Simply unbeleivable these creatures called "people"! (before) I know exactly what I would shoot an arrow up - if I could ever get my hands on the revolting creatures who did this, and it wouldn't be the hole in the head either..! No thanks to them, this lucky baby lived on to give more pleasure! Read all about it - click the link! http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/09/04/2009-09-04_miracle_cat_on_mend_after_arrow_pierces_his_head.html (after)

I recall that my wife used to have a little quote, under certain conditions: "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me - think I'll go in the corner and eat worms! Well, that's the way soldiers have felt over a long, long time - a bit like the police as well. Now, it's revenge time! It seems that this is the period of Governmental "savings" policies, and all over the World, in France, Germany,UK, USA, Canada amongst others, Military Barracks or Casernes are in line to be closed down. And...... people don't like it! Suddenly, the Soldiers are our friends! Actually, the locals have suddenly realised that if their local Barracks are closed down, the whole town or village will probably go bankrupt! I recall, years and years ago having to try and translate from a British Senior Officer to a Mayor or Burgermeister of a German town, just WHAT the 3 British Casernes in his town actually represented. Jobs for the locals, Commerce in the shops, Banks, Assurances and el...

So - it's 10 years ago today? Not for me. For me it's 15 years and more! I've been watching the events on the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and I've been listening to the "expert" opinions of "why" this outward expression of sentiments. I think that it is simply a mixture of people who have never been touched by personal tragedy, and people who have. You see, at birth, one cannot choose one's parents, nor into what type of family one is born. Whether sentiments of care, of love are present or not is beyond your control. Did your parents have more a son or a daughter in mind, and got the reverse? Was the mentality of your parents such that affections had to be covered, was it a necessity to show the British "no sentimentality" feature - or whatever. You didn't choose the situation, and you had to make the best you could out of it, allowing for all possibilities. On the other hand, when you married, thi...

I know that I have already touched on the subject, but "actuality" obliges! I recall as a kid spending many a torrid hour in things like Sunday Schools (as if Monday to Saturday wasn't enough) and 11am and Evening services in my Father's parish church, being drilled into beleiving everything and anything written in the Holy Bible! Everything that is, apart from the things that didn't fit in the plans of the Church! As I vaguely recall, there was this episode of the Book of Revelations (Chapter 6, I think), which wasn't talked about a great deal, since it involved the total annihilation of the Planet, the Church and its members along with it! I recall, vaguely , that it concerned the 4 bad lads on horseback, floods,famine,pestilence, death and disease, war and other nice things (I know, that makes at least 6, but the horses were quite big ones). I recall also, being told, often (when something had gone wrong in my planning) "You see - the Bible told you ...

One of the much looked forward to events in Western Berlin, when we lived there, was the "International Gruene Woche" (International Green Week). This was around the middle of January in each year, and was so looked forward to, at our epoch at least, because although we had EVERYTHING (and then some) in West Berlin, we were cut off from "normal" travel, by a corridor of some 80/100 kilometres, highly controlled by the East German and Russian Authorities. Of course, we could take the car, the train, the bus and the plane, but before we got anywhere, we had the controls to go through, time wasting and not very agreeable! The International Green Week, brought everything to our doorsteps, and although it had nothing to do with environement, the Green Week gave us the facility to eat and drink from all over the world, at very reasonable prices, in an enormous Exhibition. From German Schnapps, to hams from Denmark and elswhere, everything was tryable, before buying a re...

With the start of 2007, new countries have entered the European community, and one more has become a member of the Euro Community (as opposed to the European Union)This has inevitably led to the reopening of a discussion about whether things have been made more expensive by the Euro or not. (as you can see from the image, the Euro itself isn't as expensive as before!) Being of a Scottish miserly origin, I have thousands and thousands of till receipts, dating back to well before the introduction of the Euro, and I can certainly prove, from them, that the increase to normal living things like food and drink, is minimal, if at all!Seems like the producers and retailers have kept their end of the deal (even if involuntary, and only through strict controls). On the other hand, I can also prove that the areas where enormous increases have been made are those which were faithfully promised (again) by politicians to be the most strictly controlled. Things like Electricity, water, Gas bi...