Saturday - May 31, 2008

I aten’t dead yet

Sorry for the lack of posting. I’m still sick. Probably a combination of flu and sunstroke. It figures, right? Got up in the middle of the night blowing my nose and coughing terribly. Again. Been like that for several days now. Coughed so damn hard I threw up. Not good. Didn’t get back to sleep until I don’t know when. Managed to drag myself out of bed at the crack of 10:30 and got to the store to get the wife something for her birthday tomorrow. Then I came home and went back to sleep. Just got up. I think it’s takeout pizza tonight and then back to bed.

I called Mrs. F, the lady with the decks, and actually spoke to her. They’ve been away all week due to a death in the family. I told her I’m taking the weekend off. It’s rainy here today and probably tomorrow anyway, and I need to get some rest. She wanted to know how the lattice project was going, and I told her it was difficult and frustrating. She said that I’d estimated it would only take a day. While I don’t remember saying that, I’ve been under the sun and under the rest of the weather too for several days, so it’s possible I did. Dumb schmuck that I am, I felt bad that I’ve already put in more than double the estimated time and there’s still probably a full day’s work left. So I’m going to bill her for only 2 days plus the time in the lumberyards instead of the actual 4 days I’ll spend on it. Because I did a poor job with the estimate. Is she screwing me? Probably. Am I a jerk? Absolutely. But I’m trying to be an honest one.

I’ll try to get 2 posts in this evening, because the excrement has hit the oscillator with Obullshit and with the DNC, and their combined stupid is just too delicious to let pass by.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/31/2008 at 11:31 PM   
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   Friday - May 30, 2008

Stimulus checks not stimulating

Here is a somewhat informative article from the Houston Chronicle. Amid all the factoids on consumer spending, consumer confidence, etc, was this throwaway line that got me just a bit angry.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, which excludes food and fuel costs, slowed in April, today’s Commerce report showed.

I wonder how the inflation number would change if those food and fuel costs were included? Why is this their preferred measure of inflation? I measure inflation by how much the price of things go up during a specified time period, especially food and fuel costs!

I’m a bit peeved. Maybe someone here can explain this to me.

Posted by Christopher     on 05/30/2008 at 09:49 PM   
Filed Under: • Economics • Outrageous •  
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Has LOST jumped the shark?

I found the 4th season finale to be kind of a let down. I don’t know what I was looking for, but somehow I didn’t find it. So Michael sort of redeems himself but the freighter and everyone on it are now dead. Bye Jin. Gee, thanks Ben. And Faraday and a couple of the other extra cast members in the little motorboat? I guess they’re lost at sea now. The SIX started off as the EIGHT, but once Penny found their lift raft (of course!) and she and Desmond had their perfect moment and he’s never leaving her again, so Desmond’s out of it. For a while at any rate, until the final Widmore showdown is my guess. And Frank stayed on there too, so he’s off the show as well. Big Red stayed on the island; interesting that she was coming back to it again! Maybe she’ll be getting her claws into Sawyer now, after his altruistic jump to save the helicopter and his long swim to shore, where he washes up shirtless like a gift from the sea right at Juliet’s feet while she knocks back the Captain Dharma spiced rum and watches the ship burn. I smell bitchfight coming!

But after Ben worked the Windlass of Time ^TM and upped the Phase Space Anchor^TM the island was sent to another reality. He paid the price and descended the temporal tunnel back to our timeline, so he’s off to do nasty things in the “real” world. And the only way he can get back is to take the SIX and the dead guy with him? Not likely.

So now Lostie Island is a gigantic tropical version of Dr. Who’s magic phone booth? Are all the castaways going to bond now with the remains of the Others (cue Jeff Probst: “Ok everyone, take off your buffs. It’s time for the Merger. Everyone put on huge amounts of eyeliner like Richard Alpert here") and jump around each week solving crimes and saving whales and dolphins? Shark jumping? Who can say, but I think the Fonz is off the water ski jump and in the air.

Loose ends: WTF is up with Claire and Dr. Daddy? After all she’s been through with the baby, and Charlie, and being kidnapped, etc., now she’s suddenly all languid and dreamy and given to ghost like appearances in people’s dreams?

Major disappointments: The man in the coffin is Jeremy Bentham. That name has got to be a scrambled message, so get to work. But the season came full circle: episode one had Jack visiting the funeral home and that’s where this season ended. Except I swear that in ep 1 he met the funeral director, and in this final ep he had to break in. And I had thought the coffin was much shorter the first time, not at all big enough to hold the large man we finally see inside: John Locke. What the hell? Maybe he lost his legs again.

