About Me

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41, (how the fuck did that happen?) Married to Bart two dogs Kira and Cooper (white German Shepard's) two brothers one sister 1 niece 2 nephews. Live in Milton Keynes.

Saturday 30 August 2008

Art and politics today






Banksy's secret costs Labour dear




Banksy's Essex Road piece" vspace="0" width="226" border="0" height="282" hspace="0">
A sketch which ended up as this piece in north London was auctioned

Graffiti star Banksy's secret identity caused some problems for Labour's accountants, after he donated a piece of art to raise funds for the party.

The piece, Sketch for Essex Road, was the star lot at a private fundraising auction at a gallery, raising £195,000.

But the party could not accept the full sum as there was no way of checking Banksy was a "permissible lender".

The party gave £75,000, the original valuation of the piece, to the gallery and accepted the remaining £120,000.

There are various rules governing who can donate sums of more than £200 to UK political parties - for example individuals must be on a UK electoral register.

Tesco salute

But Banksy, whose stencilled artwork appears in public places around the world, has never confirmed his identity - despite newspaper reports claiming to have unmasked him.

When the Aquarium Gallery, which held its own artbid4Ken fundraising auction for Ken Livingstone's unsuccessful London mayoral campaign, handed over the money raised, the Labour Party could not accept it in full.

We sought guidance from the Electoral Commission on this issue and we are fully satisfied that this donation complies with the rules
Labour Party spokesman

After discussions with the Electoral Commission, the party decided to accept a cheque from Steve Lazarides, a gallery owner who deals in Banksy works, for £121,600 of the £195,000 he paid for the piece.

The reasoning was that by not accepting the £75,000 the piece had been valued at, they were effectively writing off the value of Banksy's donation, which they could not accept.

Sketch for Essex Road is a canvas depicting two children pledging allegiance to a Tesco carrier bag hoisted on a flagpole.

Another version of the image was eventually painted on the side of a pharmacy in Islington, north London.

A Labour spokesman said the party was satisfied all donations fully complied with the law.

He added: "We sought guidance from the Electoral Commission on this issue and we are fully satisfied that this donation complies with the rules.

"Obviously we carry out diligent checks on all donations and take care that we are fully compliant with the law. "

The Labour Party faced embarrassment last November, when it emerged one of its biggest donors, businessman David Abrahams, had given it more than £600,000 over four years - using other people's names.

According to Electoral Commission figures out this week, Labour's debt stands at £17.9m, the Conservatives' at £12.1m and the Lib Dems' at £1.1m. Steve Lazarides was listed among Labour's donors.


Copied from BBC News.

Tuesday 26 August 2008

A history of HipHop with Jaguar Skills






Here we have a history of Hip-Hop condensed into a 48 minuet super mix containing 800 Hip-Hop tracks from 1979 to 2006. So if the Cuban break danceing wasn't enough to bring back those memories then is sure to.

If you are able, you should check out the mixes he does for Trevor Nelson on 1Extra.

I have to say I am loving his work.

Monday 25 August 2008

London a new kind of games










With the end of the very successful Beijing games talk has turned to the next venue - London. The question is just how will London be able to live up to a games that was run like clockwork, received acclaim from the athletes on just how good the facilities were, both on and off the field of play. That, along with a willing cast of millions (or at least hundreds of thousands), to make sure that everyone looked happy and all the venues were full to the rafters.

These games have had all this but it has been said Beijing was lacking one vital ingredient, a festival atmosphere outside of the individual venues.

Well London has neither the money nor the manpower to hold a candle to the fabulous Beijing games. What we do have however is a sense of humor, a warm welcome and a whole load of 'come on world we know how to have a good time.' I'm sure of one thing, the party atmosphere will not be left behind at the turn styles here.

Here is the new mayor of London (Boris Johnson) making a speech in China on how he is looking forward to hosting the next games - in a very British Boris Johnson style. Is this an indication of the spirit of the games to come? I for one hope so.


The Chris Moyles Show, DJ Jaguar Skills Mix 2

More to come from Mr Jaguar Skills.

Sunday 24 August 2008

Cuban break dance

You know when you are surfing the web with no direction and no idea what it is that you are looking for. Well I had one of those nights tonight and thank god for that. Tonight (for a change) I found it.

And it is Cuban break dance, just brilliant I don't know how else to describe it. I spent about two hours just going from video to video. I know that my old school chums out there will know just what I mean when I say, it made me nostalgic for those Saturdays in the shopping center with my rolled up lino and ghetto blaster. I hope you enjoy the following samples of Cuban break dance as much as I did.





