tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75699825154580648362024-03-13T12:06:39.617+01:00Me 'n' EliseJust some musing and newsing about everyday life. Nothing fancy, nothing special.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-60433913160948939732021-09-13T19:50:00.004+02:002021-09-13T19:54:07.283+02:00Not the best of journeys<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c7EcroSGDJI/YT9vJFy1e2I/AAAAAAAAZrI/WVylKFtBliov5zd6QBWB7OV9_ifEHTUlQCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_3576.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="239" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c7EcroSGDJI/YT9vJFy1e2I/AAAAAAAAZrI/WVylKFtBliov5zd6QBWB7OV9_ifEHTUlQCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_3576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Things had been going well.<p></p><p>We started our journey on Friday morning and, apart from a relatively long traffic jam between Waregem and Kortrijk, which cost us about half an hour, the driving was good.</p><p>We had taken food and drink along with us to have on the way, so our ventures into service areas were only for quick relief. That evening we stopped in Dijon, and again fed on our own provisions. (We haven't been to a restaurant for a couple of years and are extremely careful in this Age of Covid.)</p><p>Saturday provided us again with a pretty pleasant drive, though the expected slow traffic through the tunnels of Lyon gave us plenty of time to breathe in the fumes and admire that town's Guggenheim, not quite up to Bilbao's standard, but still very impressive.</p><p>Anyway, after a delay similar to that in Belgium on Friday, we drove on to cross the border into Spain and reach Girona in the early evening. We stayed at our usual hotel, the Costa Bella, where the restaurant seems to have improved. Yes! We ate our evening meal in the restaurant, where, fortunately, very few other guests were present, at least not at the early time by Spanish standards that we chose to eat.</p><p>And so to Sunday, when we had planned to drive the rest of the journey, some 700 Km to Guardamar del Segura, arriving there at about five in the afternoon.</p><p>The best-laid plans…</p><p>Some thirty or forty kilometres before Valencia, the yellow tyre low-pressure warning light came on, accompanied by some loud peeping. I started heading for the emergency lane, but before I could reach it, the rear near-side tyre exploded and things became hairy (thank goodness it wasn't a front tyre). Still, I was able to get onto the emergency lane and bring the car to a halt.</p><p>We put on our fluorescent jackets, left the car and placed the warning triangles. The car is fitted with an emergency call system to Citroën Assistance, so then I used that to inform them what had happened and where we were. We expected to be helped within a half hour.</p><p>After that time, I called again, had to give the same details and was again told that help would soon arrive. After a couple more calls to Citroën Assistance, a tow-truck finally arrived at about 17.30, some three hours after the problem was first reported.</p><p>The car was taken to a strange abandoned petrol station/garage some 20 to 30 Km distant. The wheel was removed and replaced with the emergency wheel, basically an excuse for a wheel with which can drive at a maximum speed of 80 Km/h.</p><p>We finally arrived at Guardamar at just past ten o'clock in the evening and then discovered that the bag containing my passport had been lost/stolen in all the confusion.</p><p>A new tyre was fitted the next day.</p><p>At a cost!</p><p>And we only came down to sell the house!</p>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-29826961915048033302020-06-11T13:40:00.002+02:002020-06-15T11:51:50.233+02:00Coronavirus Trump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5n4LXmlIYdc/XuIWQYSEdHI/AAAAAAAAY8c/Tt1y5zm5e-EZEIzYu9IwfzaIcAmuS0eZQCK4BGAsYHg/s956/Screenshot%2B2020-06-11%2Bat%2B13.27.58.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="906" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5n4LXmlIYdc/XuIWQYSEdHI/AAAAAAAAY8c/Tt1y5zm5e-EZEIzYu9IwfzaIcAmuS0eZQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/Screenshot%2B2020-06-11%2Bat%2B13.27.58.png" /></a></div><div>Trump initially dismissed the coronavirus problem as a little flu that would quickly blow over. Then it was something that he had full control of. Then it was something created by China. Then it was something that would be cleared up by a miracle. Then he started listening to the experts. Then he forwarded his own ideas on how to cure an infection (swallow disinfectant!). Then he stopped listening to the experts.</div><div><br /></div><div>He still doesn't listen to them.</div><div><br /></div><div>He messed up everything from ensuring sufficient protective clothing, ensuring sufficient testing, setting up emergency hospitals… the man even failed to present an example of responsible action during his few public appearances during the past several months. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because of his ineptitude, 113,000 Americans (and counting) have died up to the time of this post.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now Trump wants the USA to return to full normality.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to the experts (yes, he's still ignoring them), this will mean that at least 100,000 more Americans will die as a resutl of the coronavirus by September.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, listen carefully, Donald. Here's a bit of arithmetic:</div><div><br /></div><div>113,000 + 100,000 =213,000</div><div><br /></div><div>Got it?</div><div><br /></div><div>That's more than TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND deaths that you would have on your conscience, were you to possess such a thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some weeks ago, I wrote a little song documenting Trump's pathetic response to the crisis. Don't expect greatness—it's the first song I've ever written. Anyway, it's called <i>The Coronavirus Boogie</i>:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>[C]You know I just can't sing</div><div>I must have that thing </div><div>That they [G7]call the coronavirus [C]boogie </div><div><br /></div><div>[C][G7][C]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C]I've an ache in my head</div><div>I should stay in bed </div><div>This could [G7]be the coronavirus [C]boogie </div><div><br /></div><div>[C]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C7]I went to visit President Trump</div><div>[F]To ask him what to do</div><div>[Dm]He told me not to [D7]worry, son,</div><div>You've [G7]only got the flu![G7]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C]My temperture's high</div><div>Right up to the sky</div><div>Must [G7]have the coronavirus [C]boogie </div><div><br /></div><div>[C][G7][C]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C]Well I'm feeling bad </div><div>And it's kind of sad</div><div>Sure to be [G7]the coronavirus [C]boogie </div><div><br /></div><div>[C]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C7]I went to visit President Trump</div><div>[F]To ask him what to do</div><div>[Dm]He told me not to [D7]worry, son,</div><div>We've got [G7]disinfectant for you![G7]</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>[C]My throat is all sore</div><div> I can't swallow no more</div><div>I don't [G7]dig the coronavirus [C]boogie </div><div><br /></div><div>[C][G7][C]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C]Now I've started to cough</div><div>Think I'll order a coffin—</div><div>You can [G7]dance the coronavirus [C]boogie</div><div><br /></div><div>[C]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C7]So don't you visit President Trump</div><div>[F]To ask him what to do</div><div>[Dm]He'll only tell you [D7]loads of lies,</div><div>And that'[G7]ll be the end of you! [G7]</div><div><br /></div><div>[C][G7][C]</div></div><div><br /></div><div>(If you're wondering about a tune, I've put a short version of the song on YouTube: you can find it <a href="https://youtu.be/umxX4QikmtE" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div>The illustration at the beginning of this post shows a mural showing President Donald Trump morphing into a COVID-19 virus. It appeared in Balmy Alley, San Francisco, in early March.</div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-87075475384319220972020-06-01T12:11:00.001+02:002020-06-01T17:14:23.001+02:00Dangerous Trump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PURfkjy4cI8/XtTTpK--fdI/AAAAAAAAY7Y/8qKiqjmTOIIcOeI02HYhkuU20IpF247mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/tumblr_nymr08ZVyM1srulzoo1_1280%2Bblack.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PURfkjy4cI8/XtTTpK--fdI/AAAAAAAAY7Y/8qKiqjmTOIIcOeI02HYhkuU20IpF247mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tumblr_nymr08ZVyM1srulzoo1_1280%2Bblack.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
It is difficult to decide which of the two figures is worse.<br />
<br />
More than 100,000 dead through the coronavirus.<br />
<br />
One man killed by four policemen.<br />
<br />
Both figures originate, of course, from the United States of America.<br />
<br />
Both figures are a direct result of Donald Trump's signal failure to act as a President.<br />
<br />
Trump has demonstrated little but megalomania, xenophobia, misogynism, antipathy, crudity, vulgarity… during his time as President of the USA. (Anyone who thought that these typical pre-president-Trump characteristics would be better controlled when he became President must feel greatly disillusioned.)<br />
<br />
Trump has made the USA a pariah in the world.<br />
<br />
Trump blames everyone but himself for what is happening in the USA.<br />
<br />
The truth is, the 100,000 deaths and the death of George Floyd are direct results of Trump's bumbling non-leadership.<br />
<br />
Trump chooses not to listen to the many experts that surround him and provide him with the information he requires to make fact-based decisions. Instead, he blabbers out his own crazy theories: the coronavirus is no more than a flu; the coronavirus problem will be cleared up by a miracle; drink disinfectant to clear the coronavirus from your insides; it's all the fault of the WHO; it's all the fault of the Chinese; it's all the fault (as is everything else) of Obama.<br />
<br />
No, Trump, it's all your fault, with your childish, petulant Tweets, which are little more than veiled attempts to divert attention from your own errors and to target minority groups, women, foreigners, and anyone who disagrees with you.<br />
<br />
You are supposed to be a President. You are supposed to be the President for all Americans. You are supposed to lead by example. Instead, you strut around without a mask, you go to Florida to visit a rocket launch, you use demeaning language to describe protesters against the killing of George Floyd, yet you use praise in Tweets regarding ultra right-wing protestors and those calling for the relaxation of lockdown rules.<br />
<br />
Indeed, Trump's failure to denounce white supremacists in the USA has now led to the killing in broad daylight, in full public view, of an African American, who pleaded for his life, whilst offering no resistance. This was not just a killing, rather it was a lynching by no less than four police officers.<br />
<br />
