Bees knees

Bees around the world are having a hard time. There's a great deal about their problems on the internet and this site gives a pretty clear picture of how we're doing in Britain. Unlike the irritating (and downright peverse) wasp, bees rarely attack humans or sting them. In fact, as the bee's sting tends to remain in human skin, the bee will often fatally injure itself as it tries to tear free, and may thus die later. Although they're not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of adjectives like 'fluffy' and 'cuddly', actually working with them is a revelation. Many of our more positive metaphors derive from apiarists; 'busy as a bee', 'hive of industry' and so on. But bees are becoming vulnerable to CCD - Colony Collapse Disorder. The cause isn't entirely understood, although the Varroa mite is the likely culprit in the UK.

If the bees give up their day jobs, and that haunting possibility is starting to rear its head, then we'll be a lot worse off. In fact, food production generally will suffer. If you're reading this and wondering what on earth we can do, there are actually quite a number of things. First off, ensure your garden has lots of flowers for the whole summer. That attracts bees, which in turn feeds hives to make them healthier. Secondly, teach the young not to be scared of bees. Those who kill bees as a pest are being remarkably short sighted. Left alone, most bees don't want to know about humans; they're far too busy providing for their extended family. Thirdly, think about becoming a bee keeper. These folk can tell you everything that's involved. You do need a largish garden and probably pretty understanding neighbours; in fact, that last is a must. But you will have the best garden in the area if you keep bees. Just remember, it's useful to fit nets across your open windows.

The truth is out there

From the Blog owner:

It is not a policy of this blog to become embroiled in the ongoing saga that seems to surround a Mr Craig Ollerton, and any and all references to the person concerned in the past have been carefully and studiously avoided, partly because the saga concerning him seems too silly for words. However, there is now serious concern that matters have gone too far, and that the individual in question is in danger of doing a disservice to the people in and of Llandudno and Colwyn Bay who use his forum.

The reason an entire posting is being given over to this is because either Mr Ollerton himself or the moderator called 'Trojan' (who has posted comments in here on previous occasions) are - to be generous - making serious errors of judgement when dealing with those who do nothing but post genuine queries.

Some time ago, and following a link on the BBC, I found and joined Mr Ollerton's forum. All was well, for a short while, but - as I actively run other forums, but none local - I was happy to help with things that were either missing, or awkward to use in his forum. A few queries were posted - all by myself using my real name - Ian - and then another contributor complained that posts were being edited or deleted without cause or explanation. Since that is not the way any forum ought to be run - at least not if you want folk to remain and use it - a posting was made by me asking if it were true and whether, in fact there was any truth in the suggestion that some folk had been banned for no particular reason. Shortly afterwards, my membership was deleted and all postings made by myself asking serious and pertinent questions were also deleted. Without warning, without explanation and without reference to me. This was, in fact, the event which prompted this blog's genesis.

Some email correspondence between myself and Mr Ollerton was then commenced, asking for what reason I had been banned. The explanation offered by Mr Ollerton was as follows:

"Ian,

I suspect you are just another worm."

Unsurprisingly, I emailed again as follows:

"Craig:

I must admit I am disappointed that - apart from the rather abusive (if not incomprehensible) comment about worms - you haven't seen fit to discuss with me your actions.

You have - as you know - now cancelled my registration with the forum, which is itself of some minor concern, since I was having a pleasant talk with Frank Ash (but whom I'll see shortly, anyway, to let him know why I've been unable to respond) but what is most worrying is that you have done this without - as far as I can see - any provocation whatsoever.

There are only three reasons why I can see you would have cancelled my registration:

1. That I have contravened one of the forum's policies or rules. I think you know full well that that is not the case.
2. That you have been influenced by someone else, but that isn't itself grounds for you take such action, surely?
3. That you simply don't want me in the forum. In which case, surely it is fair and reasonable for you to explain why?

Your forum is apparently open to anyone unless they contravene the rules, which you know I haven't done. Only a few weeks ago you asked me to consider becoming a moderator, yet now, it seems, you regard me as - at the least - as unwelcome. I really believe it is incumbent on someone running what is actually a public forum which purports to be open to the people of Llandudno or who have an interest in the town to explain their reasoning behind what would appear to be capricious and apparently unjustified actions.

At the very least, those who now support the forum will be starting to question what is happening. "

His response was:

"I'd be happy to meet with yourself for a coffee to clear the air, and to talk forums if you wish. I had a tip off from one of my moderators you may have had a connection with Adrian Eygelsheim (Colwyn Bay) and you were closely tied with his IP range on the last two octets. I am seeking moderator assistance with either Rhyl or Bangor Locals, though asides volunteer positions, I am contemplating whether I should be looking for entrepreneurial individuals to establish their own magazines and web advertising. I'm sorry for what's happened, but as you can understand under the shroud of the internet where anonymity prevails, it is difficult to trust individuals whom you know little or nothing about."

An email was sent, proposing a meeting at a known location in Llandudno to clear the air and so Mr Ollerton could be reassured that he was dealing with someone who had no previous connection to his forum and whom he had never before encountered. Mr Ollerton did not show up, neither did he bother responding to the invitation to arrange another meeting.

Recently, I re-joined his forum using Carneades as the username. Incredibly, the same thing happened, and again for apparently no good reason. I re-joined a third time (!) to post this one posting:

"There is a major problem with this forum in its current form. Much as I agree that it's sad to see the demise of any decent forum, unfortunately, the old problem of random and indiscriminate editing, deletion and removal of perfectly legitimate posts continues unabated, I'm sorry to say.

There is no logic behind this policy, which is both detrimental to the vast majority of users and a suppression of the individual's rights to express themselves in a considered, reasonable and polite way. The only deletions (either of posts or members) ought to be carried out only and only if there has been a clear breach of the forum terms and conditions and this is not what is happening.

I have no doubts whatsoever that this posting will shortly be deleted, as will my membership, yet I have done or said nothing which contravenes the T & C of this forum or which constitutes grounds for the post's removal or mine. Until this situation is rectified, I really do fear that the town will be better off without a forum which operates such a policy.

For as long as this posting remains, I look forward to the views of others or the hope that someone in the administration team will have the courtesy to explain why this policy exists."

Mr Ollerton's reply was interesting, to say the least. It is a lengthy response, much of which is essentially irrelevant, but the interesting sections are as follows:

"I'm afraid, as always you are incorrect as usual. When you see a post on the site showing 'edited last by....' it can be something simple such as me changing the subject title to capitals which is how I prefer my own forum etiquette here the forum, the Colwyn Bay Local likes everything Upper/Lower case for example. We occasionally amend spelling/grammatical errors, (My italics:-) We do not go round butchering posts or bending truths, we simply do our job as moderators and thats keeping peace and tranquility here at the Llandudno Local."

For those who use other forums - extremely busy ones - you will be aware that the statement above is not only patronising (and rather poorly written:-) but smacks of extremely bad practice. However, more was to come...

"Though you have not breached any terms or conditions by posting here on the Llandudno Local, I reserve my very own discretionary right to remove your account for all the trouble you have caused me by posting mistruths, unsubstantiated remarks, and poking your nose in everything that doesn't concern you. Clearly now your failed North Wales Forum (formerley too a Llandudno site) has closed you have too much time on your hands Mr Eygelsheim and your quickly acquiring yourself a 'local nuisance' tag which i'm sure a fair few town councillors would agree. Now if I were yourself, i'd be enjoying my retirement, making the most of it before nature takes its course."

