The Locker Room

I have been asked to design and run a course for 1st Yr BA English Language students to give them a good overview of British history. It has been mainly a chalk-and-talk course and I've used PowerPoints and videos to supplement. I set them all 2 x 3,000-word essays on several topics. I have received 78 of them and I'm ploughing through the marking process right now, and it's murder. I have recorded a number of "howlers" - remember that they knew nothing about British history beforehand, and some have a fairly limited ability to compose written English. Here are a few quotes: "and the battle was named after Trafalgar Square" (Doh!!!) "Apart from his wives, he (King He…

Im going to take the kids to Lap Land in december for a day trip to see Santa etc. Just wondering if anyones been and what they & kids thought of it. Who did you book with etc. Cheers in advance marts!

For those history buffs, here is some footage of the first Police Dogs. Hull Docks Police later to become the British Transport Police established it's Dog Section in 1905, this was filmed in 1933 we think. You never see working Airedales in UK now, but they are popular as working dogs in Germany. Since the Brits used them during the first world war, I suppose while the Tommys were coveting the German Shepherd and brought them into England as the ultimate war dog, the Germans were thinking the same about our Airedales... Dogs Link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314227/Drink-driving-nurse-sentenced-years-killing-grandmother-seriously-injuring-grandchildren.html It is about time these killers were put away for a long time. These people always try and blame alcohol for their problems. A 15 year ban is one of the longest I can remember. I hope the bit about the police telling the husband he couldn't take the keys away from her because of 'her human rights' was not true.

IT is greater than God, and IT is eviler than the Devil. Poor people have IT, and rich people want for IT. If you eat IT you will die. What is IT? No cheating now!

Happy Birthday Butters - (Butterfly)

Failing to publish more details of expenses complaints could damage Parliament's reputation, Commons Leader Sir George Young has warned. It follows criticism of a procedure by which MPs who wrongly claimed expenses have been allowed to repay the money without it being widely publicised. Standards commissioner John Lyon says it is used in "less serious" cases but wants details published on his website. Sir George urged MPs to take Mr Lyon's proposals, made in January, forward. The most serious breaches of Parliamentary rules are investigated by Mr Lyon, whose report is published by the Commons standards and privileges committee. 'Secrecy' criticism The commi…

This has to be in the USA In what he calls an "educational video" that's widely circulated on YouTube, comedian Chris Rock offers advice on what to do when you get pulled over for a traffic violation. "Obey the law" he says. "Stop immediately" and "stay in your car with your hands on the wheel." Finally, "if your woman is mad at you, leave her at home. There's nothing she'd like to see more than you getting your [you-know-what] kicked." It's a dead-on spoof of a hard truth: Respect authority. If you don't, you increase the odds of a pricey ticket. http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110666/what-not-to-say-when-pulled-over-by-a-cop

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314285/Revealed-tiny-The-secret-life-harvest-mice.html Mind you, I hate mice in the house or in my greenhouse or even my garden. Bring on the owls.

Whoohoooo, two birthdays today: 30Down92go and Rayleighman. Hope both of you have a most excellent day.

This came to my attention a couple of days ago, well worth watching on full screen, and I bet it makes you feel uneasy. no blood, gore or anything nasty, just a guy doing his job getting to work 1700feet up a TV transmitter tower... would you do it? could you do it? Me...well maybe but only if I had a parachute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXuzrIN_x2M

This seems like a good idea. But as I was watching it a rather uncomfortable thought hit me. France has banned the wearing of the Bourka in public, which a lot of people over here would laud as a good idea. But suppose the banning means that women who want to wear it, who would feel uncomfortable about not wearing it in Public, then find it impossible to go out? They would be prisoners in their own homes. So a law which might be viewed as liberating to women might actually end p increasing their oppression.