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New world crisis as McDonald’s runs out of milkshakes

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New world crisis as McDonald’s runs out of milkshakes

Just how much more are we expected to take?

First (and still), the COVID-19 pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands and turned our lives upside down.

Then, we have the ongoing Afghanistan disaster, where real heroes are currently going above and beyond to get people out of Kabul in one piece. Oh, and there are terrible climate events ongoing around the globe.

But now, it’s the end of days.

Twitter is losing its mind because McDonald’s restaurants have run out of milkshakes.

Professor of Common Sense at Suffolk University, Dr Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “You couldn’t make it up.

“The Twitterati are trying to make rather pathetic political capital out of something as irrelevant as a shortage of McDonald’s milkshakes.

“Perhaps the fact that there are no supplies should be celebrated instead?

“It means all self-indulgent crybabies might not put on so much weight and will stave off diabetes for another six months.”

Eat free biscuits and other things you do in the first ten minutes in a hotel room

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Eat free biscuits and other things you do in the first ten minutes in a hotel room
Hotel room

It’s an exciting time, arriving at a new destination with places to see and things to do. But first, there’s the hotel room to explore.

Here are the things you will undoubtedly do within ten minutes of checking into your hotel room.

Sit down heavily on the bed

Because you are tired, and as you want to test the bounciness of your bed for the night, you sit down on the bed as hard as you can. Once in the sitting position, you bounce up and down a few times more, making a mental note of how comfortable it must be to sleep in.

Open the mini bar

No matter what time of day you check in to your room, you open the minibar because you are instantly overcome with thirst.

However, once you see the prices for a bottle of mineral water, you close the door again.

Put the kettle on

Still thirsty, you will fill up the kettle, struggling to fit it under the awkward shape of the bathroom tap.

Once you have accomplished this feat, you will make a rank cup of tea using the annoying tea bags on a string and strange little plastic cartons of milk.

Consume the free biscuits

Those rather tired-looking packets of cookies or caramelised biscuits have been sitting on a plate by the kettle for years. But you will eat them within five minutes.

Brits love a freebie. And even though the hotel room costs £200 a night, you think these free snacks are the bargain of the year.

Turn on the TV

Even though you hardly ever watch TV at home, and that you are in an exciting new destination, you really must first turn on the hotel room TV to see what’s on.

You make a careful note of the number of channels and flick through every one before turning the TV off again.

Look in the wardrobe

There is no end to your inquisitive nature as you open the wardrobe/closet and study the number of clothes hangars. You will wonder how the closet light comes on when you open the door before deciding to leave all your spare clothes in your suitcase anyway.

Enjoy the view

You will carefully take in the view of your surroundings out of the window – before closing the curtains in case anyone sees you getting changed.

Pick up the phone

Even though you will never use it, it makes sense to check your room telephone works. You will be relieved to hear the ring tone before putting the receiver back down again.

Go downstairs to the bar

Now, clearly bored, you decide to head downstairs for a drink.

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Top 5 books for sports betting

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Top 5 books for sports betting

The right literature is a powerful tool to learn about everything. That’s why we’ve done our best to collect for you the coolest and most useful books that will be helpful for sports betting via https://sportaza.com/en/sport. Keep reading to choose the best content, regardless of your betting experience.

The Signal and the Noise (Nate Silver)

It’s top-notch content that gets top marks in all the ratings. Silver writes not about betting but about working with information, looking at prediction from a scientific point of view. The main trick is a lot of practical examples from bettors, traders, and political scientists, seasoned with humor.

This information will also be useful in life because it allows you to analyze and predict everyday events better. Those who read it claim that now they are rarely late for something and react more calmly to failure because they know in advance about their high probability.

Fooled by Randomness (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)

We try not to rely on chance, try to “control our destiny,” make “grounded decisions”, and “keep everything under control,” but we often mistake chance for regularity, we confuse cause and effect, and our thinking lacks criticality. Intellectual shortsightedness and self-confidence often come at a high cost. Randomness can underlie both good luck and bad luck. It is impossible to predict an accidental event, but you can prepare for the meeting with it and even try to turn it to your advantage. This is what Nassim Taleb, the successful mathematician, and philosopher, tries to teach in his book.

