Dagmar

If this laughable proposal was to be enacted, who would it really affect? Small non VAT registered businesses and tradesmen volunteers and charity workers the elderly and retired the low paid and unemployed And of course the average motorist who drives to work to earn an already savagely taxed income. All to support a small sector that is finding that it is a bit tough at the moment. In time the oil price will stabilise and the hauliers will adjust their costing to allow for it. Any of them with half a brain would write a fuel surcharge clause into their contracts wouldn't they? The real scandal is not the 'price' of oil; we all understand that that is variable. It is surely a tax and duty system that is percentage based and thus benefits the governments coffers. An even better idea would be if the government stopped wasting money and reduced general taxation, then we would have a clear choice whether we wished to spend it on fuel. As it is the more it costs to run a vehicle, taking into account cost/depreciation/interest/insurance/maintenance/VED etc., the more incentive there is to use it, to bring down the average cost per mile.

Would this sum things up?

Yes it is. Secularism demands tolerance of individual thought. Although it may need to be enshrined in law for example in Turkey or Syria. Turkey is becoming more fundamentalist and as a consequence the secular values of the state are being eroded.

The eradication of evil and an end to ignorance is what many religions promise but manifestly fail to deliver. Probably because a healthy dose of tolerance is required; something that is iniquitous to religion.

I'm with her! We need more people like this.

I agree with that sentiment, although sometimes you need to wave a big stick to get some attention!

Communism and National Socialism both tried to replace the slavish devotion to religion by a similar devotion to their respective creeds. In order to achieve their ends both had to subvert the rule of law that was based on religious precepts. These systems fail because they are totalitarian. This is not secularism! The National Secular Society campaigns for.......... “a society in which all are free to practise their faith, change it or not have one, according to their conscience. Our belief or lack of it should neither advantage nor disadvantage. Religion should be a matter of private conscience, for the home and place of worship; it must not have privileged input into the political arena where history shows it to bring conflict and injustice.” There is a good wiki article that explains that: Secularism is generally the assertion that certain practices or institutions should exist separately from religion or religious belief. Alternatively, it is a principle of promoting secular ideas or values in either public or private settings over religious ways of thought. In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions. (See also Separation of church and state and Laïcité.) In another sense, it refers to a belief that human activities and decisions, especially political ones, should be based on evidence and fact rather than religious influence.(See also public reason.) The purposes and arguments in support of secularism vary widely. In European laicism, it has been argued that secularism is a movement toward modernization, and away from traditional religious values. This type of secularism, on a social or philosophical level, has often occurred while maintaining an official state church or other state support of religion. In the United States, some argue that state secularism has served to a greater extent to protect religion from governmental interference, while secularism on a social level is less prevalent. Within countries as well, differing political movements support secularism for varying reasons. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism ( This is a well referenced article)

I think that would be a major advancement of the Human race.

What caused you to be 'born again'?

Islams strength in many parts of the world has little to do with genuine faith, more to do with fear and brutality. This goes hand in hand with poverty and ignorance. The advent of Islam in the arab world marked the end of their long tradition of science and learning. No religion can thrive with a questioning or probing population, the well educated West has no need to be told the answers to questions,because it can find them out for itself, either individually or as a society. Societal units (and these could be faiths or civilisations) crumble because they are not held together, usually by some degree of force, this may be physical,spiritual or moral and usually is a combination of the three in varying degrees. The Islamic model of society was of great interest to Hitler, who was impressed how Islam commanded every action of the devotee, and demanded a blind obedience to the creed. he understood that ignorance and/or unworldliness was a prerequisite however, and as a consequence recruitment for SS units was directed at rural farm boys ( easy to indoctrinate) while the Army recruited (from the cities and industrial centres) youths who were better educated and more socialy ware. Churchill had long experience of Muslims and formed an opinion that would be borne out today by anyone travelling in Muslim areas, How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome. -- Sir Winston Churchill (The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 [London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899]). Even Islamic commentaters raise questions about the faith and its future aspirations - some can be found here: http://www.islam-watch.org/articles.htm

It's not a positive message -to us. But it is to him; for now. I doubt that it's a view that he will keep for long though

Of course it is ...in the same that the child has a right to voice his bizarre views. Thats what public sector broadcasting is for is it not?

