10 April 2010

10/04/10

Mt. Tambora, in Indonesia, began eruptions in 1815 that would continue until 15 July.  It was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history, killing 71,000 people, of whom 11,000-12,000 died as a direct result of the eruptions.  The remainder died mostly of starvation and disease brought about by the destruction of agriculture in the area.  The original Big Ben was cast in 1858, but it cracked in testing.  The Titanic left Southampton in 1912.

Born today:  William Hazlitt (1778-1830), Matthew Perry (1794-1858), Max von Sydow (1929), Omar Sharif (1932), Gloria Hunniford (1940), Bunny Wailer (1947) and Brian Setzer (1959).

It is the feast day of William of Occam.  I'm sure he was a nice guy and all, but that razor of his wouldn't shave hair off a bowling ball.

176 comments:

  1. WAKEY WAKEY!
    RISE AND SHINE!
    MORNING'S FINE!
    SUN'S BURNING YER EYES OUT!

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  2. Some Bunny Wailer to celebrate his birthday and start the day as we mean to go on!

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  3. Morning folks!

    Man, did I go out of yesterday's thread early, it became fascinating afterwards!

    Peter: Mathematics make "If X then Y" statements which then are proven. Now, if X is never the case in this our universe, that's pretty useless. If X *is* true, you've hit jackpot. And by the way, of course parallels interset, just draw lines on the globe, for example. It all depends on your viewpoint and what you want to call a "line".

    I followed the link to the website where you can compute how much voting power you have - how can it be that the average vote a voter has is 0.25 of a vote? Shouldn't each voter have at average one vote?

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  4. The visitor counter is scary - it now makes me wonder who the other person from Germany is ...

    Makes one paranoid, doesn't it?

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  5. Blimey, BB, stop shouting, some of us are feeling a bit, er, fragile this morning, after attending a late-night gig at the local burger bar...

    (really - the burger bar owner's learning english from the bookshop owner, who plays the guitar - I think there may be a degree of 'barter payment' for the lessons going on)

    will return to yesterday's thread to learn stuff once have woken up. Dara O'Briain's column today pretty good on combining football and quantum physics, if anyone fancies that...

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  6. I have never been able to "get" maths, except when I have had to apply it IRL, as it were. I consider this to be a real handicap. But in my day, it was never considered to be a big problem if girls didn't do well in maths because it wasn't a "girls" thing...

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  7. morning all. Didn't look in yesterday due to being daftly busy, but looks like a decent conversation was had. Off to find my lucky pin to pick the winner of the Grand National (16.15 today: you really might as well use a pin- studying the form and trends can help with most racing but not this one).

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  8. Morning all. nine hours sleep. good coffee.

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  9. Morning guys, beautiful day in Glasgow - two washes done off to town to buy troosers and egg poaching cups from lakeland.

    Oh the excitement!

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  10. Good luck with that, Alasdair.

    I have never forgiven myself for failing to back Corbiere in the 80s - the first of Jenny Pitman's wins. I remember watching a documentary about her before the race and thinking I ought to put a few bob on her just cos. I never did. S/P was 13/1. Gutted.

    I don't really do the geegees except for the Langholm Common Riding (!) and maybe the National and Derby.

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  11. Edwin

    Your day already sounds more exciting than mine. Cleaning and, if I can be arsed, weeding...pah.

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  12. Morning all,

    anyone see no.1 on the 'best of the web' on CiF?

    ConservativeHome: Cameron is more of a Thatcher than a Heath

    Transcript of Tim Montgomerie's speech in a debate with Simon Heffer, Peter Hitchens and Kelvin Mackenzie

    When I read that subheading, my eyes swelled shut, my tongue grew 8 times its size, I broke out in hives and collapsed off my seat with very labored breathing.

    In fact my face looked like that bit in "Total Recall" when Arnie's space helmet smashes whilst fighting some bloke on the Mars surface.

    Thank Christ my wife is a nurse and had an anaphylactic pen handy. I'm ok now but it'll take some time to fully recover.

    I'll thank you all in advance for your good wishes whilst I lie down and put on a CD of whale noises for the next hour.

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  13. My usual approach is to place a bet to win on a horse with decent figures, and an each way on the one with the nicest name.

    All my recent wins have been the each way bets. Not sure what that demonstrates.

    I take the same 'best name' approach when deciding which bands to see at ATP, as most of the time I haven't heard of most of them - am also 'ahead' on that. TV on the Radio, Miighty Flashlight, The Heartless Bastards, Broken Social Scene...all fucking awesome...

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  14. Your Grace

    Deep breaths... in....and out.... in.....and out...

    Seriously, though, this is frightening. Radical?! If radical means "let's squeeze every last drop out of the economy to support our friends in business" then it is old hat - Maggie's mantra - but no less scary for all that.

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  15. Good oh, bet365 account still active. have put on me twenty...

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  16. Morning all

    Bloody hell BB - mind my head...still a bit blurry from last night.

    Gorgeous here too - a day of loafing about in the sun beckons, calling to bumble bees to visit my solitary Lavender plant.

    Have a quid on Hello Bud (office sweepstake) - although am a bit ambivalent about the National as so many horses are injured and/or die in it.

