Self-Checkouts

Self-Checkouts. You either love 'em or hate 'em... and majority of people hate them.

Let's start with your approach. Most of the time when one is free, and you are forced to use one due to the lack of actual cashiers, it isn't behaving. The machine then panics and all of a sudden, somebody working for that shop finally appears to fix the machine; wouldn't it be much quicker just to serve you properly in the first place?

Secondly, what is the point of them? All they seem to do is cause problems, and when they ARE behaving, most of the older generation in the queue are clueless about how to use them. I can feel their pain; having a machine repeat the same sentence at twice the volume you need it to isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea. Neither is the fact that you have to "place your items in the bagging area".

The bagging area. Here arises another issue of having to put things individually in what is called the "bagging area" at the machines convenience is completely ridiculous; shouldn't the machine be helping us?! Most of us don't have the patience to place each individual yoghurt in the "bagging area" one by one, not to mention most of us will have aged by about 50 years in the process - we are not cashiers, so why should we do the machines job?

Research also shows that the only thing stopping people from stealing items when using a self-checkout is the fear of being caught. But this doesn't mean it isn't happening; many people, including the celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson who was cautioned for shoplifting 5 times in 16 days in Tesco, using a self-checkout each time to bag up his items and leave without paying!

Last of all, we need to remember that even if you do find these machines fantastic, they are putting many human cashiers out of jobs, and seeing as Britain has just entered it's second recession, we should not be destroying jobs with irritating bits of machinery to replace them. 

Thank you for reading, I have set up a poll so please voice your opinions! (:

Sat Nav mix up take 2!

Yes, you guessed it; there has been another mix up this week involving the dreaded sat navs. Only this time, people haven't driven into the sea because of it. Oh no, scaffolding was constructed around the WRONG house because the Sat Nav got two streets mixed up.

Yes, the two streets did have the same name, but yes they were 8 miles apart! Surely those clearly brainless builders would have stopped constructing once a lady told them it was the wrong house? Oh no - they continued and left the house looking like a building site for the delighted owner to come home to. Oh how overjoyed he must have been!

According to neighbours, the mix up of the two streets has been an issue since the new one was named exactly the same as the original. Some people on the street have been delivered beds, electrical appliance and some even been threatened wrongly by the bailiffs.

The map below indicates the distance between the two roads:

What ARE we going to do with these Sat Nav's, eh? They're simply causing way too much trouble!

Thanks - by the way, the poll on Sat Nav's is still open! Please vote! Thank you (:

What do you think happened when you see this image?

The tide came in too fast? There was a tsunami? Wrong - the cause of this problem was simply operator error; the car was driven into the sea because the Sat Nav said so.

Evidently, some people seem to be lacking in a little common sense, but this is just ridiculous! I mean, surely when you drove onto the beach, you would realise there was a slight problem with the directions. And let's face it - Sat Nav's aren't exactly reliable! How many times have you become lost because the Sat Nav wasn't doing its job properly?

It was apparent at the time of the incident that the occupants of the Hyundai believed the Sat Nav would direct them to a road, but after 500 metres of attempting to continue they were brought to a halt due to the incoming tide and thick muds making the car sink into the ground.

Thanks for reading! Please answer the poll to the right(:

Japanese tourists blame satnav after being stranded in Australian mangrove swamp at high tide

Poll Update!

Since I started The Box last July, there have been over 500 views from 7 different countries, something which I never thought would happen to such a small blog full of my own rants!


I thought an overview of the poll results since July would be interesting to those of you that voted, and especially for me to see what you all thought!


So, my first post on Smoking on 13th July had lots of feedback;

• 70% disagreeing with smoking 
• 30% undecided

The second on the London Riots in late 2011 spurred a great diversity in feedback;

• 70% of readers saying prison sentences weren't long or tough enough
• 20% thinking they were just right
• and 10% saying that they were too long and tough

My Tram Experience was one of the posts which had the most amount of views and

• 100% agreed that she was not right to express her views

In late December, the two posts on Christmas generated some interesting poll results with 

• 33% thinking Christmas is too commercialised
• 16% thinking Christmas is not too commercialised
• 50% thinking Christmas is maybe too commercialised

The unwanted Christmas present issue also proved that

• 33% got no unwanted Christmas presents
• 66% got 1-3 unwanted Christmas presents
• ...but no voters got a higher amount!

