1. put up, and shut up, they’re not doing anything illegal
2. boycott amazon – yes you could, but like all boycotts it would have to be total in order to have any effect and that’s never going to happen
3. change the law – clearly this has been an oversight going back to a time when business wasn’t as international as it is now. Just change it now to be: if you choose to operate in a country, whether that be with a base in the country or just selling to the people of the country, you pay the taxes in that country. Yes you may find some businesses leaving, but I find in Amazon’s case that’s unlikely

So stop flippin’ complaining and change the law to address the problem!

Besides, on a technicality, cheques will never disappear for as long as we have money. What’s the £10 note if not a cheque? True enough its an open cheque addressed to whomsoever holds the cheque at that time. Look at the wording carefully…

Bank of England
I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of…

What’s that if not a cheque?

And also, come on Marks and Sparks, make a real difference and stop using quite so much plastic packaging in your store. Is it really necessary to vacumn wrap all your fruit and veg?

“If you try and sell your house, estate agents will tell you to get rid of the books, they are viewed as tired and middle aged,” says Prof Sutherland.

I can’t imagine ever living in a house without books. I probably have too many books, but does that stop me? Never.

As tragic as events like this are, I am left hoping that we do not now see a closseting away of the nations kids behind closed doors because, tempting as that may be to keep the little ‘uns safe that really isn’t going to solve anything. In fact we need to defy these people and get out there and reclaim our streets and parks. Young and old alike need to be playing, walking, socialising outside and if we do then there are more people in the public places and they become safer.

It is awful, awful, awful for those people who have been flooded out of their homes (and I know what it’s like to have water lapping at your doorstep, if not actually getting in) but it does seem a wee bit silly to go blaming the authorities as the first line of attack. Rain happens, and sometimes lots of rain happens, and unprecedented amounts of rain in short spaces of times are going to lead to flooding of some kind whatever the circumstances. Climate change is almost certainly to blame at least partially, but there are many smaller factors that have led directly or indirectly to that, some natural, some man-made. Then there’s the building on flood plains and the tarmacing and paving of driveways; there are lots of considerations as to why these happen. Maybe the biggest is deciding to build your city where five (or is it seven) rivers meet?!!

What I find really, really silly are the pictures you get on the news of people ‘bravely’ (no, stupidly) trying to get to work. You actually see them driving on dry land and then into the river in which a van has already conked out. Or those people who ‘bravely’ (no, foolishly) try and get to work, wading through water and climbing along walls to try and get to work. Exactly how much do these people not listen when everyone is saying only to travel if absolutely necessary?!! Unless you are a keyworker, it is unlikely that your job is strictly necessary!! However important a job you think you do?!!

Oh, and as for being airlifted out of an office?!! I’ve been in an office which was flooded out. Okay, the building itself wasn’t but the island on which we were situated was slowly sinking under – umm – 6 inches or so of water. Them in charge had the foresight to close the building and send folk home before there was a problem. I’m surprised (given the necessity to have fire alarms/practices) that they weren’t able to evacuate the building.

Oh, and before the rest of us ‘down south’ get conplacend, let’s just remember that wer’re all downstream of some of those places and there’s more rain forecast…

Eeep!

Normal service will resume presently.

Anyway I heard an interview with the 16-year old Rachael Wing who has just had her first novel published by Scholastic, after they found it on the writing website Quizilla (this is a new one on me, ‘cos I thought Quizilla was just the source of those annoying – sometimes mildly amusing – internet memes).

PRESS RELEASE: Star-Crossed
by Rachael Wing

Scholastic Children’s Books are proud to be publishing Star-Crossed in January 2007. This fantastic book for teenage girls is a really special publication as it has been written by a teenage girl called Rachael Wing.

Rachael started writing Star-Crossed when she was 14 years old. As she wrote each chapter Rachael posted it on to an internet writing website called Quizilla. It wasn’t long before Star-Crossed had a cult following of over a thousand online readers and shot to Quizilla’s number one spot of highest rated entries. Buoyed by her online popularity and pleas from her friends, Rachael juggled schoolwork, sitting her SATs and writing to finish the story.

Scholastic Children’s Books picked up on this online phenomenon – a book which was already a proven success with teenager readers – and signed Rachael up.

Rachael has just turned 16 and is about to see Star-Crossed hit the shelves with wide anticipation from booksellers and the media.

Rachael lives near Oxford and is currently studying for her GCSEs. She has travelled all over the world through her interest in drama and the creative arts. Rachael feels passionately about empowering young people to develop their talents outside the school curriculum, and recognises that the internet is a powerful tool for this end:

“I use the internet a lot and realized one day that I could actually do my hobbies online. There isn’t much time at school for creative writing so this was a way I could do the thing I loved and share it with people. But I never dreamed Star-Crossed would actually get made into a book!”

Rachael is an example of a talented and ambitious young person chasing her dream – a refreshing change to the stories in the news so often featuring troubled or out-of-control teenagers.

When she’s not writing, Rachael loves spending time MSN-ing with her friends, shopping in Oxford, and eating Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream!

Star-Crossed is based loosely on Romeo and Juliet, bringing this classic story up-to-date with a contemporary setting in an English school. Told in the unusual second person, Rachael’s writing style immediately grabs the reader’s attention. The authenticity of her writing makes the characters believable – they act, talk and feel like real teenagers. All this combined with a compelling love story, moments of true comedy and a fast-moving plot make Star-Crossed the book to read in 2007.

Star-Crossed publishing 8th January 2007 – £5.99 – ISBN: 978 0439 943031

John Humphries, BBC journalists and Today staff, you know what you have to do – stand by the truth and resign en mass. Farewell free speech and democracy – you’ll be sorely missed.