Your Anti-Wrinkle Cream May Not Be All It Seems!

A most bizaar crime was uncovered in Peru last week. A group of criminals were killing people to extract their body fat for onward sale to the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. It would appear from the report that human body fat is used in the production of cosmetics and anti-wrinkle cream. Ugh! I think I’d rather have my wrinkles. 

Local people were lured into the net with the promise of jobs and then summarily killed. In a makeshift lab, body tissue was removed and the body fat extracted. These items were transported by bus to Lima, the capitol, and then sent on to Italy where other gangs sold the stuff to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries in Europe. It would seem to be a profitable enterprise, for a litre of body fat sold for $15,000.

Police said the gang, referred to as the Pishtacos after a Peruvian legend, could be responsible for the deaths of up to sixty people in the region. According to one of those arrested, the ringleader Hilario Cardena had been committing these crimes for decades.

As crimes go, this must rank as one of the most bizarre, and is an indication of how warped the human being can be in the search for riches. Given the fact that it is proven cars and boats can run on human fat, we should hope no-one else gets the same idea. 

If you are a person of, shall we say ”large” proportions, it would perhaps be advisable to cross Peru off your visiting list.

Rejoice in your wrinkles, for the alternative may make you an accessory.

Roy.

'Road Trains' - Will They Work?

Research is being done to develope a wireless controlled system for forming so-called 'Road Trains' on European roads. The general idea is for vehicles to drive within a metre or two of each other along motorways in the future, thus forming a 'train'. When joining a train, you would hand over complete control of your car to the lead vehicle, who would then make decisions for the entire 'train'. It is thought this could improve traffic flow on major roads.

Your car would be controlled by radio signals from the lead vehicle, with a form of radar to maintain seperation. While all this is going on you, the driver, could be reading the newspaper or playing games on your laptop.

It may sound like a good idea, but could it possibly work? People being what they are, it may work to some degree, but you see on the road today everyone likes to travel at a different speed to everyone else. For many people there is also the question of trust in the system. Pilotless passenger aircraft are a reality, but who would travel in one? People like to be 'in control'.

I see road trains every day when I drive on the motorway in Spain because the Spanish like to drive in the middle lane of a three lane highway. Consequently everyone is squeezed into the outside lane trying to overtake. It is a common sight to see the outside lane nose-to-tail, a smattering of cars in the middle lane, and almost nothing on the inside lane except the occasional truck. The story is similar for a two lane motorway, everyone is in the outside lane trying to overtake the car in front.

So this begs the question, would road trains solve this problem? It may do if there are dedicated lanes for this traffic, but otherwise, no! It will also depend on the speed of the train. For some it will be too fast, and for others too slow.

The question of insurance claims also comes to mind. If a train, or part of it, were to be involved in an accident who would bear the blame, insurance-wise that is? Would the lead driver, who controls the train, be liable to pay for damage to all vehicles in 'his' train? Something the developers have not thought of yet.

Whatever happens, it is certain that a major shift in people's thinking and driving habits will be necessary for such a system to work. It's the old story of; "It sounds good on paper" but in practicality .........?

I'll leave you to decide.

Roy.

Reminiscing - Ramblings of an Old Mind.

I was born in 1942, a time when bombs were falling, and men, women and children were dying all across the world. Britain and her Commonwealth Countries had stood against the might of Adolf Hitler and his strutting Nazi ‘Ubermenschen’ who stormed across Europe. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour eleven months before, bringing the United States into the war.

When I came into the world, the first Allied Invasion of occupied territory, Operation Torch, took place in North Africa where Rommel was close to defeat at the hands of The Eigth Army under General Montgomery. At the time no-one knew how important the allied invasion on the 6th of June 1944 would be, and that it would spell the ‘beginning of the end’ for Hitler and his cronies.

During the war years life in Britain was hard. Mothers got used to seeing their beloved sons head for the front-line as they became old enough for conscription. Their husbands had long since joined the fight. Many a young wife said a tearful goodbye to new husbands, never knowing if they would ever see them again.

