Remembering Colonel Slade... A poem for National Poetry Day

Today is National Poetry Day!

To celebrate it... I thought I would have a go at writing a poem... something I've strangely never tried before... but here goes.

I dedicate my poem to Colonel Slade. If you have ever seen the film Scent of a Woman... you'll know who that is. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it... it's a wonderful film, a study of a blind man who's impossible to get along with... but nevertheless a man who is a great human being... and lover of women. A man I can strongly relate to for... oh so many reasons. A man whose morals, values and strength of character one could only wish to live up to! :)

Remembering Colonel Slade

She was pottering around the kitchen,
as the late evening sun streamed in.
I watched her closely over my glasses,
assimilating unconcern.
my failing sight caught glances
a smile exchanged now and then.

Looking back... I remember Colonel Slade
Looking back... I too still smell her
still sense the texture of her hair
still sense the softness of her lips
the warmth of her breath as it wafted across mine.

Looking back is an illusion,
when sight has gone,
but the senses still retain,
the scent of a woman,
the essence of her.

"Are you listenin' to me, son?
I'm givin' ya pearls!"
Yes... I remember you Colonel Slade
She gave me pearls too
and hers will never fade!

I hope you liked it! As always... I welcome any comments... but please remember one thing... the first rule of poetry is... there ain't NO rules!! That's my disclaimer anyway!! lol ^_^

Juan Luis Guerra and memories of great coffee and friends

Many years ago I was introduced to the wonderful music of Juan Luis Guerra by a dear friend from the Dominican Republic, who I had the good fortune to meet and work with at Victor Chandler International, a firm of offshore bookies (or sportsbook to our American cousins) in Gibraltar during my time there in the late 90's.

Juan Luis Guerra-Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican singer, songwriter and self-producer who has sold over 20 million records worldwide and has won numerous awards, including eleven Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards. He won 5 Latin Grammy awards in 2007 in the same night which ties him with Juanes to hold the record for most Latin Grammys won in one night. He was born in Santo Domingo and is the son of Olga Seijas and Gilberto Guerra, a basketball player.

He is one of the most internationally recognized Dominican artists in decades. His pop style of merengue and bolero and Afro-pop/Latin fusion have garnered him considerable success outside the Dominican Republic.

Juan Luis Guerra is sometimes associated with the popular Dominican music called bachata and while this association is partially true, he actually uses the basics of Bachata rhythm with a more bolero feel to the melodies in some of his songs.

He does not limit himself to one style of music, instead, he incorporates diverse rhythms like merengue, bolero-bachata, balada, salsa, rock and roll and gospel.

'Ojalá Que Llueva Café' ('If only it would rain coffee') is one of his most critically acclaimed self-written and composed pieces and one of my all time favourites... and I don't mean just from Juan Luis... I mean... of all the music I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy!

A remix of 'La llave de mi corazón' ('The key of my heart') with Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas is also an example of his fusing of different genres.

Here's a great YouTube video of my 'all time' favourite song, 'Ojalá Que Llueva Café'. Watch out for the kids chorus near the end... it always near brings a tear to my eye!



The song brings back many great memories of my friendship with Pedro (on the right in the pic - me on left) and his lovely wife Milady (pronounced Mi-lad-i) when they used to take pity on me and feed me loads of great food, fantastic Dominican Rep coffee (El Presidente) and wines, beers and Ron Barcelo, a rum from the Dominican Republic... not necessarily in that order, while we listened and danced (not with Pedro but not something unknown! ) to Juan Luis and lots of other music from their part of the world. Halcyon days!

Juan Luis Guerra @ Amazon

His latest album:



If you liked that... and want some more, here's a great playlist for Juan Luis Guerra @ YouTube

Search for more music from Juan Luis Guerra @ Amazon.co.uk

Onwards and upwards....moving on from MPs and constitutional crisis

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been rather focused on the issues surrounding the MPs abuse of privileges in the House of Commons and the conduct of Speaker Martin.

I suspect I bored many of my regular readers a little bit (possibly a lot), by banging on about Speaker Martin (a very important issue for me)... for which I apologise... but I'm afraid the whole issue, not least MPs expenses abuses, has quite incensed me.

With the resignation of the Speaker yesterday and the reforms that have been announced, I'm glad to say I am feeling a little calmer today... but I can't promise I will not return to these issues as there is still much to do and to be said in this regard, particularly on my strong belief that the electorate must be given the opportunity to have our say on these issues.

On these, not least is the opportunity we have with the forthcoming European Elections, where I hope you will be supporting the Liberal Democrats lists in your constituencies... especially those of you in Gibraltar (and the South West Region of the UK of course) who I hope will join me in support of our very own Gibraltarian candidate, Jonathan Stagnetto.

Other News to Focus On

Whilst all this has been going on, a number of other news has caught my attention and normally, I would have commented on with a blog post... but I haven't, because my energies and my eyesight, which sadly seems to have taken a turn for the worst recently (could be due to the rise in blood pressure... just kidding), has only allowed me to concentrate on the most important issue... and that was the brink of a possible constitutional crisis that the issue of MPs expenses brought us to, in the House of Commons. Thankfully... I think we have seen the worse on this, at least for now.

Amongst the other items of news that have caught my eye, which have concerned me (by no means the only ones) are these:

Gibraltar's Sovereign Territorial Waters

Firstly, the apparent escalation of incidents concerning Gibraltar's sovereign territorial waters where one more incident was reported this week.

