CAN WE TALK?

Hi, dv, what did your husband get you?
Have you ever tried hypnotherapy for your sleep problems and panic attacks? Aren't I a trained hypnotherapist, so you can trust me to recommend it? Is there anything you'd like to ask about it? I managed a quick goodbye to Ana, didn't I? It was 8 15 a m and her friends had just arrived to pick her up and drive 27 hours down to Spain, hadn't they? Would you like to travel 27 hours with no stops? Once I had to do the same journey, as a passenger with a married couple, and they rowed all the time, didn't they? We'll miss her for the next few days, won't we? But I think we can believe she'll come back the moment she finds an internet connection, won't she?

Hi, Clary! (belated-ly) Been celebrating the 4th of July with friends and family, pinicing, drinking and watching fireworks. Lots of fun! Still haven't gotten that b-day present! With my b-day and the 4th being so close, we haven't had time to go out! I must speak to him about that, mustn't I? Don't I hope Drom is having a fabulous time traveling and that she 'connects' with us soon?
Haven't tried hypnotherapy, Clar-. Right now I can't afford to try much of anything unfortunately. Without telling you our whole sad financial story of the last few years, suffice it to say that we make too much to get government help and not enough to afford insurance! That's quite the rub in this country of ours, isn't it?! Just out of curiosity, what is health care like there, across the pond?

Well, D, I saw that you had posted something about horrendous dental costs on another thread, and may I sympathize with you about that? We have a National Health scheme which is starting to break down around the edge, and wouldn't you know, dental is the first service to go? And didn't my son find when he was working in New York that the dentists were horrifically expensive? Is it possible for your son to go to somewhere like Thailand or Costa Rica, because the prices there are so much lower? America is notorious in the worls for being the worst country to get ill in, isn't it? Do you know that the only time I've taken out travel insurance was to travel in the States?

You know that I do hope your finances take a turn for the better, don't you?

I thank you very much for the info, don't I, Clary? Don't I wish I could afford to go to one of those places for his dental work!? Right now I've been trying to throw myself on the mercy of some kind dentist and appeal to his sense of right and wrong for one so young as my son. But alas, to no avail so far. I'm trying to take it public, as in a newspaper or local news show or something. Have I not yet heard back from any of them yet?
Don't I agree with what you said about getting ill in America? Is it not only for the rich (or at least well- insured) to do so?!
And do I not thank you for your well wishes for our finances? Starting a new business from scratch and getting it up and running is so difficult. Don't you think?

BTW dev, do you know what has happened to MyOwnUserName? I got a pm from someone called JustFun who seemed to be him, saying he'd got banned from this site?

Yes, don't I agree about getting it on a local paper or radio show? In this country, isn't it one of the best ways of getting something done? I read this today - Nationalism seems to be greatest in those countries who do least for their people, like USA and China - do you think that is true?

Boy, I don't know what happened to MyOwnUserName today! Do you really think he got banned? I wonder how or why?

What a profound statement, isn't it Clary? How sad, but I think it really is, unfortunately, true. Maybe I am not a good person to ask? We just happen to fall right in the middle of the (government-assisted) poor and the 'rich' insured. They call us the 'working poor', how quaint, huh? Again, though I suppose being an American I am one to talk to about it? Somehow that statement really gnaws at me, doesn't it?

It sounds terrible, doesn't it? In Hong Kong, the people who feel between government-assisted/public housing tenants and ones who had to pay for everything were called the 'sandwich class', weren't they? I think you'd find life better in Britain, wouldn't you? Aren't small businesses hard work? And in England, aren't there a lot of regulations which make them hard to run? We can hardly turn a profit from our School of English, can we? And yet it is very successful in terms of student satisfaction and turnover, isn't it? And isn't it true that we can't get good enough senior staff because we can't afford to pay them very well? You must know the expression 'if you pay peanuts you get monkeys', don't you??!!

