Madeleine McCann Spotted In Turin

DID you see Madeleine McCann at the Europa League Final in Turin between Benfica (Portugal) and Sevilla (Spain)?

They did.

This is mad at the Porto match nd she has that same thing in her right eye as maddie McCann! pic.twitter.com/5ukxvjl3ZB

— Aiden Hoffman (@aiden_hoffman) May 14, 2014

People actually think this is Maddy McCann? I recon she might’ve grown over the years she’s been missing pic.twitter.com/Wzu3NkoEjT

— Fray Charles (@FraserMarshall1) May 15, 2014

Woah did anyone else just see Madeleine McCann in the stands then? pic.twitter.com/KTdjPLd41D

— Alex Head (@AlexJHead) May 14, 2014

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, dignified this utter balls with a statement:

Anorak

Posted: 20th, May 2014 | In: Madeleine McCann, Reviews, Sports | Comment

Pass The Happy Pills: The Internet Is Depressing The Children!

ONE of the great problems in this modern world is that people are forever confusing cause and effect. Or if you prefer, forgetting that correlation does not mean causation. And so it is with this latest report that the internet is making our precious little children sad. For what’s forgotten, not even considered here, is that it could well be that sad people, those with few friends in the real world, go on hte internet more than others, instead of it being going online that makes people sad:

Children who spend too much time on the internet are developing mental health problems, according to government health advisors.

Those who sit behind a screen for more than four hours a day are particularly at risk, although very low levels of use can cause issues, they say.

Public Health England, which issues guidelines to the NHS, said children face social problems such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and heightened aggression as a result of overusing computers.

The huge improvements made in children’s welfare over the last 20 years had now been “curtailed and may now be in reverse”, it said.

In a dossier to MPs it warned of a clear relationship between the amount of time spent on social media sites such as Facebook and “lower levels of well-being”.

Tim Worstall

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Money, Reviews, Technology | Comment

Euphemism Of The Day: Rolph Harris ‘Polishes Wood’

IN Nick Pisa’s report on the Rolf Harris sex trial, he tells Sky News readers:

The woman told the court she was assaulted in 1969 and was staying with friends when she woke up, came downstairs in her pyjamas and found Harris polishing wood.

PS – If you want to know the outcome of the case, it might be best not to check Mr Pisa against other sources.

Anorak

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Celebrities, Reviews | Comment

Manchester United Balls: Ryan Giggs Plays For Salford Boys

MAY 2 1985:  Manchester United great Ryan Giggs turns out for the Salford Boys team:

Anorak

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, manchester united, Sports | Comment

Manchester United Balls: Ryan Giggs Plays For Manchester City Boys In 1989

MAY 2 1989: Ryan Giggs stars for Manchester City Boys at the English schools trophy final:

Anorak

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, manchester united, Sports | Comment

How To Have More Sex – The Huge Secret Is Out

ONCE again the scientists have come to our rescue, explaining one of the world’s great mysteries. Why is it that some people en up having more sex with more people than some others? We could posit that good looking people have more offers. Or that intelligent people know how to manipulate people into offering it. Or rich people flash the cash and get offered it. Or, well, come up with your own theory, why not?

As it happens this vital research has been one for us and the answer is that more highly sexed people get more sex:

How intensely a person responds to sexual images can be linked his or her number of sexual partners, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of California of Los Angeles asked 40 male and 22 female subjects how many sex partners they had last year before they showed them 225 images, both sexual and non-sexual.

The researchers analyzed subjects’ ‘late positive potential, which reacts to images depending on their emotional intensity,’ by using an electroencephalogram (EEG), according to a press release. People with more sex partners reacted in the same way when they looked at ‘graphic and less-graphic’ images.

Tim Worstall

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Money, Reviews | Comment (1)

Those Fabulous and Frightening 1970s Kitchens

Yeoman Lowbrow

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, The Consumer | Comment

Bearded Space Alien Jesus In A Leisure Suit Is Awesome At Karate

HALLELUJA! It’s bearded space alien Jesus in a leisure suit is awesome at karate!

YouTuber theSadistVideos explains this 1986 ride:

A bearded ‘superman’ with no powers comes to earth in a powder-blue velour tracksuit to drive a silver dune buggy into an unrelated blaxploitation film about urban literacy. Appropriately released under two titles, this is Alien Warrior / King of the Streets !

Anorak

Posted: 19th, May 2014 | In: Film, Flashback | Comment

Jill Abramson Is Punch Drunk: I’d Edit The NY Times For Much Less Than You

BACK in April, the New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson told us about the T-for-Times tattoo on her back.

One month later Abramson was sacked. Her offence? She had been moaning about her meagre wages.

