LAPTOPS FOR TERRORIST SUSPECTS

Apparently terrorist suspects in Belmarsh Prison are now being issued with laptops, costing thousands of pounds. The official line is that these are to help them to "prepare defence for their upcoming legal cases". What a load of rubbish! Yet another example of how British taxpayers' money is being wasted! Critics argue that the laptops could actually encourage even more terrorist activity as if we don't have enough already! I'd love a laptop myself but can't afford one. Maybe if I ask the Government nicely, they'll issue me with one too! Or maybe the essential requirement is that I have to become a terrorist to get one!

HOSEPIPE BAN ANNOUNCED

Yesterday Thames Water announced plans to impose a hosepipe ban on London and some areas of the South East due to severe drought. It’s the first time in 15 years that they have had to resort to such measures. The move follows a long period of below average rainfall in the region.

No such problems up North! (English expression!) which (as some of you know), is where I live. It’s bucketing down with rain here and has been since last night! Still at least it's washed all the snow away and made it a bit warmer!

WIMBLEDON SEATS TO BE MADE LARGER

Apparently the seats at Wimbledon are being made bigger to accommodate the growing army of larger-framed tennis fans, who find the existing seats uncomfortable. It seems that whilst the tennis players are getting fitter, the fans are getting bigger and bigger! Maybe it’s eating an excess of the traditional Wimbledon fare of strawberries and cream that’s to blame! Either that or the fact that one in four Brits is now clinically obese - three times the rate in the 1990s. The new seats will be 18in wide and ready in time for this year’s June tournament.

BRITISH BEEF BACK ON THE MENU

British beef is due to go back onto the menu in Europe after an export ban lasting 10 years. The European Union originally announced the ban on the export of British Beef due to fears of mad cow disease and in response to public fears of it spreading to humans. The ban is now expected to be lifted in the next 6 weeks as the UK has made great strides in tackling the disease. Good news for British farmers, many of whom went bankrupt at the height of the BSE crisis.

ARE BLONDE DRIVERS A DANGER TO OUR ROADS?

In the news this week a blonde motorist was caught by a police camera doing over 30 miles per hour in a notorious accident blackspot area, whilst doing her makeup! Unbelievable! This comes not long after an incident where a women accidently drove her landrover into a freezing lake, using the excuse that she was having, "a blonde moment".

I noticed a couple of national newspapers posed the question, "Should blondes be driven from our roads?" Definitely not. As a blonde motorist myself, I would never dream of doing my makeup at the wheel. Hair colour doesn't affect your driving skills. In most cases it's lack of common sense. My advice to the police and other motorists is these were two isolated incidents, involving stupid women. Unfortunately it's women like these who give others like myself a bad name. There are some sensible women out there (including myself!). Please don't tar us all with the same brush!

MEET THE NEW FACES OF ASDA!

England footballer Wayne Rooney and his girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin have been chosen to replace Sharon Osbourne as the new faces of British supermarket chain Asda as part of a £3.5million deal. The couple will front campaigns for Asda for the next two and a half years. Not surprisingly the couple are delighted and Coleen is looking forward to designing clothing for Asda's George range as part of the deal.

It has been a good week for Wayne. In addition he has just signed a £5million book deal with publishing giant Harper Collins to write a minimum of five books about his life and career.

HAPPY SUNDAY FROM SNOWY ENGLAND!

This time the weather forecasters were correct when they forecast snow in north and central England. I took this photo through the window (from the comfort of the house!). 

NATIONAL NO SMOKING DAY

Today is National No Smoking Day. Over five million people in Britain have pledged to give up smoking to mark the day. Welsh “Voice of An Angel” singer Charlotte Church has encouraged people to give up the evil weed, after quitting her own 25 a day habit as part of her New Year's Resolution. Also the news this week that Superman actor Christopher Reeve’s non-smoking wife Dana has lost her battle with lung cancer (caused by passive smoking through singing in smokey environments), is even more of a reason to quit.

VOUCHER REWARDS FOR TEENS

In the news this week, Chancellor Gordon Brown has unveiled a voucher scheme to encourage youngsters to stay out of trouble. Well behaved kids who stay within the law will be rewarded with vouchers, whilst out of hand youngsters would be given “mentors” to keep them on the straight and narrow. What a load of rubbish! It will take more than a “mentor” to keep many of the teenage yobs in this country out of trouble.

Maybe they should start issuing vouchers to the government ministers who come up with all these bright ideas! Or maybe they should bring back good old fashioned discipline both at home and in schools and save taxpayers' hard-earned money! In an interview on GMTV this morning, Gordon Brown mentioned that the government is “toughening up” on anti-social behaviour. Apparently a lot of youth crime occurs because youngsters have nowhere to go and nothing to do, so the idea is that the vouchers which can be exchanged for sports and leisure facilities will channel youngsters’ interests. I’m not convinced. Perhaps American-style boot camps for young offenders would be a better idea or maybe bringing back National Service would do the trick.

