Gone, but not forgotten

It has been some time since I blogged or in fact, wrote anything, so now it's a bit like I'm now scared to. For someone who could write around 6 different news type blogs a day this lack of writing is a bit strange.

Realistically it because I've totally lost confidence in my ability to actually write anything useful, relevant or indeed interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I've tried.

Ive researched information on wide ranging topics from the anniversary of 'Casablanca' which is one of my most favourite films to pregnancy, sickness, shootings and even why Rudolph has a red nose....

Which I must admit did appeal to my inner geek.

Lack of self belief sucks almost as much as being overly confident to the point arrogance is annoying as hell for everyone else.

I've even taken to dyeing random bits and areas of my hair bizarre colours in order to find out what's wrong with my whinging, moaning self.

So, how do you 'find yourself' when you realise that you are lost and every day is exactly the same, no one listens to you, no one seems to care about your thoughts, feelings, ideas and abilities.

Well, here is what I'm doing (any assistance in the way of ideas, support, motivation or arse kicking is MORE than welcome)

I'm going to change the things I don't like.

Ta Da!! I didn't even need to read 'Psychology Today' for that.


By the way..... In case you're interested, Rudolph's nose would appear to be red because they have a higher concentration of red blood cells than humans. Apparently 25% more than us humans. Though, I can't find any information in the study about whether or not the bunch of Scientists gave their cocaine supply to the reindeer, or simply kept it to themselves.



In fact, you would even say it glows.... as the infra red photo shows.

The Aberdare Fairy Godmother

When I read that unemployed people in Aberdare were to be given free fake tans to boost their employment chances, I actually thought that the world had gone bonkers. I mean, it's right up there along with the guy in China who sued his wife 'cause she's ugly. (He won the case by the way).


Surely, the government had completely lost the plot somewhere along the line. I mean really. Would being tango'd increase your job prospects?
So, I had a laugh about it, a small rant about 'tax-payers money' and how even more ridiculous the guests on Jeremy Kyle would look when they are orange.


Then, I actually thought about it a bit and read some information rather than just the tabloid headlines.
This 'scheme' if you want to call it that, isn't actually run by the government, you don't get handed a bottle of 'Lauren's Way' self tan along with your giro (are they still called giros?)
Nope the TOWIE crew weren't sharp enough for this clever piece of marketing mixed with a bit of altruism.
We all know that if you look better, you feel better inside, more confident, more positive and have a bit of a spark that can be missing when you're run down by everyday life and the daily grind.
Now, much as the press love their sweeping generalisations that all unemployed people are lazy gits that sit on their arse all day, drinking, smoking, breeding their staffies and aiming to appear on daytime tv, it's not always the case.
Even trying to find another job, whether unemployed or not can take its toll on your self confidence. After even several knock backs, your opinion of yourself starts to wane.
It's at that point when the appearance of a fairy godmother could prove very useful. Ok, The Well-being and Training Academy call it a Gok Wan makeover and in some cases that could be way more useful than a couple of mice and a pumpkin. But the press have merely picked up on a non-profit organisation helping unemployed people feel a bit more confident and turned it in to......well, a sensationalist type headline.


The director of the academy told The Telegraph, “We want to give people that extra confidence – or that Gok Wan makeover – to give people the incentive to find work. It will recognise those who are doing their utmost to find unemployment by giving them a beauty treatment.”
Notice it says 'A BEAUTY TREATMENT' Sarah Sweeden did not say 'I think making the unemployed population of Aberdare look like oompa-loompas will be a right hoot' (though it would amuse me if she did).
They have nutritionists, beauty therapists, fitness instructors, personal trainers and offer holistic therapies too, it's not all TOWIE tans & vajazzles.


I have a lot of admiration for people giving back to their community and if it helps a couple of people feel better about themselves, then it's all good.
Pay it forward guys. Maybe some organisations should do that too.

Jimmy Savile and the cast of hundreds

I have put so much research into this blog that it would frighten you. I normally like to get a few different view points, read some other versions of events and make up my own mind.

So, as normal, I read some newspaper articles, watched some TV and then as Morpheus says in The Matrix ‘You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.’

When it comes to this story, I took the red pill and I’m sure that many people involved wish that they had taken the red pill too.

Right, make yourself a cuppa, get comfortable and then read this. See, I want you in a rational and unemotional mind set. I promise to include links to supplementary information where possible, I’ll lay off the clichés and I will make a sincere effort not to get emotional or all ‘ranty’ about it.

OK?

Deep breath now.

Assume for one minute that Jimmy Savile did not tamper with any young girl (or girls) and all these claims of sexual abuse and molestation are completely 100% fictitious

Whoa! Wait a minute, I don’t care what you believe or what you think you believe or even if you are fed up to the back teeth hearing about a shell-suited gold wearing OAP with his hands down a child’s pants. (Sorry about the cliché)

Why would a bunch of women all come forward almost a year after the guy’s death to ruin the ‘good’ name of a man who raised millions for charity and is an icon in British Society?

Obviously I am no shrink or specialist in psychological disorders, but the person making the allegation would have to be fulfilling some sort of personal agenda (albeit a bit warped).

What would the reason be? Blackmail, extortion, discrediting their good name and image?

That isn’t really going to happen when the dude is 6 foot under.

However, it isn’t just one person is it?

No, no its not. The last I read the Metropolitan police were investigating 340 lines of inquiry, which involved 40 different victims and 12 formal criminal allegations.

I wondered why these people had not come forward earlier, as is only natural I suppose. However, these people actually DID make complaints against the DJ/Presenter/self appointed god like being and were told everything under the sun from ‘Not enough evidence’ to ‘don’t you like it?’ and even ‘Are you a lesbian’.

As individual claims these can be easily dismissed and indeed they were especially as they occurred in different areas of the country. We realise with how long it took to apprehend Peter Sutcliffe that police forces don’t always speak to each other.

However, as Alice wandered down the rabbit hole she found out that in 1994 the Sunday Mirror had "credible and convincing" evidence from two women who claimed Savile had been guilty of abusing them at a children's home. But was advised that the case wasn’t strong enough to avoid libel action.

What about Jimmy’s links with Haute de la Garenne in Jersey? The Sun newspaper was sued in 2008 over articles linking him to children’s home where remains of tortured children were found. Apparently 151 culprits were identified……….maybe there are even more ‘celebrities’ about to have their hiding place found.

Certainly, the names I have read or been hinted at are Ted Heath, Gary Glitter, John Peel, Dave Lee Travis, Freddie Starr and the possibility of the rabbit hole being deeper is all too apparent.

As far as I’m aware there are complaints being made from Stoke Mandeville, The BBC, Leeds General Infirmary, Broadmoor, Duncroft Approved School in Staines and Haut de la Garenne children’s home in Jersey.

Jimmy Savile ‘allegedly’ supplied fresh young boys for Ted Heath to take out on his boat ‘Morning Cloud’ which links in very nicely with a bit of government corruption regarding Jeremy Thorpes getting off with an attempted murder charge.

Our libel laws meant that many allegations that would (and will) surface was always kept nicely packed away.

What about Jimmy Savile’s links with our nice and friendly serial killer & rapist Peter Sutcliffe, AKA the Yorkshire Ripper?

AHA! Not only did Jimmy Savile spend a fair amount of time at Broadmoor (not my choice of destination) but at Sutcliffe’s trial whose house was mentioned? Eh?

‘Mr Sutcliffe also told police he left the murder scene after he heard voices, but couldn’t tell where they came from. He also heard a car being driven away from the entrance to a house. Later he found out that the house was where disc jockey Jimmy Savile lived’

Well it may be dodgy but it certainly isn’t hard evidence.

