New Year's Eve 2006

Hi all, thought i would do my last blog of 2006 and say happy new year to you (anyone who is reading my blogs obviously has nothing better to do - join the club!).

Well, here we are again at new year time, with all the doubts and anxieties that the unknown can bring. I know this year will be an improvement over the last, which was also an major improvement over the one before - if you have no idea what i'm raving on about, read some of the first blogs... 2004 was not a good year.

On that matter, it seems, my beloved ex-partners appear to be having business problems that is exemplified by a couple more classes being removed from the schedules, and whether co-incidental or not, they're selling their house (at christmas? cheap?)...

Why they need to set up another limited company is beyond me, unless as I suspect, it's in preparation for the downfall of the current business (company). The problem is UK company law, as i see it, has a few loopholes and cunning /devious people can manipulate it to their own advantage.

I won't say more than that because they're likely to use what i write in futile attempts at bringing unfounded charges against me, as they did last March with "harrassment" allegations. I was encouraged when someone said to me, anyone who needs to steal something in order to get it, will find that the object they stole will eventually slip away from them because they were never destined to have it... Much like the old "what goes around..." saying.

2007 will no doubt whizz by - already i have pencilled in my summer holiday in July, and money permitting will be visiting Malta once more. My better half has expressed an interest in going somewhere else (as well) and we both so loved Rhode Island we would love to go back.

So to finish.. have a great time and see you in 2007.

DVD's

Could anyone explain why the UK citizens are subjected to delays when it comes to USA dvd releases?

For example, BOSTON LEGAL, series 2, came out on dvd in the US in November 06 while us poor cousins' have to wait until MARCH 2007 just to get a region 2 disk...

And why oh why are we still limited to REGIONS for god's sake! I could have bought a region 1 dvd and already been a proud owner but I need to make sure my dvd player can do region 1 - which i don't know it does, so i'd need a dvd player or some fix to enable my disk to work ... TOO MUCH HASSLE!

It still doesn't answer the question why do we have to wait? Surely we should have the ability to purchase on DVD the imported TV series the same as any other country, after all they have exported it; there's a whole market to be exploited, unless it's some plot to get the excitement going so we'll buy 2 or 3 copies instead!

how gullible are we? (don't answer that!)

Merry Blogg-mas!

It's christmas eve and i'm fed up with it already, having had the "run up" to it, since November. This last week, which has gone soooo quick (mainly because i'm on holiday), has been one festive thing after another. Christmas is for kids, I would agree with that, but its also a time for adults to pause and reflect.

I spent the whole week rewriting the chi kung website, www.ukcks.org.uk, which i think is now vastly improved over the old site. I completed the last 3 sessions of chi kung and on Friday had my works christmas party (followed quickly by sickness/diarrhea). On saturday I did nothing apart from eat, drink (toilet) and watch TV, a rivetting program entitled "bristol airport" - a series jumping on the bandwaggon of "Airport".

I spent 3oclock to 4oclock awake because the dogs went beserk following our neighbour traversing the access way at the rear of our house. Very kindly, he left both gates open! He was lucky our collies are soft as faeces because he could have been attacked. Perhaps he'll remember his key next time.

It might have been Father Xmas, albeit he would have been a smidge early!

Anyway, for those that find it enjoyable merry xmas, and for those like me, bah-humbug!

I don't believe it

Wow, I am OFFICIALLY on holiday this week. Hmm, let me see, yesterday morning i finished off some paper work, went to a pre-arranged meeting and then spent 4 hours in Devizes in our area office with work colleagues!

On Friday I have to attend a special meeting to go through some paperwork, then we're going for a work's christmas lunch.

Today (Tuesday), I got two calls on my mobile (although I did not answer them) and a few emails, which I deleted...

Anyway, did anyone not think Leona would win the X-factor final? 8million people voted, and @ 35p a shot, raised £2,800,000 for Simon, Sharon and Louis' holiday fund. Aparently, the Leona single had 20,000 downloads in 5minutes; allegedly these were £1.50 each so Leona's (?) 20% cut grossed her £6,000 !! Good if you can get it!

And what the hell is Sky playing at? I cannot wait until February for the next episode of Lost!! It's bad enough having to suffer adverts during each episode - it goes like this:

episode - 5mins, advert (5mins), episode 15mins, advert (5mins), episode about 15mins, advert (5mins), episode 5 mins !

