enjoy.
(i am not so much banksy more wanksy... see what i did....)
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
pics
me in the works car park. to be honest these looked better the night i did them (isn't it always the way!!) but i give the to you in their photoshopped glory.
enjoy.
(i am not so much banksy more wanksy... see what i did....)
enjoy.
(i am not so much banksy more wanksy... see what i did....)
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
who
will it be hillary?
will it be barack?
(and nice to see that i am on first name basis with both of them.)
in a sense it doesn't matter whether they are black or female - what counts is that they are not george w. bush. what counts is that they have a liberal vision and not a dangerous neo-con blinkered view. either one would have the wishes of the world that they get a chance to lead.
personally i want hillary to win, but then i have always liked a stern woman in charge.
will it be barack?
(and nice to see that i am on first name basis with both of them.)
in a sense it doesn't matter whether they are black or female - what counts is that they are not george w. bush. what counts is that they have a liberal vision and not a dangerous neo-con blinkered view. either one would have the wishes of the world that they get a chance to lead.
personally i want hillary to win, but then i have always liked a stern woman in charge.
Monday, February 04, 2008
quote
there i was reading a harlan coben book, “promise me” the other day. it is a modern hard boiled detective novel that treads the same path that robert crais does (and does better) in his elvis cole series of novels. coben assembles an interesting cast of characters, supplies a number of twists, an ample quantity of wisecracks and all at pace.
all in all a satisfying read and you are left wondering when will it be made into a series of movies?
in the middle of it all was the line: “man plans, god laughs”.
how very true.
(and for those of you who care it is a yiddish saying: man trakht un gott lacht.)
all in all a satisfying read and you are left wondering when will it be made into a series of movies?
in the middle of it all was the line: “man plans, god laughs”.
how very true.
(and for those of you who care it is a yiddish saying: man trakht un gott lacht.)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
darn
for a few, brief, cold moments i felt sorry for david cameron.
there he is sitting pretty able to take pot shots at gordon brown and new labour. cries of sleaze and incompetence ring out. peter hain providing a tanned easy target.
bish.
bosh.
bam.
right hook, left jab. to the chin. a body blow. gordon taking the shots like rocky, just hanging on.
and blow me down hasn’t the clunking fist of brown been rewarded? his rope a dope has paid off with the revelations of derek “kid cash” conway.
not only has mr conway been paying his two sons to do research while they were both studying at university, but he has managed no to keep any records of the work that they did. a bit of an ooops and double ooops there.
mrconway’s non apology was impressive for its lack of real remorse. in fact you got the distinct impression that what mrconway was sorry for was getting caught.
poor old cameron. he was doing so well; he was easily winning the rounds against brown, not quite landing the knock out blow. now he finds himself on the back foot trying to avoid being clunked by flailing debris of fallout from the conway affair.
in truth none of the parties come out smelling of roses. they all appear to be full of people who want to line their pockets and drop their snouts in the trough.
to be honest i don’t expect members of parliament to be paragons of virtue, but i do expect them to be competent. i don’t want to hear how they didn’t understand the rules, or how they were overworked, how it was just an administrative slip that they forgot to declare an amount of money that most of us have to work several years to earn.
if you can’t understand the rules of your own job you are not capable of passing laws that affect the country. if you cannot manage your work you are probably not the right person to administer the country.
members of parliament get paid more money than most of us, for that alone i expect a degree of competence. a lot of talk has been made about how they should be paid at a much higher rate so that the right people are attracted to the job. people with skill, people with drive and people who deserve the large reward (maybe it would attract the people who ran northern rock?). but let us be honest politics shouldn’t be about money it should be a vocation, parliamentary politics is about changing the country for the best, it is not about earning a wedge and lining your pockets.
but more and more it appears that for a number of politicians it is about the rewards and the perks.
even that doesn’t upset me, as long as they do it well and not in such a cack handed manner.
there he is sitting pretty able to take pot shots at gordon brown and new labour. cries of sleaze and incompetence ring out. peter hain providing a tanned easy target.
bish.
bosh.
bam.
right hook, left jab. to the chin. a body blow. gordon taking the shots like rocky, just hanging on.
and blow me down hasn’t the clunking fist of brown been rewarded? his rope a dope has paid off with the revelations of derek “kid cash” conway.
not only has mr conway been paying his two sons to do research while they were both studying at university, but he has managed no to keep any records of the work that they did. a bit of an ooops and double ooops there.
mrconway’s non apology was impressive for its lack of real remorse. in fact you got the distinct impression that what mrconway was sorry for was getting caught.
poor old cameron. he was doing so well; he was easily winning the rounds against brown, not quite landing the knock out blow. now he finds himself on the back foot trying to avoid being clunked by flailing debris of fallout from the conway affair.
in truth none of the parties come out smelling of roses. they all appear to be full of people who want to line their pockets and drop their snouts in the trough.
to be honest i don’t expect members of parliament to be paragons of virtue, but i do expect them to be competent. i don’t want to hear how they didn’t understand the rules, or how they were overworked, how it was just an administrative slip that they forgot to declare an amount of money that most of us have to work several years to earn.
if you can’t understand the rules of your own job you are not capable of passing laws that affect the country. if you cannot manage your work you are probably not the right person to administer the country.
members of parliament get paid more money than most of us, for that alone i expect a degree of competence. a lot of talk has been made about how they should be paid at a much higher rate so that the right people are attracted to the job. people with skill, people with drive and people who deserve the large reward (maybe it would attract the people who ran northern rock?). but let us be honest politics shouldn’t be about money it should be a vocation, parliamentary politics is about changing the country for the best, it is not about earning a wedge and lining your pockets.
but more and more it appears that for a number of politicians it is about the rewards and the perks.
even that doesn’t upset me, as long as they do it well and not in such a cack handed manner.
Monday, January 28, 2008
quote
billy clanton: stephen foster. "oh, susannah", "camptown races". stephen stinking foster.
doc holliday: ah, yes. well, this happens to be a nocturne.
billy clanton: a which?
doc holliday: you know, frederic fucking chopin.
the quote is from the motion picture “tombstone”, starring a heavily moustachioed kurt russell as wyatt earp, an emaciated val kilmer as doc holliday. a western of complex heroes and simple villains, of duty and honour and good versus evil, a film that is as epic as the wild west it tries to convey. packed with great performances and action.
“brokeback mountain” may have been a gay western but “tombstone” has the epitome of man love in the relationship between wyatt and doc, their goodbyes at the end is enough to make a grown man weep (and i did!)
it is a classic. it is a favourite.
and i will be your huckleberry.
doc holliday: ah, yes. well, this happens to be a nocturne.
billy clanton: a which?
doc holliday: you know, frederic fucking chopin.
the quote is from the motion picture “tombstone”, starring a heavily moustachioed kurt russell as wyatt earp, an emaciated val kilmer as doc holliday. a western of complex heroes and simple villains, of duty and honour and good versus evil, a film that is as epic as the wild west it tries to convey. packed with great performances and action.
“brokeback mountain” may have been a gay western but “tombstone” has the epitome of man love in the relationship between wyatt and doc, their goodbyes at the end is enough to make a grown man weep (and i did!)
it is a classic. it is a favourite.
and i will be your huckleberry.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
filth
it is funny what you can see when you are out walking in london.
there was a time when this sort of thing would have been declared filth (and sadly judging by some of the other fliers and posters you can find around whitechapel there is a section of the community who would like to see it not only called filth but also severely punished).
but it is such diversity and such freedoms that make the city a great place to be.
still these little stickers made me smile.
i am sure they will make you smile.
(mmm perhaps i should have warned emma not to look......)
(not quite sure why this one is all arty...)
there was a time when this sort of thing would have been declared filth (and sadly judging by some of the other fliers and posters you can find around whitechapel there is a section of the community who would like to see it not only called filth but also severely punished).
but it is such diversity and such freedoms that make the city a great place to be.
still these little stickers made me smile.
i am sure they will make you smile.
(mmm perhaps i should have warned emma not to look......)
(not quite sure why this one is all arty...)
pics
morning, regardless of the pretty sky and the lazy hazed moon, i was still feeling like i should be asleep.
