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The meaning of 'No'

The French said No. The Dutch said No. Having rendered further progress on the Treaty of Lisbon illegal, the power brokers behind it then asked the Irish. The Irish said No. So the power brokers behind it are now telling us we must find a way around the obstacle.   Pardon?   Whats the point of a vote if its going to be ignored if the sponsors don't like it? The people of three countries have stated their wish to halt further european integration under the terms given.   It hasn't gone unn

caldrail

caldrail

My Drag Coefficent

What on earth is happening at the library? The day care centre children are quiet, well behaved, not singing tunelessly nor pretending to be aeroplanes. Everyone else is quiet too. AM hasn't whinged all morning. Everyone else is staring slack jawed at their emails.   Well I'm not going to be so stationery. I've recently begun to jog. You know, that keep fit nonsense, although I should point out I jog outside the library, not in. Well I had to really, I'm getting a little tubby and being this a

caldrail

caldrail

What goes around...comes around...

*Taking off the Dr. John hat and feathers for a moment*   First, one must read this: Judge in hot water over Web site sex links   So, basically, California is a laughing stock, and our beloved 9th District Court of Appeals is up to usual shennanigans. Just google them, and see how idiotic they are, in general.   There is much that comes to mind when I see/read this. But what slays me is this:     I'm sorry...how does one not know what's on one's website??? Oh, and then this beaut...

docoflove1974

docoflove1974

Flaming June

June is becoming an all-or-nothing month for british weather in our new globally warmed climate. Last week it rained incessantly. I got soaked in the downpour. This week the sun is out with a veangeance and I got soaked with sweat. You just can't beat the british weather can you? You get soaked no matter what happens..   Puppies For Sale Ther's a fashion for 'handbag dogs' going on, and perhaps not too suprisingly, unscrupulous east european traders are selling puppies reared in very dubious

caldrail

caldrail

The Leopard's New Spots?

The Toyota Prius.   Heard of it?   Its that fashionable eco-car that celebrities buy to look like they actually care about the enviroment. Its the car that Top Gear entered in its Comedy Handling Competition. That Jeremy Clarkson gave to a cowboy to shoot with a .50cal heavy machine gun. Its slow, ugly, the seats are uncomfortable, and never does achieve the fuel economy that Toyota claim. Its also the car my father bought.   My father wants me to buy his Prius. A couple of years ago I thr

caldrail

caldrail

How one guy saved a breed from extinction

The carinthian sheep is a fairly recent breed, it was around the beginning of the 19th century that local farmers were looking for a sheep with a better wool then what was available. This was rather difficult because the two best breeds were from spain and england and both did not allow to export rams at the time, so they looked south to Italy and crossed their local the old Landschaf breed with the Bergamasca and Paduaner Sheep. The hardy, frugal Brillenschaf can cope with high precipitation an

Viggen

Viggen

The Smugness of Automated Doors

In Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, Marvin the paranoid android moans and groans about intelligent doors, about how smug they are at completing their task of opening for their human masters. Well, he would groan even more at the doors to a local shopping mall. There's a three second delay between their sensors detecting your presence and deciding whether or not to allow you entry. Small boys pretending to be aeroplanes bounce off them in confusion. Adults trying to slip by get wha

caldrail

caldrail

The simplicity of good food

Let the fruits (and vegetables) of summer appear!   Like a good Genovese girl, I have a basil plant in a pot in the backyard. It's a staple for me; if I only can grow one herb, it's Italian basil. The reason is simple: it's one of the few herbs which really doesn't hold up well when bought at the store and kept in the fridge. I've had a lack of counterspace my entire adult life, so that pretty much prohibits me leaving it in a mug of water on the counter...besides, Bella gets a bit too poss

docoflove1974

docoflove1974

Curiosity Pleased The Cat

Yesterday I wandered into a music store and as usual fingered through the various artists that I particularly like. One CD stood out, with stickers telling me it was the 'new album'. Okeedokee, one purchase made. When I looked closer at home I realised it wasn't the artist the CD had been filed under, but some band I'd never heard of. Doh!   I suppose I could of taken it back but curiosity got the better of me. And I'm pleased it did.   The album was Indestructible, the band called Disturbed

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caldrail

If Anais Nin were a blogger

From Wired Magazine:   "We've reached an age where egotism is considered too much work. Why discuss your hopes and fears when you can just post the results of online tests, show cartoon versions of yourself and collect "friends"? It's a good thing Anais Nin wasn't a blogger, or instead of a steamy tale of sexual awakening and creative fervor, we'd just know that if she was a Ninja Turtle, she'd be Raphael."

