GRUMPY OLD MAN

HERE COMES SUMMER

2012-05-21T09:50:29+02:00

Britain is on course for hotter weather than Spain and Greece this week - only three weeks after the most miserable April on record.

Temperatures could soar to 26C (78.8F) in some parts, beating the UK's hottest day of 2012 so far by three degrees.

The Met Office said Britain could see higher temperatures than Mediterranean sunspot Majorca and Greek holiday island Corfu, where the mercury is only expected to reach 24C.

The hotter weather will come as a relief to many after Britain saw the wettest April since records began in 1910.

The month ended with 36 flood warnings in place across England and Wales, and May did not start much better.

Already this month, there has been snow in County Durham and Wolverhampton.

Londoners have been pelted with hail, and heavy rain has flooded Cambridgeshire roads.

(Daily Mail)

Note: My photo shows the 'London Beach', near Tower Bridge, on a hot summer's day in the 1950s, when I was a teenager.em>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ijjDlbcI9w

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PRINCE CHARLES PRESENTS THE WEATHER FORECAST

2012-05-18T11:24:34+02:00

http://www.lbc.co.uk/watch-prince-charles-shines-in-tv-weather-54717

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THE UK WILL PAY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

2012-05-16T08:41:02+02:00

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A ROOM WITH A VIEW

2012-05-14T20:52:18+02:00

(Click on image to enlarge)

BUT WOULD YOU PAY £65 MILLION ($105 MILLION) ?

# Lavish five-bedroom property is one of only handful ever to reach open market
# Eighth-floor apartment boasts panoramic views of Hyde Park and Knightsbridge
# Development saw one flat sell for £136m last year
# Buyer will join roll call of billionaire residents in one of London's lowest council tax brackets

It is a central London pied-a-terre with a price tag that only the world's richest can afford to pay. A lavish apartment at the Candy & Candy development One Hyde Park has come up for sale - one of only a handful of properties in the billionaire-friendly block to reach the open market - and it could be yours for a cool £65m.

The five-bedroom flat, described on property finding website zoopla.co.uk as 'exceptional', has magnificent panoramic views of Hyde Park and Knightsbridge and has been fitted out to the highest specifications.

Apartment C.08.1, marketed by luxury estate agents Aylesford & Co, appeared on zoopla four days ago and is already attracting a flurry of interest.

In the literature, the apartment is said to stretch out across the entire floor plate of 'pavilion C', on the 8th floor, enjoying some of the city's finest views from picture windows running the length of the property.

But while there will be many eager to catch a glimpse of the interior of the opulent development, industry insiders told MailOnline that there will likely be some system in place at the selling agents Aylesford & Co to prevent the curious carpet-treader from gaining entry just to have a look around.

Agencies who have previously represented properties at One Hyde Park agencies have requested proof that any interested party should be able to afford the purchase of the property. It is likely that Aylesford & Co will use a similar system.

'Other agencies who've marketed properties in the building have demanded financial paperwork to stop rubber-neckers getting in. There are so many people who just want to have a look but have no intention of buying, and the other residents at the development are incredibly private people, and some of the world's wealthiest,' they told us.

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IT'S CHEAPER UP NORTH

2012-05-11T10:27:45+02:00

High street chains are operating a North-South ‘price apartheid’ on everything from a cup of coffee to a visit to the cinema.

Many items are considerably cheaper in a northern city such as Hull compared with somewhere like Hammersmith, West London.

The Greggs chain, for example, charges 85p for a large sausage roll in Hammersmith, which is almost 30 per cent more than the 66p it charges in Hull.

A similar pattern is seen with other household names such as McDonald’s, Domino’s pizza, Odeon, Cineworld, David Lloyd gyms, Wetherspoons and Beefeater. Even items such as budget hotel rooms are pricier in the South.

It might be assumed that a chain such as McDonald’s has the same prices across the country, however, a Filet-O-Fish is 10p more in Hammersmith than Hull at £2.49. There is also a 10p mark-up on a large black coffee, taking it up to £1.69.

The snapshot survey has lifted the lid on the extent to which chains apply different prices for the same products and services. The firms insist this is because it is cheaper to do business in terms of rents, rates and staff costs in the North.

