07-Sep-10
I have a hatred of hedges since my home is surrounded by those composed of beech and I have to cut/trim the things. The beech hedges round my home were possibly planted in the mid 1800's with the though that they'd never survive 50 years. Yet very year I try to keep the growth to around 2 metres, but it defeats me and I tickle it.
Gardeners who plant beech hedges always rue the day because, for only perhaps a couple of months a year (and I'm being liberal,) leaves don't drop to excess. It's a nightmare these days to keep my access free of beech leaves but it's good exercise - although the daily removal of leaves from your property isn't on the list of healthly exercise.
I've now found the solution - a tip from the Irish - although mine will be on a smaller scale.
One of my regular reads is Calum Cashley's blog. I don't always agree with him but his research and the standard of articulate argument makes it a must read for me and my only complaint is he doesn't post more frequently.
Calum wishes to start a debate on independence for Scotland and for Scots and non-Scots who have an interest in the future of this country, may I suggest this will be the place for honest and informative discussion, if this post is anything to go by.
Have a read yourself and see what you think.
Yesterday evening I was at a local meeting concerning the development of a field in the area. For years this field has been the subject of residential development by a variety of developers, but now it seems the current developer intends to go ahead and quickly.
Several meetings have been held over the years because, as it usual with large developments, people have particular concerns. Those meetings have been semi-informal, led by a small group of neighbours/organisers and invited guests sitting at a top table. A few have included local councillors, the occasional council official and our MSP on one occasion. No minutes have been taken so there are no official records. The only records are the copious personal notes of attendees.
Last night three local councillors were invited to attend and each gave a brief speech which conveyed little information other than how hard they work and how important they are to these local issues.
Towards the end of the meeting one councillor suggested the developer should be invited to the next meeting to discuss certain issues and he offered to arrange his attendance.
Because of the lack of formal records, I suggested the next meeting could be recorded on video by placing one on a tripod at the back of the room. The response to the suggestion was amazing. Immediately the three councillors, in unison, protested. Their reasons for objecting were:
a) Everyone attending would have to give their permission. Easy I said. Everyone could sign in on arrival giving permission.
b) If one person withheld their permission what then I was asked. Before I could reply up popped another objection.
c) The developer may not attend. Of course that is nonsense as the developer has no reason to object to the meeting being videoed. If he did object then it would show he had something to hide and developers are honest, communicative people aren't they.
By now I was bemused. The people who are happy to vote for more CCTV cameras, vote for by-laws which curtail our freedoms, vote for databases which record every aspect of our daily lives didn't want to be on camera themselves. I had thought the biggest protest would be from those who are of an age when modern technology is of little interest and may not have realised the benefit of having an accurate record now the planning proposals are to be assessed within a few months, but it was our elected representatives, paid by us to support us, who were desperately anxious to knock the idea on the head. It's clear they don't like even the suggestion of a dose of their own medicine.
Answer - When it's shorts.
A visiting American golfer was banned from playing Royal Troon in Ayrshire because he was wearing a kilt. Dr Jeffrey Foster, who is of Scots descent, played rounds at seven other championship courses, including Muirfield, Turnberry and St Andrews, without any problem with his attire, yet when he arrived at Royal Troon, he was told he would have to change into trousers to tee off.
Dr Foster said: "As a 13th-generation Scots-American I own 14 traditional kilts and often play golf here and in the US kilted. I intended playing every round in Scotland kilted, in honour of my heritage and homeland. I showed up properly kilted and was denied permission to play at a pre-arranged and pre-paid tee-time because there is a rule against men playing in shorts. The official record at Royal Troon equated my kilt to shorts." The American reluctantly dashed back to his hotel to change into trousers.
The club's information for visitors on its website states only that 'denim jeans, shorts, tee-shirts and training/sports shoes are not permitted in the clubhouse or on the courses'. Royal Troon needs to revise its website because it wasn't long ago I was at a function in that clubhouse and most of the male guests were kilted and none was asked to leave or change into trousers. I'll be delighted to furnish them with the date if they so wish and I'm sure I can dig out a few photographs for free.
06-Sep-10
Her Majesty looks amused, possibly because she'll get the last laugh. It's said, within Royal circles that she's so annoyed about indiscretions revealed in Tony Blair's new book, she plans to withhold granting him an exclusive honour. The former Prime Minister was in line to be appointed to the Order of the Thistle, the highest Scottish honour. Leaders of Scottish descent are almost automatically given the honour after leaving office.
Considering Tony Blair has 'moved on' from the land of his birth, I doubt if he'll be too upset, but then again, such a title would open many more doors for him (and his divine wife Cherie of course), so perhaps he may feel slightly embarrassed.
The Queen's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, said she was sure the 84-year-old monarch would be 'disappointed' at Blair's decision to breach Royal protocol by revealing personal conversations in the Queen's home. It's just etiquette in elite social circles and it's not etiquette in this house either, but then I'm particular as to whom is welcomed here. The Queen is not in a position to be choosy.
For Blair life is about fame and fortune and he's acquired both, by fair means or foul. The renowned Royal biographer Hugo Vikers said last night: "You know when the Queen respects a Prime Minister. She awarded Margaret Thatcher the Order of Merit as soon as she left office." Ouch. It's only three years since Blair resigned so I should think there's still time for her to bestow her gratitude. Wonder when Gordon Brown will called to Holyrood to receive his Order of the Thistle?
I hope the above information answers Leg Iron's question about the Queen's lack of action in connection with 'Tony the Teeth'. Beheading is not longer legal I believe and a Royal snub lasts a lifetime.
Update: According to Sky News Blair is reconsidering attending his book signing in central London after the protests in Dublin. Facing his accusers isn't his strong point is it?
Isn't that a happy photograph? It was taken at last year's Scottish Conservatives conference. You'd think everything in the garden is rosy wouldn't you. But it isn't and it never will be again. The Tories made no gains in Scotland at the general election and even though Ms Goldie insists their share of the vote increased, it's of little interest to her boss.
In fact, he's so disinterested he hasn't spoken to her since the poor result. Some report the Scottish Tories have been 'cut adrift' by their London party as they've been shut out of all decision making roles and they are no longer invited to top-level strategy and policy meetings. Some of us will resist saying 'we told you so'.
All the London party is concerned with is power and when there's no power base there's nothing left to interest them.
Surely this is the Scottish Tories' chance to completely break away from their London bosses and branch out alone. Despite the many rumours that the Tories are dead in Scotland there are many who still vote for them. The Scottish Conservatives lost a considerable percentage o their voters to the SNP some years ago. Why? Because they insisted on taking their orders from London and therefore were unable to suggest policies which would benefit Scotland. There are also Tories who believe in independence for Scotland and, because their own party won't entertain the thought of it, they vote SNP.
If they reinvented themselves, decided upon policies which are relevant to Scotland and perhaps rethought their opposition towards independence or at least total fiscal autonomy -instead of supporting the Calman report which has little in the way of developing Scotland's future - then they could be a serious party once again.
Will they be courageous enough? Will they rid themselves of the old fogies who are stuck in an 80s time warp hoping that another Thatcher will appear on the scene? That will be their only saving grace, otherwise they will slip into oblivion. Their supporters will only tolerate a certain amount of neglect and stupidity for a certain amount of time. Some I know are beginning to have serious doubts about David Cameron already and that's not good news.
A decision must be made very soon or the next election will see much of their vote split between the SNP and the libdems. Maybe that needs to happen before they grasp that the writing on the wall is addressing them.
05-Sep-10
A British soldier from the Royal Scots Borders, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, has been killed in an explosion if Afghanistan. He was serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force when killed by a last on Nad-e Ali District of Helmand.
This soldier was killed by a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
Another soldier, from the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, has died in the UK from injuries sustained in Afghanistan.
Now we have 333 of our military personnel killed in this war and 88 of those died this year. That doesn't mean the deaths of those in previous years are any less important but it does show the so-called strategy is non-existent as I've said before. Politicians are winging this war in the hope that all their lies, repeated on a daily basis, will be believed by their electorate. If oil wasn't connected with this country, and others in the middle east, we would never have been present.
As for the revelations in Sir Richard Dannatt's book, I'm angry - nay furious. If he felt that Blair and Brown weren't treating our armed services well then - after doing his upmost to improve the situation - he should have resigned. That would have been the biggest statement anyone in a position of power, be it military or political, could have made. Yet he continued in the post. Of course we know why, because he would have lost his extremely handsome pension if he hadn't hung on until his retiral. If he truly believed his men and women were being compromised then he should have spoken out. Told the truth. But he didn't.
That's part of the problem with the heirarchy of the military. Most of our armed forces work for far less than they would receive in a Civvie Street job, yet they're aware they are entitled to a reasonable pension, if they enlist long-term, upon retirement. If they resign then the pension is radically reduced.
That doesn't happen in the 'public' sector does it? Seems within councils if you're hopeless at a job then they'll pay you a fortune to get rid of you.
That apart, would Dannatt's resignation on a point of principle saved lives? Who knows - only those at the front line know the truth and I doubt many of them will be writing books which will be promoted in the MSM. Sometimes it's better to stick to the modern saying: Either put up or shut up. That can save lives.
Yesterday Scotland's biggest Highland Games took place in Braemar and it's estimated that around 15,000 attended the 160 year old Gathering. The Queen made her usual appearance much to the pleasure of the crowds.
I remember as a child being taken by my parents, all dressed in my Sunday Best and later, as a teenager I returned to Dundee and had a wonderful day there with old school friends. We finished the day in Dundee, dancing at the Palais if I remember correctly. What I do remember was the band and its leader.
He has such a distinctive style that any Scot would recognise his playing after the first few bars. Enjoy.
'The Journey', possibly the most over-promoted book published this year, but Gordon's still has to hit the shelves so I could be wrong.
Thankfully I made the decision some time ago not to purchase the Labour-trilogy from Mandeleson, Blair and Brown, so my knowledge comes from reviewers of all political persuasions and none.
This morning two of what I consider are the best reviews are in today's Sundays. Iain MacWhirter and Gerald Warner provide the entertainment.
'The Journey', possibly the most over-promoted book published this year, but Gordon's still has to hit the shelves so I could be wrong.
Thankfully I made the decision some time ago not to purchase the Labour-trilogy from Mandeleson, Blair and Brown, so my knowledge comes from reviewers of all political persuasions and none.
This morning two of what I consider are the best reviews are in today's Sundays. Iain MacWhirter and Gerald Warner provide the entertainment.
