Be Disclaimed

"It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge."
Enrico Fermi

October 29, 2005

Smoking

Ok, so the Government have passed this bill....now what?

This is a strange situation....

Pubs and bars preparing and serving food will be smoke-free - probably from 2007
Restaurants will be smoke-free
Membership clubs will be exempt
‘Non-food’ pubs and bars will be free to choose whether to allow smoking, or
be smoke-free
Smoking in the bar area will be prohibited everywhere, with further consultation to be carried out on the possibility of “discrete smoking rooms or areas to protect staff”
The policy will be monitored and reviewed after three years.


If people are caught smoking then they are fined.

There is a full ban in
Northern Ireland.... their thoughts on the discussion. These are the differences in smoking rules throughout the UK. This is the view in the rest of the world towards smoking.

These are some of the views of the industry -
here, here, and here, taken from the Publican. This is a different reaction from a company in hospitality.


Now, I don't know about you, but doesn't the Government derive an awful lot of revenue from taxes on cigarettes etc? If people don't smoke in premises, then where is the money going to come from....probably motorists...yet again.

Seriously though, can't the government allow the obvious thing? By that, I mean having a separate room with sealed doors, perhaps two sets, as in an airlock. The airlock would be fitted with an appropriate extraction unit.

The 'smoking room' could be at a lower pressure, thereby stopping the smoke from escaping. This would also be fitted with appropriate extraction units of a reasonable number. I don't believe that this is not a reasonable proposal.

In this way, you can have a smoking area, as well as a smoke-free environment for guests in the food areas. The staff would also be working for the most part in a smoke-free environment, except when serving guests in the smoking area.


I think that people have the choice to smoke or not, it isn't up to government to be 'nanny-state' about it. Give the business' the choice.

Just in case you are wondering, I don't smoke, but I know enough people who do. Forcing people to smoke outside is fine when the weather is good...what about the middle of winter?

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October 25, 2005

Civil Rights Campaigner Dies

Rosa Lee Parks has died.

See
here, here and here.

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October 23, 2005

Turkey

Just a thought.....seeing as Turkey are trying to join the European Union, I'd like to know why the obvious incidents have apparently not been considered.

Armenian Genocide - technically not Turkey, because it happened before 1923, but still relevant. 1915 to 1917, an estimated 600,000 Armenians died whilst being evicted from the area of modern day Turkey. Some estimates put the figure as high as 1,500,000.

Kurds
Pogroms against the Greeks and Christians in Turkey - 1955.
Invasion of Cyprus.

Incidentally, Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, has spoken out about the Armenian massacre amongst other things, see here (cached here), also here (cached here). openDemocracy has an article about the reaction to his statement.

Also, there is an article from openDemocracy considering the issue of Turkey.

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October 21, 2005

Blackpool

I just realised that I haven't really done any posts on Blackpool.

So, here is the official post#1.

Why do people come here? To be perfectly blunt I have no idea.

Apart from the
Tower complex, there is nothing much here. Yes, I know we have 3 piers, as well as the Pleasure Beach..but what do we have? We have Syndicate, Heaven & Hell etc, as well as Funny Girls and the rest of Basil Newby's business'. Apart from that...not a lot....oh I forget the Lumies (Blackpool Illuminations aka The Lights etc)...and the 'art' on the Prom. We have an Odeon as well.

Syndicate is having a bit of a problem with late licenses though. See
here. Info here. This is what Syndicate has to say. Hmm...would be a bit of a sod if the biggest nightclub in the UK was shut permanently.

So, apart from stag/hen parties, families (allegedly), there is not a lot happening.

We occasionally get the exciting events such as the Pigeon Fanciers, Darts, and some Dance Championships. On the quiet there is also the motorbike 1/4 mile runs from time to time on the lower prom near Cleveleys. I have no idea when this is, so if anyone knows, let me know.....not being a motorbike rider means I don't hear about this stuff. Quite impressive though...especially the dragbikes.

To be incredibly blunt, this place is a bit of a dump, but will the council believe it? Nope....they think everything in just fine.


Incidentally, anyone coming here, be prepared for the speed cameras...we have loads....and everywhere is 30mph. Oh and on-street parking? Forget it....everything is metered up except for certain areas after 6pm. Max stay...80 minutes...for 80p....so it's a bargain.

The Hounds Hill carpark (if you can figure out how to get out of it) was £1.00 for one hour, then £1.80 for 2 hours...it's probably more expensive now....especially seeing half of it is being knocked down....it was unsafe....in fact it has been for years....you won't have been able to miss the temporary reinforcement of the columns.

