The Earth Bites Back
This was the title of a lunchtime lecture at University College London on March 3rd. Professor Bill Mcguire argued that we’d see a lot more natural disasters, as the earth responded to our treatment of it.
And now we’ve had two major earthquakes in a short space of time in Christchurch and now Japan.
They may not be connected, but it doesn’t man that we should let up in our efforts to cut carbon emissions and other practices that damage our environment.
Science as Entertainment
There is a science fair called The Big Bang on in East London at the moment.
It was talked about on BBC Breakfast this morning, but they didn’t think it worth saying where and when it was on, and how much it costs to enter.
They were just using the fair as an entertaining program filler.
I have just searched and found the web site, but it would appear that except for Saturday it is sold out. This should have been flagged up earlier in the month, but then most people in the media have no interest in science and believe that most viewers don’t have any either, unless they’re over forty or so!
It Pays to Go By Bus
Steve Whiteley used his bus pass to take up the offer of a free day’s racing at Exeter yesterday. Knowing nothing about horse-racing he put a single bet on the Tote Jackpot which cost him just £2. His was the only winning ticket and he won £1,445,671.20. The complete story is in the Independent.
Banning Cigarette Displays and Packaging
Whether this will have any affect on the level of smoking, I don’t know.
I have my doubts, as I think it will lead to an increase of counterfeiting and smuggling. Who’s to say it won’t be cool to smoke a pack with an exotic name on it? After all the Pope smokes Marlboro.
Seriously though, we need a ban on smoking in any vehicle and especially at bus stops. The latter particularly annoys me, especially when it’s raining.
And Now Recycled Cardboard is a Health Danger!
According to this report on the BBC, the ink in recycled cardboard used in food packaging is a health risk. I have a feeling too, that Nick Higham’s report was actually filmed not far from me. It was certainly somewhere in Hackney.
Apparently, the problem is the mineral oils in the ink.
I know it was years ago, but my father had terrible dermatitis because according to the doctor of all the solvents in printing ink.
Whilst on the subject of paper, I find difficulty reading a newspaper, as I find turning the pages difficult. I thought it was because of the stroke and lack of feeling in my hands, but others, who are young and fit also have the problem. I’ve been told it’s down to the amount of recycled paper used these days.
How To Really Waste Money
To me, Picasso is the world’s overrated and overpriced artist, so I greet the news that the most expensive painting ever sold at public auction is to be exhibited at the Tate Modern with total indifference.
Whoever bought this painting really wasted his money. I would say that, that is his affair and it probably is. But who’s to know who the owner is and he could be one of the world’s real nasty people.
To me art should be public and available to all. That is why I like public sculpture, such as Temenos and the better attempts to do something positive with the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Could We All Own Part of the Taxpayer-Owned Banks?
Liberal Democrat MP is suggesting that all adults on the electoral roll be given about a £1,000 of shares in the taxpayer-owned banks.
It looks that it could be a good idea, especially if the conditions are got right. After all it could be argued that they were bought with our money.
If nothing, it would mean that the electoral roll would probably be better than it is in some places now.
But there would have to be substantial protection against fraud. And I hope the sharesare restricted to those owning British passports.
Why SMEs Don’t Get a Look In
David Cameron is reported as saying that he will open up more contracts to small and medium sized companies.
But it won’t happen, as these sort of contracts don’t fit bureaucrats thought processes.
As an example, a government agency found that my software Daisy would be ideal for an application. The cost would be a couple of thousand pounds for a special system. But as they were dealing with contracts in millions, they couldn’t find a way to buy the software or pay me for the consultancy. In the end I walked away from it. I suspect that in the end they did nothing or spent several millions with one of the major consultancy firms to do a job that was worth five grand at most.
As a contrary example, a division of a major British company found that Daisy was useful to their researchers. So they put it on their approved software list and allowed those who wanted it to buy it with credit cards and then bill it on expenses. I sold many copies that way, just because the accounts department at this company wanted their people to get the work done.
And then there is the question of bribes. Not actual suitcases of the folding stuff, but big companies can afford to have things like days at sporting events and ask the purchasers along. Small and medium sized companies can’t afford that and anyway they have more important things to do, like keeping their business solvent.
NuLabor’s Last Clanger
Baroness Ashton is the EU’s totally invisible foreign minister. In fact she’s so unnoticeable that she now needs to spend £8.5m on PR.
But then she was appointed because she was a subservient NuLabor hack politician, who could be trusted to toe the line. The trouble was that she had had a charisma bypass. High profile politicians in powerful positions need to be able to stand on their own feet without being briefed on anything. The only politician, I ever knew very well, Gwyneth Dunwoody, would have made mincemeat of the invisible Ashton.
And Now Cashmere Prices Rise!
So if you can’t afford the oil to keep you warm, you can’t afford a new cashmere sweater as the price of that is rising too.
I notice that Prudence is keeping very quiet on the mess he and his NuLabor friends left us in.
The Anonymous Widower 