Walking the dog brought me inspiration for a story told in poetry.

Walking down the dark path at night; 
For some it brings a fright; others the darkness will excite.
It all depends if the circumstances are right...



The darkness interrupted by the orange glow of the streetlight.
Shining from great height, the glow isn't very bright.
Enough to obscure the darkness with light, enough to give you insight of what might...

...lay in wait!

Your mind: Scenarios; It starts to create
situations you have to evaluate
even though it's difficult to think straight...

You hear a noise, your chest goes tight...

Adrenaline starts pumping: getting ready to fight?

Why did you go out alone tonight?

Something's not right... It's far from great.

Your want to take flight; your legs turn to dead weight...

Remembering a torch, you feel delight. Turning it on, you illuminate

a very familiar sight... 

It's your garden gate!

- TheLittlerich.

Some job hunting tips and hints.

I thought I would share these tips I have about searching for a job with you. If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments section below.

Try to spend a little time each day on searching for a job.  Even if you spend half an hour each day searching for a job, you are more likely to find something than by spending a lot longer on just one day. Of course, how much time you spend is down to you, but I would recommend spreading it over the week.

Be prepared to expand your job search into other industries. If your previous work history is in one industry, and there is a lack of that type of work available try applying for jobs in different industries. Although it may not be the line of work you are particularly interested in, once you are working you can look for a job in your ideal industry. Only apply for suitable jobs. Even if you are looking at jobs outside of your normal criteria, it is a waste of time to apply for jobs you are not qualified to do. Be honest about the job you are thinking of applying for. If you are under qualified or feel you couldn't cope doing a job, don't apply for it. Going for an interview not only wastes your time, it wastes the time of an employer.

Make sure you are available to be contacted.  Make sure you keep your mobile phone recharged so that potential employers can contact you. Also remember to check your email regularly.

Keep your CV up to date.  Make sure it has all of your latest employment history on it, has your current contact details and has been triple checked for spelling errors and typo's.

Keep yourself motivated.  This can be difficult when you receive either no feedback to applications, or you are only receiving rejections. Try not to dwell on the lack of response / negative responses. Once you have applied for a job, don't sit and worry about the company getting back to you, spend your time concentrate on continuing searching for other jobs. If you receive a rejection letter, it's their loss and not yours!

Keep track of where you have applied. If you do this, you will know if you have applied for a job before, and save yourself time and effort for applying for the same job twice. It also stops you from looking unprofessional and disorganised.

Treat your self from time to time! Don't forget to do something nice every now and again to reward yourself for your hard work searching for a job. This will help take the boredom and negativity out of job searching!

Good luck searching for a job! If you have any tips you think should be included, please leave your comments below. - TheLittlerich

How can you improve your chances of getting a job?

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I am currently unemployed, have been for a while, and am trying to get back into work...
I know that I am not alone in my quest for a new job - there are ever increasing unemployment figures provided by the government shows more and more people are out of work.

I thought that I would share some of my job-search techniques and suggestions with you. 
Please share your suggestions in the comment box below of anything else you are doing or suggest doing to try and get a job!

Asking in shops

Most of the time a shop will display any vacancies on their window or door, and you can ask inside for an application form. 
Even if they are not displaying a vacancy, it is always an idea to ask anyway. They may be about to start a recruitment drive, and by showing initiative you could be ahead of the game.

If you are asking in shops, it's always a good idea to have copies of your CV with you, which you can leave with them.

Recruitment / temping agencies

Agency work can be a good approach if you are unsure as to where you want to work, as you tend to get various assignments in different companies. 
Although this gives you a chance to work for different companies, get lots of various experience and help to improve your CV, it can be a very hit or miss approach to gaining solid employment.
You may end up working long term contracts or short term, and occasionally the agency can't find work for you.
I have also found that some recruitment agencies are all too happy to enroll you and add your details to their list but fail to provide you with any work at all.

