penbat1 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Parasites I can think of are: 1/ Estate Agents 2/ Solicitors (for things like conveyancing, executing wills, probate etc) 3/ Funeral Directors 4/ Grossly overpaid fund managers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbox Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Parasites I can think of are: 1/ Estate Agents 2/ Solicitors (for things like conveyancing, executing wills, probate etc) 3/ Funeral Directors 4/ Grossly overpaid fund managers I would add; High tech industry - they cleverly convince us we simply cant live without the latest gadget, piece of software In the process the enviroment is raped for resources. I used to have a recording studio full of synths and high tech gear. We got swept along on the tide of change until one day it suddenely dawned on us that it was 99% hype and myth. It turned out that dedicated 15 year old kit sounded just as good yet invariably performed better with less bugs and far more intuative operating procedures. We got sick of updating kit only to find all sorts of bugs and incompatibility issues often due to the fact the software designers were too far removed from the needs of the end user - all a giant con. Fashion Movie stars - most of them Celebs - yuk, pathetic self - obsessed greedy people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penbat1 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 I would add; High tech industry - they cleverly convince us we simply cant live without the latest gadget, piece of software In the process the enviroment is raped for resources. I used to have a recording studio full of synths and high tech gear. We got swept along on the tide of change until one day it suddenely dawned on us that it was 99% hype and myth. It turned out that dedicated 15 year old kit sounded just as good yet invariably performed better with less bugs and far more intuative operating procedures. We got sick of updating kit only to find all sorts of bugs and incompatibility issues often due to the fact the software designers were too far removed from the needs of the end user - all a giant con. Fashion Movie stars - most of them Celebs - yuk, pathetic self - obsessed greedy people Yep well said I 100% agree. That TV award programs last nite on ITV was pure garbage. I also hate Parkinson and the way he introduces his guests as superstars and legends etc to flatter their egos. These celebs earn insane amounts of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classixuk Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Parasites I can think of are: 1/ Estate Agents 2/ Solicitors (for things like conveyancing, executing wills, probate etc) 3/ Funeral Directors 4/ Grossly overpaid fund managers Could you please edit your post to read 2/ Solicitors (for everything) Thankyou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penbat1 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 (edited) Could you please edit your post to read 2/ Solicitors (for everything) Thankyou. I was just thinking I might need one if the police banged on my door and arrested me (falsely of course) . Edited October 27, 2005 by penbat1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Charlie The Tramp Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Why Funeral Directors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbox Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 BTW, I dont agree Funeral Parlours are parasites. It's a truly depressing job so ought to be comensurate with adequate reward, I would'nt do it for any amount. Insurance companies are villains. They give large / loud statments about the positive aspects of thier service, yet give massively less weight / resource allocation when it comes to telling us the bad points of a contract. A freind claimed for a new carpet. She was told she was only entitled to that proportion of the carpet that was damamged (a small area). She could'nt find a supply of the old portion so didnt get a penny or a replacement carpet! Con Men. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no accountant Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I would add; High tech industry - they cleverly convince us we simply cant live without the latest gadget, piece of software In the process the enviroment is raped for resources. I used to have a recording studio full of synths and high tech gear. We got swept along on the tide of change until one day it suddenely dawned on us that it was 99% hype and myth. It turned out that dedicated 15 year old kit sounded just as good yet invariably performed better with less bugs and far more intuative operating procedures. We got sick of updating kit only to find all sorts of bugs and incompatibility issues often due to the fact the software designers were too far removed from the needs of the end user - all a giant con. Fashion Movie stars - most of them Celebs - yuk, pathetic self - obsessed greedy people It's occured to me aswell, (and maybe mentioned here) - imagine how much cheaper it would be if you could get excited with 2 or 3 year old gear. Imagine if you are now just as excited to get the Playstation 1 as a PS3. A PS1 is only £10 on ebay! If you ran your life like this you do half the work other people do and still be happy. In fact a lot happier, because you'd have loads more free time. Personally I'm a complete sucker for the marketing - suddenly a 15 inch screen is crap when you can get a 19 inch one for less. How can you be be content with a 1GHz processor if your friend has a 3GHz dual core? Think we've just run out of useful things to buy, so we need artifical excitment engineered by creative marketing. Need an iPod Nano, need a plasma television, need HDTV, need DVD version 2, need 24Mb broadband, need video on demand, need video phone - NEED MORE STUFF! (this is what makes the modern world go round - if we were content with old stuff then a whole chunk of the economy would dissappear) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penbat1 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 (edited) Why Funeral Directors? Because they ruthlessly exploit emotional vulnerability and ignorance of people related to the deceased. 97% of the population accept the price and terms of the first funeral director they walk into - they dont have the clear-headedness or gall to "shop around". They typically charge £1,500 to £2,000. They are generally reluctant to give you a price breakdown even if you ask for one. Most Funeral Directors imply that they are an independant family business from their street name when really they are usually a branch of a large commercial company. This is blatant deceit. Nothing in the law requires that Funeral Directors need be involved at all in the process. You can do it all or organise it all yourself - there are advantages in doing this so you can customise it any way you want and save a huge amount of money. There is no legal obligation to embalm the body, no legal obligation for a coffin or hearse. Any ceremony is entirely optional and can be anything you like such as a poem or a favourite piece of music that the deceased liked. Also these days there is an increasing trend towards humanist funerals. Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker had one. Also solicitors rake off a huge percentage of the estate by doing will execution and probate work you can normally do yourself. Edited October 27, 2005 by penbat1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doomwatch Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Parasites I can think of are: 1/ Estate Agents 2/ Solicitors (for things like conveyancing, executing wills, probate etc) 3/ Funeral Directors 4/ Grossly overpaid fund managers 5. Recruitment "consultants", especiall the public scholl dim whits who work for Michael Page, allegedly. 