The Captain's Blog

PlayStation 3 - The Uk Launch... a bit of a flop really

2007-03-25T14:25:00.000+01:00

So it's here, and we bought one on release day.

We had reserved it, but it seems that was unnecessary as many stores were left with unsold systems at the end of the day. One HMV in the Midlands (for example) had 40 systems delivered, but only sold 17 and the general consensus is that the release has been a bit of a flop really.
Even on Ebay sellers are struggling to cover the cost of the machine with many auctions ending at around £380 to £400. Compared to the WII or XBox360 release where many consoles were doubling their price on release day and afterwards it makes you wonder if Sony have fallen from grace with their newest console.

The PS3, as a system, is okay I would suggest you only buy it if you want to play a specific PS3 only game. If you want to play games with HD quality you'd be better off with an XBox 360... it's quite a bit cheaper. If you want good quality game play at a good price, go for a WII (with a component cable the graphics are pretty good as well).

The support for previous PlayStation games on the PS3 is better than the XBox360 support for Xbox games, but is not as good a previous support that PlayStation has provided on earlier consoles (PSOne games on PS2 worked great). You can't use your PS2 or PS1 memory cards on the system, but have to make virtual memory cards on the hard drive. To copy over your old saves you need to buy a memory card adaptor to plug into a usb port and then copy the save files to your virtual memory card/s.
One other thing. The PS3 gets very hot in use, so if you get one make sure that there is plenty of space around it for ventilation.

I think I'll stick with the WII. It has a silly name, but backward compatibility is 100%, and it's a lot cheaper.

6 Weird Things About Me

2007-03-01T11:49:00.000Z

I was tagged by The Leak

These are the rules:

1. Each player of this game starts with the “6 weird things about you”.

2. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly.

3. At the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Weird Things
1. I cut my own hair as I believe barbers charge too much.
2. I have watched the Titanic Movie (with Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslett) over 25 times.
3. I am afraid of Beetles, and once ran across the garden screaming when I saw one in some washing I was getting off the line.
4. I once hovered in mid-air for a few seconds while catching a mosquito.
5. I believe that humans can fly, we just have to remember to miss the ground before landing.
6. I believe that Aliens live among us, we can't see them though as they are out of our visual range (the same as most people can't hear dog whistles).

I tag nobody, as everyone I know has already been tagged.

Things to ponder...

2007-02-06T13:45:00.000Z

I recently received these in an email, and thought I'd share them with you all.

1. Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?

2. If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

3. Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

4. Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

5. Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

6. Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

7. Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

8. Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

9. Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

10. Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

11. What is the speed of darkness?

12. Are there specially reserved parking spaces for "normal" people at the Special Olympics?

13. If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?

14. If it's true that we are here to help others, what are the others doing here?

15. Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?

16. Do you cry underwater?

17. How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

18. Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

19. Did you ever stop and wonder..... Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

20. Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's bum."

21. Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

22. Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

23. Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their bum when they ask where the bathroom is?

24. Why does your Obstetrician, Gynaecologist leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

25. Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

26. Can blind people see their dreams? Do they dream??

27. If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

28. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables,then what is baby oil made from?

29. If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

30. Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Now stop singing and read on . . . . . . . . .

31. Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

32. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

33. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Answer on a post card please

Oh my... it's 2007

2007-01-04T13:54:00.000Z

Finally I have made it to the New Year, I hope it's a good one for everyone.

I have finally managed to escape from TalkTalk/OneTel and ther eratic (to say the least) billing system, but that meant I was offline for two weeks on the run up to Chritsmas, and finally got my broadband back on 29 December with a different company which is cheaper, faster, and so far reliable.

We missed the xmas party on 23rd december as my better half (I'm not allowed to call her wife anymore... not since we watched Pogles Wood together, 'cos otherwise she calls me Pogle) had pneumonia and is still on antibiotics, but is finally getting better. I have also been unwell with a chest infection, but am also on the mend now.
We made it to the New Year party and had a good old time, got plastered, sung songs on the karaoke and probably seriously annoyed the neighbours and stumbled home around 3ish where we had a cuppa and went to bed. The next day wasn't good as the pneumonia got a buzz from the alcohol and fought back, but the antibiotics have again regained their ground and are winning.
I was sent the video's new years day and had a good old laugh, but my better half won't watch them as she thinks they are too embarrasing. I hope they don't end up on YouTube.

