NICE Says Ban All Smoking In Hospital Grounds
This is reported in The Times.
I can never understand, why it has not been implemented.
The Times also reports that PruHealth have found that the biggest reason people give for quitting smoking, is the price of cigarettes.
George Osborne Must Be Getting Paranoid
Those on the Left, blame George Osborne for all the country’s troubles.
So he is under the attack in two major stories this morning.
In the first story, it’s Osborne’s comments about convicted manslaughterer; Mick Philpott.
Mr Osborne said a debate was needed about whether the state should “subsidise lifestyles like that”.
But shadow chancellor Ed Balls condemned Mr Osborne’s comments as “a cynical act of a desperate chancellor”
I have a feeling, that most voters in the UK, except those living on benefits with umpteen children would agree with Osborne. But then those in that group, probably wouldn’t have time to vote.
He is also brought to task, by getting into a car, that was illegally parked in a disabled space. Read about it here. It does appear he wasn’t driving,
But a Treasury source said Mr Osborne had been dropped off to buy lunch.
The unmarked police Land Rover was not driven by the chancellor at any point, added the source.
I bet Osborne wished he’d taken the train. But then, those that want to get him, had a go at him when he did.
He must be getting to dread, saying anything or going anywhere!
It seems as if the job of Chancellor of the Exchequer has taken over from that of Home Secretary, as the most vilified job in Government.
But then Theresa May has a great advantage over George Osborne, in that she can be spun for her dress sense, as she was in this double-page story in the Standard last night. George Osborne never got a headline like this.
Theresa May-nia: sharp-suited, well-heeled, the Home Secretary is on fighting form
Perhaps, he should wear a dress!
Measles On The Way Back
There are reports like this one, that show measles is on the way back, with a large outbreak in Swansea.
I was never vaccinated against it as a child and never caught it, despite the fact that my sister did.
I eventually caught it in about 1973, when my children all had it. To complicate matters, I also had chicken-pox at the same time.
It didn’t leave me with any lasting effects, but for two weeks, I never got off the sofa, as I felt so wretched.
It was probably, the worst illness I’ve had in my life, from a point of feeling ill.
I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
So get those children immunised. Those that don’t are stupid!
How To Cut Strokes
I like to think, I’m more or less following what is said in this story. Here’s an extract.
Increasing potassium in our diets as well as cutting down on salt will reduce blood pressure levels and the risk of stroke, research in the British Medical Journal suggests.
One study review found that eating an extra two to three servings of fruit or vegetables per day – which are high in potassium – was beneficial.
Funnily enough though, I’ve never really liked salt on my food. Perhaps, it was because my late mother-in-law used it so liberally, but I think the preference goes back further than that.
In some ways though, the older I get, the more I believe that a gluten-free diet is good for you. I suppose Novak Djokovitch would agree!
The HBOS Three Should Be Banned
This story on the BBC’s web site, says that the Banking Standards Committee has recommended that three at the top of HBOS, should be banned from working in the City, after the failure of the bank in 2008.
I agree, as not only did they ruin HBOS, but they ruined Lloyds as well and not forgetting all of the small shareholders and businesses they damaged.
As with RBS, HBOS should have been allowed to go bust.
We’d all be in a much better state, if they had!
Jeremy Clarkson Is More Popular Than Hillary Clinton In Iran
This story from the BBC’s web site must be the strangest to come out of Iran in recent months.
It is about how Top Gear is very popular in the country and relates the story of a visit to Kurdistan, by the actor, who dubs our Jeremy into Farsi. Here’s an extract.
The BBC cannot operate freely in Iran, so Top Gear’s popularity is hard to measure. But last year, when PTV dropped an episode to air an exclusive interview with then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the audience protested bitterly.
I think in some ways that the man or woman on the Teheran omnibus or stuck in the Isfahan traffic jam think about the same things as their equivalemts in New York, Glasgow and Sydney.
Perhaps, Hillary Clinton could be a star in a reasonably priced car to raise her popularity in Iran.
A Thought On The Philpott Case
The Philpott case, which is reported here, is raising a lot of debate, about the rights and wrongs of the level of benefits received.
C used to deal with some cases, where there was a vast bill for benefits on the one hand and because of the nature of the family, they cost Social Servicves a lot of time and money in keeping things in hand.
She felt, and I would agree with her, that these families are keeping benefits and services from others who need them.
So the first thing we must do is find a strategy to make sure that families like the Philpotts don’t get out of hand.
How you do that, I don’t know!
Visiting Heathrow Airport By Bus
Today wasn’t the first time, I’d been to the airport by bus, as when we were in our teens, a couple of times, we went to the airport by bus on a Saturday or school holiday. We went all the way round the houses on about six buses, finishing with a 140 to the airport. It was all for a few shillings on a Red Rover ticket.
A couple of times too, C and I went to the airport by coach from Newmarket, as in some ways it was quite convenient. Now, I just take the train or the Tube.
But after today’s crowded and slow journey on the Piccadilly line, I feel strongly, that Crossrail is needed now.
The New Bridge Over The Thames
In my lifetime, I can remember five bridges being built and opened across the Thames; London Bridge in 1973, the bridge at the Dartford Crossing in 1991, and the Golden Jubilee footbridges and the Millennium Bridge in 2002.
So today, when the BBC said that a new Walton Bridge was nearing completion, I just had to go, despite the weather.
I went to Waterloo station and got the train to Walton on Thames station.
Walton On Thames Station
From the station, after a fifteen minute wait, I got a 478 bus to the bridge. The bus actually, went over the old bridge next to the new one.
The New Walton Bridge
The weather was now the worst it had been all day, so I retreated on the first bus that arrived; a 555 for Heathrow Central.
It was possibly a mistake, as it went all round South West London, before arriving at the airport an hour or so later,
So in the end I got off at Hatton Cross station and took the Piccadilly line back to Green Park station, from where I got a 38 bus home.
Although, I achieved my objective of seeing the new bridge, the cold, snowy weather, the slow bus and the very crowded Underground coming home, put rather a damper on the day.
April Snows In Piccadilly Circus
I was going to Waterloo and the way I often go is to take the 38 bus to Piccadilly Circus and then get the Bakerloo line direct to the station.
But you don’t normally get snow showers in April!
The Anonymous Widower 