tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186091102024-03-13T02:45:23.513+00:00The Flashing 12 Photography BlogPaul Parkinson's photogblog. Reviews, tips and opinionated commentary on all aspects of digital photography. And pictures. Oh yes.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-49629595915429252732012-02-09T21:55:00.000+00:002012-02-09T22:00:11.713+00:00iPhone 4S - near but not near enough<div>
<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font-family: Tahoma;">The iPhone 4S is a damn good phone with a pretty decent camera. It has lots of great features for a phone but hardly any proper camera features. This is all fair enough and Apple have done a great job taking it this far - it is, after all, a phone with a camera built in.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font-family: Tahoma;">There are plenty of blog posts and other articles out there about the iPhone 4S being used as a camera. </span><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">This article at </span><a href="http://photofocus.com/2012/02/09/apple-iphone-4s-camera-review/" style="font-family: Tahoma;">Photofocus</a><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"> and these<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_299095038"> image </a></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://campl.us/posts/iPhone-Camera-Comparison">comparisons </a>of different flavours of
iPhone, a Canon S95 and a Canon 5D mark2. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">The iPhone 4S is a good camera. But it's not quite there for me...</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font-family: Tahoma;"><br />What I want to see is a camera with a phone built in. It's small difference when it's written down but the dynamics of it are profound. Phone companies add cameras. A camera company needs to add a phone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I want to see something like a Canon S100 or the Nikon V1 get a phone added to them. I don't <i>need</i> a smart phone but if it was based around the Android OS I would be very happy. Get my email on my camera? Bring it on. Post images from my camera? Bring it on x2...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Give me something with the controls of, say, a Canon S100 (Raw, WB, AEB) and stuff a basic phone on their too and </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I'd do a happy dance and then buy one tomorrow.</span></div>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-80127589217293273692011-10-03T11:05:00.003+00:002011-10-03T11:05:27.816+00:00Why B&H Photo aren't the best thing since sliced bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm now officially confused. The whole photographic world seems to think <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">B&H Photo</a> is the best thing since sliced bread. Except me. Why could that be?<br />
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I was in New York recently, on business, and had the opportunity to visit B&H Photo for the first time. I'd heard AMAZING things about B&H that this was a dream come true for this photo enthusiast. The range of goods for sale, the prices, the helpful staff, the general AWESOMENESS of this store. I was excited!<br />
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I was working in our office on 6th Avenue so it wasn't too much of a walk to get to the store - about 10 blocks south and three or four west. I was actually bouncing along thinking of all the marvellous things I was going to buy there. I even had a shopping list!<br />
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The first disappointment was the near perfect lack of gear on display. Sure, you could pick up a bag from LowePro or a Giottos monopod - but where were the cameras? The flashes? The lenses? <br />
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None of the stuff you actually want to pick up, touch and check out are on display. No, you have to queue up to see an "Advisor". It's a bit like Gringotts Bank...<br />
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Anyway, I didn't have huge amounts of time on that visit so I picked up one of their fabulous catalogues and made tracks.<br />
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A couple of days later I went back. I had more time this time. All would be well.<br />
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I had checked the prices of lenses and flashes and a few other things I wanted. All of them were cheaper at home. All. Of. Them. B&H Photo is NOT a cheap place to shop.<br />
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Still I thought I would try and get something to take home with me. I spent some time with one of the shop floor based sales team and he was incredibly helpful, knowledgable and gave some excellent advice. I identified something reasonable to get at around the $100 level (so not a token buy but not super expensive either) and this is where my <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">B&HPhoto</a> experience got completely surreal.<br />
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Actually having the temerity to want to BUY something at B&H triggers the following process.<br />
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<ol>
<li>You identify what you want to buy. </li>
<li>The shop floor assistant helps you to queue up to see one of the <strike>Gringotts Goblins</strike>, sorry, Advisors who spend several minutes tapping information into a computer.</li>
<li>A little while later a green box appears on one of the conveyor belts with your item in it. </li>
<li>Aha! I can pay for it and go.</li>
<li>No. The item is put back in the box and disappears (wtf?)</li>
<li>I get given a piece of paper which tells me how much to pay.</li>
<li>I get my credit card out and I am told no, you have to go downstairs to pay. Huh?</li>
<li>Where's the thing I want to buy?</li>
<li>It'll be waiting for you downstairs. Huh?</li>
<li>So. I go downstairs and realise that I have to queue up again. </li>
<li>I have to queue to pay. </li>
<li>Aha! Thinks me. I will pay cash. That will be quicker. Er... No. It won't actually. The credit card queue goes pretty quickly (in comparison). </li>
<li>It's then that I lose the will to live (and shop again in B&H)</li>
<li>I realise there is another ENORMOUS queue at the pick up point. </li>
<li>I leave. </li>
<li>They don't get my custom and, for all I know, there is still an item in a green box waiting for me at B&H.</li>
</ol>
For folks in the UK, it's a bit like what life would be like if Ryanair ran an Argos branch in Diagon Alley!<br />
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So. Did I have a bad experience? Did I get it all wrong about B&H? <br />
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Or is it a shop run by people who simply don't trust their customers and who have invented a purchasing process which is so arcane it made me, a photographic shop-till-I-drop shopper, give up? <span id="goog_85224295"></span><span id="goog_85224296"></span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-48993354566586841372011-04-28T14:16:00.002+00:002011-04-28T14:20:54.741+00:00Canon vs. Nikon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pE4pxab8dek/TblweNAi_HI/AAAAAAAAAcs/4IpBMGfstiE/s1600/5121671100_5cd7ff593e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pE4pxab8dek/TblweNAi_HI/AAAAAAAAAcs/4IpBMGfstiE/s400/5121671100_5cd7ff593e_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>People often ask me whether they should buy Nikon or Canon. It's been a bone of contention for years in the photographic community - much like the Mac vs. PC arguments...<br />
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The long and the short of it is that when you're starting out it doesn't really matter. It is very hard to buy a poor camera from any of the major brands! When you're gardening do you care whether you're using a Spear and Jackson spade or a Draper spade? No it doesn't.<br />
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It's not until you get into the higher levels of camera that choosing the "right one" becomes important - and by then you should know anyway. It's a fools progress to spend a bajillion pounds or dollars on your first camera. <br />
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Here's a question. Which brand of camera took that picture at the top? Answer at the end of this artcle.<br />
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<b>Top tips on choosing a first camera:</b><br />
<ul><li>Spend less on the body and more on the lens - you'll probably change the camera body within a year or two but the lens (the "glass") will last for years and years.. Buy the bare body and a separate lens - you might even get a better deal</li>
<li>If you have a photographer friend who is willing to share, lend or swap gear, buy the same make as them - you can borrow from them, lend to them and generally learn together.</li>
<li>More megapixels isn't necessarily better </li>
<li>Read reviews on places like <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/">DPReview</a> or the <a href="http://www.digital-photography-school.com/">Digital Photography School</a></li>
<li>Buying second hand IS an option - check <a href="http://www.photographyblog.com/articles_bargain_digital_cameras.php">this article</a> for some good tips but be careful!</li>
</ul><b>First steps in photography</b> <br />
