Weekly Question

What's the Fuel of the Future?

Hello again, it's been a while since I have posted, simply because I have been on a long weekend break to Great Yarmouth. We stayed in a caravan, and were a stones throw from the beach. But the most interesting thing about this place we stayed Haven Seashore was the fact that it had a beach that had in the sea a wind farm. There were about thirty odd of these huge great windmills generating electricity for the surrounding area. So this got me to thinking, is this going to be the future of Britain's coastline?

Wind Farm at Great Yarmouth

There have recently been so many politicians harping on about Global Warming, the environment and what we should do about it. They have also been banging the drum for alternative methods of power production. Blair (spit), is concentrating most of his efforts on Nuclear, or at least he will be until Public Opinion tells him otherwise. Whereas Cameron seems to be looking into all the viable alternatives for future energy needs. One thing is for sure though, the oil, gas and coal is going to run out, and we need to have an alternative in place now.

Could it be wind farms all the way down the coastline of Britain? Could it be tidal flow generators under our seas? Or is it going to be a Nuclear powered world?

Truth be known at first sight these huge wind turbines look pretty impressive, but can you imagine going to the beach at the height of the summer and swimming in the sea with these monsters in your view?

This is what Wikipedia said about the wind farm at Scroby Sands , although 41,000 homes is quite a lot of homes can you imagine how many of these wind turbines would be needed to generate enough electricity to power and heat the whole of the UK? What will it do to the environment? Ok it's relatively 'clean' energy but it isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing to the eye. So what about Tidal power? One thing is for sure, the tides are pretty constant aren't they?

Rance, in France Worlds Biggest Tidal Power

However, look at this Tidal Power bit of information again from Wikipedia, and you can see that there are quite a few problems associated with the Tidal Barrages, that seem at first so environmentally friendly. They can actually wreck the whole Eco-system, which is exactly what the environmentalists want to avoid.

So the next one, on the list is Solar Energy. Well Solar energy has been around for years and years, yet how much of it do we see? Answer very little, it used to be that people thought it could be the next new source of energy. But then they saw the size of the solar panels needed and soon pooh-poohed the idea. Could this be how we see houses in the future;

It could be, but then builders would have to be legislated against to ensure that all new homes are built with solar panels. At the moment they are far too expensive, so the government need to subsidise them, in order to make them more affordable. Will they do it? Well not this current government that is for sure, they would put some sort of tax on them to make sure that they got their cut from a 'greener' world.

The thing is B & Q a large DIY chain here in the UK have now started to sell Wind Turbines and Solar Panels in their larger stores, and they offer installation as well. Trouble is the turbines and solar panels, still don't produce enough electricity and heating for 100% of are needs, it's more like 40%.

So where does that leave us, well we have to do something that is for sure. Have a look at this site, it is quite worrying http://overheating.blogspot.com/ but at the same time very informative.

So is Nuclear the long term answer? I believe that it is, but I also believe it is not the ONLY answer. In truth I think that we have to have all of the above to actually carry on as we are. The world population is expanding, and we have to find ways and means to cater for all the energy requirements, without having to mess up the environment in the process. It will son be a very ugly world, and I am sorely sorry it is something that my kids are going to have to live with. I am just glad I will not be around to see it.

Fun and Games

Weekly Quiz

Hello again, well the quiz is a little earlier this week, giving you an extra day (the Tuesday quiz is now the Thursday quiz due to my travels), to get the answers. You'll see why when you look at the second part.

So without further ado lets get on with the quiz.


Round 1 - Film Links

Ok as normal you have to name the film and the actor/actress, but this time you get a bonus point for the link between the films.

1)





















2)

3)













4)















5)


















Round 2 - Celebrities as Kids

Simple one this just give me the names of the 10 celebrities shown below, some are pretty easy, but others may make you think.

1) Is it a girl or boy?

2) This gentleman grew up quite quickly



3) This guy has changed a lot - NOT!!!



4) What about this lovely girl?


5) Halfway there, how about this little chap?


6) This one certainly hasn't changed


7) You will NOT believe who this is


8) What about this cheeky chappie?


9) Nearly there now, and the easiest one of all


10) Final one is he looking at you?


Round 3 - Quizicles

Once again just answer the questions.

1) What is the capital of Portugal ?
2) How much water does a Koala Bear drink in a day?
3) What was the fictional creation of Reverand W.V. Awdry?
4) What calibre rifle is used in the Biathlon Nordic Skiing event?
5) In Judo if the referee says "Hajime!" what should you do?


Answers to last weeks quiz:

Movie round - 1) Pretty Woman - Julia Roberts/Richard Gere, 2) The Sixth Sense - Bruce Willis/Haley Joel Osmett, 3) Universal Soldier - Jean Claude Van Damme, 4) Ghostbusters - Dan Ackroyd/Harold Ramis/Bill Murry, 5) Oceans 11 - Brad Pitt/George Clooney.
Games Round - 1) Pacman - Namco, 2) Missile Command - Atari, 3) Street Fighter 2 - Capcom, 4) Operation Wolf - Taito, 5) Doom - iD software.
Quizicles - 1) Lithium, 2) A solid figure with 20 faces (well done mum), 3) Tasmania, 4) The Bannana Splits, 5) Guinea Pig

Winner was Will Watson with 11 out of 15. Nice one Will

Current Affairs

How Safe are our Kids?

