Vuvuzelas and the 12th

I went down to see the Orange Order parade in Newtownards today.

The highlight of the parade for me though was not the spectacle.

It wasn't the music with great performances from the Ballywalter and Ballykeel Flute bands, Kircubbin and Ballyfrenis Accordion or listening to the Symington Silver Band.

It wasn't the guys in period costume leading the parade on horseback, the Lambegs, or even the elephant in a pink tutu!

No! It was when the guys came round before the parade selling the usual flags, toy drums and fluffy snakes on sticks... for, no doubt inspired by the vuvuzelas at the World Cup, among the items for sale were toy horns.

The highlight was two minutes after giving them to the kids and getting the pictures the mums realising just what a mistake they made and trying for the rest of the day to shut them up...

What will you do when the oil runs out?

Just when will oil supplies run out and what will you do when it does? It's a question I've asked myself many times but I've never been able to find a clear answer anywhere. Of course if you feel like being pedantic the oil will never actually run out but that is only because the cost of exploration and production will become prohibitive forcing the use of alternative forms of energy.

Since the 1970s there have been warnings that oil supplies are running out and although there are those who reply that there is plenty of oil left the overwhelming opinion seems to be that it could be sooner rather than later.

The issue has become clouded by claims that many countries are grossly over estimating their reserves either for political or economic reasons. Add in other factors like the giant Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia which is now apparently producing water rather than oil (although it still produces about 5m barrels a day) or that Iraq is producing only two-thirds what it did and that Iran is producing well below potential. This reduction in production though is far overshadowed by the increasing demands made on the oil supplies by the growing economies of developing countries like China and India.

The latest estimates I've found put it at about 30-40 years worth but this is a balance between the known reserves which have peaked, improvements in technology which means being able to bring more up and the new fields which are being opened. 

But therein lies a major problem. Most of these new fields which were previously uneconomic and have now become viable because of rising demand and increased prices are in places were there is increased risk to the environment.

One just has to look the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico and the subsequent oil leak which currently threatens unprecedented environmental damage and destruction of an ecosystem from Louisiana to Florida on which the livelyhoods of thousands depend. Predictably opponents have come out saying this was a disaster waiting to happen and, because of the conditions and risk, drilling should not have been allowed there in the first place but new fields need to be tapped and with drill sites like Deepwater Horizon now feasible... well...

In the push for new sources of oil Canada has permitted the exploitation of its tar sands which is not only devastating the local environment but the extraction of the tar oil is creating more carbon emissions than Belgium and it has been estimated that jet fuel refined from the bitumen creates a carbon footprint over 200 per cent greater than equivalent crude.

It is not only for reasons of climate change that alternative sources of energy need to be explored and brought on line soon.

Oil is a finite resource. The cost of finding new sources is hitting the pockets of everyone. Increased oil prices mean increases in transport costs and production costs. It means that food prices go up... heating costs go up... etc. Many areas of farming have become highly mechanised in order to produce foodstuffs at affordable prices but what happens when farmers can't afford to buy the diesel to run the farm machinery?

Next time you fill up your tank don't just think of the taxes government are taking but think about what its costing the environment to bring it to the forecourt and what you would do if it wasn't there.

Aliens - If NASA finds them don't talk to them and remember to wash your hands

"Scientists haven't found ET just yet, but they may be pinning down the best places and ways to look..." was the message that came from the Astrobiology Science Conference according to a recent article.

Scientists at the conference were still eager to find life elsewhere in the universe said the article and, quoting Mary Voytek, astrobiology senior scientist at NASA Headquarters, the article continued, "We're interested and prepared to discover any form of life."

This comes hot on the heels of comments made by noted astrophysicist Stephen Hawkings who has said he "strongly believes in aliens" and warning that "Earth could be at risk from an invasion."

The comments, (widely reported in the media including the Daily Mail) were made in an interview about a new documentary series he has made for the Discovery Channel called Universe which uses imagined illustrations to explains why he believes in extraterrestrial life and the forms it could take.

"We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet." said Professor Hawkings. 

Like discussing the plot of a SciFi blockbuster movie Professor Hawkings said, "I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach."

But before you start panicking it should be remembered that this isn't the first time Hawkings has expressed his belief in there being extraterrestrial life. At that time though he claimed it was dumber than us.

In 2008, during a speech to mark the 50th birthday of NASA at George Washington University, Professor Hawkings said "The universe is teeming with alien life but little of it is intelligent." "... if you meet an alien," he said, "you could be infected with a disease to which you have no resistance." (Of course after reading HG Well's War of the Worlds I was looking to microbes to save us from the nasty aliens :)

He then went on to say the odds were in favour of the existence of suitable planets ripe for colonisation. "We cannot envision visiting them with current technology, but we should make interstellar travel a long-term aim," he said.

