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.

12 August 2011 Last updated at 22:41 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page

76ShareFacebookTwitter.Shell fights North Sea oil spill Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has said it is working to stop a leak at one of its North Sea oil platforms.

The company would not say how much oil may have been spilt from the Gannet Alpha platform though it said it had "stemmed the leak significantly".

One of the wells at the Gannet oilfield has been closed, but the company would not say if production was reduced.

The company says it has sent a clean-up vessel to the location and has a plane monitoring the surface.

The leak was found in a flow line connecting an oil well to the platform.

"We can confirm we are managing an oil leak in a flow line that serves the Shell-operated Gannet Alpha platform. We deployed a remote-operated vehicle to check for a subsea leak after a light sheen was noticed in the area," said a Shell spokesman.

"We have stemmed the leak significantly and we are taking further measures to isolate it. The subsea well has been shut in, and the flow line is being de-pressurised," he added.

'Finite amount'

The company confirmed the leak was continuing but said it was being significantly reduced.

A spokesperson for the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "We are aware of the incident and we are contact with Shell and we investigating it in the usual way but what we understand from Shell, the spill is limited.

"There is a finite amount of oil that can be released."

The entire Gannet field reportedly produced around 13,500 barrels of oil between January and April of this year.

The field is co-owned by US oil firm Exxon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cn7dDF74yE&feature=related

This_is_me

Our society needs proper morals, but where are these found if not in the pages of Holy Scripture? Who defines proper morality if not Almighty God?

Morality for me, is based on respect. So, sorry and all that, but I do not need God, the Holy Scripture or any kind of a Religion to have respect for other entities, be they either alive or inanimate objects, or even people and their belongings.

However, I did originally need to be educated about or shall we say, 'introduced' to the concept somehow, and I can acknowledge that it was either my parents and 'religion' that most probably did this for me.

Since for me, there is no such thing as God, I do see a need for 'some method' of 'respect for others' being taught. And preferably being taught to kids at an early age.

Perhaps we need some form of national constitution, which defines our own rights as individuals and also the rights of others and links the whole relationship thing together?

But, since there is no such thing as 'God', then religion and religious leaders charged with the doing of this, are not the answer for me. The whole thing this way, is fundementally based on an hypocrisy.

This_is_me

Here's a start on it:

From http://www.dailymail.co.uk - A father's message from beyond the grave: My darling children, here's how to live your lives when Daddy's gone

Note Mandy flanagan's husband was Paul Flanagan, a teacher, who died of cancer at the age of 45 in November 2009. He passionately believed his children, Thomas and Lucy just five and one-and-half years old at the time should have more than fading photographs to remember him by.

This is the message that he left for them:

A FATHER'S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILMENT

Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.

Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.

Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.

Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.

Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, youre doing something wrong.

Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.

Hold fire! If someone crosses you, dont react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.

Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.
Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: its easy and so rewarding.

Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.

Make it your instinct always to say yes. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.

Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.

Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.

Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to . . . which is why I have chosen them carefully.

Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.

Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but dont be a sycophant.

Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.

Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.

Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), youll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Dont get too big for your breeches.

Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.

Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.

Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesnt give you one, devise your own.

Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.

Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.
Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least dont do it for long. Crying doesnt make things better.

Look after your body and it will look after you.

Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!

And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.

I love you both with all my heart.
Daddy x

A nice gesture from Amy Winehouse:

Amy paid for a guy's life saving operation: "Don't say anything," she said.

Tell me something new :-)

Women gossip for five hours a day

From todays Telegraph.

A couple from Somalia along with their children have moved from their previous house in the west midlands into a 2 million pound 6 bedroomed home in London. The council via the taxpayer IE you and me is picking up the almost 2,000 per week rent (8,000 per month or 104,000 per year).
Under the housing benefits bill introduced by the Labor Government there was nothing to stop this family doing so.
Of course they don't work, so no doubt that means a few more thousand quid, along with child allowance, yet more dosh.
This family have sponged of us now for 3 years.

They both don't speak English or at least state they don't.

Yet another example of the UK being the laughing stock of the world.

Perhaps we should all go round wearing 'T' shirts with the words UK citizen = Mug.

No wonder so many pour over our boarders.

It makes me so bloody mad that all my working life I have paid my taxes, and yet those taxes in total have not been enough to look after this one family.
In other words myself and several like me have worked all out lives to support a single family of spongers.

And remember there are thousand of families doing just the same, consisting of our home grown spongers and those that just come here for the freebies.

If anything is guaranteed to stir racial tension this is.

.

Well it makes my blood boil - what a crazy country we live in!

Mnamreh,

Ah you presume too much. My wife read it to me, I just look at the pictures.

.

Well, if it helps, it really annoys me too.

The basic thing wrong with it, is that they seem to be doing nothing for it other than 'f***ing'.

ie, Each other for their child benefit, and then the British Government to pay for their housing, services, food and clothing.

Just what stupid guidelines are there, that stipulate we can't instantly ship them all back to Somalia, complete with a cheque for 5,000-10,000 to help with their expenses?

Aaah! I've just spotted it. It is such an easy thing to miss!

They don't speak English, therefore no one can communicate with them.

For posterity...........

Go on, giz a kiss!

Shell Reveals Size Of North Sea Oil Spill
Sky News 2011, 20:10, Monday 15 August 2011

Shell (LSE: RDSB.L - news) has revealed that a leak at one of its North Sea platforms has pumped more than 200 tons of oil into the water.

Five days after it first learned of the leak, Shell has revealed that 1,300 barrels worth have spilled from the Gannet Alpha platform, which is 112 miles east of Aberdeen.

The oil spill is the biggest in UK waters for more than a decade.

There has been concern the spill could drift towards the North East coastline and pose a danger to marine life.

RSPB Scotland has expressed fears that birds could become victim of the oil sheen on the sea surface, such as puffins, guillemots and razorbills from nearby colonies.

At this time of year many young chicks are unable to leave the surface of the North Sea because they are molting and can't fly.

A spokesman for RSPB Scotland told Sky News: "The latest comment from Shell confirms that the oil leak continues with approximately one ton of oil per day currently escaping.

"Furthermore DECC (Department of Energy (NYSEArca: JJE - news) and Climate Change) has revealed this is a 'substantial' leak and greater than originally thought. It has been suggested that the current situation poses a low risk to wildlife.

He added: "Whilst we have not had access to the information used to draw this conclusion, it is worth noting that any amount of oil, in the wrong place at the wrong time, poses a serious risk to seabirds."

In the year 2000, a number of leaks resulted in a combined spillage of 524 tons over the course of the year.

The last single incident in UK waters that caused a major oil spill took place in 1993 when the Braer oil tanker ran aground off Shetland, whilst carrying 85,000 tonnes of crude oil.

Shell maintains that the oil spill - which is in a flowline system that serves the platform - is under control.

However, the company does say that the oil continues to leak, albeit at a rate of less than five barrels a day.

The amount of oil on the surface of the North Sea has reduced to 0.5 sq km.

That compares to an oil 'sheen' that initially measured 31km by 4km.

Glen Cayley, a technical director with Shell, told Sky News: "The high winds and waves over the weekend have led to a substantial reduction in the size of the oil sheen as can be seen from the current levels on the water.

"We continue to expect that the oil sheen will disperse due to wave action and that it will not reach the shore

Not too long ago that BP stated that the oil leak of the florida coastline was only minor and that they had it under control. We know how that ended up.

The family that moved to London say they speak no English.
Why? It's in their interest.
Is it true? They have been here for three years.
How have they done the everyday things like shopping
and moving about? They certainly aren't in a community
where they have moved to.Does the Council do everything for them?
They should start by making them take English lessons in return for
their benefits.I bet their progress would be amazing.
How are their children going to be educated if they
can't speak English.
So much for integration!

For years I dealt with foreigners who could speak English to a standard where they could easily be understood, until of course they were arrested.
Many had lived here for years.
Then it was the usual "sorry no speak English, no understand".

With offending drivers you often got, Driving license, whats that. Insurance, MOT no idea what you mean.
I have had many openly tell me in good English, that once they reached the cell block, they would ask for an interpretor, all this in perfect English of course.

Due to the fear by the police and courts of cases being thrown out (then we would be in big trouble), an interpretor was requested (at 40 plus per hour when I retired in 1977).
These interpreters were used on booking in, initial interview and following interviews.
They were paid from time of contact, plus travel expenses.
Then of course they were required for all court procedures as well as contacts with their solicitors or/and barristers.
This was one of the many areas were the police got the blame for being soft in allowing these people interpretors at great expense when we knew they did not need one.
But with the human rights and civil liberties always hanging over our head, we were not going to risk our jobs by not towing the required party lines.

"when I retired in 1977" - blimey Greek - you've been retired for 34 years ?

Early retirement ?