BBC NEWS | England | Merseyside | Gran's heart attack on jet with medics: "Gran's heart attack on jet with medics
A grandmother who suffered a heart attack on a plane could not have wished for better care.
When the stewardess put out the call: 'Is there a doctor on the plane', 15 cardiologists stood up to help 67-year-old Dorothy Fletcher.
The doctors were en route to Orlando for a heart conference.
Mrs Fletcher, who comes from Liverpool, was on the flight to go to her daughter's wedding in Florida.
'The doctors were wonderful. They saved my life,' she said. "
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Australian discovers growing dope can be hazardous
Australian discovers growing dope can be hazardous: "Australian discovers growing dope can be hazardous
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian who called police to report thieves were trying to break into his home and steal his cannabis plants wound up getting arrested himself.
Police called to a house in Adelaide just after midnight discovered four men trying to steal the plants, which were being grown in two rooms there.
They arrested the men -- and the 23-year-old homeowner, who was later charged with illegally growing 16 cannabis plants.
'He was calling from underneath his bed,' a police spokesman told Reuters. 'I don't know what he was thinking. Perhaps he was smoking too much of his own product.' "
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian who called police to report thieves were trying to break into his home and steal his cannabis plants wound up getting arrested himself.
Police called to a house in Adelaide just after midnight discovered four men trying to steal the plants, which were being grown in two rooms there.
They arrested the men -- and the 23-year-old homeowner, who was later charged with illegally growing 16 cannabis plants.
'He was calling from underneath his bed,' a police spokesman told Reuters. 'I don't know what he was thinking. Perhaps he was smoking too much of his own product.' "
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Dealer Trouble
The car dealer where we got our truck was on national TV the other night as well. It seems that they have been a little deceptive about exactly what they are including in the price and the interest rate that buyers who need credit will get. This appears to be a common problem and this particular dealership is no better or worse than any others
Wife on TV!
My wife has been on the local TV news. Recently there has been resurfacing work on one of our city's major roads. We cross this road at traffic lights on our way to our favorite restaurants and shops. During the work the road surface here was so bad that cars were grounding themselves and creeping over the 4” high ramps that had been left between the old surface and the new. Cars were moving so slowly that long queues were building up. My wife e-mailed the local TV news and asked why they had not carried any reports about the problems this was causing. A couple of days later they rang up and requested that she meet them near the roadwork for an interview. That night wy famouse wife was on screen for a few seconds and a valuable 2 minutes of airtime was dedicated to the problem.
Monday, December 01, 2003
''Do our enemies covet our way of life?''
Printed on Monday, December 01, 2003 @ 00:06:50 CST ( )
By Raff Ellis
YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) – When Italy invaded the Sudan, it had nothing to do with jealousy of the Sudanese polity. They simply wanted a share of colonial Africa, like the other Europeans had taken before them.
When Germany invaded France, it was not because it hated the freedoms that the French enjoyed, but because it was anxious for the domination of Europe.
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, not because they resented American democracy, which they in fact despised as being weak and inferior, but because they were bent upon military conquest.
As the above examples indicate, there seems to be no historical precedence to show that a nation was attacked because its attacker was envious of its form of government, except, of course, on September 11.
Isn't it a joke, actually, to think that the WTC was attacked by a small group of people covetous of our way of life? Especially when one considers the attackers were such fervent believers in a perverted form of their religion that they were willing to sacrifice their lives to strike a blow against a nation they considered to be the "great Satan."
No, it wasn't envy of our freedoms but hatred of our policies that drove them. They felt they had legitimate, un-redressed grievances against the United States for its years of meddling in their respective countries' geographic sphere. Certainly a catalog of such complaints could be compiled -- the principal one being the establishment of a settler nation in their midst that created a mass of refugees -- but no matter how large the anthology, it could in no way justify their bombing of two skyscrapers and the taking of nearly 3,000 innocent lives.
George W. Bush and his assemblage of policymakers have tried mightily to perpetrate a fraud against the American public by shifting the focus of attention -- from their inability or unwillingness to secure diplomatic progress in the trouble spots of the world -- to the victims of those failures. "They hate our freedoms" is simply a way of appealing to innate, chauvinistic tendencies that lurk in the American culture. As has been shown time and again, the public can be easily whipped into patriotic fervor, primarily because we are a pugnacious lot to begin with. We just love a good fight, as witnessed, on any given weekend of professional football, by the roaring of millions of fans for the hit that knocked the quarterback into a concussion-induced stupor. Face it, America; we love violence whether it's in movies, video games, sporting events or far-off battlefields.
The U.S. attacked Afghanistan, ostensibly because the Taliban harbored bin Laden and said they wouldn't give him up unless it were proven that he and his minions were responsible for 9-11. Well, as we all know, the Taliban were driven into hiding and, with the exception of a small area of the country, our warlord allies are now back in power along with the naked corruption that accompanied their prior rule.
It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows but, alas, so does war. These warlords, whom we bribed to work with us in Afghanistan, may be marginally less despotic or cruel than their predecessors, but they still harbor the same cultural revulsion for democracy and the emancipation of women in society. Their continued application of Count Draco-style punishment for what would be considered minor transgressions in a true democracy bears witness to their predilections.
So, our leaders in Washington, flushed with the success of exporting democracy to Afghanistan, ran pall mall into executing our latest conquest -- Iraq. Again, as we all know, the cabal of super conservatives who accompanied George W. Bush into power had long ago documented Israel's wish list for conquest in the Middle East. And, like a huge mound of fetid dog doo-doo, these plans lay fermenting in dusty reports while awaiting a Pearl Harbor-like event to trigger the explosion of that awful offal -- all over us. And, unfortunately, the resulting stench grows stronger by the day and will be with us for a long time to come.
Of course, there have been millions of words written about the events of the last two years and one cannot help but grow weary of them. Many of us desire to turn down the volume, to stop having to read about the dying and wounded soldiers in far off places, to ignore worries about our veterans and their lousy health care and shrinking benefits, to abstain from thinking about our diminished Bill of Rights, to ignore the ruckus about rigged elections, to pay no attention to plans for a repeat performance complete with no voter paper trails, to refrain from being disaffected by the constant stream of propaganda being spoon-fed to us by the agitprops Ashcroft, Cheney and Rumsfeld, to not think about yellow or orange alerts, and to not give a damn about budget deficits and if the war on terrorism will ever end.
It's way too much to think or worry about without including why there are so many people around the globe who hate us. Let's just accept the premise that they resent our materialism -- our big cars, fancy abodes, disproportionate consumption of resources and fat bellies -- and a justice system where a person is judged innocent until proven guilty. Right?
Are you ready for some football?
[Raff Ellis lives in the United States and is a retired former strategic planner and computer industry executive. He has had an abiding and active interest in the Middle East since early adulthood and has traveled to the region many times over the last 30 years.]
YellowTimes.org is an international news and opinion publication. YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated.
By Raff Ellis
YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) – When Italy invaded the Sudan, it had nothing to do with jealousy of the Sudanese polity. They simply wanted a share of colonial Africa, like the other Europeans had taken before them.
When Germany invaded France, it was not because it hated the freedoms that the French enjoyed, but because it was anxious for the domination of Europe.
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, not because they resented American democracy, which they in fact despised as being weak and inferior, but because they were bent upon military conquest.
As the above examples indicate, there seems to be no historical precedence to show that a nation was attacked because its attacker was envious of its form of government, except, of course, on September 11.
Isn't it a joke, actually, to think that the WTC was attacked by a small group of people covetous of our way of life? Especially when one considers the attackers were such fervent believers in a perverted form of their religion that they were willing to sacrifice their lives to strike a blow against a nation they considered to be the "great Satan."
No, it wasn't envy of our freedoms but hatred of our policies that drove them. They felt they had legitimate, un-redressed grievances against the United States for its years of meddling in their respective countries' geographic sphere. Certainly a catalog of such complaints could be compiled -- the principal one being the establishment of a settler nation in their midst that created a mass of refugees -- but no matter how large the anthology, it could in no way justify their bombing of two skyscrapers and the taking of nearly 3,000 innocent lives.
George W. Bush and his assemblage of policymakers have tried mightily to perpetrate a fraud against the American public by shifting the focus of attention -- from their inability or unwillingness to secure diplomatic progress in the trouble spots of the world -- to the victims of those failures. "They hate our freedoms" is simply a way of appealing to innate, chauvinistic tendencies that lurk in the American culture. As has been shown time and again, the public can be easily whipped into patriotic fervor, primarily because we are a pugnacious lot to begin with. We just love a good fight, as witnessed, on any given weekend of professional football, by the roaring of millions of fans for the hit that knocked the quarterback into a concussion-induced stupor. Face it, America; we love violence whether it's in movies, video games, sporting events or far-off battlefields.
