Who would live in a house like this????

Somebody please please tell me this is a joke!!!!

Reply to: mailto:pers-964514051@craigslist.org?subject=All%20the%20tenants%20I%20interview%20aren ^[?]
Date: 2008-12-19, 6:05PM PST

I am a born again Christian. Why is this a problem for people????! I have a house that's MINE and I PAID FOR IT. I also have a basement apartment for rent. It's a great space for I'm charing very little for it, $480 monthly, for the right tenant. I know it's ILLEGAL to require a Christian in the apartment, against the human rights. That's why I NEVER put this in my ad. Why then does it keep getting taken down?
HERE IS THE AD I POSTED, AND THE AD THAT KEEPS GETTING REMOVED:
Available Immediately – Broadway and Commercial – Showing Saturday and Sunday – Email for directions and additional information.
What kind of apartment is it?
• One bedroom basement apartment with separate entrance
• Tastefully decorated with modern décor
• Approximately 650 square feet
• There is even a window! Security bars installed for your safety and to prevent unauthorized activity
• Closed circuit camera installed for security and safety. One in your suite, one at the entrance, and one in the exercise yard
Rent:
• $480.00 per month
• First month’s rent + ½ month security deposit due at move in
• Small pet allowed with approval and payment of additional ½ month pet damage deposit
• One year lease permitted, option to renew lease at end of the term with no increase in rent
• LANDLORD’S SPECIAL! Move in before January 1st and don’t pay for the remainder of December! That’s significant savings.
Included in the rent:
• Electricity
• Heat – Maintained at 21 degrees with lock box to prevent unauthorized tampering. Additional heating available for $20.00 per extra degree of heating per month. You may not use your oven to heat the apartment. If you do, you will be fined $50.00 per occurrence.
• Air conditioning – Maintained at 25 degrees during the summer with lock box to prevent extra cooling from being dispensed. Additional cooling for sale for $20.00 per degree of cooling requested per month.
• 25" Zenith color television set with basic cable service - INCLUDED IN RENT!
• Wireless internet (with content filter applied to block forbidden/immoral websites) - INCLUDED IN RENT!
• Provision of coin laundry services - You will have your own personal coin laundry washer and dryer machines. Washers and dryers are paid using a token system. Tokens can be purchased through the landlord. Washer tokens cost $4.15 each and dryer tokens cost $3.60 each. You are not allowed to use foreign
currency or slugs in the washer and dryer. Violators will be fined $100.00 per infraction.
About us: (Landlords)
We are conservative, bible believing, God-fearing, born again, evangelical Christians. We interpret the bible literally in every way possible. We live a strict moral code and observe God’s laws in our everyday life. My wife stays at home and teaches our home-schooled children. I work as a pastor at a local congregation and am active in the faith community.
About you: (Tenant)
• You are employed
• You do not participate in lascivious deviant sexual behavior
• You do not choose alternative lifestyles as your lifestyle
• You do not have any criminal history
• You must have excellent character references
• You do not smoke, drink or take drugs. Mandatory drug screening required.
Additional Rules/Conditions:
CLEANLINESS: You are responsible for the cleanliness and orderliness of
your apartment. Beds are to be made before leaving your suite,
countertops must be wiped down, and you must remove all trash. Upon
inspection, if the tenant's basement suite is not clean, the cost of
cleaning services plus a fine of $100.00 will be levied.
LIGHTS: The lights in your basement suite and in the day room are not to
be tampered with. If a light needs repair, report the condition to the
Landlord.
WAKE-UP: Wake up will be at 5:30am each morning. All ceiling lights in
the suite will be turned on automatically.
LIGHTS OUT: Ceiling lights in the suite will be turned off at 11:30pm.
CONTRABAND: The following items are considered contraband – alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, weapons, lock picking equipment. If any contraband is discovered to be in your possession, you will be subject to a minimum $1,000.00 fine. In addition, your items will be confiscated permanently. Second offense – you will be evicted without notice. A bailiff will escort you and your belongings off the premises. Your security deposit will not be returned.
SMOKING: The basement suite is non-smoking. Anyone in possession of
tobacco products of any kind or any lighter or matches, will have their
contraband items confiscated and will be fined $100.00.
INSPECTIONS: The Landlord will conduct unannounced inspections to ensure
that these rules and regulations are being followed.
VISITATION: Visitation periods will be on Saturdays and Sundays from
1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. All visitors and their vehicles are subject
to search while on landlord property. Refusal to allow a search can
result in their being barred from all future visitation privileges. All
visitors must sign the Visitor's Log. Unauthorized visitors will be
escorted from the property, and the tenant will be fined $250.00.
I.D. BRACELETS: Each tenant will be issued an I.D. bracelet with his/her
photograph. It must be worn at all times. If you lose your I.D.
bracelet or it is broken, you will be required to purchase a new one at
the nominal cost of $5.00.
EXERCISE YARD: The tenant will have access to the exercise yard in the
area to the back of the property for 2 hours per day from 4:00 pm to
6:00 pm. The tenant is not allowed to bring any personal property to
the exercise yard. Once the tenant leaves the exercise yard on a
particular day, he or she may not return. No boisterous behavior is
allowed in the exercise yard. There is no smoking allowed in the
exercise yard. Minimum fine for exercise yard infractions is $50.00.

• Location: Broadway and Commercial
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 964514051

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rnr/964514051.html

Loan Shark ministers; Lockerbie remembered; No divorce for 8 yr old......

Loan shark ministers.......
Apparently they have backed down on the idea of charging interest on loans made to Crisis Loan applicants - good for them!
But on further reading of the 'back down' article - they may still be planning on handing over the running of Social Fund loans to Credit Unions or similar organisations - who DO charge a minimum of 2% up to as much 26.8% !!

The social fund has been a way for those on benefits to be able to obtain a loan - repayable weekly from benefits - in order to obtain the bigger things each family needs.

The hypocrisy displayed by a Government that bitch and moan about the interest rates charged on certain services by banks - to then want to do it themselves to people trying to survive on benefits is astonishing - but then again - hypocrisy and this Government seem to go hand-in-hand. So they spend billions bailing out banks - the unemployment rate is raising alarmingly - but hey - we'll stiff them by charging as much - if not more - than banks would - because they are not going to be able to get a loan elsewhere when unemployed?!?!?!

Well done Brown - when you are out of power - and Lord that cannot be soon enough - you have a very promising career as a Loan Shark!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5378561.ece

Lockerbie remembered...........
Hard to believe it is 20 years since this happened! 270 people killed - 259 on the plane and a further 11 people on the ground below.

Services and the prayers of millions around the world are being held/said in remembrance today.

No divorce for 8 yr old..........
She must wait until she reaches puberty....
She was 'sold' by her father for a £4000 dowry - the marriage not to be consummated for 10 years - the contract being signed by the groom and the girl's father!

