sex warehouse

Quote 'this kit gets me laid'.

Quote 'this kit gets me laid'.

Let the party begin.

Let the party begin.

Please bear with me as I lead you through a bit of a necessary introduction to take you to the point of my final blog for 2010.

The 2004 American film Shall We Dance is a remake of a 1996 Japanese film of the same name. The 1996 garnered 91% on Rotten Tomatoes while the 2004 remake only received 46%. I haven't seen the original but must add that 46% shouldn't dissuade you from the remake. It is worth a rental on a Saturday night curled up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.

Starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Jennifer Lopez, the film is about the story of a lawyer who has a charming wife, a loving family and a good job but feels that something is missing. Each evening on his trek home on the train, he sees a woman staring through the window of a dance studio. One night, he impulsively jumps off the train and signs up for ballroom dance lessons in the strange hope of meeting her.

The major part of the movie follows him through various lessons where he, for some inexplicable reason, becomes enamoured with ballroom dancing. No, he does not have some fling with the woman, Jennifer Lopez, but his growing enthusiasm for dance rekindles her own interest in her talent for the art.

It is never really explained why, but Gere's character keeps the lessons secret from everybody including his wife, Susan Sarandon. She eventually becomes suspicious about his absences worried he is having an affair. She hires a private detective to find out what's going on but when she does learn the truth, she stops the investigation supposedly not wanting to invade her husband's privacy.

The rest of the movie involves a dance competition; the time spent practising and the competition itself, etc. with some other plot twists. The important part of the film is the moment of confession between Gere and Sarandon about him keeping things secret, about wanting to find himself and not wanting to hurt his wife if he was unhappy. The climactic scene has him declaring his love for his wife.

Okay, I should have given something of a spoiler alert but I don't think I will have told you too much to have ruined watching the film.

I now arrive at the point of all this. There is a scene in the movie where Susan Sarandon meets the private detective in a bar who investigates her husband.

Beverley: All these promises that we make and we break. Why is it, do you think, that people get married?

Detective: Passion.

Beverley: No.

Detective: Interesting because I would have taken you for a romantic. Why then?

Beverley: Because we need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet. I mean what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything: the good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things. All of it, all the time, everyday. You're saying your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness.


Final Word
Who will bear witness to us? Who will bear witness to our lives? What does any one of our lives mean? There are not a billion but close to seven billion people on this planet and yes, we will all go unnoticed for the most part. However "for the most part" is not "all parts"; it is not everything. Hopefully there is still someone who will notice.

The final scene of the movie: The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel


References

Rotten Tomatoes: Shall We Dance? (2004 American film): 46%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shall_we_dance/

Wikipedia: Shall We Dance (2004 American film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shall_We_Dance%3F_%282004_film%29

Rotten Tomatoes: Shall We Dance? (1996 Japanese film): 91%
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1078942-shall_we_dance/

Wikipedia: Shall We Dance? (1996 Japanese film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shall_We_Dance%3F_%281996_film%29

Peter Gabriel: The Book of Love (lyrics) with video of song
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/shallwedance/bookoflove.htm

2010-12-31

Site Map: William Quincy Belle

Today I received an email from my cousin in which he announced to various members of the family that he was shutting down his father's Internet and email account. His father, my uncle, is 94 years old and has been suffering from problems with his vision for some time now. The last time I saw him, I asked him specifically what was wrong with his vision and what he described to me was macular degeneration although he didn't use that term and wasn't sure what the term macular degeneration was.

My cousin had told me that his father's vision had been deteriorating to the point where he could no longer read anything never mind a computer screen. If he had anything to do with reading, it was through talking books. Today's message told me that the fight was over; it was time to pack it in.

What is it?
Scientific journals will do a better job than I so I will restrict myself to the basics in layman's terms.

The macula is a yellow spot in the centre of the retina. While the retina is larger and includes your entire field of vision, the macula is centralised and specialised for high acuity vision. A degenerative process progressively damages the macula to the point where it no longer functions. The person still has peripheral vision but is blind in the centre of their field of vision.

My experience
2 years ago now, my optometrist was perplexed during an eye exam and wanted to give me a second going over. He told me of seeing a discoloration on my retina and started asking me questions about my vision. I couldn't tell him that I had experienced any problems but he recommended that I immediately start taking vitamins with added lutein. Up to this moment, I didn't know what he was thinking of but he then went on to assure me he didn't think I had macular degeneration. Thanks for calming my nerves but I don't even know what the heck that is!

He fills in the details and to my question about what this eventually would lead to, he tells me to hold up both of my fists in front of my eyes. "That's what you would see if you have macular degeneration." What? Yes, he explains, the central part of the field of vision stops functioning and you can only see what's on the sides, the periphery.

I must admit that I did not appreciate the magnitude of this condition when first told about it. I have sight; I have always had sight. What would I do if I no longer had sight? Is this condition even more frustrating than total blindness in that you are constantly teased "peripherally" with what you can no longer see?

My optometrist also discussed sunlight with me. Guess what? I have avoided wearing sunglasses just about my entire adult life and I was at this point 56. He explained I must faithfully wear sunglasses at all times when out in the sun. Is it never too late to start? Have I already damaged my eyes?

Lutein and Zeaxanthin
According to the experts, lutein and zeaxanthin are "carotenoids", an organic yellow pigment which is used by our eyes to absorb damaging blue and near-ultraviolet light; it acts as a natural sunblock analogous to sunglasses. Apparently, zeaxanthin is predominates in the macula while lutein predominates elsewhere in the retina.

Supplementing my diet with multiple vitamins with added lutein and zeaxanthin follows the buzz in the medical community that this helps the eyes and possibly staves off macular degeneration. True? False? I think back to the moment where I held my fists up in front of my eyes. I'm not sure I want to wind up like that. I think of my uncle whose computer is gone and now must rely on talking books as he can no longer see well enough to read. Man, life without sight? I shudder to think about that one. I doubt I could live alone under those circumstances.

Final Word
For anybody who has read my ramblings about health, you know my general policy is to be pro-active when it comes to dealing with the old bod. I'm not a hypochondriac but I've realised that sticking my head in the sand doesn't mean I'm going to avoid what ails me or what may eventually ail me. I always have an annual physical. I always discuss with my doctor any issues I may have run across to get his expert medical opinion. I make sure that I regularly have certain tests like my PSA (see my blog My Prostate: something near and dear to me) and although less frequently, I don't forget about my backside (see my blog Where the sun don't shine: my colonoscopy). I know that sooner or later I am going to die (see my blog 58 down, 23 to go) but I would hope that between now and then I can maintain a certain quality of life which means being healthy, being mobile and being lucid. I want to remain independent! Run for your lives! Literally. should be the rallying cry for all of us.


References

Canadian Ophthalmological Society: Macular Degeneration
http://www.eyesite.ca/english/public-information/eye-conditions/pdfs/MacDegeneration_e.pdf

Wikipedia: Macular Degeneration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration

Some frightening pictures
The following web sites have posted pictures which attempt to illustrate what one would see if suffering from this condition.
http://www.maculardegenerationsite.com/
http://www.50years1vision.com/archives/today-show-talking-about-macular-degeneration/vision-macular_degeneration
http://www.killarneyvision.com/maculardegeneration.html

2010-12-31

Site Map: William Quincy Belle

Look. The people who are doing this are friends of mine and I hate to be mean. But I just got a thing in the email about an "Intention Setting Ceremony for the New Year." It says, "Each New Year’s Eve a large group of us gather to set our intentions for the coming year and to recommit to our spiritual practices."

