from the twitter feed

As far as I know they aren't following each other either .. .. ..

having spent all day unable to log in to blogger......

Not sure what the problem was that prevented me from accessing any site with 'blogspot' in the url but for now it has been resolved. Others have also been suffering from rant exclusion. I've been looking through the stats to amuse myself during the absence from blogging and noticed this cluster of google searches:



Someone clearly doesn't like Ben Bradshaw .. .. ..

life imitates top gear

One of my ex-employees has done this to his car



He may have got the inspiration to decorate his car from this.

charity in trouble?

From the BBC

Chief executive and founder Catherine Marshall said: "Various pots of money just haven't come to us that we were expecting."

The first thing that I usually do when I read about a charity on the BBC is to check the Charity Commission site and it throws up something of a mystery.

There are TWO charities called The Lighthouse Project both registered at the same address. Firstly there is 1117010, which lists Mrs Catherine Marshall as the contact. Then there is 1080414, which lists Mr Kevin Philip Marshall as the contact. The 2007 accounts for Catherine's Lighthouse show that the majority of the income came from The Big Lottery Fund .. .. ..

Hmmmmm.

metal related story induces spelling mistake

That should be steal, or stole, not steel.

Doh!

lessons will be learned

From the BBC

A Minister has promised "lessons will be learned" after two men at the centre of Scotland's largest known child abuse network were jailed for life.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said police and social workers had produced a report in the wake of the case. He said he had not read the report, but added: "It's one of these things where all agencies will learn lessons, including government."

If you haven't read the report how could you possibly say that lessons will be learned? It might conclude that the system was working correctly and this was an unfortunate, one-in-a-million event but unless you actually read the report you won't know that Kenny. Far easier to mouth soundbites eh?

socialist politicians inaction

From the BBC

Tony Blair's hopes of becoming president of the European Council are fading after his supporters failed to secure the backing of EU leaders. Earlier Mr Brown had told socialist leaders meeting at the EU summit that they should "get real" and grasp a unique opportunity to get a "strong progressive politician" like Mr Blair as president.

However the leaders failed to back any prospective candidate and have now set up a three-man team to decide on their position.

Standard operating procedure in action .. .. set up a committee to report back on a course of action. No doubt it will require extensive funding to aid the decision making process .. .. ..

weightwatchers

Anne Diamond looks at her 'before' picture in shock.

would you like a sweetie little girl?

From the BBC

A local authority on Merseyside is offering schoolchildren rewards of sweets and iPods as part of an initiative to cut truancy. Knowsley Council said the rewards featured on a list of "best practice examples" in its bid to improve attendance rates. The council said a drop in persistent truancy since 2008 proved the rewards system was making a difference.

Government figures, released last week, showed secondary school pupils "persistently absent" in Knowsley had reduced from 11% to 9.3%.

Nearly 10% of secondary school kids being persistently absent is hailed as a success? Fuck me that's aspirational.

the centenarian and the teenager

Via the BBC

Hundreds of people have attended a wedding in central Somalia between a man who says he is 112 years old, and his teenage wife.

Altogether, Mr Dore has 114 children and grandchildren. His oldest son is 80 years old and three of his wives have died.

He says he hopes his new bride will give him more children.

More children?

At 112 you would think he would be ready to relax a little .. .. ..

revellers trash house

The Argus had a 'house trashed by internet party' story on their front page this week that caught my eye. It's been pulled from their site but can still be found in the google cache. The shocking behaviour that caught my attention was

Pictures given to The Argus show revellers halfnaked in the family's hot tub

which, given the amount of water usually found in a hot tub, is probably the most modest and sensible solution .. .. ..

political scalps for a blogger

It makes Guido look like an amateur .. .. .. 11 resignations due to one blog!

more leeks

Another day another leak of personal data. This time the Rural Payments Agency, under the guidance of Hilary Benn, has 'mislaid' a number of tapes that potentially contain 'personal protected data' of farmers which could include names, addresses and bank details.

Initial checks found that 38 tapes were unaccounted for and all but 3 have been found. One CD is also reported as missing (although the total number unaccounted for is not mentioned in the report).


Yet another example of why government should be required to store large amounts of personal data .. .. .. .. ..

sometimes it's so obvious ....

I was having a conversation yesterday with a customer regarding the Kelly proposals to clean up the expenses system in parliament. The two areas we focussed on were MPs families and mortgages. The idea of wife swapping has previously been covered elsewhere and during the conversation yesterday I put forward the idea that MPs would buy houses and rent to each other to get around the proposals for not owning their second homes. The customer agreed that this would be a logical workaround that would allow MPs to remain within the new rules.

I'm not the only one who spotted this. Dungeekin explains

Kelly wants MPs no longer to have the right to claim mortgage interest, but instead to be made to rent their second homes. Good soundbite - but we know it won't work because of a little thing called 'Buy-To-Let'. MP #1 buys a property, lets it to MP #2, who claims the rental back. Meanwhile, MP #2 buys a property, and lets it to MP #1. Who claims the rental back. Two mortgages paid, two properties owned, two little piggies with snouts still in the trough and a placated populace. Simples.

His solution seems fair too .. .. ..

personalised beer

Brewdog are expanding their presence in the beer market with an online portal for personalising beery gifts. Punkdog allows you to upload a .jpg image and then personalise the text on the label. I'm not convinced that it's cheap enough to get people on board - 6 personalised 330ml bottles cost £18.99 including delivery - but as a one off gift it might just work!

I've been having a play with it and it's reasonably flexible .. .. ..

irish driving laws

From the BBC:

A move to keep disqualified drivers off UK and Irish roads will come into force next year.Following a deal between the UK and Irish governments, disqualifications in both countries will be recognised from February 2010.

If I understand this correctly then driving offences committed in, for example, France currently do not affect my UK driving licence but may do in the future? On the one hand this is a good idea if it reduces the number of dangerous drivers on the roads, on the other if you do things in a foreign country that aren't an offence in the UK (like the French rule that you must have a high vis jacket in the car) then it will be a bad idea.

The agreement was the first to be drawn up under the terms of the 1998 European Convention on driving disqualifications. The EU will confirm the exact date of implementation.

Why does the EU have to confirm an agreement between two independent countries?

illusionist error

Welsh News: An illusionist's act nearly went horribly wrong when he misjudged his re-entry point into reality. Only fast thinking and the clever use of parts of her costume by his assistant Ursula Undress prevented a truly explosive end to the show.

