Mediocre, overpaid and spoilt that just about sums up our sportsman of today. While aimed mainly at our footballers this does hold true for cricket and rugby.

While our rugby team seems to be getting its act together after a poor start in the Six Nations and they did mange to reach the rugby world cup final after another poor start. They are still not covering themselves with glory, the standard of rugby they play is poor and they still don’t know to run with ball all they can do is kick and they rely on the kick skills of Johnny Wilkinson to pull them through.

Our cricket team fairs no better, after a whitewash in the ashes tour last year we have had some limited success, however, we have shown our true worth once again, in New Zealand where we have been overcome with ease by a country whose national sport is rugby and cricket falls way back in the pecking order.

What do these sportsmen have in common, their love of money and not the game? They care more about lining their pockets than playing the game and who’s to blame, us the great English public? We are the idiots who go week in and week out to watch this so called entertainment.

But the dilemma of rugby and cricket pail into insignificance when compared to our footballers. We are constantly told that the English Premier League is the best in the world. Why is this we ask, well it’s because we have millions of pounds to spend on bringing the best players in the world here? The reason for this is clear with the exception of a few individuals we do not have the talent in this country. This can clearly be seen in the way our national team performs. Every time we play in the finals of the World Cup or the European Championships the papers, pundits all say this is our time we have a great chance of winning this time, are these people living in cloud cuckoo land, we have no chance of winning anything while we have this type of mental attitude and we pay hundreds of thousands pounds a week to mediocre players. Thankfully we aren’t even in the running this year!

Foreign players make a great success in this country, just look at the top of the Premier League and see how many foreign players are in these teams. While these players do very well over here, English players have had very limited success in Europe, because we are just not good enough. If we look at the top scorers today in the Premier League there is not English player in the top 10. Gerrard and Rooney are in equal 12 positions with 8. What more proof do we need?

I have seen two year olds have temper tantrums, but this is nothing when compared with our professional footballers who question every decision surrounding the referee trying to change his mind with intimidation. At least in rugby they just accept the decision and get on with the game.

The Premier League want to take our game abroad, this is only to raise more money, the larger clubs get richer while the smaller clubs suffer, it has ruined our game. I used to go and watch football every week, but the game has been ruined by too much commercialisation and I for one no longer support it. We need to return to grass routes cap the wages of players and let’s play for the love of the game and not money.

It takes a nurse 4 years to earn the same as a professional player such as John Terry does in a week, but would you put your life in the hands of a footballer!

Rabbit

Did the earth move for you, it didn’t for me? The big news of today is the earth quake that struck England last night. The epicentre was Market Rasen in Lincolnshire and measured 5.3 on the Richter scale. Although I have lived through 2 previous earth quakes neither one a major one, this time I didn’t feel a thing.

I did manage to get out yesterday and take some pictures at lunch time, although it was sun shining there was a bitterly cold wind. But that didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. I will, hopefully get a chance to process the pictures this morning and post on here. With a bit of luck I should have more of the same today, but ‘you should never count your chickens before they have hatched’ or so they say!

You can definitely tell that spring is on the way; I am now driving in the morning at daybreak and driving home in daylight, far better than then going to work and home again in the dark. But I admit I did leave early yesterday, well at 15:30, the traffic was dreadful even at that time. This was due to the Blackwall tunnel being closed, so everything decided to use the Dartford crossing and then there was an accident on the M25. So it took me 35 minutes just to get to the tolls from my office, normally a trip of 2 minutes (I can see them from my office window). It not been too bad recently but one small thing even though it happens miles away can have an appalling affect on traffic.

Rabbit

Well, I feel a lot better today, I had a good nights sleep and it appears that I am no longer depressed. I think it was just the Monday morning blues. It was rather a quiet day yesterday a work, I prefer to be busy, the time goes quicker.

Well I eventually managed to clean all my camera equipment yesterday; I have been meaning to do for about a week now. The lens weren’t particularly bad, but one or too of the filters had some nasty thumb prints on them. Now the weather is getting better and spring is the air there should be more things to photograph. We have a nice little lake opposite the office, so I am planning walk around there at lunch times to se what I can capture. Plus I need the exercise. It’s raining at the moment but the forecast is for it to brighten up before lunch time so fingers crossed I should be able to get out today.

One if the benefits will also be I will get away from desk, just recently I have been eating my lunch at my desk, at this time I generally serf the net. But I still tend to do a few things answer the phone or reply to emails, that sort of thing. They have been a number of articles in the media on this very subject, that employees are working more hours than contracted for no overtime pay, we all do it. Most employers state that its not necessary and shouldn’t be done, but we all have annual reviews that affect our annual pay rise and if we are lucky our bonuses. So I am sure it does have some affect.

