Well, not pissed-off exactly, but not happy, over-the-moon, or jumping for joy.
We don't buy newspapers.
I don't often watch the news on TV.
For one thing, it's rarely news they're reporting, because whenever a big story breaks it's all over the internet, social media long before it's being reported on TV.
And for another thing, it's usually all seriously depressing, and most definitely biased to suit whatever the agenda that day is.
But as an avid user of the internet I can't help but see some news stories every day.
Usually I just see the headlines as I'm flitting about on various sites online, and I don't pay them much attention, or bother to read the whole story.
Sometimes though, the headline alone, leaves me fuming.
Stay with me, I am getting to the news that pissed me off today.
Ironically, as I sit trying to write this blog post, without my mind wandering too much, I am watching the news on TV.
Well, not watching it fully, but half listening to the news reports.
Just now they're talking about Ebola.
I was only half paying attention, but heard that currently 70% of people who contract the disease die.
That's a depressing statistic.
But, slightly less worrying, possibly, was the fact that a spokeswoman from the W.H.O. said that although viruses constantly change, there is no sign of the Ebola viruses mutating and becoming an airborne pathogen.
The news segment about Ebola also reported that there was a near riot in Freetown, Sierra Leone after the body of a lady who died of Ebola was left on the streets for two days.
You can read the BBC News story here.
There were a few other news reports that got my attention today, most of which pissed me off - and reaffirmed my thoughts that reading the news is more often than not a very bad idea.
Here's some of the news that I think would make any right-thinking person feel pissed off too.
Children in Need is sitting on a £90 million fortune.
The money is reportedly being held in investment portfolios, rather than being handed out to the worthy causes for which the generous public donated their cash.
You can read The Telegraph story here.
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Judy Finnigan voiced her opinion about Sheffield United footballer and convicted rapist Ched Evans during her appearance on ITV programme Loose Women.
There have been calls for Judy Finnigan to be sacked, as viewers thought she was defending the rapists behaviour, after Judy Finnigan said, "He's served his time. The rape and I am not, please, by any means minimising any kind of rape - but the rape was not violent. He didn’t cause any bodily harm to the person."
Judy Finnigan went on to say,"It was unpleasant, in a hotel room, I believe, and she was – she had far too much to drink.”
''And you know, that is reprehensible, but he has been convicted and he has served his time.''
''Now when he comes out, what are we supposed to do? Just actually refuse to let him do his job? Again, even though he has already been punished?"
Today the news has reported that former This Morning presenter has since apologised, saying, ''I apologise unreservedly for any offence that I may have caused as a result of the wording I used."
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Smoking in parks in London should be banned, health advisers tell Boris Johnson.
Yep, they want to stop people from smoking in parks in London.
The news I read said that smokers are bad role models for children who use the parks.
There's more news about this story in The Independent newspaper here.
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Sainsbury's customers angered after receiving emails informing them that the loyalty card points are to be cut in half.
The full story can be read on Reuters UK here.
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David Cameron says only the 'very wealthy' should pay inheritance tax.
He says the middle classes shouldn't have to pay the tax on properties they've lived in for many years, and that the limit could rise to £1 million next April.
The Guardian has more on this story here.
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Wow!
That's all rather depressing isn't it?
Ebola - We seem to only have become interested since people in the West have been infected.
Now it's being used as another scare story to be reported in the news, along with the Islamic State.
Which one will kill us first?
Children in Need - The charity is holding on to the cash donated to them.
While I realise that potentially they could take your £100 donation, invest it, and turn it into a million pounds, well, not really but you get the gist, I am appalled that they aren't immediately giving the money to the people who need it so desperately.
Judy Finnigan - I used to quite like watching her and hubby Richard Madeley presenting This Morning.
She is entitled to her opinion, and I support free speech, not that it truly exists in the country anyone - sadly, and in theory I don't disagree with what she said about convicted rapist Chad Evans being allowed to play football again once he's free from prison.
I mean, he will have served his time, or some of it (thanks to the pathetic justice system in Britain, he's only serving half of what was a short period of incarceration anyway), and the fact that he has been convicted of rape, is not related to his career as a footballer.
Some people are commenting in the media that he shouldn't be allowed to play football ever again, because he's a role model.
I don't agree.
He is not a role model. He is a footballer.
Having said that, I do think it's wrong that if your famous you can get away with things, that non-famous people can't.
No doubt Chad Evans will be out of prison and back to normal, living his life, but the life of the girl he was convicted of raping will never be the same again.
Judy Finnigan mentioned the fact that the young girl was drunk. So what!
Enjoying a drink does not mean you should be raped.
If a woman, or man for that matter, wants to go out and drink alcohol, and get drunk, they still deserve to be treated as a sober person, not taken advantage of, not abused, not raped.
Why is it, that all too often, the victims of rape are portrayed as the ones at fault.
Your sexual history, state of sobriety, clothing, or behaviour should not be relevant.
