Face in Hole.com is WRONG. Look what it made me do:



(with a little help from the gravelly-voiced lust object).

And a little webcammy click gives me...



Shame they don't have Poison Ivy...

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This post brought to you by the fact that I appear to have slipped into a parallel universe - either that or I have gone insane - and I have decided to just go with it. I mean, how else do you explain the fact that my lovely geek boy fiancé has suddenly turned into Mr Bun The Baker, and people keep giving me responsibility? the fools! Don't they know what I will DO with responsibility??

Those of you waiting with bated breath for my report of the Ros Scott interview will have to wait a little longer, as I'm not going to get it finished before I go to work. But what I AM going to do is clear down some of the tabs I have open as "interesting stuff to link to":

1. Star Trek Perfume. Is anyone else really disappointed that they didn't get BPAL to do these?


2. The Gallileoscope! $15 for a working replica of Gallileo's telescope? Hot damn! This International Year of Astronomy isn't half throwing up some interestingness.


3. Fellow Calderdale Lib Dem Nader Fekri's anti-Faith-School amendment might have been defeated, just, at conference, but that doesn't mean those of us who are against the state-funded religious indoctrination of children are giving up. Give the BHA some money, go on. For those who are not clear on this: I don't mind religious people having schools for their children if they want. But if that's what they really want, they can fund them for themselves. State funding for faith schools must end, IMHO. My views on this have really hardened since I have seen it happen to my daughter.


4. El Presidente thinks that the bloggers who interviewed her were "really nice, actually". Oh that's NOT helping... LOL

Oh well. See you after my nice eight hour shift...

I didn't do a netcast this weekend, and I won't be doing one next weekend, what with being at conference and all, and it's eating away at me... Here, then, is my approximation (tailored for the readers of this blog)

1. The Guardian publishes another poll from Theos, the GodSquad propagandists: 89% [of Britons] dismiss intelligent design and 83% reject creationism as plausible explanations for the existence of human life. Bearing in mind that this is Theos we are talking about, the questions will have been designed with pushpolling for God in mind, so this is pretty amusing.


2. Today's XKCD is very silly and yet full of pathos too.


3. Via lizbee comes the news that some glorified fanficcer has killed off my daughter's favourite Star Trek character. YOU BASTARD! How do I tell a five year old that?


4. The University Challenge Fiasco. This is where I admit prior knowledge: I was on the team for Hull in my final year. I was going to be in Nottingham the year after doing the BVC. This was a rule then, and so I specifically asked if it would be OK. They said it would be fine if I was at a different university, so long as I was still at university. Can't help but think that dear old Bambi is right, though. They could solve this problem by just starting the filming earlier...


5. Costigan Quist on why people don't take campaigns seriously if they don't have solid and reliable figures. PLEASE pay attention to this, Amnesty, because this is why, even thouogh I think violence against women is incredibly important, I won't be linking to your 1 in 10 campaign.

Firstly, I urge you all to watch Being Human, and add beinghumanblog to your f-lists. The show certainly puts all my problems about being a bit of a weirdo into perspective, and if you use the iPlayer to catch up on previous episodes today, you'll only have a few hours to wait until the final episode of the series - it's on at 9 o'clock tomorrow night - and the horrible cliffhanger at the end of episode five won't be torturing you the way it has me.

I love this show because it shows Russell T Davies and the writers of Demons what a British Buffy would really look like - i.e. completely different from Buffy in tone and content, while somehow evoking the same vibe - and, specifically, knocks the bag of arse that is Crotchw00t into a cocked hat. Grumpy McSnugglebutt thinks George is a bit annoying, which I can kind of see, but I have grown to love him, and Mitchell is gorgeous, which always helps. But the best character? The best character is Annie, whose slightly stereotyped writing is overcome by the fantastic performance of the actress. I can't WAIT for tomorrow to see her ( SPOILER! ) and I will be cheering her on with gusto. Good on BBC3 for already commissioning the next series!

