Video of British Army testing LSD on troops
Check out this excellent footage of Acid experiments on combat troops. Its part of wired's top 5 recreational drug experiments article. Saturday 5th April 2008
11:57 pm
Check out this excellent footage of Acid experiments on combat troops. Its part of wired's top 5 recreational drug experiments article. 
11:31 pm
Cleggover
OK, now I have been fairly unmoved to post about this in recent days. But I just went and looked at Dale's blog, and was struck by the absolutely bizarre degree to which the right is wetting itself about this minor gaffe. They are desperately trying to keep it in people's minds, when most of us are quite happy to move on from what is clearly a fairly open and shut case of Piers Morgan being a 10:08 pm
The Olympic torch
Who said this "Sporting chivalrous contest helps knit the bonds of peace between nations. Therefore may the Olympic flame never expire." Adolf Hitler, that's who. 9:02 pm
Quote of the Week
This weeks quote is from Martin Luther King Jr. as it's the 40th anniversary of his death. The quote is one of my very favourites, "Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy". He said it in the 'I have a dream speech'(1963). I think the quote is so relevant for us as Liberal Democrats. I think that's our task, to make true promises of our democracy. Not just for us, but for everyone. 8:51 pm
Vote Match
Hmmm. Possibly good for the party that I don't live in London. I just did the VoteMatch thing, and despite not matching completely with any of the candidates, the sainted Brian came fourth on my list. Ken came top, then Sian, then Boris. Then Brian. This are slightly worrying. I mean, I know we're a broad church party, appeal is spread among widely different people, etc... But BORIS is a better match for me than Brian I knew the floppy-haired shagmonster was a liberal Tory, but... Who all do you guys get View Poll: Vote Match 8:31 pm
The Pork Pie News
From the Leicester Mercury: It has taken 10 years, but pork pie campaigners look set to taste success in their fight to win protected status for the famous food. The Melton Mowbray pork pie has passed its final hurdle and is now months away from a European Union ruling which would stop pies made outside the region from carrying the town's name. That could mean the £50 million-a-year pork pie industry would be concentrated largely in Leicestershire.I don't want to be churlish in the face of such unalloyed good news, but a couple of questions need to be asked: Who ... 8:21 pm
Zanu-PF ready to fight in a run off-literally!
Mugabe is ready for a second round, if that's what the electoral commission announces, has to take place. But Zanu-PF are getting their militias ready to intimidate voters. Morgan Tsvangirai has said, "In the run-off, violence will just be the new weapon to reverse the people's win, In this regard, we know that thousands of army recruits are being recruited, militants are being rehabilitated and some few claiming to be war veterans are already on the warpath." Had the election been free, it's thought the Tsvangirai would have got 60% over Mugabe at 30%. But evidence is saying that Mugabe ... 8:19 pm
Political Compass a l'italiana
Looking for opinion polls on the Italian elections I found a political quiz instead. It runs out that - in Italian terms - I am secular and progressive. So now you know! 8:04 pm
Speech for Head Boy-2nd Draft
I need your help again! I'm writing my speech for head boy which is infront of year10 and the tutors(teachers). There is a student vote and a teacher vote at the end. As I'm such a great student I can pick up the teacher vote quite easily. Student vote, I'm respected but not as popular as one of the candidates. So I need to work quite hard there. I need advice on my speech. Which bit's need emphazised. Which bits should can be cut down or cut off. Is there something missing Be as critical as you like. It's got ... 8:03 pm
The flaw in Labour's aviation policy
{Lynne Featherstone and local members of Friends of the Earth} Joined Friends of the Earth in Muswell Hill earlier today to point out to the Government their muddle over their aviation policy. How can they say that climate change is the biggest threat to mankind, ask us all to do our bit - and then say (as Ruth Kelly did in Parliament last week), 'but we have to have a third runway at Heathrow' This sort of predict and provide approach on air travel will never deliver the sort of environmental policy we need. It's time the Government stopped being ... 7:22 pm
Get Focus delivered in time for Dr Who
I'm not sure what happened to the snow predicted for today but other than some rather very short lived feeble attempts to shower us with the odd flake, the adverse weather conditions have not shown up. So I headed off to a couple of our target wards this morning and took the photos for the next Focus for Teams area. I made the error whilst in our office early this afternoon of offering to 6:35 pm
Crotchw00t and Doctor Who
I didn't get to see Crotchw00t yesterday because of being at a wedding. So I just watched the season finale of it, and New series of Who is going to start in a minute. Back to back Whoverse How hardcore am I LOL In 1982, there was an ensemble cast on Doctor Who. Most of the characters were loved, to a greater or lesser extent, by fans who had watched the show for years and loved it. It had been going downhill a bit in recent years, but the characters were still loved, apart from one who was controversial (Tegan) ... 5:00 pm
Day 2651: TOYCHWUD: Exit Pursued By A Bear
Friday: Yay, REAL Doctor Who is back Oh, all right, I admit there were lots of snuffles and shockingly actual goodbyes forever for the last episode of Torchwood, even if the episode wasn't the BEST. Fortunately series three of Torchwood has a new TOP TEAM to deal with the alien menace among us They'd Do Anything to save the World {Posted by Picasa} Oh dear. Whatever transfusion of TD DNA that produced the anarchic fun of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" or the moving tragedy of "Adrift" seems to be wearing off. From opening with a "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" this ... 4:52 pm
National Winner!!