The dreaded telegram would be receieved by many, informing them their husband or son had been killed in action, bringing with it grief and despair.

Everything was rationed; food, petrol, even clothes due to the shortages caused by the ceasless dirty war in the Atlantic between the British Merchant Fleet, The Royal Navy and the German U-Boats. The British people took it all with their usual stoicism, determined not to let ‘Herr Hitler’ have his way.

It was to be another 3 years before peace came to the world after the final defeat of Germany and Japan. At the time I knew nothing of this for I was but a baby.

In the aftermath of World War Two, Britain like many other nations started to rebuild. The houses and factories destroyed by german bombs were rebuilt, and families got used to the empty chair at the dining table. As always, life went on. Women became a more common sight in the factories and mills as they replaced the ‘missing’ men in the work force. During the war years they had become accustomed to doing what was then men’s work, because the men were all away fighting.

The post-war years also saw the beginning of the breakup of the British Empire starting with India gaining full independance in 1947. Not that I cared at the age of five.

In June 1950, when I was only seven years old, North Korea invaded the South after the failure of unification talks. Once more England sent troops to fight in a war, but this time under the auspices of the United Nations.

This one, unlike the last, was not felt in England as it was far away on the other side of the world. The main priority at home was rebuilding the economy.

People did not travel far to go on holiday in them days, it was long before the arrival of package holidays to Spain. Just like all the other folks of the period, our family summer holidays were spent on day trips, or if we were lucky a week, to the coast.

I have memories of a great holiday at Butlins Holiday Camp in Filey on Englands east coast. It was I believe the first of a new kind of holiday centre where people lived in chalets on the site and took part in organized activities during the day.

During my school days life was hard, and the national curriculum was tough and extremely varied. Among the standard subjects, I had classes on religion, history and geography which have since all been dropped by the Ministry of Education as being ‘unnecessary’. Religion taught me right from wrong and morality, history taught me about the fine history and traditions of my country, and geography gave me knowledge of the world.

It is sad that today religion and history are no longer taught because it might upset the immigrants, and geography is no longer considered relevant. It is not surprising that young children today have no morals, no patriotism, or any idea of the rich history of our past, and couldn’t even tell you the capitol of Turkey!

Life was so much different then compared with today. If you went shopping for breakfast cereal shall we say, you went to the local shop and had the choice of perhaps weetabix, cornflakes and porridge oats.

Today in every supermarket you see people standing in front of a row of shelves 150ft long with four levels, containing perhaps 60 or 70 different cereals, many with different brands, trying to make up their mind which to buy. Why do we need ten different types of cornflakes?

When the supermarkets hit town, the first casualties were the pleasant local shops where you were always guaranteed friendly personal service. Many stayed open until 10 o’clock in the evening as a service to their customers. You were always guaranteed a warm welcome and many would, if you were a good customer, allow you things ‘on tick’, i.e. until your wages came in at the end of the week. It was common for the children to receive a free sweet or lollipop when they went in.

In those days people always appeared smart in public. No baggy jeans with holes in them, no england football shirts and trainers. All men wore a suit and tie when they went out. Some of the more ridiculous sights I see occasionally today is men going out in a suit and tie with trainers on their feet. Somehow it just doesn’t look right.

Family life is also something that has ceased to exist in modern times. When I was a child the whole family would sit around the table for the evening meal.  I have one brother and three sisters so naturally we needed a large table.

I remember my grandmother on my step-fathers side telling me they never locked their doors, even when they went away on holiday. Burglary, so prevelant today, was practically unheard of in the days after the war. People lived with bigger financial problems than they do today, but to steal from someone else was taboo. I believe this was due to people having more respect for each other, and knowing right from wrong.

In part this could be attributed to everyone being much more religious than they are today. The churches were full on Sundays, and many preachers could be likened to fire breathing dragons as they pumped out ‘The Message’.

I remember going to church with the family on Sunday during my early youth. As I got older we went less often, and eventually only for marriages and christenings. Such was the decline of the church. But I do not believe it is necessary to go the church every Sunday to be a good christian. Now of course, many churches have been closed and congregations are small, made up for the most part by old folks who are daily getting nearer to their God.