It seems this issue is not currently a big problem!

The New Year's Resolution's poll has proved particularly that none of the voters has kept all of their new years resolutions if they had made any as;

• 33% didn't make any
• 33% didn't keep them
• 33% kept only some of them
• Nobody had kept all of them so far... and this was only January

The last poll on homosexuality definitely proved that 

• Nobody agreed with homosexuality.

To all that voted; thank you for your feedback, it is highly appreciated so keep the votes coming!

Discrimination at it's worst

As you may have heard in the news, three men from Derby have finally been jailed after handing out leaflets suggesting homosexuals should be given the death sentence because of their sexual orientation.

Yes, it sounds ridiculous. You would think, in this day and age and especially in the UK where 1 in 100 people are said to be gay, that people would consider that times have changed. Discriminating against them in public and giving out leaflets on the matter just seems to be a very immature and disrespectful.

I think this picture conveys the message well

I honestly cannot see the issue with homosexuals. What have they ever done to upset anyone else? They  don't give out leaflets saying that their way of looking upon life is the only correct one and certainly don't suggest that death penalty is the answer to, what they think, is wrong.

Just like the woman on "My Tram Experience", expressing their views in this way could not have been more ridiculous. I understand that some may detest homosexuality because of religious beliefs, but to conclude that death penalty is the answer to something, which is clearly very widespread nowadays, seems very extreme.

Of course we are talking in general terms, so his cannot be said with all gay people - but this case is exactly the same with hetrosexuals.

The men involved claimed that doing this was the only way to eliminate homosexuality, something which they felt needed to be done to support their religious beliefs. This also seems a very extreme opinion; imagine if people suggested hetrosexuality be eliminated by death? It just seems outrageous that anyone should be given the death penalty just because of who they want to date.

This article reminds us that other people's views should be respected, even if you don't agree with them!

Please answer the poll I have created to the right(:

Happy New Year!

To all the people who have taken the time to visit and hopefully read my blog; Thank You - I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

This blog was only set up in July and already, we've broken the record of not 100, not 200, but 300 pageviews! This may not seem a lot, but to me it is a great achievement considering I never even thought anyone would bother reading it!

So happy new year, bonne annee, ein gutes neues jahr, feliz ano novo, yeni yılınız kutlu olsun and С Новым Годом!

Let's hope next year is as successful as this one!

The New Year

The New Year. For some it is a fresh start, and others, just an excuse to buy a new dress and spend a long night out to celebrate. We forget that, even though we all choose to handle the new year in very different ways, we are all going through the same procedure. It is much like all of the other events in the year.
January- a new year, a new start; the aim is to hope for the best for the upcoming year.
February- So we've started off the year with an open mind and you're already beginning to get fed up; how are you going to be able to last for the next year?!
March- We've managed to traipse through 2 months and hey, easter is coming soon, so we seem to be getting somewhere.
April- Spring begins and it looks like the British weather isn't all just wind and rain; we're beginning to see a few hints of sunshine, even if its only on a minimal level.
May- Spring continues and we begin to become aware of the comical value of the Eurovision Song Contest which really, shouldn't be so popular, but we just can't seem to help ourselves.
June- We finally begin to get some proper sunshine as hints of summer appear; half way through the year- that can't be that bad!
July- The days begin to get warmer and longer and you seem to have more of a life outside school and work- there is some sunshine left even when you arrive home in the evenings!
August- Time for a break! Many people holiday abroad and despite living in England, we actually begin to have some decent weather. The world seems a much better place.
September- Signs suddenly arise that summer is coming to an end. Only 3 months to Christmas- oh how the time flies when you're having fun!
October- Christmas suddenly seems so much closer and the year is coming to an end before you know it! The sunshine is no longer a regular visitor and the dull weather descends on the nation.
November- The days begin to get shorter and there seems to be no daylight when you've arrived home after a hard-working day. The depressing wind, rain and storms regularly visit, constantly reminding of the true British winter.
December- This is the month to do any last minute panic shopping for Christmas. Why oh why we put ourselves through this stress I will never know, seeing as most of the presents we buy in this time period are what we call "Unwanted Christmas Presents", something which I am very familiar with! (See the below blog post for more information on this matter).

