Special Guest Blogger: Henry Kissinger

One sign that you have lived a successful life is that people don't break out into wild laughter and applause when you die but nobody said being a politician was easy. To get to the top, you have to make some pretty hard decisions, the sort of decisions most of us wouldn't consider as they would appear callous, criminal, murderous and, above all else, cold-hearted, but i had no qualms about any of that stuff.
Instigate a coup to overthrow the elected Government of Chile and install a murderous thug for 17 years of torture and executions? Yep, i did that.
Fund a collection of brutal Brazilian army officers and block any attempt to stop them during 21 years of extreme torture? That would be me again.
Ignored Cyprus call for help and give approval to Greece and Turkey to invade Cyprus? Yeppers.
Solve the problem of the newly installed Argentinian dictatorship wanting to exterminate the opposition in a killing spree as swiftly as possible by saying ok but if you are going to do it, do it quickly? Well i was nothing if not a problem solver.
Had the idea of stopping Vietnamese soldiers hiding in Cambodia populated areas by carpet bombing the Cambodia populated areas. Sure if killing up to 500,000 innocent Cambodians and allowing Pol Pot to take charge but on the plus side it must have taken out a few Vietnamese also. Probably.
Promised the Kurds America would back them in their fight against Saddam Hussein and then once the revolution began, withdraw all financial and military support and ignore the resulting massacre? Another tick for me.
Block the US Government intervening when the right-wing regimes of Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay pool their resources to murder every single dissident on the South American continent, known as Operation Condor? Me again but they obviously they never killed all of them, just 80,000 of them.
Gave Indonesian Suharto the green light, as well as increasing US aid to the Indonesian military, to invade East Timor and kill a third of the island’s population. Of course i did.
Sure, sometimes your choices, actions and inactions can result in millions of deaths and make an already ultra-violent century even more destructive but also they can lead to a Nobel Peace Prize which i received for my work on the Vietnam Peace Accords, despite the whole Cambodia and
annihilating civilians en masse thing which they kindly overlooked.
As i was lying dying of heart failure in my home aged 100 i did wonder what my legacy would be but i needn't have worried because as soon as i got to the afterlife i noticed they had fired up the barbecue for my arrival, damn big one also but i did wonder how the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao made it there,
i guess they took into account my warm heart and then i realised, where i was i would have a i have a warm heart, feet, head, actually everything.
Still, that's the problem with today's politicians, damn snowflakes frown upon killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

Today Is...World Cancer Day

When i was in school back in the 80's there was a Cancer Aware poster campaign which said every 4th person will develop some form of cancer, the number now seems to be 1 in 3 with an increase in Cancer cases in young adults.
Always considered an older persons curse, the latest Office of National Statistics figures show diagnosis has increased by 40% in the last 16 years, with 1,300 more cases of young people getting cancer each year. 
Fast food diets and lack of exercise could be responsible for a rise in these cases in young adults scientists have warned with the science adviser at Children with Cancer UK, saying there seems to be: 'a correlation between the lifestyle of young people and a significant increase in the number of teenagers being diagnosed'.
The science part is explained as: 'They tend to be doing a lot less exercise and there's also a lot of fast food being eaten, which is fine in moderation, but we know they do contain cancer giving substances. So if you eat well-cooked meat and burgers and it goes into your colon and hangs around because you're not doing much exercise, it's more likely to cause damage'.
The stark rise is most evident in colon cancer which was not considered a young persons cancer but is up by 200% and thyroid cancer which has more than doubled.
Around 4,000 children and young people develop cancer each year in the UK and it is the leading cause of death in children aged one to 14.
If that is not a wake up call to cut down on the McDonald's and Burger Kings then i don't know what is.

Historic Day In Northern Ireland

To anyone of a certain age what happened today in the Northern Ireland Parliament today really is a historic moment and serves as a reminder of what can be achieved if the effort is put in,
When i was growing up the Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs were devastating all parts of England and Northern Ireland and Sinn Fein led by Gerry Adams was the political mouthpiece for the terrorist group, his voice was dubbed over due to the Government ban forbidding British TV networks broadcasting interviews with the Sinn Fein leader.
Twenty six years after the Good Friday agreement where the IRA laid down their arms in return for self-government of Northern Ireland and the release of IRA prisoners, Sinn Fein's leader, Michelle O'Neill, entered the Northern Ireland Parliament in Stormont as First Minister.
Her speech as she received the top role in Northern Ireland included that: 'As an Irish republican I pledge co-operation and genuine honest effort with those colleagues who are British, of a unionist tradition and who cherish the union. Despite our different outlooks and views on the future constitutional position,
the public rightly demands that we co-operate, deliver and work together."
She ended promising to: 'Serve everyone equally' but although it may seem unimaginable to my and my parents generation, it is a sterling example of what can be achieved by just sitting down and talking and serves as an example to all those people who say you can't negotiate with terrorists. You can and sometimes good things can come from it if you just try.