Friday, January 18, 2008
birdsong
there is little i hate more in the morning than the sound of birdsong. all the sound of birds chirping away in the morning does is remind me that i am not in bed, that i am not asleep dreaming dreams that i will forget pretty much the moment i wake up (and straight after the thought “wow that was a freaky dream…” then as if by magic it is gone…), that i am on my way to work and that yet another weekend has gone by when it wasn’t me and some other lucky sod has won the lottery.
i get all of that from some speckle coated gull tit warbling it’s morning cry.
oh stop being such a miserable curmudgeon i hear you cry. embrace nature you shout.
pah it all falls on deaf ears.
do i hate birdsong? yes i do.
can i ignore it? not easily.
can anything be done about it? perhaps if we send in the troops.
why am i sounding like donald rumsfeld? haven’t a clue.
i get all of that from some speckle coated gull tit warbling it’s morning cry.
oh stop being such a miserable curmudgeon i hear you cry. embrace nature you shout.
pah it all falls on deaf ears.
do i hate birdsong? yes i do.
can i ignore it? not easily.
can anything be done about it? perhaps if we send in the troops.
why am i sounding like donald rumsfeld? haven’t a clue.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
lights
these may not be the lights that lead david icke and tom cruise to their truths, but i bet they are not too different.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
burrell
well the people's butler may have lost his annual harrods' christmas hamper but he must now be in line for a peerage - or at the very least a "by royal appointment" sign to hang on his florist.
the biggest non-story rumbles on.
dull sensationalism. lots of money being spent. people preening and making names for themselves (and see i am jumping on the bandwagon.. this is all to do with the cult of the amateur - just blame web2.0) and a result that is not in doubt: death by accident quickly followed by al fayed appealing.
and so it will go on and on and on and on....
all so we can find out those interesting pieces of information such as:
"..spoken to diana one weekend when the princess had been alone all the time and microwaving her own meals."
just as we would expect the people's princess to occasionally do.
(perhaps there should be an inquest as to where burrell was at this moment if he was not at her side....)
this is the sort of stuff that david icke likes and that reminds me - i have still to start his new book...
the biggest non-story rumbles on.
dull sensationalism. lots of money being spent. people preening and making names for themselves (and see i am jumping on the bandwagon.. this is all to do with the cult of the amateur - just blame web2.0) and a result that is not in doubt: death by accident quickly followed by al fayed appealing.
and so it will go on and on and on and on....
all so we can find out those interesting pieces of information such as:
"..spoken to diana one weekend when the princess had been alone all the time and microwaving her own meals."
just as we would expect the people's princess to occasionally do.
(perhaps there should be an inquest as to where burrell was at this moment if he was not at her side....)
this is the sort of stuff that david icke likes and that reminds me - i have still to start his new book...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
names
there is a race going on in the southern ocean. it is the japanese whaling fleet versus greenpeace
(there is another anti-whaling vessel out there from the sea shepherd organisation but they are radical and might use violent methods so they only get mentioned in passing. greenpeace are not sharing information with sea shepherd
because they do not agree with their methods, it could also be that they do not want to share the headlines, but then i am a cynical pat at this time of the morning).
now i quite agree with both greenpeace and sea shepherd that something has to be done in order to prevent the population of whales being decimated by japanese whalers (or any whalers for that matter). i can’t help but feel that here is a potential market for quorn to step into: veggie substitute whale meat. come on guys you’ll clean up in japan and save the whale. fantastic!
(also it will make jon anderson a very happy man – and can i recommend you all rush out now and buy the tormato album by yes which has the classic “don’t kill the whales”, not to mention some other great tracks. i kid you not!)
none of which is the point of this.
to be honest the greenpeace mission hadn’t registered with me until this morning when i was woken by the radio and it was a featured part of the news broadcast. the reason it was part of the news was because the greenpeace vessel had made contact with the japanese fleet and was now engaged in a race with the ships to keep in touch and to disturb their hunting of the whales.
radio 5 was also covering it because the bbc has a reporter on the greenpeace ship.
picture the scene. you are the commissioning editor at the bbc. you are going to have to send a reporter to cover this story, that person is going to be on the ship for many weeks. weeks at sea, in the cold and in possible danger.
just how do you choose that person? do you do it on their track record? do you do it on their knowledge of the issue? do you do it on their ability to sail the seven seas? do you choose them because they are personable and so will get on with people in a closed environment?
all of the above must have been a factor.
but i can’t help but think that the commissioning editor was a bit of an imp and choose the reporter for one reason and one reason only.
ladies and gentleman i give you jonah fisher.
fucking genius. worth the license fee just there.
(there is another anti-whaling vessel out there from the sea shepherd organisation but they are radical and might use violent methods so they only get mentioned in passing. greenpeace are not sharing information with sea shepherd
because they do not agree with their methods, it could also be that they do not want to share the headlines, but then i am a cynical pat at this time of the morning).
now i quite agree with both greenpeace and sea shepherd that something has to be done in order to prevent the population of whales being decimated by japanese whalers (or any whalers for that matter). i can’t help but feel that here is a potential market for quorn to step into: veggie substitute whale meat. come on guys you’ll clean up in japan and save the whale. fantastic!
(also it will make jon anderson a very happy man – and can i recommend you all rush out now and buy the tormato album by yes which has the classic “don’t kill the whales”, not to mention some other great tracks. i kid you not!)
none of which is the point of this.
to be honest the greenpeace mission hadn’t registered with me until this morning when i was woken by the radio and it was a featured part of the news broadcast. the reason it was part of the news was because the greenpeace vessel had made contact with the japanese fleet and was now engaged in a race with the ships to keep in touch and to disturb their hunting of the whales.
radio 5 was also covering it because the bbc has a reporter on the greenpeace ship.
picture the scene. you are the commissioning editor at the bbc. you are going to have to send a reporter to cover this story, that person is going to be on the ship for many weeks. weeks at sea, in the cold and in possible danger.
just how do you choose that person? do you do it on their track record? do you do it on their knowledge of the issue? do you do it on their ability to sail the seven seas? do you choose them because they are personable and so will get on with people in a closed environment?
all of the above must have been a factor.
but i can’t help but think that the commissioning editor was a bit of an imp and choose the reporter for one reason and one reason only.
ladies and gentleman i give you jonah fisher.
fucking genius. worth the license fee just there.
Friday, January 11, 2008
how
so there you are mounting a campaign to be the deputy leader of the labour party. first thing you need is a platform to stand on the thing that is going make you stand out when compared to the other candidates. the next thing you need is money. money, as liza (was a z and not with a s) once sang, makes the world go round. to become the deputy leader of the labour party it seems you need a shed load of money.
there is a part of me that wonders why you would need so much money to fight the deputy leadership campaign is beyond me.
but spend money the various campaigners did.
all they need to do is get the money.
all they need to do is declare the money and whom they got it from.
it is all pretty simple.
yet they didn’t.
peter hain is the latest to fall foul of it all. somehow he failed to declare over £100,000s of donations. a bit of a big ooops there.
his excuse (and i have to say i am impressed with it) is that it was an oversight because of overwork.
frankly i don’t care where peter hain gets his money from, i do care that he acts within the rules set out for the getting of donations. more and more we are beginning to accept that politicians like athletes are just a little bit dirty in their rush to get to the top.
so the only reason i care to know where hain et al get their money from is so that we know why they may be voting the way they vote.
but if you get caught at least have a better excuse than overwork. all that sort of excuse is saying to me is: i am not up to the job i am supposed to be doing.
even more so as some of this money was requested and received after the election campaign was done and dusted. so mr hain and his team found time to get some more money in, but not the time to declare it.
next time you go out looking for funds for a campaign mr hain make sure you employ an accountant to do your books. i am sure some of the large auditing firms that new labour seem so keen on can spare an intern.
there is a part of me that wonders why you would need so much money to fight the deputy leadership campaign is beyond me.
but spend money the various campaigners did.
all they need to do is get the money.
all they need to do is declare the money and whom they got it from.
it is all pretty simple.
yet they didn’t.
