Men!

Did you notice the fuss about this yesterday?  No?  Neither did I.  The reason for that is  because nobody bothered about it.  International Women's Day gets massive coverage on all social media, the press, TV and Radio, and yet where men are concerned only one post on 'Twitter' was found.  Men in today's world do not count.  

Of course the media, newspapers, TV and Radio do not care about women, they care about sales.  Anything regarding women is 'clickbait,' and many will fall for it.  Men talking about being men goes nowhere, because they don't.  The 'Loose Women' TV programme features women talking about men, women and mostly themselves.  A similar programme called 'Loose Men,' will talk about football, cars, beer and possibly remarks about the kids, but little else though the news of the day will bring pungent opinions.  I say Channel 4 ought to run such a programme, it would be a winner.   

Men are only there to be ridiculed by women, very often women who have failed to catch a man, and the immense work a husband does for his wife and family are downplayed by a society determined to make women play second fiddle.  Clearly they have never worked amongst the women in Leith!

We have lost any comprehension of what a man or a woman is and can be, instead the confused offerings are based on the opinions of writers with little experience outside of their own circle.  This as we know, is not good for any of us. 

Men are downplayed too often, except when they dress up as women and enter women's sports, there they can be regarded as more important than women.  How ridiculous can this world be?  I can tell you it will only get worse, not better.

A sign from the confused world in which we live today...

And another...

Men With a Hobby

 

Edinburgh Bus.  (Canny find @ sorry)

I was looking at a photograph of a cut down bus being used as a repair vehicle for the Bournemouth Trolley Bus service.  Now, before you start I realise you are yawning with your mouth closed but anyway, this intrigued me.  This was not the picture in itself, a routine snap of daily life in the early 1950s, but the follow up comments on Facebook.  Such pictures bring a flurry of men 'who know!'  Indeed, many did know, they knew it was not a 'bus,' as the poster had called it but a repair wagon, a cut down ex-bus.  Soon we knew it was a Huddersfield bus cut down in 1945 and used by Bournemouth buses.  We also knew the date of the picture, the repair man was not repairing but removing trolley bus overhead wires, that bus route had ceased and normal buses were being introduced, and I was somewhat surprised the life history of the man (wearing a tie and jacket) working there was not offered.  

The point of this the need for men to have a hobby!

Men require something to do, something they understand, appreciate, and can show off with.  Buses, their origin, age, design, engine power, and a host of other needless fancies, can fill some men's mind for days.  Show a 1958 'Green Line' bus to some me and they will wax lyrical about the bus, the routes, the tall tales about driver, conductor and passengers, some of which will actually be true.  Their wives will however, roll the eyes, mutter something under the breath and change the conversation to a more practical boring subject, one which we shall ignore here.

One place I worked fishing was the thing.  This I find boring and somewhat needless but when one of the boys laid down a copy of 'Trout Monthly; or whatever it was a long boring, but quite excited, exchange of view of trout, their habits, where they could be caught, how different men went about the deed, and on and on and on and on they went.  But they were happy.  My parents had a friend, Bob, who would go off into the Highlands with his fishing gear, just to get away from her indoors, and one his own or with a friend I know not, but would return with fish for the tea.  Interestingly, this couple had an old black 'Range' on which to cook, well into the 1960s.  Quite how they managed that, and they in Morningside at that!

Alfred_Stieglitz The Hand_of_Man_

Railways of course add another level of joy to a man.  There is no limit, and no possibility of reaching the limit of knowledge about railways, both in the UK and abroad.  The subject is limitless, and some can go on about it for ever.  I once mentioned in the museum a particular railways engine, sadly I gave it the wrong name!  I was jumped on from every side, where in two minutes I had received a history of the said loco, the proper colour and name, where it is preserved, and how to see it, if I was wishing to do so.  There are almost 20 sites on facebook dealing with railways of some sort, no doubt fishing and buses also, and I keep in touch with one.  Railway enthusiasts, never 'anoraks,' can find details on almost every engine ever made somewhere on line.  There is a man, always a man, who sits and lists all engines, coaches, trucks, stations, sheds, workmen's sheds, nameplates, badges, pay details, drivers names, old lines, new lines, new lines overseas, old lines overseas, uniforms, signalling, flags, hots, oil lamps, shoes, and on and on and on and on.....They also write books, of which I had read some...

