Hats off to Danny MacAskill

There's something marvellously inspirational and optimistic about this Danny MacAskill trick-riding video. Great music by Band of Horses too.



No surprise that his talent has been recognised and he is now to feature in a Hollywood movie. He's not just fantastically athletic but displays extraordinary creativity in planning his stunts.
Well done Danny.
Happy New Year everyone.

What will we call the next decade?

The noughties seems to have been coined for the decade that's just about to end but what of the next?
The 'tennies', the 'teenies', the 'twenty tens' are all unsatisfactory.
Any thoughts?

Hitchhikers' guide to murder

I've been wondering why you don't see many hitchhikers these days and the statistics in this video explain why.

Volvo bought by Chinese

Ford has agreed the sale of Volvo to Chinese firm Geely.
It was bad enough when Ford bought Volvo but this is surely not going to see a return to the high production values and attention to detail that made the marque one of the greats.
After the news about the demise of Saab earlier in the week the Swedes must be suicidal - although apparently that's an urban myth. 
I've had a Volvo 360, 740s, 760, 850s, T5s, XC90 and V70s but this is it. I'm off to Mercedes, a 90s S-class, unless there's an old V70R around of course.

Schumacher comeback

Michael Schumacher is making a well-predicted return to Formula One.
But should he?
Will he win the title again like a latter-day Niki Lauda or will he be well off the pace after four years out?
I'm not sure he should but if the Mercedes (Brawn) is competitive he may return to the podium. His team-mate Nico Rosberg is unlikely to show him up either.
Whatever happens it can't be as bad as Nigel Mansell's comeback with McLaren in 1995. The portly former world champion could not fit in the car and, despite his storming time at Ferrari and Williams, that remains the lasting memory of Mansell.
The sadly departed Observer Sport Monthly once compiled a list of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time and I was lucky enough to be at No8 - when France beat New Zealand 43-31 in the Rugby World Cup semi-final at Twickenham in 1999.
Two-try Jonah Lomu looked shellshocked after the game.
Can Schumi join the pantheon of comeback kings? An interesting season awaits.

Auschwitz sign returned

The theft of the sign from the Auschwitz concentration camp reflected badly on the whole human race and it is an enormous relief that it has been found.
We must stay vigilant against extremism in all its forms. This sorry episode serves as a salient reminder of that.

Eurostar showing its age

It's important to remember that the Eurostar trains brought to a halt in the Channel Tunnel by electrical problems are now 15 years old.
The styling means they may still look pretty high-tech but this rolling stock was built between 1992 and 1996.
In 2003 Eurostar announced plans for a facelift but no real engineering upgrades have ever taken place.
In the light of more extreme weather on the way isn't it about time they undertook a root and branch appraisal of the trains?

Gareth Thomas comes out

Hats off to former Lions skipper Gareth Thomas for outing himself as a gay man in The Daily Mail of all places.
It's a shame that he didn't feel comfortable doing so earlier  in his career.
I am positive that the vast majority of rugby crowds would have treated him with respect. Let's see the reaction he gets as a Cardiff Blues player now.
There'll be banter, sure, but I'll be very surprised if it descends into abuse.
I don't think the same could be said of football.
It will be interesting to find out what prompted Thomas to tell the world now. The Mail piece says: 'It's his choice. No one has forced his hand.'
We'll see. I'll reserve judgement on that one for now.

Cleopatra's palace

Archaeologists have raised a red granite pillar from Alexandria harbour that they believe was part of Cleopatra's palace.
The Egyptian authorities have, very, ambitious plans to make the harbour an underwater museum at a cost of $140m.

Why kids should avoid alcohol

Does the chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson really think people don't know that 'drinking, particularly at a young age, a lack of parental supervision, exposing children to drink-fuelled events and failing to engage with them as they grow up are the root causes from which our country's serious alcohol problem has developed'.
How much did this report cost and what is he paid to come up with this sanctimonious, blindingly obvious drivel.
No doubt Sir Liam will come and pat any parent on the head who doesn't slip a six-pack of Special Brew into their eight-year-old's stocking on Christmas Eve.
He's retiring in May and will be able to draw upon a £2.2m pension pot that he's built up over 15 years in the job.