This is worrying and I very much hope Spain can be 'encouraged' by the UK's Foreign Office and of course the Gibraltar authorities, to reign in whatever agenda they are now manipulating, before these incidents become more serious and someone is hurt through some 'trigger-happy' blunder. So far, all concerned have been able to show restraint... but I can see how these could easily go awry. Let's hope this can be resolved soon... before someone is hurt and we are having to deal with a much more serious 'international incident'!

Action Require on Child Porn Laws in Gibraltar

This issue touches on issues which I have been concerned about for a very long time... and not just in the context of Gibraltar.

But in the context of Gibraltar, the remarkably anachronistic legislation that exists in Gibraltar, as my colleague Brian Reyes writes about in his blog, Action on child porn laws…finally « Letters From Gibraltar is long overdue for reform, as he rightly points out.

"A few days ago I wrote about a glaring gap in Gibraltar’s legislation. Possession of child pornography, it appeared, was not a crime on the Rock. It wasn’t me who said this, but the judge."

In this, I also very much agree with John Baw, a fellow Gibraltar blogger, who said the resulting sentence in this case, was "Nothing short of outrageous" (WildOx Blog!

Age of Consent Bill in Gibraltar

Not before time, a Bill to equalise the age of consent for homosexuals and heterosexuals, by setting this at 16, the age that already applies for heterosexuals and lesbians, was heard in the Gibraltar Parliament.

Daniel Feetham, the Minister for Justice, took the unusual step of bringing a motion asking for leave to introduce a Private Members’ Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Offences Act.

There is overwhelming international legal and local constitutional pressure to implement equalisation although the issue is untested in the local courts.

The Equality Rights Group GGR welcomed the Bill:

"After nine years of GGR raising the public debate on sexual minorities in Gibraltar, we are pleased to see that Parliament has finally considered the question of age of consent inequality currently in force."

I was pleased to see the Bill has been passed to proceed to a formal reading of a Bill in Parliament.

As GGR Chairman Felix Alvarez said:

"Whilst Government has failed to introduce the debate as a public Bill on what, after all, is a public issue and instead, preferred to rely on one of its own members in a purely private capacity, it has, nonetheless passed the motion to proceed on the formal reading of a Bill to equalise the legislation. This, in effect, falls short of Government’s legal requirement to comply with what is unarguably an international law obligation and not, as they have argued, a mere question of ‘conscience'."

As Brian Reyes concluded when referring to the 'Child Porn' case, "Time for the legislators to get moving on this…swiftly, methinks", there's much to be done to bring legislation in these and other matters concerning human rights and anti-discrimination in Gibraltar, to international and European law standards!

On a Lighter Note...

I was very interested to see this article, in the Telegraph, about the fact that Bright women are brilliant in bed.

This is something that perhaps many men take a little while in finding out for themselves. Personally, I found this out quite early in life and as a consequence, feel very blessed in how my early realisation of this simple and logical fact has much enhanced my... errr lifetime.

On a similar note... speaking of 'bright women' and how attractive that may be... any investor out there looking for some good ideas, might well do a lot worse than to listen to Peter Daily's report on the BBC World Service - Business - Does the crisis need a feminine touch? The ideas and investment opportunity offered by this investment company run by a couple of Icelandic ladies... who offer the slightly extreme proposition that men got us into this current economic mess, maybe women can get us out of it... sounds very interesting to me!

I hope to focus more on all these and no doubt, other issues that will arise, in the foreseeable future.... energy and eyes notwithstanding.

Poet Laureates kindred spirits and personal ads

A thought provoking post today by 'Clouds moving in' about Poet Laureate and Kindred Spirits, congratulating the appointment of the new poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy... a sentiment which I would like to share.

In her research for her post on the new 'Laureate' however, 'Clouds moving in's thoughts were strangely diverted and turned to the Daily Telegraph, that bastion of 'middle england' (perhaps a little more highbrow than the Daily Mail) and its 'Personal Ads'.

What she saw there has rather affronted 'Clouds moving in' and urged her to comment:

"Oh, and all the men seemed to have conservative/right wing politics. Hardly unexpected I suppose. Oddly, very few of them claimed to smoke.

Regardless of the political socio-economic issues, what really got up my nose was the idea that fat middle-aged men with a bit of money seemed to consider it their right to advertise for a younger, slimmer, slightly shorter, intelligent woman to do exactly what they were told. Oh, and attractive or very attractive of course - because women are only worth judging on their looks, aren't they?"

No... not at all! We also judge them on their ability to cook, sew, dust, hoover (when I'm at the pub or not watching the match), provide intelligent conversation ("would you like another beer dear" works for me). We also judge them on how much of a complete tart they can be in the bedroom! I could go on.

Anyhow, as you can imagine... I couldn't resist a reply... with my own 'personal ad':

Short stumpy balding toothless grumpy breast fed leftie commie smoking liberal (56) with very little money looking to share life and love with rich glamorous tall curvy sexy ladies (25 to 35). Must love football and beer. All replies will be answered! :)

Can't wait to review all the replies!!

Maybe you too would like to take up the opportunity offered here. It's bound to attract the interest from many likely ladies searching for suitable partners across the net. Don't miss your chance to find your preferred partner in life and love!

To post your 'personal ad' click here!

I do hope 'Clouds moving in' sees through my tonguey cheekiness!

'Auntie Beeb' has lost all sense of decorum!

Sheeesh! Is nothing sacred anymore?

On BBC1 just now... in between the ending of Traffic Cops and the 10 o'clock news, the duty presenter said:

"Now... on BBC2... a couple of reasons to join Graham Norton... Katie Price!"