Sandwich class sounds about right. Stuck between a rock and a hard place aren't we? Wasn't it silly of me to forget you also run a small business? How old is theschool or how long have you been with it? Did you start it as well? We have been told by so many that it took them 5 good years to get up and running profitably well. I wonder how true that will be for us? (We are only in year number 3.)Don't I wish you were more successful financially? It doesn't quite seem fair does it - that those who are in such noble service as teaching and in 'necessary' service like handyman are not paid what they are worth?! What really burns my behind is that those in entertainment or the like get paid millions!!
'If you pay peanuts you get monkeys' is so true, isn't it? We are lucky in that we've found good people to help us out, but one bad apple (a customer) has made the last week or so tremendously financially difficult! Couldn't I go on a rant about that?!
Oh! And on a p.s. Genevieve Elizabeth, our newest family member and my niece, was born yesterday, July 7 at 4:31pm! YAY! Mother and baby are great.

Isn't that great about Genevieve? And isn't it a pretty name? Dare I admit it reminds me of a classic funny film of the 50s of the same name, which is still funny when inevitably re-run?

Did you know that my partner and I bought an existing business 5 years ago? And it was doing rather badly then, wasn't it? But she has turned it round and this year we are hoping for a bit of a profit, aren't we? I think five years is about right, don't you? What does your business actually do?
With us, it's govenment regs that eat into our profits, isn't it? Each teacher is on an hourly rate because they only get work in the summer, and yet we have to pay a lot of national insurance, and they get special holiday pay and other benefits, which is great for them, isn't it? Can I tell you the most irritating new legislation? Every adult in every host family of an under-18 year old student has to have police checks run every year, in case they are pedophiles or murderers or something, don't they? And each one costs £30, doesn't it? So who has to pay for that? The students already think England is too expensive, don't they? We can't pay, can we? And the host families are having students for the small amount of money they make out of it, aren't they? It's an example of overkill - all because one child is attacked, laws are made - but do you think you will actually prevent another attack?

Aren't I just giddy that she has finally arrived? My sister called yesterday to tell me, and she was just screaming her lungs out like babies do - boy has she got a pair on her! I can't wait to meet her. Lauren & I are going to help out in a couple of weeks. Won't that be fun?! And won't I have to tell her about the movie. Maybe we can watch it?!
Is the business you speak of Totnes then? I'll let you know when we experience the 5-year mark, won't I?
Wow. That is quite the expense, isn't it? The whole pedophile thing. Just yesterday the body of a 13-yr.-old was found. It scares me to death! 'L' is 10!
You asked what our business does? Well, just about everything you could need as far as repair, re-modeling and even a little re-building, the 'small' construction-type stuff. We do it all!...electrical, plumbing, painting...we use some really good contrators to do the stuff we (he) isn't licensed to do. Anyway, I could go on for days about it! I mainly do paperwork, computer work & make phone calls. So that makes me partner, receptionist, gopher, 'office manager', etc.!
Goodness, I'm writing a novel here! Oh, well. Does your school teach English as a second language then?
Back to speaking of business, our greatest expenses come in the form of insurance and licenses, and taxes - Blagh! It's really hard to make ends meet right now. I can't wait until we are profitable, can I ?!!
And, finally to adress your final remark, the sad thing is, I don't think you can prevent the pedophile scourge! It's like a cancer, isn't it? At least, by law, they have to register. I can actually go to a database & check my area for the scum, can't I?!

Wow, wouldn't your business be right for making money here? We are terribly short of good builders, handymen, carpenters, plumbers, aren't we? They can command top prices, can't they?

If you look at my website you can see our school, would you like to? Haven't I just come back from a student party at my partner's house? And don't I feel I'm getting too old to enjoy such things? Most of our students are in their 20s, aren't they? They come from all over the world, don't they? Can it be that I met people from Japan, Korea, China, Saudi rabia, Poland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Germany tonight?
I think I'd enjoy being office manager, wouldn't I? Perhaps it gives you plenty of time to play on A2K, does it?