When I was a kid, to own a car was to be someone. You could buy a brand new car for £250, but few could afford this extravagance. Once we could afford a car, weekends were always spent together going on a trip to somewhere or other. Another item that entered homes slowly was the television. To have the first television in the street meant playing host to everyone.

There were no computers and Playstations in those far off days. We children made our own fun playing games with the other kids in the street. The boys often played played cowboys and indians while the girls enjoyed themselves with a skipping rope.

Before the arrival of the television it was normal for most folks to listen to the BBC on the radio. Dance-band music, classical concerts and the like were popular. The BBC also had many good serials like “The Archers’ which was faithfully followed by all, and discussed later in the pub over a pint.

In those far off days, crime rates were miniscule compared to today’s rampant figures. Justice was also seen to be done, and criminals got sentences that fitted the crime. Anyone who had been in prison did not offend again for fear of ending up back ‘inside’. Today prisons are more like 5 star hotels.

I witnessed the Cuban Crisis, the assasination of President Kennedy, the killing of his brother, and the first venture by man into space. I remember well the excitement surrounding the launch of Soyuz 1 by the Russians, and the American consternation that they had got so far ahead in ‘The Space Race’. It didn’t take long for the USA to catch up and surpass the Russian ‘first’ by sending men to the moon.

 One of the great calamities of the last century must surely be the splitting of Europe after the Second World War by the Communist ‘Iron Curtain’. It cut off all of Eastern Europe from the West, and the people behind it were subjected to communist rule from Moscow. Secret police, spies, jails and gulags were the communist answer to western capitolism. Thankfully all that is behind us.

We live now in a utopia compared to life back then. Everyone has a TV and all the youth have computers, i-pods, mobiles and the like. There are often three or four cars to a family, and we all travel the world during our summer holidays. The question remains however; are people happier today than they were in my time? I think not. Life for us back then was simple and uncomplicated, and ‘stress’ was an unknown word.

There is a plentiful of everything to the extent we have become a ‘Throw Away’ society. The words ‘Quality’ and ‘Sale’ no longer have their original meaning. The majority of goods produced today are shoddy by yesterdays standards because back then things were made to last. That is sadly no longer true. Shops have permanent ‘sales’, where if the word ‘discount’ were to be believed they would go out of business. But I guess thats progress, for me however it doesn’t compare with the old times. I guess I must be getting old!

May your tomorrows be better than your yesterdays.

Roy

The Squirrel and the Grasshopper - A Tale of Modern Times

Does the following joke ring any bells? It should if you are a Brit! 

The Squirrel and The Grasshopper

THE REST OF THE WORLD VERSION

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs, dances, and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

THE END

THE AUSTRALIAN VERSION
The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter.


The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs, dances, and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed.

A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference and demands to know why the squirrel should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and starving.

ABC News shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the squirrel in his comfortable warm home with a
table laden with food.

The Australian press informs people that they should be ashamed that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer, while others have plenty.




The Labour Party, Greenpeace, Animal Rights and The Grasshopper Housing Commission of Australia demonstrate in front of the squirrel's house.

The ABC, interrupting a cultural festival special from St Kilda with breaking news, broadcasts a multi cultural choir singing 'We Shall Overcome'.

Bill Shorten rants in an interview with Laurie Oakes that

the squirrel got rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the squirrel to make him pay his 'fair share' and increases the charge for
squirrels to enter Melbourne city centre.

In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to 
the beginning of the summer. The squirrel's taxes are reassessed. He is taken to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders, for the work he was doing on his home, and an additional fine for contempt
when he told the court the grasshopper did not want to work.

The grasshopper is provided with a Housing



Commission house, financial aid to furnish it, and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be
socially mobile. The squirrel's food is seized and re-distributed to the more needy members of society - in this case the grasshopper.

Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the squirrel has to downsize and start building a new home.

The local authority takes over his old home and utilises 
it as a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane to get to Australia as they had to share their country of origin with mice.

On arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of Australians' apparent love of dogs.

The cats had been arrested for the international 



offence of hijacking and  attempted bombing, but were immediately released because the police fed them pilchards instead of salmon whilst in custody.



Initial moves to make them return to their own country were abandoned because it was feared they would face death by the mice.

The cats devise and start a scam to obtain money from people's credit cards.

A 60 Minutes special shows the grasshopper finishing up the last of the squirrel's food, though spring is still months away, while the Housing Commission house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered
to maintain it. He is shown to be taking drugs.

Inadequate government funding is blamed for the 

grasshopper's drug 'Illness'.

The cats seek recompense in the Australian courts for their treatment since arriving in Australia.

The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog
during a burglary to get money for his drugs habit. He is imprisoned but released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks. He is placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him.

Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery.

A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost $10 

million and state the obvious, is set up.
 Additional money is put into funding a drug
rehabilitation scheme for grasshoppers.

Legal aid for lawyers representing asylum seekers is increased.

The asylum seeking cats are praised by the government for enriching Australia's multicultural diversity, and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the cats.

The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose.

The usual sections of the press blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity and his traumatic experience of prison.

They call for the resignation of a minister.

The cats are paid $1 million each because their rights 

were infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in Australia.

The squirrel, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their credit cards to cover

losses, their taxes are increased to pay for law and order, and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a shortfall in government funds.

THE END




Like the old cowboy said: "Thur's truth in them thur wurds!!!!!"


It doesn't take a dimwit to see the comparison between this tale and the current way of things in Britain. 






The ways of the modern world are myriad - mostly insane!


Roy.

The Crucifix - A 'Human Rights' Tragedy

What is it today about people and 'Human Rights'? In too many cases, the arguement for human rights is used as an excuse by some, to get their our own way in the face of opposition, or just because they feel like it. 
We have pressure groups that will stand beside anyone who thinks they have been wronged, for any reason, and demonstrate on the streets or run into the nearest court. 

I read in the news yesterday of perhaps one of the more ridiculous cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights (CHR) in Strasbourg, with an even more ludicrous result. 

This court ruled that crucifixes may not be displayed in the classrooms of Italian schools, as a direct result of an action brought by Soili Lautsi, an Italian mother who wants to give her children a secular education.  It reasoned that the practice of "the compulsory display of a symbol of a given confession in premises used by public authorities ....restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions". Apparantly, the crucifixes also "Restricted the right of children to believe or not to believe". What a load of cobblers! 

This judgement was deliberated on, and delivered, by seven respectable judges in one of the highest courts in Europe. Personally, I think they were idiots!

Italy, as most people know is deeply catholic, and it has been law in the country since 1920 (almost 90 years) for crucifixes to be hung in every school in the land. Britain and many other countries have always had crucifixes in the schools, law or no law! 

So here we have a situation where one person has turned tradition and the law of Italy on its head, just because she wants to be different with her children. Funnier still, She actually got awarded compensation of €5000 from the court. (Now we are probably getting to the main reason for the court action; Money!) Her case rested on the fact that her children had to attend a school with crucifixes hanging in every room. 

So What!!! I see buses every day but it doesn't mean I have to be a bus driver for crying out loud!!!

Needless to say, the whole of Italy is up in arms at the ruling, both the politicians, and the people. The Vatican was shocked at the idea of ruling out the crucifix in education, calling the it "Wrong and myopic", and I must agree. A spokesman at the Vatican, Reverend Frederico Lombardi, said the court had no right to interfere in profoundly Italian affairs, and once again, I agree. He went further, saying, "It seems as if the court wanted to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity.... It is unpleasant that it (the crucifix) is considered a sign of division, exclusion or a restriction of freedom". Quite right Sir!

Basic human rights are essential, and should be protected at all costs, but when the Barmy Brigade become involved, it sours the milk to such an extent it should be thrown away.

I am sure if one were to peruse the files of the C.H.R there are many more such rulings that do nothing to enhance the cause of human rights. To me this ruling is shameful, and I for one think the Italian Government should tell the court to take their ruling, and shove it where the sun don't shine (and I cleaned that up!).

