Thursday 9 December 2010

People's Behaviour On The Internet.

I have to say I have been saddened by some people's behaviour on the internet. I have been online for 12 and a half years now, and throughout that time, there has been constant bickering and name calling. Just like in real life, I suppose. It used to get to me, but these days, I am more composed and try not to get involved in pointless arguments. There are far more important things in life to be concerned about.

The arguing usually takes place on forums / message boards. If I read an opinion by someone who I disagree with, I sometimes post my opinion, and may mention why I disagree with the opinion already posted. However, there are people who can be insulting and offensive when responding to opinions they disagree with. Basically, it's a lack of tolerance for other people's opinions. Sadly, the way human nature is, this will never change.

On the social networking sites, I have had people delete me as a friend or block me. I haven't written anything wrong, in my mind. Some people have just taken it upon themselves to remove me from their friend or follower lists. At first, I kept asking myself what I had done wrong, but if it happens now, I don't lose any sleep over it. It's their issue, not mine.

It's great to have the power to delete or block someone on the internet, isn't it? It's a shame it's not possible to do that in real life! Well, you could, but you would have to go to prison for it.

The people who have deleted or blocked me, I wonder if they behave like that in real life? Someone says something to them they don't like, so as a result, they remove the person from their lives. Never speak to them again. It's the same behaviour as deleting or blocking someone. Childish and immature.


The sad thing is, a few of these people have been celebrities I admired. Well, used to admire. Sometimes it's best not to meet people you admire because you will find out they are, in reality, unpleasant people.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Play The Bloody Music!

I don't like radio DJs (disc jockeys). You know, those annoying people who speak between songs on the radio. I would much prefer if radio wiped out DJs and all we had to listen to was music and news bulletins. Radio then wouldn't be so annoying. It has got to the point for me now that I'm hardly listening to the radio at all. I switch it on and more often than not, there is someone muttering on about something. Play the bloody music!

The problem is DJs just love talking about themselves. They love being the centre of attention. What makes it worse is, they are surrounded by cronies who chat with them and laugh at almost anything the DJ says. Many DJs can't do a show on their own. They need people to talk to. They aren't strong enough to do a show by themselves. Idle chit chat with others needs to be part of the show. Play the bloody music!

I prefer when the DJ is talking to the listener. Of course, this means the DJ is on their own and not constantly talking to someone in the studio. When the DJ has a motley crew in the studio, the DJ is not talking to the listener. The DJ is talking to the cronies in the studio. Sadly, this is a phenomenon of modern radio. Play the bloody music!

Northsound 1 have cloned their breakfast show on that of Radio 1. It's makes me cringe. It's embarrassing. This morning, I tuned into Northsound 1 for a minute and the DJ was chatting about going 2 days without shaving to the amusement of his giggling gang. Please! I don't want to know. It's utterly dull and boring. It's the lowest common denominator. Play the bloody music!

When the DJs talk, half the time they don't say what song they played. Several times I've heard a song and wondered what it was, only for the DJ to waffle on about something and not tell us what the song was. Their job is to tell us what is playing. If they can't be bothered doing that, they might as well not be there. I don't want to listen to their idle chit chat. Play the bloody music!

I remember many years ago when satellite music television channels used to have VJs (video jockeys). However, it was decided their sevices weren't needed anymore, so instead, music videos were played back to back without the need for VJs. This is what needs to be done on radio. Remove the DJs so all we hear is the music. For the last time, play the bloody music!

Monday 18 October 2010

A-ha - Shadowside

Prisons.

I'm getting fed up with people saying "prison doesn't work". If it doesn't work, it's because the prisoners aren't in prison for long enough! It appears to be forgotten than prison is a form of punishment, and supposed to be a deterrent from offending in the future. Nowadays, the impression is prison needs to be a form of therapy, and if the therapy doesn't work, then the offenders shouldn't have gone to prison. Absolute nonsense!

Too many prisoners are being released halfway through their sentences. Once a sentence is issued, it should be served in full. In fact, many sentences are far too leniant. in addition, many people are avoiding jail for committing serious crimes, and is another reason for the increase in crime in the UK. The authorities need to get tougher and hand out longer sentences, and a sentence means serving a full sentence - not being released early.

People must be looking at the trivial punishments being handed out and thinking there won't be a heavy punishment if they're caught. Our courts are a laughing stock. This country isn't called "Soft touch Britain" for nothing. Other nations must laugh at how our offenders are "punished". Crime will continue to increase and nothing will change until there's a much tougher stance when dealing with the criminal element.