Job centre

If you are claiming benefits whilst unemployed, the chances are you will need to visit the job centre every fortnight to sign on. Whilst there, it's always worth taking some time and looking through the job points for any suitable jobs. You can print the details out and apply for them when you have the chance.

Asking friends and family

If you have friends or family who have a job, ask them to listen out and inform you of any vacancies in their work place. 
Not only does it show to them you are really trying to find a job, you will probably earn their respect and support more than by not asking them.

I would advise that if they recommend you to their employer, make sure you present yourself well at any interviews and work hard if you get the job. Remember: your performance will reflect on the friend or family member who recommended you.

I would also suggest that even if the job is completely unsuitable, remember to show appreciation for their help.

Online job search

There are literally millions of online job search websites available nowadays that allow you to look for vacancies by whatever criteria you wish to use.
You can usually search by location, job category, distance, salary or other options to find jobs that are suitable and relevant to you.
Many job sites now offer the option to register with them and upload your CV, and they will match your skills and requirements with jobs advertised.

Some social networking sites are also being used to post local area job vacancies. As an example, Darlington jobs are posted on the Darlington area Job vacancies page on Facebook. (You will need to have a facebook account to use this page).

Personally I find this can be a bit hit or miss, as some of the jobs sent to you are only slightly related to ones you have shown an interest in. You also tend to receive a lot of emails from each job search site you may not be interested in.

Contacting former work colleagues

If you still have a good connection to people you have previously worked for, it might be worth asking them to keep you informed of any vacancies available. 
This option always has certain considerations to take into mind: Why are you not working for that company any more?
If you quit and left on good terms or were made redundant for example, you may be able to get another job at your previous company.
The benefits are you already know the people who work there, you know what the job involves and what the company does.
(Obviously, if you have been fired from a previous job for negative reasons, it might be unwise to try and apply for another job there).

Prospective emailing companies in your industry

Even if no jobs have been advertised, it can be worthwhile writing a covering letter and emailing it with a CV to companies that are in the industry you are trying to get a job in.

Although you are likely to receive a fair amount of replies telling you there are no vacancies, some companies will keep your details on their records and contact you should a vacancy become available.

Sometimes however, this approach really pays off. I have recently tried this approach, and sent my CV to somebody who wasn't thinking about taking on anybody until they received my CV and covering letter. This led on to a discussion with him about a vacancy he hadn't thought about until he received my email! As soon as he is ready to take me on, I have the job!

Write a blog about yourself and email it to companies.

If you feel you have an interesting story about your career path, you might be inclined to write about it. By writing it as an article or blog, you can be more personal about it, and have the chance to explain what you did in a way that exposes more of your personality to potential employers than a simple covering letter and CV can.
You can then include the link to your article / blog if it seems appropriate in a covering letter to any potential employers.
Although I suggest making the article / blog more personal to yourself, remember to keep it professional too. If your article includes bad spelling, grammar and punctuation you are more likely to put off any potential employers.

As an example of this, read my blog: A brief history of Richard M Stewart.

Approaching people in the street.

If you walk about during a busy time of day (such as during rush hour or lunch time), you might be able to spot people who you can approach and ask if the company they work for has any vacancies. 
Depending on who you approach, they may be able to either give you a business card to contact the company they work for, or possibly even take your CV into their work and put it forward for you.

The good thing about this approach is if you are looking for a job in a certain location you have a high chance of meeting people who work for businesses in that area.

The downside of course is that by giving your CV to a complete stranger. They may not put it forward for you, and in worst cases may use your personal details for fraud. I will admit I have never tried this approach.

Post an advert in local publications or notice boards.

If you are looking for a job within a certain area, you could always post an advert on a notice board or local publications.
Most news agents and supermarkets have an area in which they place customer adverts. It might be worth posting a looking for work advert in these places.

Set up a website about yourself.

