On this day...

Should really have posted this yesterday, but didn't clock it until too late. Yesterday, January 30th is/was a bit of a red-letter day - red as in blood. It was the day Charles I was executed, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, the day 13 people were killed in what has become known as "Bloody Sunday", and even more bizarrely, the day that Oliver Cromwell was posthumously executed - his body being exhumed and ceremonially beheaded and the head stuck on a pole outside Westminster Abbey. A date to be remembered - or perhaps not.

Unbelievable?

Two children whose mother is a heroin addict are being looked after by her parents - their grandparents. Social Services are involved, though it's not clear whether the children have actually been taken into care or not. The grandparents wish to continue to look after them, and the mother - who is described as a "recovering" addict, wishes for that too. Social Services have apparently decided that the grandparents are not suitable to look after the children by virtue of their age (he is 59 and she is 46) and health (no details) and have placed the children for adoption with a male homosexual couple. Those are the bald facts. Legislation places on Social Services the duty of acting in the best interest of the children. It would be interesting to know how they reached what on the face of it appears a strange decision. Unfortunately, because matters like these are shrouded in secrecy, we probably will never know.

What's in a date?

We've talked before more than once about the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar which happened in this country in 1752, and which involved, among other things, the striking out of 11 days from the calendar that year. So I was fascinated to hear about a place called Burghead up in the north of Scotland where they have their own idiosyncratic way of celebrating the New Year, and they do it on January 11th in memory of the old calendar. Of course, if you wished to nitpick (and I'm sure you'll remember that that's my forte) you could point out that since 1752 the two calendars have drifted even further apart, and that today the Julian New Year would fall on January 14th - but I thought it was a nice story.

Do you know about ContactPoint?

OK so this is something which originated well before I started this blog, but even so, how I came to miss it I don't know. It came to my attention when I read an article about politicians and celebrities being able to keep the details of their children off the database - and I thought, what database? I must have been asleep or drunk or something, but apparently back in 2004 the Children Act of that year provided for the setting up of a national database with details of every child in the country under the age of 18. Not sure whether it's fully functional yet, but it was certainly planned to be up and running by now. So all the details of my grandchildren - their names, addresses, who their parents are (and possibly who I am), where they go to school, the name of their doctor, and Heaven only knows what else is out there and available to Lord knows who. What happened to Article 8 of the European Convention? I suppose the powers that be would argue that all it's doing is pulling together information which is already on record in different places, but my immediate reaction is I'm suspicious of it, and the fact that certain privileged people are going to be able to keep their children off it makes me even more suspicious. Like I say, I am amazed I didn't clock it at the time. Perhaps it was deliberately dealt with low key?

Have you heard...

We all may have our views on the BBC's decision not to broadcast the charity appeal for aid to the inhabitants of Gaza, but the publicity which this decision has generated probably means that the matter has come to the attention of at least as many, if not more people than would have seen the appeal itself if it were broadcast. So everyone's a winner?

When in hole, stop digging.

So it's now becoming clear what the Government's response is to the current economic mess. It's "Nothing to do with me guv, it's all down to those wicked bankers". Right....

Duck...!

Everybody knows that having an airport in the middle of a dense conurbation is asking for trouble. Quite apart from the disruption to residents caused by low-flying aircraft, it really is only a matter of time before there is a disastrous accident involving an aircraft crashing into a residential area. So Heathrow is simply the wrong place to have an airport, and expanding it is just compounding the problem. Boris Johnson's plan for a new airport in the Thames Estuary will be horrendously expensive (does anyone really believe it will come in at the estimated £40 billion?) but it is clearly the right way to go.

Ha ha.

Once again, I am indebted to my Civil Service retirement magazine for this one -

Economics for Dummies

Socialism - You have two cows, and you give one to your neighbour.
Communism - You have two cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.
Fascism - You have two cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.
Nazism - You have two cows. The State takes both and shoots you.
European Unionism - You have two cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other and then throws the milk away.
Capitalism - You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. You sit there for a few years while nature takes its course and the herd multiplies, then you sell them and retire on the proceeds.

Cause and effect.

This business of compensation for the servicemen who were present at the atomic bomb tests back in the 50s is difficult. There is no doubt that they were put at risk, although the risks were not as well appreciated back then as they are today. The problem they will face is showing that the health problems they now have are directly related to those events, and would not have happened anyway. It is a sobering thought that about 1 in 3 of us will develop cancer at some time as a matter of course, so the fact that any of these servicemen are now suffering from cancer has to be seen in the light of that statistic. You might well argue that the Government has a moral responsibility towards these people, but whether there is any legal responsibility is, like I say, difficult.

Music Man

When does music cease to be music and become simply noise? I'm sure I'm going to offend countless people, but I found the performance of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at President Obama's inauguration excruciatingly terrible. It was all the worse to my ear because, of course, it is the same tune as our National Anthem. I cringed, I really cringed. If singers are going to depart from the basic tune - and there's nothing inherently wrong with that although I would have thought that this was perhaps not an appropriate occasion for such an approach - then they should do so with some regard for the underlying structure of the piece. This just turned into a bout of self-indulgent shouting and screeching - it was horrible.

