Tuesday - January 06, 2009

Mr. Bunnsy has a small adventure

So I got my fingerprinting done late this morning for my NJ firearms ID card. I had to go to the local mental institution psychiatric hospital to get it done. I didn’t even know we had one! So I went up to Glen Gardner (which is a town, not some brand of scotch, even though I once knew someone with that name) and took a drive up the mountain to the place. Through the deep dark woods. The woods that grow the 400 pound bears that they run over down in the town. And I kept going up, and up, and up. And the road got worse as the woods got heavier. Finally I found the sign for the hospital at the proverbial fork in the road, and bore to the right. I was expecting a bear on my left, but they’re all probably hibernating now. I managed to miss the sign where the road split into 4 even smaller roads, but at least I found the place. So I had a nice drive around all the old whitewashed stone buildings, going down all the dead end streets and blind alleys. Finally I decided I’d ask someone, so I found the Administration building and parked. A delivery guy I met in the parking lot pointed out that I was only off by one building, so I at last found the place.

I left myself plenty of time to get there, and needed most of it. You sign up for this task online, and the web page is quite authoritative. Appointments are little 5 minute windows. You pay in advance online. No refunds. No missing appointments. Definitely gives you the “Zhu vill not be late, or zhu vill be shot!” intimidating kind of feeling. So I parked, walked around the building until I found the little entrance nook on the side ("Zhu vill not use zer front door or zhu vill be shot!") and went it. And met two very pleasant and charming young women who did the task in a couple of minutes. They have an optical scanner attached to a PC. No ink. No mess. A full set of prints, both hands, glommed onto a file and emailed back to the police station with a single mouse click. Here’s your receipt, here’s your paperwork to drop off, thank you have a nice day. I mentioned that the website was a bit intimidating. “Oh that’s just to make sure people keep their appointments. If we didn’t do that folks would just show up whenever they wanted to.” She has a point. Keeping appointments and reservations seem to be one of those arcane acts of society that we’ve lost along the way.

Still no bears visible, just the usual deer, so I got back in my car, drove over to the police station and dropped off my paperwork, then drove home. Nothing else to do now except wait. My reference letters have already gone out, been filled out and mailed back. Let’s see how long it takes the state to process this process.

Now here’s a funny thing. This hospital is pretty old. It has that look of age that some fieldstone buildings get after a century or two. And I noticed that at least one of the buildings was in pretty awful condition, just about ready to fall down. So I come home and do a little ‘net research, and find out that this place was funded in 1902 by NJ State Governor Murphy, a Progressive Republican! (and Civil War veteran), along with fellow vet and eye doctor Charles Kipp and it opened as the NJ Sanitarium for Tuberculosis Diseases at Mt. Kipp in 1907. (scroll down to the G section). The funny part is that the place seems to be a geriatrics center, or at least a psychogeriatric hospital , and a center for drug alcoholism treatment ... and yet, at the same time, others seem to think this is another one of NJ’s famous abandoned hospitals and institutions. We have loads of them. Once upon a time, people flocked to New Jersey to recover from illnesses. Must have been that pure country air and water. I think the “here’s another spooky old mental hospital” guy was just sneaking around in the one falling apart little building. The rest of the place is immaculate.

Posted by Drew458     on 01/06/2009 at 02:54 PM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Guns and Gun Control •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Sunday - January 04, 2009

on a lighter note

I spent the afternoon painting a wall. Painting is another one of those tasks people would rather not do, so instead they hire me. Fine by me!

I actually noticed this earlier this summer, but thought it might be a fluke. I’ve had 4 or 5 painting projects since then, and it’s no fluke. When did paint become so darned thick? I remember paint. It’s that smelly stuff that comes in a can. You have to stir the daylights out of it, but very carefully because the can is filled right up to the brim. Then when you pour some out into the paint roller tray, it flows pretty much like pancake syrup. Well, maybe just a bit thicker than that, but not much. Then you apply the stuff, and when the smell goes away you know the paint is ready for the second coat.

Not anymore. Now paint has almost no smell at all. It doesn’t seem to need mixing. And the stuff is amazingly thick. Thicker than syrup. Thicker than sour cream. Pour out a cupful into the roller tray and it just sits there. It doesn’t even spread out in the tray. And this is fresh paint, from a decent brand, at room temperature. I’ve noticed the same thing with primer too. (But that was Kilz primer, what I affectionately call landlord paint. Kilz is liquid magic. You can put Kilz on over stains, chipped paint, roadkill, fire damage, lasagna stuck to the wall, etc., and it covers perfectly. And the old school, oil-base stuff was even better!) On the positive side, the stuff goes on like glue. It’s just about impossible to overload a roller so that anything drips. And you can roll quite fast without worrying about any spray shooting off the roller. On the negative side, it goes on like glue. I found that I had to apply a good bit more pressure to the roller to even get the paint to come off the roller. (I may not have been using the proper nap roller. Next time I’ll use a shorter nap) Working time seems at least as long as it used to be, but drying time is much less. I laid down a coat, and even though the label said 2 - 4 hours between coats, it was ready for another coat in 90 minutes. And honestly, a second coat probably wasn’t even necessary. I did it because that’s what I always do. Plus I get paid by the hour.

I left the paint can at the client site since there was extra. I didn’t even look, but I’m pretty sure the Valspar paint was an acrylic latex. Certainly low VOC stuff. (ie no smell) It was the standard paint sold at Lowe’s, which turns out to be Valspar’s premium product. I went to Lowe’s because it was close, the customer didn’t care about any special kind of paint, and the guy behind the counter quickly matched the color exactly. Good enough for me.

Now I just have to cajole my customer for some extra work so that the rest of the gallon doesn’t go to waste. I’m sure he’s got another wall around somewhere.