Its a child speaking, with a childs perspective, on a childrens programme to other children. It's not going to really have any influence at all is it? It's only up on the site for a few more days anyway.

I don't see why children should be allowed to have opinions let alone voice them; they should just shut up and think as their told to. Free speech be damned! I mean, we all know that trees are a positive environmental factor and stuff like this could warp the perspective of an entire generation..............but it probably won't will it?

I think that I remember reading somewhere, and it may well have been from an NT publication, that the purpose of this form of pruning is to recreate the traditional effect that would have been produced by traditional methods and tools to create the pollards in the first place. Bear in mind that the trees would have been pollarded with little more that billhooks and axes by a low paid peasant workforce and it is reasonable to assume that how the tree looked was pretty unimportant. equally the trees health would have been irrelevent as there were plenty more around. It makes sense that to maintain and indeed replicate this particular type of woodland, the NT would seek to reproduce the effects of late medieval management practices if not the methods, which would no doubt raise some H&S eyebrows! Whether it looks pretty in the immediate aftermath will be a matter of opinion, but we can see the long term effects in the mature pollards in the forest, which are striking.

If thats true and you feel you have to do this then you can't be very good at your chosen career, if you have to struggle so much. Perhaps a change of direction would be an idea.

No problem with the first part of your post but the view that 'birds of prey' are nice is a bit simplistic!!! Granted they have an ooh aah factor for the gibbering classes, but anyone who sees on a regular basis the rapacious effect of the unwarrented protected status awarded to these birds would see them as nothing more that a scourge on our wildlife, in their currently uncontrolled state. Visit: http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/ for a bit of detail. The obvious problem with the figures available is that they are woefully out of date and the money to fund a new round of surveys is not forthcoming. I suspect because it would draw an unpopular conclusion. Perhaps we would do a far better job of wildlife management if we were prepared to act on problem species for the bettrement of others and stopped worrying about how many yoghurt pots we can recycle, hoping that will solve all our environmental problems. For the record, I intensely dislike barbed wire too.

Really? There's loads around here. Badgers are queing up to commit suicde due to TB and we're poisened with foxes. The latest mammel survey shows a huge leap in numbers for some species and I don't just mean the rats!

Can anyone better this??

Absolutely right! But, learning about the biology of trees is part of what we do, the minority who are simply not bothered to educate themselves will never advance much beyond the lowest order as they will never be able to sell themselves or their skills.

Actually they're not. The last few Tree Officers that I've had dealings with showed a very condescending attitude and knew very little about the methods we were using. Or the law pertaining to the site for that matter

Mulberry bleeds heavily at the cut, so much so that if pruning one you would be advised not to make a cut of more that 2” in diameter. Consequently it will need at least a year to season before burning. It will split easily and burns with a medium amount of smoke but spits out a lot of sparks. It has a pleasant fragrance and is popular for smoking meat or for barbeques. It will produce a lot of heat, similar to Apple or Pear wood. Mulberry sells well to furniture makers as it bends easily with heat. If you cut it into 6' lengths about 3” wide it will sell for a good price.

Ha Ha! Do you think that they won't tax any replacements? A cash cow is a cash cow however 'green' it is

The principal of using H2O or HHO to provide an enhancement to petrol or diesel powered engines has been around for years and as a story its a bit old hat. Just think back to chemistry lessons about 'Browns gas' for example! Check out the two wikipedia articles here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_fuel_enhancement And here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyhydrogen_flame Browns gas is used in flame cutting so the knowledge to make it well known, but whether you can power a vehicle with it seems a bit vague and inconclusive. If it really worked and lived up to its promises then the research to put it into automotive and engine technology would be underway, thinking back I seem to remember that producing it used a significant ammount of electrical power - more than the power the gas would produce. This suggests that it is not viable commercialy except for some specialist applications. Some even disagree with this however; http://www.alternative-energy-resources.net/browns-gas-the-reality.html Maybe it has a place in the future, but for now it looks like its just another way for the gullible to spend their money

http://www.inloughborough.com/news/2008/fool/11006_trees.php