Tilting at Windmills

Offshore wind turbines.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't profess to be an expert in this field, but I do have a few thoughts on the subject.

I've spent my whole career spent in the harsh environment that these edifices will have to be able to withstand. So I'm going to ask the proponents of these super duper energy saving devices, to convince me that they are cost effective.

Question 1

What are you going to build them on? If you are going to build them off the Thames estuary, which is mainly made up of sand, have you thought about the foundations that will be needed?

Question 2 (linked to Q1)

Given the weather in the North sea, how long will it take you to put in those foundations?

Question 3

What materials are you going to use in the construction of these turbines, given the harsh environment that they will be subjected to?

Question 4

If you have built them, how much is it going to cost to maintain them? Have you factored in the cost of surveying them, changing the turbine bearings, probably every 4 years, insulation resistance, etc. These costs have to be factored in to make the concept viable.

Question 5

What voltage are they going to produce? Anything less than 6.6kV would be inneficient. We go back to environment issues here. 6.6kV hates a sea water environment. The slightest touch of salt water, into the internal workings will destroy the generator. (Anyone near by is extremely dead as well)

Question 6

Given that they only produce energy for 30% of the time. How are they justified?

Question 6. No, a demand

All you green, turbine wankers must be forced to have a 200 ft wind turbine built in your back garden. And yes, this means you, George Monbiot, and Jonathan Porritt. Don't hide from your responsibilty. Apart from the fact that they are a complete eyesore and a blot on the landscape, and they kill off the birdlife, how can you refuse? Put your money where your political mouth is.

If you had any sense, you would have seen through this idiocy, and opted for nuclear. But then you wish to take us back to the middle ages.

Question 7 Am I being to stupid?

You tell me

And as an aside. I live in the real world of marine engineering. If you fuck up, you drown.

Flying squirrels

Old movie, but still amusing



I suppose I will now be on the animals' rights hit list. Oh well.

Who the fuck was the snitch?

From Mary Honeballs's blog on labourlist comes this disgusting article

A Conservative club and its steward have been ordered to pay £5,000 in fines and costs after being caught breaking the smoking ban.

The Balfour Conservative Club in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, and its steward, John Phillips, all pleaded guilty and were each fined £1,000 by magistrates, in addition to costs of £3,000.

Following a tip-off, Pembrokeshire council officers went to the club and found three men flouting the ban by smoking in a room.

"To put the interests of smokers above the health of others is wholly unacceptable," said Jeff Beynon, a council health manager.

"In circumstances such as this the authority is left with no alternative but to prosecute, to protect the health of non-smokers and of persons employed on the premises."

Magistrates were told the council made an unannounced visit to the club on June 12th last year following a tip-off that the ban was being ignored.

They entered the club to find three men smoking in a room, despite there being a "No Smoking" sign on display and despite the fact the club had been provided with comprehensive guidance about the ban.

The council said the club had even sent someone to a series of roadshows held by council.

Mr Beynon described the club's wilful defiance of the ban as inexcusable.

But he did describe the £5,000 fine as "disproportionate".

He said the three people caught smoking were pensioners and had been standing just inside an external door.

I bet they were so proud of themselves. I hope that they will feel some remorse if and when some poor pensioner, who has been paying taxes, his whole life, dies from this ridiculous ban.

Mary Honeyball insinuates that it is only evil Tories that defy the ban. She really is a piece of nu labour shite. How do people like this get elected?

AA WARNS MOTORISTS TO WATCH OUT FOR BADLY DRIVEN SUBMARINES

As you can see from my profile, I have been sailing the sevens seas for some time. Considering the Atlantic ocean, in three dimensions , is bigger than most of us can comprehend, how the fuck do two Ballistic missile submarines collide? I think the MOD have some explaining to do. How on earth did they make such a cockup and not sink the cheese eating, surrender monkies' submarine. Heads must roll.

You got to be kidding me!

The world would have truly gone mad, if this were to happen.


http://www.worldsgreatestbusinessmind.com/20090216-Obnoxio-TheClown-create.html

You must watch the video. I nearly peed myself.

Taking the piss is such fun.

You know you will laugh Derek. Even you must see the funny side. You're not the first to have this treatment, and you won't be the last.

Got yer!

Note the raised middle finger.

H/T to Maggie Jones

A Hero, Nattie

I am proud and humble that I have worked with him in the relentless quest to help those in need from the completely ridiculous charges the banks were charging their customers for even minor infractions on their account. Yes, I know that he has breeched his terms and conditions, but I have read hundreds, no thousands, of posts of people who were trapped in a never ending spiral by the exorbitant charges. I helped in as much as I could but Nattie was able to give us advance warning, wherever possible, of a change in tactics by his bank.

He is the rarest of creatures: a decent, likeable banker. For more than two years Tim Keirman was the mystery guardian angel of the bank charges campaign. While still working for NatWest he helped thousands of customers get their money back by posting anonymous guidance on consumer forum websites, much to the chagrin of his employers. Last week, his identity was finally discovered by the bank. Its revenge was swift, and savage.

Mr Keirman, a 34-year-old cashier and MoneySense adviser for NatWest's Cambridge branch since 1998, yesterday revealed his identity to the IoS. After a disciplinary hearing last Wednesday, he was sacked for gross misconduct.

Mr Keirman dedicated his spare time to helping customers navigate the bureaucracy needed to get their money back by offering targeted advice and leaking internal guideline documents.

Marc Gander of the website Consumer Action Group said: "People see him as a hero. He was tremendously helpful."

Mr Keirman said yesterday: "It was good to get a sense that I was helping someone. I didn't agree with our charging structure and there were a number of times when I heard the charges were ruining lives."

A spokeswoman for NatWest said last night: "We can confirm that a member of NatWest staff has recently been dismissed for gross misconduct for releasing confidential internal information without authorisation to a third party."

The banking crisis is not over. The banks made £3 billion out of their charging regime last year and are most likely to lose the test case that is due for resolution in the next few months. This means that they will have to pay back the overcharging, not just for that year but also forthe preceding 5 years.

We are screwed yet again, as they are bound to winge for more money from the the taxpayer.

Don't you dare say It's my fault

The end

For tonight

I'm going to have several large drinks. Sure to piss of that double-barrelled doc who thinks we are all killing ourselves, and we should be saved. He can piss off as well.

Dolly Draper

He really doesn't get it about Blogs. My understanding of a personal Blog is, if you don't agree with it. don't go there.

I think that him and his Ilk, have just woken up to the threat that the blogosphere has become to them and the Labour party, and they can't handle it. It's beyond their control freakery comprehension and the spin associated with it. They have become conditioned to their own sense of importance.

They don't begin to understand how angered are the majority of the country with this government. All they are concerned with is trying to deflect comment by bringing up minority issues, albeit legitimate, about such issues such as racism. (on this subject I will post at a later date).

What I will take issue with him is the issue of the right to free speech, which judging from his comments on labourlist, are only what he thinks are free. When will he realise that we are a Kingdom of 60,000,000 people with different predujices against each other, but still remain together.

All I can say is: Dolly, Fuck off and get a life. Preferably in another country.