I cannot understand what the hell any parent can be thinking to do this to a child - or should I say a female child as there are never any reports of this being done with male children.
I try to be tolerant as possible of various religions and their beliefs - but there are some instances when tolerance cannot be found!
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Saudi-Girl-Aged-Eight-Married-Off-By-Father/Article/200812315190418?f=rss

Company logos in a recession.........

This is done so well - how company logos look in a recession!

Silly - maybe - but it tickled me!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wmliu/3121970551/sizes/o/

Entendre from the war..........

The following was written during the war from the British Ambassador
to Moscow to Lord Pembroke in 1943. Released a couple of years ago under the Freedom of Information Act.

The eloquence in the entendre is just pure class!

http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/532-269.aspx

A little spooky........

Fuelled by anger from a life past
Craving revenge for a life unattainable
Lived too long to the lure of Satan's tune
A distant beat heard only by me.
Dreams of writhing bodies seducing the mind
Thriving on the pain of others
As I lay out of sight - in wait
With a yearning need for what a victim can provide.
Unsuspecting you walk in the dark
Becoming terrified of the invisible footsteps you can hear
Madness crawling to life as I appear and take you
Looking at me with pleading eyes
And soon they scream with mercy as I drag you back to my lair.
The hypnotic melody of your pulse as your heartbeat quickens
My attack frenzied and vicious
Ripping out flesh and tissue - pieces littering the room
Bathing in ecstasy as the warmth of your blood splashes on my skin
Ending your desecration and calming as your blood cools and thickens
Sated - I taste you on my fingertips
Loneliness of spirit leading to the destruction of others.

Watched - Tom Tancin

Detective Lindsey Scott makes a very much welcome return in 'Watched'. The 'solver of the unsolvable' is also a mom - and she needs to touch base with her kids again and spend some quality time with them - which of course gets cut short when bodies start mounting up in various parts of the country.

It soon becomes apparent that there is more than one killer - all with different personalities - but all with one common link - they target their victims through a webcammer site.

Being the 'solver of the unsolvable' she gets close but is then thrown a bit further left field than she expected when one of the killers targets her son. Personally I think if you have a woman with brains who knows how to use a gun the last thing you want to do is bring out the Momma Bear in her - but it does add a little more spice to a story that was enticing me more and more with each turn of the page - especially as Lindsey's work and home life were now inextricably entwined as she rushes to save her son.

The story line is truly gripping and has the reader guessing at possible suspects and invariably guessing incorrectly.

Tom has kept Lindsey 'real' - keeping her as personable and likeable as she was in her first outing in 'The Man In The Moon' - yet new readers will not be thrown off by reading 'Watched' first then going to her first outing afterwards - something that can be difficult to achieve and keep the flow of the main character going.

This is another exciting, enthralling page turner that I again found very difficult to put down. The strength of the main character is extraordinary - the use of turn of phrase excellent yet keeping the story flowing and a gripping storyline are putting Tom at the top part of my 'must read' list each time.

A little weird, a little dumb, a little fun and a little cute!

Lawsuit against God thrown out........
and not for the reason you may think!!!
It was thrown out over lack of address - i.e. the defendant (God) could not be served.
State Senate Ernie Chambers actually filed a lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction against God......
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/10/15/7096206-ap.html

Man names his daughter Sarah McCain Palin.........
and did not inform his wife!
When filling out the paperwork for his daughter's certificate - he substituted for the above - rather than the name they had both previously chosen Ava Grace.

Can you imagine how pissed his wife must be???
Apparently he is a blood bank employee for the American Red Cross... hope he has some co-workers cross-matching blood types for him - he may just need it!
http://www.nbc30.com/family/17720910/detail.html?rss=har&psp=weird-news

Making kebabs next to a corpse.....
Oh residents of Wolverhampton right now will be wondering what the heck was in their kebabs and what they could have possibly caught -after a man was discovered making his kebabs where a dead man was lying on the sofa in the kitchen, another man smoking and a defrosting chicken covered with flies!
He has been banned from ever running a food business again - can't think why??!?!?!?!
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE49E86N20081015?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Colin Powell busting a move.........
hip hop moves that is - at the Royal Albert Hall. He joins a few prominent men that like to get up for a boogie - including his former boss George Bush and late Russian leader Boris Yeltsin.
The pics are great on this link and worth a peek!
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/article.html?Colin_Powell_busts_his_hip_hop_moves_on_stage&in_article_id=357907&in_page_id=64

Drunk pony goes for a swim........
Fat Boy (the pony) and a partner in crime decided to go for a wander late at night. They came across an apple tree and had one too many.
The fruit had started to rot and ferment (cider -weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!) and the little pony got tipsy and then decided - apparently on a midnight skinny dip!
Cider gives hellish hangovers too!
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Drunk_pony_takes_a_3am_pool_dip&in_article_id=357987&in_page_id=34

Today's snippets.........

Mum walks free after sex with 14-year-old boy........
This is ridiculous - she had sex with a child and walks free???
I agree with a statement in this link that if this had been a man he would most certainly have gone to prison.
She was unhappy, lonely and in a failing relationship??? Oh please - I've been single for a long time myself and get lonely - it does not mean I could ever stoop so low as to even think about anything as perverse as sex with a child - or offer to buy them drugs!
Good on the husband for calling the child's mother himself too - and divorcing his wife.

The law applying for one and not for another really has to stop. There is never an excuse for sex with a child!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/10/14/mum-who-had-sex-with-14-year-old-boy-walks-free-115875-20801637/

Too fat to be executed????
Nope - Richard Cooey is running out of time fast and his appeal in that he is too fat to be executed failed miserably. On death row for 22 years after raping and killing 2 college students - he has one appeal pending before his execution today.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/13/toofat.execution.appeal.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Do the dumb get more dumb - or dumber?
You're stealing equipment from an office - laptops etc - you got to the elevator to get your haul out of the building - the elevator gets stuck so you push the emergency button - the fire department are called to rescue you. They however cannot help but notice the stack of laptops and promptly call the police to arrest your ass!
Guess it just wasn't this guy's day!
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,583762,00.html

Weird ad slogans...........

http://www.flyyoufools.com/wp-content/2008/09/136-weird-ad-slogans.gif

What can one say???? Just perfick!!!

Popularity and politics do not mix.........

Mike - sorry I did not see your comment on the post below.

I don't get into politics too much (which is why of course I am now going to ramble on about it) - the supposed 'leaders' here are as bad - if not worse than anywhere else.

It is fine to want the job to run a country if you truly feel you have the propensity for it - but you have to be able to take your head out of your ass and look at what is going on around you and in your country to be able to do the job effectively - I know that Brown is very guilty of not taking his head out for long enough as are others.

The world right now is going through an economic crisis - and it is going to be interesting to see who has balls and who does not.
I have not voted for years - for the very reason that neither the Labour nor Conservative Party here have shown to me that they have what it takes to be able to get this country back on it's feet again in many areas: economically; socially; religiously; edumactionally (yes - that was done on purpose!); health care; and more help for those in the forces and emergency services (they get a damn raw deal a lot of the time) and quite important to myself and a lot of people right now - get rid of the damn Nanny State.

