Liberally speaking ...

Some of my recent Tweets on the 'cuts':

Why do liberal lefties throw up their hands in horror when someone speaks the truth? It can only be that it conflicts with their overbearing PC ideology.

Howard Flight should know better than give the PC Brigade (who always look to be offended) any ammunition to create a fuss. Clear case of humbug!

Making 'favourites' of certain sections of society, by interfering Liberals, is bound to create hostility & resentment among those excluded!

Tree hugging liberals must 'hug' all of us and not just those they patronise by declaring them in need of care and protection - they are all hypocrites!

Hostility to protected minority groups is an inevitable response to being told ad nauseam we must only follow the liberal way of doing and saying things.

If Liberals are such a good and shining example, then surely we would all follow without dissent. Why then, using PC, do they bully the rest of us so much?

Liberals force their views upon us using ostracism & hostility as weapons if we disapprove. Where is the liberalism in that? That's Fascism!

No fees for University was when there were very few students. Labour insisted everyone goes to college which was stupid & unaffordable. Cut all the daft courses now and select only the best qualified - job done!

With so many vested interests, the Liberal Left will not co-operate with any changes that threaten to redress New Labour statist policies!

We see the resolve of the Coalition wilting and the inevitable u-turns and dilution of declared policies emerge as predicted. How very sad!!

Given Ireland's parlous financial situation, is it not appropriate to give them another referendum and see if they can get it right this time?

We will remember them ...

"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them."

So very sad; my eyes brim with tears at the thought of all those dear young people who lost their lives - and continue to do so.

RIP

The Novel Network is a Scam!!!!

"The Novel Network is a Scam!!!!

Recently, I got suckered into joining The Novel Network. The site promises instant access and unlimited downloads to more than 30,000 ebooks, magazines, newspapers and more. All for a one-time fee of $49.95.

And it promises that you can read your books, magazines etc on a kindle, nook, any ebook reader or even directly on your pc or mac.

Sounds great, right?

The truth is that The Novel Network is nothing but a cleverly engineered scam. Once I had made the payment, I eagerly clicked the ebooks button and was redirected to www.feedbooks.com which is essentially a directory of free public domain books!!!!

Books that I can access for free without having to pay $49.95 for!!!!!!

The magazine section isn't any better. Click on any magazine cover and you will be sent to that magazines website. I can do that myself. I certainly don't have to pay the scam artists at The Novel Network to do it for me.

So if you were thinking of subscribing to The Novel Network, take my advice for it and stay away!!!

And what about those sites telling you how wonderful The Novel Network is? Those are simple affiliates wanting to make a quick buck off you. Don't fall for it."

NB
Unashamedly completely plagiarised from:

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Novel-Network-Scam

I GOT CAUGHT TOO!!  -  and the money-back guarantee is another part of this elaborate scam - don't you get caught too!!

24 November 2010 - UPDATE

I did in fact apply successfully for a full refund, which has just been credited to my account.

Why Political Correctness (PC) is losing the battle - at last!

Obvious signs that the PC Brigade is losing the battle to control our every thought, word and deed, is evidenced by its desperate attempts to keep in the headlines:

Suzi Browne  of the National Autism Society - a typical PC halfwit, was obviously looking to be offended by Jeremy Clarkson's humorous (fatuous) remark concerning Ferrari and its "simpleton" and "speciale [sic] needs" car. Silly self-serving bitch!

The PC Brigade don't want any humour in our lives, and will always try and find some minority group to protect in any humorous situation. If we are enjoying ourselves, then our would-be 'controllers' think we are clearly doing something wrong, and can't be properly manipulated. 

The homophobic bullies of tomorrow are being bred today, by those forcing young people  to accept as normal, practices that most other people find abhorrent. Teachers and others on personal crusades should not be teaching our children. Being confronted with,and made to accept, other minority group's personal lifestyles only breeds hostility towards those people!
 
PC obviously isn't working given that silly people (the PC Brigade) are still being 'offended' by the words and deeds of those who don't agree with them. The PC Brigade members will never win their battle against our right to free speech, because most of us don't believe the silliness that they preach. What they have been preaching is nothing short of statist political propaganda aimed at control of the citizenry.

There has been no recent lurch to the Right, but there has been a levelling up from the previous enforced swing to the liberal left.

It's nice to start walking upright again?

About the cuts ...

What's the chances of 'the cuts' getting through Parliament unscathed? With our self-serving MPs pandering to their client state - bugger all. Sigh!!

The 'snouts in the trough' will be squealing in outrage and the 'cuts' will have to be greatly modified to pacify the greedy 'swine'! Oink!

Stop pouring money into the bottomless pits that are Health & Education. The greedy recipients care precious little  for our health and even less for teaching our children properly.

Stop the feminist liberal left-wing teaching profession brainwashing the minds of children by favouring girls and stunting boys' abilities by constantly undermining them!!

The Police say that they will have a less visible presence due to 'the cuts' - so no change there then! Can they get any less visible? You bet they can!

And stop retired Police officers leaving by the front door on big pensions, returning by the back door and getting 'civilian jobs' with even more pension enhancements.

Watch this space for further developments!

Health & Fitness

CHECKING YOUR HEALTH

If you're under 35 and in good health, you don't need to see a doctor before beginning an exercise program. But if you are over 35 and have been inactive for several years, you should consult your physician, who may or may not recommend a graded exercise test. 

Other conditions that indicate a need for medical clearance are: High blood pressure; Heart trouble; Family history of early stroke, or heart attack deaths; Frequent dizzy spells; Extreme breathlessness after mild exertion; Arthritis or other bone problems; Severe muscular, ligament or tendon problems; Other known or suspected disease. Vigorous exercise involves minimal health risks for persons in good health or those following a doctor's advice. Far greater risks are present by habitual inactivity and obesity.