Even if you are not particularly technical, you can easily create a website about yourself for the purposes of searching for a job.
Many web hosting companies offer a free package that will allow you to have a fairly simple but interesting website created using templates they provide.
If you create a website, however, make sure you do not post any personal details such as address or bank details. A telephone / mobile number is a possibility, but take into account people may look at your website 24 hours a day and contact you at all hours. I would recommend supplying an email address for people to contacting you and ask for further information.

Create a video about yourself and post it online.

With sites such as Youtube becoming far more popular, you could use video to sell yourself.
If you are looking for performance related jobs; video production work, dance related jobs or perhaps unusual artistic jobs (a circus performer perhaps?!) perhaps a video of you showing your skills would be relevant to send to potential employers.

This list is by no means everything you can do when searching for a job. If you have any other ideas you feel I have missed, please leave your comments below!

- TheLittlerich

Are criminals treated better than the victims of their crimes?

Having just read a shocking news story about a man who was caught with over 6000 images of child abuse, and how he has overturned a ruling saying he is not allowed to be unsupervised with minors because it breaches his human rights, it makes me wonder if criminals now are being treated better than the victims of their crimes.

Every day, stories emerge about how criminals are often given a punishment that very rarely fits the severity of the crimes they commit. More often than not, the victims of these crimes are left feeling that justice hasn't been served.
Another article I read recently has disclosed that more than 4400 criminals who were guilty of at least 15 offenses were let off with a caution in 2010.

It appears the justice system is becoming too soft on criminals, meaning offenders are given the wrong message when they are not being given a proper punishment that suits their crimes.

This not only leaving the victims angry that justice hasn't been served, but encourages criminals to re-offend because they know there isn't any real consequences for their actions.
If this continues to happen, victims will get to a point they feel they should take action themselves because the courts and the justice system will let them down...

Crimes against children are (in my opinion) the worst type of crime. Thankfully, serious child abuse cases rarely hit headlines, but when they do they really tend to shock everybody. 

In my opinion, they shouldn't hit the headlines at all. Not because they shouldn't be reported - because they shouldn't happen!

Baby P. Image courtesy The Telegraph.

You may remember a recent story of horrific child abuse case against Baby P.? 17-month Peter was abused over a period of months until he was discovered dead in his cot.
(The list of abuse he suffered is sick, which is why I am not going to write about it here.)


His mother Tracey Connelly, her boyfriend Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen were all arrested and charged for the torture and death of Baby P.

Considering how horrific and evilly cruel this crime was towards an innocent baby, Jason Owen has been released only THREE YEARS after being charged.

To put things into perspective, young offenders involved in the recent riots have been given similar sentences for stealing a bin and breaking a window...

It seems to me that when it comes to justice, Britain is clearly backwards.

Baby P. isn't the only case. I could also mention Jamie Bulger... His killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were ten when they abducted and killed Jamie , then 2.
Having been convicted and sentenced, Jon Venables have since been released and given a new identity, at the cost of £250,000.

The main question is why should people who have decided to commit such atrocities be given the chance to have anonymity and have their identities be kept secret from the public?

The british government give more rights to criminals than the victims of the crimes they commit. Criminals aren't punished, they are often treated better in prisons than they would be outside of prison.

Children can be targeted by every paedophile, sex offender and pervert that wants them because they are too young to know how to ask for someone to uphold their rights!

If they commit a crime, British tax payers' money is often use to give these offenders a new life, a new identity so they don't have to worry about being attacked by vigilantes.

- TheLittlerich

Why do large companies forget customer service?

Ring Ring... Ring Ring!

I could already guess who to expect, but I picked up the receiver anyway. "Hello?"

"This is a pre-recorded message. Do NOT hang up!"

(The telephone receiver is already back in the cradle).

Even though the call was probably quite important, if the company calling me up (10 times throughout the day, I should add!) can't even be bothered to get a REAL person to call me then I am not going to listen to some pre-recorded message!