The selection of food and drink offered by Wetherspoons or Beefeater is largely the same, regardless of the location. However, a burger or a pint will be much cheaper in the North.

Research found that Wetherspoons' pub, the William Morris, in Hammersmith charges £6.20 for fish and chips, a full £1 more than the same dish at the The Three John Scotts in Hull.

A roast beef dinner is also £1 more at £6.25, while a chicken Caesar salad is 39p more at £5.49. These dishes are identical across the two outlets.

When it comes to beer, a pint of Heineken in 70p more at £3.75, as is Stella at £3.65, while Guinness is 31p more at £3.20. Wine is also more expensive with a large glass of Shiraz Grant Burge, Benchmark Australia 76p more at £4.65.

A similar pattern was found at two Beefeater outlets – The Ketch, at Willerby, which is six miles from Hull, and the Travellers Rest, in Harrow.

A 7oz fillet steak with all the trimmings is £16.49 in London, which is 50p more than the same dish in Willerby, while a 9oz beefburger is also 50p more at £10.99

Even a prawn cocktail, made using the same ingredients, is 30p more at £4.99.

Some of the biggest differences were seen on the price of membership at David Lloyd health clubs. The monthly cost at its Kensington outlet came in at £99.75, which was more than double the £46 for a comparable deal in Hull.

Official figures make clear that people earn considerably more in the south, but housing costs are also vastly more expensive.

The typical median public sector salary in London is £610.70 a week, which is around 50per cent higher than in Hull. However, the average house price in Hammersmith of £550,000 is some 417per cent higher than the Hull average of £106,250.

Consequently, someone with a 60per cent repayment mortgage is likely to be paying £1,829 a month in Hammersmith, compared to £356 in Hull.

(Abridged from an article in MailOnline)

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JUMPING THE QUEUE AT HEATHROW

2012-05-09T10:22:53+02:00

VIP

'BEST KEPT SECRET'

Wealthy travellers can pay £1,800 to jump long immigration queues at Heathrow airport.

The service, described as Heathrow's 'best kept' secret has outraged critics at a time when many passengers are forced to endure a three-hour wait to enter the country.

And it follows claims long queues and staff shortages have forced customs officials to stop screening travellers for arms and drugs.

Passengers who pay the £1,800 fee are whisked by limousine from their aircraft to a VIP suite, where they can sip champagne while their passports are checked and their luggage is brought to them.

The fee covers up to six passengers, who are given priority treatment, even if airport staff are stretched by long queues inside the terminal.

Staff shortages, caused by recent government cutbacks, have been blamed for weeks of chaos at Britain's airports.

Some travellers arriving in the UK have had to endure queues of three hours to pass through immigration, prompting huge numbers of complaints.

Police officers have been called in on several occasions in recent weeks to control impatient passengers who had attempted to force their way through immigration without having their passports checked.

(MailOnline)

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THE CAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

2012-05-07T11:23:15+02:00

DID DINOSAURS CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE?

Huge creatures may be to blame because they produced so much flatulence, say scientists.

Dinosaurs may be partly to blame for a change in climate because they created so much flatulence, according to leading scientists.

Professor Graeme Ruxton of St Andrews University, Scotland, said the giant animals spent 150 years emitting the potent global warming gas, methane.

Large plant-eating sauropods would have been the main culprits because of the huge amounts of greenery they consumed.

The team calculated the animals would have collectively produced more than 520m tons of methane a year - more than all today's modern sources put together.

It is thought these huge amounts could easily have been enough to warm the planet.

One of the animals, a 90-ton argentinosaurus, which measured 140ft in length, would have consumed at least half a ton of food in one day.

After breaking down in the animal's stomach it would have produced thousands of litres of the greenhouse gas compared with a modern cow which only produces 200 litres of methane daily.

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OFFICIALLY WE ARE STILL IN DROUGHT

2012-05-04T08:47:35+02:00

Caption reads: 'Welcome to the UK, folks. Please swim over to the arrivals building and join the queues.'

(MATT)

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MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I'M A LONDONER . . .

2012-05-02T08:39:05+02:00

. . . THAT I LOVE LONDON SO

Tube delays, soaring prices, feral youths, rioting... you would think such things would deter tourists from visiting London.

