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<title>My RSS Feed</title><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/index.html</link><description>Hot News&#x21;</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2006 Westerly21</dc:rights><dc:date>2007-05-18T16:00:04+01:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Fri, 18 May 2007 16:06:42 +0100</lastBuildDate><item><title>New Address</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-18T16:00:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cc6e464d112723b962f150224c60df27-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cc6e464d112723b962f150224c60df27-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Hello dear reader.....

I have moved the blog to a new address for no other reason than it is easier to maintain and quicker to post.  The address is:  http://westerly21.livejournal.com

You don't get the pics but then it is the words that count anyway!!

Hope you continue to join me!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Iraq-US Battle for Hearts and Minds</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-05-06T15:47:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/dac6cf19ad0de45f56281bc569cc4c1c-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/dac6cf19ad0de45f56281bc569cc4c1c-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to a Pentagon poll of US troops in Iraq, more than a third condone the use of torture 'if it saves a comrade's life', while ten per cent admit to having kicked, slapped or punched Iraqis.  The report concludes that tours of duty should be shorter than six months, as those troops posted in Iraq for longer periods are more likely to suffer mental-health problems.

It seems that at least a third have already been there far too long!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Local Elections 2007</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-05-03T15:49:33+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/3a3eaf8eb366aa18e5fcfe6b53f8f91f-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/3a3eaf8eb366aa18e5fcfe6b53f8f91f-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All of them naturally wanted to be my best friend and once again I was left with finding the motivation to vote for a) Mr Arrogant b) Mr Patronising or c) Mr Hopeful.  Faced with this great decision it was tempting to be as apathetic as most voters are nowadays and stay in the warmth of my house.

However, if I did, I would not be able to live with my guilt at betraying the people who fought so hard to gain me the vote and, more importantly, I would disqualify myself from moaning about the winners in the years to come.  So, I was faced with a dilemma; I could not bring myself to vote for the two main parties but I did not want to waste my right to vote.

It was tempting to use the excuse that these are not 'real' elections anyway and the people standing are not 'real' politicians, but in some ways the elections for a local authority are more important and the effects more closely felt.

...I live on The Isle of Sheppey in Kent and have been here for about nine years....  As an 'islander' we tend to look a bit inwards from the rest of 'civilisation' and with the government spending 100 million pounds on a new bridge, we are suspicious of the desire to develop large swathes of the countryside.

...seemed to be very appealing, especially as it was fighting against the changes to the local schools, unrestricted new building, being treated as a poor relation to the mainland wards and the most eye catching of all, the claim that &ldquo;Sheppey has suffered for years because more money has been taken from the island than is spent here.&rdquo;

It seemed I had found a party I could support, until I looked at the bottom of the page to read the leaflet had been printed by a firm that was not on the island and not even in Kent, but in that great county across the estuary, Essex!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blair&#x27;s Legacy</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-05-02T15:52:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/c098c08ff94f26823321e173af28e208-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/c098c08ff94f26823321e173af28e208-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is, of course, all these things and more, but what seems to be escaping the forum of discussion is his success at diminishing the long held democratic process of governing this country.

...It was quite common to see them arguing against their party if they did not agree with what was being attempted.  Since Blair's regime took over the reigns, those MP's have been effectively neutered and are actively encouraged to follow the party line at all times.  They must be constantly &ldquo;on message&rdquo; and not do anything unless it has been cleared by the party PR machine first.

Decisions that used to be made by the collective Cabinet now appear to be made by an unelected group at the inner circle of power.

...The news media are now closely managed and announcements from government are made when it is convenient, rather than when they should be due.  Protesters are now barred from demonstrating within the earshot of Parliament - unless they have been officially approved - so MP's are now isolated from the discontent of the very people they represent.  Monitoring of the individual's every action has increased almost exponentially, so that wherever you go nowadays, you are leaving a trail that can be followed and recorded for future use.

...But, the real legacy of Mr Blair is the fact he has weakened the respect the public once had for politicians and made them almost figures of contempt.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sting in the Bush</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-05-02T15:50:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/4d4c6087734de1f45235b07e0074a98d-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/4d4c6087734de1f45235b07e0074a98d-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Four years on from the day President Bush stood under a banner proclaiming &ldquo;Mission Accomplished&rdquo; while claiming &ldquo;major combat operations&rdquo; were over, the everyday situation in Iraq proves how wrong he was.  In the aftermath of 'Shock and Awe' where the US tried to impress the world with their military technology and firepower, he is now as trapped by his ego as he is by the situation he created.

The cost has been massive.  So far, more than 3,350 of his own countrymen have been killed.  The financial cost has already exceeded 400 billion dollars.  Things are not improving - last month rated as the sixth deadliest month for US fatalities since the conflict started in 2003.  President Bush had sold the conflict to the world as being a war on global terror but according to figures released by the US State Department, terrorist attacks worldwide have increased by 25% and the number of fatalities caused by terrorism in the last 12 months has risen by 40 per cent.

Even a child knows that it is a dangerous thing to kick a sleeping hornet's nest; when they are disturbed, they fight back, and you get badly stung!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Phone-in for a Fool</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-01T11:56:51+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/ee9826f0c19124088d58adcf90a55c53-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/ee9826f0c19124088d58adcf90a55c53-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So far, I have avoided writing about the phone in competition scandals on TV on the basis that if you invite a thief into your home you deserve to get robbed.  If you are of the mind to spend good money on answering questions that would only tax the intellect of a dead skin cell then you deserve to be ripped off.

The TV companies claim they are just allowing the viewer to be &ldquo;interactive&rdquo; with the programmes but they are not....  Do the sums and you will realise that the cost of the 'prize' - however fancy it appears to be - is minimal and is often donated by a PR company keen to promote a client's interests.  The vast bulk of the money goes into the respective pockets of the broadcaster, the production company and the service provider.  To claim they are unaware of what has been going on is almost farcical as the sums of money involved are vast.  The broadcasters and production companies have been keen to claim ignorance of exploitation and to blame the call service provider but this is also a nonsense.  They are all out to make the most money, in the shortest time and in the easiest way possible from the gullible viewer, who they treat with complete contempt.

Next time you are tempted to phone in and vote for a warbling would be singer or answer an extremely simple question to win an &ldquo;amazing prize&rdquo; just stop and think of the shiny new car you are buying for the TV executives of the company you are donating to.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Food Adverts and Child Obesity</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-25T16:31:20+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/e1ce9529967909b129d4eb357a55ee67-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/e1ce9529967909b129d4eb357a55ee67-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With the news today that a study by The University of Liverpool has shown that children who watch adverts for food more than double their intake of food afterwards I express some cynicism.  Apparently, after watching such adverts obese kids ate 134 per cent more than normal, overweight kids 101 per cent more and normal children (whatever that may be) 84 per cent more.

As usual it sounds like an excuse and there is no mention of either personal or parental responsibility while the advertisers take full blame.

It does however give food for thought (sorry).  If kids are so influenced by what they see in adverts maybe we should replace the food ads with ones for bicycles and the obesity problem will be solved overnight.

Somehow, I don't see the theory holding up!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Open House for Government Inspectors</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-25T10:59:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/2d26cffa5643c2b2cc741ca60d8f5939-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/2d26cffa5643c2b2cc741ca60d8f5939-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I, like many others I am sure, have always been of the impression that once the front door of my house was closed I was entitled to a life of privacy and others were to respect that right.  I knew if I was to engage in criminal activity, or if I were to defraud the VAT man, I was at risk of a visit from the relevant authority without first having issued an invitation.  Aside from these two and a couple of others, I thought I was safe in my 'castle'.  It was therefore, something of a shock that a new report from the Centre For Policy Studies highlights there are no less than 266 ways that State authorised individuals can now enter my home.

While it is tempting to immediately blame the present government, for once, it cannot all be laid at their door, as several of the newer categories have come from that ever increasing interference on our lives, the dreaded EU directive.  That said, there is no doubt that domestic powers are also being granted without the appropriate debate and our personal rights are diminishing daily.

The report 'Crossing The Threshold' is interesting to read and includes a hypothetical 'A Day In The Life Of A British Subject' where an illustration of the practicalities of these powers is described on an average family day.  There is also of course, a full list of the 266 laws with individual descriptions.

Give it a read and sleep easier at night........not!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bee Warned&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-23T11:43:06+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/f9197b7717ab5d67ad4ea2c5a47fb540-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/f9197b7717ab5d67ad4ea2c5a47fb540-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For a long time now, the argument has been raging over whether modern society is being harmed by the excess radiation caused by radio waves from the likes of mobile phone masts etc. Some scientists believe that excessive use of a mobile phone can lead to tumours appearing on the side of the brain where the handset is most used while it has also been reported that the increasing use of Wi-Fi connections for computers in schools and offices has led to a rise in symptoms like headaches, sleeplessness, dizziness and nausea being experienced by users of the technology.  Children are thought to be particularly at risk as their skulls are not as thick as that of an adult and their nervous systems are still in development.

...I have always tried to keep an open mind but must admit to being concerned about being surrounded by what has been described as an &ldquo;electronic smog&rdquo;.  I guess, like most, I think if it cannot be seen it can be ignored, but at the same time I have been concerned about the invisible waves passing through my body.

...Firstly, was the report last week that bees are being disorientated by the radiation in the surrounding air so they could not find their way back to the hive and have duly perished....  It concerned a man who moved to an old house in Bath and in doing so he inherited an attic with 30 nests of bees.  He called the exterminators on two separate occasions but both times the bees returned to cause havoc in his household.  It was not until last Summer when he installed a Wi-Fi internet connection that the bees left his house for good.

...That story alone convinced me to reduce the power output of the Wi-Fi connection in my home by three quarters and there has been no noticeable difference to the performance.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Salt in Food</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-21T17:14:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5330208ced12a536088cec1e71d0d43f-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5330208ced12a536088cec1e71d0d43f-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So, another new study has reported what we already know, that too much salt in your diet is bad for you.  The study by a US team from Boston was thought to be so important that it made the lead story in the early evening news on ITN last evening.

...Scientists say that by cutting this to around 6g per adult (children should have much lower amounts) the chances of getting cardiovascular disease are reduced by 25 per cent over 10 to 15 years and the risk of dying from the same disease is cut by 20 per cent. Three quarters of the salt we eat is already within the food we buy.  The cost of treating heart attacks, strokes and heart disease is already a huge burden on the National Health Service in the UK and predictably the government are keen, and it makes total sense, to see the 3g drop in place by 2010.

...It is, on the face of it, a very easy problem to solve - ban the excessive amounts of salt added to the food that is for sale....  They see the cure for obesity and it's associated diseases in the UK will be found by the soft option of banning advertising for so called junk foods.

...You only have to stand at the checkout in any big store to see the amount of these products people have in their trolleys.  Are we to believe they have watched an advert the previous night and thought &ldquo;I must have that&rdquo;?

...The government must take direct action to reduce the additives that are in our food to a safe level as the stakes are both life threatening and costly to treat.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>BBC Journalist alive?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-19T18:35:11+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cca2e8d177732def2e3600df3a9910b3-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cca2e8d177732def2e3600df3a9910b3-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[What good news that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says the missing BBC reporter Alan Johnston is alive.  Speaking in Sweden, he confirms his intelligence services have discovered which group was holding Johnston but he would not give any further information.  It can hopefully only be a matter of time until further proof is forthcoming and he is released.  Johnston was seized on March 12th in Gaza.

Seizing members of the world's press is both stupid and pointless.  They act as the conduit to bring grievances from within individual countries to the whole world population.  Without their reports - often at locations where they might seem reckless in their pursuit of the facts - the world will be a much more closed society and individual freedoms will be exploited and suppressed by ruthless regimes.