BRITAIN'S OSCAR WINNERS

Actress Rachel Weisz and plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit did Britain proud at this year’s Oscar ceremony.

Rachel Weisz scooped an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in political thriller “The Constant Gardener”, whilst Wallace and Gromit won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film for the movie, “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit!” (gratefully accepted on their behalf by animator Nick Park and Co-Producer Steve Box). This is Nick’s fourth Oscar and his first for a full length feature film. Well done to all of them!

IT'S CHICO TIME!

XFactor contestant Chico failed to impress the XFactor judges but has certainly impressed the British public, going straight to No. 1 in this week's U.K. Singles Chart. Former stripper Chico has knocked Madonna from the top spot with his debut single, "It's Chico Time". Chico also has another reason to celebrate with the news that he is to become a dad. Congratulations Chico!

DIVINE INTERVENTION BLAMED FOR THE IRAQ WAR

Tony Blair last night became the first serving Prime Minister ever to be interviewed on the popular British chat show, Parkinson. He also hit a storm of controversy after telling host Michael Parkinson that he relied on his conscience as well as his faith in God, when making the decision to go to war with Iraq. Mr Blair also believes that God will be the final judge on the Iraq war. It sounds like he's losing the plot to me. As the death toll of British troops in Iraq continues to mount, it’s the judgement of the British people that Tony Blair needs to be worried about and not God’s judgement. Politics and religion don’t mix. To blame divine intervention for going to war is just passing the book. A true Christian would never condone war or knowingly send people to their deaths. Many anti-war campaigners and military groups were disgusted by Mr Blair’s comments. He has also been fiercely criticised by the families of troops killed in Iraq. Mr Blair follows in the footsteps of his friend and ally George Bush who reportedly claimed his decision to invade Iraq was a "mission from God". For Mr Blair to blame going to war on God is truly bizarre. He is just using religion as a get-out clause rather than being man enough to take responsibility for his own actions.

ROBBIE COLTRANE OBE

Congratulations to Robbie Coltrane. On Friday the Queen presented him with an OBE. Famous for his portrayal of Hagrid in the Harry Potter films and also the tv series Cracker, Robbie is one of Britain’s finest actors.

Others also being honoured by Her Majesty include actress Imelda Staunton (who also gained an OBE) and jazzman John Dankworth who gained a knighthood at age 78.

EDUCATION BILL

Tony Blair this week launched his controversial Education Bill. Under the new plans secondary schools would run independently from local authority control and become “trust” schools (more like private schools), free to run their own affairs and admissions policy.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly claims that the new bill gives schools the freedom they need to raise standards.

Critics of the new system argue that the proposals will lead to a “two tier” system where children from disadvantaged backgrounds will lose out, as working class areas are left with declining schools. Even teaching unions have criticised the new plans saying that they won’t improve educational standards in England.

It is also argued that schools will be so concerned with achieving academic excellence and high standards that many children who are struggling and need extra help with schoolwork will be left behind. Critics argue that children like these will be more likely to "drop out" of school because of lack of motivation.

The Education Bill also encourages tougher discipline in schools and improved school meal standards. It gives local authorities the freedom to offer all pupils free meals, fresh fruit, milk or other refreshments during the school day, regardless of family income. Surely this must be good news. You can’t expect children to sit in a classroom and pay attention to lessons if they are ill nourished and ill fed. A healthy and nutritious diet boosts brain power and is crucial to a child's good academic performance in the classroom. So plans for local authorities to offer free healthy meals and snacks to all children, not just those from poor families are welcomed by everyone.

FOOTBALLERS WIVES

I was reading in the press this week that popular British TV series Footballers Wives has become a big hit in the States. Apparently over there they are comparing the show to Dallas and Dynasty. It certainly oozes glamour, that's for sure!

BLAIR TO TACKLE GENDER PAY GAP

In the news this week, England’s Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to tackle the pay gap between men and women in the workplace and help women into better paid jobs, after a report revealed that girls are being steered towards badly paid jobs. Tony Blair hailed the findings of the report as a “ground-breaking piece of work”. Stating the obvious is what I would call it. We don't need a government report to tell us what we’ve always known that the women workforce in this country are undervalued and underpaid.