My best present this year was my new digital camera which can do everything except fry eggs, I have taken some great pictures so far and the battery life is amazing compared to my old one which is cool.
My plans for 2007 are to exercise for half an hour a day monday to friday. To give up smoking, and to continue being the best friend that I can be to my children. I say plans as plans sometimes fail, resolutions (for me) always fail.

Have a great year everyone, I hope you all achieve your goals and dreams in 2007.

TalkTalk/Onetel - communication ain't their game...

2006-11-25T15:42:00.000Z

As you would have seen from my post title Arrggghhhhhh!!!! I have had some billing problems with my ISP. This came to a head on Thursday morning when they suspended my broadband service, which really started my day well. I didn't have time to do anything about it then as I had an appointment with the Halifax (which turned a black day into a very bright and sunny day BTW.) so I left it.
I decided later thursday to say stuff'em, I'll go back on dial up for a while and promptly installed a modem in my pc. It was just typical that after doing this I found out that I had lost the driver disc. Bright idea... download them from the internet... oops, no internet. I rang a friend who downloaded some drivers for me and bought them round on a thumb drive, but they were the wrong ones... I probably grabbed the wrong number off the modem, in fact, now I know I did.
I'd had enough and decided to give up for the day thinking I'll give it another bash on Friday.

Friday morning I borrowed a Laptop with a built in modem, entered the details of an old dial up account I used to use and was shocked when it still worked, got online and suddenly realised why broadband was so cool. However, determined not to lose, I struggled on for over an hour of dropped connections, redialing again and again and waiting for the tortoise to wake up before giving up... at 9.30 am I rang OneTel.

The conversation was, I suppose 'interesting' would best describe it. I'll relay it a best as I recall...

*TalkTalk/Onetel will be referred to as OT for readability.

*(remember, this is not an english call center... need I say more)

Me. Hello
OT. Hello, how can I help you
Me. Yes, my broadband has been switched off
OT. I see, do you have your account number.
Me. Yes (says account number)
OT. Oh, I see. Your service has been suspended as you haven't paid your bill.
Me. Yes, I know, but I am still waiting for a reply from you about this as you took the payment out of my account early and cost me £30 in bank charges, so this is your fault.
OT. Can you make a payment today.
Me. No I can't because I can't check how much money is available on my Credit Card so I don't know if there is enough room, and I won't anyway because you are at fault and you owe me £30 and still haven't responded to my email.
OT. I see, hold the line a minute.
Me. Okay.

(piped music - 2 minutes later)

OT. I'll pass you onto my colleague, please hold the line.

(piped music - 2 minutes later - piped music ends - line goes quiet)

Me. Hello (waits)
Me. Hello (looks at phone to make sure not cut off. waits)
Me. Hello
OT. Hello, I understand you have no broadband.
Me. That's correct
OT. Oh, I see you have not paid your bill, that is why. We have suspended your account. Can you make a payment today.
Me. No, I won't make a payment today as I am still waiting for a reply to an email I sent you about this two weeks ago. This is after I sent the email to you through your billing contact page on your website. This email was returned a week later by your technical support department as it was sent there. The address on your website is obviously wrong.
OT. Okay, I'll make a note of that.
Me. This had an email address typed into the reply which I was told I needed to send my complaint to. I forwarded my email to that address and it was returned a day later as the address I was given didn't exist. I had to search around your site to find the right address and forwarded the email again. I am still waiting for a reply to that email.
OT. Okay, please hold the line.

