For any who may be wondering where my inane ramblings have been of late, be assured that I am not dead, but just having a bit of a break from writing at the moment. I intend to return to the blogosphere in the very near future, bursting with indignation and moral outrage. Bet you can’t wait, eh?
I was watching a programme on TV last night about the making of Pink Floyd’s magical Dark Side Of The Moon album. I had almost forgotten how damn good that album is! Anyway, I was inspired enough to get ma geetar out today, tune it up, and try and learn the intro to ‘Breathe’. And you know what? I bloody have you know! :-0 And it’s all thanks to the wonders of t’internet!
Today, I am a Rock God!
It was with great sadness I read of the death of Stephanie Hammacott in today’s Plymouth Herald. It was her terrible misfortune to be passing by a house on her way to school as a gas explosion blew it to pieces. She was buried under flying rubble and later died in Derriford hospital. I can only offer my deepest condolences to the girl’s family, which will of course be of little or no comfort at this awful time. Amazingly, the occupants of the house escaped serious injury.
How the explosion came about is still a matter of investigation, but I’m willing to take an educated guess. While it is entirely possible that this was a freak and unavoidable accident, my experience as a gas engineer suggest to me that the likeliest causes are -
1) a gas cooker or fire left on overnight,
2) an unattended fracture of a gas main or service pipe in the street,
3) bad workmanship after work on a gas appliance, or
4) a nail put through a gas pipe while laying carpets or hanging pictures.
A passing comment in the Herald’s coverage of the incident leads me to suspect that the cause is 2), an unattended fracture in the street.
“(Police) Officers received reports that gas had been smelt in the area before the explosion.“
Later in the same article, a spokesman for Wales and South West Utilities is quoted as saying that they had received no previous reports of a smell of gas at the location. Which leaves me with the distinct impression that someone did smell gas at the site but did nothing about it. If this is the case, the person or persons who smelt gas but did not report it holds a great deal of responsibility for this little girl’s death. If nothing else, this should be a stark reminder to all of us that if you think you can smell gas you should report it immediately on 0800 111 999. Even if you think it is your imagination. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
A thing that bothers me about the forthcoming investigation into the cause of this explosion, is the fact that both the city council and the gas company will be participating in it. I don’t think that should be the case when it is still entirely possible that one or the other may be culpable of negligence. And while it could be argued that Wales and West Utilities(formerly British Gas, and Transco) have valuable expertise in the field, it is also true that they have a past history of negligence leading to fatalities, and a record of trying to evade and cover-up said responsibility. And I should know, I worked for British Gas and Transco for ten years. In fact, I resigned from them after an explosion killed a family of four in Scotland in 1999. Until it is clear that they, or the Council, have no responsibility in this, the investigation should be the exclusive preserve of the Police, Fire Service, and the Health and Safety Executive.
Janet Street-Porter has written an article in today’s Independent on Sunday castigating those who keep blogs as “socially inept” and un-cultured “couch potatoes“, who “can’t use a three syllable word“. She goes on to say that “99 per cent of blogs just soak up your valuable time without giving anything meaningful back in return“, and that “most blogs are about as interesting as watching cheese develop mould“.
Coming from one who recently participated so enthusiastically in the mind-numbingly inane ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’, this is rich indeed. I can only marvel at the temerity of the woman. Most blogs I have read are a damn sight more interesting than watching some third-rate ‘celebrity’ eat slugs in the Australian outback, and are a great deal more intellectually challenging. Through her appearance on the programme she has no doubt made a small fortune from the ’socially inept couch potatoes’ that she now rails against, and has made a contribution to the dumbing down of popular culture. Her hypocrisy is simply stunning.
It is through the failures and omissions of those such as Janet Street-Porter in the mainstream media that bloggers are becoming an ever-increasing source of news and information to millions of people. Who, for example, in the mainstream media has written about Benazir Bhutto’s incredible allegation that Osama Bin Laden has been murdered? Not Janet obviously, as she has been too busy writing about a divorcee who had her shoes and underwear incinerated!
Janet writes that blogs are as interesting as watching cheese develop mould. She fails to recognise that the growing of mould on cheese is an absolutely fascinating process, the observance of which lead to the discovery of Penicillin. Blogs, at their best, are an antidote to the corporate propaganda inherent in the mainstream media Janet so handsomely profits from. As a part of the bacteria that infects the body of the media, it is understandable I suppose why Ms Street-Porter would like we antibacterial agents to “blog off!”. Her comments are nothing but the anguished howl of one who sees her privileged status under threat. We bloggers are here to stay, whether she like it or not.
Instead of moaning about bloggers, she could try not reading them. Blogs are quite easy to avoid, unlike certain reality TV shows I could mention.
Several weeks before she was assassinated in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto claimed in an interview with the BBC’s David Frost that Osama Bin Laden had been murdered. She even names the alleged culprit. Is that not curious? The claim is made at about the 6 minute mark in the above video. The man Bhutto claims “murdered Bin Laden” is called Omar Sheik, who Musharraf claimed in his autobiography was a UK intelligence agent. Amazingly, David Frost finds nothing worthy of comment in this remarkable allegation. Astoundingly, the BBC’s edited version of the interview has this remark by Bhutto deleted. I cant help but suspect Bhutto spoke too much to David Frost, and this is what led to her being killed.