For those that say 'if you don't vote you have no voice!' ..........fine - then you don't need the extortionate amounts of all different kinds of taxes I pay either?! I will not vote just to keep someone out. By doing that I would be saying it is OK for someone else to do the job whilst I do not believe they can.

Political correctness has gone beyond a joke - heck it comes to something when as a woman you are afraid of saying something because you know so many people would be willing to use you as a scapegoat and sue the employer to make some fast cash.

The Nanny State bugs the heck out of me. Because of the few - again the majority must suffer and put up with being told what to do as adults - but the Nanny soon backs off if we do anything wrong elsewhere - I am however a believer in if you go somewhere and break the law then you are at the mercy of the courts there.
I am a 40 year old woman - I am fairly sensible - I do not need to be told what to do - aside from breaking the law of course. I do not need to be told what to watch - if I want to watch an adult movie - I will - but that does not mean I would ever be stupid enough to let my kids see it. I read what I like - to still be in a world where books and movies are banned because they may cause offence is unreal. Push comes to shove - most movies could cause offence with right (or is that wrong?) - I do however have nothing against little Hobbits - but I believe there is an underground movement trying to get rid of them ........yes there is more than a hint of sarcasm there!

To run a country - any country - takes balls!

Palin's first speech and speeches since have indeed been full of many witticisms. The girl has a sense of humor when speaking publicly. However she has shown little knowledge of anything that is actually going on around the world right now. For someone in her position only being able to cite 'Roe v Wade' when asked about cases that have had an affect in the country was astonishing - anyone that watches legal movies of most kinds would have been able to cite that one - hell they even mention it in 'Legally Blonde'.
I do not believe Palin is stupid. I do however know that I pull better witticisms out of the hat at a poker table - and would never have gone to make a speech without having done some major research first - she acts on gut reactions and then ends up with answers to questions like 'um well ahh um' - Caveman 101 is popular once more. The interviews with Katie Courac displayed this to it's fullest - and to be fair - Courac is hardly known for being super - intelligent herself - but then again she is not trying to be VP - and she showed Palin up immensely.

To gain respect and trust you must first display it and earn it - Palin has not shown she is capable of this - in fact she has shown that she does not think it necessary to be trustworthy at all and respect to her means do it her way or GTFO. She does not even have the sense to sit on the fence on certain issues - she jumps from side to side - proving even more that she acts on gut reaction - gut reaction destroys countries. Brown and many other here are no different.

Popularity is ok - but being able to tell a joke is not going to get a country out of crap. If you piss off someone enough - making them smile is not going to stop them from pushing the button to blow your ass too smithereens.

Balls are necessary for most jobs in politics and I believe in relation to the economic crisis and the bail out in the States - Obama said something along the lines of - 'so what if it's not popular - if it works - do it' - no that is not a quote and I cannot be bothered to look for it! More politicians should look at that and realise that popularity is not going to run a country - here or there. That is not saying I agree with Obama's policies as a whole - I am referring only to that one statement.

Here - we are stuck - no matter who gets in is basically gonna f**k everyone some more without a kiss first and no 'I'll still respect you in the morning!'
A lot of my friends in the States feel the same way about things over there.

I would not want the job of PM or President in a million years - I don't have the propensity for it - nor the qualifications - I'm a gut reaction kinda gal on some things - but I'd have some great comments for them around a poker table - and basically that is where most of them belong. I do know that in discussing a topic that I would have the common sense to have done my research first. The leaders that want to run a country with the 'do it my way' philosophy are not the ones you want with their finger on the button. You want someone that is going to take their head out of their ass - see what is going wrong - admit they screwed up and even if unpopular for a while - do something to put it right.

Popularity and politics are never going to go hand in hand if you do the job correctly.
Respect - however - will come along later.

Eulogy to common sense..............

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, as his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
He declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Paracetamol, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

He began to lose the will to live as churches became businesses; creationism vied for equal footing with proper science, alternative treatments became available on the NHS (while cancer drugs were banned) and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
The poor bloke took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.
He finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Barely recovering from that he was bludgeoned to death by the news that the world's financial markets had been demolished by irresponsible bankers who made a fortune doing so and who the governments bailed out by demanding money from those wise enough to have adopted sensible fiscal policies.

This grand old man was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by four stepbrothers; "I Know My Rights", "Someone Else's Problem", "I’m A Victim" and "Work? I'm better of on the Dole" and his stepsisters, "Gymslip Mother" and "I'll have a baby and they'll give me a house".

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.

Palin's Facebook Page and Dilbert from 6 yrs ago but with echoes of today..........

I am not one to get into politics deeply - I whine about different things now and again but that is about it.

However - this was just too funny to resist - gotta love the guys at HolyTaco!

http://www.holytaco.com/details/?image-path=http://cdn.holytaco.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/palin-facebook-2.jpg

As for the Dilbert one - well - economies everywhere are just going nuts - so this could apply to just about everywhere right now!

LHC ....."The Big Rewind".....

Mike,
 
Hello, I am from approximately two months in the future. On 10/22 at approx 2:34am CET a tachyon
field failure in the main resonating ring of the LHC causes a "temporal blowback".  Shortly 
thereafter, the resulting destruction of the strong nuclear force causes the world to vaporize in
seconds, while a few of us near the experiment are thrown into a temporal causality loop.  While
the predestination event (or as we have come to call it "The Big Rewind") hasn't occurred yet to
you, for us it is about three years in our past.  I came across your site looking to see if there
were any other scientists that may have theorized this phenomenon who may be of assistance in
preventing it.  This brings me to my point, I have repeatedly checked your site for the past five
rewinds at 2:34:01 CET and it still says nope, believe me at this point the LHC has most assuredly
destroyed the world.  I can provide a bank account in Nigeria for the funds to be placed.  I am
curious to the exact amount however. 
 
John Titor
CERN Specialist
http://gist.github.com/9810
 
This cracked me up - as being one of the many that is not surprised that the world is still standing! 
 

Snippets.........

Well - as usual there were the - what is very sadly - the usual stabbing's at the weekend here. Every weekend without fail it is a case of knowing there is just going to be news of more of this happening.
Keep hearing about the tougher sentences - have yet to see any - well anything that should be classed as decent sentencing for taking another person's life.

Here are a few snippets for some of the stuff going on from a few places in the last couple of days.

