Dribs and drabs

A new Pet!!

The poor little boy only wanted to bring his friend home to stay!!!! Well, not quite.

"She said she was alerted to the reptile's presence by her three-year-old son, who was patting its head"

An attentive mother clearly, who obviously thought her little boy had enough of playing with the pet Fido - but how an crocodile manged to enter the house in the first place is surely a mystery that only the mother can explain.

The local zoo denies it's outsourcing policy had any involvement.

But please folks, remember, no animals were harmed in the making of this news article.  However, several men were stranded in the nearby cemetary, whilst 200 trees bravely sacrificed their lives to ensure a safe passage for the torrent of surplus rainwater.

I feel the need.........the need to speed

Well, reading through this article, one thing sticks out to my mind.

"The US government recently cleared the company after an inquiry into reports its electronic throttle system had led to unintended acceleration"

Unintended acceleration???  (Which delightful bunch of lawyers took a three hour meeting to determine this phrase I wonder, purely on retainer I hazard a guess)

"Oh sorry Officer. I couldn't help but do a little 'unintended acceleration' there. I'll attempt not to do that again but I can give no guarantees, after all, we do have these little.....'accidents' "

Toyota has said that.....

".........it was unaware of any injuries related to the recalls"

No - of course not.  Those folks are dead, being involved in accidents due to...... 'unitentional acceleration'. 

BUT should you find yourself in a speeding Toyota, here's what you can do (borrowed from another website with my ever so helpful tips added to it in brackets).

1. (Panic) Don't hit the brakes on a runaway car (it might take offense). When the accelerator is stuck, the brakes can't engage properly. Try pumping the brakes to see if that helps. Although, based on driver reports from those who've experienced a runaway vehicle, don't expect pumping to do much.
2. Shift into neutral instead. If that is not possible, or does not work, then turn off the car at the ignition (where else would you turn off the car??? and wouldn't this be the first thing to do??, even before panicking). Shutting off the car may cause serious damage to the engine but could also save your life (you don't say). Note that you have only seconds to act and that the sudden surge in acceleration will throw you back. Some fatalities seem to have been more the result of being thrown back by acceleration which didn't allow enough time for drivers to recover (Really - I thought the fatalities occured cause they died).
3. Pump the brakes gently once in neutral and coast to the berm (assuming you've reacted quickly enough in the few seconds of dear life you have left, and wasn't throw back, or panicked or did something else completey stupid instead).
   
   
4. Turn on the hazard lights (Yeah - that'll help).
   
   
5. Shut off the car (WTF!!!!!)
    
   
6. Anticipate a runaway situation whenever driving a Toyota vehicle (WHAT!!! Toyota - you make cars, not planes) until the root cause of the problem is identified (better still, and here's a newsflash, simply don't drive the toyota!!). Keep an eye on the accelerator and keep your hands free (but preferably ON the steering wheel).
   
   
7. Prepare for a runaway vehicle. Practice quickly shifting to neutral while driving in a parking lot (Oh dear lord - as if parking in a parking lot isn't bad enough without madcap zany Toyota drivers practising to pretend they're a plane and attempting takeoff with appropriate vocal sound effects) .

Source:

Government 'to miss Neet target'

Well, for starters, they can ensure several of them can be employed to come up with a better acronym.  Or it is being trendy by encouraging 'yooth' culture with incorrect spelling???

 Bombs away!!!

Ok - Bit of an extreme reaction I must say, so what exactly did G W Bush's house ever do to him??  I ask you!!

Doctor Who Trailer

In case there are a few like minded (Ok - read that as sad) individuals out there interested in Doctor Who.  A trailer is now out 'there'.

On this day

1821 - Mexico gains independence from Spain

1924 - Mahatma Gandhi released from jail 

1968 - 1st pulsar discovered (CP 1919 by Jocelyn Burnell at Cambridge) 

1981 - Britain's Prince Charles announces engagement to Lady Diana Spencer 

Births

1966 - Billy Zane

1965 - Kristin Davis

1947 - Edward James Olmos

Deaths

1993 - Bobby Moore, English soccer team capt (World champs 1966)

2006 - Dennis Weaver, American actor (b. 1924)

Thought for the day

Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon