The theft of DLA?

The government apparently has plans to steal – there is no better word for it – the DLA of over-65s and plough it into a proposed National Care Service.
http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/execsum/comment-page-53/#comment-6219
How that can possibly be legal when the bulk of DLA is paid, for most people, for MOBILITY – for help with getting around, to use [...]

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The lunatics are running the asylum…

In the Guardian, Jenni Russell writes about the plights of two teachers who wound up in court because, basically, pupils dishonestly accused them of assault. One was acquitted, one was found guilty by magistrates clearly in need of a reality check. Can’t say I’m too surprised, though.
I have one experience of the magistrates’ court – [...]

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The Times, fat people, and censorship…

India Knight, a Times columnist, has written an article berating fat people (ironic, given her own girth), especially those who have the temerity to complain of the prejudice, discrimination and abuse they experience. I won’t bore you with the whole, sorry, tirade – you can read it here should you wish to. In conclusion (more [...]

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When biscuits attack…

I have been made extremely ill by Sainsbury’s Digestive Biscuits.
I have just spent 5 days feeling dreadful, with acute gastric pain. It was somewhat amenable to antacids, though I thought I had food poisoning, as I also felt nauseous. In a nutshell, I felt as if I had a massive hangover, though I hadn’t been [...]

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More Windows 7 thoughts…

According to PC World’s TV ad, Windows 7 makes laptop batteries last longer. That’s probably perfectly true – as long as you’re not actually doing anything with your laptop.
In my experience, what you do while on battery power governs how long it lasts – more than any other factor. Word-crunching

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The king is dead, long live the … oh, hang on a minute…

So Jean Todt is elected, president of the FIA. No surprise there, as anyone who can read a newspaper will know about Mosley’s industrious machinations on Todt’s behalf. And not even particularly secretly, which shows what an arrogant fuck he  is.
Ari Vatanen was by far the better man for the job. Not only did he [...]

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Beware of Windows Update…

I have Windows XP running, among much else, Office 2003. However, for the last 72 hours Windows Update (WU) has been trying to foist upon me scores of MBs of updates for Office 2007, which I don’t have (or want, or need).
I don’t allow WU to operate automatically, but have it set to show me [...]

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Carbon footprint – unrealistic expectations…

The Guardian has a calculator to work out your personal carbon footprint. I don’t use public transport, so that figure represents taxis. My CF is 9 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which is pretty good, but bear in mind I don’t get out much*. And according to the chart, the average spend per person for hotels, [...]

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The dangers of level crossings…

There’s a TV ad running at the moment, which shows a young girl approaching an unmanned level crossing on foot. She steps around the barrier, looks to see if a train’s coming, and gets mown down.
I have a problem with this. Trains are big, noisy and conspicuous – and often very fast – but they [...]

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The BNP and the BBC…

Lots of threats and hyperbole flying around over the prospect of Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP appearing on Question Time on Thursday. But why?
Love them or loathe them – and, for the record, I loathe them – the BNP is now a legitimate political party, with members serving as local councillors and MEPs and, [...]

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