    Your Grace - on a beautifulspring day like this I think you could consider giving cif a miss, am concerned about your blood pressure. So many wonderful alternative things to do in your neck of the woods too.

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  17. I will do Sheff, I'm off out for the day in an hour or two.

    However surely having Montgomerie, Heffer, Hitchens and Mack****e in the same room means that the circle is complete and the countdown to Armageddon has begun?

    Was this meeting not prophesised in the book of revelations c.5 v.6:

    And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

    ???

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  18. he he he Your Grace - have an excellent day as it may well be amongst the last we'll be able to enjoy if Revelations is correct!

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  19. The four horse's arses of the apocalypse?

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  20. BB (from yesterday's fascinating discussion!)
    if you learn to see life as it really is as opposed to how you think it should be or want it to be, could seeing it differently bring about change?

    This sort of rings bells with me as my parents brought me up to see life in that way. It is of course disastrous! When I met reality (when I was divorced for example) it hit me like a brick wall and took me a long time to recover.

    leni

    As i understand it - learning to see life as it really is, as opposed to how you think/ would like it to be - changes you and therefore appears to change life. It may in fact change your life as you would interact with others in a different way - this in turn may change them. It goes on and on - change creates more change.
    In my example above this was certainly true. It may also of course be the reason for my attraction to Marxist theory as Marx did say that 'the point is to change it' (the world that is)

    Most of us start life in a secure world that seems certain as we grow older we find that is not so. Is this why people so often have a longing for justice and security?

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  21. Rev 10:1
    And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head
    Place your bets on Peter Tatchell now...

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  22. I don't believe it - have just had a (brief) visit from my first bumble bee!! - so perhaps this arid, almost treeless inner city has hidden natural joys after all.

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  23. anne

    I think every one of us must have had at least one or two moments in our lives where the reality that has been right in front of our faces for ages actually decides there is nothing for it but to punch us squarely on the nose.

    The feeling you have when that happens is horrible. But getting through that means that the next time it happens, you have the experience of successfully getting through it once to shore up your self-confidence, and you are looking out for the warning signs, so the punch in the mush doesn't feel quite so painful.

    And yes, you do change - and as a result of changing, things around you change too.

    It's a hard way to learn, though...

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  24. BB

    It's a hard way to learn, though...

    Aren't all the most important lessons learned the hard way? usually preceded by anguish and dithering before whatever it is is finally revealed to be unassailably a 'fact' and has to be dealt with?

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  25. Sheff - yep. In fact, it is the only way to learn, when you think about it.

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  26. This Tory 'personal allowance switch' thingy - the claim that this is used in many other countries may well be right. it's certainly the case in France. But in France I don't think you have to be married/CP'd - you just tick the box for being 'a family'. Am listening to see if anyone points this out...

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  28. Phillipa

    I don't think 150 quid would have much influence on whether I'd get married or not. It's just the kind of pathetic pre-election attempt to persuade us they 'care' about us that we've come to expect these days.

    I think it was Vince Cable who was talking about taking the lowest earners out of paying income tax - a lot of whom are part timers. That's something Id like to see.

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  29. The "lucky" (we'll see...) pin has picked Flintoff.

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  32. Morning all. Your grace - that post is quite scary indeed. Made me hyperventilate for a while.

    Something weird is happening with the modding on Cif. It is quite clear that the Tories have targeted Cif in an astroturf campaign because on every single election thread there are always a couple of new posters who come along at the top - make some sort of bland pro Tory statement and get 150 reccommends in ten minutes. I actually saw one of them on one right wing blog (cant bloody remember which one though) put a post up that he/she had posted on cif and giving the time of their post.

    Anyway - thats not the interesting thing. The interesting thing is that Cif have modded every post that makes any reference to an astroturf campaign. Why? I mean don't they care that their paper is being ruined by this - it is so boring and annoying. I have noticed that hardly any of the 'proper' Tory posters such as Evil Tory, Patdavers etc bother anymore. These guys are ruining a debating site and Cif are letting them and on top of that modding anyone who mentions the fact.

    I don't get it.

    Did any watch that programme on celebrity and news? Shocking stuff. We are just being lied to all the damn time. The bit about the huge anti poverty march being covered up by the government getting Bono and pals to do a charity concert on the same day was gobsmacking.

    Anyway sorry for the long rant.

    Sheff - good news on the bumblebee front. Have you got a balcony? You could get some greenery for that?

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  33. Paul

    A case of least said soonest mended from now on :)

    Take care, and I will try not to miss your posts!

    Sunshine helps when you are feeling 'down' - does for me anyway.

    Enjoy the sunshine!

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  34. Paul

    It's easy to lash out when things go tits up. I've done it myself in the past.

    Take care and I hope your shit gets sorted. x

    PCC - astroturfing will be the norm for the next month I reckon. I suppose we will just have to make sure we are there to counter it.

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  35. Astroturfing - agreed, was my first thought when i read a few election pieces this morning, an unnatural collection of tory gibberish at the top of the threads.

    I also learnt my vote is not even worth 0.3 of a vote, but 0.03. I would need to find 30 local neighbours to effectively cast a single vote.

    Brilliant website that, hopefully it will open more people's eyes to the criminal system we have at present.

