Are We Moving Into A Dystopian World?

It has come to my attention that the British government as well as other works government's are talking about something which has been dubbed the "Vaccine Passport.

To put it into a nutshell this passport is proof that you have been vaccinated against Covid 19 and possibly it's variants. If you can show the paperwork to show that you have "had the jab" you will be allowed to travel outside of your area.

The government (when I use the term government I am mainly referring to the British prime minister Boris Johnson and the Health secretary Mat Hancock). The government has said that you may be able to leave your area and even the country if you can show up to date paper work showing that you have been vaccinated.

You will not need to show proof of vaccination to enter pubs, clubs and shops, instead it will be left to the discretion of that business owner as to whether they will need to se your vaccination paperwork before they allow you on their premises.

On the subject of businesses, some employers are already saying that it will be mandatory for their employees to be vaccinated, failure to do so could cause them to loose their jobs, they are also saying that prospective employees, will be asked if they have has the jab and be required to provide evidence that they have before they are even interviewed. This obviously does not take into consideration those who for one reason or another can not be vaccinated, people who are pregnant or who might be allergic to one or more of the ingredients.

When I first heard about this the first thing that came to mind was the movie Demolition Man, with Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock. Thinking about it, it's quite apt that this movie was the first thing I thought of.

The premise of the movie is Stallone has to go to the future to catch a criminal (Wesley Snipes) who has already gone there.

On his arrival he finds himself in a Dystopian World where everything seems to be peaceful, no violence, everyone is happy and content, the police and law enforcement are there just in case but, there is a second group of people who live underground, in the sewer systems and tunnels who are fighting for survival. The future that Stallone has gone to is a future of those with and those without.

The world in this movie is split into two societies, those who have the freedom to do what they want, go where they want and, well you get the picture.

Don't get me wrong, when it comes to the vaccine I am for it, in fact I had a call just this week asking if I would like to have it, my appointment to get my first dose is next week. My reasoning behind this is, I am asthmatic, my wife is diabetic and I have two kids DT 3 and DT 4 who are asthmatic. If I get corvid 19 then it sucks to be me but the last thing I want is to pass it on to anyone else, especially my family.

My point here is that with this "passport" as well as movement control and a database that is being created in Spain I believe, to show those who have not been vaccinated, well we are moving into an Orwellian world.

I was talking about this last night with a few people I work with and it was pointed out that, although taking the Covid 19 vaccine is not mandatory, it does look like the powers that be are putting plans into place to make life very difficult for those who do not or can not take the vaccine.

There are those who say that we have been heading to a dystopian future for a while now and this virus is just what the powers that be needed to push this agenda forward. Some even say that this virus is man made and was "accidentally" leaked from the labs in Wuhan, just a couple of mines away from the wet market where the first case was found. 

If I am honest I have to agree with the idea that we are entering a new Dystopian World as for the virus originating from a lab in Wuhan. I will hold my own council on that one.

To end I would like to leave you with this thought.

At the moment there is a huge push to get "everyone" vaccinated, no it's not mandatory but if you don't have the paperwork to show that you have had the jab, well life could be getting.. interesting..

But, when this outbreak first started the British prime minister was wanting to go with the Herd immunity strategy, with that in mind, if 80-90% of the UK population is vaccinated, surely the other 10-20% will become immune due to herd immunity.. yes?

I'd that is the case then the idea if a vaccine passport has just been rendered void as the virus as well as any variants would soon fade due to the lack of viable hosts.

Just a thought.

Until next time

Stay safe

Jim

10 Things About Me

On the 8th of March 2006 I logged into Google Blogger for the first time and created my first blog, since then my blog has had many names, starting with Noscere's World to today with Jim's World.

I still can't believe that it was nearly 15 years ago. It didn't take long, a couple of years or so, before I came up with the idea of adding audio to my posts so that people could listen to my blogs instead of just reading them, at the time technology didn't have the means for me to do this, the only possibly was old school podcasting and I didn't have the funds or knowledge to use this avenue.

Good or bad the only place where I could do make my idea reality was on YouTube, so I created my first channel and forgot all about my plans to add my voice to my blog, falling head over heals in love with the idea of video blogging.

Fast forward nearly 15 years and countless YouTube channels later, the need to blog hit me again and once again the idea of adding audio to my blog posts is at the forefront of my mind. This time I have the means and the knowledge to add to videos and audio via YouTube and my podcast.

With that in mind, there are a few old posts that I have made that really need to be brought up to date with one of the above. Some posts are about paganism, some about emergency preparedness, others could be about bushcraft or even the paranormal, but they all have one thing in common. They all play a big part in my world.

To start the ball rolling on my new, or old venture, which ever you want to see it, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you a little bit more about me, the me outside of being a Norse pagan.

And what better way to do this than in the age old YouTube 10 things about me format.

Starting at number 1

1. I am a huge horror movie fan. (In case you didn't already know).

When it comes to horror movies I admit it, I am very anal. I hate it when movie writers and producers change a character's lore and history just so that it fits in with their movie idea.

Example, vampires burn, they explode and die if they are exposed to sunlight, no they can not have this magical ring passed down through the ages that allows then to walk in day light and no, they do not sparkle a bit.

They explode and die. In gaming circles this is called God modding and is frowned on, what's more I don't like it at all, it's just lazy.

2. When it comes to horrors, I like post apocalyptic and zombie movies, I don't like the gore for the sake if gore movies, There has to be a story line preferably one which doesn't involve 5 or more teenagers on a spring break who go off to their uncles cabins in the woods, you know what I mean.

