RUDE NASTY BLOG COMMENTS
May 24, 2010
I get my fair share of comments on this blog -the good , the bad and the indifferent. Why people comment in the first place I’m not really sure as I rarely do it on other peoples blogs myself. Engadget recently closed down their own comment facility due in part to the nasty rude nature of some of the comments they were receiving. But millions of people visit the Engadget site so they can afford to ignore those readers who like to interact with their site. Some bloggers find the nasty comments intimidating and not only close down the comments but often shut down the blog itself.
When you start a blog you have to keep in mind the simple fact that you are , so to speak , starting a conversation with people who in real life you might or might not wish to know. Every time I post an article I am talking for the most part with total strangers. The reader may be a wonderful person or an out and out scumbag. Most readers are nice , pleasant who will either agree or disagree with what I write but there are always the few…..and we’ve all met them , who just insist on being unpleasant or just downright nasty. Quite a few people get in touch to let me know that I’m a fool , idiot and don’t know what I’m talking about. This is fair enough (they might even be right) but most do so in a reasonable manner. There are , at the other end of the scale , those who can be downright threatening , people who will actually make specific serious threats. But as the man said , “If you can’t stand the heat…”
I don’t moderate comments regardless of how critical they are and have only ever deleted one. I consider comments as compliments. If readers feel moved to post a comment at least I have engaged their interest. But there are always those readers that no blogger/blog reader wants. The sort of person who leaves the single word , GOBSHITE, as a comment is , for most people , little more than an irritant and a trivial one at that. But it does lower the tone ……and can be quite off-putting for the casual reader.
But as my mother used to say , “These things are sent to try us”. And they do , they do , they do…..Incidentally , it’s impossible to leave a comment on a blog without revealing your IP Address so there is no anonymity as such. In fact it’s virtually impossible to do anything on the WWW and remain entirely anonymous. If some mad man decides to track you down there’s nothing you can do about it. There are those who bend over backwards to protect their identity and then go and put their whole family up on Flicker. I’ve come across blog/websites which specialise in advice on how to remain secure on the WWW and yet the authors will invariably give you so much information about themselves that you could be knocking at their front door within hours.
I have never really understood why certaon people feel the need to make nasty comments. There’s a whole army of such folk on YOUTUBE – I’m sure you’ve come across them. I think a lot of them have some sort of sexual problems or perhaps they are just insecure……’or maby they just don’t have much of a life. It’s sad really , isn’t it ……
SILLY OLD TWIT RIDES AGAIN
May 22, 2010
I’ve been out of action for a while. My blog has been dormant. But I’m back now. And why am I back ? Well , to be honest I have nothing better to do. No big statement , no manifesto , no promise of something special to come just an excuse to fill in the vacant hours. I’ve learned one thing in the last couple of years but I suppose I already knew that it all comes down to the vulgarity of power and those who have it.
Walk softly , very softly and carry a big stick. Keep your head down. Expect nothing. Follow the money trail ( all roads lead to hell). It’s business. It’s all business and nothing more. Pearls before swine…… ‘ But I’m not dead yet so don’t laugh too soon …….bitter , bitter , bitter – Your damned right !
…..he he he ……he he he………..
The ramblings of an old fool…..he he he ……he he he….
…… “Who’s a silly old fool”? …….. he he he ……..he he he….
” Pass me the hatchet Mary” …….. he he he ………he he he ……….har har har……..
The pen is mightier than the sword…..HAR HAR HAR….HAR HAR HAR……
Oh yes , announce it to the world. Let the blogosphere know ….. I’M BACK. ……..I’M BACK………he he he ……..he he he…. You can’t keep a good man down. – am I right or am I right ? …….he he he …..
GOOGLE GRANNY’S (GRANNIES) BASH
May 22, 2010
Today I was invited to visit Google’s Head Office here in Ringsend in Dublin. When I say that I was invited I mean that everyone in Cambridge Court ( a complex for ‘older’ people in Ringsend) was invited. I can’t remember the name of the people organising this trip ……Age something or other ….and I have no idea why they feel that I might even want to visit Google. But all this is neither here nor there. There are more important things in life than Google .
Cambridge Court is, for the most part, a dumping ground for older less affluent people. Situated as it is within a few feet of Docklands it might just as well be a thousand miles away . You won’t find any ‘inclusivity’ here ! There is no mixing of the social classes. Segregation is as real here as it ever was in South Africa. Google Head Office rubs shoulders with Dockland apartment blocks. Herds of what used to be called ‘yuppies’ jogg their way to Sandymount Strand in the evenings with the self-assured body language of those who know that their day has truly arrived. I could go on…..
