The election is looming apparently. We are all expected to do our bit and troop off to the polling stations to put our x next to the name of some idiot in a suit that doesn’t care or understand about us. I’m sure that I’m not the only person thinking ‘why bother?’

I’m sure that I will have all the do-gooders, all those people who get a strange kick out of politics, all those who lecture us and tell us what we should do, throwing their hands up in horror. They will go on and on, as they like to do, about how our ancestors fought in two world wars to protect our democracy and how the suffragettes threw themselves under horses to win the vote. Well, what good has it done us? We are no better off than if we had never had the vote at all, as far as I can see.

At least in the ‘good old days’ there was some sort of difference between the parties. We knew that Labour represented the working classes and the Tories represented the toffs. Labour would want to nationalise everything, ban the bomb and give more power to the unions whilst the Conservatives would want to reduce taxes, slash public spending and force everybody to work longer for less. Well who knows where the parties stand now? Cameron, Brown and the completely nondescript Nick Clegg seem completely interchangeable as far as they can see.

We saw our elected representatives in their true colours last year when the expenses scandal came to light. And how hard did they fight to keep their squalid double dealing under wraps? Much harder than they are prepared to fight for our rights or to improve the lot of the average British man, that’s for sure!

So on election day I won’t be getting up early and heading out to vote. I wouldn’t even raise a little finger to send a text message for one of that lot. Whoever wins the election we will be in exactly the same mess in five years time, so it seems to me that democracy is overrated.

So, I was speaking to my brother who works in business and he believes that there is massive money in buying stocks for kerosene suppliers. He is one of those sorts who is of the opinion that America is trying to rule the world by taking over the Middle East. I must say I am getting bored of the fact that everyone seems to have the same rationalization on this. Sorry this post is a little annoyed but to be honest, everything seems to be bothering me today…

Here it is: I don’t know what the latest Notebook / Laptop computer is. I have no idea and I really don’t give a monkey’s. My phone? I don’t even know the model-number (other than that it’s three years old and the battery is about to die…) Giga and Mega whatsits are all good and well, too, but why should I really care? I have my trusty laptop which does the job, and considering I only use it for typing and work, I don’t need a computer which can be my friend too (I entrust other human beings with this glamorous past-time).

But, at the following post I found something really interesting for once.

It’s Sony, people! Yes, those mega-corporate giants Sony, the inventors of that old beauty the ‘Sony Walkman’, which gave birth to a brand-new generation of walk-about-and-listen digital gadgets. And guess what else? I had no idea, but they’re on the eco-bandwagon now, having built their very own digital bandwagon which seems to actually be fairly ethical (or as ethical as such a process can be, which is much better than doing nothing at all). This new range of notebooks is just what’s needed. For once, it’s a practical way of getting the energy-saving-philosophy over to people who might ordinarily miss it, joined to their computers at the hip and al that.

Another great thing about these notebooks has to be that children will probably be using them, which spreads the message even further. Because that’s who we need to not forget about, isn’t it?

Cleverthings.com is nauseatingly smug, bold and completely unashamedly face-rubbing when it comes to anything, really: it could be clever people, clever business ideas. Pretty much, if you can think of something and thought you did a pretty good job, someone involved with Cleverthings will have thought of it already, and they’ll want to let you know that your idea was absolutely crap. If you’ve got an open wound then no problemo, these guys will also gladly rub salt into it, for free!

Think you can handle it? Well, Cleverthings will gladly educate you on an all manner of smartness. There are profiles of clever so and so’s and what makes them so flipping fantastic, and even photos so that you can accurately project all your hatred on to these people, which a thick friend of mine tells me works a treat for relieving stress.

Friendship is a concept we are all used to. We surround ourselves with people that we have things in common with. They are people who share the same passions, same interests and hobbies and the same tastes in things such as music, food and movies. Friendships, therefore are very shallow by their nature. We surround ourselves with human beings who we have chosen based on what they like and not who they are.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that some people do have friends who are compatible with them on a deeper level, but this is a rarity. Friends are great for everyone and certainly make life more fun. However, in my own experience, and in talking to other people I know, most friendships are superficial, with any meaningful information or conversations never coming to light. This is especially true in male friendships.