Make up your mind but have a look at some of the information I found and as promised, here are some interesting articles for you to have a look at.

http://www.everything2.com/title/The+Dark+Side+of+Jimmy+Savile

http://yiannopoulos.net/2011/10/29/jimmy-savile-and-the-masonic-child-abuse-on-jersey-how-long-before-people-start-talking/

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=33514

http://trashcity.org/content/how-i-managed-to-piss-off-jimmy-saville/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g_zx4dp-qbk

http://www.anorak.co.uk/336013/celebrities/jerry-sadowitz-was-right-about-jimmy-savile.html/#comments

Who needs gun carrying police anyway?

If we see a police officer carrying a gun, we automatically think that something really BIG is ‘going down’. To the point where when you travel to the US it seems very frightening to see guns all the time.

I’m not going to get into a gun debate, that’s not what I’m writing about. What I am writing about is the small town of Vaughn in the state of New Mexico. It’s about 100 miles or so East of Albuquerque (which I have heard of) and with a population of about 450 it’s even smaller than my wonderful home town.

Hence, it doesn’t really need a huge police force.

Which is just as well really as the Vaughn Police Department Chief, Chris ‘Ernest’ Armijo resigned on Wednesday. This leaves Brian Bernal who isn’t a trained or certified police officer and Nikka a Belgian Malinos.

Uncertified police officers cannot make arrests or carry guns, which leaves the only trained police officer with full credentials to be Nikka the dog.

Luckily for the town of Vaughn the State Police and Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office handle the area also…..just in case there is a crime that Nikka can’t deal with.

I’m not going to make fun of the drug sniffing Nikka or Armijo who hadn’t completed the certification to handle her and apparently owes thousands in child support in Texas and faces charges of selling town-owned rifles and keeping the cash, or Bernal who pleaded guilty to assault and battery charges. It is very tempting to have a cheap laugh at the expense of the town, but I know what its like to stay in a town that people like to make fun of.

Here’s to Nikka, the only cop on the police force without a criminal record! Wonder if we look close enough at our police forces in the UK what we would find?

Sid Watkins: Life in the Fast Lane

Today, I awoke to the news that Professor Sid Watkins had died.




That may, or may not mean anything to you; it depends on whether or not you have knowledge of F1. Without Sid, F1 would not be as safe as it is today, working practices for track side safety would not be as they are.



I am going to try not to mourn his death, but celebrate his life for the 84 year old was a great man who pushed hard for improvements to safety on the track and worked hard at his ‘day job’ at Whitechapel Hospital in London.

No doubt much will be made of his friendship with Ayrton Senna, but I think distracts from his other work.



The Prof, or Sid as he liked to be known, was a neurosurgeon to trade and as such founded the Brain and Spine Foundation to help people with disorders that affected the brain and spine.

He saved the lives of Mikka Hakkinen, Martin Donnelly and Gerhard Berger. Rubens Barricello reckons he owes his life to Sid as well after his monumental crash in 1994, the same weekend that Ratzenberger and Senna died.



Sid’s story goes way back before that though, all the way to Brands Hatch in 1961 where he spent his free time being a trackside doctor. In the early days when he began working with Bernie Ecclestone at formula one, he would often bring his own medical supplies as the ones supplied at the track were few and far between. A far cry from today, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Improvements to safety kicked off in 1978 when Sid couldn’t get to Ronnie Peterson immediately after his crash at Monza because of the police blocking his way. Watkins demanded a medical car, an anaesthetist, a helicopter and better safety equipment, most of which Bernie had in place for the very next race.



I celebrate his life, Sid Watkins, the man who looked after the people who lived and raced in the fast lane, but Ill leave you with a quote from Ron Dennis "Today the world of motor racing lost one of it's true greats," said McLaren chairman and former team principal Ron Dennis, whose cars took Senna to all of his titles, in a statement.

"No he wasn't a driver. No he wasn't an engineer. No, he wasn't a designer. He was a doctor and it's probably fair to say that he did more than anyone, over many years, to make Formula One as safe as it is today.