But now, for the first time ever, Britain's capital city has been named the best place to visit on the planet - after jumping from eighth to first place.

And with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics almost upon us, it could not have come at a better time.

The league table, compiled by tourist feedback website TripAdvisor, is based on analysis of tens of millions of reviews by visitors to 440 destinations around the world, the Evening Standard reported.

It is a remarkable achievement for a city that, a few years ago, was widely seen as grubby, grey and expensive.

In 2010, London did not feature in the top three in Britain, beaten by Edinburgh, Brighton and York.

But the combined draw of spectacles such as the West End show War Horse and free attractions, from great museums and parks to street markets such as Portobello Road, has transformed the capital’s global image.

Gordon Innes, chief executive of the capital’s tourism agency, London & Partners, said its top position was 'a testament to the wonderful array of attractions, dining and accommodation that set London apart from all these other destinations'.

One traveller from Los Angeles wrote: 'London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. It’s a virtual historical theme park. There are more free galleries and museums than anywhere in the world.'

A few other views:

Traveller from Thailand: 'I love the flower market in east London on a Sunday morning, full of colours, and also Spitalfields market.'

From Illinois, US: 'I love London. There is so much to do, one almost needs a month to see it. The city is rich in history, nostalgia. beauty… and pubs. It has something for everyone.'

From Rome: 'So much of what London has to offer is free. It’s unbelievable.'

From Portugal: 'I totally fell in love with London, its history, its monuments, its river, its parks, shopping markets etc.'

From Chennai, India: 'It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Nice parks, gardens and locations to visit. Go and check it out yourself.'

From Hong Kong: 'Our visit would not be complete if we hadn’t visited a local pub and eaten fish and chips with a glass of beer.'

From Haifa, Israel: 'The most interesting place I’ve ever visited.'

(From MailOnline)

London Pride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PEOtZPHDjU

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TOO CONTACTABLE?

2012-04-30T10:05:38+02:00

DOES YOUR CREDIT CARD HAVE THE ABOVE SYMBOL?

If so, you may be at serious risk of fraud. The Sun Newspaper recently published this article:

ROBBED BY RADIOWAVES
*Electronic scam threatens 20m Brits
*Thieves lift bank details by walking past

The threat comes following the introduction of new "contactless” bank cards which shoppers swipe through a reader to pay for goods.

Fraudsters are using mobile card readers, similar to those found in stores, to access bank cards in wallets and handbags. It allows them to steal their victims' details without even touching them.

Most big chains, including Waitrose, the Co-op, Boots, Pret A Manger and Subway now offer contactless card readers at checkouts.

Customers can swipe debit cards to pay for transactions totalling less than £15 — doing away with the need for chip and pin.

The technology — known as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) — transmits details via a radio signal, which is implanted in bank cards which carry a special symbol.

The payment method is intended to cut queuing times in shops — but fraud gangs are taking the same technology to the streets.

According to the UK Cards Association there are 19.6million cards with contactless functionality in the UK and 73,000 terminals in shops and restaurants.

An RFID reader enables thieves to read a stranger's card simply by walking past them — and the devices cost as little as £7 online, We demonstrated how easy it is to commit the crime — known as "RFID skimming” — with a reader we bought for £200.

We used it to skim the details of three people's cards in Greenwich, South East London, after explaining to them what we were about to do.

Our reporter first walked within three feet of dance school manager Amanda Davey with the reader in his pocket.
In seconds the machine bleeped, indicating it had picked up the signal from the card in her purse.

Tony Sales, an anti-fraud expert from security company Rid Fraud, showed us how it worked.

He explained: "You've now got her 16-digit card number, expiry date and name. I can transfer these details to a blank RFDI card, which you can buy online for about £100 for a thousand.

"Then we've got an exact clone of her card, which we can use all day long in shops with contactless checkouts. Or we can simply go shopping online.

"This particular reader has a function called ‘continual scan' so I can walk across a train station platform with it on. By the time I've got to the other end I could have hundreds of details.

The details we took were enough to rack up huge bills with a number of big internet retailers.

