Free Press, Indeed...?

While glancing through the online 'Daily Express' today the comparison with words often uttered at Remembrance services crossed my mind.  'They died to set us free,' they say, yet where indeed can we find a 'free press' I ask? 
The 'Mail' is owned by a Lord living in France dodging taxes, the 'Sun' is owned by Rupert Murdoch, not renown for an open mind, the 'Express,' now owned by the 'Daily Mirror' remains as it was, but worse, and the 'Telegraph, losing sales fast,is now up for sale as the two headbanger owners and sick off the losses.  All these papers peddle the same opinion.  All feed the minds with half truths and lies.  Objective journalism is hard to find anywhere.
The 'Guardian' and 'Daily Mirror' set themselves on the left, the Guardian full of middle class wishful thinking in amongst some good writing, the 'Mirror,' bar the opinion, is just another 'Sun' offering celebrities, tits, and nothingness.  The 'Times' has some journalists but is another Murdoch paper and limits their opinions to his will.  Some say the 'FT,' which my wallet stops me reading, does have an original opinion, I know not.  The rest of what passes for a 'free press' is limited, small minded and full of lies and half truths, anything to sell. 
A search amongst online journalism finds far too many are leaning too far too the left, a few to the right and once again far too little objective journalism.  It makes searching for actual open minded opinions difficult and time consuming.  The most interesting items I read are those in 'Private Eye' laughing at how stories get published.  There information regarding the true nature of the story or the reason it is offered can be found.  It does not leave faith in journalists today.
You will note I ignore the TV companies, they are just as bad.

For your political entertainment tonight.  Eddie Mair plays with Farage magnificently.

Sunday Snoozing

What started as a lazy day, I was too knackered to do anything, ended with eye strain looking at small writing on old newspapers looking for a milkman!  Not much happened until I foolishly got intrigued by a picture of an old milkman, the type who arrive on a small horse and cart, pour milk from a jug into your jug which you then store in a cool place, if you have one.  This is not something I remember as this died out after the war.  During the war evacuees in the country drinking milk straight from cows, via jugs that is, (From which side do you milk a cow? From the udder side!) were found to contract brucellosis and this brought in pasteurisation of milk and bottles were everywhere something which we all remember from school.  Well not those A.T. that is, After Thatcher!  She ended school milk as it cost money.  When in the top class at primary we had the task of delivering milk crates to classes, great fun especially in winter when the milk froze!   
Anyway I have done the job and passed on the papers.  Another great thing about the internet is the availability of s many things once locked away in libraries.  Great though these were they were often far away and cost too much to reach.  The British Newspaper Archive is expensive but very useful.  However some papers are not found there as yet and it is to be hoped many more will show up in the future.   

On top of that I came across other details from the distant past another may like so spent considerable time passing these on.  Of course I now realise most of them were passed on may months ago anyway...

I think I will return to reading Mr Smiths excellent book 'The Team for Me!'

