Hello, welcome. We’ll get someone to show you around.I’m the yellow bird of the family!Off to the pub?Zakynthos, Greece.Pay attention, little one, you’ll learn something.Awwwwww.You’re a funny looking panda!I’m the white bird of the family!Pygmy Elephant, Borneo.Reykjavik.Look to the rainbow.Sunset on derelict chimney pots.Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!Seljalandsfoss.Hadchit, Lebanon.I’m ready for my close up Mr DeMille.Me too.PineappleWhat?Ferry to Cumbrae (where I was on Monday).The cedars of Lebanon.That’s it then. Pay your 50p at the door on the way out. See you next week.
As for Finian’s Rainbow, ever wonder why the dancing seems less than stellar? They fired the choreographer and proceeded without one. And why did Fred Astaire’s feet dance in and out of frame? That happened when they blew up the 35mm negative to a 70mm print for the road show distribution. There was pot smoking going on too according to Petula.
It was about 2 hours on a bus, Danny. But it was a world away. I thought you’d like the chimney pots.
Petula was scared stiff of dancing with Astaire. She spent a full week rehearsing with his choreographer. I liked the little kids dancing with Astaire at the end. Funny though, you look at them and think they’ll all be in their 50s by now!!
Perhaps you are right. I forget, but signing up to Munguins Republic was free? Indeed the author of this actually refused my money. Which is probably unique in the cause of Scottish Independence. And probably why I love the author of this site.
You do more than ‘drop by’ . You are a bit of a hero around here.
I don’t know how Tris does it but every week Soppy Sunday delights. Even leaving aside the adorable men of the forest, there are some corkers. Love the two pandas – gives you an insight into why we are called giant. The peacock is amazing – I think even nicer than the multicoloured ones and the colour of the water in the turtle picture, lovely.
I’ve never been to Cumbrae – it’s now officially embarrassing that a Dundonian has been there before me!
The threat is is clear the intention without doubt
Ignore snp democracy and the bomb and the bullet
Will be the only avenue for the Nationalists to achieve
Independence..
Well, Ruth Davidson is a nut job! Niko, what else did you expect of me, or her? Frankly I hope it doesn’t come to that, for claiming, on behalf of the establishment, that it requires bombs and bullets to effect change is just ridiculous. And self serving bullshit. Perhaps yesterday, when our streets were turned orange was indeed the day to talk the talk. Who was it again who said “Political power comes out of the barrel of a gun?”
Mao Tse Tung
The woman has zero respect for you nor I, who attempt to keep this debate civilized.
Thanks Niko. So, what was being said was that basically, Labour and Tories were saying that it didn’t matter what voters said, no referendum would be allowed; no independence would be allowed.
All he was doing was throwing the logic of the situation in their faces.
If you (I mean “one”) refuse to allow something that parliament has passed, what do you (does one) do to democracy?
Seems to me that Davidson in particular was saying that the vote of the majority of the parliament to bring forward a bill to ask the Tories for permission for a referendum, was pointless because the Tories could simply ignore the majority of the parliament.
The logical question then was, in the UK, how do we get what the majority voted for? Is Ruth suggesting armed struggle?
I dont think for a second that Stuart was advocating armed struggle. Indeed his last paragraph seems to say just that:
“We fervently hope that the increasingly demented, belligerent, angry and provocative intransigence of the Unionist parties – along with their constant reckless inflaming of the known violent elements on their own side – does not succeed in what is an ever more apparent aim of changing that fact. There’s nothing they’d love more.”
I don’t think anyone was questioning your character. After 9 years of Munguin’s Republic we all know what your character is. But on something like this you have to read the article to be able to comment upon it.
Niko, it was your heroine, Ruth Davidson that imagined a failure of democracy so extreme that she, might have to produce her tanks from behind the barricades! The inflammatory language is hers. It matches Mao Tse-Tung; who I believe I am quoting correctly, who said that ‘political power comes out of the barrel of a gun’. Neither he nor she had a clue. It comes out of the people.