The Lazy Cook

I've recently become less interested in specific recipes, and more interested in what you might call concepts - basic ideas which you can adapt to suit your mood or the ingredients you have to hand. One that I've been toying with recently is what I think of as fritter balls. The basic idea is that you grate up some vegetables into a bowl, add enough flour (plain flour, or for a change try gram flour which gives a somewhat denser texture) until the consistency is sticky but firm enough to mould into balls (you may need to add a little water depending on what vegetables you have used) and then shallow fry them in hot oil. Works particularly well with courgettes, carrots, potatoes, onions and such, but you can use pretty well anything. You can add some pre-cooked mince for more body and by using herbs and spices you can create a variety of flavours. Many countries have their own take on this basic idea, the best known of which is perhaps the Indian bhaji and pakora, but experiment and you'll be surprised (pleasantly I hope) with what you can come up with. Take a tip from me and make a note of what you use as you go - there is nothing more frustrating than coming up with something simply delicious and then never being able to replicate it, because you can't remember what you used!

What price truth?

I've ploughed this furrow before, but I am extremely concerned at the way fact and fiction are quite deliberately being allowed to become confused. The latest example is the film "Frost/Nixon" which tells the story of David Frost's TV interview with disgraced ex-president Richard Nixon. Except it doesn't. We know exactly what they said to each other, because it's all on tape, but the film has them saying completely different things. So it's a fake, a deliberate falsification - simple as that, and calling it a "dramatic retelling" doesn't alter the fact. Don't be fooled. Problem is, I fear many people who see the film will be.

Sportsman or winner?

Why can I not get enthused by Andy Murray? Here we have a genuine contender for tennis's highest prize, and yet I can't work up any real interest in him. Is it because he's an in-your-face Scot, or because he belongs to the punch the air, shout and pull silly faces school of playing? How unlike Tim Henman who I used to root for. Which brings me to the rather uncomfortable conclusion that perhaps I'd rather have a gentleman player who loses with good grace, than a raucous snarling winner. Hm....

R.I.P.

So sad to hear of the death of John Mortimer. But he has left us the priceless legacy of Horace Rumpole. So join me in a glass of Pomeroy's Chateau Thames Embankment in his memory

A new formula?

I think there is merit in Bernie Ecclestone's idea of the Formula 1 championship being decided on the number of wins rather than on the present points system. It would certainly encourage drivers to go for the win rather than settle for a safe second or third place, and so make for a more exciting and entertaining spectacle. Of course, it would mean that there would be little for the "minor" drivers to aim for, and that might affect their motivation. But on balance, it's worth trying.

Just a myth?

Is dyslexia real? An MP has suggested that it isn't, and it is just an excuse used by educationalists to cover up poor teaching. I am not qualified to comment on whether the condition exists or not, but it seems to me that the problem is that it's a bit like the "bad back" syndrome - because if it is there, it is there solely in the mind of the sufferer and is therefore impossible to gainsay. Nobody can know whether I'm in discomfort or not but me, and equally nobody can know whether I see words as jumbled up or not but me. And just as I'm sure there are those who use "bad back" as an excuse for not doing things they don't want to do, I'm equally sure there are those who use dyslexia in the same way.

Dumbing down.

There's been some darts on the telly recently, but it appears that the players can no longer simply walk on to the stage and get on with it, but must now be introduced with dry ice, fanfares and ridiculous nick-names - more as if it were going to be a wrestling match. And it is being suggested that snooker should go the same way. What does it say about the intelligence of us, the viewing public, if we cannot accept these events unless they are surrounded by this sort of stupid razzmatazz?

Music Man

This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn. Although he only lived 38 years his output was prodigious, spanning almost the whole range of composition. He wrote symphonies, concerti, chamber works, songs and choral works, and pieces for piano and organ. If you know nothing else of his, you almost certainly know his Wedding March which most couples still walk out of church to following the ceremony. He was an incomparable tunesmith and his Violin Concerto, Italian Symphony and Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream (which is where the Wedding March comes from) are perennial favourites. His sister Fanny was also a highly talented performer and composer, but because at the time music was not considered a suitable career for a woman, many of her compositions were originally published under Felix's name - and some of them still are.

Strewth!

Thank you, Cadbury, for warning me that your Dairy Milk chocolate contains milk. I never would have guessed!

Each to his own.

"There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." This statement which is appearing on the side of buses has attracted criticism from Christian groups and has resulted in complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority. I'm not sure it should be classed as an advert actually, but - although this may surprise those of you who read this blog - I am in fact opposed to it being displayed in this way. I would have no problem with Christianity, were it not for the fact that its followers see it as their duty to convert me. I am a firm believer that faith and belief, or the absence of them, is purely a personal matter, and nobody else's business. And to that end, I find any attempt like this to convert believers to atheism or agnosticism equally objectionable.

Bin matters.