Trump's rise to power and his misuse of power remind me frighteningly of Hitler's rise. Hitler had the crazy idea that the Arian race was in some way superior to others. He gradually built up hatred of other races, especially the Jews, amongst his followers. He banned books and other publications that spoke against his own ideas, he surrounded himself with yes-men whose only interest was self-aggrandisement… And now we see Trump attempting to manipulate the press, belittling certain reporters, especially female ones, especially non-white ones; we see him surrounding himself with his own yes-men and one by one removing those that dare to contradict him or speak against him.<br />
<br />
America, do you not see what this fool is doing to your country?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-41317854159613248692020-03-24T10:36:00.000+01:002020-03-24T10:36:12.946+01:0015561: mean anything?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5iTvKPmw-Q4/XnnTZ76byII/AAAAAAAAYsA/SZE9NpofT-URIVzyrg4kxv9Dfnt0Rg3HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/elvis68special.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elvis Presley during 68 TV Special" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5iTvKPmw-Q4/XnnTZ76byII/AAAAAAAAYsA/SZE9NpofT-URIVzyrg4kxv9Dfnt0Rg3HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/elvis68special.jpg" title="Elvis Presley 1968 TV special" width="320" /></a></div>
15561.<br />
<br />
Mean anything to you?<br />
<br />
Actually, it's 15561 days.<br />
<br />
Where were you 15561 days ago?<br />
<br />
Well, if you're more than about 45 years old, you probably know, without actually being aware of it.<br />
<br />
Elvis Presley died on 16 August, 1977 and that just happens to be 15561 days ago today, 24 March, 2020.<br />
<br />
So what?<br />
<br />
You might well ask. Indeed, yesterday he died 15560 days ago and tomorrow it will be 15562. What's so special?<br />
<br />
Well, Elvis was born on 5 January, 1935.<br />
<br />
He lived 15561 days.<br />
<br />
Today, 24 March, 2020, Elvis has been dead for just as long as he lived.<br />
<br />
Hard to believe, isn't it?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-2593093809734586152018-10-29T19:33:00.000+01:002018-10-29T19:33:00.729+01:00Little BrexitMuch of the Brexit debate in the media is concerned with future relationships between the UK and the EU—the Norwegian model, the Canadian solution, and so on. The complete absence of any agreement between the UK and the EU equally presents much material for commentators. But the impact of these theoretical concepts on everyday life remains vague to the ordinary public, those most affected by the nonsense that is Brexit.<br />
<br />
In an attempt to demonstrate the impact on the ordinary UK citizen and their day-to-day activities, Richard Corbett, an MEP, has created an ongoing blog post that contains a <a href="http://bit.ly/2qFiCcM" target="_blank">Long List of Little Things</a>. And Little Things really do mean a lot: the practical problems thrown up by Brexit that will affect the lives of UK citizens in the following areas:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Health</li>
<li>Holidays and Travel</li>
<li>International Haulage</li>
<li>Agriculture and Food</li>
<li>Entertainment</li>
<li>Sport</li>
<li>Education</li>
<li>Technology</li>
<li>Miscellaneous Little Things</li>
<li>Many things that a<i>lready</i> cost more</li>
</ul>
<div>
As one commenter wrote, "<i>Overwhelming. Depressing. The detailed small print doesn’t fit on the side of a big red bus so no one hears it.</i>"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Really, it is time for the ordinary folk to stand up against this Brexit foolishness. It's like a mass suicide, a sort of Jonestown on a national scale. For heaven's sake stop it before it is too late!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The link again, should you have missed it above: <a href="http://bit.ly/2qFiCcM" target="_blank">Long List of Little Things.</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-7074170272971029402018-10-18T14:06:00.001+02:002018-10-19T09:04:21.222+02:00Spanish bankers<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ptYlQBOe32Y/W8mBg2vvT5I/AAAAAAAAID0/MC4WZrZpktQ7efGJiaJYOntmmu2cqeHbgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/logo_bankia.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spanish bank Bankia logo" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ptYlQBOe32Y/W8mBg2vvT5I/AAAAAAAAID0/MC4WZrZpktQ7efGJiaJYOntmmu2cqeHbgCK4BGAYYCw/s400/logo_bankia.png" title="Logo of Bankia" /></a>The Spanish bank world is one full of mysteries. The nicest thing that can be said about Spanish banks is that they do not function in the same ways as banks in countries to the north of the Pyrenees.<br />
<br />
I have an account with Bankia.<br />
<br />
I did not ask for an account with Bankia.<br />
<br />
I used to have an account with Caja Murcia. That was taken over in a more or less orderly fashion by Banco Mare Nostrum.<br />
<br />
The one day I went to the bank and it had turned into Bankia. No warning had been given. No information as to why or when the change would take place. No option.<br />
<br />
The thing is, nothing worked. I was unable to pay for thing with my debit card and the bank itself was absolutely full of other customers in similar situations. There was no organisation of customers into queues, no attempt to provide extra staff, and the manager stayed carefully in her office behind closed doors.<br />
<br />
How long would the problem last? No idea! What can be done in the meantime? Get money out and pay in the old fashioned way. Can you give me money? No, that's a different desk…<br />
<br />
The problem lasted more than three weeks. The bank remained crowded with unhappy customers.<br />
<br />
Now the Bankia website. It's okay. Nothing to write home about, but for checking your balance, fine. Try to add a fiscal residence (a legal obligation), however, and things go terribly wrong.<br />
<br />
I speak and read Spanish and have always used the site in its Spanish form. I have never been able to add a fiscal residence.<br />
<br />
I have spent far too much time on the phone from Belgium talking to Bankia customer support in Madrid trying to add a fiscal residence. All to no avail. I was pointed to Madrid from my branch office. Madrid finally said to ask my branch office.<br />
<br />
No matter what I try, I am told:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We have not been able to complete the operation</li>
<li>Es obligatorio dar de alta el pais de res. de datos basicos</li>
</ul>
<br />
See the two languages?<br />
<br />
That's because I had first tried in the normal Spanish version of the site and kept getting the error (the fully in Spanish). I thought that I was having trouble understanding, so tried the English version of the site. I should have known things weren't going to be any better when, at the start of the procedure, I received this piece of mumbo-jumbo:<br />
<br />
<i>You do not have declared no fiscal residence country.</i><br />
<i>For tax legislation, is necessary that provide fiscal residence your details, although you have as only residence country district attorney Spain. You can add up to a maximum of 5 fiscal residence.</i><br />
<i>From 01/01/2016, to comply with the standard CRS related to the automatic exchange of information in applicable fiscal matter to Spain, you must provide your/s residence/s district attorney/is via the signature of this Autostatement CRS of way fiscal residence compulsory, although you have as only residence country district attorney Spain. To obtain more information can consult the R.D. 1021/2015 of on 13 November 2015.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Pardon? Really, you'd think that an organisation such as Bankia could get someone to do at least a half-decent translation: this looks like a quick run through Google Translate.<br />
<br />
Still, I carried on and ended up with the same error, only now half in one language and half in another.<br />
<br />
I have searched and searched, but am unable to find anything about <i>datos basicos</i> (basic information). There's a section on personal information, but there my country of residence is already indicated as Belgium. I have emailed my Bankia branch on several occasions, receiving either no reply or no help at all. Their latest solution is for me to visit the branch when I am next in Spain.<br />
<br />
If I had any faith in Spanish banks, I would try elsewhere, but experiences with others do not stimulate confidence. Can anyone suggest a bank that works well and does not require a mobile phone?<br />
<br />
And have <i>you</i> been able to declare your fiscal residence online with Bankia?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-39228518600082224282018-09-06T15:10:00.002+02:002018-09-07T11:12:42.316+02:00Optikit No.1I was walking with my mother in Woolwich one dark afternoon, when we passed a large store in Powis Street. In the window was a display for a new toy called Optikit. It looked fascinating, promising that all sorts of optical instruments and experiments could be made and carried out with this new "construction kit."<br />
<br />
Yes, I'm talking about a long time ago. Perhaps approaching Christmas 1960 or even 1959. Whichever Christmas it was, I soon became the more than proud owner of an Optikit No.1.<br />
<br />
It was everything that it had promised to be: its instruction manual provided excellent guides on how to construct, amongst other optical instruments, a microscope, a telescope, a sextant, and its experiments provided a good grounding in basic optics for someone just starting grammar school.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKLMcbgvKdQ/W5JAmYmAyMI/AAAAAAAAIDI/40vfY7VeBBolfaAgG0piy2LqX7ZYbFkogCLcBGAs/s1600/Index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKLMcbgvKdQ/W5JAmYmAyMI/AAAAAAAAIDI/40vfY7VeBBolfaAgG0piy2LqX7ZYbFkogCLcBGAs/s640/Index.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Index page of Instruction Manual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The kit itself included metal sections that, when cunningly connected together, provided surprisingly robust frameworks for the various instruments, lenses of various strengths, lens holders, and other items required for either construction or experimentation. The quality was really quite exceptional: I played with the Optikit a great deal and it still looks good, as these photos show.<br />
<br />
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<br />
And to give some idea of the sort of instrument that could be built with this fascinaiong "toy", here's an illustration from the Instruction Manual showing a cross-section of the <i>projection microscope</i>—Lego and Meccano eat your hearts out!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5DpzfqzevNg/W5I-Arg6RNI/AAAAAAAAIC8/58MNsI_nTyUB568J-0ksy6CyqT2nKd2mgCLcBGAs/s1600/Proj%2Bmicro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="805" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5DpzfqzevNg/W5I-Arg6RNI/AAAAAAAAIC8/58MNsI_nTyUB568J-0ksy6CyqT2nKd2mgCLcBGAs/s640/Proj%2Bmicro.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So what became of Optikit? I have no idea. I only know that there was an Optikit No.0, which, presumably, was the first and less ambitious version of the set, but I know nothing about still more advanced sets—was there ever an Optikit No.2? Optikit was made by the Helio Mirror Company, of Belvedere, Kent. Helio was a defence manufacturing company, making periscopes, which was taken over in 1970 by USI (United Scientific Instruments).<br />
