Metricate America

New US President Obama should complete the metrication of the USA as soon as possible.

The USA started off using metric at one time. But over time, the silly old imperial units gained more prominence, becoming known as "English" units, despite being different in their definitions to those used in England, even though most of the world was changing to metric.

Why stay in the dark ages with US Customary Units? If Obama wants change, the way forward is metrication now.

Vote now at the Obama Ideas site: http://ideas.obamacto.org/

Currently the idea to complete metrication is at number 4, with 5,535 votes, so there is a significant number of Americans who do appear to want the USA to change to metric completely. Let's hope that Obama makes it happen.

Americans can look at http://www.metrication.us/ if they need any help with using metric.

Ross and Brand must go

Here in the UK the BBC recently broadcast a radio programme, hosted by Russell Brand and with guest Jonathan Ross, in which they phoned former actor Andrew Sachs and made lewd and disgusting comments on his answerphone. The BBC have since received over 18,000 complaints about the behaviour of Brand and Ross, and the two presenters have now been suspended from all broadcasting.

I believe that both Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross should be sacked for their disgusting behaviour. The BBC was right to apologise to Andrew Sachs and then suspend the two, but these two "presenters" should no longer be allowed to represent the BBC in any capacity. We would all be better off without the immature Russell Brand in entertainment ever again.

Brand is young, immature and childish. The BBC should not have even hired him in the first place. Now they should sack him, as they have allowed him to get out of control. Jonathan Ross is old enough to know better. He should have stopped Brand from continuing and distanced himself on the day of the phone calls from Brand, and told Brand to stop.

They both should be sacked without delay. Ross costs the BBC millions of licence-payers' money which could be better spent elsewhere. Also, Ross in general is a poor presenter, who often resorts to vulgarity and obscene words, which the BBC have been happy to broadcast in the past.

The Radio 2 production team should have had better judgment and stopped this programme from being broadcast. They must be disciplined as well. The BBC Director General was on holiday and this was probably the last thing he wanted to ruin his break. Until he returns to work, do the staff at the BBC think they can get away with anything? Well this time they got caught out.

The whole thing shows just how bad society has become in the world of "entertainment". Decent people are outraged at the way the BBC has handled this as well the bad behaviour of the presenters. Some people might think there was nothing wrong with Ross and Brand or that it is just a small incident, but I think that people are outraged because this has been building up for a long time, with many disgusting, rude and vulgar people and programmes being broadcast by the BBC and other TV and radio channels.

People are fed up with the immorality and lack of decency in broadcasting today and are now making their voices heard. This recent incident is just too much and people have been pushed too far in the direction of having an open sewer coming into their homes bringing too much filth from the BBC and others.

Things have got to change. Sacking Ross and Brand, and their production team at Radio 2, is just the start. We need to get back to true values, Christian values, those found in the Bible. We need a return to decent wholesome entertainment. Gone are the great entertainers who made us laugh without shocking us, such as Morecombe and Wise, The Two Ronnies and programmes like The Good Life and Dad's Army. They made us laugh without swearing or resorting to nasty pranks to get cheap laughs.

We need a return to a Bible-based society. A good place to start would be to visit these websites:
Online Bible
United Church of God

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1 Year of Smoke-Free Living

It is now 1 year since the smoking ban started in England on 1 July 2007. It is good that about 400,000 people have given up smoking. But what a shame that so many still smoke and try to justify it, quoting such things as civil liberties.

But why do smokers think that they are free? They are slaves to the tobacco companies, spending a fortune every year on a drug that will eventually kill them, and making the shareholders of tobacco companies very rich.

The freedom is when a person is no longer addicted to smoking, plus the freedom for everyone to eat or drink in a smoke-free environment.

The scientific facts clearly show that smoking kills. It is not only the smoke that the smoker breathes in that is damaging, but also there is the smoke from the cigarette and that which is breathed out, that can harm other people in the vicinity of the smoker.

