vivweb01blog

If anyone really needed it, and despite the protestations of some analysts, I think the local election results confirm the verdict of the opinion polls that Labour are likely to win the autumn General Election, and probably with a large majority.  Since Hunt's Budget was probably the 'coup de grace' in the Conservatives loss of popularity, I've updated this article to reflect recent developments. If we needed any confirmation that Hunt is still intent on abolishing NI, the recent 'spat' with Rachel Reeves left us in no doubt. Sunak's decision to go for a July poll will probably have little effect on the predicted result, but should at least kick the idea of abolishing NI into the long grass.... -----------------------------  We’re all painfully aware of the current malaise the UK is suffering in the wake of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis, etc., etc., and things don’t seem to be getting any better. Couple this with an obviously exhausted government...

  Calling All DVD & Blu-Ray Fans.... During the past couple of decades I’ve amassed a sizeable collection of DVDs, and more recently some Blu-Ray discs. I’m unlikely to have time to watch all these now, and rather than go through the hassle of trying to sell them individually on eBay (and making next to nothing after eBay fees are deducted !), I’ve decided to be kind to the Environment and recycle them by offering them for sale for virtually nothing to any interested readers using this blog platform and my website (better than seeing them end up in a skip and adding to our landfill woes !). The discs are in various formats ranging from collections of 12 discs of a certain genre (e.g. Sci-Fi, Action, Drama), through double-sided multi-film discs to conventional single-sided discs. I'm happy to sell them with or without boxes - postage will of course be cheaper without. All discs have been checked and are playable, and many are unused, some are even unopened in their original w...

  I first published this in summer of '22 around the time of the mini-budget and the ensuing financial crisis, when prayer was back in fashion, particularly for those with risky investments...it remains relevant at a time when our uncertainties seem to be increasing, rather than starting to resolve themselves..... Introduction As is often quoted: ‘..there are only two certainties in life – death and taxes…’.   In the UK recently we have all heard quite enough about taxes recently, so I’ll focus on the former in this article, if I may, as a diversion from our economic woes. As we age, our thoughts naturally turn to the prospect of our own deaths – and what might or might not happen to us afterwards. Although death itself is a certainty for all of us, there is a surprising reluctance on the part of society to discuss its practicalities and consequences, both physical and spiritual.  In my view, this enduring taboo makes the subject more painful than it need be,  ...

  The short answer to this question is…yes, it already has. First, some background…. World Health Organization (WHO) has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems that have been showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China this autumn. In mid-November, China’s National Health Commission reported a nationwide increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases, predominantly affecting children. They attributed this seasonal increase primarily to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and known circulating pathogens such as influenza,  Mycoplasma pneumoniae , respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Also relevant was the continued prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Chinese population. Both  Mycoplasma pneumonia  and RSV are known to affect children more than adults. To follow up their report, WHO made an official request to China to provide additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from the repo...

I last published in April on the whys and wherefores of our ‘broken’ immigration system .  By that stage the government had realised that 'Stopping the Boats' was a make or break problem for them, and was just starting to get focused on more active deterrence measures. The PM is now sporting it as one of his 5 principal objectives. However, since then their increasingly fraught campaign has, perhaps predictably, come up against many obstacles and delays, mainly due to unwelcome human intervention. As the Bard might have put it, “..One barge-load does not a solution bring….”, particularly if the new 'clients' are disembarked within a week of taking up residence because of 'health concerns'.  In the absence of either of our major political parties coming up with any really effective solution, and to avoid becoming even more of a laughing stock for the people smugglers, we should perhaps consider some more off the wall suggestions. One of the more inventive one...