Amazingly stupid: So now, several years later, a burned out, drunk, and despondent Dr. Jack wants to get back to the island? Why, because events there proved him to be totally wrong about everything? He can’t face the world without his giant ego? “There’s no such things as miracles John” says Dr. Brainwave. And then the big purple light fills the sky again, and poof!, the island is gone, leaving nothing but a quickly dissipating ring in the water. And a school of sharks, circling.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/30/2008 at 12:52 PM   
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Souvenir rifle shell gets 4th-grader suspended:  Can’t believe this was the USA …

I found this today through Kim’s blog site.  The Other Side of Kim with thanks. 

This is so damn unbelievable I was certain it might have been like, Boston,UK.  I don’t even know if there is one. But no surprise it was Boston,Mass.

What kind of IDIOT freekin ppl are running things at this school?  I recall as a kid an uncle who was a navigator on a Liberator bomber, bringing home a shell from one of the plane’s guns.  Of course it wasn’t a live shell, the top even came off.  It was later made into a cigarette lighter.  But I brought it to school and didn’t face all this crap.  This shit is totally in-freekin-sane!  Just makes me see red and boil.  I’d really love to punch out the teacher.  And what right do the powers that be have to keep the item.

Souvenir rifle shell gets 4th-grader suspended

Winchendon family shocked

By Gail Stanton CORRESPONDENT
Picture

Bradley Geslak holds an empty bullet casing like the one that got him suspended from school in Winchendon. (T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR)

He was so proud to have been given them.

WINCHENDON— Ten-year-old Bradley Geslak was suspended from school this week for bringing a Memorial Day souvenir to school.

The Toy Town Elementary School fourth-grader had received two empty rifle shell casings from blanks used during the town celebration held at the GAR Park Monday morning.

He brought one of the casings with him to school the next day.

“He was just playing with it at lunch,” explained Crystal Geslak, Bradley’s mother. “He wasn’t showing it to anyone; he had it in his hand and was playing with it.”

Bradley said a teacher saw him with it and told him to hand it over.

“The teacher told me to give it to her and I did,” he said.

After the piece of brass was confiscated, Ms. Geslak was called at work and told to come and pick up her son; he was being suspended for the next five days.

Her son was in tears when she got there.

“I was totally shocked. I couldn’t believe this was happening,” she said.

“Ordinarily, I try to think ahead about things, but to me, this was something good, not bad. It was just an empty shell, not even from a real bullet. A sharpened pencil would be more dangerous than this piece of metal.”

Her son had been given the two blank shells by a uniformed veteran who participated in the ceremony Monday. Bradley gave one to his grandfather and kept the other souvenir for himself.

Having received the souvenir from an adult, he never considered it wrong for him to have it, his mother said.

“He was so proud to have been given them. His dad’s a veteran, his uncle’s a veteran, both his grandfathers are veterans. Memorial Day is a big thing to us. It’s a very important holiday and we have a big celebration every year,” Ms. Geslak said.

She is now concerned about the impact that having the shell taken away will have on her son and his feelings about the holiday in the future.

According to the family, a school official said on Tuesday that the shell would not be returned to them. The family said they were also told that the next step might involve assigning a probation officer to Bradley.

They also said they don’t know the whole story yet.

“When I went to pick him up, I was told that the teacher hadn’t finished writing up her report on what took place and that I would get that later,” Ms. Geslak said. “I would have thought that when deciding to suspend my son that they would have had a complete report ready for me.”

School officials refused to comment on the incident yesterday, citing privacy regulations.

“I cannot give any comment on school suspensions,” Principal Deborah Peterson said. “I cannot confirm or deny a suspension took place, and I cannot speak about anything involving a minor. It’s all confidential, just like at a doctor’s office.”

Attempts to reach Superintendent Brooke Clenchy and School Committee Chairman Michael Niles for comment were unsuccessful.

“I am worried about what having a weapon-related suspension on his school record will mean to his future,” his mother said.

“He’s like any other 10-year-old kid. Sometimes he can have a bad attitude,” she said. “We dealt with that once earlier this year and I don’t want them to now think he is a bad kid or label him as one.

“If he had been suspended for having a bad attitude, I could have understood it. I would have supported them in that. But not for this. He didn’t even know he did anything wrong,” she said.