Cars also drive many a man mad, and indeed one of my highly intelligent and beautiful great nieces is indeed mad on cars.  Naturally, being a woman she is fussy about which car she wants, the colour, the wheels, the seats, the engine (which she understands better than most men, and she finds I never mention cars to her.  I get bored.

Motorcycles also have men running around, especially when the wife finds him mending the oil caked ex-army 'Matchless' 250cc on the kitchen table.  Some men take great delight in restoring such beasts.

Several thousand pounds, that could have been spent on her, hours and hours of work can lead to great satisfaction and possibly a divorce.  However, keep in mind you can always get another woman.  

The hours spent on bikes or cars, alongside travelling on aged buses, and long distant rail journeys pulled by steam engine cannot be beat by any of the rubbish filling the tv today.  Men need a hobby, photography, cars, fishing, birdwatching, you name it, men will be filling the day doing such important activities.  

Note, I say men.  Certainly women do similar things, have great knowledge and understanding, but it is mainly men who do such as this.  You see them huddle in groups around an engine, all knowing the best thing to do, standing freezing at the end of railway platforms, gazing into the skies around airports listening into radio traffic between aircraft and control.  Men need this.  It would be easy to claim this was because they had lost faith in the living God, but many such men do have such faith.   Certainly their faith enables them to avoid living for the hobby as some do, for many it is all they have to fill their lives, and the faith in the creator God who enabled man to devise such machines as steam engines, cars or aeroplanes gives much pleasure.  A great bug engine which came out of the ground a s a bit of metal, now transformed into this beast is worth considering.  And without the Lords input would they have been created?

We all have this need to do something, to be creative, to use the hands, to write, build, see, follow, and keep ourselves occupied.  Those who do not have such hobbies end up in pubs, trouble or death.  The hobbyist repairing a machine that has not worked for 40 years has more satisfaction than many of us sluggards can ever appreciate.

A Slur Has Been Received

Lee, who shall remain nameless, has slurred manhood by insisting men cannot multitask.  This slur is often offered to the main sex by woman, especially women who fail to finish any job they are given to do.  This needs examination.
Let us consider Mary.  Mary was a lovely women I worked with some years ago. Her popularity was based on two things, her playing the agony aunt for the girls and her inability to refuse any request that came her way.  
It was common, far too common, to enter the office and find a conversation in hushed whispers, as hushed a the female psyche can manage, concerning the man in the lassies life.  Rarely did the talk centre on world politics, football, climate change, Wittgenstein or such like, it was always her failure to understand him, and it was his fault!   One occasion saw the door burst open and a just twenty something  flew in, "Mary! Mary! I've got a spot!"  
My contention that this was larger than her intellect did not ease her panic.  This girl eventually left to make money as a self employed dressmaker, hmmm.  One day the flying door flew almost of the hinges as the receptionist stood in the door in the full flush of victory.  
"Mary!  It is true, it says so in this magazine.  If you have flowers in the room when you are pregnant the baby will be born with no sense of smell!"  
The door then shut and we sat and stared at one another, before the giggles set in.  We dared not enquire as to the magazine.
Mary however successful as an agony aunt failed however, as women do, with the multitasking requirements of the day.  Job 'A' would arrive and kind Mary began the work.  As she did so job 'B' would be offered to her and she would turn her attention onto that job.  In the middle of this Job 'C' would arrive and become the most important part of her life!  And so it went on all day.  At times I would look at her sitting at her desk, patting the pile of papers lying there searching for her glasses laid down some time before and suggest a simpler, manly way.
She could never comprehend this however.  She may yet be sitting there yet!

I offered her an easier, male, way of working.
This is a simple, easy to operate procedure, one men instinctively fall into in any situation.  
A job arrives, possibly followed by two or three more.  The man studies the work, decides what needs doing, chooses priorities and begins.  The main job is attended to, possibly being put aside while part of another job is dealt with, and within a controlled day all work is complete as much as possible in time and done properly.
Mary is meanwhile looking for her glasses, the ones she put down while going to make the tea in the kitchen thirty yards away at ten minutes past ten.  By eleven fifteen she has still not returned.