(piped music - 2 minutes later - piped music ends - line goes quiet)

Me. (waits) Hello (waits)
OT. Hello, I understand you have a problem with your billing.
Me. Yes, my direct debits have been returned as you took them early, costing me £30 in bank charges which I feel you owe me.
OT. Can you pay your bill by credit card.
Me. No, you owe me thirty pounds, and I want compensation as you took the money from my account early and cost me in bank charges.
OT. We cannot refund your bank charges, can you pay your bill today.
Me. No, I sent you an email about this weeks ago, and am still waiting for your reply. You are in the wrong and I want compensation and my broadband back on.
OT. We have sent you an email about this.
Me. Hah! Well I can't get it. I don't have an internet connection.
OT. But we have sent you an email.
Me. I haven't received it, I don't have an internet connection to check my emails.
OT. I have it in front of me here.
Me. So are you going to wave it at the phone and say read this. That is as effective as sending me an email. It won't work will it.
OT. I can read it to you.
Me. No, you can print it and post it to me.
OT. Okay, I can do that.
Me. (desperate silence)
OT. Okay, so can you pay your bill today.
Me. (calm, but firm) No, you owe me. You can credit my account with two months worth of rental and put my broadband back on. I've had enough. Since TalkTalk took over OneTel your billing date has been getting earlier and earlier. With Onetel it was taken from my bank always after the 21st of the month, now it has gone from the 21st to the 19th, the 17th and the 17th.
OT. Our system decides the date payments are taken from your account. It changes every month.
Me. Why, all my other Direct Debits come out on the same date every month.
OT. It is the way our system is set up. We cannot change it.
Me. But Direct Debits are supposed to come out on a regular date. You are in breach of the Direct Debit Guarantee.
OT. No, you always receive your bill at the beginning of the month. We notify you by email when your bill is available online. If you look at your bill the payment date is on there.
Me. I don't always have time to look at my bill online. And I've got used to, and expect, the payments to some out of my account after the 20th of the month. You have changed this and have now cost me £30 in bank charges.
OT. But that is the way our system is set up. We cannot change it.
Me. Look, when TalkTalk took over Onetel they changed the terms and conditions. They did this online in June 2006, but never informed anyone directly. You need to put changes of payment dates in writing to your customers. You haven't done that so you are in the wrong.
OT. That is the way our system is set up. We cannot refund your bank charges. Can you make a payment today.
Me. (calm, but firm) No, you owe me. You can credit my account with two months worth of rental and put my broadband back on. I've had enough.
OT. I can't do that. If you don't pay then your service will stay suspended.
Me. Okay, I'll use dial up.
OT. If you don't pay then after a few weeks we will disconnect your service.
Me. (calmly irrate) Fine, I'll sign up with someone else then and you can sing for your money as I don't owe you anything.
OT. If you don't pay then after a few weeks we will disconnect your service.
Me. (calmly irrate) Fine, I'll sign up with someone else then and you can sing for your money forever because I am not paying you what I don't owe.
OT. If you don't pay then after a few weeks we will disconnect your service.
Me. And you can sing for your money.
OT. Please hold the line.

(piped music - 2 minutes later - piped music ends - line goes quiet)

Me. Hello
OT. Hello, this is the billing supervisor. I understand you have a problem with your bill.
Me. Yes...
OT. Can you briefly tell me the problem.

I explain it all over again...

OT. Okay, but we are not in error here. You receive your email notification when your bill is available online. If you look at the bill you will see when the money is taken from your account. There is nothing we can do unless you make a payment to clear the arrears.
Me. I won't make a payment because you failed to inform me of the change of billing date so you are in the wrong.
OT. If you don't pay then your service will remain suspended and will eventually be disconnected.
Me. Fine, okay. Right, I want my mac code. I've had enough I'm going elsewhere.
OT. I'll just contact our technical department, hold the line.

(piped music - 1 minutes later - piped music ends - line goes quiet)

OT. I have just spoken to the technical department and they can generate a mac code, but it will be no use to you unless the bill is paid in full.
Me. Fine, I'll use dial up then.

(Line goes quiet)

OT. I cannot pay your bank fees, but if you will stay with Onetel then I can make a goodwill payment of £30 as you have been a customer for so long, and if you pay the rest we can put your broadband back on.
Me. Yes, three and a half years. How much is the rest?
OT. £10.48 which you can pay by credit card.
Me. Why £10.48. It should be less than that. 2 months rental, that's £37.98 not £40.48.
OT. £2.50 administration costs due to the returned direct debit.
Me. Well, surely you can cover that as well. It's not my fault the Direct Debit was returned.
OT. Okay, I'll give you a credit of £32.50, you have to pay £7.98.
Me. Okay, I'll do that and will give you one more chance.

