Wizzard's Blog - Latest Comments

Re: Sherlock

Alan — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:06:27 -0000

I've heard great things but never bothered to watch it. Second episode went down a storm on Twitter though. Something else to iPlayer or Torrent, I guess.

Re: The Government and iPhone Apps

Alan — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:04:32 -0000

It's a shame that people like you are tarred with the same brush as those who use their housing benefit to pay for their iPhone and beer. Unfortunately, the press are not interested in people who are struggling to find work because that means we have to "feel sorry" for others (whether wanted or not). What sells papers is not sympathy and guilt, it's outrage and indignation.

Best of luck finding work. It can't be a good place to be.

Re: The Government and iPhone Apps

wizzardsblog — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:47:07 -0000

I agree that not everyone has a great work ethic, however critics never seem to see the bigger picture, only what seems to fit in with their opinion. I've been unemployed for nearly 18 months now, interspersed with some temp work.

Finding a job can be a nightmare, if somehow I had an iPhone (never owned one), I would still purchase the job centre app.

Re: Law Abiding Citizen

wizzardsblog — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:43:36 -0000

I agree I was disappointed with the ending. It did leave me thinking what the fuck?

Re: The Government and iPhone Apps

Alan — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:14:53 -0000

I'm sure you're right that not every one who downloaded it is a freeloading scumbag with the work ethic of a wet lettuce, but I bet some of them are.

Re: Law Abiding Citizen

Alan — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:08:29 -0000

I saw it a few weeks back and I thought it was incredible with just one major let down. The ending. What a cop out. It's as if they could not think of a decent way to bring the battle to conclusion so they cheated us out of a decent finish.

Re: So England Won?

wizzardsblog — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:18:57 -0000

Yes I very much doubt we will relive the glory result of 5-1 a few years back :-)

Re: So England Won?

Alan Smith — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:04:46 -0000

Aye, we won, and it's enough to progress to the next round, but it was less than convincing against a team who would struggle against any of our premiership teams. England getting passed Germany, and not on a plane home seems very unlikely to me.

Pray for a miracle, I reckon!

Re: PeopleServe and Flexible New Deal

Hui — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:26:17 -0000

The way in which you were treated was awful, yes. However, at the end of the day a job is a job, and I hope Iain Duncan smith presses on with these welfare reforms as we have too many people being picky about which jobs they take. Take myself for example, I would prefer an IT job. Well, I finally got a job, NOT an IT job, but a job, which I have to say I HATE. I am already looking for another job while carrying out a job that I don't like so much, but at least I'm working and not scrounging off the state. Sorry, but you need to accept any job offer that comes along regardless of what it is, as long as you are capable of doing it.

Re: PeopleServe and Flexible New Deal

Hui — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:26:12 -0000

Re: Headache free

wizzardsblog — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:34:12 -0000

Nothing in the air, it's stress related.

Re: Headache free

Mikey — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:31:15 -0000

Sorry to hear that, I've been getting headaches quite a bit too, I'm also in Britain, maybe it's something in the air?

Re: PeopleServe and Flexible New Deal

carol-ann — Sat, 29 May 2010 13:14:46 -0000

I think what you will find is the type of jobs as they call them that they have on their books are what everyone has rejected. ive been doing a bit of my own research what they claim new deal is about i.e. there positive and helpful, discuss what you need to find work, the action plan, treat you fairly, match your skills and experience with local employers, and help you with experience in the work sector of your choice.

what i found when i went for my appointment last week was none of this, i was bullied into something i didnt want, with not enough hours, i would have had to sign off unemployment for £94.88 net, which is £20 less than what i get at the moment. but hey she made the phone call anyway only to be told hes got to many to interview. I found most of the vacancies they had were for 16 hours which is no good to me i need 25 hours just to pay the bills, i have retail experience, im a level 3, the jobcentre have agreed with me its the way for me to go as i wouldnt really need re-training. but to her no, she thinks i should work in a care home, a job ive never done before, i dont have the skills or experience in but no way was i offered an action plan, or any help in the work sector of my choice.

Also you might find interesting she told me , they cannot help anyone there who is unemployed unless they already have a job, which sort of makes it a joke, why are we there if you cannot help us?
And if you had a job, you wouldnt be referred in the first place?
And as for the placements for me in retail, there all in charity shops, i have a full resume, and do i really want to remove legal secretary to replace it with worked 4 weeks in a charity shop.

Like i told my husband i thought they were offering help to get good quality jobs, not dead end jobs which we can be taken advantage of and used like slaves, which is something else i have read happened at this place. I can find my own dead end job washing up in a restaurant.

I have already made a plan i intend to get out of peopleserve as quick as i can, as they dont have good quality vacancies on offer, im sure there are plenty of dead end jobs out there i can do, till something better comes along.

