Health & Safety primary school nutters strike again.

School confiscates girl's Vaseline for her dry lips... due to health and safety fears

When her seven-year-old daughter complained of dry lips, Joanne Wilkins gave her a tiny tin of Vaseline to apply at school.
But when Ellie-Maye went to use it, it was confiscated – because it is not a prescribed medicine.

Prescribed medicine my eye. I carry one of these pots of Vaseline everywhere I go, and it's not even sexual. I get dry lips and this is the best way to deal with it.

The next day, puzzled as to why the Vaseline had been confiscated, Mrs Wilkins went to see Graham Prince, headmaster of Wistaston Church Lane Primary School.
Mrs Wilkins, [..] said: ‘Ellie-Maye was really upset and I thought there must be some mistake.
‘But he just confirmed that unless the Vaseline was prescribed then she was not allowed to use it in school.

Unless it's prescribed? Vaseline is harmless and requires no prescription. To limit medication to the prescribed variety only is utter bollocks. What about throat sweets? Do you need a prescription for those now.

Why do we have to have permission from someone else before we can do anything these days?

‘Anyone of any age can buy Vaseline in the supermarket. As she had my permission to use it and you don’t even need to buy it from a chemist, it seemed such an over-the-top reaction.’
Mrs Wilkins has now been forced to have the Vaseline prescribed with a doctor’s note – at a cost of £15.

This is the bit that really grips my shit. People faced with this nonsense from these little Hitlers who imagine themselves to be 'in authority', just bend over. These parents should be vigorously fighting this, not running to the doctor, cash in hand for a prescription.

The more we accept shit from above, the more drops down on us.

Last night the school head refused to comment.

Because he knows he's an utter bell end and doesn't want to admit it publicly. An un-named spokesman however, was happy to make that admission.

However, a spokesman from Cheshire East Council said on behalf of the school: ‘The school has to be one hundred per cent certain that any ointment or medication that a child brings into school is safe to use.
‘Our school policy sets out that any type of oral ointment or medicine to be self-administered in school should be prescribed by a physician.

Anyone who is not 100% sure that Vaseline is safe to use, should not be let out in public, never mind be teaching our children; the next generation of adults who should not be growing up believing in this crap.

‘Our only interest is the protection of children in our care and it is with this in mind that we applied our school policy.’

Our only interest is the protection of children? How about protecting them from H&S driven nonsense? How about having an interest in giving them an education rather than confiscating their lip balm and making them feel like dicks?

And as for for hiding behind school policy, surly when that policy is discovered to be incorrect, surely it can be bended or changed in the name of common sense.

I'm sorry, did I just say common sense? That doesn't exist in our education these days, does it. It won't exist in the generation of children that complete their education under the current system.

The next bunch of adults who come out of our schools will be suing people for carrying deadly Vaseline. They will want Vaseline banned because they might catch second hand glossy lips. These are the people that our education system is moulding.

I'm so glad I was born in a time where I completed my stint in school before the socialist took over. Jeez...

Ask Bucko...

The BBC says...

While many experts say there is no link between mobile phone use and cancer in adults there is still widespread uncertainty about the risks children face.

Research into health and mobile phones has been beset with difficulties. Mobiles have been in use for a relatively short time and yet cancers can take decades to develop.

Are mobile phones safe for children to use?

Bucko says...

Yes.

The ultimate smokey drinkey

I got a lot done these past few weeks while blogging has been light. Mrs Bucko and myself did takes some time out from work though, when we got invited to a party. I don't know why but we seem to get invited to all the best parties :-)

Darwen is a town of bands and musicians, of which there are many. There is a good live music scene among the local pubs. It turns out that one of these local musicians holds a party at his house every year for his daughters birthday.

The house is a simple terrace, but the back yard goes on for quite a distance. It's about twice as long as your standard terraced house backyard.

At the end of the yard he's build a covered area with a stage where bands can play. He also put up an awning covering the yard for the party.