04-Sep-10
Surely everyone must have some sympathy with the Chilean miners trapped thousands of feet underground, knowing their rescue will take some weeks if not months.
In their circumstances I'd be desperate to see the sky but, in recent days it has been said that if the 33 miners make it to the surface safely, some of them may end up wishing they'd stayed underground.
Officials at the camp where families have gathered say at least five miners' wives have encountered surprises mistresses. Ugly scenes have ensured over the compensation packages. One miners has a first wife he never divorced, a live-in partner, a mother of a child he had several years ago and a woman who says she's his current girlfriend. Quite an energetic chap by all accounts.
The wives, mistresses and ex-lovers are holding a vigil at the camp. The Red Cross say it's a logistical nightmare trying to keep them apart. Officials are considering asking the miners whom they would like to claim the compensation, although they are trying to avoid raising the men's stress levels by letting them know too much about the dramas happening above ground.
Goes to show there's always a price for love no matter what we're told.
Pictured is Ben Peters of the 2nd Medical Regiment. In the south western press yesterday there was a headline 'Soldier who nursed meningitis-struck daughter is jailed for going AWOL'.
At first I thought how despicable of the army to behave so insensitively. I've good reason to think they can from experience of days gone by when compassionate leave was only allowed for next of kin and it usually involved a funeral or, on occasion, a very imminent death. Brothers and sisters, in those days, were not regarded as next of kin unless parents were dead. Military personnel advised the MoD of their next of kin and that is then placed on their record, a practice which still continues today.
Thankfully things have moved on from those days. After reading this article it would appear Ben Peters was given compassionate leave to return to the UK, from his base in Germany, to be with family after his five-week old daughter contracted the deadly meningitis virus.
Despite keeping the military informed, he was arrested on his return, demoted and given 30 days military detention and had two months wages stopped.
But the journalist has dug deeper. Ben took approved leave in April when his partner began to suffer from severe sciatica towards the end of her pregnancy. He then agreed two weeks paternity leave when his daughter was born in May, only to be posted AWOL when he failed to return to Germany after she contracted meningitis.
It would appear the army decided not to follow up that AWOL announcement as they granted him compassionate leave while the baby was in hospital suffering from meningitis. The baby pulled through and discharged after six days.
However Ben decided to ask for more days off to ensure he could attend the baby's follow-up appointments after she came out of hospital. This was refused.
He was again posted AWOL and arrested days later when he returned to base. His partner, the baby's mother, said she had had several conversations with the army in which she stressed their financial situation and complains the action the army has taken has affected the family and her marriage.
At first I thought the army were behaving without any compassion, but when I re-read the article I see Mr Peters has been given a considerable amount of time off, with pay, to attend to his pregnant partner and also help see the family through the baby's illness.
No matter how courageous he is on duty there's a limited time any employer can allow an employee to take for compassionate leave. It used to be three days for all circumstances. I've no idea if that has been extended but it would seem it has been under special circumstances.
While I understand Mr Peters concern for his daughter, once she was discharged from hospital, and with his medical knowledge and/or contacts, he should have been aware that he ought to return to work considering the amount of leave he had been granted already. He chose not to do so.
He knew the rules and it would seem he tried to extend them to suit his own situation. That's not the way it works in the military or any business. Everyone obeys the rules or the whole system falls apart.
It is estimated that 5.7 million people have paid the wrong tax over the last two years. It's well know that our Revenue department is inefficient but the scale of these 'errors' is mind-blowing.
More than 4 million of us can expect an early Christmas present because they overpaid the taxman £1.8 billion. Another 1.4 million will be told they have paid too little, totalling £2 billion, although they will not be expected to make it up immediately.
Next week an estimated 30,000 people are expected to be the first to receive letters containing HM Revenue and Customs refund cheques. Initially only 15,000 will be warned they have paid too little and the Revenue, in order to claim the money, will adjust their tax codes from next April. How considerate of them. The remainder of the estimated 5.7 million people who have paid the wrong tax over the last two years are due to hear from the taxman by December.
The coalition government blame the last Labour government for making the tax system more complex and failing to reform PAYE over 13 years in power. They have started a consultation on reforming the PAYE system. We all know how effective that will be don't we.
Sources said the mistakes have been uncovered through use of a computer system which matches records automatically. Tax staff had to check Revenue and employers' records by hand to see if the right amounts were paid. Last month a highly critical report by the National Audit Office said that millions of workers had been left an estimated £3 billion out of pocket, which was blamed on a new computer system which issued wrong tax codes.
If you peruse government department accounts, you will know we spend vast sums of money on IT and yet, a generation later, these offices are no more capable of using or checking their software. I say let's go back to the old system of manual calculations and stop throwing money at IT companies who are unable to produce safe and appropriate programmes.
03-Sep-10
Orwell's Picnic - Nothing to see here... move along...
Anna Raccoon - Poor Polly - Betrayed Again!
Missives from Doktorb - Stand Up and be Silenced
Calum Cashley - Labour and Alcohol
Police Inspector's Blog - Action Speak Louder Than Words in Ruralshire
The Ben Lomond Free Press - Calm
Small logo for Scotland's largest council isn't it?
The Labour run Glasgow City Council has agreed to pay £13 million to 102 chiefs who have volunteered to retire early. A third of the most senior staff, who earn between £47,292 and £132,013 have applied to leave early and are to receive up to 30 weeks salary, depending on their length of service. As well as the payoff, they will receive up to an extra six and two-thirds years' worth of pension on their final salary pension schemes.
The council decided to fund the deal from property ales but the recession depressed the market. An arms-length company, City Property, was formed and borrowed the money from Barclays. It will pay back the funds over the next three years by selling property in the hope that prices recover.
Councillor Paul Rooney (Labour) said: "The Scottish government's budget will lead to unprecedented and brutal cuts right across the public sector but particularly in local government. We simply cannot sustain the number of staff we have".
Firstly, the SNP government must make it clear the cuts are the fault of the last Westminster Labour government. Secondly, why did Glasgow City Council have so many staff in the first place if they can afford to lose them at such a cost?
It's nearly Always Wrong!
"The Scottish government has said alcohol should be sold at a minimum of 45p per unit. The SNP's minimum price plan, which is contained in its Alcohol Bill, is an attempt to reduce consumption. If agreed, the change would see a two-litre bottle of Tesco brand cider go from £1.32 to £3.80, while Asda whisky would rise from £9.20 to £12.60."
Create a society where poverty leaves the poor with only two things they can enjoy, thanks to the failure of education, injudicious breeding, mass immigration and so forth. You need draconian measures to keep the fall out contained. The cost of everything today is enormous, as we face years of declining living standards. The answer? More control and higher costs of the proletariats' "freedom" to choose how they spend their meager, tax infested, income.
Of course the politicians get to keep their subsidised booze, pole dancing perks et al. The fashion for hurting the majority, for the celebrity culture mimicry of the few, must be done, mustn't it? Now, let me see, how does the minimum pricing scam work for "recreational" drugs? Honestly, as if we don't have enough to pay for.
02-Sep-10
A new study suggests that, when given a choice older people prefer to read negative news, rather than positive news, about young adults. In fact, older readers who chose to read negative stories about the young actually get a small boost in their self-esteem, according to the results.
Lead author of the study at Ohio State University, Professor Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick (what a mouthful) said younger people, who are less certain about their own identity, prefer to read about other younger people to see how they live their lives. Older people have greater certainty regarding their identity. The Professor conducted the study with Matthias Hastall of Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen in Germany.
Results showed that younger people showed no differences in self-esteem based on what they had read while the more that older people read negative stories about younger individuals, the higher the older person's level of self-esteem tended to be.
What a lot of erm... drivel, although it does make me wonder if a few hip flasks were involved the day the 98 older adults (aged 50 to 65) went to the computer laboratory for the test. You may be interested in 'destination amnesia' though. It often happens to me these days.
Dear Mr Hague
I know you've been under intense pressure in the past 24 hours regarding your personal life but I would like to thank you for saving my sanity during that period. Your timing was perfect.
Yesterday a man published a book about himself and in the past week or so thought he'd spoken to everyone he surmised would be valuable to the success of his book launch. Yet you dominated the headlines. Excellent.
By yesterday evening you were still headlines and Channel 4 News' Labour leaders' debate drifted into oblivion (the only place for it). Again I thank you for saving me from the endless media analysis of the Not Famous Five.
Your sexuality doesn't interest me in the least but your capabilities as the country's Foreign Secretary do. In your position sharing a twin room with a male colleague was rather a silly thing to do, but people like me are forced to do it regularly, even with strangers. Only last year I was enrolled on a training course and arrived to find I was sharing a twin room with a total stranger - female of course. It could have spiced the weekend up a little if it had been some unknown male, but alas, I'll never know.
Now you've given your detailed response the matter should be laid to rest and you get on with the job which we pay you to do. Time to come up with some answers about the transfer of powers to the EU and to give us a vote on these. Time to clarify how the changes in the EU justice system will affect us. Lots of problems for you to resolve.
My sincere thanks once again.
Yours
Subrosa
PS May I suggest you buy a camper van for your personal use during campaigns? I know they're advertised as having room for two, but from experience the space is only enough for one plus a decent sized TV. Don't buy one if you're in the least claustrophobic.
Hootsmon Headlines
Conan has his own large following, but for those of my readers who haven't seen any of his work then view the image. Conan's satirical headline 'Hootsmon Headlines' refers to the Scotsman - once upon a time the most powerful media in the east of Scotland and with more than a little influence in the west. He's a master of his art.
click to enlarge
Not being a fan of Shakespeare - although my father tried hard to convince me of his throughout my childhood - sometimes his words do have resonance.
Fife council has taken the controversial step of cutting its music tuition budget by 25% and they intend to cut it another 25% next year. For those readers outwith Scotland, Fife council is run by the SNP. I'm saddened they are so short-sighted taking what they think is an easy option concerning cuts in their education budget.
A conservative councillor contacted the Courier to complain that targeting music is a bad move where the education of children is concerned. I would agree. Children must be offered subjects which involve interactivity with their peers, teach them team playing and also the responsibility of learning that effort does pay.
Naturally music isn't appropriate for all children to learn such skills, but sport and music are the main subjects in which children can learn so much. I was one who benefitted from Dundee's director of education's decision, back in the 1950s, to offer every child the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.
