Britblog roundup 188, getting up close and personal

Wow! I requested nominations and received more than I bargained for - Will be a long haul. Got more than one cuppa on standby so here goes....

First up from Devil's Kitchen, Pub ordered to take down sign at roadside as it "encourages drink-driving"

The Highways Agency backed a move by Wiltshire County Council to block signs pointing drivers towards pubs – leading to concerns from trade chiefs that it could set a precedent. Tom and Trisha Russell, who run the Black Dog in Chilmark, claim they have built their business on passing trade from the A303.

The couple can bleat as much as they like but it's just tough luck.

Mr Eugenides is sure blowing his stack with his post- Who's that gut lord marching?

NHS Ayrshire sending teams of nurses to measure people's waists in shopping centres.

Armed with measuring tapes to check waists and equipment to test blood pressure, the "Street Nurses" are policing busy shopping centres, supermarkets and community centres. Any man with a paunch, or woman with an "apple-shaped" body whose waist measurement is higher than recommended limits is given diet and lifestyle advice or referred to local slimming classes.

Personally haven't the foggiest who Gerry Rafferty is but Iain Sharpe's pondering over claims he's missing.

Something for us oldies who can remember those awful school dinners in 1950's and early 60's when dinner ladies stood over the children making sure they ate every scrap. It was considered almost a crime to waste food back then. Yuck! Rice pudding, treacle sponge and lumpy custard, foul gravy with boiled to death cabbage. Lets not forget the dreaded Spam, the most disgusting thing I've ever been forced to eat.

A Scottish reaction to the HBOS crisis - trust the politicians, there's always a spin angle for everything. He writes,

The main thrust, as usual, was from nationalist supporters who believed that this takeover was evidence of an English plot to usurp the Scots' sovereign right to own a bank and that this was almost certainly being orchestrated by the quisling and traitor Gordon Brown, because of his hatred for his own country. There was then a smaller countering force which contended that this showed just why Scotland cannot and should not be independent.

An interesting snippet of history if it's true - Banks in turmoil thanks to…Oliver Cromwell?

Croila knows exactly who he'd like to play this trick on. Must have missed something somewhere but I just don't get it.

Ministry of Truth is hopping mad and firing bullets, Death to the Linkspammers!!!!

All the media hype last week about the 4 missing data discs containing personnel information from Whittington hospital. Now they have been accounted for together with all copies, wondering if the media will update their stories. Can't recollect any news stories on the recovery of any of the missing disc scandals reported in this past year.

Charles Crawford's very knowledgeable about everything to do with the EEC
The EU Hindenburg Declining? - the 'European Council on Foreign Relations' describes how the EU is losing ground at the UN in terms of mobilising support from other countries for votes on human rights issues. Not sure what he means by That PoMo N-Word but reading it one gets the gist.

James Graham is having an existential crisis:

Regular readers will have noticed that recently I’ve been even more grumpy than usual, at least as far as the Lib Dems are concerned. He's definitely not the only LibDem feeling the same way.

Tim Worstal is defending a BNP teacher. He may have a valid point but I hardly think all those parents out there with children would agree with him

Catgirl speaks out about the rude attitude of chance encounters with strangers - Sadly it's the sign of the times, happens all the time in London.

Penny Red pens Stripping Tories

A local stripping club is offering discount vouchers to the delegates attending the Tory Conference in Birmingham next week. There's a brochure with photo of bums n' all. Just wonder how many men will sneak in there - can lay a bet some silly nana will be tempted and make a complete plonker of himself.

Not one of their better ideas. Did you get a cold call from the Liberal Democrats. Answers here please!

After the 'Harry Potter' donated £1,000,000 to the Labour party, a brilliant post from Jonathan Calder - Childrens writers and their politics

Brought back so many memories of our house when a child, with books from the floor to the ceiling. Climbing up the steps to sneak books to read late at night with a torch under the bed covers. Read many of Arthur Ransome books - only today I learned who he was.

Archbishop-Crammer's thoughts on Sadiq Khan MP's statement that Tory leader David Cameron only included Sayeeda Warsi's name in his House of Lords nomination list because she is a muslim woman. Possibly an element of truth in what he said but more like sour grapes on his part because his own name wasn't included.

This weeks contribution from English Buildings, The fragmentary 12th-century ruins of Wigmore Castle on a hill overlooking the Welsh-English border.

Learning from the distant past. A fascinating lesson about the evolution of mankind from Natalie Bennett - What Homo erectus and Cro-Magnons can teach us

Politics puzzles Pegasus - They are not the only one's who don't understand the intrigues of British politics.

Having never read the Shocking Pink magazine, had no idea who Kate Watson was. The F word however writes a touching memoriam. RIP

Jimjay - Women and politics - the Rwandan lesson, well worth a read.

Cruella-blog taking on virginity with Sex and Tories

She writes Thanks very much to everyone who's been in touch since Saturday about my appearance on BBC Radio Five Live. For those who missed it - the subject up for debate was those dreadful "purity" and "virginity" cult spreading over here at the moment from the US.

Diamond Geezer is encouraging readers to visit the Jewish East End in London. Quite a coincidence considering many of my ancestors are buried in the Jewish cemetery. Have been dragging my heels a bit, fully intending to have a look at the graves but never actually getting round to it.

An angry Magistrate is monitoring a website teaching motorists how to actually break the law. The bottle of the man who seems to be making a living out of passing on criminal information.

Theo's blog asks the question why does Transport for London (TFL) pension fund invest millions in British American Tobacco. Many of us would like to know the answer as well.

Chris Partridge is interested in monuments - How many motorists' who circle the Elephant and Castle in SE London every day realise that there's a neglected monument slap in the middle of the roundabout dedicated to the memory of Michael Faraday one of the great pioneers of electricity. Must take a took next time I'm down that way.

Heresycorner is not alone in his curiosity about all things mystical. He writes,

I had a strange sense of déjà vu this morning. Radio 4's Today programme was interviewing Dr Sam Parnia, of Southampton University. Parnia, together with colleague Dr Peter Fenwick of the Institute of Psychiatry, is about to embark on a "major study" into Out of Body Experiences....

Paul Walter feels Sarah Palin, Republican VP nomination has done wonders for the Democrats. Not long to go now, November is just around the corner. The world is watching with chants of 'Obama for President' reverberating far and wide

Finally - Matt Wardman is chuffed to bits that for his readers survey he's been awarded prizes. Who wouldn't feel the same way if it was them. Congrats to Matt.

Phew! a long roundup so glads that's over.

Next weeks roundup will be hosted by Jackart over at Bracken World

Almost forgot to remind readers: Anybody out there in Blogospere can nominate a post as long as it's a British Blog. All nominations should be sent to britblog [at] gmail [dot] com.