Saying it straight...........

If you haven't seen this guy before, you've missed an extraordinarily erudite speaker who was a comedian before he found his niche. He is serious when he is funny, and he is funny when he is serious. And, boy, does he make sense. This is his latest, and I think the first of 2011.

http://dotsub.com/media/b5ee5ada-5b37-4b0b-9916-e0896337ec4b/e/m

Soon to be OAP

Overheard in the Local Cafe

At the weekend I was sitting in a local supermarket café for the obligatory cuppa whilst out doing my weekly shop.
A family were sitting behind me, mother in her 40’s and daughter who looked around 17/18.
A statement that the daughter made (rather loudly – my hearing is not what it used to be) made me wonder what the hell is happening.
The statement was about her getting a flat with her mate and “ as she only got £600 per month on the social” she could not afford a flat on her own, but with both of them getting that amount they could afford it between them.
Now to me £600 per month equates to £150 per week tax free for a single woman of say 18 yrs of age. That is the benefits she is entitled to – and from what she was saying she knew exactly what she could and should claim for.
What astounds me is that it has obviously been decided by the great and the good, that a single young person needs £150 per week to live on. If this is the case why is it that a pensioner only requires £96 to live on (£150 for a couple) – that’s the basic pension for a single person in receipt of the “old age pension”.
To me it beggars belief that the young require more than the older, who need to find the additional cost of heating etc, just to stay alive.
I am not yet in receipt of OAP - but will be in six mnonths, luckily I have the military pension also so I won’t need to live on that sum.
Is it only me that thinks that benefits for all people should be based on the amount that the government believe is the correct sum for someone in receipt of OAP?

Churchill saw it coming.

Unbelievable, but the speech below was written in 1899, delivered by Winston Churchill in 1899 when he was a young soldier and journalist. It probably sets out the current views of many but expressed in the wonderful Churchillian turn of phrase and use of the English language, of which he was a past master. Sir Winston Churchill was a brave young soldier, a brilliant journalist, an extraordinary politician and statesman, a great war leader and Prime Minister, to whom the Western world is in his debt. He was a prophet in his own time.

HERE IS THE SPEECH:

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."

Sir Winston Churchill; (The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 London )

Churchill saw it coming.

Wikileaks wonderland

Genuine question: How do you know they are accurate?

You see, the problem I have with this leak and the previous one is reliability. May be someone can help me out. Do we know where all this information came from? Or are we assuming all information dumped on wikileaks is an original source? Pure fact or fact mixed with fiction?

Playing the devil's advocate here.... So far most wikileak files mentioned in the press seem to be "confirmations" of earlier speculations. It looks like what we suspected all along is true (however, we never saw it in writing, and writing makes it true somehow. And when it's on tv of course.....) An example:

Apparently one of the wikileak documents suggests there are nucleair weapons in The Netherlands. Information considered a public secret. This evening the foreign affairs minister was interviewed about this and he declined to comment. The journalist then said "well it's in the public domain anyway, look it's on wikileaks.". The minister still had no comments, but it would be easy to lure someone into a "oh well, you got me there! Yeah, we do have them. 50 to be precisely at Woensdrecht".

The fact that it's on wikileaks doesn't make it holy writ as such. By posting information "everybody knows already" (read: everybody suspects) there is a hint of familiarity. It must be true! Since there is an infodump at the moment, everybody dives into the content and not into the evidence itself. What about the nature of these documents. Again, are all these documents original sources?

If someone could explain to me how they all know these are original sources I'd be very grateful. I'm new to these wikileaks so I could have missed it.

300 sad memories.

Today marks a sad milestone in Afghanistan.
Below is a complete list of those who have died in the service of their country.

