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Say NO! to Hooters in Sheffield Petition : [ powered by iPetitions.com ]
2008-03-01 20:35:00
Say NO! to Hooters in Sheffield Petition : [ powered by iPetitions.com ]

Spring Clean of Hippie blog
2008-02-28 22:48:00
I have spent the last few hours spring cleaning. Not the house, though God knows it needs it. Nope, hippie blog.The blog links are all up to date, and the numerous which no longer exist or which have moved or which require password access are moved down to the now huge 'Quiet Just Now' section on the right.The bottom of the blog is also seriously trimmed. Out of date rings, links which lead to different places now than when I first added them, and unnecessaries were removed.The 'Sites I Like' section hasn't yet been done, but you have to start somewhere.
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BBC NEWS | Magazine | 'Robbed' of the right to smoke
2008-02-28 17:01:00
Robbed of the right to smokeThe ban on smoking in enclosed public places has caused controversy, but what if you couldn't smoke in the place where you lived? It's what mental health patients are claiming.Life in a typical mental health unit is not exactly festooned with luxuries. Like all hospitals, they can seem cold, clinical and austere places to many patients.And life is about to get worse for many of those held in a unit. By 1 July 2008 they must all be smoke-free. Prisons, on the other hand, will remain exempt from the smoking ban.The move is likely to anger many patients, who are not allowed to leave the unit and are not being punished for any crime. Already three are taking legal action over their right to smoke. You have the choice to smoke in prison, but not in a mental hospital - but prisons are there for punishment, and hospitals are there for treatmentRob Beech, legal advocateTwo of the cases, brought by Terrence Grimwood and another patient, are arguing against the e...
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Straw sacrifices prostitution law to ban strikes by prison staff | Politics
2008-02-28 16:49:00
Straw sacrifices prostitution law to ban strikes by prison staffThe government last night dropped key parts of its criminal justice and immigration bill, including a crackdown on prostitution, to ensure that powers banning prison officers going on strike are rushed on to the statute book by May 8.The justice secretary, Jack Straw, is also sacrificing a proposal which would have barred the appeal court quashing convictions on a technicality in cases where there was "no reasonable doubt" about the defendant's guilt. It stirred strong opposition in the legal world where it was seen as incursion on the discretion of judges.The bill would have introduced a programme of "compulsory rehab" for those involved in prostitution and removed the pre-Victorian term of "common prostitute" from the statute book which ministers said was widely regarded as stigmatising and offensive.Women who were persistently found to be involved in loitering and soliciting were to attend compulsory drug and alcoho...
More About: Politics , Prostitution , Prison , Staff

Photography Blog Updates
2008-02-23 23:04:00
World-Wide MomentJane Bown (Audio)Burma Follow-upHeeley City FarmMore from Heeley City FarmObsessed with the City Farm? Never!Wind TurbinesEnglish Tea-Can / China Painting Effect in PhotoshopPhoto to Drawing - PhotoshopFurther Photo to Drawing - SunflowersClassical Art Colour MatchThe Lomo Effect
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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
2008-02-16 23:45:00
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo is actually a complete and grammatically correct sentence.Bison from Buffalo, New York who are intimidated by other bison in their community also happen to intimidate other bison in their community is a quick-ish translation, but if you're still confused, read the wikipedia page.Love this stuff.See also James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.
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Lost in Translation
2008-02-04 22:48:00
Lost in Translation is a fun site, looking at the difficulties of translating between languages, especially when done automatically by a computer. And especially when used by a (cunning) linguist.You give it something in English, then it translates it to and from numerous languages then back into English, where the results are frequently comedic.I asked it to translate, "I get knocked down then I get up again you ain't never gonna keep me down".These are the results:Translated to Japanese:????????????????????????gonna ??????????Translated back to English:As for me being hit, then it causes me, you do not obtain me whom forthe second time gonna which is not it does not lock under anyconditionTranslated to Chinese:??????, ??????, ???????????????????????Translated back to English:Is hit as for me, does it then cause me, which you not to obtain mesecond time to go to is not it does not lock in any situationTranslated to French:Est frappé quant à moi, le fait me causent alors, au lequel...
More About: Lost

Project Chanology.
2008-02-01 18:23:00
A group of 'Anonymous' people have commenced Project Chanology, launching an online attack on Scientology , naming it a dangerous cult and a brainwashing cult.My work here is done.