<br />
I have checked with Google Maps and the store from which the Optikit was bought is no longer in Powis Street. The building is there, but it seems to have been divided between several new owners (one of the storefronts reads <i>Travelodge</i>). Mind you, looking around Woolwich with street view shows a vastly different town to the one I knew as a boy almost sixty years ago: the Gaumont cinema building is still there, but its function has changed (<i>Gateway House</i> is shown in large letters over the doors of the main entrance) and on opposite is the building that once housed another cinema, the Granada: that, heaven help us all, now seems to be some sort of evangelical church, the <i>Christ Faith Tabernacle</i>. What is the world coming to?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-87207871362091835432017-07-01T13:38:00.001+02:002017-07-17T21:01:59.512+02:00Wafels van Moniek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xCmDyq1vo78/WVd9PN38FcI/AAAAAAAAG-I/860Jxo7mc3g01FagZn3uAA9fir3v3V5GwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1144" height="228" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xCmDyq1vo78/WVd9PN38FcI/AAAAAAAAG-I/860Jxo7mc3g01FagZn3uAA9fir3v3V5GwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
On a recent visit to Belgium, I bought a wafel iron (also called, I believe, a waffle iron).<br />
<br />
Having lived in Belgium from 1971 to 2006, I am partial to most things Belgian, such as my wife, chocolates, fine patisserie, chips, and wafels (amongst other things). I also enjoy baking, so the purchase of a wafel iron (<i>wafelijzer</i>) was hardly a great step for mankind.<br />
<br />
Mind you, finding just the right wafel iron proved to be harder than I had imagined.<br />
<br />
When we got married, we were given a wafel iron as a wedding-present, and in those days you had a choice of a <i>Nova</i> or a… well, there really wasn't anything else, at least not in the electrical ones. You could, of course, have the non-electrical ones, but then you also needed a <i>Leuvense stoof </i>with a special wafel-iron-holding lid, so that sort were rapidly becoming nothing more than quaint decorative items (heck we threw out several that we had managed to collect, but which were useless without that <i>Leuvense stoof</i>). Nowadays, however, the choice of electric wafel irons is overwhelming. Well, it's overwhelming in Belgium; here in Spain, we had the choice of a single model, which made only small wafels, with fixed plates and which was not reversible. In Belgium we must have had a couple of hundred candidates: removable plates, non-removable plates; duplicate as a <i>croque monsieur</i> machine; different patterns for the plates; different wattages; reversible or non-reversible; plastic covered or full metal; thermostatically controlled or fixed temperature…<br />
<br />
In the end I plonked for a FriFri Wafelijzer WA106A 4x7, which seemed likely to produce a sort of happy-medium waffle of both the Brusselse and the Luikse variety and would allow me to install different shaped plates later on, should the urge arise. Strangely, it closely resembles the Nova we received 46 years ago as a wedding present. Good designs don't disappear…<br />
<br />
I prepared the first wafels following <a href="http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/belgian-waffles/" target="_blank">a recipe from Laura Vitale</a>. I had already tried this recipe with the Spanish wafel iron and wafels they are, and quite pleasant, too, but <i>Belgian</i> wafels…? No, nothing like either Brusselse or Luikse. They did, however, prove that the new iron worked, and worked well. The mission now, then, was to locate a decent recipe for real Belgian wafels of either the Brusselse or the Luikse variety.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, when chatting to a neighbour in Belgium, Moniek, I mentioned the new wafel iron and asked if she knew any decent recipes. Moniek assured me that she had an excellent recipe for Brusselse wafels and that she would email it to me. This she did and, upon arriving back in Spain it was not long before Moniek's recipe was put to the test. I prepared just a half of the amount, and just as well! That was sufficient for no less than 17 wafels and they were as close to the genuine as-sold-in-the-Belgian-patisserie wafels as you can get with a non-professional iron. Of course, we could not eat anywhere near all of them at one sitting, so many were kept for the next day, and the next… Easy to store and re-heated in the wafel iron or toaster they are as good as or even better than freshly baked.<br />
<br />
In case you don't know, wafels are eaten covered in butter and brown sugar, or with cream and fruit, or with chocolate sauce and… well, whatever.<br />
<br />
Bedankt, Moniek!<br />
<br />
Here's Moniek's recipe (I have halved her original quantities):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>500g self-raising flour</li>
<li>0.5 litre sparkling water</li>
<li>125ml milk</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>50g brown sugar</li>
<li>2 packets vanilla sugar</li>
<li>250ml corn oil or groundnut oil (I used sunflower oil)</li>
<li>pinch of salt (I did not use any)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Mix the beaten eggs with the flour, sugar, salt, and oil. Gradually add the milk and sparkling water. This results in a liquid dough that can be used immediately.<br />
<br />
Now I have to find a really good recipe for Luikse wafels. Anyone?Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-41359831499432992422017-03-20T11:45:00.000+01:002017-07-01T13:41:31.775+02:00Rock and Roll Shakespeare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJSM0U53DgA/WM-wloCz_UI/AAAAAAAAG7w/vKNyHT_pdJkhmXgvQCXMnXZMOko4mfqbQCLcB/s1600/Chuck%2BBerry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJSM0U53DgA/WM-wloCz_UI/AAAAAAAAG7w/vKNyHT_pdJkhmXgvQCXMnXZMOko4mfqbQCLcB/s320/Chuck%2BBerry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Chuck Berry died on Saturday, 18 March, 2017.<br />
<br />
Some twenty-five years ago on a Macintosh Plus, I created a HyperCard stack (remember those?) called <i>Chuck's Intros</i>. It was a little quiz in which the user had to identify recordings made by Chuck Berry, based on a few bars of his guitar intros. Not too many people seemed to care about Chuck Berry back then, but I enjoyed using the stack from time to time as a way of sharpening my own recognition of his wonderful intros.<br />
<br />
I had been a Chuck Berry fan for a long time. I still am. I have no idea how I discovered him, but I knew him before the Rolling Stones released <i>Come On</i> back in the early 1960s. I expect I got to hear of Chuck because of my liking of Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and everything else Rock and Roll. Holly recorded <i>Brown Eyed Handsome Man</i>, of course, so that might have been my introduction, trying to figure out the intricate lyrics. What with witness stands, the Milo Venus and references to baseball, I was at a loss!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Arrested on charges of unemployment,<br />
He was sitting in the witness stand <br />
The judge's wife called up the district attorney <br />
She said, "Free that brown eyed man.<br />
If you want your job you better free that brown eyed man ."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Flying across the desert in a TWA,<br />
I saw a woman walking 'cross the sand <br />
She'd been walkin' thirty miles en route to Bombay <br />
To meet a brown eyed handsome man <br />
Her destination was a brown eyed handsome man </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Way back in history, three thousand years,<br />
In fact ever since the world began <br />
There's been a whole lot of good women shedding tears<br />
For a brown eyed handsome man<br />
It’s a lot of trouble with a brown eyed handsome man </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Beautiful daughter couldn't make up her mind<br />
Between a doctor and a lawyer man <br />
Her mother told her darlin’ go out and find yourself <br />
A brown eyed handsome man <br />
Just like your daddy—he’s a brown eyed handsome man </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Milo Venus was a beautiful lass <br />
She had the world in the palm of her hand <br />
She lost both her arms in a wrestling match <br />
To meet brown eyed handsome man <br />
She fought and won herself a brown eyed handsome man </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Two, three count with nobody on <br />
He hit a high fly into the stand <br />
Rounding third he was headed for home<br />
It was a brown eyed handsome man <br />
That won the game, it was a brown eyed handsome man</blockquote>
<br />
Chuck Berry was the Shakespeare of Rock 'n' Roll, the Bard of the Beat; no other songwriter was quite able to match Berry's masterful ability to summarise in a few verses and with brilliant phrasing the hopes and wishes of youth. Nobody wrote lyrics like him. And they just seemed to flow effortlessly, despite their clever rhymings, unusual settings, and occasional strange words.<br />
<br />
Chuck's personal life might have been somewhat questionable (though much of the allegations against him were very likely racially based), but his music was simply wonderful: <i>Carol</i>, <i>Little Queenie</i>, <i>Sweet Little Sixteen</i>, <i>Memphis Tennessee</i>, <i>Roll Over Beethoven</i>, <i>School Day</i>, <i>No Particular Place To Go</i>, <i>You Never Can Tell</i>, <i>Brown Eyed Handsome Man</i>, <i>Johnny B. Goode</i>, <i>Promised Land</i>… and many, many more. I still have well over a hundred of his recordings in my iTunes library. (It is rather unfortunate, however, that he seems to be as much remembered for his one really rubbish number, <i>My Ding-a-Ling</i>, as he is for the rest of his catalogue. Still, he seemed to enjoy playing the number live, so who am I to judge?)<br />
<br />
I read his <a href="http://www.litkicks.com/ChuckBerryAutobiography" target="_blank">autobiography</a> shortly after it was published and enjoyed it greatly. If you're interested in his real story, you might wish to try to find a copy for yourself.<br />
<br />
Above all, keep enjoying his music.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-66929170720343071012017-02-03T11:44:00.000+01:002017-02-16T10:51:28.010+01:00First the USA, now the world<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nf0j-LZqKe8/VtgWyE1P7AI/AAAAAAAAGt0/k8CjjPD1bkoTiHY374wWgFCrAEBOeWQyACPcB/s1600/devil.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nf0j-LZqKe8/VtgWyE1P7AI/AAAAAAAAGt0/k8CjjPD1bkoTiHY374wWgFCrAEBOeWQyACPcB/s320/devil.png" width="235" /></a></div>
There's a thing called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Prayer_Breakfast" target="_blank">National Prayer Breakfast</a>, held each year in Washington DC.<br />
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Now, the thing is, this event is really a gathering of religious leaders, who happen to be joined by high-ups in the business world and others from across the world that are invited. So it gives these fortunate individuals an opportunity to ponder over the fate of the millions of starving poor and homeless, while they stuff themselves in the luxury of the Washington Hilton.<br />
<br />
Nothing could be more Christian.<br />
<br />
