Beanz, beanz, are good for your heart...

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Enfield Baby Thrown Out Of Shop For Breaking Wind
A woman was asked to leave an Enfield charity shop after the assistants accused her baby of passing wind. Dr Mine Dogantan Dack, a research fellow in piano music at Middlesex University, claims one of the assistants asked her to leave the British Heart Foundation (BHF) shop, in Palmers Green, on April 12, after implying her 17-month-old daughter had caused a stink. Dr Dack said: "I told them that my baby didn't do a poo or (pass wind) while we were in the shop; and that even if she did they have no right to ask me to leave. "Who gives the BHF staff the authority to act as the 'fart police'?



Dirty Diggers for Boris

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The Sun comes out for Boris Johnson | News | The First Post
The Sun newspaper, which has determined the result of a good many elections in its time, has come out for London mayoral candidate Boris Johnson.

Although it hasn't used its front page to announce the news, its support, offered on the editorial pages, is pretty unequivocal. After attacking Ken Livingstone and praising Johnson's policies on crime and transport, it concludes: "Boris Johnson has the energy and imagination to give this great city what it needs."

Spot The Ball

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Scots scientist discovers why England can't take penalties
It has been the curse of the England football team and has cost them dear in major championships many times. All too often the English stars have crumbled in the pressure-cooker environment of a penalty shoot-out resulting in the team being sent packing. Now the penalty problems that have dogged the team and reduced some of their top stars to tears after missing a crucial spot-kick have been explained – by Scottish experts.

Researchers at St Andrews and Exeter Universities say success or failure at work, school, or in sport is not always down to lack of ability or incompetence, but because people expect to fulfil a stereotype.


Life is tough without those city bonuses

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Soaring debts of the middle class on working-class pay
Rosie Millard was living like a millionairess - without the money to pay the bills. The former BBC arts correspondent's spending ranged from a £4,000 flight to New York on Concorde to a £350 pair of Jimmy Choo shoes worn only twice. She also ran up a £1,000 phone bill while on a cruise and a £50,000 overspend when renovating the family home.

The resulting credit-card shuffle left her £40,000 in debt. "Frankly, London was so full of people on City bonuses that I had forgotten I was not on one myself," said mother-offour Miss Millard, who is married to a TV producer and quit the BBC to become a freelance writer. "Bounced cheques? A daily occurrence. Bank charges? I could have papered a room with the accompanying letters."

Her spending came to a "grinding halt" when she realised that it was not just the mortgage which she could not afford. She was also struggling to find the money for her children's school meals. She has since transformed her lifestyle and borrows books from libraries, never gets black cabs, throws away all mailorder catalogues and eats at home before going out to the cinema or theatre.

A quick squint at our bank statements prove that, in our case at least, it doesn't feel much different being working class on a middle class income :(



Pentagon Prestidigitation

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Via the always excellent Best of Both Worlds comes this long article in the NYT (sub may be req).

You can read it in full here at RePressed
At another point, an analyst made a suggestion: “In one of your speeches you ought to say, ‘Everybody stop for a minute and imagine an Iraq ruled by Zarqawi.’ And then you just go down the list and say, ‘All right, we’ve got oil, money, sovereignty, access to the geographic center of gravity of the Middle East, blah, blah, blah.’ If you can just paint a mental picture for Joe America to say, ‘Oh my God, I can’t imagine a world like that.’ ”

Even as they assured Mr. Rumsfeld that they stood ready to help in this public relations offensive, the analysts sought guidance on what they should cite as the next “milestone” that would, as one analyst put it, “keep the American people focused on the idea that we’re moving forward to a positive end.” They placed particular emphasis on the growing confrontation with Iran.


I Give Up! #893

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Down's pupil accused of 'racism'
The parents of a Down's teenager accused of a racist assault have called for changes in how the law deals with people with special needs. Jamie Bauld, 19, who has a mental age of five, was charged with assaulting an Asian pupil at Motherwell College last September...

The Baulds, from Cumbernauld, said they were first made aware of the incident on 4 September when someone from the college called to say Jamie had pushed another pupil, but the matter had been resolved and it was nothing to worry about. But a few weeks later they received another call saying the police had become involved and an advert had been placed in the local newspaper calling for witnesses to a "racist assault" at the college. The police visited the house to charge Jamie, but Mr Bauld said his son did not even understand what racism was.


Poll: Obama comes in 2nd on most issues

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America's presidential contest | Who leads on the issues?
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama get another chance to explain their policies on the big issues in a televised debate from Philadelphia on tonight. Who is better placed to beat John McCain in the election? In a head-to-head contest on the big issues, according to The Economist's weekly poll, voters appear to be aligned most closely with Mr McCain on law and order, taxes and trade. Mrs Clinton comes top on the budget and health care. Mr Obama comes second on most issues, impressing only on fuel prices.