Monthly Archives: March 2010

Champions League

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I am involved in some very serious work looking at the Spanish Civil war this week and so I am a little behind in my other work. However, we have been meeting some very interesting people and some very interesting situations and all will be told tomorrow or Friday in the blog.

Yesterday, I told Anne Man United could be beaten and they were. however, I believe they have the advantage ith the away goal and have every chance of progressing in the Champions League. Arsenal have played well but conceded two away goals. This has put Barcelona in the driving seat in my opinion.

Word of the Day
socorrer soh-koh-rrer’ (transitive verb)

to help, to aid, to come to the aid of
EXAMPLES

Se estaba gritando pero nadie le socorrió. – She was screaming but no one came to her aid.

Cada persona en mi oficina dio dinero para socorrer a las víctimas del tsunami. – Every person in my office gave money to help the victims of the tsunami.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for socorrer.

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1949, RCA Victor introduced the 45rpm single record, which had been in development since 1940.
1958, Chuck Berry’s rock ‘n’ roll classic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ single was released.
1960, Lonnie Donegan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’, his third No.1.
1962, Connie Francis US No.1 with ‘Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You’, No.33 in the UK.
1967, Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria in London, England. It was the first night of a 24-date tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdink.
1972, The Beatles Official Fan Club closed.
1973, Donny Osmond UK No.1 on the UK singles chart ‘The Twelfth Of Never’ a hit single for Johnny Mathis in 1957.
1976, The Brotherhood Of Man were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, ‘Save Your Kisses For Me.’ Written my my friend Tony Hiller!
1984, Kenny Loggins US No.1 with ‘Footloose’,
1986, O’Kelly Isley of The Isley Brothers died of a heart attack, aged 48.
1990, German and Italian production team Snap! had their first UK No.1 single with ‘The Power.’
2001, Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown were banned for life from Hollywood’s Bel Air hotel after wrecking their room.
2002, Bee Gee Barry Gibb bought his childhood home in Keppel Road,

Birthday Boys and Girls March 31st
1934, Shirley Jones, singer, actress, The Partridge Family
1937, Herb Alpert
1944, Rodney Bainbridge, bass, The Fortunes
1958, Pat McGlynn, Bay City Rollers

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Lice!

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You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others – something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it. – Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965

I’ve had a fabulous day today but I’ll spill the beans later in the week. I’ve met up with my old friend, Paul Freeman from OCI, in a rather unusual set of circumstances. Watch this space. The weather around Spain is pretty grim and we are having about as good as it gets…..here’s the Alicante forecast…..

Going buggy over new lice treatment

Having trouble getting rid of your kid’s head lice? Try giving him your dog’s heartworm medicine!

Yes, I know that sounds absurd. That’s exactly what I thought when I read about a recent study showing that the drug ivermectin (a common heartworm med for dogs) is more effective in treating head lice than the typical topical treatment.

Lice is one of the most common (not to mention least- threatening) childhood ailments around, yet researchers are willing to give your children powerful antiparasitic drugs to treat it. (Need any more proof that they care less about you and more about their purse strings?)

But here’s what really gets me. This drug was a complete failure in a previous study on lice. But instead of scrapping the idea, researchers decided to try doubling the dose.

And what do you know? After 15 days, 95 percent of kids on the dog pills were free of lice (no word on fleas, though).

Effective? Maybe — but that’s akin to fishing with hand grenades.

No one knows for sure what side effects this drug might unleash on children — but it’s been known to cause irregular heartbeats, chest pain, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, muscle pain and more. There’s also a risk of severe allergic reactions.

The researchers say the drug should only be used for difficult-to-control cases, but c’mon — does anyone doubt that this “treatment” won’t spread like lice once it’s approved?

In reality, NO case of lice is difficult to control if you attack it at the source. I don’t know what parents are being taught these days, but my generation grew up with a safe drug-free treatment that’s still effective today and will remain just as effective 100 years from now: shave the head, and the bugs are gone.

Wash, freeze or dispose of toys that might be infested, and you’re done with it.

It’s so easy you’d have to be missing what’s under your hair to conclude that drugs and poisons are a better option.

I can hear the whining already — other kids might laugh and point at the baldy in the classroom. But that’s what hats are for. Most kids are wearing those things
24-7 anyway, backwards, sideways and inside out.

Besides, when a kid gets lice, odds are the rest of the class has it too. Just tell ‘em to laugh and point back.
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from Ian K

Scottish couple decided to go to  Spain to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years  earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left  Glasgow and flew to  Barcelona  on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Blackpool , a widow had just returned home from her husband’s funeral. He was a minister who died following a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. A

The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I’ve Arrived
Date: October 16, 2008

I know you’re surprised to hear from me.. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones.

I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that  Everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

L ooking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

…………………………………………………..

Word of the Day

aguar ah-gwar’  (transitive verb)

to water down; to spoil, to ruin, to put a damper on

EXAMPLES

Siempre aguan el vino en este restaurante. – They always water down the wine in this restaurant.

La noticia nos aguó la fiesta. – The news ruined our good time.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for aguar.

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March 30th: On this Day
1957, Buddy Knox became the first artist in the Rock ‘n’ Roll era to write his own number one hit when ‘Party Doll’ topped the US singles chart.
1963, The Chiffons started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘He’s So Fine’
1963, 16 year-old Lesley Gore recorded her breakthrough hit, ‘It’s My Party.’ The song was produced by Quincy Jones.
1967, During an appearance by Jimi Hendrix on ‘Top Of The Pops’, a technician put on the backing track of Alan Price’s ‘Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear’, to which Hendrix responded ‘I don’t know the words to this one man.’
1976, The Sex Pistols played their first show at The 100 club, London,
1985, Phil Collins started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘One More Night’
1991, Chesney Hawks started a five-week run at the UK No.1 position with his debut single ‘The One And Only.
1991, The Eurythmics started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their ‘Greatest Hits’ LP.
1996, The Beatles went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Anthology 2.’
2000, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger made a nostalgic visit to his old school. He opened the new arts centre that had been named after him at Dartford Grammar.
2000, Mungo Jerry singer Ray Dorset was ordered to pay a former employee £620 in back wages after a tribunal heard he had harassed her after she left his company.
2003, Room 5 & Oliver Cheatham started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Make Luv.’ The track was used in TV ads for Lynx deodorant, and was a reworking of Oliver Cheatham’s 1983 hit ‘Get Down Saturday Night’.
2004, Timi Yuro, died from throat cancer aged 62. Timi was just 18 years old when she reached No.4 on the US charts in 1961 with ‘Hurt.’
2007, a man was arrested by police and detained under the Mental Health Act after trying to force his way into Paul McCartney’s mansion, screaming: “I must get to him.”