Ignoring the Media

I've been ignoring the press.
Now I like to now what is going on, I like good journalism, I like to hear, when I'm in the mood, about the world around both at home and abroad. Since the late 70's I listened to the BBC World Service for many years respecting the journalism and enjoying many of the programmes.  Sad to say since the Foreign Office stopped paying for this it has become just another portion of BBC Islington and features more programmes full of middle class women telling us of their sufferings poor things, so I rarely listen these days.  I also had a small 'world' radio with which I used to listen to the many radio stations based behind the 'Iron curtain'' on shortwave.  This was a tremendous insight into the failings within these lands and a completely different and biased view of life telling of their nations glories, as long as the electricity did not break down.  Sadly those days have gone and most of those nations populations have ventured into the west to work for half the money the locals earn and many have returned very wealthy to resume their lives in ever improving homelands, well sometimes.
Now the biased views I hear come from the daily papers who spend each day selling less and less copies and the BBC now employed as an arm of the Conservative Party in England and Wales and the Labour Party in Scotland.  News always has a political slant, usually to the right, and the rest of the offerings are half truths, items deliberately taken out of context, blatant lies or the activities of famous persons which I see no need to find in print.  To ease the drop in sales all papers have gone downhill, this has not helped.  Tits and bums only sell so many papers and the loss of almost all the proper journalists leaves the 'workies,' the unpaid staff learning on the job, doing the work, this leads to most items being 'cut & paste' jobs from elsewhere, facebook or Twitter.  The lack of education and knowledge indicates many are foreign and their mistakes being allowed shows the lack of sub-editors to check or care.  
Where do we hear news these days?
I stopped reading the papers in the morning, this prevented my head being filled with their biased nonsense and stopped me arguing with folks on the comments sections to no avail.  Instead I hear, usually, the basic headlines offered by Radio 3 and find I cannot get away from news items on Twitter or facebook, sometimes these are accurate!  There are of course many online news blogs now available, often by unemployed journalists and many online papers also.  Sad to say the majority are left wing, usually too left wing and do not offer the journalism I seek, however they are an antidote to the mainstream media and often provide the news hidden from us via the BBC etc.
What a terrible state to be in.  Eastern Europe could find better news by listening to their radios via shortwave, the UK public have to do similar but via the internet today, what a state of affairs.   
The media has always been full of lies.  
The best newsmen know what their readers want and have no moral scruples about providing this.  Sensation, shock, titillation, crime and scandal sell and the editor will provide this.  The owners political views also drives the media, Rupert Murdoch, less politically motivated than by money and power, works alongside the Barclay brothers and Lord Rothermere to provide us with slanted coverage and half truths, this time to push through a Brexit which will enable them to earn more tax dodging pounds and never mind the effect on the population in general.  
The readers buy the papers so they can strengthen the beliefs they wish to believe, the fear of immigrants, EU domination and rampant crime all around are the items driving sales in recent years much more than titillation and scandal.  Being told your opinion is correct by the media allows many to rest in peace even if the belief is incorrect.  
The Guardian is alone in encouraging the young liberal middle classes to pretend they are socialists with a caring heart.  However women and gays appear to be the backbone of their sales these days and the quality of writing is often supported by advertisements from the big businesses criticised by the writers.  That alone tells us much about both the papers and how business fears these writers opinions.
There is no paper worth reading, little decent news outlets, and I have found by ignoring the papers fro the past few weeks when I now try to look at them I am just to disgusted to continue.  The lies never change and the truth is not 'out there' and published by the media.  I am happy with a few headlines and happy that my life has not been changed one iota by ignoring the press.  If only the rest of the country would do the same maybe journalism would revive.

Like a Bird

Like a bird I flew through this day, until that is I fell asleep when I got home.  The wind howled as I made my way to the museum and it increased in strength as the day reached noon.  Thankfully the rain stayed up north where it belongs.  
Our first visitor got talking about the birds he feeds in his garden, he has many feeding places for them and one or two nests where he has created space for them.  He noted how few small birds were seen today.  Tonight I notice only Starlings and Sparrows have so far been at the feeder.  This is worrying as I was told the wind last night was terrible.  I, it must be said, slept through this terrible wind.  However it may be the wee birds have been flung from their nests and lost to us.  Possibly they have been flung far away and might return, the first thought however is that they may be lost.  Few Blackbirds sing tonight, that is a worry.   Ah, out in the trees over there a bird sings happily, some sort of Finch perhaps, maybe all is not lost.

The day was much better than yesterday, my rant file was not working, I smiled at people and spoke nicely to them and all was well, even though few staff were in.  However my colleague and I took control of the situation and we worked as a team - he did everything!  We now stock all sorts of things suitable for the few tourists and passersby that arrive including these jams and chutneys.  They have sold well, I noticed one had gone today!  The weather kept many away but a few toddled in and we had a chat about all sorts of things yet not one bought even a postcard!  Meanies!

Now I am not one to criticise learner drivers but really only a woman could miss a tank coming down the road as she comes out of a side road!  Tsk!  The 'Daily Telegraph' records the name of the road as 'Tank Ring Road!'  Did I mention she was female...?

Glancing through the papers just now I wonder about the number of attention seekers on show.  The ones keen to tell us they are gay or transgender, the singers/actors who just happen to have photographers with them when they divorce/marry/fall over/wear little, or as happens so often in the local press those who have to show us their accident/sickness/hardship.  Why I ask do people run to the media in these situations?
I can understand when you have been badly treated by some business and wish to embarrass them, I can understand the desperation of 'celebrities' to further their failing careers but why must we see your failing love life in the papers?  Why must we see your sex problems day after day?  Even worse why run to the local paper to tell us you have a disease, hundreds have such problems why are you in the paper?
Maybe it is that I would not wish anyone to know if I had been run over/took sick or become pregnant, especially the last one.   I would not see any reason for publicity, indeed I prefer to keep out of the way from that sort of thing.  I was very reluctant to be photographed for the museum when something was being put in the press, that is what the women are for I say, not me.  So I find it strange that Mrs Jones has caught a disease and we all get to know about it.  Those who need to will already know, those who don't need to don't care!  I know sick people here I have no requirement to be told of others.  I have no need for peoples private lives, nor their sex changes, nor their self seeking adverts.  If you have a broken life get it fixed and sort yourself out, don't fill the media with it!  Do what the rest of us do in these situations, keep it to ourselves!  I don't want to know.

