A Fascist Government?
Umerto Eco wrote this essy on Fascism. I hate the way that Fascism is thrown about on social media. BUT Think about this government and see how many of his 14 points can be ticked. Certainly number 1, a fixation with tradition. 2, well, maybe. 3, Action for actions sake. Operation Save Big Dog is a prime example. 4, Liz Truss said that she was a patriot introducing a bill that breaks international law. The obvious inference is that you are not a patriot if you disagree with her. 5, Fear of difference. This seems to me obvious. Ukrainian refuges from conflict are good, Syrians fleeing conflict are bad. 6, Appealing to frustrated middle classes? Just look at The Daily Mail. 7, feeling that there are plots against them? Oh yes. Both within the party and from outside. Johnson is doubling down. 8, “By a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.” That is so obvious within the government at the moment. The unions have no power and repressent no one. As well as being athreat to the nation. 9, “Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy” I do not want to be killed in a nuclear war, so wanting to reduce the weapons of mass destruction is unpatrionic (see point 4). 10, Contempt for the weak. “We put a caring arm around the vulnerable in homes, but not during the pandemic. 11, OK not sure about his one. Give me time and I will come up with answers. 12, “Machismo implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality.” So completely untrue of this country, they embrace difference, unless you are a woman, gay or have a different life style. God help you if you are a gay traveller. NIMBY is this governments, and their supporters’ watch word. 13, “There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.” We are there. 14, “All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning.” Sounds like dumbing down to me, and discouraging the study of English lit in universities. Placing more value in learning “practical” skills over learning “soft” skills like thinking. Rant over, for now.
Covid – 19. UK Government’s Mistakes and Lies. (part 1)
Covid – 19 (Coronavirus) is on the Rise, Why? Imperial College London published a major report today (29th October). It says that the pace of the covid – 19 epidemic is accelerating. The report estimates that the number of people infected is increasing by 100,000 a day. That figure is doubling every nine days. (You can read the full report here) The Government says that it has “followed the science”, that is has “put an arm round the care sector”, “provided all the PPE that is necessary”. If the government has done all it can and acted in a timely fashion why are we in this mess? Hindsight is a Wonderful Thing. I am always sceptical of those who use hindsite to justify their prejudices and have attempted to avoid hindsight wisdom here. My appologies if I failed, occassionally. You should also be aware that I have written about covid – 19 before and do not claim to be impartial when looking at the this government’s response. (Previous blogs are Here and Here) Covid – 19, Back to the Start The first confirmed fatality from covid – 19 outside China was on 2nd February. There is a feeling that Andy Gill (memebr of The Gang of Four) who died on the 1st of February may have died of Covid – 19 in St Thomas’s hospital in London. Even before that the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK came on 31 January when two Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York tested positive. 3 February There is a modelling group called SPI-M (The Scientific Influenza Pandemic Group on Mocdelling). It produced a report that reviewed the infection in China. One of the comments was that it was “unclear whether outbreaks can be contained by isolation and contact tracing. If a high proportion of asymptomatic cases are infectious, then containment is unlikely via these policies.” Even on 3rd February it was clear that track and trace would not work on its own to contain and control the infection when it reached this country. 27 February Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer) tells the media that mass gatherings such as sports events and concerts may have to be cancelled. That schools closed for more than two months, if the UK is hit badly by coronavirus. Two days later, Health Minister Edward Argar told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “decisions on large events and whether they should go ahead will be taken at the time on the basis of the evidence.” I should point out that, at this point, the SPI-M advice was that closing mass events could drive people into pubs to watch football, for example, and this could be more dangerous that letting events go ahead. I have a problem with this advice. Not many games are televised live, apart from the elite clubs. So cancelling non Premier League club games would not drive hoards of people into the pubs to the watch the games. It seems to me that this advice and the whole approach from Sage and through the government was not, and is not, rooted in the real world. 3 March The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) issued this advice; “There was agreement that Government should advise against greetings such as shaking hands and hugging, given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene.” The Sage sub-group, the Independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), said. “A public message against shaking hands has additional value as a signal about the importance of hand hygiene.” On the very same day Boris Johnson held a press conference broadcast on national television. He said “I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.” Prick. The “contain” phase of the government’s response to covid – 19 is launched. The idea is to “detect early cases, follow up close contacts, and prevent the disease taking hold in this country for as long as is reasonably possible”. I wonder how that went. I will cover the next part of the story shortly.
Coronavirus – It’s the Nurses Fault!
