It's all about efficiency - Old fashioned windmill are pretty, but their loadings are relatively low compared with the turbines currently used in 100 Kilowatt + energy generation, and they do require nice clean airflow - that's why urban wind turbines are next to useless, the houses etc create too much turbulence and slow the wind down - stick them on the coast or off-shore and you're quids in. But even then, wind isn't constant so they can never be linked directly to the mains so you then end up with banks of batteries for storage and inverters for AC generation with all the inherent losses incurred there. Lets hope HMG actually get their act together and use any extra revenue to explore more efficient ways of generating as well as the most cost effective solution of grants for insulation and energy saving. My personal wish would be a massive increase of funding for the JET and ITER and their exploration into fusion generation - if they can make that happen, then there will be a massive impact on greenhouse gas generation

As much as I'm in favour of green energy, please don't get me started on household wind turbines - these unfortunately are the snake oil of green energy generation as are solar panels - at the moment, but with investment then their efficiency should improve and then they may be viable. A solar panel (the type makes little difference) has an efficiency of about 30%. With UK irradiance levels and a 2.8 sq/m panel this amounts to about 1,000kWh per annum which, A little over 1400 kWh per annum if one takes the figures from the table in the "How Much Heat Will I Gain?" section on http://www.navitron.org.uk/solar_collector_panel.htm and multiplies the daily figures by the number of days in a month. with gas prices at 3p/kWh means a saving of about GBP30 per year. If one has a solar ready cylinder and fits the system oneself then the cost of the bits is around £600, which gives a simple payback period of 14 and a bit years *at present gas prices*. If one needs to replace the cylinder then there are various options, but they will increase the payback period. Household wind turbines on the other hand Pah ! The heap of cr*p that B&Q sells produces its full output at 12.5m/s, a "strong breeze" on the Beaufort scale. And what 12m/s wind is in MPH ........it's nearly 30MPH and almost never experienced in urban areas - at least not at the sustained levels required for power generation. If you live up on the Pennines, no trees & an unobstructed view, then maybe - even better if you live on the Fylde coast, but downtown Blackburn - forget it - Leave wind generation to the big boys - NOw if there was such a thing as rain generation then Blackburn would be quids in !!!!

I was listening to The Game Podcast from the Times during my commute this morning and Danny Kelly was chatting to Aki Riihilahti about life with Kaiserslautern, the German second division football club - a town with a population of 110,000 - so comparable to Blackburn, the difference is they have gates of 40-50,000 - are sold out 2 weeks before each game.

The home office have come up with the cost of ID cards here BBC Link - Yours for a mere 5.4 Billion - slightly different from the 20 billion that independent experts have quoted. - Let it go ahead say I & any over runs in costs have to be borne by the people that vote it in and the companies that quote for it - I wonder how many will be up for it then ?

I have two tickets for Evita - 4th Oct - 15 quid each - that's a west end show, not that I'm going to it, I'll leave that for the missus & her sister

There was an interesting and rather scary Horizon or some such documentary that was examining the discrepancy between rising CO2 levels and the fact that the temperature hasn't gone up that much. The found the answer because it has also been found that evaporation rates have dropped. They have been testing evaporation rates out in Australia and although the levels of sunlight are the same the rate water has been evaporationg from their test pools has been dropping. The have linked this to high particulate levels in the upper atmosphere cutting down the amount of sunlight hitting the earth and hence keeping the temperature down. So it may be we are in for a double whammy - cut down CO2 & end up in an ice-age - clean up our emmissions and accelerate global warming

Sorry Flopsy - I don't understand your logic - You are in as much danger from Suicide Bombers in Brum as In London ? How do you work that one out ? AS for NI - never did it - the only place I was shot at was at the beach clubs in Akotiri back in 86 - some Palestinians opened up from a RIB. As for Private Clegg - you get a Green card - you know the rules - you know if you break them what the consequences will be - The police in this country seem to be able to shoot people with impunity, especially people that offer no risk to them or others. What would happen to me if I decided that the bloke opposite me on the train was a suicide bomber - he's displaying all the hallmarks of one and I ended up killling him believing what I did was right - Family holidaay for 4 paid for by the Met - I think not ! As for Ian Blair - last night he has effectivly said that if you are suspected of being a terrorist then you should be killed - He said that the Brimingham Police were wrong to have used a Taser and should have shot to kill the suspect ! That is not the kind of authority I want the police to have.

Flopsy - you know nothing about me at all - I spent 12 years in the Forces, I've done my bit - have you ? And secondly I work in the City and commute into London every day - I make 4 tube journeys and 2 train journeys every day, I'm the one who gets nervous about the asian bloke weaing the puffer jacket sitting opposite me, not you, up there in Brimingham so don't get sanctimonious on me. And as for our wonderfull security & police forces - don't make me laugh - an intelligence service that couldn't find it's arse with both hands, and can't even get the correct mark when they've had the building under survielence for 2 days ! And of course our wonderful police never lie and cover up the facts !

One is too many - these people are supposed to be upholding the law not becoming a law unto themselves - as for innocents shot by the police - Bloke sitting in a mini, minding his own business, looks like a villain - he got shot - can't remember his name - and can't be bothered to look it up either - the there was the drug dealer - pulled out of his bed naked & shot in the chest - look on the web I'm sure you'll find it ! I'm not saying I can do better either - but I'm not a policeman - I don't want to be - they do ! Plus they are not forced to become firearms officers, they volunteer, and with that comes some responsibility. One of the problems with the firearms officers I've met is there is an underlying macho culture that comes with the job - I've always been of the opinion that the people that most want to play with guns are the very people that should be kept away from them. The US military have a very bad reputation because of their heavy handed, shoot first mentality, unlike the British Army.