I scribble this as it is clear that is the sort of thing people increasingly wish to know.  This is 'bread & circuses' for the masses.  Living their lives through the mess that others are in.  These folks need aid, and such aid will not be fund by rushing to the nearest newspaper office I can tell you!
  

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Here is the News

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Hypocrisy?

I awoke this morning to hear tales of the condemnation heaped upon the French Magazine 'Closer' for publishing pictures of a bare breasted Kate.  Kate of course, if you are unaware of such things, happens to be married to an RAF Officer who is second in line to the throne.  The response to this 'outrage' is found in the 'Daily Mail,' the 'Daily Express,' the 'Sun,' and the 'Mirror,' all of whom offers several items, plus numbers of photographs, going into as many details as they dare of this, er, exposure.  The Online 'Mail' itself showed restraint the other day by offering a dozen large pictures of Kate, with her man in the background, as they paid their respects to the dead in a Commonwealth War Cemetery.  I consider it an outrage that men who died, often from disease, torture and beatings, should be used as a backdrop so that the press can use this woman to make money!  These papers condemn the French paparazzi, scream that she ought not to be 'used' like Diana was used, and all the time use her in the same fashion they did Diana.  The 'quality press, Times, telegraph, Guardian, Herald, Scotsman, are just as bad.  While offering a more thoughtful approach they too know that her picture will help sell their papers.  The word 'quality' I must add is used in a very wide sense here.  

I am no Diana fan, and I am sick to the teeth of pictures of Kate taking up space in the press.  Why were these women there?  Because far too many other women live their lives through these women.  Diana was as false as a six pound note.  The 'fairytale Princess' who used the media to get people on her side, and the media went along as long as desperate women lived their divorce, children or looks through her.  She sold papers and magazines every time she appeared on the cover, Kate does the same.  Now having an interest in something or someone is good, using them to live your life is bad.  Whether it is a princess or a football player (David Beckham, a waste of space is ever there was one, sells papers and magazines although he has nothing to offer!) those who wish to read the minutiae of their life need to step back a moment.  It is indeed interesting to know the story of your latest superstar, but there are limits.  For one you will never be they who you follow (those eight goals I let in at Dunfermline ruined my goalkeeping career) and they have a right to a private life.  More importantly not only will much that they offer be half truths and lies, an image as opposed to themselves, you find that most 'celebs' are broken people, desperate for attention, and require much healing, a little bit like the rest of us who lack their attraction.

The media rush to grumble about the French when really they know the public today would not let them print these pictures in the UK.  Although they may be available online (I couldn't find t...er....) the public do not wish her exposed this way.  The public (women and sad men) will still rush to read about her, mostly waiting to gush when she announces her first pregnancy.  Oh joy...

The hypocrisy of the papers that use this woman, the anger amongst them because they cannot publish the pics they have now stuck up on the office wall, the petulant outrage concerning this tale, on several picture filled pages, makes me hope Leveson and his enquiry actually makes a real decision and does not offer the whitewash I expect.

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Tuesday Rant

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The trip into the big town yesterday left two imprints on my bitter and twisted mind.  The first came when the chap who's time I waste for half an hour or so informed me that he was being moved to a different situation.  From next week he will be dealing with the 18-24 year olds as there is a big problem there. The problem is simple, they don't turn up!  Large numbers of unemployed youth are not bothering to arrive on time, attend the meetings, or do the courses on offer and the reason is they just 'don't want to!'  Now I recall  that I felt a similar attitude when in my teens however family pressure (work or stave) 'encouraged'  me to work badly in the places I was employed.  The girls throwing themselves at me also helped of course.  Oh yes they did!  Today however it is apparent that there is indeed a type who do not wish to do anything and apparently are getting away with it.  These young folk, always referred to as 'underclass' by the right wing press, do appear happy to live of the state and do nothing but take drugs, play with the girls and enjoy life.  Hmmm maybe they have something after all?  However this lot will find themselves off the programme in the next couple of weeks and possibly with a loss of dole money.  That will please the 'Daily Mail' reader. Strange how every person over 25, aged, disabled, redundant or just plain stupid (what you looking at me for?) always turns up for appointments, does what is asked and actually looks for employment of some sort, and not just for the money.  Is it just an age thing or is it society as it is offered today I wonder?  Age does change the responsible attitude however the kids usually have at least one parent and they appear not to care either.  I wonder if it is just life as she is lived, which brings me on to the 'Metro.'


