Are Great Whites Fans Of AC/DC ?


If you were asked “What sort of music do you think a Great White Shark would like ?” it is unlikely that you would suggest Mozart or Leonard Cohen. Younger folks might suggest a bit of gangsta rap. But the folks of my era might be encouraged by the fact that these awesome fish seem to have an affinity for AC/DC at least according to Matt Waller.

Waller, a tour operator in Australia, “believes sharks love AC/DC because their sensitive hearing is compatible with the band’s low frequency music and says they are particularly keen on Shook Me All Night Long”. Waller is using the music to encourage the Great Whites to get up close and personal for his cage-diving clients. Apparently the sharks like to rub against the cage to feel the vibes.

Maybe that’s a shark form of head-banging. Personally I think that’s pretty cool and I’m glad that it hasn’t been determined that Great Whites like Terry Wogan singing the Floral Dance.

Great white sharks ‘love AC/DC’ | Metro.co.uk.

The Cruelest Animal On The Planet ?


Is humanity the cruelest animal on the planet ? I think we must be. I don’t think any other animal, with perhaps the exception of the chimpanzee, takes pleasure in their peers distress.

After watching Panorama’s Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed on BBC1 last night, I was left with nothing but a feeling of total disgust. Specifically for the individuals that were caught on film abusing the patients at this establishment but also for the human race.

No other animal on earth resorts to systematic bullying and abuse in the way that mankind does. Certainly what has occurred in Winterbourne View is extreme bullying and abuse and in some instance could be construed as torture. During the program a parallel was drawn between the treatment meted out at Winterbourne View and that which was commonly practiced in asylums during the 60’s.

These patients and their families have been totally let down by the individuals responsible for patient care, let down by the management of Winterbourne View and let down by the Care Quality Commission who were contacted more than once by a former senior nurse.

Although there are four employees in custody, my view is that there are more employees that are culpable and should be punished for their inaction which pretty much construes their tacit approval of the actions of the others.

It’s at time like this that I wished our judiciary were able to use “an eye for an eye” as the basis for sentencing. Then perhaps the perpetrators could get a taste of their own medicine. The ritualistic eye poking, the face slapping, the fully clothed cold showers and being detained outside in wet clothes in temperatures slightly above freezing or being pinned to the floor under a chair while your “carer” sits on the chair with a foot on your hand.

It beggars belief.

BBC News – Four arrests after patient abuse caught on film.

Another Rat Trapped – But Is Allowed To Stay In The Nest


Lord Taylor of Warwick has lied under oath in order to cover up fraudulent claims of more than £11,000 in taxpayers money. Yet he gets to retain his position in the House of Lords even though he is just beginning a 12 month stint in jail. How does that work ?

I thought “Lords” were supposed to be honorable and clearly Taylor is not. His dishonesty should be enough to have him stripped of his peerage and therefore booted out of the House.

Taylor now joins an exclusive club for rodents, he joins a select group of MPS that have received jail sentences for fiddling tax payers money. He is member number five.

What amazes me is how so many others have escaped going to court and joining this less than illustrious group. Worse still is how few of them think that they were doing anything wrong.

Peer jailed for expenses fraud – Crime, UK – The Independent.

Crap Russel Hobbs Kettle


Think very carefully before buying your next kettle. For the last couple of years we have been using a Prestige kettle to boil our water for tea/coffee etc. Then it made with the pretty blue flashing sparks from somewhere inside, near the switch. Needless to say we had to say goodbye to our nice Prestige kettle.

As we like our tea and don’t like it made with water that has been boiled in a saucepan we dashed up to the local shops to get a new one. Did I mention that it was Sunday, so choice was somewhat restricted. Having surveyed the limited options we arrived home with a new Russel Hobbs kettle. We couldn’t find anywhere local selling the same Prestige kettle.  Mind you, we thought we were buying a class piece of kit. After all aren’t Russell Hobbs supposed tobe that bit better than most of the other brands ?

I guess I should have read the Which reviews first. Out of 195 kettles there are some Russel Hobbs models that make it into the top 47. Just not the one we bought. However, their review of our particular model did in fact highlight some of the issues that we have found.

Russel Hobbs Kettle
Russel Hobbs Kettle

This thing is everything that the Prestige wasn’t.

  1. It’s slow
    It seems to take a long time to boil where the Prestige was very fast even though the RH is more powerful.
  2. Unstable
    The RH doesn’t seem very stable on its base. When the boil really gets going the RB is a real rock and roller, wobbling about on its base. The Prestige just sat still and got on with the job.
  3. It is very easy to overfill
    The RH level markings are on the inside of the casing, on the same side as the handle. So with the lid open to enable you to put water in you have to be deformed to hold the kettle under a tap and see what level you have filled up to. With the prestige there was a level indicator clearly visible towards the centre of the opening.
  4. Noisy
    The RH should come with a health warning. The noise level of this thing is awful. The door to the kitchen has to be closed when we make our mid evening brew otherwise we can’t hear the TV. Even with the door closed you can hear it rumbling and gurgling away as it builds to a crescendo. The only time the Prestige made any real noise was when it needed descaling.
  5. It doesn’t switch off when lifted off its base
    So when you put it down again the power reconnects and carries on as if there was water inside. Presumably it would turn off when it began to overheat.