The woman is an utter nut case.
“Life is more complicated than some imagine.”
Indeed. For despite our spats on here, I think you are an OK guy.
Lovely phoaties – as always. I’m pretty sure that “Sunset on derelict chimney pots” is Dumbarton, the tall building on the right being the ruins of the former Ballantyne’s Distillery (Hiram Walker’s) – recently demolished.
I was raised not ¼ of a mile away from there, Tris. Everyone in Dumbarton knew “Hiram’s” building: it was the tallest in the town, a real local landmark and was reputed to be at one time the largest brick-built edifice in Europe. I’ve got a few photos of it myself.
See me? I thought the largest brick built building in Europe was the grain thingy on the borders of Scotstoun / Partick, also on the Clyde. Absolutely sure I read that somewhere, sometime. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks with me?
No, douglasclark, your memory isn’t playing tricks. The building complex you mention was the Meadowbank Granary, comprising the original granary (1914) and 3 extensions -1937, 1960 & 1968. I remember it well: it really dominated that part of Clydeside. It probably was the largest brick-built edifice in Europe: the original 1914 building had 5 million bricks. Apparently Ballantine’s Distillery had only a measly 2 million. Still, at least it was the biggest grain distillery in Europe and tae a wee boay in Dumbarton it certainly looked huge.
Genuine thanks for the information. On that basis, I should perhaps share my recurring strange dreams about grain falling out of that building and been taken away by what to my, non-ornithological eye, look a bit like swifts. Lots of them. Hence my interest in the building.
So, as our hero trispw says below, thanks again, (I owe you one).
How nice that Niko and the subsequent comments have provided me an excuse to write a few solidly historical American words about the subject of independence.
I’ll begin by acknowledging that I know nothing worth saying about the strategy and tactics of the Scottish independence movement, and then in the interest of American history, say a few kind words about the practical utility of the “bomb and the bullet” in such matters. This is after all the second day of July; the day that in 1776, the motion of the radicals was brought to the floor of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia and adopted. A motion that declared a complete political break and full independence from the hated British and their empire.
Niko: “The threat is clear the intention without doubt Ignore snp democracy and the bomb and the bullet
Will be the only avenue for the Nationalists to achieve Independence..”
So am I to understand just two days before the glorious American Fourth of July, the immortal day of John Adams’ “bonfires and illuminations”, that you are opposed to the “bomb and the bullet” on principle, or simply as an unfortunate tactical necessity when all else fails?
Quote: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
The ranting of Mao Tse Tung?
No! Thomas Jefferson said that.
Mr. Jefferson knew that the language of revolution has its uses, and points out that blood is involved if petitions of peace and appeals for a redress of grievances fail. And let’s not be naive. Mao was also right to point out that political power can indeed come out of the barrel of a gun. The American patriots who took their rifles off the wall and fired the first shots at the British Army on the Village Green at Lexington understood that very well.
The Irish also understood that in their dealings with the English. And the Indians.
Who DIDN’T get the message about the English? The Canadians and the Australians for example, who loved peace more than their own liberty, and are still bending their knee to the English King.
Yes Tris, the Americans are a bit more predisposed than some others (like those peaceful namby-pamby Canadians) to the use of the bomb and the bullet in a good cause. 😉
I am, perhaps unfairly, no definitely unfairly replying to you when you have knowt to do with it. Unless you choose to join which I might welcome. It is odd, some posts are open for comments and others are not.
Anyway, as our good friend Danny is talking American exceptionalism, and how sad Canadians are, he should perhaps be reminded of the ignominy of his great state once upon a time in America:
One of me favourite American
(Native and o “When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.”
Yes Niko, I must admit that Mr. Trump IS pretty unbelievable, and not the most powerful argument in the world for an elected head of state. I have to think that perhaps Messrs. Adams, Jefferson, et al, got it just a little bit wrong around the edges. They would perhaps be surprised by a president who has declared a free press (now populated by some uppity women) to be an “enemy of the people.”