The 'Metro' is a free paper given out at railways stations and found littering the seats at every stop.  No-one appears willing to actually take the thing home!  I picked one up yesterday and found it full of adverts and showbusiness news,  celebs activities and page after page of nothingness presented as important!  Is it just me being old or is it that the reality presented to us today is a sham, and nothing but?  It was on page 25 I discovered some news, floods in Pakistan.  Thousands homeless and many dead, yet a Rap 'artist' banned from 'The 'X' Factor' precedes this by several pages.  Age changes us but what filled the pages was nothing but emptiness to me.  The world is turning into plastic and things that really matter are fading fast behind a false image.  'The 'X' Factor' type shows, with their overhyped audience, the false voting system and the 'star' who invariably claims to be 'gay' a year later when the money runs out, offers a 'plastic' world.  Of course such shows do have a place, but it seems to me this is all on offer.  In the sixties life was full of revolution.  The false was to be stripped away and a new, better life was to be found.  It was of course a delusion, human nature never changes, but it was an effort to improve life as well as enjoy it.  Today is all about 'Self!'  Liberalism has trapped us in a  world of self satisfying, emotion led, wealth deserving life.  'If it feels good do it, ' has led us into 'If you want it have it,' and the consequences are not thought through.  Our forefathers were lucky.  In their day they had wars and depressions and a need to build a better life to ensure reality was in front of them.  Today we have had years of wealth, all our basic needs attended to, and now live rudderless and lost in a sea of sham.




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Private Eye

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Private Eye

I like 'Private Eye,' yet reading this copy I find myself somewhat depressed. While the cartoons and articles can satirise the world around us, and can be very funny when hitting nails on head, it also leaves me profoundly depressed with the state of the world and this nation in particular. Page after page show corruption, insider dealing, governments allowing themselves to be used by big business, the banks, or indeed anyone who has clout. Individuals in high places putting themselves before the people and, in short, the corruption of power! It is a disgrace the way this nation is run, and we have the cheek to complain about others?

Africa, we frequently are told, is owned by the politicians who put 90% of the cash into their own pockets. This may well be true, but it goes on here also. It always has and it always will! Integrity in public or business affairs is always to be doubted, even from those you know to be on the whole honest. For example, the Motherwell manager Craig Brown has moved camp to Aberdeen. Now he is blubbering that folks doubt his integrity during this move and threatening any who insist on questioning his motives. Hmmm sounds guilty to me. Had he notified his chairman, had Aberdeen done the same through politeness, then nothing would have been said. He was not on a contract and could walk away. A bit of openness and honesty would not have gone amiss. Iam afraid in my eyes he now has less integrity than McGhee, and he had none! He stayed in his job until he was sacked, long after he had given up making any effort. A bit of integrity may have led to a 'mutual agreement,' but money talks. 

A glance through the latest 'Private Eye,' shows such lack of integrity everywhere. Vodafone, owing £6 billion in tax, come to an agreement, led by a Tory donor allegedly, to pay £1.25 billion instead. (welfare cost £5.5 billion said Cameron). Now it appears they don't have to pay up front but can stretch this out over years. This company also owes the Indians a similar amount, watch this space I say. Honesty is lacking in the media ("What, really?" you say.) with the press rehashing old stories and even publishing invented ones found on Wikipedia! However at an all party Commons committee on the future of the Welsh language TV channel S4C it appears everyone who is in favour of the millions wasted on a channel nobody watches appears to be the ones working for or providing programmes for this channel. Integrity where art thou? We fond man of the people 'Dave' Cameron's party receiving donations from people who live in million pound houses and make their money out of bailiff work, throwing the debtors onto the streets so the 'Daily Mail' can shout about their benefits. The Office of Fair Trading have had to step in on this company to hinder its manner of dealing with people. Does 'Dave' know I wonder? We find dirty dealings, which cost us, in the energy business, overpaid executives in the BBC talking about cutbacks, but not for them, high ups in the NHS holding dubious enquiries about Bristol hospitals in London and even more dubious goings on among town councillors.   