Hancock Continues to Demonstrate His Incompetence Another day another coronavirus briefing in which Hancock showed just how bad he is at his job. You would have thought that the Health Secretary would want to help and support the NHS. However, when he was presented with his own organisational failings he blamed the nurses. They use too much PPE. Dangerous Strategy Even if front line NHS staff were misusing coronavirus PPE blaming the country’s angels for his failings is a dangerous strategy. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is not amused. In a pointed statement of advice for its members it said that “Ultimately, if you have exhausted all other measures to reduce the risk and you have not been given appropriate PPE in line with the UK Infection Prevention and Control guidance, you are entitled to refuse to work. This will be a last resort and the RCN recognises what a difficult step this would be for nursing staff.” The RCN also said that it would help any nurses taking such action defend any court action. Coronavirus PPE – Je Ne Regrette Rien Handed the pefect oppotunity to apologise and admit that the situation could have been handled better in today’s coronavirus briefing Hancock ducked and refused to answer the question. He did not even follow Priti Patel’s style of non apology, she said “sorry if people feel there have been failings” . This non apology was echoed by Alok Sharma the business secretary on the Andrew Marr Show saying “I’m incredibly sorry that people feel they are not able to get this equipment.” At least he had the good grace to also say that there was “clearly a need for more protective equipment”. Seen, by some as a rebuke for Hancock’s performance. The more striking as it came from a junior minister. Avoidance, Not Answers Hancock has the look of a haunted and hunted man. He clearly does not enjoy the coronavirus briefings. He avoids questions, tries to misdirect by answering the questions he wishes were asked. To be fair all politicians do this, it is one of their little tricks. The problem for Hancock is that he is not very good at it. I said “the problem” truth is he has a few problems. With Friends Like These…. Last week Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times said that the cabinet, civil servants, and special advisors were positioning themselves so that they will avoid the inevitable blame when this crisis is over. (Perhaps that is why Patel seems to have been dragged screaming and crying into her first coronavirus briefing). This week The Sunday Times has a piece that denies that there is a rift between Rishi Sunak and Hancock. The interesting question is why they had to deny the rumour, unless there is some prima facia reason to believe it. Last week The Sunday Times reported that Hancock’s minesterial colleagues were refering to him as “Handjob”. Referring to someone as an act of masturbation does not imply any respect at all. Perhaps he is not paranoid perhaps his friends are out to get him. Links Sky News – RCN advice to nurses Independent – Hancock refuses to apologise The Guardian – Patel’s non apology
How to Make Your Own Hand SanitiZer
Not All My Own Work! This is copied from Healthline.com a site that is well worth reading. I thought that anything that helps us all keep safe and well is worth promoting. Besides, making your own hand sanitiser is remarkably easy. Why did we ever pay for it? (oh yes, I am sorry about the american spelling of sanitizer)…… Ingredients How to make How to use Effectiveness Washing vs. sanitizer Bottom line When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, nothing beats good old-fashioned hand washing. But if water and soap aren’t available, your next best option, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Unless you have a stockpile of store-bought hand sanitizer, you’ll likely have a hard time finding any at a store or online right now. Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, most retailers can’t keep up with the demand for hand sanitizer. The good news? All it takes is three ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer at home. Read on to find out how. What ingredients do you need? Making your own hand sanitizer is easy to do and only requires a few ingredients: isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent alcohol volume) aloe vera gel an essential oil, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead The key to making an effective, germ-busting hand sanitizer is to stick to a 2:1 proportion of alcohol to aloe vera. This keeps the alcohol content around 60 percent. This is the minimum amount needed to kill most germs, according to the CDCTrusted Source. How do you make your own hand sanitizer? Dr. Rishi Desai, chief medical officer of Osmosis, and a former epidemic intelligence service officer in the division of viral diseases at the CDC, says that the hand sanitizer recipe below will kill 99.9 percent of germs after 60 seconds. Hand sanitizer recipe What you’ll need: 3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent) 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol) 10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead Directions: Pour all ingredients into a bowl, ideally one with a pouring spout like a glass measuring container. Mix with a spoon and then beat with a whisk to turn the sanitizer into a gel. Pour the ingredients into an empty bottle for easy use, and label it “hand sanitizer.” Jagdish Khubchandani, PhD, associate professor of health science at Ball State University, shared a similar formula. His hand sanitizer formula combines: two parts isopropyl alcohol or ethanol (91 percent to 99 percent alcohol) one part aloe vera a few drops of clove, eucalyptus, peppermint, or other essential oil. If you are making hand sanitizer at home, Khubchandani says to adhere to these tips: Make the hand sanitizer in a clean space. Wipe down counter tops with a diluted bleach solution beforehand. Wash your hands thoroughly before making the hand sanitizer. To mix, use a clean spoon and whisk. Wash these items thoroughly before using them. Make sure the alcohol used for the hand sanitizer is not diluted. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly until they are well blended. Do not touch the mixture with your hands until it is ready for use. For a larger batch of hand sanitizer, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source has a formula for a hand sanitizer that uses: isopropyl alcohol or ethanol hydrogen peroxide glycerol sterile distilled or boiled cold water How to use hand sanitizer Two things to be aware of when using hand sanitizer is that you need to rub it into your skin until your hands are dry. And, if your hands are greasy or dirty, you should wash them first with soap and water. With that in mind, here are some tips for using hand sanitizer effectively. Spray or apply the sanitizer to the palm of one hand. Thoroughly rub your hands together. Make sure you cover the entire surface of your hands and all your fingers. Continue rubbing for 30 to 60 seconds or until your hands are dry. It can take at least 60 seconds, and sometimes longer, for hand sanitizer to kill most germs. What germs can hand sanitizer kill? According to the CDCTrusted Source, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that meets the alcohol volume requirement can quickly reduce the number of microbes on your hands. It can also help destroy a wide range of disease-causing agents or pathogens on your hands, including the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. However, even the best alcohol-based hand sanitizers have limitations and do not eliminate all types of germs. According to the CDC, hand sanitizers won’t get rid of potentially harmful chemicals. It’s also not effective at killing the following germs: norovirus cryptosporidium (which causes cryptosporidiosis) clostridium difficile (also known as C. diff) Also, a hand sanitizer may not work well if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy. This may happen after working with food, doing yard work, gardening, or playing a sport. If your hands look dirty or slimy, opt for hand washing instead of a hand sanitizer. Hand washing vs. hand sanitizer Knowing when it’s best to wash your hands, and when hand sanitizers can be helpful, is key to protecting yourself from the novel coronavirus as well as other illnesses, like the common cold and seasonal flu. While both serve a purpose, washing your hands with soap and water should always be a priority, according to the CDC. Only use hand sanitizer if you soap and water isn’t available in a given situation. It’s also important to always wash your hands: after going to the bathroom after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing before eating after touching surfaces that could be contaminated The CDC lists specific instructionsTrusted Source on the most effective way to wash your hands. This is what they recommend:
I Agree With The Sun!
I Never Thought That I Would Write That….. MPs’ expenses have always been bad news, the sort that the S**m and all the rest of the gutter press relish. Couple an expenses “scandal” to a Labour MP and Rememberance Day and you have a field day for the lowest of the low. Labour front bench MP Sarah Champion claimed back £17 expenses for a poppy wreath. She should be tarred and feathered. That was the thrust of the S**m’s story. I understand the distress caused by the revelation. All MPs should be accountable for their decisions about their expenses. Back in 2009 the MP for Henly did the same, claiming £16.50 in expenses for a poppy wreath. I am surprised that the S**m did not name and shame him. His name? Boris Johnson.
A New Maple Bowl – Wood Turning
An Odd Sort of Blank for Wood Turning. When she visited recently Roni brought some blanks for wood turning with her. Among lots of blanks for plates and natural edge bowls were some Maple blanks. I had turned a beautiful (if I say so myself) bowl when I was down at hers last. So she knew that I liked the wood and so I was delighted to accept these wood turning banks. The blank I chose for turning today was about 9″ by 4″ (my lathe will only take blanks up to 10″ across). Wood turning blanks often have the outer edge painted (in this case a tasteful pink) to stop the wood drying out too soon and cracking. There was one problem with this blank; The problem with wood is that it does not grow symetrically. This wood turning blank was unbalanced because there was almost one half missing due to the way the tree grew. The issue for wood turning is that with the blank revolving at several hundred revs per minute the lathe, and everything else, vibrates and bounces. Add to that razor sharp cutting tools and there is a recipe for disaster! Top Tip; Always count your fingers before you start wood turning and when you finish. You should have the same number both times! Wood Turning this Blank, The Options I seem to like making straight sided bowls, there is something that appeals to me in them. If I aimed for that with this bowl there would be a huge hole on one side of the bowl. Not that there is anything wrong with that and it can look wonderful and interesting. However I decided to go for something different. A sort of inside to out curve. The Outside Finished I applied the first coat of oil before taking the bowl off the lathe to turn it round to form the inside. With the bowl reversed, held on the lathe by the spigot, you can see see the finished curve, the trick will be to mirror the curve on the inside. Wood Turning the Inside Wood turning the inside of a bowl is more difficuylt that the outside. The main reason is that the bowl wall should be of an even thickness so finesse is the order of the day. Finesse is not one of my stregnths. In other words the curve on the outside has to be matched by the curve on the inside. Add to that the need to have the wall of the bowl flow, without any obvious transition, into a flat bottom. In my experience forming the inside is more painstaking that the outside. Obviously, you can make the inside a lot easier to turn by your choice of outside curve. I will take that to heart one day…….. Off The Lathe Once finished on the inside and sanded the bowl is oiled and taken off the lathe. Ready for the oil to dry completely and for polishing. In spite of not being polished I think that I can be pleased with the result. The finished bowl is just under 9″ by 3 1/2″ More explanation and an example of wood turning here.