Birthday Boys and Girls March 30th
1913, Frankie Laine
1930, Rolf Harris
1942,Graeme Edge, drums, Moody Blues
1945,Eric Clapton
1950,Dave Ball, Procol Harum
1954, Lena Lovich, US singer
1955, Randy VanWarmer
1962, MC Hammer, (Stanley Kirk Burrell)
1964, Tracy Chapman,
1968, Celine Dion
1979, Norah Jones

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Rise Bono, KBE

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We had a glorious day yesterday and I certainly enjoyed my show with Neil Colbourne as my studio guest and memories from Fred Wedlock. Iris set another fine challenge and Rob Daniells set us right with La Liga. Whilst all this was going on Stuey Lee Lewis was dressed in striped tights, stack-heeled shoes and a Cool FM tee shirt as he prepared to walk with the volunteers to Help the Heroes. Well done to Sam from Coast to Coast Magazine for a brilliant effort.The streaming for the web was off again for the third week running and is miraculously restored this morning. I wonder how that happens? I have a really busy and different this week so expect postings to be a little erratic. Let’s get the weather for the week ahead…..

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Scattered Clouds
22° C | 11° C
Chance of Rain
19° C | 8° C
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19° C | 9° C
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Scattered Clouds

Iris’s Challenge-answer at the foot of the blog

(1) Were founded in 1963 and were a beat group from Manchester , They were part of the mid 1960s British Invasion with their chart-topping songs

(2) They released a few unsuccessful singles before recording “Um Um Um Um Um Um” in 1964, which was a major hit in Britain and led to a tour with Brenda Lee. They also had a number one hit in the United States with “Game of Love”

(3) After a tour of America and some more unsuccessful singles. Their lead singer abruptly left the band in the middle of a concert in 1965. Guitarist Eric Stewart suddenly became the lead singer of the band.

(4) Their first hit song a Carole Bayer Sager / Toni Wine composition and reached number two in the US and sold one million copies globally. It was successfully revived by Phil Collins in the 1980s. The album of the same name, however, was a failure, as were their other singles and later albums.

(5) They appeared in the Sidney Poitier movie, To Sir, with Love and were also on the soundtrack with the songs “Off and Running” and “It’s Getting Harder All the Time”. This major exposure did not break the group’s run of bad luck and neither could an infusion of new blood

(6) The finally broke up for good at the Liverpool Empire on 20 November 1968, the last night of a UK tour with The Who, Arthur Brown and Joe Cocker. Two members of the band went on to form Hotlegs and, much more significantly, the band 10cc.

Word of the Day
castigar kah-stee-gar’ (transitive verb)

to punish; to penalize (sport); to damage, to harm; to devastate
EXAMPLES

Fueron castigados con la pena máxima. – They received the maximum penalty.

Lo castigué a mi niño sin postre. – I punished my son by making him go without dessert.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for castigar.

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Why drugs won’t prevent diabetes

It’s not enough to pump diabetics full of drugs. Now there’s a mad rush to shove meds down the throat of anyone who might even be at risk for the condition.

At this point, that’s practically everyone. But don’t fill that prescription just yet — because meds don’t work, and the latest studies dump two more drugs onto the trash heap of pharma failures.

Researchers armed with a pocketful of cash from Novartis gave two of the company’s drugs to patients at high risk of diabetes: the blood pressure med Diovan and the diabetes drug Starlix.

And according to the studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Starlix didn’t do a thing to reduce diabetes, cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke or heart failure.

Diovan did only slightly better, lowering new diabetes diagnoses by 14 percent… but the med did zippo when it came to reducing the cardiovascular conditions tied to diabetes — which means there’s still no point in taking it.

“It would be great if we had something that would prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease at the same time,” study leader Dr. Robert M. Califf told HealthDay. “We didn’t get that.”

Is this guy for real?

“It looks like diet and exercise are the mainstays of prevention,” he said. You can almost hear the sigh of disappointment in his voice as you read that.

Even then he’s only half right — diet is the key, but pass on the exercise. There is one surefire way to avoid diabetes and lower your risk for heart disease, and it’s called not eating so much crap.

All the drugs in the world won’t save your oversized high- risk rear if you keep on downing doughnuts and cheese puffs… but if you want to try the meds-and-junk food diet anyway, be my guest.

Just don’t come crying to me down the road

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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Music Stuff March 29th

1963, The Shadows had their fifth UK No.1 single ‘Foot Tapper.’
1964, The Coventry Theatre – The Hollies, the Dave Clark Five, The Kinks and The Mojos.
1966, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger was injured during a gig in Marseilles after a fan threw a chair at the stage.
1966, Fans mobbed the Walker Brothers as they entered a hotel in Cheshire resulting in two of the group being concussed.
1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Black Sabbath, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Curved Air, J.J. Jackson’s Dilemma, Shy Limbs, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Sunflower Brass Band and Toe Fat all appeared at the London Free Easter Festival in Bethnal Green, London, England.
1975, Labelle US No.1 with ‘Lady Marmalade’
1975, Led Zeppelin had all their six albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week with their latest album Physical Graffiti at No.1.
1980, Mantovani, (Annunzio Paolo Mantovan), Orchestra leader died aged 74. Born in Italy his family moved to England in 1912, where he studied at Trinity College of Music in London.
1980, Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, spent its 303rd week on the US album chart, beating the record set by Carole King’s album ‘Tapestry.’
1981, Shakin’ Stevens UK No.1 with his version of the Rosemary Clooney hit ‘This Ole House’
1985, Jeanine Deckers, The Singing Nun, died aged 52 after taking an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with a friend.
1986, Austrian singer Falco US No.1 with ‘Rock Me Amadeus’, also a No.1 in the UK. Falco became the first German speaking artist to achieve a No.1 on the US charts.
1986, Cliff Richard and The Young Ones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Living Doll.’
1999, The David Bowie Internet Radio Network broadcast its first show for Rolling Stone Radio. The show was Bowie’s favourite songs with Bowie introducing each track.

2001, the man who hid in a cathedral organ to try to video the baptism of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s son Rocco, was fined a £1,000.
2005, Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York.
2007, U2 singer Bono accepted an honorary knighthood at a ceremony in Dublin. Fellow band members The Edge and Adam Clayton joined the frontman’s wife and four children at the British ambassador David Reddaway’s official residence. The rock star and campaigner, 46, was not entitled to be called “Sir” because he is not a British citizen. The U2 singer’s new title is Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).

Birthday Boys and Girls March 29th

1942, Eden Kane
1943, Evangelos Papathanassiou, (Vangelis)
1945, Speedy Keen, drums, vocals, Thunderclap Newman
1946, Terry Jacks,

Iris’s Challenge–The Mind Benders

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Caroline

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I had already lost one hour when the alarm woke me up this morning. I had dutifully put the clocks one hour forward so that I wouldn’t oversleep. I let the cat in and then got in the shower. A howl of protest from the bedroom turned into a long tirade against Vodafone as Anne, my wife, complained bitterly that there had also been an automatic update which means this blog is now being prepared at 7.15 am. Such is life……snoring has now resumed so, although I had not been fully forgiven, things were returning to normal. The cat was out on his early morning round and I could get on with this blog.

It’s a very special day for many of us today. It’s the day Radio Caroline started broadcasting and radio would never be the same again. The BBC was, up til this day, dominating our taste in music and chat…….How was I to know that all these years later I would have Tony Hiller as a friend? Tony wrote the song Caroline, the station’s theme song recorded by the Fortunes.

