I often hear people bemoan the demise of the polite society and this is a complaint that is not limited to older generations. It is becoming more and more noticeable that common courtesy is rare than rocking horse manure these days. Rudeness, selfishness, arrogance and disrespect are common currency with much of society but why does that surprise us so?

You have only to look at the television, at newspapers, at magazines, at general media to understand why. A particular case in point were some advertisements that I happened to see (I really don't watch that much TV). One was for a car and another for an insurance company. The former showed a young couple and the male partner did something extremely minor in HER car (I emphasise the possessive pronoun because of the selfishness that followed). So when he spots a music star in the street and wants his photo taken with him, she deliberately screws the photo up and only has their feet. The punchline being that he shouldn't have disrespected HER car because it's so good.

NEWSFLASH!!!!!
If it makes people treat each other so badly then no it isn't. The entire range should be consigned to the scrap heap and the designer quietly taken out and shot! The company should be liquidated and nobody should ever hear of them again. Why is it good to exhort selfishness and petty revenge as desired behaviours? Horrific!!

The second advertisement shows a woman walking down a street and window shopping. Everything she sees magically appears on her as she walks down the street. Then she comes to a window with a woman dressing a dummy and lo and behold the dress is on her. No ... not the dress from the dummy but the one the woman was wearing. You see it's perfectly OK if you have money to take from other people. To take from them, humiliate them and smile about it because you have money. What the hell is the message that sends to people?

I am sure you can find more and more of these and in more an more place. Be aware of them. Be aware of the message they are sending. Educate if you can.
Storm Master "Aeolus" happy - 13 years, 9 months, 18 days ago

This is not a criticism of those that do uphold the ritual of St Valentines day but an explanation of why I don't subscribe to it. I believe that love needs no special day, no organised festival in which romance is celebrated. I believe that love and romance are spontaneous, constant and not subject to the whims of card manufacturers and florists to make a profit from. If I wish to give someone a rose, it is because I wish it to happen when I feel that way, not when I and my fellow romantics are forced to by guilt imposed by corporate interests and shareholders.

For those not given to romantic gesture, this festival of romance may be an opportunity to do something romantic without macho guilt but to force people into that position can cause resentment.

I will not be buying overprices flowers, cards, perfume or chocolates tomorrow. Because I can and do buy them when I want to, and when I am with a woman I love ... that is often.
Storm Master "Aeolus" happy - 13 years, 9 months, 20 days ago

Well that was a slog and I can honestly say that I have not felt so ill in all my life. However thankfully not life-threatening in any way. I fell ill with swine flu and I must say that the £10 test does hold true.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the £10 test it goes like this: if you are suffering, get someone to remove a £10 note from your wallet/purse and drop it on the floor in front of you. If you pick it up, you just have a cold or are just unwell, if you sit and stare at it for a day or two then you have flu. Substitute with your choice of currency.

Unfortunately that was not the end of it. The current batch of flu carries with it the promise of follow-on illness and mine went in that manner too. After 10 days of the flu I started to get a little concerned because it usually only lasts 5 days. By day 10 I had a temperature of 102 and was still having trouble breathing.

The GPs surgeries urge you NOT to visit if you suspect you have flu so I had not done so. However a call to the NHS direct phone line got me the advice that I really should get myself to an emergency doctors. So duly I struggles and, because of the suspected flu, found myself alone in a side waiting room. Eventually I was seen and the doctor listened to my chest and immediately sent me up to a ward to get me on strong antibiotics quickly. Seems I had picked up the mother of chest infections. I was in overnight getting dosed up and then sent home the next day with a weeks worth of strong antibiotics. For 5 days my temperature barely dropped below 100 but my breathing started to ease. After 8 days I was feeling much better but incredibly weak.

So here I am back again. Hopefully much stronger and wanting to catch up with everyone I have missed.
Storm Master "Aeolus" happy - 13 years, 9 months, 29 days ago

Kellemes karácsonyt és boldog új évet!
Prettige kerstdagen en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
Joyeux Noël et nouvelle année!
Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr!
Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo!
Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!
С Рождеством Христовым и счастливое Новый Год!
God jul och gott nytt år!
God jol og godt nyttår!
Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda!
A Blythe Yule an a Guid Hogmanay!
Storm Master "Aeolus" happy - 13 years, 11 months, 11 days ago

I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, his name is Pepe. He is a Timber Wolf that I have adopted as part of the conservation of wolves in this an many other countries where they are hunted to the point of near extinction, merely for being an annoyance to man's grand despoiling of the world. Research has proven that they are an essential part of the ecosystem and where they have been indiscriminately culled the environmental repercussions have been severe. They are misunderstood and beautiful creatures.
Storm Master "Aeolus" happy - 13 years, 11 months, 12 days ago