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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 21, 2009 18:21:52 GMT
I knitted a finger puppet at school. Thus began and ended my knitting career. I'm sure it's only dormant. But I guess I shan't be watching that video any time soon. Graham - my thoughts are with you for your operation. Martin |
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 21, 2009 20:33:18 GMT
I went down the pub today. Usually a common ritual but I haven't done it myself for several months. I had two hot chocolates and read a book about Nixon. I am out of control.
-Ralph
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2009 21:08:55 GMT
The managers at my workplace are starting to get onto the wrong side of me at the moment. On February 5th there will be an official government recognised ballot for the workers to decide if Unite the union will be recognised in the factory. Every worker either has to mark their ballot papers with a yes (meaning they want a union) or no (meaning they don't). Today some of the managers called several workers to a meeting and essentially blackmailed them into voting against the union in the forthcoming ballot. Although some workers found this meeting an insult others were succesfully frightened into opposing the union and have now decided to vote 'no' next month. I was never called to this meeting today but my brother (who works at the factory) was and he was disgusted by the whole event. If I ever get called to any such meeting I will no doubt put my opinion across to these money-grabbing bastards who are more than happy to pay their workers the minimum wage, give us the bare minimum amount of annual holidays and stab us in the back on a regular basis.
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 21, 2009 21:19:38 GMT
Such acts by those in positions of relative power are the principalities of cowardly and insecure people.
-Ralph
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2009 21:45:11 GMT
They seem to be turning a simple ballot into something that Mugabe would be proud of.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 21, 2009 21:47:09 GMT
Cunts. No better word to describe em really.
I would be turning round and asking if the meeting was being documented and ask that a representative of HR was there in a note taking capacity. That will put the shitters up them.
Andy
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Post by legios on Jan 21, 2009 21:52:02 GMT
Sadly this is the sort of thing that is all too common out there. It hasn't happened to me, but I have known a lot of folk who have run into those types of tactics. Regretably people like those who run your place zudobug are oft prone to avoiding the spirit of a law by these sort of bully-boy tactics.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 21, 2009 22:05:30 GMT
I would be of the mind to take a digital recorder in to the meeting and have it quietly whirr away in my pocket then burn the audio to cd and send it to the local MP.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 21, 2009 23:00:42 GMT
We're in Kingston this week. Jonathan picked up a bug at church on Sunday. Monday morning I found he'd been sick in his travel cot, and he was floppy as anything for a few days afterwards. Even now he's still not quite right and is being very picky about his foo and eating less.
This morning I went down with it. Now Mum's got it. Thank The Lord that Liz arrived this morning following her meetings in Taunton and Weston at the weekend & the start of the week (which was why me and him came up here)
Friday is the first anniversary of Dad passing away. We thought it would be good for Mum to have company.
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Post by karla on Jan 21, 2009 23:04:44 GMT
That is totally disgusting, zudobug!
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 21, 2009 23:19:46 GMT
All the best for the Ayres clan.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 22, 2009 1:42:20 GMT
Hope that you and the rest of the Ayres family cope with what is likely to be a quite difficult time.
Andy
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Post by Hero on Jan 22, 2009 14:30:34 GMT
Thoughts are with you Phil and Family.
I hope things work out better at the Factory where Zudobug and bro is. That meeting thing sounds like dictatorship. I went through some simular nonsense when I worked at Sainsburys and its pathetic.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2009 19:05:13 GMT
I was planning to take my mobile phone with me if I am ever called up to such a meeting and, as Ralph says record the whole thing and send it to somebody.
One thing in the meeting that I was told was discussed was the 'fact' that the Danish owners of the company are only farmers who work for a living on a farm breeding animals. This I found immensly humourous as I have seen several pictures of the main boss of the company and he is a slightly overweight bloke who wears expensive suits and (in one such picture) accepts awards from Prince Charles. Maybe farmers look and act differently in Denmark than what they do in Britain but somehow I doubt it.
