Trick or Treat?

Halloween is here again. Not that it has ever done anything for me, or anyone else it seems.
Last night, my mum said how she was gonna sit in darkness all night, in order to try and trick the trick or treaters. This morning, and it wasn't through choice - I couldn't avoid it - I saw on the way out to work that GMTV had a poll running which was asking if trick or treating should be banned. Apparently 95% of responses indicated yes.
And then this afternoon, while servicing a Glowworm Fuelsaver Complheat, the owner was telling me his misgivings about Halloween, and letting his kids go trick or treating. His daughter was desperate to go do it, and I could see he really didn't want to let her. The street outside was full of garishly dressed kids brandishing knives and pumpkins.
To me it's a tedious, and strangely sinister, waste of time and energy.
Why not get the kids to do good-deeds for old folk, on May Day? Instead of trying to scare old people into giving them sweets in cold and dark October.

Every day brings a trick or treat for me at the moment. Mostly tricks mind you lol, but I'll save them for another time. Tonight though, I am hoping for a treat. A football treat. And because it's Halloween, it must be Ipswich.
Yes, tonight, after 3 years or so living down here, I am going to my very first ever match at Home Park, Plymouth Argyle vs. Ipswich Town. Chelsea vs. Barcelona is on TV tonight, and I hope I've picked the right game! I am taking my gorgeous girlfriend with me, so that she can't say I don't take her anywhere! The tickets cost, wait for it, TWENTY FOUR POUNDS EACH!
My first wage was 11 pounds!
Jings, ah must be getting old.

Isn't Technology Wonderful?

I've been tweaking the page a wee bit today. I noticed that the settings would not allow anonymous comment from anyone that may happen past. This has been rectified, along with a few other minor adjustments.
Well, it's Monday, and it's 2 minutes past six in the evening, no matter what the clock on this site tries to tell you! I was amazed to see yesterdays quick blog recorded as being done at something like quarter to two in the morning(!?), when the truth of the matter is that it was posted at about 9 or 10am. I am not particularly technologically minded, so it will probably take me weeks before I figure out what the hell is going on here.

I read in the news today that War on Want is accusing the UK government of trying to "privatise the war in Iraq", through the increased use of private mercenaries. There are more private, so-called 'security personnel' in Iraq today than there are regular UK soldiers. They are reportedly immune from prosecution, unlike UK soldiers, and can act with complete impunity. One of the companies involved has seen it's annual turnover jump from something in the hundred's of thousands, to something in the tens of millions, purely from it's contracts in Iraq.
War on Want's campaigns director, John Hilary, said: "There are genuine worries that the Government is trying to privatise the Iraq conflict. The occupation of Iraq has allowed British mercenaries to reap huge profits. But the Government has failed to enact laws to punish their human rights abuses, including firing on Iraqi civilians.
"How can Tony Blair hope to restore peace and security in Iraq while allowing mercenary armies to operate completely outside the law?"
See The Independent, 30th October 2006, and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3699957.stm

Also in the news today, well probably not if you rely on the Sun, or somesuch, was a report on the allegation that the Israeli government authorised the use of a Uranium Bomb during their depraved flattening of Lebanon. The UN is launching an investigation into the claims, which no doubt will be strangled at birth by the Security Council. Welcome to the nuclear age....

The Agony of Sunday Working

Ouch, it is Sunday morning, hello world! Don't forget to put yer clocks back!
Sadly I have to do some work today, work I really should have finished months ago. I put a central heating boiler into my Aunt's house earlier in the year, along with a couple of radiators to keep the chill off, and was supposed to go back in a week or two to finish it off. But time travels slowly in Devon, and I am just getting around to it today! It's odd how I am pretty diligent with regard to doing jobs for complete strangers, but when it comes to jobs in the house, or for the family, I can put it off, and put it off, and put it off.

Still, I suppose it will keep me out of mischief for a while. Thankfully I do not have any kind of hangover from last night's visit to the pub. With my gorgeous girlfriend, and my wee cousin in tow, a few gentle hours were spent in the Railway Inn, Saltash. The lager was rather lame, but the company made up for it. I miss going to pubs, it is something I used to do a great deal once upon a time.
I met some interesting characters last night, and one in particular deserves a mention. I can't recall his name, but as soon as he heard my thick Scottish brogue he began regaling me with tales of his adventures in Scotland in the dim and distant. He asked if I had ever worked in Faslane, the Base for the UK's nuclear weapons. He seemes nonplussed when I showed him my hat with it's plethora of CND badges, anti-war badges, and white Peace Poppy. Apparently he used to work on nuclear submarines, and had spent some considerable time in the Middle East. I don't half meet them when I go out!
Anyway, he went on to tell me that the only reason he worked on nuclear subs, and in the war industry in general, was because "it was a job". He took pains to tell me that the most rewarding job he had ever had, was when he worked in a factory making toilet paper. At least, he told me, this was "something useful and productive". He seemed to have great respect for the politics of the anti-war, anti-nuclear crowd. All in all, he seemes like a pretty decent chap. That'll be one less person giving the finger, or shouting "get a job" at the next demonstration/vigil/action in Plymouth.
Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.
Peace
John

My First Ever Blog, And Nothing To Say

So, this is blogging then? Please forgive me for not posting anything witty, interesting, or profound at the moment. I have just spent ages looking for a suitable blog site before settling here. I've just noticed actually that this site is owned by Google, who have been in the news recently for not very good reasons, d'oh! Still, my thinking was, if it's good enough for Felicity Arbuthnot, then it'll be good enough for me.
Anyway, this is a Free Lunch For All, because there IS such a thing, contrary to so-called popular wisdom.
Take care fur noo
John