The ridiculous situation of over-crowded prisons should never have been allowed to happen. The population in the country increases every year, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out there will be more crime, and as a result, more prisoners. Yet, there appeared to be no addition of prisons. That's why we have shorter sentences and offenders not going to prison when they should. What an embarrassing shambles. More prisons need to be built or we will eventually have anarchy in the streets.


Will anything be done about it? I very much doubt it. I think the authorities want to close prisons than build more. Take comfort in the thought that if you commit a serious crime, you will have a light sentence. And if you commit a crime that isn't serious, you won't even have to go to prison. The courts are more interested in handing out therapy than punishment these days. What a joke. And a very unfunny one.

Liverpool FC.

I equate the Liverpool football team to a piece of rotten fruit. No point in keeping hold of it - best to throw it in the bucket. Okay, we can't throw an entire football team in the bucket, but there are several players there who don't deserve to play for the club again. Babel, Lucas, and Rodriguez immediately spring to mind here. They have been, on the whole, poor in their performances for Liverpool and deserve to be booted out of the club.

"Stars" like Torres, Cole, and Johnson have been a disgrace. We all know what they are capable of, but these three have been cheating the fans on every occasion they've had the privilege of pulling on the Liverpool shirt this season. Particularly Torres. If he wants to leave in the next transfer window, let him do so. Replace him with players who want to play for the club and are prepared to give 100% effort. Hell, I would pick N'Gog ahead of him at the moment!

Why Skrtel gets picked ahead of Agger and Kyrgiakos is a mystery to me. It's time he was banished to the reserves. New signings Jovanovic, Konchesky and Poulson need time to settle in, so I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt. For the time being. However, I'm pretty sure they are not up to expected standard of being a Liverpool first team regular. Other new signing Meireles is a quality player and will shine for the team eventually.

Gerrard, Carragher, and Kuyt always give 100% commitment when playing, and are doing their best in face of the mediocrity around them. Reina has kept the opposition's goals down to a minimum and has performed consistently well, considering the circumstances. Apart from his mistake against Arsenal - which was partly caused by the sun beaming into his eyes - he has been more or less faultless this season.

I wouldn't be surprised of Aquilani is recalled from his loan period. Much criticised by the Liverpool fans, he showed promise and wasn't given sufficent opportunity to show what he can do. It was a mistake by the manager to despatch him out on loan.

Is Hodgson the right manager to drive Liverpool forward? I have my doubts. The job is appearing to be too much for him. Some of his team selections have been questionable, and he tends to leave substitutions too late in the game. The board need to make a decision within the next few weeks whether he deserves more time to turn it around. There's no point in giving him transfer funds in January if he isn't going to be the manager next season. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Kenny Dalglish or Martin O'Neill in charge.

Yes, it's no fun being a Liverpool FC fan at the moment. There is a huge job ahead to turn the fortunes around and get the team into a European qualifying place. Yes, a top 7 position is far more realistic than a place in the top 4. Goodness me, a top 7 finish would be a marvellous achievement from where we are at the moment. Things can only get better.

Friday 17 September 2010

Born At The Right Time.

I am glad I was born when I was. I was born at the right time.

Going back to my childhood, I wouldn't have wanted to be any other age than 8 years old when the Bay City Rollers made their big breakthrough. If I had been older, I would have been cynical and been reluctant to like them. I wouldn't have wanted to be any other age than 10 years old when I watched Starsky and Hutch for the first time. The detectives were very impressionable upon my childhood, and I loved watching it on a Saturday night with friends as a child growing up. I wouldn't have wanted to be any other age than 12 years old when I first set eyes on Debbie Harry. It was another couple of years before I fully appreciated her, and she was predominantly on my bedroom walls for a few years afterwards. I have since grown out of that phase of fancying pop stars. Ahem.

Being a child back in the 70s was completely different from what it's like today. Back then, most days were an adventure. On any given day, we would go off somewhere on our bikes. Usually a different place every time. Other days, we would play football, tennis, or even cricket. Other times, we would go on adventures in the country. Playing Subbuteo with my friend was always great fun.

Do children today have as much fun? Do they enjoy varied 

adventures and activities with each other? Sitting in front of a computer playing games doesn't sound much fun to me. Spending hours and hours on the internet on Social Networking Sites wouldn't have appealed to me as a child. Texting endlessly to friends on mobile phones doesn't capture the same excitement for me as the things we enjoyed in my childhood.

For the vast majority of time, we were active. Today, many young people's habits involve sitting down and not doing much exercise. Yes, times have changed, but are children today enjoying themselves in the way they should be? I'm so glad that my childhood happened before computer games, the internet, and mobile phones. Days wouldn't have been as much fun if those things existed back then.