The Secret To Time Travel (Forward Only)

 
This post may be a bit science heavy but stay with me because at the end i will tell you two simple ways to travel forward through time so hours pass in seconds although be warned, as time only travels forwards, once in the future you are unable to come back unless you have the right equipment and there is only one group i know of who have that, the secretive Spatio Temporis Correctores.  
The first rule of the Spatio Temporis Correctores is that you don't talk about the Spatio Temporis Correctores which means that at some point someone will come back and delete this or change it to a post about kittens or something and nobody will remember it which i guess shows that time travel is a thing, or not.
Anyway, next year i asked a member of the Spatio Temporis Correctores to prove their existence by going back in time and writing a blog post on here that gave some heavy hints (it is illegal to explicitly say what will happen) and she did in the Post I'll Be Back LHC dated 22/11/2009.
Mentioned in it was how a popular TV Star is voted the US President beating a female wannabe President, making sure that Bin Laden was in the living room of his Pakistan home when the military broke into his house and a mixed race TV Soap Star joins the British Royals and becomes a Princess of Sussex.
They mentioned a future invention from Google which is an Ai home assistant which can control the electronics in your home by using your voice and how 2016 would be a good year to see George Michael and Prince one last time and how time travel would be handy to stop humans in China doing stupid things like eating a diseased bat and causing a global pandemic.
