my friend emma has posted in her blog about the odd law in the usa that has been used on some rare occasions to prosecute couples who are cohabitating. and it really is one of those “only in america” type stories.
so imagine my surprise when i saw this story on the bbc website. the usa federal government is under pressure to stop giving level 3 criminals viagra for free. level 3 criminals are likely to have committed crimes such as rape and child abuse, and are also seen as being a high risk of re-offending.
under medicaid states are obliged to include viagra where medically necessary. a spokesman said this was not about money but "… that it's inappropriate for sex offenders to be getting drugs that stimulate sexual performance." and i gotta say i am with him on that..
you may as well start prescribing booze to alcoholics for all the sense that giving viagra to sex offenders makes.
no doubt the same sort of thing is going on in the uk, but for the moment we can file this one in the “only in america” section.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Sunday, May 22, 2005
laugh
some bits and pieces really - things that have caught my eye and sort of made me smile.
trafalgar - the 200th anniversary of the battle of trafalgar is soon upon us. and we are going to be celebrating it, but not in a way that is "french bashing" or for that matter in a way that is historically accurate.
the organisers have said there will be no "sides" in the celebration/ recreation instead there will be a blue team and a red team, rather than an english fleet versus french and spanish fleet.
additionally the sunday times reports that the official literature of the celebration is referring to “an early 19th-century sea battle”, as opposed to the battle of trafalgar.
the mock battle that will involve tall ships, fireworks and music is "... not a historical re-enactment. it is a piece of theatre, and not supposed to be historically accurate." (ministry of defence).
perhaps if we actually took pride in these sorts of historical events and treated them with respect rather than hid them shyly behind a pc veneer and a fear of upsetting others there would be less chance of the far right being able to steal the union jack for their own use. perhaps if we were proud to be english we would not be so sheepish about entering europe.
hoodies
bluewater shopping centre has banned hoodies, and people attending the place to shop have shot up by over 20% in the week the ban started. ok i am not someone who shops at bluewater, and i have nothing to say in defence of kids/youths who wear hoodies, but i am surprised at the results of the ban. firstly because who would have thought that there that many more people who wanted to go to bluewater (or were "scared" to go because of some sort of tribal fashion), also i am shocked at the speed that the ban worked - i only heard about it after it had come into affect but obviously there are some keen bluewater wannabe shoppers out there who were just waiting for the ban to come in so that they could rush out to bluewater to spend their cash.
(admittedly hoodies were only part of the ban which was all about anti-social behaviour as it also bans smoking, leafleting, and canvassing)
meanwhile a school has made the hoodie part of its uniform. although the hoodie can only be put up when it is raining (which to me makes it a pointless part of the uniform - but then if i had my way i would also ban people wearing sunglasses on the top of their heads (why?) and people who go around showing their arses off because they think it is trendy to wear jeans very low slung). the headmaster makes two interesting points 1] behaviour is the problem not the clothes (though perhaps this misses the point of the tribal wear - kids want to be part of a group/gang and will dress the part and peer pressure leads to potential bad behaviour - hey what do i know am i an expert?) secondly he says by making them part of the school uniform it reduces the coolness of them.
the independent, of course, rushed to the defence of youths wearing hoodies. the indie, bless it, is fast becoming the newspaper equivalent of the swp in that wherever it sees something that might be a cause it is quick to rush in to get involved.
i am expecting the first hoodie human rights trial any day soon.
goats
the locals are up in arms about the wild goats of lynton. the 80 or so wild goats have taken to wandering off of the wilds and coming into town to dine on residents flowers and such like. the residents are taking this invasion badly and are looking to have a cull of the goats. some goats have already "disappeared", perhaps to be turned into curry. the idea of a cull seems to have caused a division in the area with some residents receiving death threats.
one of the most outspoken opponents of the goats is derek bishop who is not only upset about the fact that his wife garden has become the goats version of a macdonald’s drive-in restaurant, but he has also seen his local cricket club attacked by the goats as they rut on the outfield and have defecate in front of the pavilion (have those goats no shame - it's just not cricket old boy!) bishop points out that the cricket ground twice nearly won the wisden award for the prettiest in england. (well derek take heart the editors of wisden may not have liked it the goats surely do!)
i expect the goats to take their case to the european court of goat rights any day soon.
chainsaws
picture the scene, if you will, you are up a tree using a chainsaw to cut some branches. the ladder you are using is being held by someone. meanwhile in the garden there is a dog playing about. you can almost sense the monty pythonesque danger about the scene. guess what you wouldn't be wrong.
one poor husband is now without his wife due to the fact that the ladder she was holding got banged, he fell, and the chainsaw fell only for it to catch the wife on the way down. it appears that the dog jumped up at the wife in playful abandon and started the tragic chain of events. of his wife he said "she was very special, she worked very hard and was very good at her job."
i just have to wonder what on earth was someone doing up a ladder that needed to be held steady with a chainsaw in the first place? and to let the dog play around at the same time.
additionally the sunday times reports that the official literature of the celebration is referring to an “an early 19th-century sea battle”.
the mock battle that will involve tall ships, fireworks and music is "... not a historical re-enactment. it is a piece of theatre, and not supposed to be historically accurate." (ministry of defence).
perhaps if we actually took pride in these sorts of historical events and treated them with respect rather than hid them shyly behind a pc veneer and a fear of upsetting others there would be less chance of the far right being able to steal the union jack for their own use. perhaps if we were proud to be english we would not be so sheepish about entering europe.
hoodies
bluewater shopping centre has banned hoodies, and people attending the place to shop have shot up by over 20% in the week the ban started. ok i am not someone who shops at bluewater, and i have nothing to say in defence of kids/youths who wear hoodies, but i am surprised at the results of the ban. firstly because who would have thought that there that many more people who wanted to go to bluewater (or were "scared" to go because of some sort of tribal fashion), also i am shocked at the speed that the ban worked - i only heard about it after it had come into affect but obviously there are some keen bluewater wannabe shoppers out there who were just waiting for the ban to come in so that they could rush out to bluewater to spend their cash.
(admittedly hoodies were only part of the ban which was all about anti-social behaviour as it also bans smoking, leafleting, and canvassing)
meanwhile a school has made the hoodie part of its uniform. although the hoodie can only be put up when it is raining (which to me makes it a pointless part of the uniform - but then if i had my way i would also ban people wearing sunglasses on the top of their heads (why?) and people who go around showing their arses off because they think it is trendy to wear jeans very low slung). the headmaster makes two interesting points 1] behaviour is the problem not the clothes (though perhaps this misses the point of the tribal wear - kids want to be part of a group/gang and will dress the part and peer pressure leads to potential bad behaviour - hey what do i know am i an expert?) secondly he says by making them part of the school uniform it reduces the coolness of them.
the independent, of course, rushed to the defence of youths wearing hoodies. the indie bless it is fast becoming the newspaper equivalent of the swp in that wherever it sees something that might be a cause it is quick to rush in to get involved.
i am expecting the first hoodie human rights trial any day soon.
goats
the locals are up in arms about the wild goats of lynton. the 80 or so wild goats have taken to wandering off of the wilds and coming into town to dine on residents flowers and such like. the residents are taking this invasion badly and are looking to have a cull of the goats. some goats have already "disappeared", perhaps to be turned into curry. the idea of a cull seems to have caused a division in the area with some residents receiving death threats.
one of the most outspoken opponents of the goats is derek bishop who is not only upset about the fact that his wife garden has become the goats version of a macdonald’s drive-in restaurant, but he has also seen his local cricket club attacked by the goats as they rut on the outfield and have defecate in front of the pavilion (have those goats no shame - it's just not cricket old boy!) bishop points out that the cricket ground twice nearly won the widen award for the prettiest in england. (well derek take heart the editors of widen may not have liked it the goats surely do!)
i expect the goats to take their case to the european court of goat rights any day soon.
chainsaws
picture the scene, if you will, you are up a tree using a chainsaw to cut some branches. the ladder you are using is being held by someone. meanwhile in the garden there is a dog playing about. you can almost sense the monty pythonesque danger about the scene. guess what you wouldn't be wrong.
one poor husband is now without his wife due to the fact that the ladder she was holding got banged, he fell, and the chainsaw fell only for it to catch the wife on the way down. it appears that the dog jumped up at the wife in playful abandon and started the tragic chain of events. of his wife he said "she was very special, she worked very hard and was very good at her job."
i just have to wonder what on earth was someone doing up a ladder that needed to be held steady with a chainsaw in the first place? and to let the dog play around at the same time what is (to quote the hurricane) up with that?
so these things have made me smile in wry ironic ways.
trafalgar - the 200th anniversary of the battle of trafalgar is soon upon us. and we are going to be celebrating it, but not in a way that is "french bashing" or for that matter in a way that is historically accurate.
the organisers have said there will be no "sides" in the celebration/ recreation instead there will be a blue team and a red team, rather than an english fleet versus french and spanish fleet.
additionally the sunday times reports that the official literature of the celebration is referring to “an early 19th-century sea battle”, as opposed to the battle of trafalgar.
the mock battle that will involve tall ships, fireworks and music is "... not a historical re-enactment. it is a piece of theatre, and not supposed to be historically accurate." (ministry of defence).
perhaps if we actually took pride in these sorts of historical events and treated them with respect rather than hid them shyly behind a pc veneer and a fear of upsetting others there would be less chance of the far right being able to steal the union jack for their own use. perhaps if we were proud to be english we would not be so sheepish about entering europe.
hoodies
bluewater shopping centre has banned hoodies, and people attending the place to shop have shot up by over 20% in the week the ban started. ok i am not someone who shops at bluewater, and i have nothing to say in defence of kids/youths who wear hoodies, but i am surprised at the results of the ban. firstly because who would have thought that there that many more people who wanted to go to bluewater (or were "scared" to go because of some sort of tribal fashion), also i am shocked at the speed that the ban worked - i only heard about it after it had come into affect but obviously there are some keen bluewater wannabe shoppers out there who were just waiting for the ban to come in so that they could rush out to bluewater to spend their cash.
(admittedly hoodies were only part of the ban which was all about anti-social behaviour as it also bans smoking, leafleting, and canvassing)
meanwhile a school has made the hoodie part of its uniform. although the hoodie can only be put up when it is raining (which to me makes it a pointless part of the uniform - but then if i had my way i would also ban people wearing sunglasses on the top of their heads (why?) and people who go around showing their arses off because they think it is trendy to wear jeans very low slung). the headmaster makes two interesting points 1] behaviour is the problem not the clothes (though perhaps this misses the point of the tribal wear - kids want to be part of a group/gang and will dress the part and peer pressure leads to potential bad behaviour - hey what do i know am i an expert?) secondly he says by making them part of the school uniform it reduces the coolness of them.
the independent, of course, rushed to the defence of youths wearing hoodies. the indie, bless it, is fast becoming the newspaper equivalent of the swp in that wherever it sees something that might be a cause it is quick to rush in to get involved.
i am expecting the first hoodie human rights trial any day soon.
goats
the locals are up in arms about the wild goats of lynton. the 80 or so wild goats have taken to wandering off of the wilds and coming into town to dine on residents flowers and such like. the residents are taking this invasion badly and are looking to have a cull of the goats. some goats have already "disappeared", perhaps to be turned into curry. the idea of a cull seems to have caused a division in the area with some residents receiving death threats.
one of the most outspoken opponents of the goats is derek bishop who is not only upset about the fact that his wife garden has become the goats version of a macdonald’s drive-in restaurant, but he has also seen his local cricket club attacked by the goats as they rut on the outfield and have defecate in front of the pavilion (have those goats no shame - it's just not cricket old boy!) bishop points out that the cricket ground twice nearly won the wisden award for the prettiest in england. (well derek take heart the editors of wisden may not have liked it the goats surely do!)
i expect the goats to take their case to the european court of goat rights any day soon.
chainsaws
picture the scene, if you will, you are up a tree using a chainsaw to cut some branches. the ladder you are using is being held by someone. meanwhile in the garden there is a dog playing about. you can almost sense the monty pythonesque danger about the scene. guess what you wouldn't be wrong.
one poor husband is now without his wife due to the fact that the ladder she was holding got banged, he fell, and the chainsaw fell only for it to catch the wife on the way down. it appears that the dog jumped up at the wife in playful abandon and started the tragic chain of events. of his wife he said "she was very special, she worked very hard and was very good at her job."
i just have to wonder what on earth was someone doing up a ladder that needed to be held steady with a chainsaw in the first place? and to let the dog play around at the same time.
additionally the sunday times reports that the official literature of the celebration is referring to an “an early 19th-century sea battle”.
the mock battle that will involve tall ships, fireworks and music is "... not a historical re-enactment. it is a piece of theatre, and not supposed to be historically accurate." (ministry of defence).
perhaps if we actually took pride in these sorts of historical events and treated them with respect rather than hid them shyly behind a pc veneer and a fear of upsetting others there would be less chance of the far right being able to steal the union jack for their own use. perhaps if we were proud to be english we would not be so sheepish about entering europe.
hoodies
bluewater shopping centre has banned hoodies, and people attending the place to shop have shot up by over 20% in the week the ban started. ok i am not someone who shops at bluewater, and i have nothing to say in defence of kids/youths who wear hoodies, but i am surprised at the results of the ban. firstly because who would have thought that there that many more people who wanted to go to bluewater (or were "scared" to go because of some sort of tribal fashion), also i am shocked at the speed that the ban worked - i only heard about it after it had come into affect but obviously there are some keen bluewater wannabe shoppers out there who were just waiting for the ban to come in so that they could rush out to bluewater to spend their cash.
(admittedly hoodies were only part of the ban which was all about anti-social behaviour as it also bans smoking, leafleting, and canvassing)
meanwhile a school has made the hoodie part of its uniform. although the hoodie can only be put up when it is raining (which to me makes it a pointless part of the uniform - but then if i had my way i would also ban people wearing sunglasses on the top of their heads (why?) and people who go around showing their arses off because they think it is trendy to wear jeans very low slung). the headmaster makes two interesting points 1] behaviour is the problem not the clothes (though perhaps this misses the point of the tribal wear - kids want to be part of a group/gang and will dress the part and peer pressure leads to potential bad behaviour - hey what do i know am i an expert?) secondly he says by making them part of the school uniform it reduces the coolness of them.
the independent, of course, rushed to the defence of youths wearing hoodies. the indie bless it is fast becoming the newspaper equivalent of the swp in that wherever it sees something that might be a cause it is quick to rush in to get involved.
i am expecting the first hoodie human rights trial any day soon.
goats
the locals are up in arms about the wild goats of lynton. the 80 or so wild goats have taken to wandering off of the wilds and coming into town to dine on residents flowers and such like. the residents are taking this invasion badly and are looking to have a cull of the goats. some goats have already "disappeared", perhaps to be turned into curry. the idea of a cull seems to have caused a division in the area with some residents receiving death threats.
one of the most outspoken opponents of the goats is derek bishop who is not only upset about the fact that his wife garden has become the goats version of a macdonald’s drive-in restaurant, but he has also seen his local cricket club attacked by the goats as they rut on the outfield and have defecate in front of the pavilion (have those goats no shame - it's just not cricket old boy!) bishop points out that the cricket ground twice nearly won the widen award for the prettiest in england. (well derek take heart the editors of widen may not have liked it the goats surely do!)
i expect the goats to take their case to the european court of goat rights any day soon.
chainsaws
picture the scene, if you will, you are up a tree using a chainsaw to cut some branches. the ladder you are using is being held by someone. meanwhile in the garden there is a dog playing about. you can almost sense the monty pythonesque danger about the scene. guess what you wouldn't be wrong.
one poor husband is now without his wife due to the fact that the ladder she was holding got banged, he fell, and the chainsaw fell only for it to catch the wife on the way down. it appears that the dog jumped up at the wife in playful abandon and started the tragic chain of events. of his wife he said "she was very special, she worked very hard and was very good at her job."
