foolhandy

I’m not a fan of jazz, but listening to I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue has given hours of enjoyment.

He’ll be sadly missed…

And here’s an obituary by the BBC.

“As we journey through life, discarding baggage along the way, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.”

Please support this Private Eye “campaign”…

Meanwhile, this is taken from the PM Newsletter :

Hello.

In the programme tonight: will Heather Mills go to work for the Daily Express? What would Diana think of the McCann judgement? Will washout Easter affect Express sales? What will judgement do to value of McCann house? Was Maddy taken by asylum seekers?

Also in the programme: (Continues…)

I can’t help but smile…

As soon as someone says “I’m not a rascist but…” you know they read The Daily Mail. Despite this, I’m going to start by saying I’m not a prude. I don’t believe that someone who takes drugs should be condemned and/or ignored. But I don’t think that the drug taking itself, or the consequences, should be ignored either.

Newsround was on CBBC this morning and they featured an article on Ami Winehouse winning five Grammys. Fair enough. However the reason she wasn’t there in person was given as this :

“Amy had trouble getting the paperwork, called a visa, to fly to Los Angeles. Although it was sorted out in the end, she decided not to go.”

It’s the same on the CBBC Newsround website (from where the above quote is taken).

It’s all very Auntie Beeb isn’t it? I obviously wouldn’t expect them to explain in detail that the Visa problems were caused by her arrest in Norway late last year, or the fact that she’s in rehab, or that she’s had to be moved to a hospital because she’s in such a bad state that rehab can’t cope with her medically, or that police are currently investigating a video or her using a crack-cocaine pipe, but some mention of the fact that if she wasn’t a drug addict there wouldn’t be any visa problems would surely have been a good idea. It’s not just a joint every so often is it?

How about this?

“Amy had trouble getting the paperwork, called a visa, to fly to Los Angeles because of the problems she is having with drugs. Although she was later allowed to fly to Los Angeles, she decided not to go.”

It’s not heavy handed, but it makes a point. It was continued heavy duty drug use that caused the Visa problems, not just because she forgot to date the form…

She’s a troubled lady and I hope she gets better soon, but isn’t it also a good opportunity to point out to children that with drugs there are consequences unless you’re very careful? Or am I being a prude?

Ami Winehouse (pictured) is 24.

There’s surely only one choice?

Odd isn’t it how this Daily Express front page reads MUSLIM PLOT TO BEHEAD BRITON without mentioning (until paragraph seven anyway) that the headline could (should?) have read MUSLIM PLOT TO BEHEAD MUSLIM? Doesn’t have quite the same potential to stir up hatred does it?

And stir it up it does…if you can bear it have a look at the 61 (at time of writing) comments and witness the kind of debate the editors of the Express get their kicks from stirring up.

World’s Greatest Newspaper? Hmmm…

It’s stories like this one, from the BBC website, about scientists discovering the missing link between land based mammals and whales that blow my mind.

I read the text and I understand that it all fits together and makes sense, but then I start to consider the time span that is being covered in moving from

to

and my head starts to whizz in the same way it does when I try and think about the size of the universe.

Indonyus way well be the missing link that leads to today’s whales, but the idea is at the very edge of my comprehension.

There have been a few lead thefts in the North West Essex area recently and last night (Thursday) some lovely people broke into St. Andrew’s Primary School in Great Yeldham, where I work, and stole most of the lead from the roofs. They have made such a butchered job of it that they’ve ripped much of the brickwork away. We have covered up the computers inside and contractors came out to patch up what they could of the roof. They’re back at it again tomorrow but we just have to hope it doesn’t rain too much until it’s made reasonably waterproof. The CCTV footage doesn’t shed much light on it as the thieves are obviously quite adept at getting away with it.

The head is going to take pictures of the damage tomorrow and put them on the website (www.greatyeldhamschool.co.uk) in the home that someone who knows something sees them and is prompted to inform the police. If anyone stumbles across this post and has any info please go to the Neighbourhood Police Website and send them an e-mail.

