The Paedophile Heaven that is Facebook !!!

It's safe to say we live in a digital age, mobile phones are no longer housebricks and computers have become just a screen that you touch.

There is also the social networking scene, Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, to name but a few. Mostly these sites are used for making new friends, finding old friends and pretty much sharing your life with the world. That's why the majority of people use these sites. 

I want to talk about the minority and in particular the minority on Facebook.....
 

A few weeks ago I was shown a picture of a little boy, approx. 8 years old, in his underwear which was only half covering him. This picture was on a page on Facebook and I, like many others, was completely unaware that such pages existed on Facebook. Naturally I couldn't believe it and upon clicking on the page I opened a drop box intending to report it, the images I saw made me feel physically sick and I will never forget them. The page has now been banned.
But that's not the end of the problem, in fact it is just beginning, and half the battle is actually with Facebook......

There are numerous pages on Facebook for Paedophiles which range from posed pictures to the most awful sexual scenes imaginable, some of the children in these images look no older than 7. So naturally these pages have been reported to Facebook in the hope they will be removed. Can you guess the reply?????
Within 2 minutes of reporting these pages people, myself included, are receiving a message from Facebook saying the page hasn't been removed as it doesn't violate their Community Standards.
Seriously???????
There are no words to express the feeling that wells up upon reading these ridiculous messages. It is taking countless reports for Facebook to even look at the pages and then hopefully remove them.

Google has recently announced they will be making it harder for people to view child pornography on the net, bit of a fruitless exercise when people can just go onto Facebook and set up a whole page or even a group dedicated to whatever their particular sick desire is.
Young children are being exploited, groomed and, for all we know, raped and Facebook are providing a safe and easy platform for it to be shared.
It infuriates me beyond belief that in this day and age these disgusting, vile people can conduct their sordid business in plain sight and when people do make a point of reporting it, Facebook just don't bother. Surely this should be taking priority over people getting banned for ridiculous things like a sarcastic comment or a questionable photograph.

People are reporting these pages everyday and we are trying to make it more wide spread so we can have more and more people reporting. So if your friend shares a link to one of the pages please take ten seconds and report it. And please share this post so more and more people become aware.

And finally, just food for thought, think about the pictures you're posting of your children on Facebook. If one of these sickos spots it they can copy and paste in 2 seconds. I know you shouldn't have to think like that but until Facebook pulls their finger out it might be wise to be extra vigilant.

Remember, keep sharing, keep reporting!!!!

Love and Hugs
Cheryl xxx
 

**Review** ~ O2 We're better connected. Or are we???

In the last 20 years or so technology has come on in leaps and bounds. I remember the first mobile phone my dad had, it was huge and the sim card was the size of a credit card. Now you can fit a sim card on your fingertip.

 With all the diferent offers around these days its hard to know if youre getting the best deal without phoning each individual company. And isn't it nice to know that your existing company give you benefits for being a loyal customer over the years.

That's the idea anyway....

I have been with O2 for the past 13 years, I started off as pay as you go because of the benefits, after 9 years I finally got my first contract, and the problems had only just started.

Customer service from O2 is a bit hit and miss, one day you can have someone who is extremely helpful and cheerful, other days you can get someone who is extremely rude, sounds bored and basically wants to get you off the phone as soon as possible. I have had to phone O2 multiple times for a variety of problems, the worst being that they took 2 lots of payment out of my account. I was offered a free upgrade. 

With great excitement I went to my local O2 store, where the staff were extremely helpful, I came away with my new phone but it was only when I got home I realised that there was nothing free about it, I was now paying £42 a month after a whirlwind of contracts and excited talk in the shop. I returned the phone at which point the staff were not helpful and I was ignored for over half an hour. After returning the phone I was told I couldn't cancel the contract so I am now on a sim only contract for 2 years paying £22 a month for unlimited calls and texts and 2gb of data. Whenever I tell people what I pay they are speechless and disgusted, and honestly I am too.

