Your Mandarin had to laugh out loud today after reading this article from the Telegraph.co.uk detailing the collapse of the floor at a Weight Watchers clinic.

According to the article, “As the dieters queued to see how many pounds they had shed, the floor beneath them in the clinic in Vaxjo, in south-central Sweden, began to rumble. One Weight Watchers participant told the Smalandsposten newspaper, “The floor collapsed in one corner of the room and along the walls. Soon, the fault lines spread around the room, and other sections of the floor gave way.”

Apparently, the cause of the floor’s collapse remains under investigation. Your Mandarin wonders, without conducting an extensive forensic engineering study of the structure whether or not the cause of the collapse could be just having too many fat-asses in the same spot at the same time. They may want to have the meeting in the basement next time.

It is a shame that the Swedish government will have to devote precious resources to this investigation when there are more pressing and weighty issues out there.

The Mandarin

The Mandarin, whose real name is 吏恆, joined the order in 1309, and introduced the Gormogons into England during the 18th Century.

The Mandarin enjoys spending time with his pet manticore, Βάρἰκος, or Barry (who can be found in the Bestiary). When not in the Castle…well, frankly, nobody is quite sure where he goes.

The Mandarin popularized the fine art of “gut booting,” by which he delivers a powerful kick to the stomach of anyone that annoys him. Although nearly universal today, the act of gut booting or threatening someone or something with a gut boot is solely due to him.