Ms. Geslak will have plenty of time to think about that in the coming days, because the suspension also means that she has had to give up hours at work to be with her son.

http://tinyurl.com/5rl6ho

For Kim’s comments which are always worth reading, go here >>>> http://tinyurl.com/58fd2p

Posted by Drew458     on 05/30/2008 at 12:43 PM   
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   Thursday - May 29, 2008

Ok, so I’m slow. Sue me.

It took me two full days to figure the easy way to handle lattice frames. See, theses things are milled from 2x2 stock, and then given the new copper salts PTL treatment. So what was soft spongy wood to begin with gets even weaker when it’s chemically saturated then steamed. Cutting the miters isn’t much of a big deal. Sure, a compound miter saw would be great, but I’ve been getting by with a saber saw. And when you cut anything with a saber saw, the blade always bows a bit to the side. So there’s been a lot of finesse work. And nailing the corners together with 6D finishing nails has been an exercise in frustration, as this wood splits easier than anything I’ve ever seen.

Here’s the tips: Cut the miters with you saber saw. Start from the side of the frame board and cut towards the corner. If the end of the cut leaves a little chunky at the point, don’t worry about it. Screw 2 2x4s to your sawhorses to act as a jig. Space them just far enough to let a piece of framing fit between them. Cut your pieces and their miters. Now get out a 6” C-clamp, and clamp down the longer piece of frame. You are going to be nailing into it. Find a drill bit that’s just the size of the nail, put the 2 frame parts together, and drill right through the shorter piece and just a little into the longer one. One hole on each side. Man handle the damn bits of wood so that they’re lined up, and slide a nail down each hole. Now take your hammer and gently tap both nails in at the same time, while holding the damn thing together. Use your roofing square to force a right angle while nailing. Now go do the other end. Next step is to unclamp the long piece, and lay it on it’s side. At this point it looks like a big wide “U”, which is just what you want. Clamp the short pieces and drill and nail from the long piece side. You now have a mitered corner held in place by 4 nails.

Lattice is awful stuff. If it isn’t made out of reject balsa wood I’d be amazed. The intersections aren’t glued in place either. Nope, every other intersection gets one pukey little wire staple. Whoop-de-do. But to properly fit this wobbly crap into the big “U” frame you’ve just made, you have to cut it smaller. If you cut both the height and the length short by 1 1/2” inches, you’ll have a just-barely-fits situation. I think 1 3/4” might be even better. Drop the lattice into the “U”, wiggle each and every single edge board down into the groove, and then put the top frame piece on. If you rock that one forward and back, as if you’re doing wrist curls, it will pop onto the lattice edges. Now man up, and grab the damn corner and have at it. You ain’t taking no shit from some crappy piece of wood. Force it, squeeze it, drill it, nail it. And sunuvagun it goes together and the corners look decent. Now push the frame together from top to bottom, and pre-drill and then tap in a 1 1/2” finishing nail every 5 intersections, through the frame edge. This keeps the lattice from wobbling around, and stiffens up the whole thing.

Done right, it only takes about 1/2 an hour to make each frame by hand. With the right tools, some know-how, and an assistant, you could practically set up factory production. In 2 full days of work I’ve managed to make only 5 of these little bastards. But ... I went and bought the wood and had to hunt through hundreds of junk boards. That’s 2 hours right there. I got all the screws, nails, brick ties to use as end straps, etc. I even bought myself a heavy duty 100 foot extension cord, and I’m glad I did, as the only power outlet in this yard is back under the pool deck by the filter. The first 2 frames I built had to be taken apart and redone; the ground tapers under the one side of the deck and it turns out that they have something under the mulch like a cross between tarpaper and canvas. Keeps the weeds out I guess, and stops little animals burrowing. It’s just about impossible to even stab through with a trowel too, so my bright idea of “build it square and just dig one end into the ground a bit” went right in the trash. Also those 5 frames are fully stained and installed, and lemme tell ya, sliding around on your back over old mulch and razor sharp pine needles while you try to fit into a 14” clearence to figure out how to screw some PTL blocks in place to mount the frames to is not exactly fun. Which is why I’ve now changed my mind: I was only going to bill these folks 8 hours for each day, even though I was there 9 yesterday and 10 today. I figured they shouldn’t have to pay for my learning curve. Yeah, but I shouldn’t have to find solutions to all their deck problems and ground issues, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. So I figure another full day tomorrow, and it just might be done. I think I have the hard parts out of the way now. Even though saying that is tempting fate with the gods of home projects. But hey, I’ve already made my second trip to the hardware store, and I have plenty of extra wood, screws, nails, etc. on hand. I think I’m good to go. (fingers crossed!)

