It has always been assumed that we are either ‘dog people’ or ‘cat people’. But I don’t know if I actually agree with this common and age old philosophy at all. Why? Well, I tell you why; because I am neither of these! I have no great fondness for cats or dogs and I never have. Please don’t get me wrong; I do not dislike them, I just have no feelings towards them one way or the other…

I have never owned a pet myself. Sure, there have been a few times when it has crossed my mind, but I have never taken the plunge. You see, I am not sure if I would be the best person to look after a pooch or a moggy. After all, having an animal in your care every day (and night) is a very big responsibility and not the sort of thing to be taken lightly. They even need to have all of the necessary vitamins each day – just like us.

It’s a shame that more people do not think about it as carefully as this, isn’t it? Every year there are hundreds of cat and dogs being abandoned simply because their owners have discovered that they cannot cope with them. But then again, many people will get pets for all of the wrong reasons in the first place. Dogs or cats are a long term addition to your life and they should always be thought of as such. They make be all small and cutesy when they are pups or kittens… However, will you still manage to care for them when they get bigger?

If you are thinking about getting yourself a pet, then take your time before making a decision. Cats and dogs will need a lot of looking after and you need to be quite sure that you are cut out for the job! Imagine how terrible you would feel if you were to make the wrong choice…

Remember the first paragraph of this post? Perhaps you now have a better idea of what type of person you actually are. You see, as far as I am concerned, there are three types of people in this world; there are ‘cat people’, there are ‘dog people’ and there are people who do not feel like they are cut out to have a pet of their own. But don’t be mistaken about this… there is nothing wrong with being a part of the latter group. And if you are, then you have done very well for recognising it!

It occurred to me the other day, how very little our local councils do to encourage people to visit their towns. And when I’d sat and thought about this in a bit more detail, I came up with 3 things that really do need to be changed… If councils do want people to spend their money in these places that is!

Here is my 3 point ‘Make Things Better in Our Towns’ plan for local councillors to read (and believe me; there are plenty of other things I could add to this…) –

Loos

If you want to dissuade people from visiting your town, then a great way of doing this is to charge them for using the public toilets. I mean, 30 or 40 pence to go to the loo is a little bit over the top! And a lot of people would say it was ‘taking the p*ss'altogether… At this rate there will soon be little difference in price between Heathrow transfers and ‘spending a penny’!

Parking

Instead of cramming as many bays as possible into a car park (money, greed, etc), why not create fewer spaces which give visitors a bit more room? After all, it’s not much fun getting out of your car ‘crab fashion'and putting neighbouring vehicles at risk of chipped paintwork, is it? This is the sort of thing that really miffs people off!

And whilst we are on the subject of car parks, stop charging disabled drivers to park in designated disabled parking bays!!! Personally I think this is totally disgusting'because it makes the whole business of owning a blue badge totally pointless.

Shops

If councils charge a ludicrous amount of money to rent a shop on the high street, then they will see a lot less visitors in their town. After all, shopkeepers are not exactly ‘rolling in money'at the minute, are they? So the chances are that this attitude will result in far more empty shops.

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There are many signs of a husband cheating that you can look out for to uncover the truth behind your partner’s actions. If you have recently started having doubts about what your husband has been getting up to and are worried he is participating in extra marital affairs, then keep your eyes open for these top ten signs of a husband cheating.

1.

• Has your husband been acting in a way where he feels fed up or bored of his life? Has he been moaning a lot about the current situation or relationship? Ask yourself these questions and also ask yourself whether you think he is truly happy at the moment.

• How is the intimacy in your relationship? You need to consider whether he might have sought intimacy elsewhere because you two have not been sharing it together.

• Does it feel as though your husband has been avoiding you a lot lately? Has he been working late or going to work early, or making apparent excuses to leave the house? Keep an eye on when these trips out or late nights at work are occurring and how long they last.

• Look out for phone calls that your husband might avoid when you are present and listen out for the use of ambiguous vocabulary. This is a sure fire sign that he is hiding something from you.

• If you can get hold of his phone bill, look for calls to a number or numbers that you don’t recognize and also look at what time and how often these calls are made.

