Fat Cheque

Evening everybody.

You might not know it, but the people in the village across the pond managed to elect an irate orangutang as their mayor, he has promised to build a shrubbery and keep the neighbours away, OK in election fever, these promises are, on the whole, meant to outline the intent of your basis for holding office, and are, nowadays, accepted as such.

However, the new mayor of Trumpton has, in fact, hoodwinked his followers.

Backing off for a bit here, the worst thing about us people is that we hate being told that we are wrong, and detest having it proven to us. so whatever your own personal views of what is going on in the big wild world, it isn't always the best thing to run up to someone and slap them in the face with the obvious error of their ways, and it certainly isn't best to hope that they will concede to your way of thinking and immediately revise their opinions (however rational you believe them to be), this I have learned the long, exasperating hard way.

My current personal campaign is trying (as nicely as possible) to point out to people, who I know, that repost untrue inflammatory stories on facebook, that fact checking the stories first, might (in some cases) make them think about reposting salacious claptrap, in an effort to uphold other people's opinions of them (in short, not to make themselves look complete dullards on a public forum).

My opinion of recent events are spelled out and I'm entitled to them, for example: I can't see how Brexit is a good thing, leaving the protection of a large club can only deflate our influence on the larger world, we are foolishly surrendering an extra layer of protection (employment rights, trade agreements, rules for industry etc) all of which we had a large influence over, in exchange for a diluted and seriously substandard version of the same, and we have to ask permission for that version instead of having it by default.

I also have trouble in understanding why Americans believe in their president, perhaps it is the wood for the trees version that they get, there is a huge contingent that seem happy to believe that anyone so blatantly corrupt, self centred and narcissistic could genuinely have the nation's interests at heart.

I also don't understand how he has managed to avoid a plethora of defamation cases.

He has tried suing for libel against an architect critic, (The critic wrote about a skyscraper proposal Donald was trying to get permission to build).

In summing up the Judge said:

Judge Weinfeld gave Trump a lesson in the First Amendment and politics: "Men in public life ... must accept as an incident of their service harsh criticism, ofttimes unfair and unjustified – at times false and defamatory – and this is particularly so when their activities or performance may ... stir deep controversy" .... "De gustibus non est disputandum, there is no disputing about tastes."[9]

Judge Weinfeld, then 84, reaffirmed the First Amendment rule that "[e]xpressions of one's opinion of another, however unreasonable, or vituperative, since they cannot be subjected to the test of truth or falsity, cannot be held libelous and are entitled to absolute immunity from liability under the First Amendment."[10]

   

OK that part obviously sunk in, but our (least) favourite corn snack paid less attention to the next bit:

Judge Weinfeld explained that opinions expressed in the form of "rhetorical hyperbole," "rigorous epithets," and "the most pejorative of terms" are protected from liability, so long as the opinions do not veer to into factual accusations, such as accusing someone of a crime, unethical conduct, or the lack of professional integrity in a manner that would be proved true or false.[11]

So he has been corrected on his Rhetorical Hyperbole (Read: outright Bollocks) and he still comes out spouting more of the same, this makes me wonder if his staff actually inform him that he has been rumbled, or do they slide it under his door on neutral coloured post-it notes with the highlighted legend "IGNORE THIS" and, in a smaller font, "at your peril".

The point is, we are not checking the truth, we are not admonishing people for veering away from it (or in some cases bending it over a chair and rodgering it senseless) and we should be, the UK had a politician (Profumo) who resigned for lying to parliament in the 1960s (plus cavorting with call girls) we have become too accepting of corruption, inconsistencies within our political systems. 

It isn't "by the people for the people" anymore, it has turned into "buy the people, fuck the people".

Whatever the eventual outcome of Brexit and Trump (which sounds like a dodgy law-firm) I hope that it doesn't involve a nuclear winter or my family and I being excluded from travelling to destinations of our choice in the twilight of my years.

