Odds and Ends

Making a Splash on Facebook
 
One of the oddest stories I have read has to be the Taiwanese tourist who was busy checking her Facebook page as she walked along. She was walking along a pier in the Australian city of Melbourne, which was perhaps not the best place to check Facebook, and walked off St Kilda's pier into Port Phillip Bay late on Monday night this week. The rescuers reported this:
 
"She still had her mobile phone in her hand and initially she apologised... she said 'I was checking my Facebook page on the phone and I've fallen in'."
 
Dirty Money and Killer Banknotes
 
The BBC reports that:
 
"Plastic banknotes that can survive a spin in the washing machine are to be brought into circulation by the Bank of England in 2016. The Bank argues that the polymer notes stay cleaner and are more secure than cotton paper notes, which have been used for more than 100 years. The £5 note featuring Winston Churchill will be the first plastic banknote. About 20 countries around the world have adopted polymer banknotes, starting with Australia in 1988."
 
But the Independent reports that:
 
"A study of the survival rates of microbes such as E.coli and the MRSA superbug when placed on seven different currencies has found that they thrived best on money printed on the plastic polymer banknotes earmarked to be introduced in Britain in 2016 following a public consultation."
 
And when Doctor Who gets hold of the notes, of course, expect a return from the Nestenes, those evil colonising aliens who can animate plastic and turn it into lethal weapons.
 
Working Title: The Economy Strikes Back., or Cash Wars.
 
Doctor: Who was he?
Kate Lethbridge Steward: He was the former head of a failing bank, who walked off with a golden handshake. He seems to have been murdered by his own banknotes.
Doctor: He murdered the economy, and now the economy strikes bank. It's a rather sour note.
 
Too Let?
 
Just read this story:
 
"Hill walkers and mountaineers have disputed a claim that a double award-winning loo is the most remote public toilet on the UK mainland. Loo at the Light in Sutherland won two accolades at the 2013 Loo of the Year Awards. People who look after the facility at Stoer Head Lighthouse said it was a great achievement for mainland UK's "remotest public toilet". However, climbers say Corrour Bothy's toilet is more remote. The historic bothy is at the foot of Cairn Toul and the Devil's Point in the Lairig Ghru in the Cairngorms."
 
Fancy having an argument about the most remote loo! A right carry on at their convenience!
 
For those who are interested in the oddities of toilets. An outbuilding at "The Elms" in Jersey has a "double" toilet - two holes for two people to sit at once! And the Minquies rocks have the most southerly toilet in the British Isles.
 
The Spirit of Scrooge
 
The spirit of Scrooge is live and well in Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which has sent out Christmas cards with the seasonal greeting - "Don't overindulge this Christmas. Pay your rent!" - sent out to west London council tenants. The card shows a pound coin fizzing in a glass.
 
The BBC reported that:
 
"Hammersmith and Fulham Council said 46% of its tenants were in rent arrears and the cards were part of a "hard-hitting" campaign. However, tenants branded it as a "disgusting" move disguised as a festive message."
 
And as usual, they have been sent to everyone, including people who pay regularly on time, which is sloppy, lazy and shows a complete lack of thought. I wonder what bright spark thought of this idea. Someone from a PR firm, no doubt, after one two many Christmas cognacs.
 
Links
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25426263
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25427663
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/filthy-lucre-bank-of-englands-new-plastic-notes-provide-ideal-environment-for-natures-nastiest-bacteria-8814733.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-25419246
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25428796