Your letters
16:15 UK time, Wednesday, 30 August 2006
• So the Royal Academy of Arts was . If you click on the news item, then on the RA link, their front page shows a photo of a woman with a lighted match between her lips. The picture is entitled Pyromaniac 2, by Josephine Meckseper. Hmmm... perhaps it was a piece of installation art that went horribly wrong.
Nicola Turton, Old Basing, England
• I was a bit puzzled to read about a suspect who was . Does anyone know how that works? Presumably it could do a lot to ease prison over-crowding.
David Dee, Maputo Mozambique
• To Adrian, faced with expensive water (Tuesday letters). Did you buy it? That's how it works.
Phil, Cambridge, England
• Adrian, this is how it works. Crude oil is drilled for in hostile conditions in the North Sea. It is piped ashore, refined and taken to petrol stations. The Government then nearly trebles the price with duty and VAT so it ends up costing 95p a litre. Water comes out of the ground. It is bottled and goes to the shops. It is sold (inc VAT) at £1.20 a half-litre. This is what's known technically as a "con". Refill empty 250ml bottles with tap-water and carry one with you. End of con.
Ken, Hornchurch
• Re new mnemonic for the planets. Just change the mnemonic to Many Vindictive Earthlings Minister Judgement - Segregating Unwelcome New Plutons (or Plutoids or whatever!)
Alexander Lewis Jones, Nottingham, UK
• Re Punorama I am sulking that my pun "Griddley Scot" failed to get a mention in your honours list. It had all the right ingredients (no pun intended). By way of explanation - griddle (on which pancakes are cooked). The guy was a Scot (can we presume if he was at Aberdeen Uni). He made a film (like the famous director Ridley Scott). Get the idea? Ach well there's always next week.
B Gunn, Muscat, Oman
Monitor note: The judges' decision is final.
The 