Posted by Drew458     on 01/04/2009 at 10:47 PM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Monday - December 08, 2008

What Have You Done?

This is an interesting Meme running around lately.  This helps us get to know one another better.  Drew, Peiper, Christopher and the rest: how about you?

What have you done?  Stuff I’ve personally experienced is shown in Bold, with explanations where needed.

1. Started your own blog. Tried and failed, then fell in with the Skipper here
2. Slept under the stars. I do this a lot, especially in the back yard in the summer
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower. Every November and August
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland. Worked at Walt Disney World (Orlando) for 6+ years
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. Ave Maria, at my sister-in-law’s wedding.  12 pages, in latin, just like Pavarotti
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. See #32
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. As a kid, with my grandfather.  Even went to the torch
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.vI have four kids
22. Hitch hiked. By car and train
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb. I raise sheep on the side
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.-
29. Seen a total eclipse. (Lunar, not solar) This year
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise. As a kid (carribean), Honeymoon (Carribean), 10th anniversary (Alaska)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. If eastern PA counts
35. Seen an Amish community. Parents grew up near Lancaster, PA, and there are many Mennonites in this area (yeah, horse and buggy types)
36. Taught yourself a new language. When I went to Nepal, I learned enough to get by
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. Summer, 2004.  Drove 6,000 miles in 28 days.  Yellowstone was a 2-day stop
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited another continent. (Asia-Nepal in 2001, South America-Ecuador in 2006)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. Grew up in Florida
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted (drawn.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. Hull’s Drive in, Lexington, VA.  Still operating.  Saw Wall-E this summer.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business. On my fifth or sixth one now...details when I can (very hush-hush right now)
58. Taken a martial arts class. Attained Purple Belt, then had to stop when I broke my foot
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen. Every Week
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving. The day after graduating High School, Eustis, Florida
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. More times than most people have been hired
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone. See #58.  Also, used to skateboard barefoot.  Not good for toe bones.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. Never again.  I drive a 97 F150 and a 92 Taurus now
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Two weekends ago
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life. Church dinner, guy with carrot in throat.  Heimlich.  It Worked.
90. Sat on a jury. They alway s kick me out of the pool.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one. Dad, Mom, Father-in-Law, Mother-in-Law...all within 5 years.
94. Had a baby. Well, my part...X4
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit. Lost
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Looking at this list, I am a fairly well-rounded person .  What about you?

Posted by Drew458     on 12/08/2008 at 10:56 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

MOTHER ENDS HER DAUGHTER’S LIFE IN MERCY KILLING.  OR IS IT MURDER?

This is not the nicest way to start my Monday posts here and in fact I had something else all lined up.
However, this sad tale touches on a subject that I have been collecting articles on for some weeks now.  I have held them back for a number of reasons.
Not being able to think clearly enough to know where to start for one.  The subject matter and personal experiences all playing a role.

There are folks on BMEWS who are quite religious and take a firm stand on some matters that other folks may think should be open to arguments.
For example, people will say that nobody has a right to play God and take a life no matter what the circumstance.  But then, ppl who say that are not always in a position to experience the same thing.  And then as well, there are those who are either agnostic or atheist and so very honestly according to their lights don’t think they have a God to ask or answer to.  It’s a matter of morals not religion, but not everyone is going to see it that way.

This isn’t intended to start any arguments on religion or the beliefs or lack thereof.  I’d prefer to leave religion out of this even though I know many will see this story in those terms and no other.

Over the last month or two there have been a number of stories about very young people, kids really, girls in their teens, who have died tragically.
Not due to a careless lifestyle or drugs or drink.  They died due to the most awful illnesses imaginable.  In one case two sisters, one 19 and the other 22, died within months of each other due to illness.  That story along with one of a 13 year old girl who finally won her fight in a “right to die” case have really had an impact on me.  I seem to take these things personally and I have no idea why.  I have their stories and photos and plan on a posting very soon. 

I’m posting this particular story because it’s one of so darn many that have flashed across my screen lately I could no longer avoid the issue. 
I was once told by a mother who lost a child, that nobody who hasn’t experienced it can possibly feel the pain and anguish of a parent who outlives a child.  Of any age.  Most likely she was right but I sure can understand and do feel genuine sympathy for parents who’ve been through it.  It has to be the most gut wrenching thing a parent can experience.

For me it’s all made that much worse by being where I am and helping attend to someone who (in theory) is at the end of their life, but nevertheless continues on even though she has not one iota of quality of life.  A person of 93 who is unable to even brush her own teeth and has been bed bound for a couple of years.
Someone I refer to as a vampire because she sucks the life out of the living. Yet all these glorious young kids are dropping like flies all around me because of some damn incurable disease, while this other person of 93 does not have one single life threatening illness. NONE! 

So yes, I tend to take these things personally.

Mother arrested for murder after daughter is found dead after 16 years in bed.

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:49 PM on 08th December 2008

A policeman’s wife has been arrested on suspicion of the mercy-killing of the couple’s seriously ill daughter.

Detectives are now examining the exact circumstances of the death of 31-year-old Lynn Gilderdale, who died at her home in Stonegate, in East Sussex, on Thursday.

Her 54-year-old mother Kay, who was also her full-time carer was arrested by police on suspicion of murder and has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Lynn’s father Richard, who is separated from her mother, is a former police sergeant who still works for the police in a civilian role in the nearby town of Hastings.

Lynn was diagnosed with ME, once dubbed yuppie flu, in May 1992. She spent much of her life unable to leave her bed, communicating with her family through sign language.

A tribute to Lynn was released through the police yesterday. In it, the family said: ‘Lynn was young, beautiful, loving and caring.

‘At the age of 14 years she was struck down by ME - an illness greatly misunderstood - and as a result, suffered the stigma attached to this dreadful illness.