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Post by chrisl on Jan 22, 2009 19:19:15 GMT
Sounds very much like what happens where Laura works - they've started firing people en-mass and almost at random for anything they can find at all so they can get rid of lots of staff without having to pay redundancy money or inform the stock exchange that they're making staff redundant - thereby insuring the shareprice stays high. Zudobug, check out Thomas Mansfield www.thomasmansfield.com/index.asp - they're really good to have in your corner - even if you just get hold of lots of their leaflets and leave them lying around work, the name alone shits up most companies. Made Laura's employer think twice in the past and may be used in the future too. Phil - I hope your visit goes as well as it possibly can given the circumstances  |
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Post by legios on Jan 22, 2009 21:01:54 GMT
This I found immensly humourous as I have seen several pictures of the main boss of the company and he is a slightly overweight bloke who wears expensive suits and (in one such picture) accepts awards from Prince Charles. Maybe farmers look and act differently in Denmark than what they do in Britain but somehow I doubt it. There are "farmers" and then there are farmers, and never the twain shall meet. There is a big difference between someone who raises pigs on a parcel of acres and someone who heads up a large agribusiness. Does sound like your place is rolling out the full gamut of moral blackmail at these meetings. I hope you manage to sidestep it. Phil, hope the Ayres clan soon defeat the spacelurgy and you are all back on your feet soon. Karl |
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 22, 2009 22:28:25 GMT
What an awefull position to be in, Zudo, sorry I've no advice for you. Hope it works out.
Phil, all the best. Horrible when little one's are poorly isn't it? When they're just not themselves. Any doubts, get 'em in (GP/Hospital/Health Visitor/999)! That's what I say!
Hello Sports Fans! Had a lovely afternoon at 'Tropical World' in Leeds. Piglet loved it. Although she was more fascinated in a water fall in the 'rain forest' bit than any of the animals!
Had 2 fab days at Uni, really getting into E.C.G.s. Widows to the soul. Well, the Heart anyway. Well, electrical flow through the heart. It was good anyway, learning about saddle bags in ST elevation, peaked T waves, axis deviation and malformed P waves! Ohhh!!!
Had a major Action Figure Disaster today. One that has scarred my very soul. I proudly set up DC Uni Classics Superman against Marvel Legends Sentry, in a 'Battle of the Super Powers' thing. They were arranged in a 'grappeling' pose, giving each other the evil-eye. Mrs Shockprowl walks in and promptly points out they look like they're dancing together! And she was right! I don't deserve my Action Figure Arrangement Commander ranking! I made them look like they were dancing!!!! Oh the pain! The humanity!
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 22, 2009 23:15:18 GMT
This is why the Sentry is rubbish!
-Ralph
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Post by Hero on Jan 23, 2009 10:13:29 GMT
Had a major Action Figure Disaster today. One that has scarred my very soul. I proudly set up DC Uni Classics Superman against Marvel Legends Sentry, in a 'Battle of the Super Powers' thing. They were arranged in a 'grappeling' pose, giving each other the evil-eye. Mrs Shockprowl walks in and promptly points out they look like they're dancing together! And she was right! I don't deserve my Action Figure Arrangement Commander ranking! I made them look like they were dancing!!!! Oh the pain! The humanity! Sounds like a great setup for one of my digi-decoupage peices. ===KEN P.S - Has anyone heard from Graham at all? |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 23, 2009 10:53:56 GMT
Not yet, I don't expect to hear from him till tomorrow to be honest. If he is home he will be convalescing and probably not at the computer. I've dropped him a txt and I'll post any replies I get.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 23, 2009 18:38:51 GMT
Popped down the library this morning to fill out a job app, but I found myself distracted heavily by dark and negative thoughts and after two hours I still hadn't finished it so I put it to one side and will look at it again tomorrow morning.
Thankgoodness I've got that 'skills workshop' to do the next two weeks. I'm becoming terrified by my increasingly loose grip on the passage of time.
Another family member has caught a break, reducing one of the major stressors of the last few months on the family as a whole so there's that. And I found a surprisingly cheap Pounce figure with 1 gun on ebay so I look forward to that turning up.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 23, 2009 23:02:29 GMT
Today hasn't been too bad over all, apart from Liz going down with the bug. I even got out for lunch today ! But struggling physically tonight.
Off home tomorrow.