More sleaze with the British politicians today with more ministers discredited in the lobbying scandal. At least we can all sleep early now the News of the World are backing the Tories. They were always prepared to take the moral high ground weren´t they?

Iris´s Challenge -answer is at the foot of the blog

(1)   Were formed on 4 May 1964, in Erdington, Birmingham , and had been members of a band called El Riot & the Rebels.

(2)   In the spring of 1964 they landed a recording contract and they released a single, “Steal Your Heart Away”, that same year which failed to chart.

(3)   They appeared on the Cult UK Series “Ready Steady Go!” singing the up-tempo ‘B’ side “Lose Your Money (But Don’t Lose your Mind)” But it was their second single, released later that year, which really launched their career, being promoted on TV with one of the first purpose-made promotional films in the pop era.

(4)   The second single became a hit in the United Kingdom (where it remains their only Number 1 single to date and in the United States where it reached #10. The band encountered management problems after the chart-topping hit and subsequently signed to Decca Records in the UK

(5)   In late 1972, a re-issue of their five-year-old  hit became their biggest U.S. hit, soaring to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a certified million-seller; the song had “bubbled under” the Hot 100 charts on its original release . The song also returned to the UK charts, reaching #9, ten places higher than its original release in 1967.

(6)   One of this group took part in the UK tour of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds in April 2006, and a second tour in November 2007,

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Man United and Chelsea looked brilliant yesterday although I cannot understand why Berbatov and Rooney need to wear gloves.Have they got psoriasis? Is it so reporters can say they had a hand in the goals? Zola continues to show that being a good player doesn’y automatically make you a good manager and both Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton have not done well yesterday. Never mind. There’s always the cyclists……….

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 9° C
Scattered Clouds
21° C | 12° C
Chance of Rain
18° C | 9° C
Clear
18° C | 10° C
Clear
16° C | 8° C

3-minute therapy: You get what you pay for

We live in a society that’s so fast paced, we don’t even want to take the time to treat our ailments — especially the emotional ones. And now, believe it or not, there are psychiatrists and psychologists offering three-minute therapy sessions.

One therapist had a case that went roughly like this: the man said he had fears of losing his job because he was afraid at his age he’d never find a new one. The therapist asked him if he had outside interests. The man said he’d always wanted to write a book, to which the therapist responded, “Pursue this new venture. When you are in a situation like this, you must re-invent yourself.”

Session over.

That’s the kind of advice you’d expect from your hairdresser or a store clerk. And if that’s what you’re looking for, you may as well save your money.

Now, I was trained as a physician, not a psychiatrist. So you’ll excuse me if I look at the so-called benefits of this new method with a somewhat cynical eye. But in all my years of medical experience, I haven’t come across a whole lot that can be solved in just three minutes.

Giving you advice you can actually use,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

Doctor’s Fee

When the wealthy businessman choked on a fish bone at a restaurant, he was fortunate that a doctor was seated at a nearby table.

Springing up, the doctor skillfully removed the bone and saved the man’s life.

As soon as the fellow had calmed himself and could talk again, he thanked the surgeon enthusiastically and offered to pay him for his services.

“Just name the fee,” he croaked gratefully.

“Okay,” replied the doctor. “How about half of what you’d have offered when the bone was still stuck in your throat?”

Music Stuff March 28th
1964, Madame Tussauds, London unveiled the wax works images of The Beatles, the first pop stars to be honoured.

1964, Radio Caroline started broadcasting from the former Danish ferry ‘Fredericia’ in the North Sea off the coast of England.
1970, Simon and Garfunkel UK No.1 with ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’
1974, Delta blues singer and guitarist Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup died of a stroke at the age of 69.
1981, Elton John’s version of The Beatles ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ was released as a tribute to John Lennon.
1987, Mel and Kim UK No.1 with ‘Respectable’, giving the production team of Stock, Aitken and Waterman their second UK No.1.
1995, Singer Jimmy McShane died of Aids. He had the 1985 UK No.3 single and European hit ‘Tarzan Boy with Italian dance outfit Baltimora.
1999, French act Mr Oizo UK No.1 with ‘Flat Beat.’ The tune was used in a Levis jeans ad.
2000, Jimmy Page accepted substantial undisclosed libel damages from a magazine which claimed he had caused or contributed to the death of his Led Zeppelin bandmate John Bonham.
2004, Usher UK No.1 on the album chart with ‘Confessions
Birthday Boys and Girls
1941, Charlie McCoy, Area Code 615, 1970 theme for UK BBC TV Music show ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’
1949,, Sally Carr, Middle Of The Road,
1954, Reba McEntire,
1986, Lady Gaga, (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta)

Iris´s Challenge – Moody Blues

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Yorkshire

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The weather is beautiful and I´ve enjoyed my show. John Christian was my special guest and we talked about the great times they had in the sixties on Tyneside. Sam popped in from Coast to Coast to say hello and Stuey Lee Lewis joined us for a nice cup of coffee. Tomorrow is the walk for ´Help the Heroes’ from Alfaz del Pi to Benidorm and I´ll be speaking with Stuey en route.

Baby DVDs don’t lead to little Einsteins

If you want to raise a boob, then just park that diaper- clad butt in front of the tube. And no amount of educational videos can do anything to change the fact that TV is not going to raise a sharp, well-adjusted kid for you.

One new study found that a popular DVD series that’s supposed to help kids learn to talk is a complete sham.

Researchers monitored 96 infants and babies under 2 years old. Some were randomly assigned to watch Baby Wordsworth DVDs for six weeks, while others formed a control group.

The TV-watching babies didn’t learn more words, didn’t learn faster and didn’t do better than the tots in the control group, according to the study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Other studies have found that babies who watch “educational” videos actually learn fewer words and score lower on tests, too.

But hey, it beats hiring a babysitter, right?

It’s not just the tots, either. Hours in front a TV or computer can take its toll on older kids as well. Another new study in that same journal showed that TV-watching teens have a harder time forming emotional bonds with their parents. That’s no real shocker. After all, that’s already enough of a challenge at that age. Throw in time spent on computer, and you can kiss those emotional bonds goodbye.

According to the study, for each daily hour spent watching TV, the risk of low attachment increases by 4 percent, and for each daily hour on the computer, it ups the odds by another 5 percent.

Kids who did homework and enjoyed reading, on the other hand, were more likely to have higher levels of attachment to their parents, according to New Zealand researchers.

If you have a kid, unplug the tube and keep it that way throughout childhood — and whatever you do, don’t ever put a television in a child’s room.

Raising Cain over raising kids,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

Yorkshire Jokes

Yorkshire man takes his cat to the vet. Yorkshireman: “Ayup, lad, I need to talk to thee about me cat.” Vet: “Is it a tom ?” Yorkshireman: “Nay, I’ve browt it wi’ us.”

***

A Yorkshireman’s dog dies and as it was a favourite pet he decides to have a gold statue made by a jeweller to remember the dog by. Yorkshireman: “Can tha mek us a gold statue of yon dog?” Jeweller: “Do you want it 18 carat?” Yorkshireman: “No I want it chewin’ a bone, yer daft begger!”