As for indiscriminately raping and pillaging the land in pursuit of short term self-interest, I would say that America has followed (on a smaller scale actually) what the English did when they let loose on the whole world in the name of King and empire. 😉
Niko: We can perhaps HOPE that he’s too busy re-litigating who actually won the election to be in effective charge of anything. He declares that he won the greatest electoral college vote in modern political history. He didn’t. He declares that he won a majority of the popular vote. He didn’t. He says there was massive voter fraud that exclusively went into Hillary’s vote count. There wasn’t and it didn’t. And for that matter, he’s still litigating the size of his inauguration crowd, which he insists was larger than Obama’s. The pictures show that this is a joke, but what are you going to believe, Mr. Trump or the photographs and your lying eyes? And what does this say about his disordered mind?
There was a time when the mainstream press reported without comment what politicians said. Well, that was no longer viable when reporting on the Manhattan real estate huckster and TV reality showman who lies as easily as he breathes. So the New York Times has published a definitive list of every lie the orange faced demagogue and self-confessed sexual predator has told since the day he took office.
Well this is an attempt to speak directly to Danny. It will probably fail as most things in the UK do. Anyway:
Our good friend Danny is talking American exceptionalism, and how sad Canadians are, he should perhaps be reminded of the ignominy of his great state once upon a time in America:
LOL Douglas…..Well, the bombs and bullets approach doesn’t always work out exactly as planned, and the Battle of Bladensburg was not exactly our finest hour. It did leave Washington and most notably the White House and Capitol at the mercy of the damnable marauding British Army. 😉 Thank GOD that Dolly Madison saved that famous portrait of Washington (which is now back in the White House where it belongs,) as President Madison conducted the affairs of state from horseback for the next few days.
We did better at Baltimore 20 days later, when Fort McHenry held out against 25 hours of shelling by the British fleet, and saved the city from the fate of Washington. Fortunately an American lawyer and poet on board a British ship in the harbor was there to observe “by the dawn’s early light,” the “star spangled banner” still flying over the fort. So we saved Baltimore AND got a neat national anthem out of the deal……LOL.
As for mindless American exceptionalism, I love this clip from “The Newsroom”. Written even BEFORE Trump was elected president:
And dc……..speaking of 1776, the Fourth of July is at hand. The fireworks are being readied as we speak.
The old Pennsylvania State House (originally the 1753 colonial legislature for the Province of Pennsylvania) still stands and is now called Independence Hall. (Old by American standards.)
dc……And if the video hangs up in the WordPress viewer (as it did once,) it’s publicly listed and can be viewed on the YouTube website by a YouTube search of “The Vote For Independence”.
First job I had was with them, not on the local Stornoway to Ullapool run but Adrossan to Brodick & Gourock Dunoon.
The Gourock-Dunoon run was OK, apart from not having a clue which way you were going – always funny asking a passenger that 🙂
Ardrossan to Brodick was brutal in summer – even 30+ years ago we were carrying close to a million people a month. Oh and yes I know what the official figures say, I’ve seen it so rammed it was virtually impossible to move on the main passenger decks. Start your day at 0430 in summer and finish at 2230, 5 days on 5 off , 5 on 2 off. Young persons game, good money even if all you did was clean shit up.
As to why I didn’t get on the local run when they had an identical vacancy? Gods only know. It turned into a blessing though as back then you got a bus/train pass with CalMac which covered all the UK intercity buses and BR. Five days on, five days wandering. Was fun 🙂
Claymore
Juno
Jupiter
Isle of Arran
Pioneer
Clansman
Hebrides
Never did end up working on the “home run” although amusingly I did end up on the Isle of Arran on the Stornoway run in winter as a passenger some years later. Very strange grabbing a couple of hours of kip in the old cabin, also forgot the communal crew showers.
I went in at the wrong time as a teenage male when the (mainly) equally young women were meant to be showering. Nobody told me (setup obviously) but I had some fun 🙂 That was several years before so strange to see it again.
