Now, it’s even spreading to our literature.
At least we seem to have forgotten about how mankind was going to be wiped out by Avian Flu:
Category - General
I noticed in The Sun today the front page headline:
Shock Leap In Victims… Swine Flu Kills 12 in 4 Days
Just for comparison, each year there are 3-4,000 deaths associated with flu in the UK – that works out at 11 every day over the whole year! And if you allow for the fact flu season is only about 4 months long – December to March is the peak time – then daily deaths could be as high as 33! In a typical year up to about 8 million people in the UK could catch flu. This is normal flu, you understand.
Yet The Sun is trying to stir up Swine Flu panic over 12 deaths in 4 days. You get more people killed in car accidents than that!
Then you have to consider how many cases there are: in the UK, 7,447 cases and 7 deaths (as at 6 July, 2009) – or less than 0.1% death rate – and most of those had other health complications.
If we use The Sun’s figures of 85,000 cases and 29 deaths then the death rate is 0.03% – it’s actually gone down, and yet they’re still talking it up!
(Note that I make no claims for good statistics with those simple numbers – but they’re a damn site better statistics than The Sun is using to try and create panic).
Swine Flu is no more deadly than normal flu (and I’d love to see an animation for an annual outbreak of normal flu like the one they’ve done for Swine Flu on the BBC site). The current epidemic (I use that word in a very general sense for brevity) is just an outbreak of flu. If anything, it looks like more people will have had it by the time it dies down, but that’s all.
It won’t wipe out the Human Race – but don’t forget to take your Oinksip just in case…
Oinksip - For Swine Flu
This is really weird – it messes with your mind!
Believe it or not, those green and blue bars are actually the same colour!
If you use your mouse scroll wheel and the CTRL button (in Vista) you can zoom in (Firefox also lets you zoom) – try it and look how the colours change.
This is one of the best optical illusions I have ever seen.
Well, well, well! The silly little idiot who claimed she had fallen asleep whilst having a tattoo – and ended up with 56 stars on her face instead of just three (is any face tattoo something anyone with a sound mind would consider?) has admitted she lied (see story here).
But the 18-year-old has finally confessed she did not fall asleep, that she wanted all the stars and was ‘fully aware’ of what Toumaniantz was doing.
Miss Vlaminck [Vlaeminck] told a Dutch TV crew: ‘I asked for 56 stars and initially adored them.
‘But when my father saw them, he was furious.
‘So I said I fell asleep and that the tattoist had made a mistake.’
The tattooist – every time I see his photo I imagine I’m having a nightmare – is now off the hook. He originally offered to pay half of what it would cost to have them removed (I bet he was pooping himself over what could happen if he were successfully sued):
But despite insisting Vlaminck had asked for 56 stars, he still initially agreed to pay for half of the treatment to remove the tattoos.
He said: ‘Kimberley is unhappy and it is not my wish to have an unsatisfied client.
‘I don’t regret it. To tell you the truth, this has given me some publicity.’
Toumanaintz is now said to have withdrawn his offer and said from now on he will get written consent from clients before he begins tattooing.
As for Vlaminck… well, I suppose some people are always going to be at the back of the queue when it comes to using their brains. She just started very early in life, and will carry the stigma (and remains of those stars) for a long time to come.
EDIT 26/3/2012: I get regular hits on this story – more recently, asking what became of Kimberley Vlaminck. According to this story [link no longer correct] she was to have laser surgery – paid for by herself, not someone she’d accused – to remove them last year.
You have to laugh! Heard this story on the radio on my way to my first lesson today.
Let’s just do a quick reality check:
- getting a tattoo is stupid
- getting a face tattoo is stupider
OK, the first one is just my personal opinion, but Kimberley Vlaminck from Belgium ignored these two simple rules and went to get some stars tattooed on her face. She reckons she only wanted three stars, but fell asleep during the procedure and ended up with 56 of them!
If you look at the picture, does the phrase “saw the result and had second thoughts” spring to mind, or what?
I think this part really gives an insight into what happened:
The trouble all started when she went home and her father and boyfriend threw a fit. They are saying things now like I doped her or hypnotised her. What rubbish. She asked for 56 stars and that’s what she got.
Yes, I think “second thoughts” was definitely involved here.
When I was at Uni, there was this bloke – an early Goth-type rocker. He had long black hair, and right in the middle of his forehead – just above his hairline – he’d had a patch about the size of an egg shaved, and in it was a tattoo of a pentagram or something similar.
I mean, can you imagine what he must look like now. His hair will recede above the previous position and he’ll become an old guy with an ugly, stupid faded blue smudge on his head. I doubt he’ll be doing much more than hanging around outside the door of the pub with a pint in his hand at 11.30 in the morning – after all, he’s hardly likely to be a City high-flyer, is he?
Tattoos make a statement: specifically, they state “look at me – I’m a prat.”