Now I’m not in any way condoning the imprisonment of Gillian Gibbons for allowing the children in her class to name their teddy bear Muhammad - my view on such religious thinking is well known - but the reaction from some of the British public is hypocritical in the extreme.

These are three statements copy-and-pasted from the related BBC Have Your Say page. I confess that I did look with the expectation of such views but I was still astonished by what I saw…

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:09 GMT 22:09 UK

They must be so insecure in their religion that such a small thing can cause such great offence. I pity them.

chris allen, bexley

Recommended by 90 people

It’s of interest how many people have recommended this comment. It’s not just him/her then? And I wonder if it is such insecurity which causes the blanket intolerance towards immigrants to the UK from so many?

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:09 GMT 22:09 UK

Stop all British aid to the Sudan -permanently- and order them to repay every single penny they’ve received from us in aid since 1970. Seize all Sudanese government assets in Britain if they don’t comply immediately.
The only way these people will ever join the 21st century and behave like human beings is when they are forced to do so.

the_historian, Stirling

Recommended by 106 people

the_historian eh? Well if you’re not prepared to put your name to it I obviously respect it as a view…

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:07 GMT 22:07 UK

It is unfortunate that some people are still living in the 11th century with all the intolerance and barbarity of that time.

Richard Nicholson, South Holland

Recommended by 87 people

South Holland in Lincolnshire I presume. Obviously then there’s a little bubble of tolerance in that part of the world that I’m not seeing.

I wonder if it is these people who, when faced with a Muslim, Sikh or Hindu who makes a stand against a UK law, are only too happy to proclaim :

If you don’t like our laws then don’t come to our country!

I imagine it probably is. The double-standards are astonishing. Again, I don’t condone the situation but she had chosen to work in Sudan and so had chosen to live by the laws of Sudan. I’m sure that it was just a naive mistake and there are those who may feel that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime but if we ask non-Britons to comply with British laws whilst working and living in Britain shouldn’t we expect ex-pats to reciprocate?

Although as you’ll see when/if you follow the link to the BBC site that the ratio is far from 3:1 I will add one voice of reason to the three voices of the Daily Bigot readership. Note how few people have recommended this post. Very sad indeed.

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:06 GMT 22:06 UK

This decision has been made based on the law of that country. We have no democratic mandate over Sudan, or any right to tell them how to govern their own country any more than they have to tell us how to govern the UK.

We cannot compare one countries laws, religious belief or culture with another. Is France the same as Japan? Spain the same as South Africa? No, and neither is Sudan the same as UK.

At the end of it all, the teacher broke their law and is being punished according to that law.

Mark Arnold, Bournemouth

Recommended by 15 people

Do as we say, not as we do - the mantra of Great Britain…

On Wednesday Heather Mills-McCartney complained on GMTV that the media was pushing her to the edge in the way they did with the People’s Arse.

The next day she went on US TV and publicly slagged off Paul McCartney over their divorce.

Here’s some advice, put more succinctly than I could manage by Helen, for Ms Mills-McCartney :

“If you don’t like the media, just fuck off!”

Indeed…

In July 2005 Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes was chased and shot seven times in the head by officers of the Metropolitan Police. It later transpired that he was a completely innocent. Yesterday the Metropolitan Police were found guilty of endangering public health and safety on 19 counts and fined £175,000.
The Head of the Metropolitan Police Sir Ian Blair has said that he will not be considering his position. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and London Mayor Ken Livingston have all backed Sir Ian Blair saying that his job should not be under threat.

In October 2007 Brazilian Dida was gently brushed against by Celtic supporter Robert McHendry who had run onto the pitch in a moment of euphoria. Celtic were later fined £25,000 and Dida was banned for one match for unsporting behaviour. Yesterday Robert McHendry was found guilty of a breach of the peace and ordered to do 120 hours community service. He has already been banned from all Celtic matches forever.
Sheriff Craig Scott, when sentencing, said “The circumstances of this offence mean that serious consideration must be given to a sentence of imprisonment.”