    IM starting to feel a bit panicky about a Tory win now, as the time draws near its pretty unsettling... The thought of these cunts:

    http://markgorman.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/osborne-bullingdon.jpg

    Boy George on the left. And Peter Bracken's younger brother - number 7.


    Look at them, our incoming rulers:

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/05/22/article-1021078-013AF34900000578-916_468x286_popup.jpg

    I will be so thrilled with the nation if they return a hung parliament, i really will.

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  36. Hey BB. Well I have only been around very late at night last few days as been out a bit. But have made the odd comment. But when the Guardian sees fit to delete anyone who points out that the Tories are clearly doing something like this then it seems a bit pointless.

    I mean seen as every poll ever done shows Cable is beloved of the people and some guy posts something like 'Cable has really lost it now. Attacking big business is a loser. Vote Cable get Labour' and gets hundreds of reccommends in twenty mins - that is definitely a campaign. It is amazing to me though that they think people are going to buy it!

    I mean as if I am going to log onto cif and suddenly become converted by that to being a raging Tory. Anyway, its too late for them, I have joined the Greens.

    Couldn't sit by any longer with raging anger feelings and do nothing - and they are the party that has the best economic and social policies for me (that actually have a chance of getting an MP in, would have joined the socialists otherwise). In fact their ideas for making, for example, every large corporation have their pension fund run by a union of the employees is excellent. They also want split boards with employees and customers of big organisations having as much say as shareholders and directors. Imagine that with the energy companies!

    So I joined up - and have stuck me poster in the window. I know some people see the Greens as being this party of spoiled middle class kids but their economic policies are very to the left of anything the three main parties have come up with - and also make sense too. They want a citizens wage as well - so that no one has to claim benefits and every citizen gets enough money to live on. It seems from the math - that by ending the bureacracy around benefits it is actually affordable too.

    Of course UKIP have a similar idea but their's comes with a nasty big stick that means anyone out of work and on their citizens wage will have to spend their days wearing a bright orange blazer on a chain gang or some such!

    But I do have to say that I think the Greens need an image makeover and need to get their left wing economic policies more publicity - I think a lot of socialists might possibly vote for them if they did. They did acknowledge to me when they called to welcome me that they are struggling getting votes in non middle class areas. So they wont win where I live, which is pretty much a solidly working class area, but I dont care I cannot vote any of the main three and it was either this or spoil my paper.

    Seems I missed some really interesting discussions re reality and Buddhism etc whilst I was away. Will try to catch up.

    Oh BB - wanted to ask you a question. Have you read the Tibettan Book of Living and Dying? Someone told me it was excellent but it sounded rather heavy stuff to me!

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  37. Two Bumble bees in my garden this morning!

    I think they are my favourite insect!
    Identify your bees

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  38. PCC - re Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. No, I haven't, as my practice is basically japanese, although I have read a few tibetan bits and bobs. The sort of thing my husband will have read though, so I'll ask him about it if you like. He is very scholarly about it all, I am more "Nike" about it and just do it. :o)

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  39. Anne

    I agree - children raised in a loving envoronment among the people they trust are in for a nasry shock as they grow older - the world needs to be eb#ncountered gradually ! Over protection can be damaging .

    Children who are neglected or misused have a very different reality - it is harder to learn to trust later in life and this colours their reality. I always think kids sent off to boarding school suffer a reality gap early on . It's a complex subject.

    Bumble bees - a sign of the summer to come. Ants here are active today, running busily and cooperatively around.

    Off to enjoy sunshine

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  40. princess: You make reading these threads very much worth it! Cheers.

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  41. Anne - you can buy bumble bee 'houses' at the hardware shop near me. I might get one. They are my second favourite insect - after butterflies. :)

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  42. Paul
    Glad you're back and here to stay.

    Life can be shit sometimes - hope it is sorted soon for you. Can we help at all ?

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  43. Medve - blushes - thanks very much!

    I am off to the veg shop up the road as they are selling lots of pansies and other small plants and I feel a burst of spring fever coming on.

    Oh and other half just told me you can buy butterfly nests too! Joy!

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  44. bb- very Nike - like that. I think I will just give it a go. If it does get very heavy I can always put it down.

    Although I did that with the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - which is one of the best books I have ever read (well so far as I haven't finished it) and now I cant find it. And it is massive! Very frustrating.

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  45. Jay,

    thanks for those two Jpegs, I'm playing darts tonight in the local brown bar, so I'm going to print the Bullingdon one off and treat the Dutch darts players to a new game called "Spear the cunt".

    Paul,

    Hope you feel better and I said in my first post to you a couple of days ago, your posts are worth reading so pop back anytime,

    Cheers.

    princess,

    I haven't read any of the politics threads. It's an exercise in futility. The question isn't the 2010 election, the question which no-one in the media is asking is "where has Democracy gone?"

    Have a good day all.

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  46. Anne

    What do you think about Plaid ?

    Scotties - your views on the Nats up there ?

    Now we have a Celtic alliance - or whatever - should we be taking them seriously ?

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  47. Afternoon everyone

    I have my shorts on and have been in the garden, lots of bees, butterflies and surprisingly ladybirds as well!

    Did anyone else see the Dispatches programme last night on Channel 4? It was proposing that the money made by the London marathon company is not all distributed to charity and that after salaries and expenses it is not clear what is happening to the money, seemingly an executive salary in the company is £250K which seems a bit excessive to me.

