tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10105217121023935852012-01-27T14:03:39.409ZJohn Ward in MedwayPolitical "realfacts", not convenient-but-false "goodfacts", from a former Conservative Councillor —
plus occasional posts on Technology, Humour and Cuisine...John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.comBlogger29891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-25627080661925381422012-01-26T05:30:00.000Z2012-01-26T14:07:48.455ZCute Picture of the DayIt looks like it's going to be another miserable day weather-wise, so how about the colourful characters from 3rd and Bird to cheer us up – from the left: Rudy, Muffin and Samuel...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-63618689169480555172012-01-25T16:29:00.003Z2012-01-25T22:18:03.055ZNice Picture Of The DayJust to brighten up what has been yet another dull weather day, here's the delightful Rosie, from the programme's public Facebook pages...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-35164929502357040312012-01-25T16:25:00.002Z2012-01-25T16:25:50.269ZPal-tipine
An effect of one's brain going into "free association mode" is that odd words – especially odd names – that sound similar can get mixed together.
Those folk who have read Isaac Asimov's short story "I'm in Marsport Without Hilda" (from the Asimov's Mysteries collection) will be familiar with this topic.
Thus it is, I have found, with Palpatine of Star Wars fame and Mr Pontipine from In The John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-64702529953826528592012-01-25T14:48:00.001Z2012-01-25T14:48:06.337ZNot Treading on ToesRegular readers will probably recall that I have mentioned the care I take before and when putting a case for work to be done in my home area. After all, my aim is to improve matters that seemingly wouldn't otherwise be dealt with, not for the sake of building up a dossier of personal achievements (though that does follow on naturally from work that I successfully arrange to be done).
I am John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-1055212359497628692012-01-25T00:21:00.000Z2012-01-25T11:35:19.945ZHaving Trouble Counting?First it was the two Eds (Balls and Miliband) multiply counting the same chunk of money to be spent nine or ten times over if they ever got their hands on the reins of power and the Treasury again.
Now it's local Labour blogger Tristan Osborne (yet again!) who did a Monty Python "Buying a Bed" skit and multiplied the nation's debt by a thousand in this tweet, just a few minutes ago...
"John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-50000415583114832862012-01-24T19:26:00.000Z2012-01-24T19:26:04.432ZNew Yoda-phone AdvertOkay, so it's really Vodaphone, but a Jedi can be forgiven for making such a simple slip...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-35898807747770182082012-01-24T17:54:00.000Z2012-01-24T20:32:27.999ZLetter from MPs re possible AirportHere is the letter, signed by six north Kent Members of Parliament, sent today to the Prime Minister, seeking an urgent meeting regarding the possibility of a new airport "in or around the Thames Estuary"...
UPDATE @ 1845: Mark Reckless MP has now posted this letter on his own 'blog. There are also new indications that the idea of this airport is yet again fading. I think it always has been aJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-79582706656836504322012-01-24T11:43:00.002Z2012-01-24T15:28:32.019ZStatement of Your Tax SpendingNow here's a brilliant idea – one that I have heard mooted before, but this time it looks like it could well happen. Each year, taxpayers already receive a statement of their tax; but in the interests of transparency, why can't it include a breakdown of how that tax money is being spent by the Government? ConHome has the story.
Ben Gummer's proposal to provide an itemised list of amounts taken John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-44766984697178581362012-01-24T01:57:00.002Z2012-01-24T01:57:27.072ZDrives AplentySince getting the Blitz interface from APDL and an additional 128 GigaByte hard drive to augment the one I already had as a backup drive, I have (after an initial trial that made one of my RiscPCs up to four 'slices' high!) settled on mounting this sub-assembly of interface and two drives into the one-slice RiscPC and making it up to a more manageable (than four) three-slice computer, with one John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-52260629228937108072012-01-23T23:09:00.000Z2012-01-25T13:35:31.909ZThat's ASDA Jobs!Chink-chink!
My former employer (of some ten or more years ago) ASDA has announced the creation of some 5,000 new jobs this year. They're always doing this kind of thing, year after year; and it is a mark of their confidence that they are still able and willing to open new shops and depots, and re-fit existing stores, even at this time of economic difficulty.
I always found them a good store John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-42854180665324791832012-01-20T13:31:00.001Z2012-01-21T18:54:16.489ZThe Hub is the Nub – and the RubLearning the lessons of the Internet
(This is additional material regarding the review of Britain's civil aviation needs and future plans, separate from the environmental and other such issues that I and others have covered in numerous places already.)
The whole idea of a so-called "hub airport".such as the variants that have over recent years been proposed for either the Hoo Peninsula or the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-83954282100009274242012-01-18T21:32:00.000Z2012-01-18T22:15:53.009ZEstuary Airport – Epilogue?
I have been keeping a weather eye out during the day for any significant news on the airport capacity consultation that began today.
If what has appeared in the media this evening turns out to be correct, at least the "Boris island" estuary airport idea is dead. This opening paragraph from a piece in The Guardian this evening suggests an own goal by the London Mayor...
