DANGER DANGER -see what the buggers are up to now ...

This week instead of a humorous post I want to draw your attention to what the bastards in Westminster have in store for you .. this could be the most BLATANT piece of Tory nest feathering I have ever seen and its sneaking through as we speak ... as always my comments are in Yellow.

This abortion of a bill is called the Growth and Infrastructure Bill and you should all know and be warned of its consequences .....

The government will "remove excessive red tape" in a bid to boost economic growth, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has said.

Opening debate on the Growth and Infrastructure Bill at second readingon 5 November 2012, Mr Pickles said England's planning laws would become less bureaucratic, energy firms would find it easier to build new power stations, and faster internet connections would spread across rural England.

Sounds good so far doesn't it ...now read on

The legislation also sets out a scheme, announced by Chancellor George Osborne at the Conservative Party conference, for workers at small businesses to trade employment rights for shares in their companies.

"Only enemies of aspiration will oppose this modern embrace of co-operative values," Mr Pickles said.

Say that again..because I cant believe what I'm reading, small business owners (who are traditionally MORE likely to bully employees than large organisations) will be given the LEGAL right to bully their employees into giving up their PROTECTED LEGAL RIGHTS !!!

But shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn said the proposal was "absolutely astonishing", arguing that participation in the scheme would soon be compulsory for new employees at some firms even if it were voluntary for current ones.

At least someone is speaking sense (and the truth) ..well said that man. not that it will do any good - keep reading ....

"For the first time that I can recall, employers will be allowed to buy their way out of legislation that protects their workers," he said.

"What on earth is the connection between giving an employee shares, and taking away their fundamental rights in the workplace?"

Bravo .. but you are a lone voice of reason my friend and this bill will pass because the Tories employers (read rich backers) have not made enough money in this term of parliament yet

He argued that changes to the planning system would not improve the economy while ministers persisted with their "failed economic policies".

The legislation also betrayed Mr Pickes's lack of trust in local politics, giving him "the ability to nationalise planning decisions in respect of as many authorities as he likes", the Labour frontbencher claimed.

So ... in plain English ... and for an example ..they want to build a massive rubbish tip at the bottom of your road serviced by 300 bin lorries daily, naturally there is a large outcry and you and your neighbours get up a petition and exercise your democratic right to protest.. and it works !! and the local council stops the development of the tip ....UNFORTUNATELY FOR YOU, this is a pet project of one of the Tory backers (to fund his new diamond crusted cigar clipper maybe) this bill gives central government (read those Tory bastards) the right to REVERSE that decision and you get the tip next to your house ANYWAY ...and there's NOTHING you can do about it, you have NO LEGAL RECOURSE ...enjoy your tip .....

"In no time at all he has gone from claiming to be the friend of localism, to taking a hammer and a sickle to local democratic decision-making," Mr Benn said.

"This is not a growth bill, it's not going to get the economy moving, it's not going to build infrastructure; it's a must-be-seen-to-be-doing-something bill," he concluded.

No I think it is far more dangerous than that .. its the beginning of the end for your rights as a citizen ..Orwell was just a few years out when he wrote 1984

Under the legislation, some infrastructure projects would be referred to the secretary of state, rather than local planning authorities, to be determined within a 12 month timetable.

The bill would allow for planning obligations (section 106 agreements) relating to affordable housing to be renegotiated with the aim of making development economically viable again.

Section 106 agreements allow a local planning authority to enter into a legally-binding agreement or obligation with a land developer over a related issue, such as a requirement to build affordable social housing.

OH MY GOD ... could you get a more blatant example of nest feathering than this ? ..... mr big business Tory backer gives a promise that if he is allowed to buy this land (at a knockdown "here's your backhander" price probably) he will construct social (read cheap) housing on part of it in return for his shiny new warehouse (cant be a factory anymore - we don't have the skills left in this country thanks to the shambles of an education system left by successive governments -  but that's another argument)

This section 106 agreement (as its called) can now be declared NULL AND VOID ..and the rich bastard gets his warehouse and we the poor sheep get to live in a cardboard box if we're lucky ...

The bill also makes provision for a planned revaluation of business rates in England to be postponed.

AND THEY ARE GONNA PAY LESS TAX as well !  - or at minimum no increase while the rest of us absorb ever increasing tax bills for everything ....

I would say write or phone your MP to stop this bill before it becomes law if I thought it would do any good .... if you still believe in the democratic process do it today..get your petitions going ... me .. from long experience I dont think it will make any difference ..welcome to Orwells vision for the UK enacted by a small group of money grabbing bastards that we voluntarily gave the power too .. poor misguided sheep that we are ... the last time this happened was about 1936 in a country called Germany ...remember what happened next ?