DEFINING FITNESS

Physical fitness is to the human body what fine-tuning is to an engine. It enables us to perform up to our potential. Fitness can be described as a condition that helps us look, feel and do our best. More specifically, it is: "The ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and alertly, with energy left over for enjoying leisure-time activities and meeting emergency demands. It is the ability to endure, to bear up, to withstand stress, to carry on in circumstances where an unfit person could not continue, and is a major basis for good health and well-being."

Physical fitness involves the performance of the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the body. And, since what we do with our bodies also affects what we can do with our minds, fitness influences to some degree qualities such as mental alertness and emotional stability.

As you undertake your fitness program, it's important to remember that fitness is an individual quality that varies from person to person. It is influenced by age, sex, heredity, personal habits, exercise and eating practices. You can't do anything about the first three factors. However, it is within your power to change and improve the others where needed.

KNOWING THE BASICS

Physical fitness is most easily understood by examining its components, or "parts." There is widespread agreement that these four components are basic.

Cardio Respiratory Endurance - the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues, and to remove wastes, over sustained periods of time. Long runs and swims are among the methods employed in measuring this component.

Muscular Strength - the ability of a muscle to exert force for a brief period of time. 

Upper-body strength, for example, can be measured by various weight-lifting exercises.

Muscular Endurance - the ability of a muscle, or a group of muscles, to sustain repeated contractions or to continue applying force against a fixed object. Press-ups are often used to test endurance of arm and shoulder muscles.

Flexibility - the ability to move joints and use muscles through their full range of motion. The sit-and-reach test is a good measure of flexibility of the lower back and backs of the upper legs.

Body Composition is often considered a component of fitness. It refers to the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue and organs) and fat mass. An optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness, and the right types of exercise will help you decrease body fat and increase or maintain muscle mass.

If you want to learn more see:  http://www.fitnwell.net/Fitness.htm

Stop feeding fat pigs ...

If the Exchequer is short of funds it should raise taxes across the board to cover the shortfall, in order that everyone contributes - that's the fair and equitable way!

However, universal benefits are sacrosanct, whereas benefits for the unemployed and so-called incapacitated (lame, cunning and lazy) above average wages are not. Cut unemployment and 'sickness' benefits and raise taxes for all. Isn't there a case that if people are receiving benefits that put them in income tax bands, that they should pay tax on their income?

Use the tax system to address the enormous debt New Labour endowed us, and keep taxes high until the nation's books balance again - it's only fair that we should all pay!

Make universal benefits taxable income; limit unemployment benefits to taxed average income levels; stop being coy about it and just do it!

When the nation's accounts are back in the black reduce taxation accordingly; we cannot afford to carry on living beyond our means.

Mr Cameron, stop being so bleeding heart liberal and making apologies for what needs to be done. Just do what you were elected to do - now!!

Greedy snouts have been in the trough for far too long, no more so than in Health (particularly doctors) Education, Police, Local Government, Civil Service and Parliament, and it's time to stop feeding fat pigs up the rear end.

Time to tighten the belts people! OK?

More idiotic PC legislation

On the day that even more politically correct nonsense is introduced into law,  Stephen Fry jumps up in another exaggerated attention-seeking feverish warm glow, and exhorts us all to "stamp out mental health & learning disability stigma" ...

... bleeding heart liberals are always looking for a cause with which to sympathise. Why do they think disability necessarily involves stigma?

And tell me, pray, how the hell do they intend to "stamp out a stigma" - more silly invented PC rules of enforced social interaction? Some years ago they introduced "gay" to replace "queer" - apparently because "queer" was stigmatised. That worked out well didn't it? All that happened is that a lovely romantic old word like gay, itself became stigmatised by association, and is now used entirely inappropriately to describe anything that's considered not quite right or dopey. That's what becomes of interfering with the natural order of things.

If Stephen Fry and his 'luvvies' are looking to help the "stigmatised", then they need look no further than those unfortunate, innocent, decent people, hounded and dictated to by those self-appointed, self-righteous, politically correct,  tree-hugging, slavering, 'looking to be offended' PC half-wits!

The liberal left-wing feminist PC Brigade are responsible for more harassment, persecution, fear and exclusion, than any other group in our contemporary society!

Parlous on Bloggers

Parlous on Bloggers

Blog: The Quite Extraordinary Life We All Live! by Parlous on Bloggers

Blog: The Quite Extraordinary Life We All Live! by Parlous on Bloggers

PC Origins - "sound familiar"?

"So how did it all start? Political Correctness started in a think tank (called The Frankfurt School) in Germany in 1923. The purpose was to find a solution to the biggest problem facing the implementers of communism in Russia. Why wasn't the wonderful idea of communism spreading? Read the short history here, the full history and purpose here or watch a 22 minute documentary here.

The Frankfurt school recommended (amongst other things):

1. the creation of racism offences
2. continual change to create confusion
3. the teaching of sex and homosexuality to children
4. the undermining of schools and teachers' authority
5. huge immigration to destroy national identity
6. the promotion of excessive drinking
7. emptying the churches
8. an unreliable legal system with bias against the victim of crime
9. dependency on the state or state benefits
10. control and dumbing down of media
11. encouraging the breakdown of the family

Sound all too familiar? Yes - Great Britain 1997 onwards...."

By me:

... my thoughts? Thank you very much Tony Blair and your New Labour crew. The damage you have done will take generations to expunge - if it ever can be rectified now; you rotten buggers!! Sigh ...

Rampant Secularists and Bullying Atheists!! Recent Twitterings ...