***

A Yorkshireman’s wife dies and the widower decides that her headstone should have the words “She were Thine” engraved on it. He calls the stone mason, who assures him that the headstone will be ready a few days after the funeral. True to his word the stone mason calls the widower to say that the headstone is ready and would he like to come and have a look. When the widower gets there he takes one look at the stone to see that it’s been engraved “She were Thin”. He explodes – good grief, man, you’ve left the flamin’ “e” out! The stone mason apologises and assures the poor widower that it will be rectified the following morning. Next day comes and the widower returns to the stone mason – “There you go sir, I’ve put the “e” on the stone for you”.. The widower looks at the stone and then reads out aloud – “E, She were Thin”.

***

Bloke from Barnsley with a sore backside asks chemist “Nah then lad, does tha sell arse cream?” Chemist replies “Aye, Magnum or Cornetto?”

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Thanks to Sheenagh for the following………..

The  Alphabet

A’s for arthritis;
B’s the bad back,
C’s the chest pains,
Perhaps car-d-iac?

D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight, can’t read that top line!
F is for fissures and fluid retention,
G is for gas which we’d rather not mention.< /P>

H  High blood pressure–We’d rather it low;
I  For incisions with scars you can show.
J is for joints, out of socket, won’t mend,
K is for knees that crack when they bend.

L ‘s for libido, what happened to sex?
M is for memory; we forget what comes next.
N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low;
O is for osteo, bones that don’t grow!

P for prescriptions. We have quite a few,
Just give us a pill and we’ll be good as new!
Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?
R is for reflux, one meal turns to two.

S is for sleepless nights, counting our fears,
T is for Tinnitus; bells in our ears!
U is for urinary; troubles with flow;
V for vertigo, that’s ‘dizzy,’ you know.

W for worry, NOW what’s going ’round?
X is for X-ray, and what might be found.
Y for another year we are left here behind,
Z is for zest WE still have — in OUR minds.

We’ve survived all the symptoms, our body’s deployed, and
We’re keeping twenty-six doctors fully employed.

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Word of the Day

la pista pee’-stah  (noun)

road, track, trail; court (tennis, squash); clue, hint

EXAMPLES

Siguen la pista del asesino. – They are on the killer’s track.

¿Me das una pista para este rompecabezas? – Will you give me a hint for this puzzle?
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for la pista.

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Music Stuff March 27th
1958, CBS records announced the invention of stereophonic records.
1959, English pianist Russ Conway UK No.1  with ‘Side Saddle.’
1964, The British invasion continued to make it’s way around the world with The Beatles having the top six positions on the Australian pop chart.
1965, The Supremes scored their fourth US No.1 single with ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love.’
1967, Fats Domino played his first ever UK date at London’s Saville Theatre, supported by The Bee Gees and Gerry And The Pacemakers.
1967, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello award for ‘Michelle’, the most performed song in the UK in 1966.
1968, The Beatles were UK No.1  with ‘Lady Madonna’
1972, Elvis Presley recorded what would be his last major hit, Burning Love
1982, former Small Faces and Faces bass player Ronnie Lane was admitted to hospital for treatment for multiple sclerosis
1982, The Goombay Dance Band, the second German act to score a UK No.1, (Kraftwerk being the first) scored their only UK No.1 with ‘Seven Tears’
1987, U2 performed from the roof of a store in downtown LA to make the video for ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ bringing traffic to a standstill. The police eventually stop the shoot.
1993, Hot Chocolate UK  No.1  ‘Their Greatest Hits’ album.
1997, The Spice Girls UK No.1 single with ‘Mama / Who Do You Think You Are.’
2000, Singer, songwriter, poet and actor, Ian Dury died after a long battle with cancer aged 57.
2001, Christina Aguilera signed an U.S. sponsorship deal with Cola-Cola, only a month after Britney Spears signed a deal to promote Pespi.
2005, Tony Christie started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with the ‘Definitive Collection’.
2008, X Factor winner Leona Lewis became the first British woman to top the US pop chart for more than 20 years with her single ‘Bleeding Love.’
Birthday Boys and Girls March 27th
1934,Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer
1950, Tony Banks, keyboards, Genesis
1970, Mariah Carey, singer. Carey is named after ‘They Call The Wind Mariah’ from the musical ‘Paint Your Wagon’.

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Who’s Diane Earl?

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It´s a fabulous day with warmth and sunshine and I think the forecast looks good. Let’s check that weather now…..

Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 9° C
Scattered Clouds
18° C | 9° C
Clear
18° C | 10° C
Scattered Clouds
20° C | 13° C
Scattered Clouds

A few weeks ago I received a text on my radio show from my old friend Jon Christian and I promised to visit him in his new(ish) venture at  Camping Fonts D’Algar. This is located about 30 mins from Benidorm amidst an area of outstanding natural beauty. This site is very different from many sites found in Spain. It is set in a stunning area of mountains & waterfalls you won’t find many location to match this. The site has an American style bar-restaurant, barbecue-picnic area, cactus gardens and water museum. There are numerous restaurants in the vicinity as well as what is provided on-site.

Camping Fonts D’algar
Callosa D’ en Sarria Alicante 03510		 F W R   V M
Tel:   0034 639520365

Before we move on let’s look at this fabulous bar and entertainment room. Jon has really made this facility spectacular and he is an authority on bringing a party atmosphere to a room. His experience ranges from working with the Bay City Rollers, Love Affair and even AC/DC. He is a magnificent showman who has the experience of a working musician for nigh on 40 years plus he has many years of working on the holiday island of Ibiza. Behind every good man is a wonderful wife and Denise is a brilliant complement to Jon’s skills. The room is spotlessly clean, welcoming and with excellent acoustics. There is also a magnificent Easter rock festival on offer and I will be discussing this with Jon on my Saturday show.

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I spotted an article about Moraira which is great for anyone thinking of places to take their visitors. Moraira is about a 40 minutes drive from Benidorm and I’ll leave the article to show it’s well worth the drive.

The beaches and natural spaces of Moraira, an area of Teulada, have achieved international fame thanks to their crystal clear waters and the beauty of the surrounding landscape. So, to make sure you don’t miss out on any of its countless charms, there are two routes available to you: the Cap d’Or route and the Cala Blanca route. The first sets out from the Playa del Portet beach in Moraira, where you will find a panel with all the information you need to follow this itinerary.

This route will take you through a micro flora reserve, the Cova Cendra cave and series of spectacular cliffs that lead to the Iberian settlement. The function of this settlement was probably linked to sea trade. From here, you can make out the Cap d’Or Watch Tower, built at the highest point of Cap d’Or with two canons to defend El Portet de Moraira.   Full Story

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Our friend the rebel doctor is keeping us on our toes regarding the flu…………………………………………….

CDC goes overboard for flu shots

Just when you thought the flu pandemonium was dying down, it’s rearing its ugly head again. But it’s not the flu itself that’s the problem… it’s the people who are trying to “protect” you from it.

Because despite the fact that we’ve experienced one of the mildest flu seasons in years, the vaccine hustlers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that every single man, woman, and child be vaccinated starting with next flu season.

They’re saying it’s because the current recommendations are too complicated. But the REAL reason is that this type of official policy would make it more likely that insurers would cover flu shots.

