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The Last 10p
A father walks into a restaurant with his young son.. He gives the young boy three 10p coins to play with to keep him occupied. Suddenly, the boy starts choking, going blue in the face..The father realizes the boy has swallowed the coins and starts slapping him on the back.. The boy coughs up 2 of the 10p’s, but keeps choking. Looking at his son, the father is panicking, shouting for help.
A well dressed, attractive, and serious looking woman, in a blue business suit is sitting at a coffee bar reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. At the sound of the commotion, she looks up, puts her coffee cup down, neatly folds the newspaper places it on the counter, gets up from her seat and makes her way, unhurried, across the restaurant. Reaching the boy, the woman carefully drops his pants; takes hold of the boy’s testicles and starts to squeeze and twist, gently at first and then ever so firmly.. After a few seconds the boy convulses violently and coughs up the last of the 10p’s, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand. Releasing the boy’s testicles, the woman hands the coin to the father and walks back to her seat at the coffee bar without saying a word. As soon as he is sure that his son has suffered no ill effects, the father rushes over to the woman and starts thanking her saying, “I’ve never seen anybody do anything like that before, it was fantastic. Are you a doctor? ”
‘No,’ the woman replied. I’m with the Inland Revenue..’
This was a really weird start to the day as I got three copies of this same e-mail at the same time. My thanks go to Eric, Ian and frank. Was it a coincidence? It was certainly surreal! Well done Fulham with just that one goal last night. I watched a bit of the game and they looked good apart from Danny Murphy´s penalty.
I found a link to the lineage of the Meerkat. I think naturalists should find this interesting.
Here´s the weather forecast for Benidorm in Spanish to make us feel more at home!
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Here´s a plug for my friend Dave Sherrif and any linedancers who might read my blog.
Decidir
(deh-see-deer’) (transitive verb) – to decide, to make up one’s mind, to settle
Examples:
- Decidió comprar un coche nuevo. – He decided to buy a new car.
- ¿Puedes ayudarme decidir cual color es mejor? – Can you help me decide which color is better?
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Decidir.
LINEDANCE UNLIMITED HOLIDAYS
THURS 22nd APRIL – MON 26th APRIL
Benidorm 4 nights Full board.Hotel Nereo 3* With workshops and socials.
Guest choreographer DEBBIE ELLIS.
Price 140 euros (coach not included )Single
Supplement, 10 euros per person per night.
GERRY & SALLY 965319769 or 600362044
( Organisers of group trips for the last 5 years ,in
Association with SERVIGROUP HOTELS )
Deposit of 25 euros per person to Gerry & Sally, to Secure places.
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Welcome to my sister who is now a regular contributor to this blog. Keep it in the family!
More about http://www.age-well.org
Why age-
well.org?
The name of the site – age-well – means just that –information on how to age well, which means both aging
healthily and also looking younger than your chronological age.
Everyone has three different ages: his or her chronological age, the body’s age and the age of
the mind. This website briefly explains the aging process, giving tips for preventing the main illnesses prevalent in
an ageing population, and the best advice for keeping your looks, staying active and young at heart.
Nobody relishes the though of growing old, but aging doesn’t necessarily mean losing your looks or having to give up
your favourite activities. If you follow our advice, you will be able to take responsibility for your own health, and
help your body and mind age well, by learning as much as possible about health care, nutrition and fitness. We will
also endeavour to keep you up-to-date on new medical advances that will increase quality of life and prevent premature
aging. This site will also give information on skin care; exercise and supplements that can help you look younger
longer. Eventually we hope to include information on cosmetic surgery and invite readers to recommend surgeons who
produce results.
Medical advances in the last century have meant that average life spans are greater today than at any other time in man’
s history. What is more, as the baby boomers reach 60+, the numbers of elderly people who want to Age well and are
interested in staying fit and looking good are growing.
Strength in Numbers
This age group will also be able to form pressure groups to convince governments to fund research into illnesses such
as diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and heart related diseases that are more common in an ageing
population. They can also convince governments not to cut spending on medical care, such as hip and knee replacements,
that can improve the quality of life for so many people. Perhaps most important of all, as changes in legislation push
the retirement age higher, baby boomers can lobby for an end to age discrimination in the workplace, so that they do
not have to suffer the indignity of being “unemployable” while not yet able to draw the pensions they have worked so
hard for
This site is, of course, open to people of all ages, as we do not want to perpetuate this crime and discriminate
against any other age group, or others that differ in any way from the age targeted by this site. After all, many of
the next generations will also have the privilege of aging. It is good that they learn too about how to slow down the
aging process. The earlier people develop good nutritional habits and active lifestyles, the better they will age. We
hope the site will also provide information for someone who is caring for or concerned about an aging loved-one.
Future Developments
This online community will eventually include forums a chat room, and other features specially designed for people who
want to age well. It is intended to be a place where readers can discuss their interests and concerns with people in
their own age range or with other age groups; find and share articles which are pertinent and helpful, and which
reflect the best evidence available on living longer – but perhaps, more importantly, living better. We hope at a
later date to also include other issues which readers have indicated they would like to see on our site, such as
dealing with bereavment, chronic illness and divorce.
Last, but not least, this site will eventually give advice on how to enjoy an active sex life in later life, as well as
giving information on how best to treat conditions which make this difficult.
So stay tuned and please feel free to contribute any information that you would like to see on this site or in our
forthcomming newsletter.. You can contact me at the following address: marie-therese@age-well.org
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Here´s another of those articles that I spotted………
Several decades ago, researchers found that ediroulf helped prevent cavities in teeth. The evidence was so compelling that several popular ediroulf supplements became best sellers.
Unfortunately, overdoses of ediroulf caused teeth to become discolored and pitted. In some cases, teeth actually crumbled away. In the mid-90s, the FDA banned ediroulf to protect consumers.
Of course, that’s all fiction. You may have noticed how I VERY cleverly reversed the spelling of fluoride…ediroulf.
The fact is, fluoride should never have been put into public water “for our own good.” For years we’ve all been force-fed a supplement of fluoride with no way of controlling the dosage. As a health issue it’s absurd. As an ethics issue it’s deeply absurd.
But finally, the mainstream may be getting a clue and catching on.
A Wall Street Journal article notes that among industrialized nations, the U.S. scores among the highest in rates of dental fluorosis, caused by overexposure to fluoride.
Dental fluorosis is a discoloration of teeth that also causes pitting of tooth enamel, which (brace yourself for the irony) often leads to tooth decay. In the worst cases, dental fluorosis causes teeth to become so brittle they actually crumble.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers water fluoridation one of the great public health successes of the 20th Century. But in 2005 the CDC reported that more than 30 percent of American children have some level of dental fluorosis.
Meanwhile, a study published last year in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives confirms that fluoride exposure interferes with the natural production of tooth enamel.
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1956, The so-called ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ jam session took place at Sun Studios in Memphis with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.
1962, The Beatles made their London-area debut on television when they appeared in a live broadcast from Wembley on ‘Tuesday Rendezvous’, on ITV station Rediffusion. The Beatles performed live, doing lip-sync performances of ‘Love Me Do’ and 45 seconds of ‘P.S. I Love You.’
1944, Born on this day, Dennis Wilson, drums, vocals, The Beach Boys, (1966 UK & US No.1 single ‘Good Vibrations’, plus over 25 other UK Top 40 singles). Wilson drowned while swimming from his boat moored in Marina Del Rey, California on 28th December 1983 after a heavy day’s drinking.
1976, workers at EMI records went on strike, refusing to package the Sex Pistols single ‘Anarchy In The UK.’
1976, American guitarist Tommy Bolin died from a heroin overdose aged 25. Member of Zephyr (1969 to 1971), The James Gang (1973 to 1974) and Deep Purple (1975 to 1976).
The Gift of Life
In giving advice, seek to help, not please, your friend. – Solon (638 BC – 559 BC)
A nice quote gets us off to a flying start today. It´s cooler and there is a breeze keeping the 26 degrees very manageable. We´ve had a bit of rain over the past few days and I think we´ll see a change in the next day or two. Let´s get the forecast.
| Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
 26° C | 20° C
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 28° C | 19° C
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28° C | 21° C
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29° C | 19° C
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29° C | 20° C
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| Chance of Rain
30% chance of precipitation
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Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear |
I was watching the Spanish TV and that´s the way they see it as well.
If you read my blogs regularly, then you´ll know I don´t often make reference to individual cases in the newspapers. Today I am going to make an exception. I cringe every time I see the story about baby Peter. The brutes who have done those dreadful things have been named and supposedly shamed. I´m not sure the word shame will apply to these apologies for human beings.
To have a child is a gift from God or Mother Nature or whatever you believe in. Nobody can really understand the feelings of those who want to have children and cannot conceive. Therefore, those that can have children might reflect on the gift we have been afforded. The privilege of being able to make the decision to have a family is understated and many of us have taken things for granted.
To have a child and then mistreat the poor little chap in the way these monsters have done makes my blood boil. To be capable of teaching a dog to bite the child is just too sickening for words and the poor child must have been in agony as the brute, Steven Barker, weighing in at 18 stones and 6 feet 4 inches, inflicted the gruesome pain on the poor little toddler.
The story reads like a real-life episode of the Jerry Springer show and I feel the whole twisted and deranged picture of social misfits in parts of Britain and beyond is epitomised in these details. Judging by the way he lived his early life it wouldn´t have taken a lot to see he was a bad lot although it is stated the police were aware of him. Let´s not beat about the bush. What the hell was he still free for when he had already been convicted of raping a two year old girl? Could there have been any more proof needed that not only was he a sadistic thug but also a menace to everyone near him? Also, how can the social services have missed a list of 20 bad knocks to the poor little fella?
The brother, Jason Owen, who was the step-uncle to baby P is another with mental problems and is a thug of the highest order. I find it difficult to read about his activities and I cannot the believe he was not already under close police surveillance for his interest in the National Front. These two had already gone the classic bullying route of picking on the elderly, in their case their grandmother, and it was logical they would then go for the other extremity of the vulnerable scale.
Their father seems to be getting a lot of blame in the actions of his sons. Although I have no knowledge of him I would be looking at whether he had any links to the National Front or to undue interest in Hitler before blaming him. I would also be interested to knowing whether the two sons looked at a lot of violent TV and played violent video games before totally imparting the blame people seem to be imparting.
As for the mother, Tracey Connelly, the judge called her manipulative and self-centred and added that he rejected the suggestion that she didn´t know what was happening to the little child. Her own mother is disgusted, quite rightly, at what has happened and it is reported that the sick mother has talked of going out to Greece to party once the dust has settled. I really cannot find the words to describe how revulsed I feel at her part in all this.
We have all, as parents, been driven to the end of our tether by our own children. It´s part of the deal. It´s part of the battle to bring up children correctly. It´s part of the privilege of having children.
This case should be telling people to look at the state of some of Britain´s problems. Other countries might want to steer their own citizens away from such happenings. What part, if any, has the video games industry played in all this? What part, if any, has the violence on TV played in all this? What part, if any, has politics and Nationalist parties played in this? What does it tell us about social workers who cannot see the catalogue of bruises and utter social mess in such families? What does it tell me?
It tells me that I am a lucky man to have not been involved in such a nightmare. I thank God that I have had good parents and a great wife. I also thank God that we have been blessed with good children who helped us to bring them up properly. It also tells me that we cannot turn our backs on such behaviour. The Roman Empire fell through bad behaviour. It didn´t happen ovenight.
It also tells me that the news needs to be reported in a responsible fashion. Immediately underneath the judge´s comments on Tracey Connelly is an advert for 5 tips to lose stomach fat. Personally, I think this is inappropriate. To the right of the evil mother´s face is an advert for Sun Singles. There is an invitation to see what the length of my fingers tells me about my love life. Personally, I think this is inappropriate. Above the advert is a link to discuss whether David Beckham should go to the World Cup. I think all this is inappropriate and unnecessary. It all deflects the reader from the horror of what has gone on. The newspapers often sensationalise crime and many readers don´t often see they are being de-sensitized. Yes, I´m angry. I´m hopping mad. I miss the times my kids were Baby Peter´s age. I´m mad for Baby P and I treasure my memories.
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Let´s have our Spanish word for today.
Word of the Day
Apuntar ah-poon-tar’ (transitive verb)
to point, to aim; to prompt; to write down, to note
EXAMPLES
Apunté la necesidad de una reunión. – I pointed out the necessity for a meeting.
Siempre apunte la información importante de las clases. – He always takes notes on the important information from the lectures.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Apuntar.
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Leapy Lee sent me an old gag and we do need a little brevity. Here comes the cleaned up version……..
police officer pulls over a speeding car.The officer says, ‘ I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.’
