Local LD Cllr Suspended

News has come that a local Cllr has been suspended by the LD regional party. Cllr Warren Swaine resigned his seat on the cabinet a few weeks ago after a rather dodgy tweet that many have seen as racist.

Reading Council consists of 19 Labour Cllrs and 1 Green in opposition (19+1 = 20). In charge are Conservative 17 and LD 9 (26). Now the LD will be down to 8 with 1 independent. It will not make much difference to who rules in Reading. What will make a difference is if he continues as an independent till 2012 or stands down this year causing a by election.

But locals will be surprised that it took the regional party to suspend him, not the local one. They have also judged the local party are wrong in another matter; the branch must replace its chair Cllr Peter Beard with a non-councillor. This was 'better to separate the activities of the council Liberal Democrat group from the local branch.'

Before he became a Cllr Warren was well known as the writer of the satirical website muckspreading. The site has been dormant since May 2009 but has this week sprung back to life. Perhaps a sign that he is off the leash.

The local LD and Tories are keeping very quiet about all this, while Labour have reported it with some glee, though they also have members with past indiscretions. See Tony Jones and Richard Mckenzie. He is still on the LD websites.

Initially Cllr Kirsten Bayes replaced Warren as Lead Councillor for Environment and Sustainability, now it seems she has been replaced by Cllr Ricky Duveen. I wish him luck in the role.

Reading Park-and-ride To Close

An Axe is hanging over a key park-and-ride service, where motorists can leave there car and get a bus into town.

Wokingham Borough Council's strategic director of resources, Graham Ebers, said: "We need to either negotiate an extension or look at other options for park-and-ride facilities. It is in their rights not to renew the lease. The park-and-ride is of considerable benefit for a number of our residents and it's in our core strategy to have one along the A329M, but there is nothing solid in regard to an alternative that I can tell you. The site, managed by Vinci Park Services UK Ltd, is not ideal because it is prone to flooding from the nearby River Loddon which can force it to close." When asked if he was confident the lease would be renewed, Mr Ebers said: "I can't say at the moment I am confident. I can't speak with any great certainty."

After its launch in 2007, there were up to 700 cars in the car park daily, compared to just 350 last year. The car park is run by selfish Showcase cinemas.

Pic from here



Anne Stansted, from Earley, said: "This is truly awful news. When were they going to let us know, and what will replace it? I'll have to drive in but surely this will lead to more cars on the roads and I use the bus to avoid the traffic. There's also nowhere sensible to park near where I work."

Jackie Macgregor, from Winnersh, said: "I was not aware of this at all. I use this service about three times a week to get to work in Reading, so if it's scrapped I'll have no choice but to drive in. I think it will affect people hugely."

Peter Cane from Woodley added: "I use the buses every weekday to get into Reading. I can use the number 12 or 13 bus from Woodley instead, but it's much slower and I prefer this service."

Pics From Lobby against cuts Reading Borough Council 22 February 2011

I saw these on facebook and have shared them here. I blogged about this before.

Save Our Services Facebook email: sosreading@live.co.uk
false economy

Cut Tax Loopholes Not Services

Guest post from 38 Degrees

23rd March is Budget day. That means over the next month George Osborne will making decisions about cuts and taxes. It also means that it's a key time for us to turn up the heat on our Chancellor. Together let's pile the pressure on George Osborne to tackle tax dodging.

We've already raised £20,000 to publish another round of Artful Dodger ads. So where should we put them next to put the most pressure on George Osborne?

In local election hotspots so that when candidates are knocking on doors they're getting quizzed about tax dodging?
In cabinet member constituencies so that George Osborne's closest colleagues are flooded with questions from their local voters over the governments poor record on tax dodging?
In national newspapers so that while George Osborne is reading the morning papers, he sees himself as the Artful Dodger and knows that we want him to tackle tax dodging?

