable insights. Thus, by mid-May, when your ruler Mars's move into Aries begins an intensive six-week-long review of your life, you're up for it. What's more, with your world in constant transition, you're challenged to justify goals, personal and otherwise. This is timely, since, with eclipses in March, late August and September shaking up elements of your daily life, work and obligations, a regular reorganisation is inevitable. More important, you finally make the link between your energy crashes and clashes with others, and your tendency to overcommit. Instead of vowing to become better organised, you begin meditating and suddenly seem to have more hours in each day.

0/10.

Administrative note about Gruts comments

I've been making some changes to the Gruts comments facility, which should kick into effect automagically on 1st January. The new system will only apply to comments on new Gruts items posted from that date; old items will continue to use the old comments facility.

I've tested the new facility as best I can, but changing stuff like this without taking the whole website down is a bit like trying to change a wheel on a car without stopping the car. So I won't be at all surprised is there are a few bugs which need ironing out.

Why have I made the changes? Well, there are a two reasons:

  • [main reason] to allow the comments about a particular item to appear directly after the item on its archive page, rather than on a separate 'comments' page;
  • [behind the scenes] to record comments in a more structured format, thereby enabling me (in future) to add some other commenting features (such as providing links to the latest comments on the Gruts homepage, and maybe even allowing individual commenters' comments to be marked in some characteristic way).

Apologies in advance for any bugs that have sneaked through. I'll try to get them fixed as soon as possible.