29th March 2008, Desert Island Discs

Today something of a different vein. I am upstairs, the children are downstairs with their friends and judging by the noise, causing the usual chaos, however, as they have forgotten I am here I am left alone..............

But enough of my domestic life, now the thought of today -

I was driving to my office yesterday and was listening to the radio. On came Desert Island Discs and listening to this got me thinking.

What 8 records would I take to a desert island? What book and what luxury? and if I could then only have 1 record from my choice, what would it be? So here goes.........

Record 1 - Goodbye My Lover, James Blunt - A beautiful song with haunting lyrics. When all is quiet and I feel most alone I can look out over the sea and listen to this song and reminice about my family and friends. A little sad i know but sometimes this humility is needed.

Record 2 - Circle, Louise Cetara - Louise has a huge future ahead of her of that I have no doubt. I was introduced to Louise's music by her cousin (Bob), I owe him so much for this. This song is from a film, but is a great ballad and for that I can listen to it again and again.

Record 3 - Yellow, G4 -What a great version of this song, until now it had always seemed a little "pop" like for me, however, when G4 got hold of it........ I would listen to this as a upbeat version that would remind me of everything good and that loving someone is special

Record 4 - Say a Little Prayer, Bomb the Bass - A fabulous slow version of this original motown track. When I first met my wife (1988!!!!) this song was like "our tune", as was Donald where's your trousers, but let's not go here!! This song would be a constant reminder of us and our being together always.

Record 5 - Fairytale of New York, The Pogues and Kirsty McColl - This song is the absolute greatest Christmas song ever, it represents the definitive thoughts of Christmas. The song is upbeat and then whimsical within a few seconds. It represents all that is special about Christmas and highlights how Christmas can be special for everyone and should remain so. I have this song on various CD's a listen to it all year, not just in December, and having it to listen to on a desert island would serve to remind me of all the special things in life and how Christmas often serves to catalyse these thoughts and occurences.

Record 6 - Bat Out of Hell, Meatloaf - I am a huge fan of Meatloaf and his music. I have nearly all of the music and live Meatloaf is still a great actor putting on so much more than just a group of songs. This song should be played at full volume while we all scream out the words and air guitar to the chorus. On a desert island what better a place to enjoy this song at full bore and without anyone shouting "turn it down!!" The song lyrics serve to remind us all that despite everything and regardless of all, our chosen partner remains as our, sometimes, only constant that is there for us whether we like it or want it. They might be always right, but maybe we need this constant!!!

Record 7 - Old City Bar, Trans Siberian Orchestra - The TSO is a joinoing of Metalica, Jewel, Meatloaf ond various others to bring a rock trilogy for Christmas and an album in the middle celebrating the life of Beethoven and his life. The trilogy provides a modern Christmas story of epic proportions trying to reunite a family that for various reasons are not together. I found the TSO whilst looking for Carol of the Bells, what a find(!!), I continue to listen to their music as time passes. I became hooked on the music whilst travelling backwards and forwards between Birmingham and London as my Grandmother and Father lay in hospital as their time came to an end. Virtually every song evokes memories of this time, good and bad, some songs more than others. This song is not purely Christmasy and listening to something by TSO on the island would allow me to quietly listen to the lyrics, relate to them and maybe, just maybe, lay some ghosts to rest.

Record 8 - Anything for Love, Meatloaf live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra - This last song has taken ages to decide upon, I could listen all day to so much of a variety of songs. Everything from classics through to "mushy crap" ,as a my wife tells me, but I eventually chose this song. Australia was first to make this number 1 and 27 other countries then followed. That alone is a record to remember. This version has the Melbourne SO providing a fabulous background of classic rock and Meats huge voice carries it over. The song for me shows all that love can mean and what it means. I would run into hell and back, and I would never turn back and I WILL never do anything better because I would do anything. I know this sounds like a cliche and a repeat of the song, but, this is why I could put this on repeat for a long time as I would be the one who could scream out the lyrics with Meatloaf and alone on my desert island this one song would serve to remind me of how special love is and how special it is to clutch it close once you have it. Despite all, and as the song says, I won't do anything to ruin my love and I would do anything for love and to keep hold of it.

A Book - His Dark Materials,Philip Pullman - I never had to ponder over this. The trilogy of books might be aimed at a younger audience, although I doubt it, and is the greatest love story ever written. I could read this story over and over, I would always find something new and without a doubt the eventual end would still move me to tears. As Lyra and Will go on their journey both alone and togther an inevitability unfolds but the final battle and ending is both a twist and heartbreaking at once. It is for the reason of entertainment as a book and the fact that it would make me sit quietly somewhere and just read that is the attraction. Add in some beautiful music, what more could I ask for...........

A Luxury Item - Chocolate - How hard was this to chose. Do I want toilet roll, do I want golf clubs to swing? Actually I am a chocoholic and I NEED sugar in my blood. Good milk and white chocolate provides this. From Dairy Milk to Hotel Chocolat their remains no greater luxury than chocolate and the thought of not having some leaves me cold. For that reason, and that alone, I would like chocolate as my luxury.

One Song - How hard is this, all these 8 songs are special to me and I wouldn't want to be without any of them. But I must choose 1..............

Meatloaf, Anything For Love - For all the reasons above and I am sure others to mention. It came down to a toss up between Fairytale and this and I am sure at times I will wish I had chosen the other, but hey, I do love this song!!!

And so I have reached the end of my walk through my Desert Islands. I am sure this offers an insight to me. It may scare some rigid.

Now if all can add there Desert Island Discs I am sure we can build up a whole library of personal tracks and thoughts to share. Add away..............

What is Religion? A Rant of a Light Hearted Nature

A question for us all to consider.........

What is religion actually, can this belief in faith actually help or is it just the comfort of some and the crutch that mentally ill people use for help and excuses.

Let's think about it.....

In the Old Testament the world began and the laws and rules of society are laid down. A "story" that was written thousands of years ago has set the foundations for all religions. People who lived in biblical times seemed to live a reasonable type of life. They also seemed to live for hundreds of years. Moses, Abraham they all lived to be hundreds of years old with wives, children and followers.

But, Judaism, and to a large degree Muslimism, is based on these fables. Thousands of years on this great story, the Old Testament, is still being followed and belived.

So what is the New Testamant....

Without a doubt about 2000 years ago a baby was born and named Jesus. Whatever religion that you follow something must have occured to start a whole belief.

Somewhere along the way this person became a "prophet" or spouted theories that have been followed. Has this been a form of Chinese Whispers? Has a story that began with wedding guests drinking water become a miracle where the water became wine and 1 fish fed 5000.

However, whatever way you look at the New Testament this collection of stories has become a foundation of Christianity.

So now let us jump to 5000 years in the future. Will religion as we know it still exist? Or will the reality of religion 2008 go full circle. Currently we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim and a whole host of allied religions.

5000 Years into the future will people be following the religion of "Potterism"or the path of "The Dark Arts" will the current best selling books like "The Dark Matter Trilogy" form the religions of the future. 5000 years on will "The Half Blood Prince" be included in the new "Old Testament" as absolute truth.

We cannot know, we can only speculate. All of us now hope this is wrong and that the current bibles and beliefs will just continue. But wouldn't it be fun if my theory was correct. The new God is Dumbledore and the Devil is Voldemort!!! In the New Testament Harry Potter could be viewed as the new Jesus and Ron Weasley the new John the Baptist!!!

I apologise if these thoughts are blasphemous. They are not meant to be. I am not a heven and I actually believe in something, although what I am not yet sure, and I am afraid that I will be viewed as another mentally ill person leaning on religion.Maybe I am!!

I would welcome any views.........

Today, 25th March

And here we are, the last few days of March. The first quarter of 2008 is nearly over. What has 2008 given so far.............

It is fair to say that the first part of the year has passed fairly quickly. Already the end of March is rapidly approaching and at long last the short days of winter are coming to an end.

Easter has now been and gone, albeit early, and the children hapilly tell me how they have 9 eggs, which to me seems a lot(!!) but they seem to feel is quite normal. The family have visited for lunch and I have been able to spend 2 days with my Step-Mother which has been a joy.

So WHY has no one told the weather!! Good Friday through to Easter Monday I have been beset with hail, snow and ice. The snow has settled and on more than one occaision I would appear to have a white car and not the dark green I thought!!!

The ground has been waterlogged and then frozen solid, in fact it has been anything but Easter. The temperature has struggled to get above freezing and, although now a couple of days later, it is still perishingly cold.

Where does global warming fit into this?? In Cyprus it is 24 Degrees and sunny, Australia is hotter than ever before and the USA is experiencing snow!! What is happening?