Click here to vote where you think the ads should be:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/artful-dodger-tax-ads-where-next

George Osborne says the deficit means that we have no choice over cuts. But that's only half the story. Tax dodging costs us up to £120bn a year - more than three times what we spend on schools. [1] Companies like Barclays only pay a tiny 1% in tax while libraries, SureStart centres and Disability Living Allowance are being cut. [2] Does George Osborne really think "we're all in this together"?

As Chancellor, George Osborne should be doing something to close these dodgy tax loopholes. But instead, he's doing the opposite. He's scrapped plans that would have made the banks pay more tax. [3] He's relaxing rules to let UK businesses move money into foreign tax havens to dodge tax. [4] And he's even going to benefit from a £1.6m tax dodge himself!

Click here to vote where the ads should go next:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/artful-dodger-tax-ads-where-next

We know ads like these help push the issue up the agenda. Last time our Artful Dodger ads caused a real stir, hit the headlines and put ministers under pressure. A government Minister was put on the spot during a live breakfast TV interview. The presenter asked him why he was "fiddling about with VAT when tax dodging costs us £120bn" - all thanks to our Artful Dodger ads. [5]

38 Degrees' campaigns work because we plan them together. And by planning this campaign together, we can put even more pressure on the government. So, as the budget draws closer, help decide where we put our Artful Dodger ads next for the most impact!
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/artful-dodger-tax-ads-where-next


Thanks for being involved,

David, Hannah, Johnny, Charlotte and the 38 Degrees team


NOTES:

[1] Tax Gap: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/sep/22/tax-gap-information-beautiful ; Education Budget:http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/SpendingReview/DG_191758
[2] Guardian: "Barclays bank forced to admit it paid just £113m in corporation tax in 2009" http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/feb/18/barclays-bank-113m-corporation-tax ; Daily Mail: "Barclays branches hit by protests over '1% taxbill': Campaigngers target bank that made £1bn profit" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358979/Barclays-tax-protests-Campaigners-target-bank-1bn-profit.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
[3] Guardian: "George Osborne shelves bank tax plan" http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/feb/20/george-osborne-bank-tax-plan
[4] Guardian: "To us, it's an obscure shift of tax law. To the City, it's the heist of the century" http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/tax-city-heist-of-century
[5] Blog: "Artful Dodger ads are causing a stir" http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2011/01/06/artful-dodger-ads-are-causing-a-stir

New Green Blogger Jessica Goldfinch

Jessica Goldfinch from the Norwich Green Party blogs here.

Along with other excellent candidates she is standing to be nominated for the House Of Lords.

Also standing; Robin Harper, Sharar Ali, Emma Dixon, James Humphries, Jenny Jones, John Whitelegg, Hazel Dawe, Alan Francis, Stuart Jeffrey, Rebecca Johnson, Jim Kitchen, Rupert Read, David Aherne, Nic Best, Steven Plowden, Larry Sanders, Tony Slade.

Links John Reardon.

Notes from a Hospital Bed

Watching a documentary about Hospital food, based on the blog Notes from a Hospital Bed.

Shockingly bad food. Similar to the Jamie Oliver one on food in Schools.

If you're a UK registered voter then please visit the campaign site and consider signing the petition.

Berkshire Blogs January 2011

Check out the risers and the fallers with Green Reading exclusive monthly chart of the top blogs in the area (compiled using Wikio.co.uk).

Of course no ranking system will ever be definitive so if you want to get listed don't forget to tell us about your blog in the comments section - the more the merrier.

Here are the Berkshire Blog rankings for January 2011. December is here.

