Sunday, April 24, 2005
Popularity of the Royal Family in the UK.
I laughed out loud when I read this ...
What a waste of public money - the civil list payments and the two Police officers. These unelected members of the Royal Family are not wanted by our public as evidenced by their lack of public support. A fashion model or footballer will draw crowds but an unelected aristocrat is about as popular as a pigeon in a shopping centre. The sooner the Royal Family is abolished the better - the public has voted with their feet. Carol Bader ought to get a life of her own!
I laughed out loud when I read this ...
Apr 24 2005 | |
Laura Kemp, Wales on Sunday | |
JUST one royal family fan turned up to see Prince Edward visit Newport. The poor old Earl of Wessex had two police officers on standby in case of a scrum. But it never materialised as Carol Bader was the only person to greet him on Friday as he stopped off on a tour to highlight work being done to help disadvantaged people. |
What a waste of public money - the civil list payments and the two Police officers. These unelected members of the Royal Family are not wanted by our public as evidenced by their lack of public support. A fashion model or footballer will draw crowds but an unelected aristocrat is about as popular as a pigeon in a shopping centre. The sooner the Royal Family is abolished the better - the public has voted with their feet. Carol Bader ought to get a life of her own!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight and obesity was a report released on the 20th April 2005 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It caused quite a stir in the press and I thought I would add my two penneth.
The whole data in the report is a very big challenge to analyze. Doctors will interpret the results in many different ways. What is a safe level of body fat is open to debate. Obesity, when it is gross - is a killer. Obesity is easy to spot as the person wobbles towards you. There is no way to stop the fat wobbling and it cannot be hidden. The ideal BMI is debatable as the results of this report show. I think that these ideal BMI figures are set too low. A slightly higher normal range would give the margin of body fat to enable fitness in ill health or bad times and ensure that the body has the full quotient of nutrients.
I do not think that the medical profession should stop discouraging obesity but should set their guidelines to allow a heavier normal range. Each person knows how they feel and should not want to carry excess baggage. We have evolved through nature so that we can go without food for short periods, nature knows best. Live how you feel best, do not graze like cattle and wobble off the sofa but there is no need in the Western world to have your ribs showing. Enjoy your food but do not overeat or the diabetes monster will get you.
The whole data in the report is a very big challenge to analyze. Doctors will interpret the results in many different ways. What is a safe level of body fat is open to debate. Obesity, when it is gross - is a killer. Obesity is easy to spot as the person wobbles towards you. There is no way to stop the fat wobbling and it cannot be hidden. The ideal BMI is debatable as the results of this report show. I think that these ideal BMI figures are set too low. A slightly higher normal range would give the margin of body fat to enable fitness in ill health or bad times and ensure that the body has the full quotient of nutrients.
I do not think that the medical profession should stop discouraging obesity but should set their guidelines to allow a heavier normal range. Each person knows how they feel and should not want to carry excess baggage. We have evolved through nature so that we can go without food for short periods, nature knows best. Live how you feel best, do not graze like cattle and wobble off the sofa but there is no need in the Western world to have your ribs showing. Enjoy your food but do not overeat or the diabetes monster will get you.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
We have ways of making you talk.
I saw this film by Kate Townsend on BBC2 last night and found it inspirational. It explains both sides of the torture process that goes on all around the world. Lots of countries use torture of both enemy combatants and their own civilians. Employees doing this state sponsored torture feel they are only doing their job and have devolved any responsibility. Governments ask their citizens to do whatever it takes to gain intelligence from prisoners. The employees abusing prisoners think that their Government has the responsibility and has given them the permission to physically or mentally abuse prisoners in their care. When there is an outcry the Government will claim that certain employees are bad apples in a system that has a few minor problems that the Government was not earlier aware of taking place. Both sides claim the other is responsible for torturing their prisoners.
I my view both the Governments and it's employees are guilty of the torture. Whether you are playing a management or a thuggery role, you are guilty of torture. You cannot turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the abuse of prisoners. Confessions or intelligence obtained from torturing a prisoner is often inaccurate and said just to stop the immediate abuse of the victim. There is no morality when this happens in the military or custodial setting. People can easily be led into being abusive captors, either through training or boredom and game rituals. These employees should be strong enough not to endorse any abuse of their charges and not ignore any legal conventions. There will always be political and judicial solutions to situations and there is no need for parts of our society to act like a pack of wild dogs. This film showed what a fragile veneer civilisation can be and these abusers are a disgrace to our society. Everyone has the ability to do evil things and this film diminishes the viewers faith in human nature.
Well done to the BBC for having the courage to show this film, which my wife found difficult to cope with.
I saw this film by Kate Townsend on BBC2 last night and found it inspirational. It explains both sides of the torture process that goes on all around the world. Lots of countries use torture of both enemy combatants and their own civilians. Employees doing this state sponsored torture feel they are only doing their job and have devolved any responsibility. Governments ask their citizens to do whatever it takes to gain intelligence from prisoners. The employees abusing prisoners think that their Government has the responsibility and has given them the permission to physically or mentally abuse prisoners in their care. When there is an outcry the Government will claim that certain employees are bad apples in a system that has a few minor problems that the Government was not earlier aware of taking place. Both sides claim the other is responsible for torturing their prisoners.
I my view both the Governments and it's employees are guilty of the torture. Whether you are playing a management or a thuggery role, you are guilty of torture. You cannot turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the abuse of prisoners. Confessions or intelligence obtained from torturing a prisoner is often inaccurate and said just to stop the immediate abuse of the victim. There is no morality when this happens in the military or custodial setting. People can easily be led into being abusive captors, either through training or boredom and game rituals. These employees should be strong enough not to endorse any abuse of their charges and not ignore any legal conventions. There will always be political and judicial solutions to situations and there is no need for parts of our society to act like a pack of wild dogs. This film showed what a fragile veneer civilisation can be and these abusers are a disgrace to our society. Everyone has the ability to do evil things and this film diminishes the viewers faith in human nature.
Well done to the BBC for having the courage to show this film, which my wife found difficult to cope with.
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