As for the music, dear me. Back in the late 70s, music was vibrant and exciting. The charts were of a high standard packed with classic songs. There was always something new and exciting being released. This continued right through the 80s and started to decline in the 90s. Look at the state of music today. Mediocre to say the least. Pop music today is a shadow of what it was back in the days when I was growing up. The popularity of rap and hip hop doesn't help, and rock music has been declining like pop for many years now. I would hate to be 14 years old today having to listen to the bland and nauseating music that is being produced today. I was 14 years old when I started buying music seriously. Back then, The Police, Blondie, The Jam, the Clash, Abba, Kate Bush, and Stiff Little Fingers were all in their prime. U2 released their first album that year. What is there today that can compare with those classic musical artists?


I am glad I was born when I was. I was born at the right time.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Surveys.

The media is obsessed with surveys. Or polls, if you prefer to call them that. For instance, last week in a survey, it was reported "New figures show people in Britain are drinking 13% less alcohol than in 2004." Now, how in hell did they work that one out? Have they recorded all the alcohol that has been sold each year? Do they know how many people were actually in the country each year? It would be impossible to find accurate figures for that. Very rough estimations, I would think.

My point is, everyday there is another survey. Every time I watch someone on tv reviewing the newspapers, they always highlight a survey reported that day. Accompanied with the usual hilarity. Oh look, "25% of men do this. 47% of women do this. 16% of us prefer doing this to that. 61% of our children spend their time doing this."

Utter nonsense! If every person in the country was asked the questions in the surveys, then yes, the statistics would be accurate. Of course, this would be impossible to do. So usually, a few thousand are quizzed for these surveys that are released to the public almost everyday. They're not a fair representation of the whole country - just the opinions of a tiny percentage of our population.

It gets up my nerves when they keep reading out these survey results as if it includes everyone. Stop it! It doesn't. It's just a few thousand. The media and lifestyle tv shows try to brainwash us with this crap. I couldn't care less if 75% of women aged 21-30 prefer doing this or that 58% of teenagers prefer doing this to that. Simply say how many people took part in the survey before reeling off the statistics. Just don't report it as if the whole bloody country was asked!

Monday 30 August 2010

Heart - Crazy On You

Being Single.

These days, it is sometimes perceived there is something wrong with you if you are single.

Especially if you are as "old" as being in your 40s, like I am. There can even be sorrow in some cases.

I would much rather be single than in an unhappy relationship.

Many people have a partner for convenience sake or are too insecure within themselves to face being single, rather than be with someone for genuine love.

Until I meet my ideal partner, I am happy to be single. I don't have a disability.

Bewildering Age Gaps.

What is the attraction of wide age gaps between couples in film and drama? Do viewers really enjoy watching middle-aged men chase after women young enough to be their daughter or granddaughter? Do the producers think there is a demand for it? Why? I don't get it.

There is a remake of Bouquet of Barbed Wire soon to be broadcast. Hermoine Norris plays the wife of a man who is sexually attracted to his daughter. She says of it, "When the 1976 version was made, it was a really taboo subject - the story of a man's obsession with his daughter, an incestuous relationship." Is she implying incest is no longer taboo? Are there many fathers having sexual relationships with their daughters? I had no idea. In the programme, I think the father also has a relationship with another woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Lovely.

In the American comedy Modern Family, a beautiful young women played by Sofia Vergara is married to a portly middle-aged man old enough to be her father. Why is she attracted to him? Why is it the basis of a comedy? Is this what the viewers want to see? I don't understand it.

There is a film starring Michael Douglas called Solitary Man in which his character chases after a teenage girl. Whether he has sex with her, I don't know, and I don't want to know. There is a 45 year age difference. Good grief. Is this what the viewers want to see? I really don't understand the appeal. Funnily enough, the teenage girl in question is the same person who plays the incestous daughter in Bouquet of Barbed Wire. I think she really needs to start acting alongside love interests nearer her own age!

One of my favourite actresses is Catherine Zeta Jones. Yes, she who is married to the aforementioned Michael Douglas, who is 25 years older than her. Some guys have all the luck, in personal life and at work! Back in the nineties, Catherine appeared in a film called Entrapment alongside Sean Connery, who is 40 years her senior. You know what's coming next. After the script had been written, Connery insisted the script be re-written to include a passionate love scene with Catherine. The dirty old man! He made it obvious to everyone that he was sexually attracted to Catherine and wanted his bit of fun with her, and wasn't ashamed in doing so. I wonder what his wife's feelings were about it?

Despite being a big fan of Catherine's, I can't watch this film. Having a love scene and relationship with a man old enough to be her grandfather would leave a sour taste in my mouth. There is no need for it. Once again I have to ask, is this what the viewers want to see? I very much doubt it.

So it's 2010, and incest isn't taboo anymore. Men having relationships with women young enough to be their daughter or granddaughter definitely isn't taboo. Will there come a time when paedophilia isn't taboo anymore? It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

Sunday 29 August 2010

21st Century Laziness.

It never ceases to amaze me how lazy our culture has become over the past few years. Take the advert for the Brennan JB7 cd player -
"The problem with cds is that it's quicker to make a cup of coffee than dip into a cd. Try timing how long it takes to pick a cd, load it into a cd player, play a snippet from a track or two, eject it and put it back where it came from."

Oh my goodness, the hardship! What an unbelievable amount of time wasted, don't you think? Not! And why would you want to play a snippet or two? Just play the damn thing. It doesn't take long to pull a cd out of the case and slide into the cd player. There, job done. Sit back, relax, and listen to it.

I remember the time when cds replaced vinyl, they were saying, "No more having to get up halfway though an album and flip it over for side 2. We can now listen to a whole album without getting up off our arses." Well, they didn't put it in those exact words, but I'm sure you get my drift.

The point of the advert is the Brennan JB7 cd player stores up to 5,000 cds and you don't have to worry about putting cds on anymore. What a load of nonsense. How long will it take you to trace the songs or an album you want to play in this cd player? Oh my goodness, valuable seconds. No shorter time than what it takes to put on a good old cd.

It is sheer utter laziness. Everything these days can be done for us with the convenient pressing of buttons -


1. We don't get up to answer the telephone anymore - it's right there on out laps or in our pockets.
2. We don't get up to change channels on television anymore - our trusty remote controls do the work.
3. We don't have to go to the bank anymore - your account is right there on the internet.
4. We don't have to go to the shop anymore - order what you want on the internet and wait for it to be delivered.
5. We don't have to go to the supermarket anymore - order what you want on the internet and wait for it to be delivered.


When I buy and listen to music, I like the disc, case, and album information in my hands. Not a cd player with thousands of songs stored in it already. That's why I have never downloaded a song from the internet. I prefer the physical product in my hands.

Yes, call me old fashioned if you like. Is it old fashioned not to be lazy? Fair enough. I will continue to go to the trouble if finding the cd I want to play and sliding it into the cd player. Oh, the bother.

Friday 20 August 2010

The Decline Of Social Interaction.

Social habits have radically changed over recent years. Addiction to modern gadgets in preference to social interaction. Society has been like this for a while now, but observations by two celebrities today have underlined this point.


Observation 1 - Elizabeth Hurley posted this comment in her Twitter feed today -

"Pouring with rain - 8 people sitting with laptops, ipads and blackberries round the table. Weird sign of times. Wish I had a jigsaw."


Observation 2 - Stoke City footballer Dave Kitson said today -

"iPods are one of the most anti-social things to have come into the changing room.
Changing rooms should be buzzing with anticipation and energy before a game.
But more and more I see players slumped around in their own world, generally looking miserable.
Music can be a great motivational tool, but it works far better if everyone listens to the same thing and talks to each other.
I like to think music should be used to get you up for a game of football - not for relaxing you. Football is not relaxing."


Do you see what these two observations have in common? Both highlight how the likes of laptops, mobile phones, ipads, and ipods have helped bring a decline in social interaction with other people, as well as sitting and watching what is happening around us.  


  • Why would you want to have an interesting conversation with someone when you can be on your laptop or ipad?  
  • Why would you want to have a laugh and joke with your colleague when you can be listening to music on your ipod?  
  • Why would you want to watch what your young child is doing when you can be busy having a text conversation on your mobile phone?  
These modern gadgets and the internet are fine, but it has made people less socially active, less caring, and less attentive. 
This is society 2010. That's just the way it is. Like it or not.

Going Out.

Going out for drinks on a Saturday night has changed over the past few years. Changed for the worse. I much preferred it when I would meet up with a few mates at a designated pub, and chat about whatever was the talk of the day. In an environment where the background music wasn't too loud, and more often than not, where we could sit at a table.


It's not like that anymore. The designated pub is now the same one every time I go out. No more "where shall we meet tonight?" It's the same pub all of the time because that's where the karaoke is. Yes, that evil word, karaoke. The Devil's work. The peace and tranquility of many pubs all over the country was shattered by the monster called karaoke. It's not so much the singing that annoys me, it's the bloody volume! Turn it down, for goodness sake! We are not deaf!

