It's a hard knock life..

A hard knock life it is, couldn't have described it better myself.
My alarm went off at 6 this morning. I immediately realised that the bottle of red, and the packet of pop corn I had for dinner last night had done me no good.
I slowly opened one eye. Although my room was dark the sight of the world was too much to take in and I could feel an irritating headache coming on.
I closed my eyes again, rolled down on the winter cold floor and started counting down from 60.

- Did you sleep well? and what are you doing on the floor asked my date, a sexy italian consultant that I've been seeing for a few weeks. Apart from being 5 years younger, he is also aspiring to be the worlds greatest lover and cook. Not bad! Combined with the fact that he doesn't snore and have an adorable accent, the man is a bargain :)


48, 47, 46, - I am waking up, and on my way to take a shower, I replied.
As for sleep, did not sleep long but when I did, it was top quality deep sleep.

I stumbled into the bathroom, a quick facial wrinkle inspection, which confirmed that I won't have to get botox just jet.

After a long, warm shower, I got dressed and hit the road. Site survey, VIP - visit read my calender. I made a quick pitstop at my local coffe shop, a polish staffed canteen styled breakfast haven. The lady behind the counter looked at me and said "full fried"?
To which I replied, Continental with a caffe latte please. I have made a promise to myself to eat more healthy organic food, but with a potential hangover luring around the corner, I started regretting it.

I got in to the office just before 8. My boss met me in the door and said, "I've got something for you, for tonight".
-What could that be, I replied. A handsome stranger and a bottle of champagne? Dinner with Jamie Oliver?

-Hold your horses, it is a function..

- Oh, time to get my little black number out then, finally. What am I representing?

- I've put you down as head of security. I know you will be brilliant, you have the experience and the looks to go with it.
Upmarket venue and posh crowd, I am sure you will like it.


I forced a fake smile upon my face, great!

I was looking forward to a quiet Friday in, me myself and I, flat out on the sofa. Visually entertained by my much beloved flatscreen tv. I had been counting on it so much that I've actually gone out and bought a new, very soft and warm blanket, just for the occasion. Weekends off are a rariety and needs to be celebrated when they occur!

Upmarket venue, that usually mean a strange and clutterly decorated confinement, hosting a large number of attention seeking, stuck up wannabies, with money and material things being the common denominator. These people are usually cosmetically challenging, borderline obese and dressed up in ill fitting, small and revealing outfits.
They thrive on odd conversation, repulsive dance moves and chemical substances hazardous to health.
Most of them are loonies looking to mate and date. Somewhat rejected and under the influence, the find themselves left with one option, to pursue the security..


Watch this space, I will log in with an update and a need for councelling! :)

Audition for police officers - Middleton's X Factor

Looks like Kate Myddleton is turning into Simon Cowell in her search for personal protection.
Anyone wants to have a go??

"A shot of love with Tila Tequila" springs to mind..


Kate Middleton auditions police protection officers
Mandrake hears that Kate Middleton is currently "trying out" a series of police protection officers to find the one with whom she feels most comfortable.

Mandrake, by Richard Eden Last Updated: 11:44PM BST 27 Sep 2008
"Having a protection officer is a very close relationship and it is vital to get it right," says a security source familiar with the situation at Clarence House.
"The officer is the person with whom you can end up spending most time and it can be a nightmare if it is someone you can't get along with."
William and his father have agreed to pay for as much protection as is felt necessary for the 26-year-old St Andrews graduate.
Since she left the Scottish university in 2005 she has been pursued by paparazzi and there have been a number of potentially dangerous incidents.
Last year, the lawyers that she shares with the Prince threatened unprecedented legal action to try to protect her privacy from photographers. Harbottle and Lewis warned that they would seek redress under the Human Rights Act to spare her from harassment.
Comparisons have been made between her treatment and that of the young Lady Diana Spencer, who was followed daily by cameramen from the moment the courtship of Prince Charles became public.

Relationship with the principal.

Came across this article on the internet. It highlights the importance of creating a good working relationship with the principal. It also shows how easily this is ruined, and once this has happened your career could potentially be ruined.

The close protection field is a small, enclosed circuit. What comes around, goes around.
The moment you violates a client relationship, whether it will be by talking to the press or writing a book, e.tc. is the moment you can put your SIA badge and all your qualifications up on the shelf, cause quite frankly, you are burnt bread..

We all remember Beckhams BG, who got so carried away that he rocked up at VIP clubs, telling people that he is David Beckham...