Would Stephen Fry, Peter Tatchell and all the other theatrical type 'luvvies' et al, including the bulk of 'The Grauniad' readers, together with the Feminist, social engineering PC Brigade, kindly let us 'normals' just get on with what we want to think and do?

Peter Tatchell is a Fascist heterophobe, who is always in strife, agitating against those who aren't of his own weird proclivities - how very sad! Stephen Fry is a self-obsessed show-off who is several fathoms up his own rear end. He is an intellectual and an aesthete in his own mind - where he has also become quite a legend!!

If they approve of questionable personal conduct then let them get on with it, but stop insisting that the rest of us should approve of their odd mores. They should get on with their own lives, and stop telling the rest of us how to think and act. Promoting self-serving minorities does not go down too well with the majority of us ...

... and in addition, let those who are blessed with an ideology to help them cope with the curse of our mortality (I can only ever dream of being a hopeful Agnostic), enjoy their faith and not be bullied by rampant Secularists and Atheists.

Go and try your 'skills' on the Islamic faithful and see how brave you are then!

Why Fitnwell?

Why here?

Research has shown that one of the biggest reasons older adults do not exercise is intimidation: you don’t know where or how to start, and the atmosphere in gymnasiums or fitness centres is overwhelming. 

If you've been thinking about starting an exercise regime, delay no longer. 'Fitnwell' at http://www.fitnwell.net/ has the workout for you! When you have built up your confidence, then you can go to the fitness centre and take your 'workout' with you.

Or, having got yourself perhaps a little more confident here, you will be able to discuss your personal requirements with a little more knowledge.

Liberal Fascists!

What's liberal about the Liberals demanding that we all accept 'their' views and abide by 'their' rules? Sounds more like rampant Fascism to me!

Why are they always so shrill and confrontational when we don't agree with them and want to have ideas and beliefs of our own? Why are they so fiercely protective of those minorities they have chosen to promote and defend, and yet care nothing for the rights and freedoms of the vast majority of us?


And why do modern governments pander to these politically correct, social engineering control freaks, and enshrine their left-wing Marxist doctrine into our legislating system and ultimately into law?

More BBC gender preference ...

... the BBC continues to treat men as though they were not worthy of consideration, or a section of the community that should be kept in the background in order to serve some not too well hidden feminist agenda.

Have a look at the BBC news programmes for a start; almost all presenters, specialist advisers, editors - and even those being interviewed - are predominantly female.

And there can be no mistaking the feminine bias in what should be a bastion of Christian brotherhood, when even that saintliest of programmes, Songs of Praise, shovels off the men to play a modest sort of supporting role.

The congregations are always segregated and the cameras are invariably focussed on the female 'worshippers', particularly if the producer finds a toothsome young thing upon whom to linger. 

Don't take my word for it, cast an objective eye on proceedings next time you are in the viewing vicinity.

Defining Fitness

Physical fitness is to the human body what fine-tuning is to an engine. It enables us to perform up to our potential. Fitness can be described as a condition that helps us look, feel and do our best. 

More specifically, it is: "The ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and alertly, with energy left over for enjoying leisure-time activities and meeting emergency demands. It is the ability to endure, to bear up, to withstand stress, to carry on in circumstances where an unfit person could not continue, and is a major basis for good health and well-being." 

Physical fitness involves the performance of the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the body. And, since what we do with our bodies also affects what we can do with our minds, fitness influences to some degree qualities such as mental alertness and emotional stability.

As you undertake your fitness program, it's important to remember that fitness is an individual quality that varies from person to person. It is influenced by age, sex, heredity, personal habits, exercise and eating practices. You can't do anything about the first three factors. However, it is within your power to change and improve the others where needed.

You modest old thing Stephen!

 Stephen Fry Tweeted:

"Yay! 43!! on Mastermind. But that was with Food and Drink as spesh subj and I think it's the easiest..."

 To which Parlousuk responded:

"You're a ruddy genius Guvnor, that's what you are. However, most of us already know - cos ya keeps on telling us! ;o)"

Delay the Aging Process

Delay the Aging Process

Weight gain, loss of strength and bone mineral density, together with decreased heart and lung efficiency is part of the aging process.

These factors can limit your physical abilities affecting the quality of your life. Much of the deterioration associated with aging can be attributed to inactivity. In fact, inactivity is a high risk factor for heart disease Prevention, then, becomes of particular importance; use physical activity to limit your risk of disease and slow your body’s deterioration.

The daily benefits of regular exercise are numerous. Getting out of bed in the morning and performing daily chores becomes easier. Physical activity relieves stiff, aching joints and muscles, increases energy, and enhances overall well-being. Not only will you be able to move without pain, but you'll feel good too!

For more free advice and assistance see: www.fitnwell.net

White men needn't apply!

Our illustrious Prime Minister wants a woman or an ethnic minority person to replace Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Head of the Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary, when O'Donnell retires in the not too distant future.

No consideration of the best person for the job then. Isn't this a clear example of positive discrimination? Isn't it also racist and also blatant gender-specific sexual discrimination? Aren't all these politically correct and social engineering manoeuvres against the law?

They most certainly 'are' against the law and the PM should know better. Whatever happened to his vision of a happy, open and caring society?

Pampered Doctors

Apropos the EU & doctors' hours, compare that pampered lot and their huge salaries, with our Armed Forces, who work under hazardous conditions 24 hours a day 7 days a week for a pittance - what hypocrisy!

To add insult to injury the medics spend much of their time at work on-call only, so a working week can consist of just two days per week.

It's time we ignored these EU directives, just like the rest of Europe does, and told those faceless unelected bureaucrats to go and get stuffed!

This is no way to govern a once great country!

Why should the seditionist Alex Salmond's SNP, in a population of only 5 million, be able to decide the break-up of the United Kingdom, which has a population of over 60 million?