Fun. I wish I could go.

But, PUH-LEEEEEEZE! "Setting Intentions?" Seriously? If you're going to make New Year's Resolutions then make flogging New Year's Resolutions. Do we really need to put a big huge "I'M A BUDDHIST, LOOK AT ME!!!" button on for absolutely every occasion?

I've been hearing this "setting intentions" business for the past year or so now. I'm sure it's older than that. But I wasn't aware of it before.

I was, however, aware of a huge argument between Nishijima Roshi and one of his students about whether zazen was a state with or without intention. N's contention was that zazen was a state completely without intention. He would not back off from this position at all. He is a stubborn guy.

I have to agree with him. Zazen is, indeed, a state without intention. Sure. Of course. Everyone who gets into Zen practice gets into it with some kind of intention. I did. Buddha did. Dogen did. That's fine.

But zazen itself needs to be a state without intention, a state in which you give up all intention. This is not easy. But it is the most essential point of Zen practice. Without it, you have no real Zen practice.

So what do you do? You can't even intend not to have intention, since that is an intention as well. At least not in the usual sense.

That's your koan, right there.

The only hint I can possibly provide is that intention occurs within the realm of thought. To intend not to intend is kinda like what Dogen describes as "thinking the thought of not thinking." How do you do this? Dogen only says, "It's different from thinking."

Of course zazen as a state without intention and an intention setting ceremony for the new year are completely different animals. The only relationship is the use of the word "intention." There are realms of life in which intentions are absolutely necessary. I'm making some new year's resolutions of my own. You need to have some kind of intentions to get through life. So I'm not saying the folks who are doing this ceremony are bad or wrong, or that I'm better than them or anything like that. Except that I do think that calling new year's resolutions "new year's intentions" just to make it sound more Buddhist is really, really gag-worthy. Just my opinion. You are free to ignore it.

Happy New Year everybody!

http://www.iamanenglishman.com/index.php



This site contains information of a political nature and may give offence.

If you are one of those who would rather live a comfortable lie than have to face an uncomfortable truth, this website is not for you. If you are one of those who has profited from having the facts and the real history withheld, the unofficial secrets exposed herein may give you serious cause for concern.

However, if you have the courage and the desire to confront the truths that THEY have been keeping from you, there is a good deal here that will be of interest.

In the time of Margaret Thatcher, when the politician, the banker, the businessman and the lawyer advised us to put the privatisation, downsizing and outsourcing of our country's industry before the jobs that our children would lose, and the drugs our futureless grandchildren would turn to, we followed that advice.

In the time of Tony Blair, when we were told that globalisation and interdependence, concepts guaranteed, by definition, to rob us of our identity, control over our own affairs and yet more jobs, were wonderful things, we didn't wholly agree but we didn't make much of an effort to disagree either.

When the same man insisted that the invasion of Iraq was essential if we wished to remain safe, two million British people protested publicly but most of us did nothing but grumble as America, Oil, Israel and their Downing Street champion forced us into a war almost no one wanted.

The New World Order's pet also told us that mass immigration was necessary and good for us. The immigrant may have believed this but very few others did

24,429 Sedgefield teletubbies voted for Tony Blair in May, 2005. They voted for him in spite of the spin, the lies and the constant refusal to accept any of the blame for all the terrible things that happened on his watch. I'm well aware that there isn't a hope in hell that those who felt morally able to vote for such a man will bother to avail themselves of the discomfiting contents of this website. However, 4,252 people actually voted for an independent candidate who stood against Tony Blair in Sedgefield. Reg Keys lost his son in Iraq and is a palpably decent bloke. If you multiply those who voted for him across all of the UK's constituencies you will arrive at a figure of 2,746,792. That's a hell of a lot of mostly British adults who are still able to think for themselves in an unselfish, intelligent and thoughtful way.

These are the people who should and might just read these essays.

We have been betrayed, ladies and gentlemen, and the fact that so many are still voting for those who have betrayed us is a terrible indictment upon what we are now.

If you were to work your way through just ten per cent of the contents of this website, and then take the trouble to verify those things you find difficult to believe, your life would change forever. You would no longer be able to pretend that the politicians and the media darlings have not lied to you on a major scale or that they sometimes have your best interests at heart. The truth would be there inside your head and you would never be able to shake free from it. It wouldn't be just another loser spouting conspiracy theory, it would be you who was figuring things out and playing the Cassandra with your friends, family and neighbours.

It's a burden.

To know the truth when it is not fashionable is hard. To tell the truth when it is illegal is even harder.

If you know it, say it anyway.

No matter what pressure THEY put upon you to desist.

Just to give you a bit of a clue as to what we're up against I'd like to introduce you to the most Orwellian declaration of intent that I have ever read in a mainstream British newspaper.

The journalist who wrote what you are about to read, felt secure enough in his own elite, establishment role to lay his totalitarian beliefs on the line in his own column and, as the newspaper's editor and owners were content to see such material published, one must presume that they also were not averse to seeing such a Brave New World imposed upon the dumb, British herd. This is what was said:

"Widespread and vigorous miscegenation (race mixing)... is the best answer...

Teachers are the most effective anti-racist campaigners in the country, this means more than education in other religions, it means a form of POLITICAL EDUCATION. Only people who understand the economic forces changing their world, threatening them... have a chance of being immune to the old tribal chants.

And the final answer, frankly, is THE VIGOROUS USE OF STATE POWER TO COERCE AND REPRESS!... I firmly believe that REPRESSION CAN BE A GREAT CIVILISING INSTRUMENT FOR GOOD!

STAMP HARD on certain 'natural' beliefs for long enough and you can almost KILL THEM OFF!...

A NEW RACE RELATIONS ACT WILL IMPOSE THE WILL OF THE STATE ON MILLIONS!"

When I read this article I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

1984? Animal Farm? We had arrived, we were there already. It wasn't paranoia after all, it was very, very real. It didn't matter what we did, it didn't matter what we said, it didn't matter what we wanted, it didn't matter how we voted, the same old dark manipulators would always be in charge and we better start getting used to it, OR ELSE!

The liberal commissar responsible for the casual sabre rattle recorded above, was none other than that most languid Master of political ceremonies, Andrew Marr, top bloke at the BBC and one of the most powerful political journalists of the age.

The chattering classes have every bit as much of a hold over our lives as the politicians do.

They hand our opinions to us on a plate, they shape our beliefs and attitudes. Everything the media throws at us, from cradle to grave, affects the way we behave and think. Shiny eyed zealots such as Andrew Marr and Tony Blair do not care what we want or feel, they care only for the promised land that their wisdom, their insight and their determination will lead us on to in the future.

So now you know.

Now you know what THEY have been doing all this time. Now you know what THEY have been thinking all this time.

Now you know what THEY are still doing and thinking and will carry on doing and thinking until THEY are stopped.

And they won't stop, you know. They won't, all of a sudden, come to their senses. They won't change their minds and have some kind of Damascene conversion when they realise what terrible damage their idiot, schoolboy Bolshevism has done to us. You see, we don't count, they do. We don't know, they do. It'll be good for us in the long run, you see.

