I am taking a break from the computer.

Back in 2007

Is it time to restrict the number of immigrants to the UK?

Or should we encourage them - to add to the diversity of this country?

Government figures show that more than 1,500 foreigners, who were intending to stay for at least a year, arrived in Britain every day last year. That is a rate of nearly one a minute.

"Migrationwatch" said the figures were probably an underestimate.

It said immigration from Eastern Europe accounted for just over one in five foreign immigrants last year — the majority of the others were from Asia and Africa.

During 2005 around 565,000 people came to live here for at least a year. Meanwhile, more than 380,000 people (half of whom were British citizens), left Britain to live abroad.

That means the country's net population rose by 500 a day, or 185,000 during the year

Prospective immigrants should acquire a copy of the book shown in my heading:

THE FAST TRACK TO THE UK

How to find a Job in the UK – FREE!

(A bargain at only £10 - reduced from £14.99) !

Here is a news story you may have missed last week:

Santa Claus was forced to swap his traditional red and white hat for protective headgear after children pelted him with mince pies in Scotland.

Last year, the center's Father Christmas was set upon by youths calling a him a “fraud and a fake.”

On my poetry blog today, I have posted Longfellow's "Christmas Bells", which contains the line "peace on earth, good will to men".

That is also the way it is written in the King James version of St Luke's Gospel - "On earth peace, good-will toward men."

But is that right?

The Latin version is "Glória in excélsis Deo et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis", which literally translated says, “Glory to God in the highest and, on earth, peace to men of good-will.”

Surely that makes more sense?

YES, BUT WHAT KIND OF NAVY?

Britain's armed forces could be reduced to a "tinpot gendarmerie" because of a lack of investment, the former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Alan West, has warned.

He has expressed concern that plans for two new aircraft carriers may be scrapped and said that Britain's world power status was at risk without them.

He said reshaping the forces for "anti-terror" campaigns in places like Iraq may risk the UK's long-term security.

Sir Alan warned that in 10 years' time the threat facing the UK could be something "far more dangerous than terrorism in central Asia".

He said that by spending money on running rather than developing the armed forces "all we could be left with is an armed forces that is effectively a gendarmerie.

"And I suppose we would retire to our island and hope that no-one gets to us."

SIR JOSEPH: I am the monarch of the sea,
The ruler of the Queen's Navee,
Whose praise Great Britain loudly chants.
COUSIN HEBE. And we are his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
REL. And we are his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
SIR JOSEPH. When at anchor here I ride,
My bosom swells with pride,
And I snap my fingers at a foeman's taunts;
COUSIN HEBE. And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
ALL. And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
SIR JOSEPH. But when the breezes blow,
I generally go below,
And seek the seclusion that a cabin grants;
COUSIN HEBE. And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
ALL. And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts!
His sisters and his cousins, Whom he reckons up by dozens, And his aunts!

H.M.S. Pinafore

After several days of chaos at London Airport, the fog seems to be lifting at last.

Just in time for the Christmas flights - reindeer et al.

STEWARDESS BANNED FROM TAKING BIBLE ON PLANE

Following the recent case of the BA employee who was told not to wear a cross whilst on duty, a BMI stewardess is taking her arline to court because it has said that she must not carry a bible on flights to Saudi Arabia.

The woman, who is understood to be a committed Christian, takes her bible everywhere she goes and is now going to an industrial tribunal claiming discrimination on religious grounds.

She has been told by BMI that it is against Saudi law to bring in religious books other than the Koran.

On its web site the Foreign Office says of Saudi Arabia: "The importation and use of narcotics, alcohol, pork products and religious books, apart from the Koran, and artefacts are forbidden."

"We will be on the look-out for shepherds, wise men and an unusually bright star in the sky over Chester Zoo this Christmas."

Keepers at Chester Zoo are expecting a virgin birth, well possibly several, around Christmas Day.

Their Komodo dragon lizard "Flora", who has never been with a male, (or so she says!) has laid 8 fertile eggs.

The process of giving birth without the involvement of a male is known as 'Parthenogenesis' and it has been found to take place in about 70 species of vertebrates.

As well as lizards, it has occurred in some snakes, fish, and even a turkey!

But never in human beings.

Wreckages of cars have been placed in accident blackspots in Kent as part of a Christmas road safety campaign.

The scheme has been organised by the county's police force and Medway Council to warn motorists about the dangers of speeding and drink-driving.

Pc Andy Ledger said the cars had been positioned so the safety message could reach as many motorists as possible.

Police were keen to urge people to avoid alcohol when driving, rather than limiting their drink, he added.

"There is no sure way to tell how your body reacts to drinking and if you are in fact over the limit.

