Star Trek XI

A poster for Star Trek XI (due for completion in 2008) has been released confirming 100% that this is going to be some kind of prequel (please God not Starfleet Academy) involving characters from the original series. So probably not my cup of tea...

Technorati : movies, star trek

Workity Workity Work

***You can ignore this it's a braindump/rant****

Since this blog was "reinvented" after I moved to London I've stopped talking about my job. Not because I'm ashamed to work in customer service, but because work is, in my opinion, just about earning money to survive.

But... customers are so stupid and I just have get this out of my system... Outside of work, especially when I'm around people who don't know my job description, all I ever hear is complaints about customer service. Entire websites are devoted to moaning, whinging consumers.

Trust me... if you came and spent a day listening to the calls and emails I deal with you'd soon realise customers are dafter than the workers!!! People complaining that they've received the wrong item... without even opening the box! People moaning about us taking a second payment when we should have refunded them ("Sir... I think you'll find only one of those is in the debit column...").

I usually start my calls with the standard "Good morning/afternoon, <company name>, Jason speaking, how can I help?" The following are the most common opening remarks from customers

1) "Hmph..." People seem to like to the start the call with a happy "I really hate you" sigh... If they'd been on hold for 5 hours I could understand... we don't have people on hold and we don't have those "Push button 1 for Flea Infestation" lines either... so why the fuck start a call off like that??? Learn some manners...

2) Is that <company name>?

3) Is that <not company name>? When politely told no they revert to the "Hmph" response...

4) What's your name? Of course by the end of the call they'll always think I'm called something else anyway so why they bother asking I don't know...

5) "My <insert random number here... could be a card number, date of birth, anything> is ..........." My usual response to this is Thank you, how can I help? Although in my mind I'm thinking "Thank you so much for that total irrelevant, and unnecessary, random number, perhaps next time you could respond to my question with a pleasant "Hello, I'd like you to..." " Is that too much to ask??? Just some common decency? Erm... 5 years in customer service has taught me one thing... it's far too much to ask.

6) "Do you sell <product>?" "Yes" "How much is it?" "<this much>" "And how long will it take to deliver?" "<this long>" "Oh ok... that's what it says here on the website" YES I KNOW! Do you really think I'm going to bloody contradict the website when we're a flipping online company???????????? Do you know where I'm getting my info... FROM THE WEBSITE! Why did you call to ask these questions if you already knew the answers???? WHY???

I really hate the fact that customers call with stupid, irrelevant queries. Why? Because I'm lazy? NO... because I'm a customer... every call they make means the price of some product I'm trying to buy goes up by some small amount to pay for somebody to sit there and answer their stupid question. Yes... it's true... if we only used customer service staff to solve real problems they'd be far less of them (probably a better percentage of whom would be intelligent) and things would be CHEAPER!

But then you wouldn't have a job, I hear the many naysayers out there say. In my opinion customer service agents should work with the ultimate goal of solving all problems and making themselves unnecessary.

And shall I tell you what annoys me most?? People who can't use Google. Most of them seem not to understand Google Adwords. Most of them will search for the name of some manufacturer of a product we sell. Because we have quite a good Google team we tend to be the top of any such search. People will click on our site. Despite the fact any sane person could see they've come to a retailers site they BELIEVE we are the manufacturer and will call us to ask technical questions, moan about the quality of a product they haven't bought from us, etc etc... I could NEVER imagine myself searching, for example, for a DVD and then when Amazon's site comes up contacting them to find out if I could get the autograph of one of the stars... that's pretty much what it's like. STUPID.

And they are so rude too.

Anyway rant over.

Technorati : customer service, customers

Coke Zero - What's the point?

Ok... so I understand (ish) Cherry Cola. I can forgive Diet Coke with Lime. I'm actually interested in Coca Cola Blak. But what the hell is Coca Cola Zero???? A few weeks ago I accidentally picked it up at the shop. My first thought was "Why?" We've got Diet Coke already. Jim mentioned that it tastes like Pepsi... I have to agree.

Now it seems to be everywhere... the concourse at Waterloo East is covered in discarded cans of it (obviously freebies). I really think Coke needs to get some focus...

Give me a Diet Coke any day...

Technorati : coke zero

Tidbits

Fire crew reported over gay pride snub. Now let's just say these 10 firemen are prats. Pure and simple. But... should 1) we force fire crews to attend events like these and 2) force firemen to attend events which conflict with their personal morality? I think not. I, for one, wouldn't want to be forced to attend a Christian rally. How's that different to these idiots being forced to attend pride? And does the gay community really want these kind of guys hanging around at a pride event?

The giant shadow of sexuality - an interesting piece on the connections between misogyny and homophobia. In fact Haaretz offers some interesting articles and a little seen Israeli perspective on the current conflict.

Blooplanet was launched today, an "internet revolution for gay men". Seems much of a muchness at the moment but shows some promise. Check it out...

The Gay Police Association seems to have hit a nerve with an advert linking religious belief with homophobia. Wow... where on Earth did they come up with that crazy link????

After our successes with destroying the World Trade Center, inflicting AIDS upon the world and all the other terrible things we've caused the gay community has done it again... yes guys... we started the Israel-Lebanon crisis. Pat on the backs guys. Next week... let's assassinate the Queen...

Technorati : news

Scorcheo

Oh dear lord, it's hot! Now don't get me wrong; in Thailand temperatures were sometimes 37 degrees at night! But somehow it seems hotter here... maybe it's because in Thailand I didn't have to commute nor work...

I don't know what it is about trains. But as soon as I get on the 18.16 from Waterloo East I start to sweat... copiously... I am blaming being terribly tall and thus having to put up with all the rising heat from everyone else. Today my trip home wasn't made any more pleasant by me getting on the train and opening my bottle of water. This was mainly because the water in the bottle had managed to build up sufficient pressure to explode all over my fellow passengers. Embarrassment... then a small child began to hit me... repeatedly... actually todays commute was one of my least pleasant experiences of the month...

Male and Beautiful is back... yay!

Technorati : commuting, summer

Joinees, Pirates, Anitpodeans and Brighton

Now yesterday was not as good as it should have been. This is no reflection on the day itself, rather a reflection on my state of mind. I was not (and am not) in the best of moods. But still I did enjoy myself a little (begrudgingly... ;o) )

Met up with Sam America at Clapham Junction and caught a train to Brighton. The journey wasn't too bad despite the amount of people on the train. Getting off the train at Brighton Station I pondered how much I love Brighton yet can never really enjoy it... I'm always a little bit down when I'm there. Cursed, I tell ye!!!