Justice for rape victims
2008-01-30 14:25:00
Justice for rape victimsPlease add your signature to the open letter at the link above, addressed to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary.Every 34 minutes a rape is reported to the police in the United Kingdom. Thousands more victims do not come forward.Yet women are being failed by the criminal justice system, and left with nowhere to turn for support. We need your help to make a difference.Please add your signature, and we will present the letter to her after the end of the campaign on 8th March, International Women's Day.If you have any problems signing online, please email your name and organisation (if appropriate) to petition@fawcettsociety.org.uk or call us on 020 7253 2598 and we will add your name to the letter.Petition:Dear Home SecretaryEvery 34 minutes a rape is reported to the police in the United Kingdom. Thousands more victims do not come forward.Yet despite the scale of the problem, the Government has failed to provide the support that women want and need. The few remai...
More About: Justice , Rape , Victims

Some Astrologists They Are!
2008-01-21 23:07:00
'We regret to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the publication of The Astrological Magazine will cease with the December 2007 issue.'

Disgraceful!
2008-01-09 19:14:00
A terminally ill Ghanaian woman has been removed from hospital in Wales to be deported, because her Visa had run out. I'm so disgusted with my country's lack of care, humanity and basic respect.Cancer Patient Loses Visa BattleA Ghanaian woman who came to the UK five years ago and became a student is being flown back to the African country, despite being terminally ill.Ama Sumani was taken by immigration officers from a Cardiff hospital where she has been receiving dialysis for a year after cancer damaged her kidneys.Ms Sumani, 39, whose visa has expired, said she cannot afford care in Ghana.Her solicitor said they had pleaded compassionate grounds. The Home Office said it examined each case "with care".Before leaving, she had been comforted by a nurse in a day-room at the University Hospital of Wales.The immigration service arrived at 0800 GMT.Ms Sumani was tearful but calm when she left hospital in a wheelchair with five immigration officials, one carrying her suitcase, and she w...

Shopdropping.
2008-01-05 16:08:00
This word featured in a piece by Ian Urbina in the New York Times on Christmas Eve. It's a curious process that the writer succinctly described as reverse shoplifting. Its beginnings lie in a US west-coast guerrilla-art movement that wants to take over part of the public spaces of stores for artistic and political purposes. One aim is to subvert commercialism as a form of culture jamming (see http://wwwords.org?CLTR). As one example, an artist might replace a product label with another that features a political or consumerist message.To judge by the New York Times article, the term has since spread beyond its artistic origins to refer to any unauthorised placing of materials in stores. Some is still political or consumer activism, but the technique is now used for religious proselytising and for straightforward advertising and promotion. Independent bands, for instance, put copies of their albums in stores to promote them.Early appearances of the term were linked to the California ...

2008
2008-01-01 17:04:00
First photo of 2008 : to be uploaded laterFirst rant of 2008: How did this bastard get aggregated in google news?? It's fucking outrageous.First drink of 2008: pepsi max, am on too many painkillers to have had a real drink :-(First wish of 2008: may these period pains please ease quicklyFirst voice heard in 2008: woman across the road shouting Happy New YearFirst crisis of 2008: hopefully dealt withFirst wish to blog readers for 2008: Have a great one!First resolution for 2008: Don't give up anything, especially cigarettes or chocolate.

The Provident.
2007-12-29 16:01:00
Shame on greatoffers@allaboutsavings.co.uk for this email, which is neither a great offer, nor anything about savings.The Provy, those bullying, preying-on-the-poor, knocking-on-the-door loan sharks, have offered me possibly the worst terms for a loan ever. Have a look at the bottom right, *Example. Cash loan amount £300.56 weekly repayments of £9Total amount payable £504Typical183.2% APR183.2% APR typical. So some people presumably get even higher rates!Let's have a look. CCJs, poor credit history, been turned down before, renting a home, unemployed... yep! So you're perhaps not in the best financial situation? How can you almost guarantee to make it a million times worse? Oh yes, borrow from the Provy! Borrow £300, pay back £504. And that, of course, is if you make every payment every week. If not... well, higher interest, increasing your 'loan' amount to cover missed payments... add a bit more to the end cost. You're already buggered, why not?I am furious that this was sent ...