We don't seem to have realised that "repression can be a great, civilising instrument for good". We don't seem to be aware that if evangelistic upper-crust brainboxes like Marr and Blair "stamp hard on certain natural beliefs for long enough" and "kill them off", why, we'll all live happily ever after in their global, elite-run Wonderland!

That's us Andrew Marr is talking about, folks.

The British people.

Actually, as Marr is Scottish and Tony B is Scots-Irish, I reckon their desire to "coerce", "repress" "civilise" and "miscegenate" is aimed pretty exclusively at the English.

Which is why this website is titled as it is.

On 23 October 2009, Andrew Neather, a former government advisor to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett amongst others, dropped this revelatory bombshell in The Evening Standard:

“THE DELIBERATE POLICY OF MINISTERS FROM LATE 2000 UNTIL AT LEAST FEBRUARY LAST YEAR… WAS TO OPEN UP THE UK TO MASS MIGRATION… MASS IMMIGRATION WAS THE WAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS GOING TO MAKE THE UK TRULY MULTICULTURAL. THE POLICY WAS INTENDED… TO RUB THE RIGHT'S NOSE IN DIVERSITY…

THERE WAS A RELUCTANCE... IN GOVERNMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT INCREASED IMMIGRATION WOULD MEAN, ABOVE ALL, FOR LABOUR'S CORE WHITE WORKING-CLASS VOTE. This shone through even in the published report: THE ‘SOCIAL OUTCOMES’ IT TALKS ABOUT ARE SOLELY THOSE FOR IMMIGRANTS…

The results were dramatic. In 1995, 55,000 FOREIGNERS WERE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO SETTLE IN THE UK. BY 2005 THAT HAD RISEN TO 179,000... In addition, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS HAVE COME FROM THE NEW EU MEMBER STATES SINCE 2004, MOST REQUIRING NEITHER VISAS NOR PERMISSION TO WORK OR SETTLE… THE GOVERNMENT HAD CREATED ITS LONGED-FOR IMMIGRATION BOOM”.

You might think, from the astounding revelations Andrew Neather apprises us of above, that he is a whistleblower.

Far from it, as the title of his essay, Don't Listen to the Whingers - London Needs Immigrants, suggests, he is still four square behind the imposition of the Multicult upon the bewildered and disenfranchised majority.


On 8 December 2006, The Guardian reported a Tony Blair fingerwag at some of the more ultra-religious Islamic groupings, saying:

"Mr Blair warned that public money had been too easily handed out to organisations 'tightly bonded around religious, racial or ethnic identities'." The Guardian then quoted the Prime Minister thus:

"Very good intentions got the better of us. We wanted to be hospitable to new groups. We wanted, rightly, to extend a welcome and did so by offering public money to entrench their cultural presence."

Thus did the greatest traitor this country has ever known explain away forty years of putting the immigrant first and the indigenous poor last.

Thus did he excuse forty years of politically correct, black man good, white man bad Orwellian propaganda.

"We are a nation comfortable with the open world of today," he said.

Tony B, the rest of the global villagers and those he was criticising here may be comfortable "with the open world of today". Most of the unfortunates this "open world" brutalises and diminishes are, of course, distinctly uncomfortable with it. And so, because it's getting to be impossible to maintain the pretence that his immigrant-sucking, one-world policies have proved anything other than catastrophic for the British people, he tried to con the dim into thinking it was all a well-meaning mistake made by the best for the best of well-meaning reasons.

On 9 December 2006, two days after Tony Blair was implicitly critical of the Muslim presence in the UK, The Sun said this:

"A Muslim could one day be Prime Minister, Tony Blair said last night."

Which might once have been ironically described as having your cake and eating it.

In the time of Tony such slippery, disingenuous behaviour has become the norm.

On 11 July 2007, a headline in The Daily Express reported thus:


NEW UK CITIZEN EVERY FIVE MINUTES!

The Express continued:

"More than a million immigrants have received British citizenship over the last decade… The total figure of 1,020,510 equates to a passport being issued every five minutes to someone settling in the UK from overseas."

Source: www.GutterUncensored.com

My only wish for the new year is to find out more about this sexy brown chick... She seem to be some kind of nude model but I want to know who she is really badly. If you have anymore info on her or pics/vids then drop a line with an attachment to GutterUncensored@yahoo.com ASAP. Enjoy! Click on pictures to enlarge.


Source: http://www.GutterUncensored.com

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Send more photos or videos to GutterUncensored@yahoo.com of scandalous behavior. Send real and uncensored pictures or videos of celebrities or politicians or person of note or any public figure to: GutterUncensored@yahoo.com. Please include the person's full name and a short back story. Looking for more contributions from Hong Kong, Brazil, Philippines, Japan, Mexico, China, Columbia, Taiwan, Russia, Indonesia, Germany, France, South Korea and India. But contributions from Singapore and Malaysia and ALL countries for that matter are welcome!

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Newspapers today are reporting that Rob Ford has plans to get rid of the plastic bag fee. This bylaw which came into effect on June 1, 2009, requires all retailers in Toronto to charge a nickel for every single-use plastic retail shopping bag. Toronto was apparently the first Canadian city to pass such a law with the goal of reducing the amount of plastic being sent to landfills.

The original bylaw made no provisions for controlling what was done with the fees collected other than encouraging stores to spend the money on environmental or community initiatives. Nobody has any stats on what becomes of the 5 cents but it is thought to be kept for the most part by retailers. However, the CBC has reported that a number of grocery stores such as the Metro and Sobey's chains have said their plastic bag distribution rates have fallen between 70 and 80 per cent since the bylaw went into effect.

The CBC also reported that impetus for eliminating the bag tax, as per a spokesperson for the mayor, was that people are supposedly "sick of being nickel and dimed to death" and Mr. Ford would like to do something about this.

PlasticNews.Com says that Toronto was the first city in North America to enact such a law. They go on to list various cities which have now followed Toronto's lead to do likewise:

Fourteen U.S. communities, including San Jose, Calif., and Los Angeles County, have now passed plastic bans. They include the counties of Kauai and Maui in Hawaii, whose bag bans go into effect Jan. 1.

Westport, Conn.; Edmonds, Wash., and the Alaska towns of Hooper Bay and Bethel have plastic bag bans. The Outer Banks, N.C., counties of Hyde, Dare and Currituck also have a ban on plastic bags, enacted as a single measure for those three counties.

In October, Telluride, Colo., passed a plastic bag ban that goes into effect March 1 and also requires retailers to charge 10 cents for paper bags.

In addition, Washington, D.C., has had a 5-cent tax on plastic and paper bags at checkout since Jan. 1. A $1 fee on carryout plastic bags goes into effect on Jan. 5 in Brownsville, Texas, the location of a major paper bag manufacturing plant.

Opinion
As we arrive at the end of 2010 and the end of a tumultuous last quarter which saw us vote into power Mr. Ford, I see yet another sign that our mayor has an eye out for the little guy. The little guy said waiting in his car behind a stopped streetcar was a pain, so Rob Ford vowed to get rid of streetcars and replace them with buses. The little guy says 5 cents for a plastic bag is a pain so Rob Ford vows to get rid of it.

As for the streetcar issue, I think I covered off how the numbers didn't quite add up in my blog Rob Ford: Day#1, Promise #1? Mr. Ford's comparison between streetcars and buses is flawed and I'm saying this as somebody who lived right smack in the downtown core for years.

