Write First Time

2012 - and the world is changing

2012-01-03T14:18:00.002Z

We’re all familiar by now with the Mayan Prophesy that the world will end on the 21^st December 2012 – coincidentally, the Winter Solstice and my birthday. I so hope that no one is fearing an asteroid impact, a global war or global earthquakes covering our beautiful planet in fire and brimstone. Then again, any of those may be easier to weather than the birthing pains that may be in store for us. Though the prophecies are not fully understood, people with more understanding than most interpret this as the start of a new way of being in the world. A change of attitude. A change of politics. A change of perspective. Of course these things are rarely won by peaceful means. Currently we live with the threat of economic implosion. Governments make war on their own people. Increasing intervention by the media and the State infringe our lives and assault our psyches. Profit is more important than people or the environment. We’re constantly bombarded by companies promising to make us happy if we hand over our hard earned cash. Our children live for hours in virtual worlds of internet gaming and social networking. The people at the top seem only to be concerned about themselves and this ethos trickles through society like a weeping sore, infecting the populace with the idea that it’s OK to riot and loot. The raping and pillaging of our Mother Earth, and all her inhabitants, has got to stop. If it doesn’t, we’ll continue to fall into the abyss of selfishness and greed until there is nothing left worth saving.

But there is hope and that hope lies in a growing body of people throughout the world who believe there is a better way. Who believe that peaceful protection of the earth and all her inhabitants is the medicine that will turn this around. This eclectic mix of people may have different beliefs, different gods, different ways of living, but fundamentally they all travel the same path. The difference between these paths and the paths being currently trodden by the masses, is that these new paths are paths that follow the heart. They’re paths that lead through rich spiritual landscapes, paths that demand an open mind and an open heart. These people have let go of the belief that only Science can solve our problems, that Science is the rock on which we can rely; the foundation on which our future will stand or fall. They embrace a new philosophy, and they embrace each other despite their differences.

Here’s a very relevant and interesting quote from the latest edition of The Arlington Institute e-magazine, The Future Vol 14 Number 24

“If this really is a punctuation in the evolutionary process, then, by definition, the new territory that we're entering is not described by the current maps and operates in quite different ways. In this case the proposals for dealing with all of these hard problems are intrinsically soft - all about stuff like love and gratitude - which requires embracing a radically different concept of reality. It says that there is another way to operate in this human space that accesses physics and forces that are not yet described by the conventional, authoritative sources - but nevertheless work. It also means that if you don't embrace these new concepts, the world that you experience will become increasingly dysfunctional and fearful.”
So, if you want to enter into the new age with optimism, courage and hope; can I suggest that you answer the call of spirit. Believe me, it’s knocking whether you hear it or not.

Here’s a quote from Walt Whitman. Give it some thought:

Re-examine all you have been told

Dismiss what insults your soul.

Post Script: Follow this link http://www.seri-worldwide.org/id435.html for an article written by someone who has the authority to inform us What the Mayan Elders are Saying About 2012 by Carlos Barrios

Police State?

2012-01-03T12:58:00.002Z

I flew into Atlanta Georgia airport in the summer of 2009, looking forward to a conference in Asheville NC followed by a leisurely tour of the Smokey Mountains. I hadn’t been in the USA since 2006 but my memories of Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles airports during that visit were all good; polite officials welcoming me and hoping that my stay in the USA was a good one. Not so in 2009. My experiences at Atlanta airport were traumatic. Bullied for fifteen minutes by a Passport Control official, accused of breaking federal law and threatened with arrest, and then being separated from my luggage with no explanation. My cabin bag was examined out of my sight – it contained all my valuables, including money and credit cards. I tell you this because I’ve just learned that the Department of Homeland Security has asked Congress to give the green light on funding for a massive expansion of TSA (Transport Security Administration) checkpoints. The federal agency are already responsible for over 9,000 such checkpoints. Americans now fear that their homeland is turning into a police state following the passage of an ‘indefinite detention’ bill. The increase in funding is to create 12 more VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response) teams to add the federal agency’s 25 units that are already scattered across the country and responsible for manning checkpoints on highways, in bus and train terminals, at sports events and even high school prom nights.