    Someone on the programme was saying that it is cheaper to fly to New York take part in the marathon there than it is to take part in the London marathon.

    Nick Bitel the London marathon chief is denying all this. There is a piece on Cif sport, but not easy to find and only 9 comments. people put so much effort into running these marathons, the apparent top slicing should be more transparent IMO.

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  48. Hey, Christina - London Marathon co isn't a charity, so I don't know what they get up to, but a couple of years back, someone at the Times screwed life up for everyone with the 'scoop' that VAT applied to charity places 'sold on', which meant you were "running the first 4 miles for the taxman", thus completely failing to spot how HMRC and the charities had come to a very accommodating stance on the many ways in which the management of charity runners' contributions could be treated...so they had to 'formalise' the rules, which actually reduced the flexibility.

    Bloody annoying, really. Still, she got her 'scoop', and put a lot of people off running, so that was nice.

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  49. Just back from city centre - Your Grace there are grown men crying in the street. I mind Celtic getting duffed by Inverness Cally - and the brilliant Sun headline - Supercallygoballisticcelticareatrocious - but this one has hit home in a big way.

    The really dark side comes out tonight - domestic violence soars in the west of Scotland when either Celtic or Rangers get badly gubbed.

    Leni Marina Hyde's current Cif piece rambles on about the horror of a hung parliament and how we have to go back to the 50s to find a precdent, but in fact Scotland has a hung parliament and legislation gets passed, things move on - the simple fact is that politicians like their work and the perks and see no reason to rock the boat. Hope the turnout is higher for Westminster than it was for Holyrood (51%!).

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  50. Well, one of my horses came third, but I can never remember how each way betting pays, so while I think I am even, I really have no idea. Ho hum.

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  51. Thanks Phillipa I'm sure that on the programme part of the company is registered as a charity, there's London Marathon Limited and the London Marathon Charitable Trust. There's also another part of the company that is not anything to do with charity.

    I don't think many people realise that the London Marathon Company is not about charity but about making a profit?

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  52. Damnit. Return €12.50. Am €7.50 down. Ah well...

    Add €5.90 gain on euromillions and that's only €1.60 out of pocket. May have to reconsider plan to become a professional gambler...

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  53. Christina - indeed not - hence VAT chargeable on places (so VAT on the on-sale makes sense - allows direct recovery, and ups overhead recovery, particularly given that many places are 'sold on' below cost). I think some of the angst may be that people are interpreting 'money raised' as meaning donations directly, whereas the money going into LMCo is all 'commercial'. Obviously, some of that is the fees paid by charities for the places, but that (in my experience) is a small part fo the totals they ask people to raise, plus there's the 'cost cut' on the sale...

    It's complicated - sounds like Dispatches hasn't done a brilliant job of explaining it. Realise that some people feel 'ruled out' if they can't get a charity place, and some smaller charities find it difficult to get in, but...can only speak from own experience, but there's one charity helping hundreds of kids each year (on a continuing basis, and it's big help) purely because of their Marathon activities.

    Some people seem to think that charities shouldn't spend any money on salaries or admin. Obviously this should be reasonable, and carefully monitored, but the fuss kicked up whenever some paper finds out some charity spends x% of donation income is just counter-productive. If the x% is problematic, the Ch Com would be all over them...

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  54. That's a good point I don't remember if the Charities Commission were represented in the programme but there was an accountant or auditor who seemed to think there should be more transparency about the money and where it goes.

    Is £250K reasonable for an Exes salary in a business based around charity?

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  55. Leni -

    We have a plaid/lib dem coalition in Cardiff - don't think much of them.

    Plaid supporters I know come out with statements like 'the most important issue is the language'. They do have socialist policies but They are nationalist when it comes down to the nitty gritty. Not sure what those of us who can't speak Welsh would face frankly.

    Don't get me wrong I support the gains made by the Welsh language in recent years but Wales has more important problems. The thing that worries me is that here in Wales, where some socialist policies have been implemented by Welsh Labour, we'll be punished for the lack of them in England. (I refer to the removal of sats tests for 11 yr olds, the abolition of league tables and the abolition of the NHS prescription levy as well as the country's first children's minister and Wales wide bus passes for disabled and elderly).

    So not denying Plaid is Socialist but not very impressed with them in local government so am wary. The fact that they are also Nationalist is also a negative. The two philosophies don't combine well.

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  56. I can't know for a fact if vinceblowback was monkeyfish but it sounded like him to me.. I'd ask him, but he hasn't been round here in a while either.. so who knows? Whatevs? What I do know is that 'taking the piss' out of someone who is locked up in a psychiatric ward (and yes Pen is... and yes i do know this for a fact)is about as low as anyone can get...
    So if vince.. whoever he is.. happens to see this.. You really are a total tool of the highest order... and I'm being really really polite.

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  57. Anne, Leni re language our youngest goes to the Glasgow Gaelic school and is quite fluent - also plays the clarsach and piano and won an art prize at the Mod two years ago!

    The language thing is more complicated than in Wales I think it's safe to say, in that Gaelic is very much concentrated in the Western Isles. There is also no connection between Gaelic and Scottish nationalism - the West Highland Free Press has vigorously promoted Gaelic and is equally vigorously unionist.