Ignoring the fact that what is written constitutes a libel, this is almost certainly at the root of all the problems. Mr Ollerton assumes I am someone called "Eygelsheim". The curious aspect of all this is that I hadn't heard of this person until comparatively recently, when he welcomed us to the world of blogging.

He continues:

"everyone has their own idea of what a forum should be, what's been created here at the Local serves its purpose just as it is, and is used by many members whom enjoy being part of it. It is an extremely comprehensive and encyclopedic resource, an impeccable research tool that is unrivaled by anything else locally."

Now, there is no doubt that some of the users in the forum are decent, hard working and utterly honest folk. One of them - Stan - I know personally, and we would suggest that Mr Ollerton perhaps consult with Stan W and then publish the apology he owes, both to me and to Mr Eygelsheim.

However, the paranoia does not appear confined to Mr Ollerton. The Individual who signs on as Trojan says this:

"Yes, we certainly don't want anyone that is going to be PITA on here Mr 86.135.51.137 do we?"

This IP address is BT Central Plus, based in Manchester, and which has something short of about five million users, all displaying the same or a very close address. As we showed in our article about Forums, Blogs and Bloggers, forum software is singularly unable to distinguish between the millions of folk using ISPs such as BT.

I would also suggest that Mr Ollweton talk to those who know the identities of both Mr Eygelsheim and Ian, who include, but are not limited to, Cllrs Margaret Lyons and John Boyle, Stan Whittaker and many others.

Unhappily, it seems some folk believe all this misinformation without question. Hugo - a very caring and thoughtful contributor, who clearly knows a great deal about Llandudno, the Orme and its denizens writes:

"Good for you Craig on not stooping to the level of the multi aliased person. I can't understand anyone's motives for behaving like that, other than it may be jealousy. Negative and unconstructive comments are as much use as a chocolate fire guard."

and all I would do is to ask Hugo - along with the many others in the forum who have been continuously duped by the strange behaviour of Mr Ollerton and the individual called 'Trojan' to read the above and talk to Stan W, who is shortly issuing Ian with a car pass for Trinity.

It takes a great deal of skill, sensitivity and ability to run a forum, all attributes it would seem - regrettably - Mr Ollerton is lacking. He owes me an apology. He owes Mr Eygelsheim an apology. But most of all, he owes those decent, honourable and caring members of his own forum who have swallowed his tales of duplicitous, underhanded and just plain sneaky behaviour an apology.

Llandudno needs a forum free of both his unwarranted suspicion and Trojan's ineptitude. Good forums do exist, run by decent, committed individuals and it's a belief of mine that both Oscar and Mr Eygelsheim could do a far better, more mature and sensitive job.

Llandudno welcomes sane drivers

It seems that assaults and criminal damage to vehicles by those who feel they've been badly done to by other drivers are on the increase. The official Police figures reveal only 63 incidents in four years, but that belies the true scale of things, according to drivers themselves in various surveys. The media coined the phrase 'road rage' to describe irrational responses to perceived bad driving some years ago, and the real question is whether these responses are on the increase or not.

It's also worth considering whether the driver who believes they've been 'cut up' and who then stops to have a discrete word about the cutter-upper's behaviour is a product of the 21st century and its crowded roads, its high priced fuel and the levels of stress engendered by driving anywhere. Or is this simply a modern manifestation of an age-old condition? Did Imperial Rome have the same issues, when driving its roads through Wales, nearly 2000 years ago? You can see it now..

"Oy, Maximus! You see that chariot? Idiot! Cut right in on me after passing that Yak cart, he did! Must have been doing close to 5 or 6. Been driving like a cruentus idiotus since the circus at Abergelii. Probably just some salutor on their hols, I suppose. It's one of those new Centurians' chariots - Greek thing, two-horse power with knives on the wheels. 'Bout time someone taught him a lesson. C'mon; if we get a move on, we'll catch him at the next Cervices, then we'll sort 'im!"

"Er, Biggus; don't want to worry you, but there's a flashing torch behind - could be the Constabulus specialus. Maybe we'd better leave it."

And thus we can only add Ad astra per asda...

I say unto thee..

These days, with the rain competing for a place in the Guinness book of records under the 'biblical deluges' section, the weather forecast becomes a bit like a Party conference; unremitting misery punctuated by the occasional spell of hope. Moses must have felt a bit like this when he organised the first package holiday for the twelve tribes after their prolonged stay in Egypt was cut short. There's more than a few similarities, too; certainly, at times, it feels as though the Red sea is closing over us. And for those trying to pursue all those traditional summer pastimes, such as painting the outside of the house or launching that long-awaited campaign to get the Leylandii under some semblance of control it's often debatable whether plagues of locusts or frogs wouldn't just be that teenier bit more welcome than the constant, unremitting drizzle that constitutes a British summer.

Mind you, Moses also had a number of advantages. Having God as a tour guide can't be all bad, as it makes passport control pretty straightforward for a start, and getting the ten commandments was a nice trick, although it's long been argued that the translation was faulty, in that what Moses was actually doing was trying to cure a particularly bad run of constipation (And Moses took two tablets and it came to pass...).

The similarities with the typical family holiday continue, however, in that the tour organiser - usually dad - wasn't allowed to get into the final venue on a technicality, and just how many times has that happened, when you're desperately trying to find the kids who've sneaked away into some night club on the costa del lager?

It doesn't end there, of course, as the historical validity of the Exodus - as with so much in the Bible - has been questioned many times, a similar experience to Dad's when he's trying to convince everyone that they're on the right bus and heading for the right hotel. And when the family finally makes it to their destination, and collapse, bleary-eyed in a muddled heap on the hotel bed, the final words of doom and destruction are uttered: "Looks like it's going to be nice tomorrow..."

Hands up

The Daily Post reports that in just the first three months of 2009, air weapons were used in two armed robberies in North Wales and a threat to kill. Last year an attacker used an airgun to threaten a woman in a sexual assault, and in another incident a BB gun was involved in a conspiracy to commit murder. The RSPCA said the weapons were also being used to inflict shocking injuries on animals each year.

One teenage victim has called for the weapons to be banned.

Guns are an emotive target, and, once again, the sound bite-hungry media suggest banning is the answer. But is banning anything the answer to controlling excess?

When hand guns were banned, following the Dunblane incident, many felt relieved, yet gun crime has risen inexorably, even faster than before guns were banned. In fact, gun crime rose by an astonishing 46% in the two years following the ban. The big problem is that banning something only affects the law-abiding. It means the decent folk - the vast majority - can't get hold of a gun, but those who use them with nefarious intent have no trouble. In most inner-city areas it's easier to buy a gun than car insurance, although we've never thought getting decent car insurance was that easy. However, that's another story.

In North Wales, a very large number of people hold firearms certificates, yet Gun crime here is way below that in any of the big cities, even accounted for on a per-head basis. So how do we stop the incidents mentioned above?

Once again, although it's becoming a predictable anthem, we're down to upbringing. Boys love guns. They love guns because they see so much about guns on the TV and in the cinema. Studies in the US suggest it's because so many teenagers feel disenfranchised - impotent and powerless in their society. Guns equate to power, power buys them the right to belong to a gang and gangs make them feel valued and important. It's probably impractical to ban gangs, teenagers or boys under the age of 30, despite what some might wish, so we're back to looking at the causes, rather than the symptoms. It won't come as a seismic shock to anyone to discover that the majority of boys who 'go off the rails' lack a stable family background. In other words, they almost always don't have a father who's around and they do have a mother whose idea of decent care is to provide two television sets and a spare ashtray. Or, put more accurately, they have a biological female whose competence in raising a family is on a par with Herod's child-minding skills.