Don't I wish we could just pack up and move to England now?! While it's true there is much need for handyman work around here, it does take one a while to get established. Don't I know it?!
I shall have to have a peek at your web site, won't I? I suppose I could google for it. I can find a Totnes web site, can't I? Or do you have a personal site or page there?
Doesn't a student party sound like fun? I love college-agers! and from all over the world you say? That's my idea of a good time, isn't it? You would enjoy being the office manager as it makes me pretty much my own boss, and yes, it gives me plenty of time for a2k - as if that isn't obvious, is it?

Am I glad to see you two? I am still in Boulogne, at the moment, but this means, at least, that I have a definite connection, doesn't it? I have had a lovely holiday, so far, Dev; a lovely holiday, but wouldn't I say a wet one? Most days it has been bucketing down; but, should I not stop talking and start responding to what I have missed out on?

May I wish a wonderful life for Genevieve? Is it not about time that she came out? When will you be visting her?

As for the new legislation; how very stupid, may I say?! With such incidents as Huntley's being allowed to work near children, mass police checks might be a good idea; but that the people with whom the children are to stay should pay is absolutely ridiculous, is it not? Anyway, the police have been proven to nor work with each other; and most of the time, the police ignore assault and battery, as in my case: just for figures, I guess? Forms and checks will do no good if the police aren't there to catch them and prosecute, will they?!

As for coming to England, Dev, do you know that I think that the cons far outweigh the pros? Our society has become one of aggression, has it not? I wonder what has changed people in general; what do you all think?

Think about what has created an agressive society? Oh, there are so many causes: such as population growth, drugs, technology, the desire for the almighty dollar, etc., etc., etc. It's hard to believe that's it's been more than thirty years since Bob Dylan wrote "The Times They Are A-Changin", isn't it?

Population Growth?

Isn't so good to hear from Drom-?
Drom-! I'm glad you've had a safe trip. Have I not read your digression yet? Did you post the link or am I just to lazy to look for it myself? May I thank you for your wishes for Genevieve? L and I will be going in a couple of weeks (around the 21st) to spend about a week helping out. Can I not wait to meet her?
Don't I find the whole pedoophile thing and the system just deplorable? Don't I really feel sorry if that's the way England is? Don't I suppose there are good and bad people everywhere, but that being 'bad' seems more acceptable, and somethimes being 'good' is villified?

Do I agree with you, Raggedy? I wonder whether times will ever change for the better?

Yay, hello Dev, do I thank you for your well-wishes? Shall I find the link and post it here, even though I've not covered much yet? Is Genevieve your first niece? Am I sure that you'll be the greatest aunt?

The situation with pædophiles and childkillers is indeed awful, but what can you expect from an institution that is more preoccupied with people who go three miles over the speed limit than murderers and rapists? Do you know that thousands and thousands of people who abuse the underaged are not even brought to Court each year? Or that, due to precedent, one has to go all the way to the House of Lords, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds, just for a chance to repeal bad law? It took until 1996 to repeal the 'Year and a day law,' didn't it? Do you know that, now, if a man beats up a pregnant and the baby comes out stillborn, that's not infanticide, and he'd get away with everything apart from, maybe, battery charges, which are hardly ever given imprisonment? Isn't that just bloody ridiculous? Our government have to retrench, they think, instead of paying the expense of new prisons; they're stupid, are they not? Both the economic cost (of vandalism, robbery, etc) and the emotional cost (of the victims) far outweigh paying for prison, don't they? I wonder why they find paying for security as something unnecessary, and then complain about thug warfare and terrorism? Is it because they are bumbling, foolish marionettes in Parliament, who have no real power due to our elected dictatorship and the whip system? (Does America have a whip system that forces people to vote with their party too, or not?) Am I not a Chartist in places, believing in the need for annual assemblies[/b], i.e. elections every year, set on a set day every year? Some people say that this is a silly wish, and that the cost for elections every year would be very high, don't they? I respond, 'O; so you do not think that there is never too high a cost to maintain responsibility and democracy? Why was it that you supported the war on Iraq, then?' Then they usually either go quiet, or try to dismiss my views, don't they? Don't I knock on when it comes to law or politics?! Did you know that I used to study law, and that it was really painful to see how many awful laws and statutes England has? Am I never, though, on the politics board, due to people's ignoring my views for being moderate and not inflammatory? O, you people; do you agree with reducing the minimum voting age to 16?