As for the plastic bags, I can say from experience that the charge, although only five cents, made me finally get my act together and start doing what I should have been doing for years: carrying my own cloth bag and reusing it instead of getting more and more and more and more plastic bags. That has been admittedly a sin on my part and I am now trying to atone for it. Hail Mary.

Unfortunately if Mr. Ford does listen to the little guy and eliminate the plastic bag tax, he may be putting 5 cents into our pockets but misses the bigger picture. Yes, a better written bylaw would have ensured the 5 cents collected by retailers was not just pocketed but spent on community initiatives. The important point, the really, really important point is what the CBC reported: a number of grocery stores such as the Metro and Sobey's chains have said their plastic bag distribution rates have fallen between 70 and 80 per cent since the bylaw went into effect.

Think about that: a drop of 70 and 80 per cent in plastic bags being handed out to customers. That is enormous! Answers.Com says it may take a thousand years for a plastic bag to biodegrade or disintegrate. At some point we as a society have to consider the greater good, not the little guy's complaint about 5 cents. For him, it is a question of a single plastic bag, for us as a group it's a question of zillions of plastic bags.

I do not think having a cloth bag around to reuse it for carrying purchases is a big deal. And those times when I goof up and forget to have a bag with me, well, I accept my punishment and fork over the 5 cents. Heck, I'm lucky; we're lucky. In the list of other cites doing this from PlasticNews.Com, I see Telluride, Colorado is going to charge 10 cents per bag starting on March 1, 2011 and on January 5, Brownsville, Texas will charge $1 per bag!

Mr. Ford, please. Forget the little guy and "make all of us" do our part in making this a better city. And if Toronto had a nickel for every time I said that...

2010-12-30

Site Map: William Quincy Belle

Canada's Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced today, Thursday, December 30, 2010 new requirements for warning labels on cigarette packs. Newspapers have reported that the new warnings will be more graphic covering 75 per cent of the pack and include a phone number for a quit-smoking hotline. The current anti-smoking warnings take up 50 per cent of the packaging.

An example of a new warning prominently features a picture of a woman who clearly is in the last throes of cancer. She appears wasted and boney; the disease having ravaged her flesh. It is a frightening image of a not pleasant death and it is an image which makes me want to turn away and look elsewhere. Who is this woman?

Barb Tarbox was just another person like you or me. She was born on April 10, 1961 and notably but unfortunately was a smoker all her life. She died on May 18, 2003 at the age of 42 having succumbed to cancer which had infected both her lungs and her brain. Before her death, she decided to do something noble with the remainder of her life by talking frankly with people about her illness and the circumstances which lead up to her condition. She apparently admitted that even after finding out she had cancer, she still could not quit smoking.

A photojournalist from The Edmonton Journal, Greg Southam was given the assignment of taking pictures of Ms. Tarbox's last days. Some of those photos are published on the web by the Canadian Association of Journalists. As well, David Staples, a reporter for The Edmonton Journal teamed up with Mr. Southam to write a book Barb’s Miracle: How Barb Tarbox Transformed Her Deadly Cancer Into A Lifesaving Crusade. Mr. Staples has recently written an article about his experience talking about Mr. Southam's pictures and his recording of Ms. Tarbox's final days.

According to the reporters, Ms. Tarbox wanted to serve as an example, a warning of the dangers of smoking. She wanted the images of her and of her sickness to be used as anti-smoking publicity in the hopes she could in death dissuade others from smoking when she herself could not. She wanted people to see, to understand and to appreciate that cancer was a possibility and it could happen to anybody.

My mother: a personal story
My mother died in 1996 at the age of 66. She had smoked from the age of 14, a span of 52 years. Her cancer started in her lungs, spread to her brain then ended up in her liver. A vibrant woman in life, she had wasted to a scant 84 pounds (38 kg). She had but 6 months from the first diagnosis to her death.

When she first announced her cancer, it was a family meal in August 1995 out on the patio in the backyard. I remember the announcement as being somewhat surreal. I heard the news; I'm not sure I fully grasped the significance.

Over the next few months, I came from out of town to visit several times a month. I remember one time when I was about to leave to start my 2 hour drive home, I hugged my mother and said, "I'm going to miss you." My mother replied, "I know." We both knew we were not talking about me leaving to go home; we were talking about her dying.

In the final weeks, my mother was so weak, she could no longer walk. My father had set up a bed on the main floor of my parents' home so my mother no longer had to attempt to climb the stairs. The doctor had her taking methadone pills to combat the ever-present pain. My mother didn't seem to be lucid and I didn't know whether this was from the constant pain, the medication or both.

At one point, my mother was moaning and I asked her if she was in pain. She sort of said yes so I decided to give her another one of the methadone tablets. My father was worried that this wasn't following the doctor's prescription and methadone was addictive. I'm smiling about this now but at the time I said to him a little exasperated, "Who cares? She's dying!"

After she died, we held a funeral and the community came out to say good-bye to her and wish the rest of us well. That evening, we had a family dinner where we tried to comfort one another and carry on the tradition of eating together but this time, minus one.

At some point during the evening, I asked my sister, my brother and my sister-in-law outside for a private talk. All three of them smoked. They had done so since their teenage years just like Mom. I told all three of them that yes, it was up to them to continue or not but I wanted to remind all three of them that our mother died from smoking. They graciously accepted my "speech" as the tone of it was that I was just a little ticked of being deprived of my mother by something which was totally preventable.

As I write this, it is 2010, 14 years later. Not one of them has stopped smoking. Now am I one to get on my high horse and berate them? I am an alcoholic and I drank like a fish for about ten years until I had the luck, the good fortune to stop. I will be shortly celebrating 23 years of sobriety but I do remember the merry-go-round and the difficulties of getting off. Addiction isn't fun.

The bunch of us from the family have about another 9 or 10 years until we all reach the age of 66, the age of my mother when she died. What's going to happen? It's inevitable that we are all going to die sooner or later; the question is whether or not we are going to be checking out naturally or thanks to the big C. I have joked over the years that being the non smoker of the family, I have inhaled gawd only knows how much second hand smoke. The irony of it all would be that instead of anybody else I get cancer. Now wouldn't that be a laugh? I would be the very first to look up to the heavens and say, "Good one. You are hilarious!"

Don't think of that as me being morbidly funny. Heather Crowe (1945-2006) was a Canadian who also got involved in an anti-smoking campaign when she contracted lung cancer. However she had never smoked. She claimed this was from the second-hand smoke she encountered in her job as waitress over 40 years.

Speaking about "cosmic jokes", I am reminded of the story of Chuck from high school. He was a heroin addict and I mean the worst kind. A nice enough guy but he took to stealing from everybody including his friends to support his habit. He was completely out of control.

He showed up at a stoner party once and told me he had been up for 8 days straight on drugs. Man, is it possible to stay awake for 8 days without sleeping? Heck!

Finally, Chuck gets himself off the drug; he gets straighten out and puts his life back on track. At the age of thirty, he is holding down a good job with a construction company and being a responsible citizen. One day, he's driving a bulldozer and the machine slips on an incline then rolls over crushing Chuck to death. When I heard the news, I laughed at the cosmic joke. Chuck had been to hell and back because of his addiction to smack and it ends up he gets his life snuffed out early in a freak accident.

