channel four:Obsessive compulsive hoarder

Well its good to see the British media not falling behind in exploring hoarding as a documentary.
21st December the British public was able to have an insight into the home of Britains most notorious hoarder. Mr Wallace has actually found some unwanted fame in the past when he won a courtcase against the village neigbours who wanted him to clean his garden.
What i like bout the doucmentary with the sensititvity with which it was filmed although i think it may have been a health hazard for the camera crew!
There were parts that i recognised  for instance when came to throwing something away. My mum even recognised some stick that he had which also have- i  can't remember what it was for. My dad has newspapers too but mostly books.Our entrances to rooms are not on the same scale as Mr Wallace but i thoguhe we do have mirros lined against the walls on the floor
Also  didn't anybody else think the landscape Gardener, man who does he sound like? ..Ricky Gervais!

It did have an annoying ending- it did not tell us of what happened a couple of months after his clean up operation, or even one fo those announcements screens that are shown after programmes "if you have been affected by wha you have seen then you can contact thefollowingfor help and advice"...oh wait no thats on the BBC usually after Eastenders (British soap).It wasn't clear if ther was going to be a follow up episode.
Anyway i don't want to harp on about it but strongly recommend you watch it on 4 on demand and it is online till 18th January.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/obsessive-compulsive-hoarder/4od

SO as you know my dad has lots of books,CDs, floppy disks and lots of old technology. He slso some CD's with 90's pop music NSync anyone? well i have seen this website advertised (UK) for cashbee. They give you money for your old belongings and even give you free postage.  You jsut type in the barcode and it till tell you how much hey'll give you.So the CD's were worth about 21 pence. but i'm still going to try it out.So can you:
http://www.cashbee.co.uk/

BOOKS THE LAST CHAPTER REVIEW

So with the intention of inviting my dad to watch the below mentioned  programme i failed to consider that my dad had a very long working day and he had already dozed off by the time it was on air.
I found it bizarre the woman who sniffs books all day and  records this-surely this must be a health hazard. I recall back in my sutdents day at the time of swine flu was declared an epidemic; librarians handling books with latex gloves.Sniffing books all day is surely going to make you more prone to catching microbes.
Anyway the programme was rather long  but informative. E-books appeal to me they are convenient and lightweigh, though i am worried about the damage it may cause to my already short sightedness.The programme presented by Alan Yentob also extends on to artificical intelligence.
He spoke to an author who ate his novel!I found the second  half very interesting form a historic point of view and as for the expresso book-can't wait to see one here.
Books:The last chapter is available online until 28th December. Not sure if non-UK residents can access it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01871m9/

"Books-the Last Chapter?"

One of my first blogs was about the rise of e-books and the possible redundancy of physical books. There is a programme on BBC One tonight at 10:35pm and i am going to make my dad watch it.No actually i think its best if i watch it before my dad, in order for me to have my arguments ready in case there is something in there which justifies my dads book collection (which has engulfed the living room).
 Not everyone will be able to view the programme but there are some fantastic links on the programmes website about the future of books:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01871m9

Anxiety and shame

We all act differently when we are anxious and have our own coping mechanisms,  while some become quiet withdrawn, others start eating lots or smoke a ciggy. Anxiety can manifest itself as an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive disorder) and  hoarding falls under this category. When someone is frustrated or angry with life then OCD will be more prevalent. Anger is the common driver of anxiety disorders and boy does my dad have anger issues. I believe it is my dads anger and the fact education and careeers opportunities were denied to him as a growing child led to this.
In Pakistan, the teachers were regularly on strike before exams, he did not have many books.In the West we are blessed to have a free compulsory education and do not have to purchase "course books" until further education. I think my dad is compensating for what he did not have as a child and is so self absorbed an warped into his own feeling  is causing his children more harm than good. He went on numerous college courses but because of the language barrier and personality trait wasn't able to bear the fruits of his achievements- Always blaming someobody else (the blame culture) for his shortcomings i wonder if this is a universal trait of hoarders blaming others for their issues and not taking responsibility. Like many parents their frustration and anger is displaced on actions which are received by other as strange. They may mean well but not go about it the right way.
It is a fact children whose parents have been overbearingly critical are susceptible to depression i was fortunate to read this in my early 20's from a book on depression any guessing where it came from?

American hoarder show

Ill health has meant i can't contribute on here as much as i llike.
in the meantime you could check out the following:
http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/