05/11/18: Reenacting Ghost and Alec Baldwin's Parking Fun

Intro

Week 12. My week off was nice. I got a load of work done, saw some family, and, most importantly, had lots of late mornings. To be honest I'd quite like to stay, but uni calls.

Lifestyle

When I saw this story for the first time, I got weird images in my head of Patrick Swayze and a vase. A British woman has claimed to have slept with 20 spirits and is engaged to another.

Amethyst realm, while on 'This Morning', told the show's presenters that her ghostly partner  popped the question on a trip to Wookey Hole Cave. According to Miss Realm, she met the spectre on a work trip to Australia, and he apparently has no name.

She also said that her friends and family have embraced her choice and she wishes to conduct a Pagan ceremony for the wedding. Apparently, the couple haven't discussed any details about the wedding but it should be 'quite a big do'.

(Source: New York Post)

Crime



Candidate for the world's most serious man award, Alec Baldwin, has been arrested. He was apparently charged with assault on Friday after an altercation in New York.

According to police, Mr Baldwin and a New York man got into an argument over a parking space. In annoyance, the actor decided to settle things with a good old fashioned right hook. The man was then taken to hospital to have his injuries treated.

The Trump impersonator has since been charged with assault and harassment, but has stated on twitter that the 'Assertion that I punched anyone over a parking spot is false'. He is set to appear in court on a later date.
(Source: CNN)


Some More Crime



Granted, this one is a few weeks old but it NEEDS to be in here. Apparently the hunt is on for a truly evil criminal: The Googly Eye Bandit.

This statue of Nathaniel Greene in Savannah was vandalised by persons unknown, with the terrible application of the dreaded googly eye. Gobsmacked by this, the City of Savannah Government took to twitter, expressing their dread and informing the public that this monstrous act is in fact a crime, as the eyes allegedly caused harm to the statue.

In truth, the culprit could face a charge of criminal trespassing and it is being treated as serious due to it being a statue of a deceased person who served in the military, and if the damage is in the excess of $500, they could be charged with a felony.
(Source: Mashable, Sky)



Music



Pharrell Williams has allegedly banned US President Donald Trump from using his music. This comes after one of the president's more cringeworthy blunders: playing Williams' 'Happy' just hours after the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting.

In response to the song's use at the event over the weekend, Williams' lawyer sent a cease and desist letter to the President, as not only was it poorly timed but, it is also a copyright infringement, and in violation of trademark rights, as no request was made to use the song.

This is not the first time Trump has used an artist's music without consent. REM, Queen and Aerosmith have all objected to the President's use of their songs in the past, when no consent was given.
(Source: the Independent)


TV



Joe Swash has revealed the I'm a celebrity line-up for this years competition. 

In one of the unluckiest turns of events, the former Jungle King leaked possible faces to appear in the jungle to his dear old Nan. She then got talking to a random man in a supermarket queue... who happened to work for the Norfolk Gazette... and she told him everything. 

He revealed his wonder blunder on 'This Morning', and while he couldn't have possibly guessed this would happen, the presenters will now have to wait to find out the line up just like everybody else. Rumored contestants include the likes of Danny Dyer, Jamie Laing and Brendan Cole.
(Source: HeatWorld)

15/10/18: BBC - Broadcasting Blunder Classic and Kanye's Double Whammy

Intro

Week 9. I don't really know what to put in this weeks intro, nothing amazing's happened. Imagine this is some kind of funny anecdote or something like that.

TV



Ever hear the term stop the presses? Well, it turns out the BBC really likes it. So much so, it thought it would give it a try.

On Wednesday, the broadcasting giant was forced to show pre-recorded footage due to 'technical issues', as stated by the BBC's PR team on twitter. It is thought the issue involves the software on which the BBC runs it's shows.

It is also believed that the BBC World service suffered similar issues but was able to broadcast as normal, as a backup system was in place.

For the most part the footage on show seemed to be normal if a little familiar, until one take a glance at the upper right of the screen where could be seen a little message that read 'recorded'. However, the footage was only an hour old so to many it would still be new.

