Things To Do In England When You're Dead

I've been telling people all week, Gwar tribute act Lordi where a sure fire for Eurovisions! Not only did they win with a record breaking score, they've changed peoples perceptions of the event (I wanted to actually see it) and paved the way for a whole new extreme approach to the procedings.


Just think, next year, Rammstein entering for Germany with a song about hunting deer with your bare hands. Imagine the pyrotechnics, imagine the interview with Wogan...

I guess the biggest impact of Lordi being exposed to an audience exceeding 120 Million and reciving unprecidented press attention is that now I can count on an UK tour that goes beyond London (Do I hear Manchester calling?). I imagine there is also some delight in silencing the people who protested against Lordi being chosen to represent Finland, even asking the Prime Minister to remove them.


It must also be a delight to silence the expected critics who instantly assumed they where devil worshippers. As if having a home hit with Devil Is A Loser (And he's my bitch) wasn't enough, what respecting Satanist would wear a hat pictured left? If you're willing to wear a hat like that after three hours in make-up, you're okay in my book. And have you heard thier accents?



As for the people who thought Lordi would give people the wrong impression of Finland, I don't know anyone who thought the place had even a single giant bat creature, mummy or bass guitar playing deamons, and if you did, it would attract a helluva lot of people! Much more than... whatever it is people normally go to see in Finland.


And as for critics who wanted Eurovision to remain glamourous and TV friendly, who could find this picture disagreeable?


As Mr. Lordi said himself "This is a victory for open mindedness". How very true, this is one little event that will keep my faith in the world alive slightly longer.

And finally, to Finish (Boom Boom!) on a comparission, doesn't Mr. Lordi look, and even sing, a fair bit like Lemmy?

After oh so many years they have finally released footage of the plane striking The Pentagon during 9/11. Well, Judicial Watch forced the release of the video in order to discredit the conspiracy theories. You can watch the video here, and you may be left considering two points:

• The video is dated September 12th
  
• Theres no damn plane in the video!

Why they would release a video like this to try and prove it really happened is beyond me, talk about counter productive! And I know its always going to be dismissed a conspiracy theory, but come on, where the hell is this plane wreckage supposed to be?!!?

Just what was intended by releasing this video is unclear, but I have a theory. I think there are two ways not to be seen, first by staying in sight and second, by staying so incredibly insight that people completely fail to see you assuming you could never be that obvious.

I think the second option is at play here, why would they release evidence to support a conspiracy unless there really wasn't a conspiracy and they know people would never side with the people who claim the planes during 9/11 where diverted, landed, the government gasses the occupants and then detonated bombs within the Twin Towers. Really, who ever support people saying crap like that?

Pentagon, maybe that was a cover-up for some mistake (A good review of eye witness accounts and photos from the scene can be found here), but The Twin Towers really being hit by drones? Some conspirecy sites must be satirical jokes, perhaps set up by The Man himself, or maybe I've jsut been bought in by the lies...

Well, even if we can't prove it was all part of a cover up, at least there is enough evidence out there, like with the Kennedy Assasination and Moon landing to keep people shouting THERE'S NO BLOODY WAY THAT HAPPENED!! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!! LIES! LIES!!

A cynical nation is what we need, but please folks, try and keep it sensible

Some people say far too much about nothing (backbone of the blog phenomenon) but for the first time in a while I actually have something important to say, simply because it can save you money.

Today I resolved a dispute with Lloyds TSB about a situation known to students and the financially erratic people everywhere, bank charges. Cheque bounced? Not enough funds in the account? Direct Debit trouble? Each of these seem to incur fines from £15 - £30, the last thing you need when in financial deep water. These charges earn banks over £3 Billion per year, and something about them just feels.. unfair.

Never let it be said to not trust your feelings (Feelings get you killed in war!), as this turns out to be true, and a learned friend of mine pointed me in the direction of Money Saving Expert, a site which should be a national treasure, an excellent guide to cutting your costs and getting up to date on legislation the banks don't want you to know.

As well as excellent advice on how to cut car insurance rates, get the best deal for your mobile phone and get loads of free stuff it explains how bank charges such as the ones mentioned earlier breach the 1997 Unfair Terms Contracts (See the page here), and that you can reclaim it (Plus 8% Interest).

Working with the Consumer Action Group these sites give you step by step guidence on how to reclaim your money (PLEASE read all the FAQ's, they really do explain it all), from finding out how much you've been charged (It can come as a shock, have a cup of Tea to hand), telling the bank you want the money back, and if nesecery, how to take the case to court. Although the site administrators are busy guys, constantly being asked to answer stuff explained in the FAQ (I made this mistake and hate myself for it...) the forum users have all felt the burned of trying to disciper and absorb all the info the site provides and dealing with bank mangers and offer a supportive community.

I only got £50 back from Lloyds TSB, less £10 fee for finding what my charges came to (Banks charge you to find this out, although I found out later you can do it yourself for free using the LLoyds TSB internet banking), but £40 will do nicely right now and it feels damn good to get money back of the banks. Initial research on this subject suggested that bank charges can only meet the amount you go overdrawn by, meaning I should of gotten much less, but the bank refunded the full amount as a "guesture of good will".

It's also a training exercise for me, a mere skimmerish. I knew I hadn't many charges on that account, it reflected my ever increasing financial maturity, but now I feel more confident taking on Natwest, both old student account and its accursed credit card.

I hope to regain a fair sum from these accounts, and in keeping with both the wishes of these excellent free support services and my Ancient Scouce Traditions, a good lump of it will got to charity. What I want more than anything however is for more people to know that this option is open to them. Jobseekers could benifit greatly from this advice, as would people on income support, and the people who are kept in the dark and exploited by the people they trust with thier money.

Best of, money can be forced out of the accounts of banks and into the hands of needy charities. There is nothing to loose from at least trying to claim money back, and if you really dont want to take on your bank, at least visit Money Saving Expert for its other fantastic rescources.