While you may care for your friends and enjoy seeing them regularly, it is difficult to trust them with anything really private or important. This is where parents or girlfriends, boyfriends, wives and husbands come in. They are the people to confide in. I believe that a person can only have one or two very close friends. Only one or two people that they can somewhat trust, and even that is strained.

To me, friendship is something that is enjoyed by everyone but only really appreciated by a few. It is a great thing and one of life’s little pleasures to socialise with people who you like and who like similar things. However, as far as “friends forever"or having total trust with the people you call your friends, I believe it does not exist.

Before I go, I have just started following this great enigin design blog. I am really impressed wth some of the posts that have recently gone up! If any of you have a moment, you should really check it out!

This story really put a downer on my day: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8497973.stm

I could empathize with the two Panda’s in question, since I too had moved to a foreign country and started a new life. How cruel, I thought. How will these two Panda’s from the U.S. survive in China?

I mean, human beings find it difficult enough to handle learning Chinese, but to ask a Panda to learn it–That just seems like a ludicrous amount of stress to heap onto an already endangered, stressed out animal! It would be better if the Panda’s were too stupid to be affected, but the sad truth of the matter is that they are highly intelligent, and as such facing a rocky road ahead.

And the worst thing according to the story is this: the Chinese say they can’t guarantee they will be able to find a translator to help the Panda’s settle in. So what does that mean? That means that all the training the Panda’s underwent in the U.S.—they were trained to understand hand-signals—could be for nothing! To my mind that is nothing less than horribly tragic.

And Panda’s don’t exactly have a lot of ways at their disposal to vent their rage, do they? It’s not as if they can write things down when they feel upset, or scream out. To the Chinese visitors that will probably just seem like the Panda’s are enjoying themselves. And the more the Panda’s scream and shout the more the visitors will scream and shout, making more come by the bus-full! It really is terrible; I can’t imagine what must be running through the poor Panda’s minds right now.

Good luck Panda’s!

So, as you all know, it is my birthday tomorrow and in case you are pondering what to buy me (that means you Chris) I have been thinking a lot about that dvd set for Twin Peaks, just in case you couldn’t think of anything…

Some people are really awkward to deal with. I don’t know why it is but there are some folk who just seem to be brimming over with attitude. The thing is, if you let them get to you then you will end up just like them! They will make you feel miserable and you will pass on your new found negativity to other people. If this happens then they have won! They will have succeeded because you have become just like them.

This can all be a bit depressing. But, instead of sitting around and wondering why so many people seem to enjoy being a pain in the ass, you need to take action! I don’t mean that you adopt vigilante tactics and make it your mission to rid our streets of obnoxious people; no, there is another way (and this one won’t get you arrested!). Be nice to them.

‘What???? Why should I be nice to horrible people??’ you ask. Yes, it does sound a bit stupid, doesn’t it? But the thing is that if you are nice to them they will be totally confused. There they are, being as awkward and annoying as possible, and you come along being nice. They just can’t understand it. And the nicer you are, the more it will confuse them! For example, if someone you work with is a miserable, snappy and bombastic swine then don’t just give in to it. Be super-nice! Ask them about their family or if they have anything pleasant lined-up for their dinner. They will be so perplexed that they may well forget all about being so unpleasant for a while.

It is called ‘reverse psychology’ and it really does work! You don’t believe me? Well, next time that you encounter an unpleasant person, give it a go. You may just be surprised… and if you’re not then they certainly will be!

By the way the Resorts booking is looked after all of you, I am really excited about our annual trip. This weekend is the last chance for the payment, please get it to me as soon as you can.

Why are today’s GPs so lazy?

Years ago it was a part of their job to travel to the homes of patients who were too sick to get in to the surgery, but not anymore. Now it is all but impossible to get a doctor to visit someone at home.

My parents, who are both eighty years old, have been really poorly on a few different occasions. Each time they have rung the doctor he has refused to come out and see them. Instead of this he has prescribed drugs over the phone without even examining them. Is this actually allowed??? I think that it is downright disgusting.

When you go into a surgery it is now quite rare to see your doctor get out of his/her chair. All they seem to want is do is to tap away on their computer for a few seconds and then print off a prescription. Surely they should still do standard checks such as taking your pulse and blood pressure?