1 93 Cons John Redwood MP
2 121 Boulton and co
3 return 143 Mark Reckons
4 181 another green world Derek Wall
5 262 Liberal Burblings
6 290 Cons Cllr Richard Willis
7 405 cartoon church
8 536 babyrambles
9 627 left outside
10 653 green reading
11 674 Jane Griffiths
12 804 bracknell blog
13 853 oy va goy
14 988 LD Cllr Gareth Epps
15 1040 LD Cllr Swaine waswasere
16 1081 Lab Cllr Rachel Eden
17 1209 Lab Jones
18 1319 Lab Richard Mckenzie
19 1367 Neville Hobson
20 1395 Lab Cllr John Ennis

For the rest see here

Will you keep your promise? email from Harriet Harman

I got an email from Harriet Harman the other day. I must have got onto the Labour Parties list somehow. Its really cheeky, considering they are objecting to the current Tory cuts while admitting they would have done something very similar. Here is the email in full.

Adrian,

As a supporter of the Global Poverty Promise, I thought you should be one of the first to hear that there is a new campaign beginning tonight. We need your help in making sure that the Tory-led Government keeps to their promise of spending.7% of national income on aid by 2013.

Help launch our new campaign now demanding that the Government keep their .7/2013 promise by emailing your friends to ask them to add their voices

Despite saying that they will exempt the development department's budget from the public spending cuts, the Tory-led Government has frozen UK aid for the next two years, denying a crucial £2.2 billion to some of the world’s poorest people. This money could have made a real difference - 50 million children could have been vaccinated against diseases like diphtheria, and it could also have helped with the treatment of all children with pneumonia in the world’s poorest countries saving 1.2 million children’s lives.

Help ensure that the Government does not renege on its election promise and help millions of people who desperately need aid. Please email your friends now

Aid makes a real difference – over just seven years it has helped 34 million go to school in Africa. But there are still 72 million children who aren’t able to go to school, so now is not the time to let the Tory-led Government abandon their pledge.

It is up to us to ensure that this promise is not broken. I hope that you will join our campaign.

Best wishes
Harriet Harman
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

P.S. Email your friends now to help launch our campaign and send a message to the Government to fulfil their promise to spend just .7% of national income on aid by 2013

Didnt Gordon Brown claim to have eradicated international poverty? 'Third world debt has not been eradicated. Progress has been made but, as the IMF recently noted, the fallout of the global financial crisis runs the risk of driving up debt again among those in the third world.'

Cuts To Our Health Services

Two London hospitals are cutting hundreds of jobs to save money.

Kingston Hospital said there were 486 posts that could go, while St George's Hospital in Tooting has identified 200 posts that will close. Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "This announcement is more proof that the NHS is not safe."

They always claim that frontline staff wont be affected, but even with backroom cuts this forces front line staff to take on more back room duties.

The Conservatives promised that the NHS was safe with them. This is clearly a long way from being true. Almost 100,000 hospital posts could be at risk across the country!

Rupert Read Vs William Hague on AV

This is on the most memorable parts of Ruperts Reads comments on William Hague on AV.

William Hague says; AV is unfair. With First Past the Post, everybody gets one vote. But under AV, supporters of extreme parties like the BNP would get their vote counted many times, while other people's vote would only be counted once.

(It is also worth noting, seeing as Hague gratuitously mentions the BNP here to try to smear the Yes2AV campaign, that the BNP are campaigning FOR FPTP and AGAINST AV: h . This isn't surprising: because the BNP will suffer badly under AV, which is the worst of all electoral systems for extreme Parties hated by the majority of voters, as explained here.

Save Our Woods In Berkshire; protest at noon on Saturday March 5

‎"Berkshire Save Our Woods" group is growing by the day and plenty of local Green Conservationists are now starting to jump on board!

Be a part of the campaign. Join in, come to the protest/help with distribution/sign the petition.

Tanya-Loretta Duff is organising a peaceful protest at noon on Saturday, March 5, at Sulham Wood close to the visitor’s centre.

“I just want to join the campaign to protect the woodlands and nobody seemed to be protesting about Sulham Wood so I thought I would start a campaign.”

We Greens are very keen on keeping our Green spaces from Developers, and I am happy to back this campaign. I call on all groups to join.

