News - UK

Yes, I could be in trouble as I often go to demonstration with my camera and what does one do, takes pictures of the real trouble makers, yep, not the folks in the demo, but the cops. They, in my view, get a bit too excited and well, though their weight (law) around abit.

From today, anyone taking a photograph of a police officer could be deemed to have committed a criminal offence.
That is because of a new law - Section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act - which has come into force.
It permits the arrest of anyone found "eliciting, publishing or communicating information" relating to members of the armed forces, intelligence services and police officers, which is "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".
That means anyone taking a picture of one of those people could face a fine or a prison sentence of up to 10 years, if a link to terrorism is proved. Source

 

So, I could be in the slammer for upto 10yrs just for taking photos. The question I would like to know is this, How do you prove a 'link to terrorism' ?

I can see these PCSO or those known as Plastic Cops (PCSO) who are basically folks who are part time coppers but can't really do coppers job. The worry is, if one of these folks doesn't like you, and you happen to be taking photos of some of the great London Landmarks, s/he could have you in the slammer with trumped up charges and your life is wrecked. This really is something that should never have been allowed to pass into Law!

Oh and here's why I may in trouble... check here

Facebook group here

Yes, we got rid of him, rather he buggered of with the longest good bye. Rather boring 40 days, but we were happy to see the back of him. Who's he, I hear you ask? You mean you don't know? It was our lovely (puke) leader, Tony Blair. Now, we the voters of the UK didn't have the pleasure of kicking him out, he buggered of to Save the middle east!? Save the middle east? for crying out load, he made a bad situation worse than before. Not only has he not been very good at bringing peace to the middle east.

So why am I talking about this political loser? Well, some people in the EU, think he is just the man to take up a newly created job of 'President of the Europpean Union' Jesus! How bleedin' mad are they ? the least you can do, is sign a petiton to tell the Euro MP's saying that really shouldn't allow a person who believes that the voices in his head is God!

So, click in the image and sign the petition.

Oh and to read more about it go to this site www.stopblair.eu.

The world-famous Red Arrows have been banned from appearing at the 2012 London Olympics because they are deemed "too British".

Organisers of the event say that the Arrows military background might be "offensive" to other countries taking part in the Games. The display team have performed at more than 4000 events worldwide, but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have deemed the display team "too militaristically British". Red Arrows pilots were said to be "outraged", as they had hoped to put on a truly world class display for the Games, something which had never been seen before. Being axed from a British-based event for being "too British" is an insult - the Arrows are a symbol of Britain

The Red Arrows have been excellent ambassadors for British overseas trade, as they display their British-built Hawk aircraft all over the world.

The Arrows performed a short flypast in 2005 when the winning bid was announced, but their flypast at the Games was to have been truly spectacular.

It is to be hoped that common sense prevails

If you disagree with this decision, sign the petition on the link

Antony Gormley  an international aritist who has a knack of coming up with some funny idea, thought provoking even. He's famous for the Angel of the North (Gateshead, UK). Before he did the angel, he did 'Another Place'  100 iron status in Crosby Bay (Liverpool, UK).

This is what they look like, with 100 of them all over the beach, & bay, you will never be alone.

The thing is, you know something is getting a bit out of hand, when they start going all over London, the Event Horizon where there were 31 of his status doted over various building around the Thames. Here's one...

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Yep, at long last, in the whole of the UK, Wales and Scotland started earlier this year, you are not allowed to smoke in public places. This includes offices, well that's been around for a while, but it means that if you have a company car, you can't smoke in there.

For more info on what all this smoking lark is all about read on here.

So the UK is now :

Smokers, I'm not against you smoking or anything, but you know, it's not the best thing for your health, No I'm not going to tell you what it's doing to you as, well, you know it all alredy.

Mind it's been fun watching people find ways around the smoking ban. One pub landlord tried to make his pub an embassy of some tiny Caribbean island, this obviously didn't work, as nobody lived on the said island... read about this here. It's typical of the entrepreneurial spirit in the UK. Have to applaud the guy.

?The WSPA are complaining that some zoos in China feed cow to the tigers, OK you can pay $100 and they will feed a cow to the tiger, the cow, is alive and is killed by the said tigers. Ok, tell me what's the difference between this and in the wild life? for me, the only difference is that the cow can't run as fast as a gazelle, maybe not enough room.
Either way, I don't really see what's barbaric about this? 

Rob Laidlaw of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) says he's appalled by what he's seen of the exotic animal shows, and doesn't think they teach much about the animals in their natural habitat.

"It's horrendously cruel," Laidlaw told CTV News. "You've got an animal that's being preyed upon -- it can be an ostrich or cow or a pig, or even in some cases horses -- that are put into barren enclosures with predatory animals like lions and tigers, so it's completely artificial."

Source

Are these folks going to complain about the leopards or Jaguars or even the beautiful cheetah from going out and getting a bit of wildebeest?

Sometimes I think these animal rights groups meddle too much.

