Afghanistan car bomb blast/ Election 5/4/2014

I never use debit or credit cards. I have the cash in my purse and if its spent, its spent. I have a good job but it was the way I was brought up. My mother was widowed aged 45 with five children still at school. She continued to work full time as a Ward Sister in the mental health service. If ever I feel a bit sorry for myself, my dear old mum keeps me going. Shes soon to be 92 and I'll be 53 this month :)

chrissie wrote:I never use debit or credit cards. I have the cash in my purse and if its spent, its spent. I have a good job but it was the way I was brought up. My mother was widowed aged 45 with five children still at school. She continued to work full time as a Ward Sister in the mental health service. If ever I feel a bit sorry for myself, my dear old mum keeps me going. Shes soon to be 92 and I'll be 53 this month :)

Hi chrissie.....92 eh!! bringing up 5 children when you are widowed must have been very hard.

I do use a debit card and Credit Card occasionally but the Credit card is always paid promptly so the bank makes next to nothing out of me. I would never buy anything i couldn't afford anyway. It's consumerism gone mad these days, when i was a teenager, working, I gave most of my wages to my Mother because my Dad had TB when I was about 10, was in Hospital for 2 yrs and had half a lung taken away so could never work again. With what i had left I used to put some in a clothes shop until it was paid for then the shopkeeper gave it to you. I still went to the Cinema, dancing on a Saturday night, never felt deprived.

malena stool wrote:I exagerated slightly, our condensation was on the inside... just like everyone elses.....  

Like yourself, even now what we can't afford we don't have. Mrs S looks after the money, she makes it go further than even I could.
Back in the day no one had luxuries because there weren't any. Times were hard, money was scarce, houses were hard to get also. We lived with my grandparents because there was nowhere else.

You are right about consumerism, my friends who really know me slag me off for being a tight person, (that's not the phrase they use) and it's true.. I am, it's the way I was brought up.

Couldn't agree more. That's why I don't believe the 'Oh, those were the days' thing. If it was so good, why don't people go back to living like that? They can, if they want. My dad still remembers having to get in a queue for bread during WWII (he was born in 1935). And yes, everybody felt they were in the same ship because they were. Everybody (or almost) was poor. If that was happiness, Somalia would be one of the happiest countries on Earth. It's human nature to want to live better and more comfortably and there's nothing wrong with that. That doesn't mean, however, to buy what you can't afford or to be immersed in debt. Like anything else in life, balance is the key. I'm not a thoughtless spender or anything but if money doesn't make your life better and more comfortable then what's it's usefulness?

chrissie wrote:I never use debit or credit cards. I have the cash in my purse and if its spent, its spent. I have a good job but it was the way I was brought up. My mother was widowed aged 45 with five children still at school. She continued to work full time as a Ward Sister in the mental health service. If ever I feel a bit sorry for myself, my dear old mum keeps me going. Shes soon to be 92 and I'll be 53 this month :)

IT IS PROBABLY THE CREDIT CARD SPENDING THAT LEADS TO BOOM AND BUST PROBLEMS.

Good morning Panda

Blair was certainly guilty of misinformation about Iraq. In fact he deliberately lied to parliament despite the advice of his advisors. Such actions amount to treason, and Blair should be in a cell awaiting her Majesty's pleasure for it.

Bush is in a different case (IMHO that is) While on the one hand after the 9/11 atrocity he was being pressured into finding someone to blame, and PDQ, I do believe he at least acted from sincerity. I believe he genuinely saw Saddam Hussein al Tikriti to be a threat to the stability of the region.

of course events since have shown that the opposite is the case, and Saddam was probably a force for stability notwithstanding his own war crimes against the Kurds and his other various crimes against humanity.

the problem is, as we are just beginning to find to our cost democracy plays no part in Islam. They need a strong leader. To the west, he was a monster, to them, the type of man they needed. We've all seen what has happened in Iraq when the majority of troops moved out. The same is going to happen in Afghanistan, and least said about the Arab spring the better. Look at the repression in Saudi Arabia, or in Iran, yet they are relatively stable despite their governments not even approaching democracy. Of course when Iran does develop a nuclear weapon, and the means to deliver it, that will usher in a whole new era. I wouldn't like to think how long we'll have when that happens. As I genuinely believe it will.

I agree, North Korea is also a threat. They call this the 'Arab Spring ' katertaif.....afternoon by the way......I wouldn't call it that, 'now is the winter of out discontent' sounds more like it. the thing is the U.S. is not a World leader today, it is China and Russia who wield the most power.

Tony Blair lied to Parliament twice , how did he get away with it???

Some things you might not know about him.

