Independant Financers speak on Taxes

Hmm. This is new...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/issues/4472369.stm

It seems this independant body has done us all a favour and exposed some actual FACTS in the sea of rhetoric and editorial.

How close was the vote in keynsham last time?!

http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/locinfo.phtml?ctid=2908&mnu=3

Check out how close the vote was for Dan Norris (our Labour MP). If all the Lib Dem voters for example, chose to vote Conservative, he would lose. In fact it wouldn't even take all of them to do it. Also, bare in mind he will lose a lot of votes this time over fox hunting, as the pro fox hunting lobby hate him for supporting the ban on their bloodsport.

Speed Cameras - blurring the issue

You know what? It's time for a good, old fashioned rant.

Speed cameras. Dear lord. Does anyone here drive? Does speed cause your accidents to occur? Is anybody other than me thinking the cause of almost all accidents, fatal or otherwise, is most definately lack of attention, driving skill and state of being in the vehicle at the time?

Take me, for example. Both accidents I was in where I was at the wheel (and technically at fault - not the other driver, I admit that ...) occurred in extremily slow, stop start traffic near a roundabout. Both were based on either a distraction at a key second, or in the case of the first accident, the car simply sliding along a watery surface and aeroplaneing (losing friction).

Neither accident broke the 20 mph mark. Probably nothing even close to that, in fact.

On the other hand, I recently was party to a long distance drive with a young driver, who had passed her test just six months previous to the road trip. Most of her driving was lovely, and I don't wish in any way to besmirch her. However, as a point of where experience and training was sadly lacking from her arsenal, we were doing around 75-80 mph after overtaking a car or two in the middle lane, travelling in the third. Within a few moments, nothing more, we had two guys in estates travelling far faster than we were, up our rear.

Being inexperienced, she remained in the third lane alittle longer than they would have liked. So what did they do? Illegally undertook us.

Now, this might not sound terribly stressful to the seasoned road warrior. For this person however, a certain degree of discomfort and dare I even suggest - panic - seemed to set in somewhere deep and slight.

After two cars had passed us, she reared slightly to the right, to turn left. This caused us to travel onto the 'bumps' on the white stripe, kicking up 'marbles' (dust) at that unused part of the tarmac. Cars behind began to panic (we later learned this as a friend was travelling in one of them). Then veering to the left, heading towards the middle lane, our path was blocked by a small, black Fiat 'Cinquento'. We were in a five door Renault Clio (original style).

Super mini vs very small supermini ...

As I looked left, I realised that the driver had absolutely no clue that in leaving the third lane, the second lane was not vacant. I yelled - loudly and very suddenly. She veered back into the right lane and waited to be passed, before pulling in to the second lane again, and eventually the first.

This is a simple example of where training and experience can and should be given to students before they are released onto the roads to make these simple, innocent mistakes. This lady was under pressure from two very rude drivers who themselves were clearly breaking the law by undertaking a vehicle moving easily fast enough for the travelling limit of that stretch of road - 70 mph.

Speed cameras won't cut the deaths on our roads, better driving will. It's easy, Tony. Driving tests need to be revelant and a driving course approach should be taken, with moduals, not a single day test where any bozo can blag it through by being good on the day at a few manouvers and a bit of basic car operation. Motorway training should be part of the course, and it should have a minimum length and include 'social road skills' (use of over taking, what to expect from drivers, etc).

Let's teach people about real driving and not the textbook alternative.

It's really coming down now!

A sad, sad day. Finally it's really hitting home; the Bingo Hall is coming down. Right down.

Over the last few days they've been hacking away and chipping at brickwork and the front fascia slabs with this enormous claw aperatus mounted on their Penny digger.

Just today however, the action picked up a pace with whole, significant front sections of the hall being broken down by this impresive claw - although at one stage it appeared to have been bust on the brickwork, and a gathering of workers were hammering the ironwork with hammers and tools to get it started once more. Very interesting stuff.

It will be sad to see it go. The teen titains now want to get up close to the hall as well. Hopefully there will still be plenty for them to see without trying to go inside, which now would be pretty dangerous (although I am convinced that I could do it anyway, and it wouldn't be the first time). But it's sort of a moot point really, as none of this will probably ever take place.

Sionara, Charlton Cinema. It was nice knowing you, and your bloated, air fowl.

Collection of all info for VOTERS

Right here, right now!

This is the web page to check before you go and cast your vote. Do it today. You'll be glad you did ... ho hum.

http://www.melted.com/korner/personal/anyotherbusiness.htm

A total collection of all the pages and articles I've written thus far.

I thank you,

-=Kim Kaze=-

The concerns of one voter ...