‘She fought long and hard for 17 years with immense bravery, enduring constant pain and sickness.

‘Every system of her body was affected. She required 24 hour care that was provided by her totally dedicated mother, with continuous support from Lynn’s father.

‘Lynn suffered many hospital admissions, sometimes lasting several months, for life threatening conditions.

‘Prior to her illness, which left her paralyzed, unable to speak, eat or drink and until recently, no memory, she was an active healthy teenager full of life’s dreams. 

‘She enjoyed sailing, swimming, cycling and was an accomplished musician.

‘Her family praise and admire Lynn for her courage, which she showed to the end.

‘She was a much-loved daughter, sister and granddaughter who despite her illness always gave love and support to others.

‘In life Lynn strove to help the medical profession improve their insight into M.E. which affects thousands of people, in varying degrees of severity.

‘Her dedicated mother, supported by Lynn’s family, has pledged to achieve her ultimate goal - for better understanding and recognition of this life destroying illness.’

In a interview two years ago, Kay revealed how doctors at a specialist clinic in London treated her daughter as an attention seeker, with a made-up illness.

She said that although Lynn could not swallow, spoke only in a whisper and failed to recognise people, she was made to take part in punishing experiments.

At her worst, Lynn could only move her little finger, failed to recognise anybody, remember anything, experienced painful muscular spasms and shook all over.

She could not bear any light, touch or noise and could hear only one whispered voice at a time.

As a result of being bedridden, Lynn often had blood clots and suffered from severe osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome and asthma and was fed through a tube.

Speaking two years ago Kay said: ‘It’s like she’s in limbo. If someone dies, you mourn them, then you get to a stage where you know that person is gone and you move on. But Lynn is neither one nor the other.

‘She is stuck in that room, not dead, but not alive properly.

‘If I didn’t believe, and she didn’t believe, that one day she would get better then I don’t think it would be right for her to go on suffering like this for a whole lifespan of 70 or 80 years.

‘I don’t resent what it has done to my life but I do resent whatever has made her so ill. It’s been heartbreaking to watch my child lose her faculties one by one.

‘It is still very hard for me to see mothers and daughters together or groups of teenagers dressed up and laughing or to hear a family in the garden having a barbecue with children running around.

Lynn once spent two months on a life-support machine at Kings Hospital in London after suffering a punctured lung after complications receiving medication through a Hickman line.

Richard and Kay Gilderdale split up because of unrelated problems, but he visited his daughter regularly and also looked after her.

There is no known cure for ME and Kay previously told how she was online everyday keeping up-to-date with research into the syndrome.

Ch Insp Heather Keating, the Rother district police commander, said: ‘This is a very tragic incident, but we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.’

The investigation into Lynn Gilderdale’s death is being led by Det Ch Insp Andy Griffiths from the Major Crime Branch of Sussex Police.

PHOTO IS HERE

Posted by peiper     on 12/08/2008 at 08:05 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Miscellaneous •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Sunday - November 30, 2008

Practical gifts for Christmas!

Yes, it’s that time of year again. The time when we all give gifts that are either a) unwanted, or b) unneeded, or c) both.

That’s right, they just take up space, and the recipient is charged with the duty to give said gift(s) away quietly to a charity, which also has no use for them.

Sad, really.

Not to fear, Christopher is here, with a practical gift suggestion.

I don’t know about you, but plumbers are high on my list this year. Because of ‘Joe the Plumber’ during the Presidential campaign, I have a soft spot for certain conservative plumbers.

What does every plumber fear? That’s right! Plumber’s Butt. Too much butt crack showing when they kneel to get under the sink.

Here’s the solution.

Longtail T® – Solution to Plumber’s Butt

Sharing a little too much information?

In 2002, in the cause of modesty and good taste, we introduced the Longtail T. A little bit of innovation – three more inches of shirt body length – solved an age old problem: the infamous, much feared Plumber’s Butt. Suddenly, the guys who bend over when they work had new respectability. They were better able to stay in the good graces of clients and stop frightening unsuspecting passersby.

Still, the comments and ideas for improvements poured in – from all kinds of guys on all kinds of jobs. Take the scratchy neck tag out, they said. So we did. Beef up the fabric, they advised. So we did. Soon, the improved Longtail T debuted, loaded with work-friendly comfort and ruggedness any tradesman in any field can appreciate. Still covers your backside too. Isn’t it about time you gave it a try?

Yessir, stay on your plumber’s good side. Give him the gift that prevents him from gifting you with too much info. He’ll appreciate it, and remember you with fondness when you call at 3 AM because the toilet is overflowing.

More suggestions to follow …

Posted by Christopher     on 11/30/2008 at 10:21 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Fun-Stuff •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Wednesday - November 26, 2008

BRITAIN INTRODUCES ID CARDS FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS.

FOREIGN NATIONAL ?  WELL, I GUESS THAT MEANS MESELF.

THIS WAS IN TONIGHT’S NEWSLETTER FROM OUR EMBASSY (AMERICAN).
OBOY!

Hey, these people do NOT have a very good track record keeping private what is meant to be kept private. 
For months now it’s one lost or stolen briefcase or laptop taken from govt. offices.  Very often people who work for the govt., which sometimes feels like half the population, are taking things from the office to bring home to work on.  But later find a case or a laptop has been left somewhere.

Really look forward to this.  Hey, it’s their country and if the Brits feel this is what’s needed then I have no argument nor do I have a right to any argument with em.  The problem tho is, as you’ll read, they think they will be able to control the illegals.  What the heck for?  Once they are here the Brits hardly deport any.  Even plane hijackers have NOT BEEN deported. 

Papers, Papers.  Papers Please.  You have papers? ID Card?

The first UK Identity Card was unveiled today by the Home Secretary.