Chocolate
2007-12-24 18:35:00
I just went to my local shop, to find it had displays of Mini Eggs and Cadbury's Creme Eggs.Happy Easter, folks!
More About: Chocolate

The 90s
2007-12-18 18:39:00
I'm watching some old Silent Witness episodes (an Amanda Burton fix was feeling necessary). Weirdly, one of the things that dates them is the fact that all the women's trousers come up to their waists! Every woman really stands out because she's not wearing hipsters. Damn those things have taken over. They look cool, but I can't wear them. My tummy is too round and they fall down all the time. It's now virtually impossible to buy jeans that cover tummies. Let's go back to the days of Amanda Burton on telly, and jeans with tummies. In finding a link for her I discovered that Ms Burton's last two relationships have been with photographers. Admittedly they were male, but there's hope for me yet. Maybe.

Recent Photography Blog posts
2007-12-13 14:19:00
Photography blog:Surveying the SceneBurmaFree BurmaDreams. Edited in Photoshop CS3NPR - Think PinkMy Favourite FavouriteTJ Hughes Sends you a HugNinety Smokers by Dan DonovanSupertram in MotionLocal Newspaper Publication
More About: Photography , Blog , Recent , Posts

Helping Charities with Recycled Used Stamps
2007-12-13 00:48:00
Used-stamps.co.uk is in need of an update, so until that happens, still collect all the used stamps off envelopes you receive (particularly at this time of year with Christmas cards and such), and send them off to:Posted! Stamps for Charities Education Distribution ServiceFreepost FPN 772Castle RoadSITTINGBOURNEKent ME10 3RLApparently these will be distributed to charities such as Great Ormond St Children's Hospital, RSPB, Macmillan cancer support and RNIB.Info from the ever good money saving expert forums.Go awn, it's an easy good deed to do :)

It's exactly as we all hoped!
2007-12-11 18:04:00
Jodie Foster comes out - at last!Congratulations, Jodie. But why did it take so long to confirm what we already knew?It's standard practice for Hollywood stars to thank friends and family when accepting awards. But when Jodie Foster paid tribute to "my beautiful Cydney" during a speech at the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment breakfast last week, it caused a ripple of excitement.So now we know. Jodie Foster's partner of at least 15 years is a woman. Just like Jodie. That's right, folks: Jodie Foster is a lesbian. This startling piece of news is akin to the shock revelation that Rudolph the Reindeer has a very shiny nose. In other words, if you didn't already know this, you seriously need to retune your gaydar.It's a secret as open as the Grand Canyon that Foster has been stepping out with film producer Cydney Bernard for years, and that they are raising Foster's two children together. The surprise is not that Jodie is gay, but that it has taken her so long to say so...
More About: Jodie Foster

Continued
2007-12-09 10:16:00
Who is thought to have left panama for florida, has been feeding stories to the papers about how, amongst other things, he hid in a tunnel when they had visitors, including their sons. Now, this is what blows my mind. Life insurance fraud, while maybe unusual, isn't that weird. But pretending to your sons that their dad is dead, when you know he's not, is just horrific.It was recently the 2 year anniversary of my dad's death. If, in another 3 years, my mum said oh, by the way your dad is fine, we just
More About: Conti

Continued 2
2007-12-09 10:16:00
We just wanted the life insurance money, and that was more important than letting you grieve your dad for 5 years, believe he's gone forever, and actively hide his existence from you.I don't think you could ever forgive that.
More About: Conti

Unbelievable
2007-12-09 10:05:00
I've been following this news story over the last week or so, of the guy who turned up at a police station saying he had lost his memory. It came out that he had been presumed dead after disappearing when canoeing in the sea 5 years ago. It then got stranger, when someone told the police that a recent photo of this guy + his wife was on a website about buying property in Panama. It all began to look like a big life insurance scam. He has indeed now been arrested and charged with fraud, and his wife
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Now this is clever.
2007-12-05 16:29:00
I love it!
More About: Clever

About Bloody Time
2007-11-29 12:46:00
Reforms aim to dispel rape myths and increase convictionsClare Dyer, legal editorThursday November 29, 2007Juries are to be told how rape victims typically respond in an attempt to dispel "rape myths" which ministers believe are contributing to plummeting conviction rates for the crime.A panel of judges, doctors and academics will start work next month on the project, which will attempt to put together a package to inform the jury without interfering with the fairness of a trial.The move is part of reforms announced yesterday by the solicitor general, Vera Baird, aimed at boosting a conviction rate which has dropped from 33% of reported rapes in 1977 to just 5.4% in 2005, rising slightly to 5.7% last year. A US study in 1989 found that myths affected the outcome of rape trials more than any evidence. Jurors are expected to be told that victims may be slow to report the attack and that they may appear unemotional in the witness box, contrary to expectations."Juries sometimes find it ...
More About: Time , Bloody

