The Furrowed Brow
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So, climate change.....
Too late to do anything about it?
Should Britain be apologising for starting the Industrial Revolution?
Or, should we start thinking that maybe there really are too many people on this planet.
And whilst feeding the starving in Africa etc is the good and human thing to do, maybe they wouldn't be starving if there weren't so many of them?????
Discuss...
Serious talk? On this blog?!
Was that a pig I just saw flying past the window?
So, climate change.....
Too late to do anything about it?
Should Britain be apologising for starting the Industrial Revolution?
Or, should we start thinking that maybe there really are too many people on this planet.
And whilst feeding the starving in Africa etc is the good and human thing to do, maybe they wouldn't be starving if there weren't so many of them?????
Discuss...
Let the healing begin, I say.
I'll be back when the blog has been seriously sorted out.
Climate change...
I remember reading somewhere (probably New Statesman) that whatever we do about climate change probably won't make much difference until about 200 year's time - if true, it could explain why politicians and the media focus on "worst case scenario" effects, so that people in power can be seen to be doing something about the problem.
In reality, what needs to be done is to look at what effects are inevitable, and start planning. If the average sea level is set to rise, encouraging development on higher ground would be a start, so that affected communities have somewhere to migrate to.
Another discussion point regarding the problems affecting Africa could be the impact of colonisation - not so much slavery, but organising something like 50,000 tribes into 50 countries, and introducing them to the concept of firearms - which, has been seen all too often, can make what start out as petty tribal conflicts into all-out civil war (pulling a trigger from a distance is much easier than hand-to-hand combat).
The current "law of the jungle" in many areas is unfortunately "only those with the biggest affiliated militia survive".
What can be done to calm down hot-headed radicals when many countries in the same continent would prefer to turn a blind eye, and resent the idea of external bodies intervening? This is particularly true in Africa, but to a lesser extent could be said to partially apply to the Middle East.
So there's my 2p worth of seriousness - so how about some jokes about William Henry Gates III and his company, since Vista was released this week?
Mind you, the company itself excels in entertainingly silly slogans:
"Where do you want to go today?" (Err, certainly not One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA).
"Windows Everywhere" (Well, I suppose that's true enough!)
"Windows XP: Yes, you can!" (Top marks for plagiarising Bob the Builder there).
"Windows Vista: The Wow is Now!" (Urgh!)
(Now to resist the urge to resubmit if the blogserver throws up an error)
Re: mittfh (2)
No it was Chris Jarvis and Sarah Jane dressed up in nappies.
Chrissie,
This surfaced a couple of weeks ago in the Brow. I was posting some references to Garret Hardin, including , which is well worth a read.
Population 'control' is an area covered by a double taboo: It is taboo to discuss it and it is taboo to admit there is a taboo.
Regarding Climate change, there is loads of discussion on ´óÏó´«Ã½ websites, notably Planet Earth Under Threat, and particularly here.
and ,
and .
And, an article on the from a Medical magazine, and a from the same mag.
And "" in cartoon form (follow the link to the next and next).
ed
02/02/2007 at 13:30:42 GMT
Climate change, doing nothing is no longer an option.
Chrissie,
This surfaced a couple of weeks ago in the Brow. I was posting some references to Garret Hardin, including , which is well worth a read.
Population 'control' is an area covered by a double taboo: It is taboo to discuss it and it is taboo to admit there is a taboo.
Regarding Climate change, there is loads of discussion on ´óÏó´«Ã½ websites, notably Planet Earth Under Threat, and particularly here.
and ,
and .
And, an article on the from a Medical magazine, and a from the same mag.
And "" in cartoon form (follow the link to the next and next).
ed
02/02/2007 at 13:30:42 GMT
THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY
YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESEND YOUR MESSAGE **
ERROR 407
This posting has encountered an error.
Posting isn't serious enough for the Furrowed Brow.
This posting will be resent until message is stale
How about PM change? (as in TB, not EM).
So. MOTP, what do you suggest doing?
and re the newsletter - Blair Inquest is a news topic I'd be interested in.....
How about PM change? (TB, not EM that is.)
Eddie & NBP,
For interest, my message above (currently 8) had at least three 502 error messages, and while it was in waiting for the fourth or fifth, I checked in another window to find it was already up, even though denied by the server.