peter hain is the latest to fall foul of it all. somehow he failed to declare over £100,000s of donations. a bit of a big ooops there.
his excuse (and i have to say i am impressed with it) is that it was an oversight because of overwork.
frankly i don’t care where peter hain gets his money from, i do care that he acts within the rules set out for the getting of donations. more and more we are beginning to accept that politicians like athletes are just a little bit dirty in their rush to get to the top.
so the only reason i care to know where hain et al get their money from is so that we know why they may be voting the way they vote.
but if you get caught at least have a better excuse than overwork. all that sort of excuse is saying to me is: i am not up to the job i am supposed to be doing.
even more so as some of this money was requested and received after the election campaign was done and dusted. so mr hain and his team found time to get some more money in, but not the time to declare it.
next time you go out looking for funds for a campaign mr hain make sure you employ an accountant to do your books. i am sure some of the large auditing firms that new labour seem so keen on can spare an intern.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
pics
some pics. from the bridge road in runcorn.
oh i moved the tripod before the shutter closed - very ooops, not the sort of thing that irving penn or herb ritts would do i tell you.
and this is what it should have been like.
mmm perhaps the moving was better.
oh i moved the tripod before the shutter closed - very ooops, not the sort of thing that irving penn or herb ritts would do i tell you.
and this is what it should have been like.
mmm perhaps the moving was better.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
rough
feeing rough today. so it only seems right that i should send this post from rough trade records. i am about to buy the new cadaver in drag cd. ricl on.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
up
i have been awake since some stupid o'clock.
i should get some sleep. if i do that i will be a nicer person, but i will also waste the day. there is a chill in the air.
the radio is playing. i think i am going to read a bit of my book, eat some chocolate and then go out.
i am so not a morning person...
i should get some sleep. if i do that i will be a nicer person, but i will also waste the day. there is a chill in the air.
the radio is playing. i think i am going to read a bit of my book, eat some chocolate and then go out.
i am so not a morning person...
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
career
one of the many challenges i face in 2008 is the possibility of searching out a new career. it is a pretty daunting prospect, as i have no discernable skills, aside from an ability to swear in any given situation
but i have a possible career in mind.
oh yes i do.
my inspiration has come from the most bizarre of things: the television. no i am not thinking about becoming an actor – though i would love to be an extra that mugs it up in the backgrounds of dramas. oh how i would emote, how i would give background, depth and motivation to my character – i may only be visible at the edge of your screen but you would know me, you would care for me and you would want to see me again and again. or then again maybe not. (though i do have to confess to a simple desire to be an extra in the 24 movie and be one of the bad guys that jack bauer tops…)
nor am i thinking of a career in such programme genres as bid-up tv (which is my current obsession). while i am able to talk for hours about nothing i am not sure i can do it without swearing, nor do i think i can whip up the enthusiasm to sell ingersoll watches, a company that has been making watches for over 100 years but has yet to make a decently designed one.
no i have decided i want to be a broadcaster. i am not strictly sure i know what it means to be a broadcaster. the only time i ever seen people being billed as broadcasters is when they appear on programmes that witter on about the worst/best/lest/most 10/100 programmes/people/songs/films/gazelles (oh ok i made the last one up).
the “broadcasters” (as i am pretty sure this is a made up profession) are never people i have heard of and seem to have an ability to be incredibly smug about their opinion about the chosen subject, the opinion is never one about the subjects worth – but is always about how the “broadcaster” was hip enough to spot the thing before anyone else (if it is a best of show) or clever enough to point out how awful it was it in the face of public opinion (if it is a worst of show).
another aspect of what the “broadcaster” has to do is sneer at someone who has done something and then point out how bad they were at doing it. so they will have a pop at someone like victoria beckham for not being much good while the most they can muster is trip to the west end on a media blag to posh spice’s world tour.
the rewards of being a “broadcaster” are immense not only do you get to give pithy soundbites on the best/worst shows (and laugh at your own jokes) you also get to appear on programmes such as streetcred sudoku (no i am not making that up).
but hold on i can hear you cry. pat, you are saying, how can you be a broadcaster, what have you ever done to justify such a high falutin' title as broadcaster.
my answer is simple: in this digital age dear reader i am broadcasting to the whole world (well actually it is just to you (and that qualifies it as narrowcasting but let us not split hairs here….) via my blog.
so i am qualified to join the ranks of z list people whom have pointless opinions that they are happy to share with people who really are not that interested.
2008 iampat broadcaster coming to you.
i know you can’t wait.
but i have a possible career in mind.
oh yes i do.
my inspiration has come from the most bizarre of things: the television. no i am not thinking about becoming an actor – though i would love to be an extra that mugs it up in the backgrounds of dramas. oh how i would emote, how i would give background, depth and motivation to my character – i may only be visible at the edge of your screen but you would know me, you would care for me and you would want to see me again and again. or then again maybe not. (though i do have to confess to a simple desire to be an extra in the 24 movie and be one of the bad guys that jack bauer tops…)
nor am i thinking of a career in such programme genres as bid-up tv (which is my current obsession). while i am able to talk for hours about nothing i am not sure i can do it without swearing, nor do i think i can whip up the enthusiasm to sell ingersoll watches, a company that has been making watches for over 100 years but has yet to make a decently designed one.
no i have decided i want to be a broadcaster. i am not strictly sure i know what it means to be a broadcaster. the only time i ever seen people being billed as broadcasters is when they appear on programmes that witter on about the worst/best/lest/most 10/100 programmes/people/songs/films/gazelles (oh ok i made the last one up).
the “broadcasters” (as i am pretty sure this is a made up profession) are never people i have heard of and seem to have an ability to be incredibly smug about their opinion about the chosen subject, the opinion is never one about the subjects worth – but is always about how the “broadcaster” was hip enough to spot the thing before anyone else (if it is a best of show) or clever enough to point out how awful it was it in the face of public opinion (if it is a worst of show).
another aspect of what the “broadcaster” has to do is sneer at someone who has done something and then point out how bad they were at doing it. so they will have a pop at someone like victoria beckham for not being much good while the most they can muster is trip to the west end on a media blag to posh spice’s world tour.
the rewards of being a “broadcaster” are immense not only do you get to give pithy soundbites on the best/worst shows (and laugh at your own jokes) you also get to appear on programmes such as streetcred sudoku (no i am not making that up).
but hold on i can hear you cry. pat, you are saying, how can you be a broadcaster, what have you ever done to justify such a high falutin' title as broadcaster.
my answer is simple: in this digital age dear reader i am broadcasting to the whole world (well actually it is just to you (and that qualifies it as narrowcasting but let us not split hairs here….) via my blog.
so i am qualified to join the ranks of z list people whom have pointless opinions that they are happy to share with people who really are not that interested.
2008 iampat broadcaster coming to you.
i know you can’t wait.
Monday, December 31, 2007
0708
so ends 2007. it was a bit of a duff year. the only big events were crap ones. i shan’t be sad to see the end of it.
unfortunately 2008 opens with me having to make some stark choices about my future. a fact that makes me feel like a grown up, and i don’t like it. with luck and some thought what looks to be a less than pleasant situation might at least have some positive benefits. we shall see.
here is to you dear reader may 2008 grant some, if not all your wishes and desires. may it be a good one.
2008? bring it on.
unfortunately 2008 opens with me having to make some stark choices about my future. a fact that makes me feel like a grown up, and i don’t like it. with luck and some thought what looks to be a less than pleasant situation might at least have some positive benefits. we shall see.
here is to you dear reader may 2008 grant some, if not all your wishes and desires. may it be a good one.
