How To Be A Winner

As usual, the beginning of a new month signals the beginning of our caption contest.

This month I am giving away a 25.00 GBP/USD equivalent voucher for Amazon, as well as a free dream analysis session.

What do you need to do be entered in this fantastic competition?

Easy; look at the photograph below and come up with a funny/clever/ sarcastic/smart caption that fits this unfortunate situation.

You have until the 30th September to post your caption in the comments box below, and the winner will be notified by email the following day.

Good Luck!

Why Women Can't Have It All

I was brought up to believe that as a woman, I could have it all. A fabulous career, a rich social life, and adorable children. Though this was something I heard on an almost daily basis, I have always been a little unsure of it as a fact.

Thanks to Sylvia Pankhurst and her suffragettes, women began to change the typical male ideology that females belonged in the home rather than in the male world of work and politics.

Today, however, we can see how the suffragette movement has change the way men think about women, and indeed, how women think about themselves. We have women CEOs and female self made millionaires; We have female political leaders and writers (the list is endless, but I think you get my point)!

It was only when I gave birth to my own daughter that I realised this modern ideological 'have it all' life was difficult to attain. As I sat with my new baby in my arms I discovered that I could never go back to work and leave my newborn in the care of a daycare centre with total strangers.

Thinking back to my ex-boss Emma, I remember how her life was as a working mum. I imaging she would have had to get out of bed at silly o'clock just to arrive at work by 7am and often her work would not see her leave the office until a staggering twelve hours later, even then, she would be on call. At the time she had a toddler and was finding it really difficult to balance handling her flourishing career and having a life outside the realms of work.

The two fundamental reasons why women cannot have it all lies with time and, more importantly, guilt.

I know from experience, that if you are working, you feel guilty because you feel you should be spending more time with the children, and alternatively, if you are with the children, you feel as though you should be working.

To be fair, I know there are some women out there who have managed to do both, but I think it always has to be with a certain amount of sacrifice, either to themselves or their children, as the focus on career always seems to take precedence.

Now, I'm not saying here that all mums should be at home with the kids, I am well aware that some mums simply have to work, but I do think that children would be better off being looked after by one parent to offer consistency and guidance.

As you may already know, I am a work at home mum and I find trying to get the balance right very very difficult. I actually don't think there can ever be a happy medium in which you can work and be a productive parent for your child. I have no 'me' time and no social life what so ever, simply because I am constantly being torn in two between what I need to do, and what I think I should be doing.

If you have found the happy balance between being a working mum and career woman, please let me know how you managed it, and if it has come at any cost to you of the family unit as a whole.

Lockerbie Bomber Release

I am starting this post in the hope that you, my readers, will participate in the debate.

Just four days ago Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was freed from prison after serving just eight years of his twenty seven year prison sentence due to compassionate grounds.

Apparently suffering from terminal cancer, Megrahi was convicted of bombing Pan Am flight 103 in 1988, killing all 270 people on board. If you have seen the footage of this convicted murderer on his return home, I am sure you would agree that Megrahi did not look like a man who was 'extremely ill', he was not frail, fragile, or excessively underweight; which is what I was expecting the dying man to look like.

My main gripe is that prisoners can actually be release due to 'compassionate grounds' at all. This has only served to weaken my belief in the justice system, and personally, I don't think there is room for compassion when we are talking about convicted terrorists and murderers. What about compassion for the people who died?

It was not just the people on that aeroplane who died that day, but a piece of every victims family also died, and has had to cope and live on without their loved one.

I am not an expert in law or on this case, but many do say that Megrahi was not the man who did the deed, and I believe that there is some 'startling' and 'confusing' evidence in existence that can perhaps prove Megrahi innocent.

Now I would like to know what you think; Was Megrahi the Lockerbie bomber? Should he have been released? Is there room in the system for early prison releases due to compassionate grounds?

Roadside Safety

So...here is something that you may find interesting.

Many of the roads around my area are partly closed because the highways agency and the local council are installing some new roadside guardrails . This prompted me to think about these guardrails and find out if they are actually a good enough safety device for our roads and highways.

As always, I did a search and found some stats on guardrails which drew me to conclude that they are in fact the most cost effective way of saving lives on the road. Guardrails are there to protect drivers from natural and man made hazard such as ditches and trees, sign posts and utility poles etc, but also as an effective safety barrier between lanes on the busy highways.

