Nothing says Christmas like big diggers...

Looks like The JCB Song has made it to the Christmas number one spot. I'm glad. It's been on my playlist about six months or so, and I have no idea why it's suddenly sprung from nowhere to become a huge hit, but I'm not complaining.

The JCB song is performed by Nizlopi AKA Luke Concannon and John Parker, a duo from Warwickshire.

It is a tale about a boy enjoying a ride in a JCB with his father and wishing he could use the empowerment he feels as he rides along to tackle bullies at his school.

Snow penis no more after rough handling by police

New Windsor - Down on Quassaick Avenue, around the corner from the New Windsor Elementary School, a 6-foot tall, anatomically correct, finely detailed penis raised some questions Monday.

"We got some calls that people thought it was offensive," said New Windsor police Chief Michael Biasotti. "We assumed it was some kids who did it."

Officers found no one home. Assuming the snow sculpture was more prank than nod to Christmas' pagan roots, the police beat it down with shovels.



But Jessica Sherer says phallic displays were central to Viking winter solstice celebrations of fertility and rebirth and that phallic rituals were as much a part of the Hopi Indian winter festivals as the Hawk dance.

"We came back around 11 in the morning, and it was just a pile of snow," recalled Sherer, 19. "Just some shovel marks."

Sherer erected the statue with her boyfriend and another friend Sunday. She said she was surprised to hear some neighbors took offense.

The last two nights of freezing weather has made the snow too stiff to sculpt, said Sherer. But she intends to rebuild.

"In a couple of days, Thursday or Friday, after it gets a little warmer," she promises.

Police and town officials aren't sure what their move will be.

Biasotti worries the display might give others ideas. "Now we're going to get snow penises popping up all over town," he said.

Many scholars, of course, trace the origin of the modern-day yule log to ancient pagan totems to virility and sun-god worship. Is that what Sherer was going for?

"We just did it because we were really bored, and we thought it'd be funny," she said. "It was huge."

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/12/14/sn.html

My home town made international news!

REUTERS - Swanage police said on Friday they were looking for a Santa acting suspiciously -- a flasher who had repeatedly exposed himself to women, including on one occasion while dressed as Father Christmas.

Officers said the flasher had struck a number of times since December 6, and a week later exposed himself whilst wearing a Santa Claus outfit.



"I would be very interested to hear from anyone who may have seen someone acting suspiciously while dressed as Father Christmas in the Gilbert Road or surrounding areas of Swanage town centre," Police Constable Jonathan Maunder said.

"These incidents of indecent exposure have caused a great deal of upset to the women that the man has approached."