Tim Trott's Blog
The weblog of an amateur Astronomer, Photographer, Programmer and car enthusiast.
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Tuesday 10th July 2007
More than 3,000 fatal heart attacks and strokes could be prevented in the UK each year if VAT was slapped on a vast range of foods, say Oxford researchers. A 17.5% rise on fatty, sugary or salty food would cut heart and stroke deaths by 1.7%, the study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health said. One of the researchers declared the time was right to debate a “fat tax”.
When will this government stop trying to dictate how people should live their lives? It should be up to the individual to decide what to eat, what they should and shouldn’t do. Personally I enjoy a balanced diet, so why should I have to pay more because somebody else eats only “junk food”? There are no unhealthy foods - only unhealthy diets.
This government will not be happy until they have taken every single thread of “freedom” and “individuality” from our lives. First they came for the hunters, then drivers, then the smokers and drinkers. Now the fatties.
Is taxation the only solution to every problem that that this government comes up with? What’s next… a tax on the air we breathe?
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This post is filed under What is the World coming to? by Lonewolf at 12:37pm
Ban on rerun of eggs TV advert
Wednesday 20th June 2007
Reruns of a TV commercial from the 1950s which urged viewers to “go to work on an egg” have been banned. An advertising watchdog said the slogan went against the principle of eating a varied diet.
The Egg Information Service had wanted to screen the advert, which featured comedian Tony Hancock, to celebrate its 50th birthday. Author Fay Weldon, who headed the team which came up with the slogan, has described the decision as absurd.
The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre defended its decision, spokesman Kristoffer Hammer said: “Dietary considerations have been at the centre of the new rules for advertising and in consideration of this we felt that these adverts did not suggest a varied diet.” He went on to add “The concept of eating eggs every day for breakfast goes against what is now the generally accepted advice of a varied diet and we therefore could not approve the ads for broadcast.”
British Egg Information Service spokesperson Amanda Cryer said: “We have been shocked by this ruling as eggs are a healthy, natural food which are recommended by nutritionists.” She added, “What’s more, there are no restrictions on the number of eggs people can eat, which was recently confirmed by the Food Standards Agency, and between five and seven eggs a week would be totally acceptable for most people. In addition, many other advertisers clearly promote their products to be eaten every day such as breakfast cereals so we are very surprised that eggs have been singled out in this way.”
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This post is filed under What is the World coming to? by Lonewolf at 8:01am
Road signs ‘lost’ on many drivers
Friday 8th June 2007
According to a new survey, many British motorists are lost when it comes to understanding common road signs. Some 67% of the 2,500 people polled did not recognise “no through road” signs, and one-third could not identify the sign for “no motor vehicles”. Fewer than 33% knew what a “no cycling” sign looked like and one-third were confused by height restriction signs.
Vauxhall’s poll found drivers would like to see signs such as “cash machine nearby” and “urban foxes crossing”.
Full Story: BBC News Website
Is it any wonder that Britans roads are chaos? We live in a time where, it seems, anything goes. As far as I am concerned, these drivers should be taken off the road to study the highway code and then take the driving tests again. Do these people know what the national speed limit is I wonder? or for that matter a circular sign with a large 30 inside?
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This post is filed under Cars, What is the World coming to? by Lonewolf at 8:04am
Crackdown on lunar-fuelled crime
Wednesday 6th June 2007
Extra police officers are to patrol the streets of Brighton on nights when there is a full moon. It follows research by the Sussex force which concluded there was a rise in violent incidents when the moon was full - and also on paydays. Insp Andy Parr said he compared crime statistics for Brighton and Hove with lunar graphs to discover the trend.
The legend that people can become violent, or even turn into wolves, can be traced back to ancient times.
So were blaming the moon now?
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This post is filed under Astronomy, What is the World coming to? by Lonewolf at 12:06pm
