I'm back - not with a vengance

I was so depressed, thinking of Iraq, Baghdad, My Family and everything that's going on and on and on over there... And I hated it all.

The Ungrateful ……

I haven’t posted anything for ages – not because I stopped caring about the world, it’s just because one has to try and keep on top of ones problems, especially when you have to prioritise the important bits… And the writing was not that important at the time…

Saying that, I was sitting down today with nothing better to do than flick through the TV channels with the remote, hoping for that rare Gem. When I got to ITV-1, the Mrs. O’s Show (Sharon Osbourne) was on, with a guest that had a very familiar face, he just looked like, like John Lennon.

I was a fan, so I thought what the hell, I’m sure I could do worst than that so I decided to sit down, watch and listen….

According to Mrs. O, “Sean Lennon is a very talented musician in his own right“, well, in my book that is very debatable, especially after listening to the song, I really think the talent has skipped a generation on this occasion, same as with Ozzie, his Kids and wife…

When Mrs. O asked him about the resemblance he has with his father, and how does he feel. He answered, “So, what, everyone looks like their father, and it gets boring after hearing that all the time.” - True, so true I thought, but the difference being that, my sons don’t try to imitate me, don’t try to look like me, they don‘t have the same hear cut as me, the same beard as me, the same moustache as me, the same clothes as me, and they certainly don’t wear the same glasses as I do….

Dude, wake up and smell the coffee – You are an ungrateful, untalented prat. Because you look like John Lennon, that does not make you John Lennon – you definitely can’t sing and the only reason you were given a record contract is because of your dad and the resemblance, which you seem to be milking at present…...

MTH

Problems, what problems? We're all Amigos here...

DAMASCUS, Syria - Gunmen apparently blew up a car outside the U.S. Embassy and exchanged fire with Syrian guards on Tuesday in a brazen attack on Damascus' diplomatic neighbourhood. Syrian security forces killed three of the attackers, the government said.

Syria is a major crossing point for militants from around the Arab world to slip into Iraq to fight in the insurgency. In the face of U.S. pressure, Damascus has insisted it is doing all it can to stop the infiltrations but that the long desert border is too difficult to seal.

This is one of these things that the Syrian Government allowed to happen through their actions in supporting the "so called" Resistance in Iraq. They allowed every Tom, Dick and Harry through the Border with Iraq, without any attempt to stop anybody... A friend of mine just returned from Syria, he said he paid $150.00 for a Taxi from Syria to his front door in Iraq... And nobody even attempted to stop them (him and the other four he was sharing the Taxi with) or question their motives, he said they just drove through and he was home the next morning....

It was inevitable that, this so called "Resistance" and the misguided idiots behind it, were going to spill over to Syria, and while keeping the Americans bogged down in Iraq may have sounded like a good idea and proposition at the time, to the Syrians, I don't think their decision to give these people the Green Light to do what they want, was the wisest... And I truly believe that the Syrians will regret that sooner rather than later...

And as they say here – everybody reaps what they've sawn... And if you play with Shit, you'll Stink...

What Price?

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, in a TV interview aired Sunday, regretted that he had ordered the capture of the two Israeli soldiers. Had he known it would lead to such a war he would not have done it.

It's OK to say that to me and to others, but what about the 1200+ people who were killed because of this little misadventure.... What can you tell their families and loved ones, I don't think regret or a simple sorry would cut the mustard this time... What about the damage to the Lebanese economy and infrastructure....

New York-based group Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of acting outside the rules of war by firing cluster bombs into civilian areas. Critics of cluster bombs say the relatively high numbers of unexploded bomblets can kill and maim long after conflict has ended, and that their use in civilian areas breaks a legal ban on indiscriminate attacks. In response, the Israeli military told the BBC: "All the weapons and munitions used by the Israel Defence Forces are legal under international law and their use conforms to international standards."

If there is any justice left in this world, both the Sheik and the Prime Minister of Israel, their backers and arm suppliers should be tried for crimes against humanity...

We can't let anybody get away with killing civilians for any reason...

And the Award for Worst Customer Service Goes to….

I, like millions of people happen to have more than one mobile phone. Unlike many, I like to insure everything against unsuspected eventualities, i.e. theft, accidents and the likes, but not floods, storms or civil wars...

I bought a new phone with a contract back in December 2005, and being a sucker for punishment, I bought the everything Insurance as well...

Around May, I dropped the Phone on the Floor from a table that wasn’t that high (less than 12“), but I still managed to crack the screen...

I phoned the Insurers there and then, and I told them what had happened, and whether this had been a design fault with this particular handset, especially since I had other phones and they all seem to get dropped and to no ill effect.

They Kindly gave me the phone number where I need to ring to air my concerns…

I phoned the company (that shall remain nameless) to be greeted by an idiot who said, no there is nothing wrong with these phones as long as you don’t drop them at all – I wasn‘t very impressed and we exchanged a few choice words… And I left it at that…

I left the phone on one side, and in the meantime I used my other mobile phones.

3 Months down the line, during which I did not use the damaged phone at all, but kept my repayments for the phone, the contract, the tariff and the insurance up-to-date (these being taken out directly via direct debt). During that period, I did not complain or anything.