"Downing Street told John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-81547721808613657212012-01-17T21:55:00.000Z2012-01-19T17:21:38.529ZCartoon Character VoicesHaving a range of distinctive voices is important in any production, whether it be on stage, in the cinema or on the television. With cartoon characters it can be even more important – as the faces are less expressive than real ones so it can be less obvious who is speaking from visual clues alone – which I suspect is why there tends to be a broad mix of accents in a lot of cartoons, both modern John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-77191170881763928332012-01-17T15:28:00.000Z2012-01-17T20:28:47.575ZFacing Both Ways
(More apt but © cartoon here)
On today's Daily Politics Harriet Harman confirmed (though not without considerable attempted wriggling) what Ed Balls' latest utterances on how Labour would handle our economy already told us – that Labour are trying to face both ways at once.
Unfortunately, as usual for the BBC, the video clip cannot be embedded here so you'll need to follow the above link for John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-82454963832137376542012-01-16T16:02:00.000Z2012-01-16T16:02:47.773ZRoadworks in Medway
Image copyright of Ordnance Survey
This is something I started work on several weeks ago, after discovering (from a couple of my sources) that Medway Labour folk had been claiming that they were being discriminated against when it came to expenditure on road and footway repairs in the wards they represent. No evidence has been presented to support their claim.
This didn't make sense to me, John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-37594507885973357322012-01-16T00:58:00.001Z2012-01-16T11:41:28.939ZBig Defection
The just-announced defection of Blaiirite adviser Luke Bozier to the Conservatives, just as an ordinary member, is significant indeed, as The Independent reports this morning, and as Luke himself has tweeted during the past hour or so.
Just follow the link and read the story: it is a more powerful way to realise just how big a blow this is to Labour and to Ed[ward] Miliband in particular than John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-61467150297367418582012-01-16T00:30:00.000Z2012-01-16T00:30:02.223ZEd Miliband's Personal Ratings
Every week YouGov ask those they are polling what they think of the way each of the big three party leaders is performing. Any one week's "snapshot" tells a partial and limited story, but only the trend over time tells the real story.
Thus it is that The Spectator's Jonathon Jones reports on the latest figures, along with a graph covering the past three months' figures for Labour leader Ed[John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-91727695457106076332012-01-14T14:41:00.000Z2012-01-16T16:50:59.178ZChild Poverty in MedwayI see that one of our local newspapers is looking at child poverty ward by ward in Medway, seemingly prompted by local Labour who are trying to make a party political point (as per a predictable enough quote in the article) but it is an important matter regardless of that aspect. The article doesn't appear to be on-line, so I cannot link to it.
Regular readers will probably recall that I looked John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-24547324301166614672012-01-14T12:16:00.000Z2012-01-16T12:17:38.844ZShop At The PentagonSo says this rapper L.Kilah, and you know: I think he has a point, especially on this bright (if somewhat cold) Saturday...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-59301168762405917562012-01-13T21:48:00.001Z2012-01-13T21:53:57.990ZShall I Stay Or Shall I Go?
Ed is toppling – to the left, of course
That old song might well be reverberating in Ed[ward] Miliband's head right now, as the word is out that he might be about to step aside as Labour party leader.
The clues are there to suggest this as a possibility – it is not a certainty by any means.
Political Betting has the 'gen' on what has come to light so far, including what seems to be little John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-80134826410640037892012-01-13T00:04:00.000Z2012-01-16T00:28:24.800ZMedway Council Meeting – 12 January 2012
The first meeting of Medway Council in 2012 was a relatively productive and largely orderly affair, although with a larger-than-usual "Public Sector Unionised" occupancy of the public gallery it was obviously going to be noisy at times – and that proved true, though they were far from being the worst we have had, to their (admittedly small) credit.
At least it showed that the staff hadn't beenJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-81721522440262408442012-01-12T14:24:00.000Z2012-01-12T23:02:03.789ZDealing with Lefties
I have now been on Twitter for a little over a year; and sometimes for any of a number of reasons I find myself in a Twitter exchange with either someone I already know to be, or what turns out to be, a Lefty.
I ignore most of them, but just occasionally one is trying to twist something quite mundane into party politically-charged spin/rhetoric/whatever.
Then, I might respond. Remember: it's John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-13673751782598879492012-01-12T14:08:00.001Z2012-01-12T23:02:56.672ZScotland ReferendumI am really looking forward to the referendum on the next steps toward possible detachment of Scotland from the United Kingdom, whether it happens sooner (as the national Government wishes) or it the autumn of 2014 as is the SNP's preference.
I have mentioned one or two of the reasons for my viewpoint in the past; but primarily it is so that we can get rid of a load of largely whining Lefties John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-58708877204411283822012-01-11T22:56:00.000Z2012-01-11T23:01:16.156ZAir Travel – A Rational IdeaI have mentioned the expansion of Birmingham Airport as a better way forward to dealing with increased air travel demand than the impractical (despite what some might claim) Estuary or similar brand new hub airport here in Kent.
This ninety-second clip makes the case clearly and succinctly: it really does make sense...