As executive editor, Abramson’s starting salary in 2011 was $475,000, compared to Keller’s salary that year, $559,000. Her salary was raised to $503,000, and – only after she protested – was raised again to $525,000.

She learned that her salary as managing editor, $398,000, was less than that of the male managing editor for news operations, John Geddes. She also learned that her salary as Washington bureau chief, from 2000 to 2003, was a hundred thousand dollars less than that of her successor in that position, Phil Taubman.

Anorak

Posted: 18th, May 2014 | In: Money, Reviews | Comment

Katharina Detzel’s Incredible Dummy And Other Prinzhorn Collection Insanities

AS early as the 1920s, art historian and junior doctor Hans Prinzhorn recognized the talent in his patients at the Heidelberg Psychiatric Clinic, and began collecting their works. The world-renowned Prinzhorn Collection at Heidelberg’s University Hospital now contains over 5,000 drawings, oil paintings, wood carvings and textile works.

Anorak

Posted: 18th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, Strange But True, The Consumer | Comment

Luton Muslims Fight State Intrusion Into Their Children’s Sex Lives

LUTON Olive Tree school is haven of intolerance, if the wonks are to be believed. The school says we “pride ourselves on successfully combining the attainment of high educational standards with the spiritual, religious and cultural needs of pupils who come from a variety of different social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.”

Adding:

The aim is to provide an education that stresses virtues such as discipline, dedication, family values, community spirit, respect and tolerance towards others. We endeavor to achieve this goal in accordance with the Islamic faith and prepare pupils towards entry into secondary school education.

Yep. It’s a faith school. But can Islam coexist with another belief system? Ofsted’s inspectors paid a visit to the school. The kid checkers got children on their own and asked for their views on homosexuality.

Anorak

Posted: 18th, May 2014 | In: Reviews | Comments (2)

When Arsenal Broke Hull City Hearts In The 1930 FA Cup

ON the way to their first FA Cup win in 1930, Arsenal defeated Hull City.

The first semi-final at Elland Road, Leeds, finished  2–2. The Gunners had been two down at half-time. An upset was on. Arsenal were to emerge as the country’s top side; Hull were bottom of the second division.The replay at Villa Park, Birmingham, ended 1-0 to the Arsenal. David Jack scored the winner after a red card had reduced Hull to ten men.

The Hull local paper was noble in defeat.

Anorak

Posted: 17th, May 2014 | In: Arsenal, Flashback, Sports | Comment

Guinness Was Once The Nazi Beer Of Choice: Black Beer For Black Shirts (The Posters)

ONCE upon a time, Guinness was gut fuhrer Nazi boys and girls. The drinks brand marketed the black brew to the black shirts with the slogan:

 “Es ist Zeit für ein Guinneß!”

Anorak

Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, The Consumer | Comment

Listen To This 1972 Tribute To Norwich City: When White People Called Reggae ‘Calypso’

ORIGINALLY released on 7″ vinyl in 1972, what we have hear is a cracking little pop ditty about Norwich City by a band by the name of The Chic Applin Sound from back when white people called reggae “calypso”.

Anorak

Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, Sports | Comment (1)

Liberace And Elvis Jam On Guitar And Piano In 1956

NOVEMBER 1 1965:

Liberace, piano virtuoso who became known as Mr. Showmanship, is shown with Elvis Presley at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas in November, 1956. (AP Photo)

Anorak

Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Music | Comment

The 5 Greatest Giant Monster Movies of All-Time

GARETH Edwards’ Godzilla opens this week in theaters, and the question remains: will the new film assume its place among the classics of the giant monster movie genre, or falter badly instead, much like the 1998 version of the same material directed by Roland Emmerich?

Perhaps the answer to that question will only be answered by the passage of time. How will the new Godzilla age, given advances in special effects?  Will the film’s central metaphor about Godzilla and nature prove as sturdy as the original Godzilla’s (1954) anti-nuclear message?

John Kenneth Muir

Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Film, Flashback, Key Posts | Comments (2)

The War On Free Speech: Professor Lennart Bengtsson And The McCarthy-Style Witch Hunt On Dissenting Scientists

IF you value free speech, you’ll be interested in the news that sceptical views on man-made climate change are being squashed. In echos of the “Climategate” scandal at the University of East Anglia, these new allegations are that a paper by Professor Lennart Bengtsson, a research fellow at the University of Reading, was censored because it contested the UN’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that the global average temperature would rise by up to 4.5C if greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were allowed to double.

He tell the Times: “The problem we now have in the climate community is that some scientists are mixing up their scientific role with that of a climate activist…It is an indication of how science is gradually being influenced by political views. The reality hasn’t been keeping up with the [computer] models. Therefore, if people are proposing to do major changes to the world’s economic system we must have much more solid information.”

