Category: Uncategorized

It seems that David Davis’s stand seems to be drawing a number of comments from various sources.

I would have thought that anyone criticising him for his stand is opening themselves to ridicule and showing full support of the ongoing formation of a Big Brother state where we are all spied on for the whole of our lives.

Nicholas Soames seems to think he did the wrong thing, does that mean that he has no integrity on any subject that we step down for?

However, it is good to see the likes of Labour rebel Bob Marshall-Andrews coming out with cross party support for David Davis’s stand.

Now that’s two MP’s that understand what is happening in the UK, I wonder now many of the others are simply too scared to voice their opinion?

From the title of this post, you might think that this post would be about the latest drug bust or capture of another 10 kg’s of Coke.

However, it’s really about the seemingly ongoing reliance of drugs by modern day armies that ‘allows’ their troops to overcome the various nasties of war that service personal will have to endure as they perform their duties.

Reading through a backlog of TIME magazines over the weekend led me to America’s Medicated Army. I had not realised just how much legally dispensed drugs appears to now be part of modern day army life!

Although the TIME story focuses on the US Army’s use of drugs such a Prozac [2] and Zoloft [2] by its personnel to ease the pressures of combat, it is not the first time that induced dutch courage has been used by battle field commander to encourage their troops engagements.

Generals, history shows, have plied their troops with medicinal palliatives at least since George Washington ordered rum rations at Valley Forge. During World War II, the Nazis fuelled their blitzkrieg into France and Poland with the help of an amphetamine known as Pervitin. The U.S. Army also used amphetamines during the Vietnam War.

Time magazine – 5th June 2008

We all remember the stories about US GI’s being high on various concoctions during the Vietnam War – I met a few myself on visits to Bangkok during the 70’s. One may have thought that this was just part of the late 60’s/early 70’s general drug scene, however looking at the Nazi link above I uncovered this background info about the use of Pervitin and Isophan (a variant) by its soldiers during their aggressive invasions of France and Poland.

So common was the use of these drugs by German troops that one soldier even wrote home to his parents…

In one letter – “Perhaps you could get me some more Pervitin so that I can have a backup supply?” In another – “If at all possible, please send me some more Pervitin.” 

Heinrich Boell – 19th July 1940

The letters were written only 4 weeks apart!

So massive was the use of these types of drugs that between April and July of 1940, more than 35 million tablets of Pervitin and Isophan were shipped to the German army and air force.

But what about the UK armed forces use of drugs? Drugs have been an ongoing and increasing problem throughout its forces and seems to be affecting all ranks…

• Drug-taking troops provoke army crisis
• British Army captains face court martial over cocaine charges
• 769 Positive Drug Tests in British Army Last Year

However, it seems that the British Army is not suffering to the same degree as the US Army story relates in any officially over encouraged  use of  drugs to carry out daily duties, well not at least that I could find any evidence on the Internet. Of course someone else may not better!

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the UK governments £45bn secondary school infrastructure  update is already causing friction between Schools and Local Authorities as can be seen in this article.

I hope that this is not going to be a copy cat infrastructure change that goes wrong like may of the other Government over spending and undeliverable previous efforts. Time will tell.

A question that was asked back in January 2007 when it was announced that 551 were to close and 26 were to stay open but what happened to the other 374?

Now it seems that there may be as many as 2,500 uk Government web sites with estimated running costs of somewhere in the region of £208m a year. Many of them are failing to provide adequate accessibility for disabled web site visitors.

Although a migration of services for Direct.gov.uk and Businesslink.gov.uk under management of the Department of Work and Pensions is already planned, it is going take some time and money to get all the other web sites under control. Perhaps we’ll see more retirements of unused web sites.

With the announcement that plans for the creation of a Super-Database to track all UK phone calls and emails the UK continues it headlong march towards the inevitable all encompassing Big Brother state!

Of course its only part of this country’s move to a true surveillance state where either through CCTV – even hats are being banned to make sure you’re face can be seen, ID Cards – students beware or government databases – all UK children will be on one soon, we are to be monitored twenty-four hours a day.

It’s not the first time that our phone calls, emails or even faxes have been monitored and in fact the announcement of the Super-Database  is probably meant to act as the public utterance to cover what has been and is currently already going on.

It seems that even in the staid world of international standards, protestors are raising their voices.

Protesting against the recent decision by International Standards Organisation (ISO) of Microsoft’s Open Office XML Document (OOXML) standard, protestors have taken issue in the way the voting of the Norway chapter seemed to bend it rules allowing ratification of the OOXML as an ISO ‘standard’.

Is it another example of Microsoft’s influence creep into the neutral ISO World? Make your own mind up, here is the full story.

As the 2012 Olympics approaches, the whole of the South-East of England  is facing an potential shortage of electricity!

Large data processing centre owners are already being rationed and are beginning to look outside of the area for locations that can offer better supply of electricity. If you want some more background info, read this.

I wonder if when they turn the lights on for the Olympics opening ceremony are we going to see lights in other parts of the South-East suddenly going off?

Another example of major UK infrastructure being sold off to private enterprise without any thought given to the UK’s future requirements.

I worked on a fascinating project for the Oxford English Dictionary a few years ago. Even before that, words have always fascinated me, I suppose from working on Typesetting production systems over the past 30 years.

So this web site is really interesting to me. Ever wanted to find out what the most used words in the English language are? Click on the image and I’ll guarantee that you’ll spend quite a bit of time on this site.

Different wen site User Interfaces fascinate me and the very best make the use of the Internet really simple.

I came across 10 x 10 tonight – a News page, based only on Images.

What could be more simpler?

Do you remember these original books? There seemed to one that covered all aspects of life in the 50’s and 60’s. Did reading this one as a child influence me to join the Navy?

Why did I blog about this subject, it seems that nothing is safe from parody today and when I went to my Del.icio.us tags this morning,  I found that I had been logged out and ended up at the home  page.

Always interested to see what other people are tagging I discovered this link to spoof version of the traditional Ladybird Policemen book. When you get to that page, don’t suddenly scroll to the end of the web page.

Read through the whole book (it’s only 10 pages) before you do, its very funny and then there are some surprises at the end. Made me laugh away.

Where is there more to read about the  traditional books that we all loved to read, look here and here, but sadly I could not find one for WAGS, Page3 girls or Hoddie wearer. Maybe they’ll get published next year!