DIY Opticians shop

Even if you can see it first time, do the eye pulling thing and it gets much clearer.

Snap

I never cease to be amazed at the photography that comes back from war zones. Don McCullin's black and white from Vietnam were the standard that had to be aimed at. This is one taken in Afghanistan and shows Royal Marines in the middle of being ambushed. One for my study wall I think.

Old masters

I suppose that the history of the present government has immured me to the cheating, lies and dishonesty of the morally corrupt MPs and Ministers.

Reading of the virtuoso performance of a former leader of the Labour party brought home the fact that it is nothing new.

Special ringtone - it's for you

Every day, in every way, this gubmint gets more and more stupid. The guy in charge at the Home Office is supposed to be a tough, no nonsense, cookie. He talks hard except when he is apologising for the myriad disasters by his staff. What he has decided upon to check the massive inflow of illegal immigrants is truly Alice in Wonderland stuff. Visitors will have text messages sent to their mobile phones reminding them that they must leave the country. Yep - the Home Office will be the biggest user of spam mail in the whole world. Never mind penis enlargement, stand aside dodgy drugs, move over Nigerian scammers; technology will prevail.

I have to restrain myself lest I get silly in pointing out the bits left unconsidered. I suppose that we will provide mobile phones for those who had already spent large sums of money bribing traffickers to get them here. After the troubles of hiding themselves away, they are expected to be driven to distraction by some damned text message. Oh - I give up.

An idle life

I recently bought myself a new watch. I chose it because it is automatic and does not use those fiddly batteries that always seem to die at the most inopportune moments. The power comes from a rotor that is displaced by the natural movements of the wrist. The watch is sufficiently rugged that I do not take it off at all except when washing.
It says something about my current life style that last night the watch ran down whilst I was asleep. Not enough to jog the rotor – my God, that is relaxed.

Happy thoughts

I suppose that any woman weighing 420 pounds (30 stone or nearly four Posh Becks) can be forgiven for not knowing she was pregnant until the very final stages when birth was imminent. After all, at that size, she is unlikely to feel anything behind the insulation of 10 or more inches of flab.

What does intrigue me though is just how she got pregnant? Seems there is hope for us all.

So - what izit?

This must surely be the definitive gift for the man who has everything.

I release the information that it is a condom applicator. Exact details of how to load and use it, I will leave to your imagination.

An NO. I am not looking for one as a Christmas present.

Get down music

Little snatch of '>music that gets feet tapping.

Something in the air except radioactivity?

I can imagine women wanting to get out of Russia. I just wonder if that justifies this lady claiming to be 75 years of age. What did I do wrong?

And, just as a postscript, the picture is of a ballet troop made up from BIG Russian ladies.

Music goes round and round

Maybe ">not suitable for work though.

Latest gadget news

Still, I suppose it is better than using a Yale key?

Latest gadget news

Still, I suppose it is better than using a Yale key?

Translation needed

Well, if he did not have sex with that woman, what did he think he was doing. There is a detailed analysis of this in a blog I've reproduced here as the link seemed dodgy when I tried it.

Thursday, March 01, 2007
Billy Jeff, Call Your Office (CraigC)
Hmmmm. Turns out blow jobs are sex, after all.
....an English teacher at Horace Mann High School in North Fond du Lac, was formally charged with 10 counts of sexual assault of a student by school staff and 10 counts of child enticement.
Newly appointed District Attorney Michael O’Rourke had requested that intake Judge Robert Wirtz set cash bail at $25,000, noting the severity of the crime.
Burman, of Oshkosh, also a track and cross country coach at Horace Mann, is accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with a female student who was 17years old at the time and a senior at Horace Mann during the 2005-06 school year and again, recently, when the former student returned to the area, according to a criminal complaint.
She numbered their sexual encounters at more than 70 and said the encounters occurred almost daily in Burman’s classroom during a period in which she was supposed to be in study hall, the complaint said.....The former student told detectives that she told Burman no when it came to “actual sex and intercourse” and that she performed oral sex on him outside of school only.
If you’re not used to noodling through the bad writing of modern “journalists,” at first blush those last two sentences seem contradictory. Or maybe they are, in which case it’s just bad reporting. What I got out of that was that they only engaged in, you know, heavy petting in the classroom. She waited until they were off school grounds to practice her Monica skills. The creep probably didn’t have to convince her it wasn’t sex.
Speaking of Monica, I’m not going to sit here and blame Bubba for the widespread acceptance among women under 25 of perhaps the greatest scam in history, the idea that gargling with a guy’s crank ain’t sex. I rather think he was just the most obvious example of a cultural shift that’s taken place. That and the fact that he had a vested interest in pretending it wasn’t sex, of course. All of you bubbleheads who have bought into that, ask a guy if he thinks it’s sex. It has to be a guy who knows that he has no chance of getting in your pants, though, otherwise he’ll just lie. Better yet, a guy who doesn’t want to get in your pants. You must have some gay friends. Ask them if they think blow jobs are sex.
Posted by CraigC @ 08:38 AM 0 Trackbacks • Email this
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Comments

Is it a sign of our decline that I’m relieved the boys are in high school instead of middle school?
Posted by McGehee permalinkon 03/01 at 09:38 AM

Another blow against the Patriarchy.

Dan Collins permalinkon 03/01 at 09:41 AM

I always thought blow-jobs were MORE than sex. Like, sex-plus. Not something I was willing to do to just anyone. .
Basically, I had to really LOVE you to do that.
Posted by Carin permalinkon 03/01 at 10:43 AM

Haaaa, Carin, if you thought I wouldn’t let go of your comment at what’s-her-name’s last year, you’re really in for it now.

CraigC permalinkon 03/01 at 11:35 AM

I stand by it. BJ are sex-plus. At least the way I do it.
I would have NEVER done such a thing as teen. Or, even, until I was practically married.
Posted by Carin permalinkon 03/01 at 12:06 PM

Well when I say “sex” I mean intercourse but I’m old enough that I don’t see some big wide dividing between the two. In fact if you play your cards right, one often leads to the other depending on who the recipient is.
else document.write(unescape(l[i]));

EricP permalinkon 03/01 at 01:49 PM

Its only virtual sex.

lonetown permalinkon 03/01 at 04:48 PM

It’s more then a handshake.

papertiger permalinkon 03/01 at 06:31 PM

Who else knows a woman that was so good that she virtually ruined oral sex for the rest of your life?