As I read I get so depressed. While many people do show a great deal of integrity in the way they work or run their business it always appears that those at the top soon get corrupted into 'the ways of the world,' even if they start with good intentions. Having spent two years in the NHS offices I can tell you many care nothing for patients and just live to expand their empire, and wage! How many 'suits' are there increasing their salaries while reducing the number of staff? How many little deals are greased through 'legitimate' gifts I wonder? Reading this magazine I wished I had stood at the last local election. I have nothing to say to a Tory dominated group, but I could at least ingratiate myself with the developers, business folks, and those looking for a fast buck. It appears that is the way forward, everywhere!

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How Many Dead?

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Mail Online

I have just had a glance at the 'Mail Online' page and while I expect to see half naked, meaningless celebrities whom I have never heard off, and I also realise that scandal and shock will fill the page, I did find myself shocked by the number of dead people on the page.  One was 'happy Slapped' to death by neds, a four year old was found dead in a washing machine while playing 'Hide & Seek, a pretty young student finds herself dead crossing a road while on the phone, so the driver gets off with that one, and a father is found hanging not long after his wife and two daughters are found dead. Not a bad body count when we are still in the 'Mail's' opening section.

They were joined in the opening section by a 45 stone woman who, the 'Mail claims,' died after stuffing herself on junk food! We quickly move on to a nurse stabbed by her 'ex-lover,' never boyfriend, always 'lover' in this paper, and a 'newly wed stabbed to death by her step son' in the US. There is a cruise ship passenger dying after the gangway collapses, a mother bleeding to death after a long wait for the police, a professional footballer given 25 years for shooting an ex friend in a drugs related case. This led to another murder and about thirty shooting incidents in a notorious London housing estate. However hold on, we are only half way down the page! We still have the 'insanely jealous' boyfriend who bumped her of for finding another man, we must not miss him out must we? 

At a rough count, and it must be rough are there may be more yet to discover on this page, we have about 14, yes fourteen, bodies on one page of the 'Mail Online.' I have missed out the regular things, priests giving communion to dogs, a ship made from plastic bottles arriving in Sydney harbour,  shocking things found on a soap opera and lots of flesh on the side bar as 'B' celebs disport themselves for cheap publicity.

Murder used to be unusual in the UK. We use to manage about one a day, now we are at least ten times that number, although I have no official figures for this guess. The police once shuddered at the thought of carrying guns, now every station has it's 'armed response unit' Youths are always showing off by fighting, now however they all appear to carry knives, and especially so in inner cities. Drugs carry a great responsibility here as all areas appear to have a drug gang of some sort. Heavens, only a few years ago an armed police raid occurred on a house behind my mothers in Edinburgh. I spent 21 years in London and never saw an armed police raid, yet one occurs right next to what once was our playground! Totally unthinkable in the fifties!

There again it is a paper reporting 'news,' and facts are slanted to sell. These sad events take place all too often but life goes on. There are more good things in the New Forest than dead families, some housing estates, even black ones I will have you know, are full of folks just living their lives. Reading the press does give a skewed view of the world around us. When I lived in London the area, Paddington it came under, had about 660 'car crimes.' Stolen or just broken into for a few pounds, that sort of thing.  Maida Vale had well over 700 such offences! Yet when I arrived at this backwater  the local media talked of things taken from cars, garages raided, and police warnings to 'Take care out there!'

The end of the year report told us there had been 24 'car crimes,' and that this area was the safest in the county, and the county had the lowest crime rate in the country! Read your paper carefully!

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True Reports from British life .......!!! BRITISH NEWSPAPERS

True Reports from British life .......!!! BRITISH NEWSPAPERS (it says...)

Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said, 'We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It's possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that destroyed his house.' (The Daily Telegraph)

Police reveal that a woman arrested for shoplifting had a whole salami in her underwear. When asked why, she said it was because she was missing her Italian boyfriend.. (The Manchester Evening News)

Irish police are being handicapped in a search for a stolen van, because they cannot issue a description. It's a Special Branch vehicle and they don't want the public to know what it looks like. (The Guardian)

A young girl who was blown out to sea on a set of inflatable teeth was rescued by a man on an inflatable lobster. A coast guard spokesman commented, 'This sort of thing is all too common'.
(The Times)

At the height of the gale, the harbourmaster radioed a coast guard and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff. ( Aberdeen Evening Express).