I’m back in the States next June. This time I’ll go with trepidation. Whilst I've no objection at all to carefully monitored security checks, there is no reason to conduct those checks in a bullying, authoritarian manner. If people are treated with disrespect and made to feel like criminals, the people will rebel eventually. Being polite and respectful costs nothing and achieves much more. We may be told the current strategy is part of the War on Terror but from where I’m standing it’s a War against Peace and this doesn’t feel like a good road to be travelling down.

STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH

2011-12-19T14:23:00.001Z

In mid-November I flew out to Dubai to meet up with an ex-lover in the last chance saloon. Yes he lied and cheated on me before, but sometimes people change. Yes they do – honest. Sadly though, not him. He put me in a dangerous situation and then abandoned me. On my return home some people said they hoped I’d learned my lesson. What lesson is that then?

“You can’t trust people, you can’t afford to be naive, you shouldn’t travel alone, you should have checked things out more thoroughly, you should have…. should have…… should have…….”

Hey, hold on just a second there, what are you saying? That I shouldn’t take any risks? Is that how you live? Let me ask you something, when you’re on your death bed will you be glad you always played it safe?

It reminded of what Steve Jobs (founder of APPLE) said in 2005 when he addressed a group of University students, “Stay hungry, stay foolish”. He took risks in business and love. He made mistakes but also tasted amazing success. Living sometimes in the bottom of dark valleys, but at other times soaring over the mountain tops. Here’s an extract from his speech that day:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”

Steve Jobs died of cancer at age 56 after living a full and rewarding life, despite all the obstacles he had to surmount. And we should remember that Death stalks all of us, all of the time. Every hour, every minute, every second. You can ignore this or accept it. If you accept it, you can make Death your ally – this will ensure you try and live each day as though it’s your last.

It’s your life, only you can decide what to do with it. No one has the right to pass judgement on you because you don’t live like they do. I choose to stay hungry; it keeps me enthusiastic about life. I choose to be foolish; my foolishness keeps me open to opportunity and adventure. Rock on!#

Economic Collapse Inevitable?

2011-10-06T09:38:00.003+01:00

Corporate greed has been unchecked for too long. Many economists are now warning of a total meltdown in the global economy. Perhaps we should have listened to Thomas Jefferson long ago when he talked about the potentially negative role that the financial institutions would play in the future of America if they were allowed to control the issuing of currency.

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around (these banks) will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent of their fathers conquered. The issuing power (of currency) should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belong.” Thomas Jefferson 3^rd President of the United States.

Extracted from FUTUREdition Volume 14, Number 18

The Future [TheFuture@FUTUREdition.org]

Am I worried? You bet! It won’t be the big Corporations or the Bankers that suffer, probably not the Politicians either, it will be you and me, our friends and family, our neighbours and our communities. Brace yourselves.

Phone call to tell me my computer is infected

2011-09-26T11:19:00.001+01:00

I’ve just spent fifteen minutes on the phone to a girl (Chinese? Indian? Martian?) who was trying to convince me my computer was badly infected with a programme that can be used by hackers to access all my personal information. She said her company is affiliated to Microsoft and they want to clean up my computer and keep me safe. You know the sort of call – we’ve nearly all had them. Do people still fall for this bullshit????? I thought I’d have a bit of fun. I kept asking her to repeat everything she said (three times) as, “I’m a bit deaf dear. Can you speak louder and more slowly? No, still too fast. Slower. Slower. Louder. Slow down. Can you repeat that dear? No sorry, still can’t hear you.” She was very obliging and slowed down almost to a stop – it was hilarious. Then she asked me if I was at my computer now. I said yes. She asked if it was a desktop or a laptop. I said I didn’t know, what was the difference? Now she thought I was stupid as well as deaf. As she scrabbled round trying to find the right words, I got bored and put on my confident, authoritative voice, zapping her with the legal stuff. She panicked and put me through to the “Technical Manager”, who sounded exactly like her. I was told they needed to ask all these personal questions for verification purposes. I explained that the RLS (rate limiting step) was me verifying them, not the other way round. I went on and on and on, without pause, about how they were committing fraud, how I’d recorded this conversation and how they were acting criminally. She told me to “Get Lost”. Which caused me to discharge shrieking laughter into the mouth piece. Hopefully it hurt her ear. There followed a panicked conversation in a foreign language at the other end of the phone and then a voice, in pigeon English, pleaded, “Dr. Harthan. Dr. Harthan, are you still there?” Then the phone was put down. Morons. But morons who somehow have got hold of my name and my landline number, despite my having been registered with TPS for years. What a strange world we’ve made for ourselves!

