Cigarettes might kill you, but they’d struggle to break your shoulder. For that you need a whole new habit. Try downhill mountain biking. I didn ’t realise I was an addict, then I looked back and saw that all the signs were there:  - It costs me too much  - I hang around with other addicts  - To me they seem normal  - I don’t see what’s funny about a subscription to “Dirt!” magazine  - I disregard the side effects of my addiction as trivial  - Even when these side effects put me in hospital It’s definitely an addiction. The problem is, when I started it was like gentle home-grown grass. Things have changed. Now, it’s like genetically altered skunk. When I was 14, mountain bikes, if ridden into roadside curbs, would crumple like wet cardboard. They were normal bikes, but with fat tyres. They were good fun but unlikely to get you into too much trouble. Mountain biking for its early life was normal cycling but with added mud. Not so m...

Calling all lovers of middle-brow, blinkered news distortion - go to this site immeditately. If you've been away from bigotry for longer than is comfortable, you no longer have to find a news stand and a copy of the Daily Mail. Just log on and have Daily Mail headlines generated for you at the click of a button... WILL GREENPEACE ROB THE MIDDLE CLASS BLIND? COULD GYPSIES IMPREGNATE THE ELDERLY? WILL THE UNEMPLOYED RIP OFF HOMEOWNERS? What relief this will provide those who have not had their daily fix of smug self delusion. With thanks to Chris Applegate for devising this illuminating toy, and to Dave for bringing it to my attention.