So, after 27 minutes on the phone I paid the £7.98 and 30 minutes later my broadband was back on. A good result...

but wait... at 11.55am the phone rang.

Me. Hello
OT. Hello, Can I speak to Captain_Beardy (not my real name... how odd would that be!)
Me. Speaking
OT. Hello, this is TalkTalk/OneTel. I am phoning about the £40.48 owed on your account.............

PS. The alleged email still hasn't arrived.

More than just a Bank Account

2006-11-25T15:25:00.000Z

Well, after my last post things have moved on a bit. Firstly I'll deal with the banking issue.
On Tuesday I popped into town to get a bit of shopping, and walked past the Nationwide which is closing soon. Right next to them is a branch of the Halifax so I walked in (at a quarter to five) and had a very brief explanatory conversation with the lady behind the counter. To cut a long story short they offered me an appointment to see one of the staff to see about arranging a new account for me. I was offered one on the wednesday but I couldn't take that as my son was off school ill. They asked when I could come in and I suggested thursday. This was inconvenient for them as the lady I needed to see had a day off then, but from the background she piped up that she would see me thursday morning, and an appointment was made for 10.30am.
Thursday came, and I arrived at 10.25am. Five minutes later the lady I was seeing walked in (carrying her shopping) and just after 10.30 the interview began. It was a very pleasant experience, not overly prying and was run with respect and understanding (and a nice cup of tea) and an hour and fifteen minutes later I walked out with a new bank account, a buffer zone overdraft and a lot more than I expected I would get from anyone... a feeling of being a worthwhile person again. That feeling is priceless. I would like to say (and already have to their faces) a great big thankyou to the Halifax, and if anyone is being given a hard time, or a raw deal, by their current bank or building society give Halifax a try. You've got nothing to lose (you don't have to take what is offered) and you may be very pleasantly suprised as I was.
Next I am going to deal with the OneTel issue, but that's in another post...

Arghhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!

2006-11-22T13:20:00.000Z

Thanks for the comments guys, and yes, I have had some opinions and grievances over the last three weeks. I just haven't had the time to say anything about them. I'll give you a clue... BANKS. There, that should tell you everything.

Basically, quite recently, I have had a couple of direct debits returned by my bank and have been charged £30 a time for this 'priveledge'. I have been arguing with my bank (The Nationwide... not to mention any names) that these charges are unfair as they will cause financial hardship (and have effectively cost me in the region of £140 overall - not to mention the bills that still have to be paid), and that if they had given me the £100 buffer zone overdraft facility that I have asked for on several occasions then this matter would not have arose (and there would have been very little in the way of charges as I would only have used the buffer zone for one day, on two occasions).
One of the direct debit returns was caused by insufficient funds (but that company usually takes it's DD a few days late when I would have been fine), and the second by my ISP (OneTel, now TalkTalk) as they have changed there collection date when TalkTalk took over OneTel and haven't informed me directly. I only discovered this change after reading their terms and conditions which were upadted in June 2006 (when TalkTalk took over). So I am also arguing the toss with them, and am currently waiting for their reply to my last email.

As a result of all this hassle, and the fact that Nationwide are closing there local sub-branch that I use I have been looking at alternative banking suppliers. I am still currently looking, and so far only seem to met with predujice and discrimination due to the fact that I am a full time carer for my wife and son, and thus am not considered employed. The fact that my monthly income is close to most working poeples incomes doesn't matter, even though if I was working and earning the income I currently get I would have everything thrown at me (think Credit Cards, Cheque Book, Overdraft etc.). I will let you know how this pans out.

In the meantime I am now writing to the banking ombudsman about the way Nationwide have treated this whole affair, and will also be cancelling the majority of my Direct Debits and returning to quarterly bills. At least that way I'll be in control of my money, and not the banking system which I and many others have been forced to use against our wishes.

