Crinkley Bottom Observer

14th December 2005

Eden Project named favourite modern building

Cornwall’s Eden Project, with its collection of giant steel and plastic bubbles that house some 250,000 plants, has been named as the country’s best-loved modern building in a new survey.

The environmental attraction designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, built in a former clay pit in Cornwall, was the clear winner,with 21 percent of the votes in the YouGov poll.

London’s St Mary Axe tower, best known as “the Gherkin”,was in second position with 14 percent of the votes, followed by the high-tech McLaren Formula One technology centre in Surrey.

Tim Smit, Chief Executive of the Eden Project, said they were delighted.

“Eden was built for the nation so obviously we’re tickled pink that it has found such a place in the heart of the great British public,” he said in a statement.

“If there is one thing that all the short listed projects have in common it is that they are sexy, challenging, and inspiring.

Isabel Allen, editor of The Architects‘ Journal, said the Eden project was very radical and unusual but it was also organic and invisible.

“It really locked into the spirit of the time,” she told Reuters.

“The project’s ecological agenda, space-age appearance and beautiful countryside setting really appeals to a very broad audience,” she added.

The Scottish Parliament, which spiralled 10 times over budget, was in eighth place in the survey.

The survey also highlighted Norman Foster’s popularity, as the top 10 included four of his projects: the Gherkin, the McLaren centre, the British Museum’s Great Court and the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames.

The controversial Millennium Dome — regarded as the country’s biggest political white elephant — was shortlisted but only managed to attract 1 percent of the votes.

The YouGov/ConstructionSkills survey shortlisted twenty buildings constructed in the past 10 years and polled 2039 adults.

The country’s top ten modern buildings are:

1. Eden Project, Cornwall

2. 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin), London

3. McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, Surrey

4. Great Court, British Museum, London

5. Gateshead Millennium Bridge

6. Cardiff Millennium Stadium

7. Millennium Bridge, London

8. Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh

9. Selfridges, Birmingham

10. Tate Modern, London

13th December 2005

Female hormones in beer

Yesterday, scientists in the United States revealed that beer contains small traces of female hormones.

To prove their theory, they fed one hundred men twelve pints of beer and observed that 100% of them started talking nonsense and couldn’t drive.

pugs says: Hmmm… No Comment!

13th December 2005

Cuba suspect wins UK citizen rights

An Australian held as a terrorist suspect at Guantanamo Bay has won a High Court battle for the right to be registered as a British citizen so that he can call on the UK Government to secure his release.

A judge in London ruled that Home Secretary Charles Clarke has “no power in law” to deprive David Hicks of his citizenship “and so he must be registered”.

Lawyers for Mr Hicks will now press the Government to make arrangements for him to take the required citizenship oath and pledge.

They will then urge the Home Office to seek his release from the detention camp in Cuba, in the same way it has won freedom for all nine other British citizens held there, followed by his being brought to the UK.

Mr Justice Collins gave the Home Secretary permission to appeal against his judgment, but refused to suspend his decision pending appeal.

Mr Hicks, 30, from Adelaide, is accused by the US authorities of attending terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He has been held at Guantanamo since January 2002 after being picked up by US forces while allegedly fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Mr Hicks faces charges including conspiracy to commit war crimes and aiding and abetting the enemy. He denies all the allegations.

He says the Australian Government has refused to plead for his release and prevent his trial by a US military commission.

By contrast, the British Government considers the US military commissions do not guarantee a fair trial in accordance with international standards and as a result has secured the release from Guantanamo Bay of other British citizens, against whom no action has been taken after their return to the UK.

pugs says: Good Old British, still accepting all the trash and has been’s. This island will soon be known and named the same as Malta.

13th December 2005

Superman’s bulge worries movie bosses

The new Superman is giving movie bosses a headache – because of the size of his bulge.

They fear Brandon Routh’s profile in the superhero’s skintight costume could be distracting, reports the Sun.

Hollywood executives have ordered the makers of Superman Returns to cover it up with digital effects.

The Sun’s source said: “It’s a major issue for the studio. Brandon is extremely well endowed and they don’t want it up on the big screen.

“We may be forced to erase his package with digital effects.”

Brandon, 26, has taken over the superhero’s cape from the late Christopher Reeve.

Wardrobe artists have had to fit him with a special codpiece for the new film out next year.

12th December 2005

Fire crews to battle oil depot blaze

Fire crews begin battle with oil depot blaze

By Stephen Hird and Peter Griffiths

Fire crews are to begin fighting one of Europe’s biggest peace time blazes on Monday after a wave of explosions ripped through a fuel depot.

A spectacular plume of smoke turned the sky black for miles around after blasts caused widespread damage and started a blaze which sent fireballs shooting into the air early on Sunday.

Police said it was too early to say what caused the explosions, which injured 43 people, one seriously, although they said it appeared to be an accident.

The blasts, reportedly heard up to 100 miles (160 km) away,initially raised fears of a possible repeat of the deadly wave of suicide bombings in London in July.

“We all thought it could be a terrorist attack,” builder Ricky Clarke, who lives near the depot near the town of Hemel Hempstead, north of London, told the Daily Mail newspaper.”Everyone was really panicking and just getting in their cars and going.

