New Zealand: Private Gigs done that will go unnoticed, great fun, all the gear safely stored away until around the 20th of May… Girlfriend and Myself are off to Japan until shortly before then for a holiday. Very excited!

I’m under the impression that wind tunnel tests were completed a very long time ago, the next step was to install the real things onto the aircraft, (Not including mock ups). In this regard, it’s basically old news but news that suggests that work is about to start.

CFTs could have been introduced sooner, but why would that be logical? It simply wouldn’t because there was no 2,000lb class weapon in service other than the GBU-24 in Spanish service, of which I believe has been dropped on numerous occasions during exercises by Spanish Typhoons, (I believe Glendora(?) can confirm this). So there’s no need for them, until now since Storm Shadow and Taurus to a lesser extent are due to enter service, very soon in the former’s case. The most logical time is to introduce them now.

The statistics for those unemployed and speaking work should be set against job vacancies. I was often amazed at the enormous number if vacancies. If that is still the case why aren’t the jobs filled? And why aren’t benefits reduced if jobs are refused?

There’s so many jobs out there, even though I’m a full time worker in my normal day-to-day job and receive time-off for another travelling job I still have a little look on various job sites, Direct Gov (or Universal Jobmatch its called now), Monster Jobs, CV-Library, Reed etc. and there’s lots, a hell of a lot more available now to when I was signing on the dole a few years ago, which was for about 10 months, not ashamed to say it, people shouldn’t have to be if they’re willing to work. Finding and applying is the easy bit, it’s getting your foot in the door that’s the tough bit.

I remember one time on the dole, my “Job Seekers Agreement” stated I had to find and apply for 25 live vacancies per week which was fine by me, I could do a hell of a lot more than that, and in order to receive benefits you simply recorded those in your work diary, or note book as I had. There was one week where there was very little going but still [just] managed to get past the 25 figure, (sometimes that happens)… Some issues had occurred at home, mind got side tracked and I forgot to record 3 of those vacancies for that week that I applied for, which happened to be the second week, so anyhow… Goes to sign on, seen some snotty nosed b*tch, she asked for my work diary/notebook and noticed I was a few short… Result: Docked £65.something for that week, just because I simply forgot to write them down and bearing in mind I applied for something like 40+ vacancies the previous week which made up the overall tally over the fortnight. Later I got it back because I had proof elsewhere but I had to fight like a trooper for it… It’s a pretty nasty kick in the balls when things like that happen while you notice there’s a p*sshead next to you verbally abusing the staff and a foreign guy laying down the same old “Don’t understand nor speak English” card when asked on what they’ve been doing to look for work, and 99.9% of the time get sent on their way with a guarantee of payment in 3 days time regardless.

The question of; And why aren’t benefits reduced if jobs are refused? Well, that’s a question that depends on your nationality and how many cans of Carling you can consume before 9am.

Regards to the reduction of unemployment figures. No one really takes those “official figures” for granted, do they? Surely not?… Did you know that if the dole sends you on some crappy training course or a work programme of some sort, you are “officially” off the their records because you are now under another record [unofficially of course] that belongs to companies called Ingeus, Avantar or whatever they’re misspelt as, whom of which the Government does not take unemployment figures from, only from the Job Centre. So the next time the Prime Minister stands up in The Houses of Parliament, sticks his chest out and proudly states that ‘Last month the unemployment figure dropped by 440,823!’… Oh no… no, no, no… 440,823 have just been referred to a work programme, Mr. Prime Minister.

The majority of unemployed are genuine people, they don’t want to be on the dole as much as the next person… There’s just a minute minority that give the former a very bad tag. It’s a blasted shame.

I was expecting something… Less humdrum…

🙂 Just think about commuting into a city office everyday faced with paperwork and tedium – – sounds good to me compared to that 🙂

I’ll still have to do that to keep the Job Centre and HMRC off my back when I’ve finished these next few more gigs, there’s a bit of a gap until the next ones. 🙂 My day-to-day job is a Guitar Technician, and the odd sales here and there that comes with it.

What sort of music do you play ?

At the minute for the Artist I’m playing for, Heavy/Industrial Rock, or the sound that is. Generally, Metal, Rock, Classic Rock, Classical, Blues, Jazz etc. Usually I spend more time just messing about. 🙂

My Girlfriend and myself getting back home after a pretty hectic tour in the US and Canada, lots of fun, met a lot of people, learned a lot but very busy. Just nice to be back home in Geordie Land for a re-charge for a week or so, then we’re off to New Zealand and Australia to do the same stuff again.

Wasn’t he J-7 Hotdog too? How is changing your screen name so many times not against the forum terms of agreement?

One of the attributes of a Troll is to create a new screen name every time they’ve been proved wrong and humiliated to the much annoyance and agitation of thou him/herself during the event of a matter of discussion, whom of which during such discussions believes one’s matter of opinion is – thus Gospel, correct with unshakable views regardless of the sources contributed against. The likes of JSR, Sampaix & this chap follow those lines. But it is amusing to say the least.