Tuesday 19 August 2008

Small and mighty




I love these cars. Bart and I have owned at least 7 over the years. As you will have seen we also own two large dogs to but with the fortwo both of us and the dogs fit, OK only for short distances but we fit. We have had 3 fortwos, two forfours and two roadsters all are great fun to drive and s
surprisingly roomy. The story below shows just how versatile they really are.





Me and a friend at work, Sarah, tried to get someone in the company to sponsor us to do this same run a couple of years ago with no success. So it is great that we were right a Smart could win the Cannonball Run.

Well done Smart, and well done to David and Adrian.

smart car wins Cannonball Run

A smart fortwo gave its high-powered opposition plenty of ‘fuel for thought’ when it sprinted to victory in the Cannonball Run – a 3,000-mile dash across Europe inspired by the famous 80s film starring Burt Reynolds.

Life-long friends David Ward and Adrian Hull, from Essex, beat a long list of six-figure supercars in their five-year-old, second-hand smart fortwo BRABUS, which was the smallest car in the 40-vehicle field.

The event, which started at Sandown Park and took in France, Portugal and Spain with a finish in Brighton, saw the duo awarded first place for completing the route at the exact stipulated requirement of an average of 61mph.

It was the smart’s impressive fuel economy that really provided the edge for the 46-year-olds and their Union Jack-liveried smart. The performance version of the iconic smart range, which features a 700cc, 74bhp, three-cylinder turbo engine, is capable of 53.3 miles per gallon when driven on the combined fuel cycle – a factor that enabled the car to spend less time at the petrol pumps than its thirstier rivals.

“The downfall of the bigger cars was that they were forced to stop so often, so while they kept overtaking us, we eventually went past them at the next petrol station when they needed to fill up again,” said David, who runs an estate agency in South Woodford. “We kept at a decent speed and still averaged around 35 miles per gallon.”

What made David and Adrian’s victory even more remarkable was the fact that their smart has all of its original specification apart from a re-mapping kit and upgraded suspension. Competing in their first event of this kind, they were also the only entrants without an in-car satellite navigation system – preferring a traditional European road guide instead.

“Having entered for fun and to raise money for the NSPCC, it’s fair to say that we were surprised to win and I suppose there is a ‘David and Goliath’ element to our victory,” admitted David. “I think the other drivers initially thought it was a hoax that a smart had entered but they gave us more and more credit as the week went on and, at the end, they were genuinely pleased that we won.

“Whilst I think I’ve converted quite a few of them to the merits of smart ownership, the event has just strengthened my admiration for the car,” added David. “The ride and economy are outstanding, you can park it anywhere and there is room for my golf clubs – it’s just a great little car.”

David and Adrian have automatically gained entry into next year’s Cannonball Run but are now planning further adventures in their smart car including next year’s Gumball Rally from Los Angeles to Miami and a drive from Land’s End to John o’Groat’s in just 12 hours

Politics


POLITICS

A little boy goes to his father and asks, 'What is Politics and why is that Gordon Brown on the television again?'


Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way:


I am the head of the family, so call me The Prime Minister.


Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.


We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.


The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.


And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.


Now think about that and see if it makes sense.'


So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.


Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.


He finds that the baby has severely soiled his nappy.


So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny.


He gives up and goes back to bed.


The next morning, the little boy say's to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.'


The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.'


The little boy replies, 'The Prime Minister is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.


Monday 18 August 2008

Wayne Rooney signs deal with Mercedes

As I like to eat and pay the mortgage on time, I can't comment on this story but your views are more than welcome.

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has become a new ambassador of luxury car manufacturer Mercedes.

Wayne Rooney is new face of Mercedes
Wayne Rooney is new face of Mercedes

The 22-year-old footballer signed a two-year deal with the German car maker last week and has already received a brand new customised Mercedes Benz CL63 Coupe worth £121,000.

The car has a 6.2-litre engine, is capable of doing 155mph, and can hit 60mph in 4.5 seconds.

Teammate Rio Ferdinand already drives the same model.

Marketing experts however have questioned the deal, suggesting Rooney's reputation could put off some of Mercedes more traditional customers.

Brand analyst Peter York said: "Ordinarily you'd expect Mercedes to choose someone aspirational and classy to advertise its cars, and it's fair to say Wayne Rooney doesn't fit that category.

"It's extremely strange. You have to ask who chose him? Was it someone who has misunderstood his image or was it perhaps a calculated move to ensure people talked about it?

