Annoyances
Journalist and column writers inability to write about anything without referencing popular culture, (assuming that we all read and watch Harry Potter, listen to dross on the radio and are stuck in front of the TV), your articles will make no sense to readers in 50 years time!
People who can’t think for themselves but let the newspapers and TV do their thinking for them, perpetuating the ignorance that abounds in the UK.
Meritocratic snobs
Ceredigion Council’s Circumlocution Office
Speeding drivers
Brake, the national road safety charity, is shocked and appalled in the BBC’s airing of comments made by Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson on 28th January’s episode of Top Gear. Following the clips of Richard Hammond crashing a vehicle at high speed, Clarkson said, ‘speed kills’ pointing to Hammond (who survived the crash).
Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake the national road safety charity, said: “Clarkson’s comment was highly irresponsible and offensive to anyone who has been bereaved or injured at the hands of a speeding driver. In 2005, exceeding the speed limit or going too fast for the conditions was a contributory factor in almost a third (29%) of fatal crashes in Great Britain (Road Casualties Great Britain, 2005, Contributory Factors to Road).
“Hammond’s crash was carried out under test conditions at an airfield. Richard Hammond was driving a purpose-built off-road vehicle with specially designed safety features and Richard himself was wearing protective clothing and a crash helmet. He was extremely fortunate to have made a full recovery – many people injured in crashes are not so lucky.
“A shockingly disproportionate number of young male drivers are dying on our roads and it is highly irresponsible for the BBC to allow Top Gear, with its target audience of young males, to openly make light the deadly act of speeding.”
Brake will be compiling evidence of irresponsible dialogue and footage from Top Gear to present to the newly formed BBC Trust which represents the interest of the licence fee-paying public.
Government cares more for the votes of speeding drivers than for the lives of pedestrians
30 November 2004
The Slower Speeds Initiative has denounced Government proposals to reduce speeding penalties as a transparent pre election gesture to motorists that will be paid for in increased death and injury for pedestrians and cyclists.
When they can 58% of drivers exceed the 30 mph urban speed limit , with the majority choosing speeds between 30 and 40 mph, the band the Government want to downgrade. That current urban speeds are deadly is indisputable:
• Impact at the legal 30 mph urban speed limit will kill nearly half of vulnerable road users.
• Pedestrians already make up the largest group of road users killed in urban areas. They are 17 times more likely to be killed or injured than car occupants.
• Pedestrians and cyclists account for 46% of deaths and 42% of serious injuries on Britain’s urban road network, despite doing a tiny fraction of the mileage of car occupants.
Evidence on the relationship between speed and crashes shows that small increases in speed on congested urban roads will significantly increase the risk of crashing. Very small differences in speed at impact can make the difference between life and death.
Speeding is already treated more leniently than any other crime which can kill and maim. Less than 1% of the urban road network has speed camera enforcement which generates 85% of speeding fines. Enforcement thresholds are already well above the legal limit. Cameras are highly visible and their whereabouts are advertised by camera partnerships, encouraging even higher speeds away from camera sites.
The proposals extend the period of time that drivers who persistently speed remain on the road. This will increase danger for all other road users, including law-abiding motorists. Classifying speeds up to roughly 10 mph above the posted limit as ‘less serious’ offences will encourage drivers to speed by greater margins than at present.
The proposals reveal a Government view that being penalised for speeding is a greater injustice than being killed, injured, maimed or intimidated by a speeding driver. The Government already require that several deaths and serious injuries have to occur before camera enforcement of speed limits can take place.
Paige Mitchell, Co-ordinator of the Slower Speeds Initiative, said:
‘It is a travesty to introduce these proposals in the name of road safety. The Government have clearly given no consideration at all to the likely effects of increased levels of speeding on our urban roads. This willingness to trade lives for votes deserves to backfire spectacularly.’
Misuse of statistics get yourself a copy of the book “How to lie with statistics” by Darrell Huff. (ISBN 0140213007) Even today, more than 50 years since this book was first published, the media, politicians and people who should know better such as scientists and health professionals still misuse statistics.
Below are two links that are prime examples of misuse of statistics, must we come to the conclusion after reading these reports that vegetarians and vegans and their children are of low intelligence and unable to make friends!?
Fish in pregnancy 'benefits baby'
Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'
Here’s another one, note the sample size, 428 people!! Yet some people will take this seriously!
How irises 'reveal personalities'
Is it Tesco or Tescos (Tesco’s)?
Somewhere in the mists of time Tesco has become Tescos to the man in the street, either that or my auditory cortex is malfunctioning. I even read a BBC news report which referred to Tescos. So I checked their web site, it seems Tescos still think they’re called Tesco. Perhaps the retailing giant will bow to the infinitely wiser general public and rename themselves!
Update: I heard someone recently say that they were going to Somerfields! Arrghhh!!! (
Yeah, good!
What’s good? When did “Yeah, good!” replace all other responses to “How are you?”. I think it happened in the last five years and may be related to over indulgence in Australian soaps. Joe Public may think me odd but I’ll carry on replying with more friendly responses, I may even add “Thank you” or “Thanks” on the end, maybe I’ll be arrested for being a social deviant!
The young know how to wind up the clock!
The BBC loves to stereotype people, according to them "young people" are "tech-savvy" because they use mobile phones!! It's not hard to use anything if you use it on a daily basis, why do the BBC think that mobile phones are any different? I recently asked a teen how a mobile phone works i.e. the physics and electronics bit and they didn't have a clue. A fifty year old did tell me how it worked however.
The BBC thinks it very cutting edge if anyone over the age of 20 uses an iPod! Will someone tell the BBC that an iPod is just a portable MP3 player (basically a hard drive or flash memory with some extra hardware and software), people have been listening to digital audio files for some years now BBC it's only relatively recently that you've picked up on it. Anyway excuse me while I go and figure how to switch the kettle on, it's a bit technical for me as I'm over 40, I can just about manage to open the fridge door though after having read the manual!
Science chief: cut birthrate to save Earth
This silly person assumes everyone drives and uses lots of electricity, well I suppose he would being a middle class urbanite. I agree we need to cut the birthrate of people who have a fleet of cars parked outside their house and enough battery and mains powered hardware to to fill several flight decks but leave the rest of us alone!
Ebayers who don’t quite know what they’re selling!
Olympus Antique 35mm Camera for repair or parts
I mean an Olympus OM10 which started production in 1979 is hardly antique yet is it?!
The description states: “CONSIDER ONE OF THE EXSPENSIVE SETS OF THE DAY TO BE SOLD AS NOT WORKING BUT LOOKS IF BACK HAS NEVER BEEN TAKEN OF JUST A FANTASTIC ITEM OF HISTORY”
The spelling is a bit dodgy but spelling does not make a businessman. The description: “considered one of the expensive sets of the day” is pushing it a bit and his asking price is well over the top for a Bush TV62 set that would be fully working let alone sold as not working!
Inability to contact “Big companies” directly by email.
If I want to contact these companies I have to fill out a webform giving all my personal details before they will let me type a single character to them, typical of today’s customer nonservice! Needless to say I don’t and won’t shop with these companies.
Out of touch
Dr Bailey said those who now have free prescriptions were between 25-60, usually with reasonable incomes, and traditionally low users of the NHS.
He said they were unlikely to visit their GPs and wait in a waiting room for something they could easily buy over the counter.
"If you're in the workplace earning £30 an hour, you're not going to take time off to get a 99p bottle of paracetamol," he said.
£30 an hour!! Not many jobs paying that in Cardigan, Dr Bailey!.
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