Last week for instance I worked a total of 42 hours the week before 43 ½ hours, not excessive I know but I am only contracted to work 37hours, so the company is gaining 5 to 6 hours a week from me for nothing. I am aware of colleagues that work far longer than me. I like to start at 07:00 in the morning so I can finish at about 16:30 and avoid the traffic on the way home. You should see the looks I get when I work at that time. If looks could kill, I would be a long time in my grave. Yet they fail to understand that by the time they arrive in the office I have already done two hours work. I admit that I cheat a little, for instance I am writing that blog, which so far taken me nearly twenty minutes. On that note time to get to work!

Rabbit

Monday, morning is upon once and the being of a brand new working week. At least it was a pleasant drive in, that’s about it so far. Traffic wasn’t too bad and there were no hold ups, hopefully the rest of the day will bring no major hiccups.

Just a quick glance through the news shows the usual atrocities, a number of stabbings, two arson attacks and various other serious crimes happened over the weekend. What a great society we live in, makes you proud to be a member of human race, doesn’t it?

Sorry am depressing ever one; I didn’t sleep too well last night. Perhaps I come back on again a little later.

Rabbit

Virgin Atlantic is to fly a Boeing 747 from London to Amsterdam, powered partly by a bio-fuel. The airline says the flight is an important milestone in the development of greener fuels.

The aircraft will have one of its four engines connected to an independent tank filled with bio-fuel. This reduces risk to the flight because there are three other engines which can power the plane using conventional fuel if there is a problem.

If you look at the latest scientific research it clearly shows bio-fuels do very little to reduce emissions. At the same time some people are very concerned about the impact of the large scale increase in bio-fuel production on the environment and food prices worldwide," he said.

Paul Charles of Virgin Atlantic says it would reveal the bio-fuel after the flight but it was one which did not compete with staple food resources. "Some of us in the industry are doing something about reducing our carbon emissions, I don't think that's a gimmick - its progress," he said. "This is about progress and reducing carbon emissions and that should be welcomed." From the environmental point of the view, the big issue is biodiversity.

With much of the western world's farmland already consisting of identikit fields of crops, the fear is that a major adoption of bio-fuels will reduce habitat for animals and wild plants still further.

This is my major concern many farmers will see the pounds signs rolling before their eyes and who can really blame them. We all need money to live. But an increase in deforestation is bound to happen; already in parts of Asia the rain forest has been destroyed to make way for growing palm oil, with devastating consequences on the wildlife there. A second point also springs to mind, if most of our land is turned over to growing plants to produce bio-fuels, who are going grow crops for us to eat.

The mixed picture regarding the climate benefit of bio-fuels leads some observers to say that the priority should be reducing energy use; initiatives on bio-fuels detract attention from this, they say, and are more of a financial help to politically important farming lobbies than a serious attempt to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Yesterday training course was different to say the least. Health and Safety can be tedious as those who have had to sit through a training course will know. However, the one I attended yesterday, did not spout statistics of how many accidents the company had had in the last 12 months. Nor did we get lectured on the latest regulations. Our CEO Ray O Rourke has spent a vast amount of money on Health and Safety and the company has in place a good safety management system.

However, our accident rate that not been significantly been reduced, so he and the board of directors decided that a new approach was needed. Therefore a system called Incident & Injury Free (IIF) was introduced. This empowers us as an individual to take responsibility for our own safety and for that of our colleagues and families. Too many times we have seen things on site that are dangerous or have even participated in unsafe practices. What this course taught was safety was our responsibility and we should encourage everyone who works on site to report unsafe activities and work in safe way. We were told to speak out.

Well this got me thinking, not only is this good for our company, but it could be brought in to help this country in some of the problems that we see today in our towns and cites. How many times have we walked passed a situation that we know is wrong but have failed to do anything about it. We always say in my minds, don’t worry it’s nothing to do with us, it’s not our problem. Well being good citizens it is our responsibility. I don’t not advocate that we rush in and break up fights and the like; we are not trained to do that it has been shown that doing so could lead to serious consequences. Large groups of drunken and drugged crazed yobs have been known to kill people.

In the last 18 months on average a person has been stabbed to death in London, this in alone. We all know that this is unacceptable. However, someone, somewhere knows who is to blame for these crimes. It is the responsibility of these people to come forward with the information that will help solve these crimes, otherwise they are as guilty as the person who carried it out.

When we see something on street that is wrong we should report and not walk past. It is our responsibility. With that said it is then the responsibility of the police, Government or whoever to carry the appropriate actions to correct it and carry out any further actions that may be required.

