h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is what we need more of in London: Military Parades. Here is a military parade in North Korea overseen by their ruler: Kim Jong-Un. I must say the way he fidgets & looks at the camera nervously - I am not sure he is really cut out at being a ruthless dictator & evil-doer:

Opens up into a iplayer clip
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24012755

Kim Jong Un seems more comfortable talking about basketball with his mate Dennis Rodman:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24001206

The BBC poke fun at a British Family trying to only buy British (to help the British economy). Even British souvenirs (flags etc) are made in China:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21023248

Qatar 2022 World Cup award may be a mistake, says Sepp Blatter

Asked by insideworldfootball.com about awarding Qatar the tournament, the 77-year-old said: "It may well be that we made a mistake at the time. Blatter, who in May said it was "not rational" to play the World Cup in Qatar in June and July, added: "On the other hand, you must also consider political and geo-political realities" as well as huge piles of cash paid into our Swiss bank accounts (allegedly).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24023651

Next week Mr.Blatter will be conceding that water *may* be wet, the sky *may* be blue, in space no-one *might* be able to hear you scream, and that pigs *might* not be the best avians out there.

Sometimes I worry about some people in "science". Here is a human social study focusing on fatherhood that includes testicle size as a potential influential factor. A "scientist" mentions that "the exact nature of any link is not clear" but that the research had been fun to carry out. Dr Balls said further studies, involving analysing the size before and after becoming a father, are still needed. Also, since all the men were from Atlanta & further studies were needed across the US & the world to assess the geography of the effect:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24016988

Graeme Obree, cycling maverick & legend, is out to break the speed cycling record in another one of his inventions:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24015622

Police: A&E 'better' than cells for mentally unwell

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23965479

This was the subject of a really badly informed Panorama last night. This is the job I do daily. The Panorama report was ill informed and badly put together.

In the county chosen for the programme there is no regular inreach to the custody suites by MH professionals. Also people detained under S136 of the mental health act (people found in a public place by a police officer appearing to be in need of assessment) in the progamme were taken to a police station with a target of 3 hours for assessors to respond.

Where I work we have regular inreach and prompt professional assessment of detainees AND S136 detainees go to a hospital place of safety suite where we have a target of an hour to assessment (usually achieved).

'About a fifth of all police time is now spent dealing with the mentally unwell, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers.' Great sound bite, but absolute nonsense.

I'm going to watch this on iPlayer. Just so that I can get cross about it all over again.

Panorama is an award winning series. I have always assumed that this suggests that what I see on Panaorama, in areas that I know nothing about, is informative and accurate.

This was nothing more than wild, unbalanced sensationalism.

PP.

I'd be interested to read your response on this PP.

I've not watch the programme, but my brother has suffered from mental health issues in the past so I've seen the effects from that side of things.

It's often a shock when you see something reported in the media about which you were personally involved or in a field you have particular expertise on. They can get it spectacularly wrong sometimes. I was tangentially involved in a minor BBC fly-on-the wall documentary. When I saw the programme I couldn't believe how much they'd twisted events, shown things out of sequence and "creatively" edited the piece to tell a story which had very little grounding in reality. Never again.

HM 'issues' covers a very wide range. (From memory) 75% of people who suffer from mental disorders never come to the notice of secondary mental health services - they are managed by their GP. And an even smaller proportion will ever have any dealings with the police. The impression given by this programme was that if not for the police, the streets would be filled with people killing or harming themselves or others and that MH professionals turn up when they can be bothered. (And of course that we are closing hospitals just because we are). In fact financial constraints bring about closures all over the country and reductions in staff to deliver care and thereapy.

The small cross section of people featured in this programe were a long way from being representitive of people suffering from mental disorders and did nothing at all to de-stigmatise sufferers.

I would hope that your brother Pastey, has had no experience akin to that seen on TV last night. If he had, and lived where I work, he would have been seen and assessed by myself or a colleague promptly (but we don't work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and brought into services for treatment if required, signposted to more appropriate services if required or given self care advice.

PP.

Are you a Mental Health expert?

No, he's a fish.

Criminal Justice Mental Health Team Social worker working in mental health for 28 years. I've picked one or two things up along the way.

PP.

Pfft, last week you said you were Napoleon.





















sorry

18 months in a mental home, another 18 months in a half way house. And some time in prison. He's seen a few different aspects of MH treatment, but has always had the highest regard for what he received.

PP.

In other news, a woman has pushed her husband of 8 days off a cliff in Glacier National Park. Prior to the argument that led to this act, she had texted a friend to say she wasn't sure she was into the marriage, that it may have been a mistake.

I think she should have given the marriage at least another week before making up her mind.

Local National News (unofficial)

Big storm during the night. Our first 'proper Nor-Wester' since coming here (NZ is quite a windy country anyway). Quite something it was, too, with rumblings still going on.
I've been in worse ... at sea.

Garden in disarray with chairs, ornaments, bark chippings all redistributed and, initially, thoughts that the roof dish/aerial had moved (but, it seems, luckily not - or not much anyway).
Reports that a forest has been 'flattened' but - wait for further reports

Gusts up to 140kph (85-90mph) expected today in this area.


Probably no G&T in the Magoda this evening. (A87785464)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/un-special-investigator-calls-for-governments-bedroom-tax-to-be-abolished-8807678.html


UN inspector says bedroom tax is a bad thing.
shock horror