Everything is blamed on global warming andf emmissions, but are these purely a result of planes, trains and automobiles? It is said that a cow gives off the same amount of greenhouse gasses over a year as a car? Shall we just kill all cows and save the ice regions? We seem to have forgotten that if global temperature drops by only 3 degrees than the world will experience a new ice age? Maybe we should just give up and see if we can all move to Mars??!!!

But enough ranting, enough moaning. The end of March approaches, April is coming and (hopefully) with it warmer days, longer days, and a glimmer of hope that Summer is actually coming.

I don't know what is around the corner. I can only hope that Q2 will show glimmers of hope for us all. As Richard and Kris Carlson say, "“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. And it is all Small Stuff".

Hopefully if we follow this belief we might just make it, we might just.............

I welcome your thoughts and comments

A rant today........

I am a little perturbed, I am also a little surprised that there seems to be some sort of pleasure caused by these results...............

What am I talking about? I am talking about my understanding why retail sales seem to be higher in February.

Let us look at things realistically - Fuel is at an all time high, Energy costs have risen by a frightening amount over the last few months and are at an all time high. House price rises are making it increasingly impossible to get on "the housing ladder", inflation is running at 2.7% against a target of 2%, and if we are honest is probably running a lot higher than 2.7% but the addition is hidden within government released and managed figures.

Everywhere that the average person turns in an attempt to manage day-to-day life additional taxes, costs and expenses .

So let us look at a situation, the retail sales index is showing a rise, it would appear that sales through the tills in February have risen above expectation, potentially this is giving hope to the high street.

Now call me a cynic, and I apologise for possibly bursting the bubble, however, are sales not higher as the costs associated with living are higher. If a tin of baked beans was 30p in January and 40p in February the associated sales will be higher. I realise that a tin of beans is only one product, and I use it only as an example, but, this one item highlights the rising costs. If an average shopping bag has risen then it is obvious that the retail sales will also have risen. What will have fallen is the value for money and the physical number of items in the bag.

If we add into the sales hidden costs the actual money in the tills rises further. When are consumers going to realise that the average retailer (Tesco, M&S etc) are anything but stupid and will jump on any bandwagon that may reap higher profits, turnover and money in the till.

So what are the latest - The Green Portfolio and the Organic bandwagon.

Suddenly shops such as Tesco are charging 5p per carrier bag they supply. An average weekly shop needs 20 bags so we have just added a £1 onto the bill. £1 is not a lot to add to a bill, few people even notice. Multiply it by the weeks shoppers and suddenly the supermarket has a few more million pounds. The government takes some as a "green tax" and the supermarket gets the rest. Win, Win and........... loose the consumer looses again!!!

Next everyone is worried about organic food. I agree that organic food must be better by definition. I am sure it tastes nicer and I feel much better by doing my bit for the environment. But I also am adding at least £10 to my cost at the till. The question is does the retailer have an increased cost in relation to this? Or is the retailer using its usual tactics and is telling the supplier of goods that they will only pay XX amount, regardless of their sales price. Add to this, again, the government "green" tax and once again we are faced with a win, win.............Loose situation.

And so my rant could continue, if the chancellor decided to hold off adding another 2p to fuel prices, why have the petrol retailers increased their prices by at least this amount. I have a 70 Litre tank, I paid £80 for diesel yesterday. I get 8 miles per litre allowing for me doing decent runs. This is around 14pence per mile in fuel. My wife, who due to her small journeys, equally as important as mine is lucky to see 30pence per mile, over a 60 litre tank this is higher still.

So is are retail sales really rising showing hope in the high street. I would say "NO" everyone I know is also having to pull in their belts and a now getting much less for their money. I do not want to be the one to state the obvious, I do not mean to burst the high street bubble but, and i am sorry, I cannot are beginning to turn around and how the high street is really looking good.

Perhaps your comments on this can help agree with me or put me straight................

Observations of today Let's hit the Motorist, AGAIN!! - 8th March 2008

Here we are at the 8th of March already, and hasn't the first week of the month been quick. But also is this now the start of a concentrated assault on the "new villain" - the motorist.

The press is full of new ideas to tax, prosecute and make the motorist a social villain only fit to be scorned and treated with contempt.

As we sit here today petrol (and diesel) prices are at record highs, and yet despite the obvious distress this is causing, next weeks budget is set to see Mr. Darling add yet another 2p per litre on the price in what the government says highlights their green crudentials, whilst most people see the reality of the situation being one where another few million pounds per day is added to the coffers.

In reality is this new rise just another vote gaining situation? Who will this please and influence? The answer is the new breed of "environmentalist"if Alistair Darling follows the sensible path then he will hold off the additional duty. However, will this show the government, and especially, the chancellor, to be hypocritical. How can the government spout off their green crudentials and then u-turn on the rise? Well I say that the government is merely using this as a handy excuse to add yet more duty.

For the average person this is yet another nail in the coffin. However, despite the rise it is known that the world will still turn, and people will still need to fill their cars and vans. Business will still need to operate and journeys made. Is the answer public transport - trains and coaches? How can it be, the prices for these modes of transport will also have to rise, so fares will too. Public transport remains flaky and costly so why wouldn't I just bite the bullet and drive. In reality all I can do is load the prices I charge onto a customer so clients have to pay more. And so the cost of food will rise, the cost of living will rise and another nail goes in..........

Once the price of petrol has risen, the government will have to look for more revenue as the fuel rise has raised so much extra money....................

And so now a showroom tax will be announced adding around £2000 onto the price of new cars. Officially this tax will hit so called gas guzzlers listed in Group G, however to put this into perspective, a new petrol Mondeo or Vectra is Group E, a new Espace is Group G as well. So actually, and yet again, the person most hit is the man on the street who needs a family car. The owners of Porsches, Range Rovers and the suchlike are not really going to care about another couple of thousand pounds for the accountant to loose in the figures. £2000 on a much needed Mondeo for the average man will hurt, a lot, and all it will do is keep the man on the street running his older less efficient car as a new greener model is beyond their reach. So how is this tax going to help? Again I say it won't, but it will put more money into the treasury.

So fuel has gone up, new car prices have been taxed, what else can be done against the evil motorist?

I know, let's introduce average speed cameras to most motorways. Any motorist doing more than the variable speed over the measured distance will be fined and have points added to their licence. Now I am not saying that speeding is good, however, I would say that firstly often 70mph is too slow on motorways as a speed limit in todays society and that variable speed limits will merely add to the motorists pain as they drive. All that will be achieved is yet more revenue as more and more drivers fall victim to the variable speeds. This situation can therefore only be seen as a win-win. More revenue into the coffers and the constabularies hit their asigned quotas, which they have, even quicker.

Now call me an old sceptic, but why would the police want to go after violent and dangerous criminals like rapists, robbers and drug dealers when a few easy cameras can catch a few hundred motorists a day bring in lots of money and also ensure quotas are met. what a great situation.

What actually happens? Insurance prices rise so less people insure their cars, more people get the ritual 12 points, but take the risk anyway and just drive without a licence and who is left suffering? the poor man on the street, the average law abiding person who pays more fuel, pays more insurance and then gets hit by an uninsured driver and looses even more money as costs cannot be recouped.

So here is the only observation I can make, and I am afraid it is not a great one, I look around at the future and the present and I don't see a lot of fairness. I see the motorist being used as an excuse and I just can't see how this is right. Is it just a vote winner. All I can see is that despite everything and all that is said the only people really feeling the pain is just the common man on the street.

Not the rich who don't care, not the law breakers who also don't care, but just the average person already struggling. The people who will keep struggling, keep sticking to the law and probably keep voting into power parties that will hurt them.

I don't normally accept the whining sort of "it's not fair" type of statement, but, now even I have to question where we really are and how can this situation actually be fair?

I don't have an answer right now. I don't have a coherent theory as to what needs doing. I have never thought of the grass being greener elsewhere, however, right now, as I sit here even I have to ask is it time to start looking elsewhere and at other countries - New Zealand, Canada, Australia - as possibly offering a better solution to this issue.

I apologise for these thoughts and would welcome any views maybe a problem shared can be solved, but right now I don't know how...........

The Year - 3rd March

It is here, March has arrived. The dark days may still be hanging around but it is still March. The drudgery of February is OVER!!!



And let's be honest the year is a funny old thing, we neatly split it up into Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.



We can all asign months to seasons and say January is winter and September is Autumn, but is the year really that simple and clear cut?



If the year is broken into seasons let us look at the months that are held in these -



Winter - Let us assume that Winter is November, December and January. What is it that makes winter "special"? By November the run up to Christmas is well under way. At the same time the sky is lit up with fireworks and we all "ooh and ahh" at the beauty of these. As the co-owner of a firework company is see these all year, but even i have to say that there is something special about fireworks in November.