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 23, 2009 23:25:26 GMT
This is why the Sentry is rubbish! -Ralph NOOOO!!!! THE VOID WILL GET YOU!!!! |
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 23, 2009 23:26:44 GMT
Had a major Action Figure Disaster today. One that has scarred my very soul. I proudly set up DC Uni Classics Superman against Marvel Legends Sentry, in a 'Battle of the Super Powers' thing. They were arranged in a 'grappeling' pose, giving each other the evil-eye. Mrs Shockprowl walks in and promptly points out they look like they're dancing together! And she was right! I don't deserve my Action Figure Arrangement Commander ranking! I made them look like they were dancing!!!! Oh the pain! The humanity! Sounds like a great setup for one of my digi-decoupage peices. ===KEN P.S - Has anyone heard from Graham at all? Supes and Sentry did look very sweet together... All the best to The Thompson Device and the sick Ayres! |
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Post by karla on Jan 24, 2009 9:34:27 GMT
I've applied for a mini maths&engineering course through open university since John Lewis are cutting down on everyones hours i'll have loads of spare time to do something.
But more excitingly I found a penny spider in my room today, he was investigating my windowsill with those huge 8 eyes of his, true little hunter.
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Post by Hero on Jan 24, 2009 10:57:36 GMT
Will you be doing more art too, Karla?  |
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 24, 2009 11:56:41 GMT
I've applied for a mini maths&engineering course through open university since John Lewis are cutting down on everyones hours i'll have loads of spare time to do something. But more excitingly I found a penny spider in my room today, he was investigating my windowsill with those huge 8 eyes of his, true little hunter. All the best for the course. Spiders are evil. Though not as evil as the giant toad I saw in a reptile house this week. I swear it was bigger than a child's head. I know this as a child walked past and the toad was clearly larger than the kids head! I was fair freaked out by this toad, I must say. They should not grow that big! It was like the Hypnotoad from Futurama. -Ralph |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 24, 2009 15:31:31 GMT
Hope Graham's OK. Sunny and cold in Cardiff today. Began the day by doing my hour for the Big Garden Birdwatch - not too late to join in, you still have the rest of the day and all of tomorrow to log the visitors to your garden or local park. My hour started very poorly, but in the end (not limiting myself to my tiny garden but doing the surrounding visible area of my cul-de-sac) I got two magpies, five long-tailed tits, two woodpigeons and a robin. I'll log them on the website when I've posted this. Then caught the bus to Cardiff Bay, to watch a surreal climate change rally on the historic lightship, which I'd seen advertised on my church bulletin and a charity e-mail. Children from three schools all came dressed supposedly as animals threatened by climate change (not sure how chickens, cows and spiders are threatened, but I suppose they could be), and were marched onto the lightship by a man dressed as Noah, to music from the Salvation Army band. There were various songs, a mix of English and Welsh, religious and secular, adult soloist and children choir, and a guy from the EA who works in my office explained to the children why he had walked 1000 miles across the UK a few years back to bring climate change to the attention of politicians. I kept being distracted by a man dressed as a polar bear (Trigger-Happy TV style rather than cardboard and facepaint like the children) who was clearly part of the organising team and stood off to one side. The polar bear had a frown and stood now with his with arms folded, now with ankles crossed, looking for all the world like he was waiting for Dom Joly to turn up dressed as a squirrel and start a fight with him. Anyhoo. After that I went into the WMC for a roast vegetable panini and to hear the live story-telling performance on the Tesco stage, before bussing back home. A decent start to the weekend, all in all. Martin |
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Post by Hero on Jan 24, 2009 16:16:53 GMT
Sounds like you had a great time, Martin. I'd have helped out with the mass Birdwatching, but being an owner of two cats who 'own' the garden makes it a non-starter. I always enjoyed birdwatching as a kid.
My local park is always littered with Ducks that are more than happy to have a nibble on some Allinsons Wholemeal, so I go there on and off for my birdwatching fix.
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Post by Shockprowl on Jan 24, 2009 17:51:57 GMT
I'm brain deep in Uni work. It's going well, and I'm enjoying it, but freak-a-duck it's heavy going! Doing a diagnosis assignment as we speak. Jumped on the Hub to clear my mind. A prob I find it that every thing has to be referenced. There's stuff I know, I just know it, learnt it where-ever, but I've got to reference it. And trying to find somewhere what I need to find is like fitting wheels to a tomato! (yes I've been watching Black Adder again).
Also read Secret Invasion over the last week. Damn good read. I've been quite into my New and Mighty Avengers. Great romp-a-rama, with shocking changes at the end! Anyone else read it?
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