42 Days

So current Home Secretary Jacqui (or however the f**k she spells it) Smith wants to detain terrorist suspects for 42 days without charge then? Oh, but she won’t release any actual evidence as to why it’s required, only that she believes that it might be useful in the future. What a lot of bollocks!

Why don’t they release the evidence? In fact why don’t they try being a more open with what info they have generally? Why don’t they tell us for instance, “Well there’s a bunch of lads in a terrace in (insert address here) who we suspect of planning a terrorist atrocity.”? I’m bloody sure that if they did that, there wouldn’t be much need for the security services to keep the suspects under watch any longer. The law-abiding locals could do that quite nicely, thank you!

Frankly there is no need for Britain to have a longer period of pre-charge detention on the statute books. We already have one of the longest periods of any developed nation. It’s the overly controlling government trying to look tough again while doing f**k all about the actual causes of whatever terrorist threat we face. I strongly suspect that the actual threat is hugely magnified to let this shower of cretins push through bill after bill relatively unopposed.

I only hope enough of their own backbenchers grow a spine and kick this bill into touch. To see the government slapped down over this once again would be marvellous. Then we can get started on the ID card bullshit.

Ah, we've been expecting you...

I was puzzled to hear the BBC news announce this morning that British troops are preparing to launch a massive attack on Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan.

That’s the element of surprise blown then – nice one BBC!

You Choob Stuff

I was mooching around on YouTube last night looking at a few music videos and I cam across a real treasure. I like Jack Johnson a lot and this is him at his best, playing live, with just his guitar for accompaniment:

Anyway, in searching for Jack Johnson videos, I came across another guy by the name of Ben Harper. I’d never head of him before, but as his website shows a discography of about a dozen albums, I’m guessing someone has! This video is a peach:

…and this one is simply divine:

However, best of all, I found this video of both Jack and Ben playing together. Just listen to it and try to remain in a stressed frame of mind:

Splendid stuff.

Ebay...

Recently, Mrs. Countryboy has been selling a load of old stuff on EBay. It’s mainly clothing that our kids have grown out of so what better than to sell them on, let someone else get use out of them and make a few quid in the process. Most of the clothes are from Next, Monsoon or Boden and thus are good quality and, though used, in excellent condition.

What has driven both of us nuts, though is the standard of world-class muppet that seems to buy stuff on EBay. A case in point:

One boy’s t-shirt from Monsoon was described (very honestly) as being in good condition, but worn. This t-shirt would cost about fifteen quid new, so someone picked up a bargain when they won the auction for £1.04 + P&P. The item was duly and promptly posted to the lucky winner so imagine our surprise to receive less than glowing feedback. I fact a comment was left about the item having been more worn than expected!

Well a few points, Bozo:

1. It was described as being worn
2. It’s generally accepted that Ebay items are sold-as –seen i.e. caveat emptor
3. It WAS is bloody good condition
4. YOU JUST GOT A FIFTEEN-QUID T-SHIRT FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN A POUND!!! IT COST MORE TO POST THAN IT COST YOU TO BUY IT!!!

Honestly. However (and to add a little perspective) here is a question - typed exactly as it was received - from the winning buyer:

“can u well me have u posted item yet?as i still no recieved it thanx.”

Good Lord, our education system really has an alumnus of which it can be proud!

Awesome Dude!

A note to all Americans and many British people too:

If I tell you a piece of good news, the purchase of a new car for instance, it is probably not “awesome”. Likewise, if you went to a party/film at the cinema/music concert, then that was probably not actually “awesome” either. Stunts on a skateboard, snowboard or BMX are similarly not “awesome”:

Truly awesome things are:

The enormity of space and the universe
The depth and power of the oceans
The height and majesty of the Himalaya

…and other things of an equivalent scale. Exciting everyday events are not awesome, no matter how much fun they were. Truly awesome things inspire awe in the viewer, so there’s a bit of a clue in the name. Please find another more suitable adjective (or better still a small range of them).

Just thought I’d mention it

Travel and Adventure

An open note to all “gap” year students and frustrated single thirty-somethings everywhere:

A two-month package trip to the Far East, visiting every clichéd tourist hotspot in the “Lonely Planet” guide is not “travelling” and neither is it “adventuring”. Yes, you may well have had an armful of inoculations and be carrying your clothes in a rucksack, but I’m afraid you’re still just a tourist.

Sir Ernest Shackleton, Scott of the Antarctic, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and their kind are adventurers so don’t belittle their endeavours by classing your daddy-funded, advertised-in-the-back-of-the-Grauniad, Summer holiday between University and real life as such.

