30 Jan 2011

LYING BACK AND THINKING OF ENGLAND.

THE GUARDIAN
(26/01/2011).

Remember last week my telling you about PRINCE SUMMERFIELD, the 5ft 8in (1.76m), 10 stone (63.5kg) schoolboy suspended from school as the head teacher had his suspicions about the 'boy's' age? Well ........

Those suspicions were laid to rest as the head teacher of the 14-year-old's school admitted that he had made a mistake by excluding him because he thought the boy was actually 24.
While most people consider one education enough, there is at least one example of an adult masquerading as a schoolboy. In 1994, a 32-year-old man spent a year at a school in Scotland posing as a 17-year-old pupil. - Jeevan Vasagar. (READ MORE)

I know I promised not to mention the royal wedding again but I thought this worthy of a mention.

ROYAL WEDDING ART. It may be three months away, but the art world is getting its responses in early.
 Last week, female students from the Royal College of Art dressed up in the now-infamous blue wrap-style dress Kate Middleton wore to announce her betrothal, lined up outside Buckingham Palace, and, ring fingers extended, would say only the following to curious passers-by: "I'm Kate. It's wonderful to meet you. I'm very excited about the wedding.
And in February, Jennifer Rubell's Engagement, a life-size sculpture of Prince William, will be unveiled. Spectators can link arms with it, Middleton-style, and imitate their engagement pose. "The royal wedding is a Prince Charming fantasy that still seems to speak to women," she says. "So I wanted to offer those women a chance to stand in Kate's place. I hope it's not just women who step up, though."  - Rosie Swash.

THE CHRONICLE
(27/01/2011).

Yes, we also had a sock hungry monster living in our washing machine.

Families in the North East (of England) are more likely to lose their socks in the washing machine compared to any other part of the UK, a survey has revealed.
The questionnaire of 1,500 people revealed missing socks are most likely to affect men, and that northerners are top of the list as the most likely victims of sock disappearances, with 67% of households reporting they lose up to 15 socks a year. (Can any of you beat that number?)

With Valentines Day only a fortnight or so away, how's this for a romantic story.

HUNT FOR SOLDIER WHO PROPOSED ON VOICEMAIL. The Ministry of Defence was today due to contact units in Afghanistan in a bid to trace the mystery squaddie who left a voicemail proposing to his girlfriend on a Tyneside woman’s phone.
The hunt is on for the pregnant girlfriend of the British soldier who has no idea that her partner wants to marry her because he dialled the wrong number.
In the heartrending answerphone message (which can be heard by clicking on the above link), the soldier, thought to be calling from Afghanistan, tells his girlfriend Samantha how much he loves her and their unborn child, before finally proposing marriage but the 90-second call was received by 44-year-old mother-of-three Diane Potts, from Whickham, Gateshead, not the mystery Samantha. -Sophie Doughty.

THE TELEGRAPH.
(29/01/2011).

How's this for a welcome?

Passengers arriving at Manchester Airport are to be greeted by holograms of staff in an attempt to reduce queues. The images of actual employees will explain liquid restrictions and remind passengers to have their boarding passes ready.


Staff member Julie Capper alongside her hologram.

THE SUN.
(19/01/2011).

I started with the royal wedding and so I'll finish with it with ........

ROYAL CONDOMS. Yes, you read right ... to, err, commemorate the wedding of the year Crown Jewels Condoms of Distinction have produced a souvenir condom which .....

Slammed as tasteless by royal commemtators, urges uses to 'Lie back and think of England'.

PLEASE NOTE - I Will always endeavour to bring you the links to articles I have used in my Media Monday posts but this is not always possible.

14 comments:

Su said...

All brilliant, as usual... although I'm completely mystified as to how northeast England washing machines are hungrier for socks than the rest of the country? Methinks there may be something wrong with the research... or perhaps there's a particular type of machine only sold in that region. Either way, it's very odd!

Amrit said...

Where do you get these posts? Awesome. Recently someone asked me which blogger do you look forward to read...my answer was..it is the Monday Morning posts of PW.

Arti said...

Now why would anyone at the age of 32 want to spend time at a school??
And the hologram image looks so real, its a great technique!!
These stories are amazing...
Have a great day Tracy:-)

Suko said...

Enjoyed these humorous odds and ends--a nice way to ease into Monday. Seems truth is stranger than fiction!

Kelly said...

Royal condoms?? LOL!!!

The hologram is a bit "Star War-ish". As for that sock monster...not a problem I've ever dealt with.

NRIGirl said...

As usual - very entertaining Petty!
You defintely have a knack for bringing the best weekly write up!

Carol said...

Missing socks....drives me crazy, with 5 of us all having odd socks.

Royal condoms.....and they thought the tea towels were tacky!

I was touched by the soldier's proposal, I cried when I read it...our menfolk could learn a thing or two from that proposal. Did we hear whether they found the girlfriend?

carol

Misha said...

How can a 32 year old man get away with pretending to be 17?!!
Crazy and hilaious post as always, Tracy!

dr.antony said...

Royal condoms ! Aah..I love it.
With a golden ring at the end!
Long time back,they distributed condoms to villagers free,as part of the family planning program.Some of them brought the condoms back the following week,saying it was difficult to chew and swallow!

Dorte H said...

Oh, has there been a royal wedding? ;)

Gina said...

At least they admitted the mistake about the student...gheesh. How odd about the missing socks? I thought it only happened in my dryer! But oh dear on the last one...so that explains the posts title... *-*

The Bookworm said...

haha, these posts always make me laugh! The holograms of staff is classic.

Alexia561 said...

I love these posts! And I'm with Dizzy C - tea towels are tacky but condoms are okay??? *L*

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad it was sorted out about the student.
I wonder why the socks are different there. My machine never eats them, not that I know of anyway. Of course we hardly ever wear socks here in Hawaii.
I looove holograms. How cool.
I couldn't understand the soldier's speech but I got the heartfeltness of it.Sweet.

Thanks for these posts. XD