So our Tony is buggering of to the land of the unber-rich in 47 days... Could it not be sooner? or is he happy with that? I mean, he loves about 26% of the electorate who voted him in last time. SO, when he leaves, what could he be thinking?....

Click image to see

So says the headline. This is Alcohol Concern's attempt to try and stop the problem with underage drinking.

Parents who give alcohol to children aged under 15 should be prosecuted, a charity has said.

The call comes in an Alcohol Concern report on the government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.

The study highlights figures that suggest a large increase in the amount of alcohol drunk by 11 to 13-year-olds.

Alcohol Concern also wants a 16% rise in alcohol taxes, a ban on brewers selling to retailers at a loss, and a crackdown on under-age alcohol sales.

'Stronger message'

The charity would include meal times at home in the ban on giving alcohol to young people.

Frank Soodeen, a campaigns officer for Alcohol Concern, said: "We are facing a new social reality where children seem to be adopting older behaviour at a younger age.

Source

What get's me is this? Why this obsession with sending people to jail for silly things, considering that drinking a glass of wine (or two) diluted with water for young children,

The problem with drink in the UK is that it's acceptable to get drunk, it's acceptable that you black out, it's acceptable that you throw your guts up, it's also quite acceptable to have a massive hangover the next day.
Personally, when I was growing up, you were shunned if you did any of the above, you were giggled at the next day, it was sort of a dis-honour so to speak to loose control of yourself.

So, that's the route of the problem, it's a cultural problem, it's an educational problem and where should you have the best education? yes, At home!

So said Bush, at the memorial cermony at Viginia Tech? No, They were in the right place, in their classes, in college, doing what helps to make the US a greater place? Yes, Mr Bush, it's you who put your stupid big foot in your village idiot gob.

I suppose you come up with the same statement with Soldiers you sent to Iraq? Well, The sooner you leave the safer the world will become, you poodle buddy Blair is leaving his desk in under 2 months, and most likely after a disaster for the labour party in the May elections. Incidently, England, is one of those places where you don't really know that elections are if you are just passing through, It seems to be a very hush hush affair, some leaflets sent to you, no big meetings, no big debates. Anyway, enough on that. I'm just happy that Blair will be gone soon, mind, I don't think I'm gonna think much of the Next guy, A certain Mr Brown.

I've never been a fan of the red tops, the way in which they seem to be very happy to come up with claims that so and so went out with so and so and Oh it is such an important story that the 'Nation Needs To know'
What got me to write this entry, is the way in which they go around to sort of legitimise their methods, Yes, they will try and contact you, they will send you a car to collect you for a photo shoot.

The tactics they use, in particular a certain Nicholas Hellen to are downright despicable, they way he outed 'Abbey Lee'  the blogger behind Girl with a one-track mind One just has to look at the e-mail Nicholas Hellen set to Abbey. To quote some lines:

We have matched up the dates of films you have worked on - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Batman Begins and Lara Croft Tomb Raider - and it is clear that they correlate to your blog. We have obtained your birth certificate, and details about where you went to school and college.

We propose to publish the fact that you are 33 and live in [my address] -London, and that your mother, [her name], is a [her address] -based [her profession]. The article includes extracts from your book and blog, relevant to your career in the film industry. We also have a picture of you, taken outside your flat.

The fact that they have been getting hold of her birth certificate and I can assume, trying to contact her old school friends to get some 'quotes' about her when she was at school. It's the way the gutter press work and for me, another reason why we need better laws protecting the personal  privacy of everyone.
There was no way Abbey could have prevented the Sunday Times from publishing the story.
So, to Nicholas Hellen and the 'investigative/stalker journalist like you are not worth anything, you don't provide news, you don't even know what it is. You sit in your office, getting it off seeing who's life you can piss off now.

Anyway, that's my rant over for today.

So the BBC has an article on Tesco (UK's biggest retailer) that it was entering the software market, to compete with the likes of Symantec and Microsoft. Haaahhahah

Tesco is to launch a range of budget own-brand PC software, in a move that will pitch the grocery giant against the likes of Microsoft and Symantec.

Tesco said it would offer six packages, including office software, security systems and a photo editing tool.

Britain's biggest retailer said each title would cost less than £20, challenging what it described as the current "high" price of PC software.

Source

Now I would have taken that seriously if Tesco was also producing an Operating System then I would have had a second look.
I decided to have a look to see what they were selling. what software packages. I looked up Formjet Plc. They are a holding company for a group of companies.

Six trading units which currently make up the Formjet group are described in detail on a dedicated area of this site These are . . .

•   Panda Software (UK) distributes Panda Software antivirus and security products in the UK.
•   Ability Software International distributes a powerful suite of office products.
•   FileStream (UK) is involved in applications ranging from the backup of computer resources to highly sophistcated graphics solutions.
•   Software Dialog UK is a specialist security reseller to the corporate marketplace.
•   South Coast Distribution is an established supplier to the OEM market.
•   Ideal Innovations.co.uk is an online marketplace. It services the electronic trading requirements of the Formjet Group and third party vendors.

