Sim-O

Fancy a race? My ID for Mario Kart Wii is 1289-8368-8210.

See you on the start line.

*Being the modest bloke I am, I make no assertions about the quality of my driving. ok?

Update: If you’ve got an invite, then Monday Night Mario is here.

Comment is Free:

Researchers from Oxford showed that the healthier balance of fats in the blood of lifelong vegans could lower the incidence of heart disease by a whopping 57%, compared with 24% in lifelong vegetarians. Vegetarians eat about two-thirds of the saturated fat, and one half of the cholesterol of omnivores, but vegans consume half the saturated fat and no cholesterol at all. Consequently, they have very low levels of harmful LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in their blood. This means they are less likely to suffer from heart disease and other circulatory problems such as impotence. Not only do they avoid harmful animal-based foods, but the staple foods of a well-balanced vegan diet (nuts, soluble fibre, soya protein and plant sterols) improve blood fat levels. It’s a win-win situation.

Dennis Leary:

You will eat it. Because not eating meat is a decision. Eating meat is an instinct!

Teh Times:

Tesco launched an audacious bid to take on iTunes today, with the announcement of a music and film download service that will compete directly with Apple’s store.

The UK’s largest supermarket said that as of next month, more than 3.3 million songs will be available to download from its website, with 1.6 million of those able to be played on any music player, including iPods and most mobile phones.

The deal, understood to involve all the main record labels, will mean that Tesco becomes the first large retailer to offer tracks to UK customers in an ‘unprotected’ format, allowing users, in theory, to copy songs music they buy from one device to another.

DRM free music. Hooray for Tesco (for once)!

Teh Guardian:

Gordon Brown insisted today that he would reject calls to quit because he was taking the correct “long-term decisions” for Britain.

In an interview with Sky News, the prime minister said that he was “staying in the job that I mean to continue”.
…
“These are long-term decisions. They do not necessarily make you popular overnight,” he said.

“I think people will see over time that these are the right decisions.”

Like a hostage, over time sees that their captor is a lovely person really.

With the demise of Charlton Heston, I’ve scored some points.
Which puts me in second place (along with 6 other people).

Right. Now to bump off Tony Benn.

The Guardian:

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) acted unlawfully in dropping an investigation into alleged bribery in an arms deal between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia, the high court ruled today.

In a stunning victory for the activist groups that launched the legal challenge, the two judges said Tony Blair’s government and the SFO caved in too readily to threats by Saudi Arabia over intelligence sharing and trade.

Lord Justice Moses and Justice Sullivan, using some scathing language, rejected the SFO’s argument that it was powerless to resist the Saudi threats.

“So bleak a picture of the impotence of the law invites at least dismay, if not outrage,” they said.

“Had such a threat been made by one who was subject to the criminal law of this country, he would risk being charged with an attempt to pervert the course of justice.”

In my learn’d opinion, the judges came to the right decision. Hooray.

Later in the article:

The judges said the SFO decision was unlawful but made no formal orders for further action – something they will consider at a further hearing. It is believed the most likely course will be that the SFO will have to reconsider its decision.

In a brief statement, the SFO said it was “carefully considering the implications of the judgment and the way forward”.

There should be only one course of action for the SFO to take. That should be to reopen the investigation.
Along with prosecuting Blair for being a pussy and open a waranty for the arrest of the Saudi who made the threat, ready for when he comes to see how his aeroplanes are doing.

Now then,how about this for an idea? I haven’t worked out any details (and probably won’t) yet, so I am expecting to be ignored/told I am in dreaming etc:

What about instead of banks and building societies stopping 100% mortgages, which people may be able to afford, and need because of being unable to save for a deposit because of, say paying rent, or the government giving grants which will have to be repaid, and so make getting a mortgage even more expensive, or ‘shared equity’ which isn’t really owning your own home at all, but some other entity owning half, how about capping the multiplier for working out how much of a mortgage one can get?

So instead of banks lending upto 5x the borrowers salary, which means that their children are till paying it off when it comes time for them to get their own mortgage, the limit is capped at, say 1.5x main earner and 1x second earner, you know like it used to be, when you and I were kids.

This would have to be done gradually so as to minimise the shock to existing homeowners* but end result would be to drop the prices down to realistic levels so that most people could afford them, even the poor old first timers.
Once the prices had stabilised again the cap on the multiplier would keep the prices inline with wage increases and stop the runaway increases that are seen at the moment.

It’ll never work though, cos’ the banks won’t be able to squeeze every last drop of money out of anyone wanting to own their own pile of bricks.

*declaration of interest: I am one of those people with a fucking big loan called a mortgage, so this isn’t me thinking of someway I could afford a house. I would lose out due to the drop in equity of my property.

I just watched Newsnight.
They had a story about Brain Gym. It’s exercises to get the blood flowing and to improve the ‘electrical circuits’ in the body and brain to improve learning.
Schools pay for practitioners to come in to the school and be a ‘consultant’ advising on how to implement it. It is a load of shite. And we’re paying for it.

I have only just heard of it. Ben Goldacre at Bad Science has heard of it previously:

Is there anything else I can do to make blood and oxygen get to my brain better? Yes, an exercise called “Brain Buttons”: “Make a ‘C’ shape with your thumb and forefinger and place on either side of the breast bone just below the collar bone. Gently rub for 20 or 30 seconds whilst placing your other hand over your navel. Change hands and repeat. This exercise stimulates the flow of oxygen carrying blood through the carotid arteries to the brain to awaken it and increase concentration and relaxation.” Why? “Brain buttons lie directly over and stimulate the carotid arteries.”

Now, I’m waiting to be impressed by any kid who can stimulate his carotid arteries inside his ribcage, but it’s going to involve dissection with the sharp scissors that only mummy can use.

Update: Here Bens’ post about the Newsnight feature<