With the vast majority of the UK population domiciled in England, why have Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland only, got independent legislative powers?

Eccentricity is clearly a fanciful euphemism for nuttiness, which the actions to promote the Welsh language to English equivalence clearly indicate!

It all looks like the tail wagging the dog to me, plus a huge dollop of politically correct liberalism, aided and abetted by the dreaded Human Rights legislation ...

The Fawcett Society

Following years of relentless campaigning for women, using Liberalism, mindless feminism, political correctness and unashamed social engineering, The Fawcett Society starts to squeal as the financial reality of such one-sided tinkering begins to emerge.

The selfish promotion of women to largely unearned and unqualified top jobs, and the insistence of women's rights to non-jobs and jobs with terms and conditions to suit only them, has resulted in far too many females occupying non-essential and non-productive employment in the bloated public sector.

Now financial reality faces the entire country, the public sector faces the brunt of the inevitable and necessary financial cuts to redress the balance. So The Fawcett Society intends to seek a Judicial Review of the implications of the last Budget, but only in order to protect the female gender and help them to escape the consequences.

How's that for being hoisted by their own petard and perhaps large helpings of delicious irony?

Aye oop me dook!

The BBCs obsession with ensuring that most of their presenters speak with regional accents, becomes increasingly irritating and frustrating.

If the presenters were speaking only in their own localized area, then there might be some merit in the practice, but to have people who have strong 'local' accents presenting national television, is nothing more than sheer idiocy - and clearly another determined politically correct decision.

Given that the vast majority of presenters are women and ethnic minorities, it is clear that the the BBCs continuing social engineering knows no bounds. There appears to be a glut of Northern Irish presenters, whose vowel sounds border on the hilarious, while most others clearly hail form north of The Wash.

While no-one wants those silly farts who affect what they believe to be 'upper-class' accents (circa 1950s), neither do we need or deserve those that revel in their commonness, and insist on talking in dialects that are alien to many of us, and which grate on our sensibilities.

What we should have is presenters who are all accentless, with no affectations, who can speak English properly and in a way that we can all understand. Good examples would be George Alagiah and Fiona Bruce.

I don't believe it will happen any time soon ...

TFIF! ;o)

Workout done, endorphins flowing and feeling good. If the sun shines the BBQ is a definite. Have a great weekend - I intend to! TFIF ... ;o)

Homosexual Marriage

The expectations of the homosexual community to be allowed to have the same full marriage rights that are accorded to their heterosexual brethren, to include religious input in the marriage service, may well receive a setback when applying to their local Mosque to carry out the ceremony.

The Natural Order

The natural order of life evolved over thousands of years. The PC Brigade's liberal views are manufactured politically and are therefore not 'natural' - OK?

Some of my recent Twitter responses ...

Hackneyed cliches, endless sanctimonious quotes and repeated biblical references, are mediocre substitutes for original thoughts and views.

Social Justice: synonymous with political correctness, positive discrimination & social engineering; it subverts the natural order.

The arrogance of 'true believers' is breath-taking given our secular society where most of us are Atheist or hopeful Agnostics (me)

A "Just Society" created by woolly-minded do-gooders who become 'Fascists' by their insistence that we all conform to their views.

Social Engineering & its Impact on Society

It is clear that young men and boys are losing their identity, together with their proper role in society, as the direct result of political correctness and social engineering, which has resulted in the increasing feminisation of our society.

From the earliest age, boys are aware that all authority figures are women, starting with mothers in the proliferation and popularisation of single-parent families, and the almost 100% staffing levels of women teachers in schools.

Add to that the high female staffing levels in all public services; the unfair positive discrimination in the appointment of women to senior positions (mostly Chairman) in Quangos, the running of prisons, the Police Services, the Armed Forces, Medicine, Law , and not least - the hopelessly biased left-wing liberal BBC, with female faces & voices dominating our television and radio services.

It's time it stopped, and it's time for governments to stop pandering to the so-called rights of vociferous minorities, and started heeding the opinions and wishes of the usually silent majority. 'Dave' and his new chums quite clearly don't have the steel to tackle the real problems in British society, and will clearly prove to be part of the escalating problem rather than the wise correcting impartial leaders they should be.

What is clear, is that someone needs to address the problem before it is too late - if it isn't already past the point of no return!

Update ...

My initial enthusiasm for blogging has been severely blunted; I had expected it to be a reciprocal social activity, with comments, good or bad, from people who read my modest contributions encouraging me to contribute more.

This has not happened and the reality is that it is an exercise in futility to be writing reams only to be enjoyed (or otherwise) by oneself! Obviously there is an art to getting one's contributions widely circulated and accessible, but that art continues to elude me, and I am left disappointed and not a little frustrated.

Is there anybody there?

Sigh ...

Is there any point in voting at a General Election?

Given that most parliamentary candidates have to be approved by their political party hierarchies, it will be apparent that their loyalties to their constituents and their party are likely to be somewhat divided at the very outset.

Once they are elected and become a constituency Member of Parliament (MP), that distinction becomes ever more tenuous, given the 'presidential' style of government that has developed since New Labour came into power in 1997.

The Prime Minister (PM) is elected by his fellow Party MPs and the electorate have no say in who is appointed to that powerful office of State. The PM then appoints his Cabinet from among his MPs, and those selected Cabinet Ministers rely entirely on the patronage and goodwill of the PM for their tenure of office - and their future careers.

Government policy is largely formulated by the PM and his close advisers, who often are not Cabinet Ministers, or indeed - even MPs, and so-called 'spin doctors' abound. Much government policy thus formulated is rubber-stamped by the Cabinet, and passed to the Whips' Office with clear instructions to 'ease its passage' through the House.