Anyway we wandered to the beach, had a packed lunch and a snakebite in the Walkabout where the Australians of Brighton had gathered on masse to watch rugby. We'd arranged to meet John and Elliot at Brighton Pier so afterwards headed there past way too many half naked Gods of the Beach. I suppose I should point out Elliot and John are Joinees and yesterday was their third annual Pirates RAoK MEet. So there was a lot of people dressed up as pirates and they were busy organising a Cutlass Amnesty (genius...). After more pirates had arrived we headed to the beach and on the way grabbed lots of free bottles of water from kindly members of a Sports Relief run...

Within minutes of being at the beach Sam and I decided we needed alcohol and the pirates wanted rum anyway so we wandered up to St James Street to find some. Ah.... how I love St James Street... With alcohol in hand we returned the beach and had a lovely time... Joinees are by their very nature a friendly and kind bunch. We had a Bonnie style party to go to in Tooting so we made our excuses and of course we got offered a lift to the station. RAoK (Random Acts of Kindness) are a Joinee requirement. On the way Joinee Goldy played Avenue Q songs and we had a singalong in the car... perfect.

Headed to Tooting carrying with us and consuming at regular intervals Snack-a-Jacks and a box of wine. Classy. Sam America may have been a little drunk. Meet up with Tamara at Vauxhall and wandered to Bonnies BBQ. Had a good time there then got a lift home with Paul. Thanks Paul!!

Technorati : bbq, brighton, join me, joinee, pirates

Nikki Is Out - Big Brother Just Got Better

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Dear God/Big Brother

Thank you so much.

Love

Jae

At the gay bar, gay bar, gay bar...

Lance Bass has been spotted in a gay bar. Does this mean he's gay? No.... But trust me if I was straight and my drinking partner was Reichen Lehmkuhl I think I might have changed my mind by the end of the evening. What do you think?

Seems there's some controversy because the Blade has claimed that Lance IS gay... the main controversy being is it right to out someone against their will. If it's the truth then I don't see how you can argue against it. The right to free speech (not defamation though) trumps the right to privacy any day. Sad but true in this media dominated world.

I'd like to thank Lance for visiting this gay bar, because if he hadn't I might never have discovered Reichen... ;o)

Technorati : Reichen Lehmkuhl, lance bass

Interesting...

One look at BBC News shows up some interesting news for once. Of late I've found the news to have been terribly bland stuff... No longer...

Eurotunnel is suffering financially. As a former employee I can't say I'm surprised. It is one of those heavily bureaucratic businesses that seems to have absolutely no dynamism... my opinion is a new, more creative company needs to be given the chance to take on Eurotunnels responsibilities. Of course I'm not pleased to see Eurotunnel in trouble... Folkestone is not a rich town, and really shouldn't have to suffer any more possible job losses.

The Arab-Israeli conflict seems to be stepping up a gear again. Never a good thing, sometimes I really don't know what to think about the whole thing. Both sides seem as bad as each other (a bit like our own "Troubles"). They both need a good slap, no supper and an early night.

After Lord Levy's arrest, is it not time for the Blair Government to call it a day? It's been too long, it's grown too fat and it needs cutting down to size. Trust me I want a Tory Government less than a Labour one... so I want Labour to be in the best position possible by the next election. That means we need some renewal to get us over the corruption, the spin and the war. Preferably a team more concerned with rolling back the red tape, and the attacks on our freedoms, and lead us back to the nitty gritty fight on poverty, education and crime.

Oh and I think this story gives me the perfect moment to apologise for things I said about Mr Menezes just after his death. I made comments that suggested he was to blame based on what the police were telling us at the time. As it turned out the police were lying and he doesn't appear to have done anything to warrant what happened to him. Mr Menezes Rest In Peace.

Hey Jesse Metcalfe... yum!

Technorati : israel, news, politics

Why The World Needs Superman

Superman Returns was awesome. OK so the word "cliche" may cross your mind once every 5 minutes, but that's to be expected when the source material has been gone over to many times. Brandon Routh was wonderful, and everything was just as it should be. Except the film was too long again. That's my only complaint...

Technorati : brandon routh, superman

Examples of Megafauna in the Greater London Area

You, Dear Constant Reader, may think Your Correspondent has spent his first year here in London doing nothing but piss arsing about. But I have actually been discreetly observing the strange and wonderful species that we are blessed with here in this urban jungle. And today I shall begin to share my findings with you.

The Swinger (Homo Swingus)

This fascinating creature can be found in abundance on London's public transport system. Little is know about the Swinger beyond it's perchant for using the many bars and handles on trains and buses to exercise. It's especially fond of the floor to ceiling variety found on trains and the tube. Once it has located said pole it will begin to swing back and forth, using as much surface area as is possible. It has been speculated that the Swingers have very bad eyesight, or perhaps a very low intelligence. This speculation arises from their inability to recognise members of the Homo Commutus species who share its habitat which causes it to often fall into them during exercise sessions. This doesn't deter the Swinger from continuing its activity but has been known to cause great upset to Commuters who have a strange belief in a concept known as "Personal Space".

The Ricochet (Homo Idious Ricoche)

This amazing animal has been so successful that it can be found in all areas of our city but does tend to venture out most often during busy periods such as the morning and afternoon rush hours. One of it's most diverting features is its inability to walk in a straight line. The Ricochet will begin it's journey as if it was a Homo Commutus, however it will quickly move towards the nearest wall. As other creatures attempt to pass it on its free side it will change direction and head towards the other wall. It will continue this change of direction several times over. It is thought this behaviour is caused by a similar condition to the Swinger and has lead some to think they are one and the same animal. These people label this possible species the Cretin (Homo Cretinus).

The Cruiser (Homo Middus Lanus Cruiserus)

A surprisingly slow creature it is fond of keeping strictly to the centre of any walkway. It is particularly fond of carrying large, bulky objects (bags, guitars and bicycles are particular favourites) and/or walking abreast in groups of two or three. The presence of a Cruiser ahead of you is often felt by large crowds of people following in its wake.

Technorati : commuters

The Nerds

I sit here updating entries on Memory Alpha while Jim chats away to some buddy on some flight sim and I ponder... could we be any geekier???

Technorati : memory alpha, star trek

This is not war. This is pest control.

I just saw Doomsday, final episode of Doctor Who Series 2. And I feel sick. IT WAS THAT GOOD. If you imagine Randy Orton, Brent Corrigan, Dolph Lungdren and Vin Diesel all naked and oiled while making sweet love in a field, you are still far off the mark of how orgasmically good this episode was. Firstly there are the Cybermen, who are my favourite Doctor Who villians. The new design is awesome and they are just perfect. Secondly there are the Daleks. Not only are they pure evil, they are bloody funny too. See my title. Then thirdly... they go to war!!! Ooo.. and fourthly... a Gallifreyan prison ship flying over Canary Wharf.