Men multitask successfully all the time, only the other day I watched football, ate and drank all at the same time, it's easy!  Tsk!  Wimmen eh?      

.

"Each did what was right in his own eyes."

The ancient Hebrews moved into what they called the 'promised land' and once dominance had been secured they settled down into their clan, tribes and family areas.  Years passed and when the grandchildren were reaching maturity the social substance that held them together was beginning to fail.   Those that had fought the fight had gone, the next generation became busy with settling in and the youth had, as usual, their own ideas, the history of arrival taught but less important possibly than daily life.  With leadership failing, the priests failed to ensure the Law was made known and the Levites failed to teach it, each looked after his own interests, soon being drawn into the gods and ways of the remaining Canaanites.  Confusion soon reigned.  Neighbouring nations took over the land until the people realised their mistake and God sent a deliverer.  Several times this occurred but after each deliverance the people resorted to doing their own thing.  The third generation would go the way of their forebears time after time, morals degenerated, crops failed, invaders arrived, social cohesion drifted.

A similar situation ensues today in the west.  Morals today depend on the loudest voice not agreed principles, 'common sense,' an agreed understanding of how to deal with any situation in an obvious manner, is no longer regarded as trustworthy, and while individuality is encouraged 'community' an awful meaningless word much heard of in the media actually lessens as we look after number one. People today can also hide behind colour, sex, age or any other excuse, and take advantage of the political correctness that ruins our life.  There is no agreed 'principle,' each does what is right in their own eyes,' or follows unthinkingly what they have been taught in school.  Same sex marriage would not have been contemplated 30 years ago yet today it is almost compulsory.  Street preachers, once ignored by passersby, are now confronted by the gay lobby name calling and having such folks arrested!  Abortion is used as a contraceptive by some 'for the woman's sake' it appears!  'Rights,' and 'equality,' are demanded no matter how absurd these calls may be, and certainly no regard is paid to how others 'rights' and 'equality,' is affected.  What was once called 'banter' is no regarded as 'hate crimes,' even when there is clearly no hate whatsoever.  How the world has changed, and the mess hurts the nation.  

The 'silly season' encourages such attitudes to new heights.  Real news is hard to find so any nonsense is presented as a major story while ordinarily it would be ignored.  Take the screaming press coverage of 'Twitter abuse,' for an example.  Several louts abused a couple of women and this becomes a major news story.  One who led a campaign to put Jane Austen on the next £10 note claims to have suffered 'vile tweets' since her name became known.  Others suddenly appear in the papers informing the world of their personal abuse statistics.  Now not only can I not remember the girls name, it matters not as we speak in generalities, such abuse has been common since time began, why is it newsworthy now?  Anyone in the public eye gets abuse. Speak on TV, write in the press, be a footballer or actor, write a blog and letters will fall through the door, comments fill the page and e-mails and Tweets arrive offering love or abuse.  That is life and how she is lived I'm afraid, and we all participate in this, including those on the receiving end this week.  Attention seeking women will of course receive comments they dislike, they love those!  These they will shout about to ensure attention and of course encourage their own misandry won't they?  It amazes me that while men get such abuse no paper makes a fuss about this, why?  Sexism perhaps?   We all know the real reason why, 'women power!'  We live in a world where men are bad and women are good in spite of the reality in front of us.  Middle class women who have grown up with more opportunities than ever whine about their hard life.  Clearly they have never worked a s a bus conductor or docker, miner or navvy.  Those sort of jobs, done by women in many countries, would be seen as beneath them.  Indeed they would never be seen as a mere shop worker, tsk, the very thought!  Such as this have twisted society to such an extent that their tilting at their misandrist windmills has brought politicians running to their door rather than doing the right thing.  So we must see men regarded as bad in all things and women as untouchable and good.  

