Gaddafi on the Ropes
It looks like the odious Colonel Gaddafi’s evil hold on Libya is coming to an end.
His son has blamed all and sundry in a speech.
But we are the ones to blame, just as we were to blame for the rise of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Western governments seemingly will do anything to get the oil they need to keep their people happy, so we gave them everything they wanted years ago.
As an example, when Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead outside the Libya embassy in London, we let the Libyans sneak out of the country, without a proper investigation. Some believe that the shot didn’t come from the embassy, but surely a thorough investigation at the time could have proved the truth.
Supposedly now, some claim that we are selling him the arms he has used to kill his own people.
We’ll do anything to get oil! But as I have shown in the last few months, only the selfish need a car of their own. We’ll all going to have to change our lifestyle sooner or later, so why not do it now?
A Better Way to Measure Blood Pressure
I do hope so, as the current method seems to cause all sorts of problems when healthcare staff measure mine using the traditional cuff, whether it’s connected to a high tech machine or a manual device.
In Hong Kong, they were very worried about my blood pressure and they were always measuring it. Sometimes they changed from the new to old devices.
My previous doctor too, often got a different result to her nurse and another doctor, said I suffered from a classic case of white-coat hypertension.
So a new blood pressure device developed at the University of Leicester is to be welcomed. Especially, as it can measure the blood pressure closer to the heart or the brain.
It also looks to me that after fully researching and sorting the medical principles, instrument engineers have applied modern electronic technology to the problem.
We shall be seeing more devices like this to monitor many bodily parameters in the future.
A Plug For BBC Radio Five Live
I may not have had my e-mail about Belarus read out, but this one was used to finish the Silverton programme on the channel this morning.
In hospital in Hong Kong after a stroke, the only news on the TV was CNN. But I was allowed my laptop and Five Live coming through the Internet kept me sane.
As the late great Brian Redhead once said, “If television had been invented first, then radio would be the dominant media, as the pictures are better!” They certainly were when he painted them with his words.
Thinking about Brian and others like him, where are the great female radio broadcasters to rival Ed Morrow, John Snagg, Bryan Johnstone, Peter Jones, Peter Allen and John Arlott?
The Tragedy of Belarus
They were talking on the BBC about the state of Belarus. I don’t know whether they read it out, but I sent in this e-mail.
I went to Belarus to see England play two years ago. Minsk was a friendly city, with lots of things to see. After experiences of Moscow, supporting Ipswich, Minsk was totally different. Even the police were complicit in exchange of banners, tokens and signatures between fans.
The visit left me with the optimistic impression, that Belarus would eventually be part of mainstream Europe, but time has shown me wrong. On the other hand, the history of the country has shown, that they are resilient and sort themselves out in the end, usually without great violence.
I do hope my optimism was not misplaced and one day I’ll return to the country. By train of course!
Pope to be Exhumed
When I read that Pope John Paul II was going to be exhumed and the coffin put on display, I thought it was a joke. But it’s here on Reuters.
It just proves to me that I want nothing to do with religion. Except of course with the basic principle of trying to do the best for the greater good of everybody.
Inter-University Pole Dancing Competition
This has just been covered on the BBC. Although the venue wasn’t announced. Was that for the obvious reason?
The student interviewed said it was a great way to get fit and loose a bit of weight. So perhaps instead of counting calories, we should all dance, with or without poles.
Would You Employ an Accountant Who Couldn’t Add Up?
One of the stories today is that the Nulabor government cocked up the rate of inflation, which meant that pensioners were underpaid to the collective tune of £80billion.
There is no excuse and mistakes like this by governments of all colours and competences are woven into the rich tapestry of history. Years ago, a colleague left to work for the Department of Trade and calculate the trade statistics. A few years later there was a serious mistake. I don’t think it was his fault, but because he worked there, we spotted it and had a bit of fun at his expense.
Whoever said, that there are lies, “damned lies and statistics” was right. Latest thinking says it was Charles Wentworth Dilke and not Mark Twain or Benjamin Disraeli. Although the phrase should probably be “lies, damned lies and government statistics”
Nine Recycling Bins
Newcastle-under-Lyme Council must take the award for the world’s most complicated and wasteful recycling system. Nine bins is just too much!
I now live in Hackney, where the system is fairly simple. On Monday they collect household waste and on Thursday the recyclables like paper, bottles and cans go out in green boxes. It works well, except that if I leave my green box outside on my front patio, it collects all sorts of non-recyclables, which I have to remove. Someone also puts an empty can of Stella in there too every night. I hope my doctor doesn’t see it, as he’ll think my gluten-free diet has slipped. The men actually sort the recyclables on the truck, which would seem to be inefficient, but it seems to work well.
In St. Edmundsbury, I had two bins; one for general waste and the other for dry recyclables. They were collected on alternate weeks. There is a great deal of opposition to fortnightly collection, but I never found it a problem.
Surely, we need a national system or perhaps two or three systems that councils would have to use. This would stop confusion and might mean that equipment for a particular scheme would be cheaper. It would also mean that lunatic nine-bin schemes were illegal.
I did try to find a national table of recycling performance on the web, but couldn’t. So if anybody can please tell me!
Larger Child Heart Surgery Centres
There is a debate about whether we should have fewer and larger centres for child heart surgery. The BBC is saying that some centres will be closed.
As someone, whose granddaughter was born with a serious medical problem and underwent serious surgery at a few days old, I can understand some of the emotions involved.
But too much of the arguments about more centres are about local pride and parents wanting to have their child referred to a local hospital.
But as someone, who has lost my wife and son to cancer in the last three years and has suffered a stroke, I would travel hours to get the best.
In my son’s case he was in a local hospital in Manchester, which was just too small to have the expertise to diagnose his pancreatic cancer and the diagnosis was not made until he was in Addenbrooke’s some time later. These smaller hospitals should be closed immediately. But then votes and local pride always override scientific correctness.
Should Sex Offenders be on the Register for Life?
The UK Supreme Court has said that they shouldn’t and Scotland has already allowed appeals. According to the BBC, the government is now going to allow appeals in England and Wales.
I welcome this as despite the well-known proverb about leopards, we all know of people, who have modified their behaviour from what was definitely beyond reason to one of being an asset to society.
So if people can do this in areas such as violent crime or serious anti-social behaviour, what is to say that some sex offenders modify their behaviour to be no danger to anybody. Obviously, some will never be safe, but others may well be and should be given the right of appeal.
But I suspect that the Vengence Tendency will feel that no change should ever happen.
The Anonymous Widower 