comedynetuk.com - some of the corpses are amusing - sotcaa

Rant of the century...

Grrr...

BBC NEWS %7C Politics %7C Tory plan for cars in bus lanes

The Conservatives once again presumably painting themselves as "the motorist's friend", ignoring the fact that the cost of motoring has in fact fallen by 4.8% between 1997 and 2003, whilst the cost of travelling by train has risen by 3% and the cost of travelling by bus has risen by 8%!!!! Which just puts the whingeing of some motorists about the government's "war on motorists" into persepctive.

Here's my alternative plan:

• Make more bus lanes effective all day, especially on routes that don't calm down after rush hour;


• Introduce serious penalties for those driving or parking in bus lanes when they're in operation;


• Subsidise public transport so that when fuel prices go up, bus companies etc. aren't forced to raise their fares;


• RENATIONALISE THE RAILWAYS!

And no, I don't drive. Although my wife does.

'Twas Friday 13th yesterday

And I didn't even realise (although I did have to go bck to work after my 2 days off ill - does that count?)

Little else to write, really (this could be the reason no one reads this...). Sheffield Wednesday won, again, that's twice in a row, which is some kind of record for us. We're eighth now - Coca Cola Championship here we come (hmmm...).

Bought The Day Today on DVD recently - if you haven't watched it you must (no, really). Anyway, since having seen it, as well as reciting all the catchphrases/memorable lines, it's proving very difficult indeed to take the news, or anything similar to news, seriously. Like I tried to watch Channel 4 News straight afterwards (which I do try to watch as it's pretty good and a darned sight better than BBC News), but couldn't take it seriously.

Of course, lots of people have that problem with ITV News without having to watch TDT, but I didn't say that.

WOW...

WGR News: Kuju Wireless bringing Sensible Soccer, Cannon Fodder to mobile - corporate release

OK, a little late I know. But that's going to be fantastic. Although, I do wonder how things like aftertouch etc. will work on a mobile...

Plus, I bet it doesn't come out for my phone (a SonyEricsson T610, since you asked).

Another thunderstorm rolls by...

Meanwhile, the BBC Weather site gives the "current nearest observations" for Sheffield as sunny intervals. Bearing in mind that, a) it's half-9 and therefore dark and b) that's a cracking thunderstorm outside, I feel this is unlikely.

Been off work...

With a fairly bad asthma "do" - hoping to go back tomorrow, largely because we're having holes put in our kitchen wall (for an extractor fan, not some weird game we like to play every so often in the Smith household. Although you should see our dining room. Like a Swiss cheese...)

Anyway this enforced absence has forced me, forced me to watch CBBC, or Children's BBC as we used to call it. And, whilst not wanting to sound like an old "they-don't make-'em-like-they used-to"-type buffer, the truth is, they... erm... don't.

Have a look at it (3:25-is onwards, BBC1) and then loook at the above website. On it, you'll find a link saying "Backstage"; follow that, and it'll take you'll find one saying "past presenters". Click on that and you'll see Children's BBC at its best, with Messrs Schofield, Crane, Duck and Gopher (and a few others as well). Revel in the nostalgia.

Meanwhile, another thunderstorm rolls by...

Howard on law and order

So, Howard has spoken (courtesy BBC News). And for some truly fair-minded, reasonable, well-thought out comment, then see here.

Sorry, it just annoys me,that's all. It's easy to lay the blame at the straw men of "Political correctness" etc., but in actual fact, crime has been falling for many years now - the longest recorded fall in crime. To say that "liberal do-gooders" want judges to hand out lenient sentences, that you can get away scot-free because the legal system favours criminals is palpable nonsense (research shows that people regularly under estimate the sentences for various crimes - if I could find the link, I'd put it in).

The point is, we don't bang everybody away for life because that will worsen, not lessen crime and will waste even more, often young lives. We try to rehabilitate prisoners because doing so will surely better equip them for when they come out of jail - making life harsh for them will surely just embitter them and make them more like to re-offend. But this doesn't wash with the media, or Labour, or the Conservatives. They want us to be in fear, they want us to believe that only a tough, no-nonsense policy is in order. In actual fact, these seem to come round every year and, frankly, they get boring. No one wants to deal with the complexities of why crime exists, because that can't be summed up in a sound-bite, it's not a vote-winner.

Sorry, rant over. As you were.

You'd think, what with having broadband

...that he'd post a bit more (like at all), wouldn't you?

Well would't you?

Anyway, apologies for not having published for just over four months (ahem!)... if anybody's watching, that is. I will, eventually,try to bring you back up to speed with what's been going on, but, for those fastwith the eye, here's the highlights:

wentbacktooldjobatworkputinforpromotiongotitwentonholidaytoLakeGardainItalywithJoy&parentsgotveryhotandsunburntbuthadgreattimestillwaitingtohearwhatpostthey'llputmeinnowI'vegotpromotionspenttoomuchmoneyhadideafornewstoryreadlotsofPhillipYancey(recommended)andgenerallyplayedtoomuchonmyPCandPS2.

Make of that what you will...