We look forward to his early release, but until that time, the pressure must not be allowed to fade.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bank Withdrawal</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-17T17:44:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/12199f5a7ee52692144135d84dcac3a3-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/12199f5a7ee52692144135d84dcac3a3-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[How great it was to read this morning of the Norfolk businessman who has successfully reclaimed - and been repaid - almost thirty six thousand pounds from the National Westminster Bank for what he considered to be illegal charges made to his account for being overdrawn.  Like most of us at one time or another, he had suffered cashflow problems while waiting for his customer's cheques to clear their account into his.  As we know, there is a delay of some three days between the two procedures completing, during which the banks benefit from the interest gained on the amount.  Each time he was overdrawn during this period, he was charged a thirty five pound fee by the bank, which on some months amounted to three thousand pounds per month.  He finally had enough of what he considered to be gross overcharging and using advice gained from the website of the Consumer Action Group he sent one of their standard letters off to the bank in January of this year which was subsequently ignored....  Last Friday, a cheque for the full amount arrived with a letter from the bank's solicitors, denying they had been guilty of overcharging but were settling in full, because the costs of a court case would be more than the amount claimed

Campaigners however, say that if the banks did turn up to face a court hearing they would be forced to admit the true cost of a bounced cheque was more like two pounds than the thirty they have been charging their customers.  Most of the main banks have recently taken to refunding similar claims, some relating to charges dating back several years, rather than having to admit their real costs in court.

...For years the banks have been treating customers like they were lucky to be able to deposit funds at their facility rather than the other way round.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Guns Rule OK?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-17T13:19:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/d651d664f9e5eacd8e19e90bce7e6a30-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/d651d664f9e5eacd8e19e90bce7e6a30-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Once again, America and the most of the world are in shock during the aftermath of what was America's worst criminal shooting yesterday....  Questions will inevitably be asked about the authorities handling of the situation but one thing is certain, there will be a re-opening of the same old tired gun debate that has raged for years and seen countless lives lost during the time it has continued.  It is doubtful if anything will come of the debate as the all powerful pro-gun lobby will once again dig in and put forward the most ridiculous arguments in favour of gun ownership.

I was shocked to hear one such argument put forward by a pro gun lobbyist interviewed on the BBC news last evening.  He stated the belief that if the students had all been armed, the gunman would not have been able to carry out the crime to the extent he did.  While I might be tempted to concede that the gunman might have been shot earlier, how many others would have been caught in the crossfire?

...As a European, I find it almost inconceivable that an individual can buy weapons so easily and use them so often, as the citizens of the US. It is possible for one individual to own literally scores of weapons and ammunition without any stringent check into the person's background or need.  They are not only weapons confined to personal protection but many are classed as military assault weapons and have devastating firepower.

...We all know the tired old argument put forward about the individual's right to bear arms, but surely there must also be a right to be able to study and plan for the future, in what is normally a quiet University, without the possibility of being killed.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Plastic Surprise&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-16T14:35:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/ff60eb97a27b723218f9d42463215140-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/ff60eb97a27b723218f9d42463215140-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It has been a while since I last wrote anything to do with the environment or re-cycling, mainly because I am fed up with the hijacking of the subject by self righteous politicians.  Yes, we all know that global warming is a reality but even the scientists cannot reach agreement on how harmful it could be and being an MP and being seen on TV riding a bicycle does not even begin to solve the problem.  There is no single cause to global warming and it is as much down to the natural demands of the massive increase in the world's population as it is to do with manufacturing and the like.

No politician is ever going to be brave enough to tell us to reduce the population, so instead, we get our local councils sending us another plastic bin to allow us to take part in a fortnightly collection: one week for re-cyclable rubbish and the next for household.  It is a one size fits all solution to the problem they have been given of meeting their re-cycling targets.

I have always been conscious of the need to try to re-cycle and to that end I visit my local centre often but I was shocked the other day when I took a boot load of plastic bottles which I had been diligently collecting only to find they did not have the means to process them.

...Given that a huge number of families now drink bottled water and get their milk in plastic containers, it seems strange that rather than trying to re-cycle these items, the council were still going to put them in the landfill....  How ironic it now seems, that the new bin being sent by the council is made of that material.

One can only wonder at how much pollution was produced in the manufacture of the millions of bins being distributed throughout the UK!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>He scored an own goal&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-16T12:13:34+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cf444c7f622119f02314a131a77c02b7-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cf444c7f622119f02314a131a77c02b7-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I must confess to feeling some sympathy for the beleaguered Defence secretary Des Browne.  While I give him full credit for standing up and taking full responsibility for the misjudged decision to allow the 15 Navy captives to sell their stories to the media, he made the fatal mistake of saying &ldquo;the buck stops here&rdquo;.  By doing so, he has, predictably, allowed himself to be used as the complete fall guy for the whole sorry episode.

If, as Tony Blair claimed yesterday, he (TB) had successfully brought the sailors home (in reality he didn't and had no idea they would be released until it was announced by the Iranian President as a gesture of goodwill) then it seems unlikely that the occupants of either No 10 or No 11 Downing Street would have been unaware of the decision being made at the MoD.

What seems more likely, is that after suffering the humiliation of witnessing the televised pictures of the 'captives' shown on Iranian TV, the UK government spin doctors saw a golden opportunity to 'hit back' at the Iranians and score a goal against them.  This would have the added benefit of gaining backing for the anti Iranian stance being taken by both the UK and US governments.

Sadly, it backfired and a scapegoat had to be found.

Poor old Des Browne!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blame Tennis&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-11T10:23:51+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/a1037662b53413ac4dd1f5e34c850f51-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/a1037662b53413ac4dd1f5e34c850f51-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After the government's rapid U-turn which placed a ban on our forces personnel from selling their stories to the media, it was less than surprising to find that Ministers were yesterday playing 'blame tennis' over who was responsible for the original decision.  No-one would come forward to comment to the media and press officers were allegedly either refusing, or unable, to answer questions directly.

What should be remembered is that the team playing for Number Ten are past champions at 'spinning' the ball and directing it to any part of the court they decide.  My bet is it will land at the feet of the MoD

Any takers?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hostage to a Fortune</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-04-10T10:23:07+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/1749db0f531e868e6077137d935b2bd6-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/1749db0f531e868e6077137d935b2bd6-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Whether it be the navy, the Ministry of Defence, the government spin machine, Faye Turney or indeed the executives at ITV, it seems it has backfired in the most spectacular way.