She explained how the idea for the group was inspired by Aristotle who would philosophise on how historical events determine the future but it wasn't until a combination of Albert Einstein's maths and Nikola Tesla's work with intense magnetic field's that the actual mechanics of time travel came to fruition.
To quote Einstein, Time is 'a hypothetical function giving time equivalence at a place whose lattide and longitude should be given by another function for a place' or T’=T/√(1–(v²/c²)) where T is stationary time, v is your velocity and c is velocity of speed.' Nope me neither but apparently it shows that the potential energy of an object is equal to its mass times the squared speed of light.
Yeah whatever, but as promised, the secret to travel forward in time in seconds. One way is to simply
go to sleep and in what seems like seconds you will waking  up an hour, three hours or eight hours later while the second you will need a  Ỳ̷̨͉̳̗̹̹̥͉͉͓ẽ̴̡̢̡̛̲̹͍̤͖͚̥̤̰͖̹̪̆͐̾͐̑͒̉̋̍̇̅͘ă̶̧̛͙̞̥̘̏̈́̉͒̾̋̆̕ȟ̶̯͇͔̪̅͗̓̈́̏̉̎̇̚͝͝ͅ ̵̢̯̻̣̥̤͍̦̘͈̮̰͂͌̎̂̓̋̏̀̈́̔͆̆͘͝w̸͎̗͎̘͎̭̮̮͔͓̳̬͕͐́́̑̋̓̈́̈̌̑̀̈́ͅh̷̡̛̙̪͎̤̗̠̺̪̞͉̿̀̅̈̆̑̆̈́͒͘͘͜a̵̢̠̝͙̗̝̱̻̎̆̀̉͊͒̕t̴̡̛͖̟̮̬͈̭̣͇̀̀͑͗̈́̈́͐̍̔͝ḙ̵̱͕͉͓̠̣͈͕̙̱̆͆ͅv̶̛͉̫͉̰͔̲̌̅́́͘̚ȩ̸̣̬͍͗̃͌̆͒r̷̩͉̫̮̀ͅ,̴̡̤̠̞̺́̐̂̎́̓́̍͜ ̵̧̺̥̗̫̰̩͎͖̐͝ḃ̶̞͚̖̲̫͔͔̞̂͛̐̀̈́ŭ̴̢͓͓̤̱̲͖͖̙̫̤͚̘͐̓̈́̈̀̎͗̇̎͝͝t̶̥̘̃̐̌̉̓͒ ̸̺͓͖͋͆͐͌̈́́̆̕͘͜ä̸̢͇͕̠͚̹̫̟̠̳̘̺̝́̈́̈́̏̉̐̈́̿͜ͅş̵̦͈̥͚̠̣͖̘̳̫͈̄̆̈́̂͆̈́̓̑͂̃͒̐̕̕̚ ̶̧̛̪͕̹͉̪͈̓͆̓͑́́́͂̎̌͝ͅp̵̤̮̬͖̟͒̓͛̾͒̿̋̽͑̾͘͝͝͝͝r̶̛͎̱̘̮͚͚̳̓͒̂̂̉̎̔̑̍͆̌̚͘͝ö̵̳͙́̄̋͆̈́̋̇m̷͙̱̪̺̱̱̥̤͂́̀̍̔͝͠i̵̱̲̖̫̖̟̬̝̠͔̼̫͕̋͂̂̓̓̈͋̈́͌̅͂̒̕š̴͇̺̆̈́̽̔͌̈́͗͒̈̕͝͝ë̴̢̨̛͈̞̜̮̜̜́̄̍̎͐̓͆̂͗̾͌̽̚͝d̷̬̀̂̽̉̕͠,̴̧͚̥̯̩̪͕̩̫̘̟͔̓ͅ ̶̨͔̤̈́̏͌̍͆̈́̀̎̆̈́͊̕t̷̰͔̟̬̹͔̝̄̅̒́̐̓̎̒͜ͅḩ̶̯̙͍̤̫̠͎̮͕̰̺̥̬͂̆͗̋̄͊͛̀͑ê̴̙̼̰͓̒̓͝ ̸͕̗̟̫͇͙̠̣͎͇̤̩̣͚͂͗̋̀̎̃̋̏͆̃̄̕͠s̶̡̠̠̝̽̌e̷̞̫͇͖̗̹̭͔͖̜͚̮͖̓͛̀͜ç̶̟̼̟̝͙̞̝̼̩̝̻͖̍r̶̡̞̣̬̭͈̖͎͉͒̀́͜ę̶̻̰͔̙̹͂̃̑̃t̴̡̨͕͓̟͕͚̺͈̐̀͋̄́́͝ͅͅ ̸͔̞̘̣̫̝͗͐̏̆̅̿͛̈́͘͝ţ̶̛̣͍͕͓̲̪̣̝̳̻̹̉̀̇̔̊̀́̕ͅo̷̹̟̺̅̕ ̵̡̹̥̭͎̤̯̻̀͋̓̃̈́͒̂͂̀̃͌̚̚̚͠ͅt̸̞͖̫̳͓̠̮̦͇͈̱̪͒r̸̛͖̀̀̐̓̓́̏͒̎̚͝͝a̶̻͆v̶̢̢̹̻̘͚̱͚̮̼̦̬͈̟̺̽̄͑̊̓͐̉́̎͊̇̈́̕͘͠e̶̙̩̱̅̉͊̅͗̿͛̈́͠͝ĺ̸̡̤͕͓͍̓̎͌̋̋̏̋̽͑̉̚͜ ̸̨̨͖͍̪̣͚͉̳̞͚̱̗̌͒̍͜ͅf̴̢̼͓͕̈̃́̒̎́ŏ̸̢̨͙͇̜̪̣̖̥̳̘̖̤̪̋̏̔̉͆͛̿͠r̶̛͈͇̥̭̫̲̯͍̯͖̂̈́͗̈́͂́̐̎͝ͅw̶̨͚͇͙͓̠̘̓̀̈́͗͐̀͛͊̕͘͠a̵̛̦͈͓͌̿̆͐r̵̟̼̠̖̖̜̲̞̩̙͉̳̈͛̑̽̄͊̃̃̓̀͐̚ḓ̵̞̠͕̭̝͊ ̸͍̕͝͝í̸̮̭̲͕͐͋̉̽̆̌̔̒̋̓n̷̡̡̨̛̦̥̗̦̤̈́̾̓̔͊̀͛̓̀̚͝͝ ̵̡̙͇̯͈̥͇͚̲͔̦͇̱̫̒̊̽͜t̵̡̛̼̞̼͖̹͍̺̗͕͛͗̆̍͌̏́͌͗̀ǐ̷̛͖̮̺̙͓̌̓̍́̓̔͂̋̌͠͝m̶̡͓̯̥͙̲͍̳̜̗̄̐̽ͅę̸̨̼̙̟͓̟͈͓͖̹̥̾̆͊͐̉̈́̐͆͒̊͝ ̴̜̳̱̗̳̪̫͉͂̄̾̔̒́͂̇̚͝͝į̸̥̦̩͚̖̪̫̇͒̂̇̅̉̾̈́̕n̷̛̛̹̥̭̭̤͚̥͇͎̫̫̦͈͐́̀̽̚̚ͅ ̴̱͙͌̏̉͌̑͗́̉͋̋̀̈́͂͗̔s̸̛̤̣͙̓͒̋͝è̵̖̫̜̪͎̪̙̲̰̑͌̓̌̍̅̈́̑̊̉͝ͅc̸͔̼̞̦̎ŏ̷̧̖̖̖̤̖͚͎̤̰̩̥̄̔̀̂̀ͅn̴̨͚̘̦͚̼͎̮̺͑̊͜ͅd̴̢̡͚̳̫̹̖̥͇̞̦̃́͒̓ş̶̧̛͈͇̹̲̜̙̺̞͎̘͙̜̎͋́̿̂́̂͐.̸͔̗̥̦̺̩͇͚͓͎̳̞͓͙̈̑̔̇̾̒̆̕ ̸̨͓̰̰̰̃̒́̇͂͠ͅÓ̷͕̪͍͉͆̃͗̔͌̔̾͋̅͐͆̆͘ñ̸̛̲̘̠̘̥͙̩̜̬͓͕̈́̔̈́͂́́̀̏̕͘͝͝͠ȩ̸̛̯̯̣̠̲̬͇̜̦͉̜͐͊̉̚͜ ̷͉̙͔̘͚̬͇̤̗̭͙̓͋͗̂̈́͊̐̊̈̎̈́̈́̾͝ẇ̷̡̯̗̪̩͎̼̬ͅa̵̛̛̺͈̿͗̾̉͊̃͠ỳ̸̭͎̣̹̯̙͔͕͖͎͔̬̥̘͒̓̐̈͠͝͠ͅ ̷̰̻̝̤̥̰̭̭̹̾̏́́́̃̔̇ͅi̸̹͓̤̰̭̗̋̒̀̓͆̓̕̕s̶̨͍̞̦͍̼͔̭̳̞̬̫͉̈́̿̂͜ ̴̨̤͙͔̊̒͒͂̑̄̌̍̆̉͗͝t̸̢͕͎̞͓̓̆̌̈́͊͐̓͆̌̿̈́͘ȍ̴͈̟̟̀͐̏͐̑̀̽̌̀́͘̕ ̴̜̑̌͗̐̾̉̑̉̌̈̀ş̶̢̤̫̯̘̮̙̲̔͛͐̄̇̃̆̚͠i̶̤̼̮͓̐m̴̨̘̀̅̃̽̑̎̋̂̐̃p̷̧͔͚̰͙̖̬͔̳̘̩̯͙̈́̑͆́̉͂̀̀͆͜͝l̶̨̼̤̺̺̪̩̺̞͈͙̣͓͒͂͒̔̈̐̀͛̂̓͝͝y̵̺͖̜̅̓͑͆́͘ ̶̤͌̐͆̈́̽́̉̔́͘̚g̴̛̱̘̙͙̥̮̪̘̖̏̔̆́̔͛̉̌͂͘͘͝ǫ̵̢̣̳̩͈̙̰͙̙̽͌̀͒̇́̐̀̊̓́̅͠ ̵͖̪͇͉̻̯̰̼̺̬̱͓̲̯̂̇͠ṱ̶̢̲̘̣͉͇̪̦̳̬͗̀̎̆̂͆́̑͂͌͒̇̕͝ȯ̴̧̼͕͖̮̬͓̽̂́̓̌͆͋͂͝͝ ̶̨̨͉̙̳̠̲̯̪̆̎͌̇͛̒̓͒͑̚͠ṣ̶̨̡̗͈̥̺̝̮͚͙̜͛̉̋̓̍̈́͆͛͐͒̕͘l̴̨̛̟̜̩̯̦̹͙̟̝̹͕̆̐̽̇͝e̸̝̙̅͛͂̃̍͝è̶̲͙̯́͒͐͊̾̒̈p̴̢͇̥͙͚̳͓̦̞̮̣̗̤̰͗̈͌́̀́́͗͠ͅ ̸̛̻͇͕͉̩̙͙̥͖̰͛̉̈́̅̓͠a̸͙̲̱͕̞̝͓̾̐͂͆̋̔̾n̷̙̱̺̬̹͑̽d̶̡̛̛͍̙̱̞̠̣͈͈͙̦̀̿͛͑̈́̐̈́̋͑͊̀͘̕͜ ̸̢̫͚͂̅͗̋̈͗͐̆͒͆̈́̆̽͜͠î̸̢̝̺̝͕͎͖͖̩͓̥̮͎̦̄̈́͋́̉̈́͊̏͗̋̒͘͝n̷̡̗͕̜͔̗̤̲̺̪̣͓̈́͑̀̈́ ̴͇̦̀̈́͑͋̋w̴̛̮̞͍͋͂͌̃̎͛̽͛ẖ̶̛̯͍̳̬̭̱̤̑͊̏̔̋̎̀̅͜͠͝͝ȧ̴̡̛̤̱͓̯̻͕͔̤̈̉͑̕͝ţ̷̩̘̬͔̑̋̓̈́͆́͐̔̍̇̎̌͜͝ ̸̤͕͔̦̯͍̹̮̗̺̹̳͙̈͗̀͌̊ş̷̜̞͓̻̻̤̫̄̾͂̆͝͝͠e̴̢̧͓͔̝̠͕̟͈̘̤͍͚̓͂̽̇̄̋̕͠ȩ̶̧̩͎̩̪̻̙͈͎̋̽̆̀m̷̼͓̣̫̱̯̭͆̒͜s̷̥̞̩̗̗͊͒͑͋̾́̆͂̌͝ ̶̣̩̘́̾͌̓̕͜͜l̴̡̡͉̼͎̭͓͕̮͗́̅͌͛̇̈́̕i̴̡̩̠̳̟͚͈̒̑̋̈́k̸̡̛̥̤̮̠̱͌͑̈́̾̀̎̄̃̈́̚͝ę̸̗̬̙̞͙̺̰̙̺̞̦̓̂͋͠ ̵̧̧̣̰̈́́̀́̒̎̄̆͘̚͘s̸̡͎͉̙̪̘͈̠̣̘̓̂̽̾̽͑̍́͐͌̍͛̍͝ĕ̸̙͇̺̟͑͑ć̷͙̠͔̖̘͔̲̲̃͂̽̍͊͝͝͝o̷̧̨̺̣̗̭̬̝̟̣̐̓̆́̄̋̕͜n̵̪͕͈͍̦̱̗̦͈̝̘̙̦̝͆̇̈́̃̓̈͑̔ͅḏ̷̜͕̳̿̎͛̃̈́́̍͂͌́͑͗͝s̴͙͙͉̔͑̅̉̄̎̔̔̋͂̆͝ ̶̢̠͕̰͍̗̥̯̤͇̪̟͖̭̾̈́̊̉̌͛̋̊͐͗͑̎͠y̷̧̗̞̬͓͔̬͎̾͋͗̂͌̓͒̇͑̆̇̑̈͝ȯ̴͈̜͖͈̪̝̺̮̰͚̙̐̊̒́̋̒͌͝ų̴̺̰̪̯̓̐̄̄̊͌̾͂̂̚ͅ ̷̡̧̪̬̼̫͎͍̣͓̦̰̅̆̌̐́̊͝ͅw̷̡̡̦̥͈̦̖̳̩̲͇͑̋̿̔̑́͆̆̐̆͘̕͝i̶̢̨̧͔̲̯̤̹̼̤̳̞̯̟͊̉̚l̷̬̖̓͒̍͑̄̎̇̐̏̒͘ḻ̴͍̠̄̇̓̆́̇̓̏̐͊̒̓͑̆̊͜ ̷͓̣͎̦̰̪̾̃͐w̴̰̦̙̰̲͕͉͙̅͂͌̽̾̌̇́̆̔̑å̶̢̬̦͎̮̟̦̜̠̰̪̞͛k̸̡̡͚͍̪̬̲̠̼̼͙̅͂̅͜͝í̴̧̤̹̣͚̟̙̰͍̖̬̯̞̂ǹ̷̡̢̧͍͉͍̫̻͂̅͗̇̃̒̓͛̂ģ̶̧̢̧̛̬͖̼̮̪̐̅̆̀́̋̎
̶̛̖̰̓͋͌̇͛͛̿̆̇̆͋̽u̵̧̧̯̻̪̳̺̬͕̫̙͓̒̃̅͐͆̀͐̿͋̈́̽͛̕̚p̷̨̡̢̧̠̺̩̻̟̘̩͊̓̔̐̃͐͒͗̽͊͜͝ ̸̛̺̫̫͍͇̜̻͈̭̔͂̓̓̎a̶̟̭̠̫̼͖̅́̿̾̈́̅̎̓͒̓͂̚̚͝n̶̲̹̯̲͍̿̇̌̋̑̑̕͝ ̵̨̩̫͙̠̬͇̻͙̪͖̪̮̼́͠h̸͓́͋̏̂͐̃ǫ̶͈̞͉̼͎̗̬̤̼͓͙̺̋̑͊͂͒̈́̓̆̅̆̿̾͘̚ͅủ̶͓͇̤͂̄̊̚͝r̶̥̠̜̼̬͇̭̘̓̆͋̇̾͛̆̄,̴̢̢̧̛̖̬̠̪̥͓͂͑͆͐̀̒̀̉͛͂̉̍ ̶̡̡̛̞͙͕̰̟̱̍̅̈́͑̾̊̌͒̔͌͠͝t̷̝̔̈́͑̚͝h̶̦̳̜̟̬̐̓͛̍̊̋́̔͋́r̴̫͎̗̄̈̄̈́ȩ̵͙͔͖̤̗̭͙̬̾̈̊͗͂̒̅͐̚͘͜͠͝ȩ̶̬̘͕̍͆͂̒̓̒͛͂̕͠ ̶̢̧̬̖̯͈̪͉͈͍͈̄̎̇͌̋̈́̆̓̉̆͝h̶̢̩̱̯͛̈̎̈́͐̈́́͘ö̸͚̥̯̼̜̞̗́̊̔̏̓̈́̓̉͑̃̓̆͘͘ͅū̴̡̹̥̦̙̘̮͍̫͕̱̜͛̋̋̽̽̃̆̓̐̿̄͘͜͠ͅr̴̩͉̼̰͔̗͇̗̞̤͔̈́͌̅̇͗̀ṣ̴̫̠͆̊͛ ̸̢̥̯̬̩̬̭͙͚͕̩͍͕̖̱̏̆͊͑̾̍̄̇̂̊̊̾̚o̵̞̗̮̻̜̭̥̖̼͎͕̼̬͂̍͑̕͜r̸̨͓͚̤͈͎̺͍̲̺̘̖̚ ̶̼͖̃̂͑͌̓̑́̄͝e̸̘̫̪͇̣̓̋͂͆̎i̶̢͚̫̲̺̹͎̗̭͉̤͊ͅg̴̩̅̄͌́̂̎͊̇͘h̷̢̨̗͔͎̘͌͊́́̃̀̈́͛̆͋̚͝t̸̟̺̟͕̳̣̼̞̖̪̺͖̮̩̊̉̇̄͜ ̸̧̧̧̛͇͈̺̺͇̭͎͍̗̣͍̺͂͂̆̓̕ḩ̴̧̯̞̪̫̼̲̞͇̫͉͈̭̦͛̉̔̔̽̔͘ȯ̶̠̜͗̕͝ͅu̸͚͚̦̫͉̳̔̎̈́r̵̤̙̪̠͎̼͈̺͕̆̇͐́̈́̑̄̕͝ṣ̴̨̛̱͔̖̱̹̮̺̭̃̇̐̒ ̴̰̖͈̄̀̑́́̋̉l̵̺͇̪̯̹͊̊̊͋̐́̊͜a̷̢̝͎̰̘͌̿͆̏͗͂̃̊t̷̛͓̪̣̻̰̎̄̓̆e̷̟̩͙̩͈͑͑̎͊̎̋̀͆̓́͜ṙ̴̫͎̅̉̇͌ ̴̠̼̹̬̞͍̪̺͔̣͈̬̈́̓̓̈́͜ͅw̴̡͇͓͈͆̀͆͐̈̓̓̓͘̚͝ḣ̸̨̛͙̯̤̣̝̰̲͓̮̅̈́͜ͅḯ̶̛̙̖̓͛̀̒̃̈́̀̄̐̚ḻ̶̛̲͖̟͉̈́̓́͗̋͛̌̈́͒̚͠é̶͙͎̰̫̠̮͖͕̲̹̦ ̸̱̝͉̩͖̑͊̓̄̐̐͌͂͘͝ť̷̢̡̢͇̱̤̠͙̈́̌͌́͐̒̓͋͌͐͂̅ͅh̵̢͈̺̗͖̮͗̀̄̄͌̆͘̕ͅé̷̛̛̻͇̯͚͇̱̩͎̋̂̍͂̓̾̓̔͒̇͆͠ ̸͈̭͖̪͍̩͎͕͋̔̈́̐̾̈́̊̀̏̈̀̕s̶̨̡̬̖͍̘͕̖͙̳̺͎̺̥͋͛͆̈̀̍͆́͐̅̋͐͛̕͝e̵̺͋̃̅̌͒̍c̶̨̡̨̠̠̻͖̹͈̲͍̀̇̀̅̾̽̇̏͆͘͘͜͝͠o̵̡̟͕̺͔̭̥̭̟͕͍̅̎͑̕ṉ̷̢̳̤̱̺̟͍͛̏͊͑̆͂̔͋̌̀̃͋̌̊͘ḏ̶̛͍̑̋̒̑̓̋̑͌͗̌́͝ͅ ̴̨̙͕͓͖̣͕̝̜͔̳̖͓̘̒̇͐̓͒̋̊̉͘͘͘͝y̵̲̫̪̽̓̅̔̂̐̐̎͗́̅͘̚ó̵̧͖̻̳̜͈̬̙̙͔̦͓͔̋͐ͅṷ̶͉̹͓̦͇͑̋̏̆̿ͅ ̶̢̺̗̜̤̣̀̊̉̂̓̎ͅͅw̶̢̧̝̻̺̳̒͊͌̒͑̾̈́̄̍̋͜i̶͓͎̦̙̼͙̗̿ͅͅl̶̛͉͖̐͆͆͆̃͂̄̓̾́ļ̵̛̞͈͇̘̳͇̱̙͚̞̘̪̣́́̋͐̈́̀͗̇̐̓͝ͅ ̸̠̫̙̤͓͊n̴̨̳̙͎͍̠̼͉͔̳̘͎͉̠̲̔̅͑̚͠ê̴͔͇̦͒̈̇̀͗̄̆̀̇̓̚͝e̵̢̛̖͇̤̥̟͇̬̪̟͒̎̓͋̄͌̋̐͠͠