Scene of Amish Tragedy

I was listening to the radio this morning whilst driving into work, when I heard the tragic news that a fifth girl had died from her injuries that she sustained in the shooting at an Amish school in Pennsylvania on Monday. The sad thing was she wasn't even in her teens, she like the others killed was a complete innocent. The worst thing though was that she was clinically shot, execution style by warped and sick excuse for a human Charles Carl Roberts. It wasn't even a saving grace that the sick bastard shot himself, this only added to the trauma.
But do we ever learn? No we don't and here is why...

Let us go back 10 years to perhaps the most tragic, unforgivable and unfathomable events in the UK's most recent history.

On 13th March 1996, Thomas Hamilton a disgraced Scout master and known to the police went into a local primary school armed with two pistols and two revolvers, and 743 rounds of ammunition. By the end of his shooting spree he lay dead along with 16 children aged just 5 and 6, and the children's teacher. No motive was given, none can ever excuse it.

NEVER, EVER forget them

When I heard about this I was watching open-mouthed, tears streaking down my face. Even now ten years later it still upsets me. But what lessons have we taken from Dunblane? Have all those poor little angels given their lives in vain? I think very sadly they have, although new security issues have been put in place in the UK, they are nowhere near enough.

I have since Dunblane wanted to go back and visit my old school to see how much it has changed, I haven't been able to as yet but I know someone who has. He just walked through the gates, walked to his old form room which was empty due to it been break time, and wasn't challenged once. No challenges, no one was really that bothered about him. Now take the same situation but have the guy walking in carry a Uzi under his jacket, and a few spare mags in his pocket.... Need I say more?

The worst thing is these maniacs, these alien life forms (Nobody can be part of the Human species to do that) are targeting our biggest pride and joy, our kids, just so that they can be noticed. Invariably, they kill themselves so can't be brought to justice. My justice would be simple, castration with a rusty blunt knife, let the wound fester for 6 months and then turn them over to the parents of the kids they killed.

The other thing I have noticed is the amount of these that our happening, in the States the Amish shooting was the third at a school in a week. Then you have the worst and probably saddest school massacre of all time in Beslan, Russia.

Chechen rebels took over a school and held over 1200 people hostage, the majority of them children, their only crime to be Russian. By the end of the 3-day siege 344 people lay dead, 186 of them were kids. Once again I cried, I always do if kids are involved.
I doubt that anything like that will ever happen again,

But then we thought that about Dunblane didn't we, and how many 'Dunblanes' have there been since 1996?

Every time that I get home from work it is with a sense of relief that I see my son and daughter smiling up at me, and it makes me grateful they are still with me. My heart goes out to the families of those that lost their lives in the most recent of the tragic school shootings. I only wish that there were people out there that did not harbour so much hatred toward children, and that the governments of the world would do more to prevent these tragedies happening again.

In the meantime I cuddle and kiss my kids goodnight and hope that I will be seeing their smiling faces when I return home from work

Weekly Question

Are Cheats Ruining Sport ?

We have recently had a spate of high profile cheating going on in all kinds of sports, Justin Gatlin the sprinter received an 8 year ban for drugs, cyclist Floyd Landis who won the Tour de France has been petitioned due to alledged drug taking. Of course the most infamous was Canadian Sprinter Ben Johnson, who was also done for drugs. It seems there are very few sports that are in fact drug free, but I am not only talking drug cheats here, I am talking other kinds of cheating, and that is the sort of cheating that effects the other competitors, that of gamesmanship and in football (or Soccer) diving. The weekend match between Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth highlighted this.

What happened was the referee of the game, Chris Foy awarded a penalty to Spurs (tottenham) after Didier Zokora looked to be tripped in the penalty area by Pedro Mendes. But, TV replays clearly showed no contact on the player at all, it was a deliberate attempt to gain an advantage. Spurs scored form the resulting spot-kick and went on to win the match 2-1.

Zokora better off in a swimming pool?

This to me is the worst kind of cheating, indeed Foy later said to the Portsmouth manager in the dressing room, that he was very sorry and he had made a big mistake. If Portsmouth are relegated by 1 points this season, that one dive could have been the difference.

Am I alone in wondering what makes these so called professionals want to cheat? I mean a lot of them are pretty near the top of their games so why bother? In the States probably the most famous of all 'cheaters' were the Eight players of the Chicago White Sox, who alledgedly threw the world series. Shoeless Joe Jackson was named among the eight, but nothing was ever proven against him. Why did they do it, money basically. The film Eight Men Out tells their story.

The thing is cheating is rife in all games and sports, the only problem is it is not 'discovered' very often, and when it is it only seems to be the high profile stars and sports that seem to hit the headlines. On the other side of the coin, an athlete can be accused of cheating, be cleared, but then have the stigma hanging over them, where people will always think they are cheats. Those are the ones I feel sorry for, as they are the innocents but have had their careers blighted by false allegations.

