Makes you think doesn't it? It's got me thinking about the way in which my transmitted words might be interpreted by the person I'm lampooning. Am I hurting the feelings of someone?
On another thread my friend Ubique implied that perhaps I was harsh lampooning someone I didn't know and hadn't met before. Now, I could have concluded, 'blast your eyes Ubique' and not given the matter a backward glance or I could have given the matter a little thought, which is exactly what I've done. I've had a good long hard look at the way in which I transmit my thoughts and views on this, that and the other and my conclusion is, 'perhaps I've become an online bully'.
I've taken the pi.ss out of them all. Nothing has ever made me think about the impact my words have on other people. Me? I can lampoon everyone because it comes very easily to me and, to be fair to myself, it's of no consequence to me if I get bitten back. My attitude is, I give it and so I should be able to take it.
I don't take things personally and throughout my tenure of 'tapping' I've kind of assumed that nobody else takes it seriously and therefore no one could possibly be offended by the drivel and nonsensical codswallop I shovel out. Of course, if I'm wrong, and my words can hurt, then I guess I've become an online bully. Without knowing or fully realizing it, I may have evolved into someone who's been unkind.
Course, that's not what I want for myself. I wouldn't want any person to be hurt or offended by anything I've transmitted. I've always hoped that folk would mutter, 'bloody idiot', dismiss whatever I've said and perhaps conclude that it's healthy to lampoon the great and the good who have power over our daily lives.
And that's where it began for me. Realising that no matter what we thought, said or felt, they, the ones who held sway over us, took absolutely no notice. And so, I began to lampoon them all knowing that satire and taking the pi*% is one thing 'they' hate. They cannot stand being mocked and laughed at and because I knew I could do it, I did it, never thinking that perhaps my words could possibly hurt another.
I don't want to be an online bully. I don't want people to think of me as an online bully and I don't wish to carry the burden of knowing my words have hurt another.
Mind, how do you stop possibly hurting another person who is in a position of authority. Do you stop lampooning them? If you do, do you risk giving them Carte Blanche to do whatever they like without giving 'us' a backward glance because we no longer laugh at them. Me? I don't know anymore. All I know is my words may have hurt the feelings of others and I do not want that.
So, have I become an online bully? I think I may have. I ain't certain but I think there's a good chance that by lampooning our leaders for as long as I have, I've unwittingly slid into being someone who can hurt another's personal feelings and that ain't a good thing.
Makes you think doesn't it!

Planning application P142315/F (why I just cannot copy and paste the link I don't know)

I did some of my formative drinking in the British Oak usually before popping off to Edgar Street to see HUFC.

I see that work has restarted on the former Palace Chinese restaurant in Hereford. There was a dispute which had halted the building work but I noticed yesterday that work had begun again. 

I posted this on the HT website and I really wanted to make a note of it here, because this is a very real chance to show the leaders of this council up for what they have and are doing to the place.
 
http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/local/10834739.Herefordshire_Council_leader_s_message_to_rivals/
 
They are inviting the opposition parties to collaborate with them to fix the problems of Hereford. They are doing this because they have run out of ideas. They are claiming, and pushing the fact, that anyone who doesn't join them is actively against fixing the problems in the county. This is wrong and a ploy.
 
My comment was as follows and something that I would like opposing parties to take into the boardroom with them whenever the issue comes up.
 
 
"But refusal would show that the opposition groups have no viable solutions to offer the people of Herefordshire. It will demonstrate an unwillingness to unite in the face of an unprecedented financial situation and would, I am sure, be noted by all Herefordians."

He's trying the old catch 22 here, I use it a lot myself, it's an easy way to win an argument. If they join the Tories, they've just been bent over and taken it hard. If they don't they are declared as being useless. He thinks it's a no win situation.

But in actual fact the best option would be to NOT step forward and take on his offer. It would be very easy to counter his argument with the fact that he has no idea what to do and no plans to fix things and that is why he's looking for other people to come up with ideas - which he can then lay claim to.

He'll take the ideas and when/if they work, that marks as a score on the Tory card, which would subsequently give them credit for solutions the in fact stole AND create a public perception that the Tories did the right thing and lead us out of the red.

The best course of action would be for ALL opposition parties to unit together AGAINST the tories and ALL refuse this offer. The consequence of such an action would show a majoritive support that the Tories are not fit to lead us and they will ultimately loose their grip over the council.

So, to the IOC, Libs, Labour and everyone else. 

Take up this offer and let the Tories lay claim to your ideas, keeping them in power furthermore and providing them with ammunition to use against you.

Or stand together, denounce this awfully transparent offer and show the county that even the Tories have lost faith in their own abilities and we need someone in now who can make the right choices.
 
This is a very valuable opportunity for all opposition members.

It's our county, it's your choice.

Since I live up here, I may as well post in here, if anyone will see it is another thing. Roads around here are being resurfaced, about time as some of them are awful.

Not sure what ones, I know Kingsway is being done by the Co-op and up a little bit and I see they are doing some work in Queensway.

Have been in the area of High Town , Hereford between 1100 and 1400 for the last two days - very busy with Parent / s with children , high number of families , holidaymakers etc .cyclists and motor vehicles wiz zing through after the 1030 closure ! All that's lacking is the visible presence of a Police Officer . There will always be a very good reason why but the sight of a Police Officer in uniform gives reassurance to the law abiding members of the public.

I am sure that a couple of posters will give good and valued reason why there are no Uniform Police Officers in High Town area but I will refer back to the last line of the previous paragraph.

Just checked mine - 1800 watts. Why not put 1200cc engines in all cars as well. I can see the EU bringing back the peoples' car endorsed by previous dictators.

A plea on behalf of British potato producers.  When buying potatoes and anything containing potato please make sure you are buying British.  Some supermarkets (not all) are sourcing their potatoes from overseas.  Thousands of tons of British potatoes this year will not be used because supermarkets are buying cheaper pots from abroad same old story. British potato producers have invested millions to produce the potato the public want and are in danger of going out of business.  Yes I know they can be a bally nuisance on the roads at certain times of the year they are only doing their job and are under such tight time constraints they have to keep pressing on.  Yes I know they receive huge subsidies but agriculture is hugely important in this county and many parts of the country.  

Generally if you can buy British food if you don't use it you will lose it!

Services to protect children in Herefordshire "require improvement", Ofsted inspectors have concluded.

The grading is one better than in 2012 when services were branded "inadequate", the lowest rating in the four-point scale.

It means there are no serious failures but the authority is not delivering good protection, help and care for children, young people and families.

The council said it was on target to achieve a "good" rating by 2016.

Councillor Jeremy Millar, cabinet member for children's wellbeing for Herefordshire Council, said: "We are very pleased that following our recent inspection we are no longer rated as inadequate and reassured that Ofsted are stating that no children being cared for in Herefordshire are at risk of harm."

Ofsted said the leadership and experience of care leaders "requires improvement" but rated the authority's adoption performance as "good".

The grading follows an inspection last month.

BBC

The latest Ofsted report was published today and is available to read in pdf format here (37 pages) 

Ofsted Herefordshire

I don't play golf. Never have and never wanted to. Mind, there's lots that do and very soon they won't be able to play at Belmont because its going belly up.
It's going to the wall because the main building is listed, its roof is in a poor state of repair and some years ago the bloody Council refused a planning application that had large investment behind it. The planning application was hugely impressive and was going to create jobs, a spa and other pleasant things that would draw people in to spend their money.
Of course the Council decided that 'it being a listed building' it shouldn't be touched and so the application was refused, the building continues to fall apart and very soon it'll be no more.
Another nail in our coffin!

A nice job opportunity for the right person here.

http://www.friendsofcastlegreen.org.uk/operations-manager-vacancy/

Well I didn't expect to see a farmers market in Tesco's car park this morning, not sure how that works..

Police Counters to Close in September according to this article in this week's HT.

THE front counters at all the market town police stations in Herefordshire are

to close next month, including in Ledbury Station, off the Worcester Road.

West Mercia Police has confirmed the desks at Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury, Leominster and Ross on-Wye will be removed from the beginning of September and replaced with an intercom system, connecting the public to a "call-taker"

So what's the point in having these police stations? They spend all that money building the one in Newton Farm, which has hardly been manned since they day it opened, it's more like a glorified police car park.

Cost cutting gone a little too far in my opinion.

I'm not knocking it because Hereford city needs it
But "when does the development finish"??
I'm sure somebody said just before the first brick was laid that it would be late March early April.
The reason I'm asking is that I've drove past the site a number of times and it seems to me that it may take a lot longer,
Or will 'only parts' of the site be open first??

I'm a massive Hereford supporter, have been for a long long time but how many 'locals' have been to watch your 'professional' club??

It's heart breaking to think that the last few home games maybe the last that will be played at Edgar street.
I'm not going to bore you with the details because I'm guessing you've all read about what's going on already but to be frank its the same old story with a small club
Club gets taken over
New owners promise the world
New directors overspend
Bad management
Bad leadership
Supporters lose patient's
Now there's quite a lot going on to try and SAVE HEREFORD UNITED to raising money to a March through the city centre starting from the 'Victory' pub
'Yes' its not much (or not enough) but we CAN'T GIVE UP! !!
But the one thing that 'will help' is to get as much bodies through the turnstiles so please PLEASE for these last few games TURN UP BUY A PROGRAMME BUY A PIE even TRY THE SPICY SOUP! !
DONT LET THE CLUB DIE BECAUSE OF A FEW - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CLUB! !!