Daily Tweats

• 08:44 Didn't give after the first day, back on the bike again today! #
• 17:15 Well on the second day I suffered a puncture #

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Daily Tweats

• 09:57 Cycled to work today, but will my fitness regime last? #
• 10:05 I worked hard to get a few A B and some C grade in my school exams, now everyone gets A* - now we know why! bit.ly/tIeuZ #
• 14:43 Catch22: Need to exercise and lose weight but too fat to ride bike without almost having a heart attack! How much for liposuction? #

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Daily Tweats

• 08:59 Feeling happy after getting nearly £20 a month slashed off my broadband and phone package #
• 20:20 Some great home truths, same the grinning idiot didn't listen bit.ly/UaHt #

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Daily Tweats

• 22:41 looks like I have got some form of wierd blogpost tweat recursion going on... will fix when not drunk #

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Gaza and the West Bank

b3ta.com come up with the goods once again

Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:32 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:35 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:36 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts.. bit.ly/7b3wq #
• 07:29 BlogPost: Links for 2009-03-20 [del.icio.us]: disambiguity � Ambient Intimacy bit.ly/OwJoz #
• 21:12 I haven't had hiccups in years #

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Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:35 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:36 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 07:18 Beavers for England? Bet the .. bit.ly/5rwiP #
• 07:12 @corrosive6809 @bobbi10100 hey don't knock Jilly! Should I admit to once having a weird crush on her? #
• 07:16 @markhw42 Who is that a review of? ;-) #
• 10:04 @corrosive6809 does that mean you now have gainful employment? #
• 12:13 RT @Glinner: Please RT: Update and gameplan on Dunblane/Express campaign... bit.ly/18eaWN #
• 12:17 RT @dizzy_thinks: Twitter worm vulnerability: bit.ly/Bdagp #

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Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:36 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 07:18 Beavers for England? Bet the comics have fun with this story bit.l.. bit.ly/KW4EB #
• 10:57 The global financial crisis (and unplayable DVDs) came from America bit.ly/pwZOY #
• 12:32 BlogPost: Battlestar Galactica is brilliant TV "So Say We All": Today on the Guardian website is a shor.. bit.ly/huLyI #
• 15:04 @derekdraper "like many busy families, we are lucky enough to have a cleaner" not many 'non-toff' families I know can afford this luxury #

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Battlestar Galactica is brilliant TV "So Say We All"

Today on the Guardian website is a short and good summation of the TV phenomena known as Battlestar Galactica.

I've watched all of the re-imagined BSG episodes since it first appeared on Sky TV back in 2004. After five years this weekend sees everything draw to a close with the broadcast of the final episode.

I won't go into the brilliance of the series or it's political and social commentary, you can read that in the review and on wikipedia.

I will comment on how refreshing it is that this science fiction series will actually finish and hopefully complete all the plot arcs and answer all the questions raised. Too often promising series have been cancelled mid season leaving views cheated, or they have been dragged out far too long losing sight of their original vision (X-Files anyone?)

Perhaps we will find out what happened to Boxey? (maybe not)

Daily Twitter Posts

• 07:18 Beavers for England? Bet the comics have fun with this story bit.ly/nBchd #
• 07:30 BlogPost: Links for 2009-03-17 [del.icio.us]: For the first time in 35 years I'm out of work. I didn'.. bit.ly/2IFQ #
• 10:11 will Radio4 please stop changing the data rate on DAB! It confuses my ancient ModularTech PCI Card #
• 16:36 RT @Glinner: bit.ly/3hukrY Please retweet this if you agree with the sentiments. My take on the Express/Dunblane story #

