The Canny Scots
This story from the BBC shows the Scots at their canniest.
A Guerilla Attitude To Junk Mail
I’m developing a guerilla attitude to junk mail, both physical and by e-mail.
1. I never buy anything from a company that sends junk mail. So I won’t deal with Virgin in all most of its forms, as they’re one of the worst offenders.
2. Local taxis who persist in putting cards through my door, get there numbers written down and when I get an annoying phone call on my land line trying to deal with my non-existent PPI, I ask that they ring on my mobile number, which of course is the local minicab. You can play all sorts of games like this.
3. As I have a post box opposite, any junk mail delivered by the postman, goes straight in that box.
4. I think I’ll get a big stamp saying something like. “Elvis says return to sender”
Any other suggestions are welcome.
An Argument For Abortion
Abortion is a very tricky subject to say the least. But this tragic story from the BBC, may illustrate why every woman needs if not access to abortion, access to the ability to decide.
Cracking The Code
This story from the BBC’s web site shows how rapid DNA sequencing has been used to crack an MRSA outbreak.
It also shows how fast it will be in future to sequence DNA. This could lead to all sorts of new treatments for illnesses like cancer.
We should be hailing the scientists who did this! But others will say it’s wrong to mess with DNA.
As someone with a minor genetic disease, I hope we see more successes in the next few years.
On the other hand, if someone said to me, we could cure your coeliac disease, by giving you a gene change, I’d say no!
Political Asylum Should Come With Responsibilities
This tragic tale of a young woman killed by a drunk driver illustrates one thing that is wrong with the political asylum system. Here’s an extract.
Wilfred Museka, 31, from Clayton, had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
He also admitted fraud by false representation, driving without insurance and driving other than in accordance with a driving licence.
The court heard that Museka, a Zimbabwean national who gained political asylum after arriving in the UK in 2000, had been to a family party in Manchester.
He drank so much alcohol that he could not recall how or why he had later travelled to the border of West Yorkshire, where the crash took place.
It turned out he’d had eleven previous motoring convictions including driving under excess alcohol.
He was just taking the Michael in a big way.
He should have been sent back to Zimbabwe, when it became obvious that he wasn’t a fit and proper person to claim asylum. As it is he’ll now be locked up for eight years before he is deported. So all the British justice system has done is delayed the inevitable and got a young woman killed.
Steve Coogan On Abu Qatada
I have had this thought, that it might be a good idea to put Abu Qatada on Question Time. After all, the BBC put the equally nice leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin on the program and it doesn’t seem to have done him much harm.
So I searched the Internet with “Abu Qatada Question Time” to see if anybody had suggested it and found this extract from the program featuring Steve Cooghan.
Thank You, London Overground
That is the tone of this article to mark the fifth birthday of the London Overground in Time Out.
I think it shows if you bring in an urban transport system and design it properly, you completely enhance the lives of those it touches.
This country and the world in general needs more Overgrounds! Lots more!
The only problem with the Overground is that its success has meant too many people want to use it. But that is hopefully being solved by adding more and longer trains and the infrastructure to handle them.
With the opening of the new line to Clapham Junction in a few weeks time, I think we’ll see the popularity of the Overground grow.
The only problem with the Overground is that its success has meant too many people want to use it. But that is hopefully being solved by adding more and longer trains and the infrastructure to handle them.
Abu Qatada Is A Joke
The only people who take such as Abu Qatada seriously are the police and the government. And a very few of his supporters!
He should be treated as the silly joke he is and only mentioned in the media, when he turns up in Court on a serious charge.
The phone-in on BBC this morning, just gives his extremist views the oxygen of publicity.
The one positive thing we could do is allow intercept evidence to be used in all Court cases. My late wife felt it would have helped a lot in some of the more grizzly divorces she did.
Seb Coe For London Mayor
He was impressive today on BBC Breakfast.
I think he would make a wonderful successor to Boris. He’s also only 20/1 with Paddy Power.
LED Street Lights In Sheffield
BBC Breakfast is covering this story in detail.
All street lights in the city are being converted to LED ones, that can be centrally controlled according to the conditions.
I can’t find the story anywhere on the web.
Does it show how low green issues sit in the minds of the average journalist?
Having used LED lights for years, I can’t understand this indifference to a technology that should be rolled out across the country.
An example was given, where Sheffield say they will change the light levels around evening football matches. Bright as they arrive and leave and low during the match.
How for instance are sensible lighting levels going to help in the fight against crime?
The Anonymous Widower 