Posted by Drew458     on 05/29/2008 at 08:57 PM   
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The phoney climate change war is upon us.  (Found in a Liberal? paper)

From The TimesMay 27, 2008

Personal carbon credits: the trick
The phoney climate change war is upon us. We’re are being drawn into a Blitz spirit
Mick Hume

Get out your gas masks and tin hats. We are under attack from a noxious army of doom-troopers demanding that we treat climate change as a rerun of the Second World War. In the latest move to militarise everyday life, the Environmental Audit Committee of MPs has seriously proposed energy rationing, aka “personal carbon credits”.

What next? Little (green) Hitlers patrolling the streets yelling “Put that high-energy light out!”?

Or a campaign to bring back rickets? Everybody from the Prince of Wales to liberal newspapers and former Labour ministers now compares climate change to the war. Baroness Young of Old Scone, head of the Environment Agency, says this is “World War Three”. If it’s not breaking the Official Secrets Act, could somebody explain what on earth they are on about?

The notion of a “war on carbon” makes even less sense than the glorious “wars” on terror/drugs/crime/whatever.

No, these evocations of the past appear political rather than practical. The aim is to create an ersatz Blitz Spirit that could bring people together behind a phoney war on global warming. Governments desperate for a unifying cause are naturally sympathetic. But they are also aware that hard-up Brits who see few bombs falling are unlikely to be too keen on making wartime sacrifices. Thus new Labour, which previously admitted it might “need to go back to rationing”, has retreated from the carbon credits proposal, fearful of further voter desertions.

What solution do the doom-troopers propose to the problem of public resistance? Let’s suspend democracy, like we did in the good old days! While one leading liberal writer insists that all the main parties must include identical austerity measures in their manifestos (not much change there then), another feminist veteran, Rosie Boycott, demands that they dump party politics altogether and form a national coalition based on Churchill’s wartime Government. Altogether now: “We will fight them in the recycling bins...”

The most depressing thing for me is that the Left is leading this retreat into wartime bunkers with relish, claiming that sharing out the misery is “progressive”. Whatever happened to raising people’s living standards and tackling serious social problems by moving forwards rather than back? That’s why it was called “progress”. And if you do want a lesson from history, note that the US economy met the challenge of the Second World War by doubling its output.

When the misery of rationing finally ended in 1954, people held ceremonies to celebrate and the power minister publicly burnt a big replica ration book. No doubt today he would be dragged over the coals for the war crime of carbon emission.

http://tinyurl.com/5rtukl

Posted by Drew458     on 05/29/2008 at 11:48 AM   
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Stupid Netscrape

I just lost an entire post on what I’ve been up to, which included making an “inner city” con man run away from my customer’s driveway yesterday. Because I was gonna be cute and leave you an Aardvarks-like And here is some smut link. Which crashed the browser. Well, maybe it was a good thing, as I had left the post in it’s raw form, before I edited out the really nasty bits. Yes, I edit my own work. Not too much, but sometimes I just rant, and all bets are off. And this jive bunny really irked me with his “help out an inner city youth” (this is well to do western New Jersey. A full hour plus away from any inner city) so I hammered out a bit that might have made David Duke happy. Sorry people. I don’t like to resort to that kind of attitude, but when I’m doing anything and everything, right down to scrubbing bathrooms and washing windows, I’m not partial to any of that hand out crap. Opportunity is out there if you’re willing to work. And I mean work. Like a friggin beaner. Only harder. And better. Do that, and the next thing you know, the boss of the daughter of the old lady who is the election coworker of the friend of the neighbor of the lady who lives downstairs from me will be calling you up and paying you well to help out. Because the word gets around, and quality is hard to find. And that’s a void I’m filling.  Puh-leeez. Trying the old pay-in-advance magazine subscriptions to-help-out-inner-city-youth con on me? Sheee-it. I may be sweating like a pig and not wearing too much, but y’all don’t wanna finds out what be in my pocket. NGH. 

