Fatal shootings of unarmed black men by American police officers has made regular lead international news headlines recently but so far 613 people had been killed to date by US police in 2016.
While American police are armed, the UK police are not but there are over 5,000 specially trained firearm units who show up brandishing weapons and Home Office statistics show that in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 2016, British police discharged seven bullets.
The Home Office notes that the statistics do not include animal destruction, accidental discharge of guns or the shooting out of car tyres in police chases.
Apart from the difference with US police being not routinely armed, the decision on whether to shoot is mostly made through the chain of command, meaning even when police with guns arrive, they have to receive clearance before they shoot in most circumstances.
The United States of course has a bigger population than the UK but on a per-capita basis, Britain’s rate of police gun use would translate into US police shooting 35 bullets in an entire year and as we hear far to often, that is generally a day's toll for American police.
Does make you wonder if either America is just more violent, the police are far too trigger happy or because of the madcap gun laws, the Police there are more likely to come up against an armed target and are therefore more likely to shoot first in fear of being shot themselves.
Sunday, 31 July 2016
Australia On The Move North
Australia doesn't seem to particularly like being where the tectonic plates put it, it plays International football in the Asian league, participates in the Eurovison Song Contest and at the first opportunity they all come over to the UK to serve us warm, weak lager.
Luckily for them, Australia is drifting North at a rate of 7cm a year and in time will scoop up Papau New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines and amidst much of that famous Aussie whinging, will crash headlong into China.
Australia is moving North due to tectonic plate movements and it is playing havoc with Aussie Sat Navs which are currently out by 1.5 meters resulting in Australian drivers ending up in creeks and billabongs. Probably.
The Geocentric Datum of Australia, the country's local co-ordinate system, was last updated in 1994 and will compensate by shifting the countries longitude and latitude upwards by 1.8 meters so by 2020 they should all be fair dinkum.
The time it takes for Australia to drift the 4600 miles to land at Asia's doorstep should also give China enough time to come up with a strategy to deflect the continent away because to be fair, 23 million Aussies turning up and asking directions to the nearest watering hole is a bit much for any country.
Luckily for them, Australia is drifting North at a rate of 7cm a year and in time will scoop up Papau New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines and amidst much of that famous Aussie whinging, will crash headlong into China.
Australia is moving North due to tectonic plate movements and it is playing havoc with Aussie Sat Navs which are currently out by 1.5 meters resulting in Australian drivers ending up in creeks and billabongs. Probably.
The Geocentric Datum of Australia, the country's local co-ordinate system, was last updated in 1994 and will compensate by shifting the countries longitude and latitude upwards by 1.8 meters so by 2020 they should all be fair dinkum.
The time it takes for Australia to drift the 4600 miles to land at Asia's doorstep should also give China enough time to come up with a strategy to deflect the continent away because to be fair, 23 million Aussies turning up and asking directions to the nearest watering hole is a bit much for any country.
Google Saying Arise President Clinton
If she can't do it and has over 20 years experience of telling people she can, how can we?
Think of me as that shady shady character sidling up alongside you and whispering 'ere, wanna know who is gonna win the 2016 election in America'?
Quite rightly you would tap your watch and quickly walk away but you would be a fool because i have something that has correctly predicted almost every every major election since 2004 and has a 100% record with American elections.
Begin looking up hunky grape peelers in the telephone directory because although no system is 100% accurate, it has an unerringly accurate record in predicting who was going to win in almost every country that holds an election from America to Australia and from Venezuela to France via Serbia, Egypt and Mexico.
So what is this money making miracle? It's Google.
Right up until last year, Google Trends had an unblemished record in predicting the winner of major elections but then it went and gave a thumping win to Ed Miliband and the Labour Party only to see it decimated and the Conservative Party romp to victory.
With that awful result acting as a warning, at the moment Google Trends is showing a stonking win for Donald Trump (55) over Hillary Clinton (43) but if the parameters are changed to just the surnames Trump and Clinton as per usual, Clinton strides home with room to spare 58 to 43.
As it stands Hillary is flipping Trump the bird and saying cram it with walnuts fatty but these things change and we will revisit it closer to the time but at the moment it is arise Madam Clinton or whatever they say over there.
Friday, 29 July 2016
The Turkish Coup Plotters Had A Point
Since the attempted military coup to overthrow Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, three weeks ago, the reinstated leader has shut down 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, three news agencies and 60 newspapers and magazines which he claims did not give him their full backing and therefore were sympathetic to the coup leader, Fethullah Gülen.