The U.S. attacked Afghanistan, ostensibly because the Taliban harbored bin Laden and said they wouldn't give him up unless it were proven that he and his minions were responsible for 9-11. Well, as we all know, the Taliban were driven into hiding and, with the exception of a small area of the country, our warlord allies are now back in power along with the naked corruption that accompanied their prior rule.
It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows but, alas, so does war. These warlords, whom we bribed to work with us in Afghanistan, may be marginally less despotic or cruel than their predecessors, but they still harbor the same cultural revulsion for democracy and the emancipation of women in society. Their continued application of Count Draco-style punishment for what would be considered minor transgressions in a true democracy bears witness to their predilections.
So, our leaders in Washington, flushed with the success of exporting democracy to Afghanistan, ran pall mall into executing our latest conquest -- Iraq. Again, as we all know, the cabal of super conservatives who accompanied George W. Bush into power had long ago documented Israel's wish list for conquest in the Middle East. And, like a huge mound of fetid dog doo-doo, these plans lay fermenting in dusty reports while awaiting a Pearl Harbor-like event to trigger the explosion of that awful offal -- all over us. And, unfortunately, the resulting stench grows stronger by the day and will be with us for a long time to come.
Of course, there have been millions of words written about the events of the last two years and one cannot help but grow weary of them. Many of us desire to turn down the volume, to stop having to read about the dying and wounded soldiers in far off places, to ignore worries about our veterans and their lousy health care and shrinking benefits, to abstain from thinking about our diminished Bill of Rights, to ignore the ruckus about rigged elections, to pay no attention to plans for a repeat performance complete with no voter paper trails, to refrain from being disaffected by the constant stream of propaganda being spoon-fed to us by the agitprops Ashcroft, Cheney and Rumsfeld, to not think about yellow or orange alerts, and to not give a damn about budget deficits and if the war on terrorism will ever end.
It's way too much to think or worry about without including why there are so many people around the globe who hate us. Let's just accept the premise that they resent our materialism -- our big cars, fancy abodes, disproportionate consumption of resources and fat bellies -- and a justice system where a person is judged innocent until proven guilty. Right?
Are you ready for some football?
[Raff Ellis lives in the United States and is a retired former strategic planner and computer industry executive. He has had an abiding and active interest in the Middle East since early adulthood and has traveled to the region many times over the last 30 years.]
YellowTimes.org is an international news and opinion publication. YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
These People HAve No Sense of Humor
Singing Saddam and bin Laden dolls seized
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli customs have seized a shipment of 450 singing, dancing Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein dolls under a law banning incitement.
The battery-powered Chinese-made figurines were confiscated at the northern port of Haifa, Customs Authority spokeswoman Idit Lev-Zerahiya said on Wednesday.
An Israeli Arab businessman from the northern village of Qafr Qara admitted under questioning to importing the 400 copies of the al Qaeda leader and 50 of the deposed Iraqi ruler, as a "gimmick" for sale to Jews and Arabs, a customs statement said.
"The law doesn't exactly say that you cannot own a bin Laden doll, but neither he nor Saddam Hussein are exactly good educational role models," Lev-Zerahiya told Reuters.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli customs have seized a shipment of 450 singing, dancing Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein dolls under a law banning incitement.
The battery-powered Chinese-made figurines were confiscated at the northern port of Haifa, Customs Authority spokeswoman Idit Lev-Zerahiya said on Wednesday.
An Israeli Arab businessman from the northern village of Qafr Qara admitted under questioning to importing the 400 copies of the al Qaeda leader and 50 of the deposed Iraqi ruler, as a "gimmick" for sale to Jews and Arabs, a customs statement said.
"The law doesn't exactly say that you cannot own a bin Laden doll, but neither he nor Saddam Hussein are exactly good educational role models," Lev-Zerahiya told Reuters.
Monday, November 17, 2003
Livingstone shows hawkish stance on pigeons
Livingstone shows hawkish stance on pigeons: "LONDON (Reuters) - London Mayor Ken Livingstone, well known for his anti-war stance on Iraq, has shown his hawkish side by banning pigeon feeding in Trafalgar Square.
Members of the Pigeon Action Group protested on Monday against a new by-law prohibiting feeding pigeons in the famous central London square -- a focal point for visitors, revellers and protesters.
Livingstone, who famously branded the birds 'rats with wings', has already unleashed a hawk named Squirty to chase the pigeons away."
This reminds me of the racing pidgeon owners who were complaining that peregrin falcons (which are protected by law) had learned where the racing pidgeon's "homes" were hanging around waiting for a free lunch!
Members of the Pigeon Action Group protested on Monday against a new by-law prohibiting feeding pigeons in the famous central London square -- a focal point for visitors, revellers and protesters.
Livingstone, who famously branded the birds 'rats with wings', has already unleashed a hawk named Squirty to chase the pigeons away."
This reminds me of the racing pidgeon owners who were complaining that peregrin falcons (which are protected by law) had learned where the racing pidgeon's "homes" were hanging around waiting for a free lunch!
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
When a fish stopped play and 11 Dutchmen didn't
When a fish stopped play and 11 Dutchmen didn't: "LONDON (Reuters) - It wasn't just a case of 'roller stops play', more of 'roller halts history'.
If a stray practice ball had not been crushed into the wicket by the heavy roller in Harare last week, Zimbabwe would surely have beaten West Indies in a test for the first time in their history.
The incident caused play to be delayed by around two hours on the third morning. Two days later, West Indies, nine men down, escaped with a losing draw.
In time, Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price's 10-wicket haul will be forgotten and it will be the roller which will be remembered.
Cricket is already full of such oddities.
'Rain stopped play' is a common refrain, of course, and bad light an everyday hazard. Streakers, in some parts of the world at least, used to be as well.
Lightning, though, has also held up the show, as well as snow, while an earth tremor caused a break during a one-day international in Trinidad in 1983.
SWARM OF BEES
Domestic pets, rodents of various hues and sizes, even the odd buffalo have prompted cricketing interruptions, as have swarms of bees -- as occurred in Madras in a Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Punjab just over three years ago -- and birds.
The most famous case cost the perpetrator its life. A sparrow was hit in mid-flight and killed by a delivery from Jehangir Khan at Lord's and the unfortunate bird ended up stuffed, mounted and on display in the pavilion.
There is even a recorded case of 'fish stopped play', when a two-foot specimen landed in the middle of a pitch in Sri Lanka, dropped by a sea eagle harassed by crows.
Interventions of a human kind, however, are rarely as diverting.
England, set to lose a one-dayer against Pakistan in Leeds in 2001 after some magical bowling from Waqar Younis, opted to c"
If a stray practice ball had not been crushed into the wicket by the heavy roller in Harare last week, Zimbabwe would surely have beaten West Indies in a test for the first time in their history.
The incident caused play to be delayed by around two hours on the third morning. Two days later, West Indies, nine men down, escaped with a losing draw.
In time, Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price's 10-wicket haul will be forgotten and it will be the roller which will be remembered.
Cricket is already full of such oddities.
'Rain stopped play' is a common refrain, of course, and bad light an everyday hazard. Streakers, in some parts of the world at least, used to be as well.
Lightning, though, has also held up the show, as well as snow, while an earth tremor caused a break during a one-day international in Trinidad in 1983.
SWARM OF BEES
Domestic pets, rodents of various hues and sizes, even the odd buffalo have prompted cricketing interruptions, as have swarms of bees -- as occurred in Madras in a Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Punjab just over three years ago -- and birds.
The most famous case cost the perpetrator its life. A sparrow was hit in mid-flight and killed by a delivery from Jehangir Khan at Lord's and the unfortunate bird ended up stuffed, mounted and on display in the pavilion.
There is even a recorded case of 'fish stopped play', when a two-foot specimen landed in the middle of a pitch in Sri Lanka, dropped by a sea eagle harassed by crows.
Interventions of a human kind, however, are rarely as diverting.
England, set to lose a one-dayer against Pakistan in Leeds in 2001 after some magical bowling from Waqar Younis, opted to c"
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Traffic chaos as German hearse ejects corpse
Traffic chaos as German hearse ejects corpse: "BERLIN (Reuters) - A hearse has overturned on a German motorway, shattering the coffin and ejecting the corpse onto the tarmac along with a bag of coffin nails that brought traffic to a standstill.
'The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and yanked the steering wheel round when he woke up,' said Jens O'Brien, spokesman for the regional government in Duesseldorf, western Germany said on Wednesday."
'The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and yanked the steering wheel round when he woke up,' said Jens O'Brien, spokesman for the regional government in Duesseldorf, western Germany said on Wednesday."
Monday, October 27, 2003
Amateur stuntman lands in hospital
Amateur stuntman lands in hospital: "SYDNEY (Reuters) - Amateur Sydney stuntman goes up, in flames, comes down short, in bone-breaking fall.
Sydney police patrolling near the Coral Sea Park in the seaside suburb of Maroubra on Friday night spied a man on the roof of a toilet block douse himself with petrol, set himself alight, climb onto a BMX bike and launch himself off the block.