The decision to reduce expenditure on music reduces the value of our education system. Now it will be only for these children whose parents can afford to send their children to private lessons. Unfortunately private lessons do not provide many of the skills which lessons within the school environment provides, so often they alienate the child from their peers because, when education authorities reduce music budgets, the after school music classes are lost and they are vital to those who do take private lessons.
I would ask Fife council to reconsider, but of course it's too late. I would also suggest they spent less money on teaching children subjects which will be of little or no use in their adult lives, but I know I'm whistling in the wind.
It would appear Fife council are following the comprehensive agenda, educate our young for the state examinations and nothing else. What a tragedy for so many of our children. It's my understanding sport has also been cut back in recent years. Aye, Scotland's doing fine complying with an education curriculum which churns out robots.
There was a stooshie at a recent council meeting when the tory councillor wasn't allowed to speak his mind about the cut in music provision. The chair said 'the subject wasn't on the agenda'. Surely any committee agenda has AOB (Any Other Business) on it. If this committee didn't have AOB on their agenda then I find that most unprofessional because that's the opportunity for anyone to bring up matters which concern them. Shame on you Councillor Douglas Chapman. Your excuse has a distinct bad smell about it.
01-Sep-10
This is the chest X-ray of a person with bronchial cancer. According to Cancer Research 86% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. One in three people develop cancer during their lives.
graph from cancer research
Note the number of breast and prostate cancers yet it's commonly thought that smokers, as Cancer Research publicise, are by far the largest group of lung cancer patients; thus putting excessive pressure on the NHS, not least through cost.
I'm sure those who think that smokers are the new lepers in society won't have been pleased with the front page of this week's Sunday Times. The newspaper has been passed on to me as I wouldn't give the Murdoch empire the time of day far less a penny.
As I can't provide a link I will type the article in full. It won't be good news for the anti-smoking Righteous who have the intense desire for smokers to be burnt at the stake but, at the same time, take their children to school in vehicles which have emissions which can cause serious bronchial problems in children. The same anti-smokers possibly use chemical sprays in their home which cause far worse problems that the occasional puff of smoke from someone smoking outside their home. After all, most smokers now smoke outside. I do. Not because I feel my smoking is a danger to anyone who visits me, but I am aware the smell of stale tobacco is unpleasant and also I've no wish to keep painting my home. We all know nicotine stains. So does bleach, Brasso, various kitchen and bathrooms cleaners, various car cleaners, yet smokers are the equivalent of the 'great unwashed'.
Here is the article:
New drug 'blocks' lung cancer
Smokers could be protected from lung cancer by taking a drug commonly used by diabetics, according to new scientific research.
The drug, metformin, appears to block the development of tumours. If proven, it would be the first drug capable of halting a smoking-related cancer before it takes hold, rather than treating it afterwards.
In theory, smokers could take it to cut their cancer risk - although it would not prevent smoking's many other health impacts.
Metformin's ability to block lung tuours has so far only been shown in animals and will have to be confirmed in humans. However, scientists say there is good evidence to suggest it could work.
In particular, there are already indications that smokers who take metformin for diabetes have a lower incidence of cancers.
"This wee-tolerated diabetes drug was able to prevent tobacco-carcinogen induced lung tumours," said Phillip Dennis, senior investigator in the medical oncology branch of the National Cancer Institute in America, at a recent conference.
His research will be formally published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research this week.
In Britain, which has 9.5m smokers, cigarettes are estimated to kill about 114,000 a year. About 43,000 of these die from smoking related cancers of which 25,000 are lung cancers.
In the research, Dennis treated mice with metformin for 13 weeks following exposure to the cancer causing agents found in tobacco smoke. They found the number of tumours in mice that had been given metformin by mouth fell by up to 50% and by injection 72%.
Such findings do not imply that smokers can escape ill health simply by taking a drug. Smoking also causes illnesses such as emphysema and cardiovascular problems. Metformin would not prevent these.
The Righteous will be so upset that money is being spent on research which has any connection to smoking. They never mention liver and kidney cancer of course because they're not yet on the agenda - that's for later when anyone who imbibes in a glass of two of anything alcoholic will become the new smokers. That, of course, will happen once all smokers have died from their habit.
How dare researchers spend good money on lung cancer tumours when most are self-inflicted? I can hear the indignation way up here in the north.
I am not arachnophobic but it would seem the wife of an Essex man may have a problem with spiders.
She noticed one behind the lavatory in their home on Monday and called her husband. Not being able to reach it, the husband decided to kill it by spraying it with the can.
However, he was unable to see whether it was dead because the bulb in the bathroom light had blown, so he used a cigarette lighter to illuminate the room. The result? Auch surely you can guess. You're right. He ignited the gas fumes from the aerosol and caused an explosion. The blast was so strong it blew him off his feet and lifted the loft door off its hinges.
He suffered flash burns to his head, legs and torso and was rushed by ambulance to hospital after dousing himself with cold water by jumping in the shower.
A firefighter spokesman added, " We're not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not but there was no sign of it at the scene." (I like his style).
You'll be pleased to know the spider-catcher was released from hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning after treatment. What I'd like to know is how did his wife see the creature if there was no light in the bathroom?
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Greenpeace, on their website, have a picture of the Cairn exploration rig based off Greenland and 'shut down' written across it. Lots more propaganda about just how daring they were by evading the Danish navy and scaling the oil rig legs. 'Blimey this is exciting,' writes someone called Leila on board their ship.
It may be exciting to you Leila but your friends have committed a criminal act. There's nothing clever about hanging off the legs of an oil rig in your dry suits and safety gear, much of which will probably contain by-products of the very substance you detest- oil. I'm perfectly happy for you and your colleagues to put your lives on the line for your beliefs, indeed it's very noble of you, but as you bash out your propaganda on your laptop, in your expensive nylon kit and quite possibly cooking in Teflon coated pans, while cruising around in your fossil fueled luxury sailing craft, have you given one moment's thought to your hypocrisy?
Greenland's police spokesman, Morten Nielsen, said the activists are still on the rig and will be arrested. "When someone breaks the law - and it has happened here - the person or persons will be prosecuted," he stated from Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The Greenland Premier Kuupik Kliest called Greenpeace's stunt an "openly illegal act" and a "gross violation" of safety rules.
"It is really worrying that Greenpeace uses all means to break the safety rules made to protect human lives and the environment in its quest for media coverage," said Kliest.
Throw the book at them Mr Neilsen. Dare devils or fools? Hypocritical fools.
31-Aug-10
A guest post from Apogee.
There is one God looking down on us all,
We are all the children of one God
The sun, the darkness, the winds,
are all listening
to what we have to say.
- Geronimo
A Wee Bit of History Before We Become It
Since the 1500s America has been colonised (invaded) by the white man, and all the colours of the rainbow, since. The original owners of the country at first were relatively friendly until the incomers started throwing their weight about. The mistake the Amerindians made was that by the time they realised what was happening, they were a minority in their own land, militarily inferior, their religion and beliefs and way of life ridiculed and trashed by the incomers who knew and would allow no way but their own. And as there were more incomers, there were more and more children, so the Amerindian was suddenly a minority and no longer able to fight for what was stolen from him.
The Australian Aborigine had very similar treatment. Again, no chance of winning against heavy fire power, he, like the Amerindian at the start, didn't have any and by the time he did, all of a sudden he is perceived to be a threat and given no mercy. His way of life, religion and beliefs were also stolen from him.
So now we see a similar thing happening in Britain and it seems to be well on the way in the U.S.A.
Here it appears to be an invasion of people from Islamic countries. Parts of England are turning into Islamic no-go areas and these people bring in customs that are anathema to the natives. The numbers of them who seem not to understand the concept of rule of law is astounding, how many now coming here do so because the countries they are leaving would have given them swift severe punishment if they had stayed. And when they transgress out laws we cannot send them back because, basically, they might be punished, some of them deservedly so, for crimes/actions taken before they hastily departed.
We cannot send them back because of a diktat from a foreign administration.
We already no longer control our own country.
Our elected leaders gave control of our country to an Unelected Self Appointed Administration.
An administration that makes laws that allow extradition of native born Britons to other countries in the EU, for minor crimes or things which are not crimes in Britain and without any evidence of crime presented. How long before other administrations will be coming here to arrest citizens directly? It is suggested less than ten years.
But we cannot send back criminals and illegal immigrants to their own countries because they could be ill treated.
Does the indigenous natives of these Island have no human rights?
Notice how many of these immigrants are in the governing of this country as a ratio of their numbers here. It seems quite high?
Notice how much the Main Stream Media promotes so-called minorities against the indigenous peoples.
Notice how many councils give help to incomers to this country before they help the native Britons and note how often it is abused.
We can take back our country but it will require a complete change of attitude by this government, or a complete change of government. It will also require the people to waken up to what is happening around them, and very quickly, otherwise we will be in the situation of the Amerindians and it will be too late. Curry will be the national dish, not roast beef.
If we do not learn from history we will be doomed to relive it.
Apogee
Let today's story be a warning to all who use mobile phones in toilets.
The photograph was taken in Xi'an, China and the young woman - who looks as if she's resting - is anything but. After dropping her mobile phone down the pan, she decided to recover it, only to find her arm firmly stuck. At first she was too embarrassed to cry for help but after eight hours trying to get free she began to scream. It looks, from the photograph, that it was a squat toilet she was using.
Rescuers had to remove the entire cubicle and demolish concrete surrounding the toilet.
She had been texting a pal when her mobile slipped out of her hand. How anyone manages to text while squatting beats me. Be warned!
The site has been compiled by the efforts of one man who deserves great credit, not least for his humour. One tip: when viewing the photographs use full screen for a better effect.
Below is the site owner, in one of his guises, out and about in Dundee with his video camera. He's decided to 'invade' one of Dundee's top hair styling salons...
Ok, I know it's childish, but it made me laugh.
There have been several posts here about independence for Scotland but I would like to draw your attention to a few blogs which are currently holding interesting debates - NewsnetScotland, BellaCaledonia and Scotland Unspun.
At last it seems the SNP are awaking to the fact that an election is only 9 months away and Alex Salmond has decided to put independence top of the SNP campaign agenda. Not before time. They need to get ahead instead of allowing Labour to set the course. Often in the past Alex Salmond's party has been caught trying to deny Labour's accusations but to little effect. They've allowed Labour to 'get in first' and spent campaigns attempting to play catch up.
One lie churned out by unionists won't be heard during the next months - "We can't rely on North Sea gas much longer". How often has that been said in the past years by those who want to enhance the myth that England subsidises us? Although this is the second giant find in just a week there is talk, in oil circles, that more are expected. Surely Scotland isn't going to let our oil go to London without insisting we get our share of the spoils. As Alex Porter writes, we need to emulate Norway, not Australia.
