daily Justice

How to be a Successful Evil Overlord
Being an Evil Overlord seems to be a good career choice. It pays well, there are all sorts of perks and you can set your own hours. However every Evil Overlord I've read about in books or seen in movies invariably gets overthrown and destroyed in the end. I've noticed that no matter whether they are barbarian lords, deranged wizards, mad scientists, or alien invaders, they always seem to make the same basic mistakes every single time. With that in mind, allow me to present...


The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord

My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear Plexiglas visors, not face concealing ones.
My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell in my dungeon.
Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragon of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.
I will not gloat over my enemies predicament before killing them.
When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought, I'll shoot him and then say "No."
After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks' time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.
I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled, "Danger: Don Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will clearly not be labelled as such.
I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum - a small hotel room well outside my border will work just as well.
I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.
One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
All slain enemies will be cremated, or at least several round of ammunition emptied into them, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.
The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.
I will never employ any device with a digital count-down. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable. I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.
I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."
When I employ people as advisors, I will occasionally listen to their advice.
I will not have a son. Although his laughably under-planned attempt to usurp power would easily fail, it would prove a fatal distraction at a crucial point in time.
I will not have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.
Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.
I will hire a fashion designer to create original uniforms for my Legion of Terror, as opposed to some cheap knock-offs that make them look like Nazi stormtroopers, Roman foot soldiers, or savage Mongol hordes. All were eventually defeated and I want my troops to have a more positive mind-set.
No matter how tempted I am with the prospect of unlimited power, I will not consume any energy field bigger than my head.
I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way -- even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless -- my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.
I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strength and weaknesses. Even though this takes some fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)
No matter how well it would perform, I will never construct any sort of machinery which is completely indestructible except for one small and virtually inaccessible spot.
No matter how attractive certain members of the rebellion are, there is probably someone just as attractive which is not desperate to kill me. Therefore, I will think twice before ordering a prisoner sent to my bed chamber.
I will never build only one of anything important. All important systems will have redundant control panels and power supplies. For the same reason I will always carry at least two fully loaded weapons at all times.
My pet monster will be kept in a secure cage from which it cannot escape and into which I could not accidentally stumble.
I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.
All bumbling conjurers, clumsy squires, no-talent bards, and cowardly thieves in the land will be preemptively put to death. My foes will surely give up and abandon their quest if they have no source of comic relief.
All naive, busty tavern wenches in my realm will be replaced with surly, world-weary waitresses who will provide no unexpected reinforcements and/or romantic sub-plot for the hero or his side-kick.
I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to illustrate how evil I really am. Good messengers are hard to come by.
I won't require high-ranking female members of my organization to wear a stainless-steel bustier. Morale is better with a more casual dress-code. Similarly, outfits made entirely from black leather will be reserved for formal occasions.
I will not turn into a snake. It never helps.
I will not grow a goatee. In the old days they made you look diabolic. Now they just make you look like a disaffected member of Generation X.
I will not imprison members of the same party in the same cell block, let alone the same cell. If they are important prisoners, I will keep the only key to the cell door on my person instead of handing copies to every bottom-rung guard in the prison.
If my trusted lieutenant tell me my Legion of Terror is losing a battle, I will believe him.. After all, he's my trusted lieutenant.
If an enemy I have just killed has a younger sibling or offspring anywhere, I will find them and have them killed immediately, instead of waiting for them to grow up harboring feelings of vengeance towards me in my old age.
