MetaFilter posts tagged with greatbritain

This is a three-er

tellurian — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:17:51 -0800

Conquerors 2009 “There are many underhanded ways of making your conker harder. The best is to pass it through a pig." World Conker Champion – Charlie Bray. The World Conker Championships are on this weekend. All the action from last year. previously [1] [2] In other news, a cure for bleeding canker has been found, with a welcome side effect, leaf miners don't like having garlic breath.

I have nothing to declare except my prejudice.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:22:08 -0800

"Let them arrest me". Vehemently anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders was scheduled to travel to London tomorrow to attend a screening of his controversial short film Fitna (wiki, mefi). Yesterday however, the UK's Home Secretary notified Wilders that his presence in the UK would pose a "serious threat to [...] public security" (PDF), presumably intending to refuse his entry into UK. Wilders plans to board the flight anyway, daring British authorities to arrest him. Not that he's sitting so comfy at home either, however: Wilders faces prosecution in the Netherlands for hate speech and inciting discrimination. The decision to bar the self-styled "freedom fighter" from entering Britain has met with widespread criticism from the Dutch cabinet -- which by the way is completely made up of Wilders' political opponents -- and fellow MPs. The Dutch Foreign Minister has phoned the UK Foreign Secretary and stated he was "deeply upset and disappointed" by the decision. British papers join the chorus of condemnation.

Plunka-plunka-plunk, plunka-plunka-plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk.

WCityMike — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:45:39 -0800

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain performs the theme to "Shaft" (SYTL). Really, is any description needed? Also, since we're very loosely on the topic of odd British versions of popular songs, the rave remix of the "A-Team" theme that was in the Spaced episode "Epiphanies" (the Sean of the Dead guys). Just because, hey, this post wasn't random enough already. My work here ... is done.

The Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Costume Illustration

Kattullus — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:05:04 -0800

The Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Costume Illustration has drawings of uniforms and regimental regalia from all over the world. Assembled by one of these great, eccentric collectors of the late 19th Century, Dr. H. J. Vinkhuijzen, a Dutch medical doctor who started out as an army physician and eventually rose to the position of official court physician to Prince Alexander of Netherlands. He pulled plates out of books, colored in black and white drawings and painted his own watercolor illustrations. His collection includes pictures of the soldiers of many different nations and eras, from military superpowers like the Roman Empire, France and Great Britain, to lesser known, but no less formidable forces, like Byzantium and Persia and even taking in such minnows as Luxembourg, Monaco and Montenegro. Due to Vinkhuijzen's unusual classification system it can be hard to find some of the more interesting images, such as pictures of Etruscan cavalry, Spanish military musicians and 1830's Belgian ambulance.

"One sheds one's sickness in books." D. H. Lawrence

anotherpanacea — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:41:23 -0800

Books that heal: bibliotherapy banishes vexations of soul. Maybe.

What goes Up must come Down

adamvasco — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:15:29 -0800

End of Empire : A collaboration of all areas of geopolitics affecting countries of the world in relation to the 'Empire' of the United States of America, and the 'sub-Empires', such as the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and any other country which seeks to exploit poorer nations and their people in the quest for domination.

"The package was not recorded or registered."

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:55:31 -0800

Oops: UK tax collection agency loses discs containing personal details of 25 million Britons in the mail.

Pedal Power

chuckdarwin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 05:49:38 -0800

Jason Lewis has become the first man to circumnavigate the Earth using human power alone. It only took him 13 years: he set off from London in July, 1994 and ended his expedition in October, 2007, having travelled 46,505 miles (on foot and by pedal boat, roller blades, kayak, and bicycle). [via QI] He was struck by a driver in Pueblo, Colorado, and spent nine months recovering from two broken legs, returning to the trek in May 1996. He was also arrested on suspicion of spying in Sudan.

It's gonna be multiple choice, right?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:52:59 -0800

Think you're smart? Apply for a Prize Fellowship at Oxford's All Souls College. [via adrianhon]

Toob to Beeb

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:38:40 -0800

"I feel guilty because I have friends that are working really hard to get into television or acting and I'm just sitting here having not done anything more than enjoy playing with gadgets."

Susi Weaser (24) makes little one-minute gadget reviews and posts them on YouTube . The BBC must have liked them - because they hired her.

Send big dogs after her/That bite her bum

Mayor Curley — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:55:21 -0800

Long live our noble queen.