Even Amazon, one of the world's biggest internet shopping sites, do not ask for the three digit security code on the back of the card if it is a Visa — which is information that can't be skimmed.

We were able to open a new Amazon account with the details of the skimmed card, link it to our address and buy some books.

Contactless card readers are exploding in popularity. The Olympics site in East London is currently being fitted with 3,000 contactless Visa readers ready for the Games.

(abridged)

P.S. But before you cut up your RFID bank cards or lock them away in a box, there is a simple and cheap trick to ensure your card is never skimmed. Tin foil blocks all RFID signals — so lining your wallet or purse with it is a sure way to keep your card details secure.

RIP OFF!

2012-04-29T08:46:01+02:00

The price of razor blade cartridges has surged by as much as 99 per cent in just three years – driving many men to adopt designer stubble.

The cartridges cost less than 10p to make, but shoppers are being charged as much as £3.49 each.

The biggest player, Gillette, has imposed a stealth price rise by cutting the number of replacement cartridges in its Mach3 Turbo packs from five to four.

The smaller pack did not bring a corresponding cut in the price, leaving men paying at least 20 per cent more.

At Asda, the price per cartridge has risen by 99 per cent over a three-year period.

n 2009, the chain condemned razor manufacturers for their high prices and won plaudits for slashing the cost of a five-cartridge pack of Gillette’s Mach3 blades from £8 to £5.

However, it has since pushed the price back up, to £7.99 for a smaller pack of four, which means the cost per cartridge has risen from £1 to just under £2.

If that were not painful enough, replacement cartridges for Gillette’s top-of-the-range Fusion ProGlide can be as much as £3.49 each.

The high price of razor blade cartridges has led to them becoming the most shoplifted item on the high street, with stores forced to resort to electronic security tags and CCTV to protect their stock.

At the same time, men worried about making ends meet are either trying to make their razor blades last longer, with the resulting scrapes and cuts – or ditching their shaving regime and opting for designer stubble.

(MailOnline)

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DROUGHT RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE DESPITE DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN

2012-04-27T11:06:21+02:00

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IS GLOBAL WARMING JUST HOT AIR?

2012-04-25T10:24:53+02:00

World temperatures have risen by just 0.29C in the last two decades

* 'Green' policy burdens will cost families £267 a year extra by 2030

World temperatures have remained almost stagnant in the last two decades, new figures have revealed.

Temperatures across the globe rose by around a third of a degree last year from the average of 14 degrees Celsius recorded between 1961 and 1990.

In some years, temperatures rose by just 0.29 degrees C while in others they rose by .53 degrees.

The findings come as consumers feel the full force of a raft of environment policies introduced by the coalition and the previous Labour government in the name of climate change.

By 2030, ‘green’ policy burdens could cost families an extra £267 a year and have already raised current energy bills by £78 annually.

The figures on global temperatures were published by Environment Minister Gregory Barker in a parliamentary answer to Tory MP Anne Main.

The figures were unveiled as an environmental guru and maverick scientist admitted that he may have been ‘alarmist’ about climate change.

James Lovelock, who warned that billions would die before the end of this century and only the Arctic would be fit for human habitation, said: ‘The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened.’

The 92-year-old told MSNBC in America: ‘The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now. The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium. Twelve years is a reasonable time… it (the temperature) has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising.’

He said: 'The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing,' he told 'We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear cut, but it hasn’t happened.

'The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world.

'[The temperature] has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising - carbon dioxide is rising, no question about that.'

(MailOnline)

I hate to say "Told you so", but for many years I have been very sceptical about global warming. It has been a big con, based on false information, and it has cost us plenty as governments and big business have jumped on the bandwagon.

And don't start talking to me about wind-power!

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CLEANING YOUR TOILET WITH A COKE

2012-04-20T09:51:46+02:00

Is your toilet full of lime-scale and other nasty stains that you just can't get rid of with conventional methods? Don't worry just reach for the fridge, and grab yourself a Coke!

Approach your toilet with a can or bottle of Coke, depending on the amount of stains you have to clean, and pour it into and around the bowl.

Let it sit for one hour whilst the phosphoric acid in the Coke removes your stains, and then brush and flush it clean! Nice and Shiny! Done!