Instead of being spellbinding television with tales of hardship and physical threats meted out to the navy personnel, it was instead, a damp squib of a story which even the highly respected Mr McDonald seemed almost amused to be presiding over....  Most Britons who have been on a cheap package holiday would come back with tales that were more frightening than those of Miss Turney and her colleagues.

...So perhaps it is for this reason that the personnel on HMS Cornwall have got complacent and allowed two of their patrol boats to be 'escorted' into Iran - you could hardly call it kidnapped as by her own admission Faye Turney stated the initial contact with the Iranians seemed friendly.

...Tony Blair insisted the patrols had most definitely been in Iraqi waters at the time they were apprehended and the Ministry of Defence issued a map showing the exact location of the patrols against the red border line.  As usual though, they were being 'economical with the truth' and it came to light - as it always does - there is no agreed border between Iraq and Iran.

...They exposed a weakness in the military might of western forces at a time when Iran is facing increasing rumblings from the US over development of its nuclear capacity.

...Faye Turney has allowed herself to be used as a pawn firstly by the Iranians, and then by her own government's spin machine....  While those military personnel who face real danger on the front line in both Iraq and Afghanistan live in everyday fear of dying, she is now able to enjoy her fortune.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>It&#x27;s all true....</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2007-04-03T09:55:29+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5c994fbeddc1456e6ff1a3c39f317f14-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5c994fbeddc1456e6ff1a3c39f317f14-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The perfect post-work cocktail, a beer at the game, and you're even around in the holidays, hidden inside chocolates as you warm us when we're stuck in the midst of endless family gatherings.

...Phone calls: While I agree with you that communication is important, I question the suggestion that any conversation of substance or necessity takes place after 2 a.m. Why would you make me call anyone in the middle of the night, especially, an ex-boyfriends/girlfriends when I know for a fact they do not want to hear from me during the day, let alone all hours of the night?

...Eating: Now, you know I love a good meal, but why do you suggest that I eat a kebab, a butter chicken curry along with a sausage with cheese, onion and mustard (washed down with WINE & topped off with a Kit Kat after a few sweet chilli and sour cream red rock chips)?

...Clumsiness: Unless you're subtly trying to tell me that I need to do more yoga to improve my balance, I see NO need to hammer the issue home by causing me to fall down.  It's completely unnecessary, and the black & blue marks that appear on my body mysteriously the next day are beyond me.

...I know a little penance for our previous evening's debauchery may be in order, but the 3pm hangover immobility is completely unacceptable....  I ask that, if the proper precautions are taken (water, vitamin B, bread products, aspirin) prior to going to sleep/passing out face down on the kitchen floor with a bag of popcorn, the hangover should be minimal & in no way interfere with my daily activities.

...You've been the invoker of great stories, the provocation for much laughter, and the needed companion when I just don't know what to do with the extra money in my pockets....  I will look for an answer no later than Thursday 3pm (pre-happy hour) on your possible solutions & hopefully we can continue this fruitful partnership.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sooner or later it had to be......&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2007-02-17T10:18:19+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/22370f4a698e282e78b6e69c49fed172-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/22370f4a698e282e78b6e69c49fed172-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It was inevitable...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Good old plain English&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-01-21T19:36:34+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/bb3a52b4dfaaae19e98b720de91d2bde-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/bb3a52b4dfaaae19e98b720de91d2bde-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Has Gordon Brown been offered a place on the panel of TV programme Call My Bluff?  In a recent statement while on a tour of the Indian continent he is quoted as saying the following: 'And therefore I am also seized that we face new challenges.....'  and 'By being prepared to use hard power as well as soft power, by not resiling from the need in certain circumstances....'

...it even confused the spellchecker!

Well, it confused me too, so I looked up the mystery words and 'seized' means being aware of, while 'resiling' apparently means recoiling.  Whatever happened to the plain English campaign?

If as expected, he becomes the next Prime Minister of this country, it will be funny to watch the residents of the House of Commons rushing to their local WH Smith store to purchase a dictionary.  Not sure what the grass roots supporters of his party will do though....  continue to read The Sun?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Goody or Baddie?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-01-21T18:27:50+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/158c1dccbb9e6007cff0fd1189d2449e-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/158c1dccbb9e6007cff0fd1189d2449e-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Is Jade a racist or is she just guilty of being a bully?

...The generally accepted evidence against her seems to rest on whether the specific words she spoke about fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty were racist comments, but is racism about individual words or is it about an 'attitude' towards someone from a different culture or race?

...Her outburst against Shilpa was true 'car crash' TV and I am sure the producers of the programme were popping the champagne corks while congratulating each other for their fine casting and manipulation of the growing animosity being shown by Jade and her cronies towards Shilpa.

...Jade's two closest allies, an ex-singer and a silly girl who lives with a footballer (that's celebrity?)  were just as guilty as Jade but relied on making comments behind Shilpa's back - their mimicking of Shilpa's Indian accent was particularly juvenile.

...She was guilty of bullying whether it be racist or otherwise and that should never be tolerated.

If it is the end of her career - which I do not believe for a second, as the UK public has the memory span of a goldfish - she will be able to console herself with the millions she has accumulated from a career being seen as thick.  Her ego will be damaged because she has allowed herself to believe what her sycophantical PR agents have told her - hence her delusional claim to be the 25th most influential person in the world!!

But, whatever opinion you may hold about the latest goings on in the big televised house on Channel Four, you have to stand back and be amazed at the ballyhoo from around the world about what is in essence a very silly programme!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another disgrace in Iraq&#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-01-15T20:35:45+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/634d3279d36e60ba6d6be48a59ff4de1-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/634d3279d36e60ba6d6be48a59ff4de1-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I made a conscious decision not to comment on the hanging of Saddam Hussein and the extraordinarily barbaric scene at his execution.  Firstly, because I was sickened by the images on the front pages of the dailies.  Secondly, because for his trial to be fair it should have taken place away from the bias and bigotry of the differing sides in Iraq and thirdly, because the Americans abdicated their responsibility by blindly handing him over for his execution without first making certain it was handled in a professional and dignified manner.

