Heartless Bosses

The worst part about a recession is that people lose their jobs and there is no nice way to go about making people redundant but there are some ways that are better than others.
How do the staff at Llyods and Hbos feel knowing that while the axe hovers above 20,000 of them, the bosses are sharing out millions in bonuses. Things are really messed up when this is seen as acceptable because it isn't, you just cannot make a case for this being right.
Likewise the decision to tell the 850 staff at BMW that they were now redundant an hour before there shift ended.
To make things worse, they are Agency staff and therefore have no claim to redundancy regardless of how long they have been employed there. I don't know, but my guess would be that BMW have known for a while that they were going to have to cut back on staff so why was no period of notice given so the staff had at least a glimmer of a chance of finding something else. Even a weeks notice would have been poor but would have been something. To call them together and say that in 60 minutes you are unemployed is shabby.
The recession is sad and unless you are in one of the safer jobs, we all are under threat and dread the call to a meeting with the boss but there are more sympathetic ways to break the bad news.
I just hope that BMW and Lloyds and everyone else who doesn't give a seconds thought to their staff get what is coming to them. A bit of compassion is the very least they could show.

Hello World

Hello All.
As Lucy goes off to serve her time at her Majesty's pleasure or whatever it is she is doing for the next few months, i have offered to step into the breach and either keep this blog ticking over or run it into the ground whatever happens first.
What you won't get from me is cutting satire, philosophical political pieces or any of that left wing or right wing stuff Lucy previously managed to fill her once fine blog with. My brief is to write about anything that i see on the TV or read in the newspaper that pisses me off and as i tend to spend quite a bit of my day saying to people how much that thing i saw on TV or read in the newspaper pissed me off, this should be a doddle.
Expect spelling mistakes, bad grammar, bad language, the wrong punctuation turning up in weird places and badly thought out, half arsed ideas about how to right the worlds wrongs. I'm not a journalist, a philosopher, a wordsmith or an intellectual in any way, shape or form. I'm not a vegetarian, i have never been on a demonstration in my life and the only left and right wings i understand are on the football field.
I will be wrong more times than i am right, be rude to anyone rude to me and use the medium of Lucy's blog to slag off anyone who says bad things about me, what i write about or Portsmouth FC.
Okay, so armed with Lucy's google reader, her Blog roll and a rather long list of things to do and things to don't do, let's see how long i can go before Lucy changes the passwords. First job, how to change it from Lucy to Paul and not delete everything else.

And The Winner Is...

It's award season and there is only so many times you can see Brad and Angelina posing for photographs on a red carpet or Kate Winslett blubbing in front of a podium before you reach the conclusion that God, these gong giving events are brain numbingly boring.

While the more mainstream actors and actresses are getting their backs slapped, there is a more alternative award ceremony going on that celebrates the actors and actresses who get slapped onto their backs. Or up against a wall. Or on the bonnet of a car. Actually, almost anywhere because this is the 26th Annual Adult Video Awards.

Former husband and wife team Evan Stone and Jessica Drake took the best actor and actress awards and 'Cry Wolf', a tense psychodrama by all accounts, was voted the best film.
Special mention must go to the best title of the year winner 'Strollin in the Colon' although it might be best not to ponder to long on what the film is about, but i don't think it's regarding healthy eating.

One film that did end up clutching an armful of awards to its artificially enhanced bosom was Pirates 2: Stagnettis revenge, a special effects laden romp which had the biggest budget in the history of adult films and is loosely based on the Pirates of the Caribbean film although i don't remember Johnny Depp doing that with a ho ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Turn On, Tune In, Sell Out

No financial gain from any large corporations was received while writing this joint post with Cody, the author of the It Is What It Is blog. This time the left v right, limey v yank, men v women difference of opinion is over concept of musicians 'selling out'. Cody's view of things can be found here.


Musicians "Selling out" means different things to different people. To some it means compromising one's principles in exchange for money, success or other personal gain. For others it has a more political flavour with a group pretending to adhere to a one ideology, while following another.
A case in point would be the political group, Rage Against The Machine, who through the 80's and 90's preached social activism against 'lying corporations' while signing a multi-million pound contract with Epic Records.
If ever a band could be castigated for betraying their core values that are represented in their music it is RATM but there are not many bands who have avoided the inevitable shout of selling their soul for the corporate shilling.
I grew up listening to the likes of the the Damned, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Green Day, Guns n Roses and Nirvana, all angry rebels dispelling the myth that we have to toe the line set out by the squares in charge.
Then came Johnny Rotton, the man who called for Anarchy in the UK, advertising Country Life butter and Nirvana doing a semi-acoustic set singing Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam. Bah.
It would be naive to think that people don't change, that bands never mature and their ideas and direction doesn't evolve but music has a strong effect on us and bring memories flooding back. That song that inspired you, gave you confidence or spoke to you and made you feel that you were not alone in fighting a perceived injustice should not turn up a decade later advertising pet food or kitchen roll.
The Indy movement of the late 80s and early 90s spewed forth such bands as James, Skunk Anansie and Carter USM who built up a huge following and then lost them again when they signed to large labels and went from angry, edgy musicians with a message to turning out safe pop tunes. This should be an example of what happens when you make a deal with the devil, your integrity is compromised and safe and boring never inspired anyone except the equally safe and boring.
Maybe the message is to not look too deeply into the lyrics our heroes are singing, to recognise that it is just a song with a bunch of words strung together in poetic couplets and the angry young singer whipping up a frenzy with their music is actually going to get in their car and drive back to the life of luxury that they came from. But then where is the fun in that? I want my musicians angry and spitting venom at injustices and if i dip out and return a decade later, they are still just as angry and still looking for targets to aim their barbs at. I don't want that song that made me go 'Hell Yeah' to turn up advertising Washing-Up Liquid and the man i revered telling me to buy a Vauxhall Vectra.
Musicians have a duty to their fans to not sully their memories for the sake of a few pounds.

