Fred Goodwin’s house vandalised

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by davidgerard

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, London EC1, Wednesday (NNN) — Sir Fred Goodwin’s house and car in the Grange, Edinburgh have been attacked by vandals.

Revellers queued for several hours for the opportunity of a piece of the action. Two scenes-of-crime officers from the Scottish Police Services Authority kept the crowd orderly. Neighbours, who said Sir Fred had not been seen there for weeks, did a roaring trade in rotten tomatoes and cabbages and bits of wood with a nail through the end.

Sir Fred is assumed to be overseas, reportedly hiding out with a false beard under an assumed name in a market stall in Marrakesh.

Lothian and Borders Police said that officers were acquiring CCTV footage and carrying out door-to-door inquiries in the neighbourhood. “Our inquiries are at an early stage and we are appealing for anyone with information about this incident to contact us. We’re looking at OBEs for the participants and recommending a knighthood for the organiser.”

The attack is considered likely to presage similar activity in the London G20 meeting protests planned for early April. Barack Obama, who will be attending, called on protestors to take action in an orderly and civilised manner. “Torching houses and smashing cars creates a horrific waste in spent carbon. All these materials can be recycled and used again. The same goes for the bankers — reusing their organs is a lot more socially responsible than tearing their guts out and hanging them from streetlights. What would Al Gore do? I beg you, think of the planet.”

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Spoon-bender buys Scottish island with “links to the pyramids at Giza and the Knights Templar"

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“It is one of the keystones to British mythology, and I am thrilled to be its owner.” - Uri Geller

Celebrity spoon-bender Uri Geller has bought a tiny Scottish island he believes has links to the pyramids at Giza and the Knights Templar.

Geller paid £30,000 for The Lamb, an uninhabited lump of volcanic rock in the Firth of Forth.

He claimed he felt a “strong instinctive urge” to buy it after reading it was for sale.

The self-proclaimed “mystifier” said he is convinced the island is one of the most significant sites in the UK.

The Lamb is the middle of three rocky islands - the others being Craigleith and Fidra - which are said to mirror the layout of the pyramids at Giza, in Egypt.

The island covers an area of just 100 yards by 50 yards.

Geller said: “I am fascinated by the connection between the pyramids and these islands.

“The connection has been known for centuries - you can read about it in a 15th century manuscript called the Scotichronicon by Walter Bower the Abbot of Inchcolm.

“So when I heard Lamb Island was for sale I felt a strong instinctive urge to buy it - and the more I delved into the history and the archaeological lore which surrounds it, the more certain I became that this is one of the most significant sites in Britain.”

The owner of the island is unlikely to gain planning consent to build on it as it is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area and has a colony of seabirds.

There are no landing facilities on the island, and access can only be gained by chartered boat - which can be hazardous as landing is only possible on the rocks.
Geller paid less than half the £75,000 asking price



The island was sold by Brazilian-born internet entrepreneur Camilo Agasim-Pereira, who owns the Barony of Dirleton.

He had been bequeathed it in 2002, but had never set foot on it.

The asking price was £75,000, but a figure of just £30,000 was settled on after negotiations.

“This island has links not only to the pyramids, but to King Arthur, King Robert the Bruce and to the ancient Kings of Ireland too,” Geller added.

“It might seem forbidding, and it is certainly uninhabitable, but it is one of the keystones to British mythology, and I am thrilled to be its owner.

“I might need a helicopter, but I am determined to set foot on my island soon.”"

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US 'Democracy': The choice...

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MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo. Full story/Permalink

Morgan Goes Back to the Future With 1930s-Style Hydrogen Car

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/02/morgan-goes-bac.html
By Chuck Squatriglia

Morgan Motor Co., the tiny British automaker so old-fashioned it still uses wood frames, is stepping well into the future with LifeCar, a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid it says will prove "a zero-emission vehicle can be fun to drive."

Morgan will unveil the hand-built aluminum-bodied coupe next month at the Geneva Auto Show, and although there's no word on whether LifeCar will ever be more than a one-off concept, the company hopes to show hydrogen is a viable - if distant - alternative to fossil fuels. Morgan has spent more than two years working with a British defense firm, two universities and a hydrogen supplier to develop a car it promises will "minimize the fuel cell cost and provide the fuel economy for a 200 mile range."

As impressive as the LifeCar is, what makes it truly remarkable is a company so small as Morgan built it. The company, founded in 1912, employs 156 people who built 650 cars last year - all of them by hand in a small factory in rural England. Yet it is standing alongside Honda, General Motors and BMW with a hydrogen-fueled vehicle that works.

Morgan's cars look like they were designed in the 1930s, and LifeCar draws on that decade's streamlined art deco aesthetic. LifeCar is based on Morgan's Aero Eight and uses a fuel cell built by British defense contractor QuentiQ. Charles Morgan, the founder's grandson, said the challenge was to build "a proper sports car," and meeting it required a novel approach.

"The use of ultracapacitors to store the surplus energy and then use this for acceleration and braking does promise a dynamic ride, especially when combined with our ultra light chassis," Morgan told Business Week. "The paring of weight to a minimum is our strength and allows a much smaller fuel cell than conventionally though necessary. This gives energy and yet more weight savings."

