Feeds:
Posts
Comments

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Could these be the headlines ten or twenty years from now?

 

Due to the dreaded MRSA super bug, we in the UK are obliged to wash our hands with a special ‘Bacteria-killing’ hand cleanser every time we go through various points within the hospitals. A good idea probably, though I personally think it’s all just ‘politics’.

 

But what about doctors and nurses? They are obliged to do it all of the time as they move around the hospital, meaning they probably ‘cleanse’ their hands in excess of one hundred times a day with this ‘solution’.

 

Now I use the painkiller gel ‘Ibuleve’ fairly regularly. I use it because I can’t take ‘Ibupofren’ internally due to an allergic reaction. It’s very similar in consistency to the hand cleanser gel we’re all obliged to use throughout our hospitals.

 

the reason ‘Ibuleve’ works so well and so fast is because our skin absorbs it very fast and it gets directly to the pain in record time. The worry with doctors and nurses is that if they are constantly cleansing their hands through the day, just how much of the solution is being ‘absorbed’ by their skin and entering the blood stream, travelling through all of the major organs on a regular basis?

 

If the cleanser is meant to ‘kill’ bacteria, what might it be ‘killing’ as it passes through these people’s body in such a concentrated amount? Has anyone even given it a thought? Or do we have to learn from our mistakes like the millions of people who have had their exposure to asbestos come back to haunt them years down the line?

 

I only mention Doctors and Nurses because on my regular visits to hospital I see them constantly ‘cleansing’. The cleaners and orderly’s appear to be exempt from this practice.

One old chap pulled a couple of cleaners up as they just walked straight through one of the ‘cleansing’ points. They just turned and laughed at him. Hmmmmmm?

 

Pete Moring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Must it be SO HARD to renew parking permit.
 
I’ve just read this letter in the E-Post tonight, and to be honest,
I thought I’d written the letter myself.
Our Council in Reading, Berks, UK (Reading Borough Council)
has itself held way up high on a pedastal.
It likes to make life extremely difficult for it’s residents who own cars, and
generally can’t wait to get their hands on even more of our hard-earned
money.
 
Last week (after one month from application) I received an identical
letter as the one described by S Finn. Knowing how long it takes them
to operate down at the council, I decided to struggle down in person to sort it.
 
I too had provided the necessary proofs required, but they deemed it
wasn’t enough. the letter said I had to provide ‘either’ an amended log
book form from the DVLA ‘or’ my current insurance certificate.
(Even though I’d already submitted both)
 
When I got there I was told that the insurance certificate wasn’t adequate,
even though it had ALL of the vehicle details, PLUS my name and address.
I was told that because my car was provided through the ‘Mobility’ scheme
I needed even MORE proof that I was the registered keeper.
(What more proof can we give?) Apparently, the car was deemed to be in
the same category as ‘a company car’. (HOW?  I’ve no idea.)
 
I explained that the letter from the DVLA confirming that I WAS the registered
keeper was all the proof I could muster. Not enough though. So I came home
and photo-copied EVERY document in my possession related to the ‘Mobility’
scheme, the garage bought from and myself, then struggled back down to hand
it in in person.
 
I saw the same woman (who tried her best) but even then she couldn’t confirm
that the idiot I’d spoken to earlier ‘upstairs’ would accept them.
 
What IS this council up to?
 
It was a ‘renewal’ of the permit. I must have already provided the adequate proof
first time round musn’t I?
 
I think S Finn is absolutely correct.
They’re after even MORE of our money when the current permits run out at
the end of July through the overzealous parking wardens.
 
It would be interesting to know ‘JUST’ how many other Reading residents are being
sent these OBSTRUCTIVE letters.
Maybe they TOO could write into the E-Post?
Pete.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Great ‘UK’ Floods, Summer ’07 and NOW!

I wrote and published this post almost a year ago now.
What, if anything has changed?

——————————-
“Quote”;-
No doubt we’re all, both Shocked and in Awe of
the Scale and Enormity of the total devastation
being caused this summer by the ‘soaking’ we’ve
received from mother nature, as she tries to make
amends for the ‘scarcity’ of rain she’s allocated
to us over the last few years with a larger than life
‘flood reward’.

But to see politicians scurrying around trying to
look effective and caring is quite honestly an insult
to our intelligence. They’ve never had a clue before,
and they certainly don’t have one now. All the usual
sound-bites are being appropriately banded about,
but with ‘hollow’ intent. The word FLOOD is now
their keyword to get all and ‘any’ media employees
rushing to their side to ‘hear’ the next ‘Words Of
Wisdom’ from these buffoons.