I'll keep you informed.

Labour Party - Going down the drain?

2006-10-31T10:53:00.000Z

It would appear that Mr Blair is determined to be the first labour prime minister to survive three terms of office, and wants the labour party to fail in the next election when it is no longer under his leadership.
How have I reached that conclusion? Simply by watching the news, reading the papers, and relying on memories sporned during his term of office.

Mr Blair first came to power in a landslide victory against the conservatives in 1997, and then effectively disappeared for almost two years while 'assessing the needs of the country' which, I felt, was much needed at the time. However, since then things have gone down hill and are rapidly gaining pace in that direction.
We now have hospitals which are effectively rented from the private sector, with the possiblity of schools coming under the same category in the near future. Taxes have soared in the form of more stealth taxes, more taxes on property, more taxes on capital gains through inheritance and house sales and now we are to expect 'green taxes' on pollution through fuel comsumption.
Although I agree with the green tax in principle (the more petrol your car uses, or the more miles you do should contribute towards making the world a healthier place), and did, in fact, with the help of my wife come up with an idea to add road tax to the cost of petrol rather than the annual fee we currently pay, I can not see the revenue from this new tax being used for it's claimed purpose, well possibly a token amount will be used, but the rest will be eaten up in 'administrative costs'.

This will be yet another nail in the labour coffin, to go along with the Iraq war, the aforementioned trust hospitals, the wonderful gesture of a pay cut by Mr Blair prior to his second election - subsequently followed by a nice big pay rise the following year, the great plan of house snoops (to see if you are paying the right amount of council tax - home improvements will increase your annual bill), his inabilty to control the amount of immigrants entering the UK from europe and abroad, etc.

Okay, he has done some good things during his time in office, but people have short memories for good things and long memories for bad things or things that harm them, a fact that most, if not all, politicians, seem to fail to realise.

I'm from Neptune - apparently

2006-10-19T09:57:00.000+01:00

You Are From Neptune

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability.
You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea.
Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion.
You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone.
If you don't get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

Blimey, that describes me to a tee!! ScaRy sTUfF...

What Planet Are You From?

Torture - Is it right or wrong.

2006-10-19T08:22:00.000+01:00

A recent BBC survey of 27,000 people from 25 different countries indicates that roughly one third of the world's population support the use of torture in prisons. This is a bit disconcerting, but not suprising considering the current state of the world. We all have the need to feel safe and most of us will go to varying degrees of extreems to have that feeling. If putting extra bolts on your front door, installing extra smoke detectors in your home, or buying a licenced firearm helps you feel more secure then who am I to criticise.

Generally, the definition of torture is the infliction of severe pain or mental suffering, especially as a punishment or as a means of persuading someone to give information. However, this level of pain and/or mental suffering would vary from person to person as we all have different pain thresholds.

In extreems of definition smacking an unruly child could be seen as torture, but so could denying a child the right to watch their favourite television programme (mental suffering) if they have mis-behaved. As a parent I would consider these acts as disipline (although I am against smacking, but have used it on rare occasions), but someone with different views may consider them as excessive and torturous.

The Geneva Convention prohibits the use of all torture and cruel and degrading behaviour, and all the countries surveyed have signed up to it, but it is worthy to note that countries where political violence and torture have been more prevalent in recent history are more willing to accept torture than others who have had a longer history without it.
This factor could be put down to desensitisation, or simply an apathetic acceptance of life situations. It could also be a nurture-learned acceptance through the religious, or political beliefs, of the parents and /or educational establishments in each environment. Without experiencing life in these countries it is impossible to comment fairly as to why torture is more acceptable than in other countries.

However, I have detracted slightly from the main point of this blog. Is torture right or wrong?

From a moral standpoint, yes, torture is most definately wrong.

However, it has been used to great effect and has possible saved thousands of lives throughout history, but does this make it right. Does obtaining information through any means neccesary to save lives justify the pain and suffering of one individual, who is most probably only doing his job as an employee of his countries government or monarchy. Does it state in his contract of employment, written or unwritten, that the risk of torture is part of his job and must be accepted?
I know in the old war films torture was depicted, and officers were often told not to give up their secrets. The phrase "Death before Dishonour" being bandied around like a magic shield, but were soldiers really expected to keep their mouths shut as their captors tortured them in many graphic ways that I won't describe here as youngsters may read this post (although they are probably taught about it in schools).