Used to be said that serving on ships was governed by “rum, lash & sodomy” & to be fair you’ll find plenty of the latter two on many merchant ships these days. Alcohol not so much.
The CalMac ships in the 1980s on the Clyde were basically work hard play hard for those of us doing “stewarding” duties – ie food, clean etc. I was making around £145/week (after tax etc) as a 16 year old nearly 35 years ago & for 2 out of 3 weeks my food/board was covered too (on the ship). I had one week out of 3 off effectively, great times.
I had some fun times with female staff too (cabins next door etc) which culminated in a big fight between two in the crews mess. One threw a cup of coffee in the others face & when the mess was almost clear of people I asked (naively) what it was all about. “You” said the 23 year old (female) supervisor and well you can imagine where it went from there.
If it sounds like “Carry on Shagging” then that’s what it was (for me anyway), with brief interludes of “oh shit I shorted the ships entire mains out cos I don’t have the right adaptor for the tape recorder so I used bare wires” (true) onto the pet tarantula which got loose and took 4 days to find (again true but nothing to do with me, honest guv) on the MV Isle of Arran.
Do they still sell chips in polystyrene cups on the Calmac ferries? To me, nothing says holidays louder than chips in a polystyrene cup. It is the way they need to be served but I bet it’s gone all cordon blue these days.
I’m glad they stopped the polystyrene though. I watched a documentary about rubbish in the sea, p[lastics mainly, that don’t degrade and end up killing so much wildlife. Birds can swallow huge things that fill up half their stomachs and mean they can’t eat properly. They get weak and die.
We are so careless with all this plastic. We’ll end up killing everything off.
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 
Cumbrae looks a far distance from Dundee, and who can resist the lure of chimney pots at sunset? 😉
Lebanon is cool too.
“Look to the Rainbow.” Petula is clearly a way better dancer that Fred Astaire was a singer……LOL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As for Finian’s Rainbow, ever wonder why the dancing seems less than stellar? They fired the choreographer and proceeded without one. And why did Fred Astaire’s feet dance in and out of frame? That happened when they blew up the 35mm negative to a 70mm print for the road show distribution. There was pot smoking going on too according to Petula.
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/484240%7C23972/Finian-s-Rainbow.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/9505840/Fred-Astaire-used-cannabis-claims-Petula-Clark.html
LikeLike
Nah. Look to *this* Rainbow…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw Rainbow at the old Glasgow Apollo in the ’70’s.
Good memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Saw them late seventies at Ingleston. Dio had some voice didn’t he? RIP.
LikeLike
It was about 2 hours on a bus, Danny. But it was a world away. I thought you’d like the chimney pots.
Petula was scared stiff of dancing with Astaire. She spent a full week rehearsing with his choreographer. I liked the little kids dancing with Astaire at the end. Funny though, you look at them and think they’ll all be in their 50s by now!!
LikeLike
That guy has a fantastic voice. The rest of the musicians are good too, but he is some singer!
LikeLike
Tris,
beautiful. just beautiful. It fair cheers me up.
LikeLike
Grand, Douglas. That’s what it’s there for.
LikeLike
Soppy Sunday comes round so fast. Love it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah, scary how fast it comes around, and seems to get faster as the years pass!! Glad you’re enjoying it.
LikeLike
May I just mention that this web site now has over 2000 subscribers? Quite astonishing.
Munguins’ Republic rocks!
No subscription, no agenda, no off topic, beautiful pictures, and a complete and utter soul.
Well, folks, there are 2000 of us. What are we we going to do with that?
LikeLiked by 1 person
well I think there are more than 2000 of us because I’m not a subscriber so I’m sure that there must be others that just drop by too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
panda paws
Perhaps you are right. I forget, but signing up to Munguins Republic was free? Indeed the author of this actually refused my money. Which is probably unique in the cause of Scottish Independence. And probably why I love the author of this site.