I wish you all well ...

JD :(

Finally! Exposed! The Deficit Myth! So, David Cameron When are you Going to Apologise?

A few people have been having difficulty understanding this article, so I'm gonna break it down for you in everyday terms to make it easier to understand so that everyone can see how the current government with the help of its big business backers is LYING to you..

What you say, A politician lying - surely not ?

Here is the article .. with my little explanations in Yellow

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on"
- Winston Churchill

As a Conservative (I'm not by the way - the writer is ) I have no pleasure in exposing David Cameron's deficit claims. However, as long as the party continues to talk down the economy via the blame game, confidence will not be given an opportunity to return. For it is an undeniable and inescapable economic fact: without confidence and certainty there can be no real growth.

OK this is a simple one, they are lying to you about how bad the mess is via TV and Newspapers that their cronies control... and to justify the cuts they are imposing everywhere in order to line their own nests

Below are the 3 deficit claims - the mess. The evidence comes from the IMF, OECD, OBR, HM Treasury, ONS and even George Osborne. The claims put into context are:

CLAIM 1 The last government left the biggest debt in the developed world.

After continuously stating the UK had the biggest debt in the world George Osborne admits to the Treasury Select Committee that he did not know the UK had the lowest debt in the G7? Watch: Also, confirmed by the OECD Those who use cash terms (instead of percentages) do so to scare, mislead and give half the story.

OK this shows that the chancellor either flat out lied to parliament or to be fair was misinformed by his advisors ..

Its common sense, in cash terms a millionaire's debt would be greater than most people. Therefore, the UK would have a higher debt and deficit than most countries because, we are the sixth largest economy. Hence, its laughable to compare UK's debt and deficit with Tuvalu's who only have a GDP/Income of £24 million whilst, the UK's income is £1.7 Trillion.

This is fairly straightforward .. if you earn £100 per week and your loan payment is £50 per month and your neighbour earns £25 per week and his loan is £10 per week ..who has the largest debt ? ... if you took the Governments way of looking at it ...YOU HAVE as you owe £50p/m whereas your neighbour only owes £40p/m 

Finally, Labour in 1997 inherited a debt of 42% of GDP. By the start of the global banking crises 2008 the debt had fallen to 35% - a near 22% reduction page 6 ONS Surprisingly, a debt of 42% was not seen as a major problem and yet at 35% the sky was falling down?

CLAIM 2 Labour created the biggest deficit in the developed world by overspending.

Firstly, the much banded about 2010 deficit of over 11% is false. This is the PSNB (total borrowings) and not the actual budget deficit which was -7.7% - OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook March 2012 page 19 table 1.2

Secondly, in 1997 Labour inherited a deficit of 3.9% of GDP (not a balanced budget ) and by 2008 it had fallen to 2.1% - a reduction of a near 50% - Impressive! Hence, it's implausible and ludicrous to claim there was overspending. The deficit was then exacerbated by the global banking crises after 2008. See HM Treasury. Note, the 1994 deficit of near 8% haaaaaah!

Thirdly, the IMF have also concluded the same. They reveal the UK experienced an increase in the deficit as result of a large loss in output/GDP caused by the global banking crisis and not even as result of the bank bailouts, fiscal stimulus and bringing forward of capital spending. It's basic economics: when output falls the deficit increases.

Finally, the large loss in output occurred because the UK like the US have the biggest financial centres and as this was a global banking crises we suffered the most. Hence, the UK had the 2nd highest deficit in the G7 (Not The World) after the US and not as a result of overspending prior to and after 2008- as the IMF concur.

If you read all of the above passage,  its fairly straightforward .. it shows that the previous government far from being the bumbling fools that the Tories would have you believe were actually doing a good job in keeping the books balanced, and it was only the banking crisis that upset the economy here, as it did everywhere.

Claim 3 Our borrowing costs are low because the markets have confidence in George Osborne's austerity plan and without it the UK will end up like Greece.

Hows that for a scare tactic headline ? are you worried yet ;)  - read on

Yes, the markets have confidence in our austerity plan and that's why PIMCO the worlds largest bond holder have been warning against buying UK debt.

Oops ..so that would be a LIE then ?

The real reason why our borrowing costs have fallen and remained low since 2008 is because, savings have increased. As a result, the demand and price for bonds have increased and as there is inverse relationship between the price of bonds and its yield (interest rate) the rates have fallen. Also, the markets expect the economy to remain stagnate. Which means the price for bonds will remain high and hence, our borrowing costs will also remain low.