The Lost Dog permalinkon 03/01 at 07:06 PM

Hmmm.
God Dammit!
I was born 20 damn years too bloody late for the sexual revolution AND 20 damn years too bloody early for blowjobs to be the modern equivalent of a handshake at the end of a highschool date.
Ya know. When I die and have my chance to chat with God. He’s got some seriously frigging ‘splainin to do.
spam word: “bed69”
Rather appropriate really.

Assets stripped

Well, here I am with nothing. I've given all my stuff away to Keith & Caroline. I get to use it but it is not mine anymore. Scots law allows me to do this so as to avoid any squabbling about who gets what when I no longer have need of it. Feels funny but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I'm quite impressed with the legal system here and, with my will, I can be sure now as to what will happen later.

Scraping the barrel

The parlous state of the British armed forces is now well known. We would have trouble finding a couple of soldiers to man a recruiting stand.

What may now be so well known is that a bunch of in-the-dirt-squatting rag tag untrained militia men had dragged down the reserves of what might be the richest country on earth. Well, richest if the Chinese ease up on the money markets that is.

Check it out!

Just a little thing to relieve the tension of the working day. Stay with me - who knows what nuggets will appear?

Alien dreams

I do not know whether the report guested today tells me more about Canadian newspapers than it does about alien abduction. One thing that worries me about this whole UFO thing is that, despite the suggestion that they can produce and operate space craft, they always seem to abduct the sort of individual whom none of us would even sit next to on the bus.
Perhaps we need to provide bodyguards for people like Steven Hawking. Lord help us if the get him and suck out his vital spark. Whatever.

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Methinks the alien lady is in need of some hair treatment?

Saved by the bell

I was scratching around this morning for a daily contribution to the blog. Politics and world affairs did not cause much of a blip in the sub-conscious. Then, along came good old Fred. So, in effort to educate those who may need it, he is today's Guest Blog. I commend him.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Words of the Master.<

Reason in all things

Now, one would have thought that the assassination of a Government minister by a religious fanatic would have made some headlines here in UK. But no. Certainly I can find no trace of it in any UK-based media. There is a strong link to a recent hoo hah here about veils. The BBC has a monitoring service that is supposed to pick up on this sort of stuff.

Mind you, some people might use the event to illustrate just how dangerous is the world we are being pushed towards wouldn't they?

Not so common common sense

We used to see the headline"Victory for Common Sense" but that died away as common sense seemed to be no longer common to the world's population. Now, it seems we need to be drafting the eulogy.

Going to be a funny old sort of day

And, they are very welcome to him!!

US plans for attacks in Iran

No - do not panic at this report. It is just that President Bush has been on the internet.

Read all about it

The disaster that is B.Liar and Iraq is very confusing. All the more reason to read such analysis that is available

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Like the article here

Hang him high - no, higher higher

Comparing our luckless Prime Minister to that figure of universal fun that was Comical Ali in Iraq during the last days of the initial battle may seem facile but it is well detailed here. The wheels seem to be coming off his chariot – about time too. Now we are hearing allegations that reinforce the very popular suspicion that the Government scientist Dr. Kelly did not die as the official inquiry concluded. This was an inquiry which forced aside the normal inquest procedure.

Still pending is the Cash for Honours inquiry. Pressure is building for an inquiry as to why we went to war in Iraq. The inquiry seems certain to run; what is not so fixed is a date. Many feel it should be as soon as possible before we become totally bogged down in the mire that is the war in Afghanistan.

The man has much to answer for. The performances of his wide-mouthed frog of a wife are the least of things.

Role models

The current fashion seems to be the denigration of youngsters. Chav and yobbo are epithets casually assigned. I do it myself.

That is why I was please to read about Lucia and her friends. Follow the link to her blog - you will be surprised at just how positive one person can be when facing cancer.

Mile high club pioneers

The heady days of civil aviation are recalled in a blog which carries photographs of female cabin crew.

They were all part of the package. Flying just after the 39-45 war was glamorous and exciting. I flew home from Hong Kong in 1956 in a BOAC Clipper Class flight which was just one class - First. Proper French wines in crystal glass, meals served on china with silver cutlery. If one asked for a roast, it was carved at the seat. I do not know what the level of sexual activity really was but one phrase I recall was a stewardess using the line "Tea, coffee or me?" The rumnours led to their being referred to as trolley dollies. Now, employment legislation bars their being weeded out on grounds of age and any idea of their employer controlling their image has gone a long way out of the window. Not a bad thing. I flew out of Beirut on MEA, the Lebanese airline where the stewardess was so wide that she had to progress down the aisle sideways. I'd certainly choose tea or coffee there.

I see no ships

The gentleman at the right using his binos with the lens caps still in place is the Israeli Defence Minister.

Good job Moshye Dayan is not around or there would have been a lot of sparks flying.

Ten tiny toes - addendum

Just to demonstrate that I am not a voice in the wilderness, here is a woman's view on that IVF birth

Ten tiny toes

The use of IVF in creating life is something that confuses me. My main prejudice is that it is unnatural; my take is that whatever there is that controls or preordains things should be allowed to make the running. I am strongly against it’s use where women have given their energies to matters other than pro-creation until late in their life. I am not a good enough parent manqué to understand the incredible drive some couples have to seal their partnership with children. Easy to say I suppose, I’ve enjoyed ours (most of them and most of the time anyway), but I do not think I would have missed them had they not arrived. I feel no less of a person for not winning the Olympic 100 metres than I would at being childless.

With that background, I was interested to see this.

The record for gestational age of a surviving baby has been broken again. New record: 21 weeks and 6 days (5 months). The baby was 9.5 inches long and weighed 10 ounces. After four months of round-the-clock intensive care, she's finally well enough to go home. A national registry shows no other surviving babies born before 23 weeks. The American Association of Pediatrics says a baby born at 21 weeks or weighing less than a pound is not viable. Pro-life spin: Thanks to IVF, we can verify this baby's gestational age and prove that the viability line has advanced. Anti-choice spin: Thanks to IVF, this pregnancy was imposed on a body naturally unfit for it, resulting in a tortured pregnancy, a horribly early birth, and a disastrous four-month drain on hospital resources. (For Human Nature's previous take on fetal pain at 20 weeks and beyond, click here.)

Just get a rule and look at 9.5 inches. Try a small bag of sugar – that is almost twice the weight of this tot. The comment sets out the IVF cost. We cannot know what problems may lie ahead of this child. I hope she makes it with none. I also hope that no one will try and beat this record. It will get filed in my anti-IVF prejudices.

You do not make tea by throwing it into the harbour

I’ve been sitting in front of the screen struggling with some thoughts I wanted to set out in writing. I’m clear enough in the meaning of what these are but the mechanical channel from mind to monitor just escapes me. I’ll get round to it another day – or not. No pressure; plenty of room in my head for the thoughts anyway.