Skimming over some photos of cars that had been impaled on these rails, I found out all sorts of interesting details about guardrails from manufacturers websites. One company in particular has an interesting history. Mid-Park inc is a manufacturer of all manner of roadside safety rails and was started up in a barn in West Hardin County, Kentucky back in 1971. Given that they have been in business for more than 35 years, I tend to believe that these guys know what they are talking about.

Anyway, Mid-Park have a really impressive website, and if you take a look you can see how complex it actually is to produce such a standard (and if I may say, ugly) looking piece of roadside safety equipment that we all just take for granted.

So the next time you are out and about in your car, take note of these roadside guardrails and remember that they do have a purpose, and one day they could save your life.

Schumacher Returns

Being a massive Formula One fan I just had to write about the fantastic news today. The legend that is Michael Schumacher will be making a shocking return to the sport replacing injured Felipe Massa after the summer break.

Now, I have to point out that I am not generally a Ferrari/Schumacher fan, because I am British and favor Button (and Alonso because I live in Spain and he is quite cute), but I think that this return is just what the sport needs right now. After all the negative press that has surrounded the sport since the end of last season, with rumours of the breakaway etc, this news will certainly boost the sport, and I cannot wait for the next race in Valencia on the 23rd August.

Come on Schui!

Oh yes, another thing, since when did Formula One have a mid season summer break?

July Caption Contest

Disappointingly, nobody even bothered to enter June's caption competition. Never the less, I will endeavour to keep on with the competition as I am willing to spend 15 Great British Pounds (or your countries equivalent) at Amazon, just to give away to you guys.

What with the recession and the state of the world in general, I thought offering a prize like this would make someone smile, so please humour me and enter.

The rules are simple. All you have to do is come up with a clever, funny, sarcastic, serious....whatever...caption that goes with this photograph here:

When you have thought of your caption, enter it in the comments box with details of where I can get hold of you just in case you are chosen as the lucky winner.

Deadline for entries is the 31st July, and the winner will be notified by email.

Good Luck!

In The Mornings

My normal morning routine;

The baby wakes me up, she's hungry. Still half asleep I walk into the kitchen and switch on the kettle, prepare baby cereal, walk into the living room turn on the television blah...blah...blah...

While I am trying to wake myself up the news is blaring out about the latest death toll in Afghanistan, the latest death toll of swine flu, the latest death toll of domestic violence victims, the latest death toll of a suicide bomber and the short prison sentences handed out to murdering yobs and child killers.

Wouldn't it be much nicer to wake up on a morning, eat breakfast and drink a cup of tea without being told about the ever increasing violence in the world.

Is it any wonder that I worry so much and am verging on the brink of paranoia. At the moment the world outside my little house seems like such an ugly place. Will it ever improve?

Freelance Writing

Finally the day has come and I have officially announced myself to the world as a freelance writer.

I know I have been writing web content for a while now, but things really seem to have taken off recently.

Always a little unsure of calling myself a writer (I will explain why soon) I have seen sense and told people that this is what I do for a living. Nobody, not even my own mother or sister knew until today that I write content for websites and get paid for it. After all, how can I ever expect to earn a full time living from writing if no one knows that I exist?

So, with a little apprehension, I have set myself up a little free website that you can take a look at here. You have to bear in mind that it is not as comprehensive as I would like, but hey... it has not cost me anything yet and it's my first website.

Well, why has it taken me so long to admit to my career choice?

The story starts way back when I was a young teen; I told my mother that I wanted to be a writer and, being the supportive parent, she told me to 'get real' and that nobody ever made money writing. Mmmm, and as a shy girl who was enveloped in self doubt I left that idea behind with my Barbie dolls. Leaving college with a respectable amount of qualifications I walked into one of the most tedious office jobs in the world - in a law firm.

Only now, some thirteen year later I have finally felt brave enough to tell people what I do, and have been doing, for almost five years. Somewhere along the way I got lost and felt somewhat ashamed of myself. Over the last five years I have been getting paid for writing all manner of things and have never told anyone that I am a writer. I never thought of myself that way, after all writers are Oxford university graduates and a little bit eccentric...aren't they? Both of these things that I certainly am not!