The only exception to this would have to be Evil Dead which is a classic

3. Ok, in the late 1990’s I was diagnosed with depression and what is now known as Generalised anxiety disorder. I am managing to keep both under control now by  spending less time around technology and more time out doors.

4. Now this one might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you but my all time favourite movie isn't a horror it's not even slightly apocalyptic. My favourite movie and book is The original Wuthering heights.

5. My first name is not Jim or James, my first name is actually Jodie. I started using James because in their wisdom either my Mom or my Dad spelled my name the girls way. Probably my Dad as he was the one who registered my birth.

Thanks Dad.. or Mom.

6. I am partially colour blind. I can see primary and secondary colours but after that, any other colour just looks like the dark or light version of a primary or secondary colour.

Some colours just look confusing, I just don't know what it is.

When we are decorating at home my wife picks the colour scheme and has to write on the paint tin lid where she wants that colour putting, you know.. walls, ceiling.

7. I work in a waist recycling plant, basically I stand by a conveyor belt and sort through all the recycled stuff you have thrown away. The job is dirty, fast paced and at times heavy. It's not unusual to have dead rats come down the line, which of course need to be put in the container for none recyclable, not all the rats that come down the line are dead though.

Even though my job is dirty and at times hard, I love my job and at the moment, I wouldn't change it.

8. I am married and have been for over 22 years, I have 7 children, though most you could not call children now, my eldest has 5 kids of her own and her eldest has recently became a Dad to his own daughter, making me a Great Grandfather.

Thanks George, totally appreciate that one.

9. Faith wise as well as being a Norse Pagan I am also an animist. Meaning that I believe that everything has a consciousness and a spirit attached to it, even rocks, plants and in time tables and, well everything.

I have had this belief since I was a small kid.

I remember times when I would accidentally knock into a table or chair and apologise to what ever it was. It's just something I do.

10. When I was in my early 20's I appeared in a movie with Sean Bean and Melanie Griffiths as an extra. 

That's me in the middle with Rob on my left and Andrea on my right. Damn but I look so young, it's hard to believe that I was in my 20's when that picture was taken.

We were paid £20 a day and had to sign a disclosure saying that we accept that our names were not going to be shown in the credits.

I have a few tales to tell about that day but I'm going to save those for another time.

11. This is a bonus one for those of you who have stuck around until the end.

So number 11. I don't watch TV, with the exception of a few movies I like to loose myself in from time to time, I don't like TV and avoid it. 

If I was given the choice I wouldn't have one in the house. But that's just me..

So there you have it, 10 things about me, and a bonus thing. Now that you know me a little bit better how about you tell me something about you..

Go on, I dare you.

That Sound Hurts

I am in actual, physical pain right now. I havnt had an accident or anything like that, I am in pain because of the noise that is going on at the moment, not the amount of noise but its pitch.

I lost about 80% of the hearing in my left ear in spring of this year, no idea how or why but I have. The thing is, the pitch of some sounds can cause me actual physical pain, kids screaming is a good one, shouting is another.

When there is a lot of noise going on at the same time I get what I can only describe as an audio over load, as my good ear tries to pick out and prioritise what I need to hear over the background hustle and bustle, sometimes my right ear just overloads and throws everything at me which basically deafens me, I am hearing almost nothing except white noise in my left ear and I am hearing every sound available in my other.

Anyway, we have workmen round at the moment removing the cavity wall insulation so we can get new (better) put in, its part of some kind of government scheme which we have qualified for, replacement insulation and a new boiler..

As you can imagine, there is lots of noise, there is a pump going, lots of drilling and banging and then there is Gizmo, our little Jack Russel who is barking, constantly barking, for the last hour.

Thing is, little Gizmo`s bark is one of those sounds which has a pitch that hurts, especially when he rolls out half a dozen barks, one after the other... Ouch..

I`m hoping that the workmen manage to get all the insulation out and the new back in today, better still, this morning, otherwise they say that they will have to come back tomorrow to put the new stuff in, which means, chances are that they will be here with their noise when I finish work.

On top of that, deep down I know that I am stressing out a bit about the damage that they will do to the new lawn I planted earlier this year. I am rather proud of it, but it is still in its infancy so is easily damaged.

Hang on, they have turned their pump down, they might be finished.

That`s it for this one, I`m going to make coffee and get some pain killers into me.

My First Official Lesson As A Cadet Instructor

So, after nearly a year in the Army cadets, a mountain of paperwork, five assessments and over four months of training, everything I had been working up to came into place last night.

While the cadets in my detachment paraded down stairs I was up stairs setting up a classroom for my first official lesson as a Sergeant Instructor in the ACF. I am not going to lie, my heart was pounding and I was more nervous for this one than I was for both the lessons I had to prep and deliver while I was on my AIC (Advanced Instructors Course). Once I was et up and ready I went down stairs and joined in with the end of the parade, telling the new cadets which classroom they were in.

This is it, there was no going back. I walked into the room to find around 10 cadets waiting for me.
If I am honest the lesson went rather well, bearing in mind that if your cadets sense fear or if they pick up on a mistake you have made they will tear you to bits, I have seen this happen. Now I personally could have picked up a number of faults with it but when I asked the cadets for their feedback, explaining that this was my first official lesson as an instructor, the only criticism they gave was that, at times I was talking a bit too fast for them.

The second lesson went a lot better than the first I thought, but even then “I” noticed a few faults and things that I could have done better.

