Terry Can't Count

"I'm innumerate!"

Back in the former People's Democratic Socialist Republic of RenfrewshireTM, our favourite Labour party imbecile Cllr Terry Kelly wrote this drivel on his shitty blog:

"Most readers will know that I find the SNP contemptible again no surprise.

I’m now sitting less than 24 hrs. later and I have received 29 comments, one positive and 28 hostile.

The hostile comments are predictably nasty and abusive with a few exceptions, they are all pro SNP and they all have one thing in common. They are all anonymous every one of them.

These people like to think of themselves as 'bravehearts' Scottish warriors for independence and all that 'old pony', ready to vanquish the English oppressors etc.

What are they like ? they can’t even identify themselves to a harmless old blogger like me, I fear the worst when the battle starts, there could be heavy casualties in the crush to run away."

Stirring stuff from the tub of lard, however our friend ShrekBall burst his bubble with this observation:

"Terry you are fantastic. You are either a liar, an incompetent or you think we are one or the other.

There are 29 comments, one supportive of your position which you will probably not have replied to. That leaves 28 other comments.

But there will only be 14 from other people. The other 14 are attacking your position and for each one of them you will have replied with a name-calling abusive post.

But you may have a point about the anonymous thing so I am willing to make you an offer. You pick a restaurant anywhere in Paisley or Renfrewshire and I will pay - lets go out to dinner one night and discuss all these issues face to face. You never know, you may actually like me."

Our Terry couldn't take those remarks lieing down and responded with all his typical hyperbolic bluster:

"The idea that I “might actually like you” is risible I would be just as likely to get on famously with Nick Griffin.

Your racist reaction on America - Your support for discrimination against foreign doctors - Your support for Thatcher - Your arrogant contempt for people in poor areas - your support for American actions in Guantanamo.

Why would I, or anyone with a shred of decency want to socialise with the likes of you ?"

Terry Kelly - the human joke that never gets stale!

Quote of the Day 19.2.2008: Political Prostitution

"Hello Boys! Cum and blow me!!!"

"Mr [Paul] Flynn is nothing more than a New Labour rent-boy who is desperate to spread his cheeks for the party to avoid deselection come the next election. Should he cause any trouble and stop waving the flag for the contemptable little shit Hain he faces being replaced by someone off an all women shortlist aka Jessica Morden our other Newport MP- who is Mr Hain's PPS by the way...." - FIDO The Dog

Fidel Castro retires as Cuban president

HAVANA (Reuters) - Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that he will not return to lead the country as president or commander-in-chief, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution.

Castro, 81, who has not appeared in public for almost 19 months after undergoing stomach surgery, said in a message to the communist nation that he would not seek a new presidential term when the National Assembly meets on February 24.

"To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a member of parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept -- I repeat not aspire to or accept -- the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief," Castro said in the statement published on the Web site of the Communist Party's Granma newspaper.

The National Assembly or legislature is expected to nominate his brother and designated successor Raul Castro, 76, as president. Raul Castro has been running the country since emergency surgery to stop intestinal bleeding forced Castro to delegate power on July 31, 2006.

Cubans on the empty streets of Havana were not surprised by his retirement.

"Everyone knew for a while that he would not come back. The people got used to his absence," said Roberto, a self-employed Cuban who did not want to be fully named.

"I don't know what to say. I just want to leave. This system cannot continue," said Alexis, a garbage collector.

In a deserted Revolution Square, site of many hours-long speeches by Castro to massive crowds, a lone soldier stood guard at government headquarters and the city was calm.

'COMANDANTE'

The title of "Comandante en Jefe" or commander-in-chief, was created for Castro in 1958 as overall leader of the guerrilla forces that swept down from the mountains of eastern Cuba to overthrow U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

His retirement draws the curtain on a political career that spanned the Cold War and survived U.S. enmity, assassination plots by the CIA and the demise of Soviet bloc communism.

A charismatic leader famous for his long speeches delivered in his green military fatigues, Castro is admired in the Third World for standing up to the United States but considered by his opponents a tyrant who suppressed freedom.

"It's incredible that 50 years of dictatorship can be accepted by Cubans and will continue to be accepted," said Ninoska Perez of the anti-Castro Miami-based exile organization, the Cuban Liberty Council.

Perez said Castro's retirement did not mean anything would change in Cuba and the news was unlikely to bring cheer to Cuban exiles waiting for an end to communism in their homeland and an opportunity to return.

"The real celebration will be when he (Castro) can no longer write about it," she said.

Castro's illness and departure from Cuba's helm have raised doubts about the future of the one-party state.

"Fortunately, our Revolution can still count on cadres from the old guard and others who were very young in the early stages of the process," Castro said in his statement.

"They have the authority and the experience to guarantee the replacement," he said.