Secondly, witness Nemi's reaction to Cyan's boyfriend's sexism:



I ♥ Nemi. You can add her to your LJ f-list at daily_nemi

Thirdly, via Amused Cynicism (cabalamat2), a cartoon about the impending doom of the entertainment industry:



Bwahahahahahahahaha!

...

I blog about all this to distract myself from the incoherent rage that reading this made well up inside me (hat-tip Chicky Yog). David Milliband and Jacqui Smith? I detest you both, and the sooner you are both in the dole queue, the happier I will be, you venal, corrupt, evil, scumbags.

Ten wishes for christmas, blah-de-blah. I only have one. CAN EVERYONE JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT CHRISTMAS ALREADY??? IT'S NOT EVEN DECEMBER!!! STOP IT!!!!! Gods, I hate Christmas so much.

No, actually, fill your boots. Post all you want about bloody Christmas. I'll just cut my default reading list down a bit until January. Then none of us will be upsetting the others.

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And with that rantette out of the way, onto the linkspammery:

• steerpikelet is calling all people with experience in and around mental health issues. There's a bunch of you read this with depression, and a couple of Aspies and a few people with parental experience of such things. Go, click.
• Hope for PCOSy folks!
• Go Boyzone! I recommend watching the video on mute Mat thinks it's a cynical marketing ploy because people are waking up to the idea that teenage girls like that slash stuff, but if it raises tolerance, who cares?
• tyrell has posted the Joke of the Day.
• Want to help children in need? How about bidding on a lap with The Stig? It's way beyond my budget, but if your well rich? Go for it.
• The Daily Mash has David Attenborough's reaction to the news that Strictly is more popular than nature programmes (NSFW).
• Mr Quist has the best post I have seen about the ContactPoint database.
• Mary Reid also has some very disturbing news. I've been trying to blog about this for nearly two days now, and it just makes me so angry that I can't.

All via puddingcat.

1, Ernst and Young train their female employees in how to dress for the office. Isn't this what's known as Folletting in politics?

2, Sexual Bullying not taken seriously in schools. Hands up anyone who is a parent who is surprised by this? Anyone?

3, A Woman, from cradle to grave. Slightly American-centric, but worth reading even so. I don't think I have read anything so depressingly true in ages. Godsdammit, I am NOT going to let the world do this to MY little girl.

I have less than no money. Several of my friends are having crises (special hugs for theoldcatlady and missdiane). And lets not forget that we're all doomed and the world is going to hell in a handcart. And yet...

This morning I feel incredibly peaceful, happy, and contented. I had a really good time last night; I had a good night's sleep; I have a wonderful fiancé; and I am lounging naked in bed with my laptop and a bowl of cereal, listening to the awesome Sandi Toksvig on the news quiz. Life really doesn't get much better than moments like this.

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Various people have been talking about the fact that Andrew Neil is being rumoured as a replacement for Dimbledore on Question Time. My personal feeling is that Neil's style is better suited to the more informal format of the stuff he already does, and he wouldn't fit with QT. Neil is irreverent, but rambly. This is grand on This Week, when you're winding down from QT, but I don't think QT needs Blue Nun jokes. QT needs someone with the presence to control an unruly panel and a frequently unruly crowd, as well as a quick, sharp wit.

* eyes radio *

Hmm, I wonder...

Poll #1280876 Question Time
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Who would make the best Question Time Presenter?

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Via andrewducker, Rape Crisis Scotland has an excellent series of adverts aimed at the very things several of us have been discussing of late: This is not an Invitation to Rape Me. More adverts like this, please, and less of the victim-blamey kind.

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Via mooism, it's not often someone who uses racist language warms my heart, but this little gem from 538 made me smile:

So a canvasser goes to a woman's door in Washington, Pennsylvania. Knocks. Woman answers. Knocker asks who she's planning to vote for. She isn't sure, has to ask her husband who she's voting for. Husband is off in another room watching some game. Canvasser hears him yell back, "We're votin' for the n***er!"