The president of the USA attends the event, so this year Herr Trump was there and he gave one of his arm-exercise speeches.<br />
<br />
Well, "speech" is perhaps too loose a term for the diatribe that poured forth from the orifice in Trump's orange face (that is, after he had asked his audience of so-called dignitaries, church-leaders, etc. to pray for Arnold Schwartzenegger).<br />
<br />
Apparently the man is not satisfied with solving the problems of the USA, he is now also going to solve those of the rest of the world, as well. The language he used, the allusions he made, the lies (sorry, alternative facts) that he told, once again show the man to be dangerous.<br />
<br />
But perhaps he is more than just the devil incarnate. Perhaps he needs help. Is he suffering from megalomania? Could Trump be mentally unstable? Should he not be placed in a mental health establishment and treated for whatever ails him?<br />
<br />
Really, if he is allowed to continue the way he is going, then we shall end up with a real-life enactment of Dr Strangelove, with Trump playing all the main rôles.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lit5r7ugiSU/WJRdTT5XgbI/AAAAAAAAG7M/KYChgq0JNpYFoC5gfH8lFrihxs2n8_uiwCLcB/s1600/Trump%2BStrangelove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lit5r7ugiSU/WJRdTT5XgbI/AAAAAAAAG7M/KYChgq0JNpYFoC5gfH8lFrihxs2n8_uiwCLcB/s320/Trump%2BStrangelove.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-7619578566132505762017-01-30T22:58:00.000+01:002017-01-30T23:03:04.732+01:00Herr Trump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xbEqPJ7Z_Is/WI-qqfBULPI/AAAAAAAAG6M/vy4VCi3r9hornBKovhPze1xS8qG1FIMXACLcB/s1600/Herr%2BTrump.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xbEqPJ7Z_Is/WI-qqfBULPI/AAAAAAAAG6M/vy4VCi3r9hornBKovhPze1xS8qG1FIMXACLcB/s1600/Herr%2BTrump.jpeg" /></a></div>
Thank you, people of the USA for dumping Trump on the world.<br />
<br />
He's been in office for just over a week and he has even managed to exceed our expectancies.<br />
<br />
During the inauguration, he demonstrated what a boor he is in the way he treated his wife. Does the man have no manners, no gentlemanly traits? And apart from being downright rude to the woman, he clearly said something to her that turned her pretend smile into a very real look of fear.<br />
<br />
His first week has been marked by lies, "alternative facts" (lies, in other words), numerous decrees, and what must have been a big disappointment for him during the first official visit of a foreign head of state.<br />
<br />
Trump lied blatantly about the size of the crowd that attended his inauguration and found the subject so important, that he even had a enlargement made of a photograph showing the sparsely attended area in front of the White House and now has it hanging in that building (perhaps he thought that enlarging the photo would enlarge the number of people. He then lied about the vastly greater turnout for the Womens March, that took place not only in Washington, but around the world. Perhaps Trolland Dump has his own size issues…<br />
<br />
So during his first ominous week he started or put in place processes with the following aims:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>to end the semblance of decent health insurance that the people of the USA so desperately need;</li>
<li>to actually build his ridiculous Mexican wall and to insult that country's people by insisting that it will be built at their expense;</li>
<li>he has opened up the possibility of building huge nature-destroying pipelines across the USA (pipelines that will cross homelands of Native Americans, who really should build their own walls to stop the pipelines);</li>
<li>to prevent nationals of various foreign states from obtaining visa to enter the USA;</li>
<li>to suggest that Christians be allowed to enter the USA, but not Muslims (I'm an atheist, so where do I stand?)</li>
<li>to indicate that he is in favour of torture and, in particular, waterboarding.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The first foreign head of state to visit Dumpy Trumpy was the UK's Theresa May. Old Donald must have got himself very excited at the prospect of meeting her, as the White House had been tweeting and sending out memos informing about the upcoming visit between Trump and, as they called her, Teresa May (note the missing "h" in the given name). If Trump had Googled this, he'd have come up with someone looking like this:</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGZh9_uXEKo/WI-yvgdvZHI/AAAAAAAAG6g/RHrRCzQW9Po1geBv0pQm4wBKmRXP-HJ9ACLcB/s1600/teresa%2Bmay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGZh9_uXEKo/WI-yvgdvZHI/AAAAAAAAG6g/RHrRCzQW9Po1geBv0pQm4wBKmRXP-HJ9ACLcB/s320/teresa%2Bmay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For Teresa May is a soft porn star and "glamour" model.</div>
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Instead, he got this:</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XsQzJGZpNA0/WI-zg7n7sFI/AAAAAAAAG6s/yg2ts0ytQe4PyMSvVIpEBUcgCX-bc0-3QCLcB/s1600/Theresa%2BMay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XsQzJGZpNA0/WI-zg7n7sFI/AAAAAAAAG6s/yg2ts0ytQe4PyMSvVIpEBUcgCX-bc0-3QCLcB/s1600/Theresa%2BMay.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Now, all this lying, pontificating, and getting rather important details wrong may seem jolly amusing and I have come across a number of television and radio programmes that have a good old laugh at it all.</div>
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But there's a serious side to it, too.</div>
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If Trump can treat his wife the way he does, if Trump finds it important to lie about small matters, if Trumps advisors are incapable of getting the name of a visiting head of state right… then there is something deeply, deeply worrying about the presidency of the USA.</div>
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And, as if that were not enough, if the president of the USA is capable of such inhumanity, such disrespect of nature, such clear religious discrimination… then there is something deeply, deeply worrying about that man.</div>
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Not only worrying, but quite frightening.</div>
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Not since the 1930s and the lead-up to the Second World War, when a little man named Adolph Hitler stirred the German people into a frenzy of nationalism, xenophobia, and religious fanaticism, has a more dangerous person held such an important position.</div>
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Please, please, if you have a blog, if you have a newsletter, if you are on social media, then help fight the hate that Trump is fermenting. Write something.</div>
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Please.</div>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-2435371594756064682017-01-14T14:56:00.000+01:002017-01-14T14:56:08.893+01:00Bake some sandwichesHuh? Bake some <b>sandwiches</b>?<br />
<br />
Surely you don't bake sandwiches? After all, they're just a couple of slices of bread (and that's already baked) with something edible stuck between them. Indeed, look up "sandwich" in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> and you'll come across a long article describing that item in just that way, and including the following explanation as to the origin of the use of that word:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat. It is said that he ordered his valet to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread, and others began to order <i>"the same as Sandwich!"</i> It is commonly said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage [an excellent game, incidentally] , while eating, without using a fork, and without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.</span></blockquote>
Well, that's not what a sandwich is in Belgium!<br />
<br />
There, that type of sandwich is called a <i>boterham</i>, whereas the word "sandwich" (with the "ch" pronounced more like "sh") refers to a soft, elongated bread roll, made from an enriched dough.<br />
<br />
A Belgian sandwich is something like a Spanish <i>medianoche</i>, though, from the recipes I have found, seems to be rather richer, incorporating more eggs.<br />
<br />
It is quite difficult to find a decent recipe for sandwiches, even with the amazing search-and-find capabilities of the Internet. And even if you find a recipe, it is very likely to be written in Dutch (the majority of Belgians speak Dutch), which is a tad difficult to follow if you are not able to read that language.<br />
<br />
I have, however, come across a couple of recipes, and by far the best is provided by a Belgian television chef by the name of Roger van Damme <a href="http://www.njam.tv/recepten/extra-zachte-sandwiches" target="_blank">here</a>. See what I mean about the Dutch?<br />
<br />
But never fear! Here's a translation.<br />
<br />
Ingredients for 15 sandwiches (I had a couple more)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
500g strong flour<br />
225g milk<br />
35g<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>fresh yeast (or 12g dried yeast)<br />
3 <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>egg yolks<br />
50g<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>sugar<br />
10g<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>salt (I used less, so suit your taste)<br />
80g<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>unsalted butter + a little extra in order to grease the baking tray</blockquote>
<br />
Method<br />
<br />
(I prepared my dough in a mixer, so have adapted the method here). Place the flour in the mixing bowl and add the milk, yeast and 2 of the egg yolks. Mix with the dough attachment on a medium speed until everything is incorporated. Add the sugar and salt, followed by the butter, which should be cut into small cubes and added gradually.<br />
<br />
Allow the machine to continue kneading at a medium speed until the dough is smooth and supple (the time will depend on your mixer, but reckon on about ten minutes).<br />
<br />
Empty the dough out of the bowl and, if necessary, complete the kneading by hand. Make a ball of the dough, place in a bowl and cover with cling-film and a clean kitchen towel. Leave to rest for 35 minutes.<br />
<br />
Knock the dough back and cut into portions of 50 grams, forming these into balls. Place these bottom-side up, cover with cling-film and allow to rest for ten minutes.<br />
<br />
Press each ball flat and then roll the dough back onto itself to form the long sandwich shape. Grease a baking tray (I used two) with a little butter (I didn't do this, to no ill effect) and place the sandwiches on it, leaving sufficient space between them (they will rise a lot). Cover with cling-film (I used a clean kitchen towel) and allow to rise for 60 minutes.<br />
<br />
Beat the remaining egg yolk (actually, I used a couple of quail eggs, including the whites) and carefully brush the tops of the sandwiches (this will provide the typical glazed finish).<br />
<br />
Bake in an oven preheated to 230ºC for 8 minutes.<br />
<br />
<br />
You should end up with some deliciously soft rolls, which are good to eat with either savoury or sweet fillings.<br />
<br />
Enjoy them, or, as we say in Belgium, "<i>Smakelijk</i>!"<br />
<br />