6. Large Consultancies such as "Accupunture" for producing poor governmental systems and charging the earth. They also now specialise in "outsourcing". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slater14 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Why Funeral Directors? Stop getting morbid Charlie......you've got years before you need one of those fellas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbox Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 It's occured to me aswell, (and maybe mentioned here) - imagine how much cheaper it would be if you could get excited with 2 or 3 year old gear. Imagine if you are now just as excited to get the Playstation 1 as a PS3. A PS1 is only £10 on ebay! If you ran your life like this you do half the work other people do and still be happy. In fact a lot happier, because you'd have loads more free time. I generally dont get swept along with all the hype. I'm perfectly happy with my basic mobile phone. Im really happy with my yr 1999 Sony camcorder, a bit bulky and embarrasing but so what, it works. Until recently I had an ancient Sony TV. Ive recently upgraded to an all singing all dancing Panasonic with surround sound, sub woofa, dedicated amp etc, but does it make my life any better? No, not really. The point is, along with the usual suspects (lawyers / E/As) many people involved in manaufacturing are also part of the bloodsucker culture as they dont really add value. In fact, thinking about it, most of us are actually parasites if we agree most of what we do is'nt really beneficial and tends to have an enviromental footprint somewhere along the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bart of Darkness Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I also hate Parkinson and the way he introduces his guests as superstars and legends etc to flatter their egos. The terms "star", "superstar" and "legend" have become grossly devalued of late. And as for Parky... TV Cream have a go at Parky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Charlie The Tramp Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Nothing in the law requires that Funeral Directors need be involved at all in the process. You can do it all or organise it all yourself - there are advantages in doing this so you can customise it any way you want and save a huge amount of money. There is no legal obligation to embalm the body, no legal obligation for a coffin or hearse. Any ceremony is entirely optional and can be anything you like such as a poem or a favourite piece of music that the deceased liked. Also these days there is an increasing trend towards humanist funerals. Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker had one. Are these cheaper? I really must start planning for the future. I`ve got a penny a week life policy which has been running 50 years, will that be enough? Stop getting morbid Charlie......you've got years before you need one of those fellas! Well, everytime I pass their window they peer over the half curtain at me and smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penbat1 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 (edited) I forgot to mention Financial Advisers. Good idea in theory but a nightmare in practice. Are these cheaper? I really must start planning for the future. I`ve got a penny a week life policy which has been running 50 years, will that be enough? Well, everytime I pass their window they peer over the half curtain at me and smile. All that normally needs to be paid, if you do it yourself, is a couple of hundred quid for cremation or burial. You can transport the deceased using any form of transport you like. So that makes it around £200 against a possible £2000. Princess Diana was buried in the grounds of her family home. You could do that yourself for nothing if you get permission - only downside is that it is likely to reduce the property value by 25%. Edited October 27, 2005 by penbat1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tentpeg Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 You don't have to use any of these peoples services if you don't want to, but I wouldn't go to court without a solicitor! The reason we pay them for their services is because they know more about the law than we do. Simple. I don't know much about funeral directors yet, and estate agents are marginal. Celebs I agree are a complete waste of skin! But if everyone took this low tech attitude, we'd all still be living in mud huts eating dirt! Come to think of it, if this housing boom continues we may still end up doing that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erd Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 You can transport the deceased using any form of transport you like. Bet you get a funny look on the bus though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashCrash Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I would add; High tech industry If not for hi-tech, you would not be doing this, would you ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penbat1 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 (edited) You don't have to use any of these peoples services if you don't want to, but I wouldn't go to court without a solicitor! The reason we pay them for their services is because they know more about the law than we do. Simple. I don't know much about funeral directors yet, and estate agents are marginal. Celebs I agree are a complete waste of skin! But if everyone took this low tech attitude, we'd all still be living in mud huts eating dirt! Come to think of it, if this housing boom continues we may still end up doing that Thats why i qualified my point about solicitors. They would be useful if i was arrested but they are parasites for things like conveyancing, probate work and will execution where they charge a fortune, take ages and even sometimes help themselves to your money. And you can do it fairly easily yourself. I plan to live the alternative lifestyle soon by retiring to buy a villa with loads of land in a Bulgarian village. You can get one for around £1700 if you cut out the estate agent. I would live "The good life" by growing my own food etc. Edited October 27, 2005 by penbat1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 TTRTR........ PG............KOTC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erranta Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Are these cheaper? I really must start planning for the future. I`ve got a penny a week life policy which has been running 50 years, will that be enough? Well, everytime I pass their window they peer over the half curtain at me and smile. Charlie why not go out with a bang (and a tinkle ) What they do is knock you with a hammer and you collapse in a shower of miniscule ice particles! Still interested? They are experimenting with a new 'environmentally sound' form of cremation(?) They freeze you(in liquid Nitrogen to minus 200+degrees) instead of crisping you(well we are running low on Gas - as they keep telling us) Then whack you with a hammer - bit of a blow! I'm quite happy to be 'tinkled' straight out of the mortuary! Who needs funeral directors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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