The MPs of the majority party then dutifully troop through the lobby to which they have been directed by the Whips, and lo and behold Government policy is duly enacted.

Now how much of that procedure is to do with your local MP representing your wishes as a constituent? Well, in essence, it's about as much as twice times the square root of bugger all, but that is how it works and sadly, that is the 'democracy' in which we live.

So, 'is' there any point in voting at a General Election? No, not really; they won't take notice of anything thing we say, and we have to rely almost entirely on the Press to draw their failings to their attention, to have any influence on them at all.

The whole grubby self-serving system wants overhauling, and what better time to do it than now, following the 'pigs-in-troughs' expenses scandal, it must be out with the old and in with the new, including new parliamentary procedures - which serve the electorate and not the elected!

It's better than hurling abuse at the television!!

I've actually surprised myself by starting this blog, as it is not something I ever envisaged doing. However, I really am finding it something of a release and not a little therapeutic.

In the normal course of events the daily newspapers and the television news channels, have me alternating between laughter and slavering rage. Some of the news articles are so ludicrous that the natural reaction is to burst out laughing. On the other hand, some are so outrageous that they set the adrenaline racing, so much so that the red mist appears and the large vein at the temple begins to throb.

So instead of putting a foot through a very expensive wide-screen TV, I thought perhaps I might vent my spleen here, where some like-minded souls might be comforted in the knowledge, that it's not just them that are thoroughly hacked off at what has happened to our once great country.

Civil Partnerships are not Marriages

For the purpose of clarification a civil partnership is not a marriage. Marriage is a formal and legal relationship enjoyed by a man and a woman only.

Civil Partnerships are an arrangement by two people who by law are not related or entitled to be married and are of the same sex. Many of the privileges accorded to married people are conferred upon the two partners in a civil partnership, in order that they may organise their personal affairs so as to legally protect the other partner's interests, particularly in the event of death.

Despite the popular press attempting to blur the distinction between the two 'social' contracts, none more so than in the high-profile entertainment industry, marriage remains uniquely a girl/boy relationship.

His high and mighty lordship

Can anyone explain to me how this discredited politician has been allowed to acquire the powers he currently exercises, given that he has not been elected to any office by the electorate of the United Kingdom?

Not only does he hold a number of powerful government portfolios but he is also widely acknowledged as the de facto deputy prime minister. Can this possibly be right in what is supposed to be a democracy?

Where next? Can Mandy succeed the Queen, with his rhumba specialist boyfriend as Consort? Too fanciful? Well his spectacular rise to prominence is already something of a 'fairy' story, so the sky's the limit!

Where will it all end? 

Watch this space ...

On Growing Old

On Growing Old
by: John Masefield

Be with me, Beauty, for the fire is dying;
My dog and I are old, too old for roving.
Man, whose young passion sets the spindrift flying,
Is soon too lame to march, too cold for loving.
I take the book and gather to the fire,
Turning old yellow leaves; minute by minute
The clock ticks to my heart. A withered wire,
Moves a thin ghost of music in the spinet.
I cannot sail your seas, I cannot wander
Your cornland, nor your hill-land, nor your valleys
Ever again, nor share the battle yonder
Where the young knight the broken squadron rallies.
Only stay quiet while my mind remembers
The beauty of fire from the beauty of embers.

Beauty, have pity! for the strong have power,
The rich their wealth, the beautiful their grace,
Summer of man its sunlight and its flower.
Spring-time of man, all April in a face.
Only, as in the jostling in the Strand,
Where the mob thrusts, or loiters, or is loud,
The beggar with the saucer in his hand
Asks only a penny from the passing crowd,
So, from this glittering world with all its fashion,
Its fire, and play of men, its stir, its march,
Let me have wisdom, Beauty, wisdom and passion,
Bread to the soul, rain when the summers parch.
Give me but these, and though the darkness close
Even the night will blossom as the rose.

Keeping fit is a way of life - and it can be fun ...

Despite having arrived at what some unkind people might describe as "serious old fartdom", I still manage to work out five days a week. I have a quite extensive home gym and do a thorough whole-body weight-training session, of about 75 minutes duration, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do a cardio-vascular workout of about 45 minutes duration.

During the week I maintain a strictly controlled food and drink intake programme, which reduces caloric ingestion to approximately 1500 calories per day. At the weekends, Friday evening to Sunday lunchtime/afternoon, I drink and eat what I like, including alcohol and most of my favourite foods.

This regimen has been going on for more years than I care to remember, but its enduring quality is that it has kept my weight and body size within managable and cosmetically pleasing limits. It also allows me to be as physically strong as I was when a younger man, with good muscle mass and very pleasing flexibility.

NB
I intend to add to this topic later,but if there is anyone reading who would like some help or advice on fitness and diet, I would be very pleased to assist. Gratis of course! ;o)

The use of the dreaded "f" word!!

The use of the 'f' word is almost always vulgar and un-necessary, showing as it does a complete disregard for people's sensitivities, and a meagre grasp of the English language.

However, when the Mayor of Horishima said "What the f*** was that", it would appear to have been almost entirely appropriate.

===| |===

I have no doubt that the above 'joke' will cause some people offense, but that is to overlook what humour is all about, and what many of us find amusing. Personally, I like my jokes to be short, pithy and to contain at least one four-letter expletive.

The one above contains all those elements and despite its longevity, and its poor taste - I still find it very funny!

The British Political System - A pastiche of personal ideas with some selected other views ...

Speaking in very round terms, the British electorate is divided into three main sections. 40% traditionally vote Conservative; 40% vote Labour and 20% is divided among the Liberals and the smaller political parties.