    Although I know lots of nice nats, the default position of many in the SNP (including their leader) is anti-Englishness. One MSP even launched a tirade against cricket being shown on television in Scotland as it was a 'foreign' - ie English - sport. She was very quickly shot down (cricket is the third most popular team sport in Scotland), but it left a bad taste in the mouth.

    As it happens, there was a boy at the Gaelic school last year who had an England cricket cap, and some of the most enthusiastic parents at the school are English (same on Skye).

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  58. anne - was interested in your take on Plaid esp after seeing Ieuan Wyn Jones on the news pledging his support in the event of a hung parliament in return for £300m for Wales.

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  60. Was that on waddya kiz, I haven't seen it. I don't think MF would do something like that myself, but then what do I know? Someone, who had been perfectly intelligent and gentlemanly for ages suddenly went ape and took massive swipes at people on here the other day, so I suppose anything's possible.

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  61. Edwin Moore

    Yes, I was walking down Stornoway town centre this afternoon, the election campaign is in full swing. Had a chat with the SNP MSP, who was helping the SNP MP on the campaign trail. Not that I will be be voting for them of course. Generally there is not anti Englishness, but there still is a bit of it. For example, a local letter to the newspaper beclaimed the English for giving the Scots Will Young. This is the Scottish chip on the shoulderyness that is so silly, as if all 50 million English conspired to unleash a rubbish pop singer on the good Scots.- Don't they realise Will Young was chosen by his record company as a means of making money.

    It was a beautiful day up here, town was bustling. There is a band called Stornoway (from Oxford), who are finally playing their debut in Stornoway, tonight, I think.

    Re, parents making their children learn Gaelic. Really it is a middle class thing. There are a fair few English parents doing it. I know some personally, and really it is those that 'want the best for their kids'. Nothing wrong with being middle class, of course, as long as the parents don't become slighly neurotic and overbearing and compensate for their inadequacies by posting on mumsnet... or so I hear.

    It is true generally that the English 'incomers'are more interested in local culture and traditions than the locals. But Frankly I have had enough of the petty racism and stone age theology, and that is why I will move away. If it wasn't for the 'incomers' there would be no talent, generally speaking the most talented and intelligence leave, leaving behind the monosyllabic, alcoholics and bigoted.

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  62. Yep waddya sheff... and if I'm wrong about it being MF am perfectly willing to hold my hands up and apologise. I just thought the 'tone' sounded familiar and also the swipes at Bru rang a bell.. But whoever it is, it strikes me as 'someone' who's been 'around' a while...
    Anyways, I'm not going to say anymore than that I think whoever it is is a twat and can they freakin cut it out... bang out of order....

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  63. I agree Kiz. Enough's enough now.

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  64. Kizbot, sheff and Beautifulburnout

    I agree about Pen, it seems to me that waddya has been his lifeline and he's already apologising for posting because 'Vince' doesn't want him to. It's not like Pen is doing any harm, I just hope it doesn't stop him posting.

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  65. I don't think it will Christina.. But I still think Pen could do without that kind of crap being chucked his way. He's got enough shit to try to deal with as it is..
    Anyways, I'm not going to go on about it. I've said my piece and if 'vince' sees it, I hope he'll... think on!

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  66. kiz - agreed.

    christina - leaving aside my queries whether anyone in the world is worth £250k pa for anything - that's prob higher than for any but the very very biiiiiiggest charity, but for running something that isn't a charity, that is a profit-making, commercial, high-income prestige event...that's probably not too weird.

    within the matrix, obviously.

    boy, i feel dreadful. hate it when you realise that it's not a hangover, you actually are ill. bleah.

    may not be making a vast amount of sense, soz about that.

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  67. Hello folks. What a beautiful day, hope it's the same tomorrow.

    kiz

    I agree that pen doesn't need any crap right now, but I really don't think it's MF.

    BB

    I see from the user profile that our friend from China's been banned again.

    NK

    City life beckons, mate. Get packing.

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  68. FFS. AFter McShane's recent digs about various E'n Eu'n pol parties, was he really the right person to right about Kazcynski?

    Ah. have just read tthe comments. clearly i am not alone...

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  69. Am perfectly willing to apologise if I'm wrong MsChin... and tbh, I hope I am because low though my opinion of him is... it was never that low...

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  70. given mcshane's last article got the two kaczyniski brothers mixed up, am tempted to ask if he's sure which one's dead.

    that would not be nice. but have to post it here to get it out of my befuddled system.

    bleah.

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  71. "I see from the user profile that our friend from China's been banned again."

    And which friend would that be MsChin? Surely not the one who "behaves a great deal better" than your latest critic, who I notice has now returned to seek and been granted forgiveness for his intemperate comments, (although maybe not from Mrs B) which makes mine look like something from the lips of St Francis.

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  72. Brian

    don't know you so apologies if I intrude into your narrative.

    Your post and some of the witterings on waddya make me wonder about the roots, the nurturing and purpose of malice.

    Some psychs have defined it as part of the personality disorder spectrum while others think it is mere attention seeking. It can, of course, be both.

    I don't usually get involved in on line spats but I am getting really pissed off with all the unecessary nastiness.