Social workers are limited in what they can do, and there's even an argument that by supporting weak and inadequate parents they perpetuate the problems for society, although the recent Baby P case has meant that both the Judiciary and the social agencies are taking a lot more kids into care. But the real issue remains: when are we, as a society, going to start looking at the whole idea of becoming a parent as something rather more important than a one night, often inebriated, stand?

Rain, Rain....

Well, the sun is shining brightly and it's really hot. And if it wasn't for those pesky rain clouds completely covering the sky, we'd be able to see and feel the thing. The good old Jet Stream is being blamed for yet another soggy summer; while great swathes of Europe are dodging burning forests and worrying about where the next piña colada is coming from, we're once again communally united in misery, as we indulge in that most British of preoccupations, moaning about the weather. Actually, a holiday without rain wouldn't be quite the thing here in good old Blighty; we need rain, so we can commiserate with our fellow travellers. It's a sort of bonding exercise, along the lines of the senior management team-bulding experiences, where they take six desk-bound executives and drive them to the edge of sanity in the curious belief that somehow this will help them work together far more efficiently. Curious, because it's very often those same executives that spend a significant amount of the time and energy plotting against their fellow workers.

But the unpredictability of our weather also has a perverse familiarity about it, a warm and comforting aspect that's revealed when we look out of the hotel restaurant window at leaden, dribbling skies and remark to our fellow diners "God; rain again. Where's that great summer we were promised, eh?" as though someone, somewhere in the bowels of the Met office has deliberately and wickedly raised our spirits in a quite sneaky and thoroughly un-British way by telling us it was all going to be wonderful this year and then changing the season from Summer to late-Autumn.

There are some good sites out there for weather. The beeb's is excellent, if you avoid their new and improved version but this site is the best. It shows the rain as scanned by the Met Office's rain radar thingy in 15 minute intervals, updated every 15 minutes. It's true, it's always 15 minutes out of date, but if you watch it for a moment you can predict when you're going to catch it. And that gives you a significant advantage in the hotel restaurant, because you can now announce with total confidence "It's going to rain for the next 15 minutes!"

Spouting on

To add to all the wonderful attractions we have, this waterspout – a tornado which forms over the sea – could be seen for about 20 minutes from Colwyn Bay and Llandudno at around 11.15am, yesterday, heading towards the Rhyl Flats windfarm, where it faded from sight.

They're truly fascinating things, tornados and waterspouts, and we get more of them than you might think - about 350 last year in the UK. Best not to take the rubber dinghy out when you see one, however.

Sniff....

Swine 'flu cases reached the 120 mark in Conwy this week, and the new 'flu hotline in England is seeing 9,000,000 hits per hour. The nine million hits per hour probably accounts for about 1000 with 'flu, and 8,999,000 of the terminally confused. The media has to take some part of the blame for this, probably, although those gullible enough to buy the Daily Mail must asume at least some. However, we do know some incontrovertible fact about swine 'flu, which everyone should know but most seem not to. So here, for those who are in fear of their lives, is

Carneades' guide to Swine 'Flu:

1. It's 'flu, and therefore a virus, so it can't be cured.
2. It's a new virus, so most of us are going to catch it.
3. It's going to kill a whole lot of people. Why shouldn't it? Normal seasonal 'flu kills around 100 000 per year, so this ain't going to be any different.
4. If you've got it, you'll know about it. Don't ring the GP with a cold. Or a tickly cough. Or haemorrhoids. You really will know about it. Talk to anyone who had Asian 'flu (1957) or either of the two epidemics in the '60s. It's nasty. You get hot - you have a sore throat and you ache. Oh boy, do you ache. But you don't usually die.
5. There's almost nothing the GP can do for you. Oh, sure - if you develop a nasty little complication, they might admit you to hospital, but that'll only happen so long as there aren't too many catching it and getting complications. Tamiflu and Relenza are euraminidase inhibitors and don't cure the 'flu, merely shorten its duration.

And here's the clincher: there's really only one thing standing between you and the wooden box whenever you catch anything. It's not the GP, it's not the Daily Mail - it's your immune system. You carry around more germs - really nasty ones - in your throat than in your colon (look it up!). The human immune system is truly wondrous and, furthermore, it gets better with practice. If you catch swine 'flu, take lotsa fluids (no, not Scotch:-) and rest yourself up. But the hospital beds are badly needed for those with compromised immune systems, or underlying health issues, such as asthma. Don't hog the resources and let your body do its work. It's really very good at it.

Euegh!

The Daily post reports that gallons of sewage poured through the ceiling of the chiropody unit at the brand new £19.4 million Ysbyty Alltwen in Tremadog, near Porthmadog, just after lunch on Wednesday.

The hospital was officially opened just 20 days ago after being plagued by delays. It accepted its first patients in April.

North West Wales Hospital Trust spokesman Trystan Pritchard said: “We had a blockage of some sort in a pipe coming from a toilet and asked a contractor to come in and clear it. It wasn’t the main sewage pipe. The contractor tried to flush the blockage. They put too much pressure on the pipe, which caused the leak. It was more of a seepage than an explosion.”

He said no patients had been affected, but the sewage splashed over four members of staff.

Mr Pritchard added: “We’re not talking about tonnes but rather gallons."

One erudite patient, who didn’t want to be named, said: “I think it’s disgusting.”

To which we can only add - er, yes...

Regeneration or desperation?

We received this from Councillor Oddy, which we are reprinting in full, as we feel it's a matter of significant public interest:

"Carneades,
Thank you for that. I have never put much thought into people’s perception of me or my politics, I have my beliefs you and they have yours. However I did not expect politics to be so heavily involved at Town Council level as it is.
My argument, and that’s what it’s turning out to be, with the County Council is that they are fundamentally wrong in their decision to build offices for 600 staff in the centre of town. The County Council members of the Town Council knew of this decision back in March of this year but they failed to tell us. This proposal has been kept under wraps because they knew there would be a public backlash.
The Council had four options of where to build these offices..
1. The Land West of Bodlondeb
2. Land adjacent to the WAG buildings in the Junction
3. The Centre of Colwyn Bay
4. Council land in the Junction
Options 1, 2 and 4 would have meant using their own money, option 3 means they can highjack the Regeneration Grant, have the offices built at no cost to themselves and reap-in the benefits of selling off the old offices and land.
Had someone not leaked the story to the Pioneer and made it public I believe the County Council would still be keeping quiet about this and pushing it through as quickly and as quietly as possible. There as been no openness or transparency by the County Council yet they deny secrecy and complicity but when you dig deep enough you can see the utter contempt in which they have ignored the real needs of Colwyn Bay"

Wet enough?

When your eyebrows get waterlogged

It has always surprised us that Beaufort worked out his scale for wind, not for rain. Rain, surely, has always been more important to the British and more talked about by us than any other bit of weather. wet and damp are what we fear the most, far more than draughts and breezes, yet nobody as far as I know has had a shot at a Beaufort Rain Scale. Well, here goes, then:

FORCE 0. Complete dryness. Absence of rain from the air. The gap between two periods of wet. Associated phrase: "I think it looks like rain."