<ul><li>Don't get sucked into the "more gear is better" syndrome. Buy a decent lens for your camera body and spend time learning how it works. </li>
<li>Understand the difference between "WANT" and "NEED". Until you can say why you need something (and shiny shiny doesn't count) you are thinking of buy it because you want it not because you need it. Save the money until you know WHY you want it.</li>
<li>Buy the best you can afford. Buying cheap is almost always a waste of money. You will, as your skills develop, learn that the $20 tripod is useless and you will be tossing it out and getting the $200 tripod pretty quickly. That $20 is called the Newbie Tax... </li>
<li>RTFM. Read The F-f-f-f-fine Manual. Seriously. Read it all.</li>
<li>Read it again.</li>
<li>Take the lens cap off. </li>
<li>Get out and shoot. And shoot. And shoot. Look at the pictures - understand why they are good, bad or indifferent.</li>
<li>Read lots and lots of blogs and books.</li>
</ul><br />
And that picture? I took it on my phone. An HTC Desire... See? It doesn't matter and you couldn't tell...<br />
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Someone once said, the BEST camera in the world is the one you have with you.<br />
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Please do leave feedback if you have any! I'll do my best to comment back or email directly.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-68224436945187768642011-04-26T12:42:00.002+00:002011-04-27T15:39:29.694+00:00My first photography blog post...I thought my first post on this, my newly repurposed Flashing12 blog, should link the original purpose of the blog to tell stories about people who are technologically inept with my photographic passion/obsession...<br />
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For those of of you who don't know, a “Flashing 12” is a person with no technical inclinations; someone who is inept in all things technological. The name comes from the fact that when you walk into their house their VCR (yes, exactly!) is flashing "12:00", because they cannot figure out how to program it.<br />
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I had a moment last week I would like to pass on...<br />
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Every so often I need (or want) to use an expensive lens. I've hired Canon 100-400mm L lenses, 70-200 f/2.8 L lenses and suchlike from <a href="http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/">Calumet </a>here in London. They have this weekend deal which enables photographers like me to hire a lens on the Friday and return it on the following Monday and get charged for one days hire. Sweet eh?<br />
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It gets better. Over a bank holiday weekend the same deal applies so you get 4 days hire for the price of one! Last weekend here in London was a loooong weekend so I decided to push the boat out and hire a BIG lens. So off I trotted to Calumet at Drummond Street (Euston / Euston Square) and hired a Canon 400mm f/2.8 L lens. <br />
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Now, I was expecting a biggish lens. What I wasn't expecting was the killer monster lens from hell which I duly left Calumet with. Man this thing was heavy...<br />
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I got it back to the office okay and as my hands and arms recovered I thought I would see how heavy it was. The <a href="http://usa.canon.com/cusa/professional">Canon USA</a> website is, by far, the best Canon site out there and downloading the spec sheet and manual for the 400mm L was easy.<br />
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The lens weighed 5.3Kg (11.7 pounds) and that got me thinking a bit more...<br />
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You see, each tripod is rated to carry a certain weight. Stay below that and you're fine. Go above it and bad things might happen. With Calumet's parting comment of "Don't Drop It" ringing in my ears and the £4,000 deposit weighing my credit card down I researched my Manfrotto 190CXPro4 carbon fibre tripod's own weight rating. It can handle 5kg. When you add in the 1.2kg weight of my Canon 7D and grip it makes it an interesting combination.<br />
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Worst case? A gust of wind blows my (top heavy, overloaded) tripod over and with it my camera and £4,000 deposit...<br />
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I rang them back and explained what I was concerned about. The guy I spoke to sad that if it was his gear he would probably go for it but as it was a hire he probably wouldn't.That settled it. I duly trooped back to Calumet and, I have to say, they were brilliant. They reversed out the deposit and cancelled the hire <br />
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I may be thick but I'm not stupid..<br />
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Lesson learned: Before you hire that piece of dream gear research it all properly...<br />
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There you have the post that links my Flashing 12 days with my Photography days. More to come shortly.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-76129705541967578002011-04-21T21:22:00.000+00:002011-04-21T21:22:05.804+00:00A change of direction.As of today this blog will become my main blog for my photography review, news, notes and - of course - some pictures. I hope you enjoy it. If you don't, tell me. If you do, tell your friends.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-32730074950379466692009-11-09T20:43:00.000+00:002009-11-09T20:43:21.679+00:00Mandelson censors Jeremy ClarksonFrom Old Holborn blog...:---<br />
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Jeremy Clarkson<br />
Sunday Times<br />
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I’ve given the matter a great deal of thought all week, and I’m afraid I’ve decided that it’s no good putting Peter Mandelson in a prison. I’m afraid he will have to be tied to the front of a van and driven round the country until he isn’t alive any more.<br />
He announced last week that middle-class children will simply not be allowed into the country’s top universities even if they have 4,000 A-levels, because all the places will be taken by Albanians and guillemots and whatever other stupid bandwagon the conniving idiot has leapt<br />
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I hate Peter Mandelson. I hate his fondness for extremely pale blue jeans and I hate that preposterous moustache he used to sport in the days when he didn’t bother trying to cover up his left-wing fanaticism. I hate the way he quite literally lords it over us even though he’s resigned in disgrace twice, and now holds an important decision-making job for which he was not elected. Mostly, though, I hate him because his one-man war on the bright and the witty and the successful means that half my friends now seem to be taking leave of their senses.<br />
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There’s talk of emigration in the air. It’s everywhere I go. Parties. Work. In the supermarket. My daughter is working herself half to death to get good grades at GSCE and can’t see the point because she won’t be going to university, because she doesn’t have a beak or flippers or a qualification in washing windscreens at the lights. She wonders, often, why we don’t live in America.<br />
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Then you have the chaps and chapesses who can’t stand the constant raids on their wallets and their privacy. They can’t understand why they are taxed at 50% on their income and then taxed again for driving into the nation’s capital. They can’t understand what happened to the hunt for the weapons of mass destruction. They can’t understand anything. They see the Highway Wombles in those brand new 4x4s that they paid for, and they see the M4 bus lane and they see the speed cameras and the community support officers and they see the Albanians stealing their wheelbarrows and nothing can be done because it’s racist.<br />
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And they see Alistair Darling handing over £4,350 of their money to not sort out the banking crisis that he doesn’t understand because he’s a small-town solicitor, and they see the stupid war on drugs and the war on drink and the war on smoking and the war on hunting and the war on fun and the war on scientists and the obsession with the climate and the price of train fares soaring past £1,000 and the Guardian power-brokers getting uppity about one shot baboon and not uppity at all about all the dead soldiers in Afghanistan, and how they got rid of Blair only to find the lying twerp is now going to come back even more powerful than ever, and they think, “I’ve had enough of this. I’m off.”<br />
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It’s a lovely idea, to get out of this stupid, Fairtrade, Brown-stained, Mandelson-skewed, equal-opportunities, multicultural, carbon-neutral, trendily left, regionally assembled, big-government, trilingual, mosque-drenched, all-the-pigs-are-equal, property-is-theft hellhole and set up shop somewhere else. But where?<br />