April 9 2002 Private Darren George, 23
August 17 Sergeant Robert Busuttil, 30

January 28 2004 Private Jonathan Kitulagoda, 23

October 29 2005 Lance Corporal Steven Sherwood, 23

March 22 2006 Corporal Mark Cridge, 25
March 27 Corporal Peter Craddock, 31
June 11 Captain Jim Philippson, 29
June 27Captain David Patten, 38, and Sergeant Paul Bartlett, 35
July 1 Corporal Peter Thorpe, 27, Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, 24,
July 5 Private Damien Jackson, 19,
August 1 Captain Alex Eida, 29, 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Johnson, 24, Lance Corporal Ross Nicholls, 27
August 6 Private Andrew Cutts, 19
August 9 Private Leigh Reeves, 25
August 12 Lance Corporal Sean Tansey, 26
August 20 Corporal Bryan Budd, 29
August 27 Lance Corporal Jonathan Hetherington, 22
September 1 Ranger Anare Draiva, 27, Lance Corporal Paul Muirhead, 29
September 2 14 soldiers killed in Nimrod crash: Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, 38, Flt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, 28, Flt Lt Gareth Nicholas, 40, Flt Lt Allan Squires, 39, Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, Flight Sergeant Gary Andrews, 48, Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, Flt Sgt Gerard Bell, 48, Flt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, Sgt Benjamin Knight, 25, Sgt John Langton, 29, Sgt Gary Quilliam, 42, Lance Corporal Oliver Dicketts, 27, Marine Joseph Windall, 22
September 4 Private Craig O'Donnell, 24
September 6 Corporal Mark Wright, 27, Lance Corporal Luke McCulloch, 21
October 19 Marine Gary Wright, 22
December 5 Marine Jonathan Wigley, 21
December 12 Richard Watson, 23
December 27 Lance Bombardier James Dwyer, 22

January 13 2007 Marine Tom Curry, 21
January 15 Lance Corporal Mathew Ford, 30
February 21 2007 Marine Jonathan Holland, 23, Marine Scott Summers, 23
March 3 Lance Bombardier Ross Clark, 25, Lance Bombardier Liam 'Paddy' McLaughlin, 21
March 6 Royal Marine Ben Reddy, 22
March 8 Warrant Officer Class 2 Mick Smith, 39
April 13 Private Chris Gray, 19
May 3 Guardsman Simon Davison, 22
May 20 Lance Corporal George Russell Davey, 23
May 26 Guardsman Daniel Probyn, 22
May 28 Corporal Darren Bonner, 31
May 30 Corporal Mike Gilyeat, 28,
June 6 Lance Corporal Paul Sandford, 23
June 9 Guardsman Neil Downes, 20
June 24 Drummer Thomas Wright, 26
June 30 Captain Sean Dolan, 40
July 1 Sergeant Dave Wilkinson, 33
July 12 Guardsman Daryl Hickey, 27
July 25 Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins, 22
July 26 Guardsman David Atherton, 25
July 27 Sergeant Barry Keen, 34
July 29 Lance Corporal Michael Jones, 26
August 10 Private Tony Rawson, 27
August 11 Captain David Hicks, 26
August 23 Private Aaron McClure, 19, Private Robert Foster, 19, Private John Thrumble, 21
August 30 Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge, 20
September 5 Private Ben Ford, 18, and Private Damian Wright, 23
September 8 Sergeant Craig Brelsford, 25, and Private Johan Botha, 25
September 17 Lance Corporal Ivano Violino, 29
September 20 Colour Sergeant Phillip Newman, 36, Private Brian Tunnicliffe, 33
October 4 Major Alexis Roberts, 32
November 9 Lance Corporal Jake Alderton, 22, Captain John McDermid, 43
December 4 Trooper Jack Sadler, 21
December 8 Sergeant Lee Johnson, 33

January 20 2008 Corporal Darryl Gardiner, 25
January 17 Corporal Damian Lawrence, 25
February 20 Corporal Damian Mulvihill, 32
March 30 Lieutenant John Thornton, 22, Marine David Marsh, 23
April 13 Senior Aircraftman Graham Livingstone, 23, Senior Aircraftman Gary Thompson, 51
April 21 Trooper Robert Pearson, 22
May 2 Trooper Ratu Babakobau, 29
May 19 James Thompson, 27
May 25 Marine Dale Gostick, 22
June 8 Private Nathan Cuthbertson, 19, Private Daniel Gamble, 22, Private Charles David Murray, 19
June 12 Lance Corporal James Bateman, 29, Private Jeff Doherty, 20
June 17 Corporal Sarah Bryant, 26, Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, 28, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin, 39, Private Paul Stout, 31
June 24 Sergeant Major Michael Williams, 40, Private Joe Whittaker, 20
June 27 Warrant Officer Dan Shirley, 32
June 28 Lance Corporal James Johnson, 31
July 22 Corporal Jason Barnes, 25
July 24 Army dog handler Lance Corporal Kenneth Michael Rowe, 24
July 28 Sergeant Jonathan Mathews, 35
July 29 Private Peter Cowton, 25
August 11 Signaller Wayne Bland, 21
August 18 2008 Corporal Barry Dempsey, 29
September 4 Ranger Justin James Cupples, 29
September 10 Warrant Officer Class 2 Gary O'Donnell, 40
September 12 Private Jason Lee Rawstron, 23
September 13 Lance Corporal Nicky Mason, 26
October 15 Trooper James Munday, 21
November 4 Rifleman Yubraj Rai,28
November 12 Marine Robert McKibben, 32, Marine Neil Dunstan, 32
November 15 Colour Sergeant Krishnabahadur Dura, 36
November 24 Marine Alexander Lucas, 24
November 27 Marine Tony Evans, 20, Marine Georgie Sparks, 19
December 12 Lance Corporal Steven 'Jamie' Fellows, 26, Sergeant John Manuel, 38, Corporal Marc Birch, 26, Marine Damian Davies, 27
December 15 Lieutenant Aaron Lewis, 26
December 17 Rifleman Stuart Nash, 21
December 21 Corporal Robert Christopher Deering, 33
December 24 Lance Corporal Ben Whatley, 20
December 31 Corporal Liam Elms, 26