If I absolutely must ride into battle, I will certainly not ride at the forefront of my Legions of Terror, nor will I seek out my opposite number among his army.
I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable super-weapon, I will use it early and as often as possible instead of keeping it in reserve.
Once my power is secure, I will destroy all of those pesky time travel devices.
When I capture the hero, I will make sure I also get his dog, monkey, ferret, or whatever sickeningly cute little animal capable of untying ropes and filching keys that happens to follow him around.
I will maintain a healthy amount of skepticism when I capture the beautiful rebel and she claims she is attracted to my power and good looks and will gladly betray her companions if I just let her in on my plans.
I will only employ bounty hunters who work for money. Those who work for the pleasure of the hunt tend to do dumb things like even the odds to give the other guy a sporting chance.
I will make sure I have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what in my organization. For example, if my general screws up I will not draw my weapon, point it at him and say "And here is the price for failure." then suddenly turn and kill some random underling.
If an advisor says to me "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?", I will reply "This." and kill the advisor.
If I learn that a callow youth has begun a quest to destroy me, I will slay him while he is still a callow youth instead of waiting for him to mature.
I will treat any beast which I control through magic or technology with respect and kindness. Thus if the control is ever broken, it will not immediately come after me for revenge.
If I learn the whereabouts of the one artifact which can destroy me, I will not send all of my troops out to seize it. Instead I will send them out to seize something else and quietly put a Want-Ad in the local paper.
My main computers will have their own special operating system that will be completely incompatible with standard IBM and Macintosh powerbooks.
If one of my dungeon guards begins expressing concern over the conditions of the beautiful princess' cell, I will immediately transfer him to a less people oriented position.
I will hire a team of board-certified architects and surveyors to examine my castle and inform me of any secret passages and abandoned tunnels that I might not know about.
If the beautiful princess that I capture says "I'll never marry you! Never, do you hear me, NEVER!!!", I will say "Oh well" and kill her.
I will not strike a bargain with a demonic being then attempt to double-cross it simply because I feel like being contrary.
The deformed mutants and odd-ball psychotics will have their place in my Legion of Terror. However before I send them out on important covert missions that require tact and subtlety, I will first see if there is anyone else equally qualified who would attract less attention.
My Legion of Terror will be trained in basic marksmanship. Any who cannot learn to hit a man-sized target at 10 meters will be used for target practice.
Before employing any captured artifacts or machinery, I will carefully read the owners manual.
If it becomes necessary to escape, I will never stop to pose dramatically and toss off a one-liner.
I will never build a sentient computer smarter than I am.
My five-year-old child advisor will also be asked to decipher any code I am thinking of using. If he breaks the code in under 30 seconds, it will not be used. Note: This also applies to passwords.
If my advisors ask "Why are you risking everything on such a mad scheme?" I will not proceed until I have a response that satisfies them.
I will design fortress hallways with no alcoves or protruding structural supports which intruders could use for cover in a firefight.
Bulk trash will be disposed of in incinerators, not compactors. And they will be kept hot, with none of this nonsense about flames going through accessible tunnels at predictable intervals.
I will see a compentant psychiatrist and get cured of all extremely unusual phobias and bizarre compulsive habits which could prove to be disadvantageous.
If I must have a computer system with publicly available terminals, the maps they display will have a room clearly marked as the Main Control Room. That room will be the Execution Chamber. The actual main control room will be marked as Sewage Overflow Containment.
My security keypad will actually be a fingerprint scanner. Anyone who watches someone press a sequence of buttons or dusts the pad for fingerprints and then subsequently tries to enter by repeating that sequence will trigger the alarm system.
No matter how many shorts we have in the system, my guards will be instructed to treat every surveillance camera malfunction as a full-scale emergency.
I will spare someone who saved my life sometime in the past. This is only reasonable as it encourages others to do so. However, the offer is good one time only. If they want me to spare them again, they'd better save my life again.
All midwives will be banned from the realm. All babies will be delivered at state-approved hospitals. Orphans will be placed in foster homes, not abandoned in the woods to be raised by creatures of the wild.