In short, it was a bad day in the development of the human race.

The Iraqi government eventually claimed they could not understand how people had got in to observe the execution while carrying their mobile phones - despite the fact it was a maximum security area.

Well today, they have managed to do it all over again to two of Saddam's closest aides, except this time they have learnt from their previous error and filmed it with no sound so that any allegation of jibes or insults aimed at the condemned men could not be proven.  In addition, they have gone even further towards proving they are not responsible enough to administer their "justice" in the dignified manner expected by the civilised world.  They did not just hang, but actually managed to decapitate one of the men.

...It is now way beyond time for the international community as a whole to condemn this latest "incompetence" by the Iraqis and point out that the mentality behind their present behaviour is no better than that of which they accused their predecessors.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dick by name.....</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2007-01-14T19:37:39+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/0823382ca834957c6f2e444e5895af47-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/0823382ca834957c6f2e444e5895af47-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It has been reported that US Vice president Dick Cheney has told Fox News that Iran was "fishing in troubled waters" by aiding attacks on US forces and backing Shia militias involved in sectarian violence in Iraq.  He is quoted as saying: "I think the message that the president sent clearly is that we do not want (Iran) doing what they can to try to destabilise the situation inside Iraq.

That seems a bit rich coming from one of the leaders of a country that has not only 'destabilised', but completely destroyed, the infrastructure, morale and basic human rights of the people of Iraq.  It has also caused lawlessness and secrarian violence to increase exponentially.

With the increase in numbers of US troops being sent to the country who would bet against a 'show of force' aimed at the Iranians, with the intent of 'liberating' yet another oil rich country?

If there is one thing in life that is a constant it is that politicians do not read history books!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>25 per cent of Americans can&#x27;t be wrong - can they?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-12-31T22:33:05+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/181e40af11a11e44ca16fa6aa27791ec-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/181e40af11a11e44ca16fa6aa27791ec-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You may be surprised to hear that according to a telephone poll conducted by Associated Press-AOL News in the States, 25 per cent of Americans - yes one in four - believe that 2007 will see the second coming of Jesus Christ.

There again you may not be!

I bet Elvis is worried!

Happy New Year!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Xmas is over.....</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-12-28T20:03:34+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/673d53b20c4a49c618cb699f87030be6-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/673d53b20c4a49c618cb699f87030be6-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another christmas is over but if you recently landed from another planet how would you know?...  there have been fights in Tesco over bread, the telly has been crap, the streets are covered in litter and sick, the 'soaps' have all been more depressing than usual (as if that is possible), the ad breaks are full of cheap sofa offers and we are being persuaded to subscribe to 'World of Knitting' magazine - yet again!!  All this, and the cheap holiday ads are yet to come!!

So what does this say about the great UK population?  Well, in short not a lot!  People have been fighting to take advantage of the excessive amount of time they have been given off work by increasing their overdrafts and/or credit card bills and queuing outside shopping centres in the middle of the night to grab that special bargain that they probably never even knew they wanted - let alone can afford!

Mental Health Professionals report this as their busiest time of the year with more people thinking about committing suicide than at any other time.

Does not take a genius to guess why.......  only another 362 days to next xmas!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Trust me I&#x27;m Your MP&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-12-24T12:01:14+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/c73ffd231b1f39e16ae41a521dc7eade-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/c73ffd231b1f39e16ae41a521dc7eade-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[How interesting to see that Cabinet Minister Ruth Kelly - who is Minister for something or other very memorable (having been moved from education after making a 'cow pie' of it all) - might be attempting to move her seat to a neighbouring constituency.

...Perhaps the standard of education is better at the schools down the road?

No, it is nothing more than she wants to move to a seat with a larger majority and thereby secure her position as an MP without having to work for the honour.  Her present constituency has a majority of just 2,000 while the neighbouring one has a majority of almost 12,000.  According to "a senior party source" Ms. Kelly is convinced she is likely to lose another election - and be out of a job - if she stays where she is.

This seems to sum up the attitude of most MPs nowadays.  Rather than represent the interests of the people who have put their trust into what they see as the honesty and integrity of their chosen representative, they run at the first sign of a rocky road in order to protect their over inflated salaries, pension schemes and expense allowances.  They are not interested in protecting the people who have given them their job, they are only interested in protecting their own futures.

In Ms. Kelly's case, if she were to lose her seat at the next election, it would be because either she had not been seen to fulfill her role to her local electorate, or the government, of which she is a Minister, has lost any appeal it once had to the local people.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Merry Christmas</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2006-12-19T19:25:13+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/16c04d2f986bae4b877455af15f4778d-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/16c04d2f986bae4b877455af15f4778d-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I wanted to send some sort of holiday greeting to my friends, but it's so difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without offending someone.  So I met with my Lawyer and on his/her advice I wish to say the following:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the summer solstice holiday, practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wished.  By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

...It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.  It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.  This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Disclaimer: No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cash for Peerages 2</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-12-15T20:26:49+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/4cdbd530b5a0db6a64d97b07f14eb8f5-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/4cdbd530b5a0db6a64d97b07f14eb8f5-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So the Prime Minister Tony Blair has finally been questioned at No.10 by the police.  However, it seems that he was not questioned under caution - allowing him to be seen as a witness rather than a suspect - and the head of the police investigation into the affair was not present at No.10 for the interview.  This suggests that a deal was made between Downing Street and the police to allow a favourable picture to be presented to the public.  What is more interesting is that still no-one has asked to see the accounts for how the alleged amount of fourteen million quid in 'loans' was spent.  After all, neither the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer or the party treasurer claims to have any knowledge of it.  Perhaps the police are saving their caution for the interview where they ask to see the books!  Could be interesting!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>News or Entertainment?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-12-15T17:07:52+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/660f0ba58d293e24edc941227dd637ea-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/660f0ba58d293e24edc941227dd637ea-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Of course I am, like everyone else, shocked by the murder of 5 women in Suffolk but I think running close is my shock at the sheer feeding frenzy of the press and media in their coverage of these terrible events.