You do more than ‘drop by’ . You are a bit of a hero around here.
You should sign up too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a party?
LikeLike
I don’t know how Tris does it but every week Soppy Sunday delights. Even leaving aside the adorable men of the forest, there are some corkers. Love the two pandas – gives you an insight into why we are called giant. The peacock is amazing – I think even nicer than the multicoloured ones and the colour of the water in the turtle picture, lovely.
I’ve never been to Cumbrae – it’s now officially embarrassing that a Dundonian has been there before me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed,
See my post above.
LikeLike
Thanks for all the praise, folks…
Munguin is getting all swell headed.
I loved the ferry ride, PP. Long enough to be exciting and short enough not to get boring!
LikeLike
what a lovely thing to say Douglas. I’m not sure many would share your view that I’m a hero of MR but I accept you compliment most gratefully.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. course you are, PP. You’re proof reader and writer and all round good egg!
LikeLike
tris
Here is the link
The threat is is clear the intention without doubt
Ignore snp democracy and the bomb and the bullet
Will be the only avenue for the Nationalists to achieve
Independence..
Your fulsome apology is awaited
LikeLike
https://wingsoverscotland.com/there-is-nothing-you-can-do/
LikeLike
I can’t see your comment in that link, niko. Wishful thinking?
LikeLike
Well, Ruth Davidson is a nut job! Niko, what else did you expect of me, or her? Frankly I hope it doesn’t come to that, for claiming, on behalf of the establishment, that it requires bombs and bullets to effect change is just ridiculous. And self serving bullshit. Perhaps yesterday, when our streets were turned orange was indeed the day to talk the talk. Who was it again who said “Political power comes out of the barrel of a gun?”
Mao Tse Tung
The woman has zero respect for you nor I, who attempt to keep this debate civilized.
LikeLike
Thanks Niko. So, what was being said was that basically, Labour and Tories were saying that it didn’t matter what voters said, no referendum would be allowed; no independence would be allowed.
All he was doing was throwing the logic of the situation in their faces.
If you (I mean “one”) refuse to allow something that parliament has passed, what do you (does one) do to democracy?
Seems to me that Davidson in particular was saying that the vote of the majority of the parliament to bring forward a bill to ask the Tories for permission for a referendum, was pointless because the Tories could simply ignore the majority of the parliament.
The logical question then was, in the UK, how do we get what the majority voted for? Is Ruth suggesting armed struggle?
I dont think for a second that Stuart was advocating armed struggle. Indeed his last paragraph seems to say just that:
“We fervently hope that the increasingly demented, belligerent, angry and provocative intransigence of the Unionist parties – along with their constant reckless inflaming of the known violent elements on their own side – does not succeed in what is an ever more apparent aim of changing that fact. There’s nothing they’d love more.”
I don’t think anyone was questioning your character. After 9 years of Munguin’s Republic we all know what your character is. But on something like this you have to read the article to be able to comment upon it.
LikeLike
I am still waiting !!!!
you traduced my good character
Shame on you although I suspect
conans dark Hand is behind this slur !
LikeLike
I am off to paint an elderly pensioners
(85) flat prior to her moving in .unpaid
And voluntary and her family are
predominantly snp.
Life is more complicated than some imagine
LikeLiked by 1 person
Painting it red, white and blue Niko?
LikeLiked by 1 person
White actually with gray patterned wallpaper with
Small light couloured butterfly within pattern
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not doing the kerbs then?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could you come round and paint Munguin Towers too, Niko?
Munguin has been looking at painters and decorators but they all charge money.
Capitalists!
LikeLike
Niko, it was your heroine, Ruth Davidson that imagined a failure of democracy so extreme that she, might have to produce her tanks from behind the barricades! The inflammatory language is hers. It matches Mao Tse-Tung; who I believe I am quoting correctly, who said that ‘political power comes out of the barrel of a gun’. Neither he nor she had a clue. It comes out of the people.
The woman is an utter nut case.
