5 posts tagged “uk”

They have been talking about climate change for as long as I can remember. I remember them talking about Global Warming in grade school and that has to be at least 10 years ago. While I lived in America I never saw a great deal of talk about the environment, nothing much after 9/11 but local and national news and speculation about 9/11.

It seems to be the top of the news agenda that climate change is happening and will continue. It is a scary thought for those of us who are old enough now to understand what is going on behind and in front of the curtain. The BBC did a study that talked about climate change and it will affect us in the future. The extreme weather of late is just the beginning. They talked about major flooding and because England is an island nation this is a serious issue.

Talks about saving the environment are common place, everyone has to recycle and use their cars less. The scary part about all of this is it seems that we are taking action too late. The damage to the Ozone layer of the atmosphere has been growing for years. The efforts of England and other European countries to save the environment will not go far without the biggest user and abuser of energy, the United States taking some serious action to curb its energy use.

I spoke to my mother last night about these issues as I just could not seem to relax before going to sleep, too many worries piling up. She said that the way that the world is going, if she were a young woman now she would seriously consider not having children as what will be around for them is unknown. I know that the BBC study about the long term climate change was targeted at the year 2080 and by then I will be 80 years old, but as much as is being done at this time to save the environment, it still isn’t enough.

It seems to me that it will not be the residents of these countries using the most fossil fuels, electricity and all the other things we are running out of, it is the businesses. Many years ago McDonalds stopped using Styrofoam in their packaging to prevent the leaking of CFC’s into the atmosphere. Styrofoam takes hundreds of years to decompose and it is just one nail in the coffin of our environment.

We recycle in this household, but it is very difficult. They do not collect anything but paper, but we are required to recycle paper, bottles, tin, everything we can. We have to take that stuff to a recycling centre which is not on the doorstep and to do that we have to drive. They should provide residents with bin like the one we have for trash that is partitioned inside for bottles, paper etc, and collect it from us. That would at least have less cars on the road trying to save the environment by recycling while polluting the atmosphere. Not to mention we have to hold the garbage for recycling in the house before we can go, so it is highly inconvenient.

So yes, I am scared about the future. What will my children, should I have them, have to use in their lifetimes? Will people be taking their containers back to the supermarket to have them refilled rather than just getting a new plastic, non-decomposing bottle each week? Will the government make it easier for people to buy fuel efficient or electric cars? Will it ever be made just illegal to drive an SUV unless you have a good reason to do so?

These are the questions that I am asking as I see the climate change outside the window in front of me. The extreme windy weather of late is testament to changing conditions, not to mention that there are times outside that you don’t even need a jacket in January?

ITV have produced a documentary about the Antarctic melting… People get it is happening now. Are we going to see some more aggressive action before the world self destructs?

I was just talking with a couple friends of mine on Skype and the conversation lulled so where do we end up but looking at funny videos on YouTube. I sent them one that I count as a favourite and it involves a woman calling 911 and they actually offer to come over and shoot her daughter. The operator is saying it as a joke but it is obviously not in least bit funny whatever way you spin it.

I looked for a few more examples of 911 calls gone bad or funny and came across a few more examples. Not only do people misuse the emergency phone number that is there for people to call when there is a genuine emergency. 911 has the same function as the UK’s 999 allows the citizen to contact the emergency services from any phone that has a dialtone, regardless of the cost. I would call these people who are using it as a number to complain about their order in Burger King or other trivial endevour hardly worth the time it takes to speak the words.

The video above is the worst of any of these examples. The police are called via 911 and the idiotic woman caller tells the dispatcher that she was attracted to a police officer who had just been out to her house and wanted to know if the dispatcher could relay her phone number to him! You have to hear it to believe it.

My message to everyone and anyone who is tempted to call the emergency services, unless it’s obviously very serious like your mother is lying on the floor in writhing pain, think twice before phoning the emergency services…they are there to offer emergency help, it’s not there as a free dating service or burger patrol, be smart!

There are a lot of fights going on right now, but there is one particular fight, a fight of three Yorkshire women against the establishment. Their cause? They are fighting to live.

These women are not criminals on death row, they are normal, working class citizens who just happen to live in a post code where the drug that could help them beat their terminal myeloma cancer is not offered.

Jacky Pickles, Janice Wrigglesworth and Marie Morton are raising money to fight Nice or the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Look North, the division of the BBC news that delivers the news locally reported that these women saw a lawyer today and that they are now awaiting a February ruling.

These women who have all been diagnosed with cancer in the last 10 years are being refused treatment by N.I.C.E. of the drug Velcade. Velcade would help them reach a plateau in their illness and improve their quality of life. The health establishment says that the 9,000 GBP (per person) that it will cost to provide these women with this care is not cost effective for them. It is however more disturbing that these women could get this treatment if they lived in another postcode within the UK. Velcade is offered with no trouble in other postcodes, but not in the ones occupied by these Yorkshire women who are quickly becoming known as the Velcade Three.

The women have been keeping a video diary for Look North in their day to day fight to survive. They are sapped of energy by their condition and still remain motivated to bring some light and justice to their situation. They certainly have succeeded as you can see that headlines all over the UK are blaring with their story.

If you would like to help the Velcade Three please visit their website at http://www.velcadethree.co.uk - On their website you will find more information about the women, their condition and how to make a donation to their cause. I urge everyone able reading this to donate something, anything to help stop this gross mis-carriage of justice. These women have the right to survive no matter where they live in the UK!

Google Dictionary Defines “nice” as: decent: socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous; “from a decent family”; “a nice girl”

Nice is an unfortunate acronym for a company which seems to be anything but NICE!

How about it Microsoft, Google, Yahoo? Anyone? Can anyone help these people?

Just a few minutes ago, as everyone watching will know, Leona Lewis was named the winner of X-Factor 2006! Wow! Her performance throughout this competition was in my opinion medicore but she won me over this evening with her performance of “A Moment Like This!” She just absolutley brought the house down!

Leona is speechless on stage in the enormous hoopla aftermath of the announcment. It was amazing to see that Leona’s first single was made, LIVE on TV! I was really pleased not only to see a CD being made which I have never seen before, but to see what is expected to be the number 1 Christmas single this years, 1st copy being made was very exciting!

Not forgetting Raymond Quinn who is the runner up and an incredible gentleman about it as well! Ray was extremly gracious and I expect that he won’t be forgotten when the producers of X Factor get to thinking about producing their next albums! Like Simon Cowell said, he has the “likeability factor on his side.”

So in the coming days and weeks we are going to be seeing Leona everywhere, expect to see, hear and feel her all around. Watch out for all the interviews on radio, TV and I would imagine even podcasts! If John Peel were alive, I am sure he would be all over an interview with her in the morning. I for one am nothing but excited for her and won’t miss her next appearance. Go Leona!

If you don’t know who Leona is check out the video above and wait a few hours for the video of the smash winning performance to hit YouTube!