Trousers

I love the Metro – it is full of interesting facts recycled from other newspapers.
Well, did you know that the way men wear their trousers reveals their age?
I am not an expert on men’s trousers (I tend to look at their eyes rather than their trousers) and this was news to me.
Apparently teenagers’ waist bands are well below their waists, with their crotches dangling over their knees to imitate gangsters and rappers - It is also deemed fashionable to have your knickers or thongs showing.
In their twenties men tend to wear their trouser waistband around their waist, especially at work.
But by the time a man heads towards thirty his waist band starts creeping up towards his chest.
By 45 it is usually a good two inches above the waist.
Simon Cowell seems to like high waist bands – so he must be ancient.

Thought for the day

‘When in charge - ponder; when in trouble - delegate; when in doubt -mumble’

The adventures of Tory boy

What’s Tony doing now?


As you have probably guessed, I like to keep up to date with this fellow. A couple of weeks ago Tory, sorry- Tony was supposedly being head-hunted by the richest man in France.
Well, his latest money-making venture is to be a speaker for hedge fund deals at Lansdowne Partners in London.
He is rumoured to be expecting £180k for 90 minutes of his time.
This may upset Gordon and Alistair who are trying to be seen as doing something to claw back money from grasping bankers and the ‘people’ who play global roulette with our hard-earned cash.
Lansdowne Partners made money by betting on the fall of Barclays and Northern Rock shares during the credit crunch, and made £100m from the demise of Northern Rock.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/25/tony-blair-speaker-landsdowne-partners


Thought for the day

‘An open mind is wonderful if a matching mouth is not included’

What are we supposed to do?

This week-end the government raised the terror threat level to ‘severe’.
I’m scared.
But what does it mean?
What are we supposed to be frightened of?
The government said we need to be ‘vigilant’ – yes – but what are we supposed to be looking out for? – These vague terms are not helpful for the general public.
Trawling thorough the papers today for enlightenment I came across a few suggestions.
1. We face a threat from female suicide bombers. Females are apparently more committed and ruthless than males.
2. A plane will be hi-jacked in India and dropped on an English city, or used to disrupt the Afghan conference in London
3. English universities are breeding grounds for terrorists.

I suppose the whole point of terror is to frighten people so, if like me, these terror threats scare you then the terrorists have succeeded.
I just don’t understand what terrorists are trying to achieve apart from misery and destruction.
What is the terrorist’s mission statement? Is it for a ‘better’ society?
If anyone can explain what it is all about I would be very grateful.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6999959.ece


Thought for the day

‘The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one’

Dangerous weapons

Do you sometimes despair and think that the world has gone mad?
Do you wonder what happened to good old-fashioned common sense?
I do all the time.
Here is anther example of daftness.

A man asked for a toothpick after a meal in a hotel. The waiter told him that he could not have one because it contravened health and safety regulations.
Gosh – are toothpicks the latest fashion in combat weaponry?
Are they on a par with weapons of mass destruction?
If diners in hotels wanted to get really nasty then they could charge round brandishing the dinner knives and forks, or failing that, start glassing people – but pricking people with a tooth pick…….
As for self-harm, I suppose the diner could scratch their wrists with it, but it would most likely snap into bits before they could draw blood.
I suppose people will now be frisked at airports for toothpicks…..

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/153329/-Sorry-sir-toothpicks-are-dangerous-


Thought for the day

‘Indecision is the key to flexibility’

I’m confused

The Guardian says that trans-fats are bad. These are the processed margarine-type vegetable oil products that are stuffed into bought cakes pies and biscuits
Humm….not a problem, I don’t like that sort of thing anyway, although I know lots of people who do.
The Telegraph says that butter is really bad, and it should be banned.
Humm….I like butter and I don’t want it banned thank you.

Oh dear – should we take heed of the constant stream of ‘health scares’, or should we just do what we want and tell ‘experts’ to mind their own business.