If a moderate local increase is unavoidable in this county, then Manston John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-81031609521107141962012-01-11T18:22:00.004Z2012-01-12T00:31:32.360ZRail Fares at PMQsEd[ward] Miliband brought up the topic of rail fare rises at today's Prime Minister's Questions, which was a mistake on his part, as he not only got it wrong on the matter of fare rise capping, but it was so easy to prove that he was wrong and David Cameron was right.
Typically Guido beat my own sources to it, with this small snippet from an official document. He has posted the full document John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-22427551728634781582012-01-10T16:20:00.000Z2012-01-10T19:30:30.668ZWelcome to SPOCEM
(Photo found at Guido's place)
That's the new offshoot/re-branding of SaveEd.org, the Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty to Ed Miliband.
This seems to be an ongoing venture, not one of those jokesy single web pages that appears and then remains static, so there should be some good entertainment value to be had from that website for some time to come, that is if Ed-M manages to stay on as John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-91525433263210206842012-01-10T11:30:00.000Z2012-01-10T14:43:17.818ZEdwin Drood in RochesterI can't embed it here (typical BBC!) but do take a couple of minutes to watch this clip about the filming of The Mystery of Edwin Drood quite near where I live, just along the way in Rochester.John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-88231510750442754112012-01-09T20:28:00.001Z2012-01-09T21:26:36.200ZChugger on University Challenge?Dunbar the training chugger has changed a lot since leaving Chuggington (in series 3, Skylar the crane-train takes over). Here he is in this evening's University Challenge, with a picture of his former self as a reminder...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-21748089811956569602012-01-09T18:53:00.000Z2012-01-17T10:55:42.405ZThe Narrated Waybuloo
So, the new edits of Waybuloo programmes have started being shown from this evening, now just ten minutes long and with the new feature of Dave Lamb as a narrator.
I recognise him from Big Barn Farm (I have never seen Come Dine With Me, for which he is more famous) and he did his best in this new endeavour.
Did it work, though? Hard to tell this early on, but I suspect not. The show doesn't John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-63793268061180680782012-01-06T22:52:00.002Z2012-01-06T23:49:07.217ZQuotation of the Day – 6 January 2012
This comes from the Heroes of Comedy programme (a very interesting series) on Gold this evening.
This evening's programme was on Hattie Jacques, and included some very thoughtful contributions by Miriam Margolyes (and many others) of which I think this one was most telling, as we saw little of Hattie's serious acting and other abilities outside of comedy...
"She died too young for us to John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-50676174184360187342012-01-06T22:34:00.001Z2012-01-07T09:47:03.473ZLoad of Rubbish!
Thus might former broadcaster Derek Jameson have described the following that was today re-tweeted by local Labour councillor Tristan Osborne (yes, the very same, yet again) both on his own Twitter account and as "Medway Labour" whose Twitter a/c he operates too...
"Keep Britain Tidy. Except on Medway Council's collection days, when the
bin men never fail to leave a trail of litter through John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-36224768883573247772012-01-06T17:52:00.001Z2012-01-07T17:26:38.222ZPromises, PromisesRed Ken Livingstone is prolific in making promises, but not so good at keeping them. Here's a reminder of just a couple of 'em...
Andrew Gilligan has looked in detail at Ken's "three lies in under four minutes".John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-67698873462461972912012-01-05T15:59:00.001Z2012-01-09T01:08:19.190ZHackneyed Expression
Today's almost-non-story is about Hackney MP Diane Abbott's apparently "racist" remarks on Twitter. In today's Britain, they probably were. As Medway Politics has tweeted, re-tweeting a quote of (local to me) MP Rehman Chishti...
"RT @jonlaurencesky: Chishti: I would say these remarks were racist, if Ed Miliband weren't so weak we would have seen stronger action"
Here'sn image of the tweet, soJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-73508191387687685942012-01-03T11:32:00.003Z2012-01-05T12:13:48.715ZAdvice or Device?
The latest 'blog post from Labour's Dan Hodges in The Telegraph yesterday is interesting because it illustrates yet another stage in Ed[ward] Miliband's quest to find something to give his leadership substance.
That has been the single biggest problem he has had to face up to, continually for this past year and so many months, and he is still going nowhere fast.
Everyone else can see it, and John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-20498231976467747372012-01-02T18:25:00.000Z2012-01-05T18:45:48.102ZTrain-tastic!
I've started constructing one of my (now quite numerous) spreadsheet databases in FireWorkz-Pro in order to encapsulate all the useful facts I can find about the chuggers at Chuggington.
This has already been an interesting task, and I have been slotting pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together, culled from a number of on-line sources.
Nowhere has a complete knowledge base, even the dedicated John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-79108516718795811802012-01-02T01:13:00.001Z2012-01-02T13:48:35.492ZNew Year, Old Politics
Well, a day has passed in the New Year of 2010, and so far Labour is the only party locally to have re-commenced posting, on their own 'blogs and on Twitter.
