STUXNET SUPER VIRUS OR SUPER HOAX?

The genie is out of the bottle!




The STUXNET virus that disrupted Irans Nuclear program has a new owner or possibly several new owners, its not the orginal virus but a copy of the application that did for Iran, the premise is that possibly Russian underworld gangs can now hold the West to ransom, close down hospitals and police computer networks and generally cause mayhem without a shot being fired or a life needlessly lost. I though the Bankers had already done that, hold us to ransom? Perhaps they are the one and same.



It does make you wonder why we have not done the same in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan and any of the hundreds of hotspots around the world? Totally mess up the Taliban computer network ans those of like minded individuals. The STUXNET virus is however a serious development and frankly none of us anywhere in the free world have an answer. It's a case of wait and see and possibly black money will change hands somewhere along the line and the good guy boffins will get hold of the virus source code and issue the fixes. Its not the complete solution and as soon as this one is fixed, an even worse one is waiting to join the merry throng.



Perhaps we do have an answer inasmuch that each and every one of us should religiously back up all our computer work hourly, most people don't bother until that fateful day when the the data just suddenly evaporates. Its happened here to me, now the data is all automatically backed up from the laptops to a 1 terrabyte stand alone hard disk the case about about the size of a decent hard back book... a couple more are about to join it .



Contributor: Media,Aviation & Travel Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio direct)G722/APT-X DualCodecs GlensoundC5All Moral Rights Asserted

On Mother Kellys Doorstep... or Copper put the Kettle On

On Mother Kellys Doorstep......

Julian Bray, Security Expert writes: It seems the riot police in Londons Whitehall have more changes of costumes than Danny La Rue, well in the hat and stick department anyway. ....

The Met fashion show started off with standard issue peaked caps as worn by traffic cops, this changed to riot helmets with full visor, round riot shield and a night stick, then police regular helmets and regular truncheons, next followed a natty line in baseball caps, I particularly liked the chessboard banding and to finish this all off, the riot helmets were then low slung hung from belts or waistbands, where the pink community would normally wear a bunch of keys.

The Met Police handling - shown up by the ever present SKY News helicopter -seemed like a right high viz horlicks, and for heavens sake where was the recovery vehicle to get the broken down Police van out of the line of fire?

If that wasn't possible, then the other option would have been to physically push it with another vehicle. As for the bonfire in the middle of Whitehall, a forest fire fighting canvas bowser full of freezing water dropped from the hovering police chopper would have put paid to that. A couple more water drops would have immediately disbursed the rabble, who by that time had given up all aims of demonstrating peacefully and just hell bent on vandalism, smashing windows and so on. It was cold enough for the water to turn to ice, and certainly the need for kettles would be reserved for hot drinks.

It might be worth running the newsreel footage from the poll tax riots and the earlier vietnam series of demos in London. Dressing police up like contenders for a Buzz Lightyear competition has to be a no no. A bad look and uncomfortable for the wearer. The Met Police now seem to have more body armour than our troops in Afghanistan!

The TV pictures will now be beamed worldwide and again makes the UK look stupid. Ol' Bin Liner, sitting on his camel, half way up a mountain must be wetting himself, Whoever was Gold Commander on the day needs to quickly rethink the kettle sorry 'containment' strategy as following George Osbornes speech next week on how bad the cuts are really going to be, Police are likely to be faced with an increasing number of demos, not from bunking off school children but from well resourced service very fit public service professionals who won't offer such an easy target .

Heaven help the hapless police commander who decides to 'kettle' a few thousand firemen or other public service personnel facing the chop.... I would also get some of the wise old police heads out of retirement and learn a few lessons from how they tackled London demos from past years...the US Embassy Grosvenor Square demos, some 40 years ago, even had a certain Mr Jack Straw then a firebrand Student Leader being pulled through a hedge by police....

Contributor: Media, Aviation & Travel Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray

SKYPE: Julian.Bray.

UK Landline: 01733 345581

Mobile: 07944 217476

ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio direct)

G722/APT-X DualCodecs GlensoundC5 All Moral Rights Asserted

PORTUGAL ALL ON STRIKE! NO OVERFLIGHTS EITHER...

