Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Today the IMF said that the UK will be the fastest growing of all the G7 countries. Their estimate is 2.9% for this year.

at least thank goodness i took the profit in my C+M Index holding yesterday when it was there ..... it subsequently disappeared rapidly and indeed much worse; in fact, bought back in late this afternoon so keeping buttocks clenched

interesting alders........Philippines business,what is it a Cat House.........wink.... kidding.

Sales tax 3% every month on total sales........wonder how that racks up against our tax system. Bet it works out far cheaper.

Yep not been buying new stocks been hedging and getting rid of a few top heavy winners, that said I was caught out at the open and didnt close fast enough.

When I place charts on the chart thread they are just ideas thrown up by my system. If I buy them I put a note on the thread that I have done so as quickly as possible sometimes before i have bought.

Was a deadly start to the market with it opening slightly up.

Think I was conned by analysts on CNBC last night saying everything was oversold and a bounce would be on today.

Turned out right now, how long can it last though with the talk of Ruskys maybe going into the ukraine again.

Hays the reason we are the fastest growing company in the G7 is because we have lagged behind the others for the last 3 years.

Anyway the market and the economy never go step and step together, the market is a leading indicator usualy 9 months in front of the economy.

At this point its pricing in bad news, but hoping its only temporary.

Earnings season starts in US tonight, should give some direction as to where markets are going.

Cameron takes heart as polls show just 4 people want Maria Miller to go
08
Tuesday
Apr 2014
Posted by Tom Pride

The PM David Cameron has brushed off claims that culture secretary Maria Miller should resign after he cited polls showing just 4 people out of 5 want her to go.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Cameron strongly reiterated his support for his embattled culture secretary:

“I’ve looked closely at the polls and they clearly show that only 4 people want her to resign. Admittedly another poll showed 8 out of 10 people wanted her to go but that’s still only 12 people altogether so it’s not very many people at all, is it?“

Osborne – 20 million people want Miller to stay

The prime minister was strongly supported in his backing of the culture secretary by the government’s expert number-cruncher chancellor George Osborne who pointed out that recent polls indicated as many as 20 million people wanted Ms Miller to remain in her post out of a possible 100 million people.

Ms Miller was also supported by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mr Iain Duncan Smith who argued that in his opinion he couldn’t really give a flying f*ck about facts.

GF<

If you carry on like that you will have Hazy One believing his own interpretation of the economic figures.


======



Sorry, he already does.

He has had them confirmed by an E-mail from party HQ.!

LOL !

Watch Peaches Geldoff and Katie Hopkins debating 'attachment parenting':



My conclusion?

Beautiful, sensitive, 'good mothering attitudes', sensible Peaches Geldoff :-)
Horrid, nasty, arrogant, bitchy, Katie Hopkins :-(

And the world is now a slightly worse place for Peaches' passing.

Form your own opinion.

EU court of justice overturns law that would enable 'snoopers' charter'


Home Office says it is studying decision which could mean European governments will have to redraft laws over data collection from ISPs and phone companies



Charles Arthur and agencies


theguardian.com, Tuesday 8 April 2014 14.43 BST


The European court of justice has declared the data retention directive illegal, torpedoing UK government schemes for the so-called "snooper's charter" of wide-ranging collection of phone and internet data.

In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, the ECJ, Europe's highest court, declared that the directive is "invalid" because it "interferes in a particularly serious manner with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data."

The decision, following requests from the Irish and Austrian courts, is a blow to Theresa May's plans to push through a data retention scheme which would collect and store data from UK citizens' internet and phone use for up to 12 months for later examination.

Any criminal cases which rested on acquisition of data through the directive could also be called into question, because the court decided that "the declaration of invalidity takes effect from the date on which the directive entered into force" – that is, 2006.



More; http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/08/eu-court-overturns-law-snoopers-charter-data-phones-isps

They will still collect the data. They don't need the cooperation of the phone companies or ISPs. There are huge benefits to having the data collect that has security implications for all of us. They can collect all of my data for as long as they like.