Woman turns back to canvasser, and says brightly and matter of factly: "We're voting for the n***er."

Bless 'em.

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The Torygraph is continuing its Vince is better than George meme. They say it like they are trying to jolly George along, mind, but the fact that they are saying it at all, is interesting to say the least.

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The government is continuing it's stupid anti-immigration schtick, despite the fact that immigration is a net benefit and all the studies show it. Why do they have to PANDER to Paul Dacre and all his little minions, instead of showing them they are wrong? Fuckwits.

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Hilarious article on Con Hom about how to beat Lib Dems in elections. Among the dirty tricks we stand accused of engaging in are being seen as working hard for their neighbours, joining residents associations and other community groups and being honest - people know what they are getting when they vote Lib Dem - oh NOES!!

There ARE some useful campaign tips for any politician in there, though. So here's another dirty trick - read those Tory tips, inwardly digest, and use, my Lib Dem brethren and sistren ;)

These are the tabs I have had open for several hours intending to write blog posts referring to them:

1, Quacks on the telleh. Shame on you, Andrew. Three links on this:

http://gimpyblog.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/bbc-gets-quack-to-speculate-on-mental-health-of-prime-minister-during-time-of-financial-crisis/
http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/2008/10/11/analyse-thi/
http://endless-psych.livejournal.com/290648.html

2, Healthy cigarettes are apparently not a contradiction in terms. As those of you who know my ongoing battle with the evils of tobacco will know, this is of interest to me (currently off the wagon, having managed a good month on it up till conference)

https://e-cig.com/shopping/shopcontent.asp?type=Home

As Charlotte Gore speculates, I'm willing to lay money down that they will be banned or taxed/regulated to the extent that they might as well be banned soon.

3, Yes, I would.

http://community.livejournal.com/dw_daily/9476.html

Via lonemagpie comes the terrible news that:

Your result for The Doctor Who Companion Test...</p>

Adric

Take The Doctor Who Companion Test at HelloQuizzy

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James Graham, slum landlord, muses on why class still matters.

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Via innerbrat: what happens when a biologist learns to knit? You get awesome knitted dissected rats and frogs!

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Chicken Yoghurt compares the response of the government to bankers and doley-scum. This is the best post I have read all week.

How to Demotivate a programmer.

Are the days of free web content numbered?

The World's Oldest Surviving Bible causes arguments among those who believe that The Good Book is the unfiltered and infallible word 'o God.

My review of this week's ep of Sarah-Jane Adventures is up at dw_academy

And finally, inspired by this conversation:
Poll #1273680 Semantics
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

"attractive" and "good-looking" mean...

And now it are time for BSG...

The Real Iain Dale has self-deprecatingly referred to his blog as a 1970's Trabant in comparison to Alix Mortimer's beautiful handbuilt Bentley...

Clearly my blog is a Triumph Daytona 675 - British built and designed, but with some foriegn parts; small, fast, and noisy; cheap in comparison to the competition; openly hated by some, but inspiring bizarrely loyal affection among others; thought of as a bit naff and boring by hip young things, but considered incredibly cool by men with beards... ;)

If your blog was a vehicle, what would it be?

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(this section has been x-posted at readingpleasure)

ginasketch invented a book meme:

-Choose a book genre
-Choose five books from that genre
-Tell me why I should read them.

I choose philosophy.

1, On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill

I honestly think that every person should be forced to read this book [/intentional not-very funny joke]. Mill built a moral framework which can apply to everything, and put it into a book small enough to slip in your pocket. Alex Wilcock once posted an essay about how Doctor Who made him a Liberal; it was reading Mill at university that did it for me (although I admit that the good Doctor probably laid the foundations). I was brought up red, and both sides of my family are about as Old Labour as it gets; reading Mill was like someone switching a light on in my head. Suddenly the stuff that I felt instinctively had a name and a path, and reasoning. This book is as near to a holy text as I get. It's a reasoned, logical basis for secularism, feminism, tolerance and non-conformity. It's the definition of Liberalism. It's a truly amazing book. If I could only recommend one more book to you, ever, it would be this one.