Although it is a horrible thought and an uncomfortable and heartbreaking truth to uncover, it is far better to know than to live with someone you cannot trust and forever wondering when the day might come that he will leave you for another woman. Once you are fully aware you can take the situation in to your own hands and deal with it in whatever way you feel appropriate.

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The new rules set me thinking. There have been innumerable cases where people were not satisfied with the quality of service offered by the NHS. There are some others who feel that the NHS is the primary reason why medical treatment is not as expensive as it is in the US. The two lines of thought represent the two extremes. For some, filing compensation claims is the best way to stop NHS from riding roughshod over the rights and privileges of its customers. For others, filing a claim for compensation on the NHS is a downright immoral and unpatriotic act.

Well, I think the right approach must strike a balance between the two options. You cannot expect private sector level treatment from the NHS. Let us face it; subsidized government service just does not work that way. On the other hand, it does not make sense to accept whatever the NHS offers without any complaints whatsoever. The sad truth is that a few unfair claims are needed to convince the doctors and nurses that they have to pull up their act.

Life would have been a lot simpler if such harsh measures could have been avoided. However, that is not how life works and there is no point in pretending these claims can be completely avoided. This is the reason why I feel that each and every individual must have clear and precise knowledge of the procedure to file claims when seeking treatment from any hospital that is a part of the NHS.

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1) Why people keep wondering why the sky is blue: who cares? Surely it just is and that’s all there is to it, right? We don’t question why Bill Oddie loves animals, or why Geese have long necks. Let’s all focus on more important things, shall we?

2) Why bus drivers can never smile: if you’re a bus driver, why not try it sometime? It really won’t kill you.

3) Why certain men and women think that women should only do certain jobs. This is the one that I am concentrating on today, and it’s a big subject. But still, I am to tackle it.

I had been doing my research and said I was going to make some timber window frames – to which there was an audible gasp, as if a woman had never even picked up a saw before…

It all goes way back, of course…back to the olden days when if a woman tried to wear trousers she’d be proclaimed a lesbian. Back then, men looked at women, who were obviously smaller and not as muscular as men, and laughed at the notion they wanted to do any kind of labour which involved using your hands. Quite simply, the notion of a woman doing anything remotely strenuous was a joke, and that joke has carried on for literally decades. And I have had enough!

Take me, for example. I recently enrolled in a carpentry course at the local sixth form college. An evening class to be precise, and something I had been thinking about for some time. Anyway, so I get there and the class is full of men. Well, apart from me and another older woman who smiled at me as I came in, and made it very obvious that the table next to her was reserved well and truly for me. I went over there and set up, and from that moment on it was a right laugh.

Except for one guy who couldn’t stop making jokes…

It happened the very first time when we were asked to make something. I had been doing my research and said I was going to make some timber window frames – to which there was an audible gasp, as if a woman had never even picked up a saw before. I didn’t care, but then, the next lesson when I was half way through cutting my wood, this guy makes a joke again. Nothing major – just a small quip about how me and this other lady had small arms, but it was enough to set me off, and set me off it did…

Let’s just say that he won’t be making that mistake again, shall we? Seriously: if you’re one of these men, get used to women doing stuff, because we’re much more capable than you would ever believe.

That said, I don’t hate ALL men, so check out the video for a man who I think is cool and really does know what he is doing!

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One of the best things about today’s social scene is the wonderful choice of bars and clubs that we have. Whatever your taste in decor, style, types of drinks and types of clientele, there is bound to be something to suit you somewhere in London.

At the moment I am into cocktail drinks, and even in my local neighbourhood I have a great range of places to enjoy, from a basic local pub to a trendy bar. If you prefer to go “up west” to central London there is a fantastic variety of bars to choose from. There are some classic favourites such as the bars in the grand hotels the Ritz and the Savoy, and more modern hotels in Kensington and Chelsea.

Writers from the stylish decades of the 1920s and 1930s such as Agatha Christie placed their characters in the bars of these famous hotels. I am sure that Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot used to meet his society friends in the Ritz and Savoy bars.

My current favourite cocktail drinks depend heavily upon flavoured vodka. The colourless, almost flavourless vodka is a great base for cocktails, since it allows the flavours that it is mixed with to really shine and dominate the palate. Flavoured vodkas act almost as a backdrop to the other liquids.