As the month rushes on and draws to a close December arrives with a bang. Christmas, Christmas and Christmas. The shops are full of it, the concerts focus upon it and Churches thrive on it. Children become more and more excited and desperate for Santa to arrive with the gifts that they wait for with anticipation. Families and food followed by a further celebration of New Year. And that leads into January, the end of Christmas and the strange anti-climax that this brings. However let us not forget that January still offers Burns Night and Wasailing to ensure a good apple crop for the new cider. Finally who can ask for more than the added exitement of a snow fall that often comes at the end of the month.



So Winter is filled with excitement and joy and the Christmas spirit quite happily remains until the end of January.



And then it is Spring............



Spring - February, March and April. Spring signifies the true new birth of the year after the coldness of Winter, or is early spring just a dire time?



February is a sadly poor month. Nothing really is good about February, I know it has Valentines day in it but is this one small patch of light really enough to lift the spirits February encourages. Christmas is over, Summer is a long way off, and it is still dark, damp and cold. Thankfully February is only 28 (or 29!!) days long and then March can come roaring in.



Now March offers a new start, often the month comes storming in roaring like a lion and showing off. But, it does offer light at the end of the tunnel, spring is truly beginning. Days are getting longer and the sun tentatively puts in the odd appearance as March matures. Christmas and New Year are just distant memories and a time to look forward to, but Summer is now coming, trees and plants are now growing and as March came in as a lion its meekness is shown at the end as it goes out like a lamb, a newborn Spring lamb!!



As March ends April dances in, often with showers and sometimes a cold snap, but as lambs are born and plants blossom, April heralds the end of spring and announces the imminent arrival of Summer. April often brings Easter with chocolates and flowers, but it also brings a taster of a summer to follow.



Summer - What is summer if not a period of warm balmy days and long evenings. May, June and July.

May offering a hint of the summer to follow with often early May showing long days and heat, and then all too often mid May teases by being wet and sometimes jumper weather again. But really this is just to make us appreciate the next more............

June is classed as true Summer, it is a time of greenery, heat and hayfever. All around plants are blooming and fields are growing. June offers a true chance to appreciate all that is good. Warmth abounds and even when it rains the day remains fairly warm and not really jumper weather. June offers nice long days and naturally opens the door for July.

July is a calm and warm month, it is also a month where crops come into their own as they develop fully and the shops are filled with fruit and vegetables.

However July also very, very gently hints of Autumn as the days grow ever so slighlty, almost unnoticeably, shorter. Where the sun set at 9.30pm it now sets at 9.15pm and in the morning there is slightly more dew on the trees. But July is still a month of beauty and definately Summer.

August - August is a month that really stands alone. Is it Summer or Autumn? Traditionally it is Summer. A holiday month and one of sun and laughter. But is it? August starts off as a true Summer month, however as things progress by mid-month it is definately showing signs of things to come. Crops are now ready to be harvested and end of summer fetes and festivals are underway, and these lead nicely into Autumn. -

Autumn - Some of August, September and October are true Autumn. When summer departs but a true harvest occurs.

September heralds the true start of Autumn, Last Night of the Proms says a fond farewell to Summer in true style and sets the scene for the Autumn and then Winter to follow. As harvests are gathered in and stored away the shops become full of an abundance of vegetables and fruit as produce is fully available.

In retail however shops are readying for (what they hope) will be a Christmas rush of shoppers. Earlier and earlier Christmas arrives in-store to build up a frenzy by December, however, September still remains a month of limited heat and the remenats of Summer. These are much more important!!

October brings the end of the full harvest although in many cases the start of the apple harvest. But, by the end of the month all is quiet. The heat has left and the schools are now preparing in earnest for festivities.

So what about October, this month holds the final residues of Summer and a chance to ready all for Winter. More importantly October still finds time to celebrate the dead and ghoulish as Halloween is partied at the end of the month.

And this festivity neatly brings in the true arrival of November and thus winter and the full circle of the year.

So, now I have looked at all the year what does that mean as we enter the start of March?

March represents, as I have stated, the true start of the year as festivities are finally left behind. What my synopsis of the year really shows is that actually things are not all bleak and every month has something to offer.

So whilst, at times, things seem bad, and at times months seem endless as does all time, maybe a quick glance at this "calendar" may actually allow us all to see that there is a future and we can't stop it.

whatever happens - "the sun will still rise, the tide will always come and go. However bleak things seem a day is only as long as 24 hours and tomorrow is a new day"

I hope it helps!!!

Todays rant - 26th February 2008 Mental Health

Here we are again, a week on and I am in a hotel again, actually, I am in my usual hotel up North. Here I am quietly sat here "ranting" away and pondering on all that I have heard today or read in the Times!! My VOIP is fine, my mobiles are turned on and so is the television, and yet, now I am pondering. So here it is..........

According to the media anti-depressant pills are generally no better than a "sugar pill" and whilst last year saw 16 Million prescriptions given out to "depressed" people now most of these were no better than handing out Smarties instead.

The cost to the NHS was around £291 Million and a staggering £120 Million of this was spent upon SRRI type of medicine that this survey states is "useless".

Figures would say that as many as 1 in 5 people suffer from (or at some time have or will) depression requiring drugs. That really shows that at some point we will ALL know a number of people who are suffering.

So in reality what is really needed as a help for all of us?

The NHS currently has plans to train around 3600 therapists in an attempt to boost the levels of counselling available to the "man on the street". This additional assistance will cost around £30 Million extra in costs of therapy. Is this extra money going to help? Is the extra therapy available going to offer assistance either alone or in tangent with medicine?

SRRI medicine (Prozac, Efexor etc) is now seen as a placebo, however, is eveything potentially a placebo. If Strawberry liquorice helps ease the symptoms of depression is this not as viable as Prozac. So should the patient be prescribed a non-pill working on the assumption that for most people they believe they are being cured so they are being cured.

SRRI medicine helps a large number of people. Medically these inhibitors actually do somewhere along the lines provide some sort of assistance. If a person who is suffering sees their doctor it is that GP's aim to provide a solution to the problem, quickly, as in most cases the aim of the doctor is purely to ease the pain and suffering of the patient. And in a short term crisis, placebo or not, medicine offers an aid.

What if a doctor prescribes a "bread pill" ? they know it does nothing medically, but potentially as a patient feels they are being helped it is a win-win scenario, and a patient is not polluted by medicine.

But what if the placebo actually provides no help, what if the "bread pill" has no effect and the person being treated gets more ill, actually dies or as a result of the illness performs a hideous crime.

A doctor could argue that obviously the medicine has not worked, but, if the medicine is a non-medicine it will never work. Whilst the GP may well make the decision to go the placebo route can this be defended? is it fair on the doctor to have this responsibility on their shoulders solely?

I say NO. It cannot be right to allow a doctor alone to be forced to make this potentially life threatening decision. And maybe, just maybe, I can offer a solution -

The NHS are spending a lot of money making sure they have therapists and counsellors in place to provide assistance to "ill" people. These are trained professionals who in theory can help the patient and also provide feedback and concerns to the doctor.

I suggest that on initially seeing a suffering person the doctor needs to solve this problem without leaving themselves wide open to any recourse from a victim or their family. Physical medication may do very little, but, inhibits something and, possibly more importantly, (and I apologise for this thought) protects the GP from legal action as a result of the placebo solution being discovered either by the patient or a possible victim or family.

The patient then needs to see a therapist as a matter of urgency in order to fully evaluate the actual requirements of the indvidual.

Only through this combination of treatments can the true needs be evaluated and then delivered. Succesfully now rather than merely as a text book describes and to the best of the abilities available.

There is another possible success from this course of action. By providing a combination therapy the cost of solution should lessen. Currently the use of prolonged medical therapy is costly, then add this to a limited number of therapy sessions and the cost becomes greater.

An action where the need for long term medicine is reduced, effectiveness is increased and as an added bonus cost is lessened can only provide a winning situation.

It may be asked why can I rant on such a subject as a result of merely reading the Times and hearing the news?

I am one of the people classed as one of the 1 in 5. I cannot hide the fact that I openly "lost the plot" over a number of issues, my nature, ability to sweep matters under the carpet and my complete inability to ever admit anything was wrong.

I am lucky I have a fantastic GP who recognised what I needed, provided a medical solution and therapy through the CBT method of counselling. I have been ill, I am recovering. I still wobble and I still struggle to verbalise to my wife everything I should, which leads me to "clam up" when I should try to explain what is needed or happening.