(YouTube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPCx9J6tROk

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UK DROUGHT TO LAST UNTIL CHRISTMAS

2012-04-17T09:57:52+02:00

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KING BURGER, ANMANI AND NAKE

2012-04-16T10:01:39+02:00

The astonishing array of fake brands made in China.

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HOSPITALS DISCHARGE PATIENTS IN NIGHT TO FREE BEDS

2012-04-13T10:50:19+02:00

'Wakey wakey, Mr Beasly. Two o'clock in the morning and we think you're well enough to go home now'

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EASY PEEL

2012-04-12T07:51:20+02:00

How to peel a potato using just water, both hands, and NO knife

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RV_3xpnUnHQ

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TEA FOR TWO - £170

2012-04-11T09:41:13+02:00

DOES THAT INCLUDE SERVICE?

The cup of tea is an iconic symbol of Britain enjoyed across the country by everyone from builders to barristers.

But put the words ‘high’ or ‘afternoon’ before tea - and it could cost you a fortune.

Delicate pastries, silver platters and cucumber sandwiches mean the afternoon meal has become the preserve of the posh - served up with an equally exclusive price-tag.

Top-of-the-range teas can now cost up to £85 a person in some London hotels, Which? has reported.

But the consumer watchdog says it’s the London hotels that really take the biscuit.

And the prize for most expensive tea in London?

The Lanesborough, which offers an £85 afternoon tea, accompanied by a glass of Prestige Krug Champagne.

Afternoon teas at the sought-after Ritz, where it’s advisable to book months in advance, start at £42, rising to £64 if you fancy a little fizz with your tea.

In the report entitled: ‘The cost of afternoon tea - high tea or highway robbery?’, Which? senior travel researcher Guy Hobbs said: 'Can the swanky surroundings and silver service really justify such an enormous mark-up on the price of a cuppa and a few cakes?'

'Now I understand you’re not just paying for the tea; it’s all about the experience, the historic setting, the choice of 200 types of tea, the classically trained pianist in the corner, the expert advice of the tea sommelier and the chef’s artistry with choux pastry.

'And someone’s got to polish each silver teaspoon every time it’s used.

'But at these prices, it’s hard not to start wondering how much the constituent ingredients would cost you in a supermarket - £3? £5? Surely not more than a tenner?

'And it’s then that your cup of oak-smoked Earl Grey could start to leave a bitter taste.

'Especially when you consider that afternoon tea is such big business. And numbers are expected to rise during the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics.'

(Daily Mail)

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THE HIGH LIFE

2012-04-10T08:00:50+02:00

London has a brand new traffic-calming measure and it's a project of Olympic proportions.

These 300ft white pillars are part of a sleek new cable car system which will ferry Olympics spectators over the River Thames between the two Games venues.

Gondolas will glide over cables suspended between the futuristic towers, which link the 02 Arena on the south bank of the Thames to the ExCel exhibition centre in east London.

The O2 will host events including the gymnastics and basketball finals, while the ExCel centre features seven Olympic events and six Paralympic sports.

Up to 34 gondolas will run across the river, each carrying a maximum of 10 passengers.

Transport for London (TfL) hopes that up to 2,500 people will use the cable cars every hour - the equivalent of 40 buses.

As well as reducing pressure on the capital's road system, the gondolas will offer tourists and commuters panoramic views over the London skyline.

The consortium of builders behind the project has been led by contractor Mace, whose past projects include the London Eye and the Shard, the iconic pyramid-shaped skyscraper under construction near London's Tower Bridge.

Though they bridge a gap just two thirds of a mile wide, the cable cars have cost an eyewatering £60m to build.

The cost of the project was estimated at around £25m last year, and it was intended to be funded entirely by private investors.

Despite a 10-year sponsorship deal with the Dubai-based airline Emirates, worth £36m, the cable cars will now have to be financed with public money.

Ken Livingstone, Labour's candidate for the London Mayoral Election, has slammed the costly project as 'the most expensive cable car in history'.

The crossing will bring London in line with other major cities which use cable cars for transport, including Barcelona, Cologne, Lisbon and New York.