Building on the Government’s commitment to begin issuing the first ID cards to foreign nationals from November 2008, the card’s design was revealed for the first time.

The new credit-card sized document will show the holder’s photograph, name, date of birth, nationality and immigration status. A secure electronic chip will also hold their biometric details, including fingerprints, and a digital facial image.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

“Today shows we are delivering on our commitment to introduce the National Identity Scheme in order that we can enjoy its benefits as quickly as possible.

“ID cards will help protect against identity fraud, illegal working, reduce the use of multiple identities in organised crime and terrorism, crack down on those trying to abuse positions of trust and make it easier for people to prove they are who they say they are.

“ID cards for foreign nationals will replace old-fashioned paper documents, make it easier for employers and sponsors to check entitlement to work and study, and for the UK Border Agency to verify someone’s identity. This will provide identity protection to the many here legally who contribute to the prosperity of the UK, while helping prevent abuse.”
Compulsory identity cards for foreign nationals will kick start the National Identity Scheme, with the first applicants having to apply for cards from 25 November.

Within three years all foreign nationals applying for leave to enter or remain in the UK will be required to have a card, with around 90 per cent of foreign nationals in Britain covered by the scheme by 2014/15.

To ensure the benefits of the programme are felt from the start, the UK Border Agency will start with categories that have been targeted by those wanting to abuse our immigration system, including students and people seeking leave to remain on the basis of marriage.

The introduction of the first card supports the Government’s tough new Australian-style Points Based System for managed migration. To earn and retain their licence as a sponsor businesses and education providers must keep records of the migrants they have sponsored including, in time, a copy of a migrant’s identity card. Businesses found employing illegal workers face fines of up to £10,000 per person.

The introduction of cards for foreign nationals will be followed by the first ID cards for British citizens, targeting workers in sensitive roles and locations like airports from 2009. Then from 2010 ID cards will be available to young people who want them and from 2011/12 cards will be available to the general population.

The introduction of ID cards will provide a convenient and secure means to protect identity by locking it to one person using their fingerprints.

Tom Hadley, Director of External Relations of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said:

“Recruitment professionals in the front-line of the UK labour market play an increasingly pivotal role in checking the identity, background and status of individual job seekers.

“Within this context measures to simplify the checking requirements can be welcomed and must be backed with an extensive communication programme. Recruiters take their responsibilities to verify an individual’s right to work in the UK extremely seriously and support initiatives to enhance safe and ethical recruitment.”

Julian Gravatt, Association of Colleges’ Director of Funding and Development, said:

“Issuing ID cards to overseas students should assist in the reduction of identity fraud.

“Colleges welcome any measure which facilitates the recruitment of genuine students to study in the UK and the economic benefits this brings.”

Tim Cowen, Director of Communications for NCP Services, said:

”This is good news for employers, and a credit to the work the UKBA has done to help make the hiring of migrant workers more streamlined for UK organisations.

“Employers will, quite rightly, still need to make sure their systems for spotting forgeries are robust, but the biometric cards will cut down on fraud and make it easier for us to do this.

“Crucially, it will also help those who genuinely have the right to work in the UK get employment quickly – since it will be easier to check their identity and get them working.”

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT ONE

Posted by peiper     on 11/26/2008 at 02:03 PM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Government • News-Briefs • UK •  
• Comments (7) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

schoolgirl described as “fit, healthy and popular” killed herself because she felt fat and ugly.

This is really a depressing story.  Reason for me posting it here is because I’ve so far ignored (or tried to) ALL THE OTHER LIKE STORIES over the last couple of months of young suicides.  It bothers me a lot when young kids with so much to live for and with a future in front of them, decide for whatever reason that they have no future.

I realize there are one or two that didn’t mean to actually kill themselves but meant instead to scare the parents or play some dumb game that went horribly wrong. 

Earlier this year there were something like 15 (possibly more) suicides from just one town over here. Or maybe it was one general area but I’m fairly certain it was a town and the name escapes me.  The fact is, there are an alarmingly large number of kids who have tried and failed or actually did kill themselves.

Why is it that a young girl would do this and what make a young girl feel “fat and ugly” to the point of suicide?

I hadn’t given it a whole lot of thought before but I know womens groups and not just the ones Rush calls feminazis, have been complaining about the way women are used in ads and portrayed as stick thin icons of what the ideal is supposed to be.  Maybe I have it all wrong but I’m wondering if they don’t have a valid point.  Maybe this poor kid just wasn’t talking to her mom enough if at all. 

I think the images young girls are trying to live up to these days are ALL WRONG.  Sad that they don’t understand that.

Perfectionist schoolgirl hanged herself while worried about appearance
A perfectionist schoolgirl described as “fit, healthy and popular” killed herself because she felt fat and ugly, an inquest heard.

By Paul Stokes
Last Updated: 3:36PM GMT 26 Nov 2008

Imogen D’Arcy, 13, spent the weeks leading up to her death searching internet sites for information on anorexia and suicide.

The lyrics to the song Courage, by the group Superchick, about personal suffering and not eating were also found on her computer.

Imogen’s father Paul, 51, found her hanging from the bathroom door by the flex of his laptop in the bathroom of the family’s home in Adel, Leeds.

After he had freed her and attempted resuscitation, Mr D’Arcy noticed a note in her handwriting which had been left on the toilet seat.

He said: “I took it to the bedroom and read the first paragraph but I couldn’t read any more. It appeared Imogen had a problem with her body image, she felt fat and ugly. This is not true she doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her.”

Imogen was transferred from hospital to a hospice and a decision taken to switch off her life support machine after eight days.

Mr D’Arcy and his wife Susan, 40, both charter quantity surveyors, were convinced that their daughter, who enjoyed playing football and running, did not have a eating disorder.

