I picked up a cook book, Recipes From Scotland in a second hand bookshop a year or so again. Mainly because it looked genuinely old and I was interested in the wonders that could be kept within its tartan bound cover. The wonders, one must say, gener[…]

Thanks to all the people who replied to the ‘stats help wanted’ post – I have enough data to work with now, and can get to work on the exciting graphs and charts. Though first indications are that they won’t be all THAT exciti[…]

Hi, how are you. Let’s get right down to it: I am American by birth and citizenship, I have never left North America, I have played baseball while eating a hot dog, I stopped playing (our)soccer to play (our) football in 8th grade mostly so I c[…]

Mangoes
Y’all CANNOT understand what this, most unassuming of fruit means to a poor little city boy like myself (New York City, thankee). As a former resident of more tropical climes (that’s Florida, where America goes to Go to God), this[…]

Nine Unarguable Reasons why Synchronised Swimming is the Only True Olympic Sport
(as told to mark s by his top pal dr risk*) (and glossed a bit but NOT MUCH!!)
1. Dr Risk – who is three-quarters sea otter btw – wz captain of her college[…]

Question. Why, in the official Mayor Of London publicity, and London Authority bumpf is the ON in London a different colour (usually red) to the rest of the name. It is very simple and almost annoyingly arresting graphic because of it, BUT WHY?
(And […]

FT Top 100 Films
42: X-MEN
How do you turn a really successful, but really complex comic book series into a film. Its easy with Batman, Spider-Man or Superman as everyone knows what they do and to some extent why. But the messy, convoluted story of t[…]

Harder Better Faster Stronger
WANTED! Songs with a thematic/lyrical/whatever connection to an Olympic sport – a specific sport please not just ‘sports’ or ‘the Olympics’.
Nothing totally obscure thanks.
If you are readin[…]

Beer Barbie

Not the latest clumsy attempt by CAMRA to get women into real ale, but the official (I think) Oktoberfest Barbie doll – story here[…]

So David Mamet thinks audience research is rubbish. Pity. Maybe his most recent film would have been improved if he had done the scantest peice of research. F’rinstance the audience no longer considers Val Kilmer to be a leading man, especially[…]