Mobile Phone - How many Features if any, do you need?

The release of the Hop1800 'voice only, no screen' Mobile from Hop-On has made me think, what features of my Mobile do I use and I came up with a short list?

• Address Book for Voice/Text/Email and as a quick look-up for Landline, Fax Numbers and Email Addresses.
  
• Voice Calls
• Hands Free
  
• Text Messages (Many more in, mainly from Services such as Voicemail)
  
• Email (Mainly out - Passing Notes about me being delayed enroute)
  
• Camera (once in a blue moon).
• Internet (once in a blue moon).

One feature I sometimes think I might use one day is a data service connection for my Laptop, but the requirement has never arisen. So in theory I am using a reasonable number of features, but what if they weren't there?

• No Address Book - Back to good old Filofax :-)
• No Hands Free - Even Safer Driving as I wouldn't have the Phone Switched on.
  
• No Text Messaging - Have to check Voicemail after meetings, etc, otherwise inconvenient, but I think l I could learn to live without it very quickly.
• No Email - Not really a problem, if it wasn't there!
  
• Camera - If didn't have it, it wouldn't be missed.
• Internet - If didn't have it, it wouldn't be missed.

Now I accept that some of the above might be more of a problem if I didn't have a laptop, but for me the core requirements are:

1. Voice Calls.
2. Voicemail.

So what would happen if I stopped having a mobile?
As I have always treated Mobile Phones as a communication tool, not a necessary part of my lifestyle, I suspect that for a week I would be extremely irritated it was no longer available, but I also suspect those people used to calling me on the Mobile would be annoyed. In the longer term I would probably find that people would consider it very odd I didn't have one (in the 1990's I spent five years without a Television, something that was always treated with utter amazement and disbelieve).

To end, a couple of idle thoughts:
So how would others cope without a Mobile?
What would be the consequences of every mobile network going off-air for 24 hours?

Finally who is going to buy a very basic mobile like the HOP 1800 in Western Europe and North America?
OK other than Criminals, Terrorists and those who just want an emergency phone.
Actually the above probably means there is sufficient market for this type of device!

Nimrod exposes contempt for Armed Forces

Not my Headline (I wish it was), but from a Daily Telegraph Article by Con Coughlin.
Not only is it an interesting Article in its own right, but the comments from readers struck me as both pertinent and interesting. To give you a sample the following is that last paragraph of Con Couglin's Article:
Quote:
Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, seemingly so underemployed at the Ministry of Defence that he also finds time to be Scottish Secretary, has admitted that two thirds of the Nimrods are “not fit for purpose”, but has done little to rectify the situation. He should hang his head in shame.
Unquote
In another time perhaps the last sentence would have read: He should Hang.

Now one of the Comments from a reader - It is long, but worth reading:
Quote:
The MOD have always possessed an accountant driven mentality instead of an operational requirement ethos towards military kit.

I was in the services when the Nimrod started to replace the Shackleton, back in the late 60’s, and the general consensus then, was that it was an extensively modified cobbled up Comet, with Spey engines. That it is still in service today as further modified variants are wheeled out, is a remarkable achievement in cost cutting, but not much else.

After the MR2 exploded over Kandahar, with the cause known to be related to in flight refuelling operations, remarkably a second incident took place on 5th November 2007 to a second MR2, (XV235), also over Afghanistan, while the investigation into the loss of XV230 was ongoing. This incident also occurred during in-flight refuelling when the crew called a Mayday after observing leaking fuel. They managed to land the aircraft. It was only after the second incident, that in flight refuelling was suspended for this type, and it was only due to providence that a second aircraft was not lost.

The board of Inquiry into XV235 deduced that the most probable cause, was escaped fuel contacting an air pipe at 400 degrees Celcius, after penetrating between two layers of insulation. Contributory factors were listed as:Age of the aircraft; Maintenance policy; Failure of hazard analysis and lack of a fire detection and suppression system; and, not identifying the full implications of successive changes to the fuel system and associated procedures.

Back in 1992 a program for replacement for the MR2 was started, the Nimrod MRA4
(New engines in refurbished airframes) was selected in 1996. This was delayed because the airframes supplied to BAe systems were non standard. ‘In service’ date had slipped from 2003 to 2009, and by 2005 the cost jumped from £2.8 billion to £3.5 billion, meaning the RAF would get fewer planes.