And let’s face it — pushing vaccines is what CDC bureaucrats do best. Well, that and denial… and they’ve outdone themselves recently on that one, too. They’re still warning of a deadly “third wave” of swine flu that could strike at any time.

Anyone here scared? Didn’t think so.

People aren’t being careless; they’re being realistic. And when it comes to the flu, the warnings simply don’t match reality.

Seasonal flu generally peaks in February and March. For the past few years, around 3.5 percent of all doctor visits in late February have been for flu-like symptoms. That’s small enough… but this year, that number was slashed nearly in half — to 1.8 percent.

How do they explain that? Guess what… they can’t! So they’ve made up some nonsense about how flu might peak in May this year instead.

It’s like a doomsday cult that keeps revising its prediction each time the world doesn’t end.

The CDC brains want you to think they’re playing it safe in the face of a serious disease… but really, they’re just playing us for saps, plain and simple.

Here’s what else is going to happen during the next flu season, when more people than ever will be urged to get shots even if there’s no real flu threat: Some of Big Pharma’s biggest drugs will be losing their patent protection.

They’re going to lose billions, unless they think of something fast.

What do you think they care about more… protecting you from the flu, or protecting their bottom line? Think about that the next time you roll up your sleeves.

Giving the CDC a reality check,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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Word of the Day

el golpe gohl’-peh  (noun)

knock; blow, bang; stroke; bruise (on a fruit)

EXAMPLES

Me di un golpe en la rodilla. – I banged my knee.

Dio unos golpes en la mesa. – He tapped on the table.

IDIOMS

Dar el golpe – To do the job

No dar ni golpe – Not to lift a finger
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for el golpe.

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Music Stuff March 26th

1956, Kay Starr was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Rock And Roll Waltz.’
1961, The Beatles performed at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool, then they were off to Hamburg
1965, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark.
1965, The Walker Brothers made their UK TV debut on ‘Ready Steady Go!’
1969, Marvin Gaye was at No.1 on the UK singles chart, with ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’.
1976, One-man blues band Duster Bennett was killed in a car accident. Worked with Alexis Korner, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac and B.B. King.
1983, Duran Duran went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Is There Something I Should Know’.
1985, Radio stations in South Africa banned all of Stevie Wonders records after he dedicated the Oscar he had won the night before at The Academy Awards to Nelson Mandela.
1988,Aswad UK No.1 with ‘Don’t Turn Around.’
1988, Michael Jackson US No.1 with ‘Man In The Mirror’, UK No.21.
2000, Melanie C scored her first solo UK No.1 single with ‘Never Be The Same Again’ with Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes from TLC.
2002, Randy Castillo drummer with the Ozzy Osbourne band died of cancer aged 51.
2004, Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, died at the age of 62
2006, Readers of Total Guitar magazine voted the guitar solo by Jimmy Page in Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven‘ as the greatest guitar solo of all time.

Birthday Boys and Girls March 26th

1917, Rufus Thomas
1944, Diana Ross, (Diane Earle)
1950,Teddy Pendergrass
1953,William Lyall, keyboards, Pilot
1956, Stephanie Mills, singer
1968,Kenny Chesney, US country singer

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Aspirin

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The weather is absolutely fantastic today. We have mountain to sea sunshine with a wonderful definition on the mountains and beautiful blue sea. The world really does look a different place. Butterflies are now beginning to appear and I am trying to remember which month of last year we had the major butterfly fly past. It went on for days ansd this location is obviously on their flight path. They came in thousands and were a novelty for our cat for the first few days.The novelty eventually wore off and he went back to chasing birds. Sadly to say he catches too many. We’ve had words but he’s like the kids. He just ignores what we say. I’ve threatened him with a visit to0 the cattery. He’s already had his testicles pruned and we cut down his treats but NO. He still wants to catch birds. I think it gives him street cred!

Well, let´s get the all important weather forecast for the Alicante province…….

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday
Scattered Clouds
21° C | 10° C
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 9° C
Clear
20° C | 10° C
Scattered Clouds
20° C | 9° C
Clear
22° C | 14° C

This looks good for the Easter break when thousands of domestic tourists hit the Costa Blanca in general and Benidorm in particular.

If you are a rugby fan then Villajoyosa play their next rugby against Seville on Sunday (12 April) at 12:30pm. Spurs looked comfortable as they edged their way past Fulham. In the Premiership, Everton are now just three points behind Liverpool as they did their Liverpool rivals a favour by beating Manchester City. Aston Villa also dropped two points at home to Sunderland who, rather uncannily, visit Liverpool next. This would all seem to suggest Tottenham for the fourth spot. In La Liga, Barcelona went back to the top with an unconvincing win last night.

How does vitamin D protect your body? It sounds like a science fiction movie...

An army of robot guards roams the corridors of an immense structure. When a dangerous intruder is detected inside the walls, the robots activate their antennas, ready to receive the signal that will mobilize them into action. When the signal arrives, the robots act swiftly to defeat and remove the intruder.

But if the signal doesn’t arrive, the robots can’t activate their defensive network.

In your body, the “robots” are known as T cells–the killer cells of your immune system. When a foreign pathogen enters, T cells activate a vitamin D receptor. All that’s needed now is a sufficient level of vitamin D in the blood stream.

When T cells find their D, they power up, go to work, and the good guys win.

For years, scientists have known that vitamin D plays an indispensable role in controlling disease. And for years they’ve been asking: How does D do it?

Researchers from Copenhagen University believe they’ve found the answer, as described above.

I honestly don’t know if the Copenhagen researchers are actually the first to discover this brilliant collaboration of vitamin D and T cells. But if they really are, my hat is off to them. Thanks, guys, for helping us better understand the nature of this vitamin that’s one of the primary lynchpins of good health.

Source

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Aspirin: A loaded gun for your heart

The drug companies want you to think of aspirin as a magic bullet for your heart. Oh, it’s a bullet all right — and it’s definitely aimed at your ticker.

One of the most irritatingly persistent myths in modern medicine is the downright insane notion that daily aspirin can help your heart. So I can’t tell you how it lifts my own heart to see this one finally crumbling.

Even the Wall Street Journal is giving aspirin therapy the kiss of death. A recent story with the headline “The Danger of Daily Aspirin” began with this sentence: “If you’re taking a daily aspirin for your heart, you may want to reconsider.”

Forget “may” — definitely reconsider, because this was a bad idea the moment Big Pharma’s marketing department dreamed it up.

One new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no benefit at all in giving aspirin to people at high risk of heart disease. My favorite part: It was funded in part by Bayer.

Must’ve been awkward when it came time to deliver the results. I’ll bet they’re looking for a refund… and a few researchers’ heads.

But the truth’s the truth… and the truth is, aspirin can cause bleeding in the stomach and brain. And that’s not the only way this supposed painkiller can kill you… because aspirin can actually cause potentially deadly blood clots.

Yet despite aspirin’s obvious dangers, you can’t turn on the TV without seeing a commercial that talks up aspirin therapy for heart patients. An actress in one commercial claims, “My doctor says it’s the easiest preventive measure you can take.”