Funny maybe... I do have a sense of humour... and I don't mind a bit of... well ok, maybe even a lot of political incorrectness... I do enough of it myself... but.... come on... do we want it from presenters on the BBC? Where's all the decorum gone at 'Auntie Beeb'? Oh... which reminds me... wasn't it the BBC who censored Carol Thatcher for remarking about 'golliwogs'!!

In any case... I'm afraid... Jordan just doesn't do it for me. I like my 'couple of things' to come with another thing... a brain up top! Oh... and as I understand it... they're false anyway aren't they? What do I know about such things!


Read more about Jordan (Katie Price) @ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why don't Gibraltarians want to be Spanish?

Why don't Gibraltarians want to be Spanish? Now... there's a question!

This question was just asked by a Google user, who arrived on my blog after putting that question in as his/her search term on Google. The Google user was directed to a post I made a little while back asking "Can Gibraltarians ever envisage a Spanish Gibraltar?".

I'm afraid I don't think the google user will have been able to find the answer to his/her question on that post... which is a shame... as it is a good question.

That blog post largely deals with an interview given by Peter Montegriffo, in which he talked about aspects of Gibraltar's sovereignty, saying the time was "not right for us to address the sovereignty issue". I then raised the question on whether Gibraltarians could ever "envisage a Spanish Gibraltar" and went on to explore the future and the possibility of "a Gibraltarian Gibraltar"... possibly in the form of a micro-State within the European Union.

So, whilst an interesting subject for further exploration, I doubt whether this google user today, found an answer to his question on "why don't Gibraltarians want to be Spanish?".

Actually... as a quick aside... I am often much amused by the queries people use, on Google and other search engines... and how they arrive on my blog! One user recently, was directed to one of my monthly blog archive pages, (where posts from the whole month are listed) following a google query for "pollution in my twat"!!! This one really made me roll around laughing! Clever google... saw that I had a couple of blog posts on that archive page... one a rant about pollution in the Bay of Gibraltar... and another post ranting on about my "Twat of the Week" (who happened to be the infamous twat and wanker banker Fred Goodwin that week)... so google thought it appropriate to direct this unfortunate user to my page!! ha ha I'm pretty sure this user did not find an answer to what sounds to me a rather strange and worrying condition... and I do hope she (I can only assume that was a female user) has now found suitable and appropriate medical advice!

Another Google search just this morning... this time from Saudi Arabia arrived on a post on 'Nuclear submarine collision in Gibraltar... what if?' by searching for "gibraltar nuclear weapons store"!! Now that's a bit worrying!

I could go on... but anyhow... apologies for my digressing... I shall get back to trying to answer this question today!

So... why don't Gibraltarians want to be Spanish? Well, the answer, as an uninformed reader might imagine... is... for many reasons... and I'm not sure where to start??

The first thing that comes to my head is to ask... well, why should a Gibraltarian want to be Spanish?

In the same way... why would a Frenchman not want to be English? After all... these two countries are geographically next to each other and have shared many parallels through history. Or... why would a Scotsman not want to be English... they've been neighbours and have shared a nationality (British... through the Act of Union) for hundreds of years haven't they? Why might an Australian not want to be a Kiwi New Zealander? Again... they're just across the pacific from each other. The obvious answer to all these questions is... because they ARE French... or because he IS a Scot.... or an Aussie! Quite simple really!

A Gibraltarian would not want to be Spanish... because he IS a British Gibraltarian... and because that is what we have been for even longer than the USA has existed... Gibraltar has been British for over 300 years.... since 1704... so the real question should be... why should a Gibraltarin want to be Spanish? The question should just not arise. Quite simply, the answer being why should he?

I cannot answer for each and every Gibraltarians naturally... and this is just my humble view... but I have a feeling I am in a very large majority... and the vast majority of Gibraltarians would agree with me.

But... let's explore what to my mind is more to the point... why do Gibraltarians choose to remain British? You see, unlike most other British people around the world and through history, most have never been given the choice... but Gibraltarians have... two times in fact... since 1967, Gibraltarians have had the option put to us... to democractially choose whether we wish to remain under British sovereignty... or come under Spanish sovereignty! We are getting a bit fed up with having to answer the question actually!

Historic Referenda

In successive Referenda (Referendums if you like) on the sovereignty of Gibraltar, Gibraltarians have voted democraticlly and emphatically to remain British:

• 1967 - Gibraltar's first sovereignty referendum was held on 10 September 1967, in which Gibraltarian voters were asked whether they wished to either pass under Spanish sovereignty, or remain under British sovereignty, with institutions of self-government. Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly by 12,138 (99.19% of the electorate) to 44 to remain under British sovereignty.

• 2002 - The Government of Gibraltar called a referendum on 7 November 2002 to establish the popular support for a proposal to share sovereignty of the territory with Spain. The result was a massive rejection of the concept. The actual voting was as follows: 18176 voted representing 87.9% of the electorate. There were 89 papers spoilt of which 72 were blank. Of the 18,087 valid ballots 187 voted YES, and 17,900 voted NO.
• 2006 - Futhermore, a referendum on the proposed new constitution of Gibraltar was held on 30 November 2006. After being accepted by 60.24% of voters, the new constitution came into effect on the 2nd of January 2007. Turnout was low at 60.4%. It has been speculated that the relatively low margin with which the constitution passed was a response to the unpopularity of the Cordoba Accords (a tripartite agreement on co-operation between the Governments of the UK, Spain and Gibraltar) among some segments of the electorate (who were unhappy about any agreement with Spain), and a confusion between these two issues .

So, as you can see... it's pretty emphatic. Gibraltarians do NOT want to come under Spanish sovereignty.