Add to this the terrible breakup of the dynamic duo of Rose and the Doctor, and you have the perfect episode. I was literally holding on to the sofa as Rose began to fall into the void space. Thank Christ for Pete Tyler is all I'm going to say. I had tears in my eyes as Rose and the Doctor said goodbye.

The solution to the Dalek/Cyberman invasion was not total bollocks as I felt the Parting of the Ways ending last year was. And the actual ending was sooooo moreish I can barely wait for the Christmas special.

But... why wait that long when Torchwood is on sooner... with the other Captain Jack.

Technorati : billie piper, cybermen, dalek, david tennant, doctor who

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Yesterday Jim and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man's Chest. I don't want to say it was bad. It wasn't. It was funny, it had Captain Jack, there was action and there was crazy weird pirate adventure. However... considering it is a two parter it was way too long. The plot barely plodded along at some points. And it was too serious at some points. There's a whole East India Company subplot (just hearing the words East India Company makes me drowsy) that was soooo tedious. And Davy Jones? Not a patch on Captain Barbossa. He just wasn't scary nor was he funny. And I hate two parter movies. So unsatisfying. Although the ending was... intriguing

Oh well after that little let down (I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong) I now turn my hopes to tonights episode of Doctor Who. There are Daleks, Cybermen and Rose leaves/dies/becomes one with the universe. Goodbye Rose, it's been one hell of a ride. Thank you Billie Piper... you helped save Doctor Who.

Technorati : Pirates of the Caribbean, doctor who

The Attacks of 7th July 2006

I hate the way this event is being portrayed by the media. It was an awful event for hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. It was an upsetting event for millions. But if you believe the media portrayal it was the worst thing that's ever happened. Why do we not have a two minutes silence for the people killed in the Lockerbie crash? Where's the two minutes silence for all those victims of the Troubles??? And what happened to the quiet reflection of a period of silence? Now you have to hang around on the streets with flags and placards while you "remember" the fallen. Grief Inflation I think it's called. One picture on telly today was of a Muslim school who had all their children standing outside with signs saying how sad they were. Surely it would have been better for these kids to 1) be kept away from the glare of cameras while at school, a place of safety and peace and 2) learn the benefits of silent reflection.

The news presenter on telly just said "Ian Blair has just confirmed that our vibrant city will survive these attacks". Thank God! There I was thinking we were all going to have to leave. This nation has gone insane. Have we forgotten the Hell London went through in the war? The terror of the IRA? We must have because if we did remember these things we'd know we've been through rough times before... and came through the other side.

But 4 men with crude explosives, stupid enough to take their own lives thus ending their struggle, seem to be the harbingers of our pending apocalypse.

I am pleased to say that not one person in London I've spoken to seems to feel like the above. I must only know sane people. The people I know think it was a very sad thing to happen... and that's that. Most British people I've spoken to have referred to the IRA campaigns and shrugged off the threat from Muslim fundamentalists as more of the same.

That gives me some hope.

Technorati : 7/7

Nice Arms

Southland Tales may not be liked by the critics but it's high on the totty factor...

The Rock is so nice..

Look at those arms!!

Won't say much more got a terrible cough that won't go away... :( Being ill is made worse by me being a terrible (if closeted) hypochondriac. It's only started in the last few years but I am under the never ending belief I'm suffering from one form of life threatening disease or another (sometimes both at same time.. you know Ebola AND Bird Flu). Grr... stupid brain...

Technorati : seann william scott, southland tales, the rock

The Peculiar History of Oliver Trent

Considering I got the book for free from a stall at Europride and it's cover was particularly uninspiring I was rather taken aback to be quite impressed with the story. Peter Mitchell certainly draws some inspiration from the style of A Picture of Dorian Gray which, in my opinion, is not a bad place to start.

The story gives the reader some fabulous insights into different aspects of the gay rights movement, travel, and AIDS. Oliver is a particularly easy to like character and travelling with him as he explores life to the full is a pleasure. It's a short, sharp and sweet little book to see you through an afternoon. And although you'll probably guess the ending it's still totally zany enough to be interesting.

If you'd like to know how to buy it let me know and I'll email you the address to write to... you won't be disappointed.

Got the song "The Internet is for porn" from Avenue Q stuck in my head!

Technorati : Oliver Trent, avenue q, peter mitchell

Jae Goes To Birmingham

Today I headed up to Birmingham with my manager for a work trip to our main supplier. Never have I felt so embarrassed as I was confronted with the incompetencies of my colleagues. I shall be in a bad mood when I get in tomorrow...

After that trip was over we still had some time to spare my boss showed me a brief view of the delights of the Birmingham gay scene on Hurst Street. We stopped in Prague, a nice lesbian bar where the barman was unable to pour a pint properly. We left there for Missing (Ruby's Bar) which was a standard dirty gay bar, seedy toilets, decor to suit, and a clientele and staff who gave the impression they'd give you a good shagging for free but a smile was extra. Not overly impressed I have to say but I saw a lot more potential places...

Trip home was a bit BLAH except while waiting 15 minutes on the Northern Line a cute German (they are everywhere!) fell asleep on my shoulder. That was nice.

Currently reading a book I picked up for free at a stall at pride (free stuff at pride.... I can't say no!). Called The Peculiar History of Oliver Trent by Peter Mitchell, it's a bit reminiscent in style to Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and I think that's intentional as the book is referenced. Not too bad at all. Gay rights, history, politics, San Francisco, London and Thailand all in one book. Can't go wrong!

I'll do a proper review of it later. It appears to be a little hard to come by too so I'll fill you in on the details.

Technorati : birmingham, gay

Europride 2006

Yesterday was a very busy day indeed. After getting up mega early (for a Saturday!) I got myself a haircut, had a Jim bought McDonald's breakfast (thank you hun!) and headed into town. Of course Greenwich station had a higher than normal proportion of gay travellers. Gay pride days bring us all out of the woodwork. As is a tradition I set up my normal position by platforms 5 and 6 at Charing Cross to await Sam America. I love just standing there and watching the world go by. On a normal gay pride day Charing Cross is awash with all sorts of interesting and unusual characters. Thanks to the England-Portugal match it was even crazier than normal.

Sam called and told me how she'd accidentally go the wrong way and was currently in Trafalgar square so I went and met up with her before we went and found her mate Joe. We had a drink in a bar somewhere off Trafalgar Square and Joe disappeared off to work. Sam and I headed to Regent Street and got a prime position to watch the parade.

I spent most of the time there with a huge smile on my face and clapping my heart out. It was as always a brilliant parade. I have to admit my heart swelled with pride when the Navy and Police contingents marched past. As always the police got the biggest round of applause. Gods Bless 'em.

I was pleased to note I got a few shouts of "Hey cutie" and "Hey gorgeous" from some of the floats. And not a few waves. Glad to know I've still got it!!