Sadly they have not learned from the past year, and are continuing to peddle the same tired old lines – which I and/or others have authoritatively debunked and countered with hard evidence in a form I could post on here, to show that the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-61751584540362362712012-01-01T20:39:00.000Z2012-01-03T13:48:44.587ZBBC Complaint by LabourThe Observer (Sunday Guardian) is reporting on a complaint by Labour to the BBC about its "impartiality". Yes, it's happening again; and as before gives the appearance (rightly or wrongly) to the more perceptive and knowledgeable observer that it has been cooked up between Labour and the Corporation as a kind of PR exercise to show that they aren't really Left-biased after all.
The probable John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-8915257595844062672011-12-31T23:59:00.000Z2012-01-01T00:59:06.542ZPolls for 2011
Another year has passed, and it's again time to publish my graphs of all the year's national "voting intention" polls – this time with the daily (YouGov, top graph) polling figures separated from those of the less frequent surveys conducted by the various other pollsters (lower graph).
It looks like it has been worth doing it this way, so I shall continue the practice next year and beyond.
AsJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-7368168748016770522011-12-31T23:00:00.000Z2011-12-31T23:00:12.114ZBig Stories of the Year 2011 (2)There are plenty of others out there, but this time I wish to concentrate on those smaller, yet still of significance, featured here.
I don't often blow my own trumpet, and tend to do so somewhat diffidently on those rare occasions, but looking back over the year has reminded me that even this seemingly modest and comment-quiet 'blog marks and makes public a number of issues. Many of these John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-35407430345687163802011-12-31T21:24:00.001Z2012-01-01T00:34:01.155ZNew Year's Eve 2011–2012
No doubt I shall stay up as usual to see in the New Year. This has been an interesting year in a number of ways, and 2012 looks set to be equally interesting for its own reasons.
I therefore decided to have an interesting meal this evening, comprising Farmhouse Chicken (stuffed with a cheese-and-herb filling and wrapped in bacon), croquette potatoes, watercress and a Chinese stir-fry vegetableJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-74075564823943769082011-12-31T16:54:00.002Z2011-12-31T16:54:55.483ZJust ManureI assume this must be Labour's new slogan for 2012. It would have the merit of being a more accurate description of their policy position than anything so far...
"Just Manure". Image from Ed Miliband Has Long Arms
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-36897825610614040582011-12-31T14:22:00.000Z2011-12-31T14:30:51.760ZComputer Gaming Then and NowI've been looking at the old Acorn games scene during this holiday period, as it was quite an inventive part of our market, bearing in mind that we were generally behind almost everyone else in this field.
Nevertheless, it was games released for the Acorn platform, written by choice on Acorns by talented programmers, that occasionally rocked the world and ended up being ported to other systems. John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-17377599579935406862011-12-30T22:49:00.000Z2012-01-14T10:07:59.002ZWhat A Silly Mili !Just a few Ed[ward] Miliband images as we approach the end of the year. You might have seen a few of them already, though I suspect that others will be new to most people.
I invite suggestions for captions to be left in the Comments. UPDATE: I didn't get any suggestions, which is a little disappointing, so have added my own instead...
1 – "Our policy? How should I know?"
2 – "I know our John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-35513859642350935112011-12-29T21:44:00.000Z2012-01-05T18:49:06.502ZWheels to the Rails
That's what the trainee locomotives say in Chuggington. Yes, they talk, and much more besides! Each has a distinct personality.
It is a very well devised, designed and produced series, with the engines (known as "chuggers") even based on real locos, such as Brewster being a Deltic, albeit with only one cab, so perhaps a "Deltic lite". Olwin is a Gresley A4 Pacific steamer, and so on.
There John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-10204117166673061082011-12-29T14:24:00.001Z2011-12-29T17:54:19.911ZLuncheon – 29 December 2011A simple enough cold collation today, but presented well so it also looks appetising! This comprised Napoli salami, Feta cheese & olives (in olive oil), vine-ripened tomatoes, Florette salad from a pack, and a dollop of spicy tomato & red pepper chutney.
Today, the wash-down was alcoholic for a change: Hardy's Classic Shiraz...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-3850751019226373792011-12-29T10:50:00.000Z2011-12-29T15:07:38.811ZEd Miliband's New Year Message for 2012Not on video (which some might be relieved to learn) but in written form only, reproduced here. I shall say nothing about it, but leave it to the excellent Pete Hoskin to do his usual perceptive job on it at The Spectator, and the almost equally forensic Dan Hodges at the Telegraph...
Politics can make a difference: Ed Miliband New Year Message
29 December 2011
Britain John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-41648967802375705222011-12-28T23:35:00.000Z2011-12-29T23:36:12.569ZThe Two EdEd Monster
Did I just hear a dagger unsheathed behind me?
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-5045173224741468112011-12-28T18:46:00.001Z2011-12-30T12:45:14.821ZBig Stories of the Year 2011 (1)At this time of year the major news outlets and suchlike tend to look back over the preceding twelve months and post a kind of recap of the best/most significant stories from the past year.