"To ensure that we can be as effective as possible we are asking for people to contact us if they know of someone driving while intoxicated," he said.

"Though I understand some people could feel uneasy about doing this, they may just save somebody's life."

Would you shop a driver who was unfit through drink?

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE

"PEACE ON EARTH - GOODWILL TO MEN"

An Israeli border policeman fires a tear gas canister at Palestinian demonstrators.

This new portrait of the Queen has caused quite a stir in London.

It is by the New York artist, George Condo, who described his painting of Her Majesty as "a Cabbage Patch doll."

He added that in creating the work, titled "Dreams and Nightmares of The Queen", he imagined the image to depict what Queen Elizabeth's "nightmare" image of herself would be.

It could have been worse!

Condo's original intention was to paint the Queen as a nude in the style of Spanish artist Diego Velazquez's painting "Venus at Her Toilet", which hangs at the National Gallery in London.

The painting depicts the goddess lying on a bed looking into a mirror held by Cupid, with the face of an older woman reflected back at her.

However, Condo was told nude portraits of the Royal Family are not permitted in public institutions.

Thank goodness we have been spared!

Glass-Bottomed Grand Canyon Skywalk - 4000 Feet High!

The construction of a spectacular glass walkway 4,000 feet above the Grand Canyon has split an impoverished Indian tribe that will benefit from its completion.

While many in Arizona's 2,200-member Hualapai tribe are counting on the multi-million-pound venture to salvage their fortunes, some tribal elders have come out in opposition.

Even though the Skywalk promises vital revenue from tourism, elders say it disturbs land they consider sacred.

Tourists will pay $25 to experience the Skywalk, which has been financed by David Jin, a businessman from Shanghai.

The attraction will be owned by the Hulapai - but Mr Jin will collect up to half of the income from ticket sales for the next 25 years.

It is set to open in March 2007.

Is it a place you would visit?

Or do you think it is an unwelcome intrusion on the natural beauty of the Hulapai tribe's native territory?

Tony Blair faced the humiliation yesterday of becoming the first serving prime minister to be interviewed by the police in the corruption inquiry into "cash for honours".

LETTER TO THE TIMES:

"We must take global warning seriously.
It is December and I have been bitten by a mosquito."

A vicar in Dorset has defended his decision to ban Father Christmas from a church carol service.

Reverend Tim Storey, who was leading the service at St Peter and St Paul's Church in Blandford, asked Henry Cuff to remove a costume he was wearing.

Mr Cuff, a member of the town's Lions Club, refused to take the Santa outfit off and left the building.

Mr Storey said his job was to place the birth of Jesus Christ at the heart of Christmas celebrations.

In a website statement, he said: "I do not believe that Father Christmas should be a part of church services any more than Santa's grotto should have a manger and a baby Jesus present.

"Keeping the two distinct is important for both."

Two years ago at Sandringham the Queen met Santa outside the church

The Plain English Society has announced its annual awards of 'Golden Bulls' for the most obscure language and howlers.

The superstar model Naomi Campbell received one for saying how much she adores traditional English food - particularly "a lovely bowl of pasta".

Another recipient of an award was the feminist author Germaine Greer, who wrote in "The Guardian": "The first attribute of the art object is that it creates a discontinuity between itself and the unsynthesised manifold."

And how about these?

A recruitment advertisement: "Our client is a pan-European start-up leveraging current cutting edge IP (already specified) with an outstanding product/value solutions set."

Crafts Council of Ireland in a circular letter: "The re-writing of the vocabulary of intemporal Irish heritage is a possible vector for submissions on the condition that this transposition is resolutely anchored in the 21st century through a contemporary lens."

Some people are quite happy with having very little and occasionally none at all - at least for a short time. (But that makes them very grumpy.)

Here is an interesting fact - It is, apparently, dangerous to have eight hours sleep a night.

Adults who sleep eight hours a night or more die younger than those who sleep only six to seven hours a night.

A study, conducted by the University of California and involving 1.1 million people showed that a significantly larger number of people who slept eight or more hours (or less than four hours) died during the six-year study period.

So, get it right!

There is growing revolt at attempts to turn Christmas into a "winter festival" and ignore the religious association.

A recent survey of 2,300 employers by a law firm found that 74 per ent of managers were not allowing any festive decorations in their workplaces this year.

Schools are ignoring nativity plays and firms would rather send cards wishing "Happy Holidays" then "Merry Christmas", it appears.

However, some people have spoken out about this absurd political correctness.

Gordon Brown has condemned attempts to change traditional festivities and the Archbishop of York said "illiberal atheists" and secularists were trying to undermine Christian beliefs.

