by Michael Willoughby What colour is your recycling kit? A clear silly season discussion has begun on the normally staid Scalation news list regarding the bruised hues - and various shapes and sizes - of different containers up and down the land. Apparently, in South Manchester, they have green for garden waste, blue for paper and board and black boxes for glass, tins, etc. But plastic bottles have to be taken to the local tip. In North Lincolnshire the wheelies are brown for compostables, burgundy for card and plastic, and green for residual waste, plus a blue stacking box for paper and a green one for glass and metal. They will also take textiles and shoes in a plastic bag. In Herts, they have a black (general and non-recycleable) and a Green (recycleable (paper, card, tins, but...

We Tell Stories Innovative storytelling through the web by world-famous authors, from the Hon Brothers. IFTF's Future Now: Barabasi on Mobiles as Social Dashboards Alberto Lazlo Barabasi, one of the fathers of social network analysis, gave a fascinating paper (abstract PDF) on "Time and Motion in Mobile Communication", in which he described a project that uses large datasets of mobile phone subscribers to describe analyze how people move about cities. As his abstract states "cell phone usage offers access to patterns of human dynamics and mobility at a level and detail unimaginable before. Make the Future! 30 Second Forecasts - a set on Flickr We asked visitors to IFTF's Make the Future! booth at Maker Faire to record their 30-second visions of the future. From flying...

"Britain has been strangely absent from the Russo-Georgian conflict," proclaims the leader in The Daily Telegraph. "To the extent that we have had anything to contribute, we have contributed it through the Council of Europe and the EU", it continues. "We have, in other words, been represented by Nicolas Sarkozy. And while the French president has admirable qualities, his interests are not identical to Britain's."Well, blow me down with a feather. What were we writing yesterday? And now The Telegraph has actually noticed that, when it comes to our foreign relations with Russia, we defer to the European Union, relying on Mr Sarkozy, in his role as (temporary) president of the EU.Waking up from its deep sleep, the paper then intones, "The truth is that a common European foreign policy is...

The Metropolitan Police have launched a beta version of their new crime mapping website. It’s a simple enough Google Maps mash up but I found it highly addictive. It could be improved - for one thing a break down of crimes by type would be useful. But it does take the figures down to sub-ward level, which is particularly handy. Overall though, my main reaction to it is probably as it should be: so what? It turns out I live in an “average” area for crime and by “average” I mean there was one recorded crime in June and three in May. Some of the areas neighbouring this crime cesspit have even lower recorded incidents. Where I work, things are slightly worse - 7 incidents in June within my sub-ward. But even then it is surrounded by more average areas. The...

Prss Release: 'Weekly we collect the ten posts of the past week that we think are cool, interesting, thought provoking, funny or which are worth publishing for any other reason we come up with (or not). We put these posts in a clean readable lay-out with the appropriate credits to those of who's content we publish.' / photography by Joakim Eneroth / Bakgard, an architecture weblog / Architectural Scholar, more architecture, from a (mostly) academic viewpoint / Paris, New York, Shanghai, a gallery at tmn.We've been taken to task by Gunpowder Magazine for our dismissal of the luxury magazine industry, accused of not understanding aspirational living. The point here is not that we don't understand aspiration - far from it - but that it seems that the majority of luxury magazines speak...

So, President Sarkozy is credited with bringing the Black Sea Distraction to an end. The Daily Mash is reporting that M. Sarkozy may have been spurred on by his wife's kinky promises.The French president said: "When I left the house yesterday Carla said to me, 'if you can end the war in Georgia I will do that thing that makes you quack like a duck."I cannot actually tell you what it is, other than to say it involves a balaclava, a butternut squash and three feet of clingfilm. And Carla Bruni in the buff, obviously."Mr Sarkozy said the incentive helped him to maintain a 'laser-like focus' throughout the negotiations."If at any point I felt a peace deal was in jeopardy, I simply pictured my wife soaping herself. Worked like a charm."Whilst this may, indeed, have been a carrot for M....

I do love the Daily Mash, but I wonder if they might not have got their pathogens mixed up in this entry...A FIRM which claims its bottled water can help with weight loss has been told to stop filling it with the ebola virus.The makers of Slimmy Water claim drinkers can shed up to six stone in one week by filling their bodies with 'friendly bacteria'.But scientists say the special slimming ingredient is nothing more than a particularly viscious strain of the deadly gastro-intestinal bug.Dr Tom Logan, of Durham University, said: "It is a great way to fit into your favourite party dress, as long as you don't mind violently shitting yourself the entire time you're at the party."...The promotional material for Slimmy Water states: "Drink one bottle a day for a week and watch the pounds...