i just have to wonder what on earth was someone doing up a ladder that needed to be held steady with a chainsaw in the first place? and to let the dog play around at the same time what is (to quote the hurricane) up with that?
so these things have made me smile in wry ironic ways.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
pants
there are a lot of things that you could say about the sun newspaper (and most of them would not be pleasant), but every now and then you have to admire them for their sheer front.
the other day they printed pictures of saddam in his mighty whites washing out his socks. the headline was "tyrant's in his pants".
there was, rightly, an uprorar over this.
if only because we want to be seen to be better than all the other tyrants around the place.... ooops little late after the abu graibh and camp x situations, but better late than never eh!)
anyway so today's (saturday 21st may) headline is "bush probes saddam's pants: president vows to get to the bottom of it!". it's all you want in a headline really - it tells you the news and has a smutty pun or two in it. plus it lets you know that the sun really doesn't care what anyone thinks of them.
the sun reports bush as saying that the pictures will not lead to attacks as pictures do not push people to murder but backward barbaric ideology does. later on the picture is described as giving a blow to the morale of the resistance as it shows them how saddam is now.
so on the one hand the picture will do nothing.
on the other hand it will do lots.
i like that sort of logic.
(while many would argue that the resistance fighters/ insurgents/ rebels call them what you will are fighting to get rid of the occupancy and not to free saddam!)
best of all the sun leader has a pop at both the bbc and guardian.
the beeb have raised questions about the rights of showing the pictures, to which the sun says:
"only someone recruited via a job advert in the guardian could have such a partial and polluted view of life."
i guess all that guff about us being better than saddam, about us bring justice, about us bringing values to the middle east don't mean that much to the sun.
the other day they printed pictures of saddam in his mighty whites washing out his socks. the headline was "tyrant's in his pants".
there was, rightly, an uprorar over this.
if only because we want to be seen to be better than all the other tyrants around the place.... ooops little late after the abu graibh and camp x situations, but better late than never eh!)
anyway so today's (saturday 21st may) headline is "bush probes saddam's pants: president vows to get to the bottom of it!". it's all you want in a headline really - it tells you the news and has a smutty pun or two in it. plus it lets you know that the sun really doesn't care what anyone thinks of them.
the sun reports bush as saying that the pictures will not lead to attacks as pictures do not push people to murder but backward barbaric ideology does. later on the picture is described as giving a blow to the morale of the resistance as it shows them how saddam is now.
so on the one hand the picture will do nothing.
on the other hand it will do lots.
i like that sort of logic.
(while many would argue that the resistance fighters/ insurgents/ rebels call them what you will are fighting to get rid of the occupancy and not to free saddam!)
best of all the sun leader has a pop at both the bbc and guardian.
the beeb have raised questions about the rights of showing the pictures, to which the sun says:
"only someone recruited via a job advert in the guardian could have such a partial and polluted view of life."
i guess all that guff about us being better than saddam, about us bring justice, about us bringing values to the middle east don't mean that much to the sun.
3000
ooh i have just broken the 3000 hits mark.
ok so most of those hits have been me coming on here and posting, but it's nice to see the counter going up.
is my life so sad that this pleases me?
oh yes it is....
ok so most of those hits have been me coming on here and posting, but it's nice to see the counter going up.
is my life so sad that this pleases me?
oh yes it is....
geeks
some of what is wrong with the world can be summed up in this one quote from Sara Freeman, 19, dressed in a brown Jedi costume in Chicago, added: "I didn't expect to see as many girls as I did. There's not usually as many geek girls as geek boys."
how true that young woman is.
many of us male geeks (and i count myself amongst the geek fraternity - yes i know some of you out there think you are above it, but.... yes i am looking at you kenny and you paul....) can spend hours talking about our favourite "subject" superman, batman, star wars, star trek, 24, prog rock. we can wax lyrical; we can make cogent arguments, construct detailed analysis of the latest occurrence in our field linking it all in with the latest in cultural theory and pointing out the juxtaposition between the contrasting elements. But we generally do it with fellow male geeks.
Because it is such a male dominated thing when we are confronted with women we can sometimes get a little too intense or too tongue tied (actually this could just be me…)
So what we geeks need is more female geeks.
Come on girls adopt a geek today.
Failing that I am off to see star wars again!
how true that young woman is.
many of us male geeks (and i count myself amongst the geek fraternity - yes i know some of you out there think you are above it, but.... yes i am looking at you kenny and you paul....) can spend hours talking about our favourite "subject" superman, batman, star wars, star trek, 24, prog rock. we can wax lyrical; we can make cogent arguments, construct detailed analysis of the latest occurrence in our field linking it all in with the latest in cultural theory and pointing out the juxtaposition between the contrasting elements. But we generally do it with fellow male geeks.
Because it is such a male dominated thing when we are confronted with women we can sometimes get a little too intense or too tongue tied (actually this could just be me…)
So what we geeks need is more female geeks.
Come on girls adopt a geek today.
Failing that I am off to see star wars again!
Thursday, May 19, 2005
yoda
well i walked out of the genesis cinema at 3am this morning and i was a happy bunny.
it was wookietastic.
it had all you wanted in itlightsaber duels (look at yoda kick butt), it had big spacecraft, explosions, wookies, more explosions, betrayal, hope, action.
and when the luke and leia themes played ah the fanboy in me smiled and yelped with joy.
there were some things wrong with it and some things i just want more of. the thing i missed the most was being in the cinema with my pal adam and just recreating those great days of teenhood where the only thing you (well i) worried about was zits and helen jones (no longer worry about the zits but there is always a lady or two on my mind).
to those of you who are not star wars fans (that would be you emma and you paul) the attraction of it is hard to explain as you either get it or you don't. but i have been a fan of the movies since i saw the first one. i am not an obsessive about them (honest) i just enjoy the cinematic experience. there was a time when i could have gone all jedi on people - but have you seen the amount of books and stuff devoted to it... no way jose. 6 films to enjoy is enough.
well actually thats not true - lets get that pettition started for the last 3 films to be made.
oh geeky saddnes your name is pat.....
it was wookietastic.
it had all you wanted in itlightsaber duels (look at yoda kick butt), it had big spacecraft, explosions, wookies, more explosions, betrayal, hope, action.
and when the luke and leia themes played ah the fanboy in me smiled and yelped with joy.
there were some things wrong with it and some things i just want more of. the thing i missed the most was being in the cinema with my pal adam and just recreating those great days of teenhood where the only thing you (well i) worried about was zits and helen jones (no longer worry about the zits but there is always a lady or two on my mind).
to those of you who are not star wars fans (that would be you emma and you paul) the attraction of it is hard to explain as you either get it or you don't. but i have been a fan of the movies since i saw the first one. i am not an obsessive about them (honest) i just enjoy the cinematic experience. there was a time when i could have gone all jedi on people - but have you seen the amount of books and stuff devoted to it... no way jose. 6 films to enjoy is enough.
well actually thats not true - lets get that pettition started for the last 3 films to be made.
oh geeky saddnes your name is pat.....