The Success Equation (Michael Mauboussin)

We move on to more sophisticated and professional literature. To understand Michael Mauboussin, you need to have a certain experience in sports betting.

The author proves it is getting more difficult to beat bookmakers every year, and the matter is not the bookmakers at all. After reading this book, some agree with Michael and stop trying to make money on the bets. Others try to go the opposite and seriously reconsider their approach to the game, perceiving the status of favorites and outsiders differently.

Soccermatics. Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game (David Sumpter)

Football will always be the most popular sport. So, spending your free time reading the book by David Sumpter is a great decision for those who want to start sports betting.

The author does not admire the game, does not talk about the old days, does not get philosophical, but speaks about the symbiosis between mathematics and football. Using various formulas, he explains the probability of a last-minute goal, why three points are awarded for winning the championship, how many corners are converted into goals, and who is better – Messi or Ronaldo.

After reading Sumpter, you will probably never analyze football from the perspective of a fan and emotion. David proves that this sport is pure mathematics.

Kelong Kings (Wilson Raj Perumal)

Why is this book one of the best? It was written by a man who personally organized fixed matches and even got to prison for it. In 2011, the Finnish law enforcement authorities proved his guilt and sentenced him to two years in prison. To get leniency, Perumal cooperated with the authorities. He revealed he had been part of a criminal syndicate in Singapore.

Wilson details how he organized matches at major football tournaments: the 2008 Africa Cup, the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 2009 Women’s World Cup. The author is especially proud that he helped the national teams of Nigeria and Honduras qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Woman’s hoard of random plastic kitchen containers reaches 100

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Woman’s hoard of random plastic kitchen containers reaches 100
Plastic kitchen containers
Just some of the 100 plastic kitchen containers found in Lorraine’s cupboard

A Suffolk woman was surprised to learn that her kitchen cupboard is now full to bursting with 100 used plastic containers. Some of them even have lids.

Lorraine Fisher, 34, likes to keep hold of the plastic boxes because they will surely come in useful one day.

She’s lived in her Ipswich home for ten years and never re-used one yet.

“I tend to buy more, or get given them. Then all the takeaways come in them.

“Once they have been used, it’s into the cupboard with the rest of them.

“My partner was furious when he opened the cupboard door last night and they all fell out onto the floor.

“He counted them, and there were exactly 100.

“I think that’s quite an achievement.”

But partner Steve Walshe, 43, was less than impressed.

“She goes on about being eco friendly yet has half the world’s plastic stuffed into a cupboard.”

5 spare room ideas that aren’t a guest bedroom

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5 spare room ideas that aren’t a guest bedroom

There are so many benefits to having a second bedroom or spare room. For those that like to hoard a lot of stuff,  a spare room can provide essential storage space. However, for those thinking more about the future, a spare bedroom is said to add approximately 15% of value to a property, according to experts at Pure Property Finance.

Most people that have a spare room will automatically make it into a guest bedroom. However, realistically, how many people regularly use that bedroom? Is it going to waste?

Here are five suggestions on things that you could do with your spare room that isn’t an extra bedroom.

Office

Many people have switched to a hybrid way of working in the past year due to the pandemic or may have even switched to working from home completely. Separating your home life from your work life is really important, as it’ll mean you can keep distractions away from your work (TV, cooking, playing video games, etc.)

There’s more information here on how to create the most idyllic office space, including what chair to get, what lighting to use, what types of equipment you need and how to prevent eye strain and backache.

Dressing room

A lot of people use their spare rooms as dressing rooms for several reasons. One reason is that a lot of young girls dream of having a Carrie Bradshaw-like wardrobe when they’re older, and another being that it keeps clothes and shoes away from the bedroom, meaning there’s less chance that the main bedroom will be cluttered.

There’s a cool dressing table from Happy Beds that will slot into the corner of the dressing room, which could potentially save you quite a bit of space for other things like cupboards and chests of drawers.