I won £29 from a £2 each way bet on Comply or Die - and a 50p each way bet on Snowy Mornings!!! Very happy with my days work!!! 4:29 pm
National Success
I can't believe this!!! I picked the winner of the National! I had £2 each way on Comply or Die and it won!!! To top this - I also backed Snowy Mornings at 50p each way and it came 3rd!!!! Just of to collect my winnings!!! Woooaaahhhhhhh!!!!! 3:49 pm
Vote Match London - how do you come out
The reason I haven’t been blogging much recently has finally launched. On Vote Match London you fill in your opinion on 25 statements and it matches your views against the candidates for London Mayor. It doesn’t tell you who to vote for - a quiz like this could never tell you that - but it is designed to give you food for thought and to encourage you to think of policy reasons for choosing how to vote rather than personality or party loyalty. You can do it by going here (or clicking the big button that will be at the ... 2:59 pm
Super Leeds put two past Orient and move back into a play-off position
Leeds United's trip to Leyton Orient was another sell out The O's were one of the clubs that voted to unfairly penalise United at the start of the season and their manager Martin Ling got in a strop when it was announced that the 15 points decision was going to arbitration. The match started 15 minutes late, at a fast pace with Orient dominant. Leeds soon got their act together and began to match the O's for effort. Neil Kilkenny fired in the first chance, in the seventh minute, which went wide. In the 12 minute Dougie Freedman had the ... 2:28 pm
The Embryology Bill Again
I'm not going to go into the ins and outs because I'm plotting an entry on drugs, but I found this interesting. From an article linked to by {[info]} el_staplador:From the life of Jesus Christ we see that God intends that our lives should be directed by love towards others. So it is incumbent upon us to use our creative powers for the good of others. This is the rationale for scientists in their research. Scientists are often accused of "playing God", but that is exactly what scientists should be doing, while remembering always that they are bound to act ... 2:21 pm
Absolutely Mustn't Miss - Evan Harris......cont
Edis rightly pointed out to me that my nocturnal posting (I was so excited I couldn't sleep!) about Evan's outstanding performance on Any Questions, was no use to anyone who is deaf (though transcripts will be available on the site at some point in the next week). So he asked for some bullet points about what he had said. Removing the 10p rate of tax Evan said that this was a disgraceful move, something the chancellor had tried to hide. He admonished those Labour MPs who had taken over a year to realise the consequence of this move, namely, doubling ... 2:16 pm
In praise of Evan Harris MP and evidence-based policy
I have just had the pleasure of hearing Evan Harris, Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, acquit himself superbly on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions. It was good to hear the case for evidence-based policy-making, with which I enthusiastically agree, put so well, and wittily, too. What a star! 2:02 pm
Nine years in a squalid and infested flat
{Lynne Feathrestone and Bonnie Tarpey Wronski} A mother of two who has been living in a squalid and infested one bedroom flat for nine years as her family has grown, had her dreams of a new home shattered last month by Haringey Council. Bonnie Tarpey-Wronski, her two young sons, husband and sister, were overjoyed to hear that they had finally been allocated a new home, only to find out minutes later that Haringey Council had made a mistake and withdrawn the offer. The flat they are currently living in has been deemed unfit to live in by Haringey Council, yet ... 1:59 pm
Local news: play areas, 603 bus and Post Offices
Just been updating my website with news stories from the last week, and here are three highlights: Haringey misses out on play area funding: read the story here.Brian Paddick backs a full 603 bus route service: read the story here.Liberal Democrat councillors, led by Neil Williams, prod Haringey Council into Post Office action: read the story here. 1:33 pm
So, who are the 30