I do not live on planet Google. To be honest , I couldn’t afford the rents – and you want me , ME ! to visit Google. And why me ? Is it because I’m old , marginalised or just too stupid to make my way there on my own initiative ? – Go away , leave me alone. I’ve got better things to do.
Meanwhile , back in the real world I read that Steve Brookstein is now officially the worlds greatest failure. I know how you feel Steve. But don’t let them get to you. WE WILL HAVE OUR DAY. Google/Simon Cowell and the Great New European Super State will go the way of all flesh. Every dog will have its day. Et cetera , Et cetera , Et cetera……..Blah Blah Blah….Google this , google that …….googlegooglegoogle……Go away , leave me alone , take a hike , get a life , take a pill , chill out , google your granny. If there were no old/marginalised people all these Age this and Age that organisations would need to invent them to justify their own budgets. – “We don’t need no googleisation , we don’t need no false concern”. Yeah , right on. I couldn’t have put it better myself. – Now push off before I set the dogs on you.
LISBON EUROPE NAZI CONNECTION HOLOCAUST DENIAL
September 30, 2009
I was born in 1946 and started studying European History at the age on 9. Even at that early age it was clear to me that the then proposed Steel and Coal Community ( forerunner of the EU) was simply a means of building up those industries and private interests that had been the financial base/backbone of Nazi Germany. In my early teens I found myself reading of the men who were creating this New Europe but I was perplexed by the fact that I already knew (through the exact same media) that many of these men were in fact war criminals. I would find myself staring at photographs of Albert Speer surrounded by men who now ( late 50′s) were being paraded as the ‘light of Europe’. These men who , with Speer , plotted to turn the entire population of the Soviet Union into slave labour were literally a few years later being held up as Messiahs of a new peaceful and prosperous Europe. All of this is recorded historical fact. It’s in the history books for all to see.
The European Union is the spiritual and political heir to Hitlers Third Reich. The European Union has for 50 years now been working towards the building of a New Europe identical to the Europe that Adolph Hitler attempted to build. No matter how ‘extreme’ such a statement may appear the facts , the recorded historical facts cannot be denied. The New Europe has brought with it great wealth. Most Irish people have prospered economically from Irish membership of the EU but this is a side effect of the European Union and not it’s purpose. The long term purpose of the EU is no different from that of the Nazi invasion of Russia - the creation of a huge gigantic market with a huge workforce to service it. In order to achieve all this it was necessary for the EU to convince otherwise good and even liberal people that censorship is necessary and good. Race laws were introduced all across Europe and Ireland to stifle any attempt to criticise an economy built on mass immigration and cheap foreign labour. In those few European countries where the people were permitted to vote on the various stages of this new Europe the population , having voted NO were informed that they had made a ‘mistake’ or just didn’t understand the issues. Even Hitler could never have gotten away with this.
War and holocausts do not just happen to other people. You , you , the person reading this right now are no different to any of the millions and millions that died in the last war. You are no more intelligent than any of those millions. You have no more insight or foresight than any one of those millions. You may think that you somehow know better than those who made mistakes before you but if you believe that then you are an even greater fool than the most foolish of the dead millions. Life is not just some story in a book. Life is real and can , with luck , health and hard work be good. But life can be bad also. Things can and do go wrong in this world with horrific consequence and millions and millions die – and sometimes they ( the dead ) are the lucky ones.
The Rath Health Foundation received the “Relay of light” award from survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp in recognition of it’s exposure of the criminal past of German oil/ drug cartels and you can read it’s insightful investigation into the history of the EU and the criminals and mass murders behind it. The Rath Foundation has documented the history of the EU and it’s criminal beginnings. Study this website , take time out and read all it says and then think about what you have read. Don’t just accept what it says or just reject it all out of hand. If it’s all lies then you will be a wiser man/women for knowing this ……but if it’s true , if it’s even half true it should change your life. - Unless of course you just don’t care.
