I rang Basildon hospital. Not good news. My cancer is aggressive. The next
step would have been an MIR scan, then final treatment, but now I have to have a
Bone Scan. This is to determine if the cancer has spread from prostate into the
bones.
I have an appointment next Monday at 12.50. I will be injected with iodine or
some such liquid which has to circulate my body for 4 hours before the scan, so
another long wait.
Friday 2nd February
2012.
Who started this war against ourselves? Thatcher and Bush. She used the
police as her own private army, he trashed the constitution of the USA. If our
leaders are immoral, then what do we do? I have known good men and women, gods
of trust and responsibility who I respect. Now - just me. Such a shame. I was
brought up in a world where if you did anything wrong you got the belt or a slap
or the Cain. Now I am a decent man. A man who has diginty and a small pouch of
back.ky: where do we all go if all are thieves? Batman or Superman won't help.
It is up to me and you to protect civilization, and what is that - trust.
Tuesday 31st
January 2012.
I have cancer. There are two treatments: have the prostate surgically
removed, which consequences are, rewiring of water works and, worse, destruction
of sex drive. Or radiation treatment everyday, excluding weekends, for 6 weeks
at Southend Hospital. Counting total bus journeys together with waiting and
procedure I guess 3 hours a day. Sod both. The cancer is slow growth and there
is a high chance that a cure will be discovered within 10 years. 75 years will
do me fine. If I get a bit longer, that’s fine too.
Friday 27th Jan.
I got a call on my phone message from Basildon Hospital. Wendy from the
Urolagy Department asking me to call back. That was last Thursday. I got the
message today. Funny phone or messenger service? I rang today, but a robot
answer.
However, glad to report that Trace is not going to be sacked. She was so
worried. She has worked for the civil servive for fifteen years and one year for
a month goes a little haywire. Just frustration. Do they care - no. She is a
bright endearing woman, but a cog in a large machine. She was never interested
in belong to a union, but with my advice joined. It helped her and she admits it
and is not going to leave. Ordinary people like us when alone have no power, but
Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam have 24 billion. He boasted that world
leaders do his
This may be true or not. It is an inductive argument:-
A billionaire can influence world leaders
Sheldon Adelson is a billionare
Therefore, Sheldon Adelson influences world leaders.
Trace has no influence, she is just a working cog.
Just like most of us. The world media is in the hands of
few and shape the news to their view. Unions are always
wrong. Yet they have helped millions of ordinary people
like Tracy.
This Guardian article about Julian Assange is
presented as a piece of unbiased reporting. It is
anything but such. It is typical of how the media can
deliberately slant a story to manipulate your view. It
is full of informal fallacies; if you are not aware of
these rhetorical tricks you can be fooled. So, let us
analyse the article…
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's TV show to be
aired on Russian channel
By Miriam Elder.
State-run Russia Today buys rights to broadcast
10-part series of interviews with 'political players,
thinkers and revolutionaries'
(The phrase ‘State-run’ is used deliberately to
evoke an emotion of disapproval. Yet the BBC could
easily be described as such. Or any media outlet that
gets tax-payers money)
Julian Assange's television chat show is due to begin
airing on Russia Today from March. Photograph: David
Levenson/Getty Images
It's the television channel that has given voice to a
thousand anti-western conspiracy theories, while
avoiding criticism of the hand that feeds it.
(This is a claim unsupported by any evidence)
Now state-run
Russia
Today, the Kremlin's English-language propaganda
(this word also used to evoke disapproval) arm,
has forged an unlikely partnership – with the
self-proclaimed defender of truth and freedom (a false
description used to smear the subject) Julian
Assange.
One day after the
WikiLeaks
founder said he was launching a 10-part series of
interviews with "key political players, thinkers and
revolutionaries", Russia Today announced it had won
exclusive first broadcast rights for the show (we
must question if this claim is a fact), titled
The World Tomorrow, and was due to begin airing the show
in March.
"Our viewers are open to the discussions that will be
presented through Julian's show on our channel," the
channel's editor-in-chief, Kremlin loyalist Margarita
Simonyan, (‘Kremlin loyalist’ invokes the idea
that she is a puppet. Smear again.) said in a
statement.
That may well be true, unless the guest comes from
Russia. (What does that mean? An implied
assumption that a guest from Russia would be gagged?)
The channel, launched in December 2005 as part
of a government campaign to boost Russia's lagging
global influence (is Russian global influence
lagging? Not a day goes by the country is not
mentioned), remains slavishly pro-Kremlin,
(check the word ‘slavishly) revelling in the
antics of Vladimir Putin (antics, used to
belittle) and avoiding sensitive topics, such as
the prime minister's rumoured wealth and his growing
authoritarianism. (note the word ‘rumoured’ is
used because the writer has no evidence of her claim.)
"Shame on you, Mr Assange!" Alexander Lebedev, the
Russian owner of the Independent and London Evening
Standard,
wrote on his
Twitter and Facebook accounts.