Easy — yes. Safe — heck no! Sounds like you need a new doctor, lady… one who’s been reading the medical journals instead of watching aspirin commercials.

Here’s one fact you won’t hear in those ads: Roughly half of all people who suffer a fatal heart attack took an aspirin that day. I wonder what their final thoughts were. I bet more than a few clutched their chest and cried out, “But… I took an aspirin today!”

Bottom line: Don’t gobble down daily aspirin unless you’ve got a death wish. And if you really hate life, add an ibuprofen to the mix — patients who take that and aspirin together have double the risk of fatal heart attack.

These are powerful drugs, not candy… even if many people munch on them like Skittles. If you really want to pop a pill for your heart, take a fish oil capsule instead.
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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Word of the Day

la caída cah-ee’-dah  (noun)

fall, loss, drop; drape (of cloth/material); crash; downfall, collapse (political); waterfall

EXAMPLES

La caída del cabello le preocupa mucho. – He is really worried about hair loss.

Nací después de la caída del muro de Berlín. – I was born after the fall of the Berlin wall.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for la caída.

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Music Stuff March 25th
1958, Buddy Holly appeared at The Gaumont Theatre in London, the final date on his only UK tour. Also on the bill was  Des O’Connor!
1964, The Beatles made their debut on UK   ‘Top Of The Pops’ singing ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and ‘You Can’t Do That.’
1965, Bobby Vee, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Heinz and The Zombies all appeared at The Odeon Cinema, Stockton, Cleveland
1967, The Turtles US No.1 with ‘Happy Together’,  No.12 in the UK.
1967, Pink Floyd played three gigs in 24 hours. …… Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England, …. New Yorker Discotheque in Swindon….. Shoreline Club in Bognor Regis
1969, John and Yoko started their week long ‘bed-in’ in the presidential suite at The Amsterdam Hilton hotel.
1972, America US  No.1  with their debut hit ‘Horse With No Name’, it made No.3 in the UK.
1972, Lindisfarne UK No.1  album ‘Fog On The Tyne.’
1978, Bill Kenny, lead singer of The Ink Spots died.
1978, 20 Golden Greats’ by Buddy Holly and The Crickets went to No.1 on the UK album chart, giving Holly his first ever No.1 LP
1983, Motown Records celebrated its 25 anniversary with a concert in Pasadena,  The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Jr. Walker, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Jackson 5. What a great show!
1989, Madonna UK No.1  with ‘Like A Prayer’
1989, Mike And The Mechanics US No.1  with ‘The Living Years’, a No. 2 hit in the UK.
1995, The Comic Relief charity record ‘Love Can Build A Bridge‘ featuring Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton went to No.1 on the UK singles chart for one week.
2001, the first Britney Spears Pepsi TV commercial was aired on US television.
2002, Bono from U2 made a appearance at the air rage trial of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, telling the court ‘I came to court because Peter is actually famously know for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match’.
2002, The seven-year mystery of missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards took a grisly twist when human feet were found near where he vanished in 1995.
2005, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne were forced to flee their Buckinghamshire mansion after a blaze broke out as they slept.
2006, Buck Owens Jr. American singer and guitarist died. Pioneered the Bakersfield sound—a reference to Bakersfield, California.
2007, The reformed Take That  UK No 1 album with ‘Beautiful World.’
2007, Proclaimers feat Brian Potter & Andy Pipkin UK No.1  with ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’. The Scottish duo teamed up with  Peter Kay and Matt Lucas for this unofficial Comic Relief charity hit.

Birthday Boys and Girls March 25th

1934, US singer Johnny Burnette,
1938, Hoyt Axton, US singer, songwriter and actor who wrote songs for Elvis Presley, Three Dog Night, John Denver, Ringo Starr and Glen Campbell.
1942, Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul
1947, Elton John. Some of the aliases Sir Elton has used checking into hotels include, Prince Fooboo, Sir Humphrey Handbag, Lillian Lollipop, Lord Choc Ice, Lord Elpus, Binky Poodleclip and Sir Henry Poodle. Elton John’s official nickname is Rocket Man – but Rod Stewart calls him Sharon.
1949, Nick Lowe,
1951, Born on this day, Maisie Williams, Boney M

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The Fifth Beatle

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A lot of interest was sparked on yesterday´s blog by the anniversary of the death of Neil Aspinall. For those who might not have heard of Neil…..

Neil Stanley Aspinall (13 October 1941 – 24 March 2008) was a British music industry executive. A childhood friend of Paul McCartney  and George Harrison, he went on to head The Beatles’ company Apple Corps.

The Beatles employed Aspinall as their road manager and personal assistant, which included driving his old Commer van to and from shows, both day and night. After Mal Evans started work for The Beatles, Aspinall was promoted to become their personal assistant, later becoming chief executive of their company, Apple Corps.

On behalf of Apple, Aspinall was involved in notable court cases against Allen Klein, EMI, and Apple Computer. He supervised the marketing of music, videos, and merchandising, as well being a director of Standby Films, which was run from his home in Twickenham, London. On 10 April 2007, Aspinall left Apple Corps. Aspinall died of lung cancer in New York City in 2008.

Source for further reading -Wikipaedia

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We have a warm day again but there´s clouds over the mountains and clouds shrouding the Mediterranean from view yet again. Let´s get the forecast for the Alicante Province.

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Chance of Rain
18° C | 9° C
Chance of Rain
21° C | 10° C
Clear
20° C | 10° C
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 10° C
Clear
20° C | 10° C

Don´t forget, if you´re coming to Benidorm we have a microclimate.………

I don´t know about you but I don´t find enough hours in the day to get through all the things I want to achieve. For starters, I can never really finish with improving my command of the Spanish language. This is an ongoing battle for me. The website always beckons and then my guitar lies in wait for me. I also like to get in an exercise session during the day. I´m busy!

People who say their lives have a purpose are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, a new study suggests.  As the population ages and dementia becomes a more frequent diagnosis, there’s increasing impetus to determine the causes of the disease, associated risk factors and how to prevent it, explained study co-author Dr. Aron S. Buchman, an associate professor in the department of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

“There has been a lot of interest in psychosocial factors and their association with cognitive decline and dementia in later life,” he said.

The study looked at the positive aspects of life and their possible effect on keeping dementia at bay, “looking at happiness, purposefulness in life, well-being and whether those kind of concepts are associated with a decreased risk of dementia,” Buchman explained. Full Story

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Word of the Day

el gajo gah’-ho  (noun)

segment, wedge (of an orange, lemon); lock (of hair); branch (of a tree)

EXAMPLES

No olvides los gajos de naranja en la ensalada de fruta. – Don’t forget the orange wedges in the fruit salad

Mi abuela tiene un gajo de cabello de mi niñez. – My grandmother has a lock of hair from when I was a child.