U.S. President George W. Bush, in Rwanda while on a trip to Africa, had no immediate comment on Castro's plans to step down, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Johndroe said "the president was informed" about the developments with Castro and that he would receive a briefing later. Washington has maintained a more than four-decades long economic embargo against Cuba to try to isolate Castro.

Castro has been seen only in pictures and video film since he handed over power provisionally to his brother, looking gaunt and frail. His health improved enough a year ago to allow him to reestablish a public presence by writing reams of articles published by Cuba's state press.

"This is not my farewell to you. My only wish is to fight as a soldier in the battle of ideas. I shall continue to write under the heading of 'Reflections by comrade Fidel.' It will be just another weapon you can count on. Perhaps my voice will be heard. I shall be careful," Castro said in Tuesday's message.

Castro could remain politically influential as first secretary of the ruling Communist Party and elder statesman.

Raul Castro, Cuba's long-standing defence minister, has run raised expectations of economic reforms to improve the daily lot of Cubans since standing in for his brother, but he has yet to deliver.

"It was logical for Fidel to quit because he has been saying that he is not well," said a musician leaving a cabaret. "But nothing will change until the government makes economic reforms that Cuba needs," he said.

I bet that poor Terry will be crying into his porridge when he finds out.

Toshiba concedes defeat to Sony in DVD format war

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese high-tech giant Toshiba on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from the high-definition DVD business, conceding defeat in a long-running format war with rival Sony.

Toshiba Corp. said that it aimed to end sales of its HD DVD machines by the end of March, clearing the way for the Blu-ray format developed by Sony Corp. and its partners to become the industry standard.

In a replay of the VHS-Betamax video cassette format war in the late 1970s, Japanese high-tech giants had been battling to set the industry standard in next-generation DVDs with two rival formats that are incompatible.

But Toshiba and its HD DVD partners suffered a series of heavy setbacks, with Hollywood titan Warner Brothers and US retail giant Wal-Mart both throwing their weight behind Blu-ray.

"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Toshiba chief executive Atsutoshi Nishida.

"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality," he said.

As well as ending sales of stand alone high-definition machines, Toshiba said it would stop volume production of HD DVD disk drives for computers. It will also assess whether to keep making notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives.

But it will continue to provide after-sales support for people who have already bought its next-generation DVD players and recorders.

Blu-ray and HD DVD both offer cinematic-quality images and multimedia features.

But analysts say the availability of two different types of formats was confusing for consumers, who have been reluctant to buy one type of machine in case it becomes obsolete.

Toshiba said it would focus on more profitable business areas, such as NAND flash memory chips that are essential for portable music players and other consumer electronics.

The group announced Tuesday that it would jointly build a new semiconductor plant in Japan next year with its US partner SanDisk as part of efforts to cement their leading positions in NAND flash memory.

Multicultural UK "soft target" for terrorism

LONDON (Reuters) - Multicultural Britain is a "soft target" for terrorist attacks because its aims, values and political identity are divided, a leading defence think-tank said on Friday.

How much to integrate ethnic communities in Britain has been a hot political issue since four British Islamist suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system in 2005.

The attacks sparked a debate on whether Britain's policy of avoiding imposing a single British identity and instead promoting a multicultural society had led to segregation of ethnic minorities.

In a report strongly rebutted by the government, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said: "We look like a soft touch. We are indeed a soft touch, from within and without."
The report, based on the findings of former military chiefs, diplomats and analysts, concluded:

"The country's lack of self-confidence is in stark contrast to the implacability of its Islamist terrorist enemy."

"The security of the United Kingdom is at risk and under threat," it said.

The report called for the creation of a new cabinet committee to oversee security policy.
It said another parliamentary committee should seek to build consensus and identify security weaknesses.

"The United Kingdom presents itself as a target, as a fragmenting, post-Christian society, increasingly divided about interpretations of its history, about its national aims, its values and in its political identity," the RUSI report said.

"That fragmentation is worsened by the firm self-image of those elements within it who refuse to integrate.

"This is a problem worsened by the lack of leadership from the majority, which, in mis-placed deference to multiculturalism,' failed to lay down the line to immigrant communities, thus undercutting those within them trying to fight extremism."

That provoked a robust response from the government with a cabinet office spokesman saying: "The government rejects any suggestion that Britain is a soft touch for terrorists."

"We have a detailed and robust strategy for countering international terrorism."

Labour MP Keith Vaz said the report was wrong to blame multiculturalism for fostering terrorism.

"I think one of the problems with this report is that they've not actually looked at our multicultural society to see what benefits it has given the country. It hasn't been a soft touch for terrorism," he told BBC Radio.

Happy Valentine's Day

I love Her!

Should The NHS Prescribe Terry Kelly To Paitents Suffering From Depression?

It would certain save billions of pounds on its budget for anti-depressants.

The Dude Is On A Roll

Jackart has got a lot of bees in his bonnet at the moment, producing some cutting and brilliant articles on what's wrong with Britain today.