"I've been looking for a party which address my concerns. I've just graduated and thanks to this government with heavy debts. Both the Lib Dems and Conservatives caught my eye by saying they would scrap fees but now I will vote for Michael Howard because I don't believe that Lib Dems will cut crime. I think that people should have an open mind when it comes to politics and rather than base their vote on outdated views they should look at the party now and base their vote on what it is offering now."
----Neil Fitzgerald, Southampton, Hampshire

Compare Party policies at a glance ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/issues/html/grid.stm?s1=CON_UK&s2=LAB_UK&s3=LD_UK&x=9&y=11

This is absolutely awesome an a tool. It's from the BBC website and it enables you to compare any three major (or reasonably major) parties together all at once, on what they plan to do on all the key issues.

Make certain that you read this before you decide who you're voting for. But also remember that this is only what they SAY they will and can do. Try to critically consider how likely the more bizare and unusual/difficult claims will be to actually impliment, and how likely radical aims are to happen, certainly in the next few years.

Why I am voting BLUE (Tory) this election

I am voting Tory because of what they say and what I believe that can actually do, compared to the utterly bizare promises by Lib Dem (it's like reading a novel...), the hardcore right, the hardcore left, the UKIP (who seem all right on five issues, and that's that) and of course, lying, we've been talking it for 8 years now and still done nothing except circle around and around, labour. Under Labour my bills have risen and I have become unemployed.

My blog ( http://leozak.blogspot.com/ ) will show as from tomorrow the fundamental reasons why I believe it to be better to vote blue this time around.

The Torys are NOT the same government they were in the 80s, just as Labour aren't the same as old labour from the 70s. People need to stop looking backwards if you ask me and get real with the issues facing us today.

Stuff party loyalty, the fact is:

Don't be a mug. Tony lied. LIED. About a war. People are dead. REAL people.

Also, anyone recall queing for five hours for petrol a few years ago? Handled that well, didn't he?

Prices for fuel are higher now than what we fought against back then anyway :(

Vote him OUT!

Just get some black clothes, get dressed, and come with us

Tonight was a red letter day in the history of the Posse doing possibly quite silly or stupid things, to break the norm up a little.

Virginia suggested that we steal a B sign from the soon to be demolished Bingo Hall after they smashed the front fascia off today with a digger. She had seen some one else making off with the 'O'.

Naturally, Paul and I were well up for sneaking in behind the fence and somehow stealing letters from the word bingo. What fun! Just like the old days. So in Paul went first of all (he found a gap in the fence around the back where we could force our bodies through the steel mesh) and sure enough, was able to secure us what we'd spotted from outside - a large wooden panel saying BINGO. One of the older signs (since that hall has been a bingo hall several times in it's use).
Ginyar scarpered as soon as she saw Paul on the other side of the fence. Paul and I made off with the sign and then deposited it in Paul's house. It was at this stage that two other ideas began to surface in our wild minds ...

Why don't we actually go IN to the building? Better yet, climb it.I then suggested we get Will, too. Paul thought he would be up for it, so we rolled up at his house with michevous grins on our faces.

'What do you want?'

'Just go, get changed into some black clothes, and come with us.'

At once, the entire Jenkins spawn wanted to know what we were planning. We didn't tell them, or Will, until we were out of the house.

It was then we told him that we planned to 'access' the Bingo Hall, despite the 'hazardous' signs and the fence and what have you.

We reached the hall and found our way around the back. A few taxis seemed to have their eye on us, but we actually were not disturbed by any soul as we approached the ill fated structure. Finding our way in again, we tried various entrance points, and found no door was even semi free to be opened in any way. This was quite disappointing, since only the other day I'd seen a teenaged boy on the roof section, so we knew there had to be a way in and up.

Not to be deterred however, I spotted a place where we could scale a low pipe on the scafold that was set up on both sides of the hall, and walk along a plank, then swing ourselves (barely!) over a gap and up onto a low roof section. From there, entering a higher planked walk way of the scaffold, we found a tall ladder strapped up well, leading to a much higher, planked walkway. Up we went, with my Dad's huge 3.5 million candle flashlight strapped to one of our backs. I also had my cellphone with camera and short video camera mode on it, and so began to use it at this stage.

We reached the top walkway and realised the entire roof was off and we could see down onto the inner ceiling, and stuff. That in itself was pretty cool. We reckon the roof was made from aspestos. After trying to 'do the ninja' along the planks, we reached the far end and looked out onto Keynsham beyond. Paul tried a few times to scale the side of the front end, and to get to the place we'd seen this other kid before, but it was too dangerous so he came back each time.

We got some decent footage, and then eventually made our way down. After checking other potential ways in, we decided to just try the main front door, which seemed barred with fallen rubble, wooden beams and the like ...

But it was slightly ajar. Unlocked. After hoping our way over rubble and debris to get to it, we all forced our way through the small opening one at a time.

Then it hit us.