This morning I got another bill and instructions that tells me that the amount will be taken out of my Bank account once again, I was OK with that – however, I decided to ring the insurers again to ask them for a repair or replacement for the damaged handset.

After waiting in the Queue for twenty five long minutes and listening to the complete Greensleeves back catalogue, I got greeted by a “Customer Advisor”- I told her the story - she said that they will not be able to repair or replace my handset, because they think [a] It’s a fraudulent claim and, [b] Its too late for that claim, because I told them about the same problem around 28 or more days ago...

So what has this got to do with the price of cheese, you might ask, well, I just don’t know…

I said, what do you mean fraudulent – I still have the original handset here in front of me… So what constitutes a fraudulent claim?

Well, why did you not ring us back sooner then?, "Because I’m the customer, its my handset, its my money that you are taking every month and because its up to me to ring you when I want...".

So what if, I accidentally smash my phone with a hammer while hanging a picture, that would have been OK, she said yes, but since I have told her about it before doing it, then “NO, it would not be OK now”.

Umm, what if, while I’m talking to somebody, a freak gust of wind blows the handset from my hand, straight under a passing car’s wheel, would that be OK, she said yes, but since I have told her about it before doing it, then “NO, it would not be OK now”.

This time she gave me a warning that the call is being recorded and anything I would say, would be used as evidence against me…

I was going to ask her whether it would be OK if I drop the phone down the grid that leads to the sewer, what if I go to the Zoo and an Elephant walks on that, but by then I just had enough of all the bullshit and demanded to speak to the Supervisor / Manager.

The woman puts me on hold for another 5 or so minutes then answers the phone, pretending to be the Manager.

After arguing and shouting at the woman for another 20 minutes she decided to reinstate my claim (hallelujah) - and promised me that someone would ring me within 10 minutes to take the details… I thanked her and waited, and waited, and waited… Five hours later and still no call and nobody to take my details…

That thing (not calling me back) did not bother me much, even though it did annoy me, however, what really bothers me is the fact that you have to shout to be heard. People just don’t want to listen to the voice of reason, instead they need a confrontation of a sort or need to be shouted at… I hate this…

And the winner is t-mobile and their insurance arm, fonesafe:( - The super fragile handset is the infamous SDA II..

Use wisely, at you peril…

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

I know this has nothing to do with Iraq, politics or the ME, but life goes on...

Today, trying to keep the kids happy during the Summer School Holidays, we decided to watch a movie at the local Cinema. My Daughter wanted to watch another Computer Generated Cartoon movie (they seem to have more and more of these each day), My Son wanted to Watch Nacho Libre, to keep the Peace, my sanity and everybody amused, I decided instead to watch, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

We’ve already seen the first movie and thought it would be fun, if it was more of the same. My kids enjoyed the first movie so much, that we even bought the DVD so that we can watch it whenever we want.

But, boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, was I wrong this time…. This is the first movie that seem to suck and blow at the same time. It is just wrong on so many levels and I just don‘t know where to start… Could it be the bad/non existent story line that they've tried to milk for 3 hours? Or, is it the shallow characters? Or even, the incoherent dialogue?, Or is it the premise of a third instalment - I think it’s the combination of all these.

On the plus side, the acting was not that bad, nor were the effects and stunts, but nothing special this day and age.

We left the theatre sad that we’ve lost 3 hours of our lives on this drivel, happy to be still sane and alive, bored to tears, and wished that we‘ve watched something just plain stupid, like Nacho Libre, with the odd laugh, instead.

Rating – 1 Banana (I don’t know what that means, but its really, really bad – or absolute rubbish – try to avoid at all costs)….

And to sum up the movie, there is a memorable quote from it that goes

“No! If we don't have the key, we can't open whatever it is we don't have that it unlocks. So what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don't have, without first having found the key what unlocks it?”

Good morning, the War is Over

At long last the Israel / Hezbollah war is semi-over (for good this time, I hope). And everybody is claiming victory as per usual.

In my book, there are never any winners in any war, regardless of what the history books may say, however there is always a loser and this time its humanity...

The Dogs of War

I managed to talk to my family in Iraq today (after 2 months). Things are not looking bright.

They blamed everything on Shia and Sunni Dogs (that's exactly what they've said). The Shia (dogs) are taking orders from Iran to make sure that Iraq stays as ungovernable as possible, and that will keep the Americans busy and stop them from attacking Iran, while the Sunni (dogs) are taking orders from Syria, Al-Qaeda and Influential (Shit Stirrer) Wahabi's from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Emirates who provide the finance...

As well as these factions, the old Secret Service (Mukhabarat) has started doing its bit for the country...

There was a Suicide Bomber just round the corner from where they live, a couple of days ago, the only thing that was left was the man's head - he didn't kill any Americans, but managed to kill around 24 Iraqis. Houses in the area lost all their windows and doors, due to the force of the blast. and the front of a block of flats has been damaged, with many people probably still trapped.

The problem there is that every 6, or so, months there is an amnesty, where reformed "Freedom Fighters" are freed, so they go out and start killing people again, then get caught and wait for the next amnesty... The solution was to shoot the bastards and they won't be able to do it again...

Figures out this month suggest that the resistance in Iraq has done a grand job once again... Over 3200 Iraqi civilians killed. I wonder what it's gonna be next month.....