New Articles on The Daily Dust today

Welsh Tories Buy iPod with Taxpayers Money

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 07:14 AM CST

Two Conservative members of the Welsh assembly bought iPods on taxpayer-funded expenses.

Nick Bourne and Alun Cairns submitted the iPlayer as "office costs", Mr Bourne also used taxpayers money to buy a £120 "trouser press" during the 2006-07 financial year.

A spokesperson for Plaid Cymru said the party wanted AMs’ allowances to be released on a more regular basis.

“We believe that it would further improve the transparency of the system to release this sort of information on a more regular basis,” they said.

“We have asked the Assembly Commission to fully consider the cost and workload implications of routinely releasing the information every three months.”

You can read the full breakdown on the BBC website here.

Star Wars World Premier at the O2 in 2009

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 03:05 AM CST

A long time ago…in 1977, Star Wars began its journey…next year, 32 years later there will be a new journey for fans across the globe..

STAR WARS: A Musical Journey, will premier on Friday 10 April 2009 at The O2 in London before launching its European tour.

Rarely in the history of cinema have sight and sound combined as powerfully as in the STAR WARS Saga, and The O2 will bring the two together as never before. The O2 Website said:

“The show features an extensive selection of Oscar-winning composer John Williams’ unforgettable scores from all six STAR WARS movies into an extraordinary two-hour musical event that features scenes from the movies, live narration and, at The O2, the 86-piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and choir.”

As a bonus to fans, “The live multi-media performance also includes an exhibition of memorabilia from all six films, provided by the Lucasfilm Archives, including original models, props, costumes and production artwork.”

The tickets are now for sale on the O2 Website but hurry they will sell out fast.

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All I Want For Christmas is a £3.25m Bra

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 02:42 AM CST

Spoil your partner this Christmas with a £3.25m bra….

If you are looking for that something special this Christmas, look no further than this new design from Victoria’s Secret, at just £3,250,000 ($5m) it is sure to light up the eyes of any loved one. Adriana Lima modelled the bra below:-

This diamond black Fantasy Miracle Bra was designed by celebrity jeweler Martin Katz, a one of a kind creation for one of his favorite lingerie companies.

It features a whopping 3,575 black diamonds, 117 certified 1-carat round diamonds, and 34 rubies, with two lavish black diamond drops totaling 100 carats.

Click on Victoria’s Secret website for full details on how to buy this!

Snooker Match Suspended by Bookmakers

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 01:00 AM CST

Bookmakers have suspended betting on a snooker match due to unusually high betting on a specific scoreline.

The match between Maguire and Burnett last night saw leading bookmakers suspend all betting. Most of the betting was on Maguire to win 9-3. Maguire did in fact win 9-3.

Maguire and Burnett both denied arranging the scoreline, although both admitted they had heard rumours that there had been betting on 9-3.

“My friend phoned me up the other day and said they had taken the betting off,” said Burnett, the world No45 and occasional practice partner of Maguire. “I don’t know what the script is. In the last few years there’s been talk of this match by this score or that score but I don’t particularly care. It’s got nothing to do with me.

“In the last frame I thought I had to try my life off just in case of anything stupid being said. I was saying to myself, ‘I need to get this in case people start talking’. I just felt so much pressure in the last frame. It’s probably the most pressure I’ve been under in my life.

“I missed a lot of balls. I seemed to know which balls I was going to miss. I’m down on a shot and I just had a feeling. It’s weird. One moment I felt comfortable, the next I didn’t.”

Maguire, the world No2, runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan in this event last year and the UK champion in 2004, said: “I heard a bit of word there was a lot of money on the match but I’m there to play. I’m not there to listen to people who bet money. That’s up to them if they get an inkling of the score.”

Make Your Very Own Internet For Christmas

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 12:20 AM CST

Channel 4’s "The IT Crowd" demonstrates the best geek gift… ever.