"Many drivers and ex-drivers owe their lives to his careful and expert work, which resulted in the massive advances in safety levels that today's drivers possibly take for granted."

Says it all really.

(some pictures courtesty of richardsF1.com)

Trapped in a Different Reality

So, there you have it. Larry Wachowski is now Lana Wachowski.




To begin with, my thoughts were ‘yeah, whatever. Big deal, Lana/Larry as long as she is happy does it really matter?’ I didn’t really care, it wasn’t a big deal.

Well, let me quantify that a bit, see, I don’t care what someone looks like on the outside, it’s who the person is inside that matters most. Some are tall, small, stocky, thin, no hair, loads of hair, blue eyes, whatever. You get the picture though, we all look different (except for identical twins/multiple birth kids…obviously) and I think that is a good thing. I’m not going to judge someone on what they look like.

But is it wrong for me to say that I don’t care whether Lana Wachowski used to be Larry or not?

This is the harder bit. I am fully aware that it’s not any of my business; I won’t stop watching Wachowski films because one of them is suddenly a burd not a bloke.

Incidentally, I am aware that the whole gender reassignment thing (program maybe? Does gender reassigning have a special terminology? I don’t know) takes years and is stressful for everyone around the person who actually has the gender changing operation.

I think therefore, that this is not so much a story of Larry waking up one day and wanting to be Lana, but of a person not being happy with who they are and feeling trapped, right up to the point where they can’t handle the situation anymore.

Then, having the courage to do something about it.

It takes a really strong person to stand against the crowd and society’s expectations of you and do you own thing, so I am proud of Lana, even though she won’t particularly give a hoot about what I think. I suppose maybe the feeling of being so very different, then becoming more uncomfortable in your own world and body would help you create the kinds of alternate reality that the Wachowskis have done so successfully.

Where would film making be without the ubiquitous 'Matrix' slowed down in air fight scenes?


Ill keep watching repeats of ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Speed Racer’, Ill even watch ‘Cloud Atlas’ when it is released.


Purely because Lana and Andy Wachowski never do half measures.

(By the way, if you ever do read this Lana, I think your hot pink dreads are AWESOME)

They're Watching. Trust No One

It's the turn of another Armstrong to be in the news now. It's all about Neil this time, not Lance.

Sadly, the man who didn't want to be an icon died today at the age of 82.

Everyone and their dog will be writing a huge obituary for Neil Armstrong about moon walking, NASA, the one step thing and his heart by-pass surgery. But I reckon if you're reading my blog, you're looking for something different.


Ok, Neil Armstrong is way more famous for the small step/giant leap statement that he came out with in 1969 when he went to the moon with some other guys.

I realise that sounds very flippant and unemotional but I wasn't there to experience it. There are many huge world events that I can recall with emotion, wonderment and awe, like the Berlin Wall coming down, Nelson Mandela being released from prison and the wedding of Charles and Diana, (well I was very young and impressionable).

So, without further ado.....

"We have no proof, But if we extrapolate, based on the best information we have available to us, we have to come to the conclusion that ... other life probably exists out there and perhaps in many places." yeah, this comes from the one and only Neil Armstrong.

But why is this quote from 1999 so important?

Quite simply because it's not the only time that anyone from NASA has hinted at coverups regarding aliens. I cannot promise that I won't use any 'X Files' quotes, but I will try not to go all Fox Mulder on you.

The Internet is FULL of conspiracy theories regarding aliens and everything to do with them. There are books, tv series, films and blogs about what has been seen, found, crashed and abducted.

Perhaps the most interesting (that I've found) is from a book by Jon King called 'Cosmic Top Secret'

"Through the crackle and pop of what many believe was a deliberately contrived poor-quality broadcast, Armstrong was heard to say he could see a ‘light’ on the rim of a nearby crater. Mission Control responded with a request for more information, following which the transmission went dead.


For a full two minutes nothing was heard…

Or was it? According to former NASA employee, Otto Binder, who worked on the Apollo program, US radio hams picked up the following conversation, which was alleged to have taken place during the transmission black-out.