Romanian Tarom locally assembled BAE 1-11 jet, often dry hired in during peak holiday season by failed holiday airline BIA and known in the BIA ops room as Muppet 1,2,3,&4 ....


Julian Bray Travel Expert comments: Portugal is effectively closed today (Wednesday 24 November 2010) as air traffic controllers and other transport workers go on strike. This also affects overflights so ensure your onward flight misses Portugal (and Madeira) completely.

Some aircraft have also been grounded in Portugal, which will have a knock on effect for the next week as flightcrew who have used up flying time allowances will have to be replaced by other crews, and aircraft will be flying empty to reposition them.

Further strike action is planned and holiday/Christmas flights could be hit. The strong advice is check with the airline and ensure your travel insurance will cover any disruption. It goes without saying you should used your credit card to pay for at least £101 of any total invoice in order to make a credit card company claim for the whole amount under the UK Consumer Credit Act. The so called 'ABTA financial guarantee' is in effect virtually worthless for a rapid refund.


Contributor: Media,Aviation & Travel Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio direct)G722/APT-X DualCodecs GlensoundC5All Moral Rights Asserted

BBC TRUST, Newspaper websites and the paywall question?

Remote Conference Facilities are nothing new.....

Am I really alone in thinking, the political outpourings of our newspaper commentators are to the delight of No.10 and HM Opposition are being diluted? I say this as many of them are now retreating behind paywalls slashing on line readership overnight in the hope of picking up some extra revenue.

So unless you subscibe, the acres of finely honed cutting prose by some of our 'celebrity' journalists (and other hard working hacks) is totally lost to casual observers and indeed many larger PR companies are no longer picking up individual press cuttings as they have to pay a hefty fee for a copy licence from another authority. They simply rely on written opinion digests and summaries which are not subject to additional fees

The joke is that the poor old hacks seemingly not realising their casual internet audience has vanaished, they all still add programmed tweets and helpful links as if the paywall didn't exist ! The Times, News of the World, Financial Times, Broadcast, Sunday Times. London Evening Standard have all dived behind the paywall and no longer feature on the radar.

I also doubt if many people will set up a variable direct credit card debit starting at £1 in order to access some of the websites. Even behind the paywall many of them are still stuffed full of advertising...

They'll also find PR firms will take (at the next client/PR agency financial review) them off regulatr press distribution lists as cuttings measurement firms (oh yes, they exist!) advise both client and the PR firm, the paywall protected publication is no longer worth servicing. Its estimated that each individual press release has a single unit cost of £60 when you take into consideration the cost of research, creating, printing, photography, list hire, postage, press cutting agency, collation, NLA copyright fees and so on.

Paywalls will continue to fail unless all websites go behind the wall, this would include the massive http://www.bbc.co.uk/ who provide news services from their own correspondents and also every wire service under the sun. Precisely the same agency sources used and now expesively protected by the paywall mob.

BBC TRUST

I should add that now the news seems to have been placed in the public domain. I am a confirmed candidate for the vacant BBC Trust Chairman appointment.

Should I be appointed, the Trustees, many hardworking, will be rapidly introduced to the wonders of video conferencing and remote contributions and submissions submitted by intranet and other web.2 delights. It works for many other major organisations and there is no reason why it cannot work for the BBC Trust as we already have access to a network of remote studios and uplink points.

I can assure everyone concerned , there will be no more repetitive dining of politicians and contacts at the same few top mega expensive London restaurants, but I will certainly be taking all the trustees on a short cruise, probably on the Independence of the Seas as that is the only way the Trustees will ever, ever experience a weeks worth of the car crash known as BBC World Television, complete with commercials. It's not broadcast within the UK and is supposed to project the image of the UK overseas. Car crash TV is just too kind.

It is one mightily expensive service we could all do without and perhaps our international stock in trade will improve overnight. I will also be questioning why every opt out requires it own channel on the Sky electronic programme guide and why they are all bunched up near the adult red light section at the end of the sky spectrum. I will also be questioning the roll out of digital in the UK being unertaken by the BBC and subcontracted to gas fitters and boiler installers EAGA and ask why thousands of voluntary neighbourhood watch teams all over the UK are being asked to attend (UNPAID) installations along with the EAGA organisation. who famously managed to mess up the nationwide "Warmfront"program....