Missing a pile of mattresses designed to break his fall, the man's burning clothes were extinguished by police who threw a garbage bin full of water over him.
The 39-year-old Sydney man suffered several fractures including a broken nose and broken wrist, as well as burns, and the loss of his BMX bike which police seized along with a jerry can of petrol and lighter.
The amateur stuntman was being readied for surgery on Monday. "
Sydney police patrolling near the Coral Sea Park in the seaside suburb of Maroubra on Friday night spied a man on the roof of a toilet block douse himself with petrol, set himself alight, climb onto a BMX bike and launch himself off the block.
Missing a pile of mattresses designed to break his fall, the man's burning clothes were extinguished by police who threw a garbage bin full of water over him.
The 39-year-old Sydney man suffered several fractures including a broken nose and broken wrist, as well as burns, and the loss of his BMX bike which police seized along with a jerry can of petrol and lighter.
The amateur stuntman was being readied for surgery on Monday. "
Thursday, October 23, 2003
BBC NEWS | Business | Buick 'masturbation' car renamed
BBC NEWS | Business | Buick 'masturbation' car renamed: "Red-faced officials at General Motors in Canada have been forced to think of a new name for their latest model after discovering it was a slang word for masturbation. "
Stiff discipline for boys' Viagra prank
Stiff discipline for boys' Viagra prank: "The Sun newspaper quoted a source at the school as saying: 'By the time the afternoon lessons began, there was no hiding what they had done.'"
Holidaymaker gets teeth back after fisherman's lucky bite
Holidaymaker gets teeth back after fisherman's lucky bite: "LONDON (Reuters) - A holidaymaker who lost his false teeth while swimming off Crete was reunited with them two weeks later after fishermen caught them in their nets, The Times newspaper has reported."
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Charlotte Observer | 10/22/2003 | It's Dubya's Diary, gang, back again
Charlotte Observer | 10/22/2003 | It's Dubya's Diary, gang, back again: "In case you missed it, this is from an actual news story in The Observer the other day:'... President Bush -- living up to his recent declaration that he's in charge -- told his top officials to `stop the leaks' to the media, or else.
'News of Bush's order leaked almost immediately.'"
'News of Bush's order leaked almost immediately.'"
Monday, October 20, 2003
Crane saves man after parachute fails
Thursday, October 16, 2003
BBC NEWS | Technology | Odd mishaps cause computer grief
BBC NEWS | Technology | Odd mishaps cause computer grief: "A man so angry with his laptop that he shot it has topped an annual league table of the oddest computer mishaps. "
Yahoo! Travel - Woman, 80, knocks out rat
Yahoo! Travel - Woman, 80, knocks out rat: "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A supermarket rat which had dodged a host of poison traps got its come-uppance when an 80-year-old shopper knocked it unconscious after it tried to steal her cheese, a Belgian daily says."
Monday, October 13, 2003
Wedding party shoots down plane
Wedding party shoots down plane: "BELGRADE (Reuters) - A two-seater sports plane on an unauthorised joyride was apparently shot down by mistake when it flew over a Serbian wedding party where guests were firing guns into the air, local media have reported.
Two men were reported to have sustained serious injuries when their aircraft burst into flames and crashed near Kraljevo, central Serbia.
'I heard shots from a wedding party which was very close to the crash site. Then I saw the plane in flames. It was shot in the left wing,' witness Zoran Vukadinovic told reporters on Sunday.
'A few moments later, while attempting a crash landing, it was caught in overhead power cables,' he said.
Local media said neither of the men held a pilot's licence.
Firing guns into the air at weddings and other celebrations is common in Serbia. "
Two men were reported to have sustained serious injuries when their aircraft burst into flames and crashed near Kraljevo, central Serbia.
'I heard shots from a wedding party which was very close to the crash site. Then I saw the plane in flames. It was shot in the left wing,' witness Zoran Vukadinovic told reporters on Sunday.
'A few moments later, while attempting a crash landing, it was caught in overhead power cables,' he said.
Local media said neither of the men held a pilot's licence.
Firing guns into the air at weddings and other celebrations is common in Serbia. "
Monday, October 06, 2003
Did not like Vegas
We didn’t really like Las Vegas so we rented a car and drove around Arizona for a couple of days. We missed the Grand Canyon as it was closed due to a fire. We went north of Vegas and then turned east to go as far as Marble Canyon. Here there is a bridge over the canyon that is the first crossing over the Colorado River east of the Hoover Dam. From here we headed south through the Navajo Reservation and went as far as Flagstaff for an overnight stop. Flagstaff has been around a while and has a renovated “downtown” area. However most if it is just like the rest of America! We had a few hilly bits and a few twisty bits on the way. The altitude varies between about 4 and 6000 feet. Most of the route was National Park or National Forest.
The following morning we drove South again to Sedona which really is very pretty and spectacular (as are the house prices!). Mind you it is possible to acquire a few acres of desert quite reasonably and put a “manufactured” home on it. Some are advertised, plot, well and house for about $100,000. The problem is that these are the not very nice bits of the desert. From Sedona we went to Montezuma’s castle and then drove through Cottonwood, some mountains and another forest towards the Prescott Valley and then headed north to Interstate 40 and then west for an overnight in a small town called Kingman. I discovered later that we actually have a customer in this little place and our project team stayed in the same hotel we did!
Next morning we drove back to Las Vegas for our flight home. As we sped through the desert on a dead straight line of a road we saw more of the “manufactured” homes on their plots. Looking very sameish in the flat expanse of scrubby grass and shrubs.
The following morning we drove South again to Sedona which really is very pretty and spectacular (as are the house prices!). Mind you it is possible to acquire a few acres of desert quite reasonably and put a “manufactured” home on it. Some are advertised, plot, well and house for about $100,000. The problem is that these are the not very nice bits of the desert. From Sedona we went to Montezuma’s castle and then drove through Cottonwood, some mountains and another forest towards the Prescott Valley and then headed north to Interstate 40 and then west for an overnight in a small town called Kingman. I discovered later that we actually have a customer in this little place and our project team stayed in the same hotel we did!
Next morning we drove back to Las Vegas for our flight home. As we sped through the desert on a dead straight line of a road we saw more of the “manufactured” homes on their plots. Looking very sameish in the flat expanse of scrubby grass and shrubs.
Saturday, September 27, 2003
Fencing
We have removed various trees and plants and begun the great fencing project. With lots of help from Eddie next door. 8 out of 12 panels (each 8'x6') are now installed and secure. In addition Eddie and I ran parallel 2x4 in 10' lengths along the old split rail fence ready for 6" paling to be attached. Eddie and Dolly have decided not to fence in their yard yet - so we are alone in having a solid wood fence between us and the third neighbor.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Shed is in and painted.
Well the shed arrived on time and was very professionally installed. It is far more robust than I expected. In fact it is probably better built than the house. Beth has painted it a very nice shade of grey. We have begun to load it up with the gardening equipment and tools.
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Shed and Garden Latest
We were missed by the Hurricane. I just got a bit cloudy and a bit breezy. We didn't even get any rain. In fact we have not had any rain for over two weeks. Which is the driest spell since about February. This has been a very unusual summer (so I am told - as I do not know what usual is yet).
We finished ground leveling for the shed last weekend - it will be delivered and installed tomorrow. It is 10x12ft. and will be very pretty when Beth has painted it. We also took down a small length of fencing in preparation for the upcoming "Fencing with Dolly and Eddie" days. We and our neighbors are going to replace the fence between us and a 3rd neighbor - who may not like the result but there you go.......other tasks over the next week or so include preparing the ground for the trees we ordered.
We have had 5 trees (they were dead or dying) cut down and shredded. I was at work but Beth tells me the machine that shreds tree trunks was quite impressive. We now have three very large piles of mulch to spread around the garden to keep the crickets and bugs happy and the weeds at bay.
Talking of bugs - the recent wildlife sightings include the largest spider I have ever seen outside a zoo, a praying mantis, yet another wasps nest, a whole variety of crickets and grass hoppers (some of which fly locust like), On the vertebrate front we can add three different types of lizard and several small snakes - either a tiny breed of worm snake, or the young of something entirely more worrying.
We finished ground leveling for the shed last weekend - it will be delivered and installed tomorrow. It is 10x12ft. and will be very pretty when Beth has painted it. We also took down a small length of fencing in preparation for the upcoming "Fencing with Dolly and Eddie" days. We and our neighbors are going to replace the fence between us and a 3rd neighbor - who may not like the result but there you go.......other tasks over the next week or so include preparing the ground for the trees we ordered.
We have had 5 trees (they were dead or dying) cut down and shredded. I was at work but Beth tells me the machine that shreds tree trunks was quite impressive. We now have three very large piles of mulch to spread around the garden to keep the crickets and bugs happy and the weeds at bay.