Final Word
Life is precious and it is short. Every moment needs to be savoured, treasured and valued beyond gold or diamond. If Barb's picture stops one person from smoking, it will be worth it. I know she's not going to stop my brother, my sister and my sister-in-law: too bad, so sad. My father died two days short of his 80th birthday. I would rate that as a good, long life. My mother died at 66 and I would say she lost out in comparison with my Dad. Hmmm, now that I think about it, I would say that I lost out too. I was deprived of my mother early when I should have had her for another 14 years.

According to reports, Ms. Tarbox's photos have made their way south to the United States and are being considered there for an anti-smoking campaign. Others see the graphic nature of the images of her final days as a hopeful deterrent in the effort to sway a population from the life altering choice of lighting up. I certainly remember the final days of my mother and it is not a pretty sight to watch the human body being consumed alive by a ravenous disease that spares nothing during its unstoppable journey.

If you smoke, I sincerely wish you the best in your efforts to stop. Addiction is not a easy thing to wrestle to the ground. I know; I speak from experience. Remember that an addiction will kill you and just because you didn't die today, doesn't mean that sooner or later that day will not come. It's inevitable.


References

Wikipedia: Barb Tarbox
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barb_Tarbox

Barb's Miracle by Greg Southam, The Edmonton Journal
Photographs of Barb's last days
http://caj.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/mediamag/awards2004/cajAwards/theAwards/08_photoJ/Miracle/pages/00.html

The story behind Greg Southam's renowned deathbed photograph of anti-smoking crusader Barb Tarbox
By David Staples Wed, Nov 10 2010
http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/commons/archive/2010/11/10/the-story-behind-greg-southam-s-deathbed-photograph-of-barb-tarbox.aspx

Wikipedia: Heather Crowe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Crowe

2010-12-30

Site Map: William Quincy Belle

Retail…how the hell has no one written about this horseshit yet?


…let’s get one thing straight. I hate people…with the exception of whoever invented porn/mayo/zingers….and you…dur.

However, retail has definitely destroyed my hope in humanity…well honestly, I never really had any to begin with…but now I just like to fart (silently) when a customer is bitching for no real reason.

…and the moment my scent hits their nostrils…priceless.

Everyone in retail hates people. We all know it. We all except and respect that fact…but for the few out there who like to pretend this is a fallacy…

Riddle me this:

Has an associate at any retail store said, “I’m sorry,” to you?

…exactly.

In the mere month I’ve been working in retail, I’ve quickly learned that “I’m sorry,” translates to, “I really don’t give a shit.”

…”You forgot your coupons? I’m so sorry.”

Yeah, I don’t give a shit.

…”You’re mad that you have to wait in this big awful line on Christmas eve because you procrastinated…I’m so sorry.”

I really don’t give a shit…bitch.

…”Oh no, now because you procrastinated we are all out of boxes and now you’ll have to scour this town for the only Dollar Tree open that may be open, but will inevitably be sold out as well…and will probably smell like a constant fart cloud is slowly sprinkling into your mouth…I’m so sorry.”

I’m…I’m not.

“You’re trying to return the shirt that you are wearing…without any tags…or proof of purchase…I doubt that’s going to happen…I’m so sorry.”

What the fucking fuck???! You’re trying to return the shirt you are wearing? The shirt that is on your body at this very exact moment as I openly mock you?!

Hmmm…how do I put this politely?

Yeah…I don’t give a shit.

The authors originally set out to study millionaires in the United States. They visited posh neighbourhoods but discovered those people driving luxury cars and living in expensive homes didn't necessarily have much wealth. They began to discover something odd which went against their preconceived notions of what or who a millionaire was. These people may have had high incomes but they were spending it all.

Thomas Stanley, one of the authors was quoted as saying, "Most people have it all wrong about wealth in America. Wealth isn't the same as income. If you make $1 million a year and spend $1 million, you're not getting wealthier, you're just living high."

They found a group of relatively unknown people in society who were actually wealthy. Now not wealthy in terms we would usually consider, certainly not wealthy like a Donald Trump, but they did have a net worth of one million dollars or more. It just didn't show when you looked at them.

First published in 1996, this book has apparently sold over 2 million copies according to its author, Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D.. While Dr. Stanley has a number of books under his belt, it is certainly this one which has struck a chord with readers and set the foundation for various strategies in dealing with personal finance. Oddly enough, the so-called secrets of these millionaires turn out to not be some sort of fabulous investment plan but just basic common sense. Considering that the majority of people are not among the Donald Trumps of the world or not even among these people making up the rich next door, it would follow that the majority are not missing this fabulous investment plan but are just missing common sense.

The book designates some terms with associated acronyms to categorise people according to their wealth: UAW is an Under Accumulator of Wealth; AAW is an Average Accumulator of Wealth and a PAW is a Prodigious Accumulator of Wealth. It uses a simple formula to determine their net worth and where the individual fits: age times annual income divided by 10. For example, a 50 year old man earning $80,000 per year should have a net worth of 50 times 80,000 divided by 10 or $400,000. An UAW would have less than this amount; a PAW would have more.

Of course, this simplistic formula leaves out many of the refinements a professional financial planner would use in assessing anybody's portfolio but the authors set out to provide an easy guideline for judging one's financial position. In looking at the idea of these quiet, unassuming millionaires next door, they had run into the phenomenon where people, sometimes high earners like doctors were blowing everything they made to maintain a fancy lifestyle. They were saving nothing and consequently actually had a low net worth. It is a bit of shock to find out that your doctor, somebody whom you would consider to be wealthy, turns out to look wealthy but is not.

The "secret" strategy
Common sense. It's an odd phrase when you think that the word common would mean something not out of the ordinary, something everyone would have. However the authors in studying those people who did have a net worth of a million or more, discovered some basic rules we should all live by.

Spend less than you earn
If you have a hundred bucks, don't spend two hundred bucks. That seems pretty obvious but there are other examples where the clarity may be ah, so clear.

Using a credit card sometimes removes us from the process of connecting our expenditures to our income. We arrive at the end of the month when we have to pay off the balance and there may not be enough in the kitty to pay off the whole amount. Our mistake? "No sweat, I've got enough to make the minimum payment." Oh brother, you are toast! The interest rates on outstanding credit card balances are astronomical and I can think of no better way to start your way down the slippery slope to financial ruin.

Avoid Buying Status Objects or Leading a Status Lifestyle
I suppose that we somehow think we have to keep up with the Jones but who actually said that? Is there some unwritten rule we have to keep up with if not undo our neighbours? Who the heck are we trying to impress anyway?

Why buy a Porsche for $80,000 when a Honda Accord for $32,000 will do just fine? (I owned a Honda Accord; good car) Why buy a ten thousand square foot home (929 sq metres) when a fifteen hundred square foot home (139 sq metres) would do just fine? Besides, there is a lot less vacuuming to do.

That's the trick. Don't buy unnecessary "stuff" and when you have to buy "stuff", don't buy the most expensive "stuff". Believe me, I ain't impressed.

Measure your financial success by your net worth
You're standing at the fence talking with your neighbour. He's a doctor. He makes - what? - two hundred grand a year? How to compete with that? Well, don't. Your measurement is net worth not income. Your home is paid off while that doctor still has a mortgage. Your income is going into the bank; his income is going to the bank to pay off the mortgage. Your home, your mortgage-free home is part of your net worth. That is the true measure of wealth.

Financial independence is the target
Imagine it. You live your life; you pay your bills; you go on vacation but... you don't work. Ah, sounds divine; let me check my lottery tickets.