Gym

While this isn’t up to everyone’s taste, some may find that using their spare room for fitness and wellbeing is a great utilisation. Those that are into weights and weightlifting could install a mat and weights bar, and those that are into improving their cardio could potentially benefit from a spin bike or treadmill depending on the size of the room.

Utility room

Keeping things like the washing machine and tumble drier out of the way will create space in other important rooms. Depending on the cost, you could even move something as large as the boiler from one room to another so that it clears out an entire bedroom cupboard. Myles Robinson, the founder of Compare Boiler Quotes, has previously mentioned that moving a boiler could cost anywhere between £400 and £800, so you need to decide if it’s worth doing.

Relaxation and TV room

Ever fight with your partner over who gets to choose the TV show? Love Island is often on at the same time as the football, which causes a lot of problems in most households, we’re sure. So, why not create another TV room? That way, there will be no arguments! As well as setting it up as a TV room, maybe add a bookcase in there as well as some nice smelling candles, a comfortable chair and some plants to turn it into a relaxed reading room.

Dominic Raab calls RAF to coordinate safe return of holidaying Government officials

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Dominic Raab calls RAF to coordinate safe return of holidaying Government officials

Dominic Raab today took personal control of the emergency return of Government ministers and officials from holiday.

The Foreign Secretary showed his hands-on approach in a crisis in a photograph randomly taken in his office today.

Mr Raab was keen to get ministers safely back from boutique hotels in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, just in case a completely unforeseen event blew up in a foreign country and required their attention.

“You never know what might happen in an uncertain world,” said a spokesperson for Mr Raab’s office.

“Just to be on the safe side, the Foreign Secretary was today on the phone to the RAF ensuring ministers were rescued from their hellhole, first-class vacations and safely brought back to the UK.”

RAF spokesperson Wing Commander Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “There are hundreds of ministers desperately trying to get back before anyone notices they had sneaked off for some sunshine.

“We have the logistic expertise to get everyone back before anyone notices.”

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Guide to this year’s St Leger favourites

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Guide to this year’s St Leger favourites
Galileo Chrome wins the St Leger last year

The final English Classic race of 2021 takes place at Doncaster on Saturday, September 11. The St Leger is run over a mile and six furlongs and Hurricane Lane is the hot favourite to win the race. Let’s take a look at the leading contenders for this race.

Hurricane Lane

The favourite to win the St Leger is trained by Charlie Appelby and owned by Godolphin. This horse was sired by the legendary Frankel but is its dam that is important here. That’s because Gale Force was a winner over long distances and that’s a key factor for the St Leger. Seeing out the 14 furlongs is so important in this race, but this runner shouldn’t have any stamina problems.

Hurricane Lane has won five out of six races, the only defeat being when finishing third in the 2021 Epsom Derby. Both of his front shoes came off in that race, so the poor run can be excused. Since that defeat, Hurricane Lane has won the Irish Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp. The ground is always an important factor, and this runner has had successes on good ground but also very soft and heavy, so a few rainy days won’t be a concern at all.

Adayar

Hurricane Lane’s only defeat came in the Epsom Derby, and it was Adayar who was the winner that day. It wasn’t a win that was expected but he has followed up that win with success in the Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot. Mishriff finished second in that race and has since won a Group 1 race at York.

Adayar is also trained by Charlie Appelby, and it will be interesting to see which of his runners will have William Buick on board as he rode Hurricane Lane in the Epsom Derby. Can Adayar be as effective over this longer distance as he has been over a mile and a half? Looking at his pedigree, there has to be doubts over this being the case. Not since 1987 has a horse won the Epsom Derby and the St Leger in the same season.

Hurricane Lane and Adayar would be good picks for an accumulator. It’s thrilling if all your selections are winners, leaving just one to be successful. There will be some good odds available for the St Leger so including this race would be interesting. It’s good to read some information about backing racing accumulators to increase your chances of winning.

