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I reckon this is the best, angriest and truest blog I have read for a long while and heartily recommend it to everyone who isn't offended by a teensy bit of justified swearing but is "Mad as Hell and [ ] won't put up with it" it being the ruination of our once great and decent nation and society - the Peter Finch clip is there, just scroll down.
Honestly, if it wasn't for important questions like Yorkshire Puddings, I would stop blogging and just read Old Holborn instead.

Robyn's predecessor as alpha cat at Hope Cottages. He died in 2002 aged about 16 or 17

In days gone by, Christmas preparations, adverts, and shop merchandise etc. didn't happen until after my Birthday. There has been a Christmas creep... the Christmas season seems to have grown in length year after year.

I have this standing joke, where I tell people Christmas doesn't start until after my Birthday. It is quite funny at work when they all get into the spirit far to soon, then I tell them Christmas doesn't start until after my Birthday ;-) It leads to some fun good natured and reflective comments and discussions :-)

Ooops sorry! It seems the thought of going to the Festive Gift Fair tomorrow has got me all carried away ;-)

Being a political blogger I'm a keen follower of all things political in the news. That said, I have to ask where is Alistair Darling? Why is Gordon Brown doing his saviour of the financial world routine when surely that is the chancellor's job? If a poll where held, how many amongst the general public would know the chancellor's name? And why are we constantly hearing from the media, announcements which should be made in parliament?

Gordon Brown has turned into a one man band media luvvie who has no regard for his chancellor or parliamentary process. Stories are circulating that there is a large split developing between the PM and Darling over Gordon's wild borrowing and spending plans. I'm sure Darling is all too aware that he will be left carrying the can when it all turns pear shaped - Brown will go back to his bunker.

Darling must be sure that the man who caused him to be facing this economic nightmare with an empty cupboard will only cause more harm. Are Brown's flamboyant tax plans really designed to bring the country through these difficult times - or are these short term Christmas tax cons designed to save Gordon Brown's career?

I hope that Darling puts the country ahead of political gain and finds the guts to stand up to Brown.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Loony socialists seem to be everywhere at the moment. Most particularly my local rag. Last week we had the wonderful Oli De Botton — again. Telling us how he’d helped Obama bring about ‘Change’. Whatever that means… And now we have local greeny loon — Pete Eggleston. Who explains that Obama has got a real chance to [...]

From Facebook group "Turkish troops out of Cyprus" we received word that MSNBC is holding a live poll, if the US should formally recognize the World War I-era killing of Armenians as genocide? The group: "As of a few minutes ago the numbers showed Yes 20%, No 80%! The Turks have mobilized a global campaign to shift results towards "No" but we can't let them. The Armenian Genocide is a historical fact, along with many other crimes against humanity (...) and it should be recognized. Please...

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A nice drive down to the sea with Linda and Gino this morning. At an almost deserted Marina di Modica, the sea shimmered with tantalising colours in the autumnal light and a beautiful hibiscus was in full bloom.

Some discerning [mostly German] campers have taken up residence, in their vans, in one of the squares; apparently they shut up their homes for the winter, thus saving on fuel, and spend the season here. Not a bad idea, is it?

Carnotaurus

Thanks, Wiki, for this:

1. The term "dinosaur" was coined in 1842 by _______ .

2. Which of these were not dinosaurs: the pelycosaur Dimetrodon, the winged pterosaurs, and the aquatic ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs.

3. There is an almost universal consensus among paleontologists that birds are the descendants of _______ dinosaurs.

4. Which came first - the Triassic or Jurassic period?

5. The tallest and heaviest dinosaur known from good skeletons is _______ (also known as Giraffatitan). Its remains were discovered in Tanzania between 1907–12.

Answers here.

November 2004: Jill Evans becomes first person to legally speak Welsh in European Parliament following rule changes led by her parliamentary group. March 2005: called for EU Constitution to be translated into Welsh. Jill Evans and Elfyn Llwyd meet UK government to press case for recognition of Welsh language. Announcement marks the first step in winning co-official EU status. June 2005: Jill

H/T to Old Holborn Ed Balls said he could not give the report to even opposition MP's because of an objection from the Information Commissioner. As usual a pack of lies, the Information Commission has just issued this statement What happened in the old days when you lied to Parliament ?

It's really hard to see the past in our own terms. I'm trying to do it using the Consumer Price Index, which opens another can of worms about the composition and weighting of that index, especially since (I understand) it affects government statistics and benefits. However, you have to start somewhere.
The first thing to note is how freakish recent years have been. If you connect previous start-of-month highs (August 1929, January 1966) and extended the line, you'd expect the recent Dow highs of 1999 and 2007 to be no more than 10,000 points.
And as for the lows: the drop from 1929 to 1932 was 86% "in real terms"; from 1966 to 1982, 73%; and so far since 1999, 46% - but this last from an amazing historical high. And the 350%-plus American debt-to-GDP ratio is quite unprecedented.
So the history of the last 80 years offers no clear guide as to what could happen next. If proportionately as severe as 1932, the Dow could dive to about 2,100 points; if like 1982, just below 4,000. BUT the second of these great waves crashed rather less than the first, so maybe the third will be even more merciful, perhaps a top-to-bottom fall of only 60%, i.e. end up at c. 5,900.
I note that the Dow has closed tonight at 7,552.29. What a fast fall we've seen - will it spring back sharply and then recommence its decline, as in previous cycles, or is it popping like a balloon?
Methodology
I've noted the Dow as it stood on the first trading day each month, starting October 1928 and ending November 2008 (plus where it stood yesterday - 7.997.28 - since we've seen a further steep fall). Then I've noted the historical CPI as at the end of the previous month in each case. Then, looking at the latest Dow figure, I've adjusted historical Dow figures accordingly (i.e. Dow then/CPI then, times CPI now).
Sources
Dow: Yahoo! Finance; CPI: InflationData.com

Readers of this blog know my views on the BNP, so I am not about to go on a tirade against them, however, all citizens are entitled to their opinions, know matter how odious I think those opinions are. 