    If you are referring to Paul's outburst then can I politely ask you to mind your own business ? I like Paul and am interested in his pov.

    I do not usually swear - but please fuck off- and take your malice with you/

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  73. Toss talk from the same old friends of mine
    then

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  74. Brian

    In order for people to be forgiven, they usually have to apologise first.

    I forgive you anyway, even though you are too foolish and arrogant to ever apologise to anyone. But that doesn't mean I have to like you.

    BW:

    "What kind of music do you usually have?"
    "Oh we got both kinds. Country and Western."

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  75. Leni - have been skimming the sniping on waddya and wondering pretty much the same - also the difference between malice and genuine anger.

    Have to say Paul's attention-seeking tantrum struck me as pure malice rather than anger, just 'No-one's taking any notice of me, so I'm going to be utterly venomous till they do', much less forgiveable than anger born of deep conviction, which can at least partially excuse a multitude of insults.

    Sorry, don't want to kick anything off again - illustration point only.

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  76. Shaz

    e don't know the sources of anger or malice. It is difficult. I usually keep out of it all but it seems to be spreading like an insidious fungus.
    But - that's my last reference to it all.

    A phenomenom more t observe than to indulge in.

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  77. Ah, sorry BB. Shoulda kept me gob shut.

    And nicely put, as ever, Leni.

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  78. MsChin

    It is a bit like summoning a demon, isn't it?

    Or Voldemort - He Who Must Not Be Named.

    Just comng to the end of my fave Harry Potter film - The Order of the Phoenix - which has been on ITV. The one which introduces the character Dolores Umbridge. A cross between Maggie Thatcher and Jacqui Smith! :o)

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  79. BB - she always reminds me of Hazel Blears... it's that smile...

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  80. BW - where have you been hiding?!

    Have you been away gigging?

    My lad has just announced he is in a new band, although only on rhythm guitar, with a female drummer and a lead guitarist who is currently at the Brit School. I wish he would accept that he is good enough to get in there too. I am going to send off for a prospectus and try and persuade him to go to an open day at least.

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  81. Just watched a stupendously beautiful and very tragic little Mexican film - El Violin, about people resisting seemingly insurmountable and hideously violent odds but doing it just the same.

    Puts things in perspective rather. Especially when it comes to people insisting on making their rather pathetic and mean spirited points. That's you Brian.

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  82. BB

    LOL. Managed to totally avoid Harry Potter so far, books and films (had to google Voldemort).

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  83. shaz - and the little giggle too! I can imagine Blears giggling like that.

    *shudders*

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  84. So. Things are lookong up then, The UT's bid to enter the arena of the seriously unwell, rather than the terminally bored has taken a hard right turn.

    Pen's a hit and, frankly, people are threatened.

    WHY ???? WHAT ABOUT ME ???

    As if that's helping the dude. Or them.

    Today, in the house, people are mostly taking cheap shots.

    I'd love to offer some Malcom McLaren as a way forward, but can't. He was largely a prat.

    Here instead are the Ruts with the best punk single ever

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  85. That sounds more worthwhile than Harry Potter for sure, Sheff...

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  86. BB, hi , yes have been very busy with me band. Also too busy to do this here blogging shite. Also fed up with fighting. Also... also...

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  87. Saturday night's alright for fighting!
    Get a little action in!

    Jeez - haven't listened to Elton John since I was about 15! Eek!

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  88. Bitters - like the new avatar, what's the guitar?

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  89. BW - Babylon's Burnining - great track - haven't heard it in years....cheered me up no end.

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  90. Cheer up BW.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0LHj3Xu9ac

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  91. Also.. job going alarmingly well. How you Chinster ??

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  92. Cheers navro

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlLUMwo_VVU

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  93. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  94. Paul - as far as I am concerned you are welcome here anytime.

    Take care, mate.

    BW - glad to hear work is going well. Good news is hard to come by these days. :o)

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  95. Bitters! Yeah.. Malcolm...largely a prat is true enuf... still sorry he had to go just yet. And Ruts are def up there... Wipers too, if a wee bit more 'proto' punk.
    Pen's a good lad, you know.. bit sarky at times. But can you blame him?
    keep well babes.. xx

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  96. MsCgin, the guitar's an old thing, as was the motor behind... sadly RIP rover. very 70s ;-)

    Here's the best thing I've seen all day:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-magrm3Voo&feature=related

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  97. Sheff - Babylon ? it's definitely on my desert island disks...

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  98. Remember Withnail & I ?

    Here's the intro music

    Well rare.

    Also gorgeous...

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  99. BW

    I'm good(ish), ta.

    Spotted the Rover, they made great cars back then tho' I never had one myself as was too impoverished. Or maybe we just had cheap bus fares / decent bus services back then.

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  100. Indeed they did... when we going on the piss again ?

    Here's Joe by the way, covered in sweat. So right. So Beautiful.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlDmslyGmGI

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  101. Here we go. Never heard the ending of this song.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_CV9cZhyi4&feature=related

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  102. Hah! Watched Withnail and I again a coupla months ago. Superb film!

    Nice bit of Fleetwood Mac there navro. :o)

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  103. Shaz - Have been avoiding the news so missed that one. I guess its a case of local issues mean I just don't trust them (can't say more - open forum and all that!)