(If you wish to see Roger van Damme preparing the sandwiches by hand, a video is available <a href="http://www.njam.tv/recepten/extra-zachte-sandwiches" target="_blank">here</a>. Roger speaks Dutch, of course, but at least you can see what he does, and particularly how to roll the sandwiches.)<br />
<br />
Here are the ones that I made:<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-32222759730212581222017-01-13T14:04:00.000+01:002017-01-13T14:04:34.859+01:00Sublime, ridiculousBarack Obama's farewell speech as president of the good old USA on 10 January was just excellent.<br />
<br />
He was his usual controlled, gentlemanly, <i>presidential</i> self and wowed his enthusiastic audience with a summing up of the achievements realised during his terms in office.<br />
<br />
(Not least of these is the achievement to offer the citizens of the USA at least some type of social security in the form of the so-called <i>Obamacare</i>, a health insurance system that a supposedly developed nation should have provided its people with long, long ago.)<br />
<br />
I'm not one for political speeches, nor for politics, nor for politicians—can't really give them the time of day, but I followed Obama's speech from beginning to end and thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
As my late Auntie Ruth would have said, "Sublime personified."<br />
<br />
What a contrast to the theatricals of buffoon Donald Trump a few hours later, when he gave his first press conference as president elect. The man is clearly incapable of normal activity and how such a juvenile-minded individual (as evidenced in his "tweets") can still be considered suitable to occupy the most important seat in the USA quite simply beggars belief.<br />
<br />
Trump's reaction to a CNN reporter's request for a question was that of a spoilt 10-year-old brat. And, unfortunately, this reaction was only one instance of such juvenile tendencies.<br />
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Some days earlier, Meryl Streep made a speech in which she chided Trump, especially for his imitation of a disabled reporter. Trump's come-back was a series of "tweets" in which he first declared that Streep was an "one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood."<br />
<br />
Now that's very strange, for in 2015, during an interview with <i>The Hollywood Reporter</i>, when asked if there were any actresses he liked,Trump answered, “Julia Roberts is terrific, and many others. Meryl Streep is excellent; she’s a fine person, too.”<br />
<br />
As for imitating a disabled reporter, Trump then tweeted a denial, stating, "For the 100th time, I never "mocked" a disabled reporter (would never do that)…"<br />
<br />
Well, Donald, that's a downright lie, for you mocked that reporter on 24 November, 2016, during a campaign speech at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and <a href="https://youtu.be/PX9reO3QnUA" target="_blank">your actions were filmed</a>.<br />
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Trump, lad, you lied.<br />
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Either that, or you don't know what you are doing for a great part of your waking existence.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-33287890374627379112016-12-24T17:58:00.000+01:002016-12-25T10:29:29.036+01:00Christmas 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designed by <i><a href="http://www.aalseth.net/" target="_blank">Geoduck</a></i></td></tr>
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2016 has been a lousy year.<br />
<br />
Numerous events throughout the year have shown just how far to the right, the ultra-right, many people have allowed themselves (hopefully unwittingly) to be dragged. They also show the dangers of organised religion.<br />
<br />
Among the most tragic of these events are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>the bombing of Zaventem airport;</li>
<li>the bombing of the Brussels underground;</li>
<li>the terrorist attack in Nice;</li>
<li>the Brexit vote;</li>
<li>the election of Donald Trump;</li>
<li>the destruction of Aleppo;</li>
<li>the refugee camp at Mosul;</li>
<li>the terrorist attack in Berlin.</li>
</ul>
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<div>
Let us hope that 2017 will be a better year and that people will come to their senses. The way things are going, however, I see the USA developing ever more into a power-crazed theocracy, where fundamentalist Christians have the sway.</div>
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Then it could well be goobye from me and goodbye from him.</div>
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The card accompanying this entry was designed by <i><a href="http://www.aalseth.net/" target="_blank">Geoduck</a></i> and is inspired by a quote from Desmond Tutu: <i>Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite all the darkness.</i> A lone Christmas tree stands in the all-enveloping gloom, but a single little candle still offers a ray of hope.</div>
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-44729319597304436262016-07-27T11:49:00.000+02:002017-01-13T14:06:41.275+01:00Year Of The BuffoonLet the Chinese keep their Year of the Horse, the Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and <a href="http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/" target="_blank">all the other animal signs</a>.<br />
<br />
Let Al Stewart keep his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_of_the_Cat_(song)" target="_blank">Year of the Cat</a> (and how many of you remember <i>that</i>?.<br />
<br />
This year must surely be the Year of the <i><b>Buffoon</b></i>.<br />
<br />
Just consider: Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, and, wait for it, <i>buffoono supremo</i> Donald Trump. What a set of human disasters they represent!<br />
<br />
Then add to this sad list the names of the likes of Recip Eroğan, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and the ultra right-wing upstarts in Europe.<br />
<br />
All you then need are some religious fanatics and you've got a recipe for disaster.<br />
<br />
Oh, hang on, such religious fanatics are already present in the USA in the form of fundamentalist Christians (home teaching, anyone? Yes, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Earth_creationism" target="_blank">the world is six thousand years old</a>. I ask you!) and in Europe and the Middle East, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant" target="_blank">Daesh</a>, who claim to be fundamentalist Moslims, but act like no true Moslem would ever act, fill that rôle. (Personally, I think that fundamentalist Christianity, as practised in the USA, is a far more dangerous manifestation.)<br />
<br />
Generally, the world seems to be going to pot, with ultra right and fundamentalist viewpoints gaining way too much ground, as people look for simple solutions to relatively minor problems that are blown up out of proportion, as a way of gaining support for extremist ideas and movements.<br />
<br />
I had intended on writing rather more on this subject, but came across an excellent article that really says all I have to say, so rather than read my drivel, please take the time to carefully read Brian McNair's <i><a href="http://theconversation.com/when-terror-goes-viral-its-up-to-us-to-prevent-chaos-62687" target="_blank">When Terror Goes Viral It's Up To Us To Prevent Chaos</a></i>—it says it all.<br />
<br />
(But just to finish, can you really imagine Trump as the president of the USA?)Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-2377619810657660962016-07-14T12:12:00.002+02:002016-07-15T10:18:35.415+02:00Castilla y León<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3iDzv-TVdbA/V4dc1tr5ViI/AAAAAAAAGvU/RYe8QLECSv4_DR9ZxqE5C5gPbWRc6obDACK4B/s1600/P6290137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3iDzv-TVdbA/V4dc1tr5ViI/AAAAAAAAGvU/RYe8QLECSv4_DR9ZxqE5C5gPbWRc6obDACK4B/s320/P6290137.jpg" width="240" /></a>Elise and I have not long returned from a trip to a part of the north of Spain with which we were not previously familiar, Castilla y León.<br />
<br />
The initial idea was to go to León and from there to drive further to Bilbao. That's not the way it worked out, however, and instead we visited a number of other places in the same autonomous community as León itself.<br />
<br />
The main purpose of the trip was to see the Pantheon of San Isidoro in León, and to visit some Romanesque churches. A strange goal for a couple of atheists, you might think, but we look upon these treasures perhaps in a different way to that in which Christians (and so-called Christians) do.<br />
<br />
The trip was a great success: León is an excellent mixture of old and new and harbours plenty of interesting things to see. From León, we travelled to Astorga, and from there to Zamora; we then drove via Toro to Segovia, which we had altready visited a few years ago, but this time went with the purpose of seeing the gardens of La Granja.<br />
<br />
Sadly, photography is very restricted in most of the ancient attractions, so here are some links to sites where others present a visual appreciation:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.museosanisidorodeleon.com/" target="_blank">Royal Pantheon of San Isidoro, León</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.rottodigital.com/vistas_zamora.html" target="_blank">Virtual reality visit to Zamora</a>, including three excellent views of the Flemish tapestries<br />
<br />
<a href="https://marcopolito56.wordpress.com/pueblos-con-encanto/los-tapices-flamencos-de-zamora/" target="_blank">Flemish tapestries of Zamora</a> (information in Spanish)<br />
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<a href="http://www.romanicozamora.es/es/monumentos/4" target="_blank">Romanesque churches of Zamora</a><br />
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<a href="http://domuspucelae.blogspot.com.es/2010/11/visita-virtual-portico-de-la-majestad.html" target="_blank">Portal of the collegiate church of Santa María, Toro</a><br />
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I have placed some photos that Elise and I took during the trip on Flickr:<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidneale/albums/72157670209359211" target="_blank">León</a> (incl. Parador, cathedral, Gaudí building…)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidneale/albums/72157670113843901" target="_blank">Astorga</a> (with one of only two Gaudí buildings outside Catalunya)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidneale/albums/72157670774666606" target="_blank">Zamora and Toro</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidneale/albums/72157670777599755" target="_blank">La Granja</a> (gardens and fountains)Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-40877352051160880262016-06-25T21:48:00.001+02:002016-06-25T21:48:38.435+02:00BridiotsSo the voters of the United Kingdom have chosen to leave the European Union.<br />
<br />
Well, that's not entirely true.<br />
<br />
The results of the referendum are not legally binding. The decision for the UK to leave the EU can only be made in the UK parliament. The majority of MPs are in favour of staying with the EU, but whether they will have the guts to stand up and vote so in the eventual debate is, of course, a different matter.<br />
<br />
As for the referendum itself, it demonstrates just how divided the UK itself is.<br />
<br />
The UK is an old union of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.<br />
<br />
The English voted 53.4% to 46.6% to leave the EU. Hardly overwhelming.<br />