You’ve gotta love the folks at the daily mash, so......

From the Daily Mash...LABOUR MPs TO RALLY BEHIND UNBEARABLE, SCREECHING HAGLABOUR backbenchers are preparing to ditch Gordon Brown and place their electoral fortunes in the hands of the most God-awful cow.Harriet Harman is now convinced she can lead Labour to a recovery in the polls, despite being described as the sort of eye-gougingly dreadful harridan who makes you want to shoot yourself twice just to make sure....[A senior backbencher] added: "I think Harriet would be a terrific leader and those who dismiss her as a patronising, talentless bag of vomit who would lead the Labour Party out of existence, are only half right."Harman is now taking soundings and ignoring all those who say they will move to Iran and urge it to launch a nuclear attack on Britain if she become prime...

So instead of wearing sunglasses all the time and losing your temper, why not pose and give us a great, big smile, given that your life is just one long fucking dream come true? read the rest....

Trumpets blast, the sound of drums, mass cheering crowds. Yes I've made it; 100 posts not out.I was trying to work out what to do for my hundredth post and remembered that in the past few weeks a number of Scottish bloggers have been writing about their top ten blogs (only some of which I've made the cut in...).I had therefore considered following this course of action but thought that this was perhaps a little out of date. So instead I thought I'd do something similar but instead just look at the general issue of what I think makes a good blog.Probably the majority of blogs I read are either overtly political or at least sometimes consider political issues so any thoughts on what makes a good blog is based on this.The first and most obvious thing about a good blog is having it updated...

Just what tickled my fancy between June 23rd and June 27th: Celebrity Grandma's Footsteps - TELEVISION TO BE CONTROLLED BY 200 LATENT HOMOSEXUALS - The Daily Mash - George Carlin: You Are All Diseased - An hour well spent...

If there are any regular readers on this blog, they may well remember my love of the Daily Mash (and first-time readers may notice it in the Links section), that ever so quirky and bizarre yet bizarrely spot-on resource for good old-fashioned UK political satire. Some picks from today: "AMERICA WAITS FOR CLINTON TO FUCK OFF" "AMERICA was waiting with bated breath last night as Hillary Clinton...

Spiked Online has an interview with Neil Rafferty of the excellent Daily Mash.The Mash is the brainchild of Scottish journalists, Neil Rafferty and Paul Stokes. After meeting on a failed Scottish business paper, Rafferty and Stokes searched for a project that allowed them to indulge their shared sense of humour. ‘We saw a gap in the market, that the UK didn’t have an equivalent to [the US satirical news site] The Onion’, says Rafferty. ‘It had satire—Private Eye is a satirical institution, but the Eye didn’t have a very strong online presence at all. And secondly, while the Eye still hits the mark, I guess it’s that upper-sixth common room sense of humour, which you either like or don’t like. There was the opportunity to do something very topical with a more modern...

Just what tickled my fancy between June 12th and June 13th: The end is nigh… - The four horsemen of the cultural apocalypse and their two attendants… The Weblog of Austin Mitchell: Flipping Forty Two - 'I voted with the government on 42 day detention. I didn?t like myself for it.' You weren't the only one, Austin. We didn't like you much for it either. The Daily Mash - MILLIONS PLANNING £3000 'I'M A TERRORIST' SCAM - 'With the government offering generous compensation to anyone held without charge for more than 28 days, enterprising Britons are already getting up to speed with key Jihadist phrases.'...

From The Daily Mash:MILLIONS of people across the UK are hoping to earn up to £3000 a day by pretending to be a terrorist.With the government offering generous compensation to anyone held without charge for more than 28 days, enterprising Britons are already getting up to speed with key Jihadist phrases.Would-be fake maniac Wayne Hayes, a shopfitter from Swindon, said: "I'm just going to wander into my local police station and say, 'I think I might be a terrorist'. "Then, at the stroke of midnight on the 29th day I'll say, 'actually, I don't think I'm a terrorist after all'. Ker-ching!"He added: "I'm sure some people will keep it going for the full 42 days, but I can only get four weeks off work."Full story...