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Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:33 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:31 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:32 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts.. bit.ly/25cUdv #
• 06:24 RT @markhw42: Hypocritical tabloid hack gets taken down: tinyurl.com/d72kyv live by the sword die by the pen #
• 11:33 BlogPost: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Isn't The Answer: The Daily Mail has an interesting article tod.. bit.ly/ZU0X8 #
• 14:13 jobseeker told to cut back on interviews because it was costing too much bit.ly/MNTXs #
• 15:23 Just read the weirdest story of the day - "woman attacks wife with turkey baster full of her brothers joy juice" bit.ly/QDE6 #
• 15:28 RT @SocietyGuardian: Society news: Health secretary apologises over damning report on Mid Staffordshire NHS trust bit.ly/tnFeR #
• 17:33 BlogPost: Formula 1 Rule Changes - WTF?: So two weeks before the race season starts and the World Motor.. bit.ly/XNo7D #
• 20:03 @derekdraper While CBT might help some it is a cheap 'cop out' treatment in my view - "cheer up things aren't that bad" bit.ly/zSKJ #
• 20:04 @iaindale Rosk taking? Isn't that what they do to naughty babies? ;-) #

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Formula 1 Rule Changes - WTF?

So two weeks before the race season starts and the World Motor Sport Council decides to change the rules yet again, the driver with the most wins now gets the F1 title!

Teams have been working to develop cars for the numerous technical rule changes brought in for the new season, strategies for the season have been worked out and that work and investment has probably been dealt a blow.

The old system meant that a team and driver who found themselves consistent but not quite up there with the fastest cars could at keep themselves in contention with lower places, but not now. One strong team and driver and the whole championship could be decided at the half way point.

The BBC have listed past F1 championships that would have had different outcomes with these new rules and apart from last year where Ferrari and Massa lost the championship on the last bend of the last race (with the added embarrassment of the world watching them celebrate prematurely only to then realise they had in fact lost it) you have to go back to 1989 to find one!

So Bernie Eccleston wants more overtaking? Change the rules to allow it! Last year Hamilton and Massa were two drivers who actually tried to overtake and both of them were heavily penalised by over-zealous stewards for racing incidents. Lets not forget many independent observers believe Hamilton was stripped of a vital win in the latter part of last year's competition.

The FIA and WMSC are are often accused of being pro-Ferrari and the cynic in me can't help but wonder if the rule change was proposed and adopted for their benefit (at least they didn't opt for the idiotic Eccleston medals option)

However it might not be quite as clear cut now with the reassurance of the ex-Honda team now re badged Brawn GP who have shocked everyone with their pace during pre-season testing. This coupled with the ban on mid-season testing might give them an edge in the early races.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Isn't The Answer

The Daily Mail has an interesting article today about the pro and cons of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a short-term psychological treatment based on the idea that negative thinking and behaviour can trigger problems such as depression or panic attacks.

During treatment, the therapist helps you identify these negative thoughts - and encourages you to work out a way of looking at things more positively. CBT is used to help with a wide range of mental health and physical conditions, including phobias, anger, relationship problems, sleep problems and eating disorders.

The process was developed by the American psychiatrist Aaron Beck in the Sixties. He believed that our emotions and moods were influenced by our patterns of thinking.

But rather than focusing on past events in your life such as your childhood - as most of the older psychotherapies do - CBT focuses on the here and now.

Fearing the growing recession will cause a depression epidemic, the Government recently announced funding for hundreds more therapists trained in CBT. This is on top of the 10,000 new therapists promised two years ago.

The Mail article features psychologist Oliver James who argues that this is a waste of money as CBT doesn’t work, while psychotherapist Derek Draper argues that it really does transform lives.

James argues that CBT is nothing but personal spin, so it is slightly ironic that the case for the defence is the ex-labour spin doctor Draper.

In the past I have had treatment for depression brought on my death of my father due to cancer and intolerable pressure at work. As well as being prescribed anti-depressants I also had sessions with a therapist, these sessions were in my opinion a waste of our time as she insisted on dwelling on my negative thoughts, poor self esteem and personal relationships rather than the real reason I was depressed which was crippling grief and an unsympathetic employer. The pills and being signed off work were what helped me recover and not the ridiculous hand-wringing navel gazing weeping sessions.

I now know the therapist was using CBT, It was a short course of sessions and involved filling in before and after questionnaires and I agree with James assertions.

If given no treatment, most people with depression drift in and out of it. After 18 months, those given CBT have no better mental health than ones who have been untreated.

Yet the claims that the Government has made for this method have been dishonest. CBT’s inefficacy becomes explicable once you understand just how shallow a form of psychiatric spin-doctoring it is.