As to more specific reasons why... well, these are quite complex. Other than what I have already explained and I suppose each Gibraltarian has his or her own view and very passionate ones they are too... for myself, it's about values!

I strongly value the long established British values of freedom, democracy, justice, freedom of speech, human rights and the embracing of mixed cultures, creeds and religions within our society.

Spain... has a long way to go on all those values... before one could even begin to compare the two cultures and traditions. Granted, Spain has come a long way since Franco's day... and especially since its integration with the European Union... but their democracy is still in its infancy... and they still have a long way to go... before they fully catch up!

Having said that, I have no problem with Spain and the Spanish people... though I do resent the constant bullying by Spanish politicians and Spain's belligerent politics, at times, towards Gibraltar.

But... as far as Spain and its people are concerned... I have always been a lover of it's wealth of culture, gastronomy, the way of and quality of life and the warmth of the people. Throughout my life, I have loved all these aspects of Spain and what it can provide and I am very well aware of these hugely positive things about Spain... NONE of which make me want to BE Spanish! I am very happy and content being what I am... a very proud Briish Gibraltarian!

If you are interested in exploring these further, the best thing I would suggest you do is to have a look at this Gibraltar Documentary Film. This film was a project produced by Garrett Wesley Gibbons, an American student at Brigham Young University. It is a very good documentary, primarily describing what a Gibraltarin (also known as a 'Llanito') is all about... and why we value our Britishness.

I hope this blog post has gone some way towards answering the question of why Gibraltarians don't want to be Spanish. I suspect there are many questions unanswered though... and if you have any... by all means ask away using the 'Comments' system below.

If you are Gibraltarian... and want to say why YOU don't want to be Spanish... then please feel free to comment below.

All comments, as always, will be very welcome. (Please note... abusive or racist anti-Gibraltarian nonsense will be deleted!)

Saludos!

A is for Allah... said the good Catholic

Today is Good Friday... and on Good Friday Catholics and Christians across the world commemorate and remember the day that Jesus was killed on the cross... an event that is central to Christian theology.

He was nailed to a wooden cross by Roman soldiers. This is the reason why the cross is an important sign for Christians today. There are crosses in churches and many Christians wear a cross on a chain. At Easter people eat 'hot cross' buns which have a cross shape on the top... and are delicious (I love them toasted with a little butter and jam).

Christ's Crucifixion is remembered across the world today. In Jerusalem large crowds of Christians take the same path as Jesus along the Via Dolorosa. This is replicated in many other countries, where people act out the story of Jesus' last day while others march in processions or watch and think about the events which happened long ago.

Good Friday, for Christians, is traditionally supposed to be a sad day and churches never have flowers or decorations on this day. However, with society moving into more secular times these days, many do not celebrate, remember or even know what Good Friday is about. If you want to know or need to refresh your memory, you can find out more about Good Friday here.

Now to get to my point... and I know you may have been a little surprised by my blog post's subject heading... having said a little bit about what this day is about... what I want to especially do today, as my contribution to Good Friday is... to remind you about the universal Christian belief that Jesus gave up his life for the good of everyone.

To do this, I am sharing with you today, a lovely song from an old favourite of mine... Yusuf Islam... who used to be known by his stage name of Cat Stevens:



A is for Allah is the title song of a double album created for Muslim children by Yusuf Islam, (formerly known as Cat Stevens), released in July 2000 and was posted on YouTube... in support of peace across the world!

This song was written in 1980 upon the birth of his first child, a daughter named Hasanah. Because she was the first of five living children to come, Yusuf Islam's concerns about how she was to learn the Arabic language, to read and understand the Qu'ran, while living in Western society struck home. He himself was raised in London, the same city where they still lived, and had kept a home there throughout his life. Islam was a recent convert to Islam himself, and was just realizing the great task laid before him, and many other Muslim families in securing an Islamic education as well as schooling that could be considered the very best he could give his children.

Thus, Yusuf Islam as a Muslim musician, used the song as a vehicle to teach children about the 28-letter Arabic alphabet, creating a very lovely song and video in the process... and giving us a little bit of an antidote against all the 'bad press' that we are bombarded with these days... about Islam and Muslims.

Today, on this Good Friday... I am using it to remind us that, as the song says, there is only one God... who died for all of us on the Cross at Golgotha.

Have a Good Friday all... and a Happy Easter!

Read more about Good Friday and Easter @ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Yusuf's Latest Hit Album

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) is an incredible songwriter. We know this because he's released a heap of inimitable songs through the years, beginning with his classic album, Tea for the Tillerman, to which, no doubt, his latest effort, An Other Cup, refers. 'Tea' was a refreshing blend of folk and contemporary pop music, infused with the inspirations of nature and peace, two things still vital in his latest album, An Other Cup.

Search for more music from Yusuf Islam or Cat Stevens @ Amazon.com

Les Barker's Guide Cats for the Blind

Some of you may know I have a slightly serious problem with my eyesight. I have a severe bout of glaucoma, which I am told will make me blind within my lifetime. A prospect that, whilst there are probably worse things, one nevertheless has to come to terms with... and prepare for.

So, I was doing a little bit of research and came across Guide Cats for the Blind. This was originally a poem written by a fella called Les Barker.

If you haven't come across Les before you can probably be forgiven as he seems to have kept a relatively low profile. I only recently discovered him myself... and I can tell you, he's a bit of a gem... a bit from the old school as it were... very funny and well worth listening to if you have a good sense of humour and enjoy hearing words put together well, as I do!

Here's an excerpt from one of Les' live performances of Guide Cats for the Blind, set to some amusing pics... of Maine Coon kittens:



Les Barker (born 30 January 1947) is an English poet. He is most well known for his comedic poetry and parodies of popular songs, however he has also produced some very serious thought-provoking written work.