"It's possible it will backfire and put off traditional Mercedes customers - but perhaps their choice of Rooney reflects the fact that the kind of people prepared to spend a fortune on a smart car nowadays are not particularly smart people."

Rooney will be able to make use of all the brand's top models, as well as use a chauffeur-driven Mercedes to take him to any public engagements he attends.

Rooney's contract stipulates he must drive only Mercedes to matches and most training sessions, meaning wife Coleen will be left to drive the rest of his fleet.

He has an impressive fleet of cars in his collection, including a BMW X5, a Bentley Continental GT costing £132,500, and an Aston Martin Vanquish at £177,000.

He also owns a Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover Sport, and a Lamborghini Gallardo.

A source at Mercedes said: "We very much wanted Wayne to be the face of the brand. Mercedes will set Wayne up as an icon with their cars. There is an option in the contract for him to feature in some adverts.

Rooney has a string of contract endorsements, and is expected to make £100 million by the time he is 30.

His spokesman said: "I can confirm Wayne has just completed an initial two-year deal with Mercedes."

Story from the Telegraph


A new Beetle mania?




As I work in the industry we get motor industry news sent to our PCs everyday. I don't usually bother to read it to be honest but something caught my eye today.

VW have announced that they are expanding significantly into the Indian market. Not only to sell cars but to manufacture them too. A new plant is in the pipeline along with an expanding dealer network. The plant will mainly build the new Beetle along with two small Polo variants (see above) and the Skoda Fabia.

I for one look forward to the Indian version of the Bug Jam VW festival, a potential Billion new dubbers out there, what a sight that would be.

Full story courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

Sunday 17 August 2008

Dr Jay n Easy Lee - Dear Penis

I came across this on facebook today.

Something joined me on my walk today




Grass snake


Female adder

I was out this afternoon with the dogs on our daily walk. We had been out for a while and as one of the dogs has quite bad arthritis we often stop along the way. We had just had a pit stop where the dogs polished off some KFC popcorn chicken and were just setting back off on our way. I had to keep looking back because the dogs were doing the thing that they do - sniffing each and every step of the way - so they need a little persuading to move along.

So once again I look back to hurry them up and I saw a SNAKE! Not a fat snake but it must have been 4 ft long. It was right where I had just stepped not two seconds earlier, so we stopped again and I took this video on my phone.

[I can't seem to get the video to copy onto the laptop at the moment so I will update it as soon as I figure out how to do it. Until then I've added are some pictures above from Google images.]

I have seen a snake out on a walk before but this was years ago and it was just a fleeting glance. This time as you can see the snake was just sitting there basking in the sun. I actually stayed for a while and just watched in wonder.

I am pretty sure that it was an adder rather than our other native the grass snake. The UK has only two snakes the grass snake (harmless) and the adders (venomous). So I guess I am lucky that I didn't step on it.

Friday 15 August 2008

OK you got me






Sometimes you have to hold your hands up an just go with it.

After celebrating my brother's birthday (hard) I had to be the first one to pass out. Let this be a lesson to you if you are the oldest person at the party make sure that you go home before this happens to you.

I thought I was safe back in the womb of my parents home with just a select few. Even here the slightest signs of weakness are pounced upon with cold savagery. The young upstarts have shown their teeth.

Good news for Gorillas




Bart and I were talking to our new house guest the other night (my brother John), and the subject of gorillas came up for some reason. Bart said something about how few are left.

That reminded me of a story that I had seen about the discovery of two new populations of lowland gorillas in the Congo that has significantly boosted the numbers. So here is a link to that story.

What great news for a change, it's so refreshing to see a good news story about the natural world rather than the usual doom and gloom. It's hard to imagine 120 thousand gorillas just hiding out. What else do you think we may have missed?

Tuesday 12 August 2008

I am so sorry


I have to admit to drinking a little more than I should and swearing a little too much at times, bit I like to think that I know where to draw the line and where common decency and manners should start. Apparently not all of my country men and women have the same sense of self control or awareness.

I saw this on MSN news today and it made me feel ashamed to be British, I travel a bit and just hate to think that I would leave the people of that place with the impression that the people described below are what all British people are really like.

So if you have been unlucky enough to meet these people I am so sorry.

Brits gone wild
As officials in Zante hold crisis talks over the drunken, violent and lewd behaviour of UK tourists, we recap the most cringe-worthy Brits-abroad sins of recent years.
British revellers have been wreaking havoc in Greece, causing local authorities to call for action.