Mrs. Irene Graham of Thorpe Avenue , Boscombe, delighted the audience with her reminiscence of the German prisoner of war who was sent each week to do her garden. He was repatriated at the end of 1945, she recalled -'He'd always seemed a nice friendly chap, but when the crocuses came up in the middle of our lawn in February 1946, they spelt out 'Heil Hitler.''
( Bournemouth Evening Echo)

Nothing to Say

To the surprise of many, mostly rude nasty people, I have had nothing to say for a while. Two reasons for this. One was a touch of that awful bug that had me worried something worse was affecting me. I even considered visiting one of those 'doctor' creatures,but decided it would make me look foolish.
"I've just come for a check up, to see what is wrong with me Doc."
"Your a lazy, fat, slob, anything else?"
"No thanks. Bye."
Just a touch of man flu leaving me with sluggish symptoms and no sympathy from anyone - again! This bug meant I just could not be bothered. The energy levels were not conducive to writing. (Conducive eh? Wonder what that means?) Also I have been having a spiritual struggle. One of those ongoing things between me and Jesus. This was wearing my little mind out. And meant I was really not interested in much else to be honest.

I have however, still got nothing to say! Reading other blogs, and there are masses of good ones out there amongst the porn, make money, and advertising blogs which appear to dominate, and some excellent writing to be found. However I note almost all suffer from silence at times. This must be devastating for the woman who finds nothing to say. How do women cope in those situations I wonder? Bet it drives them mad! Mind you,I rarely meet such women in the real world, they always have something to say, even when there is nothing to say! Which brings me to the 'Mail on Sunday!'

For reasons difficult to explain I bought this, 'newspaper,' on Sunday, and wonder why? Aimed mostly at women, it presents page after page of trauma! Every story concerns some woman's struggle against adversity, from family problems to near death experiences. Some meaningless 'B' celebrity is shown on many pages doing what they do - nothing! Even the supplements, and there are many, are filled with suffering girls. Why? Who cares? We all have,or know of others who have, hard times. Some awful situations confront folk on a daily basis. But to make them the reason to buy a paper? What does it tell us of the female who reads this day by day, and they do because the 'Daily Mail' gives us just the same thing, and yet they lap it up? Apart from holiday adverts there is little else to be found in this rag bar pages of the 'Mail' readers other love - money! No surprise there eh? It will take more than a free CD, even one I want this time,to make me buy this again.There is of course little to read in most papers these days. News is broadcast on telly and radio twenty four hours a day so there is no need for urgent paper news. The choice for them comes down to 'in depth' reporting or sensational headlines. The headlines have it of course because people do not really want facts,they are satisfied with 'bread and circuses.' Shock headlines,exaggerated or not,sell! For reasons that pass way over the gray hairs that appear on the side of my head stories about Britney Spears and the like are popular! Why? What is the draw in a broken mediocre star, whether singer/actor/nobody anyway? It is not as if you can help them, and having their life in the press helps no-one.

Hmmm, see, I had nothing to say anyway. You missed nowt!

News Reporting

Funny how news is reported. A train crash in Pakistan gets little mention in our press, even though around fifty people are dead and almost two hundred injured. It is not important because it happened far away, and anyway Pakistan is where all the terrorists are to be found is it not? None of our folks are involved so who cares?
Some years ago a daily tabloid reported an avalanche in the French Alps which killed several and injured dozens under the headline 'Two Britons Safe!' But the short story only mentioned the dead at the end.
When Glen Hoddle was manager of England the Bishops Stortford local paper referred to him in one story, not as the England manager, but as, '...Glen Hoddle, who used to own a sports shop in the High Street...' Now I am not saying some folks are a bit introspective but.....
I did notice that apart from a passing reference nobody has bothered about the train crash, 'hands free' driving and government slackness counts for more.

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Nothing to do with Arbroath is one of those blogs that leave you wondering whether what you read is funny or sad. A collection of weird and wonderful stories from around the world. The stories often appear crude, but not for the sake of it, and do show us the strange, sad experiences of folk worldwide. This is one of those blogs you must look at and see what you make of it. Some of it is hilarious, but isn't that the way when others get into trouble!

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As one or two of you will read this at what you call 'work,' I have come across this little game to fill in the time before you have a break. It is a simple Paper Aeroplane game, which most of my more intelligent readers will already have discovered. There should be a health and safety warning about that fan, it's dangerous!

Neds

Just where do the neds that plague our streets come from? Do they arrive in ships and planes from abroad? Are they hanging on the back end of lorries crossing the channel perhaps, possibly they just drop down the chimney with Santa each Christmas? Or could it be that the feckless young yob who finds entertainment by taking drugs and cheap alcohol, throwing up in the streets and stealing cash from old women is in fact a product of our society itself? In short, your fault and mine!