When my guards split up to search for intruders, they will always travel in groups of at least two. They will be trained so that if one of them disappears mysteriously while on patrol, the other will immediately initiate an alert and call for backup, instead of quizzically peering around a corner.
If I decide to test a lieutenant's loyalty and see if he/she should be made a trusted lieutenant, I will have a crack squad of marksmen standing by in case the answer is no.
If all the heroes are standing together around a strange device and begin to taunt me, I will pull out a conventional weapon, instead of using my unstoppable super weapon on them.
I will not agree to let the heroes go free if they win a rigged contest, even though my advisors assure me it is impossible for them to win.
When I create a multimedia presentation of my plan designed so that my five-year-old advisor can easily understand the details, I will not label the disk "Project Overlord" and leave it lying on top of my desk.
I will instruct my Legion of Terror to attack the heroes en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.
If the hero runs up to my roof, I will not run up after him and struggle with him in an attempt to push him over the edge. I will also not engage him at the edge of a cliff. (In the middle of a rope-bridge over a river of molten lava is not even worth considering.)
If I have a fit of temporary insanity and decide to give the hero the chance to reject a job as my trusted lieutenant, I will retain enough sanity to wait until my current trusted lieutenant is out of earshot before making the offer.
I will not tell my Legion of Terror "And he must be taken alive-" the command will be "And try to take him alive if it is reasonable practical."
If my doomsday device happens to come with a reverse switch, as soon as it has been employed it will be melted down and made into limited edition commemorative coins.
If my weakest troops fail to eliminate a hero, I will send out my best troops instead of wasting time with progressively stronger ones as he gets closer and closer to my fortress.
If I am fighting with the hero atop a moving platform, have disarmed him, and am about to finish him off and he glances behind me and drops flat, I too will drop flat instead of quizzically turning around to find out what he saw.
I will not shoot at any of my enemies if they are standing in front of the crucial support beam to a heavy, dangerously unbalanced structure.
If I'm eating dinner with the hero, put poison in his goblet, then have to leave the table for any reason, I will order new drinks for both of us instead of trying to decide whether or not to switch with him.
I will not have captives of one sex guarded by members of the opposite sex.
I will not use any plan in which the final step is horribly complicated, e.g. "Align the 12 stones of power on the sacred altar then activate the medallion at the moment of total eclipse." Instead it will be more alone the lines of "Push the button/"
I will make sure that my doomsday device is up to code and properly grounded.
My vats of hazardous chemicals will be covered when not in use. Also, I will not construct walkways above them.
If a group of henchmen fail miserably at a task, I will not berate them for incompetence then send the same group out to do the task again.
After I capture the hero's super weapon, I will not disband legions and relax my guard because I believe whoever holds the weapon is unstoppable. After all, the hero held the weapon and I took it from him.
I will not design my main control room so that every workstation is facing away from the door.
I will not ignore the messenger that stumbles in exhausted and obviously agitated until my personal grooming or current entertainment is finished. It might actually be important.
If I ever talk to the hero on the phone, I will not taunt him. Instead, I will say that his dogged perseverance has given me new insight on the futility of my evil ways and that if he leaves me alone for a few months of quiet contemplation I will likely return to the path of righteousness. (Heroes are incredibly gullible in this regard.)
If I decide to hold a double execution of the hero and the underling who failed or betrayed me, I will die first.
When arresting prisoners, my guards will not allow them to stop and grab a useless trinket of purely sentimental value.
My dungeon will have its own qualified medical staff complete with bodyguards. That way if a prisoner becomes sick and his cell mate tells the guard it's an emergency, the guard will fetch a trauma team instead of opening the cell for a look.
My door mechanisms will be designed so that blasting the control panel on the outside seals the door and blasting the control panel on the inside opens the door, not vice versa.
My dungeon cells will not be furnished with objects that contain reflective surfaces or anything that can be unraveled.
If an attractive young couple enters my realm, I will carefully monitor their activities. If I find they are happy and affectionate, I will ignore them. However, if circumstances have forced them together against their will and they spend all their time bickering and criticizing each other except during the intermittent occasions when they are saving each other' lives at which point there are hints of sexual tension, I will immediately order their execution.
Any data files of crucial importance will be padded to 1.45Mb.
Finally, to keep my subjects permanently locked in a mindless trance, I will provide each of them with free, unlimited internet access.

