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.

Good to see that Cameron is in full support of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Oops forgot, they have dumped the Naval hardware, over stretched the Air Force.

Wonder if they have bullets for the Army.

Prisons in chaos,

Police demoralized and undermanned with the prospect of increasing crime.

Another U-turn on QE on the cards.

Cameron and Osborne looking more like Mickey Mouse and Goofy.

Hear that that UK bonds may be O graded.

skinny et al: I would be careful about that report on the Fukushima radiation. It's stuffed full of rather unscientific language and unattributed statements.

I found the following statement to be the most irresponsible scaremongering.

"In the US, physician Janette Sherman MD and epidemiologist Joseph Mangano published an essay shedding light on a 35 per cent spike in infant mortality in northwest cities that occurred after the Fukushima meltdown, and may well be the result of fallout from the stricken nuclear plant.

The eight cities included in the report are San Jose, Berkeley, San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Portland, Seattle, and Boise, and the time frame of the report included the ten weeks immediately following the disaster. "

In the words of the old Nationwide ad - it doesn't work like that.

Let me at once say that I am not a medic or a nuclear scientist. But I recognise unsupported, non-evidence based scaremongering when I see it. Read the words in the statement carefully. - "the time frame of the report included the ten weeks immediately following the disaster". How long was the time frame of the report? 1 year? 2 years? 10 years? These reports usually cover longish timescales. Longer than ten weeks, to be sure.

Now, I'm not saying there isn't a problem, or that the Japanese authorities tried to conceal or minimise the extent of the problem - what I am saying is that there are plenty of people with other agendas in play who seek to demonise nuclear power despite its essential role in power generation in a low carbon emission world.

I refer doubters to James Lovelock, father of the Gaia theory, who simply says that it's too late to do anything other than build nuclear power plants if we are to avoid a global warming disaster.

Point taken MM.

Agreed MM, looked at the home page for that website and it's one of those sensational 'I'm on a mission' types that you know is somewhat biased.

MM

One of the main contributions to global warming is deforestation and methane gas caused by cattle [ Mc Donald's ect ]

So stopping eating meat is one of the more simple solutions , also it is good for your health . there have been government warnings about red meat.

Further to the Fukushima discussion, the following link might be useful for those wanting to compare various doses of ionising radiation.

Radiation Dose Chart

Once it's in your browser window, you can magnify it to make it legible - I didn't embed it directly in the thread as it distorts the thread.

MM

Another policy policy from Cameron and Cleggy, the conjoined twins.

Give everybody a share in a bank for Xmas.

What has happened to bank share prices on news of the brilliant idea?

Your money and economy is secure with Georgie, Davey, Cleggy and Vince.

I like the idea of giving bank shares to the public to hold for 3 years, while they devalue.

This idea should bail out the tory government, unless Murdock over hears it and grumbles.


Can't understand the market is down again today, lowest for 15years. Can't understand it with the certainty of George. (Or was QE back on this present bunch of u-turn educated mobsters'.

Mind we can sleep at night. Just seen Liam Fox on parade and told that he is looking after us.

I await to-morrow's next U-turn from our strong governors.

Italy bank shares dive on credit rating alert

Shares in leading Italian banks fell sharply after the credit ratings agency Moody's said it may downgrade their status.

Moody's report, published late on Thursday, put 16 Italian banks and two government institutions on review for a possible mark-down.

Shares in the country's biggest bank, Unicredit, lost more than 8%.

Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's second-largest bank, and Monte Paschi also dropped. Trading was suspended in some banks.

Other factors weighing on bank shares included fears that Italian banks could be forced to raise more capital as a result of imminent stress tests.

Credit ratings help investors to determine the strength of an institution or company.

They affect the rate of interest a borrowing organisation must pay. The weaker the credit rating, the higher the cost of borrowing.

Moody's put Italy's public debt on review for possible downgrade amid concerns about low growth and high public debt, which at 120% of gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the highest in Europe.

Greece's debt is 150% of GDP.

I am sure they do not have as stringent stress tests as uk banks have had to pass. ie capital reserves.

Saab on the brink of collapse

Swedish car maker Saab is desperately close to going under as it confirms it cannot pay staff wages.

It has already suspended production because it has failed to pay suppliers.

Saab's sales in 2010 were miserable - only 30,000 cars were sold worldwide. The company needed to sell 120,000 just to break even.

The burglar stabbed to death after an attempted break-in at a house in Salford, was on police bail for another suspected burglary, it has emerged.

Shame about SAAB - I've driven them for 25 years. I must confess the current one - a 95 AERO is not a patch on the previous ones. The build qualitity etc etc etc. Inevitable really.

I dunno - fouur masked men break into a family home, one already bailed on burglary charges, family defends themselves and get arrested on suspicion of murder. There's something wrong with this picture.

And it's to do with the the way the police 'grade' crimes. In any given incident, they focus on the most serious apparent offence - in this case the stabbing of the burglar - and not the whole picture or sequence of events.

I thought Cameron promised to change the law on this.

Greekman

What's your view on this , being in the force ?

Greekman might well be tied up:

Greek men make the best lovers

I thought you meant he had been kidnapped

Martin Lewis on Olympics Tickets:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/family/2011/06/olympic-tickets-re-sale-qa-with-martin-lewis

Note the bit that says people buying tickets in other countries have done it with different (and probably better) systems, which have worked out much better for the buyers, than the UK's 'Mystic Sh!t' lottery.

I have worked on computer systems that have done similar operations to the ticket sales. It is not that difficult to have a system that is more equitable.

One of the methods is to run various algorithms on the the ticket requests such as satisfying the purchases of people who just bid for 1 or 2 tickets only first and then cycling round the bids satisfying bids for 3 etc. There are other variants where all bids are considered, but everyone only gets their minimum request on the first cycle. The organizers had plenty of time to run the data all sorts of ways and look at the results to get the maximum number of punters satisfied.

I see that there is one of our cycling team who is thinking of changing his event from a team pursuit because his family can even get tickets to see him.

Hi Aldwick,

Just looked in after a week away and saw your post.
Myself and most of my colleagues have always felt that occupiers of property, in fact anyone who is in the process of being a victim of crime should be allowed far more leeway to defend themselves, family and property.
Many years ago I attended an attempt robbery on a Chinese takeaway where as the owner was cashing up, a man armed with a metal bar ran in and attempted to grab the days takings.
At the time the owners wife and 2 young children who were upstairs in the living quarters on hearing the commotion started to come down into the restaurant area.
The owner fearing for his family, grabbed a thick piece of bamboo and started to hit the would be robber over the head.
The attempt robber, turned an ran, pursued by the irate owner who continued to hit him a few more times, before we arrived.
On arrest, the attempt robber made a complaint of assault (he had several cuts and lumps although none serious). I informed him that I would not take a complaint of assault as he had admitted to the facts of what had occurred, also all the evidence backed up the restaurant owners version of events. I also informed him 'that he got what he deserved'.
Unfortunately I was instructed by a senior officer, who had seen the injuries received by the arrested person to interview the attempt robbery victim for assault. I refused to do so, but was told that if I did not someone else would.
So I interviewed this person (this was before tape recorded interviews).
The main crux of the interview was about the piece of bamboo.
He informed me that he kept it under the counter for protection (not allowed as then an intended offensive weapon).
I informed him that I could not make out what he said (although he was very clear) and had he said that he had grabbed it from the bamboo display in terror of harm to himself and his family. He insisted that he had always kept it under the counter for the reason he had told me.
It took a few more 'prompts' before 'It Clicked' and he agreed with me that he had grabbed it in terror.
He was not charged, but the attempt robber made a complaint about what I had said to him, re the 'Getting what he deserved'.
I was interviewed by Discipline and Complaints for

1 For initially refusing to interview the attempt robbery victim.
2 For what I had said to the attempt robbery victim.

For 1 I was reprimanded and as I denied 2 there was no further action.

Just imagine what trouble I would have been in if it had gone to court for a full hearing(it was a guilty plea) and the attempt robbery victim had stated under examination, that I had prompted him re the bamboo.

As to the incident mentioned in your post.
The occupants of the house had to be arrested on suspicion of Murder for several reasons.

1 If you interview someone for murder and they have not been arrested for such, then any defense can argue that as their client did not know they were under arrest for such a serious offense they may say things they later regret.

2 Until you know the circumstances, you never know. They victims of the burglary may have caught the perpetrator and then in cold blood stabbed him to death, perhaps for reasons as yet unknown.

Mind you on the estates were I worked, which were more violent and had a worse crime rate that anywhere else in the UK, summary/vigilante justice often worked wonders. Trouble is there has to be some law and order, otherwise anarchy rules.

So I agree with far more self defense by intended victims, but they will in cases such as mentioned by yourself nearly always have to be arrests and always interviews.

NOTE.............Fred, please don't waste time commenting to me as I will never read what you say. I only posted due to a request.
And yes I know I lied, but I would sooner do so than let an innocent victim of crime be unfairly punished.

Greek

Greek,

I am glad that you are enjoying your retirement.

It would appear to me as a case of double standards.