At the moment I am taking a break from my lesson plans to make this post, I have organised the lesson schedule for the rest of this month and part of next month, once these have been done I will be working on individual lesson plans for each of the scheduled lessons.

If I am honest the only pressure I'm feeling now with regards to my lessons is.. I need to make sure that the stuff that I am teaching is right and makes sense to cadets aged 12 to 16 years, if I get it wrong or pass on wrong information my recruits (Basics) wont pass their tests and move on to the next level of training.





Yeah No pressure lol

The Day I Met The Reason I Started Blogging

It's weird where inspiration comes from sometimes. Like today, it just jumps out and punches you right you in the face and all you can think about for the rest of that day is that hit.

Well, that was me today, I was at work cleaning the shop floor and someone I used to work with years ago walked into the shop, to this day I know him under his internet name "Scribbler".

We recognised each other straight away and why shouldn't we? It was this person who started me writing blogs way back in the days when you had to be sat in front of your computer to write a post, you had to have a digital camera if you wanted to take a photo for said post and podcasts were only for those with a degree in geek and enough money to set up a small radio studio.

Dead bedouins podcast studio

We talked about the old days, how he was and how I was, you know, the usual stuff people talk about when they haven't seen each other in a while. Then he asked me out if the blue if I was still blogging, to which I sheepishly replied,
"Sometimes, you know, I'll write a post saying that I have been very busy and will try to post more..and then don't post for too long, only to write another post with the same excuse".

I have to admit I was surprised when he said he did the same, except for how he intends to write a blog about what he got up to on that day, only to stay in bed until 1.00 in the afternoon.

We talked bout how we used to have a race to see which one of us could get a photograph of the first snow of the year up on our blogs, me or scribbler on his blog Mercury vapours (I don't know if Scribblers blog is still on line so it's up to you if you want to check) and if you're interested I think he is or was winning the snow post by 7 years to 4. 

After talking for about 15 minutes Scribbler continued into the store I work in and I returned to sweeping the floors, I have to admit, all I wanted to do was sit down and start to write a blog post about our meeting.

Points to note: it's nearly 8.00 in the evening and after 5-6 attempts, I have wrote the post I needed to write earlier today.

Now The Hard Work Begins

In case you hadn't noticed I have not made a post on my blog in quite a few month, thing is I have been crazy busy so far this year.

For one I have a new job working in a department store, it might only be part time but when my early start means I need to be up at 5 in the morning, early nights will become plenty. On top of this I have been in training, I`m sure I have mentioned this before but I have been training to become an instructor in the Army cadets.

As well as obligatory weekends away from home I had to go to the ACF County training wing two times a week, minimum.

Anyway, getting to the point, two weeks ago I had to go to the ACF training centre for 7 days to finish my training and be assessed to see if I was "competent" and knew enough, was compitent and was confident enough to be able to stand in front of a room full of 12 to 17 year olds and teach them military based subjects as per the ACF manual.

The good news is, I am, I passed the course and was graded as competent and highly competent.

Next week I have to go back to the training wing to return my issued field kit and officially be promoted from PI (Probationary Instructor) to Sergeant. In 2 weeks time I am able to return to my detachment to take up the roll of SI (Sergeant Instructor) and start teaching the Basics and One Star cadets (Basic cadets are the new recruits and one star cadets are junior cadets).

Hasn't been easy

I`m not going to lie, the past few month has had its low points and moments when I honestly thought about quitting.

One of those times was when I had to give a 15 minute lesson on "Why Things Are Seen" a field craft lesson taught to basic cadets.

I stood in front of the Training Sergeant Major and my mind went blank, I couldn't remember a thing, litterally it was possibly the worst 15 minutes I have had in a very long time.
I recorded a video about it the next day. I think that moment was one of the main times I honestly thought about quitting.

Obviously I didnt quit and I`m so happy that I didnt, the amount of confidence I gained from doing my final week long course was huge. I know where I went wrong and have learned and had time to practice planning and taking lessons and had my lessons critiqued by my peers and regular soldiers.

One of my work colleagues from the store I work in saw some of the photographs which were taken while I was on my course and told me today that I looked so comfortable and at home when I was in the field, soaking wet and tired and that this was definitely my calling.

When all is said and done, now that my training has finished, the work has only just begun and boy and I looking forward to it. 

Plans For 2019

It's coming to the end of the 3rd week of January already and I'm wondering how many of us are still going strong with our New Year Resolutions, or have they kind of fallen by the way side a little bit?

I didn't make any resolutions this year, I haven't for a few years now, I think that to call something a "resolution" can set you up for a fail from the start. Instead I set some goals, things I want to achieve this year.

Getting my sergeant stripes and becoming a cadet instructor is way up there but, after a meeting with the company commander and the other instructors of A coy ACF I plan to be trained as an expedition instructor helping to teach army cadets wilderness survival and bushcrafting skills, I would honestly love to do this.

First things first though, I need to get past an interview with the company 2IC and finish my instructors training before I start on my Ex-ped training, as far as I am aware I should finish my instructors training by October this year.

Not My Detachment.

In the mean time I plan to work on my fitness, I need to build up my stamina and strength so that I can walk for longer while carrying everything I need for, say a week in the wilderness. I have no plans on joining a gym, instead I want to work on my fitness the old fashioned way by putting on a backpack and getting out there and just doing it. No fancy running trainers, just a pair of ild 1980`s army issue jungle boots, my thinking is.. I almost always wear boots so if something were to happen where I had to run, I am not going to be able to just pop my trainers on and start running, so being used to running in boots seems to be a no brainer.