Will lessons be learned? NO! Will they listen to those
who DO know about the problems we’ve created? NO!
Will they throw our hard-earned taxes at the problem?
YES! Most certainly in the short term to disguise their
GUILT. But in a few months this will all be forgotten,
(The Great UK Floods Will Be Distant Memories),
and another ‘Man created’ problem will take over our
hearts, leaving those poor victims in their own world,
having to get through it as best they can. On Their Own.

After all, our trusty politicians have opinion polls to
consider. They have Elections to win and finance. They
also have, (more importantly of course than our floods),
other countries problems to solve before their own
citizens get their ear.
So why is anyone surprised at all that the government
response was nothing short of ‘Totally dismal’?

A few thousand sand-bags hurriedly distributed. I’d like
to know how many homes these sand-bags saved, and
whether they could be counted on just ONE hand. Sand-
bags SLOW the water, they don’t STOP it. Who could
find the energy to stay up all night, and all day long just
baling water non-stop from their house. (Unless you have
a large fit family of course, not many).

This curse from mother nature DID of course have ONE
positive effect. It DID bring out the ‘Bull-Dog Spirit’ in
a lot of people who probably thought they didn’t have it.
Or who thought their neighbours weren’t capable of
possessing this quality. Not much compensation I know,
but a little bit at least.

Much is being said about the causes of the flooding, and
looking for someone to blame. But if we DO have to
blame someone, I’m afraid good old ‘Mother Nature’
must take full responsibility this time. What WE have
to ask is WHY she decided to give us a ‘wake-up-call’.

Was it because of our terrible ‘emissions’? You know,
that ‘buzz-word’ everyone uses these days to get any
sort of ‘funding’ or ‘attention’ for themselves? NO!

Well was it maybe because we’ve not been doing our
‘rain-dancing’ often enough, or worshipping the ‘Sun-
God’ in the sky so that he’d keep all the water at bay?
NO!

Was it because our farmers are ‘paid’ by Brussels
NOT to do anything with their land. Especially to put
it to good use in any way? MAYBE?

Or could it possibly be because of people like ME?
Who worked for one of the numerous councils country-
wide in the early 1970’s, spending all day EVERY day,
replacing huge great ditches along the side of every
‘A and B road’ in the country, with little ‘eighteen inch
diameter’ concrete pipes to take ‘All’ of this water that
almost always ‘filled’ these ditches in our winter months.

Remembering of course, that these ditches on average,
were about ‘six feet deep’, by approximately ‘four feet
wide’. They used to fill up quite quickly and easily.
When I was a kid, these ditches were great sources of
entertainment and adventure. (Probably why our Lords
and Masters decided to ‘fill them in’). But they were
also brilliant at doing what they were designed to do;
Get rid of all that excess rainwater of course.

But now we’re forgetting that GREAT 1960’s invention.
‘The Glorious Do-Gooder’. That Bam-Pot who decided
that we should ALL be wrapped up in cotton-wool just
incase we ‘hurt’ ourselves while playing. Or maybe we
would ‘injure’ ourselves if we drove off the road while
drunk, or driving ‘carelessly’ one day.

What did ‘The Bam-Pot’ do?
He decided to fill in those dangerous ditches, that’s what,
and channel ALL that water which regularly ‘filled’ our
six foot by four foot ditches each winter, into a neatly
concealed underground ‘Eighteen Inch’ concrete pipe-way.
Does a Gallon of water fit into a Pint bottle??
I think you know the answer to THAT one, but our local
and national politicians, highway officers, and most of all
‘Our Bam-Pots’ couldn’t quite grasp the maths here.

So now, 30+ years on, we’re reaping our rewards for NOT
understanding that ‘Mother Nature’ operates in a different
time-zone to the rest of us. Not only that, but she does NOT
suffer fools gladly. When she sees ‘stupidity’ on a large
enough scale as to undermine her own efforts, she doesn’t
CAUSE devastation to be inflicted on the perpetrators.
She simply allows clouds to pass between herself and her
subjects. Then whatever will be, will be. Even when it
causes detriment to her own creative work, it’s a lesson that
HAS to be endured.

Vast swathes of the UK have reaped the ‘consequences’ of
bad judgement by those who profess to have our best interests
at heart. but who in fact serve NO-ONE but themselves. The
Local and National Politicians. Heads of Business who only
see profit margins. Then the self-obsessed ‘Do-Gooders’ who
have NO life experience of their own, so they try to ‘rule’ the
rest of us with their twisted sense of ‘moral responsibility’.