The whole cycle repeats itself continuously and as we reach the end of December, we bring ourselves to think about the new year and whether we will bother to write resolutions for the coming year. I have noticed after a little research that, with age, the type of resolutions change over time.
For example, a younger person would include aims such as:
-To lose weight
-To give up smoking/drinking
-To spend less money on clothes
-To eat less junk food
-To do more exercise
-To stick to a hobby
These give us an idea as to what the younger generation do but can't help themselves no matter how discouraged they are by themselves and others around them! Many are related to heir health and appearance, which, lets face it, can't be too good if the person drinks heavily, smokes, eats junk food and doesn't exercise.
However, older people seem to have resolutions based more around their children. The odd few stay the same, but others are very different. For example:
-Becoming more eco-friendly
-To move house
-To try new hobbies
-Discipline the children
-Buy Christmas presents in advance
-Be more careful with money
as you may have noticed, these are much more useful, constructive and overall help the world rather than just themselves. Selfishness seems to have faded over time and shows that the person who wrote them was obviously more worried about their impact on the environment, the cost of their careless shopping and to develop a better life for their children.

To conclude, we have established that the News Years Resolutions you pick should be suited to your age, otherwise they would be pointless and ineffective. It is predicted that only 62% of people make new years resolutions and only 8% of these succeed! 24% of all people have failed every year with their new years resolutions - doesn't this show you that new years resolutions aren't overall very successful?

No this doesn't seem very persuasive writing but here are some tips to prove these statistics wrong and make your new years resolutions be effective.
1. Start small - these are more realistic and if you do well, these can always be extended for your benefit!
2. Pick something which will benefit you in some way - it's pointless picking something that's pointless otherwise you're not motivated to fulfil it!
3. Discuss them with friends and family - others may be able to pick areas of improvement better than you can. Also, it may be easier to achieve a new years resolution if others do it with you; more motivation means better results.

Good luck making your new year resolutions and good look in achieving! Keep me updated on your progress if you wish and please do the poll in relation to this post. Thank you.(:

Unwanted Christmas Presents

We all have this problem. Christmas day arrives and the opening present ceremony takes place. However, there's always that disappointment of receiving a present which you either don't like, want or need. It is usually made more awkward by the family member or friend watching you whilst you unwrap the gift which they obviously spent hours searching for. How do you respond?! "Thank you, that just what I wanted!": but that's lying. "Sorry but I don't feel the need to have a large multicoloured spotty jumper which blatantly doesn't fit me and I would never be seen dead in"; okay, so maybe that's a little harsh, but that's what goes on in your head, isn't it? It kills you inside to say it, but you are urged out of common courtesy to say thank you.

It is estimated that around £2.4 billion of Christmas presents are unwanted. It seems to be ridiculous that we waste so much money giving christmas presents to ungrateful people! The next problem you face is then to either cope with or dispose of the present in some way, shape or form.

1. You could just cope with the fact that this present isn't your kinda thing, but put up with it and be humiliated for wearing such terrible jumpers by your other friends. You may even go to the extent of wearing or showing use of the present infront of the person who bought it you in order to show that their work has paid off (although it really hasn't).

2. Attempt to take it back to the shop. If a receipt is provided with the present (this will only happen if the person who bought it is clever enough to realise that the present is not suitable for everyone), I would highly recommend taking the item back to the place of purchase, and hey, why not replace it with something more tasteful why you're there? However, if there is no receipt, this option is almost impossible, as most shops would believe you have stolen the item rather than being bought it out of no fault of your own. However, if the shop assistants are friendly enough, you may be able to exchange for something a little nicer!

3. You could try and dispose of it by giving it to another family member or friend. At least it will be put to use and there is no hassle in trying to get rid of it any other way.

4. Put it in what we call "The present box". I expect most families have one of these. A container or area full of unwanted presents to wrap up again and give to others for christmas or birthday - this is especially common in toiletries, because nobody REALLY wants them do they? It saves you having to buy a present for the person and from then on, it is their problem to get rid of it if its not their taste either!