Honestly, it really is that simple!! Enjoy.
 

Today Is...Buddy Holly Killed In Plane Crash

Today in 1959 three musicians climbed onto a plane and if you know the song 'American Pie', you know what happened next although the lyrics don't mention underpants which is the reason why music died that day.
While on the Winter Dance Party Tour, the organisers added a last minute date on February 2 and Buddy Holly moaned that he had been wearing the same outfit for days and had run out of clean underpants so suggested he and his band charter a plane to get to the next city early to find a launderette.
In an early Final Destination type moment, Buddy's bassist kindly gave his seat to the Big Bopper Richardson as he had a cold and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss with Buddy's guitarist and took his seat.
Due to a combination of adverse weather conditions and an inexperienced pilot, fate stuck it's oar in and within minutes of taking off the scene was set for driving your Chevy to the levee to join them good ole boys drinking whisky and rye singing this'll be the day that I die.
Being the most famous of the three, Buddy Holly is the one usually most remembered for dying that day and we will never know just how well he would be viewed today if he hadn't died so young but how different it would have been if only he had brought an extra pair of underpants with him on that tour and not just for those three as some eerie consequences followed.
Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent had both earlier pulled out of the the ill-fated Winter Party Dance. On 17 April 1960, Cochran and Vincent were on their way to Heathrow Airport for a return flight to the U.S while on the way, the taxi they were travelling in blew a tyre and crashed into a lamp post. Vincent suffered permanent damage to his leg but Cochran was thrown from the vehicle and died the next day of massive head injuries aged 22, the same age as Buddy Holly at his death.
Singer Ronnie Smith was hired to replace Buddy Holly for the remainder of the 1959 Winter Dance Party. He was committed to a mental hospital complaining of disturbing visions of the dead Buddy Holly and in 1962, he hanged himself aged 24.
The Crickets brought in David Box as their new singer but he died in a plane crash in 1964, aged 22.
In 1967, on the eighth anniversary of Holly's death, Holly's recording engineer Joe Meek shot and killed his landlady and then turned the shotgun on himself.
In 1977, a film was made of Buddy Holly's life starring Gary Busey and written by Robert Gittler. After completing the film, Busey was involved in a near fatal motorcycle accident which left him with brain injuries. Gittler committed suicide shortly before the film's release.
On February 3, 1990, the thirty-first anniversary of Buddy Holly's fatal crash, Del Shannon performed at the Surf Ballroom Clear Lake, Iowa (the location of Holly's last performance). The Crickets acted as Shannon's backing band. Five days later, Shannon shot himself.