Brighton are to trial continental-style street rubbish bins. This means that there will no longer be a house to house bin collection service, and it will now be up to you to take your refuse to the nearest street bin, which could be up to 150 yards away. Provided these bins are emptied daily, as they are in Spain for example, there are advantages to such a system - you don't have to stockpile rubbish at home and you don't have to worry about missing your weekly or fortnightly bin collection. But pity the person who has one of these bins outside their house, and if you're elderly or disabled then taking your rubbish to the bin may be beyond you. So it's very much a case of watch this space...

Ha ha

Apparently when the police approached Ronaldo after he'd crashed his Ferrari, his first words were "That wall wasn't 10 yards back". He then fell to the ground clutching his leg, and demanding a penalty.

I'm incandescent!

I'm one of those who are stocking up on traditional 100w light bulbs - not going over the top, but I've amassed a couple of dozen. I've nothing against the low-energy sort - I've got two or three around the house, but quite apart from my natural aversion to being told what I can and can't do, the fact of the matter is that some of my light fittings will simply not accommodate a low-energy bulb - they're just the wrong shape, and I'm buggered if I'm going to shell out for new fitments if I can avoid it. This is another example - like the decision to switch off analogue TV and radio - of those on high forcing us to spend money which we wouldn't otherwise have had to.

Ghost bus.

Here's one for our "you couldn't make it up" series which is so unbelievable as to be thoroughly believable, if you get my drift. There's a bus which runs daily between Ealing Broadway and Wandsworth Road in London. It makes one trip each way each day. It appears on no timetable and makes no stops, so not surprisingly it carries no passengers. What's it doing? Well apparently if the Government wish to close down a passenger rail service they are obliged to hold a public consultation exercise - unless that is, they can show that an alternative bus service exists which mirrors the train service they wish to close. And that's where the bus comes in - the service exists even though nobody knows about it, and this has allowed them to close down the passenger train service between these two destinations. Brilliantly diabolical!

Review of 2008

As this seems to be the time for assessing what has happened over the last 12 months, I thought I'd add my penn'orth. So, the best film I saw last year was The Simpsons Movie, simply because I went to see it with misgivings. I couldn't see how it could work - how they could bulk out the usual snappy 30-minute format into a full length film of three times that length - but it does work, and really well. The best book I read (and remember my taste is basically for thrillers) was Val McDermid's "The Grave Tattoo", which managed to weave an absorbing mystery plot around the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty and the life of William Wordsworth. And as far as music is concerned, my find of the year was coming across Jane Monheit, as a result of hearing her sing "Over the Rainbow" on the soundtrack of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". Such a pleasure to find a modern balladeer whose performances can live alongside the greats of the golden age of swing. What will this year bring?

Brrr....

Bit of a winter wonderland round here at the moment. A couple of inches of snow and freezing cold - my outdoor thermometer struggled to get above zero yesterday, and was showing minus 8.9° at 7 o'clock this morning! Without wishing to be too much of a Jeremiah I am telling anyone who will listen that this is the same weather pattern that we had in the winter of 1962-3, I think it was, and that lasted for two whole months! Mind you, things have changed since then - firstly, I am now retired so I don't have to worry about traveling around in it (I just worry about my children travelling in it instead), and secondly, I now live in a double-glazed centrally-heated house. Back then, double-glazing had scarcely been heard of, and the only heating in the house I then lived in was a coal fire. Result - you got up every morning to find that the pipes had frozen overnight and you had to thaw them out before you could get any water, and you then went out to work to find that when you came back home at tea-time, they'd all frozen up again! Nostalgia's all very well, but...

Plus ça change!

Bit of info for those who live round here. You may have seen the story of the toxic cloud which appeared over Oldbury the other day. It originated apparently from the premises of Rhodia Consumer Specialties. It's unlikely that name means anything to you, but if I tell you this used to be Albright and Wilson...?

Word play.

What are we to make of this decision by a school in Sheffield to drop the word "school" from its title and instead refer to itself as "a place for learning"? This is being done, apparently, because it is felt that the word "school" has "negative connotations". Is this just another example of talking up your place in society, as when a dinnerlady describes herself as an education centre nourishment production assistant? Or is it more about the power of words? And power can be either positive or negative. Words can either inspire us or turn us off. They can encourage or frighten us. They can make us laugh or cry. If in fact "school" is a turn-off word for some children and parents, then there is some sense in not using it. The problem is of course that it doesn't alter what the thing is that is being described. So it's just a matter of time before "a place for learning" attracts the same negative connotations. And then what do you do?

A right pane!

Good grief - the paint is scarcely dry on Windows Vista, and already Windows 7 is waiting in the wings. Is there no end to Microsoft's greed? I'm still happy with XP, but how long before they pull the plug on that and force me to fork out for an upgrade? What other product is there where, having bought it, you have to put your hand in your pocket every few years simply in order to carry on using it?

I'll say!

"The head of a health trust has said a patient who died after being delayed in a Kent A&E department for several hours had waited too long." Sort of stating the obvious, isn't it?

Happy New Year to you all...

...and three rousing cheers for Scotland, where as from today parking fees at hospitals have been abolished. Is it too much to hope for that we will follow suit and get rid of this wicked tax on misfortune?