2, Can a Robot be Human? 33 Perplexing Philosophy Puzzles, by Peter Cave

Entertaining and lightweight introduction to philosophical concepts.

3, Critique of Pure Reason, by Immanuel Kant

When it comes to philosophy, Kant is The Daddy. We've all heard of his categorical imperative, right? This is his most famous work.

4, Essays in Jurisprudence and Philosophy, by HLA Hart

HLA Hart's Concept of Law is the most effective cure for insomnia in the world; chock full of spot-on ideas, but worded in such a soporific manner... Hart's genius (because he unquestionably IS a genius, when it comes to understanding the philosophy of English Law) is much easier digested in bitesize chunks. If you ever wanted to grasp how and why English Law works as it does, read Hart.

5, Animal Farm - A Fairy Story, by George Orwell

This is a little bit of a cheat, I admit, but I had to slip some Orwell in there, and Animal Farm is his most accessible work. Nineteen Eighty-Four is a bit too close to the bone at the minute, and The Road to Wigan Pier is just too depressing. I came very close to picking Essays, though. In particular, you should read Politics and the English Language and In Defence of English Cooking.

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I don't know whether I should be offended, or laugh, or be scared by the apparent news that JC is planning on standing against Nick Clegg at the next general election... Further thoughts on this posted at topgeartotty

I do know how to react to this news, though: heart-aching sadness. Poor Tony. It's the cruellest of fates for an artist to lose the use of his hands :(

Er... yeah. Showing our usual organisational skill, Mat and I have completely failed to promote our Liberal Drinks event. We've put it up on Flock Together, and... Well, I'm a bit worried now. I live in an area with an active Bastard Nazi Party. You don't have to be logged in to Flock Together to see when or where an event is, or the contact details of those involved, or anything... I mean, I know it's only a fig leaf when you have to be logged in to a site to see some of the details, but if I was in a troublemaking group, I'd see Flock Together as a goldmine...

Anyway, given that only four people have thus far confirmed, and two of those are Mat and myself, anyone who feels like a bevvy on Thursday night and lives near us, drop a comment or an email or something and I'll pass on the details. If I'm going to book a room in a pub and a babysitter, I don't want them going to waste.

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Charlotte Gore makes some bloody good points about how people ought to be grateful to smokers for funding their NHS, along with lots of other bloody good points. It's a post I have been meaning to make for ages, but now I don't have to, because Charlotte has done it for me (and much less rantily than I would have too)

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Gratuitous pimpage: liberalharpie is a new Lib Dem Blog. I have known the writer, yuxonomei, for ages. She's even more depraved than me (if only by 1% ;)). Go and add the blog to your reading lists; you know you want to.

I was going to comment on it, but since Jo Crispy-Strips has said everything I wanted to say much better than I would have said it, I'm just going to link to her post instead.

I particularly liked what she said about girl things, and orange.

stephashley_fd does the old old trick of taking an opponent back to dictionary definitions. Brilliantly funny post.

enemy_reason_fd has issued a purple alert: Littlejohn approaching! Take cover!

mark_val_fd has the best headline of the day.

And dear old chickenyoghurt has the best TV pitch of the day.

Best entry I have seen on the death of the iconic Don LaFontaine is Steve's.

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mle292 links to news of the free RATM concert that was supposed to happen outside the Republican National Convention. Land of the Free? Whoever told you that is your enemy...

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Via sylo_tode, a slightly cruel cartoon for Monopoly players:



I see the level of debate about Palin isn't going to rise any time soon, then?