FORCE 1. Presence of wet in the air, hovering rather than falling. Scotch mist. You can feel damp on your face but if you supinate your hand, nothing lands on it. Associated phrase: "I think it's trying to rain."

FORCE 2. Individual drops of rain falling, but quite separate as if they are all freelance raindrops and not part of the same corporate effort. If switched on now, windscreen wipers make an awful screeching noise. Spectacle wearers begin to grumble. Newspapers being read outside begins to speckle. Associated phrase: "It's spitting."

FORCE 3. Raindrops falling together now but still invisibly, like the spray which drifts off a fountain with the wind behind. Known as "fine rain". Ignored by all sportsmen except Test cricketers, who dash for cover. Spectacle wearers walk into oncoming traffic. Windscreen wipers, when switched on, make windscreen totally opaque. If being read outside, newspaper gets rising damp. Associated phrases: "Is it worth putting the umbrella up?" and "Another fine rain you've got us into."

FORCE 4. Visible light shower. Hair starts to congeal round ears. First rainware appears. People start to remember washing left out. Ignored by all sportsmen except Wimbledon players, who sprint for cover. Newspaper being read outside starts to tear slightly. Associated phrases: "It's starting to come down now", "It won't last" and "It's settled in for the day now."

FORCE 5. Drizzle. Shapes beginning to be visible in rain for first time, usually drifting from right to left. Windscreen wipers too slow at low speed, too fast at fast speed. Shower-proof rainware turns out to be shower-proof all right, but not drizzle-proof. First damp feeling inside either shoes or neckline. Butterflies take evasive action and begin to fly straight. Newspaper being read in the open starts turning to pulp. Associated phrases: "It's really chucking it down now", "It's raining cats and dogs" and "Nice for the farmers."

FORCE 6. Downpour. You can see raindrops bouncing on impact, like charter planes landing. Leaves and petals recoil when hit. Anything built of concrete starts to look nasty. eyebrows become waterlogged. Horse racing called off. Wet feeling rises above ankles and starts for knees. Butterflies fly backwards. Newspaper being read in open divides in two. Gardeners watering the flowers start thinking of packing it in. Associated phrase: "It's coming down in stair rods" and "It's bucketing down."

FORCE 7. Squally, gusty rain. As force 6 but with added wind. Water starts being forced up your nostrils. Maniacs leave home and head for the motorway in their cars. Butterflies start walking. Household cats and dogs become unpleasant to handle. Cheaper clothes start coming to bits. Associated phrases: "It's pissing down now", "There's some madman out in the garden trying to read a newspaper."

FORCE 8. Torrential. The whole outside world has been turned into an en-suite douche. It starts raining inside umbrellas. Windscreen wipers become useless. The ground looks as if it is steaming. Butterflies drown. Your garments start merging into each other and become indistinguishable. Man reading newspaper in the open starts disintegrating. All team games called off except football, rugby and water polo. Associated phrase: "Jesus, will you look at that coming down?"

FORCE 9. Cloudburst. Rain so fierce that it can only be maintained for a minute or two. Drops so large that they hurt if they hit you. Water gets into your pockets and forms rock pools. Windscreen wipers are torn off cars. Too wet for water-skiing. Instantaneous rivers form on roads and man reading newspaper floats past. Rain runs UP windows.

FORCE 10. Hurricane. Not known in Britain - the symptoms are too violent and extreme (cars floating, newspaper readers lost at sea, people drowned by inhaling rain, etc.). So if hurricane conditions appear to pertain, look for some other explanation. Associated phrases: "Oh my God, the water tank has burst - it's coming through the kitchen ceiling.", "I think the man upstairs has fallen asleep in his bath." etc.

Stabbed in the back?

We received this from Councillor John Oddy, yesterday:

"Unfortunately, your synopsis of Colwyn Bay is remarkably close to home; the County Council obviously agree with you for they turned down the proposal below in favour of locating Council offices for 600 existing staff in the centre of town...

A proposal that the following town centre improvements be put to the Regeneration Board with the full backing of this Council.
1. Demolish and re-build the indoor market at the bottom of Penrhyn Road. The first floor to incorporate a drop-in style café with Council help and information office and a supervised Children’s adventure area.
2. Pedestrianise Penrhyn Road in the same style as Station Road.
3. Fit Victorian style covered walkways down both sides of Penrhyn Road, Station Road, the shopping areas of Sea view Road and both sides of Conwy Road between Hawarden Road and Woodland Road East.
4. Replace all lampposts in the above mentioned areas with Victorian style cast-iron ones.
My reason for the above proposal is not only as an enhancement to the Town Centre but to enable the Town to accommodate a week-end market the likes of which Tir Prince holds on Sundays.
The market would run down Sea View Road, up and down Station and Penrhyn Road and cumulate with the Indoor Market which could remain open all week.
A market attracts shoppers, both local and visitors, shoppers attract store traders, more shoppers attract a higher quality of store traders, higher quality shops introduce higher quality shoppers.
At a time when we are seeing more and more shops closing in the Bay we have to think of ways in which to entice people back. We, as a Town, could never afford the above improvements so I believe we should take advantage of the Regeneration Grant whilst it is still available.
Councillor John Oddy

The County Council will make millions of pounds by selling-off the land and property that they clear in re-housing their staff but the people of Colwyn Bay and its communities will be the ultimate losers. This Regeneration Grant is the town’s last chance to restore the lost pride it once had. By their selfish and greedy actions the Council have shown their utter contempt for the people of our town and have, once again, stabbed us in the back."

Cllr. Oddy's ideas - no matter what you think of his political affiliations - seem to make sense. Investment to tidy up the town - construction of the walkways and a limited degree of 'theming' in line with the town's heritage - does seem a far better move than making Colwyn Bay an administration centre. The idea of a large market is a double edged sword, of course, but there's no denying that it bring folk into the town, and that - above all - is what Colwyn Bay needs. For many years, Colwyn has been suffering in the shadow of its neighbours - Rhos, Llandududno and Snowdonia - and the question that has to be asked is whether it's possible to regenerate the town or whether, as the CCBC seems to have done, it's time to throw in the towel and reduce even further Colwyn's standing as a tourist detsination.

Here we go

We're penning this at 1045 and watching the views from the traffic cams along the A5 (amazing what you can do with the internet these days). Truth be told, it has to be wondered if the pics from the cams are genuine, or simply old shots - blooper reels from the Sweeny, perhaps - or maybe the same cars are simply going round and round. At any rate, we're told this is one of the busiest Saturdays in the year and that hotel bookings in Llandudno at least are the best for many years. So where's the avalanche of holiday traffic? By now, we'd expect at least five-mile queues, with caravans galore, stacked end-to-end, screaming kids fighting over the seat-back PS3 control, steaming cars, with irate females haranguing harried partners for not having the car serviced before setting out and the ubiquitous cones, resolutely funnelling lines of slow-moving vehicles and their frustrated occupants into narrow lanes, crawling for miles with no sign whatsoever of any 'men working' or any accident or breakdown.

But no. The traffic is flowing smoothly, Rhuallt hill is a model of traffic management, the Eirias 218 camera is bent at an odd angle and showing a concrete bulwark which, though undoubtedly fascinating to the aficionados of modern motorway construction techniques and compulsory fare for the avid readers of 'Practical Concreting' is hardly the endless snake of cars we were hoping to see, and even the Junction 28 cam, about two miles before the threatened roadworks, shows only the usual traffic density.