• Legalise Drugs. Now.
• A Review of my position on the EU
• Fuck off if you're Young.
• Labour's Mess
• What's wrong with Britain - Petty Jobsworths

Go read them NOW!

The Kurt Angle Interview

An awesome Kurt Angle interview with Wrestle Zone UK, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion speaks frankly to Paul Fahey about WWE, TNA, drugs and more.

Quote of the Day 12.2.2008

"WWE is the McDonald's of the wrestling industry... mega successful by mass producing a subpar product and marketing it to the uninformed. They aren't going to compromise profit to improve quality." - The Ripper on the Wrestlingfigs.com Forums

Sad But True!

....and I fucking hate that paedophile Hubbard, that nutcase Tom "Cruisin' For A Brusing" Cruise and the so-called "Church" of Scientology

Vince McMahon Is A Spiteful, Mean-Spirited Cunt!

At AAA's Rey de Reys show on March 16, they're going to be inducting Eddie Guerrero into their Hall of Fame. Vickie Guerrero wanted to do the honors of inducting Eddie, but WWE isn't allowing her to attend. Right now, AAA is talking with one of Guerrero's brothers.

For crying out loud Vince, Eddie was Vickie's husband. She married HIM, not your isolationist company with it's corporate dogma and fascist obsession with command, control and the destruction of everything outside of it's orbit.

It was bad enough that Vince exploited Eddie's death during 2006 in the most tasteless way possible by claiming he was "down there" in hell. Have some bloody compassion for his widow! The only reason she has decided to put up with your crap is because she just wants to provide for her two children and keep a roof over their heads.

FUCK YOU McMORON!!!

Reasons Rowan Williams Must Resign #94: McStalin Hails His 'Integrity'

Gordon Brown has paid tribute to the "great integrity" and "dedication" of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

It comes as the embattled Anglican leader prepares to defend himself over his comments on sharia law.

Mr Brown's spokesman said the Prime Minister understood the "difficulty" currently facing Dr Williams. The two men had a "close" relationship and stay in close touch, he said.

The spokesman added: "The Prime Minister believes the Archbishop of Canterbury is a man of great integrity and dedication to public and community service and he understands the difficulty he is facing at the moment.

"The Archbishop has been clarifying and setting in a wider context the comments he has made and I'm sure he will continue to do so in the future."

But he went on: "The Prime Minister is very clear that British laws must be based on British values and that religious law, while respecting other cultures, should be subservient to British criminal and civil law."

The remarks from Downing Street come as Dr Williams faces a crucial test when he gives his presidential address at the opening of the General Synod, the Church's ruling body, in central London.

The Archbishop is expected to defend himself after a storm of hostile criticism following a BBC interview he gave last week in which he said the adoption of some aspects of Islamic sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable".

The interview preceded a public lecture in which Dr Williams said UK law needs to continue to find accommodation with religious legal codes such as the Islamic system of Sharia law if community cohesion and development are to be achieved.

His remarks draw criticism from church leaders, secular groups and government figures with at least two Synod members calling for him to go.

Both these men are twin cancers that have been inflicted upon this once-great nation by Adolf Blair and need to be 'cured'.

Quote of the Day 11.2.2008: Terry Swings Low

"I'm illiterate!"

"Do you hate the English that much that you refuse to speak it properly." - Cllr Terry Kelly

Thai referee gets a beating by entire soccer team

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai soccer referee was beaten up by an entire team after sending off three of their players during a match to decide promotion to country's second division, local media reported on Friday.

Referee Prakong Sukguamala needed 50 stitches and also broke a finger after being attacked by the Kuiburi FC squad, furious at being shown three red cards during a 4-1 loss to Kasem Bundit on Thursday, the Thai-language Thai Rath newspaper said.

The angry players charged into Prakong's dressing room at the stadium in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, and started to kick and punch him. They dispersed after police fired gunshots into the air.

The players then chased Prakong into the stadium's office, where the hapless official ran into a mirror, leaving him with cuts all over his body.

Prakong told Channel 3 television he was forced to lock himself in the room to escape his attackers.

In the same interview, Kuiburi's coach accused Prakong of biased refereeing but said he had urged his players to show restraint when tempers flared.

Prakong, covered in bruises, insisted he had refereed the game fairly and had been told by Thailand's soccer federation to press charges against the Kuiburi team.

Sad and introspective? Don't go shopping

WASHINGTON (AFP) - If you're feeling glum and introspective, resist the urge to go shopping, a new study said Friday.

According to a study released at the annual meeting of the Society for Social and Personality Psychology, inward-looking people who are down in the dumps tend to spend more money on the same item than their neutral-emotion counterparts.

Earlier studies have drawn a link between mood and spending habits, but this one highlighted the key role played by how self-focussed a person is.

