Now there's a surprise

"Key tram section to be year late" proclaims the BBC.

"SNP MSP Shirley Anne Somerville said she was worried some parts of the route may be scrapped if it runs over budget."

Some parts? It's only one track! ONE!

A TIE lackey makes excuses:

"Any delays associated with these works have been regularly and widely communicated to the local business community and residents in the affected areas."

Ah, so that's why there are businesses with these in the windows then, eh?



We're even down to blaming dead people for the delays:

"The technical challenges in some areas of the tram route, including the removal of a 150-year-old gas main and the discovery of 300-year-old bodies, have unfortunately had an impact on the programme."

All I am getting is "waaah waaah waaaah waaaah waaaah".

In a city like Edinburgh, surely you would have some sort of contingency plan built in? Same with their budget - but it seems they've used it up...

Still no signs of an audit, still no signs of the people of Edinburgh actually standing up to the cuntcil.

Attaboy!

The interwebs (WSBTV, Atlanta) reports that a group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and that they're thanking their quick-thinking gun carrying friend.

Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. “The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough,” said Bailey.

That’s when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment.

Now, if you're taken at gunpoint by two guys, told to hand over your wallets, phones and jewellery, then the gunmen start asking themselves how many rounds of ammunition they have. They separate the men and women. Now one of them is about to sexually assault someone in the apartment. What are you going to do? Most people are powerless to fight back.

The first rule of a gunfight is bring a gun.

Of course, if this had happened in Britain, we'd have the student arrested.
Time and time again we see law abiding folk being victims because they are not able to respond to violence from criminals. It makes a refreshing change to see that a potential victim turn the situation around, and save the lives of his friends.

Just remember, when you have seconds to live, the Police are only a few minutes away.

It's the MEPs who need clubbed

Well, I blogged about this last summer, and it looks like those bastards in Europe have done it.

The Hootsman reports that "the manufacture and sale of sealskin sporrans will be illegal from next autumn. This will affect existing unsold stock and also the second-hand trade."

I suggest we start clubbing MEPs.

Piracy

The Hootsman tells us of a cruise ship being attacked by pirates, the pirates being repulsed by an on-board Israeli security force...

"the pirates retreated after the security officers returned fire and sprayed them with water hoses. The ship then continued its journey, with windows darkened."

Jolly good.

Now, what do you think a chap from the East African Sea Farers Assistance Programme said about this?

"Having weapons on a passenger or merchant ship is dangerous. They should have used other means to shake off the pirates, like a loud acoustic device."

As one commenter on the article said - is that chap willing to stand at the rail, and shout "Go away!" at the pirates? And just which African sea farers is he spokesman for?

I am reliably informed, by a friend in the Royal Navy, that our modern warhips still have a yardarm... When I asked him why we were not hanging pirates from them, or returning them from whence they came he replied that apparently returning them to a home country where the penalty for piracy is death would be a breach of their human rights. Ah well.

I think The Englishman has the right idea with an alternate cruise offering. His readers have some excellent suggestions for things to take on the cruise.

Arrrr.

A westerly view

I was at the pub last night (shock, horror) and noted some new beer mats - duly scanned in today...



My drinking buddies and I feel that for a west coast brewery, the "I'm still enjoying this beverage so please don't remove it, I'll be back in a minute!" was a bit long winded, and not the natural language of the west...

So we came up with the following:

"Just gonnae no!"
"Hands off my pint ya cunt!"
"This is my pint, there are many like it, but this one is mine!"
"Here you! I'm coming back for that!"
"And leave ma seat alane an a'!"
"Haw, touch ma pint and I'll chib ye!"

Feel free to make some suggestions in the comments.
If you're from the West brewery and reading this - the dunkel is a decent pint, keep up the good work! (And please don't spank me for scanning in your beer mat).

And do you know what?

You can fuck off!

Fat tests for over 40s, says the Torygraph.

Clearly I am not there yet, but a fat bastard I certainly am. The last time I went to see a quack was the best part of 10 years ago, when I was living in Texas. I had an ear infection.

And yet again, BMI rears its ugly, discredited head...

"BMI checks will make sure people know they are overweight and will help to turn their health around"

Oh really?

Tell you what, the only way you're going to get me to see a doctor is when I have an arm or a leg missing. And even then, I'll claim it's a flesh wound.

In the meantime, fuck off and let me live my life the way I see fit.

It's a loose lose situation

I keep on reading crap on the internet (I should probably stop there) where people have used loose instead of lose, and there / their / they're, and others too. Oh, what else is there?

"Its loose loose really."

"there not just police its the army? look at there hats MP? its a question"

Just fucking stop it! That and learn how to use an apostrophe.

Gaaaaaah!

The English language is being threatened by fucktards and lazy bastards who cannot be bothered to apply primary school level English usage.

And don't get me started on TXTSPK.