Secondly, the UK is considered a safe heaven because, investors are reassured the Bank of England will buy up bonds in an event of any sell off - which increases the price of bonds and reduces the effective rate. Note, how rates fell across the EU recently when the ECB announced its bond buying program. Thirdly, because, we are not in the Euro we can devalue our currency to increase exports. Moreover, UK bonds are attractive because, we haven't defaulted on its debt for over 300 yrs.

In other words we are regarded as a safe buy..because we are honorable and always pay our debts

David Cameron would like people to believe the markets lend in the same way as retail banks lend to you and I.

Overall, when the facts and figures are put into context these juvenile deficit narratives and sound bites ("mere words and no evidence") simply fail to stand up to the actual facts. The deficit myth is the grosses lie ever enforced upon the people and it has been sold by exploiting people's economic illiteracy.

Are you tired of being lied to yet ?

JD :)

More New Shows

2 Updates in 2 weeks ...wow.aren't you lot lucky ?

as promised more new show reviews for ya and we got 3 new shows to look at this week, a superhero show, firefighter drama and a ...country and western themed show? ...yeah you read that right..but lets get started


Arrow a show based on the DC comics character has an intriguing pilot episode which succeeds on many levels, it successfully introduces all the characters, doesn't skimp on the action and sets up the premise nicely.

those are the plus points, there are a couple of minus ones but at this point I'm nitpicking, so here goes .. the main character is OK to good in his regular persona, Stephen Amell is pretty to look at for the ladies and has that brooding intensity that a tortured superhero requires. as an aside why are superheroes always tortured, or have a mission passed down from Father/Uncle/insert dead character here, could it be lazy writing on the part of the original comic book creators?

my main nitpick is the costume, how does a hood and some green eyeliner disguise your identity even in the dark ?...  Where did he acquire said get-up?  maybe these questions will be addressed in the following episodes (one can hope)

Now don't get me wrong this is not a bad pilot, it just carries the baggage of all the superhero shows that came before it and that it will inevitably be compared to, it shows promise and the action is handled nicely and just enough of the main plot is revealed to make you want to check out more episodes.

in conclusion ... shows promise and is light years better than some of the offerings this year (Last Resort anyone still watching that shite?)    a solid 7/10 lets hope they can keep the quality or even improve on it.

Chicago Fire a series based on ... do I even need to explain the premise, its Hill Street Blues/Chicago Hope/The West Wing in a fire station...

Before. I start on a review..here's a quick idea for Hollywood screenwriters, when you are gonna kill off  #expendable character 1# in order to further the plot why do it in the pilot after only a few set up scenes?  The audience would relate better to the characters sense of loss if we had a chance to get to know the "red shirt" first before you kill them off so give them a few episodes then kill them, it would have far more impact and we the audience would feel a part of the loss and grieving the characters are going through... just a thought :)

 ("RED SHIRT" - Star Trek parlance - the red shirts were the expendable security officers who you just knew were gonna die in that episode)

Anyway on with the review, as you can tell the old maguffin of killing off a expendable character to introduce the characters and some conflict is dragged out again ..lazy screenwriting 101 but I'll overlook it for now, Jesse Spencer attempting to break away from his House character does a reasonable job of setting his character and the others are more than acceptable in their intros.

This is another promising series which if it can get over the lazy screenwriting shown in the pilot has potential and given the photogenic properties of it leads should have legs.

Above Average 6/10

Now onto the biggest surprise of the season so far ...

this is a series I downloaded for the wife as shes a big fan of Dolly and Shania, and the premise for this series showed it may be treading the same ground.

and boy is the pilot good .....

Britton and  Panettiere are excellent in their respective roles as fading older star and up and coming manipulative teen starlet. Britton gets to enjoy herself in a more glamourous role than her FNL mom figure and Panettiere is a revelation stretching her acting chops away from her usual fluff fare.

The initial meeting of the 2 stars backstage before the titles even role is laden with undercurrents and nuance and you immediately relate to both characters and the fun and manipulations that follow as the rest of the cast  are introduced just flesh out the promising storyline.

The sequence when Panettiere's character Juliet Barnes is cutting a song in the studic and the comment about "auto-tune" ring true in todays "X-pop stars got talent" culture and the loyalty that Brittons character Reyna James shows to her band and crew also ring true, and as we learn more about both of them as the pilot runs its course you find yourself drawn in, this is acting of the highest calibre and the screenwriters have done a good job.

