Monthly Archives: September 2009

General This is Stupid

Why I'll never complain about the British weather again

September 24, 2009 – 4:56 pm

We, the British, are experts about complaining over our weather. Yet other countries suffer far worse in extreme changes in their weather than we get here.

One example of this was in Australia, when the city of Sydney was hit by a major dust storm on Wednesday, the worst in nearly seven decades. Public transport was disrupted, flights into the city had to be diverted, and even many locals were forced to wear masks in order to reduce the risk of breathing it in. A huge clean up operation is now underway.

Compare the quick response over there to what happened during the snowfall that hit Britain earlier this year. Response to the emergency was slow, despite that fact that it was known that the bad weather was heading our way, and as the result, although the disruption lasted a few days, the knock-on effect of that took several weeks for public bodies to get back to normal.

Other countries have regular hurricanes, some are at the constant risk of flooding and earthquakes, and others have monsoons. We in Britain should be blessed with the fact that we don’t get these extreme conditions. I know I am.

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General Media

Row over Saturday Night TV "Clash"

September 19, 2009 – 1:40 pm

A public row which flared up over the clashed scheduling of two entertainment shows reaches fever pitch tonight.

On BBC1, Strictly Come Dancing will start at 7.25, while on ITV1,The “X” Factor will start at 8 O’Clock. Both shows attract huge family audiences, which is rare these days where many people can have access to 100-plus channels on their TVs. To be honest, I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Nearly every household has either a video or DVD recorder, so you can watch one and record the other to see later. You can even watch the repeat showings on Sunday or throughout the week if you have subscribed to an On-Demand service.

This row, at a time when Britain is facing economic turmoil, and that our soldiers are being killed in Afghanistan for a war the public didn’t want, seems very pathetic, don’t you think?

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Current Affairs General This is Stupid

Goodbyee….

September 19, 2009 – 1:18 pm

goodbyeeee

There was sad news for the capital’s commuters when The London Paper freesheet ceased publication yesterday. It was a rare defeat for the otherwise successful Murdoch-owned News International newspapers.

.

From Monday, there will be only two freesheets left, Metro and London Lite. Both of them are published by the owners of the notorious Daily Mail. Is there any chance that they could be reported to the Office of Fair Trading for anti-competitive practices?

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Current Affairs General

The Politics of Spending Cuts

September 14, 2009 – 4:57 pm

According to every news commentator, the United Kingdom is heavily in debt, and there have been calls for the government to rein in public spending in a bid to keep finances under control…. the question is… how?

Politicians from all three main parties are now tripping over themselves telling people when and where they intend to make cuts. Nobody at this time in the recession has made the case for increased spending. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, here in a speech to the Trades Union Congress, and a few of his Labour government ministers were forced to admit that public spending cuts were necessary. The opposition Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have both signalled that they would go further than what the government could propose, but wouldn’t tell us where.

To me, this debate over the country’s finances sounds both ridiculous and downright dishonest. First of all, this country- like any other- is not a business. One cannot conduct affairs like the way a supermarket is managed. Many of us may hate the state, but we pay our taxes towards it, and we have a duty to make sure it delivers and supports good public services. I would rather people in positions of power and influence be open and honest about what they intend to do, rather than make veiled threats which sometimes turn to nothing….

Look around you… our schools, hospitals, nurseries, railways, and more…. will all be put at risk if these demands for spending cuts gathers momentum…. because they will be some of the first services they will want to reduce.

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General Media

Not Another Michael Jackson Revelation

September 14, 2009 – 4:57 pm

Michael Jackson has only been buried less than a couple of weeks, yet more so-called revelations over his private life continue to be published in the tabloid press.

In the Daily Mirror today, there’s the story of ‘secret sister’ Johvonnie Jackson, who feels that she has been shunned by most members of the famous family for most of her life. She recalls when, on a rare occasion that she saw his famous brother:

“….Michael looked at me and seemed cold. He just said, ‘Hi’, and then saw my daughter Yasmine and was fascinated with her…. He never acknowledged that I was his sister, there was no hug or kiss, not even a handshake. No physical contact at all…”

It’s frustrating that dead people can’t defend themselves when they are heavily criticised in this way by either fellow family members or by those they know.

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