Talk of the Town: Susan Boyle's saliva triggers sterling devaluation

INTERNET site eBay is great for buying and selling everything from cars to comic books, bedroom furniture to complete kitchens. It's a great site for fans of film and music memorabilia as well.

It's also home to the frankly ridiculous things too – like a 1 coin supposedly licked by singing sensation Susan Boyle, for example.

Yes. A coin once apparently licked by SuBo after the final of Britain's Got Talent last May has been auctioned, and it sold for a whopping 99 pence.

Hold on though – that means SuBo's saliva has devalued the coin by a whole one penny.

Could this mean Ms Boyle's star is already on the wane?

Sprightly MSP Robin just isn't the retiring type

SOME say Robin Harper, the veteran Green MSP and co-convener of the party in Scotland, is preparing to step down from the Scottish Parliament at next year's elections. Robin, approaching 70 and with the enthusiasm and drive of a man less than half his age, tells a different story – he is getting ready to step up.

"To borrow the words of Tony Benn," he told an Evening News conference on young people and politics, "I'm leaving parliament to get more involved in politics."

The word retirement does not seem to feature in the former Boroughmuir High School teacher's vocabulary.

Brigade go back to nature

MEMBERS of the 25th Edinburgh Girls' Brigade Company had a close brush with nature when they spent the night sleeping in the Budongo Trail at Edinburgh Zoo in aid of charity.

The girls slept in a room divided only from the trail's resident chimpanzees by a glass partition.

Company captain Aileen Kells said: "It was very scary at times as the animals were very noisy as they accessed the various habitats by way of overhead tunnels. The girls were so brave to stay all night."

Tram depot trip was no joke

WANT to know what goes into a major publicly-funded transport project? Then you'll need to learn how to complete it so late and so over-budget that space travel may have been a cheaper option.

Strathclyde University engineering students have made a site visit to the shiny new tram depot currently being built at Gogar, which is either on time or 23 years behind schedule, depending on who you listen to.

Andy Scott, project manager at the site, said: "We are really pleased to be able to give these students a taste of what it's like to work in the construction industry.

"Practical learning like this is invaluable as it allows the student to experience for themselves how the whole process works. "

We'll leave you to come up with your own punchline to this item.