Given this scenario it is obvious that the two main parties effectively cancel each other out. This therefore gives the balance of power to the remaining 20% of the electorate, which comprises many and various self-interest groupings such as the vociferous lobbies representing the various women’s groups including feminists, black activist and racist groups including immigration reformists, religious groups, homosexual and lesbian groups (the so-called ‘pink vote’!), anarchists, Marxists and communists, environmentalists, environmental groups and out of favour far right wing groups.

It will be seen from this list why our ‘elected representatives’ and government ministers appear to be pandering to interests against the wishes of the majority of the electorate. It is the sure way to election victory to secure without too much effort, the traditional ‘guaranteed vote’, plus the largest proportion of the ‘floating vote’!! In order to secure this proportion the electioneering would-be politicians have to pander and make promises to the members of these small groupings, which in turn become more and more demanding and outrageous with each successive election. The party that gains the most votes from this disparate section of the electorate - wins the ballot!

Unfortunately we no longer enjoy the clear political distinctions that we once did. The Labour Party who were once committed socialists, have emerged in their new existence as ‘New Labour’ and in their determination to achieve government shifted all their emphasis to the middle ground of politics, where unfortunately the Conservative Party have also settled. After 17 years in power the Tories were in disarray and with the socialists effectively adopting the majority of their policies, they really didn’t have a clear alternative policy on which to fight an election. How much better it would be for all of us, if the two main parties went back to their original doctrines; the Tories to Conservatism on the right of the political spectrum, the Labour party to socialism and to the left, thus leaving the centre ground of politics to the Liberal Party. This would then effectively give the electorate a clear choice again, and the complete difference between the main parties would require the ‘splinter groups’ to make a choice, and they would then quite clearly lose the inequitable influence they enjoy at the moment.

Politics is riven with political correctness at all levels, encouraging once loyal and decent people to spy on one another and to find fault simply for the sake of being difficult and pedantic. Political correctness has somehow insidiously become the bane and torment of all our lives, and yet we feel helpless to oppose it. This because there is always someone willing to take the high moral ground in any given situation, which is always ridiculously difficult to counter effectively without getting into a ‘slanging’ match. It is the insidious advance of this clammy monster, which inhibits us all from criticising a system, which rewards minorities so effectively, to the disadvantage of the majority. It is not too dramatic to suggest that Orwell’s 1984 ‘Big Brother’ has well and truly arrived and is controlling our lives in a most unexpected way.

Recent horrific events in the village of Soham highlight yet again the British public’s probable desire to have the return of capital punishment for punishment of the really evil in our society. Yet our elected representatives continue to assert that they know better, and the prospect of the death penalty being reintroduced is in all likelihood   decidedly poor.

The younger generation, the issue of parents from the liberal 60’s and 70’s, have been effectively brainwashed into believing that homosexuality is an acceptable alternative lifestyle and is to be considered normal. This is in direct contrast to the other half of the population, that was brought up to bitterly oppose homosexuality, as a perversion and a quite unacceptable practice. Indeed it was a most serious crime up until 1967. How can a succession of weak governments, following more and more outrageous demands from this group of people – particularly to legally bugger a 16-year-old boy, expect a very moral older generation to simply change its mind and now accept this abomination as ‘normal’?

Of course such views expressed so bluntly will outrage a certain mindset and will be condemned as the demented outpourings of a rabid homophobe, who is most likely a latent homosexual. Such is the difficulty in presenting a coherent opposition to many of the unacceptable practices, which have sprung up in our society. Many of us simply yearn for the return to moral values and acceptance that marriage and the family unit is the basis of a decent society.

In the matter of what appears to be an out of control immigration policy, who among us is not horrified at the ineptitude of our elected representatives to deal with the outrageous abuse of our country’s generosity and hospitality. Yet any opposition to this out of hand situation, which present the most serious problems for the future, is greeted with hate labels by woolly-minded liberals and rabble-rousers, and inevitably described as racist! How can it be racist to want to control the number of people that are admitted to an already overcrowded island, and an overstretched economy?

When ever a person from one of the minority groups runs into a problem the first thing they do is to invoke the race issue, or the female issue, or whatever grouping they lay claim to, so that the situation is never judged on its merits but rather on the colour or sex of the complainant, who invariably wins the day because of the unwillingness of decent people to fall foul of the strident exponents of such policies. 

It cannot possibly be right to encourage by acceptance, the proliferation of single mothers raising children from a number of different fathers. Children need role models and despite the views of emancipated career women, the most successful unit in which to successfully raise children, which after all is our main role in life, is the seminal family unit.

Because of years of poor guidance and example, people have become incredibly selfish. Everyone is so aware of his or her individual rights, and yet no one appears to be aware of their responsibilities.

Political Correctness (PC) is the communal tyranny that erupted in the 1980s. It was a spontaneous declaration that particular ideas, expressions and behaviour, which were then legal, should be forbidden by law, and people who transgressed should be punished. It started with a few voices but grew in popularity until it became unwritten and written law within the community, with those who were publicly declared as being not politically correct becoming the target of persecution by the mob, if not prosecution by the state.

To attempt to point out the odious nature of Political Correctness is to restate the crucial importance of plain speaking, freedom of choice and freedom of speech; these are the community’s safe-guards against the imposition of tyranny, indeed their absence is tyranny. Which is why any such restrictions on expression such as those invoked by the laws of libel, slander and public decency, are grave matters to be decided by common law methodology; not by the dictates of the mob.

The declared rationale of this tyranny is to prevent people being offended; to compel everyone to avoid using words or behaviour that may upset homosexuals, women, none-whites, the crippled, the mentally impaired, the fat or the ugly. This reveals not only its absurdity but also its inspiration. The set of values that are detested are those held by the previous generation (many of whom who fought lived and fought through the Second World War), and perversely these very values have been subverted and become revered by the new generation.

