Palestinian Waters

Just like many other people I’m very critical of the World Bank,
but just once in a while they do produce some interesting reports.

One that caught my eye of late is
world bank report 47657-gz .

‘WEST BANK AND GAZA
ASSESSMENT OF RESTRICTIONS ON PALESTINIAN
WATER SECTOR DEVELOPMENT.’

Water supply & waste disposal are very fundemental needs for most people,
but given the political structure of the area,
then how these services are delivered presents major problems all around.

Maybe it’s not the most imaginative of titles,
but the contents do illustrate a lot of the fundemental problems which occure within the
area.

McAlpine’s Fissile Fears.

Here is a song which needs to be updated with a current twist to it –

McAlpine’s Fusiliers.

The song tells about just what it used to like to work for
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.

The word Fusilier being for a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket.

Sir Robert McAlpine is well know as a construction company.

Some of the places which McAlpine’s have built include
Hunterston B
Hinkley Point B
&
Bradwell
Nukiller Power plants.

The company was also responsible for building the
Torness nukiller power plant.

During the construction of this reactor there was much opposition to the construction of the plant,
which included a Nonviolent Occupation of the site.

Sir Robert McAlpine’s parent company is Newarthill,
which is Privately owned.

According to a number of sources
McAlpine’s is lining itself up to build the next set of
proposed British nukiller reactors.

It looks like it’s now time to tell McAlpine’s just why
nukiller power is a Bad idea.

The ‘Greed is Good’ Argument Against Nukiller Power.

There are some arguments for doing the right thing which
sound almost counter intuitive.

For example:

If one were to establish a Ron & Reggie Kray memorial institute
for the victims of knife crimes.

or

By promoting the ‘Greed is Good’ argument against nukiller
power.

Yet this is not a counter intuitive argument in economic terms.

Given all the hidden costs of nukiller power,
plus all of the long term costs of storing and safeguarding the
radioactive waste,
then it is very hard to see how anyone could ever make a profit
without the tax payer shoulder the long term costs.

No wonder the companies involved in the industry are arguing
so strongly that we poor tax payers should pay for all the
unprofitable parts of the industry.

Just look at the insurance rates for each reactor.

At a time when there is going to be so much social harm as a
result of cuts in government spending,
is it really reasonable to keep subsidising the nukiller power
industry ?

Last year George Soros pledged to put his money into helping to
stop global warming from carbon emissions.

Just keep in mind that the nukiller power industry also
generates a lot of carbon emissions,

Whether the Soros fund will also be used to help campaign against
the building of new nukiller reactors remains to be seen?

We still have to find out.

What we really need is more people like Soros coming out
against the building of nukiller reactors.

There is a lot of money at stake in terms of the nukiller power
industry,
but better returns are to be made by the alternatives.

Ever Heard About Young & Rubicam ?

It’s an adverting agency which has done work for the military.

Way back in September 1981 I co-wrote a
Greenpeace ( London ) factsheet upon the advertising agencies
which were then being used by the British military.

‘SOME BACKGROUND TO THE LAUNCHING OF A CAMPAIGN
AGAINST ADVERTISING AGENCIES
PROMOTING THE MILITARY AND THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY.’

Thing change and so have some of the contracts.

Here is an example of just how things have changed:

British Army seeks digital agency

Now here is where Young & Rubicam yet again come in to the
picture.

I’m thinking that it’s now about time that some more attention
was paid to what some of these adverting agencies,
are doing for the military in both Britain and the USA.

That might involve me in a little more research in to just what
they are all up to these days.

Just watch this space . . . . .

Just How Many Animal Lives Can This One Person Save?

If you look at the statistics for the average annual
consumption of meat per person world wide,
then the numbers are rather grim.

On average a German will eat more than 1,000 animals in their lifetime.

That is some
4 cows,
4 calves,
4 sheep,
46 pigs,
37 ducks,
46 turkeys,
12 geese,
&
945 chickens.

So if I were a German then I would of saved over 500 craetures from
being slaughtered since I became Vegetarian in January 1970.

This says nothing about the number of fish which are killed
and eaten by an individual over a lifetime.

I mention these statistics not so much as a personal boast,
but as an example of what we can all do in order to make this a
much better world.

It also shows just how much we can all achieve by taking up a
vegetarian diet.

Dumbing Down Equates to Less Information for the Well Informed.

At school I was taught how to read an ordinance survey map.

The maps I was bought up on showed all the railway lines,
and shipping routes.

We would refer to the Great North Road,
or where a road started or ended.

Road maps were not a mess of meaningless numbers,
but were descriptive of the places marked upon them.

It was also a time in which weather maps showed millibar lines
upon then.

If I looked at the contour numbers upon a map I see just how
steep the landscape might be.