M. Porcius Cato

M. Porcius Cato

Damp Squib

British weather struck with a veangeance yesterday. Not quite the heaviest downpour I've ever suffered, but it kept on raining heavily all day. I have an army issue rucksack - officially declared waterproof -which had a small puddle at the bottom of it. My mobile phone got trashed by water damage again. Why can't manufacturers make a mobile phone that doesn't disintergrate in mildly moist conditions? Worse still, having already been out in the rain and well soaked, I found a message left by the

caldrail

caldrail

The Mighty Supermarket

Ok. The blog's been running for a while, stories are getting thin on the ground, characters a bit familiar and tired, and its slowly metamorphising into Last of the Summer Wine. Time then to... Come with me now - and let me take on a journey through Time and Swindon, to the Land of the Mighty Supermarket...   Why is it, whenever I go there, that every old person seems to drift in front of me and block my progress in the search for provisions? You turn left, you turn right, you give up and use

caldrail

caldrail

"The Blog of War"

I think Anne Applebaum may be the cleverest writer alive. HERE's her smack-down of that Gawker-style, pro-pacifist book on WWII, Human Smoke.

M. Porcius Cato

M. Porcius Cato

All of a Sudden...

Hey - guess what? - all of a sudden the government are listening. The Prime Minister is 'aware of the impact rising prices are having on families'. The Chancellor is willing to discuss budgetary concerns. Plans to raise road tax are being reviewed.   I see. Now that lorry drivers are protesting over fuel tax, now they're losing elections and facing a possible ignomious end to New Labour, they're paying attention. Which means they weren't paying attention before. I always said they weren't, but

caldrail

caldrail

The innanity of it all

To all the Europeans who frequent the board and who occasionally read this blog, I ask for an explanation.   What the bloody hell is all the fuss about Eurovision?   First, there are countries in the contest that are not even part of Europe (Armenia? Azerbaijan? Georgia?). Now, I realize that there are many out there who would consider Europe and Asia as one continent, but even if we accept the fact that the word 'Europe' has a geographical connotation to it, much like the words 'Centra

docoflove1974

docoflove1974

British Weather Is Back

The weather has taken a turn for the worse and its temporarily goodbye to long hot spring days. Yep. British weather has reasserted itself and its raining. Just in time for the traditional downpour on a Bank Holiday Weekend.   Dream of the Week Nearly decided that getting a job was the front runner for that prize, but no, it was last nights dream about tornado's. Don't remember the details, but someone pointed out the window and there they were, four or five funnels under a thick black cloud,

caldrail

caldrail

My (fishing) home via Google Maps

Here you can see the lake i am regulary fishing.   The watery-area left ot the little river is artificially made a few years ago. It was built to give the fishes and birds a save spot to breed. It is relatively small but neverthelless just after 10 years you no longer would guess it was man-made. On the northern end you can see they are currently extending it by a bit. the whole field in the west might get be done the same way too. The city council is still negotiating with the owners...   O

Viggen

Viggen

Published

The other day I was more than pleased to discover that one of my essays, submitted nearly a year ago, had actually been published in Exeter's Department of Classics annual journal. As stated, I submitted it a while ago, with no real expectations of it being published; not only did they publish it, but my article follows one written by Peter Wiseman! Anyway, I just thought that I'd express my glee here.   Also, it seems that I have neglected this here humble blog. Methinks I should give some so

WotWotius

WotWotius

Mr Cranky Pants

Yep, thats me. Mr Cranky Pants   My new neighbours keep locking the outside door and leave me struggling to get in and out of my own home. They keep starting to play loud music and I've got a sore foot banging on the floor. I keep applying for jobs but Swindon employers have recently had lobotomies so they can't understand their own recruitment procedures. The Saturday night Town Cryer Association is still in business and vocal in the early hours. My car is starting to look a little weather wo

caldrail

caldrail

Nursery Crimes

Another little gripe about libraries... Well, I seem to spend a lot of time in them these days. Sometimes I stroll across town to the local library at a sports centre. Today, as I log on, its become an impromptu day care centre. There's a whole tribe of infants all sat around singing nursery ryhmnes. Maybe its my age, but I feel an urge to morph into AM, and shout "WILL YOU LOT SHUT UP! I'm trying to type my emails."   Oh no, not another nursery rhymne. Twinkle twinkle little star... Now they'

caldrail

caldrail

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