Another let down

Had a good visitor to my blog today from Serbia & Montenegro – but he didn’t stay long.
He got their via Google search engine which threw up my blog as likely to be of interest to him.
On one page I described how a couple of medics had attended my wifes uncle, taken ill in Church and said to him “Obviously you didn’t pray loud enough” to which the Vicar interjected at once “What do you mean – he’s alive isn’t he?”
Also on the same page was my collection of interesting names including one ‘Nigel Titt’. Somewhere else on the page the adjective big .
The curious Serb was seeking more information and what he had typed into the Google search was Big Titt Medics.
I am a constant source of disappointment to people.

redistribution of wealth

Just read the following.

‘The current position is that , if you own a (holiday) property abroad through a company but it is available for your own use it should be taxed on you as benefit in kind. This side effect of legislation was never intended ………… New draft legislation is now out for comment removing this tax charge…….’

The 'current position' seems perfectly logical to me but the 'never intended' 'side effect' is obviously affecting the net income of the politicians and their cronies who set the rule up in the first place. No I dont suppose they did intend it.

Smoking bible

The smoking bible clue is a valid one.

Samuel II, chapter 12, verses 15-21 is interesting.

5And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

16David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

17And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

18And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

19But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

20Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.

21Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

22And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

23But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

The bit that interests me is in bold.

Doctors who are not Christian still live by some moral code (one hopes) and the most reasonable one and likely one is the idea that one should act in order to maximise the good. A consequence of this is that if to ‘cover up’ an error leads to an increase in the ‘good’ then one is morally obliged to cover up the error. From a utilitarian point of view then the medical profession should be continually ‘covering up’.
But if you are a Christian , which I assume means that you feel obliged to act in the way that Christ would act then you would instinctively know that to ‘cover up’ was wrong and you might feel inclined to seek out some textual justification for what you are about to undertake.
So it could be that there is a culture of utilitarianism and a culture of Christianity and the text links the two.

Disposing of mental Junk

(Have a look at the clips wine tasting)

I am hoping to keep out from my head permanently the names, faces doings and sayings of all members of the present government. At the moment I remember, always with a start, that Brown is the Prime minister. I am confident though that I can unlearn this fact before he becomes truly embedded. I know there is some woman who is the Home Secretary but what her name is and what she looks like and what she thinks and what she does I am proud to say that I have already forgotten. That fellow Darling might prove a tougher problem solely because of his name which is by far the most important thing about him – I will have no trouble with what he says and does it is easily forgettable.
In the 1960’s there was that judge who famously enquired during a trial “Who are the Beatles ?” It was generally assumed that this was an affectation on his part. However I now see that it almost certainly wasn’t. I am pleased to genuinely fail to recognise nearly all celebrities, all footballers other than the unavoidable Beckham and all pop singers. I am now turning my active inattention to the government and anticipate no problems.

Chartered Insurance Institute

I forget I write these things - a letter to Insurance Age in 2005. Not terribly exciting but I would like my vendetta against the C.I.I. to have maximum affect and so repeat it here.
I stumbled accross the professional body of the Animal Aromatherapists last week.
Professional these days just means you get paid for it.

I heard a shelf stacker in Sommerfields the other day taking some stick for not being professional with the baked beans.

The CII is no longer professional in the original sense but just as money grubbing as the rest.

I had a leaflet from them this week offering me up to 23% off of technical lectures as a member of the CII. 23% - not 50% or 60%.I felt like writing back and saying make it 24.6% and youve got a deal.

I may be going mad but I was reminded of the great Jean Brodie when summoned to attend the headmistress at something like 3.15 pm.

"She seeks to intimidate me in quarters of an hour".

Because CII these days are so completely in the Thrall of the marketing scientologists I bet that 23% was carefully chosen. 50% or 60% or even 25% is a bit too cavalier but 23% suggests to all but the most ungrateful that we have carefully considered every aspect of our costs and can shave it right down to 23%.



'low, heading West slowly loosing identity'
shipping forescast/my life

I bet

Even as we blog there is almost certainly a meeting of earnest social workers in Leicester discussing whether they ought to intervene in the Mccann case.

Ode to a four penny stamp

Just remembered a poem I wrote when working in the Post office aged about 20 it went, and don’t worry I only remember 4 or 5 lines;

Oh fourpenny blue thy radiant face
Hath led me wandering from this place
To happier lands wherein thy grace
Doth sparkle like the wine etc, etc.

I don’t mind repeating this drivel here because it was meant to be funny at the time. Obviously under the influence of Edgar Allen Poe I notice.

This was for a Post Office staff magazine called the ‘Southeaster’.
I also remember writing for Post Magazine , the main Union magazine, a letter pointing out that they should all stop complaining about salary and conditions and get on with their work and that more of them should follow the example of those in our office and demand an immediate cut in salary to help the country out in these difficult times.
The phone didn’t stop ringing and I received one death threat from somebody in a menacing Geordie accent.
They didn’t seem to appreciate my sense of humour either.