These days, that includes front-line bloggers such as Guido, who has today quite rightly focussed on his biggie of 2011, the so-called Pilgrims – Trade Union officials who are ostensibly employed to do a John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-48459763083562720752011-12-28T01:30:00.000Z2011-12-29T10:50:53.265ZNick Clegg's New Year Message for 2012Genuinely worth taking three minutes to watch, especially after the recent business over David Cameron's EU "veto"...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-20724798760412933452011-12-28T00:23:00.001Z2011-12-30T15:55:50.292ZThe Split Remains
Any hope that the Miliband fraternal discord would abate in the run-up to Christmas appears to have vanished.
This comes to our notice via the disclosures of Labour activist and insider Dan Hodges spilling the beans on what is really happening within the Labour party, and in regard to the two Miliband brothers in particular.
The linked article is ostensibly about Ed's changes at party HQ, butJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-39350011409430758032011-12-26T07:30:00.000Z2011-12-26T23:03:24.375ZWhat Narmoles LikeIn the Waybuloo episode Narmole Day, we learn what Nara's version of moles like, including eating carrotbeet leaves (something we first learned in Carrotbeet Day), the pitcher plant Nara tune, roly-polies (from which activity the Yogo move "Narmole Roll" derives) and – a little odd for an animal you might think, but this is Nara – it also likes huggles...
Yojojo is a bit slow on the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-80476668935336095602011-12-25T16:25:00.001Z2011-12-26T14:20:24.394ZChatham at ChristmasI decided to go out and capture in photographs something of the nature of this part of the world on Christmas Day.
I found that the somewhat bleak and largely deserted landscapes, both natural and man-made, combined well with the activity of other, non-human residents who are currently preparing for their imminent period of hibernation by stocking up ready for the long winter ahead.
So here it John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-58555915983081315932011-12-25T13:31:00.001Z2011-12-25T15:37:49.171ZChristmas Dinner 2011This year I did something just a little different, by having barbecue-style pork (though cooked in the conventional oven) along with crispy potato cubes, plus the festive-seasonal roast parsnips, sprouts and chestnuts (cooked with a little red onion and a tiny amount of olive oil) and a salad leaves garnish. It was a three-plate job...
For the first time at any Christmas, I had non-alcoholic John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-79850894445789009512011-12-25T10:42:00.005Z2011-12-25T10:42:43.345ZHappy Ed's-mas
This picture reminds us of two things:
even our political leaders can today relax at home, away from the hustle and bustle of political life, and
Christmas is the time for Wallace and Gromit.
"Cracking photo pose, Ed!" John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-15415576817924662032011-12-25T10:17:00.002Z2011-12-25T13:01:28.856ZSanta has been here!As the NORAD display shows, and there's even a Santa Cams video (non-embeddable, unfortunately) of the London fly-past, Santa has now been to the UK. He left me this double gift...
Now, okay, however much I enjoy the show, I do realise that I am a little old for the activities in the annual, but I will say that it is very well produced, with large images that really bring the (as always John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-89413812094827948942011-12-25T06:04:00.000Z2011-12-27T17:28:18.435ZThe Best Christmas PresentFrom CBS News. I found this had been posted yesterday, which was just in time for Christmas...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-80251867081369709802011-12-24T18:54:00.001Z2011-12-24T20:36:17.091ZChristmas Eve 2011Here it is, my perennial Christmas Eve special video, except for last year but back again this time. The day wouldn't be quite the same without this...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-19054685575214349222011-12-24T16:31:00.000Z2011-12-25T15:35:58.480ZNORAD Tracks SantaYes, NORAD is deploying its huge resources to scour the skies and keep track of where Santa Claus is making his deliveries, which is probably most easily visualised on this Google Maps display. There are photos and/or (animated) videos at each visited location, so it's never boring. Just click on the overlaid icons.
Although the videos as presented are tiny, they do have the usual full screen John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-64886510825716130062011-12-23T22:56:00.000Z2011-12-24T12:02:48.270ZBusy Time
Sorry for not posting much here during the last couple of days or so. Apart from the usual busy nature of this season of the year, I also have a new drive system on my oldest RiscPC Acorn computer – the one I bought in August 1995.
I have been busy populating that with mirrors of backups, after partitioning the drive into no fewer than eight parts, of various data sizes between eight and 64 John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-75357285549271676692011-12-21T20:47:00.002Z2011-12-23T22:57:59.346ZMarx Goes to FrankfurtOne of the most interesting features of the New Labour years in government was that, with the veil over what was really going on, the essentially Marxist core of Labour within government felt free to pursue the faster route proposed many years ago by the Frankfurt School, which I have referenced previously.
This is a touch ironic, as the Frankfurt School policies derived from a dissatisfaction John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-8859991599065527002011-12-21T15:31:00.002Z2011-12-23T22:57:34.908ZPolitical Dividing LinesThe political Left are so find of their so-called "dividing lines", that I wonder if – purely as a thought-exercise – we could learn anything from a theoretical divide of Great Briatin (I shall leave Northern Ireland out for the time being, to make the illustration easier to follow) into its constituent nations, but with movement of population to suit the general political mood of each of those John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-83834950207218710462011-12-21T14:33:00.003Z2011-12-21T14:33:47.533ZPrint Shops in GillinghamI have rarely had need to go to an outside printing facility myself, as I put very little onto paper and have my own capability for single prints and short runs. Anything beyond that I can probably get done at Staples here in Chatham, just a few minutes walk away.