The North Karelia Project in Finland was very interesting. In the 1960s Finland had very high levels of cardiovascular mortality. The locals used to enjoy a diet low in fruit and veg and high in butter, cheese, cream, and full fat milk.
Drastic public health measures were taken and the population was encouraged to increase its fruit and veg consumption and swap to low-fat dairy products and butter-substitute spreads.
Finland greatly reduced its level of heart disease by these public health measures.
I would not want to see butter banned, but a lot can be learned from the Karelia project, about the benefits of a whole community taking collective responsibility for healthy eating.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jan/18/trans-fats-ban-health-faculty

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7010677/Ban-butter-to-save-our-hearts-says-doctor.html



Quote from the calendar:

‘When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane’

Blondes

Do you like blondes - or do you prefer to make fun of them?
Do you enjoy blonde ‘Bimbo’ jokes?
Be careful – a team of scientists in California carried out a research project that concluded that blondes were more aggressive than brunettes and red-heads.
Apparently fair–haired women (even bottle ones) are prone to ‘war-like’ traits when they want their own way.
The researchers thought blondes were more used to deferential attention and felt ‘entitled’ which made them behave like this.
Although they were more aggressive, blonde women were less likely to get into actual physical fights with people.

What do you think?
Are the blonde women you know aggressive?
Can you think of any famous blondes in history who were known for their ‘war-like’ behaviour – or is this a load of twaddle?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8464990.stm


Thought for the day from the rip-off calendar

‘Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy’

(I’m just quoting the calendar –these quotes do not reflect my personal views!)

Weather forecasts

Did you enjoy the snow?

Where I live it was like Narnia, and venturing out of the house was treacherous at times because of the sheet ice.

Did you get excited when the Met Office predicted a ‘barbecue’ summer?
They also promised us a ‘mild winter’.
If you are becoming cynical about the accuracy of the weather forecasts then you are not alone. A poll by YouGov revealed that 74% of us think forecasts are pretty inaccurate.
As with all useless organizations in the UK, the staff at the Met Office will be in line for £1m worth of bonuses.

When will this country learn to reward success not failure?

Apparently the BBC is thinking of ditching the Met Office and contracting with Metra, the national weather forecasting service in New Zeeland – but that remains to be seen.
The best weather forecaster used to be Paul Damari on Radio Shropshire (he disappeared a few years ago) – his forecasts use to be very accurate, and I miss them.

Oh well, back to the seaweed and fir cones – red sky at night shepherd’s delight etc……

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6991064.ece

Today’s quote from the rip-off calendar is

‘The first symptom of hypothermia is poor judgment’

Bookshop news

Do you like bookshops?

I suspect most of you reading this blog are CPW students and love reading and buying books.

Well, Waterstones did not do too well with its Christmas sales figures and has sacked the boss.
The plan is for Waterstones to revert to its roots as a ‘local’ bookshop.
Hooray!!!!
It will be selling fewer celebrity titles and tailor the store’s content to the needs of the local community in which each store is based - like it was in the 1980s when Tim Waterstone stared his enterprise.

I am sick of the focus on shallow celebrity culture just because it is profitable. Publishers have been concentrating on celebs, and have not been prepared to back many first-time writers.
I hope they keep their in-store Costa coffee outlets - browsing in Waterstones with the smell of ground coffee is bliss.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jameshall/100003012/waterstones-returns-to-roots/


Thought for the day from Sue’s rip-off calendar

‘Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups’

Festive flab

Are you suffering from the after-effects of too much festive fare?
Are your trousers too tight?
Are you the buttons bursting off your clothes?
Well, you could try this approach.

I watched a fascinating programme on channel 14 last night called ‘The Diets that Time Forgot’
A group of fat people were sent to a remote stately home where they were put into groups:
The Victorian diet
The Edwardian diet
The 1920s diet

The process seemed to involve cold baths, bracing exercise and horrible food. The menu seemed to feature lots of offal and very little else – tongue, sweetbreads, kidneys and liver – yuck!!!!!!!!!
The participants were trussed up in the costumes of the period, including corsets and hooped skirts.
No wonder they all lost heaps of weight. I would have enjoyed the exercise side of things, but the thought of fried liver and kidneys for breakfast was abhorrent.