Professor Bengtsson and four scientists from America and Sweden submitted their research to the Environmental Research Letters.  The publication rejected it after one assessor called it “less than helpful”. This editor added:

“Actually it is harmful as it opens the door for oversimplified claims of ‘errors’ and worse from the climate sceptics media side.”

Anorak

Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Reviews | Comment (1)

The Top 10 Greatest Afros of Yesteryear

IN the 1970s, the glorious afro emerged into mainstream culture as an affirmation of Black African heritage and a rejection of Eurocentric standards of beauty. The popularity of this “natural” hair style among blacks is often traced back to activists Angela Davis and Stokely Carmichael.  After their radical hair statement hit televisions screens across the US, it didn’t take long for it to become widely accepted. “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” sang James Brown, who had also adopted the look.

And “the look” actually had many variations.  We tend to think of the generic globe afro, but the styles in the 70s came in a dazzling variety…

Make no mistake, the afro is still alive and well; however, it by no means is at the level of popularity it enjoyed in the 1970s.  So, in tribute to the Golden Age of the Afro, here are the top ten in no particular order.

Oscar Gamble

Gamble was a decent baseball player, but nothing close to Hall of Fame level.  However, he is perhaps better remembered than most of the names lining the halls of Cooperstown.  This unique notoriety is due to a couple Gamble  legacies.

First, there’s the infamous quote: “They don’t think it be like it is, but it do.”  Originally a reference to racism in major league baseball, it has become a successful meme and viral quotation on the internet.

Second, there’s the mighty afro which Yankee’s manager, George Steinbrenner, forced him to crop.  It was among the biggest in the sporting world, but it still doesn’t account for why he is so indelibly linked with the hairstyle.  Look up any article on the subject and you will undoubtedly see his name brought up.  And so, here he is again on Anorak, further cementing his status as symbol and spokesman for the mighty ‘fro.

Tamara Dobson

After kicking ass and taking names in Blaxploitation flicks like Cleopatra Jones (1973) and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975), Dobson (unlike her afro wearing counterpart, Pam Grier) faded into obscurity in the 1980s. But her fro will live on forever.

But wait, there’s another Tamara Dobson afro connection…

Cornell Traeger

In the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century  episode “Happy Birthday, Buck” (Season 1, Episode 15), Tamara Dobson played a non-afro wearing “psychic courier” named Raylyn.   And while Tamara, herself, didn’t unleash her mighty ‘fro on the show, her co-star in this episode most certainly did.  The incognito assassin, Traeger (played by Peter MacLean), sports what may be the most insanely terrible afro to ever grace the small screen.

The Sylvers

There was an embarrassment of riches of Afrotastic musical acts in the Seventies, so it’s hard to choose the best.  The Jackson 5 sported a worthy lineup of ‘fros, but the Sylvers kicked it up a notch and earns the prize.

Bob Ross

Bob Ross’ show transcended painting – it was a life affirming stroll through inner peace.  It was a land where “mistakes” were actually “happy accidents”.  You could do no wrong in this world.  Bob’s soft tones lulled your mind into a state of tranquility only achievable elsewhere via an overdose on Benzodiazepines .

And then there was the Ross ‘fro where literally small woodland creatures would make their home.  His afro was as much a part of nature as the “happy trees” in his paintings.  Indeed, Bob Ross’ hair wasn’t as much a fashion statement as it was a living, breathing ecosystem.

Misty Knight

Luke Cage (AKA Power Man) and Black Lightning were some badass black superheroes, but neither had an exceptional ‘fro.  So the honor should go to Misty Knight, a former police officer and kung-fu specialist with a bionic hand given to her by Iron Man.  She always played a supporting role in her various comic book appearances.  Her most notable moment came when she had an inter-racial relationship with Power-Man.

In later years, her costume got a change, exhibiting a “cleavage window” made famous by Power Girl.   But while her costume may have changed,  her ‘fro mercifully remained intact.

 Angela Davis

You can’t have a list of top afros and not name one of the main individuals responsible for popularizing it.  Whether or not you subscribed to her radical views and pro-Communist stance, her ‘fro was all over the airwaves, hurtling the style into the mainstream.

Billy Preston

There may be a number of people who earned the right to be called the “Fifth Beatle”, but only one sports an afro big enough to engulf a small child.  As Stuart Mackenzie says in So, I Married an Axe Murder: “That’s a huge noggin. That’s a virtual planetoid… Has its own weather system.”

Leo Sayer

I could have easily chosen Barbara Streisand, who had a grand Jew-fro in the 70s.  Conway Twitty, believe it or not, also wore a white-person ‘fro which was nothing to sneeze at.  But Leo Sayer wins based on both circumference and flair.  His was akin to Richard Simmons’, but without the male pattern baldness setting in.

