The Joy Of Freedom
I set out my views on masks in the title of Should We Be Given More Discretion Over Mask Wearing?.
Today was the first Friday under the relaxed rules on masks, when I have done my pre-weekend Friday morning routine.
- Take a bus and a Northern Line train or a direct bus to Moorgate.
- Have a Full English breakfast in Leon.
- Visit Marks & Spencer on Moorgate and get my weekend food.
These are my comments on today’s trip.
- I rode the bus to Angel without a mask and had a pleasant chat with a lady of my age about Putin.
- We felt that the Brutus solution for Vlad the Poisoner would be best!
- On the train between Angel and Moorgate stations, I was the only passenger not wearing a mask.
- It was easy to walk up the steps at Moorgate station.
- Leon was busy, with about half of customers and all staff wearing masks.
- Marks was about half full and it was nice to be able to shop wearing my glasses, which don’t fit my mask.
- I should say, that I need my glasses to read sell-by dates.
- There were no naked faces on the bus home.
It was such a joy for me, to be able to travel and do my shopping without a mask.
But then at no time, was I in a crowd, which might have made me reach for my mask.
Conclusion
I doubt at no time, I’ll go back to full-time mask wearing.
Incidentally, I used to have a racehorse called Joy of Freedom.
Where Are The Warthogs?
It must have been over twenty years ago, when I ended up in the Clopton Crown public house, spending an evening’s drinking with two USAF pilots, who lived locally.
They flew A10 Thunderbolt IIs out of RAF Bentwaters.
These aircraft are effectively a flying-gun, which are affectionately known as Warthogs, were designed with one purpose in mind and that was to stop Russian tanks marching through Europe.
When I told the pilots, that I had several hundred hours flying light aircraft. they told me, how easy the Warthogs were to fly.
Perhaps the Americans should have brought a few out of store and given them to the Ukrainians with a training package?
Macron Refused To Take Russian Covid Test
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first four paragraphs.
French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Russian Covid test ahead of his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has confirmed.
The test required a health protocol that was unacceptable and did not fit with the French leader’s schedule, a French source told the BBC.
It follows reports that Mr Macron refused the PCR test over fears the Russians would get hold of his DNA.
The leaders subsequently held a socially-distanced meeting on Monday.
The article is accompanied by an hilarious picture of the two leaders at each end of a long marble table, which is crying out for a caption like Who Isn’t Using Lifebuoy?
Seriously though, if the Russians wanted Macron’s DNA, there are ways.
- Send his water glass or coffee cup to a lab.
- Make sure Macron uses a special toilet that collects his pee, poo and toilet paper.
- It might even be possible to collect it off the marble table.
I suspect that the Russians have collected Macron’s fingerprints from the table for some nefarious purposes.
Getting Our Own Back With Putin And The Russians
Perhaps we ought to get our own back on the Russians.
I’m sure some of our best scientists can create a high-strength laxative, that can be strategically smeared on handrails and door-knobs in Russia.
Construction Of Europe’s Largest Rail Intermodal Terminal Starts On Hungary-Ukraine Border
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on MENAFN.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The construction of Europe’s largest railway intermodal combi terminal East-West Gate (EWG) has begun near the Hungarian-Ukrainian border.
This paragraph sums up the benefits of the new terminal.
‘Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the EWG intermodal terminal, as the western gateway to the New Silk Road, offers a faster alternative route to Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Germany for freight traffic from Asia than the current land and maritime routes, reads the article.
It is planned to be completed in 2022.
Vlad The Poisoner won’t like it!
President Putin To Set Up Russian Web Encyclopaedia To Rival ‘Unreliable’ Wikipedia
An article with this title, was published in yesterday’s Times.
The title is a very good summary.
Kremlin Lets Women Drive The Trains
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in The Times on Friday.
This was the first two paragraphs.
For decades, Russian girls who have dreamt of becoming train drivers or mechanics or captaining a ship have been forced to abandon their ambitions.
Laws prohibiting women from physically demanding employment, or jobs that could harm their chances of bearing children, were introduced by the Soviet Union in 1974, and updated by President Putin in 2000.
No wonder Russia a basket case, as they are not making best use of their resources. As do countries like Iran, Iraq and Syria!
Remember, that during the Second World War, the Nazis didn’t let women work in the war effort.
I seem to remember they lost!
Funding Nemo: £600m Power Cable Connects UK And Belgium
The title of this post is the same as this article in The Guardian.
This is the first paragraph.
A £600m cable connecting the UK and Belgium’s energy systems is about to be switched on, becoming the first of a new generation of interconnectors that will deepen the UK’s ties to mainland Europe just as it prepares to leave the EU.
It runs between Richborough in Kent and Zeebrugge in Belgium and is the fifth interconnector to be connected to Great Britain.
Other interconnectors connect to Ireland, Northern Ireland, France and the Netherlands.
In Large Scale Electricity Interconnection, I discuss the rest of the interconnectors, that are being constructed or planned.
We could see up to fifteen in operation in a few years.
As to Nemo, it was originally thought that the UK would be importing energy from Belgium, but as Belgium needs to service its nuclear power stations and will be shutting them in the next few years, the power will sometimes be flowing the other way. Especially, as more large wind farms come on stream in the UK!
It is my view that Icelink could change everything and Belgium’s possible future power shortage, makes Icelink far more likely.
Wikipedia describes the interconnector between Iceland and Scotland like this.
At 1000–1200 km, the 1000 MW HVDC link would be the longest sub-sea power interconnector in the world.
As more interconnectors are built between the UK and the Continent, including a possible link between Peterhead in North-East Scotland to Stavanger in Norway, which is called NorthConnect, the UK will begin to look like a giant electricity sub-station, that connects all the zero-carbon power sources together.
- Denmark will supply wind power.
- France will supply nuclear power.
- Iceland will supply hydro-electric and geothermal power.
- Norway will supply hydro-electric power.
- The UK will supply nuclear and wind power.
Other sources like wind power from France and Ireland and tidal and wave power from the UK could be added to the mix in the next decade.
The Consequences For Gas
Our use of gas to generate electricity in Western Europe will surely decline.
If projects, like those I discussed in Can Abandoned Mines Heat Our Future?, come on stream to provide heat, the role of gas in providing heating in housing and other buildings will decline in the UK.
We also shouldn’t forget the role of hydrogen, which could also replace natural gas in many applications. It would be created by electrolysis of water or as a by-product of some industrial processes.
Hydrogen could also become a valuable way of storing excess electricity produced by tidal, wave and wind power.
It is unlikely, we will develop a totally gas-free economy, as methane is a valuable chemical feedstock to produce other chemical products we need.
Conclusion
Not many people will be sorry, except for President Putin and a few equally nasty despots in the Middle East.
Putin’s Only Aircraft Carrier Out Of Action
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in today’s copy of The Times.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Russia could lose its only aircraft carrier after an accident left a five-metre hole in the flight deck.
Admiral Kuznetsov was in the Arctic for repairs when the floating dock underneath it sank, causing a 70-tonne crane to crash on to the carrier killing one person and injuring two.
Enough said!
How Many Believe The Saudis About The Death Of Jamal Khashoggi?
I certainly don’t!
But Donald Trump does!
But then Trummkopf likes dictators like Putin and Fatty The Third!