Rabbit

Friday, once again and again the week seems to have flown by. Today I am on another training course. Health and Safety, well it is important so we all have to do it. I actually don’t mind doing them, you tend to learn something new every time and that the intention. All we do then is but it practice what we have learnt when we are on site and hopefully it will save someone’s life.

Steve Wright the man convicted of murdering five prostitutes in Ipswich will be sentenced today. The parents of one of the murdered women have called for the death penalty to be reintroduced. The arguments for and against the death penalty have been going for years. Every time a case like this comes up then people argue that it should be brought back. But is this man pure evil or is he sick. If we could prove the former then he should be put to death. If, however he his mentally ill then no. The death penalty is no deterrent for mentally ill people, but it is for evil and sadistic killers.

The police are now looking at other murders such as Susy Lamplugh who disappeared in 1986. Apparently they both worked on the same cruise ship and Steve Wright was on shore leave at the time of her disappearance. After a case like the police share information on other unsolved crimes. Maybe it will lead somewhere. I am sure the parents of Susy Lamplugh would like some closure.

Rabbit

A material that is able to self-repair even when it is sliced in two has been invented by French researchers. The as-yet-unnamed material - a form of artificial rubber - is made from vegetable oil and a component of urine. The substance, described in the journal Nature, produces surfaces when cut that retain a strong chemical attraction to each other.

Pieces of the material join together again as if never parted without the need for glue or a special treatment. This remarkable property comes from careful engineering of the molecules in the material. The French researchers are already making kilogramme quantities in their Paris laboratories and say the process is almost completely green, and could be completely so with a few adjustments.

A remarkable invention, its amazing what scientists can come up with these days. I suppose the next step will be so see if this as any benefits in the medical world.

Those of you who remember Clint Eastwood, in the film Firefox will recall that he had to control the plane by thought. Well the science fiction is now science fact. Later this year those of you who love computer games will be able to buy game controllers that operate by thought control and emotions.

A neuro-headset which interprets the interaction of neurons in the brain has been developed by US/Australian firm Emotiv. "It picks up electrical activity from the brain and sends wireless signals to a computer," said president Tan Le. "It allows the user to manipulate a game or virtual environment naturally and intuitively," she added.
The brain is made up of about 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons, which emit an electrical impulse when interacting. The headset implements a technology known as non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) to read the neural activity.

Ms Le said: "Emotiv is a neuro-engineering company and we've created a brain computer interface that reads electrical impulses in the brain and translates them into commands that a video game can accept and control the game dynamically." The headset will go on sale at $299.

Rabbit

It appears that Mohammed Al Fayed really lost the plot the plot yesterday when he appeared at the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed. He produced no evidence but accused every one from Prince Philip to Tony Blair, even the CIA and French secret services were to blame and involved in the cover up.

When he was leaving the court he then accused a reporter of being in the service of MI6. Oh lets not forget that he also accused Prince Philip of being a Nazi and raciest. Is this man on the same planet as the rest of us? His obsession with this will be his undoing; it has now gone beyond grief for his son. I can fully understand why his application for a British passport was refused; we don’t need people like him in this country.

He has had his day in court, but with his ramblings and his incoherent accusations he has not made many friends.

There is a believe that the phrase ‘Saved by the bell’ originates from the 17th century and describes people being saved from being buried alive by using a coffin with a bell attached by a piece of string. The idea being that if they were buried and later recovered then they could ring the bell and be dug up.
Indeed a safety coffin was invented and patented in the 19th century, but there is no evidence to show that they were every used.

Or

Is it a boxing term, a boxing taking a severe beating may be saved by the bell at the end of each round. The earliest reference to this was in a Massachusetts newspaper in 1893:

Martin Flattery defeated Bobby Burns in 32rounds by a complete knock out. Half a dozen times Flattery had been ‘saved by the bell’ in earlier rounds.

Personally I like the first one best

Well here we are again the start of a brand new working week. Just what everybody has been looking forward too, yeh right.

It was a great weekend, everything went the way I planned I got 3 times with my camera, now all have to do, is to finish the editing then I will publish them. It was rather a cold weekend but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm. I wasn’t the only out with my camera early yesterday, but I’ve already posted an article about that.

