Heathrow's latest advert is really horrible

This looks like something Palmerston might have had on his desk in the middle of the 19th century.

City bankers lose vital penis size proving ground

The only 5-a-side pitches in The City close this week, so they can be replaced with a big skyscraper. At a stroke, hundreds of suits lose their weekly chance to prove their masculinity against each other in a controlled environment. Shorn of this outlet, they will have no option but to take manic risks with the global economy in order to validate themselves, and their penis sizes. Who knows where this will lead? Worrying.

The biggest challenge facing worldwide protest groups: choosing better fancy dress

We all know how difficult it is to choose a costume at Halloween, but this is zombie overkill.

OccupyLSX rented the same infrared camera that the Times used. Surprise! It's not an Xray camera.

"Capitalism is taking the piss"

Owen Jones

Whoa there. It’s almost enough to have me reaching for the tent pegs. Here’s the thing: this should not just be objectionable to left-leaning protest monkeys. This should be utterly objectionable to centre-right conservatives who value social responsibility and social cohesion. In fact it should be objectionable to about, oooh, 99% of the population. David Cameron’s response is this:

“I think everyone, whether they’re in public life, whether they’re in private enterprise, they’ve got to be able to justify the decisions they make about pay.”

Politicians need to start waking up.

Louise Mensch, MP, gets schooled after snarking on OccupyLSX

Conservative MP Louise Mensch discovered that OccupyLSX protestors drink coffee and use mobile phones and brought this insightful view to BBC’s Have I Got News For You.

Ian Hislop, Danny Baker, and Paul Merton were not in agreement with her. Let’s watch, shall we.

To understand St. Paul's actions, look at who runs their foundation

St Paul’s over-dramatic media strategy has failed quite comprehensively. The closure of the cathedral, citing the all-encompassing ghoul elf and safety, always seemed questionable. Even the briefest of visits to the camp demonstrates that there is no tangible risk to visitors. Indeed, demonstrators have gone to extraordinary lengths to try to appease the church, and to come to a mutually acceptable arrangement. Many would suggest that they have gone too far. It’s not an occupation if you have permission to be there, after all.

Stargazing in London becomes slightly less impossible

London, when did you last look up and comprehend the stars? When did you last gaze in wonder at the immense vault of the heavens, glistening above you like a thousand premonitions of your own untimely death? Not recently, I’ll wager, for the very good reason that you can’t see squat most of the time. A moon here, a Jupiter there, perhaps the square of Pegasus on a clear night. Slim pickings.

But recognising your own mortality just got a bit easier with the news that the Waterworks nature reserve near Hackney Marshes is London’s contribution to the Dark Sky Discovery project, which means events and telescopes and that sort of thing, mostly starting next year. Question: where else in London combines good star-viewing with low chance of being mugged on the way back? All suggestions gratefully received.

Attention Australians: discover what your no good convict forefather did to get deported

Ever wonder what foul deed caused your great great grandaddy to be banished from this pure and innocent isle? Well, there’s a new online historical resource at the Connected Histories site which might help.

It lets you search a big deportations list and the records of trials from the Old Bailey along side each other, and you can work it out from there. So if you know the right name, and their crime was bad enough or Londony enough to be tried at the Old Bailey, the rest is pretty easy. An example search, of one James Paul who stole some petticoats and a clock in 1830 and got sent to New South Wales, is here It’s a little fiddly, but might well be worth it.

To get you started, here are all the deported Warnes.

Source: Old Bailey Online Photo: Wikipedia

Multinational chemical company sponsoring Olympic Stadium may not be very nice

Ted Jeory has been banging on quite rightly about Locog’s decision to allow the Dow chemical company to sponsor a fabric wrap for the Olympic Stadium. The deal will bring in £7m, but the company now owns the company which owns the company which brought you the Bhopal disaster in 1984. Ancient history you might think, but it’s really not. Do read Ted’s posts to see how the dots join up.