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Music Stuff March 24th

1945, Billboard published the first US LP chart. Nat King Cole was at No.1
1958, At 6.35am, Elvis Presley reported to the Memphis draft board. From there Elvis and twelve other recruits were taken by bus to Kennedy Veterans Memorial Hospital where the singer was assigned army serial number 53310761.
1962, The Beatles appeared at The Barnston Women’s Institute, Wirral, Merseyside
1966, Simon and Garfunkel made their UK singles chart debut with ‘Homeward Bound.’
1973, Alice Cooper went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Billion Dollar Babies.’ Also a No.1 in the US.
1973, The O’Jays went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Love Train.’
1979, The Bee Gees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Tragedy’
1984, Lionel Richie started a six week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Hello.’
1985, ‘Easy Lover’ by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins was at No.1 on the UK singles chart.
1990, Canadian singer Alannah Myles US No.1 with ‘Black Velvet’, a No.2 hit in the UK.
1990, Sinead O’Connor went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’, featuring the single ‘Nothing Compares To You.
1992, a Chicago court settled the Milli Vanilli class action suit by approving cash rebates of up to $3 (£1.76) to anyone proving they bought the group’s music before November 27 1990, the date the lip synching scandal broke. Milli Vanilli won the 1989 best new artist Grammy after hits like “Blame it on the Rain” and “Girl, You Know It’s True,” selling 30 million singles and 14 million albums. But in late 1990, the performers were stripped of the award after it was revealed that neither actually sang on the Milli Vanilli album.
1997, Harold Melvin died aged 57.
1998, UK singer Mark Morrison was jailed for a year after trying to con his way out of doing community service. He sent his minder Gabriel Mafereka who wore sunglasses and hid his hair under a hat so he looked like the star.
2000, Sir Elton John’s Aida opened on Broadway. It took Elton 21 days to write the music and five years to make the production.
2002, Gareth Gates became the youngest male solo artists to score a UK No.1 with his debut release ‘Unchained Melody’, Gates was 17 years and 255 days old and had won second place on TV’s ‘Pop Idol’ show.
2009, Motown drummer Uriel Jones, died aged 74 after suffering complications from a heart attack.
2009, The prosecutor in the Phil Spector murder retrial told the jury he was a “demonic maniac” when he drinks and “a very dangerous man” around women.

Birthday Boys and Girls March 24th

1970, Sharon Corr, vocals, violin, The Corrs,

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Great British Actress!

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It´s grey and very cloudy today. I cannot see the Mediterranean nor can  I see the mountains. Both are shrouded in low clouds complemented by a film of mist. It is warm so I´ll check the Alicante forecast to see what lies ahead for us.

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 8° C
Chance of Rain
18° C | 9° C
Clear
21° C | 10° C
Clear
20° C | 10° C
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 7° C
Scattered Clouds Chance of Rain

20% chance of precipitation
 Clear Clear Scattered Clouds

Happy people tend to talk more than unhappy people, but when they do, it tends to be less small talk and more substance, a new study finds.

A group of psychologists from the University of Arizona and Washington University in St. Louis set out to find whether happy and unhappy people differ in the types of conversations they tend to have.

For their study, volunteers wore an unobtrusive recording device called the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) over four days. The device periodically records snippets of sounds as participants go about their lives. Full Story

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Word of the Day

asustarse ah-soo-star’-seh  (pronominal verb)

to get frightened, to be scared; to get worried

EXAMPLES

Me asusté cuando vi que no estaba allí. – I got scared when I saw you weren’t there.

No se asuste, no es nada grave. – Don’t get worried, it’s nothing serious.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for asustarse.

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Happiness is no match for heart disease

Some researchers are claiming that happiness could cure heart disease. If only it were that easy…

For most people, heart disease is the accumulation of a lifetime of bad habits. It’s something you earn — and no matter how jolly you are, if you’re fat, sick and diabetic you’ll stay that way until you take better care of yourself. And you can laugh yourself right into an early grave.

Researchers looked at data on more than 1,700 Canadians from Nova Scotia who participated in a decade-long health survey. At the start of the study, each participant’s happiness was ranked on a five-point scale — as if your overall contentment can be measured like blood-sugar levels.

Over the course of that decade, 145 of the participants developed heart disease, and those who ranked lowest on that happiness scale were far more likely to come down with the condition.

The researchers also claim that each one-point boost on their arbitrary happiness scale lowered the risk for heart diseases by 22 percent, according to the study published in the European Heart Journal.

I hate to burst the good feelings here, but this study flunks the common-sense test. I don’t care how big you smile or how loud you laugh — no amount of happiness in the world will undo the artery-clogging damage caused by a lifetime of TV dinners and fast food McThings.

Happiness has its benefits — but let’s not get carried away. Happiness alone WON’T save your life.

Happy and healthy,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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A very old gag sent to me by Jackie C from Benidorm

A farmer goes out to his field one morning only to find all of his cows   frozen solid.  As far as the eye can see are cows, motionless like statues.  It had been a bitterly cold night, but he’d never thought   anything like this would happen. The realisation of the situation then dawned on him.   With his entire livestock gone, how would he make ends meet?  How would he feed his wife and kids? How would he pay the mortgage?  He sat with his head in his hands, trying to come to terms with his pending   poverty.   Just then, an elderly woman walked by, “What’s the matter?” asked the  old lady. The farmer gestured toward the frozen cows and explained his predicament to the woman.

Without hesitation the old woman smiled and began to rub one of the cows   noses.  After a few seconds the cow began to twitch and was soon back to normal and chewing the cud.   One by one, the old woman defrosted the cows until the whole field was   full of healthy animals.   The farmer was delighted and asked the woman what she wanted as a   repayment for her deed.   She declined his offer and walked off across the field.   A passer-by who had witnessed the whole thing approached the farmer.   “You know who that was don’t you?” asked the passer-by.
“No” said the farmer “who?”
“That was Thora Hird”

Editor´s Note Here´s a link to explain the gag!

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Husband and wife are waiting at the bus stop with their nine children. A blind man joins them after a few minutes. When the bus arrives, they find it overloaded and only the wife and the nine kids are able to fit onto the bus.

So the husband and the blind man decide to walk. After a while, the husband gets irritated by the ticking of the stick of the blind man as he taps it on the sidewalk, and says to him, ‘Why don’t you put a piece of rubber at the end of your stick? That ticking sound is driving me crazy.’
The blind man replies, ‘If you had put a rubber at the end of YOUR stick, we’d be riding in  the bus………………………

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Music Stuff March 23rd

1961, Elvis Presley had his seventh UK No.1 – ‘Wooden Heart.’
1964, John Lennon’s book of verse and rhyme ‘In His Own Write’ was published in the UK.
1967, at a ceremony held at the Playhouse Theatre in London, The Beatles were awarded three Ivor Novello awards for 1966: Best-selling British single ‘Yellow Submarine’, most-performed song ‘Michelle’, and next-most-performed song ‘Yesterday’. None of the Beatles attended and the winning songs were played by Joe Loss and his Orchestra. The lead vocal for ‘Michelle’ was sung by Ross MacManus. His son would  become Elvis Costello.