Oh and while I’m on, before you bang on about how beautiful Ayres Rock/Ko Samui/The Sydney Opera House etc. is, please be sure that you have also experienced some of this country’s scenic, archaeological and architectural treasures as well. Just because you haven’t had to fly half way around the world to see them doesn’t make them any less important. I’ve lost track of the number of “adventurers” and “travellers” who wank on about having gone to the Far East to find themselves, but have never been to Cornwall or the Lake District.

Rant over, off you go now.

Sweet Jesus!!!

Yesterday, I was standing in the queue to pay for petrol at the motorway services when (despite my best efforts) a packet of sweets took my fancy. A packet of those little zesty fruit sweets called “Aquadrops” top be precise. I’ve tried them before when my dad bought some and they are quite nice – a sort of fruit/mint boiled sweet in a fancy packet.



They come in lemon or apple flavours and I opted for apple. Anyway, the shop assistant dutifully rang them into the till and I saw the price. F**k me – 90p for a small plastic tub of boiled sweets!!! There are 32 grams in total so that equates to almost £2.70 for 100 grams (or a “quarter” in old money)! I can get a quarter of boiled sweets for 89p in my local newsagent. OK, so they’re in a paper bag and not a trendy plastic box, but that adds a certain old world charm in my view.

Good job I’ll be booking that one to expenses then isn’t it?

Meanwhile in Panama...

So the wife of disappeared/reappeared/can’t remember where the hell he’s been canoeist John Darwin describes her life as a “nightmare”, does she? Well you should have thought of that love, before trying to pull that dodgy life insurance scam!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/7130046.stm

Wise Words Womble

While I’m in a “fed up with the Government” kind of mood (which, let’s face it, is most of the time) have a read of this superb blog entry by Womble:

Womble's Rants: It's gone too far

Says it all for me, at the moment.

Roll of Honour

I was inspired to start blogging after reading some excellent blogs maintained by a few of the guys and gals on the Ludlow Survivors website. These ones are particularly noteworthy:

Womble’s Rants
Spike’s Mutterings

…and while on the subject, if you have even a passing interest in preparing for the unexpected, have a look on my favourite message board:

Ludlow Survivors

All well worth a read in my humble opinion.

You wouldn’t want one of these in your bath!

Check this out:

I heard on the news this morning that archaeologists have discovered the fossilised remains of a giant scorpion that lived 320 million years ago. It would have been 2.5 meters long with bleeding great claws - quite a beast really. Apparently, it's OK though, because it didn’t have as sting in its tail. Bloody hell, I don’t think it needed one!

Full story here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7104421.stm

Bloody Labour Muppets (Again)!

There I am, doing my best to chill out driving home last night when THIS comes up on the news!

I am absolutely staggered that such important data has been treated as though it were no more important than an ordinary parcel. What concerns me even more is the implication this has for a Government that claims to be able to manage a complete National Identity Register. I had little trust in the Government to start with, but whatever little there may have been has now been eroded completely. How inept can a system be that allows key, personal data to be copied onto a CD?

What angered me further still was the attitude of the Home Office spokesman on Radio 4 last night. She patronisingly claimed that the National Identity Database would be free from this sort of risk as it was much more technically complex (I paraphrase her exact words, but that was the clear implication). To me this rationale is fundamentally flawed. In all other aspects of life, until someone can manage a simple system successfully, they are not given control of a more complex one. Would an RAF Tornado pilot be allowed to fly millions of pounds-worth of fast jet if they had not first mastered the controls of a basic, propeller driven trainer? I think not.

Our current Government seems to be of the belief that if there is a problem, technology has the ability to solve it. They never look at the underlying management structures and systems (the NHS being a glaring case in point) but simply invest billions in computer technology. Furthermore, I do not believe that they have the background or expertise to understand the gravity of this assumption. How can a bunch of people with little “real world” experience claim to know best how to implement a massive computer database. A system may have all of the safeguards in the world, but that does not take into account the human factor. I shudder when I think of the ramifications should even more critical, personal data to be lost from an even more comprehensive database.

My advice? Write to your MP and get onboard with these guys.

Blogging Again

Well, here we go again.

I had a blog a while back, but in a fit of pique (brought on by reasons that I can't remember) I went and deleted it. Anyway, in an equally spur-of-the-moment decision, I decided to set up a new one.

I used the old blog as a place to empty my head of the clutter of everyday life. A sounding-board, shoulder to cry on - call it what you will, but I did find it a useful tool. I plan to use this one in exactly the same manner. No theme or particular political message, just somewhere to store those persistent thoughts and stop them banging around inside my head.

Let's hope I manage to keep this one up for longer than the last.

First Up.....

I'd like to use the first post in my new blog to say,

"Vicki, Charlotte and Alex, I love you all. You're what makes it all worthwhile!"

xxx

Edited (very, very belatedly) on 3rd June 2008 to add:

Beatrice, I love you too though you weren't around when I typed the first post!

xxx