What bemused you today?

[hevans]

85% of our electricity comes from nuclear (and indeed some 1.5% of yours is coming from French nukes as I write).

We were world leaders in Nuclear and developed the fast breeder reactors, but due to the lack of foresite by different governments who failed to invest in it, we now rely on the rest of the world to supply our power. Even worse, these same governments sold off all out utilities companies for short term gains. 

It was the inevitable link between nuclear power and nuclear weaponry that put the political kibosh on the power production. Too many uneducated radicalised students that couldn't think beyond their own utopian teletubbie land. That and people are generally more afraid of nuclear power than any other form. I think it has to do with its invisibility - you can't sense radiation is there at all without additional equipment, while noxious fumes and the steady hum of windmills are readily discerned by the average person. Oddly, more radioactive substance has been added to the atmosphere by carbon based production (coal principally) than all the nuclear power plants combined (including Chernobyl and 3 mile island).

The strength of nuclear is providing a steady and large source of power. The amount of power cannot be quickly adapted to counter spikes, such as the East Enders brew up, whereas gas turbines and hydroelectric can be ramped up to counter short term demand increases.

The final mix of power sources has to take in a variety of production methods - providing both reliable massive steady capacity production and short term peak production. But I tend to agree with the views on wind power: generally ineffectual unless you are in a remote location and your needs are not critical. The energy density of wind is not terribly high.

H.

[Oldboy]

This woman attempts to clear the ice from underneath her front wheels – not realising it's the rear wheels which drive the 1 Series.

Getting more and more frustrated, the lady decides to stick her automatic BMW in 'drive' and get out and push it herself, hoping to jump back into the moving vehicle and head off on her delayed journey.

But she fails to straighten up the car's wheels and as the BMW picks up momentum it veers off – crashing into a neighbour's house. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yX70Ce9VY&feature=player_embedded

[anglefire]

On similar lines.
Spot the error

[Oldboy]

Snow chains on the front wheels instead of the back. 

Do I win a prize? 

[Graham]

   Appropriate number plate!

[ABERS]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12082853

They obviously don't include wheely bin collecting in their calculations, or pothole counts or road gritting, or the pratts that live at No.13!
Still apart from that it's not a bad place.

[spinner]

WBMT? Coming to the sudden realization that my mouse and internet browser have take the place of the TV and remote.

[Graham]

WBMT? Coming to the sudden realization that my mouse and internet browser have take the place of the TV and remote.

Know what you mean Spin!

                      http://3630245502958321368-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/sjlewisprojects/Home/the-ascent-of-man/image001.jpg?attachauth=ANoY7crXwQIcBhY_MoaBJO7Wr3X0AptVLnmTreUAI1NWjhXOcHgxr7gsFERYhNwa0sT2Q9zmeuVWHAWDzJl_pHnk4kF4y7otwKquiBo0sSti5QhSA7OV3tHmLMV1u6BWMOkXP5ihfB5Pt5hWqQQbxFURv1hs2Wx2BgIEXWPJvUGUazgH4JOKnZNl4UM5ormur1acWzaLUGnqCAkVamvs_pg9nPoFVUOz-PcgsSMuGoBg7Lk1jGbxRlA%3D&attredirects=0

    Sorry! Long link to a cartoon.

[Hinfrance]

Eggs.

Battery hen eggs, to be precise.

Saw on the news that the 'because of an EU directive' British supermarkets will not be allowed to sell eggs produced by battery hens from 2012.

I'll cut a complicated lecture on EU Directives short: The UK is the ONLY country in the EU to impose such a ban. But somehow this decision by the UK government is the EU's fault.

Now it is a given that the EU bureaucracy annoys everyone in Europe who isn't on the payroll, but blaming the EU for the dictatorial tendencies of UK government is a bit rich. But only to be expected, alas.

[ABERS]

Sorry Howard, don't know where you got this info.

A piece on Countryfile yesterday will explain it. Have a look at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xjzqt/Countryfile_09_01_2011/

It's about halfway into the programme. It's all about a EU directive on new cage dimensions apparently which is already being implemented in the UK so that we can continue to enjoy our breakfast chukkies and soldiers.

Where the misunderstanding may have occurred is an egg farmer saying we should not allow eggs to be imported into the UK unless they have been produced under the new regulations. Knowing the peasant farmers of Europe and their propensity to ignore such regulations, I'm not sure he's right!

[Graham]

  I have absolutley no evidence to support this, but I think you'll find that the UK is the ONLY country in the EU to take a blind bit of notice of what the EU says!
                                        Graham.

[anglefire]

I think the French dream up the laws, the EU ratifies them, the UK implements them and everyone else ignores them if its going to cost them money and moan if the UK doesn't comply.

[ABERS]

I think the French dream up the laws, the EU ratifies them, the UK implements them and everyone else ignores them if its going to cost them money and moan if the UK doesn't comply.

It was ever thus. Those weasly foreign johnnies have a lot to be answer for.

[krennon]

Personally I would like to see a ban on eggs from caged hens regardless of which country they are layed in...the sooner the govnt's around the world ban caged and barn eggs the better....We only ever buy free range or organic eggs and wherever possible buy products that only have free range egg in, M&S are leading the way on this, I see Tesco are now beginning to promote pasta made with F.R. Egg. Any major push though needs to come from one of the big 4 saying they will only use F R Egg in all their products......my twopenneth worth.....

WBMT the idiot at the traffic lights texting on his mobile phone not realising that the cop car behind him was watching every move YAY 3 points and a £60.00 fine coming his way...

[Oldboy]

In this country if you avoid road tax/tolls you get a small fine, but other countries take a different view. 

The brother of a farmer sentenced to life in prison in central China for evading road tolls has turned himself in to police, an official said, in a case that triggered a massive public outcry over the heavy punishment.

A court in Henan province sentenced farmer Shi Jianfeng to life imprisonment last month for fraud for avoiding road tolls that added up to more than 3.68 million yuan (£352,000).

But the court announced a retrial on Friday after news of the verdict triggered an uproar among Chinese.

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter RSS On Saturday night, Shi's younger brother Shi Junfeng went to the public security bureau of Wuliang township in Henan to say his elder brother had taken the blame for him, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

A duty officer at the security bureau confirmed Shi Junfeng had turned himself in but said he did not know the details of the case.

Shi Junfeng said he had offered bribes to officials following his brother's detention and was promised that he would be released soon, Xinhua reported, citing police head Wang Xucan.

Shi, the farmer, was convicted of mounting fake military license plates on his two trucks to avoid paying tolls more than 2,300 times between May 2008 and January 2009 while he ran a business transporting gravel.

Military vehicles do not have to pay road tolls. In addition to the life prison sentence, he was fined two million yuan (£191,000).

Chinese internet users argued in online postings and commentaries that shorter sentences were given out for the more serious crimes of rape and murder.

The public outrage was so loud that the Pingdingshan Municipal Intermediate People's Court held a news conference to announce the retrial, with a court official saying the verdict may change because the defendant indicated he had accomplices, Xinhua said.