Dutch scientist confirms a beer a day “would be very good for you” and suggests drinking such protects against insomnia, dementia and obesity
Many of The Sun’s headlines are to be taken with a pinch of salt, but this morning’s claiming “a beer a day can help you live longer” is actually supported by science.
Backing up a previous study, first reported on by Sam Dangremond in Town & Country and shared in The Steeple Times in February 2018, that suggested “drinking alcohol could be the key to living past 90,” Professor Eric Claassen, a gut bacteria expert at Amsterdam University said: “In high concentrations, alcohol is bad for the gut, but if you drink just one [strong Belgian example such as Hoegaarden] every day it would be very good for you.”
With some bottled brews containing up to 50 million probiotic or “good” bacteria, it seems beer is the way forward. We join those saying “cheers” to that.
Pictured top: Hoegaarden is an example of a “very good” tipple according to scientist Professor Claassen.
International Space Station astronaut captures a truly amazing cloud free photograph of the Scottish Highlands
Photographs taken from aeroplanes and spacecraft are generally blighted by cloud cover but an image shared this week in the Daily Mail captured by the International Space Station of the Scottish Highlands in February is without flaw.
Taking in everywhere from Durness and Wick in the north to Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye, the image is rare in the sense that is is completely cloud free. It was taken on a Nikon D5 digital camera in February and “cropped and enhanced to improve contrast,” according to the paper’s Phoebe Weston.
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Meanwhile, yesterday, in Medway, Kent, a moaning Minnie named Charlotte Day contacted the Mail Online to complain about how she’d not been able to nab a loaf of bread in a Tesco Extra store.
24-year-old healthcare assistant Ms Day – no doubt paid for her pathetic non-story by the newspaper – claimed “customers were barging past each other” and ridiculously bleated:
“Shoppers were walking around with a panicked look on their faces. Some people had six or seven loaves in their basket.”
“People were pushing around, they weren’t being polite about it. I went to grab the last loaf and someone who already had six in their trolley took it, the shelves were empty. I couldn’t believe how busy it was.”
That this woman was prepared to go to the press about a bit of bread is bad enough, but that people are expiring their last breaths on the pavements of one of the richest countries in the world is utterly outrageous. Shame on Charlotte Day and shame on all of us.
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Irresponsible Volkswagen Polo driver – registration HW06 CWM – needs to be removed from Britain’s roads
Jeremy Clarkson regularly shares the registration plates of irresponsible motorists he spots on his Twitter feed and having encountered similarly bad driving yesterday, here we share imagery of a woman who deserves to be removed from Britain’s roads.
Witnessed by numerous drivers swerving in and out of traffic on the Cromwell Road in London, SW7 on Sunday afternoon, the female driver of a Volkswagen Polo – registration HW06 CWM – was observed nearly causing an accident with a Range Rover and then hooting her horn abusively.
We share a picture of the white, female driver concerned and urge readers to clear the roads if you see this menace approaching.
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Image of Theresa May’s ‘Brexit war cabinet’ illustrates how divided her government truly is
Thursday’s ‘Brexit war cabinet’ was supposedly a bit of a bloodbath but now – in a picture published in the Mail Online late on Saturday –the frostiness between those in her pathetic orbit was made truly clear.
Photographed in the Great Hall of the Buckinghamshire mansion Chequeurs with the Worst Prime Minister in History sat bolt upright next to a roaring fire, May arranged Brexiteers and Remainers as far apart as possible. Indicative of the clear divide amongst those plotting as to her succession, never has a clearer image of a government deservedly about to fall been shown.
#BringHerDown #MakeFebruaryTheEndOfMay
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A numbered list of attendees at Theresa May’s meeting at Chequers follows:
1) Theresa May, Prime Minister
2) David Davis, Brexit Secretary
3) Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary
4) Julian Smith, Chief Whip
5) Philip Hammond, Chancellor
6) Greg Clark, Business Secretary
7) Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary
8) Gavin Williamson, Defence Secretary
9) David Lidington, Cabinet Office Minister
10) Amber Rudd, Home Secretary
11) Karen Bradley, Northern Ireland Secretary
12) Michael Gove, Environment Secretary
13) Peter Hill, Principal Private Secretary to the PM
Grime and hip hop artist Stormzy should be saluted for using his fame to do good; the vile harpy Amanda Platell owes him an apology
Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. – better known by his stage name Stormzy – used his fifteen minutes of fame after winning the best album and the best male artist at the Brit Awards for the good of others.