Paedophile jailed for two-and-a-half years for sex with 13 yr old girl..........
This guy even enrolled in school to continue his deception of being a 16 yr old boy.
His defence stating he was a was a 'disturbed, confused and unhappy man from a violent background.'
The other sad part here was the prosecution stating: '.....he gave the girl a ring and she believed they would eventually marry. "She said if she had known his true age she would not have got into the relationship,"'
What the hell difference does it make as to how old he is - at 13 yrs old she should not be thinking about having sex with anyone - and her parents should be talking to her about the pitfalls of opening her legs for someone that says 'I love you!'
It is not just the defendant that needs treatment - the child could also do with a healthy dose of it too.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paedophile-schoolboy-jailed-for-sex-with-13yearold-girl-924505.html

What's old and goes woof........
This time it's Fleetwood's pier - only 2 months after the Weston Super Mare Pier went up in flames.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fleetwoods-landmark-pier-gutted-by-fire-924499.html

Abused baby's broken back not noticed.................
Hard to believe that a consultant could not notice this! Apparently she could not examine the 17month old child because he was "cranky"!
Go figure!!!!
How the hell does any competent doctor not notice this???
The injuries the child had were an obvious cause for concern - the child died 2 days later after receiving a blow which knocked out a tooth which was swallowed.
This child suffered - horrendously - eight cracked ribs, tops of some fingers and a toenail missing, infected wounds and bruises - oh and erm yep - a BROKEN BACK!
Apart from the obvious of wishing the parents/b/f in hell - the paediatrician should face a separate trial via the Medical Board and be struck the heck off!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/consultant-failed-to-notice-abused-babys-broken-back-924497.html

Bacon special..........

Let's be honest - there is nothing much smells better than bacon!
So seeing as I am bored and could not be bothered to procrastinate on the general topics of today - I decided to do a mini bacon special! Enjoy!

The bacon alarm clock - be woken to the smell of bacon every morning!
http://www.aboutcolonblank.com/2008/07/31/wake-n-bacon/

Bacon in a can!!!! Apparently available years ago and brought back - in the States - and people wonder why I love it there?!?!?!
http://www.readydepot.com/servlet/the-202/Canned-Bacon-Long-Term/Detail

Bacon Vodka - with the recipe!
http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2008/01/20/homemade-bacon-vodka/

Maple-bacon lollipops......... candy bacon. Sounds good - but the price is a bit on the extreme side!
http://www.lollyphile.com/maple-bacon.php

How good does this look??!!!
http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2008/02/27/bacon-cups/

Bacon salt martinis - with a bacon salt rim.....
http://www.baconsaltblog.com/2008/04/bacon-salt-mart.html

The Krispy Kreme Donut Burger

Yep - apparently been going a couple of years too!
Only 1000 calories each!
Syrup and fries with that Sir?!?!?!

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/geeks-go-greasy-the-google-burger

Undercover Mosque......

Channel 4 Dispatches: Undercover Mosque........

The amount of prejudice in this program was unreal - the prejudice from the likes of Miss Saleem towards the British in particular.
Aren't there laws against incitement and teaching/preaching such prejudice/intolerance?
Calling Britain a - "land of the evil, land of the disbelievers" - Saleem does not believe Muslims should live in Britain.
It must also be clarified here that not all Muslims think this way.
Maybe it is about time these few were removed - especially when preaching such hatred for a country they are living in - a country that allowed them to live here. Wouldn't it be nice for once to see a Government stick to it's word about this kind of thing and actually deport these people back to the 'oh so perfect country they came from.' Or if they were born here - to actually question them about their incitement and bring charges against them - or does that sort of thing only apply to anyone insulting them.
Feel free to go back to your own country - and all your followers and others that believe the same as you.
Don't let the door of the plane hit your ass as you leave!

Napoleon's Privates - 2500 Years of History Unzipped - Tony Perrottet.

Tony Perrottet's fun but thorough approach to his research has made him a regular contributor to publications such as: The Smithsonian Magazine, The Believer, National Geographic Adventure and also appearances on The History Channel - to name a few.
The story of what happened to Napoleon's privates and the subsequent discovery of them in a suitcase under a bed is what led the author to embark on a quest to discover evidence of age old mysteries.
With chapters entitled such: 'Sex and the Renaissance Nun (AD 1450); Napoleon's Dead! Long Live Napoleon's Privates! (AD 1821) and The Nazi Dictator's Other Ball (AD 1945) - you cannot help but be intrigued and also realise that this is not going to be your standard historical fact book!

The chapters (more than 60) are each a short mix of humor and fact - keeping the reader both intrigued and amused and wanting to move on to the next one.
History would sure have been a lot more fun at school if these fact had been thrown in!

Irreverent in it's content - this book is excellent fun, tongue-in-cheek reading for those that love their history served on the lighter side.
The quality and amount of research done - as indicated by the references - is far-reaching making the reader feel that certainty that they are not reading another book of urban myths.

Good fun and fact are always a winning combination - but often hard to combine - but it is done to an excellent standard to have even the more cynical of us at least smirking as we read.

Snippets........

Another teenager stabbed............
and another teenager arrested for murder - this time a 15 yr old.
The sad thing - aside from the loss of another young life - is that every weekend - many now just know that there is going to me more news on more stabbings amongst teenagers.
Looks like the government-created 'f**k you' society is working as everyone expected - everyone except the government who only take their head out of their asses to look around when it is too late - too late being when one life has been lost - let alone the many through stabbing's alone.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/30/knifecrime.ukcrime?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Artist formerly known as.........
Chad Johnson (WR for Bengals) - has changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco (Ocho Cinco in reference to his shirt #85).
The temper-tantrum-foot-stamping 'I'm not gonna play if I don't get my own way' says he did it for fun.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/preview/2008/08/29/bengals.ochocinco.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

All sorts.........

China Arnold guilty............
This story shocked the world when it broke in - a mother killing her baby in a microwave! Found guilty today of aggravated murder - she could be sentenced to death.
Apparently she was worried that her boyfriend would find out that the baby was not his ........ some excuse huh?!
This is another case where there will not be too many tears if she does receive the death penalty.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26458609/

He may have failed the interview.........
after stealing the interviewers wallet - then going on a shopping spree - but........... yep - he left his real name and address on the application form.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08282008/news/regionalnews/job_interview_rule_no__1__dont_rob_the_b_126478.htm

Dumb as a blog............
A great blog full of the stupid stuff people do!
http://blog.trutv.com/dumb_as_a_blog/

Snippets - crime - death sentence - and other stuff...........