What the childbirth-like process did do was focus my mind to the great writings I knew of. The American Declaration of Independence had always impressed me. The opening phrases set the scene for some matter of great importance. Just that opening “We hold these truths to be self-evident” makes one realises that this is going to be something one needs to give attention. Just a small extract:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

I went off and tracked down the whole thing. I then came across a section – preamble? – I had never known of. That is here:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

I do not know the author of this but I find it even more impressive than “We hold these truths…”. It is one long sentence but loses nothing because of that. The style is very British – but then it would be given the massive influence of Britain on all aspects of American life. Whilst not a student of American writing, I suspect that if the same Declaration were being written today, the language and style would be quite different. More direct – even terse. I find the difference in our use of what is still, basically, the same language most marked when it comes to matters patriotic. Statements that originate in America seem almost to be written for declamation on the silver screen against the backdrop of that fort at the Alamo. There is a fierce pride that would be a source of great amusement is it came through stiff British lips. Certainly more likely reference to God and glory.

What I ended up doing today in this wandering gave me great enjoyment. Made up for my own lack of ability in meaningful writing. As teacher sometimes said, “Must try harder”

Begone. Stand not upon the order of your departure.

Most brilliant politician? I think not. His popularity rating has dropped from 51% to less than 37%. His legacy will be strongly debated; I for one will have nothing good to say about him.

Enquire within ...

The Times Newspaper was once described as the universal reference and ran a masthead Enquire Within. I'm reminded of this by coming across a rather strange blog. Maintained by a guy whose title must surely have been drawn from the P.C. Recommendations List. It is quite a serious little thing. Just the job for Black Dog Days I think?

That wife in the North - hmmn

Seems that the wifey in the North was not such an amateur after all ..........

Let's not go there

America seems determined to talk itself into a war with Iran. I can understand their wish to fight the War on Terror outside their own boundaries but there has to be a point when even that risk is acceptable rather than the cost to them - and the Middle East - of taking on a country that is much better prepared than Iraq ever was.

Anyone seen my book?

I have been following the troubles of a wife uprooted from London and replanted in Northumberland. I've followed it for a while as I thought it might contrast with our experiences and thoughts following a similar relocation. As it has turned out, there is little similarity. She came North when her husband chose a better life; her own involvement seems less than total. He retained the same job and has, therefore, to spend considerable time in the South leaving her to her own devices. This has made her blog somewhat vinegary to my mind. However, for her it seems to have paid off as she has been given a smallish advance and is now writing a book from her daily contributions. I will keep up with the blog; any decision to buy her book will depend on my enjoyment of this. At the moment, I often find myself wanting to reach through the screen and give her a damned good shake. “Get with it woman. Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. Do not just retreat under the duvet”
Of course, she is not the first person to graduate from a blog to a full blown novel. There are a number of very talented writers who have gone down that route. Michael Yon is my favourite in this respect. He has the added bonus of being a very fine photographer and this adds immensely in his description of things in Iraq. Nearer to home we have the prospect of a book from a woman caught up in the London tube bombings of 7 July. Her story is almost a example of 'Into each life a little rain must fall' as she had earlier been the victim of a brutal assault and rape. My interest in this lady is that she seems to have escaped the problem of post traumatic stress disorder; a subject that draws a lot of my attention.
Whilst I am pleased that these bloggers have graduated to the big time, I have a small sadness that we are seeing another development from the basic idea of the blog. We have seen them attract criticism as an alternative wing of the media with calls for some form of central control and censorship. Many who used their working life as the basis for their writings have been threatened with some form of disciplinary action despite their being most scrupulous in keeping personalities anonymous. It is no coincidence that they mostly detailed the constraints put upon their performance by officialdom and it's demands for record keeping and that most were in the police. I would regret seeing the simple blog develop into just another demand for attention.
I cannot see that these blatherings of mine will attract any interest from publishers. One has to really work at one's blog; I am too undisciplined for that. What I do is draw attention to things that amuse or interest me which might otherwise be missed by those with less time on their hands than I have to wander about in the Internet ether. My only brush with the life of the rich and famous seems to be that I have acquired a stalker. Of course, the cachet of such an attendant is now wearing a little thin but mine does produce some small interest for me. When I run out of sheep to count and have abandoned the idea of self-abuse as a sleep bringer I dream about who he might be. I say 'he' but retain the possibility that it could be a 'she'. My casual acquaintances include some with the level of non-education that they might call themselves 'Joe' in mistake for 'Jo' He seems to have some sort of association with individuals who were a wing of my family but chose to separate themselves. There does not seem any risk that he/she will turn into some form of bunny boiler. So it looks as if I'm going to be denied the thrill of the chase.

Strange pathways

No. I don't know what I was looking for when I found myself here.

The anonymous commentator Joe has been at it again. I rejected his contribution as it was nothing to do with the post. All of his stuff will go the same way unless he identifies himself and tries to explain his crusade.

Join the party

Guy with short time to live plans his own farewell - now, that is a good idea.

Planning starts tomorrow!

Overheard in a bar

Smart early-30s looking woman talking to man of about the same age, "I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable"

Nice one lady.

Photoshop miracle

Be nice if someone could do this for me!

Election of new leader

Optimistic candidates arrive in London hoping to be included in the ballat as to who will take over from B.Liar as Leader of the Labour Party

What am I?

Your Personality Cluster is Introverted Sensing

You are: Responsible, ethical, and trustworthy Loyal, with a sense of roots in your community Someone who treasures and remembers the past Adverse to surprises and the unknown

What's Your Personality Cluster?

Want fries with that?

I've been following the catwalk model debate with some interest. Not that I would ever be a model you understand or that I would ever fantasise about cuddling up with one - well, except gorgeous Kate that is.

If the price of a low Body Mass is what my guest has to pay, I'm damned sure I'll not be seen in something black and slinky.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Just how does one become a disciple?

Snow - shock horror

Once again, the country has large swathes where nothing moves due to a couple of inches of snow. We knew it was coming. It has been here before. Again, the same disruption when it settled. We are not talking blizzard conditions or wind having caused deep drifts. Amazing. With all the devotion we afford to new technology, we still cannot deal with what happens in winter. Flooding is the same. Heatwaves still kill off old people.