Some of the restrictions are quite ridiculous yet who among us is not now aware that any word with ‘man’ in it is studiously avoided? Take the word chairman, which is essentially non-gender specific. Replaced now by ‘chair’ or ‘chairperson.

The overbearingly smug attitude of the ‘enlightened’ may well force us into a unwelcome censored silence – but they can’t stop us thinking. It can’t be too long before this ponderous pendulum ceases its crazy swing and begins to balance back the other way. Many of us hope it won’t be too long, as time is running out for many of us!

The rules for life have been evolving for many thousands of years so how can it be that enlightenment over the past 25 years can turn the wisdom of all those previous generations upside down, and establish a new order so quickly?

My love, my life, my love my wife!

By: Parlousuk

Her face will always be with me, it is a dream divine
She was my love, I loved her so, and she was only mine
And I can see her lovely smile, just as and when I care
For she is ever in my mind, and the memories we share.

It was a lovely summer’s day, the sun shone oh so bright,
The blue skies were so glorious, and were joyful to my sight,
And then I saw her, young and free, a beauty to behold,
There was no doubt; she was mine, for joys to come untold.

We quickly came to friendship, and then as lovers too
Our lives were quickly so entwined, as lovers often do
We soon became inseparable, we vowed to never part
Our minds were tied; we loved as though, we only had one heart.

And so the future opened up, our lives stretched out ahead,
We shared a home, we shared our thoughts, we shared a double bed!
Ere not too long, we soon shared more, we had a baby son
And then we had a baby girl, to add more to our fun.

The days and weeks and then the years, all sped past in a flash,
We thrived on love and did so well; were never short of cash,
We were the envy of our set, we could not want for more
But then as if a cloud appeared, a couple moved next door.

To cut a painful story short, my love began to stray
She was quite taken by this man, I was not asked to stay,
She got court order from a judge, who banned me from my home,
And I was left un-domiciled, to start to write this poem.

The artless lover took my wife; he took my children too,
He took my pride, he stole my life, I knew not what to do,
For I still paid the mortgage, the school fees and the board,
And I still had to pay for me, and so my bank debts soared.

I really did the best I could, to try and to win them back
But he was firmly in control, despite my various tack,
And what had once been such a love, now quickly turned to hate,
Whatever plans I had for us, quite soon became too late.

And so it came before the court, where I would get my chance,
To tell the court what went before, my future to enhance,
However, that was not to be, the mood was clear against me,
It did not look too good for me, I found disconsolately.

And so it came to pass that day, when all was said and done,
I had no home and not a wife, nor daughter or a son,
But strangely and ironically, I was no better yet
For no matter what had happened, I was deeper yet in debt.

And so it does continue on, there is no happy end
I am at loss to know from here, I’m going round the bend,
I do believe my love is lost, but she really went too far,
She got not only house and kids, she got my favourite car.

And thus it’s clear that’s all I’ve got, the picture of my love,
Which I carry in my mind you see, on high and just above,
But you will know that I’m not pleased, I’m really quite bereft
For the image of my love dear friends – is all that’s bloody left!

Copyright © parlousuk 2001

The Scandal that is Global Warming

The planet Earth is a tiny, by comparison, piece of shrapnel, which we think was part of the resultant debris from a huge spontaneous explosion billions of years ago, which detonated in the vastness of the void that we know as Space.

That piece of shrapnel (Earth), together with the unimaginable number of other pieces of shrapnel, is hurtling outwards at enormous speed into infinite space. In the course of that flight, it is circling another vast piece of shrapnel (the Sun) which is still molten and glowing brightly with heat, upon which Earth relies for its very existence.

The inhabitants of Earth (Mankind) cling to the surface of the planet, having evolved from the environment that gradually developed in the prevailing and constantly changing conditions. There is neither rhyme nor reason how all this happened as it is all way beyond mankind’s puny comprehension.

The early inhabitants admitted that it was all way beyond their understanding and in their ignorance and fear could only believe that a Supreme Being (God) had created them. They believed that this God was omnipotent and worshipped Him in a number of ways, in order to please and serve Him.

Mankind utilised the natural resources of Earth to provide for it, and evolved to a formidably sophisticated level, which is essentially an observation made by mankind itself. During that evolution Earth was subjected to many natural disasters and came close at times to being obliterated. Despite all setbacks, Mankind survived until in the 1960’s the female of the species, who hitherto had been subjugated by the male of the species, declared further emancipation.

From those humble beginnings feminism emerged, together with political correctness and social engineering. These enlightened people and times bred a new knowledge of Earth that had previously been largely overlooked. It became clear to what became the Green Lobby that the climate on Earth was changing, and the changes were due to mankind’s despoliation of the planet for personal gain.

Thus began a movement, which was/is very controlling and overbearing, to reduce man-made emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO²) , and which would brook no opposition to its green agenda. The process made certain individuals very powerful and in the process also made them very wealthy. The cost to the rest of us was to be a lowered standard of living, and a huge increase in taxation to pay for the proposed reduction in CO².

The debate as to the validity of the claims made by scientists is on-going, but in the rarefied atmosphere of the halls of academia, it appears not to have occurred to those claiming global warming, that those facts which describe our precarious existence in the great unknown scheme of things, may indicate more valid reasons for what is happening to our planet.

It should be very clear given the vastness and enormity of our existence, that there are matters way beyond our comprehension and control. The best we can do is to use our collective resources to adapt to the inevitable changes as they occur.

If the global warming lobby get their way, they will have visited upon the citizens of the world the greatest confidence trick of all time. History will be their judge, but that is cold comfort to those of us who are currently subject to their tyranny.