1. The Sunday Herald a few years ago was investigating homosexuality in Parliament, Tony took out a D Notice to stop the investigation.

2. He went to the States for a while after Labour lost the Election and made a fortune as an after dinner speaker , the Yanks love him.

3, He wrote an autobiography which made millions for him yet only gave the Royalties to the British Legion

4. On a visit to one of the Arab Countries with Cherie and dined with a wealthy Arab Sheik , who, after dinner, took them into a room with tables laden
with Jewellery and ornaments etc and told them to choose a souvenir of their visit. The Blairs took 60 items.!!!(This was a Press report so not verified, but Tony never took action against the Newspaper.)

5. He was once caught in the Men's toilet and charged, He used his middle name Marion apparently .

He is a very shallow man and has no conscience.

Panda wrote:

5. He was once caught in the Men's toilet and charged, He used his middle name Marion apparently.

oooo, let's talk about that.  

Marky wrote:

Panda wrote:

5. He was once caught in the Men's toilet and charged, He used his middle name Marion apparently.

oooo, let's talk about that.  

Now don't ask me to find it Marky, maybe NBY can, she is good sleuth.  

katertaif wrote:Good morning again Panda

Teflon Tony is about right I wonder what he ever did to get the job of Peace envoy? I know that since he got it, the place has gone up in flames. I don't blame him for that but I cannot for the life of me see what he has ever done to help the situation. I wonder if he even knows where the Middle East is.

W used to live in Sedgefield and one of my proudest moments is when I refused to shake hands with him one evening. To be absolutely fair, the toothpaste smile never wavered, and I wonder if he even noticed.

Hi Again katertaif, I did reply earlier but just remembered Tony was fiddling expenses on his house in Sedgefield, Cherie on Flats she bought in Bristol with the help of her Female friend's boyfriend.

Last year they got found out again, I think it was to do with a basement Flat they were letting out on their London Flat, their greed knows no bounds.

Good afternoon Panda

Yes, N. Korea is not the most stable country either. As for Blair I do know a few things, and none to his credit. You are right in that he has no conscience. It's just a pity that Brown has let his constituency down so badly, trying to follow in Blair's footsteps, unfortunately for Brown, Blair had already cornered the market. As you say he has made millions from his after dinner speeches in the States, about how he aided the Americans in their efforts to bring democracy and peace to Iraq. As you say the Americans would lap that up and Blair knew it

As I mentioned we used to live in Sedgefield,, before moving to the Welsh Borders. We had two particular friends, one was a labour councillor in Middlesbrough, and one a labour councillor in Sedgefield. Ellen in fact had been the lady Mayoress of Sedgefield. Both had been the staunchest of Blairites, until shall we say he eventually outgrew them.

I believe he had an eye on the money side of it all along certainly he could not have timed it better when handing the whole sorry mess over to Brown.

I've never been a socialist, but even if I was I know nothing good about Blair.

katertaif wrote:Good afternoon Panda

Yes, N. Korea is not the most stable country either. As for Blair I do know a few things, and none to his credit. You are right in that he has no conscience. It's just a pity that Brown has let his constituency down so badly, trying to follow in Blair's footsteps, unfortunately for Brown, Blair had already cornered the market. As you say he has made millions from his after dinner speeches in the States, about how he aided the Americans in their efforts to bring democracy and peace to Iraq. As you say the Americans would lap that up and Blair knew it

As I mentioned we used to live in Sedgefield,, before moving to the Welsh Borders. We had two particular friends, one was a labour councillor in Middlesbrough, and one a labour councillor in Sedgefield. Ellen in fact had been the lady Mayoress of Sedgefield. Both had been the staunchest of Blairites, until shall we say he eventually outgrew them.

I believe he had an eye on the money side of it all along certainly he could not have timed it better when handing the whole sorry mess over to Brown.

I've never been a socialist, but even if I was I know nothing good about Blair.

Hi katertaif......is that an Afrikaan word by the way or random letters/ LOl

Tony Blair should have been impeached for lying TWICE to Parliament. He also made a big mistake getting rid of the Civil Servants so quickly, they were the people who knew what was going on in Parliament and procedures. When you think about it there is not one MP who i would vote for , yet in Thatchers time every department was headed by someone capable. . A bit before my time but I did read that Clement Attlee was considered the most competent and honest PM. Can you think of anyone who would make a good PM ???? They all think I'm nuts here but I think Boris Johnson   

Panda wrote:

Marky wrote:

Panda wrote:

5. He was once caught in the Men's toilet and charged, He used his middle name Marion apparently.

oooo, let's talk about that.  

Now don't ask me to find it Marky, maybe NBY can, she is good sleuth.  

tease.   