For bigger jobs, though, and for those based in nearby Gillingham, it is great to note that there are at least two print shops that John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-50816900480130365122011-12-20T10:53:00.003Z2011-12-20T10:54:23.804ZDoctor Who Christmas Special 2011Don't forget that this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special, "The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe", will be shown on Christmas Day at 1900 hrs on BBC-1. According to Matt Smith, the title isn't the only Narnia-esque characteristic of the special!
Here's a one-minute trailer: see what you think...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-13666839554480023412011-12-20T10:11:00.001Z2011-12-20T10:11:44.053ZChristmas 2011 – The Christmas StoryThis is the real story of Christmas (well, more or less!) as told and performed by some children in New Zealand...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-18224918291810966342011-12-20T09:28:00.001Z2011-12-20T09:29:20.457ZNokia Lumia Light ShowThis Jarre-like idea of using a building as a backdrop for a huge light show – in this case, London's Millbank Tower – works very well here, especially when the show seems almost to switch off and the original structure re-appears, only it isn't...
Video from Telegraph TVJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-73584027131978721772011-12-19T12:57:00.002Z2011-12-19T19:15:54.229ZFrom Green to BlueNow here's an unusual defection, from the Green party to the Conservatives, of a councillor in the Greens' fourth largest council group. In fact, he was the leader of that group of no fewer than seven Green councillors with County Council seats.
It would be very interesting to know the reasons Cllr Phil Hardy has given for making the switch away from a more or less Communist policy-style party John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-54350882279898707142011-12-19T10:33:00.000Z2011-12-20T09:02:41.732ZChristmas 2011 – Twelve Days of ChristmasYou've never heard the classic song done quite like this before!
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-43759414538973914972011-12-18T21:27:00.003Z2011-12-19T01:18:37.067ZIt's the BusinessA parliamentary constituency's activities are conducted from a constituency office that often includes the MP's office where that party holds the seat, and such places can perhaps suggest something about the local party and/or elected members (MPs, councillors) nature – not necessarily accurately, but a mental association can be tempting and occasionally just about unavoidable. (These offices John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-60093988405645842772011-12-18T15:24:00.003Z2011-12-18T20:30:32.846ZLuncheon – 18 December 2011Today's Sunday Luncheon was a three-platter job: I find it works better spread out like this in some situations, rather than all on one or even two plates/dishes.
The meal comprised Old English Pork (wrapped in bacon, wrapping around sage & onion stuffing) with baby pearl potatoes, Chinese style stir-fry and mixed salads (plus a small vine-ripened tomato) as garnish.
All of that was washed downJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-72260946857162464082011-12-18T08:49:00.000Z2011-12-20T08:50:38.877ZChristmas 2011 – Mr Bean's ChristmasWith just one week to go now, here's a short clip reminding us of how Mr Bean fared on Christmas Day...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-36534884807616041302011-12-17T23:40:00.002Z2011-12-20T19:25:05.002ZComputer Science is alive and well in Britain!Well, it is now, after a not-so-good period that I saw developing when, as Professor Stephen Heppells mentions here, our ICT (as it was renamed some time ago) education moved away from teaching and enouraging development, innovation and creativity in favour of end-use of office software.
This I could see happening when at each year's BETT show (the technology-in-education event in London every John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-33502459089332576312011-12-17T22:05:00.003Z2011-12-17T23:09:04.896ZJoin the Budgies today!As a treat, here's a complete "3rd and Bird", just ten minutes long. Unusually, Elliot doesn't announce this episode's title at the start, as he is off somewhere...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-67261576287640645232011-12-17T21:23:00.001Z2011-12-17T21:23:53.740ZChristmas 2011 – DisneylandA time-lapse-sequence video of Disneyland on Christmas Day. Stick with it: the second half is better than the first...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-44367949684456177522011-12-16T22:43:00.000Z2011-12-19T01:12:47.214ZFeltham and Heston By-electionThe by-election at Feltham and Heston constituency has resulted in a Labour hold with an increased majority of 6,000 or so, which is consistent with what the polls had been indicating.
This was hardly surprising in that place, any more than a Conservative win in any by-election in Kensington and Chelsea would be. It is considered to be a safe Labour seat (there's this and lots of other John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-9838601875649066062011-12-16T16:02:00.000Z2011-12-17T21:03:37.591ZChristmas 2011 – Mahna MahnaA joint effort for this year's BBC Children In Need. It has its moments – lots of 'em!
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-4353227225948781382011-12-16T15:30:00.000Z2011-12-16T15:30:02.219ZCBeebies AwardI'm not sure whether I'd really want to receive one of these...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-6134793427954733802011-12-16T14:37:00.002Z2011-12-16T14:50:29.436ZFestive TV, Labour-styleI hear, from a none-too-reliable source, that Labour are planning a live action version of this children's favourite cartoon...