All Parents Damage their children. It cannot be helped.Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Most parents smudge, others crack, and most shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.

As I try and try not to follow the same childcare handbook as my parents, and its such a worry that I will fail my children it such a weight and worry that I think it stops me enjoying being a mammy And the big worry for me is will I know that I'm fecking up and what if its too late for them and me.

feck........I think I need a lie down

Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.

B--Break
AwayBreak away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.

C--Create
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.

D--Decide
Decide that you'll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.

E--Explore
Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you'll learn more about yourself.

F--Forgive
Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.

G--Grow
Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.

H--Hope
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.

I--Ignore
Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.

J--Journey
Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you'll grow.
K--Know
Know that no matter how bad things seem, they'll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
L--Love
Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room for endless happiness.

M--Manage
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and worry. Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.

N--Notice
Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.

O--Open
Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there's still much to be thankful for.

P--Play
Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.

Q--Question
Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.

R--Relax
Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.

S--Share
Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.

T--Try
Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.

U--Use
Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that's wasted has no value. Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.

V--Value
Value the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.

W--Work
Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.

X--X-Ray
Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness and beauty within.

Y--Yield
Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find success at the end of the road.

Z--Zoom
Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.

Smart Telecom is pleased to announce the restoration of services to our Broadband customers.Smart's Broadband customers should now have inbound and outbound voice services restored.It has come to our attention that some of our broadband customers have lost access to our broadband services over the past two days. We aim to contact these customers directly in the coming days with a view to restoring our service as soon as possible.We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to all our customers for any inconvenience caused during this difficult time and as a token of our appreciation for your continued support, we are increasing the speed of your existing broadband product by an additional 3Mbps to 6Mbps.This upgrade will take place during the next 24 hours and will be available for the remainder of 2006.We look forward to providing you with our exciting products for many years to come.Steve WitcombeHead of Customer Care

well, well, well, when is a smart idea a bad idea.I have no phone line,can't make any incoming or out going calls and worst of all I'm going to have to go crawling back to eircom rip off fuckers,
fuck smart to hell I hate eircom fuck eircom to hell. and how come last week I got an email from Smart say that they would pay me 25euro if I got people to change over to them.

comreg are'nt saying much

Notice for all Smart Telecom customers
As a result of a commercial dispute between eircom and Smart telecom many Smart Telecom customers have experienced disruption to their service(s).ComReg has convened a meeting between Smart Telecom and eircom for this morning(3rd October 2006) to try to resolve the current difficulties. ComReg will update consumers on developments and will provide more information as soon as it becomes available.



News : Irish
Last Updated: Oct 3rd, 2006 - 06:50:55
Ailing Smart Telecom on brink of collapse as Eircom cuts services to 45,000 customers By Finfacts TeamOct 3, 2006, 06:41