The only downer was the occasional homphobic shouts from groups of passing footie supporters. Not really experienced homophobia at a pride event before (beyond the "Jesus Loves" type anyway). It wasn't very nice.

I loved the pink Union Jack... a flag to be proud of!

After the parade Sam and I grabbed some McDonald's for lunch... it was only as I munched into my Big Mac did I realise it was my second of the day. He he... Sam made me feeling better by saying it was a holiday so we could do what we wanted.

After lunch we wandered down to Trafalgar Square for a bit of the rally. I stuffed my pockets with pamphlets and free stuff. This is always my fave part of pride... the crazy reading material...

Had a drink in Trafalgar Square before heading off to catch the football (JOY!). Now we headed to G.A.Y bar to see it there but every other person decided the same thing so we made a detour to the Walkabout... it too was full. Sam became flustered about missing it but by luck we slipped into Ku Bar and watched the first half there packed in like sardines. Whoever said gay men don't like football was an idiot. After that uncomfortable experience we headed to Planet Hollywood to see the second half, where we had a lot more space.

By extra time we were tired of standing and hungry so we watched England get sent packing while munching a meal in the restaurant. Jim I've mortgaged the flat so I could pay for that meal, I hope you don't mind.

After the defeat London cleared out of most of the footie fans (shame half naked straight men looking terrified in the face of half a million queers was a turn on!) and we headed to Leicester Square to catch some of the cabaret (I LOVE PRIDE CABARET SHOWS). It seemed like all the other gayers were appearing from their various football watching bolt holes and the square soon filled up.

We caught the Dame Edna experience which was hilarious. Loved it.

We wandered up to Soho which was crazy and sat outside Starbuck's for a while having a chat and watching the gorgeous men and the wonderful drag queens wander past. We moved on to Holborn in search of Joe and ended up drinking in the Shakespeare's Head. Realising Joe's work (Footloose) was actually in Covent Garden we wandered down there. Covent Garden is wonderful at night. Met up with him and few other people from the staff at the theatre and had a drink at a nearby bar. It was at this point I grew too tired to carry on and called it an evening. All in all a very pleasant day, marred only by Jim's absence.

Technorati : europride, football, gay, gay pride, london, world cup

An Overdue Big Brother Update...

So since we last spoke about Big Brother 7 Grace has been evicted (YAY!) and so has Lisa (thank God... I'm not the biggest fan of swearing...). Susie, the Golden Housemate (sounds so Power Ranger ish!), has entered the house. Nikki has inexplicably become very popular, despite being annoying enough to make me reach for a knife. And she's all over my Pete. HANDS OFF. Aisleyne and Susie were up for "eviction" today. Well they thought they were but it was actually about who got moved into a second BB house with 5 new housemates... mwhahahahaha...

Aisleyne was evicted and my heart went out to her she started hyperventilating as she walked up the stairs. Thank God they didn't make her walk out the door!

The BB 7 Version 2.0 Housemates

Jonathon - Lovely arms.

Spiral - He's just a little Irish.

Jenny- CHAV.

Michael - He wants to be with a girl, but he just doesn't fancy them. Rrrrrright.

Jane - What is it with big breasts this year??? She's mad.

Aisleyne was told by BB that she would have to evict 4 of the housemates over 4 days. All 4 will go to the Big House.

Tomorrow is Europride, which I shall be attending with Sam America and Mer(edith). If you're gonna be there drop me a line!! Meeting readers is always fun!

London Pride's of the past...

My first Pride

My first Big Gay Out

Jim's first Pride

I love having a blog... my memories good but it's the little details I forget like Ben's red glitter hat, Ste's friend Pete wearing a leather collar (PHWOAH!), Sam Fox, and the biggest hat in the world!!! This blog reminds me of the small joys hidden in among the big ones.

Technorati : big brother, europride, gay

Pay Day Tomorrow

It's been one of those months... the month of not having any money what so ever. I hate this kind of month, and am determined that next month will be different.

Hmm.. my boss mentioned the tennis player Graydon Oliver today (Wimbledon fever is back!). Immediately everyone in the team had googled him and were ohing and awing about how nice he looked. Cute. 6'4"! Mmm...

Technorati : graydon oliver

My God, I'm Loaded!

I'm the 245,669,566richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

That's the top 4.09% for those counting. That I could believe, there's a lot of poor people in the developing world...

But... According to Channel 4's Rich-o-Meter I'm in the top 20% in the country!! 80% of the population earn less than I do. Considering I don't feel like I earn that much I'm fairly shocked. I can't make my wages last the month... how can these other people survive???

So in an effort to try to make my "massive" wealth go further I've decided to make sure I cut every corner to save. Right now I'm subscribing to my fave magazines and banning myself from buying any others. This will stop me going to W H Smiths and buying an overpriced mag, a sweet and a drink like I tend to do. No more newspapers... I can get the Guardian online for free! Oyster, Travelcards, Oyster...

So if I don't make it to the end of the month without having to borrow money from the Bank of Jim or the Bank of Mum I shall have to forfeit all Diet Coke for the month of August...

Why not check out my current tenant Newfie Girl... you'll love her.

Technorati : poverty., wealth

Nature or Nurture: Does It Really Matter To The Gay Rights Debate?

Yet another news story came out yesterday stating that some scientists believe that homosexuality might be biologically determined. Now of course any study into something we're not sure about is welcome, it's part of the human experience to be curious about the unknown.

But does the cause of homosexuality really have a bearing on our pleas for equality? I personally don't think so. My freedom as an individual to do whatever I like with my body as long it doesn't harm anyone, and it's completely consensual, is paramount. Who I choose to love is irrelevant to the Government or society in general. I'm bored of people using the nature versus nurture debate in arguments over gay rights and freedoms. The following part of the BBC article is what really pissed me off.

Andy Forrest, a spokesman for gay rights group Stonewall, said: Increasingly, credible evidence appears to indicate that being gay is genetically determined rather than being a so-called lifestyle choice.

It adds further weight to the argument that lesbian and gay people should be treated equally in society and not discriminated against for something that's just as inherent as skin colour

OK.... so what you're saying there is if being gay is just a unique character trait somehow our fight to be treated equally is hurt? What the Hell? If our argument for being treated like any other human being relies in whole, or in part, on whether we're "natural" *scoff* or not we might as well give up. Not exactly taking the moral high ground, more a hopeless crotch for a losing point of view.

We deserve to be treated equally because we are human beings who are doing nothing wrong. We are not, as a group, hellbent on the destruction of the planet. We are not paedophiles. We are not in the business of recruiting (no matter how much we might joke we are!). We are just like everybody else. Some of us are fucking bastards and some of us are not. Strange, gay men are just the same as everyone else... we're all unique and different!