It's to be called EdB, EdM and Eddie.
Now, if only they could get them all together at once, rather than just in pairs...
This scene has these two looking up admiringly to their superiors who are actually in government right now...
And here we John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-38316817164027358422011-12-16T12:12:00.001Z2011-12-16T12:12:44.313ZElected Police CommissionersThere is still a certain amount of rumbling about this idea that one can hear, but in general the public seem broadly content (some are quite keen) to give it a try. Perhaps they've had difficult experiences with the police, as I know some people have, although this always seems to have been because of directives on high rather than anything locally generated.
Actually, that brings us neatly John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-1387626023250514762011-12-15T23:06:00.000Z2011-12-18T18:21:45.122ZPirates Ahoy!
Well, okay, they're probably better at dancing than being nasty, but the pirates at this year's Chatham pantomime were one very good part of a very good cast in what even Medway's Portfolio Holder for cultural matters described as "very good!"
Cllr Howard Doe's exclamation mark was obvious from his tone of voice when I asked him for his opinion during the interval. He and Mrs Doe go to the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-56519576636183681342011-12-15T11:37:00.001Z2011-12-23T10:25:34.616ZTroubled FamiliesI am pleased that, as part of mending our broken society (and it is broken in many ways and in many places, as we all know in our heart of hearts, and despite what some try to claim) the Coalition Government is tackling the issue of troubled families.
As a (non-interactive) map drawn from the last survey reveals, from this set of five infographics, there were many such families throughout the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-16523711785558286642011-12-15T02:46:00.000Z2011-12-15T02:46:42.746ZBlame and ExcusesYou know you are dealing with vested interests when, in the face of possible change that would remove the stranglehold that some have over certain aspects of our lives, those opposing such changes blame those who do not deserve any blame, generally for something that hasn't even happened, and excuse those who have no excuse.
We are currently seeing this from Labour, the Unions (more or less the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-26382365561369173102011-12-14T21:35:00.000Z2011-12-15T01:43:42.880ZDinner – 14 December 2011I thought this combination worked well: Cod Wellington, rocket salad as garnish, some fried courgette and a baked potato. Readers will probably be familiar with Beef Wellington, but this cod-based variant is really enjoyable. I get them ready-made, frozen, from Ocean Delights.
The courgettes were fried in a little mild & light olive oil (a preference I learned from one of the residents near my John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-44478684575634647552011-12-14T16:19:00.000Z2011-12-14T16:19:23.193ZChristmas 2011 – Stop the CavalryThis is an HQ version of the classic Jona Lewie song from 1980, "Stop the Cavalry", produced about three years ago...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-18069093273012866482011-12-14T13:36:00.001Z2011-12-14T15:54:35.986ZLast PMQs of 2011
I was, unavoidably, unable to log-in so didn't join in Guido's LiveChat. I did, however, watch most of both that and PMQs itself, even if I couldn't log-on until around half-way through the session.
In the clash between Cameron and Miliband, it was an easy win for the Prime Minister, riding high on a noticeably and consistently improved polling position and with his backbenchers more John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-83277658318411306362011-12-13T21:36:00.000Z2011-12-13T21:36:00.596ZLiving in a StarshipThis is all in a studio flat in Leicestershire...
And here's the fellow who created it and has lived in it for a decade, Tony Alleyne, giving us the guided tour of his version of the USS Voyager (with bits of the Enterprise IV and the schematic of yet another craft!)...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-73733756208948656192011-12-13T18:39:00.000Z2011-12-14T16:12:41.450ZChristmas 2011 – Lights ExtravaganzaI've a good one for you this year: over fourteen minutes featuring several songs and tunes, from Jingle Bells, via Carol of the Bells, a partly rock arrangement of Music Box, and Mr Sandman to Wizards in Winter (no great surprise there!), and a techno item I don't recognise, with others in between. Unsurprisingly this works best in full screen, so don't forget that button at bottom-right...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-41289883499037334032011-12-13T16:20:00.003Z2011-12-13T16:20:56.192Z"Sober By" Calculator
Here's a useful device for any time of the year, but especially for the Festive Season: a "sobering-up time" calculator.
Essentially it counts up units of alcohol from a variety of drink types that you can click on as many times as appropriate, then works out how many hours it takes for one's body to get it out of the system sufficiently that it has no effect on (in this case) one's driving John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-71618404077796068842011-12-12T23:09:00.000Z2011-12-13T20:43:45.500ZChristmas 2011 – Holiday for BellsIt's the Christmas season again, and the shops and high streets seem to be as busy as ever despite the growing enroachment of on-line shopping into the market, which is bound to have an increasingly noticeable effect on traditional shops' levels of custom.
Thus, in a more upbeat mood than might have been expected, as a result of having been out several times in recent days to check on the state John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-54223731164305773722011-12-10T21:30:00.000Z2011-12-11T21:55:53.629ZTo Labour A PointI had an interesting Twitter conversation with local Labour folk yesterday, and it has been neatly rounded off by their actions and behaviour today.
Let me explain, by reproducing the (fully public) tweets here. It's worth following what happened!