But the Leeds hearing was told that soon after her death they found out about websites the Bradford Christian School pupil, considered head girl material, had been visiting.

Imogen, who has four sisters aged three to 18, had been for a haircut with her mother on the day she died last December.

Her mother had shouted at her when she refused to tidy up the children’s toys before she was left in the house with her youngest sister while the rest of the family went shopping.

SAD STORY

More of this sad story at the link.

Posted by peiper     on 11/26/2008 at 11:18 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • UK •  
• Comments (10) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Gun disguised as a mobile phone is seized by police .

I think we’ve seen this or something very close not too long ago.  Or does memory fail me?
Anyway, I think this is really neat.  Look, if bad guys can get their hands on this sort of thing, seems to me the rest of us might wanna consider one too.

Street punk wants your cell phone and you say sure. Here. BANG!

A gun disguised as a mobile phone has been seized by police.

By Graham Tibbetts
Last Updated: 2:32PM GMT 26 Nov 2008

The weapon, which is black with a dummy screen, was discovered by Italian police during a raid on a mafia gang.

It can hold four .22 calibre rounds, contained beneath the display.

The phone is transformed into a gun by sliding the keypad section.

It is fired by pressing one of the keys, with the antenna acting as the gun barrel.

A police spokesman said: “This is the first time such a weapon has been seized and shows the sophistication that the crime syndicates are turning to.

“Tests are being carried out to see if it has been used recently or has been involved in any shooting attacks.”

The raid in a suburb of Naples, southern Italy, was part of an operation against the Gionta crime family of the Camorra, the port city’s version of the Mafia.

Officers from the paramilitary Carabinieri police also seized two ordinary handguns, ammunition, bullet-proof vests, drugs and cash.

A 28-year-old man was arrested during the raid in the Torre Annunziata area but several other suspected gang members escaped.

The Camorra was infiltrated by Roberto Saviano, an author whose book, Gomorrah, was turned into a critically acclaimed film.

http://tinyurl.com/6jbjoc

Posted by peiper     on 11/26/2008 at 11:05 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Guns and Gun Control •  
• Comments (12) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Tuesday - November 25, 2008

MORE BIZARRENESS FROM PERSONAL LIFE. WHAT FUN.  LIVING WITH MUMMY.

This happened some few weeks ago, but only now sharing it.  You might find it to be an interesting read.  I hope so.
For those who do not already know, but wonder perhaps what a homesick yank is doing here, the answer is easy.
I was dropped on my head as a baby.  Never recovered.

Excuses, excuses.  Wife (English) and I sold off everything including a home we’ll never replace in Palm Desert,CA., and moved to England in April of 2004.  April 28th to be very exact.  When we left beautiful Palm Desert from the parking lot of The Elephant Bar, a truly GREAT eatery, and I do mean truly great, the outside temp. was over 112. 

We arrived in London at Heathrow in the rain and it was 54. It was probably the coldest 54 I’d encountered in my memory. A damp chill I couldn’t shake was what I remember most about that dismal day.

The reason for the desertion of my mother country was because my wife considered (correctly) that her mother was too ill and too frail to live alone any longer.  She was worried that alone, she wouldn’t last out the winter.  And no, there wasn’t any way to take the old dog back to the states.

So then, not being able to move England’s last living witch to America, we moved here to care FULL TIME for Her Wrinkled Wretchedness.
The burden/curse on my wife has been beyond what I am able to describe except to say frankly that I am watching my wife of almost 39 years, commit suicide by mother.  It is fair to assume I resent that.  I might not had the poo factory been a different person and not as manipulative when she was in better health.  Or more co-operative when she could be.  I suppose I could have overlooked some small things about her. The protruding teeth, the piggy blue eyes, the ugliness etc.  But in the end I just couldn’t overlook how stupid she is.

And now here we are, and here’s an installment from our latest life chapter. 
Living with mummy.

TROLLS AS CARE GIVERS

We were REPORTED TO SOCIAL SERVICES.

Yeah really. Wife and I must be real evil doers.  What a crock.

We aren’t taking the old dear’s ill health very seriously. Or not seriously enough. 

Over the last week the poop parade (that’s the MIL) got another urinary infection for which the doctor was immediately called and medication was provided.

Then .... she started wheezing and I never heard a wheezy chest before this.  Then, she started hallucinating BIG time. What a surprise that was.

She’d look at you and her speech was restored to almost perfect BUT ... it wasn’t you she was seeing or talking to. Creepy. Went on ALL night too. But she seemed happy enough with whoever’s company she was in.

She’s answering questions and asking them and laughing and said she’d just returned from London where she spent the day and would like some tea please. WHHHHAAAAA HA!  I never, ever saw anything like this before.  SHE’S LOOKIN STRAIGHT AT YA BUT SEEING SOMEONE ELSE!  And having a conversation with them.

So ... 2wice a day there are these ppl who work for an agency that supply people called “care givers” who are paid by Social Services.  They are called Care Givers and most times they do.  The wife’s mother paid for these services until her savings went below the required threshold.  It was at that point that the govt. got involved and now pays for the diaper and bath brigade.  However, these are NOT nurses in any way.

Most of the women and young ladies are very experienced doing this sort of thing. Changing diapers and sheets and bedding etc.  Some have worked in SS themselves or in hospitals.  Some are VERY OFFICIOUS TROLLS who somehow think they are also doctors. Two of these unfortunately are a mother and her homely skinny daughter.  The mom is normally in the office but has to fill in, and she is in charge of making the weekly schedules. Which she always copies from week to week. 

Wish there were a way to really paint the picture better.  The mother NEVER listens and furthermore doesn’t talk to you but barks AT YOU in rapid fire with a hard screechy like voice. The kind of voice and accent you’ll generally hear after the pubs close. Not at all that nice English accent you hear in many movies. 