Very good , engaging leads and great supporting cast this show will go far if the quality is kept up to the high standard they set in the pilot.

Excellent Show so far 9/10 ... oh and I predict it will be one of the first cancelled as all quality shows seems to be nowadays ....I hope I'm wrong

JD :)

Worlds Laziest Blogger updates finally :)

Okies, Hi everyone (if anyones left), I'm gonna make a determined effort to update this blog more often from now on, so stay tuned and see if I can manage it ;)

The New Season on TV 

Firstly ..lets start with the crap ... heres the scenario, a US nuclear sub is given a launch order over a secondary command route, it is authenticated and then ... they request a confirmation over the normal channel .. ok I can just about buy this in the interest of moving the story along, then without warning ONE OF THEIR OWN SHIPS FIRES AT THEM?


Sounds exciting doesn't it ? here are the many problems with this series so far,

1. They not only have female officers aboard, but female MARINES as well ? - oh and one of the females appears to be 3rd in command of the boat !

2.  They also have on board a secret prototype device that makes the sub harder to detect

3.  once the above transpires, they make a run for an island that conveniently appears to be very close to their location and has a NATO monitoring station on it ...and by this time I'm losing the will to live

this is not to mention that this island is run by a criminal syndicate which takes offence at the marines landing and kidnaps 2 of them (one female - yeah couldn't see THAT coming)

to sum up ... this is crap of the highest order, lazy plotting that wouldn;t be out of place in a 70s soap opera, acting so wooden the entire cast could have been bought at Ikea, I could go on but I think you get the picture ...avoid this like the plague unless you think Pop Idol is the height of intellectual entertainment, in which case you'll love this series ;)

RED ALERT ..this one should be left to sink 2/10 and one point of that is the effects work


To rinse my mouth out after that shite, here's 2 that ARE worth a look....

Interesting premise, a surgeon whos brother gets into a liitle bit of bother with the Chcago mob offers to work off his debt...

opening sequence ... vets office, a mob member (we assume) is lay on the operating table with a screwdriver embedded in his temple and making a lot of noise (as you would , I suppose) ..enter the doc and the fun begins ... I wont spoil it for you but its a memorable opening scene..


Unlike the last pile of shite above, this is a well written pacy series, with a largely unknown cast who play their roles with gusto,

The balancing act that Grace (the doctor in question) must perform between her medical life saving duties and the demands of the mob are the main focus of the series so far, but the supporting characters are beginning to flesh out and the stories move along at a nice pace, the scripts are tight and believable ...

highly recommended 8/10

Ooh look its another Mob series .. (is this the flavour of the year with the US networks ?)

2 things ... this is a very very good series so far and just take a look at the 2 lead actors

OK .. premise time, its Las Vegas about 5-10 years after the mob moved in, some of the Casinos are built and the town is starting to grow, with the inevitable frictions between the locals and the new arrivals. Corruption is rife the DA is on the take and theres been a murder ...


Enter Quaid a retired MP back on his ranch with his 2 (or maybe 3) sons who is enraged by a low flying aircraft scaring his herd who sets off on horseback to remonstrate with the air traffic controller much to the amusement of Chiklis the mob boss who has just arrived on said plane to take over running of some of the casinos ..

This is another well written series that has a stellar cast and an intruiging premise that should have some durability, the pilot succeeds in introducing the main characters and does a reasonable job of fleshing out the supporting cast.

again highly recommended 8/10


I will continue to review the new series that caught my attention as they launch in the US 

Now onto some returning favourites.. and its a mixed reaction from me

Lets start with the most consistently entertaining series of the past few years

Sons of Anarchy for those of you unfamiliar with the series is the story of a motorcycle gang based in the town of Charming and its brushes with the law and other rival organisations.

Written by Kurt Sutter,  a showrunner who really cares about his material and his audience (see the extensive presence of behind the scenes and Q&A sessions on You Tube - sutterink) this is a show that goes beyond what you would expect from network television and to date (3 episodes into season 5) has yet to have a bad episode.




The cast are excellent from Charlie Hunnams portrayal of Jax - the main protagonist of the story to Ron Pearlmans superb portrayal of Clay, the aging leader of the gang and lets not forget Katey Sagal stretching her acting chops as Gemma the matriach of the gang ...and I can go on and on there is just no bad casting on this show, every actor pulls at your emotions, enraging you (when Clay does "nasty shit") making you laugh (see Juice in a nappy) and envoking sympathy ....