The poem Guide Cats for the Blind led Les in an an unexpected direction. The poem was heard by Clive Lever, a keyboard player and comedy songwriter from Maidstone, who also happens to be involved with an organisation called the The British Computer Association of the Blind. The association runs a program called 'EyeT4all' which aims to make computers accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Clive got in touch with Les, who agreed to the poem being used as the title track of a double fund raising CD. Les also agreed to the recording of a series of albums, in which his poems and songs would be recorded by artists from the folk world but also by well known celebrities from the entertainment and theatrical world. Presenters from all five BBC Radio stations featured on the albums and so far between £40,000 and £50,000 has been raised for the British Computer Association of the Blind's 'EyeT4all'.

So far three 'Guide Cats' albums have been produced, 'Guide Cats for the Blind', 'Missing Persians File' and 'Top Cat, White Tie and Tails'. A fourth album 'Catnav' is being prepared at the moment.

The CDs contain performances of Les's poems by members of the folk world like June Tabor, Martin Carthy, Steve Tilston, Mike Harding and Tom Paxton but also well known figures like Jimmy Young, Nicholas Parsons, Terry Wogan, Nicky Campbell, Robert Lindsay, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs.

Les' involvement with the British Computer Association of the Blind has been a new development for him and it has brought Les's work to a wider audience outside the folk club and festival circuit which has taken him very much to their hearts over the years.

Originally from Manchester he trained in accountancy before his talent for the written word was discovered. At first he toured around folk music venues as a solo performer then later with the Mrs Ackroyd Band (named after his pet mongrel dog Mrs Ackroyd).

Les is not a singer and the Mrs Ackroyd Band, with classically trained vocalists Hilary Spencer and Alison Younger and keyboard player Chris Harvey, have enabled Les' parodies to be performed live to enthusiastic response.

As well as touring Britain he has also performed in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada.

Les Barker recently had a heart problem which involved undergoing surgery, and he has had to disband The Mrs Ackroyd Band for the forseeable future but he has started solo gigging again and is happily well on the way to full recovery.

There is a growing campaign, by his folk fanbase, to get him chosen as the Poet Laureate for 2009. Even if this is not successful, it may bring his work to the attention of a wider public.... and I thought I would give this a helping hand tonight!

You can read more about Les Barker @ Wikipedia.

Wanna buy me a beer?

In my 'Contact Me' box and Contact Me page, where I offer you the opportunity to send me a message, I also say you can send me the usual death threats but that I prefer if you sent money!

Well, of course, I hope you realise this is said somewhat 'tongue in cheek!

However, if in the unlikely event that you do want to send me money... maybe you've particularly enjoyed one of my 'tales' or you appreciated a point of view I have expressed... you might want to buy me a beer?

Believe it or not, another reader, clearly deluded... (maybe he had too many beers... ), has suggested this! Well, now you can buy me a beer if the urge takes you!

I've added this donation box on the bottom right side bar, that allows you to send a little donation, effortlessly and securely... via Paypal... all you have to do is click on the 'Donate' button below... and Paypal will walk you through the easy 'donate' process!

So... cheers me dears... mine's a pint of Adams best bitter! Thanks very much in advance!

Postcards from the World... my new blog

Just for a bit of fun... I have created a new blog today... Postcards from the World!

The idea of this site is for people like you to send me a souvenir tourist postcard from your part of the world. I would like you and people like you, to help me build an interesting collection of souvenir postcards from all across the globe!

If you wish to participate, all you need to do is to obtain a suitable souvenir tourist postcard of your town, city or country or any place you are visiting or have visited... just scan it into .jpeg format and send it to me... and I shall publish it in its own page in Postcards from the World.

If you would like to include a brief description of yourself and your town, that's fine. In fact, that would be very welcome and will add further interest to your postcard and the page I publish it on... don't you think? But please... I would like to ask people to be brief (unlike me)!

As and when I can, I shall also include a link (and brief description) to a page on Wikipedia for your location. For instance, in my case it would be for Gibraltar where I am originally from.

So... if you would like to participate and help me build a nice collection of souvenir tourist postcards from around the world, visit Postcards from the World now and just follow the simple instructions there.

I do hope you can help me build an interesting collection of souvenir postcards from all across the globe... so please do paricipate and send me your souvenir tourist postcard!

I look forward to receiving many great postcards from all across our wonderful world!

Thank in advance! :)

The Pogues' 'Irish Rover' and memories of Murphy's Bar Gibraltar

I was trawling around YouTube this afternoon looking up some stuff when I came across this fantastic video of The Pogues and 'The Irish Rover'!

This song was a massive hit for The Pogues in 1987 when they recorded it with The Dubliners and used to be played regularly at Murphy's Bar in Gibraltar.

Apart from the fact this is a brilliant Irish song, it's a great example of The Pogues wonderful mix of traditional Irish music, punk rock and jazz.

For me, the song also has a very nostalgic resonance as it brings back some great memories of many a crazy night (and of many dear friends) at Murphy's Bar (and the Aragon Bar earlier) during my time in Gibraltar around the late 90's and early 2000's. Here's a pic (left) of Jean and Grace (two of the 'Murphy Sisters') behind the bar at Murphy's.