One of the reasons that I would never go on The Apprentice is simply that I am not enough of a tedious, arrogant, back-stabbing bastard (believe it or not).The other reason is that, on being called into the boardroom, I would be unable to resist the temptation to ask Sir Alan Sugar what it is, exactly, that he does."What the hell were you playing at, Devil?", yells that tiny tit, Sugar."Um... Tell me, Sir Alan: what the fuck is it that you actually do? I mean, I remember Amstrad computers in the 80s. In fact, my prep school had one; it was their pride and joy. It cost approximately £1 billion and no one knew how the fuck to use it."I mean, I could just about write an equation that would draw a circle and shade it, but that was about it. And I was Head of Computers.* No one else had a...

Just what tickled my fancy between June 2nd and June 3rd: Your groove for today is… - 'Got To Give It Up' August bank holiday could be celebration of Britishness - Do we need a *whole* weekend to celebrate what's great about Britain? I could do you a list in about ten minutes. Less, probably. Ministry of Truth » It?s nice to be wanted? - I scored 13 out of 22! The Daily Mash - TERRORISTS CAN HOLD THEIR BREATH FOR 41 DAYS, CLAIMS BROWN - 'An MI5 source said: "We've tried sticking their heads under water for absolutely ages. You may as well give them a cup of tea and a newspaper."' The Daily Mash - YOUR ASTROLOGICAL WEEK AHEAD - 'Capricorn: Be generous with your time when a troubled friend needs your undivided attention. You never...

Hat tip to Paul Linford, who commends Justin for pointing out this from the Daily Mash.LABOUR UNVEILS PLAN TO LOSE LAST REMAINING VOTESLABOUR will today unveil a detailed plan to alienate its last remaining pockets of support.The central plank of the party's strategy involves identifying the 10 most popular family cars in Britain and then making them a nightmare to own.A Labour spokesman said: "We're going for the double whammy of making them too expensive to drive, but also impossible to sell."And if that doesn't work we'll just spray paint a big swastika onto the bonnet."The party is also drawing up plans to spend £200 million of taxpayers' money on a vicious PR campaign against the country's 100 most decorated war veterans.Meanwhile teams of party researchers will tour marginal...

Just what tickled my fancy between May 26th and May 27th: The Daily Mash - LABOUR UNVEILS PLAN TO LOSE LAST REMAINING VOTES - 'Meanwhile teams of Labour researchers will tour marginal constituencies, identifying Labour voters and then kneeing them in the groin or setting fire to their coat.' "You look like a Fool!" - I am now addicted to talking parrot videos. Expect nothing else from this blog from now on. Smokey says Yes, We Can! - Let's put it this way - it doesn't sound any less vapid coming from a parrot than it does from Obama Your groove for today is… - Tin Solidier FactCheck: Hazel's claim 'in shreds' - What a surprise. Is this bloody woman capable of saying anything that isn't a steaming pile of horseshit? If my kids had...

Just what tickled my fancy between May 25th and May 26th: Your groove for today is… - Wack Wack The Daily Mash - YOUR ASTROLOGICAL WEEK AHEAD - 'Virgo: A great sense of humour is what sets you apart from the competition: you don't have one.' Labour chiefs tell Brown: appoint a leader-in-waiting - I'm putting away a tenner a week in case Jack Straw becomes the next prime minister. I'm going to use the money to have myself lobotomised....

Just what tickled my fancy between May 23rd and May 24th: Between the Hammer and the Anvil: Cameron: By-Election Victory a "Triumph for Managed Democracy" - 'Asked what the deciding factor had been in the election, Mr. Cameron was keen to focus on the bullshit. ' A few words before we go: Crime and Punishment - A better class of graffiti… Blood & Treasure: side note on the slaughter - '…it should be noted that what has been comprehensively rejected here is hardline rightwing authoritarianism.' The Daily Mash - DO YOU NEED US TO CALL YOU A CAB? BRITAIN ASKS BROWN - Britain added: "I knew something was up when I got a text from Tony saying, 'How you getting on with Gordon? HA HA - Fuck You'." Your groove for today is…...

Just what tickled my fancy on May 18th The Daily Mash - YOUR ASTROLOGICAL WEEK AHEAD - 'Libra (23 SEP-23 OCT) While everyone around you is struggling along under a cloud of grey, your jovial spirit makes you totally unbearable. Piss off.' Your groove for today is… - Spanky Wilson...