I also plan to work on my bushcrafting and wilderness survival skills, including tree identification, wild foods, shelter construction and much more. I also want to become a dead shot with my slingshot, not for hunting. I still go by the rules that if I dont need to eat it as a matter of survival I will not kill it, so targets it is.

A couple of years ago my lifestyle and the things I did was impacted by my health, I am determined not to let that happen this year, I want to spend as much time as I can out doors practising my survival skills, saying that, at the moment everything is kind of stalled because of family things which are going on, which are stopping me from doing much of what I want to do. These things do happen..

Finally, I plan to turn part of my garden into a veg patch and start growing basic veggies, potatoes, carrots and the like.

Taking It To The Next Level

The thing is, when you start to go deep in to prepping for an emergency situation, you're always thinking about the next possible situation where you might need to draw on your preparedness skills,
It can get to a point where you start to look at everything you see in the news as a possible SHTF situation, your view of people can change as well, you can start to see them, not as people but as potential threats and instead of enjoying the outdoors you're too busy looking for exit routes and places to duck and cover.

Don't get me wrong, everyone should have an emergency plan and a backup plan, as well as a decent size stockpile of food, water, medications you and your family take and a good size first aid kit, not forgetting a means to cook said food and water.

Preparing for a possible emergency is a no brainer everyone should do it as a matter of course, but being constantly on the look out for that emergency situation can become unhealthy.

On a slightly different subject, but not different if you know what I mean Every prepper knows or should know at least the basics of Bushcraft or wilderness survival, but not every bushcrafter or woodsman needs to be a prepper.

I am still making sure that my family and I have enough food, water and meds just on case something happens, but lately I have found my self avoiding Prepping videos and discussions on the internet about emergency preparedness and the like, instead I have found that I am doing more and more  Bushcraft, wild camping and out doors related stuff, I am fascinated by it.



Even now, while I am writing this, I have what I hope is two tins of char cloth cooling down in the kitchen, so I can start making up and adding to my fire starting kit, I say hope because the last time I tried to make charcloth I ended up with a tin full of ash.

Moving on, recently I took my interest in Bushcraft and the wilderness to what I consider to be the next level and I joined the army cadets as an adult instructor.

See, I was born into the army, when I was a kid I was a member of the cadets and I have spent a few years as an Infantry reserve, so the training I have to do isn't going to be that much of  a steep learning curve, its more of a refresher I think, I hope..

I have about 10 month to learn and to be able to teach what it takes a cadet 3 and a half years to learn. No pressure there…

The good news is, it will broaden my skill set and give me the chance to pass on my knowledge of the military, as well as being able to share some tips and tricks I have learned in my study of Bushcraft onto the cadets as they learn about field craft and surviving out in the wilds.



At the moment all I can do is observe as I am not yet allowed to teach without supervision until I have my uniform and my paperwork and police checks come back and the paperwork wont be getting sent off until I have been observed, passed my first assessment and been interviewed by the company commander, which should be next week with any luck.

The way I am looking on it is, as well as going by the cadet ideals of giving kids  life skills that they can use in the future, helping make memories that they will never forget, build their confidence and help to make them good people, If just one kid finds a use for the tips and tricks I pass on or is inspired to take up Bushcraft and get out into the out doors more often, instead of sitting over a computer playing games or living on one or more social media platform.. I will be happy

Bringing Back The Stocks

Looking at the world we live in today there seems to be a set of people who think that they are above the law, kids running riot in our streets who think that because they are under 16 years old the law can't touch them, drug related crime, knife and gang related crime, bullying, shop lifters and those who fiddle the state the list is endless. Our prisons are over crowded with petty criminals who are costing the tax payer to keep them at the Queens pleasure, but not to worry I have the solution. Bring back the town stocks.

Now I know there are people out there who think this would be against their Human Rights or inhuman but I would argue that the crimes that these people have committed are just as bad if not worse. I'm not talking about hanging, stoning or even burning at the stake, god knows we have been there before, public humiliation is the way forward. No, I kid you not I am deadly serious, in a world where image seems to be everything this type of punishment would be quite fitting.

As well as warning off prospective petty criminals and social nuisances there is the jobs that the stocks would create. Obviously the stocks would be run by the local authorities but we will need people to maintain the stocks as well as fit them, we will also need people to clean up the mess left around the stock site after the public humiliation has taken place. Costing would be low as the fruit and veg can be supplied by local supermarkets and once used given to local farms or community garden projects to act as fertilizer so returning them to source.

As well as deterring would be toe rags, the community as a whole would benefit from two or more sets of public stocks in every town centre coupled with the fact that if the Stocks were reintroduced into the legal system in a short space if time the prison population will be drastically reduced, saving the tax payer money that could be better spent else where.

The 1st Holy Communion

The past few weeks has been kind of hectic as we built up to my youngest daughter's 1st Holy Communion. Today has been extra manic as we try to get every last detail ready for her special day.

Making sure her dress is perfect, all her accessories are ready, her veil, red sash, gloves and shoes. Today we organised the flowers for her head band, tomorrow we get up at 6 in the morning to start getting everyone else organises while she goes to the hair dressers.

Once DT4 has had her hair done she is getting dropped off at her school where she will stay until she is ready to go to the church at 10 which is when everyone else is expected to be there.

DT4 is saying that she is getting nervous now, not just because she will have to stand at the front of a full church but because her big sister (The Eldest) has said that she is coming as well. They have only met two times and absolutely adore each other.