The driver says, ‘Christ, officer I had it on cruise controlat 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.’
Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: ‘Now don’t be silly dear, you know that this car doesn’t have cruise control.’
As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, ‘Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once?’
The wife smiles demurely and says, ! ‘You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did.’
As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched< teeth, ‘For God´s sake, woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?’
The officer frowns and says, ‘And I notice that you’re not wearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic 75 pound fine.’
The driver says, ‘Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket.’
The wife says, ‘Now, dear, you know very well that you didn’t have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you’re driving.’
And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, ‘WHY DON’T You shut up??’
The officer looks over at the woman and asks, ‘Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma’am?’
I love this part…. :
‘Only when he’s pissed.’
Here´s the Spanish news for today and my podcast should be here by 2.30 pm.
La Olla v Mother Nature
How lifelike need a doll be? A story going the rounds tells of a new doll in Spain which allows the child to imitate breastfeeding. Personally, I think children have the right to grow up at the right ages and stages and I fear premature exposure to adult things causes problems in teenage years.
Last week I was writing about the healthy salaries some doctors are making in Britain today.I always have felt that some doctors need challenging. Individually, we all need good doctors and their expertise to help diagnose our problems is immeasurable. However, we are all better at knowing our own pain and we need the doctors to be attentive to what we are telling them otherwise how can they accurately diagnose the problem? I also feel that too many doctors prescribe drugs far too quickly. I think it´s unhealthy to have blind faith and this link will provide evidence as to whether I might be on to something.
Last night I sat and watched a spectacular display of power in nature. The heavens must have known I was going to write about the fireworks at La Olla but the display by the natural forces over Calp was amazing. I just watched in awe and wondered which man still views his knowledge superior to the display by Mother Nature.
I knew it would rain this weekend. We need the rain and it is welcome but on a selfish note I am having a damp wall repaired and it would have been better to have kept it dry for a while. I suppose others will call it Murphy´s Law but I have only known it as Sod´s Law. Let´s look at the week ahead.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
 28° C | 21° C
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28° C | 22° C
|
28° C | 20° C
|
 28° C | 22° C
|
 28° C | 21° C
|
| Chance of T-storms
40% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of T-storms
40% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of T-storms
40% chance of precipitation
|
Overcast | Scattered Clouds |
It has been another interesting weekend with English cricket again needing to re-examine its resourceas before the final Ashes showdown. Two fabulous Rugby League Challenge Cup semi-finals have seen Huddersfield defeat St Helens and Wigan see off Warrington.
The Football season started on Saturday with the Championship providing an insight into the difficulties Newcastle, Middlesborough and West Brom will have in trying to get back into the Premiership. Colchester provided the best score and Delia Smith will need to re-write the menu for success at Norwich who ere thrashed 7-1 at home. Two of their fans were so disgusted they threw their season tickets at the management in disgust. I think they could show just a little more patience than one game! Elsewhere, Sven was back with a vengeance as Notts County drew a crowd of over 9, 000 and won their first game of the season is style. They hadn´t done this for the past 9 seasons. Sven could be on a winner! Meanwhile, Chelsea have put the first cup in their cabinet as Manchester United found it difficult to convert their penalties aftera 2-2 draw in playing time. Sir Alex was not too pleased with the ref´s performance.
On Saturday evening we went to see the spectacular fireworks display in La Olla Since 1988, the Bay of Altea has been the venue for the Castell de l’Olla, undoubtedly the most spectacular firework display of the summer. It is traditionally held by the Mediterranean Sea, close to the beach of La Olla, on the Saturday night closest to the festivity of Sant Llorenç (St. Lawrence). That´s the official write-up but the reality is that this is one of the biggest and most spectacular fieworks display in Europe. The reality is that an estimated 50.000 people turned up and enjoyed a wonderfully relaxed ambience before, during and after a fantastic FREE display
I certainly hope the pictures give an idea of the quality of the display. The crowds included many family groups with very young children and the whole event seemed almost self-policed although there were members of the security services on hand.
One of the fabulous displays
The traffic after the event was horrendous and it is always difficult getting away from the scene of the crime. However, my firends, Tom and Jennie, proved themselves to be perfect hosts as they not only fed us before the event but let us park our car in the safe haven of their parking lot. Jennie has to be congratulated on making the nmost fabulous Ratatouille and Tom was the chef for the lovely Spanish Tortilla. The spread was delicious and we spent a good few hours chatting with a great bunch of people before we wandered down to mingle with the vast crowd on the waterfront. We had to meet up with another group of friends and have a beer and it is at times like these the value of the mobile phone can be seen. We were guided through the milling throng to an appropriate. viewing spot.
Spanish Word of the Day
derretir deh-rreh-teer’ (transitive verb)
to melt, to thaw
EXAMPLES
Echó sal para derretir el hielo. – He put salt on the ice to make it melt.
Mi helado está derretiendo. – It’s hot today. My ice cream is melting.Hace calor hoy.
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I was reading an American doctor´s report on the state of organic foods. This was the interesting bit, “The crux of the organic movement is not that foods grown organically have more… it’s that they have less — fewer chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides.
There are laws that govern what can and can’t happen to organic foods. And many of the health benefits of organic foods come from the fact that they’re untouched by the nasty man-made things that are used in commercial farming operations.
A recent study published in Environmental Perspectives found that kids who ate fruit grown conventionally actually had traces of pesticides in their urine — a frightening hint at just how many poisons are being spread all over the food we eat. When these same kids switched to organic fruits, the level of pesticides plummeted after just five days.
When you think about this we have all seen crop spraying from the air and the immediate priority of the farmer must be to maximise profits. Certainly, this is food for thought!
Now, are you into the kissy kissy bit of Spanish and European greetings. Even the slightly more stand-offish great British handshake is under attack from Swine Flu. “No beses, no des la mano, di hola” is the slogan that is accompanying a campaign by a health centre in Madrid, in an attempt to combat the spread of Influenza A.
“No kisses, not even using the hand, to say hello” is the way of avoiding contact between people and the subsequent transmission of the virus. So, for a while at least, you are asked to sop your kissing upon greeting your friends, when a simple wave and a smile might suffice.
Let´s get the Spanish news…..before turning to a little brevity……..
Life really boils down to 2 questions… 1. Should I get a dog….?