How to get rid of worms

2010-11-20T15:12:00.002Z

Mr. Rouyer is a French farmer living in the village of Gripperie-Saint-Symphorien. He was burgled a couple of months ago. I don’t know what was stolen but it was obviously enough to warrant him calling the police. As well as cows and sheep, Mr. Rouyer keeps organic ducks, which are in excellent health without the use of duck medicine. They never suffer from worms, which Mr. Rouyer maintains are very common parasites of ducks. If you keep ducks, I expect you’ll want to know his secret. Well, the good news is that his secret is not a secret anymore. One of the eagle-eyed Gendarmes spotted 12 cannabis plants at Mr. Rouyer’s farm, and a further search turned up 5kg of the drug. (Wouldn’t you think he’d have hidden it all before calling the Police!) In his defence, Mr. Rouyer told the police that he grows the weed to feed to his ducks because it’s an excellent de-wormer. He was also heard to say, “That’s correct Officer, I don’t have worms either.”

Sadly Duck a la Marijuana is now off the menu!

Political Deceptions?

2010-08-12T21:57:00.002+01:00

I’m not interested in politics. Never have been. Though probably should’ve been. Should be. After all it’s the Politicians that direct the flow of our society. Well hey, they’re doing that alright at the moment! Take, for instance, the fact that we’re now being told that what we were told a few months ago, was wrong. Of course I’m talking about the recession. It seems we’re not coming out of it at all and things will get much worse, with inflation threatening to remain six times higher than the Bank of England base rate. What does that mean? It means that we’re all paying more for essential consumables and services, our savings are worth less with every week that passes and our main asset, our home, will continue to depreciate in value. Oh and don’t forget the job losses and the reduced pension funds. How many of us realise that national and global economies are controlled by un-elected shadowy figures who stay in the wings of societies stage. Have you been wondering why the Banks still aren’t giving mortgages unless you’ve got that huge deposit. If you aren’t, you should be. Is the answer that they KNEW that house prices would drop further, despite the temporary apparent recovery? How did they know? I can’t help but see the obvious. What am I talking about? The fact that if you make houses unaffordable by demanding a huge deposit that first time buyers can’t raise; houses don’t sell and prices fall as vendors compete in a shrinking market – supply and demand; it’s not rocket science. So, is it because they predicted that property prices would continue to fall or is it possible that they have engineered the whole thing? Why? So that we lesser mortals, will save and save and save in an effort to raise the deposits they demand, while they use our savings to bring back their big fat profits. And then, when we lose our jobs and are given a paltry redundancy package, we’ll spend our savings on just living from day to day, as we won’t be entitled to any social security benefit until all our savings are spent. That’ll save the Government a fortune AND boost the economy into the bargain. And those poor souls who don’t have any savings, will join the millions of graduates and undergraduates who are so deep in debt that they may never be free of it. People in debt are easily controlled by those who hold the purse strings. Should you be worried? You bet!

And while I’m having a rant about political deceptions, what about the “new” NDM-1 (ESBL) gene that’s being transferred between Gram negative bacteria such as E.coli? This gene codes for an enzyme that confers resistance to most of our antibiotics. We were told yesterday that there are 50 cases in the UK and that the majority of these have come from India. That puzzles me. I was informed two weeks ago that my elderly Mum has a urine infection caused by E.coli carrying this gene. She’s never been to India, hasn’t had any surgery for years BUT was hospitalised after a stroke last summer and has been in residential care ever since. If she’s one of these 50 people, then the other 49 are likely to be the rest of the elderly people in this residential home. Someone, somewhere, is playing this down!

ARCHETYPES

2010-08-07T11:31:00.001+01:00

This weekend I’m spending time thinking about which archetypal patterns are the main drivers for my life. It’s interesting stuff that can illuminate, not only the path we’ve trodden, but also, the path that lies ahead. It looks like it might be a useful way to ensure I make the right choice at the crossroads that have just become visible on the horizon.