I still see my GP a lot and she also makes sure I make appointments regularily to see her. I used my prescribed CBT not always in the best manner. Often I used these sessions as a sounding board for my personal issues and to advise upon questions or problems I may have had. My counsellor also was able to update my doctor on issues she saw and felt relevant. I could not ask for more.

So I suggest that the NHS actually spends some time looking at what is really required and not what is most pleasing to everyone. Maybe then a true solution to the problem can be delivered.

I will welcome the comments of others..................

20th February - Todays "rant" and worry

Here we are again, another day and another night in a hotel room and another night away. I am at my office again, and staying in my usual hotel!!

I drove up the M6 today and listened to the radio, catching up on the news and events. Well here is the rant, actually today it is more of a question and I am confussed to say the least. Either way I heard two pieces of news today that have left me "cold" and for the first time actually questioning what have our children got to face??

I listened in awe today at (amongst other things) the pieces of news stating that a 17th young person has commited suicide in Bridgend for no apparent reason and at the same time another young person has been knifed to death in London.

So we have two apparently unrelated deaths 200 miles apart. Two tragic ends to short lives, without either party having had chance to achieve anything except for the "15 minutes of fame" (thank you Andy Warhole) that these deaths have achieved.

My confussion I need to explain in a twofold manner, so here we go -

The Stabbing -

As I grew up I knew lots of people, I had friends throughout the country through a youth movement I belonged to, and I had lots of friends in London. As I reached my formative late teens my social circle was based around London and the Chilterns. I still see some friends now, I was best-man to one of them. I started school with a certain special, (then) little girl, who I still look upon as one of my greatest friends and without a doubt my soulmate and "ear" to rely upon, you know who you are!! I met my now wife when we were 18 and we have never really been apart since.

Amongst all of these friends and associates I do not know of 1 incidence of knife crime amongst us or of any of us carrying a knife. My wife also had a varied and wide social circle based around the Reading area. She also cannot relate to knife crime.

So I thought I needed to ask around, ask amongst people who had teenagers, like us, as they grew up. Not one of these throughout the whole UK can relate to knife carrying.

Now what this actually does is highlight the issue. Although I would dispute it, as would all of the people I know, my upbringing and friends have been held within a very "closed" environment. We all say we are blue collar, we all say we mix with all classes and colours. I now say NO we don't. If we did we would have seen knives and the results of these in practice.

This situation shows that the knife crime we seem to hear about weekly is actually very localised within a small element of society. The question therefore is what can be done to slow down this spread. Sociology has already shown that "trends" will filter across to all areas of society. What is localised today will potentially become a nationwide epedemic as natural osmosis leads to a spread of the problem.

The Suicides -

And this naturally brings the thought round to Bridgend. Originally 1 poor soul used suicide as a way out. His friends are shocked. I looked at BEBO earlier, this is a scary site as you can post whatever you like. And thus through natural word of mouth and BEBO reading and sociological filtering throughout the social circle the current suicide rate is 17.

Again, the circle I move within has not experienced this. We all lost friends to accidents, but these could not easily be copied. Suicides can.

This is the real issue with both knife crime and suicides.

And here is my confussion and worry - Why would you choose to copy knife crime or suicide? Does this "crime" guarantee the fame that is craved but not achievable? Does the current craving for fame at any cost mean that the cost can be the ultimate sacrifice in the quest?

What can a Father do to stop children reaching their late teens and viewing suicide or murder as a "cool" way of ensuring their fame? By the time the parents of current infants have children of this age osmosis will mean the epedemic may well of spread dramatically.

I ask as a worried parent, who hopes my childrens current sense remains, what can we do? How do we protect our children? and how do we act to try and stop the spread of this culture of craving fame at any cost?

An Apology First....... Then a Small Thought

Firstly I must apologise for my apparent tardiness at adding thoughts and rants to this Blog. My only defence is one of technology, my laptop gave up the ghost, the home PC's I have that the children and my wife use I could not get on with and it has taken until now to get fully (ish) back up and running. Now I just complain a lot as the buttons on my new laptop are in different places to those on my old. You would have thought that it wouldn't be asking for much if the manufacturers of machines could just agree on a format..... Acer, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway etc but all different!!! the same until you try and delete an item and find yourself "home" or "end" and all you want is to knock out a letter that should not be there to start with!!!!!!!!!!!!

But enough, here is a thought derived from my current (or always had) strangeness and my new found desire to question things that I have never looked at before..........

Many, many years ago Adam and Eve lived in "paradise", everyone loved everyone. Cats and dogs lived together, snakes and serpents walked around, and lions never ate giraffes!! Everyone could understand each other and they all lived together.

Then out of the blue a cunning serpent suggests to Eve that she tries an apple, after all it is only an apple. He knows the fruit is forbidden but hey, who would know? and if they did then what? Well the rest as they say is history......

Now my thought stems a little bit left of centre and has been started after I began looking through an unpublished work of my Late and Great Grandfather about sex in the bible. This work is not a saucy piece of literature as such, although pretty frank, but more a questioning book that explores the hows and whys.

Why did Eve tell Adam to put on a figleaf to cover "his bits"? Why does she cover her breasts and "bits" as well? I am not suggesting that we should all be nude, but why cover the sexual organs if she never realised they were "interesting"?

Why does Eve not say "Adam, cover up your feet, you'll get cuts all over them and put blood on the grass bed covers!" or why not "Adam will you put some leaves on your chest before you catch a nasty cold, honestly look at you stood there with nothing to keep you warm, you will catch your death"

No Eve covered her genitals and then told Adam to do the same. Never mind the cold, never mind the odd cut, just get those dangly bits covered before all and sundry start pointing!!

Now all of this happened a long long time ago, the jewish year is 5768, so why??

In 5000 years time is everyone going to be "Potters or Voldemorts" depending on the religion they follow? Be honest the bible is a fantastic work of literature, in a few thousand years time will the Harry Potter books of today be viewed as fact not fiction?

So I guess my thought is two fold -
1) Why did life as we know it begin with Adam and Eve and their banishment from the Garden of Eden?
2) Was the bible a reality when first written or was it the "novel" of its time?

Now I am anything but a non-believing heathen. My belief and faith if anything is now growing, although I would still question if I believe in a religion as such or more in a faith of some describution. My current personal situation means I now am actually "believing" and questioning.

Maybe this is actually the thought. We don't really care if the bible (Old or New Testament) is based on real fact. We realise something must have happened to spur these tales along. We all know how "chinese whispers" can grow a very small act into a huge life saving action from which all sorts of other acts grow. Can we assume that this is how the bible grew?

So faith today is not actually based entirely upon fact. We know something happened. We know somehow a chap called Moses was given some pointers to follow from somewhere. This is the 10 commandments we use as the basis of all living. We know somewhere along the line a chap called Jesus lived about 2000 years ago. Did he really feed 5000 people with a loaf of bread and some water, or was he a waiter of sorts who served a lot of people?

From humble and often insignificant acts whole religions have developed and these offer us some sort of comfort.

I question the origins, I question the reality of the stories, however, and this is important to realise, I do not question the faith these acts deliver.

And so that is my thought, do we really care where the Bible stories came from or if they are true. I say who cares, we want them to have existed, we want them to be true and from these thoughts, whether on a religious level or a faith level, we still worship and look towards something. The stability that this sense of belonging brings is enough for now. It is this the steadying thought that we must instill upon our children to maintain their stability and to try and give them something to cling to.

I know that religion is not the answer to all, but, it is the level of "order" that this brings that we need to impress upon our children. The small amount of respect that religion gives might just keep some from being wild and having nothing to steady them.

And that is my thought, preach and rant over for today..... But i would welcome other opinions????

Today - 5th February - Just a question.......

Today is the 5th of february, I am away from home again in Cheshire, so I can be at my office for a number of meetings, including a very important meet tomorrow with a key partner. I would like to be at home (3 hours south!!) but I have to be here. I know my wife is not 100% well right now and I know my children are a handful as well as also not being fully well, but I also know that I need to be here to sort things out and win contracts for the future.

Anyway, enough of my feeling sorry for myself, or trying to justify the fact that I am away. Here is todays thought, and it is a question of sorts as I am looking for the answer and not really getting anywhere.

I am sorry that this following question may be seen as a little "hippy-dippy" but I guess this just shows my strange state of mind!!!

What really happens when a person passes on? Jacky Newcomb clearly believes in an afterlife. She believes in contact and also in "guardian angels". As far as Jacky is concerned when a person passes on they are not dying and and disappearing forever. A person is merely moving onto a "higher" plane and is able to contact those left behind for now.

It may take time to be able to contact the living. It may only be a brief and fleeting goodbye, BUT it is still contact of some sort.