Viewers of last Friday’s "The IT Crowd" on Channel 4 were witness to one of the longest build ups to a geek joke since you were sent that video of a puppy and a cat kissing each other (oh go on, here it is…), as Jen proudly displayed what she thought was ‘the entire internet in a box’ to her work colleagues.

And of course, everyone who’s ever worked in an IT department decided that they just had to have that box on their desk for Monday morning. So if you’re a bit behind the curve, you need to order this…

…you can find it at Maplins for £1.79. Rip a red LED out of a key-ring Wi-Fi Finder and you’re all set to scare everyone else in the office by accidentally stepping on it in the canteen.

(Hat tip to Graham Linehan and some cunning internet detectives).

One To Watch: The IT Crowd

Just What Did Alexandra Win On The X-Factor?

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 12:10 AM CST

X-Factor Finalists Laughing all the way to the [little] Bank.

Ever wondered just how much cash is involved in the X-Factor? Well, now you can worry no longer. That impressive sounding one million pound contract for winner Alexandra Burke isn’t all for her – it counts the total spend on promotion, recording, management fees, and other incidentals, alongside an advance to Burke for £150,000.

Simon Cowell of course is the big winner here, as his record company, Syco, now has Burke on a multi-year, multi-album contract with a "modest percentage" of sales going back to the protege.

Fellow finalists who will also be signed up are JLS (£75,000 advance), Eoghan Quigg (£50,000) and Diana Vickers (£10,000). Still, for a few months work on national television and a chance to be lifted out the rat race, it’s not all that bad.

(Hat tip to The Daily Mail).

London to Glasgow in 5 Minutes… Virgin Style

Posted: 16 Dec 2008 12:00 AM CST

Time lapse journey as Virgin Train escapes from Euston to sprint to Glasgow

To celebrate the completion of the modernisation of the West Coast Mainline (the principal route from London to Glasgow used by Virgin Trains), the BBC has put together a short video from the cabs of one of the trains on the route.

Taking just five minutes, substantially shorter than the actual journey time (even though that is targeted to be 30% faster by National Rail), the video has no sound, but is hypnotic in its simplicity and visuals.

Watch the video at BBC News.

Tottenham unveil stunning new stadium

Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:02 PM CST

Some stunning 3d rendered images of Tottenham’s new 60,000 seat stadium were released on Spurs’ official website today.

David Keirle, Chairman of KSS (the company behind the design) said,

“The key driver has been to deliver the best possible fan experience on all levels.

“The visuals of the new stadium show that it’s really seen as a building which responds to the brand, which we see as representing style and flowing lines of football.

“We have spent a great deal of time looking at different roof formations. The roof has been designed to focus the noise back onto the crowd and onto the pitch. All seating is enclosed, there are no open corners, so everything is focused back onto the pitch and the acoustics will maximise the impact of the vocal support from fans. The stadium will have a roof that allows us to have four large screens up in the top corners, which means every spectator will be able to see a whole host of information.”

Teenager walks 5,821 Miles Following Our Coastline

Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:28 PM CST

Seb Green repays coastguard rescue by sponsored walk around Britain.

After walking out his front door on February 1st, 19 year old Seb Green and his Border Collie, Flash, have finished a sponsored walk around the coast of Britain. Covering close to six thousand miles, and sleeping under starlight in his tent, the teenager has arrived home following ten months of adventure.

All of this is down to his stealing a boat when he was 15. Getting stuck in mud after abandoning the boat, the subsequent rescue of himself and his friends was estimated to cost £20,000.

So, as he matured and looked back, he decided to do something about it. He set out to raise that same amount for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and Starlight Children’s Foundation. You can still donate to Seb via the UK site Just Giving (and it’s tax free as well).

We here at The Daily Dust think he has done so in style, so good for you Seb. And good for you, Flash, as well. The inspirational lad is now hoping to join the Royal Marines.

(Hat tip to BBC News).