I agree with the policy of getting people back to work, but i dont agree with the heavy hand at the first stage, i mean this is my first appointment, i was told at the induction the heavy hand doesnt come till stage 3. i haven' t been given opportunity to send spec letters out or get replies back, I mean i havent even had my CV checked, adivce on cover letters, travel routes, in work assessments, nothing. Okay get heavy after 2 weeks thats okay, i just feel im being made a scapegoat and slandering me and calling me a liar, has just made the relationship between us, untenable. And i find im between a rock and a hard place I cant leave, and i dont want to go back to be bullied.

this scheme is no different to all the others that have been tried over the years, and failed.
I can't see how they expect us to go for interviews, if they cut our money off, how is that supposed to work, as detailed on bbc news this morning.

Re: PeopleServe and Flexible New Deal

wizzardsblog — Sat, 29 May 2010 09:28:27 -0000

That's a pity about the way you were treated it shows ignorance on the part of the person who saw you with regards to Lupus. However under the proposed welfare reforms, Ian Ducan Smith has said that if there is a job available you should take it. I agree with what he says. I don't agree with the way you were treated though.

Re: PeopleServe and Flexible New Deal

carol-ann — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:04:09 -0000

i went for the peopleserve induction with 2 others, no one else showed. I thought the induction wasnt that bad and what he said sounded good, and they booked me in for thursday to see one of the male caseworkers. when i went on thursday my first real appointment, i was seen by a 20 something with a chip on her shoulder bigger than the eiffel tower, and everything went downhill from then on, i dont call women biatches but she was the biggest, according to her i hadnt done the joblog right, i filled the forms in who i wanted to work for, according to her i hadnt done that right, at that moment i just got the distinct feeling for the remainder of the hour she was going to bully me and i was proved right.

the remainder of the interview was her ranting at me, and i eventually switched off listening. she then called me a liar, that i wasnt disabled and there was nothing wrong with me, this really annoyed me, i have the fatal disease lupus and ive had it since 1992. she then kept bullying me, and when i wasnt giving in, i was then frog marched into a managers office, another woman, i then had the pair of them bullying me into what they call an ideal job for me, working in a care home wiping pensioners backsides, so i refused there is no way on earth im doing that job. So know i have to see my doctor and get him to provide evidence to what is wrong me, just to prove that im not a liar.

i've also contacted the jobcentre who employ peopleserve as they are not keeping to the new deal, peopleserves idea is they have a job on the books, doesnt matter what it is, your taking it. and if you refuse you get their favourite line " no money then". i live in cannock staffordshire, and i was told at induction that we were guinea pigs this has never been done before, i know the government have to cut the welfare i just feel treating people like dirt, calling people liars, bullying, blackmail, insults is not the way to go. im waiting know to see what happens to me next, but there is no way im accepting an apology off that biatch, and there is no way im seeing her again

Re: Gadget Show Live 2010

wizzardsblog — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:44:14 -0000

Unfortunately only a couple of photos have come out ok and the couple I took of Robosteel's sculptures didn't come out properly either, so I've decided not to post any of them. :(

Re: Digital Economy Bill

wizzardsblog — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:02:17 -0000

Did you see the re-tweet from @citizensheep? A scanned in letter from Stephen Timms MP the Minister for Digital Britain. If he cannot get basic internet terminology correct what hope have we got? I think the last sentence in my post says it all. I should have been a little stronger in my language and replaced it with "luddites".

Re: Digital Economy Bill

alipuk — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:49:09 -0000

This bill also gives the right for someone in government to snoop on what I am Downloading wether it is a legal or illegale download. It also gives the government the right to censor the net by blocking access to any site that may infringe copyright law. This could, as an extreme example, see Google being placed on a black list.

So much for free speech and a free internet, today you see both die by the hand of "copyright" owners (or the BPI as I like to call them)

Re: Inmymug competition

stephenleighton — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:48:46 -0000

Thanks for this pal

Re: Popcap Games and Bejeweled Blitz

wizzardsblog — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:39:58 -0000

Okay only just noticed the new facebook credits function. Looking on the surface popcap still aren't asking you directly to buy credits, it's facebook that's asking you to buy credits to use in the games.

Re: Popcap Games and Bejeweled Blitz

wizzardsblog — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:21:09 -0000

Hi there,

Popcap never ask for players to buy credits for Bejewelled Blitz or for Bejewelled 2. They were offering 50% off Bejewelled 2 as a sweetner so you can play offline. They're not forcing you to buy the game. You just have to wait until the game is working again online if you don't want to buy it.

My point was they keep offering the 50% off, they should be offering something different when there are technical difficulties.

Re: Popcap Games and Bejeweled Blitz

Me — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:07:17 -0000

I can't believe they are asking for money to get credits.
I have bought the Bejewelled2 to play and I won't be spending another penny. What a darn cheek.

Re: New look

Mikey — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:55:57 -0000

I kinda like it ;)

Re: New look

wizzardsblog — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:46:59 -0000

Thanks Steve :)

Re: New look

stephenleighton — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:31:00 -0000

Very nice pal looks good