Links;
Facebook
Getreading
Cllr Rob White
38 degrees petition

Berkshire fire authority cuts

Cuts to Berkshire fire and rescue service are due to be discussed at a meeting.

Royal Berkshire Fire Authority is due to discuss proposals to cut £1.48m from its service budget at the management committee meeting.

The Fire Brigades Union is urging the authority to produce a risk assessment before any cuts are made, saying lives will be put at risk.

Unlike the big three parties the Greens against cuts.

Matt Parker "Clutching At Random Straws" Reading Skeptics In The Pub. Tues 7:30

Matt Parker (of Radio 4's "Infinite Monkey Cage", originator of the spoof Woolworths stores' geometrical alignment recently featured on QI, and self-described Stand-Up Mathematician). He is at Copa Bar on Kings Road on Tuesday evening presenting his talk "Clutching At Random Straws" to Reading Skeptics In The Pub. Starts 7:30, admission free!*

Copa Bar is where Kings Road goes over the canal, at what was once the Shop On The Bridge.

Info on reading-skeptics.org.uk/home

These skeptics are likely to be a bit sceptical when someone calls themself a "climate change sceptic", an "HIV/AIDS sceptic" or a "Holocaust sceptic". Denialists, who adopt entrenched positions contrary to most of the evidence call themselves "sceptics" to convey an aura of open-mindedness and suggest that they are lone voices speaking out against Establishment Conspiracies.

The history of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

According to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D.

The Roman "lottery" system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance.

The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Bunch of Criminals Vote

The bunch of criminals known as MPs have voted to stop criminals voting. About half of MPs cheated on expenses and got away with it. Most of the rest let them get away with it. And some are new and were not involved.

MPs have now voted to break the european law and stop all prisoners voting. Prime Minister David Cameron declaring that the idea makes him "sick". So obeying the law makes him sick, perhaps he should spend some time in prison. While the right wing media likes to focus on those who have comitted horrible violent crimes, many prisoners are inside for something far more minor. Getting into debt, drugs or alcohol problems.

A tribute to the MPs who disagree with Cameron.
Of the MPs who backed votes for prisoners, there was only one Conservative - Sir Peter Bottomley.

The remainder were:
10 Lib Dems
* Alan Beith
* Tom Brake
* Lorely Burt
* Don Foster
* Duncan Hames
* Simon Hughes
* Julian Huppert
* Tessa Munt
* Alan Reid
* Stephen Williams

All 3 Plaid Cyrmu MPs
* Jonathan Edwards
* Elfyn Llwyd
* Hwyel Williams

8 Labour MPs
* Jeremy Corbyn
* Barry Gardiner
* Kate Green
* Glenda Jackson
* Andy Love
* Kerry McCarthy
* John McDonnell
* Yasmin Qureshi

1 Independent MP
* Sylvia Hermon

The 1 Green MP
* Caroline Lucas

warning, tweets can damage your career

A LD cllr has had to resign his cabinet position after causing offence. He was tweeting while watching last weeks question time and made a comment that some have taken as racist.

Its not enough these days to be merely not racist, he probably isnt a racist and didnt think he would cause offense. We must all be careful what words we use.

Its all to easy to think what your saying is amusing and be surprised at any offense. The point is to 1 be careful what you say. And 2 if you cause offense ; apologise.

He seems to have taken the reaction to his words as a politically motivated attack and ignored it. And now has paid the price.

Surprisingly he seems to be staying on as a cllr, perhaps temporatily.

There is a lesson here for us all, careful what you say. And if offense is caused be strong enough to apologise.

Lets hope the next cabinet member will use their position to the benefit of the people of Reading.

Help Ensure UK Families have a Warm Home this Winter

I signed a petition to help Help ensure UK families have a warm home this Winter.

This was the response:

Dear Adrian,

Thank you for signing the "Help Ensure UK Families have a Warm Home this Winter!" petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/508/738/849/.