Anyhow... here's The Pogues and The Dubliners, giving it some wellie! I hope you enjoy the song... it may strike a chord with you too:

Lyrics

Here's this version's lyrics:

On the Fourth of July, 1806
We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the Grand City Hall in New York
'Twas a wonderful craft
She was rigged fore and aft
And oh, how the wild wind drove her
She stood several blasts
She had twenty seven masts
And they called her The Irish Rover

We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of stone
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides
We had four million barrels of bones
We had five million hogs
And six million dogs
Seven million barrels of porter
We had eight million bails of old nanny-goats' tails
In the hold of the Irish Rover

There was awl Mickey Coote
Who played hard on his flute
When the ladies lined up for a set
He was tootin' with skill
For each sparkling quadrille
Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet
With his smart witty talk
He was cock of the walk
And he rolled the dames under and over
They all knew at a glance
When he took up his stance
That he sailed in The Irish Rover

There was Barney McGee
From the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk
Who was scared stiff of work
And a man from Westmeath called Malone

There was Slugger O'Toole
Who was drunk as a rule
And Fighting Bill Treacy from Dover
And your man, Mick MacCann
From the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover

For a sailor it's always a bother in life
It's so lonesome by night and by day
'Til he launch for the shore and this
charming young whore
Who will melt all his troubles away
All the noise and the rout
Swollen poitín and stout
For him soon the torment's over
Of the love of a maid he's never afraid
And old sot from the Irish Rover

We had sailed seven years
When the measles broke out
And the ship lost its way in the fog
And that whale of a crew
Was reduced down to two
Just myself and the Captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock
Oh Lord! what a shock
The bulkhead was turned right over
It turned nine times around and the
poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover

More info on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The Pogues - The Irish Rover

A passing note on spineless blogging!

Here's a post that could come back and bite my behind in the future! :@:@

Followers of my blog may have read the post I wrote the other day giving another Blogger (and maybe others similarly ignorant) a geography lesson on The 'Island of Gibraltar'.

Readers may note with passing interest... that the comments, made by me and Donovan, which were published in that post, and were posted on Mike's blog post ('the idiot') have now been deleted by him!

Readers will I'm sure, make their own judgement on this somewhat spineless approach to blogging!

For myself, I can't see what the point of having a comment system is... if the blogger is going to remove any unfavourable posts that readers may make from time to time. This is just an incumbent hazard... when one puts 'one's head above the parapet' and blogs!

In my humble opinion, Bloggers should stand by and live with the consequences of whatever one writes about. This is something that I am very aware of and no doubt will fall foul of... given time! :)

I think, when unfavourable posts are made, one either needs to be able to stand by one's story, or opinion or view expressed... and if necessary argue it... or if persuaded by the strength of argument, one simply has to hold one's hand up and back down and / or simply apologise for maybe getting it wrong... or possibly causing offence unjustly.

To my mind, simply deleting a comment... is just cowardly... and like the ostrich, it's just hiding one's head in the sand of bigotry or hypocrisy... or just simply of being wrong!

Readers will also agree... when (perhaps unkindly) categorising Mike as 'an idiot'... I was spot on! On the other hand... you may disagree. This being the case, by all means tell me so... in a comment. I promise I will NOT delete it! :)

Film Review - A Prairie Home Companion

If you decided to stay in tonight and watch some TV... you probably noticed that there was not much on. That's how I felt earlier on anyway, when I did a quick flick through the schedule.... and pretty much gave up. But... I had missed a little gem hidden away, as often happens.

I'd been busy researching some stuff and didn't get round to supper till late. When I settled down to enjoy my late dinner, I had another flick through, as you do, and came across this great film hidden away late on BBC2.... and was immediately drawn into... 'A Prairie Home Companion'.

For starters, the film has an incredible cast... Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen plus a few other well known names and faces! How's that for a cast?

Robert Altman (directs) and Garrison Keillor (who wrote the screenplay and plays a fictional version of himself) combine reality and fantasy in this smooth, ebullient take on the long-running Prairie Home Companion (PHC) radio show.

In a review over at Amazon, Doug Thomas saves me the trouble and explains the film perfectly:

Set during the show's fictitious last broadcast, the host station has been bought, the film has plenty of elements from the real PHC radiocasts, including a live audience and the sensational Shoe band.

The onstage program is mostly music numbers, a beguiling mix of standards and old-style country, with Streep once more showing her amazing range of talents, here singing as well as she did in 'Mama Mia', as does Lily Tomlin.

However, the show's usual comedy sketches are never presented, save for the commercial parodies. This may be a PHC show, but Lake Wobegon Days (also a book by Garrison Keillor) is never mentioned. Instead, the sketches are played out as backstage banter that features the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), a harried stage hand (Maya Rudolph), a former listener turned angel (Virginia Madsen) and Keillor himself (a crusty alter-ego named simply G.K.).

A few characters from the real PHC are given life: the singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty and gumshoe Guy Noir are embodied by Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and Kevin Kline, respectively. Old flames are fanned, stories are spun, new talents are found (Lindsay Lohan has a chance to shine as Streep's daughter) and everyone wonders if G.K. will do something to ebb the tide of cancellation, personified by Tommy Lee Jones as the corporate Axeman.

All of the actors do right as singers, and seem to be having the time of their life. Keillor's screenplay is perfect fodder for Altman's usual brand of storytelling, as characters babble on with the camera picking them up often in mid-thought.

The film originally appeared a few months after Altman received an honorary Oscar, and the director is still at the top of his game, creating this smile-inducing, song-filled time, ending with an ethereal last musical number.

I thoroughly enjoyed it... and I hope you do too... during one of these slow nights on telly!

Feedback... would be welcome!

Earlier this month, I revamped this old blog, that had lain dormant for about four years... and re-directed it to a more personal blog.