The Daily Mail is hot on the heels of the “fewer than thirty women” that our leader Nick Clegg has apparently bedded. It can exclusively reveal that Helena Bonham-Carter is not amongst the 30. Well done, Daily Mail. One woman down. Only another 3,399,745,541 women left on the planet to rule out. On another page of [...] 12:58 pm
The China Question
I have never been a fan of allowing the Olympics to be staged in China. When they lost out the first time I cheered. When they were awarded the games this time I was disappointed. Many argued that if we wanted China to behave responsibly towards their citizens then we needed to trust them with international responsibilities. Alas, that is not how it has worked out. It seems that you can lead a old communist to water but you cannot make them drink. The news in today's Guardian that police have turned automatic weapons on crowds during protests in Sichuan ... 12:49 pm
The Baglan dilemma
In the middle of the Labour stronghold of Aberavon, spread along the slopes of a rather steep hill and washing up against the M4 is the community of Baglan. It has been a long time since this ward was represented by Labour. At a local government level it is a ratepayer stronghold. In UK General and Welsh Assembly elections some of its boxes have been known to produce majorities for the Tories or the Liberal Democrats. Today however, the voters of Baglan will be waking up to find that they are represented by two Labour Councillors. I am told that ... 12:22 pm
More Interesting Stuff
Happy Birthday {[info]} sideshow_meg! For those of you who have already read my previous post and therefore won't see the edit: I have turned off comment screening completely. I figure the benefits of the amusement of letting you guys loose on trolls outweigh the downside of having illiterate bollocks on my blog. And I do strongly believe in the old Voltaire, so bring it on, little anonymice! Those of you who have a, class and b, digital radio will want to tune into BBC7 at eight tonight. A missive from the Weaververse comes that there isa three-hour celebration of Andy ... 12:15 pm
As good a critique of the Green Party as you will find
I've always found the Green's to be one step short of fascist in their doctrinaire "smash the system" methods. I remember a few years ago a Green Party spokesman being destroyed by Jonathan Dimbleby on TV as they argued for more taxes for people with more than one TV, forcing companies to close down head offices and instead relocate all their businesses to different parts of the country, indeed I seem to recall they even suggested that every town should have a small biscuit factor rather than there being one large one. Talk about a return to the stone age. ... 12:04 pm
Obama destroys Clinton's lead in Pennsylvania
A few days ago Hillary Clinton had a 12 point lead in Pennsylvania, a key state with 158 delegates. Then another poll showed her lead slipping to 9%, but still a comfortable margin. However the two latest polls show Obama to be in a statistical tie (43.5% each as an average). The whole Clinton campaign has relied in the last few weeks on getting enough delegates to be close enough to Obama to justify counting the votes from the two state primaries she won which were disqualified. But if Hillary Clinton cannot win Pennsylvania, Obama's lead may actually grow and ... 11:59 am
Yesterdays Paddick news
In an interesting move, the Paddick campaign is asking supporters to choose which ad campaign he runs. Over on his website, he asks whether you’d rather have a campaign button attacking Boris for being bad at every job he’s ever done, or attacking Labour for not getting on with Crossrail. The only way [...] 11:59 am
Day 2650: DOCTOR WHO: Revenge of the Judoon
Thursday: With the new television series right upon us now, Daddy has been writing reviews of Doctor Who in several other media forms just to get you all warmed up. We have had RADIO Doctor Who from the Big Fish people and SPIN-OFF Doctor Who in the form of Toychwud. Now it is time for some PAPERBACK Doctor Who, with the return of the Master of the novelisation, Mr Terrance Digital Versatile Dicks. Here are Daddy Richard's thoughts on the "Revenge of the Judoon" Technically there are "Judoon" in it, and yes technically they do demand "revenge" at one point. ... 
