Share Quackers!

March 24th, 2010 |

A bunch of ‘leading doctors’ have written to The Times asking for a ban on smoking in cars and public places where there are children.

It’s my belief that they should be more concerned about the particulates from traffic causing “More than 22,000 children (to) seek medical help for asthma and wheezing as a result of passive smoking every year…”

One of the comments on said article sums it up quite reasonably: “A single car idling in the traffic does a child far, far more harm with its toxic fumes than does a single cigarette being smoked in the child’s vicinity, and as for cigarettes being smoked in the open air, which is itself foul with the reek and poison of tens of thousands of cars, lorries and buses - as I say, insanity and malice make for a toxic mix all of their own. Before banning smoking in parks (a ban I shall ignore, as I shall any ban in my own car, which hasn’t seen a child in many a year), let us ban cars, lorries and buses, for they are responsible for the fact that London, for example, has the most dangerous and polluted air of any European capital.” - and when London Mayor Boris tried to do something about the capital’s fug he was stopped even though Kate Ravenscroft, Asthma UK’s campaigns manager said at the time: “Two thirds of people with asthma say that traffic fumes trigger their symptoms…”

And it’s not as if MP’s don’t know about air pollution deaths - 50,000 a year according to a report - but then again the government had been breaking EU air quality laws for more than a decade.

How many doctors and other anti-smoking lobbyists drive? I’m guessing a lot. Have a look at what they put into the air everytime they drive their vehicle…

Diesel exhaust: Carbon (soot)/Nitrogen/Water/Carbon monoxide/Aldehydes/Nitrogen dioxide/Sulphur dioxide/Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Petrol Exhaust: Carbon Monoxide/Nitrogen dioxide/Sulphur dioxide/Suspended particles including PM-10/Benzene/Formaldehyde/Polycyclic hydrocarbons

Studies have shown that diesel can cause a number of health issues over a period of time as does petrol engine exhausts; formaldehyde for one is a carcinogen.

Share Dr Whew!

March 16th, 2010 |

Easter is not that far away and with it comes all the usual eggy things but also a redhead.

This, ladies and gents, is the new companion for Doctor Who - one Karen Gillan.

That’ll be a lot of dads tuning in then… :)

Share Peanuts = Monkeys

March 3rd, 2010 |

As some of you know I was associated with the backstage environs of theatre for a lot of years and it was recently brought to my attention that the pay for doing an eight hour shift or a “get-out” - in certain theatres - is just the national minimum wage instead of the TMA rate.

So what? I hear some of you ask. There is a heck of a difference, I shout! Min wage is £5.80 an hour which is just below the Grade 5 wage of £5.92ph of the TMA but the majority would be paid the Grade 1 or 2 rate of £7.43 / £6.78 - the difference of about 12 quid over an eight hour day.

When it comes to the “get-out” the difference is enormous. The rate for this is £40.78 per hour - and so it should be as it is not just a case of humping boxes onto a waggon but one of technical skills honed over years of doing similar work.

The “get-out” I was told of started at 11pm and went through until 7am the next morning. Wage = £46 (less tax). It should have been … £326.

Is it any wonder that The Stage reports that “‘Cracks beginning to show’ with industry skills shortage” when this is the rate of pay being offered? You pay peanuts and you get monkeys and those monkeys will not give a rats ass when it comes to stripping a set and loading it onto a vehicle and have little or no technical or safety skills.

The infuriating thing is that the visiting company pay the wage bill for the “get-out”… at TMA rate. Stage crew (x10) wages £460; bill to visiting company £3260. Nice earner for the theatres.