We contacted Ursula who said "I didn't really have time to think, I just knew that I didn't want him to explode all over me."

A spokesperson for the Welsh office of Female Wizards, Assistants And Performers (FWAAP Wales) called for tighter regulation of illusionists to prevent a future tragedy.

burglary attempt hindered by door

From the BBC

Two would-be burglars broke into a Greater Manchester supermarket early on Monday morning. When they came across the internal door to the store they tried to prise it open before giving up and fleeing in a red saloon car.

Don't give up your day jobs .. .. ..

cercle et suite d'éclats

I spotted this optical illusion on the Core77 blog today. Created by Felice Varini on the town Vercorin in the Swiss Alps the circles are visible from a distant viewpoint. When you shift the viewing position you get a different perspective on how it all comes together.



Wow!

no overall control

Telford and Wreckin Council have encountered a slight administrative error which has prevented them from making decisions about the future of the local hospitals and also rendered two previous meetings invalid.

Who's in charge?

ban water!

From the BBC

A man died after drinking six pints of water over three hours which left him with dangerously low levels of sodium in his blood, an inquest heard. The landlady of the pub, Sian Davies, said she had not allowed Mr Holtam to drink stronger lagers in the pub. She told the inquest: "On the day he died Tony came into the pub and only drank water." She said he had been watching the Grand Prix when he appeared to have a fit and collapsed.

Such a dangerous substance should be banned! Think of what could happen if children got hold of it .. .. .. ..

scholarships for aboriginal australians

From the BBC

Oxford University is hoping to welcome its first Aboriginal Australian students next year, it has been announced.

From next month, applications for two scholarship places are being accepted.

The university said although it had a significant number of students from Australia, an indigenous Australian had never studied there.

Given the uproar for the use of the word indigenous during last week's Question Time .. .. .. ..

appropriate story placement?

Seen on the BBC News front page.

new credit card proposals

Following on from Gordon's podcast 11 days ago the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills press release today outlines the proposals for the changes they are pushing for (complete with a badly formatted link to the consultation document site).



The proposals include changing the order of priority for credit card repayments, so that the most expensive debts, such as cash advances, are paid off first and increasing the minimum amount that must be paid off each month to accelerate the overall rate of repayment as already described by Gordon in the podcast.

On the face of it they seem like relatively sensible proposals but I wonder how the card companies will react. Will we see a return to an annual fee for having a card? If we do then mine will be cancelled.

i could have answered that question .. .. ..

From the BBC

Number 10 has dismissed as speculation reports that Gordon Brown has asked senior officials to lobby in Europe for Tony Blair to become its new president.

I think that William Hague said it best earlier


Do you really think Gordon would be lobbying in favour?

another day, another fakecharity report

The BBC are reporting the findings of an investigation by The British Heart Foundation that was prepared by the Food Commission.

Vending machines stocked with unhealthy snacks in leisure centres run the risk of fuelling childhood obesity, warn experts.

But only if parents allow their kids to gorge on chocolate snacks after they've been exercising.

Crisps and chocolate are on sale where children exercise despite being banned from schools and children's TV, the British Heart Foundation found.

I'm not sure why the ban in schools has anything to do with leisure centres. It isn't mandatory to attend a leisure centre and those who choose to usually do so because they want to exercise. Given that they've just been burning off extra calories this really isn't that much of an issue is it?

The charity wants stricter regulation over the food choices available.

Here we go. Bansturbation time.

The report, which was prepared by the Food Commission, looked at leisure centres, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks and park cafes.

Not just leisure centres as I understand the term then, but a variety of locations that people might choose to spend their leisure time.

The average calorie content of vending machine snacks was 203 calories, which would take a seven-year-old 88 minutes of swimming to use up.

This statistic is ridiculous. A seven year old can't swim at a bowling alley and how long would it take for a 12 year old to burn off 203 calories?

Fresh fruit was displayed at less than half of the venues visited, and nutritional information was displayed at just two of the venues visited.The BHF said this severely limits the child's and parent's ability to assess the nutritional values of the products they are buying.

Most parents can assess the relative nutritional value of, for example, an apple vs a kitkat. True they can't know precisely the calorific value but then neither can they calculate the exact calorific expenditure of the exercise taken.

BHF chief executive Peter Hollins said: "It's fantastic that these kids are getting fit and having fun at the same time but this is being undermined by venues peddling junk food at them.

Firstly - stop trying to remove all of the fun out of every single situation Peter. Secondly - peddling? That implies that the venues are like drug pushers which they are not. People are not forced to buy the food on offer.

The charity is now calling for public and private sector providers to lead the way in ensuring healthy food options are available and easily identifiable. It says it should be made a requirement that vending machines in publicly owned facilities are stocked with healthier products.

Only calling for publicly owned premises to change? Is that because you know the private sector will tell you precisely where it thinks you should shove your apples?

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are fully committed to encouraging the adoption of healthy vending machines across the country and expect local authorities to make sure there are healthy food options available in their leisure centres."

Well, that's a surprise, the DoH is committed to promoting the course of action that the fakecharity it funds is demanding. Who could have guessed?

Enough has already been said about the fakecharity status of the BHF but what of the Food Commission? The Food Commission (charity number 1000358) claim to be an independent charity that relies on public donations but their 2008 accounts (pdf) paint a slightly different picture. Registered at 94 White Lion Street the majority of their income comes from renting on the building. In fact of a total of £40,364 income a mere £248 came from donations (page 6) and the rest was from rent and interest.

Who else is based at 94 White Lion Street? Sustain (charity number 1018643) who, according to their 2008 accounts (page 27), received large donations from organisations such as DEFRA (£128,115), Government Office for London (£38,415), London Development Agency (£80,029) and Plunkett Foundation (£341,300). Never heard of Plunkett? They are, according to page 7 of their 2007 accounts (pdf), heavily funded through taxpayers money!

Sustain sent a letter (pdf) to Alan Johnson, then Secretary of State for education, on 12 Oct 2006, signatories including Prof Tim Lang and Dr Mike Joffe who are both Trustees of the Food Commission, that rents office space to Sustain, that is heavily funded from public money.

Fakecharities funding other fakecharities to produce reports that demand that the government takes the action that it wants to, reported without question on the BBC. I can think of a cheaper solution .. .. ..

if you were a conman who would you imitate?

This story from the BBC today made me laugh.

A career conman who posed as a leading government lawyer to attract women has been found guilty of fraud and theft.