The coverage from O2 works when it wants to and in the last year I have had absolutely no coverage for nearly 24 hours at least 4 times, as my phone is an integral part of my job this has caused me great inconvenience and has led to problems with my employers.

What I find extremely annoying is every year I see my dad getting an actual free upgrade from another mobile phone company who he has been with for the past 16 years. 

So why is it that new customers to O2 get all sorts of benefits whereas existing customers get absolutely nothing. I have now refused to upgrade with O2 because I am fed up with never getting anything back for my loyalty over the years.

As I am writing this I am getting more and more angry with the way my loyalty is being ignored. Surely O2 realise that they are charging extortionate amounts for below average service and that their prices are not competitive, they're not even close.

To sum up, unless O2 can pull something amazing out of the hat when my sim contract ends I will be leaving O2 and making a formal complaint to the powers that be about the problems I've encountered and I may even decide to take it further.

If you want my advice avoid O2 unless you do really want to waste your money and time and you enjoy constant headaches and love being taken for a ride 

Love and Hugs

Cheryl xxx

**Review** ~ Pizza Express Gluten Free Pizza

I am not a food connoisseur, far from it, but when it comes to Gluten Free food I do know what I'm talking about.

10 years ago I was diagnosed as a Coeliac as was my brother. I had already lived with the diet for 3 years as my mum had already been diagnosed. At this time there was absolutely nothing in the supermarkets, and as for eating at restaurants it was a nightmare on a grand scale.

When someone is diagnosed as a coeliac there is a 5-10% chance that one of their children will have the same condition, me and my brother had to be the exception. 

In recent years more and more supermarkets and restaurants are starting to offer a wider range of gluten free products and meals. These products always cost more than the gluten containing products and that can be frustrating.
So it's nice when you go to a restaurant ( of a major chain ) and they are offering a gluten free alternative at no extra cost. I am always a bit dubious about trying new products because if they're horrible you've usually wasted a lot of money. Thankfully I had nothing to worry about at Pizza Express.
On arrival the staff were very welcoming and were very prompt at taking our order, it was with some trepidation that I ordered the gluten free pizza as I was unsure if I would enjoy it.
In due course the pizzas arrived and although the gluten free were slightly smaller than the regular pizzas they at least looked edible.
So then I took my first bite........

I was in heaven!!!!!
The base was thin yet doughy with a lovely crisp crust and tasted just like a pizza should.
The toppings were a perfect ratio to the base so it didn't fall apart when you lifted it up, I just couldn't believe it tasted so good and I wasn't being naughty eating something I shouldn't. 
This pizza was exactly how I remember restaurant pizza tasted and that is quite an achievement considering how temperamental some gluten free ingredients can be.
I have tried other gluten free products from some of the leading competitors and I would say that Pizza Express is definitely a contender for the best restaurant catering for a gluten free diet.
Our server asked if my brother and I enjoyed our pizzas and we both said they were fantastic but I wish they did gluten free pasta dishes too. Apparently I'm not the only person to mention this.

My verdict.....

Service 100%
Staff 100%
Restaurant 100%
Food 100% 
Overall 100%

I really enjoyed my first visit to pizza express and will definitely be returning in the near future, hopefully when there will be pasta dishes too.
 Ciao Bella
Cheryl xxx

Tattoos ~ Art?? or Not??

In recent years tattoos have become more of an accepted culture, employers are even being told that they can no longer discriminate if a current or prospective employee has tattoos,
But......
Are tattoos seen as art or not???
In my opinion tattoos are art, I feel that tattoos are an expression of a persons individuality and personality. As you may have guessed I have tattoos, 5 of them ( technically 6 because one has been covered over )



 

