Bullets

It's Thursday and so far I have only managed to post one entry this week. That's not to say I haven't been writing. I have, I just haven't been posting. So here is the week, bulleted:

Tuesday...

I couldn't get to the office. I tried, but when I arrived at the station, there was chaos. I should have watched the local news over breakfast. I usually do. If I'd seen the travel news, I wouldn't have bothered walking to the station. Apparently there were signal problems in Didcot. As a result, no trains were travelling east from Swindon. People travelling to London were being advised to travel 40 minutes west (London is east), to Bath, and start from there. So I came home again and worked from home. I don't actually like working from home. I'd rather go to the office and sit down with people round me.

I'm going to apply to First Great Western for compensation again. I wonder what excuse they will come up with this time for not paying. The train was more than an hour late. They can't possibly back out of it this time.

Wednesday...

Lotus Notes is Horse Shit. It's now officially top of my list of all time bollocks software. And that list includes Adobe PageMaker. I mean seriously, how the shagging hell are you supposed to configure it? It won't let me do anything. It just keeps telling me it can't find the damn file. I know which file it's looking for. I know it's looking for it in the wrong place. I even know where it should be looking for it. I just can't make it do it. I'm in danger of disappearing up my own arse. Even the IT boys are scared of it.

The tanker drivers have managed to secure themselves a pay deal amounting to 14% over two years. That's unskilled labour, driving a bloody lorry, and it takes the average wage to more than £41,000. That's more than I earn, and I'm a graduate engineer. There is no point in being qualified. I was hoping the strikes would continue. Can you believe they got 14%? They were only asking for 13%.

OK, stand by, I'm going to talk about Islamic extremism:

I have some unconventional views regarding Islamic terrorism. I think AL Qaeda is completely disorganised. Anyone can lob a petrol bomb and claim to be doing so in the name of Al Qaeda, and I think that is largely what is happening. I don't think they have organised cells around the world covertly planning their next move. I don't believe there is a well defined hierarchy. Even the 9-11 atrocities were the work of just a handful of men, and a few thousand dollars. It didn't take a criminal mastermind to organise it, just big cast-iron balls. I think bin Ladden is dead and has been for years, and I think any cohesion that did exist within Al Queada died with him.

I don't think Abu Qatada is a terrorist mastermind either. I think he'd like people to think he is, but the reason we have no evidence to convict him of terrorist activities is probably because he hasn't done anything tangible. That doesn't mean he's not guilty of anything. He has a history of preaching violent extremism, and he stirs up trouble very effectively. That is what he should be charged with. And if the appeal court rules that he can't be deported to Jordan because the trial that convicted him there wasn't fair and safe, then we should see to it that he is tried fairly and safely in an international court for those offences.

Why am I on my high horse about Islamic terrorism? I'll tell you. It's because Abu Qatada has been released on bail. The guy is a scum bag. He arrived here in UK on a forged passport. He's wanted all over the world. He's been convicted of terrorist offences in his absence in Jordan. The courts can't hold him here because they have no evidence that he's actually done anything. I don't know that he is a terrorist, and I don't know that he was tried fairly in Jordan. I do know that he is a scum bag that stirs up trouble, and I don't want him in my country. The trick is not to let these people into the country in the first place. You don't get this problem then.

Thursday...

The kitchen is officially finished. There are tiles on the wall and everything is installed. It all looks very good. I want to celebrate by making eggs benedict. I don't know how to make it. I've never eaten it. It just looks nice. If I get time at the weekend, I'm going to try. Actually, I don't think I will get time at the weekend because we will go to Devon, but you never know.



Lap dancing clubs are to be reclassified as "sex encounter venues". This is apparently in an effort to slow the proliferation of these places. Currently a lap dancing venue requires the same licence as a karaoke bar it seems. People don't like strip joints near their homes. It is argued that they attract crime, sexual exploitation, and bring down house prices. I agree that house prices may be affected. I'm not sure about the crime argument. In my view, the great unwashed are likely to stay away from these places because there is a charge on the door. As for sexual exploitation, you simply can't make women dance naked against their will. I can't even make my wife do anything against her will.