Some fun at the expense of The Guardian

Idly skimming The Graun's website, I spotted this come on - "Help the Guardian's reporting team plot the effects of the government's public sector cuts on local communities across the UK by participating in our Cutswatch project. Send us details about the cuts in your area or submit your accounts of how the cuts have affected you".

There was not a lot showing in my neck of the woods, but the first blob I clicked on turned out to be this gem:

"The cuts made by Hammersmith & Fulham Council have had an excellent effect on me - council tax bills reduced 3% every year for 4 years and then held constant for a further year and no reduction in services I use at all - a brand new library in Shepherds Bush, improving and new schools, and rubbish still collected twice a week". 

Roy Grainger, author of this, I salute you. 


I feel I ought to do something similar, and would encourage others to do the same.  

Something to entertain pretty well everybody.

Still busy with things, so not much time for blogging, but this merits a mini-post.

A clearly splendid American chap by the name of Stephen Von Worley has created an application which pinpoints places named for first names (and not just the common ones) on google earth / maps.  There are William thises and thats aplenty, although none within easy walking distance, alas.  Fort William, Calcutta is now on my must see list.

More here, plus the all important link    

It's not nice to gloat, but....

I'm going to.  The detailed results of the AV referendum have not been getting that much traction from what I've seen, so if anyone has missed it, here is a list of the yes voting areas:

Scotland

• Edinburgh Central
• Glasgow Kelvin

England outside London

• Cambridge
• Oxford

London

• Camden
• Hackney
• Haringey
• Islington
• Lambeth
• Southwark

Spotting the pattern yet?  All are dens of the Guardian / Independent-reading metropolitan left.  Brighton, surprise, surprise, was close too.  Note the failure of the AV campaign in areas where people make things - other than specious arguments - such as the West Midlands, the North East and Wales.

I may well come back to this, but time is tight at the moment.

And I've been playing with the figures, and Hackney emerges as the most out of touch - 60.7% for AV.  I was rather hoping it would be Islington, but Stoke Newington will do.  

World War 3 - coming our way soon, apparently

As seen at News.az, an Azeri news source.

Eldar Ibrahimov, an Azeri politician interviewed by News.az

What consequences may resumption of the Karabakh conflict have?

Renewed fighting in Karabakh could push the world into the World War III. If hostilities are resumed, CSTO (1) will defend Armenia while Turkey, supported by NATO, will defend Azerbaijan.  Either way, peace is the only way to solvethe problem. In turn, this way passes only through the withdrawal of Armenia's forces from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan.

Ri-ight.  This is the same NATO that struggles to get its collective act together over Libya, which is going to wade into a war with Russia because Turkey is chummy with Azerbaijan?  

1 - CSTO, of which I had not heard previously, is a collective defence organisation comprising most of what was the USSR.  See if you can guess which similar organisation inspired its flag:

 

...and speaking on behalf of the opposition...

I went to the National Army Museum yesterday, thinking that its exhibition on the Afghan Wars would be worth seeing - as indeed it was.  The circled entry on the contents page of the museum guide gave me a chuckle:

 
I look forward to seeing the Society of Friends giving army recruiters a stand at their next shindig.

Those French types and their voting preferences

Yet another survey on voting intentions for next year's Presidential election, with some amusing distortions by age and gender:

So, ladies - could you resist the electoral appeal of this fellow?:

It is the one, the only Nicolas Hulot - a sort of French David Attenborough / late period John Craven - running as a Green candidate.  His distinctly municipal haircut must be the reason for 9% of French women supporting him where only 3% of the chaps do.

Marine Le Pen attracts 25% of male support to 17% female support.  Check google images to see her appeal or otherwise.  Overall, French women skew far more left than the men.  Elsewhere, a bravo to the sensible 50+ cohort - 2% of them opt for Trot postman Besancenot, whereas 4% of the overall population do.  All of these figure are based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn being the PS's candidate.

Rather more seriously, MLP would beat Sarko to the second round whoever is the Socialist party candidate.  Don't say I didn't warn you, because I did some time back.

It's not all beer and skittles heading the Commonwealth

Behold the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, who has been to Lesotho:

Maybe the story goes something like this?:

Now how I came to get this hat, 'tis very strange and funny
Grandfather died and left to me his property and money
And when the will it was read out, they told me straight and flat
If I would have his money, I must always wear his hat

CHORUS
"Where did you get that hat? Where did you get that tile?
Isn't it a nobby one, and just the proper style?
I should like to have one Just the same as that!"
Where'er I go, they shout "Hello! Where did you get that hat?"