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You can’t go to France because you need to complete 17 forms in triplicate every time you want to build a greenhouse, and you can’t go to Switzerland because you will be reported to your neighbours by the police and subsequently shot in the head if you don’t sweep your lawn properly, and you can’t go to Italy because you’ll soon tire of waking up in the morning to find a horse’s head in your bed because you forgot to give a man called Don a bundle of used notes for “organising” a plumber.<br />
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You can’t go to Australia because it’s full of things that will eat you, you can’t go to New Zealand because they don’t accept anyone who is more than 40 and you can’t go to Monte Carlo because they don’t accept anyone who has less than 40 mill. And you can’t go to Spain because you’re not called Del and you weren’t involved in the Walthamstow blag. And you can’t go to Germany ... because you just can’t.<br />
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The Caribbean sounds tempting, but there is no work, which means that one day, whether you like it or not, you’ll end up like all the other expats, with a nose like a burst beetroot, wondering if it’s okay to have a small sharpener at 10 in the morning. And, as I keep explaining to my daughter, we can’t go to America because if you catch a cold over there, the health system is designed in such a way that you end up without a house. Or dead.<br />
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Canada’s full of people pretending to be French, South Africa’s too risky, Russia’s worse and everywhere else is too full of snow, too full of flies or too full of people who want to cut your head off on the internet. So you can dream all you like about upping sticks and moving to a country that doesn’t help itself to half of everything you earn and then spend the money it gets on bus lanes and advertisements about the dangers of salt. But wherever you go you’ll wind up an alcoholic or dead or bored or in a cellar, in an orange jumpsuit, gently wetting yourself on the web. All of these things are worse than being persecuted for eating a sandwich at the wheel.<br />
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I see no reason to be miserable. Yes, Britain now is worse than it’s been for decades, but the lunatics who’ve made it so ghastly are on their way out. Soon, they will be back in Hackney with their South African nuclear-free peace polenta. And instead the show will be run by a bloke whose dad has a wallpaper shop and possibly, terrifyingly, a twerp in Belgium whose fruitless game of hunt-the-WMD has netted him £15m on the lecture circuit.<br />
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So actually I do see a reason to be miserable. Which is why I think it’s a good idea to tie Peter Mandelson to a van. Such an act would be cruel and barbaric and inhuman. But it would at least cheer everyone up a bit. onto in the meantime.<br />
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Guess what? It's gone<br />
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I guess Pinky Mandelbum didn't like it and leaned on The Thunderer...Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-35579745150266930722009-06-12T09:58:00.002+00:002009-06-12T09:58:24.215+00:00Health and happinessFor those of you not already in the know, I've been a bit poorly of late. For the avoidance of doubt, I am alive and well.<br />
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However...<br />
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I spent two nights in Queen Elizabeths Hospital in Woolwich (QEH) early last week attached to lots of machines that go ping. Let me explain a little.<br />
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I had a massive dizzy spell a couple of Wednesdays ago which last about three hours. That Friday I came home from work and went straight to bed. On the Sunday, I had some weird shit going on in my chest which lasted a couple of hours. At that point I decided to go to the Doctor's if I had another dizzy spell.<br />
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I had that on Monday afternoon.<br />
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Monday evening I rocked up at the Quack's and she did some basic tests and sent me packing to the A&E department of QEH. There was a 6 hour wait but I gave them the note, was seen by triage in 10 minutes, had an ECG 10 minutes after that and was in the full blown Resus room within 30 minutes of arriving. They called Janet and she arrived to pick up the car only to see me attached to two drips and an ECG machine. My heart rate was 158bpm, blood pressure was all over the place and I had more drugs thrown at me than I care to remember. At least the Quack didn't hoick me off to QEH in an ambulance.<br />
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I was admitted that evening and spent the next three days attached to various drips and machines until I had an "echo cardiogram" which finally nailed my condition down to "atrial fibrillation". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_fibrillation]<br />
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I was released last Wednesday and am now back at work. I have boxes of hardcore heart and blood drugs to take so I've got a multi-day multi-dose pill box into which I have decanted a weeks worth of pills which should make it a bit easier to remember what to take and when. I have regular appointments with the Anticoagulation Clinic who monitor my INR (International Normalised Ratio - a measure of the ability of the blood to clot) and make sure my blood stays nice and non-sticky. The heart is not pumping properly at the moment (the speed is fine, it's just not doing it properly) so there is a risk that blood clots could form in the heart as a result of the blood not being completely flushed from the heart on each cycle. I am taking Warfarin (rat poison) to stop the blood from clotting - thus (hopefully) removing that risk.<br />
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The next step will be "cardioversion" which is essentially a rebooting of the heart with a jolt of electricity to put it back into normal rhythm. The last thing they want is for the heart to be rebooted and have all the gunge which has built up in the bit that isn't working properly blasted out into the bloodstream by a working heart. Blood clots in the blood stream are generally considered a bad thing (stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis being some of the BAD that could happen). This is the reason for taking warfarin - to stop clots from forming. The cardioversion is booked for 24th July assuming my INR is between 2.0 and 3.0 for the two week period beforehand. General anasthetic but in and out in about 6 to 8 hours. The cardioversion should fix it completely but there is a risk it might come back in the future<br />
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So until then: no flying, no dramatic increase alcohol intake, no aspirin, no cranberry juice and no cutting myself with carving knives (oops, did that on Sunday, bled like a pig). I was due to go to the GSK in Orlando next week. That's been binned now.<br />
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The thing is I feel fine! On the outside I'm still me. I'm still active and okay. The machines in the hospital were telling a very different story though.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-65521414808327017852009-03-01T20:06:00.003+00:002009-03-02T14:07:17.195+00:00Malevolent voices that despise our freedoms - Philip PulmanA rather worrisome development since yesterday's Convention on Modern Liberty.<br /><br /><br />The wonderful article written by CoML Keynote speaker Philip Pullman on The Times website has disappeared. The link they have is giving a 404 error. Here is that link (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5811412.ece)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> [update: 2 March 08 - the article is back, under the original link above - but this posting is staying in case <del>the Government</del> The Times changes its mind]</span><br /><br />In an email sent to a friend on the eve of the Convention on Modern Liberty, Mr Pullman said this to a colleague.<br /><br /><br />—–Original Message—–<br />From: pullman [mailto:---------------------]<br />Sent: Fri 2/27/2009 8:43 PM<br />To: **** **********<br />Subject: Sinister disappearance<br />Dear ****,<br />My article has disappeared from the Times Online website with no word of why or where it’s gone. I’m just letting you know so that when I fail to turn up tomorrow you’ll be able to tell people that the secret police have got me.<br />Yours<br />Philip<br /><br /><b>HERE IS THE ARTICLE:</b><br /><br /><b>Malevolent voices that despise our freedoms</b><br /><br />Are such things done on Albion’s shore?<br /><br />The image of this nation that haunts me most powerfully is that of the sleeping giant Albion in William Blake’s prophetic books. Sleep, profound and inveterate slumber: that is the condition of Britain today.<br /><br />We do not know what is happening to us. In the world outside, great events take place, great figures move and act, great matters unfold, and this nation of Albion murmurs and stirs while malevolent voices whisper in the darkness - the voices of the new laws that are silently strangling the old freedoms the nation still dreams it enjoys.