OR…
2. Should I have children?<
Remember ~~ there is a light at the end of the tunnel……………
I hope to have today´s podcast ready by 2.30 pm
Your Money´s Safe!
We have had yet another beautiful day to enjoy on the Costa Blanca. It was a little too hot for me and we are having to adapt to the Spanish way of life. We need to get up early in the morning and get as much done before midday-about 2 pm. It really was the sort of day when a little siesta was greatly appreciated and my little siesta around 4pm was invaluable.
I was reading that the number of swine flu deaths in England and Wales is now 36. Overall, it would appear that the number of cases has decreased significantly. I wonder how many people die of flu in the UK during July. From the World Health Organization: 6 July 2009 – WHO reports that the Cumulative Total number of confirmed cases of Novel H1N1 World Wide is 94,512 cases including 429 deaths.
I don´t know if you´re tweeting but nobody was able to tweet yesterday as there was an outage caused by hackers. I wonder whether this had anything to do with the UFO that was spotted on a BBC Breakfast show yesterday. It is worth a peep at the video even if you don´t believe in UFOs. Incidentally, there is specualtation that there could be some sort of monument on Mars. I know it´s the silly season but there is a lot of space both out in the great beyond and papers need filling as do television shows.
Did you join Friends Reunited? ITV bosses obviously believed the site to be worthy of investment and bought the site for 170 million pounds in 2005. However, the same social networking website is now being sold for just 25 million pounds. Now I might not be any great Keynsian economist but this doesn´t really seem to be very good business, does it?
Let´s see what the weather is likely to do tomorrow onwards.
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday |
|
30° C | 22° C
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28° C | 21° C
|
28° C | 22° C
|
 26° C | 21° C
|
28° C | 19° C
|
| Clear | Chance of T-storms
30% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of T-storms
30% chance of precipitation
|
T-storms
60% chance of precipitation
|
Chance of Rain
20% chance of
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It would appear that rain is on the way. Very often it will stay inland at this time of the year but I won´t be surprised if we get a drop somewhere along the line.
I had a chuckle when I read the second headline in the pàper. The first headline told us that Lloyds Bank is writing off 13 billion pounds worth of risky loans. The state -backed bank has plunged 4 billion pounds into the red and the Chief Executive blamed former bosses at Halifax Bank of Scotland. Comments from others reading the story included the point that managers at Lloyds used to get bonuses in money and now he quotes an instance where one banker is given foreign holidays to hide the value of the bonus. A former employee writes to day their constant message was to sell mortgages etc regardless as to whether or not the loan could be repaid. Another correspondent wondered how many of the written-off loans were owned by Lloyds executives!
Oh! The other headline that caught my eye was the story of the ATM outside, you´ve guessed it, Lloyds in Exeter began spewing out money. A spokesman for the bank has said that those gaining the windfall will not be asked for the cash to be returned because it was a technical error.
Never mind at least the British economy is in good hands. There´s loadsa money somewhere and the Bank of England is putting another 50 billion pounds into the economy. Where does this money really come from? Surely it´s just high-level credit?
To add more confusion to a confusing insight the BBVA here in Spain has stated that it sees clear signs of stabilisation in the Spanish economy. Maybe it´s because of the German airline Lufthansa´s promotion. Their German clients will get their money back if it rains whilst they are in Spain. The company will pay 20 euros per day if it rains at such Spanish destinations as Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga, Palma and Valencia. Anyway, there´s always a silver lining somewhere and ice cream sales are only down by 2 to 3 % since the beginning of the year. Somebody´s obviously making the lolly!
Ronnie Biggs must be living proof that money is not everything in life. His current state of health probably means he won´t particularly enjoy his new found freedom. I wonder how he feels about the beating dished out to train driver Jack Mills. He died from Leukemia and is seen as the innocent victim in the Great Train Robbery. Here´s a link to reveal details of the rest of the gang.
Just before Jackie C lowers the tone of the proceedings I will refer you to the expression ´Bird Brain´. Once you have seen this link you might feel disinclined to use the expression.
.Here´s Jackie C not taking life too seriously…….
TAKING A WOMAN TO BED
What is the difference between girls/women aged: 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, and 78 ?
At 8 — You take her to bed and tell her a story.
At 18 — You tell her a story and take her to bed.
At 28 — You don’t need to tell her a story to take her to bed.
At 38 — She tells you a story and takes you to bed.
At 48 — She tells you a story to avoid going to bed.
At 58 — You stay in bed to avoid her story.
At 68 — If you take her to bed, that’ll be a story!
At 78 — What story??? What bed??? Who the hell are you???
190,374 people are having sex right now, 212,130 are kissing, and 1 poor computer nut is reading blogs…………You hang in there sunshine!!!!
Let´s get the Spanish news for today. The podcast will be ready by 2.30 pm
Seriously Weird
Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought. – Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662, French Mathematician/Physicist/Theologian
There is definitely something strange about this Swine Flu. As the National Pandemic Flu service enabled people in Britain to get Tamiflu over the phone without a GP being present it has been found that great numbers already have been suffering adverse affects from taking the vaccine. This is not just a minority occurrence as about 50% of children taking the vaccine have suffered in this way according to a recent report. There is also a growing body of evidence that the flu strain has been around in both 1918 and latterly in 1976. The following is well worth following.
Fears rise over side effects of Tamiflu as cases of adverse reactions double in a week
By Daniel Martin
Last updated at 2:00 AM on 03rd August 2009
Comments (16)
Fears over the side effects of Tamiflu grew last night as it was revealed that the number of suspected adverse reactions had doubled in one week.
Figures from the drugs safety watchdog, seen by the Daily Mail, show there have been 293 reports of side effects from the powerful antiviral since the beginning of April, when the swine flu outbreak began.
This compares to the 150 reported the week before – a jump of 143 in only seven days. The cases include heart and eye problems, and psychiatric disorders
More than half of children who take Tamiflu suffer from nausea, nightmares and other reactions, a study found. The figures come only a few days after a study showed that more than half of children who take Tamiflu suffer from nausea, nightmares and other reactions.
The massive rise coincides with the launch of the National Pandemic Flu Service, which allows Britons for the first time to get Tamiflu over the phone or internet without the intervention of a GP.
In the first three days of its operation – between 24 and 26 July – no fewer than 150,000 Tamiflu packs were handed out.
A growing number of doctors have raised concerns over whether the drug is being handed out too readily, putting many at needless risk of side effects when in the majority of instances, swine flu is a mild illness.