I am watching SkyNews at the moment, and the breaking news is that PC Steve Bettley has been suspended for being a member of the BNP. This police officer knew he was banned from being a member, so in many ways he had it coming to him, but, should he be banned in the first place? My answer is no. If he treats members of our society who are non-white in a racist manner, then he should be disciplined and if necessary, fired from his job. It is not the job of government to act as the thought police.  Anyone genuinely interested in liberty should campaign on his behalf. As far as I am aware, his only crime is being a member of the BNP; otherwise he has done nothing wrong. 

All the reviews seem to pan the film The Fallen [1998, Denzel Washington]. That's as maybe but the idea is quite neat and I imagine close to reality.

The plot, in a nutshell, is that a serial killer is caught and gassed for his crime but he was, in fact, possessed and the daemon can switch hosts either by touch or over a certain distance, otherwise it dies. Its game is to frame cops for murders, by having the cop kill whichever innocent was possessed at the time and then to move on, once the innocent is dead and blood is on the cop's hands.

Of more interest to me was the frame-up, as this was one theme in this post as well, which is about when black is presented as white and white as black. It also seems applicable to many things going on today. It would be horrific being framed, even down to your own fingerprints being there to incriminate you and all that just to continue the agenda of someone or something which revels in distrust and destruction.

You'd have no way out and would have to watch as friends and family began to think you'd either gone off your brain or were guilty. If you accept the stool pigeon as a frame-up of sorts, then Oswald might fall into that category and htere is evidence that Dean was initially meant to take the rap for Watergate as well.

Very difficult to counter.

Translation of a post by Vaughan Roderick: Here's an interesting little story. Earlier this week the ComRes company published the results of a survey of Assembly Members' opinion. ComRes asked exactly half the AMs - only thirty of them. The survey hasn't received much attention as reporters are doubtful of the size of the sample. Nonetheless there's one conclusion that is particularly

Now that would be important information but it's hardly likely until the project is complete and further resistance is futile. Keep the fonefodder quiet with Strictly Come Dancing and the others with the publication of BNP members (two minute group hate, everyone).
Remember the old socialist slogan "Unity Is Strength"? Well "Diversity Is Power" is the new version for those who seek to control society by fragmenting it and removing trust. Totalitarian government prefers regulation, which it enforces from above, to trust, which individuals develop from the grass roots upwards.

And so it goes on, the computer says no

I asked Husband what he wanted for dinner tonight when I get back from circuit training. 'Beans on toast or macaroni cheese?'
'I don't mind,' he said. 'Whichever's easiest.''We'll have beans on toast then as I don't have any macaroni.'
* * * * * * * *
It does sound weird, doesn't it? The 'Man,' in the previous post? It was just what I said to George when we were out and it felt right then - it added a little je ne sais quoi. But written down, it looks odd.

Oh dear, I'm a leftover hippy who's turned into Sybil Fawlty. ('Pretentious? Moi?')

Moi, 5 minutes ago!







Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Do you think he'll feel threatened?

Dont know when, how or why!
But back to the doctors tomorrow.
Jon has declared a motorbike free weekend incase I banged my head if we fell off and lost my sight for good! (Calming little soul!)
I did go to the doctors on Tuesday who said I was having a sort of nose bleed in my eye...(sorry are you having your tea?) he said he could see a blood clot so we had better take care!

This is my contribution for True Colours Thursday....Red being todays colour!

Well I have faffed on with my blog, settling for the present set up until I figure out how to get my Rambles Cloud back.....oh and talking of blogging, keep an eye on my visitors, approaching 100,000! Wow!

I've had such a dragonny day.

First, Debbie over at Tiny Treasures posted some beautiful dragons for me to see. Her blog is well worth visiting. She makes the loveliest things.

Then the postman came, bringing a small parcel. In it was a postcard from Harlech in North Wales, and the loveliest little trinket box.



The box had the Welsh Dragon inlaid on the lid!

This unexpected and very thoughtful gift came from dear friend and fellow dragon-raiser Poopsie-Blue. Isn't it lovely?

And to complete my day, I have another dragon hatchling. I've named this one Harlech, for obvious reasons.

I've had a great day.

The Telegraph(and a fair few other papers) reported that the song about Hitler having only a single testicle may have had some grounding in truth (well truth of a sort!). Apparently a doctor who treated him claimed that Hitler actually lost one of his love spuds during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, the doctor claimed.

A document noting a conversation in the 1960s between German war doctor Johan Jambor and his priest, Franciszek Pawlar, according to The Sun (well it must be true then!) . The priest's document has come to light 23 years after Jambor's death. Although it was known Hitler suffered a groin injury in the Somme, evidence that he was a nut down has evaded historians.

Blassius Hanczuch, a friend of Jambor, said the doctor later blamed himself for saving Hitler's life. He said: "In 1916 they had their hardest fight in the Battle of the Somme. For several hours, Johan and his friends picked up injured soldiers. He remembers Hitler. They called him the 'Screamer'. He was very noisy. Hitler was screaming 'help, help'. "His abdomen and legs were all in blood. Hitler was injured in the abdomen and lost one testicle. His first question to the doctor was: 'Will I be able to have children?'."

Believe this if you will. Now I want to see evidence that Himmler and Goering had petit pois sized testicles and Goebbels had none at all...