In short, my mission will to deliver the BBC Trust mandated charter and bringing the BBC Trustees right up to date and delivering the whole BBC Trust package for a fraction of the current budget. Not rocket science but if the majority of billable time is taken up with travel, hotels and fine dining and subsistence no wonder the running costs are astronomically high. So it's not a question of blaming the Trustees (some have yet to claim anything) but fixing the system that causes the payments, all out of BBC Licence payers funding, to be triggered in the first place.


Contributor: Media, Aviation and Travel Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5 All Moral Rights Asserted

Lord no so Young falls on sword or was he pushed?

We've booked Lord Young on a short cruise.......


So the wine started to flow the discreet Daily Telegraph digital pocket sized tape recorder openly set out in front of the Peer and for the price of a 'free' celeb. chef lunch (no such thing you say) Lord Young can finally break out the slippers and dressing gown. His political career evaporated and in tatters and some may say not before time either.



Ironically Young is statisically correct, but you would think by now he would act like a politician and sugarcoat the pill? Not a bit of it, "More wine M'lud?" First the toe went in the mouth, then all the toes, the wine flowed a little more then Lord Young devoured his foot. The sheer slow motion car crash nature of it all is the most stunning, he (Lord Young) must have realised the game was up and wanted the last hurrah.



The media duly obliged and helpfully released the whole tape to the broadcast media. Still the old boy had a good innings, he now has lots more time on his hands. Expect the book, warts and all to be published soon . Hopefully history will be kind to him, his demise is after all stastically .0000000000000000000001. That at least should please some of the unemployed and those soon to be unemployed, just before Christmas too. 'Mere bagatelle' as the not so young lord might say. Then again Camerons' gagging order might even stop that as well....





Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters)G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5All Moral Rights Asserted

Welcome to the Peerage - Peers List Announced!

The new intake of Peers (they sit in the House of Lords)
has just been announced, pink Gins all round!



Conservative Party



* Tariq Ahmad – businessman and former Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party

* Sir Robert Balchin DL - Pro-Chancellor of Brunel University

* Elizabeth Berridge – Director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship

* Sir Michael Bishop CBE – career in civil aviation, Chairman of The Michael Bishop Foundation a charitable foundation

* Alistair Cooke OBE – career in education, authorship and politics

* Sir Patrick Cormack – former Conservative MP

* Michael Dobbs – author, presenter and adviser to Margaret Thatcher and John Major

* Robert Edmiston – businessman and charity campaigner

* Sir Reg Empey OBE – Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party 2005 – 2010

* Andrew Feldman – businessman and Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party

* Julian Fellowes DL – actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter

* Stanley Fink – Chief Executive of International Standard Asset Management and Chairman of Earth Capital LLP. Treasurer of the Conservative Party

* Howard Flight – career in finance; held various positions in Conservative Shadow Cabinet, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party 2004 -2005

* David Gold – senior litigation partner at Herbert Smith LLP

* Michael Grade CBE – past Chief Executive of Channel 4 Television and former Executive Chairman of ITV plc

* Rachael Heyhoe-Flint OBE DL – past captain of England women’s cricket team, currently public relations and sports marketing consultant

* Anne Jenkin – charitable and political work for the Conservative Party

* Sir Michael Lord – former Conservative MP and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons

* Rt Hon David Maclean – former Conservative MP; held a number of Ministerial posts; Opposition Chief Whip 2001 – 2005

* George Magan – career in finance; former Conservative Party Treasurer and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Foundation

* Sir Bernard Ribeiro CBE FRCS – retired Consultant General Surgeon; member of the Health Policy Research Advisory Board of the American College of Surgeons

* Fiona Shackleton LVO – lawyer specialising in family law

* Richard Spring – former Conservative MP

* Tina Stowell MBE – former Head of BBC corporate Affairs; past Deputy Chief of Staff to William Hague as Leader of HM Opposition

* Nicholas True CBE – past Deputy Head of the PM’s Policy Unit; former Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords; Leader of Richmond Borough Council

* Patience Wheatcroft – Editor-in-Chief of the Wall Street Journal Europe

* Gordon Wasserman – internationally recognised expert on management of police forces

The Queen has also been graciously pleased to signify
Her intention of conferring a Peerage of the United Kingdom for Life upon
General Sir Richard Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, Former Chief of the General Staff.
Sir Richard has elected to sit on the cross benches.