Talking of bugs - the recent wildlife sightings include the largest spider I have ever seen outside a zoo, a praying mantis, yet another wasps nest, a whole variety of crickets and grass hoppers (some of which fly locust like), On the vertebrate front we can add three different types of lizard and several small snakes - either a tiny breed of worm snake, or the young of something entirely more worrying.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
Hurricane spawns transatlantic contest
Hurricane spawns transatlantic contest: "Anchored by a rope, Bowden was blown off his feet at 65 mph and kept reporting until hitting 100 mph. But the station's anchorman remarked that a correspondent for U.S. station Fox News had endured wind speeds of 110 mph in a wind tunnel.
After a breather, Bowden re-entered the wind tunnel and took the wind speed up just past 110 mph, salving British pride and -- as he said -- reclaiming the unofficial title for Britain. "
After a breather, Bowden re-entered the wind tunnel and took the wind speed up just past 110 mph, salving British pride and -- as he said -- reclaiming the unofficial title for Britain. "
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Is it a bird, or plane? No, it's Angle Grinder Man
Is it a bird, or plane? No, it's Angle Grinder Man: "He is Britain's self-styled 'first wheel-clamp and speed camera vigilante cum subversive superhero philanthropist entertainer type person'. "
Saturday, September 13, 2003
Better weather for a shed
Over the last few weeks we have had somewhat cooler and less humid weather - though it is back into the 80s today. So we have prepared the ground for our shed. We borrowed D & E 's rotivator (or roto tiller as they call them over here) to strip off the grass. E then helped me level the ground a bit and dig in some foundation blocks. So as of Monday Sept 22 we should have a nice big 12x10 shed to paint.
We have also arranged to have some trees taken down. Some dead and dying ones are in dangerous or awkward positions. It will cost a few hundred dollars but they will be shredded and mulched on site - so we will have a few tons of mulch left to cover the garden with and keep all those pesky weeds down.
We have also arranged to have some trees taken down. Some dead and dying ones are in dangerous or awkward positions. It will cost a few hundred dollars but they will be shredded and mulched on site - so we will have a few tons of mulch left to cover the garden with and keep all those pesky weeds down.
Friday, September 12, 2003
What a stupid way to fight a war on terror
CNN.com - Hoon criticized over Iraq report - Sep. 11, 2003: "In a report issued two years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the committee also said intelligence officials had warned Prime Minister Tony Blair that invading Iraq would make it easier for terrorists to obtain chemical or biological weapons."
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The blind prophet
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The blind prophet: "The warning was plain. Iraq was a breeding ground of terror, an incubator for al-Qaida and a clear and present danger to 'the civilised world'. Tony Blair was wary of that argument, but George Bush made it the heart of his case. At his eve-of-war press conference back in March, the president cast the coming attack as the next step in a story that had begun on September 11 2001. Iraq was providing 'training and safe haven to terrorists, terrorists who would willingly use weapons of mass destruction against America and other peace-loving countries'. The irony is that, at the time, this was not true. But it is now. "
Guardian Unlimited Film | News | Star attacks US culture of fear
Guardian Unlimited Film | News | Star attacks US culture of fear: "The actor, who is a supporter of liberal causes, said he was worried about the atmosphere in the US. 'I think we are being fed a lot of fear by people who would rather we were afraid than aware,' he said. "
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Thief trapped by his own finger
Thief trapped by his own finger: "Cologne police spokesman Juergen Laggies said the inebriated 42-year-old was unable to free his jammed digit during a smash-and-grab at a city convenience store. "
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Shed
We have ordered a 10ft x 12ft shed for our garden equipment. It comes in bits but the delivery guys assemble it and level it. We will still have to prepare the ground a bit. It is due in about three weeks. So we have time to do the work. However, if the weather continues as it has today then we will struggle! 80F and 100% hunidity at 8am. Thunderstorms by mid morning once more.
Friday, August 29, 2003
So why did his parents want to send cash back home rather than wire the money?
Nine-year-old foils $164,000 robbery: "A quick-witted nine-year-old boy thwarted robbers who made it out of his home with $164,000 (104,000 pounds) in cash before they were nabbed by police alerted to the caper by his covert mobile phone call."
Surely you would think that they would keep the money safe in a bank account and wire it - rather then send cash. After all, if you keep over $100,000 in the house someone might find out about it and steal it!
Surely you would think that they would keep the money safe in a bank account and wire it - rather then send cash. After all, if you keep over $100,000 in the house someone might find out about it and steal it!
Quite a good speech - Gore has gone up in my estimation
TAP: Vol 14, Iss. 8. Language and Leadership. Robert Kuttner.: "Who had written this speech? We know that George W. Bush, speaking off the cuff, is painfully clumsy whenever he tries to articulate more than two unscripted sentences. Bush's eloquence on formal occasions is a tribute to the strategic genius of Karl Rove coupled with the elegant phrasing of chief speechwriter Michael Gerson. This team could make a trained monkey sound like Churchill. Where had Al Gore, who repeatedly stumbled in 2000 campaign speeches, found such a craftsman? "
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Roy Hattersley: Keeping up appearances
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Roy Hattersley: Keeping up appearances: "Did Tony Blair not remember that his chief of staff had written a memorandum that explicitly rejected the claim that Saddam Hussein was a real and present danger to the west? Could he not recall that his office had engaged the MoD in a series of byzantine discussions about how Dr Kelly's identity should be made surreptitiously public? Had he forgotten that document after document confirmed that the Downing Street press office allowed its personal feelings towards the BBC to interfere with its protection of the public interest? Or did he think that all that damaging evidence of Tammany Hall manipulation could be suppressed? "
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Wasp hater torches flats
Wasp hater torches flats: "ZURICH (Reuters) - A man who tried to fight bothersome wasps with insect spray and a cigarette lighter burned down his apartment and two neighbouring flats, Swiss police say."
Monday, August 25, 2003
I've been to this place
BBC NEWS | Wales | Mid Wales | Record-breaking Phillip keeps bog title: "A 16-year-old swimmer has successfully defended his title in the annual bog snorkelling championships.
Phillip John, of Bridgend, south Wales, set a new record time of one minute 35 seconds after completing the course which involved swimming two lengths of a water-filled ditch.
Now in its 18th year, Monday's contest attracted a field of 97 entrants from as far away as Australia to a peat bog in the mid Wales town of Llanwrtyd Wells"
They say it either the smallest town, or largest village or some such. I went there a few times for the "Mid Wales Beer Festival". They hold several events a year to bring in tourists and fill up the hotels - such as a "Man V Horse" race through the mountains. Quite a thriving little place.
Phillip John, of Bridgend, south Wales, set a new record time of one minute 35 seconds after completing the course which involved swimming two lengths of a water-filled ditch.
Now in its 18th year, Monday's contest attracted a field of 97 entrants from as far away as Australia to a peat bog in the mid Wales town of Llanwrtyd Wells"
They say it either the smallest town, or largest village or some such. I went there a few times for the "Mid Wales Beer Festival". They hold several events a year to bring in tourists and fill up the hotels - such as a "Man V Horse" race through the mountains. Quite a thriving little place.
Passion for pigeons traps suspected killer
Passion for pigeons traps suspected killer: "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian man suspected of murdering his wife 14 years ago has finally been arrested because of his passion for pigeons, police say.
Marcel Pirson, who eluded the police after changing his name and moving house, was caught after his picture showed up in a magazine for pigeon fanciers."
Marcel Pirson, who eluded the police after changing his name and moving house, was caught after his picture showed up in a magazine for pigeon fanciers."
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The foot soldiers are rebelling
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The foot soldiers are rebelling: "Is it too late to change course? Perhaps not. 'Defeating al-Qaida would not end the problem of proliferation,' writes Madeleine Albright in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, 'because al-Qaida is deadly even without nuclear, chemical and biological arms. But, meanwhile, the nuclear programmes of North Korea and Iran are driven by nationalism, not terrorism, and must be dealt with primarily on that basis. September 11, the administration's eureka moment, caused it to lump together terrorists and rogue regimes and to come up with a prescription for fighting them - namely, pre-emption - that frightens and divides the world at precisely the moment US security depends on bringing people together.'
So wiser counsels may finally prevail. So the flaunting of US power, the facile bullying of Iran and Syria, the belief that the Pentagon can run the world may be over. But is it already too late?
Why should we assume, for instance, that a UN-led force in Iraq will not be sabotaged and attacked? That wasn't last week's obvious lesson. Why should we assume that a broader Nato coalition - as in Kosovo - will fit the bill? Al-Qaida lives in Riyadh, not Pristina. Getting in was easy. Getting out is already a nightmare, the nightmare for George Bush. And Tony Blair's deepest worry after Hutton, curiously, may be what happens to the faithful dog when he no longer hears his master's voice, singing the Song of the South. "
So wiser counsels may finally prevail. So the flaunting of US power, the facile bullying of Iran and Syria, the belief that the Pentagon can run the world may be over. But is it already too late?