Insofar as we here in Scotland are concerned, we demonstrate that it does not have to be quite as bad as England is reported. I went out to get the papers about 7 this morning. There was about 2 inches of snow quite crisp. However, all the pavements had been swept by the little gritter sort of machine that we have and there was no threat to my normal wear shoes. The roads had been gritted. I saw snow ploughs coming back in to the depot so it seems the rural roads had been dealt with. I felt a certain smugness.

What are little boys made of?

Your Personality Cluster is Introverted Sensing

You are: Responsible, ethical, and trustworthy Loyal, with a sense of roots in your community Someone who treasures and remembers the past Adverse to surprises and the unknown

What's Your Personality Cluster?

Well, don't know how but it seems right to me in a number of areas.

You have a go

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Whilst we might be partners of the US in TWOT, the amount that is allocated to defence spending amply demonstrates that we are nowhere near equal partners. We have the same aim. Here the Chancellor-soon-to-be Prime Minister is cutting back on defence expenditure. Soldiers' lives come cheaper than adequate protection and medical care.

Not so much 'Can you spare a dime?'; more like 'Got any gum chum?'

Humdrum life

Want to lead an exciting life - just like they show in the adverts?

Try the Guest Blog to get some idea of how exciting things can be - not.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
When does the action start? Where is the adrenaline?

Abandon hope all ye ........

New Labour Information Minister, Hazel Blears, on Radio 4′ The Westminster Hour, last night:
The next election will be won and lost in those super-marginals like Crawley, Hove, Harlow, Dartford, Swindon. These are the places where we’ve got to go out and fight for what we believe in. And, actually, if we in the Labour Party really are talking about the things that people are interested in about the state of their streets, the police, vandalism, the NHS, getting a decent education for their children, that’s how we’ll win the election, that will motivate Labour member’s and supporters.

So, if you are not in one of those super-marginals, tough. Labour/Arbeit does not intend to waste time getting out and about to see what you may currently be thinking about the state of the streets, the police, vandalism, the NHS, getting a decent education for your children, or how they will win the election. Even a rudimentary scan of any paper; whatever their political stance; will show outthe problems and failures. People do not want to discuss these - no discussion is needed. What they would appreciate is some sure and firm committment to do something about these problems. But then, the public are dealing with politicians so when did they ever have te chance of a fair and straight deal?

I set out my stall above with the intention of a good and detailed analysis. But, you know what? I've lost the drive. Nothing will improve. There will be no changes. Sure, we will have promises that the expenditure of yet more of our money will change things. Acres of forest will be sacrificied in promulgating new quick-fix legislation that will baffle and overpower those meant to apply it.

We are doomed.

And the world scene is no better.

Abandon hope all ye ........

New Labour Information Minister, Hazel Blears, on Radio 4′ The Westminster Hour, last night:
The next election will be won and lost in those super-marginals like Crawley, Hove, Harlow, Dartford, Swindon. These are the places where we’ve got to go out and fight for what we believe in. And, actually, if we in the Labour Party really are talking about the things that people are interested in about the state of their streets, the police, vandalism, the NHS, getting a decent education for their children, that’s how we’ll win the election, that will motivate Labour member’s and supporters.

So, if you are not in one of those super-marginals, tough. Labour/Arbeit does not intend to waste time getting out and about to see what you may currently be thinking about the state of the streets, the police, vandalism, the NHS, getting a decent education for your children, or how they will win the election. Even a rudimentary scan of any paper; whatever their political stance; will show outthe problems and failures. People do not want to discuss these - no discussion is needed. What they would appreciate is some sure and firm committment to do something about these problems. But then, the public are dealing with politicians so when did they ever have te chance of a fair and straight deal?

I set out my stall above with the intention of a good and detailed analysis. But, you know what? I've lost the drive. Nothing will improve. There will be no changes. Sure, we will have promises that the expenditure of yet more of our money will change things. Acres of forest will be sacrificied in promulgating new quick-fix legislation that will baffle and overpower those meant to apply it.

We are doomed.

And the world scene is no better.

Gay parents

This comes from wawibf@thefridaything.co.uk. I’ve reproduced it in full to save viewers having to decide whether they want to follow a link. Whilst the language is hardly that of learned debate, I think it makes very valid reading. I see what the guy is getting at.

Where would we be without gay people? Without Oscar Wilde, AlanTuring, Gore Vidal or even Christopher Biggins, the world wouldmost definitely be a poorer place, although the precise purposeof Pete Burns remains unclear.But this week it's been impossible to avoid the unpleasant rowabout whether Catholic adoption agencies should be forced toconsider gay couples as adoptive parents under anti-discrimination legislation. The customary hackles were raised,but what the row seems to boil down to is essentially a hideouscollection of prejudices about gay people, including:1) They will try to make their children gayWritten down in black and white, this sounds utterly ridiculous.It's the implication that any adopted children will either beencouraged to be gay, or will learn from example and thus turnout gay. However, there isn't any real evidence that thisactually happens. It also suggests a horribly distorted view ofgay couples who want to adopt, and one which a tiny bit ofthought would correct. Are children going to be adopted bymilitant we're-queer-and-we're-here activists and raging scenequeens, or are they going to be adopted by ordinary people whodesperately want children but just happen to be gay?2) Gay parents are somehow not as good as heterosexual onesHaving two dads or two mums *is* a bit unusual, and let's faceit, you're going to get a few kickings in the playground. Butyou've got to toughen up at some point, and attitudes toward gaypeople are slowly changing. And if you didn't know any different,having two dads would be normal, if deeply tedious ('Dad and Dadare in the shed, tinkering with the broken strimmer. Again.').Then there's the fact that parenthood is such a complicatedbusiness that being gay is unlikely to be of paramountimportance. Surely the key thing about parenting is that parentswant to make a good job of it. What's more important, thesexuality of your parents, or getting help with your homework anddecent Christmas presents?3) Gays all live in a Frankie Goes To Hollywood videoThere are aspects of gay culture, that, without putting too finea point on it, are a bit debased - in particular the subcultureof aggressively casual sex. However, this is horribly unfair: gaypeople who want to adopt will, like heterosexual people, have toprove they can provide a stable environment for the child. It'salso deeply prejudiced - while some gay people behave like themost ridiculous stereotypes of gays, the average gay person doesnot spend all day every day wearing biker gear, growing amoustache, huffing poppers and listening to C&C Music Factory.Leaving aside religious cant, it's hard to see what thesubstantive objections to gay parents are. Sure, it's not*typical*, but then how many families are?

Great minds think alike?

Guest this time around is a 93 year old man. I've read his item more than once but cannot quite decide whether or not I am with him on the subject of shuffling away from this mortal coil

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Mr Presley has left the building

Good game come boredom killer

Guarantee that within three goes, you will find that absolutely essential phrase for your next Executive Summary.