So, to recap, when NASA finds a likely planet we should send out ships to colonise it "for the good of humanity" but if we run in to any nasty aliens we shouldn't talk to them in case they notice us and if we have to shake their hands... or tentacles or whatever... remember to wash your hands.

What a Waste! The nine-bin nightmare...

Now I'm all for recycling - just ask the family -  but according to the report in the Daily Mail recycling in England is going to take on a new meaning and if the story is only half true it is indeed going to be a nightmare.

According to the report the containers wil include 

1 a silver slopbucket for food waste, which is then tipped in to 

2 a larger, green outdoor food bin, 

3 a pink bag for plastic bottles,

4 a green bag for cardboard, 

5 a white bag for clothing and textiles.

6 a blue bag for paper and magazines

7 a brown bin for garden waste

8 a blue box for glass, foil, tins and empty aerosols 

9 a grey bin for non-recyclable waste.  

When the nine-bin system was introduced in Newcastle-under-Lyme last month they had to publish step-by-step instructions on how to fold down a cardboard box so that it fits into the green bag. 

The new system was introduced to help boost recycling rates from 26 per cent in 2008 to a target of 50 per cent by 2015 but means only food waste is now taken each week and all other rubbish has to be stored for a fortnight before it is collected.

This all seems a step too far to me.

It was bad enough when the blue and brown bin where introduced here.  While it is not too onerous to keep three bins going the fact that the grey bin was changed to fortnightly meant that I have to make a dump run every few weeks cause there is just no room in the grey bin.

Things have improved since they were introduced though as more recyclables can now go into the blue bin and food waste can now be put into the brown bin as well so kudos to Ards Borough Council for helping rate payers.

The report went on to say "Around half the country now has fortnightly collection systems imposed by town halls that prefer to compel their residents to carry out complex recycling than either organise recycling themselves in waste plants or absorb the cost of landfill taxes. 

"A report for the Environment Department last week revealed that the burning of household rubbish by those trying to evade recycling rules has now become the greatest source of highly poisonous and cancer-causing dioxins in the environment."

All I can say is that if this nine-bin system is introduced more widely along with some of the fines currently in place and binmen refusing to empty bins because they are "contaminated" you'll find even more waste being burnt.

 

Yes, we all need to recycle more, but the Councils need to make it easier for people to do it not make their lives more difficult.

Did you sell your Soul to GameStation?

When you buy something online, how well do you read the small print?

When I came across this story I thought... Hey... This is a great Aprils Fool... But it seems not... It does highlight perfectly though how most of us never check the small print and why it catches a lot of people out.

It appears that GameStation in an effort to test this fact out inserted a new clause into their terms and conditions earlier this month that granted them legal rights to the immortal souls of thousands of their online customers:
"By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamestation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions."

The GameStation clause also specified serving such notice in “six foot-high letters of fire” too, but offered customers an chance to opt out, rewarding them with a £5 money-off voucher if they did so.

Very few did and apparently 7,500 customers signed on the dotted line as it where.

From bad to worse... or... There are two tales to every story

It seems like every other day there's a story appearing that makes you go "what?" and this week is no exeception.

Just looking through the MailOnline alone makes you wonder.

The story that topped it all has to be that of Tilern DeBique who won a sex discrimination claim over Army childcare and wanted over £1million in compensation... seven times more than that offered too Ben Parkinson who suffered 37 separate injuries in a landmine blast and was offered only £152,000 (although after a public outcry this was later raised to £570,000)

But it seems she didn't get it all her own way when she was only awarded £17,000

Other stories include the story about the Sainsbury store butcher who had to refuse to de-bone a joint of lamb in case he cut himself - "it's Health and Safety"

Then there is the story of Catherine Leonard who feeling ill asked for help but was refused by the M&S staff - "it's Health and Safety"

The MailOnline also carried the story of Nicola Hobbs who applied for a job but after a health check was told she was too ill to work. Then when she tried to apply for employment support allowance she was then judged she was fit enough for work. There is an argument that the criteria for the job she applied for meant she could be classed as fit for another job... BUT... the incredibly part of the story is that it was the same healthcare company contracted to carry out both assessments. One has to ask how independent these checks where or does it depend on whose paying the bill?

Things get worse again though when you read that a disgraced banker who stole £315,000 from his disabled niece's charity fund and only has to pay back just £1.  The good news here is that, according to the story, the bank has since refunded the entire amount back to the girl's family... now THAT has got to be worth a story on it's own... a bank being helpful!

There are two tales to every story it seems...