Time to invest in some better software, methinks.
xx
ed
Given Eddie's exhortation to brevity, should we limit ourselves to a proposal followed by a vote?
e.g. EdI -Climate change v. bad
Deepthought - Seconded
Si - Perhaps
Fifi - Agree
etc. etc.
since discussion would be immoderate.
I'm with Member of the Public. although maybe I'd've said it in a different way.
There are lots of things we can all do. And we don't have to be holier than thou or rich. Its in our hands and if we want to and are able to we can do plenty of things from recycling, not running taps when doing our teeth, putting an inflatable bag into our loo cisterns, voting for political parties that seem to have it on their agenda,... buying products from companies that have an eco-friendly agenda and not buying from those that don't etc etc etc.
Its not all costly, and some are free, but if you're rich enough you can even buy houses designed to be more sustainable - which end up saving you money in the long run.
However, if you do fancy turning your back on the whole thing then take a look at
What's he doing?!? He's written his simple rule (top right hand corner).
It wouldn't have been amusing if he hadn't done it so often!!
motp - what should we do then?
Ed - just because it's taboo now doesn't mean we shouldn't be pointing at the elephant in the room and screaming that the emperor is naked....
Lots of things used to be taboo, once. Not any more.
The scenarios used by the IPCC in their projections of climate change:
From the
A1. The A1 storyline and scenario family describes a future world of very rapid economic growth, global population
that peaks in mid-century and declines thereafter, and the rapid introduction of new and more efficient technologies.
Major underlying themes are convergence among regions, capacity building and increased cultural and social
interactions, with a substantial reduction in regional differences in per capita income. The A1 scenario family
develops into three groups that describe alternative directions of technological change in the energy system. The
three A1 groups are distinguished by their technological emphasis: fossil intensive (A1FI), non-fossil energy sources
(A1T), or a balance across all sources (A1B) (where balanced is defined as not relying too heavily on one particular
energy source, on the assumption that similar improvement rates apply to all energy supply and end use
technologies).
A2. The A2 storyline and scenario family describes a very heterogeneous world. The underlying theme is self
reliance and preservation of local identities. Fertility patterns across regions converge very slowly, which results in
continuously increasing population. Economic development is primarily regionally oriented and per capita economic
growth and technological change more fragmented and slower than other storylines.
B1. The B1 storyline and scenario family describes a convergent world with the same global population, that peaks
in mid-century and declines thereafter, as in the A1 storyline, but with rapid change in economic structures toward a
service and information economy, with reductions in material intensity and the introduction of clean and resource
efficient technologies. The emphasis is on global solutions to economic, social and environmental sustainability,
including improved equity, but without additional climate initiatives.
B2. The B2 storyline and scenario family describes a world in which the emphasis is on local solutions to economic,
social and environmental sustainability. It is a world with continuously increasing global population, at a rate lower
than A2, intermediate levels of economic development, and less rapid and more diverse technological change than in
the B1 and A1 storylines. While the scenario is also oriented towards environmental protection and social equity, it
focuses on local and regional levels.
The whole report is worth a read, if you have the time and interest.
xx
ed
(got a 502 when trying to preview!)
and one (so far) on posting
Just for the record:
I don't think Tony Blair is an outstanding Prime Minister as was suggested tonight.
and in addition:
How did a pollster bcome a Lord ?
Could we please stop people like Philip Gould telling us -the public-what the public thinks. How dare they?
How does it happen that a pollster for the Labour Party should know that we (yes, the public) think that TB is a r'emarkable Prime Minister'?Apparently he knows lots of other things that we think as well -all of them surprisingly complimentary about TB.
Am I alone at being truly shocked at the US Embassy's comment this evening on why they should not permit disclosure of the tape which the Coroner has seen? He was saying (I paraphrase) ; as we don't tell our own people when we mess up and shoot their sons we won't tell you limeys. Not good not good atall.
Hear Hear to Sarah and your correspondent on air , pass the sick bag is the order of the day.
Nu Labour's delusions increase by the day as from Blair downwards they tell us what a wonderful job they are doing when the evidence contradicts that ,in the vain hope that if they repeat it enough then it must be true.
