Nuns are beautiful!

Some ideas can only be put forward by certain people. For instance, if I walked into my local church and said ' Hey Father, I've got an idea! Why don't you organise an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight their dour image?' I would be carted off to the funny farm as quick as the men with the nets could drag me. ' Hang on! Wait a minute! What's this? An Italian priest, Rev. Antonio Rungi has suggested that very thing.

The "Miss Sister 2008" contest will start in September on a blog run by the Rev. Antonio Rungi and will give nuns from around the world a chance to showcase their work and their image. Rungi said, 'Nuns are a bit marginalised in ecclesiastical life.'

Rungi, a theologian and schoolteacher from Naples, Italy said, visitors to his site will have a month to 'vote for their favourite nun.' Nuns will fill out a profile including information about their life and vocation as well as a photograph. Rungi said, 'We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits,' (I think that's a mistake) 'But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. (Really?) External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it.' So, who is it a gift from if you look like s**t, and should they be hidden?

I can't wait for "Miss Sister 2008," can you?

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This week: Dave and Steve talk about the advent of Transsexual Toilets in Thai Schools and the return of Gary Glitter amongst other things...

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All that Glitters...

OK, OK, I know it's supposed to be 'All that Glisters...' but that wouldn't work with this post, as the infamous 'DISGRACED FORMER GLAM ROCK STAR WEIRDO PERVY KIDDIE CHASING NUTJOB' was called 'Glitter'. He's now called 'Gadd'. And he's on his way back to Blighty.

Well, to be more accurate, he's on his way somewhere. Apparently, he's been released this morning from the Vietnamese jail that's been his home for the last 3 years and they have deported him. However, as there are no direct flights to the UK, he can change flights for whichever country will allow him a Visa. And let's face it, there can't be many.

It appears that this latest chapter in his downfall was a scam that he should have been aware of; a family so desperate for cash that they set him up. Not that this is any kind of excuse of course. Mind you, he didn't exactly demonstrate his astuteness the first time around when he dropped his laptop - which had a number of rather abhorrent images on its hard drive - into PC World in Bristol for repair. At least his stupidity got him off the streets.

So the self-styled 'Leader of the Gang' (and no thanks Gary, we don't want to be in it), is now free again. But for how long? OK, he's concerned about his health and has worries about where he will live (he hasn't, hitherto, mentioned any sort of concern about his moral standards), but is he as innocent as he makes out? Time will tell.

There is, however, something just as offensive and potentially damaging to the fabric of society than his reported interest in the younger members of it. The world should be reminded that he has made a number of comebacks before. Who knows what he is planning? Especially with another Seventies comeback underway right now.

No - it's not Jimmy Savile directing traffic in Leeds. Making a comeback in the U.S. are the banana related strange animal things that go by the names of Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky.

Looking into the future as I can, I see a new 'Glam Rock' band with a new frontman on the horizon...

Out with the old...

Hot News! Yes; Stir The Beans is proud to be able to show you pictures of the new VW Golf a whole week before it's launched! In an exclusive scoop, we can reveal that, well, it looks like the old one.

And quite a lot like the one before that.

'The new Golf is the sixth car to be called a Golf, with Volkswagen playing it relatively safe with the styling and naming of its popular hatchback. Over 26 million Golfs have been produced in its 34-year production run, the new Mk6 model certain to continue that phenomenal success story.' Or so it says in the press kit.

More Stir The Beans exclusive stories; Duck with one leg swims in a circular pattern. Also, news from Rome; Pope declares himself to be a member of the Catholic Church.