Posted by Drew458     on 05/29/2008 at 12:20 AM   
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   Wednesday - May 28, 2008

Summer Bowling League Week 3

My mind’s in a bit of a fog. I have some sort of rotten cold or allergy thing going, with racking dry coughs and so much congestion that I’ve gone deaf again. So I added the scores up wrong tonight, I’m pretty sure of that. We had 2 members out, but they pre-bowled. Unfortunately the scoring computer is ancient, so there is not button for pre-bowling. What you do is mark the bowler absent, then put in their “average”, which is actually what they bowled for that game. Then you have to remember to go back and change that every game. I think I forgot to change it at least once, maybe twice. Hey, like I said, brains in a fog. So we 2 old farts who did show up, me and Rex, played the Bo Peeps, a team made of 4 very young college girls. Who are all adorable, and frisky, and playful, and have perfect tight little bodies. Distracting!! Plus they smell good!  But they are awful bowlers. They use lane balls and rental shoes. They throw in the 110s at best, usually in the 70s. Almost as bad as Obama. And this league is a 90% handicap, so we gave them 261 pins. Per game. That’s an enormous handicap, akin to an extra bowler and a half. And the scores for our absent bowlers, games 1,2,3 were both below average, a bit above average, and below average. So me and Rex had to bowl really great just to break even. We got the first game, lost the second, and lost the third. But only by a little bit. So I called the alley and asked them to go over the scores. We’ll see.  But at least his average will come down 10 next week to a 216, and mine will go up 2 to a 171. Averages get calculated every week, and they can flucuate wildly the first weeks of a season.

Tired now. And tomorrow it’s back out into the sun to do lattice on those decks. Unless it rains again. At least I’m recovering from Friday’s sunburn.

Let’s see: level, big measuring tape, drill, bits, builders square, framing square, extra #2 Phillips bits. Have to buy lattice, short deck screws, PTL 2x4s, 1 1/4” lath, a pound of little tiny nails, and rope. Have to have the rope to tie this pile to the roof of my old car, or else it’s going to be a tough drive back to her place from Home Depot. Oh, and the paintbrushes. I had to soak them in paint thinner for 24 hours to get all the stain out. Stinky!

Posted by Drew458     on 05/28/2008 at 12:27 AM   
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   Tuesday - May 27, 2008

This one’s for Drew

For some reason, I think of Drew when I see this pic. Why is that?

Posted by Christopher     on 05/27/2008 at 03:38 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
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Bin police force residents to hand over personal medical details.  meanwhile, police arrest 5

So while the wheelie bin cops are on the job, (wheelie bin. = trash bins to us yanks)
real police have arrested five for the killing of a 31 year old man.  Just folks having a bit of fun you know.  I didn’t post this latest story, there are so damn many.

Anyway, back to our main feature ..........

Bin police force residents to hand over personal medical details
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:14 PM on 27th May 2008

Families are furious about plans by a council’s bin police to question them about their medical history.

Officials in Plymouth, Devon, are to send a questionnaire to every household asking them to give intimate personal details about their family.

Householders are also being asked to nominate one person who will take legal responsibility for anything put in their bins.

Scroll down for more

Waste of time: Residents are furious because there is no way they can stop other people using their bins

The council is even asking how many children families have and whether they use disposable nappies.

The forms are to be sent to all homes in the city as part of a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on bins.

The council wants to increase fixed penalties from £50 to £110 for those who put bins out early, fail to recycle, overfill wheelie bins or put the wrong rubbish in the wrong containers.

They are asking each household to nominate one person as responsible so it will be easier for them to prosecute without having to prove who put out the offending bins.

The council is also considering interviewing suspected bin offenders under caution in procedures similar to the way police question criminals.

The draft letter, which has been seen by opposition councilors, also asks how many people live at each address, whether they have any medical conditions and if their families use disposable nappies.

Officials from the Conservative-run council hope the information sent back by families will make it easier to prosecute or impose fixed penalties.

It follows the failure of a pioneering prosecution by Exeter City Council 45 miles away which failed because they could not prove that household waste in a recycling bin was put there by the householder.

for a lot more on this story.

http://tinyurl.com/6jk8fk

AND THEN THERE IS THIS:

Young mother ordered to pay £265 for putting bin out 24 hours too early

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:42 AM on 22nd May 2008

Timing is everything as Zoe Watmough has found to her cost after putting her bins out a day early.

As a result, the 22-year-old mother was hauled before magistrates and handed down a legal bill of £265.

Council officers spotted her two bins - a green one for recycling and a grey one - on a Wednesday, 24 hours before it was due to be collected.

The rules of Bolton Council in Greater Manchester dictate bins should not be put out until after 7.30am on the day refuse collectors are due.

