…surrounded by fucking windmills:
BBC: Wind ‘could power all UK homes’
All UK homes could be powered by offshore wind farms by 2020 as part of the fight against climate change, under plans unveiled by John Hutton.
Up to 7,000 turbines could be installed to boost wind produced energy 60-fold by 2020…
Mr Hutton conceded that having a wind installation every half-mile around the coast was “going to change our coastline”.
The lunacy continues.
Jen: Do you want one of these satsumas?
Me: What? You’re eating satsumas in my car!
Jen: They’re really good.
Me: You’ll stink the car out. I’ve only just got rid of the fish & chips smell from two months back!
Jen: Don’t be such a kill-joy! Satsumas aren’t like fish & chips: they smell all Christmassy.
Me: So does reindeer shit, but I don’t want my car smelling of it!
Eddie Izzard – Death Star Canteen (with added Lego™):
I attended a former colleague’s funeral service yesterday. Nice chap. He would have been amused to know that he was responsible for making me go to church. I sat right at the back and tried to ignore the vicar, who took advantage of his captive audience.
Half-way through the service, someone’s mobile phone began to ring: [I fell into a burning] Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. You couldn’t make it up.
I’m sure my late colleague would have laughed his head off.
We’re all guilty of making selective references. Oh yes we are. You can paraphrase me on part of that, if you like. It’s a perfectly natural thing to do—especially if you’re trying to prove some point.
There were some great examples of selective references in this week’s Any Questions programme on Radio 4. When asked a question about climate change, each of the politicians on the show (apart from the Labour Party rep) referred to the valedictory speech of the UK government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, which was critical of certain government policies. The woman from the Green Party even took the opportunity to explain how Sir David had previously described climate change as a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism (which indeed he had), so shouldn’t we be spending a lot more money on it than on some “illegal war”? [Cue applause.]
What all these politicians inexplicably neglected to mention, however, was what else Sir David said in his speech. Unfortunately, I have been unable to track down a transcript, so will selectively quote from the BBC’s coverage to prove some sort of point of my own:
[Sir David] said: “I would love to see Britain back at the forefront of positive use of GM technology.” He added: “The process of GM technology should not be banned. The products of GM technology should be clearly monitored one by one.”
He believes there is a moral case for the UK and the rest of Europe to grow GM crops, and thinks Europe’s backing would kick-start a technology that could help the world’s poorest in Africa.
…or how about this one?
He told BBC News that he was disappointed that the UK government had not pushed forward with more [nuclear] power stations in the 2003 Energy White Paper; the government said that it wanted to see if renewables would fill the gap.
However, Sir David now says that he knew at the time he did not believe renewables on their own would be enough.
(I won’t quote the bit about his thoughts on culling badgers, as I don’t happen to agree with him on that one.)
About this time of year, our nextdoor neighbour’s hens go into a mid-winter sulk, and our regular supply of ultra-low food miles, organic, freerange eggs dries up.
As luck would have it, last Saturday, Jen‘s mum had half a dozen spare eggs from her nextdoor neighbour’s pullets, which she let us have.
“Does this mean we’ve been given a pullet surprise?” I asked Jen.
Jen looked at me blankly.
“Pullet surprise!” I repeated. “Geddit? I thought it was a pretty clever, spontaneous joke.”
“So did I the last time you made it,” said Jen.
New Scientist: Anti-smoking drug linked to violent behaviour
The anti-smoking drug Chantix is to be investigated by the US Food and Drug Administration after reports linked it to suicidal and violent behaviour.
Of course, an alternative explanation might be that depriving a naturally suicidal or violent person of the calming effect of nicotine might lead to suicidal or violent behaviour.
Fags do have certain benefits to society, as well as their drawbacks.
BBC: Concern over HIV homeopathy role
Doctors and health charities have expressed concern about a conference which will examine the role of homeopathy in treating HIV.
The event includes discussion of what have been described as “healing remedies” for HIV and AIDS.
One of the speakers believes that the treatment, involving flower essences, can be used to halt the AIDS epidemic.
In case any of these homeopaths were wondering, the ‘V’ in HIV stands for virus. Viruses are parasitic segments of genetic code which replicate by incorporating themselves into their host’s own genetic material and piggybacking on the host’s genetic replication process. It is debatable whether viruses should be viewed as living organisms at all, but they often participate in evolutionary arms races with their hosts as the hosts evolve counter-measures against the viruses and the viruses evolve corresponding counter-counter measures.
Antibiotics, the most powerful form of medicine known to man, have no effect on viruses. In order to fight viruses such as HIV, we need to develop special anti-viral drugs. In the case of HIV treatment, patients require a cocktail of other drugs to treat the undesirable side-effects of the anti-viral drugs—and other drugs to overcome the side-effects of some of those drugs. It’s far from an ideal situation, but it’s the best we have at present—and it has vastly extended the life-expectancy of those people with HIV who are lucky enough to live in countries which can afford such treatments.
Adding a few homeopathic sugar-pills to the cocktail of real medicines given to people with HIV will not (and, indeed, cannot) do any harm. But be in no doubt whatsoever that near-infinite dilutions of flower essences have no role to play in our genetic war against the human immunodeficiency virus.
Anyone who advocates homeopathy as an alternative treatment to HIV, however, deserves to be set on fire. Then put out very slowly.
With a spade.
BBC: Shortlist revealed for BBC award
Ten contenders have been named on the shortlist for the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
I couldn’t help noticing that the shortlist does not include a single representative from the sport of pathetic, overpaid, mincing prima donnas.
I had no idea Gruts was so influential.
And this one’s mine:
The perfect pop song. Check out the Steve Earle version, if you get the chance.