Written for me?

Here's a nice story about the perils of dipping into old books belonging to other people.

The kicker in the tale applies to me - but then - I've always known that. Whilst said volume is interesting to me, it is an essential for my acquaintances.

So?

Nice comment on the collusion report regarding RUC and Loyalist killers. I have read what is there but see no names.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
More money wasted for political ends.

Salvation cometh

The guest might describe himself as a Yorkshire person; known for forthright opinions they are not reluctant to air and as a ranter but, frankly, I find some attraction in a Britain he forecasts should the man Reid be elected rather than the expected Brown.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
No rest for the wicked. Only problem is how many wicked would there be?

Say no more

Tony Blair on Ruth Turner 2007:
Ruth is a person of the highest integrity for whom I have great regard and I continue to have complete confidence in her
William Hague on Jeffrey Archer 1999:
This candidate is a candidate of probity and intergity - I am going to back him to the hilt

The Niggar Family

See, it can be done.

Ye olden days

I came across this fragment whilst looking for something else. Wonderful tales. I seem to get diverted this way quite often but, who cares, my time is my own.

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How things used to be

The End

Cancer wins again.

Damn. This guy was just such a fighter. If you didn't know of him, read back.

Definitions

This is just what is needed - once we all get these straight in our head, the whole concept of blogging becomes very simple.

Freedom to work

Most people make decisions about their life and work based on what is generally considered “right” and “good.” This is living from the outside in: letting others people’s expectations rule your life. You do what you do because that’s what you have been told to do. It’s a good recipe for frustration and stress. Living from the inside out means finding your own innermost values and basing all choices on those. That’s the best way to increase your happiness with whatever you do for a living.

Read more about this theory. Fine if one has the power to determine whether one can actually choose between 'outside' or 'inside'. This assumes one has actually managed to get up that triangle.

I had a boss whose theory was that work was not something that could ever be enjoyed. It we did enjoy what we were doing, it was not work.

Time saver

I find it easier to compose complicated stuff off-line on my w.p. programme. Some of these do not allow copy & paste and I use TinyURL. This chops great long URL down into easily managed shortURL.

This is just a demo. You can get a button that goes on your links toolbar and that makes it ever easier

Enter a long URL to make tiny:

Deletions

I've removed a couple of entries. I had an e-mail from a reader who questioned their presence. I've deleted them. No big deal to me.

I cannot guarantee that I will not cause him/her to again comment at some date in the future. I blog what I find interesting. If it is not totally my own work, it comes from the Main Stream Media (MSM) or from other blogs that are open to all who have Internet access. I am fully aware of the sort of material that would justifiably offend an adult with the widest of open minds. As a crime investigator, I have seen and dealt with very hard pornographic material and think I can readily identify that which should not appear here. Rewind - I blog what I find interesting. Harmful matters do not interest me.

I had to run the deletion decision a few times. I do not wish to add, even in the most peripheral way - to those who are demanding controls on what we do and say in our blogs and on the Net in general. In the end, it came down to the fact that my correspondent had asked a calm question in a reasoned manner. No hectoring. No insults under the cover of comment. I recognise that I do have a limitation on my social skills and one result of this is that I attach little weight to the care and respect for others that was normal before we entered the Valley of Death that is Political Correctness. This can manifest itself as if it were a lack of self-respect. I am aware that there are a very very limited few whose criticism would ever cause me the slightest concern; this awareness means that I do try and tread carefully and lightly but, in the end, I decide what I do, say and think.

No more Mr Nice Guy

I am known for my lack of concern regarding my social skills ability.

Hence, I like this

Excuse you?
By Mr Angry on People
I have resolved (not in a new years way, that is for those of you with low motivation), to stop saying ‘excuse me’ to people I do not hear or understand.
I have realised that pretty much without fail, any lack of comprehension on my part is due entirely to the communicator. It is them, not me.
Their errors can be numerous, whether they be mumbling, whispering, talking to fast, or simply not paying me enough attention. Yet, when this happens, our first reaction is to say, “Excuse me?” in a “I’m sorry but I have useless ears, what was that again” way. When in reality, what you are actually saying is, “OK numbnuts, let’s try this again, except this time I want eye-contact, volume and a decent attempt at enunciation, OK?”
Honesty is a valued personal trait in society, apparently, so why do we insist on these false apologies? I want to see some harsh truth out there on the streets.
It is the same when someone bumps into you in the street, before you know it you are looking at them apologetically, and saying, “Excuse me”. And not in a cool sarcastic way. I mean in an “Oh my god, I can’t believe I got in your way there, what a twat I am” way.
This apologising for things that are not your fault is a debilitating English disease that I have now resolved to leave in my past forever. It has been removed from my genetic make-up. If we look at yesterday alone, then where there would previously have been at least four “Excuse me”’s, instead I used two “speak ups”, one “Christ, stop mumbling!” and one, “Look where you’re going wideload!”.
And do you know what? Without fail they all said, “Excuse me”.
I feel better for it. I suggest you do the same.

There is the door Mr B.Liar

Quote::
"On the part of the military, they need to accept that in a volunteer armed force, conflict and casualty may be part of what they are called upon to face."

Blair - I've no doubt you've been on this website and I hope you're reading this. I sit here typing this in tears of anger, frustration and despair.Having never served, HOW FCUKING DARE YOU make a comment like that. The finest, brightest, strongest, bravest young men and women in this country signed on the dotted line in selfless service of their country and you BETRAYED them by sending them into unsound conflict without adequate support.YOU have made the decision to send young soldiers into a HELL from which some have never returned....And if you think I'm being unreasonble, consider for a second my friends and comrades who will never again see the light of day. Consider the parents who leave their brave young son's bedroom just as he left it in the false hope that he might one day come home to them. Consider the children who, whilst you were no doubt enjoying a family christmas, wept and sobbed because daddy wasn't there to open his presents - Because you murdered him in your political pandering.May your dreams be haunted for the rest of your days by the youth and laughter which you've so smugly poured away.Blair. You fcuking cnut.

That is a entry on a military Forum. It comes from someone known as a balanced and reasonable poster. Comments on this are all favourable.

It just emphasises how totally out of touch the man, appointed as Prime Minister, is with the (military) man in the street. He who used to claim to be a man of the people - hey - I'm - It's just I'm one of you hey yeah has totally lost it. He should go. As soon as possible. His successor is immaterial - Old Nick the Devil himself would be a better choice.

Voice from the past

I've had much enjoyment from reading the advice given by that old guy Sun Tzu. Maybe because it reflects events that have happened to me. His comments at the Guest Blog have some weight.