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
respect
seems like tony has learnt at least one lesson - if you want to win change the name of the game to something that people will like. so we have "respect" bliar is going to build a "culture of respect" in his remaining months in power.
given the attitude towards politician's this is a good idea - but oh look at that here they go with the id card thing again - even though everyone told them that no one wanted them and no one could see the benefit of them. well so much for respecting other people's views.
off to a good start there then!
or perhaps this is "respect" ala galloway when really all it means is that we are using this word so you don't think of that other stuff.
it looks like the next couple of years tony is going to be focused on the domestic agenda. so we will have laws to ban smoking in public places, to tackle hospital-acquired infections (mmm not sure how you can legislate against catching a bug, surely that is just a case of providing the nhs with the tools and resources to keep the hopistal clean ? or does that interfer with the sacred cow of the pfi? then there will be laws to boost school standards (you can already see it - try to tell the teacher your dog ate your homework and you get 10 months solitary...)
but it's ok they are planning to be tough on street crime, asylum and immigration. so that should play well in papers such as the daily mail and the sun.
you know that when the conservatives are planning to back new labour on most of their bills there is something wrong....
can onmly be a matter of time before that have gorgeous george back in.
given the attitude towards politician's this is a good idea - but oh look at that here they go with the id card thing again - even though everyone told them that no one wanted them and no one could see the benefit of them. well so much for respecting other people's views.
off to a good start there then!
or perhaps this is "respect" ala galloway when really all it means is that we are using this word so you don't think of that other stuff.
it looks like the next couple of years tony is going to be focused on the domestic agenda. so we will have laws to ban smoking in public places, to tackle hospital-acquired infections (mmm not sure how you can legislate against catching a bug, surely that is just a case of providing the nhs with the tools and resources to keep the hopistal clean ? or does that interfer with the sacred cow of the pfi? then there will be laws to boost school standards (you can already see it - try to tell the teacher your dog ate your homework and you get 10 months solitary...)
but it's ok they are planning to be tough on street crime, asylum and immigration. so that should play well in papers such as the daily mail and the sun.
you know that when the conservatives are planning to back new labour on most of their bills there is something wrong....
can onmly be a matter of time before that have gorgeous george back in.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
giddy
been a bad day at work - but do you know what got me through it?
well first off there was the lingering pleasure of having watch two episodes from 24 day 4 - easily the best programme on tv that is not a steve bochco production (rip nypd blue..... boo hoo). then there was the arrival of the latest release in the marvel essential's line: the defenders. how i am looking forward to sitting on the enjoying one of nature's free pleasures and combining that with reading some great marvel comics. bliss i tell you - bliss.
but i suppose the think that is keeping me going most of all is the time 12.31am thursday morning when i will sit down and watch star wars revenge of the sith at my local cinema. i know it is not cool to admit it but i have enjoyed the previous two prequels and i fully expect to be wowed, thrilled and generally excited by the 6th and final star wars movie.
i just know it will be a (dare i say it) "brainblast!"
well first off there was the lingering pleasure of having watch two episodes from 24 day 4 - easily the best programme on tv that is not a steve bochco production (rip nypd blue..... boo hoo). then there was the arrival of the latest release in the marvel essential's line: the defenders. how i am looking forward to sitting on the enjoying one of nature's free pleasures and combining that with reading some great marvel comics. bliss i tell you - bliss.
but i suppose the think that is keeping me going most of all is the time 12.31am thursday morning when i will sit down and watch star wars revenge of the sith at my local cinema. i know it is not cool to admit it but i have enjoyed the previous two prequels and i fully expect to be wowed, thrilled and generally excited by the 6th and final star wars movie.
i just know it will be a (dare i say it) "brainblast!"
Monday, May 16, 2005
weekend
spent this weekend being a bit of a fanboy geek.
ok i am in the lucky position that i can say this is all part of my job, but secretly i love it.
i fell in love with a young lady (sadly she is young enough to be my daughter...) she was sexy in a punk way (dreads, tats and piercing...) she talked dirty and was enthusiastic about comics! i wanted to marry her there and then. to be honest sex would never have had to come into the relationship we could have just discussed the merits of hulk vs. thing. for a fanboy it's as close to heaven as we can get....
one of the interesting aspects of the event in bristol was the number of women at the event, who were there as fans or creators. it was a wonderful thing to behold and not only because there are times when i am a dirty old man....
i remember back when one of my friends was being made the manager of a large comic retail store and the flack she got just because she was a girl. it appears that the once male dominated world of collecting is now being invaded by women.
what has brought this about? has it been the success of goth corners in stores or the influx of manga? discuss.
had to rush (well i use that term very loosely because i was on a train - so there was always going to be a delay, this was compounded by the closure for "essential" work on the hammersmith and city line...) back to get over to the excel centre for the london expo - didn't manage to see much there as i got there very close to end of the show. luckily i saw some of the stars of the frontier wrestling alliance (who never seem to wrestle in or near london boo hoo) in action. managed also to get some photos of matt hardy and rob van dam (who is a big comic fan - was tempted to ask him if he was a giggly and giddy as i was about the arrival of the essential defenders trade ... but thought better of it....)
the london show was a mix of various genres so there were stars from current tv shows, movie stars of old, wrestlers, manga fans, gaming fans and more. because of this mix of likes it was not so surprising to see a good mix of sexes and ages. but never fear there were sufficient numbers of lovely goth or manga style clad girls to keep me happy.
aside from the photos of matt and rvd i got nothing this weekend. does it mean i have my collector mania under control? or does it mean i have all i want? or am i just waiting for something else to collect....
ok i am in the lucky position that i can say this is all part of my job, but secretly i love it.
i fell in love with a young lady (sadly she is young enough to be my daughter...) she was sexy in a punk way (dreads, tats and piercing...) she talked dirty and was enthusiastic about comics! i wanted to marry her there and then. to be honest sex would never have had to come into the relationship we could have just discussed the merits of hulk vs. thing. for a fanboy it's as close to heaven as we can get....
one of the interesting aspects of the event in bristol was the number of women at the event, who were there as fans or creators. it was a wonderful thing to behold and not only because there are times when i am a dirty old man....
i remember back when one of my friends was being made the manager of a large comic retail store and the flack she got just because she was a girl. it appears that the once male dominated world of collecting is now being invaded by women.
what has brought this about? has it been the success of goth corners in stores or the influx of manga? discuss.
had to rush (well i use that term very loosely because i was on a train - so there was always going to be a delay, this was compounded by the closure for "essential" work on the hammersmith and city line...) back to get over to the excel centre for the london expo - didn't manage to see much there as i got there very close to end of the show. luckily i saw some of the stars of the frontier wrestling alliance (who never seem to wrestle in or near london boo hoo) in action. managed also to get some photos of matt hardy and rob van dam (who is a big comic fan - was tempted to ask him if he was a giggly and giddy as i was about the arrival of the essential defenders trade ... but thought better of it....)
the london show was a mix of various genres so there were stars from current tv shows, movie stars of old, wrestlers, manga fans, gaming fans and more. because of this mix of likes it was not so surprising to see a good mix of sexes and ages. but never fear there were sufficient numbers of lovely goth or manga style clad girls to keep me happy.
aside from the photos of matt and rvd i got nothing this weekend. does it mean i have my collector mania under control? or does it mean i have all i want? or am i just waiting for something else to collect....
Friday, May 13, 2005
speechless
there are times when life really sucks (ooh i sound like a angst ridden sixth former there - still if trent reznor and tracey emin can make a fortune out of teenage self pity, then i can throw a "suck" or two into my own blog) you know the drill work might be getting you down, social life isn't really very social, never getting a number on the lottery, sharron stone never returning your calls - you know the usual gripes.... and then the realisation that sometimes someone else just has it worse than you.
take for instance the italian man who has had his marriage annulled and is now having to pay damages because he is impotent and can't do the business for his new missus. he is apparently guilty of abusing her "right to sexuality", (the italian constitution apparently has a section on sexuality in it - only in italy.....)
so not only has this poor chap become the laughing stock because he has no lead in his pencil and this has been made public, he now has to pay for the fact that his missus couldn't have children by him.
she claims that by not telling her of his problem beforehand was "contrary to the principles of loyalty, fairness and good faith". this is why she can get money out of him.
the amount of damages has yet to be decided - but one hopes it includes the figure 69 somewhere in it.
i have to wonder does this then extend in the other direction can men take their wives to court for not providing enough sex (or for demanding too much sex?) who decides just what is or isn't enough, is it a question of quality or quantity. can you do your duty via a quick fumble that leaves a wet spot but doesn't satisfy or do you have to make her scream like angelina jolie (way to go brad) for it to count.
no wonder the italians voted a porn star into government with such laws to keep them in philosophical mass debate (look you knew i was going to do that joke, i knew you knew i was going to do it - so i couldn't let you down - ok!)
so in this case the missus gets off to marry someone else and gets a wad of cash as well.
