That didn’t stop the populace going on an orgy of nonsense:

The issue was, however, compounded by media dimwits who were quick to publish what was claimed to be pictures of a dead Bin Laden. TV stations in Pakistan led the way, but before long the image had found its way into mainstream Western media, eager to get the grisly scoop into their pages.

Unfortunately, the image was actually a poorly thrown together fake that first circulated over two years ago. Taking a stock photo of Bin Laden, some wag had spliced it together with that of an unknown corpse to create a briefly convincing photo that didn’t stand a moment’s serious scrutiny.

Firstly, the bottom half of the face is clearly massively out of focus in comparison to the top half. This is an obvious indication of fakery, and suggests that the hoaxer had simply blown up a picture of Bin Laden to fit the size of a second photograph of a corpse. This was so clearly debunked at the time, that it is easy to find the actual dead body photo that made the second half of the image.

Nonetheless, the press’ publication of this image led to a wide belief that this had been officially published by the Government and from there to a slew of conspiracy belief: primarily that Bin Laden wasn’t dead. The “sea burial” disposal of Bin Laden’s body and the publication of this image were conflated in the minds of many and presented as compelling evidence of something fishy. And this being the internet, it’s not a rumour that will die any time soon.

Online gambling was largely prohibited in the USA following the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which sought to stop gambling firms taking money from US customers. The act has been subject to legal challenges on constitutional grounds, but was finally enacted in June of 2010. When the bill was passed, many companies such as 888.com immediately announced their intention to leave the US market. Many companies however declared that they would carry on – among them Full Tilt, Poker Stars and Absolute Poker.

It is alleged that in order to get around the regulations they channelled US funds through shell companie. Fake companies that ‘sold’ goods such as golf equipment and food were used to collect payments which were then channelled through a bank in which the poker companies had a 30% stake. Not only does this allegation suggest an illegal gambling operation, but also outright fraud.

The companies’ assets have been seized – including their domain names, which have been replaced by an FBI notice.

The Driving Standards Agency has released the details of the case (although not the unfortunate woman’s identity) following a Freedom of Information request. The same request also revealed that a man in the Midlands is currently waiting to take his practical test for a 37th time, having failed test 36 at the back end of 2010.

If that sounds pretty stunning, it’s worth pointing out that he still has some way to go to beat the record number of fails. That record is still the proud possession of Git Kaur Randhawa of Middlesex who took 48 attempts before finally being declared roadworthy in 1987. Presumably accompanied by a 21 gun salute and RAF fly-past.

You do kind of wonder what the problem is. The theory test is a series of 50 multiple choice questions of which you must answer 43 correctly to pass. Multiple choice! And there are a limited number of questions and you can take test tests online from various places (including at the DVLA itself). After 90 attempts and who knows how many thousand practices you’d think that your recall of the questions would be near photographic, but apparently not.

To be fair, we’ve all known otherwise bright people who couldn’t get to grips with exams – either due to the pressure or the very specific nature of the task of remember certain things. Even so, spare a thought for this poor woman as she embarks on lonely attempt 91 in the near future. Mystery woman: we wish  you well!

It seems unlikely doesn’t it? And yet that is what happened on this late-winter’s day.

As ever, there are two sides to the story. To the girls’ parents, this was a frightening, intimidating and heavy-handed encounter with officialdom, prying into the joyful playtime of their children. To the councillor, the picture was somewhat different:

“We are very proud of our parks and can’t have people ripping up public property. I am a reasonable person and would not have called the police if they were just picking two or three flowers, but this was totally disgraceful.”

It is certainly clear that the boundaries we might accept in terms of children’s behaviour vary wildly from person to person – but it is noticeable that the parents haven’t denied that the charge that their kids were taking more than 2 or 3 flowers. Either way, reports that the girl is too upset to return to the council-owned park in case her family “would be taken away by the police” shouldn’t fill anyone with gladness.

[Picture courtesy: PatMcD, Wikimedia Commons]

The SBS Typoon collided with a scout vessel, which in turn was forced into a third vessel. The owners of the Typhoon put the accident down to a software fault, with SBS managing director Nigel Taylor saying:

“We were in the process of installing a new dynamic positioning system. We were doing checks on the system and had to have the engine running. There was a fault in the software. The controls were fully manned at the time, as were the other two vessels. No one was hurt. There was some damage caused to our ship and to the VOS Scout and minor damage to the Ocean Searcher.”

While the footage appeared dramatic, sharp-eyed YouTube users noticed that birds flying past the camera appeared to be doing so at something like 54000 miles an hour while some wags pointed out that traffic in Aberdeen moves at nothing like the speed shown in the video. Despite that, why positioning software was being tested in such a confined space alongside other vessels isn’t entirely clear, and it’s certainly a more entertaining software bug than Microsoft Word’s inability to handle bullet points.

Anyway, if slightly sped-up footage of ships gently bumping into each other is your bag, then here you go.

The Heart of England NHS Trust identified a string of underage children with serious drinking problems in a study last year and this was the youngest and most troubling case. Doctor’s fear that the boy will suffer withdrawal problems such as mood swings and the shakes, but could – more seriously – have suffered brain damage.