2008? bring it on.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
daze
there i was in coffee@ having a nice relaxing coffee watching the world go by (oh alright i was ogling the ladies walking by). in-between sips and ogles i was glancing through one of the free sheets that festoon the coffee house. in the middle of one was a free year planner (well cheap calendar); one part of the planner was a listing of the various world and international days.
boy are there a lot of them, and most of them are so so worthy.
the year starts off with world braille day (january 4th) and finishes with international human solidarity day on december 20th.
if those two didn’t get you excited how about world religion day (january 20th)? or maybe international mother language day (february 21st) (a day when we all speak our mother tongues – well for me that is pretty much every day…) perhaps world water day (march 22nd) is more your speed? let us not forget may has world asthma day quickly followed by red cross crescent day. june and july don’t want to get left behind so they have world blood donor day, world oceans day, world population day and world youth day (among others).
and so it goes for the rest of the year when you can have international literacy day, international day of peace, world sight day, world food day, world diabetes day, universal children’s day.
phew that is a lot of days.
some even get whole weeks such as walk to school, national vegetarian week, recycle now week and national adoption week. national allergy week doesn’t quite make a full week – it maybe they all come out in spots mondays and tuesdays are concerned.
some get months there is a go veggie month (because a week isn’t really enough) and black history month.
as if that wasn’t enough 2008 will not only see liverpool as city of culture but will also see the international year of planet earth.
double phew.
all of the days are worthy, some more so than others. several seem to clash with similarly themed days. i am sure that there is a sensible reason why there is a black aids awareness day and a world aids day, but from the outside it seems divisive and could imply that that aids is more a problem for one section of society than another.
why the need for a world water day, an ocean day and a day about desertification and drought. why not bring all these pressing issues together and make a bigger (ahem) splash about the problems that we may face over drinking water shortages, the rising of the oceans, and the pollution of waterways?
why the need for a day to eliminate racial discrimination and a day for tolerance. well we know why there is a need to highlight the problems around racism and the lack of tolerance, but are they not part of the same problem? can they really be highlighted by a day in the calendar that no one pays attention to?
why a literacy day, a book day, a book and copyright day. again similar sorts of aims, make it all one day.
the probable reason for all the days is because it gives some administrator somewhere something to do, it creates work for fundraisers – much better to be a sponsor of a “day” than just a normal everyday sponsor. it isn’t that the day gets covered and the general public can go “oh never thought of that! what a good idea…” it is more that the various organizations involved can point to something that they have achieved in tangible terms. it gives the various experts in the field a pleasant junket where they can clap each other on the back in nice settings.
so i want to get in on the act. i want to start a series of days. it worked with international speak like a pirate day, so it must be able to work with other ones.
my first few days include:
international sits in the armchair snoring day.
international wear marigold gloves day.
world walk backwards day.
world do nothing much on monday day.
international sing celine dion hits day (i know i know but the canadians deserve something…)
world swear like a trooper day.
world day of no days.
national free pole dance day.
(feel free to contribute your own, but remember truth can be funnier then fiction as 2008 is also the year of the potato.)
if you want to find out more about the various days and the good work that is attached to them get on over to the united nations website (www.un.org) and check them out.
putting aside all sarcastic quips and cynical commentary make 2008 a year when you did something of which you can say: in my own little way i made a difference.
boy are there a lot of them, and most of them are so so worthy.
the year starts off with world braille day (january 4th) and finishes with international human solidarity day on december 20th.
if those two didn’t get you excited how about world religion day (january 20th)? or maybe international mother language day (february 21st) (a day when we all speak our mother tongues – well for me that is pretty much every day…) perhaps world water day (march 22nd) is more your speed? let us not forget may has world asthma day quickly followed by red cross crescent day. june and july don’t want to get left behind so they have world blood donor day, world oceans day, world population day and world youth day (among others).
and so it goes for the rest of the year when you can have international literacy day, international day of peace, world sight day, world food day, world diabetes day, universal children’s day.
phew that is a lot of days.
some even get whole weeks such as walk to school, national vegetarian week, recycle now week and national adoption week. national allergy week doesn’t quite make a full week – it maybe they all come out in spots mondays and tuesdays are concerned.
some get months there is a go veggie month (because a week isn’t really enough) and black history month.
as if that wasn’t enough 2008 will not only see liverpool as city of culture but will also see the international year of planet earth.
double phew.
all of the days are worthy, some more so than others. several seem to clash with similarly themed days. i am sure that there is a sensible reason why there is a black aids awareness day and a world aids day, but from the outside it seems divisive and could imply that that aids is more a problem for one section of society than another.
why the need for a world water day, an ocean day and a day about desertification and drought. why not bring all these pressing issues together and make a bigger (ahem) splash about the problems that we may face over drinking water shortages, the rising of the oceans, and the pollution of waterways?
why the need for a day to eliminate racial discrimination and a day for tolerance. well we know why there is a need to highlight the problems around racism and the lack of tolerance, but are they not part of the same problem? can they really be highlighted by a day in the calendar that no one pays attention to?
why a literacy day, a book day, a book and copyright day. again similar sorts of aims, make it all one day.
the probable reason for all the days is because it gives some administrator somewhere something to do, it creates work for fundraisers – much better to be a sponsor of a “day” than just a normal everyday sponsor. it isn’t that the day gets covered and the general public can go “oh never thought of that! what a good idea…” it is more that the various organizations involved can point to something that they have achieved in tangible terms. it gives the various experts in the field a pleasant junket where they can clap each other on the back in nice settings.
so i want to get in on the act. i want to start a series of days. it worked with international speak like a pirate day, so it must be able to work with other ones.
my first few days include:
international sits in the armchair snoring day.
international wear marigold gloves day.
world walk backwards day.
world do nothing much on monday day.
international sing celine dion hits day (i know i know but the canadians deserve something…)
world swear like a trooper day.
world day of no days.
national free pole dance day.
(feel free to contribute your own, but remember truth can be funnier then fiction as 2008 is also the year of the potato.)
if you want to find out more about the various days and the good work that is attached to them get on over to the united nations website (www.un.org) and check them out.
putting aside all sarcastic quips and cynical commentary make 2008 a year when you did something of which you can say: in my own little way i made a difference.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
trains
i love travelling by train, there is something civilised about it. if you wanted to you could make an analogy that trains show what is both good and bad with the country, well you could, i won’t…
on all my recent travels by train there has only been the one occasion that there has been a serious delay. for the most part it was handled professionally, until the crew of the train changed and then we were all left in the dark again.
in the main i have find the staff to be very helpful, except the bloke at crewe who directs passengers to the various replacement coaches who is the most miserable jobsworth that ever lived.
most of the time i travel by virgin trains.
i am impressed that they can run four first class coaches that will have very few customers in them, but only run five standard class coaches on the same train that will be packed.
i am impressed by the ticket prices that are going to rise once more above the rate of inflation in 2008.
poor old tony blair wanted so desperately to leave an enduring legacy (it seems it is the done thing for politicians to want to leave something of note behind), his dream was partially scuppered by his involvement in iraq but it was also hampered by his blind loyalty to the thatcherite economic ideology of the market always being right. if he had been able to shake off the blinkers of thatcherism as easily as he has converted to catholicism he would have realised that one of the easiest ways of establishing a legacy would have been to renationalise the railways.
the point of privatising the railways was manifold: to break the power of the unions, to fill the public coffers and, of course, to prove that the market is the best way to do anything. the profit motive being the mainspring of innovation, entrepreneurial vision and efficiency.
well that was the plan. that was the spin.
for the railways it has meant a worsening service and increasing prices. there has been padding in the timetable in order to be able to say 95% of trains are now on schedule.
as it is christmas not only is it a time of deep religious belief it is also the time of bonuses. it is impressive to see that sir richard branson is about to trouser a £24 million dividend from virgin trains. all very nice for sir richard, who is a man of the people, well a man of the very rich people.
the dividend was defended as being a reflection of the companies “ success in attracting more customers”.
but hold your iron horses there pardner (see what i did there?) virgin have attracted more customers, so more customers means more money coming, means more profit. so by the rules of the profit motive and efficiency prices should come down! it just doesn’t work that way.
so virgin, whose service isn’t the best are about to put their prices up again. once more it will be above the rate of inflation. once more the reason will be to invest in the company.
lets not forget that for all the talk of the railways being private enterprises all the rail operators have their snouts in the public trough. virgin alone has had over £1 billion in public money to help subsidise their operation. frankly if sir richard can get that sort of money out of the treasury perhaps he does deserve is dividend.
even better people like sir richard get feted for being great businessmen when frankly even i could make a company work if i knew i was going to get public money, i knew i had a captive market and i know i could raise the prices when i wanted to.
