Oxford's obdurate orthodoxy...

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Happy New Year! [edited for typos etc., 1400hrs] The blog title does not refer to the beautiful city of Oxford nor the wonderful university there, although the former and the latter have a lot to answer for. 

No, this is about some Oxford chumps living in the past and pushing cult dogma: 1. Bishop of Oxford last month called for govt crackdown on climate change sceptics (FFS, as if they haven't done enough damage to their own religion without pushing another); 2. Oxford Academics' BioScience saying the public has failed climate hysteric alarmism and that now "time is up". [Jeez...]. 

Meanwhile Patrick Moore, "chairman and chief scientist of Ecosense Environmental and co-founder of Greenpeace, the climate change messaging isn’t based in fact"... "The whole thing is a total scam". 

I know who I believe. Hat-tip The Naked Emperor.

Olive oil options...

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One option soon not allowed in the EU is jugs and refillable bottles of olive oil...you know, the stuff on every single restaurant table throughout the continent: "From 1 January 2014, restaurants may only serve olive oil in tamper-proof packaging, labelled to EU standards" [BBC]. I can only think this is a ploy to help the economies of the the PIGS: although the "spectacular surge in demand for olive oil in developed and emerging markets" [OOT] should help too. Oliver (yes, honestly) Bailly the European Commission spokesman said the olive oil regulation would benefit consumers because they are only "making clear that when you want to have olive oil of a certain quality in a restaurant, you get exactly the one you are paying for", what about rip-off wine? What about the 'fresh' bread in an open basket? the meat? the fish? How often does one really get 'exactly the one you are paying for'? Anyway, just like to mention that earlier this year the EU codified marketing standards for olive oil and I am in favour because reading the regulation [PDF] I don't think it's as bad as everyone is making out (no change there then!) and as early readers of Owsblog will know, I like olives...but also I am always pissed off by the obvious dodgy olive oil (I mean restaurant owners saving a few bob, not the multi-billion pound scam) passed off as super-pure cold-pressed extra-virgin.

Olive oil options...

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One option soon not allowed in the EU is jugs and refillable bottles of olive oil...you know, the stuff on every single restaurant table throughout the continent: "From 1 January 2014, restaurants may only serve olive oil in tamper-proof packaging, labelled to EU standards" [BBC]. I can only think this is a ploy to help the economies of the the PIGS: although the "spectacular surge in demand for olive oil in developed and emerging markets" [OOT] should help too. Oliver (yes, honestly) Bailly the European Commission spokesman said the olive oil regulation would benefit consumers because they are only "making clear that when you want to have olive oil of a certain quality in a restaurant, you get exactly the one you are paying for", what about rip-off wine? What about the 'fresh' bread in an open basket? the meat? the fish? How often does one really get 'exactly the one you are paying for'? Anyway, just like to mention that earlier this year the EU codified marketing standards for olive oil and I am in favour because reading the regulation [PDF] I don't think it's as bad as everyone is making out (no change there then!) and as early readers of Owsblog will know, I like olives...but also I am always pissed off by the obvious dodgy olive oil (I mean restaurant owners saving a few bob, not the multi-billion pound scam) passed off as super-pure cold-pressed extra-virgin.