A truck driver queuing at the Buncefield depot to fill his lorry with fuel said he and some colleagues had had a”miraculous” escape.

“There was just a massive, massive explosion,” Terry Hine told Sky News television. “The force of the blast threw all of us forward onto the floor.

Chief fire officer, Roy Wilsher, said it was the largest fire he had ever seen.

“We have been informed by experts that this is possibly the largest incident of this kind in peace time Europe,” he said.

FIRE CREWS MOVE IN

After containing the fire on Sunday, more than 150 firefighters were ready to start putting it out with a blanket of foam early on Monday, a police spokeswoman said.

About 2,000 people living near the depot were evacuated, main roads were closed and some flights into Heathrow were delayed.

Newspapers cleared their pages for scores of pictures of the fire under headlines such as “Vision of Doomsday”, “Cloud of Doom” and “Black Sunday”.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott visited the scene and praised the emergency services’ work.

“He was just glad that the number of people injured was small and that there were no fatalities,” a spokesman said.

The depot supplies petrol and fuel oils to a large part of Southeast England, including Luton and Heathrow airports.

A government spokesman said that when full, the depot holds five percent of the country’s oil supply, but they could not say how much it was holding before the blast.

Officials said the explosions were unlikely to cause fuel shortages and urged motorists to avoid ‘panic buying’ of petrol.

The depot, the fifth largest in the country, is jointly run by oil companies Total and Texaco.

09th December 2005

Visiting Friends

I’ve been off visiting friends around the blogosphere today, the first stop was miladyinsanity poor soul I do feel sorry for her.

She has one of her depressions on at the moment according to her blog post Crying Jags. I hate to see people like this especially with the season of good will just around the corner. Apparently she is not the sort of person that like’s to intermingle with others at times like these.

So I shall have to see if I can cheer her up some how, in the meantime I’m sure she would like to hear from you, so why not pop over to see her blog, I know she would like that.

I shall add more to this blog post as the day goes on so do pop back!

Ooops… Sorry I’ve been on the piss (hic) catch ya tomorrow!

08th December 2005

Stray dog killed by gang of hungry squirrels

Margaret Neighbour

A GANG of bloodthirsty squirrels have attacked and killed a large stray dog in a park in eastern Russia, it was reported yesterday.

Starvation caused by a severe pine cone shortage was blamed for pushing the black squirrels to extreme measures.

The dog had been barking at squirrels in the trees when they suddenly ran down to the ground and attacked.

Passers-by near the village of Lazo tried to intervene, but the dog was already dead.

“They literally gutted the dog,” Anastasia Trubitsina, a journalist, said. “When they saw the men, they scattered in different directions, taking pieces of their kill away with them.”

Local people said there had been no pine cones this year in nearby woodland and one man blamed this for the squirrels’ aggressive behaviour.

“The little beasts are agitated because they have nothing to eat,” he added.

07th December 2005

Take That plan to cover up

Take That fans will not see the boys squeeze themselves into hotpants for their reunion tour.

In the 90s the boys were popular for wearing skintight outfits and baring their flesh.

However Mark Owen says some fans might be disappointed, he said: “We haven’t quite decided how the show will look. But I definitely do not see myself in those tight little hotpants.

“And I won’t be flashing my naked bum either. But I do promise the fans will still get their money’s worth.”

Mark, Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald start their reunion tour next April reports The Sun.

05th December 2005

The Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie Has A Bladder Problem
She pisses her self on stage…nice…

By: Lowri Williams

The classy bird was once forced to spray herself with champagne after she let go during a performance.

An incident occurred during one of her first shows with the Peas in Australia, she said: “I had a few drinks before the show, but I didn’t think to go to the restroom before we went onstage.

“We were jumping around – it was all very rock ‘n’ roll – and my bladder just started… you know.

“Somebody brought out these champagne bottles because it was the New Year, and I basically opened one up and squirted it all over myself, so nobody would notice.

“It was a very memorable Pea experience.”

Shouldn’t that be, a very memorable ‘wee’ experience?

04th December 2005

Police stop toddler for driving toy car

A two-year-old boy has been pulled over by police while driving his toy car.

Oliver Smith was driving his toy car at 2mph on the pavement when he was pulled over by a policeman reports the Mirror.

Oliver’s grandad Derek was warned by the policeman that the boy could be charged for having no tax or MoT certificate.

Oliver’s father Richard from Leyland Lancs said: “My dad thought it a was joke at first – he was expecting Jeremy Beadle to turn up. The officer said the buggy could damage a parked car. He gave a warning and drove off.

“I think it’s utterly ridiculous. It’s the funniest thing I have heard in my life because you can actually walk faster than these things. This one has a top speed of 2.5mph.

“All the shops selling them should have signs to say you need driving documents to use them in a public place. Because of their size, you can’t just use them in a garden.”

Lancashire Police said: “We cannot comment on the individual case but a child’s toy car that can only travel 2-3mph does not come under motor vehicle legislation. Having said that, we would always advise children not to play near to the highway.

“The ideal place for toys is in a driveway, supervised by a responsible adult.”