Why should we assume, for instance, that a UN-led force in Iraq will not be sabotaged and attacked? That wasn't last week's obvious lesson. Why should we assume that a broader Nato coalition - as in Kosovo - will fit the bill? Al-Qaida lives in Riyadh, not Pristina. Getting in was easy. Getting out is already a nightmare, the nightmare for George Bush. And Tony Blair's deepest worry after Hutton, curiously, may be what happens to the faithful dog when he no longer hears his master's voice, singing the Song of the South. "
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Whale wrecks family's sailing trip
BBC NEWS | England | West Midlands | Whale wrecks family's sailing trip:
A family has told how their sailing 'holiday of a lifetime' was wrecked when a 30-foot whale jumped out of the ocean and landed on their boat. The Johnson family from Coventry believe they are lucky to have survived the incident which happened off the east coast of Australia during a family holiday. The humpback whale - one of the world's largest mammals - crashed onto the boat's deck taking its 40-foot mast and rigging with it and destroying a safety rail.
A family has told how their sailing 'holiday of a lifetime' was wrecked when a 30-foot whale jumped out of the ocean and landed on their boat. The Johnson family from Coventry believe they are lucky to have survived the incident which happened off the east coast of Australia during a family holiday. The humpback whale - one of the world's largest mammals - crashed onto the boat's deck taking its 40-foot mast and rigging with it and destroying a safety rail.
Monday, August 18, 2003
Bacon mistaken for human head
BBC NEWS | England | Merseyside | Bacon mistaken for human head:
"Police have apologised to an artist after raiding his home when an artwork made out of bacon was mistaken for a human head.
Richard Morrison, 37, of Wavertree, Liverpool, returned home to find his door had been kicked in by police with a search warrant.
They had been acting on a tip off from a criminal who had broken into the artist's home just days earlier. He told officer he had seen a human head in Mr Morrison's house. But it was in fact a mask made from rashers of bacon, stored in formaldehyde. "
"Police have apologised to an artist after raiding his home when an artwork made out of bacon was mistaken for a human head.
Richard Morrison, 37, of Wavertree, Liverpool, returned home to find his door had been kicked in by police with a search warrant.
They had been acting on a tip off from a criminal who had broken into the artist's home just days earlier. He told officer he had seen a human head in Mr Morrison's house. But it was in fact a mask made from rashers of bacon, stored in formaldehyde. "
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Man accidently shoots six at his birthday party
Man accidently shoots six at his birthday party:
OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian has accidentally shot and wounded six of his friends at a surprise party to celebrate his 40th birthday, police say. The man found out about the party in a forest cabin in south Norway beforehand and hid behind trees nearby with a shotgun as about 30 guests turned up on Saturday night, hoping to turn the surprise on his friends, He blasted off one round in the air, meaning it as a joke to shock the partygoers. But when he came out from his hiding place, he tripped and the gun went off again, badly hurting one woman in the legs and slightly injuring five others. 'Seven people were taken to hospital in Fredrikstad including the man who shot. He wasn't physically hurt but in deep shock,' a police spokesman said on Sunday.
The party was cancelled.
OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian has accidentally shot and wounded six of his friends at a surprise party to celebrate his 40th birthday, police say. The man found out about the party in a forest cabin in south Norway beforehand and hid behind trees nearby with a shotgun as about 30 guests turned up on Saturday night, hoping to turn the surprise on his friends, He blasted off one round in the air, meaning it as a joke to shock the partygoers. But when he came out from his hiding place, he tripped and the gun went off again, badly hurting one woman in the legs and slightly injuring five others. 'Seven people were taken to hospital in Fredrikstad including the man who shot. He wasn't physically hurt but in deep shock,' a police spokesman said on Sunday.
The party was cancelled.
Garden
Well at last the weather was kind to us and we were provided with a not too humid not overly hot and not raining Sunday morning. So we removed another small ornamental tree, cut back the buddleia and removed about 1/3 of our 10 feet tall (but now dying) sunflowers. Not one sunflower seed remains on the plants. The squirrels and birds have got them all. We also trimmed a few shrubs and pulled a few weeds.
Lots of hummingbirds around as well. I remember, having never seen a hummingbird before, how amazed I was and how I watched the first one I saw. Now they are so common that you hardly notice them.
Lots of hummingbirds around as well. I remember, having never seen a hummingbird before, how amazed I was and how I watched the first one I saw. Now they are so common that you hardly notice them.
Dinner with a Drummer
Beth and I went out for dinner with Dolly and Eddie. We paid as a thank you for Eddie's help in putting up and wiring the surround sound speakers. Dolly did provide a $10 discount voucher – so I told them I would pay and they could eat up to $10 worth of food! We went to a seafood restaurant. Once more I tried to find a decent English style fish and chips but got nowhere near. The fish was fine and the chips were fine. It is just not quite the same. Finding cod and haddock is also difficult.
Eddie and Dolly came back for coffee and so we played a CD on the surround sound so that Eddie could listen to his handiwork. I chose a James Taylor CD. I knew Eddie was formerly a professional drummer, but it turns out he played with James Taylor many years ago in LA.
Eddie and Dolly came back for coffee and so we played a CD on the surround sound so that Eddie could listen to his handiwork. I chose a James Taylor CD. I knew Eddie was formerly a professional drummer, but it turns out he played with James Taylor many years ago in LA.
Saturday, August 16, 2003
Weather or Not
We were going to go into the garden and tidy things up a bit this morning no matter how hot and humid it was. So we woke to a thunderstorm, waved a white flag and didn’t bother. Better luck tomorrow we hope. A neighbor cuts our grass for us, at least he managed to get that done yesterday.
Friday, August 15, 2003
Customer Service in the New South - Part 4
Beth has been trying to get some response from either the retailer of, or the manufacturer of, our sofa. It is just over six months old and we have a squeak in the arm. An examination of the sales documentation showed that the retailer free repair warranty was for 6 months. We declined to extend it to five years. So we though we would call them anyway and see what they said. The manufacturer has a ten year warranty so we thought we would try them too.
W sent an e-mail to the retailer and we got a response from Columbia SC saying they could find no record of the sale. We bought the sofa in Charlotte NC. So we called the local store. They gave Beth another number to call. Beth called that number - FIVE TIMES - and each time was put on hold or transferred to an automated system.
argggggh
So Beth called the store back and asked that she speak to a human being. The store took our number and said someone would call back. We are still waiting. They probably have a web cam in the sofa and are waiting for the house to be empty so they can call and leave a message - asking us to ring on the same unanswered number as before.
This is another aspect of America that is rapidly catching on in the UK - call center automation systems that mean you never speak to a human never get your problem resolved and hate the retailer/supplier/manufacturer or whoever for ever afterwards. Do these people realize just how much they piss off their customers by doing things on the cheap. Why can't you pick up the phone, call a number and speak to someone who can solve your problem?
So much for the retailer.
the manufacturer has an e-mail address on their web site. So we sent them a message. It was returned as an invalid address. Why can't they have a working e-mail address on their web site? There was no 800 number so we faxed a request rather then making a long distance call to an automated service that would no doubt ask us to leave a message after pressing 4 menu selections and punching in our social security number.
W sent an e-mail to the retailer and we got a response from Columbia SC saying they could find no record of the sale. We bought the sofa in Charlotte NC. So we called the local store. They gave Beth another number to call. Beth called that number - FIVE TIMES - and each time was put on hold or transferred to an automated system.
argggggh
So Beth called the store back and asked that she speak to a human being. The store took our number and said someone would call back. We are still waiting. They probably have a web cam in the sofa and are waiting for the house to be empty so they can call and leave a message - asking us to ring on the same unanswered number as before.
This is another aspect of America that is rapidly catching on in the UK - call center automation systems that mean you never speak to a human never get your problem resolved and hate the retailer/supplier/manufacturer or whoever for ever afterwards. Do these people realize just how much they piss off their customers by doing things on the cheap. Why can't you pick up the phone, call a number and speak to someone who can solve your problem?
So much for the retailer.
the manufacturer has an e-mail address on their web site. So we sent them a message. It was returned as an invalid address. Why can't they have a working e-mail address on their web site? There was no 800 number so we faxed a request rather then making a long distance call to an automated service that would no doubt ask us to leave a message after pressing 4 menu selections and punching in our social security number.
What caused the blackouts?
BBC NEWS | Business | What caused the blackouts?
A Swiss national I met at a customers in Texas was asked about differences between life in the USA and Europe. One thing he noted was that they get more power cuts! This is something I too had noticed over in the Carolinas. It appears that one of reasons is under investment. Other reasons I would add are:
1) Extreme weather
2) Cables on poles rather than in the ground increasing the risks of damage from the extreme weather.
Surely it is better in the long term to out cables underground than pay the additional repair costs caused by wind, ice and snow damage. In my home town in the USA they have been cutting back trees to keep them clear of cables. An entirely avoidable expense if the cables are under ground.
