Death penalty II
It’s a little-known fact that Denmark is a police state where people are executed if they jump into the harbour. 
The sign says: “Jumping from the bridge and bathing in the harbour outwith the marked facilities is prohibited and subject to the death penalty. The Police”
The death penalty
When is Britain (and Labour in particular) going to stand up for their principles rather than playing the poodle of the US? According to this article in the Independent, Britain has vetoed pressing the African Union to abolish the death penalty: “British diplomats said privately that they did not wish to create difficulties for the United States at a delicate time.”
This is just so appalling! Do Labour politicians have no principles that cannot be changed if Dubya wants it?
Wee harmonica player
Pudge has finally got the hang of the harmonica. He’s played the glockenspiel for ages, of course, but until a couple of days ago, he didn’t understand how to blow and suck in the right way. But he’s learnt it now, and as can be seen on this video, he’s now very happy to walk around the flat playing.
My best photo?!?
This photo is my most popular photo on Flickr. It has been viewed 637 times.
Sure, it’s a decent photo, but I personally don’t rate it amongst my best ten. So what’s happening? Is Flickr full of horny people, searching through all the photos in the hope of spotting half a naked boob? Surely there are easier and better ways to find free porn on-line.
Can anybody explain to me what is going on?
The God factor
According to this article, a Danish professor of psychology (who’s about to retire) has found out that atheists on average have an IQ that is 5.8 points higher than that of believers.
I wonder whether Harry Turtledove realised this when he wrote Between the Rivers in which believers are depicted as extremely stupid compared to the free-thinkers. 
Anyway, if the article is correct, I wonder whether it’s believing that makes people less intelligent, or whether less intelligent people are more likely to believe in a god than more intelligent ones.
Scottish Overseas Territories
Following up on my posting about whether Scotland or England should get Northern Ireland, I started thinking about the British Overseas Territories. If Scotland and England divorce, I assume at least some of them should become Scottish.
Any takers for the Scottish Virgin Islands?
Why can’t I do this?
I find it really annoying that I don’t have a proper macro lens. Look at this photo – I have the camera, but my lenses won’t let me go this close at all (unless, of course, this insect is much larger than I assume). 
United Kingdom of Scotland and Northern Ireland
One aspect of Scottish independence that I’ve never seen discussed is the “problem” that Ireland joined the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1801, nearly a hundred year after Scotland and England formed a union. As far as I can tell, this means that it’s not obvious whether England or Scotland gets Northern Ireland if Scotland becomes independent again.
Everybody seems to assume that the two resulting countries would be the Kingdom (or Republic) of Scotland and the United Kingdom of England and Northern Ireland, but wouldn’t it just be interesting if instead we ended up with the Kingdom of England and the United Kingdom of Scotland and Northern Ireland?
In many ways it would make sense, since Northern Ireland is culturally and linguistically much closer to Lowland Scotland than to England.