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It is something I still cannot understand: why do scientists conduct research into heterosexual relationships and only study the men in those relationships? Does it not take two to make a heterosexual monogamous relationship? Warning for those who are happily non-het and/or non-monogamous: this article will make your ears steam in it's normative presumption.

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And if that doesn't make you grumpy, Peter Black has lit the blue touchpaper and is sprinting away. Ann Widdecombe. One of those people who, although she has a raft of abhorrent opinions, at least holds them honestly and with integrity, making you respect her even as you detest her. Dammit.

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To end on a cheerful note, Millennium has been to Bletchley Park, bless him. Loveliest entry of the day so far.

Any of you wondering where today's is will have to wait a bit longer. Sunny has made a lot of alterations to the way the site runs, and one of these is that the Netcast is no longer a post in its own right, but edited into the news post. He has forgotten to give me editor privileges, so I can't do it, and I didn't discover this until I tried.. . I've saved the post as a draft and someone might get to it later, but I wouldn't hold your breath. In my experience neither of the people whom I know have editor privileges are online much, if at all, on a Sunday.

For those who are interested, here's what I would have posted, had I been able:

Peter Black AM reports on Gordon Brown's vandalism. Somebody give that man an ASBO!

Alas, a Blog! discusses the Olympics, and their impact on sexism/racism/ablism etc.

Brad Hicks knows why McCain picked Palin. Best post I have seen on this so far.

Moments of Clarity has a brilliant article about Faith Schools.

The Yorkshire Guidon is amused by Tory embarrassment with being Tory in Leeds.

And finally, Mark Pack has an amusing typo on Lib Dem voice (which the Greens among us might find slightly less amusing than me)

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In other news, lizbee is the overall winner of my blogotheyear awards. I shall make her a special shiny shiny graphic later.

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In other other news, I got a comment from That Tory Blogger on my post about whether I should add him on Facebook. I note that even in a tiny comment on an insignificant blog like mine he can't help but fib to make himself appear more important and popular. I also notice that he doesn't appear to be able to manage an open ID log in. Possibly because he doesn't want comment notifications... Oh well. At least I have afforded some small amusement with my antics, which is of course, the purpose of blogging.

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In other other other news, I have played about with my sidebar a lot this morning. Am now having wibbles about it being too big. Hopefully Ros will get elected as party president SOON and then I can delete that button... ;)

None of it stolen from Lee this time.

Y'all recall Steph's post on photography in public places that I linked to a bit back? rhythmaning had need of it recently, and has blogged about his experience. It makes for sobering reading. It also makes me want to take a camera with me everywhere I go, just to get stopped by the police. I suspect this will be Mark Thomas's next big thing...

Via missdiane, an excellent column on the News for Yahoos about the Olympics and the rank, foul, stinkin' hypocrisy of the IOC. What? I had to mention them ONCE, C'mon, I'm not Chicken Yoghurt...

Quote of the Day comes from a friends-locked post by ginasketch, in which discussion was circling around the kind of men who use the fact that they like to look at breasts as an excuse not to listen to what you are saying. Gina said (QWP, obvs):

one of the stupidest comments I've ever heard a guy say is "If there's a tit in the room I will look at it."

*buys him a mirror*

Another thing that made me laugh out lous today was James Graham's post about Our Glorious Leader's new proposed energy policies.

And finally: nag nag, whinge whinge. Anybody would think I wrote this post on how non-LJ folks can log in really easily for the good of my health. Honestly, non-LJ folks, it's so easy even Lee Griffin can do it [/intentional provocation]. Now go, log in, and vote in my damn blog of the year poll. Nag nag, whinge whinge.

Cassilis discusses exam grades, and why letting everyone succeed leads to less social mobility, rather than more.

Transform eviscerate Ian Oliver's position on drugs. Just imagine if all the money that goes on prohibition went on treatment instead... Brilliant comment on these issues here.