The praise for this show is widespread and deserved, if you haven't given it a chance yet ..then start with season 1 episode 1 and enjoy the ride (pun intended)

Cannot recommend this show highly enough 10/10

Another returning favourite just starting season 6 in the US is this show, if you haven't heard of it by now, you must be living inside a box on a remote island somewhere, so I wont bother you with having to read a plot summary and instead just comment on the opening episode of season 6 for you ...


and it was ... DISAPPOINTING on many levels, yes the cast are all back and the characters are still there, but the show seems to be retreading old ground and slipping away from the geeky references and culture clash occurrences that made this show so entertaining for its first few seasons, it is becoming a formulaic american sitcom and that is a waste of a great cast and intruiging premise ... here's hoping that the season improves and returns to its best.

4/10 for the season 6 opener ... the show generally hits a 7-8 its not as funny as its thinks it is but its still an enjoyable way to waste 30 minutes

 Boss now just into its second season is an interesting show, Kelsey Grammer stars as the ruthless Mayor of Chicago Thomas Kane in a role thats a million miles away from the affable, pompous Frasier Crane.

with a fabulous supporting cast, great scripts and a nice gritty realism the first season barrelled along nicely right up to the final episode bombshells that spoke of a series about to be cancelled, to my (and I suspect the producers) surprise Starz picked up the series for a second run and this season if anything is better than the first.

if you are a fan of behind the scenes machinations and plots then this is the series for you ,,,recommended 7/10


and finally heres a series that has just finished its first run in the states and had deservedly been picked up for a second season ....

What can I say about this series that hasn't already been said ?

accolades and award nominations have been flying in to HBO for this series and for once its not hype, they are well deserved.

Jeff Daniels leads an all-star cast in one of the most well written, acted and directed shows to surface on american television for the last 5 years

now dont tune in expecting a take your brain out easy ride, this is a series that makes you consider whats going on in the world and how its reported to you in your living room, I'm not gonna give away any spoilers on this show, just give your brain some exercise and tune into this show.

From Daniels to occasional guest star Jane Fonda, the cast are on the top of their form and the nuances that Daniels brings to the lead gives lie to the people that thought he was a one dimensional actor.

Like Sons this show does not have a bad episode yet and i fervently hope they can maintain the quality in season 2

superb show 10/10


Right hope you all enjoyed this update and I promise to be more diligent in updating in future.. if your REALLY good I might even update you on the great garage build :)  (and yes its STILL not finished after 3 years of delays)


have fun and take care til we meet again

JD :)

From the BBC Website ....

First the Tory Propoganda piece ....

UK job vacancies 'rose in March'

 

 The REC said the report indicated increasing confidence among employers

The number of job vacancies in March grew at its fastest rate for eight months, led by the IT and computing sector, a report has said.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) report also said that permanent staff placements rose for the third month in a row.
But there was a drop in the number of temporary appointments in March.
The REC said many firms had converted temps into permanent staff due to the effect of Agency Worker Regulations.
The regulations, which came into force at the end of last year, gave agency workers equal rights with directly employed staff after 12 weeks in a job.
Although, there were more jobs on offer in March, starting salaries for new permanent staff "stagnated".
Tom Hadley from the REC said the rise in permanent appointments and vacancy growth was a "positive indication of increasing employer confidence".



Then on the same page ..... The truth

Related Stories

• Sunny weather warms retail sales
• UK unemployment rises by 28,000
• Agency staff receive terms boost

'Europe is poor so should live within its means'

By Justin Rowlatt Presenter, Business Daily, BBC World Service
                                 My comments in Yellow

For decades the West has lectured the East on how to manage its economies. Not any more.
Now the emerging economies of Asia look like models of steady, consistent policy and sustained growth while Europe, America and Japan are mired in debt and are growing achingly slowly, if at all.
So what can the West learn from the East?

According to former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the message is simple but devastating: Europe must face up to the new economic reality.
"Europe... has lost a lot of money and therefore you must be poor now relative to the past," he reasons in an interview with BBC World Service's Business Daily.
"And in Asia we live within our means. So when we are poor, we live as poor people. I think that is a lesson that Europe can learn from Asia."

State of denial Dr Mahathir is well qualified to pass judgement.
If any Asian leader can make claim to having laid the groundwork for his country's economic expansion, it is he.
During his two decades in power, Dr Mahathir helped transform Malaysia from a sleepy former colony into an economic tiger.

But his advice will not make happy reading in the capitals of Europe.
Dr Mahathir believes European leaders are in a state of denial.

"You refuse to acknowledge you have lost money and therefore you are poor," he says.