As a result, the quiet chats no longer take place. My mates are too busy participating in karaoke. Any conversation that takes place is shouted over the loudness of karaoke. No proper conversations about topical subjects like the old days. You can't really have those when you are shouting at the top of your voice. Sad days indeed. It's not how it used to be.

Saturday 14 August 2010

Dervla Kirwan.

Being a fan of Dervla Kirwan, I was disappointed to read comments made by her in a recent edition of Irish Tatler. Talking about sleazebag Colin Farrell, she says, "He's a really sweet man, he has had a terrible time in the press, but I don't know any young man who, given the degree of success and excess that was placed before him, would jave gone a different way. I think he's amazing to come out as together as he has. I really admire him."

Urrrgghhh! Admiration for a guy who beds almost every woman he comes into contact with, deserts the woman who was expecting his child, and his much publicised drink and drugs habits. How can you admire that? And the other young men Dervla knows must all live desperate hedonistic lifestyles as well if she thinks they would all fall into the same trap, if the same temptations were put in front of them. Or does she mean young men in general? Please don't think we all are as depraved as Farrell. Some of us do have stronger willpower. I don't mean so much his love of bedding anything in a skirt, but his overall wild behaviour. Not all men are as weak as Farrell, even though Dervla apparently thinks they are. I'm not an angel, but excesses being thrown in front of myself doesn't necessarily mean I would have behaved the same way as Farrell.

Perhaps Dervla's attitude about young men in general has something to do with her comment, "I had a lot of bad relationships when I was in my twenties..." Were they all Colin Farrell type characters - all out for themselves and not caring a fuck about anyone else? Surely she can't be blaming the male for all of these bad relationships - she must have been at fault in some instances. That would be like Patsy Kensit blaming all of her husbands for her failed marriages. In denial, and not taking responsibilty for their own share of failure in relationships. And here was me thinking Dervla was a quiet girl in her youth.

 I'm very much attracted to Dervla, going back to the days when she appeared in Hearts and Bones many years ago. It would be great if she was offered the part of assistant to Lewis, the Inspector Morse offshoot. Lewis as a programme would work much better if he had a female assitant, as opposed to the boring male he has right now. If the producer of Lewis is reading this, please take note!

I do think Dervla's comments about Farrell were idiotic and ignorant. Perhaps it IS better to act as the bad guy, though. Then, nice guys like myself may end up with more women. If that's what they prefer.
 


Thursday 12 August 2010

David Beckham.

I think Fabio Capello's treatment of David Beckham is a disgrace. To not tell him in advance he has no intention of playing him again in competitive matches defies belief. Where is the respect? The respect for a loyal servant for his country for 14 years. Many players retire from international football when it suits them (Paul Scholes, Alan Shearer, Paul Robinson, and Wes Brown to name a few) and it's admirable to see a player like Beckham continue to say over the years that he will be happy to play for his country when called upon. The easy option would have been for Beckham to retire from international football like those aforementioned.

Beckham's international career looked finished when he made the big mistake of moving to the USA, but through hard work and determination, he fought himself back into the team. It looks unlikely as if he can achieve this again and it's a sad end to an international career that deserved a better end. Of course, Beckham would have played in the World Cup if he hadn't been injured, but given the team's dreadful performance, perhaps he was glad he didn't play any part in it.

If it was up to me, I would sack Capello for the following reasons -

1. His tactics, formation, and wrong player selection was a major reason why the England team flopped in South Africa.
2. The atmosphere in the England camp is not harmonious due to Capello's strict ways.
3. His English still isn't up to standard and it must affect communication with the players.
4. His distinct lack of enthusiasm when Steven Gerrard scored those two fantastic goals against Humgary.
5. His lack of respect for David Beckham by ending his international career without letting him know privately.


It isn't Beckham that should be retiring - it should be Capello. Show him the exit door now.

Saturday 7 August 2010

Fantasy Football.

Playing Fantasy Football "online" is rather fun to do, so I'll be enjoying my second season doing that. I don't expect to win the whole thing, but I might win one of my mini-leagues. It's all about picking the right players and formation, just like the real thing. Be competitive, but don't take it too seriously, as they say.

New Football Season.

The new football season is upon us, but the big boys don't start until next Saturday. Liverpool go into the season not expecting to make the big 4, but more hoping to. The new manager will need time to settle in and start to build his own team. Joe Cole is a great signing, but we need a couple of more big names.