Sometimes it takes the form of a dream, sometimes the contact arrival is announced by flickering lights or familiar scents. On other occasions the contact is through a familiar form, such as a specific bird, but in strange surroundings or an out of context habitat. Whatever the form taken Jacky is adamant, as are many, many others, that this is absolute contact and proof of an afterlife where already passed family and friends are waiting.

Now, here is my question............

I want to believe in this next stage. To a large degree I do because it is this hope that makes the future plausible. But in honesty, and purely as I don't know, does an afterlife exist. Is there some sort of life to move on to?

I know that my sister is adamant that my father (who passed away in 2004) is always helping her. When she needs extra figures to boost her sales at work, she asks for his help, and a sale walks in. Frequently she says she is "at Dad's" meaning the grave. My sister truly believes this situation.

A few weeks after my father passed my grandmother also moved on. I was close to my dad, and I was very close to my grandmother. Whilst I may have experienced my father's ghost I remain unsure.

I had some massage treatments a couple of years ago when I was suffering a lot of illness. The treatment lady announced one day that my grandmother was there and had been for a few sessions in the past. She also said that my grandmother had tried to pass me a tissue or piece of paper with something on it. I suggested my grandmother was just "seeing what was what". The following week my mother gave me a poem written down by my grandmother. Was this the note she tried to pass?? My mother did not know of this possible contact.

Now, all of this seems like proof, but is it? Can it just be a chain of coincidences and other peoples belief and wants?? If my father and grandmother are always there, why have they watched me have issues and problems without once appearing to me or offering any sort of covert help?

Has the contact actually been there and I have just missed it? Are my father and grandmother waiting for the correct time or a timely moment? What do I need to do to receive some sort of sign or contact?

I eagerly await any thoughts............

Today 4th February 2008

It is February, is this the "yukkiest month", is this why it is so short compared to the 30 or 31 day months?? Even allowing for this year being a leap year it is still short!! Or should we just say thank goodness it will soon be March and Spring can come marching on.................

And so the Rant -

I was out earlier today, I picked up my youngest from his school at lunchtime and then went to the local store to get a few things we needed.

50 yards from this store is a LARGE car park. 20 Feet from this store is a Zebra Crossing. Outside the shop is double yellow lines, and ALWAYS has been!!!

Why do people insist on parking on this penalty area to save a 2 minute walk? When there is more than one car here the Zig-Zags of the crossing are frequently parked upon.

Nobody seems to care!!!!

I know we live in a small village, but I also know this is still a busy road. Our Infant and Junior schools lie at either sides of the village and this road neatly disects the 2. This means either way the road has to be crossed.

Now the shop says "it is not their problem, and they can't stop parking outside!" is it not their problem or will the need to park in the car park stop the lazy people going to this shop. Will the shop's takings thus be down. It seems strange, most people illegally parked are going to "pop" in for cigarettes, but hey, who am I to bring this up!!!!

On a more seriousness note, what is going to happen when this parking causes a child (or anyone) to be knocked over, or worse killed? Is the car owner who caused it going to be prosecuted? Are they going to spend forever in remorse?

I have asked various drivers about parking here and I am met with sometimes an apology, but more often than not pure insolence.

I know it is "not my battle", I should and could walk past. But how am I going to feel when someone, young or old, gets knocked down when i might have stopped this. I don't want to save the NHS money. I don't want to do the undertakers out of money. I just want this inconsideration to STOP - before it is too late.

Any ideas??

Was he there.....

I sat in bed last night reading "An Angel by Your Side", by Jacky Newcomb. The introduction suggested I might relate to happenings that I did not realize were possible contact.

Spookily I am sure someone came into the room as I picked up the book. I thought it was one of my children at first but they were all in bed asleep and the door had not moved. My wife was still downstairs, was I sharing the book??

My actual experience relates back to 2005 when I was in Cyprus. my father and step-mother had retired there shortly before my fathers passing (late in 2004)from cancer. He was well known in Cyprus as he had had property there and been there for long periods of time for many years. This was my first visit since his death (back in his other property in London) and walking down the "main street" in old town Famugusta took 2 hours as everyone wanted to pass on condolences such was the effect he had on people. Honestly, Mr. Blobby would have attracted less attention!!!

Later that week I was by the pool, the kids were in the water and my wife was discussing something with our friends and my step-mother (who I am very close to) I was just dozing in the sun and after the emotion of earlier was trying to relax.

There was a small bakery next door that we used a lot, and often my father would go in there and buy pastries and sweets for us all to have for lunch and would appear next to the pool carrying the bag of food proudly, and my step-mother would tell him off for spoiling the kids and eating too much and getting fat!! but I know this was in jest as she really loved and still loves him!!

I was nearly (or maybe was)asleep, I heard footsteps and looked up. I was certain that there was my dad with a bag of food coming to join us. I smiled and sat up in readiness, I think I may have waved. At that point I came back to reality. My dad wasn't coming to join us as he was passed on. But I was so sure it was him and it had happened. No-one else saw, my wife said I had just been dreaming, the children were unaware.

I was shocked, and shed a tear, but also I was so sure it was true that I just felt sort of relaxed as this was "normal" happenings, and no doubt we would have shared a cheese pastry.

Was he really there? was I dreaming because of where I was and emotion? or as I now (having read the book) believe was he trying to make things like normal by bringing the food?

To add to my shock last night, not only was I possibly "joined" by someone, not only was I now believing I did see my father, but I could smell pastries and bread cooking!!

This smell lured me out of my room and downstairs, there was my wife baking Biscotti. Why was she baking at 11 o clock at night and why biscotti? She said "she just fancied" was this my fathers hand again...........

What do you think, or believe?? Tell me......

Soapbox politics - My rant on fuel prices......

Today I am having a rant about fuel prices and the actual effect they are having, and my small opinion on this whole issue. It may be "soapbox politics", and for that I am sorry however Time to Rant...........

I have received a number of "chain" emails over the last few weeks asking me to take various actions against the big fuel companies such as Shell, Esso and Conoco. The large oil companies keep reporting large profits on the one hand and then blamng the government on ridulously high UK fuel prices.

I have been looking into some facts to see whether the oil companies are really to blame or if there are other factors involved.

Last year (2007) the following was the case for duty the goverment collected -

50.35 pence per litre for ultra-low sulphur unleaded petrol/diesel
53.65 pence per litre for conventional unleaded petrol
56.94 pence per litre for conventional diesel
30.35 pence per litre for bio-diesel and bio ethanol - low tax to encourage consumer conversion
16.49 pence per kg for gas other than natural gas (LPG)
13.70 pence per kg for natural gas used as road fuel.
9.69 pence per litre for rebated gas oil (red diesel)
9.29 pence per litre for rebated fuel oil

If petrol cost (just!!) 90p a litre the following split would happen -

47.1p Duty
23.2p for the product
13.4p VAT
6.3p Retailer, including delivery

Now it is not taking a genius to see how this is working. As an average person in business 6.3p for every 90p is not a lot, especially after delivery is taken out of this. By the time an operating profit is taken out if the retailer makes a 2p per litre it will show excellent management. If a site is selling 1000 litres of fuel per day it will only show a petrol profit of £20 on the fuel. Now this is somewhat worrying. £20 will not cover a decent Chinese takeaway for 4!!!!

So how does a fuel stop make money? Obviously not on fuel, maybe on food, drink, magazines and the whole host of additional products now available.

As we can see the oil company is not actually making very much money in the UK from fuel and oil sales. In which case how is boycoting the petrol of a supplier like Shell actually going to help? All this is actually going to do is put even less money into the site and therefore into the staff wages.

It would appear very obvious that the problem lies elsewhere.........

So I say this - it is my opinion, and only an opinion, that actually the government is doing rather nicely out of us the motorist once more. The October price rises for duty put an additional £2.5 Million per day into the government coffers. I am pleased to know that my money is helping this. I ask where is it all going? Am I to believe the country is going into recession again, and that no money exists? Is my money actually being used to fund a war, in a foreign land, that I am not sure I actually believe in. Let's not be flippant over this but remember that some rounds of ammunition cost £60 thousand each, and soldiers will fire off a lot more than one!!!

When my red light is on and I need petrol, and am on the motorway, will I (or anyone else) actually look for a brand I am not boycoting, will I really care? No doubt we will all moan over the cost, but at the same time we will mop our brows because we have fuel now.

As I see it the only way to actually have things change is for a large oil company like ESSO to say "enough is enough. The tax on fuel is silly and we are only earning pennies per litre. We are cutting the price down, now"

And the government loses a lot, so we get taxed elsewhere!! but at least business can now afford to operate in order to try and make money and not just lose out.