The question has often been asked , “How , how on God’s earth did the holocaust happen – how could such a nightmare be allowed to happen ?” Now you have the answer. Some will go to the trouble of reading this website and many , even most will continue in their own comfortable prejudice or indifference – and that’s how the holocaust happened. It happened because of people just like you. Holocaust denial comes in two forms , the lunatic fringe who simple deny by various means the recorded facts of history and those who engage in revisionism as to the architects of the holocaust . These latter would have you believe that those who financed Hitler and built the gas ovens and then went on after the Nuremberg Trials to create the EU were in no way responsible for the holocaust. They would like you to believe these financial backers / bankers of Hitler were somehow forced into doing what they did ….that they had no choice. But the historical record shows that far from being at the mercy of Hitler Hitler was totally at their mercy. The next time you watch some newsreel footage of Hitler’s mass rallies of the early 30′s just ask yourself , “Where did the money to pay all those thousands of SA men come from ?” And why was the company that made the gas ovens one of the first to be compensated after the war by the same people who were engaged in creating the new Europe. People like me were saying exactly what I’m say now about Hitler and his financial backers before WW2 but most Germans didn’t want to know. Most Germans said , “Hitler has been good for us , Hitler has brought jobs / prosperity for us and a future for our children” . People defended their support of Hitler with the same , the very same words as are used today by those who support the European Union. The parallels between Hitler’s Germany and the EU are striking. History repeats itself . Those who voted Hitler into power ( the middle class) condemned all who opposed Hitler as malcontents and agitators. The middle class today who have much to lose if Ireland pulled out of the EU say the same thing about those who are opposed to the EU. Indeed , history does repeat itself.
Those who brought Hitler to power were not , for the most part , bad people , nor were they stupid or blind or deaf or incompetent. They were middle class people just like you. They were decent moral people like most of you. Like many in Ireland today they were just one short step removed from poverty , they were the new middle class and they owed it all to Hitler. They were in fact very like the Irish today who owe their new good life to membership of the EU……They were no different from you …if you don’t understand that then you understand nothing. And at the end of they proverbial day they were wrong and they paid a dreadful price for being wrong….
Their sons and daughters died in their millions…..just like yours will if you get it wrong. – AND JUST LIKE YOU THE WERE TOLD WELL IN ADVANCE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN …..
FRANK CLARKE AN HONORABLE MAN ? LISBON TREATY REFERENDUM
September 28, 2009
Frank Clarke is a judge of the Irish High Court which only goes to prove that honor is not a prerequisite in that particular job. If we lived in a more just society Clarke might well be in jail or even dead. A decent , honorable man would , on being asked to legitimise another referendum , have refused on the basis that the people had given their verdict and that their vote should be respected. But Clarke is no decent man. He is , if the truth be known , no more than a common criminal ( and far less honest ). Clarke has played his part in robbing the Irish people of the franchise. He has done this (like all his fellow criminals ) from the safety of his powerful position /rank and in the full knowledge that people like you and I can do nothing about it. I once had a man shove a hatched into my face and take my money ( a very unpleasant experience ) but he , at least , was arrested – with Clarke the offence against me is even greater but no one will arrest him.
No doubt there are some who will say , “You can’t say things like that about a judge – “ A citizen can be condemned as racist if he opens his mouth to complain against mass immigration but a judge employed by a corrupt government is to be shown respect. We all know there is a double standard at work , a law for the rich – a law for the poor. We see corruption at state and semi state level every day of the week , the sweetheart deals and padded pensions but still we must refer to these gangsters as ‘public servants’. We are constantly reminded of the ’service’ they have given to the state. A thief is only a thief if he is poor. But a thug is a thug regardless of who is telling the story. Clarke is a thug ….he robbed me and you and did it for the money/power and from a safe distance – a coward and a thug. A thug in high places and with powerful friends but a thug nonetheless.
I’ve never met Frank Clarke. I don’t suppose I ever will but if I do meet you Frank , if we ever do meet face to face ( in private ) don’t expect mercy Frank because you won’t get it. I can’t afford mercy , I’ve been robbed too many times . I’ve been walked on too many times. I’ve been treated like a fool too many times. I can’t turn the other cheek Frank I’ve been smacked in the face too many times. If I had access to the courts I could trade more temperate language with Frank Clarke but I don’t have such access to the courts and so I’ll use the ‘language of the street’ and make no apology for that. You have done a bad days work Frank but like I say you have I’m sure been well paid for it. You are a disgrace Frank.
Lisbon Treaty Referendum Vote For Sale Ireland
September 25, 2009
If you live outside Ireland and would like the opportunity to vote in an Irish referendum then here’s your chance. You may vote by proxy on the upcoming Lisbon Treaty Referendum on the 2 October 09 simply by popping over to Ebay. It has been made clear to me that the Irish State has no intention of respecting /honoring my vote so some Ebay bidder may as well have it.
By the way , does anyone out there know just exactly how much Frank Clarke gets paid for services rendered to the state ? I’m guessing he hasn’t sold himself cheap.
