Showing posts with label miliband. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miliband. Show all posts

Monday 7 December 2009

Gord help us; Ed’s priority; Odd ASBO; Rat diners; Old Cheese; and Towed away.

Dark, damp and dozy this morn, still not sure about the New Site not many “widgets” available and there seems to be a problem with band width, it takes a long time to save sometimes.

But the worst thing is that there is no way to have my Blog list of all the blogs I follow, and I know what a pain it is for readers to change their follow lists to the new address.







And talking of pains I see that Gord has managed to find a way to cut public spending by £12 Billion over the next four years.

After what seems like a lifetime of labour, although it has only been 12 years or so, why is it that ‘prudent’ Gord suddenly finds all this money in savings?

There has been no trimming down of the bloated Government admin creep for over a decade and suddenly it has all become clear to him, it couldn’t be that his first election is coming up can it?










And of course Ed Miliband, one half of the cloned twins has decided that “action on global warming should be a priority”, despite the fact that he isn’t helping much and again after a decade or so of the suspicion that climate change is happening it is suddenly “a priority”, election creep again?








From North of Hadrian’s wall: Stuart Hunt, 46, was charged for allegedly laughing at the teenage daughter of the couple he has had a dispute with for six years.

He claims that the 15-year-old was dancing in the street as he drove past after dropping his two children at school.

Mr Hunt insists that all he did was smile, shake his head and laugh, but that may be enough to land him in court, accused of breaching one of the most unusual Asbos imposed in Scotland.

The interim court order, granted in 2007, imposed a series of restrictions on Mr Hunt, whose dispute with his neighbours Stuart and Shirley Latham dates from a row over speed bumps he placed on the access road they share.

The order prevents him from laughing at people, staring at anyone or slowly clapping his hands at the actions of others.

He is also banned from waving objects at people and adopting a menacing stance.

Mr Hunt, from Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness, said he was being “systematically criminalised”, adding: “There must be terrorist suspects who have more human rights than I've got here.

“Two police officers turned up at my house and charged me with breaching the Asbo by laughing at the neighbours' daughter. They charged me with laughing specifically, and only with laughing. I couldn't believe it. It's absolutely absurd.

He’s bleedin lucky he can find something to laugh about.









Two stars of the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly killing and cooking a rat to eat during filming.

Chef Gino D'Acampo who won the viewer-feedback contest series and actor Stuart Manning were charged after animal welfare activists lodged a complaint about a segment for the British TV program, which was filmed in Australia, the activists and British media reported Sunday.

In a statement to The Associated Press, New South Wales state police said Sunday that two men, aged 33 and 30, were charged with animal cruelty for acts in connection to the program but did not give names or other details.

They have been asked to appear in court to face the charge Feb. 3. The maximum penalty is three years in prison.

D'Acampo is 33 years old and Manning 30.

The show's producer, ITV, confirmed in a statement that "the New South Wales RSPCA is currently looking into an incident in which a rat was killed in the camp."

"The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable. The concern is this was done purely for the cameras," David O'Shannessy of the New South Wales RSPCA told the British Broadcasting Corp.

He said producers were normally required to have animal welfare officers on set when animals were used during filming, but in this case it did not take place.

"I'm a Celebrity" strands C-list celebrities in the Australian jungle, subjects them to a series of icky trials involving spiders and snakes, and allows the public to vote them off the show one by one.
Can we have a programme for MPs, maybe it could be called ‘I’m an MP leave me here for ever.’









From over the briny: A 15-year-old cheddar made in Wisconsin, possibly the most mature cheese for sale in the country, is selling well despite the $50-per-pound price tag, its producer said Saturday.


Hook's 15-year Sharp Cheddar, produced in 1994, went up for sale in a handful of outlets on Friday and has proven popular, said cheese maker Tony Hook.

"It started moving a lot faster than we expected," said Hook, 57, who - along with his wife and brother - runs Hook's Cheese Co in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. "People have been so excited about it."

The cheddar began as part of a gigantic batch that weighed 5,200 pounds. The Hooks let much of the batch age, and sold large chunks at the 10- and 12-year marks. But they felt it was aging so flavourfully that they saved 1,200 pounds to let it mature a few years longer, Hook said.