In my view, religion in schools is essential as part of growing up. It helps us determine good from bad, and what is acceptable and what is not. I had religious education at school and it never did me any harm, quite the opposite. 

Many years ago in Britain, religion along with physical education was dropped from the national curriculum as being unneccessary, and look at how the youth since then has turned out. Today we have for example,  obese drunken louts, and girls, urinating in the streets after an evening of heavy drinking. The saddest part is they see nothing wrong in their behaviour. To them its normal and perfectly acceptable. No-one of the older generation would even consider doing such a thing.

No! I believe Mrs. Lautsi has not done Italy, its people, or its future generations any good with her action. Eventually it could well cascade into the rest of Europe with, as an example, Muslims or some other religious group complaining about any form of religious symbology. Already, some schools no longer have the traditional Nativity Plays for fear of upsetting the Muslim children. 

What sad times we live in. Will the insanity never end? 

Roy.

New Short Story.

Oh Dear, I've done it again! Yet another short story has rolled off the press and is here for your delight (I'm joking).

Although my subject matter is war, I have tried to spread the jam widely so to speak, and not be harnessed by a particular branch of the armed services, or even a particular war. So far my stories have covered the RAF in The Battle of Britain,  RAF Bomber Command and the air war over Germany, The British Army's survival at Dunkirk, a tale of today's Afghanistan, plus the Royal Navy Submarine Service.

Now the scene is set in France and relates to the fight by S.O.E. operatives and the French Resistance against the German occupiers.

If you hate it or loved it let me know. You know what they say, praise may be good for the ego, but critsicm is better because it helps you improve.

Happy reading.

Roy.

The BNP - Racist or Saviours?

This article may get me into trouble with some readers, but I always speak my mind on any contentious issue. A few days ago there was furor and mass hysteria in the British Press about the appearance of Nick Clegg, leader of The British Nationlist Party, on the BBC's flagship programme Question Time.

The gutter press, which encompasses all British newspapers in my view, were screaming for blood to flow in the BBC Boardroom because they intended allowing a 'committed racist' and 'fascist' on to 'the tube'. The enshrined concepts of British fair play,  freedom of speech and tolerance  were conveniently forgotten as they found someone to lash out at with banner headlines.

The British Press is so pure, at least when they are not reporting on something, but give them a hint of a story that will trash someone's reputation, stir up racial unrest, cause widespread panic or riots in the streets, and they are beaming with happiness. Anyway, it is not my intention to write about the short-comings of the British press, that would take too long.

Nick Clegg dutifully made his appearance on the programme, and once again the papers are full of it. Unfortunately I did not get the chance to join the 8,000,000 viewers who watched it, but that is not necessary, you only have to read the newspapers to know what it was all about. 

Clegg did not come over very well it seems. He has been described as "an inarticulate blusterer of questionable intelligence". His message it seems was not put over too well, but the basic concept......?

His denial of the Holocaust, and admitted sympathies with the Klu Klux Klan must have done some damage to his cause, and detracted from his main message. While most will speak openly about their distaste for him and his Party, he only says out loud what a large section of the British population is thinking. Evidence of this is in the increasing number of votes cast for the BNP in recent elections.

When the Labour Government under Tony Blair decided to foster a muli-cultural Britain, they really let the tiger out of its cage, and now they cannot get it back in. The constant stream of immigrants has grown to such proportions, that in the opinion of some experts, the country may not be able to sustain its population in twenty years time, due to the steadily increasing numbers, and the soaring birthrate within the immigrant population. And they keep on coming by the thousands every day!

Each one receives financial assistance and a fully furnished place to stay which is costing the tax payer billions every year. If the flow of immigrants were to be halted immediately, and an end put to all subsistance payments, Gordon Brown could pay off the national debt and have a lot left over!

I must admit to agreeing with the stance that immigration, pandering to ethnic minorities, and all this human rights crap must end immediately. Our borders should be sealed, deportation and voluntary repatriation stepped up to the extent that we are getting rid of all undersireable elements as soon as possible.