China and the Lamas.
2007-11-23 20:11:00
The Chinese government has brought in a law making it illegal to reincarnate without their permission. It's all because the Dalai Lama is now 72 and they want some control over the next one. As well as imprisoning the Panchen Lama chosen by the current Dalai Lama, they have nominated their own Panchen Lama which could potentially lead to *two* Dalai Lamas being appointed on the current one's death - one officially sanctioned by the Chinese government, the other by the Tibetan and other Buddhists.The current Dalai Lama has said that he will reincarnate, and that he won't reincarnate as a Tibetan, leaving the interesting position of the Chinese Government having to sanction a Tibetan person in the position.Interesting stuff!
More About: China , Buddhism

TJ Hughes sends you a hug
2007-11-07 23:14:00
TJ Hugh es sends you a hug, originally uploaded by incurable_hippie. with their faulty lighting, in Sheffield city centre tonight.

Anti-Glurge
2007-11-04 20:36:00
(What is glurge? Glurge is best described as the cloyingly sentimental stories, testimonials and object lessons frequently sent as email or chain letters. Glurge can also be experienced at the end of religious services or motivational speeches, usually in the form of a 'true' example of perseverance against seemingly impossible odds. read more...Emma's StoryMany years ago, a new family moved into our neighborhood, little six-year-old Emma and her mom and dad. They were a fine and upstanding Christian family. The first Christmas they were there, her parents bought Emma a fluffy white little bunny which she called Buster. Emma loved Buster with all her heart, and it brought such joy to me to watch Buster and Emma playing happily in their garden.One day, Buster fell ill, and Emma and her parents carefully carried him to the car and drove off to the vet's. But on the way, a drunk driver drove through a red light and crashed into Emma's car. Her dad and the bunny died instantly, and...
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Blog Updates 13/10.
2007-10-13 20:42:00
Newly Added Blog sLonerGrrlAnti-Pornography ActivistDaily Dose of ImageryJavajive - Photography from Indonesia 3 a.m. from KyotoSpice of LifeNewly Added SitesThe Feminist E-ZineFree Sewing BookOf InterestIn June, I wrote about my city flooding - not something that ever happens here, and a shock to everyone. According to Environmental Defense in America, global warming will cause more and more flooding. The Spicy Cauldron eloquently discusses the same issue. Will we ever listen??Trying to reduce your plastic carrier bag usage? Well, don't shop at Primark! Refusing a carrier bag just isn't allowed for security reasons. Ridiculous! Complain, quick!
More About: Updates

Women and Pensions (UK)
2007-10-10 21:21:00
Because women often need to take breaks from our careers, to have children or because of caring responsibilities, it's quite common for us to lose out on a state pension due to lack of National Insurance contributions.So, as a service to the women of Britain aged over 60, I'm sharing this article from the fab Money Saving Expert site.Are you a woman over 60 who doesn't get a state pension?Are you a woman over 60 who doesn?t get a state pension? Get £1000s backWhat's this about?A parliamentary question by a Lib Dem MP has shown that many women in their 60s are unnecessarily missing out on the state pension. To get a pension you need to have paid national insurance for 10 years of your working life; around 750,000 women are believed to be very near, but just under, this threshold.By offering to pay a few £100, if you're near the threshold you can start to get the basic pension of £87 a week, and get a backdated payout from your 60th birthday, which is likely to be £1000s.The reas...
More About: Women

Snippets
2007-10-09 16:56:00
Great news, via the Indie and the f-word, Major airline refuses to help with forcible removal of immigrants. By Robert Verkaik, Law EditorPublished: 08 October 2007An important part of the Government's immigration policy has suffered a serious blow after a leading airline announced it would no longer carry failed asylum-seekers who were being forcibly removed from the United Kingdom.XL Airways, which has a fleet of 24 aircraft, said it was opposed to the policy because it had "sympathy for all dispossessed people in the world".Last week, The Independent revealed that hundreds of failed asylum-seekers have claimed they have suffered physical and racial abuse during the removal process at the hands of private security guards.The Government relies on airlines using chartered and scheduled aircraft to deport asylum-seekers who have failed to win a right to remain in the UK.In an email to a campaign group which supports failed asylum seekers, XL said its chief executive had told the Gov...