Words to live by

Nancy Mitford to her sister to Unity, 9 August 1938

I am getting on well with my German. I know Herrschaft [power], Tisch [table] and pfui [ugh]; Pfennig [penny], gemutlich [cosy] and Rassenschande [disgraceful interracial sex]. Six words which would get one a long way if made good use of.

Airstrip One: Miniplenty Orders Publicans to Serve Beer in Plastic Glasses

Bleeps the Beeb:

Plans to replace the traditional pint glass with one made of shatter-proof plastic will not be accepted by drinkers, the pub industry has warned.

The Home Office has commissioned a new design, in an attempt to stop glasses being used as weapons.

Lunatics take over the asylum, but they’ll watch their steps. Or else. Reports the Daily Mail:

Firefighters told to use poles to test fire alarms… as stepladders ‚are too dangerous‘ […] Firemen who are used to climbing 300ft ladders have been ordered not to climb up small step ladders due to health and safety concerns.

While a diverse society better bend over backwards, we’ll make an exception for Mrs Windsor. Huffs the Telegraph:

The centuries-old practice of servants and guests walking backwards when leaving a room after seeing the monarch has been dropped after health and safety concerns.

The beat goes on–with colonials, too:

Missouri bans wrong plastic from rivers.

A law that takes effect this week could make criminals out of those who bring Tupperware onto many of Missouri’s rivers.

Lawmakers intended to reduce floating debris and pollution from abandoned foam coolers in the state’s waterways. But they confused their plastics. Instead of banning Styrofoam, they criminalized the plastic containers found in many kitchens but seldom used to ferry beer and soda down a river.

Hate Crime in UK: ONS Publishes Hate Stats That Might Be Misconstrued as Hate Facts

The Times: Statistics chief Karen Dunnell inflames row over foreign workers – ONS highlights figures on jobs for immigrants for the first time

The UK’s official statistician weighed into the debate about foreign workers yesterday by highlighting the growing numbers of immigrants getting jobs while the British workforce declines.

On the day that figures showed the number of people unemployed at a 12-year high, the Office for National Statistics chose to reveal that the number of foreign workers increased by 175,000 to 2.4 million last year while the number of British workers fell by 234,000 to 27 million.

[…]

Keith Vaz, the Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said that he would raise concerns about the release of the figures with the Prime Minister today. “The danger is that such information could be misconstrued or misused by those who do not support the view that Britain should be a diverse and multicultural society,” he said.

[…]

Agitprop, Well Done

Wer ihn nicht kennt: Pat Condell. Clear thinking, well spoken, British – full stop. A Breath of Fresh Air™, and funny at that. To quote one of his (Australian) admirers: „What an accent – I think I’m in love“.

• The trouble with Islam – A few words about the world’s fastest growing religion
• More demands from Islam – Another turn of the screw
• Unholy scripture – A message to racists, and a few words about the Bible
• Why does faith deserve respect? – Short answer: It doesn’t
• God bless atheism – A few questions answered
• Was Jesus gay? – … and what would it matter if he was?
• A word to Islamofascists – More propaganda from the Muslim Council of Britain
• Why are we friends with Saudi Arabia? – As if we didn’t know
• Re: Blasphemy Challenge – This is my response to the Rational Response Squad’s Blasphemy Challenge