- This is an example of one way I think a company shows a complete lack of customer service!

Image: Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have read a good deal of blogs and articles about starting up and running a small business. Most of the share the same conclusion: Customer service is very important to keeping your business running.

Sadly though, it appears that bad customer service is becoming far more regular. It also appears to me that the larger a company becomes, the less effort is spent on providing good customer service for their customers.

With a huge emphasis on sales and marketing to attract new customers, businesses tend to forget how to keep their existing ones happy.

So my question is how can large businesses afford to upset so many of their customers and yet stay in business?

The simple answer is larger businesses have enough new customers constantly coming through their door to keep them ticking over. Once customers have paid their upfront installments, the business can treat the customer how it likes.

As soon as you have signed a deal with them, they have the opportunity to let you down, and somehow make sure that their failings are your fault!

If you speak to anybody about companies they have dealt with, chances are they will have a story about at least one business that has really let them down... (I certainly have!)
If a business really lets you down, the chances are you would highly recommend that everyone else avoids them!

Do you have any companies you would avoid at all costs? I know you do! Leave your comments below.

- TheLittlerich

How artistic are clothes pegs on a line?

 Some photos I took of clothes pegs on a washing line near sunset. 

I thought the setting was quite artistic, so I tried different settings on my camera.

The sky looked completely different with each different camera setting I tried.

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D.
Photos taken with various different exposures, with and without flash.


I hope you like them!


- TheLittlerich

Will Channel 5's Big Brother be any good?

 UPDATED AS IT HAPPENS: 

Image © Channel 5 television.

I am updating this blog as it happens. Please refresh to be kept up to date!

- TheLittlerich

21:03: 30 seconds in... Ex housemate Brian has been picked to host... I guess Davina has had enough of this crap as well then!?

21:05: Designer furniture, state of the art Gym, sauna... Nice!

SPECULATE NO LONGER... Here are the housemates:

Housemate no. 1:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Kerry Katona.

Well, she seems like an obvious choice - maybe she could set the record straight in BB... or make a complete arse of herself!

21:07 LOL at least she admits she will get on her tits!

21:08 JAN: What is she wearing? What has she done to her hair?!

21:09: Kerry entering the house to cheers and an excited crowd! She is crapping herself as she's walking down the stairs!

21:11: Housemate No.2:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Tara Reid.
Described as a nice slice of American Pie.

I didn't think she would be the sort of celeb who needs to re-kick-start her career... I guess so.

21:12 Tara has just got married! Is this her Honeymoon?

When asked if she's a party girl, she replied "Lets just put it this way, I'm a very fun girl!"

21:14 LOL @ Tara Reid not understanding Kerry's name!

21:15 Adverts.

21:19 We're back! Housemate number 3 is coming!

21:20 A bare knuckle fighter is up next...

Housemate No.3:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Paddy Doherty.
A full of himself, irish bare knuckle fighter is next into the house.
I don't know who he is, and have never heard of him. Hopefully he'll get a big annoyed and hit someone in the house!
He say's he is "here to have some fun". He wants to make his community proud!

LOL @ Tara - can't understand either Kerry nor Paddy!

Housemate No.4:

Image © Channel 5 television.

21:25: Amy Childs.
(Some girl from "The Only way is Essex".)
NEVER heard of her. I've only just about heard of TOWIE.
Don't know anything about her!

Brian to Amy: Have you Vajazzled yourself tonight?! Isn't that a bit personal, isn't it!?

Amy is up for a BB romance?
She looks like a WAG wannabe... Oh Great!*sighs*

Amy doesn't look very comfortable in the house yet.

21:30 - More adverts, but to recap we have in the house an essex girl, a fighting traveller, a US Starlet and a former kitten. Can this line up get any better? Probably!

21:34: Back to Brian. Introducing Housemate 5:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Darryn Lyons.
(Known as Mr Papparazzi)
The annoying australian who has created a nightmare for every celeb out there is next into the house.