Looking at archetypes and their shadows can start to make sense of why you walked out of work in tears after being treated unjustly, why you always run away from the bullying of older siblings instead of standing your ground, why you can turn your back on some relationships so easily, whilst holding onto the memory of others for decades. Why certain people/situations empower you and make you feel good about yourself, while others make you feel demoralised and hurt. Caroline Myss has written about this in her book “Sacred Contracts”. The book makes interesting reading though I’m not sure I agree with her method of assigning archetypes to the different areas of one’s life. Also her book may need far more time to work through than most people have available. But then this shouldn’t be a quick fix process; after all your life depends on it! However, there has been a lot of research into archetypes and archetypal patterns, including of course by Carl Jung, so a Google search will pull up a wealth of information and may be all you need. And of course, you can always start recording your dreams. Archetypal patterns are very easy to recognise in what Jung termed “big dreams”. These are the dreams that seem to have a fairytale or mystical quality; dreams that seem to be about spirit rather than everyday life. A close examination of these dreams will reveal the patterns passing through your life in the present. I also recommend that you re-awaken the child within and read again those fairytales that had you enthralled as a child. Fairytales deal with archetypes, that’s why they’re so appealing and have stood the test of time. Which fairytale(s) has scripted your life?

Aerobic exercise improves brain function

2010-02-02T20:27:00.001Z

Neuroscientists working on mice showed that even a few days of running stimulates the brain to grow new cells in a part of the brain involved in memory and recall.

The scientists divided the mice into two groups: one group had a running wheel they could use at any time, and the other group didn’t. In subsequent memory tests the scores of mice with access to the running wheel were almost double those of the non-running group.

I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna get my running shoes out tomorrow and start pounding the tarmac again – mind you I’d like to know how they tested mouse memory. Perhaps they let them try the free brain games on Lumosity.com (http://www.lumosity.com/users/me/home ) Try them, they’re really good – kept me amused for hours J

Now where did I put that cheese?#

Life, the Universe & Everything: A New Perspective.

2009-08-15T11:59:00.001+01:00

If you’ve ever studied science, you’ll know (at least a little) about the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics. Let me remind you. Put very simply, it states that the entropy of the Universe is increasing. Entropy is energy and so an increase in energy means an increase in disorder. So, the 2^nd Law is often summarised as an increase in disorder with the passage of time. Again put very simply, and using the most common example, you will never see a broken glass becoming more ordered as, to do this, it would have to re-assemble back into its unbroken form. That’s fine as far as it goes, it sounds logical. Astronomers and Astrophysicists have observed that our Universe is expanding in all directions; the glass has shattered and so we are told that the Universe is becoming more disordered; more chaotic. Of course, the nemesis of the 2^nd Law is that somehow life defies it by having become more organised over time, not less. This has often been used by Creationists as evidence for intelligent design.

I’m not a Creationist, nor a Physicist, nor an Astronomer. My understanding of quantum mechanics is probably not much beyond that of the average lay persons understanding, but I do understand enough to know that things just aren’t adding up. And I’m not on my own. Scientists with hugely more brain power at their disposal than me have been trying to understand the underlying force(s) of the Universe in terms of quantum physics for a very long time. Their theoretical and research papers make my head spin; I don’t have the knowledge to understand their arguments or theories fully. Because of that, I have no idea how what I’m about to say fits into their existing theories, all I do know is that I’ve just finished reading an amazing book by Gevin Giorbran “Everything Forever” that, to me, makes perfect sense of all aspects of existence. I cannot hope to do justice to his theory in a few sentences, so I would encourage you to read his book yourself. I’ll try and give you a flavour here – at least in terms of my understanding.

The Universe is not increasing in disorder as the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics states, it is moving towards balance (equilibrium) and symmetry. The driving force is an attraction of opposites; let’s call these matter and anti-matter for simplicity, having been borne out of asymmetry at the “big bang” – the point at which time began. The Universe we see (and are part of) is expanding and so moving forward in time, (at least that is our observation of it) and this forward motion is governed by electromagnetism and the weak electronic forces. The strong nuclear force (this is the force that holds positively charged protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei) and gravity (which currently we have no understanding of) are the opposing forces that are pulling the Universe back towards the past. In the anti-matter Universe, the opposite is true (which Universe we live in is debatable of course, as it’s all relative to our point of observation). Because the two Universes exist in the same spatial dimensions, they are continually in contact and thus we see quantum particles popping in and out of existence. Rather than annihilating each other they join together to produce “something” greater than the fragmented part that we observe as mass and/or density. Eventually, at the end of time as we understand it, both the matter and anti-matter Universes will be united at absolute zero (this is the point at which there is no molecular/atomic movement/vibration)and will exist in what Physicists call flat space. This will be a timeless eternity, where everything will be in equilibrium and perfect symmetry; a pure lattice.