Perhaps the mayor of the Greek seaside resort of Faliraki put it best. “Mercifully our clientele this summer is a wonderful mix of people from all over Europe who know how to peacefully enjoy their time…There are far fewer Britons.”

Oh dear. It’s a rather embarrassing fact that in large swathes of Europe – and, increasingly, elsewhere – the annual influx of British holidaymakers is welcomed by bar owners and dreaded by just about everyone else. During the summer months, the unsightly antics of boozed-up, lobster-skinned Brits make front pages from Majorca to Marrakech, Ibiza to Istanbul.

Last year, a Foreign Office report revealed the extent of our shame. In 2005–6, 1,368 Brits were arrested in America, 955 hospitalised in Greece and 6,000 lost their passports in Spain.

Meanwhile, another report revealed what everyone already knew: most 16- to 30-year-old Brits don’t go on holiday for the local culture or cuisine, but an all-too-predictable potpourri of binge drinking and casual sex.

So if you think you can stomach the full horror click here.

Sunday 10 August 2008

Pets

I downloaded the full series of Pets last year from iTunes. It kept me company on a flight to the US.

The show is basically a Friends parody and is lusciously dark. It follows a group of animals, 2 dogs one Parrot and a cat, who have a multitude of issues. They all share a crappy run down house together.

These two episodes follow a normal evening of summoning the devil, masturbating with household furniture and experimenting with LSD.

I'm not really sure what else to say about it other than download, watch and enjoy it. I think that it is one of the best pod casts that I have in my collection.



Saturday 9 August 2008

Adele - Hometown Glory (High contrast Remix)

Please give this tune a listen, I have been mildly obsessed with it since I first heard it a couple of weeks ago. I like Adele and this tune in it's original form is great but this High Contrast version just kicks butt.


Thursday 7 August 2008

Humans Make Dogs Yawn

Humans Make Dogs Yawn

Dogs catch human yawns (image © AMY <span class=SANCETTA/AP/PA Photos)" width="200" height="150">
Yes, it really is true. Scientists have discovered that dogs can catch yawns from people.
It is well known that seeing other people yawning makes us also yawn. This kind of contagious yawning as it is known is also found in other primates like chimpanzees.
But research from the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters has demonstrated that dogs also have the same contagious yawning syndrome.
The researchers from Birkbeck, University of London, tested the reactions of various breeds including a Greyhound, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a Dalmatian to an unknown human yawning at them.
The dogs also watched while the experimenter opened their mouth but did not yawn.
Twenty-one out of twenty nine dogs yawned when they watched a human yawn, but none of the dogs yawned as a result of watching the same human demonstrating non- yawning mouth opening.
Researchers said the Border Collie proved to be king of the yawns and yawned five times over a period of five minutes. He was followed by a Labrador and Staffordshire Bull Terrier both of whom yawned four times.
The Great Dane, Cocker Spaniel, Dachshund, Shih Tzu, Weimaraner, Jack Russell/Corgi cross and the Yorkshire Terrier proved to be more reserved and did not yawn at all.

Thanks MSN

PS I tried this on my two and nothing. So dog owners out there let me know how you get on at home with yours.

Wednesday 6 August 2008

Another weekend away


So we spent this last weekend in Weymouth on the south coast. We had a good time once we had managed to get through the holiday traffic with our packed caravan, it took us 6 hours to travel 150 miles (nightmare). It was worth it I have never been to this part of the south coast before and I was pleasantly surprised at just how picturesque it was. My photos may not reflect this to its fullest.

The camp site (East Fleet Farm Park) was clean, friendly, well run and right on the beach - I highly recommend it.

Weymouth itself was also a nice surprise. There wasn't too much of the tacky seaside tat and the curving seafront definitely has an old school charm. The beach is soft sand and very clean and the shallow bay makes it great for kids you can walk out quite some distance and only get up to your knees (see me, the small figure in the distance.)


The dogs loved it too with their own part of the beach all to themselves and their new canine holiday friends (very civilised).

Here are some pictures of the dogs on the beach and then chilling out back in the caravan.



Monday 4 August 2008

And I'm back in the room


So we have been away for a long weekend so no posts last week. We have just walked in the door and I thought I had better put something up here before my legions of fans start to find something else to do with their time.

We had a great time in Weymouth we took the caravan (Mabel) and the dogs with us this time. We stayed just outside of the town on a nice caravan park in the middle of a 300 acre organic farm and we had sea views from our pitch, we loved that and the dogs seemed to enjoy themselves to. Pictures and highlights to follow just as soon as we have unpacked and had something to eat.