Neil Armstrong: ‘What was it? What the hell was it? That’s all I want to know…’

Mission Control: ‘What’s there? … [garbled transmission] … Mission Control calling Apollo Eleven…’

Neil Armstrong: ‘These babies are huge, sir … enormous. Oh, God … you wouldn’t believe it! I’m telling you there are other spacecraft out there, lined up on the far side of the crater edge. They’re on the moon watching us…’

Though NASA has always denied the authenticity of the transmission, former NASA technician, Maurice Chatelain, revealed otherwise.

‘The encounter was common knowledge in NASA,’ he said in 1979. ‘But nobody has talked about it until now.’

Chatelain also confirmed radio communications were interrupted several times during the Apollo 11 mission ‘in order to keep the truth from the public’."

Is it important to point out the author's name is Jon King and not Jo King, and he has written books about a Princess Diana conspiracy theory too?

Maybe not, but you know how I like to share as much information as possible with you.

Seems like Mike Collins may have been the lucky one after all eh? Never mind guys......I'm sure the truth is out there!



http://www.thetruthbehindthescenes.org/aliens-living-among-us/
http://nagfa.blogspot.co.uk/2006/08/hi-welcome-to-ambigrams-by-nagfa-to.html

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Safe as Houses against those Zombies

By now I really hope that I don’t need to tell you about my weird love of the un-dead. You know like vampires, zombies, revenants, ghouls, the usual sort of stuff for a girlie to be fascinated with.


It isn’t a secret that when the big ‘awakening’ happens I’m going to re-train for a career in necromancy. Realistically, the hours and pay will be better and I wouldn’t have to get up so early in the morning, thus reducing childcare costs. Bonus!

When I heard of the competition run by http://zombiesafehouse.wordpress.com/ I knew that I had to find out more. Amazingly I found out about it via ‘The Economist’ (who says I read trashy stuff eh?) Anyway, Zombie Safe House hosts a competition to design, well, a zombie proof house.

Cool!

I won’t lie to you, it is something that has crossed my mind, you know, survival and that, learning how to make arrows to shoot your undead friends and family, whether or not a zombie virus would affect your pets or could I train my dog to ward off attacks? (Mira Grant's Feed or Max Brooks' World War Z) Things like, how long would it be until electricity ran out & I couldn’t charge my phone…… No idea who I'd call anyway.

I was going to say that the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse is virtually non-existent, but is it really so hard to believe that something, somewhere could threaten the global population?

Lets face it many people completely pooed their pants (as my son would say) over Swine Flu and Avian Flu. However I’m meaning things like global warming, an asteroid hitting the planet, or the possibility of the infamous La Palma Tsunami, you know the sort of thing. Whether that involves Gwyneth Paltrow sneezing or Simon Pegg getting rid of his record collection, who can tell?

Major events that would wipe out a huge chunk of the worlds population that we secretly wouldn’t mind cause it would save us all going into work on Monday and bring about a new, more exciting lifestyle. (If your name is Chuck Norris)

I realise that architects could probably utilise their time a bit better than designing homes for a zombie apocalypse competition but lets be honest, surely architects cant be as dull as accountants? Luckily, there are a few mildly dysfunctional people out there who are looking out for us and designing houses and homes so that when the proverbial hits the fan, we can all be smiley happy people.

But please, can someone make sure that I lift my inhaler so that I can run away from the hoards quicker?

Ta.

Trampire? Nah. Not my Mate Kristen

I do try not to write rubbish about rubbish. Sometimes though I actually can't help it, the temptation is too much and I HAVE to do it.

Yeah, that's right, no high brow topic about something of international interest, no. I'm writing about K-Stew and R-Patz and the alleged indiscretion of Kristen and the nobody with the model wife.

Now, I don't particularly like Kristen Stewart as an actress, in fact, I'm not even sure I like her as a person (from what I've read anyway, though Kristen, if you want to hang with me, let me know and I'll we can arrange something for my days off work, we can see if we can be mates).