At Bolton magistrates court Zoe was fined £125, ordered to pay £125 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

The court was told the council is pursuing prosecutions over bins left on streets because of the number of arson attacks by youths in the area.

It is estimated the cost of attending a bin fire is £1,900, and they cost the fire service up to £3million each year across the country.

But at home Zoe said: “I am flabbergasted.

“There are people committing all sorts of crimes and getting away with it. Yet I have left my bin out and have been fined the best part of £300.

“Everybody in this area puts their bins out the day before collection. I don’t see what the problem is and can’t afford to pay the fine.”

The court heard Miss Watmough had already been sent a warning by council officers who spotted last November that her bins were out before collection day.

When they spotted them out on a second occasion - in January - Miss Watmough was given a £75 fine. That resulted in a prosecution because she did not pay it within seven days.

Run-ins with councils over bin collection and their contents are not unusual.

Retired milkman Barry Freezer recently made the mistake of dumping cabbage stalks in his bin and incurred the wrath of the council’s waste collection supremos.

The 73-year-old says they treated him like a criminal and refused to collect his garden waste, claiming the cabbage trimmings were kitchen rubbish.

The binmen were following an obscure rule that forbids food that may have come into contact with meat from being mixed with garden waste for composting, to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as foot and mouth.

The week before it emerged the same council had refused to empty the bin of partially sighted ex-Desert Rat Lenny Woodward, 95, because he put a ketchup bottle and an empty coffee jar in the wrong bin.

http://tinyurl.com/6zjdck

Posted by Drew458     on 05/27/2008 at 01:09 PM   
Filed Under: • Crime • Nanny State • UK •  
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Every adult in Britain should be forced to carry ‘carbon ration cards’, say MPs

While I don’t personally think this’ll happen .....  well ..... ya never do know.  Can’t promise it won’t.  But if past experience matters at all,
Brits are pretty much law abiding in spite of the rising violent crime rate.  Huh ,,, that doesn’t look right.  But I mean they “go along” with things once in place.
So who knows.  But what interested me to begin with the mere thought of this.  Who’d dream this up?  How could it be enforced. Capital ‘F’ as in, Forced!

This small island, this “sceptered isle” (or was that, this green and sceptered isle?) is by golly gonna go gween and save the fuckin planet. Sure it will.
Anyway ... this is a hoot!

Every adult in Britain should be forced to carry ‘carbon ration cards’, say MPs
By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 1:08 AM on 27th May 2008

Every adult should be forced to use a ‘carbon ration card’ when they pay for petrol, airline tickets or household energy, MPs say.

The influential Environmental Audit Committee says a personal carbon trading scheme is the best and fairest way of cutting Britain’s CO2 emissions without penalising the poor.

Under the scheme, everyone would be given an annual carbon allowance to use when buying oil, gas, electricity and flights.

Anyone who exceeds their entitlement would have to buy top-up credits from individuals who haven’t used up their allowance. The amount paid would be driven by market forces and the deal done through a specialist company.

MPs, led by Tory Tim Yeo, say the scheme could be more effective at cutting greenhouse gas emissions than green taxes.

( Mr. Yeo, Tory. He’s a conservative folks. Brit version I guess.)

But critics say the idea is costly, bureaucratic, intrusive and unworkable.

The Government says it supports the scheme in principle, but warns it is ‘ahead of its time’.

The idea of personal carbon trading is increasingly being promoted by environmentalists. In theory it could be used to cover all purchases - from petrol to food.

For the scheme to work, the Government would need to give out 45million carbon cards - each one linked to a personal carbon account. Every year, the account would be credited with a notional amount of CO2 in kilograms.

Every time someone makes a purchase of petrol, energy or airline tickets, they would use up credits. A return flight from London to Rome would, for instance, use up 900kg of CO2 credits, while 10 litres of petrol would use up 23kg.

Enlarge MP Tim Yeo MP, says the scheme could be more effective at cutting Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions
Mr Yeo, chairman of the committee said personal carbon trading rewarded those with a low carbon footprint with cash.

‘We found that personal carbon trading has real potential to engage the population in the fight against climate change and to achieve significant emissions reductions in a progressive way,’ he said.

‘The idea is a radical one. As such it inevitably faces some significant challenges in its development. It is important to meet these challenges.

‘What we are asking the Government to do is to seize the reins on this, leading the debate and coordinating research.’