11:52 am
Consumer protection - exactly what the EU should be doing
Brilliant. The EU is tackling cartels. This is what Government should be doing, keeping the market open and benefitting consumers. This is a prime example of good intervention and operating in the public interest. 11:25 am
Are the knives are out for Lembit
Or so it seems. Last Thursday, the Daily Mail ran; Opik's future in doubt after Cheeky Girl deportation intervention. According to them Lembits future was once again in doubt after it emerged on Wednesday night that he lobbied the Home Office to stop them deporting his pop star girlfriend. Wednesday night Where have TIM SHIPMAN and RICHARD SIMPSON been these past twelve months Unless I'm mistaken this story broke over a year ago, in December 06 the BBC reported; MP intervened in Cheeky Girl case. What with bitter and twisted ex-lovers and sections of the media having a pop Lembit, ... 11:14 am
The Sunni vs Kurd timebomb is still ticking
This morning appears to be rather Iraq-centric. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, this is a reminder that the conflict over Kirkuk and the broader issues concerning growing (in terms of Sovereignty, economy, and geography) Kurdish Region have not gone away, have not been dealt with, and it seems no one has a plan passed wait and see. This is not acceptable. The KRG has been the only consistently peaceful (relatively) place in Iraq for the last five years. It has tourism (admittedly limited), an international airport, booming construction industry, and self governance. However, this has all happened without a solution ... 11:11 am
Photos
I'm not on my computer this morning and I'm finding it difficult to put photos onto my posts. I will rectify this situation (by adding photos) later on today when I get home. Apologies for the drop in aesthetic value. Update: I've got home and fixed the problem. Uploading photos now. 11:04 am
Is security in Iraq really improving
Well Iraq's neighbours don't seem to think so. Both Iran and Kuwait have ceased exports into Iraq due to growing concerns with the internal security of the country. Iraq is not stabilising and doesn't seem like it will any time soon. The "Surge's" achievements were nowhere near as deap or real as many commentators believed, or wanted to believe. It appears to have been effective at combatting Al Qaeda in Iraq. However, Al Qaeda, which was not in Iraq five years ago, is thought to account for only 2% of the violence in Iraq. The long term stability of the ... 
10:48 am
Iraq Flashpoint
Moqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Mahdi army, has announced plans for a million strong demonstration on wednesday to coincide with the 5 year anniversary of the fall of Saddam. The demonstration, against the "occupation", will take place at the Shi'ite holy town of Najaf. Following Maliki's assault on the Mahdi army in Basra, and his U-turn, it will be interesting to see his response and that of the US forces, with Crocker and Petraeus to update Congress on the progress on Iraq, which appears to be quickly unravelling. With competing and violent Shia elements (Sadrists, Hakim's Badr Brigade, and the ... 10:44 am
Yesterday at Seabraes ...
Had a bit of fresh air yesterday with a visit to Seabraes, which, as you can see, is looking lovely at this time of year : 10:28 am
Nick Clegg on the Olympics
Dear Cllr Macpherson Today I have written to the Prime Minister asking him to pull out of this weekends ceremony welcoming the Olympic torch to London in advance of the Beijing Games. When China made its bid to host the Olympics, the Deputy Mayor of Beijing said that this was an indication of Chinas wish to promote democracy and human rights. But it has done nothing of the sort. Recent events in Tibet, broken promises over media freedoms, ongoing human rights abuses and intransigence over the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur have made a mockery of Chinas commitment to progressive freedoms. ... 10:26 am
Olympic Political Boycott-calls from Clegg
Well done Nick Clegg on writing to the PM asking him to boycott the olympics ceremony. There is no need to stop our athletes, that's wrong, but a political boycott is important. Nick Clegg said there were four things that needed being done to stop a political boycott: "First, President Hu Jintao should agree to meet the Dalai Lama for face-to-face talks on a mutually acceptable solution to the contested status of Tibet and the treatment of Tibetans. Second, China should honour its commitment to allow the free access of foreign journalists to all parts of the country and to ... 10:08 am
Rick 1-0 DVLA. So why do I still feel defeated
The saga with the DVLA over my “missed tax payment” has come to an end, with an admission of error from the DVLA. But I am still feeling angry and let down. Regular readers will recall that a few weeks back I received a very strongly worded letter from the “Continuous Registration Centre” accusing me of failing to pay the tax on my old car. This despite me telling the DVLA twice that I’d sold it. The letter came with a bill for £80 and a threat of legal action. I appealed, mainly because they were wrong, but also a ... 10:02 am
