The Independent reports that 500 000 rubbish bins in the UK already carry an electronic device to identify the bin, which would allow the local council to track the weight of rubbish in the bin, and charge by weight for its collection. Which is quite a neat idea, I think. Our bin is hardly . . . → Read More: Pay by weight for your rubbish collection
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Germany has sold Israel 2 Dolphin-class submarines at a discount of 33%. The $1.27 billion contract, which was agreed under the previous SPD government, was signed in July. The subs are said by Jane’s Defense Weekly, to have the ability to launch cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. Is this a good use of German . . . → Read More: Germany sells Israel 2 submarines at 33% off After the failed bomb attacks on two German trains, Norbert Geis (a CDU legal expert) and Clemens Binninger (a CDU spokeman for internal affairs) have suggested in Bild-Zeitung that Germany introduce armed “Rail-Marshalls” similar to the Sky Marshalls introduced on aircraft by the USA. No wonder the country’s economy is in such a . . . → Read More: First switch on brain, then talk to the press The fifth of November is the traditional date for the British to go mad with fireworks (although New Year’s Eve has also become popular in the 26 years since we moved to Germany). We didn’t have to wait until November to see a display this year – we went to the Bad Homburger . . . → Read More: Early “bonfire night” According to Science (subscription required, so look here for a short summary), the percentage of people who believe in Evolution in the USA (40%) is lower than 32 of 34 countries polled*. Only Turkey came in with a lower percentage of believers, “Old Europe” averages about 70%. * “Human beings, as we know . . . → Read More: Less than half of America believes in evolution Ballbot is a robot, a little shorter than a human, which balances on a metal ball about the size of a football. It was created at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh by Ralph Hollis, who is hoping to develop a robot capable of performing tasks such as moving objects in confined spaces. . . . → Read More: Meet Ballbot OK – looking back at some of my recent posts, I have to admit I have allowed myself to get increasingly wound up by Bush and Blair’s interpretation of and reaction to world events. So time for some light relief and the chance to change the world by producing a 1 second film. . . . → Read More: Wound up George Bush is quoted on the BBC web site today as referring to “Islamic fascists… will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom”. He’s supposed to be brighter than people give him credit for, but I do wonder if he knows the definition of fascist? There’s a short summary . . . → Read More: So who is fascist? I have twice tried to buy Nigel Kennedy and The Kroke Band’s East Meets East in Apple’s iTunes Store. The first time, most of the tracks were full of pops and clicks and Apple gave me a refund and asked me to retry in 3 weeks, by which time they would either . . . → Read More: East meets East According to The Economist, the answer is that Israel funds a lobby group (AIPAC) in Washington with a budget of nearly $50m and a staff of 200 – allegedly more powerful than the National Rifle Association: “Thank God we have AIPAC, the greatest supporter and friend we have in the whole world,” says Ehud . . . → Read More: Why the USA supports Israel unconditionally |
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