I have hopes of an election campaign focused upon independence, oil and the fact the Westminster coalition has no mandate to govern in Scotland. The 'respect' agenda lasted all of around 48 hours so we've nothing to lose. Let's go for it.
30-Aug-10
There's no such thing as a free lunch, or in this case a free train or bus ride.
Veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan will soon be able to travel free on rail and road public transport. The plan is part of a package being drawn up by the government to help retired military personnel settle back into Civvy Street.
Up to 70,000 ex-soldiers who served on the front line since 1990 will get free travel for at least 5 years. Other perks cover housing, education and mental health.
There will be:
Help to buy homes
Grants for university tuition fees
Opportunities to retrain as teachers
Extra help for families of serving soldiers
Free university scholarships for children of soldiers killed in action.
David Cameron is expected to announce the Veterans Package in October as part of the Strategic Defence Review. Many men and women who have been invalided out of the armed forces are already entitled to free transport.
The catch? In return for this former soldiers will be expected to stay longer on the Service Register - the list of personnel who can be recalled for service.
Quite a cunning political move. The MoD increases the size of the Service Register and will possibly decrease the numbers of those currently serving. The perks will last only up to 5 years; any longer and the personnel would require full retraining. The only problem I have is with the 'perks' not associated with free travel. Shouldn't we be providing these already?
UK Contributions to EU Institutions: £ bn
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Cum. 05 - 09
Gross Contribution
(15.1)
(15.4)
(15.8)
(16.4)
(17.4)
(80.1)
Receipts from "Brussels"
9.1
9.3
8.5
9.8
10.7
47.4
Net Contribution
(6.0)
(6.1)
(7.3)
(6.6)
(6.7)
(32.7)
Graph from Dan Hannan
My posts regarding the EU and the missing promised referendum have attracted some comment. This one is from Edward Spalding and combines the Constitutional changes with EU scepticism:
The legislative incontinence and constitutional vandalism of the Blair
years provoked a great deal of debate in eurosceptic and libertarian
circles.
The introduction of "family friendly" hours in the Commons was about the
only discernible effect of "Blair's babes" and was a godsend for the
government. Hours of parliamentary debate were curtailed. Timetable and
guillotine motions were ruthlessly imposed, depriving the opposition of
its power to keep government ministers out of bed at night and so to
force second thoughts on a dictatorial government, openly contemptuous
of any parliamentary convention standing in the way of its will.
The debate on the Lisbon treaty Bill, a very far-reaching Enabling Act
for the EU Commission transferring huge powers away from Parliament,
was an appalling example of this. Much other badly drafted legislation
was churned out in the same way. The Lords do their best as a revising
chamber to mitigate some of the worst effects.
years provoked a great deal of debate in eurosceptic and libertarian
circles.
The introduction of "family friendly" hours in the Commons was about the
only discernible effect of "Blair's babes" and was a godsend for the
government. Hours of parliamentary debate were curtailed. Timetable and
guillotine motions were ruthlessly imposed, depriving the opposition of
its power to keep government ministers out of bed at night and so to
force second thoughts on a dictatorial government, openly contemptuous
of any parliamentary convention standing in the way of its will.
The debate on the Lisbon treaty Bill, a very far-reaching Enabling Act
for the EU Commission transferring huge powers away from Parliament,
was an appalling example of this. Much other badly drafted legislation
was churned out in the same way. The Lords do their best as a revising
chamber to mitigate some of the worst effects.
Josh of the Campaign for a Referendum has asked me to bring his site to your attention and I'm happy to comply. I first read about it yesterday at Dick's place but what Josh wishes to emphasise is that this is a serious attempt to collect the required number of signatures. In the Election 2010 Coalition Government manifesto, under Political Reform, it was announced that any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be eligible for formal debate in Parliament and that the petition with the most signatures will enable members of the public to take a bill eligible to be voted on in Parliament. The Campaign consider this to be a unique opportunity to embarrass and hold the government to account.
What we must ensure is that any referendum is not merely a case of yes/no but that alternative options are offered.
If you need help calculating the cost of the EU, then you have to look no further than Dan Hannan's latest post. Our contributions to the EU have risen to £2 million an hour.
Here's a happy wee story. Are you a Star Trek fan? If so this will interest you. If not then you too may think it's a non-story.
Alex Salmond has been given an intergalactic boost in his bid to 'Klingon' to power according to the Scotland on Sunday. The SNP leader is to be made a Starfleet Officer and awarded 'Membership of Distinction' to reward his dedication to promoting the long-running sci-fi series and its values. It's no secret the First Minister has a life-long love of Star Trek.
The 4,000-member fan organisation, based in North Carolina, has never previously recognised any politicians or leaders, restricting honorary membership to US astronauts and cast members. Rear Admiral Jonathan Lee, the group's chief of communication, wrote to Alex Salmond inviting him to accept the title.
"We have never previously awarded a complimentary membership to a government leader.
"However, based on your declared appreciation for Star Trek, combined with the fact that you lead the future birthplace of one of it's most beloved characters (Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott) we felt it would be appropriate to make this gesture in the hope that you will appreciate the sentiment in which it is offered.
"We believe in the dream of Star Trek: a planet united in peace, joining other worlds in the quest for knowledge and exploration. Starfleet is trying to set that example today and reaching out to you as First Minister of Scotland is just one of our many efforts to bring the people of this world just a little closer together."
"However, based on your declared appreciation for Star Trek, combined with the fact that you lead the future birthplace of one of it's most beloved characters (Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott) we felt it would be appropriate to make this gesture in the hope that you will appreciate the sentiment in which it is offered.
"We believe in the dream of Star Trek: a planet united in peace, joining other worlds in the quest for knowledge and exploration. Starfleet is trying to set that example today and reaching out to you as First Minister of Scotland is just one of our many efforts to bring the people of this world just a little closer together."
As with all quality honorary memberships, the First Minister also receives an official Starfleet card and certificate as well as issues of the organisation's bi-monthly newsletter. He can also take online courses at the Starfleet Academy.
You can bet your last Rollo the unionists will be scrutinising every step he takes when on visits to America. Can't have him attending a Trekkie convention can we?
UK Contributions to EU Institutions: £ bn
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Cum. 05 - 09
Gross Contribution
(15.1)
(15.4)
(15.8)
(16.4)
(17.4)
(80.1)
Receipts from "Brussels"
9.1
9.3
8.5
9.8
10.7
47.4
Net Contribution
(6.0)
(6.1)
(7.3)
(6.6)
(6.7)
(32.7)
Graph from Dan Hannan
My posts regarding the EU and the missing promised referendum have attracted some comment. This one is from Edward Spalding and combines the Constitutional changes with EU scepticism:
The legislative incontinence and constitutional vandalism of the Blair
years provoked a great deal of debate in eurosceptic and libertarian
circles.
The introduction of "family friendly" hours in the Commons was about the
only discernible effect of "Blair's babes" and was a godsend for the
government. Hours of parliamentary debate were curtailed. Timetable and
guillotine motions were ruthlessly imposed, depriving the opposition of
its power to keep government ministers out of bed at night and so to
force second thoughts on a dictatorial government, openly contemptuous
of any parliamentary convention standing in the way of its will.
The debate on the Lisbon treaty Bill, a very far-reaching Enabling Act
for the EU Commission transferring huge powers away from Parliament,
was an appalling example of this. Much other badly drafted legislation
was churned out in the same way. The Lords do their best as a revising
chamber to mitigate some of the worst effects.
years provoked a great deal of debate in eurosceptic and libertarian
circles.
The introduction of "family friendly" hours in the Commons was about the
only discernible effect of "Blair's babes" and was a godsend for the
government. Hours of parliamentary debate were curtailed. Timetable and
guillotine motions were ruthlessly imposed, depriving the opposition of
its power to keep government ministers out of bed at night and so to
force second thoughts on a dictatorial government, openly contemptuous
of any parliamentary convention standing in the way of its will.
The debate on the Lisbon treaty Bill, a very far-reaching Enabling Act
for the EU Commission transferring huge powers away from Parliament,
was an appalling example of this. Much other badly drafted legislation
was churned out in the same way. The Lords do their best as a revising
chamber to mitigate some of the worst effects.
Josh of the Campaign for a Referendum has asked me to bring his site to your attention and I'm happy to comply. I first read about it yesterday at Dick's place but what Josh wishes to emphasise is that this is a serious attempt to collect the required number of signatures. In the Election 2010 Coalition Government manifesto, under Political Reform, it was announced that any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be eligible for formal debate in Parliament and that the petition with the most signatures will enable members of the public to take a bill eligible to be voted on in Parliament. The Campaign consider this to be a unique opportunity to embarrass and hold the government to account.
What we must ensure is that any referendum is not merely a case of yes/no but that alternative options are offered.
If you need help calculating the cost of the EU, then you have to look no further than Dan Hannan's latest post. Our contributions to the EU have risen to £2 million an hour.
29-Aug-10
One third of Glasgow's most deprived three-year-olds have tooth decay, a new study has claimed. The University of Glasgow's Dental School noted that, on average, the poorest children had one-and-a-half teeth which had been filled, were decaying or missing. In comparison, the researchers found that the least deprived were missing a third of a tooth on average.
Researchers used the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, which uses factors like income, housing, education and employment, to assess the level of deprivation for each child.
There is no reason is today's society, for any child, from any background, to have excessive tooth decay. Sixty years ago I lived in what would be called a 'deprived area' today, yet I'm not aware dental decay was any more prevalent than it was in the posher parts of the city. I can speak with a little knowledge because my dentist was my godfather and his wife, my godmother, who was what would now be called the practice manager. No fancy toothpastes then, only a dentist who insisted teeth were brushed three times a day. The school dentist and nurse regularly checked us wee ones to ensure we were obeying orders. School dental checks increased once sweeties came off ration as it was known sugar caused dental decay. A letter was sent to the parents from the school dentist if he wasn't satisfied. That was enough to shake the most indolent parent into action.
Therefore, although I'm not questioning these findings, I am saying money has nothing to do with children's teeth. Parenting has everything to do with it and money can't buy good parenting. Some people will never make good parents.
Are there things such as school dentists these days? If not, surely it's not too difficult for any primary teacher to give regular instruction to wee ones on how to clean their teeth. Manufacturers of dental goods are always happy to give freebies in the hope that as children grow they will prefer their products. I few 'horror' videos would help relay the message.
