Where's the beef, as Ronald Reagan used to ask. The answer, possibly not in your processed food.
If some good things come out of this whole horse meat in food 'scandal' it could be
1. An acknowlegdement that horse meat was probably better than some of the mashed up mechanically removed slurry that it replaced.
2. More people buying meat from butchers - and hopefully buying free-range
3. More people cutting down on the amount of meat they eat
4. Another blow for the people who say - "leave it all to market forces, let the buyer beware". The reality is that most people don't want to, shouldn't have to and prorbably can't tell whether their fod is being adultorated. There is a role for state regulation.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Monday, 11 February 2013
God Knows
What a muddle the Church of England and the Catholic Church are getting into over the issue of homosexuality. Quite honestly I struggle to understand why anyone Gay would wish to have anything to do with either Church. It seems to me undeniable that both Churches have had a long history of being anti-Gay and it seems equally absurd to me that a Church can claim to follow the unchanging teachings of God and yet revise those teaching.
Time was God used to appear as a burning bush and tell people what he thought, these days his mobile number or email might be better, rather than leaving people to pray to him and receive very different answers.
Time was God used to appear as a burning bush and tell people what he thought, these days his mobile number or email might be better, rather than leaving people to pray to him and receive very different answers.
Defiance - Jewish Resistance in WWII
Defiance - The true story of the Bielski Partisans - by Nechama Tec ISBN 978-0-19-538523-6
In 1942 a small group of Jewish resistance fighters escaping Nazi persecution established a community in the forests of western Belorussia. Within 2 years they numbers more than 1200 men, women and children. It was the largest armed rescue of Jews by Jews in the war.
The leader of the Partisans - Tuvia Bielski emphasised that saving Jewish lives as being more important than killing Germans.
The book chronicles the reality of living in very difficult circumstances, the huge achievements by those living in the community and the challenges they faced. It is not a well know part of history and deserves to be better known.
Defiance - was the basis for a film staring Daniel Craig - aka James Bond. The film is not very historically accurate - as is the way with most films
that try and condense events of two years into 2 hours.
In 1942 a small group of Jewish resistance fighters escaping Nazi persecution established a community in the forests of western Belorussia. Within 2 years they numbers more than 1200 men, women and children. It was the largest armed rescue of Jews by Jews in the war.
The leader of the Partisans - Tuvia Bielski emphasised that saving Jewish lives as being more important than killing Germans.
The book chronicles the reality of living in very difficult circumstances, the huge achievements by those living in the community and the challenges they faced. It is not a well know part of history and deserves to be better known.
Defiance - was the basis for a film staring Daniel Craig - aka James Bond. The film is not very historically accurate - as is the way with most films
that try and condense events of two years into 2 hours.
Double Cross - the true story of the D-Day spies
This book by Ben McIntyre sets out the story of the 'double cross system' where spies who the Germans thought were working for them, were actually working for British Intelligence.
Although a work of non-fiction, it reads like a gripping adventure yarn.
The central claim of the book, is that the culmination of the deception was that the German military where misled into thinking the D-Day landings were a division for the 'real' invasion planned for Calais. This is both undoubtedly true and also meant that many lives were saved and that WWII ended sooner than it might otherwise have done.
It is heartening in a way to read of the often deliberate incompetence of many Germans working for the German intelligence services. Resistance to the Nazi regime could take many forms.
The bravery shown by those of the agents that flitted back and forth between England and occupied Europe is extra-ordinary.
McIntyre paints them all as complex and often flawed individuals - who never the less did extraordinary things. Some of the stories seem almost beyond belief, as has been said, fact is often stranger than fiction.
Although a work of non-fiction, it reads like a gripping adventure yarn.
The central claim of the book, is that the culmination of the deception was that the German military where misled into thinking the D-Day landings were a division for the 'real' invasion planned for Calais. This is both undoubtedly true and also meant that many lives were saved and that WWII ended sooner than it might otherwise have done.
It is heartening in a way to read of the often deliberate incompetence of many Germans working for the German intelligence services. Resistance to the Nazi regime could take many forms.
The bravery shown by those of the agents that flitted back and forth between England and occupied Europe is extra-ordinary.
McIntyre paints them all as complex and often flawed individuals - who never the less did extraordinary things. Some of the stories seem almost beyond belief, as has been said, fact is often stranger than fiction.
Friday, 8 February 2013
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Something fishy going on
At last the EU looks set to take action to end the practice of fish being caught and then being thrown back(dead) into the sea.
I don't eat fish myself, but for those who do, sustainable fishing is the only sensible option.
http://bearder.eu/en/article/2013/657580/protection-for-south-east-fishermen-is-long-overdue
I don't eat fish myself, but for those who do, sustainable fishing is the only sensible option.
http://bearder.eu/en/article/2013/657580/protection-for-south-east-fishermen-is-long-overdue
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
The real scandal of Housing Benefit ?
It used to be (Sept 2009) that £18 billion a year was spent on housing benefit in the UK, going to 4.4 million people.
How much ?
Well, lets start with the issue of a Billion Pounds. In the UK that used to refer to a million times a million, but now it is used to describe 1000 times one million. So £18 billion ie £18,000,000,000. If you divided £18,000,000,000 by 4,400,000 people who get housing benefit, then that works out at £4090 each.
But things have moved on, since the Government has tried to bring down the housing benefit bill, the number of people needing housing benefit has increased to 5,000,000 and the total bill is now around £23,000,000,000,000
that's an average of £4600 each.
The Department for work and pensions estimates housing benefit payments to people living in property rented from private sector landlord were on average £107 a week (May 2012), which actually gives a figure of £5564 a year.
Private sector rents in May 2012 were on average £8544 a month.
Three major points to note
1. Tenants do not in the end get paid housing benefit - it is paid to Landlords
2. The Government could build or buy a whole lots more properties for the same money it effectively hands over to private sector landlords.
3. That ought to be considered the real scandal of housing benefit
The major change pioneered by Labour was the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance, by which tenants were limited to an a housing benefit payment in the private sector which reflected the average for their area. As an incentive to shop around for cheaper rents, they were allowed to keep a share of any savings should their rent come in lower.
How much ?
Well, lets start with the issue of a Billion Pounds. In the UK that used to refer to a million times a million, but now it is used to describe 1000 times one million. So £18 billion ie £18,000,000,000. If you divided £18,000,000,000 by 4,400,000 people who get housing benefit, then that works out at £4090 each.
But things have moved on, since the Government has tried to bring down the housing benefit bill, the number of people needing housing benefit has increased to 5,000,000 and the total bill is now around £23,000,000,000,000
that's an average of £4600 each.
The Department for work and pensions estimates housing benefit payments to people living in property rented from private sector landlord were on average £107 a week (May 2012), which actually gives a figure of £5564 a year.
Private sector rents in May 2012 were on average £8544 a month.
Three major points to note
1. Tenants do not in the end get paid housing benefit - it is paid to Landlords
2. The Government could build or buy a whole lots more properties for the same money it effectively hands over to private sector landlords.
3. That ought to be considered the real scandal of housing benefit
The major change pioneered by Labour was the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance, by which tenants were limited to an a housing benefit payment in the private sector which reflected the average for their area. As an incentive to shop around for cheaper rents, they were allowed to keep a share of any savings should their rent come in lower.
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