Oh well, perhaps it'll all happen later. Then we'll be able to see the poor unfortunate souls destined for a week's paddling and sight-seeing as they attempt to navigate the delights of the Black Cat roundabout and the wonderful new tarmaced expressway into town, which clearly was in urgent need of being re-surfaced, although it seemed in better condition than most roads in the region to us uninformed and clueless road amateurs. Then we'll be able to sit back and say "Glad I wasn't going out today!"

To see or not to see.

With the advent of the analogue switch-off, there's a concerted effort being made by the digital broadcasters to get us all to understand what it's about. It's actually pretty straightforward, and no one should be worried about asking for help from the right sources - but not folk who are trying to sell you an extra aerial.

Freeview, Freesat and Sky

After the switch-off, everybody will be able to get all their programmes from two sources: Freesat and Sky. A smaller number of folk - those with a clear line of sight to a couple of large transmitters - will have three sources, the extra one being Freeview. If you're currently getting a clear, unblemished picture from your normal aerial and your TV which you've had for a few years, you'll almost certainly be able to get Freeview, which means only shelling out about £40.00 for a nice new box. The aerial should be fine.

If you want the extra channels that the satellite folk provide, you'll need to shell out a little more - about £120 for a box, plus a new sat dish, if you haven't already got one (the same dish will get both Sky and Freesat). Freesat, incidentally is the only one carrying the ITV High Definition broadcasts. Freesat and Freeview are free to watch - no subscription.

Don't confuse High Def with Digital; that's like confusing bread with cake. High def is a digital transmission, but not all digital transmissions are high def - in fact, most aren't. You need a special telly for High Def - look for one that says 1080p - make sure it has the 'p' at the end. Don't settle for anything else.

This is a time when the cowboys will be out for a killing; don't be caught and check with reliable sources before changing your tv or aerial. Contact the switchover help folk by ringing free on 0800 40 85 903 or visit their web site at http://www.helpscheme.co.uk/

I want my money back!

Talking to one of our friends, yesterday, we learnt that her daughter goes through irons and washing machines like other folk go through peanuts. What interested us in this instance, however, was that the daughter in question had suffered a broken-down washing machine ten months after buying it from Argos. She didn't have the receipt, however, so when she'd returned to the Llandudno branch from which she'd bought it, the manager told her that - as she didn't have the receipt - he couldn't help her and she'd have to take it up with the manufacturer.

There are times when one wonders why managers are so unbelievably badly informed - unless he was simply trying it on. If the Argos senior management read this, they should weep. Here are the facts:

1. You DO NOT NEED a receipt. Yes - it does help to be able to prove you bought it at the store, but it isn't a legal requirement, and they cannot try to weasel out of their responsibilities in that manner.

2. Your contract (that's what happens in law when you buy something) is with the retailer and never, ever with the manufacturer. Any shop manager who tries to tell you otherwise should be the first up against the wall come the revolution.

3. If you've been sensible enough to buy it with with a credit card (note: NOT a debit card) or on HP, then you also have a comeback against the credit card company or the HP company.

It's hard to believe that managers are still trying this one, but they are and you need to be well prepared to argue your case. There's more:

4. If you buy something that breaks down within six months, it's up to the shop from which you bought it to prove that the goods were fit for purpose – or 'as described' – when it sold them. The shop is also responsible for proving that the problem was caused by you (for example, because you had an accident with the item that damaged it). Beyond six months, it's up to you to prove that the problem was the retailer's.

And here's the really interesting bit, which few folk know: Under the Sale of Goods Act, the retailer must either repair or replace the goods 'within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience'. If the seller doesn't do this, you are entitled to claim either:

* reduction on the purchase price, or
* your money back, minus an amount for the usage you've had of the goods (called 'recision').

If the retailer refuses to repair the goods, you may have the right to arrange for someone else to repair it, and then claim compensation from the retailer for the cost of doing this.

You have six years to make a claim for faulty goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland you have five years.

Now, does this mean that something is guaranteed for six years, instead of the measly 12 months all shops try to tell you? The answer to this is an unequivocal yes and no....

More seriously, it all depends on the cost. Here's an example. One of the most used items in the kitchen is an electric kettle. Suppose you pop into Comet and pick one up for a fiver. Fifteen months later, it goes belly up and stops heating. Comet will tell you it's out of warranty, but it isn't beyond the contract claim period as specified in the Sale of Goods Act. However, a court would almost certainly decide that for a kettle costing only a fiver, you were probably lucky it worked for the full 12 months and you'd get nothing. If. on the other hand, you invested £165 in an electric kettle (yes - there are some that cost that) then it would be reasonable to expect it work for at least four years, and you would be covered.

There's a critical word in that sentence: reasonable. It's how the courts often decide all sorts of matter involving consumer law and more. For now, however, if you remember nothing else, remember that when you buy something it's the shop that has to sort it out and not the manufacturer. For all facts on consumer law, you might be interested in joining Which?

Sandy, sure :-)

The West shore sand problems have been well documented for many years, and there's been no shortage of folk with advice as to what needs to be done to resolve the issues. However, in a recent communication with a voter, Mike Priestly lets it be known that the council is prohibited by DEFRA from clearing sand which has blown from the beach and placing it back at a point where the tide will cover it twice a day and thus alleviate the sandy issues for residents and holidaymakers. In an email published in the Llandudno local forum, he writes "One of the problems we have encountered is that we are not allowed to place the sand below the high tide mark and of course leaving it where we do, it does blow back."

The obvious problem is that the West Shore has been acquiring a dry sandy beach for some years, a process which has seen significant growth since the sea defence work some time ago. Locals with a long memory might remember that Rhos' delightful little beach didn't exist at one time, and Northerly storms would regularly flood Rhos and the businesses on the front, until the building of the breakwater, which had the side-effect of creating a wonderfully picturesque harbour, with a large, sandy beach, that's managed to all but bury the steps that once led down to the rocky shore.

Llandudno's North shore is the place where sand is needed - probably a million tons or so (sand's heavy stuff:-) and one answer would be to transfer it from the West shore, although - as Mike P points out - that needs a licence from DEFRA. However, dry sandy beaches are what holidaymakers love. They flock to Rhos', and would flock to the North Shore if it had one. However, it seems unlikely that the sand would stay in place without the building of some pretty substantial breakwater constructs. The obvious solution, therefore, is to build an artificial island off the North shore. It could be the Llandudno nature Reserve, with little boats taking visitors there and back each day. Populated with rare species, the Mountain Zoo folk could run it as a going wildlife sanctuary and with a little imagination, they could organise safaris, wild boar shoots and survival weekends. The building of the mandatory cafe and shop would provide the profit motive, while the sheer bulk of the island would act as a massive breakwater which would soon see the North Shore five foot deep in sand. The final bonus would be that the island would prevent anyone from complaining about those pesky windmills, since the view to the horizon would be supplanted with a magnificent rocky and grassy knoll.

If the local Performing Arts departments of schools and colleges could be persuaded to become involved, we could even have our own primitive cannibal cabals, actively stringing up randomly assorted tourists and cooking them - possibly for the cafe denizens. Selling the TV rights to such well-behaved examples of massacre and debauchery would earn the island lease-holders a fortune and double the income of the hotels on the front. And best of all, Mike Priestly wouldn't have to worry about the wretched DEFRA licence. What are we waiting for?

