Hard of Understanding

Gordon Brown has announced that he is selling a 30% stake in the Royal Mail to raise cash.

How deliciously ironic.

He's just nationalised (or part nationalised) a load of high street banks because of funding problems.

What's wrong with investing in a network that we already own as well then?

"Being overweight is as dangerous as smoking 10 cigarettes per day."
"Eating "superfruits" can combat the effect of obesity."

"A drink a day causes cancer."
"A glass of red wine per day can help prevent heart disease."

"Smoking causes any number of fatal diseases."
"Within 10 years of stopping smoking your cancer risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker."

"Not eating breakfast can cause stomach cancer later in life."
"Breakfast can cause cancer later in life."

"Too little sleep can cause health problems."
"Too much sleep can be as dangerous as too little sleep."

"Leave your kids outside and they'll get abucted."
"If you leave a child at your front gate, statistically it will take more than 200 years before they get abducted."

Mostly based on statistics and scientific study.

Note to the institutions that knock out these figures, and more importantly to those bloody media outlets that are peddling misery.

STOPPIT!!!!!!! Just leave it. I've had enough of the "Dad's Army", "WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!"

Just chill out and enjoy things for once. I'd like to see/hear/read something bloody positive for once, is that so much to ask?

You've established that we're damned if we do, damned if we dont, so get a grip and stop trying to put us in a culture of perpetual fear and misery. Perhaps the scientific reporting ought to get left to a specialist rather than some hack loking to fill column inches?

Or, more to the point, we already have an institution that is hell-bent on making us miserable about our existance. It is called the government.

An interesting story, but not entirely sure how it has become news. See here

So, he's been told, ignored and been convicted based on a council bylaw prohibiting skating in the town streets.

He has a few interesting points in defence:

• In seven or so years he hasn't harmed anyone

• He abides by a "code of conduct that gives pedestrians an unconditional right of way."

So, why the conviction? He's obviously a stand-up bloke. He's a retired youth worker, a pillar of the community and no "hoody menace". So why go after him?

Well, why not? As unfortunate as it is in many circumstances, laws are (mostly) there with good reason.

What would you say to the driver who wasn't insured or ever passed a test but had a "code of conduct"?

Would you think the same if the skater in question was 14?

Whatever the initial motivation, the law here looks to be in place to protect vulnerable members of society, and to help in reduce the taxpayer's burden (where there's blame, there's a claim, don'tcha  know?)

If he had been allowed to carry on, code of conduct or not, it would have been discriminatory. I know, but if you are going to apply something, it either includes everyone or no one.

In particular healthy Juice drinks.

I have just spotted in my mocchings about the information super highway a petition that was sent to Downing Street. The request was for healthy juice drinks (the juice only, no e numbers, extra sugar etc) to have the VAT cut to the minimum permissible amount (5%.) Sounds reasonable?

Well, let me put it another way - cakes, chips, milkshakes and several other food products command a 0% VAT.

Or let me put it another way - if this fruit was fresh, frozen or tinned, it would command 0% VAT.

So, a little odd that in juice form you have to pay the full VAT rate? I thought so to. And this was the response of the Government:

To date the Government has been sparing in its use of VAT reduced rates and has only applied these where they are affordable....
... Dietary based taxes were considered by Derek Wanless in ‘Securing Good Health for the Whole Population’ - published in 2004. The report highlights a number of difficulties of principle and practice in any attempt to use the tax system to influence diet. Furthermore, European VAT rules require that in most cases...
... Outside the tax system, the Government is taking a number of targeted steps to encourage people to eat more healthily, and especially to protect children from unhealthy choices.

To read full response follow this link

So, in English what does it mean (and of course this is only my view)?

Well, firstly it smacks of a jobsworth with a "too much like hard work" attitude. And then you move onto the last part of the response, "Outside the Tax System".

I just love that bit. We're spending your tax to encourage you to buy more products which generate this funding. Catch-22 anyone?

Difficult, it may well be. Nobody told you that governing a country would be a walk in the park. And to be honest, Gordon Brown is in part responsible for the mess that the tax system is in, after all under his watch as chancellor he created extra rules and red tape, so sympathy to his government's plight in navigating its way round the English Tax system isn't going to generate sympathy from me.