I don't know, but it wouldn't suprise me if there were unspoken rules regarding captivity and what would be expected of you as a prisoner of war which, ultimately, is why this survey was conducted.

Some people would probably even argue that they (our captors) would do it to us, so we have the right to do it to them, but does this make it right.

Throughout history torture has been used in wartime, by religious establishments and by individuals, to obtain information that is considered to be important or beneficial, and I suppose if people with knowledge were not instructed to keep it to themselves then torture would not have to be used as a means to get an advantage over the opposition.
It has also been used as a way of inflicting nasty and painful death on people considered to be wrong-doers in the eyes of the person ordering the torture. In this second case torture is most definately wrong.
In the first case (torture to obtain knowledge), well, at the end of the day I don't know. I feel that it is morally wrong, but is it not also morally wrong to risk the lives of thousands of people by not allowing it, people you and I could be related too. I am going to have to sit on the fence with this one. I cannot and will not condone it, but cannot see an alternative where lives could be saved. Eutopia does not exists yet, and probably never will.

Religious Symbolism - Should it be public?

2006-10-15T10:45:00.000+01:00

This matter has raised it head again, with the news that a teaching assistant has been suspended, pending enquiries, for wearing a full head veil during lessons along with the news that a BA member of staff has been put on unpaid leave until she is willing to wear her cross necklace under her clothing, rather than displaying it in public.
Why should religion be bought into the workplace, but also, why should it be criticised. Every member of our society has a right to express their beliefs and feelings, but they should also have to accept and tolerate other peoples rights and beliefs. As long as their beliefs, feelings and public displays of faith do not affect their ability to do their job, or contravene specific company dress code then it really shouldn't matter.

With regards to the teaching assistant, who's job it is to help pupils who speak english as a second language, I feel that it should be down to the board of governers, the teachers and the parents of pupils at the school to decide diplomatically and fairly as to whether veils and other religious artefacts (crosses, hijabs, etc.) are an acceptable part of the dress code within the school environment. It could be argued that it is beneficial in our multi-cultural society that our children are exposed to diversity of religion and beliefs, but this diversity could also cause disruption and discomfort for some within the school environment, and may cause further discrimination and divide between different cultural practices.

The BA staff member who wore a cross necklace over her clothing should not cause offence and in most cases, probably, would not. However, it is BA policy that jewellery on chains should be worn under clothing - this would, obviously, include crosses on chains. In this case, it would seem, that the member of staff is in violation of existing uniform policy, a policy which allows the wearing of turbans and hijabs. I am sure that if christian dress code required the wearing of certain visible items then that tolerance would be extended to include those items, but the wearing of a cross is a religious choice, not a requirement.
However, the wearing of a hijab is required by the Muslim faith, as a symbol of modesty that is a strong part of islamic faith, although the hijab is not required to cover the face (unlike the full head veil worn by the teaching assistant - indicating that this would be a personal choice rather than a religious one, and thus could be moderated to a standard hijab, unless of course she follows a particulary strict version of her faith, which requires a full head veil).

If a person wants to wear a cross on religious grounds, or a hijab, or turban then they should be allowed to do so without fear of ridicule, persecution or prejudice. My only reservation in this matter is where the wearing of such items could be considered a health or safety risk to the wearer or their colleagues, i.e. a worker in a factory should not wear loose fitting clothing as it could snag in machinery they may operate. A tie, a hijab and a turban could all come into this category, and thus should not be worn on those grounds. However, an office worker who never enters the shop floor would be fine to wear a tie, hijab or turban without risk to personal safety or to the safety of others (as long as they stay clear of the paper shredder :-) ) so in that instance it would be fine.