So anyway, the daughter (Troll #1) is here one morning and hears the old woman’s breathing which as I said was wheezy. She had a chest infection.
These care givers are more or less rotated which is to say, although we may get the same ones, it might not always be at the same time every day. Troll #1 for example only works about 3 days. She’s a hairdresser and works in a beauty shop three days a week. But mommy got her trained and on the payroll.  Now Troll #1 thinks she’s a doctor. 

Well, two doctors in three days came to the house to look at PeggyPoop and she was given medications.  One doctor said that with regard to the delusions, that wasn’t a big worry at her age. 93. He sees it a lot. 

Enter Troll #1 next morning who arrived with an attitude. As soon as she “flounced” in here, she started to rant about how cold the patient’s room is, and she’s white as a sheet (she wasn’t) and was gonna die of either hypothermia or pneumonia. (she’ll live forever damn it) We needed to heat the room better.  Well duh ... the silly Moonbat came in wearing a tee shirt and a jacket. It was very cold that morning.

The patient is under two wool blankets and another lighter blanket topped by a down cover.  A flannel nightie plus a bed jacket and bed socks. But Troll #1 is cold. uh huh. She claimed the room was so cold her nose and hands felt frozen.  Too bad it wasn’t her tongue. 

So, this overly officious 20 something is going on and on and I tried to tell her, in fact I did tell her, that there were 2 doctors here already and she was on meds. One of which was only started the day before.  How quickly did she expect them to work?

Next day we got a call from SS (Social Services), would we mind awfully if they came out to our house to see how the old lady was doing as they had a report from the care givers that not all was being done that could be done.  huh?  £”!!$%*^&^#

My wife killing herself doesn’t count of course.  Well, SS doesn’t bother us and of course they are welcome to check. But the idea that, according to that one little creep, that we weren’t taking her condition seriously enough had us seeing red.  What more can we do that the doctors aren’t doing?  So I gave the SS person on the phone a rundown of the conversation including the fact that docs HAD been here and she was on meds yadda,yadda.  I then said I knew exactly who called them and if she were a guy I’d seriously paste her to a wall.  (And oh by the way, in point of fact, the old poop factory was actually seen by not two, but three doctors over the course of 7 days for three different ailments.)

So ... the lady I spoke to said she would contact the agency and tell them not to send Troll #1 to this house anymore for which I thanked her.
But ... of course the mother is highly pissed off at us now. And she sets the schedules.

The next afternoon which was Thursday, the time for the next diaper change is 6pm and two carers come over and one is Troll #2, Mommy Dearest. 

Have you ever seen anyone who walked with an attitude?  That’s the mom, Troll #2. In she came wearing a face like thunder and a blinding lack of intelligence, doesn’t say a word but marches straight through to the room where the wife’s mother is.  No usual hallo or hi-ya. A face set in stone and not pretty to begin with. She’s angry. You can see it.
Understand it was her daughter who sicked SS on us. We defended ourselves successfully , and she’s upset with us.  Go figure.

Now then ... on the morning calls when they also body wash her and have more to do, they are scheduled for 45 minutes.  But the afternoon calls are scheduled for only 30 minutes.  Not all that time is needed and the care givers are in and out of here in 10 to 12 minutes. 15 TOPS.  One of them can do the afternoon change in 8 minutes. She’s that fast.

Ah but Thurs. was different.  Mommy Dearest care giver, Troll #2, and another carer were here for the full 30 minutes. FIRST TIME they have taken all the time scheduled.  After they left ... my wife took a look at their log book in which something is written every visit and what they did and found etc.

The wife looked at the logbook, and found that Troll #2 had written into the record that the pad under the patient was soiled and needed changing.  But that’s what they are here for.  They get paid to do that Why didn’t they do it? 

AT ALL OTHER TIMES if there is some sort of soiling of that pad (which usually lasts a week and DOES NOT generally come in contact with bad stuff) if that pad needs to be changed, the women always ask us for another pad. Always. It’s been that way for a couple years. All of a sudden, a spiteful and vindictive screechy voiced bow-wow tries to write something in the log thinking I guess that we don’t look at those. 
So I wrote something under her comment.

Finally ...  Friday at 10am we got a house visit from SS.  The rep. spent an hour and a half here and gave us a clean bill of health, not surprisingly.  By The Way …. we left the pad for SS to see.  It needed NO changing.
My bet is however, that we’re gonna have a scheduling problem soon.  Maybe not but these folks can get very difficult.  They do not like being questioned and complaints about scheduling or late visits are met with anger. 

STAY TUNED!  I think this is gonna get interesting.  But I hope not.

-30-

Medical services are free but the NHS contributions take a far higher sum out of a persons pay here then is done in say the USA with Soc.Security payments.  The mil started working full time when she was 14.  No SS then but it did begin in 1948 I believe.  There was a ten year period when she stayed at home raising her two kids as women did in those days.  But when her husband died she had to return to work and did so right to retirement age.
So she did pay her way during her working years.

Posted by peiper     on 11/25/2008 at 08:43 AM   
Filed Under: • Blog Stuff • Daily Life • Medical •  
• Comments (7) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

SO, YOU DON’T WANT TO VIEW TWO MEN HAVING SEX IN PUBLIC?  TOUGH LUCK SEEMS TO BE THE MESSAGE.

Well once again I’ve had to go through an article and strike the word ‘gay’ and replace it with the more accurate and truer meaning.  And believe me it is a bother to do that, but I am not gonna stop.  Damn it I want our language back.  Grumble.

Anyway ... this article from The Mail reminds me of the mantra of the homosexual community from some years ago when they were chanting,
“We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.” Interesting that they were using a more descriptive term for their behavior then.  And the public has gotten used to it. Some have.  The media certainly has and as I’ve said to the point of boredom, as long as they and the general public go along with the hijacking of the language and forcing people to get used to having it in public places as described in this story, then nothing will ever improve.  In fact, it’s a certain bet that things will only get worse.  How could they not? 

