Friday, January 11, 2008

Now who's a lucky monkey?

No, not M&S's version.

Some might recall that a while ago I latched onto a pretty positive fortune cookie that rather specifically indicated a lot of hefty nice stuff in the work arena by year's end.

Well, hard to say that came to pass.

Anyhoo, here's hoping that as the exact reverse happened with this (as Dave cautioned/predicted) then the same will apply here, being that I am a Monkey in the Chinese Lunar Calendar:)

The Monkey will not have an easy year compared to last year. But while the financial loss star will affect your luck this year, you also have some measure of protection with the Golden Deities star. Helpful people will rescue you out of any predicament. There is a tendency for the Monkey to lose his cool this year and this could lead to problems with relationships. So watch your temper. Carry the Four Heavenly King Protection Amulet and wear the Dragon Eye Dzi for protection. Activate Golden Deities luck by inviting a Golden Kuan Yin into your home and display her in the Northeast corner of your living room. Protect your house against burglary by displaying the Black Precious Elephant in the Southwest. For personal luck, wear the "Om Ah Hum" Pendant in gold . To enhance for better income, display a Dzambhala Water Feature in the Southwest of your living room. To enhance for relationship luck and good networking, place glitter lamps in the Southwest 3, Southeast 1 and North 2 corners of your home as this completes the 'Tien Ti Ren' formation which is very auspicious.

Anyone know if Tesco carry a Four Heavenly King Protection Amulet or associated artifacts?

Something for nothing ..... for once, yes!!

I've re-read this twice looking for the inevitable get-out clause, but am unable to find one - it really does look like a genuine something for nothing offer ........ providing you are over 70 years of age (or on certain benefits).

As reported in the The Guardian (article is dated Saturday 12th although it is not yet 17:00 on the 11th Jan?), British Gas are offering free loft and cavity wall insulation [worth an average £600 per house] to anyone over the age of 70, and you don't even have to be a customer of British Gas! It appears to be a subset of the government's CERT {Carbon Emissions Reduction Target} scheme which "obliges energy suppliers to promote reductions in carbon emissions for households. The companies are required to spend £1.5bn over the next three years to install energy efficiency measures in the homes of people on low incomes and the elderly."

For once I'm almost lost for words .... a genuine case of something for nothing!
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Addendum:
Actually there IS a teeny-weeny little catch in there - the rest of us will pay for it! I quote - "Ofgem, the energy regulator .............. said this week that around £38 is being added to each household's gas and electricity's (I assume they meant to include 'bills' here) to pay for the Cert scheme."

At least it's a start, and given that £1 in every £3 spent on heating homes is lost because of inadequate insulation, it will have quite an impact on household CO2 emissions, at least for the over 70's.

Snow in Baghdad!

Yet another example of our climate going crazy, just like the cold snap that killed 20 people in India at the new year.

This from Reuters reports that despite all the strange climatic things happening (we mentioned the problems that they were having at the ice carving festival in Harbin only the other day), the planet is still inexorably warming.

If all you fight are corners, the rest of the room gets ignored

Newsnight - Galloway v Frum - not an eco aspect in sight, but goes to the set up for debate we are subjected to these days.

What a spectacular show... and follow up... if all you are gunning for is to win is a ratings war with the WWF.

A typical Newsnight twofer sandwich, with unpalatable, rock hard, entrenched extremes pitched either side of a soft,squishy bland centre.

All I got was a series of dogmatic vitriol that informed me little as I trusted no one's 'facts', or that they might be called to account on them, and hence all that was spewed around were just so many rabble-rousing words. As with so many issues, the choice of messenger can too often colour the message, as 'colourful' seems to be the dominating characteristic being sought by the 'expert' guest booker.

Par for the course.

Is it not possible to get a few more, or at least more rounded (even if it means possibly less 'entertaining") folk on to debate such important topics - such that one feels a slim hope that the issues are being discussed rationally and hard questions are being posed with cool heads, all moderated by someone who actually might attempt to get to to some decent answers and insights?

Thought not. Ho hum. Ding. Round #287.