Which brings me to another point. Doing things on the cheap. So much of America's reputation as being a low cost place to be is caused by things being done on the cheap. Mind you electricity prices are higher here than in the UK - so may be the whole industry needs a kick up the back side. Perhaps yesterdays fiasco will the catalyst they need.
A Swiss national I met at a customers in Texas was asked about differences between life in the USA and Europe. One thing he noted was that they get more power cuts! This is something I too had noticed over in the Carolinas. It appears that one of reasons is under investment. Other reasons I would add are:
1) Extreme weather
2) Cables on poles rather than in the ground increasing the risks of damage from the extreme weather.
Surely it is better in the long term to out cables underground than pay the additional repair costs caused by wind, ice and snow damage. In my home town in the USA they have been cutting back trees to keep them clear of cables. An entirely avoidable expense if the cables are under ground.
Which brings me to another point. Doing things on the cheap. So much of America's reputation as being a low cost place to be is caused by things being done on the cheap. Mind you electricity prices are higher here than in the UK - so may be the whole industry needs a kick up the back side. Perhaps yesterdays fiasco will the catalyst they need.
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Texas arrests oldest bank robber
Texas arrests oldest bank robber:
"DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas police say they have arrested a 91-year-old man suspected of robbing an Abilene bank, possibly making him the oldest bank robber in U.S. history."
"DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas police say they have arrested a 91-year-old man suspected of robbing an Abilene bank, possibly making him the oldest bank robber in U.S. history."
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
How come this is on the Yahoo UK site but not the US one or CNN.com?
Thousands denounce U.S. in Baghdad protest:
"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims have poured into the streets of a Baghdad neighbourhood to denounce U.S. troops who they say have defiled a religious school by flying low in a helicopter, which struck its flag.
'No, no to America!' shouted protesters who flooded the streets of a sprawling suburb populated mainly by poor Shi'ites, who form a long-oppressed majority of Iraq's population.
Arab television aired film showing a U.S. helicopter flying low over a tower where a black flag was flying. Its wheel appeared to touch the religious banner."
"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims have poured into the streets of a Baghdad neighbourhood to denounce U.S. troops who they say have defiled a religious school by flying low in a helicopter, which struck its flag.
'No, no to America!' shouted protesters who flooded the streets of a sprawling suburb populated mainly by poor Shi'ites, who form a long-oppressed majority of Iraq's population.
Arab television aired film showing a U.S. helicopter flying low over a tower where a black flag was flying. Its wheel appeared to touch the religious banner."
Employer Demands Amazing Rights and Indemnity
My wife applied for a job working at home for a medical transcription company. They checked her references and offered her the job. Along with all the papers to sign was one requesting her permission for the employer to check: driving records (for a working at home job?), credit records, criminal records and also the right to perform a full consumer enquiry that may entail them asking questions of neighbors about her lifestyle. Should any of the "information" they find be wrong Beth was also asked to waive her rights to sue them for any actions taken as result of them discovering anything true or false as part of these researches. Beth refused to sign and so does not have a job with them - despite their offer. The personnel dept did admit that "a lot of people have trouble with the document" and a lot of people don't sign it. I'm not surprised. The company did say they hardly ever investigate but it gives them a "comfort" factor. It makes me feel very uncomfortable that they can actually do such a thing. Freedom is as much about your protection from unwarranted intrusion as it is about your right to do things. Its about time the rights of people were given as much prominence as the rights of business.
Wierd News
I have placed some text here in case the links expire before you get to read these.
Link A Polish ostrich farmer is demanding damages from balloonists he says scared one of his birds to death. The farmer says his ostriches panicked at the sight of the approaching hot air balloon. One ran into a building, fatally wounding itself, while another escaped never to be seen again. He is demanding 12,400 zlotys (2,120 pounds) damages from the balloon pilots who landed near the farm during a competition two years ago near the central city of Lodz.
Link AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A burglar who took a nap after breaking into an elderly woman's house in Amsterdam has been arrested after she found him asleep on her couch. The burglar slipped in through a window and combed the house for valuables before settling down for a snooze, police said. He was rumbled at about 6 a.m. when the pensioner found him in her living room and called the police. "The police came and he was still asleep. They woke him up," ....."He was very tired. He lay on the couch and fell asleep," Van der Veen said.
Link SANAA (Reuters) - A man begging at a mosque in Yemen has been exposed as not being as destitute as he pretended when his mobile started ringing inopportunely.
Link A Polish ostrich farmer is demanding damages from balloonists he says scared one of his birds to death. The farmer says his ostriches panicked at the sight of the approaching hot air balloon. One ran into a building, fatally wounding itself, while another escaped never to be seen again. He is demanding 12,400 zlotys (2,120 pounds) damages from the balloon pilots who landed near the farm during a competition two years ago near the central city of Lodz.
Link AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A burglar who took a nap after breaking into an elderly woman's house in Amsterdam has been arrested after she found him asleep on her couch. The burglar slipped in through a window and combed the house for valuables before settling down for a snooze, police said. He was rumbled at about 6 a.m. when the pensioner found him in her living room and called the police. "The police came and he was still asleep. They woke him up," ....."He was very tired. He lay on the couch and fell asleep," Van der Veen said.
Link SANAA (Reuters) - A man begging at a mosque in Yemen has been exposed as not being as destitute as he pretended when his mobile started ringing inopportunely.
Beth's a bit better
Beth seems to be improving day by day. Well enough today to venture into the garden (or as I am in America maybe I should say "yard") and take a trip to "Linens n Things" to buy a much needed pepper mill.
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Surround Sound and DVD Player
We have now got everything installed and hooked up. A neighbor helped fix the surround speakers to the wall and hide the wires behind the picture rail. I say, "helped", in fact he did most of the work. We shall take him and his wife out to dinner as recompense. So now we are able to listen to music CDs with some comfort and quality as well as enjoying the delights of HBO (a cable channel - UK readers will probably know of their shows "Sex in the City" and "Six Feet Under") in surround sound and Dolby digital and all that hi tech stuff.
Marriage
Those who know me and have also decided to read my Blog will have noticed how I refer to "my wife" on occasion. Well we did get married in June. A quiet ceremony with no guests. Lots of reasons why we did so, and lots of reasons why we chose to do it on the QT.
Weather
As I sit here the thunder is rumbling all around once more and I also see storms are now rumbling around the UK as the magic 100F is passed. Once more we have been unable to get into the garden to tidy it up a bit. Normally it gets drier here in the summer and so the grass and weeds do not grow as quickly as they do in the spring. This year has been wet, the grass just loves it when it rains every day and the temperature is 80-90F. Beth has been not too well again today so perhaps it is just as well we decided to have a quiet morning indoors.
BBC NEWS | UK | Hottest day ever in UK
BBC NEWS | UK | Hottest day ever in UK:
"The record for the hottest day ever in Britain was broken on Sunday as temperatures soared to 37.4C (99.3F). "
"The record for the hottest day ever in Britain was broken on Sunday as temperatures soared to 37.4C (99.3F). "
Thursday, August 07, 2003
New York Hawks grounded after Chihuahua attack
New York Hawks grounded after Chihuahua attack:
"The use of hawks to control the pigeon population at a park near New York's Times Square has been suspended after one of the birds attacked a Chihuahua, mistaking the miniature dog for a rat."
Well it made me laugh.
"The use of hawks to control the pigeon population at a park near New York's Times Square has been suspended after one of the birds attacked a Chihuahua, mistaking the miniature dog for a rat."
Well it made me laugh.
Customer Service - Health Insurance, Part 1
Is it me, or do US Health Insurance companies treat their customers as if they were criminal fraudsters? You or your employer pays them large amounts of money to provide payment for medical treatment. The insurance compnay then does its best not to pay your medical bills either promptly to ensure that you have to pay and claim a refund, which they then delay. Has anyone out there had a bill of more than $250.00 paid in full, first time without query?
Weather
I'm back again after a few days away from Blogging.
I have been thinking about the weather. I have only been living in the USA for six or seven months but have visited this part of the USA many times over the last four or five years. This summer is the wettest I have know. It seems to rain every day. As the UK and the rest of Europe suffers in the record breaking heat wave and as year after year weather records for hottest, coldest, wettest, driest seem to get broken somewhere with increasing frequency, I have to wonder is there something in this global warming after all.
I have been thinking about the weather. I have only been living in the USA for six or seven months but have visited this part of the USA many times over the last four or five years. This summer is the wettest I have know. It seems to rain every day. As the UK and the rest of Europe suffers in the record breaking heat wave and as year after year weather records for hottest, coldest, wettest, driest seem to get broken somewhere with increasing frequency, I have to wonder is there something in this global warming after all.