<br /><br />We are so fast asleep that we don’t know who we are any more. Are we English? Scottish? Welsh? British? More than one of them? One but not another? Are we a Christian nation - after all we have an Established Church - or are we something post-Christian? Are we a secular state? Are we a multifaith state? Are we anything we can all agree on and feel proud of?<br /><br />The new laws whisper:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You don’t know who you are<br /><br />You’re mistaken about yourself<br /><br />We know better than you do what you consist of, what labels apply to you, which facts about you are important and which are worthless<br /><br />We do not believe you can be trusted to know these things, so we shall know them for you<br /><br />And if we take against you, we shall remove from your possession the only proof we shall allow to be recognised<br /><br />The sleeping nation dreams it has the freedom to speak its mind. It fantasises about making tyrants cringe with the bluff bold vigour of its ancient right to express its opinions in the street. This is what the new laws say about that:<br /><br />Expressing an opinion is a dangerous activity<br /><br />Whatever your opinions are, we don’t want to hear them<br /><br />So if you threaten us or our friends with your opinions we shall treat you like the rabble you are<br /><br />And we do not want to hear you arguing about it<br /><br />So hold your tongue and forget about protesting<br /><br />What we want from you is acquiescence<br /><br /></span>The nation dreams it is a democratic state where the laws were made by freely elected representatives who were answerable to the people. It used to be such a nation once, it dreams, so it must be that nation still. It is a sweet dream.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You are not to be trusted with laws</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">So we shall put ourselves out of your reach</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We shall put ourselves beyond your amendment or abolition</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You do not need to argue about any changes we make, or to debate them, or to send your representatives to vote against them</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You do not need to hold us to account</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You think you will get what you want from an inquiry?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Who do you think you are?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What sort of fools do you think we are?</span><br /><br />The nation’s dreams are troubled, sometimes; dim rumours reach our sleeping ears, rumours that all is not well in the administration of justice; but an ancient spell murmurs through our somnolence, and we remember that the courts are bound to seek the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and we turn over and sleep soundly again.<br /><br />And the new laws whisper:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We do not want to hear you talking about truth</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Truth is a friend of yours, not a friend of ours</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We have a better friend called hearsay, who is a witness we can always rely on</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We do not want to hear you talking about innocence</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Innocent means guilty of things not yet done</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We do not want to hear you talking about the right to silence</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You need to be told what silence means: it means guilt</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We do not want to hear you talking about justice</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Justice is whatever we want to do to you</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And nothing else</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Are we conscious of being watched, as we sleep? Are we aware of an ever-open eye at the corner of every street, of a watching presence in the very keyboards we type our messages on? The new laws don’t mind if we are. They don’t think we care about it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We want to watch you day and night</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We think you are abject enough to feel safe when we watch you</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We can see you have lost all sense of what is proper to a free people</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We can see you have abandoned modesty</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of our friends have seen to that</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">They have arranged for you to find modesty contemptible</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In a thousand ways they have led you to think that whoever does not want to be watched must have something shameful to hide</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We want you to feel that solitude is frightening and unnatural</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We want you to feel that being watched is the natural state of things</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the pleasant fantasies that consoles us in our sleep is that we are a sovereign nation, and safe within our borders. This is what the new laws say about that:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We know who our friends are</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And when our friends want to have words with one of you</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We shall make it easy for them to take you away to a country where you will learn that you have more fingernails than you need</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It will be no use bleating that you know of no offence you have committed under British law</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It is for us to know what your offence is</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Angering our friends is an offence</span><br /><br />It is inconceivable to me that a waking nation in the full consciousness of its freedom would have allowed its government to pass such laws as the Protection from Harassment Act (1997), the Crime and Disorder Act (1998), the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000), the Terrorism Act (2000), the Criminal Justice and Police Act (2001), the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (2001), the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Extension Act (2002), the Criminal Justice Act (2003), the Extradition Act (2003), the Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2003), the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004), the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), the Prevention of Terrorism Act (2005), the Inquiries Act (2005), the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005), not to mention a host of pending legislation such as the Identity Cards Bill, the Coroners and Justice Bill, and the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.<br /><br />Inconceivable.<br /><br />And those laws say:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sleep, you stinking cowards</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sweating as you dream of rights and freedoms</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Freedom is too hard for you</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We shall decide what freedom is</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sleep, you vermin</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sleep, you scum.</span>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-52070798117369629822009-02-12T15:48:00.004+00:002009-02-12T15:50:20.373+00:0025 Random Things about me<span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">1 I used to collect sink plugs from trains – I had a collection of around 20 of them at one point.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">2 I still get reminded of the wizard prank I pulled at school in 1980 when I had spider on a piece of cotton above the headmasters head in school assembly</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">3 I enjoy playing bass guitar and wish I still had one.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">4 Podcasting is really important to me but I don’t seem to be able to make the time for it</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">5 International travel used to be fun but now it’s just boring. I still like Eurostar though.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">6 I own too many CD’s (DVD’s, LP’s, cassettes and 7” singles) but I can’t get rid of any. It’s a visceral thing. </span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">7 I once turned down the chance to go to a party with Lemmy from Motorhead. On reflection, 25 years later, it was probably the right thing to do.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">8 I wish I had had the courage to be more entrepreneurial. I am sure it would have worked out in the end. </span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">9 I still miss Simon Osborne who died nearly 15 years ago from leukaemia, aged 31</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">10 I can do realistic impressions of a plughole and a Spitfire.