Wouldn't it be far more beneficial for schools to spend more curriculum time on oral and physical hygiene rather than sex education - or as I'm told 'relationships'? Sex can wear thin with the years - rather like some people's hair- but having your own teeth is a lifelong valuable asset and our children must learn that. When I was a child there was no preventative oral health care. If a filling didn't 'work' then it was an extraction.
Continually providing children with sugar-filled fizzy drinks doesn't only happen in less well off families. So why are children from that society class so effected? The only reason I can see is bad parenting.
It's little or nothing to do with money. If it was children from wealthy backgrounds wouldn't have any tooth decay whatsoever.
Most of us will have played Monopoly at least once in our lives although I doubt many of us have lost any sleep wondering about the location of 'GO'.
But the mystery must have caused someone a little insomnia - enough for them to decide to solve the 75-year-old riddle. Mapping experts at Ordnance Survey used digital mapping to trace and plot all the square on the board game on to a map of London.
They discovered that the iconic game's start square is Lambeth North tube station on the Bakerloo Line, near the London Eye. Under the rules of the game a player collects £200 from the bank every time they pass 'GO'.
So there you have it. Dust down your battered Monopoly board (if you can find it), set everyone round the table for a game, then when the opportunity arises, you can impress your company with your newly acquired knowledge. Not a bad way to spend an August Bank Holiday Sunday evening.
Regardless what you think about the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, it's always worth hearing Pat Condell's straight-forward opinions.
Thanks to Counting Cats
Thanks to Counting Cats
click to enlarge
I caught a glimpse of the news last night and saw young thugs throwing missiles in the streets of Bradford. Today's papers appear to 'blame' the EDL but, not being close to the situation, I prefer to accept the opinion of a fellow blogger.
I do wish these organisations would stop using our armed forces in the manner depicted above. Our troops don't want or need this form of support.
28-Aug-10
Click to enlarge
I was in the Ovaltineys and listened avidly to 'my' Sunday evening half hour on Radio Luxemburg. Still recall the whole song: "We are the Ovaltineys, happy girls and boys. At games and sports we're more than keen, no merrier children can be seen. Because we all drink Ovaltine, we're happy girls and boys." The innocence of childhood.
and last but by no means least:
Maybe a few posters with this message, aimed at females and males, would reduce the STI stats. This blog does not tolerate sex discrimination.
Independence for EU Federalism?
"We believe a new approach is needed in the way Scotland is represented in the EU. Independence would give us our own seat at the top table of Europe, and until then, we will argue for Scotland to have an enhanced role within the UK, including leading on issues such as fisheries where Scotland has the majority UK interest.
And we will argue for Scotland to take responsibility for immigration so that we can develop a system here at home that more closely meets our needs. An 'earned citizenship' system, similar to those in Canada or Australia, would allow Scotland to attract high-skill immigrants who can add to the strength of our economy and help deliver growing prosperity for the whole nation.
Fishing contributes hundreds of millions to our economy every year and provides tens of thousands of jobs. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) forces fishermen to throw away about half the whitefish caught at a cost of some £60m. These discards are at the heart of the CFP's failure. They represent a moral and environmental obscenity and stopping these discards is one of the keys to securing a more prosperous and sustainable future for Scots fishermen.
The Scottish Government is working with the fishing industry and environmental groups to take forward measure such as CCTV, selective gear and real time closures and we believe this is the way forward so our fishermen can land more and earn more without the damage to the stocks that discards represent.
We oppose the CFP and believe it should be replaced so that there is a bigger say for our fishing communities, more regional management and power over fisheries returned to Scotland. And the ongoing review gives us the opportunity to present this radical case."
It would be ironic to observe an independent Scotland, divorced from an independent and EU sceptic UK, become a Federal enclave of Brussels. I suggest that as such, Scotland would become far less it's own entity than as part of The UK.
27-Aug-10
The Law Society of Scotland is looking at creating an affiliated group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members.
Several members have shown an interest in such a group and research recently conducted by the Society suggests that between 3 and 4% of all members consider themselves to be gay, lesbian or bisexual and 4% currently live and work in the opposite gender to that assigned to them at birth.
Research conducted on behalf of the Law Society of England and Wales (LSEW) has recommended that a semi-anonymous group for gay and lesbian lawyers should be set up or endorsed by LSEW. This is partly in response to conclusion that there still exists considerable overt and covert discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the legal profession.
Neil Stevenson of the Society:
...In particular, we are asking if there is a need for such a group, what kind of support should be provided by the Society and what the remit of the group should be? For example, should it be simply a social grouping or should it be supported to campaign and promote?"
Campaign and promote? Do they consider promoting the legal profession as having an LGBT group will encourage young people of become lawyers? Doesn't this show that 4 or 5 years of university education doesn't necessarily provide anyone with a modicum of common sense.
As long as both societies pay for these groups from member subscriptions and not some form of government funding I have no complaint. In fact I don't have the slightest interest.
If you want to read a dramatic account of the report from a Scottish daily tabloid, you can do so here. It just as uninteresting. Why can't the LGBT members of our society accept nobody is interested in their 'plight' these days, because there is no 'plight'. Others won the battles long before them.
Apologies for not compiling one last week so I'll make this week's slightly longer.
Barbara Loe Fisher - important Swine flu update
Scots and Independent - Fail, Caledonia!
Welcome to my World - Drugs
Pseudepigrapha - The Diary of Iain Gray aged 49 and 3/4. Do read the latest Hootsmon too
Frank Davis - Not Hunting the Coventry Cat Binner
Abu Mugawama - Collective Punishment for Corruption and Terrorism in Pakistan?
Jeff Goodall - Rise of Scottish separatism?
Dick Puddlecote - Public Health doesn't Have a Monopoly on Rent-Seeking
Anna Raccoon - The Righteous target the Internet
Munguin's Republic - Hideous works of art give Carbuncle new lease of life?
Old Rightie - Water Runs Uphill
Go Lassie Go - Reid about Scotland on STV
Mark Wadsworth - Population Density Fun
Public support for the European Union has collapsed to a nine-year low in all of its 27 countries. The European Commission says fewer than half of voters across Europe are in favour of the union.
The 'Eurobarometer' survey - conducted in May - found only 49% of voters backed the EU, 4% fewer than last year.
Trust was lowest in Britain where only 20% of voters have faith in EU institutions. Following the debt crisis, the survey found widespread fears that EU economies will worsen. Pollster TNS asked 1000 adults in each EU country and found support near that of 2001 when the internet bubble burst.
It's time we pushed hard for a referendum. Politicians will say it's too late for change and/or it will be a waste of money. We know that is pure spin. The UK needs to settle the EU business once and for all and the only democratic manner in which that can be done is through a referendum process.
We asked for it and we got it in the form of IPSA. Yet our servants (elected politicians) don't like it. Tom Harris says he doesn't want to be on Newsnight and wants to get on with his job. Was he issued with a subpoena to appear? Aren't Newsnight's guests paid?
Mr Harris says none of his colleagues knew logs were being kept of MPs' conversations with IPSA staff. Does that matter? One of my readers asked earlier today if I had any knowledge about David Cameron re-affirming the Wilson Doctrine. I can't find any record to say he has done so. Why would he need to? Why must MPs have a special status that excludes them from being subject to matters that concern the safety of staff?
I can think of many agencies, both private and public, who tell me when I phone that 'this call may be recorded for training purposes'. We have no choice other than to 'opt in' if we wish to talk to anyone.
MPs should not be treated any differently. The anger seems to be that the MPs weren't informed IPSA were keeping logs. Would the knowledge have improved their behaviour? Possibly. But it's of much greater interest to the public to hear just how MPs are reluctant to change where their finances are concerned.
My advice to IPSA is keep going. Many businesses have computerised expenses systems these days and if MPs are lacking basic computer skills the problem is theirs, not IPSA's.
26-Aug-10
Of course the internet needs to be 'policed' but the latest new 'force' has cause for concern.
Two US Secret Service agents will be based in the UK to work with SOCA's Electronic Crime Task Force investigating transnational cyber crime.
United States Secret Service agents will be working here from 2011. According to the report the www has increased the potential range and speed of many types of crime. Surely they know those of us who use computers are aware of that. Crime has been part of the internet since it was invented. We don't need experts from the US to reside in the UK to help us.
But why are we paying for American 'experts' to be based in this country? Why are only American experts coming here? The internet, correctly used by security services, doesn't require the presence of individuals. America isn't the only country who has intelligence, but we will be paying for their salaries, accommodation and luxuries most of us only dream of.
Once again Britain positions itself with America and ignores the rest of the world including Europe of which our politicians seem so fond. When we wake up and realise many other countries may have superior systems to detect electronic crime, then I'll realise we have a democratic government - as if as they say. In the meantime the UK will continue to be the sidekick to the US. Auch I despair. More waste of my taxes.
Kenneth Roy's latest article is entitled:
A deepening scandal
What sort of law is this?
What sort of patient care is this?
What sort of humanity is this?
He provides an update on Robert Lapsley and his family's frustration at watching their brother/brother-in-law/son deprived of the care and treatment he needs. It is a shocking story but, having considered the position Mr Lapsley and his family are in, I can foresee similar situations arising throughout the country, although not necessarily connected with epilepsy but with the elderly, or those with illnesses which cause mental confusion.
Nicola Sturgeon may not be able to intervene in individual cases but surely she can pass the correspondence to Kenny MacAskill requesting an urgent review of our Court procedures for Adult and Incapacity Orders. Guardianship cases should take precedent over criminal cases but that is not how the law stands at present. We need it changed now and also, as Kenneth Roy states, a review of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act following close behind.
I'm going to attempt to set up a Facebook page to highlight this flaw in our justice system. This case needs a wider audience so please help.
The Japan Sumo Association is distributing about 60 iPads among all the 51 training stables and top association officials from this week.
Why? Because the sumo association believe the iPad is big enough to cater for wrestlers' fat fingers, unlike the smaller keys on mobile phones, according to reports.
The sport's powers-that-be are hoping, by introducing this latest technology, sharing of information among sumo leaders will be improved.
Although it is a non-story, I can only hope these anonymous NHS managers don't take it into their heads to distribute iPads to anyone recorded obese. Stranger things have happened within our heathcare system.
Yesterday an acquaintance of mine firmly reminded me to 'do a wee post to mark Sean's birthday on that blog of yours' and I like to accommodate requests - though I admit this one was more of an order.