Climate Change Explained For The Elderly

Not sure how to take the results of the Trajectory and the communications agency Fleet Street poll which found that while 90% of the people asked said Green and environmental issues were important, less than half actually knew what the terms stood for.
I guess in some small way that's a victory for people like me who have been banging on about Green this and Environmentally friendly that since the 80's so the Environmental message has sunk in, just that only a minority knew what the message was actually about.
When asked, only 25% said they clearly understood what the terms 'green' and 'sustainable' meant and 47% could explain 'environmentally friendly', 'locally grown' and 'single used plastics'.
The least understanding age group is the over 65's with the 18 to 24 age group much more confident when it comes to understanding key terms around the climate and the environment which leans towards it being a generational issue.
Friends of the Earth, said: 'There’s more concern about the climate than ever before and we need to ensure that clear, accessible language is used' or we could just explain it in a way that the older generation understand such as:

1.5°C - Minimum the Earth should be allowed to warm...or put your mince in the air fryer for 15 mins on 180C and it comes out lovely and crispy. Put it in for 15 mins on 181.5C and oops, too crispy

Adaptation - The process of adjustment to expected climate and its effects...or wear a cap in summer to stop your bald patch going too red.

Air pollution - Degradation of air quality with negative effects on human health...or not sitting next to Eric after he has eaten all those Brussell Sprouts

Biodiversity - The variability among living things and the complexes of which they are part...or the local council estate with all those foreigners from god knows where

Carbon Capture - Capturing Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere...or like that Fart in a Biscuit Tin game you played as kids.

Climate - The average weather you can expect...or packing a light cardigan for your trip to Margate in August because you know how nippy it can be there.  

Climate Change - A change in the state of the climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity...or when you say kid's don't know what snow is, we had to walk 2 miles to school in the stuff up around our ears in my day.

Climate model - A representation of the climate system based on the physical, chemical and biological properties of its components...or buggers using computers rather than their fingers and a bit of paper like we had to.

Climate target - A temperature limit used towards avoiding dangerous situations...or turning on the baths cold tap before you lower yourself into it.

Drought - A period of abnormally dry weather...or when your lawn goes brown in summer and you have to sneak out after dark to turn on the hose.

Electric vehicle - A vehicle whose propulsion is powered by electricity...or just like bumper cars

Extreme Weather Event - The occurrence of weather above or below a threshold value...or that windy day in 1987 when your dustbin ended up four streets over

Flood - The overflowing of the normal confines of a body of water...or when you forget to turn off the sink tap because Eric phoned about going down the Conservative Club later and you got chatting.

Food security - Having access to sufficient food...or the day after the big shop for the week.

Fossil fuels - Carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas from fossil hydrocarbon deposits...or those places with Miners that Maggie Thatcher closed down

Glacier - A perennial mass of ice...or what Margret has in her Gin and Tonics down at the Dog and Trumpet only much, much, MUCH bigger.

Green - Living your life while considering what impacts your behavior and actions have on our planet...or not treading the soil from your allotment in the house and leaving it for the missus to clean up

Greenhouse Effect - Warming of the atmosphere when heat is unable to escape into space...or when you wake up in the night sweating because you forgot to turn off the electric blanket and you had that extra thick duvet on the bed.

Heatwave - A period of abnormally hot weather...or when your Wurthers Original get stuck together in the packet

Net zero - When carbon dioxide emissions are balanced by carbon dioxide removals...or that one and only time you put £10 in the drinks kitty and actually only drank £10 worth of Old Worthy's Bitter.

Reforestation - Planting new forests on lands that do not contain forests...or that place before the council built all those flats for those bloody asylum seekers.

Sea surface temperature - The temperature in the top few meters of the ocean...or when you dip your feet in the sea in Benidorm and don't go running back up the beach shouting 'Bugger That, it's Freezing'.

Sustainability - A process for the persistence of natural and human systems...or voting for Brexit because of all the foreigners over here and then complaining that Tesco has no cucumbers because all the vegetable pickers have gone back to their own country.

Tipping point - A level of change that refers to when the climate changes irreversibly...or that moment you called Doris a rude name for cheating at cards and you knew you would never be welcome in the Day centre ever again.

Today Is...Satanic New Year

In the Bible texts, the evil Satan is acknowledged to have killed 10 people while the peace loving God killed a total of 10 million including 7.5 million men, women and children in a great flood.
So if God was the one with the larger taste for blood, why is it that Satan is the bad guy but then Satan always has had a bit of a bad reputation so it is nice to see that he is getting some recognition finally and today is the Satanic New Year.
Satanism is undergoing a bit of a revival lately but not many people know that where God botherers have their 10 Commandments including not being allowed to cover their neighbours ass, the Church of Satan have 11 of their own called The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth.
These include not give opinions unless asked, show respect to others, do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal, do not steal or complain, don't harm children and don't kill animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
All very respectable and strangely not a single mention of pitchforks up the backside so i say not only leave the devil worshippers to do their own thing but let them run a few radio stations as well because God knows Satanic Heavy Metal music is far better than that religious happy clappy crap.

The Rules Of War

The fact that there are rules of war have always seemed a bit of an oxymoron, war is to cause such damage to your enemy until they are in no fit state to fight anymore and are forced to surrender but there are a set of International humanitarian law's which limit the effects of an armed conflict and sets the basic limits on how wars could be fought.
There have been rules of war since the beginning as humans have always resorted to violence as a way to settle disagreements, yet through the ages people from around the world have tried to limit the brutality of war and mark a distinction between who or what may be attacked and who must be protected.