Muslim man guilty of child cruelty..........
during a ritual known as Ashura - the guilty man forced two boys to flog themselves.
Now - I have no problem with practicing their religion at all and whatever it entails - so long as it stays within the laws of THIS country! The same as when travelling to any other country - we abide by their laws.
The boys did want to take part in the ritual - but heck - a flail of chains with blades attached? Yeah Yeah I know - bad girl should not question or criticise another persons' religious beliefs too much!
Thankfully the elders intervened and ensured the boys received treatment.
Zaidi (the guilty party) will be sentenced next month - in what I believe to be a correct judgment.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/muslim-man-guilty-of-child-cruelty-over-festival-flogging-910762.html

The things that make Britain great?!?!?!.............
Ok so I was skeptical on seeing this title and was finding it hard to come up with anything much myself before looking at the article. It is a humorous - tongue-in-cheek look at Britain - and by the looks of it - worth the purchase of the book itself! The extract linked will show you why!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/notes-on-a-small-island-the-things-that-really-make-britain-great-910558.html

Policeman jailed for punching a child..............
12 weeks inside is going to seem like a long time to him! It would to anyone - but you just know it will get put about straight away he is a copper!
I personally think he deserves longer and also deserves any crap he gets whilst inside for punching a 12yr old in the face - but hey ho - at least he was sentenced to something!
The police receive enough criticism from most quarters - long hours for piss poor pay as we would call it - and I am sure that most of us that are honest with ourselves would not want or be able to do the job. As with any profession - as I stated in a blog below (the one with the poster) from earlier today - it is the minority in the police force that act like complete idiots that spoil it for the majority who do a damn good job.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/policeman-jailed-for-punching-child-910330.html

Joseph Edward Duncan III sentenced to death...........
I did a quick snippet about this a few days ago - about the jurors having to watch the video of him abusing one of the children he kidnapped after murdering their mother, her boyfriend and their older brother. He then went on to murder 9 yr old Dylan after torturing and sexually assaulting him.
I don't think there will be many tears of sorrow shed over this sentence!
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/27/duncan.death.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Sudden Jihadi Syndrome...........
I love this bog - and one of the authors Jay Tee is one of the best on it - you HAVE to take a look at this posting...
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/08/27/the-illness-that-dare-not-speak-its-name.php

Snippets.......

Body of newborn found at waste recycling plant.......
The poor worker that discovered this baby this morning!
Nothing much is yet known except the police are for now treating it as suspicious.
So many may be thinking the same as myself in cases beforehand where a girl/young woman has been afraid of telling about the pregnancy - gone through with it - go scared and killed the baby then dumped it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/27/8?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews
Whatever happened - it is just simply horrible.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/27/8?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Haut de la Garenne - couple will not face charges.......
because of lack of evidence. This is always going to be a difficult one - whilst there is no mistaking that 5 children's bodies have been found there and other evidence - determining what happened and who caused the deaths and other abuse is always going to be difficult this much later on.
Claims of hindering police investigations by island authorities and other insinuations flying back and forth also add problems.
Three people have been charged - one not in relation to the children's home - with offences from indecent assault to rape.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/27/jerseyisland?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Hit and run - in a shopping mall............
by a mobility scooter - this 5 yr old is lucky to have only suffered bruising.
Police are still looking for the driver/rider.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/27/jerseyisland?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Although this has nothing to do with the accident above - the statement made by the mother about her children being an 'arms length behind her' reminds me of every time I go into town - seeing so many kids not in sight of their parents - i.e. behind.
Jamie Bulger and many other children were taken because of a few seconds lapse of sight by the parents/carers. A few seconds is all it takes! It is easy for someone to lead a young child away in most cases. Keep your kids where they can be seen!

So you better shut the f**k up.........

Saw this on Digg earlier.
After all the stuff going on about police just about everywhere dispensing their own brand of justice - and getting away with it - this is SO appropriate!
Radley Balko's blog - The Agitator - (see blog links at the side for this) - has some great articles on it - links - clips - all sorts.
I posted a clip about one here at a tube station a few weeks ago - and although it must be added it is only the few - and only the cases in public where someone can get a clip on their phone - it is still so wrong when we rely on the same people for protection.
Anyhooo as always has been and always will be - the minority scum spoil it for the majority decent folk!

Snippets for today....

MP was suing MoD.............
John MacDougall - whose death is forcing a by-election in Glenrothes - launched the action against the MoD last November after the Government turned down his request for compensation.
The compensation request was made as a result of him believing his lung cancer was contracted as a result of being exposed to asbestos when working for the Royal Naval dockyards.
This is yet another highly embarrassing disclosure as it was Brown's government that blocked the payment - whilst at his funeral saying:

" Mr Brown described the illness as the "cruel legacy" of Mr MacDougall's exposure to asbestos in the dockyards during his youth."

It is not hard to not feel sorry for Brown - his lack of competence on so many levels is astounding - and for some reason an utter belief that none of his mistakes or his ignorance will be displayed for all to see.
Sorry Brown - but you just do not hold that much power, esteem and you are disliked by way too many people!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mp-whose-death-sparked-poll-was-suing-the-mod-907206.html

Babies and pre-verbal children new targets for paedophiles.........
Yes it is sick! Extremely sick and along with the majority of people that have read the article linked below - my stomach is churning!
At least the Met and Scotland Yard ARE speaking out about it - refusing to continue the still 'hush hush' atmosphere surrounding paedophiles and the abuse of kids.
These guys have to try and combat this threat all the time - and it is refreshing to see that they are prepared to say 'it is getting worse!'
No matter how much people try and ignore this - how much the Government wants to play it down that we do not have THAT many sick people in our society - we DO!
What we need now are sentences that reflect the crime. People that possess images of children in such a degrading manner DO deserve to be imprisoned. More so people that actually abuse children deserve to be imprisoned for a lot longer - yet many receive lesser sentences or even walk free.
It is not a field of work I could handle too readily - nor could many of us - and we can only imagine - not that we would want to - some of the stuff these officers have to deal with. It is about they got more support for the hours and the amount of work put in - and longer sentences would be one good start and also protect children for longer at the same time.
Again - stating the obvious - yet it is the obvious that is never seen by this Government or many before it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/24/childprotection?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

Families of internet paedophiles - the other victims............
This is a very interesting article - based on an upcoming drama - and includes interviews with 3 women whose partners were caught after downloading indecent images.
The families left behind of these men are all too often forgotten and there is always the 'they must have known' stigma - and in a vast majority of cases the families are just as much the victims as they are left having to deal with the aftermath.
It is easy to point - it is not so easy to try and understand and use compassion when thinking of ALL the victims! Hopefully this may make people think a little more.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/my-husband-the-internet-paedophile-a-tale-of-secrets-lies-and-family-breakdown-904865.html

Jurors watch Duncan torture boy on tape......
Some may remember this just awful case - where Duncan killed 4 members of a family - kidnapped the remaining 2 children and subjected them to horrific torture and abuse - including rape - killing the boy afterwards. It was a sharp-eyed waitress that recognised the little girl and called the police.
It is heart-rending reading some of this article and the father's reactions - my heart breaks for him so much but knows that the tape had to be shown.
It was a widely publicised case here and in the States - and only in the aftermath of the court case is everything being brought to light.
This guy will never walk free again.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/21/duncan.slayings.ap/index.html

Snippets - all sorts........

