I believe...

To hold a point of view is a good thing - it shows and open mind.  To try and force that point of view on others is a bad thing - it shows a closed mind.

Well, hi there!

Remember my post about cousins?  I was suggesting that, if you take any two people at random from the whole world. and go back far enough, you will find that they share a common ancestor and are therefore cousins of some sort.  So although the papers have latched on to the story, I was not at all surprised to find that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are "long lost cousins" thanks to a common 15th century ancestor.  You read it here first!

Apocalypse update.

Thought you'd heard the end of  Nibiru?  Having failed to bring about the end of the world back in September, it's having another go - the new end of the world  date is November 19th.  Hang on to your hats!

Blow or grow?

The Royal British Legion have decided to launch this year's poppy appeal by printing out John McCrae's famous poem "In Flanders Fields" in poppies at various sites around the country.  Except that they have chosen to use the version which starts "In Flanders fields the poppies blow....".  I was always taught that it should be "In Flanders fields the poppies grow...."  and indeed we have the poem written out by the man himself which quite clearly uses the word "grow".  So where did "blow" come from?  There are various theories but, given that the poet himself wrote it as "grow" surely that should be the definitive version?  Further, I think it gives the poem a nice symmetry - first line "In Flanders fields the poppies grow..." and the final line "though poppies grow in Flanders fields".

Phew...!

It seems my jaw was not the only one to hit the floor - see last Sunday's post.  The World Health Organisation has apparently withdrawn its intention of making Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador.  So the only thing outstanding is - which idiot thought of the idea in the first place?

Well, fancy that!

There has always been this theory, particularly amongst Jewish mothers, that the best home treatment for colds and 'flu is chicken soup - to the extent that such soup is generally known as "Jewish penicillin".  But now modern science has established that there is some basis for this and that it can be shown that chicken soup can significantly reduce upper respiratory tract inflammation.  Listen to your Mama!

Look for the silver lining.

Go back five years and you will find a post about the Church Of Scientology planning to make its UK Headquarters in Birmingham.  Well, it opened the other day with what has been described as "secretive razzamatazz".  Which means that there were lots of (Scientology) bigwigs present, many speeches and the building was dressed in blue ribbons, but no outsiders were allowed to attend, and certainly no reporters.  As I mentioned all those years ago, the one positive aspect of all this is that they have renovated the old Pitmaston building, which otherwise would almost certainly have been demolished and the site sold for housing.

Play it again Sam...

...which, by the way is one of those false quotes - it was never said.  But, fascinating fact - watch the film (Casablanca) and you will never see Dooley Wilson's (Sam's) fingers on the keyboard - why?  Because Wilson couldn't play!  This most iconic scene was faked - the piano playing was all done off-screen by one Elliot Carpenter.  Does this in any way devalue the film?  No way!!

Do you remember...?

So Wimpy is looking to make a come-back?  The once ubiquitous fast food chain was more or less put out of business by the rise of those American invaders McDonald's and Burger King.  But they never went completely out of business and still have some 80 stores scattered  around the country.  And now they've got expansion plans.  Will they succeed?  Can they succeed?  The fast food market is pretty crowded - I think they will have to do something more than play the nostalgia card.  I wish them well, though.

Oh, come on....!

Trump has his "fake news" stories - I have my "jaw-dropping" news stories.  You know the sort of thing - you read them once and think "that can't be right", so you read them again, and again with mounting incredulity - but they don't change.  Here's one - the World Health Organisation has named Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador.  I rest my case.