libertus

My friends know that I’m a bit of a political geek and like to keep abreast of what our elected representatives are doing, so I follow the Official Reports of the UK Parliaments with an almost religious fervour, although I’ve been a bit lazy recently and just been watching the BBC Parliament channel.

I’m also a huge fan of theyworkforyou.com, a volunteer-run website which republishes the Official Reports of the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Northern Ireland Assembly in a far friendlier form than the “official” sites, with the added bonus of public commentary and statistical analysis of the MP’s performance.

Missing from theyworkforyou.com is the Official Report of the Scottish Parliament, all the more sorely missing due to the now very interesting constitution of that body with its minority SNP government. Republishing an official record is no easy task, for a number of reasons that I’ll go into later, but I know for sure that I have all the requisite skills and tools to do it.

I’ve had this project on the back-burner for some months now and since I’m starting a new job soon, any spare time I might have to work on hobby projects is going to vanish.

So here I go. I don’t need to get it perfect - just far enough along so that someone else can pick up and complete the task.
(more…)

Yaaaaaay! Diving again, at last!

We arrived in Dahab late Wednesday night after a 6am start from Sheffield, an uneventful journey to the airport at Sharm el Sheikh and an interesting minibus transfer to our hotel, Bedouin Divers Lodge.

We’ve had four dives so far and one day off due to traveller’s tummy. Dives are planned for this afternoon so I’m taking this chance to get on the internet. I'’ll be writing about the diving on my DiveBuzz pages. My 2007 dives in Dahab on theDiveBuzz.com.

Update 3rd May 2007 We’re back! Look at my feet!
(more…)

I’m open to argument.

Could sending more children to state-sponsored faith schools tip the balance one way or the other?

Watch Google squirm.

House of Commons, Tuesday 14 February 2006, Orders of the Day — Health Bill,
New Clause 5 — Smoke-free premises: exemptions

Jim Devine (Livingston, Lab)

Is this not a simple health and safety issue? Passive smoking kills. Full stop. It does not matter whether it takes place in private members clubs or in public bars. Is that not the case?

Patricia Hewitt (Secretary of State, Department of Health)

My hon. Friend is right. It is also the case that about 95 per cent. of the deaths that result from passive smoking occur as a result of passive smoking in people’s homes, not in public places or in membership clubs.

Odd. If 95% of passive smoking deaths are caused at home, and this Bill doesn’t apply to homes, then a maximum of 5% of all possible deaths can be alleviated, 1 in 20, which according to the quote in the Minister’s opening statement amounts to “thousands of lives every year”. Saving a few thousand lives is a worthy cause, for sure, but will the Bill do so? Can it?

(more…)

Use a rigid, see-through plastic container to store your batteries in your rucksack or case, available for £3.75 from Vapex Technology Limited, with four free Vapextech UK Ltd High Power Consumer Batteries.

Loose batteries can get lost, short against metal and occasionally leak. Worst of all, though, is that loose charged and uncharged batteries can mix. A rigid case solves all these problems, with a simple coloured sticker to indicate charged batteries the finishing touch.

As always, a picture tells a thousand words.

(more…)

For welcome visitors from this comment on Sheffield Forum. You want to see Boot the cat shagging his lucky lady, who am I to refuse?

(more…)

Liberta and I are spending the first festive holy day in Norfolk.

Cue Prokofiev’s “Troika“!

Sigh. 30°C and sunny in Kuala Lumpur.

Update 8^th Feb 2007

While posting pictures of 2007 snow, I remembered a picture I took of 2005 snow.

A flurry of activity on the job seeking front. Today saw two promising contacts from agents, one of whom, bless her, gave me feedback on improving my CV. Taking that advice on board and with Liberta’s help, bless her, I now have a minimal, punchy, to-the-point CV guaranteed to get me highly remunerated employment. Or my money back, she says. I’m hopeful!

We have a home - a small terraced house in the S5 area of Sheffield. After a weekend of diving in in Lancashire (well, Liberta dived, I just grumbled) and a nightmare journey back here, we were faced with moved in to a house that was empty but for carpets and gas cooker. Thanks to a couple of friends for letting us borrow some bedding.

Now the scramble begins to add all the necessary services, such as broadband.