Number of innocent people shot dead = 1 Number bomb carrying suicide nutters shot dead = 0 I'm not sure who's winning that one ! And before you start to make excuses for the Police - they are supposed to be professionals - If you aren't up to the job, then don't do it - this is not play time - innocent people are dying. The incompetence is in the fact that they allowed a person that they suspected of carrying a bomb to travel on a bus for 15 minutes before they even thought about challenging him, and when they did, it was on the tube ! I listened to the witness of the shooting on TV Friday morning talk about it & he described it as an execution.I do not remember Parliament ever voting on giving the police capital powers to execute anyone in this manner. BTW Harry Stanley wasn't a mental criminal , but a slighly deaf bloke recovering from a cancer operation BBC

I'd say shooting someone 7 times in the head and once in the shoulder while pinning them to the ground would indicate that the shooter had lost control - I'm no SAS trained killer, but I'd have thought, to empty a magazine into someone is probably not following standard procedures. Plus orders to shoot ? from whom ? bloke on the end of the telephone ? So two things to remember when strolling around London - don't carry a table leg & what ever you do, if looking blokes carrying guns start shouting at you - don't run ! and pray to F*** you aren't being mugged

And while I'm on one - The police were all over commuters at Sidcup and Albany Park stations in South London, checking the bags and handbags of all passengers entering the station - nice to see them doing something, but shouldn't they be focusing their attentions a little more - since when have middle aged white women fitted the standard profile of an islamic sucide bomber ? Targeting their security check would have allowed 2/3rds of the 20 or so police involved in that operation to take part in similar actions elsewhere !

And your prize is : A Family Holiday For Four. BBC The policeman who shot dead the Brazilian electrician has been sent away on holiday paid for by the Met - Absolute quality - the copper loses control - shoots some innocent bloke 8 times and gets a nice liitle prize for doing so ! And now the papers are reporting that Menezes didn't leap the ticket barriers at Stockwell tube. More fabrication from the Met Police? - some mistake shurely

Well NewTodd - enjoy your walk to Upton Park - I know I'll be on the tube

It was reported on the news today that a passenger who'd just got off the number 30 bus had noticed a young man (not said whether he "looked" like a muslim or not) was behhaving in an "agitated manner" - constantly checking his bag. Haveing lived through an active IRA cell operating in Germany when I was living out there & the IRA bombs in London in the late 80's & early 90's I like to think I'm fairly vigilant - I've made sure people come back & collect bags they've left etc. but the only times I've been nervous/uncomfortble recently, was when (in both cases) a man of middle eastern appearence was sitting near me, cutching a bag, and acting in an agitated and what I would call a nervous manner. As it was, it was my imagination both times, but what do you do - it's not likely you're going to ask the bloke if he's a suicide bomber and you probably won't like the answer either way ! Any way - I had a nice day working from home today as we only had a skeleton staff in & I can dial in - That's a nice little skive - could have done with the 90 minute walk back to Marylebone from the City last night though

Text messages are working - albeit with a little patience - It's just taken me 20 attempts to reply to one I received a few moments ago. I've not been able to make a call on my mobile tho'

Sorry guys, It's all about money - The only thing that matters is, can the debt, Glazer has taken on, be serviced - If it can then United, no doubt will thrive. If not, then what the hell - I'd be more than happy to see them go belly up. One thing for American is - just because you say it is, doesn't mean it's true, At least Phillipl has given us facts on which to base our assumtions on. And just because Glazer has been sucessful before, doesn't mean he wil be this time. I'm sure Peter Ridsdale was successful once.

Where I work, there's only one Arsenal fan that I know, who's going & he's only going because I arranged the transport, he wasn't going to bother - all the others I've been chatting to are saving it for the "big one"

I can confirm with Greggyk that there are no seats left for the trains from Paddington to Cardiff - I was booked on the 08:45 & the to$$ers cancelled that & then sold out my seats from under me, so I went garrity at them & managed somehow to get two first class seats for a tenner - the cheeky sods tried to tell me that my tickets were flexible & I could travel at any time - hows that work then when they confirmed that if you don't have a reserved seat at paddington then you will not be allowed on the train. - Got my tickets through the post yesterday only to find my return journey doesn't have seats booked on it either - time to get on the phone again !

I've just been chatting to GWR about my tickets out of Paddington - apparently there are only seats available on the 07:23 to Cardiff - and unless you have a reserved seat you will not be allowed on the 08:00 08:08 or 09:00 - so if you want a train ticket from London To Cardiff - get booking now

Walker00 It's 43 quid return on the train from London - with trains from Paddington at 08:00 & 08:08 - both of which get in to Cardiff before 11:00 - There are earlier ones as well, if you are an early Bird GNER's Ticket Buying Page

I'm glad you find it affordable Mr Brent - I'm sure there are plent of Rovers fans that can't justify spending 70 quid per head on a single game, even if it is a cup semi-final. I'm sure that these same people won't be swilling the beer back in the Postal Order Saturday either ! I can afford it & I will be there - but I'm not arrogant enough to assume that just because I can, everyone can.

For anyone travelling from London - the train times to Cardiff have changed - please see - First Great Western Link

Just to add my little bit to thetrain debate - The Train from London Paddington to Cardiff - will not go via Bristol but is diverted via Swindon and adds 30 mins to the journey.

There's only one reason to bring in new players & that's to improve on what you currently have to strenghten your squad - frankly I can't see what improvement Hartson would offer - Savage on the other hand I'm not too sure about - I personally don't like his style of play, but he would offer an alternative to Flitty.