It wuz them!

In the week when the Auditor General Jeremy Colman recommends that a "tough and effective" board needs to be put in place to sort things out in Anglesey council, which has "serious persistent problems" which affect its working through a combination of "Personality politics", based on mistrust and suspicion and problems with both officials and political arrangements, perhaps it's time to ask why Conwy Council gets such a bad press.

In almost every local Blog, Conwy comes in for criticism. Now, we're no fans of local authority control in general, partly because - since time immemorial - local councillors throughout the UK have proved to be a curious combination of empire builders, the truly inept, the staggeringly daft and the just plain thick. Partly, it must be said, this has a lot to do with the iniquitous party allegiances which cause vested interest groups to be fighting for control in councils and leaves many councillors unable to act in the best interests of those they represent. Partly, however, it has to do with the voters, who make apathy into an art form and who then moan about nothing being done.

So what's the solution? One possible idea might be to remove party politics from the game altogether. Introducing PR might be a good first step in that direction. Secondly, the voters have to wake up and realise that the better councillors around the area are often independents. Independents don't have a party machine around them and -most importantly - don't have party peer-groups telling them how wonderful they are and what line they ought to be taking. Instead they have to do what they see as genuinely best for the area.

But is the current Conwy council that bad? Is there anything they do well, for instance? Perhaps we need objectively defined Performance indicators, and perhaps we need councils to define criteria for success of any project they undertake before starting that project. That is, after all, the way the rest of the world works. Perhaps it's time to introduce it here.

Grub's up

The Daily Post reports that teachers in Denbighshire will be encouraged to rifle through children’s lunch boxes and confiscate junk food if a clampdown to tackle childhood obesity gets the go-ahead. To that end, councillors in Denbighshire will today be asked to consider training school staff to vet food pupils bring in from home.The aim would be to outlaw fatty and sugary snacks, and boost canteen takings from healthy school meals by encouraging more pupils to buy them. School meals bosses said a generation of children had been “let down” by being served unhealthy food like chips.

There's something inherently unappealing about this process. It's certainly true that more children are overweight, and that in itself leads to psychological issues for the child, but children are - after all - the responsibility of their parents. If the 'state' is going to subvert that position then a number of questions come to mind. Firstly, why ought it to be teachers who perform the unsavoury task of rummaging through lunch boxes? Secondly, why treat the symptom when the problem remains untouched?

By instituting such a policy, the state is implicitly acknowledging the fact that not all parents are either fit for their role or necessarily much good at it. This begs the obvious question as to why the parents aren't being targeted. But how early can that be done? Can we expect a fifteen year old, who's been reared on junk food her entire life to bring her own offspring up any differently? Is it possible we need a more cunning or innovative approach?

With the advent of new but now maturing technologies, such as the ubiquitous Bluetooth, it would be possible to have GPs fit every child with a mini-transponder, with three states: underweight, normal, and overweight. This could be updated every six months or so, remotely or whenever the child passed through concealed measuring weighing systems covertly installed in schools. The government would then push through legislation requiring every manufactiurer of electronic goods to include chip readers in their equipment. Then, when any overweight child was within twenty feet of any such appliance it would simply shut down, or refuse to open. Or change channel.

Imagine the scene. Homer's lounging on the couch, watching match of the day with a can of half drunk beer in his hand. Enter Bart, a little overweight. Click! The channel immediately changes to the 'Health channel', showing endless loops of disgustingly healthy-looking bodies, all advocating moderation and exercise. Bart retreats from the room, as the half-empty beer can assumes a trajectory towards his vanishing head. He goes to his bedroom and switches on his own TV, only to be greeted with exactly the same channel. In disgust, he goes out, down to the corner shop, but when he walks in the lights go out and the till won't open.

If all that sounds a bit 'Big Brother' and interventionist, it's only a logical move from having teachers rummage through lunch boxes in the name of healthy eating...

Take me to your leader

Having just finished Ian Skidmore's latest offering, I am pleased to announce that aliens have definitely not landed in Llandudno or Colwyn Bay. To reassure readers I should point out that the facts for this astonishing revelation are all but self evident. After exhaustive enquiries, it's crystal clear that had they landed in Llandudno, by now they'd be sporting a parking ticket. Or an overstay ticket from a Debenhams car park warden. Furthermore, DHSS has no record of anyone further afield than Huddersfield claiming, and Venue Cymru hasn't announced "Star Wars - the Musical" ...yet. The conclusive evidence, however, has to be that no hotels are offering discounts for multi-headed arrivals, which presumably they calculate by matching legs with heads and dividing by two.

A friend of mine once said that what worried him most was that if an alien contingent arrived from some galactic-enforcement agency and warned they would destroy the planet unless we could provide a conclusive argument for the continuation of mankind as a species, we wuz finished. He, you see, couldn't see one. A reason, not an alien - although I think both apply. I wonder if we do deserve our place in the cosmos....

Wish you were here....

"RESCUERS last night blasted a family who set out to sea with a 12-month-old baby in a newly-bought boat with not enough life-jackets and no idea how to work the radio. Lifeboat crews were forced to rescue the five after the boat got into difficulties in bad weather off Anglesey. The family, all from the Chorley area, were very cold and “very distressed” after being brought ashore.

Moelfre RNLI spokesman David Massey said: “Thankfully all are OK, but tragedy could have occurred today. These people were very lucky. They called for help on a mobile phone. They thought they had a VHF radio on board but were unsure how to use it. There were not enough adult life-jackets for all those onboard to wear, although the baby had one. There were no distress flares onboard the boat either.” (From the Daily Post)

As the season approaches and our population triples with the thousands of visitors we get each summer it's worth remembering that most of our guests arrive from cities, geographically the North West, North East and the Midlands. We who are lucky enough to live here know the risks associated with this magnificent area; we know the tidal vagaries of the Conwy estuary, we know the frightening rapidity with which storms can blow up in the Straits, we know the treacherous nature of the Little Orme and we know that the Great Orme is a mini-mountain, its true wildness obscured by the apparently urban-friendly road around and the appearance of houses, just like they have at home. It's easy to rush to join the condemnation of those who set out to sea in a five pound note they've just bought (although doing it with a 12 month old baby does raise some issues, it has to be said) and it's easy for us to think that people who pop out for a stroll around the Orme in a pair of loosely fitting sandals and no rain gear without checking the forecast must be insane.

But those who dwell in cities all year round often have no concept of the danger involved. Because their own environment fences, walls and gates anything even mildly threatening, they assume the same must exist everywhere. Snowdonia and the Ormes and sea are staggeringly beautiful. But each year they claim lives, almost always because folk make assumptions instead of checking facts. We, however, can play a part, here. It's up to us to offer help and advice to folk who might tell us - in the course of conversation - their plans for the day. We don't need to be dogmatic, but simply point them to the right places for information. After all, if we do that, they're more likely to return in the future.

Cut above the rest

Despite fairly frequent threats to its existence, Llandudno hospital soldiers on as an invaluable resource for the folk of the area. It may not have the facilities of Glan Clwyd or Bangor, but when you have a nasty splinter that's worked its way down under your fingernail and is causing you agony, this is the best place on earth. Five minutes with their A & E man and the finger is frozen, the nail cut partially away, the offending splinter removed and the wound dressed - all just a short distance from home - useful indeed when you have to drive yourself back. As always, the NHS staff do their utmost to make you feel you matter and your care is their priority. Little wonder we want it kept open.