It is not yet known what a trip on the cable car will cost, but TfL has said it will definitely be payable by Oyster, the pay-as-you go card which already functions on London buses, underground trains and the Docklands Light Railway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g0yZSJWXpE&feature=player_embedded#!

TfL says:

From summer 2012, the cable car will allow pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists to cross the river Thames within five minutes, from terminals at Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and Emirates Royal Docks.

The crossing will encourage regeneration in the area and provide access to visitor attractions.

(Daly Mail)

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'UNIVERSAL' CANCER VACCINE DEVELOPED

2012-04-09T10:03:59+02:00

A vaccine that can train cancer patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells has been developed by scientists.

The therapy, which targets a molecule found in 90 per cent of all cancers, could provide a universal injection that allows patients' immune systems to fight off common cancers including breast and prostate cancer.

Preliminary results from early clinical trials have shown the vaccine can trigger an immune response in patients and reduce levels of disease.

The scientists behind the vaccine now hope to conduct larger trials in patients to prove it can be effective against a range of different cancers.

They believe it could be used to combat small tumours if they are detected early enough or to help prevent the return and spread of disease in patients who have undergone other forms of treatment such as surgery.

Cancer cells usually evade patient's immune systems because they are not recognised as being a threat. While the immune system usually attacks foreign cells such as bacteria, tumours are formed of the patient's own cells that have malfunctioned.

Scientists have, however, found that a molecule called MUC1, which is found in high amounts on the surface of cancer cells, can be used to help the immune system detect tumours.

The new vaccine, developed by drug company Vaxil Biotheraputics along with researchers at Tel Aviv University, uses a small section of the molecule to prime the immune system so that it can identify and destroy cancer cells.

A statement from Vaxil Biotheraputics said: "ImMucin generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only 2-4 doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses.

"In some of the patients, preliminary signs of clinical efficacy were observed."

The results are still to be formally published but if further trials prove to be successful the vaccine could be available within six years.

(From an article in the Telegraph)

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AMAZON TAX SCANDAL

2012-04-06T13:27:57+02:00

HM Revenue and Customs has stated that there are no plans to change the way multinational companies are taxed, despite a claim that online retailer Amazon has paid virtually no UK Tax.

A report in The Guardian said Amazon generated UK sales over the past three years of between £7.6bn and £10.3bn. It said if the same profit margin as in the US was applied, this would create taxable profits of between £266 to £360m, - yielding notional UK corporation tax of up to £100m.

However all payments for online orders are now registered in Luxembourg where the Amazon.co.uk business is based and the company paid minimal tax here.

Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network told Sky News that in 2010 the British operation made an estimated profit of at least £125m.

"On that basis they should be paying tax of £35m plus in that one year alone. They did pay tax, but it was £1.9m," Mr Murphy said.

"So they have avoided a substantial tax bill in the UK as a result of the structure they have chosen to use."

Amazon, which launched in the UK 14 years ago, has a large distribution centre in Swindon and is the country's most popular retail website with growth in numerous consumer sectors.

Mr Murphy said that although the tax structures are legal, it is "blatantly a trick" used by multinational companies.

"They rely on us to provide the infrastructure, the roads, the people who are trained," Mr Murphy said.

"They get an unfair competitive advantage over local UK businesses and unsurprisingly, the High Street is emptying. This is really bad for small British business."

(Sky News)

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BRING BACK THE CANE?

2012-04-05T18:38:29+02:00

SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL THE CHILD

The scrapping of the cane has led to a deterioration in children’s behaviour at school, according to teachers.

Sanctions available to schools since corporal punishment was abolished 25 years ago are ‘totally inadequate’ at reasserting authority in the classroom and lack the same deterrent effect, they said yesterday.

While rejecting a return to the cane, members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers condemned existing sanctions such as detention and suspension.

'Novel’ punishments are needed to allow teachers to reassert their authority in the classroom, they said.

Delegates at the association’s annual conference voted unanimously for research into ‘effective’ disciplinary methods.

‘When corporal punishment was abolished nothing was put in its place that had equivalent deterrent powers,’ said Julian Perfect, a teacher from London.