On Thursday the 4th of May, Microsoft awarded Smart Telecom the ICT Company of the Year 2006. This was awarded to Smart Telecom for excellence in marketing, implementing and supporting ICT solutions. - - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (r) presenting the award to former CEO Oisin FanningMore than 45,000 of Smart Telecom's customers had their phone service switched off Monday evening.
Eircom, which operates the network used by Smart, cut the service of its ailing rival.
Ireland's top telco said that Smart owes it several million euros for the use of the network and that it is not confident that the money will ever be paid.
Smart lost €36m in the first half of 2006 as its extensive promotional campaigns failed to generate enough new revenue.
Last February, Smart Telecom was dealt a body blow when the communications regulator ComReg withdrew the offer of the country's fourth 3G licence, awarded last November.
In a statement, ComReg had said that it believed the company had failed to meet certain conditions of its original offer. It said accordingly, that it no longer intended to award the licence to Smart.
It is understood that Eircom switch-off on Monday of all of Smart's ordinary customers was planned for 5 pm but technical difficulties meant the move was delayed until 6.30pm. It is also understood that Eircom met with Comreg, the communications regulator, to advise it of its plans.
In order to avail of Eircom's network, Smart had to lodge a multi-million-euro bond which Eircom can call on in the event that the smaller telephone company failed to pay its bill. It is understood that Smart's level of indebtedness to Eircom runs to millions of euro above this bond.
The move will affect 45,000 Smart customers who have an ordinary telephone service. Smart's 16,000 broadband customers have not been affected. This is because Eircom has to physically disconnect these customers from its exchanges.
This process will take some weeks, after which these customers may also be disconnected.
Smart shares are traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London. Yesterday they were trading at stg2.5p, having plunged from 27p earlier in the year.
The customers who were cut off last night will still hear a dialling tone, which is known as a soft dialling tone.
This means that they will still be able to receive calls and will be able to make emergency (999) calls.
As the owner of the principal telephone network and a seller of services, Eircom is both a wholesaler and a retailer.
Under the rules by which the market operates, Eircom's wholesale unit cannot advise its own retail arm of the mass disconnection.
This rule, which is meant to prevent Eircom from taking advantage of its dominant position to compete unfairly with other companies, also inhibits its ability to facilitate Smart customers with an immediate alternative service.
Last month Smart announced that its chief executive, Oisin Fanning, was stepping down and that it was reviewing all of its business areas.
It announced last month that it would reduce its head count from by 180 to 100 staff, within a three-month period..
Last November, Smart Telecom said it had raised €44.4 million and planned to convert a further €10.8 million of debt after issuing 186.7 million new shares. The telecoms company said the proceeds from the shares issue will help it win more broadband customers. Under the issue, Oisin Fanning, then chief executive, and Brendan Murtagh, director were to double their stakes in the company. Alan Murtagh and Fergal Murtagh also joined the Smart Telecom board.
Brendan Murtagh of the Kingspan building materials group, has a 20 percent stake in Smart.

this one I've entitled "Fallen Slowly"or maybe "Sleeping" or even "Dream Awake"

