[world] not too many injuries at the verslunarmannahelgi weekend

The Verslunarmannahelgi long weekend, last weekend, went relatively well, according to police and municipal authorities throughout Iceland. All major media kept a close watch on proceedings.

The weekend is characterized by outdoor festivals held in various locations around the country, that inevitably draw large crowds. Assaults and traffic accidents are an inherent part of the weekend’s activities and this year one individual was sent to hospital with a broken skull, two cases of sexual assault ... read more here and comment.

[living] 10 best and worst places to live in britain

Found this more than interesting:

The ten best places to live in Britain:

10. West Oxfordshire
9. Guildford
8. Mole Valley
7. South Cambridgeshire

... read more here and comment.

[daily life] how do you rate in society

Don't we all have at least a sneaking desire to know where we are on the social scale? This article is a response to five conversations I’ve had in the last two weeks about who is in which social category. Not so easy to research in fine detail, plus there are anomalies, such as being at separate levels socially, economically and in terms of influence.

But let's say, hypothetically, there is a man who is public school educated [private, in other words] then sent on to a good university, parents upper working class, slaving to send him there. Through his working life, he's variously been anywhere from B to E on the NRS system. He's been in board rooms, is a member of the MCC and at one point ran a Volvo, a Peugeot, and a classic sports. He's also been in the dole queue at Hendon ... read more here and comment.

[nuclear news] poland stripped of fuel; iran ‘peaceful purpose’ production rushing ahead; nuclear plant sailing the oceans

Can you see Poland getting all gung-ho and nuking Latvia? Nor can I. Can you see Iran getting all gung-ho and nuking Israel?

Yet this is what the International Atomic Energy Agency has just cheerfully facilitated. On Thursday they ‘safely removed a sizable quantity of Soviet-era highly enriched uranium from a facility in Poland as part of an effort to secure nuclear materials worldwide’ - 40 kilograms of the weapons-grade ... read more here and comment.

[daily life] a reasonable man, pushed far too far

This article is not set in Britain but it might as well be. As you read, do you see any similarities with our situation? I'm reprinting it in its entirety, complete with public comments at the end, some as entertaining as the article itself:

For years I've been quietly fuming about the inefficiencies of our wretched, run-down, asinine public transport ticketing system, which is officially known as MetCard. I first met Ernie on Platform 7 at Flinders Street Station at 6:09:44pm. I remember noting ... read more here and comment.

[middle-east] troops 'deliberately under-equipped' in the middle-east

Interesting that the Beeb ran the piece [below] on shoddy equipment because I took a swipe at this business with my question in an earlier post: 'Why are the Dragonsuits [Dragon Skins] not allowed?' So to today's article by the Beeb:

British troops fighting in Iraq urgently need better-protected patrol vehicles to prevent more being killed by roadside bombs, MPs have warned. The all-party defence committee said the "under-equipped" soldiers needed more ... read more here.