Now you can quote that being gay is unhealthy (what's that got to do with you? I believe in health insurance, if we pay our way get over it!), is likely to lead to mental problems (more likely the mental problems are caused by bigotry, real or perceived), and is not right by the Bible (trust me there's a lot of prohibited things in there that no one seems to worry about, read it and see! And what has your Bible got to do with me?) but I stand firm behind my beliefs... homosexuality, whether it's a choice, a reality or an illusion, should not be a basis for discrimination.

Technorati : gay rights, homosexuality, news

Italy Win

BBC story Which gives me an excuse (as if I needed one) to post this.



All the things I could do...

Footie At The Gay Bar

Yesterday afternoon Jim and I went to watch the England match at Ye Olde Rose and Crown. It was quite quiet with a mob of chavvy girls and a mob of lesbians making up half the bars inhabitants. I attempted to stay awake throughout, and just about managed it thanks to the delightful arse of a tall German guy standing behind Jim. England v. Ecuador was the first game I've seen this World Cup and we were rubbish.

Afterwards went to one of the food stalls at the market for a curry. The stall we go to is just next to NatWest and is staffed by a friendly Thai lady who quickly sorted us out with delicious food. The stuff from there really is divine. Just another good thing about Greenwich.

Watched Nightmare on Elm Street last night. I love that movie. Johnny Depp is so hot! Men should be banned from wearing t shirts which show off their stomach... it's distracting. Today is day 1 of our no computer use after 7pm rule. GOD SAVE ME!!

Napola

A movie about comradeship at a school for the Nazi elite

Jun 25, 2006 by Jae url NaPolA

This is the third German movie I've seen this year. And all three have being impressively good.

The story is about a boy, Friedrich Weimer played by the delicious Max Riemelt, whose boxing abilities get him into the NaPolA against his parents wishes. At this prestigious school he befriends the son of a Gauleiter, Albrecht Stein played by Tom Schilling, who doesn't share his enthusiasm for Nazism.

Over time, under the strict conditions of the school and the harsh realities of the war, Friedrich comes to recognise Albrecht was right to be hesitant... but he comes to this realisation only after a tragedy...

A story of friendship flourishing in the harsh surroundings of fascism. Touching, well acted and features a few nice backsides as well. Perfection.

Technorati : germany, movies, napola

Greenwich = Heaven

Yesterday Jim and I headed to Greenwich Park to feed the squirrels (almonds no less... they couldn't get enough) and have a nice wander. In the summer Greenwich Park is the place to go in London. It's so gorgeous, with an amazing backdrop of Canary Wharf and the Queens House. Love it. Walking past all the tourists I felt a little sorry for them. They don't get to live here after all.

We had a pint of Staropramen in the Nags Head and lunch at Vietnam. Wandered home round the Cutty Sark which is looking more worse for wear every time I see it.

Doctor Who last night. I wanted to like the episode. The Tenth Doctor is awesome. Rose is brilliant. The story concept was promising. I just couldn't like it. I feel like the writers have all got lost up their own arses. There's something about the episodes recently that puts me off... But next week... Cybermen, Torchwood, Daleks?, the departure of Rose begins and it's the opening shot in the closing two parter of series two.

Please God let the next companion be overly muscled and totally gay. PLEASE! Or bring back Captain Jack...

Commander in Chief got cancelled. :(

No more Matt Lanter. :(

Technorati : commander in chief, doctor who, greenwich

It's Saturday!

NICE!

Thank the Gods! Jim is home, work is finished and no customers to deal with for two whole days. Having been in customer service for 4 years now (4 YEARS!) I've had quite enough of dealing with the STUPID British public. Example: "This item says it's available next business day, does that mean I'd get it delivered on the next business day?".

Example 2: "I need to know how much a product is. Can I give you a product code?" "Of course sir, but may I just ask where you got the code from?" "It's on the website just to the left of the price".

I REST MY CASE... weekends are bliss.

They Say The Meek Shall Inherit

Oh Joy! I got home today to find another parcel waiting for me! Thanks this time to one of my bestest friends, and long time reader, Zoe. She bought me Twelve Days of Terror from my wishlist. Thank you Zoe, miss you too!

Last night I went out with John, his girlfriend and Elliot. I've missed them. God these days I miss everything and everybody! I need a giant reunion for everyone I've ever known!!! It was cool. We met up in Covent Garden (after I foolishly used the stairs at the tube station... WOW... who knew the underground was that far.... underground) and after wandering around and around in search of the Roadhouse and free beer we gave up and settled into the Nags Head. After a few pints I decided John's girlfriend was the coolest person I'd met all month..

1) she is friends with Toby, the baby from the Labyrinth

2) she designs fetish gear

3) she spent Tuesday watching Skinflick by Bruce La Bruce, a gay porn movie!

The defence rests.

Got home by dodging tramps and beggars and misdirecting a ferociously gorgeous German who was trying to find Elmstead Woods. I couldn't concentrate... he was too beguiling... so I have little doubt that he's now trapped in Sidcup or somewhere equally strange. Sorry to him and all the tramps I haven't given money to.

Technorati : covent garden

Life Is Good... ish

I headed home yesterday after work suffering from severe after work
blues and thinking about getting home to an empty house without Jim
yet again. Depressing.

But what I found when I got home was more than enough to cheer me up.
First off on the side downstairs was a birthday card from the FAB
Stacey Lady. I love Stacey, and miss her terribly. She now has a bump
as well which shall soon become a mini Stacey which shall be scary.
Smiling I wandered upstairs to the flat to find a parcel waiting for
me from Amazon. Hmm... I thought to myself... what is this??

It turns out it contained Stephen Kings "The Bachman Books", the Peter
Benchley novel dramatisation "The Creature" and "The Deep Blue Sea".
All sent to me by one of my favourite readers... Luke. So a big shout
out to Luke and love and kisses and nice things of all sorts. And to
the rest of you, Dear Constant Readers, GO SEE MY WISH LIST and send
me stuff just like Luke. I shall love you forever
;o)

Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year! I'm heading
off to Covent Garden tonight to see John and his girlfriend. Should be
a laugh.

Miss Jim :o( Also miss Bangkok, San Francisco and Prague. :o(

Hard Candy

After the kids left on Sunday Jim and I headed to the cinema (I'm telling you it's an unintended birthday tradition) to see Hard Candy. Great movie. Really thought provoking and great role reversal of the stereotypical victim/predator relationship. Patrick Wilson is yummy. Ellen Page was brilliant.

After the cinema we had a lovely meal on the terrace of the Cafe Rouge watching Greenwich go by.

