Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Geo the Sarge]

I expect many of you recall a TV Show called "This Is Your Life". Reflecting society, it majored on Celebs, "ooh, Bruce Forsyth, great" sorta thing. It was unmitigated shite, of course.

But......many, many, years ago, in the days of Black & White TV, it was a great Show, & it, like it's successor, was compered by Eamonn Andrews, with his famous "red book".

The difference between the two Shows was that the original featured "regular people" - Foster Mums, Lighthouse Keepers, School Crossing Ladies, Nurses, Policemen, bus drivers, & such like. It was evocative, tear-jerking stuff, to see a Foster Mum of 8 kids, suddenly humbled by the honour she so deserved.

My cousin Jimmy (from Preston) was on it once, on FIVE different occasions he saved folks from drowning in the Irish Sea, off Blackpool. We used to joke that he pushed them in first, so as to rescue them & get the gong. And he duly got his gong, at the Palace, & became the family hero. He went on to become Deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire I believe. We never liked him much, he was a bit sniffy, but a hero, nonetheless.

I'm reminded of this by the New Year Honours List. I have no interest, either way, in Lewis Hamilton, who's prob earned £10 million this year, getting a gong, or, say, a Premiership Footballer.

The most remarkable gong double this year was the Hoy Family - son Chris got Sirred for his Olympic efforts, fair enough - but his Mum, bless her, got an MBE "for services to Nursing". Guess which one I most admire?

My old Boss, John Kirkland, got an OBE (a few years ago) for "services to Derbyshire Ambulance Service", for whom he worked tirelessly, & voluntarily, for 15 years, taking it from the bottom to the top of the Ambulance Service League Tables before merging with Leicestershire Ambulance Service. I wonder how many lives he helped to save by improving the Ambulance Service?

There's a chap on Leicester Railway Station who has an OBE, he's been a "Platform Manager" for 40 odd years, & you've never met a more helpful guy. No moans, no groans, just gets on with his job, helping folks along with a cheery smile. Tom told me about him, so I disembarked at Leicester one day just to meet him, I shook his hand, & he was bursting with pride & humility. And smiling.....

Rebecca Adlington got an OBE, good for her, I think it was for Services to Abuse by those who should know better. She's a massive folk hero here in the Midlands, quite right too, & she's doing Charity work left, right & centre. The "Rebecca" thread on blonde was easily the most embarrassing thread on blonde this year, by a country mile, & I was ashamed of this Forum's crass insensitivity to a fellow human being. If it happened again, I'd pull the thread, pronto, & I'm a bit miffed with myself that I never did. I suppose humour is very subjective. It's also very hurtful, often to those who least deserve it.

Today's Honours List numbers thousands of regular peeps, doing mundane jobs well, but all the TV & Newspaper headlines are on the Sports Stars, or Robert Plant - how on earth did HE get one?

Society is changing so fast.

Great post, spot on. I've noted my dislike of the honours system on the forum before.

By all means reward the sports stars and musicians and actors etc, however I find it insulting that any sportsman/woman gains a Knighthood/becomes a Dame whilst these people working in the emergency services etc, saving lives week in week out are rewarded with the lower honours.

But I do know which ones will really take more pride in their award and which ones will use them for higher celebrity status and personal gain.

My favourite of the sports awards was Ellie Simmonds, the young paralympic swimmer. I, like anyone with an ounce of compassion, cried uncrontrolably when she gave her interview immediately after winning her Gold medal. A truly honest and heartfelt interview and show of immense pride in this Country. Well done lass.

Geo

[tikay]

It was announced today (Officially, Zell and I knew weeks ago) that founder member of, and (until very recently) unpaid full time volunteer worker for the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group, Siobhan Spencer was to become an MBE.

Siobhan has done more to improve the lot of disadvantaged Gypsy families than anyone in the country, we campaigned long and hard to get her this much deserved recognition.

Wp Ma'am.

EXACTLY the sort of person who most deserves these Honours.

"Unpaid full time volunteer". Some job she has too, social prejudice being what it is.

[Geo the Sarge]

Jock Stein?  (IIRC)

None other. How did you know that - I thought you were a Scot? How would a Scot know about Football?

PS - HNY, & Health, to you & Terry in '09.

Cos him and Terry were supplying the pies that day!!

Happy Tomorrow Mr K sir.

And Happy new year Colin and Terry

Geo

Thanks Geo, you too.

Do Servicemen & Women - regulars, not Officers - get fairly treated in the Honours List? You know, on a par with "Led Zeppelin's" Robert Plant?

I always try to explain that the Forces generally mimic society, after all they are Joe Public before they take the plunge into serving their country.

The elitism is generally the same, Officers are generally highlighted for the higher denomination awards whilst the soldiers/sailors/airmen & NCO's generally attain the lesser awards.