All the local bands and singers get together, get drunk and play.

It was quite an amazing do. A large selection of live music, many guests crammed in like sardines, plenty of smokers and non-smokers all getting along, and none of it done under the ever watchful eyes of the state.

Take a look at these:

What a bloody go do. I can't believe you can hold such a good gig in a terraced house. We wouldn't stand a chance in ours. We are looking forward to next years installment.

I bought some cowboy boots today. Check these out:

I've always wanted a pair of cowboy boots, but now I'm not so sure. They're bloody difficult to walk in. If I fall over this evening, it won't be because of the booze. (much).

I do have a cowboy hat aswell, but that's my drumming hat. I certainly won't be wearing that in public.

I've just remembered, I have a story about boots. When I was about nineteen, I went to stay at a friends house in Burnley one weekend night. The intention was just to stay at his flat and have a few scoops, but by late evening, when we had far too many scoops we decided it would be a good idea to go to a nightclub.

As we never planned on going out, I was wearing trainers so we would never have got past the bouncers. My mate tried to lend me some shoes, but as he is a couple of sizes smaller than me, the only ones he had that would fit were a pair of steel toe cap boots with the toe cap on the outside.

He came up with the genius suggestion that we paint over the toe caps with a bit of black paint. When we had a look in his crap store, all he had was white paint.

We painted the entire boots in white gloss.

It made perfect sense at the time.

After we had given the boots half an hour to dry and had a few more scoops, we called a taxi and went outside to wait for it, me wearing the brilliant white work boots. (not a bad paint job I might add. Highly visible in darkness but I could have been run over by a snow plough in the daylight.)

That taxi never turned up, and as it had gotten so late, we gave it up as a bad job and went to bed.

We agreed the following day that we had never been so grateful for a taxi not turning up.

The things that make sense after beer, never cease to boggle.

Enjoy your evening :-)

Guido Blogger and the Deathly Gallows

It seems I was a bit early to the death penalty party with my post last Saturday.

I'd just read Guidos first post (I'm not trawling back looking for a link) on the upcoming e-petition for the return of the death penalty and I followed the link to the story in The Sun.

There wasn't much talk on the blogs at the time, but this past week, things have heated up a bit. Guido is described in the media as a 'right wing blogger'. It's been good to see that all the 'libertarian bloggers' have come out in opposition to this nonsense.


The Snowolf disagrees. The Hempen Rope.
Longrider disagrees. Thank goodness for that
Captain Ranty disagrees. No noose is good noose
Leg Iron disagrees. Scythe time
The Angry Exile disagrees. Hanging together
Among many others 

I would say the science is settled :-)

There was another story in the Sun today. (I didn't buy it, someone left it in the canteen at work. Honest) It's here.

MPs could soon be voting on the reintroduction of the death penalty.
A new Government initiative means online e-petitions receiving more than 100,000 signatures must be considered for a Commons debate.
More than 40 of the first 200 internet petitions called for the return of the death penalty.

Many people have said, the government may be forced to debate the death penalty in parliament and if they ignore public opinion it's an affront to democracy.

They ignored public opinion about the smoking ban and identity cards and immigration and benefits for all and the European union, why not ignore public opinion on this?

Maybe I hope they will debate it. Chances are they will reject the idea outright, once and for all. Hopefully.

That's what I think will happen. I don't think the country really is ready for the death penalty again, but governments rely on the people to demand they have extra powers. Do they want the power to kill their own citizens in the name of justice? of course they do. But the people must ask for it first. The kind of media hype that will be behind this will get the sheep clamouring to bring back hanging. That's just because they have been whipped up into a frenzy and they believe it will never happen to them.

Lets hear from the victims:

YES

Says Linda Bowman, mum of murdered Sally Anne

I'M pleased this petition could force a debate in Parliament - and for me that can't come too soon.

Lots of families who've suffered the murder of a loved one go out into the community, give talks and do some really good work, but at the end of the day the death penalty is the only deterrent that is going to work.

