Have your poppy and piss on it

Yesterday's war memorial thieves certainly did.



Thanks to Tony F on Pinkstone's Blog for highlighting, once again, how depressingly disrespectful people are. The theft of five brass panels bearing the names of fallen soldiers from a memorial in Manchester beggars belief (well to those non-coppers who still hold a fuzzy sense of faith and happiness in the basic goodness of people).

The BBC article cites Philips Cemetary in Bradford. However, I doubt Bradford is in GMP's catchment area! so I suspect it's in Phillips Park in East Manchester.

The thefts are suspectedly in order to sell the plaques for cash, perhaps £300 each. All in time for Remeberance Sunday of course. If not returned, it will take £10,000 and many months to replace them. I think we should poppy pop the robbers off to the pen (permission to groan).

So I'll not worry too much about my bicycle seat that was missing presumed snaffled for cash when I arrived at the train station after work today... it's quite embarrasing walking with a bicycle through a crowded area with a bright yellow jacket on because you can't ride standing up!

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The world is my beer fridge

After such a long hot summer(!) There are some benefits to the sudden snowy turn in the weather. It's now that time of year again that I don't have to worry about making room in the fridge for my next cold beer or two...3...

I just bung them in my lovely walk-in fridge (otherwise known as the garden).

In case you wondered where I went (again)

Teaching has started...lots of eager students(?)...12 hour days...melting

nuf said.

Has anyone seen a PhD around here anywhere coz I sure haven't?

In case you wondered where I went

Firstly I got sucked well and truly into the Olympics, as can be seen from my half-arsed post on the first day, and nothing after. But for the second week of it I got food poisoning and didn't eat for 2 days...then I went on holiday, thankfully - I'd thought I'd have to cancel having been in bed (mostly) for a week. So now I'm back, and it's time to start doing some serious work again. So I'll be trying to catch up on all the blogs and start posting again (and doing some serious work of course).

CB

Olympics day one

as it happened...set your alarm for 23:30 every day.

Britain tops the olympic medal table in '08

1908 that is. Yep, I even resorted to stealing the BBC's joke this time.

Anyway, don't forget the Olympic games opening tomorrow night at 7. Apparently the pollution problems are "sorted" as extraordinary efforts have been made to ensure... at best not a danger to the health of athletes. That's nice then, what about the less fit and healthy spectators? Apparently it's fog, not pollution, so that's fine then, we just might not be able to see the games?

ed. I was only six hours out...

Blogs to watch (err, read)

I just came across this blog on the BBC site which looks great. The author is trying to avoid using plastic for a month. I'm really into recycling as is Chunky - not that into it though - so I'm looking forward to following this one and seeing how it turns out.

I've also recently been introduced (shamelessly by the author himself) to this really witty, interesting and intelligent blog, so go read it if you haven't, and this is not because I was buttered up by an offer to link to my blog...OK.

More hope

It looks like there's been some success in using patients own immune system to prevent organ transplants being rejected, rather than having to suppress the immune system by using drugs. Having to suppress the immune system must be more likely to mean infections and other illnesses can get hold easier, in addition to the side effects of the drugs themselves. Early days but promising.

Bullet Proof Bra

A Policewoman in Germany has designed a bra to be worn under bullet-proof vest (and a shirt of course) as an alternative to normal underwired bras.

"The impact of a bullet can push the metal and plastic bits of the bra into an officer's body, causing serious injury"

This bra is like a sports bra and has no metal so will prevent that.

Good on 'er I say, Carmen Kibat (the woman who invented this). I mean from the picture they're not exactly attractive, but are sports bras ever? and they are optional, so I'm all for it. Here, have a ChunkyBetty Honours Degree in ingenuity.

Neither End Bites

I thought you police peeps would have learned by now. Now listen carefully, all you have to do is remember this simple motto "Don't offend the offender"

How hard can it be?

"Police dog handlers have been told to consider whether criminals could be frightened of dogs before using them in raids or searches...'The traditional shout of "stand still or I will set the dog on you" will presumably now have to become "excuse me, my police dog is quite hairy and might cause alarm as he sinks his fangs into your right thigh -is that all right with you?" '"

Shave the dog, put a muzzle on it, and away you go, it won't be half as scary or dangerous, and no-one has to get sued. Simple.

The first ChunkyBetty Dunce Cap has now been plonked firmly on the head of whoever came up with that insightful cog in the masterplan. (Peter Vaughan perhaps?) They'll be able to use it to protect their bottoms from dog bites.













Photograph by Arthur Tress

Quote for today (is back!)

How many times!!!