“Life is more complicated than some imagine.”
Indeed. For despite our spats on here, I think you are an OK guy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely phoaties – as always. I’m pretty sure that “Sunset on derelict chimney pots” is Dumbarton, the tall building on the right being the ruins of the former Ballantyne’s Distillery (Hiram Walker’s) – recently demolished.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Andi. I did a search on the sunset photo, but to no avail.
LikeLike
I was raised not ¼ of a mile away from there, Tris. Everyone in Dumbarton knew “Hiram’s” building: it was the tallest in the town, a real local landmark and was reputed to be at one time the largest brick-built edifice in Europe. I’ve got a few photos of it myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Andi.
LikeLike
By the wonders of Google map, the chimney pots are on the old British Linen Bank building which is now a pub called the Counting House.
I do have a life, honestly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL Course you do, Conan.
Thanks for the research!
LikeLike
I thought it was lower Victoria Road in Dundee.
Maybe a phoaty fae Munguins Penthouse?
LikeLike
See me? I thought the largest brick built building in Europe was the grain thingy on the borders of Scotstoun / Partick, also on the Clyde. Absolutely sure I read that somewhere, sometime. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks with me?
LikeLiked by 2 people
The television antennas contrast nicely with the chimney pots, and tell us that the building has TV.
LikeLike
No, douglasclark, your memory isn’t playing tricks. The building complex you mention was the Meadowbank Granary, comprising the original granary (1914) and 3 extensions -1937, 1960 & 1968. I remember it well: it really dominated that part of Clydeside. It probably was the largest brick-built edifice in Europe: the original 1914 building had 5 million bricks. Apparently Ballantine’s Distillery had only a measly 2 million. Still, at least it was the biggest grain distillery in Europe and tae a wee boay in Dumbarton it certainly looked huge.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love the way we get into detailed discussion about things on Soppy Sunday. There are so many knowledgeable readers. It makes for an interesting day.
Thank you.
LikeLike
Andimac,
Genuine thanks for the information. On that basis, I should perhaps share my recurring strange dreams about grain falling out of that building and been taken away by what to my, non-ornithological eye, look a bit like swifts. Lots of them. Hence my interest in the building.
So, as our hero trispw says below, thanks again, (I owe you one).
LikeLiked by 1 person
How nice that Niko and the subsequent comments have provided me an excuse to write a few solidly historical American words about the subject of independence.
I’ll begin by acknowledging that I know nothing worth saying about the strategy and tactics of the Scottish independence movement, and then in the interest of American history, say a few kind words about the practical utility of the “bomb and the bullet” in such matters. This is after all the second day of July; the day that in 1776, the motion of the radicals was brought to the floor of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia and adopted. A motion that declared a complete political break and full independence from the hated British and their empire.
Niko: “The threat is clear the intention without doubt Ignore snp democracy and the bomb and the bullet
Will be the only avenue for the Nationalists to achieve Independence..”
So am I to understand just two days before the glorious American Fourth of July, the immortal day of John Adams’ “bonfires and illuminations”, that you are opposed to the “bomb and the bullet” on principle, or simply as an unfortunate tactical necessity when all else fails?
Quote: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
The ranting of Mao Tse Tung?
No! Thomas Jefferson said that.
Mr. Jefferson knew that the language of revolution has its uses, and points out that blood is involved if petitions of peace and appeals for a redress of grievances fail. And let’s not be naive. Mao was also right to point out that political power can indeed come out of the barrel of a gun. The American patriots who took their rifles off the wall and fired the first shots at the British Army on the Village Green at Lexington understood that very well.
The Irish also understood that in their dealings with the English. And the Indians.
Who DIDN’T get the message about the English? The Canadians and the Australians for example, who loved peace more than their own liberty, and are still bending their knee to the English King.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha, Danny.
Like you need an excuse! 🙂
Always interesting mate.