Of course, the big deal at the moment is the possibility of getting the big casino license. Apparently people are worried about the image of the town if the license is awarded. How exactly is a casino complex going to harm the image of the town? If anything, it'll mean that people won't bother going into Blackpool proper, they'll just stay in the complex.

Of course, that is a 'bad thing' as people won't shop in Blackpool proper. Well, how many people do shop in Blackpool? I mean what do we have....Marks & Sparks, HMV, NEXT, Waterstones....and well that's about it really. Oh, we acquired a Starbucks last month (which you can't find on the
website right now)....which is a little posh...and a Monsoon, which has just opened.

Oh, I also forgot the Party Conferences....which kind of mess the town up because you can't get anywhere.....made worse by the strange traffic layout we have here now. Of course that may change as it is said (i.e., I have read in a paper...can't remember which one, sorry) that if David Davis becomes Conservative Party Leader, they won't come to Blackpool anymore.


YES!! Sorry, do I seem happy? Well I am...because it might make the Council realise quite what a dump Blackpool has become.

To think that I was born here....yes I am officially a "sand grown'un"...that's if I spelt it right. This means I can criticise. Talking of which...let me know if you've been here, and if I'm right. If not, why not?


Visit Blackpool, Virtual Blackpool, The Gazette, and if you're really bored..Blackpool Council.

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Trafalgar Day

Today we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Admiral Lord Nelson's victory over the combined French/Spanish fleet of Napoleon, in which Lord Nelson was fatally wounded.

See here for further details.

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October 19, 2005

Licence Fee

A digital BBC - at a price.
BBC seeks increase to licence fee?

Now...wait a minute....why should the BBC get the licence fee? Currently £126.50 a year for colour tv's, they want to increase it. From April 2007, they want to increase it by 2.3% above inflation. I am beginning to object to the BBC getting all this money...for what? Incidentally..licensing info here.

£13,000 for a 1 hour repeat? Where does £13,000 go? FFS don't you have this stuff on tape? It isn't like you have to re-record anything is it?

BBC.com - heard of it? No neither had I. It looks like a redirect to bbc.co.uk.

I believe the money should be split between BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and five. Sky as a subscription service would continue as normal. After all the licence fee worked on the principle that there was only one broadcaster....in fact I believe it also pays for radio broadcasting as well. Tell me if I'm wrong, because I'm not entirely sure.

What does the BBC give us?
.....BBC1, BBC2, BBC World, Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 5live, regional radio stations like BBC Lancashire etc, and of course http://www.bbc.co.uk/.

That however is what you can get without digital. With digital you can get BBC3, BBC4, BBC7, 6Music, BBC News24, BBC Parliament, 1Extra etc.

Personally...I barely watch BBC1, occasionally BBC 2, listen to Radio 2...and look at the news website. However that is it...no digital channels whatever.

If I want news, Sky News is it...why? Well, I like to get news, not an opinion, which is what appears to come from the BBC these days. To think that for a while, if you wanted impartial and inciteful news coverage, you automatically went for the BBC. How times appear to have changed.

Entertainment for me? Mostly other channels like Sky One, ITV, Channel4, five, SciFi Channel, Discovery etc.

That's my opinion though...what do you think? I include those abroad that get BBC World, BBC America etc. What is your experience of the Beeb?

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October 17, 2005

Ponderings

Campaign for an English Parliament....see here. Why should the Welsh and the Scots have all the fun? Seriously though, why do we not have a say in our own affairs, when you consider that a Scottish MSP can have influence in England. We have no influence up there. I believe it is time for an English Parliament. Tell me why we shouldn't. Thanks to Blues & Twos for spotting the site.

Talking of ponderings...I had a thought. I noticed that there is a
National Black Police Association UK, a Gay Police Officers Association, Christian Police Association, British Association of Women Police, and others yet not the obvious one. Perhaps there are more. Why not? Before anyone loses their rag, think discrimination, and why all these associations actually are discriminatory.

Oh, and hello to the visitors from Greater Manchester Police and West Mercia Police who stopped by for a read.

Actually, I have a question to any Police readers.

What is your impression of the work that the Special Constabulary do in your force (sorry, service), and secondly, what is your impression of the work that the PCSO's or their like do?

I'm intrigued because we hear a lot about them in the press, and I wondered what the Police themselves think. Feel free to let me know...if you want to.

Hmm..talking of pondering....why are the press telling us that
thousands will die because of the bird flu? Has anyone died because of this outbreak? Oh...perhaps millions will kick the bucket...despite 60 actually dying since 2003.

er...can you say BRAINWASHING? FFS, get a grip people. How many thousands die from various diseases every year? Talking of which, what happened to the
CJD epidemic? I think they are getting a little carried away, yes?

