Climate change

I just thought I would promulgate a worthy document borrowed from Autonomous Mind. It’s a good read, if you like me feel we are being conned into paying for energy that is essentially worthless. Except of course for those who stand to make a great deal of money. Thanks AM. Have a read.

Of Course Our Climate Is Changing

Clowns

No. This post has nothing to do with Obnoxio who left the Blogosphere a while back.

This is just a pointer to a very well written article in Spiked about how we have lost our Liberty in the last decade or so. It outlines how the drip drip of insidious legislation has slowly but surely turned the nation into a cowed populace who are forever looking over their shoulders.

Here's a taster for you to peruse.

Over the past 10 years, activities such as dealing drugs or robbery have not become significantly more difficult. But it has become extremely difficult to hold a boys’ football match (requiring CRB checks and child protection courses for the coaches); to hold a concert in a village hall (requires a ‘premises licence’ for ‘regulated entertainment’); to invite an African artist to give a talk at your art gallery (requires that you register with the Home Office as a ‘licensed sponsor’ and issue a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ to your visitor); or to hold a charity cake stall (requires a Public Liabilities Insurance Certificate and in some cases a Portable Appliance Test Certificate).

It’s a thoughtful piece that should be required reading for our political class.

If you have the time the whole article by Josie Appleton it’s HERE

Two jags needs the money it would seem

Our Police State.

Thanks to Julia over at Ambush Predator for this one.

A woman has told how she was left “stunned” when her boss was contacted by vice squad officers after her car was seen in Bradford’s red light area.

Anne-Marie Carroll, 45, who is a member of the Bradford Catholic Players, was on her way to the group’s rehearsal rooms in Rebecca Street, driving alone in a company car, which was noted by officers investigating kerb crawling.

Of course she got a grovelling letter of apology from the Police.

Err No.

Supt Williams said: “We make no apology for the robust way in that we tackle the issue of kerb crawling in Bradford.

“This particular tactic to target the men who solicit women has been used for a number of years in the city and with notable success.

“The letters are sent out following detailed observations of a vehicle’s movements and the registered owner is contacted whether it is an individual or a business.

Another case of presumed guilty until you prove you’re innocent.

Those cuts

Last night 1watched the local news where the head of Kent county council was put to the task of justifying £95 million in cuts. What was so interesting was the fact that he could shed 1500 jobs without a reduction in services. The question I would have liked to ask him would be, what the fuck do those 1500 actually do?

He further tied himself up in knots when he pronounced that elderly care would be shifted to the private sector. Why? Because the private sector could care for the elderly cheaper and more efficiently, was his reply. FFS again. In that case O chief executive, why did you even dabble in care if you could only do it inefficiently?

Then again, Kent wouldn’t have been in this state if they hadn’t invested most of their reserves into an Icelandic bank. £50 million smackers they lost.

We should follow the Yanks.

This is one thing they have got right.

Republicans kill global warming committee

The kick-off of the 112th Congress on Wednesday also marked the end of an era in the House – the demise of a committee devoted solely to climate change and energy issues. The Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, created by Nancy Pelosi in 2006, has been shuttered under the new Republican leadership.

It’s about time some of our useless politicians came to their senses and questioned this whole quackery of AGW. 

The only problem is that I found this in the Guardian. I feel unclean.

Common sense prevails

Mind you it should never have had to come to this in the first place.

A primary school dinner lady sacked after telling a couple their seven-year-old daughter was being bullied today won her claim for unfair dismissal.

Carol Hill, 61, had dragged four boys away from Chloe David after finding her tied to a chain-link fence and being whipped with a skipping rope.

She lost her job at Great Tey Primary School in Essex after telling her parents about the incident.

And of course the Headmistress had another version to cover up the bullying.

Headmistress Deborah Crabb had written to Claire and Scott David claiming their daughter had been 'hurt in a skipping rope incident'.

And the sacking offense was.

Mrs Crabb told the panel that Mrs Hill was sacked for committing the 'offence' of 'going to the press'.

Let that be a warning to you all. Just shut up and do as you’re told. Don’t you know we’re part of the “Big Society” now.

Time to break out the long johns

The last solar minimum should have ended last year, but something peculiar has been happening. Although solar minimums normally last about 16 months, the current one has stretched over 26 months—the longest in a century. One reason, according to a paper submitted to the International Astronomical Union Symposium No. 273, an online colloquium, is that the magnetic field strength of sunspots appears to be waning.

…

Scientists studying sunspots for the past 2 decades have concluded that the magnetic field that triggers their formation has been steadily declining. If the current trend continues, by 2016 the sun’s face may become spotless and remain that way for decades—a phenomenon that in the 17th century coincided with a prolonged period of cooling on Earth.

Shamelessly nicked from WUWT

Who sues who?

In light of the revelation purported yesterday by Roger Harrabin, that the MET office knew we were in for a bad winter, but only told central government. Who takes the can?

If the MET office tells the government, and the government holds the information back from the public, local government,  and industry, can the aforementioned seek redress from the government?  Surely if central government had passed the information on, then the likes of Heathrow could have planned ahead for snow clearance. Instead there was chaos.

My second point I would like to address is why didn’t the Met Office publicly disseminate this information? After all it is the public that owns the Met Office through it’s taxes.

Here are the Weasel words from the Met office.

"We withdrew from making public our forecasts for the season because the public said they didn't want them.

"We always said they're useful for other people - obviously that includes the Cabinet Office and contingency planners.

"We did research at the start of last year and the public said a monthly forecast was far more useful than seasonal forecasts."

They kept that research quiet didn’t they? Too busy banging on about AGW I suppose.

I feel so old.

How many do you remember of these?

Headlight  dip-switches on the floor of the  car.
Ignition  switches on the  dashboard.
Trouser  leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.  
Soldering  irons you heated on a gas burner.
Using  hand signals for cars without turn indicators.  
  
Older  Than Dirt Quiz:

Count  all the ones that you remember, not the ones you  were told about.
Ratings  at the bottom.

1. Sweet  cigarettes
2.  Coffee shops with juke   boxes
3. Home milk  delivery in glass bottles. (Istill get this item) 
4.  Party lines on the  telephone
5. Newsreels before  the movie
6.  TV test patterns that came on at night after the  last show and were there until TV shows started  again in the afternoon (There were only 2  channels [if you were  fortunate])
7.  Peashooters  
8. 33 rpm  records
9.  45 RPM records
10.78  RPM records
11.  Hi-fi's
12. Metal ice trays with  levers
13.  Blue flashbulb
14.  Cork popguns
15.  Wash  tub wringers

If  you remembered 0-3 = You’re still young
If  you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If  you remembered 7-11 = Don't tell your age
If  you remembered 12-15 = You're positively  ancient!

I  must be 'positively ancient' but those memories  are some of the best parts of my  life.