Snow predictable

Brace yourself for the travel chaos stories that will come in the wake of this week's snowfall.
Expect to hear stuff like 'why aren't we more prepared for snow'. Of course it's because it doesn't happen very often we don't waste money on keeping snowploughs in mothballs for most of the year or build trains with heaters.
The Highways Agency advises:

1. Do not travel in severe weather unless your journey is essential
2. Check local and national weather forecasts before setting out and take warm clothes, food, water, boots, a torch and spade
3. Drive with care even after roads are salt treated and keep your distance - it can take 10 times longer to stop in icy conditions

I wonder what percentage of people comply with No2?

Gazza arrested again

Paul Gascoigne has been arrested and fined for being drunk and disorderly.
A 42-year-old drunk with plenty of previous and a history of domestic violence should not elicit sympathy but he does. His mental health problems are well documented and help to paint him as a victim of fame but mostly it's what he used to do that makes us feel sorry for him.
For those who enjoyed the 1990 World Cup and saw him play, Gascoigne is frozen in time as the cheeky chappy with the lightning-fast feet and creative genius.
But, sadly, it seems he is destined never to change despite plenty of declarations that his bad days are behind him. Where are the hangers-on and celebrity pals now?

BA steward's side of strike story

Daniel Finkelstein has posted a BA steward's side of the strike story on The Times' Comment Central website.
The cabin crew veteran is 'furious with BA for putting us all in this position'.
It is a cogent yet impassioned response to criticism levelled at cabin crew from all sides over the past few days.
Well worth a read.
Contrasts markedly with all the Willie Walsh hand-wringing.
The difference? Multi-million pound PR on one side and not much of a contribution from Unite to put their side of the story.

Vanessa George madness

Can anyone explain why Vanessa George, the Little Ted's Nursery paedophile, has received an indeterminate sentence but may be considered for release in seven years?
Possibly with a new ID in deference to her human rights. What about the rights of the children she abused and the families torn apart by anguish.
How did we get here?

Chinook order reveals lack of planning

Ordering 22 more Chinooks to help out in Afghanistan is long overdue but the fact that the helicopters won't be ready until 2012 at the earliest is ridiculous and extremely worrying.
Are we really still going to be losing lives in Afghanistan in three years' time?
This really is an extraordinary admission of incompetence, both in terms of equipment deficiency and the lack of any exit strategy.
We could be there for decades.

BA cabin crew's high life

Simon Calder points out in today's Independent some shocking facts about the easy life enjoyed by BA cabin crew.
He says: 'Never mind another country: some of their counterparts in other airlines accuse BA cabin crew of living on another planet. When easyJet flies from Gatwick to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, its cabin crew stay for no more than an hour before coming back; when BA flies the same route, the crew get two or three nights, on full pay and while staying in a five-star hotel, to enjoy the Red Sea coast.'
The strike vote is not quite in the 'turkeys voting for Christmas' category but the timing was hardly designed to get public support for their cause.

Mirror's Santa blooper

The Daily Mirror speculates whether or not Santa is buried in an Irish grave.
Of course, he can't be or he wouldn't be able to deliver all the gifts on the 24th.
Why did nobody at Canary Wharf pick this up?

Tiger Woods and Accenture

You know you're in trouble when management consultants no longer want anything to do with you.
Accenture have ended their sponsorship with serial shagger Tiger Woods as he is no 'longer the right representative for its advertising'.
If you understand what management consultants do you might enjoy these gags over at SpendMatters.
Any suggestions for new commercial liaisons for the new raunchy Tiger?
How about lad mag Loaded or Wii sports - with all fixtures to be played away.