Today Sean Connery is 80 years old and wearing well. Love him or hate him he is a superb ambassador for Scotland. Many critics accuse him of hypocrisy because he doesn't live here and doesn't pay tax here. That's a spurious argument because there are plenty people who do live here and don't pay tax here or anywhere else. Should they too be denied the right to talk up Scotland?
His charity, the Scottish International Educational Trust, continues to help young Scots and Scottish institutions while his US based charity, Friends of Scotland, ensures that goodwill and understanding about the country of his birth is sustained worldwide.
In 1989, at almost 60 years of age, he was voted People Magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive'. When advised of the award, he seemed to be unaffected as he replied, "Well there aren't many sexy dead men, are there?"
Happy Birthday Mr Connery.
One of my readers very kindly sent me the link to Ronald Reagan's speech delivered on the 40th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1984. I thought it may be of interest to some of you.
Regardless of what you may think of Reagan it was a brilliant speech in which he mentions Mr Millin and Lord Lovat by name.
Here's an excerpt but do read the whole thing:
Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him. Lord Lovat was with him -- Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, "Sorry I'm a few minutes late," as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.
25-Aug-10
Bill Millin died last week aged 88. He was commonly known as Piper Bill as he was personal piper to Simon Fraser, the 15th Lord Lovat, commander of 1 Special Services Brigade at D-Day.
Many years ago, when I attended the Beating of the Retreat at Edinburgh Castle, performed by the Scottish schools pipe bands, I first heard the name Bill Millin. My informer was an ex-soldier sitting on my right who initially asked if I'd ever heard of Piper Bill. What a spell-bounding conversation followed. The raconteur had been part of the D-Day landings and he spoke emotionally of hearing Bill Millin's pipes droning on and on through the hellish noise of battle - gunfire, screams and the yelling of orders.
"At one point," he said," being English I didn't appreciate what I thought was really more racket rather than music, but after some time Bill must have stopped for a breather, because I remember holding my breath and thinking play, go on, play again. We need to hear you."
On radio, some years later, I heard Bill Millin describe the day when he piped the invasion forces onto the shores of France; unarmed apart from a Sgian Dubh. When his commander requested a tune he struck up with Hieland Laddie and then, when a further request was made, he decided to walk up and down the beach blasting out his repertoire over and over again.
He recalled his worst moments were when he was among the wounded. "To feel so helpless was horrifying".
The War Office had banned pipers from leading soldiers into battle after losses in the Great War had proved too great. "Ah, but that's the English War Office," Lovat told Millin. "You and I are both Scottish and that doesn't apply." On D-Day, Millin was the only piper.
His name became famous when Cornelius Ryan's book The Longest Day was adapted for film. In 1995 he played the lament at Lord Lovat's funeral and he donated his pipes to the National War Museum in Edinburgh. The mayor of Colleville-Montgomery, a town on Sword Beach, has offered a site for a life-size statue of Mr Millin opposite the place where he landed on D-Day. This is due to be unveiled next year.
RIP Bill Millin. You gave hope to many on that day and went on to have a most fulfilling life but always remembered the many who were not so fortunate.
"Pop in for a cup of tea if you're passing," Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, told the ageing pop star.
Never one to miss a photo-call, Bono ensured he passed the president's residence near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The U2 frontman and his band will play its first ever concert in Russia today as part of its '360' world tour. Tickets are still available at $362 each. I'll not manage to attend. It's hairwashing night.
Congratulations to Samantha and David Cameron on the birth of their fourth child. Their daughter arrived yesterday and was delivered at Truro hospital.
I understand Mr Cameron thinks her name should "have something Cornish in the middle", but there's no truth in the rumour that she's to be called Wafer.
24-Aug-10
Gillard and Abbott
photo AP
Apogee, one of my very loyal readers, lived in Australia for many years and was there during the the problems of the 1970s. Since his return home he continues to keep an occasional eye on political matters and the following are his thoughts on the present situation:
Here you have a political time bomb, possibly atomic in nature. Australians were extremely unhappy the way the Whitlam episode was handled. Most saw it as a stitch-up by the Governor General and the Liberal-Country party and it was brought about by the senate voting down a budget.
The Liberal-Country party coalition had the numbers in the senate. Imagine the Lords with a Tory majority blocking a Labour budget here - but then the Lords cannot do that anymore, can they.
In case of any doubt, the Liberal party, at the time, was worse than the Tories here and the country party, (now calling themselves the National party), was to the political right of Gengis Kahn. It used to be said the Country party did not stand for one-man-one-vote but one-sheep-one-vote. It was so gerrymandered that a city seat could have an electorate of 67,000 and a country party seat as little as 5,000. The Liberals needed the country party to stay in power, so the Country party seemed to get anything they wanted. The Labour party of the time did have its problems and obviously a lot of Liberal-Country party supporters were happy with the result in their favour, but most people were unhappy with the way it was done.
It worries me that I can see the same thing happening in this country. If the Governor General intervenes again, like Sit John Kerr did the last time, the next Labour government will take Australia out of the Commonwealth. People here do not realise just how much hate there was for England interfering in an Australian matter in the 1970s and David Cameron had better be very careful or he will have a full constitutional crisis on his hands.
I should point out that the term 'Pommy bas***d' is not a term of endearment, although in earlier times the greeting of 'how ya goin, ya old bas***d', said in a friendly manner to a fellow Aussie friend (and in an Aussie accent) was. I know it is 35 years on but with the immigrant problems they have had, as we have, it is going to be an interesting time.
I will watch these 'interesting times' attentively.
Apogee
Mark Boyle (pictured) is a man who advertises himself as 'the man who gave up money'.
He's 31, lives in a caravan which is parked at an organic farm near Bristol where he volunteers three days a week, according to the article. The caravan was free from a website.
He growns his own food, has a wood-burning stove and produces electricity from a solar panel, which cost £360 before his money-less experiment started. His mobile phone is set to incoming calls only and he has a solar powered laptop.
Mr Boyle has been vegan for the past six years.
I am single at the moment, but because of the book and my blog a few women seem interested in me. Just being a vegan cuts down the number of women I'm compatible with, never mind being moneyless. I'll be lucky if there's one woman in the whole country who wants to give up cash for life - and I might not even fancy her.
Lucky her. Any woman taking on such a man seriously needs to consider a couple of things. She'll be the one paying for all the phone calls. What's he going to do with the money from his book? Give it to charity? Then of course there's the quality of air in confined spaces. Only another vegan could ignore vegan emissions.
Is Mr Boyle a dreamboat, greenboat or a fairly accomplished self-publicist (showboat)? I'd choose the latter. He's not 'volunteering'. He's trading his skills for food and ground rent. Many of us trade goods or skills. I'm shortly going to have an abundance of apples and plums - far too much for me to use - so I give them to friends. These friends have kept me in cabbage, tomatoes, beans and other tasty homegrown vegetables for the past few months. No money changes hands. Nothing unusual there.
The article doesn't say how Mr Boyle earned his living before he decided to live in this manner. What is certain is he had the money to buy a laptop and a solar panel. Something tells me the man has contacts in the media. Many authors would love the opportunity to have an article in a newspaper about their first/latest book, yet few are chosen. Mr Boyle is part of 'the chosen few'. Maybe the writer hasn't mentioned it because he/she's not interested either.
A non-story from the Telegraph and one which is very poorly researched.
Just a thought - why is it all vegans I've met have pasty complexions? I've yet to meet one with rosy cheeks. Surely they eat apples. My granny used to say apples gave you rosy cheeks. Now, in my maturer years, I realise her homemade parsnip wine, along with apples, possibly helped her acquire her healthy glow.
Recently a few councils in England decided to remove speed cameras from areas where they have no safety purpose. This was praised as a sensible move by most.
Now, in Glasgow, school crossing patrollers (lollipop men and women) are to have their lollipops fitted with cameras to deter dangerous driving in a new safety scheme.
The 'Lollicam' initiative is being trialled at three Glasgow primary schools following successful tests in England. They are activated automatically when the lollipop poles are held vertically.
Footage captured by crossing patrollers can be used as evidence to help police prosecute careless or dangerous drivers. The company plans to roll it out across Glasgow if the trial proves successful.
All these mums and dads who drop their children off near the school gates on their way to work will need to beware. Their actions could be interpreted as careless driving. Could I suggest they let them loose round the corner, well out of sight of this mini CCTV.
23-Aug-10
I've never donated to the RSPCA. It's not because I'm tight fisted, but many years ago I attended a conference where representatives of many charities were present, including the RSPCA. Owing to various comments by the RSPCA reps during that weekend, I vowed I'd never give a penny to their cause. They're doing very well without my contribution it would seem because they receive £115 million a year in donations.
Therefore it's no surprise to me to find that the police are now the charity's enforcement wing. They've been accumulating more and more power for years and nobody has said a word. 'It's for the animals you see'.
Christopher Booker has one of their latest publicity stunts here and he's absolutely correct when he asks: 'When did Parliament empower RSPCA officials (all ordinary members of the public) to order our police around?' Of course the RSPCA haven't any legal powers to behave in this manner but why are the police allowing themselves to be used in this manner by a once reputable charity?
To avoid confusion the RSPCA has nothing to do with the SSPCA which is a completely separate organisation.
The Scottish Labour chronicle, commonly known as the Scotsman, is reporting a rammy in Scottish politics.
Labour, more desperate than ever to create a headline, have informed the Scotsman that a senior SNP figure has approached them about the prospect of forming a coalition after next year's Holyrood election. A source close to Scottish Labour leader Ian Gray (remember him?) told the paper that a tentative approach has been made to one of his aides over whether he would be willing to strike a deal in a 'post-Alex Salmond era'.
It's reported the SNP firmly deny the claim. Of course they do because there isn't an ounce of truth in it. Can anyone imagine Alex Salmond allowing any of his senior politicians to speak to Labour in this way? Not only does Mr Salmond run a tight ship but one of the very reasons the SNP exists is because so many Scots grew disillusioned with the Labour party generations ago.
So the Scotsman is nominated for today's non-story although a few of the comments are entertaining and the photograph is excellent.
As I mentioned the other day the eco-warriors are out in force in the RBS grounds near Edinburgh. Today is their 'mass-protest day' and this must be one of the best placards around.
Apart from it's entertainment value, it does make you wonder at the state of British education doesn't it.
Thanks to OldHolborn
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has been the body which controls who can be employed in our healthcare system. It's policy is that new recruits must have worked at least 450 hours in the last three years or go to a refresher course. So, as long as they worked say 15 hours a week for 10 weeks, then they could return to work without requiring to spend money on updating their skills.