Mother and teenage daughter who stumbled on open air gay homosexual sex told to ‘use a different path’ by police

By James Tozer
Last updated at 7:46 AM on 25th November 2008

A mother shocked by seeing two half-naked men having sex while out walking the dogs with her daughter was told by police to take a different route in future.

Marie Cragg, 44, spoke of her disgust at the officers’ reaction and said she feared the woodland beauty spot would be turned into a no-go area for ordinary members of the public.

The men seen by Miss Cragg and her 18-year-old daughter Jessica were stripped from the waist down and carried on with their activities even after they knew they had been spotted.

‘I called the police and never heard anything back,’ Miss Cragg said.

‘Then later I was talking to the community officers, and they said they knew what goes on and I should change our walk.

‘You should not have to see that, should you? They can go into the woods and go wherever they want - it’s sick.

‘They saw me and didn’t care and just carried on. I could have been a childminder with kids. I would rather go past a gang of hoodies - they are making the place seedy.’

The encounter happened on a public footpath where Miss Cragg was walking the family dogs, Molly and Ruby, near their home in Penwortham, near Preston, last week.

It follows a briefing last month by the deputy chief constable of Lancashire,
Mike Cunningham, in which he called for police to turn a blind eye to outdoor sexual activity.

Under the Sexual Offences Act anyone who takes part in ‘dogging’, where couples meet for sex in car parks, and cottaging, where men meet for sex in public lavatories, face arrest for outraging public decency, voyeurism and exposure.

But Mr Cunningham, who is also a spokesman on homosexual issues for the Association of Chief Police Officers, argues that offenders should only be prosecuted as a last resort because of the potential impact on their lives of making their activities public.

Miss Cragg, who also has a 21-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son with her partner, said police already seemed too tolerant.

It is the second time this year she has caught a pair of gay queer men having sex in the area, which is near a primary school.

‘When it happened again I just said to Jessica, ‘Oh my God!’,’ she added.

‘I’ve got nothing against gay homosexual men, but why can’t they do it in the privacy of their own homes?

This is the path on which dog walker Marie Cragg saw two semi-naked men having sex. After reporting the incident, she was left stunned when police told her to ‘use a different path in future’

‘The park belongs to everyone and it’s just not right to say people going for a walk and enjoying the countryside should stay away.

‘Something needs to be done so law-abiding people can go there without having to see things like that.’

The area, known as Cheggy Hollows after the local term for the conkers collected there by generations of children, has a network of paths which has become a magnet for gay queer men seeking open-air sex.

Miss Cragg, a site supervisor at a primary school, said of the police presence: ‘They put signs up saying ‘police patrolling’ but you never see them.’

Lancashire Police insisted officers had attempted to trace the men but confirmed Miss Cragg had been advised to take another route.

Chief Inspector Jon Bullas said: ‘What this lady and her daughter had to endure is shocking to say the least. I am aware that police officers were at the location within 20 minutes but could not find the two men described.

‘We are continuing to patrol this area and need to make clear that this sort of activity will not be tolerated.

‘The lady was given advice by an officer to use a different route but I would like to emphasise that the path is not a no-go area.

‘If people are concerned for their own safety, we would recommend that they take a less isolated route, particularly if alone.’

(Has nothing to do with “safety” and all to do with decency and decorum.  What the heck ever happened to DECORUM?)

http://tinyurl.com/65682x

Posted by peiper     on 11/25/2008 at 06:10 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Sex •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Saturday - November 22, 2008

Under the Weather

Peiper is taking time off to be sick. He has to deal with the National Health Service, so there ought to be a good post in it when he gets better. But for the next few days he won’t be posting.

Posted by Drew458     on 11/22/2008 at 02:23 PM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Tuesday - November 18, 2008

UNSAFE AND UNWELCOME: COUNCIL BANS DOOR MATS.

If these are council homes, I can just about understand it.  It isn’t elf ‘n’ safety I bet.
It’s all about being sued should someone actually trip and get hurt.
Who owns the property? Ah, the city?  Lot-a-money there betcha.  S U E!!

Council bans welcome mats

Portsmouth News
By Rob Dabrowski

Residents in a block of flats have been told to get rid of welcome mats – because they are a trip hazard.
Council bureaucrats said the mats posed a ‘health and safety risk’.
And they have even threatened to take residents to court – with the threat of eviction – if their demands aren’t met.

Letters signed by Gosport housing officer Elspeth White were sent out after a council surveyor visited.

Three residents in Revenge House, at The Anchorage, Gosport, have been told to remove the rubber-backed mats as people could trip on them, particularly if they needed to leave in an emergency.

The council says the health risk is increased by narrow corridors.

Resident Ingrid Buckland, 62, has removed her mat for fear of the council taking action.

‘I just can’t understand all the fuss over these mats – it seems so futile,’ she said. ‘It’s just such a petty little thing and it has got out of hand.

‘I don’t know why the council is saying it might take action over a 99p doormat. I should think the council has bigger things to worry about than three doormats but I’ve moved mine because I don’t want to cause any trouble, it’s just not worth it.’

Gosport Borough Council says if the mats aren’t removed the tenants would be breaking the terms of their lease, which states no objects should be placed in communal area.

Officers will return later this month to check if mats have gone.
But the head of the council’s own housing board thinks it is over the top.

Cllr Keith Gill said: ‘I would be opposed to any kind of legal action. That would be heavy-handed.

‘This is sending out the wrong message and there are more important things that the council should be worrying about.’

Other council tenants in the borough could be sent letters if their mats are deemed to be dangerous.

But the council has not enforced a full ban, saying it would assess each mat on an individual basis.