Sunday, August 03, 2003
Customer Service in England - Part 1
I was thinking about the unusually poor Bob Evans experience (see post below) and how that contrasted with English restaurants. As a general rule if the restaurant in England is part of a chain the service is terrible. I stopped going to Beefeaters, Frankie & Bennies, Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays in England. For example you arrive, you are seated, you order drinks, you get drinks, you order food and you wait 25 minutes. Then, after the food arrives, every minute waiting staff interrupt your conversation to ask if everything is alright. It would be nice to get the food sooner and it would nice to be asked if everything was alright whilst I am still waiting for the food! At least then I can tell them "it is not alright I want my food!".
We complained once in Frankie and Benny's and were told that it took 25 minutes to cook a Canadian steak. When I said it doesn't the response from the manager was that there was a lot of demand for the equipment they used to cook it. So I suggested perhaps they should start cooking it earlier - for example when the starter arrived. I was told they never cook the entree until the starter is finished. All they could do was argue with me at every point. I had been kept waiting 25 minutes between courses and it was not the fault of the restaurant. It was my fault for ordering an entree that takes 25 minutes to cook on equipment they didn't have enough of. No "sorry" from them at all.
We wrote to head office and got a free meal voucher.
To spend the voucher we reserved a smoking table at a different branch. We were seated at a non smoker. We complained and were moved. We ordered and 25 minutes later the food arrived. We said it had taken a long time and was told it takes 25 minutes to cook a burger. I noticed that the people at the table next to us had their food delivered in two lots. Two people had eaten theirs before the second couple's food arrived. I was also brushed and knocked in the back every time a waiter went past my table. We wrote to head office again telling them we have had it with their restaurant chain.
We complained once in Frankie and Benny's and were told that it took 25 minutes to cook a Canadian steak. When I said it doesn't the response from the manager was that there was a lot of demand for the equipment they used to cook it. So I suggested perhaps they should start cooking it earlier - for example when the starter arrived. I was told they never cook the entree until the starter is finished. All they could do was argue with me at every point. I had been kept waiting 25 minutes between courses and it was not the fault of the restaurant. It was my fault for ordering an entree that takes 25 minutes to cook on equipment they didn't have enough of. No "sorry" from them at all.
We wrote to head office and got a free meal voucher.
To spend the voucher we reserved a smoking table at a different branch. We were seated at a non smoker. We complained and were moved. We ordered and 25 minutes later the food arrived. We said it had taken a long time and was told it takes 25 minutes to cook a burger. I noticed that the people at the table next to us had their food delivered in two lots. Two people had eaten theirs before the second couple's food arrived. I was also brushed and knocked in the back every time a waiter went past my table. We wrote to head office again telling them we have had it with their restaurant chain.
Customer Service in the New South - Part 3
I have to say that our favorite restaurant is Bob Evans. They serve unpretentious food at good prices and he service is usually good. I sense a bit of snobbery in that people I work with regard it as being down-market and even tasteless to eat there. I disagree. I like it. Compared to other value eateries I find Bob Evans to be a better atmosphere and better service.
That said we had a long wait in a busy Bob Evans yesterday. The car park was pretty full when we arrived and we then had a five-minute wait for a table. I noticed when we were seated that a couple who arrived after us had been seated first. I also noted that the tables around us were occupied by people who were not yet eating – a sure sign of delays in the kitchen. Eventually of server arrived and we ordered the food at the same time as the drinks to reduce delay. Despite this it was 35 minutes from sit down to food arriving.
WE told the server that we knew it was not her fault and asked for the manager. The manager arrived apologized (we said it was below their usual standards) and said they had some no show staff and the cooks were new and slower than usual. The managers knew it was poor service and did not attempt to argue. We ended up with a 20% discount.
That said we had a long wait in a busy Bob Evans yesterday. The car park was pretty full when we arrived and we then had a five-minute wait for a table. I noticed when we were seated that a couple who arrived after us had been seated first. I also noted that the tables around us were occupied by people who were not yet eating – a sure sign of delays in the kitchen. Eventually of server arrived and we ordered the food at the same time as the drinks to reduce delay. Despite this it was 35 minutes from sit down to food arriving.
WE told the server that we knew it was not her fault and asked for the manager. The manager arrived apologized (we said it was below their usual standards) and said they had some no show staff and the cooks were new and slower than usual. The managers knew it was poor service and did not attempt to argue. We ended up with a 20% discount.
Thermostat Wires
So we were "advised" to wire up the thermostat colors that were obvious and told to ignore the others as they were likely to be power that the new thermostat did not need as it was battery powered. We wired it up and the fan worked but not the AC compressor. So we put the old thermostat back again.
We searched the internet for help but only found one similar question. Another user with the same problem as us – there was not posted reply!
Back to the drawing board or pay someone $200 to come and wire it for us. Ho hum.
We searched the internet for help but only found one similar question. Another user with the same problem as us – there was not posted reply!
Back to the drawing board or pay someone $200 to come and wire it for us. Ho hum.
Saturday, August 02, 2003
Surround Sound
So we went out today to look at surround sound receivers and speaker systems. We did not intend to buy but we did. At some point I will need assistance moving the very heavy TV we have and the armoire so we can wire it all up. We will also have to wire the rear speakers through walls and the loft. It is going to be quite a project. Sony Receiver and Speakers to go with the Sony TV. The DVD player (when it arrives) will be a JVC. We got a decent amp and speakers because we want to kill several birds with one stone and use the TV surround sound for playing music CDs so that we don’t have to buy a Hi Fi as well. At the moment we have to listen to our music on a boom box or in the car.
DVD Player
I have ordered a multi-region DVD player - a difficult thing to get here in the USA. This will allow me to play my PAL DVDs coded for the European region here on my American TV. "Coded for Europe? What do you mean?" I hear American readers ask. The global movie industry has decided that it is too expensive and difficult to launch movies simultaneously across the globe. So they launch (usually) first in the USA and then other parts of the world a few months later. This means that the DVD is usually available in the USA sometimes before, sometimes just after the movie launches in Europe. In order not to hit cinema takings the USA DVD will not play on European machines. "All perfectly reasonable" you may think, after all these movie companies have invested millions in the movies and deserve to protect their income.
There are, however, a couple of side effects.
Firstly, if you live in the USA and you want to buy a European DVD that has not been released to the US market you need to make sure it will play on your DVD player. There are European movies, comedians and TV shows on DVD that the USA has never seen nor heard of, and will not be able to, because you can't play the DVDs. As a European in the USA I cannot play some of my DVDs unless I acquire a multi-region player.
Secondly, this practice also allows differential pricing. You can charge more for the DVD in Europe than in the USA. European residents are all too aware of this. As a result many of them re-code, re-chip, acquire or generally customize their DVD players to play all regions and then buy their DVDs online in the USA at a reduced price.
How long will the competition authorities allow big corporations to get together to "protect" their income from consumers who have the temerity to protect their own pockets by buying in a global market? The same global market that the media companies want to sell into?
There are, however, a couple of side effects.
Firstly, if you live in the USA and you want to buy a European DVD that has not been released to the US market you need to make sure it will play on your DVD player. There are European movies, comedians and TV shows on DVD that the USA has never seen nor heard of, and will not be able to, because you can't play the DVDs. As a European in the USA I cannot play some of my DVDs unless I acquire a multi-region player.
Secondly, this practice also allows differential pricing. You can charge more for the DVD in Europe than in the USA. European residents are all too aware of this. As a result many of them re-code, re-chip, acquire or generally customize their DVD players to play all regions and then buy their DVDs online in the USA at a reduced price.
How long will the competition authorities allow big corporations to get together to "protect" their income from consumers who have the temerity to protect their own pockets by buying in a global market? The same global market that the media companies want to sell into?
Friday, August 01, 2003
Economist.com | Afghanistan
Economist.com | Afghanistan: "The Bush administration is considering awarding a further $1 billion in aid to Afghanistan. The Americans want to show that their wars can bring democracy and prosperity. But Afghanistan is still poor and lawless"
It looks like the USA will be "in" Iraq and Afganistan for some time to come.
It looks like the USA will be "in" Iraq and Afganistan for some time to come.
So what was the war for then?
It is entirely predictable that the war would have this effect, and this result should probably have been expected. So if this is the case why was the war fought to make us safer?
News: "The war to topple Saddam Hussein may have damaged the campaign against international terrorism by driving Muslims into the arms of al-Qa'ida, an all-party committee of MPs said yesterday.
The Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee said al-Qa'ida remained a 'significant threat' to Britain, after hearing that the terrorist network may still have the loyalty of more than 17,000 militants in up to 60 countries."
News: "The war to topple Saddam Hussein may have damaged the campaign against international terrorism by driving Muslims into the arms of al-Qa'ida, an all-party committee of MPs said yesterday.
The Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee said al-Qa'ida remained a 'significant threat' to Britain, after hearing that the terrorist network may still have the loyalty of more than 17,000 militants in up to 60 countries."