So are ‘The Great Flood Waters’ of 2007 an act of God?

I think we know who caused THIS particular ‘Act’, and it
certainly wasn’t ‘God’. Although those responsible would
like us to ‘Call’ them God maybe. I know what I’d like to
call them, and it doesn’t begin with ‘G’.
It begins with a very large ‘W’.

(First published 28/07/07)

It seems, by the damage already caused THIS year of ‘08,
that our ‘all-seing, all-being’ government has done absolutely
NOTHING to combat this problem. Though some might think it’s
mother nature, nothing could be further from the truth.

Our local water authorities are a GOOD 75% to blame. They cut
corners absolutely everywhere just so that they can pay themselves
AND their shareholders, ever increasing, MASSIVE dividends at the
end of each year.

Where are the ‘Gully-Emptiers’ that used to be a common sight (and
hindrance) on our roads now? Just ONE of the many reasons the water
doesn’t drain away. We used to be scared of droping our car keys
down the kerbside drains. Not anymore, as most are filled with dirt, grime
and rubbish, where the ‘Gulley-Emptiers’ should be keeping them clear
for heavy rainfalls, most have been de-commissioned as a WASTE of
resources. Much the same way as Lock-Keepers are being done away with
to ‘manage resources more efficiently’. Of course, what it really means is
that the water authorities will be depending on computer-generated graphics
to tell them when flood waters are rising. The same computers no doubt that consistently get the weather forcasts WRONG!

Lock-Keepers are ESSENTIAL to the smooth running of our waterways. But
there again, what’s the sacrifice of a few more thousand homes and lives being destroyed by even MORE flooding, compared to the ESSENTIAL provision of ‘dividends’ at the end of each financial year??

Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cops, Cars, Robbers & Us.

It’s really great to see the good old telly providing us with some much-needed evidence of the rampant ‘waste’ of public money and our personal security resources. With police chiefs continuingly ‘insisting’ that they’re not a fund-raising unit for the government, they then allow TV cameras to follow their every move when it comes to ‘crim’-catching’.

The majority of these shows concentrate on the infamous ‘police chases’ involving cars, and helicopters of course. Where no expense is spared to catch drugged-up Johnny who’s nicked a car, often a clapped out wreck anyway, but is still an exciting prospect to show the TV viewers just how ‘brave’ and efficient our good old ‘Bobbies’ really are.
NOT!

In just man-hours alone, the cost is usually far more than these cars are worth. Then you have the damage done to other motorists’ cars as well as the police cars, as they get bumped out of the way by these marauding social misfits. (That’s the Police as well as the Druggies.) Of course, the inevitable helicopter with it’s ‘all-seeing-eye’ has to be brought into the fray at God-knows ‘what’ price.

All to catch little drugged-up-Johnny, who’s only going to get a slap on the wrist anyway by the courts ‘if’ he gets arrested.
WHY? Because he’s a druggie of course. Or a habitual criminal with a record as long as your arm. In the UK our magistrates have their hands well and firmly ‘tied’ by our own government, who want to be seen to be hard on crime, but not willing to payroll it in terms of ‘punishment’.

They know that no matter how many times you arrest young Johnny, he’s just going to go back out there and do it again anyway, so why waste even ‘more’ money than they have already? What with the cost of the police chase, the possible ‘custody’ costs, legal aid and then court costs. The bill for recovering that car has spiralled out of all control, so magistrates are the governments ‘scape-goat’.

They are the last in line of well-paid resources that have been ploughed into this whole escapade, which could have been spent far more wisely by attending a burglary or physical assault somewhere else. But, as many people know to their cost. (Sometimes with their lives). It’s very difficult to get a police response to these situations. That’s if you can even get a timely response to your emergency call in the first place.

Dial 999 in the UK and you’re met with a barrage of useless information questions by some half-wit in a ‘call-centre’ of all things, and usually MILES away from your own location. So they don’t have a clue about the position or environment that you’re in. You’re usually asked; “Where exactly is that?” “Can you give me a more precise location?” “Do you know the postcode?” etc, etc, etc. All the time you’re answering this twaddle, the emergency you’ve phoned up about is getting out of hand. Then by the time the police DO get there, it’s all over and done with, often with serious consequences.

Phone up about a car being nicked and you’ll get ‘Instant Response Vehicles’, often referred to as ‘The Interceptors’. Ready, willing, able and pumped up to the hilt. Revving up in anticipation of a really exciting chase.