nice work if you can get it.
take for instance the italian man who has had his marriage annulled and is now having to pay damages because he is impotent and can't do the business for his new missus. he is apparently guilty of abusing her "right to sexuality", (the italian constitution apparently has a section on sexuality in it - only in italy.....)
so not only has this poor chap become the laughing stock because he has no lead in his pencil and this has been made public, he now has to pay for the fact that his missus couldn't have children by him.
she claims that by not telling her of his problem beforehand was "contrary to the principles of loyalty, fairness and good faith". this is why she can get money out of him.
the amount of damages has yet to be decided - but one hopes it includes the figure 69 somewhere in it.
i have to wonder does this then extend in the other direction can men take their wives to court for not providing enough sex (or for demanding too much sex?) who decides just what is or isn't enough, is it a question of quality or quantity. can you do your duty via a quick fumble that leaves a wet spot but doesn't satisfy or do you have to make her scream like angelina jolie (way to go brad) for it to count.
no wonder the italians voted a porn star into government with such laws to keep them in philosophical mass debate (look you knew i was going to do that joke, i knew you knew i was going to do it - so i couldn't let you down - ok!)
so in this case the missus gets off to marry someone else and gets a wad of cash as well.
nice work if you can get it.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
galloway2
i don't like him, i don't think he is going to be good for the people of tower hamlets, i think he is going to cause my trouble in the area as the people who elected him realise he is a fraud, but whatever i think galloway was elected by the people to be their mp.
jeremy paxman laid into him (in the way only jezza can) with the question did he feel proud to have unseated one of the few black women in parliament.
galloway was less than happy with this line of questioning, i suspect not because of the content of the attack and question but more to do with the fact his ego was bruised by not being congratulated by paxman.
but have to i have seen a number of commentators point out that oona king was female, was black and was half jewish as if these personal attributes made her the ideal candidate. (and the corollary of what is being said is that galloway was male, white and atheist and therefore does not fit the pc criteria for holding office).
king was caught out because she was a supporter of the war and of blair, neither of these things were bad per se - but if you are not going to vigorously defend your position and not work hard to get your message out you are going to lose. bottom line was that i saw and heard galloway and respect doing the rounds. i saw nothing of oona king, and now we are stuck with galloway.
jeremy paxman laid into him (in the way only jezza can) with the question did he feel proud to have unseated one of the few black women in parliament.
galloway was less than happy with this line of questioning, i suspect not because of the content of the attack and question but more to do with the fact his ego was bruised by not being congratulated by paxman.
but have to i have seen a number of commentators point out that oona king was female, was black and was half jewish as if these personal attributes made her the ideal candidate. (and the corollary of what is being said is that galloway was male, white and atheist and therefore does not fit the pc criteria for holding office).
king was caught out because she was a supporter of the war and of blair, neither of these things were bad per se - but if you are not going to vigorously defend your position and not work hard to get your message out you are going to lose. bottom line was that i saw and heard galloway and respect doing the rounds. i saw nothing of oona king, and now we are stuck with galloway.
howard
sometimes life proves that there is indeed a silver lining to those grey clouds. just as i was trying to get over galloway i am confronted with the news that howard is about to quit as leader of the conservative party. to be fair i doubt anyone is shocked that this is happening, but i have to say it does strike me as being a tad rash and must have had gordon brown rubbing his hands with glee.
why pat why? i hear you cry.
the resignation of the conservative leader is something like a seasonal bloodsport, a defeat and lets get rid of him. sure howard is making the right noises that he is going to be too old to contest the next election, but to step down now seems to be folly.
tell us why pat – stop teasing!
well firstly howard hasn’t done too bad a job making the conservatives look delectable, he seems to have unified the party – sure it was for the simple goal of stopping tony blair, but they were unified. isn’t that enough for him to have done? with his stepping down you can see all the old splits, rivalries and fighting getting ready to boil over again. now more than ever the tories need to decide exactly what it is to be a conservative – to have a vision of a tory england that they can believe in and sell to the country – it’s not going to be easy to get that kind of vision out of them while they are in the midst of a leadership campaign. secondly there appears to be no obvious successor – so they would have been better off to have howard stay in place for a year or so, have the big discussion over what being a tory is about and in the midst of that debate you would hope a leader would come forward.
if that was not enough tony blair is perceived by many to be a big of a lame duck right now – so while they could be scoring some serious points over him and new labour they are going to spend the next few months worrying about is it going to be dr. fox or ollie letwin.
all in all it’s an own goal i am afraid.
tony breathes a sigh of relief as he can slap howard around in prime ministers question time, while gordon brown must be cheering as he contemplates leading new labour to a 4th and then to a 5th term of government. because unless the tories get down on bended knee and beg portillo to come back they are not getting close to be elected next time out and you know what that means? a new tory leader in 5 years time (if not sooner).
if it didn’t go against my class i would nominate myself as tory leader, hell i couldn’t screw them up anymore than ids or hague did.
why pat why? i hear you cry.
the resignation of the conservative leader is something like a seasonal bloodsport, a defeat and lets get rid of him. sure howard is making the right noises that he is going to be too old to contest the next election, but to step down now seems to be folly.
tell us why pat – stop teasing!
well firstly howard hasn’t done too bad a job making the conservatives look delectable, he seems to have unified the party – sure it was for the simple goal of stopping tony blair, but they were unified. isn’t that enough for him to have done? with his stepping down you can see all the old splits, rivalries and fighting getting ready to boil over again. now more than ever the tories need to decide exactly what it is to be a conservative – to have a vision of a tory england that they can believe in and sell to the country – it’s not going to be easy to get that kind of vision out of them while they are in the midst of a leadership campaign. secondly there appears to be no obvious successor – so they would have been better off to have howard stay in place for a year or so, have the big discussion over what being a tory is about and in the midst of that debate you would hope a leader would come forward.
if that was not enough tony blair is perceived by many to be a big of a lame duck right now – so while they could be scoring some serious points over him and new labour they are going to spend the next few months worrying about is it going to be dr. fox or ollie letwin.
all in all it’s an own goal i am afraid.
tony breathes a sigh of relief as he can slap howard around in prime ministers question time, while gordon brown must be cheering as he contemplates leading new labour to a 4th and then to a 5th term of government. because unless the tories get down on bended knee and beg portillo to come back they are not getting close to be elected next time out and you know what that means? a new tory leader in 5 years time (if not sooner).
if it didn’t go against my class i would nominate myself as tory leader, hell i couldn’t screw them up anymore than ids or hague did.
Monday, May 09, 2005
toilets
it's a late night at work (i hate them, but sometimes you just have to sit here and do the work... not like someone else is going to do it for you....)
the diet of coffee and chocolate i have been on today (i am sure i have had some real food during the day but majority of what i have consumed has been calorie or caffeine rich) has meant a trip to the bogs for a very large number 2, would say it was a number 2 squared but i have no idea if you can do that in logs (boom boom - ah basil brush where are you now!)
any after depositing my load i do the reach for the toilet paper thing (subconsciously i have already checked that there is paper in the bog dispenser) but without fail i discover one of two things about the toilet dispenser.
1] it is either filled to the brim so that the drum of paper will not rotate in the dispenser so you have to claw at the paper to get any out. a design fault of magnificent proportions.
2] even when the drum of paper rotates freely some arcane mystical force seems to keep the paper attached at each end so you can't find a loose bit to pull on. once again leaving you to claw at the paper to allow you to wipe your arse.
why they don't make the drum of paper a little bit smaller than the dispenser so it rotates freely is beyond me, and why the paper can't just hang free rather than be of a virtual velcro style is beyond me....
about a month ago i was attending an electrnica club sprawl and had to use the bog in the rather plush meet bar the event was taking place. and like the club itself the toilet was swanky except the fact that one it was a thin and long toilet - so you could run the risk of being trapped in there, secondly if you were perchance to want to do a number 2 the toilet roll (with super soft paper) was over an arms length away leading to an annoying and, potentially, messy stretch, and if to add insult to injury the bog roll dispenser was also in an alcove - which added to the contortions you had to make to get to the paper.
as i say it was very soft paper - so perhaps this was the way to make sure that no used too much of it. or perhaps it the architect was a member of the spanish inquisition in a previous life....
the diet of coffee and chocolate i have been on today (i am sure i have had some real food during the day but majority of what i have consumed has been calorie or caffeine rich) has meant a trip to the bogs for a very large number 2, would say it was a number 2 squared but i have no idea if you can do that in logs (boom boom - ah basil brush where are you now!)
any after depositing my load i do the reach for the toilet paper thing (subconsciously i have already checked that there is paper in the bog dispenser) but without fail i discover one of two things about the toilet dispenser.