Another of those that falls into the above category is Inzamam al Haq the Pakistani Cricket captain accused of ball tampering by umpire Darryl Hare. It turned out that he was found innocent, and Hare was the man that people began to suspect of racism. But the papers in the UK were full of Cheat and Disgraceful Behavior headlines, all aimed at al Haq. Now when he plays people are always going to tarnish him with the same brush. Although he is innocent and has been proven innocent the slur on his character remains.

So what to do about it.

1) Replays and fourth officials to be introduced into Football, if a player is tackled in the area and it looks like a penalty, the ref to stop play, but NOT award anything. After consulting the replay, a headset he is wearing will relay the information if it was a dive or a genuine penalty. If genuine a penalty awarded and the appropriate action taken. If a dive, the cheating player to be sent off and banned for a minimum of 5 games.

2) Names of athletes that fail an A sample not to be released until a B sample is checked, if this reveals drugs then the athlete to be banned for life, and name to be released. If negative, athlete to be monitored more closely for 5 year period.

3) All sports to have an anti-cheating committee that monitors games/matches for signs of possible cheating, any 'problem' areas should be monitored more closely over next few games. This committee must be completely independent and have no influences hanging over them.

Those are just 3 idea's to try and lessen the cheating that is going on in sports, but I don't think it can ever be ironed out.

One of the ones that really made me mad was this person below

Schumacher Clever Cheat????

Now our illustrious World Champion was 1pt ahead of British Driver Damon Hill in the 1994 World Championship, but was behind him in the last race of the season. If Hill won and Schumacher (spit) finished second, then it would be Hill who would become World Champion. But, Michael came up fast behind Hill and 'rammed' him from behind. Taking both of them out of the race, and therefore handing the World Championship to Michael Schumacher, his very first. He said afterwards he was trying for a difficult overtaking move, and simply caught Hill. I have seen the film a dozen times, and Schu is nowhere near in a good enough position to overtake.

I will leave it to you to decide whether he 'cheated' or not, I am sure you know what I think of the dirty, conniving scumbag though.

The last Weekly polls were;

Are there such things as Ghosts? - YES 66.7%, NO 33.3%

What is the Best Cola ? - Coke 54.5% Pepsi 45.5%

Movie Review

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest

Managed to watch this at the weekend, and to be honest with you, I did enjoy some aspects of the film but not all of it. I think to be honest I was expecting more, from the hype of the film and therefore built up my expectations.

So on with the review...

The film begins with a new boy in town, Lord Beckett. Who is acting for himself under the guise of the East Indian Trading company, he comes with his army of men to arrest Will Turner (Bloom ) and Elizabeth Swan (Knightley) on trumped up charges. His request to pardon them and save them both from the hangman's noose, is for Will to get off Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) the 'special' compass he has.

Unfortunately, of course things don't work out as they plan, as unbeknownst to Will, Jack has himself a debt he has to pay to Davey Jones ( Nighy ). And unfortunately for Jack, Will and Elizabeth Davey Jones is calling time on that debt.

Davey Jones

Cue swash-buckling adventure, fantastic special effects and amazing stunts, as the race is on to get the 'Dead Man's Chest' of the title that contains Davey Jones's heart, and control of the sea.

Like I said I enjoyed some of the film but didn't enjoy it all, there were occasions when I though to myself, it's getting a bit samey here. Also when the voodoo woman Tia Dalma ( Naomi Harris ) comes on I found it very hard to follow what she was saying, less of a Jamaican Accent, more of a why bother accent. There were other parts as well such as when Jack is on the cannibal Island, I would of like to have some sort of translation going on there (subtitles), as I only caught the Long Pig part. Or may be that was the idea of the film.

One thing for sure though, there is a lot more humour in this film thst the first one, although Johnny Depp seems to have toned down Jack a little, since his first outing. Which is a shame really as he really did go OTT in the first film, and that was of a benefit to the film.

Great 4 sight Jack

So we carry on through the film, and meet up with Davey Jones, and the effects to produce Davey's squid like face are truly amazing, you really can NOT see the join of the CGI and the real face, a lot of the 'Flying Dutchman's' crew were treated to the same CGI effects, but there was a lot of them that had good old fashioned make up on them. The differences were undetectable.

Also in this film we meet up with Bootstrap Bill, Will Turner's father, which turns out to be quite a revelation. We also have the welcome return of Captain Norrington, who is an integral part of the film.

But, and it is a big BUT the worst thing about the film is the open ended finish to the film. It makes you realise that you HAVE to watch the 3rd installment of the film, for me that really isn't on. If you go to see a film you expect it to end. Lord of the Rings was always going to be a 3 parter, due to the books by Tolkien, but POTC??

That said, it is worth watching, and if you see it I am sure that you will enjoy it all, one other thing stay after the credits at the end of the film, for a little extra info about the next film.

Starring: Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp, Kiera Knightley and Bill Nighy

Rating : *****

Trailer Link