Today I am thrilled to be launching myself officially as a writer, though I have no ambitions to write a novel yet, I am at last happy and comfortable with my career choice, and who cares what my mother thinks!

Need a writer? Contact me or visit my website for more information.

June Caption Competition

I have just realised that we have not had a caption contest for some time (since April) so I thought it was about time we had another one here at The Daily Gripe.

This time one lucky winner will recieve a gift voucher to spend at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

The rules are just the same as last time; take time to look at the photograph below, leave your caption quote in the comments section by the last day of this month and the winner will be notified within the first week of July.

Try to make your captions original, and I look forward to reading your entries.

Good Luck!

What Is It With You People?

I honestly do not know what to say!

I don't want this post to turn into a rant about Ebay, but it will probably sound that way.

In my search for making money online I thought I would try and jump on the Ebay band wagon. Like any sensible person, I did my research first and realised just how unprofitable working Ebay was going to be. I know it's a huge marketplace, but that is it's major disadvantage. Selling prices have been driven so low that I have no idea how anyone can afford to sell anything, let Alone make a significant profit.

So this is why I am asking what is wrong with you all. As far as I can see Ebay is a non starter for generating an income. It's too expensive and a new seller just cannot compete. So why is it that there are so many other auction sites that are cheaper but are not popular?

Buyers are looking for bargains and sellers are looking to make maximum profits, so why are they not choosing to go elsewhere?

I know it has to do with clever branding, but I think Ebay really has lost it's novelty. From a sellers perspective it's not economically possible for me to sell at a profit, so how is anyone else managing it?

Answers on a postcard to......

Anyway, I found lots and lots of Ebay alternatives but they are not as busy as ebay, but by far the best alternative is 121bid.com but if you go take a look at it you will see it's not the busiest of places, but it is FREE to list. Infact it's just FREE.

I just wish more of you bargain hunters would look on other auction sites, and that more sellers would perhaps build yourselves a second shop just to give it a try.

I Know, I Know!

It seems that I have fallen into the trap of not updating my blog as regularly as I should, but I do have a good reason.

For those of you who are strangers, I will have to explain.

I have a problem...I suffer with depression, anxiety and panic attacks, which I still have not seen a doctor about, to get a diagnosis. I sometimes wonder if I have something like Bipolar because the mood swings and irrational thoughts are so demonic. The more I read about this illness, the more I convince myself that this is what I have. I don't really want to go into it right now, perhaps I will talk more about my problems in a later post.

Anyway, back to the present.

Today I feel just amazing, almost euphoric, and for no obvious reason. Even though it is Sunday I have the urge to work, so that is what I have been doing this morning while the OH (other half) is looking after the kids...bliss!

You may detect a slight change in this blog from my previous posts, that is mainly down to my mood, but I want to change things a little around here. I've decided that I want to get a little more personal, rather than just ranting about topical matters that are affecting society.

Of course I will still be ranting and griping, and at the moment there is so much going on to rant and gripe about i.e Parliamentary expenses rows, poor television programming, crime and punishment, and how my cat was murdered last week.

Anyway, I will be back...sooner rather than later ;)

Porn- Courtesy Of The Tax Payer

I do tend to moan a lot about the British leadership, but in retrospect, there is an awful lot to moan about.

Not only do our political representatives get a nice fat paycheck, as well as an expenses account to help them fund and decorate a second home, it seems we are now paying for their pay per view porn!

The last thing the labour government need in a time of economic downturn is revelations such as this.

Okay, so it might only be an argument about 5 GBP, but that is not the point is it?

I have to work my socks off to get the money I earn. I don't get to fly around the world, stay in the best hotels, and meet some fascinating people. Just like you dear reader, I have to pay the mortgage, the gas, electric, food, taxes...blah blah blah, with out any help at all from the government. While small businesses are struggling to keep going, our government representatives are busy filling out ridiculous expenses claim forms and expecting us to pay for everything from flat screen TVs to the porn they watch on them!

I wonder what happened to the days when the Kings and Queens ordered Parliaments to be dissolved. The Queen Of England has a guillotine in that tower of hers in London, maybe it should stop gathering dust and be put to good use!

Question Of The Week

Alcohol - Should the worlds favorite drug be more restricted or even banned?

