ON MY SOAP BOX >>>>> AGAIN.

It's been a while since I climbed up onto my soap box* and had a really good rant but today I find myself
doing just that.

Though we are a household of non-drivers I'm not  anti-car  BUT I am anti-ignorant drivers - my pet hate being the driver who does not seem to know the purpose of the indicator. Actually make that the driver who parks on the kerb leaving no room for parents with pushchairs/wheelchair users to get past, forcing them to step out into the road. Oh, and then there's the driver who parks in the bay reserved for disabled drivers. Agggghhhhh.

And now there is something else for me to rant about........

Newcastle University researchers found that 31% of drivers were easily bored and therefore more likely to seek excitement by taking driving risks. These motorists were prone to speeding or overtaking.

The researchers said building more obstacles - such as by taking away kerbs so cars are more exposed to pavement hazards - might be the answer.

Whoa! 'So that CARS are more exposed to pavement hazards'? What about the pedestrian? I mean no kerbs may make it more interesting for all those easily bored drivers out there but it surely isn't going to make it any safer for Joe Public.

Enough said.

More of a concern than a rant really .......

I was brought up in a houseful of animals - cats, dogs, goldfish, rabbits, guinea-pigs, hamsters we've loved them all. And what better a place to find a companion than a rescue centre? Not something we ever did as my parents believed it was unsafe to bring an animal that might have 'issues' into the house.

To a certain degree I can understand their fears as it can be a challenge to bring a possibly ill-treat/damaged animal into your home and I suppose with two small children and other animals in the home you can't be too careful but nowadays all kinds of background checks are done before an animal is re-homed not only to ascertain its suitability but yours as well. Not too sure about POGO THE CAT who faces a series of dog encounters every day to decide if the dogs are suitable for life in homes with felines. What do you think?

Most certainly a rant.

I've said it before and, no doubt, I'll say it again. Why aren't children allowed to be children? Is it just me or do any of you, my blogger buddies, find these two articles quite disturbing?

In 2008, aged only two years old  Suri  (daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) was hailed the most INFLUENTIAL A-LIST TODDLER , hardly surprising that here she is in 2011, her picture all over The Sun newspaper under the heading TOT NEW STYLE ICON. For goodness sake the child is only what 4, 5 years old?

Then there is eight year old, Romeo, son of David and Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham who recently made his debut on GQ magazine's annual Best Dressed list at number 26.

'With parents like that, staying stylish is just part of the family business' quotes this VIDEO CLIP which then goes on to ask:-

• So cute
• So stylish
• Too young to be considered a style icon.

Not wishing to be seen as blogosphere's most grumpy blogger please let me know your feelings on any/all of the above OR how about having your very own rant? You'll feel much better for it - honestly.

* Soap was delivered to stores years ago in sturdy wooden crates, which were recycled for many purposes  but one of the best uses for a soap box was as a portable "stage" for an orator to stand on, to rise above a crowd and make speeches. It was democracy at its most basic: get on your soap box, and harangue the assembled listeners - The Phrase Finder.

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SUNSHINE.

SUNSHINE by ROBIN McKINLEY.

There are places in the world where darkness rules, where its unwise to walk. But the lake had been quiet for years ...... She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.

They took her clothes and her sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion - within easy reach of her fellow prisoner.

She knows he is a vampire. She knows that she's his dinner, and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet when dawn breaks, she is still alive. And now he needs her to help him survive the day .....

..... From the outer back cover.

FIRST SENTENCE: It was a dumb thing to do but it wasn't that dumb.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: I didn't want to know that the monster that lived under your bed when you were a kid not only really is there but used to have a few beers with your dad.

Where to begin? There were so many things I enjoyed about this book and some (including the lack of chapters, a personal dislike of mine) that I didn't.

A fascinating idea - I loved the thought of a vampire needing a mere mortal to help him survive the day. But then, and I'm hoping I'm not giving too much away here, that mere mortal may need the help of that vampire just as much.

Set in a world post-'voodoo wars' there are so many things similar to our own times and yet so many things different. Populated by both humans and 'others' (some tolerated but most feared and hated, none more so than the vampire) the world is policed by Special Other Forces (SOF).