Using the evening’s final performance, the grime and hip-hop artist rapped:
“Yo Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You criminals, and you’ve got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, you should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”
He added:
“MPs sniff coke, we just smoke some cannabis; So don’t get me for this, so be woke; This year I am dishing out Ls for free smoke; You tell us that we’re thugs, I try to bust a myth; But someone tell the Daily Mail that they can suck my…”
The opposite of the cowardly and self-loving members of ‘The Club’ that includes the likes of the withering old crooner Sir Elton John and his moaning titleless husband David Furnish, Stormzy has since continued to communicate his campaign in the days since. Communicating to his 1.18 million followers on Twitter, he encouraged the nation to sign a petition to take action to support the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and as of 11:50am Saturday over 130,000 people had signed a petition calling for a parliamentary debate.
Elsewhere on Saturday in the Daily Mail, the acid tongued Australian harpy Amanda Platell demanded: “[Stormzy] show a scintilla of gratitude to the country that offered his mother and him so much instead of trashing it.” This self-declared “dear friend” of the paedophile Rolf Harris should be ashamed of herself; Stormzy has used his fame for the good others whilst she is simply known for taking the dirty money of the nastiest newspaper in Britain.
Sign the petition to “Call on PM to take action to build public trust in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry” by clicking here.
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The government’s cowardly response in full to the petition follows:
The Grenfell Tower fire was a truly unimaginable tragedy that should never have happened.
The Government’s highest priority remains making sure that survivors, bereaved families and the wider Grenfell community receive all the support they need.
The independent public Inquiry into the fire is an important part of the process and will help those affected get the answers they need to get to the truth of what happened.
The Prime Minister committed to considering the issue of panel members once the Chair had confirmed who had been appointed as assessors to assist the Inquiry. Section 7 of the Inquiries Act 2005 allows the Minister responsible for an inquiry to appoint further panel members during the course of an inquiry with the agreement of the Chair.
In October 2017, the Chair announced the appointment of 7 expert witnesses with backgrounds in fire safety, forensic fire analysis, fire engineering, disaster resilience and also anatomy and human identification. The expert witnesses will provide a range of technical advice and expert reports to assist the work of the Inquiry in delivering its terms of reference.
In addition, in November 2017, the Chair announced the appointment of 3 assessors with backgrounds in community engagement and social housing, local authority administration and structural engineering. The Chair also confirmed at the Inquiry’s preliminary hearing in September that he would expect the assessors to see all the evidence and sit with him when taking oral evidence. The Chair has also confirmed that he may make further appointments if needed.
Following the announcement of these appointments, the Prime Minister carefully considered the composition of the Inquiry panel in light of the diversity and expertise of advice now available to the Inquiry.
The Prime Minister wrote to the representatives of the survivors and bereaved families on 21 December 2017 and informed them of her decision not to appoint additional panel members. The Prime Minister’s decision was similarly communicated to the Inquiry on the same date.
Having regard to the terms of reference and the assistance to be provided by the assessors, and the expert witnesses, it is the Prime Minister’s view that the Inquiry panel has the necessary expertise to undertake the Inquiry as it is currently constituted. The Prime Minister is also conscious of the need for the Inquiry to complete its initial report as quickly as reasonably possible. The Prime Minister therefore considers that additional panel members should not be appointed at this stage.
In reaching this conclusion, the Prime Minister fully took into account her duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Public Sector Equality Duty – PSED).
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that those most affected by the tragedy are able to contribute fully to the Inquiry and that is why the Prime Minister welcomes the consideration being given by Sir Martin Moore-Bick to the establishment of a community advisory panel, as proposed at the December procedural hearing.
Such a panel, similar to that which has worked well for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, could play a very beneficial role in putting those most affected at the heart of the Inquiry and enabling them to ensure that their views and experiences are heard. It is for Sir Martin, as Chair of the independent Inquiry, to take this forward, in consultation with the Grenfell Tower community, and the Government hopes that he will be able to do this as soon as possible.
In line with the Inquiry Rules 2006, legal representatives of the Grenfell community core participants will receive in advance of hearings disclosure of relevant evidence; will be able to make opening and closing statements at certain hearings and can suggest lines of questioning to be pursued by Counsel to the Inquiry. They can also apply to the Chair to ask questions of a witness.
Quirky 1995 Rolls-Royce estate car for sale for just shy of £100,000; it’s perfect for picnics and conveying posh pooches
A 1995 special edition Rolls-Royce Flying Spur converted to an estate car in recent years from a Silver Spur III with just 25,000 miles on the clock is currently for sale for £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000).
