Thursday 24 September

Good morning from an overcast Stornoway. Once more, the wind blows from the west at force 5 and the odd showers is possible. The 12C / 54F on the thermometer is a bit on the low side, but what do you expect.

I'm left bemused at the snub that wasn't a snub, when British PM Gordon Brown was denied a formal head-to-head with B'rack Obama at the UN last night. They could only talk in the kitchen at the UN, a formal meeting was not possible. 10 Downing Street was allegedly frenzied at this snub-that-wasn't-a-snub (which it was, don't fool yourself). I think Obama saw right through the charade around the release of the Lockerbie bomber - Mr Brown didn't speak up on the issue for quite a few days.

So there is this vaccine that gives you a 30% chance of not contracting HIV/AIDS. I wouldn't chance it. It's excellent news that progress is being made, but there is a long way to go. Since writing an essay on the subject of HIV/AIDS in 1985, treating actually infected patients has made a lot of headway, and life expectancies have extended. But developing a vaccine has remained static for a long while.