Which car will get the spoils? It’s a high-octane competition now, often involving ‘outside forces’ who are looking to get one over on their neighbours and ‘capture’ drugged-up Johnny before he can commit a really ‘serious’ offence like; sitting in a car park somewhere injecting himself into oblivion.

Those that say their car cost £10,000, £20,000 or much more, should take a step back and see reality.
It’s just a car. It’s made of metal. It has no soul. No feelings. It can be replaced at far less a cost than the out-of-control police chase that will ensue the moment it gets reported. Yes it’s a horrible feeling when your car is stolen, and it’s very inconvenient all round. But more often than not, the car gets damaged in the chase anyway.

Compare the emotional damage caused by a car theft to that caused by a burglary or physical assault and there is NO comparison. You will get over a car theft very quickly. People DO NOT get over having their personal space invaded by a burglary or assault. Both can be life destroying for the victims. But both are dealt with in a half-hearted way by those who are paid to protect us.

As for the courts, if or when the perpetrators are caught? Again, costs are brought into play, and if the burglar or attacker is a repeat offender, there ‘will’ be just a gentle slap on the wrist. Maybe a nominal fine, which they won’t pay anyway, and they’re back on the streets to cause even MORE trauma for their unsuspecting victims.

Of course, if, as a normally law-abiding citizen, you get embroiled in a ‘fray’ of some sort, you defend yourself, and by doing so you injure the person ‘responsible’, then that’s a whole different ball game. The MIGHT of the law is brought down on you. Imprisonment will be a possible outcome. But at the very least, you will be looking at a heavy fine of at least a couple of thousand pounds.

Where’s the justice? What justice are we talking about here? There IS no justice for law-abiding citizens.

We have no genuine rights anymore if we pay our taxes on time, keep our head low, and try to live a ‘normal’ life. We are ‘the fodder’ that feeds the ‘Holy Cow’ that is the Government of the day. (No matter who that government is).

Drugged-up Johnny, or the repeat offending criminal DOES NOT contribute to government coffers. If you are a ‘normal’ law-abiding individual, then you DO. Not only that, but you can be fined and confidently expected to be able to PAY. Or if not, you will get yourself into more debt to enable yourself to PAY. Right?

Next time you watch a ‘Police Chase’ on the TV, just remember this article, and see if you can tot up the ‘number’ of resources used. The possible ‘cost’ of those resources, and the end result achieved by the ‘squandering’ of all those resources that are ‘incidentally’ being paid for by YOU!

Car chases are just an ‘Adrenalin-rush-fest’ for the police and crim’s alike. They both get a ‘high’ from it. You can see it in their faces, and also by their actions. They simply ‘love’ a good car chase. (And if we’re honest. who wouldn’t).

Feel cheated? I’ll bet you do, and rightly so too. Our supposed personal security is just a sick joke, played on ‘Us’ by people that ‘We’ elected to do so.

WHO’S the FOOL?

Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reading Borough Council..WHAAAAAT??

The road where I live is pretty near the town centre. Look out of the back window and you see the Civic Offices. For donkey’s years now there has been a serious subsidence problem all around the area due to disused underground chalk mines.

A Street about 400 yards away had to be evacuated several years ago and houses demolished because one day a massive hole appeared, swallowing at least one residence.

Since then, the council have supposedly done check to establish that the area is indeed safe to live in. BUT!  In our street, we keep having dips and holes appearing for no apparent reason. Some a foot deep will just ‘appear’ as if by magic. One minute the road looks fine, the next we have a serious looking hole.

Each time, the council are phoned and nothing gets done. So, we have to phone the police who THEN get onto ‘The Highways Agency’ who send out a team of ‘bodgers’ to simply ‘fill’ the hole with some old rubble and a bit of stale tarmac.

Now it doesn’t take a genius to know that there’s something extra-ordinary going on here. But rather than take responsibility, and possibly spend a few quid to be sure. Our wonderful council will wait until a MAJOR accident or occurance happens and the deny ANY knowledge of the problem.

WHAAAAAAT??  Exactly. And they wonder why they ALMOST lost control at the recent local elections. (YES! It is a labour ‘local government’)

NOW! Just to give us Reading residents a very SHARP lesson in ‘Who’s In Charge Around Here’. The main Government itself has stepped in to DENY us of a much looked forward to developement of the Station Approach area. The planners agreed it BEFORE the elections, but mysteriously now, the BIG honcho’s in London have decided we need a slap on the wrist for being so naughty and almost voting all their cronies OUT!

