The Curse of the Blind Yorks' Thorium Basket

A schoolboy's thrupenny bit design has won a competition for the new pound coin. A sure sign of inflation?

Saw the destruction on Vanuatu on the news last night; I mistook it for the aftermath of the M32 eco-protestor's site.

Prince Harry, is to leave the army, thus getting himself geared up for a possible role as the next Duke of York. That, of course, depends on Charles taking the throne and Andrew vacating the Dukedom through death (assuming he doesn't get married again and have a son - or dies after Charles, in which case William's second son would inherit the Dukedom). An interesting fact is that the Dukedom has not been passed on in a direct line from father to son since the 15th C, the incumbent either dying without male issue or inheriting the throne himself. If Harry gets the job, will he beat the curse and pass it on to his son?

Just who was the grand old Duke of York?

Got myself a new pair of specs t'other week. Now I usually go to SpecSavers, which results in a pair of bins for around £80. The problem is that, without fail, I have to return for another eyesight check and end up waiting while they re-order the correct strength lenses. To eliminate this constant to-ing and fro-ing, Hay persuaded me to visit the independent shop on the High Street, considering them more professional; however, I was stung for £230 - and that was using my old frames! Anyway, I ended up with a pair of bifocals with anti-glare (due to the early stage cataracts) and that photocromatic stuff that turns them into sunglasses. The problem is that the photocromatic coating is a bit vicious, with the result that they turn brown even when it's raining, not only making me look like a blind person sans stick, but actually impairing my vision to the extent I am almost rendered blind. Wouldn't mind so much except they take about half an hour to switch back to normal when I come indoors, so I'm stumbling around - more so than usual. I should be on full Disability Living Allowance when wearing these!

I understand the inflation 'basket' of goods has been updated to make it more relevant to our day and age. Talking of sticks, the one thing they forgot to include is the Selfie Stick; seems everyone who is anyone has to get a Selfie Stick these days and no self-respecting Sleb is without one. Sounds more like an instrument of masochistic auto-eroticism to me.

Someone alerted me to Thorium Reactors yesterday as a solution to fossil fuels. Looked it up on terms of Thorium vs Fusion and alighted on this Friends of the Earth item. Typical Greens - ignore the issue completely with a dismissive wave of the hand (no detailed analysis) and rely on pedal power. If they'd been around in the late 1800s, we'd have London covered in a mile deep layer of horse shit.