As of next Saturday Jim and I have agreed to stay off the computers for one week excluding use at work. So I shall still be blogging but my posts shall be short (and let's hope sweet). Jim is away again from Tuesday (off in Ireland) so if anyone wants to meet up for some drinks let me know, I need to get away from my work crowd based social life.

Last night I went out with some people from my department for drinks and Italian in South Kensington. It was a lovely evening.

Technorati : hard candy, movies

Birthdays - Past

It's my third 21st birthday today! And given the fact it's a celebration all about me let's look at some memorable birthdays of old...

My 6th birthday. It's the first birthday I remember, living in Snodland with my Mum, shitface and a million animals. Pictures of said event must be destroyed if found as I look like the campest boy (blonde, slim and limpest wrists ever) in the world!

My 7th birthday. I invited everyone I knew. I also decided that it was my birthday and I could make other people cry if I wanted to. And did... our neighbour Amy was the victim of my over excited use of party poppers (in the days when I didn't know about the real poppers!). Dressed in startingly red and green striped t shirt/shorts combo. Pictures of this have all been destroyed for the good of all.

My 10th birthday was held in a monastery. Ok.. so it was where I lived... converted into flats you see! Sellindge... wonders will never cease...

My 13th birthday was held in a mansion called Belmont... much to my delight there was a secret bookcase/door which lead to a spooky deserted part of the house. It was my home for the summer. As I wandered down the stairs that morning I was telling Mum that I would be happy with any present but a television... I think, based on my ability to put my foot in it a lot, you can guess what she'd bought me that year. Whoops. Spent much of the day in my room sulking, cept I do remember a bizarre incident involving a game of golf and an exploding golf ball (twas Fathers Day as well you see...)

My 15th Birthday. I was doing work experience at SAGA and I'd had a lovely day. The guys there had all bought me cards and chocolates which was very thoughtful considering I was only there two weeks! I wandered home and ended up walking behind the Sixth Former for 15 minutes. He was my unnamed crush from the Harvey Grammar and it was the last time I'd ever see him. Sweet.

My 16th birthday. I remember Elliot spent much of it looking at porn on my Mac, while John and Matt played on Matt's laptop. Then everyone looked at porn. Straight porn of course. Not one of my more exciting birthdays.

My 18th! I remember it was in Gees and I remember a table covered in pints of beer all for me (14 pints)... my memory starts to fade after that point...

After that... the posts speak for themselves.

2002 - my first birthday on this blog. 19 years old, working at Eurotunnel, going out with Ste and dreaming about Ben.

2003 - 20 years old. Working at Three Valleys Water, going out with Gareth and dreaming about nothing in particular... life was bliss

2004 - 21. Working at Three Valleys still but far more confident, single and dreaming of escaping to some point unknown

2005 - my second 21st birthday. Just started at EO, now living with Jim in Greenwich and life is the best.

Things that strike me about these posts... I tend to celebrate my birthday on the 17th for some reason and a trip to the cinema seems to occur within days.

Things That Happened

Technorati : birthday

Wild Animals

Today is the last day of my 22nd year. I got 5 cards in the post. I've never had that many cards in the post before. After the kids (minus Ian) arrived we shoved them in the car and drove down to Lympne to see my family. My sister Beth was totally moody seeing me paying attention to children other than her. She wouldn't even kiss me goodbye which made me feel a little sad. Mum got into her "Grandmother" role far too enthusiastically. Trust me... seeing your Mum being Gran is one of the scariest moments of your life. As we left Mum gave me a cheque which she wouldn't let me look at... hmm... a surprise for my birthday...

After that we drove to Port Lympne which is a wild animal park in the village my parents live in. I've been there so many times but it is still one of the best animal attractions in the country that I've been to. Huge paddocks and enclosures for the animals who look (and act) like they are healthy and well looked after. My favourite part has always been the gorilla enclosure (Port Lympne and it's sister park Howletts have the largest captive gorilla population in the world). Port Lympne is home to a beautiful silverback who today we managed to catch sitting right next to the window of the enclosure studying the visitors intently. It was patently obvious that this was a creature with a formidable intelligence. And just so big as well! Loved it. Chiang Mai might of had an edge on quantity of exhibits but Port Lympne is QUALITY.

Doctor Who tonight was a bit trite but I'll give it points for originality. Just not my cup of tea.

Technorati : doctor who, port lympne

Get Grace Out

Ugly bastards aren't they? These homophobic murderers have been jailed for life. Let's hope some well hung monster takes a liking to them. Sorry I'm being flippant about the serious subject of gay rape. Let's hope someone stabs them both in the stomach instead. (for all those dim bleeding heart readers who will start writing comments about how nasty I am... I don't really mean it... I'm too nice, I just like being able to say it on here to get it out of my system).

Once there was a boy who loved his Super Nintendo. He loved his colour Gameboy. He lusted after a N64. And then one day he just stopped liking games consoles, even the beloved Nintendo. The hype about the X Box 360 passed him by. Playstation 3? What that?

And then one day... Wii! I'm in love.

Grace has been evicted. Grace has been evicted. The evil one.... evil! And she's only 20! Glad we nipped her in the bud before she launched her world takeover bid. Goodbye Grace. We won't miss you. Even as she left the house she chucked a glass over Susie. If anyone sees Grace out and about please throw your drink over her. I'll put a "Grace Drenching Expense Form" up tomorrow night so you can be reimbursed for your trouble ;)

Technorati : big brother, homophobia, wii

Billie Piper Leaves Doctor Who

Full story here. I'll admit it... when I first saw Rose Tyler in action I thought "Dear Lord NO!". Something about her didn't sit right with me. But it didn't take me long to warm to her. Rose has been one of the best companions in the shows history. Funny, fun loving, honest, curious, strong willed and naive. Billie Piper was the perfect choice to play her. Rose and Billie will be missed. Long live Doctor Who.

But more shockingly... the poll on the news page for best companion shows only a 4% support for Tegan! THAT IS SCANDALOUS! I loved Tegan. She was one of those unfortunate "reluctant" companions (the ones who accidentally enter the TARDIS thinking it really is a police box) but she quickly became chief companion above Nyssa, Adric, and Turlough. Her no nonsense attitude was a breath of fresh air compared to previous companions... Vote for Tegan!!

I have a sneaking suspicion Rose, Sarah Jane and K9 are only winning because they are the only companions the new generation of fans know!

Technorati : billie piper, doctor who, rose tyler

Jim - Come Home

Today is Liberation Day in the Falkland Islands and our other south Atlantic territories. Hands off Argentina!

This is week three of Jim being away on weekdays. And I miss him so much. Love you Jim!!

5 days till my third 21st birthday.. there's still time for present buying so check out my wishlist. HINT HINT.