"It is the combination of sadness and self-focus that drives the effect, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus," said Cynthia Cryder, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University and one of the co-authors of the study.

"What we think is going on is that sad and self-focussed people are feeling pretty bad about themselves and have a decreased valuation of themselves. They want to enhance this valuation, and one way to do this is by acquiring material goods," she said.

Placing a higher value on those goods could be an attempt by the sad, self-focussed person to boost their self-esteem by transferring the value of the item to themself.

The big problem is, the purchase is often regretted later.

"A huge key to avoiding decision-effects like this is being aware that you're sad in the first place. But that's rather hard to do," Cryder said.

"Participants in studies such as ours usually have no idea that their feelings influence their decisions, so it's impossible to correct," she said.

"Secondly, always re-evaluate major purchases one day or one week after you make them so that you can make sure that whatever you bought is still attractive to you," Cryder said.

"That lowers the probability that you'll have an over-priced mistake due to some fleeting influence that you didn't know about and still don't know about. You just know, 'Wow... why did I pay so much for that?'"

Speaking from personal experience, I find the conclusions of this research to be accurate.

Archbishop's sharia comments:"Recipe for disaster"

LONDON (Reuters) - A government minister accused Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams of concocting "a recipe for disaster" for suggesting the introduction in Britain of some aspects of sharia was unavoidable.

Main political parties distanced themselves from Thursday's comments on Islamic law by Williams, the spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, who is already battling divisions within his church over gay priests.

"You cannot run two systems of law alongside each other. That would be a recipe for chaos," said Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, joining a chorus of condemnation for Williams.

Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said "On this I think he is wrong" while former Home Secretary David Blunkett said formalising Islamic law "would be catastrophic in terms of social cohesion".

The Sun said on Friday: "It's easy to dismiss Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as a silly old goat. In fact he's a dangerous threat to our nation."

The issue of integrating Britain's 1.8 million Muslims has been widely debated since July 2005, when four British Islamists carried out suicide bombings on London's transport system, killing 52 people.

Those attacks prompted questioning of a long-standing policy of avoiding a single British identity and promoting a multicultural society, which some argue has led to segregation of ethnic minorities.

Speaking to the BBC, Williams said other religions enjoyed tolerance of their laws in Britain and called for a "constructive accommodation" with Muslim practice in areas such as marital disputes.

Asked if the adoption of some aspects of sharia was necessary for community cohesion, he said: "It seems unavoidable."

His unexpected comments were welcomed by some Muslim groups, but the government said it was out of the question that the principles of sharia could be used in British civil courts.

"The prime minister is clear that in Britain, British laws based on British values will apply," a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Sharia is the body of Islamic religious law based on the Koran, the words and actions of the Prophet Mohammad and his companions, and rulings of Islamic scholars. It covers issues including worship, commercial dealings, marriage and penal laws.

Williams said he was not endorsing the harsh punishments meted out in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, where murderers and drug traffickers are publicly beheaded or hanged.

But that did not placate critics.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, called Williams' intervention "muddled and unhelpful".

"Raising this idea will give fuel to anti-Muslim extremism," he added.

And Labour MP Khalid Mahmood had no doubt about where he stood: "I, along with the vast majority of UK Muslims, oppose any such move to introduce sharia here. British law is the envy of the world."

Situations Vacant

Archbishop of Canterbury
£Lots, immediate start

Applicants must be British citizens, members of the Anglican Communion and be prepared to obey the laws of the land*.

*Except those introduced by New Labour

Lord Carey defends Islam comments

The former Archbishop of Canterbury has defended a speech made in Rome in which he accused Islamic societies of contributing little to the world.

Lord Carey said his lecture on Thursday also contained criticisms of Western culture and was a balanced appraisal of Islam and Christianity's relationship.

The former Anglican Church head told BBC's Newsnight: "I do not apologise for the things I say."

But Muslim leaders said he was "ignorant in the true faith of Islam".

Authoritarian regimes

Speaking in Rome on Thursday, Lord Carey said Islamic regimes were authoritarian and committed to power and privilege.

He said not enough moderate Muslim leaders had condemned suicide bombers.

Referring to the culture's contribution to society, he lamented the lack of any great invention saying it was 'a puzzle'.

'Muslim people are not bereft of brilliant minds. They have much to contribute to the human family,' he added.

On Friday, he told Newsnight that while he defended his comments about Muslims, he said: "I honour them as people. I honour the Muslim faith."

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, responded angrily, saying: "One is surprised to find Lord Carey recycling the same old religious prejudice in the 21st century."

Manzoor Moghal, Chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester, England, where 40,000 Muslims are based, said Lord Carey's understanding was poor.

"People are going to see the whole thing in a light which will portray him as a person who is ignorant in the true faith of Islam," he added.