Cicely Tyson

Sure, this close-cut afro didn’t have the volume, but it was a groundbreaker.  Tyson donned the natural style on the TV show East Side/West Side long before it achieved mainstream acceptance.  Audiences were appalled and outraged, but it proved to be a huge stepping stone in the emergence of the afro in popular culture.  Sure, Cicely has tons of awards and accolades for her acting, but this little accomplishment deserves some kudos as well.

Yeoman Lowbrow

Posted: 16th, May 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Key Posts | Comment (1)

Zoology Discography: 10 Records By Animal Named Bands

OVER the years, there have been a veritable zoo of musical acts with animal names: The Monkees, The Turtles, Three Dog Night, Gorillaz, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Eagles, The Byrds, A Flock of Seagulls, etc. We could go on all the live-long day.  And while that may be a fun mental exercise, there’s not much sport in it. We’re hunting rarer game – so, here are 10 records by lesser known musical species.

LIONS BREED

Lions Breed ‎– Damn The Night (1985)

Mid-eighties heavy metal had quite the menagerie of animal band names: Whitesnake, White Lion, Glass Tiger, Great White, Def Leppard, Britny Fox… the list goes on and on. Please, by all means, drop some names in the comments section – we’d love to read them. (Take note: it doesn’t matter if the artist is named after an animal, only that an animal is within the name – in other words, both Cat Power and Cat Stephens will work!)

BENNET & BEE

Pop music is swarming with insect bands: The Beatles, Papa Roach, Iron Butterfly, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, W.A.S.P., Adam and the Ants, etc., but none compare to Bennet & Bee. Take a listen to their rendition of Sonny & Cher’s “I Got U Babe” and you can thank me later… Actually, you’ll probably curse my name with clenched fists and tears of rage, but let’s not split hairs.

LAS GATITAS (THE KITTENS)

Las Gatitas ‎– Las Gatitas Cantan…, Argentina (1987)

Of all the feline named bands (Stray Cats, White Lion, Pussy Riot, El Tigre, Pantera, Faster Pussycat, etc.) Las Gatitas are my favorite. No, I actually have never heard any of their music. I just have a really good feeling about them.

THE BEAR BROTHERS

The Bear Brothers – “Red Shoe Trucken” (1972)

The Bear Brothers earn extra points for not only having an animal name, but also having a tacky zebra print background. Brother Bear on the left has what may very well be the greatest haircut ever worn by man. Part mullet, part pompadour, this is a head of hair to be reckoned with.

SPIDER

The only other Arthropod band I can think of at the moment are the Scorpions. Spider may be among the more obscure animal named bands, but still worth a listen..

COD

Perhaps the most well-known marine band is Phish, but there are plenty more: The Eels, Jellyfish, Great White, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. In the 1970s, prog rock bands went by names like Gong, Can, Rush and Yes. Cod seems a natural fit.

THE ZEBRAS

Next to Sgt. Pepper, this may be the greatest album cover of all time. Yet, the Zebras never achieved the international recognition they clearly did not deserve. And while other hooved animal bands may have been more talented (Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young’s Crazyhorse, for instance), none made thumping baby-making music better than The Zebras.

THE HOUNDS

Snoop Doggy Dog, The Bloodhound Gang, Three Dog Night, Fleet Foxes, Bow Wow Wow (does that count?), Steppenwolf, Samantha Fox and Los Lobos are some pretty well-known canine acts. But what about the late-seventies Chicago band, The Hounds? They were like Loverboy crossed with The Cars; unfortunately, they never got on board the MTV gravy train and The Hounds became roadkill.

WOLF MOON

Well, I certainly wish I had a video to share with you for the eponymous 1973 album by Wolf Moon. Alas, Wolf Moon is probably extinct – which is a shame because this is some serious booger-nosed funk, produced by the one and only Swamp Dogg (yet another animal artist). They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, folks.

FOXY

I can think of no better way to end this list than with a Soul Train line dance. Enjoy Foxy’s “Get Off” whilst the Soul Train dancers teach you what it means to Get Down. Enjoy.

Yeoman Lowbrow

Posted: 15th, May 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, Music | Comments (2)

Nominative Determinism: Nick Childs Reports For BBC On The Nigerian Schoolgirl Kidnappings

NOMINATIVE determinism: the BBC’s reporter on the kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian girls by Islamist nutjobs is called… NICK CHILDS.

How did you get the job, Nick?

Anorak

Posted: 15th, May 2014 | In: Reviews, Strange But True | Comment

BringBackOurGirls Is The Narcissism of Social Activism

DID you do your bit for the 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria kidnapped by the nutjobs of Boko Haram? They are not foreingers. No. They are ‘our girls’. It’s not about them. It’s about us.

Anorak

Posted: 15th, May 2014 | In: Reviews | Comment