Galileo Chrome wins last year’s St Leger

Ottoman Emperor

Trained by Johnny Murtagh, Ottoman Empire is yet to taste defeat on turf. All four of his races have been won, the most recent being a Group 3 success at Glorious Goodwood. This is a big step up in class though for a horse that won a handicap race at Gowran Park in June. His trainer believes that his runner has a live chance of winning this classic but is probably best to be backed each way.

Mojo Star

This Richard Hanon-trained runner finished second behind Adayar in the Epsom Derby. Since then, he’s finished fifth nine and a half lengths behind Hurricane Lane in the Irish Derby but was hampered in that race. Mojo Star won his first ever race last time out at Newbury in a Class 3 maiden stakes, a level way below this Group 1 race. Seeing out the distance isn’t entirely certain but could be a good each-way bet.

Sir Lucan

Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won this race five times. He has plenty of entries this year. Sir Lucan could be the one that improves over this longer distance. Last time out, he finished fourth in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York this week. That was run over 12 furlongs and he put in a strong performance towards the end of the race. More favourable evidence is a win over 11 furlongs earlier this year, so lasting out an extra furlong looks more than likely.

Wordsworth

Wordsworth is another O’Brien runner. He was second in that 11-furlong race won by his stablemate Sir Lucan but only lost by a neck. Travelling an extra furlong looks possible but Sir Lucan looks the better prospect and has been beaten by other leading contenders mentioned in this article.

This is the oldest classic and was first run in 1776. Another exciting race looks likely this year, so make sure you don’t miss the St Leger on Saturday September 11.

Horses going out of their way to impress champion Blackmore

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Horses going out of their way to impress champion Blackmore

This year, Rachael Blackmore famously etched her place into the history of horse racing by becoming the first female jockey to win the Grand National. She also claimed the prestigious Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham Festival and only narrowly missed out on winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard as Minella Indo won the race.

Unfortunately, when you become the golden girl of the sport, every horse in the paddock now wants to pair up with Blackmore for the 2021/22 season. It’s not quite Love Island, and she won’t be pulled for a horrendously cheesy chat by the fire pit, but the horses in the paddock will be doing their utmost to prove that they’re worthy of riding with Blackmore with the lure of the top prizes in the National Hunt on offer in the next campaign.

If you bet on horse racing you’ll know that Minella Times is already one of the leading contenders to repeat his success of last season, aiming to join a select company of competitors to win back-to-back Nationals. Minella Times already has a headstart on many of his rivals in attempting to lure Blackmore in the saddle for the Grand National next season, providing the jockey with a chance to accomplish what few have done in the past to secure back-to-back victories.

Minella Times cannot afford to rest on his laurels after his victory last season. He cannot get comfortable and allow his weight and performance to balloon. He has to keep himself lean and mean ahead of the National in April because Blackmore won’t be short on offers when she herself regains fitness.

One horse that can rule itself out of contention in Blackmore’s good graces is Merry Poppins. Blackmore suffered a serious injury after falling from the horse in Killarney. It’s going to take more than a spoonful of sugar to convince Blackmore to get back in the saddle on Merry Poppins, with the injury requiring surgery. Let’s just hope that the 32-year-old received a lot of flowers and grapes after going under the knife. Hopefully, she can be fit in time for the start of the new campaign.

A Plus Tard has to get himself into shape. Second is not good enough in the eyes of Blackmore after their near-miss at the Gold Cup. She will also want to become the first female jockey to win the signature prize at Cheltenham. A Plus Tard is one of the top contenders in the horse racing predictions to win the Gold Cup in 2022, but Blackmore will want to see more from the charge, especially considering that she had a great relationship with Minella Indo, who won the race last season but was placed into the hands of Jack Kennedy by trainer Henry de Bromhead.

There will be a slew of horses doing their best to impress Blackmore next time she enters De Bromhead’s yard. There will be plenty of charges demanding new shoes and their manes trimmed for her next visit. She is the dominant jockey on the scene at the moment and Blackmore will want to keep it that way next term. The 32-year-old has the pick of the paddock and few will want to disappoint her.

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