I'm back into sci-fi and horror. Currently reading Meg: A Novel Of Deep Terror which is pretty readable and just finished The Long Walk for the fifty millionth time. Love that book. Finished watching the Dalek Invasion of Earth. Saw the Truman Show, which has been one of my fave movies since the first time I saw it. Soon to watch the Thirteenth Floor... Dear Constant Reader... geeky Jae fights back!

Technorati : falkland islands, long walk, meg, movies

Uncommon Commonwealth

Despite my fundamental belief that marriage shouldn't be the business of a state, I'm still perplexed by the very different attitudes of two Commonwealth countries with regards to same sex marriage.

Canada (O Canada, we stand on guard for thee) has really got into the act when it comes to cashing in on gay marriage. I'm glad to see their brains in the right place there.

Australia ( "Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?") hasn't quite got the idea yet. The Australian Capital Territory (it's about as big as your back garden) decided the gays could be equal but different (hey it's a step in the right direction huh?) but that was too much for little Mr Howard and the Government... who decided that the union between men and women is too special. Imagine... if you let the gays get married what next? Erm..we do away with state sponsored marriage entirely?? YAY! Vive le revolution.

I love Sam from Big Brother. She is sooo much fun... put her back in the house!

Talking of gay marriage... here's my future husband...

Don't worry Jim. I'm all for polygamy... ;)

Technorati : australia, canada, gay marriage

Doctor Who - I Love You

I was always an early riser as a child... sometimes I'd be up as early as 4am. But I'd never bother my Mum, I'd just head downstairs, make breakfast and watch television. At that time of the morning there was nothing on except infomercials (American ones at that) and television for the under 2 months old child. Sundays in the earlies Nineties were particularly awful... so I often found myself watching Blake's 7 on UK Gold it was... ok. I never really warmed to it. It was followed by Doctor Who.

Being alive in the United Kingdom meant I knew more about Doctor Who than I did about the Bible. This was despite the fact that back then I'd never seen Doctor Who before. In Britain you just know who the Daleks are. The first story I saw was the Keeper of Traken and I was hooked. As in the very next story the Fourth Doctor regenerated into the Fifth, I'm apt to tell people that "my" Doctor was the Fifth Doctor. Everyone has their own Doctor... he's the one that first got them into the show.

Doctor Who was my escape from the mundanities of childhood, and it was a pleasure I didn't have to share; Doctor Who had been cancelled and was slowly being forgotten at the time. I loved it's quirkiness, it's comedy, it's tragedy. It wasn't Shakespeare but it was top notch entertainment.

I was soon reading Virgin New Adventures stories, DWM and buying the videos. I was not the Doctors most obsessive fan. I was, however, heading towards hardcore. Over time I started to do stuff.. get a boyfriend, get a life, and have exams. Doctor Who faded into the background. It was still a love, but it was placed on the back burner. After all, I thought, it wasn't going anywhere... it was finished after all.

Last year it started again and slowly, but surely, my love affair has been rekindled. Even if some of the continuity has been turned on it's head, even if the Doctor and Rose have kissed... it's still the Doctor. Things may change, people might grow old... but the Doctor is always there to take your mind of it. Doctor Who I love you!!

The Tenth Doctor is rapidly overtaking the Seventh Doctor as my all time fave. Even Rose is working her way up my fave companions list... although she's not a patch on my beloved Ace.

Technorati : doctor who, television

To Infinity

Thursday I headed to Wimbledon Park with a couple of people from work to see our office team compete in a Dragonboat race. It was cool, one of the teams consisted of teachers so there was a crowd of hundreds of school kids to create a party atmosphere. We came second from last, which is pretty good considering our team hadn't trained at all. Wimbledon Park is really rather pleasant.

After that we headed (via a journey and a half) to Wimbledon station and a bar named the Terrace which was rather nice. I was complemented on my teeth and my intelligence... all was good. Nice to get to know some of the newer people a little better.

Headed home early Friday morning to find the 24 hour shop was not open. Hmm...

Friday... was a work day but Jim came home from another week away so I was very pleased to see him.

Saturday... after a hellish trip to some shops (stuck in a car park for 40 minutes... nuff said) Jim and I headed to Lympne via a Nan pick up in Snodland. Saw my cousin "Little" Tony. Haven't seen him for a couple of years, and he is now 18 and looks and acts like a man. It was refreshing to see him all grown up. He seemed like he'd become a really nice bloke.

After the match (football? What what?) we had a BBQ and we finally escaped around midnight. Good to see everyone but that house is a little too busy at the mo. I felt bad about leaving though because Beth and George really seemed like they wanted me to stay.

Big Brother. Grace is EVIL. Nikki is ANNOYING. Sam was evicted. Shame on this nation... Nikki is the spawn of some really annoying acolyte of the Devil. She has to go. Pete has got off with Nikki. He is now a marked man in my opinion. And there's a new housemate called Susie... the Golden Housemate. I hope she slaps Grace.

Technorati : big brother, dragonboat

From One Great Country...

God Lord. It must be summer again. It's sunny, I'm having lunches in the park, BBQs are planned, Three Lions is on the radio, St Georges flags are flying from cars (this is akin to a sign saying "Bad Driver, Keep Clear"), and there's a lot of talk about a footballer (summer news is always dull... silly season? I think not, more snooze season).

Being the Brit I am, I'll never understand all the fuss about the footie. It's a really nationalistic sport, and I'm a British patriot... not an English nationalist. But each to their own I suppose. I just wish they wouldn't fly those hideous flags all the time. Get your Union Jacks out!

It's King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Diamond Jubilee today. The Japanese emperor will be there. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands shall be stopping by. Who does Britain send? Prince Andrew. We could of at least have made a little effort. He is the longest serving Monarch in the world after all.

Hasn't the World Cup come round quickly this time? One minute it was a distant boring prospect in the far distance. The next we have Alastair Campbell acting as if anyone other than some political commentators will care about his views on the games.

Welcome to summer...

Technorati : alastair campbell, bhumibol, thailand, world cup

Waterloo and the Morning Commute

There I was standing in the queue at the little W H Smith's at Waterloo Station minding my own business . Now if we all remember last time I was there (just before Thailand) the man at the counter shocked and surprised me by addressing me by name. Today he spotted me coming and reacted as you would to seeing a long lost friend. He was so excited to see me, asking how I was, whether I was busy and whether I'd be watching the football (not a long lost friend then!). How does he know me? I could understand him being friendly, but knowing my name.... weird!

The Delice De France person is different, he now knows me so well that he has my order ready (a pain au chocolat) and keyed into the checkout before I even reach Waterloo. Mmmm... pain au chocolat.

Last night I went out in Covent Garden to the White Lion, some place with Porter in the name and the Walkabout (classy huh?) with Sam America, Tamara Canada, JP and SA's new beau Gary and his mate Christopher. Was a laugh... but I grew too hungry and left and attacked a defenseless Favorite Chicken fast food shop... They never saw it coming...