So, instead of telling us how you are spending our tax to try and convince us to be healthier, you just cut the rate on the healthy foods to give the carrot and stick approach to those who need it?

After all, in the long run it'll do the NHS a favour and save money somewhere else.

Sometimes I wonder just what they're doing with my money

Virgin Trains has created a "no kissing zone" at its Warrington Bank Quay station.

The area around the drop off point has been created as many amourous couples have been holding taxis up.

Couples who wish to kiss now have to do so at a specially designated "Kissing Zone."

Kissing banned at a Virgin Station? You couldn't make it up!!!!!!!

Just one question, is the kissing area indicated with a red light?

Could somebody explain to me how it is that more foreign governments have interests in our public services than our own?

Give you an example:

On the UK railways Dutch operator, Nedrail is part owner of the Northern Franchise and Deutsche Bahn, the German State Operator owns the largest freight operator in the UK as well as a passenger outfit.

And the UK Government?

Holds the guarantee on Network Rail (who own the infrastructure) and that's only as its predecessor went to the wall.

So, what do hese governments know that ours doesn't, or are they simply smarter in making money directly out of our tax contributions.

Christ I just thought of that, IT'S BRILLIANT. How to generate tax from a foreign sovereignty........ own part fo the public services!!!

And now the Tories have even more to answer for......... nearly as much as the present shower in fact!!!!!!

Clip from the Guardian,

Women's minister seeks to build on poll showing population overall condemns selling and buying sex - but warns that less than half of men regard it as wrong.

They needed a poll to figure this out?

Pity it's only Scottish Ministers and that these views aren't actually binding.

At the last count we don't let in:

Extremists
Politicians
Rappers
and more besides

And yet we still have Jim Davidson

So, the government has stood by its promise of helping out the economy, and has done so by awarding a £7.5bn contract to replace ageing stock on two high speed lines.

And it has been awarded to.................. Hitachi.

A Japanese company.

And this is to help the UK economy?

Words fail me.

Perhaps just me, but I'm not sure that I'll ever understand some folk.

A bloke I work with has a 500Gb external HDD dedicated exclusively to his colleciton of porn (I'm surprised he doesn't wear glasses!!!!)

On the way home we were on a train passing through City Centre Manchester and we were discussing the cost of the apartments compared with comparatively sized houses.

He then blurted out,

Yeah, well it's all scummy prozzies who charge £200 an hour who live in them

This left me at a loss. He'll happily watch people getting paid to screw until the cows come home, but somebody doing it one-on-one? Oh now that's a whole different story!!

I personally don't see much difference between these two aspects of the sex industry - indeed some British Porn Stars are Escorts as well. I don't see a problem with either, but that's a whole different story.

So, the point and question at the same time.

What makes Sex Workers (street walkers, escorts etc.) such lower beings in the eyes of a few, than Porn Actors?

Ironic, eh?

Bless.

My local authority (Tameside) has sent me a threatening letter today warning me to pay unpaid council tax arrears within 7 days or face enforcement action. Can't say fairer than that.

It would appear that my standing order that I set up last April was slightly inaccurate, ho hum, so they money wired to them, no problem.

Then I thought about it. I've shortchanged them (though the term is debatable) and they're quick off the mark making all sorts of threats.

I wish the highways dept. were just as fast when there's something amiss!

Many of us had to deal with a fair amount of snow yesterday (and today in some cases) and many of us simply weren't satisfied with the efforts made by our local authorities to keep on top of the situation.

The snow settled and quickly made roads treacherous and unnavigable. So the ploughs weren't getting through. But how many of us had snow chains on our wheels, I mean, how can a plough get through when it is blocked by a queue of cars that also aren't equipped to deal with adverse conditions? A truck can only do so much.

We all have our views on how our councils responded to this flurry of snow, and many have been quick to point out that in Continental Countries they could have dealt much better with the situation.

I agree, but then again when was the last time we had snow like this? Oh yeah, 18 years ago.

We could indeed have had a fleet of machinery on standby to keep the roads clear, but could you imagine just what the capital expenditure plus maintenance costs and depreciation would be on this little used equipment. Put it this way, if our Local Authorities were private companies they wouldn't even entertain the idea.

