TalkTalk - again!

Although all I lost in the TalkTalk saga was temper and time, I'm glad I got out of it. Just Google TalkTalk problems and see what happened to others. Small selection in the Guest section.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Looks as if I was lucky in getting a answer about my TalkTalk experience

Will he, won't he - who really cares?

I don't quite know how I truly feel about the pantomime antics of the Labour Party. I cannot bring myself to shout out every time Brown comes on stage. I don't think I have any political faith in anyone who gets elected and is chosen to become Prime Minister. The whole thing is outside my understanding. Manifesto politics seems doomed anyway. The period between deciding something that might interest us, working out a policy, publishing it, getting into power and dealing which emergency problems need immediate attention means that things have changed beyond all recognition and the Manifesto is ready for turning into lavatory paper.

However, it is interesting to watch a beast rend itself asunder.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Just like this from the local version of the Labour Party

My life with a Dog

When my last dog, a black Labrador bitch, died I was devastated. She had been with us for over thirteen years and led the life of a full member of the family rather than a pet. For months I was unable to talk to any dog I might meet and saw her as irreplaceable. Gradually however, I got back to sanity and decided to start to think about another dog.
What was clear was that it could not be a Labrador. I would always be comparing the new with the old which would be unfair to me and animal. I looked around and settled on a choice from two breeds; vizsla or German Shorthaired Pointer. After spending some time with both breeds, I choose the GSP.The characteristics and features of a GSP have been defined as:

1. A versatile, tireless hunting dog capable of hunting feathered and furred game, pointing or treeing as necessary, retrieving to hand over land or water, and tracking wounded game. 2. A dog capable of dispatching predators. 3. A dog who is a loving, loyal family companion and hearth-warmer. 4. A vigilant watchdog capable of guarding his home and family. GSPs retain a puppy level of energy throughout their lives. They require physical and mental stimuli to help keep this energy at a manageable level.
Devoting necessary time to fulfill a GSPs drive to "work" and learn through training and play and to satisfy his need for human companionship is essential.
A sense of humor should be a prerequisite for any future GSP owner. A GSP can be quite mischievous; its pranks often not appreciated by humans. GSPs can be protective of their home and their humans. As a very social and human friendly breed, the GSP loves to be around people and activity, and handles this well, assuming it has been properly socialized. The tendency to protect territory and "pack" can be present in some more than others.
GSPs are hunters. This does not mean they would be unhappy in a non-hunting home. It does, however, mean that other avenues to direct their energies may have to be found.
GSPs get bored very easily if not kept busy. They are very inquisitive and can
be quite inventive when entertaining themselves. Unfortunately, many things they consider fun (such as playing with all the neat toys in the kitchen garbage can, unspooling toilet paper, digging in the flowerbed, jumping or climbing fences, shredding pillows or furniture, and the list goes on) we consider destructive. GSPs are very people oriented, sometimes to the point of being clingy; following your every step around the house for example. They thrive upon human interaction to be truly happy. They do best, whether hunting, competing, or just kept as companions, if allowed to live as a part of the family unit as a housedog rather than a yard or kennel dog. GSPs are, by nature, often not very amicable with cats and other small furry or feathery pets. They can be trained to leave them alone and share home space, but their hunting instinct may interfere at times.
The GSP and its owner will both benefit from obedience and other types of
training.
A GSP's intelligence and independent-mindedness can often lead to
pitfalls if not planned for. Many GSPs can be counted on to ignore commands if it doesn’t feel that obeying the command is the proper thing to do at that point in time. Training shapes the GSP, teaching it both control and confidence in obeying commands. They thrive upon structure and leadership, instinctively realizing the need for this.
GSPs tend to train easily, as they are a very biddable breed. As a working breed, they literally love and need to work.