Tonight I'm off to Wimbledon to watch the office team race Dragon boats... this will bring me much amusement...

I've pulled Australia out of the hat for my offices World Cup sweapstake. That is my one and only contribution to "World Cup fever"

Odds and Ends

It's the Day Of The Devil today. So I'd like to say a fond farewell should I do and be sent to Hell today (and a big hello as well I spose as you, Dear Constant Reader, will be right there with me!)

If you are feeling a bit reverent (or irreverent) today why not check out the Skeptics Bible (thanks Martian) but I really recommend the Skeptics Book of Mormon. I know I'm sad...

As my first act as a renewed Lib Dem... please support their Anti Homophobic Bullying Campaign by signing their petition

In Big Brother... Richard has earned himself a fresh start by nominating Grace. GRACE. Thank the Lord someone saw sense. Grace is like a cancer in the house, her tendrils spreading out amongst the unsuspecting housemates. Glyn is too naive to realise how bitchy Grace was being about Aisleyne while they were chatting. "She's a dog" Grace hissed at Glyn... Glyn seemed not to notice. I think Grace could grow a large nose with a wart on it, turn green, wear a black witches hat and run around the house screaming about how she was going to kill them all and boil them for breakfast and it'd go straight over most of their little heads.

I'm watching It at the moment and I think Grace is Pennywise, we're the Losers Club (i.e. we can see her for what she is... a monster) and the Housemates are the rest of the town of Derry. Let's kill her before she eats us!!!

Nikki and Sam are up for nomination. Get Nikki out of there.

On a side note... Pete was telling people how he gets upset if he kills a snail or any small creature. I love him.

Jim's away at the mo in Birmingham. I miss him soooo much already.

Technorati : 666, bible, big brother, homophobia

Life and Big Brother

Sunday we used our free tickets to the London Dungeon, given to us by the manager the day before (a kind gesture indeed). I have to say I had a wonderful time. Most of the actors were awesome, and the set pieces funny. Wow... that's far too much life for the week... now for something more important.

No not him...

Big Brother

Is Grace not the bitchiest, nastiest creature to frequent the Big Brother house since all the rest? Can she move more than a metre without uttering a dirty word and a spiteful comment about somebody else? Sezer was bad... but Grace is sooo much worse. Grace must go.

Sam. Poor Sam. She's soooo sweet and somehow she's got in between the two groups (the bitchy ones and the not quite so bitchy ones). Watching the two groups tell each other the awful things Sam said about the other one is quite amusing. But not for Sam bless her.

As Grace shit stirs the rumours... the house falls apart....

Sezer is gone... Richard continues to be soooo condescending and false, Pete is still the cutest (watching him rearrange his package through his shorts last week was a real treat), Lea's breasts seem to grow with each passing moment. Nikki has settled down (thank you Lord for small mercies). Glyn has disappeared (amazing ability in such a small space).

This years BB is certainly the year of the bitchy women. We need more men in there!!!

Technorati : bb7, big brother, pete, sam

Slavery

I started to watch Ken Burns' Civil War before I went to Thailand and finished it last week. I haven't seen it in a long time, and I forgot what a moving, and deeply interesting, documentary series it is. I'll never truly understand people who fought for the right to keep slaves (ok, I know that's a vastly over simplified version of the causes of the Civil War... but hey if you're interested to know the rest see here). How could anyone consider themselves masters over anyone else? But it's a sad fact people did think they could be masters of another group of people. It's a sobering fact that people still do.

When I used to think of slavery the only country I could name that still "allowed" was Niger (it's illegal but not frowned upon). I was naive enough to once believe Britain had been slave free (ish, let's ignore the British Empire for now) since 1834. HA! Obviously in the last few years I've become aware of sex trafficking. And it's becoming increasingly clear people, especially children, are being brought into this country as domestic slaves. DOMESTIC SLAVES IN BRITAIN. If you read the stories at the BBC I think you will be shocked. Slavery in some other country is awful. Slavery in Britain? It must be stopped NOW.

How can we help? Legalise brothels. Regulate them. Undermine the financial incentive to these bastard traffickers. I know some people are shocked by the idea... but some people choose to become sex workers. Letting them do what they want to do will help ensure innocents from abroad need not be tricked/forced into slavery.

Oh I know a lot of people hate the idea of brothels and will fight against it, but right now the situation is appalling. Drastic measures need to be taken.

Tough new sentences need to be introduced for human traffickers, and those who use the services of slaves.

None of that will solve the problem unless as many people as possible... take action

Technorati : slavery

Who'd Have Thought?

Adam Rickett Contests Folkestone Seat. But he isn't the only one... 45 other Tories stand as well

I used to fancy Mr Rickett but he quickly became boring and when I found he'd been acting gay on advice of his managers he really came across as naive and dull. Now he's come out as a Tory... he repulses me. It would be really quite interesting if he did win the Tory nomination and stood at the next election in my home county. Let's not let him win though!

Thursday was bowling night (it's been too long!) which was fun. It was Scott's last which was a shame, he was a brilliant bloke. Noodle bar afterwards was stressful as the other colonials (i.e. not Scott) didn't quite understand the concept of noodle bars.

Today we've got Becka and Ian. We did go to London Dungeon but before we could get inside Ian had some form of very worrying seizure. The scene got even more dramatic when the girl in the queue in front of us fainted, and for one brief moment I had visions of people collapsing all over the place. Other than a bump on the head and a bloody nose he seems psychically okay, but it is very worrying indeed. Let's hope it's just a febrile convulsion. Big thanks go to the wonderful lady in the queue who rushed to our aid and to the manager of London Dungeon for her assistance and the free tickets she gave us.

: adam rickett, bowling, folkestone, michael howard

Tex-Mex

Last night my department went out for a meal to the Texas Embassy, a Tex-Mex restaurant. The food was awesome.. huge portions... we shared a Texas Rose for a starter which is a giant onion, flowered and then deep fried. I was lovely. I had a chicken fajita for my main, which I couldn't finish because there was so much. Really lovely. Then, despite claiming to be full, I managed to fit in a Turtle Cheesecake (cheese? cake??) which was a piece of chocolate heaven. Service was good, decor cool. Not a classy restaurant but certainly a place to go with a group of friends.

My home county Kent was voted off the top spot for most beautiful county in Britain. I so agree. It's beauty is still there but the people make it ugly. Some of the towns (Ramsgate springs to mind) just couldn't give a damn about looking after it's image. And all those London commuters are, like the Londoners who arrived in the mid 20th Century, are ruining the old ways. It's a real shame.

Technorati : kent, tex-mex, texas embassy