Brownlow's and Mollo's Nazi Britain

matteo — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 08:04:11 -0800

"The German invasion of Britain took place in July 1940, after the British retreat from Dunkirk". We see, documentary-style, members of the Wehrmacht trooping past Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral, lounging in the parks, having their jackboots shined by old cockneys, and appreciatively visiting the shrine of that good German, Prince Albert, in Kensington Gardens. Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo's film "It Happened Here", with its cast of hundreds (.pdf), imagines what a Nazi occupation might have been like — complete with underground resistance, civilian massacres, civil strife, torch-lit rallies, Jewish ghettos, and organized euthanasia. Shot on weekends, eight years in production, made for about $20,000 with nonactors and borrowed equipment and Stanley Kubrick's help, "It Happened Here" was originally envisioned by Brownlow as a sort of Hammer horror flick about a Nazi Britain. Thanks in part to Mollo's fanatical concern with historical accuracy, however, it became something else. The most remarkable thing about this account of everyday fascism is that it has no period footage. Brownlow's 1968 book about the film's production, "How It Happened Here", has recently been republished. More inside.

penthouse dealers

The Jesse Helms — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:21:51 -0800

"Were there U.K. publications?" Hilton responded: "No... there is stuff in London." Hilton's lawyer, Larry Stein, jumped in: "London is a U.K. publication." Her retort: "Right. U.K. Whatever."

The London Cage

matteo — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 08:16:18 -0800

The London Cage. Kensington Palace Gardens is one of the most exclusive addresses in the world. Between July 1940 and September 1948 three magnificent houses there were home to one of Great Britain'smost secret military establishments: the London office of the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre, known colloquially as the London Cage. It was run by MI19, the section of the War Office responsible for gleaning information from enemy prisoners of war, and few outside this organisation knew exactly what went on beyond the single barbed-wire fence that separated the three houses from the busy streets and grand parks of west London. The London Cage was used partly as a torture centre, inside which large numbers of German officers and soldiers were subjected to systematic ill-treatment. In total 3,573 men passed through the Cage, and more than 1,000 were persuaded to give statements about war crimes. A number of German civilians joined the servicemen who were interrogated there up to 1948. More inside.

smart_women != married_women; smart_men == married_men

airguitar — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 03:09:24 -0800

A high IQ is a hindrance for women wanting to get married while it is an asset for men, according to a study by four British universities.

The study found the likelihood of marriage increased by 35 per cent for boys for each 16 point increase in IQ. But for girls, there is a 40 per cent drop for each 16-point rise, according to the survey by the universities of Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The study is based on the IQs of 900 men and women between their 10th and 40th birthdays. (via)

The RCA Secret Challenge

ScottUltra — Thu, 18 Nov 2004 11:36:10 -0800

Want to buy an original David Hockney for only £35? Does Damien Hirst better suit your tastes? Make a visit to the Royal College of Art Secret Challenge sometime between November 19th and 25th to see if you have the eye for it!

Anglo-Sikh Heritage

plep — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 03:56:54 -0800

Anglo-Sikh Heritage. Sikhs and Britain. More at the Sikh Cyber-Museum.

Virtual Tours of England

hama7 — Sun, 11 Jul 2004 08:31:21 -0800

Virtual Tours of England.

England Hooligans On Tour

n o i s e s — Thu, 17 Jun 2004 06:17:51 -0800

It's time to send the team home: "England has bred a contemporary culture of immoderation at every level, with particular reference to drinking and fighting. The recent Panorama programme on weekend binge-drinking in city centres provided a wake-up call, as should the novelist Andrew O'Hagan's admirable essay on current British attitudes to masculinity, reprinted in yesterday's G2." (via The Guardian)

Coke pulls Dasani from UK shelves

omidius — Sat, 20 Mar 2004 14:11:36 -0800

Coca Cola pulls Dasani from UK shelves after it is found to contain Bromate, a highly carcinogenic derivative of Bromide. The US formula isn't wildly different. What's in your water?

temporary temples

specialk420 — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 13:50:04 -0800

temporary temples
man made or not ... they are cool. via the new newstoday

Auntie Beeb

Mwongozi — Tue, 17 Feb 2004 07:22:19 -0800

The history of the BBC
A chronological history of everyone's favourite broadcaster, from Guglielmo Marconi to Ricky Gervais.

THE SUN NEVER SETS

sgt.serenity — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 19:45:13 -0800

Save our Toilets ! To the rescue of a dying Empire,comes The British Toilet Association.

Historical links of many kinds

Slithy_Tove — Thu, 16 Oct 2003 09:18:29 -0800

Deb's Historical Research Page. This a ton of links found by a writer of romance fiction for her own reference. Most deal with recent British history and manners. Links vary in quality. Many are fascinating. Check out Boys' Dresses, Imperial Royal Playing Cards, or the discussion of an 18th Century English breakfast.

Bare British Bums

sourbrew — Thu, 04 Sep 2003 11:52:24 -0800

Bouncing Bottoms to Freedom, Britons pull together to show Bush there sour face, and tell him what they think about the war.