Five Tips to Increase Your Likeability
Five Tips to Increase Your LikeabilityIn the office and the world Justin Hartfield
Being likeable isn't required in order to achieve the position or job of your dreams, but it helps. When other people are on your side providing you with encouragement, helpful tips, and even free resources, it can greatly increase the chances of success in your chosen field and in life. Many times, it is not what you know but who you know.
While the listing below may seem to be cursory and easy to implement, they are not. It is difficult to make real and permanent changes in your personality. The process of becoming an exceptionally likeable individual takes years. Do not let that intimidate you, however. Remember: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Likeability, like drawing, writing or golf, is something which must be practiced.
1. Be positive.
The single most common problem facing individuals who want to become more popular/successful/likeable is their own attitude. Attitude is everything. Attitude is the reason why you aren't as popular now as you want to be. More specifically, it is a negative attitude which can poison your relationships with your coworkers, and indeed the world. Developing a more positive attitude does not mean ignoring hardships or failures. It is simply reframing those difficulties and negative emotions to healthier positive ones. The old cliche, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," has been around for a while because it is exactly the winning attitude which people are attracted to, and it is exactly the attitude which brings rewards.
Why do you complain? Why do you have pet-peeves? What is the point of harboring all of these negative emotions? Be big enough to let them go. Use your rational mind and refuse to be overcome by these negative emotions. My pet peeve used to be people who had poor pronunciation. Like 'nuclular' instead of 'nuclear' or 'basttitized' instead of 'bastardized'. However, I realized that it really didn't matter how the person pronounces the word as long as I can understand the point they are making. I can fix their errors mentally. I know now that even I, yes even the great I, is prone to mispronounce a word once in a while as well. Instead of highlighting failures and differences try to build commonalities and connect with your peers.
"Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid." - John Keats
2. Control your insecurities.
Insecurities oftentimes come leaping out of a person's brain and mouth so quickly that the speaker has no idea what words he just blurted out. People that always have to be correct are insecure. People that constantly saying "just kidding!" after every single joke are insecure. People that respond to a joke at their expense with anger or insult are insecure. Insecurity beguiles confidence and weakens your Self. Becoming a better individual means accepting your Self, and not hiding it under the veil of insults, "just kiddings", or factoids.
Either you accept mediocrity about your personality completely and without shame, or you change it. Period. If you're fat, either go on a strict diet and exercise regime or accept it and even be willing to poke fun at yourself. If you have a high voice, buy some tapes to help you improve your tone or be willing to not only accept but love your squeaky vocals. Display your faults for all the world to see - mistakes are unifying characteristics which all humans can empathize with. Not only is perfection limiting, it's boring as well. The mark of a mistake-free life is one which has not been fulfilled.
"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything." - Theodore Roosevelt
3. Provide value.
The only thing worse than an insecure person is one who is so completely and utterly shutdown from the world that they refuse to display any personality at all. If you work in an IT company like I do, you know exactly what I mean. There are developers there who display exceptional intellect and foresight on their projects but when it comes to simple human interaction they lack the social graces (or *gasp*, bravery) to wish you a good morning. In order to be around people with value you must be able to convey value. There is no alternative. If you are humorless, read books on comedy writing; if you are boring, go out and do something adventurous. Experience life and share your findings with your coworkers.
Have you ever noticed that successful people often flock together? I have heard countless stories of brilliant scientists or businessmen who were close friends with other successful individuals before they gained their notoriety. In parallel, have you noticed that drug addicts and criminals often associate with each other? This isn't coincidence. You are the sum of all of your friends and close associates. Choose your friends with care, just because you grew up with someone does not mean you are forced to be their friend for the rest of your life. Start surrounding yourself with people of value and it will become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
"The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding your personality into the person you want to be... Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others." - Wilfred Peterson
4. Eliminate all judgments.
Judgmental people are usually easy to spot because they are the ones eating alone in the lunch room. They think of themselves as 'too [flattering adjective]' to have lunch with those guys in shipping and 'too [unflattering adjective]' to eat with the guys in IT. No one is above you and no one is below you. We are all mammals - humans, more distinctly - just trying to get by the best way we know how. Do not believe for a second that there are unwritten 'leagues' or 'classes' which people must adhere to. All of these boundaries are artificial, put in place by people who are in desperate need for justifications of their own failures. No judgments means treating everyone with the respect you would give to a 120-year-old man and the understanding you would give toward your seven-year-old cousin.
"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again." - Og Mandino
5. Become a person of conviction.
In order to gain respect you must start respecting yourself first. You must set boundaries on behavior and let people know that you are not a pushover. Make no mistake, people will test you in order to find out exactly where your boundaries are. This means saying 'no' to disrespect and letting the offending party know that he or she crossed the line with their comment and you did not appreciate it. People will respect you more when they realize that you are not someone who is malleable or valueless.
Set your own personal unbreakable code of ethics. Make it as rigid as your morals will allow. When you are faced with an ethical dilemma, reference this code. If no precedent exists, create one. Let it be your ever-expanded guide which will provide you stability in an otherwise chaotic world. If your boss requests you to do something that is in incongruence with your core values, simply refuse and explain your reasoning. You may be surprised how understanding they might be.
"One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds." - Mahatma Gandhi

As I read this this article this morning.I couldn't help but wonder has this poor girl now a young women escaped from one house of horror Straight into a nightmare

The Sunday Times
August 27, 2006
Dungeon girl lived on bread and cheese

Natascha Kampusch


Questioning delayed

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INSPECTOR Sabine Freudenberger of the Austrian police will never forget what happened at work on Wednesday. She was one of the first people to talk to a pale, skinny young woman who arrived at the police station just outside Vienna.
Traumatised, trembling and covered in red blotches, 18-year-old Natascha Kampusch said she had just escaped from a man who had kept her prisoner in his cellar for eight years. In all that time she had been given little more than bread and cheese to eat.
She could not remember her last hot meal and was suffering from eczema. She asked for a cup of camomile tea.
Freudenberger wrapped her in her jacket, feeling immense pity for this tortured youngster, whose suffering she could only imagine. The girl could not take her eyes off Freudenbergers watch. She told me she had never had anything like it, the policewoman recalled last week. The kidnapper always told her he did not have any money for jewellery. So I gave her my watch.
Natascha was a 10-year-old schoolgirl when she went missing one morning in 1998. It was originally thought she had run away from home after quarrelling with her mother. The truth has sickened and shocked the nation.
She was abducted by Wolfgang Priklopil, a 44-year-old communications engineer who locked her in a purpose-built cell beneath the garage of his house in this quiet town half an hours drive from Vienna.
It emerged yesterday that Priklopil had started building the dungeon several months before the kidnapping and documented his progress with photographs that he kept in an album. Police said it was so well hidden that if Natascha had not told them where it was, they would never have found it.
This was uncannily reminiscent of the chamber of horrors built by Marc Dutroux, the Belgian serial killer and rapist who kidnapped six girls, two of whom were found alive after his arrest in 1996. Police had searched every inch of his house without finding the entrance to his dungeon.
There were other similarities, from Priklopils white kidnap van to a bungled police investigation and the failure of neighbours to notice evil under their noses.
But whether Priklopil was inspired by Dutroux, the monster of Charleroi, may never be known: he appears to have recognised the enormity of his crime by throwing himself under a train in Vienna after Nataschas escape.
Nothing in this nightmarish landscape is as simple as it might seem.
A psychologist treating Natascha has reported symptoms of Stockholm syndrome in which kidnap victims sympathise and identify with their abductors.
Freudenberger said the girl was in denial about being sexually abused by Priklopil. She doesnt want to accept that, the policewoman said. In her mind, she did everything of her own free will.
Instead of rejoicing in the death of her tormentor, Natascha was said to have cried bitterly when she heard about his suicide.
Police were amazed at how articulate she was. Although she had never been to secondary school, she had an adults vocabulary. She had been allowed to listen to the radio and read. The kidnapper even brought her school textbooks to study.
Now that she is free she cannot wait to get her first mobile telephone. She is also looking forward to visiting Britain, where she plans to join her half-sister on a holiday later this year.
Adapting to normal life will not be easy, however. Her parents separated four years before her kidnapping and she was said to be unenthusiastic about the prospect of returning to live with Brigitta Sirny, her 55-year-old mother, even though the room she left behind complete with its Spice Girls poster awaits her.
Whether he liked flirting with danger or had tired of the warden-prisoner relationship, Priklopil began allowing his victim some freedom earlier this year.
In May he let her out of her basement for the first time in seven years. She came up the ladder through a 20in opening in the floor into the garage. The entrance was normally hidden by a carpet.
On at least one occasion Priklopil took her shopping, convinced that he could trust her not to cry for help. He also put her to work in the garden, mowing the lawn.
One witness claimed to have seen Priklopils mother, who lives in Vienna but often brought her son meals, in the garden at the same time as a young woman.
Dutrouxs main accomplice was his wife, Michelle Martin, whose failure to feed two little girls in his cellar while he was in prison led to their deaths by starvation.
Did Priklopils mother know about the girl hidden under the garage? She has denied any involvement and detectives have yet to question Natascha about this, preferring to let her recover her health before forcing her to relive her ordeal.
They were hoping to question a 20-year-old woman who witnessed the kidnapping and claimed, as a 12 year old, to have seen two men in the van used to take Natascha away.
Priklopil was a strange, obsessive character who was terrified of dogs. He liked to keep his car spotlessly clean. On Wednesday he allowed Natascha to come upstairs to vacuum the red Mercedes he had inherited from his father.
As she set to work on the car, Priklopil received a call on his mobile phone. Unable to hear anything over the sound of the cleaner, he moved away from the car. Natascha ran.
An elderly female neighbour saw her in front of my kitchen window, panicking, white in the face and shaking.
Ludwig Koch, her 51-year-old father, said he had never given up hope. Sirny, the mother, had also fought despair, especially in the days after the kidnapping when Koch was voicing suspicions that she may somehow have been involved in the abduction.
He has since apologised but relations between them remain frosty. They met Natascha separately amid suggestions that they were in competition for the right to care for her.
In his home on Friday, the ruddy faced Koch, a former baker, said he had secured the services of Rupert Leutgeb, an Austrian author and journalist, to negotiate the rights to his daughters story.
Leutgeb said Natascha had kept a diary of her ordeal that was hundreds of pages long. We think her story is worth at least 100,000 (£67,000), he said.
Sirny also reported a joyous reunion with Natascha before resuming a holiday in the Austrian countryside, saying: Its all too much for me.
The mother has never been able to banish from her mind the painful circumstances of her daughters disappearance on March 2, 1998.
On that morning Natascha had got up late. She had lost her glasses. Her mother told her off. Natascha answered back. Her mother slapped her in the face.
They were always arguing. Her mother thought she was jealous of her four grandchildren and new boyfriend. Her daughter walked out of the house without saying goodbye.
Last week she told investigators she had seen a man on the pavement. She felt like crossing the road to avoid him but carried on walking, still furious with her mother.
She told police that she had asked her abductor later what would have happened if she had crossed the road. He said he had targeted her. He would have come back another day.
The police were criticised for having questioned Priklopil after the abduction he was one of 700 white minivan owners contacted without finding anything suspicious.
This was another parallel with the Dutroux investigation: in that case, one policeman concluded that the muffled sound of childrens voices that he could hear was coming from the street outside instead of an underground cellar.
Max Edelbaucher, a detective who spent years hunting for Natascha, said of her escape: This is the best retirement gift I could ever have imagined. He went on: It is horrible, though, that a girl could be held in our area for eight years while being searched for by thousands of policemen.
Additional reporting: Michael Leidig