today there were complaints that the rail system was going on a virtual shutdown for 50 hours, there were calls for the government to make sure there was a better service next year. the government said (rightly) it was for the train operators to make the decision.
we all know that private companies have not provided us with a better service, even the politicians. the political class do not want to invoke nationalisation for fear of upsetting “middle england”, meanwhile sir richard and his ilk are laughing all the way to the bank.
gordon brown do you want to have a legacy? well i tell you what you need to do and that is nationalise the rail. you will have your legacy, you will save money and you will be hailed a hero.
on all my recent travels by train there has only been the one occasion that there has been a serious delay. for the most part it was handled professionally, until the crew of the train changed and then we were all left in the dark again.
in the main i have find the staff to be very helpful, except the bloke at crewe who directs passengers to the various replacement coaches who is the most miserable jobsworth that ever lived.
most of the time i travel by virgin trains.
i am impressed that they can run four first class coaches that will have very few customers in them, but only run five standard class coaches on the same train that will be packed.
i am impressed by the ticket prices that are going to rise once more above the rate of inflation in 2008.
poor old tony blair wanted so desperately to leave an enduring legacy (it seems it is the done thing for politicians to want to leave something of note behind), his dream was partially scuppered by his involvement in iraq but it was also hampered by his blind loyalty to the thatcherite economic ideology of the market always being right. if he had been able to shake off the blinkers of thatcherism as easily as he has converted to catholicism he would have realised that one of the easiest ways of establishing a legacy would have been to renationalise the railways.
the point of privatising the railways was manifold: to break the power of the unions, to fill the public coffers and, of course, to prove that the market is the best way to do anything. the profit motive being the mainspring of innovation, entrepreneurial vision and efficiency.
well that was the plan. that was the spin.
for the railways it has meant a worsening service and increasing prices. there has been padding in the timetable in order to be able to say 95% of trains are now on schedule.
as it is christmas not only is it a time of deep religious belief it is also the time of bonuses. it is impressive to see that sir richard branson is about to trouser a £24 million dividend from virgin trains. all very nice for sir richard, who is a man of the people, well a man of the very rich people.
the dividend was defended as being a reflection of the companies “ success in attracting more customers”.
but hold your iron horses there pardner (see what i did there?) virgin have attracted more customers, so more customers means more money coming, means more profit. so by the rules of the profit motive and efficiency prices should come down! it just doesn’t work that way.
so virgin, whose service isn’t the best are about to put their prices up again. once more it will be above the rate of inflation. once more the reason will be to invest in the company.
lets not forget that for all the talk of the railways being private enterprises all the rail operators have their snouts in the public trough. virgin alone has had over £1 billion in public money to help subsidise their operation. frankly if sir richard can get that sort of money out of the treasury perhaps he does deserve is dividend.
even better people like sir richard get feted for being great businessmen when frankly even i could make a company work if i knew i was going to get public money, i knew i had a captive market and i know i could raise the prices when i wanted to.
today there were complaints that the rail system was going on a virtual shutdown for 50 hours, there were calls for the government to make sure there was a better service next year. the government said (rightly) it was for the train operators to make the decision.
we all know that private companies have not provided us with a better service, even the politicians. the political class do not want to invoke nationalisation for fear of upsetting “middle england”, meanwhile sir richard and his ilk are laughing all the way to the bank.
gordon brown do you want to have a legacy? well i tell you what you need to do and that is nationalise the rail. you will have your legacy, you will save money and you will be hailed a hero.
Monday, December 24, 2007
santa
is out dropping off presents to all the good boys and girls. he is even being tracked by norad. there is peace and calm in the air. to my firends i wish a happy christmas and a prosperous new year. health and happiness to all.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
coffee
i have a nice coffee. i am in brick lane. i have seen some good art. i will have another coffee. i will see a movie.
truly it is the simple things that make life worthwhile.
truly it is the simple things that make life worthwhile.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
amazon
i hate amazon.
sitting here waiting for books that should have arrived by now.
i hate amazon.
sitting here waiting for books that should have arrived by now.
i hate amazon.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
crisis
red sky at night; shepherds delight,
red sky in the morning; shepherds warning.
(sometimes this is replaced by sailors.)
needless to say to comic fans it just means one thing....
crisis on infinite earths.
(right that is about 3 people who'll get it and the rest (another 3) scratching their heads.)
red sky in the morning; shepherds warning.
(sometimes this is replaced by sailors.)
needless to say to comic fans it just means one thing....
crisis on infinite earths.
(right that is about 3 people who'll get it and the rest (another 3) scratching their heads.)
spidey
who is that man with spider-man?
is it santa in his empty grotto?
or me freezing in a very large, very cold warehouse.
(photo taken by lesley - not sure if i should thank her of not!)
is it santa in his empty grotto?
or me freezing in a very large, very cold warehouse.
(photo taken by lesley - not sure if i should thank her of not!)
Saturday, December 15, 2007
quote
“…if you put a rat up a drainpipe and he can't do anything to get out, what's he going to do?" so said david handley one of the fuel protesters.
the answer is pretty simple: the rat is going to be stuck in the drainpipe until it dies or is let out. not quite the rallying cry that mr. handley was after.
the fuel protests of this weekend met with little success with the number of protesters in the tens and not the thousands.
oddly while they were not succeeding in getting their message across (and it seems to be “we don’t want to pay taxes mr. brown and can you persuade the oil companies to settle for just super profits and not outrageous profits?”) the usa was succeeding in their scuppering (once again) of any chance of their being any targets in the quest to stop climate change. the american’s preferred approach is one where countries assume a voluntary stance to cutting their emissions.
hey i believe it will work!
we can see it in the attitude of the chinese and indian states: hey you can’t stop us from industrialising; you did it so we are going to as well.
as for the fuel protesters they will no doubt be back, they will complain that their industry and their livelihoods are under attack (as they are the only people that has ever happened to) they will appeal to the self-interest of drivers everywhere and sometime soon we can watch the spectacle of cars queuing up at petrol stations to fill up because a few truckers and farmers will have blockaded a fuel depot somewhere.
showing that where the environment is concerned self-interest rules the roost.
the answer is pretty simple: the rat is going to be stuck in the drainpipe until it dies or is let out. not quite the rallying cry that mr. handley was after.
the fuel protests of this weekend met with little success with the number of protesters in the tens and not the thousands.
oddly while they were not succeeding in getting their message across (and it seems to be “we don’t want to pay taxes mr. brown and can you persuade the oil companies to settle for just super profits and not outrageous profits?”) the usa was succeeding in their scuppering (once again) of any chance of their being any targets in the quest to stop climate change. the american’s preferred approach is one where countries assume a voluntary stance to cutting their emissions.
hey i believe it will work!
we can see it in the attitude of the chinese and indian states: hey you can’t stop us from industrialising; you did it so we are going to as well.
as for the fuel protesters they will no doubt be back, they will complain that their industry and their livelihoods are under attack (as they are the only people that has ever happened to) they will appeal to the self-interest of drivers everywhere and sometime soon we can watch the spectacle of cars queuing up at petrol stations to fill up because a few truckers and farmers will have blockaded a fuel depot somewhere.
showing that where the environment is concerned self-interest rules the roost.
patnav
been doing a lot of walking. it is the easiest way to get to work. as far as the journey goes it is pretty much a straight line, well one that has some bends in it. oh bugger it! all you need to know is it is an easy to navigate walk.
so most mornings there i am doing something that is a cross between an amble and a stride, enjoying the sounds the pipe through the earphones (and let me tell you there are times when you want a 26 minute acid mothers temple wig out, but walking down a loooooong road is not one of them, what is needed is a rock solid beat that trips away like a jackhammer tearing up the road) just minding my own business.
one of the joys of the walk is you rarely see anyone, and depending on the time i set out i might not even see that many cars.
the corollary of this is that i am one of the few people around which means that i become the de facto local expert. so now as i stramble down the road i am getting cars stopping me and asking me how to get to x or y. not once has any of them asked to be pointed in the direction i am going so i can say “shift over and follow my directions”. then in hope they will show me some half baked map that they have been sent and while map making techniques have come on in leaps and bounds these scratching that the drivers hold in their hands look like something ptolemy may have drawn – all that is missing is “here be monsters” warnings.