MEZZO D 10 FOLDING BIKE REVIEW DUBLIN IRELAND BROMPTON
September 6, 2009
A few months ago I bought a Brompton but within weeks it was stolen. I needed another bike so rather than wait the usual 8 weeks when ordering the Brompton I decided to buy the latest model Mezzo , the Mezzo d10. So now that I’ve tried both which is the best ? The simple answer is that neither is best , and I’m not just being diplomatic here. They are both classic bikes and both of them are worth every penny of the 1,000 euros that you might expect to pay for these models ( Brompton m6l / Mezzo d10). They are of course both folders but that’s about it , the rest is chalk and cheese. These are two different , very different bikes.
The Brompton folds quicker , easier and is more compact. They both weigh about the same ( this model Mezzo is lighter than previous ones). However the difference in the fold is not significant. It won’t make any practical difference in time or space , the Mezzo feels lighter to carry. Both bike are classics and if you can afford it I think you should buy both. But as this is a review of the Mezzo d10 lets talk about that….
It feels slow. The first thing that struck me was that it was going too slow. Even when going reasonably fast it felt slow. I have ridden the bike in one gear , the top (fast ) gear only. As I say , it feels slow but after a few journeys I began to realise that it was for the most part getting me to where I wanted to go faster than the Brompton did. When riding it in top gear I found myself constantly flicking the gear lever to pop it into the next highest gear in spite of the fact that I was already in top gear. It’s hard to explain this but all the gears are low , they are not the standard ratio that you are used to. When you first ride the bike its quite frustrating , your peddling marginally faster than you normally would at cruising speed…..as I say , you have this feeling that you should go up one more gear. It took me a couple of trips before I got used to it.
I went out to see a friend last night. I live in south Dublin and she’s in Swords which is a place about 3 miles north of Dublin city. It’s uphill about 90 % of the way and normally the journey knackers me completely. I’ve done it many times on all sorts of bikes including the Brompton and it involves a lot of exertion , sweating and hard peddling but last night on the Mezzo I cycled all the way in top gear and got there a little faster than usual and arrived feeling quite fresh. If you have been playing with the idea of getting an electric bike to help with those long lingering hills then get yourself a Mezzo instead. I was very , very impressed. It feels like a ‘normal’ bike to ride. The Brompton rides in a laid back kind of manner , the Mezzo feels more aggressive.
They are , as I’ve said , both classics , the Brompton speaks of leisure , the Mezzo , buisneess. They really are quite , quite different bikes. When I rode my turkish green Brompton around the city lots of people looked and smiled ( in a nice way ) but since I started riding the Mezzo I get stares …men in powerful cars stare quite a lot. The peddles are crap , plastic slabs that might not be great in wet greasy conditions and I’m not mad about the handlebars…..I figure I’ll change them in a few months. I mentioned that I ride the bike in top gear …..the rest of the gears are almost redundant , you might use them now and again but not often . I have never , NEVER , ridden in any other than the top (fastest) gear.
If you are a Brompton rider I think you will like this bike and I can well imagine that lots of folk will end up owning both. I intend , when I have the money , to buy another Bromptom myself , they are wonderful bikes. Then I will have two great classic machines. The Brompton has the effect of making you ride in a more mellow manner while the Mezzo is , as I say , a bit more agressive…Both are a pleasure to ride. In ten years time the biker fanatics will be having fist fights on the village green over which is best , which is king of the hill , but the truth is that both are great bikes.
I just now went out for an afternoon spin and did not really enjoy it. As soon as I hit the main road I went to go up a few gears – I didn’t particular want to go fast – I just wanted to get to that ‘natural’ gear we all use but it just wasn’t there. Since coming home I have checked some reviews of the Mezzo again and many remark on it’s speed but I think these people must come from a different planet or something. The gears are low and slow. Once again I rode all the way there and back in first gear (top speed) and felt all the time that I was at least 2 or 3 gears lower than I should have been. Riding against the wind or up hills requires less effort but that’s because of course your permanently in a low gear. Every professional / semi professional review on the Mezzo has expressed dissatisfaction at the gears so it’s not just me. This is really a one single gear bike , and a low one at that. I am , by the way , 63 years of age and have ridden hundreds of all kinds of bikes over the years but I’ve never come across low gears like this before. In the long term they will really have to go. If you come across comments (and you will) in chat rooms or boards where someone is saying how ‘fast’ and ‘nippy’ it is , just ignore them. This is a one gear bike with NO high gears.
The tyres are Mezzo / Kelvar (yellow) puncture resistant so they are quite good but if you do get a puncture then just fold the bike and hop on to a bus because you won’t fix it at the side of the road , especially if it’s getting dark and it is raining. I won’t even try to explain what you have to do to fix a puncture………Simple is not a word you’ll often use in relation to the Mezzo. A classic , yes but a classic with very , very , very low / slow gears…..