Tiger off the menu

"It's tragic. I think this whole thing is tragic. I am in touch with his wife Elin Nordegren now and then. Me and my husband Mike have been out dining with Elin and Tiger on a few occasions. Perhaps it won't happen as often now."
Former top-ranked women's golfer Annika Sorenstam gets to the real heart of the matter.
Who will she and Mike have dinner with now?
Here's his tearful statement in full.

Why Dean Ashton must not sue

Sad, but not unexpected, news about the retirement of West ham forward Dean Ashton at the age of 26.
The ankle he broke when on England duty has never healed properly and he has decided to call it a day instead of risking permananet disability if he carries on.
But any talk of him taking legal action against Shaun Wright-Philips, Chelsea, the FA or West Ham must be merely that - talk.
Nothing is to be gained by football failing to clean up its own mess. The player is due compensation but the court is not the place to do it. If he does go to law the floodgates of litigation will well and truly be open.
The FA must take the lead and co-ordinate his payout with help from the players' union, the PFA.

Donald Trump's hair

Either Donald Trump's got a terrific sense of humour or perception problems.
In today's FT he lists his hair as one of his best features.
I'll let you be the judge.

Baron Cohen sued for $110m

Sacha Baron Cohen is being sued for $110m by a Palestinian he branded a terrorist in his latest movie Bruno.
Abu Aita has engaged m'learned friends and someone has come up with the figure of $110m. Yes $110m.
Aita's lawyer in the US is Joseph Peter Drennan.
"This is an important lawsuit because it is about the dignity of a specific person. It is about his reputation, about his standing in the community," Drennan said.
But $110m? I daresay that would improve his standing in the community considerably. He'd certainly be my friend.

Nationalist Geographic

National Geographic have listed their top 10 archaeological finds of the year.
No1 is a ship that sank in 1901. The vessel carried gold rush prospectors and was found in a lake in the Yukon remarkably well preserved.
At No2 is the Staffordshire Hoard.
At the risk of sounding nationally biased myself I would humbly suggest they have these about face.
A 100-year-old paddle steamer or 5kg of gold that can tell us an awful lot about seventh century Britain?

Carlos Alberto's all wrong

There's something very weird about seeing this Carlos Alberto classic from the 'wrong' side. It doesn't seem quite as good.

Dear Amy, please help

Amy Winteridge, 10, wrote a letter to the burglar who robbed her home and asked him why he did it.
The burglar was moved and may now think twice about reoffending.
Can Amy please write one to the MPs and bankers who don't have any problem with ripping us off again and again.

Daytime telly on expenses

Forget the bell tower, at least that was worth claiming for at £5k.
But £2 for a hamburger maker and from Labour MP Phil Hope and £43.56 for three "four piece garlic peelers", from Tory MP James Arbuthnot.
The most shocking aspect about Arbie's claim is that he bought the items from shopping channel QVC.
Daytime telly watcher? Surely not.

Bin Laden shocker

The US has finally caught on to the fact that they should really find Osama Bin Laden.
They think it may improve security. What do you know.
The world's most wanted man has been on the run for eight years living on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border, they think.
Surely they could chuck some special forces in there and root him out? There must be units gagging at the chance to have a go.
Or run a competition to find him?

Space for Nasa

Beardie Branson's spaceship seems to have arrived at just the wrong moment for the private traveller with more money than sense.
It looks great though but it's just not 'of the moment'.
It may be able to help the lads at Nasa though who are undergoing something of a funding crisis  to keep projects like the Hubble telescope going.

Put steelworkers in banks

Steelmaker Corus is halting production at its Teesside Cast Products factory, putting 1,700 people out of work.
Will they be subject to a £850bn government bailout?
Apparently it was justifiable to spend all the money we haven't got on the bankers but the steelworkers are unlikely to get the same treatment. I'm sure there will be a few retraining courses though.
Perhaps they can go into banking.

RIP Richard Todd

Here's a bit of The Dambusters to remind us what a great actor he was.

Beware fire gnomes

Now gnomes are a fire hazard. The evill little so-and-sos were ready to trip up unsuspecting tenants fleeing from their burning homes.
Well done Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Taxpayers money well spent.