Awards for bravery in most cases are judged at the same level, however a lot of awards are given for other reasons. For example, it was always expected that the Commanding Officer of a Regiment on tour in Northern Ireland would be awarded the MBE in the following honours list, regardless how the Regiment itself had fared.

One of the strangest conversations I ever heard regards awards was when I attended an "O" group shortly after the end of the 1st Gulf war and the CO announced that the Regiment had been given the opportunity to apply for X amount of awards and that applications for anyone deemed suitable to be submitted through their OC's.

I though it very strange, if 5 guys were put forward for awards for example that they could actually come back with, "sorry there's only 4 available, choose the 4 best meritted.

The other thing that wrankles me is celebrity sports people who are serving in the forces, Akabusi, Holmes and the like who attain a higher Rank in the forces whilst not putting in the same amount of duty as the normal soldier.

Akabusi, for the gentleman he was, I was lucky to do a basketball coaches course with him, may well have found difficulty in reaching the rank of Sergeant Major in the time he did if he wasn't a sportstar.

And that's based on Time served and courses completed and not his colour, before anyone starts jumping on that waggon.

Geo

[tikay]

Tony did you read arseblogger today ?

There was a great piece where he quoted the Daily Star as having "a source" which said that Toure and Gallas had had a huge fallout and he wondered why a "source" would confide in such an August publication who's readers could only count up to two, and that being in tits.

Superb.

I've come to really enjoy his style of writing, & I quite look forward to reading his stuff now.

He also said this today. (Slightly edited....).

Meanwhile Andrei Arshavin's agent has said his client is aware of the financial doom that's sweeping the planet and would be amenable to reassessing his salary demands in order to facilitate a move. In other words the daft cu** completely priced himself and the player out of a couple of feasible transfers in the summer and is now willing to do what it takes to get the fuck out of St Petersburg.

 
Meanwhile Gael Clichy has said the boss has said that the players need to communicate more. Or betterer. Or something. There's no question in my mind that the defence lacks proper organisation, we saw that with the Villa equaliser the other night. They're too damn quiet. And unless they improve there's only one solution ... cocaine. People taking cocaine just don't shut the fuck up, they love the sound of their own voice, so each game one of the players has to do a few dirty great lines before kick-off and then we'll have that talker in defence that we need so badly. A little thinking outside the box is all that's required, you know.

Footballers using cocaine to communicate better, what a great excuse! It's good to snort talk.

[RED-DOG]

At least they had the good grace to use an upper case "G"

My fave one (I have a pic somewhere) reads "No gypsies or dogs!"

[Geo the Sarge]

Tony did you read arseblogger today ?

There was a great piece where he quoted the Daily Star as having "a source" which said that Toure and Gallas had had a huge fallout and he wondered why a "source" would confide in such an August publication who's readers could only count up to two, and that being in tits.

Superb.

I've come to really enjoy his style of writing, & I quite look forward to reading his stuff now.

He also said this today. (Slightly edited....).

Meanwhile Andrei Arshavin's agent has said his client is aware of the financial doom that's sweeping the planet and would be amenable to reassessing his salary demands in order to facilitate a move. In other words the daft cu** completely priced himself and the player out of a couple of feasible transfers in the summer and is now willing to do what it takes to get the fuck out of St Petersburg.

 
Meanwhile Gael Clichy has said the boss has said that the players need to communicate more. Or betterer. Or something. There's no question in my mind that the defence lacks proper organisation, we saw that with the Villa equaliser the other night. They're too damn quiet. And unless they improve there's only one solution ... cocaine. People taking cocaine just don't shut the fuck up, they love the sound of their own voice, so each game one of the players has to do a few dirty great lines before kick-off and then we'll have that talker in defence that we need so badly. A little thinking outside the box is all that's required, you know.

Footballers using cocaine to communicate better, what a great excuse! It's good to snort talk.

Why do I immediately get an Image of Tony Adams with his huge beak bawling out the Arsenal back 4??

Geo

[Colchester Kev]

Tony did you read arseblogger today ?

There was a great piece where he quoted the Daily Star as having "a source" which said that Toure and Gallas had had a huge fallout and he wondered why a "source" would confide in such an August publication who's readers could only count up to two, and that being in tits.

Superb.

I've come to really enjoy his style of writing, & I quite look forward to reading his stuff now.

He also said this today. (Slightly edited....).

Meanwhile Andrei Arshavin's agent has said his client is aware of the financial doom that's sweeping the planet and would be amenable to reassessing his salary demands in order to facilitate a move. In other words the daft cu** completely priced himself and the player out of a couple of feasible transfers in the summer and is now willing to do what it takes to get the fuck out of St Petersburg.