What word is that Panda? Ek weet nie (I don't know) yes I agree Blair should have been impeached. I don't think you're mad but Boris might be. Having said that no I don't know anyone who could measure up to a few of the PM's we've had in the past. Pitt the younger was possibly the greatest after Churchill and while many would not agree Margaret Thatcher was absolutely the best man in the country at the time at least.

What of the latest scandal to rock parliament it seems they not only lurch from crisis to crisis but there are quite a few who would embarrass honest crooks. Considering they refer to themselves as the honourable, or even right honourable. They have in the lst 50 years more and more distanced themselves from the reason they were put there, - to represent us, and our wishes - they have more and more set themselves over us and become our masters rather than our servants, Venal isn't the word for them. criminal is far too mild a word for them. time we got rid of the whole boiling of them, and put some honest ones in.

This is what you are searching for Panda.

http://www.notbornyesterday.org/brownblairsucc2.htm

While researching Blair's early Parliamentary career, The Slog (or Not Born Yesterday as it then was) received the following email content:

'In the autumn of 1983, a young well-dressed man presented himself to Bow St Magistrates' Court on a morals charge. He was given a conditional discharge and bound over to keep the peace. The young man gave his name as Charles Lynton. He is now among the highest in the land.'

Blair's middle names are Charles and Lynton. I have asked for the records of the period (the Court no longer exists) but failed to trace any mention there of the 'case' - if indeed it ever existed. Although I found the general attitude of information suppliers to be obstructive, there wasn't any strong feeling of hiding stuff; frankly, I'd be amazed anyway if something incriminating about Tony Blair hadn't been removed by now. Another source wrote to us as follows:

'He was caught importuning in a Westminster toilet. It was all covered up.'

Two things are, however, relevant. Gossip did abound about Blair's sexuality during his time in the rock band Ugly Rumours at Oxford. And while nobody has ever stood them up, it is widely accepted that Derry Irvine (Blair's boss in Chambers) regularly referred to him as "the star closest to Uranus".

Would an indiscretion relating to bisexuality have worried Blair enough to do anything to cover it up? Perhaps it would in 1983....but probably not by 2006. A great many people have teen-and-twenties doubts about the side for which they bat. Thankfully, in the Twenty-first century such things are rarely if ever a matter for blackmail.

Editor's Note: For those who find this far-fetched, it is worth noting that Edward Heath was saved from homosexual importuning charges no less than four times by MI6 in the late 1950s.

Marky wrote:

Panda wrote:

Marky wrote:

Panda wrote:

5. He was once caught in the Men's toilet and charged, He used his middle name Marion apparently.

oooo, let's talk about that.  

Now don't ask me to find it Marky, maybe NBY can, she is good sleuth.  

tease.   

No , honest marky, I did read it, not a Press report obviously , probably a Forum, maybe 3A's???? Anyone here who was a Member might remember..

malena stool wrote:This is what you are searching for Panda.

http://www.notbornyesterday.org/brownblairsucc2.htm

While researching Blair's early Parliamentary career, The Slog (or Not Born Yesterday as it then was) received the following email content:

'In the autumn of 1983, a young well-dressed man presented himself to Bow St Magistrates' Court on a morals charge. He was given a conditional discharge and bound over to keep the peace. The young man gave his name as Charles Lynton. He is now among the highest in the land.'

Blair's middle names are Charles and Lynton. I have asked for the records of the period (the Court no longer exists) but failed to trace any mention there of the 'case' - if indeed it ever existed. Although I found the general attitude of information suppliers to be obstructive, there wasn't any strong feeling of hiding stuff; frankly, I'd be amazed anyway if something incriminating about Tony Blair hadn't been removed by now. Another source wrote to us as follows:

'He was caught importuning in a Westminster toilet. It was all covered up.'

Two things are, however, relevant. Gossip did abound about Blair's sexuality during his time in the rock band Ugly Rumours at Oxford. And while nobody has ever stood them up, it is widely accepted that Derry Irvine (Blair's boss in Chambers) regularly referred to him as "the star closest to Uranus".

Would an indiscretion relating to bisexuality have worried Blair enough to do anything to cover it up? Perhaps it would in 1983....but probably not by 2006. A great many people have teen-and-twenties doubts about the side for which they bat. Thankfully, in the Twenty-first century such things are rarely if ever a matter for blackmail.

Editor's Note: For those who find this far-fetched, it is worth noting that Edward Heath was saved from homosexual importuning charges no less than four times by MI6 in the late 1950s.