Look at how this situation has been handled.  A man has sex with a girl who is said to be 13 years old.  Normally we would regard this as a straight jail sentence but on closer inspection things are not what they seem.  Here we read of a girl who looked and acted older and 'was looking for it' as they used to say before such terms were outlawed.  The women's groups are outraged although they, like us, do not know the facts of the case, they have no idea what the lass is like, but they do know he is guilty because he is male!  In one sense they are right, he should not have been there, and what sort of man chases a 16 year old anyway?  What is important here is the refusal to accept this girl could be in any way responsible for her actions.  Such an approach shows limited understanding of human nature.  Such 'jail bait' was in action around here only a few years ago and one young man almost got jailed for his folly.  Anyone who considers 13 year old girls incapable of being 'predatory' has no experience of life and fails to understand human nature.  Women that age have been bonking away willingly since time began. Whether it is a good thing in this 'day and age' is debatable obviously but in times past when life was short this was not an unusual situation.  Mary the mother of Jesus may even have been that young, but don't tell anyone will you?  Actually one English king had a mother aged 12 if I remember right.  These days we can allow children to mature at a better pace with clearer instructions regarding life and hopefully with parents both educating and controlling their offspring.   Need I mention that all the papers referring to this case fill their pages with sex articles of one form or another, or would that be a hypocrisy to obvious?   The specific case is best left up to the judge, although now pressure has been applied and only judges who follow women's groups orders will be allowed to sit on such cases.  How disgraceful!  Fixing judges is the governments job, not the medias!  Where is the girl?  In care, wandering the streets, selling herself?  Does anyone know or indeed really care about her?

An experienced careful cyclist in Nottingham uses correct judgement to move across the road after a funeral cortege has passed.   Indicating carefully he watches the traffic as he maneuvers. A car behind blows his horn and failing to react catches the cyclist as he passes and the driver stops to berate him for being there.  His female passenger joins in while the cyclist recovers his bike and composure.  The outcome leaves the driver facing an 'awareness course,' the passenger cautioned, and the rider receives a letter from the police almost blaming him for not knowing the following car was with the funeral and therefore keen not to lose place.  How many cyclists are killed on the roads and here we see the police blaming a careful cyclist for an accident caused by another?   Guardian

'Bongo Bongo land,' is a term that has been used to refer to Africa for decades, however when used by a member of the European Parliament, a man representing the UKIP party, the white middle class 'Guardian' socialists were outraged.  'Racism' they cried when it wasn't really.  The remaining politicians not sunning themselves on a free holiday somewhere joined in the clamour.  This man, unheard of until now, fills acres of newspaper even though a great many Conservative members and those supporting other parties also agree that 'too much aid is given to 'Bongo Bongo' land and goes into the hands of a few, not the people,' but you are not supposed to say it.  Certainly not when being recorded and the media are looking for an excuse to rubbish you and support their particular party.  Of course Africa is full of 'graft,' so is the UK but that's 'different.'  Of course much aid is wasted but it doesn't mean it should be ended.  This is just another case of hypocrisy where 'racism' is used but no-one really cares about those who suffer 'real racism,' and we have all met some of those!      

A woman wished to breastfeed in a jobcentre and the clerk behind the counter, a woman, refused to allow this.  Naturally mum appears in the 'Daily Mail' whining and looking for a few bob.  The class of women who demand to breastfeed anywhere they choose suffer no opposition and harangue any who disagree.  Now I have seen women breast feed discreetly in such places, few have noticed and none would complain however I suspect the mum involved her was less than discreet and certainly cared nothing for the thoughts of others.  As such in my view she is not fit to be a mother, the child is less important than her!  However hundreds of bitter thoughtless women support this one, each for their own selfish reasons.  Being a mother is the most important job after being a father, however others have 'rights' too and these should not take second place.

The media are specialising in 'online dating' to fill space also these days.  This appears frequently on quiet days, usually accompanied by a picture of a bruised lass who has been battered or robbed, treated 'shamefully' or left in the lurch.  Terrible suffering all because of what she thought was 'the right man' for her.  The internet dating sites are blamed for not checking on the men, it is the internet, that dangerous world that is to blame, and something ought to be done! Any idea of personal responsibility, for instance 'thinking,' appear to be pushed aside.   Of course many more women meet men in pubs, clubs, workplaces, shops, on the streets and at many other gatherings but when it all goes wrong they cannot whine to the press about this.  Only internet dating sites are dangerous, the public house where alcohol flows is a perfectly safe rendezvous.   However have you noticed there is no mention of the men who suffer beatings, robbery, 'shameful treatment' from such dating sites, or indeed from girls met in pubs, clubs and all the rest?  Maybe men don't count or indeed sell papers.  Ah there we have it!  Men don't spend all day telling the world of their emotional problems, nor do they wish to read about them in the press.  Men are just left to 'get on with it,' and expected to suffer and all to often, pay up!  