January 1 2009 Serjeant Chris Reed, 25
January 11Marine Travis Mackin, 22
January 14 Captain Tom Sawyer, 26, Corporal Danny Winter, 28
January 17 Acting Corporal Richard Robinson, 21
January 30 Corporal Daniel Nield, 31
February 14 Marine Darren Smith, 28
February 16 Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott, 22
February 25 Acting Lance Corporal Paul Upton, 31, Corporal Tom Gaden, 24, Rifleman Jamie Gunn, 21
February 25 Marine Michael Laski, 21,
March 14 Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, 22

March 15 Corporal Graeme Stiff, 24, Corporal Dean John, 25
April 28 Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous, 29
May 7 Corporal Sean Binnie, 22
May 7 Rifleman Adrian Sheldon, 25
May 7Sergeant Ben Ross, 34, Corporal Kumar Pun, 31
May 12 Lieutenant Mark Evison, 26
May 14 Marine Jason Mackie, 21
May 22 Fusilier Petero 'Pat' Suesue, 28
May 23 Sapper Jordan Rossi, 22,
May 27 Lance Corporal Martin Richards, 24
May 28 Lance Corporal Kieron Hill, 20
May 30 Lance Corporal Nigel Moffett, 28, Corporal Stephen Bolger
June 2 Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, 19
June 11 Private Robert McLaren, 20
June 12 Lieutenant Paul Mervis, 27
June 19 Major Sean Birchall, 33
July 1 Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, 39, Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18
July 4 Lance Corporal David Dennis, 29, Private Robert Laws, 18
July 5 Lance Corporal Dane Elson, 22
July 6 Captain Ben Babington-Browne, 27
July 7 Trooper Christopher Whiteside, 20
July 9 Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, Private John Brackpool, 27
July 10 Corporal Lee Scott, 26, Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, Rifleman James Backhouse, 18, Rifleman Joseph Murphy, 18, Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20, Rifleman William Aldridge, 28
July 16 Rifleman Aminiasi Toge, 26
July 19 Corporal Joseph Etchells, 22
July 20 Captain Daniel Shepherd, 28
July 22 Guardsman Christopher King, 20
July 25 Bombardier Craig Hopson, 24
July 27 Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton, 35
July 27 Trooper Phillip Lawrence, 22
August 4 Craftsman Anthony Lombardi, 21
August 6 Corporal Kevin Mulligan, 26, Lance Corporal Dale Hopkins, 23, and Private Kyle Adams, 21
August 8 Private Jason Williams, 23
August 13 Captain Mark Hale, 42, Rifleman Daniel Wild, 19, Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, 23
August 15 Private Richard Hunt, 21, Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29
August 16 Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, Fusilier Louis Carter, 18, Lance Corporal James Fullarton, 24
August 20 Serjeant Paul McAleese, 29, Private Johnathon Young, 18,
August 25 Fusilier Shaun Bush, 24
August 29 Sergeant Lee Houltram,
August 31Sergeant Stuart Millar, 40, Private Kevin Elliott, 24
September 2 Lance Corporal Richard Brandon, 24
September 3 Private Gavin Elliott, 19
September 9 Corporal John Harrison, 29
September 13 Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman, 20
September 16 Trooper Brett Hall, 21,
September 16 Acting Serjeant Stuart McGrath, 28
September 21 Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett, 29
September 27 Private James Prosser, 21
October 1 Senior Aircraftsman Marcin Wojtak, 24
October 5 Guardsman Jamie Janes, 20
October 8 Lance Corporal James Hill, 23
October 22 Corporal James Oakland, 26
October 25 Corporal Thomas Mason, 27
October 31 Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid, 30
November 3 Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, Corporal Steven Boote, 22, Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24
November 5 Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30
November 7 Rifleman Philip Allen, 20
November 8 Rifleman Samuel Bassett, 20
November 15 Rifleman Andrew Fentiman, 23, Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas, 28
November 18 Sergeant Robert Loughran-Dickson, 33
November 30 Acting Sergeant John Amer, 30
December 7 Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23
December 15 Lance Corporal David Kirkness, 24, Rifleman James Brown, 18
December 19 Corporal Simon Hornby, 29,
December 20 Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard, 22
December 21 Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23
December 22 Lance Corporal Tommy Brown
December 28 Rifleman Aidan Howell, 19,
December 31 Sapper David Michael Watson, 23