In my almost unlimited experience, fruits go particularly well with vodka. Soft fruits such as blueberry and raspberry give a sort of summery flavour to the alcohol, while citrus fruits such as orange and lemon seem to give it an energetic kick.

As 2011 descends towards the end of the year, I say forget the riots, and just enjoy the cocktails.

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The energy markets have been facing a dramatic time amid the Japanese nuclear accident and the Middle East revolts that resulted in the continued fluctuation of oil prices. However, none of these crises is likely to disrupt long-term developments in energy supplies and the need for emergency fuel, especially in the UK. One of the most considerable developments in the market is the increasing importance of shale gas.

With gas seeing an increased demand in the UK and no reduction likely in the near future and with gas Reserves in the North Sea declining, the UK is no a significant gas importer. MPs in the country have given the okay signal for shale gas drilling while considering its effect on energy security, greenhouse gases and water supplies.

For the country to meet future demands, energy exploration is likely to focus on unconventional reservoirs of shale of which the country has fecundity especially in Elswick Gasfield close to Blackpool and in Nottingham at the Widmerpool Gulf. It is likely that other potential areas will be explore to see how viable they really are for the future. He challenge will be the cost of such a venture.

Shale gas is necessary to the UK as it could reduce dependence on imported gas. The European Gas Advocacy Forum has stated that, 70% more CO2 is emitted by coal-fired power stations than modern gas plants. When shale gas is burnt it produces electricity which may offer a better alternative which produces lower carbon, to help maintain supply until the country’s energy needs are met by renewable energy sources.

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Now, this has all been kicked off by a recent report produced by some academics who say that every day life is basically full of thinly veiled sexism. To this I say “…and?” Have these people only just noticed this? Have they honestly only just noticed that the world is full of lies? To think how much they get paid for this scandalous research. Ugh, it makes me sick.

If you ask me my womanly opinion – my only opinion – I will tell you that there’s nothing wrong with a bit of chivalry every now and again, and don’t get that confused with sexism. If a man opens a door for me when I need him to then I appreciate it. Don’t get me wrong, if a man opens a door for me when I am not struggling then I feel a bit odd about that, but if I need help then sure guys, don’t be afraid of me, I won’t bite.

But sadly, we’re now living in a world where Garmin Forerunner 610 shoes cost a weeks wage and men can’t do anything without upsetting someone.

Come on everybody, let’s all relax a bit, yes? Life’s for the living after all, and we can’t very well do that if you keep moving the goalposts!

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And that used to be fine, that used to be allowed, until they started building near the river. Now, every single time I wear anything with any skin revealed, I get a wolf whistle and all kinds of childish shouting and stares. I wouldn’t normally mind but it’s the looks I’ve been getting. I wonder, honestly, if these men are locked up every night and then only allowed to see women at work.

As my friend Amanda from it support london pointed out the other day, I shouldn’t let it concern me. They are just morons. But the thing is that it does concern me. It makes me wonder if us women have come anywhere at all, or if, in fact, we are just in the same sexualised place we have always been. Okay, so I’m probably being a bit over-dramatic, but still, don’t you think I have a point? I mean…us girls aren’t toys. We should be able to take a wander around in the heat without being made to feel like prostitutes, should we not?

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1) Once, when I was wearing a particularly low-cut top and really wanted I diet Coke, I managed to get a nice shop owner to sell me it for half price. I very much doubt any man could have done the same thing.

2) Once, when I broke down, I managed to get the repair bloke to do it for free (I was wearing a nice new dress and was all done up and all I had to do was promise him I would become a member of his garage, which was a fledgling business. Yeah, right! I didn’t even live nearby, but he didn’t know that).

See what I mean? When it comes to pretty much anything, women can win over a deal or a discount. Men blame us for that but actually it’s their stupid fault. So long as it’s a Man’s World we are going to exploit it, and why shouldn’t we? It’s not illegal and it’s a very good way to get things much cheaper than you ever should.

Still, I know it’s wrong to manipulate people, honestly I do. But let’s be honest: when you’re looking for some special travel roaming fees and they all cost a bomb, anyone would do the same, wouldn’t they?

Yep. I thought you’d say that!

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