And I am going to resist the temptation of saying, told you so. But, I told you so - train passengers are up in arms! It's caused the exact thing I thought was supposed to be an issue, more cars on the roads because people cannot get on the trains when they need to.

It's ok for the powers to say "leave earlier, there's plenty of space on the one before / after", all well and good if you want to arrive early at work. Where's the work/home life balance there?

I WILL say this, if I had paid for a seat on a train and could not sit in one, I would seriously consider suing, especially if due to overcrowding.

While I am in blogging mode, let me also plea to drivers out there: GET SOME ADVANCED DRIVER TRAINING please!!!!

Things that get my goat: 1) people driving @ 40mph -everywhere! 2) people staying in the middle lane of the motorway 3) people with no manners or think they own the highway 4) people who park in disabled parking bays 5) HM government tax pricing on fuel 6) petrol companies who charge what they like just because it isn't a big city 7) HM Government's idea about public transport, yet they allow the train companies to cut services /carriages.

.........Just for starters!

Have a good week....

Did you see that coming?

* FIRST GREAT WESTERN TRAIN SERVICE REDUCTIONS IN BRISTOL AND
WEST OF ENGLAND 27.11.2006


McCarthy, Kerry
That this House notes with concern that from 11th December 2006 users of First Great
Western train services in the Bristol and West of England area will suffer the
loss of their early morning train service from Cardiff to Bristol, early morning
services and late evening services between Bristol and Gloucester, irregular
intervals between trains from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton, reduced
capacity on short platform stations to Weston, such as Worle, loss of
connectivity on trains to and from London and extensive reductions in train
services to local stations in the Bristol area; further notes that First Great
Western plans to reduce the amount of rolling stock used on train services in
the Bristol area, including cutting Cardiff-Portsmouth trains from three to two
coaches, an overall reduction of 1,839 seats, equating to a 20 per cent. cut in
train seat availability, and a reduction in the number of trains from 69 to 57,
equating to an 18 per cent. cut in trains; calls on the Government to urge First
Great Western urgently to reconsider the reductions in levels of rolling stock
on these key services, the consequences for overcrowding and forcing passengers
onto the already heavily congested road network, with all the outcomes for
increased carbon emissions, pollution and road traffic accidents that these
train service cuts will lead to; and further calls on the Government to ensure
that capacity and train service frequency in the Bristol and West of England
area are maintained and improved.

Haha!
On the news the other day*, (and confirmation that this Government has no idea and that taxing car drivers is a complete scam),

First Great Western are:
a) cutting services in the West,
b) reducing the number of carriages so making peak times impossible (and crowded), and
c) INCREASING fares in the new year!

What the hell is going on? The Government moan about cars and pollution and that every body should use public transport.... Yeah right. That's never going to happen - and above is the reason why, but to make us use public transport the fuel prices are increased.

Not only do they intend to rip off the poor car driver (it's already happened; please somebody explain if the rise is announced in a PRE-BUDGET speech, HOW COME it occurs NOW? Surely it should be on BUDGET DAY), but they are taxing flights by doubling the taxes... What are they spending that on? Certainly not green ways to travel!

Moan over. Roll on the election.

£20 billion

I have to blog (moan) about the latest news from HM GOVERNMENT, Mr Tony Blair - simply because it is ludicrous!

Beside the fact that I was under the (false) impression that Mr TB is supposed to represent us, and carry out governing the country the way that WE want, how can he now introduce a spend of £20 billion to replace a nuclear missile delivery system when quite frankly the NHS and EDUCATION could do such a lot with that money!

The government moan about traffic on the road; what do they spend the tax from cars and petrol on - certainly not new roads. There's talk of taxing per mile, to cut down traffic - all that will do is put the burden on drivers who will end up paying more than now. Why not spend the £20 billion on doing something about transport infrastructure;

On the news yesterday a school has to close, cost to keep open £70 million - small fry if compared to £20 billion.

Okay, so we need to defend ourselves in times of war. If someone ("rogue country") dropped a nuke on us, do we really need to drop one on them? Have we not learned that a nuclear war is not winnable...?? If we're wiped out by a nuke, then i am pretty sure the Americans will take it upon themselves to nuke whoever it was who nuked us. Either way, i wont care because i'll be dead!

The damned government should get their priorities right. Spend the money on things that matter. What about cheaper housing for those who can't afford £200,000 for a 2 bed box...

Enough ranting, back to work.