Liberal Democrat Party



* Dr Sarah (Sal) Brinton – Executive Director of the Association of Universities in the East of England

* Dee Doocey OBE – Chair of the London Assembly

* Qurban Hussain – Deputy Group Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Luton Borough Council

* Judith Jolly – Chair of Executive Committee of Liberal Democrats in Devon and Cornwall

* Susan Kramer – former Liberal Democrat MP

* Raj Loomba – businessman and campaigner for widows’ rights

* Jonathan Marks – commercial and family law QC with specialist interest in human rights and constitutional reform

* Monroe Palmer OBE – Liberal Democrat Councillor and Chair of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel

* Jenny Randerson – Liberal Democrat Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Cardiff Central, former Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government

* John Sharkey – Chairman of the Liberal Democrat 2010 General Election campaign

* Nicol Stephen – Former Deputy First Minister of Scotland (2005 – 2007) and leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats (2005 – 2008)

* Ben Stoneham – Liberal Democrat HQ Operations Director

* Mike Storey CBE – Primary School Head teacher, former Leader of Liverpool City Council, Liberal Democrat Councillor and former Lord Mayor of Liverpool;

* Paul Strasburger – businessman and philanthropist

* Claire Tyler – Chief Executive of RelateLabour Party

* Dame Joan Bakewell DBE – writer and broadcaster

* Ray Collins – General Secretary of the Labour Party

* Maurice Glasman – Senior Lecturer in political theory at London Metropolitan University and for his work with London Citizens

* Jonathan Kestenbaum – businessman and Chief Executive of National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts

* Oona King – Head of Diversity at Channel 4 Television and former Labour MP; currently journalist and presenter

* Ruth Lister – Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at Loughbrough University

* Eluned Morgan – former Labour MEP representing Mid and West Wales; currently Honorary Distinguished Professor at Cardiff University and for her work on low carbon energy

* Sir Gulam Noon MBE – Chairman and Founder of Noon Products and of the Noon Foundation

* Stewart Wood – former Downing Street and HMT special adviser, lecturer at University of Oxford; previously Fellow of Magdalen College and co-founder of Nexus

* Bryony Worthington – career focusing on promoting environmental and social changePlaid Cymru

* Rt Hon Dafydd Wigley – former Leader of Plaid Cymru; Honorary President of Plaid Cymru









Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters)G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5All Moral Rights Asserted

Last chance saloons saved by a royal event

The most cruel and totally false headline,

the perils of putting a fake positive spin on events.

At a time when the Coalition government is promising an age of austerity and dire financial gymnastics for the decade ahead, along comes a gold covered figleaf to save the hotel and hospitality industry and now it seems a whole host of manufacturers too.

Already within days of the Royal engagement being announced, City brokers are packaging up bundles of industries and services likely to make a packet out of the expected increased tourist trade and if Prince William does decide to live in North Wales, it could be a new marker on the tourist destination map. It's also a short hop to Blackpool where a different set of Queens await the intrepid tourist!



I'm also delighted as my lecture series on CSI Princess Diana : Accident or Murder? is set to get a whole new lease of life, and a new set of audiences as I explain later.



In fact, so many industries will benefit from this Royal event that the republican biased few who decry the expense of it should allow the young Prince to raise the finance to pay for it, keep all the profits and take urgent action to protect his image rights and licence pottery firms and others who intend to ride on the back of the wedding. He will make a fortune and Uk will still bask in the glory of it all. It will also properly raise the profile of the UK , unlike FIFA world Cup, The Olympics and other events that carry so many strings and restrictions and devour the lions share of the profits. These sporting events have also become tained, just imagine the wedding party having to submit to drug tests...I don't think so...



I'm currently finishing of an investigative series on RMS Titanic and the launch of this new five part series will be on board the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas , some may question why would cruise guests flock to see a series on RMS Titanic? All I will say is that the most popular background for the ships photographer is a backdrop featuring the main staircase from ....RMS Titanic!



