Cardiff 2012

The London Olympics kicked off two days early and some 160 miles (around 260 km) away at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Well actually the opening ceremony is being held in London on Friday night. Today saw the start of the Football (Soccer) competition with Team GB's ladies taking on New Zealand. Tomorrow the men's competition starts. Apparently in football, the poor players **need** two days between matches to recover, hence the early start so they can fit all the matches in. Can't help but wonder how all the other athletes will cope without such a luxury...

 Stephanie Houghton scores from a free-kick.













Oh and if anyone is interested Team GB beat the Kiwi's 1 - 0. Well done ladies.  

Aveo

Look what I came home with.

Don't have to worry about whether I can get to work now.
















Have you been following the progress of the two giant pandas at Edinburgh zoo? They're on loan from China for 10 years I think and the intention is to breed from them.

Well it occurs to me that giant pandas are not exactly a good advert for Darwinism. I mean are we really meant to accept that evolutionary 'survival of the fittest' would produce a species that can only mate for two days each year? Really?

Eau!

Is it just me that thinks it ridiculous and even unfair that farmers with livestock and crops are being placed under water restrictions, whilst golf courses seem to be exempt from hosepipe bans?

Cost Of Implants

There's been a whole lot of coverage in the media this past few weeks regarding the scandal of faulty breast implants made by the now bust (no pun intended) French company PIP. You can read more here.

The British government has said there is no evidence of a risk to health (other governments including the French have taken a somewhat different line). The UK department of health has gone on to state that since the majority of the around 40000 UK women possibly affected chose to have cosmetic surgery via private clinics, it is the responsibility of those private providers to remedy. They claim in the vast majority of cases there was no medical need to have the implants installed (sorry) fitted, therefore it is not the responsibility of the National Health Service.

Not looking quite so 'glamorous' now, are they?






I kind of get that and for the most part agree. As a tax payer, it isn't my responsibility to pay to put right what was in effect a matter of personal vanity. Except if there is a health risk, in particular cancer for example, you can bet the NHS will end up having to provide the care and support, not to mention footing the bill. Surely the cost of providing future long term health care to potentially up to 40000 women more than outweighs the cost of replacing sub-standard implants now?

Just my thought...

Check. Out.

Have you ever tried one of those self service check-outs at your local supermarket, where you scan your own items? I have and I don't know why I bother. They're supposed to be quicker and easier to use than the traditional staffed till, right? Wrong. More often than not the queues seem to be much longer and when you get to the check-out, in my view they are far from straight forward. 

For example my trip tonight to my local ASDA for a handful of the weekly items was just so stressful. No less than four interventions were required by the poor harassed assistant before I was able to scan all my purchases. First off despite telling me the till was ready for me to place my own bags in the bagging area, that wasn't good enough. So I had to wait to be manually authorised grrrr. Then there was the stress of the scanned item not being registered. Another visit, override code grrr. And... well you get the picture.

I certainly wasn't the only one having issues from I could see. On one level you have to feel sorry for the staff who I imagine receive a good deal of grief and it really isn't their fault, is it? Ho hum.

Oh one last (unrelated) thought: I've been hearing lately a lot in the media about the "Innernet." Repeat after me "In-Ter-net." There, that wasn't hard was it?

Hands Off?

There's been mixed reaction to the news BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm of the BBC) are planning a big screen film version of Doctor Who. Apparently Harry Potter director David Yates is one of the prime movers behind this announcement. Now I don't know about you but I thought he did quite a decent job with the later instalments of that franchise. However Andrew M Brown in the Telegraph even went so far in his blog to seemingly list many of the reasons often cited as being behind the series cancellation (in the 1990's) as reasons why "Hollywood" should keep well away. So because it used to be seen as fairly low budget- and I guess against the average episode of say Battlestar Galactica it still is- Hollywood money shouldn't be used to (possibly) improve these things? I dunno.

But this is not the first time Doctor Who has appeared on the big screen. Those two 1960's Peter Cushing films weren't too bad. Surely?

 Yes that was the Bernard Cribbins co-starring.

For me the jury is still out and I'll wait to hear more information before passing judgement. Perhaps a new film will be a welcome addition to the canon and assuming they move quickly maybe even a fitting 50th anniversary celebration in 2013...



1 Nov Nottingham Forest 1 - 0 Reading
6 Nov Reading 1 - 0 Birmingham

Right

Gonna be a tad controversial now but I'm not trying to offend...

A few years back the previous UK government created "civil partnerships" as a means of recognising same sex unions and putting them on the same legal footing as a civil or religious marriage between a woman and a man. This was well intentioned I don't doubt, although some campaigners argued that even the term put it on a lesser standing to marriage. And oddly only same sex couples could have a civil partnership; if you are heterosexual you are currently only permitted to have a marriage, civil or religious. So one hardly equals the other.

The current coalition government has sought to equalise matters by announcing recently that by 2015 or thereabouts they intend to make it possible for same sex civil marriages to be held in places of religious worship. Such as a church, mosque or synagogue. The proviso being the people running a particular religious building have to be in agreement. Fair enough I guess. So far so good.

Now at this point I don't want anyone to think I am anti- this or anti- that. I'm not for one moment making any sort of comment on the preferences, lifestyles or choices made by others.

My concern is that a campaign group will find a religious building- say a church where the vicar does not agree with gay marriage- and they will attempt to force the issue via the law courts, claiming it is their right under the Human Rights Act to marry wherever they wish. I know there are likely to be a great many churches of various denominations who will welcome the opportunity to conduct same sex marriages, there will however be some where the leadership will feel that for them it is not in line with teaching and conviction. So while it might be your right to live the life you choose and with whom, is it not also the right of others to express their beliefs? As we approach Remembrance Day I think it is especially important to remind ourselves of the sacrifice made by many others so that we all can enjoy freedom of speech and thought. Enforcing one will or opinion on others is just not right.

And finally one last thought. If say this hypothetical vicar was so against same sex unions, why on God's Green Earth would you wish to be married and blessed in a building where you would clearly not be welcome?

Omnisexual

I've been thinking of late a little bit about the latest series of Torchwood, subtitled Miracle Day.

It seems to me that when Torchwood was smaller, ie made exclusively by the BBC, it was somehow bigger and far more creative, had better aspirations than this new Startz co-production incarnation. I mean eight episodes in (and only two remaining) and we've mostly had exposition and run of the mill conspiracies which to be frank almost border on villain-of-the-week standard; there's not been a compelling narrative which has built the story week on week. Torchwood used to be about the aliens and monsters that lived amongst us, in the underworld and just out of sight or the occasional glimpse of the monster living inside each of us. We've had none of that. Just an undefined plodding lecture on how despite medical advances we really need people to die or else we face population explosion and all the hardships, strains on resources that will bring.

So what of the central character, Captain Jack Harkness? He's meant to be around 2000 years old, quite possibly immortal and above all a humanoid alien with quite different sexual desires to us. To be exact Jack is meant to be omnisexual. Not a word you tend to hear outside of the world of Torchwood and Doctor Who but basically means he is attracted to men, women and aliens and will bed any and all without a moments thought. Something of a sexual predator; he will happily stop in the middle of an adventure if someone/thing catches his eye. What exactly does this have to do with Miracle Day? Well he suddenly seems to have become exclusively Homosexual and us viewers have been "treated" to some pretty graphic sex scenes and references.

And do you know what? At the conclusion of episode eight the villain behind the so called miracle is revealed as a- conveniently just invented- spurned (homosexual) lover from the 1920's. Not very original and to be honest I'm not quite sure what the openly gay writer, Russell T Davies is saying here. Don't cross a gay man because he will never forget and will set out to wreck havoc in your life for years to come..? Please!

Team Torchwood as it used to be. Note the giant Phallic structure in the background.














Now what of some of the other characters in the series? The excellent Bill Pullman has produced a compellingly creepy character in the form of convicted paedophile Oswald Danes. Whether this character is essential to the story arc and part of the conspiracy or just a diversion is at this point unclear. Having escaped execution in the first episode and having travelled on some sort of personal journey towards public adulation (within the plot) it seems likely at the close, death will catch up with him. Equally Rex Matheson, played by Mekhi Phifer seems largely redundant and only there to serve as a moral opposite to the promiscuous Captain Jack. Having turned himself into a human kebab in the opener, he too will expire I am sure before the final credits. This much was obvious from the beginning therefore I haven't been able to invest in either of these characters.

The supporting female cast members seem to have come off worse. Eve Myles returns as Gwen Cooper playing the "heart and soul" of the piece and reminding us all that Torchwood is Welsh but has very little else to do. She frets over her baby and worries about her father who has had a fatal heart attack, so I think we can guess where that is going. Finally Alexa Havins seems largely along for the ride as CIA agent Esther Drummond. Obviously meant to be the new "eyes and ears" of the viewer to ask the who, what and why questions, she's avoided not dying but as an actress should be feeling poorly served by this opportunity.

All in all I think you can gather I'm not impressed with Torchwood: Miracle Day. To be honest the only miracle here is that anyone, myself included, is still watching.

End of Rant.

Oh by the way, wasn't it great to see new Doctor Who back on our screens this past weekend? That's how to tell a compelling story.

Soap Dodgers

Thank goodness very soon the great unwashed and other undesirables will be leaving the area for another year. Yes I am referring to the Reading Music Festival, held annually on the last weekend of August. 

Many residents find the town centre at daytime to be a no-go area over this period, myself included. This year the noise at night has been particularly unbearable until quite late. I live around 5 miles (about 7 km) from the main site, yet I could hear it all very well, thank you.

Despite Reading Council's annual protestations that they will be tough on the organisers, that the costs of policing and clearing up will not be met by Tax Payers and that sound levels will be closely controlled and monitored, I can't help suspect the Council find this event far too lucrative and nothing will change.

I think next year I will go away for the weekend.

How Could I Resist?

Why can't more products have cool and descriptive packaging?

Deathly Hallows

I've just seen the latest trailer for the final instalment of the Harry Potter series. It looks great.

It's due for release on 15 July and based on part one, it should be a good one even if it has the shortest running time of all 8 films. To be honest I thought the final book was flabby and somewhat unfocussed; thankfully the screen version- at least of the first part- corrected matters and was a much tighter affair, so I have great hopes Harry and co will leave the silver screen on a high. 




What exactly is the deal with Pottermore, I wonder?

The Sky At Night

I found this image today and couldn't resist posting it. This is the United Kingdom as seen from the International Space Station. While I feel it looks rather cool, it does highlight just how much light pollution there is. Most of it I expect is unnecessary.

The view from 230 miles (around 370 km).
















Read the full article from the Daily Mail website here.

Let's Talk About...

One of the things us British are famous/notorious* for is our obsession with the weather and that we seem to devote a disproportionate amount of time talking about it.

Is there, you might ask, any reason for this state of affairs? Let's consider the following: This past week vast areas of the east of England have been placed under a severe drought warning, with farmers being told to expect restrictions on the amount of water they can use to irrigate crops. At the same time here in the Thames Valley we've had rain for probably 24 hours (putting a halt on my plans to dig some of my potato crop today) with daytime temperatures down at around 12 degrees Celsius, a marked contrast on a few weeks ago. Oh and over in Wales they had snow on Thursday.

We're only a small country- in fact the British Isles will fit into most US or Australian states several times over- yet our weather conditions can vary so wildly. This is meant to be summertime; is it any wonder we're obsessed LOL?

* Delete as applicable.

Curly Fries And Other Thoughts

• Have you noticed the current trend of saying "Up Coming"? If we mean "Future" why not use it? It takes fewer letters after all.
• I got asked yesterday by the lady living across from LL to help apply some eye drops to her poorly cat. Those beasties have sharp claws- I very nearly lost my left raspberry*. No really.
• I now have three different varieties of potato growing in my garden: Rocket, Vales Emerald and Maris Piper. These are due to crop June, Aug/Sept and Aug/Oct respectively.
• Ever heard someone say "I've not heard from you in ages"? If they were that concerned, why weren't they the first to pick up the phone or write an email? It works both ways don't you think?
• Heard today that my great aunt (on Mum's side) died on Friday. She was the last living sibling of my Grandad.
• As requested I returned to the Surgery for another Asthma check. This time I saw someone different and apparently "lung age" is a load of rubbish. Go figure.
• The Royals need a win away at Cardiff on Tuesday if they are to proceed to the play-off final at Wembly. The no score draw at home last Friday in the first leg wasn't a good start.
• Whoever dreamt up curly fries should be given an award. Oh so tasty and brings to mind some very fond memories.

King of the road (or path)? 















* Rhyming slang for... you can work it out, think about ice cream LOL.

Specs Appeal

Isn't it strange how the oddest things make us happy? A couple of weeks ago, I ordered some new glasses from one of those web-only retailers where you supply your prescription details and other information, then off your order goes into the depths of the Wibbly Wobbly Web. Or something like that. Over here glasses cost from around £70 (about $112) for the most basic specs on the high street, so when it's suggested you could pay less that half that, there's got to be a catch, right?

With light weight scratch resistant lens, supplied all the way from Hong Kong for only £23.50 (around US $37), how could I go wrong LOL?




Recent footie results have gone rather well for The Royals:

19 March Barnsley 0 - 1 Reading
2 April Reading 2 - 0 Portsmouth
5 April Reading 2 - 1 Preston

Reading are back in the play-off zone, right at the crucial period of the season. They just need to hold on for a few more weeks and then win their play-off matches. No pressure then LOL.

Missed Data?

Yesterday was the official date of the 2011 UK census, where all households have by law to declare certain facts. These include the total number and details of anyone present overnight, the type of housing (number of bedrooms etc). You get the picture. We have a Census every 10 years with the only exception being WW2, I believe.

I'm not sure exactly how long it will take the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to upload all the data and start producing (meaningful) information. The idea is that this will directly influence the future provision of infrastructure such as roads, schools, houses and hospitals. As a result this will also have a direct bearing on future taxation, and there was me thinking the Government just plucked a figure out of thin air LOL. The only information that will be published will be statistical trends, with the raw data locked away until 2111.

I dutifully completed mine yesterday and popped it back in the post. I could have submitted it electronically, completing on-line but I felt there's something nice knowing in 100 years time my descendants- should they wish- will be able to actually view my handwriting. Perhaps I'm a little old fashioned...

Anyway I did notice one omission from the questionnaire which given the make up of many modern families seems quite major. Nowhere on the form is there a question relating to the number of offspring under age 18 who for whatever reason live at another address. To me this seems quite important and something of a missed opportunity to gather meaningful data. Did this not occur to the ONS when they spent the last 10 years planning the Census? Perhaps they are all middle class men of a certain age, nicely secure in their slightly out-of-step view of society and insulated from the real world?

Maybe my outlook isn't so old fashioned after all.


Update: It's also been pointed out that for some unknown reason, the current Census does not ask for middle names. Strange.

Amber (May) Mean 'Go'

At last common sense might prevail. I've experienced this type of system while travelling in the New England area of the US, where a flashing traffic light means "proceed with caution." Seems to work pretty well both day and night overseas, so why can't a night time system work here? Or at least let's discuss it. 