Someone of dubious character pretending to be a lawyer? It's almost like a match made in heaven .. .. ..

Paul Bint, 47, of no fixed address, told women he met through lonely hearts adverts that he was Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC.

No point in aiming low, go for a really senior lawyer .. ..

During the trial, Bint admitted to impersonating successful professionals over the past 30 years but insisted that on this occasion he had done nothing wrong.

Nothing? Are you sure?

The jury found Bint guilty of committing two counts of fraud by false representation - for cheating a taxi driver of a £60 fare and using one of his victim's credit cards. He was also convicted of stealing a bracelet; burgling the robing room at St Alban's Crown Court and stealing a barrister's laptop; and test driving a £59,000 Audi while disqualified.

Jurors cleared him of seven counts of credit card fraud and four of driving while disqualified, one on the judge's direction.

Apart from those things that you were found guilty of.

I'm assuming that if Bint resumes this deceptive lifestyle then he will be imitating a politician next?

hairdryer prank

Mrsff found a link to this via Bookface

pm's podcast 24/10/09 (subtitled)

A slightly different format this weeks look at the podcast .. .. ..




*I've just noticed the sodding youtube logo covers some of the text in the embedded player but not if you click through and watch it on youtube.

saturday night blonde

Saturday Night Blonde is in her first year of sixth form education. She was talking last night about the AS Level exams she has to take after the Christmas holiday and how nervous she is. After telling her not to worry because they are only mock exams she looked at me strangely. They aren't mocks, they are the actual AS Level exams. In January.

WHAT?

I know it's been a while since I went to college but the AS level was a 1 (or 2 if you wanted to take it easy) year course that covered about half of the content of an A Level. I know that the new format of the exams means that you can't take the A Level (or A2) exam without having first sat the AS Level but this is just ridiculous. Start college in September, sit your exam in January. Then from January to July?

Certainly those students who are going to progress to the A2 exam can continue with their studies but those who do not have gained an AS Level after 4 months of study.

i saw this .. .. .. ..

And thought of Traction Man

compare and contrast: mocking partial loss of sight

Earlier this year Sun columnist Jeremy Clarkson caused a stir by referring to the leader of a political party, blind in one eye, as

"a one-eyed Scottish idiot"

At the time RNIB chief executive Lesley-Anne Alexander said:

“Mr Clarkson’s description of Mr Brown is offensive. Any suggestion that equates disability with incompetence is unacceptable.”

Lord Foulkes, a former Labour Scottish minister, said he was "outraged" at the presenter's remarks.

It is an absolute outrage of the worst kind. Disabled people will be up in arms about it,"

Replacement Sun columnist Frankie Boyle today (not available online but a scan is available here) describes the leader of a political party, blind in one eye, as

"it's his face. In particular the big mad eye."

and

"he wanders around as if he's gawping through an invisible magnifying glass".

I'll be scouring the news over the next week, waiting for the condemnation from Lesley-Anne Alexander,Lord Foulkes and all the others that rounded on Clarkson, but I hold no hope that it will appear.

taxing in germany

From the BBC

A group of rich Germans has launched a petition calling for the government to make wealthy people pay higher taxes.

Yes, really, higher taxes!

The group say they have more money than they need, and the extra revenue could fund economic and social programmes to aid Germany's economic recovery. Germany could raise 100bn euros (£91bn) if the richest people paid a 5% wealth tax for two years, they say.

So after paying tax on money they earned they are requesting to be taxed again? That must be a popular idea

The petition has 44 signatories so far, and will be presented to newly re-elected Chancellor Angela Merkel.

44 signatories out of?

The man behind the petition, Dieter Lehmkuhl, told Berlin's Tagesspiegel that there were 2.2 million people in Germany with a fortune of more than 500,000 euros.

44/2,200,000 = 0.002% of the affected group have signed so far .. .. .. a hugely popular idea then. Not. Why would the BBC be reporting such an idea as news?

ons voting survey

TLB was contacted on behalf of the Office of National Statistics this week for a survey of voting intentions. He was offered the options

1. Conservative
2. Labour
3. Lib Dem
4. Other
5. Not voting

TLB told the interviewer that he intended to spoil his ballot paper rather than voting for any party (I may have had some influence in his decision making process) which put a spanner in the works, so to speak. None of the above is not an option apparently.

join finch for lashing

It was the best anagram we could come up with.

If you can do better, leave it in the comments.

twitter: playground for paedos

The Sun has a scaremongering article about Twitter today, replete with comments from Mark Williams-Thomas, claiming it's a paedo's playground.

TWITTER has become a free and easy hunting ground for paedophiles seeking to lure kids for sex, experts believe.

The important word there is "believe"

Pornographic pictures of young girls are also freely available. Yet the site is completely unpoliced and uncensored.

That's what this is really about isn't it? That Twitter refuses to allow you to interfere?

The Sun was shown an online conversation between a group of youngsters that had apparently been infiltrated by a pervert.

"apparently"

Child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas said: "Looking at these tweets I'd say the boy is being followed by an adult posing as a teenager. It highlights how easy it is for a paedophile to prey on children through Twitter."

If the child was concerned he could just block the follower with a single click .. ..

And a page showing a pigtailed girl reckoned to "look 11" by Mr Williams-Thomas has links to a host of sordid pictures with pornographic come-ons.

"reckoned to look". "has links to" .. .. so the images aren't actually on Twitter then? Please make your mind up.

He said: "I have no doubt this has been posted by a paedophile for others to follow."

But no actual proof

But the site has ignored a Government plea to include a link to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre so youngsters can raise the alarm about suspicious blogs.

Aha! There we go! Because Twitter refuses to have CEOP links on it's site the bad Twitter paedo stories are beginning .. .. ..

But ex-cop Mr Williams-Thomas said: "The problem is nobody is policing Twitter and nobody has woken up to the fact it is being exploited by paedophiles."Twitter should be monitoring their pages to make sure this doesn't happen. But they are not."

Heavens above! Twitter doesn't subscribe to the Police State model!

thoughtful layout

The front page of today's Sun advertises vouchers for £5 off at Somerfield and also free Match Attack cards. Whoever designed the internal layout thought it was a good idea to print the vouchers back to back so that readers have to choose between one or the other (but not both).

