Simple Recycling
I have one of my new recycling boxes permanently on the front patio by my wheelie bin.
My Recycling Box and Wheelie Bin
At least it means with Coke cans that I can recycle them without walking up and down the stairs or going outside. I just open the window and drop them straight down. Is this good practice for my eyesight after the stroke?
At least, I haven’t missed yet!
But then I haven’t chanced it with glass bottles either!
The Twisted Logic of the Far Right
If the tragic events in Norway on Friday show one thing, it is the bizarre twisted logic bordering on paranoia that those on the far right use to justify their behaviour. If reports are to be believed, Anders Behring Breivik, the alleged suspect, was a radical Christian, who held strong anti-Muslim views. He must have believed too, as did Timothy McVeigh, that by attacking Government targets and children and young people that he would start a backlash against the policies he hated. America seems to have carried on as before since the Oklahoma City Bombing and I suspect Norway won’t change tack by a great deal, if at all.
I could have called this post the Twisted Logic of the Far Left or Mad Dictators, as you could include Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Gaddafi, Mugabe, Assad, Bin Laden, Botha, Galtieri, Ahmadinejad and various others. All seem to have been deserted by any logic that any intelligent person would understand. Most though believe strongly in the death penalty and denying everybody who disagrees with them any human rights.
In some ways, one of the reasons such as Breivik are encouraged is that our free society doesn’t really stop these dictators abusing their own people or in many cases those who have no connection to them.
So do the Breiviks and the McVeighs, who have a personal grievance, see impotent governments, who can’t stop the injustices in the rest of the world and this means they lose their jobs to immigrants, pay excessive taxes and lose some of their precious freedoms, like the right to have firearms.
We currently have more famine in the Horn of Africa and whatever the main problem, the twisted logic of the millitants in the area isn’t helping. But only last week we had a report from Ethiopia about how long term aid and fair commercial trading of coffee, is making the lives of small farmers and their families so much better.
The Black Dog Campaign
According to the WHO by 2030 depression will be the world’s most disabling condition above cancer and AIDS.
So it is to be welcomed that SANE have started the Black Dog Campaign.
The SANE Black Dog at N1 Centre, Islington
This is one of the dogs they are using to publicise the campaign. Even at a mundane level, this dog is giving enjoyment to these kids.
The Beach at The Angel, Islington
I have taken a few pictures at the beach in the N1 Shopping Centre at The Angel.
Note that the eco-friendly deck chairs came made from sustainable timber.
It was certainly busy yesterday in the sun, after a rather wet start.
Wilton’s Music Hall
Last night, I went to Wilton’s Music Hall in the East End of London. It is just round the corner from Cable Street, where in 1936, Mosley’s black shirts wanted to march and this resulted in the Battle of Cable Street. My father was there, although many would think that someone who always voted Tory wouldn’t have been. But he did have a lot of Jewish heritage and he had a very low opinion of fascists. Various groups always claimed they stopped Oswald Mosley and his odious followers, but my father always said that anybody who thought about it, was against Mosley.
The show was organised by The Times, and was essentially a comedy night with four comedy acts and a compere; Jarred Christmas. The acts were Colin Hoult, Imran Yusuf, Frisky and Mannish and one other, who I think might have been a late addition.
But it was three hours of good fun and all for a tenner.
The building is virtually a construction site, as they are struggling to get London’s last music hall on a secure footing, both financially and structurally. But the building had the right atmosphere and acoustics to make it a good venue.
The four comedians were good, but not as in your face as s0me. Colin Hoult relied a lot on word play, developing a new superhero called Grammar Man, who policed such evil powers as split infinitives, whilst Imran Yusuf showed how you don’t have to be Jewish to mock your religion constructively. Jarred Christmas was an amiable host, who did a good job to link it all together.
The show was round up, by Frisky and Mannish, who are best described as a comedy musical double act, with Frisky doing most of the singing to Mannish’s keyboard. There are some videos on their web site, which give a good flavour.
She introduced herself by saying that as it was a music hall, she was wearing a corset. And she was wearing it well over a split skirt and a halter top. Her shoes, hair and the corset laces were almost a matching red/orange colour. The corset wasn’t to a Victorian tightness, but it wasn’t loose either. She sang well too!