The patient is taught a story to tell themselves, a relentlessly positive one. If the therapist is skilled, the patient persuades themselves and others that they are feeling good.

When tested, they often regurgitate the positive story, literally placing ticks in the right boxes of the questionnaires used by researchers to evaluate their mental state.

CBT does have some short-term effect: while undergoing it, people admit to fewer and less intense symptoms. But a few months after the therapy, their negativity forces itself to the surface and they cease telling the positive story.

Re-tested, they no longer tick the right boxes. The initial gains measured in CBT patients are often a simple parroting of what they have been taught, rather than expressing their real state.

Interestingly James backs up his arguments with scientific studies and reports, while Draper who is a proponent of CBT just argues that it works for some people. James acknowledges that fact but his argument is that it doesn't work for sufficient numbers to warrant the investment and the money should be made on different treatments with a higher success rate even suggesting Cognitive Analytic Therapy, or the Hoffman Process.

Whilst driving home last week I caught the back end of an discussion about CBT on the BBC Radio4 PM program, where Oliver James was being interviewed. He made a coherent and strong argument and I found myself agreeing completely with everything he said.

Unfortunately it is now unavailable online but there are plenty of comment on the PM and iPM Blogs.

Just a note, Don't do a Google image search for CBT without a the safe filter on, will make your eyes water!

Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:31 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:32 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:35 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts.. bit.ly/B6NAD #
• 08:10 Hard hitting political debate? Yeah right! More like puerile playground games from the man with 2 MAs don't you know! bit.ly/7Wzmi #
• 10:12 RT @markhw42: Chris Tarrant arrested... But did his use his one phone call to phone a friend? *gets coat* #
• 14:38 Catching up with some Radiolab podcasts, just listened to Jerry Coyne's experience of a botfly larva eating his scalp! bit.ly/133lnb #
• 16:38 BlogPost: I am not a binge drinker - why should I be punished?: Well this weekend we had the ridiculous.. bit.ly/fhhVW #
• 17:40 jobless to receive £300 for an interview suit! bit.ly/k6F1 #
• 21:18 I can't help but wonder if the answer is staring her in the face (when looking in a mirror!) bit.ly/LXXO #

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I am not a binge drinker - why should I be punished?

Well this weekend we had the ridiculous proposal for a the introduction of a 'minimum price' for a unit of alcohol to cure binge drinking.

However realising the political damage that such a proposal would have the Government are currently back peddling to distance themselves from it.

The problem with the proposal is many people are asking "Why should the majority of the public who are responsible drinkers be punished for the actions of a minority?" It is also obvious that the prosperous in society wouldn't be inconvenienced in the slightest by this "minimum price" so it would be another tax on the law abiding poor.

The price and availability of alcohol are often cited as the main reasons for binge drinking and the anti-social effects it has. Ironically it was this Labour government that relaxed the licensing laws in 2005 to bring 24 hour alcohol availability. It was claimed at the time it would reduce binge drinking, people were seduced by the promised 'cafe-culture' seen in continental Europe.

Well clearly that utopia never arrived and back in 2007 Gordon Brown said binge-drinking was "unacceptable" and that he would "not hesitate to change policies" if he thought this was necessary.

Well despite these promises they seemed to have done nothing, even Cabinet Ministers now admit that they are bereft of ideas on how to tackle the problem, but they seem hell bent on attacking the supply of alcohol rather than demand for it.

The most frequent reason cited for binge-drinking is escapism. Amongst bar staff, patrons, police and alcohol referral workers binge-drinking was viewed as a method by which people could temporarily break loose from their personal and professional responsibilities.

On bar manager was quoted

"People drink to escape their own lives — the problem has been developing over thirty years, it's a release for the working class to forget their hard monotonous jobs"

Perhaps the Government should address this factor? Other societies such as on continental Europe seem able to cope with a drinking culture without the accompanying mayhem we experience in the UK.

Is alcohol now the solution and a scapegoat for the anger, tensions, resentments and inequalities in today's society? Is 2009 society so dystopian that a large number of it's populace think their only means of escape is to drink themselves to death?

God I need a drink!

Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:32 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:35 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 23:40 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts.. bit.ly/i0F8T #

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Daily Twitter Posts

• 22:35 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 23:40 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:33 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts.. bit.ly/GGyq #
• 07:30 BlogPost: Links for 2009-03-13 [del.icio.us]: Compromising Electromagnetic Emanations of Wired and Wi.. bit.ly/UP3b8 #

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Daily Twitter Posts

• 23:40 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:33 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts: 22:37 BlogPost: Daily Twitter Posts.. bit.ly/GZWUg #
• 10:01 What next? Will it turn out he only played Little Big Planet & SuperMario Galaxy? bit.ly/uo32a #
• 11:04 not a good idea have 3 browser tabs open on Google Reader it was getting a bit confused as to what I'd read or not read bit.ly/CLgo8 #
• 13:36 BlogPost: What am I doing on Red Nose Day?: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!So it's that time again... is it really .. bit.ly/2VgB15 #
• 14:56 funniest thing I've seen in ages, a Y-reg Rover 25 being driven by a flat-cap old man with a 'for sale' sign on the back.. £2,100 o.n.o #
• 17:35 BlogPost: Stephen Fry Eating A Pie: A bit of comic relief from Tart Monkey on B3ta.com bit.ly/nIoS #

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Stephen Fry Eating A Pie

A bit of comic relief from Tart Monkey on B3ta.com

What am I doing on Red Nose Day?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!



So it's that time again... is it really only on every two years? ...yes it is the nation wide guilt-fest known as 'Red Nose Day' The bi-annual semi-holiday when normal people become all faux-zany for the sake of charity! Schools have non-uniform days, workplaces are full of idiots with dyed red hair - the general public go around wearing ridiculous plastic red noses which they obtained after making a small donation at supermarkets and petrol stations "oh I just fancy a few bars of chocolate, beer and a tank of diesel while I am here"

This year the patronising slogan is "do something funny for money" - while some will decide this involves spending the day sitting in baths of baked beans, I am sure many this year will be thinking "I would rather be doing a job for money!"

As usual the entire evening's output of the BBC will be turned over to the cause in the form of a telethon where celebrities like Jonathan Ross (who reportedly earns £6m/year from the BBC) will bully the watching public to hand over their hard-earned wages to charity!

The 'funny sketches', 'specials' and 'free adverts for rubbish TV programs you would normally never watch' will be interspersed with special reports where celebrities, that have been sent to these deprived countries, can look into the HD-camera with tear-filled eyes and say something along the lines of “your money helped pay for this, please give us some more”

How much money is spent on this sentimental crap? What is the cost of flying a camera crew out to Africa? How much did these celebrities claim on expenses?

This year a bunch of nonentities including Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Chris Moyles, Ben Shephard, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Fearne Cotton, Alesha Dixon and Denise Van Outen climbed Africa's highest mountain to raise money. Even Gordon Brown took time out of saving the world to get in on the publicity bandwagon.

They did raise £1.3m which is laudable but how much did the whole venture cost and who paid for it? I am sure the financial cost of that group climbing Kilamanjaro was huge.

The cynic within me is convinced that many of the celebrities are just involved for the publicity rather than the cause. If they were then I am sure a sizeable donation from their own bulging wage packets would go some way to solving world hunger?

Reading this incredulous report on the BBC News website today about The Saturdays (responsible for this year's atrocious cover version charity single) was the last straw for me

"We're working the hardest we've ever worked to promote a single because it's so important to us that people go out there and buy it because it's for such an important cause."

Bollocks! Not only does the article manage to advertise Red Bull (as a rock and roll drink!) but it also contains this little gem.

First, it is only their fourth single and secondly, the track is for Comic Relief.

"We were honoured to be asked so early on in our career," says Molly.

"We're so happy to do it, and do everything we can to help it. It's amazing we can."

I hadn't even heard of The Saturdays, so getting involved is obviously helping to publicise them and listening to their record they will need all the help they can get with their career, especially as they no longer have the Woolworth's bargain bin to shift their dire albums.

I am sure many of the redundant shop workers would happily trade places and work as hard as them for the money they are undoubtedly going to make on the back of this 'charity work'