Everyone is due to meet at our house before the communion starts, as you can imagine it us going to be absolute bedlam with around 15 people, 5 dogs and two cats all added to the same mix.

Note: I wrote everything above yesterday. Its not late in the afternoon of today, the day after and the day of my daughters Holy Communion. Everything went according to plan, to a greater or lesser extent. My daughter (DT4) had a lovely time and my eldest (The Eldest) did as well, it was wonderful to see both my step dad and my eldest daughter again, I really should see more of them. DT4 really loves her big sister and it showed when they saw each other for the first time today in the church, DT4`s smile was amazing, it really was. If I could see her smile like that every day I would be a happy bunny..

For now, its business as usual except for the extra attention we are paying to our doggo`s, poor little buggers had to be kept out of the way while everyone was here.

First time away from home

At the time of writing this it is Friday June 1st 2018. My 15 year old son has just left for a weekend camp with the Army cadets, Rifles detachment.

Quick bit of history.

I used to be in the Army cadets when I was a kid and I used to be a member or the Territorial army. The regiment I was in was the Light Infantry, when the Light Infantry was disbanded a new regiment called The Rifles was created in its place and my son is in the Rifles. His base is in the same building as my old regiment.

I have to admit that I did enjoy helping my son prepare for his weekend away, maybe a bit too much. Not because my son will be away for the weekend (yay) but because it brought back some memories of when I had to prep to go away on exercise and camps with the cadets and when I was in the TA.

I know only too well that this is going to be a shock to his system and a bit of a wake up call for him, but at the same time I know that he will absolutely love every minute of it.

Not My Son`s Regiment

The best but will be when he comes home, tired and dirty, drops his kit back in the kitchen so I can prep his uniform for the next day while he goes up stairs to see his beloved pet python Gerald and finds a new 4 foot vivarium waiting for him.



The worst bit us me having to figure out how to fit this vivarium into his already crowded bedroom.

Lost in Space 2018. My Thoughts on Dr. Smith.

Warning. This post contains spoilers from the Netflix TV show Lost in Space. If you have not finished watching Season 1, stop reading Now!

Recently I have been binge watching the remake of Lost in Space rewritten for 2018 by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. All 10 episodes from season 1 are available on Netflix as of April 13th 2018, so if the need takes you, you could watch all 10 in one go.

I have to admit that I have become 100% hooked on this show to the point of watching the whole of season 1 in less than a week. I love this show and am devastated that now I have to wait until late 2019, early 2020 before season 2 is launched.

Posey Parker

It didn't take too long before I found my favourite characters and a couple of characters I did not like and couldn't see myself trusting in any situation, one of the characters I don't like is Dr. Smith. I am not ashamed to say that both my wife and I could be heard telling Will Robinson to not listen to a word Dr. Smith says, "do not trust her Will, she is a devious, manipulative person".

You could tell right from the start that Dr. Smith, whose real name is June Harris (played by actress and musician Parker Posey) was going to be trouble when she drugged her own sister so that she could steal her identity and escape a dying Earth, later stealing the identity of Dr. Zachery Smith so that she could take his seat on an evacuating Jupiter ship when the Resolute ran into trouble.

Dr. Smith is an out-and-out Sociopath with no sense of remorse or guilt for any of her actions, as can be seen from the two identities she stole by way of getting what she wanted regardless of the consequences for the people she left behind.

With the Dr. Smith from the original 1960`s Lost in Space, you knew where you stood, he was a coward, if there was the slightest hint of danger, you could guarantee that he would be nowhere to be seen, this and his mistrust and fear of Will`s robot meant that the original Dr. Smith was always on guard, saying that as far as I can remember, the original 1960's Dr. Smith would not have put any of the Robinson's in danger, not intentionally anyway. The new Dr. Smith, to be blunt, just can not be trusted, she is only too happy to play the victim, lie, cheat, steal and if the opportunity arises kill as long as it gets her what she wants.

Unfortunately it took some time for the Robinson family to realise this and even then, it took Don West (Ignacio Ariel Serricchio) a mechanic from another Jupiter to find the ID of the original Dr. Zachary Smith, in one of the rooms on a piece of Resolute debris which had fallen to the same planet that those who had evacuated the Resolute in episode 1 had landed on.

Once Major Don West and the rest of the fuel recovery team were back at the Robinson Jupiter and Dr. Smith's deception had been shared, we finally saw Smith's true form, a person who will do her best to manipulate, bully and threaten people, as well as planting seeds of doubt in anyone's head.

In the last episode of season 1 "Danger, Will Robinson" we see Dr. Smith apologising to Maureen Robinson (Polly Parker) for what she had done, even this can not be taken as a genuine apology and Maureen knows this, later we see Dr. Smith saying to herself that she will do anything to get out of the makeshift prison she is being held in.

Season 2 looks as though it is going be packed with new adventures and creatures, maybe even Dr. Smith, June Harris or what ever she calls herself in season 2, will finally realise that manipulating the Robinson`s is not going to work. Not now that they know how she operates anyway..

I Only Sneezed

It's that time of year again, the time where once again I need to let everyone know that I am not patient Zero, as I get looks of abject fear from the people I share public transport with.

Last week I had to go to my son's school for a parent/Teacher meeting so we could see how he is doing at school and whether he is hitting his targets or needs more support from home.

While I was on the bus I sneezed, I sneezed about 4 or 5 times in a row and the looks I got...

You would think that I had sneezed and sprayed everyone in front of me with some deadly toxin or a huge glob of lung had shot out of my mouth and hit the guy in front of me on the back of the head.