Sadly, the Nimrod is not alone in the tragedy of errors

The Hercules shot down over Baghdad was operating without self sealing fuel tanks in a war zone. Another cost saving?

link

I think the British owe their aircrews better than this.

The MOD and successive governments, have treated the military as nothing more than a cost cutting exercises for decades. This government in particular goes down in history with a part-time defence secretary, to emphasize the low priority which Labour assigns to the military. With soldiers still being sent out in ‘snatch’ Land Rovers, it is little wonder that the RAF is flying antique junk.

Posted as a comment to the Telegraph Article by Michael Barningham on May 23, 2008 10:13 PM
Unquote

Delaying the Nimrod Replacement - Tragic and Symbolic

A replacement for, or at least a complete ground up rebuild of the RAF Nimrod Fleet has been on the agenda for so long that I think it dates back to the late 1990's. But HMG have always tried to move it to the 'back burner', whilst at the same time trying to find means of justifying the delay as both reasonable, prudent and as an after thought operationally acceptable.

Back in 2004 they were looking for another delay and decided to spend some money on commissioning a report from BAE to confirm sorry that should be see, if it was safe to delay replacement, despite the subsequent report warning that: There had been 880 fires or "smoke-related incidents" on Nimrods in the past 22 years and that hot air pipes in the bomb bay were too close to the key elements of the fuel system. If a fire broke out in the bomb bay, there was no way of extinguishing it.

The report urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fit a fire suppression system in the bomb bay, but the warning was ignored.

A further report, this time by QinetiQ in 2006:
Blamed the Nimrod’s age and the "intense" way in which the aircraft were flown for what it described as a "critical" structural problem. The warning was ignored was again ignored.

Failure to proceed with the replacement programme in 2004 following the BAE Report was unacceptable, failure to act following the QinentiQ Report is criminally culpable.

But despite the clarity of the warnings the Government continued with its policy of delaying the programme until 2010.

Meanwhile the Nimrod Fleet which was only 21 Aircraft with only around 11 serviceable at any given time was being tasked at War Levels of operations. Like the rest of the British Armed Services, Nimrod and her crews were being stretched at a level of Operations the Government required, but the same Government was not willing to correctly finance.

A Nimrod Crash in November 2004 was caused by the same faults identified in two separate reports that were ignored. The Death of the 14 Crew of Nimrod XV230 in September 2007 was as a direct result of those reports being ignored as it was caused by the faults identified in these reports. Criminal Negligence on the part of the MOD, RAF and Government?

Today and every day Nimrod Crews take an Aircraft based on the Comet Airliner of the 1950's and which was actually built in the 1960's on missions over land that is a War Zone, or over the unforgiving Sea.

The very fact they continue to do this makes them heroes and brings shame on those Politicians who didn't do what was absolutely necessary in 2004 and absolutely vital in 2006, but still sit in Government.
The MOD and at least some Senior RAF Officer are also culpable and I suggest in certain cases Criminal Trial and Court Marshals maybe appropriate.

The Crash of Nimrod XV230 is both tragic and Symbolic of this Governments entire attitude to the Armed Services (and indeed the Emergency Services) . In that they will perform miracles on the minimum, whilst we spend money on what will keep us in power.

Unfortunately whilst this Government has been spectacularly inept in keeping its attitude to Defence concealed, history consistently teaches us when HMG commits the Armed Forces to fight it always states these forces are correctly equipped and all their requirements have been and will continue to be fully met.
Just as consistently our Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen have paid for these lies with their lives.

At least in previous times we could have expected those responsible to at the very least resign, not just from their post, but from public life. Now they not only keep their job, or get another, but rarely even apologise!

Police Pay - Two Nations and Jan Berry

For most of the UK's Police Services the Government in Westminster refused to implement the Police Arbitration Tribunal's 2.5% Pay Award back-dated to September 2007 in full, but to stage it, so as to save 30 Million Pounds (but the Government had no problem finding 2.7 Billion Pounds in a failed attempt to save a by-election). In Scotland however the Tribunal' recommendation was accepted and Officers will receive the full amount back-dated to September - So much for One Nation!

Now I have never been a Police Officer but I found this refusal to accept the Arbitration Boards Decision, especially when the Teachers Arbitration Board Recommendations had been fully accepted a disgrace. But when the situation results in a two nations Police Pay Standard I find the situation totally unacceptable.