...I was surprised on Tuesday afternoon to watch a press conference - less than two hours after the latest two bodies were discovered - led by the Chief Constable of the local force and the chief investigating officer.

...So why are the police now so keen to appear on the TV at every opportunity and why has the man who is supposedly responsible for leading an investigative team of what is reported to be over three hundred men, got the time to give regular updates to the feeding journos?  Could it be that the investigation has been unofficially taken over by officers who are more experienced in investigating this sort of crime but the local officers are being allowed to look like they are still in charge?

...Retired detectives, criminal psychologists, forensic scientists and anyone who might have 'something' that adds to the theories is dragged in front of a camera to hypothesise about what may be the motivation or method being employed by the killer and the methods by which he may be caught.  I have even seen an interview with two young frightened single women sitting in a bar who have told us how they are careful not to get caught out by the killer while their full names are shown at the bottom of the screen.

...This killer must be caught as soon as possible, but an 'investigation' by a news organisation is not the way to get it done.  Sky News in particular are acting like they are playing a giant game of Cluedo and I am sure they think they are going to solve the murders themselves with the help of their various 'experts'

I hope when the person is eventually caught his trial is not jeopardised by the possibility of failing to find a jury that has not been influenced by the things they have seen on the TV or read in the press.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Is It Worth Getting So Cross?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-24T20:04:36+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/2beec8d6496e376820222e329a8a41bb-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/2beec8d6496e376820222e329a8a41bb-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have never really understood the need to flaunt one's religion and the wearing of a cross I see as the religious equivalent of a football fan wearing their team's shirt.  I find it unnecessary and it does nothing to convert me to either of those beliefs, but that is a personal view.  If you are truly a believer - whatever your faith - you surely do not need to display the fact for all to see, unless of course you are trying to convince yourself.  Surely, true multi-culturalism will only ever be a practicality when we are all seen to be the same and are able to live together with no-one flaunting their beliefs to another.

So the recent storm over an employee's bending of the rules at BA should never have got so much attention....  Those of other faiths are openly allowed to 'bend the rules' by wearing jewellery and clothing that is supposedly a display of their own religions....  It now has several politicians and The Archbishop of Canterbury climbing aboard the publicity train and displaying their outrage while predictably suggesting a boycott of British Airways flights.

...They either have to interpret the rules fairly and apply them evenly amongst all beliefs - and I can almost hear the cries of persecution coming from some quarters already - or they lose the patronage of those politicians and religious leaders who are being hypocritical by condoning the principle of rule breaking.  After all, the only thing they will sacrifice is those comforting perks - like free upgrades and complimentary drinks - received when they take a flight with BA!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Taking the &#x27;P&#x27;?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-22T10:10:10+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/0a5b415ea495688ec3ba430447425aef-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/0a5b415ea495688ec3ba430447425aef-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I don't know about you, but I am getting increasingly uncomfortable when I hear the word 'poverty' used to describe some people's living conditions in the UK.  Technically, I guess it is correct; it is defined in my dictionary as "the state of being extremely poor" although what officially counts as extremely poor I do not know.  However, my definition of 'poverty' is somewhat different.  It is what we are shown in the likes of programmes like Comic Relief or concerts like Band Aid.  It is where people do not have the means to even have water to drink let alone begin to drag themselves out of the mire and into a better life.  The sight of a person scavenging in a dry barren wasteland looking to find a few grains of rice is far more descriptive of 'poverty' than that of a 'poor' person in the UK who can still afford to waste what little money they may have by smoking it at &pound;5 for 20.  The word 'poverty' in the UK often seems to be used as an excuse to cover the effects of not living by the meaning of another 'P' word....Priority!!  It is insulting to those who are truly poor to think otherwise!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Guilty Without Charge?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-20T13:05:33+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/9d63601b22da1454191be50026f04ed5-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/9d63601b22da1454191be50026f04ed5-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So Tony Blair is still pushing for a 90 day detention period before suspected terrorists need to be charged while his Attorney General is saying he can see no evidence to support a period that long.

Surely, if you have not found an offence with which to charge someone within three months - the current limit is 28 days - then you must have been acting on pretty thin evidence in the first place.

I guess I am old fashioned, but the tactics used by both Britain and the US in the oft used expression 'fight against terrorism' are starting to remind me too much of those of the old Soviet Union or the 'disappeared' of South America.

Without doubt, there is a serious threat from 'terrorism' but I am still of the belief that the odds are more in favour of me being run over by a naked nun on a bicycle than bumping into a real life terrorist or of being the victim of an act of terrorism.

I might be wrong, but at the moment I am suspicious of the reasoning for ever increasing restrictions on personal freedom.  Part of that suspicion stems from the government doing nothing to provide proof to the contrary.  Instead, the Home Secretary and the Head of the Security Services make statements about x no.  of active plots that are known but leave the question "why have they not arrested these suspects if they know about them?"

