Don't laugh

The standard of UK education reaches new depths. Geography is in need of the celeb treatment it seems - "schools will be sent videos of celebrities visiting different parts of the world in a bid to make lessons more interesting." Go here.

L & CR Bid Off

The UK government has backed off the sale of London & Continental Railways to one of their chums. Go here. See PunchBuggy Passim.

More spin: blame it on the Tories

Labour news management changes tack.

American music star Buck Owens is dead

Buck Owens from Bakersfield has died at 76. CBS has the story.

What a fool believes

Have you noticed when a scandal breaks the damage limitation ring-fencers go to work. "Brown knew nothing about it, old boy." "Prescott was completely in the dark." This is rapidly shown to be balderdash in the following days, but suits the news management strategy of that particular day. Yesterday's lies are soon forgotten.

Time they were gonged off

Quote from the Sunday Times:

"In the past five years Labour’s financial backers who have been rewarded with peerages have shelled out an average of £2.6m. A knighthood is a snip at £748,000. By contrast, buying a peerage in the era of David Lloyd George, the Liberal prime minister from 1916-22, cost £50,000, while a knighthood was £15,000. Even taking inflation into account, Blair’s prices are higher."

Much to my chagrin I've never been able to afford a seat in the House of Lords, but don't forget PunchBuggy brought you this story five years ago in 2001. See PunchBuggy Passim.

MG: The Octagon goes pear-shaped

MG reaches the end of the road. The Guardian chronicles the final demise of this British car company.

Coachbuilt creations

Old motors from the USA. Go here.

Proper off-roading in a Pinzgauer

If you can't afford a new Pinzgauer try a used Swiss Army version. Not many continental vehicles end up being made in Britain.

Station makeover

Waterloo Station in London is to receive a makeover. The Independent has the story.

Marsh back at Sepang

Matthew Marsh secured last-minute sponsorship from Gates GR Asia for the Porsche races accompanying the Malaysian Grand Prix. He finished sixth in the first race and third to mount the podium in the Sunday feature.

Automatic for the cycle

Want a motorbike with a CVT automatic transmission? Check this out.

Postcard from Toronto

Recent happenings here and here.

A nod is as good as a wink

Having ripped off the railtrack shareholders, the UK government is engaged in more cronyism on the rails. The Telegraph has the story.

Western Reality

Great Quicktime panoramas of the west.

Magnificent obsession

The Guardian looks back at the discovery of the Schlumpf car collection in Mulhouse, France.

Get off the tarmac

Ten obscure offroaders here.

Hunt and Peck II

Yesterday I went on the streetcar to the "Vintage Paper Show," held downtown in the foyer at the CBC, Canada's answer to the BBC. There were all kinds of posters, books and ephemera etc. I wasn't leading the charge as the trip was the idea of my Mrs, but I found the show surprisingly interesting. First up we met Martin Howard, a native of Durham in the UK, who was showing part of his collection of vintage typewriters. Check out his website here.

Recycling news

Chew Magna, Somerset - green village.

Automatic for the kettle

A middle-class design icon, it was called the forgettle in our house. William Russell, the man who invented it, has died.

Moving the goalposts

The super frugal Loremo diesel car is due for production in 2009. Loremo = low resistance mobile!

Plowing by satnav

The Globe and Mail has the story here.