Please. sir, again...

Which secondary school to choose has long been a subject of some concern to parents. As our Blog of 22.6.09 showed, the Colwyn Bay and Llandudno areas are served by three good schools. So how can a parent be sure which school will be best for their children?

As we've said, that's not an easy process, and many children will opt simply to go for the school their friends are moving to. However, for those parents who wish to be a little more pro-active, there are independent measures of how good each school really is.

Estyn's reports, as already noted, give some indications, but are necessarily a little esoteric and obscure. One fairly effective barometer for determining the difference between schools is to examine their websites. Take a quick look at the the websites for the following:

Ysgol John Bright
Ysgol Bryn Elian
Eirias High

Ysgol John Bright's site is snappy, informative and easy to navigate. It also provides clear information and even has its own forum. We tried to register on the forum to see how secure it was, and were informed that our request had been passed to the administrators of the site, the best method for dealing with potential registrants and absolutely essential when dealing with children. However, a better system would be for the school to issue names and passwords directly to parents and conduct regular checks subsequently.

In terms of information, using the search facility we were able to find out who the year heads were and how to contact them. The only curious facet to the site was the LH "News around the world" column, but that could possibly be justified in learning terms.

Ysgol Bryn Elian's site displayed quickly, had relevant and local mapping and news information in the LH column and - commendably - linked to the Estyn report on the front page. The front page also showed the excellent charity work the school is doing and finding out the names of the key staff proved surprisingly easy, which reveals there are twice the number of women to men in the top jobs. However, it's clear that Bryn Elian's site is extremely open and informative.

Alone among the schools, Eirias takes a slightly different approach to navigation and the site in general, being the only one of the three to have registered their own domain. Preferring hyper linking at the side to drop-down flash and java menus across the top, Eirias' site is informative, easy on the eye and uses large icons for what they consider the most salient aspects of the site. The five small drop-down menus across the top have one item entitled 'All about Eirias' but we couldn't find out the names of the year staff easily through that item. The search engine didn't manage any better, either, as the first entry returned to the query "year seven head" was entitled 'Year 8 trip". Much of this, however, is down to Eirias' approach to security, which they clearly take very seriously.

Eirias' site, however, also boasts a forum, but you cannot register on the site, as passwords and usernames are sent directly to parents by the school. This is the most secure way of running a forum and is to be preferred.

As can be seen, there's little to choose between the three web sites, but Eirias' approach to security vis a vis Bryn Elian's openness does make it easier to decide between the two schools in Colwyn Bay.

We have contacted the schools to let them know of our findings and we'll print any corrections and amendments they wish to make in a forthcoming blog.

Bye, RB

Richard Brunstrom, the retiring head of North Wales Police, has spoken of his pride at bringing down crime and regret over the times he "became the story".

He argued that there had been "overwhelming" public support for his traffic policies, but there was a group which thought "they are the world's best driver, and they have the right to ignore the speed limit". On drugs, he said he was "certain" that a time would come when drugs would be decriminalised, with a move towards a "more intellectual" approach to drug use. Mr Brunstrom said too many people were sent to prison in the UK, and there were alternatives. "There needs to be a wider ranging debate on the purpose of prison," he said.

He said he was not the only person to become involved in the "worldwide global development of the way the media operates," but there was no hesitation in accepting that he was sometimes wrong.

Now he's leaving, perhaps it's possible to look at his ideas in the cold light of reality and without the hysteria that all too often supplanted the message he tried to get across. In fact, they make a surprising amount of sense. But the forward looking and those who dare to tread new territory are frequently hounded by those who either don't understand or don't want their ideas. It's happened in this area before.

Now living a relatively quiet life, a local man encountered just such media attention and vitriol over his ideas as a Headteacher of a local comprehensive. His ideas were significantly ahead of their time, and he turned round what some had considered to be a comprehensive in danger of slipping. His thanks for attempting to bring about one of the most far-sighted educational reforms in the area, however, was to be ousted from his job by a cabal of the self-interested and professionally envious. He, too, made mistakes, but he paid for them dearly. Do we ever value our free thinkers?

Loss of a child

Tests are underway to find out what killed three year old James Rhys Jones, who passed away in hospital on July 3. Last night his devastated parents Paul and Lucy Jones paid tribute to James, who went to Colwyn Bay’s Ashbourne House day nursery and Pen y Bryn play group.

The toddler had been prescribed antibiotics by the family GP for a chest infection, but had taken a turn for the worse and been referred to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd on Sunday June 28.

After a few hours doctors decided he was OK to go home. “He was there for a few hours and he perked up,” said mum Lucy, 33. “The doctor was not concerned and we took him home.”

James‘ ill health continued until Thursday July 2, when he was re-admitted to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. X-rays showed he had mild pneumonia but his condition suddenly deteriorated. (Daily Post)

The loss of a child at any age is always a heart-wrenching matter. The loss of a new born baby is traumatic, but to lose a three year old, a child who has had three full years to become a valued part of a close family unit is almost inconceivable. There will, of course, be detailed tests and a complete autopsy to identify precisely what event ended his tragically short life and brought his parents such grief and despair.

What the event reminds us about is mortality. Ironically, in a week when science appears to hold the answers to creating life and extending life we are rudely faced with the simple fact that those with their lives ahead of them can still lose them. We extend our heartfelt compassion to the parents of this little boy in the certain knowledge that every parent will be doing the same. Nothing anyone can say can ever compensate for an event of this magnitude but we hope that the parents will eventually find some sort of peace of mind and be able once again to look forwad.

The learning process

AN EIGHT-year-old schoolgirl was hit by a car outside Ysgol Maelgwn when leaving the school in Llandudno Junction at 3.30pm yesterday. An ambulance was called and paramedics treated her at the scene before taking her to Llandudno General Hospital for a check-up.

We don't know the precise details of this case, of course, but motorists in general often drive too fast for the conditions. Primary schools are also incredibly dangerous places to drive past at letting-out time and it's at times like this one has to sympathise with the plans to make certain areas 20mph or lower at certain times.

Richard Brunstrom was always the target of incensed motorists and anti-speed camera organisations who conveniently overlooked the fact that speed limits are made necessary by the minority of drivers who always feel limits are only for others. Or for mothers who are late for school. Or for young drivers who believe they'll live forever. Or for that most dangerous of breeds - the self-confessed 'good driver'.

Many times we locals are heard despairing of 'tourist' drivers, or 'hatted' drivers or 'Sunday' drivers but the stats reveal that it's locals who have the most accidents. Even during the summer season. Speed doesn't kill; that's a dreadful over-simplification of a very deep topic. But driving dangerously and stupidly and without consideration does. Perhaps that's something we all need to learn.

Cor...

One of the better (some would say best) Male Voice Choirs around - the Cor Meibion Maelgwn - is putting the finishing touches to their programme for when they compete in the National Eisteddfod on 8 August in Bala. Besides that, the choir has a busy programme of concerts. On 23 July, 13 August and 27 August the choir will be performing at St John’s Church, Llandudno. On 6 September the choir will be perfoming in St Mary's Church, Betws y Coed.

The annual concert will take place at Venue Cymru on 20 September. The guest artists are Shan Cothi, Annette Bryn Parri and Lucy Kelly.

The Choir has members from Colwyn Bay,Llandudno and district and - as with all choirs - there's always a welcome for new singers – young and not so young. It practices in Ysgol Maelgwn, Llandudno Junction every Monday evening from 7.30 pm to 9pm..