Calling it 'A Gibo's Tale', I describe it, somewhat 'tongue in cheek', as the "Observations, comments, thoughts and at times maybe irreverent musings of a Gibraltarian abroad... some might even say... from a grumpy old Gibo"!

I've now published 30 items to date this month. You can see the posts listed (linked) on the right sidebar. I'm not sure I shall keep this rate of verbiage up... but one never knows! lol

However, at the risk of sounding a touch churlish, (it wouldn't be the first time for this grumpy git), I'm a little disappointed at the very little feedback I've received to date, either on Facebook (one or two of you have and I'm grateful for those... ), or here on the blog itself, where there are two opportunities to leave feedback.

Perhaps you think the blog is all crap... (in which case... fair enough). On the other hand, maybe it's because you are not aware of the ways one CAN leave feedback... or even, that much of the point of blogging (as with social networking on Facebook or elsewhere), is to have some fun interreacting with each other.... maybe even debating issues raised.

So... to leave Feedback here, you can do so in two ways. Firstly, you can simply 'tick' on the 'Reactions' found at the bottom of each posting... categorising the post as 'funny', 'interesting' or even... 'cool'!

You can also leave a comment, on the posts I've published, via the easy and practical 'Comment' tool provided at the bottom of all posts. You can do this either as a Blogger user, or simply by name (with the option to also leave a URL to your website)... or even as 'anonimous', though I must admit, I'm not too keen on anonimous comments... but they are there if you prefer to comment this way.

Vote on my poll.. and let me know what you think:

Do you enjoy what you read on my blog?
	Yes... very interesting!
	The posts are funny or amusing
	Room for improvement
	The blog is shite!
	You'd like to kill me
	Some of the above... positive
	Some of the above... negative
pollcode.com free polls

Anyhow... I think I've made my point. Some feedback... especially comments on the blog and/or a vote on the poll would be great... and much appreciated... thanks in advance!

Saludos! )

Don't you just luvvv Valentine's Day?

I don’t know about you but I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to get romantic, I AM a romantic... but I'd much rather celebrate a day which is special for me and my partner than get caught up in all the commercial hype... especially when there is no in between. On the 14th of February you are either into it... or you’re out!

When I’m in a relationship the pressure is on... flowers, stuffed animals... overpriced restaurants which you have to book months in advance to have any chance of getting a table!

At times, when I’ve been 'single' it’s been even worse! Everything around me is a reminder that I’m flying solo and even though it’s not a big deal on any other day, it haunts me. I go pacing up and down, resembling something like a caged lion... back and forth between my computer and the front door, hoping for at least one card that’s not been sent by my mum... or worse, my kids!

Regardless, the anticipation of getting a Valentine is still there! :@:@

Today... I'm a lucky fella... I didn't even have to pace from my 'puter to the front door... as mine arrived yesterday! Interestingly packaged gifts... something to read, a romantic music CD... and something very sexy... which, with a mind to discretion (and plain decency... ha ha) will remain a secret... and of course... I'm dead chuffed!! Thanks very much to... 'you know who'!! heh heh :)

But now... I'm sitting here holding my breath... and crossing my fingers... (and all else I can think of...) that MY Valentine's also arrived on time!!

Otherwise... I guess I'll be in the dog house... again!

Happy Valentine's Day all!

Sticks and stones... and stuff and nonsense

Some of you may wonder why I call my Blog 'A Gibo's Tale'. This will probably be obvious to any Gibraltarian. The answer is... because I AM Gibraltarian... and because we Gibraltarians are often called 'Gibos' or is it Gibbos? I'll stick to 'Gibo'... saves on typing!

Many Gibraltarians find this term offensive. I can't remember if I ever did, but I definitely do not now... not now that I'm all grown up anyhow.

I'm sure we can all remember, from the playgrounds of our youth, often hearing the old phrase "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

I've been giving this phrase some thought recently. It came to mind in connection with a number of controversies that have rumpused across our TVs, Radio phone in programes and newspapers here in the UK over the last few months.... in various guises.

Earlier this month, we had the row over the BBC's sacking of Carol Thatcher from The One Show for allegedly referring to a tennis player off-air as a "golliwog"!

Chatting as she sat in the BBC green room after recording an episode of the evening television magazine program, Ms. Thatcher, it later emerged, said something to the effect that the French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has a white French mother and a black Congolese father, reminded her of a golliwog. Several people there complained and word got out to BBC officials, who said the remark was “highly offensive.”

The BBC fired Ms. Thatcher from her slot as a regular contributor to the program after, it said, she dismissed her comment as a “light remark” and failed to make an appropriate apology.

As a result, the BBC was deluged by thousands of angry complaints accusing it of overreacting. Many made the argument that there is nothing so horribly wrong with “golliwog,” anyway.... and I agree... it's just a toy for christ sakes!

“She was making a friendly joke, rather as someone of the same generation might say, ‘Ooh, he looks just like Rupert Bear,’ ” the columnist Charles Moore wrote in The Daily Telegraph. Alluding to a postwar group of Conservatives who responded to a description of the party as “vermin” by forming the Vermin Club, Mr. Moore suggested that Ms. Thatcher “start a Golliwog Club.” What a great idea... I wonder how long it will be before we are invited to 'become a fan' of this group on Facebook!

Then there is the matter of the queen’s grandson Prince Harry and the “Paki” video.



The video, made by Harry himself, showed him blithely calling a fellow Army officer his “little Paki friend.” Since Harry had once demonstrated a certain insensitivity to nuance by appearing at a costume party in a Nazi outfit, the incident was perhaps not so surprising.