While it may not exactly be our fault directly, I wonder if it is indirectly as we have let the society around us disintegrate into a liberal mish-mash of self based ideas masquerading as 'freedom.' The encouragement to divorce and allow folks to separate from failed marriages seems at first sight a good and fair one. Indeed we all know that failure is sometimes inevitable in some cases. But when laws are passed allowing divorce why was there no attempt to provide help for those who really wanted the marriage to work but could not cope with the strain? The 'marriage Guidance Council' in the early 80's received million pound a year from the government, a government that began to spend umpteen million on benefits and housing for those who began to separate. Had they then began to increase the finance to those willing to support marriage there would have been a colossal saving in cash, something Conservatives worship! But this was not done, because they would not spend the money! Short term gain for long term failure. Since then the abundance of single parent families, loved by the middle classes who have the cash and ability to endure in such circumstances, has left the lower orders in disarray. While a middle class child learns around 1500 words by the time he is five, he may not get beyond 500 among the 'Chavs 'of this world. For the young dad who cannot cope with a child bride and a child often leaves her, and peer pressure all to often from both sides, indicates this is OK. The young mum is often helpless in rearing a child she is too young or too dumb to cope with. Another generation of the shiftless arises.

The Christian church has stood back, and sometimes encouraged, such freedoms. In the 70's it was claimed by many satanic forces were praying against marriage. We nodded and did nothing. Too wrapped up in our own affairs. (Is that the right word I ask?) Too late we realised that society was dividing, but by then we were also. Charismatic or evangelical? Women priests or not, then the homosexual debate caused the church to forget it's God, or just polarise the many differences. Satan much more able to destroy than the church to unite. Christians above all are at fault for our society, because (I) were too full of our self life, and did not submit to God nor pray for his world. Too late for self flagellation now however.

Being poor, and uneducated, does not lead to failure. The working class in the 19th century made an effort to learn and 'better themselves.' This continued into the 20th century and its effects are with us today. From Cowdenbeath alone, a mining district, two men made it to the House of Lords, one invented the 'Beta Blocker, many were forced by parents to learn a trade and avoid going down the pit, some travelling the world because of their skill, one at least became an international footballer, and all had a pride in themselves. It is not thus today! For too many they see no further than the dole handouts, a TV, drugs and short sex acts. the hope of a life worth having seems rare for some.

It need not be! There will always be many worthless people in this world, and will you avoid looking at me as I say that please! But if God sent his Son to redeem the whole lot, he must have thought it worth trying. How? The dreadful fact is that 'Love' is the answer. Not the Walton's type love,
'Goodnight Dad',
'Goodnight Son',
'Goodnight Mom'
Goodnight Son'
'Goodnight brother'
'WILL YOU SHUT UP AND GET TO SLEEP!!!!!'
No it is worse even than that. It takes effort, time and means 'loving' the person in front of you.
That is hard!
It means reaching out even to the ned and his mates near you and offering them a life they have not received from their forefathers. A life they will reject often, but one that some will accept. Even if they do not accept your God just finding them a life will be worth it.
Some try, like this group. http://www.youthblog.org/index.html

It costs however. How off putting.

Press Coverage

Never fails to amaze me how the press twist things to suit themselves. Football reporting is the clearest example of tabloid spin imaginable! If the team win by a lucky goal they may well be called 'all conquering' but if they lose that way it is 'shockingly poor!'
Last night England (always shockingly poor it has to be said) lost a second goal from a back pass that bobbled past the keeper. Today it is called 'His mistake' or 'blunder.' But it was neither a blunder or a mistake. Just one of those things that happen. The fact that England are rank rotten (amen) is ignored so long as one man can take the blame. Poor journalism!
Scotland meanwhile did Ok against the Ukraine. However the refs dodgy decisions undid us at the end. No way should Pressley have been sent off. No way was Shevchenkos dive a penalty! But the English press will concentrate on Scotland being beat, not Scotland losing!
Overall while the English struggle to accept they are not one of the worlds top sides, and never have been, Scotlands slow progress from the past few years continues. While there is a long way to go hope is there for the future. The young Scotland sides, Under 19s, 16s etc are doing well.
For us the way is up. Until England accept their failings and lose the needless unjustified arrogance they have only failure ahead. Failure and a long line of scapegoats no doubt.