The NMC has now stopped administering the tests after being told it could be sued by the EC for breaking EU law on "freedom of movement' for workers from the Continent and now all they will need is a diploma from their country showing they are qualified.
In the past 5 years more than 40,000 nurses from the EU - including former Soviet Bloc countries such as Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia - applied to work in Britain but just 270 completed the course, deterred by its cost and difficulty.
The changes will make the system almost identical to that in place for GPs coming from European countries, which allows them to cover out-of-hours shifts without tests on their skills or language abilities. Already around 2,000 nurses and midwives from the EU try to come to Britain to work every year.
With a little tuition and Photoshop, I'm sure I could produce quite a nifty looking Diploma - not that I'm suggesting any EU healthcare worker would ever consider such an action. But what about the human rights of the patients who pay into a system within which they expect to be treated by properly qualified personnel who can speak English well enough to understand their problems? Surely the patient has a right to expect that the NHS has fully checked out every employee. If an unqualified person slips through, which they will do, who is legally responsible - the local NHS authority or the EU? It will take a few deaths of course before we know the answers. Just ensure yours won't be one of them. Do we have a right to refuse to be treated by someone we consider doesn't have the language skills for two-way verbal understanding?
The House of Commons' Health Committee plans to investigate. Time they got on with it and called a halt to the continuing destruction of our healthcare system.
22-Aug-10
Sometimes we have to fight for justice - all of us. Many of you will have read about the pensioner who was fined by Sandwell Council for dropping cigarette ash in the street. If you're not a smoker you perhaps don't have any sympathy, but I would ask you to consider the consequences of this behaviour from a council. What if you pulled your mobile out of your pocket and a receipt or a tissue happened to come with it without your knowledge. If you live in Sandwell, or one of these council areas which has these 'litter enforcement' officers.
Such a pity they're not around in my town on a Friday and Saturday night when the streets are litter with take-away cartons,chip wrappers and other rubbish, but it would appear that they're like traffic wardens and only work a 35 hour week.
The whole story is here and Ms Raccoon is asking for help from those qualified in English law. If you agree with the principle of her post then do give your support. For those who think Anna Raccoon is supporting 'one of her own' then you're wrong. She's a non-smoker but a woman who firmly believes in justice.
Remember around this time last year Peter Mandelson persuaded Gordon Brown he needed a powerbase 'super' ministry to match his political ambitions? Of course Gordon said yes and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills were merged into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). At the time some predicted the move would prove unmanageable and now BIS's most senior civil servant, permanent secretary Simon Fraser, has admitted that trying to create a 'coherent departmental structure' proved a 'major challenge'.
The confusion over the merger even led to major breaches of financial control. On two occasions, Mr Fraser said, the Treasury wrote to the department to warn that BIS officials had 'entered into financial commitment' without authorisation.
BIS has a budget of £33 billion and it is one of the Government's biggest departments. It has now been discovered that Peter Mandelson left a legacy of bad debts which cost taxpayers tens of millions of pounds last year. More than £30 million was written off as lost at the Department during 2009/210, while another £71 million is likely to go in this and future years. It is also throwing away almost £12 million a year renting part-empty office blocks which it vacated without finding new tenants. A further £137 million has been set aside to cover those rent losses in future years.
The details are buried in the latest accounts for BIS, which is now run by Libdem Vince Cable and which civil servants regard as a "problem child". The accounts also show BIS wrote off £30.9 million in bad debts last year after deciding the money was unlikely to be recovered and the department has also set aside £71 million for cash it expects to lose in unpaid student loans.
No wish to spoil your Sunday with this example of complete incompetence and mismanagement, but I thought you'd be interested to know, among other things, that the government offer our higher education students loans, then sets money aside to write them off. £71 million is more than 10% of loans granted.
Enjoy your Sunday.
A soldier from the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was killed yesterday during an exchange of fire in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand.
He was part of a security cordon that was providing protection to enable a meeting to take place between local elders, ISAF and Afghan troops when he was killed by small arms fire.
The British death toll in this war now stands at 332.
It is also reported that four foreign mercenary snipers hired by the Taliban, have been killed after being tracked down by British Special Forces in Afghanistan. They were among at least three pairs of crackshots recruited by the Taliban from Pakistan, Egypt and Chechnya. The mercenaries - who can kill troops at a range of up to 650 yards - are understood to have shot dead up to ten British soldiers in recent weeks.
Six Afghan policemen were found shot dead yesterday in their station house in Helmand Province and three more were accidentally killed by friendly fire in the north of the country, a Nato spokesman said last night.
21-Aug-10
Will he or won't he defect to labour? A Press Association article published in the Herald today states that Charlie Kennedy was considering defecting to labour.
Nick Clegg said that suggestion he was quitting in protest at the coalition deal was the "silliest of silly-season stories".
However, here in Scotland we're used to Labour issuing press releases which are not substantiated and at times, down right spurious, yet sections of the public believe every word.
Will Charlie defect? For Labour it would be the biggest coup they've had in years. For the libdems the worst as Charles Kennedy is widely regarded by the general public as a 'people person'. Sadly his marriage has broken up recently and rumour has it that his wife just couldn't cope with his drinking habits - very sad because I know what it's like to live with someone you love who has a serious alcohol dependency - yet surely Charlie doesn't want to kick start his life as a single man in the Labour party.
As many will know I'm no supporter of the libdems but Charlie Kennedy is, by far, the best weapon they have. If he didn't have an alcohol problem then he could have led then onto great things but that was not to be. Mind you, that doesn't mean to say he's one of the best politicians that the libdems have had in the past 30 years.
Can someone verify that a Press Release with a copyright logo has not been written by a journalist but just reproduced by a newspaper?
The last US combat troops left Iraq on Thursday when the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division rolled over the border in Kuwait. The line of heavily armoured American military machines, their headlights twinkling in the pre-dawn desert, lumbered past the barbed wire and metal gates marking the border between Iraq and Kuwait and rolled into history.
Is it a cause for celebration? No. It is far from over. Scatterings of troops await departure and some 50,000 will stay another year in what is designated as a non-combat role. They will carry weapons to defend themselves and accompany Iraqi troops on missions - but only if asked. Special forces will continue to help Iraqis hunt for terrorists.
The death toll in the Iraq war is millions. Nobody has recorded the exact amount of civilians killed. We assisted the US in this war and ought to be ashamed. We did nothing to ensure that the Iraqi people would be protected and rushed headlong into a war without even closing the doors behind us. That was the biggest mistake and it allowed so many insurgents to flood in and cause more mayhem.
Are the Iraqis better off now? Opinions vary but, where women are concerned, certainly not. Many are now in the control of Islamic fundamentalists who have little regard for women. When Hussein was in power women were as highly educated as men but now they struggle to gain a higher education. It's frowned upon in the areas where the fundamentalists rule - and they are many.
Is the world a safer place since the Iraq war? Who knows. I certainly don't feel the UK is a safer place; on the contrary, we will be paying for our involvement in this war for generations. The Iraqis will still have 50,000 armed US troops in their country and that is not a withdrawal. Let's not forget, the British armed forces entered Afghanistan as non-combat troops. John Reid, now infamously said, "It's to be hoped not a shot will be fired".
Celebration will be due when the last Western soldier leaves Iraq. Until then I consider Iraq is still a US occupied country, albeit with a diminished 'shoot first ask later' strategy than the previous seven and a half years.
20-Aug-10
Activists have gathered in Edinburgh ahead of a four-day protest against the Royal Bank of Scotland and climate change.
The Camp for Climate Action said it is targeting RBS because of its 'commitment to financing the fossil fuel industry', including loans to coal, oil and gas companies. The planned swoop on the RBS headquarters in Gogarburn began yesterday.
Extra security has been set up on the entrance, exits and access roads to the RBS HQ following yesterday morning's protests.
Ruth Brown, a community worker from London said: "Destructive projects like open coal mines in the UK are only made possibly through finance from banks like RBS. The government bailed them out and now they use their profits to destroy communities and are causing catastrophic climate change."
On the television last night the police were helping the protestors settle in and were good enough to bring water supplies and other essentials. Wonderful isn't it that our police have all the time in the world to pander to a tiny bunch of folk who are an unfortunate by-product of the climate change hysteria which has been forced upon us by those with vested financial interests.
Plenty of people have worried that because of the amount of information Google knows about people, it could become an Orwellian Big Brother. Google CEO Eric Schmidt (pictured) recently took a look at Google's future and it even surpasses that of an Orwellian nature.
Mr Schmidt was interviewed recently by the Wall Street Journal and the interview was a wide ranging one, from the success of Android, to Google's controversial stand on net neutrality and beyond.
The most interesting and most frightening was Schmidt's vision of the future of Google's search capabilities. It appears the day is coming when the Google search box will no longer be at the centre of our online lives. Then what? This is what Mr Schmidt has to say about it:
"We're trying to figure out what the future of search is," Mr. Schmidt acknowledges. "I mean that in a positive way. We're still happy to be in search, believe me. But one idea is that more and more searches are done on your behalf without you needing to type."
"I actually think most people don't want Google to answer their questions," he elaborates. "They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next." (My emphasis)
His last sentence is the most chilling. Do read the whole article. One of my technically minded readers sent this to me this morning. No use for Mac users but perhaps is helpful to use of you who use PCs.
This post is nothing to do with how pregnant women should breath during childbirth but everything to do with the ludicrous manner in which a police force spends our money.
Some well paid police officer, belonging to the West Midlands force, has had so much spare time on his hands that he's decided to issue strict orders to all staff that they must turn up on 'inconspicuous' underwear of an 'appropriate' colour beneath their uniforms. It must be a male who dreamt this up because I can't imagine any women being the slightest bit interested in what underwear her colleagues decide to slip on for duty.
It's reported police officers are outraged and rightly so.
"If I wear a pink thong I'm in trouble for exposing myself, but if I wear a nice sensible pair of knickers I'm going to get hauled up for exposing a VPL (visible panty line)," she said.
"I don't know what they expect of me. I'd be better off going commando and not wearing any knickers at all.
"The same goes for male officers. They have been told they should not be showing their boxer shorts to the general public when they are on duty."
I've never seen a police officer's underwear and I can't think of any official situation where that would be likely to occur. Like the female officer says above commando would solve the problem. This post is not to encourage those who live within the boundaries of the West Midlands constabulary to request a viewing of any duty officer's underwear - it is purely for information purposes.