Poor old John Madejski must be ruing the day he stood next to Rob Wilson for a photo-shoot that got published in the papers. It’s his company ‘Sackville’ who are doing the development. (Coincedence? Not with THIS government).

Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Reading Football Club. Their new Dilemma.

 

At the beginning of the ‘07 – ‘08  season I published

the post below in our local ‘Reading Forum’. I got no

end of stick for it, and eventually the post was removed.

 

What a great thing ‘Hindsight’ is?

 

Please read on and realise that at the end of this

season, Reading Royals Football Club fell back into

‘The Championship league’.

 

————————————————————-

In 2006 Reading FC found themselves in the

premiership fighting the ‘Giants’ of the game

like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal

etc with a team of ‘Street-Fighters’ that had

dominated the ‘Championship league’ the

previous season.

 

They were considered by most as being total

outsiders who had no place in the premiership

and who would return from whence they came

with their tail between their legs.

 

Steve Coppell’s men were not your average

flung together bunch of ‘professionals’ with

ego’s too big to calculate. They were ‘fighters’

fighting for their life’s dream, and it showed,

with every tackle, pass and attack they made.

 

Their commitment as a ‘team’ was unquestion-

able and they got their ‘just rewards’ by proving

to the whole country that your team doesn’t have

to be made up of ‘NAMES’ to compete in the

Premiership.

You have to be a ‘Team’, and a ‘committed team’

at that.

 

So far, so good. We have the summer break and

‘transfer-fever’ hits Coppell and his stalwarts. He’s

thinking he can make a ‘better’ team by ‘buying-in’

a few big ‘names’ to strengthen his squad.

 

(Excuse me. Didn’t Reading Football Club just

teach all the big boys HOW to play the game and

WIN?)

 

The team of ’05 & ’06 were a ‘Bonded Unit’. Playing

their life out every time they were asked to by their

manager who had their TOTAL respect. They were

walking around more proud than they’d ever been

in their lives, with the press and public ‘clamouring’

to be seen in their presence.

 

You would think such ‘Loyalty’ would be rewarded

by the great John Madejski & Coppell wouldn’t you?

That they’d be SO pleased with the MAXIMUM effort,

devotion and necessary skills delivered by these

giants of men that the ‘obvious’ would be applied.

 

Give them all another year of GLORY.

 

Let them all who want to, go back out there and

PROVE it was no fluke. That they really WERE great

players with great hearts and skills. That their club

WAS extremely proud and grateful for them all giving

everything they had to give in the name of Reading FC.

 

That would be the ‘moral’ and ‘ethical’, let alone 100%

BEST route to take wouldn’t it?

 

Coppell and Madejski though start to listen to their

‘Marketers’ with the pound-signs flashing.

“We HAVE to spend more”

“We HAVE to buy in ‘bigger’ talent”

“Our fans, and the visiting fans will ‘expect’ it”

“All the other big clubs fight it out during the ‘Transfer-

Madness’ period. We have to join in”.

 

All statements made through ‘The marketing mind’.

What happened to ‘loyalty’, ‘respect’ and ‘honour’ ?

 

Where they really telling these men who had given

every last breath of theirs for ‘Reading Football Club’

last season that;  “actually’ we think we can do better”. 

“You’re good, very good, but just not good enough for

Reading FC any more. We’re looking to replace you

all at some point”.

 

Where are Reading FC at present in the Premiership??

Not riding ‘high’ like we were this time last season.

Something’s missing.

 

Where’s that ‘SPARK’ that was ever-present last

season?

‘Commitment’ in every tackle and pass seems to be

eluding many of the players this time round.

 

Steve Coppell is struggling for answers.

He’s come up with a good one though. Apparently the

Football League has it in for RFC and has arranged it

so that the players have to travel ‘further’ each week

than other clubs, making them ‘tired’. Too tired to play

like they did last season anyway.

 

Careful Stevie, you’re beginning to sound like a ‘Loser’.

 

It wouldn’t have anything to do with management

‘destroying’ that most valuable bond I don’t suppose?

 

Or the fact that management showed their total ‘lack’ of

appreciation for the ‘original’ WINNERS by immediately

going out and looking for ‘strangers’ to replace these

‘bonded’ team members? (Even though they couldn’t

find many prepared to join Reading Royals).

 

NO. That would be far too simple wouldn’t it.

Steve Coppell has ‘lost’ a part of that ‘bond’ he had with

ALL the players previously by demonstrating that ‘loyalty’

in this day and age counts for NOTHING!