Could it be that the UK's prisons have 'no vacancy' signs due to overcrowding or have they already kitted the 'suspects' out in orange boiler suits and hoodies and sent them for a stay to the US run holiday camp in Cuba?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Technorati</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-11-18T11:09:05+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/2255f5be905c42936f739f9b033fa053-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/2255f5be905c42936f739f9b033fa053-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Nelson and Health and Safety</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2006-11-15T21:23:39+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/1c5999707bffc7efc7715208048b37e7-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/1c5999707bffc7efc7715208048b37e7-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Nelson: "Hold on, that's not what I dictated to the signal officer....  Nelson (reading the signal aloud): "'England expects every person to do his duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability."...  Hardy: "I think you'll find that there's a 4 knot speed limit in this stretch of water."...  They won't let anyone up there until a proper scaffolding can be erected."...  I've only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word....  And they don't want anyone breathing in too much salt - haven't you seen the adverts?"...  It's just that they're afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone....  According to the Common Fisheries Policy, we shouldn't even be in this stretch of water....  Hardy: "I wouldn't let the ship's diversity coordinator hear you saying that sir.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Oh for Opposition&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-14T16:02:37+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/4ea2411c0469d3b21d84ca51dc1d034d-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/4ea2411c0469d3b21d84ca51dc1d034d-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If you have been reading my recent posts you could be forgiven if you have got the impression I am just anti new labour.  I am not.  If the opposition parties showed any opposition, or indeed ideas that are either sane, deserving or original, I would be able to include them in the debate, but they do not.  Instead, they waste everyone's time trying to emulate the labour party's 'style over substance' presentation and the use of spin.  As we all know, a pig wearing a dress is still a pig.  Oink oink messrs Cameron and er.....whoever that Liberal bloke is!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Water water everywhere....</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-14T10:46:44+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cfd2be4e21d8f39233c771afc454575f-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/cfd2be4e21d8f39233c771afc454575f-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently I received a paper from my local council explaining the need for a recycling policy which would mean an extra bin for recyclable rubbish and an alternating weekly collection.  What fascinated me was the argument being used "...the recycling processes often use less natural resources (such as precious water) than when working with raw materials" Have I been asleep?

...My understanding of science is this planet has a fixed amount of water....  What does change is the form in which water is to be found, whether it be as ice, ocean or steam etc.

So what they should have said is that 'drinking' water is precious and indeed it will be unless the water companies change their piratical practises and invest in long term rather than short term gain.  They should cease their plunder of assets which should have been used to improve storage, pipework, new technology and the like....  whether local or national, should give up their crackpot ideas for covering the South East of England with new housing until they have fathomed a way to increase the water supply to an already overstretched area of the country.

Global warming is apparently already melting the ice caps and raising the sea levels, so in reality what we are going to see is not a lack of water but a great deal more!!.  If we believe the environmental forecasting models most of the Thames gateway and all it's associated new housing is likely to be an underwater city anyway.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cash for Peerages</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-12T14:30:29+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/923778af5d85139bd93378f5a69aaf88-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/923778af5d85139bd93378f5a69aaf88-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So we are now told that Blair's cronies are "outraged" the investigation into Cash for Peerages has been taken seriously and they have started to brief against the team from Scotland Yard tasked with the investigation.  What I find interesting is the question 'what happened to the money?'.  Whilst we have been led to believe the alleged "loans" were used to fund Labour's last election campaign, there does not seem to have been an ounce of accountability as to how the amount was spent.  Indeed, the labour treasurer appears to have been kept in the dark about the whole thing.

If this were any private company running an everyday business, such weak accounting practices - or lack of them in this case - would not be permitted.  We are being asked to accept 'on trust' that fourteen million pounds of 'loans' was eaten up by the great hole that is election campaigning.  No one thought for a minute about claiming back the VAT, or the legitimate expenses that could be offset against tax liability?  It seems at best unlikely and at worst inconceivable that the leaders of a party that is running UK plc should have left itself wide open to questions of inpropriety and abuse.

If our Prime Minister is so concerned about the seriousness of the investigation by Scotland Yard he should offer to help them out by volunteering an interview instead of hiding behind the fortified doors of No.10!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Blame Game</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Childrens&#x27; TV and Food</category><dc:date>2006-11-11T10:59:11+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/e40a4c6e15245d62e8164507adf64dd4-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/e40a4c6e15245d62e8164507adf64dd4-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I am tired of the 'blame culture' attached to junk food.  It is always the fault of someone else and not of the government.  At the present time it is blamed on advertising and when rules have been introduced to stop advertising it will move on again.  In reality, the government have done very little to persuade the suppliers to change their methods of production or what is put into the food we eat.  Their fear of upsetting these powerful organisations - and of course financial donors - is hypocritical at the very least.  Meanwhile, banning advertising will have little effect on what is purchased when the supermarket aisles are full of the very products we are told we should not be buying.  Perhaps the next round of legislation will demand we all wear blinkers while doing our weekly shop instead of tackling the problem at it's source - or should that be sauce?!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Some light relief&#x21;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2006-11-09T15:44:04+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5eca08296ddfd9bc1c34ebfff62e27f8-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5eca08296ddfd9bc1c34ebfff62e27f8-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Two blondes rob a Securicor Armored truck and all they get away with are two sacks, so they keep one each.  After awhile they meet again and one asks the other, "What did you find in your sack?"

...that's a lot!  What did you do with all that cash?"

"I bought a house and a boat.  How about your sack?"

...mine was full o' bills"

"And what did you do with them?"

...little by little, I'm paying them off..."]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Read it or save it?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-08T09:27:51+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/fda2f1d6ec134d6562068c1253042516-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/fda2f1d6ec134d6562068c1253042516-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Back to the environment and look how much useless material arrived with just two newspapers over the weekend.  How does this make sense when the very same newspaper has been preaching the benefits of waste management?

I am sure the argument will be made that it is re-cycled material but hang on a second; doesn't recycling use a considerable amount of energy too?  Surely it is better to leave the trees standing upright in the first place - where they can fight the effects of Co2 emissions and give us all some pleasure - than fill my letterbox with crap.  I am not going to buy or read any of it!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>All&#x27;s Fair In Love and War?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-06T19:50:47+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/7ac214af814778570cb28405771d8e53-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/7ac214af814778570cb28405771d8e53-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[At the end of the first Gulf war General Norman Schwarzkopf (Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces) had forced the Iraqis out of Kuwait, beaten all resistance from their elite Armies and was at the gates of Baghdad where he would probably have had Saddam in custody within hours....  One could speculate that perhaps Saddam was still of use to them in some way; or perhaps they (the US politicians) did not want to be lumbered with the problem of a highly public trial where they would be seen as the "bad guys" in the eyes of the rest of the world.

...And so life went on for several years until the latest US government - which as we all know is "coincidentally" led by the son of the President in office at the time of the first Gulf War - decided he had intelligence that good old Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and the whole world was at risk....  While this might sound like an invasion, it was not of course because riding into battle at his side was the good old British Government who had been spun the same story about WMD by it's omnipotent leader Prime Minister Blair.