The latest threat to personal data
A new threat is emerging to the privacy of people using the biggest three internet service providers in the country, Virgin Media (formerly NTL), BT and TalkTalk. They have all signed up with a company called “Phorm” which monitors net use so that it can send you adverts on web pages that it thinks you [...] 9:59 am
Should we pay Councillors more
This week’s “First” magazine, produced by the Local Government Association, has a letter from me in it which continues a debate about how to attract younger people, and those from a successful business background, towards being a Councillor. The thrust of my argument is that I think Councillors should be paid more - in fact, they should be paid a large proportion of the salary that they give up to become Councillors. It’s no wonder that the average age of Councillors in England is 58, and that so many Executive Members are retired, when the allowances are so low. For ... 9:53 am
A Note For Trolls
If you are going to leave streams of invective in comments, try to log in. It doesn't take much to create a Livejournal account, and you probably already have something you can use as an open ID. It does say when you comment that anonymous comments will be screened. Thus I am left wondering why you think I am the thick one Still, I have unscreened your comment so that everyone can judge the relative merits of your brilliant commentary on my post. I admit that it wasn't the most literate post I have ever made, but it was late, ... 9:41 am
Foppish public school boy does an Obama girl
Sod Obama girl, check out Boris boy. Hat Tip: Iain Dale 9:17 am
Unadopted Roads: Neath Port Talbot councillor to petition government
Coedffranc North councillor, Keith Davies, is to petition the Welsh Assembly Government to release a percentage of its block grant for the making-up and adoption of these private roads. He said: a number of surveys have been carried out over the years in England & Wales. These have shown that there are 40,000 unadopted roads; in Wales, about 3,000; in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, over 170. In my own ward of Coedffranc North, eight such stretches of road would benefit. He added: These are not the private roads of gated communities or rural mansions, but the only ... 8:33 am
Green Party policies fail to protect the environment
Every so often I post something that I found interesting on The Local - a website that gives you news about Sweden in English. I’ve spotted something today that was interesting but also highly appropriate given my latest postings on local politics here in Sheffield. A study by the Captus think tank in Sweden has [...] 7:59 am
Day 2649: Candid Cleggster
Wednesday: Whatever happened to politicians being HONEST When did we end up with the choice of MENDACITY or NAIVETY This week, Mr Clogg has admitted to having had CUDDLES with more ladies than one or two (or none). So, let me just check something: Mr Balloon infamous for breaking the law (traffic laws, drugs laws, those property laws that say the Bullingdon Club shouldn't smash up people's restaurants it's clear that Mr B STILL thinks the law only applies to "common" people) or Mr Clogg admitting to consensual cuddles and WHO is being condemned as "unfit" to make our laws ... 6:06 am
What I've been up to by Text today
My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates. 15:02 wonders why a civil wedding has more legalistic exposition than the CofE. # Microblogging by SMS, using LoudTwitter and Twitter. 4:22 am
Absolutely Mustn't Miss - Evan Harris
Listen here. 2:42 am
Martin Luther King Day
The Brazilian press gave a lot of coverage to the 40th anniversary of the asassination of the US black civil rights activist Martin Luther King (4/4), not just because people here are interested in what Uncle Sam gets up to, but also because issues of ethnicity are of concern here too. For once I agree totally with [...] 1:33 am
Barack Obama Supports Marijuana Decriminalization
Woah, I liked Obama but I didn't expect him to be this liberal, apparently this is still his position! 12:00 am
Day 2647: Rock and Reckoning
Monday: So, with the accounts tallied up, it seems that OUR bank, the Northern Rock'n'Hardplace has lost a-hundred-and-seventy-six MILLION pounds! Fifty million pounds (a bit less than a third) of the loss was the fees paid to (or wasted on) consultants who were trying to find a way to avoid the bank being nationalised. Not on a no-win-no-fee basis there, I am guessing. And, adding INSULT to INJURY, there is the outrageous GOLDEN GOODBYE given to the man who got the bank into trouble and cost us all so much money in the first place. "It is an utter disgrace," ... 