They are going to the Edinburgh Fringe and will certainly be worth catching.
The Times are putting on further comedy nights at Wilton’s. If they’re only a tenner a time, it won’t be the last time I go.
Taxis In The Rain
it is raining hard tonight. But one of the advantages is that I live near the old 641 trolley bus route and taxi drivers still use it as the cut back to the City and Liverpool Street station, as the road is wide. So despite the rain, a guest who was going to a function in the City tonight had no difficulty getting a black cab.
But it’s raining so hard, that I’ve got a slight leak in my glass roof! At least I brought a bucket with me to London.
A Web Site Not To Use
In my previous post, I mentioned that some web sites, when you access them, open a new browser with a full page advert.
I find this practice very unacceptable. I know that some of the more sleazy tabloids use this practice, but I just opened the web site for the Daily Express. I got a very unacceptable advertisement in another copy of my browser. Incidentally, when I closed this unwanted browser window, it immediately reopened and only by closing the original page containing the Daily Express web site, was I able to continue without being interrupted by offensive advertising.
So I shall be continuing of my policy of never having bought this rag in my lifetime! And I’ll never look at their web site again, unless there is a story there, that I have to look at. But I haven’t needed to yet!
I shall be reporting them to someone. But who?
Unwanted E-Mails From Respected Companies
When I sign up to buy something from a company on-line, I always make sure that the direct marketing links are checked or unchecked, so that I don’t get any marketing e-mails. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that a good on-line marketing code, that might even be the law, states that you must be able to opt-out of any direct marketing. So I always do.
Obviously for my on-line banking and utility suppliers, I don’t opt out of receiving informational messages like my new bill is ready, but these are not direct marketing.
Recently, I got a promotional e-mail from a respected company that I use, where I knew that I’d set the marketing e-mails settings, so that I don’t get any.
I reported this to the company and they said it shouldn’t happen, especially as the offer was genuine.
On checking I found that the e-mail had not come to the e-mail address, I commonly use, but to an old one that I used to use a couple of years ago. I still monitor this address, as some of my old friends still use it and haven’t updated their e-mail address for me.
It then became obvious what had happened. It had been sent by an e-mail marketing company and they were using a list, which contained my old e-mail address. I’m not sure how they obtained the e-mail, but I could have signed up with any number of companies several years ago and one of these didn’t have an acceptable non-pass on policy. Incidentally, I have checked and find that I still use the e-mail for a couple of subscriptions, so these companies may have sold on the the details. I’m not going to name anybody here, as I can’t be sure how the marketing company obtained the e-mail address.
But this does show a very big dilemma for the marketing departments of respected companies.
If say you are doing a promotion and feel that because it may have popular appeal, you might want to give it to a marketing company, who have a list of e-mail addresses, that they have obtained legitimately.
But this list might contain the e-mail addresses of your current customers, who have signed up with you not to receive marketing e-mails. Some may find this unacceptable and may take their business elsewhere.
So how can you ensure that a marketing list used by a third party, does not contain old or unused e-mail addresses of your current customers.
To put it simply, you can’t!
The only way to ensure it, is not to employ a third party marketing company, that uses e-mail. After all, if you want to obtain new customers through the Internet, you can always use embedded web adverts in respected web sites, like newspapers and broadcasting companies. I have bought quite a few products from this type of advert in the quality newspapers. But I would avoid using adverts that pop-up in a new web browser, when you access some of the tabloid web sites. They just annoy.
After all, you get more business from an existing customer, who you don’t annoy!
One company I deal with is always sending me unwanted e-mails, despite settings to say they shouldn’t. Unfortunately, I need to deal with them, but when I can find an alternative, I will cease my involvement with the company.
Happy Hundreth Birthday to the Liver Building
The Liver Building is one hundred today.
Remember that the Liver Birds on the top flap their wings, when a virgin walks past on the Pierhead.
The BBC did a piece about the anniversary this morning and in it Phil Redmond, said that “Liverpool is the Second City of Empire”.
The Anonymous Widower 