No! No! No!: Sharia law unavoidable - Archdruid Of Cunterbury

The adoption of some aspects of Islamic sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable", the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Dr Rowan Williams said there was a place for finding a "constructive accommodation" in areas such as marriage - allowing Muslim women to avoid western divorce proceedings.

Other religions enjoyed such tolerance of their own laws, he pointed out, but stressed that it could never be allowed to take precedence over an individual's rights as a citizen.

He said it would also require a change in perception of what sharia involved beyond the "inhumanity" of extreme punishments and attitudes to women seen in some Islamic states.

Dr Williams told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: "It seems unavoidable and, as a matter of fact, certain conditions of sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law, so it is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system.

"We already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land as justifying conscientious objections in certain circumstances."

He added: "There is a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law as we already do with aspects of other kinds of religious law.

"It would be quite wrong to say that we could ever license a system of law for some community which gave people no right of appeal, no way of exercising the rights that are guaranteed to them as citizens in general.

"But there are ways of looking at marital disputes, for example, which provide an alternative to the divorce courts as we understand them. In some cultural and religious settings they would seem more appropriate."

He said people needed to look at Islamic law "with a clear eye and not imagine, either, that we know exactly what we mean by sharia and just associate it with ... Saudi Arabia, or whatever".

Rowan Williams is without doubt the worst Archbishop of Canterbery in living memony. We already have a situation in Islamic countries such as Kuwait and Malasya where the decisions of the civil courts on divorce, blasphemy and conversion to a non-Islamic faith have been overruled by the religious courts and that must not be allowed to happen in this country where the law of the land has already been hampered by an unholy alliance of New Labour fascists, EU directives, the PC brigade, European Courts and the loathsome 1998 Human Rights Act.

I am not bigoted against al-Islam in general, but I must also be objective and state that 'modern' Islam as enforced by far too many so-called Muslims is as intolorant, barbaric and inhuman as medieval Christianity and until the Islamic world realises this and makes a real and concerted effort to reform their attitudes towards each other and the 'people of Kuff' (non-believers), we non-Muslims should ourselves be as uncompromising towards their own uncompromising bigotry, violence, racism and intolorance.

Health and safety fears halt pancake race

Six hundred years of tradition have been been tossed aside as organisers cancelled a pancake race in Yorkshire.

The Shrove Tuesday race in Ripon usually attracts hundreds of people to watch local schools and businesses tossing pancakes through the city's cobbled streets.

But this year, organisers have called a halt to the race because of the time and costs involved in having to put the necessary precautions and regulations in place.

Bernard Bateman, Liberal Democrat councillor for Ripon North and one of the organisers, blamed "bureaucracy".

He said: "The main problem is the health and safety aspects and issues such as that. There is bureaucracy that goes into holding any event these days, the policing, the risk assessments, and it has a cost factor and takes a lot of time."

Organisers were told they would have to pay £250 to the local authority to close Kirkgate Road, where the race took place.

They would also have to hold insurance risk assessments and pay to have medical staff on hand in case of any injuries or accidents.

The Pancake Bell has rung for 600 years and was traditionally used to signal the start of the race, which was revived in 1998 by former Dean of Ripon John Methuen.

Curse this bloody 'health and safety' culture that has infected this once-great nation of ours thanks to the fucking PC brigade!

Healthy? You're a burden on the state

Dutch researchers have confirmed what fat smokers have waited years to hear - that healthy people are actually a greater burden on the state, because they live longer and oblige the taxpayer to deal with the cost of "lingering diseases of old age like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s".

That's according to the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and Environment, which found that while "a person of normal weight costs on average £210,000 over their lifetime", a smoker clocks up just £165,000 and the obese run up an average £187,000 bill.

The team's findings, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS), are based on modelling "three hypothetical populations from the age of 20, to see how much they would cost in medical bills throughout the different stages of their lives", the Telegraph explains.

The study states: “The underlying mechanism is that there is a substitution of inexpensive, lethal diseases towards less lethal, and therefore more costly diseases.”

It adds: “Although effective obesity prevention leads to a decrease in costs of obesity-related diseases, this decrease is offset by cost increases due to diseases unrelated to obesity in life-years gained. Obesity prevention may be an important and cost-effective way of improving public health, but it is not a cure for increasing health expenditures.”

The scientists did, however, concede their research "did not look at the total costs of obesity and smoking, just the narrowly-prescribed health costs". Report co-author professor Klim McPherson, of Oxford University, warned: “It would be wrong to interpret the findings as meaning that public-health prevention, for example to prevent obesity, has no benefits.

“Quite apart from health-care costs, the other costs to society from obesity are also greater because of absences from work due to illness and employment difficulties; these costs amount to considerably more than health-care costs.”

In the end, then, the actual cost of fag-puffing overweights appears to be a matter for debate.

While obesity is already apparently costing the NHS £1bn a year, we wouldn't be the first to point out that smokers (and drinkers, for that matter) contribute vast sums of tax to the exchequer every year by resolutely sticking to their deadly vices.