At the end of the day this, like most religious and cultural matters, will be discussed and shuffled around with no conclusion being reached. While this is happening the media, and politicians, will jump on the band wagon to gain public exposure but no changes will be made.
Change will only come from acceptance and tolerance between the various cultural and religious faiths, and will most likely start at the bottom of the pile, among the general population. The politicians, media, extreemists (and they occur in every faith and culture) and higher members of faiths have their own agenda's which prevent progress being made by them. It is down to us little people to make the changes to make a better, more tolerant, society for all.

Hurrah, it's Saturday

2006-10-14T11:36:00.000+01:00

Why hurrah? No reason really, it just means the kids are home all day today, and tomorrow and will probably innundate me with a thousand ridiculous, and irrelevant, questions that they are quite capable of answering for themselves, but won't.
I have found, over the years, that it doesn't seem to make any difference how old they become they still ask the questions. Okay, they have got out of the 'Why' stage, but the questions still go on. It drives me barmy sometimes, especially as they seem to choose the most inconvenient times (i.e. as the pan boils over on the cooker, or when I have a gloss paint covered brush in my hand and a half painted door).
Fair enough, the half painted door hasn't been an issue for a while, but you can bet your bottom dollar it will happen today as I have some glossing to do in the downstairs hallway.

That's a funny phrase, your bottom dollar. I know it means your last dollar, but I can't help thinking of a stack of dollars in the middle of a room and someone trying to retrieve the bottom one that they have just won, without removing the dollars above it.
Hmm!... Thinking!... Maybe that would be a worthwhile gamble, and if successful you'd win all the dollars above it as well. Maybe you'd have to put a dollar on the top of the pile before trying to remove the one at the bottom. If you win you keep them all, if you lose the pile gets bigger. Hmm, my brother springs to mind...

My brain obviously isn't functioning properly today because I came up with a really good blog discussion yesterday but absolutely cannot recall it today. I think I'll have a quick look at what is happening news-wise and maybe comment on some of that. Well, you can't say I don't try to be current, can you...

No, it seems that the news is pretty boring today. It's important I have to admit, but nothing wonderfully new that is worth commenting on, except maybe the return of The Secret Policemans Ball charity show, which has been in hiding since 1989. Led by Chevy Chase this year it is good to see it back. (opinions welcome)

Well, I suppose I'd better go and paint. It won't be a van gogh, or even a Rolf Harris. It will just be a big, white, shiny, flat(ish) surface with a handle stuck half way up it. However, if I was van gogh I could probably sell it for a few million quid as modern art.

See you all soon, and remember... smiles use more face muscles than frowning, so look miserable and save energy.

Welcome Me Hearties

2006-10-12T11:05:00.000+01:00

Here we go, my very first online blog... It's only taken me 40 years to get round to it but what the heck.
Not sure what to say at this very moment in time, except that I need a cup of tea, so if anyone has a pot brewed and ready let me know and I'll sail round. Remember, I like two sugars in mine, it helps keep the chills out on the high seas.

No matter what happens in life, remember that someone else is having a harder time than you.

That is something that has been said to me so often in life, and I find myself passing that piece of wisdom onto my children regularly, but it's all rubbish really. Why? Because when your having a rough time, even if times have been worse in the past, you still feel like crap. Having someone telling you that someone else is having a harder time doesn't comfort you or make you feel better, you don't jump up with a big smile on your face shouting "Oh, I feel so much better now, knowing that Fred down the road is going through more shit that I am. WhooHoo life is worth living again."
No, you don't give a toss about Fred. It's your problems that matter and until they're resolved they will continue to matter. I'm sure Fred is being given the same advice about someone else having a harder time that he is, but who is that someone. If it's you you're in trouble... If not, then eventually you will find the poor little mucker who is at the bottom of the pile, who has no one with troubles worse than his, and who we all believe is making a fuss about nothing because no one, seriously, can be that unfortunate.
I think the best thing we can do is try our best to get through each day, every day, do something about the things we can change and file away the things we can't do anything about until we can sort them out as well. Help out others if they need it, but don't forget our own needs, and put your kids first whenever you can so they can grow into the wonderful people they deserve to be.

Ooh, that was unexpected. I was only going to say hi. Where did that (the above) come from? Answers on a postcard, please.