From the Daily telegraph:

Sir - I retired from the Metropolitan Police in November 2001 and for the last 22 years of my police service I worked closely with the Royal Family and the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace. Between 1982 and 1999, I held the privileged position of being the personal protection officer to the Duke of York.Over the past two weeks I have watched the ruthless marketing of Ken Wharfe's book on Diana, Princess of Wales with disgust. I don't feel it is appropriate for me to comment on the effect this may be having on Prince William, Prince Harry or anyone else, but I have a view from a protection perspective.As a retired police inspector (the same rank that Mr Wharfe held), I am well qualified to comment on what he has done. Without going into the mechanics of protection, one of the most important objectives for a personal protection officer is building a professional working relationship with the principal. The closeness of the role requires a trust and confidence similar to that between "partners".Effective personal protection can only work by consent and co-operation; therefore, the chemistry between a protection officer and the principal is of paramount importance.Mr Wharfe has harmed the potential relationship between a protection officer and principal more than anyone can imagine. Private matters should remain private; confidences should not be betrayed and protection secrets must remain secret.This episode casts a cloud over one of the most professional protection departments in the world. I am sure that all Royalty Protection Officers - serving and retired - would also be saddened by Mr Wharfe's actions.Mr Wharfe's time as a protection officer is over, and reflecting on his decision to write this book, this is undoubtedly a very good thing. His motivation to "kiss and tell" was, most likely, to make a lot of money.My message to him is simple: if, as he has said in recent interviews, his real motivation to write this book was to "tell the truth about Diana", then he should prove it by pledging to give all profits from the book's sale to charity. This would go some way towards redeeming him.
From: Geoffrey Padgham, Bromley, Kent

How good is your cultural awareness? you will love this test

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/culture-tests.html

Cultural awareness is extremely important for bodyguards. It is an understanding of how a persons culture may affect their values, behaviour, beliefs and basic assumptions.

Cultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact with peopole from other cultures. As a bodyguard you will most likely work for a variety of clients, in different locations.
What is considered appropriate behaviour in one culture, might very well be deemed inappropriate in another culture. Misunderstandings arise when we substitute knowledge of other peoples realities, by making assumtions based upon or own experiences.
For example, looking someone straight into the in Japan is considered rude.


Increasing your knowledge of cultural awareness means to see both the positive and the negative aspects of cultural differences, and apply this information on real life situations.
Diversity increases the level of complexity and confusion, making agreements difficult to reach.
It can also provide a different approach to problem solving as it creates valuable new skills and behaviours.

When working with people from different religions/ culturess, please remember:

We are not all the same
Similarities and differences are both important
There are multiple ways to reach the same goal and to live life
The best way depends on the cultural contingency. Each situation is different and may require a different solution.


Admit that you don’t know
Suspend judgments - gather as much information as possible so you can assess the situation correctly.
Empathy - Treat other people like you want to be treated.
Feedback - Welcome feedback from other people, constantly reassess your choices and assumptions, to ensure you have fully appreciated the situation.
Be openminded - Assume that other people are as resourceful as you are and learn from them.
Be approachable and adaptable.
Get to know you client, the location and threat.

Khaddafi's sexy bodyguards - the story behind

On September 20, President Bush lifted the U.S. trade embargo on Libya, which is now expected to pay more than $1 billion in compensation to families of the 1988 bombing victims of Pan Am Flight 103 in Scotland. In July 2004, the U.S. resumed diplomatic relations with Libya following dictator Moammar Qaddafi's agreement to give up his nukes program, to acknowledge responsibility for the bombing, and to renounce terrorism (Qaddafi was one of the first Arab leaders to denounce the attacks of September 11). Last April, in an attempt to normalize relations with the European Union, Qaddafi visited Europe for the first time in fifteen years. He has also been gracious enough to aver that "It is no longer acceptable or reasonable to say that the Jews should be thrown into the sea." Even as far back as July 2002, Libya was elected that year's chair of the Human Rights commission of the U.N., presumably the United Nations of Bizarro World. Indeed, all of the above is part of Libya's ongoing effort to rehabilitate its image in the eyes of the world, and of the extreme makeover of its non-elected leader Moammar Qaddafi. It's the political equivalent of a porn star — a porn star who kills people — going legit. But if Qaddafi ever wants his transformation to be complete, he'll have to do something not only about his country's ongoing human rights abuses (see Amnesty International), but also his trademark posse of female bodyguards. Everywhere he goes, he's surrounded by a badass bunch of Lara Croft clones, usually in matching colored camouflage (of dubious use in the desert). They've been described as "wearing their Kalashnikovs like Gucci fashion accessories." (Yes, news articles always describe that they're wearing. Not like you ever hear the AP mention the "navy wool, three-button, notched-lapel suits" of the Secret Service.) On a good day, the bodyguards make Qaddafi look like Hef. On a bad day, a Bond villain. On every day, a crackpot. You might argue, hey, at least the "Brother Leader and Guide of the Revolution" is employing and arming women, trusting them with the most important responsibility in the entire nation — i.e., him. Or that female bodyguards, fetishistic though they may be, are a little higher on the objectification ladder than, say, women dressed as schoolgirls. And yes, they do seem to be more than an armed harem: they're trained in weaponry; they "brawl" with Egyptian security men; they step into the line of fire. (The woman said to be Qaddafi's top bodyguard reportedly took a bullet for him in Athens in 1998). Naïve as it may sound, there's reason to believe — as you'll see — that among Qaddafi's options for sexual companionship, these are not the women who'd be asked to multitask. And believe it or not, when it comes to the ladies, some of Qaddafi's policies over the years have, arguably, been a half-step or so above abysmal. All told, a mini-overview of Qaddafi's oddly mixed record on women shows the Colonel to be even weirder about them than meets the eye. "Qaddafi is progressive on the one hand, and eccentric on the other," Michael Gunter, Ph.D., professor of political science and Middle East expert at Tennessee Tech University says, charitably. Progressive? Well, a little. When Qaddafi's party seized power in 1969, its intent was to modernize Libya, at least where expedient, while maintaining respect for Islamic tradition, at least where expedient. As part of this goal, women were used as a
The Lara Croft clones wear matching camouflage (of dubious use in the desert). "lever of social change," writes Maria Graeff-Wassink in her essay, Militarization of Women and 'Feminism' in Libya (quotes hers). Today, many urban Libyan women do not wear the Muslim head scarf; they attend university in droves. Back in the '70s, though, Qaddafi's biggest move was to determine that women should serve in Libya's army and that training should start young. He pointed out — clearly to counter conservative Muslims — that women had actually played roles in war throughout Libya's historical tradition. (He also, perhaps even more convincingly, pointed out that Israel's army had women and Libya, with its similar population, would need a similar number of bodies in uniform.) Graeff-Wassink sees "feminist" motive, or at least result, in the conscription of young women: "Girls at puberty, instead of remaining shut up in the home stuffing themselves with sweetmeats, were to put on uniforms to do the physical exercises of military training." But apparently, the plan for universal conscription of women was never fully carried out. A women's military academy opened in Tripoli in 1979 for "volunteers" (rumor has it that some were coerced) aged thirteen to seventeen. Qaddafi announced, "Women will not be free or respected or exercise their rights until they are strong and have taken possession of all the weapons: firearms just like the weapons of science, knowledge, culture, and revolution." By some counts, about 7,000 women had graduated from the academy by 1983 (it's not clear what they "did" with their degrees), but West Point it never was. The school closed that year after students ripped down fences to escape. Subsequent attempts to require women's military service never quite took hold. In any case, Qaddafi has clearly stated that he's determined his nation — whether through military service or otherwise — be a society "where there is total equality between men and women." He must be at least partly sincere about all this, as that "feminist" position is not necessarily one that will get him votes. (Not that he needs them. According to the CIA factbook, Libya is "in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship.) But in large part, Qaddafi's talking smack. According to his proposition, there would have to be "total equality" among his elite bodyguards — half of those ladies would be out of a job. Then there's the matter of the beauty pageant. In 2002, evidently not that busy with the UN human rights thing, Libya rounded up contestants via the Internet and hosted the international "Miss @ Net World" pageant. During most of the event, the leggy ladies traipsed around Tripoli in matching (and modest) Qaddafi t-shirts. "Miss @ Net World USA" Tecca Zendik, in Qaddafi's tent for a photo op, evidently wept at the description of U.S. forces bombing Qaddafi's home. The Colonel himself comforted her by groping her knee and neck, and later rewarding her with honorary Libyan citizenship. Also, did you know about Qaddafi and Princess Diana? He's obsessed with her. Or, at least, Brother Leader is a sucker for a good love story. According to the London Sunday Telegraph, he tried to acquire the collection of Diana's intimate letters to suitor James Hewitt. Libya does appear prepared to sign the UN's Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, and has indicated some compliance with other protocols from the 2000 Women's Conference in Beijing. But otherwise, for better or for worse, women's rights are not mentioned specifically in Amnesty's most recent reports (they're a little busy with torture, unfair trials, and so forth). Still, responses to queries posted at libyana.org suggest that if Qaddafi meant all this stuff about women, perhaps he'd dispatch the bodyguards to set some civilians straight. Of one type of Libyan husband, "shiafti" writes: "He is cool about her driving a car and going shopping by herself but how can he be assured of her safety when it is difficult for her to go past the building door without being harassed and hit on." Another writes: "What amazes me the most is that Libyan men, even after being educated, living abroad, they still look at the Libyan woman as if she is an inferior human being, she is an item of pleasure, a cook and a housecleaner." Not blaming the guys, or saying these opinions are anything but generalizations, but: it's still pretty clear that in practice, women's rights don't trickle down into the culture from the pedestal Qaddafi puts them on. (Or, of course, that as a role model, no one really takes him seriously.) So, yes, Qaddafi loves the ladies. He digs his Moammar-sketeers. He thinks they're hot and that they should have power and rights — especially if they're protecting him. In other words, "Q" is for Women.

A clients view on female bodygards (Gaddafi)

6/12/98: "A female bodyguard sacrificed her life to save Colonel Gaddafi from assassination. The beautiful security girl was one of a 40-strong, all-woman unit of personal guards who are trained killers & also claim to be virgins. "She threw herself on top of the Libyan leader when rebels opened fire on his motorcade, & died riddled with bullets. Seven other women bodyguards were also seriously wounded. A source said: 'Gaddafi was deeply distressed. Aisha, the woman who died, was his top bodyguard.'"Gaddafi surrounds himself with handpicked female bodyguards to foil such attacks. All of them swear an oath that they will give their lives for him. They never leave his side, night or day, & he insists they remain virgins. There is no shortage of volunteers for what is seen as a prestigious job. A special training college puts recruits through a tough program. Girls who don't drop out emerge as trained killers, experts with firearms & martial arts. Gaddafi makes the final selection &, despite the virginal tag, rumors abound that he demands their sexual favors." New opera based on the life of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, featuring rapper as Gaddafi & chorus of all-female bodyguards;Brawl between Gaddafi's women bodyguards & Egyptian security;Gaddafi humiliated when notorious female bodyguards unceremoniously disarmed by Ethiopian SecurityGaddafi on women: "Women should be trained for combat, so that they do not become easy prey for their enemies." In the West, "the situation for women is hardly enviable: she has left home but only to confront a difficult fate, driving trucks & trains."

Female bodyguards are the best

Female bodyguards are being employed in larger numbers. They are proving to be more useful than the old style version of a macho protector. Hiring a woman as a bodyguard gives you the added protection that you can unleash her power with little chance of liability. No judge will believe that a woman is capable of using such a powerful force.Women that are being harassed and stalked by a rejected lover are turning to private security agencies to have a woman bodyguard protect them. The female bodyguard will quickly provide a solution. Any guy that is harassing and stalking her client will soon be taught a lesson he will never forget. A swift kick to his balls will teach him to keep his distance from his former girlfriend. He will be too embarrassed to report this painful experience to the proper authorities.One private security agency employs over fifty females who have earned black belts. Each one of them is capable of battling with as much as three ordinary men and sending them all to the hospital. One of the agencies bodyguards is a sixty year old grandma that has been proven to be the most deadly. She once demolished a street gang single handed. She was hired by a store owner that was being harassed by the gang. Witnesses said the sight of an elderly lady ass wiping ten tough men was a sight that they would never forget.Hollywood stars who are stalked by admirers are turning to female bodyguards for protection. Male bodyguards are useless against a gang of fans determined to sexually molest a celebrity. That gang has to be kicked and punched to protect their client. It would look awful if one of their male bodyguards would do that. A few female bodyguards with black belt experience could send a pack of stalkers running in the opposite direction. Nobody but the stalkers that were making the life of the celebrity a bad one would complain. Their complaints would fall on deaf ears.

A dictator of an oil rich country keeps one hundred female bodyguards in his compound. They are all lesbians that are extremely loyal to their benefactor. If he dies they will all be homeless. Each one carries a sword and pistol, they will quickly use either one if their master is in danger. A coup by members of the army was quickly defeated by his female bodyguards. The testicles of the disloyal were strewn around the compound grounds. No prisoners were taken. It is sure nobody will ever try to depose that dictator again.The female bodyguard is quickly replacing male protection because she is more effective. Many single men that are weak and poor as fighters are now marrying women that have earned the degree of a black belt. They have found it to be a great way of protecting themselves. The macho male is slowly losing his power in the face of a female that knows how to battle. This is bad news for bullies those that victimize the weak and good news for people who need a lady that can fight.melpol