The BBC (unwittingly) Discovers The Answer To Declining Marine Life!

It's not often that the answer to a worrying environmental problem can be found on the same news page but, today, the BBC News website managed it without even realising it had.

At the top of the page its editors featured this:

A deeply disturbing story on the decline of the world's marine life, for which global warming seems to be the main suspect.

Just below, on the same page, came this:



Well, if I lived in the oceans and saw this bunch heading for my habitat, I would pretend to be extinct too!!

Mind you.....if it wasn't for global warming then.......!

Respect To The Survivors In Japan!

If the recent events in Japan were the plot of a Hollywood disaster movie, we could all be forgiven for laughing at the lack of credibility in the story and suspecting that the scriptwriters had been sniffing too much apple juice.
 

Sadly, they are reality!

Five days after the initial earthquake and the devastation of the tsunami that followed, the estimated body count keeps rising and over 400,000 people are now homeless. With well over ten thousand officially unaccounted for, it is now claimed to be the largest death toll, ever, from a natural disaster.

I find it, even now, so hard to take in the sheer scale of the carnage. If the sight of ships laying on top of buildings and buildings being moved hundreds of yards from where they were built is not enough, there is still the ongoing possibility of a massive nuclear incident following the explosions at the power plants that we have already witnessed.

One thing, though, has been just as noticeable as all the other sights. It is the reaction of the survivors and their fellow countrymen. 

Despite the unbelievable structural damage, the queues for fuel and the lack of food on the supermarket shelves, I have not heard one report of looting, violence or other opportunistic crime.

I wonder how many other countries in the world would be able to claim the same thing if they had suffered as much as parts of Japan?

Let’s hope we never have to find out!

Respect!

A Moment To Reflect On Japan...

I doubt there can be anyone who watched today’s events unfolding in Japan, who was not moved by the sheer scale of what they were witnessing,

It seemed unbelievable that an unstoppable ten metre high wall of water, caused by the earlier record breaking offshore earthquake (measuring 8.9) swept everything out of its path as it rolled across the shoreline. Cars, boats and even whole buildings were simply crushed and carried along by the Tsunami, as it drove ever onward across the land.

As I write this, it has been reported that at least 350 people are dead, a cruise ship is missing and two trains have been completely washed away. The final death toll can only be a guess, as many will probably never be found.

Perhaps, it is a timely reminder, to us all, that whichever religions we follow, however powerful our weapons or strong our armies, and whatever the political ambitions of the world’s feuding nations, we are not the ultimate controllers of our own destiny.

There is a much more powerful force at work than we can ever hope to invent. When it decides to demonstrate its power, we are all left helpless in its shadow.

My thoughts, this weekend, are with all those affected in Japan.

Good News, Bad News - The Planes Are Flying Again!

Finally, the planes are back in the air!

Whether this is good news, or bad news, is a matter of debate.

For those living under the flightpaths of the UK’s airports, or in towns threatened by the building of new runways, or concerned about the impact flights have on our environment, it will be bad.

Others, though, who are able to conveniently ignore such matters, will see it as good news. They have the freedom to travel wherever they like, whenever they like, returned to them once again.

We will be able to import ‘out of season’ foodstuffs directly into the supermarkets, allowing us to create those often exotic and ‘trendy’ recipes all year round.

Countries like Kenya, for whom 20 percent of their gross GDP is accounted for by the export and transportation of horticultural products, will breathe a sigh of relief once again.

A few things are certain though:

The political fallout could be far more devastating than the threat from the volcanic ash we were told to fear.

Stranded passengers are going to have huge mobile phone bills.

International lawyers are going to gather massive income from litigation against airlines and regulators - for possibly years to come.

The concept of ‘knee jerk’ health and safety shutdowns, based on inadequate information and evaluation, will be more closely examined in the future.

Personally, though, I enjoyed a peaceful few days!!

Eruption And Disruption - It's 'Plane' Crazy!

So who really is running the asylum?

Six days after our planes were grounded, airports are still closed and an estimated 150,000 UK travellers are stranded abroad, unable to get home.

The cause, as we all know by now, is an erupting volcano in Iceland.

I am finding it really hard to comprehend that such chaos has been caused by one relatively small natural occurrence and it seems I am not alone.

Yesterday, Willie Walsh the CEO of British Airways flew on one of his planes to test whether any damage would really be caused by the dust cloud i.e. is the situation really as dangerous as we are being led to believe?

He returned in one piece - I am sure much to the annoyance of many of his recently striking cabin crews - convinced the disruption to air travel and his company's revenues was not justified.