Would I recommend this kettle to anyone…….Hell No !!!

View From The Conservatory


Its been a dull old couple of days here. Bone dry but not a drop of sunshine. A couple of things have gotten my dander up though.

The first is the appearance of a rat. Cheeky little sod was peering out from under our garden seat then reared up on its hind legs to get a better view before heading across the lawn. Planning to pilfer seed from the bird table. Well I wasn’t having any of that and rushed out with broom in hand. Needless to say he scarpered pretty quickly. Haven’t seen him since but I think I’ll be putting some traps down.

The second annoyance is the activities of the grey squirrels. Or perhaps just one as this is the first time I have seen them do this. At least one of the little sods has taken a liking to our Rose buds. We are getting quite a nice display, both Masquerade and Iceberg, well we were. The squirrel doesn’t seem to mind which variety so long as the bloom is still wrapped up in the bud or just beginning to open. Nips them off then sits on top of the fence with his trophy and proceeds to munch his way through before leaping off to get another. I guess there’s not much I can do about it, it is nature after all.

I’d Just Like To Say ….


….  “this is not the standard of driving exhibited by all Waterlooville drivers” 

HONEST !!!

Car plunges into hole in Waterlooville road – Travel Latest – The News.

Warning – Solent City On The Horizon


The subject of a two-week enquiry, plans for 7,000 houses are to come under scrutiny. 7,000 homes when only 2,000 are required, to be built in the area North of Fareham towards Knowle village.

Plans for over 2,000 homes to be built west of Waterlooville have already been given the go ahead.

With all this development it won’t be long before Solent City becomes a reality. The Government’s South East plan is leading us rapidly towards a “vast urban sprawl” from Totton in the west to Waterlooville in the East. The insidious creeping growth of our local settlements is slowly consuming the buffer zones which have, so far, maintained the individuality and character of our towns and villages.

What I would like to know is where is the infrastructure to support this enormous increase in people and traffic ? I have lived in the same property for over twenty years and have watched the slow build up of traffic. This volume increase is set to explode with the new developments. And yet there doesn’t seem to be a cohesive plan to cope with the additional traffic.

You only have to visit the Locks Heath / Segensworth area during the morning or evening rush hours to understand how well our local planners understand the problems…NOT !!!. Locks Heath and Segensworth have gone through extraordinary growth over the last few years. The slip roads off the M27 have become long car parks while residents try to get home through the log jams that form around the roundabouts on the A27.

I can only see this phenomenon growing and migrating along the M27 to Junctions 10 & 11 for Fareham and on to Junctions 2 and 3 of the A3M for Waterlooville if these new proposed developments aren’t curbed.

Judgement day over new town as inquiry gets down to work – Politics – The News.

Sofyen Belamouadden: Youths guilty of Victoria killing


Why are they waiting to sentence these animals ?

Obi Nwokeh, 18, of Bermondsey, south-east London, and a 17-year-old were convicted of murder by unanimous jury verdicts. Going by the totally callous manner in which the attack was planned and carried out there can only be one sentence.

LIFE !!!

I find it hard to credit that the others that were involved in the chase and were present at the killing can get away with convictions for manslaughter and or “conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm”

Surely they are all guilty by association.

Send them all down for the maximum sentence and no time to be allowed for any time spent in custody pending the trials.

BBC News – Sofyen Belamouadden: Youths guilty of Victoria killing.

MP wants iconic Harrier jump-jet to be placed on display in Portsmouth


What a brilliant idea.

Place one rising up from the centre of the Church Street roundabout.

That would be much more striking that the useless Sails of the South which provide a pathetic greeting to people driving into Pompey. It would also provide a truly historic link between Portsmouth, the Royal Navy carriers and the Falklands.

MP wants iconic Harrier jump-jet to be placed on display in Portsmouth – East Hampshire – The News.

Friday 13th – Hah


So who’s scared of Friday 13th ?

What can possibly go wrong. I thought I’d gotten away with things but then discovered I’d put my underwear on inside out. Not an issue unless you wear “Y” front style keks. Things can get a little complicated when you are desperate.

Then my wife comes up with one of those really hokey sayings. “You can’t take of your keks and turn them the right way unless you find your ten”. What the hell does that mean ? So I asked and she says I have to count to ten first then I can change ’em. To be quite honest I am sure she just made that up on the spot.

But it got me wondering, just how many folks were running scared today. Spooked by the date.