Still, I think it's pretty apt that in the age of fake news, the news isn't new.
(Source: The Independent)


Culture




Now, this is something that fits my remit of the weird and funny, but is close to me for once.
The annual Lincoln Sausage Festival was held on Saturday but with a notable absence.

Mr Sausage, the festival's beloved mascot has retired for a year and many were distraught at the news. One Mascot maniac tweeted (read this without laughing, I dare you) "This has left a deep, deep sausage sized pit in my stomach. Goodnight sweet prince". I was there on the day and a number of people said they felt "devastated" by the news.

There were calls to find a temporary replacement for the Mascot, but according to the organizers, "nobody has reached the high standard set by Mr Sausage". This comes after last year's festival when the famed banger was a apparently looking a little worse for wear. 

However, all is not lost. Mr Sausage is set to return for the 2019 festival, and he won't be alone. Apparently, He has taken the year off in order to get married to his long time girlfriend Miss Sausage, and there are talks that by 2020 there could be a little chipolata.

Hopefully she can make an honest snag out of him. Hot Dog!
(Source: LincolnshireLive, the Linconite)


Art



Remember last week, when that Banksy painting shredded itself mid auction and all the art buffs' faces were priceless? well it seems the woman who won the bid has decide to keep the prolific piece of art.

The details of this story are in last weeks post but as a quick recap: Banksy's famous Girl With Red Balloon was at auction in Sotheby's, when as the hammer went down, a shredder hidden within the frame was remotely activated, thus partially destroying the piece.

However, where many would have simply gone home and cried at the lost, the woman who placed the winning bid saw things from a different angle, saying "I began to realise I would end up with my own piece of art history".

The piece has now been given a new name, Love Is in the Bin, and art critics have been suggesting that Banksy tried to make a statement with this latest stunt about children growing up too fast, but personally I just think it's quite funny.
(Source: the Guardian)


Politics



Kanye West. One of the biggest names in music and in truth, politics as well. Recently, West has been all over the news sparking the ires of critics everywhere with the erratic nature of his actions.

In just the music infosphere, he made waves when he abruptly decided to change his stage name to just 'Ye', hour before his appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he was expected to debut his latest album 'Yhandi'. He announced the change on Twitter: "the being formerly known as Kanye West. I am Ye". the word is also the name of his 8th album and has been a nickname for a long time.

Meanwhile in the political world, Ye met with American President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, and proceeded on a ten minute rant about everything from prison reform, to planes, to superheros. And while he did make some interesting points about bringing back industry to America which is good for the country, he also made some rather scary suggestions besides it. Abolishing the 13th amendment, the one that outlawed slavery, for example. He also announced a possible run for thee 2024 election, and frankly I'm not sure how scared I should be at the idea.

With all the biblical imagery that he used to refer to the name change and the talks about alternate universes and running for president, it all feels like a man with an over-inflated ego and a lot of influence: a dangerous combination.
(Source: the Mail Online, BBC News)


More Culture



Another day another royal wedding. On Friday, Princess Eugenie and long-time partner Jack Brooksbank tied the knot at St George's chapel in Windsor Castle.

The day went how you'd expect any royal wedding to go with extravagant clothes and lots of hats, that the wind may or may not have had a lot of fun with.

One point to note was the blushing bride's dress. The Princess insisted on a low backed gown for her special day, to unapologeticlly bear the scar on her spine from a surgery that corrected her scoliosis. She chose to do this in a show of support for Royal national Orthopedic Hospital, in a bold yet humbling statement about body image.

However, I don't know if you heard the sound of thunder being stolen but apparently Harry and Meghan announced a pregnancy to the senior royals attending the wedding. This has since overshadowed the wedding with media outlets crawling all over the details, but it's likely just a happy coincidence that the two events occurred.
(Source: the Telegraph, Vogue, the Mail Online) 

03/09/18: 99 Weird Balloons and Wed Sheeran

Intro

Week three of the blog. I've decided I'm gonna include any announcements for the blog here or random little anecdotes, I think. Tite Kubo did the same when he was writing the Bleach manga and I always enjoyed those.