BBC axes Grange Hill after 30 years

The BBC is to axe Grange Hill after 30 years, it has been announced.

The schoolgates will close for the last time later this year.

Phil Redmond devised the series in 1978 and it went on to become a national institution. But it no longer reflects the lives of schoolchildren in contemporary Britain, according to the BBC.

CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist said: "Part of CBBC's reputation for reflecting contemporary Britain back to UK children has been built upon Phil Redmond's brilliantly realised idea and, of course, it's sad to say goodbye to such a much-loved institution.

"The lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to our audience to reflect this.

"We're actively seeking out new and exciting ways of bringing social realism to the CBBC audience through drama and other genres."

These include two Newsround specials tackling divorce and knife crime.

Jon East, head of CBBC Drama, said: "For 30 years, Grange Hill has become a byword for realistic and contemporary children's drama. It's now time to apply what we've learned over the years to some of the new ideas we're exploring."

Redmond recently accused the BBC of ruining Grange Hill by turning it into a show for younger children. In an interview last month, he said he would not be celebrating the programme's 30th anniversary. "The BBC has abandoned what Grange Hill was about in order to attract viewers aged six to 12 rather than its traditional 13-plus constituency, so there's nothing to celebrate," he said.

The final series will feature its youngest pupils to date, from Year 6.

Munich: 50 Years On

50 years ago today, a great young team that had won two consecutive Football League Division 1 Championships (and were on course to make it a hat-trick) and been F.A. Cup finalists and European Champions' Cup Semi-finalists the previous season were tragically killed before their prime on an airport runway in Munich on their way home from a European Champions' Cup quarter-final match in Yugoslavia. Let us all take some time out during today to remember the Busby Babes and the other victims of that dreadful day.

AVPR

Aliens VS Predator: Requiem is a bold and sadistic film! The plotline may be threadbare and the human character unremarkable, but that isn't what this film was meant to be about. On balance, this is a good, but not great film and a movie that is not for the innocent.

Capello Drops Beckham

Fabio Capello has told David Beckham that he will not be part of his first England squad, which is being named this afternoon.

The England manager telephoned the midfielder last night and broke the news to Beckham - who is just one appearance short of becoming the fifth man to earn 100 England caps - but assured him he could be part of his plans for the future.

It is understood that Capello told the 32-year-old he wanted his players to be match-fit, and that naming Beckham in his squad to face Switzerland next week would be unfair on those who have been playing in matches week-in, week-out.

Beckham is very disappointed by the news, especially as he has been training with Arsenal during his holiday - Major League Soccer's close season - to get fit for Capello's first game in charge, the friendly against Switzerland at Wembley on Wednesday.

He has however been encouraged by his talk with Capello about the future.

In the phonecall, Capello told Beckham he was still part of his plans and that there was no reason why he will not pick him again as long as he is fit enough and playing well enough for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

It is also understood that Capello had no issue with Beckham going to Brazil and Africa this week.

Capello had been urged to give Beckham his 100th cap against Switzerland, if only to reward the player for his 10 years of service, but it is clear the Italian is refusing to indulge in any sentimentality.

Capello does know what Beckham can offer to a side - he was manager of Real Madrid last season and restored the England midfielder to the team after he was initially left out when he announced he was moving to America.

Beckham responded with a run of form that helped inspire Real to win the Spanish league.

He may be a fascist, but even Capello realises that Beckham is crap!

R.I.P - Jeremy Beadle MBE (April 12, 1948 - January 30, 2008)

Legend

Watch out God, somewhere in heaven, Beadle's About

I Am SIR C4'!

Another life-long ambition of mine was realised today, both in the most unorthodox way imaginable and far sooner than I had hoped. A dear friend of mine on Facebook invited my to accept an application for a Knighthood, which I obviously took up. Henceforth, I hearby decree that I am to be styled as Sir C4', and don't any of you forget that!

Quote of the Day 26.1.2008

"After every dark night there is a bright day" - Bobby Lashley

Quote of the Day 24.11.2008

"I cannot smile at the state of the nation until either [David] Miliband or [Ken] Livingstone get knifed to death and their family put to the torch in a freak attack of vikings." - Keatonmask

Peter Hain Resigns To "Spend More Time On Remand"!

Kudos to Guido Fawkes

Bobby Lashley Quits WWE

The Emma-lousie Fenton of professional wrestling Bobby Lashley has quit World Wrestling Entertainment. Despite his problems in communicating using the English language (is anyone a "bathturd"), greenness in the squared circle and effeminate voice, Lashley was one of my guilty pleasures and I appreciate his hard-hitting style of wrestling (so long as he was carried by a decent opponent during his matches). The former U.S. Army Sergeant and World Military Games Silver Medallist now plans to pursue a career in Mixed Martial Arts.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The Three Little Pigs are 'too offensive'

Someone give me a machine gun.... ?