Ok so my first one was a Devil Tweety Pie, I've always wanted it :), my second was my ex husbands name in thai ( hence the lack of a picture ) ~ it seemed like a good idea at the time :/ Then I've got my Egyptian tattoo which says Granddad, I got this when I was 21 as when my granddad died when I was 12 I swore one day I would get a tattoo for him.
The butterfly on the inside of my wrist is the one that's technically 2 as I had initials there ~ again it seemed like a good idea at the time, and lastly my tribal star on the outside of my wrist, I got this because I wanted a star and I liked this one. Simple!!!
So, to the crux of the matter, how many reading this and looking at my pictures see art??
How many see it as I have defaced my body??
And let's be perfectly honest why should I actually care what anybody else thinks??
After all it's my body and they don't stop me from doing my job or living my life.
There are people in my life who don't like tattoos who will try and influence me to their way of thinking, that is not now, nor is it ever, going to happen.
I love my tattoos and I do have plans for more and my advice to people who don't like them.....
Don't look.
And....
Don't try to force your views, or prejudices, to become my way of thinking, you're wasting your time.

Love and Hugs Cheryl xxx

 

                                                                    

 

Organ Donation ~ A Matter of Life and Death

How many of you, when organ donation is mentioned, have thought "ooo no, I wouldn't want somebody taking bits of me", a majority of you I should imagine.

But how many of you, when faced with life or death, would accept somebody else's organs????

Again, I would imagine, a majority of you.

And finally, how many of you are actually on the NHS Organ Donor Register???

 

I would like to tell you a little story...

 

This time last year my uncle was gravely ill, he was in desperate need of a liver transplant, his children were aged 25, 20 and 12, the youngest being the only girl.

We were all watching my uncle deteriorate and become a shadow of his former self. Everyone was hoping and wishing that the call would come and that there would be a match. In September of last year that call came, and it was a match.

 After shooting to The Queen Elizabeth II hospital in Birmingham, my auntie had an agonising 8 hour wait while my uncle was in theatre. She received regular updates from theatre but it was with a sigh of relief that my uncle went to recovery, the operation having been a success.

My uncle is still on the road to recovery as that road is a very long one and may take a few years to complete, but he is living life to the full and cherishing every day and is thankful for the life he now has.

 

If it wasn't for the generosity and humanity of somebody, or somebodys family, there may have been a very different ending to this story.

 

So I would like to urge everyone reading this to Please, Please, Please sign the NHS Organ Donor Register. It only takes a few minutes to do online. Click here to sign up.

It could mean the difference between life and death for someone, after all what are a few minutes compared to someones life???

 

Love and Hugs Cheryl xxx

** Review ** ~ The Master Mariner, Wetherspoons

For the past few months I, like many other people, have been watching the development of the new Wetherspoons on New Brighton Promenade. In recent years New Brighton has undergone a transformation and this saw the once was RJ's night club becoming The Master Mariner. The building is part of Union Terrace - a short row of properties, originally lodging houses, that were built for the seaside resort in the 1830's.   

This development has cost nearly £2 million and has created over 70 new jobs. It comes after a multi million pound development of New Brighton with companies such as Morrisons, Home and Bargain and The Hungry Horse opening up along Marine Point. It is a much needed boost for the once was failing economy of New Brighton.

 

But I digress.

 

This particular Wetherspoons opened its doors to the public on Tuesday 23rd April. On Friday 3rd May I went there for lunch with my Mum, Nan and Uncle. By the time I left I was unsure if it was worth it.

 

We arrived around 12.30 pm and managed to get a table in the tastefully decorated dining/family area (I say tastefully because that is the only description I think applies). After 10 minutes we had made our choices and my uncle and I went to the bar to place our order, 15 minutes later our order was taken, it took 15 minutes as there were only 2 staff behind the bar and at least 6 customers all placing food orders. The staff were very pleasant and polite, albeit a little harassed, and once we had our drinks we returned to our table. At this point I must add that there were 2 managers wandering round doing I don't know what.