I sat there, all red eyed and snotty nosed and looked round at everyone, looking at me as if I had just unleashed Novichok on them, their faces carrying a look of a cross between disguised and slight panic.

So to the people I shared that bus with, here's the deal.

It is spring time and I suffer from Hey fever. This is where tiny bits of pollen and flowery junk tickle the back of my nose and make me sneeze, you think you had it bad last night? You should see me in the morning when I have an hour long sneezing fit.



I do take antihistamines to help with my hay fever but, there are the occasional times when I do sneeze, a lot, when these tines do occur I sneeze into a tissue or my hand. My head does not spin around like some kind of demented fair ground clown as a spray toxic fluid over everyone, so you have nothing to fear.

Truth of the matter is, if there was a zombie apocalypse, chances are I would be one of the first to become a zombie banquet when I alert a zombie horde by sneezing whike hiding behind a wheelie bin.

I`m Going Dairy Free

Last year I found out that I have Ulcerative colitis, in a nutshell, the auto immune system in my gut, the system which attacks foods or substances which it deems to be a poison or a threat has decided to attack random pieces of food which are not a threat, like that bit of lettuce or that chunk of cucumber. Because of this I have to be very aware if what I eat and drink, which leads me onto why I am doing what I am doing now.

For the past few months I have noticed that I am feeling very bloated and gassy after I eat certain foods, mainly dairy products. When I have researched the possible reasons for my bloated fartiness the possible causes could be one of the following.

• My small intestines are having problems breaking down the A1 protein found in most dairy product's (Thanks small intestines)


• As part of my UC I have developed an intolerance to the sugars found in dairy products (lactose) where they can not break the lactose down into its separate sugars.


• Or.. My Ulcerative colitis has been upgraded to Crohn's disease. Needless to say that I am hoping that it is not the last one. I can do without dairy, even if it does mean that my usual cheese sandwiches and pizza with have to stop, hell come the apocalypse my chances of snagging a deep pan pizza with mushrooms or a cheese sandwich are going to be almost zero.

The Zombie Survival Guide mentions that the first and best weapon to master is your self. Know your strengths and your weaknesses, then work on fixing your weaknesses and for the next few weeks this is what I am doing.

On Monday I stopped eating all dairy products by way of seeing of my fat bloated belly goes away. If it does then I will know that I have issues with one or more of the above. After a couple of weeks I will maybe drink a glass of milk and if my bloated belly comes back then I know that I have issues with either lactose or the A1 protein found in it and I go dairy free for good. Well it's either that or I get bloated and alert that horde of Zombies just round the corner by farting.

Question: If you had to give up dairy what would be the one thing you would miss the most, or if you are already dairy free what was the one thing you found hardest to do without?

The Walking Dead Season 8 Finale Thoughts

Warning! Spoiler Alerts.

The end of last week saw what AMC called "Survival Sunday with the end of season 8 of The Walking Dead with "All Out War" and what a finale and the start of season 4 of the Walking Dead spin-off Fear The Walking Dead.

For me TWD season 8 saw the "Ricktatorship" start to crumble as Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) slowly started to lose it after his meeting with Negan (J. D. Morgan) and the Saviours in Season 7, his group started to do their own thing regardless of what the plan was supposed to be. Maggie (Lorran Kohan) took control of HillTop and Carol (Melissa McBride) joined King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) in The Kingdom and things stated to go pear-shaped in a very bad way, especially for Morgan (Lenny James) who, as season 8 marched on started to revert back to the old Morgan pre big stick.

With the death of her husband in season 7 Maggie has shifted her focus to the people if Hilltop and their best interests, something which we could see happening for a long time.

The division among Ricks people is even more evident as Maggie is seen telling Jesus (Tom Payne) that her plan is to rebuild Hilltop while making its people stronger so that she can show Rick that keeping Negan alive was a big mistake.

But Maggie's plans to overthrow Rick and kill Negan was not the biggest surprise, that title would have to go to Daryl Dixon (played by Norman Reedus) siding with Maggie and Jesus, thus showing just how fragmented the ranks among Ricks people truly are.

As a side note, this move also leaves the story line open for Daryl`s possible demise. Yes, I know all about the "Daryl dies and we riot movement" but let's face it, Daryl Dixon was and is not part of Robert Kirkman`s The Walking Dead comic.

To end, in my opinion the award for best character portrayal has to go to Lenny James and Morgan and his fight against hordes of zombies, Negan and the saviours as well as his own demons which, as S8 progressed became more and more of problem for him, to the point where, after telling Anne Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) that she should not be alone, she needs to be with people, going on to tell her that he, on the other hand does not need to be around people right now.

By way of coming to terms with his demons, Morgan feels that he should be alone, this way he is less likely to attack a friend, thinking that they are a threat because of his hallucinations.

Those who can't bear with The Walking Dead being Morgan free don't need to worry as he will be meeting up with Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and her people in Fear The Walking Dead in the upcoming season which from what I hear will spend a lot of time focusing on Morgan and what happens to him between leaving The Kingdom and meeting Madison.

It`s Time To Nut Up, Or Shut Up.

20 points if you can guess which movie the title of this post came from. I will tell you later which one in a little while.

Easter has come and gone, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake and my kids loved it, all those chocolate eggs, sweets and candies. Not forgetting The Easter Ice-Cream Desert Idea that I shared with everyone. This Easter was every kids dream come true!