Redesigned by West Coast Customs for an American music company executive circa 2011 for use in California, the vehicle offered features a “raked roof-line” and is finished in British Racing Green with light green over. It has just 25,000 miles on the clock, a tan leather interior and a boot with acres of space for dogs, picnics and goodness knows what else.
The 6.8-litre, turbocharged V8 engine, automatic, right-hand drive car – one of just 134 Silver Spur III’s – is offered by Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.
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Study reveals old aged folk who get fat and enjoy a tipple or two tend to live longer
On Wednesday in society magazine Town & Country, Sam Dangremond revealed that “drinking alcohol could be the key to living past 90.”
Quoting The 90+ Study, “one of the largest studies of the oldest-old in the world” and something that encompasses some 1,600 people aged over 90 years old, Dangremond remarked: “It turns out an extra beer or glass of wine might actually help you live a longer life.”
In summary, the study found that nonagenarians consuming “two glasses of beer or wine a day improved their odds of living longer than those who did not, by about 18%.” Interestingly also, overweight (but not obese people) in their 70s live longer than normal or underweight people, the study also found.
Of the results, Dr Claudia Kawas, a neurology specialist at the University of California, commented:
“I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity.”
“It’s not bad to be skinny when you’re young, but it’s very bad to be skinny when you’re old.”
We say: “A most definite hearty cheers to that.”
#HappyDrinking
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San Francisco condominium with a plaque that falsely claims Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived there for sale for £2.6m; it was actually home to a whackjob doctor who believed he could cure any disease
Offered last for £1.779 million ($2.495 million, €2.010 million or درهم9.163 million) in 2012, 2151 Sacramento Street in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights has just been brought to the market by the well-known and often eccentrically dressed realtor Joel Goodrich for £2.637 million ($3.698 million, €2.979 million or درهم13.581 million).
Adorned with a plaque that reads: “This house, built in 1881, was once occupied by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,” the apartment offered is one of four within a Beaux-Arts building that replaced the original structure in the 1920s. It extends to 2,528 square foot and includes 2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 parking spaces and a south facing roof deck.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930) and the plaque to him at 2151 Sacramento Street; he actually stayed at The Clift Hotel during his brief visit
Dr Albert Abrams (1863 – 1924) was facinated with curing vibrations and came up with radionics and the theory of spondylotherapy; here he is pictured with his pointless invention
Just as in Britain with Elizabeth I – a woman who, it seems, slept in virtually every bed in the land – the truth about Conan Doyle’s association is much more mundane. The author and creator of Sherlock Holmes did visit the then owner of the property, one Dr Albert Abrams, whilst on a short visit to San Francisco in 1923 but actually only for a few hours.
Conan Doyle is noted for having supported Abrams, a controversial professor of pathology at Stanford University and the inventor of a whackjob device named a dynamizer, when others turned there backs on him. His claim to fame was that his contraption could analyse a single drop of blood and then transmit a cure back by radio waves. As with many others of that time, this hocus-pocus was eventually discounted as utterly outrageous and Abrams was in turn branded: “The dean of twentieth century charlatans.”
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London has simply become a money park for dodgy money and though ‘McMafia’ reflected elements of that, the truth is far more depressing
Since the 1st January, the nation was engrossed (though many were also totally bored) by the BBC’s eight-part drama series McMafia.
Based on a fictional – though plainly inspired by the likes of the late Boris Berezovsky – Russian mafia family relocated to London, the TV adaptation of this thriller was filmed primarily in Knightsbridge, Mayfair and South Kensington. It showcased what many might consider the extreme wealth of Central London, but, in fact, was presented a little bit amateurishly.
Of the show, Carol Midgley in The Times summed it up well. She remarked: “If this is how miserably the super-rich live, I’d take a semi in Swindon any day” and equally now, if you wander the streets of SW1, SW3, SW7 and W1, you’d not disagree with her.
Recent news that the Fine Art Society is closing in Bond Street after 140 years due to “soaring rents” and “an influx of wealthy international fashion houses” illustrates the effect of the arrival of uncultivated new wealth in that sector, but equally sad is the demise of local restaurants and shops that actually provide things that genuine, full-time residents actually need.
Boarded up in Belgravia this month, after 44 years in operation, the Ebury Wine Bar closed supposedly due to the retirement of its owner, Nigel Windridge. Also gone – aside from the key loss of the much loved La Brasserie in Brompton Cross – are restaurants like Itsu in Walton Street and Racine in Brompton Road. Replaced by shisha bars and other businesses aimed at wealthy Gulfies and oligarchs, the streets of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea are increasingly becoming utterly devoid of character.
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