As anyone who has been there knows, Heathrow is a international joke. However, rather than have to go there and sit around while they hunt for our baggage, we can mock them at home now. BAA, the folk who run the airport, have attempted to ban five million people from visiting it, or using the roads and public transport around it. Thats one in every ten brits. Forget the American's no-fly list, BAA wants you grounded for visiting national mounuments...
It gets better. They have a injuction, and it only prevents unlawful action and bans one group. One wonders why they need a injuction. Heathrow is protected by police, surely in the event of anyone breaking the law, then they could be arrested, and tried, and locked up for a while. One assumes employing this much common sense was too hard for BAA...
Oh, and the High Court has unleashed today's buzzword - They think that the protestors might be terrorists, or might be aiding terrorists by causing a disruption. Considering that our last few terrorist plots have been invented by muppets, this doesn't actually seem unreasonable. However, the idea that people are losing their right to protest due to a vague unsubstianted fear is a disgrace.
That is what it all comes down to in the end. In theory, we live in a country where free speech is the law and we have the right to protest. I may not believe in the cause of the protestors, but I believe that free speech is important right. People will get to wander by the protest camp - they may complain, or they may learn something. The right to protest at heathrow, which is very important considering that BAA are a shitty employer, stands. Yey!
Finally, if you think that the protest is going to disrupt your travel plans and distirb you, think about this: when you are there and have moved away from the camp, the sound of the screaming babies and enginees will still be heard, you will still have to be carefully searched, you will still be waiting around for hours, everything will still be overpriced and they will still cancel your flights and loose your luggage. Still, think of this: BAA says: "we do everything we can to guarantee your (sic) safety and comfort"
posted at: 01:26 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
As you may know, terrorists have attempted to blow up a nightclub and glasgow airport. So far, the only injury is one of the bombers. However, the Scotsman's letter page features two people calling for: suspension of human rights, wire tapping, martial law and long term detention without trial. God forbid us hearing these people's suggestions when the IRA was blowing up London.
posted at: 13:09 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
There has been this horrific shooting in Virginia, and over here its been widely suggested that the US's Culture of Gun ownership and worship is to blame. The most common idea is the US goverment should adopt the approach to the British and Austrailian goverments when similar incidents occured, and pass much tighter firearms laws. It seems unlikely that Bush or Congress will attempt to do so, but if they were interested, they might have a look at how well bans have worked in the UK.
They would note that firearms offenses here have climbed steadily, reguardless of the ban. They would note that the normally unarmed british police have taken to carrying guns normally. And they might well conclude that a ban is pointless.
Of course, shootings in the states are far more common. Of course, tightening up the laws over there is a good thing. However, us Brits should get our act together and deal with our local gun problem before offering advice to the States. After all, its only when we have dealt with it we will know if our advice works.
posted at: 10:30 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
Steve is busy laying into a MSP who got caught fiddling/making a mistake on his expensives. Of course, while said MSP was ripping off the taxpayer, the good folk down in london, the proper parliament, as Steve would put it, is busy writing off 8 billion pounds looking of weapons so destructive, they can disappear in 45 minutes. They are also planning to piss away 65bn pounds on our very own collection of fireworks. The difference, I suppose, is that said MSP has claimed he made a mistake, something the proper MPs don't seem to want to do. I'm all for the body thats stealing the taxpayer's money in lots of hundreds, rather than lots of billions.
Go on, now flame me....
posted at: 04:16 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
I seem to travel more and more these days. This academic year I spent the summer in Cambridge, then whent walking in Scotland for the break, back to Durham, down to Oxford for Fun in the Afternoon, To the lakes for the weekend away walking, back to Edinburgh for christmas, Dublin for a job interview, St Andrews for a PhD interview, Edinburgh again and glasgow for moving bits, and London last weekend with Compsoc. I'm also off to Scotland again for more walking. Its kinda nice.
posted at: 11:03 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
Dan got tickets to a recording of "I'm sorry, I haven't a clue", which is great. I don't think I have laughed so hard in ages. Its capped a pretty good weekend from all respects but the work, since I went to the Mildert ball on Friday and when't walking on Saturday.
The Ball is good, and Saturday rocked. We did 24km over blencathra and Skiddaw, including sharp edge. Alarmingly, the edge was completely clear of both walkers and cloud, which is rarer than a well-formed html document. We had good views off both summits, though the top of Skiddaw was very windy. The desent involved some sliding on map cases and bivvy bags, then it ended with a rainy route march though some very boggy fields, which as a bit of a let down. All in all, a good walk, though I managed to fall asleep on both the coach and the table at the court inn afterwards.
posted at: 01:03 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
Is it wrong to just sit and watch the numbers tick down on this website?
posted at: 13:05 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
I noticed today that Bowncoats, which is the net term for firefly fans, are getting lawsuits and C and D letters from the studio. Slashdot bitches here.
Lots of the comments bemoan the studio for being nasty towards the fans, since the fans did a major part in getting the movie made. I think this outlines the basic problem that studios want shows and films that are easy for joe sixpack to watch casually, but the fans want something with a little more meat. So things like firefly, which just have a hard core of fans, suffer at the studio's hands, while shows with no real meaning continue.
24 fans feel this strongly, since they have seen much of the orginal idea disappear in the inerests of ratings. They will bitch about how, back in the day, plot points took serveal esps to explain, about how you couldn't just start watching in the middle of the series, about how the directors could build tension. They realise all too well that these things have been sacrificed in the name of ratings, and that they will never come back.
posted at: 14:01 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
I won an award for having the highest marks for compsci last year, which is nice. The award was given by a company called Scott logic who make finanical software. They held a lovely awards cermony in their offices in newcastle, and provided free booze. The benfit for them was that they got a chance to recuit the top students at Newcastle and Durham. The founder thinks that having a few really good people is a better idea that lots of grunts, which isn't a new idea. Nor is the idea of grabbing them just as they leave uni. I think I'll apply, out of the goodness of my heart/williness to be bribed.
posted at: 15:03 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry
Over the last two day I have had 12 pints, watched a rugby game and have seen more sheep in one place than I have in Scotland. This is good. Oh, and while I was mildly drunk, I bought a A hammer that can also be used as a beer bottle opener and a A USB missile launcher. The Hammer will have to be a gift for an engineering mate. The missile luancher will be used to shoot people in college.
posted at: 09:42 | path: /life | permanent link to this entry