Christmas

There are somethings about Christmas that doesn't change.

There is always cheese. This I don't object to.

But then, so things do. Another year passed.

Things end, things begin. What you loose you loose forever.

And the BBC keep screwing up Dr Who.

Rage

I am not an angry person.

But it's 45 minutes till Christmas and I am filled with RAGE and ANGER because of multiple FAIL on someone else's part.

And for added fun they're blaming me.

Yet still I do not shout or rant.

Maybe they'll make me feel better?

If the police are here by morning, it wasn't me...

Change isn't always good

I'm sitting here, first thing in the morning, listening to the radio.

All I can hear is some women from the committee (I can't remember which body, it's too early!) going on about how cheques are dying and how we should set a date to abolish their use.

That less then one in a thousand transactions are cheque based.

All I can say is "you muppets!". All their arguments are being based around the fact that big businesses don't like them because they are a relatively expensive way (for them) to be paid.

About the only defense that seems to be made is that the elderly use them most.

But then, I use cheques on a regular basis. If I need to give someone like a friend or family money I almost certainly use a cheque. Small associations I belong to - they get cheques. When (ok, *if* I give to a charity) it's via small change - or a cheque.

I paid for a weekend break in January with a cheque.

People use them because for a certain class of transaction you can't replace them.

Just because it's 300+ years old does not mean we need to replace them.

Besides - think of the language.

Cheque please!

They're missing the point...

In The Times recently....

A review of road safety announced yesterday could reduce the drink-drive limit to the equivalent of one pint of beer and introduce a new drug-drive limit.

British motoring bodies believe a lower limit would reduce fatalities compared with the 430 people killed by drink-driving last year.

The point they are missing?

Well, there are two possible reasons that this might alter the number of fatalities.

First, those people who are already breaking the law by driving while drunk stop driving because of the new limit. This I doubt. Strongly.

Secondly, the number of people who have accidents while driving while over the limit increases - because the limit is set to a lower value. This will increase the number killed by a process known as "moving the goal posts".

(The real question is how many of these deaths are caused by alcohol, how many from increasing the number of journeys included in the statistics. But that's a sensible question that isn't answered...)