John Reid, the Home Secretary, joined the debate by saying he was "sick and tired" of the sort of political correctness which has meant Christmas cannot be called "Christmas".

The Right Rev David Gillett, chairman of the Christian Muslim Forum, said cards should say "Happy Christmas" or "Greetings at Christmas". "That's what it is," he said. "People of whatever religions or faiths are not wanting Christmas to be secularised."

Christians are unlikely to cause offence if they send their Muslim, Hindu or Jewish neighbours a card bearing the "C" word, he said.

One Daily Telegraph reader wrote "We are a Sikh family and love Christmas. My message to Christian leaders is to stop apologising and restore confidence in the Church."

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, attacked what he called the "politically correct posturing" of public bodies who avoided the term "Christmas".

"I would hope that councils, parliaments and other public bodies will no longer feel they have to contort their language to avoid mention of the word 'Christmas'," he said. "I am certain that there never was a real risk of alienating or marginalising those of other faiths, as was often claimed."

And Jack Straw, the Leader of The House Commons, has said: "I've never met a Christian who isn't delighted to recognise Yom Kippur, nor Eid, nor Diwali. Nor have I met a Muslim who denies my right to celebrate the birth of Christ."

A "Happy Christmas Everyone" !

Which one is the REAL Father Christmas?

Believe it or not - this 26.62 carat diamond is valued at £2,675,000.

It is for sale at a shopping centre in Nanning in China's Guangxi province.

Does anyone love you enough to buy (or steal) this for you?

"ONE IS 80"

The Queen's closest friends, courtiers and family members descended on the Ritz Hotel , in London, yesterday to attend a party organised by Lady Elizabeth Anson to celebrate the monarch's 80th birthday.

One of the more glamorous guests was Lady Helen Taylor (42) daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

She is an ambassador for the fashion house Armani and jeweller Bulgari.

She is also 25th in the line of succession to the British Throne.

This is a photo of me, taken earlier this year.

But how old do I look?

I have recently come across a new website: www.howoldami.com

You are presented randomly with a series of photos (mostly female) and invited to guess the age of the person.

An average is then produced.

Since yesterday only 3 people (including me) seem to have voted on me - and I outrageously under-estimated my own age!

The result is that I am considered to be 14 years younger than I really am.

P.S. You can find me on the website at 'New Photos'.

Please vote, but do not select my age as 99!

A report today has confirmed what many of us already believe - The cost of living for many British households is up to four times the Government's published rate of inflation.

Millions of families are experiencing inflation far beyond the official rate of 2.4 per cent.

Pensioners are the hardest hit, with inflation rates of almost nine per cent, as record gas and electricity bills take a massive slice out of their budgets.

The revelation comes only days after the Government said there were no plans this year for extra cash for pensioners' winter fuel payments.

Both middle class and struggling families are also shown to be experiencing inflation well above the national average, as the increased costs of household bills, education and petrol erode their earnings.

However, the increasingly large number of young Britons living at home with their parents — and not paying mortgages or bills — experienced deflation of 2.1 per cent, since many of the items they spend their money on, such as clothes and electrical goods, are falling in price.

A Merry Christmas to you all.

Following an increase (either alleged or real) in cases of "date rape", police forces across the country have been urging the use of notices like the above to draw attention to the danger of spiked drinks.

Staff have been dropping cocktail stirrers bearing an awareness label into drinks left unattended to remind clubgoers someone could easily have tampered with them.

Stickers with the message "this could have been stolen" are being placed on other unattended personal items.

A good thing - or an unwelcome intrusion?

Millions of urban motorists could find themselves paying up to £24.57 ($49) a day just to go to work under recommendations from the Government's transport adviser.

In his report, published today, Sir Rod Edington said that motorists should pay at least £1.28 ($2.53) a mile to drive on the country's busiest roads at the height of the rush hour.

The cost could be even higher for owners of "Chelsea Tractors" and other gas-guzzlers with the worst environmental credentials, with Sir Rod supporting the principle of varying pricing charges according to CO2 emissions.

He said drivers and other transport users should pay the environmental cost of the way in which they travelled.

Do you agree?

So do we in the UK - well some of us do.

With the exchange rate approaching £1 = $2, we can buy cheaper in the US - either when we are there visiting, or on the Internet.

But it is not such good news for the London tourist industry. The number of American visitors to this country declines as the dollar falls.

However, Bush is a happy man. Why is that?

An America professor has said that the falling dollar, while causing distress and possible calamity for billions of human beings, benefits the "Bush Gang."

The truth is that the dollar's decline is mainly good for themselves and their friends, and bad mainly for those about whom they couldn't care less.