The 293 cases, reported by doctors to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, are only of suspected adverse reactions. However, those that turn out not to have been caused by Tamiflu are likely to be only a fraction of the total.
There were 465 separate reactions reported, referring to 293 individuals.
Around a third involved gastrointestinal problems, such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
But there were also cases of heart and eye problems – together with 46 cases of psychiatric disorders and 48 disorders of the nervous system. There has also been one unexplained death.
Last week England’s top doctor urged parents to continue giving their children Tamiflu if they come down with swine flu.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, appealed for calm after the release of a study which showed that 53 per cent of children who take it suffer from nausea, nightmares and other reactions.
Sir Liam said: ‘All drugs do have side effects. It is always a case of deciding the balance between benefiting a patient from a treatment and the side effects.’
There are, however, fears that if Tamiflu and the other antiviral drug Relenza are given to too many, it could lead to the flu virus developing resistance to them – leaving-Britain defenceless against swine flu until the arrival of new vaccines. A spokesman for the MHRA said: ‘Tamiflu and Relenza are acceptably safe medicines and most people will not suffer any side effects. The balance of risks and benefits for Tamiflu and Relenza remains positive.’
Gap year students have been advised against charity work in Third World countries – because they could do more harm than good by spreading swine flu. Professor Robert Dingwall, an adviser to the Department of Health, said young Britons had a ‘personal ethical responsibility’ to consider cancelling such work.
Developing countries have a shortage of antiviral drugs, and are likely to be at the back of the queue once a vaccine becomes available. Writing in the Observer, Professor Dingwall added: ‘Staying at home this year will often be the morally right thing to do.’
There are two videos that are worth looking at before taking the flu jab. Here´s the first and there is a salutory story about a lady who became paralysed after taking the flu jab. The second looks at the political intrigues.
These are among the reasons why I tried to get a revamped OCI back on the airwaves. My lovely Silver Surfer, Iris, has kindly helped me looking into various dangers and read my recent concerns about the Swine Flu. The initial enquiry was sparked by an e-mail I received from Paul Sweeney who is a musical contact from Liverpool. You might recall I was playing his song A town like this. Paul raised his concerns to all his radio contacts. I responded in my blog and Iris has brought us further down the road to discovery. The next video looks at the money side of things. There is an investigation to find out whether this flu strain has been made in a laboratory. There is definitely something not quite natural going on and well-known people are making money.
There are a lot of other videos which eventually become very confusing even leading to attacks on the American President Obama. My only wish is to keep alert to the fact that there is something very strange going on and please stay abreast of development.
Let´s check the weather for the rest of the week.
| Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|
29° C | 19° C
|
30° C | 22° C
|
 30° C | 22° C
|
31° C | 21° C
|
31° C | 21° C
|
| Clear | Scattered Clouds | Partly Cloudy | Scattered Clouds | Scattered Clouds |
Let´s get the Spanish news for today…..oh and here´s the word for today
Silbar
(seel-barr’) (transitive verb) – to whistle (at); to catcall
Examples:
- Mi padre puede silbar a cualquiera canción. – My father can whistle to any song.
- Los chicos en la esquina siempre silban a las chicas. – The boys on the corner are always catcalling at the girls.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Silbar.
Today´s podcast will be ready by 2.30 pm….if you need any more stimulation just watch this. I am not ready to swallow all of this hook, line and sinker but this year has made me think very long and hard about such claims. Yesterday´s news that the banks are ready to pay out massive bonuses which is seemingly not being challenged certainly has me thinking. I remembered early on in life that money is at the root of all evil.
Power
The weather has been really nice the last day or so. It´s not quite so hot although it is getting warmer. I would enjoy it more had I not seen the horrendous fires still burniing in Spain. The latest is said to have been started deliberately and 300 hectares are burning wildly in a forst near Avila. A man has died trapped in his house and the local people must be scared out of their minds. With the danger from these fires, Swine Flu and the normal risks with which mankind has to live who on earth needs the extra worries posed by terrorists? Let´s get today´s weather forecast for Alicante.
| Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|
32° C | 18° C
|
31° C | 21° C
|
31° C | 18° C
|
31° C | 18° C
|
31° C | 21° C
|
| Clear |
There´s a slight chance of rain on Friday. I´ve a job planned on a wall which has taken ages to dry out. However, if it means we have people getting the rain we need I´ll gladly swap the job on the wall for rain!
—————————————————————————————
I was just asked to look at a very compelling video concerning the state of Palestine. I have always had more sympathy for the Israeli cause because of the Holocaust but now it is time for Israel to remember its own suffering and try and find a compromise with the Palestinians.
I very rarely write about these matters because there is so much hatred and the observer must find it difficult to be totally empathetic with the sufferers. However, the Israelis have such a troubled history that they surely, above all others, must realise the suffering of others. I pray that sensible leadership can work a better deal for those who need it most.
I refuse to totally take sides because I can see certain aspects of the arguments on both sides. However, it´s always the most vulnerable and the innocent who suffer. It needs give and take on both sides and peacemakers to show great leadership. This video convinced me of that. I urge you to watch it the I wonder if you might feel as I do.
Terrorism is not the answer. We´ve had more terrorism in Spain today. A van has been blown up near the Guardia Civil barracks in Burgos. It would appear no warning was given and the 14 story building was destroyed. Thankfully, nobody died but 37 people were injured by flying glass. So what will ETA have achieved? Probably a number of innocent people who now hate them. The barracks will be rebuilt. More hatred will have been provoked to an already seemingly dying cause.
Here´s our Spanish word for today
El poder
(poh-derr’) (noun) – power, authorization
Examples:
* Tenemos mucho poder aquí. – We have a great deal of power here.
* Mi hermano tiene el poder de convicción. – My brother has the power of persuasion.
For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for El poder.
Here´s a story one of my listeners has sent for us to enjoy……… A father walks into a restaurant with his young son. He gives the young boy 3 pennies to play with to keep him occupied.
Suddenly, the boy starts choking, going blue in the face. The father realizes the boy has swallowed the pennies and starts Slapping him on the back. The boy coughs up 2 of the pennies, but keeps choking. Looking at his son, the father is panicking, shouting for help.
A well dressed, attractive, and serious looking woman, in a blue Business suit is sitting at a coffee bar reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. At the sound of the commotion, she looks up and puts her coffee cup down, neatly folds the newspaper and places it on the counter. She gets up from her seat and makes her way, unhurried, across the restaurant.
