Yearly Archives: 2003

Employment Law: Update

Last Week I noted that a parliamentary committee was reviewing the new employment law that attempts to give gay and lesbians some protection against being dismissed from their job on grounds of sexuality. Some religious groups were to be made exempt from this.

I have struggled to fid some update on this on the web but have, at last discovered that this is due to the fact the committee is not reporting until Friday. However, Gay.com reports

While the nature of the “technical flaws” has not yet been announced, the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) says they are hopeful that it is a sign the religious exemptions, which go beyond the original European Directive on which the regulations were based, could be removed.

All of which, I hope, is good news.

On this day…

2003: Leave Fed Alone
2002: Welcome to Musak

Toronto Gay Weddings

Hoorah for Canada. Ontario’s Court of Appeal announced existing common-law marriage definitions violate a gay couple’s equality rights on the basis of sexual orientation.

Michael Leshner and Michael Stark were the first couple to legally wed.

“We’re blissfully happy,” Leshner, a Toronto Crown attorney, declared after exchanging rings with his partner of 22 years and offering a champagne toast outside the courthouse

[Source – The Toronto Star]

On this day…

No other posts on this day.

Cabin Boy

I thought it was all a lie about cute cabin crew boyz until tonight’s BA769 from Oslo to Heathrow and the lovely David (bleach blond boy babe). Agghh …

I am now intrigued though. David was ‘cabin crew’ and the other guy was a ‘steward’. What’s the difference – it doesn’t really say over at BA.

On this day…

No other posts on this day.

We all love Dermot

Dermot Lokoing GoodA good number of the recent visitors to this site couldn’t care less about what I say. They are coming here because I made Dermot O’Leary Man of the Moment back in July 2002. Now he’s back hosting some of the Big Brother coverage his popularity is on the up again. So I added some new pictures. Sadly, I don’t have any of him from the television last night. Those shorts …

On this day…

2004: The Day After Tomorrow
2003: Just In Time
2003: Last Night

The Government Could Learn Much From Big Brother

Latest Link:
Society | Big Brother’s message to the government

What can the e-government sherpas who are scaling this organisational Everest learn from the PDME kings and queens at Endemol, Granada and the BBC?

Interesting article in The Guardian yesterday discussing how the British Government could learn a thing or two about electronic communications from BBC et al. I thought it was timely as I have been sent a tax return this year and have had to go through the UK Government Gateway registration process. It’s not that user friendly but I am hoping the act of filing is easier.

I wonder if we’ll get a decent e-government strategy. It could save time and money but I suspect the thought of integrating all the legacy systems is likely to make more for the big computing and consulting firms, cost us a small fortune and get us nowhere. Cynical? Just a little bit.

On this day…

2004: Brother Beyond Star Charged
2003: Workings of Parliament

Workings of Parliament

According to today’s Independent newspaper, MPs and (gasp) Peers will challenge the new employment legislation that allows religious employers to sack gay and lesbian staff. Firstly, of course, I welcome this move. Equality should now allow exemptions at all. Secondly, having read the article it’s increasingly clear to me that I do not understand the workings of Parliament at all. This, apparently, is “secondary” legislation which would not normally be debated in The Commons. So, how many un-debated bills are passed every year and how is that decided? Maybe I should write to my MP. Do they still take constituents around The House?

On this day…

2004: Brother Beyond Star Charged
2003: The Government Could Learn Much From Big Brother

Dermot is Back.

I haven’t looked at the site stats for Listen to Musak for a while but, as it’s the beginning of June, I thought I would look to see how I’d been doing. What’s for certain is that the Listen to Musak traffic certainly follows much of popular culture.

And lo, towards the end of last month I started getting more and more hits for people searching for Dermot O’Leary. Of course, the sexpot is back on our TV screens hosting this year’s Big Brother’s Little Brother show – an early summer treat to be sure.

On this day…

2006: links for 2006-06-02

Open Secret

The preface to the paperback edition of Open Secret talks of the challenges the security forces face combatting global terrorism. It’s an interesting analysis of the problems facing governments and democracies worldwide but, unfortunately, it doesn’t really set the tone for the rest of the book. The remainder is less threat-analysis and much more biographical.

The very personal nature of the book, and thus the lack of James Bond style bad-guy chasing, is only a disappointment to those who haven’t read anything about it. Open Secret does not set itself up to be a great spy catcher novel. It is the truly fascinating tale of a woman who appeared to join the Secret Service because she couldn’t really think of anything else to do and became the “housewife super-spy”.

Stella Rimington nicely touches on some of the history of MI5 and its role during the wars (world and cold) without turning Open Secret into a detailed historical work. It’s not a technical manual for sleuths either, nor does it contain the great revelations about our Secret Services than some have made out. It is a wonderful insight into the workings of a world that, at least for the part of her time, Stella could not admit existed. She tells of the struggles to bring up a family single-handed while battling the internal workings of a Service that did not expect women to rise to the top. It’s a fascinating insight and, perhaps, inspiring to some. Certainly it’s a book that, this reader at least, is very glad made got through the censorship.

On this day…

2004: Troy
2004: Polo Shirts: A Fashion Idea For 2004
2003: Crossroads ‘was all a dream’
2003: Pop Life
2003: Unfortunately There Are Effectively No Funds Available To Pay The Salaries
2003: No Consensus In Support Of Same-Sex Unions
2003: Dr Kildare is a Sissy