Inside, the place was a total mess, yes. But it was perfectly in shape in terms of a building. There were walls, carpets, seats, a full auditorium area, huge grand ceiling, a bar, a balcony seating area, a basement .... stage ... loos, everything.
It was amazing to enter what we thought would be a dusty, near derilict place full of wood, rotten material and birds. As it was, it was a dusty, messy, smelly bingo hall, still complete with scattered (ransacked?) bingo stuff like number boards.

I started to loot immediately and the others followed suit with various small treats, such as an LED board, beer steins, bingo balls, bank sacks etc.

After some time, the big torch decidedly seemed to go dim. It was getting pretty dark and very late now, so we exited, all chuffed at ourselves. Paul found that 'B' Gin wanted, and we took it back to his.

Then we all agreed once back at Will's sipping tea, that the hall was probably about to be knocked down with wrecking balls. Someone mentioned dynamite but we thought that unlikely.

Therefore, we needed to go back in there and get footage on a real video camera. Mine and Ken's of course has night vision also, so we headed up to my place to get it. However, we did arouse Ken doing so. He gave me the camera in the end though, complete with fresh tape.

So back we went, intrepidly determined to frame this moment in history. By now I also had a bag, and had changed into jeans.

This time we got in again, though I almost tore my jacket doing so as with the added width of the bag and camera, I could barely fit through the door. Once inside though we started to film, having previously done a run in section as we approached the site.

It was *awesome*. You can see it since we have it now all on tape. In the darkness, the two powerful torches (we'd collected one from Will's house also) along with the night vision used optionally at some stages really picked out the atmosphere of being inside there, and the details too.

You'll have to see the tape, it's wicked!

However .... disastar struck. The torches both now were distinctly getting low. We realised that they were basically going to dim and eventually go out rather quickly whilst at the front and top end of the cinema, up high where the birds were living. Panic struck to a certain degree, and since I had the camera, I then proceeded to walk into several steps and other objects trying to escape from the darkening shadows, until we came up with the idea of one torch behind and one in the front, with the torchless one (me) in the middle and therefore still able to see the floor in front of me!

Needless to say, we all made it out alive and in one piece ;)

But it was quite the adventure. I hope you all get to see the pictures and video(s) soon.

There goes the roof!

What are they doing? Whilst on my merry way to the shops yesterday, I was privy to the enormous fun of two things.

One, a large, orange digger from Penny earth workers taking out a fitted light on the front of the Bingo Hall on Charlton Road, and secondly some kids who had somehow scaled the building playing up on the every upper most balcony area on this ill-fated structure.

It seems doomed now to fall and for flats to be built there. We noticed the water spray on the diggers and storage containers, so I assume that the roof contains asbestos in part at least, and the vapour is being used to make the handling of the dangerous dusty chemical meet H & S regulations. Either that or they inexplicably wanted to soak the digger and skip.

Whilst trying to swing around the digger head, Penny managed to clock the mighty steel headpiece against one of the fitted lights on the front of the Bingo hall, causing it to fly off and crash to the ground below. As I watched, it came to my mind that really, it is a shame that nobody ended up using that place. I had my ideas, and many came so close. But it seems fated to go and for flats to go up there instead. Cheap housing in Keynsham can't be a bad thing, after all there isn't much of it that's not in bad condition, or only available for rent. If you're a first time buyer in the Keynsham area, you either need two people with above average income and a lot of luck, a fat deposit, or a miracle.

For the rest of us, it's rent or move away from family and friends into sunny Kingswood or an area where housing prices aren't quite so crazy. To be perfectly honest, renting isn't that cheap here either. The cheapest I know of was a one bed roomed ground floor flat, which cost me £360 PM over two years ago (not including utility bills or council tax).

That was part of an old house with serious renovation and repair needs, no parking, and a jungle for a garden. The Police were called several times to other flats in that house for domestic reasons ... I wouldn't recommend it to anybody thinking of moving in here.

Despite all this though, there are other new houses going up in and around Keynsham even as we speak. At the bottom of St Ladoc road as well as the base of Queens road, new flats and houses are almost ready for occupancy. I am sure there are more local examples, too.

It's sad to see that Keynsham has seemingly decided to let the Bingo Hall slide into the annals of history rather than let it be renovated or re used, at least as a community focal point rather than become a faceless, soulless set of flats. They could at the very least have preserved the front fascia for history's sake, and made a community or arts centre out of the location behind it. A historically interesting fascia was kept thus in Arnos Vale (Bristol), opposite the Hotel, Park and beside the Bristol City council buildings there. It features two kings sitting in a castle-like wall feature; a folly basically.

The price of fitting everybody in and progress as it so often is, seems to be quality, class, style and our cultural past.

But never mind. Think of the children! When they marry and move out, they'll have somewhere to afford. The future versus the past - future wins.