Don't blame the dog

I belatedly heard about the baby who died as a result of the family's Jack Russell biting it.
Note: it was not referred to in the media as a mauling. Note also that Jack Russells are very good at despatching small creatures.
Sad as this death is, I am more saddened and angered that the dog was put down.  This death was a result of the owners not doing their jobs as pack leaders.
When will people realise that dogs are not just low-tech accessories?
A dog is as much a responsibility as a child (if not more so); though, let's face it, what babies and dogs do have in common is that all they do is eat and generate poo.

Any fekwit can own a dog; the problem is that these same fekwits spawn children as well.
 
There are certain simple protocols to follow when introducing a baby to a household with a dog and vice-versa; again, it can be more important when bringing the dog in: how it's done from day one will reflect itself in the dog's behaviour thereafter. At least with a child you've got a bit of time to train it.
Surely as part of the ante-natal instruction the parents should be asked if there is a dog in the household? Or even simply given some basic instructions regardless ("Daddy, can I have a puppy?").
 
Now, I realise that prosecuting the parents who have just lost their child isn't the answer, but nor is euthanising an animal that is just acting true to its nature!

If you're planning on sharing your home with a dog and a child then Cesar Milan's [the Dog Whisperer] rule applies to both children and dogs:
"Give them rules, boundaries and limitations. Without these the individual will be unbalanced."

Stress Buffer Overload

This is a more serious post, mainly to blow off more steam.
There's no doubting that I'm a grumpy old sod: many things irritate me, I guess they always have.  But since I became a Narcoleptic my nervous system has been shot.  I can no longer just "choke it down" or put up with bullshit anymore like normal people.
The illness has made me very aware that there is a lot of stuff we just push to the side or buffer. Things such as:

• Loud iPod users on the Tube
• fekwit drivers
• karaoke 'til 3:30am next door
• people who throw out perfectly good furniture into the wrong section at the tip
• politicians spouting crap on TV (or avoiding the question)
• extended conversations on mobiles on the Tube (keep it to yourself, we're not interested)
• the general background noise of living in a big city
• reality TV in all its heinous and mind-sapping forms

I could be here all day making lists, but I'm sure that there some in there that bug you as well.  It's alright for you though, you can shrug your shoulders and file it away.  Not me.  Anything involving emotion has a direct pipeline to my nervous system, and there's nothing I can do about it.  There are days when I can shrug it off, but all I need is a bad night's sleep and it all goes out the window; heaven forbid I should have my daily naps interrupted.

So yes, I am a grumpy fekker, but my condition certainly doesn't make it any easier.
I hope this helps people understand me a bit better.

Reach for the [A] Stars

There's no way you're telling me that kids have been getting smarter over the last 30 years.
When I took my A-levels in 1988 most of us were doing 3 A-levels and a handful in the year did 4, and believe me they had to work their nuts off to fit it all in.
So how is it that it seems almost compulsory to do 4 and only the thick-o's do 3?
I truly believe standards have dropped.

I heard yesterday that someone with three 'B's had no chance of getting a university place (except through clearing): in my day that was pretty good (though unlikely to get you into Oxbridge).
I couldn't get an 'A' in French and I was learning it from the age of 4!

And WTF is an A*?
Did they run out of letters of the alphabet? Suddenly everyone's getting an 'A' and we therefore need to separate the wheat (genius) from the chaff (merely clever bastards)?
Bullshit.
A-levels are merely about whether you can handle higher concepts, as well as leading to your next level of academia. They teach you nothing about life, just how to take exams and regurgitate.

And no, I am not disregarding teachers in all this: they are a factor in this miraculous improvement of our kids' intelligence; but I seriously doubt there's a direct correllation.

Balance the Tipping

Civic Amenity Sites:

The Tip, to you and me.

If you drive a van (as I do) - of any shape or size - you're screwed.

Why? Because you are automatically assumed to be carrying Trade Waste.

Each Council operates its own policy in terms of number of times you're allowed to visit the Tip with a van.

I've had experience with 3 Councils so far, and heard about a few more from friends.

Visits by van, by Council:

Harrow: 3

Newcastle: 12

Middlesbrough: unknown, at least 3+, but you have to ring for a permit (which lasts 7 days).

Streatham: 0

Their reasoning is to reduce people "taking the piss" (paraphrased).  Unfortunately, people carry on taking the piss as I know several Trade colleagues who use their wives' estate car to offload rubbish (Trade or otherwise).

If that's not taking the piss I don't know what is.

They don't need a permit but I do. In fact there are many vehicles with large capacity who don't need a permit (pick an MPV).

If I want to go to the Tip to get rid of something, no matter how small the load, I either save it up for a rainy day or use my mother's car whenever possible.

I have more thoughts, but I need a nap first.

- Gnasher

Olympic Fail

The best of the best... of the best!The Olympics. 

Where athletes from all over the world gather to compete to see who's the best.

A bit like the World Championships really.

And the Commonwealth Games (yes, ok, that's only for Commonwealth countries, but still).

And Wimbledon...

And yet we make a huge deal out of it every 4 years, bulldozing houses that people were living in happily, thank-you-very-much (China).

Footing the bill

Adding insult to injury in the UK is that the whole country has paid for it and yet the only people really benefitting from it are property owners in the East End and legitemised ticket-touts re-selling VIP tickets for astronomical profits, profits which should rightly be in the Public Coffer.

Safe as Houses:

Which reminds me of another epic fail: the ticket lottery. What a joke.  Everyone in the UK should have been offered a [random] ticket or set of such. Then, when the option to buy said ticket is declined, at least the people who live here have a chance to go; not much to ask considering they paid for it already anyway!

G4S (aka Group 4 Securitas) have also announced they won't have enough [security] staff recruited.
Right, 'cos obviously the Olympics came out of nowhere and blind-sided them.

First, pass [me] the Torch:

Frankly, who the fuck cares? 

Obviously I do 'cos I'm moaning about it. But if I don't get this out of my system I may just explode.

- Hudsoid

The Last Rider of the Apostrophe

Another classic mistake: sticking apostrophes where they don't belong.

"Oooh, look! The word ends in the letter 's' - it must need an apostrophe."

No! Dammit!

The apostrophe replaces a missing letter, ergo if you're not replacing a letter then don't put an apostrophe in!

Examples:

wasn't => was nOt
isn't => is nOt
you're => you Are

FFS, just make an effort and think about what you're typing for a second.

Or better still, re-read what you wrote before you hit "Post".

It's just an email...

Well, this is top of my shit-list for laziness: using the phrase "it's just an email" is not an excuse for bad grammar or slap-dash spelling.

"You're going there with your friends, they're going there with their friends."

It's not difficult.

If our education system can't pummel the basics into children then what's the point?

And don't feed me the same old bullshit of "well everyone has different skills": only those with severe dyslexia or actual mental handicap can use that as an excuse.

I don't expect everyone to write dissertations by the age of 14, but forming a proper English sentence would be nice (don't even go near text-speak with me - that goes straight in the bin).