Oh Yeah, KEEP FACT CHECKING

The open door

OK I'm almost excited, (ooh what at? The sarcastic monotone narrator's voice mumbles) I now have an Echo Dot.
So, apart from the initial setup, everything works reasonably well and the limitations that are imposed on the interactions are mainly focused on why it would be a good idea to subscribe to amazon prime, and the inevitable quality (or lack thereof) of my internet connection.
So saying, the purpose of this sojourn into manually entering anything on the keyboard is that Alexa (AKA Skynet) is listening, somewhere there is a log of my voice antics (multiple expletives when I trip over the cat) and a profile that includes my musical tastes, shopping habits and probably my dietary habits too (Alexa knows that you are eating biscuits), there could even be a log of how many times I break wind ("Do you want me to put charcoal tablets on your shopping list?").
Amazon, Google and Apple all initially denied this, but they have admitted to collating data, and that I don't mind, if them collating data makes my existence a little more palatable then so be it, and the data that my mobile phone gives out is more interesting in any case, domestic data is pretty uninspiring, but it is useful in the realms of market research and focused advertising (although you might find it a little intrusive).
The point is, I'm aware of this happening, many are not, they don't think that buying a device and using it, plugs you in to all of the back story, (this is demonstrated by the facebook collections of people posting inappropriate comments that come back to bite them).
So what do you want to do? Be a rebel go off grid and give up your Facebook account? (Please remember that this would also mean that you would have to give up your mobile phone (you can be located to within 20m from your mobile signal) your bank cards (using them can locate your whereabouts and timestamp the usage) avoid all public places with CCTV (facial recognition is getting more accurate) and of course give up working for a living or claiming anything from the government (These will give a "Modus Operandi" to anyone that is interested).
So, no, you're knackered, if you want to disappear, there's probably no reason to, and realistically no means to do so.
Does that make me feel aggrieved? Not really, I'm not on the run from anyone (and don't intend to be) so it doesn't really affect me.
Does it change my perspective? Only that I get a bit miffed that I do a search for something and lo and behold there's an advert on facebook that some of my friends seem to be looking for a similar related item (Hang on, I wasn't on facebook when I was looking, I was googling, now that is disconcerting).
So do I stay in the here and now, accepting that, for the remainder of my life, my shopping will be scrutinised in a way that could be made available for other reasons?
How could the information be used to harm me?
Or are we just glibly cruising toward a future that means that everyone's epitaph will include their favourite biscuits and preferred cat food?

Fake Muse

Having some friends that hail from the tiny island on the left of the Atlantic, I've been paying attention to the situation there, apparently their newly appointed bastion of virtue has been engaging in an ongoing tussle with the fourth estate.
Now here's the rub, most people tend to read the version of the news that most aligns with their sensibilities, and judging by some of my chums on faceplant, they seem to be subscribing to Mein Kampf (or the daily version of it) here we are in the second decade of the third millennium and we are taking to regurgitating hate, bile and untruths purely because it appeals to our paradigm of the modern world. (I can confess to being tempted by some of it myself, and I have had to check myself then check the veracity, then take myself into a corner and have a stern word with myself for believing some of it).

Not to belittle the tragedy, the shooting in Florida was upsetting, even from this detached standpoint, the fact that it was more than preventable makes it worse.
Familiar text follows:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
This is the (oh so) well quoted 2nd amendment that so many quote (whilst also advocating the trashing of the 1st amendment in many cases) to defend the ownership of firearms, OK well do something that combines the 2nd amendment and some form of gun control, why don't they refuse gun ownership to anyone not being an active member in a militia? That is what the amendment states, follow it! That should exclude people who aren't "Well regulated" (i.e. not willing to participate, unfit to wield anything sharper than a Big Mac or too enthusiastic about pointy bang sticks).
Obviously, anyone with a criminal background should be (and already supposedly is), a minimum age of 21 (as in the alcohol limitation) anyone who wishes to wave a Confederate flag could be classed as treasonous, (thus automatically excluded) anyone who believes that the U.S. won the Vietnam War (obviously their comprehension of history is indicative of their mental state). Along with "Ancient alien theorists", Holocaust deniers, people who deny the moon landings, Justin Bieber fans and Fundamentalists (any sect, partly because the word "mental " is  included in the title but mainly for the really obvious reason that they are so evidently weak of mind that they just shouldn't be handed a means to force their opinions on others).
I would have included Country Music fans in the exclusions, but the American gun industry deserves a break.
Excluding the morbidly obese (giving them 6 months to qualify) would also put a huge amount of people on a health kick.
Food for thought
Jim Jeffries on the subject

Fear of the bomb

Not sure how many (or either) of my dear readers will remember the wariness that we lived under whilst the IRA were active (due to my chosen career path, I was urged to be constantly vigilante) but I am pretty sure that the rest of the British Isles carried on in their daily routine without breaking out in a cold sweat as soon as they spotted a carrier bag unattended in a public place. Now we are being told that every time we pass throigh an airport we are to be subjected to a violation to our himan rights (the all encompassing excuse being security, the all pervading reason would appear to be profit for all the firms who manufacture the equipment that probes our personal effects) and all due to what exactly, oh yes, the final realisation by a nation, who derives a good percentage of its GDP from being at war, that the world doesn't love them.