...The powers that be seem to have forgotten that one man's liberator is another man's army of occupation and of course surprise surprise, the reaction to being occupied er sorry liberated was to resist strongly and at every opportunity....  I would though, like to think, that if anyone invaded good old Blighty, I would immediately and actively start resisting and would myself be seen in the eyes of those occupiers as a terrorist!

...That way the US could pull the strings but not get the blame for his ultimate death, as it would be the Iraqi's who would be seen to be placing the noose over Saddam's neck.  So despite the protestations of the outside world and requests for Saddam to be given a fair trial outside of Iraq - possibly in The Hague where other Despots and Tyrants have successfully met justice face to face - the Americans decided they possessed a far greater wisdom than others and we now find ourselves with the result they wanted but did not want to be seen obtaining.

...While the responsibility for these deaths cannot be directly laid at the door of the "liberators" they would do well to at least have a few sleepless nights while they ponder the results of their actions.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blowing a Storm?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-11-01T21:04:17+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5d14263a2f35376c17c35c89c5295969-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/5d14263a2f35376c17c35c89c5295969-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We all know that global warming is no longer just the rambling of the green lobbies but is in fact a reality, having a highly visible impact on the environment.  We all know we want to do our bit to preserve the planet and ease the burden from Co2 emissions but how do we even begin when the Government have got it so badly wrong?  Instead of making it affordable to 'ease in' the changes necessary in our personal lives they have - predictably some would say - taken a sledgehammer to crack a nut.  Rather than giving us the carrot to encourage us to make a start they have decided to rely instead, on a heavy beating with a big stick, using the theory that we should be punished for having the cheek to enjoy a life we all work so hard to achieve!

I would love to install a wind turbine and solar panels to my house - after all I live on the coast and the wind is never in short supply - but the predicted savings do not make the outlay necessary an attractive proposition.  I would love to buy a more eco friendly car but when you look at the price of these vehicles it is not even an option.

...Charge people with high emission cars extra duty - even though they are already paying more in fuel tax than anyone else - and of course pocket the increase!  Charge a green tax on the flights you take when you have a well earned holiday and of course pocket the increase!

...History - a subject the present government is not keen to promote - has shown taxes just don't work in changing people's way of life.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Guilty as Charged?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2006-10-29T20:45:21+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/6c81e1777d91682b45e66786407bc866-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/6c81e1777d91682b45e66786407bc866-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have just found a wet ten pound note in my washing machine.  Does this mean I can be charged with money laundering?!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Facing The &#x22;Facts&#x22;</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Childrens&#x27; TV and Food</category><dc:date>2006-10-25T17:47:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/58c72c3b1752afe10fcc36b98a3a874e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/58c72c3b1752afe10fcc36b98a3a874e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have spent the last 30 plus years working in both adult and children's TV and have always found the latter to be a far tougher audience....  And in today's world, where they embrace new technology - while most adults are still trying to work out which remote control does what - they are even harder to hold as an audience.

Disturbed by the possible impact of a food advertising ban I wrote to both Ofcom and Shaun Woodward the Minister For Creative Industries and Tourism at The Dept For Culture, Media and Sport.  His reply stated that while it "would be inappropriate to comment on something that is strictly a matter for Ofcom and ITV" any action taken "must be rooted in evidence and fully reflect the balances between welfare benefit and economic impact"

...Having "googled" for ages with no obvious links, I read the website of Sustain, an organisation which lobbies hard in favour of a complete ban on food advertising....  The only true research that seems to be available was a report by Prof Gerard Hastings of the University of Strathclyde and another by Dr Brian Young from the University of Exeter.

...They concluded "that practical constraints and the complexity of the issue militated against seeking a definitive experiment to test a direct causal effect of food promotion and diet and obesity" and " it was "unrealistic to expect the studies examined in the reviews to be capable of providing a definitive answer" But, despite that, they backed Hastings as "the Hastings review had provided sufficient evidence to indicate a causal link between promotional activity and children's food knowledge, preferences and behaviour"

...On one side the Government is keen "to be seen" to be doing something (some say anything) while at the same time not tackling the problem at its source in case it upsets the all powerful - and of course generous - food retailers.  On another side, ITV are using the proposed ban as a way of worming it's way out of it's statutory and - judged by a balance sheet alone - unprofitable public service requirement and finally, Sustain are...well I am not sure what their motivation is!!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>And all for &#xa3;1.99</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Childrens&#x27; TV and Food</category><dc:date>2006-10-11T19:25:06+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/98269ae41c7918a972771b8761706008-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/98269ae41c7918a972771b8761706008-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some people might call it irony, while those less charitable might call it hypocrisy.  At its best, it seems plainly unbelievable that the government are looking for scapegoats for child obesity by trying to restrict television advertising of so called junk food, while at the same time promoting the largest advert in the world for such food.  They are apparently allowing sponsorship for the 2012 London Olympics from none other than - yes you have guessed it - McDonalds!!

If the reports are to be believed, the golden arches will be on display for the whole planet to see and the majority of the visitors to the games &ndash; both adults and children - will be happily munching away at the food you are not allowed to decide about on your own telly!

Meanwhile, the effects of the proposed advertising ban will have likely decimated the Children&rsquo;s TV industry in the UK.  Kids of all ages will be denied the original and educational programming that is admired worldwide and at the same time be deprived from having their own little part of the UK culture.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>So this is a Blog?</title><dc:creator>westerly21@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-10-11T13:59:21+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/18b88d2a7df759de0c6dfab3ae6b8635-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/westerly21/myblog/files/18b88d2a7df759de0c6dfab3ae6b8635-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Well, at last I have got around to talking to my electronic therapist!  I am not sure of the value of the Blog or indeed if anyone ever gets to read them but I felt it was about time I started emptying the sludge from my head into a form whereby others might get to share and either agree with my thoughts and comments or not!  I guess it will end up being controversial to some and agreeable to others but hey.....we are all different and thankfully are still allowed the freedom of our own opinions - at least for now!!

I hope you will get to enjoy reading some of mine.......]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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