If fuel prices fell to say, 79p a litre,who would really get hurt? I do a lot of miles and fill up at least once a week with diesel. It costs me (now) £75+ and I am getting 42+MPG out of my car. I do about 800 miles a week, so I must pay. I know people that do less miles in a month than I do in a week. So they only fill up once a month.

I pay duty on fuel weekly, that is my penalty for doing high business miles. My wife only pays duty on her fuel when she fills up monthly. So what is wrong with this, I say nothing, we all pay for the fuel we use. I use a lot so pay a lot, she uses less so pays less. This is my penalty!!

I appreciate my mileage is nearly all business and potentially a break would help my business, but fairs fair. I have to pay for the actual use I make, as we all should. So where is the problem here?

I suggest that there is no issue with these thoughts. I maintain that the actual problem lies fully at the door of the government. I say don't boycot a certain oil company, they are not really to blame. Ask the government to be realistic and change fuel duty NOW.

As a body of people, forgetting any political persuasion, the drivers of the UK represent a huge number of people. What is needed is a public voice - like a consumer champion such as Which Magazine or Top Gear - to stand up with us all behind them and to try and make a change.

Maybe any comments made on this Blog might help, leave them and see............

If we had an Hour left.........

I was reading an article last night on the Kristine and Richard Carlson's website. On the 13th December 2006 Richard very unexpectedly and suddenly passed away. In the words of a well known rock sock "only the good die young, the evil seem to live forever"how true does this seem.

In his life Richard and Kris inspired many people and their books in the"Don't Sweat" series have been an huge help to many, including myself and a great friend, who I started school with, who introduced me to them.

One of the things he asked was what would we do and who would we call, write to or speak to if we only had an hour left to live.

And this started me thinking, and looking on the net at related articles. I came across a great poem written and left where the twin towers fell that asked if the people who perished had known would they have done things differently or with more passion.

I am away from home as I write, I have been away all week (today is Thursday) and I won't get home to my family until tomorrow evening. Although I phone home lots, and talk to my wife and children it is not the same as being there. I may shout and get angry when I am at home but this is just frustration over events. I still class my family as most important and "going home" the closest thing we all have to roots.

Now I know that a few weeks ago my eldest son (10) asked if I was going as I was in a suit, I said yes - see you later. He again asked if I was going and I again reiterated I had a meeting and would be home soon. He asked if I was really coming home. I was touched and said of course. He showed saddness, apparently if I could have moved out then he could have a dog!!! So much for being touched, I can be replaced!!!!

What this actually made me realise is how much I need to return home to be with my wife and children. I may be away a lot, my office may be 200 miles from home, but I stilll view my family as very important. I go and see all 3 boys asleep at night and tuck them in. I kiss them goodnight and talk to them - they can't answer back Hurrah - sometimes I just stand a watch them asleep. I always say goodnight to my wife and somewhere along the lines, when at home, I touch her hand with mine, or foot with mine. I guess I just check she is there.

Last night I asked what would I do if I had an hour left, I think I would do the following........

An hour, it is not long enough to make a fruit cake or rock cakes so I had better forget these actions.

I would write to all my friends and thank them for all they have done over the past. Their support and help. Their understanding and their patience. I guess I would ask for them to look after my family for me and to remember me with a smile and not a tear.

I would then gather all of my family together. An hour is not long enough for a heartfelt outpouring of emotion. All I could do is hug them tight and tell them how much I love them. I would tell my boys all I could and ask them not to forget their worn out Dad. Maybe if my 10 year old gets a dog, name it after me!!

I would hold my wife and tell her all I haven't over the years (20 of them!!) and ask for her forgiveness for all of the stupid moves I have made over the years that she has supported regardless of what she really felt. Most of all, and last night I really realised this, I would cuddle her tight. Feel her whole body against mine and tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me and has meant to me. I guess I have never really done this.

It is a stretched out hour this, for I would also put in writing anything I could to my Children to help them on the way and I would put in writing any feelings I could to my Wife so she could have a lasting memory of me.

And finally, I would try and put down a short "mission statement" for the world to see that hopefully makes people think a little, remember a little, and try to give something back a little.

What would you do??

A worrying situation - The rant today......

I got sent an analgy to look at today as the sender thought I might be interested to see it and they were interested in turn to hear my opinion.

Now I am anything but a "goody two shoes" type of person. BUT I do not believe in racism, i do not care if a person is white, black, yellow or green!! I like people unreservedly, irrespective of background, race or colour. If a person and I do not "hit it off" and we do dislike each other I would hate to think this was anything other than a personality clash and certainly not race driven.

Here is the analagy as it was sent to me -

Haven't heard it put this way before, but it's a great analogy. I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. What a beauty of a bird feeder it is as I filled it lovingly with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere! Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And other birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit in my own back garden anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be ..... Quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now let's see..... Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than the Union Jack are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder. If you agree, pass it on; if not, continue cleaning up the poop!

Now, when i got this i read it quickly and thought it was a bit controversial!! I have now read it properly........

I am appalled that these type of thoughts are being sent around the internet using e-mail channels to "spread the word".

The analgy is very good. It uses birds to illustrate what is considered by its author a serious issue. We all can relate to birds and most of us have bird feeders scattered around our gardens or outside our flats. So we all can understand the analagy!!

However, when the subject is properly read it is one of the most inflamatory pieces of literature ever written. It is openly suggesting that UK immigration is the cause of all ills and that removal, of the immigrant population will solve all problems. It has to be assumed that this originated within a very racist organisation, or possibly a political party that is apparently growing in strength.

I am a white, british citizen from birth. I am not an ethnic minority or similar. I am blessed with lots of great friends - of all colours and races. I frequently visit Muslim countries such as Turkey and during my late teenage years I was in the Middle East for an extended period. I spend regular time in Northern Cyprus and have a large number of friends there both locals and ex-pat. Does this make me an expert? No. Does it mean I possibly see things from a varied perspective? Maybe.

In my opinion, and small experience, there is good and bad in all races. Does this make "immigrants" potentially all bad and set on taking over this country?

I would absolutely and without reservation say a rousounding NO, this thinking is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. In all races a small number of misguided people will undoubtedly cause these issue to be magnified.

The UK right now is far from perfect, BUT, how can it be correct (or right) to blame all the problems upon immigration. Without a doubt a small number of the immigrants that come to the UK are what we would call "radicals", hell-bent on recruiting more fundamentalists and creating havoc through terrorist actions and derogitory statements. However most people coming to the UK are just scared people, who like all of us are trying hard to provide for their families. They will have children to support and partners and parents who need help. All I see is a number of people who are trying hard, often for very low wages, to provide the best they can for their loved ones.

Surely this is all anyone wants, we look at countries such as Australia as the answer to our problems, we can't say if the grass is greener there, in the same way that people coming to the UK are looking for the country to provide them with a better way of life and future. Is there a difference? The only difference is see is the expectation.

The low wages we pay to immigrants they grab gratefully with both hands as a better option to their own countries. We emmigrate to offer a better future to our families, the change is that in the western world we live in we expect to go elsewhere and be even better off. The expectation is different, but the need is exactly the same.

Does this mean that in countries such as Australia we are looked upon as interlopers. Taking jobs from the incumbent peoples and causing trouble? I cannot answer this, but it is a worrying thought.

And so to the analagy, this was written and spread by a callous person(s). It without a doubt will stir up emotions. Some will agree with it and spread it more. As hatred grew in the 1930's in Germany it is again growing.

In the 1930's the but of issues were the Jew, now it is the Muslim and the immigrant. I see people from Poland, Afghanistan, Russia working as hard and often harder than the UK people. The immigrant stays grateful for anything, the British people often "just expect". Maybe, just maybe, people will sit up and think. This influx is not bad, this influx is not a threat. The influx has just highlighted the real issues, The "british people" feel they are too good to provide menial labour. Immigrants don't, they work long and hard to provide and they do not care how, they do not think anything is "too low" to be done.

I say the real problem is the author of the analgy. This analagy is inflamatory and disgusting. I suggest its writer is also disgusting. If their aim was to stir up emotion then it has worked. If its aim is to gain support for the thoughts, and scarily, maybe.

It is the job of everyone who is rational to now spread the good side of the coin, and to do all we can to stop these thoughts NOW. Please comment on this "rant" and let me know your feelings, maybe i am wrong!!!

Comedy - Just a thought.......

Last night a small group of us went to the Comedy Club in Central London. Can I start by thanking firstly a great friend for arranging this, secondly the Police Cadets and Police People we were with who were there early enough to secure the tickets and fabulous seats, and thirdly the acts that were on last night and the compare who were just brilliant, if a little "drunk" towards the end of the evening!!