 
Meanwhile Gael Clichy has said the boss has said that the players need to communicate more. Or betterer. Or something. There's no question in my mind that the defence lacks proper organisation, we saw that with the Villa equaliser the other night. They're too damn quiet. And unless they improve there's only one solution ... cocaine. People taking cocaine just don't shut the fuck up, they love the sound of their own voice, so each game one of the players has to do a few dirty great lines before kick-off and then we'll have that talker in defence that we need so badly. A little thinking outside the box is all that's required, you know.

Footballers using cocaine to communicate better, what a great excuse! It's good to snort talk.

Why do I immediately get an Image of Tony Adams with his huge beak bawling out the Arsenal back 4??

Geo

He was pissed ... and he couldnt get any cocaine, Merson wouldnt share !

[tikay]

At least they had the good grace to use an upper case "G"

My fave one (I have a pic somewhere) reads "No gypsies or dogs!"

This drawing (I assume drawing), Tom, accompanied an Online article which is far too gross to link to here, but I'll send you the link via PM.

[tikay]

A brief end of 2008 "thank you" to all the blonde Staff, Admin, &, in particular, all the Mods.

The first 6 months of 208 were torrid for the Mods. To give you a clue as to how much work they do, my "Post Count" is 30,000+ I think. Like all Mods, that "Post Count" EXCLUDES Posts on the Mods Board - which, in my case, total over 6,000. And I'm not the busiest Mods Board Poster by any means. The Mods Board Threads (there were several) for the "FACT" thread alone ran to over 100 pages - 1,500 Posts.

The Mods get accused of all sorts of nonsense, too, but take it in their stride. It's a bit perplexing when it's suggested we are opening, & reading, Members PM's, but that was the accusation the Mods faced mid-year. You need to be pretty sick to think that, or even think that we'd allow it to happen. I guess we were judged by these folks own standards.

The 2nd half of 2008 has been much quieter in the Mods Room, thank goodness, it's bliss in there at the moment. Mostly..... cos we do have a ruck with each other now & then.

I think we had 29 Mods resignations in the Year. All were rejected. Only Kinboshi never offered to resign - he's not daft, but we'll wait.......

And to snoopy, for his tireless Home Page work, my thanks, ditto the Updaters.

Tighty, of course, you all know his workoad, & integrity, and Kev, doing his Cardroom stuff. He's made an enemy or two, but he's gained huge respect from most.

My thanks to every one of them, & my best wishes to them all for 2009.

[maccol]

Jock Stein?  (IIRC)

None other. How did you know that - I thought you were a Scot? How would a Scot know about Football?

PS - HNY, & Health, to you & Terry in '09.

Cos him and Terry were supplying the pies that day!!

Happy Tomorrow Mr K sir.

And Happy new year Colin and Terry

Geo

Thanks TK.Happy Wed/Thur to you.It is now officially past your bedtime.
All the best for the New Year Geo.
A peaceful and healthy time to you all from Colin and Terry

[RED-DOG]

At least they had the good grace to use an upper case "G"

My fave one (I have a pic somewhere) reads "No gypsies or dogs!"

This drawing (I assume drawing), Tom, accompanied an Online article which is far too gross to link to here, but I'll send you the link via PM.

Thank you for that Tony. I've seen some of this stuff before, but not all of it.

I will pass the link on to anyone who requests it.

[kinboshi]

My favourite of the sports awards was Ellie Simmonds, the young paralympic swimmer. I, like anyone with an ounce of compassion, cried uncrontrolably when she gave her interview immediately after winning her Gold medal. A truly honest and heartfelt interview and show of immense pride in this Country. Well done lass.

Geo

She is utterly brilliant.  13 years old, and a wiser girl I've never seen.  I've never been so happy to see someone win, and so glad she won the young SPOTY award. 

[tikay]

Midnight approaches, & I need to get out of here, & get to bed, before the phone goes mad, & the fireworks start.

I've lost a few "friends" in '08, I suppose I'm old & set in my ways, but my tolerance to some things decreases with age.  So be it, almost all of those that really matter to me remain where they were.

To all of you - every one of you - all the best in '09.

Let's hope Mr Mugabe does not read this.

[boldie]

At least they had the good grace to use an upper case "G"

My fave one (I have a pic somewhere) reads "No gypsies or dogs!"

This drawing (I assume drawing), Tom, accompanied an Online article which is far too gross to link to here, but I'll send you the link via PM.

Thank you for that Tony. I've seen some of this stuff before, but not all of it.

I will pass the link on to anyone who requests it.

Yes please Mr Red.

[tikay]

Morning all.

1) Happy New Year.

2) Glory be, Christmas & New Year is over at last, proper life, & work, can start again.

3) What does "tez" mean, please?

4) What does "yo" mean?