1] it is either filled to the brim so that the drum of paper will not rotate in the dispenser so you have to claw at the paper to get any out. a design fault of magnificent proportions.
2] even when the drum of paper rotates freely some arcane mystical force seems to keep the paper attached at each end so you can't find a loose bit to pull on. once again leaving you to claw at the paper to allow you to wipe your arse.
why they don't make the drum of paper a little bit smaller than the dispenser so it rotates freely is beyond me, and why the paper can't just hang free rather than be of a virtual velcro style is beyond me....
about a month ago i was attending an electrnica club sprawl and had to use the bog in the rather plush meet bar the event was taking place. and like the club itself the toilet was swanky except the fact that one it was a thin and long toilet - so you could run the risk of being trapped in there, secondly if you were perchance to want to do a number 2 the toilet roll (with super soft paper) was over an arms length away leading to an annoying and, potentially, messy stretch, and if to add insult to injury the bog roll dispenser was also in an alcove - which added to the contortions you had to make to get to the paper.
as i say it was very soft paper - so perhaps this was the way to make sure that no used too much of it. or perhaps it the architect was a member of the spanish inquisition in a previous life....
Friday, May 06, 2005
Thursday, May 05, 2005
democracy
well it’s the big day. cast your vote, make a difference.
you have to feel a little sorry for new labour – they have done some wonderful things for the poor and disadvantaged of the country, but no one wants to hear about that they want to go on about iraq and immigration.
yes both subjects are important and need to be discussed, but they are not the sum total of what this election is about.
over in tony blair’s constituency of sedgefield the following candidates are standing
berony abraham, independent; john barker, independent; cherri blairout-gilham, pensioner's party; julian brennan, independent; william brown, ukip; robert browne, lib dem; jonathan cockburn, blair must go; mark farrell, national front; helen john, independent; al lockwood, conservative; fiona luckhurst-matthews, veritas; terry pattinson, senior citizens party; boney maroney staniforth, monster raving loony party.
and of course there is reg keys, who is standing as an independent. reg wasn’t interested in politics until his son tom was killed in iraq, a war which keys insists was illegal and immoral and therefore makes him the ideal candidate to stand against blair in his sedgefield constituency.
keys says "i'm not exactly what you'd expect of a politician, but i do know that i can embarrass tony blair." he goes on to say “we can use our vote to get rid of those people who betrayed my son and other men like him. that's what i want the people of sedgefield to do” (guardian)
i have to admit i have had mixed feelings about the war in iraq, most of them come not from the fact that an “illegal” war brought down an evil dictator but more from the fact that
1] clearly the operation was done in such a botched fashion we are still no closer to being able to exit.
2] that now that a “pre-emptive” argument has been made there seems to be no political will to go forward with that.
3] the world appears to be a much less safe place than it was before the invasion of iraq.
but the use of the war as a political rallying cry does cry out opportunism (and to my mind an element of cowardice – it is so much easier to be strong on one thing than it is to present a unified package to people). while keys has more right to do this than, say, george galloway, any votes cast for him are still wasted ones.
however it is good to see democracy in action (all over the whitechapel area you can see stickers telling muslims not to vote – because if they do they are no longer muslims. who would have thought the bnp and fundamentalist muslims would have something in common? (the bnp used to be anti-elections because they believed that elections meant that politicians could not really get on with the governing of the country because they were always interested in getting re-elected. the fundamentalist muslims are against elections because they oppose the idea of man made laws.)
it’s great to see ukip, veritas and national front go at it (what no bnp?) well that is going to confuse their potential vote which of the 3 do you choose? so let’s expect them to not be getting their deposits back.
it warms my heart to see the monster raving loony party in there. but where is respect?
the ones i feel sorry for are the independents – it’s almost like they are part of the billy no mates party, you would thought that they could have made up some silly names for themselves, rather than end up with the name of a newspaper that very few people read.
remember you might think it is a good idea to give tony blair a bloody nose, but you run the risk of letting in the conservatives. And let me tell you no one will thank you for that!
you have to feel a little sorry for new labour – they have done some wonderful things for the poor and disadvantaged of the country, but no one wants to hear about that they want to go on about iraq and immigration.
yes both subjects are important and need to be discussed, but they are not the sum total of what this election is about.
over in tony blair’s constituency of sedgefield the following candidates are standing
berony abraham, independent; john barker, independent; cherri blairout-gilham, pensioner's party; julian brennan, independent; william brown, ukip; robert browne, lib dem; jonathan cockburn, blair must go; mark farrell, national front; helen john, independent; al lockwood, conservative; fiona luckhurst-matthews, veritas; terry pattinson, senior citizens party; boney maroney staniforth, monster raving loony party.
and of course there is reg keys, who is standing as an independent. reg wasn’t interested in politics until his son tom was killed in iraq, a war which keys insists was illegal and immoral and therefore makes him the ideal candidate to stand against blair in his sedgefield constituency.
keys says "i'm not exactly what you'd expect of a politician, but i do know that i can embarrass tony blair." he goes on to say “we can use our vote to get rid of those people who betrayed my son and other men like him. that's what i want the people of sedgefield to do” (guardian)
i have to admit i have had mixed feelings about the war in iraq, most of them come not from the fact that an “illegal” war brought down an evil dictator but more from the fact that
1] clearly the operation was done in such a botched fashion we are still no closer to being able to exit.
2] that now that a “pre-emptive” argument has been made there seems to be no political will to go forward with that.
3] the world appears to be a much less safe place than it was before the invasion of iraq.
but the use of the war as a political rallying cry does cry out opportunism (and to my mind an element of cowardice – it is so much easier to be strong on one thing than it is to present a unified package to people). while keys has more right to do this than, say, george galloway, any votes cast for him are still wasted ones.
however it is good to see democracy in action (all over the whitechapel area you can see stickers telling muslims not to vote – because if they do they are no longer muslims. who would have thought the bnp and fundamentalist muslims would have something in common? (the bnp used to be anti-elections because they believed that elections meant that politicians could not really get on with the governing of the country because they were always interested in getting re-elected. the fundamentalist muslims are against elections because they oppose the idea of man made laws.)
it’s great to see ukip, veritas and national front go at it (what no bnp?) well that is going to confuse their potential vote which of the 3 do you choose? so let’s expect them to not be getting their deposits back.
it warms my heart to see the monster raving loony party in there. but where is respect?
the ones i feel sorry for are the independents – it’s almost like they are part of the billy no mates party, you would thought that they could have made up some silly names for themselves, rather than end up with the name of a newspaper that very few people read.
remember you might think it is a good idea to give tony blair a bloody nose, but you run the risk of letting in the conservatives. And let me tell you no one will thank you for that!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
co-eds
there are times when catching the number 25 bus is a chore, such as when it is packed, or when the driver is on a go-slow (it’s all about the schedule you know – no actually i don’t what i do know is that you are delaying me from getting where i want to go mr. bus driver!) or when the mad person is on there.
then there are times when it is a total pleasure – normally when it is taking me away from work, or it is running smoothly or nights like tonight.
the area i live in has a couple of universities and a teaching hospital in it, the 25 runs right by queen mary’s (one of the few london campus’ i have not studied at – but give it time…) a couple of times in the past as i wearily made my way home the journey has been made brighter by the arrival of the several lovely young female students who are off out to the student union bar. the first time they got on the bus they sat and stood opposite me, it was also a day when i had nothing to read so i was just looking about me. the students were dressed in very short skirts, revealing tops and high heels, the only thing that saved me from total embarrassment was that there was so much to look at i was 1] spoilt for choice 2] paralysed by the need to choose, so ended up just gazing ahead of me.