So, rather than the Universe’s evolution being determined by the big bang, it’s being determined by the final state of equilibrium or perfect balance. If you’ve ever studied chemical or biological processes you’ll recognise immediately that this makes perfect sense. All natural processes move towards equilibrium, it is arguable the driving force behind everything.

WOW – mind blowing stuff. I hope I’ve done justice to the theory (but suspect I haven’t). For me, the book has given me a new perspective on Life, the Universe and Everything and has brought Science and Religion/Spirituality much closer together. It is most certainly on a level playing field with Fritjof Capra “Tao of Physics”.

Perhaps more importantly for me, is that it’s led me to explore new ways of explaining my own experiences of dream precognition, telepathy and intuition in terms of the quantum microcosm operating within a conscious universe. #

Do Cat's have souls?

2008-10-10T14:42:00.000+01:00

I was woken at 3am on Wednesday morning by a noise. I rushed downstairs to find the cat from the local pub lying stretched out on my kitchen floor. He was dying and was clearly in agony.

I sat with him, talking to him and stroking him for three hours until he finally let go.

I’m not writing this blog to chastise the owners for not taking him to a vet sooner than they did, or to condemn the vet that saw him last Saturday and, despite his bloated stomach and heart-rending emaciated state, gave him steroid and antibiotic injections and told the owner to bring him back next week. Poor Cefa should have been put out of his misery at least two months ago; if he’d been my cat, he would have been. Whatever was wrong with him, he died of starvation despite eating voraciously. Such awful agony that I witnessed that night is avoidable; there’s no comfort for the owners in leaving an animal to die like that.

But really, that’s not why I’m writing this. The reason is that I saw something quite amazing that night and still can’t quite believe I saw it. I’d been sitting on the floor beside him for three hours and during all that time I kept thinking he had died, but whenever I spoke to him he responded with a pitiful noise to let me know he was still alive. At 5.40am I decided to make myself a drink. I was standing by the kettle, Cefa was on the floor just to my right, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like a creamy white thin mist rise up from his head. I turned to see what it was – but it had gone, or at least I couldn't see it any more. I bent down to check him. His eyes were still bright, though expressionless. I stroked his chin; he let out a deep sigh. I thought he was still alive but a few seconds later his pupils dilated and his eyes became black and lifeless. He had finally given up.

What was it I saw? Could it have been that thing we call a soul/energy body/spirit? I think it was.

If grief is a measure of the love we feel for a soul that’s taken from us; then I loved you very much Cefa – I just wish I had/could have done more to help you.

Is anyone there?

2008-09-23T14:57:00.000+01:00

Why does no one ever comment on my blogs????????
Perhaps because no one ever reads them !!!
Ah well...... they keep me out of mischief :-))#

Where have all the sunspots gone?

2008-09-19T15:26:00.000+01:00

Did you know there hasn’t been any sunspot activity for a month? Are you worried? Do you care? It could be good news for us…. then again it could be bad. We’re told that Global Warming is a fact, caused by our mis-management of the planet – though I still sorta wonder if it’s all just an excuse for the politicians to extract more taxes from the masses. Anyway, we’ve no need to worry anymore - many climatologists believe that solar magnetic activity, (which determines the number of sunspots), is an influencing factor for climate on earth and yes you’ve guessed it – lack of sunspots mean rapid cooling of the Earth. If we remain sunspotless for any length of time we could be heading for another mini Ice Age.

Uummm……. Should I stock up on suncream or woolly hats?
#

Student Finance Direct

2008-08-18T15:32:00.000+01:00

Student Finance Direct have managed to wind me up again I'm afraid. I filled in their damn form a few weeks ago - you know the form, the one that wants to know EVERYTHING about you and your income just so your children can take out yet more loans. In addition I submitted the required evidence of MY income, (P60s, Bank Statements etc...). Well, they've now sent me another form, identical to the first!! Under separate cover, but sent on the same day, a letter informing me that the financial assessment is complete and they will write to my son to inform him of what they have decided will be MY financial contribution to his studies!