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Soldier's version of Confucious He Say

Just sometimes ............

Just sometimes, satire is the best way to make one's point. Here a GP enters the world of NHS management .......

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Row, row, row your boat

Learn if you can

I had a small problem from a guy, firstly 'anonymous' and later 'Joe', who tried to contact me through the comment facility. He chose not to take up my suggestion he contact me by e-mail when I deleted his comment without publishing it.

This comes from someone else who has had the same sort of problem. I find it kind of a neat solution to the situation. I'll save it in case I need to use it again.

Regarding one post to which one particularly irrelevant comment was appended, I responded to Rod ‘Breaker’ McCoy that while I appreciated his comments to previous posts, I do not allow people to use the courtesy I allow to make comments on my website for the purposes of advertising their services. I also contended that comments should be relevant to
the content of the post rather than discuss other, unrelated issues. To this, Mr. McCoy responded the following:

I object to your attitude. You dont (sic) anwer (sic) questions. Your site is organized to discuss only your opinions. You
are arrogant and afraid to hear other better informed opinions.
You are the enemy of people who seem to have the same cause.
However, you are weak and spiteful towards people who want to do more than whine.
You only want to publicize your own drivel and keep others from getting ahead or stating their views.
I consider you as bad as a leftist or a muslim (sic) imperialist.,
(sic) only to you the objective is to vent only!
Do not contact me again !
(sic)

Smith responds:
You should give up caffeine and use the money you
save to purchase a spell checker. Beyond this, I suppose that I should recommend that you find a good counselor.

Baden-Powell he say Be Prepared

Apparently this thing flew into London Heathrow the other day.

The modified 747 is the so-called 'National Airborne Operations Center' (NAOC) — informally known as the 'Doomsday Plane' because it is designed to serve as the Pentagon's backup headquarters in case of a catastrophic attack on the United States. The NAOC on alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week — although there are four identical planes that rotate duty, and also serve as backup to Air Force One. When President Bush's plane blew some tires while in Vietnam recently, the NAOC flew in to drop off the spare set that it routinely carries for itself. Unlike Air Force One, the NAOC can refuel in midair and is designed and supplied with engine oil, and food and water for the crew to be able to stay aloft for days. Its full crew includes intelligence analysts, communications specialists, maintenance troops, and even its own security force. It constantly monitors all major U.S. commands and the location of nuclear forces, keeps an eye on potentially hostile military troops, gathers intelligence data, and monitors the whereabouts of every U.S. government official in the line of succession. The NAOC also carries with it at all times about a dozen of the most relevant war plans in case senior officers need them at hand.

I have italicised the bit “can refuel in mid-air”. Nothing wonderful about that John you may well say. Yes but it is meant to “ serve as the Pentagon's backup headquarters in case of a catastrophic attack on the United States”. Catastrophic is the word to note. So, just where will the tankers get the fuel from? Oh – plenty in store suitably dispersed about the USA. The same lucky dispersal applies to the tankers. Still, at least there is some arrangement. Just wonder what we here in UK have. I would like to think we have no equivalent and that B.Liar and those who have done so much to jeopardise and downgrade our defences were well involved at the heart of any catastrophe. Maybe we could bribe a rogue RN officer to set any up as a target any airborne Number 10 with the nice new Trident resources.

Cannot resist

I know I was to have a day off but this innovative piece of road signing by our American cuzzins just had to get wider notice.

Obviously, cell phones in cars are not just a UK problem.

Leave of absence

Sorry folks - day off today.

My brain hurts.

Hello officer

Lots of criticism here in UK about the police. They cannot be found or seen, they ignore serious crime and over-prosecute minor offences, they .... well, the list goes on and on.

No one goes into the police for an easy life. There is a challenge and they have a desire to make life better for others. Much of the libel and slander has a foundation but it because of the system and not due to the personalities.

Read the Guest Blog to get some idea of how a policeman's mind works. See if policework is a job for you.

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Read about it

We should have known

I've mentioned previously (I can't be bothered to track-back where as the actual post is immaterial here) how surprised I had been at the apparent lack of knowledge regarding the Arab mind shown in the pre-Iraq War planning. UK certainly had a vast reserve of men with tremendous knowledge and experience in the mores of the Muslim mind. I met many in Government service during my Middle Eastern adventures who were more Arab than the Arabs. There may be mention that such matters were considered but the current misunderstandings suggest otherwise. (To me)

One of the greatest Arabists we had was T.E. Lawrence. He demonstrated how it was possible to get fiercely independent tribes to work together with a common aim. The scene in the film of Lawrence of Arabia where the man at the well was shot because he was off his tribal area was not an invention to add drama. That is what tribalism was all about and still haunts what we are trying to do in Iraq. The tribe is their life blood. "How many relatives do you have in Baghdad?" "Oh, about a thousand" was an exchange recently recounted in a blog. Lawrence also experienced the way in which the lack of an after-hostilities plan demolished all the good he had done.

So, for all those of you who will be planning for Iran, here is a short treatise in his own words about how to get along with the men from the Middle East. Even if you are just an onlooker, his 27 Commandments might spark your interest in further study of very complex matters.

Bloody hell

Fancy something like this running about in the fields. This is mega frightening. My dog has run under the table whimpering. I'm sure she will have nightmares tonight.

Way to go

I do not know whether this guy is telling the truth or is hogwashing. If it is true, it is a perfect example of why the American way of doing things works for individuals.

I am not being disloyal to my country when I say that I can think of few here in UK who would have faced these sort of problems and made the struggle to rise above them.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Read it and see what you think