<br />
Northern Ireland voted 55.8% against 44.2% to remain in the EU.<br />
<br />
Scotland voted 62% to 38% to remain, a huge win.<br />
<br />
Wales voted 52.5% to 47.5% to leave (an even smaller win than in England).<br />
<br />
So two countries voted to leave and two countries voted to remain. The countries that voted to remain did so in a far more convincing manner than those that voted to leave.<br />
<br />
Hardly a <i>United</i> Kingdom!<br />
<br />
(Incidentally, I am of Welsh origin and am deeply ashamed that Wales voted to leave the EU.)<br />
<br />
Assuming that the UK parliament ratifies the decision to leave, what might the consequences be?<br />
<br />
Well, the break-up of the UK seems highly likely, with Scotland the first to go. If Northern Ireland has any sense, it will also leave the UK and allow Ireland once again to become a single island nation.<br />
<br />
Wales, of course, followed England. Hardly surprising, given the high level of unemployment there (and the high number of English who live in Wales): the No campaigners put the blame for high unemployment on the EU and particularly its immigration policy. People like to believe easy solutions and look no further to find the real truth. I wonder how the people of Wales and the rest of the UK will feel when unemployment increases as a result of less sales to the EU and less investment from the EU.<br />
<br />
The people cast their No votes based on a lack of information and <i>mis</i>information. The result is a demonstration of why one should not allow ordinary people to decide such vital issues : they simply do not have the knowledge to make a decision based on facts, so instead they make an emotional decision based on fiction. They look at short-term issues that seem important, such as immigration, and ignore the long-term, truly important issues, such as investment, development, long-term employment… These are the things that will play huge roles in the lives of the now young people of the UK as they grow older. Basically, their future has been destroyed.<br />
<br />
More worrying than the self-inflicted problems of the UK, however, are the possible knock-on effects in the rest of Europe. Extremist right-wing factions will be spurred on by the unfortunate result to further their own causes, perhaps to demand referenda in their own countries, with the possible break-up of the EU.<br />
<br />
As nationalistic tendencies grow in these countries, so, too, will grow the likelihood of conflict. The EU (and its predecessors) have kept Europe at peace for seventy years; prior to that achievement, Europe suffered almost constant conflict in some part of its boundaries. In the first half of the previous century alone, two World Wars were ignited in Europe, during which millions of people were killed and otherwise suffered. Nationalism of the type displayed in the UK and in other countries of the EU is likely to lead to similar conflicts should the EU break up. Furthermore, Russia will feel less reticent to atttempt to take back its former territories and will therefore likely set its sights on the Baltic states, the Ukraine, and elsewhere, in the face of a weak and divided Europe. Clearly a recipe for a Third World War.<br />
<br />
The EU has made mistakes, of course. Any organisation attempting to achieve what the EU has achieved is bound to make mistakes. But this does not mean that its members must bleat and moan: they must learn to work better together, to learn from what is wrong in order to create a better right. The achievements of the EU should be applauded: peace, a single currency, freedom of movement of people and goods, the world's largest trading bloc…Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-8071768159259168872016-03-23T17:53:00.000+01:002016-04-07T13:34:06.655+02:00Some sense<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9S1SYAKa7Y/VvLDutxIcaI/AAAAAAAAGug/6yePT3hCXXg4ijkHMmr12Ibohydh1V8uQ/s1600/belgium-map-flag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h9S1SYAKa7Y/VvLDutxIcaI/AAAAAAAAGug/6yePT3hCXXg4ijkHMmr12Ibohydh1V8uQ/s400/belgium-map-flag.png" /></a>Belgium's a great place. I'me Welsh, so I'm also supposed to be British, but I spent 35 years of my life in Belgium (more than in any of the other three countires in which I have lived, Wales, England and Spain), so I feel as much Belgian as anything else. I left the country for health reasons and miss its tidiness, its completeness, its pastries…</div>
<br />
Belgium has had it rough during the last few months, having been shown to be a spawning ground for terrorists and now, just this week, being itself the target of some major terrorist attacks.<br />
<br />
Sadly, the growth of terrorism has been matched by a growth of right-wing tendencies, with foolish non-thinkers jumping onto the easy solutions of "keep out the refugees," "down with Islam," and other nonsensical nationalistic propaganda.<br />
<br />
Thank goodness, then, for some good old common sense, as demonstrated by Anwar, a young schoolboy, when he was interviewd at his school gates on the day after the attacks in Brussels for VTM News:<br />
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<br />
Here's a translation:<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Reporter</b>: Indeed, the attacks do not represent true Islam, says Anwar.<br />
<b><i>Anwar</i></b>: Muslims are not like those that you see; Muslims are people that love peace and not killing.<br />
<b>Reporter</b>: That's an important message.<br />
<b><i>Anwar</i></b>: Yes, a <i>very</i> important message. Thank you very much.</blockquote>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-17573278984637740702016-03-17T13:34:00.001+01:002016-03-18T10:54:56.599+01:00What do you know about the EU?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rYcGaNN1POk/VuqffFn3o-I/AAAAAAAAGuQ/Yg7WTTy9YPo2rh2Uq9fZLt-paCCll3e9Q/s1600/naad16001enn_en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rYcGaNN1POk/VuqffFn3o-I/AAAAAAAAGuQ/Yg7WTTy9YPo2rh2Uq9fZLt-paCCll3e9Q/s400/naad16001enn_en.jpg" /></a>Soon the UK will hold a referendum to allow its voters to decide whether to stay in the EU.<br />
<br />
Bonkers. The average bod has no idea what the EU does, what it has achieved, what its powers are, what its powers most certainly are not, and so on. Most people are swayed only by what they are told by ignorant spouters of nonsense on the television, or by what they read in the gutter press that is so prevalent in the UK, where such intelligent publications as the <i>Sun</i> tell half-truths at best and downright lies at worst.<br />
<br />
The <i>Establishment</i> of the UK of course wants the voters to choose to leave the EU: this will provide them with the continued power they seek. What it will <i>not</i> do, is help the ordinary people of the country. But what does the Establishment care for them?<br />
<br />
How much do you, dear UK voter, actually know about the EU and how it functions? Very little, I bet.<br />
<br />
Well, here's a chance for you to find out a bit more before you go to vote.<br />
<br />
The EU has just published a report on its activities in 2015. Do you want to know what the EU achieved in 2015? What progress it made in delivering on its priorities? The measures it took to boost jobs, growth and investment? The part it played in the climate deal achieved in Paris? How it handled the refugee crisis? And how EU citizens benefited from the Union? You can find the answers to all these questions and more in <i>The EU in 2015</i>.<br />
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The publication is available in various formats (HTML, PDF, EPUB) for free (a printed version can be purchased) at <a href="http://publications.europa.eu/en/web/general-report">http://publications.europa.eu/en/web/general-report</a> (It can also be obtained in numerous other languages through the dropdown menu at the top right-hand corner of the page.)<br />
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And if you'd like to learn more about the EU, or to find resources for use in presentations, a good place to start is <a href="http://europa.eu/publications/index_en.htm">http://europa.eu/publications/index_en.htm</a> (again, information is available in other languages through the dropdoan menu at the top right-hand corner of the page).Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-13775688910041540032016-03-03T11:52:00.002+01:002016-03-03T11:52:42.865+01:00USA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To quote another obnoxious American, "You cannot be serious!"<br />
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Still, at least we now know the real meaning of USA:<br />
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<b>U</b>nbelievably<br />
<b>S</b>tupid<br />
<b>A</b>mericans<br />
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To allow a creep like Donald Trump to run in the primaries for the election of the new President of the USA is crazy enough; that such a buffoon, such a mountebank, such an obnoxious, megalomaniacal, clearly prejudiced individual can then actually gain sufficient support to win numerous primaries and to look as if he stands a good chance of becoming the Republican Presidential candidate is just grotesque (as if the Republicans were not already grotesque enough!); it is frightening, not only for the USA (the country <i>and</i> those Unbelievably Stupid Americans), but also for the rest of the world.<br />
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Eat your heart out, Dr. Strangelove, for here comes someone far more sinister.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-84039465893758422412016-02-06T12:21:00.000+01:002016-02-08T15:35:27.157+01:00Closing the circle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In an earlier post, <a href="http://menelise.blogspot.com.es/search?q=three+boys">Three Boys</a>, I described how my friend, Terry Cleverley, had died just a couple of years after having left school. A reply to that post led me to search for and eventually find Terry's gravesite.</div>
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Terry Cleverley didn't start his first year at Woolverstone Hall with the rest of the boys. He joined us in the second term, coming, if I am not mistaken, from Singapore, where his father was stationed. Like myself, Terry was then in Orwell House and we soon became friends. In our second year we moved to Corner's House, where we remained for the rest of our time at Woolverstone.</div>
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The reply to my earlier post indicated that Terry had died in January 1969. This is incorrect. In fact, Terry died in the early hours of 6 June 1969 as the result of a traffic accident in Benidorm. However, the information that he had been buried in Alicante seemed promising, so yesterday, Elise and I decided to visit the Municpal Cemetery in Alicante to see if we could find Terry's grave.</div>
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The <i>Cementerio Municipal</i>, also called <i>Nuestra Señora de Remedio</i>, is located on the outskirts of Alicante, between the town itself and the A70/E15 motorway. Its main entrance is on the small and unpretentious <i>Plaza Cementerio</i>, otherwise occupied almost entirely by florists and stonemasons, with just one small bar for those in need of refreshment.</div>