Well done.

stealth wind farms

From the BBC

A wind turbine blade that absorbs radar signals has been demonstrated at a wind farm in eastern England. Wind turbines confuse aviation radar signals, making aircraft in wind farms' vicinities difficult to track. Defence firm Qinetiq and turbine manufacturing firm Vestas are developing "stealth turbines", with radar-absorbing materials and coatings. The five-year effort may help many wind farm projects that are on hold because of so-called "radar clutter" concerns.

Designing a wind turbine that can't be picked up on radar is a recipe for disaster.

minimum alcohol price voting update

I laughed when I saw the number of votes cast .. .. .. somehow seemed appropriate

nintendo dsi speak channel?

While searching for information for error 206602 kolma found this reference to a dedicated DSi Speak Channel

To redeem a Nintendo DSi Download Ticket number, such as for the Nintendo DSi Speak Channel, enter the number off the Nintendo DSi Download Ticket in "Settings and Features" off of the main Nintendo DSi Shop page, then select "Nintendo DSi Download Ticket."

It's since been deleted but the proof remains in the google cache.

the rape tunnel

Richard Whitehurst is a Columbus-based artist who made his mark on the Ohio scene by showing at the William Strunk Jr. Museum of Contemporary Art in Akron and internationally regarded galleries such as Alexandria Asheton Gallery and Seward Projects Space. He was the 2006 recipient of an Akron Culture Committee fellowship and has quickly become a seminal figure in the often overshadowed Rustbelt regional art scene, rapidly moving from sculpture and installation to more challenging situational based work that would make Nicolas Bourriaud’s head spin.

In fact, his new controversial work, THE RAPE TUNNEL, which is set to go on view at Columbus’ 4D Gallery on October 30th, has come under fire from Columbus-based feminist groups not to mention, local law enforcement officials. The artist plans to place himself in a room, the only entrance or exit being a 22 ft long plywood tunnel constructed by Whitehurst himself. Then he says that for the duration of the gallery’s opening (from 7:00 p.m. to midnight) he will rape anyone who travels through the tunnel into that room.

Read the rest of the article about this 'ambitious' project and interview with Richard Whitehurst here.

get out of debt by borrowing

From the BBC:

Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has said government borrowing is the best way to support the UK economy in the long run. The chancellor admitted that borrowing "may feel counter-intuitive", but said in the longer run, it "will mean the bills we face as a country are lower".

When can we get rid of them? It's like a gambling addict at a roulette wheel believing that if they just carry on playing the system they will come out ahead before the house asks them to pay it all back .. .. .. ..

too much choice

A Consumer Focus poll has revealed that two thirds of people think that there is too much choice with mobile phone tariffs. Even though there are over 1.3 million different packages available some people still failed to find a package to suit them. Fucktards.

bnp vs uaf

Image stolen from G.O.T.

drinkaware coca-cola advert

You've been searching for it on google, and here it is.

vote for minimum alcohol pricing

Sue pointed out to me that Alcohol Focus Scotland have a poll on whether people want minimum alcohol pricing on their front page.


I'm guessing that they were hoping for a yes vote?

alcohol concern annual conference 2009

Alcohol Concern, Don Shenker's fakecharity, is having its annual conference on the 4th November. You can download the flyer here (pdf). I did and I couldn't help spotting this:



I thought that the accepted protocol was that the second largest party formed the opposition with a shadow cabinet and any other parties had a spokesman?

What other details have you got wrong Don?

alcohol and ivf

The BBC has a warning for couples who are trying to conceive by IVF

Couples trying to conceive through IVF could be significantly harming their chances if they share the equivalent of a bottle of wine a week, experts warn. If both partners drink six units a week - equivalent to half a bottle of wine each - their chance of a live birth is cut by a quarter, a study suggests.

A bottle of wine has 10 UK units of alcohol, not 12.

The whole article is ridiculous though because, as everyone knows, alcohol induced fumbling leads to pregnancy in many young women .. .. ..

doing it in style!

From the BBC

A driver has confounded Swiss police by committing 15 traffic violations in just over 10 minutes, officials say.

The 47-year-old initially raced past an unmarked police car in heavy rain at 160 km/h (100mph) before weaving close to other cars and the road's kerb.

The serial offender clocked up further offences for speeding, driving on the hard shoulder, running a set of red lights and failing to stop for police.

When finally pulled over by St Gallen police, he failed a drugs test.

If anyone wanted proof as to why speed cameras are a bad idea just think of the headline if this had happened in the UK. "Man loses licence after being caught driving at 100mph by speed camera" is not nearly half as exciting .. .. ..

edm 2057

Colin Challen, Labour MP for Morely and Rothwell tabled Early Day Motion 2057 on Thursday.

That this House recognises that there is a climate emergency and that the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate represents the greatest threat that humanity faces; further recognises that the world is already above the safe level of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration for a stable planet; further recognises the need to reduce this level to 350 particles per million or below; believes it is impossible to predict how close the world is to dangerous tipping points and that action to reduce emissions now is worth considerably more than doing the same later; further believes that immediate action is required to enact a program of emergency measures with substantial emissions reductions in the short term of the order of 10 per cent by the end of 2010;

Right. You say that it is impossible to predict how close a dangerous tipping point is yet you also say we need emergency measures to reduce emissions, catastrophic destabilisation, etc etc. Do you not see the conflict with making those two claims together?

further believes that the majority of money spent on reviving the economy should be on green measures and that at least two hours of prime time television per week should be used to explain the gravity of the crisis to the public;

Would that be the impossible to predict crisis?

further believes that unabated coal and domestic flights should be phased out by the end of 2010, that a speed limit of 55 miles per hour should be introduced

I'm sure that politicians will, as they usually do, exempt themselves from this. Tell me again how Gordon is going to travel to Copenhagen?

and investment made in energy efficiency and renewable energy, public transport and the retro-fitting of efficient insulation to existing housing stock technologies leading to the creation of a million green jobs by the end of 2010;

energy efficiency is a good thing provided it is encouraged rather than enforced

and further believes that the introduction of such measures would send a positive signal to other countries leading up to the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen and beyond.

I'm sure other world leaders would love to see their populations saddled with ridiculously authoritarian legislation as well .. .. ..


Thanks to Dizzy for the link to the EDM

11 reasons to vote conservative (9)

Number 9
At the Speaker's Conference David Cameron just said the words

I refer to it as positive action not positive discrimination

which makes him stand out from the other parties. Oh.

oap porn

Not sure that I want to watch that .. .. ..