"Hard to imagine [a] more miserable final[e] for [a]
'world order challenger' than employee of
state-controlled 'Russia Today'." (This is the
fallacy of ‘Appeal to authority’ If Alexander Lebedey
disapproves, then that’s proof enough we all should)
It's doubtful that any Russian "revolutionaries" will
make the show's guestlist. (Another claim that is
so improvable) While Russia Today, or RT as it
prefers to be known, has delved deep into protest
movements around the world, with a particular focus on
Occupy Wall Street, (An insidious unsubstantiated
claim used to evoke hostility) it has given
cursory coverage to the upheavals that have shaken
Russia in the wake of disputed parliamentary elections
in December.
It has smeared some of the protest leaders, including
Alexei Navalny, the opposition activist whose
anti-corruption website has been likened to WikiLeaks.
(This is the Straw Man fallacy, set up a false
argument. Note too that although the writer is seeking
to smear Assange, she blunders by saying that WikiLeaks
is an anti-corruption website, and by implication
praising him)
An article on RT's website attempting to introduce
Navalny to western viewers did so by simply
comparing
him to Emma West,
whose racist rant on a London tram went viral in
November, in a nod to the Russian activist's nationalist
views. (Two wrongs do not make a right)
Assange fits Russia Today's profile of giving airtime
to views and experts it says are avoided by the
mainstream media. But that strategy has meant giving
voice to bloggers and self-proclaimed pundits who come
appeared on air to proclaim that Freemasons were behind
the revolution in Egypt or that repeated showings of the
film Deer Hunter in Stockholm were a sign of Sweden
being a US pawn. (Straw Man and Bad Company
fallacies)
The channel, like the Russian government, has been
very supportive of Assange since his arrest for
allegedly sexually assaulting two women in Sweden in
August 2010. (Has the Russian government been
‘very’ supportive of Assange? The writer does not care;
she is only interested in smearing him)
The interviews will be filmed at Ellingham Hall in
Norfolk, where Assange has been under house arrest as he
awaits a UK supreme court hearing on his extradition to
Sweden. The names of the guests have not yet been
disclosed.
Let us not forget that The Guardian has had a
vendetta against Assange since they disagreed how to
publish WikiLeaks exposé. Also if you want to judge for
yourself if RT is as propagandist (as the BBC) go to:-
Thursday 19th Jan. (blimey don't the days go by
quick)
I moved to the Vange area of Basildon in 1998. Although I had a sister in the
town I was on my own. To make new friends I tried to join the Vange & Pitsea
Working Men's Club. I was told by the doorman that because I had no one to
nominate me I had to gather 50 entrance tickets. Weekends didn't count. I wrote
to the chairman of the club explaining my situation. Never got a reply.
I went through four years of loneliness. Then I joined a social club in
Brentwood, which is associated to Working Men's Clubs, so now I could get into
the Vange one. One Saturday night I was in evening early and the DJ was on and I
danced on my own. Blimey, you would have thought I committed a crime. Three guys
came up to me in a very treating manner and asked for my card as if East Berlin.
I had to leave.
Thanks Vange & Pitsea 'Working Men's' Club. Definitely the worst clique club I
have experienced. And you know what makes me sadly laugh is that it was
originated for the working class. Me. Yet some men once established on their
high horse look down.
Wednesday 18th Jan 2012
I'm drinking Glen's Vodka and @ Whites lemonade out of a pint Irish glass.
Anything to say about that? Complaint's that an man of 66 should not be
drinking? No? Okay let's get with it.
I have not heard from the hospital yet, so I don't know. I'll tell you when
I do.
Small life things: Went to the new gym in Basildon today - GymForYou. Had a
two hour workout a feel better for it. Still getting to know all the equipment.
People in the gym are of all types. Fat woman delusional about after three weeks
they are going to be slim. Hard nuts who say hello by bouncing off shoulders and
men and women who just come to get into shape. Count me in the latter.
Art - I go to the George Heard Centre for art lessons. We are all between 60
and 85. Terry is our teacher and he has been giving us watercolour lessens. Very
informative. Most of the people are talented, with outstanding paintings. Some,
like me, are willing to learn. The men are witty and take the piss out of each
other, while the woman natter and talk shop. Cakes are all round, women love to
cook. Very well too.
Philosophy: I'm reading books and internet advice about how to think
critically. No, that does not mean to judge, but just how to recognise waffle.
Writing: I do this website, that is a good past time. Past the time. You know
when people retire they mope about what to do, they miss working, their pals at
work, but I say - there is lots to do. Yes, you are alone, but so are other old
men and women. They don't sit at home all day watching game shows and cooking,
you know how to do that - get out - you are welcome. It is fun meeting other
people - they have so many interesting stories.
The thing is: how do you know you have no talent, until you try?
With a tear in my eye and a smile: I say - we are all - here on the same
ticket. Sol bless you.
Trying.
Thursday 12th Jan 2012
Had CAT scan today. It is like going through a mini-Stargate. Iodine is
injected and streams through the body . Strange sensation, like a spirit
emplacing itself. Took about 20 minutes. Then I had to have an exorcism.