I'm sick, scared and want a new trial........
Uh huh - words that describe Paul Gadd (Gary Glitter) are definitely that he is a sick man! Apparently he is scared for his safety - good!
My heart is not exactly bleeding here - can ya tell yet?!
Scared?? So scared he was all smiles and completely relaxed and more than capable of giving officials the runaround.
Innocent? Uh huh! More like wants a new trial so that he will gain internet access and be allowed to travel abroad for more than 3 days at a time.
I hope he stays scared!
Oh and don't worry Paul ...... you're not paranoid...... they really are watching you!!!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/08/23/gary-glitter-demands-a-new-trial-115875-20708059/

Distancing the government after data loss........
Ok - in case everyone is losing track here - this would the the data loss concerning prisoners. Jacqui Smith is doing her best to shift blame - but when the government are prepared to pay more than £240 million to a firm to handle such sensitive data - then they can try and distance themselves all they like but that dog just don't bark no more. There have been too many mistakes with data. Hell I could have encrypted the data for them for way less that they paid!
Oh - the kicker - the same firm has been paid millions for their consultancy in the ID cards scheme - yep - feel safer already!!!!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/23/justice.prisonsandprobation

Snippets..........

Corporal punishment in schools...........
This is actually relating to a story from Texas - corporal punishment from schools here is not allowed. In fact here telling a child no in some cases is not allowed hence a society of kids that think they can do and say what they want.
So if you have not got it already - I am not slagging off the use of corporal punishment in schools completely - there are arguments for both sides - but I do believe there are limits.
When a 3 yr old comes home with bruises that stretch from his hips to his stomach there is something wrong. If the parent had induced this kind of beating the child would be taken away from them.
Appropriate corporal punishment can be effective - it was in use when I was in school. There are reasons given for and against in the article attached to the link.
But........ if a parent would be investigated for a form of punishment that is deemed too severe - then teachers/the school should be too. There is a difference between punishment and a beating.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/20/corporal.punishment/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

85 yr old woman uses her 2nd Amendment rights to defend herself.........
I LOVED this!!! She was able to use her gun for what it is supposed to be for and the real reason as to why most people have a gun - to protect themselves and their family/loved ones.
This lady has courage and tenacity and showed everyone that wants to have guns banned why they should not be.
I wish we had the same here..........
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/19/pistol-packing-woman-85-forces-intruder-call-911/

Protecting children.......

Whilst the writer of this article : http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/18/ukcrime.childprotection?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews (David Wilson) - does raise some very valid points - the one thing he seems to be missing here is that Raymond Horne - whom he concentrates on in his article - gets checked on appropriately because of the headlines - because everyone knew that if they screwed this one up after all the publicity about him being returned to Britain there would be hell to pay.
The same can be said with the return of Paul Gadd (Gary Glitter) this week.

We do have some excellent measures in place in this country - but as David Wilson states - no system is ever perfect . Yes - what worked for Horne will work for Gadd simply because of the publicity.
I do however believe naming and shaming before a conviction is fruitless at best. If someone chooses to do this and names and shames someone before a conviction and manages to receive enough publicity - it can actually result in the pedophile walking free (unable to gain a fair trial because of publicity.)


"We also know what makes sex offenders generally, and paedophiles specifically, re-offend when they return to the community after a prison sentence. In short, they are more likely to re-offend when they are "named and shamed", hounded from pillar to post, demonised, scapegoated and pilloried because when that happens they calculate that they may as well commit more crimes because, well, they have nothing left to lose."

Yes - stress can be a factor into re-offending - but to be fair if the sentences handed down in court were long enough in the first place - well let's see:

Jehovah's Witness pedophile Michael Porter - abused a baby and 12 boys.
Walked free from court.
He is still visiting peoples homes - he was simply banned from working with under 18's.
His sentence - a 3 yr community rehabilitation order.
http://www.silentlambs.org/BroPorter.htm

There are obviously many others - enough to fill several pages.

Sentencing laws need to be looked at desperately in such cases. It is not very often we see a sentence above 5 yrs being given - even in the most extreme cases - Michael Porter is far from being the only paedophile to be walking free with no imprisonment sentence at all being handed down.
However as usual - it takes something like Gadd being returned to the country to bring into focus again something that is still seen as a hush hush topic - though thankfully not as much as it was - to overtake such crap of the government allowing obese children to be taken away from their parents and placed in care. How they think this will help the child's mental well being - especially later in life -is beyond me! Take the kids from the parents and spend 100 times more the cost of health bills and treatment from within the home as a family - on a life time of mental health counselling for the child and treatment for weight and healthy eating. (OK - rant finished on this one - for now!)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1045749/Obese-children-taken-care-parents-warned.html

Children need protection from all sorts of dangers. As parents we teach the basics - traffic - the green cross code - hot and cold - honey it is not a good idea to poke that electric socket with a screwdriver and many other such things.
We also teach stranger danger as do many of the schools at primary level.
We can only protect our children if we have all of the information to hand. I therefore do believe that people living in a vicinity close to a paedophile should be alerted in order to protect our kids.
It is the few that would begin a vigilante crusade - which has affected the rights of the majority in being given such information to enable the safety of their kids.
An estate close to me has 3 paedophiles living on it - I do not know their names or their addresses. I do know that it is not really too safe for my kids to be on that estate alone.

The main source of protection for kids that have been abused/raped is in the courts. Paedophiles will re-offend - yet even though this is known - the most dangerous are released after pitiful sentences being handed down. They did the correct thing with Ian Brady in making sure he could never harm another child again - they thought it was too much of a risk to allow him back on the streets.
This inane culture we have of 'rewarding a bad person' has to stop - especially when it means others can have their lives ruined simply because the sick man that raped your kids is walking free because he started to undergo treatment after he was caught!

I know how people can lie in order to try and obtain something they want - extra medication - saying the right things to fool people into thinking they are okay/not okay. All of us are capable of saying 'pretty words' to cover the truth - especially if we are trying to protect someone's feelings. Paedophiles do it to enable release from prison or to receive no imprisonment at all.

So whilst headlines can cause scaremongering - then when it comes to the case of paedophiles and it means just one more (Gadd in this case) will be watched more closely because of these headlines - I say keep up the good work boys! Maybe one child will be saved from being groomed, abused, raped and maybe worse!

Snippets.....

Labour resigned to Glenrothes defeat..........
but - bless them - they are going to try and limit the damage caused to Gordon Brown.
Once the bomb has exploded - you cannot limit the damage - all you can do is clear up the mess left behind and get rid of what is useless and/or worthless!
So............... when is the leadership challenge for the Labour Party going to be?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/2575114/Labour-resigned-to-defeat-in-Glenrothes.html

Ian Brady - whining again about his rights..............
shame he did not think about the rights of the children he raped and killed huh?
If he is getting beaten up daily - ok my heart is not exactly going to bleed for him - but it is a violation of rights as a prisoner in any type of facility.
It is hard to feel sorry for this person and others like him and their petty whining's about their rights whilst they simply choose to ignore the more severe rights they have taken from others - victims and the families/loved ones left behind.
The part in which he waffles about feeling safe to walk the streets is simply astonishing - I suppose he thinks that during his reign in Manchester as a pedophile and murderer that the streets were safer?!
Stop throwing your toys out the pram Brady - I doubt you will have too many that actually feel sorry for you - after all - you would be trying to take the cowards way out in trying to starve yourself rather than live with what you have done!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/17/ukcrime.prisonsandprobation

Snippets........