50 days

Gordon Brown speaking to the Major Economies Forum in London

There are now fewer than 50 days to set the course for the next few decades so as we convene her we carry great responsibilities and the world is watching. If we do not reach a deal at this time, let us be in no doubt: once the damage from unchecked emissions growth is done, no retrospective global agreement, in some future period, can undo that choice.

Once the damage is done no retrospective agreements can undo that? That isn't entirely 'on message' Gordon. I keep hearing and reading that global warming climate change can be reversed if we take drastic action but now you are saying it cannot. Which is it?

pentameter 2

Tim Worstall highlights an article in the Granuiad about the recent crackdown operation against sex traffickers that was so noisily praised by Jacquie Smith as "a great success".

55 police forces were involved and the operation lead directly to exactly ZERO prosecutions for trafficking.


What a great success.

dr maggie aderin-pocock mbe

I've just been watching the BBC breakfast piece about NASAs Ares-1 rocket. Bill and Sian were joined by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE to discuss the future of space exploration.

Normally at this point I'd be tempted to focus on the fact that she works for NERC and STFC, both QANGOs funded by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, but today I'm going to sit back and admire the enthusiasm and commitment of Dr Maggie.

Wow!

You could see in her eyes that she passionately believes in the project to expand out into the solar system and she answered all of the questions thrown at her without skipping a beat. She was articulate and eloquent and also managed to deliver her message in a way that was accessible and interesting using simple visualisations to illustrate her ideas never browbeating and always trying to find a new way to aid understanding of the concept.

Dr Maggie I salute you!

super-obese

From The Argus

Health bosses are trying to find the safest way of moving one of the UK's heaviest people more than 150 miles.

It would be childish of me to suggest rolling him?

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Primary Care Trust said the man, who has not been named, was classed as "super-obese" and a number of travel options were being considered - including an airlift.

AIRLIFT? Think of the CO2 emissions!

I may be accused of fatism but this really is insane. Why would Suffolk PCT think of moving him to Sussex PCT rather than treating him locally or asking him to make his own arrangements to travel. My niece needs an operation and has to travel to London to see the specialist there and is not offered the option of NHS funded airlift.

alcohol coverage on the bbc

Is it just me, or are the BBC running out of negative images associated with alcohol?


And while we're on the subject does anyone know why this article refers to UK units?

Dr Record, writing in the Royal College of Physicians journal Clinical Medicine, said moderate drinkers were paying the bill for those who consumed harmful levels of alcohol. He said: "Some supermarkets sell alcohol during promotions for as little as 11p per UK unit (10ml 100% alcohol) and own-brand spirits are often sold for less than the excise duty and value added tax (VAT) payable.

Do the French, Americans, Australians or Spanish have a different volume for one unit of alcohol?

pictograms for the 2012 olympics

silhouettes

dynamic


I don't know .. .. .. I'm not entirely convinced by them but they they are for you to make up your own minds. The colours of the dynamic set can be altered to suit different backgrounds.

trev says 19 oct 09

Whatever you think about free speech, don't fall for the claim that the BNP is entitled to a peak viewing slot on Question Time.

Begins Trevor Kavanagh in the Sun today.

This is a blatant BBC bid to boost audience ratings - and it will work.

Boosting ratings Trevor? Is that why your paper focusses so much on the heavyweight topical issues such as 'Cheryl didn't mime after all'?

Viewers who never normally watch this show will flock to hear Nick Griffin fan the flames of their racial prejudices.

Or alternatively people who normally couldn't give a stuff about politics will actually pay attention for an hour.

Yet thanks to Labour's silence, the party now has TWO democratically elected Euro MPs

So your earlier claim that they aren't entitled, even though you recognise their democratic election, is justified how exactly? How will people get the chance to hear them express their ideas unless through the media in this way?

By gagging debate they (Labour) have opened the door to extremists such as the BNP - and the rantings of Dutch MP Geert Wilders on Muslim extremism.

Stifling the debate has let the BNP in but the way to deal with them is not to debate them? Please Trev, you can be more logical than that, can't you?

photoshop tip #5

You can imagine the pitch. We're holding an event for vegetarians so we need some flyers and posters that have vegetables prominently placed, lots of colour please.

Oh, that beetroot is a bit too purple especially with that purple cabbage, could you do something with it?



Should I be able to see through that beetroot that still has its skin on?

fat-ism

From the BBC

Attacking someone for being fat should be a hate crime, campaigners say. They want so-called "fat-ism" to be made illegal on the same grounds as race, age and religion.

I'm of the opinion that you can't choose your race or age but have some control over religion and waist size.

The campaigners, who belong to the Size Acceptance Movement, say surveys show 93% of employers would rather employ a thinner person than a fatter one even if they are equally qualified.

I'm no expert but employers constantly being told by doctors that fat people have higher health risks might have something to do with that?

Another campaigner, Marsha Coupe, said: "I have been punched, I have had beer thrown in my face, I have had people attack me on the train.

There are laws that deal with physical assaults already in place.

Kathryn Szrodecki, who campaigns on behalf of overweight people, said that in the UK fat people were stared at, pointed at, talked about and attacked. Ms Szrodecki said: "This is a very common event - someone being beaten up should be a crime.

It is. How do you expect to be taken seriously if you don't know that?

national awareness week(s)

Having a quick hunt around for some information I've found out that this week, 19th -25th October is National Parents' Week, Friends Week and National Baking Week. These overlap National Schools Film Week (15-23rd), the Classic FM Arts and Kids Week (24th Oct - 1st Nov), The Family Learning Festival (17th-31st) and the One Game One Community Weeks of Action (15th - 27th)

Also International Stammering Awareness Day (22nd) and World Osteoporosis Day (20th)


Lastly the clocks go back to GMT early on Sunday morning cocking up my internal clock for the following week.

police forces adopt smartphones

The government has provided £80m to tackle a worrying new trend that is sweeping the nation. Each year thousands of smartphones are callously abandoned by their owners and this new police initiative is helping them to find homes.

As modern social pressures on mobile phone users mount to keep up to date with the latest technology many perfectly serviceable devices are left homeless and unloved and this new scheme, pioneered by NPIA, will encourage police officers to adopt one of these devices. 30 police forces are already involved with the initiative and ministers are hoping that the rest will sign up soon.

But the adoption plan is not running completely smoothly. Officers who have adopted a smartphone are spending, on average, 30 minutes less per shift at their stations.

When asked about the adoption policy Shadow Minister for Satnavs and Other Toys Tim Loughton said "This is yet another idea of ours the government has hijacked for themselves. No, I couldn't possibly tell you how we would run the scheme until after we've been elected."

Harriet Harman, Minister for Equality, said "All mobile phones are smart technology. My new Equality Bill will put an end to this awful discrimination."


The full report by the BBC can be read here

podcast: gordon brown 16 oct 09

I've just been listening to the latest podcast from our beloved leader. Are you ready to read along?

I’m determined to end the reckless banking practices that have left so many of you worried about your household budgets.

The very practices that I have allowed to flourish in my 12 years as Chancellor and Prime minister.

So to give you a better deal we are taking extensive action to reform the whole culture of the financial sector and to protect and empower you, the consumer.

Lets play use the buzzwords. 'better deal', 'extensive action','reform','culture','empower', 'consumer'. 6 in one sentence should be enough

First of all, banks must put lending to businesses and homeowners before making huge payouts.

I want to get banks lending except, as I'll describe below, not to everyone just to the people who can make the repayments which, oddly enough, is what the banks are doing at the moment.

I’m pleased to say that this week more banks agreed to our reforms on bonuses so that they will now be paid over a number of years and can be clawed back if they are not deserved.

This sounds like a really bold plan but actually it's utter bollocks. No bank would pay out an undeserved bonus so none will be reclaimed making the public think I have a firm control over things.

And never again should banks and credit card companies encourage you to borrow more than you can realistically afford to repay.

That's right. They should be setting a good fiscal example like the government has. Oh.

That’s why I asked the financial services authority to review the mortgage market to ensure there is no return to irresponsible and unaffordable lending.

And I've also asked them not to mention irresponsible and unaffordable government borrowing.

I believe lenders should have to carry out proper checks on incomes before agreeing home loans.

I also believe that these rules should never apply to government.

And to protect homebuyers further, we need much tougher rules to make sure that high loan-to-value or high loan-to-income mortgages are offered only when the lender has done rigorous checks to ensure people can keep up repayments.

Remind me again, what is the IMF's phone number?

And borrowers who get into difficulty through no fault of their own have to be treated fairly. Repossession must always be the very last resort.

Please don't repossess Britain until after I lose the general election then I can blame the evil Tories for any action the bailiffs take.

Our actions have so far helped 300,000 of you to keep your homes and the rate of repossessions is half what it was in the last recession - and well below that of the United States of America

You wait until all that equity is eaten away and the interest rates rise to stave off inflation caused by Quantitative Easing then the repossessions will rise, but that will be the next government's problem .. .. ..

But as well as making sure that banks lend responsibly, we also need to make sure that you can have real confidence when you open an account.

Confidence that you've actually opened an account that is.

And so from the first of November new regulations will come into force to make retail banks play fair.

We're going to withhold their milk until they share their toys.

We agreed a set of ‘fair principles’ with credit card providers earlier this year including a breathing space for customers struggling with their debt.

Spend spend spend and don't worry about paying off your debts, it's what I've done for 12 years

But many of you still feel that you are not getting a fair deal because of sharp practices by lenders.

After 12 years of a Labour education you can't be bothered to read the small print of the contract you are signing because you know you won't understand it

So later this month we will publish our plans to make the credit card companies play fair too.

No cookies for them if they don't share their toys either.

And specialist teams will target housing estates where loan sharks extort eye-watering interest payments from those least able to afford it.

Which will be paid for out of the diminishing tax receipts that we are extorting from you, or we'll just rack up some more debt

Be assured, all our efforts are driven by my determination to ensure a fair deal for all; with financial services that work for you, not for them.

Thatcher is known for screwing the manufacturing sector into the ground, Blair had some wars, all that's left to screw up is the financial sector .. .. ..

appropriate anagram

Daily Mail's Jan Moir = I jism in amoral lady.


Found here

rent-a-vote

From the BBC

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is to outline details of his plan for the SNP to wield greater influence at Westminster.

Mr Salmond believes he can extract more money for Scotland from the treasury by promising his MPs' support on an issue-by-issue basis to whichever party forms the next Westminster government.

Sounds to me suspiciously like the SNP are involved in a conspiracy to blackmail. At least, unlike Gordon Brown, Alex Salmond is honest about screwing the English for more cash.

bnp on radio 2

At work this evening one of my regular customers asked if I'd heard the interview between the BNP 2nd in command, Simon Darby, and comedian Paul Sinha on the Jeremy Vine show today (Friday). I hadn't. He told me it was all going to plan when suddenly Sinha asked a question that Darby wasn't expecting and he got quite flustered and defensive about it.

I hunted the clip down and here it is. The bluster starts at about 6:15 in.



Interviews like this one and like the one conducted for Radio 1 Newsbeat show the BNP for what they truly are. If more people heard this interview, and other interviews with senior BNP members, I strongly suspect that less people would vote for them.

too much noise

From the BBC

GPs are not promoting chlamydia screening because they fear it will embarrass patients, researchers say. A snapshot study of 25 practices in England found most were not prominently displaying posters and leaflets.

Lets stop right there. A survey of 25 out of around 8,300 GP practices .. .. ..

My local GP has a double sided board, over 1.5m long, and two wall displays full of leaflets, posters and other such things. I couldn't tell you if chlamydia screening information is there because there is too much information for any one person to take in in one visit.

sling him under a train*

Ian, the ponytailed employee, showing that customer service skills are alive and well in this country.

You can read the full description of the story leading up to the video here.

15 years and counting

Today, 15 years ago, mrsff and I stood face to face in front of a small crowd of family and friends and said "I do" to each other. You are of course wondering how she's managed to put up with me for all that time and to be honest I haven't a clue. Like many couples we've had both good and bad times; struggles to overcome and moments of pure joy to revel in. As she bent to grab something out of the fridge this morning I stood and gazed at her pert behind and had the same thoughts that I've had since we were at school together .. .. .. ..

Today is a day to reminisce then and I can't help thinking back to a conversation that we, as a newly married couple, had with my wife's sister while waiting for the photographer to organise everyone for the group photo. My newly acquired sister in law turned to us and said

Don't think this happiness will last. When you've been married for seven years like I have you won't be this happy

For my darling sister in law I have a simple message today. Go fuck yourself (and let's face it, you think your knickers are there to keep your ankles warm) you miserable old hag. I hope that your resentment of your sister's happiness eats away at you, making you increasingly bitter, until the only living thing that can stand to be near you is a cat you skank bitch.

I've been wanting to find an outlet for that for a while but family politics insists that, just as no-one mentions the mother-in-law's smoking, these things are never spoken.

In case you were wondering about the image it's the anniversary card mrsff bought for me!

only whites are racist

At first I thought it was one of her 'jokes' but apparently it's for real.

alcohol related scare story

From the Metro

A gifted 'A*' grade college student died at a society house party after downing so much vodka she was more than five times over the drink-drive limit, an inquest has heard.

Why is the drink drive limit referred to? At 16 there are other issues, such as being too young to hold a licence, that would have affected her driving if she had tried to drive. Which she didn't.

The print edition is a different to the online edition. It includes the claim that

Rhona fell out of a hammock near the pool after gulping down 8cm (3in) of Smirnoff Vodka.

8cm out of what, a bucket, a bottle, a highball glass or a test tube? It does make a difference to the volume.

The coroner, Peter Bedford, said

Alcohol is a poison and if you drink enough of it, it will kill you. It doesn't matter who you are, how big you are or if you drink regularly of infrequently

So how much is enough Peter? I've drunk more than a little alcohol over the years and I'm interested to know. It's not like there's any research that says drinking alcohol could actually be beneficial, is it?

this could get interesting

No doubt this page will change as the story unfolds.

this should ease the daily commute

dumb criminals

Reported by the BBC

A man on the run, wanted for fraud by US authorities, inadvertently revealed where he was hiding through a series of extravagant Facebook updates.

Cameroon-born Maxi Sopo's messages made it clear he was living the high life in the Mexican resort of Cancun.

He also added a former US justice department official to his friend list who ended up helping to track him down.

US officials say Mr Sopo and an associate falsely obtained more than $200,000 in credit from banks.

I'm guessing that 'the associate' was the brains behind the crime?

because an hgv with its hazard lights on isn't enough

On April 11th 2008 Gary Morris, a town centre manager, died while cycling to work. He failed to see the broken down HGV with it's hazard lights on and died. A petition is up on the Number 10 site to

Make it law in Great Britain for all motorists to carry and use a reflective safety triangle, which should be prominently displayed in the event of a break down

The extended details go on to say

On April 11th 2008 Gary Morris sadly died. Had warning triangles been manditory he may well have seen the broken down lorry he crashed into and his untimely death may have been avoided, or at the very least his injuries less severe. We would hope that the simple use of warning triangles at the scene of a breakdown could in the future save some lives. They offer both a visual reminder of something ahead and a physical prompt of a potential danger ahead. Hazard warning lights on their own did not save Gary, a safety triangle placed in the road may well have.

If he didn't see a large stationary object with flashing hazard lights would a triangle placed in the road really have affected the outcome?

leona lewis punched

Police have arrested a man over an alleged assault on 2006 X Factor winner Leona Lewis at a book signing.

bar swamped with applications for door staff

From the BBC

Teenage girls have performed sex acts on bouncers in a bid to gain entry into a Liverpool nightspot, Merseyside Police have claimed.

the nocturnal adventures of a southern gentleman

The Commuter and I donned our lycra undergarments and headed to the hills aboard our trusty MTBs this evening. After such a gloriously sunny day, with temperatures nudging over 20˚C, we knew that the evening would be cool but both of us realised towards the end that the shorts will be washed and stored this week and the warmer 3/4 length or full length trousers will be making an appearance next time we ride. I've been meaning to replace my gloves for a few months so I think this is the time to consign the old ones to the bin and head off to the bike shop.

We started out slightly later than planned as The Commuter has an electricity leak at home that can't be pinned down. "All those electrons might pool at the bottom of the stairs" I suggested with mock concern!

We began with a steady climb up the south side of the Downs and were rewarded for our efforts at the top when we bumped into the Sussex-MTB chaps who were out celebrating Bobster's birthday. As we tagged onto the rear of the group, swelling the numbers briefly to 17, we chatted with our old friends and had our arms (figuratively) twisted to once again join them for a Tuesday jaunt. It was when our paths diverged and The Commuter and I were once again alone in the dark, save for the impressive throw of illumination from our combined lighting devices, that he turned to me and uttered the words "This feels like the nocturnal adventures of a Southern gentleman!"

A rapid descent along twisting singletrack paths that criss-cross through the woodland on the North face of the Downs brought us out onto a road mere metres away from the site of the Adur Brewery. Unfortunately the lateness of the hour meant that my promise of sticking my head round the door and issuing a cheerful greeting remains unfulfilled for now.

We chose a relatively flat and uneventful route back to the pub, enabling us to stop for a refreshment. A choice of ales greeted us and we both agree that Sharp's Doom Bar is a fine pint, that HSB is good (but not as good as it used to be), and WJ King's old is a bit on the dark side so we indulged in the output from another Sussex brewer, 1648 signature, a light crisp refreshing beer weighing in at 4.4% ABV.

In all a very pleasant evening indeed.

timing, as they say, is everything

From the Redditch Standard

A WOMAN was sentenced by Redditch magistrates for benefit fraud on Wednesday, October 7.

Tracey Onions, aged 34 of Ombersley Close, Woodrow was given a two-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, plus a 12-month supervision order.

She had dishonestly claimed Housing Benefit of £9,520.10, Income Support of £5,942.44, and Council Tax Benefit of £2,181.67 between February 2006 and December 2008.

Redditch magistrates said the sentence would have been higher had it not been for the early guilty plea.

They also told her that the money will have to be repaid in full to both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Redditch Borough Council.

From the BBC

Former home secretary Jacqui Smith has apologised in the House of Commons for breaching expenses rules.

She designated her sister's house in London, which she shares, as her "main home" and then claimed second home allowances on her Redditch family home.

A standards inquiry found that she "wrongly" designated her home but had followed officials' advice at the time.

Ms Smith said she accepted the findings and apologised to the Commons and to her constituents.

She will not have to repay any money as the standards committee ruled that "no further action" be taken.

Thanks to the LA Blog

fans* of technology blown away*

For the last few days the Dyson teaser adverts have been getting people in a spin* They've been showing videos of people's reaction to their new product but not the product itself.

Until now.

This revolutionary* new bladeless device uses airflow vortex technology instead of traditional spinning blades. Read more about it here.



*I think that's all of them.

a bedtime story

Thanks to NotaSheep

a new face at the brewdog blog

BrackenBrewDog has decided that the time is right to join James and Martin in sharing in the responsibilities of writing for their blog. You can also follow BrackenBrewDog on twitter.