So many of these situation can be easily dealt with by a simple use of common sense.  An accepted way of looking at the world has been eroded since 1945 by the ending of nominal religion, the increase of wealth, liberal attitudes offering 'if it feels good do it,' with no thought for the results long or short term, even an erosion of the genders so that it is impossible to have anything 'male only' without females demanding entrance, the same females that want 'women only train coaches at that!  The world is awash with wealth, confused people, increased suicide, and many confused with what life is all about.  Misery lies under much of the world we live in, and the liberal society is to blame.  Soon it will provoke a reaction.         

A Man's World

.

Why It's Good To Be A Man...

.

Men

1.           Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

2.          Movie nudity is virtually always female.

3.          You know stuff about tanks.

4.          A five day vacation requires only one suitcase.

5.         Sunday Afternoon Football.

6.          You don’t have to monitor your friends sex lives.

7.          Your bathroom lines are 80% shorter.

8.          You can open all your own jars.

9.          Old friends don’t give you crap if you’ve lost or gained weight.

10.      Dry cleaners and haircutter’s don’t rob you blind.

11.       When clicking through the channel, you don’t have to stall on every shot of someone crying.

12.       Your ass is never a factor in a job interview.

13.       All your orgasms are real.

14.      A beer gut does not make you invisible to the opposite sex.

15.       Guys in hockey masks don’t attack you.

16.       You don’t have to lug a bag of useful stuff around everywhere you go.

17.       You understand why Jokes are funny.

18.       You can go to the bathroom with out a support group.

19.       Your last name stays put.

20.      You can leave a hotel bed unmade.

21.       When your work is criticized, you don’t have to panic that everyone secretly hates you.

22.      You can kill your own food.

23.      The garage is all yours.

24.      You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

25.      You see the humor in Terms of Endearment.

26.      Nobody secretly wonders if you swallow.

27.      You never have to clean the toilet.

28.      You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes.

29.      Sex means never worrying about your reputation.

30.      Wedding plans take care of themselves.

31.       If someone forgets to invite you to something, he or she can still be your friend.

32.      Your underwear is £5 for a three pack.

33.      The Cheerleaders are to be looked at.

34.      None of your co-workers have the power to make you cry.

35.      You don’t have to shave below your neck.

36.      You don’t have to curl up next to a hairy ass every nite.

37.      If you’re 34 and single nobody notices.

38.      You can write your name in the snow.

39.      You can get into a nontrivial pissing contest.

40.     Everything on your face stays its original color.

41.      Chocolate is just another snack.

42.      You can be President.

43.      You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger seat.

44.     Flowers fix everything.

45.      You never have to worry about other people’s feelings.

46.      You get to think about sex 90% of your waking hours.

47.      You can wear a white shirt to a water park.

48.      Three pair of shoes are more than enough.

49.      You can eat a banana in a hardware store.

50.      You can say anything and not worry about what people think.

51.       Foreplay is optional.

52.      Michael Bolton doesn’t live in your universe.

53.      Nobody stops telling a good dirty joke when you walk into the room.

54.      You can whip your shirt off on a hot day.

55.      You don’t have to clean your apartment if the meter reader is coming by.

56.      You never feel compelled to stop a pal from getting laid.

57.      Car mechanics tell you the truth.

58.      You don’t give a rat’s ass if someone notices your new haircut.

59.      You can watch a game in silence with you buddy for hours without even thinking (He must be mad at me)

60.      The world is your urinal.

61.       You never misconstrue innocuous statements to mean your lover is about to leave you.

62.      You get to jump up and slap stuff.

63.      Hot wax never comes near your pubic area.

64.      One mood, all the time.

65.      You can admire Clint Eastwood without starving yourself to look like him.

66.      You never have to drive to another gas station because this one’s just too skeevy.

67.      You know at least 20 ways to open a beer bottle.

68.      You can sit with your knees apart no matter what you are wearing.

69.      Same work….more pay.

70.      Gray hair and wrinkles add character.

71.       You don’t have to leave the room to make an emergency crotch adjustment.

