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BBC: 'Pleistocene Park' experiment
Efforts are under way to restore part of Siberia to the way it was more than 10,000 years ago, before the end of the last ice age.
They're not quite sure where they're going to get the mammoths from.
From the country that brought you vaccination (256 years ago today):
BBC (23-Sep-04): MMR immunisation rate falls again
Uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in England has fallen yet again, official figures show… In the late 1990s, some scientists suggested MMR might be linked to autism and bowel disease. However, no research has ever proved a link, and the overwhelming majority of experts believe the vaccine is safe.
BBC (13-May-05): Cases of mumps soaring across UK
The UK is in the grip of a mumps epidemic which struck nearly 5,000 people in January alone, say experts. Cases in England and Wales soared by 12,000 to 16,436 in 2004, they say… Dr Gupta's group said uptake of MMR among two-year-olds in the UK fell from around 92% in early 1995 to around 80% in 2003/4. "In some areas of London, as few as 60% of two-year-olds had received a first dose of MMR."
What a pity there's no vaccine against stupidity. Mind you, those most in need of it would no doubt refuse to take it.
BBC: Glazer closing in on Man United
Sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer is within a whisker of taking full control of Manchester United with his £790m ($1.5bn) takeover bid.
Someone sees Manchester United, covets it, and buys the entire club. Oh, the irony!
I can't believe it. I'm actually feeling sorry for the fans! Time to change allegiance, chaps. After all, it's not as if many of you have any sort of affinity with Manchester.
BBC: Land speed record bid abandoned
A two-man British team has abandoned an attempt at the world land speed record for an electric car after they were unsuccessful three times.
Apparently, they had run out of 50-pence pieces for the meter.
We Brits conveniently forget that, over the course of history, there have been a handful of great Europeans who can only be described as, well, French.
Laplace, he was one of theirs. So were Pasteur, Cuvier, Clouseau, and Curie—oh, hang on, she was really Polish—erm, I'm beginning to struggle…
Oh, that's right, Antoine Lavoisier, I was going to write about Antoine Lavoisier!
Antoine Lavoisier wasn't your typical Frenchman. He was a tip-top scientist, most noted on this side of La Manche for performing le coup de grâce on the frankly silly (although I rather like it) phlogiston theory, and naming (but most definitely not discovering) the elements hydrogen and oxygen (the latter theme later being developed by Lavoisier's compatriot, Jean-Michel Jarre).
Phlogiston wasn't the only crap theory debunked by Lavoisier. With the help of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (after whom they named the guillotine—of which, more later) and Benjamin Franklin (of reckless kite-flying fame), he comprehensively debunked Franz Mesmer's totally bonkers theory of animal magnetism.
So, all-in-all, a thoroughly good chap, whatever his nationality.
Why am I telling you all this science stuff? Because, on this very day in 1794, during France's 13-month Reign of Terror, Antoine Lavoisier was tried, convicted and executed by guillotine in one fell swoop (and one foul swipe). His capital crime: being a tax collector.
Hey, now there's an idea to conjure with!
Afterthought: If anyone has any idea why we say beheaded and not de-headed, please post them in the comments.
After 645 of the 646 seats have been declared (with the remaining vote postponed due to the death of one of the candidates), the UK General Election results stand as follows:
| Party | % vote | % seats |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 35.2 | 55.2 |
| Conservative | 32.3 | 30.5 |
| Lib Dem | 22.0 | 9.6 |
| Other | 10.5 | 4.7 |
Good to see the Mother of Parliaments showing the likes of Iran, Zimbabwe and North Korea what democracy is all about.
I love silly scientific experiments that claim to investigate gender stereotypes—especially if they involve monkeys:
Scientific American: His Brain, Her Brain
…The researchers presented a group of vervet monkeys with a selection of toys, including rag dolls, trucks and some gender-neutral items such as picture books. They found that male monkeys spent more time playing with the "masculine" toys than their female counterparts did, and female monkeys spent more time interacting with the playthings typically preferred by girls. Both sexes spent equal time monkeying with the picture books and other gender-neutral toys.
…But, when given the choice, both male and female monkeys went for the banana every time.
BBC: Labour vote claim 'utter rubbish'
Charles Kennedy has denounced as "utter rubbish" Labour's claim that if one in 10 of their voters switched to the Lib Dems the Tories will win the election.
Or, to look at it another way, if 10 out of 10 Labour voters switched to the Lib Dems, we could end up with a ginger Prime Minister. Talk about scare tactics!
Me? I popped my vote in the post this morning. Let's just say I voted tactically.
Sunday Times (24-Apr-05)
FREE DVD - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: exclusive documentary on the brilliant new movie.
Sunday Times (01-May-05)
Disappointment of the Week: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a missed opportunity—it really should have far more laughs than it delivers.
Can't stop: I'm just popping outside to wash my face in the morning dew, then I'll be donning my hankies and bells and heading off to the local maypole to hit like-minded, fat, bearded blokes with a pig's bladder to the tune of Black Jack David, followed by an all-out assault on the local hostelry, where I shall use phrases such as finest ale and buxom wench, and try to get said buxom wench to serve me said finest ale in my cunningly oversized personal pewter tankard, with a hey-nonny-no!
All right, perhaps not.