Don't misunderstand me!! I am all for legal immigrants who are willing to come to our country and work for a living, and most important of all, integrate with us rather than try to make us integrate with them. If they are willing to accept the British way of life and live among us as British citizens, speaking english, I am all for it. I am not a supporter of the BNP, and nor will I ever be, but the writing is on the wall for some form of government intent on doing something about the immigration problem in Britain. In truth, I think the answer lies somewhere in between the basic idea of the BNP, and a sane government.

I am truly sick and tired of hearing yet another mosque is to be built, and another school is going over to teaching its pupils the national curiculum in Hindi or Arabic.

It is also sickening to see on the High Streets of Britain shops showing signs in Hindi, Polish, Arabic, and a myriad of other languages. They must be made to 'sign' in English, with the option of their own language underneath. The very fabric of English culture is being threatened from within, and nobody seems to care enough to do anything about it, except perhaps in a twisted way, the BNP.

Many immigrants who come to Britain are soon involved in crime, and in some cases outright terrorism, then spend years (at a cost of millions), fighting extradition. How often have we heard the cry 'If you send me back I'll be tortured" even from known terrorists!  My answer is: So What! You sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind!

All the while they and their families are being given handouts by the government. So what does the government finally do? Give them a Briitish passport and the right to continue sponging off the state!!! It's too stupid for words.

All appeals against deportation should last a maximum of three months, and any immigrant convicted of a serious crime should be deported immediately with no right of appeal at all.

It is also time for the government to lay down laws forbidding immigrants access to such things as the National Health and Social Service benefits until they have been in the country for at least a year, held a legitimate job for that period, be fluent in English and have a good knowledge of English history. This would result in the National Health Service not having a fatal heart attack, and save billions from the countries coffers. The same law should prohibit the holding of public office for any immigrant for a period of at least five years. The only reason immigrants from all over the world want to come to Britain is because they see us as a soft touch. We feed them, we clothe them, we pay them, and then allow their families to come over too and the whole process starts again!

Another bone of contention is the continuing erosion of the British religious holidays like Christmas and Easter. Christmas is actually becoming less popular for fear of upsetting the Muslims!!! I care not what religious holidays Muslims, Hindu's and the like have. You live in Britain, you respect our traditions. We do not expect you to visit our churches, but you must respect our beliefs and holidays, even if they mean nothing to you.

I have ranted on long enough, but one thing remains to be said. Although we all carry these thoughts around in our heads, it is only people like the BNP who are willing to put it into words spoken out loud. Unfortunately their ideology is corrupted with disageeable retoric, which has tarnished the real message. I do not agree with many of the things this party stands for, but their basic concept is one that will eventually bring trouble to the streets of Britan.

Enoch Powell, a man of vision way back in the 1960's predicted; "There will be blood in the streets" when the wave of resentment against immigrants reachs a certain level, and judging from the reactions of many, and what we read in the news, that day is not too far in the future. 

The immigrant pampering Human Rights/Politically Correct Groups are unwittingly stoking the fire with increasing diligence, but at some point in the future, the British - I hope - will stand up and say; "Enough is enough!"

That day may well come when people are so sickened by what is happening they will vote enmass for the BNP at some future election. I hope it never gets that bad!

I used to be proud to be English, but now........?

Roy.

At Last The Knife Goes In

Finally a brave politician has put the knife into the banking sector, and companies that received government aid at the start of the current financial crisis. The income of these bank executives and CEO's has been slashed from it's previously outrageous levels to, what I would call, a more acceptable level, but all is not what it seems.

President Obama has been the first world leader with guts enough to attempt cutting the exorbitant salaries of these people. He appointed Kenneth Feinberg this summer to look into the huge payments, and he has just released the first phase results. 

I can hear the moans in the Boardrooms across America now; "Damn! I was going to get myself another Ferrari, a new villa in the Bahamas, a massive yacht, and a huge new cabin cruiser to park in Puerto Banus Harbour in Spain (the most expensive), and oh, the wife wanted a new ironing board. I was even thinking of buying Yellowstone National Park to build some condo's. Now I guess all that will go on hold. Damn that Obama fella!. Doesn't he understand I want to be super-rich?"