Laws forbidding state schools from using the cane or slipper to discipline pupils were introduced in 1987, and a decade later in independent schools.

But Mr Perfect pointed out that subsequent governments had failed to give teachers sufficient sanctions.

He added that while teachers have statutory authority to discipline pupils whose behaviour is unacceptable, governments have failed to suggest methods for making authority ‘meaningful’.

(Abridged from an article in MailOnline)

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HAPPINESS

2012-04-04T10:49:18+02:00

UK RANKED 18TH OUT OF 20

The UK has been placed behind the likes of Costa Rica, Israel and the United Arab Emirates in a global league table of happiness.

Despite being one of the richest nations in the world, the UK has been ranked as only the 18th happiest in an authoritative United Nations report, behind much poorer countries.

Britain was placed six places behind Costa Rica – a country where average income levels are less than one quarter of those in the UK.

The relatively high level of family breakdown in the UK is one reason why we may have been pushed down the list.

The table was topped by wealthy Scandinavian nations – with Denmark, Finland and Norway ranked as the three happiest respectively.

The idea of a national happiness score in order to determine policy has been used in Britain.

Last year a controversial £2million survey ordered by David Cameron concluded that three quarters of the population rated themselves as ‘seven out of ten’ on a well-being scale.

THE HAPPINESS LIST:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Netherlands
5. Canada
6. Switzerland
7. Sweden
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Ireland
11. USA
12. Costa Rica
13. Austria
14. Israel
15. Belgium
16. Luxembourg
17. United Arab Emirates
18. United Kingdom
19. Venezuela
20. Iceland

(From an article in MailOnline)

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GOVERNMENT SNOOPERS

2012-04-03T11:17:17+02:00

Under the Government's new Snooper's Charter all conversations over the internet, including social networking sites and Skype, plus emails will be recorded.

Police and security services will be able to demand details of who is having the conversation and what time it takes place, but will need a court order to listen to or read the content.

Opponents say it will bring the same kind of surveillance to the UK which takes place in China and Iran, while supporters say it's a tool in the fight against terrorism.

(The Sun)

'...so, happy birthday, Megan. Grandad sends his love and says to any government snoopers listening: "S off and get a proper job you nosey b*!"'

(Mac in MailOnline)

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THE OLYMPICS? GET ME OUT OF HERE!

2012-04-02T11:12:27+02:00

A third of Britons have booked their summer holidays to coincide with the Olympic Games.

Around 10 million will attempt to avoid the chaos that will be offset by the world's largest sporting in the capital.

Nearly two thirds of those planning to leave the country said they were heading to Europe, with Spain named as the most popular destination.

The most popular reason for leaving is to escape the visiting crowds.

That is followed by not wanting to endure the blanket coverage on TV and a dislike of sport.

Nearly 1.3 million people are expected to flee London while half a million foreign tourists will flock to those areas to watch the games.

And 170,000 parents will take their children out of school early to ensure they miss the event.

Ttravel agent Bridget Keevil of Travel Stop said: 'We have had customers who just want to get away from it all while the Olympics are on.

'We have seen a definite rise in inquiries and bookings for that period - some people have said they want to get as far away as possible - even to places like Vietnam and Thailand.'

(MailOnline)

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COOKING WITH POO

2012-04-01T09:40:31+02:00

"Cooking With Poo" by Saiyuud Diwong beat other shortlisted titles including "The Great Singapore Penis Panic: And the Future of American Mass Hysteria" and "Estonian Sock Patterns All Around the World".

The book is published by Urban Neighbours of Hope. The recipes are healthy and the pictures are legal: “poo” is Thai for “crab” and is Diwong’s nickname.

In a Telegraph poll in February, only 24.63% of readers voted for the book to win the award. The most popular choice among Telegraph readers was "Mr Andoh's Pennine Diary: Memoirs of a Japanese Chicken Sexer in 1935 Hebden Bridge" which had 30.3% of the votes (406 voters).

The Diagram Prize has been running since 1978. In total, 75 submissions were received for the 32nd instalment of the prize.

The winner was chosen via a public vote at thebookseller.com and its sister consumer website welovethisbook.com. In total, 1,363 votes were cast.

