Concord, Massachusetts Bans Small Water Bottles
This story on the BBC web site shows how people get their green priorities wrong.
We should probably drink tap water and the only time, I drink the bottled stuff, is if I need water on a train, plane or on the street.
They have banned water, but not fizzy drinks, which unlike water make you obese. But then if you did ban fizzy drinks, the cola manufacturers would have something to say about it.
I did have a drink out today. it was a lemonade at Leon in Kings Cross station. This is the nutrition details for the drink. It did come in an appropriately sized plastic cup.
It is good to be green, but you must be scientifically green and make sure the science and the economics stack up.
I have an aside here on the subject of lemonade. In the 1970s, we were driving across the United States and needed some petrol. We pulled into the garage and the pump attendant asked if we needed lemonade. It was his slang for unleaded petrol.
The Case Of The Vanishing House
This tale is almost unbelievable. As it’s in the island of Ireland, you do wonder how much of it, has been given a bit of exaggeration.
On the other hand it’s on the BBC, so it must be true.
But unlike many tales of ths type, it has a sort of happy ending.
Why Has Google News Got Worse?
When I want details on something, say like Dalston Junction station, I will use Google to search for it. Then for any news, there used to be a simple button, which repeated the search on just the news.
That seems to have disappeared and now in most cases I have to open up Google News and start the search again. I supose, it’s an improvement setup by some idiot just out of nappies.
I also find that it always wants me to sign in to my GMail account to store my alerts there. But I prefer them on my standard e-mail, which has nothing to do with GMail.
I suppose they are annoying me, so I use my GMail account, which can then be processed to send me all sorts of spam for products I don’t want.
As they don’t pay enough tax in the UK, I think I might look for another search engine, that does pay the proper rate.
Who Is Burt?
The caption on the travel news on BBC London this morning said.
London Bridge bus station is closed due to burts water main.
Who is this Burt? And why does he own an important water main?
Do We Need Retail Banks?
There was another cash machine fiasco last night, when Lloyds and Halifax had a big computer system failure. Read about it here in the Daily Mail.
This problem hit so many people, as they didn’t really plan their day out properly.
I’ve never been hit by one of these periodic cash point failures, as probably more by luck than judgement, Nationwide haven’t had a problem.
But one thing I do, is make sure when I’m down to my last twenty or so in my wallet, is get a cash injection. But then in places where I spend money, there are lots of cash machines. Take yesterday on my trip to Notting Hill. I passed machines in Kings Cross station, just outside Notting Hill station and close to Otto. But then I didn’t need any money.
So although yesterday’s failure was disastrous for some, with a bit of planning, it could have been avoided.
On the other hand, I’ve heard of people queuing on pay day by cash machines, so they can draw their money out to get some cigarettes.
These failures will do one good thing and that is get customers to look at how they keep and use money.
More and more we’ll question, whether we need to have a retail bank at all.
What is really needed for most of us, is a simple bank account to hold our working capital, accept our salary or pension, pay our standing orders and other bills, and tell cashpoint machines that we have money to withdraw.
Death Of Someone Who Could Write
The death of Lord Rees-Mogg was reported over Christmas and today the newspaper that he edited has a two page tribute to their former editor.
In a piece by Anne Spackman, the Comment Editor, which describes him as an editor, who knew the value of editing, there is this final paragraph.
When his wife rang just days later to say that William had been taken into hospital, she said he wasn’t afraid of dying. “It’s going to be so very interesting,” he had told her.
If we could all be as brave and dignified, when the time comes.
Derry Becomes UK City Of Culture
There is a touch of deja-vu about how Derry is being made the UK City of Culture for 2013.
There was a lot of cynical thought about what might happen when Liverpool became European Capital of Culture in 2008. However, looking back from 2010 in this article in the Guardian, shows it was a great boost to the city. On my regular visits to the city, it now has a very buoyant attitude to the future, compared to say ten years ago.
Let’s hope that being UK City of Culture does the same for Derry.
Ministry Of Justice Deals It Out to Claims Firms.
This article on the BBC web site, says that the Ministry of Justice has shut down 209 rogue claims firms in the last six months.
This is good news. But I wonder how many people have been involved in more than one firm.
I also would love to see a database published of all those involved. It would be an interesting analysis.
Europe’s Most Stupid Politician
I’ve just read two articles about President Hollande’s tax ideas in the Times and The Telegraph. He wants everyone who earns over a million euros to pay a 75% tax rate. the constitutional Council has turned his idea down, so he doesn’t even know French law.
Forty or so years ago, such a policy could have been enforced and in those days in the UK, anybody earning over about £40,000, used to pay an income tax of over 70%. But all that did was create schemes to avoid paying tax and the best brains of the country became accountants and tax lawyers, rather than scientists and engineers to create wealth by creating companies and jobs.
But Hollande thinks he can turn the clock back!
He must be so stupid to not see that he’s being counter-productive, by giving the brilliant, reasons to leave France. Il est un imbecile.
A Victory For Patient Safety
I have followed the Ubani case for some years. I am glad to see he’s lost the case to clear his name.
Let’s hope he gives up and goes back to where he came from.
The outcome of this case and hopefully it’s the final one, gives me hope that in the end good law always triumphs.
The Anonymous Widower 