It turned out to be a bit of a bad dream for some of us as we walked through a house littered with chocolate goodies that had been left unattended. For some of us the temptation became a little too much as we buckled under chocolate coated pressure, or maybe that was just me.

I admit it, the Easter holidays have not been the easiest of holidays for me to get through, many a time I caught myself popping something sweet and covered in chocolate into my mouth. I have to say that I am not impressed with what I have eaten over the last couple of weeks. Let me put that another way, I am not impressed, not with what I have eaten rather, the amount I have eaten. My diet has been loaded full to the brim with junk food, calories and sugar.



Trust me, if I keep going the way I am, I guarantee that when the Zombie apocalypse comes I will be one of the first people to become a human happy meal for any hungry zombie that happens by, hell they wont even need to put that much effort into chasing me down. Yep, I am not at all impressed with my eating habits and what they have become.

Part of the problem is that I have a rather bad relationship with food. I have noticed that I turn to it in times of stress, and boredom. It has always been there for me and nearly always made me feel better. Of course I know this is a destructive relationship and it needs to end, easier said than done it seems.

Last month I posted an article where I talked about Getting Fit At 50, I said, and I quote..

My main pitfall is my eating habits. I am a creature of habit and find it ever so easy to form new ones, especially where food is concerned. Chocolate, biscuits, cookies, cake and most types of junk and fast food will have to go. I know that the only thing stopping me is me, I just need to keep reminding myself of the benefits. I will look and feel a lot better, both physically and mentally.

As Tallahassee from ZombieLand said, "Its time to Nut up or Shut up", I do not want to be that Human Happy Meal. It is time to put away those ever so tasty custard cream biscuits and start eating healthy like my life depends on it.

At the time of writing this it is Friday 13th April 2018, my three son`s go back to school and college on Monday so I have no excuses for eating junk and sitting round the house watching reruns of Dr.Who with my youngest son.

Horror Movies, The Missed Opportunity

Dear Horror movie Creators, Directors and Producers.

Have you ever settled down to watch that new zombie movie that youb ordered a few weeks ago, you know, the one that seemed like seemed like something you would enjoy? After all the description seemed ok.

Did you regret getting that movie about 20 minutes into it or sat and watched the end credits roll and thought to yourself that you would never that hour and a half of your life back again?

I know I have, the thing is you are missing out on a golden opportunity as a creator of horror movies to make your mark on the horror movie industry.

Around 95% of zombie movies are seen as a joke, they have little if any substance, zero character development and are poorly thought out and written, as an example, the three movies I have listed below are a random selection of the kind of movie which has, in my opinion made the zombie genre the joke genre of the horror movie industry.

Cockneys vs Zombies, Strippers vs Zombies, Zombie, zombie, zombie, in fact any movie title which includes the words "Vs Zombies" should throw up all kinds of red flags as something which is going to be a waist of time watching and certainly not worth the money you spent on them.

We (or at least I) dont want to see a movie where a couple of drunks in a strip club hear banging and noise coming from outside, open the door to have a look and get their faces chewed off, only to be joined by a few strippers who, accidentally forgot to get dressed again, before going total Rick Grimes a horde of undead who have gathered in the parking lot.

This is not a movie plot, there is no character back story, who were the drunks? Why were they at the club? Was it part of a badly thought out stag party? Who were the strippers, what is their history?

I am not saying that a "good" Zombie movie has to be a gore fest as hordes of flesh hungry undead roam our streets, tearing apart anything that moves, while groups of survivors armed to the teeth barricade them selves into safe rooms. If I can use the hit TV series by AMC The Walking Dead as an example, hours of watch time is spent purely on character development, we become emotionally connected to the people we are watching.

I dont expect that we should have to sit through hours of character backstory before we get in to the movie, but a little bit of history about the people we will be rooting for later in the movie on would be nice.

Let's look at a few classics which have done very well and, have gained a cult following.

• Any George A. Romero movie.. Any


• 28 Days Later and it's sequel 28 Weeks Later. (Technically not zombie movies).


• World War Z (Again, technically not a Zombie movie)


• ZombieLand


• The Walking Dead (AMC)


• Fear The Walking Dead (AMC)


• ZNation (Asylum)

The above movies and TV shows and many more all have one thing in common, they are all well-written zombie shows with a well thought out character development and back story.

The difference between classic movies like Dawn of the Dead and hit TV shows like The Walking Dead is easy to see. Time and effort has been put into making these movies, the character's have been planned, their likes, dislikes and even their faults have been looked into before the camera's started rolling, unlike most zombie themed movies which for the most part look as though they have been thrown together over 3 days with the idea of cashing in on the horror movie scene.

Think about it, not one of the "Thrown together" movies has stood the test of time, yet nearly every well thought out zombie/infected TV series and movie has done well and gained quite a following.

Dont get me wrong, I don't expect a gazillion pounds to be spent on a Zombie movie, but I do expect a little bit of effort and thought be put into the characters who we will be watching.

If you the creators, Directors and Producers of Zombie movies can do this I would go so far as to say that you will at the very least make your money back if not double it. All it is going to take is planning, time and effort.

I know I would go to watch it at the cinema and even buy it when it comes out on DVD.

Kind Regards

iJim

What Does The "i" In iJim Mean?

Have you ever wanted to know what the i in iJim stands for? is iJim an Apple Fanboy or is it something else?

When I first started writing a blog, all those years ago I chose the name Noscere, the latin word for "To know, learn", I called my blog Nosceres World but the problem was, when people asked what my blog was called, I ended up having to spell out the word Noscere, or I would write it down for them.