This book I read while on holiday this year, I won't go into what the book is about why don't you just buy it and find out.Anyway there is one part in the book that really got my attention and also got me thinking now this part won't give any of the plot away so don't worry.
"Lies are always double: what you say coexists with what you didn't say but might have said.When you stop lying, the gap between your words and inner belief closes, and you continue on a path of trying to match your spoken words to the language of your thoughts, at least thoes fit for other peoples' consumption"
I know its about being true to yourself and others and how at the time it may be easeir to just lie to yourself and others however in the long run its better to face the truth,it did get me thinking when you say things like "I should have done this or I could have done that"these are also lies because you know why you didn't do whatever you had to do.
Children lie because their children Adults Lie because they have yet to grow up.
Be true to yourself.

pole dancing

The hatch

LOOK at what we found while holidaying on the island of Fuerteventura

Goodbye my friend, I finally had to say goodbye to an old friend today after 16 great,great years together and not once was I ever let down .You worked and worked so hard for me and my family, it does now feel like I have lost a valued member of our house hold without you I would be so dirty and smelly with you in my life I was soft and fuffly,and I never had a rash because of the way you worked it a pity you died.................................in my heart you will live on and on and on I love you thankyou for the wonderful years and all your hard work with the kids

Going to see the boys tomorrow night in Vicar Street Can't wait The Frames always ,always put on a great gig and it will be great ....cant wait , can't wait Glen I'm your NO1 fan

Yes I'm back to dial up I said good bye to Eircom and hello smart Telecom the only thing is I have to wait nearly a month to be connected to smart but it will be worth it because its faster and cheaper and I will be glad to see the back of Eircom I hate them rip off bastards.......I had forgotten how slow dail up is and the computer keeps shuting down so I'm not using it as much its just not worth the hassel..........so I will leave you with this...........




You really can change the world if you care enough.