In almost all countries in the world, adults are allowed to buy and consume alcohol with very little restriction (although there are often laws about the exact hours that bars and shops are allowed to sell alcohol, and laws against drinking and driving).

This is in contrast to the legal situation with regard to other mind-altering (or ‘psycho-active’) drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, acid, and heroin etc.

The experience of ‘Prohibition’ in the USA in the 1920s and 1930s, when there was a huge black market in alcohol run by a powerful criminal underworld, makes most people very wary of trying that solution again.

In this debate the you can argue either for tighter restrictions or for complete prohibition. This is one subject that boils down to a debate about what balance should be struck between the need to protect society on the one hand and the need to preserve individual liberties on the other.

This is a not a difficult one for me. I have not touched an alcoholic drink now for almost a year, and my life has change dramatically. I am a much calmer person, I feel and look healthier and I feel much more positive about the direction my life is taking.

Alcohol is just as addictive as any drug, it is also just as destructive. Those that are addicted to alcohol often find themselves loosing their marriages, families, jobs and lives. Any drug that is this addictive should be treated like any other, and be made illegal. These are my reasons why;

Violent crimes, including child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and even murder are predominantly fuelled by alcohol.

Despite advertising campaigns, there are still thousands and thousands of drunk drivers on our roads today causing death and destruction.

Health systems are struggling to cope with the amount of admissions for drunken related injuries in our A&E departments, as well as the increase in liver disease.

Have your say.

What do you think about this topic?

Feel free to put forward your views and opinions.

Do you think Alcohol should have more restrictions or be banned?

Birthday Cheer!!

I just cannot believe that my Little baby is one year old today. It hardly seems like two minutes ago that I was racing to the hospital and holding her in my arms for the first time.

Like any other baby having their first birthday, she doesn't know much about it, but I have taken lots of photographs to mark the occasion!

So what did we buy her? Well she is not walking yet, only shuffling on her bottom, but she does like to spend time outside watching her big sister riding her bike. Well now, she no longer just sits in her pram to watch her sister, she can now ride alongside her!!

Smart Trike Plus is a brilliant invention. A trike which has supported seating, (with harness), parent handle, and a sun shade (perfect for Spain). We bought it from Otherland. Although they are UK based, they ship to the EU, so we were really happy at paying the extra delivery fee for this great product.

Libby loves it too. We have already been out in the garden with the Smart Trike this afternoon and she was chuckling and Wooo Woooing with delight as we trundled around the garden.

All that racing around has left Libby tired, so she is having a nap at the moment, which gives me a little time to put up the birthday banners and blow up some balloons!

Caption Contest.

Today I am introducing a new element to the blog...A caption contest.

Each month I will put up a new photograph and you have the chance of winning some great prizes.

Who can play?

Anyone. There are no restrictions, it's open to all.


What do I need to do?

It's simple. We give you a picture and you come up with a witty caption. Submit a new caption as many times as you wish. The more times you enter, the more chance you have of winning.

How long do we have?

Closing date for this month ends on the 7th April, which should give you plenty of time.

So...What can I win?

This month you can win an ebook work of fiction. One lucky winner will be sent a PDF copy of 'Bicycle Shop Murder' by Robert B. Robinson. Here is a quick synopsis :

Greg Tenorly lives a quiet and lonely life in a small East Texas town, until he is selected as a juror for a murder trial. A beautiful, mysterious redhead befriends him, and seems to have a romantic interest. But is she merely using him to influence the outcome of the trial? By the end of the first week, three people connected with the case are dead, and Greg is beginning to fear for his own life.

So here is this months picture (cats stuck in a vending machine). Good Luck!

Earn Extra Income

I don't even want to discuss what is going on in the news today. There is just so much violence and murder at the moment that it is all making me wonder what on Earth is happening to the World.

On a happy note, I have to congratulate my daughter Lauren, who finally found the courage to ditch the stabilizer wheels on her bike this afternoon. After a few bumps and scrapes, she is now officially a member of the two wheelers!

One thing I do want to tell you about is a new website I found last week that offers some freelance work at home opportunities. Now normally I don't buy into this sort of thing, but to be honest with you, I am really glad I did.

The company is called Income Seekers and they do exactly what it says on the tin! After I signed up, I received my ebook and it had links to numerous websites that pay you to do all sorts of work using your very own computer. I have already taken a look at some of the recommended opportunities, and have signed up for all but one. Every single site I registered with has already approved and accepted my applications, so I plan to get straight to work after finishing this post ( I am pretty excited).