We have been exceedingly lucky. My bitch, Sable, has fully integrated into her immediate family of the two of us and the wider family of Lord knows how many. All of the points about the character of the GSP made above are 100% true. She inherited hunting. We have, quite rightly, been warned off an exercise area where she just would not give it up. The first year or so was very frustrating as training seemed to be just a daily joke – mostly against me. We would have a training session. She learnt what was passed over. She did what was passed over. We went home. Next morning, we started by trying to recap on what we had done the day before. Gone – all gone into some mist. And attempt at conditioning by my treatment of her was just swallowed up – she was as obstinate as three donkeys. I stuck with it and then one day – quite suddenly as if a light had come on inside her head – she had it all. Now – we do not need any training. We go out and enjoy ourselves almost without any command being needed from me.
She is a fine and perfect dog and I love her to bits.

Blair organises Waynes World

I was going over the state of MY World this afternoon. Much heated debate about Emperor B Liar and the stress of will he or won’t he. What guarantee is there anyway that we will find better/less of a pain in the butt?
Immigration seems to be getting more and more of a cock-up and can only get worse as EU increases never mind those who come illegally.
Troops beginning to lose initiative in Afghanistan. Varying reports as to what they are achieving in Iraq. Growing sense that we – the civilians back home – are becoming blasé about the kit shortages that increase their risks in a murderous country.
Crime in the streets here. Not just the sort of crime where old ladies are sexually molested, infants tied up and beaten with building bricks and total defiance of police by young kids who are next generation of professional criminals. The range and the manner of dealing with the few we do catch is total confusion. We rise up about tearaways being released well before they have served any significant period away from their well-upholstered tarts. “Not us” says the Judges. “It’s the way the law is written”
But then. I thought about other places in the world. Where the individuals corresponding to Terrible Tone are far worse, more blatant and even more self-centred. Where immigration is like those places bordering on dissolute African states where racial cleansing is the government’s agenda.
Troops poorly valued, under-resourced and set-up as targets. The Russians are a prime example. They also figure high in my check on criminality. Not just in terms of figures but in the all-pervading presence in and across all levels of society.
So – God help me for sounding complacent but we could be a heck of a lot worse off. The great unwashed public in those places have learned to get along.
I fear that we will start to increase our slide down the slippery slope.
For sure, the pratt we have there now is unlikely to do anything different to what he has exhibited since the public were conned into giving him power. He is likely to remain until there is an uprising. How the hell did the country set gather the mass marchers to oppose changes in the hunting laws? Where are the organisers of the ‘Not in My Name’ who were anti-war reference Iraq? Why is there such calf-like acceptance of the state we are now in – and getting into worse? Why should the best of those we call British have to uproot themselves and their families to get out while the getting out is possible?
Answers on the back of a £5 note. I’m saving up to buy a small hovel somewhere in Arizona.

15 minutes of fame

Someone once said that everyone has 15 minutes of fame. Don't know if infamous allows the same degree of spotlight.

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Have a look here. Do a search for John Wood. What a life to lead.

Has potential

Looks as if the chip off the old block has taken root and, hopefully, will flourish.

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Written by #1 Son

Free trial - start Today

Buddhism is a path of practices and spiritual development which lead to insight into the true nature of life. Practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop and perfect the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The methods developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incredible resource for all those who wish to follow the path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.
The foundation of Buddhism is the Fourfold Noble Truth:
1 The world is full of suffering and stress.
2 The cause of this suffering and stress is desires of physical instincts.
3 If desire can be removed, then suffering and stress will be ended.
4 Desire can be removed by following the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Views, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration

Try it - you might like it?

Sums it up

Can't give a credit for this as it comes from a site where people post anonymously.
Pretty well sums up just how I'm feeling. There are very few kicks in this life of retirement.

Great minds think etc.etc.