Lies, Damned Lies and Boris Johnson – Part 1
In my last post about the Tory Leadership race I called Boris Johnson (real name Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson) a pratt and a serial lier. I thought that it might be a good idea to justify my accusation that his grasp on reality is frail – as well as being self serving. Originally it was going to be just 1 post, however Boris Johnson has told so many lies…… The lies, in no particular order. Brexit 1. ‘once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350m per week. It would be a fine thing as many of us have pointed out if a lot of that money went on the NHS, provided we use that cash injection to modernise and make the most of new technology.’ This claim has been thoroughly shown to be false. Either Boris was stupid and believed his own lie, or he was wilfully lieing. He also lied about refering to the £350m at all, until shown TV footage of him talking about it – Oops! Boris Johnson is being taken to court over this lie. Marcus Ball has raised over £200,000 from public donations to prosecute Boris over this lie. 2. ‘I look at so many young people with the 12 stars lipsticked to their faces, and I am troubled with the thought that people are beginning to have genuinely split allegiances. And when people say that they feel they have more in common with others in Europe than with people who voted leave I want to say, but that is part of the reason why people voted leave.’ OK, so not a lie, but is he really calling 16m people unpatriotic because they disagree with him??? 3. People from the EU are responsible for the housing shortage. ‘And I can think of obvious ways in which Brexit can help us tackle the housing crisis – perhaps the single biggest challenge for the younger generation.’ Where to begin with this one? He really was scraping the bottom of his barrel of lies when he pulled out this plum! It is not investors from the EU that has caused the housing crisis. It is the chronic underfunding of housing by this and previous governments that is the root cause of the problem. Changing the cause and blaming those damned foreigners is such a cheap lie. 4 It is “absolutely crazy” that the EU was setting rules on the shape of bananas. Can you believe that Alexander, sorry Boris Johnson, ever said this? Yes, at the Brexit campaign launch he made this tired, and worn old claim. It was a lie when it started doing the rounds in the 1990s it was a lie when he said it in 2016, and again in 2017. 5 Three lies for the price of one, Boris really is the gift that keeps on giving! Boris said “I am very pro-Turkish, but what I certainly can’t imagine is a situation in which 77 million [his estimate] of my fellow Turks and those of Turkish origin can come here without any checks at all. That is really mad” – Daily Express, 18 April 2016 Then he went on to say; “It’s government policy to accelerate Turkish accession” – BBC EU referendum debate, 21 June 2016 The allegation that Turkey is anywhere near joining the EU is as wrong today as it was when Boris started peddling this lie. The third lie? That he ever mentioned Turkey during the Brexit campaign! Boris Johnson has wrongly claimed that he “didn’t make any remarks about Turkey, mate” during the EU referendum campaign, in comments that overshadowed a speech in Staffordshire intended to burnish his leadership credentials. Leadership credentials? Consistancy is fundemental, Boris is consistant, he lies like the rest of us change our socks…..
Making Copper Pipe Items
Using Copper Pipe I have been playing with copper pipe for a few weeks. I thought that using copper pipe was an unique and interesting idea. Turns out that while it is interesting it is hardly unique. The reason I started with copper pipe is that I ran out of interesting and useable wood for turning. My first attempts produced a few candle sticks. They were quite successful and were well received by friends. I enjoyed making them, they were fine and it was good to use a different medium. Yes, I know, the colour of the candles are wrong for copper pipe but they were all that I had…….. Copper Tom Copper Tom is a figure I made. He is siting, thinking. I like to think that Copper Tom is a thoughtful sort of chap. He also skiis (although I do not have any photos ) I plan to have him fishing but have not gotten round to it just yet. Here’s Copper Tom chilling out to some sounds. I am surprised that he is not smoking a Gitane and drinking black coffee. (Sun Ra, I ask you, Copper Tom is such a poseur….) A Lamp Today I used copper pipe to make a lamp. Although you can not tell from the picture it has an Edison type old fashioned bulb and stands about 18″ tall. I think that it is quite neat but the bext one willbe better! Photos of these and future copper items will appear in the “Here are some things that I made earlier” page which is found under the main Woodturning page.