So, If you are wanting to do something a little more productive with your spare time, go along to the Income Seekers website and start earning a little extra cash for yourself :)

Education, Education, Education.

A story that has been talked about a lot today has really got me shaking my head. I think it has evoked feelings of both disbelief and shame; Shame that some school pupils in the UK think that Auschwitz is either some type of beer, or a religious festival.

More than 1.3 million people perished in the Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War, but a recent survey of 1,000 high school children aged between 11 - 16 revealed that 25% of them had no idea about Auschwitz.

Of the 1,000 pupils 10% did not know what it was, 8% thought it was a country bordering Germany, 2% thought it was a beer, 2% said a religious festival and the remaining 1% said it was a type of bread!

Looking at the bigger picture, there are around 4.5 million children that fit into this age group within the UK, and this potentially means that a staggering 90,000 children could wrongly identify Auschwitz as a type of beer.

I think it is such a tragic reflection of the British Education system. It is a crime in itself that the history of World War Two is already being lost. We have to remember that this is still history from living memory. People are still around today who were there, who can still recollect horrific events in such tiny detail.

Everyday we are doing things and creating our own history, but surely these statistics cannot be ignored. I just want to know what is going on in modern history classes today that makes the events of World War Two missable.

DNA Test The Dog Dung

There is nothing worse than taking the kids out for a walk in the park, down by the beach, or just down the street, and constantly having to tell them to watch where they are walking because of the amount of dog Sh*t in the area. It's just disgusting...in fact it makes me feel physically sick.

When I came across this story today I just had to tell you about it.

German conservative MP Peter Stein has plans to end the mess dogs make on the streets in East Germany, by sending out officials to inspect the piles of dung on the street and test it's DNA to trace the canine culprit and fine it's owner.

Many countries now fine dog owners for not cleaning up after their pooches, however not very many ever get caught as the excuse of 'it wasn't my dog' is often used.

Now I think this is an excellent idea, but I am not convinced it could work. Can you imagine the cost implications in setting up a doggy DNA database and keeping it up to date!

Before I go any further I have to point out that I am not against dogs at all, in fact I have one of my own, but I don't see why I should have to clean excrement from my baby buggy wheels, or from the shoes of my seven year old every time we go to the playground.

If people are not prepared to pick up the crap their dogs leave behind, then maybe they shouldn't even have dogs at all.

February Round Up.

Where does the time go?

Already I am making my final post of the month and it feel like I just began.

There is no doubt at all that as you get older the clock seems to be ticking just that little bit faster. Days go by in a blur and everything around you changes.

February has been a very bleak month for most of us with the financial crisis and one disaster after another. On a personal level, it's not been the best. Burning the candles at both ends has resulted in me getting the Flu, but at least I am on the mend. The girls have been sick too and work is in decline.

I am a great believer in the saying 'what doesn't kill us makes us stronger', and at the moment I just have to keep on believing that our fortunes will change. When I say our, I mean every ones; the worlds.

As we move on into a new month, I intend to go into it with more vigour and determination than ever before. We all have our bad days of course we do, but we do not have to let those days get on top of us, nor do we have to let them hinder our personal advancements and goals. After all we cannot change the past, but we are all in control of what happens in the future.

Playboy And Kate Winslet

Now there are four words that I would never have thought possible to put together!

It seems while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been praising our Kate for her Oscar win, the likes of Hugh Hefner have been admiring her for a whole lot of other reasons.

The Oscar winning actress is well known for stripping off in her films, but has vowed to never do it again on the silver screen. The big question is will she do it for Playboy?

Hefner is still hoping to convince Kate to appear as a centrefold in his magazine stating she would be a 'most welcome addition to our pages.'

So, do you think she should do it?

Me thinks not! Kate Winslet basically has the world at her feet now she has won an Oscar, she does not need the money either, and to be quite honest with you, I think doing something like this could do more harm than good to her untarnished reputation and take the spotlight away from her acting career and future achievements.

So Kate, if you are out there...please don't do it. Use your Oscar winning status wisely, because you already know that the media (or the British press in particular) will be more than happy to knock you down from the high that you are on now.