 

My Nan and Uncle's meals duly arrived followed my by Mums. There was nothing wrong with the first 2 but my Mums roast dinner was missing a yorkshire pudding, not the end of the world I know, when she questioned the staff member serving us she was told they had run out and she had been given an extra roastie. Even with the "extra roastie" the meal looked a bit forlorn. Now it was my turn. The staff member who was serving our table approached and informed us that they had no jacket potato's left and asked if I would like chips or rice with my sirloin steak. Rice???? With steak????. I initially ordered a jacket potato as the chips are not gluten-free and being a coeliac i kind of have to watch what I eat.But, rice with sirloin steak??? that sounds wrong on a lot of levels, so I had the chips but didn't eat many. Now don't get me wrong, some of the meals were fine and my steak was cooked just right, but I was a little annoyed that I couldn't have my menu choice due to them running out.

 

This Wetherspoons had been open just over a week when I visited and they were already running out of food. It was 1.30 pm and they had no yorkshire puddings and no jacket potato's, maybe I should have suggested they popped to Morrisons over the road.

 

My experience overall???

 

The serving staff, behind the bar and on the floor, were pleasant and friendly.

The pub itself was modern and easy on the eye.

The food, well, what I had of the meal I initially ordered was fine, BUT, I wasn't aware that it was even possible to run out of food at lunchtime and this really disappointed me, in fact, it annoyed me a little as I was offered 2 alternatives, 1 was ridiculous and 1 I shouldn't eat.

 

So my advice is this;

Should you decide to visit The Master Mariner for a meal, make sure youv'e got a potato with you, just in case ;)

 

Love and Hugs

Cheryl xxx

 

 

(Ir)Responsible Dog Walkers

As you know I am a dog owner and a responsible one at that. When I walk Kez I always ensure that I have more than enough "poo bags" to last me. In fact I often go to get a tissue out of my pocket and nearly wipe my nose on a poo bag :/

 

So you can imagine how completely furious it makes me when I see a dog owner letting their dog do their business and just walking away. Is it so hard to go into a shop and ask for a bag??? Walking around Liscard and the surrounding area it is impossible to go ten paces without having to avoid a pile of dog mess. Where are the dog wardens when this is happening??? Do we even still have them???

 

What also infuriates me is ignorant members of the public tutting and muttering about  "dirty, disgusting dogs". Hello!!!! Have you ever seen a dog pick up a poo bag and remove its own mess because i sure haven't. The lack of thumbs makes it impossible!!! What people should be muttering is "dirty, disgusting dog owners" because quite frankly it is their fault, not the dogs.

 

In my opinion anyone who isn't going to be responsible enough to pick up after their dog should not have a dog.

 

So let this be a warning, if I see you walking away after your dog has done its business, I will approach you and I will, very loudly, ask if you are going to clear it up and if you need a bag. 

 

And now I am going to go and put my soap box away.

 

Love and Hugs Cheryl xx

** New Car **

So last week my lovely car was written off. I was devastated as I had had it from new and some dopey cow ran into the back of me and sandwiched me with the car in front. She says her foot slipped from the brake to the accelerator, impossible in a manual car!!!! She was either too busy talking to the passenger or she was on her phone and thanks to her stupidity my little Suzuki swift has now gone to the scrapyard in the sky.

So now I had the mammoth task of finding a temporary car for less than £1000 that was in a good, drivable state. After seeing a few cars I was really dis-heartened and starting to get a teeny bit fed up.

My eye kept getting drawn back to a VW Polo I had seen on Gumtree, so me and my mum went to see it and I test drove it. Now I thought it was in pretty good nick considering it is 17 years old, it had the usual wear and tear and needed a good clean but I was happy with it so I bought it at (what I thought was) the bargain price of £520.

Needless to say I don't think me and my mum will ever be allowed to purchase a car again unless its brand new.

After my dad had looked it over and driven it a few times it became evident that it wasn't such a good buy as I had thought. It turns out that the back brakes need replacing as does the drive shaft and there is a funny whirring noise underneath that my dad thinks may be the fuel pump.

On the plus side its got smart alloy wheels on it =)

So the moral of the story is this - I may be a petrol head but when it comes to buying second hand cars, always take my dad cos he knows so much more about cars than me!!!!!

Love and Hugs Cheryl xx