tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62675542010-01-05T17:43:48.507ZNatural yogurt.Natural yogurt, that's a thought.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.ukBlogger500125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-23593496329831262792010-01-05T16:51:00.002Z2010-01-05T17:43:48.518Z Atheist shakes hands with a Born Again Christian . If you look at the links on the sidebar at the right of this blog, you will see a small selection of my favourite blogs. The second one on this list is called Life of a National Express driver and is written by a guy called Chris. On his blog there is a photograph of Chris with his pet dog Harvey. We both do work for the nationwide company Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-39471877017741256952010-01-04T15:56:00.002Z2010-01-04T16:47:04.618Z Is he dead yet? Sorry, no - he is not dead yet. Today Ariel Sharon , a former Israeli prime minister, will have been in a coma for four years. A steely general nicknamed "the bulldozer," the now 81 year-old left a leadership vacuum that many feel has yet to be filled. Sharon suffered a stroke on 4 January 2006, when he fell into a coma and entered a persistent vegetative state. In October 2009 Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-48534697738799890942010-01-03T15:49:00.002Z2010-01-03T17:03:58.098ZTension walking the streets of Wootton Bassett.Muslim radicals are planning a parade through Wootton Bassett, the town which holds processions in memory of fallen British soldiers. Extremist group Islam4UK are organising a march in the coming weeks, which they claim will be in honour of muslims killed in the Afghanistan conflict. Islam4UK, a platform for the global front Al-Muhajiroun , claim Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-55666136474763901192010-01-02T15:10:00.002Z2010-01-02T15:41:43.237Z Slaughter on the volleyball field. At least 88 people (or at least 95 - according to Voice of America ) were killed yesterday when a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives on to a village green during a volleyball match in northwestern Pakistan. Hundreds of people were watching the match in the remote village of Shah Hason Khel when the bomber struck. The bodies of the players Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-88107610349849462452010-01-01T20:00:00.002Z2010-01-01T20:49:28.691Z Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter .Okay, so after the last eight books that I have read, it was time to put those disposable latex gloves back on again for this crime thriller which cuts very sharp, quick and deep. I enjoyed reading Fractured by Karin Slaughter back in April 2009, so I bought Blindsighted which was her first novel. This book has 392 pages and was written in 2001, it does not Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-3320984617089839432009-12-30T14:26:00.002Z2009-12-30T14:56:02.656ZWhat is going wrong in your garage? Along with my workmates we are wondering just what is going wrong at our depot? I have lost faith with our garage staff as many coaches are parked in the workshop, just sitting there waiting, waiting to be repaired. The fitters never seem to start and finish a job on the same day. Coaches are left in the workshop overnight with bits hanging off. Many driver Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-42293468389315169602009-12-29T11:40:00.002Z2009-12-29T11:50:25.516Z PA news pictures of the decade. Press Association picture editor, Martin Keene, presents his selection of memorable pictures from it's news archives from the past decade. Of the eleven images he has chosen, which do you view as the most memorable? My suggestion is the image below that is of a young shopper caught in the rain at Cheltenham in the summer of 2004.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-10355962104989782832009-12-28T15:16:00.002Z2009-12-28T15:54:14.304Z The ugly tide of Sectarianism comes in again. When I was a boy I can remember hearing radio and television reports of Sectarian violence in Glasgow between the supporters of Glasgow's two main football clubs, Celtic and Rangers. At the time I thought this was madness, I had little time for football or religion and I hoped that common sense would prevail and that the supporters would grow outStephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-27742978821905501412009-12-27T19:55:00.002Z2009-12-27T20:00:41.082Z Quote of the year. Looking at the article written by Pandora in the Independent newspaper regarding quotes of the year, I have a suggestion as to which quote I consider to be the winner."I had to sit in a small airless waiting room for half an hour. It was worse than Auschwitz."Michael Winner whips out the wrong analogy while addressing guests at the Jewish Book Week.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-12766454698869608412009-12-26T11:23:00.002Z2009-12-26T11:48:41.595Z Nigerian student at University College London burns his leg! Oh dear, the stakes in the development of Improvised Explosive Devices has taken another step forward. As usual with al-Qaeda, it is three steps forward and one step back. al-Qaeda will always keep plugging away at terrorist attacks until they become successful. al-Qaeda has a history of finding new and rather clever ways to attack theStephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-3659046180382244432009-12-24T20:48:00.008Z2009-12-24T22:10:15.051ZTwo dead in Cornwall coach crash. When a coach driver announces over the microphone that "seats belts must be worn" there is a reason for this. It is not just to save the passengers the risk of incurring a £30 fixed penalty ticket for not wearing a seat belt but to save their lives should things go wrong. This warning applies to all coach journeys throughout the UK regardless of operator. As a Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-30328919674139108012009-12-22T20:24:00.002Z2009-12-22T21:29:21.735ZOur county was grinding to a halt and why? What is going on in our country? Okay, so the weather is a little cooler and there has been a smattering of snow. That does not explain why roads have become gridlocked and telephones unanswered. It is not rocket science, you know. Send the gritting lorries out and put enough monkeys in front of telephones to answer them. You could even route your Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-1083704454681333412009-12-19T13:50:00.000Z2009-12-19T13:51:55.722Z The Associate by John Grisham .Kyle McAvoy, a 25 year old law student gets a $200,000 job with the top New York law firm. He takes this job only because he has been blackmailed into commercial espionage.This crime/thriller has 373 pages and was written in 2009. John Grisham has written 20 other novels but this is the first one I have read. The quality of this book right from the start is poor Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-61167251424483105422009-12-19T13:44:00.002Z2009-12-19T13:49:31.862Z My holiday review .Oh yes, I always plan to write up a holiday review shortly after I return from my holidays. Natural yogurt is back to normal, which will please Christmas Card Writing John of Bristol. So, here is the link to my holiday review that I keep on a stand-alone blog - to keep the content focused!