It’s not as if they stay clear for very long. I lose count of the number of women I see with tattoos on shoulders, around their upper arms, on their legs which – as the women expand with age – go misshapen and start to fade. With blokes, you just expect this stupidity from some of them… but you’d think women would have more sense.
Oh, and back to Ms Vlaminck. My understanding is that tattoos are painful to get done. They are also drawn carefully by artists, so they take a long time to do. And Ms Vlaminck says she slept through it all? Of course she did…
EDIT 26/3/2012: I get regular hits on this story – more recently, asking what became of Kimberley Vlaminck. According to this story [link no longer correct] she was to have laser surgery – paid for by herself, not someone she’d accused – to remove them last year.
A quick 2022 edit to the 2014 update (and original below), but a recent surge of hits has been as a result of this much more recent case of someone acting as crassly as Avery did over ten years ago. Back in time, ‘Anneka’ was also used to identify this individual. Just be aware that both names are quite likely synonymous if ‘Avery’ is the surname in the search term, and if it involves an ambulance and a five-month suspended prison sentence.
This story and article dates from 2009. However, as of 2014 there is much talk in the media of “the right to be forgotten” on Google and – more recently – calls for stiffer penalties for harmful trolling. Coincidentally, this story has become popular again on the blog, and I can’t help wonder if there is a link. It wouldn’t surprise me.
Just for the record, I have commented on public domain information. I have expressed my own opinion on that information. Although I’m sure that people like Avery would desperately like this story to be erased from history, or at least to attempt to have it turned around into some sort of crime against her by claiming “trolling”, the fact remains that what Avery did actually happened. It was a disgusting, malicious, and dangerous thing she did. She was prosecuted for it, and found to be guilty. She admitted to dangerous driving. And the evidence given which secured that prosecution outlined some behaviour which clearly identifies the sort of person Anneka Avery is capable of being. The judge described her “moronic behaviour” as “disgusting and dangerous” – he used those words.
[The Judge] added that ambulance crews did a difficult job, telling Avery: “Your moronic and anti-social behaviour is exactly what they cannot tolerate.”
The East Midlands Ambulance Service said:
We are deeply disturbed at the actions this woman took.
She purposely obstructed our ambulance which was clearly dealing with an emergency.
People who commit this type of crime must think of the consequences – one day because of the mindless actions of someone else they, or their loved one, might not get the urgent medical care they need.
I have added nothing to the story. I have simply commented on it.
This story is almost unbelievable. It is covered in several places – the Leicester Mercury, BBC Online, Daily Mirror, and the Biggleswade Chronicle (sic). Note that the BBC story spells her first name ‘Annika’.
This vicious little chav deliberately held up an ambulance which was taking an elderly heart attack victim to hospital, while the paramedic was carrying out resuscitation in the back!
A driver laughed and mouthed obscenities as she delayed an ambulance taking a dying patient to hospital.
Anneka Avery (20) dangerously overtook the ambulance several times, cutting in front and slowing it down, despite the emergency siren and blue flashing lights.
She was banned from driving for three years.
They were taking [the patient] to Leicester Royal Infirmary, with the flashing lights and emergency siren on, when driver Iain Hunt became aware of the defendant’s Fiesta at the Bradgate Hill roundabout on the A50.
As he negotiated the roundabout, Avery overtook at about 45mph, cutting in front of him, causing him to brake sharply.
Mr Hunt overtook the Fiesta at about 70mph or 80mph but when he pulled into the nearside lane, the Fiesta overtook him, pulling right in front of him and slowing to 50mph, causing him to slam on his brakes.
Mr Hunt again overtook the car and continued at 80mph but the Fiesta followed at speed.
Ms Evans said: “At one point she was so close behind him he was unable to see the car in his mirror.”
In Groby Road, the Fiesta again swerved across his path.
Other vehicles pulled over to create a path, but Avery weaved through the traffic, stopping at the mouth of a roundabout, blocking the ambulance until another car moved.
Then the Fiesta drew alongside at about 60mph in a 40mph zone.
Ms Evans said: “Mr Hunt looked over and saw the driver was a female with a male passenger.
“Both were gesticulating, laughing and mouthing obscenities at him.”
He was again forced to brake when Avery pulled across.
In the BBC story, the most irritating part is the photo of Avery – shown here, and obviously taken outside after the hearing. I’m surprised she could fit in a Fiesta with that smug grin.
It’s hard to figure out why she wasn’t sent to prison, particularly since she was as guilty as hell and had no viable defence.
Something I missed in the other stories, but covered in Chapel Allerton Today , appears to be the fact she was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 2 years. Not a tough enough sentence by a long shot.
I suspect that the fact she is a woman who as it turns out is pregnant might have had something to do with it. Oh, and the ‘fact’ that she was “under stress at the time of the incident in July 2008”. That’s always a good girly argument to get you off, isn’t it?