The outrage over spelling by a Judge.........
I have to say I agree with him - not that I have gone on and on about the decline in general education in this country at all!( ME??? surely you jest!)
Okay - so we are all human and are entitled to make mistakes - but I DO think the judge was correct in stating his opinion too - especially concerning spelling in the legal profession where every word is judged. One simple word that is misunderstood could cause serious problems - therefore good standards of grammar and the English language are a necessity.
As for the bit at the end of this link - it is just another way of too many people wanting to dumb educational standards down even more to make it appear that everyone is on the same level :

Dr Ken Smith of Buckinghamshire New University said common misspellings, such as 'Febuary', 'ignor' and 'speach' should be considered as alternative spellings.

Yep - that's the way to go huh???!! People are different - some are more academically capable than others - that is the way it is. I am somewhere in the middle(ish) - not the great academic - but not too bad either. This thing that everyone seems to have of 'everyone must be seen to be the same' has gone beyond a joke - it causes more conflict in all sorts of realms - not just education - than anything else. Maybe one day (not gonna be holding my breath for this though!) academic excellence will once again be academic excellence - and people will be allowed to be themselves and not ordered about by a bunch of little people who think everyone should conform to their will and be the same as everyone else.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043721/Judge-brands-court-worker-illiterate-idiot-spelling-word-wrong-times-charge-sheet.html

Rape compensation cut if you were drinking ............
Oh yes - apparently if you consumed alcohol on the night/day you were raped - they can take 25% of compensation.

The authority told her the reason for the reduction was that "the evidence shows that your excessive consumption of alcohol was a contributing factor in the incident".

This woman had a lawyer who fought for her and got her the full amount of compensation awarded.
This statement is tantamount to saying: 'you were wearing a short skirt - you asked for it!'
Rape is rape - it is a vicious vile act and it is illegal! Last time I looked - drinking (or wearing a short skirt) is not!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7555299.stm

Snippets.......

Criminal record over 90p.................
Oh yes..... 90p! A young mother innocently forgot to swipe her Oyster card - offered to pay plus the £20 fine - and instead they took her details after being escorted off the bus by a TFL employee and a police officer!
This is horrendous - a young mother now has a criminal record because of an innocent mistake which she offered to rectify there and then - yet (yeah yeah here we go again!) kids are allowed to get away with what should be imprisonable offences!
Maybe a review of how magistrates are awarded jobs should take place!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043531/A-criminal-record-mother-crime-forgetting-pay-90p-bus-fare.html

Pay rises for MPs that voted against rises for police and nurses........
Does the word 'hypocrites' sound mighty loud right now?!
Okay - Harman voted against the rise - but when she is being paid £140k a year then £6k is not going to make a great deal of difference to her I guess! Or maybe she was aware it may be just a tad hypocritical.
How about we send the others out with the police and other emergency services and put them on the wards with nurses for a few days and see if they still agree with no pay rise!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043468/Inflation-busting-pay-rises-MPs-voted-police-nurses-pay-down.html

Brand culture still prevalent .........
amongst school kids. Okay so that is nothing new.
What is disturbing is the way teachers in this article talk about it as though it is just 'one of those things that happens' - and not what should be done to stop it.
Bullying is bullying - no matter the form or the reason - exclusion from peer groups because of brands worn is ridiculous - moreso because schools allow it to happen rather than teach fundamentals of acceptance - unless of course it is in regards to another religion!
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1043473/School-children-called-geeks-wearing-cheap-clothing.html

R.I.P Isaac Hayes

What a voice this guy had - The Themes from Shaft and later as the voice of chef in Southpark - all the amazing bits in between including his work with David Porter.
65 seems no age these days - yet the day comes to us all.
Have not seen too much about cause of death as yet - he was found unconscious in his home.
R.I.P.

All sorts.............

Woman pushed onto tracks.........
after she asked 2 men in their 20's to stop smoking.
I saw a news clip of this lady last night and understandably she looked very scared and visibly shaken. She just missed the live rail which would have electrocuted her.
The police could now very easily be looking for 2 murderers if a train had come along or if indeed she had touched the live rail.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/woman-pushed-on-to-railway-line-after-asking-men-to-stop-smoking-887121.html

London still gridlocked..........
but wasn't the congestion charge supposed to be stopping all of that?
Well they set a good price for the congestion charge so there are slightly fewer cars on the road. Then they go and introduce inane traffic calming measures and of course a nice boom in roadworks - means that there are now more tailbacks and congestion than before.
The tickler for this one is - in trying to get more people to walk - they are of course going to make that more difficult now by axing pedestrian schemes and enabling shorter crossing times at lights.
I am sure if they carry on going in circles like this that one day one of these people that make these proposals will soon be able to bite their own ass!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/07/congestioncharging.transport?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Number 10 TV...............
Oh give me a break!!! The economy is all to crap - we have read about his personal trainer in order to get him 'fit' (and we all know who is paying for that!) and now this! Their other attempts online have been as popular as an implant at a feminists meeting (yeah yeah I have used this one before!) so they are going to try again?!?! Sooooooooo - their philosphy is - if something does not work - keep trying over and over again just to prove it doesn't? Or let's se if we can break the record of wasting taxpayers money on complete crap? As for reaching out to the public - he has tried and has failed and there is only so much reaching out you can do before you get your hand slapped and this has been happening on a more frequent basis for Gordon Brown.
He is now just looking sad and desperate and if he has half the intelligence he is supposed to have to be able to do a job like this then he should really just give it the heck up.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042473/Number-10-TV-Gordon-Brown-star-online-channel.html

Pensioner lay dead in bed for 2 years...................
Nothing like good old fashioned community spirit - and this was nothing like it!
Ok so the world seems to have a problem with lack of community right now - not checking on someone that has not been seen etc etc
The one problem here is - the people that say 'this would never have happened in my day' ........... you are still alive so it is your day - and if you cannot check on someone personally for whatever reason - ask someone else to!
Whilst saying there is a lack of 'community' yet doing the same as others then surely you are just enabling that same situation to continue. No-one can do everything - or get those interested that just don't care - but that does not mean everyone should follow suit.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042112/Pensioner-lay-dead-bed-YEARS-neighbours-noticed-missing.html

Crime snippets.....

911 calls are supposed to be for emergencies.........
So you would think!
'A slot machine stole my money!' - does not constitute an emergency - I would think most people would be more concerned if they paid out too often - extremely happy but wondering what was going on!
He even called twice about this and ended up being arrested.
Another man called 911 5 times during an argument with his brother.
The best one lately has to be calling 911 to complain that Subway left the sauce off a sandwich!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080805/ap_on_fe_st/911_casino_call;_ylt=AuwKmK5LanWMQLqtHBr8MZ.s0NUE

Mother to blame after baby mauled by dog.......
Two women in the house - the 17 yr old mother of the 2 month old child and the Grandmother. Both asleep. Neither apparently heard the screams of the 2 month old child being mauled and eaten alive by the dog - a black Labrador puppy. The child had apparently been left in a baby swing for approx 2 hours.
Various tests are being carried out to see just how neglectful this mother was - whether she was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time - decibel tests within the house etc.
Push comes to shove - no child of that age should be left unattended ever unless they are safe in their cot/basket and certainly never where there are any animals.
http://newsok.com/neglect-accusation-filed-in-tulsa-babys-mauling-death/article/3279162/?tm=1217931602

Snippets.........