There is something about a 22 being old being called a slut, tramp, home wrecker and (my own favourite) trampire that doesn't seem quite right. Kristen has been secretive about every relationship she has had, even the R-Patz one, so why should she be outrageously open about this indiscretion?

Weird eh? Especially when unknown director type person is looking at the camera. They only appear to kiss once and it doesn't look that particularly passionate.

Was this an affair or Kristen looking to someone older for comfort, advice, friendship.......a shoulder to cry on?

You see, assuming that the Kristen does have a relationship with R-Patz and it's not a work of twilight fiction, young Bob has (according to many sources) been putting it about with many other women.

Oh yeah.......many.


We have mentions of Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan, Australian reality tv stars, burlesque dancers and even co-stars including Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene and Emillie de Ravin (I know her from watching Once Upon a Time) to name a few.

So had maybe Kristen had enough? Was it maybe time for her to look to someone else for some attention when Robert was in the KitKat fetish club in Berlin?

Shame really it had to be Rupert Sanders, some dude I had never heard of previous to his dalliance with K-Stew, sure he had won some awards for adverts but really? Who the hell is he?

He is the husband of a very pretty Vogue model called Liberty Ross. Now ok, in some of the photos from premiers of 'Snow White and the Huntsman' she looks a bit on the hard side, but in the rest of the photos I've seen she looks stunning.


I know that looks aren't everything, Naomi Campbell is a prime example of that, but its obvious that Liberty Ross hasn't fallen from the ugly tree.

As far as I'm concerned, she is the only innocent here.

Can I blame a 22 year old for making a mistake? No I can't, I'm not even sure she was sexually involved with Rupert Sanders judging by the pictures, emotionally maybe.

I think it's wrong to single out Kristen Stewart for abuse, I think that it's more a case of her having trusted the wrong person. But hey Kristen, of you fancy a chat over a cuppa and a carrot cake, you are more than welcome to my house.


http://jezebel.com/5932556/hollywood-insider-alleges-robert-pattinson-cant-keep-it-in-his-pants-constantly-cheated-on-kstew?comment=51745347
http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/


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Santa's Christmas in July

So, it's all happening today then. Just how much excitement can the UK handle?

We have had the Queen's jubilee, the Olympic torch relay and now?

That's right, Harrods has opened up it's Christmas shop. It's 151 days to Christmas and Santa arrives in his union jack painted convertible jaguar. Yeah baby!!


Ok, I realise that was a corny joke, but hey.... Who am I to miss the opportunity for a quick gag?

Anyway, its now officially time to get your arse into gear and avoid the Christmas rush by visiting the Christmas World department in Harrods, Knightsbridge, which is now officially open for business.

At Christmas crackers costing £1299 (no, I haven't missed out the decimal point), a replica of Tower of London and a pop up gingerbread Harrods, I'm sure I'll be just fine searching the Internet and getting smaller and more thoughtful gifts from British firms like Busy Bee Candles, Sugar Poke or a clock from Wags and Bones or my dog treats from Lily's Kitchen.


Then I know what I'm getting is special and helping to keep my hard earned cash in the UK.


Until then, I'll switch on the Olympics and watch Danny Boyle's efforts and some more home grown talent.







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Cannibal Cult Crew Kills

I am aware that I'm starting to sound like a zombie/cannibal expert or fanatic, but I just find it a bit interesting, maybe because I'm vegetarian and the idea of eating flesh freaks me out so much.

However, when I heard that 29 people had been arrested in Papua New Guinea as members of a cannibal cult I had to tell you.
The punchline is they were arrested for murdering 7 witch doctors, eating their brains (raw, as if that really matters) and making penis soup. The best bit is, they don't actually consider what they have done as being wrong and according to Police Commander Anthony Wagambie from the Madang province, they openly admit what they have done.
Ok, why consume the people you have murdered? Surely, killing them is enough? Apparently not.
Now, here it begins to sound more fiction than fact.
These cult members (approximately 1000 in total) are sounding a bit vigilante to me. See, firstly they are employing specially trained people to hunt and kill the sorcerers, then by actually consuming the flesh of the victims, they would absorb their supernatural powers, a bit like Sylar in the tv show 'Heroes' although he didn't have them as dinner.