as i say the route i walk is pretty easy and there is a reason for it being so: it is a long big road that runs through a large industrial park. curiously it never appears on any of their maps, even though it can probably be seen from space.
it confuses me, and loses them.
all i can offer is a desultory “i think you need to go back the way you came”.
you would have thought the fact i was walking was a big clue to my possible inability to direct them to where they wanted to go. any port in a storm, as they say.
still not the strangest question i have been asked all week, that prize goes to emma. though being a gentleman i am not going to tell what it was, but it did make me smile.
so most mornings there i am doing something that is a cross between an amble and a stride, enjoying the sounds the pipe through the earphones (and let me tell you there are times when you want a 26 minute acid mothers temple wig out, but walking down a loooooong road is not one of them, what is needed is a rock solid beat that trips away like a jackhammer tearing up the road) just minding my own business.
one of the joys of the walk is you rarely see anyone, and depending on the time i set out i might not even see that many cars.
the corollary of this is that i am one of the few people around which means that i become the de facto local expert. so now as i stramble down the road i am getting cars stopping me and asking me how to get to x or y. not once has any of them asked to be pointed in the direction i am going so i can say “shift over and follow my directions”. then in hope they will show me some half baked map that they have been sent and while map making techniques have come on in leaps and bounds these scratching that the drivers hold in their hands look like something ptolemy may have drawn – all that is missing is “here be monsters” warnings.
as i say the route i walk is pretty easy and there is a reason for it being so: it is a long big road that runs through a large industrial park. curiously it never appears on any of their maps, even though it can probably be seen from space.
it confuses me, and loses them.
all i can offer is a desultory “i think you need to go back the way you came”.
you would have thought the fact i was walking was a big clue to my possible inability to direct them to where they wanted to go. any port in a storm, as they say.
still not the strangest question i have been asked all week, that prize goes to emma. though being a gentleman i am not going to tell what it was, but it did make me smile.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
santa
now i have never made any claims to be the happiest bunny on the planet. nor can i claim to be the most miserable man to stride the streets. if you consider the happy miserable continuum then you would have to place me closer to the miserable end.
for various reasons i get even more miserable at christmas. truly i become the grinch.
i suppose it shouldn’t be a shock to me but for some odd reason the sight of a long haired man with a big beard seems to bring out the joker in people. add that to the time of year and you get santa comments a go-go.
what i like about all the comments is the fact that each person thinks it is the first time it has even been said. how clever they sound, how smug they look, especially those somewhat merry men who spill out of pubs with their pals. each thinking that they are the next jimmy carr when really all they can muster is a poor impression of syd little.
truly if looks could kill i would be a mass murderer.
so there i am out with a friend (hi hebe!) we are off to a gallery (what can i say it is what i do) when some one shouts out “merry christmas”. i greet it with my usual stony fuck off and die attitude, while hebe giggles her wellies off (yes she was wearing wellington boots). to her it was funny.
which again goes to prove i am miserable.
but there is a moral to this story (well sort of).
put your hand down cliff i am going to tell you the moral without being asked.
it is a simple moral: “if you can’t beat them join them!”
so the next time some drunken fuck says “hello santa” he is going to get a “ho ho ho” and i will have done my bit to spread good cheer.
(and just to show there is a little bit of joy in the world a rather attractive punk lass referred to me as saint nikolai – see a little originality there, ok ok even if she had called me santa i still wanted to fill her stockings….)
(see what i did there? sometimes i am fucking great…)
(enough it is late and i am rambling…)
for various reasons i get even more miserable at christmas. truly i become the grinch.
i suppose it shouldn’t be a shock to me but for some odd reason the sight of a long haired man with a big beard seems to bring out the joker in people. add that to the time of year and you get santa comments a go-go.
what i like about all the comments is the fact that each person thinks it is the first time it has even been said. how clever they sound, how smug they look, especially those somewhat merry men who spill out of pubs with their pals. each thinking that they are the next jimmy carr when really all they can muster is a poor impression of syd little.
truly if looks could kill i would be a mass murderer.
so there i am out with a friend (hi hebe!) we are off to a gallery (what can i say it is what i do) when some one shouts out “merry christmas”. i greet it with my usual stony fuck off and die attitude, while hebe giggles her wellies off (yes she was wearing wellington boots). to her it was funny.
which again goes to prove i am miserable.
but there is a moral to this story (well sort of).
put your hand down cliff i am going to tell you the moral without being asked.
it is a simple moral: “if you can’t beat them join them!”
so the next time some drunken fuck says “hello santa” he is going to get a “ho ho ho” and i will have done my bit to spread good cheer.
(and just to show there is a little bit of joy in the world a rather attractive punk lass referred to me as saint nikolai – see a little originality there, ok ok even if she had called me santa i still wanted to fill her stockings….)
(see what i did there? sometimes i am fucking great…)
(enough it is late and i am rambling…)
Friday, December 07, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
speech
freedom of speech is only defensible if you agree with what is going to be said.
discuss.
or not if you are at the oxford union.
discuss.
or not if you are at the oxford union.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
shocked
Rupert Murdoch admits to controlling the editorial direction of the sun and news of the world newpapers.
No way.
Next you will be telling me that bears shit in the woods and the pope is catholic.
No way.
Next you will be telling me that bears shit in the woods and the pope is catholic.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
overreach
it has been a bad week for labour. the loss of discs from her majesty’s customs and excise, which contain the personal details of 25 million people, appears to be a disaster too far.
with luck it will halt the onward march of the id card campaign.
but is it really a crisis for the government as such?
according to cameron and the conservative party it is.
odd that.
on the one hand cameron and his team are constantly telling people that the government is too powerful and that it needs to withdraw more from the public landscape: “let businesses and people get on with their own lives”, seems to be the rallying cry. yet the moment something goes wrong the tories shout out that the government is not showing a firm hand and is not leading.
for all of the politicking that has gone on over this issue the key point that gets forgotten is that there is nothing that you can do to ever eliminate human error.
there is no doubt that something drastically wrong has occurred, but it is a failure of a few individuals in the civil service rather than the failure of a government minister. to pretend otherwise is to wilfully ignore the facts and to engage in cheap crass point scoring (but then that is something that cameron and co love to do).
i agree with david cameron that this situation does highlight one of the many dangers of the proposed id card scheme. after the loss of the discs no one will feel safe about their personal details being on a government database. it is not just a question of the safety of the data but also who has access to the data and who administers the data.
if the id scheme gets dropped then this disaster will have one happy conclusion.
but david cameron is on about government over-reach, in a speech in the czech capital (pop quiz – what is the name of the czech capital?) he described this over-reach as being an “enemy of freedom”.
"this week we saw a shocking consequence of this bureaucratic over-reach: a scandal where the government has lost the names, addresses and bank details of almost every family in the country." said cameron.
now consider that carefully.
what is cameron actually saying is the over-reach here, bear in mind that government had these details for a purpose, that of the paying of child benefit.
so is the over-reach the having details of the recipients of the benefit (and we all know that if they didn’t have the right information to ensure the right people were being paid the right amount then that would be a different type of failure altogether.
or is the over-reach that the state is paying child benefit?
just how are the conservatives going to cut over-reach? simple they are just going to collect less data. less to lose then, and with less data to manage the savings made can go back into paying the benefits.
sorry i was just pulling your legs there…
of course the way they are going to cut down on government over-reach is to cut down on government programmes. with fewer programmes to worry about there is less need for data. even better the money saved means bigger tax cuts to the rich – because when they have more money they spend it so that is a big yay to economy. no point cutting the tax to the poor, as they will just try to save it. that is a hearty boo to the poor for just thinking of themselves.
cameron does point out that new labour isn’t doing this out of spite, but because they believe it is the right thing to do. it is just, as cameron declares, that this belief that “officialdom knows best” is now an outmoded ideology.
except of course when your view is the one that says we need to get rid of the state – then officialdom does know best.
but child benefit (and other benefits) will still need to be paid (though much harder to get from a conservative, albeit compassionate, government), but never fear when the state can’t provide the market will step in (as if has done in places like utilities and transport – all the profit little of the risk) to provide the needy with the provision of benefits. but now the government won’t keep your data it will be with a conglomerate. see feeling safer already (fingers crossed that is not group 4).
just remember cameron isn’t talking about the data when he says over-reach is bad, he really means the services we are getting. he doesn’t like them and he doesn’t want ordinary people being able to get them.
(answer: prague)
with luck it will halt the onward march of the id card campaign.
but is it really a crisis for the government as such?
according to cameron and the conservative party it is.
odd that.
on the one hand cameron and his team are constantly telling people that the government is too powerful and that it needs to withdraw more from the public landscape: “let businesses and people get on with their own lives”, seems to be the rallying cry. yet the moment something goes wrong the tories shout out that the government is not showing a firm hand and is not leading.
for all of the politicking that has gone on over this issue the key point that gets forgotten is that there is nothing that you can do to ever eliminate human error.
there is no doubt that something drastically wrong has occurred, but it is a failure of a few individuals in the civil service rather than the failure of a government minister. to pretend otherwise is to wilfully ignore the facts and to engage in cheap crass point scoring (but then that is something that cameron and co love to do).
i agree with david cameron that this situation does highlight one of the many dangers of the proposed id card scheme. after the loss of the discs no one will feel safe about their personal details being on a government database. it is not just a question of the safety of the data but also who has access to the data and who administers the data.
if the id scheme gets dropped then this disaster will have one happy conclusion.
but david cameron is on about government over-reach, in a speech in the czech capital (pop quiz – what is the name of the czech capital?) he described this over-reach as being an “enemy of freedom”.
"this week we saw a shocking consequence of this bureaucratic over-reach: a scandal where the government has lost the names, addresses and bank details of almost every family in the country." said cameron.
now consider that carefully.
what is cameron actually saying is the over-reach here, bear in mind that government had these details for a purpose, that of the paying of child benefit.
so is the over-reach the having details of the recipients of the benefit (and we all know that if they didn’t have the right information to ensure the right people were being paid the right amount then that would be a different type of failure altogether.
or is the over-reach that the state is paying child benefit?
just how are the conservatives going to cut over-reach? simple they are just going to collect less data. less to lose then, and with less data to manage the savings made can go back into paying the benefits.
sorry i was just pulling your legs there…
of course the way they are going to cut down on government over-reach is to cut down on government programmes. with fewer programmes to worry about there is less need for data. even better the money saved means bigger tax cuts to the rich – because when they have more money they spend it so that is a big yay to economy. no point cutting the tax to the poor, as they will just try to save it. that is a hearty boo to the poor for just thinking of themselves.
cameron does point out that new labour isn’t doing this out of spite, but because they believe it is the right thing to do. it is just, as cameron declares, that this belief that “officialdom knows best” is now an outmoded ideology.
except of course when your view is the one that says we need to get rid of the state – then officialdom does know best.
but child benefit (and other benefits) will still need to be paid (though much harder to get from a conservative, albeit compassionate, government), but never fear when the state can’t provide the market will step in (as if has done in places like utilities and transport – all the profit little of the risk) to provide the needy with the provision of benefits. but now the government won’t keep your data it will be with a conglomerate. see feeling safer already (fingers crossed that is not group 4).
just remember cameron isn’t talking about the data when he says over-reach is bad, he really means the services we are getting. he doesn’t like them and he doesn’t want ordinary people being able to get them.
(answer: prague)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
more
i am not just starting the march to blog 1000 with a few more pictures because it is easy. oh no. i am doing it because i can hear the roar, the cheers and the cries for "more pics pat!" "more pics pat!" "more more more". with those chants ringing in my ears how can i say no?
enjoy.
i didn't get the one that would have made the full wall version even better: just as i rolled up to this location there was a bloke reading the posters and from the back he just fitted perfectly with the large poster.
it didn't happen as life throws us curve balls and as i got the camera out he got bored and moved on.
another missed kodak moment.
enjoy.
i didn't get the one that would have made the full wall version even better: just as i rolled up to this location there was a bloke reading the posters and from the back he just fitted perfectly with the large poster.
it didn't happen as life throws us curve balls and as i got the camera out he got bored and moved on.
another missed kodak moment.
900
crikey reaching 900 took a long time.
but here i am at 900. can i get to a 1000 before 2007 ends? does it matter? who knows? it will serve as a small challenge.
but here i am at 900. can i get to a 1000 before 2007 ends? does it matter? who knows? it will serve as a small challenge.
images
look i know images is a fancy way of saying pictures - but so what!
enjoy
(it is amazing what you can see when walking around brick lane - not sure if this is an art installation or not. it may have been for sale for all i know.)
it does seem big brother is watching us.
enjoy
(it is amazing what you can see when walking around brick lane - not sure if this is an art installation or not. it may have been for sale for all i know.)
it does seem big brother is watching us.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
farting
parping, bottom burps, trouser trumpets, guffs, sbds, cutting the cheese. call it what you will but recently i have been farting like a demon. it is as if john zorn was in charge of a gaggle of highland pipers.
still the sound of flatulence is better than the previous week’s constipation.
now if i can find a balance between these two states i will be happy.
you’ll have to excuse me for a moment i am just going to let rip like a foghorn.
still the sound of flatulence is better than the previous week’s constipation.
now if i can find a balance between these two states i will be happy.
you’ll have to excuse me for a moment i am just going to let rip like a foghorn.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
irony
dr muhammad abdul bari of the muslim council of britain has warned britain that it must not become like nazi germany where people’s minds can be poisoned as they were in the 1930s. i think he is saying that we should be wary of the state trying to cast the muslim population in the same role as the nazis placed the jews as the enemy within and handy scapegoats.
he could have a point.
such a shame then that dr bari goes on to say that sir salman rushdie should never have been knighted and his book should have been pulped.
oh not book burning, but book pulping. that makes it ok then.
we don’t want freedom of speech or freedom of expression when it might upset us. when someone says something that we disagree with then it seems we should be able to ban or pulp their work before others get to see it.
when it comes to that particular course of action it appears that dr. bari and nazi germany are in agreement.
funny that.
he could have a point.
such a shame then that dr bari goes on to say that sir salman rushdie should never have been knighted and his book should have been pulped.
oh not book burning, but book pulping. that makes it ok then.
we don’t want freedom of speech or freedom of expression when it might upset us. when someone says something that we disagree with then it seems we should be able to ban or pulp their work before others get to see it.
when it comes to that particular course of action it appears that dr. bari and nazi germany are in agreement.
funny that.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
victims
victims
was watching a piece on television the other night. it was about bullying in the work place. there was a woman who had suffered at the hands of the work place bullies and who had her dream job turned into a nightmare by what they had done to her.
i am a little ashamed to admit that at school i was both bullied and sometimes i was a bully (though never very good at it), and it was something i soon grew out of. bullying still goes on in schools, and it is probably a fair assumption (based on the kids i see around the place) that it is probably a worse problem than it was when i was in school, and it seems that through mobiles, email and the internet bullying has gotten to be more persistent and taking on a 24/7 aspect, at least back in my day once you got home that was it, now they can text you!
being bullied at school is harsh because you can’t easily escape it. you are more than likely going to be going to that school for years to come, which makes the suffering worse as you know it is going to go on for sometime.
i have witnessed bullying at work; i don’t think i did much to stop it so in the end i was as bad as the people who did it. i remember one kid who came to us as work experience bod, he was nervous and shy and probably not the sharpest knife in the box, but all he wanted to do was work and enjoy it. not sure he had as much fun as he should have done as he suffered as the butt of the joke on a few occasions too many. i am sure we all look back on that with a certain amount of pride…not. (a quick digression – bloke in question has done ok for himself and he still asks about the people who worked with back then. so a happy ending.)
the person on the tv (see i did remember where this started…) was bullied at work, but she had turned her life around and overcome being bullied and had moved on to bigger and better things.
so just how was she bullied?
her work was returned to her because she had made minor mistakes. apparently this kept happening. she saw that as her being bullied.
as with everything that appears on the tv you do have to take it with a pinch of salt and you do hope that there was more to it than: “my work wasn’t good enough so i felt i was being bullied”.
perhaps one of the (many) reasons why i am not working as a daytime tv or radio chat show host is that i would have asked “why didn’t you improve your work?” or “why didn’t you look for a new job?” instead what you have to do is be all sympathetic and congratulate the person on seeking professional help in order to help them deal with being bullied.
while the studio audience got a story of achievement i just thought here was another person who doesn’t want to take responsibility for their own life and was happier to be able to blame other people for the things that they felt were wrong. too many people are quick to grab any excuse they can rather than accept some responsibility in their life. this might be symptomatic of the growing feeling of powerlessness we feel about the world around us. as change comes at ever increasing pace and is not always for the good, leaving us in its wake.
was watching a piece on television the other night. it was about bullying in the work place. there was a woman who had suffered at the hands of the work place bullies and who had her dream job turned into a nightmare by what they had done to her.
i am a little ashamed to admit that at school i was both bullied and sometimes i was a bully (though never very good at it), and it was something i soon grew out of. bullying still goes on in schools, and it is probably a fair assumption (based on the kids i see around the place) that it is probably a worse problem than it was when i was in school, and it seems that through mobiles, email and the internet bullying has gotten to be more persistent and taking on a 24/7 aspect, at least back in my day once you got home that was it, now they can text you!
being bullied at school is harsh because you can’t easily escape it. you are more than likely going to be going to that school for years to come, which makes the suffering worse as you know it is going to go on for sometime.
i have witnessed bullying at work; i don’t think i did much to stop it so in the end i was as bad as the people who did it. i remember one kid who came to us as work experience bod, he was nervous and shy and probably not the sharpest knife in the box, but all he wanted to do was work and enjoy it. not sure he had as much fun as he should have done as he suffered as the butt of the joke on a few occasions too many. i am sure we all look back on that with a certain amount of pride…not. (a quick digression – bloke in question has done ok for himself and he still asks about the people who worked with back then. so a happy ending.)
the person on the tv (see i did remember where this started…) was bullied at work, but she had turned her life around and overcome being bullied and had moved on to bigger and better things.
so just how was she bullied?
her work was returned to her because she had made minor mistakes. apparently this kept happening. she saw that as her being bullied.
as with everything that appears on the tv you do have to take it with a pinch of salt and you do hope that there was more to it than: “my work wasn’t good enough so i felt i was being bullied”.
perhaps one of the (many) reasons why i am not working as a daytime tv or radio chat show host is that i would have asked “why didn’t you improve your work?” or “why didn’t you look for a new job?” instead what you have to do is be all sympathetic and congratulate the person on seeking professional help in order to help them deal with being bullied.
while the studio audience got a story of achievement i just thought here was another person who doesn’t want to take responsibility for their own life and was happier to be able to blame other people for the things that they felt were wrong. too many people are quick to grab any excuse they can rather than accept some responsibility in their life. this might be symptomatic of the growing feeling of powerlessness we feel about the world around us. as change comes at ever increasing pace and is not always for the good, leaving us in its wake.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
fireworks
i stood on a little grass hill last night and watched fireworks whooooshing into the sky. i think it is impossible to do a poor firework display, and quite how you get to be a fireworks display designer is beyond me. slow build up, punctuated with a few exclamation marks of whiz bangs, all ending up with an armageddon like explosion of noise and light.
easy really.
last night i could see fireworks going off all over the place.
it was like being a kid again.
what was interesting was that all the parents who had taken kids along to see the fireworks seemed to be shocked that the kids were not that interested.
last night it appeared that the fireworks were not for the kids in attendance, but for the parents who were trying to remember the innocence of their childhood. i know exactly how they felt.
watching the greens, reds, yellows, pinks and blue explode in the sky all i could do was smile and think happy thoughts.
perhaps every night should be fireworks night…
easy really.
last night i could see fireworks going off all over the place.
it was like being a kid again.
what was interesting was that all the parents who had taken kids along to see the fireworks seemed to be shocked that the kids were not that interested.
last night it appeared that the fireworks were not for the kids in attendance, but for the parents who were trying to remember the innocence of their childhood. i know exactly how they felt.
watching the greens, reds, yellows, pinks and blue explode in the sky all i could do was smile and think happy thoughts.
perhaps every night should be fireworks night…
omens
i start the day with a purchase that came to £6.66.
i start the day bound over with constipation.
i am so rock and roll.
i start the day bound over with constipation.
i am so rock and roll.
Friday, November 02, 2007
blubbing
i realised long ago that i am an ugly crier. not for me the lonely tear that drifts down the cheeks. not for me the gentle, dignified sobs. no for me it is a crunched up snarly face with tears that stream, a nose that runs, a mouth that curls and opens, shuts and generally looks like some norwegian painter has had a hand in drawing it.
there are a few things that are guaranteed to make me cry, such as:
my salary. ‘nuff said.
field of dreams. a film that is so good that it should be compulsory viewing. it is a film that is so good that kevin costner is forgiven for any celluloid mistake he might make.
a recent addition to the list is the regina spektor song, samson. makes me cry every time i hear it. i have no idea why. it just does.
if you have never heard the wonderful talent that is ms spektor i do so thoroughly recommend that you rush to check out her songs (and this is not because she is one of my myspace friends – it is because the music she makes is beautiful.)
here are the lyrics to samson.
you are my sweetest downfall
i loved you first, i loved you first (@@@ starting to well up here! @@@)
beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
i have to go, i have to go
your hair was long when we first met
samson went back to bed
not much hair left on his head
he ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed
and history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us (@@@ blubbing here @@@)
the bible didn't mention us, not even once (@@@ full on blub at this point @@@)
you are my sweetest downfall
i loved you first, i loved you first
beneath the stars came falling on our heads
but there just soft light, there just soft light
your hair was long when we first met
samson came to my bed
told me that my hair was red
he told me i was beautiful and came into my bed
oh i cut his hair myself one night
a pair of dull scissors and the yellow light
and he told me that i'd done alright
and kissed me till the morning light, the morning light
and he kissed me till the morning light
samson came back to bed
not much hair left on his head
ate a slice of wonderbread and went right back to bed
oh, we couldn't bring the columns down
yeah we couldn't destroy a single one
and history books forgot about us
and the bible didn't mention us, not even once
you are my sweetest downfall
i loved you first
(copyright regina spektor)
and now that I have spoken go listen to her. You will thank me afterwards.
there are a few things that are guaranteed to make me cry, such as:
my salary. ‘nuff said.
field of dreams. a film that is so good that it should be compulsory viewing. it is a film that is so good that kevin costner is forgiven for any celluloid mistake he might make.
a recent addition to the list is the regina spektor song, samson. makes me cry every time i hear it. i have no idea why. it just does.
if you have never heard the wonderful talent that is ms spektor i do so thoroughly recommend that you rush to check out her songs (and this is not because she is one of my myspace friends – it is because the music she makes is beautiful.)
here are the lyrics to samson.
you are my sweetest downfall
i loved you first, i loved you first (@@@ starting to well up here! @@@)
beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
i have to go, i have to go
your hair was long when we first met
samson went back to bed
not much hair left on his head
he ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed
and history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us (@@@ blubbing here @@@)
the bible didn't mention us, not even once (@@@ full on blub at this point @@@)
you are my sweetest downfall
i loved you first, i loved you first
beneath the stars came falling on our heads
but there just soft light, there just soft light
your hair was long when we first met
samson came to my bed
told me that my hair was red
he told me i was beautiful and came into my bed
oh i cut his hair myself one night
a pair of dull scissors and the yellow light
and he told me that i'd done alright
and kissed me till the morning light, the morning light
and he kissed me till the morning light
samson came back to bed
not much hair left on his head
ate a slice of wonderbread and went right back to bed
oh, we couldn't bring the columns down
yeah we couldn't destroy a single one
and history books forgot about us
and the bible didn't mention us, not even once
you are my sweetest downfall
i loved you first
(copyright regina spektor)
and now that I have spoken go listen to her. You will thank me afterwards.
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