Seen in the News

[Stanley]

Their immunity from the draft has worried many Israelis for years. Common sense says they should be conscripted.

[Stanley]

We had an earthquake yesterday ......See THIS report.
A 3.3-magnitude earthquake rattled homes in north-west England on Wednesday night, the British Geological Survey (BGS) reported. The tremor, which struck shortly after 23:23, was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District, including the towns of Kendal and Ulverston, within 12 miles (19 km) of the epicentre which is believed to be Silverdale in Lancashire. Nikki Maddox, who runs the Blossom Bird coffee shop in Silverdale said she thought her roof was caving in when the tremors started. "I had just climbed into bed and I heard this enormous rumble. It shook the whole house, it was very, very terrifying," she said.
I have to report that the earth didn't move for me.....

[Whyperion]

Do the plates move in Barnoldswick or is the geology pretty sound ? Further west of Lancashire I think something is slipping into the Irish Sea .

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report about fake damage reports....
7 hours ago
Trains were halted after a suspected AI-generated picture that seemed to show major damage to a bridge appeared on social media following an earthquake. The tremor, which struck on Wednesday night, was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District. Network Rail said it was made aware of the image which appeared to show major damage to Carlisle Bridge in Lancaster at 00:30 GMT and stopped rail services across the bridge while safety inspections were carried out. A BBC journalist ran the image through an AI chatbot which identified key spots that may have been manipulated.

[Tizer]

...Further west of Lancashire I think something is slipping into the Irish Sea .

The surface geology along the Fylde coast and out into the seabed is primarily siltstone, mudstone and boulder clay deposited after the last Ice Age. This is soft rock and relatively easy to erode and wash away, hence the need for the Promenade at Blackpool for example. A feature of the seabed is an 80 metres deep canyon known as the Lune Deep. In a future geological era Blackpool Tower might stand out to sea at the end of a long breakwater and act as a lighthouse - rather like the one at Alexandria in ancient times!

[Big Kev]

Heard in the news, four people have been arrested for throwing apple crumble at the crown jewels. One shouldn't condone vandalism but it made me chuckle every time the newsreader said it, I'm not sure why they had to name the specific food

[Tripps]

Footage of the incident appears to show one demonstrator removing the large foil tray of apple crumble from a bag and slamming it against the glass. Meanwhile, another pours a tub of bright yellow custard on the front of the case."

Some tricky questions here, in the face of this beautifully British action. Sounds like an episode of The Goon Show.

Is this an act of terrorism? Could Nigel Farage be connected to it somehow ?

Is it really criminal damage? A quick scrape and wipe down with some Cillit Bang should soon put it right. The perps, of course, should be made to clean it up.

Classifying the action as 'fly tipping' should secure the maximum sentence and head off any spurious defence.

Stop the world (or at least slow it down a bit) I still want to get off.

[Stanley]

I can't add anything to those two reports. Yes, the Goon Show came to mind and who cares about the jewels anyway?

[Tizer]

The perps, of course, should be made to clean it up.

My Grandma would have said `rub their noses in it first!'

[Whyperion]

Heard in the news, four people have been arrested for throwing apple crumble at the crown jewels. One shouldn't condone vandalism but it made me chuckle every time the newsreader said it, I'm not sure why they had to name the specific food

cor blimey call the grime squad, we are not talking rhubarb here, either they are remanded in custardy for stir as this is not a mere trifle though it seems they didnt have a gelly man in the gang so it might have to go to apeal for shortning sentance.

[Big Kev]

Oh dear

[Stanley]

THIS caught my eye....
She was a woman who appeared to have it all: a privileged upbringing, a good education and a wide circle of friends. But Jasveen Sangha had a dark secret that some of her closest friends say she concealed even from them. The dual British-American national was a dealer to Hollywood's rich and famous, who ran a "stash house" of drugs including cocaine, Xanax, fake Adderall pills and ketamine. Her business – and the illusion of her charmed life – came to an abrupt end after supplying 50 vials of ketamine that were ultimately sold to Friends actor Matthew Perry, including the dose that led to his overdose death in 2023. Now, Sangha is among five others, including two doctors, who have pleaded guilty to offences in Perry's death. In February Sangha is set to be the final defendant sentenced in the case, which uncovered an underground ketamine drug network in Los Angeles. She could face a maximum of 65 years in federal prison.
My only comment is that this is a world that is entirely beyond my comprehension. Do such people have any useful function? Do they matter at all?

[Stanley]

See this Lancashire news.....
8 hours ago
A man has been summonsed to court over abusive social media messages sent to England footballer Jess Carter. Police began investigating after receiving reports the messages had been sent to the 27-year-old defender during the UEFA Women's Euros in July. A 59-year-old man from Great Harwood, Lancashire, was arrested in August by Lancashire Police and has now been summonsed to appear at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on 9 January. Cheshire Police said the man would be charged with making malicious communications following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service. Carter, from Warwick, previously said she was taking a step back from social media after she was targeted with racism online during the tournament. Following the incident, the UK Football Policing Unit launched an investigation involving social media companies to track down those responsible for the messages. "I would like to commend her for standing up to this abuse and assisting with our investigation," a spokesperson said.

[Stanley]

Have a look at THIS updated report....
Updated 1 hour ago
US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington's pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro's government. "We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela - a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually," Trump told reporters at the White House. Releasing a video of the seizure, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the vessel as a "crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran". Caracas swiftly denounced the action, calling it an act of "international piracy". Earlier, President Maduro declared that Venezuela would never become an "oil colony". The Trump administration accuses Venezuela of funnelling narcotics into the US and has intensified its efforts to pressure President Maduro in recent months. Venezuela - home to some of the world's largest proven oil reserves - has, in turn, accused Washington of seeking to take its oil. Oil prices inched higher on Wednesday as news of the seizure stoked short-term supply concerns. Analysts warn the move could threaten shippers and further disrupt Venezuela's oil exports.
The Trump administration is totally unpredictable and is acting like a rogue state..... How long can this go on for?

[PanBiker]

"We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela - a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually," Trump told reporters at the White House.

That says it all really. Mines bigger than yours, its the talk of a five year old in the playground. He should be sectioned.

[Tizer]

The Trump administration is totally unpredictable and is acting like a rogue state..... How long can this go on for?

I'd say it is a rogue state. It threatens to invade a sovereign state and to buy other states, it kills people illegally and destroys vessels in international waters without any evidence to support such action, and now it wants access to 5 years of social media of anyone entering the US etc. Trump and the US are turning into a western version of Putin and Russia.