3
December
In the
past I have said on here that I used to be a very heavy drinker, indeed, 12
pints in one night was a quiet night for me. And yet during all those years of
abuse I do not remember even one time I had become violent, or do anything
silly or anti-social, like peeing in doorways and so on that we see on telly so
often. How the hell I managed to pay for all the booze I just don’t know. But
one thing I am very pleased about is that I have never, ever smoked tobacco,
other than in second hand smoke while working behind bars in pubs, and in home
where there were four heavy smokers, mam, dad, grandad and mam’s younger
brother we called Nutty
This
choice was a deliberate choice by both me and my brother Dave. For me I was
determined not to end up with dirty yellowing staining on my fingers and teeth.
Seeing a lot of smokers coughing and barking first thing in the morning, and
not being able to function without having at least one smoke. It’s something I
just couldn’t understand, and of course I conveniently forgot all about my need
for booze and how it affected me. Dehydration was just affect that it caused.
One sergeant I worked with told me it was because of the amount of booze I was
drinking; I of course ignore him.
So what
is this leading up to then? It’s simple really, Panorama on telly Monday evening, which covered bribery accusations
against one of Britain’s biggest companies, British American Tobacco (BAT). I
just sat and watched it and although I was a tad surprised by it, it was the
scale of the bribes that surprised me. Africa is full of corruption, no matter
what country we speak of, so we should not be surprised that BAT were involved there.
What it
leaves me wondering about is just how much of this did our governments know
about and were any of them on the pay-role too? It’s something we will never
know I suppose, but at least there should be an investigation to find out just
how far the corruption spreads. A lawyer here in the UK said that in the States
there would be an investigation once it becomes aware of the issue.
BAT has
responded to some questions asked of them and the usual tired old claims of
disgruntled ex-employees trying to cause trouble for them. They also claim that
they demand the highest levels of integrity from their employees and will
accept nothing short of that. And yet the emails, accounts and documents showed
by the programme seemed to show that knowledge of bribery was known about by
the top management of BAT.
One executive
has been sent 16 emails by the BBC and responded to none of them. He also
ignore questions called to him as he arrived at the company HQ in London. There
are questions that need answering, the sooner the better. Mind you, I should
think that some people are running around like headless chicks right now as
they try to cover their own backs. This is why I like this type of show on
telly.
My
biggest wish is that more notice and action is taken when practices like this
are discovered, but is BAT alone in this. The sugar consumption on the UK is
growing and there is evidence that added sugar is contributing to obesity in some
of our kids. Whenever a new report comes out the sugar companies come out of
the woodwork and start to bleat about how safe sugar is and the report writers
are out to get.
Another
big concern with health watch dogs is the alcohol industry. All drinkers will
know of the effects that booze has on them. The effects of just one or two
units can be felt and yet the Portman Group is soon out to cry penalty when a
shows badly on their industry. One of their claims is that in moderation alcohol
will not cause harm on one hand, and then on t’ther say that it is up to induvial
drinkers to control what they drink. Of course, they forget all the special
offers and ‘happy hour’ pubs hold. Christmas is on its way, just watch for all
the more enticing offers in supermarkets and pubs. By heck, I’m glad I’m off
the stuff now!
So let’s
have a photo …
Yes, of course, a pint of real ale I had a few years ago.
Today’s
funny …
10 Facts About You:
1. You're reading this now.
2. You're realizing that this is a stupid fact.
4. You didn't notice I skipped number 3.
5. You're checking now.
6. You're smiling.
7. You're still reading this even though it is stupid.
9. You didn't realize I skipped number 8.
10.You're checking again and smiling because you fell for it again.
11. You're enjoying this.
12. You didn't realize I said 10 facts not 12.
1. You're reading this now.
2. You're realizing that this is a stupid fact.
4. You didn't notice I skipped number 3.
5. You're checking now.
6. You're smiling.
7. You're still reading this even though it is stupid.
9. You didn't realize I skipped number 8.
10.You're checking again and smiling because you fell for it again.
11. You're enjoying this.
12. You didn't realize I said 10 facts not 12.
Oh yes …
22 sleeps left now … … …
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