As the 8,502nd person to sign this petition, you are helping us reach our goal of 10,000 signatures.

You can help make this petition a success - please share this petition with your friends and family. Petitions will succeed only by word of mouth, and every signature makes a difference! Forward our sample email below, or simply send your friends this link:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/508/738/849/

Support the Protests in Egypt

Across Egypt 1,000s of people are taking to the street in a attempt to topple the corrupt, undemocratic and authoritarian regime of President Hosni Mubarak.

Protestors are using peaceful protest and civil disobedience against a vicious military police state.

Show solidarity by contacting your Member of Parliament, and your Member's of the European Parliament, and ask them to voice support for the protesters. If you live in Wales, Northern Ireland. London or Scotland, contact your representatives in Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland Assembly, London Assembly and Scottish Parliament.

The United Kingdom's democratic system, flawed as it might be, has been shaped by protest, whether it be the Levellers, the Chartists, the suffragettes, trade unionists, anti-war protesters, or any other movement that opposes unjust systems and laws.

Egypt is experiencing a turning point in their history where the people are now willing to resist oppression and corruption.

Support People Power and not Military Intervention.

Contact your political representatives at; writetothem; get them to voice support for the protests.

RIP Cllr Jim Hanley

Sad news. Reading Labour Councillor Jim Hanley has died. Deepest condolences to the family.

Links:
Jane, Duncan, Tony, LD Gareth, Daisy and Anon. Rob has written on facebook.

Is One Green Cllr is Worth Over 30 Others?

Reading Council monitor the workload of Cllrs with “Front Office”. This year there is for the first time a Green Cllr for comparison, the amount of work Rob White has done is extraordinary.

Other Cllrs wait to be asked to do something, Rob and a few helpers, knock on doors all year round seeking out work. I know because I have helped him do this. Part of the reason there is so much to do in Park Ward is because the other two Cllrs, and the one Rob beat in the last election, have low scores.

Cllr Rob White (Park) Green 467
Cllr Tony Page (Abbey) Labour 106
Cllr Gareth Epps (Katesgrove) Lib Dem 92
Cllr John Ennis (Southcote) Labour 78
Cllr Rachel Eden (Whitley) Labour 76
Cllr Tom Steele (Kentwood) Conservative 61
Cllr Daisy Benson (Redlands) Lib Dem 55
Cllr Isobel Ballsdon (Thames) Conservative 53
Cllr Bet Tickner (Abbey) Labour 49
Cllr John Hartley (Park) Labour 46
Cllr Tom Stanway (Caversham) Conservative 45
Cllr Richard Willis (Peppard) Conservative 45
Cllr Jo Lovelock (Noroct) Labour 44
Cllr Kirsten Bayes (Redlands) Lib Dem 38
Cllr Glenn Goodall (Redlands) Lib Dem 34
Cllr Mike Orton (Whitley) Labour 33
Cllr Mark Ralph (Peppard) Conservative 32
Cllr Ricky Duveen (Tilehurst) Lib Dem 32
Cllr Deborah Edwards (Southcote) Labour 31
Cllr Gul Khan (Battle) Labour 28
Cllr Andrew Cumpsty (Caversham) Conservative 27
Cllr Pete Ruhemann (Southcote) Labour 27
Cllr Wazir Hussain (Park) Conservative 26
Cllr Paul Gittings (Minster) Labour 20
Cllr Peter Beard (Tilehurst) Lib Dem 19
Cllr Tim Harris (Church) Conservative 17
Cllr Chris Harris (Tilehurst) Lib Dem 17
Cllr Rebecca Rye (Katesgrove) Lib Dem 13
Cllr Jenny Rynn (Kentwood) Conservative 11
Cllr Marion Livingstone (Minster) Labour 11
Cllr Warren Swaine (Katesgrove) Lib Dem 10
Cllr Dave Luckett (Caversham) Conservative 9
Cllr Sarah Hacker (Battle) Labour 9
Cllr Graeme Hoskin (Norcot) Labour 9
Cllr Deborah Watson (Minster) Labour 9
Cllr Jeanette Skeats (Thames) Conservative 8
Cllr Mohammed Ayub (Abbey) Labour 8
Cllr Chris Maskell (Battle) Labour 8
Cllr Fred Pugh (Mapledurham) Conservative 7
Cllr Emma Warman (Kentwood) Conservative 7
Cllr Jim Hanley (Whitley) Labour 5
Cllr Peter Jones (Norcot) Labour 4
Cllr Jamie Chowdhary (Peppard) Conservative 3
Cllr David Stevens (Thames) Conservative 3
Cllr Azam Janjua (Church) Conservative 3
Cllr Mike Townend (Church) Conservative 3
Totals 1738
1271 excluding Rob, the lowest 31 add up to 449.