It's rare for cheddar to last that long, said John Umhoefer, the executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.

"Fifteen years is a good stretch of time to hold cheddar - perhaps as long as cheddar can hold for most people's palates," Umhoefer told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"Making cheddar that ripe, without it turning bitter or acidic, is a rare skill."

Umhoefer said he thought Hook's cheddar could be the oldest available on the market. There may be older cheddars, he said, but those would be in private collections.

The average cheddar fan is probably used to fresher samples. Shredded samples available in grocery stores are probably one to two months old, Hook said.

But anyone who has cleaned mouldy cheese from their refrigerator knows that even well-sealed samples don't keep for long, much less 15 years.

The secret is starting with precisely the right sample, Hook said, a sample that has no "off flavours" and progresses smoothly.

15 years, I’ve got tins of soup older than that.

And finally:









From over the big wet thing again: Tallmadge Township, Mich. Authorities said a man trying to burglarize a southwestern Michigan towing and auto-repair shop got a surprise when he found tow truck drivers inside still on the job.


The Grand Rapids Press reported the Marz Collision Services drivers were drinking coffee around 8 p.m. Friday in Ottawa County's Tallmadge Township when they heard noises in another room.

Owner Bob Marz said a man had just broken a window and was attempting to enter the building. The man took off on foot, and driver Todd Hodges pursued in his wrecker - calling police with his cell phone.

Authorities arrested a 45-year-old Grand Rapids man. He's expected to face burglary charges.

The drivers, who had spent the day pulling cars from snow banks,
Stayed on the job after the arrest.

First rule of burglary-make sure the place is empty.


Angus

AnglishLit

Angus Dei-NHS-THE OTHER SIDE

Angus Dei politico




Wednesday 15 July 2009

Lesbians, robot moths, deadly bouquets and Miliband’s bad timing





The tribe has finished the mud hut and are now in residence, and it seems they are now ploughing the land to plant crops.


Mind you I do like sweet corn.

Anyway, the “news” has picked up a bit.

A Cunning Ruse

A Lesbian Jamaican drug dealer is apparently fighting extradition from our Green and soggy land because deportation is an infringement of her human rights.

The woman, named only as 'A' for legal reasons, was convicted in 2005 of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and sent to prison, where she had a string of lesbian relationships with fellow inmates.

But immigration officials say that despite the woman, from the Clapton area of east London, having previous homosexual affairs, her current claim that she is in love with another woman is no more than a ruse to remain in the UK.

The court heard that 'A', now 24, met the woman she says she loves while they were both serving time at HMP Downview, in Surrey.

Mr Chelvan said his client is in danger of being killed by criminal gangs in Jamaica if she returns home, he added, arguing that one of her co-accused in the drug offences has said she will tell people on the island about her lesbianism.

He insisted that her right to freedom of expression, right to a private life, right to life and right not to be discriminated against – all enshrined by the European Convention of Human Rights – will be violated if she is deported.

My view is Bollocks, if you can’t do the time…………..


Robo Bug
Ryohei Kanzaki, a Japanese scientist and professor at Tokyo University's Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology, has studied insect brains for three decades and become a pioneer in the field of insect-machine hybrids.

His original and ultimate goal is to understand human brains and restore connections damaged by diseases and accidents -- but to get there he has taken a very close look at insects' "micro-brains".

The human brain has about 100 billion neurons, or nerve cells, that transmit signals and prompt the body to react to stimuli. Insects have far fewer, about 100,000 inside the two-millimetre-wide (0.08 inch) brain of a silkmoth.

In an example of 'rewriting' insect brain circuits, Kanzaki's team has succeeded in genetically modifying a male silkmoth so that it reacts to light instead of odour, or to the odour of a different kind of moth.

Such modifications could pave the way to creating a Robo-bug which could in future sense illegal drugs several kilometres away, as well as landmines, people buried under rubble, or toxic gas, the professor said.

Sod that, the real ones are enough of a pain in the arse.

Getting married can be dangerous

A wayward wedding bouquet ended in disaster when the throwing of the bride's bouquet caused a plane to crash.

A couple hired a small aeroplane to fly past their guests at Montioni park in Suvereto, near Livorno in western Tuscany, and drop the bride's bouquet to a line of women standing below, according to a report in Corriere della Sera.