The Government is committed to cutting CO2 emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010.

The Climate Change Bill going through Parliament aims to cut emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. The Government has said it backs the idea in principle, but it is currently too expensive and bureaucratic.

Environment Minister Hilary Benn said: ‘It’s got potential but, in essence, it’s ahead of its time. There are a lot of practical problems to overcome.’

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs report into the scheme found it would cost between £700million and £2billion to set up and up to another £2billion a year to run.

Tory environment spokesman Peter Ainsworth added: ‘Although it does have potential we should proceed with care. We don’t want to alienate people and we want everyone to be on board.’

But critics say the idea is deeply flawed. The scheme would penalise those living in the countryside who were dependent on their cars, as well as the elderly or housebound who need to heat their homes in the day.

Large families would suffer, as would those working at nights when little public transport is available.

It would need to take into account the size of families, and their ages. There is huge potential for fraud.

Matthew Elliott of the Taxpayers’ Alliance said the cards would be hugely unpopular. ‘The Government has shown itself incapable of managing any huge, complex IT system.’ he said.

HOW THE SCHEME WOULD WORK

Every adult in the UK would be given an annual carbon dioxide allowance in kgs and a special carbon card.

The scheme would cover road fuel, flights and energy bills.

Every time someone paid for road fuel, flights or energy, their carbon account would be docked.

A litre of petrol would use up 2.3kg in carbon, while every 1.3 miles of airline flight would use another 1kg.

When paying for petrol, the card would need to swiped at the till. It would be a legal offence to buy petrol without using a card.

When paying online, or by direct debit, the carbon account would be debited directly.

Anyone who doesn’t use up their credits in a year can sell them to someone who wants more credits. Trading would be done through specialist companies.

http://tinyurl.com/5awdee

Posted by Drew458     on 05/27/2008 at 12:43 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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Health and safety zealots :  HERE WE GO AGAIN.

More Health and Safety stuff .... fun things to look forward to in a Nanny state.
Good grief Charlie Brown, that’s a tiny wadding pool.

Health and safety zealots say a 2ft paddling pool needs a lifeguard

By Beth Hale
Last updated at 7:33 AM on 27th May 2008

For nearly a quarter of a century, Lourdes Maxwell has celebrated the arrival of summer by putting a paddling pool in the garden.

This year, however, her two grandchildren and the children of her neighbours may have to find another way to cool off in the heat.

Miss Maxwell’s local council has decided that the pool - which is only 2ft deep - needs a lifeguard.

The 47-year-old divorced mother of three has also been told she must have insurance before she can inflate the toy outside her house in Portsmouth.

The health and safety edict came after she wrote to the city council asking for permission to put a bigger pool in the communal garden outside her home.

Not only was she told it was too dangerous, but the council told her to empty the existing pool.

After her MP intervened, the local authority softened its stance, saying Miss Maxwell could have a pool if she paid for insurance and ensured supervisors were on constant watch.

Residents near the communal gardens already have to obey a raft of rules governing their use.

They are even supposed to ask the council for permission before having a barbecue.

Miss Maxwell, who is a full-time carer to her son Aiden, said yesterday: “It is absolutely pathetic.

“I have had a paddling pool outside the front of my flat every summer for 24 years, ever since Aiden turned one year old.

“Neighbours’ children would come and enjoy the pool and I would give them ice lollies. It was always a very social occasion.”

She added: “Now suddenly I’m not allowed.

“I asked around for insurance and they just laughed at me. No one offers insurance for paddling pools.

“I’m always there to supervise but they’re trying to tell me I need lifeguards for a kiddies’ pool as well - it’s crazy.”

Nigel Selley, Portsmouth Council’s neighbourhood manager, defended the ruling yesterday.

He said: “We did not have sufficient assurances that the risks associated with providing such a facility would be well-managed.

“We have since spoken to Ms Maxwell and she is aware of our concerns for child safety and the risks associated with drowning.”

Steven Wylie, the councillor in charge of housing, added: “I want to encourage people to enjoy the communal gardens.

“We want to help where we can to ensure that it is a fun and safe place for everyone to use.”
http://tinyurl.com/4d296m

Posted by Drew458     on 05/27/2008 at 12:24 PM   
Filed Under: • Nanny State •  
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Schoolboys aged 12 and 13 have been arrested after brutal killing.  Yawn ,, again?

The bastards seem to get younger and younger.
A generation out of control?  Maybe not the whole generation, but a large number of feral unfrightened and murderous “youths” have made this a very unsafe place to be.