However this isn't an insurmountable obstacle on our journey to the promised land. It is just basic common sense. Spend less than you make. Don't buy status objects or lead a status lifestyle. Invest your unspent money in solid, secure vehicles. What's not to understand? Slow and steady wins the race.

Calculating your net worth
Remember this simple formula: age times annual income divided by 10. The following are two online calculators which can assist you in finding out just where you are financially.

Retire Early
Scroll down to the bottom to find the calculator. This offers a few extras to the simple formula given above.

The wealth calculator
You are required to supply your age, your annual income and your net worth. It then classifies you as an UAW, AAW or PAW tells you what your net worth should be.

Dr. Thomas J. Stanley
The author's web site contains a list of his books, a blog, a biography and stories about various "millionaires". While this book originally appeared in 1996, I see the author has continued to write and his latest book, published in 2009 is called Stop Acting Rich and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire.

Final Word
In my review of the book The Wealthy Barber, I pointed out the same common sense approach to financial planning. The Millionaire Next Door expounds the same principles but describes the real people possibly living next door to us who have succeeded to put these principles into practice. It is inspirational in that it shows the problem is not insurmountable and the goal is not unattainable. I know I'll never be a Donald Trump but maybe the more modest goal of being an AAW would be within my grasp and give me a retirement which could be truly labelled my golden years.


References

Wikipedia: The Millionaire Next Door
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Millionaire_Next_Door

official web site: Thomas J. Stanley
http://www.thomasjstanley.com

2010-12-29

Site Map: William Quincy Belle

Last night, I was walking along the overpass between Club Cafe and Fritz, huddled against the cold, when I passed a tall handsome guy walking in the opposite direction. Just as we passed each other, he glanced at my package, but kept walking. I turned around and saw that he'd done the same. We both stopped and approached each other. He was 6'4" (later confirmed), slim but solid and looked anywhere between 35 and 42. (I said that later on and he told me was 33. I didn't buy it.) In a beautiful British accent, he invited me to Fritz for a drink, but neither of us really wanted to go there. So I suggested Beehive instead and off we went. He was really was handsome (blue eyes, not a pore visible [I may hate him], low buzz cut, dark slim jeans and a pair of midtop sneakers). Just the right combo of style and ease. He had a few beers and I had a few cocktails. It was great to talk, laugh and flirt with him. I wasn't expecting it, but I got an invite for a sleep-over at his South End apartment. I didn't know it to be his weakness, but I started stroking his hair at the bar. Throughout the rest of the night in the restaurant and back at his place, he'd just grab my hand, put it on his head and start wiggling his head around my hand. Funny stuff. If there were even the slightest possibility that I might've imagined his initial glance at my crotch in passing, he made it absolutely clear over drinks. He openly stared at and slapped my bulge throughout drinks. "Are you hard yet," he'd ask. "No." "Well why the hell not?" "Because I'm not 12 years old," I'd laugh. It takes a little more than that to get me hard...sometimes. Honestly, the only strike against him the entire night was that he clearly does not care for Ms. Celine Dion's voice. Hey, nobody's perfect...except Celine. But I did like his style. He said, "I'm not going to fuck you tonight...but you can fall asleep in my bed." Well thanks heaven that's decided. Apparently he'd only slept 2 hours the night before because he was naked with one of Lady Gaga's backup dancers. Within ten minutes of being at his place, we were cuddled on the bed with our clothes on. And within about fifteen he was gently snoring in my arms.

I didn't find it the least bit odd that I was sleeping over at some stranger's place on such short notice (that's just my life), but the lack of even a kiss did throw me. Usually, I feel like I know just what guys think of me in a situation like this, but I was drawing a blank with this guy. I also felt like I was caressing a tree, albeit a very sexy one :) A few hours later, we were waking up to strip down and get under the covers: I slept in the altogether and he kept on his tee and briefs. True to his word, there was no fucking (which was fine with me), but we did manage an oral-free and kiss-free jerk off session.

In the morning, we rushed out shortly after 7:30a. He was late and my poor little legs were having a hard time keeping up with his long, fast strides through the slushy snow. When we got to one of the parks on Washington Street, I realized where I was, said a quick, "bye, I'm going this way," and abruptly left. There was no handshake or anything. In fact, I realized later that I caught him by surprise by not walking him to his work in Back Bay, which was SO the way I was going. In retrospect, I just wanted to say goodbye first leaving no awkward expectations and no need for him to tell me that it had been great, but he wasn't really looking for more. On the walk back to the Arlington green line train station, I thought, "what if he really wanted my number? Oh God!" OK, here's something you don't know about me. I'm such a teenage girl when it comes to men I find attractive. I immediately imagine the life we could have together, how great we'd look together in public, how easily our friends will (or won't) get along, how I'll talk about our relationship on Jay Leno when I'm pushing my album. You know, just a few things. I let it all go by reminding myself that a) I told him I live in East Boston and b) I told him I'm on Adam4adam. If he wanted to, he could find me.

I got home slightly after 8a and very much in need of a nap. (This is my life. Who says that?) However, I also knew today was to be my last day in Boston before flying out the next morning to visit family and friends in Durham, North Carolina for a week. That plus I knew I was going to jerk off; watch porn; check BBRT, Craigslist, Adam4adam and try to hook up before I slept. I didn't have to wait too long because K, a sexy, bubble butt, bottom bud of mine was on BBRT. He told me he had my Christmas gift. Hmm. I wonder what it could be. (Oh, ass? Wow, you shouldn't have. All I got you was this...DICK!) After just 2 emails, he was on his way from Back Bay to my place in East Boston. He's an insatiable versatile bottom who can take a lot of dick. So I needed to bring my A-game. We were both sweating after an hour of rimming, sucking and fucking. It got very intense towards the end. His ass was starting to hurt with my hand inside him, but whenever we fuck I own him and get to do whatever I want. Naturally, I don't want to hurt him ever. But he'll hold on as long as I coax him and allow him some time to breathe. Right before I nutted in him, I made sure he wanted my black babies inside him. He did. I was SO FUCKING HARD I was slamming into his anal wall. Finally, I couldn't hold back anymore and I gave him what we both wanted: my load inside. Later that evening when returning from shopping in the South End, I was walking along the same path I had the night before and who should I run into? Yes. My face lit up and so did his actually. "You know I don't have your number, right?" He asked. "I wasn't sure you wanted it." "What do you mean? Of course I wanted it. Look, I'm no good in the mornings and neither are you," he offered with a sly grin. "Give me your number and I"ll call you right now so you can have mine. That way we can get together when you're back from North Carolina." And that was that. Literally blocks before I ran into him again, I got a sext message from the bi, tatted guy in Southie who lives with his girlfriend. If you remember, our last phone call had me masturbating on the back of a Megabus while we dirty-talked and he blew a wad. The text merely reminded me that we needed to "drain each other again soon". He keeps trying to get me to fuck his girlfriend with him. (I'll leave the fantasy for a while longer that I'm actually interested in pussy like he is.) He'd fucked his girlfriend that morning and I'd fucked my friend, but somehow he had my dick hard as a rock as I walked down the street. Uh, not good as I was wearing jeggings. I hid my raging boner with the shopping bag and headed over to his place.