    G'night all!

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  104. 'If it wasn't for the 'incomers' there would be no talent, generally speaking the most talented and intelligence leave, leaving behind the monosyllabic, alcoholics and bigoted.'

    Oh Nap we knew a really nice Dutch family moved up to Lewis and spent about a year there with their overtures being ignored by the locals - no bricks through windows or anything like that - just a cold shoulder from all the Holy Willies! They weren't godly enough for them.

    Bitterweed pal nice to see thee here you are missed.

    Kiz I'm quite sure that guy is not monkeyfish - nae style.

    Paul stick around please. You're no better or worse than any of the rest of us just a bit over-fumey is all - and I liked your posts.

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  105. 10/10 navro

    Always loved Peter Green... wanted to be him... in my formative years

    A major fuck off blues tragedy right there...

    Here's the Red Devils, they could knock out a tune.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bftj8lOjp4s

    Followed closely by some gratuitous cock rock. We always need gratuitous cock rock imho.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7XOlPWsN8

    (Loud)

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  106. BB
    Withnail is so good. We've come on holiday by accident...

    Hi Edwin, cheers.

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  107. "We want the finest wines available to humanity! We want them here and we want them now!" :o)

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  108. BB
    Assuming he even got in, Brit school will probably fuck him up. It's a disgrace to the idea of creativity. Sorry but these are the facts.

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  109. BB
    ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zEVZGuU3BU ...

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  110. Have this ....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYxzPdv67yA&feature=autofb

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  111. Edwin,

    Celtic- angry, embarassed, but not surprised.

    I've never seen such a poor Celtic side (and I was a season ticket holder in the early 90's). Scottish football has never been so poor and I truly despair about when the national side and club sides will ever make an international impression again.

    Watched FC Twente game tonight in the pub with the locals. Everyone willing Steve McLaren's side on as they all hate Ajax. A mixture of ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord fans in the pub.

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  112. Ahh... thanks for the heads up, BW. Is it really that awful?

    I wouldn't want to put any pressure on him.

    .......

    Sweet though! A whole bunch of Withnail clips linked to that. Superb! :o)

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  113. Your Grace

    How do they manage to play footie in Den Haag with all that bloody wind?

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  114. BB
    I have no idea what that place could offer, I really don't. Unless he's already demanding to go there, odds are he'd get trampled to death by wannabes.

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  115. BB: Having oth played footie both in nl & uk, i can assure you the wind can be "that bloody" either side of the North Sea.

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  116. BB, no idea. The only 2 things I know about ADO Den Haag is that 1. despite being from the "International city of peace and justice" they have the tastiest fans in the Netherlands for violence and 2. They have the most honking strips in European football.

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  117. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  118. I will leave it up to him. I don't want to put him into a situation where he will be unhappy and swamped by eejits...

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  119. Indeed
    Meanwhile here's two of the saddest love songs ever....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB0A146Nb88&feature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ws6qeLIKFU

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  120. medve

    I have visited Den Haag three times for long weekends - I have a friend who was working there for a while - and every time I was nearly blown off my feet with the howling wind. I guess it has just marked me as being a windy city...

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  121. BB, yeah it is a windy city. Like the whole of the Netherlands, because it is so flat, the wind can rattle on through, hence the windmills I suppose. Den Haag being so close to the sea it gets it more than most.

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  122. BB, Sheff, MsChin
    Heard this ?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDS4ZfZs2ko

    ReplyDelete
  123. Your Grice, BB, slaap lekker! (or perhaps i may be having an early night --)

    ReplyDelete
  124. welterusten medve. Ik ga naar bed.

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  125. Right I'm knacked. Doing one now. Last one's BW.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQasAWp8YRs

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUzSHvS8ac0

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  126. Bitterweed

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If2_OtpWd3I

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rZVz3O47yo&feature=related

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  127. Slaap lekker, Medve!

    Doeeeeiiiii!

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  128. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  129. Jay, track 2 = awesome - you know him ??

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  130. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  131. Soz BW - I am not paying much attention as I am also watching the Matrix for the ninety-twelfth time.

    Just at the bit where the Smith has said we are a plague on this planet. Yup. :o)

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  132. That Roy Rogers clip is awesome. Will bookmark it to show the lad tomorrow.

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  133. BB
    Matrix is pants, not a spot on Bladerunner.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg0cmhjdiLs

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  134. Even better... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9KAqhbIZ7o

    ....

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  135. Oh, now Bladerunner is my top SciFi movie ever. Got every version of it imaginable on video and dvd (and no doubt blu ray will follow when I eventually cave in and buy one of the bloody things).

    Truly a masterpiece.

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  136. However, I disagree with you about the Matrix. Largely because I lust after Keanu, but also because the special effects were bloody awesome in their day.

    Speaking of which, just got to the "bullet time" bit...

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  137. Keanau is a tosser, seen better skills on a dis-used shoe-horn.

    Bladerunner is of course, awesome.

    Dude.

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  138. OK, Keanu is not really up there with the best actor oscars - in fact his acting is bloody atrocious.

    But I still would...:p

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  139. Great soundtrack & stuff.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDkQpd7yC58&feature=related

    Nite.