Dry your eyes princess, stop trying to drag us all down to your level of populace control (Orwellian at best) and re-assess the situation.

Why? Would be a good question to ask first. What drives people to spread a gospel of hate to the point where men will feel justified to take up arms to battle such.a massive foe? (Looking in a mirror would be a good move at this point).

Oh what's the use? The people who read this probably agree already and the people who need to wouldn't change their mind anyway because they have been brainwashed already. However, (always followed by an apostrophe and an excuse) some people never learn do they? And what I am intimating, dear reader, is that profiling, crowd control, debasement of the human condition (and all who sail in that) are alive and well and those who are basically accepting of "Que sera sera" (not talking Doris Day here) are ruining it for the rest of us.
Honestly, (why do you suspect my word when I pre-empt it with that one?) I was witness to a conversation the other day (please don't request specifics) where a person actually said that he (gender indicative) was wishing that ISIS (oh please, not the first daughter of Geb) were to come to this country, he would "sort them out", OK, I am way ahead of you here, and I have a good guess at what you are thinking, but no! His reasoning behind his ability to "sort them out" was his experience (and this is the most gobsmacked that I have been for quite some time) in "Call of Duty".
Now, what do you do when someone, who obviously, believes that their prowess on a gaming pad (or on a mouse and keyboard) qualifies them to take control of a situation, that many before them have spent years training for, at vast expense and consideration, due to their ability to press reset when the going gets tough?

I have seen trained men (of whom I have a lot of respect for) break down and cry in certain situations, you don't know which of us will crumble nor do you know which of us will become the inspirational person who grabs the situation and turns it to the good or leads others to survival or salvation, I've seen it go both ways and there is no predicting who does what (and that is my only fact in that), so please don't tell me "how you'd handle" so and so or if you would pull the trigger etc. because, unless you have faced the situation and you are referring to that last episode then, I'm really sorry, you cannot tell me how you would react the next time around (anyone out there who can, hand on heart, tell me that they could is obviously a psychopath and you really don't want my name and address).


Must work on my mind ray weapon.

Sorry for any gap in postings but I've been busy, OK?

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Whoa there

Found in the archives so it should have been made available four years past (OK mid 2012)

Back on board the OC after a two year sabbatical (a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since I last sighted her prowed lines (pun intended)).

 And what changes? First to report is the successful completion of the unofficial offshore T4 course, for which the vessel was temporarily renamed (security reasons were sited), the remarkable feat of talent and perseverance was carried out under duress (but the Bridge Super went away after they gave him some marbles to play with) and the honour of tightening the last bolt was declined by non-other than Lee Van Cleef and all that without a parachute drop in sight.

On the subject of courses, the deck crew have taken it upon themselves to equip their supervisor with an arsenal of “useful” vocabulary (most of which could get him arrested), and the OC workout video is in post-production.

The LARS paint by numbers has all but been completed (with the exception of the one item painted by a colour-blind hedgehog (next month’s competition = name the part).

Welfare:

Rumours that the welfare fund is to be renamed the “Nespresso” fund are found to be untrue, even though the conversion to P.O.D. (Price Over Desirability) coffee is virtually vessel wide. And a full length posing mirror has been installed in the Gym (however, the subscription to “Bodybuilders have small Genitals “ monthly was turned down).However I have taken up the option of the weekly Gay Pride magazine and find myself strangely attracted to our own  Aerobics instructor after watching his workout video.

Morale:

Morale remains high and the occurrences of crew being made to walk the plank are being kept to an all time low (Keel hauling is down too, but that might be due to the shortage of good rope).

Comings & Goings

We have waved a tearful farewell to Tuan (then he came back) wished Damo a good camping trip, Bryce got married (congrats from all of us) and Dino has become a daddy (potential future ROV Pilot?)

Party Preparation

Well hello again, I had a wonderful new year (totally oblivious of the date other than the sporadic felicitations from my fellow rig occupiers) then the run up to dear mater's arrival and ensuing visit.

Now I am awaiting the final moments of the smoker (having enslaved my nephew on smoker watch) and we are all about to trip off down the hill to imbibe and be merry (in an official manner).

The photo? Last night's moon rise, as we were cooking the first batch of ribs (yummy). G&Ts all round and lots of burnt animal flesh. Hey ho.

Hoo hoo

OK managed to finish a year, in good spirits (no gin though).

Hope the coming year is as positive.

Still getting wound up about how the general populus is being lied to and cheated, cheated out of what is due to them. The big slap in the chops being that they are convinced that they have the "non shitty" end of the stick.

Wake up world.

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