He'd left the doors opened and the porn was already playing. The other time I was there, I didn't notice how pouty-mouthed he was but, my fucking god, it's sexy. I love baby-faced tough guys. That's just what he is. Very small penis though, but it leaks a ton of precum. We sat side by side on the couch. I completely stripped down. After a few minutes he stopped stroking in his sweats and just took them off. He leaned over and started sucking me. I forget how amazing head really is. Even if you're not the best sucker, just remember that a warm mouth on a cold day is probably just as heavenly as a cold beer on a hot day. No seriously. I'm not making a great connection here, but you know what I'm saying. I laid my head back and gently moaned. I remembered his caution the last time I was there that the walls were super thin. He has a female neighbor who apparently commented on how loud he and his girlfriend fuck. Good grief, Charlie Brown. I ran my hands all over his shaved head, then stood in front of him so he could service my very hard dick in all of its glory. He was ready for me to cum all over his dick. I saw the preload dripping onto the sofa cushion just below his balls. I scooped it and slid it over my cockhead while he sat back and jerked himself. Honest to god, his prejizz felt exactly like Gun Oil. I was ready to bust my nutt in a few short minutes. I did as I was asked and shot on his cock. He rubbed our heads together a while, then got me to suck my sperm off his dick. After I gave his balls a deep cleaning with my long tongue, I applied pressure to his butthole with my finger and sucked a salty, bitter load out of him.

Oh yes, the pics above are me.

Hot Latinos fuck raw

Would you drink this in public, private or not at all?

Rafael Alencar's Official Website

Rafael is also for rent on Rentboy.

Gay Porn Jews :)

Wankercam: A New Favorite

Writing has always been very cathartic for me. Usually, my funniest writing comes from my darkest moments…well… as dark as you can get for a cute upper-middle class suburban white girl.


But try as I might, I’m experiencing my first real bout of writer’s block…and that shit is a bitch….

So instead of the previous post I was working on… I’m going to tell you a story…

In college, I worked at a Jimmy Johns. It was one of the greatest jobs ever… honestly, I don’t know how the fuck I didn’t get fired…

…Let’s just say I sexually harassed many a customers…whatever, I’m cute…they liked it… but that’s beside the point…

The store was right next to campus so we had a parking attendant to make sure students weren’t “illegally” parking….and that man’s name was…Lloyd.

He was a funny man, never missed an opportunity to hit on me, or any other female that passed that parking lot.

He called me Red… I’m pretty sure he never really knew real name… I worked there for a over a year.

He also thought my best friend (who also worked at JJ’s) was a boy….she wasn’t...she’s really pretty actually…and I was the one with adult braces…he was an older gentleman…maybe his eye-sight wasn’t what it used to be.

She was the only girl he wouldn’t hit on…one time he called us the Bobsy twins (or some shit like that)…so naturally we Googled it and it turned out to be some old-time stories about these twins that got into mischief…. a boy and girl twin.

Also…I may or may not have said (on more than one occasion)… “I’d bone him…”

I swear to God I was joking, but like I said I don’t know how I didn’t get fired…

Well I just found out Lloyd died last night…he had massive blood loss from a surgery, then broke his hip and got a bad infection and slipped into a coma.

I never really said goodbye…the last time I saw him was October/November? The only thing I can remember saying was… “Oh Lloyd…” as we watched him hit on another random passerby.

…and it warmed my heart.

It was one of those moments that you naively believe would never change, you’d come back years from now and the same scenario would be playing before you once again.

…and all would be right in the world.

He was a good man…who always stood on that sidewalk… rain or shine…in a bright orange vest labeled “PARKING ATTENDANT”…. He was happy.

We were happy.

I was happy.

…and thankful for that jack and coke you slipped me at work, Lloyd.

I’ll make sure they retire your vest, and hang it up in JJ’s so everyone can know the legend of Lloyd.

It wouldn’t be right any other way.

Got a new DSLR camera and a ring light, which every other female blogger is using now too. Gave Pumpkin away. Had my biggest advertorial client of a total of 7 posts from Essential. Got married.


Went to London, where I watched Wicked and ate at a 1 Michelin Star restaurant. Removed my tongue stud. Did plastic surgery on my eyes - made no difference so I started wearing eyelid tape.


Gave a presentation to over 300 people in the Canon Symposium. Went to Bintan for Gillian's birthday. Flew to Dallas, Texas in May, and in December again where I blew up fireworks for the first time. When to Kuala Lumpur in May for a press conference, and again in August for a shopping advert.


Got on Shin min, Cleo, Style Weddings etc. Nanolove passed away. Started to be a skincare freak. Started on invisalign to get straight teeth.


Went to Tokyo where I had the best ramen I've ever eaten and shopped in the famed Shibuya 109. Made a video with top female youtube star Michelle Phan, which was the top freaking viewed video on Nov 10, 2010.



Invited to Tbilisi, Georgia, to give a talk about vlogging. Started learning Japanese. Painted a self portrait. Invited to the awesome Pixar studios in San Francisco with 15 vloggers chosen worldwide to watch Toy Story 3 before everyone else; met director Lee Unkrich.


Went on a sponsored trip to Phuket with Mike, where we stayed in a villa like royalty. Flew to Los Angeles to watch Rapunzel, a Tangled Tale and interview Mandy Moore and Zachery Levi.


That about sums up my year!! Can't believe I got out of the country (if you don't count JB) 10 freaking times! Madness! 2010 has been a great year for me. :) There were probably some bad stuff that happened too but I can't remember most of them coz my memory is super bad wtf. I think it's some subconscious ability to forgot the shitty.

If you are bored you can click the links if you haven't already read them all.

Hopefully life gets even better come 2011!! :D

How was your year?

Husbands living in a "harem" with multiple wives have been cleared to claim state benefits for all their different partners.
A Muslim man with four spouses - which is permitted under Islamic law - could receive £10,000 a year in income support alone.
He could also be entitled to more generous housing and council tax benefit, to reflect the fact his household needs a bigger property.


