According
to BBC News a Florida town has decided to pay some half a million
quid to hackers who had made their systems unusable. If this is true
and not ‘fake’ news purportedly put on the web by some friendly
Russian or Chinese web manipulators, it shows an incredible lack of
cyber management. One could easily say – Hey what happened to the
back-ups then? Not backups that are attached to your mainframe but
kept separate? Even I do that. I backup all the time but use a single
USB drive that is kept somewhere else, away from the main system. On
top of that I will have access to four separate backup dates at all
times. Once a month I keep the latest on yet another drive. Yes I
know I am paranoid but it works. To heck with ransomware, if it
comes, hello just re-install the OS and use one of the backups for all your precious personal data! I
know it works because I have had to use it a few times due to my own
mistakes. So, sorry Florida town if you did not bother to use the
simplest of work safety practices you deserve to be sacked. It is
frightening to think how data amassed by such a council can fall into
the hands of criminal groups. On top of that to pay money to such
groups is an affront to public responsibility. I will now drown my
sorrows and have another tot of rum. Cheers.
Sunday, 23 June 2019
Being thrown out is not so bad...
It
sure is funny how people react to men ushering out ladies from a
meeting to which I suppose they were not invited. Yes, this is about
reports of an ecology protester infiltrating a meeting at which the
Chancellor of the Exchequer was the speaker. It is funny to read the
lady now complains about being manhandled, widely now shown on the
media. TV, newspapers.. Yeah, sure she would be, dragging this out
(sorry about the pun here!) for maximum effect to whatever her cause
is. Indeed, I do believe we should be more assertive about the need
for environmental issues to be highlighted. After all it concerns
every living being, plants, or animals on this planet! But she was
not invited and therefore ejected. Yep, with some force. She must
have expected that, surely. Let’s be fair, if you march in anywhere
to which you are not invited or even welcome, you can expect to be
asked to leave in no uncertain terms. You cannot really complain. So,
why would the man apologise, the lady appeared to resist quite
busily! Obviously being thwarted in her attempt to throw something at
the Chancellor? For all we know she could have carried a weapon of
some sort, although where in that skimpy dress I don’t know. So,
well done the guy for throwing her out, he should be awarded the
Military Cross for Valour, but that wont happen because we have
become politically correct! That says some can do whatever they want
to do in the name of ‘humanity’ and that we, the ‘great
unwashed’ shut it. It is a strange world.
Thursday, 20 June 2019
War on drugs... about time?
Well,
well, well, the reports in the media now tell us that many
politicians have taken drugs in their youth. No, really? It seems
endemic with the ruling classes and not to forget the rich upper
middle classes who sent their children to those private schools where
drugs are so common that they are now are thinking to build hospitals
close by so that collapsed noses can be repaired quickly and without
fuss. I have always believed from well into my youth in the Dutch
capital that drugs were NOT OK! Frankly it shows very clearly the
degenerative effect. Taking drugs in your youth will make you a
politician in later life. It is becoming clear, isn’t it, that
there is a rule for us clodhoppers and a different rule for the
‘hoi-polloi’. I am sorry but drug-taking to me is an affront to
society and the world. It may have escaped your notice but drugs in
all forms and yes that includes tobacco, are detrimental to health.
Alcohol is slightly different, in large quantities it acts as a drug
and also is pretty detrimental to health, but in small amounts it can
be beneficial to overall health. The health effects of an occasional
glass of wine or a tot of whisky before going to bed are well known.
It
is remarkable how many people ‘try’ drugs, it does not mean they
will be ‘druggies’, just try it for the fun and ‘everyone does it’
pressure. However, I am not going to declare war on drugs, I do
believe however that everyone of us humans should have enough
intelligence to stay away. We simply need to clean up human behaviour
and certainly those who want to be an example, to lead us, need to be
drug-free. It is a lot to ask, I know but we must start somewhere.
In
fact, if we want to have a proper and well-governed society by 2050
we need to seriously take to task quite a few problems. Plastic,
refuse, air pollution, water fouling, land degradation
(deforestation), drug use just to name a few. This is what I want to
hear from our politicians, it is time to look at our world as one
unit. A Russian Eskimo or a Chinese is as human as I am. Those that
have a faith should remember the demands it poses. Any that believe
in death as a way to get power is not fulfilling its creed. Human
life on this planet has not been particularly peaceful. In fact we
have been and are guilty of misunderstanding what life actually
means. The interactions, the preciousness of life in a mostly empty
universe. It is time to re-think our raison d'ĂȘtre!
