That's as maybe, but it's her corgis I feel sorry for.
Bishop of Oxford
Following on from my letter to Estelle Morris, I have written a Letter to the Bishop of Oxford to congratulate him on his recent anti-creationist broadcast. [No, I'm not sure what my letter is trying to say either.]
Estelle Morris
I've just sent a letter to Estelle Morris, Secretary of State for Education and Skills,about a piece in yesterday's Guardian newspaper, which reported how science teaching at a school in Gateshead is being undermined by Christian fundamentalists.
BBC: The Weakest Link Village (Idiots) Special
Anne Robinson: In mathematics, how is one-half expressed as a decimal?
Female contestant: Can you repeat the question please?
Anne Robinson: In mathematics, how is one-half expressed as a decimal?
Female contestant: A quarter?
Later in the same round:
Anne Robinson: The rock group The Manic Street Preachers come from which country in the United Kingdom?
Male contestant: Liverpool?
Padre Pio
Now there is a surprise: a statue of Padre Pio has reputedly started doing something truly miraculous; that's one more step on the path to sainthood for Padre Pio, then.
I had never heard of Padre Pio until I went for a holiday to Sardinia in 1998, when the TV news was full of the poor fellow. Although I hadn't a clue what they were talking about (I have forgotten most of my Latin, and my Italian is non-existent), it was quite clear even to me that this chap was being groomed for sainthood.
What is it about the Roman Catholic church? In the words of my good friend, Julian Date, How [do they] sort out the wheat from the chaff? How do [they] decide that a moving statue in Ireland is a miracle, but that a talking chicken in Canada isn't?
Still, Padre Pio is to be congratulated in one respect at least: until now, anything vaguely miraculous involving a invariably associated with Jesus; now, I suppose, they're going to have to think twice.
Allergy
In hospital for a minor operation. A nurse asks me to fill in a questionnaire, detailing any medical conditions I might have. I say that I am allergic to cats. On learning this, the nurse writes the word CATS on a large, red label and attaches it to my wrist. This, she explains, is to warn the anaesthetist of my allergy.
I imagine the scene as the anaesthetist looks down at my comatose body, spots the warning label, sighs, and regretfully instructs his assistant to remove Fluffy from the operating theatre.
I wonder if that's why hospitals are so often after funding for cat scanners.
John Thaw
John Thaw's
No more, s(o)
dot-dash-dot, dot-dot,
dot-dash-dash-dot,
Inspector Morse.
BBC: The Weakest Link US Celebrity Special
Anne Robinson: "Which W is the capital of Poland?"
Unrecognised US Celebrity: "Worcestershire."
Cat clone
As if we didn't have enough of the evil, obnoxious creatures already; now they're cloning the bastards! (I'm not a cat person.)
Sleep study
Reuters: People Who Sleep Less Live Longer, Study Finds
[T]he study shows that longer sleep is a risk factor for cancer as well as heart disease and stroke
But correlation does not show causation: perhaps, for example, people who are unwell are more likely to sleep longer.