State-Approved Thuggery

You couldn't make this up if you tried!!!

Congratulations Chavo!

Congratulations to Chavo Guerrero (the nephew of the legendary, late great former World Wrestling Entertainment Champion Eddie Guerrero) on becoming the new EXTREME Championship Wrestling World Champion. He may have won it with a TNA-style main event screw job against the great defending champion CM Punk, but I don't care! Chavo is a great wrestler and I'm glad that WWE is finally giving him the recognition that he deserves for his years of hard work and sacrifice. Like his deceased uncle, Chavo is a performer who has the innate ability to connect with wrestling fans both as a fan favourite and a rule-breaker.

Quote of the Day 23.1.2008

"[P]oliticians do not hold to the truth, for there is no truth in them. When they lie, they speak their native language, for they are liars and the sons of the father of lies." - His Grace Archbishop Cranmer

Thoughts & Prayers

My thoughts and prayers go out to three individuals and their families at this present time. The first is obviously the film actor Heath Ledger. The second is young Jessica Knight, who was viciously and repeatedly stabbed on her way home. The third individual is an old acquaintance of mine called Stephen Tandy, who is critically ill in the University of Wales Hospital Cardiff with extensive injuries after the Transit van he and two colleagues were driving to work in came off the road on the A40 near Broad Oak just over a week ago.

May the Good Lord be with them and their relatives during these difficult times.

Quote of the Day 21.1.2008

"FREEM N MOXY FROM AMURKA BY GEORGE W." - our old and incoherent 'friend', Cllr Terry Kelly, before goes off on another racist rant about 'AmurKKKa' and Israel

McStalin Goes Back To 1976

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund should set up an early warning system to prevent crises like the global credit crunch, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday.

Proposing sweeping changes to international institutions, Brown called for rapid response teams of police and experts to be set up that could be sent quickly to trouble spots to restore order and begin rebuilding after conflicts.

And he called for the creation of a multi-billion-dollar global climate change fund within the World Bank to finance environmentally sustainable development in the poorest countries.

Brown believes that the rapid spread of the credit crisis last year after problems with U.S. sub-prime mortgages points to failings in global financial supervision that must be fixed.

"With financial markets and flows transformed by globalisation, I propose that -- acting with the same independence as a central bank -- the IMF should focus on surveillance of the global economic and financial system and thus prevent crises, not just resolve them," he said in excerpts of a speech he will deliver to business executives in New Delhi.

The IMF, working with the Financial Stability Forum -- a group of central banks, regulators and international bodies -- "should be at the heart of an early warning system for financial turbulence affecting the global economy," he said.

The credit crunch claimed a high-profile casualty when mortgage lender Northern Rock suffered the country's first bank run in more than a century last year.

Northern Rock has borrowed about 26 billion pounds from the Bank of England, creating a huge political headache for Brown.

CALL FOR CHANGE

"The IMF and World Bank ... have to change to become properly equipped for a world where national problems can quickly become global -- and contagion can move as swiftly as the fastest communication," said Brown, who ends a four-day trip to India and China later on Monday.

Brown meets the leaders of France, Germany and Italy as well as European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in London on January 29 to discuss how to respond to the crisis.
Brown said he supported India's bid for a permanent place, with other countries, on an expanded U.N. Security Council.

Officials would not say however how many permanent members they believed a reformed Security Council could have.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States have been veto-bearing permanent members of the council since the United Nations was created in 1945. But they face growing pressure for reform with Brazil, Germany, India and Japan all demanding permanent seats.

Brown said another problem was that there was no mechanism for quickly sending in experts, police and judges to get states back on their feet when peacekeepers intervened in a conflict.

"We must do more to ensure rapid reconstruction on the ground once conflicts are over," he said.

"I propose that we constitute rapid response standby teams of judges, police, trainers and other civilian experts who can work on the ground to help put countries on the road to economic recovery and political stability," he said.

He called for a new U.N. crisis prevention and recovery fund to provide immediate support for reconstruction in such cases.

This all seems very familiar....

Cruel, Callous & Corrupt Hypocrites

So our lords and masters are ordering our brave war veterans to pay back their pensions while our greedy and corrupt MPs prepare to vote for themselves an inflation-busting 10% increase of their own wages and pensions. These MPs' are also running ridiculous amounts of taxpayers' money on 'expenses' while ordering other public sector workers to expect a below-inflation salary increase of 1.9-2.5%. When this lot 'retire', they are awarded peerages for their shameless greed and corruption or are chosen by their equally slimy colleagues to join the Evilpean Union gravy boat as commissioners where they are free to commit even worse acts of corruption with taxpayers' money and get away with it.

What a fucking shower of total, shameless cunts! The original Guido Fawkes (circa 1605) had the right idea!!!