This story has gone through the roof! Since it was published on Saturday it has become by far the most popular story on this blog! One interesting detail when I look at my stats, and that is how many hits have been coming from Facebook. When I followed the links back, guess whose profile I found? Someone appears to have been looking themselves up to see how famous they are.
And when I did a little more checking, the same person appears to have profiles on all the kiddie networking sites (Bebo, for example). I note that she boasts of having had “quite a few” car crashes, and that her first car was an “MG Midget” – pretty dangerous weapon for a new driver, and someone with such an appalling attitude towards others, don’t you think?
As I said above, the sentence she was handed was nowhere near harsh enough. And you can’t help but feel sorry for the kid she is bringing into this world if this is the kind of behaviour it is likely to be taught.
If Avery or any of her Facebook ‘friends’ are following this, they’ll be pleased to know that she is becoming a worldwide celebrity.
EDIT: THIS IS FROM 2009, SO IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE LATE 2010 MEDIA FRENZY YOU’LL NEED TO LOOK AGAIN.
So the WHO is still talking this up to create unnecessary panic!
Just watching the news now and one statistic jumped out:
Out of 13,217 cases in the USA, there have been 27 deaths… this is far fewer than die as a result of seasonal flu.
Worldwide there have been around 30,000 cases, but only 141 deaths. So just what the hell are they going on about it for? You can read the BBC story (and see the WHO talking itself up) here.
The most telling quote has to be:
It is the first flu pandemic in 40 years – the last in 1968 killed about one million people.
However, the current pandemic seems to be moderate and causing mild illness in most people.
It makes you want to scream, doesn’t it?
I don’t know why I bother! KFC has to be the most badly run outfit on the planet. I’ve had repeated problems getting served in various local branches, but his is what happened in one branch over the last 7 days.
Visit #1
I went in and, since there was only one person there, I decided to try and order something (if there is a queue of any length then you’re looking at a 30 minute wait at best). I stood and waited. The primate serving stood in front of the hot trays and fiddled with something. Then she waddled over to the till and pushed something. Then she waddled back to the hot trays… and immediately waddled all the way back around the other side of the hot trays. Then she waddled back to the front. All this time not one item of food was touched or ended up in the box that was presumably assembled for the customer’s order. Meanwhile, in the background, the half dozen acne collections around the back were busy staring up at screens and merrily serving the constant flow of pratmobiles that frequent the drive-thru. After several minutes I just walked out.
Visit #2
I went in and there was no one in the queue at all. I know from experience this is no guarantee of being served quickly. Anyway, after about a minute a young girl came up. There was no verbal communication, but the eye contact suggested she wanted to take my order. I said :”Can I have a Bargain Bucket… “, but before I could finish she put her finger up and in broken English said “one minute… ” I said “Isn’t anything ready? “, and she said again “one minute… ” I just said “thanks ” and walked out.
Visit #3
I went in and there were two youths in front of me. One was eating a burger (there is a Burger King across the road) and sucking on a milkshake. The primate serving appeared to open one of those little envelopes for fries, then made some sort of gesture, then waddled all the way round the back of the hot trays, did something else with a paper envelope, looked around, then waddled round the front again. I said to the couple who had come in behind me: “this is going to take hours, again “, and walked out.
Visit #4
I finally got served almost immediately. Before I did, I asked the guy who was serving: “I want a 16 piece Bargain Bucket – is there enough food ready to have that immediately? ” He said “Yes “. I said: “OK. I’ll have one, and can I have three large beans instead of fries? ” “No problem “, he said, and took my £14.99. This was too easy… He filled the bucket, then a minute or two later came back and said “the beans are going to be about 5 minutes. Is that OK? ” Aaaargh! About 10 minutes later I finally got out with my food. While I was waiting I counted about 7 chavs in pratmobiles driving out of the drive-thru.
Seriously, KFC is a waste of space. It’s managed and run by idiots. The car park is a pig sty – bags, boxes, and food everywhere. It’s usually full of chavs in pratmobiles with there chavette girlfriends. One was there last night changing a wheel (and getting in the way of everyone else). There are broken Stella bottles everywhere. The “One Way” and “No Entry” lane markings are totally ignored. The speed limit in the car park must be the same as on the 40mph road outside judging by the way they drive in there. And so on.
I just had to post this!
If you use WordPress you get a Random Hot Post link every time you refresh your admin page. I have a look if the title attracts me, and this one did.
It’s a baby Pygmy Marmoset. Is it cute or what?
You can read more at the original site: Science News at WordPress.com. I’ve added the site to my blogroll as I couldn’t contact the author to ask permission to use this photo – I hope he doesn’t mind.
This is a very old article.
Just saw on the local news that a local charity is saying the number of Great Danes (that’s a breed of dog, by the way) being abandoned is on the increase.
The dumbed-down BBC presenter chirped:
Join us later to find out why this might be.
I’ll be out. So, I’ll just go with: huge dog, costs a lot to feed, and we’re in a recession.