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">11 I used to make Airfix kits and when I got bored of them would fill them with cotton wool and meths, light them and throw them out of the window</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">12 I value the friendships I have made through podcasting – Paul Nicholls, Mike O’Hara, Jason Jarrett to name but a very few</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">13 Listener feedback for my podcast is a real win for me</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">14 I own too many gadgets – but he who has most toys wins. </span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">15 Photography is becoming an obsession</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">16 I don’t like prunes, rhubarb, liver or kidneys.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">17 I don’t eat too much – just too often.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">18 I am allergic to penicillin. Really allergic. Parky + penicillin = reaction to DEATH</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">19 I support Arsenal Football Club</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">20 I still beat myself up over missing my youngest son’s birthday last year. He still beats me up too.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">21 I used to make prank phone calls to taxi companies, restaurants and builders merchants. </span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">22 I am an atheist. You don’t have to believe in an invisible man and his zombie son to think it’s a good idea to treat others as you would like to be treated. It’s called the Golden Rule. Look it up.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">23 I am a liberal – in every sense of the word. This Thing doesn’t apply to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">24 I used to sit at the front of the carriage on the DLR and pretend to drive. I still do, if no-one is watching</span></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" ><span style="font-size:12;">25 I can be an arrogant shit but I try not to be. </span></span>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-5018392087491637702009-01-21T16:41:00.000+00:002009-01-21T16:43:42.932+00:00The Worst Food In America<h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Is it any wonder that America is the land of the Blimp-People? People that make me look positively anorexic…</span></span></b></h2><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">The link above takes you to the source but to make it easier for you to digest (sorry) here are the main points. <br />
</span></span></b></h2><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Parky</span></span></b></h2><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">1. The Worst Food in America of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake<br />
2,600 calories<br />
135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)<br />
263 g sugars<br />
1,700 mg sodium<br />
<br />
We didn't think anything could be worse than Baskin Robbins' 2008 bombshell, the Heath Bar Shake. After all, it had more sugar (266 grams) than 20 bowls of Froot Loops, more calories (2,310) than 11 actual Heath Bars, and more ingredients (73) than you'll find in most chemist labs. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">2. Worst Pasta of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Romano’s Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce<br />
2,430 calories<br />
128 g fat<br />
207 g carbs<br />
5,290 mg sodium<br />
<br />
With three times your recommended daily intake of saturated fat and two days’ worth of salt, these ain’t your mama’s meatballs (at least we hope not). This dish debuted on last year’s list, but there’s no other pasta that delivers this bad of a blow. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">3. Worst Starter of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Uno Chicago Grill Pizza Skins (full order)<br />
2,400 calories<br />
155 g fat (50 g saturated)<br />
3,600 mg sodium<br />
<br />
This appetizer is like eating a Large Domino’s Hand-Tossed Sausage Pizza! Would you ever think of saying to a waiter: “Why don’t you start us off with a large meat pizza?” If you’re ordering for a party of more than 5 it might be OK, but for smaller groups, it's tilting toward gluttony gone wild. Order the Thai Vegetable Pot Stickers instead—the only item carrying fewer than 800 calories.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">4. Worst Pizza of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza<br />
2,310 calories<br />
162 g fat<br />
123 g carbohydrates<br />
4,470 mg sodium<br />
<br />
A horrific 228 percent of your daily allowance of fat and 167 percent of your daily sodium intake. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">5. Worst Ribs of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Outback Steakhouse Baby Back Ribs (full rack)<br />
2,260 calories<br />
(no other nutritional information available)<br />
<br />
Let’s be honest: Ribs are rarely served alone on a plate. When you add a sweet potato and Outback’s Classic Wedge salad, this meal is a 3,340-calorie blowout. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">6. Worst Chicken Entrée of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Romano’s Macaroni Grill Primo Chicken Parmesan<br />
2,220 calories<br />
148 g fat (53 g saturated fat)<br />
4,440 mg sodium<br />
126 g carbohydrates<br />
<br />
“Primo” refers to something that’s the greatest of its kind. Sure, if the ranking is based on the ability to deliver unnecessary calories and fat—this glorified chicken breast is great at that.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">7. Worst Sandwich of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Quizno’s Tuna Melt (large)<br />
2,090 calories<br />
175 g fat (31 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)<br />
2,190 mg sodium<br />
<br />
This sandwich puts tuna’s healthy reputation on the line. A large homemade sandwich would likely provide one-fourth of the calorie</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">8. Worst Burger of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing<br />
2,040 calories<br />
150 g fat (53 g saturated)<br />
110 g protein<br />
4,900 mg sodium<br />
<br />
You know this burger's in trouble when it takes more than 20 syllables just to identify it. If you think the name’s a mouthful, just wait until the burger hits the table. You’ll be face to face with two-and-a-half day’s worth of fat—a full third of which is saturated. To do that much damage with roasted sirloin, you’d have to eat about eight 6-ounce steaks. It’s nearly three days’ worth of saturated fat.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">9. Worst Mexican Entrée of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas with The Works (Ranch Dressing, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Cheese, and Pico de Gallo + 4 tortillas) <br />
1,730 calories<br />
117 g fat (31 g saturated fat)<br />
5,690 mg sodium<br />
<br />
Here are a few offenders to choke on: fried chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, ranch dressing, and sour cream. All make this the sodium equivalent of single-handedly downing three and a half baskets of Chili's bottomless tostada chips or eating 3 ½ pounds of salted peanuts. Add rice and beans, and you've just ordered 3 days' worth of sodium and an entire day of calories. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">10. Worst Chinese Entrée of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">P.F. Chang’s Tam’s Noodles<br />
1, 678 calories<br />
93 g fat (17 g saturated fat)<br />
<br />
You’d have to eat 42 Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnut Holes to match the fat content in these noodles. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">11. Worst Surf and Turf of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">T.G.I. Friday’s NY Strip & Shrimp<br />
1,660 calories<br />
(no other nutritional information available)<br />
<br />
Diversity on your plate is usually a good thing, but not with this entrée. It has more calories than three Big Macs. Add variety with healthy sides like a house salad or Friday’s broccoli instead. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">12. Worst Dessert of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Romano’s Macaroni Grill Dessert Ravioli<br />
1,630 calories<br />
74 g fat<br />
33 g saturated fat<br />
1150 mg sodium<br />
223 g carbohydrates<br />
<br />
Would you eat a Quarter Pounder for dessert? How about four? That’s how many it takes to match to calorie-load of this decadent dish. It’s the quickest way to ruin what may have been a sensible dinner. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">13. Worst Fish Entrée of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Outback Steakhouse Atlantic Salmon (9 oz)<br />
1,640 calories<br />
(no other nutritional information available)<br />
<br />
Salmon is normally a healthier alternative to loaded burgers and creamy pastas, but this dish—with as many calories as 35 Chicken McNuggets—isn’t one of those substitutes.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">14. Worst Breakfast of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes<br />
1,543 calories<br />
77 g fat (26 g saturated; 9 g trans)<br />
2,259 mg sodium<br />
198 g carbs<br />
109 g sugars<br />
<br />