Reaching the boy, the woman carefully drops his pants; takes hold of the boy’s testicles and starts to squeeze and twist, gently at first and then ever so firmly. After a few seconds the boy convulses violently and coughs up the last penny, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand. Releasing the boy’s testicles, the woman hands the penny to the father and walks back to her seat at the coffee bar without saying a word.
As soon as he is sure that his son has suffered no ill effects,the father rushes over to the woman and thanked her saying,”I’ve never seen anybody do anything like that before, it was fantastic. Are you a doctor? “No, ” said the lady, “Inland Revenue!”
——————————————————————————-
Next is a motivational tale of The Eagle by an unknown author.
Do you sometimes get the feeling that you could be more than what you are right now? That somehow, you know you were made for bigger and better things? Well, chances are,you’re probably right… and don’t you let anyone convince you otherwise.
A man once found an eagle’s egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life, the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled and he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet in the air. Years passed and the eagle grew very old.
One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty on powerful wind currents with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. The old eagle looked up in awe. “Who’s that?” he asked. “That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” said his neighbor. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth – we’re chickens.” So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was.
What a terrible waste… to have lived a life not doing the things you were always capable of doing and not soaring to the heights you were able to reach. All this happened because the people around you were constantly putting you down and feeding you with negative, uninspiring comments. Rise above these comments! Life is what you make it. Don’t be afraid to spread your wings and fly. Aspire!
Join me on today´s podcast
Weekend Winners
It´s been another fine day for us on the Costa Blanca but most worrying elsewhere in Spain with fires raging around the country.
I have been watching in horror as the flames leapt into the sky and thousands were made homeless. I found a really excellent video about the fires in Spain if your Spanish is good enough. The facts include the following:
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During the last decade, 1994 was the worst year (January – August) for Spain as a whole with 314,215 ha, followed by 1995 with 89,514; 1997 with 88,903 and 2004 with 86, 82. “Best” years were 1996 with 30,573 ha; and 2001 with 40,103 ha. The average surface burnt over last 10 years is 85.652 ha. There are said to be up to 20,000 forest fires in Spain a year. Between January and August 2004 there were 10,050, in comparison with 5,908 in 2003.
-
An average of more than 80% of fires are caused intentionally.
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59 people were killed in forest fires between 1991-2003. 41 of these died in 1994.
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More than 23,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes in 2003. 7 people died
It would appear that Spain has a never ending fight to control these fires which seem to have roots in many different causes. Millions of euros are spent in trying to both prevent and contain these fires. It is also beyond belief that so many of these fires are started deliberately. It is also amazing that experts can actually find the perpetrators of such horrific acts. Apart from the obvious damage, the effects of the smoke and its affects on the lives of those in its way can be felt worldwide. People planning to start their holidays become caught up in a network of sufferers none more suffering than those killed or those losing their houses.
These fires defy the efforts of an army of people who work year round to reduce the risk of fires then work to contain the fires that are started in a variety of ways. For example, experts have confirmed that the fire in Guadalajara which killed eleven firefighters was started by a group of people having a barbecue. Nobody has been arrested up til now but I am at a loss to not feel angry that someone can get fined so quickly for exceeding a speed limit, yet really harming nobody, whilst such irresponsible people can get away with this damage and loss of life. Surely one starting point must be to ban barbecues in certain areas during certain times of the year? If people desperately need a barbecue then there should be designated areas.
Thank goodness the temperatures dropped a little over the weekend. Let´s get the weather forecast.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|
32° C | 20° C
|
31° C | 18° C
|
34° C | 20° C
|
31° C | 20° C
|
32° C | 18° C
|
| Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear | Clear |
Turning to happier matters, the Tour de France saw Spain´s Alberto Contador win this prestigious event. However, there were other winners. We got the winner here in Spainj. Lance Armstrong rode another fabulous tour and his foundation was a winner. Bradley Wiggins equalled the best finish a Briton has ever been able to achieve and Mark Cavendish from the Isle of Man won a sixth sprint and rode to victory down the Champs d´Ëlysees which was another first for a Briton.
Meanwhile on four wheels Lewis Hamilton bounced back in the Formula 1 in Hungary. I´d have said he was starving never mind hungry for a win. Alonso must be hopping mad at the catastrophic mess his team made of changing his wheel and Button managed seventh.
I had thought either Rossi or Lorenzo would have won the motor grand prix but the bikes were all over the place in the British Grand Prix.
The great former England manager Sir bobby Robson was honoured in a charity football game played over the weekend. The game was between England and Germany in a repeat of a game when Sir Bobby´s England team lost on penalties to Germany in the 1990 World Cup semi-final.
The England side included six of the starting line-up from the 1990 semi-final, with Gascoigne joined by Peter Shilton, Peter Beardsley, David Platt, Des Walker and Mark Wright, plus other members of the 1990 squad such as John Barnes and Trevor Steven.
Former Newcastle United stars including Les Ferdinand and Rob Lee along with Shearer also played. The German side was captained by Lothar Matthaus, who led his country to their 1990 World Cup win.
A number of celebrities also showed their support including actors Jimmy Nail and Angus Deayton. England won 3-2 and were probably glad the match was not to be decided on penalties!
Are you getting as confused as everyone else over the Swine Flu information? I know I directed you to other information but I have just been reading that Swine flu is making Dr. Norbert Bischofberger, the inventor of Tamiflu, richer every single day of the week. This is because his is the only vaccine currently on the market to combat the pandemic. colleagues say science not money motivates him but he is now the owner of a luxury hotel. This hotel had been the family home in Mellau, Austria. As a boy he built a secret lab in the attic.
So let´s find out a little about the good doctor. He is a graduate of Innsbruck, Zurich and Harvard universities and he headed a research team to create Tamiflu for U.S. company Gilead Sciences in the 1990s. Tamiflu is the first orally active commercially developed anti-influenza medication,
Today he is a director of research and vice-president of Gilead in California which owns the intellectual rights to Tamiflu and outsources it to Swiss pharma giant Roche to manufacture and distribute. He earns around £450,000 a year but has stock options and bonuses in the tens of millions of pounds. He takes a handsome percentage said to be in the millions of Tamiflu profits as governments around the world stockpile it as the virus spreads.