Politics

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? no, it's a giant balloon in the shape of the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, clad in a yellow bikini. The 29ft blimp was launched from Parliament Square as part of a campaign to remove Mr Khan from office.

In total, campaigners raised £58,182 in order to put the balloon in the air. It was conceived by organizer Yanny Bruere following the Trump Baby balloon protest that occurred during the Commander-in-Chief's visit in July. The Mayor has since commented on the balloon, saying that anyone is welcome to look at the balloon, but that 'yellow wasn't really his colour'. The bikini wearing nature of the balloon is a nod to the mayor's disapproval toward TFL's 'Beach Body Ready' advert in 2016.

However, Mr Bruere has been hailed as an advocate for alt-right causes. He has denied this outright, instead claiming that he has been doing the same as those who led the Trump Baby protest.

Lets just hope that the mayor's ego doesn't get inflated (sorry).
(Source: BBC News, The Guardian)


Entertainment



Much to the dismay of teenage girls everywhere, singer Ed Sheeran has strongly hinted that he and long-time girlfriend and fiance, Cherry Seaborn, tied the knot.

In an interview with Access Online, Sheeran was asked if the pair had set a date for getting hitched after their engagement anouncement in January. He then proceeded to hold his hand up, ring-finger bound, in what is likely the best example of thinking out loud.

The couple have been friends since childhood and in 2015 began dating. With this announcement coming after the release of Sheeran's smash-hit, Divide, last year as the best-selling album of 2017, it seems Ed really has hit upon a good rush, and hopefully it continues.

Still, I'd like a photograph.
(Source: BBC News, Standard)


Health



Now for a story a little closer to home. This week has seen the latest step in an amazing journey of recovery.

Chloe Jacques woke up on an average morning last year, and preceded to get ready for college. However, she never attended that day, as she suddenly collapsed in her bedroom due to a vicious stroke. She was then rushed to A&E where an MRI was conducted and a blood clot was found on her brain, after which she was transferred to the Walton Centre, where she was placed in a medically-induced coma for 2 days, while doctors operated to remove 90% of the clot. She was then transferred to the Liverpool Royal Hospital where she began her recovery. As a result of her collapse, she was left with a swelling on her brain, unable to walk and lost the feeling in the entire left side of her body.

However, it has been 7 months since then, and Miss Jacques has been able to graduate not only from being wheelchair bound to walking unaided, but also from college. Now she is raising awareness for the condition, including completing in a 5K run, in which she managed to raise £5,000 for the Walton Centre, which she says were the people who 'primarily saved her life'.
(Source: Liverpool Echo)


Business



The government has put plans in place to enforce a ban on energy drinks being sold to children.

the sale of such beverages as Monster Energy, Red Bull and a number of others are set to be restricted to adults, amid growing concerns about the impact that high-caffeine, high-sugar drinks are having on children's health. The proposal for the scheme's implementation is to be unveiled on Thursday, with the principal question being whether 16 or 18 will be the age that the restrictions will apply until.

Theresa May has said that this has linked to the government's plans to tackle obesity, the main argument in favor of the ban is the high caffeine content that the drinks include, which has been linked to a number of health problems such as headaches, stomach aches, sleep problems and hyperactivity, which, bar the hyperactivity, sounds like the symptoms of being drunk.
(Source: BBC News)


Actual Politics



Alex Salmond has resigned from the Scottish National Party (SNP) after claims of sexual misconduct.

Last week, it was found that two Scottish government staff members had lodged complaints earlier this year against the former first minister, about his conduct during his time in the position, this coming only weeks after a new complaints procedure was put in place. He however has denied the claims calling them ridiculous and the complaints system itself unjust.

As a result, he has formally began legal action against against the Scottish government. The current first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said she 'felt a huge sadness about the whole situation'.
(Source: BBC News)