First off, I posted the following to point to my preceding post about the Fort Pitt Street road work...
"Another road improvement in Chatham CentralJohn M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-26592407812750438392011-12-10T20:07:00.001Z2011-12-10T20:54:38.949ZWhat does God need with a Starship?Thus asked Captain James T Kirk on the planet thought to be Sha Ka Ree, when an apparent God figure asked for the starship Enterprise to be brought to him.
The question was sound, even if the fifth Star Trek movie, The Final Frontier, wasn't. Admittedly there are some great lines to quote, but that's about the best aspect. The point here, though, was: why would an omnipotent being need a John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-23400367637445581042011-12-10T18:54:00.001Z2011-12-10T19:11:14.470ZFeltham-barrassmentIt seems that Labour are so embarrassed by their party's leader that – highly unusually – he apparently does not feature on any of the party's leaflets in the Feltham and Heston by-election. It's a safe enough Labour seat – isn't it? It certainly was!
Well, polling of Labour supporters and members continues to show that even they realise the Labour leader simply isn't doing a good job – around John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-4933969027032420172011-12-10T18:13:00.001Z2011-12-10T19:54:45.007ZMaster of the LanguageASDA gets it right, with their female Master of Wine, Philippa Carr, being referred to as "Master". It's a title, y'see, like "Chairman", so is non gender specific, or anything-else specific, and those who understand the English language know and accept this.
Only the likes of Labour and other Leftish parties (and their buddies in parts of the media and elsewhere) call a chairman "chair" and a John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-1129551301133044352011-12-09T12:47:00.001Z2011-12-10T10:48:04.155ZChatham Central – Christmas Gift to ResidentsOkay, it wasn't planned by me to be done at this time of the year, but my long-standing request (for which I provided a strong case to justify it, and sent it in complete with photographs of the scene) to have the north end of Fort Pitt Street in Chatham resurfaced, rather than bits re-patched from time to time, has today been implemented.
In case anyone wants to check that it really was my John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-41411580127782439522011-12-08T12:33:00.001Z2011-12-08T12:50:46.797ZHo-Ho-Hat!Local Conservative councillor Chris Irvine has added a festive hat to his Twitter profile picture or avatar as it's sometimes called, thus...
He has (rather cleverly, I have to admit) named the image "chris_mas".
Not to be outdone, I have produced a not-dissimilar type of image for myself, though I am reluctant to replace my current avatar, even just for two weeks. I'll think about that. John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-73957531897848615472011-12-07T22:22:00.001Z2011-12-08T08:21:01.924ZFollow the ActionThis is really quite funny, as De Li and Lau Lau literally "follow the action" in the Waybuloo episode Bop Bop Bat, currently on iPlayer. What's that saying about keeping your eye on the ball?
Every time Yojojo or Nok Tok 'bops' the pod ball, the ladies have to sharply change direction, skidding to a halt and heading back the other way. For the best effect, do watch the programme from 5 minutes John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-78207174687205921922011-12-07T13:54:00.001Z2011-12-07T14:59:12.354ZDividing LinesThe "them and us" culture is the mark of many bullies who are looking for an excuse to attack another or others. One of the ironies in the political world of modern Britain is that the bullies – Labour – were creating (or adopting from the equally Leftist EU) no end of legislation that was purportedly intended to treat everyone the same.
Of course, as we have seen, the real intent was to create John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-49283990002660226712011-12-07T12:30:00.000Z2011-12-07T13:30:51.407ZVideo Walkabout – RochesterI've been trying out what is for me a new idea – the Video Walkabout. It's a simple enough concept, involving video-recording where I go on a walkabout, providing an intermittent and unobtrusive verbal (as distinct from captioned) commentary as I go.
This one, which was yesterday (but it took all last night to upload to YouTube), I took along parts of the route from my home to and within the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-47342936539903681562011-12-06T22:33:00.001Z2011-12-06T23:06:07.393ZIrresistibleThat's the charm of "3rd and Bird", which is delightfully done with a lot of humour and humanity too. With its simple but colourful graphics, conventional animation and (mostly) good songs, it has a surprisingly strong appeal that could work with just about anyone, not just the pre-schoolers and infants at whom it is aimed. In fact, the language is sometimes quite advanced for the target age John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-34341876696503635862011-12-06T21:48:00.001Z2011-12-06T21:55:51.942ZWas Blair A Chinaman?After the unearthing of this very old Conservative poster, featuring in a new book called Dole Queues and Demons that is reviewed by Paul Waugh at Politics Home, it does seem uncannily like it...
John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1010521712102393585.post-71459369220398593052011-12-06T16:14:00.001Z2011-12-06T16:37:00.025ZQuotation of the Day – 6 December 2011This tweet from local Labour councillor Tristan Osborne a little earlier today is interesting, because of what the second sentence reveals – especially the last word – no doubt unintentionally...
"John Cryer MP correctly challenging lobbyist free-for-all in Westminster. Public expects transparency now."
So, does this mean that this "free-for-all" was all right before revelations brought the John M Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06251285057595626917noreply@blogger.com0