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To the right of the entrance hall of the cemtery is an office, so we went in there to see if we could glean any further information regarding Terry.</div>
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The young lady who received us was very helpful and kind. I told her what I knew, which was basically just Terry's name and year of death. With just that information, she searched the digitalised records of the cemetery and was soon able to tell me that Terry had indeed been buried in the cemetery. After some further explanation, we were given directions to the location of Terry's grave.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzGzahcVtxA/VrXF25Of7CI/AAAAAAAAGr8/gBl3rYKO20A/s1600/IMG_2213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzGzahcVtxA/VrXF25Of7CI/AAAAAAAAGr8/gBl3rYKO20A/s320/IMG_2213.jpg" width="239" /></a>Passing out of the entrance hallway and into the cemetery itself, one is immediately struck by two things: the cleanliness of the place and its enormity. It really is a massive, massive cemetery, but it is also extremely well maintained. Initially, one passes through an area of huge, almost monumental tombs, far too ostentatious for my liking, but still impressive (some small examples can be seen behind Elise in the photo).</div>
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This is followed by somewhat smaller tombs of a more "normal" size. Spain being a Catholic-dominated country, crucifixes and other religious symbols are well in evidence. Very few of the gravesites are reserved for a single person and many have whole generations of families, the names of each member carefully inscribed in the stonework, which is almost always marble or granite.</div>
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The only date indicated in Terry's records was 9 June, 1969: this was the date of burial. As explained above, Terry was killed in the early hours of 6 June, 1969. He was first buried in his own grave, with a gravestone. The lease for the grave was not renewed, however, so after ten years, Terry's bones were removed to the communal gravesite, known as the <i>Osario</i> or osuary.</div>
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After walking some way, we finally came to the Osario, marked by an imposing crucifix.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of the Osario</td></tr>
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It has to be said that this part of the cemetery is perhaps the least well cared for. Passing around to the front of the Osario, we could see the irrigation piping sitting on top of very dry soil (it looks as if the irrigation does not work) which is sparsely covered with dried-up vegetation. A few small memorial tablets have been placed here and there, with some photos stuck to the large stone crucifix that is largely hidden behind a poorly positioned yucca.</div>
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Having seen where Terry now lies, we decided to place some flowers there to at least add a little cheer to the site. We walked back to the <i>Plaza de Cementerio</i>, purchased a colourful bunch and left it lying on the dry soil of the Osario before continuing our walk through the cemetery.</div>
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Here are some impressions of the cemetery, which is quite a remarkable place and well worth a visit. It is remarkably quiet and has various sections containing different styles of memorials. The highest point is occupied by a chapel, below which is a shaded green area, provided by a copse of mediterranean pines. What was at the time of the Spanish Civil War a mass grave, now forms a memorial to those Republicans executed by the Nationalists.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jBTjzdWnV20/VrXGDTsGlgI/AAAAAAAAGsM/L_BiJuqQxG8/s1600/IMG_2219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jBTjzdWnV20/VrXGDTsGlgI/AAAAAAAAGsM/L_BiJuqQxG8/s320/IMG_2219.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapel on the hilltop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copse of mediterranean pines. In the background, "chapel" memorials.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burial niches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ever more burial niches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial field (ex mass grave) to executed Republicans.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange trees</td></tr>
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-24863231934955869822016-02-03T12:36:00.001+01:002016-02-03T12:36:57.006+01:00Trump trumped<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QWwlIkpoGZ4/VrHhDeBjpaI/AAAAAAAAGrw/W1hcLIMh6Mw/s1600/trumtrumped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QWwlIkpoGZ4/VrHhDeBjpaI/AAAAAAAAGrw/W1hcLIMh6Mw/s320/trumtrumped.jpg" width="320" /></a>I do not follow the shenanigans of politicians very much, nor am I particularly interested in politics. I was, however, delighted to learn that arch-idiot Donald Trump lost the recent Iowa Caucuses to rival Republican Ted Cruz.<br />
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Not that any sensible individual would want Cruz as president of the USA, mind you: he's an ultra conservative, fundamentalist Christian (just as dangerous as fundamentalist any-other-religion-you-care-to-name), who is anti-abortion, anti-greenhouse effect (it doesn't exist), and probably anti anything else other than freedom to own guns and shoot the hell out of others (more on this below).<br />
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The Democrats seem to have a more sensible couple of front-runners, in the shape of Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Clinton has at least some experience, even if she's not someone I'd care to trust. Sanders is the most appealing and offers some interesting comments on the social conditions in the USA, which, let's face it, are deplorable. If Americans could get over their peculiar fixation that Socialism is the same as Communism, Sanders might even have a chance at the presidency. He's a bit old, of course, but at least he sees things with an openness and clarity that no other candidate possesses.<br />
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Do you understand the US gun lobby? I don't. Their arguments are based on the second amendment to the constitution, written more than 200 years ago and reflecting the conditions of the time. It made sense then to allow people who could not be protected by the authorities to have some meand of protection. These means then included arms such as muskets and flint-lock pistols, with an accuracy of a few metres and a limitied firing capacity. The amendment takes no account of rapid-fire, super powerful modern automatic weapons of frightening destructive capability, nor of the type of society in which we live today.<br />
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Grow up, Americans, and forget your guns.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-83744310516628017842016-01-25T15:02:00.002+01:002016-01-25T15:03:03.681+01:00iTunes Genius<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DYA5O7kqjCk/VqYkjh0rTwI/AAAAAAAAGrU/pFctfLmdrxw/s1600/geniusatom.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DYA5O7kqjCk/VqYkjh0rTwI/AAAAAAAAGrU/pFctfLmdrxw/s200/geniusatom.png" width="174" /></a>Well, there’s a strange thing.<br />
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I use iTunes to store and organise my eclectic music collection. I thought I had everything nicely set up, with all the album art showing, and songs that did not belong to an album stored together in their own appropriate collection.<br />
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Then I thought I’d give iTunes Genius a try.<br />
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According to Apple’s own <a href="https://support.apple.com/kb/PH19454?locale=en_GB" target="_blank">iTunes 12 for Mac Glossary</a>, Genius offers the following features:<br />
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<b>Genius</b>: A feature that enables you to find new music—in your library and in the iTunes Store—related to music already in your library.<br />
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<b>Genius Mix</b>: An ongoing playlist in a particular genre—like a commercial-free radio station playing your favorite [SIC] songs—that iTunes creates from music in your library. iTunes can create up to 12 Genius Mixes.<br />
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<b>Genius playlist</b>: A playlist iTunes creates of songs that go great with a song you specify.<br />
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So I turned on Genius (iTunes menu item Store>Turn On Genius) and, after having confirmed my desire to turn it on, Genius started analysing my music library of some 7,000 tracks. This took several minutes, but then I was able to, for example, select a track and create a Genius playlist, or simply select one of the several Genius mixes that had been automagically created and were now available through the Genius Mixes item in the Library section of the Playlists column.<br />
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To be honest, the few playlists I looked at by simply selecting a single track didn’t look much to write home about, so instead I clicked on the Genius Mixes item and was presented with an impressive-looking screen of 12 large icons, each made up of four pieces of cover art. And each icon represented a collection of tracks that purported to belong to a similar theme, as defined by Genius:<br />
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Now I have no idea how Genius figures out what goes where, but if you look carefully at that partial screen shot, it’s clear that something’s wrong somewhere!<br />
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The <b><i>Country Mix</i></b> and <b><i>Classical Mix</i></b> playlists (for that is what they are) look fine, but already with the <b><i>'50s Oldies Mix</i></b> there’s a problem, for the Elvis album shown there contains songs, not from the 50s, but from the 60s. A minor problem, you might think, So why then are there <i>three</i> <b><i>Americana Mix</i></b> playlists? And why do the second and third of these playlists include artists who don’t belong under the nomer “Americana,” namely The Who, Status Quo, Dire Straits, and The Shadows?<br />
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The ‘60s Mix is fine (it shows just a single piece of cover art in the screen shot because I was actually plying that playlist when I took the screenshot), but Aretha Franklin surely belongs more properly in the Classic R&B Mix than in the Pop Mix.<br />
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To be honest, I suspect that the problem has to do with the sort of meta information that I have provided for the individual tracks. I ripped almost everything from my own collection of CDs and, although I was always careful to get artist names, track names and album names correct, I did not always fill in fields such as Date or Genre. Presumably, Genius uses this information at least to partly satisfy its classifying algorithm; I expect, too, it accesses information from the iTunes store, based on album name and artist name and that if an exact match is not found, problems can arise.<br />