But as the plane flew over the crowd on Saturday, the flowers were sucked back into the engine, causing it to catch fire and explode.

The small plane plunged into a field next to a hostel below. One passenger on the plane was seriously injured, but the pilot, Luciano Nannelli, and about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed.

Until crash do we part?


And finally:


Plank


The Climate change secretary Ed Miliband announced today that 400,000 new green jobs would be created by 2015.

The only large scale turbine manufacturer: Vestas on the Isle of Wight was so impressed that they announced that their factory was closing with the loss of 600 jobs.

Yeah, Miliband has that effect on me too.

Angus

Sunday 3 May 2009

THE SUNDAY SECTION


As I said in yesterdays post “what recession” Miliband seeks private jet tender the government is seeking to rent a private jet for the use of Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

A tender for the hire of a charter aircraft was issued in February and will last two years, it is understood.

The ministerial code states that scheduled flights should be used unless deemed impractical.

The Foreign Office said its decision was aimed at securing value for money following changes in the availability of RAF flights for ministers.

A spokesman said: "Unlike a lot of other countries we don't have a Foreign Office plane.

"We always try to use commercial airlines but sometimes that is not practical. Until now we have been able to use the RAF in those circumstances.

"Changes in the RAF mean we need the ability to charter aircraft sometimes at short notice - value for money is a top priority."

In March last year, the government scrapped plans to buy two private jets to fly the prime minister and the Royal Family around the world, citing cost and environmental reasons.



Another do as I say, not what I do from our wonderful Government, let him fly Ryanair, and hopefully he will have to use the outside toilet.



I want one of those (but not a Skoda) Artist creates invisible car The 22-year-old student at the University of Central Lancashire spray painted a battered Skoda Fabia to match the car park and entrance to her art studio.

Her work, created as part of her drawing and image making course at the university, creates the illusion that the car is see through.

The car is reminiscent of the work by pavement artist Julian Beever, whose attempts to trick people's minds into seeing perspective on the flat surfaces of paving stones.

Here are some of his works:












This one isn't


Pot-Kettle: John Prescott's attack on the English language

A sample of Prezza’s “English language” -

Mr Prescott told the BBC show: “A bus is a good way to get over to campaigning. You know I’m into Facebooks and all that kind of new technology now. But I’m into face to face. You’ve got to go out in the market square.

“I undressed 450 students yesterday with Ed Miliband and Eddie Izzard and I did 300 last night.

“You have got to talk to our people and when I hear Charles Clarke saying it’s a shame, I have got to say ... bit of dayjay vu. They were the same people who crawled out of the woodwork last September, told us they were finished, Gordon should go.

Just stick to the pie and mash John; at least that will keep your mouth shut.



And finally:



Keep away from my pigs!

Farmers fear pigs may get swine flu from people KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - Humans have it.
Pigs don't. At least not yet, and U.S. pork producers are doing everything they can to make sure that the new H1N1 virus, known around the world as the "swine flu," stays out of their herds.

"That is the biggest concern, that your herd could somehow contract this illness from an infected person," said Kansas hog farmer Ron Suther, who is banning visitors from his sow barns and requiring maintenance workers, delivery men and other strangers to report on recent travels and any illness before they step foot on his property.

"If a person is sick, we don't want you coming anywhere on the farm," Suther said.

Those sentiments were echoed by producers around the nation this week as fears of a possible global flu pandemic grew, with more than 200 people sickened, including more than 100 in the United States, and at least 177 dead, all but one in Mexico.

"There is no evidence of this new strain being in our pig populations in the United States. And our concern very much is we don't want a sick human to come into our barns and transmit this new virus to our pigs," said National Pork Producers chief veterinarian Jennifer Greiner.

"If humans give it to pigs, we don't have things like Tamiflu for pigs. We don't have antivirals. We have no treatment other than to give them aspirin," said Greiner.

That reminds me I must make a bacon sandwich.




“We work in the dark, we do what we can, we give what we have, our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task, the rest is the madness of art.” Henry James

Angus

NHS Behind the headlines

Angus Dei politico

NHS-THE OTHER SIDE