Saturday, 23 June 2012

Profit before Patients: Post Offices on the Horizon: Racoon rumpus: Swedish strawberries: Millie the minder: and Exotic “art”


Sunny, cold, oodles of atmospheric movement and more than a whimsy of white fluffy stuff but dry at the Castle this morn, I snatched a glimpse of Dawn’s crack earlier and it wasn’t a pretty sight, but at least his Maj can canter around the garden again...




Apparently four in five NHS trusts in England and Wales say patients are suffering “unacceptable” delays for drugs to treat life-threatening conditions including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and organ failure.
A survey of 60 NHS authorities found that the shortage was doing patients “serious harm”, with some having to be admitted to hospital for emergency treatment after they were unable to get their medicines.
Pharmaceutical companies began rationing drugs to the NHS four years ago after British wholesalers and pharmacies started selling them abroad to take advantage of favourable exchange rates.
The Department of Health said it was considering an investigation to determine the scale of the problem. A spokesman said it was up to drug companies to make sure quotas were set fairly.
He said the Government had an emergency reserve of essential medicines. “We will take any action necessary in the event of disruption to supply and distribution of medicines that causes serious risk to patients.”


Yeah right....



Are under as bit of a cloud, The Post Office has appointed external investigators to examine allegations of deficiencies in the computer system used in all its outlets.
It comes after many sub-postmasters said they had been wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting.
Around 100 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses have registered an interest in suing Post Office Ltd over its Horizon computer system.
Horizon records financial transactions in branches across the UK.
Sub-postmasters say they have been forced to pay back many thousands of pounds' worth of money which they did not take.
Many of them were stripped of their post office contracts and bankrupted, and a handful has served prison sentences.
The Post Office has instructed a firm of forensic accountants, 2nd Sight Limited, to conduct an independent review of 10 existing cases raised by a number of MPs and the law firm Shoosmiths.
A confidential Post Office internal memo in September 2008 said that in its crown offices alone - those operated by the Post Office itself rather than by sub-postmasters - there had been £2.2m of losses in one year, which was having a serious effect on its ability to achieve profitability.
The Post Office has repeatedly denied there is a problem with the system, saying the claims have been made by a very small number of people who had contracts with it.
A spokesman said: "The Post Office continues to have absolute confidence in the robustness and integrity of its branch accounting processes.
It has refused to publish figures on apparent losses at sub-post offices.


Should be interesting...





A baby raccoon got caught in a Dearborn Heights sewer grate, Department of Public Works Director Bill Zimmer was in his front yard late Wednesday morning when he noticed the critter. It was stuck head-first in the centre of a large iron sewer grate, Zimmer told colleagues.
Zimmer called on fellow DPW employees Don Sepanski, Sean Moylan and Carl Kennedy for help, the DPW crew carefully removed the manhole so they didn't injure the raccoon, and then went to work "with a quantity of vegetable oil and dish soap ... and a little TLC."
"The furry friend was freed and placed in a cage for a trip to the DPW yard for a much-needed shower,"  
"Once cleaned, watered and cooled down, the unharmed raccoon was set free in a nearby wooded area to enjoy the rest of the day's heat wave in a familiar (but cooler) habitat," Ankrapp's release said.


Never had a Raccoon stuck in my manhole....




Swedish authorities said strawberries are being analyzed in a German lab in an attempt to stop foreign fruits from being passed off as local.
Waldemar Ibron of the Swedish Board of Agriculture told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper officials are trying to stop foreign strawberries from being passed off as Swedish ahead of midsummer, when locally grown strawberries are part of traditional festivities, Swedish news agency TT/The Local.se reported Friday.
"We have taken a few samples and they're on the way to Germany for analysis," Ibron said.
Growers in southern Sweden said the counterfeit strawberries are hurting their business by offering the fruits for lower prices.


Mid summer-har fucking har....




Millie the Bengal cat, thought to be the world's first ever feline security guard, has been hired to guard some of the UK's best-selling toy ranges.
Bandai's warehouse in Sarfampton was on the lookout for a new security guard when workers spotted the attentive moggy roaming around the factory floor.
'We are expecting a bumper year this Christmas with orders starting to fly in from retailers putting in their requests, including new boys action toy releases for Ben 10 and Power Rangers,' a spokesman said.
'With the appointment of Millie the security cat, our toys are now very well protected.'
Millie will be paid in cat food and fish at the factory.
She will be guarding toys including the new Ben 10, Power Rangers and Thunder Cats figures, expected to be top-sellers this Christmas.


I see that she is already checking out the stock...

 And finally:




An X-RATED arts festival featuring Japanese bondage workshops is set for a sell-out, with more than 700 expected to attend.
Tickets for the Festival of Erotic Arts, taking place at city venues this weekend, have been so popular that many of the risqué shows are already at capacity.
Organisers say the most popular events include flagship club night Torture Garden and revue spectacular Kabarett, which boasts burlesque and showgirl performers.
The festival will feature readings of erotic poetry, film screenings and parties, the largest of which will include a sado-masochist dungeon and require revellers to wear “latex, leather or rubber” or “all-out burlesque glamour”.
End-of-night parties will be hosted at the Voodoo Rooms in West Register Street and The Caves and Banshee Labyrinth in Niddry Street. White Space in Gayfield Square and the Pleasance Cabaret Bar will also house erotic art exhibitions and revues.
About two-thirds of tickets have been sold in Edinburgh or the central belt of Scotland.
Festival director Donna McGrory said: “Ticket sales are going very well. Our VIP tickets sold out within three weeks of going on sale and our short film screening, literary showcase and closing party events have sold out.
“We’ve a number of free events, including a talk by Edinburgh-based striptease artist Dr Gypsy Charms on Sunday, Saturday’s craft fair and, of course, our flagship Visual Art exhibitions running across the weekend. We’re excited about our launch weekend and are very happy to report a high number of ticket sales and artist participation at the festival.


Spanking weekend....
 



And today’s thought:
Does my bum feel big in this Olympics?




Angus

5 comments:

Bernard said...

"....security cat, our toys are now very well protected."
Fascinating - she could probably cope with a 'cat-burglar', but what exactly do they expect her to do when confronted with a six-foot yoof or two?
Actually, did you know geese make the best 'security' guards?

Angus Dei said...

Maybe use a "cat-a-pult to ward them orf Bernard the bouncer:)

I do know that about geese, my bruvver had a few when he lived in pastyland, snag is they do tend to leave a lot of deposits behind them:)

Bernard said...

That's what I like.
A cat with guts!

CherryPie said...

I do wonder exactly what Millie will do if she spots an intruder...

Angus Dei said...

Probably set the Thunder Cats on them CherryPie:)