A Blog is for life, not just for October 4th

Bonjour mes amis, and welcome to installment #2 of my little blog . Well, I suppose it's #3 if you count the Fins entry. I don't and it's my blog, so #2 it is.

The gap between posts is inexcusable. I know of at least 3 people who read the last post, and they deserve more than 2 months of a zero log blog. During that time much has happened in the world. My timbers were shivered by the return of piracy to the high seas. To make ends meet next year I may dust down my old Pirate outfit, and borrow SLAM for a days buccaneering on the Solent. I think I'll target something smaller than an Oil Tanker. Maybe the Gosport - Portsmouth ferry. I could hold it to ransom till Pompey agree to swap divisions with the Saints. Probably better swap players too, while they're at it.

The Americans elected Barack Obama President. What happened there? 4 years ago they reelected Bush, a fact that should have led to the whole nation being stripped of voting rights. Allow me to remind you of some highlights from the last 8 years. There were the terrible events of 9/11, the largest ever attack on the United States, for which the US have never really got revenge. Instead they went into one unwinnable war that I think people generally agree with, and another one for which the good people of Iraq will be paying for many many generations. Ever find any WMDs, George?

As if 9/11 wasn't bad enough, Bush completely ignored the horror of Katrina hitting New Orleans. More people died in New Orleans than on 9/11, but they were not bankers or businessmen. No, they were the poor who didn't own a car to leave the city. And because they were poor and in most cases Black, they didn't count for much and were left to fend for themselves.

And then he's decimated the strongest economy of the world, bringing ours down with it. And what does he do? Absolutely sod all. The fact is, the US government pretty much shuts down when a new President has been elected. Obama is currently as powerless as you or I, and Bush's only task for the next two months is writing a list of all his mates he'll exonerate on the eve of succession. Our system of handing over the reins (or reigns, geddit?) at least gets the job done quickly.

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned Guantanamo Bay.

But that's enough ranting, I think. Onto lighter issues. One of the side effects of living with the lovely Julie is that I'm now something of an authority on X Factor, and to a lesser extent Strictly Come Dancing. But absolutely not I'm a Celebrity, the name winds me up, for the same reason that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter does.

I should point out that I haven't been sucked into the X Factor completely. I have not and will not vote, but I find it a fascinating human experiment. Anyone with an ear knows that Alexandra should and hopefully will win. The only other contestant who comes close is Ruth, but powerful and emotional as her voice is, it lacks the absolute pitch perfect delivery. Compared to those two, I'm amazed at how limp the singing of the other contestants is. Yes, it is on tune, but whenever there is any kind of backing vocal you can't hear them. It's so patently obvious. On singing talent Rachel should have stayed by an ex-drug addict isn't a great image for the show, so they worked her out by cleverly manipulating the judges comments, leaving the images they want on the show. So we're left with a poor man's barber shop quartet, and two annoying children who are surely up past their bed time. At least JLS can harmonise, but I'm very bored of the Claw and the impossible-named-one.

Anyway, now I've invalidated my masculinity on the internet it's time to close. I'll endeavour to post at least a couple of times in December, which should be achievable as I only work 10 days out of 31!