Mohamed Al Fayed is due to appear this week at the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and his son, Dodi. It will be interesting to see if he produces any evidence that they were murdered on the bequest of the Prince Philip, which he has claimed all along. This inquest has cost millions when every investigation into their deaths has reached the same. The driver had been drinking that’s has been proved beyond doubt. He’s lost his son in the most of unfortunate circumstance but he appears to be a bitter old man. I believe he needs to some to come to terms with his son’s death, or it will destroy him

Have been through the pictures I have taken this weekend and processed from Raw format to .jpg format. I have deleted the ones I didn’t like or were out of focus. I am left with a grand total of 139 pictures. Some of them still require some work in photoshop, i.e. a little cropping or straightening. I’ll get right on to straight after my lunch, if I can get back on the computer that is.

I have finally warmed up though. It was a chilly -2C when I went out this morning. I wasn’t the only one out taking I was two others with their tripods and cameras. I think the saying is ‘Great minds think alike’ or is ‘Fools seldom differ’ I think I fall into the later category.

Rabbit

It's about 07:45 and I have just got back from an early morning photo shoot. I think I have got some good pictures. But I can tell something I definitely got, and thats cold toes. It was bloody freezing, but hopefully it will be worth it. Well the kettles on, I will down load the images and post them later.

Rabbit

Its 11:30 and I have I just got back in from a trip to bus station to get Caz’s pass for school. I also had a very nice walk done on the beach; the tide had just gone out and armed with my camera and long lens I strolled along the waters edge.

In total I managed to take about 80 pictures, I shall down load a little latter. Am planning on going back down and hopefully I will get a good sunset?

Well its 7:45 on a Saturday morning and it appears its going to be a nice day. So it looks like I be able to get with my camera and have a nice day taking pictures. Its a shame I didn’t get up a little earlier it seems I missed a great sunrise. Never, mind there always tomorrow and hopefully we should get a nice sunset as well.

I have to go into town later, I was hoping to avoid such unpleasantness but I have to go at get my Stepdaughters bus pass for school. However, that’s all we do need, thankfully. So I’ll walk in with my camera, then go down onto the seafront, to see what’s happening there.

The cats making funny squeaking noises at the moment while sat on the kitchen table and looking out of the window. I think she wants to go and play with the birds out there, if you catch my meaning. Anyway I must get on, catch you all later.

I sometimes use a site called Hoverspot, its similar to Facebook and Myspace. But this morning while on there, site my computer shut down after receiving an error message. After it restarted I had lost all my personal settings, my documents and files had disappeared. Big Problem! So it was a trip to IT and a reload of all the software on my computer. This had happened before on Hoverspot only the first time it wasn’t so serious, but it did still require a trip to IT.

Moral of the story, please avoid Hoverspot it's not computer friendly.

Rabbit

Friday, is here already, the week seems to have flown by, where does the time go? Still we have the weekend to look forward, not that I have a lot planned this weekend.

If the weather is good then I will be out with my camera, I haven’t been out for a couple of weeks, it’s like a drug with me, I get withdraw systems if I don’t go out. I have missed a few good days out this week, I have noticed some great sunsets, but I have always been driving home and missed them. I will see if I can make up for it this weekend. I love photography it helps me to relax after the stresses and strains of a week at work. I drag Rosemary out sometimes, well someone as to carry the equipment (only joking). She has the patience of a saint, she really has she will just sit quietly and watch me.

Anyway, if I get some good pictures I post them on here for everyone to enjoy.

Well valentines day has finally arrived I hope your loved ones bring you something nice. In my case, there was a bottle of red wine along with a nice card waiting by my brief case this morning.

When Rosemary gets up she will find a bottle of champagne waiting for her on the living room table along with her card.

That’s all folks, no meal out and no flowers, sad aren’t I

Rabbit

Drugs and sport are once again in the news. Dwain Chamber’s who served a two ban from athletics has been included in the British team for the world indoor Athletic Championship. Chambers was banned in 2003 for proving positive for the banned anabolic steroid THG, but was victorious in the UK indoor Championships and therefore has been included in the team. A number of high profile athletes have publicly spoke out against his inclusion but the authorities had to include him because of their own rules.

Chambers has publicly admitted taking the banned substance and stated that athletes can’t win without taking drugs. I doubt Chambers has many friends within the sport and people like him will always cheat. The saying has always been cheats don’t prosper well in this case he seems to be doing quite well out of it. Some say that he has served his ban and should be allowed to compete once again, but I firmly believe that he has shown little respect for the sport or for British Athletics, it gives the impression to younger athletes that you can cheat and get away with it. It is my opinion that if you caught using drugs then a life time is the only punishment that should be given.

Rabbit

Arrived in the office at the usual time 07:00, I always like to arrive early, it means I can get a load of work done before anyone else arrives in the office and I get the chance to write a blog.