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-16025169251317453852009-12-18T11:59:00.000Z2009-12-18T12:00:51.307Z The Night of the Miraj by Zoe Ferraris .On her website Zoe features her first novel called "Finding Nouf", which is a little confusing because I bought and read the same novel although it's printed title was "The Night of the Miraj". This novel has 356 pages and was written in 2008. I do not know why there is a difference in titles for the same novel. 16 year old Nouf ash-Shrawi disappears Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-34323509363969136582009-12-17T19:16:00.000Z2009-12-17T19:17:31.996Z Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup .Vicky Rai, has been shot dead by one of the guests at his own party. The Police arrest six suspects, each with a gun in their possession. This novel has 558 pages and was written in 2008 by the author of Q&A, which became the film "Slumdog Millionaire". This book is a joy to read and it is the tale of six very different characters. This novel explores at great Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-22033154876404394342009-12-16T19:08:00.003Z2009-12-16T19:11:45.352Z The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga .This 321 page novel was the winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008 and tells the story of Balram Halwai as he moves from rural to urban life in India. This book is written in the first person in a style adopted by many bloggers for their personal blogs. Aravind explores the differences between life in the Darkness, a simple agricultural life and life in the LightStephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-9636374941924726532009-12-16T17:05:00.002Z2009-12-16T17:51:43.639ZAh!!! The lights and other junk.Oh what a lovely 14 day holiday I had in Tunisia, a country that is clean and tidy. What did I come back to on Sunday but the Festival of Consumerism. It was a shock to come back from a Muslim country to the UK where the Christians and the Pseudo-Christians have adopted gaudy Christmas decorations and lights blazing from homes. We went around to the Jones's for Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-51232215710197179432009-12-15T19:25:00.000Z2009-12-15T19:26:28.500ZCodex by Lev Grossman .This 376 page novel was written in 2004 and it starts off okay, the writing is bright and on page 3 we find...The woman looked up at Edward. She was older than he was, maybe thirty-five or forty, with pale skin and dark wavy hair - beautiful in a way that was long out of fashion, like a girl in a silent movie. He could see the pale tops of her breasts in their lacy white Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-42521081661386644562009-12-14T20:30:00.002Z2009-12-14T20:54:43.135ZBack on the radar.Hello readers, Stephen is back online after having been away for 14 days on holiday in Tunisia. I am now back on the radar after having a very refreshing time off the radar. It was a nice change from the day job, home and the usual routines. It was nice strolling about in shirt sleeves, not bothering with the internet, not driving coaches or a car. It felt odd not walking with Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-91018367136299108752009-11-28T14:54:00.002Z2009-11-28T15:27:38.237Z The average dog owner gets more exercise walking their pet than someone with a gym membership, a pet health care expert has claimed. Researchers found animal lovers exercise their pet twice a day for 24 minutes each time – a total of five hours and 38 minutes a week. On top of that, the average dog owner also takes their pet out on three long walks each week adding another two hours and 33 Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-85410178706997561302009-11-27T15:35:00.002Z2009-11-27T16:44:52.078Z Angels & Demons by Dan Brown .This 620 page thriller was written in 2000 and I found this book an entertaining and a fun read. This is not the tale of the under-dog for on page 21 we read...Although not overly handsome in a classical sense, the forty-five-year-old Langdon had what his female colleagues referred to as an 'erudite' appeal - wisps of gray in his thick brown hair, probing blue Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-25632590417108082092009-11-21T19:05:00.002Z2009-11-21T19:24:46.343Z Harvesting the fat .Police in Peru say they have arrested three members of a gang who murdered a string of peasant farmers, drained the fat from their dead bodies, and then attempted to sell it to European cosmetics manufacturers. The men have confessed to a total of five killings, but are suspected of dozens more. Police believe they approached their victims on remote roads and lured them to a Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-52306965824400252682009-11-19T20:29:00.002Z2009-11-19T20:52:02.221Z Pig in the sky or surfing on a cloud? With traditional computing you switch on your machine and it boots up. This is quite a complex routine and it can take quite a time before your machine is ready for your input. With your television set, you switch it on and very quickly you have sound and vision. With your mobile telephone, you switch it on and very quickly you are connected to your mobile Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6267554.post-79398164131911678242009-11-17T16:48:00.002Z2009-11-17T17:32:54.779Z Is everybody going wi-fi? I wonder, is everybody going wi-fi and adopting portable computing? I am relatively old school with my internet access. I have a broadband modem at home that runs a cable into the back of a traditional desktop computer, with a CRT monitor, 101 button keyboard and a mouse on the end of a cable. This equipment sits nicely on a tidy desk and I sit on a comfy chair whilst Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16860766779706141009stephenofwestfieldpark@yahoo.co.uk3