It’s not a good sign when it takes you nearly five seconds to spit out the name of your breakfast. This bad boy packs in more than 75 percent of your calories for the day, along with more sugar and fat than nine glazed Dunkin’ Donuts, and nearly as much sodium as five Bloody Marys. That’s why it’s back on our list of the 20 Worst Foods in America again this year.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">15. Worst Salad of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">T.G.I. Fridays Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad<br />
1,360 calories<br />
Fat: unknown (The company refuses to disclose the nutritional content of the food they’re serving you.)<br />
Sodium: unknown<br />
<br />
Turns out Friday’s monster salads aren’t much better than their burgers. Six out of the seven we analyzed topped out with more than 900 calories, which means that lunchtime can be the start of something big—namely, your belly.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">16. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Dairy Queen 6-Piece Chicken Strip Basket<br />
1,270 calories<br />
67 g fat (11 g saturated fat)<br />
2,910 mg sodium<br />
<br />
The strips deliver more grams of fat than four DQ Homestyle Burgers, and nearly 300 more calories than a Large Strawberry CheeseQuake Blizzard. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">17. Worst Kids' Meal of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Chili’s Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crispers with Ranch Dressing and Homestyle Fries<br />
1,110 calories<br />
82 g fat (15 g saturated)<br />
1,980 mg sodium<br />
56 g carbohydrates<br />
<br />
Most kids, if given the choice, would live on chicken fingers for the duration of their adolescent lives. If those chicken fingers happened to come from Chili’s, it might be a pretty short life. A moderately active 8-year-old boy should eat around 1,600 calories a day. This single meal plows through 75 percent of that allotment. So unless he plans to eat carrots and celery sticks for the rest of the day (and we know he doesn’t), find a healthier chicken alternative. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">18. Worst "Healthy" Sandwich of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Blimpie Veggie Supreme (12”)<br />
1,106 calories<br />
56 g fat (33 g saturated fat)<br />
2,831 mg sodium<br />
96 g carbohydrates<br />
<br />
Sure, a Veggie Supreme sandwich sounds healthy, but this foot-long comes with three different kinds of cheese, and it’s drenched in oil. </span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">19. Worst Supermarket Meal of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Marie Callender’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie<br />
1,060 calories<br />
64 g fat (24 g saturated fat)<br />
1,440 mg sodium<br />
<br />
Marie Callender’s perpetrates the ultimate sleight of hand here: the nutrition information says this medium-size entrée has two servings, but honestly, when have you ever split a potpie? Lard-strewn pastry tops and cream-based fillings are the lowest common denominators of the nutritionally nefarious potpie, and this one, with an ingredient list that reads like an O-Chem final, beats out dozens of horrendous iterations to earn this special place on our list.</span></span></div><h2><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">20. Worst Breakfast Sandwich of 2009</span></span></b></h2><div style="margin-top: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Hardee’s Monster Biscuit<br />
710 calories<br />
51 g fat (17 g saturated)<br />
2,250 mg sodium<br />
37 g carbohydrates<br />
<br />
When they say “Monster,” they mean it. This 700-calorie behemoth should be enough to scare anyone: It contains nearly a full day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat. Instead, try the Sunrise Croissant with Bacon. It’s not exactly diet-friendly, but if you’re stuck at Hardee’s, it’s a way to escape without too much damage.</span></span></div>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-84814742050836747992008-11-26T13:27:00.003+00:002008-11-26T14:02:23.672+00:00Efficiency vs. EffectivenessI had an experience this morning that I wanted to share with you.<br /><br />As some/many of you will know I work in sales for a major software house, based in London. Industry knowledge is an important part of the job so I subscribe to various email lists and RSS feeds which give me the information I need to do my job.<br /><br />One particular company started to change the mix of their messages to me - more product selling than information delivery. So I decided to cancel the subscription. I checked the email and sure enough there was the unsubscribe link. I told it to open in a new window - fully expecting it to be one of those "Your unsubscribe request has been accepted" type messages. It wasn't. It opened a blank email to the unsubscribe list manager.<br /><br />Now, you have to understand that 99 times out of a hundred I just hit send. This time I did something different. I sent them a message to tell them why. It looked like this:<br /><br />"From: Parkinson, Paul <br />Sent: 26 November 2008 11:52<br />To: remove@XYZpublishing.com (Not the real name!)<br />Subject: Reason for removal request.<br /><br />The signal to noise ratio was too high. Too much “product for sale” marketing compared with the information content. Sorry."<br /><br />Here is where it gets interesting. I got the following email back - within 10 minutes no less.<br /><br />"From: SC [mailto:remove@XYZpublishing.com]<br />Sent: 26 November 2008 12:02<br />To: Parkinson, Paul<br />Subject: RE: Reason for removal request.<br /><br />Dear Paul,<br /><br />Thank you for your email and feedback. We always welcome feedback and have found your comments useful. Would you like to still receive our weekly ezine which is an information/news email?<br /><br />Kind regards,<br /><br />SC<br />Sales Administrator"<br /><br />Brilliant! SC turned an unsubscribe request into resubscribe with one great question. Do I want to receive the weekly e-zine? Why yes I do! Thank you very much. And I stayed with them. <br /><br />Some of you might be thinking "so what?"<br /><br />They used a human being to capture the unsubscribe requests which is is unusual these days. All too often it's just a machine. It's true that with many large lists the job is a painfully tedious one which could be done "better" by a program BUT could a program have given me feedback understanding the issue I experienced and offer to improve their service to me by fine tuning their lists to my benefit? Furthermore could a program have made me feel better about the company I am doing business with (albeit in a small way) - to the extent I am blogging about it?<br /><br />I guess what I am driving at is the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. Using a "remove" program is very efficient but a human being is more effective.<br /><br />As one of my sales trainers from back the day said:<br />Efficiency vs. Effectiveness - don't mop harder. Turn off the tap.<br /><br />A little human intervention goes a long, long, way and THAT is the important thing we need to remember in this connected world.<br /><br />The company? <b><a href="http://www.ibspublishing.com/">www.ibspublishing.com</a></b><br />Thank you, SC.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-27580377982560692012008-11-05T13:52:00.000+00:002008-11-05T13:53:53.459+00:00Bushisms...While large corners of the world are busy celebrating Obama's presidential victory there will be some people feeling slightly deflated to see George Bush step down as US president. <br />
<br />
Over the past eight years Bush has provided us with endless amusement as a result of his faux pas or ‘Bushisms' as they've been dubbed. Here are twenty favourites.<br />
<br />
20. "Those who enter the country illegally violate the law." - Nov. 28, 2005<br />
<br />
19. "We don't believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans." - Sept. 6, 2000<br />
<br />
18. "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." - Dec. 19, 2000<br />
<br />
17. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." - Aug. 30, 2000<br />
<br />
16. "I think we agree, the past is over." - May 10, 2000<br />
<br />
15. "I understand small business growth. I was one." - Feb. 19, 2000<br />
<br />
14. "This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." - April 23, 2002<br />
<br />
13. "I want everybody to hear loud and clear that I'm going to be the president of everybody." - Jan. 18, 2001<br />
<br />
12. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." - Jan. 3, 2000<br />
<br />
11. "I was proud the other day when both Republicans and Democrats stood with me in the Rose Garden to announce their support for a clear statement of purpose: you disarm, or we will." - Oct. 5, 2002<br />
<br />
10. "I just want you to know that when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." - June 18, 2002<br />
<br />
9. "I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." - May 25, 2004<br />
<br />
8. "I firmly believe the death tax is good for people from all walks of life all throughout our society." - Aug. 13, 2002<br />
<br />
7. "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." - Sept. 17, 2002<br />
<br />
6. "The truth of that matter is, if you listen carefully, Saddam would still be in power if he were the president of the United States, and the world would be a lot better off." - Oct. 8, 2004<br />