During the reasearch, the question of Second Officer Lightoller came up, it's crystal clear from the 1912 Senate Investigation into the sinking of RMS Titanic, that Lightoller did physically prevent men from boarding the lifeboats, claiming that his orders were 'women and children only'. The few lifeboats under his charge left the striken ship, half full or less..











Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters)G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5All Moral Rights Asserted

King Willie and Queen Kate? What ho Camilla?

Congratulations to the Royal Couple and it's fun to see how many so called Royal Watchers have been dusted down - some not so dusted - but simply ravaged by time, cigs and a good few gins....Gordons naturally - then thrust into the cruel television spotlight.

I have to declare my own Royal credentials. Royal Stewart clan on my mothers side and born in Glasgow... and I used to live just up the road from the then Lady Diana Spencer who shared a mansion flat in Earls Court with a number of other 'debby' types.

Prince Charles at that time had a secret love nest just off Flood Street in Limmerson Street, Chelsea (near Maggie Thatchers old house even), London. As the news was breaking and I was musing on the history of it all, an e-mail arrives to say that the National Union of Journalists wish to recognise my 40 years of unbroken membership by making me a Life Member. Some mistake, I can't be that old, but its true... as a young broadcast journalist, the Royals were just as big news then but there were strict rules in place, no one could directly interview a royal but you could interview someone who had been speaking to a royal and use this third party broadcast approach.... madness.

Charles was to discreetly maintain that Chelsea 'love tryst' address for many years to come, but not so discreetly his security people would drink in Finches pub in the Fulham Road, providing a running commentary, for all to hear on the royal antics, thereby neatly signposting that Charles was nearby 'entertaining.'

My particular area of royal watching expertise is that of Princess Diana. I present as part of a British Series lecture programme, an acclaimed lecture to diverse interrnational cruise ship audiences on 'What really did happen to Princess Diana ?' a kind of CSI Paris, her death (or murder?) in Paris and everything after that, right up to present day events. The security services didn't exactly cover themselves in glory and the Jury is still very much out...

But back to the happy couple, mercifully Catherine (as we must now call her...) is from commoner stock so hopefully many possible nutty traits that have been handed down by generations of narrow breeding by the Royal clan will have a refreshing new blood pool as it were.

They make an attractive photogenic couple, Prince William seems to have a well balanced independent head on his shoulders and is well respected in military and aviation circles. The taxpayer will stump up for a flash wedding with all the trimmings, there will be complaints but no mention of how the UK once again re-invented as an international tourist magnet and generating billions on back of the newly engaged Royals...... and at a fraction of the cost of the Olympics! Nothing changes.

The coalition government must also be in raptures, with the Royal publicity machine already off to a flying start and sweeping ALL other bad news stories off the news pages. Be prepared for bad economic news to be timed to hit the public arena just as the wedding and each subsequent issue (birth?) arrives.... magic days with a Royal twist... pass the Port..... God save the King! Well not quite yet King Willie!



(C) Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5 All Moral Rights Asserted.

Rolls Royce wishing for a takeaway...

Following the failure of a Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine on a Qantas A380 Airbus on 4 November, RR issued an all-operator directive requiring 'non-modification' inspections to be carried out. This to be completed before carriers conducted any further flights with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. For each engine, the examination would typically take 9-14h for a passenger flight and 6 hours for what is termed a a non-revenue flight.

It then transpired that Rolls-Royce had directed carriers to carefully check for oil leaks in the engine, and that an oil fire in the high and intermediate pressure regions including a bearing box of the powerplant was suspected of causing the failure and shattering of a turbine disc located at the rear of the engine. The force of which shattered the protective engine cowling and punched holes in the upper wing surface.

European regulators then became involved and have since issued an emergency airworthiness directive ordering carriers to conduct extended ground-idle runs with the engine and inspect both the low-pressure turbine blades together with the intermediate (and high-pressure) structures within 10 flight cycles, repeating the checks at least once every 20 cycles.

The worries now are that with all the mandatory engine swaps taking place on several carriers, there will be few spare power units to fall back on in an emergency. All this has knocked the Rolls Royce share price and forced the company to issue a profits warning.



Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters)G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5All Moral Rights Asserted

Rolls Royce Trent 900 oil slick media relations

No-fly-by-wire more the seat of your pants... IWM Duxford has free admission

on Rememberance Sunday and will hold a memorial service

Julian Bray Aviation Expert reports: Central Television (ITV News) called earlier today as they like the rest of the travel and aviation community are having a really hard time getting a straight answer out of beleagured engine makers Rolls Royce.

RR have formally admitted a problem with one single component and this caused an oil leak and a fire...they say, but if you listen to the boss of Airbus you get a totally different story, broken bearing box and another component, a turbine disc shattered at the back end (business end) of the engine, this severed landing hydraulics and narrowly missed a vital spar....

Clearly time has now come for Rolls Royce to lay all its cards on the table, holding NOTHING BACK, stop treating us all as an afterthought, give a detailed technical explanation of what actually did happen and why. I appreciate the need to try and boost the share price and not cause general alarm but the current rumours running around the industry need addressing and very quickly.

First rumour: "The problems were known and remedial action has been taken on NEW engines leaving the factory but we've yet to get around to fixing up all the older Trent 900 engines currently flying hundreds of thousands of people all over the world daily.... "

Second rumour: "We've yet to write the software to detect an oil spill/ fire and when we do it will close down the engine to prevent a further fire."

Third Rumour: " We've talked privately to our investors and customers. We are quite happy to let them sound off to the media about the state of our products and we are happy to say nothing and let them fan the oil fire with a gallon of hubris"

Forth Rumour: "The Rolls Royce media relations team is far too busy to talk to the media, as we are all out of the office on a team building residental month sabbatical in Bali, the mobile signal isn't very good either."

Come on Rolls Royce, even if the Chairman is retiring shortly, you really can do much better than this!


Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert, Writer & Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 down line +44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5. All Moral Rights Asserted

The demo season unexpectedly starts a few months early...

The Demo season begins...unless you were in the thick of it during the 1970's, few Police Officers in the UK have had practical experience of full on angry UK demonstrators. I remember whist working for a number of broadcast organisations, BBC,and a few programme strands recording interviews on my trusty but heavy UHER 4000L- Report tape recorder at the very start of the Northern Ireland demos.

The troubles as they became to be known, really all started with a demo outside the Northern Ireland Office in Berkeley Street London W1. In those days policemen looked like policemen and not like Buzz Lightyear in a space suit, no high viz vests, no stab jackets, no shields and no full on blue riot visored helmets.

The police at the Northern Ireland Office formed a semi circle in front of the huge plate glass window. The demonstrators started throwing coins over the heads of the officers in an attempt to break the plate glass window. After about 30 minutes or so, the coin throwing slowed down to a trickle and a pile of 'coppers', rested behind the coppers so to speak. 

The duty Sargeant from West End Central at that time, who seemed to be on all the marches, then simply ducked under the cordon and started gathering up the coins, into his own pocket. A cheer went up from the crowd and the tension was broken. The crowd then became more compliant made a few more protests then started to drift away..  

But turning back to todays student riot at Millbank, the police were completely wrong footed, ill equipped and totally outnumbered.We've suggested on the Duckhouse Blog that civil unrest may break out in January when the cuts start to bite, they seem to have bitten a couple of months early.. we can only hope the cuts in Policer budgets will not affect the Olympics in London,the damage might well have been done as TV pictures are flashed around the world and newspapers carry the damning pictures...  


Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 down line ++44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5

Student Demo at Conservative Party HQ

This illuminating e-mail has been obtained and published by political blogger Guido Fawkes....

Post : Party Chairman Still Inside CCHQ



URL : http://order-order.com/2010/11/10/party-chairman-still-inside-cchq/

From: Sendorek, Alan


Date: 10 November 2010 16:33


Subject: Contact with journalists


It is vitally important, both for the quick dispersal of the crowd outside, and for the safety of people inside this building, that people do not contact journalists to give an account of what is going on. e.g. news reports that the Chairman is on site are extremely unhelpful. Any such leaks from CCHQ will be treated very seriously.