1969, Coventry Theatre…Stevie Wonder, The Foundations, The Flirtations and the man I worked with on the Radio One Club from Top Rank, Doncaster, Emperor Rosko. 1973, John Lennon was ordered to leave the US within 60 days by the immigration authorities.
1991, Hale And Pace and The Stonkers UK No.1 with the charity record ‘The Stonk…..(not good!)
1991, R.E.M. scored their first UK No.1 album featuring the singles ‘Losing My Religion’ and ‘Shiny Happy People.’
1995, Alan Barton of UK pop band Black Lace died… 1984 UK No.2 single ‘Agadoo.’
2005, (Is This The Way To) Amarillo by Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay was the No.1 UK single
2008, Neil Aspinall, who ran the Apple Corps music empire for the Beatles from 1970 – 2007 died from Cancer at a hospital in New York aged 66. A school friend of Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he was regarded by some of the band as the “fifth Beatle” . He was the Beatles’ road manager in 1961 before becoming their personal assistant.

Birthday Boys and Girls March 23rd

1952, Dave Bartram, Showaddywaddy
1953, Chaka Khan, (Yvette Marie Stevens), US singer
1966, Mark McLoughlin, (Marti Pellow)
1968, Damon Albarn, vocals, Blur
1972, Beverly Knight

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Climate Change!

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We have a weird day today. It´s warm enough but the clouds are covering the Mediterranean and all that I can sea is a hazy collection of clouds out to sea, clarity in the immediate vecinity of the house and absolutely no sign of the mountains. Let´s check the week ahead for the Alicante Province.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Chance of Rain
20° C | 9° C
Scattered Clouds
18° C | 8° C
Chance of Rain
18° C | 9° C
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 11° C
Scattered Clouds
19° C | 8° C
Chance of Rain

30% chance of precipitation
 Scattered Clouds Chance of Rain

20% chance of precipitation
 Scattered Clouds Scattered Clouds

If you´re coming to Benidor don´t forget to check the localizes weather forecast for Benidorm´s mini-climate.

Well, the flurry of the Easter games will soon decide where the Premiership and La Liga goes this year. Liverpool played well enough yesterday but will not finish in the top four. That is now a battle between Spurs, Man City and Villa. If they all decide to cock up their results and Liverpool continue to play well then who knows?

I have done this before but Ian K from Villamar sent me the following…..

Aspirin Info

Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic who is lead author of the report in the July 29, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 A.M. and noon, Somers said. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual happened. Somers and his colleagues have been working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame.

1. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night. The reason: aspirin has a 24-hour “half-life”. therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the aspirin would be strongest in your system.

2. FYI, aspirin lasts a really long time in your medicine chest…………years.
(when it gets old, it smells like vinegar.)

please read on.

Something that we can do to help ourselves. Nice to know.
Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets.

Why keep aspirin by your bedside?
About Heart Attacks

There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm.
One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots ofsweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.
Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack.
The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.

If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.
Afterwards:
-call 112 (Spain) 999 (UK)
- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by
-say “heart attack!”
-say that you have taken 2 aspirins..
- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and…
~do NOT lie down~

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Word of the Day

el arañazo ah-rah-nyah’-so  (noun)

scratch

EXAMPLES

Tengo muchos arañazos en las manos por mi gatito nuevo. – I have a lot of scratches on my hands from my new kitten.

El servicio de mudanzas me dijo que no son los responsables por los arañazos en mi escritorio. – The movers told me they are not responsible for the scratches on my desk.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for el arañazo.

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Sent by Ian K….

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.  He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and  set about nailing it to a post on the edge of  his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the  post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked  down into the eyes of little boy.

“Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your  puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat  off the back of his neck, “These puppies come  from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.”

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then  reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a  handful of change and held it up to the farmer.  “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take  a look?”

“Sure,” said the farmer. And with that he let out  a whistle. “Here, Dolly!” he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran  Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.  The little boy pressed his face against the chain  link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the  dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy  noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.  Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably  smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat
awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward  the others, doing its best to catch up…

“I want that one,” the little boy said, pointing to the  runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said,

“Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able  to run and play with you like these other dogs would.”

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence,  reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his  trousers.  In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down  both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made  shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see sir,  I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone  who understands.”

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and  picked up the little pup.  Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

“How much?” asked the little boy. “No charge,”  answered the farmer, “There’s no charge for love.”

The world is full of people who need someone who  understands. It’s National Friendship Week.

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Researchers admit to global warming lies

I’ve told you over and over that global warming is nothing more than politically motivated hot air. And now, one by one, climate-change scientists are falling like those glaciers they want us to worry so much about.

Take Professor Phil Jones, one of the world’s leading Chicken Littles. Last autumn, e-mails surfaced in which he essentially admitted to fudging data on global warming and deliberately avoiding Freedom of Information requests from skeptics.

Jones isn’t alone in his deception. Hardly a week goes by that another climate-change scientists isn’t caught lying, cheating, backtracking, pulling data or making unsubstantiated claims.

Remember the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change? They’re the group that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore for their panic-inducing report on the imminent climate Armageddon.

Do they ever take those prizes back? Because it turns out that report has some problems as big as the Himalayan glaciers they warned could disappear by 2035.

A key figure behind the report recently admitted that they had no real data to back that up. They made the claim anyway, as the Mail puts it, “purely to put political pressure on world leaders.”

In yet another climate-change backtrack, scientist have been forced to withdraw a study that claimed global warming would cause sea levels to rise by more than 32 inches by the end of the century.

Turns out they had to fess up to not one but TWO major errors in their study, which was published in Nature Geoscience, one of the leading journals in the field.

The gig is up, fellas. With each new report, it becomes abundantly clear that climate-change fanatics are more interested in pushing their agenda than they are in saving the world.

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

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Music Stuff March 22nd

1962, The Beatles and The New York Twisters appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, England.
1975, Frankie Valli US No.1 with ‘My Eyes Adored You
1975, Led Zeppelin US No.1 with ‘Physical Graffiti’, the group’s fourth US No.1 album.
1975, Bay City Rollers UK No.1 with ‘Bye Bye Baby’
1975, Tom Jones UK No.1 with his ’20 Greatest Hits’ collection.
1978, The Police signed to A & M Records.
1980, Johnny Mathis went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Tears And Laughter.’
1980, Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’  US No.1. Also No.1 in the UK.
1980, The Jam had their first UK No.1 with ‘Going Underground
1994, Singer, songwriter, producer Dan Hartman died of a brain tumor in Westport, Connecticut. Was a member of the Edgar Winter Group and wrote the band’s hit ‘Free Ride.’ Had the 1978 No.1 dance hit ‘Instant Replay,’ wrote ‘Relight My Fire’ a UK No.1 for Take That and Lulu.
2000, Yusuf Islam the former singer Cat Stevens joined the campaign to save the Section 28 ban on the promotion of homosexuality in UK schools.
2004, Ozzy Osbourne was voted the nation’s favourite ambassador to welcome aliens to planet Earth.
2004, a new book claimed that Elvis Presley’s ancestors came from a small village called Lonmay in the North East of Scotland. Author Allan Morrison said he’d found evidence that Elvis’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was married in the village 300 years ago.
2009, Lady Gaga UK No.1 with ‘Poker Face’
2009, Ronan Keating UK No.1 with ‘Songs For My Mother’

Birthday Boys and Girls March 22nd

1936, Roger Whittaker, singer, songwrite
1943, George Benson
1948, Andrew Lloyd Webber

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