Award yourself a Medal malena   

Now try to find the report that Brown and whatsisname that Tony made a Lord were caught en flagrante in Browns' office.  

katertaif wrote:What word is that Panda? Ek weet nie (I don't know) yes I agree Blair should have been impeached. I don't think you're mad but Boris might be. Having said that no I don't know anyone who could measure up to a few of the PM's we've had in the past. Pitt the younger was possibly the greatest after Churchill and while many would not agree Margaret Thatcher was absolutely the best man in the country at the time at least.

What of the latest scandal to rock parliament it seems they not only lurch from crisis to crisis but there are quite a few who would embarrass honest crooks. Considering they refer to themselves as the honourable, or even right honourable. They have in the lst 50 years more and more distanced themselves from the reason they were put there, - to represent us, and our wishes - they have more and more set themselves over us and become our masters rather than our servants, Venal isn't the word for them. criminal is far too mild a word for them. time we got rid of the whole boiling of them, and put some honest ones in.

Morning katertaif, it's the user name   

I agree about Maggie Thatcher , they didn't call her the Iron Lady for nothing, but she needed to be.There is not one MP from any Party that I would consider competent enough to be the next PM and we are drifting into another Election with no clear majority and nothing will get done. At a time when Britain needs strong leadership. I ask you , what kind of PM tells the population he will proceed with a Referendum IF HE IS RE-ELECTED!!!!!

Good Afternoon Panda

Ek Verstaan Nou (I understand now)

No the user name is a combination of my government's name Kathleen, and my own Terry. Taif is a smallish town in Saudi Arabia where she lived with me for 2 years, and says she was extremely happy there. It's almost 6,000 feet up, so the climate is actually quite decent, and green compared with the rest of the place. If you have to be in Saudi Arabia, Taif is one of the better places. The only place I know with a comparable climate is Khamis Mushayt. Both places have air bases (or had) which accounted for our presence.

The King spends 6 months of the year there during summer. It has one drawback in that it is not far from Mecca (not that infidels like us can go there) because of it's closeness to their religious centre the religious police (metawahs) are quite active if you aren't careful. for instance during prayer times in Jeddah you can go into a supermarket and do your shopping. You can't actually buy anything until prayer call is over but doing the shopping isn't so bad. in Taif however you are not allowed even to window shop, we had to leave the shopping areas altogether and sit in the car.

One of the reasons Kathleen loved it was that we were very popular with the American families. The reason for that was fairly simple. When the maintenance supervisor for the American compound resigned, I was asked if I could take his hat as well as my own. We had a number of Pakistanis who of course were Muslim, but they had no transport to go to Mecca. I allowed them on a weekend to use my truck to go to Mecca with. They responded by making sure I was the best Supervisor they ever had.

Hi katertaif , I joined a , shall we say middle class Newspaper a while ago and they had many Members . Not blowing my own trumpet but i was quite popular because I contributed jokes, puzzles etc but there were a couple of old codgers who were always trying to tell me what to do so I left. Anyway, one of the Members had worked in Saudi for many years and we had quite a few discussions. about the punishments handed out by Arabs. Stoning unfaithful. wives, cutting off hands of thieves , marrying 6 yr old Brides, having many wives etc to us it all seems so barbaric., that's why I never wanted to go there. He said that as long as you accept their customs you will be alright and he made several friends while he was there.


Thanks for the explanation.

That is a very lovely description of where you used to live and work Katertaif. It must have been a very interesting job and I bet you have many a story to tell.

I saw that your wife's name is Kathleen, I am also a Kathleen and you do not hear the name so much these days. Is she Irish?  I  am not but for some reason my parents named me Kathleen.

katertaif wrote:Good Afternoon Panda

Ek Verstaan Nou (I understand now)

No the user name is a combination of my government's name Kathleen, and my own Terry. Taif is a smallish town in Saudi Arabia where she lived with me for 2 years, and says she was extremely happy there. It's almost 6,000 feet up, so the climate is actually quite decent, and green compared with the rest of the place. If you have to be in Saudi Arabia, Taif is one of the better places. The only place I know with a comparable climate is Khamis Mushayt. Both places have air bases (or had) which accounted for our presence.

The King spends 6 months of the year there during summer. It has one drawback in that it is not far from Mecca (not that infidels like us can go there) because of it's closeness to their religious centre the religious police (metawahs) are quite active if you aren't careful. for instance during prayer times in Jeddah you can go into a supermarket and do your shopping. You can't actually buy anything until prayer call is over but doing the shopping isn't so bad. in Taif however you are not allowed even to window shop, we had to leave the shopping areas altogether and sit in the car.