Pro tip: When choosing a name for your blog, choose a name that people will remember, something that will stick in their mind, I didnt and I must have lost a lot of possible visitors.

Anyway, a couple of years later I killed off Noscere and and created the name iJim, about the same time as I started my first YouTube channel.

OK, history lesson over. Why iJim, and what does the i stand for?

I think I should start by saying that I chose the name iJim before I knew about the internet celebrity and Youtuber Justine Ezarik aka iJustine.

I am not a fan of Apple products and to be honest, I dont own a single iProduct although I would be more than happy to be able to write my blog posts on a Mac, I dont. My phone is a Samsung, my laptop is a HP and my desktop computer is a broken down eMachine (yes, its that old).

So What does the i stand for then?

Well, everyone has a favourite  type of movie, a go to film type that just gives them that feel good factor and lets them escape reality for a couple of hours. Disney, Anime, Super hero movies, the list is endless.

For me it has to be horror movies. When I was about 15 years old, I watched a movie called The Thing based on the novel by John Carpenter. There was one part of the film which scared the life out of me and kept me awake at night for days after. Since then I have been on a quest of sorts to find another movie that will do the same to me (so far I have failed).

I am not a big fan of gore movies where there is just gore and violence for the sake of it. I like a good story line with character progression. I prefer the traditional movie type, you know, Alien invasion, Vampire, werewolf, that kind of thing, my favourite horror genre has to be the Zombie genre, I dont know what it is about "real, serious" zombie movies but I will quite happily settle down and watch anything if it has a chance of including zombies, which is where the i in my name comes from.

The i in iJim stands for infected, so my full title would be Infected Jim.

Question time: Do you have a favourite, go to movie genre? If you do, what is it and, what is it about this kind of movie that keeps you coming back?

Ghost in your coffee

Have you ever drank so much coffee that you are sure that you saw a ghost, or even something else, that wasn't there?

Some time ago, Radio 1 news reported that research done by Durham University stated that you may have a chance of hallucinations if you drink seven or more cups of coffee a day.

Of course when I heard this I got in touch with a friend about conducting our own test to see if this theory held water.

We both agreed that throughout the day we would drink more than seven cups of coffee to see what the effects were, I think my friend, Tony must have drank the equivalent of eight cups of coffee and I drank about the same.

By 3:30 we met to see how we were feeling, and the result was no difference in our psychological feelings, neither of us could report any changes in our vision and no hallucinations.



When I got home, once I had done a few jobs around the house I tried to find the news report on this theory before starting to make this post, what I did find was this little gem from the NHS.co.uk website.

Coffee 'wakes the dead'
Is there a ghost in your morning roast?

“Too much coffee can make you hallucinate and sense dead people,” says the Daily Express. This bizarre claim is based on research into 219 students who answered questionnaires on caffeine intake, hallucinations and feelings of persecution. Various other news sources have reported the study, including the Daily Mail, which says that “drinking cup after cup of coffee dramatically increases the risk of hallucinating”.

The study itself was investigating a theory that caffeine might heighten the body’s response to a hormone released during times of stress. Researchers found that caffeine intake was linked to both stress and being prone to hallucinating. When results were adjusted to discount stress levels, caffeine intake alone predicted tendencies towards hallucination. Source

I can confirm that after eight cups of strong black coffee I have not sensed anything otherworldly and have not seen any ghosts.



Of course with this new information coming to light from NHS.co.uk/news we will need to look further into this and of course our findings on this matter will be reported as soon as possible.

I origin wrote this post about 9 years ago and can confirm that I still have not seen any ghosts or had any hallucinations which have been brought on by drinking too much coffee. These days I try to limit my caffeine intake to around one or two cups a day.

So come on, your turn. Have you ever drank so much coffee that you were convinced that you saw or even heard something that wasn't there?

Striving For Quality

Quality over quantity. I have heard those three words so many times. Yet here I am pressing publish on my latest blog post as soon as it is finished, I have even caught myself getting up early or going to bed late just to get my post ready, finished.



I remember telling myself that I was going to publish a post at least once a week, on a Friday and if I managed to publish more than one, Awesome!

Then it struck me, even though I have lots of things that I want to write about, I don't have to write about them all today.

You are taking time out of your day to read my blog posts and I really do appreciate that and with that in mind I am setting out some rules for my blog. The rules are for me, a set of guidelines that I will follow by way of giving you the best possible experience while you're here.

1. I will publish a blog post at least once a week, on a Friday at 4.00 pm GMT. If something else happens that I really, really need to tell you about then I will, but Friday at 4, it's a date?


2. I am not going to try and sell you an eBook by way of getting you to subscribe to my blog. I think that if you enjoy my blog and want to read more then you will subscribe anyway.


3. The same goes for liking or commenting on the post's I make, if you do like it then you will click like and if you have something to add to the post or want to comment on what I have said, you will, you don't need me to tell you to do it.


4. Product Reviews. Yes from time to time I will tell you about a product, but I will only tell you about that product if I have used it or use it regularly and I honestly think that you will get something out of it. I am not going to do a product review just for the money or solely for the benefit of my blog.


5. I am going to be as honest and open with you as I possibly can, if I don't like something, I will say so.


6. Finally, I have made a new category called "Style". Nope I am not going to be talking about fashion and the like, hell I am wanted in three countries by the fashion police. I do have my own way of dressing though which I would like to share with you.

Have I missed anything? I can't think of anything more at the moment, but if you have any thoughts please let me know, I would love to hear your ideas.

iJim :)