72.      Wedding Dress £2000; Tux rental £100.

73.      You don’t care if someone is talking about you behind your back.

74.      With 400 million sperm per shot, you could double the earth’s population in 15 tries, at least in theory.

75.      You don’t mooch off others’ desserts.

76.      If you retain water, it’s in a canteen.

77.      The remote is yours and yours alone.

78.      People never glance at your chest when you’re talking to them.

79.      ESPN’s sports center.

80.      You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift.

81.       Bachelor parties whomp ass over bridal showers.

82.      You have a normal and healthy relationship with your mother.

83.      You can buy condoms without the shopkeeper imagining you naked.

84.      You needn’t pretend you’re “freshening up” to go to the bathroom.

85.      If you don’t call your buddy when you say you will, he won’t tell you friends you’ve changed.

86.      Someday you’ll be a dirty old man.

87.      You can rationalize any behavior with the handy phrase “F*#k it!”

88.      If an other guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies.

89.      Princess Di’s death was just another obituary.

90.      The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.

91.       You never have to miss a sexual opportunity because you’re not in the mood.

92.      You think the idea of punting a small dog is funny.

93.      If something mechanical didn’t work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.

94.      New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

95.      Porn movies are designed with your mind in mind.

96.      You don’t have to remember everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries.

97.      Not liking a person does not preclude having great sex with them.

98.      Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with: “So…notice anything different?”

99.      Baywatch

100.  There is always a game on somewhere.

.

Men in Shorts

.

Saturday morning dawned slowly. The sky above was deep in gray cloud and a thin drizzle, driven by a somewhat chilly west wind, fell at an angle slowly drenching those brave enough to venture out. Periodically the drizzle hardened into rain, puddles began to appear in the usual places, pigeons sheltered under the leaves of the trees opposite, anxious to continue their breakfast, and a summer dampness hung in the air. 

After a sparse breakfast I headed out when I gauged the weather to have improved sufficiently to take the air. Crossing the park, passing the pigeons and blackbirds hungrily pulling worms from the earth, I pondered the weathers 'British' habit of clearing up sufficiently to allow the sun to poke through the clouds encouraging foolhardy people like me to venture out. My pondering began when on the other side of the park the light faded, the gray clouds loomed nearer, and that slight drizzle forced me to zip up the cheap tawdry jacket that will never be seen on  'Kimmy Style!' Wiping the soused spectacles with an even more soused finger, I blearily made my way round the houses. 

As I avoided  a woman using her umbrella in similar manner to the German Uhlans used their lances during the invasion of Belgium in 1914, although with less success than her, I was left pondering once again, but this time about men in shorts! The damp roads, the umbrellas, the sodden grass, the gray clouds above, and the wet stuff falling from the sky did not appear to have influenced an astounding variety of men in their choice of apparel! All around me I observed the men of the town, rising to collect the papers, or walk the dog or the girlfriend,  dressed in T-shirts and shorts! Peering through the rain running down my lenses I noticed the usual "My Friend went to London and all I got was this T-shirt" T-shirts. A few "Pink Floyd" T-shirts, worn by men older than me, and if not older certainly looking older, and even an occasional 'England' shirt, of indeterminate age, would appear. The thing was however, the shorts! Fine in your own house, great when camping or pretending you are Ray Mears existing on berries and squirrel, but here, in the rain? Certainly they were not all wearing shorts, many were damp three quarter leg trousers worn by men who clearly have lost all sense of reason. Maybe the trouser fairy came during the night or something I don't know?

Not let us reason here. Maybe it is my Edinburgh upbringing, maybe this is what folks do here in England, maybe it is just that they are all stupid, I am not sure which, but when the sun shines dress in shorts, preferably at home, or on the beach. I realise this happens every year, and I understand that the average  Englishman is not all that bright, however, when it is chilled drizzle, when the sky has a ten thousand feet thick gray cloud above you, when in short it is imitating winter, don't wear shorts and a T-shirt! 

I expect lots of 'man flu' to appear in a day or so.       

.