Harry apologized; the army apologized; everyone fell all over themselves to denounce the use of “Paki.” Even his friends said that Harry had used poor judgment and bad taste.

Then, again, came the backlash against the backlash.

In The Daily Telegraph, the columnist Simon Heffer said that, sure, the incident was unfortunate but that “the barely concealed, self-righteous glee with which solemn, boot-faced toadies of the politically correct establishment queued up to condemn the Prince” was nearly as bad.

By way of defending Prince Harry, an Indian friend of the family named Kolin Dhillun, who plays polo with Prince Charles, revealed that Charles calls him “Sooty,” and that he doesn’t mind at all.

Perhaps it is a generational phenomenon, or an upper-class one, or a bit of both... but for me,having been termed a 'Gibo' forever... I have to say I find all this pretty much as 'stuff and nonsense'!

“What is disappointing is that lately all this vitriol and condescension seems to be all generated from the upper echelons of society, people who you would imagine would view themselves as being cosmopolitan and having a global outlook on the world,” said Jonathan Thomas, the secretary of 100 Black Men of London, a group that mentors young people.

He has a point. Prince Philip, the queen’s husband (and Harry’s grandfather) and the epitome of the old-school upper classes, has a famous history of insulting groups of all kinds around the world, from Scotland to Australia.

“Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf,” he barked at a group of young deaf people in Wales, referring to a loud band playing nearby. In 1986 he warned British students in Beijing that “if you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” Ha ha... Bless him... and what's wrong with that??!

Meanwhile, the Eton- and Oxford-educated Conservative politician Boris Johnson once referred to “flag-waving piccaninnies” in a column for The Daily Telegraph. In 2006, he managed to offend an entire country when he wrote about “Papua New Guinea-style orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing.”

Mr. Johnson then promised to “add Papua New Guinea to my global itinerary of apology.” Last year, he was elected mayor of London.

Now I ask you... has the world (or Britain to be more precise) gone mad? Have our sensibilities... if not our sensitivities... been finally taken over by the twaddles of the politically correct brigade?

Unfortunately, too many societal groups seem intent today upon claiming that far too many words... always hurt!! Whoever believes this gets to feel hurt a lot and... to my mind, is always at the whim of some person out there intent on causing offence.

It has only been in recent years that significant questioning of a hurt response to such verbal slings and arrows has developed. In the gay/lesbian movement there was, at one time, much discussion over the words "fag" and "queer" with many of the younger generation of gays and lesbians claiming those labels publicly for themselves! In the same way, young blacks sometimes calling each other "nigger" has also been a parallel development. By so doing, these younger men and women, in my opinion, have increased their self-esteem, as well as making it impossible for homophobic/racist bashers to bother them with those words.

This, I think is a far healthier response and one which in pyschology academia, is considered as an example of empowerment. Ergo... A Gibo's Tale!

A few happier activists are even coming to a belief that there is no such thing as adult verbal harassment. They are viewing claims of verbal victimization very differently. Their view is that claimants of verbal harassment have often thrown away possibilities for verbal repartee and capabilities for moving away.

Most people these days think that nasty names "naturally" hurt folks. I think this sort of thinking is causing huge amounts of unhappiness and is at the root of all these controversies we have recently experienced.. and which we often term as the 'PC brigade' gone mad!

The process of name-calling is typically based upon feeling NOT OK, and name-callers are trying to make themselves feel more powerful by using the process. In the same way, those offended by name calling, are also seemingly there... just waiting to be offended or insulted... possibly because they themselves have a weakness, maybe even a chip on their shoulder. Here's the general psychological concept:

"If I call you a name and get you upset, then I temporarily feel more powerful because I had a powerful effect upon you. My self-esteem rises at your expense. I project my unhappiness on to you and you take it on if you allow yourself to be upset. If you do not get upset at my attempt, then I cannot dump my original unhappiness on you. Then I am left not only with my failure to successfully dump it on you but also with my original unhappiness to boot."

That's straight out of nursery school... or maybe the playground isn't it? But... it seems that's how it is!

For my money, if you're successful at being unbothered by their words, then the attempting offender winds up more unhappy and he'll probably soon stop bothering to use those words. Most of us learnt this at school, while growing up with our peers. Name-callers will usually feel worse if you do not react to their name-calling and very quickly will stop such behavior. If on the other hand you get visibly... or in any other way, upset... they'll just carry on.

It's about time, many in our wonderful culturally mixed Great Britain... learnt this simple bit of psychology... and stopped being so damn sensitive about far too much!

Gibos Rule! :)

All new 'A Gibo's Tale' blog

After much thought and a long time feeling rather frustrated at not having an outlet for my rants, comments and observations... other than my Facebook page or... just recently adding 'tweetering' on Twitter.com... I have decided to resurrect this old dormant blog... and amuse and entertain myself and maybe others too... for as long as this urge lasts. As we all know... urges come and go... and some last longer than others!

For those of you who land on this blog thinking you're going to read a WWII novel.... sorry to disappoint you. This blog first started life in 2004... when for a bit of fun... the urge took me to write a few chapters for a project... well a novel actually.

The novel was to be about the events of what might have happened in 1941, during World War II, if Spain's Fascist Dictator General Franco, in a pact with Hitler's Third Reich, had invaded Gibraltar. A Gibo's Tale was to be the story of events leading up to and during the aftermath of the invasion and Lt. Cdr. Anthony Valoris RNR's part in the Gibraltarian resistance to occupation by Fascist Spain. A fuller Introduction (along with a few chapters I wrote) can be found here.

I hope that clairifies any confusion. I also hope you may enjoy what you come come acros here now... and that you come back and read some more from time to time.