How often do you actually read the terms and conditions? I know I sure as hell don't. I recently read a story about British firm GameStation, who as a genius experiment, added a the 'immortal soul clause' to their terms and conditions on their website. Any customer who signed up prior to making a purchase in April 2010, had to agree to the terms and conditions.. as many other sites require users to. Had customers actually read the page, they would have read the following:


"By placing an order via this website on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamesation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions."

GameStation's form also points out that "we reserve the right to serve such notice in 6 (six) foot high letters of fire, however we can accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by such an act. If you a) do not believe you have an immortal soul, b) have already given it to another party, or c) do not wish to grant Us such a license, please click the link below to nullify this sub-clause and proceed with your transaction."

While the T&C's where updated on April Fools as a prank, they also did so to highlight a very serious point: Few if any, read the Terms and Conditions, and companies are free to insert whatever the hell they want into their documents. 

Shoppers where in fact given an 'opt out' tick box, which would have rewarded them with a £5 voucher, but very few actually did this.. in fact, some figures are showing that more than 7,500 customers fell for the ploy. Gamestation concluded from the figures that 88% of people do not read T&Cs before making a purchase.


GameStation executives are now assuring all customers that they are not enforcing the Immortal Soul Clause and will be contacting customers via email with a notice of nullification.. Now the question I want to ask - how much would you sell your soul for?

Rob Green.. Now that's one spill the Yanks won't be upset about!

The name on everyone's lips this weekend - Rob Green. Poor guy. I think I speak for all Goalkeepers, regardless of sport and say that I kinda felt for him.. and could think of a few of my own howlers from over the years. For those of you are thinking 'eh?' it all happened during the first match of the 2010 World Cup for England and the USA. What should have been an easy save turned into Green's worst nightmare, making him the most hated player since Beckham got sent off in the Argentina game in the 1998 World Cup.



I'm a Hockey Goalkeeper. Real hockey - Field hockey, not this Ice Business. Now, whilst goalkeeping, during a match at least, is not the most physically demanding position on the pitch, it sure as hell is the most mentally demanding. Try standing, in a restricted area for 70 - 90 minutes. You may never even touch the ball, and yet should you lose concentration for even a second, your whole game can be thrown out of whack. Your striker makes a mistake, they can recover. They lose the ball..they run back to get it, or someone else behind them does. YOU drop the ball, YOU mis-kick it and oh, look, a goal! Sure, it had to go past 10 other players to make it to the keeper, but try telling the keeper that. Then try and deal with the mental pressure of knowing that you've got to do something special the next time the ball comes your way.

Unfortunately, as players get older and the intelligence they play with develops, they won't try something different next time they sprint it down to your end again. They'll smack the ball in the exact same way, in the exact same place. And what have you done for the last 15minutes? Only replay your last cock up over.. and over.. and overrr again in your mind. You're expected to save it, but unfortunately, your subconscious gets the better of you and the ball goes in, again.

I think the worst thing is the fact that his team mates will also have lost confidence in him, this was evident after the goal went in.

My biggest gripe however, is the fact that England did not play their best game. Sure, Green cocked up. Sure, he could have saved it. But it's not much good when your 10 team mates can't get the ball up to the other end and have a decent crack at another goal. It's different if such a goal goes in and there's minutes left - then you've really messed up. But when you've still got more than a half to play, and you're against (no offence) the US, a 1-1 draw is pretty shit by England's standards.

So Rob, I've been there dude. I feel your pain. Let's hope you can do what we goalies know you can do - get back on that pitch and show em what we're made of.

I'm going for a run...

 

Some of you may or may not know that our Granny, Joan Duff was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in September 2008 and died last March. Not your typical 70 year old, she was the first person I ever knew to own a mobile phone, use the internet and right up until her health started to deteriorate, was still working for the Wycliffe N. Ireland team with her Husband Bob. In 1996 she ventured out to a clinic in Ghana where she used her nursing knowledge to lend a hand and give advice to the village people and help provide medications which on their own they could not afford. Throughout the next 13 years she was never without her crate of homemade marmalade in the boot of the car whose proceeds paid for the salaries of the nurses, and for the medicines for cataract operations. Granny and Granddad ventured out to Ghana as often as they could, at times up to seven months straight, right up until 2007, only one year before Granny was diagnosed with MND. The child in the picture with Granny is ‘Precious Joan’, named after her by one of the cooks in the Guest House Bob and Joan hosted.

Myself and my two sisters have decided that this year we will run the 10K road race in Lisburn in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association Northern Ireland. We have set up a just giving page for anyone who may wish to donate; all money will go straight to the charity to aid research and to help those with MND and their families.
An absolute inspiration and someone who influenced everybody she met, this running event is very poignant for the three of us.

Above: Granny and Precious Joan
Below: My younger sister Pauline, Older Sister Sharon, and me.

errr...

It's been a verrrry long time since I posted here. I had great intentions... they all fell flat on their faces. It's not as if I'm going to resurrect it or anything. I just need to tilt my chin up from my hanging in shame and make it look like I'm making an effort.

What I will post though, is the company I am working for, Backup Direct, have recently sponsored one of the Lions of Bath.. Lions - a public art event inspired by the successful King Bladud's Pigs 2008. Named 'Killerbyte' we were lucky to have acclaimed local artist Simon Spilsbury to produce and paint the design on our lion, which will be displayed at Bath Spa Railway Station for the next three months.

Check it out.. AWESOME! 


Simon Spilsbury's Lion of Bath from Simon Spilsbury on Vimeo.