[Yug]

This seems to be emblematic of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

The first ever satellite mission launched from UK soil has ended in failure.

A jumbo jet operated by the American Virgin Orbit company carried a rocket out of Newquay, Cornwall, to release it high over the Atlantic Ocean.

The rocket ignited and appeared to be ascending correctly. But word then came from the company that the rocket had suffered an "anomaly".

The satellites it was carrying could not be released and were lost...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64218883

[Andy McDandy]

I vaguely recall Branson spending much of the 80s being fished out of the Atlantic, so this seems like a return to form for Virgin.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Real hubristic stuff after Branson (and Sky News) were puffing the fucker all day yesterday.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

And The Times is now reporting it as the failure of 'a European space launch'.

[Andy McDandy]

Ah, the old Scottish and Welsh athlete situation?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Ah, the old Scottish and Welsh athlete situation?

Indeed.

[Youngian]

UK enters a 1950s technology market only for it to crash and burn on launch. Is the tax payer on the hook for Branson’s Thunderbirds?

[Yug]

ITV lies by omission

The mother of a missing chef says she has still not had an apology from the BBC after letters were sent demanding TV licence payments from her daughter - 14 years after she mysteriously disappeared.

Claudia Lawrence disappeared from York on 18 March, 2009, prompting the biggest and most complex missing person inquiry in the history of North Yorkshire Police.

Her mother, Joan Lawrence, has said letters were being sent to her daughter's cottage for her TV licence fee, with one recently even threatening court action and a £1,000 fine.

Joan said: "I tried and tried to get them to stop it.

"I'm not damning people, I just wish they'd think before they d these things because it can be hurtful and I'm sure I'm not the only one it's happened to."

She added that one of the letters was especially "awful", threatening that not paying up could affect her credit score...

While I have every sympathy for the poor woman, and I know how distressing these letters can be, I think ITV really should have mentioned that the TV Licence isn't administered by the BBC. It is the Tories' favourite contractor, Capita, who are the incompetent, uncaring, and sometimes downright evil villains who send out the threats and harassments, NOT the BBC.

[Bones McCoy]

I vaguely recall Branson spending much of the 80s being fished out of the Atlantic, so this seems like a return to form for Virgin.

It's on par with the railway services.

[Yug]

Australian Sky News presenter sPeKeS his bRaNeS

(Whole article quoted)

Sky News host Andrew Bolt says Greta Thunberg’s honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Theology is the “death of reason”.

“Here’s a woman … who has been on school strike for what five years or something and she’s still getting an honorary doctorate,” Mr Bolt said.

“The theology degree – what must those true theologians, the bishops … who are also getting these honorary degrees, think to have this pagan climate alarmist getting one too.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/andr ... 7859a9ce34

1. His use of the term "climate alarmist" is rather telling.
2. Theology =/= Christianity exclusively.
3. Ms Thunberg may well have been on "school strike" for the past five years, but she hasn't spent that time sitting at home on her PlayStation.
4. Universities can bestow honorary degrees on whoever they please. The opinions and wishes of a self-evident pig-ignorant Australian dickweasel do not have to be taken under consideration.

I'm glad the UK Sky presenters are a little bit more intelligent than this Boxing Day turd.

[soulboy]

To add to your third point, Greta is now 20. Our Aussie chum could suggest that I have been striking from school for over three decades but I prefer to think I finished compulsory education and moved on.

[davidjay]

It's nice to see that a young white girl can still strike palpitations into the hearts of middle-aged men the world over.

[Youngian]

What first attracted you to millionaire presenter Nick Knowles?

[Yug]

Not sure where to put this

The country's most senior civil servant Simon Case is among four officials named by a former Treasury employee in a discrimination claim.

Rowaa Ahmar has lodged two claims with an employment tribunal, saying she was subject to "direct discrimination and harassment on the grounds of her sex and race" as well as "victimisation"...

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65302232.amp

Mr Case and two other officials had argued they played only "minor roles".

The tribunal judge agreed they were not central figures in the claim.

Mr Case and two other officials should be disciplined, possibly even sacked. They're senior enough to know that discrimination is a serious matter. Claiming they "only" played a minor part in it is not, or shouldn't be, the get-out they think it is. It's an admission that they actively discriminated against someone. As such, they are in breach of the Civil Service Code and, quite possibly, criminal law as well.

But what else do we expect from one of Johnson's mates?

[Yug]

Here's a headline you don't see every day

Pensioner urinating on train tracks killed by flying cow launched 100ft into the air by carriage

https://amp.lbc.co.uk/news/pensioner-ki ... war-india/

[Youngian]

Cows on the line is a common problem for Indian Railways.

[Yug]

I know. How common are flying cows?

[Yug]

Berlin can keep it's lion, the Channel Islands have hornets armed with vacuum cleaners!

Asian hornets that can kill in minutes attack 10 people with squads using Henry Hoovers



https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/a ... 516658.amp

Actually, it's people being given Henrys to suck up the invading monsters after ten people needed emergency treatment after being stung by these mahoosive buggers. Though you wouldn't guess that from the headline.

[Yug]

Oh dear

American brings entire suitcase of Diet Coke on holiday thinking Europe doesn’t sell it

https://www.joe.co.uk/life/american-bri ... FnWVAJkB9s

And they wonder why we think they're dumb.

[kreuzberger]

An American actually drinks Diet Coke? Well, fuck me pink...