19-Aug-10
It's reported Gordon is touting round for a highly-paid speaking tour to talk about the financial crisis and how to avoid another one. Stop laughing or you'll spill your coffee.
It's understood he's in talks about engagements based on his new book The Financial Crisis and is keen to hit the lecture circuit in the Middle East and Asia for a fee of $100,000 (£60,000) for each speech.
His fee is well under the £180,000 plus his Labour predecessor Blair is said to command but it would considerably boost his post-Downing Street income. Mind you, it does fly in the face of his declaration that he intended to devote the next stage of his career to charitable and worthy causes but then again, we must remember charity begins at home.
One report claims he is demanding to travel in style with conditions including five star hotel accommodation, one first class seat and three business class seats on flights. That would indicate Sarah would be consigned to business class if she does with him which, if speculation proves correct, she may well do. She's said to be on offer for $20,000 (£13,000) as an 'optional extra' to present a prize at award ceremonies where he speaks.
A labour 'insider' said:
"It seems that after following in his footsteps as PM, seeking to do charity work and writing books, Gordon is now determined to still follow in Tony's shadow by going on the speaking tour. That's another comparison in which he is bound to come second."
Ouch! What else can I say without making the man look more ridiculous?
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, said he hoped to settle any concerns about Dr David Kelly's death to 'give the public reassurance'.
His remarks raise the prospect that a full inquest, which could see Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell and other senior Labour figures questioned in public, could finally be held.
But the Attorney General said that before he applied for such a hearing he would need convincing evidence that the weapons expert had not committed suicide (my emphasis). Mr Grieve said he was unable to take any action until Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, decided whether to release a number of key documents from an archive used by Lord Hutton for his report. Mr Grieve said he could not apply on a "hunch" and had to take account of the feelings of Dr Kelly's close family, who have not called for a fresh investigation.
Surely the purpose of a full inquest would be that convincing evidence could be produced. The fact that the Hutton inquiry archive includes Dr Kelly's post mortem examination report, which Lord Hutton ordered sealed "in view of the distress that could be caused to Dr Kelly's wife and daughters" is enough evidence that his death may be suspicious, especially in view of recent reports that there was little or no blood at the scene. Dr Kelly's wife has never questioned the decision of the Hutton inquiry or commented upon the letter which a group of doctors signed and which stated that the official explanation was "extremely unlikely".
Well, perhaps not on the street, but certainly in the corridors of Westminster the coalition government's well-oiled PR machine is spinning away. In the past couple of days every news bulletin has suggested that the Winter Fuel Allowance is to be withdrawn/reduced/means tested (take your pick). All this to help reduce the deficit and because everyone must contribute to the cause you see. 'We're all in it together'. Dave and Nick can count me out. I'm not in 'it'. I'm not responsible for the country's financial state. It's government and big business that brought us to our knees, not me.
As many of you know I'm a 'young' pensioner so I've only received this handout for a few years. Nevertheless it has come in handy at a time of year when the heating is on full pelt most of the day and night and many people, not only pensioners, worry about fuel bills. If it was to be means tested then I'd qualify as one of those in fuel poverty as, in the winter months, I spend over 10% of my income on keeping my home warm. Would I be prepared to submit myself to means testing? If the procedure is anything like the Pension Credit system then the answer is a resounding no. Having never applied for any benefit in my life, I decided to see if I was eligible for pension credit a while ago and it was such a humiliating experience I decided never again.
If the Winter Fuel Allowance was scrapped I would manage to survive, but I know quite a few who would find great hardship in its withdrawal and possibly go without food and heating in order to pay bills. One suggestion would be to revise the Cold Weather Payment. Currently only benefit claimants can claim this, but if it was revised to cover all pensioners and the seven days qualification was reduced to two, that may be a cheaper way of ensuring the elderly can afford to heat their homes when the outside temperature is freezing.
But why are the coalition tinkering with benefits like the WFA? Why won't David Cameron confront the issues which would save money - and lots of it. He could start with the Afghanistan war which was in excess of £12 billion in 2009, then have a proper debate about the promise to renew Trident. Of course there's the vast sum poured into 'green' issues such as climate change and some dubious renewable energy projects (wind farms spring to mind); they need a little scrutiny and in particular the carbon footprint scam.
If he did tackle the big spending issues, without upsetting too many of his business pals along the way, then the public may be more understanding about national benefits reductions. Just maybe.
18-Aug-10
The music is Romance (from the Gadfly).
Alex Salmond Calls for North Sea Taxation to be Devolved [ 18-Aug-10 9:07am ]
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Thankfully one of my vigilant readers brought this to my attention. The BBC, Scottish and UK media have ignored it.
Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Ministers, has called for North Sea taxation to be devolved to Holyrood arguing that Scotland should start to benefit from its vast resources. Well done Mr Salmon and about time too!
During a meeting with the Norwegian Finance Minister, Sigbjorn Johnsen, in Oslo, Mr Salmond and Mr Johnsen discussed the Norwegian Oil Fund, the benefits it has secured for Norwegians and lessons Scotland can learn from the way their fund is managed and operated.
Norway's oil fund is worth over £300 billion and in the UK £242 billion of tax revenue has come from Scottish waters over the past 30 years.
Of course the UK government will further insult Scotland by suggesting the idea is ludicrous. The time has come for the oil revenues to be fairly divided. I can hear the English wailing already saying it's not Scotland's oil but the UK's oil. They're wrong and no matter how much any Westminster government tries to change the sea boundaries, the oil in the past 30 years has been found in Scottish waters.
17-Aug-10
Is This Obamadindong's American Dream?
Of the stories I only glimpsed whilst I was in the beautiful, affluent but overcrowded in places, South East, one stood and still does stand out. Our good old USA honest to goodness Chief Muslim. I was appalled when I heard of his comments and very keen to back up what I knew would be my blog list pals reaction. Who says this is the silly season? Whilst the media and the chatterati might consider August the month to bugger of, some of us manage to keep a decent torch alight. I was not disappointed. Gotty and barking led an excellent collection of posts and comments. Splendid but I still felt a desire to add my twopence worth. The belief that vast movements of people across the globe is somehow the way to go for the human race is madness. It is the way to create tensions, jealousies and animosity and implant them into a society on a grander scale than when "home" was where the tribe were, once upon a time.
Obummer's comments were of a very inflammatory nature and I suspect he was well aware of that fact. Since his inauguration he appears to have rushed forward an agenda, planned many years earlier, to marginalise the right and the white in much the same way as is happening in Europe and the UK. It can only and will end in tears. I suspect more than his rejection will be the end result. It will not be pretty.
Here is a little something someone sent me that is indisputable mathematical logic. It also made me laugh.
This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint...it goes like this:
What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H -A -R -D -W -O -R -K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
And
K -N -O -W -L -E -D -G -E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5
= 96%
But
A -T -T -I -T -U -D -E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And,
B -U -L -L -S -H-I -T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
AND, look how far ass kissing
Will take you.
A-S -S -K -I -S-S -I -N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7
= 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.
This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint...it goes like this:
What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H -A -R -D -W -O -R -K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
And
K -N -O -W -L -E -D -G -E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5
= 96%
But
A -T -T -I -T -U -D -E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And,
B -U -L -L -S -H-I -T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
AND, look how far ass kissing
Will take you.
A-S -S -K -I -S-S -I -N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7
= 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.
The coalition government have decided to outlaw thugs who take you to ransom by clamping your car for little or no reason.
Of course this applies only to England because here in Scotland it's been outlawed for some years.
The government has decided that enough's enough after 1.5 million (aye that's right) motorists were trapped by ruthless clamping companies last year. They have torn up the last government's ban to regulate the industry in favour of an outright ban. Towing away will also be outlawed.
The 2,150 existing clamping licences will be revoked and anyone who continues to use an immobiliser on private land will face a massive fine or even jail.
Only police or councils will be allowed to clamp or tow away a car in exceptional circumstances; if it is obstructing a road or if the driver is a known repeat offender.
Despite wielding enormous power, those working on private land have been completely unregulated and their victims have had no right of independent appeal.
Pay back time for the clampers methinks. Wonder what their next scam will be? Possibly joining those who pounce on old ladies who drop ash in the street.
16-Aug-10
The NHS in England still has mixed wards in their hospitals. It's reported 64,000 of those who sadly require hospitalisation, are in mixed wards.
Labour said they would do away with them in 1997 and again in 2001. Today it's reported that labour say it's 'only' 95% of our ill who aren't afforded the dignity of being caged with those of the other sex.
Shame on them. When I was a child men and women were segregated because of their gender differences. Men and women have different needs in personal care, yet over the past few decades they have been disregarded. I won't go into the reasons why the sexes should be divided when receiving professional heathcare because they're all too obvious.
Approximately a century ago it was acknowledged that infection was spread by lack of hygiene. The message got through with Florence Nightingale's generation but in recent times the attitude is very much 'why should I bother because doctors have a duty to cure me'. Such innocence. I'm not saying men are less hygienic than women (I daren't!) but where toilet needs are concerned many men leave a lot to be desired when there is no urinal. Most think (perhaps urinals are fairly wide) that their aim is perfect, yet I can assure them their aim leaves a lot to be desired - not least the washing of the toilet floor on a daily basis. I've yet to meet a man who can pee straight into a toilet bowl.
In mixed sex wards in English hospitals there are only toilet bowls and not urinals. Need I say more?
It's a disgrace that our neighbours have been subjected to the indignity of sharing a medical ward with the other sex. Many will have no complaint of sharing much of their lives with them, but, when we're hospitalised and at our most vulnerable, both sexes ought to be afforded privacy and dignity.
To think that the English health service continues to be stuck in Victorian times scares me. We're not much better here in Scotland but we have done away with them some years ago.
On the news tonight I heard that it was difficult for certain 'older' buildings to change to one sex only wards. Don't they realise that's what these hospitals had before the 'management' took over? The old matrons would have been mortified at the very thought of men and women sharing toilet/bathing facilities.
It's all very well for the coalition to say they will get rid of mixed wards (albeit A& E and other areas will not be affected), but what they should be saying is that each and every one of us ought to have our own toilet/bathing facilities when it's necessary for us to be in our bug-ridden hospitals.
So many homes are built these days with toilet facilities for each bedroom yet our hospitals, where our nearest and dearest are depending on the total care of others, do not. Isn't it time we aimed higher and provided personal facilities for every patient? Just like many European countries have been doing for years.