Council spokeswoman Brenda Brooker said: ‘We, as a local authority and landlord, have a duty of care to all persons entering our communal areas and these should be free from any hazards or obstructions, likely to cause health and safety issues or prevent evacuation.

‘If people are aggrieved at the council’s decision that they should remove items which we consider pose a risk, we have a complaints procedure where they can ask for that decision to be reviewed.

‘Secondly, we would consider the health and safety risk that the particular problem presents and then would consider appropriate action, possibly involving legal action.’

Gosport council’s mat ban is the latest barmy health and safety regulation to be introduced, says the Taxpayers’ Alliance.

Campaign director Mark Wallace said Britain was fast being turned into a nanny state with more and more mindless rules.

‘It is ridiculous that health and safety regulations have gone so far,’ he said.

‘If these safety officers don’t have anything better to do, then
clearly we have no need for them.

‘What started off as a national exercise in preventing serious harm has ended up as an exercise in how to boss people around.’

Tom Mullarkey, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, was also against the mat ban.

He said: ‘The application of common sense and balance is much more reasonable than the seeking of mindless increments towards absolute safety.’

However, the council’s own Lib Dem-run administration has opposed the move.

Cllr Peter Chegwyn, chairman of the community and environment board, added: ‘There’s no question of us taking legal action over something this trivial.’

http://tinyurl.com/6pzbey

Posted by peiper     on 11/18/2008 at 01:05 PM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • UK •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

FATHER ARRESTED ON WORD OF WITNESS DEEMED “NOT FIT” TO MAKE STATEMENT. HUH?

And according to the keystone kops, the witless witness wasn’t in any condition to what ?  Not “fit to make a statement that night?”

I’m all for nailing adults who abuse kids to the wall and leave em there as a warning to others but this case is ridiculous. Or so it seems here anyway.

It this a case of guilty till proved otherwise? 

Father locked up in cell for smacking son
A father was arrested and locked in a police cell overnight for smacking his son’s bottom.

By Richard Savill
Last Updated: 12:48PM GMT 18 Nov 2008

Mark Frearson, a co-director of a parcel company, said he told off his son Harry because the seven-year-old walked away from him alone after dark while they were shopping together at a local store.

Mr Frearson, 47, found him in a nearby park 10 minutes later. “I called him to me and smacked his bottom for leaving me, telling him never to do it again,” he said.

But a witness called police and, three hours later, four officers and a specialist child support officer arrived at his house.

They told him that a child had been assaulted, and Mr Frearson replied that he had smacked his son once on the bottom.

“They asked my son what had happened and he said ‘Dad smacked me for being outside the shop’. The police then examined my son for any marks and there were none.”

The officers took Harry in a police car to his mother’s home. They arrested Mr Frearson on suspicion of assault, and took him to the police station.

“I was horrified and bewildered at the course of action being taken on some stranger’s action,” he said.

After about an hour, he claimed, officers told him they could not carry out an interview as the witness “was not fit to make a statement that night”.

Mr Frearson spent the night in a “freezing” cell with two blankets and was released the next day at 10am.

He said: “The first words said to me were ‘The witness has changed his statement’. The ‘witness’ had originally alleged I was kicking my son to the floor.

“I can understand the concerns of the police but they seemed far too ready to presume me guilty and then cause distress to my son by taking him from me.

“My ex-wife (the boy’s mother) told them the allegation was ridiculous but they proceeded regardless with what I considered their over-the-top reaction.”

Mr Frearson has made a formal complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

He said the police reaction was “massively over-the-top” and the experience was traumatic for his son.

Mr Frearson, from Plymouth, in Devon, said: “I find it shocking how easy it is to have someone arrested. To think that all this happened on the back of one allegation. I want an apology.

“I am still angered and bewildered at the events of that night. Why was I not allowed to stay in my own home until statements could be made in the morning? It seemed a knee jerk reaction.”

Mr Frearson said he wanted to know what state the witness was in, if he was unable to make a statement that night. “Whether he was drunk or drugged, I don’t know. Why has he not been arrested for wasting police time, and mine, come to that?”

Mr Frearson said the incident happened at about 6pm on October 28, while Harry, who lives with his mother, Kate, 33, from whom Mr Frearson is divorced, was staying with him during half term.

He said: “I can hardly ever remember smacking my children. I have two older children. I don’t smack a child to hurt them, but to show they have done wrong. There is a difference between smacking and hitting.”

Devon and Cornwall police said it could not comment as a formal complaint had been made.

http://tinyurl.com/6fvb39

Posted by peiper     on 11/18/2008 at 12:12 PM   
Filed Under: • Crime • Daily Life • Miscellaneous • UK •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Monday - November 10, 2008

FER ALL A YOU GUN TOTIN’ WILD WEST BUCK-A-ROOS BACK IN THE USA,

Here’s about the shortest post I’ve ever done and sorry no link but it comes from The Telegraph originally.

By that I mean, that’s where I found it.  Ya ready?

AIR RIFLE USED TO CONFRONT TEENAGERS

HA. EXCEPT THE DAMN THING WASN’T LOADED BUT NEVER MIND.  AN ARREST WAS MADE BY THE KEYSTONE KOPS.

A grandfather has been arrested after using an unloaded air rifle to confront a gang of “youths” who had fired rockets at his house.

He was given a caution for possessing a fire arm with the intent to cause “FEAR OF VIOLENCE.”

-end-

So, what do ya think people?  Justice served? The youths must be shaking in their boots. From laughter.

This isn’t even funny.  So it’s simply a caution.  It should have been a medal he was given.

Posted by peiper     on 11/10/2008 at 03:15 PM   
Filed Under: • Blog Stuff • Crime • Daily Life • Stoopid-People • UK •  
• Comments (7) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner