Once again a major British company has provided me with utterly useless service. Why are so many British companies so crap?
I'll tell you why, it's because we let them get away with it!
So I am calling on everybody in Britain to decide not to put up with it any more - if you get treated like crap, give as good as you get - kick up a stink, make a fuss, be bolshie, demand your rights - COMPLAIN!
Only when everybody starts to complain, and threatens to take their business away from companies with poor service, will we finally see an improvement, so go on put the boot in!
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Poetic muse
It's funny how I seem to go for ages without the merest flicker of a rhyme crossing my mind and others when I just can't stop writing. At the moment I feel full of verse, I've written more in the last few weeks than in the previous few years put together. Much of my recent work is also more positive than previously, which is also good. I've put a few up on my poetry blog if people want to look.
Another birthday last week, how the years fly, it is actually 15 years since I first came to Aber. as a student and 21 years since I started at Uni. - Yikes!
I look at the the students today and they all look so young, it's hard to realise that it was so long ago now. I look back at myself then and realise that as I've grown older and (hopefully) wiser, I am a lot less certain of things now than I was then. Then I thought I knew everything, and now I realise I know nothing! Sometimes I long for the simplistic clarity of youth, but at heart I know my foggy uncertainty is better.
Another birthday last week, how the years fly, it is actually 15 years since I first came to Aber. as a student and 21 years since I started at Uni. - Yikes!
I look at the the students today and they all look so young, it's hard to realise that it was so long ago now. I look back at myself then and realise that as I've grown older and (hopefully) wiser, I am a lot less certain of things now than I was then. Then I thought I knew everything, and now I realise I know nothing! Sometimes I long for the simplistic clarity of youth, but at heart I know my foggy uncertainty is better.
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Pope's visit to Britain
Despite the dire warnings of disaster the Pope's visit the other week seems to have been a great success and he came across very well. It was very noticeable that the tenor of the BBC coverage changed part-way through the visit, when they realised that he was actually receiving a warm welcome and that the mass demos were turning out to be a bit of a damp squib. Suddenly they stopped mentioning child abuse every other sentance and began discussing what he was actually saying and doing. I even heard one reporter admitting that he was FORCED to join the Hitler Youth, rather than the usual tactic of just mentioning his membership and declining to mention he never went to the meetings. A minor miracle I think!
Sometimes people surprise you and I have been pleasantly surprised by Pope Benedict on this visit - I think it is good for him to get out of the Vatican and to visit the real world, he should do it more often, it'll lessen the influence of those morons in the Curia, who have advised him so badly over the last couple of years.
Sometimes people surprise you and I have been pleasantly surprised by Pope Benedict on this visit - I think it is good for him to get out of the Vatican and to visit the real world, he should do it more often, it'll lessen the influence of those morons in the Curia, who have advised him so badly over the last couple of years.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Quote of the week
This is a great quote from Babylon 5, when G'kar complains about the Centauri Emperor being allowed aboard the station, this is Sheridan's response:
Sheridan [to G'kar]: If this bothers you, I suggest you stay in your quarters, stick your fingers in your ears and hum real loud until it's over. Unless you'd like to try something as breathtakingly rational as trying to open up a dialogue.You can't make peace until you are ready to talk with your opponent, it happened in South Africa, in Northern Ireland, between the USSR & USA, sooner or later it will have to happen in the Middle East, Korea, Burma and all those other conflicts in the World - why not start now?
Monday, 2 August 2010
Quotes of the week
Three quotes from Miguel de Unamuno:
"Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you."
"Faith which does not doubt is dead faith."
"True science teaches, above all, to doubt and to be ignorant."
"Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you."
"Faith which does not doubt is dead faith."
"True science teaches, above all, to doubt and to be ignorant."
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Quote of the week 2
Two for the price of one, this week:
"No one is fit to be trusted with power. ... No one. ... Any man who has lived at all knows the follies and wickedness he's capable of. ... And if he does know it, he knows also that neither he nor any man ought to be allowed to decide a single human fate."
C. P. Snow
"No one is fit to be trusted with power. ... No one. ... Any man who has lived at all knows the follies and wickedness he's capable of. ... And if he does know it, he knows also that neither he nor any man ought to be allowed to decide a single human fate."
C. P. Snow
Quote of the week
Long time since I've done one of these:
"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion"
C. P. Snow
"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion"
C. P. Snow
Monday, 3 May 2010
Why nobody will get my vote
There are six candidates in my constituency, all of them belong to political parties, as they belong to a party, I have to wonder whether their loyalty will be to the local community that elected them, or to the party that selected them.
I believe that far from having the solution to our problems, political parties are part of the problem, and as long as they are part of our system nothing will change - it is simply not in their interest for it to do so.
We do not live in a democracy we live in an elective oligarchy, to be fair it is an open oligarchy these days, but it is still an oligarchy. All power is centralised in the state and its bureaucracy, and that state and its bureaucracy has a vested interest in maintaining itself even at the expense of those whom it claims to represent.
As long as power is distributed from the centre we will not have true democracy. We need to develop a system where power is vested in the local community and, where needed, those communities come together to share power at a higher level.
The only question for me is this, do I go and spoil my ballot, or just not bother at all?
I believe that far from having the solution to our problems, political parties are part of the problem, and as long as they are part of our system nothing will change - it is simply not in their interest for it to do so.