Jo Christie-Smith wants you (assuming you're a Lib Dem) to put yourself in th Who's Who. Even if (especially if) you're a lowly blogger. BEWARE, though. The help file is a .pdf. *makes the sign of the evil eye at Adobe*

This is why I LOVE Chicken Yoghurt.

What? Poverty and shitty, unfulfilling employment should take some of the blame [for the rise of terrorism]? Say it ain’t so. It’s the capitalist miracle we’re talking about here, isn’t it? Rising tides float all boats, don’t they? Free markets never made anyone bad, did they? Who knew MI5 would turn out to be a nest of goddamn pinkos.

That's weapons grade sarcasm, right there.

drjon has an illustrated religious schism which is doubtless very serious for those involved, but is bloody hilarious for the rest of us.

And finally, terrible news: they're cancelling SGA! This is my fault for getting into it. If I hadn't, it'd be going on and on...

First things first: endless_psych in brilliant defence of British Sci-fi. And he doesn't even MENTION HG Wells or John Wyndham.

Secondly, today's xkcd_rss is awesome:


Speaking of teachers, Teachers teach to the test shock.

Via Chicken Yoghurt, What are your a-levels worth? 3 As and a D for me. This means Jaiesh 4 As is smarter than me?

Tory Party Election Slogans. - “Tories: because money-grabbing opportunists are STILL better than well-meaning psychopaths.” - “Tories: We’re marginally less likely to march the whole country down the slow road to becoming Airstrip One.” - “Tories: Because you want to believe there’s a difference.”

I want one! Best spider EVAR!

OMG the BPAL update!! I want Hellhound and John Barleycorn and Sugar Skull and Sticky Pillowcase...

This news has been creating a stir (they are talking about it on the Today Programme right now). I find it very amusing. In a time when people can work from, bank from, shop from and pretty much do everything from home, Policy Exchange thinks that everyone should move into the overcrowded, overpolluted south-east? Ahahahahahahahaha! Me, personally, I hope lots of idiot scallies fall for this streets paved with gold bollocks. Policy Exchange and their right-wing chums, gazing upon our Northern paradise with envious eyes and wanting us to suffer their level of overcrowding too, are welcome to them.

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redatt makes a very good point about the assumptions we all make about anonymous posters. I am as guilty of this as anyone, as can be seen by how hard I go at Jo Christie-Smith, here. It's certainly something worth bearing in mind, and a discouragement against making pointless ad hominem arguments against a person whom you know nothing about.

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Political Betting has a reality check for those of us who are clinging to the hope that we're not heading for a Tory Landslide next election.

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captainlucy has an impassioned argument as to why they shouldn't remake The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I agree with him. Having new theatre productions of The Rocky Horror Show with new casts is fair enough. A remake with a new cast would be forgiveable, if pointless. But "re-imagining" it, with new songs? Just NO. I can think of a few remakes that weren't horrendous, and fewer still that were better than the original, but the odds are not in the remake's favour, are they?

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OTOH, and just to be contrary, a remake I am excited about: the Star Trek origins movie. I am so sad I actually bounce up and down in my seat with excitement when you hear Leonard Nimoy's voice about 25 seconds in. And click on Downloads! They've released another four-way-split poster, and I have finally replaced my desktop background. Instead of this, I now have this.

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Police state story of the day (hat-tip: mooism). I tell you this, Internets, if the rozzers kick my door in and re-arrange my cool wall, there will be trouble. I am NOT having Hammond in anything other than totally uncool!

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Via Chicken Yoghurt, All is not well at the construction site of Olkiluoto 3, the world’s largest nuclear reactor… All together now? WE'RE ALL DOOMED!

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And finally, to distract you from the impending nuclear holocaust which will wipe us all out, some morning fun: How many episodes from each classic Doctor can you name in five minutes? I got all of Colin's in 2 minutes 15, which isn't bad to say I am hungover and tired.