Should I buy Recycled Office Paper
From one of our regulars.
Our office is doing a review of the paper it buys and it has been suggested that buying paper made from virgin fibre that is certified to ISO14001 and FSC is better than recycled paper. Is this correct?
Provide common sense...
Lyme Disease and the joy of tics
A question from the pub the other night
Following a fun bit of biking in the woods I had a shower and found 3 tics. This is not uncommon. I know I should twist them off using the wee tools and know that I should seek medical advice should a red ring forms round the bite but sure we can do more to prevent tics. With my dog I treat it with a spot on which reduces the number of tics dramatically. Surely they can develop a human version?
One pearl of wisdom on “Lyme Disease and the joy of tics”
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Nominative Non-Determination
Noted by someone
I have noted that new housing schemes increasingly are themed with regards to road names and very commonly these themes are to do with plant names. Surely if they are going to go down this route they have to justify it by putting these plants into gardens on these streets. I have recently been down a Laburnum Rd without any Laburnums and know of a Red Wood Dr which has not a single Red Wood.
3 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “Nominative Non-Determination”
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Consultant G Says:
July 12th, 2010 at 9:48 amLong live Sequoia Heights.
I have seen many named after birds. Perhaps these refer to the names of the species whose habitat was destroyed in the building of the houses.
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Consultant K Says:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:00 pmI like your plan there. All new developments should be forced to title themselves in memorial to what was there. So it could be “Old School Playing Field Road” or “Ex-Pleasant Green Space Drive” or “Former Prime Habitat Close”
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July 16th, 2010 at 9:54 amI think it may break down on brown field sites and in cities - ‘old carpet warehouse drive’, ‘petrol station forecourt way’ etc. Redevelopment of hospital buildings could be even worse - ‘Rue Morgue’ anyone ?
Provide common sense...
Real or Good Honest Food
Noticed by one of our readers.
Dear Sirs. Do you not think it is amazing that Pedigree Chum and Ginsters Pies have such a similar tag line? One is good honest food while the other is real honest food. Is this all coincidence or are these products more closely related than we think?
One pearl of wisdom on “Real or Good Honest Food”
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June 29th, 2010 at 12:01 pmThis is an issue of scale - they are more similar than say, a rock and a pastie as they both contain carbohydrate, protien etc. However, beyond that perjhaps they share an advertising company (and one without much originallity at that), rather than anything more sinister.
Provide common sense...
Composting Liptons Herbal Tea
Dear Consultants
I have recently bought some Liptons herbal tea bags. Though they were delicious I was shocked to find that the labels are plastic coated, the string nylon and the bag nylon. Surely in these enlightened, home composting days it should not be allowed for companies to produce tea bags that are not compostable?
One pearl of wisdom on “Composting Liptons Herbal Tea”
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June 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pmYes, it should be banned. I suggest that you buy another brand instead.
Provide common sense...
Fox attacks.
Dear CSC
I notice in the papers that a second fox attack has occurred and was wondering if you could give some recommendations on ensuring that our children are safe from these creatures that all of a sudden seem to have taken to eating children.
One pearl of wisdom on “Fox attacks.”
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Consultant C Says:
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:06 pmI am extremely surprised at these alleged incidents concerning foxes and am doubtful that a fox was concerned at all. I would like to see forensic evidence before commenting further - I fear someone may have been mistaken. Entering houses is not normal fox behaviour.
Provide common sense...
Gulf Oil Spill
Dear All.
It seems that a lot of shouting is being done about the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico giving their tuppence worth on the event and so I feel I would like to too.
The spill is a tragedy on a massive scale. Not only have a large number of people lost their lives but a very large area of habitat on the west coast of the US is in danger and already countless animals and plants will have been killed.
People seem to be screaming that BP should be taken over by the US govt as they can’t handle the spillage. BP has already gone to all other oil companies operating in the gulf and borrowed any equipment suitable for controlling such an issue. Most worrying is the fact that none have such equipment and BP, though poorly prepared, was best prepared for such an incident.
This spill was not created by BP but instead by a series of other companies. What BP has done is put its head above the parapet and stated that as they were funding the operation, they will take full responsibility. Why is no one blaming the rigs owner (transocean), the operator (Halliburton), the US administration for licensing the operation, the US administration which approved the safety shut downs or even the manufacturers of the safety equipment?
The clean up costs are going to be massive and BP has said it will foot the bill. Sadly this is putting a financial value onto environmental degradation and to a large extent this is impossible. The money will instead largely go to businesses that are damaging the area (to varying extents) through fishing, farming and tourism.
It is strange that the US administration is going to look to have no one out of pocket for this disaster with the 10th anniversary of the Bopal disaster just the other day. Though hundreds died and many thousands were injured and many hundreds of thousands now live within the contaminated (and it still is) area and suffer birth defects the US negotiated the compensation down to $20million and is actually still to pay half of this.
So sorry for this rant but can we have a bit of common sense with regards this issue. BP and all the other companies involved in this issue, including the licensing authorities should foot the bill for the clean up. What we need is an organisation to ensure that all that can be done is being done, that sufficient funds are available to fund these operations and also to compensate where business has been damaged and also someone to put in place better risk assessments which are tried in practice rather than in theory! Can the CSC please step in??
One pearl of wisdom on “Gulf Oil Spill”
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justmeint Says:
June 15th, 2010 at 10:15 amThis entire toxic scenario is frightening……
Did You Know?
BP engineers alerted federal regulators at the Minerals Management Service that they were having difficulty controlling the Macondo well (Deepwater Horizon) six weeks before the disaster, according to e- mails released by the Energy and Commerce Committee.“I don’t think this would have happened on Exxon’s watch,” Tom Bower, author of “The Squeeze: Oil, Money and Greed in the 21st Century,” said in a June 11 Bloomberg Television interview. “They’d be much more careful and much more conscious of the need to supervise subcontractors.”
WELL excuse me your sainted Exxon……. and Chevron and ConocoPhillips.
Let’s just take a look at a few of your past misdemeanours, and then we can consider again – if the moratorium on deepwater drilling should be lifted, and place it all firmly back into your nice clean hands!
http://just-me-in-t.blogspot.com/2010/06/fairy-stories-about-oil-companies.html
July 26th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Common sense suggests that you should cover yourself up, and tuck items of clothing in to give the ticks less chance of getting to your skin. Consider wearing tigher cycling shorts or skin tight ‘tights’ to achiev this. Also, wear shorts that do not have a big split right up you crack.
Flea and tick spot on for animales works by spreading via the fur. Humans do not generally have sufficient fur to make this a possibility, so you would have to rub all over all parts.