i could hear them talking about what they were doing that night (organising some student union event) but what i was most interested in was the amount of gorgeous flesh that was on view. it was a breathtaking reminder of my desire to go back to academia.
since that first encounter i have been smitten and have lusted after another chance to cast my (some would say old lecherous – hi emma) eyes on them. i have been lucky enough to be on the right bus at the right time a few times, it almost makes up for the morning madman.
tonight was another of those nights where i struck gold. several girls got on – all dressed in the regulation short skirt (i have no idea if it is a fraternity thing ala phi kappa spanka spanka but i do know it looks good) the make up and the chat about what they were going to be doing tonight.
now remember these are serious students and they have worries such as essays, exams, uni coming to an end, friendships drifting apart and the world of work. except tonight was slightly different as there has obviously been a change in the old guard of the student union club they were leading members of. in the group on the bus there was the departing president of their club and the new president of the club. the ex and new were trading the usual “i think you should have stayed as president” “no no you will do a fine job, really you will” type stuff.
heaven help me all i could think was that i had ended up in the lindsay lohan “mean girls” – the main difference being that these girls should know better, after all they are all trying to get degrees as lawyers or doctors….
do i feel any differently towards them now that i know they are wrapped up in a tiny senseless world of student politics and point scoring with each other? hell no with legs that good and skirts that short they can do little wrong in my eyes!
me shallow? never.
then there are times when it is a total pleasure – normally when it is taking me away from work, or it is running smoothly or nights like tonight.
the area i live in has a couple of universities and a teaching hospital in it, the 25 runs right by queen mary’s (one of the few london campus’ i have not studied at – but give it time…) a couple of times in the past as i wearily made my way home the journey has been made brighter by the arrival of the several lovely young female students who are off out to the student union bar. the first time they got on the bus they sat and stood opposite me, it was also a day when i had nothing to read so i was just looking about me. the students were dressed in very short skirts, revealing tops and high heels, the only thing that saved me from total embarrassment was that there was so much to look at i was 1] spoilt for choice 2] paralysed by the need to choose, so ended up just gazing ahead of me.
i could hear them talking about what they were doing that night (organising some student union event) but what i was most interested in was the amount of gorgeous flesh that was on view. it was a breathtaking reminder of my desire to go back to academia.
since that first encounter i have been smitten and have lusted after another chance to cast my (some would say old lecherous – hi emma) eyes on them. i have been lucky enough to be on the right bus at the right time a few times, it almost makes up for the morning madman.
tonight was another of those nights where i struck gold. several girls got on – all dressed in the regulation short skirt (i have no idea if it is a fraternity thing ala phi kappa spanka spanka but i do know it looks good) the make up and the chat about what they were going to be doing tonight.
now remember these are serious students and they have worries such as essays, exams, uni coming to an end, friendships drifting apart and the world of work. except tonight was slightly different as there has obviously been a change in the old guard of the student union club they were leading members of. in the group on the bus there was the departing president of their club and the new president of the club. the ex and new were trading the usual “i think you should have stayed as president” “no no you will do a fine job, really you will” type stuff.
heaven help me all i could think was that i had ended up in the lindsay lohan “mean girls” – the main difference being that these girls should know better, after all they are all trying to get degrees as lawyers or doctors….
do i feel any differently towards them now that i know they are wrapped up in a tiny senseless world of student politics and point scoring with each other? hell no with legs that good and skirts that short they can do little wrong in my eyes!
me shallow? never.
Monday, May 02, 2005
intelligence
"More than 30 people were injured yesterday after dozens of Oxford undergraduates misjudged the level of the River Cherwell during a May Day celebration." (daily telelgraph & bbc)
now i am a believer in tradition - it can help define who we are, it can help guide us into the future. true not all traditions are that noble. but the tradition of jumping off the magdalen bridge each may day must continue.
why do you say that pat? i can hear you cry, already preparing to curse my name for being a lapdog apologiser for the establishment.
no the reason i want it to continue is not for the reasons that the average daily telegraph or daily mail reader would cite.
no i say it must conintue for the simple reason that it is proof postive that the elite are as stupid as we have always thought them to be and it is only the advantages that money and status confer on them that allows them to succeed in life....
especially when both reports have the local authorities saying it was dangerous (due to a low level of water...) and that these warnings were ignored but even worse:
"All of the injuries could have been avoided and even when those who were hurt were telling people still on the bridge not to jump, they continued to do so."
and these are the people who will get on in life...
when really for all the waste of resources of the NHS (oh like daddy couldn't afford to send them to a private doctor and like daddy isn't working for a company that avoids paying taxes ...) and police. frankly they should all be hit with ASBOs.
you could say i was being unfair to youthful exurberance - and you could be right.
except for two things:
1] the chances that working class estate bound kids getting away with it are slim.
2] i remember years ago visiting my dad at his place of work (the historic wig and pen club) and being confronted there by a very pissed gent (given my dad's choosen profession i had become used to drunks at an early age..) whose nose shone brighter than rudolph's (the only nose i have seen even redder was the catholic priest who visited my mum in hospital - my mum was keen to get a shot (or 5) of what he was drinking....) and whose weaving and bobbing and slurred voice meant that he would not be out of place at whitechapel tube station on a saturday night after closing. when the posh pissed bloke left my dad told me that i had been in the prescence of one of the top consultant surgeon's in london...... frankly he wasn't three sheets to the wind he was a whole flotila and that sort of abuse of booze shouldn't be tolerated.
so i can't help feeling that if you are part of the "elite" your money and status guarantee that you can get away with a lot more than the average person in the street can.
so that is why i hope the tradition of jumping from the bridge continues because hopefully they will continue to hurt themselves each year and who knows it may mean they can't breed anymore.
best of all it means more years in the wildnerness for the conservative party - look at what they have coming along in the future.
now i am a believer in tradition - it can help define who we are, it can help guide us into the future. true not all traditions are that noble. but the tradition of jumping off the magdalen bridge each may day must continue.
why do you say that pat? i can hear you cry, already preparing to curse my name for being a lapdog apologiser for the establishment.
no the reason i want it to continue is not for the reasons that the average daily telegraph or daily mail reader would cite.
no i say it must conintue for the simple reason that it is proof postive that the elite are as stupid as we have always thought them to be and it is only the advantages that money and status confer on them that allows them to succeed in life....
especially when both reports have the local authorities saying it was dangerous (due to a low level of water...) and that these warnings were ignored but even worse:
"All of the injuries could have been avoided and even when those who were hurt were telling people still on the bridge not to jump, they continued to do so."
and these are the people who will get on in life...
when really for all the waste of resources of the NHS (oh like daddy couldn't afford to send them to a private doctor and like daddy isn't working for a company that avoids paying taxes ...) and police. frankly they should all be hit with ASBOs.
you could say i was being unfair to youthful exurberance - and you could be right.
except for two things:
1] the chances that working class estate bound kids getting away with it are slim.