I don’t know why it is, but it seems that a cloud of apathy has engulfed many of our GPs these days. They earn a colossal amount of money yet they appear to be doing less and less to actually earn it. You will be hard pushed to find a surgery that is open on a Saturday morning anymore and you will probably have to make your own way to the local hospital instead. Wouldn’t it be a better idea if doctors worked by a rota system on Saturdays? In fact, if they did that then surgeries could be kept open all weekend! And it would create more jobs because of the extra receptionists that were needed.

We all know what a terrible state the health service is in. Maybe, if the government had a look at the way that GPs work (or don’t), things could be changed for the better.

One last thing before I go that may be surprising to you all, last week it was my birthday, and my friend Marium gave me a chemical skin peels as a gift. Firstly, I have no idea what she was trying to convey me; but after I got over the comparative blow of how add the present was, I went and realized that it was actually quite lovely. I may actually buy one for my sister for her birthday!

What is it with people and fishing? In just about every job I have had, there have been loads of blokes there who are nuts about going fishing. They sit talking about it for hours on end and showing each other photographs of themselves holding a large carp or trout.

It is sooooooooo boring!!! For God’s sake, why would anyone want to spend their day off work sitting on a river bank waiting for ‘a bite’? People like this really annoy me. Shouldn’t they be at home spending a bit of time with their families or something?

The other thing that bugs me is the cruelty. For years it had been a common belief that fish cannot feel it when they get a hook stuck in their mouth. Recently, however, fresh research has found that they can in fact feel it. Amazing; I could have told you that when I was about seven and I’m not a scientist. If you get a living creature and stick something sharp through its lip then the chance are that it is going to experience pain. It’s not rocket science, is it?

Have you seen those fishermen that stand in the middle of a river in wading boots? I saw a couple of them the other day. It was really windy and had just started raining as well; they must have been absolutely freezing. Perhaps they subject themselves to this punishment, by the elements, because they cannot afford to get anything to eat from the shop. If that’s the case then wouldn’t it be quicker, easier and warmer to poke around in a few rubbish bins for a discarded kebab or something?

Perhaps people who are into fishing are a separate species to the rest of us. Maybe that is why they enjoy standing around in the cold and wet with a maggot in their mouth to ‘warm it up’.

One last thing, I think that all of those who are into this thought of a greener lifestyle really need to hit this link. This Enigin Engery Savings blog has some really unique ideas for companies who are concerned about thier carbon footprint, I am really liking them right now.

‘What goes around, comes around’.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that philosophy lately. I’ve noticed that it has been cropping up in all sorts of places; in books I read, songs I listen to and conversations I have. But is there actually any truth in it?

Some people would say that if you go through life being nice to other people, then it is going to come back to you. If you are friendly, generous and caring then others will behave in the same way.

This is a really nice belief but I’m not convinced that it is true… What about all of the people who have been attacked or murdered in random incidents? Unless they were secret sadists (which I am sure they were not) then they surely didn’t ‘earn’ this happening to them. Another adage comes to mind when you think about things like this; ‘Only the good die young’.

Even so, the belief of ‘things coming back to you’ is very popular. It even appears in the Bible; ‘You reap what you sow’. The words may be different, but the message is essentially the same. It would seem that it is something people have felt to be true for a very long time indeed.

So, should we pay it any credence or not? Well, surely it is the best policy to go around treating others as you want to be treated (another Bible teaching). Whether it comes back to you or not is, in a way, immaterial. If you get to an old age and you know that you’ve done your best to be a decent human being, then it is going to be a nice feeling.

So onto news about the move, as most of you know it was this past weekend that we moved up north, and I cannot even begin to tell you what a catastrophe it truly was. Other then the small tempest when we were loading the truck, half of my things being forgotten at the old flat, and the loss of just about all the nuts and bolts for my flat pack furniture, it was seamless! Oh well, the point is that it is done now, Henry and Emily I can’t begin to thank you enough for all the amazing assistance.

People sometimes forget how much difference it can make by choosing the right words for something. When you are in business, writing can be a very powerful tool; if you are wise then you will find the best way to use it!

This post called, ‘Conversions – Get Rid of Those Boring Headlines’ is talking about exactly the same thing. No-one is going to waste their time clicking on things that do not sound interesting. Whatever it is that you are trying to sell, you need to make sure your links look exciting. Use words that will grab the reader’s attention.