He's just admitted snapping Kerry Katona - will this be a major fight in the making?! Oh I hope so!

Darryn is looking for mental stimulation. No chance with the housemates so far!

21:38: Darren has entered the house looking like a cartoon character!

Kerry has just recognised him! "Oh, I know who you are! Mr Paparazzi!"

Housemate No.6:

Image © Channel 5 television.

21:40 Sally Bercow.

She is going in because she wants to rebel against the stuffy rules she should abide by because she's married to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

She doesn't take orders from her hubby, and seems to want to "stir it up a bit"

21:44 Sally has been in the house about 2 minutes and already seems to be mumsy one of the group.
I think if there is any scraps in the house, she will cause the bitch fights...

21:50: Introducing Housemate 7:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Lucien Laviscount.
He was from Coronation Street.

He is excited about being able to fart and pick his nose while people watch.

21:52 Aww! His mum packed his suitcase for him! What a big kid!
Is looking for a BB romance - someone col and have fun with.

He "won't be a boring housemate and promises to make things happen". I will be made to switch off!

Hmmm... I think Amy and Lucien might be interested in each other... Could they get it on?!
All Tara is on about is the bloody door not opening!

21:55: Housemate 8:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Pamela Bach-Hasslehoff.

Not the Baywatch Pamela we were all expecting, but ex wife of David Hasslehoff!

I must admit I thought she was some nut case who was trying to combine Pamela Anderson and David Hasslehoff, but no, she is a person in her own right!

21:59 Brian is winding her up because she's "a clean freak".

22:00 An hour into the show and we have 8 housemates in the house... How many more will be going in?


22:00 Pamela is impressed with Darryn's hair! She said she just styled her bird's hair like it! (I think... )

2 More housemates to go in... Who will they be?

22:06: The last 2 housemates are being introduced..

Housemate No. 9:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Bobby Sabel

Levi model who fell into modeling by accident.
He is single and wants to have fun.
Not ruling out a BB romance.

22:08 He thinks BB has a house full of beautiful women inside... I think he will be interested in a few of them (Tara and Amy, I'm guessing...)

22:10 Bobby has introduced himself and ended up being ignored... Although Amy seems to like him!

22:10 Housemate(s) no 10/11:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Jedward.

Oh NO! I knew it couldn't last...

22:12 John (or is it Edward) claims peoiple only find them annoying because they have "so much love to give". I think they will find many people will get very annoyed of them VERY quickly!

Wow! Wearing a Tiger outfit and panda shoes they look like complete t*ats! They have packed identical clothes made by their fans, and have had to live on £20 a week...

22:14 They enter the house. Everyone knows who they are, and all the rest of the housemates seem to be happy to see them...

Personally I want Paddy to take them both out with one punch!
Tara wanted to know how to tell them apart. There is a bit of a height difference between them and one of them has a scar on his lip... I still can't tell them apart!

22:15 Brian has announced that Big Brother has a surprise in store... Could it be...? A public assassination of Jedward?! I await and watch the adverts in anticipation!

22:21: Brian recaps the line up: People BOO with Jedward is announced.

Image © Channel 5 television.

Big Brother announces the first task!

"This is Big Brother, will one housemate come to the diary room?"
Kerry Katona has gone to the diary room... and has been told she needs become the biggest celebrity diva ever!

First challenge: throw a celebrity tantrum. REALLY kick off!
Tomorrow: Your housemates must choose you as the biggest diva in the house.

Kerry has been given half an hour to throw a tantrum! Should be good!

Coming out of the diary room, she throws the folder Big Brother has given her, fobbing it off as a welcome pack...
"It's just a welcome pack! It's just a welcome pack!"

Do you think she'll be able to throw a major tantrum? Leave your thoughts in my comments box!
(Please note: all images © Channel 5 television) 


Thanks for reading my blog!

- TheLittlerch