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  140. Jay
    Two for you: Scherfig posted this a while back

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vK7jitvJXI

    And here also is this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBPTuAl2Qyk

    May you never...

    sublime...

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  141. Great stuff. Still gets me BB... Rutger's finest hour (Hauer?)

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  142. OK possums - gonna watch the last bit of the film and turn in.

    Nighty night. Thank you for the music! x

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  143. When the evening sun goes down...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWVC6we5OQM

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  144. Oh well, that's my latest monicker dead, poor old Battistan, he was doing so well. Those moderators are such irreductably craven cretins.

    As wel wi no...

    See you around yeah ???

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWT5-WaaAGM

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  145. Hehyhabib, by the way, if you got the gig as a moderator, tell those fuckwit prepschool milk monitor mates of yours to grow some will ya? Foolhardy tossers.

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  146. Evenin' all. Catching up with the music, especially love Willie Nelson stuff, Bitterweed. I know you are all passing out about now, but I've got a fair few hours to put in. And you're killing that as a realistic possibillity! Beautiful, beautiful music, though.

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  147. Sorry, BW, that was a bad April Fool joke. I would no more work for CiF than I would work for the BNP.

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  148. Although the Banque Nationale de Paris does have a good retirement plan...

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  149. Glad to hear it habster

    Niow, in the wee small hours, here's some completely innapropriate Motorhead

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzoAeHs-G9g

    To the station !!!

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  150. Lookin forward to that, Bitterweed, but respect is owed to any who post songs. The Lhasa de Sela has hit a chord and a half.

    Ha ha, me as a moderator:

    "This comment has been removed because I think the author is a right wing wanker!"

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  151. Lhasa de Sela was indeed awesome, tragic she died.

    Now, as it's really late and I'm having a whale of a time (and just been banned again for the umpteenth time), here's some more off the radar rock:

    Deep Purple: Mistreated.

    Hell yes !!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvC5tTTaogI

    Keep it Rock. Always

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  152. BW, I just don't have it in me to get banned, all the things I get angry about, with all the racists and Israeli government apologists, the misogynists, the homophobes. I should be able to, but I find myself just ignoring them. I really should just have a go and not fear being banned from somewhere I don't post much any more.

    Damn good music from Navro, too by the way.

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  153. I do have a slightly strange sense of humour, though. Maybe I could try to get banned, without actually being offensive to anyone. Hmm, might make some nights go more quickly...

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  154. If anyone is still awake, read something extraordinary. Matt Seaton replied to me....

    "I'm truly touched by your concern for the welfare of Ukip and the BNP. I'm sure Messrs Griffin and Farage and their respective colleagues will be grateful for your solidarity and support."

    I protested that Denis Mcshane used his article in commemorating the Polish president for domestic electioneering by attacking the BNP and UKIP. I got the amazing slanderous above reply.

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  155. heyhabib.
    There is a world and a half of untruths being perpetuated on CiF. My style means sooner or later those fuckwits feel I've upset the decorum... and so the banning goes on. they are such meally mouthed grammar school tits I almost feel sorry for them.

    Have you heard this guy ? He was from the Congo, and utterly, utterly rocked. From the very first bar... pure genius.

    Franco...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE3b3NCrEyA&feature=PlayList&p=8790321E402CAE79&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=53

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  156. NK
    Are you surprised ? He's just an oily great slippery penis in cycling shorts.

    Have a listen to this; much more fun.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE3b3NCrEyA&feature=PlayList&p=8790321E402CAE79&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=53

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  157. Nap

    I looked at that thread - Seaton was on a roll - or something else. He clearly loves McShane.

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  158. Skipped to that one, missing a fair few tunes, BW, glad I did - I'm in the middle of nowhere, so I played that really really loud. Wish I had some drink in. though.

    I've decided I'm going to get a ban by stalking and pestering someone I really don't like. It'll be fun, but never mean. Are you familiar with the work of ProfessorPlums?

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  159. Habib

    Would love to see you in stalking and pestering mode. You'ld finish up apologising for any offence

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  160. Oh fuck the plum, it's the editorial team you want to get at. Mindless defenders of nonce-talk one and all.

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  161. We seem to be suffering from wandering comments again

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  162. Leni
    Yes, Seaton's spaniel like devotion to Mcshane is strange. Considering how most cifers have little respect for Mcshane- me included.

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  163. Here they are

    navro: excellent skills earlier by the way, sorry didn't get back... I get the impression Animal Collective do just a tiny amount of drugs...

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  164. Ah feggit. I'm sure everyone will be best friends again on CiF in the morning.

    Here's Orchestra Baobab. Much better.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE6aCm41aPU

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  165. BW. Yes.Probably.Maybe.Dunno.

    This guys a total dickhead.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quZoyTNgpcI

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  166. Oh such good music tonight!

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  167. Yeah, you're right Leni. x

    Plums doesn't deserve it. Anybody know of a real tosspot I can have a go at, without feeling guilty?

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  168. James

    alliteration seems to be a theme tonight. So today's letter was - F - and tomorrows ? I feel a surge of creativity coming on.

    Habib
    We need to find you someone who is literate and able to couch their evil message in language that the mods find acceptable. They often go undetected - whereas moderate views encased in expletives generally disappear. Mods jump at words - not ideas. Too much thinking involved i think.

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