I loved the mixture of characters in this book - especially Sunshine (Rae Seddon)  and Con (Constantine to give him his full name).

Sunshine I found to be feisty and brave and yet vulnerable all at the same time. Having recently made some discoveries about not only her 'lost' family but also about her powers, I thought she was on a real journey of discovery. As for Con, my favourite character, he was not a typical vampire and yet not quite one of the 'new breed' (I'm thinking Twilight's Edward here), I loved the almost 'human' side of him and the very touching relationship he developed with Sunshine which according to Time Out magazine:-

 'takes everything we have always known about the menacing eroticism of pale men with sharp teeth and throws it up into the air.'

Hmm, eroticism? I suppose so but it was quite understated, bubbling gently away in the background you might say.

The plot? A wonderful idea but not what I expected. Somehow lacking in any real sense of danger and, despite the 'final showdown', totally lacking in any real sense of suspense, to me Sunshine was more of a modern day romance (thankfully without the soppy element).

 A novel with loads of potential BUT to me it was just far too long a story with too much time being spent by Sunshine repeatedly dissecting the events. AND if cinnamon rolls had been mentioned once more (Sunshine was a baker when not in Buffy The Vampire Slayer mode) I would have screamed.

Many thanks to MISHA from whom I received this book as a competition win, it is the first book read as part of the 2011 100+ book challenge.


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FROM BOUNCY FIRE ENGINES TO BOUNCING BABIES.

Well, I suppose it's a bit different from the usual inflatable bouncy castle.

A fire service spent twenty six thousand pounds of taxpayers money on a blow-up bouncy fire engine. (Why?) To educate people about fire safety. - 06/01/2011.

Not tonight darling, I have a headache - no longer a valid excuse for avoiding an evening of passion?

Women who want to repel an unwanted suitor should think of something sad and shed a tear, research suggests,

Scientists have discovered that chemicals in emotional tears appear to act as a 'turn off' to men. - Richard Alleyne. (07/01/2011)

(The bad news....) David Soanes and his wife Rebecca lost the twelve thousand pound van from outside their home.

(The good news.....) Months later, their 11 year old son, Reuben, was browsing STREET VIEW when he saw a man in the family's drive next to a 4x4 vehicle.

It is thought the image was captured on the day of the theft in June 2009 but (more bad news....) in line with Google's privacy policy, the vehicle's number plate had been blurred out. Detectives are 'in negotiation'  with Google to obtain the original image. - (07/01/2011)

Like Paris's Eiffel Tower, really?????

One is a European capital city, famed for its cultural landmarks, style and je nais quoi. The other is an inner city suburb once named England's most deprived neighbourhood.

But the apparent gulf in status between Paris and Harpurhey has not stopped civic officials in the Manchester district trumpeting its similarities with the French capital, and requesting a friendship agreement that would see them twinned.

They have likened a rejuvenated chimney to Paris's most famous landmark - naming it H'Eiffel Tower.

Pat Karney, councillor for Harpurhey, said: "I think Parisians would recognise themselves in Harpurhey people. Like them, we are proud of our area and aspirational about our place in the world.

"We are also very romantic - in the summer, Rochdale Road is like the Champs d'Elysees.” - Victoria Ward (07/01/2011)


And talking of attractive .......

There could be an added benefit to healthy eating, as a study has found that consuming certain fruits makes people more attractive.

Research at St Andrews and Bristol universities discovered that heavily pigmented produce, such as carrots and plums, made those who ate them more appealing. - (08/01/2011)

How I wish I had a purse full of these coins.

The Royal Mint admitted producing a two pound coin engraved with a spelling mistake. The coin, to mark the 400th anniversary of the GUNPOWDER PLOT bears the words 'Pemember the fifth of November' around the outer rim.

The coin was produced in 2005 and the mistake went unnoticed for five years. The coins are fetching more than ten pounds on eBay. -(08/01/2011)

Not just the birth of a new year.

One English hospital (Burton's Queen's) saw 11 babies born on the 1/1/11. -  (08/01/2011)

Please note:- all of today's newspapers articles came from the Telegraph apart from the last article which was found in the Guardian.

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