"And you can't remedy that by printing money. Money is not something you just print. It must be backed by something, either good economy or gold."   Well Said that man

Dr Mahathir may be 86 years old, but he still holds very strong views.
In particular, he believes Europe and the West must begin the long slow process of restructuring their economies to reduce their dependence on the financial sector.

"I think you should go back to doing what I call real business - producing goods, providing services, trading - not just moving figures in bank books, which is what you are doing."  Yep could not agree more

His big bugbear is still currency trading, which he believes did huge damage to the Malaysian economy during the financial crisis that hit Asia in the late 1990s.

"Currency is not a commodity", he says.

"You sell coffee. Coffee… can be ground and made into a cup of coffee.

"But currency, you cannot grind it and make it into anything. It is just figures in the books of the banks and you can trade with figures in the books of banks only.

"There must be something solid to trade, then you can legitimately make money."

WOW .. Common Sense ...where have you been for the last 15 years old friend ...

Tough message But even if Europe takes his advice, Dr Mahathir believes there will be no quick return to economic health.
"To recover your wealth you have to work over many years to rebuild your capacities, to produce goods and services to sell to the world, to compete with the eastern countries," he says.
European workers are overpaid and unproductive, Dr Mahathir believes.
"I think you have paid your workers far too much money for much less work," he says.

"So you cannot expect to live at this level of wealth when you are not producing anything that is marketable."

His message is tough, he acknowledges, before adding with a laugh: "We used to get tough messages from you before, remember?"

"And now, what is the result? Sometimes you undermined our currency and we became very poor. Well, we learn from each other. We were Euro-centric before. I think it should be a little bit Asia-centric now."

A tough message indeed.

a funny ... a very good funny :)

TERROR  ALERT  LEVELS

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada. 

The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s get the Bastards.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years. 

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France ‘s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability. 

Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.” 

The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbor” and “Lose.” 

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels. 

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy. 

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is canceled.” So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

RANT Time again .....

OK ...The warmer weather is getting here and the idiots are out on the roads again ....

So for the benefit of you car drivers and to save my professional driver bretheren a lot of grief heres a quick reminder of some basics

This is a Motorway ......

now dont be scared its quite safe IF YOU USE IT CORRECTLY !!!!














The lanes marked by the GREEN dots are the inside or SLOW lane .... if you are in this lane you should be travelling at a minimum of 56 mph traffic permitting ...that way you dont cause chaos behind you when that large truck that is gaining on you (but is limited to 56mph) has to move out into the middle lane (blue dots) to pass you ....

Now if I am in my truck in the middle lane (blue dots) its because some idiot has forgotten this cardinal rule and its no use tailgating me and flashing your lights ..it wont make my speed limited truck go any faster

The Overtaking lane (red dots)  trucks are not allowed in this lane because of the speed limitation so please feel free to use it instead of tailgating me.

Oh one last thing before I move on .... if you see a truck in the inside lane with his right hand indicator on denoting the fact that he wishes to move out into the middle lane to pass the idiot driving at 50mph in the inside lane ... THIS IS NOT A SIGNAL FOR YOU TO ACCELERATE PAST HIM IN THE MIDDLE LANE and if you do and he clips you because you were in his blind spot then you only have yourself to blame because now I've told you what that signal means :)

The highlighted part is a SLIP ROAD

You use this to accelerate to a minimum of 56mph (traffic permitting) so that you are travelling at the same speed as the slowest of the motorway traffic ..this enables you to join the traffic flow on the Motorway safely








YOU DO NOT WALLY DOWN THIS AT 30MPH THEN BRAKE AT THE END WHEN THE TRAFFIC APPEARS TO BE FLYING PAST YOU !!!!! .... doing so will only get you a truck embedded in the back of your car and a quick visit to hospital (if you are lucky)

Safe braking distances ....and how to spot them .....

Take a look at the photo on the left













Now then .....   the Green section is correct ..he is far enough back that he can react to any situation that occurs in front of him ,  the Orange section are a little to close but with modern brakes and tyres  they may just get away with it

AND THE LESS SAID ABOUT THE IDIOTS IN THE RED SECTION OF THE PICTURE THE BETTER !!!!


Now heres an easy way to make sure you are the correct distance away ... pick a stationary object (Bridge or lamp standard) when the vehicle in front of you passes it count to 3, if you are now passing the same object you are far enough back ...simples yes?

Woo Hoo - Finally :)

from the Warrington Guardian ..........

St Helens 18 Warrington Wolves 25

9:49pm Friday 25th February 2011

WHAT a beautiful night for Warrington Wolves.