By Richard Alleyne
Last Updated: 12:09PM BST 27/05/2008

Two schoolboys aged 12 and 13 have been arrested over the death of Amar Aslam, the teenager killed in a brutal attack in the walled garden of a park.

The battered body of 17-year-old Mr Aslam was discovered by two passers-by in Crow Nest Park in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, on Sunday evening.

Officers originally arrested two boys aged 15 and a 20-year-old man in connection with the death, West Yorkshire Police said today. They remain in custody.

Today two boys aged 12 and 13 are also being questioned about the assault which is thought to have taken place amid running battles between gangs of youths.

Mr Aslam, who died from head injuries suffered in a “sustained and brutal” attack, is the 29th teenage victim of the latest surge in youth violence this year.

His local Labour MP Shalid Malik called for the authorities to get a grip on the growing “phenomenon” of youth-on-youth violence.

(how about a curb on the violence being done to everyone? how about NOT giving bail to violent creeps who kill while on bail? oh, can’t be too harsh on em or their lawyers will scream civil rights.)

The Bank Holiday weekend was marred by the murders of two teenagers; a further two were shot, two stabbed and three youths arrested for serious assaults and stabbings – all in separate incidents across the country.

Violent crime carried out by children and teenagers has gone up by a third in three years and the Conservatives have said the Government’s £3 billion plans to try to cut teenage crime were a failure.

Uanu Seshmi, a youth worker and campaigner with the From Boyhood To Manhood Foundation, said “drastic action” – such as curfews and increased stop and search powers for police – had to be taken.

“We are dealing with a monster here, but we have to look at ourselves as adults to understand what young people are faced with,” he said.

“It’s not going to be easy – but there must be zero tolerance on this.”

(zero tolerance.  right.  been hearing that phrase for many years.  do not expect to see it in my lifetime. or yours, dear reader.)

Tony McNulty, the Home Office minister, attacked comments made by Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner, that stop and search tactics by police could further antagonise people.

“He is plumb wrong and miles away from where the public are,” he said.

http://tinyurl.com/5fa9kt

Posted by Drew458     on 05/27/2008 at 11:16 AM   
Filed Under: • Crime •  
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Global warming sceptics in an unholy row

A rational voice on the issue.

By Harry Mount
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 27/05/2008

I wonder when people last got widely and publicly ridiculed for not believing in God: probably not for several hundred years.

Nowadays, you’d get a slightly odd look for doing the opposite and expressly stating your faith. But, if you really want to know what it’s like to be a 16th-century heretic, try saying you’re a bit sceptical about man-made global warming.

Temperatures do seem to have gone up a little, even though environmentalists acknowledge that we might be in for a cool spell now. And we’ve certainly had our fair share of tsunamis, hurricanes and typhoons recently. Still, no one has convincingly proved that all this is definitely man’s fault. Try saying that in polite circles and it’s like saying you’re partial to roasted babies.

I understand people disagreeing with global warming sceptics, but not the jeering, ridiculing way they do it. I’m not sure I’m right; they’re convinced I’m wrong. They’re convinced, too, that they have the moral high ground, that all sceptics are sworn enemies of nature, flowers and puppy dogs.

Environmentalism is the new secular faith - school prayer for liberals, as an American philosopher put it. The faith is a strict one. You’re not allowed to join if you think that it’s sensible to keep an eye on the environment but don’t think that man is to blame for changes in world temperature.

You must believe in the full package. If you do, you are blessed, free from sin and allowed the pious smugness you find in the worst sort of religious believers. It’s not enough to believe in these things yourself; you must condemn others for not sharing your belief.

The latest carbon credits scheme - published in a parliamentary committee report - is squarely on the side of the believers. The idea is that everyone gets an annual carbon ration to spend on fuel and energy bills and, if you want to overspend, you buy credits from low carbon emitters.

It’s just like the medieval trade in indulgences, where remission for sins was granted by the Church once the sinner confessed and received absolution. By the late Middle Ages, the system had grown corrupt, with professional pardoners selling indulgences by the bucketload.

The medieval market in indulgences ended with the Reformation. You can imagine the outcome of this market in modern sin. Oceans of sackcloth-and-ashes piety from those who underspend their carbon credit, and badly informed abuse for people who like flying abroad on holiday.

http://tinyurl.com/47rfq9

Posted by Drew458     on 05/27/2008 at 11:01 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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