If I looked at the millibar numbers then I can judge just what the
weather might be doing.

My how things have changed!

We have satellite navigation for those who can not read
ordinance survey maps,
&
Weather maps which remind me of children’s picture books.

I keep reading about the dumbing down of education in terms
of grammar, spelling, and numeracy,
but that’s only a part of the problem.

This kind of dumbing down would also seem to extend to the
fact that people are being given statistical information in a
very simplistic form.

Now I do understand that some people are unable to read a lot
of information from any form of statistical data,
and that they might not be able to understand a complex
weather map.

Yet that is no reason for dumbing down the information which
is presented to us in the media.

Is it any wonder that the newspaper industry is in decline,
when all they can do is present news stories in such a very
simplistic form?

Call me an intellectual snob if you will,
but I want to read information that is information,
and not a very simplistic version of the truth.

Naming and Renaming.

Over the years there have been many efforts to develop
better descriptive signage within libraries.

In the old days this was so simple to achieve,
as there were only a few departments within each library:
Fiction,
Non Fiction,
Reference,
&
Children’s library.

Things change. . . .

Now what really confuses a lot of library uses is that there
would seem to be less and less of a distinction between the
reference and lending areas within most modern library
building.

This is especially true as we often find reference periodicals
with the lending areas,
while in many libraries there are very often no distinct music
or AV ( Audio Vision ) departments.

Is it any wonder that people are both unable to distinguish
between what are the Fiction or Nonfiction areas within most
libraries.*1

This also says nothing about the problems which they might
experience in trying to work out just what are the quiet study
areas.

So here is a quick and useful guide as to just how library areas
might be marketed*2
within the libraries of the future.

– The Reality Zone.
Instead of Nonfiction.

– Pure Fiction.
For all works of fiction.

– The Twilight Zone.
This being a playful reference to any teenage area.

– Kiddies Corner.
or where the children are to be found.

&

– Shhhhooooooooosh !!!!!!!!!!
The quiet zone or study area.

Now what other ideas do you have upon what might be added to
this list?

………….

*1
I have also noted that many people are unable to distinguish
between what is Fiction and Nonfiction.
Thus they will refer to Crime Fiction and True Crime.

*2
‘Marketed’ being both a descriptive and marketing term within
this context.

Being Vegie – 2/3rds of My Life In July

I spent part of last night looking through my diary,
and doing some sums.

This was in order to work out the exact date at which I will
reach 2/3rds of my life as a vegetarian.

It works out that it will be on July 29th.

The next thing to do is work out just how I’m gonna celebrate
this day.

I’m also thinking that I should look into just how many animals
and fish lives I’ve managed to save over this period.

Once I have this number then I’ll go and produce a pic which
will show all of these creatures together in one place.

Magic!

A Warming to All Pensioners.

The True and Very Shocking History of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Ebebezer Scrooge was a hard working man.

An elderly gentleman who had to work well beyond what is now the state retirement age.

His only pleasure was to go home to his none centrally heated flat,
eat a simple but healthy meal,
and read a library book about economics.

He cared nothing for consumerism,
but was a strong supporter of
Buy Nothing Day.

He would pass the legalised beggars such as the UCKG* during the season of Gloom & Despondency, which some perverse individuals call Xmas,
and tell them that what they were selling was all humbug.

One night three con men turned up at his door,
and persuaded him to give away all of his money.

As a result of this he had no savings to live on,
and died in penury within a run down council flat.

Let this be a warning to all you pensioners.

Be very careful when your next asked to give your money away,
and always avoid being taken in by the
*Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

The Season of Gloom and Despondency.

I think that in most ways I’m a happy bunny,
but……….

If there is one thing which really leaves me feeling very
depressed, then it is everything which surrounds the xmas
period.

This is in part because of the way in which the jesus myth is
propagandised,
and in part because of the way in which the unbridled feast of
consumerism is celebrated.

What makes this even worse is to see those who can least
afford it go on an xmas spending spree, and then find that they
land up with enormous personal debts.

What people need to remember is that there is a major
difference between I need and I want.

If I want to give my friends presents,
then I’ll do it when I want to do so though out the year.
and not just because we have reached some speculative
anniversary date.

It’s all about wanting to do something,
rather that feeling a social pressure to do so.

The other thing which gets me is the way in which a lot of
public transport services close down for anything up to 56
hours.

Like great !

– Here we are forced to take some time off work,
and we can not get away from our homes.

– So much for the excuse that we are all having time off work
in order to see ones family and friends.

If only …….. !

The only good thing about the whole situation is that it gives
me some time to catch up with my various projects,
and do some spring cleaning at home.

Oh happy days!

We talk about living within a 24/7 society,
but this only extends to 365 days minus one week in the year.

I look forward to the time when the whole xmas holiday
season is something which is confined to the history books.

Roll on !