 

Then we have John Madejski DEMANDING ‘loyalty’ from

the fans. Pleading with them to BACK their team every

week by forking out their ‘hard-earned-money’ to subsidise

the extravagant spending of club funds to ‘Buy-In’ the big

names to replace the ‘heroes’ that were more than Ready,

Willing & Able to take on the ‘might’ of the Premiership

again this season, and give their ASSES an even bigger

hiding.

 

Put your own house in order FIRST John.

 

THEN ask others for ‘Loyalty’.

NOT before.

 

Loyalty is a word that gets used far too often, but seldom

understood or practiced. It shouldn’t be TOO late for Coppell

and Madejski to turn the tide. But they’ll need to take a

STRONG look in their mirrors before they make another

regarding Reading Football Club.

 

Cheers,

 

Pete.

 

Originally posted;- 16/09/07

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

As you can see. Coppel and madjeski HAVE been rewarded

for showing that their players are just ‘Financial Digits’. Not

REAL human beings with a Heart & Soul who might feel

dispondent at the thought;

 ’Maybe they’re NOT that good after all’.

 

Karma is an amazing thing which never fails to surprise us.

 

Am ‘I’ surprised that ‘The Royals’ went down this season??

 

What do YOU think?

 

Catch you later,

 

Pete.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Area surrounding Reading, Berks, and encompassing
The Thames Valley as a whole. Has more than it’s fair
share of successful entrepreneurs. It also has a vast well
of talent that is imaginitive enough to WANT to be the
masters of their own destiny. By becoming ‘Self-Employed’.

Nothing wrong with that is there? Deciding when you work,
where you work, and for whom you work. UTOPIA!………….
No more clocking in and out of work. No more ‘obeying’
your bosses unimaginative rules and regulations. Having
to keep to specified break times. All of that is either ‘Out-
The-Window’, or shortly to be so. INDEPENDANCE beckons.

Ok, we need customers…. AHH! advertising, always works,
(so we’re told), but where? How much can we afford? What
do we say in the ad’? Who are we aiming the ad’ at? Will they
even bother to reply, or even ‘read’ our ad’?

Just the start of our ‘Self-employed’ status.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. But can we actually afford
to make WRONG decisions?  How much is in the budget to
cover  ‘Trial-and-error’ ? 

This is of course before we actually begin plying our trade
or service. Marketing can make or break ANY business, no
matter HOW enthusiastic we are, or knowledgeable about
the subject. Get marketing WRONG and our dreams of
independance are soon a long-distant-memory.

I’m not going to go into any more long, drawn out reasons
WHY our business can slide down ‘The Swanney’ without trace.
Marketing, is the first MAJOR hurdle any of us will ever cross.
We have to get THAT part right, or we sink without trace.

Luckily, help for all of us ‘Entrepreneurs’ is at hand. A lot of the
help is totally FREE, and some will cost a little out of our
‘Marketing Budget’. I’ve set up a website for ANY local business
or budding Entrepreneur to ‘promote’ their business, (Old or New)
 just submit your details, describe your business, and you get as
much advertising as you want with no strings attatched…..
Sound Good??….I thought so.

OK, to get yourself listed on my site please click the link at the
end of this posting. BUT, before you rush off, I’d like to take this
opportunity to ask you to check out ‘The Secret Classroom’. There
is a direct link at the very top of the homepage you will arrive at.
‘The Secret Classroom’ isn’t free, but it is probably THE NUMBER ONE
resource you will EVER find to help you launch and succeed in your
own business ‘Bar None’. I’ve written a short introduction to the
classroom in my FRED67 Blog.  Click that link and read it first if you
like. There is obviously a link to the main site from there anyway
where you can submit your business details for FREE ‘targetted’
advertising.

RIGHT!…..So you’ll want to check out all the ‘ins-and-outs’ of the
FRED67.com website now. So go ahead, click this link, and I’ll end
this post by wishing us all HUGE success in the future.

Catch you later,

Pete.

PS.
Be sure to also visit ‘The Library’ while you’re at the FRED67.com
website won’t you. There are some ‘classics’ there, totally FREE
to read or print off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When We Were Young.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to all of you friends born in the
1920’s, 30’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked
and/or drank while they carried us and lived in houses
made of asbestos.
 
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products,
loads of bacon and processed meat, tuna from a can,
and didn’t get tested for diabetes or cervical cancer.
 
Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with
bright coloured lead-based paints.
 
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or
cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no
helmets or shoes, not to mention, the risks we took
hitch-hiking!
 
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or
air bags.
Riding in the back of an estate or a pick up truck on a
warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from
a bottle.

Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza
shops, McDonalds, KFC, Steers, Nandos.

Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn’t
open on the weekends, somehow we didn’t starve to
death!

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one
bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at
the corner shop and buy Chappies, Wilson ’s Toffees,
Wicks Bubble Gum and some crackers to blow up frogs
with.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank
soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight
because……
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as
long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K.  
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the
brakes.
We built tree houses and cubby houses and played in
river beds with matchbox cars.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no
video games at all, no 99 channels on sky TV,  or cable
TV,  no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile
phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet
chat rooms……….
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and
there were no compensation claims or lawsuits from these
accidents.

Only girls had pierced ears!

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the
worms did not live in us forever.

We swallowed chewing gum & it didn’t wrap round our
hearts like we were told it would !

You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at
Easter time…….no really!

We were given pellet guns and catapults for our
10th birthdays!!

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked
on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!
 
Mum didn’t have to go to work to help dad make ends meet!

RUGBY and CRICKET had trials and not everyone made it
into the team. Those who didn’t get in had to learn to deal
with disappointment…… Imagine that!
Getting into the team was based on MERIT and not due to
some phoney social fear of traumatising us through fear of
rejection !

Our teachers used to belt us with the back of their hand, big
sticks, rulers, canes or leather straps.
 
Bully’s always ruled the playground at school.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was
unheard of.
 
They actually sided with the law!

Our parents didn’t invent stupid names for their kids like
“Kiora” and “Blade” and “Ridge” and “Vanilla” .

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers,
problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 70 years have been an explosion of innovation and
new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we
learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And if YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!
  
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck
to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government
regulated our lives for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
how ‘brave’ their parents were.

Keep it up,

Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 Readings’ Jack-Boot-Warriors.

The ‘Lurking Menace’ That Stalks The Streets of Reading, Berks, UK.

The Demise Of Our Civil Liberties.

How many of you used to watch ‘The Two ronnies’ programme, (a lifetime
ago now it seems) where society was ruled by women in black PVC
outfits and black ‘Jack-Boots’?  Where all the men were made to dress in
‘womens’ clothes and do ‘womens’ chores?

If the chap’s wanted to be ‘masculine’ in any way, they had to do it very
secretly, where the ‘jack-Boot Enforcers’ couldn’t find them. They were
treated no better than little children, and in fact, they started to behave like
little children, with ‘The Enforcers’ acting like ‘Super-Nannies’ which is
WHAT made the sketches so funny and memorable. It was only on the
telly, it wasn’t REAL LIFE after all.

Fast-Forward 25 to 30 years and we’re in 2007. This is where we are all
TOLD how to behave. What we musn’t do. Even what we ‘musn’t think’.
We have CCTV on every corner just to keep check on us, and to make
absolutely SURE we’re all obeying the ‘rules’ set down by our ‘Super-
Nannies’. (AKA our local & national Government officers).

Reading, is a thriving town, and as with ANY thriving town, it’s ‘heart’ is
it’s community. The people who live ‘within’ the town are it’s lifeblood.

Now, to get to the point here. WHY do our ‘Super-Nannies’ in the local
council want to make life as difficult as possible for the ‘lifeblood’ to
survive? Why are they making it almost impossible for families who live
within the ‘town zone’ to have a normal family life? With the obvious
outcome that ‘families’ will move OUT of the town into communities where
they are not comfortable, and won’t feel welcome.

‘Outcast’ is the word that springs to mind. Why do our ‘SN’s’ want to make
us all feel like ‘outcasts’? Could it be anything to do with ‘control’?
You know the saying; “Divide and conquer”. Well our ‘SN’s’ are using this
tactic very well by utilising our very own ‘Jack-Boot-Warriors’.

Yes, you’ve guessed it; ‘Traffic Wardens’. Those guardians of our streets.
Making sure No-One gets to outstay their welcome in this ‘cold’ town of
ours. Making sure that if the ‘residents’ have visitors, that they must only
stay for a MAXIMUM of two hours, and by NO account be allowed to stay
later than 8pm, or arrive any earlier than 8am. If they DO it will cost them
£30-, or £60- if the ‘Jack-Boot-Warrior’ should inadvertantly ‘forget’ to
stick the ticket to the windscreen. (As if, EH?)

(And NOW Are They REALLY Going To Get Head-Cams??)