In need of clarification, I plucked up the courage to ring them again (and no, I didn't need a "secret answer"!!) My protestations about being a single parent and having to plan my budget fell on deaf ears. "Sorry, but it's up to your son to tell you that - that's how the system works." How ridiculous! Out of curiousity I asked where the person on the phone to me was situated - Nottingham or Bristol. All letters I've received from them have had both these addresses on but only one telephone number - the number I rang. Answer: Glasgow! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE

GM Crops

2008-08-13T18:41:00.002+01:00

Good on you Charles - you tell 'em
Whilst I have no serious objection to small scale GM food production in principle, I do object to people like Monsanto pretending that they're in the business of alleviating starvation in the world. Make no mistake - it's all about PROFIT, and the profits are ASTRONOMICAL.
There is enough food in the world without GM crops; what is lacking is a fair distribution of the food we have because those in control want to maintain their profit margins.
And what about the profit being made from biofuels at the expense of rainforests and agricultural land previously used to grow food? I live in the East Midlands where a good proportion of fields are given over to Rape - which incidentally is now growing outside of farmland as a weed - EVERYWHERE.
So, three cheers for Charles - he has my backing.
#

I confess

2008-08-13T18:28:00.001+01:00

Colin Stagg, erroneously convicted of murdering Rachel Nickell in 1992, said of his £700,000 compensation,

"I expected a token payment by way of compensation. This is like winning the lottery!"

Given that he was convicted because he CONFESSED (the Judge has now ruled that he was entrapped) how on earth can the British justice system justify paying out OUR hard earned cash to someone who, for whatever reason, owned up to murder!!!

Hey... there's an idea. Any unsolved murders in your area? Why not manipulate the Police into putting you under duress and then confess that you were responsible. You never know - in a few months you could be very wealthy!!

Free Play

2008-07-18T09:38:00.000+01:00

BBC Breakfast News this morning was discussing a new campaign set up to advise parents on how to encourage their children to play on their own! For Heaven's sake - what is it about this nanny Britain we live in that prevents parents from just turfing their kids out into the garden or yard and telling them to get on with it? Children are naturally curious and when left to amuse themselves, they will. Hey, I remember when I left my five year old painting a picture in the garden one summer with a glorious new paint set and an easel. Within ten minutes he'd painted my car a beautiful shade of lime green. Yes of course I told him what a clever boy he was!

Student Loan Coy's Crazy Secret

2008-02-11T14:08:00.000Z

My son asked that I ring the Student Loan Company today. It seems that I omitted to tick an important box on his 30 page application. As with all big organisations these days I was subjected to three automated menus before finally getting to talk to a real person.

But was he really for real?

After giving my son’s ART ID (those of you with kids at Uni will know what that is!!), my full name, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, address and telephone number, he finally wanted to know the first and third letter of my secret answer!!!!! What was he on about? Was this something to do with the colour of my underwear? Perhaps I’d misheard him?

Me: “Sorry, you’ve confused me. What did you say?”

Him: “I need your secret answer.”

Me: “What was the question?”

Him: “There isn’t a question.”

Me: “How do I know the answer if there isn’t a question?”

Him: “It’s a computer generated answer.”

Me: “Answer to what?”

Him: “Nothing, there wasn’t a question. It’s just to ensure that the answer remains secret.”

Me: “So, there’s an answer to a question that was never asked and it’s that secret, that even I don’t know it.”

Him: “You were sent it through the post.”

Me: “I’m sorry but I have no recollection at all of receiving an answer to an unasked question through the post”

Him: “You need it to talk to us.”

Me: “But I’m talking to you now. I just want to tell you I meant to tick the box and didn’t.”

Him: “I’ll send you another secret answer in the post.”

Me: “So, I’ve got to wait to receive an answer to a question that’s never been asked and then go through all this again?”

Him: “No, I’ve already amended your records to show you ticked the box.”

Duuhhhhhh

Me: “So, why do I need a secret answer?”

Him: “In case you need to contact us again.”

Somehow, I’ve got a feeling that’s NEVER gonna happen!!!!!!

Religion, politics, wealth and war. Is there a connection?

2007-12-01T11:30:00.000Z

Having spent 5 weeks in the USA last summer, I’m well aware of the popularity of the conspiracy theory surrounding the 9/11 tragedy. Oh yea, I hear you say, not more stuff and nonsense. But if you think you’ve heard enough from conspiracy theorists since the death of Princess Diana, I ask you to put your scepticism aside temporarily and check this out.
It’s a freely downloadable 2 hour movie that, if it doesn’t shake you to the core, will at least make you question what you perceive of as reality. It’s about the apparent connection between politics, religion and wealth and it doesn’t hold back any punches. In parts, it’s almost too upsetting to watch and is shocking if true.

It’s a remastered version of "Zeitgeist" and will be shown at the Artists’ Film Festival in London on December 7th. It has been produced by Peter Joseph, who encourages scepticism when he states:

“…. It is my hope that people will not take what is said in the film as the truth, but find out for themselves, for truth is not told, it is realised.”

To this end, he has included an interactive transcript so that viewers can scroll through the script of the entire film, checking his reference sources and obtaining more information. If you’ve time, it’s also worth checking out the other pages on the site.

It’s true, he may be another Dan Brown but this guy certainly doesn’t seem to be in it for the money. I did though recognise a line near the end that reminded me of something Donnie Darko said.

Why not watch it and see what you think.

The movie can be watched online at http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Wake-up Roswell

2007-09-24T17:00:00.000+01:00

If you’re interested in UFO’s, specifically the Roswell incident, be aware that this is one dog that won’t be left to sleep. An article just released from the Arlington Institute (FuturEdition e-newsletter) gives a link to an affidavit written by Lt. Haut, (Col. Blanchard’s Public Information Officer) signed and sealed in 2002 with instructions that it should only be opened in the event of his death. One assumes Lt Haut is recently deceased as the affidavit has now been opened. It claims to be an eye witness account of the events at Roswell during 1947. Is this another hoax or should it be taken seriously?
Read the affidavit yourself at Haut_AFFIDAVIT.pdf

No More Tax Returns !!

2007-07-21T18:08:00.000+01:00

If you read my previous blog, you'll know the battle I had with the Revenue about completing Tax Returns. I didn't want to, they made me. But now, it's all changed - they must have read my blog!!! After them having to pay me tax refunds for two years, I got a letter yesterday saying I won't be required to fill a Tax Return in again........ arrrrr...... I WANT TO...... arrrrr... let me....... arrrr please send me one next year.......

Anyone for Penguin Pie?

2007-07-19T22:00:00.000+01:00

At one time in my chequered career I was employed by the University of Nottingham as a Teaching Fellow. Part of my duties was to act as ambassador for the University in a European consortium of food educationalists. It was good; it meant I got all-expenses paid trips to many European cities. One time, whilst in Belgium, I was nominated to give an impromptu after dinner speech and, as the only current foody news item I could bring to mind was about novel food sources for developing countries. I suggested that we consider Penguin Pie as it had recently been reported that penguins in the Falkland Islands were rolling about on their backs unable to get to their feet. If they were unable to stand, they obviously wouldn’t be able to run away and so would make easy pickings. My audience looked stunned. Was it horror at the thought of eating penguins or were they thinking I’d finally lost the plot! “Why are penguins rolling round on their backs?” one of the delegates asked in amazement. Ah, they hadn’t heard the recent news then? With so much military action taking place round the Falklands, the penguins were toppling over as they looked skyward to follow the paths of low flying planes. It seems they have no sense of balance and quite a high centre of gravity; the penguins that is, not the planes. As the planes flew overhead, the penguins tilted their heads back to follow the flight path, lost their balance and ended up prostrate on the rugged coastline. Today, I see penguins are in the news again (AOL News – June 26, 2007). It seems that giant penguin fossils have been discovered in Peru. These penguins roamed round Peru about 40 million years ago and were over five feet tall. Can you imagine the noise they'd have made as they toppled over whilst watching low flying pterodactyls? :-)

Have you submitted your Tax Return?

2007-07-12T17:33:00.000+01:00

Aha – a misunderstanding. It was November 2006 and the very nice young man on the other end of the telephone was telling me that I would not be sent a Tax Return, it was all a mistake. He was very sorry and I must ignore the letter I’d received telling me I must start filling these damnable, irritating, extremely long forms in. Well, that’s one worry off my mind then.

