[blogfocus saturday] on the efficacy of alcohol

Just who is this summer honey? Clue – she’s in this Blogfocus.

1] Work – the curse of the drinking classes. Drink – the elixir from heaven or the breaker of homes? Fourteen bloggers give you their take on the demon drop. Mr. Eugenides kicks off:

There is a binge-drinking culture in this country: there are too many people storing up long-term health problems for themselves. People need to take more responsibility for their actions. Beyond this incontrovertible bromide, though, I don't know what the answer is; but I know it's not treating us like children. Lumping those of us who often go out for a drink of a Friday night and sometimes wake up with a sore head on Saturday morning, in with the alcoholics, the all-day drinkers, the genuinely habitual, and heavy, consumers of alcohol, just seems to me to be daft.

2] From the Baron at Gates of Vienna, it appears it’s not only on this side of the pond either.

Dymphna and I can testify, through long association with Charlottesville and UVa, that it does indeed have a reputation as a hard-drinking “party” college. Virginia Tech may give it a run for its money, but the University of Virginia is definitely where the children of the upper middle class want to go for an alcohol-friendly environment. Local parents out here in the boonies know the University’s major attraction, and it makes them worry if they have a kid who gets good enough grades to be accepted there.

3] The Cityunslicker, as part of one meme, listed these, among others, including disclosures about his drinking propensity:

1. I don't actually work in the City, geographically speaking;
2. I have never owned any shares;
3. The animals that scare me most are mice and any other types of rodents;
4. As a drinking lightweight, I would easily lose to a small teenage Chinese girl in a drinking competition.

Eleven more bloggers plus the Mystery Blogger here.

[charming situation] can't comment on my own blog

1] Every single post, Blogger asks me to switch to Beta. I ignore it;

2] When I go to someone else's Beta, I have to use a Google Account to comment;

3] My own blog now asks me to comment in the Beta way, by asking for my Google Account;

4] When I fill it in, it says I have no Google Account, [which I have just used to comment on someone else's blog];

5] I can't comment on my own post.

Fine.

6] I decide I finally have to try this Beta out, create a new blog, then go to switch it to Beta;

7] Beta says that at this time, it can't switch me because they're only switching a limited number of blogs and I'm not one of them. They further say that one or more of my blogs is unswitchable and therefore the rest are also unswitchable;

8] I succumb, cross my fingers and go to switch ALL my blogs;

9] They say sorry but one or more of my blogs ... but one day I can 'join in the fun'. They ask me if the comment was helpful. I press: 'No.'

10] They say thank you for my comment and at that point I jump up and run around the room screaming and gibbering like an idiot, muttering obscenities and wanting to kick the screen in, which is counterproductive and besides, it's actually Blogger I want to kick in anyway, isn't it?

I calmly post to you that I can't comment on your comments at this moment, dear commenters. I'm really, very, very sorry. How long Blogger will play this practical joke I know not.

[children’s health] now, whom can we blame

Here’s one article which blames the school for children’s ills: Canadian schools report:

43 per cent of boards had air-quality complaints in the 12 months prior to the end of the last academic year — and 30 per cent of boards did not respond to that question;
41 per cent of boards had cases of mould in those 12 months; 26 per cent did not respond;
32 per cent of school boards have counsellors in all their schools;
50 per cent of the boards have individual schools which have contracts with Coca-Cola or Pepsi to provide soft drinks and snacks;
26 per cent of school boards say they have daily physical education this year.

And speaking of childhood obesity, which we weren’t, more and more of the darlings are looking more and more like rolly-pollies as time goes by. So whom to blame here? We could try the fast food companies. Or we could blame the parents, finally. And what to do about it? Put them on Atkins?

Or fund schools properly, train teachers properly, teach children properly, including physical training and appeal to parents to start taking responsibility for their children? And stop covering up?

[whales] drawn north by melting ice

Two decades ago, hunters, scientists and other northern travellers usually reported about six killer whales a year in the waters of western Hudson Bay. By 2000, the number of sightings in that one area had ballooned to more than 30 annually.

The reason for the increase in killer whale numbers is unclear. But Federal researcher Jeff Higdon, who works with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Winnipeg, said his research shows a strong correlation between increased sightings and the decline of sea ice.

Apart from ignoring the journo-cringeworthy term ‘ballooning’ and admitting the reason is unclear, nevertheless, NASA studies suggest that for more than 25 years, winter sea ice diminished by about 1.5 per cent per decade. But in the last two years, melting has occurred at rates 10 to 15 times faster.

So what? It puts the Inuit hunters under pressure to survive for a start. So what, you ask again? Don’t know. Just thought I’d mention it.

[connex] can only locate 10% of its trains

Everybody loves Connex … according to Connex.

Many Brits have a sneaking admiration for the go-ahead perspicacity of Australia, particularly in cricket. I wonder what they’ll think after this story. Have you ever heard of Connex? Of the Brit disaster? Of how the company lost its contracts?

Australia obviously hadn’t heard about it because they were then allowed downunder to wreak their particular brand of havoc:

Melbourne’s rail operator, Connex, can pinpoint the location of trains on as little as 10 per cent of its network, The Sunday Age has found. More than three years after a damning report found the lack of a "real-time" display of train positions was a factor in a crash between a suburban train and a V/Line country train, Connex has admitted there has been no upgrade of Melbourne's old train-monitoring system.

My questions are 1] who approved the giving of the contract to this inept company in Britain; 2] why didn’t Australia learn from the lesson and 3] why aren’t the directors behind bars?

[creaking earth] everything normal, all ok

There’ve been no strange storms in Europe, no wild storms in Canada and the drought and flooding in Australia isn’t happening.

I've just come in from outside, wet through, where there is usually minus 10 and heaps of snow at this point in January and I'm lying if I tell you there's plus 2, light rain and a gale. It's not happening at all.

There’s no climate change and the Chinese haven't fired anything into space.

Everything’s normal, all’s ok. Bloggers, journos and pollies know far more than scientists about such matters, after all.

So, one last time, it's not happening, all right? Trust me on this.