Horace Bent, The Bookseller’s legendary diarist and custodian of the prize said: “Given that this year the three most voted-for works contain the words ‘poo’, ‘sexer’ and ‘penis’ in the title, it appears that this year’s prize will go down in history as a blue year.

"But there is nothing wrong with that. Many of the world’s greatest writers have dabbled in off-colour humour, so I find Cooking with Poo a fitting winner.”

Top 10 previous winners of the award

10. Versailles: The View From Sweden (1988)

9. American Bottom Archaeology (1993)

8. Last Chance at Love - Terminal Romances (1981)

7. Highlights in the History of Concrete (1994)

6. Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality (1986)

5. How to Avoid Huge Ships (1992)

4. Butterworths Corporate Manslaughter Service (2001)

3. Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice (1978)

2. If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs (2007)

1. How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art (1989)

(Telegraph April 1 2012)

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DROUGHT HOSE-PIPE BAN AND PETROL SHORTAGE

2012-03-30T10:48:51+02:00

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DOES IT LOOK PHALLIC TO YOU?

2012-03-29T12:33:01+02:00

SOME PEOPLE HAVE FUNNY IMAGINATIONS

A beehive sculpture costing thousands of pounds has been removed from a public park after complaints it looked 'too rude'.

The artwork was designed to stand next to a children's play area in a park but council staff were ordered to take it down just days after it was unveiled.

Award-winning sculptor Thompson Dagnall - who was paid around £3,500 for the work - said a Tameside council boss told him the design was too 'phallic'.

Artist Mr Dagnall, 56, said: 'I think it's ridiculous. It was a fair stretch of the imagination to have it as something phallic.

'I don't think it looked phallic. It did take quite a long time. I find it a bit sad and a bit silly.'

(From an article in the Daily Mail)

Note: Originally the beehive was mounted at the top of this tree trunk, but council workers cut off the head and put it separately on the ground. Admittedly, the complete erection may have been considered 'rude'.

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ARE YOU INTRO OR EXTRO?

2012-03-28T11:08:20+02:00

REVENGE OF THE INTROVERTS

Do you hate crowds and small talk? Is your idea of heaven a weekend with nothing to do but spend time with your family and read a book? Do you find it exhausting to be around people all the time — even if they are people you really like?

If the answer to these questions is yes, the chances are you an introvert. Contrary to popular opinion, an introvert is not someone who is anti-social or shy. Shyness is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, while introversion is a preference for environments that aren’t over-stimulating.

Unlike extroverts, who are the life and soul of the party — and need to be around other people to recharge their batteries — introverts need a lot of quiet time and reflection. They crave time alone and are happiest in their own inner world of thought and feeling.

Where you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum is the single most important aspect of your personality — the ‘north and south of temperament’ as the scientist J.D. Higley puts it. It influences our choice of friends and partners, and how we make conversation, resolve differences and show love. It affects the careers we choose and whether or not we succeed at them.

It governs how likely we are to exercise (a habit found in extroverts), commit adultery (extroverts), function well without sleep (introverts), learn from our mistakes (introverts), place big bets on the stock market (extroverts), delay gratification (introverts), and make considerate, well-balanced leaders (introverts).

As with other complementary pairings — masculinity and femininity, East and West, liberal and conservative — humanity would be unrecognisable and vastly diminished without both personality styles. And yet these days many of us have been made to feel there is something wrong with being quiet.

We’re told that to be great is to be bold, to be happy is to be sociable. We live with a value system that I call the Extrovert Ideal — the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious and comfortable in the spotlight.

The archetypal extrovert prefers action to contemplation, risk-taking to heed-taking, certainty to doubt. He or she favours quick decisions, even at the risk of being wrong, works well in teams and socialises in groups. We like to think we value individuality — but all too often we admire one type of individual, namely the kind who is comfortable ‘putting himself out there’.

Introversion — along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness — is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology. Extroversion is a hugely appealing personality style but we’ve turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform.

But we make a grave mistake to embrace the Extrovert Ideal so unthinkingly. Some of our greatest ideas, art and inventions — from the theory of evolution to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and the personal computer — came from quiet, cerebral people who knew how to tune in to their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there.

(From an article in MailOnline)

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