Think again!!!!

A few weeks later the dreaded weighty envelope dropped through my letterbox and correspondingly raised my blood pressure. I tried in vain, for many weeks, to find out why they had sent it. No one would give me an answer. One very rude young lady told me I didn’t need to know why I’d been sent one, the fact that I had been meant that I was required by law, under penalty of imprisonment, to complete it and send it back. She hung up on me when I tried to communicate with her in language she would understand - words of one syllable.

I was finally told, after many weeks of frustrating phone calls that the wheels had been set in motion because I’d written a book. I was very nearly speechless, especially as seven months earlier I had submitted all my P60s because there was a PAYE tax refund due to me. At that time I was required to sign a form of disclosure to confirm that I’d declared all my income. Knowing all about Back Duty, I had declared on this form that I had written a book, published it POD but expenses were far in excess of sales. Asking if this needed to be declared could I offset the losses against PAYE income? I never received a reply; instead, they sent me a weighty tax refund on my PAYE income.

But back to November 2006. I arrived home from work at 7pm one Friday evening to find yet another communication from the Revenue; telling me that I needed to register my self-employment with the NI Cont people as Class 2 contributions would be due!! I rang the telephone number and was told that I should have registered self-employed as soon as I started writing my book!!!!! That was 20 years ago!!!!! So, a deal was struck. I was to register from the date I had the book published and close “the business” down on the date I made my last sale. I explained I still had about 70 copies gathering dust in my spare room but he said I shouldn’t mention those to anyone. He explained that he would raise an assessment for Class 2 NI contributions and that when I received it I must ring him back and claim Exception on grounds of low income (duurr…NO income). WHAT A WASTE OF EVERYBODY’S TIME – WHY RAISE AN ASSESSMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Later that evening I rang the Revenue helpline to ask AGAIN (for the n'th time) whether losses on self employment could be set against PAYE income. I was categorically told No, never, no, not under any circumstances. NO!!

Completing the Tax Return was the nearest thing I’ve come in a long time to feeling like my finger nails were being pulled out. It was excruciatingly painful and frustrating. It came accompanied by volumes of instructions that MUST be read before completing the Tax Return. I duly obliged and was glad I did -here it was in plain text. Yes, you can claim s/e losses against PAYE income!!! So, spurred on by the thought of more tax refunds coming my way, I set myself the task of completing the Return over Christmas. Alas it was still lying on the table goading me by the time 2007 arrived. So, on New Years Day I finally decided I’d get this monkey off my back once and for all – so that’s how I spent the first day of 2007. The first question was “What is the name of your business?” Excuse me!!! I don’t have a business. “What is the address of your business?” I DON’T HAVE A BUSINESS!!!! In the evening, exhausted, I went online to submit it. I was perilously close to the deadline and don't have much faith in Snail Mail. The website is frustratingly cluttered and the instructions are not clear for Tax Return virgins. Ah, you have to register first. So I did that only to be informed by annoyingly small type that I had to wait a week to get a pin number through the post before I could submit online. By this time my blood pressure was so high my ears were steaming and the whisky bottle lay empty on the floor. Again I had to retreat, defeated.

For the next five days I ripped open every letter that landed on my doormat. I was desperate to end this awful agony. Finally it arrived and I laboriously transcribed my paper record into electronic format – no the online form IS NOT set out the same as the paper version. Anyway, the computer calculated that I was due a further repayment. With expenses (all supported by receipts but not itemised on the Tax return) far exceeding the book sales I expected to get further communications from them. How wrong I was. Within two days they had credited my bank account with the additional refund. Amazing. They harass me and threaten me for four months, they lie to me and treat me with total disrespect, only to give me money at the end of it all. It sure is a crazy system they operate. Three months later, after a lengthy investigation funded by my money, the Complaints Department assured me that they had reprimanded the girl who had been so rude to me.

Submitting the 2006/2007 Return hasn't been so painful as I had all my paperwork and receipts prepared. Within 2 days of submitting online, my account was credited with yet another refund.

I’m planning to write another book ASAP. This one though, will require a lot of research and will probably involve travel to Mexico and Peru in order to check out my facts.

Looks like there’ll be another big refund next year then :-)