Quote of the Day 18.1.2008

"The usual terminology of political language is stupid. What is 'left' and what is 'right'? Why should Hitler be 'right' and Stalin, his temporary friend, be 'left'? Who is 'reactionary' and who is 'progressive'? Reaction against an unwise policy is not to be condemned. And progress towards chaos is not to be commended. Nothing should find acceptance just because it is new, radical, and fashionable. 'Orthodoxy' is not an evil if the doctrine on which the 'orthodox' stand is sound. Who is anti-labor, those who want to lower labor to the Russian level, or those who want for labor the capitalistic standard of the United States? Who is 'nationalist,' those who want to bring their nation under the heel of the Nazis, or those who want to preserve its independence?" - Ludwig von Mises; Interventionism, An Economic Analysis (1940)

Quote of the Day 14.1.2008: Terry & Tommy - Best Friends Forever

The recent antics of Scotland's most infamous local councillor have reminded of a quote made by everyone's favourite pictorial blogger Theo Spark

"A good friend will come bail you out of jail.... but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "Damn.... We Fucked Up""

Quote of the Day: What's The Difference Between Tony Blair & A Mafia Don

"One (a) portrays himself as a man of the people and guardian of the community, but extorts large amounts of money from businesses and individuals under the guise of protecting them against future perils whilst actually accumulating vast wealth for himself and his family, (b) is indirectly implicated in the deaths of many people to promote his interests although he is never present at the killings, and (c) assuages his conscience with a superficial adherence to the Catholic church.

The other is an Italian thug." - a joke on Iain Dale's Diary

Quotes of the Day 9.1.2008: "I'm not a racist, but....!"

"Everyone who knows me knows that I am not sexist. I've lived for years with my wife and daughter and I wouldn't dare be sexist with them as far as women are concerned." - Cllr Terry Kelly

You know something Tel, most sexists are married with daughters, but that doesn't stop them from discriminating against females. What a lame excuse Tel!

"UNITED NATS ? AYE RIGHT. UNITED IN FREAR." - Cllr Terry Kelly (again)

"I almost missed the fact that the SNP are apparently united in Frear. Good to have the old illiterate Terry back with us for the new year." - Right For Scotland in response

The fact that an elected official and the election agent of the Scottish Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament cannot spell 'fear' sums up both the total incompetence of the Labour party north of the boarder and the failure of Scottish education system to teach the Scottish elite the basics properly.

Terry The Sexist Pig

New year, same old Terry!

Quotes of the Day 8.1.2008

"The irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and provocative have a right to be heard." - Lord Justice Sedley on 23.7.1999

"What has become of my homeland, the land my forefathers fought and died for on the battlefields of the world when one of their children is forced into the position of facing years in prison for standing up for what is right and just within British society…Who have I killed, who have I threatened to kill? No one, all I have done is written about my reality on a computer screen, and now I face going to prison in my own country for standing up for myself and others.

How dare those power hungry fools seek to silence me or anyone else like me from speaking the truth for the sake of our children, grandchildren and the future of our homeland, who do they think they are, they are nothing more than mere men like the rest of us, just in positions of power over us that they totally abuse against us, look at the treason that has happened within Brussels by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, handing over the Sovereignty of our Nation into foreign hands - Treason is the only word for it yet no one is arresting them, no they are arresting me for writing a few words of truth on a blog…

I did not wake up one morning and think I hate Moslems and start my blog, I do not have a racist disposition as this blog is not a race issue it is a Religious issue, I had my life threatened and this blog is the result…Today it is me and my blog and tomorrow it is you and your blog." - The blogging martyr Lionheart

Kurt Angle Doesn't Suck

It's True! It's Damn True!

Kurt Angle VS Kendo Kashin Part 2

What happened to your kneepads Kurt?

Kurt Angle VS Kendo Kashin Part 1

This match took place on 20.12.2007 for the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF)

Kurt Angle VS Yuji Nagata Part 3

This match was for Angle's International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) 3rd Belt Heavyweight Championship

Kurt Angle VS Yuji Nagata Part 2

This match took place yesterday at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling supershow "Wrestle Kingdom II In Tokyo"

Kurt Angle VS Yuji Nagata Part 1

An early contender for Prowrestling Match of 2008.

Happy 2008

Christmas was a quiet, but decent time for yours truly. I'm only now catching up on reading the posts of other political blogs over the festive period and two blogs stand out in particular.

The first of these is FIDO The Dog's blog The Lone Voice thanks to FIDO's tireless efforts to expose the daily raping of this country by the Nulab/EU/Islamofascist/Political Correctness Brigade. The other is of course The Blob Called Terry. Our 'favourite' comrade has added females to his lengthy list of enemies of the people, as well as resuming his tirades against the disabled, Right For Scotland and Henry Crun. He even had time to confuse me the missing blogger Shotgun.