Wislon's modern manners

By wislon - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Opinion

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Where did all the childhood go? Child Protection, perverts and punishment.

This blog is being written by a sports coach. An accidental sports coach. I never meant to become one, nothing was further from my mind when I accepted an invitation to a meeting on Thursday night. I walked in as an interested parent and walked out as a coach for the Under 10s rugby team. People who... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, January 14, 2006

Yesterday in the paper the front page carried a picture of a House of Commons Christmas card going through a shredder. The All-Party Group on Identity Fraud has issued a press release on the importance of shredding cards to avoid identity theft. If someone wants to claim to be "Uncle Jack" or "Sam... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by wislon at 4:53 PM | add or view comments (0) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, January 13, 2006

Cruel and unusual music - a father suffers

Number One son has developed an interest in pop music. This means that Number Two son has done the same. It's a bit like osmosis - one does something and the second follows. They have their own preferences, being distinct personalities, but by being interested in the same things they ensure there is... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, January 12, 2006

Do you want it? Do you need it?

Somebody showed me his BlackBerry today. Stupid name for a phone but there you go. It isn't just a phone, you can send and receive email and use it as a GPS system. Very impressive. But is it for me? I only have a mobile phone because with two kids and a car with over 230,000 miles on the clock you... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Erosion of principles, or the boiling of frogs.

I was speaking to an Australian a few days ago. We got onto the subject of weather (it’s an unavoidable consequence of living here) and he told me how he had been shocked to hear us talk of 29 degrees Centigrade as hot during the summer. When I lived in Africa I have to admit that having arrived in... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, January 9, 2006

Why is everybody an expert? I blame TV. And ebay.

OK, so I always blame TV or ebay. But they are two of the worst things to happen to the antiques trade in the last twenty years. Everybody is an expert because they've seen a "Cash in you Attic" episode or something similar. And nobody wants to sell it to a dealer anymore because they all have faith... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by wislon at 6:33 PM | add or view comments (10) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, January 8, 2006

What's the difference between a loser and a good loser?

In the UK, unless you pay for private education, your child is likely to go to infant and junior schools where they have non-competitive sports. One of my brothers-in-law teaches at a state school and told me recently that they have badges for sports day at his school. They say "I took part". Fine,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by wislon at 5:43 PM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, January 7, 2006

Too much Simpsons, not enough Waltons.

Why don't kids have manners anymore? The obvious answer is because the parents don't teach them any. My kids have manners. They don't always use them, but they do have them. Most of their friends have manners, and use them. Not that I'm fooled by this, I know they're on their best visiting behaviour... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, January 6, 2006

Body piercing - body art or just plain painful?

When I was young only women and gypsies wore ear rings and that was about all the body piercing you saw. As I grew up and the punk era arrived things changed. You weren't anybody unless you had a safety pin through your lip and at least one earful of scrap iron. One of my mates had seven piercings... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by wislon at 7:37 PM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, January 5, 2006

Washing machine blues and the evils of shop staff

The washing machine blew up just before Christmas. It had been on its last legs for a while, clunking and banging its way through the cycle for a good six months. Ecologically;y speaking the responsible thing to do is to get it mended and husband the world's resources. Experience suggests that they... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by wislon at 4:00 PM | add or view comments (1) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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