What new thing I've learn today

Miriam Marogyles’ first claim to fame

youlearnsomethingnew — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 11:07:09 +0000

Before she became the nation’s favourite supporting actress, Miriam Margoyles appeared on University Challenge. Getting a question wrong she swore live on air, becoming the first person to say ‘fuck’ on British TV.

Source: University Challenge – The Story So Far

Style icons: Hemingway, Shulman, Marr

youlearnsomethingnew — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 10:56:46 +0000

The classic car that Andrew Marr drives in the opening sequence of ‘Sunday AM’ (a Nissan Figaro) is his own, and he’s not alone. Other drivers include Wayne Hemingway and Alexandra Shulman, reinforcing the notion of the Figaro as a design classic (as long as you ignore that Vanessa Feltz and Nancy Sorrel are also fans).

Source: Wikipedia (don’t judge me)

Live Earth: Solution and Cause in one

youlearnsomethingnew — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:32:58 +0000

A few days after his son so valiantly showed us that hybrids can be fun to drive, Al Gore unleashes Live Earth. Aside from the difficulties of being preached to by renowed eco warriors Keane and James Blunt and the environmental expense at organising nine worldwide concerts, it’s been estimated that the performers will travel some 220,000 miles to perform.

Source: Drudge Report

Smoking on the tube

youlearnsomethingnew — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:24:35 +0000

No more shivering outside; if you want to defeat the smoking ban go on the tube. A 20 minute journey is the equivalent of smoking a cigarette.

Source: the ever readable EnvironmentalQuality in Underground Railways website

The new PM’s take on Iraq

youlearnsomethingnew — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:10:06 +0000

Much has been written before and since GB’s coronation about his thoughts on the Iraq war. A newspaper interview from 2005 sheds an icy light on his thinking: the decision to go to war was “in the British national economic interest”.

Source: Politicalcompass.org

Blackpool Pleasure Beach on par with Universal Studios

youlearnsomethingnew — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:59:57 +0000

On paper it should be no contest. Universal Studios in Florida can offer Harry Potter and Spiderman while in Blackpool you’re more likely to see an elderly Tory looking for his party conference. Despite this, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Universal Studios both attract the same number of annual visitors, an impressive 6 million.

Source: International Herald Tribune

Hitler’s big nostrils

youlearnsomethingnew — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:29:18 +0000

Hitler’s square curiousity of facial hair was grown because the Fuhrer was sensitive about his oversized nostrils.

Source: Angela Lambert’s woeful Lost Life of Eva Braun, in which the fact the author’s mother was born in the same year as Braun is considered enough to give Lambert a privileged position into understand the workings of Braun’s mind. And her German translations are dodge.

Adam Curtis was “archive consultant” on ‘The Queen’

youlearnsomethingnew — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:59:29 +0000

Remember those bits of footage of Diana, braying mourners, a sombre faced Tom Hanks in The Queen? That’s the work of Power of Nightmares creator Adam Curtis, a man who’s either the greatest documentary maker of our time or a delusional conspiracy theorist, depending on which press you read.

Source: imdb.com

No introduction required

youlearnsomethingnew — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 23:54:05 +0000

If the cliche is true and you learn something new everyday, this blog is for me to post what I’ve learnt. I don’t mean some quasi spiritual nonsense or pat little saying (“The only boundaries are the ones you set yourself etc”) but random bits of trivia. You might learn something.