A TANGLED WEB: Not all farmers are suffering production downturns!: "But “Hold”, you may call; “Aren’t British soldiers fighting and dying in Afghanistan? How come we don’t hear of the raids against the drug barons, the warlords who grow fat on the proceeds of the heroin trade? Why are we not burning the fields of poppies, in order to stem the flow of this insidious narcotic into our towns, cities and youngsters’ veins?” Well, we don’t hear of these raids because there aren’t any! The few active soldiers which are ‘in country’ are too busy fighting for their lives to worry about the fields of poppies which fuel the Taliban terrorist onslaught."

This guy sems to have been reading my mail!

Well - goodee for that!

Telegraph | News | Black day for Forces as 14 die in Afghanistan: "The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that, under new rules of engagement, the Armed Forces are now officially at war in Afghanistan."

This was tacked onto a long piece about the deaths of 14 soldiers in Afghanistan. Seems to put Reid in a spot for his assurance that our troops would not have to fire a shot in anger. Did he not have any advisers; was there no one with knowledge of Afghan history of fighting those who enter their country? The gross error about locals in Iraq welcoming us with scented rose petals was completely ignored.

Defense Minister Clown 2 Browne was quick to declare the downing was an accident. How the heck would he know at this time? OK - maybe the crew did get off a message about a problem but what was the cause of that problem? Surface to air missiles are available to the terrorists. We gave them loads together with training when they were fighting the Russians.

We are pushing the troops to the extreme in terms of workload and periods spent fighting. How can we be assured that the same is not being demanded of the aircraft maintenance crews and pilots?

The total lack of political concern at conditions there is criminal. The calls for extra support in men and equipment are still not fully answered. The RAF thought they might be able to squeeze out one additional Chinook helicopter - big deal! There should not be a single Chinook outside Iraq and Afghanistan. I see helicopters training in low flying up in the hills near to my home. Let them have some realism to it - train whilst flying in the place where they are needed. The pilots are doing training extension and it is not that they are just recently qualified in rotary wing operations.

Crocodile tears from Browne solve nothing. We haven't yet had B Liars performance in shirt sleeves with mug in hand. It is not as if there will be any good result to the drug denial plan. Vast sums of money were spent in Columbia to achieve a not very big reduction. Telling an Afghan you will deny him the drug income is like putting your hand in his pocket and taking his life savings whilst tickling his testicles at the same time. Let them grow the crap. Spray it with Agent Orange - make sure we tell the locals to stay clear of that. Singapore has the death penalty for drug dealing and I'm told that cut back a hell of a lot. Let people know that trafficking will result in death and not just them lingering in some 3rd World prison whilst the government busts a gut to get them out and back to softly softly England. There has been a procedure of going easy with users if they help police track down the Mr Big distributer. Stop that and put them in a wet room where they can be hosed down whilst choosing where their drug habit goes. If saving the future of an addict here requires that we send troops - unprepared and poorly supported - to die overseas, I'm happy to see the junkies die in their own filth.

New details emerge in UK terror plot- The Times of India

New details emerge in UK terror plot- The Times of India: "LONDON: On August 9, in a small second-floor apartment in East London, two young Muslim men recorded a video justifying what the police say was their suicide plot to blow up trans-Atlantic planes: revenge against the United States and its 'accomplices,' Britain and the Jews.

'As you bomb, you will be bombed; as you kill, you will be killed,' said one of the men on a 'martyrdom' videotape, whose contents were described by a senior British official and a person briefed about the case. The young man added that he hoped God would be 'pleased with us and accepts our deed.' "

Interesting thing is that if you try and get this information from the UK, it is blocked. Something to do with legal obfustication I suppose. The Indian media does not seem to have the same problem. I think it is a little weird that I cannot read something about my own country's problems but can get it 'through the back-door'. Another example of an Indian call-centre I suppose.

Goin' To School

Grouchy Old Cripple: Goin' To School:
Class available for adults.
"Class 1. How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays --- Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM."
Some suggestions for those of us who never really figured out this living alone business.

