the foobar zone

Not much of a surprise, but the Vatican's latest statement on child abuse in Ireland falls so far short of the mark, you just have to gaze in wonder at it.  Blaming "weakening of the faith" as a "significant contributory factor" in the abuse, and calling for "deeper theological reflection on the whole issue", the two stated purposes of the meeting and press release were to get people to believe in Jesus more, and to restore the church's credibility.

Looks like Jim Watson, Nobel laureate, has put his foot in it once more, this time for airing his views that black people are less intelligent than white. Oh dear. All scientists are nutters, aren't they?

The "Nigel effect" is a term I've heard used occasionally in the context of British businesses dealing with Irish businesses.