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October 15, 2005

Random News

Wind power...good idea right? Well...sort of.

Burberry is worried about being associated with
ferret clothing.....though I would have thought being associated with 'chavs' would have been a better reason to be worried.

Hmm....Ryanair doesn't seem to be
popular...see also here.

Texting is bad for you....or at least bad for your wallet.

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October 14, 2005

!!

Well, it's official.

I had to put my jacket on today....it can only get worse.

Talking of worse.....WE'RE ALL DOOMED!!!

At least that is what the media would have us believe over bird flu. If there were people dropping dead all over the place, I could understand....but they aren't. Until then....get a sense of perspective ok?

So...don't panic!!

Women....don't move in with men....you won't like it.

So, you will no doubt have heard of the Chinese getting their second manned spacecraft in orbit. It is being suggested that we appear to be having another space race...even if the US doesn't want to play. Isn't it typical...the US wants control....a bit like the Internet...but they aren't having it all their own way.

BT are doing us the favour of giving us 8Mbps broadband....is it fast enough?

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October 13, 2005

Article cont.

I think this may be the article that may have got The Policeman's Blog in trouble.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/15/4719/1024/one.jpg
http://photos3.blogger.com/img/15/4719/1024/two1.jpg
Image from Mail on Sunday, 9th October 2005
Courtesy Press Display Posted by Picasa

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More News Stuff

Baroness Thatcher is 80.


Oh, surprise, England managed to beat Poland 1:0.

Flu?? We're all doomed!...Well....you could read this.

Update: Oh, I forgot MI6, sorry SIS on the web.

Random Stuff:
Squirrels?

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October 12, 2005

Hmm

It seems that a couple of bloggers I read may be having a bit of a problem. The Policeman's Blog is seriously trimmed down, and World Of The Grunt is not even registering.

PC Copperfield appears to have been looked at by a few papers recently, and as for World of the Grunt, I have no idea.

It seems there are some hairy pitfalls that await those that blog about work.

I was going to talk about something else, but it has slipped my mind for the moment. When I figure out what it was, I'll post it.

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October 11, 2005

News Things

The earthquake in Pakistan appears to have been incredibly lethal. I suspect it wil take a long time to rebuild the region affected.

Hmm...
Palestinian vs Palestinian?

On lighter notes.
Q Awards...more rubbish...apart from KT Tunstall.

Since when do
14,000 polyethylene boxes constitute art? Talking of art....Little Britain...spot the waxwork.

Aardman Animations loses its history.

Southend Pier to be rebuilt...pity no-one appears to be able to do it for the Brighton West Pier....despite the support.

On other things:

animal jpeg

You are Animal.
You are completely nuts, but fun to be around.

SPECIAL TALENTS: Drums, Women, Food.
HOBBIES: Drums, Women, Food.
FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS: "Louder!", "Food now!" and "Want Woman!"
LAST BOOK EATEN: "The Musicians' Guide to Drums, Women & Food"
NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT: An appetite.

What Muppet are you? brought to you by
Quizilla

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October 09, 2005

All change!

Ok...now this is the point where my blog gets fixed. It will be a gradual change, because I have to manually type everything in. It appears there is a glitch somewhere. Anyhow...bear with me.

Muppetlord

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October 08, 2005

Stuff

A1GP is in Germany this weekend. F1 is in Japan.

England have to beat Austria today and Poland sometime next week in order to qualify for the World Cup. Personally I don't think it'll happen.

Ramadan has started.

p.s. let me know if you have a full set of images down the left side of my blog....I still appear to be having problems.

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October 07, 2005

God Made Me Do It!

Hmm....see here, and here. Oh no he didn't!!

We're all doomed!!

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October 06, 2005

Problems

Hmm...I appear to be having some trouble with my images....or is it just my computer? Let me know....it has been a major pain today.


Update: It might be an issue with Photobucket.com...or not. See also here.

It looks like there is a bit of a dispute, and we're getting caught in the middle as other companies are affected.


Until it gets sorted out, some of my images have been replaced with text. It may look a little weird, but these things happen. I hope to have them back up fairly soon...hopefully.

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October 04, 2005

Ronnie Barker RIP

Ronnie Barker has died.

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October 02, 2005

Sid Watkins and other things

Professor Sid Watkins, known to many as the Chief Medic at many Formula One Grand Prix, he is also a highly respected neurosurgeon, as well as founder of the Brain and Spine Foundation. This is the campaign to get him knighted.

Help the Brain and Spine Foundation by searching the web here. Just like normal, except donations are made.

Stop honour crimes against women in Syria...see here.

Update: I forgot to mention that it was courtesy The Hidden Gates of Damascus.

Barbecue anyone?

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