That's not true, they need the cooperation of all isp's.


But what is the point if you cant use said info in a court of law?

GCHQ is quite capable of monitoring all traffic wherever it is. The ISP traffic goes through the phone network or through cable. Anything external from the ISP such as searches or web site visits goes through the main networks off the ISP's network. Legally they may need the cooperation of ISPs but not in practice.

Intelligence is not about what is provable in court, it is about gathering chatter and connection. Network intercepts are the basis of most domestic intelligence.

Whats the point if you cannot convict anyone?

And you use the word "Intelligence" as if there is actually some behind it.



This diagram may help with your thought processes.

You can convict people. The intelligence gained from intercepts gives connections and often specific information. That information rarely needs to be used in court. It is the trigger for surveillance, monitoring and further investigation. It is the evidence gathered later that is used in court. Collecting data is valuable because when say a suspected terrorist pops up on the radar, the security services see what is known and who are his contacts, associates and what internet activity has there been including emails etc. It is at that stage that the data collected over the years, but not used, comes into its own.

You can expect that GCHQ tracks and keeps every email sent on all platforms and every phone call in terms of who called who and for how long. The actual calls would generate too much data, so that would be kept to just the actual calls of people on lists.

Hazy One.

You have read and believed too many James Bond comic books.

The collecting of data which isn't the problem, the problem is the analysis of it, especially as the quantities of data sloshing around in "government institutions" is overwhelming and conclusions drawn are too often wrong.

Also, with governments like the present one, another problem is who has in access to the data and what use those individuals are doing with it, especially with many in government office seemingly as flippant, as you seem to be about the use of their authority, or power.

Remember the one thing the fascists and communist wish to control is the flow of information to use for their own advantage and giving the excuse it is to protect the public.

The present government is bleating this already!


Of course, phone bugging etc. should be a weapon against "criminal activity" but use of it should be sanctioned by an independent court of law of some form sitting in private with complete record of actions authorised.

The principle that the UK an US work to is that they track and record everything, but don't look at the detail until they have a specific security reason.

Maria Miller resigns as culture secretary over expenses row


Miller said the controversy over her expenses 'has become a distraction from the vital work this government is doing'



Jonathan Haynes


theguardian.com, Wednesday 9 April 2014 07.24 BST





Maria Miller's letter of resignation

9 April 2014

Dear Prime Minister,

It is with great regret that I have decided that I should tender my resignation as a member of the Cabinet.


I am very grateful to you for your personal support but it has become clear to me that the present situation has become a distraction from the vital work this Government is doing to turn our country around.


I have been a member of the Conservative Party for more than 30 years. As a working mother, educated at a South Wales comprehensive school, I know that it is our party that understands the importance of giving everyone the opportunity to succeed regardless of where they come from.


I am immensely proud of what my team have been able to achieve during my time in Government: ensuring that our arts and cultural institutions receive the rightful recognition that they deserve in making Britain Great; putting women front and centre of every aspect of DCMS's work; putting in place the legislation to enable all couples to have the opportunity to marry regardless of their sexuality.


Of course, implementing the recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson on the future of media regulation, following the phone hacking scandals, would always be controversial for the press. Working together with you, I believe we struck the right balance between protecting the freedom of the press and ensuring fairness, particularly for victims of press intrusion to have a clear right of redress.


I will continue to support you and the work of the Government as you move forward. Ensuring the best future for the people of Basingstoke has been my priority throughout the last nine years. Whether on the front or back benches of the House of Commons I will continue this work.


The only reason I was able to become an MP and indeed a government minister and cabinet minister is because of the unstinting support of my husband, my mother, my father and my three children. I owe them all a great deal.


Maria Miller




http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/09/maria-miller-resigns-as-culture-secretary-over-expenses-row

bloody good job ...... a totally disgraceful episode that has been appallingly handled by all sorts of people who should know better