One of the reasons Kathleen loved it was that we  were very popular with the American families. The reason for that was fairly simple. When the maintenance supervisor for the American compound resigned, I was asked if I could take his hat as well as my own. We had a number of Pakistanis who of course were Muslim, but they had no transport to go to Mecca. I allowed them on a weekend to use my truck to go to Mecca with. They responded by making sure I was the best Supervisor they ever had.

I watched a Documentary once and it is apparently every Muslims wish to go to Mecca at least once in his lifetime. , I couldn't understand the ritual of walking around the Wall, but quite a sight. You were taking a chance lending your truck.LOL

good Afternoon fuzeta

Her Father was Irish, unfortunately he passed away when she was very young.

I'm glad you liked the tale about Taif. I found the Pakistani workers far far different from the ones we have here. They were just like me doing a job for money, and looking to make a better life for their families. In their case there was no question of married status and some of them didn't see their wives and children for anything up to four years. I could not have stood it at all but they were invariably cheerful about it. As I say, to them mecca was like Rome to a Roman Catholic but they had no means of getting there. It was no hardship for me to loan them my truck, in turn I always borrowed the Site managers Chevy Impala. To them however it was brilliant. As I say, the site manager had report after report from the Americans saying what a marvellous job I was doing. In reality it was all their doing.

A little boy rode his tricycle into the front door and smashed the glass panels. Fortunately he was unhurt. I was told my predecessor would have hemmed and hawed for days and had it boarded up. My lads without a word went and took the door off an empty apartment (they were all the same size) and refitted it within the hour. My own contribution was to accept a cup of coffee from the lady of the house, and say to the child (Tommy) Tommy 1 Door 0 which made her laugh.

Good Afternoon fuzeta

No she is not Irish, although her father was, which accounts for it. Unfortunately he passed away when she was little more than a baby.
The Pakistani's and Indians working in Saudi Arabia are far far different to the ones we see hear demonstrating at the drop of a hat.

they were just like me trying to get a bit together to make a better life for their families. I had a lot of time for them because of that. There was no question of married status for them, and they sometimes did not see their wives and children for anything up to four years yet they were invariably cheerful.

They loved the idea of going to Mecca for the weekend but they had no transport. It was no hardship at all for me to loan them the truck because if my government wanted to go anywhere I just signed a Chevy Impala out from the motor pool. They repaid me a thousandfold for, as I say to me nothing.

One day a little boy rode his trike into the front door and broke the glass (fortunately he wasn't hurt). I was told that my predecessor would have hemmed and hawed for days and had the door boarded up and the lads would have simply followed his instructions. In this instance they took the door off an empty house (they were all standard size), and refitted it within the hour. my own entire contribution was to have a cup of coffee with the lady of the house, and make her laugh by saying Tommy 1 - door nil.

I have one regret, I had an absolutely brilliant electrician family name Nair. before we left Taif I gave him my home address in England. he couldn't give me his, because he was going to buy a house for himself and his then fiancée. A good three years later, I got a wonderful letter inviting us both to his wedding, unfortunately he had not put his home address in it or we would most certainly have gone. Since Nair is a common Indian name I couldn't see me going to Mumbai as it is now, and wander round asking if anyone had seen Mr. Nair. He no doubt thinks we couldn't be bothered.

Hi Panda

Yes, you're right, their system of justice is to say the least barbaric. It isn't quite as black and white as that. They usually amputate the right hand after the third offence, and anyone who gets himself caught for theft three times is a bit lacking anyway given that the police are not exactly exponents of Columbo.

There is a reason for it being the right hand, which you ay find even more barbaric. they eat with the right hand, and wipe their backsides with the left, so after that they must suffer permanent humiliation by eating and wiping themselves with the same hand.

The de jure penalty for adultery is as you say stoning but de facto I've never heard of anyone being punished in that way.

One funny thing, they have what they call the law of logic, which has to be the most illogical thing going. if you drive into another car from behind,it is your fault 100% anywhere else in the world. In Saudi it is half his fault because if he had not been there, you couldn't have hit him could you? Taxi and bus drivers being completely blameless because they are only going where you tell them. 

Hi katertaif , Oh , don't mean to laugh but the logic of the car crash blame is hilarious.  

Many moons ago i was in Goa on holiday with my two sons and their mates , even now when i go to jersey they all turn up for a dinner or drink in the Pub, it's great. Anyway, this was before Goa was commercialised, great holiday .. When we were at the Airport departing for Home, the Plane was late and tempers between passengers was getting frayed because there was only one Loo. One of the Airport staff came up to me and led me to a Toilet, thinking he was doing me a favour. It was all I could do not to retch in front of him....the toilet was full to the brim with excretia and urine.!!!!! I said i had to see my Son about something, thanked him and held out til the Plane arrived.