January 3 2010 Private Robert Hayes, 19
January 11 Captain Daniel Read, 31
January 15 Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, Rifleman Luke Farmer, 19
January 22 Rifleman Peter Aldridge, 19
January 24 Lance Corporal Daniel Cooper, 22
February 1 Corporal Liam Riley, 21, Lance Corporal Graham Shaw, 27
February 7 Corporal John Moore, 22, Private Sean McDonald, 26
February 8 Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland, 36
February 11 Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, 29
February 13 Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, 25
February 14 Rifleman Mark Marshall, 29, Kingsman Sean Dawson, 19
February 15 Sapper Guy Mellors, 20,
February 18 Lieutenant Douglas Dalzell, 27, Lance Sergeant David Walker, 36
February 24 Senior Aircraftman Luke Southgate, 20,
February 25 Rifleman Martin Kinggett, 19
February 26 Sergeant Paul Fox, 34
March 1 Rifleman Carlo Apolis, 28
March 2 Corporal Richard Green, 23
March 5 Rifleman Jonathon Allott, 19
March 6 Rifleman Liam Maughan, 18
March 7 Corporal Stephen Thompson, 31, Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, 24
March 15 Captain Martin Driver, 31
March 16 Lance Corporal Scott Hardy, 26, Private James Grigg, 21
March 22 Serjeant Steven Campbell, 30
March 26 Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, 27
March 27 Rifleman Daniel Holkham, 19
April 1 Guardsman Michael Sweeney, 19
April 4 Rifleman Mark Turner, 21
April 7 Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 20
May 2 Corporal Harvey Alex Holmes, 22
May 3 Sapper Daryn Roy, 28, Lance Corporal Barry Buxton, 27
May 9 Corporal Christopher Lewis Harrison, 26
May 21 Corporal Stephen Walker, 42
May 26 Gunner Zack Cusack, 20, Corporal Stephen Curley, 26
May 30 Marine Scott Gregory Taylor, 21
June 1 Marine Anthony Hotine, 21
June 4 Corporal Terry Webster, 24, Lance Corporal Alan Cochran, 23
June 8 Lance Bombardier Mark Chandler, 32
June 9 Private Jonathan Monk, 25
June 12 Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze, 31
June 14 Marine Steven Birdsall, 20
June 15 Corporal Taniela Tolevu Rogoiruwai, 32, Kingsman Ponipate Tagitaginimoce, 29
June 18 Trooper Ashley Smith, 21
June 20 Royal Marine from 40 Commando, not yet named

Rooney opens his foul mouth! He should have put his foot in it!

Like it or not, we are all Ambassadors for our respective countries!
To the greater or lesser extent our conduct, good bad or indifferent, is what influences the perception of other citizens of other countries around the globe.

The rude, self-pitying and obnoxious Rooney displayed to the same global spectators what will no doubt become one of the most quotable quotes for the future. Albeit a negative one!

After a lifetime of trying to ignore football and all it entails, even I have to acknowledge that Mr Rooney et al displayed the very worst in talent and tact when facing one of the 'minnows' of the tournament, Algeria. The England 'team' (and I use this terms in its widest possible interpretation) were lacklustre, limp and leaderless and in being so deprived the fans of their money under false pretences.

Having performed so dismally, any other public performer in any other context would find themselves in possession of a P45 this morning; however Rooney and his coterie will be pocketing vast amounts of undeserved cash and pecuniary advantages.

One can only hope that the football 'Wags' were similarly disappointed and that they will be withholding their conjugal favours until the dreamy, dreary and now desperate eleven get their act together and start to play the game.

Ambassadors they aint..............

World Cup Comment

Friday 18th of June, .............
A war of two nations!
England v Algeria!
One of them a fanatical muslim country, where bombers and
terrorists are born and trained! Where tough Sharia law is being
implemented and white christians are outcasts and live in fear!

The other is Algeria!