Add a comment to this post: http://order-order.com/2010/11/10/party-chairman-still-inside-cchq/#respond




Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 down line ++44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5

Airbus fly-by-wire explained by Julian Bray on ITV NEWS; an ITN London Production

JUlian Bray, Media & Aviation Expert, broadcaster and lecturer taped on November 4th and transmitted live by Anglia Television to ITN London from their Northampton Office, as a continuation of the ITV Lunchtime Live News package on the continuing Quantas Airbus/Rolls Royce Trent 900 engine uncontained blow-out saga. Now being offered by ITN Source to TV Stations around the world. This version is a webcam screen grab from a regular laptop screen. The orginal is in high-resolution.

Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 down line ++44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5

Rolls Royce in rapid firing line from both Australia and the USA



Rolls Royce Trent 1000 may have unwittingly incorporated
the design defects of the failed Airbus Rolls Royce Trent 900

 Australian airline Qantas claims that its engineers have discovered new problems with three Rolls-Royce engines on its new fleet of Airbus A380s that will keep the superjumbos grounded for a few more days, the airline's CEO said on Monday.  Quantas grounded its six double-decker A380s, the world's newest and largest airliner, after an engine burst minutes into a flight from Singapore to Sydney last week, scattering debris over Indonesia's Batam island. The plane made a safe emergency landing in Singapore.


Engineers conducted eight hours of extensive checks on each engine over the weekend.


“On three of the engines what we found are slight anomalies, oil where oil shouldn't be,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce speaking on ABC televsion said: .“We're trying to check what the cause of that could be. These are new engines on new aircraft and they shouldn't have these issues at this stage, so it's given us an indication of an area for us to focus on.” Joyce said the A380s will not fly until testing is complete and the airline is certain that the planes can fly safely, though that is expected to take days rather than weeks.
“Our top priority is making sure we have the continued safe operation of the aircraft,” Joyce said. “If this takes a bit longer, we'll take longer.”


Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, the other airlines that fly A380s fitted with Rolls-Royce's Trent 900 engines, also briefly grounded their planes last week but resumed services after completing checks.
The Qantas engineers are working with Rolls-Royce, who manufacture and maintain the engines, as well as Airbus.


Joyce said it still was not clear what caused the engine failure on flight QF32 last Thursday but believed it was not a maintenance issue.  “It could be a series of things. We think it could have could have been a materials issue or a design issue,” he said.  Investigators have concentrated  the search on a missing piece of turbine from the Rolls-Royce engine.  The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading an international investigation into the blowout on the A380, appealed for help from residents of Indonesia's Batam island to find the missing chunk of a turbine disc.

The island was scattered with debris last Thursday when one of the A380's four Trent 900 engines failed minutes into a flight to Sydney, with 466 people aboard. The engine was quickly shut down and the plane returned to Singapore and safely made an emergency landing.


“The recovery of that disk could be crucial to a full understanding of the nature of the engine failure, and may have implications for the prevention of future similar occurrences,” the bureau said in a statement.


It released details of a jagged and bent piece of turbine disc from the Trent 900 engine and asked that anyone who might have found a similar piece should hand it to police.


It said one piece of the shattered engine that had been found on Batam was being sent to Britain for examination by Rolls-Royce engineers, under the supervision of bureau investigators. Extra experts were being sent from Australia to Singapore to examine other debris.


Rolls-Royce Group PLC, has been heavily condemned in the media for leaving all the comment to the Quantas chief executive and seeming to take none of the flack directly for the engine blow out  but has said through a corporate spokesman the investigation is in its early stages and that it is too early to draw any conclusions. All this has come at a bad time for Rolls Royce as they watched more than a billion pounds sterling wiped off their share price. The UK Coalition government has also privately indicated that it would not financially bail out Rolls Royce.  


John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member was able to throw a little more light on matters. Golia, an expert on aircraft maintenance, said the photo showing the broken turbine disc indicates it was the disc that may have failed. The photo didn't show any signs of discolouration on the disc that would indicate overheating.  There are several reasons why a disc might fail, but they usually involve the metal used to make the disc or the manufacturing method, Goglia said. He cautioned that he was looking at one photo, which was not enough information to make a definitive judgment.