Some journalists exist. Why is football lacking in them? Why is there so little good football writing? The fanzines of the recent past showed that some folks out there could write. How come the press ignore this and concentrate on 'loving' or 'hating' individuals or clubs?
We deserve better.
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Good also to see the two Irish sides ad Wales sorting themselves out. Northern Ireland in particular are doing well for such a small nation.

British Troops Assault Young Iraqis

A video of British troops under fire from large groups of young Iraq teens has been shown today. After handing out aid to a suffering people, and beginning the reconstruction of a land torn apart by a Muslim leader, who killed thousands of his own people, these troops are attacked. Stones and even a home made grenade are thrown at them by a crowd of dozens. The troops react, they charge into the mob breaking it up and seizing one or two of the lads.
Taking them into their compound they then proceed to give the rock throwers a good hiding, which they deserve!
Cue crocodile tears and massive outrage!
TV stations and radio programmes are telling us how awful these terrible scenes are. Mock indignation is occasionally tempered with a grudging agreement that 'Maybe the troops were under fire and wanted a bit of revenge?' and how! Why should British soldiers endure such attacks without reply? How can anyone condemn them for their response? 'The News of the World' a paper notorious for its delight in sex scandals and digging the dirt on anybody and anyone, feigns mock horror and shouts 'shame' and pretends it is doing this, 'in the public interest.' Nothing to do with money making then?
Where did they get this video from? Was this whistle blower there at the time? Was he concerned about 'brutality' or just in it to make a few thousand pounds, and with that thirty pieces of silver put many troops lives at risk?

In spite of the mock outrage, maybe the police in this land would be advised to learn from this how to deal with yobs. If our constabulary were to spend a few hours taking the many yobs that destroy our housing estates, and keep folks trapped indoors in fear of their lives, then maybe this country would be improved. How, by taking aside the leading thugs and giving them the treatment meted out to these rock hurlers. Within a short time discipline would be restored, folks could walk free from fear, young folk would benefit with those who wish to cause trouble being taking out of the picture.

I can hear the mock outrage growing as I write.

Aasmah Mir

Aasmah Mir sums up all that is wrong in women in the media, indeed women in general.
Here we find a lass who has made it into the BBC and finds herself constantly on radio, who has a column all to herself in the 'Sunday Herald' and is extremely well paid too boot!
Yet she writes only about her hang ups!
A glance at the Herald articles would indicate that whenever she steps outside the house all men for miles around want to have sex with her! They look upon her only as an object and she alone fills their minds. Other women don't seem to exist, just this girl. This is such a problem that she is unable to wear her 'favourite jeans' outside the house!

Terrible indeed that.

At work this poor lass suffers terrible discrimination! Not only does she get paid less than the men around her, however she does get vastly more than a postman, a Tesco shelf filler, a milkman or any man or woman, doing a job she considers beneath her, but on top of this she is Asian! And an Asian who is a Moslem, apparently! Goodness me, her colour means everyone is looking down on her, her religion indicates she is a terrorist, and in her eyes the entire nation looks on her with a mixture of fear and loathing.

Poor thing, how does she cope?

Well she copes by ignoring the fact that most men don't want her. They may notice she is attractive, if she indeed is, but have no intention of going near her, anyway her personality would take care of any ideas that lingered in their twisted selfish minds.
By spending less time shopping for more clothes than she needs she can forget the poverty her employment leads her to suffer. Poverty that is slighty better than the poverty 150 million Pakistanis suffer most days, but hey, they mostly hate women anyway so that's OK!
The religion she bears might help her cope, if she really believes in it. Most Moslems I meet are nominal if anything regarding their religion, unless you disagree with it of course. Then it is something to defend, or in extreme cases, a cause, in their eyes to, to cry ' racist!'

Come on Aasmah, come into the real world. Start thinking about others problems and ignore yours. Especially those that you know will find a willing readership. A willing readership who desperately want to believe what you write. Without this clear support from you they would have to face the real world all alone, and change themselves instead of whining about the hard luck stories that fill their minds.
It is always much better to 'tilt at windmills' than face the truth.

Stop hiding behind the myth of discrimination and do something about those that really suffer.
Several inches given over to the plight of people in real difficulty, for the hungry, or just a few words about a story outside of yourself would be welcome, and certainly a change! But that would lose you your 'Herald' audience would it not?
That would mean a loss of column, a loss of income, and gosh, a loss of face for you.
Shame that. But however it might lead you to becoming a journalist, but talking about something other than yourself, well, that is possibly to hard, isn't it?