Gould's sycophancy reached new heights tonight and made one almost wish to hear Nanny Hewitt's patronising voice instead.
Hear Hear to Sarah and your correspondent on air , pass the sick bag is the order of the day.
Nu Labour's delusions increase by the day as from Blair downwards they tell us what a wonderful job they are doing when the evidence contradicts that ,in the vain hope that if they repeat it enough then it must be true.
Gould's sycophancy reached new heights tonight and made one almost wish to hear Nanny Hewitt's patronising voice instead.
Wilma (20)
He probably spoke to those "members of the public" that the Labour Party ship around by coach at election time to wave and cheer and look like their leader is loved everywhere.
Their leader said this morning that the NHS has never been better - or words to that effect. An hour later the postman dropped a letter through a friend's door to say he has got an approximate 17 month wait for an appointment at a neurosurgical unit to see them about a trapped nerve in his spine which is badly affecting his hands and will almost certainly need surgery. I wonder what the NHS was like when it was worse.....
‘The fact that he’s been questioned twice by the police doesn’t turn an outstanding Prime Minister into an electoral liability’
‘The public do believe that he’s a remarkable Prime Minister.’
‘The public do believe that he’s done exceptional things.’
‘All that it is is an investigation… these things happen.’
‘Tony Blair’s never been about securing his legacy.’
Congratulations to Eddie Mair who rather nicely compared Gould to Saddam’s spokesman, Comical Ali. ‘The Americans are not here’. (Psst, behind you’.)
And then Philip signed off with, while trying to sound close to tears, ‘He’s a remarkable man, I’m proud to have advised this extra-ordinary man.’
And of course he started every answer with the Blair tic; ‘Look…’
What planet does Philip Gould live on? Because it's not this one.
The man has made himself a laughing stock.
Wilma (20);
I've said it in the recent past on this blog, I'm sick to death of these people, like Lord Gould, who make sweeping assertions that "The people think..." or "The vast majority of the public think....". I'd like to see them challenged by Eddie and his colleagues in journalism to produce the evidence to support their assertions, or retract them.
Gould is a sycophantic fool, divorced from reality. His entire line of almost Apostolic support for a Messianic Blair will, I suspect, have drawn nothing but contempt from many PM listeners. Just a guess mind you. I don't claim to know the thoughts of the British public!
Blair is tainted. Period. His legacy is the Iraq War. To quote Cromwell, repeated by Leo Amery; "You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately... Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"
Cromwell made this as part of his speech dismissing the Rump Parliament. Amery (a Government MP) recycled it during the debate on a vote of No Confidence which brought about the downfall of Chamberlain in May 1940. I reckon it applies very well to the current situation for Blair.
Never mind what Cameron said at PMQ's on Wednesday, urging Blair to go. He must be laughing into the back of his hand knowing that the longer Blair stays the worse it gets for Labour.
Incidentally, what WAS Gould ennobled for? Apart from running political polls and focus groups, that is? Someone enlighten me, please.
Si.
Yes, Chetnolian (23), I was also particularly impressed with the "Well if this was in the US, then we wouldn't even be HAVING this inquiry" in a "God, what a waste of time for us! I mean, come on!" tone of voice.
It's about time that certain parts of the US - including their commander-in-chief -understand that when people die as a result of their own actions, sometimes, just sometimes, there are consequences. Although I still have to find evidence of that with this debarcle.
Well done Eddie on not punching your interviewees in the head today. It wouldn't have helped your Chairmanship campaign very much but I couldn't have blamed you for a minute.
Chetnolian (23). I thought the US embassy bloke said we dont show the videos in a public court in the U.S. but we do show it in a military setting. Which is how we investigate friendly fire incidents across the pond. Therefore the U.S. does not know how to deal with a civil request which is what a UK coroner is. My opinion is it should be made available to the coroner and surley in the U.S. their freedom of information acts would force the publication if U.S, citizens requeste it. He sort of suggested they were trying to deal with the problem so we shall have to wait and see.
The rumours are that TB, when he finally goes, will get a job in the City. That'll make him a Banker, and all his cronies will be Bankers too.
Love it, Whisht!
Congrats 2 Appy - s/line queen 4 2da, will she c it?
Furrowers, Browsers, Froggers,
A brief observation before retiring to watch the Six Nations in anticipation of seeing the Auld Enemy go down at Twickenham.
