Friday 6 July 2012

Up your energy bills: Meteosat soars: El Papa in the red: Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop in the can: Some Old Russian Geysers: and Driving into the office.


Atmospheric conditions are back to “normal” at the Castle this morn-cold, cloudy, damp and dismal. The garden is still in need of a ginormous fettling but, unless I use a rowboat to do it there isn’t much of a chance.



Managed to increase our ‘Energy Bills’ by more than a few squids per annus horriblis as his shit for brains scheme for simpler gas and electricity deals threatens to backfire.
Consumer groups yesterday warned that government plans to offer fewer, simpler tariffs will leave many people “much worse off” as energy companies scrap discounts and cheaper online deals.
The warning comes as the Prime Minister prepares to meet the bosses of Britain’s biggest energy companies to discuss soaring gas and electricity bills, which remain at near highs of £1,300 a year per household.
According to the Torygraph major suppliers have already begun quietly removing their best tariffs from the market, including many “fixed” and online saver deals.
According to USwitch, the price comparison website, hundreds of thousands of British Gas, E.On and EDF customers have seen the very cheapest bills rise by an average of £249 since September 2010, a third more than customers on standard tariffs.
In a second blow for bill-payers Ofgem, the energy regulator, is trying to abolish discounts worth up to £130 for around 20 million customers on standard gas and electricity deals.
Four in five British homes are on these deals, qualifying for discounts if they have “dual fuel” accounts, settle bills promptly and opt for paperless billing.

Under current plans, customers on these tariffs would no longer get money off for any of these options.

They would also lose discounts for using energy at off-peak times, collecting loyalty points or low consumption rates.

The plans were drawn up by Ofgem, after the Prime Minister last year urged companies to “clear up their bewildering array of tariffs and special offers”.

Fuckwits U-Turn Cam and Chris (no nuclear) Huhne, the former Energy Secretary, suggested simplifying deals would lead more people to switch their supplier and ultimately save people money.

Since then, Ofgem has argued that scrapping discounts on standard tariffs will give a single clear rate that can be quickly compared across all suppliers.
 

Thanks Dave, you have done it again...will this Piss Poor Policies Coalition Millionaires Club Coalition ever think things through before they vomit their “ideas” into the bucket of the population of dear old Blighty?




The latest spacecraft in Europe's long-running Meteosat series has just gone into orbit on an Ariane rocket.
It is now being manoeuvred into a position some 36,000km above the Earth from where it can keep a constant watch on developing weather systems.
The spacecraft is the 10th Meteosat platform to go into service since 1977.
Its pictures will soon be feeding into the daily forecasts provided to the public by national meteorological agencies right across Europe.


That’ll help-I can do the weather for nowt-just have a look out of the window.....




Allegedly the place where ex-Nazi El Papa lives has registered one of its worst budget deficits in years, plunging back into the red with a (EURO) 15 million ($19 million) deficit in 2011 after a brief respite of profit.
The Vatican on Thursday blamed the poor outcome on high personnel and communications costs and adverse market conditions, particularly for its real estate holdings.
Not even a (EURO) 50 million gift to the pope from the Vatican bank and increased donations from dioceses and religious orders could offset the expenses and poor investment returns, the Vatican said in its annual financial report.
The Vatican said it ran a (EURO) 14.9 million deficit in 2011 after posting a surplus of (EURO) 9.85 million in 2010. The 2010 surplus, however, was something of an anomaly. In 2009 the Vatican ran a deficit of (EURO) 4.01 million, in 2008 the deficit was (EURO) 0.9 million and in 2007 it was nearly (EURO) 9.1 million.


Seems that Him/Her upstairs maybe a Banker.....





The Capital Times reports that Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop was arrested last week after residents complained of excessive drinking and drug use near Reynolds Park in Madison. Authorities say he was arrested in another local park last April after police found a loaded handgun in his backpack.
He's tentatively charged with carrying a concealed knife, and possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana.


Beezow is in the Doo-Doo then...





In the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia is the only geyser field in Eurasia and the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. Approximately 200 geysers exist in the area along with many hot-water springs and perpetual spouters.
The valley is one of the few places in the world where geysers occur naturally, along with Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. and sites in Iceland, Chile, and New Zealand. In Kamchatka more than 20 large jets and 200 smaller thermal springs punch through Earth's crust in a 2.7-square-mile (7-square-kilometer) area.
Over thirty geysers have been named; among these was the Giant geyser (Velikan), capable of producing a jet of water reaching up to 40 meters. At least 20 such geysers erupt on a stretch of the Geysernaya River Basin in the Valley of Geysers, along with dozens of smaller gushing vents and hundreds of hot springs. The largest of these geysers erupts with 60 tons of water once or twice a year.


But at least it is warm there-who says you can’t learn anything on this blog?


And finally:




An out of control Volkswagen Sharan mounted the pavement and crashed into the reception area of John Stokes Ltd in Tipton, West Midlands on Tuesday.
The footage of the crash, which was captured on firm's CCTV, showed a woman walking in front of the business just seconds before the people carrier drove into it.
The vehicle is seen tearing through bricks and windows before being brought to an abrupt halt by a metal safe.
Minutes before the crash, business owner Dene Stokes, 59, was standing in the reception area, which had undergone a £25,000 refurbishment the previous month, with a client.
At the time the people carrier hit the building he was on the phone talking to his son.


Should have had a No Parking sign on the front of the building...
 



And today’s thought:
Catching the Javelin Olympics


Angus

2 comments:

CherryPie said...

That is an awful to of geysers!

Angus Dei said...

Being an old geyser myself I feel quite a lot of empathy:)