We do not live in a democracy we live in an elective oligarchy, to be fair it is an open oligarchy these days, but it is still an oligarchy. All power is centralised in the state and its bureaucracy, and that state and its bureaucracy has a vested interest in maintaining itself even at the expense of those whom it claims to represent.
As long as power is distributed from the centre we will not have true democracy. We need to develop a system where power is vested in the local community and, where needed, those communities come together to share power at a higher level.
The only question for me is this, do I go and spoil my ballot, or just not bother at all?
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Stars
I have been cursing the local council for turning off our streetlights at midnight. Until I arrived home at half past midnight last night and looked up at the clear night sky. What a sight, so many stars.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Holiday
Just been for a week in Shropshire, very cheap hotel £30 a night, about what you'd expect for that price too.
Drove over last week in a virtual blizzard, but the weather improved over the week, Sunday was the best day.
Despite the weather I still managed to do plenty of sightseeing, though I needed my boots what with all the mud.
The highlight was some of the Abbey ruins, Buildwas and Lilleshall were brilliant. Morton Corbet Castle is also well worth a look if you are in the area.
Drove over last week in a virtual blizzard, but the weather improved over the week, Sunday was the best day.
Despite the weather I still managed to do plenty of sightseeing, though I needed my boots what with all the mud.
The highlight was some of the Abbey ruins, Buildwas and Lilleshall were brilliant. Morton Corbet Castle is also well worth a look if you are in the area.
About time too
Amazingly the BBC seems to have remembered it was Easter this year and put some appropriate programmes on.
They also did a very good programme about the persecution of Christians in Britain. Much more balanced than their usual anti-Christian propaganda.
Are Christians Being Persecuted?
They also did a very good programme about the persecution of Christians in Britain. Much more balanced than their usual anti-Christian propaganda.
Are Christians Being Persecuted?
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Nice one vince
The Arch-bish. has waded firmly into the whole palliative care vs. death industry argument. Good for him.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols attacks NHS over compassion
Archbishop Vincent Nichols attacks NHS over compassion
Monday, 8 February 2010
Quote of the week
"The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense."
Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Friday, 29 January 2010
Remorseless
So there you have it, not one iota of remorse, or sorrow, no regret, no admission of wrongdoing...
Did we really expect anything more?
Monday, 18 January 2010
Building work
I am currently having the extension on my house rebuilt; what with Christmas and the weather, things have been going in fits and starts, but now much of the plastering is done. Trouble is, when it's finished I'll have to decorate - still it only took me 18 months to finish the kitchen!
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
I finally succumbed and joined Facebook at the weekend, and this evening I linked my blog to it, so this is by way of a test to see if it will in fact send new posts through to Facebook.
Freedom is a two edged sword
It was interesting to hear the comments of the leader of Islam4UK about his group's imminent banning. He claimed that his freedoms were being taken away.
I find this a bit rich considering that one of his supporters was on TV last night carrying a placard saying the following: "Islam will rule the World. To hell with freedom"
Listen sunshine, you can't have it both ways. You can't go around threatening to force the rest of us to follow your religion on pain of death and then bleat about your rights when the government slaps you down for it.
I find this a bit rich considering that one of his supporters was on TV last night carrying a placard saying the following: "Islam will rule the World. To hell with freedom"
Listen sunshine, you can't have it both ways. You can't go around threatening to force the rest of us to follow your religion on pain of death and then bleat about your rights when the government slaps you down for it.
Rome trip
Last October I went to Rome for a week, it was a terrific holiday and I really loved Rome. If you haven't been do go - I recommend the Pantheon.
Anyway, this is by way of background to what I actually wanted to say. The first few days we went around several of the large Basilicas, and I became increasingly disconsolate about them. They were very ornate and impressive, but I felt very little sense of the holy in them, they were like museums and tourist attractions rather than places of worship.
As part of my reason for going to Rome was to re-charge my spiritual batteries, you can imagine that this was a bit of a let down.
Towards the end of the week we went to St Peter's itself, and I didn't expect anything different, I walked into the Church and at first felt nothing, but then I found my way into a side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. Lots of people were praying, and I joined them. I spent half an hour there talking to Jesus and it was so wonderful, it made all the difference, when I came out of the side chapel and started looking around the rest of the Basilica it was with very different eyes. To feel God's peace and grace and love is a powerful thing, of course it doesn't last, we have to come down the mountain, but while we're up there... There's nothing like it.
Anyway, this is by way of background to what I actually wanted to say. The first few days we went around several of the large Basilicas, and I became increasingly disconsolate about them. They were very ornate and impressive, but I felt very little sense of the holy in them, they were like museums and tourist attractions rather than places of worship.
As part of my reason for going to Rome was to re-charge my spiritual batteries, you can imagine that this was a bit of a let down.
Towards the end of the week we went to St Peter's itself, and I didn't expect anything different, I walked into the Church and at first felt nothing, but then I found my way into a side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. Lots of people were praying, and I joined them. I spent half an hour there talking to Jesus and it was so wonderful, it made all the difference, when I came out of the side chapel and started looking around the rest of the Basilica it was with very different eyes. To feel God's peace and grace and love is a powerful thing, of course it doesn't last, we have to come down the mountain, but while we're up there... There's nothing like it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
