Please Can I Come In?
I took this picture outside Carluccio’s in Upper Street.
Please Can I Come In?
At least they provide a proper place to which to tie a dog
Affordable Acupuncture
Several people, who I respect, have suggested I try acupuncture for the pain in my jaw and head.
So yesterday I went to the Stepping Stones Project just round the corner from where I live.
I’m not sure if it worked, but I do feel it pointed me in some of the right directions.
However, they were all very professional and affordable.
I Didn’t Ask For Adverts
BT Vision has updated itself, but now every so often I get this display on the screen, whilst listening to Radio 5 Live.
I Didn’t Ask For Adverts
I didn’t sign up for adverts.
I wonder how I get them removed.
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!
Should You Need A Licence To Smoke?
It’s a bit radical, but the BBC has asked the question in this article on its web site.
I proposed it myself on an anti-smoking phone-in a few years back and it was generally well-accepted.
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.
Poached Smoked Haddock With Poached Eggs
After my experience at the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool, I thought I’d try to do this myself. I asked an honourable friend how to poach the fish and she suggested using the microwave. I then found this method on Yahoo.
If you don’t want to spend ages with the other recipes just put it in a shallow dish with a little milk and water (equal amounts) and a knob of butter on top then whack it into the microwave for three/mins full power.
Here’s what it looked like before it went in the microwave.
Smoked Haddock Before Cooking
And here it is after the cooking.
Smoked Haddock After Cooking
To poach the eggs, I used these mini-poachers from John Lewis.
Mini-Poachers From John Lewis
Here they are sitting in the pan.
Two Eggs Poaching
They can either sit or hang on the side. The eggs didn’t turn out of the poachers too well.
Poached Smoked Haddock and Poached Eggs
But they tasted alright and I suspect I’ll get them better next time.
By the way it looks like John Lewis is out of the mini egg poachers. Perhaps a lot of mothers are going to get them for Christmas. After all they only cost four pounds each.
The Anonymous Widower 