Category: General

To Google or not…

There are an estimated one billion Google searches a day, give or take a few million either way. I am delighted to be in the minority of internet users that do not use the search engine’s facility. For the record I also don’t Ask Jeeves or use the other lesser-known singing search machines like Bing, Sinatra or Dean Martin. I am of the opinion that if I am in the dark, I’ll stay there. Where is it said that you need to know everything? Continue reading “To Google or not…”

Don’t trust the fridge

“We trust the fridge” said the oriental-looking stand up guy, Michael McIntyre. Sadly, the comedian’s observation was wrong. Before going away it is sensible to shut down all electrical appliances, excluding the fridge, to prevent, in the worst case scenario, a house fire due to faulty electrics. My friend followed this rule but on his return from holiday he found his fridge had conked out and his kitchen flooded. He didn’t have one of the more modern frost free models. Not only were the goods in his cooler ruined there was also a penetrating pungent smell in the room. Something was off. That’s a shame.

Personally, I’ve not returned from a trip to find a calamity. Not unless you count the number of enveloped bills that have built up behind the door.

Had a great day

Mrs FEEG and I had a great day yesterday.

First was a visit to Southwark Cathedral, followed by a tasty lunch in Borough Market.

After that, a quick stagger to the Shard and a couple of lift rides to the viewing galleries. The bottom one is enclosed and has lots of computers explaining the views you see, which were great. It was a trifle hazy so we could only see abut 10 miles in each direction, though.  The staff there were also very helpful explaining what you were actually seeing. Then a trip up to the upper gallery, which although safely caged in, is also open to the elements. As it was a hot afternoon, the fresh breezes up there were welcome. It was rather outstanding to look down on a police helicopter flying by!

When we finally dragged ourselves down and had had a coffee, we got on a Northern Line train to Clapham and had a great slab of ribs followed by pecan pie at Bodean’s Smoke House.

All in all, a great day out!!

Angela! Angela! Angela!

Germany has voted and Germany has voted to keep Merkel chancellor. This should come as no surprise to anyone who is not an embittered troll on the Tellygraff’s comment sections. Roughly 70pc of Germans approve of Merkel’s performance, and the Union — the name given to her party, the CDU, and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU came within 3 votes of securing a majority on its own. The Free Democrats for the first time since the establishment of the Federal Republic failed to make it into parliament, hardly a surprise. They were only marginally successful so long as they had little to say and thus never had to deliver anything. After they were given a strong voice following the 2009 federal election, they disappointed all and according to one poll 90pc of voters said that their main source of disgust was their ability to promise many things, but deliver nothing. This incompetence was not helped by the inept Westerwelle’s replacement by the equally inept Rösler who seemingly saw racism in every critique of his political abilities.

Not having secured an all-out majority Merkel will more likely than not seek to form a coalition with either a much-reduced Social Democratic opposition or a weakened Green party. While the SPD have shown little interest, the Greens even less and as both have ruled out forming a coalition with die Linke, one or the other will have to swallow bitterness and become truly a junior coalition partner. What cannot be forgotten in this election is that the results came as a response to Merkel’s popularity, not the popularity of her party — and that other than Merkel Germany lacks credible leaders.

The plastic bag debate

Come on England GET WITH THE PROGRAMME!!!

I simply can’t believe that recent press articles indicate that England (and the English?) still have a prehistoric attitude to the use and free issue of plastic bags.

We’ve been charged for them by our shopowners for years now, and yes, I originally thought it a cheek and another “stealth” or “green” tax but it isn’t!

The nominal charge ( ± 2p here, which apparently goes to plastic recycling initiatives) is enough to make most averse and resentful to buying them, so we take our own!

And what an improvement to the environment, almost overnight the unsightly discarded plastic bags disappeared from our roads, parks, neighbourhoods and of course the countryside.

Of course we haven’t totally eliminated our reliance on them, I actually had to buy one yesterday ((Grrrr!!!) My carboot supply had been exhausted without my knowledge)

Handy tip on next page….. Continue reading “The plastic bag debate”

An (not very) epic pome

One for the comp

Hello, Marvin, this is Earth,
Of intelligence here,
There is a dearth.
Some say here that CO2
Will warm the place
And land us in the poo.

We have guys here
called politicians
Who everyone has learned to fear
They lie and cheat and defraud
They are all a horrible crew
They talk until we all get bored

So if I were you I would
Turn your spaceship round
If  by any chance you could
Unblock your venturi
Fire your rockets and
Go back to Alpha Centauri!

Quite like this one

A police officer was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer’s credibility …Q: ‘Officer — did you see my client fleeing the scene?’A: ‘No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.’

Q: ‘Officer, who provided this description?’

A: ‘The officer who responded to the scene.’

Q: ‘A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?’

A: ‘Yes, sir. With my life.’

Q: ‘With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?’ Continue reading “Quite like this one”