Funnily enough the programme reminded me of school.
I was talking to some school friends recently and we remarked how we could only remember one fat person at school
Maybe the answer to the current epidemic of childhood obesity is to provide plain food (with no choice) at school, and force children out to play Hockey or rugby in the snow for two hours a day like my school did.
If any one dared to complain they were vilified as a wimp – the highest form of shame.

Thought for the day from Sue's rip-off calendar

‘When a person with experience meets a person with money, the person with experience will get the money – and the person with the money will get some experience’

Luxury goods – or the emperor’s new clothes

Do you like Moet and Krug or a nice warming glass of Hennessey cognac?
Or, how about a Louis Vuitton bag, and some Dior clothes?
Well, Tony Bliar likes them too.
TB is said to be contemplating another lucrative venture.
Having failed in his bid to become emperor of Europe, he is now looking at a dream job with his pal Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France.
He got to know Bernard by networking with the mega-rich during his time in number 10.
Tony’s job description will involve attracting new clients, and has a six figure salary.

He will be working in my favourite city– Paris …

Lucky Tony!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6950815/Tony-Blairs-new-job-with-luxury-goods-firm.html


Thought for the day

Books and friends should be few but good

Thought for the day

I have a rip off calendar.
No, it is not something dodgy from Wellington market, but each day has a wise saying, and as you begin each new day you tear off the day before and throw it in the bin. The calendar also tells you when it is a full moon etc … very handy.
So, I will share my calendar with you all in the ‘Thought for the day’ slot on my blog

Here is today’s instalment:

The pessimist is a realist who isn’t afraid to admit it

And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson

My 2010 blog entries so far seem to be about ‘naughty’ women. (‘Naughty’ in Shakespeare’s time meant obscene and a ‘naughty-house was a brothel - just thought you would like to know that).
This was very amusing.
Sixty-year old MP Iris Robinson had an affair with a nineteen year old lad she had known since he was nine.
Zoe Heller’s Notes on a Scandal spring to mind – (It is worth reading, especially for Heller’s treatment of an unreliable narrator)
Mrs. Robinson also became enmeshed in dodgy dealing - she got two property dealers to fork out £50,000 to set her lover up in a catering business. She demanded £5,000 for herself.
Mrs. Robinson is the lady who spoke about homosexuality being an abomination, and that homosexuals should get psychiatric counselling (it is not a psychiatric condition).
The news of this sex scandal broke yesterday, but the affair ended 18 months ago.

One has to ask - why expose it now?
Is there more scandal to come?

Mrs. Robinson’s naughty exploits certainly took my mind off the snow, but they have done nothing to restore my faith in MPs!


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241545/MP-Iris-Robinson-60-affair-19-year-old-toyboy.html

Pantomimes

Do you like pantomimes?

I do, but I have not been to one for ages.
Amy Winehouse seems to like them too. She attended a performance of Cinderella at Milton Keynes Theatre.
The C- list cast included Mickey Rooney, Bobby Davro and Anthea Turner.
Amy yelled ‘f*** Cinders, Prince Charming – marry me!’ (Was he tempted by her proposal?)
During the audience participation bits she is alleged to have yelled ‘He’s f****** behind you’
Needless to say she was dragged off kicking and screaming in true Amy style, and was charged for kicking the theatre manager in his festive nuts.

Some people have names that fit their behaviour and personalities.
‘Winehouse’ seems apt for Amy.
Her marriage was doomed to failure. Her married name was ‘Civil’
Sadly the change of name did nothing to modify her behaviour.

I have some sympathy for Amy – I think I would have been tempted to say something disdainful at a pantomime staring Anthea Turner and Mickey Rooney.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/12/24/charged-with-a-panto-assault-oh-yes-she-is-115875-21920083/

2010

Wishing you all a very happy new year