42 Journalists have been arrested along with 6000 military personnel while also newly unemployed are 21,000 teachers, 15,000 education ministry employees, 1577 university deans, 9000 police officers, 2745 judges, 1500 finance ministry workers, 100 from the National Intelligence Agency, 492 from the religious affairs ministry and 399 from the social affairs ministry.
'We will dig them up by their roots so that no clandestine terrorist organisation will have the nerve to betray our blessed people again' explained Erdogan Officials signalling that the country was to undergo even further major changes in the coming days.
The coup organizers said that they were taking action because Edrogan had become to authoritarian and undemocratic and judging by his actions since regaining power, they may well have had a point.
42 Journalists have been arrested along with 6000 military personnel while also newly unemployed are 21,000 teachers, 15,000 education ministry employees, 1577 university deans, 9000 police officers, 2745 judges, 1500 finance ministry workers, 100 from the National Intelligence Agency, 492 from the religious affairs ministry and 399 from the social affairs ministry.
'We will dig them up by their roots so that no clandestine terrorist organisation will have the nerve to betray our blessed people again' explained Erdogan Officials signalling that the country was to undergo even further major changes in the coming days.
The coup organizers said that they were taking action because Edrogan had become to authoritarian and undemocratic and judging by his actions since regaining power, they may well have had a point.
Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Things To Do By 11 3/4
To quote Alice Cooper, School's out for Summer and from what i have seen most children have been running around holding their mobile phones and looking for Pokemon.
The National Trust has issued a list of 50 things you should do before you are 11 3/4 and there is no mention of capturing a Bulbasaur or training a Golbat but it does take me back to my carefree younger days when the only Drowzee we knew was Grandad and a Jigglypuff was the fat wheezy kid from down the road.
I' m 47 1/2 and i am proud to say that i can tick off 49 of the 50, the 'Catch a fish with a net' continues to elude me but although i may not have done them by 11 3/4, I have done the following:
Climb a tree
Roll down a really big hill
Camp outside
Build a den
Skim a stone
Run around in the rain
Fly a kite
Eat an apple straight from a tree
Play conkers
Go on a really long bike ride
Dam a stream
Make a daisy chain
Play pooh sticks
Jump over waves
Pick blackberries growing in the wild
Make a grass trumpet
Go star gazing
Climb a huge hill
Catch a falling leaf
Go swimming in the sea
Build a raft
Go bird watching
Cook on a campfire
The full list is at the National Trust page.
The National Trust has issued a list of 50 things you should do before you are 11 3/4 and there is no mention of capturing a Bulbasaur or training a Golbat but it does take me back to my carefree younger days when the only Drowzee we knew was Grandad and a Jigglypuff was the fat wheezy kid from down the road.
I' m 47 1/2 and i am proud to say that i can tick off 49 of the 50, the 'Catch a fish with a net' continues to elude me but although i may not have done them by 11 3/4, I have done the following:
Climb a tree
Roll down a really big hill
Camp outside
Build a den
Skim a stone
Run around in the rain
Fly a kite
Eat an apple straight from a tree
Play conkers
Go on a really long bike ride
Dam a stream
Make a daisy chain
Play pooh sticks
Jump over waves
Pick blackberries growing in the wild
Make a grass trumpet
Go star gazing
Climb a huge hill
Catch a falling leaf
Go swimming in the sea
Build a raft
Go bird watching
Cook on a campfire
The full list is at the National Trust page.
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
The Left Need To Wise Up
I don't know why the left are so bad at elections but it seems Bernie Sanders supporters in the USA have been affected by the same syndrome as Jeremy Corbyn supporters here and that involves letting into power the very people or party that you want to keep out.
Sanders supporters are booing and refusing to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton which means less votes against the Republican Nominee Donald Trump and in turn could see him sneak into power.
Over here, Jeremy Corbyn cannot win the next election but the Labour Party members are refusing to overthrow him for someone who can and the anti-Corbynites are refusing to vote and so the Conservative Party slip in for another five years.
Supporters of Sanders and Corbyn seem unwilling to face the reality that their guys cannot win power and so seem willing to let the 'enemy' win rather than contemplate voting for someone else of the same side.
Cutting off your nose to spite your face is never a good tactic, and especially not with as something as important as who runs your country, but they need to make the shift from who they want to win to making sure they stop who they don't want to win.
You may need to hold your nose as you vote for Hillary or whoever finally replaces Jeremy but it is always better to have someone from your side of the fence in power who shares some of your beliefs and values rather than someone from the other side who is your polar opposite.