LikeLike
Yes Tris, the Americans are a bit more predisposed than some others (like those peaceful namby-pamby Canadians) to the use of the bomb and the bullet in a good cause. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aye Danny. Just that their definition of a good cause, wouldn’t always be the exact same as mine!
LikeLike
Danny
You got a Trump for president
So in the USA something is definitely broken .
Tell me do have a female friend etc and is blood coming out of her as Mr Trump says
I mean can you believe it ???
LikeLiked by 1 person
None of us can believe it. It’s unbelievable.
LikeLike
Niko,
I am, perhaps unfairly, no definitely unfairly replying to you when you have knowt to do with it. Unless you choose to join which I might welcome. It is odd, some posts are open for comments and others are not.
Anyway, as our good friend Danny is talking American exceptionalism, and how sad Canadians are, he should perhaps be reminded of the ignominy of his great state once upon a time in America:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington
LikeLiked by 1 person
Danno
One of me favourite American
(Native and o “When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.”
A bit beyond Trump methinks
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes Niko, I must admit that Mr. Trump IS pretty unbelievable, and not the most powerful argument in the world for an elected head of state. I have to think that perhaps Messrs. Adams, Jefferson, et al, got it just a little bit wrong around the edges. They would perhaps be surprised by a president who has declared a free press (now populated by some uppity women) to be an “enemy of the people.”
As for indiscriminately raping and pillaging the land in pursuit of short term self-interest, I would say that America has followed (on a smaller scale actually) what the English did when they let loose on the whole world in the name of King and empire. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
God knows, that’s not hard.
LikeLike
DannO
M last word
When you have to say I am president they are not
It only goes to show he ain’t president and he ain’t in charge
LikeLiked by 1 person
Niko: We can perhaps HOPE that he’s too busy re-litigating who actually won the election to be in effective charge of anything. He declares that he won the greatest electoral college vote in modern political history. He didn’t. He declares that he won a majority of the popular vote. He didn’t. He says there was massive voter fraud that exclusively went into Hillary’s vote count. There wasn’t and it didn’t. And for that matter, he’s still litigating the size of his inauguration crowd, which he insists was larger than Obama’s. The pictures show that this is a joke, but what are you going to believe, Mr. Trump or the photographs and your lying eyes? And what does this say about his disordered mind?
There was a time when the mainstream press reported without comment what politicians said. Well, that was no longer viable when reporting on the Manhattan real estate huckster and TV reality showman who lies as easily as he breathes. So the New York Times has published a definitive list of every lie the orange faced demagogue and self-confessed sexual predator has told since the day he took office.
TRUMP’S LIES:
LikeLiked by 2 people
Excellent, Danny
LikeLike
Well this is an attempt to speak directly to Danny. It will probably fail as most things in the UK do. Anyway:
Our good friend Danny is talking American exceptionalism, and how sad Canadians are, he should perhaps be reminded of the ignominy of his great state once upon a time in America:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington
That was a few years after 1776, if memory serves.
Not so clever back then Danny?
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL Douglas…..Well, the bombs and bullets approach doesn’t always work out exactly as planned, and the Battle of Bladensburg was not exactly our finest hour. It did leave Washington and most notably the White House and Capitol at the mercy of the damnable marauding British Army. 😉 Thank GOD that Dolly Madison saved that famous portrait of Washington (which is now back in the White House where it belongs,) as President Madison conducted the affairs of state from horseback for the next few days.
We did better at Baltimore 20 days later, when Fort McHenry held out against 25 hours of shelling by the British fleet, and saved the city from the fate of Washington. Fortunately an American lawyer and poet on board a British ship in the harbor was there to observe “by the dawn’s early light,” the “star spangled banner” still flying over the fort. So we saved Baltimore AND got a neat national anthem out of the deal……LOL.
As for mindless American exceptionalism, I love this clip from “The Newsroom”. Written even BEFORE Trump was elected president:
LikeLiked by 1 person
And dc……..speaking of 1776, the Fourth of July is at hand. The fireworks are being readied as we speak.