Of the top seven companies bailed out by the US tax payer, 136 employees from; AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, General Motors, Chrysler, and Chrysler Financial have all taken a hit. 

According to the news, bank executives and CEO's will have to take a 90% pay cut, while their employees, traders etc, would take a cut of up to 50%. Bosses would no longer receive huge bonuses, but get stock in their company they could not sell until 2011.  

It is staggering to see the pay-packets some of these individuals take home. Top of the tree is Sanjay Jha, Co-CEO of struggling Motorola, who took home a massive $104.4 million in 2008. His salary was a mere $484,615, but he made a further $412,096 in 'Perks', $36 million in stock grants and $67,59 million in stock options. 

He and his fellow CEO Gregory Brown ($24.2 million), were magnanamous in December last year and took a 25% salary cut. At the same time, Motorola froze all employees salaries and retirement contributions. It sounds like a case of; "Pull up the ladder Jack, I'm on board".

Mr Jah no doubt owns several Ferrari's, probably one for each day of the week. His only problem would be to decide which colour to drive on which day! "Let me see. Monday the blue one, Tuesday the black one......."

I wish I had those problems, the only trouble is I would find it hard to decide; I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure!

Mr. Jah is of course not alone with this problem. The CEO's of; Oracle, Walt Disney, American Express, Citigroup, Hewlett Packard, Calpine, News Corp, Honeywell International and Proctor and Gambell all face the same agonizing problems, and I haven't mentioned the car industry yet!

Among the "Money Men', under the new rules AIG's top executive will get the highest salary at $10.5 Million which will include a salary of $3 million, a $3.5 million bonus, and $4 million in stock options. AIG is still one of the companies bailed out by the tax payer. But there's worse to come!

The top 22 executives of Citigroup, bailed out with billions, will share a staggering $118 million in salary, stock options, and restricted stock options that will increase over the next four years. Mama! I want to be a bank executive. Please, can I????

All I can say is; firstly, I should have chosen banking as a career instead of the military and aircraft industry, and secondly; everyone should start keeping their money under the mattress and let the bankers starve.

Of course, the bankers and CEO's are complaining. Their arguement is, that without the current bonus scheme they will lose all their star performers to companies that are not covered by the new ruling. Citbank and Bank of America have already reported losing key personnel to companies like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase who managed to escape from the governments clutches during the summer. Some companies are activly engaged in luring away these people with promises of even double their previous bonuses and salaries. Who can refuse that. 

The downside is, the loss of key personnel may affect the recovery of the institution concerned, putting repayment of the government loans in jeopardy.

But when all is said and done, these people may not lose as much as first thought. The ruling on bonuses put in place by Ken Feinberg is not watertight. Instead of bonuses they will get 'Incentive Pay' in the form of company stock, so all may not be lost after all, just be a little more complicated. 

Scrutiny on the part of the general public is advised to see how all this ends, but I for one hope the money trail dries up for these people because they have been milking us for far too long. 

All we need now is for the heads of state and governments around the world to take action on this despicable practice once and for all. 

May your mattress bulge in all the right places!

Roy. 

The Lust For Power

For millenia people have lusted for money or fame, but in today's high power world this has been replaced by the sheer unadulterated lust for power.

That is not to say people no  longer yearn for money, most of us do for one reason or another, but among the power mongers of this world, it is a position of dominance over everyone else that drives them on. 

Over the past decades, we have seen many dominant individuals or groups using every trick in the book (plus a few outside it) to hang on to the power base they have achieved.

With rulers, it is most often dictators who will cheat, steal, and even murder, to prevent any loss of superiority they have. As most of us know, Germany's Adolf Hitler and Russia's Stalin were in a class of thier own before, during, and after the time of the Second World War. They were by no means the last of their kind however, for even in the seventies there were cruel dictators like Idi Amin of Uganda, who ruled with unconscionable savagery. Anyone who stood in his way just 'disappeared', and we all know what that means. 