Man Flu Exists

man flu : The condition shared by all males wherein a common illness (usually a mild cold) is presented by the patient as life-threatening. Also known as 'Fishing for Sympathy' or 'Chronic Exaggeration'.

Men are far more likely than women to take a day off work claiming they have flu, according to this survey that i stumbled across today.
Almost one in three men said they had taken time off work because of flu or colds, compared with one in five women questioned.
The research is being heralded as proof of the existence of "man flu" - or the tendency for men to interpret a bit of a cough and sniffle as a potentially life-threatening illness. They also moan more, fork out more on remedies and 82% stay in bed until they feel better.
Jakki Stubbington, of Benenden Healthcare, which carried out the study, said: "All women know that 'man flu' exists and now here is official proof. Women have all seen men making a meal of a sniffle and claiming a bit of a cold is the latest, deadly flu virus.
Wusses.

Carol Thatcher Furore

Considering the surname and her infamous mother, Carol Thatcher has always seemed a very pleasant and amiable person whenever i have seen her on television. As usual with our 'celebrities' the public persona can be very different to the private one and it seems that Thatcher juniors views on race relations leaves something to be desired.
Regardless of whose mouth it comes from, repeatedly referring to a black person as a 'golliwog' is wrong as she did when talking about a coloured tennis player whilst waiting in the green room ready to appear on a BBC show.
To then offer a half hearted apology and comment that 'you don't understand what the fuss is about' is the height of ignorance and exactly why Ms Thatcher deserves everything she gets aimed at her.
The BBC, mindful of the recent Johnathon Ross incident, fired her from her role as a roving reporter and are now unbelievably being accused of being rash in dismissing her. The Major of London has even came out in support of her, saying the comment was ' a bit offensive'.
Maybe people like Carol Thatcher, Boris Johnson and all those who are accusing the BBC of falling to Political Correctness greet there black friends with a cheery 'Hello golliwog' but i strongly doubt it because even inside their thick skulls there is a part that must recognise that it is deeply offensive and demeaning.
Most vexing is the amount of white people who are phoning up radio shows and writing letters to the press saying that it isn't an offensive thing to say while the black population are telling tales of how they grew up with the same word aimed at them as a term of abuse.
If you are one of those that doesn't understand what the fuss is about or subscribe to the Daily Mail line that it is 'sad that Britain has become a country in which we have to watch our tongues for fear of offending a politically correct public service ruling class' then i really worry about how many pathetically ignorant people we still have in this country.

The Shining

I once had a friend who had ambitions to be an author and every time he gave me a pile of type to read through i would comment that it needed a vampire. Sure enough he soon got fed up with it and stopped sending me things to read through but i stubbornly maintain that any story can be improved with the introduction of the blood drinking living dead. Just think how much better Pride and Prejudice would have been if Mr Darcy had taken to rampaging through the village of Longbourn in an orgy of blood lust instead of chasing the prudish Elizabeth about the place but then Jane Austen seemed to do quite well without my advice. Could have been better though.
One man who doesn't need my advice because he always seems to squeeze a bogeyman somewhere into his writing is Stephen King who has been honoured as the author of the scariest movie ever by boffins at King's College, London.
Using a mathematical formula which factored in the use of music, the balance between true life and fantasy, and how much blood and gore is involved, the scientists picked out the Shining out of hundreds of horror films and the shower scene in Psycho as the scariest moment ever.
I did see another version of The Shining a few years back which stayed true to the book and knocked spots off the Stanley Kubrik version which weaved its way around the book rather loosely although it was damned scary. The two small girls in the hallway asking the boy if he wanted to come and play with them. Funnily enough as i write this there is an advert for the Shining on the TV behind me. Wow, i forgot how scary it was what with the screeching and wailing woman, her features all twisted and screwed up in anguish, abandoned and shunned by society.
Ooops sorry, its an advert for Madonnas UK tour. She could do with some Vampires on backing vocals methinks.

