timwheatley.org

I saw this clip mentioned on CBS this morning, so I went looking for it on YouTube. I have started to watch his show, but with Sheila working and getting up at 4am, I seldom have the opportunity. He is a Scottish immigrant who hosts a late night show and I love his humor. It is a great show though and if you can get it, watch it.

This video though is a little unusual as rather than starting off with a humorous monologue, he talks about his battle with alcoholism. He has decided that picking on the vulnerable (like he was) for the sake of laughter is something he can no longer do. It’s an absolutely wonderful piece of television.

I’m 29 years old. I have never felt such a lack of interest in the Olympic Games.

I’m guessing there was an opening ceremony today, because I saw still pictures of it on Yahoo.com. I didn’t even think of watching it… Yet I think I’ve probably watched at least part of every single ceremony since I have been old enough to want to, so what’s different now?

Well, I live in the United States. I haven’t seen any of the build-up I am used to because they simply don’t provide the extensive coverage of Athletics that the BBC do back home. But, the thing is, as much as I’d love to say the problem is bad coverage, it isn’t. The other difference? China.

In Chicago today there was a march on the Chinese Consulate asking for the Chinese to end their occupation of Tibet. China has also refused an Athlete’s visa to travel and compete recently also, the reason being that he wants the Darfur regime (that the Chinese support), to end and has been a campaigner. Then, of course, there’s the little issue of human rights.

Come to think of it, what on earth were the Olympic Committee thinking?!

Most people in the UK have heard of a Japanese Game Show called Takeshi’s Castle. It features one hundred contestants who are slowly knocked out (sometimes literally), round by round as they advance to the final challenge.

Wipe Out, which starts tomorrow night on ABC, is a very similar show - and it’s absolutely hysterical. There’s already some episodes on YouTube, for those of you not in the USA.

Sheila and I went to the Museum yesterday. It’s free after 5pm.

I wonder how many will get the movie reference…? I’m not talking about Family Guy!

Go on, stare at it...

It’s days like this I realise how absolutely ‘anal’ I am when it comes to signing paperwork. I will not sign anything I haven’t thoroughly read and understood.

It’s really awful seeing anyone cry. Deep down I find it hard to say anything but “Give it back!” until I regain my senses, then I have to wonder just how some people live in this day and age…

“I guess I signed a piece of paper…”

So, you didn’t read the contact then? Why not? Too busy? Ah…

I saw a news item this lunchtime on FOX about mortgage rates increasing and they interviewed a man who said that he had told the agent he wanted a fixed-rate mortgage. The agent printed his contract - he signed it - then now, years later, he is complaining because his mortgage rates have increased and he is going to lose his home.

So, you didn’t read the contract either then? Why not? Too busy? Ah. FOX News may be blaming the ‘nasty agent’ for not giving the customer what he asked for, but I’m not. I’m blaming the idiot who didn’t read his contract… If you were letting someone else take money directly out of your hands, would you be so much of a pushover as you were signing that piece of paper that allowed them to take money from your bank account? If the agent knew exactly what he was doing - so did you - you knew you were meant to read it. Make the agent sit there and wait, twiddling his thumbs, you are the customer, not him, he’s being paid (by you) for his time!

It happens all-too-often and people have to learn that their lack of action also has consequences. You DO NOT sign what you have not read - never, ever, never, ever. We live in time of digital communication and fast-paced living. You cannot walk through the city of Chicago for more than five minutes without hearing a hoard of impatient car horns and everything in life is about getting it done quicker. Chase Bank has advertisements up in Bus Shelters about how you can personalise your ATM menu, because - I assume - pressing more than one button is a real issue for their customers.

Anyway, back to Ellen… Not everyone has a TV show. I am sure this type of thing happens every day and if it makes you feel bad, Ellen, then I’m sorry. You were oh-so willing to lay out the cash to try to do everything you could for that dog, you are willing to cry on your TV show for the sake of the children, why weren’t you willing to read the ‘piece of paper’ for the sake of all of them in the first place?

Give it a chance, what a terrific advertisement.

I do miss British Telly…

Finally, finally, finally… Channel 4 has axed the 2008 season of “Celebrity Big Brother” - this show where fourth-rate celebrities and almost-nobodies vie to be the top-turd on the pile of shit that is Big Brother.

Unfortunately I don’t think Channel 4 will remove BB from our screens entirely.

Zach was voted off “The Lot” on August 7th. I can’t say I am surprised as I thought his last two movies were not as good as his first few. I really wanted him to win it, because I still believe he’s the most talented, but I think when it came down to the crunch, he failed to show off his talents…

His last two movies were linked and don’t make sense if you don’t watch both (but even then, they’re not really a great story) …

With any kind of abuse on either an adult or mid-range child, they develop an understanding of what is happening to them. Most victims of abuse will blame themselves but very rarely will they blame the abuser or often even realise that what’s happening is wrong.

When it is a very young child, or an animal, they cannot develop that bad understanding, which is why Hamas TV’s attempts to educate young children about Animal abuse, by having a man dressed as a bee abuse animals for a TV show, is both sick and stupid.

It wasn’t long ago that Hamas TV showed a Mickey Mouse character denouncing Israel and the U.S., for them to actively go out and abuse animals for the sake of a TV show obviously lacking in any educational properties whatsoever, is disgusting.

It’s times like this I wonder if stepping out of the Middle-East entirely, so that they can wipe themselves off the face of the Earth, would be an acceptable route to World Peace.

Back when I worked for the British Government, we had a saying whenever our network went down. We used to say it all the time… Our system completely went down at least once a week between 9am and 6pm… You want to know what it was?

“It’s EDS again. I don’t know how they keep this contract.”

I just saw an advertisement on American TV for this company and I was pretty shocked, I didn’t realise that the company was so large. Their advertisement said that they help the London Transport System and it was a typical “that’s what we do” style of corporate advertising that actually gives no information about what they do or who they are.

Well I’ll tell you that from my experiences between 2003-2004, EDS were not capable of sustaining a stable network of computers to a central database, when it worked it was slow and it often crashed completely.

It is extremely annoying to see this company is expanding. I just hope they’ve improved themselves.