Twenty-nine meetings without a win, 17 years without an away success against Saints – any way you look at it the gap between celebrations has been far too long.
But all the ribbing from the neighbouring fans on one of the most amazing records in British sport is over for the loyal and faithful primrose and blue army.
And how Tony Smith’s men deserved it.
They were dominant in all areas – more bullish down the middle, more creative at half back, more dangerous on attack and more precise with their fantastic kicking game.
Lee Briers bagged two tries in the opening 40 minutes as Wolves laid the platform.
Then it was all about maintaining their high standards for the full 80 minutes, something that has previously let them down.
But not this time. The powerhouses in the pack were relentless and backed with a superb kicking game from Briers and Michael Monaghan, last year’s Grand Final runners up rarely had a sniff.
Briers has suffered more defeats to Saints than most, particularly tough for him against the hometown club that let him go when he was only 17 years old.
So it was fitting that his drop goal in the 71st minute pushed Wolves 19 points ahead just after Saints had managed their first try of the game. Their second came with three minutes to go and another followed as consolation efforts.
Briers’ half back partner Richie Myler was in sensational form too, backing up a strong display in the win against Hull KR last week.
In fact, there was not a bad performer in the 17 and that is the only way to beat a team as classy as Saints.
To keep Saints to ‘nil’ in the first half was a magnificent effort.
Wolves’ goal-line defence was awesome, holding out for seven successive sets three quarters into the half and the supporters repaid their heroes with a standing ovation.
Just as good was Wolves’ ability to take the chances that came their way.
Tony Smith’s men were guilty of failing to find the final execution against Hull KR last week, but his men put that right against their fiercest of rivals.
Wolves opened the scoring in only the second minute.
A penalty given away by James Graham for holding down put Wolves in position and as Saints prepared for a wide attack Lee Briers dummied and shot over from 10 metres in front of the 2,700 primrose and blue army. Brett Hodgson added the conversion.
Wolves’ goal-line defence was given a severe test for the next few minutes and Saints were superbly held at bay.
Sia Soliola got over the line but Richie Myler was one of three to hold the back rower up.
Michael Monaghan relieved the pressure with a dazzling 40-20 and his teammates made the most of it to pin Saints on their own line.
Myler pointed for Hodgson to stick a little grubber behind the defence and the scrum half was on his own to pounced for try number two in the 16th minute. Again Hodgson converted for 12-0 and it sparked chants of ‘Are you Widnes in disguise?’ from the vibrant Wolves following.
Four minutes later Wolves were over the whitewash again.
Briers dabbed a kick towards the posts but it deflected off Paul Clough and fell nicely for Briers to pick up and scoot over. Hodgson kept up his 100 per cent record with the boot for 18-0.
Then it was all about backs to the wall and shutting up shop.
James Roby did manage to get over the line but he was prevented from touching down by three determined defenders and Wolves seemed to have an answer to everything that was thrown at them.
Wolves were first to pile on the pressure in the second half as the rain started to fall.
They forced successive drop outs and then when young stand off Lee Gaskell knocked on it was time to strike.
Myler’s short ball was good enough for Louis Anderson to angle his way over with one defender hanging off his shoulder. Hodgson’s conversion made it 24-0 with 53 minutes gone.
Saints finally got over the line themselves in the 67th minute, Michael Shenton forcing his way through Chris Riley from Kyle Eastmond’s short pass. Jonny Lomax goaled.
Briers knew what was needed, just in case Saints started one of their famous comebacks. He popped over a drop goal for 25-6.
When Chris Flannery crossed in the 78th minute and Lee Gaskell three minutes later, Saints had cut the gap to seven points but they ran out of time to bag any more.
The Wolves fans counted down the clock for the final 10 seconds and then erupted to marvel at Wolves’ first victory over Saints since 2001.
The pubs will run dry in Warrington tonight.

Saints: Paul Wellens; Ade Gardner, Michael Shenton, Jonny Lomax, Francis Meli; Lee Gaskell, Kyle Eastmond; James Graham, James Roby, Loui McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Chris Flannery, Sia Soliola, Jon Wilkin. Subs: Tony Puletua, Scott Moore, Paul Clough, Jamie Foster.

Wolves: Brett Hodgson; Joel Monaghan, Matty Blythe, Ryan Atkins, Chris Riley; Lee Briers, Richie Myler; Adrian Morley, Michael Monaghan, Garreth Carvell, Louis Anderson, Ben Westwood, David Solomona. Subs: Ben Harrison, Mickey Higham, Paul Wood, Rhys Evans.

ooh look an update :) .... or shit happens

Greetings everyone ... its been a while, chasing temp work all over and hassles with the bloody DSS have all contributed to this tardyness ....  okies excuses over, so where to start .....

