Amy international law experts around?

I am confused by some of the reporting around Independence, so hopefully someone can clear things up for me*.

My understanding is that if Scotland becomes independent, then that ends the United Kingdom (which is named after the uniting of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into one Kingdom). We are not left with The United Kingdom, and "that bit which used to be part of it, but isn't any more". We have two new countries.

So why is it that I keep reading stories about how Scotland will have to renegotiate X and Y with Europe, NATO, the UN, etc. - which also assume that England+Wales+NI won't have to negotiate anything at all. Surely either both new nations will have to negotiate their relationship with various organisations, or both will inherit the relationship from the nation they are successors to.

Anyone care to put me right? Or at least tell me that everyone disagrees?



*Although the experts also seem to be confused, so probably not.

Interesting Links for 21-02-2012

• Technological progress not slow or steady, but superexponential
  (tags: technology thefuture )
• Why not pipe the water from north to south England?
  (tags: water drought uk )
• Steam/Valve’s Gabe Newell talks wearable computers, why consoles should open up, and game ownership
  (tags: steam software computer_games copyright drm )
• Dutch scientists aim to produce lab-grown hamburger this year - with 60% smaller environmental footprint than existing burgers.
  (tags: meat food Technology )
• Sauerkraut Station (SF story which just got nominated for a Nebula)
  (tags: scifi nebula )
• Eternal Copyright: a modest proposal
  (tags: copyright )
• Our unrealistic views of death, through a doctor’s eyes
  (tags: death medicine pain life )
• We are all connected - an example of how your local economy is global
  (tags: money globalisation )
• Possibly the finest pun in the history of awful geeky puns
  (tags: comic funny watchmen drwho )
• When did 8/10 become a bad score? Seriously, I remember when 70% was pretty damn good
  (tags: reviews gaming computer games )
• Advert on Oxford Street shown only to women
  (tags: advertising discrimination women )
• See a dinosaur in accurate colour, for the first time ever.
  (tags: paleontology colour dinosaurs )
• Hollywood's Next Great Business Model: Praying That Stars Die
  (tags: death business movies hollywood )
• Will people please stop thinking of the children? The SOPA author back and worse than ever
  (tags: law usa internet )
• Can we please not have a war with Iran?
  (tags: iran war )
• Slowly but surely, TV is moving onto the web
  (tags: tv web thefuture media )
• No 10 sides with gay couples over full marriage
  (tags: lgbt marriage uk )
• Losing weight twice as difficult as diets claim. Plus, of course, temporary diets are really bad for you, and don't work long term
  (tags: diet health food )

The doctor could do nothing for me

I went to see the doctor this morning, to talk about that thing that doctors love best - self-diagnosed problems investigated via the internet.

I've had blood sugar issues for decades - the first time I had a hypoglycemic attack I was (I think) 16. I'm fairly sure this was down to my liking sweet things far too much, and consequently stuffing myself with them at every opportunity. Basically, whenever I eat something sweet my blood sugar spikes for about half an hour, and then crashes, leaving me shaky, sweaty, with my head spinning, and generally feeling pretty rubbish and incoherent. Oh, or just plain grumpy. My reading (with some help from Julie) led me to think this was probably Reactive Hypoglycemia.

The solution for which is to "stop eating the bloody sweet stuff that makes you feel shit". And so I don't. Mostly. Except when I have all the self-control of a rat on crack, for instance when I'm stressed, which I am too much of the time at the moment *sigh*.

Also, both stress and weight feed into this - when I'm less stressed it affects me less. When I'm thinner it affects me less. As I'm currently overweight and stressed, things could be better. But I am working on this.

A more recent issue is gluten related. I've been having an issue for about a year where eating bread made me "gassy", with pasta causing a similar (but lesser) effect. And this has been getting progressively worse, to the point where eating a couple of pieces of toast would cause my stomach to swell up and then do awful things which I shall not inflict on you*.

And so I went in and told the doctor, and he said "Yes, that sounds like reactive hypoglycemia. Don't eat sweet things. And that's gluten intolerance alright. If you're willing to eat gluten for 6 weeks then I can do a test at the end of it for coeliac. Which we would treat by telling you not to eat gluten." To which my response was "I am not putting up with 6 weeks of pain and awful noises* in order to be told not to eat something I'm currently not eating."

And he sympathised with me on both counts, and sent me on my way.

Glad I went in though. I'd have felt really stupid if there was something useful they could do and I hadn't checked. Or if I'd completely misdiagnosed myself. It's always nice to have doctors tell you that you're right :->





*Feel free to imagine in your own time.

One of these kitties is not like the others

All via e-apraksina.com. You can click any of them to embiggenate.

There's only one of them I'd scratch behind the ears though.

I love being an adult

At 8:30 this evening I remembered that today is Pancake Tuesday.

25 minute later we were in bed, with pancakes (gluten and sugar-free, of course), happily munching away while watching The Canadian Fairy Show and HIMYM.

Awesome thanks to Julie, who talked me through the incredibly simple recipe for pancakes, which I had somehow managed to never actually make myself until today...

ObXKCD