Whilst all this is going on the British Government is now saying that the panic being caused by the media is likely to be worse than the actual Swine Flu itself. The designated Swine Flu call centre doesn´t exactly inspire confidence in the Uk and I have information aimed at the American reader……
First they laid the groundwork by scaring us with their ridiculous swine flu estimates. Then they rushed to the rescue, telling us to rely on Tamiflu and Relenza…two potentially dangerous drugs that, by the way, are already implicated in creating a drug- resistant strain of the flu. And now they’ve apparently decided that it doesn’t matter if those drugs are effective — as long as doctors hand them out anyway.
This gets more and more mysterious. let´s get the Spanish news for today.
It´s time to lighten up as The listeners are at it again……….Two women in heaven
1st woman: Hi! My name is Sandra.
2nd woman: Hi! I’m Sylvia. How’d you die?
1st woman: I froze to death.
2nd woman: How horrible!
1st woman: It wasn’t so bad. After I quit shaking from the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy, and finally died a peaceful death. What about you?
2nd woman: I died of a massive heart attack. I suspected that my husband was cheating, so I came home early to catch him in the act. But instead, I found him all by himself in the den watching TV.
1st woman: So, what happened?
2nd woman: I was so sure there was another woman there somewhere that I started running all over the house looking.
I ran up into the attic and searched,and down into the basement. Then I went through every closet and checked under all the beds.
I kept this up until I had looked everywhere, and finally I became so exhausted that I just keeled over with a heart attack and died.
1st woman: Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer—we’d both still be alive.
Swine Flu and Bioterrorism.
I´ve enjoyed another interesting weekend of sport.The Aussies must have felt there was an attempt to fix the Lord’s Test match. With the technology clearly showing three of their second innings wickets should not have been given as out then it’s about time cricket also cleaned up its act. Having reappraised dubious umpiring decisions the situation should have been rectified within minutes. Instead nothing is done. Why have the blessed technology if there is no intention to use it? STOP PRESS. I am inserting the fact that England polished the Aussies off on the Monday session and England go 1-0 in the Ashes series.
There is a lot of material on the internet and it is really difficult to decide authenticity. Much is passed on in good faith and I have done this myself and others have pointed out more information. The following was sent to me recently……..you must make up your own minds.
However, I have validated the premise for the warning and have added links for you to follow if you want to see what it´s all about.
DONT TAKE THE VACCINE…
Jane Burgermeister has filed bioterrorism charges with the FBI against Avir Green Hills Biotechnology, based in Austria; Baxter AG, also in Austria; and its parent company Baxter International in Deerfield, Illinois. Guess which company is providing much of the swine flu vaccine for mass inoculation – Baxter International. This is the same Baxter International that sent bird flu virus to European laboratories ‘by mistake’ earlier this year and it was mixed with a seasonal flu virus to create a much more dangerous strain.
Last year at least 81 people were killed by Baxter International’s contaminated blood-thinning product, heparin, which was made in China from, among other things, pig intestines. Isn’t pharmaceutical medicine wonderful? The contaminated heparin also seriously injured hundreds of others and it was revealed that the factory of Baxter’s Chinese supplier had never been inspected by either American or Chinese public ‘protection’ agencies.
More than 50 dialysis patients died in 2001 because of faults with Baxter International equipment, and this month Baxter Healthcare Corporation, a subsidiary of Baxter International, reached an out-of-court settlement of two million dollars with the State of Kentucky. Baxter had been caught inflating the cost of intravenous drugs sold to Kentucky Medicaid by as much as 1,300 per cent.
This is clearly a company you can trust and it is now is a major source of the swine flu vaccine that governments across the world want to impose upon entire populations with the most minimal safety checks. The vaccine is being fast-tracked through the regulatory system with safety trials lasting less than a week. The London Times reported:
‘Regulators at the European Medicines Agency said the fast-tracked procedure has involved clinical trials of a “mock-up” vaccine similar to the one that will be used for the biggest mass vaccination programme in generations. It will be introduced into the general population while regulators continue to carry out simultaneous clinical trials.’
The scale and speed of the planned vaccination programme is insane given that the overwhelming majority of those who have contracted the virus have had very mild symptoms. Dr Peter Holden of the Rothschild-controlled British Medical Association said that although swine flu was not causing serious illness they were eager to start a mass vaccination campaign, beginning with ‘priority groups’. Ugh?? This is not about public health and never was.
I have found this a rather strange event. As people always die each year after suffering some kind of flu I wonder whether the figures are normal for flu mortalities. There is apparently an average figure of around 20.000 deaths per annum caused by flu.
Distinguishing between flu and common cold is not always easy but desirable because of newer antiviral flu medications. Generally, a cold is milder and a flu more severe, but there are exceptions. Flu will typically cause high fever, whereas a cold rarely does, and is usually mild if so. Flu also typically causes headache, body aches, fatigue, weakness, exhaustion, chest discomfort, and other symptoms that are uncommon or mild in a cold. Symptoms such as sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, and sneezing are more prominent in cold than flu, but can occur with either.
The early flu-like symptoms (e.g. headache, fever, chills, etc.) are also characteristic of the body’s general reaction to any infection. Hence, many other conditions start out with flu-like symptoms; see the list of conditions with flu-like symptoms. There are various serious conditions such as meningitis and HIV that may start out flu-like.
Cold and flu are not the only respiratory viruses with other possibilities such as respiratory syncytial virus. Note also that a digestive upset is not the flu, and rarely related to flu, even though some are called “stomach flu”.
BBC Television Doctors have said the firswt line of defence is to keep your hands very clean. They also advise us to keep away from crowded places. This isn´t always possible. The advice also told us to take paracetamol and isolate ourselves and call to a medical centre for advice on how to proceed.
If you need more information then please visit the website from which I got this information.
I Play Golf on Fridays
A husband and wife came for counselling after 20 years of marriage. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years they had been married.
She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.
Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and, after asking the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately as her husband watched with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze.
The therapist turned to the husband and said, ‘This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?’
The husband thought for a moment and replied, ‘Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I play golf.’
