Chatanooga Ooh Ooh

Our local council use to put on a free firework display on bonfire night before the Tories cut the budgets to help out the bankers.

Looks like the good people of Chatanooga got their own free display last week.

The BBC have the story and video here.

Spinning Wheels

 Talking of motoring misdemeanours, the BBC have reported two more this week:

They state that CCTV footage was used as "evidence confirming the lack of control by the driver."

Actually, I think it confirms total control by the driver.  I agree he shouldn't have done it and it is correct that he was fined.  But wow.

Meanwhile, this "unsafe lane change" was very accurately described:

Formula Gone

It's not just cars that are getting bigger.

The Formula 1 season is too.

It is in the news today because they have announced that there won't be a Chinese Grand Prix in 2023.

But that would still leave 23 which is the biggest calendar ever.  I'm glad I don't watch F1 any more - it would take up nearly half a year's worth of Sundays to watch races that have a devalued points stake and the last few races will probably be moot anyway as a decent driver/car combination will have wrapped up the championship before Halloween.

When I was young, there were about a dozen races - mostly in Europe.

Then Bernie started chasing the money and along came such noble countries as Russia and Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

And of course China, who, apart from assorted human rights issues, seem to have cocked up Covid which is the actual reason why they are not hosting now - stuff human rights, Sky need more viewers.

Meanwhile, a European country not known for hosting F1, Romania, had a problem with a vehicle for a different multinational today.

Literally a vehicle.

A Coca-Cola Christmas lorry in fact:

Oops.

Looks to me like a fridge in the trailer has had a fault. The BBC story is here.

Also looks to me like there are loads of different uses for Coca-Cola.

Although putting out fires doesn't appear to be one of them.

Houston, We Have a Moron.

Well, HAD a moron.

Here he is very shortly before his death.

There is a big clue in that picture as to the manner of his demise.

And here is the story as reported by my namesake newspaper.  It's worth clicking on that link just for the first couple of reader comments.

There is no sympathy but much comment about Darwin Awards.  I concur wholeheartedly with this sentiment.

Rocket Crash II

Is it really every-six-years-scrap-lorry-overturns-at-the-Liverpool-end-of-the-M62 time again?

I guess so:

Here's the one from 2016:

Here's what I said then and here's what the BBC say today.

My one's better.

Looking forward to 2028.

Norfolk YET AGAIN!

I was going to call this post "Norfolk AGAIN" but then I realised I'd used that in 2019.

Teslas have had some bad press lately for crashes.

But, considering that the one in this BBC story is a complete write-off, I think it comes out of it rather well.  Unlike the driver for G.Sands and Son who seems to have driven too fast around a bend with a heavy load that had not been properly secured:

Norfolk Police said it was aware of the incident.  I'll bet they are.

To quote the card in his windscreen: "CRAZY"

Whistl Stop

No, I haven't spelt that wrong.

I wonder if these two BBC stories from the last few hours that I've just read are related.

The first involves the arrest of a truck driver who has managed to leave carnage on the road to Tunbridge Wells.

  

Here's his lorry.  Note the name of the company it belongs to - Whistl.

 

Doesn't sound like a health failure - it could be a mechanical failure.  But check out the second story.