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Genius seems to have plenty of potential, but like everything else that tries to automate, the old adage of GIGO rules the roost: Garbage In, Garbage Out. I don’t provide accurate source information, so the result is not entirely satisfactory.<br />
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(Incidentally, the <b><i>'60s Mix</i></b> is very good!)Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-61236504840290667182016-01-05T14:19:00.001+01:002016-01-05T14:19:25.507+01:00Roscón de Reyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIjCnZzUJkU/VovAWpcioUI/AAAAAAAAGrA/XzHmA1xQwmo/s1600/Rosconslice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIjCnZzUJkU/VovAWpcioUI/AAAAAAAAGrA/XzHmA1xQwmo/s320/Rosconslice.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In Belgium and the Netherlands we have Speculaaskoek, in the UK there’s Christmas cake (or, even worse, Christmas pudding), Germans like stollen for some inexplicable reason, and the Italians prefer panettone. Here in Spain, however, the preferred festive pastry is Roscón de Reyes, or Three Kings Cake.<br />
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As with many symbols of this period of the year, the Roscón de Reyes probably dates back to the good old days of paganism, before the Christians came along and changed everything to suit their own ideas. A couple of centuries BC already, the feast of Saturnalia was celebrated with candles, gift-giving, the welcoming of the birth of new light after the dark of winter (sound familiar…?) and all sorts of other festive indulgences. Part of these indulgences was a tart, prepared with dried fruits, in which was hidden a bean as the symbol of prosperity.<br />
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The idea of the tart survived through the centuries in various parts of the Roman Empire, During the reign of French king Louis XV, a baker decided to hide not just a bean in the tart, but also a golden coin. Since that time, the significance of the bean dwindled, but whoever discovered the coin (later substituted by a small figure) was crowned King of the Feast.<br />
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Nowadays, the person who finds the figure is still crowned King of the Feast, but the one who finds the bean must pay for the Roscón!<br />
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Roscóns can be bought in all bakers and supermarkets in Spain in the period leading up to and including Christmas (and Christmas here stretches to Epiphany). They come in all sorts of sizes, some cut in half like a sandwich and filled with cream, or some other sweet substance. But that’s the easy way. I thought it would be nice to make my own roscón…<br />
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There are many recipes for Roscón available on the Web, but here’s one I found in the book, <i>Pan Casero</i> by Ibán Yarza (a wonderful book, full of very good information as well as excellent step-by-step illustrated recipes for more than 30 sorts of bread). It is quite laborious, but the result is worth it.<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
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<i> Starter dough</i><br />
Flour 90g<br /> Milk 50g<br /> Fresh yeast 2g (or 0.7g of dried yeast)<br />
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<i> Dough</i><br />
Starter dough 142g (as above)<br />
Strong flour 340g<br />
Milk 120g<br />
Eggs 2 large<br />
Sugar 80g<br />
Yeast 15g (or 5g dried yeast)<br />
Salt 5g (I didn’t use any)<br />
Butter 60g<br />
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<i> Flavourings</i><br />
Rum 20g<br />
Orange blossom water 14g<br />
Skin of half an orange and half a lemon (not the white part, as this becomes bitter)<br />
Half a cinnamon stick<br />
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<i> Decoration</i><br />
Crystallised fruits, almonds, sugar, etc.<br />
Beaten egg<br />
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The day before you wish to make the roscón, the starter dough and the milk infusion must be prepared. Dissolve 2g of fresh yeast (or .7g of dried yeast) in 50g of warm (not hot!), mix in 90g of flour and knead for a few minutes to achieve a nice even dough. Make a ball of this dough and place it in a covered container (sufficiently large to allow for expansion). Place this container in the fridge and leave it there for some 24 hours. As for the milk infusion, allow the orange and lemon peel and cinnamon stick to boil with the milk together for five minutes; remove from the heat and allow to stand for several hours (or the whole night through). During this process, some of the milk will evaporate. Just before you start kneading the dough (next paragraph) remove the cinnamon and the peels and top up the milk with the rum and the orange blossom water to reach about 120g (add a little more milk, if necessary).<br />
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On the second day, remove the starter dough from the fridge: it should be well risen and spongy (when I tried this with dried yeast, the effect was amazing: spongy and beautiful. With fresh yeast, however, the effect was less spectacular, so I allowed the mixture to stand in its container next to a radiator for several more hours and that did the trick). Mix together all of the ingredients for the dough, apart from the butter. It is best not to add all of the milk infusion at one time, otherwise the dough might become too wet. In fact, the dough should stick a little to the surface and to your hands. Allow the mixture to rest for some 10 minutes before kneading and notice how it then sticks less. Knead for 5 minutes, then add the butter, small pieces at a time (the butter should be soft, but not melting). Ensure that the butter is fully incorporated into the dough by squeezing the dough with the butter through your fingers: the idea is not to melt the butter, but to incorporate it through friction.<br />
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Allow the mixture to rest for a few minutes and then knead it for a further 8 to 10 minutes, until it becomes shiny and smooth (the sponginess of the dough will depend largely on how well this kneading is carried out). Allow the dough to rest in a large bowl until it doubles in volume (up to several hours, depending on the ambient conditions).<br />
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When the dough has risen sufficiently, empty it out onto the work surface and knock it back, using both hands to remove all of the gas. Make a ball of the dough, cover it and allow to rest for 15 minutes before shaping it. Trying to shape it without allowing it to relax will cause it to fall apart.<br />
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Rub a small amount of flour into your hands in order to shape the dough. Use one or two fingers to poke a hole into the centre of the ball of dough and through it, all the way to the work surface. Widen this hole progressively, until both hands can be used. Then start stretching the dough gently and equally; you can even lift it up, allowing gravity to stretch it further. Finally, place the roscón on a sheet of baking paper and form it into a circle. If the dough seems tense, allow it to rest for some 5 minutes, after which you can carry out any adjustments or corrections you might find necessary. Now is also the time to hide the bean and the figurine in the roscón: do so by pushing them here and there into the base, squeezing the holes tightly to make sure they are sealed (wrap the items in aluminium foil). Brush the surface of the roscón with a beaten egg and then allow to rise for an hour-and-a-half (90 minutes), during which time it should just about double in volume.<br />
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Now brush the roscón again with the beaten egg and decorate it with crystallised fruits, sugar, almonds, or whatever else takes your fancy (hint: if you can’t find very coarse sugar, add a teaspoon of water to two table-spoons of sugar, and stir well to obtain a good alternative). Bake in the middle of the oven at 19°C for about 25 minutes, keeping an eye on it that it does not become too brown.<br />
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I made my first roscón as a test a few weeks ago and it turned out quite well. I then used dried yeast.<br />
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Yesterday I made a second roscón, this time with fresh yeast.<br />
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If I can do it, so can you.</div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7569982515458064836.post-31983714484629445572015-12-20T12:07:00.003+01:002015-12-20T12:07:28.913+01:00Snow in Guardamar!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fIIX8K9Kkf0/VnaJQooog8I/AAAAAAAAGp8/YZY25Pz0Hfg/s1600/Christmas%2BGuardamar%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fIIX8K9Kkf0/VnaJQooog8I/AAAAAAAAGp8/YZY25Pz0Hfg/s320/Christmas%2BGuardamar%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa greets; spot the snow falling!</td></tr>
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As far as I know, the last time it snowed in Guardamar was in 1957. A friend, Joaquín, tells me that he was just a young boy at the time. He was playing in the street when white flakes started falling from the sky. He was so frightened by this unknown phenomenon that he ran home.<br />
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Well, now there is snow again in Guardamar!<br />
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In addition to the usual street decorations, the Christmas tree and the <i>Belén</i> (which this year has moved from within the town hall to the main square), Guardamar has erected a small but rather fine Christmas village in the Avenida de las Pinos, at the entrance to the Reina Sofía park, which can be found in that street.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-REW2HgkNi2s/VnaJRcLacTI/AAAAAAAAGqE/mAiL25PkK_k/s1600/Christmas%2BGuardamar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-REW2HgkNi2s/VnaJRcLacTI/AAAAAAAAGqE/mAiL25PkK_k/s320/Christmas%2BGuardamar.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amazing flying sleigh and Santa's house</td></tr>
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The little village includes play areas for children, a number of elf-sized buildings, pointy-eared elves, Father Christmas’s own house, and an elevated area, where Father Christmas meets and greets more or less scared children (who, after having spoken to the Man in Red, can then leave by going down a slide!). Here, too, the children get to see and feel snow, for behind the Santa area is a snow-making machine that produces a fine fall of snow. Given the temperature here, the snow has no chance of settling, of course, but the effect is excellent and there is plenty of white foam around to at least provide the illusion of snow.<br />
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In addition to the little Christmas village, a few stalls close by provide the germination of a Christmas market. Perhaps this will grow into something more substantial in coming years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTYrnbxLbOA/VnaL0hfUXgI/AAAAAAAAGqc/EMlUEouRYvk/s1600/IMG_2161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTYrnbxLbOA/VnaL0hfUXgI/AAAAAAAAGqc/EMlUEouRYvk/s320/IMG_2161.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of elves</td></tr>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13164987523444932482noreply@blogger.com0