This may come as a surprise and disappointment to some of my respected friends, but I support 100% the Oxford Union’s recent decision to invite the controversial figures of David Irving and Nick Griffin to a debate on ‘Freedom of Speech’. No doubt, many of my friends would have been involved with the demonstration against their participation at the debate, but I have to say I think they are wrong. Very wrong.
I have long felt that fascism should be debated out of existence, and not oppressed out of existence. I have seen it argued that as fascists would not extend freedom of speech to people like us, why should people like us extend freedom of speech to fascists? The answer to that is very simple - because we are not fascists. It would seem that many on the Left have forgotten the famous words attributed to Voltaire, which state,
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
To my mind, this attitude of tolerance is what differentiates me from authoritarian fascists of many hues. This is the attitude I expect from those who claim to abhor fascism. Not demands for the censorship of their views, however repugnant they may be. After all, what is freedom of speech if it does not apply universally? It becomes nothing but the freedom to agree with established views. If we refuse fascists the right to free speech today, who shall be refused tomorrow? Anarchists? Communists? Socialists? As much as it is disagreeable, a fascists freedom to speak is also OUR freedom to speak.
The ideology of fascism can be defeated with a calculator and an etch-a-sketch. The Irvings and Griffins of this world are no doubt delighted by the ‘no platform’ policy of those who could demolish their arguments in open debate. For them, ‘war,war’ is better than ‘jaw, jaw’. For the rest of us, ‘jaw, jaw’ MUST be the preference. It would be a grave mistake to make free-speech-martyrs of the ridiculous British National Party. As peace loving libertarians, we must sharpen our arguments, not our hatchets.
I was under the impression on Saturday evening that I was going to the pub to have a quiet drink with the gorgeous girlfriend. So it was a great surprise to find many of my friends awaiting our arrival. The wonderful and quite devious wench had only gone and arranged a surprise birthday party for me! And I didn’t have the faintest idea.
Humbled, and in a state of shock, I didn’t know what to do for the first hour or so. I was reluctant to open the cards and presents I had been given as I was still unsure that they were really mine, that it wasn’t some bizarre misunderstanding. A party? For me? Shurely shome mishtake…? I recall wandering the pub in a daze, saying “what you doing here?”, “what YOU doing here?”, “what the fuck you doing HERE?”, to various members of my family, and friends who had travelled to be there.
Soon enough I realised that it was all very real, and not some waking dream. And it evolved into a rather splendid evening, which I suspect was enjoyed by all in attendance. Though unfortunately my Mum and Nan had to leave early as the music in the pub was a little too loud for them. As we approached the end of the evening it became quite clear that my younger cousins and one or two of my friends were determined to get me into a nightclub, despite my protestations. Suffice to say my subsequent hangover owed itself entirely to the environs of club C-103, or whatever the hell it’s called, on Union Street. Never again.
Anyway, I’d like to extend the most sincere thanks to all who came out last Saturday. You are all wonderful, each and every one of you, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You made an old man very happy! And as for the gorgeous girlfriend, who arranged all this with so much secret skullduggery, what can I say other than “I Love You”, and “wait til I get you home!”
Some recent articles in the media should be urgent reading for users of Facebook, the social networking site.
This article warns about the private information that can be ‘mined’ by corporate entities from places like Facebook. It is important to have privacy settings adjusted to prevent this. Do it now.
A wee you(beauty)tube video ah found, courtesy of a guy goin’ by the name of 19macca79.
….but ye’ll never take oor memories…
feckin greedy, brilliant Italian bastards. Perchè non accettare un risultato uguale?
SCOTLAND 1 (Ferguson 65′), ITALY 2 (Toni 1′, Panucci 90′)
Attendance - 52,000
Hampden Park, 17th November 2007.
One minute. One more bloody minute. That’s how far Scotland were from achieving a magnificent result against the World Champions Italy on Saturday. One more minute without conceding a goal, and Tartan Army members everywhere could have kept on hoping that qualification from the “Group of Death” was a real possibility, at least until Ukraine play France later this week. But no, a quite inexplicable decision by the referee to award Italy a free-kick, after a Scotland player had been barged off the ball, led to a heart-breaking last-minute goal for Italy, and the termination of Scotland’s Euro 2008 dream. A quite cruel and undeserved end to a truly inspiring campaign by the boys from Bonnie Scotland.
Long-time supporters of the Scottish national football team are, of course, well used to this sort of calamity. Scotland teams are renowned for “glorious failure” in major tournaments, but fore-knowledge of this particular trait does nothing to soothe the disappointment when it comes. In fact the opposite is often the case, as the disappointment is often amplified by the annoyance of letting yourself get optimistic in the first place! I recall now a conversation with a well-travelled Tartan Amry-ista in the days following the historic win in France. “Bastards,” he said, “they’ve got me believing again!”
But still, it was a wonderful ride while it lasted, and pride has been restored to the national team after the bland wilderness years under Craig Brown, and then Berti Vogts. Dangerously for we Scots, belief has been restored. Bring on the 2010 World Cup draw!
Random quotes -
“After Scotland equalised I have to say we were afraid,” said Cannavaro (Italy captain, and World Cup winner)
“We trembled in the hellish atmosphere of Hampden against the tenacious Scots,” quaked the Italian paper La Repubblica.
Meanwhile Italian federation president, Giancarlo Abete lavished praise on the Scottish supporters for the way they supported their team, even after the final whistle. “They’ve given us a lesson. Their behaviour made our football look even sadder,” said Abete, referring to the recent violent events in Serie A.
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