Christopher John Myers

Hooray for Honda – as most motorcycle manufacturers (Triumph being the worst offender) just keep recycling other people’s ideas, the Japanese giant innovates. Their latest 125cc PCX scooter has a stop-start system to cut fuel use in traffic, which I THINK is a first on a fourstroke bike – and a single weight-saving starter/generator unit.   Now, I know this isn’t a genuine first, but other manufacturers (Yamaha on an easier to turn over two-stroke) tried it and abandoned it What Honda have done, which is really clever, is to use an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to switch between starting and generating. It’s light and, here’s the thing – really quiet.     Honda say it reduces NVH – Noise, Vibration and Harshness.   Great!                                                          Honda have also taken steps to reduce internal friction on the PCX, but strangely they seem most proud of the way they’ve relocated the radiator to the side.   They call it an ‘integrated de

World media feeds off itself - that's the only explanation for the feeding frenzy around the decision to charge Rebekah Brooks for perverting the course of justice over the News International phone hacking case.. It's top of the Google news digest today - 1,184 mentions around the world - and the twitter-sphere is alive with b******t, humbug and cant.. Greece is in economic meltdown and facing a Fascist ascendancy, people are starving all over the world, Jeremy Hunt is clinging on to office, someone set fire to himself outside the court where Anders Breivik is on trial, the Syrian government is at war with its citizens, a Bangladeshi has been jailed in Carlisle (Carlisle for heaven's sake!) for inciting children into prostitution and 100,000 refugees are at risk in benighted South Sudan. Where, oh where is our sense of proportion?

Repeat abortions – a tragedy for Croydon Desperately sad news today that Croydon is the repeat abortion capital of Britain . Figures released by the Department of Health show that most repeat abortions happened in London in 2010, more than half performed in Croydon being on women for the second time or more. There were 189,000 abortions in 2010 across the whole country, with more than 64,000 of them (34 per cent) carried out on someone who had already undergone the procedure. Repeat abortions cost the NHS more than £1m each week. Source: T elegraph.co.uk

Things worth remembering as we look forward with dread to the London Olympics: 1)     The ‘tradition’ of the Olympic torch journey is a Nazi invention, by Carl Diem for the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics.   There had been an ancient Olympic Flame or Torch that was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. 2)     The Royal Mint’s Olympic coins feature Roman – not Greek Gods!   Sacrilegious.   See here, all-greek-to-me .   Roman gods featured include: Mars, god of war, Vulcan, god of fire. One eminent historian said, on the BBC, that this was a bit like the Church of England featuring the image of Mohammad! Adolf Hitler himself provided the impetus for the torch journey, commissioning his propaganda chief Josef Goebbels to oversee things.   Goebbels got in touch with Diem and the rest is history. Fascinatingly the 1936 Olympic torch was designed by weapons manufacturer Krupp, according to a terrific Daily telegraph blog, Daily Telegraph (blog)

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, who famously said “There is no evidence of widespread or systematic attempts to undermine elections or referendums” and then went on to blame the media for people’s worries about electoral fraud, is fighting for her job. The £100k a year civil servant is now confronted with widespread evidence of fraud “on an industrial scale.” The Independent reports that members of the committee who appointed her as head of the Electoral Commission are so concerned about her performance  'they want her to be challenged for her role'.  when her four year term comes up. The Independent reports that: * A senior member of the judiciary claims that flaws in the postal voting system allows fraud to take place "on an industrial scale". * More allegations of corruption were uncovered in Tower Hamlets as the police prepare to man polling stations in the east London borough today. * The Electoral Commission became embroile

Great news that our EU legal masters say we can now deport Abu Qatada, the Jordanian cleric linked to Al Qaida, back home.   Or at least British courts can now decide on his deportation. So far Qatada has cost us at least £1.5 million in legal aid and lined the pockets of his solicitor Gareth Peirce.   So now, I confidently expect Mr Peirce to follow his client back to Jordan , to represent his interests at his trial for terrorism crimes. Qatada is also on benefits, along with the rest of his council-accommodated family. The Muslim cleric, also known as Omar Mahmoud Mohammad Othman is wanted in his home country to stand trial for involvement in terror attacks.   He has been tried and found guilty (in his absence) of terrorism offences in Jordan . He has been described as “Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe .” He is also a preacher of hate. Qatada claimed asylum in Britain in 1993, but officials say he is a threat to British security and should be deported

Flintshire County Council has plans to generate electricity from dogs' mess ... I've suggested they source supplies from Croydon.  Here such fuel is readily available here hanging in bags from the trees in local 'beauty spot' Selsdon Woods. (It's where dirty dog owners leave their pet's excrement, amazingly)