The old Pennsylvania State House (originally the 1753 colonial legislature for the Province of Pennsylvania) still stands and is now called Independence Hall. (Old by American standards.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
dc……And if the video hangs up in the WordPress viewer (as it did once,) it’s publicly listed and can be viewed on the YouTube website by a YouTube search of “The Vote For Independence”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fascinating, Danny.
LikeLike
Heh good old CalMac.
First job I had was with them, not on the local Stornoway to Ullapool run but Adrossan to Brodick & Gourock Dunoon.
The Gourock-Dunoon run was OK, apart from not having a clue which way you were going – always funny asking a passenger that 🙂
Ardrossan to Brodick was brutal in summer – even 30+ years ago we were carrying close to a million people a month. Oh and yes I know what the official figures say, I’ve seen it so rammed it was virtually impossible to move on the main passenger decks. Start your day at 0430 in summer and finish at 2230, 5 days on 5 off , 5 on 2 off. Young persons game, good money even if all you did was clean shit up.
As to why I didn’t get on the local run when they had an identical vacancy? Gods only know. It turned into a blessing though as back then you got a bus/train pass with CalMac which covered all the UK intercity buses and BR. Five days on, five days wandering. Was fun 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ships “served” on in no particular order:
Claymore
Juno
Jupiter
Isle of Arran
Pioneer
Clansman
Hebrides
Never did end up working on the “home run” although amusingly I did end up on the Isle of Arran on the Stornoway run in winter as a passenger some years later. Very strange grabbing a couple of hours of kip in the old cabin, also forgot the communal crew showers.
I went in at the wrong time as a teenage male when the (mainly) equally young women were meant to be showering. Nobody told me (setup obviously) but I had some fun 🙂 That was several years before so strange to see it again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. Fantastic.
Thanks for sharing that, Vestas.
LikeLike
Used to be said that serving on ships was governed by “rum, lash & sodomy” & to be fair you’ll find plenty of the latter two on many merchant ships these days. Alcohol not so much.
The CalMac ships in the 1980s on the Clyde were basically work hard play hard for those of us doing “stewarding” duties – ie food, clean etc. I was making around £145/week (after tax etc) as a 16 year old nearly 35 years ago & for 2 out of 3 weeks my food/board was covered too (on the ship). I had one week out of 3 off effectively, great times.
I had some fun times with female staff too (cabins next door etc) which culminated in a big fight between two in the crews mess. One threw a cup of coffee in the others face & when the mess was almost clear of people I asked (naively) what it was all about. “You” said the 23 year old (female) supervisor and well you can imagine where it went from there.
If it sounds like “Carry on Shagging” then that’s what it was (for me anyway), with brief interludes of “oh shit I shorted the ships entire mains out cos I don’t have the right adaptor for the tape recorder so I used bare wires” (true) onto the pet tarantula which got loose and took 4 days to find (again true but nothing to do with me, honest guv) on the MV Isle of Arran.
It was a blast, it really was 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. It sounds it.
When did you pack it in?
And why!!!!
LikeLike
Do they still sell chips in polystyrene cups on the Calmac ferries? To me, nothing says holidays louder than chips in a polystyrene cup. It is the way they need to be served but I bet it’s gone all cordon blue these days.
Great photos, as always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think they’ve been allowed to do that for maybe 30 years? Pretty sure they got phased out late 80s.
Reason being they’re responsible for all waste from the ship and the wee cups of chips float forever when people ditch them over the side.
BTW in the 80’s little poly cups of chips got sold as “Cheeky Chips” to kids in Stornoway (of whom I was one).
Priceless isn’t it? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed.
I’m glad they stopped the polystyrene though. I watched a documentary about rubbish in the sea, p[lastics mainly, that don’t degrade and end up killing so much wildlife. Birds can swallow huge things that fill up half their stomachs and mean they can’t eat properly. They get weak and die.
We are so careless with all this plastic. We’ll end up killing everything off.
LikeLike