Britain's Department for Trade and Industry helped finance the project, which reportedly cost 1.9 million British pounds (about $3.7 million at today's exchange rate). The collaborative effort included Cranfield University, which developed the on-board computer and control systems, and Oxford University's work on the regenerative electric motors.

We called Morgan and were told quite politely the company had nothing to say about LifeCar right now but will provide more information next week. Meanwhile, here are some conceptual renderings of the car and pictures of it under construction.

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Intelligence Redefined: Are You A Gifted Person?

(source)
For a long time the meaning of giftedness has been restricted to the rigid confines of achievement and accomplishment. Academic toppers are, and should be entitled to their share of glory, but in the process of lauding top scorers and scholarship winners we may be crowding out those who actually have advanced and complex patterns of development but just don’t fit the system’s definition of ‘top students’.

Characteristics of gifted individuals: If 75 per cent of the following 37 characteristics fit you, you are probably a gifted adult.
Are you a good problem solver?
Can you concentrate for long periods of time?
Are you a perfectionist?
Do you persevere with your interests?
Are you an avid reader?
Do you have a vivid imagination?
Do you enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles?
Often connect seemingly unrelated ideas?
Do you enjoy paradoxes?
Do you set high standards for yourself?
Do you have a good long-term memory?
Are you deeply compassionate?
Do you have persistent curiosity?
Do you have a good sense of humor?

Read

Are you a keen observer?
Do you love mathematics?
Do you need periods of contemplation?
Do you search for meaning in your life?
Are you aware of things that others are not?
Are you fascinated by words?
Are you highly sensitive?
Do you have strong moral convictions?
Do you often feel out-of-sync with others?
Are you perceptive or insightful?
Do you often question rules or authority?
Do you have organized collections?
Do you thrive on challenge?
Do you have extraordinary abilities and deficits?
Do you learn new things rapidly?
Feel overwhelmed by many interests/abilities?
Do you have a great deal of energy?
Often take a stand against injustice?
Do you feel driven by your creativity?
Love ideas and ardent discussion?
Did you have developmentally advanced childhood?
Have unusual ideas or perceptions?
Are you a complex person?
*Adapted from the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development.

One way to identify gifted individuals is their style of thinking. They usually employ divergent thinking. Their style is original and they tend to come up with crazy ideas, which other people find strange. But sometimes it is these crazy ideas that go on to become the most recognized ones of our time.

Gifted individuals face many challenges, with one of biggest being the inability to be correctly identified by the individuals who should be helping them realize their true potential.

As with any other student, it would be a shame if parents, teachers and peers did not recognize the strengths of gifted students and allow them to reach their true potential. But what must educators and parents do in order to make sure this does not happen?

However until more help is readily available, what are the gifted to do?

Sadly, not enough is known about giftedness. More time and energy need to be spent identifying traits among the gifted, especially since it is these students who go on to contribute much to improving the state of our world.

Acknowledge the possibilities, identify your capabilities and allow yourself to be different. You never know, you may be the next Einstein.

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Free Hidden Electricity! - Click here for another funny movie. Full story/Permalink

Car-azy,The Car That Can Turn On A Sixpence,

Nissan has unveiled a futuristic battery-powered concept car, the Pivo 2, which can turn its cabin 360 degrees and its wheels 90 degrees, which it says makes parking a doddle.
I can just imagine our American friends rushing
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Make a Tabletop Biosphere

Join Bre Pettis as he makes a tabletop biosphere, then go out and get the materials and make your own!

This project is found in Make: Volume 10 and the article was written by Martin John Brown.

Download the pdf here and create a closed system to live on your windowsill! If you have an aquarium, you probably have all the chemicals you need for this. If you have to buy new chemicals, you’ll have enough for hundreds of biospheres!
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AIRPORT ATTACKERS TO BE CHARGED UNDER ANTI-SMOKING LAWS

TWO men who drove a lit car into the main concourse at Glasgow Airport are to be charged under Scotland's tough anti-smoking laws.

Throwing petrol bombs while pregnant may harm your baby

The attackers were caught on CCTV as they lit-up a four litre Jeep Cherokee and then allowed it to burn in an enclosed public place.

Eyewitness Janice Bramble, 34, from Girvan, said: "Not only was the car emitting smoke but one of the men lit-up a petrol bomb right in front of me.

"It's incredibly rude. Why I should have to go home with my clothes stinking of petrol bombs?"

Scotland has some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in Europe with penalties including the cat o' nine tails, death by lions and a £50 fine.

Maureen Moore, director of Ash Scotland, said: "Emitting smoke is a form of terrorism. Yes it is, shut up."

She added: "Petrol bombs contain 275 known carcinogens, and that's just the petrol.

"If people want to throw petrol bombs they should do so in their own living rooms when the children have gone to bed."

Detective Inspector Bill McKay said: "This incident may seem like nothing more than playful high-jinx, but we take smoking in public places very seriously indeed."

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How to deal with lazy police

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