He is incredibly articulate and polite and I'm looking forward to his four-legged insights into the brewers art.

a night to remember

not reporting the story

The Daily Politics has just not reported the story about the injunction against the Guardian, has not mentioned the MP or the question that cannot be mentioned, and has not mentioned the story has been not been talked about on the blogs.

"Thank goodness we live in a free country" - Andrew Neil

a modern day story of benefit fraud

Dick Puddlecote has an excellent post about the time one of his employees faced an enquiry into benefit fraud.

vending machine bansturbation

The BBC, rather than reporting the ban on the Guardian reporting the order of business in parliament, are reporting the proposed ban on cigarette vending machines that passed through the commons without a vote.

The removal of cigarettes from public display is a step closer after MPs said vending machines should be banned and shops should keep stocks out of sight. The vending machine amendment to the government's Health Bill was passed by the Commons without going to a vote. The vending machine ban was proposed by the former Labour minister Ian McCartney, who said it would "change history". He said tobacco was still "the only product in Britain that can be sold legally, which routinely kills and injures its customers".

That's right Ian, the only product. Cars, alcohol, christmas trees, fishing tackle, knives, peanuts? None of those things regularly kill people do they? You authoritarian cunt.

But health minister Gillian Merron said the ban would help to stop new generations taking up smoking. She said: "The tobacco industry constantly recruits young people to replace those who give up smoking or die each year. "We are of course aware of how the current economic climate is affecting small business which is why we will not commence the effect of this legislation until 2011 for larger stores and 2013 for smaller shops."

So this ban that will remove the income of vending machine companies and have a negative effect on small businesses won't come into effect until after the Labour Party are voted out of office? How very convenient.

Any BBC story on smoking would not be complete without some 'balanced' quotes from a fakecharity and today's story is no exception.

The chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), Deborah Arnott, said the vending machine ban had "made a strong Bill even stronger". It was the most "significant step forward" in public health since the ban on smoking in public places, she added.

There is no such thing as public health. My health. Your health. Not public health.

written questions

According to the Guardian

Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.

The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret.

The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the media for clients, who include individuals or global corporations.

So hundreds of people who otherwise would not have taken any interest in parliamentary business have been scouring the order of business to see what it is that might have caused such a ridiculous injunction to be served. #trafigura has been trending heavily this morning as speculation grows over which question it could be.

If nothing else the lawyers have managed to place this story firmly in the spotlight and brought it to the attention of thousands of people who otherwise wouldn't have cared about it.


Well done.

digital soap

The BBC has an interview with Martha Lane Fox who was annointed appointed as Digital Champion in the summer.

Storylines about the internet in soap operas can play a part in getting 'unconnected' British adults to go online, Martha Lane Fox says. Ms Lane Fox, the UK's Digital Champion, is considering ways to get the four million poorest Britons to sign up to the internet. "The jury is still out" on whether broadcasters will adopt such a storyline, she told the BBC's HARDtalk.

News broadcasters love internet related stories, like this, or this, or this. Do you think the relentless obsession with crimes of this nature are having an effect? Will the Digital Champion's strategy include pressurising news networks into reducing the number of negative internet related stories so that more people 'get connected'?

The co-founder of lastminute.com was describing her new role and how she intends to tackle the issue of digital exclusion. She has commissioned a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers to make the economic case for getting online.

In the same way that a report into the benefits of cigarette smoking paid for by a tobacco company would be suspect so are the findings of this report.

It found that digitally excluded households could save between £270 and £560 a year, depending on their economic circumstances, by going online.

Save money how? Any savings that we make are offset by the cost of hardware and paying for our connection. Overall having the internet in our house is at best cost neutral.

Being online can help the unemployed increase their lifetime earnings by £12,000

I wonder how those figures are arrived at? An unemployed person can increase their lifetime earnings by £12,000. If they are earning money then that would indicate you are employed or was that a mis-speak and it should have been "lifetime income"?

while internet-savvy workers can increase their earnings by £8,000.

This is a complete fallacy. As I mentioned before - Having net access isn't a stimulator of better income, of being more employable, having financial control, it's a result of it.

The study also found that the government could save at least £900m a year if all digitally excluded adults got online and made just one electronic contact per month.

Here we go! Is this the real reason? By raising £6 tax per year on every landline in the country to pay for the spread of broadband the government hopes to save nearly a billion pounds per year.

Ms Lane Fox has put the lobbying of politicians high on her agenda.

Yet another person paid by the government to lobby the government to pursue the action the government has stated it wishes to pursue .. ..

Ms Lane Fox is also keen to build a "peer-to-peer network" of people who have received online training and are prepared to pass that training on. "We will have to build this up person by person. It is worth having a big ambition and if I can get a thousand people to volunteer and have an impact on another thousand, then that's a start"

If you are so keen Martha then you are volunteering for the whole project, giving your time for free?

blunkett to donate his brain to dementia research

One can only live in hope.

why gordon is selling tote?

gambling on tote

"The Government invited a racing consortium and tote staff to formally bid for the tote. This bid was offically rejected on the 5th March 2008. The Government announced in October 2008 that they would be not be pursuing the sale of the tote in the medium term due to market conditions."

Market conditions have improved a lot in the last year haven't they? I wonder if they'll achieve the £320 million that was offered in 2008 or closer to the £400 million that they valued it at then?

i didn't see that coming

Gordon Brown to repay £12,415 of expenses.

windows 7 security update

Nearly a month ago TLB was telling me that his Windows 7 had downloaded 14 security updates. Tomorrow, October 13th, Microsoft releases 13 bulletins that fix 34 vulnerabilities.


Microsoft will release Windows 7 for retail sale on 22 October.

newsbeat interviews bnp supporters

Radio One carried a Newsbeat interview with two Young BNP members.

Debbie Randle (Newsbeat reporter):So when you see someone like Ashley Cole play for England, are you happy to watch him?

Joey (BNP): If he wants to come to this country and he wants to live by our laws, pay into society, that's fine.



Debbie Randle: You're talking like people here are on holiday. They've lived here, some of them, for a generation, some of them for longer. Doesn't that count?

Mark (BNP): Are you trying to compare somebody, or a group of people who've lived here for maybe 30 years, to people who've lived here for 40,000 years? There's a vast, vast difference in time scale there, my dear.

Right there is the reason why the 'no platform' approach is not as effective as allowing the BNP airtime. Ashley Cole was born in London. There have been many documented influxes into the UK from the Vikings to the Normans in the last 2,000 years alone.