But, and here comes the thought for today(!!), what is comedy really and what do we actually look for to make us laugh?

Let's look at the basics, what is actually comedy........

A man goes into a bar.... Is this funny, probably not

The same man walks into the same bar, Ouch... Now this has an air of comedy about it, predictable and juvenille, but comedy none the less. We are laughing at the misfortune and someones potential mishap.

The same man walks into a bar, with a crocodile up his posteria, Ouch and the crocodile falls out....We laugh more both at the misfortune and at the thought of a crocodile and the hidden question of "why is it there?"

So what is comedy, and how does it work? Without a doubt comedy based upon true life experience causes us all to laugh out loud. The comedians yesterday who relayed stories rather than 1 line "gags" were funnier. The 1 liners were funny, but the true comedy highlighted situations we have all been in and can relate to.

So, does this really highlight true comedy to an adult audience. I split up adults from children, as Children have a different sense of humour, and lots seems to revolve around "willys, bums and farts!!!"

Let's think of a situation - the car won't start - is this alone funny? probably not, we have all had this happen and we all have cursed. Has the car not started because of a potato in the exhaust? Again, the scenario can be made funny but it is not likely to have happened.

However the car won't start for a very mundane reason, it needs fuel perhaps, or (and more likely) it has diesel in and it is unleaded!!! Now, on face value this is a disaster but is it?

Is it not actually a lead into a comedy situation? We have experienced the annoyance of this, we have tried to solve the situation. But, put into the context of a comedy situation it suddenly becomes very funny. A car that doesn't run, NOT FUNNY!! Until we add in the why and the stupidity of something very mundane causing all these problems. We laugh because we have all experienced it. We laugh more and louder because we hope and assume that the misfortune is happening to someone else. This is purely the pleasure / pain scenario. Someone elses pain is pleasure for us.

We all laugh out loud at misfortune when someone else is experiencing it. We all laugh out loud when Billy Connolly swears and talks of how he got drunk in a bar with the local nutter. Every one of us laughs out loud as we can relate to this and in most cases can back up the story with a similar version of the same story that has definately happened to us. The similarity shows the comedian is a real person and poetic licence lets us expand "slightly" on what has happened so we can impress and be likened to the, now very popular, comedian.

Let me use last night as an example, the on-stage stand up talked off an Australian heckler, most people at the show nodded agreement as we would all swear we agreed that Aussies are uncouth. The comedian explained the heckler was suggesting the British were sad as we lost the ashes and gave the score. Whether we understood cricket or not, we all disliked the heckler instantly, more laughs to encourage the comedian more. The comedian then explained his very witty answer and its very bad timing. This misfortune caused a huge audience laugh, everyone hoped the next line told of the stand-ups fate. When it did the laughter was more and even greater. We all had a similar story to tell, and we all roared with laughter at some one elses problem. It is the Pleasure / Pain scenario all over again..........

Now what this actually tells is a deeper story, it is the one of does laughter help??

I say YES!! I openly admit to having had a torrid couple of years for various reasons. I know of friends who have also had a rough time, I know there are some of us still trying to get on an even keel. And I know that in the global scale of things our small issues are nothings, but to us they are huge, but there are also lots of other problems in the world. These are happening to individuals like me or whole nations, races or even the world.

What has universely helped - me, my friends, other people, nations races or the whole world?

I say the ability to laugh, that one small act of smiling and laughing shows that even when everything is looking dire, and solutions are not being found to problems. When all is looking black. Something, somewhere will raise a small smile and a tiny bit of laughter from us, this tiny act, this seemingly insignificant action makes a huge difference and just for a snapshot of time the despair can lift. It is these small periods of time that just about keep us going.

Laughter can come from the strangest sources, here is an example to leave the thought on.........

A few years ago I lost my Grandfather. At the time my now 10 year old was only about 2. The coffin was in the church, people were crying, my (now also dead!!) father was giving a very moving tribute to his now departed father. In the middle of all of this despair, at a time when emotions were fraut, my son wondered into the middle of the Church where the coffin was and had a good look, he asked a few strange questions about was "Grandad" in the "strange box" he looked all around it, and under it and then pointed at the coffin and stated it was very nice but he prefered yellow as a colour. For a short time the mood lifted, everyone laughed out loud, and the break in despair allowed my Father to finish what was a difficult speech.

The breaking of the despair we felt and the relief of laughter gave every person at the funeral a happier moment. The pause in proceedings gave us all a chance to compose ourselves to see the event through to the end. It is this ability of laughter that makes it special, and it is this lightening that allows us to carry on. For this reason I salute laughter and the bringers of laughter.

I hail these situations as moments to be captured and held and I ask for more.

Execution - Humane or Not??

I watched Michael Portillo last night exploring all apsects of execution. In the USA all executions are currently on-hold as execution may be too painful and thus impinge on the human rights of the condemmed person. It was Portillos brief to try and find a more humane method of execution that was "painless" to the prisoner and led to a swift death.

The thing is, should human rights be involved in execution. By the act of murder, and assuming that the conviction is solid, has the prisoner not waived any human rights that may have been held? Did the murderer ask his (or her) victim if their imminent death was causing them distress and thus not within the human rights brief? Was the victims death swift and painless or was it actually a long drawn out affair?

So what is the real question being asked, I believe it is more one as to whether the death penalty is viable in a modern world?

What is the death penalty in reality, it is a means of ending the life of an aggrivator as retribution for an action they have performed. Is this termination actually a very old method of sentencing that goes back to biblical times. Surely the act of applying the death penalty is the same as the old addage of "an eye for an eye".

Does this method of punishment provide an element of satisfaction or retribution for the family of a victim though. Whilst the death penalty is potentially a less expensive method of justice than incarseration, does it satisfy the suffering of the victim or their family.

Let's be honest, and bring things down to an analagy that is understandable -

A child is murdered (God forbid mine or anyone elses) the criminal has openly admitted the crime and a cast iron conviction has been the result of the prosecution. The sentence is still left open to be decided, what would I choose, if it was my call -

1. The criminal is executed, end of story a few months on death row and then a lethal injection. Human rights would argue this method (or any other method) was a painful cruel death, often taking as long as a few minutes to die. After the child had been murdered and probably suffered longer than this would we care? would I actually state that this was too swift a death?
2. Imprisonment forever, lock the criminal up and throw away the key. Does this mean the person will suffer whenever the loved one is thought of, everytime the incarserated person looks at the sky and thinks of the free world beyond the prison walls. Or will the criminal just get on with life, make new friends and make the most of the situation safe in prison, fed, watered and making new friends. Will this person over time feel remorse?
3. The criminal is subjected to a slow and painful death in the same vein as the family member has. the criminal at least is made to suffer at least for a while and forget the human rights people.
4. Give the criminal to the family, and their friends and family, and let us invoke their own form of justice up him. Let's really see the providing of "eye for eye" justice. Look away if you are squeamish and don't like to see suffering because there is a serious amount of upset to get out of the system. Then the friends and family have their anger to vent. Suffering, I would suggest that my feelings of this emotion might be fairly fired up here, as will my friends and families, and we might just provide real suffering and not over just a few minutes!!

Now the question is actually what is the real justice here. Unless we experience anything so vile we can only speculate. I would say as a father "give me the criminal, a swift execution is going to seem the easy way out when I have finished". I know this is irrational and not in the spirit of a modern world and proper justice, but, I can't help that.

Others might suggest the cruelty is actually locking up someone forever and letting them rot.

It might be that a slow, but controlled death is justice, but then what is a slow death and when does this actually become a form of torture not death?

What about a plain and simple execution, convict the criminal, lock them up and then kill them in whatever method is currently vogue. Is this actually a method of suffering. Let's forget the actual execution. Death in any form can actually only be a swift process, one breath alive and then nothing. However the build up to death and therefore execution can be made significantly horrific.

A criminal is convicted, a date for execution is set for 6 months time. How will the criminal react and suffer as this date draws closer. In the last 24 hours will the person dwell upon issues, will they suffer knowing that they are having the last meal, the last sleep, the last toilet trip or last view of sun, moon, rain or snow. Will the criminal care about this or are they hardened to not care. Is this the true difference between a murderer and a normal person. We care and think about things like this and they don't.

Do their familes suffer as we will, knowing their loved one, because regardless that is what they are, will die and they will not see them in this world again. Does saying goodbye hurt, it could be argued that at least they can say goodbye, or anything else, whilst the victims family were not given this chance. Is the potential suffering of the family some sort of consilation, or will the victims family actually feel some sort of sorrow for them as well?

Questions this has raised can probably, and hopefully, never be answered by most people. however I am intrigued by the feelings of others, please comment on your true feelings.