No it isn't. The death penalty hasn't deterred crime in the past and it won't do now.
People who commit a crime do it because they think they have planned it so well they won't get caught, or they are acting in desperation/passion and haven't considered the consequences.

NO

Says Barry Mizen, dad of murdered Jimmy

I AM against capital punishment. I think it is unequivocally wrong.

Before Jimmy, 16, was murdered I would have qualified my view by saying you can never be sure it's the right person.

Now I've lost a child I have the confidence to oppose a practice that simply isn't right.

You can never be sure it's the right person. If you are going to take someones life, you must be sure. Just one innocent person being executed is wrong in so many ways, the chance can never be allowed.

Mistakes happen. They have happened throughout history, and if we bring this back, they will happen again.

You can release an innocent person from prison but you can't release them from death.

There is also the problem of the slippery slope. The current proposal is to execute child killers and cop killers. It won't be long before a whole list of other criminals will be added to this list by pressure of 'public opinion'.

Lets hear from the commenters:

Andy5354
hang them all /the killers /the drug dealers and anyone who robs from anyone .the world would be a safer place and you would be happy to walk the streets again at night

This is a frightened man. The issue of drugs is one for another day, but he also wants thieves to be hanged.This man would be happy to walk the streets again because he doesn't beleive he will ever be wrongfully arrested. In his Draconian 'utopia', the authorities would be more dangerours than anyone he might meet walking the streets.

We will have to see how this plays out. I know one thing, the government want it, the sheep want it, lets hope common sense prevails.

Friday Night Moose music - The evening session

Friday Night Moose music - Where are they now?

The answer to tonight's Where are they now, is that they are still touring and still playing their hearts out.

ZZ Top

ZZ Top are most famous for the very long beards, so here's a bit of Beard trivia. The one member of the band without a bear is called Frank Beard. Yup.
The beards were grown when the band took a two year break in 1977 before signing a new record deal with Warner.

They first formed in 1969 with Musician Billy Gibbons, drummer Dan Mitchell and bassist Lanier Greig. Greig and Mitchell were replaced by Dusty Hill and Frank Beard from the band, American Blues in 1969.



They released three albums during the seventies before taking their beard growing break. Their popularity came into it's own with the release of their album, Eliminator in 1983 which sold over 10 million copies.



They seem to have a common theme in some videos - helping a young dude get the girl by giving him the keys to their 1933 Ford Coupe.

They've sold over 50 million albums worldwide and were introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.





Not forgetting their contribution to the classic film trilogy, Back to The Future, appearing as the western band in part three and supplying the song, Doubleback.



one point twenty one jigawatts!!!

They can't do right for doing wrong these H&S folk.

PARENTS of a ten-year-old girl who claim she was badly sunburnt after a day at Pennard primary have labelled the school's policy towards sun cream as "crazy."

You see, the school has banned suncream.

The couple have raised the issue of sun cream with the school before and were told pupils were not allowed to bring it in with them in case some children had an allergic reaction.

The mere possibility of suncream from one child, coming into contact with the skin of another child who is allergic to suncream, is justification for banning it altogether.

Common sense is not allowed, preventative measures are not allowed, all sun cream must be banned.

Head teacher of Pennard Primary School, Sharon Freeguard, said: "We follow guidelines issued in 2006 which are for the children to cover up, wear a hat and put cream on before they come to school.

"Parents are welcome at a lunch-time to come to school and reapply cream if they feel it is necessary.

"It would not be appropriate for the staff to put cream on 200 children."

It's not their fault you see, they are following 'guidelines'. Guidelines which suggest it is inappropriate for teachers to put cream on 200 children but no problem for 200 parents to attend school at lunchtime and do it themselves.

And it's certainly out of the question for the children to apply their own suncream....

Andrew and Victoria Bowen say their daughter Aimee was severely burnt on her shoulders while taking part in a practice for their upcoming sports day.

No need to worry anymore. I'm sure they'll just ban sports days.