Tuesday 10th Jan 2012
Went to Basildon Hospital, again, this morning. This time for a Biopsy for
Prostate cancer. The doc puts a probe up the jacksy with a micro camera and
pinches. He nips 12 bits off the prostrate to examine them for cancer cells. I
should get the final results in 2 or 3 weeks. One piece of good news is that my
prostrate is not enlarged, which indicates I do not have cancer. People have
told me that there is nothing to worry about, but one does.
What cheers me up is that I had two remarks on Facebook that made me laugh.
One from an old pal I knew in Pimlico who said,
"You'll be ok mate, like I told
you only the good die young me and you got about another 100 years left."
And my brother said:-
"All
the best john. It wont be as painful as you buying a round?"
Also, well wishes from other family and friends.
Which I really appreciate.
The problem about this condition is do you tell
people or not. If you don't, they complain that you should have, and if do you
it might seem you are seeking sympathy. My take is: if someone else is going
through the same thing, but hasn't told, they might get some degree of comfort
knowing that others are in the same boat and they are not paddling along on
their own.
My pal Tracy came with me, for the second time, and
her support was so helpful. She is a shy woman and normally doesn't say much in
company, but I guess over this past 12 years she has gotten used to me and she
was chatting away, which took my mind off things and made me laugh. And she has
got problems of her own at work. I will support her to my utter best.
Good luck. I count all you visitors to Basildoneye
as friends.
NEW BUSINESS IN BASILDON MARKET
NEWS AS PROPAGANDA.
ITV LONDON TONIGHT on 22.11.11 had a report about arming more police with
tasers. The commissioner of the Met police, Bernard
Hogan-Howe, wants a taser in every police car.
After a one minute introduction by presenter Natasha Kaplinsky setting out
the police case, a 15 second video was shown of an Amnesty International
spokesperson speaking against further deployment of the stun gun. Then a 30
second video of 8 police officers surrounding a man armed with a machete was
shown. Then she said that recently 3 offers were stabbed. No evidence was
produced to back up her statement.
After that Kaplinsky was joined by a solicitor.
“Surely the police have a right to protect themselves?” she asked.
The solicitor was inarticulate, nervous and at one point giggled. She did not
remind the viewer that the ordinary police already have Batons, pepper spray,
bullet proof vests and in many circumstances, such as demonstrations, can call
on further body armour, helmets with visors and shields. The report ended with
another showing of the ’machete’ incident.
Was this an impartial report? Or was it another example of News masquerading
as government propaganda? It seemed to me that the London Tonight report was
heavily weighted on Hogan-Howes side.
Other mainstream media reports on the same issue are bias towards police
authority. For instance:
“The officer injuries are far less, and I think, statistically speaking, so
goes the injuries to the noncompliant individuals," York City Police
Commissioner Mark Whitman said.
Southern Regional Police Chief James Childs said now that their officers have
been using Tasers for a while, sometimes simply the threat of using it is enough
to get compliance.
Amnesty's report states that, between 2001 and 2008, 334 people died in the
USA after being struck by Tasers.
"Tasers are not the 'non-lethal' weapons they are portrayed to be," Angela
Wright, who wrote the report, said in a news release. "They can kill and should
only be used as a last resort."
Wright said Tasers are susceptible to abuse -- easy to carry, easy to use,
and with just the push of a button, severe pain is inflicted -- and without
significant marks on a person's skin.
Also, Non-Firearms officers have used Tasers in the UK.
The following figures for January - March 2009 (the latest figures
available):
Discharges
Drive-Stun
All
Uses
All
Officers
226
36
772
Non-Firearms Officers
62
6
250
Percentage by Non-Firearms Officers
27.4%
16.7%
32.4%
Human rights group Amnesty International said the weapon, introduced in the
UK in 2004, should only ever be used in situations where there is a 'very real
threat of loss of life'.
One might have also said to Natasha “What about the cost of these extra
weapons to the tax payer?”
One can come to two conclusions: - First, that the police want tasers because
it makes their job easier. Why try to reason when you can zap a citizen with
50,000 volts. Second, The official news media is merely a servant to the ruling
class.
Existing supply licence obligations and an industry code of practice provide
protection for consumers in debt; for example, suppliers must not disconnect a
domestic premises during October to March if they know or have reason to believe
that the customer is of pensionable age and lives alone, or only lives with
other pensioners or children under the age of 18.
I have been a
member for a year, visit twice or three times a week and have enjoyed the
company: other members, 99% of whom are decent and great fun; the bar staff, who
are welcoming and swift; the owner Chris makes it his business to remember your
name, which is always a plus; the manger Mark is an easy going likable chap and
his lovely wife sometimes sings at the club.
The
entertainment is good, sometimes outstanding.
I had my 65th
birthday party in the function room downstairs and the room was free! All my
family and friends loved the place. Sit outside on the large flowery veranda and
chat to all your friends. All in all it is definitely the best social club in
Basildon. I'm prejudice of course, because the club is within 4 minutes walking
distance.
for the cynical of you, no I'm not paid to put this Ad here, I do it because it
is genuinely a good club.
ITV LONDON TONIGHT on 22.11.11 had a report about arming more police with
tasers. The commissioner of the Met police, Bernard
Hogan-Howe, wants a taser in every police car. 