Soaps

Well, it’s back. All over UK the personal programming for Thursday night TV has the one fixed point around which all else must adjust. ER has returned. The onward march continues strong. Though, I have to say, IMHO not as strong as it used to be. For me, the last really good season was the one where we lost Doc Green. He held one’s attention whenever he was in view.
I did once read some learned treatise along the lines that no show maintains it’s initial drive beyond the third season. Certainly, they do change. The writers learn what switches us on and concentrate on those ideas. ER used to have as many plots and sub-plots as there were characters but now we have the one continuing theme (currently Abby, Kovac and the baby) with two or three other threads which arise and are settled within the one hour time frame.
For me, the American series idea started with Bonanza. One of my sons seemed to have the firm idea that he had been abducted from the Bonanza ranch by aliens and transported to be left with us. He used to mount-up astride the back of the sofa and gallop into action with (his) Uncle Buck. MASH came along just as I had left the service and reminded me of my spell in Korea and other associations with the American Army. The Tannoy announcements with their surreal messages never failed to get a laugh from me. The mix of poignant and comedy was perfect to the extent that I always thought the series could have been adopted by the anti-war brigade as propaganda. MASH was one where I thought the level went right through to that final episode. The Col Potter years were vintage. Henry and Hotlips were a constant joy. Radar and Klinger were company clerks from hell.
MASH led us into Hill Street Blues. The action on and off duty between Furillo and his DA girlfriend was a solid base for the zany Fay whilst Belker and the SWAT guy could always be relied upon for solid plotting and performance. I think I can close my eyes and watch a rerun of the alligator in the sewer episode. It followed the style where it featured a number of intertwined storylines in each episode, and pioneered depiction of the conflicts between the work and private lives of officers on which the police procedural was centered. The show had a deliberate "documentary" style, depicting officers who were flawed and human, and dealt openly with the gray areas of morality between right and wrong. NYPD followed. Here again, tremendous stuff at first but I lost interest when Sipowitz got married. Nudity and profanity gained a TV footing from this show.
I can remember the earliiest American shows that came over. Peyton Place, Dragnet, Untouchables. There must have been some differences here as I cannot recall plots or characters with any clarity.
Some shows took off and changed format. Law and Order as I recall it started with the law firm run by a very large guy. It has become the Law and Order of today. This has overtones of Dragnet for me.
Another thing I got from these shows was the music. Great stuff.
I can only remember a very few British TV dramas. That is, aside from Blackadder which must be amongst the very best matched only by Porridge. Upstairs Downstairs, Forsythe Saga, Onedin Line all seemed to be written for export more than home consumption. I’m told the supremacy of the American product is a cost thing. We can buy many more hours from them that we can make here.

Devil dog

For those essential moments of light relief, I sometimes dip into Dear Prudence (http://www.slate.com/id/2157385/fr/nl/) and see how society in the USA lives. The piece below had a special significance here in UK where a pit bull type dog savaged and killed a small girl. Police action discovered a wide net of pit bull breeders which is a dog totally banned here. As a dog trainer and owner, I cannot understand the continued existence of any dog that draws human blood so, for my money, the question of Cujo coming to the get-together would never have arisen as he would have gone up the Golden Stairway.

Dear Prudence, My sister has an old dog, part pit bull. The dog has always been very skittish, and over the years, has nipped at the ankles of men and on occasion a woman (including myself). My husband, brother, and two older sons have been nipped on several occasions, and the dog is now starting to nip at the ankles of my 7-year-old son. We really never made much of an issue of this. Recently, my sister attempted to take the dog outside, when it bit her and held on to her hand, causing puncture wounds and resulting in a hospital stay for a severe infection. She insists this was not the dog's fault because he is deaf and was startled. Whenever my parents have a gathering at their home, my sister insists on bringing the dog. Last night, my mother asked me if my family would like to come over for a get-together. I respectfully requested that she ask my sister to leave the dog home. This morning my mother told me that the gathering has been cancelled because of my request. Please let me know if I am out of line.
—Wants My Son in One Piece

Dear Wants, So, collectively, the family leaves with fewer limbs than it came with—what is this compared to the happiness of a demented pit bull? No, you are not out of line, but something is awry with your family dynamics if your mother would prefer to cancel the event than tell her daughter she has to leave Cujo at home. Untrained dogs who view grandchildren as appetizers should be banned from family social events. Don't back down.
—Prudie

Ms Rice does not curry favour

The perfect pixie speaks out giving Iraq's PM notice that he is living on borrowed time if he does not get his people more involved. Seems that raid on the Iranian building was just a forerunner of action US might take in dealing with countries who seek to interfere with Iraqi progress.

Certainly no lack of resolve to go all the way in Iraq and never mind that report.

Well received

So, looks as if the news about troop reinforcements in Iraq is generally approving.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
President Bush ups the ante

Report from Iraq

Interesting report from Iraq. By a (very) senior officer so we can know he has had the opportunity to see a wide area of what is going on.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
As a general sees things.

Nineteen

My message here is simple. You can make a point without being disrespectful. You can make your point without attacking Politicians, Soldiers, Veterans and those who support them. You can make your point without blocking of streets to wave
banners, spitting on soldiers or demeaning the sacrifice of those who choose to serve

This comes from a blog passed to me by an American friend. It follows upon a very moving poem that claims to be known to many Australians. That is at http://mikegulf.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-was-only-nineteen.html and deserves reading in it’s entirity. The Australians were heavily into the Vietnam operation to an extent we Brits may not fully appreciate.Their participation then can well form the basis for a course of conduct now.

This is for "Joe"

You have emerged from Anonymous and refer to yourself as Joe. I control the comment section and your ranting will never get into the blog. You comment on personal matters with absolutely no full knowledge other than what may have been drip fed into your mind. I have asked that you contact me on my e-mail address and I will most certainly answer any query you may have or comment on anything you wish to raise through that channel. On here - never.

Sorry folks. I object to being stalked.

Icon

This blog is appropos nothing really. It was sent to me by a friend in America who knew I'd appreciate the sentiment.
I always saw Wayne as an icon of the way America worked. I admired his open stance on many things. His 1971 comments about white supremecy (no prominent role for blacks until they were sufficiently educated) caused a rumpus but coming on the tail end of my own opinions based on what was happening in England they rang a bell with me. My most-loved area of America was that South West bit around Arizona (sorry John - you bit is nice too) and I think that followed on from seeing so many Wayne films. Plus I like deserts and wide open space. That long drive into Monument Valley from Kayenta down a dead straight road into the canyon country always had me wetting myself in excitement. I'm going to have to end this - I feel a quick dip into The Searchers coming on.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am just going to tack on an admin note. I moderate comments - this following an episode where some idiot wanted to use the blog to post ideas that had no connection with the subject of my post. I have again had a situation where "anonymous" wished to take up something in my personal life with no connection to anything I had written.
I know who "anonymous" might be. I rejected the comment but if the coward who thinks he is sheltered behind that name wishes to contact me (j.wood999@btinternet.com) I will deal with his problem.

Not just any old mum

Has to be a Spanish - old age pensioner mother.

Words fail me.

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG
Nice to know that it is not just our NHS that is mad

Boredom wins

The companies who provide our car insurance and the home insurance are ones we have used for quite a while. I have had to use the car insurance twice and found that they were quick and efficient. The home insurance seems to do what it says on the tin when I asked for some advice a while back.

Given these standards, I do not chase around getting alternative prices prior to renewing. They make it easier to drift along like this by advising me well in advance what the next year's premium will be.