Whilst I am only a Grumpy and who cares what I think, Jan Berry the outgoing Chair of the Police Federation in England and Wales, does at least have to be listened to!

Having seen excerpts from her Keynote speech to the Police Federation of England and Wales Conference, I was so impressed I decided to check out the full text which can be found here:
Jan Berry's Keynote Speech In PDF Format.

I am not a Trade Unionist by nature (I still carry very bad memories of my virtually enforced membership of the TGWU in the 1970's and the rantings of Paid Officials, Conveners and Shop Stewards in 1980's).

But Jan Berry has impressed me so much that once she has had time to recharge her batteries after six years as Federation Chair, I hope she considers a Career either in Politics as a back bench MP. or in the Media on a flagship Programme such as BBC Newsnight. In either role she would truly be performing a Public Service to the Nation, of in an erudite and compelling way exposing the crass behaviour of Government Ministers.

Nick Robinson's News Blog had an item on the Federation Conference entitled:
Police beat up defenceless woman
Unfortunately he did not include the phrase 'and She Throughly Deserved It', so I will!

MPs Panic - Over Saving the Country, err No Saving their Jobs

On Television an evening or two before the by-election at Crewe and Nantwich, a respected politician on a Panel stated that people didn't go into Politics for the money, but Public Service. The other Politicians on the Panel nodded sagely in agreement and I suppressed a wry smile and switched over to a factual programme.

Fast forward until the Morning after the by-election and the headlines many of which followed the theme of:
Labour MPs Panic. Why was the Country being plunged into chaos, was an invasion force heading into the beaches, had the commons bar run dry, or was it because their expenses were going to be exposed to public scrutiny?

No as based on the Result, if a General Election was called in a month or two, many of them would lose their Jobs (many in seats previously considered safe). This would not only mean loss of a reasonable salary (which they effectively set themselves - which I am sure the Police Find Ironic), but all those allowances.

So instead of rallying around the Government as members of a party should, they started not only to panic about their futures, but began to indulge in the only thing they do well back-stabbing!

Public Service, no Self-serving!

It is an old saw that a Country gets the Politicians it deserves, on this basis we must have done something really bad.

The Murder of Captain Nairac - Two Suspects still Safe in the USA

With the arrest of and subsequent court appearance of Kevin Crilly the Torture and subsequent Murder of Captain Robert Nairac is back in the news

Although Kevin Crilly has been released on bail (which I find strange even by the standard of NI judiciary favouring former members of the IRA, due the Peace Accords), the question is which haven for Terrorists has been sheltering Mr Crilly since 1977 – Libya which had links with the IRA by shipping them Arms, Marxist Rebels in Columbia, who used IRA Men as Instructors, or some other shadowy group, or regime?

Well none of the above, as like many terrorists of his ilk he found sanctuary in the United States of America along with two other suspects to the Murder of Captain Robert Naira.

Now the Nairac Case has been revitalised, the police are in discussions with the US Authorities over extraditing the two remaining suspects. I wish them luck, as I covered America’s habit of sheltering Terrorists in a post on the UK-US Extradition Treaty back in August 2006. However I do think it is worth remembering the Crime these men committed which should have them in front of the War Crimes Tribunal In the Hague, not facing some pathetic two year sentence under the Northern Island Peace Accords:

The following is taken from the George Cross Database and formed part of my post:
Pondering on three types of Courage from May 2005

Quote
On the night of 14/15 May 1977 Captain Nairac was abducted from a village in South Armagh by at least seven men. Despite his fierce resistance he was overpowered and taken across the border into the nearby Republic of Ireland where he was subjected to a succession of exceptionally savage assaults in an attempt to extract information which would have put other lives and future operations at serious risk. These efforts to break Captain Nairac's will failed entirely. Weakened as he was in strength-though not in spirit-by the brutality, he yet made repeated and spirited attempts to escape, but on each occasion was eventually overpowered by the weight of the numbers against him. After several hours in the hands of his captors Captain Nairac was callously murdered by a gunman of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who had been summoned to the scene. His assassin subsequently said "He never told us anything".
Captain Nairac's exceptional courage and acts of the greatest heroism in circumstances of extreme peril showed devotion to duty and personal courage second to none.”
Unquote

I hope the United States is proud that it has sheltered the Cowardly Murderers of such a brave man for 30 Years because it has no moral right to say that it is the Leader on the War Against Terror, whilst providing sanctuary for Terrorists!