In defence of the cannibal crew (if there is a defence for killing and eating someone) they maintain that these so called witch doctors were charging huge amounts of cash for their services or demanding sex from the villagers in return.
As the cannibal crew were consuming the murdered people to take on their supernatural powers, it's suggests that it wasn't because they reckoned the witch doctors were fake, but the 'sanguma' or sorcery charges were too high.
I do feel a lot of sympathy for Anthony Wagambie, as he doesn't actually have any dead bodies....... It's a bit hard to try someone with murder if there is no body. Not even any remains have been found.


Obviously Wagambie thinks they have been eaten..... - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Clever Marketing or Chauvinistic Mayor

Gallus and Black Forest have a completely different meaning in Scotland when the words are strung together than when they refer to the Mayor of a German town.


However, in the real world, Triberg is a town in the Black Forest area of Germany and their Mayor is called Gallus Strobel. He is in the news cause he has set out separate parking areas for men and women.....

When you open a can of worms, you can't close the tin immediately, you have to let some wriggle away first.

His idea is wider parking spaces for women in areas that are better lit. Spaces for men are closer to concrete pillars and can only be reversed into. Now, depending on how this was marketed, this could be a great idea. However, he followed it up by saying that men were better at parking than women.

"In the new car park we found that two place were not rectangular, at an angle to the road and placed between walls and pillars; that makes parking difficult so we decided to allocate them to men," the 58 year-old mayor told Germany's Spiegel magazine.

Here's the bit where Mayor Strobel has tried to put the lid back on the worm can by adding, "there were great women drivers, and all women were welcome to try and park in the men-only spaces."


As a marketing ploy, this has worked brilliantly as now I know that Triberg is a town in the Black Forest and Gallus Strobel is the Mayor. I also know that being of the weaker sex, I can park my huge Audi A6 Quattro in a nice well lit area and not concern myself about my lack of driving skill.

What I will concern myself with though is that while nice Mayor Strobel has catered for women who lack driving skill he has completely ignored the requirements of the guys who can't even drive a hot nail into a snowball. But who am I to argue? If someone wants to give me a nice big parking spot while some dude wants to show off his hand/eye coordination in an area half the size, I'll happily watch the entertainment.

Oh well! You can't keep everyone happy I suppose.








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The Price of Patriotism, Wholesale Price...That Is

With the kickoff of The London 2012 Olympic Games just a few weeks away, a new US political furor has emerged in its shadow.

The offending uniforms.

Recently all sides of the political aisle, both on The Hill and in there respective partisan newsrooms, legislators and pundits alike have came out and condemned the USA's official team uniforms for the 2012 games.  It seems like such an insignificant issue to even draw a statement from the most powerful people in the country, let alone becoming news worthy for all the major networks.  But this condemnation alludes to a much large crack in the American Culture and the American economic system, a low blow that strikes a raw nerve with a country that is clawing at the barrel walls to avoid slipping deeper, and again, into another job destroying recession.

In recent weeks Team USA officially unveiled the uniforms that all their athletes will don for the upcoming Olympics in London.  At first glance the drew criticism simple because of their look, but after further investigation they have become a point of contention.  The uniforms were designed by legendary American fashion house Ralph Lauren, a staple in American style for decades.  However, they have been styled in a decidedly French fashion with berets for the men and neckerchiefs for the women.  Even the the colors of the neckerchief looks decidedly French with it appearing more 'Blue White and Red' rather than the hall mark American 'Red White and Blue.'