So to sum up :

Run the Metropolitan Police in such a way that your officers chase an innocent man through London before shooting him in the head (and in doing so endanger the public’s safety), and you keep your job and receive backing from the PM, Home Secretary and Mayor of London.

Run onto a football pitch in a moment of excitement, and you narrowly avoid a custodial sentence.

Who is a greater danger to society - Sir Ian Blair or Robert McHendry?

And they wonder why there’s a lack of faith in the justice system…

I originally heard about this story on Radio 4’s PM, but after a bit of News Googling I found this version of the story from the Daily Bigot which goes into a bit more detail about the Southampton Catnapper.

There is also a post about the story on the PM Blog. I’ve commented on the feature but in case it doesn’t get approved (as I fear a pro-cat bias in the reporting of this story) I’ve copied my views here :

I am sick to death of selfish cat owners telling me it’s my problem that I object to having to clear up their cat’s excrement before I can mow my lawn, weed my plants or let children play in the garden.

Listening on PM to the cat owner whose cat had been taken I was appalled that she thought that having her animal’s excrement fouling other people’s gardens was fine. And then she pointed out that there were deterrents that could be bought to discourage cats from gardens - is she going to buy them for her neighbours? Why should they pay out their money and spend their time deterring animals which other people choose to have.

I wasn’t surprised by her comments however because 99% of cat owners show the same shocking arrogance. Dog owners can be prosecuted if they leave their dog’s excrement on pavements and other people’s gardens - it’s about time that cat owners were treated in the same way.

The person who relocated these cats has no doubt been driven to this act by the smug superiority of cat owners who believe that non-cat owners are in the wrong for not wanting disease ridden and stinking cat excrement in their gardens.

I will support the cat-napper wholeheartedly until cat owners start taking responsibility for their own animals’ mess. Sadly I expect it to be a long wait.

For the record I’d like to point out that despite the above, and being badly allergic to them, I don’t dislike cats per se. I just don’t see why I should have to clear up their excrement from my garden, and be treated with disdainful arrogance by cat owners when I mention this.

1. The Quiz, I think, went well. Pleased and satisfied in equal measure.

2a. England 3 - Estonia 0. Unless we muck up against Russia that looks like we’re through. Another summer of excess-hype followed by failure beckons then.

2b. France 9 - England 14. The excitement of being the only one at the quiz who knew the score and being able to announce the score to an excited audience is as near as I can get to excited about this.

3. What’s caused my apathy towards our national teams?

There are things about this story which incense me.

The innocent minority are monitored to possibly stop the criminal minority doing wrong.

652. Yes, six hundred and fifty two public bodies including your local council, will have access to the information. Information such as when you made a call/sent a text, who to and even exactly where you were.

Where was the public consultation about this? I didn’t know about it until it featured half-way down the Technology page of the BBC website.

They can dress it up as in the public interest as much as they like, but I really don’t want everything I do monitored by authorities I don’t trust.

I know it’s a cliche, but Orwell knew a knew or two…

Articles such as this one, which highlight benefit fraud by immigrant Polish workers, really annoy me.

Apparently the piece accompanies a 5Live broadcast tonight which highlights the issue.

Why are there no such programs about the number of UK-citizens ripping off the system, because I’m sure they cost the system at least as much money each year. All this does is play into the hands of The Daily Bigot and their ilk.

I suppose “Some people claim illegal benefits” doesn’t make such an impact in the headlines, but that shouldn’t be a reason for writing a story.

His website today.