5. EBay it! if you have an account and are familiar with the system, then eBay is the solution for you. Many people are willing to buy things, even if they are, in your opinion, the most tragic things you've seen. Beginners, never fear, the world is your oyster and who says you can't have a go? But beware; once you start eBaying, you never stop, so don't get too carried away.

6.  Give to a charity shop. Think about all those who didn't have such a wonderful christmas as you did; the least you could do is give the presents you weren't grateful enough to embrace to somebody who is kind enough to buy from a charity shop. it is charitable and good for the environment so new goods don't have to be produced for every single person!

7. Throw away. It is quick and easy, but also wasteful and it needs to be hidden in the bin if the present is from a family member who may see it! Something which I wouldn't highly recommend, but this option is always available as a last resort. 

Good luck and I hope some presents were more your taste! 

Alos, there is a poll related to this post and I would be grateful if you could take a vote. Thanks!(:

Christmas

It is me or has Christmas all gone a little over the top?

I mean, since when did the phrase "the sale starts boxing day" appear in the bible?

So, if in doubt, what most people do is 'Google it', so when typing in "Christmas" to Google Images, up appeared pictures mainly consisting of Christmas trees, presents and houses overloaded with flashing lights. To look for a more intelligent outcome, I then decided to 'Wikipedia it'. "Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ". No, it does not mention the fact that Christmas is celebrated because we have lots of presents, get to eat a chocolate every day on the run up to it or walk through the chaos of Primark once the sale has started and grab everything for under a pound. 


Wikipedia also mentions that in America, the phrase "Merry Christmas" is often replaced with "Happy Holidays" when handing out cards or christmas presents - clearly missing the point! The real reason we have Christmas is because of Jesus. 

Yes, you've probably heard it repeatedly every year about how the Virgin Mary gave Birth to the Baby Jesus and lay him in a manger, but have you ever thought about it further? Many people who celebrate Christmas are non-Christians, and the real meaning of Christmas is usually irrelevant. Now there's nothing wrong with this, but it just proves my point that Christmas is no longer a religious occasion for most people.

However, when Christmas is talked about constantly on the lead up to it and way after it has happened, that is what most irritates me. I mean, do we really want to hear about that fact that it is Christmas in 364 days straight after we've just recovered for this years Christmas dinner? The lead up to it is also made a whole lot worse by the fact that it is mentioned on the radio every day of advent, the build up is just made more tedious!

After ranting about Christmas, I just to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Also, I have created a poll in relation to this post which I would be grateful if you could answer, thanks!(:

My Tram Experience

If you haven't seen the video, then you may have to search it in google as YouTube will only let you watch it if you confirm your age. It may be available on other websites though. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Also, I apologise in advance for the bad language (if you choose to watch it).

Firstly, I don't quite see the point in being so racist on a tram journey. If this lady has such strong views, you would imagine she would express them in a more constructive way to people who may agree with her or help to pursue them. Wrong. She decides that, on a tram full of people who are very likely to be insulted and most definitely upset by the very unfair comments, that she will throw abuse at them in a very ungraceful and rude way (not mentioning the fact that she presumes anyone not white is not English - this is not only narrow-minded but also very untrue).

In the multi-ethnic society we have in Britain today, it would be sensible that people considered whether expressing very controversial views was necessary for that situation. This was obviously not considered at this time and the lady continued to scream abuse to the victims on the tram. Also remember that a small child is present amidst all the abuse, who, when living and growing with the racist woman, is likely to pick up these strong views and bad language. In my view, it is unfair to let a child grow up in such an environment, where they are constantly exposed to language such as that used in the video, leading to them growing up to be just as abusive.

The second issue I have with this woman's outburst is a word mentioned many times in the video; respect  (something which she clearly lacks in). The bible confirms the importance of this by saying "Love thy neighbour as thyself" and "all men are created equal". All human beings were created as equals, and respect for each other plays a huge part in this, rather than believing you are superior to another. We need to respect one another in order to be equal.

To conclude, human beings are equal. No matter what people do or say, that doesn't make them any more or less important than anyone else. Respect for one another is important and also a key aspect in order to do well in life. It means that you are not selfish and your consideration for other people is present, even though you are entitled to your own views and opinions.

Please complete the poll to the right as I'd love to hear some feedback. Thanks!