From the NPIA website:

"Using traditional processes when dealing with a drink driver, it is not

uncommon for a defendant's details to be written or typed up to 16

times before appearing in court. The introduction of mobile information

begins to reduce this enormous burden and with sustained long term

development will change the face of policing in the future."

Oh, and here's another one...

Care of De-tec-tive

These ex-police officers are always getting into trouble,

oh sorry, article care of Dickiebo too, funny that, for some reason I looked at his blog after typing something about former police officers getting into trouble or something...can't quite put my finger on why...

Fixed Penalty 0001

This guy has been fined for smoking in his van. I'm on his side, he doesn't carry passengers, and no-one else uses it.

"It not my place of work - I decorate houses not vans."

The benefits of global warming

(Or as our youngest calls it - "global warning")

How lucky we are that the polar ice caps are melting, it makes it much easier for us to drill down and tap all the lovely oil and gas that's down there.

grr

Better safe than sorry

I've seen the studies that say there's no evidence of mobile phone use causing cancer, but always wondered how long those studied lasted for, and what longer-term effects may be. This is basically giving us a warning that we should be careful, particularly where children are concerned, whose brains are still developing.

"A major six-year research study in the UK said last year that there
were no short-term adverse effects to brain and cell function from
mobile phone use.

However, the UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research
Programme said there was a "hint" of a higher cancer risk in the long
term and that its research would look into the effects over a 10-year
period.

"I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an
advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use,"

Programme chairman Professor Lawrie Challis said: "We can't
rule out the possibility at this stage that cancer could appear in a
few years' time.""

Lock up your bunnies

aww, poor bunnies. I only used to worry about foxes etc, now there's someone in Germany going round chopping their heads off, perhaps using something like Google Earth to find houses with hutches. Scary stuff!

I've decided to disguise mine, below are the before and after pictures...

Police imitators to be shot on sight

No vehicles, task forces...it's like England then?

Sunsets for Dickiebo

A nice view when you need a break from work.

Surveillance society

Another step towards guilty until proven innocent?

I'll be visiting Sweden this summer, I'll try not to do anything intelligence...saying that I won't have fax or email, and you have to go to the top of the hill to get signal on your phone, so I should be ok.

Some hope?

Too late for too many people to mention, but not too many to hold in our hearts.

The death of Professor Heinz Klein yesterday will be felt by many, and my heart goes out to them.

Today we may be a step closer to a cure, each of which helps, and hopefully brings some hope to those for whom cancer affects their lives.

No one bathes in Shijiayao

Spare a thought for Shijiayao

"while visitors to Beijing amble along man-made lakes and fountains at
the grand Olympic Green and Olympic Forest Park, Shijiayao residents
will trek about 12 miles a day for drinking water"

No one bathes in quite a few residencies I can think of, but they do have a choice...

250 Weeks

Now Chunky has hit her 250 weeks we've been starting to think what she might do afterwards, retirement not being retirement with a good few years of mortgage left. Though our options may be more limited as she's still suffering from an injury on duty, only time will tell.

I found this from Old Plod of Plympton really touching, from an outsiders point of view. I can't imagine what it's like to do 'the job' (and probably don't want to!) but little insights such as this help us MOPs to realise that a cop is for life, not just for Christmas.

I've reproduced the text below, but do go visit his site, it's heartfelt and humourous...don't forget about our Dickiebo though, who flies the flag with pride ;)


When Cops Retire
When a good cop leaves the "job" and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder. We wonder if he knows what they are leaving behind, because we already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times. We know in the law enforcement life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the law enforcement world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing. Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the "job" and merely being allowed to leave "active" duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called children of God," and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.

Bobby duck

While Chunky was convalescing, she brought me back this 'bobby duck'


How cute!

Pub Run

Good news for anyone in training (or not) - beer is good for you!

I love the idea of the Midsummer Dream Footpath Race, a pub crawl with a twist, though I think I'd probably give up at the first pub and stay there!

Hello? Hello? Say thumbthing

Speaks for itself really...

why not just hold a normal mobile, without letting everyone else know who you're talking to and what their number is.
You'd have missed the call by the time you put it on, and as the article says, you can't do too much wearing it (sorry to lower the tone but what if you need the loo?)

Astounding!

Lest we ever forget

The longer I left it without blogging, the more I felt that I had to come up with something particularly profound or interesting to blog about. Suffice it to say I didn't manage.

But I've been thinking recently about those blogs that are forced to disappear (and I've ranted about this before). It still really bugs me that their freedom of speech is disallowed (especially under a pseudonym), and that we are denied the benefit of their writing.

So instead of my own profound thoughts (or lack thereof) I decided to refer you back to the expert's profundity; Belfast Peeler's last post, which still brings a tear to my eye.

Go and reread it even if you already have.

(Good Luck BP)