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Driving Habits
I don’t know if it is an “American Thing” or just a “Southern Thing” but driving styles and habits are certainly different over here. Being allowed to “undertake” or pass on the right means that lane discipline is less important, but it does mean that you have to keep your wits about you when driving. Which makes it a pity that so many American Drivers seem not to! The number of last minute dives for an off ramp and even backing up along the shoulder to get to an exit that was just passed amazes me. There have been construction works at my local interstate exit that resulted in tailbacks on the interstate at peak times. The number of people running into the back of the tail back astounded me. This is all despite state troopers parking a mile before the exit and despite all the warning signs.
Americans seem slower away from the lights as well. European drivers whiz away accelerating quite hard compared to Americans. Europeans seem far more comfortable driving round corners as well. Maybe the Americans have so many roll over accidents in their SUVs that they dare not take corners at more then 20mph.
That said I do like the American roads and car parks. Wide roads, good access to most places and plenty of parking. In England I began to hate the planning policy of not allowing offices to have one space per employee, especially in areas where there is poor public transport. Instead of encouraging car sharing and use of busses it just results in illegal parking.
Car use and congestion are going to increase whatever policy governments have towards the car and transport. We have to learn to live with it, learn to reduce congestion by effective junction rebuilding and new road construction. We also have to learn how to reduce the pollution generated as a result. The US car manufacture and oil lobby does itself no favors by telling us how expensive fuel efficient vehicles will be – the same way oil companies told us lead free gas was uneconomic!
Americans seem slower away from the lights as well. European drivers whiz away accelerating quite hard compared to Americans. Europeans seem far more comfortable driving round corners as well. Maybe the Americans have so many roll over accidents in their SUVs that they dare not take corners at more then 20mph.
That said I do like the American roads and car parks. Wide roads, good access to most places and plenty of parking. In England I began to hate the planning policy of not allowing offices to have one space per employee, especially in areas where there is poor public transport. Instead of encouraging car sharing and use of busses it just results in illegal parking.
Car use and congestion are going to increase whatever policy governments have towards the car and transport. We have to learn to live with it, learn to reduce congestion by effective junction rebuilding and new road construction. We also have to learn how to reduce the pollution generated as a result. The US car manufacture and oil lobby does itself no favors by telling us how expensive fuel efficient vehicles will be – the same way oil companies told us lead free gas was uneconomic!
Why do they do this?
Google News: "Khaled Amer's family tilled their vegetable fields and guava groves for three generations -- until Israel cut their land in half with a security barrier it's building in the West Bank. "
Why does Israel deliberately deprive Palestinians of a livelihood? Do they think the Palestinians will blame their own terrorists? It seems to me all they do is alienate more Palestinians and so make the problem worse.
Why does Israel deliberately deprive Palestinians of a livelihood? Do they think the Palestinians will blame their own terrorists? It seems to me all they do is alienate more Palestinians and so make the problem worse.
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Customer Service in "The New South" - Part 2 of an occasional series
Well the garage door guys arrived looking like they came direct from jail. Apparently they were under the impression that the door wouldn't close (despite the fact that the door was closed behind them after they arrived). After they were reminded that they were here to replace the torsion spring they decided that they would have to order one. So they were reminded that the man in the office said they would be bringing one with them. So they looked in the truck and found one. So a new (or maybe used) spring was fitted and the door was serviced. It nows opens and closes as before with much less noise. We also feel a lot safer when driving and walking under it.
BBC NEWS | Education | Sexy pop stars 'threaten childhood'
BBC NEWS | Education | Sexy pop stars 'threaten childhood': "'Kylie Minogue might be a great singer but in many of these things you can see more of her bottom than you hear of her voice,' said Mr O'Neill. "
Some of us are not convinced that she is a great singer either.
Some of us are not convinced that she is a great singer either.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Banks and E-Payments
Readers in the UK will be interested to hear about the "e-payment" services available via web service companies like Yahoo and my own bank. Automated payment systems here seem a little behind those in the UK. I was not able to (easily) set up a draft or similar payment to my electricity and water provider - so I set them up for e-payment via my bank's on-line services. Would you believe that I instruct them how much to pay and when and my bank prints a check and mails it to them! One of these days they will computerize this.
Filters and Customer Service
You will all be pleased to hear that I managed to get the correct filters at last. You will also be pleased to hear that Lowes took the wrong ones back for full credit without question, even though I had opened the packaging of one of them.
Customer Service in "The New South" - Part 1 of an occasional series.
Our garage door needed a new torsion spring. So a maintenance company was identified and called. They said that they would fit a new spring and service the door "first thing" on Monday. My wife waited to 9.30am to call them and ask when "first thing" was. The reply was that they were unsure where the crew were and what they were doing. They appeared not too bothered about the situation. We decided to wait awhile before calling another firm and getting them to do the job. A couple of tattooed workmen arrived to fix "your garage door that won't close". "No," my wife replied, "a torsion spring needs replacing". The response was that they had no torsion springs and that it would be a couple of days before they would be delivered. My wife told them that she had been informed last week that they had them in stock and would bring them today. The truck was checked and lo and behold torsion springs were found! The door is now fixed and seems to be a lot quieter than it was.
Tax Rebate
Well I don't have any children and so I will be paying more taxes than someone with the same income as me who has. Having children is a lifestyle choice. It is neither a duty nor a right. I object to subsidizing those who choose to have a family. Now of course co-workers who are happily displaying their $800 and even $1,200 checks from the taxman surround me. I who will be paying more tax than them get nothing.
At least I understand that life is not fair! I shall try not to be too envious as they go on a spending spree this weekend - which has been declared purchase tax free by the local authorities.
At least I understand that life is not fair! I shall try not to be too envious as they go on a spending spree this weekend - which has been declared purchase tax free by the local authorities.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
The Iraq Thing
I was and continue to be stunned by the US media over the whole "Iraq Thing". I am amazed at how they accept everything the government says as true and then act as if it is their duty to back their government in a war. I would have thought that the duty of an independent media was to truthfully and accurately inform the public, analyze policy and methods in detail and to question the government actions - especially in a time of war. The way Fox News uses the "War on Terror" banner when referring to Iraq also adds to the widely held belief in he USA that Sadaam was responsible for 9/11.
Why does it suit the government’s purpose to have people think this? Why do Fox News wish to confuse people this way?
I wonder if the US decision to go to war will make the USA and its citizens safer or not? I think not. As far as I can tell no Americans feel safer as result of the war - so why did we fight it?
Why does it suit the government’s purpose to have people think this? Why do Fox News wish to confuse people this way?
I wonder if the US decision to go to war will make the USA and its citizens safer or not? I think not. As far as I can tell no Americans feel safer as result of the war - so why did we fight it?
Thermostat Wires
We think that the old mechanical thermostat was inaccurate and not providing us with proper control. So off we went to Lowes to buy a new electronic one. Fitting these is quite straightforward. You note and label the wires as you disconnect them from the old one. Each terminal is labeled with a letter code you see, and you simply attach the wire that was labeled "RC" on the old thermostat to the connector labeled "RC" on the new one. We expected there to be 4,5 or 6 wires attached to the old one and had instructions and a plan to deal with any number in that range. Imagine our surprise to discover 7 wires. We put the old one back together again and decided to seek further advice.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Blogging Books
We went to the library today and I borrowed two books. One is on blogging the other on HTML. So maybe they can teach me how to make this blog more interesting in content and visually. No doubt time will tell.
Filters!
Well we needed to change the filter in the airconditioning/heating return so we bought a nice three pack at Lowes. Imagine our surprise when we got them home to find they were the wrong size. So I changed them just now and brought back yet another set all the wrong size. I really must start writing things down when I go shopping. My brain is not what it used to be.
Friday, July 25, 2003
Banks
I find it hard to understand why the banks over here seem almost reluctant to use a system similar to "direct debits" in common use in the UK. It took three attempts over 5 months to get my mortgage lender to draft from my checking account. When we cancelled an arrangement with an insurance company they told us it was too late to stop a draft and they would re-fund. So we contacted our bank and asked for them to put a stop on the draft. The bank said they could do that but it would only work if the stop was for an exact amount that we had to specify. Apparently they cannot put a stop on a specific draft to a specific company! To stop a direct debit for any amount in the UK took me about 10 seconds via the internet.
In the USA it is hard to find a bank that won't charge you an arm and a leg for being their customer (unless you keep say $5,000) in your checking account. In the Uk it is hard to find a bank that does not provide free checks, free ATMs, free statements, unlimited free teller transactions, even free overdrafts!
Mind you the more fragmented banking system here does provide for lots of choice.
In the USA it is hard to find a bank that won't charge you an arm and a leg for being their customer (unless you keep say $5,000) in your checking account. In the Uk it is hard to find a bank that does not provide free checks, free ATMs, free statements, unlimited free teller transactions, even free overdrafts!
Mind you the more fragmented banking system here does provide for lots of choice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)