More signs of Global warming: An early spring is indicated by the first sighting of the greater buzzing waterbeetle (Aquaphallus Japonicus), on the fullmoon lunchtime tide. A full month early.
These creatures seem to represent the ultimate in individual waterborne mobility, but also exhibit a tendency to only operate in tribal groups, somewhat like their terrestrial relatives. Clearly unable to withstand the isolation such mobility allows in which to contemplate the river and its flora and fauna.
Such total individuality is useless unless one can display to other rugged individualists? I love it when one stalls in mid open water.
xx
ed
xx
Testing, testing....?
Will I get through in a reasonable time?
It is now... 2.45pm.
Fifi
Anyone see how the rugby went? I'm totally uninterested, despite my team playing, but all this talk of froggers and beer cans and sofas has got me wondering!
I'll be making Big Sister's Chilli in the kitchen if anyone wants me.
Fifi
Sorry, Ed, but with the return of Wilkinson & Robinson, as well as Farrell making his debut, and Ellis finally making good on his promise, is it any surprise that things went the way they did in Twickenham?
Frogged at 18:09....
FFred
Fifi (35), you mean you missed it?!? I won't go on about it here, given that there are a number of Scots and adopted Scots here, except to say "Oh yes! That's more like it!"
Just a suggestion, you understand. But last night's offering took 15 minutes to clear my computer, then supposedly failed - so I decided to get a life and do something else. Found tonight that there it was after all.....
Now my German language isn't very good, so I was thinking perhaps one of you could have a look for the nearest thing to a German equivalent of Eddie and we could really set up the Borrowed Frau until Eddie's IT experts get this sorted out. Being temporary, it would even live up to its name - as this one does. My brow has never been so furrowed. It does age me, you know. I saw somewhere last week - lowered eyebrows add years to you!
9 posts in 24 hrs. Wow!
another failed post...
hmmm..... now, I like you people, and I like you too much to ignore you and I want to chat... but the bar staff here are rubbish (though I dunno if its their fault or the management's attitude or maybe the tills are stuffing it up) but I'm not coming back till they get it sorted out.
byee
this doesn't happen on a photo-sharing-site-bar that we all know. There's no excuse as this ´óÏó´«Ã½ bar is funded to a far higher level so.... I'll simply go elsewhere.
see you around, cos I don't wanna lose touch, but I can't stand the service.
x
What, Fearless, did we win one???
Then I got a * comment submission ' abusive nastynasty' error notice *
Going back into 'lurker' mode; it's less stressfull.
Will somebody PLEASE sort this out???
Fifi
See you ages hence, unless things get better, quickly, sustainably...!
Sorry to be the voice of gloom n doom, but who has the time to keep sampling this..?
Bye.
Fifi
Got an Error 502 message on another thread.. and on a weekend.. grrrrr!
See you Monday, folks!
(that is, if this message gets through...)
Fifi
Bloggered bug.
Hello...is anyone furrowing today? I know I may be over-excited but my posting on the Beach has just gone straight through....too early to tell if it's appeared, though.
Eddie's oodles are contagious, by the way. Paddy on B.H. had a dose of them this morning.
Gillian - By my reckoning your post took 5 hours to appear. Its now 19:37 and it wasn't there 15 minutes ago!
Moves are afoot. I shall say no more here. But if you want to know more, contact me via the website!
Fifi
Service not available... grrrr! Take 2.
Moves are afoot. I shall say no more here. But if you want to know more, contact me via the website!
Fifi
Service not available... grrrr! Takes 2 & 3.
Malicious posting.... take 4.
Just got a post through to the beach in minutes - fluke or has the healing really begun?
No it was a fluke - got 'Comment Submission Error'....
tries again....
Anyone concerned about the failing frog, please email me via the website.
There is hope!
Fifi ;o)
Hello Eddie (Mair)
Fifi sent an e-mail around to a few of us -- this is the edited version :
------------------------------------------------------
Forgive my intrusion at the weekend, on a subject we're not really being encouraged to dwell, officially ... but does anyone else agree with me that the PM Blog is in danger?
If it carries on like this, there won't be enough froggers left by the time the promised solution is found, to have anything more than a monologue!