Ed: Empty universe? Listening to Brian Cox on the BBC it is teeming! And I suppose we mean intelligent life. Well, what is intelligence, not here on Earth, me thinks. No, the universe is a lot of 'space' with here and there some fungus on a round rock. Some fungi have developed a taste for weapons because it doesn't like its neighbours. Oi, do I think we are a fungus? You decide!
Ed2: Think about it, do not start by just coalescing space to a little ball within our solar system in it and all around a few interesting stars. Space is EMPTY! The nearest star is 4 light years away. That means its light takes 4 years to get to us as a speed of some 300,000 kms per second. So work it out. The nearest galaxy is Andromeda and 2.5 million light years away and it is part of our local group of galaxies. Sorry Brian - space is empty as far as humans are concerned! With obviously here and there a fluffy few bits of a light fog. This makes it all the more important to view our life here on Earth as precious. All life. Forget interstellar travel, it is not possible. We might however visit a few of the solar planets, that means the Moon and Mars and possibly Titan, the rest are pretty inaccessible. It is nice to dream and unless humans will develop into something now unknown, like a thought transference method of travelling, I would say - Stop dreaming.
Ed: Empty universe? Listening to Brian Cox on the BBC it is teeming! And I suppose we mean intelligent life. Well, what is intelligence, not here on Earth, me thinks. No, the universe is a lot of 'space' with here and there some fungus on a round rock. Some fungi have developed a taste for weapons because it doesn't like its neighbours. Oi, do I think we are a fungus? You decide!
Ed2: Think about it, do not start by just coalescing space to a little ball within our solar system in it and all around a few interesting stars. Space is EMPTY! The nearest star is 4 light years away. That means its light takes 4 years to get to us as a speed of some 300,000 kms per second. So work it out. The nearest galaxy is Andromeda and 2.5 million light years away and it is part of our local group of galaxies. Sorry Brian - space is empty as far as humans are concerned! With obviously here and there a fluffy few bits of a light fog. This makes it all the more important to view our life here on Earth as precious. All life. Forget interstellar travel, it is not possible. We might however visit a few of the solar planets, that means the Moon and Mars and possibly Titan, the rest are pretty inaccessible. It is nice to dream and unless humans will develop into something now unknown, like a thought transference method of travelling, I would say - Stop dreaming.
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
Plastic? What is that....
The
rumblings about our waste plastic are getting louder! A BBC programme
with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – Monday 10/6/2019 named War on
Plastic was an absolute eye-opener as to what is really happening
with our waste plastic. It is NOT recycled at all. It is just baled
and shipped over to Asia, in this case Malaysia. A plastic bag that I
use every week, every day to collect our household’s plastic milk
bottles, glass and all other plastic waste was shown. Locally it is
Rhondda Cynon Taf council, supplying plastic bags for our plastic
waste to be collected because WE RECYCLE IT it says. No it shows they
do not, they sell it on to a company or companies that ship it far
away. I have often thought – what do they do with all these empty
containers, left empty after Chinese goods, mostly all made of
plastic, have been unloaded here to feed our insatiable appetite for
trash? Ah, I begin to understand – some entrepreneur found a way –
ship these bales of plastic waste in empty containers back to China
or now Malaysia.
There
is a big moral question here – are our hallowed politicians and
political bodies like Rhondda Cynon Taf pulling the wool over our
eyes? It seems so. And it is not just RCT but more bags were shown –
virtually all supermarkets, other councils and more. So, to me and
my jaundiced eye, councils resell or just dump it to a collection
company who takes it away. Out of sight. Out of mind. There is me
thinking my council tax goes partly to pay for the recycling effort.
All they do is just sort it, keep what they want, glass probably and
metals and plastic is baled and whisked away to poison people far
away. Hypocritical? You judge. Frankly we are all to blame for
allowing supermarkets and the like to pack everything in plastic. We
certainly need very fast action, by everybody, consumers and
authorities alike.