I’ve just read that his five year old son was in the helicopter too. I know thousands of people die every day, and not due to an accident in a rich man’s toy. And I’m not about to join in with any “People’s Rally Driver” nonsense either. It’s not because he’s famous that I’m feeling the way I do, it’s because I know something about him. I know that his wife and daughter are grieving the loss of half their family right now, and it’s hard not to imagine yourself in such a situation and how you’d feel. If you sit down and think about all of the tragedies in the world this very day (I count 36 specifically mentioned untimely deaths on the BBC News home page alone - and that doesn’t include references to Darfur and Iraq) you’d never stop feeling. When something like this happens I can’t help but think about them all. Maybe it’s bad that it takes the death of a man I’ve never met and know only because I’ve marvelled at his skills to make me feel this way - but you can’t feel for everyone can you? Really. You’d never stop feeling. With the number of times I write it on this site it may come across as glib, but I really do mean it - it makes me realize… I send my condolences to Colin McRae’s wife and daughter, and to every other person who is grieving the loss of a loved one today. With them all in my head I’m going to go out in the sun and tend my garden and enjoy the world that we live in. Today. Here. Now. For me. For them. For us all.

There’s nothing more I can add.

We watched Jaws again earlier in the week. It’s one of the few ‘classic’ movies I’ve seen and I love it. It’s a masterclass of suspense which outclasses a movie like The Birds so easily it’s hard to believe it was so early in his career. The framing of camera shots and the use of silence help make me jump every time, even though I know what’s going to happen next!

In a case of life imitating art do these quotes remind you of anything?

Cornish shark conservationist Richard Peirce, who saw the footage, said the possibility it was a Great White could not be ruled out. He said: “If one accepts that White sharks are occasional vagrant visitors in UK waters, these animals could not be ruled out.”

Coastguards have dismissed the claims as “scare-mongering”. A spokesman for Falmouth Coastguard said “The poor tourist industry this year is having a really hard time. The last thing we need is scare-mongering over some footage.”

They are taken from the BBC article Great White sighting ‘possible’ and you wonder if the spokesman from the Falmouth Coastguard as ever seen Jaws. I don’t know if there’s a Great White out there or not, but do you really want to tempt fate like Larry Vaughn?

Finally as a side issue, am I the only one who thinks that the BBC Cornwall icon, which presumably shows the Eden Project, looks like a pair of stylised buttocks?

Probably…

It’s the name of Peter Andre & Katie Price’s new baby of course!

Of most interest to me are these two lines :

From the BBC Website - “Katie always loved the name Princess, but everyone thought it was a bit over the top. I loved it too but I wanted to name her after both our mums.”

From Peter’s Website - “Peter and Katie have decided to name their new baby daughter TIAAMII. It is pronounced tee-ah-me and is taken from both their mum’s names.”

I did try and look on Katie’s website for her official comment but you have to register to read important news and I’m not that much of a celebrity-whore. Honest.

Still, I spy a bit of conflict here. I wonder if there’ll be calling it different names on their TV program!

I feel a little odd posting this, because it could be seen as gloating. It’s certainly not though. Just amazement.

Dad’s visiting this weekend and he, Helen & I sat in a beer garden to have lunch thankful for the sunshade keeping the hot sun from our heads whilst allowing us to enjoy the clear blue sky.

Meanwhile in Alcester, the place I moved from exactly a year ago today…

That’s the main road to Stratford, just around the corner from High Street and posted on a BBC In Pictures page showing scenes around Warwickshire.

It’s like I’m living in a different country.

Full track listings of my Sun/Rain CD compilations will be posted tomorrow…

With just ten days to go we have this :

It’s described in the BBC article this picture comes from, by a member of the Pagan Federation, as “ridiculous”. And indeed it is. Spending all that money on it when surely there’s no one in the world who hasn’t got their ticket pre-booked already!

Even though I’m a cynical soul, I do love days like today. It’s witnessing history which, even when it’s seen through TV, the internet and radio, is so exciting. We have a new Prime Minister, and I am alive to see it as people were alive to see Pitt, Disraeli, Gladstone, Churchill & co. take office. People will be reading about today in history books one day, and I am here right now. I like that…