Would any of you like to form a mini-lilypad, to see if there is anything we can do? I was wondering about forming a sort of deputation, and see if we, at least, can be told what they think the real problem is? Then, assuming we get some sort of satisfactory response, we can all return to the Blog and start setting more realistic expectations among the other froggers.
It's not a very ambitious plan really ... I'm no tech-head ... but as you all know I'm useless at sitting by and watching bad things happen. Cleverer heads than mine might be able to come up with something better.
Oh, and it goes with out saying -- if anyone here would rather drop out of the mini-lilypad discussion at any time, including right now, I'll not email you again on the subject. In fact, if any of you DOES want to opt-in to this debate, please email me direct to say so. I don't believe in bothering people, and if I've done that this time I'm deeply, deeply sorry.
What do you think?
Fifi xx
-------------------------------------------------------
I've sort of circumnavigated Fifi by posting this on the blog. (if it appears, of course)
My own request is this:-
Would you mind e-mailing the 'Head of blog's' as you were once kind enough to do in the past, and try and fill us in on the problem. At least that way we know what's going on and if rectification in the near future is a possibility.
Thanks,
Jonnie (and Fifi)
* 'Not allowed' ... takes 2 & 3 & 4
Well, it's worth a go - I, for one, won't give up without a struggle.
Yeah it's bloggered
Have you tried the TalkSport blogs!
Much better and they work -- great discussions over there!
Fair play to you, Fifi, Jonnie et al. I hope PM at least stop promoting the blog during programmes.....that just rubs salt in the wounds
To whom it may concern......I've just put two messages on the blog, and they've been snatched up really quickly. No error messages, no blank screen, no waiting around to see what would happen. I'd like to think that this is due to an invisible hand tweaking the knobs and flicking the switches, so if that's you I'd like to thank you. You know who you are! Now if you could just get these messages to appear in a reasonable time.........
Restorative Justice is back in the news then. Got to be worth a try hasn't it, with our prisons so full?
Mexico City twenty million people gassing themselves to death.
Now going to starve as well because Americans using bio-fuel, instead of supporting their population explosion by sending grain for tortillas.
America cann`t win, whatever it does.
Some one once said " When America sneezes. the rest of the world catches a cold".
We must face the fact either the world forces America to join the world fight against climate change , or all this chat about low energy ect, is just more hot air( last thing we need).
GM (54) I'd love to see much more restorative justice used.
The evidence seems to be that not only does the criminal have a good chance of seeing the error of their ways and therefore it reduces re-offending, but also the victim feels that their point of view has been heard and they are not just a cog in a justice machine.
And it would reduce the prison numbers and the opportunity for those in prison to obtain drugs and learn even more ways of committing crimes.
Anne P (57) It's a lovely idea, but I have the impression that there are too many criminals who show no remorse when caught and find it impossssible either to empathise or sympathise with their victims.
By the way, here's a pint of restorative juice for the Blog-fixers. Cheers!
Whisht,
Don't go :-(
So John Reid is proposing forcing sex offenders to register their email addresses to "flag up" any approaches to children online. Can anyone else see a gaping flaw in this plan?
What do people think about the teaching of Mandarin, Arabic and Urdu in schools? As much as I would like to move on from the French- and German-only curriculum, I can't help but feel that the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language, say, will not help intergration at all but is more likely to back-fire into a situation where the sizable minority of native/at-home speakers of these languages will be the only ones who are accomplished, therefore the only ones to study the language seriously, and thus gain an easy A-level for University Entry.
It reminds me of a former nieghbour of mine who was adopted in the UK by Spanish parents as a baby, was fluent in Spanish before the age of 4, received an A at A-Level in Spanish, then studied Spanish-as-a-foreign-language at University. It was nothing to do with the teaching nor the school that she attended nor anything to do with her intellect or ability to learn, but simply that was the language that she spoke at home.
Please, someone put me right here, but I see this less as an intergration/understanding of other cultures exercise, and more of a way of getting more kids to qualify for university through the A-level points system (therefore boosting up the income from those lovely tuition fees that the government likes so much).
Relax, Fifi
Look out of the window and watch the grass grow.
No doubt any sex offender found to have set up a different email address but not registered it will then be guilty of yet another brand new offence, and sent back to play Sardines in prison again.