Shot at Dawn - further thoughts

Pardons for 'cowards' condemned - Newspaper Edition - Times Online: "The decision by the Government to pardon Private Harry Farr and the other 304 soldiers executed for cowardice and desertion in the First World War has been attacked by a leading psychiatrist."
Somewhat gratifying to see that my opinion has the support of someone far better qualified; just wish I could get paid for my drivel.

Can't park there love

Rio man saws woman in half over parking dispute - Yahoo! News UK: "RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - A street parking attendant in Brazil's crime-ridden city of Rio de Janeiro was charged with sawing a woman in two over a parking space dispute, police said on Wednesday."

She should have driven off before he wrote the ticket!

Public Service Announcement

The right to determine one's life has attracted a good deal of attention over the past couple of months. I have a fear that I shall end my days plugged into a 13 amp electrical socket like some condom vending machine. From that background I have devised a form of living will. Short but, I think, all encompassing.

I have made this declaration at a time when I am of sound mind and after careful consideration. I understand that my life may be shortened by the refusals of treatment in this form. I accept the risk that I may not be able to change my mind in the future when I am no longer able to speak for myself, and I accept the risk that improving medical technology may offer increased hope, but I personally consider the risk of unwanted treatment to be a greater risk. I want it to be known that I fear degradation and indignity far more than death. I ask my medical attendants to bear this in mind when considering what my intentions would be in any uncertain situation.

If the time comes when I can no longer communicate, this declaration shall be taken as a testament to my wishes regarding medical care.

If it is the opinion of medical care team that there is no reasonable prospect of my recovery from severe physical illness, or from impairment expected to cause me severe distress or render me incapable of rational existence, then I direct that I be allowed to die and not be kept alive by artificial means such as life support systems, tube feeding, antibiotics, resuscitation or blood transfusions: any treatment which has no benefit other than a mere prolongation of my existence should be withheld or withdrawn, even if it means my life is shortened. I already have a Do Not Resuscitate directive in my medical documents and on a MediAlert-type tag that I wear. I accept basic care however and I do request aggressive palliative care, drugs or any other measures to keep me free of pain or distress, even if they shorten my life.

I wish the following person to be consulted in the event of uncertainty about my wishes. My wife, Catherine Norma Wood (nee Robinson)

Written by me, John Samuel WOOD, born 15 August 1933. http://snipurl.com/kyyi

There may be some who think they would find comfort in this sort of thing but have shrunk from the sort of soul search that goes with it. Feel free to copy. There may also be readers who can find a potential problem with the wording - comment away please.

Win Win Warfare

How Israel won on the battlefield against Hezballah and lost in the media and why it's important to America: "This was perhaps both the most cynical and barbaric disregard for innocent civilian lives of all of Hezballah's and Iran's strategic choices. It was also the most successful. It was predicated not on its knowledge of its enemy (Israel) but its true genius lay in its knowledge of the press. The calculus was simple: launch a rocket from within a civilian population; if you kill Jews that's a victory. If the Jews hit back and in so doing kill Lebanese civilians, that's a victory. If they don't hit back because they're afraid to hit civilians, that's a victory. Now repeat the process until you kill so many Jews they have to hit back and in so doing kill more Lebanese civilians. That's the ultimate victory, because they know that in striking just those chords exactly what music the press will play. The awful truth, which the Western Press was manipulated to ignore or downplay, was that Iran, through its terrorist operational arm Hezballah, had invaded Lebanon from within. Hezballah did not protect Lebanon, they occupied it and they used those Hezballah occupied territories to launch Iran's offensive in response to the West's ultimatum to cease development of nuclear weapons."

That comes from an assessment by a IDF officer. Israel is now facing a much more sophisticated enemy. HB is not a rag tag terrorist organisation. It is a trained - and skilfull - Army that uses terrorist methods.

This you have to see!

The stud is 24 years old. She is, allegedly, 84 years of age. The music is dire - turn volume way down before going to see what I am writing about

My real interest is just what they get up to in private - and how?