In the eighties, the ruling military junta in Argentina threw the whole country into war with Great Britain over the disputed Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. Their aim, to distract the attention of the population away from their poor living standards and of course the 'disappearances'.

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is another who falls into the category of 'The Power Hungry'. During his years in power, Mugabe has turned the 'breadbasket' of Africa into one of the poorest on the continent, and despite what he is doing to his people, he will not give up the Presidency.

It has been reported enough in the press about his machete-wielding thugs going around killing or maiming anyone who supported the opposition during the last election. 

All that however was the past. Today's power maniacs have found a new way to stay where they are - election rigging.

The latest to attempt it is President Karzei of Afghanistan. It was necessary for a joint UN/Afghan body to inspect the election results for fraudulent practices during the recently held national elections. 

The resulting investigation showed one third of the votes cast for Karzei had to be discounted, thus requiring a run-off with his rival Abdullah Abdullah. In the past weeks it has only been intense political pressure from the United States, Europe, and other countries that has finally made Karzei agree to run-off elections. 

In the past decade, various countries have been through the same turmoil at election time, among the most well known is Georgia, and more recently Iran. 

Another tactic common today is changing the countries constitution to allow presidents to run for longer periods than that laid down in the statute books. 

Among the countries that have extended, or done away with limits on presidential terms of office are, to name but a few; Algeria, Camaroon, Chad, Bolivia, Equador,Gabon, Honduras, Tunisia, Uganda and Venzuela. 

Of these, perhaps Venzuela is the most significant. Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, manipulated the government into renouncing all restrictions on his term of office. He has carved for himself such a strong power-base that now, only the foolhardy will ever challenge him in future 'elections'. 

The maintenance of continued power, and the methods by which it is achieved, has taken a subtle turn to bring it more in line with the modern world. 

While the rich and powerful get more so, the only losers are the common people - as always.

Thank God the world is not all doom and gloom!

Roy.

Where Do These People Come From?

I am sure there are people who live on a different planet to the rest of us! A few days ago I saw a news article on BBC that confirmed my belief that there are indeed strange individuals living amongst us. 

It concerns a new religion, based would you believe on the Star Wars movies! We now have a religious sect of Jedi Knights!

It came to my attention when the founder of the Jedi 'Church', Daniel Jones, entered a Tesco Supermarket in Bangor Wales, with a hood over his head. Naturally enough, what with all the problems with hooded youths today ('Hoodies'), the supermarket staff asked him to lower his hood. He refused, and was therefore told he must leave the premises. 

As the argument became more heated, he complained the hood was an essential part of his religion as a Jedi Knight, and accused the staff of 'religious ' persecution, and threatened to sue. 

Jones, otherwise known as Morda Hehol, claimed; "It states in our Jedi doctrine that I can wear headware. It just covers the back of my head". He further stated; "You have a choice of wearing headware in your home or at work, but you have to wear a cover for your head when you are in public". 

In it's defence, the store staff replied that Obi Wan Kanobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared without headgear in public. It did not seem to influence Jones's opinion however, who said it was part of their doctrine, which incidentally, as leader he wrote! After telling the staff he was thinking of boycotting the store and may seek legal advice, he left.

A little research has shown the Jedi Church has 500,000 followers world wide, and the whole thing was started by this Jones character. 

The tale however does not end here because two Jedi Knights and Chewbacca all demonstrated outside the London UN Building for recognition of their 'Faith'. Umada and Yunyun, or John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law as they are called in the real world, wanted recognition of their faith from the UN. 

Wilkinson stated; “We have come here today to ask that we are recognised as the fourth largest religion in this country”, after stating the religion had 339.000 members at the last (2001) British census. 

Like I said, the world is full of nuts, and I guess George Lucas is laughing fit to bust!

If there are any more nuts out there looking for inspiration, I saw the film 'Transformers' recently, so perhaps we could have a Transformer Church and all dress up in discarded car parts!!! Now there's an idea!!!

Keep the True Faith,

Roy.