It can be said that regardless of what we feel of Michael Portillo, his documentary has raised a large number of questions, in me at least, I have found the whole experience thought provoking and for that I thank the BBC and Michael Portillo.

I ask all to post on this and maybe we can find an answer to a very old problem........

14th January 2008

Well here we are - another Monday, another day another dollar. It has been a very hectic weekend with kids football, my 4 year olds birthday party - thank you Tumble Tots for a fantastic job!! - and then more kids football a match this time, for U10's, and won convincingly, both 6-0 and 4-1. But it was so cold to watch as a spectator. I know that the help and support of friends has made this a good weekend, and without our great friends and neighbours joining us to help and relax both Saturday and Sunday I am sure things would have been harder and definately much less fun.

And now onto today's comment on important and often world issues!! This is the "rant" section.....

The news today has been very focussed upon an organ transplant system overhaul. It would appear that the government wants to make the organ donor decison an "opt-out"system insted of the current "opt-in". Is this potentially creating a situation where people are more worried about their dead bodies than their live ones.

Now, when we die do we need our organs, is there a "next place" where not being intact will lead to an inability to take a place in paradise. Is there an afterlife to be looked forward to that requires a complete body or will, as a TV sitcom suggested many years ago, provide ongoing discomfort as a potential donor enjoys life. Alcohol to aggravate kidneys, running to aggravate the heart, lots of sweet stuff to annoy a pancreas!!

But let's be more serious, how would oppinions differ if the requirement was closer to home. How would it be viewed if no kidneys could be found for your wife. How would it be if a cornea transplant was needed and a donor was not forthcoming.

Sometime over the future 10 years my wife might need new kidneys as hers have a disease now, and what the future holds is still very uncertain. If I need a kidney for my wife I will move heaven and earth to find one and will travel anywhere in the universe to fulfil this. It will be slightly easier if the pool of donors available was increased.

Recently a close friend of ours had a heart and lung transplant as well as a pancreas replacement. Our friend waited on tenderhooks for a transplant. She was lucky, a donor was found just in time. Many, many people are not this fortunate.

There maybe religious reasons why a person cannot be a donor, however, for most of us what difference will it really make. It may help a person that is actually in real need.

The question is one of "what if?" How will we ever know if there is a next life, how will we ever know if our bodies intact are going to be part of the next step. The answer is that we will probably not know until it is too late to react. Are we prepared to take a risk that we could help others and trust either in a God to take pity on us or our next step will not require organs for our rebirth, if there is to be anything like this.

The decision is purely a personal one. Our belief may be a passionate one, and the will to achieve strong. But this decision is ours and ours alone.

Most people actually don't care, carrying a donor card or not is of no consequence to them. Most people simply have never got round to filling a form in, and talking to loved ones about wishes. This is probably an unconcious way of not actually facing up to mortality. Would these people be happier to just have opted-in by default and let the medical people get on with it. The saddest part of this is whilst they dither or just can't be bothered people are dying unnecessarily through a lack of transplant organs.

What is more criminal a government initiative to help provide organs that may be a little like "big brother" or doing nothing and going to the grave intact but knowing that potentially useable organs will just rot or burn.

In life we go through lots, some good and some bad. In some instances we grab at whatever and take as much as possible that is to be taken. Is so wrong to want to give a little back, when we probably won't lament the loss, but can help so much. At the moment a lot of people can't smile as everything seems black. Families are desperate and then distraught as husbands and wives, sons and daughters are lost needlessly. Is it not the greatest gift available if life can be prolonged for these people.

I have 3 children and a wife, i relish in everyday that I see the children grow. I revel in every minute I get to be with my wife. How would I cope if robbed of this? How will I manage if my wife does need a kidney in the future and through lack of support we cannot get one quickly enough. How would my best friend be now if he had lost his wife and was left with a toddler to explain things to, if someone, somewhere was not carrying a card.

Should the government be able to force this decison upon us? That view must remain unanswered and a personal feeling. The bigger question is one of whether it is fair to not help people live through our death, because this decision reveals our mortality and that is what we don't like.

Put aside selfish thoughts, put away feelings of creepiness (that we all have over this!!), forget the "what if" question. It is very simple we all take, take, take, this is a chance to give back a little something. Is the warm feeling that this knowledge brings not enough to actually make the decison a lot easier to make.

Don't sit on thoughts, don't wait until it is too late. A chance exists to feel proud and to do something that through the sorrow of departure will make grieving families and friends proud. The ability to provide, the ability to have that power at our fingertips, and the knowing that this will happen is what we all want and all can do.

I SAY PREPARE NOW TO SAVE LIVES IN THE FUTURE - OPT-IN TODAY REGARDLESS

10th Jan - How does this work???!!!

I just heard a news item about our "esteemed" leader of a few months ago. How could we as a country not have been "Great" Britain with the Labour party and Mr. Blair at our helm???!!!!!

Mr. Blair has now taken a job as "an advisor" for an American investement bank. He will be paid a basic salary for this role of at least £500K per annum.

Now how does this work? What exactly is being "advised" upon.......

• How to run a country? Maybe this should read How NOT to run a country?
• The Labour Party and war?
• How to be a puppet for another country
• How to enter into a war that no-one really understands or can see the point of?
• Man management?
• Spin Doctor management?
• Spin Doctor understanding?
• Relationship Building

Surely the role should actually be on of "doors that can be opened using My name" and "Business that can be won, as I was the English PM"

Why can't the bank be honest, everyone, even the Police, have a deliverable and target, (Thames Valley ask for 300 points per month of motorist tickets) and a bank has a large financial target to hit. Let's be realistic to earn a salary of £10K per week the ex-PM must have promised he can generate around £100k per week of additional revenue, and sustain this. A tall target to meet!!

I absolutely do not think any politician, especially an ex-PM, should not benefit from this previous role. An ex-PM must have an address book that reads like Who's Who and why not use some of these contacts.

But this is a man who can't even be straight about his religious leanings, one minute he is resolutely C of E and yet now he is staunch Catholic, like his wife, he has lived as a Catholic for many years hence his recent fatherhood, so why state he is so much of a C of E person when he is so obviously not!!!!

I do not have an issue about this either, but how is his new role going to help Britain, and how can he be taken seriously when this was obviously his long term game plan and yet personally he "doesn't know." All I ask, and continue to ask is for a little honesty.

I believe our previous "leader" may write his memoirs, i have a few suggestions for the title -

• Countries I have known
• Resources I have helped others take control of
• The Tony Blair book of good decisions - A very thin book!!
• The Tony Balir book of People I know - A very heavy book!!
• The Tony Blair book of how to ignore any advice given
• The Tony Blair book of how to ignore a WHOLE country asking WHY??!!
• Management for Dummies

I am sure i could go on and on with titles and also with this "rant" but I won't, although I offer doubt over Mr. Blair, I am sure I would say the same about other leaders. I am sure when Mr. Brown is removed he will have made a worse mess of things, and i shall go on even more.

So I am a little annoyed by this "new role" maybe at the bank more than the man, but I am concerned because ultimately WE have all been affected in the past by Mr. Blairs decisions, and we may still be, and this is the problem.

I welcome any additional comments, whatever you really think......

A very quick rant having read a news release

This is just a quick rant having just read a news release about the M&S quarterly sales figures......

Today is the 9th of January and M&S are saying that like for like sales are down by 2.2%.

Now M&S say this is due to market forces, consumer confidence being down, interest rates, the cash squeeze etc...

I say NO, the sales in M&S are down for other reasons. In my opinion, and only in my opinion, the reason M&S sales are down is purely as they do not have enough stock or any idea of what they actually have.

I am still trying to sort out my Christmas orders as firstly M&S cancel my order, then dispatch it!! I have received some but not all of it, and M&S remain silent. Despite my continual requests to speak to them to try and solve issues and find out what they think I should have and what I actually have.

So I would say that market forces may have effected the M&S sales, and telling me goods are not any old goods but M&S goods in TV adverts may be good for them, but as a consumer I now am using other online suppliers as I can no longer trust M&S

Let us be honest, I get stuff from Hong Kong in 2 weeks, the USA in 1 week and other suppliers in the UK, who are actually only small in comparison, can get me goods in a day!!

Is my confidence with M&S who just don't know what they have done or suppliers that do.

M&S have always been viewed as the main-stay of British retailing, I am afraid that these laurels cannot be rested upon and these figures and mine, and other consumers experiences, just go to prove this further.

Mr. Rose may be spouting off all sorts of "pink spectacle" quotes and the belief may be that it is fine. But I suggest sell the group to Philip Green and let him get on with making M&S back to the mainstay of the British retail market again.

Any thoughts????