Otherwise
we are just poisoning everything on this globe! The epitaph on the
collective gravestone will simply say – Thanks a lot, humans. Grand
job.
Saturday, 8 June 2019
Ann Widdecombe for PM? Yeah good call...
It
was reported (on national BBC’s Teletext) that Ann Widdecombe had
some of her theatre appearances cancelled as a result of her
‘homophobic’ comments. In this case her opinion on homosexuality
meaning that in the far distant future a medicine could be found,
made, discovered that would ‘heal’ homosexuality. Rather an
interesting viewpoint and ripe for a very long TV discussion, me
thinks. There are however a few things to consider here, firstly –
what about freedom of speech? Are we now going to pander to the
opinions held by smallish pressure groups? Or the liberal soft
middle-class elite? I think perhaps it is time to define ‘freedom’.
Secondly we need to have a good look at the whole PC issue. The
trouble with political correctness is that instead it working for the
good of all, it only works for a very few. Ann, we all know her
cherished religious views, is a most outspoken person I know with some very interesting viewpoints that command some
respect. A lot of people including myself have basic views on human
behaviour. It should not be forgotten that we are animals as well,
meaning mammalian, having the same basic instincts as all other
animals, mammalian, avian or reptilian.
The
problem comes with the social veneer we have developed, although it
fails often. Friends, let’s get real, Ann just opened her mouth,
it’s her opinion, so what? Anyone died as a result? Has Putin and
Trump resigned because of it? Has Brexit finally been completed? No? The Eiffel Tower collapsed? So,
keep our heads together and start looking at more pressing matters!
The Lord knows we have so many in the UK still to solve.
Tuesday, 4 June 2019
A bit of a reality check? Perhaps....
Just wondering at
the moment whether we actually have sane politicians in this country?
I mean the continual snide remarks levelled at the American
president. OK, you might not like the man but he is a serving Head of
State and not just any old state at that! He is not my favourite
person either but if I had to talk to him or about him I would
remember that to negotiate a successful outcome to a problem or
situation, I might have to forego one or more cherished opinions.
However, when I hear the wonderful UK politicians like Bercow and
Khan performing, what it is they try to achieve? It all smacks of a
total misjudgement of political nous. Perhaps it would be better if
Bercow was made to resign forthwith as I cannot see how and why a
serving Head of State is not allowed to speak in that hallowed
rat-infested building. Moreover Mr Khan should take the President’s
words to heart, London has a big violent crime problem and
unfortunately for him, he is in charge. So get on with it Khan and do
what people voted for you to do.
Sunday, 2 June 2019
On our merry way we go....
Whoa,
I was hoping to have a nice easy Friday at the end of this month of
May. But then I bought the Daily Express (a UK tabloid newspaper) and
read Frederick Forsyth’s article. To say the FF is a Brexiteer is
probably an understatement but nevertheless it made interesting
reading because he was right. You might be a Remainer but the facts
are correct, Theresa May has been a bumbling premier having made some
atrocious judgements and mistakes. For myself I am asking – where
do we get these people from? Eton? What are they teaching at Eton? At
Oxford University? Even so, her ‘negotiations’ with Brussels must
go down in history as an example of how NOT to negotiate. They
obviously do not teach that at Oxford. Actually I just wonder why she
bothered at all. The problem now is how to catch up with all the
things in the UK that need sorting out but have been put on the shelf
because madame was too busy trying to come up with more fudges to her
‘deal’. Who were her advisers? As FF pointed out – we have
cohorts of cowards running the government, who run away at the
earliest opportunity when things go astray. FF said that we need a
complete change of politics, something I have said before as well.
Reform the Commons, there are too many yes men and women, abolish the
Lords and instate a voted-for second Chamber. Install proportional
representation immediately. Reform the tax system so that
corporations pay a fair amount. Reform the judicial system. Life to
mean life, perhaps even re-install the death penalty. It might be
prudent to investigate whether a national service model would or
could be good for the nation. All 18 to 20 year old's to serve, male
and female. I am not just talking about military service although
that could be one way in addition to other tasks. Environmental, and
medical are issues needing help. This to be paid work of course, and
persons with high educational standing, students in the sciences
could be free from such service. Well, just a few thoughts, I wonder
how many will come to fruition in the future? We certainly do need
change!
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