The numbers have caused some local speculation, Tory and LD.

Environmental Health is Good for Human Health

Guest Post by new writer Krista Peterson

Many people think of the benefits of green building as solely relating to the environment, but they apply to human health, as well. Use of renewable, nontoxic building materials can actually lessen the risk of certain environmentally caused health problems. When building or renovating, look for healthier alternatives to the following materials.

Asbestos

A thread-like mineral called asbestos was once used in everything from pipe coverings to plaster molding. It is a heat-resistant and extremely durable substance, and was once treated like a “miracle mineral” that could be combined with many other materials to make them fireproof. Asbestos is relatively safe as long as it is bound up in those other materials, but if they should become broken or damaged, they can release fibers into the air. It is when these fibers are breathed in that serious health problems such as lung scarring, asbestosis, and mesothelioma can occur.

Mesothelioma symptoms, a rare and aggressive cancer of the lining of the chest or abdomen, are often confused with those of less serious lung conditions until the disease has reached its later stages, making it one of the more deadly forms of cancer. Nearly all cases of mesothelioma can be linked back to exposure to asbestos anywhere from 20 to 50 years before diagnosis. Though the UK finally banned asbestos use in 1999, the mineral can still be found in older buildings and insulation. Anyone who suspects their home may contain asbestos products should leave these materials alone unless they become damaged, in which case a licensed asbestos abatement team should be called in.

VOCs

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals which affect the quality of air. They can be naturally occurring or manmade, and tend to cause chronic health effects like headaches, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, loss of coordination or dizziness, and damage to the internal organs. VOCs can also exacerbate underlying conditions such as asthma and are a major component of smog. These hazardous chemicals are most commonly found in paints and solvents, as well as in cleaning products, pesticides, building materials, and household appliances like refrigerators and printers. The refining and burning of fossil fuels also releases VOCs into the air.

These compounds are found in their highest concentrations in indoor air and are large contributors to “sick building syndrome,” in which many occupants of a single building display similar symptoms without a known underlying illness. Fortunately, many materials that formerly included VOCs now use alternative components, so it is important to pay attention to the labels on paints, carpeting, and other building materials. Paints and stains may be labeled as containing a “low-emitting formula,” though it is still important to make sure there is proper ventilation when working with these chemicals.

The danger of VOCs and asbestos should not be taken lightly. Symptoms of sick building syndrome may continue even after the source of VOCs is removed, and, most seriously, mesothelioma life expectancy is only around 10% after five years. The good news is that, with some awareness and planning, these harmful materials can be avoided in favor of safer, more environmentally friendly alternatives.

(Updated with links)

Crime Website

You can look at a new website www.police.uk that shows crime hotspots. Its been overwhelmed today, but to find criminals I dont need this website.

I already know one address where lots of criminals work, the houses of Parliament. Something like half of MPs are guilty of illegally claiming expenses. Strangely they are not being arrested. Perhaps I should call the police.