Hopefully Sanders and Corbyn supporters will wise up to this fact because five years is a long time to spend moaning about the 'enemy' getting in and a long time to wait until you get the chance to kick them out again.
Sanders supporters are booing and refusing to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton which means less votes against the Republican Nominee Donald Trump and in turn could see him sneak into power.
Over here, Jeremy Corbyn cannot win the next election but the Labour Party members are refusing to overthrow him for someone who can and the anti-Corbynites are refusing to vote and so the Conservative Party slip in for another five years.
Supporters of Sanders and Corbyn seem unwilling to face the reality that their guys cannot win power and so seem willing to let the 'enemy' win rather than contemplate voting for someone else of the same side.
Cutting off your nose to spite your face is never a good tactic, and especially not with as something as important as who runs your country, but they need to make the shift from who they want to win to making sure they stop who they don't want to win.
You may need to hold your nose as you vote for Hillary or whoever finally replaces Jeremy but it is always better to have someone from your side of the fence in power who shares some of your beliefs and values rather than someone from the other side who is your polar opposite.
Hopefully Sanders and Corbyn supporters will wise up to this fact because five years is a long time to spend moaning about the 'enemy' getting in and a long time to wait until you get the chance to kick them out again.
Sunday, 24 July 2016
Physical Books Resurgent
The death of the physical book have been greatly exaggerated as book sales have rocketed by four million this year, the first rise in sales since 2007, while digital book sales dropped for the first time since 2011.
I own a kindle and use it often but have always preferred to have the physical version which i can hold in my hand and place on the bookshelf and it seems that enjoyment is returning for many others also.
It helps that bookshops have moved with the times and most now incorporate a coffee shop and seated area so you can peruse the books on offer and sip at a latte but i would take a stab that the main reason is due to the Government closing so many libraries in it's fit of austerity that readers are finding it harder to loan books now so are buying them instead.
So far this year 85 million printed books have been purchased and if i ever get around to writing up some of the novel outlines i have in the 'Books' folder on my desktop, i hope to join in the surge for book lovers.
I own a kindle and use it often but have always preferred to have the physical version which i can hold in my hand and place on the bookshelf and it seems that enjoyment is returning for many others also.
It helps that bookshops have moved with the times and most now incorporate a coffee shop and seated area so you can peruse the books on offer and sip at a latte but i would take a stab that the main reason is due to the Government closing so many libraries in it's fit of austerity that readers are finding it harder to loan books now so are buying them instead.
So far this year 85 million printed books have been purchased and if i ever get around to writing up some of the novel outlines i have in the 'Books' folder on my desktop, i hope to join in the surge for book lovers.
Tennis Balls And Semi-Automatics
The more we hear about the Republican Party in the United States the more it sounds like a nuthouse and the reputation of it being the equivalent of the Monster raving Loony Party was underlined when Ann Coulter, a politcal commentator and Donald Trump supporter explained with a straight face that the reason tennis balls, light bulbs and oranges were banned from the Donald Trump Convention but guns were allowed was because: 'Tennis balls and oranges are more dangerous because expensive firearms are less likely to be thrown, just fired'.
Coulter was being interviewed by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain and with a wry smile he replied that it was 'slightly odd that firing a rapid fire, semi-automatic effective machine gun might just possibly be slightly more dangerous than hurling a light bulb at somebody.”
Coulter replied: “No but the point that it is easier to hurl a light bulb or a tennis ball or an orange, which can do damage, is that it makes it much more likely to happen'.
Not sure if that is Ann Coulter logic, right wing logic, Republican logic or window shakingly stupid gun nut logic but when you are stopped from carrying a tennis ball but are able to carry a semi-automatic weapon around, then the lunatics really have taken over the asylum, and if Piers Morgan is laughing at you for your stupidness you really do need to have a good look at yourself.
Coulter was being interviewed by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain and with a wry smile he replied that it was 'slightly odd that firing a rapid fire, semi-automatic effective machine gun might just possibly be slightly more dangerous than hurling a light bulb at somebody.”
Coulter replied: “No but the point that it is easier to hurl a light bulb or a tennis ball or an orange, which can do damage, is that it makes it much more likely to happen'.
Not sure if that is Ann Coulter logic, right wing logic, Republican logic or window shakingly stupid gun nut logic but when you are stopped from carrying a tennis ball but are able to carry a semi-automatic weapon around, then the lunatics really have taken over the asylum, and if Piers Morgan is laughing at you for your stupidness you really do need to have a good look at yourself.
