Week 164 of Gibraltar Diary

Previous Week

Index        

Next Week    


Sunday 1st May 2011

That reminds me. Water shortages, anybody? Surprisingly, "experts" are saying that there may not be a water shortage in the UK. Given that we are surrounded by water and it rains none stop, that should hardy be a surprise but it is.

Monday 2nd May 2011

Well, I waited for the headline in the Sun, "Obama whacks Osama" but I waited in vain. Obviously, the fact that he was found lving next to a Pakistani Army base suggests collusion but on the other hand suppose he had been found living in Aldershot or St Johns Wood. Fortunately, he wasn't.

The bit that baffles me is why he didn't have a secret undeground bunker and keep all his vital files in a big safe. The guys who got him only had half an hour or so and may well have struggled. It suggests they had inside knowledge and knew where everything was.

Tuesday 3rd May 2011

Everybody enjoys a good car crash (unless you are in it) but the problem is that they happen far too quickly - they are over before you can whip out your camera.

What is great about the Euro is that this is a slow motion crash - we have a couple of years to really savour the delight of watching a whole bunch of unelected arrogant beaurocrats as their dream crumbles into dust. Anybody with even a basic understandng of politics and economics could have told them that it was doomed. You cannot have monetary union without political union.

To understand that, just ask yourself the question "how does a eurozone country default on its obligations?" Normal countries (like the UK) do it by periodically allowing the exchange rate to droop but that is not open to Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain. The PIGS will either have to be bailed out by the Krauts or leave the Euro.

Wednesday 4th May 2011

Which brings us to green energy. Preached by people who could not even get O-Level Physics. So, let me explain a few things about electric cars. You do not get energy for free - the electricity that is going to drive your car is made from gas or coal in power stations which spew out Carbon Dioxide. Forget windmills, they will only ever provide a few percent of output.

It then suffers transmission losses as it travels down miles of cable to your house. The transformer then suffers energy loss as it changes voltage for the rectifier which also suffers further losses. The low voltage DC current then suffers further losses as it it is turned into chemical energy. More losses come when that chemical energy is turned back into electricity. The final losses occur as the electric energy is finally turned into motion.

And what about the car heater when it is freezing cold outside? To have a heater in your car will flatten the battry in about 30 minutes. Buy a diesel.

Thursday 5th May 2011

I would love to fly like a bird. When I was younger I had a hang glider which was a glorious experience albeit not without risk. My first trip was almost my last (stalled from about 50 feet up). And my last trip was almost fatal (right out into the sea). Fun though.

Friday 6th May 2011

Food shortages? While we are in rant mode? Don't worry, the market will solve that problem. There are vast areas of the globe (eg the Ukraine) which could grow enormous amounts of food. And they will as the price rises. If you want to worry about something, worry about the inevitable steady decline in our standard of living over the next twenty years and what the political consequences will be.

Saturday 7th May 2011

I think this may be a yellow hammer. Or maybe not. Definitely yellow, anyway. [Research suggests it is actually a Great Tit]


Previous Week

Index        

Next Week    

      End of Week 164 of Gibraltar Diary

Copyright © Thingy Software. All rights reserved.