<br />
5. "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - Sept. 29, 2000<br />
<br />
4. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004<br />
<br />
3. "Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" - Jan. 11, 2000<br />
<br />
2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." - Jan. 27, 2000<br />
<br />
1. "They misunderestimated me." - Nov. 6, 2000Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-16990095750093977442008-10-16T14:07:00.000+00:002008-10-16T14:14:13.915+00:00Queen Elizabeth at GoogleWhilst the majority of the Royal Family are a bunch of useless hangers on with nothing more to add to my life than an empy jar of Marmite, it was nice to see Google UK putting a special front page together for HRH's visit to their offices today.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SPdLCwk1KdI/AAAAAAAAAO8/bRGRT92WspA/s1600-h/queen_elizabeth.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SPdLCwk1KdI/AAAAAAAAAO8/150pQpLQoyQ/s320-R/queen_elizabeth.gif" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Prince Charles I can live without and ditto for his mistress-cum-wife Camzilla</div>Diana's boys seem to be decent lads - and once HRH shuffles off this mortal coil I hope Charlie The Tree Hugger will swerve his "duty" and hand over to William. <br />
<br />
Whilst the idea of a UK Republic has its attractions I don't really beleive it will ever happen and even if it did I don't see any way that our current political system would give us figurehead that carried any weight or power.<br />
<br />
I am not particularly a royallist (note the small 'r') but neither am I a Republican. Somewhere in between if that's possible.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-35540672654887267012008-10-16T08:57:00.000+00:002008-10-16T08:59:17.892+00:00Making Twitter PayI like Twitter. I post a reasonable amount (twitter:parkylondon) and would be prepared to pay for my use of Twitter. <br />
<br />
My suggestion (FWIW) is that if you post less than (say) 30 times per month it stays free but over that you pay (say) five bucks per month. If you are a mega-poster that would rise to twenty bucks a month for over - say - 250 posts per month. The model is from Libsyn - it works for them, and me, and I think it would work for Twitter.<br />
<br />
If they get people dropping off then so be it. It's a great service. Let's make it pay.<br />
<br />
This was originally posted as a comment to this posting at <b><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/help_twitter_find_a_revenue_model.php#114089">Read Write Web</a></b>.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-41529363046148392382008-10-07T09:53:00.000+00:002008-10-07T10:02:18.225+00:00Smallest aeroplane on a scheduled flight......that I've been on. I went on this, a Brittan Norman Trislander from Jersey to Guernsey (and back) last week. It's a three engined propeller plane which seats 16 people. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SOsx0d21nuI/AAAAAAAAAO0/VP2HgSD6KZ0/s1600-h/image001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SOsx0d21nuI/AAAAAAAAAO0/g3va5vPYqhw/s320-R/image001.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I saw it for the first time I thought O...M....G...!!! How are we all going to get in to it? It's got four doors, the seat backs flip down (like in a 2 door car) and they call you forward to be placed in the plane. On the way out I was in the back but on the way back I was in the third row from the front. A most excellent little plane and the view was amazing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It felt a bit like there was a huge elastic band being wound up and then let go as we prepared for take off but after that it was a very smooth flight. I rather suspect, however, that a November night flight with the wind howling and the rain pounding might be a different kettle of fish.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Interestingly the flight from Jersey to Guernsey was at 1,000 feet and the flight back was at 2,000 feet. Safety first! It takes about 15 minutes. The airline was Aurigny (www.aurigny.com) and it was a very pleasant experience. One member of crew on the flight, the pilot - no co-pilot - and no trolley dollies. I was expecting the pilot to start chucking buns around for our lunch but I think he had his hands full... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back there in a week or two...</div>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-35803626090139686852008-09-18T13:14:00.000+00:002008-09-18T13:21:55.061+00:00Nested Labels in Google ReaderI've just realised something about gMail which might be something new but it's new for me - hence this post.<br />
<br />
Set up a new label in gMail such as Music / Amplifico or Tech / TWiT<br />
Then look at the Label List - you'll see a wee cross next to the top level label. Click it. And presto! The second level label appears.<br />
<br />
Now add a secondary label such as Music / Hollow Horse or Tech / Dvorak. You'll see each of these are now "nested" out of the Music or Tech labels. Neat huh?<br />
<br />
<br />
If this is new or not spotted before then yay me. Otherwise just put it down to age. A senior moment! lolz.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-65775556791964793592008-09-15T13:02:00.002+00:002008-09-15T13:13:33.485+00:00The Credit Crunch and what it means for the man on the street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dBdwbsbI/AAAAAAAAANE/GOQz2P1FGck/s1600-h/Queen.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dBdwbsbI/AAAAAAAAANE/nGu2kSWrsfQ/s320-R/Queen.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Her Maj now the Civil List has been reduced.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dC0sJhrI/AAAAAAAAANM/rOxmuy9RXQI/s1600-h/iphone.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dC0sJhrI/AAAAAAAAANM/N-YNSh5wHfo/s320-R/iphone.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">iPhone 4G</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dPVc1wPI/AAAAAAAAANU/RAsDaZTo3mg/s1600-h/tankofpetrol.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dPVc1wPI/AAAAAAAAANU/klUl65jv0iQ/s320-R/tankofpetrol.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A prize worth winning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dScsJTLI/AAAAAAAAANc/EzFW1M2YdBA/s1600-h/olympics.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dScsJTLI/AAAAAAAAANc/-Zy8fkMKFoo/s320-R/olympics.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">London 2012. Man those budgets cuts really help!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dT4po8EI/AAAAAAAAANk/biPg6iY3IDc/s1600-h/onionring.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dT4po8EI/AAAAAAAAANk/sml-J62rQiQ/s320-R/onionring.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lord of the Onion Ring. Well, gold is way expensive now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dfSimAPI/AAAAAAAAANs/-IPfDLX5oYY/s1600-h/paddington.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dfSimAPI/AAAAAAAAANs/GhAfi_q6EB4/s320-R/paddington.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">17h30 Paddington to Exeter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dic42whI/AAAAAAAAAN0/cbIyWL8oTSI/s1600-h/rosswoss.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dic42whI/AAAAAAAAAN0/Z0Si1rSWgR8/s320-R/rosswoss.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Poor old Jonathan. He didn't deserve that did he?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dlW8D5bI/AAAAAAAAAN8/O-lKx4rJoX8/s1600-h/word.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dlW8D5bI/AAAAAAAAAN8/NIzGrXVPWyg/s320-R/word.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Word 2009</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dnpGu3AI/AAAAAAAAAOM/qt9bOkZwzUc/s1600-h/shampoo.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5dnpGu3AI/AAAAAAAAAOM/ikircTz8enI/s320-R/shampoo.bmp" border="0" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />Shampoo - it's just another non-essential now.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5d7nM1grI/AAAAAAAAAOU/26ZmAU-SzyQ/s1600-h/clarkson.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SM5d7nM1grI/AAAAAAAAAOU/-kCLOHRIGFE/s320-R/clarkson.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Clarkson. I'd love to see him drive this!<br /></div>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-73764003166619398442008-08-25T14:45:00.001+00:002008-08-25T14:45:32.037+00:00Brains....<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/parkylondon/2795454827/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3010/2795454827_312e0559af_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/parkylondon/2795454827/">img_6426a</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/parkylondon/">parkylondon</a></span></div>Is this a zombie magnet?<br clear="all" />Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-3713136796313166522008-08-15T08:45:00.000+00:002008-08-15T08:46:22.236+00:00Motivational Sayings...<div class="MsoNormal">Put these on a Motivational Poster....<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos...then you probably haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.<br />
<br />
Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you job security.<br />
<br />
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.<br />
<br />
Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.<br />
<br />
