3rd choice Goalkeepers

It can be safely declared that T-Rex's do not make the best goalkeepers. There will be times where a goalie is called upon to stick its arms out...

Creative Addressing

I think the only piece of junk mail that has ever persuaded me to make a purchase is Dominos in their never ending agenda to make me fat.

Still, I do browse through the junk that comes along before it leaves my sight for eternity. So I'm daring the marketers to get my attention.

Addressed to "Dan Hill", sure I'll look in case it is something important but I'm hardly likely to be impressed when it is not.
To "the resident" is about as dull as it gets. Bound to be from Test Valley Borough Council.
To "the occupier": Now you're getting closer but everyone uses this and it is bound to be for car insurance.

Come on. I want to see one to "the conqueror", "the overlord" or "the CFO".

Making it up

Many things in life are fun. Making up phrases like "manifestation by intention" and discovering Google glory is just one of them.

Side note: What's the butler from Fresh Prince of Bel Air doing in Eastenders (again)...

Authority, Respect or Understanding

Daily weirdness. I was standing in my living room a few minutes ago in a bit of musing state. My cat decided he going to sit in front of me and as I wasn't looking meow only as loud enough to gain my attention. After that, we stared at each other for a few seconds. I left his gaze and my next reaction was to put my hands on my head.

I'm not putting it all down to the power of the moggie, but it did make me wonder whether that trick still works for the teachers in primary schools.

A silly simple trick which I fell for with ease back in those days. Wonder if it still works on today's little blighters.

End of an Era for Formula 1 Racing

Credit where it is due. Michael Schumacher might have been a right little sod during his career at times but there is something really evident and important about him that really shines through and was especially demonstrated during his final race today: He just wants it more than anyone else.

Formula 1 has been going downhill since the turn of the century. Perhaps because it is more about the car than the driver nowadays, maybe because there are few with the hunger to match the power of the machines. However, Schumacher put on a great performance today, fighting odds and adversity in his desire to finish his last grand prix on a high with a memorable showing.

No-one knows what is in store for the sport in the post Schumacher years but I only hope the racers will look at his last performance and use that as the inspiration to make some exciting races like the ones I remember as a young’un.

Vaccines - Watch the Skies

It's coming up to winter and so come along the annual notices about flu vaccinations.

Fair enough. It is a serious problem.

However, this year I knew what was coming if I read down the print...

Scanning through:
Reasons to have a flu jab... elderly/week immune system... knocks you out cold for a fortnight or more...

Ah, here we are - bird flu.

Fears that someone with influenza will come into some unsavoury contact with a feathery friend who also has the flu and that somehow the two will combine together and whirl about in the human body to create a supervirus.

I think Ed Byrne summed it up best:
The chances of a person getting the flu and then catching the flu of a bird to turn into the human deadly strain are about as likely as catching a cold, eating an egg for breakfast and then receiving the gift of flight.

The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

John Wagner's Friday words of wisdom were:

"It's better to be hated for who you are, than be loved for who you're not."

Too true. Those words have been ringing around my head all morning.

Define Happy Week

Last week, I referred to as 'happy week'.

Happy week, I'm defining, is the week straight after having a week off work. The idea behind it being that since it is the furthest away you can be from your next holiday, if you're going to sink 5 minutes after taking a look at 7 days worth of untouched email then you're going to be in trouble for a good deal of time to come.

That wasn't going to happen to me again. So, a few forced smiles and removal of negative thoughts were in order.

I'm glad to report that a number of good things have come from it. The second interview went better than the first (still don't know the outcome), generally I engaged in a lot more banter, and a couple of unforeseen rewards came my way.

Seeing as how well 'happy week' turned out, we are now on happy fortnight.

The other day I was asked: "Give me, Meg, one piece of advice that will change my whole life."
Three simple words and I've never believed in them more: Manifestation by intention.

Don't Expose Yourself To Words You Hate

The horrible made up word "incentivise" shot out of my mouth during an interview this afternoon.

I feel so dirty...

Thank God it's happy week where I don't embarrass easily and managed to brush it off.

Vicar says youths have 'lost way'

The latest story of senseless violence committed by youths in the UK. I can't bear it any longer.

This is the extreme, and the occurrence is rare, but in this country a man can be murdered for as little as asking rowdy neighbours to keep the noise down.

Unbelievably enough, this is only the start of the problem. The BBC story I have linked to is typical of how such crimes are reported in the media: big run down of the crime itself, the effect on the victim's family and society as a whole, followed by a miniscule sentence or so regarding the criminal's fate.

I can't even begin to speculate as to how much of a loss Mr Nyembo-Ya-Muteba is to his wife and children and by no means do I wish to trivialise his needless death by what I say next, in fact it is as far from trivial as we can travel. No child of only four years of age deserves to lose their father.

One man dies for standing up to his neighbours over a nothing issue. Compared to the thousands of other ways to die this is inconceivably rare. However, to what side does the fear go to for anyone who sees this news report, the adult family man or the murdering youth?

The incentives are wrong. The set up of the justice system and the subsequent media report should be such that you would rather be the murder victim than the murderer. That's the only way I see of solving the problem.

I never hope to read the story of murder, rape, child molestation or any such brutal criminal act, but when I do it has to read that whatever ordeal the victim has gone through is going to be matched by the consequences to the criminal. Or possibly the consequences to the criminal should be worse.

After decades old demonstration of human right softened incarcerating has proved, locking criminals up is not working. Prisons are now full to capacity the impression being given out is that the answer lies in even softer sentences. These impressions count and these false messages are wrecking lives.

There are so many factors that go into what is making our society so fearful of violent crime and why violent crime itself is rising that this one article barely scrapes the surface. As this country becomes ever richer there is the feeling of natural entitlement. Wealth is increasingly illustrated as a quick win with the hard work glossed over.

If the real message of hard graft isn't there when the riches do not come to these people who have the idea that they should be wealthy and are given the impression that they can have their own way, this is bound to resent in resentment and resignation. With man's territorial, greedy, jealous nature this is bound to be a dangerous mix.

Youths have lost their way, an understatement to say the least. We need to change the message and change the incentives.

Free Hugs - This is what life is all about

The more of this goes around the better the world will be.

And because I'm linking to videos today: Bonus video link for the day - White & Nerdy.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Note to self: Must stop watching England friendly/qualifier games.

Any other TV that is good maybe 25% of the time but shockingly crap the rest, I wouldn't watch. Why do I keep on making exceptions for the national football squad?