Ministers have decided that, even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, polygamous marriages can be recognised formally by the state - provided they took place overseas, in countries where they are legal.
The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife.
Ministers estimate that up to a thousand polygamous partnerships exist in Britain, although they admit there is no exact record.
Potentially, the benefits bill for income support could reach £10m.
New guidelines on income support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state: "Where there is a valid polygamous marriage the claimant and one spouse will be paid the couple rate (£92.80).
"The amount payable for each additional spouse is presently £33.65."
Income support for all of the wives may be paid directly into the husband's bank account, if the family so choose.
Chris Grayling, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said that the decision was "completely unjustifiable".
He added: "You are not allowed to have multiple marriages in the UK, so to have a situation where the benefits system is treating people in different ways is totally unacceptable and will serve to undermine confidence in the system.
"This sets a precedent that will lead to more demands for the culture of other countries to be reflected in UK law and the benefits system."
Mr Grayling also accused the Government of trying to keep the ruling quiet because the topic is so controversial.
Corin Taylor, research director for the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "British taxpayers are paying a record amount of tax so the Government has a duty to make sure that every penny is spent properly.
"Polygamy is not something which British law allows and therefore British taxpayers should not have to pay for extra benefits for second or third wives.
"If other countries sanction polygamy that is fine but the British taxpayer should not have to fund it."
Ministers launched a review of the benefit rules for polygamous marriages in November 2006, after it emerged that some families had benefited financially.
The review concluded in December last year with agreement that the extra benefits should continue to be paid. But the decision was not publicly announced.
Four departments - the Treasury, the DWP, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Home Office - were involved in the review, which concluded that recognising multiple marriages conducted overseas was 'the best possible' option. In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Islamic law permits men to have up to four wives at any one time - known as a harem - provided the husband spends equal amounts of time and money on each of them.
The DWP believes the number of people in polygamous marriages entering Britain has fallen since the 1988 Immigration Act, which makes it harder to bring more than one wife to the UK.
But, while a married man cannot obtain a spouse visa to bring a second wife into Britain, some multiple partners may be able to enter the country via other legal routes such as tourist visas, student visas or work permits.
Officials have also identified a potential loophole by which a man can divorce his wife under British law while continuing to live with her as his spouse under Islamic law, and obtain a spouse visa for a foreign woman who he can legally marry.
Immigration rules say entry clearance may not be withheld from a second wife where the husband has divorced his previous wife, and the divorce is thought to be one of convenience.
This is so, even if the husband is still living with the previous wife and to issue the entry clearance would lead to the formation of a polygamous household.
Muslim couples are only married in the eyes of the British state if they undergo a register office wedding as well as a Nikah, or religious ceremony.
Muslim groups say it is quite common for men here to undergo more than one Nikah with different wives. This does not count as bigamy since only the first marriage is legally recognised.
A DWP spokesman said: 'There are fewer than 1,000 polygamous marriages in the UK and only a small percentage of these are claiming social security benefit.
"We recently reviewed the rules regarding benefit payments to customers in a polygamous marriage, which conclude that the rules in place since 1987 provide the necessary safeguards to ensure there is no financial advantage for claimants in a valid polygamous marriage."

I have an on-going joke about resolving to do something in the New Year.

Somebody: So, what's your resolution for the coming year?

Me: I'm going to quit smoking.

Somebody [frowning with a perplexed look]: Ah... but I thought you didn't smoke?

Me: I don't but I always like to start with something easy then work my way up to the more difficult.

How many times just before the clock strikes midnight have I said to myself under my breath that I promise to do such and such a thing? Has it worked? In reflecting back on these moments, I can't say one way or another whether I've made a promise I've kept or whether I've even made a promise which was as specific as something like quitting to smoke. I think that generally these promises have been of a more vague nature like "be happier", "try harder", or "save more money". Okay, I suppose "save more money" could actually be quantified so if I put together a spreadsheet and start tracking this in the coming year, maybe I can come back at the end of the next year with some perceptible pecuniary proof of my promise being kept. - Sorry, I couldn't think of a "p" version of "being kept" to keep my alliteration going for five P's; I'll have to be content with four.

The other two resolutions, "be happier" and "try harder" are vague, unquantifiable, the type of promise which may be construed as not really being a promise. They are more of the warm and fuzzy type of thing one says to make everybody feel good, a politically correct thing to say in company which at the end of the day, do not necessarily translate into anything concrete. You can't take that one to the bank.

As I look through some articles penned by various journalists, most of them of an amusing slant on the end of the year tradition, I find this comical take by one lady who talks cynically of her own resolutions by saying that most are broken by day three and discarded by day seven. I suppose that if we start with something vague like "be happier", this is very true but what about "save more money"?

The Wealthy Barber
I recently reviewed this book and would remind everybody that one resolution you should make and keep for the New Year would be reading that book and getting your financial house in order. This isn't just for the coming year; this should be for the rest of your life. And one thing which is attractive about this resolution is that it is quantifiable; it is something which you will be able to sum up and at the end of the year you will have a "total" on which you can reflect.

In that article, I talked about creating a spreadsheet for yourself where you could track your finances. For me, I have a simple sheet divided into two sections: my income and my expenses. Of course, the section on income is simple: it is merely my pay check deposited in my bank account every two weeks. However I have the sheet set up in columns with the headings of the columns marked with the date of the event in question. Consequently, I have columns corresponding to the deposit of my pay so I know exactly on what date I get my moo-la.

The bigger section is my expenses and once again I have columns showing the date of an expense. By glancing at the columns, I can easily see the dates of when any expense is due whether it is a mortgage payment or paying off my VISA. The most important aspect of doing this is that I can see what's coming up in the near future. If I have to pay off my VISA this coming Monday and I can see the cost is $400, I know that I should be judicious in what I spend for the rest of the week and the weekend knowing that I have to have $400 next Monday. Without this overview, I'm not sure how I could keep track of my cash flow and how I could respect my obligations.

I ofttimes read in the newspapers about how many can't seem to control their finances and find themselves in debt especially debt on their credit card. Without some sort of means of tracking my finances, I assume I'd have my own situation messed up and I could even find myself borrowing on my credit card. Actually, I'm not sure calling it "borrowing on your credit card" is an accurate description. I believe people just don't have enough at the end of the month to pay off the entire balance and consequently just make the minimum payment. Okay, that sort of gets you into the next month but has anybody who does this checked at the rate of interest? It's astronomical! Avoid that like the plague.

Enough preaching
Okay, I started off wanting to say something amusing about resolutions but then got off on a bit of a tangent about something practical in which I strongly believe. Money may be the root of all evil but it is certainly a nice thing to have on a rainy day or any day for that matter. Ha!

So for you, what else? Go on a diet? Finish that project? Quit smoking? All are laudable resolutions and I wish you the best of luck in getting past day number three. Just don't forget reading The Wealthy Barber. That is a resolution you can take with you to the bank.

Final Word
This year, I'm going to hold a Monty Python New Year, meaning "And now for something completely different." I've decided to ring in the New Year by myself. I've decided to spend this final time of the year by myself to reflect on both the past year and the coming year in some vain attempt of figuring out all the great issues of cosmic importance concerning my place in the universe. - Wow, now is that profound or what? - I'll have my thumbed copy of the Wealthy Barber open for consultation as I work through my spreadsheet playing "What if?" scenarios to try and figure out either how destitute I'll be when I retire or whether I can afford gold leaf on my bathroom fixtures. Either way, I'll keep a window cracked so I can listen for anybody in the neighbourhood yelling "Happy New Year!" out their window at the stroke of midnight.

In returning to my opening and my "easy" resolution, I will leave you with one final question for this end of the year extravaganza:

Anybody got a light?


Some suggested resolutions
A few items of interest from my blog you may want to consider for the coming year's "promises to self".

Death-defying feat: Parachuting: If God had meant me to...
I didn't realise how influential I am. This past October 8, I did a tandem parachute jump and shared my pictures afterwards with my colleagues at work. One of them just told me he has "resolved" to bestow a gift on his daughter for her birthday this spring which will involve the two of them doing a skydive at the same club I visited. Ah, a brave soul indeed!

Exotic Vacation: Egypt
How about a vacation in someplace you've never been before? My wife arranged for us to spend 2 weeks in the land of the pharaohs and I can qualify this as one of the most fabulous trips I've ever taken.

Unusual activity: Sedona: Hot Air Ballooning
You don't have to go all the way to Sedona to do this but believe me, it is a very nice part of the United States to visit. I talk about taking my very first trip in a hot air balloon and it is quite the experience. Check out some of my links; you can do this near to Toronto.

Something for Couples: Ballroom Dancing: A metaphor for men and women?
I talk about my wife and me taking ballroom dance lessons. One, two, three, cha-cha-cha. Yes, how about something for both you and your partner?

2010-12-28

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