£25,000 for five Boogers............
Baby Booger's at that!
A woman has paid THAT much for the 5 cloned puppies of her pit bull terrier Booger!
There are a lot of issues involved here - and like every issue it is down to personal opinion as to where your beliefs in cloning lie - whether for animals or humans.
This is not the first successful dog cloning experiment - as you will see from the article. It is not cheap - but is the cost worth it??
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/aug/05/genetics.korea?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Report claims prison 'too harsh' on inmates........
Is your heart bleeding yet? Are you sitting thinking 'awww the poor lambs!' Nope - me neither!
Proposals recommended include: free condoms,serve their evening meals later to stop them feeling hungry overnight, and that inmates should be allowed to choose whether they are addressed by their first name or surname and title!

Oh yes - that will increase control over violent prisoners won't it? Heck it leaves the door wide open for stick for the guards from non-violent prisoners.
A prison Officers' Association spokesman commented on violence increasing because of lack of officers and overcrowding because of prisoners that simply should not be there.
Well........... there'll be people queuing up to become a prison officer now - just so that they can have it shoved in their face that they will maybe have to call some piece of scum child rapist (for example) Mr. ..... !.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2503119/Prison-too-harsh-on-inmates-says-report.html

Defying a Hague order.........
This would be Texas - who confirmed the scheduled execution of a Mexican national for later day. This has become an international legal row and has involved the international court of justice who have tried to block the execution.
Last hopes for the prisoner now remain with the US Supreme Court.
Whether you agree with the death penalty or not - it is one of the punishments of the State of Texas - so therefore if you commit a crime which can be punishable by death - and the death sentence is indeed passed - then what the heck has it got to do with the Hague?
I agree with the spokeswoman for the governor of Texas:
"The [ICJ] has no jurisdiction here in Texas. We're concerned about following Texas law and that's what we're doing," a spokeswoman for Perry said.
Maybe he should have thought twice before breaking the law in Texas!
I can understand they are trying to go the human rights route - well - the women he raped and murdered also had the right to live too. Too many times the rights of a prisoner are looked at as being above those of the victim.
He broke the law and was sentenced to death - the laws of the State were followed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/05/justice.usa?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

A naked guy walks into a convenience store..........

Noooooooo not a joke! He walked in - claiming to have an explosive in his back-pack (which was destroyed) - and then his nekkid ass (and the rest of him) was arrested!

Crime snippets....

Man beheads girlfriend.......
Greece is not having a good time of it lately for violent incidences.
After an argument and beheading her dog - Athanassios Arvanitis beheaded his girlfriend - and paraded it for all to see.
He stabbed a police officer whilst being arrested - took off in another police car - ran over two female doctors and was shot 5 times by police.
A police official said:

'They knew he had psychological problems ... but they didn't expect he would reach this point.'

Well - that explains it then doesn't it!?!?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1041303/Man-beheads-girlfriend-horrified-villagers-Greek-holiday-hotspot.html

Real Home Alone..........
Except this time the child was not left at home - but in a duty-free shop at an airport (Israel) - scary beyond words. Luckily she was found by a member of staff.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1041336/The-real-Home-Alone-Forgetful-parents-leave-daughter-3-duty-free-shop-flight-France.html

Madeleine McCann files to be made public........
The Portugese police files into the disappearance of Madeleine are to be made public today - this one is going to get some serious hits - although it is not known yet as to whether the full dossier will be available.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4455844.ece

Overfill your bins? Leave them out too early? Put out extra sacks of garbage?.......
Then you could be fined (on-the-spot) up to £110 ($203 approx)!
That is more than a drunken lout or a shoplifter would receive!
People have received fine notices for over-filling bins - but the new on-the-spot fines - according to government guidelines should be at least £75.
However - if you cannot pay straight away - you will be prosecuted and receive a record for just not having that amount of cash available!
Yet another way how to decrease fly-tipping huh???!!!!
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1041098/Families-break-bin-rules-overfill-110-fine--drunken-yob-receive.html

Snippets for today.....

Ikea launch ready-made mobile phone service.......
Oh don't ya just wanna see the instruction sheet for this one?!?!
Will it be flat packed and in DIY (destroy it yourself) form?
Will all the appropriate parts be present?
Will it be missing a couple of vital screws just as you manage to get the whole thing put together?
Apparently they are stressing the 'simplicity' of it's service!
Doing this as a replica of stores such as Asda and Tesco's - they are teaming up with T-Mobile as a special deal for their loyalty customers. I am not too sure what they are hoping to gain by doing this - a furniture store with a mobile phone package? Hmmmmmm.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/04/telecoms.ikea?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

'Lad' mags to blame for absent fathers and sexism........
according to the Tories that is!
Here we go again - put the blame on something that has little to do with the situation and make it the root cause!
Men have and always will see women as sex objects - that is just the way it is - men are attracted by physical looks first (the hunter instinct to grab woman and procreate!) Now I am not saying all men are heartless unfeeling gits that are out for the one thing - they aren't - and it would be easy to go into the old joke about God only giving man enough blood supply to run one head at a time. It is a well known fact us women are more emotional creatures but we are not averse to looking at guys in the same way guys look at us and thinking, 'Oh hell yes!'
So what - there are pics of topless women in these magazines - they are mags for guys and the people that make them know that sex sells - always has always will.
If we were allowed to have nude pics of guys in women's magazines they would be there - but the penis is not allowed to be shown or it has to be categorized as pornography - so we get lumbered with a measly sketch of 'position of the fortnight!' Push comes to shove - men and women are more than capable of seeing each other as sex objects.
I agree - absent fathers are a problem - but the cause is not a magazine!
Education from within the home and schools from an appropriate age regarding intimate relationships between 2 people is a necessity.
Teaching respect for oneself and others in these relationships; responsibilities for both the male and the female (it is the female that gets pregnant and more emphasis should be placed on this) to use protection; teaching kids in school what sperm tastes like etc whilst not teaching responsibilities of being in a mature relationship and what those responsibilities entail in full is lunacy. After all teaching kids it is okay to take part in oral sex - how long do they really think it is going to be before the primal urges for both people take over to take it that one step further?
We are human - we are animals and we all have urges and needs. To continuously blame something that is a form of entertainment for the social problems within any society is getting old - it is about time the root causes were looked at.
Let kids be kids and stop trying to make them grow up so fast - teach them education is important - that sex is not wrong but that it is something to be respected and the consequences - i.e. another life can be created.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/04/6?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront