According to the Bolton News, Officers from TV Licensing have chosen the 31st October (Halloween) to target the homes of people who have failed to pay up.
I don’t know what kind of twisted logic they have used to come up with that idea. Of all the days in the year, I would say that Halloween is the single most likely night NOT to open the front door.
Love this one…
from the Institute for Stork Research and Science
Two different theories exist concerning the origin of children: the theory of Sexual reproduction, and the theory of the stork. Many people believe in the theory of sexual reproduction because they have been taught this theory at school. In reality, however, many of the world’s leading scientists are in favour of the theory of the stork. If the theory of sexual reproduction is taught in schools, it must only be taught as a theory and not as the truth. Alternative theories, such as the theory of the stork, must also be taught.
Evidence supporting the theory of the stork includes the following:
So, Ruth Kelly has come out and said that the current scheme to use of the hard shoulder on the M42 as a running lane is to be extended.
While I don’t agree with this policy, preferring to see money spent on properly widening the motorway or actually improving alternative transport, one part of this news item strikes me as odd: none of the proposed extensions of this policy will (thankfully) occur north of the Birmingham conurbation.
From this, you should surmise that these are the congestion hotspots that the government has identified to be targeted. If so, why is Manchester being targeted with a congestion tax and these are not?
Before anyone points out that the Manchester Tax is inside the M60, I experience zero congestion inside the M60, but heavy congestion on the M61 and M60 around Manchester.
It’s that time of year again, when the temperature starts to drop and people start considering switching the heating back on, which leads me to a question: In every house I’ve lived in, the room thermostat has been situated in the hall, not the living room or bedrooms. What is the logic in controlling the heating based on temperature in a room you don’t actually live in, except to move to another room, or answer the front door?
I went looking on iTunes for an old album I used to have on tape, and sure enough – there it was for £7.90. Hmmm a bit pricey, so I looked on play.com and there it was for only £4.99.
So for almost three quid less, you get:
Most CDs are available from play.com and cdwow.com for around £7.99, so even at that price it’s still better to get the CD.
So what, apart from satisfying your impatience, is the attraction of downloading music?
When traffic lights were first introduced, they worked purely on a timer basis, even if there was no traffic coming the other way.
As they developed, we saw the introduction of pneumatic sensor strips in the road which were then replaced with induction loops to detect traffic and keep the traffic flowing as best as possible (Anti-car Ken Livingstone’s meddling in London aside).
However, whenever I go to Glasgow, I find myself regularly sat at a red light for long periods, when there is no other traffic (road or pedestrian) at the junction. Even in the middle of the night. They don’t seem to take the actual amount of traffic into account.
Now this is a serious question, and maybe someone can clarify the situation – do the Glasgow traffic lights still operate on a timed only basis?
One of the very reasons I don’t want Windows Vista is the threat that Microsoft will screw up the WGA validation system, and surprise, surprise, guess what happened this weekend?
Interestingly, Microsoft’s WGA Blog says:
This validation failure did not result in the 30-day grace period starting and no one went into reduced functionality mode as a result.
but in the very next sentence then says:
The experience of a system that failed validation in this instance was that some features intended for use only on genuine systems were temporarily unavailable.
Err, sorry Microsoft, but temporary unavailability of features is very definitely reduced functionality.
The once proud British Chemical Giant has today agreed to be bought by its rival Akzo Nobel.
ICI coined the word plastic, and invented numerous other everyday items.
Yet another British company swallowed up by a foreign competitor.
I’m curious…
How many pieces of silver did it take for Bolton Council to betray the people of Bolton to the Manchester Congestion Tax?
No doubt, they are labouring under the delusion that “we’ll get a share of the money, but it won’t affect Bolton�. Well, it might not affect the councillors who work in Bolton, but it certainly will affect thousands of council tax paying, (and don’t forget voting) residents of Bolton who do work inside the M60. A clear case of “I’m alright Jack�.
The congestion charge scheme is flawed for one very important reason: it wrongly assumes that motorists have a choice. We don’t. We still have to get to work, but the public transport alternatives simply do not exist. This is not London who enjoy a co-ordinated transport system, we instead have the GMPTA. It is therefore nothing more than an additional tax on the motorist. The motorist has already paid several times over in the form of road tax and one of the highest fuel duties in Europe. It is not our fault that successive governments have squandered this money rather than using it to provide a decent public transport system.
Since I work flexitime, it would seem sensible to alter my hours from 8am-4pm to 10am-6pm to try to avoid the charge and ease congestion, but since the evening charging period lasts until 6:30pm, it is clear that the GMPTA’s aim is to maximise income rather than ease congestion.
Expect queues of parked cars just before 9:30am around Manchester, as people hang back before crossing the M60, then an increase in speeding and road rage just before 4pm as drivers race to get out before the charging period starts. This along with several other issues were put to the representatives of the GMPTA at a Salford Chamber of Commerce meeting – not a single question could be answered.
Before anyone compares me to Jeremy Clarkson, I would point out that I would love to use public transport to get to work. I live around the corner from Blackrod station, and work right next door to Clifton Station. The journey time should be around 25 minutes, except for the fact that only one train stops at Clifton each morning. In order to connect with this train, I would have to leave Blackrod the night before. I have contacted GMPTA regarding this lack of service, but it is clear from the excuses in their replies that they have no intention of rectifying the situation.
Finally, much hype is being made of money being used to extend Metrolink. Since Bolton is one of the few areas that will never benefit from this, why should we be forced to pay the same as other areas who have the option of using it?
An edited version of this post has been published as a letter in the Bolton News.
Nelson:”Order the signal, Hardy.”
Hardy: “Aye, aye sir.”
Nelson: “Hold on, that’s not what I dictated to Flags. What’s the meaning of this?”
Hardy: “Sorry sir?”
Nelson (reading aloud): “England expects every person to do his or her duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability.’ – What gobbledegook is this?”
Hardy: “Admiralty policy, I’m afraid, sir. We’re an equal opportunities employer now. We had the devil’s own job getting ‘ England ‘ past the censors, lest it be considered racist.”
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