The Gambia Surprise
The Gambia is somewhere special, as I have just found out. The people are amazingly friendly, obviously, some want to show you something or take you somewhere for money. However it is not intrusive hassle and never threatening. The country is beautiful verdant and rich in wildlife. Gambia Maybe Time This was my first ( but not last) visit. One thing that a new traveller has to understand is the concept of GMT, Gambia Maybe Time. When someone says that your meal will be ready in 10 minutes what they actually mean is slightly different. They mean “it will probably be more like half an hour, perhaps a bit, or a lot, longer”. As long as you accept that as a tourist then all is well and Gambia seeps into your bones and you feel at home. The reference to GMT is not meant as a criticism not patronising. It is fact of life in Gambia that the Gambians laugh about, their point of view is why are Europeans so up tight? Why worry about something as unimportant as how long does it take to prepare a meal? If breakfast is supposed to start in your hotel at 7.00 is it really the end of the world if it starts at 8.30? 7.00 is an aspiration, not a promise. Understand that and you are well along to understaning life in The Gambia. What about accomodation? Well, there are places in The Gambia that I would avoid, for example Kololi. But that has more to do with the Blackpool-esq nature of the area rather than anything else. (We lasted about 3 hours there before we had to escape!) On the other hand, people flocking to the beach and hotels of Kololi means fewer go to Paradise Beach near Sanyang. Accomodation There are things to understand about accomodation options in The Gambia. If you want a thoroughly nice couple of weeks in an eco friendly lodge with lots of courses and trips then you can do no better than check out Footsteps Eco Lodge. The cost is high, the food is lovely, the staff very proud to be working there. I visited and can see the attraction (if for no other reason that they have hot water! A topic of much debate among holiday makers that we met. The problem for me with Footsteps as that the visitors tend to be middle aged middle class and “worthy”. There were some residents that were younger, but they did look as if they knitted their own yoghurt… So, where did we go? The first few days were spent at Aba’s Creek Lodge. Located in the magroves off the Gambia river it is an oasis. Idyllic is a word invented for thisplace. There are various trips that can be taken but the only 2 that we took were fishing among the mangroves and visiting a local familly to help cook lunch, after going to the market. It would be easy to dismiss the experience as a tourist sanitised outing but I don’t think that it was. The familly made us welcome, we talked and laughed and were made very welcome. Marvellous. The last 10 days were spent at Jungle Beach Resort, although “resort” is overstaking it. No hot water, an elastic approach to cooking and meal times, but a beautiful beach and amazing people made this place a joy! The Gambia Surprise? The electricity might fail, there might only be cold showers, but the good food and the people are wonderful and it is impossible to even think about not returning in the future. Gambia is like a drug, you can not get enough! I expected winter sun, I did not expext to fall in love with a country!
National Health Service Funding – the £84 Billion Lie
The Tories are telling lies about the funding increase to the National Health Service. Philip Hammond is again playing fast and loose with the truth. Double counting, or quadruple counting in this case, is not normal practice for a government, or anyone else. The health budget for NHS England (other parts of the NHS are funded separately) is about £110 billion so an increase of £84 billion seems really impressive. But, the truth is much less impressive. Through inflation the NHS spending will rise to £135 billion by 2023/24, that is £20.5 billion and that was announced by the government before the budget. It is also where we start looking for this mistical £84 billion. Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and Damned Tory Statistics. The origin of the £84 billion “increase” in NHS funding is convoluted to say the least. Each year the money spent on health goes up by an estimated inflation figure of between 3.1% and 3.6%. Add each year’s increase together, throw in the inflation increases for the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales plus a £1.25 billion a year for National Health Service pension contributions and there you have it £84 billiuon. Or, as the less than straightforward Chancellor said on 1st October; “We’ve announced an unprecedented £84 billion real-terms funding boost for the NHS, what the NHS says it needs”. Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer Do you remember another time Philip Hammond made a rather outlandish claim? Not about National Health Service Funding this time this is the time he claimed that unemployed people are a figment of our imagination! Read about it here! Would a privatised National Health Service work? See this post for my view. Don’t just take my word for it read this from fullfact.org.
Phil’s British Heart Foundation Donation – you know it makes sense