Sitting here in a state of absolute boredom, I thought that I would try out one of these instant quotes over the internet. I have two speeding fines and expected a significant hike in costs for those.

A little chastened in my financial abilities, I now have a car insurance scheme at 50% of what I was paying and a home insurance that is just under 60% of the old cost. I tried out the help desks of both the new companies and it seems they have call centres here in England so I will never be subjected to la la land lingo.

I'm now looking to see just what else I can chip away at on the internet quote front.

Putting 2 and 2 together

This struck a chord with me as I have just finished a stimulating half-hour assembling a set of book-shelves. It all ended up OK as I had no pieces left over and no pre-drilled holes showing empty. However, the whole process is fraught with tension as one knows that at any time it can all go wrong and there is no way back once dowels have had glue applied and those patent screw devices have been tightened.
When we moved to what is now Chez Nous, we bought a large work-bench to go in the attic. This is a reasonable project as the attic is quite large. The difficulty to instant gratification by buying a bench was that the final flight of stairs is quite circular and is also narrow. Solution – buy a kit. Take it upstairs in the smaller constituents and assemble it there. To say that the IKEA workbench is a complicated unit is a real understatement but we managed it. Problem will come if we ever decide to try to take the bench with us as we move. It will be a job for a guy with a chain-saw.

The saga continues

We hear long explanations from USA and Britain that things are well advanced towards Iraq being run by the Iraqi people.

That, of course, was prior to the cellphone video that was taken in the death chamber finding it's way to world-wide distribution. I'm told that the old phrase about "couldn't organise a pi*s up in a brewery" has now been altered to "couldn't organise a hanging in Iraq" when one needs to signify a total lack of organisation. Even something as simple as taking note of the fact that his death took place on a religious holiday was ignored. This was compounded when critics of this spoke out and were told that it was only a religious holiday for the people of Saddam's sect.

And now we have this. The allegations that the body was abused and ill-handled were met by officialdom, not with promises of an investigation, but dismissed as being a political manouvre. I do not aim to prejudge any inquiry but we have all seen the jubilation and insults tendered when his statue was toppled such that it appears that some demonstrations do tend to get out of hand.

I am not a tree-hugging softie here. I fully support the execution. I'm content that it should have been carried out in Iraq by Iraqis. Where the Americans dropped the ball was in not making sure that the thing was properly carried out. 1 -2 - 3 click; all over. Now, I feel his whole arrest, detention and trial were debased by the manner of his death and the chaos that provided a incubator for the allegations we are now seeing.

OK - so where from here?

This article claims that there is almost universal acceptance that going to war in Iraq was a wrong decision. Blame is scattered about like chips at a birthday party.

But, hasn't it taken a long time for this opinion to surface? How long will it take to work out what has to be done with this misbegotten child - where is the plan for the future? President Bush is expected to make some fairly decisive announcement in the next week. I just hope that these decisions are not polluted by the 20/20 hindsight wizards "You got it wrong going in there. How do we know you are right now?"

I'd rather stick pins in my eyes

Is that a thong she has just pegged out?
Tone the Tourist has a nice set of man boobies. Doubtless, he will go on the lecture circuit in a nice little dark blue topless dress.

Please tell me

that this is not true!

I can accept teachers full enough of themselves to upgrade the incident but what on earth was in the mind of the police officer who handled the call? Did he not possess language robust enough to tell these people where to take their complain?

Mind you - if this 'weapon' is so effective, we could supply another battalion or so of front line troops just from the dregs that congregate in our larger cities at around closing time.

Due balance up the river

It is somehow comforting that in the times in which we now live, people can be found to unearth, ferret out, research and then publicise matters that I am sure are of no real relevance (or interest) to the great mass of the world's population. I've guested one such instance. Look in by all means but don't settle down for the long haul of reading it in it's entirity. I got near to terminal jaw ache from my yawning.

Still, I suppose the correspondents mother loves him?

TODAY'S GUEST BLOG

Amazon is amazing

!

First looks deceive

I mentioned my daughter doing a business trip to Dubai.
Here she is - soaking up a little bit of local colour.
The idea that women are all demure and sweetness and light when covered in this manner is now well destroyed.

Where are they now?

I sometimes wander off into the ether of the Internet in search of "Where are they now?". Not the main personality of a newsworthy incident but the lesser players.

This came to me through a blog I follow. Ms Lewinsky certainly went through the mill. To us on the small side of the pond, everything concentrated on Clinton and we seemed to know little of the woman in the case. The vagaries of the female mind when romance - or even just plain old sex - are inexplicable to most males but I did wonder what was to become of her. So, nice to see that she appears to have come out the other side of the cloud in her young life without too much of an apparent disaster. I never condemned her - the adage about it taking two to tango was in the front of my mind. The item I link makes me feel a little bit better about how the world works.

Leading a lazy life

Good job I'm not paid my pensions at so much a word that I write on here.

Do not know why but the Muse seems to have dried up. No problem. It will come back; see you all then.

Quick work

"THE hanging" was such a disgusting shambles that I had wanted to avoid it. However, I'm a sucker for conspiracy theories (not the subjects but the mechanics behind them that takes a few facts and knits them together to make something like a large mesh fishing net) and I see they have already started regarding old Soddem.

Modern safety devices

My car has seven air bags. Total all-around protection in the event of a crash.

Of course, that many is a bit over the top for some people?

Stir people up

Seems there is a whole lot of shouting going on about how and where the world started.

I'm staying out - except for this which strikes me as a clever advertisement

And I thought

I was the only miserable bstard blogging.

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http://barrybeelzebub.blogspot.com/2007/01/and-very-berry-christmas-to-you-all.html

Cheerer-upper

Never mind the smell of napalm on the morning air! Tea is brewed, bacon about to go into the pan and eggs just waiting to be cracked.
Not too long before we are back to the open air life in one or other of the wonderful outdoor spots we have here.

Get away

Right now, the wind is howling. It is coming here directly from Siberia. The rain is coming from the refrigerator by the temperature and if I were religious I'd be looking for the man who builds Arks.
So, I've printed this off and stuck it alongside the monitor. Not that a place such as this is on my holiday list - we stay in UK now we have the dog and flying has degenerated into something that is more akin to stuffing human beings into pig styes than anything else. No - this shot serves to remind me of when we used to live in places like this and a scene as depicted would have been our regular afternoon hang-out.
Happy happy days.

New ideas

Rather like this. Not quite sure what is being advertised - if anything - but Celine Dion as a sort of Madonna figure and Wallmart as hell somehow appeals to me.