But they aren't, they are what we pay for. So I'll ask you instead, would you be willing to pay extra on your council tax to have this equipment set up and potentially never used? Of course you could make many arguments about council spending, but I'm keen to avoid that, so bear with me, but would you be willing to invest in machines tp be used once every 8 years (on average)?

I'm disappointed in my local authority, bus company and several other individuals, but not because of the roads becoming blocked.

I'm disappointed because they had absolutely no communication with the rest of us on their websites, and even the radio traffic updates were given in an, "Well it could be true but we honestly don't know." manner. The BBC, ITV, local radio and television couldn't be trusted as they simply didn't have adequate information from these organisations.

Only one of many organisations offered up to date information, this was Northern Rail, my local rail company. One bloody organisation? That's a fucking disgrace!

Those who failed 100% to offer information to us were, Virgin Trains, TransPennine Express, Stagecoach Bus, First Bus, Tameside MBC, Oldham MBC, Stockport MBC, Manchester CC, Highways Agency.

And as for the GMPTE, you are the worst offender. You are the people who should have been in there first with up to the minute updates. And where were you? Sulking about the failed TIF proposals, probably.

Not keeping the roads clear was a cock up, but not keeping us informed was cardinal.

This is a message to all those organisations who simply lost their heads,

It's happened, you failed on this occasion, you lost your nerve. The mistakes have been made. Don't dwell on them, but take what's coming on the chin.

Most importantly, DON'T let it happen again! Communication is everything in this life

Oh and to all those motorists who whinged about driving in the snow, did you have snow chains on? If not then fuck off

Is it just me or are fan sites in general a little creepy?

Today, my darling wife arrived home from work and handed me a piece of paper with BOGEYMANS written on it and announced that it was a Countdown conundrum that noone in her office had managed to crack, and challenged me to have a go.

After 20 minutes of trying to figure it out, I asked where it had come from. It apparently comes from a website that specialises in Coundown Conundrums. Busy day for her team then!

So, bumming around the site I clicked a link to the unofficial fansite (what's an unofficial fan then?) of Susie Dent, who is a regular on the show.

Here's an extract from the front page,

She strikes me as being sophisticated, demure, someone who prefers libraries to nightclubs, and is the kind of girl you would happily introduce to your parents if you were lucky enough to get the opportunity. All of that, and she’s gorgeous!

Fan site, or you are using this medium to make your obsession seem a little more acceptable to the outside world?

But many are the same, especially those about female personalities.

Forget stalkers, these are the people they should worry about!!!!!!!!

If you ever need to know what it is that cheers me up no end (to the point that I act like an 8 year old again) you should have seen me this morning!!!

Snow, loads of the stuff, everywhere!

Apart from the small issue of the car being buried, which meant we had to give it legs to the train station, I was happy, happy, happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a little perplexing to get to the station and pick up a copy of the Metro (not just because it was the Metro)

The headline was "-5 and we're going nowhere." Are we not???

I've just practically skiied to the train station (it was fun although me feet are now sopping wet and a little chilly) there are lots of other folk here AND the train's on time (which on my line simply doesn't happen.) I live in an outpost of Manchester and my train has to come from Yorkshire. I live in a pretty low lying area and had a good few inches, so not sure what the high ground must have been like, but the train made it and I'm actually early for work today.

But according to the Metro the country has ground to a halt.

And I have spotted an entry from a fellow blogger, who's had to give up their quest to get to work (from Brightonish) because the transport companies there have given up on transporting people!

What get's me in all this are the newspapers. They have a lot to teach us in getting about.

It doesn't matter have apocalyptic the weather gets, there's always a copy of the Metro waiting for you once you've battled your way there. How DO they do that??????

So, google dropped the ball on Saturday (see here)

I didn't notice, but then again I have been away for the weekend.

It was refreshing to see the term "human error" used for their mistake. But then again, when exactly does a computer make a mistake? But, does the term, "computer error" hold any merit whatsoever?

Well, no, it doesn't. A computer is not capable of individual thought. It can process, "Yes," "No," or various degrees of "Maybe." Ok, a little general, but I'm not writing a thesis here.

A computer cannot make mistakes, it can only do as it is told, it is our electromechanical and electronic slave (for what difference there is.)

So, what was the BBC's point? That those in Google are still mere mortals, or that finally someone in IT has finally admitted a mistake?