Julian Bray Aviation Expert comments: The embattled engine maker Rolls Royce has been served with legal papers by the USA rival engine maker Pratt & Whitney claiming that bits of the Rolls Royce Trent 900 and the newer 1000 are full of unlawfully copied engine parts, the design copyright of rival US Engine makers Pratt & Whitney. Lawsuits with P&W are nothing new they have been going on for over a decade but it does smack of opportunism that P&W should suddenly decide to file court papers; whilst one of the Rolls Royce engines concerned lies shattered following an uncontained blowout and grounded in Singapore plus several more engines are now said to be leaking oil...   It has also been suggested that a new Airbus deal with China for end assembly of Airbus jets, will hasten the end of complete Airbus wing assemblies in the UK on grounds of cost and logistics.    

Additional reporting CNS-Sapa-AP

Contributor: Media & Aviation Expert Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 down line ++44(0)1733 555 319 (Broadcasters) G722 & APT-X Dual Codecs GlensoundC5

AIRBUS IN TROUBLE - JULIAN BRAY ITV NEWS 4 NOV 2010

Whenever there is problem with an aircraft the chance to say 'catastrophic failure' is at the top of the media pundits list. The truth is if the passengers and crew all land safety as they did with the Quantas Airbus at Singapore earlier today and the passengers leisurely strolled down the aircraft steps (as they did) then the pilot and the aircraft designers should breath a sigh of relief and rest assured that is not 'a catastrophic failure' it is simply a failure of one Rolls Royce Trent-900 engine, not the two or three to make it 'a catastrophic failure.'

What is however distressing is to find that warning notices had been issued several months about this particular aircraft and make of engine. Tellingly it is only the Quantas and Singapore Airlines fleet that are grounded. The rest of the Airbus output have American engines from two rival manufacturers. A friendly mole at the Airbus Hamburg plant confirms. (The damaged wing was made in Wales).

With The UK going through cut backs in the defence programme, this is bound to trickle down and impact on civil applications of once military technology. Kevelar for example is used for the engine cowlings, only today that cowling lies in shatters and I hope the Indonesian villagers seen carting away the bits are in negotiation for a massive finders fee for the safe return of the shattered A380 bits. Luckily no one was standing directly under the falling debris, all neatly labelled ready to be sent back but hopefully not like this.


The Airbus has had its share of problems, but it was actually designed to run on three engines and at a pinch two if one remains either side..... It 'flys by wire' meaning that without a battery of duplicated computers, the aircraft wouldn't be able to fly at ultra slow speed in the nose up stall position as it majestically did a few years back at Farnborough Air Show.

I really cannot understand the attitude of the Rolls Royce Public Relations machine, no one of note has come forward or currently doing the rounds of TV and radio newsrooms and there is scant editorial print comment from RR. No wonder the Rolls Royce share price has dropped like a stone. They left it to Quantas to make the announcements on the state of the RR product. Just plain daft, a few senior directors at RR should be considering their position.  

ITN who provide the UK national news for the ITV network and worldwide news outlets, called me at 11.30 am just as the first passenger videos of the fractured upper wing of the A380, were being transmitted, a fraught painfully slow 44 mile trip to the network studio housed at the Innovation Centre of  Northampton University and I'm wired up and doing my own fly by wire act.

PETN Pentaerythritol tetranitrate Massive Scrabble double word score and an Aviation security issue?

PETN Pentaerythritol tetranitrate. Massive Scrabble double word score

and an Aviation security issue. Will it stop aviation expansion? 

Julian Bray writes: I have worked with a number of airlines during my career and accordingly acquired detailed knowledge in certain areas of aviation security and air cargo handling systems. I've even revised emergency protocols "the book" for a major airline. A number of so called 'security experts' have suddenly crawled out of the woodwork, slicked back the thinning hair, donned demob suits and have been sounding off in the media about the poor state of security surrounding air cargo and freight. The saintly David Learmount , of Flight International, an exception - always worth listening to! 

Jet fighters recently escorted a passenger plane

(not BA) into JFK, this is far more elegant!.

Frankly some of the comments being carried on national and international TV and Radio networks, are just so wrong they should be reported to Trading Standards!    For the record:  Most suspect packages (including the latest batch, fuelled with PETN Pentaerythritol tetranitrate) enter the world air freight and cargo system through distant remote, often corrupt third world country airports and minor freight hubs.