Although the choir’s official language is Welsh, there are some members who speak only English and don’t feel excluded at all. The repertoire is in both languages.

From time to time visitors, most recently from Washington in the USA and from France, watch the choir in rehearsals. It is best to check in advance that arrangements have not changed. Interested local men can go and see what goes on - and join in if they want. They need to let Bill Chapman know they are coming by phoning 01492 583420.

Moi?

People have been responding to a Conwy County Council survey about their plans for houses and other buildings in its draft local development plan until 2022 and respondents are also asked to fill in a questionnaire on an inserted A4 sheet, ostensibly for “Equal Opportunities Monitoring which asks if you are “heterosexual, lesbian, bisexual, gay or ‘do not wish to say’? and "Do you live full-time in the gender role opposite to that assigned at birth?”

The remainder of the survey tries to find out about Conwy residents’ religion or ethnicity including: ‘White – Welsh’ and ‘White – English’.

In an age when intrusiveness is prevalent and almost incomprehensible questions such as ‘Do you live full-time in the gender role opposite to that assigned at birth?' folk can be forgiven for wishing to commit acts of mayhem on those individuals responsible for such travesties. However, Conwy CC seems bent - if you'll excuse the verb in question - on being as unsubtle, intrusive and plain daft as you can get, even in this day and age. And we're paying for this?

K'Plaq!

Welsh speakers may be from another galaxy. Computer expert Alex Greene of Wrexham, one of a select group of people who can speak Klingon fluently, said: “I do believe that if you can speak Welsh, you have an advantage where Klingon is concerned as some sounds are similar such as ‘ll’ and ‘ch’.”

Alex began learning the language in 1986 and took a year to master its intricacies.He added: “Star Trek is one of my hobbies. My other hobby is languages “I have always enjoyed foreign languages, listening to them and communicating with them. Up to 1986 it had been French, Japanese and Esperanto. Then a trained linguist came up with an actual working grammar for the Klingon language for one of the Star Trek movies. It was designed so that actors could easily learn a couple of lines for a script. But later a Klingon dictionary was published. I picked up a copy and learned Klingon as a fun challenge.”

Now recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on the language Alex teaches Klingon to others. To which we can only add "naDevvo' yIghoS".

You couldn't make it up

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an inquiry into whether the new head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, should be allowed to take up his post after his wife apparently published personal details on the Facebook website.

Lady Shelley Sawers disclosed information, including the location of the London flat used by the couple and the whereabouts of their three children on the social networking site, The Mail on Sunday reported.

The real question is whether UK safety can be entrusted to anyone whose wife is so utterly clueless (not to mention, stupid) as to post confidential details on the 'net. And before anyone says it was his wife and not him, we have to ask what does that say about his judgement? It's probably time to start again, with a new head of MI6, and not one whose choice in wives is so mindbogglingly inept.

On yer bike

A ROW has broken out between Ysgol Craig-y-Don governors over a decision to spend £17,000 on a new bike shed. One governor, Brian Roberts, who works as an independent financial adviser, believes it is an unnecessary extravagance and the money could be better spent in other areas, such as buying books.

School bike sheds were a major part of schools in the 1950s. Then, it was thought, pupils would ride in their droves to school, and spacious (but usually unlocked) sheds were considered essential. As with so many decisions made by people who didn't have a clue, however, these places simply became assignation venues for the smokers, the ne-er do wells and those who took malicious delights in sabotage, so the bike sheds quickly became expensive white elephants.

Most youngsters don't want to cycle to school; apart from the recurrent risk to the velocipede itself from fiddling hands, in warm weather they arrive sweaty, sticky and pre-tired by the ride and many parents don't want their offspring to run the gauntlet of the morning school rush, either, especially those parents who drive their massive 4 x 4s with all the consideration of a Panzer tank commander late for battle.

Mr Roberts said “To go ahead and spend £17,000 on a school cycle compound on the playing field, to my mind, is ridiculous when the existing stand could be replaced and made more secure at a fraction of the cost,” he claimed. But chairman of governors Louise Martin-Young said “The grant from the Welsh Assembly Government is ring-fenced for this use."

It does seem a lot to spend on cycle sheds which we can confidently predict will be under-used and there will never, ever be decent security, unless they hire an ex-marine to stand there each morning whilst the little 'uns troop in, lock it down, then repeat the performance in rverse order each night. That said, it does seem a little odd for the WA to give this money only for one specific purpose. Schools are generally the best folk to decidd where the money should go, so perhaps the WA should award the money, and not designate it.

Flight down

POLICE have launched an investigation after a rare peregrine falcon was found dead in Old Colwyn. Experts fear it was poisoned or shot by rogue elements in the game or pigeon communities, who blame the adult birds for attacking their own stock.They warned that whoever killed the eight-week-old chick could face a £5,000 fine or six months jail if convicted.Growing numbers of these rare birds, of which there are only 1,500 breeding pairs in the UK, are being found killed.The police said the latest killing comes after another peregrine falcon was killed in the same quarry. The killer was never caught.

Nature is a wonderful thing, producing predator and prey in magnificent abundance. But Man remains the most deadly predator, and the only one that hunts and kills its own species for ideological reasons. These birds need our protection.

One 'flu over at Wrexham

Swine 'flu has hit Wrexham, but many folk have adopted a fairly laid-back attitude to the illness. They argue that they have 'flu regularly, so what's the big concern?

For those who have actually experienced 'flu - the real thing, and not simply a cold - the reality is that a quick death can almost seem preferable. Asian 'flu in 1957 was a killer of massive proportions and a very nasty and debilitating illness. The pandemic which followed in the mid-'60s was equally savage, but didn't lay quite as many low. Once autumn starts to set in, many are going to find out first-hand what swine 'flu feels like. Lets hope we're ready.

Good times

Cllr John Oddy has been making his feelings about the dearth of shops in Colwyn Bay clear. In an interview for the Pioneer, speaking speficially about the empty Woolworth's building, he said "It's a good location. The council have been actively trying to find someone to fill it. We have even been kicking around ideas of a community project to go there, but we have not come up with a decent suggestion at the moment. Colwyn Bay is full of empty shops - it's terrible. We have been trying to attract people.

"We need to drag people into the town. Once they are here, shop keepers will benefit, empty shops will be taken up by people getting on the gravy train and the high street shops will come - a small escalation and we're a shopping centre."

Sadly, Colwyn Bay is seen neither as a potential shopping venue, nor - mistakenly, we believe - as a holiday resort. Whilst the former is somewhat understandable, given Llandudno's burgeoning shopping areas, the latter is bizarrely out of touch.

Colwyn Bay's potential is enormous; a much better beach than Llandudno, a potentially excellent pier, a superb prom, Leisure centre and pleasure boating venue at Rhos and one of Wales' top attractions in the Zoo. However, there are two things missing, both of which are vital to the restoration of a once proud family destination: investment and imagination. Those two words alone lie behind every successful venture in the tourist industry, but seem curiously lacking today.

Tourists from the cities like the open expanses of water but - with easy access to places like Alton Towers and the Disney parks - there's a lot of competition. This blog has suggested ideas before - monorails, sand consolidation for the beaches and chair lifts, but these ideas all cost a lot of money. However, unless big tourist businesses can be persuaded to develop the area, then the future for Colwyn Bay doesn't look good.