Sometimes We'll Sigh Sometimes We'll Cry

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Buddy Holly 13th on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
For many, Holly is most famous for wearing thick rimmed glasses, singing Peggy Sue and then dying in an aeroplane crash and looking like an early version of Elvis Costello and that was pretty much my view of him up until my late teens when i began taking more of an interest in musical history.
I wouldn't describe myself as a big fan of Buddy Holly and i don't think that his music has particularly aged very well but he did have a unique style and image that makes him stay in the memory.
The most obvious trait was his thick rimmed glasses which, even back in the late 50s, must have made him stand out from the slick look of his fellow musicians. He also had that hiccuping style of singing which sounded as if he had made the line in the lyric too short and was trying to stretch out the line to fit the tune. Very effective though and attributed to him borrowing the style used by country singers of that era.
Considering that he was only around for 18 months and at 22, probably had the better years ahead of him, he did seem to leave a mark on music disproportionate to his short time in the spotlight.
I would pick out 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' and 'True Love Ways' as my favourite Buddy songs and if you take a glance of the other acts around at the time you get a sense of how something simple but driving like 'Peggy Sue' or 'Oh Boy' would appear a revelation.
Whether he deserves to appear 13th in a list of greatest artists ever is debatable but i do get a sense of how influential he might have been in showing that you don't need to be handsome like Elvis or a guitar sensation like Chuck Berry to leave your mark on the history of music timeline.

Chavez Looking Good 10 Years On

One World leader guaranteed to get the right frothing at the mouth is Hugo Chavez who today celebrates 10 years as Venezuelan President.
I make no bones about, i think the man is a shining example of what all World leaders should aspire to and you only have to look at the state of the Country that he inherited from the brutal right wing dictator Perez, and compare it to how it is now ten years later under the guidance of Chavez and his Socialist ideals.
In 1998, the majority of Venezuelans lived below the poverty line and after Chavez won the Presidential election he made it a priority to lance this particularly unpleasant boil.
He nationalised the country's oil reserves and set about using the revenue from the oil business to be used to finance social and development programmes.
Chavez began literacy campaigns, built free medical centres and hospitals and constructed schools in the poorest neighbourhoods as well as subsidising supermarkets to reduce the cost of food to the poorest families.
What Chavez has done is not such a revolutionary idea, he just let the people keep the profits from the natural resources of their country to better their lives.
What must really grate with the right about Chavez is that this is the first serious attempt at a modern form of Socialism and only the most blinkered of McCarthy era relics would not admit that Chavez has made a mighty fine fist of things so far.
To compare 1998 to 2008 figures make astounding reading.
1628 doctors in 1998, 19,571 today while there was 250,000 free school meals in 1998 in 2008 there was 1.8m.
Access to education has dramatically increased, including more than 1 million people participating in free adult literacy classes, leading to Venezuela eradicating illiteracy by UN standards.
The 60% of the population in poverty in 1998, is down to below 30% today. The Venezuelan economy has grown by almost 80% with inflation down from 120% in 1998 to just under 20% now.
Don't expect those bent on condemning Chavez as a power crazed megalomaniac to applaud these impressive achievements but the rest of us can maybe agree that he has set about solving the problems of the most vulnerable in Society, namely the poor and sick and has laid the groundwork for a country where the majority and not the few, reap the most benefits and that is as it should always be.
Here's to another 10 more years of the incredible Hugo Chavez.

Wind Of Change In Europe

As the recession bites, there is a sense of something in the air in Europe that doesn't bode well for not only the Governments but the entire system that they run their countries by.
Almost 20 years ago many Governments in the East of Europe ditched communism and put their faith in a capitalist system much feted by the West. This very same system is now in crisis and quite rightly, the people have every reason to feel betrayed but it isn't just the former communist bloc that citizens are taking to the streets. The big, wealthy democracies of Western Europe are also hearing the growing mumblings of discontent and as Europe's time of troubles deepen, Governments are right to be worried as revolt is in the air.
This weekend France was at standstill by a wave of strike action and riots over growing unemployment, wildcat strikes hit the length and breadth of Britain as oil workers downed tools over job security and the bringing in of Italian and Portuguese workers. Angry protesters gathered in Hungary as unemployment rockets, Greek farmers joined students to blockade motorways and major roads, Latvia witnessed 15,000 demonstrators rampaging through the capital and trying to storm the parliament.
Ukraine, Lithuania and Iceland have also seen violent protests and if the pundits are to believed, the economic situation is going to get much worse before it gets any better and it will be in the East Europeans countries where the recession is going to make the most changes to the political landscape as the inevitable calls grow for a return to Communism.
The conclusion that they are rapidly reaching is that they have lost the attractive sides of communism (subsidized housing, cheap fuel, guaranteed jobs) as well as the less desirable aspects (secret police, censorship).
That is the trade off and they would have every right to ask questions about the economic system that they have adopted and was sold to them by the West as the route to economic wealth and stability.
Governments will fall as things grow worse and the East European Parliaments look the most fragile and susceptible to a revolution. The irony is that it was two decades of Capitalism that made Communism look attractive again to those who have lived through both and decide that the disadvantages of Capitalism far outweigh the disadvantages of Communism.