They had a Dream!

The triumphalism since the election of the first black American to the office of President of the United States, has me puzzled and bemused. This is not the great popular miracle that some would have us believe; it is once again the predictable result of behind the scenes manoeuvring by cynical professional politicians.

Given that a deeply unpopular Republican administration was coming to the end of its tenure, it was clear that there would inevitably be a lurch to the political left. The feeble best the Republican Party could do to counter that likely inevitability, was to nominate an old man who if elected would be hard pressed to complete a first term, let alone go on to complete a full eight years in office. They chose as his running-mate a vacuous and inexperienced woman of toothsome appearance who added little to his prospects of achieving office.

Meanwhile, a relatively small number of influential power makers in the hierarchy of the liberal, left-wing, feminist, politically-correct Democrat Party, artfully chose two candidates, one of whom would inevitably become the new President of the United States. They chose carefully according to their radical agenda, thus ensuring that the new president would be a ‘first’ whatever the outcome. The election was always going to produce either the first woman president, or it was going to result in the first black president to be elected. So the way had been paved not by popular appeal or by the preferred choice of the American people, but by manipulative and calculating party politicians.

There was an almost unavoidable backlash against their preferred candidate, as the weaknesses and unreliability of the unpopular Hillary Clinton, who is obviously a deeply flawed and rampant feminist, with a blurred perception of real-life events, began to emerge. She was further hampered and overshadowed by her well-connected yet meddling priapic husband, former President Bill Clinton.

So is the newly elected president the popular result of the democratic process and a victory for the will of the people?  Quite frankly, articulate and credible as he has emerged, I don’t think the majority of Americans would have voted for this man if there had been other choices under other circumstances at the outset.

However, he has been inaugurated and now has to live up to all that adulation, optimism and expectation. The United States and the rest of the free world need a strong and authoritative American president. President Obama started with a clean slate and the goodwill and hopes of countless millions of people. He has got off to a shaky start and it needs to improve if he is to live up to those high aspirations.

Is it me?!

Once again the by now infamous Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT), has thwarted the Home Office by refusing to deport a convicted criminal who is coming to the end of his prison sentence.

An Iraqi immigrant who nineteen years ago knifed to death two consultant surgeons, is due to be released from a maximum security hospital  unit in the very near future. Tribunal judge Lance Waumsley ruled that Laith Alani could remain in Britain indefinitely. Waumsley, in summing up, stated that to deport Alani would be to infringe his human rights, and that he would likely prove to be a continuing danger to the people of Iraq if he was returned to his native country.

The impact of this ludicrous judgement, upon the population of the UK, has clearly been completely discounted. Isn't it time that these unelected liberal left-wing placemen were ousted and common sense, which apparently is not so common, was used as a yardstick to regulate our lives?

This judgement would appear to prove that the inmates really have taken over the loony bin! 

We are what we eat!

Despite all the protestations to the contrary, unless we have some alarming and serious medical condition, our bodyweight and physical appearance is regulated by a strict correlation between the amount we eat and drink, and the amount of energy we expend.


Energy intake is best described, and managed, by the number of calories we ingest on a daily basis, aggregated  over a period of time in order to reach an average. We all have a maintenance diet which will keep us at the same weight and body-fat content, if we eat the same number of calories daily, and expend the same amount of energy each and every day. This for men is approximately 2200 calories, and for a woman approximately 2000 calories. These are essentially only guideline figures as we are all different and metabolise our food and drink intake at different rates.


Using a similar all-embracing generality, if we eat 3500 calories in excess of our maintenance diet, we will increase our bodyweight by one pound (1lb). Thus, 500 calories a day eaten or drunk in excess of our maintenance diet, will result at the end of seven days (1 week) a weight gain of 1lb. Equally, if we exercise in excess of our maintenance requirement, we will burn extra calories by the amount of exercise we do and its intensity. Thus, 500 calories per day expended in the gym or other physical activity, will reduce our weight by 1lb over the course of a week.


This basic information is remarkably accurate and should be used as a guide to achieve your ideal weight and body-fat composition. 

"To sleep, perchance to dream- ay, there's the rub." Wm Shakespeare - Hamlet

The greatest antidote to having a happy life, is the overwhelming and ever-present spectre of our mortality. I once gave some profound advice to my children, by telling them not to ask any questions - as there were no answers.


What I meant was, that life is such a wonderful but bizarre experience, and yet love it as we do, the entirety of our existence is essentially and hopelessly beyond our comprehension. I have relentlessly spent much of my life looking for reasons for our existence, if only to seek comfort from the harsh reality that inevitably it must cease, and probably with no conscious recollection for all eternity.


I say 'probably' because I have become what I have coined as a hopeful Agnostic. This means that as the result of such a 'bizarre' experience as life, and it being so far from our ability to comprehend, that anything is possible, even to the existence of a supreme being - or God. In fact, if their is not a God then we are all doomed, for the alternative is too awful to contemplate.


The prospect of dying and never again to have any awareness or conscious thought, is particularly frightening. It effectively means that all we do in life is without purpose, and that all the wonderful and loving relationships we have formed are meaningless.


And so I pray each night, to a God in whom I don't really believe, in order to seek comfort and to try and make sense of what has happened to me, given that I have been dead once and must return again to I know not where.


That may be my comfort, for this life is so profound that it can be very frightening, and to not be aware is to be released from that continuing dread.

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TswE_dN4qW0

 

In the song 'The Long & Winding Road', Paul McCartney wrote about his journeys to his then Scottish home. I believe those lovely words could equally describe those of us searching for hope, and could well be a plea for someone to be waiting for all of us at the end of our journeys  ... wouldn't that be nice?