A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat.<br />
<br />
Plagiarism saves time.<br />
<br />
If at first you don't succeed, try management.<br />
<br />
Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.<br />
<br />
TEAMWORK...means never having to take all the blame yourself. <br />
<br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rome</st1:place></st1:city> did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.<br />
<br />
The beatings will continue until morale improves.<br />
<br />
Never! underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.<br />
<br />
We waste time so you don't have to.<br />
<br />
Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!<br />
<br />
Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.<br />
<br />
A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all.<br />
<br />
When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.<br />
<br />
INDECISION is the key to FLEXIBILITY.<br />
<br />
Succeed in spite of management.<br />
<br />
Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-34606274257387928302008-07-28T15:25:00.001+00:002008-11-19T01:19:52.270+00:00Cuill / Cuil - naaah (not quite so) rubbish...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SI3lCoQKW8I/AAAAAAAAAM8/3USoBGnHuH0/s1600-h/parkylondon+cuill+2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SI3lCoQKW8I/AAAAAAAAAM8/3USoBGnHuH0/s400/parkylondon+cuill+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228086575774718914" border="0" /></a><br />Interestingly I've done a new "vanity" search on Cuill and got a new results (see below post)Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-11140798146331659782008-07-28T06:50:00.001+00:002008-11-19T01:19:52.287+00:00Cuill / Cuil - naaah rubbish...I just tried out the new search engine, Cuill at www.cuil.com (pronounced "cool" or, in American "coo-il".<br /><br />Anyway, it doesn't matter how it's pronounced one, it's rubbish.<br /><br />I searched for "parkylondon" - that'll be me then! - of course you do a vanity search first!!!<br /><br />Google: 16,600 responses for parkylondon<br />Cuil: nil. none. nada, zero, zip.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SI1tKQJQ4HI/AAAAAAAAAM0/PPxfjuoPbf8/s1600-h/parkylondon+cuill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xm2kcAPnv_Q/SI1tKQJQ4HI/AAAAAAAAAM0/SkdxNQVmbLU/s320-R/parkylondon+cuill.JPG" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a><br /><br />I know vanity searches are, well, vain but it's a good test. Cuil? Fail.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-33735268898448968352008-07-21T13:04:00.000+00:002008-07-21T13:07:45.070+00:00It resonates, oh yes it resonates..<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">A<defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> Japanese company ( <st1:city w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:city u2:st="on">Toyota</defanghtml_st1:city></st1:city> ) and an <defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname>merican company (GM) decided to have a canoe race on the <st1:place w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:place u2:st="on">Missouri River</defanghtml_st1:place></st1:place>. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a country mile.</defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <br />
The <defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname>mericans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat . <defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname> management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action . <br />
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the <defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname>merican team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.</defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />
Feeling a deeper study was in order, <defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname>merican management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.</defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />
They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing . <br />
Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. </defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder . It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.</defanghtml_span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The next year the Japanese won by two miles.<br />
</defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />
Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:place u2:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:country-region u2:st="on">India</defanghtml_st1:country-region></defanghtml_st1:place></st1:place></st1:country-region>. </defanghtml_span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Sadly, The End. </defanghtml_span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Here's something else to think about: </defanghtml_span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">GM has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:place u2:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:country-region u2:st="on">US</defanghtml_st1:country-region></defanghtml_st1:place></st1:place></st1:country-region> , claiming they can't make money paying <defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname>merican wages. </defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:city u2:st="on">TOYOT<defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname></defanghtml_st1:city></st1:city> has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:place u2:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:country-region u2:st="on">US</defanghtml_st1:country-region></defanghtml_st1:place></st1:place></st1:country-region>. The last quarter's results: </defanghtml_span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br />
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:place u2:st="on"><defanghtml_st1:city u2:st="on">TOYOT<defanghtml_st1:personname u2:st="on">A</defanghtml_st1:personname></defanghtml_st1:city></defanghtml_st1:place></st1:place></st1:city> makes 4 billion in profits while GM racked up 9 billion in losses. <br />
GM folks are still scratching their heads.</defanghtml_span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><defanghtml_span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">IF THIS WEREN'T TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.</defanghtml_span></span>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-87278285202899152642008-07-14T10:02:00.002+00:002008-07-14T10:16:05.991+00:00Dr Christopher King - The Bible - Literalism and picking and mixing your theologyI note with some interest the comments of Dr Christopher King, a member of the traditionalist group Forward in Faith, after the heckler at the sermon given by Right Reverend Gene Robinson, the world's first openly gay Anglican Bishop. The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7504570.stm" style="font-weight: bold;">BBC article here</a> outlines events.<br />
<br />
Dr. King asked: "How do you go into the Bible and pick and mix your theology? It's not about being prejudiced. It's about what's in the Bible."<br />
<br />
Well.. If its ALL about what's in The Bible and taking it ALL and not "picking and mixing your thelogy" perhaps he could comment on <a href="http://www.atheistalliance.org/humor/dr_laura.php"><b>the following items</b></a> in the Good Book:<br />
<br />
"Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can.<br />
<br />
When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.<br />
<br />
1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?<br />
<br />
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?<br />
<br />
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.<br />
<br />
4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?<br />
<br />
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?<br />
<br />
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?<br />
<br />
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?<br />
<br />
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?<br />
<br />
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?<br />
<br />
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread. (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev.24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)"<br />
<br />
Seems like you can pick and mix your theology to your hearts content. If it's in the Bible (and it probably is!) you can do it.<br />
<br />
People like Dr. King get right up my nose, the pompous prig.Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-8945185455118627112008-07-07T20:41:00.001+00:002008-07-07T20:44:48.988+00:00Snowboarding at Bromley july 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7hZI4iA-s0E"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7hZI4iA-s0E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18609110.post-53882635424643671342008-07-07T19:37:00.001+00:002008-07-07T19:37:50.204+00:00Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French - TIME magazine<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1820358,00.html'>Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French - TIME</a><br/><br/>Interesting article. Apparently the Americans at least try to talk the local language. Les Frogs struggle. Seems counter-intuitive to me.<br/><blockquote/></div>Parkylondonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09345739424510345677noreply@blogger.com0