Apparently Mr Blair believes that one of the main things forcing women into low paid jobs and undervaluing their talents is the fact that they get poor careers advice at school. His solution is to increase the number of careers "coaches" in schools offering advice about job and training opportunities.
I’m not convinced that will solve the problem. A lot of state schools are turning out too many pupils (both boys and girls) that are simply not equipped to work. Maybe this is to do with the advent of the National Curriculum and the fact that many teachers are forced to spend more time completing forms and paperwork rather than spending valuable time in the classroom. Many pupils are lucky if they can write their own name, let alone a job application, when they leave school. In addition Mr Blair’s benefit system doesn’t encourage youngsters to want to work. Many teenage girls prefer to take the easy option of a baby, council flat and benefits, all provided for by the state, rather than working their way up the career ladder. And who can blame them?

In addition the rising costs of childcare in this country make it financially impossible for many mothers to return to work after taking maternity leave, again creating a gap in the skills market. Surely to build up the country and the economy, we should be doing everything we can to encourage new mothers to go back into the workplace.

Women make up a large percentage of the workforce in the U.K. yet many are working far below their abilities with their talents being wasted. It is high time that employers recognised the fact that women have an important part to play in the workplace and their skills are just as valuable, (if not more in some cases), than their male counterparts.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Yesterday was the first day of Spring in England, but you wouldn’t think so judging by the nation's weather. Temperatures are hovering barely above freezing and some areas of the country have snow and blizzards with more on the way. Let’s hope we see an improvement soon!

PANCAKE DAY

Today we celebrate Pancake Day in England. Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday was traditionally a day when Christians went to church to make their confessions and become “shriven” before the start of Lent. Lent begins the day after Pancake Day on Ash Wednesday. As the Lentern period up until Easter was considered a time of fasting, Shrove Tuesday was the day when people would use up all the eggs, fats and sugar in the house by making pancakes and so Pancake Day was born. It still continues to this day. Pancake races are held in some towns in England to celebrate the day. Our American neighbours in New Orleans celebrate Pancake Day in the form of “Mardi Gras” which means literally, “Fat Tuesday”. It's nice to see that they are still able to go ahead with their parades this year, despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. We wish them well.

I like my pancakes with jam and a dash of lemon juice but however you choose to eat them, pancakes are certainly a delicious way of using up all the leftovers! For recipe ideas go to:- www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/basilpancakswithsuga_66226.shtml
A tip for really light batter is to add a dash of soda water or lemonade (if you like a lemon flavour) to the batter.

LOCK UP YOUR CHICKENS! BIRD FLU MAY BE ON THE WAY

With the news last week that the first case of bird flu has been discovered in France, everyone in the U.K. is now wondering how long it will be before the deadly virus arrives on our shores. As France’s first case of bird flu was discovered at a turkey farm, poultry farmers in this country are being advised to keep their birds indoors, as a precautionary measure. Despite France’s president Jacques Chirac insisting that cooked poultry and eggs are still safe to eat, France’s poultry export sales have now plummeted.

Amid fears of a pandemic flu outbreak, many people in the U.K. are now panic-buying Tamiflu on the internet, in a bid to protect themselves and their families from the effects of the deadly disease. Trading standards chiefs have warned the British public to beware of on-line criminals who are cashing in on people’s fears over bird flu. Apparently there is currently a massive black market in fake and stolen versions of the drug and conmen are making millions by selling fake drugs claiming to be “Tamiflu” over the net to unsuspecting customers.

The British government has awarded multi-million pound contracts to two pharmaceutical companies to make a vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird flu. They will supply over 3 million doses of the vaccines, earmarked for key healthworkers in Britain and Ireland, (many National Health Service workers who will be caring for victims of the virus).

In addition pharmaceutical companies have been urged to quote for a further large contract to enable every individual in Britain to have two jabs of an antivirus (which will be produced as soon as the exact strain of the bird flu virus is determined, should it hit Britain).

I was reading in the press today that apparently the government has now arranged for planes to fly over estuaries and marshland searching for dead birds. Amongst the areas being targeted are Morecambe Bay and The Mersey Estuary. What next? According to a government source, "The public should be aware every effort is being taken to ensure that if avian flu reaches Britain it is found and contained as quickly as possible." For the sake of everyone in this country, we certainly hope so!

MADONNA TOPPLES LEO

England has a new No.1 hit. After two weeks at No. 1, seventies pop star Leo Sayer (pictured right), has finally been toppled by Madonna with her hit single, "Sorry". Leo’s hit song “Thunder in my Heart” (remixed by D J Meck and featuring the diminutive singer) has been No. 1 in the British pop singles chart for the last two weeks. The singer (famous for his big hair!) is now at No. 3. "Thunder in my Heart" has been flying off the shelves since its release and even Leo himself admits that when he first heard D J Meck’s remix of the track, it “blew him away!” Looks like it has had the same effect on the British public! Meanwhile Madonna is queen of the charts once again with her 12th No. 1 UK hit.