Just what tickled my fancy on May 7th through May 18th: Mike Power's Sunday PaperRound 18/05/2008 - Mike Power continues to make the supreme sacrifice… C?mon Cherie: even Goering stuck up a bit for Hitler - The first two paragraphs of this make perfect sense Mike Power's Saturday PaperRound 17/052008 - Inky fingers, strong constitution Martin Kettle interviews Cherie Blair - God almighty, Martin Kettle waited 25 years to interview Cherie Blair and this was all he got? Interesting only for her caginess about the legality of the Iraq war. If she thought it was legal surely she'd come right out and say it? Marina Hyde: The X Factor vision spells disaster for its intended star - 'Junior PM's producers only had to raise it with Hazel Blears for her to take it all the way to a bleeding...

Ya got to love the Daily Mash, funny oh yes A MIDDLE-aged man has admitted he was surprised to be nominated for the biggest prize in art, stressing he really was just mowing his lawn. Mr Hobbs said his Flymo LC400 has been excellent value for money Roy Hobbs, an assistant bank manager from Gloucester, said he was taking advantage of the good weather to cut the grass, put in some new bedding plants and do a bit of weeding. He added: “So it came as something of a surprise when a couple of days later a chap appeared on the doorstep saying he was from the Turner Prize committee and that I had been shortlisted. “It turns out I encapsulate not only the cultural clash between Islam and the West, but I’m also an iconic representation of the inherent contradictions of...

The BNP did make net gains in the council elections last week, although these were extremely limited. Even more limited now as three, count them THREE, of their new North Wales councillors have resigned before attending even a single session of council. Apparently they aren't racists and one councillor incurred the wrath of the party by "helping fucking Pakis". Lancaster UAF takes up the story.If you've seen any news in the last few days you'll have seen that the Lebanon is in the midsts of a crisis ostensibly provoked by the government attempting to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure. My recommended reading in the coming weeks is blogger Marxist from Lebanon who has been posting from the war zone, because that's where he lives.One excellent leftist publication in the US has an...

A few days ago, the ever-excellent Daily Mash satirised Boris's alcohol ban.BORIS Johnson is to ban Scotsmen from the London Underground in a bid to make the Tube more bearable for everyone else.The London mayor said a Scots-free Tube would be less intimidating for ordinary travellers, and would not smell so badly of chips, blood, spilt lager and urine.He said: "As we all know the Scot is incapable of sitting on anything with wheels attached unless already drunk, or carrying enough booze to knock out an Irish bank manager and his wife for a weekend."Most amusing, I must say. What has not been amusing is the reaction to my post of yesterday, protesting against the alcohol ban.You see, I had rather naively imagined that the majority of people actually understood the concept of liberty; I...

Liberal Conspiracy » Drugs policy: Brown fiddles while… Read please. George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language,” 1946 Have *you* read it lately? Twitter / pchallinor The mighty Challinor is twittering… Your groove for today is… Look at him go. A nose for Nazis Brendan O’Neill makes sense shock. He can do it when he tries. The Daily Mash - CANNABIS NOW WORSE THAN THE NAZIS ‘…a massive increase in the strength of the drug since politicians all stopped using it…’...

Some fine work here from the Daily Mash.PRIME minster Gordon Brown last night admitted he loathes absolutely everyone in Britain.As Labour faced its worst election result in more than 4000 years, Mr Brown confirmed the long-held suspicion that he's never liked us either.He said: "It has long been claimed that I am a miserable sociopath who has only ever cared about becoming prime minister."Well, guess what? It's true. Whoop di-fucking-do. Well done Simon Heffer and Quentin Letts, you were right all along. You fat pricks."I can well believe it, you know; after all, every action has an equal and opposite reaction and the force of my loathing for the Gobblin' King must lead to some hatred from his side.In other news, the Daily Mash gets something else spot on too.VOTERS are heading to the...

If you're not a regular at the Daily Mash it's worth subscribing to the RSS feed and keeping an eye on this satirical website.  Following the Gordon Brown u-turn (with more to come?) on the 10p tax band it published a story under the headline"LABOUR U-TURN ON PUNCHING POOR PEOPLE IN THE FACE"which begins"LABOUR backbenchers last night convinced the government not to go out and just start punching poor people in the face.Ministers had planned to spend the summer wandering around shopping centres in gangs, lashing out at low paid workers and single pensioners.But after a day of intense negotiations with rebel MPs the prime mininster agreed to a deal which will require poor people to apply for a special badge, giving them partial immunity from a ministerial kicking."For more, follow the...