I think the flaw is this right-wing government!
Fifi
Serious discussion !
xx
ed
Further to the discussion on the Olympic madness:
xx
ed
(malicious message thrice so far)
In an effort to curb malicious comment posting by abusive users, I've enabled a feature that requires a weblog commenter to wait a short amount of time before being able to post again. Please try to post your comment again in a short while. Thanks for your patience.
I thought our coinage was getting smaller. Then we had the £2 coin. This morning my SO received a Royal Mint mailshot about the new £5 coin.
'Size of a bathroom sink plug,' was his succinct answer when I asked how big it'd be.
(Ah, life with a poet...)
What size will the £10 coin have to be? Will clothes be fitted with larger, reinforced pockets? Will coat linings be made of hessian to cope with the extra wear and tear?
I think we should be told.
Fifi
Belinda: On this point I have to disagree, but I'm looking at it from a different perspective.
I taught modern languages for many years and was always concerned that the emphasis on French and German was missing the very important point that world economic activity, not to say population trends, were in a very different direction, and we should be trying to equip the next generation (and our own, for that matter) with the tools to be able to participate in the future, which isn't far off, and in some cases is already with us (if you get my drift). I had great difficulties in persuading the schools where I taught that Spanish was more useful to most pupils than French or German. The historical precendents, plus the fact that modern language teachers were themselves French or German speakers, made this a very difficult task - It was a case of simple self interest and flew in the face of the facts: viz, that children went to Spain on holiday, and that the Spanish speaking population was, in world terms, vastly greater than that for the other traditional languages. Now, things have moved on further. Mandarin and Arabic are languages will which prove very useful in the developing markets, Urdu will also be useful if, as is very possible, the Sub-Continent adopts a less anglophile attitude in years to come.
As a nation we are generally arrogant about foreign languages. It is high time we changed our attitudes.
English arrogance about English being the language of the world makes me smirk -- it is so because Amercians speak (a version of) it, not because we do.
A routine visit to my GP yesterday made me boiling mad.
Suddenly, surgeries are having to register for VAT!
Non-NHS services and treatments are now subject to VAT on top of the normal charge. This includes things like:
• yellow fever vaccinations and malaria tablets
• osteo-arthritis screening *
• having your doctor certify your passport photo
How dare the Chancellor cash in on people's health in this way. And where exactly was the announcement about this? My surgery was as taken by surprise as I was.
Yet another stealth tax. How typically underhand.
Fifi
* it's appalling that they charge £30 for that at all, since the treatment is free on the NHS!
Appy: Quite true! And, a further point, the predominance of French teaching dates back to it being the lingua franca of the diplomatic world, historically. Strange how these things happen.
We have been neglecting the catering lately, here at the Furrowed Brow.
To that end, and bearing in mind it's late and we don't want to be indulging in digetively-challenging foods...
I have brought my latest chunk of gravadlax, some strange wheat-free crackers, and full-fat cream cheese.
Lemon juice and coarse-cracked black pepper are on the side.
Still half a case of Shiraz left, too ... don't want it going to waste!
Fifi
I wish people realised how rewarding volunteering can be.
Today I gave away nearly four grand of someone else's money, to people who will put it to really good use.
And spent time with a diverse bunch of individuals who disagree with me on the details of life, politics and everything but we all agree about the Big Picture.
What makes volunteering so unpopular? Is it just that it's just not obvious where the interesting opportunities lie?
Fifi xx
Totally agree Fifi (73) I'm a volunteer at my (big) local library, working with under-fives and their carers, and making resources for the librarians to take around local nurseries, playgroups and so on. Another volunteer puts together Sure Strart children's book packs and distributes them. I enjoy it so much and find it so rewarding that I wangled the hours I worked at my last job so it didn't interfere with my library work.
Gillian, it's good to meet a kindred spirit.
:o)
If people knew what fun there is to be had, doing stuff you don't get paid for, it would be a much pleasanter world.
I first got the bit between my teeth locally here, because my employer was continually restructuring, had put a ban on training, and was clearly not interested in developing me at all.
Volunteers get to try all sorts of things, and I wish I could afford to do more of it!
Keep up the good work Gillian. I hope the people who benefit from your contribution appreciate how much you give them.
Fi xx