It is not the behaviour of the rape victim that we should be reporting in the news, or focusing on, but the behaviour of the rapist.
The rapists are the ones who are wrong, they are the people we should condemn.
Instead of sacking Judy Finnigan, or banning Chad Evans from playing football - maybe Loose Women should be axed?
Having said that, I do think it's wrong that if your famous you can get away with things, that non-famous people can't.
No doubt Chad Evans will be out of prison and back to normal, living his life, but the life of the girl he was convicted of raping will never be the same again.
Judy Finnigan mentioned the fact that the young girl was drunk. So what!
Enjoying a drink does not mean you should be raped.
If a woman, or man for that matter, wants to go out and drink alcohol, and get drunk, they still deserve to be treated as a sober person, not taken advantage of, not abused, not raped.
Why is it, that all too often, the victims of rape are portrayed as the ones at fault.
Your sexual history, state of sobriety, clothing, or behaviour should not be relevant.
It is not the behaviour of the rape victim that we should be reporting in the news, or focusing on, but the behaviour of the rapist.
The rapists are the ones who are wrong, they are the people we should condemn.
Instead of sacking Judy Finnigan, or banning Chad Evans from playing football - maybe Loose Women should be axed?
But, the main thing that pissed me off about this whole thing was that I read the girlfriend of Chad Evans has said she's standing by her man.
Yep! Natasha Massey reportedly said, ''He is no rapist.''
Actually, it doesn't piss-me-off, it makes me feel so very sad.
Sad that like a lot of women today, Natasha Massey has so little love for herself that she is determined to continue a relationship with someone who has been convicted of raping another woman.
I can't imagine behaving that way.
According to a lot of the news about this story, Natasha Massey, refers to the rape as cheating.
I suppose that makes it easier for her to ignore that her boyfriend cheated on her.
Well, even if it wasn't rape, and it was cheating, why stay with him?
Oh well, it's her life, nothing to do with me really, but I wish young woman, no all woman, knew how special they are. We all deserve to be loved and treated well. Cheating is not love.
I'm not sexist. Men deserve to be loved and treated well also.
Oops, seem to have gone on a bit too much about that news story - probably because it's all over the internet.
In fact I've just seen a headline reporting that Richard Madeley wants the police involved after there were rape threats against his and Judy's daughter, Chloe Madeley on twitter.
That is disgusting behaviour by keyboard warriors. I'll say no more about this, for now...........
Update -
A few days after first uploading this blog post I've just read that Chad Evans was released from prison yesterday, and welcomed home with a party.
The news article also said that Chad Evans has been offered a new £500,000 contract with his old club Sheffield United - as long as he says sorry.
I also read that the young lady who Chad Evans was convicted of raping, has had to move away from the home where she lived with her family, and change her name, because of a barrage of online abuse. She was reportedly mentioned by name 6,000 times on twitter alone, immediately after Chad Evans was convicted of rape.
According to the newspaper the young woman is the first rape victim to ever be given a 'relocation deal'.
What is wrong with this country, that the victim of rape is forced to go into hiding, while the perpetrator is able to live his life as he always has?
According to the news where the rape victim used to live in North Wales, before she was forced to move, she is a liar. And Chad Evans is a hero.
I can't begin to know how the young lady is feeling today, if she's seen the news about Chad Evans being released, after serving only half of his sentence, and now being offered a highly paid, high profile job with Sheffield United, while she can't even use her own name, live with her family, or ever go back to being the girl she was before the rape.
This whole thing is depressingly sad.
I feel for women, in this country, and everywhere in the World.
It is heartbreaking that in the year of 2014 women are still considered as less important than me.
Women are constantly undervalues, treated as property, belongings, pieces of meat to be bought and sold, used and abused.
It's as though we are still living in the dark ages, and not the 21st Century.
Will women ever feel equal to men?
Will women ever be equal to men?
Will we ever be enlightened?
Update -
A few days after first uploading this blog post I've just read that Chad Evans was released from prison yesterday, and welcomed home with a party.
The news article also said that Chad Evans has been offered a new £500,000 contract with his old club Sheffield United - as long as he says sorry.
I also read that the young lady who Chad Evans was convicted of raping, has had to move away from the home where she lived with her family, and change her name, because of a barrage of online abuse. She was reportedly mentioned by name 6,000 times on twitter alone, immediately after Chad Evans was convicted of rape.
According to the newspaper the young woman is the first rape victim to ever be given a 'relocation deal'.
What is wrong with this country, that the victim of rape is forced to go into hiding, while the perpetrator is able to live his life as he always has?
According to the news where the rape victim used to live in North Wales, before she was forced to move, she is a liar. And Chad Evans is a hero.
I can't begin to know how the young lady is feeling today, if she's seen the news about Chad Evans being released, after serving only half of his sentence, and now being offered a highly paid, high profile job with Sheffield United, while she can't even use her own name, live with her family, or ever go back to being the girl she was before the rape.