This morning I sent a document to the printer (243 pages) really I should have printed yesterday. But because it was a large document, I decided to do it this morning when no one was around so I didn’t hog the printer. Anyway I also cleaned up my desk area, there’s always a load of crap in an office, you must have noticed. Files that are years old are just left on the shelf cluttering the place up, when really they should have archived.

When the computer was invented it was said that we would soon have a paperless office, but then some idiot invented a printer, then another bloody idiot invented the photocopier. Now we use more paper then ever, ironic don’t you think.

Rabbit

Valentines Day is nearly upon once again, and the shops are already ripping off the consumer, roses are being sold for an astronomical amount. The cheapest bouquet in Marks and Spencer is £29.50 and risers to a staggering £149.00. I know only the best will do for our loved ones, but for £149 you could buy a whole field of roses. I have bought Rosemary a nice bottle of champagne from Tesco’s which doesn’t break the bank. But I am from Yorkshire and we make the Scottish look generous…..lol. Top tip, buy your loved one roses from Sainsbury’s, a dozen fair-trade roses will set you back £20 a bargain.

It has been announced that America has charged six of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay with terrorism, mass murders and organising the attacks on 9/11 in 2001. They are to be tried in front of a military tribunal, however, a number of organisations have questioned the legality of this, including a number of American High Court Judges and Amnesty International. They have also have reservations regarding the validity of the evidence stating that statements were obtained using torture. The use of torture is of course against International Law, the Geneva Convention and of course against the morality of the civilised world. However, America has stated that the inmates at Guantanamo are not subject to these laws because they are Terrorists. I am sure that at some point in the future this will come back and bite them in the arse.

Rabbit

I have using glasses for the last few years, not strong glasses but I do need them for reading. But something is really starting to irritate me and that ladies and gentlemen is the writing on labels, why oh why do they have to use such a small font, I really have trouble reading the labels even with my glasses on. I wonder how people who have really bad eyesight get on or the older people amongst us. Come on you manufacturers we don’t all have perfect eyesight, please make it easy for us to read your instructions.

Rabbit

Thirty years ago, the world was about to end in nuclear annihilation. We survived by the skin of out teeth and because a few people actually came to their senses and saw that the world was heading for destruction. The period of reds under the bed that was as depicted in the famous magazine as ‘MAD’ (Mutually Assured Destruction) was over.

Now more then ever, the world needs to come to it senses once again. We are now in more danger then ever before and man once again is responsible for its own demise. We all know that the environment is in danger and every one on the planet must help if we are to have a future that is worth living. I have no doubt that man could adapt if we did nothing but would life be worth living, in a world with no wildlife, forests and temperatures that reach intolerable levels.

Too long have the politicians ignored the facts or refused to believe the overwhelming evidence given to them by scientists. The excuse they give is that it will cost jobs. This is a false economy but this view is shared by major corporations that make huge profits from oil. Fortunately these people are now coming to their senses mainly through pressure from the public.

We need to keep the pressure on these people, otherwise they will slip back into they old ways and we will be in a worse situation. We as individuals also need to make more of an effort, I know this is old hat and you have heard it many times before, but we need to keep hearing and it needs to reinforced at every opportunity.

Rabbit

In this follow up to the 2004 film "National Treasure," treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) once again sets out on an exhilarating, action–packed new global quest to unearth hidden history and treasures. The film is fast paced and combines elements from similar films, ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ and they appear to have stolen some gadgets from ‘Mission Impossible as well’ but it comes together well.

When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth surfaces, Ben‘s great–great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln‘s death. Determined to prove his ancestor‘s innocence, Ben follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations – but to the trail of the world‘s most treasured secrets.

The cast including Diane Kruger, Academy Award –winner Jon Voight, joined this time by four–time Academy Award–nominee Ed Harris, Academy Award–nominee Harvey Keitel, and 2006 Academy Award –winner Helen Mirren.

A good family film, entertaining and enjoyable to watch, I’d give it 8/10

Well, its 14:37 and am still not dressed (still in my dressing gown), am tapping on the keyboard while watching Wales and Scotland play in the six Nations on TV. I promised myself a relaxing day today, and I'm making the best of it. We are going out later, off the cinema to see Nicolas Cage in 'National Treasure' I'll post on it tomorrow, then we are going for a meal, Rosemary has booked an Italian.

I didn’t fancy running around the shops today well there’s nothing we actually need, but I do feel a little guilty, it’s a beautiful day and I feel I should be doing something. Oh well that’s life.

Rabbit

I don’t know what Bush and Blair studied at university, perhaps they have taken history and listened to what Winston Churchill said:

"Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events."

Never a truer has been said.

Rabbit