Saturday, 23 July 2016
Fiscal Reset Ahoy
Most things come with a reset button now, it's for when things have gone so wrong that you need to start again which is fine on your phone or your router but i'm not sure what it means when the Chancellor says it about the economy.
After just over a week in the job, Philip Hammond has looked at the books and announced that he is considering 'a reset of fiscal policy' although he wouldn't expand any further on exactly what that meant, saying that he would 'have to put something else in place'.
While Theresa May is trying her hardest to sound and look like the last female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, her team have been scurrying around not doing very much but you know as Tories, they will soon be doing far too much and it usually involves taking from those who can least afford it.
They also have a ready made excuse with the recent Brexit vote and news that in the wake of a massive fall of the pound and the announcement that the UK economy is tanking that they have to slash away at whatever is left after the last Chancellor hacked and smashed his way through everything in an ideological fuelled frenzy.
He may surprise us and put the top rate of tax back up or increase corporation tax and chase those not paying it (Hello Amazon, Google, Starbucks) but more than likely reset will mean further reducing benefits, pensions and selling off what little family silver we have left.
After just over a week in the job, Philip Hammond has looked at the books and announced that he is considering 'a reset of fiscal policy' although he wouldn't expand any further on exactly what that meant, saying that he would 'have to put something else in place'.
While Theresa May is trying her hardest to sound and look like the last female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, her team have been scurrying around not doing very much but you know as Tories, they will soon be doing far too much and it usually involves taking from those who can least afford it.
They also have a ready made excuse with the recent Brexit vote and news that in the wake of a massive fall of the pound and the announcement that the UK economy is tanking that they have to slash away at whatever is left after the last Chancellor hacked and smashed his way through everything in an ideological fuelled frenzy.
He may surprise us and put the top rate of tax back up or increase corporation tax and chase those not paying it (Hello Amazon, Google, Starbucks) but more than likely reset will mean further reducing benefits, pensions and selling off what little family silver we have left.
Friday, 22 July 2016
Not All Right Now
If he hasn't annoyed most sectors of society already, Donald Trump is now getting it in the neck from musicians as his choice of Free's 'All Right Now' at his convention has resulted in the songs writer calling in the lawyers.
Paul Rodgers co-wrote the song with another member of Free, Andy Fraser, in 1970 and on hearing that his bands most famous song was being used and abused by Trump said 'Permission to use "All Right Now" was never sought for or granted by me. My lawyer is dealing with this matter'.
Other artists have also objected to Trumpton using their music, Queen said that his use of 'We Are The Champions' was 'An unauthorised use at the Republican Convention against our wishes' and the estate of Beatle George Harrison, said the use of 'Here Comes The Sun' was 'offensive & against the wishes of his estate'.
Adele's hits 'Rolling In The Deep' and 'Skyfall' were played at Trump political rallies earlier this year and she told him to stop it as 'permission had not been granted'.
Neil Young and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith have also objected with Tyler's lawyers issuing a cease and desist letter, saying that Trump 'did not have our client's permission to use any of Tyler's songs because it gives the false impression that he is connected with, or endorses, Mr Trump's presidential bid'.
The best prize for best objection though has to go to REM's Michael Stipe who responded to Trump using 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' by saying: 'Go f*** yourselves, the lot of you - you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men. Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign'.
It doesn't have the lyrical fluency or flow of 'Losing My Religion' i agree but what a brilliant reply.
Paul Rodgers co-wrote the song with another member of Free, Andy Fraser, in 1970 and on hearing that his bands most famous song was being used and abused by Trump said 'Permission to use "All Right Now" was never sought for or granted by me. My lawyer is dealing with this matter'.
Other artists have also objected to Trumpton using their music, Queen said that his use of 'We Are The Champions' was 'An unauthorised use at the Republican Convention against our wishes' and the estate of Beatle George Harrison, said the use of 'Here Comes The Sun' was 'offensive & against the wishes of his estate'.
Adele's hits 'Rolling In The Deep' and 'Skyfall' were played at Trump political rallies earlier this year and she told him to stop it as 'permission had not been granted'.
Neil Young and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith have also objected with Tyler's lawyers issuing a cease and desist letter, saying that Trump 'did not have our client's permission to use any of Tyler's songs because it gives the false impression that he is connected with, or endorses, Mr Trump's presidential bid'.
The best prize for best objection though has to go to REM's Michael Stipe who responded to Trump using 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' by saying: 'Go f*** yourselves, the lot of you - you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men. Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign'.
It doesn't have the lyrical fluency or flow of 'Losing My Religion' i agree but what a brilliant reply.
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