A uniform that the entire team representing America will be wearing as they showcase what their athletes can do on the world stage look French, but that isn't what has pushed this anger to a level that left Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D) so perplexed that he could barely form a coherent sentence at a press conference.  It was the fact that these uniforms were all made in China.  At a time when the American job sector is suffering, and when pride before the Olympics is starting to build, the US Olympic committee decided to get all it's uniforms made in China.  And they will cost over $1000 to buy retail.

This goes to sum up the problems with American economic culture.  It's goods are styled on European design, made in China on the cheap, tagged with an American brand name, then sold to the public under the guise of patriotism for a price that can only be described as a small fortune.

Ralph Lauren profits, the Chinese workers profits, and America's Olympic team have a stain on them before they've even heard the first measures of their national anthem.


Written by:  Phil M.

Could Mermaids Encourage us to Pay More Attention

I'm used to reading that the US Government has denied that any it has any evidence of life outside of our universe. I am also used to reading that the US CDC says there is no zombie apocalypse.

However, when I read that the US Government said that, "No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found," I wondered exactly what had happened that I had so obviously missed.


I mean, no UFOs, zombies, chupacabra, vampires or werewolves and now no mermaids? Then, to make matters worse National Ocean Service spokeswoman Carol Kavanaugh told The BBC, "We don't have a mermaid science program."

Gutted!

But seriously though, where did all this come about?

Well last week Animal Planet had their 'Monster Week'. As part of the week of shows they had a 2 hour mock-umentary, complete with CGI and fake scientists, called 'Mermaids: The Body Found'.

Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't 100% fake, there were some real facts in there too, like the mass beachings of whales in 1990s and the unexplained 'bloop' sound that marine biologists found in 1997.

So it was more using fiction to explain fact.


Anyway, I watched it yesterday and I have to say that it was brilliant. It was wonderfully done. The pieces of fact merged well with the storyline that when apes came out of the trees, some stayed on land and some went into the sea.

As I said, its loosely based on fact, but does point out some interesting points.

Like for example, Polar bears evolved from brown bears and are now marine mammals. Babies can hold their breath under water easily. Humans and Dolphins will naturally help each other hunting and that some new species of sea mammals have only recently been discovered. Probably the most interesting piece of evidence is the amount of stories about mermaids in different cultures and civilisations spread about the world.

Hmmm......

I'm not sure who said 'never let the truth stand in the way of a good rumour', but this is fiction based on fact, a bit like Oliver Stone's 'JFK' not actual real fact.


That leaves us with a great conspiracy theory, a Roswell for mermaids.

I recommend that you watch it if you get a chance, it's awesome and does give you many more questions than answers, just like a great mystery should do. I just hope that it encourages more people to have an interest I the ocean and conservation.



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Pitbull Looking for Huskies?

I have a soft spot for Armando Christian Perez. Ok, I know it's not cool for a 40 something mother to like a Miami rapper who can sing in Spanish and English and has made something of himself. Someone who has gone from being kicked out by his mother for drug dealing to being a rapper, music producer, songwriter, business man, A&R man, presenter and actor, he has turned himself into a success.

He chose the name 'Pitbull' well.


So why am I writing about Pitbull today? Well as part of a promotion with Walmart, he will be sent to the branch that gets the most 'likes' on Facebook.

What a quality idea, Pitbull meeting and partying with fans.

Then, The Boston Phoenix newspaper started to encourage people to 'like' Walmart in Kodiak, (that is in Alaska if your geography isn't good). So the Miami born guy could end up some 225 miles south of Anchorage on the island famous for, yes you've guessed it, brown bears.




Probably the most amusing bit about this is that Kodiak Walmart has amassed more than 5 times the population of 'likes', currently sitting at around 47,250.

However Pitbull being the good guy that he is said, 'wherever the fans want to have a party, I will be there'.




I think that there is a definite split of people wanting Armando to visit, those who want to see him there and those who want rid of him from mainland USA.

Personally, I think that's a shame, in my opinion pitbull rocks. Like his name sake, he has proven that you can't judge a book by its cover.



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