Okay, so I needed a list of countries and their ISO codes. I've needed this before, and each time had to resort to reformatting a HTML table I found on the web somewhere such that it could be imported into a database. No big deal but a waste of time to keep repeating the task every so often. So, anyway, I've exported the latest version in a variety of formats for future use. Might be of use to you too, so here you go:
I got the list from Wikipedia so it should be up to date as of today. It includes the country name and ISO 3166-1 codes. Enjoy.
This is an old favourite that I'd forgotten until recently: Take a freshly warmed ciabatta, add a of drizzle olive oil, some salad leaves, parma ham, emmental cheese, basil and slices of tomato. Season with salt and pepper. A simple, fresh and delicious summer sandwich!
How to geek is a great web site with a lot of tips and how-tos on a variety of computer related topics. The quality of the copy and illustrations is fantastic, especially when compared to 90% of helpful enthusiasts help pages available on the web. Highly recommended.
What is significant about current oil prices is we are prepared and able to pay them. Despite doubling in price in the past year, our economies are still running, people are still going to work and school, food is still being delivered, holidays had. What this really means is we were paying at most half the worth of fuel a year ago; after all, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it and, we are willing to pay double what we were paying last year. Take into account the crumbling US dollar and the fact that most tax on fuel in the UK is fixed at a nominal rate and we aren't paying double at the pumps, but we are still paying a good 30% more than this time last year.
The Prime Minister has moaned at OPEC for not producing more oil in order to bring prices down. Will he be capping the prices charged for North Sea oil? Demanding increased output? Reducing fuel duty? No. Brown wants the extra money just as much as OPEC countries do. And higher prices means higher revenues from North Sea oil. There's also the fact that we don't have a shortage of fuel, but we also don't have extra capacity in our refineries. Saudi Arabia - the only OPEC member that could increase output - could pump millions more barrels out but we couldn't use them because we can't refine them. Brown's demand on OPEC is hollow retoric with undertones of racism. Higher prices are okay for Gordon so long the economy isn't stalled by them and he's the benificiary rather than Arabs, Russians, Nigerians or Venuzualians maximising their profits.
Brown has two fundamental problems. First, he's Scottish. That in itself is no bad thing, but when you have a queazy English plebiscite to muster, being otherly does not go in your favour. When people are unsure of your credentials, being different doesn't swing them in your favour. His other problem is his lack of charisma. Thatcher and Blair had it. Major didn't. Brown is a private looking man with a serious agenda, and schmoozing, smiling, grinning and fawning to the crowd just aint his bag. Aside from his penchant for parternalistic statism, he's a competent politician but, like Major, is facing a charismatic, well spoken, well dressed Englishman with facsimile economic policies. And also like Major, the crowd, like schoolkids with a sensitive student teacher, can smell fear and are keen to make use of it. Teflon Tony was worn down out of office. Mr Brown will be hounded out.