OH, silly me, I forgot. We’re ‘allowed’ to purchase a ‘finite’ number of
parking vouchers that will allow our guests or relatives to stay longer. The
finite number being just enough to allow us to have ONE visitor a WEEK!
What a deal? Why on earth aren’t I rolling over on my back with gratitude?
We’re actually ALLOWED to have ONE visitor a week, and we’re allowed
to PAY the council for that privelage……. GREAT!!

Don’t worry now, it’s OK, because we’re really kept on our guard at all
times. They have a ‘Crack Mobile Squad’. They have ‘Scooters’ in their
arsenal. They can appear as if by ‘magic’ at any time of the day or night.
If they catch you parked just  1  centimetre out of the designated lines of
demarcation you’ll get that ticket. Park up at TWO minutes to eight AM
or stay just TWO minutes later than eight PM and the camera will ‘trap’
you, a ticket will be issued, and you’ll get NO joy if you try to appeal.

Of course, I’m forgetting again. This is all done for OUR benefit. To keep
the streets clear of all that inconvenient traffic that the ‘lifeblood’ of any
town centre needs to live and breath like a human community.

OH, sorry again. I used the H & C words there without thinking. I’d better
be careful because this Blog will be shut down, or made to sit on the
‘Naughty Step’.

Catch you later. Don’t forget to call back regularly, and forward the link
to your friends & relatives. 

Cheers, 

Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Childrens Rights In The UK.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As usual, the do-gooders are getting it completely
wrong again. Children are being given ‘rights’ far
beyond reason by any stretch of the imagination.

It now appears that under 16’s,  ie; 13 year olds
can decide for themselves whether invasive
surgery is right for them or not, ‘without’ the
concent or even consultation with their parents.

It’s now a 13 year old’s right to participate in
under-age sex and ‘not’ have to suffer the cons-
equences because they can now go to a ‘licensed’
GP who can advise termination or not without
consulting the parents of said child.

This same GP can also prescribe ‘the pill’ for this
promiscuous child without consulting the parents.
All this is in the name of…..wait for it………………..

CHILDS RIGHTS!  Never mind the fact that as
parents WE are responsible for our children until
at the very least, 16 years old. Or the fact that a
13 year old child cannot marry until they’re 16 yrs,
or vote until they are 18 yrs old. They cannot now
smoke or drink under 18. If they do, they will be
breaking the law, and they, or more likely their
parents will face the full force of the law and fines
to match. If a 13 year old child does NOT attend
school the parent is also hit with the full force of
the law, again with fines or imprisonment as the
punishment.

At present in the UK it is ILLEGAL for a minor
under the age of 16yrs to have sex. FACT! There
are laws and punishments in place to deal with
the breaking of these laws. Agreed, we do know
that sexual activity is starting very much younger
in ’some’ underage children and by and large this
fact is tolerated to a certain degree, though NOT
condoned by responsible parents who would
strongly advise their children NOT to go down that
route.

It now appears that in the UK, we parents cannot
be trusted with the sexual well-being of our children
and ‘our rights’ as parents are being thoroughly
undermined by these rediculous new laws or guide-
lines which are pandering to ‘modern culture’ like
never before.

If a person shop-lifts at 13 yrs they are arrested
and pushed through the custody seargents system
at the local ‘nick’ with fingerprints and mug-shots
taken, and a criminal record in the ‘offing’. First
offence usually a caution though. Never-the-less,
still a traumatic experience for child and parent
alike.

BUT! If the same child breaks another law of the
land by having under-age sex, they are rewarded
with complete confidentiality. Parents are left none
the wiser, even IF the child goes on to have an
abortion at the discretion of the GP. Only if there
are complications AFTER the event will the parents
be made aware of any intervention by these Evil
servants of a morally bankrupt Government.

It’s almost the same as the leniency offered to the
scag-head Junkies that ‘Shop-Lift’ as a way of life.
Because it IS their way-of-life, and the courts are
so frustrated by the ‘guidelines’ from on high, these
blots on the landscapes of humanity walk out of
court EVERY time with just a gentle dressing down
and a rather meek request for them not to do it
again.

What do YOU think they do??

So we are now showing our young that it’s
perfectly OK to break the law, and that even if
they DO, they won’t be punished. But best of all,
their parents will never Know.

Talk about ‘Divide and Conquer’.
The British Government have ruled in this manner
since coming to office in 1997. They see it working
in all walks of life. We now have the most articulate
purveyor of the ‘Machiavellian Concept’ we’ve ever
encountered at the helm.

God forbid that he will be re-elected. But if he is, we
can certainly look forward to many more of these
socially devisive tactics.

What value ‘Honesty, trust and loyalty’ these days??

Pete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Older Posts »