Misleading headlines

[Croydon Bob]

Singer James Blunt 'prevented World War III'

What an attention seeking lying twat. Erm, Blunt I mean, not you.

He is, as Mitch Benn sang, the only man who is his own rhyming slang.

However, I'd have to say that Tony's "Cricket earns big testicles title" is funny because it is baffling until you read the article; "Blunt prevented WW3" is just annoying, like his whiney voice is annoying.

[Tony Williams]

Neanderthals found in Wales

I had to laugh at this one on the BBC website - I thought they weren't supposed to make rude jokes about the UK's ethnic minorities?

This what the link brings up, if you're interested: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Neanderthal#p00bnflm

[Croydon Bob]

I thought they weren't supposed to make rude jokes about the UK's ethnic minorities?

If living in one area and speaking with the same silly accent makes a group of people an ethnic minority then Geordies and Brumies are also ethnic minorities.

Name one common Welsh surname that has a Celtic rather than Saxon or Norman origin (Jones, Davies = Saxon, Williams = Norman).

[Matt]

Name one common Welsh surname that has a Celtic rather than Saxon or Norman origin (Jones, Davies = Saxon, Williams = Norman).

How about Pugh?

[Croydon Bob]

How about Pugh?

I'll bow to your greater knowledge, but I've never met anyone or heard of anyone with the surname Pugh (other than on Trumpton), so I'm not sure how common it is compared to Jones, James, Jenkins, Davies, Williams, etc.

Also some "Welsh" surnames, like Powell and Bowen are at least as common in England which only supports my suggestion that the Welsh are not a seperate ethnic group from the English.

I fear I may have moved this thread away from its intended path.

[Matt]

I'll bow to your greater knowledge, but I've never met anyone or heard of anyone with the surname Pugh (other than on Trumpton), so I'm not sure how common it is compared to Jones, James, Jenkins, Davies, Williams, etc.

Also some "Welsh" surnames, like Powell and Bowen are at least as common in England which only supports my suggestion that the Welsh are not a seperate ethnic group from the English.

I fear I may have moved this thread away from its intended path.

Bow away Bob, bow away.

You can check name frequencies here, no need to stick with the unreliable human experience.

Here's the map for Pugh

pugh.JPG

It tells me that Pugh has a frequency of 1,149 per million in wales so hardly surprising you've never met one. Yet that's still regarded as relatively high and you can see that it does locate rather well to Wales.

Looks like Morgan is an obviously Welsh Celtic name nearly ten times more frequent, being the 9th most common surname in Wales.

Jones 5.7%
Williams 3.7%
Davies 3.7%
Evans 2.5%
Thomas 2.4%
Roberts 1.5%
Lewis 1.4%
Hughes 1.2%
Morgan 1.2%
Griffiths 1.0%

I haven't checked the origins of any of these names, the website lists them all as Celtic Welsh but that appears to be based upon their current frequency rather than origins.

[Matt]

Looks like the Welsh Lewises have a claim to a Celtic Name

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_%28surname%29

as does Hughes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_%28surname%29

and Griffiths

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_%28surname%29

[chaggle]

Bow away Bob, bow away.

I should be careful saying things like that to Bob.

[kayle]

That WW3 headline reminded me the following anecdote:

China Political Bureau meeting. A messenger walks in and says: Kazakhstan has declared war on us.
China's leader says: And what hotel their army is staying at?

[Mr.Smoketoomuch]

From today's Birmingham Mail -
"Birmingham mother-in-law to be stabbed more than 60 times".