This whole thing is depressingly sad.
I feel for women, in this country, and everywhere in the World.
It is heartbreaking that in the year of 2014 women are still considered as less important than me.
Women are constantly undervalues, treated as property, belongings, pieces of meat to be bought and sold, used and abused.
It's as though we are still living in the dark ages, and not the 21st Century.
Will women ever feel equal to men?
Will women ever be equal to men?
Will we ever be enlightened?
Smoking in parks to be banned - This story really pissed me off.
I don't smoke. Never have.
But this is nonsense.
Of all the news reports about this that I read, none mentioned health.
They all seemed to be banging on about children seeing people smoking in the parks, and that it would encourage them to start smoking cigarettes too.
For Gods sake!
Where will it all end?
In Britain we already live in a nanny state.
Big Brother is constantly watching us, and telling us what to do.
Also how will they police this?
I can't remember the last time I saw any real policing in Blighty.
All I see is police, always in twos, driving in their safe police cars.
They don't seem to want to get out of the comfort of their vehicles - it's way too dangerous to confront crime.
Initially it seems strange that the government would want people to smoke less, considering how much money they make from helping to keep people addicted to cigarettes, and it seems unlikely that they'd be able to enforce it - when was the last time you saw a copper on the streets?
Initially it seems strange that the government would want people to smoke less, considering how much money they make from helping to keep people addicted to cigarettes, and it seems unlikely that they'd be able to enforce it - when was the last time you saw a copper on the streets?
Having said that, I bet that if this law does get the go-ahead, it will be fully policed.
Why?
Because they'll make a fortune with on-the-spot fines of anyone caught in a park smoking a cigarette.
It's outrageous that smokers will be caught by the police and punished, but genuine victims of crime can't get any police help at all.
Sainsbury's cutting their loyalty card points by half - Nothing surprising there.
We know that the big supermarkets in this country are obsessed with one thing, and one thing only, making as much profit as they can.
According to the news, budget friendly supermarkets Lidl and Aldi are doing really well in Britain now. Thank you very much!
So, it was obvious that the other supermarkets will want to find ways to keep their profits high. They don't care if they're ripping off their loyal customers.
David Cameron and Inheritance Tax - It doesn't matter what he's saying, it's only talk. David Cameron is just saying what he thinks voters want to hear.
Everything about this subject pisses me off.
Inheritance tax!
David Cameron and Inheritance Tax - It doesn't matter what he's saying, it's only talk. David Cameron is just saying what he thinks voters want to hear.
Everything about this subject pisses me off.
Inheritance tax!
It shouldn't even be a thing.
It should not exist.
This is something that is very important to me, and something which Mr.R and me often talk about, mainly because it seems to be in the news quite often.
Quite simply I think inheritance tax should be abolished.
It's criminal!
You pay tax on the money you earn. That should be it.
If you buy a property or have oodles of cash in the bank, and then leave the property and money to your loved ones, they should not be taxed. It has all already been taxed!
No one should be taxed for anything they inherit.
I can't believe it even happens. It is crazy.
No one should be taxed for something - twice!
I could happily, no, unhappily rant on about inheritance tax a lot longer, come to think of it I could easily rant on about most things the government says and does, but my poor brain is in danger of seriously overheating - seriously.
No doubt you'll be relieved to know, that's it for the news from me today, that's if you're actually still reading this - and if you are I thank you. Thank You!
Oh yes, one more thing, excuse the low quality pictures I quickly doodled to add to this blog post.
I know they're bad, they're supposed to be.
Although having said that, I do quite like the Judy Finnigan one, apart from her overly yellow hair. Hahaha!
The End
Do you like to read or watch the news?
What's your opinion on any, or all of the news stories I've ranted about?
I'm truly interested to know.
It should not exist.
This is something that is very important to me, and something which Mr.R and me often talk about, mainly because it seems to be in the news quite often.
Quite simply I think inheritance tax should be abolished.
It's criminal!
You pay tax on the money you earn. That should be it.
If you buy a property or have oodles of cash in the bank, and then leave the property and money to your loved ones, they should not be taxed. It has all already been taxed!
No one should be taxed for anything they inherit.
I can't believe it even happens. It is crazy.
No one should be taxed for something - twice!
I could happily, no, unhappily rant on about inheritance tax a lot longer, come to think of it I could easily rant on about most things the government says and does, but my poor brain is in danger of seriously overheating - seriously.
No doubt you'll be relieved to know, that's it for the news from me today, that's if you're actually still reading this - and if you are I thank you. Thank You!
Oh yes, one more thing, excuse the low quality pictures I quickly doodled to add to this blog post.
I know they're bad, they're supposed to be.
Although having said that, I do quite like the Judy Finnigan one, apart from her overly yellow hair. Hahaha!
The End
Do you like to read or watch the news?
What's your opinion on any, or all of the news stories I've ranted about?
I'm truly interested to know.
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