The first rule is you do not attack civilians or those not involved in the fighting nor their houses, or destroying their means of survival, such as water sources, crops, livestock, etc.
Second is you treat detainees and those who are no longer able to fight, regardless of whose side they are on, like an injured soldier or a prisoner, humanely.
Detainees must not be tortured and must receive food and water and be allowed to communicate with their loved ones.
Thirdly medical workers, medical vehicles and hospitals dedicated to humanitarian work can not be attacked.
Fourth is limit the types of weapons and tactics that can be used in war, to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Fifth, rape or other forms of sexual violence are prohibited in the context of armed conflict.

The closing line in the International Humanitarian Law is around making choices that preserve human dignity in times of war and make sure living together again is possible once the last bullet has been shot.
I read Mark Twain's 'War Prayer' when i was a child and it had an effect on me which fed into my pacifist principles which i have held on to ever since but there is a quote by WW1 veteran, Henry Allingham, 'War is stupid. Nobody wins. You might as well talk first as you have to talk last anyway' which pretty much sums up every war there has ever been and will ever be for me.

It's Oh So Quiet (In The Transfer Market)

It’s quiet. The transfer window has been open since the start of January and generally teams looking at relegation are panic buying to try and scrape out of the relegation zone and teams with more loftier ambitions are trying to buy the players which will keep them in the European places but most Premier League clubs appear not to have noticed.
Journalists are kicking their heels outside the nations Football stadiums shrugging that they have nothing to report and fans are refreshing their Sports apps to see if their club has signed anyone but stillness has descended upon the richest league in the world and it is all due to Financial Fair Play regulations.
After Everton's 10 point deduction and Nottingham Forest's pending points deduction clubs are nervous around spending and most will need to sell to balance the books before they can spend and usually one big signing sparks off a merry go-round but nobody is selling and the only game in town was if one of the  
Saudi Pro League clubs came in with a silly money offer for a fading Premier League star but even they are keeping their wallets firmly in their kaftans.
To be fair it did need something to happen to cool the transfer market as it was not only getting obscene with the amount of money changing hands but it was only a handful of clubs who could afford the £80m+ for the really big names and some clubs such as Manchester City, Newcastle and Chelsea had almost limitless amounts available and could attract the really big names and offer ridiculous wages so maybe it isnt a bad thing although their will be quite a bit of tumbleweed blowing through all those usual last night transfer shows tonight.

Today Is...The Start Of Black History Month

Today starts a month of celebrating Black contributions to British society and to foster an understanding the impact and achievements of Black figures who are not always given the recognition they deserve, a study found that 50% of Britons cannot name a single Black British historical figure so let's put that right.

Mary Seacole grew up in Jamaica under colonial rule and was a pioneering nurse who self funded herself to risk her life during the Crimean War to treat wounded British soldiers on the battlefield. She volunteered to work as a nurse with Florence Nightingale, but was rejected because of racial discrimination. In a 2003 poll, Mary Seacole was named the greatest Black Briton of all time and the first statue of a named Black woman in Britain stands outside St Thomas’ Hospital

Sir Learie Constantine was the first black player in the English Criket League and a became a barrister, broadcaster, diplomat, writer, and in 1969, was appointed as the UK's first black peer.

Claudia Jones moved to UK from the United States, where she faced racial and political persecution due to her activism for Black and workers’ rights. She found asylum in the UK where she established the West Indian Gazette, the country's first major black newspaper and launched the Notting Hill Carnival.

Paul Stephenson led a boycott against the Bristol bus Company in 1963 protesting its refusal to employ black or Asian bus crews which resulted in the creation of the Race Relations Act of 1965, prohibiting racial discrimination in public areas.

Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped and enslaved as a boy from Nigeria before being sold to a merchant in Montserrat who bought his freedom, moved to London, and wrote an autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, one of the first books ever published in Britain by a Black writer, which enlightening British society about the cruel horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and helped propel the abolition movement.

Ignatius Sancho was born on a slave ship and brought to England by his owner as an orphan, where he worked as a butler while writing plays, poetry and music, and eventually ended up setting up his own shop in London and as a property owner, was eligible to vote and was the first known black British voter.

Ira Aldridge was one of the highest paid actors in the world, becoming the first major Black Shakespearean actor in Europe.

John Edmonstone gained his freedom from slavery and moved to Scotland where he met a man called Charles Waterton, who taught him the skill of taxidermy. After this, he became a teacher of taxidermy at Edinburgh University, where he taught a 16-year-old Charles Darwin.

Paul Stephenson was Bristol's first black social worker and an important part of writing Britain's Race Relations Act in 1965 which forbade discrimination on the grounds of colour, race or national origins, and was expanded three years later to include both housing and employment.

John Blanke was one of eight royal trumpeters who played at the funeral of Henry VII in May 1509 and at the coronation of Henry VIII in June that same year. In 1511 he played at the special tournament in Westminster to celebrate the birth of Henry’s first son.

Walter Tull was the first professional black outfield footballer in Britain, playing for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town and also the first known black officer in the British army, leading white soldiers into battle for the first time in the history of the British army.

Each person here has opened doors and created opportunities for the generations that followed, making these individuals important historical figures in black history.