Which brings me back to the original question: who is responsible for making the initial decision?

It seems it was not made by our own government but taken somewhere in Europe where, as we all know, they are true professionals in inventing silly rules and regulations.

But this is not a piece of stupidity about the straightness of a banana, it is far more disruptive and for many, financially disastrous.

The contradictory updates have been almost a work of farce: Scotland and Northern Ireland can fly now.... oh no they can't....all airports will open tomorrow.....oh no they won't ....but they might..... errrr not... etc. etc.

I guess, in one sense, the regulators and health and safety obsessives can claim a massive success; no planes will come crashing out of the skies as they haven't been able to leave the ground in the first place - it's the equivalent of making sure there are no motoring accidents by removing the wheels from cars!

If this decision was taken in Brussels, then it should not be too long before UKIP start spouting on about being a classic example of what our future has in store as part of a United States Of Europe!

Personally, I would rather take my chances with the volcano!

Pubs, Politicians And The Benefits Of Global Warming

If there is one group of people who must relish the prospect of global warming, it is that of those who work in the pub trade.

They have been hit really hard over the last few years with unfair competition from the undercutting supermarkets and customers reducing their spending during the recession. Many pubs have simply gone to the wall, while others have had to diversify into new areas of the hospitality business.

What the above picture proves, however, is there's life in the old dog yet and once we feel a bit of warmth from the sun, we are prepared to venture out of our caves and be both generous and sociable.

I would bet our politicians are hoping that the weather is fine on May 6th and our mood is just as relaxed and generous!


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Climate For A Change...Of Message!

The UK’s Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, has stated it would be “profoundly irresponsible” to use one “mistake” as an excuse not to act.

He was referring to the fact that the Himalayan Glaciers have not seemed to melt in quite the 'doom and gloom' manner predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Mr Miliband added it did not "undermine decades of climate research and the overwhelming majority of scientists say that." Hmmm it must be right then!

The trouble is, no-one has come up with a convincing argument either for, or against, climate change being a man-made problem. It has, instead, been a storm of confusion and opposing ‘facts’.

Cyclical changes in climate have been occurring since the creation of the planet.

Yes, we could all do a lot better at helping the environment but we have reached a stage in our evolution where we no longer just accept, or believe, the words of Al Gore, government funded scientists or self important ministers. We need to respond to positive education and not desperate scare tactics.

I have no idea who is right or wrong about global warming but what I do know, for sure, is...... I am bloody freezing!!

There's 'Snow' Reason To Believe The Daily Mail

Today's Headline on the Daily Mail's website Mail Online is shown above. It reports that eight inches more snow is expected today and tomorrow. It also reports panic buying in the shops with 'essentials' having sold out.

it specifically mentions my home county of Kent saying:

"In Kent, for where the Met Office has issued a severe weather warning, police said the Army was ready to help out with the situation and warned people not to travel unless absolutely necessary."

Enough to make you panic? It certainly could be.....unless you check on the Met Office website which shows the following:

Hmmm....no snow shown anywhere and I have picked the town of Tunbridge Wells which has suffered quite badly recently. You could pick almost any other Kent town and you would get the same forecast.

So does the Mail have a hotline to a greater power that is giving them information the professionals do not have? Or could it just be irresponsible journalism trying to make a story out of nothing.

I leave you to make up your own mind but looking out the window and seeing yesterday's snow has mostly disappeared I think I already know the answer.

I await the proof with interest!

It's All White..!

I think this satellite picture of our snow covered island is just amazing.

It does more to explain the extent of our present condition than a thousand words in the media ever could!

£250 For Just 'Turning Up'

Remember the two days of snow we had in February? Yes, they were the days when the buses could not run in London, schools closed for health and safety reasons and many people just stayed at home.

Many others, who had a conscience or worked in essential industries, persevered and struggled through the unusual conditions, with no thought of reward other than their usual paycheck.

However, for 224 of the 1,400 members of staff at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in London - who are not regarded by many as essential - their decision has paid off handsomely, with each getting a £250 bonus for braving the conditions.

A spokesperson for the CPS is quoted as saying:"CPS London decided these staff who struggled into work in extreme conditions should be rewarded for doing so."

The money is being paid out of a special fund, to reward staff who make a special effort or come up with innovative ideas. Surely, that is what we all get paid for in the first place?

At a time we are having to borrow vast amounts of funding to even stay afloat as a country, it does not seem to be the wisest allocation of public funds and is another slap in the face for those who work in the lower paid essential services like health care etc.