Meanwhile, Tom Watson struck a blow for the more senior man when he came second in the Open. Notice I didn’t say the British Open. The correct terminology is exactly as I used it. Tom is nearing his 60th birthday and he all but won the championship. It needed a play-off before Tom cracked. I have the following set of rules from one of the golf clubs. Under the heading Tips from Scotland……
Here is an actual sign posted at a golf club in Scotland
1. BACK STRAIGHT, KNEES BENT, FEET SHOULDER-WIDTH APART.
2. FORM A LOOSE GRIP.
3. KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!
4. AVOID A QUICK BACK SWING.
5. STAY OUT OF THE WATER.
6. TRY NOT TO HIT ANYONE.
7. IF YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG, LET OTHERS GO AHEAD OF YOU.
8. DON’T STAND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OTHERS.
9. QUIET PLEASE…WHILE OTHERS ARE PREPARING.
10. DON’T TAKE EXTRA STROKES.
WELL DONE… NOW, FLUSH THE URINAL, GO OUTSIDE, AND TEE-OFF.
I’ve just been looking at a rather impressive Powerpoint Presentation going the rounds. It concerns Barack Obama in the White House and he seems remarkably relaxed in the company of the dignataries he has to work with in the Oval office.He seems very relaxed in his job as the most powerful man on the planet.
Perhaps to counter the shinanigins in the British Houses of Parliament and in other European parliaments there´s a story about the politicians in Barazil this weekend. It would seem they are every bit as corrupt as their European counterparts. Now there´s a comforting thought for Democracy! I have suspected it is a flawed concept for many in the world and I am far less comfortable with it now than at any time in my life.
It’s been another beautiful weekend here on the Costa Blanca. Our temperatures have been cooled a little by some quite strongs winds that cropped up on Friday. By Saturday they had moderated and the winds made it pleasant sitting in the sun. Let´s get the weather forecast.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | ||
|
28° C | 18° C
|
28° C | 19° C
|
29° C | 20° C
|
31° C | 24° C
|
35° C | 24° C
|
| Clear | Clear | Scattered Clouds | Clear | Clear |
Here´s a little trivia from July 18th 1970. BBC Radio 1 DJ Kenny Everett was sacked after he joked on air that the wife of the conservative transport minister Mary Peyton had ‘crammed a fiver into the examiner’s hand’, when taking her driving test’. I wonder if you know he went back to Radio Merseyside whilst the atmosphere cooled down.
In the news today there is another story about a 13 years-old girl being raped by a gang. This is a foul enough occurrence but some of the gang is under age and can, therefore, hide behind anonymity. Personally, i feel these kids know what they´re doing. They know that this is a severe case of bullying even before any kind of sexual event takes place. Maybe the line should be as follows? If children are being taught about sexual matters around the ages of seven and many have now advocated this then they should also accept the responsibilities that go with such knowledge. In this case the parent(s) should be brought to account as it suggests, at least, the child has enough access to unsuitable material as to want to be involved in such a vile act.
I do accept, however, that it is really difficult to always blame the parents. If a child is decided to be wicked I have seen good examples of adequate parents with an uncontrollable child.
Here’s a FREE Spanish Lesson…….and today´s Spanish news. Here´s our Spanish word for the day.
Mandar
(mahn-dar’) (transitive verb) – to order, to tell what to do, to prescribe, to advise; to send
Examples:
- Mi doctor me mandó descansar por dos semanas. – My doctor ordered me to rest for two weeks.
- Mándale el paquete mañana. – Send him the package tomorrow.
Today´s podcast is now available.-
Are we wimps?
It´s been interesting to read how many people are now becoming more interested in the morality of the San Fermines Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. I have watched in amazement as people put their lives on the line as the herd of bulls begins its run down to the bullring. For my money, anyone daft enough to antagonise a bull suffers the consequences and this year´s events have proven that there is not always safety in numbers.
There was the catastrophic death of the young man but there were also many others who have been badly gored this year. I would expect the Animal Rights activists to have a field day with these events but the greater picture shows many people coming to a very special town in Spain to enjoy a very special festival. There is more to the event than just the bulls but as people have said there is a lot of money involved.
As the lady mayor ended the festivities you could see thousands of people packed into the square all ready to shout the appropriate words and sing the appropriate songs. Personally, I think too many overlook the tragedy of what has happened in the death and injuries incurred but there is this element of people coming together to experience almost the ultimate in ´dares´.
Maybe we Brits are wimps. Maybe our dares were nothing like this. I can remember being dared to knock on my neighbour´s door and run away and the neighbour had come out like a raging bull threatening to kill us. This isn´t the same as what happens in Pamplona, however! Maybe there are some things which we are best to keep out of. Ernest Hemingway got too many people interested in this festival. Maybe we are interfering in a cultural activity that is due for a change. The last word, however, is given to the mayor of Pamplona as she rejected calls to end the run.
“Without a doubt the San Fermin festival would not make sense without the run, it is a part of our festival and our culture,” she said.
Our weather has been nicer today with clouds cooling us down a little…will it be so tomorrow?
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday |
|
31° C | 22° C
|
33° C | 20° C
|
27° C | 19° C
|
29° C | 19° C
|
|
There appears to be a possibility of rain in the forthcoming few days. There are clouds about but we´ll wait and watch.
I love bureaucracy. I love these efficient bods who sit in their ivory towers dreaming up ways of infuriating the public. It’s everywhere and I was watching a story about the local bureaucrats in Guernsey. They have placed banners along the length of the seafront urging everyone to buy locally. The banners billowing in the sea breeze were made, as you’d expect, in England. That’s pretty local isn’t it!
Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara died recently at the age of 69. She had been the world´s oldest mother and it never made any sense to me that she wanted to conceive at such an old age. If she had her boys at 67 years of age then she would have been highly unlikely to have wanted to keep them company in the park as they grew up. At the age of 10 she would have been 77 and might have enjoyed a trip to the park but I doubt whether she would have enjoyed pushing the swings or coming down the slide! Nor would she have attended the school sports day at their age of 16 when she might have appeared out of the ordinary as their mother now aged 85. It really is none of my business but I wonder how much is sensible in such a life wish. She was a single lady and the boys would never have known a father and enjoyed the things a father can do for his sons. I suppose the boys will stand by their mother if ever they are questioned by sociologists later in life but how many children are being born out of whims rather than a real chance of a normal life.
She was either one of the most unique and unselfish people life has ever seen or a lady who has been totally misguided and rather naive in her quest to have children at such a late time in her life. We´ll never really know. Let’s get today’s Spanish news.
The listeners have been at it again. I have here a number of really clever anagrams some of which are astounding. I think you’ll find the final one most interesting!
DORMITORY
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM
PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER
ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER
DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT
THE EYES :
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE
GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS
SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY
ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES – LET’S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z ‘S
A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE
AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:
MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters
WOMAN HITLER