2] i remember years ago visiting my dad at his place of work (the historic wig and pen club) and being confronted there by a very pissed gent (given my dad's choosen profession i had become used to drunks at an early age..) whose nose shone brighter than rudolph's (the only nose i have seen even redder was the catholic priest who visited my mum in hospital - my mum was keen to get a shot (or 5) of what he was drinking....) and whose weaving and bobbing and slurred voice meant that he would not be out of place at whitechapel tube station on a saturday night after closing. when the posh pissed bloke left my dad told me that i had been in the prescence of one of the top consultant surgeon's in london...... frankly he wasn't three sheets to the wind he was a whole flotila and that sort of abuse of booze shouldn't be tolerated.
so i can't help feeling that if you are part of the "elite" your money and status guarantee that you can get away with a lot more than the average person in the street can.
so that is why i hope the tradition of jumping from the bridge continues because hopefully they will continue to hurt themselves each year and who knows it may mean they can't breed anymore.
best of all it means more years in the wildnerness for the conservative party - look at what they have coming along in the future.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
addiction
over the last few years i have come to realise that i have an addictive personality (which isn’t to say that once someone meets me they can never get enough of me) but more to do with the fact that i can get addicted to things very easily and that i find myself moving quickly from a case of just using something through indulging myself to outright abuse.
luckily must of my addictions are “harmless” and i can handle them (i can give it up tomorrow if i choose to – honest, just a touch of flu guv…..)
among my addictions i count chocolate, cream cakes, coffee and diet coke (my self love habits i do not regard as an addiction more an exercise regime),
a new recent addition to this role call of weakness is the return of a childhood favourite – nesquik.
i rediscovered nesquik in my local cinema, i tried a strawberry flavoured drink and was hooked. soon each trip to the cinema was accompanied by a large nesquik. each time i ordered i got funny looks. looks which reminded me of the time when me and my mate paul (hi paul!) went to cinema and we stacked up and several large bags of chocolate and then both asked for a diet coke each. well the withering look we got from the assistant there just lead to us (well maybe just me) saying in a whiney voice “but we prefer the taste of diet coke……”
so now the trip to the cinema is worthwhile not only because of the film but because there would be nesquik, ah be still my beating heart…. if only life were that simple and pleasure came that easily.
just as i had gotten into a routine with the nesquik the cinema dropped it.
but now i can have my fix of pink sugary milk at anytime as my local sainsburys now has nesquik on sale. i am fulfilled again – the aisles of the supermarket sing out their greetings to me each time i go in – dance merrily as i search out the nesquik pack.
so i have a new guilty pleasure and it’s name is nesquik.
visit the world of nesquik here
luckily must of my addictions are “harmless” and i can handle them (i can give it up tomorrow if i choose to – honest, just a touch of flu guv…..)
among my addictions i count chocolate, cream cakes, coffee and diet coke (my self love habits i do not regard as an addiction more an exercise regime),
a new recent addition to this role call of weakness is the return of a childhood favourite – nesquik.
i rediscovered nesquik in my local cinema, i tried a strawberry flavoured drink and was hooked. soon each trip to the cinema was accompanied by a large nesquik. each time i ordered i got funny looks. looks which reminded me of the time when me and my mate paul (hi paul!) went to cinema and we stacked up and several large bags of chocolate and then both asked for a diet coke each. well the withering look we got from the assistant there just lead to us (well maybe just me) saying in a whiney voice “but we prefer the taste of diet coke……”
so now the trip to the cinema is worthwhile not only because of the film but because there would be nesquik, ah be still my beating heart…. if only life were that simple and pleasure came that easily.
just as i had gotten into a routine with the nesquik the cinema dropped it.
but now i can have my fix of pink sugary milk at anytime as my local sainsburys now has nesquik on sale. i am fulfilled again – the aisles of the supermarket sing out their greetings to me each time i go in – dance merrily as i search out the nesquik pack.
so i have a new guilty pleasure and it’s name is nesquik.
visit the world of nesquik here
hypocrite
brian sedgemore was a long standing labour party backbencher. now after 27 years as an mp he is defecting to the liberal democrats.
why is he doing this?
because he wants to give blair “a bloody nose” at the polls and this was because sedgemore has had enough of blair’s “stomach turning lies”. (here)
as part of the story over sedgemore’s defection was the implication that more labour mps would defect before polling day. as reported in the independent “declaring that "enough is enough", mr sedgemore also reveals that a small group of unnamed fellow mps who are standing down are secretly planning to leave the labour party in protest at mr blair's leadership after the election.” (april 26th edition - here)
now my mate nick thinks that is a principled move and it sends a message to blair that he cannot get away with what he has done with regards to iraq.
i can see his point, but in all honesty what sedgemore (and perhaps some of his colleagues are doing) is so shallow and so hypocritical you wonder why he isn’t joining the conservative party.
true sedgemore has voted against the government on the subject of iraq (and several other key policies), but he has remained in the party and as part of the government. the timing of his defection is cynical – done to get as much publicity for himself as possible (perhaps he should be joining respect?) but also done at a time which does not disturb his career too much, because sedgemore is not fighting for his seat he is standing down at the end of this parliament.
so for all his criticisms of blair he managed to hold out as a labour politician long enough to retire.
if he felt that strongly he could have defect during the parliament and gone to the liberal democrats and called a bye election to allow the people to give blair “the bloody nose” that sedgemore believes he deserves.
the same go for all the others who are planning to defect once they have stood down at the end of this parliament….
with that kind of backbone in the labour party is it any wonder that blair and campbell got their way over iraq.
for me sedgemore comes out of this as a bit of cynical hypocrite who claims to be carrying out his actions for the noblest of reasons. not sure who he reminds me of most tony blair or george galloway.
why is he doing this?
because he wants to give blair “a bloody nose” at the polls and this was because sedgemore has had enough of blair’s “stomach turning lies”. (here)
as part of the story over sedgemore’s defection was the implication that more labour mps would defect before polling day. as reported in the independent “declaring that "enough is enough", mr sedgemore also reveals that a small group of unnamed fellow mps who are standing down are secretly planning to leave the labour party in protest at mr blair's leadership after the election.” (april 26th edition - here)
now my mate nick thinks that is a principled move and it sends a message to blair that he cannot get away with what he has done with regards to iraq.
i can see his point, but in all honesty what sedgemore (and perhaps some of his colleagues are doing) is so shallow and so hypocritical you wonder why he isn’t joining the conservative party.
true sedgemore has voted against the government on the subject of iraq (and several other key policies), but he has remained in the party and as part of the government. the timing of his defection is cynical – done to get as much publicity for himself as possible (perhaps he should be joining respect?) but also done at a time which does not disturb his career too much, because sedgemore is not fighting for his seat he is standing down at the end of this parliament.
so for all his criticisms of blair he managed to hold out as a labour politician long enough to retire.
if he felt that strongly he could have defect during the parliament and gone to the liberal democrats and called a bye election to allow the people to give blair “the bloody nose” that sedgemore believes he deserves.
the same go for all the others who are planning to defect once they have stood down at the end of this parliament….
with that kind of backbone in the labour party is it any wonder that blair and campbell got their way over iraq.
for me sedgemore comes out of this as a bit of cynical hypocrite who claims to be carrying out his actions for the noblest of reasons. not sure who he reminds me of most tony blair or george galloway.
election
the 2005 uk election – the handy guide to help you make up your mind.
1] iraq – yes or no?
2] immigration – yes or no?
3] tax cuts – some or more ?
4] everything else – we’ll talk about it later.
the manifestos
new labour – we’re not the conservatives (and remember blair will be gone soon).
conservative – we’re not new labour (but they have stolen our policies & and we hate w(censored).
liberal democrats – we’re not new labour and we’re not the conservatives. (that’s about it).
the others
respect – we care about iraq and palestine (well anything that will get us the ethnic vote and won’t have people asking us about being part of the swp).
ukip/veritas – keep england england (look old chap the rest of the world is a nice place to visit but we don’t want them here…)
bnp – we hate w(censored), we hate p(censored) and we hate y(censored) (we are just slightly right of the tory party and david blunkett).
1] iraq – yes or no?
2] immigration – yes or no?
3] tax cuts – some or more ?
4] everything else – we’ll talk about it later.
the manifestos
new labour – we’re not the conservatives (and remember blair will be gone soon).
conservative – we’re not new labour (but they have stolen our policies & and we hate w(censored).
liberal democrats – we’re not new labour and we’re not the conservatives. (that’s about it).
the others
respect – we care about iraq and palestine (well anything that will get us the ethnic vote and won’t have people asking us about being part of the swp).
ukip/veritas – keep england england (look old chap the rest of the world is a nice place to visit but we don’t want them here…)
bnp – we hate w(censored), we hate p(censored) and we hate y(censored) (we are just slightly right of the tory party and david blunkett).
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