Wow, drom-, did you not just say a lot?! That subject just makes me burn! Have I not dealt with victims of such people myself? Are the results of what they do not dreadful? I'm all for the death penalty for such as those who are deemed 'incurable'? By their own admission they would go out & do it again once released from prison!
Funny you should mention infanticide. There is a trial going on in California regarding a man (Scott Petersen) accused of killing his pregnant wife and unborn son. He is being charged with BOTH murders. The whole country is watching this one.
I so much agree with all you've said about the government system and the inequity of 'time served' to 'devastation of the crime' to the victim!
How awful that you must vote a particular party! That's not the way it works here. I am registered as an independent (I don't necessarily affiliate with any party) and am free to choose from among the candidates whom I deem 'worthy'of office. A daunting task when a lot of times I don't particularly like any of the candidates! In my point of view, anyone who really should be in office wouldn't go near the job for all the mud-slinging and butt-kissing that goes on! Don't get me started!
Hmmm. Change the voting age to 16? I actually think that's not a bad idea! I remember 16. At that age you have opinions and feelings about politics, and most teens that age have half a decent brain. Don't I agree with you? Shall we start the petitions?
Oh, I forgot to answer about Genevieve! Yes, she is my first niece. She has an older brother. So, now my sis and I each have 2. One of each, a boy and a girl, don't we?

I do often write lots when it comes to injustice, don't I? England is probably worse than America for injustice, is it not? Now, I don't think that the death penalty should be used, because that is far too an easy way out for these awful people, is it not? But, what to do instead? Life imprisonment in a cell without trimmings would be a start, would it not? They ruined people's lives; so, instead of using 'an eye for an eye,' perhaps they should be treated according to what they are: subhuman (without going all Nazi?)

Oh, you will tell what happens to me regarding this trial, will you not? Do you think that he will be found guilty? What were his motives; are they known?

As for our political system; it's not that we have to vote for a party -- though our choices are very limited-- but it's something worse: if you are a Labour party politician, and there is a vote, you cannot vote for what you think is rights, but rather you must vote for what Tony Blair thinks is right; so, basically, we have no democracy, you see? He can push through anything, and we can elect no one to stop it; is it not a disgrace? Would you ever stand for election, Dev? (Do you have to pay, like here?) Will you vote independent this November, do you think?

As for the voting age-- the whole thing is ridiculous; you may ask why: why? Because nearly ninety-percent of people over here are politically ignorant, and there are quite a few politically aware youth; so why go by age? Perhaps a 'comprehension' test would be a good idea, to stop wasted votes? Or would this infringe on democracy? Have you heard that 750,000 votes (by adults) were cast for a fascist party over here?

I should bet that all your nieces and children will have sense when they vote, 'oui?' Are your children and their aunt close?

I must disagree, in principle;
The committing of a crime indicates a gap in the socialization of the perpetrator; underlying it all, the shortcomings of society are at fault.
I obviously do not buy into 'evil', or 'sin'.
A person commits a crime because they have been 'bent' by circumstances to find that action acceptable, or even necessary.
I see all penalties as merely adding to the harm already done.

However, having said all that, i realize that as a civilization, we have not yet reached the point where we are able to understand the root causes of every misdeed, and how to go about 'curing' the negative behaviour of offenders.
So, punishment it must be, until such time as we can successfully reclaim those damaged personalities, and make them once again contributing citizens. However, let us keep always in our minds, that we, as a society, have failed these people; failed to provide them with the same social benefits that keep the rest of us from needing to perpetrate similar misdeeds.