The Bloody Garage

No progress as you can see on the build, and the next step is to take the bloody builder to court (which costs money that we dont have ... bollocks)

Movie Review Time Again 

A remake of the Swedish (I think ... well some Scandinavian country anyway) film.. "Let the Right One In", and they did .... a decent job of it.

This is a cracking little film with two believable and engaging leads, the visual effects and gore are kept to a minimum so that when they appear the shocks are genuine.

A great movie 7/10





Will Bill Nighy ever make a BAD movie ?  Well certainly not this one, he is in superb form as the French learning hitman assigned to go after Emily Blunt's minor con artist, this film is one of those gems that you discover and then are so glad you did, its a complete smile a minute from begining to end, with some genuine laugh out loud moments, even Rupert Grint freed from Potterland gets the chance to stretch his acting chops.

buy steal or rent this one,  highly recommended   9/10

Another day ... another sequel .... but suprise suprise this is great, I enjoyed the first movie but always felt a bit uneasy at the Cats all being villans (as a Cat lover meself) allthough Mr. Tinkles was a memorable villan.. Well in this superior sequel Dogs and Cats must unite to stop the most evil genius yet, the despicable Kitty Galore ...and thats all the spoilers you're getting

Grab this movie, settle down with your kids (if you haven't got kids borrow someone elses) and enjoy :)

Superb   9/10

Another sequel, having enjoyed the original movie when it came out i SO wanted to love this movie...but it left me hollow and wanting more, sure the updates to the disc game, and the lightcycles were brilliantly done and the nod to the original Paranoids was also well done, but like AVATAR before it, the visuals took precendence over plot.

On the plus side the visuals are great, the leads and the supporting cast are good, even the music is bearable (not a major fan of Daftpunk)

so why was I left wanting more ?

I cant quite put my finger on a specific reason, but this film could have been so much better

Good Effort   6/10

mm the first of the summer of superheroes blockbusters, well its....not a bad movie, but....its not a good one either, the best way to some it up would be ..meh

Dont get me wrong, Rogen and Chou as the leads and especially Waltz as the villan are superb and bring life to their comic book roles magnificently, but the fly in the ointment is Diaz, she is completely miscast here and her presence grates every time she is onscreen.

Good, but not great   6/10


The new TV Season


Lets take a little browse through the new series coming to our shores (for those of you who dont just download things straight from the US , here are my top 5 recommendations :)

lets start with a remake ... and this show is ...SUPERB, taking all the best parts of the original show and putting a modern slant onto it, in the first 5 episodes alone you will learn the origin of the phrase "Book em Dan-O" and how the "Five-Oh" taskforce got its name.

The Eye candy is good both for the ladies and the gents, and the whole project is handled with care, the scripts are good, the set pieces superb, and the acting first class.......HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :)

ah Raylan, Raylan... what an anti-hero :)

how to best sum up this series without spoiling it for you?

US Marshall Raylan Givens shoots a cartell member in Miami and is reassigned back to his hometown where he deals with the fact that everybody knows him, his father is a petty crook and his best friend just likes to blow shit up ...

Olyphant is excellent, the supporting cast are superb, the scripts tie together in a full season story arc, but can still be watched as a casual viewer, well made and again HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :)

 

ah the spin off series from the hugely popular NCIS (which itself was a spinoff from JAG ... is this the first time a spin off has spawned another spin off ?) OK I'll stop waffling and get back to the review ...

This show is as well written and acted as its parent show (which is high praise indeed) the cast is superb and the style of the show is just different enough from its parent to make it a worthy stand alone series in its own right ...

Another Highly recommended rating :)

Now into its third season in the US, not sure if its showing in this country yet, this show is the usual buddy cop formula with a twist in that the female lead is the detective and the male lead is a writer shadowing her for research for his next novel...

and that doesn't even scratch the surface of this superb series
Fillon even gets to insert nods to his previous well loved roles (Firefly anyone?) the banter between the leads is superbly witty, the supporting cast is superb .. i could go on but space forbids it ... give yourself a treat and catch this series ....SUPERB and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :)



And Finally ......

This is an acquired taste, you will either love it or loathe it, personally I love it, its the role the later years Shatner was born to play, he sends himself up mercilesly in every episode and everyone knows someone like this.

very very funny if you "get" where the writers are coming from :)


Thats all for now folks   (see mr Stephenson .. I promised you an update ...enjoy )

JD :)