Here is something I found on the blog of David Thompson, seemingly £150,000 of Arts Council (read "taxpayer's") money was spent on sending a gaggle of arty types to the polar regions, "to inspire the creative team to respond to climate change".
Highlights include the projection of images onto a glacier, the opening of a CO2 cylinder (profound) and the collection of poppies. It is unknown what the 'carbon footprint' of the carbon-footprint-awareness junket was (seemingly always the case).
£150,000 of your and my money well spent then.
Full details here: http://davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/2009/11/artists-for-gaia.html
Right then, it is absolutely essential that you read this right now and in full; http://devilskitchen.me.uk/2009/09/doctors-still-lying-about-alcohol.html (from The Devil's Kitchen).
Once you've read it, read it again; it's rather good.
Well, fancy that. It's another bunch of nest-feathering, rent-seeking, thieving, public sector cocksuckers who want to take your cash and spend it on themselves. Fuck right off, Alcohol Health Alliance - you're not getting one more penny from me.
Quite right, sir.
You may also want to read these articles; "Drink limits 'useless' " and "How 'safe drinking' experts let a bottle or two go to their heads" (both from The Times).
Guidelines on safe alcohol consumption limits that have shaped health policy in Britain for 20 years were “plucked out of the air” as an “intelligent guess”.
Says it all, doesn't it? Remember that these are the "limits" that the government bangs on about endlessly, and the "limits" that our supposed exceeding justifies all kinds of authoritarian nonsense.
Postscript: Upon reading this again, I realised that this all reminds me of another type of 'limit'; imposed arbitrarily by persons in power (often who have no experience of what they are 'limiting') and with endlessly discussed 'dire consequences' for those who dare to exceed these 'limits'. Can you guess what I'm talking about? Answers on a postcard please...