One final point….but an important one. The Mezzo may , in time be taken off the market. At least two reviewers described how they went over the handlebars because they had not got the fold quite right. Both reviewers were serious bikers and one went as far as to say that the bike had possible safety issues. I’ve read several amateur reviewers saying the same thing. It’s only a matter of time before someone goes to court in the hope of getting lots of dosh from Mezzo and a judge might well decide that it is in fact dangerous. When you unfold the bike it involves putting the front wheel back on again and that’s not as simple as it sounds. If you apply a fraction less pressure than you should you might just end up dead…. And YES YES YES , I know that YOU can do the job in 5 seconds flat while whistling Dixie and standing on one leg but for an ordinary mortal who might be tired or somehow preoccupied it would be easy to get it wrong.
The Mezzo is a bike that you just can’t ignore. It’s a classic with a touch of genius / madness in the engineering. And by God , and all that’s Holy , it’s SLOW….slow ……slow and you may just get off it in the middle of the road and do a Basil Fawlty on it….If your passing through Dublin and you see this old ejit trying to strangle a bike it will be me…..It’s the slowest thing on wheels I ever been on.(and remember I’m in my sixties …) I’m old and past it but I’m not THAT slow. I’ve done several road tests and it is in fact about 50% faster than a six gear Brompton but feels slower.
A week has passed since writing this review and in that time I have purchased a bike computer so can now confirm that the speed is the same as a Brompton m6l. One other thing I might say here is that I have tested several women folding /unfolding the bike and none could do it. It requires quite a lot of strength to clamp the front wheel shut and hurts my hand when I try it. A child could fold/unfold a Brompton no trouble but no child could do it with the Mezzo. Having had a weeks practice at it my Mezzo is currently sitting against a wall in my small one-roomed bedsit taking up space I can ill afford. It’s just far too much trouble folding it .
14/august/2010 To see an updated review of this bike see my new review here.
By the way …. Don’t Don’t Buy the Mezzo Bike Bag check this link out.
BROMPTON BIKE STOLEN DUBLIN BICYCLE MEZZO
August 15, 2009
My Brompton bike was stolen today in Parliment Street , Dublin. I’ve only had it for about 8 weeks having had my previous bike stolen just a month or so before that. It cost me 1,200 Euros which was just about all the money I had so now I’ll just have to start saving all over again. That’s 5 bikes in all that I’ve had stolen. I’m not exactly lucky , am I ?
I reported it to the police but I don’t suppose I’ll ever see it again. It was probably stolen by some ‘yob’ type and by tomorrow it will have been bought (at some market/car boot ) by a very ‘respectable’ person. I spent years working as a market trader and would , every day of the week , refuse to buy certain items that people brought to me , items that were obviously stolen ( you can ALWAYS tell ) but no sooner would I say No than there would be someone only too willing to buy …..and more often than not they were the ‘respectable’ type.
If you happen to see it around please email me or leave a message here. The unfortunate fact is that most people are not honest. Most of my friends for instance buy their tobacco on street corners from people who probably are in the drugs business and think of me as a fool for getting mine at full price in a shop. I’ve even know people who’s children have died from Heroin who still buy their tobacco from such people.!!!! …..
I don’t known how many bike are stolen every day but it’s probably hundreds and of course they never steal a cheap bike. The financial cost over the space of a year must be huge but it’s only regarded as petty crime. I have a bit of a phobia about public transport ( panic attacks etc ) so was reliant on the bike …….Oh well , there’s always someone worse off….. There is a 500 euros reward for the recovery of this bike.
6 September 09 update: since writing this I have bought another bike , a Mezzo d 10 . You can read a review about it here.
DAB RADIO IRELAND ROBERTS SOLAR DAB DIGITAL AUDIO BROADCASTING
August 10, 2009
A few days ago I went out and bought myself a Roberts DAB Solar radio. I already have two old valve radios and as I live in a one room flat that’s more than enough but I like radio and figured it was time for me to update to DAB. The fact that this model is solar powered was very much a plus. I handed over 130 euros in Peats and have been kicking myself ever since. The radio is fine , it’s the DAB (Ditital Audio Broadcasting ) bit that’s a problem. A problem in Ireland that is. There are four DAB stations along with RTE 1 RTE 2 RNG etc but there is nothing worth listening to beyond junk music. Unfortunately I didn’t realise that you couldn’t get BBC or any other station for that matter so I am stuck with pure dross.
The stations really are terrible. Bland. If your a fan of BBC World Service / Radio Four and that type of thing then keep your money in your pocket and don’t go for DAB because DAB in Ireland just means BAD. I am literally kicking myself. $130 spent and nothing to listen to apart from Joe Duffey.