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This poor gnome is in a bit of a pickle, by whom I here you ask? yep, it's in a pickle from the old bill its self. (The Police). Ok, it's not the gnome its self, it's the owner who is in trouble.
You see it's disturbing the neighbour(s) a bit, well one neighbour who happens to be a retired member of her majesties constabulary how happens to be trying to sell his house. No doubt to sun of his retirement in the sunny version of England, yep that's Costa del Crime? or is it Costa Brava or somewhere similar. Where there are more English that Spandiards.
Anyway, the owner, a certain Mr MacKillop.
The local bobbies decided that they should server notice to him at a very social hour of mid-night!
Why they couldn't have done it during they day, like tea time, when all good serving English person will be having their cuppa I don't know.

Mr MacKillop, 46, was woken in the night by two officers who warned him that the gnome was offensive to his neighbours.

The notice, under the Protection From Harassment Act 1997, also accuses Mr MacKillop of intimidating potential buyers of Mr McLean's £209,000 cottage.

Mr McLean has told officers that the garden gnome, which comes complete with police dog and solar light, was in an "annoying position".
Mr MacKillop denied having harassed house-hunters viewing his neighbour's property.

Mr MacKillop, a marine surveyor at Devonport Dockyard, said: "When you hear a knock at the door at quarter to midnight you don't expect to be served with that.

Source

All I can say, is there has been a wee bit of :

• A: Abuse of Police powers (Mid-night for some really baddy, not over a Gnome)
• B: I would like to see this going to a court!

There you go, No time to catch really thieves, just people with Solar powered lights that happen to be a Policeman and his doggie!

The UK doesn't have one of the best transplant systems, the system is primarily and opt in system. This basically means that you have to have your I would sign up to be added to the list, incidentally, you can do that here and if your based in the UK, I urge you to do so. There was one main problem with the system, ok there are many, but you work with what you have. The main problem was that if you, had joined up, but your next of kin or relatives said no, then that was it, you would not donate anything. This happened in 1 in 10 cases.

Chris Rudge, managing director of UK Transplant, said the wishes of approximately one in 10 possible donors were overturned by their families under the current system.

Source

From next week, the system will be changing, if you signed up, yes sign up here, your wishes will be respected.
Ok, I am totally aware that this is an emotive subject, but there are people here in the UK who are waiting for a life changing transplant, and believe me, I know it's life changing, I've had 3 kidney transplants, and believe me, I do think of the donor families and the loss that they have had for me to live on.
All I can say is this, if you do sign up, don't keep it to yourself, tell your family, tell your friends, and most of all tell your loved ones. It makes it so much easier for them, if they know that you wanted to donate.

Oh did I tell you? You can register to the UK transplant list here. They also allow your to amend you details.
As some slogan went, You don't need to go to heaven with all your organs, as they are sure to hell needed down here.
Ok that's it, that's my public announcement over. I don't need to advise you... Read More

Yep, have you every seen what it's like to see approx 55,000 fireworks going of in 5 seconds looks, let alone sounds like? Don't ask me... And also, why would someone be mad enough to let of that many in that short a time needs to be, either mad! or trying for a world record!

A man has attempted to set a new world record by launching more than 55,000 fireworks in just five seconds. Roy Lowry wanted to beat the existing record of 39,210 at the National Fireworks Championships in Plymouth.

So you want to see what it's like letting of 55,000 fireworks in 5 secs?
Well It's not an almighty bang, nope, it's 55,000 small ones going of at the same time!
You can see it all here thanks to the BBC. Make sure your sound isn't too high...

Further to the current issues of the ID cards pending disaster, So far the whole project has been critisied by The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee inquiry into the thinking behind ID Cards, published today, found the government had decided what it wanted to do before it had determined if it would even work.
Not only are the trials not really upto the real world, but they now one of the main technologies that underpin the ID card scheme, RFID, is now under attack. This technologie is now begining to be used in delevery systems, as it is, to be honest very good for tracking loads of boxes in a Lorry, no need to go through the whole lorry too see what's in there, just scan all the RFID tags and the jobs done.
Practical for stores, to track their stock, but once it's bought, is the things turned off? Do I know, not really. I just have to trust the cashier has deactivated it. That's all I have.
Back to ID cards, yes, RFID is usefull, all you have to do is scan the passport and your details pop up on a screen, if your Bin Laden in disgues, in a I Love George Bush T-Shirt, your gonna get caught. Yes, sounds good, it can catch the bad guys. Yippee, easy work for the home office.

BUT No, it's not that easy! If the Police and other autherities can read the card, then so can other people, people who I don't want to read the card. As all the cards have to be able to be read by all nations, it means a standard has to be thrashed out, with standards, come published stanards, once they are published, then any one can read your passport details without you knowing? right? yes, right they can.



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