We really do need to consider a programme of phasing out smoking altogether. All those who still smoke should be given help to quit, which can be paid for through the taxes raised on smoking. I realise that the British Government makes a lot of money from the tax they add to tobacco sales, but this money should be used wisely. If everyone gave up smoking, then although the taxes from tobacco would cease, there would be less expenditure by the Government on getting people to quit, on treating smoking-related diseases, and if the taxes were being used just for getting people to quit, then as more people quit, there would be less people still to treat.

Although people have a right to smoke, they do not have a right to smoke in places where smoking is banned by law or by the owner/occupier (e.g. a private home). Everyone has the right to be enslaved to large corporations if they so wish. But everyone also has the right to enjoy life without being adversely affected by those who wish to be slaves to smoking.

I have never smoked in my life, and never will. I made the choice not to when I was a young boy, and I will never change that choice. I will not choose to endanger my own health or that of others in such a way.

If you are a smoker, then you owe it to yourself to at least consider how much of a slave you are and whether you wish to continue in this, or whether you would prefer to be free.

The best choice is to choose life.

Congratulations, Boris!

Congratulations, Boris Johnson, you deserved to win the London Mayor elections! I look forward to the great improvements you plan for London.

God bless you.

Time for Ken to go home and leave City Hall. Don't forget to hand in your security pass on the way out, Ken.

Boris, good luck in your new job!

Time For A Change, London

It is time for a change in London. Today is the day voters throughout Greater London can finally get rid of Ken Livingstone as Mayor and get a new London Mayor who can change things for the better.

If you live in Greater London and are registered to vote, go out and vote for a new Mayor, otherwise we will have four more years of arrogance, indifference and sleaze from Ken Livingstone.

This election is very tight and it could go either way. Every single vote counts – including yours. Imagine how you’ll feel if you don’t vote today and tomorrow Ken Livingstone sneaks back in because you failed to vote.

There are plenty of candidates to choose from, some extremely to the left or the right, some in the middle, some with fresh ideas, some with stale ideas.

There is a good candidate in Alan Craig, a Christian and quite possibly a good mayor. Also there is Boris Johnson, the only serious contender to replace Ken Livingstone.

Whoever you vote for, get out and vote, and please do not vote for Ken Livingstone, there are at least two decent alternatives. If Ken wins, he will hire more police, but only so they can fine everyone for minor offences like dropping litter. Suppose you are walking down the street, a sweet wrapper falls out of your pocket as you pull out your mobile phone, and then a police officer sees this and fines you £100. Is this the London you want? Do we really want a police state? That is what Ken Livingstone wants.

I would suggest you make your two votes for Boris Johnson and Alan Craig, but the choice is yours.

London Mayor Elections

Soon it will be time to vote in the elections for the London Mayor, on 1 May 2008. Currently we still have Ken Livingstone as major, but I hope that he will soon be replaced by someone much better.

Ken's achievements have been mixed: he managed to almost bring the office of the London Mayor into disrepute; he has lowered bus fares (after increasing them), at least for Oyster PAYG users; he has increased the costs of cash fares on buses and trains, as well as that of Travelcards; he has introduced to London the hated bendy buses, loved only by those people who travel on it for free; he has given children free travel in a way that encourages them to steal free travel when they longer are entitled to it and a whole children being unruly on buses culture; he has increased our Council Tax bills through his increased spending on pointless projects and things that the London Assembly really should not get involved in; he has broken his promises (e.g. he promised to keep bus conductors, but they soon went); and he is really not a nice man.

I personally would prefer Boris Johnson to be the new London Mayor. If you live anywhere in Greater London (the area covered by the London Mayor, although you would be surprised at how many people who live in Greater London but deny it and deny the truth that the London Mayor has jurisdiction over their town), and you are registered to vote, then please do not vote for Ken Livingstone. He has done enough damage to London already, so it is time for a change.

I cannot tell you who to vote for, but here is Boris Johnson's website: www.boris-johnson.com and read about Boris's plans for small businesses at the Startups website.