Nicolay Sorensen from Alcohol Concern said:

“To be diagnosed alcoholic, it’s possible this child would have shown a physical dependency. ’They would have had to ingest enough to cause withdrawal symptoms. It is a horrifying case.”

No details of the child’s background have been given, but the case will serve to highlight concerns about the availability of cheap alcohol for home use through supermarkets – and comes on the day that drink charities have pulled out of the Government’s proposed ‘alcohol responsibility‘ deal.

We’re in two minds on the issue, being both fans of the drink and opponents of people being sick outside our house. But using extreme outlying cases like this as a basis of or justification for law is rarely helpful. It’s also worth nothing that, despite the horror stories and tabloid front pages, we’ve been drinking less booze in Britain for several years now, so perhaps some of the bluster and hand-wringing is a little misplaced.

No comfort to the 3 year old boy, of course. Godspeed little man – and hope the rest of your life works out better for you.

[img courtesy: Wikimedia]

Attempts to stabilise the temperature in the core by pumping in sea water are apparently failing and the core temperature continues to rise. This site offers perhaps the best detailed guide to the mechanisms that operate the power plant and the challenges faced by the engineers.

By best estimates, the danger posed by this plant – even in the case of a meltdown – is actually minimal to the outside world. The US 7th Fleet has moved further offshire in response to increased readings in background radiation, but even these higher levels are less than a typical routine X-Ray. But Japan is, for historical reasons, highly sensitive to the matter of radiation, and even these small amounts will be enough to raise alarm in a country where over 30% of power comes from nuclear stations.

Japan’s nuclear power stations have been constructed to perhaps higher standards of safety than anywhere else in the world precisely because of the country’s position along some of the world’s most active earthquake zones. Nonetheless, the world will look on with great concern, especially seeing as nuclear power is being touted as a potential saviour in the search to replace oil and coal.

VIDEO: The Dramatic Moment when the Fukushima Plant First Exploded

Get this, that £10,000 underfloor heating system was actually installed in their kennels – yes, it was for their dogs! Crazy or what?  You know you’ve really made it when you can splash out a cool £10k on your pets hi tech heating system.

Ridiculous.

At least their pets will be kept out side and will be warm enough through winter but still have the freedom to run about.

I’m not sure who they bought the underfloor heating systems from, or who suggested it, it might have been Floor Heating Online – but I’m not sure.

Picture courtesy of gordonflood.com

There was a misconception, both at the time and currently, that you could win or lose at no cost to you. This is not so because when a person entered into a no win no fee, or conditional fee arrangement, the solicitor acting for them would take on the case if he considered that there was a good likelihood of success, for an agreed fee, usually an aftermarket insurance premium. If they won their claim, the solicitor acting for them earns their fee and usually a success fee (bonus) from the opposing party, typically an insurance company. The winning party should also keep 100% of any compensation sum awarded to them!

The legal system changed after the no win no fee system came into being in 1995 with the end of the legal aid system being available for Personal Injury cases. This stopped the process of having to apply for means tested access to legal help for personal injury claims and it is now at the discretion of your chosen solicitor whether they take your case on a conditional fee arrangement or CFA basis. CFA’s have levelled the playing field regarding access to the compensation and changed the legal system for all, rich and poor!

It’s extremely important to take extra care when driving in snowy and icy conditions by taking the following steps:

Taking it Slow – Heavy snow and ice will severely increase braking distances and your ability to stop on a hill. In order to remain in control you should keep in a low gear and give yourself a lot more time to stop, by slowing the car down gradually. If you begin to skid don’t keep your foot on the break, release it and reapply whilst steering into the skid to try and correct the way you’re going.

Run down through the gears to slow rather relying so much on your breaks.

Pulling Away – can be difficult, if you’re on a hill or it has snowed around your car overnight. Pulling away is a major cause of car accidents and can cause serious personal injuries. When pulling away use second gear instead of first. If you are stuck, try reversing up/rolling back and then pulling away. Keep a shovel in your boot in case you need to dig yourself out to get traction.

Going around corners can be non-existent in snowy and icy conditions. When travelling too fast your car is likely to slide sideways without any control which could easily result in a dangerous accident. It’s important to slow right down for corners whilst remaining well focused removing the need for sudden braking which usually makes skids worse.

Be aware of other vehicles, as you can’t expect that everyone is going to be as cautious as you are. The opposite is far more likely. Be aware that other vehicles may not be able to stop. It’s also important to be aware of pedestrians as it becomes much easier to run someone over in these bad weather conditions.

Most importantly – remain vigilant by turning of your stereo and giving the road your full concentration, preventing the need for no win no fee personal injury claims or worst case – a fatal accident.

The Lost Property Office finds more than 184,000 lost items each year and manager Julie Haley told press that returning the lost items to their owners is a great feeling. She said: “returning even the smallest of items can make a big difference.”

Adding that, “I know some people think if they have lost something on public transport they will never get it back, but I would like to encourage them to give us a call. You never know – we might just have it here.”

Ms Haley also talked about the most popular item handed in at the office saying, “In the 1960s, the most popular thing we would get was umbrellas. We would get over 90,000 in a typical year. The number handed in today is around 7,000.”