Things That Make Me Go "Grrrr"

In no specific order:

• I sometimes truly worry this (once) great country is becoming a nation of half-wits. For example it really grates with me when I hear the word "nuffink" instead of "nothing." If we can't express ourselves correctly, what hope is there? The word "init" is another I have a love/hate relationship with. Then again why do nearly all teens try to express their individuality by sounding like every other teen and use some sort of rap/gang speak? Learn to speak proper, just like what I does lol.
• Yesterday I nearly ran a woman over in my car. I was turning right at a mini round-a-bout and was part way through the manoeuvre when without warning she stepped out from the kerb in front of me, totally oblivious to her surroundings. Now here's the best bit: she was pushing a pram with a baby inside. FFS! You won't hear me swear too often on this blog but you get my point. I sounded the horn, stopped to remonstrate with her and I know she heard me but she carried on as if nothing had occurred.
• The European Union and the UK regulator OFCOM have ruled that mobile phone termination charges must be reduced. That is the fee companies charge each other (and ultimately pass on to end-users) for services such as international roaming (using your phone on another network, while travelling abroad). This is fine but these companies will seek to recoup the shortfall by other means, in order to maintain their profits. For example I've just been notified one service I use a lot will increase from 20p per minute (about 30c/min) to 92p per minute ($1.47/min). That helps me how?  
• The kids in the rent-a-house behind me don't seem to understand the concept of "quiet." Every Saturday night their parents seem happy they are outside in the dark screaming the place down. These are teen and pre-teen children- shouldn't they be tucked up in bed? The clocks change this weekend, meaning our peaceful neighbourhood will be subject to disruption for longer. At least they are better than the Uni students who were there last year. It was definitely the party house then. Grrrr.

 Feel better now, I've got that off my chest

Blood

Three unconnected items to mention today:

I've just uploaded a couple of images of my latest work: it's a stoneware bowl with earthenware glazes applied. Crimson Blood and Turquoise so you know.  







Earthenware glazes as a rule give a different range of colours so it can be fun to experiment, provided a basic principle is followed. Stoneware glaze needs to be fired at around 1260 degrees Celsius (about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit) and earthenware clay can only be fired to about 1080 degrees C (1976 degrees F) without it starting to break down. This means you can put earthenware glaze on a stoneware pot and fire at the lower temperature without any problems but you can't fire an earthenware pot with stoneware glaze at the higher level. 

Unfortunately the Crimson is a tad thin in places but overall I'm rather satisfied. Please take a look here and I've been asked to point out that the latest work is to found at the back of the folder.



I recently purchased (on a whim) a toasted sandwich maker. Kind of takes me back to my childhood: I absolutely loved toasted sandwiches during my formative years and I suspect I might have lived on the things if I'd been permitted LOL. Anyway this one cost the grand sum of £5.47 (about $8.75). How on Earth do we make it for that price, let alone no doubt ship it half way round the planet and still sell it for a profit?  

Exploitation of the Third World work force? Discuss.

08 March 2011 Ipswich 1 - 3 Reading

The Royals move to 8th in the league on 54 points.

I was somewhat shocked (and saddened) to hear the news yesterday that Reading defender Chris Armstrong has been forced to retire from professional football at the age of just 28 because he has Multiple Sclerosis. Apparently he was diagnosed in 2009 and has continued to be able to play for the first team until now but feels it is right to stand down.

This makes me feel very grateful for my relative good health.

Made In The UK?

One of the joys of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood is that it is a distinctly British take on the world of Sci-Fi. In particular it has an unashamedly Welsh setting with very strong Welsh accents, putting it apart from the competition.

The new 10 episode series currently before the cameras is a co-production between the BBC and the Starz network. The majority of the writers are veterans of US network TV, with more than half the episodes being shot on location in America. Barely a week goes by without an announcement that more American Film and TV stars have been added to the cast.

None of this is bad and don't for one moment believe this is any sort of anti US rant. In fact it all sounds very impressive. My question is however, at what point does an exciting and distinctly British property become just another X-Files wannabe?