Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[rfgqqabc]

I take no sides in any of this stuff, in fact I'm sick of hearing about it to be honest. However what really irked me last week was cycling past the BBC building in Nottingham down by the canal, there was a very large and vocal group of Palestinians chanting and protesting about 'BBC bias against Palestine'. Now I don't know if they really had a case or not as all I hear is blame and counter blame from both sides, but it struck me what a fucking cheek it was to have a country be good enough to accept you in to live here and then have the gall to protest against their media.

If I ever lived in another country that were kind enough to accept me I would never protest against their media, they are just ungrateful idiots imo.

Your kidding right? Freedom of expression is one reason they came here. If they think the media is biased, let them protest, whats the big deal. Hardly a country good enough to accept people with that sort of attitude. Just seeing the words having the gall to protest makes my blood boil.

No I'm not kidding, I would never do that in a country that was good enough to host me,

Scenario 1) The BBC is actually biased, and by protesting, they draw attention to this fact, and these protests allow the general public to either a) understand the BBC is biased when it comes to reporting or b) the bbc is  forced reform to make it a less biased source of information. Both A and B help the British people.

Scenario 2) The BBC isn't biased, nothing happens in regards to the protests, some people who still see it as biased continue to protest, but it largely has no impact on anyone at all.

I'm really struggling to see any negative scenario for anyone here, apart from the possibility of the British public being apathetic if the BBC is biased, but that isn't the fault of any immigrant or refugee that has moved here.

[Skippy]

How do you know they are all Palestinians protesting? What makes you think they are immigrants and not born here?

[Skippy]

Bet Tony's delighted this has all landed on his diary.

[tikay]

Bet Tony's delighted this has all landed on his diary.

All chat is good.

What about MH370 though?

[Skippy]

Bet Tony's delighted this has all landed on his diary.

All chat is good.

What about MH370 though?

That's not landed anywhere.

[tikay]

Bet Tony's delighted this has all landed on his diary.

All chat is good.

What about MH370 though?

That's not landed anywhere.

That MH370 thread on PPRuNe now has 19 million views. Most of them different.

[Doobs]

Bet Tony's delighted this has all landed on his diary.

All chat is good.

What about MH370 though?

Obviously shot down by The Jews and covered up by the Jewish media. (Whistling smiley).

[AlunB]

Did you manage to read that article that I linked this morning?

I know it was long but I found it a compelling read and even-handed too.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for linking to that Ralph.  It really is well written and argued and, to an extent, has probably changed my view on the conflict although I am still not sure the latest incursions into Gaza are really justified but I am certainly less sure than I was before.

I spat my coffee out when I read that the rest of the World has shown itself eager to murder the Jews at almost every opportunity.  I had to reread it to make sure he really did say that.  I have worked with several Jews (and Muslims) over the years and managed to resist taking a kitchen knife into work without too much difficulty up to this point.   Once you start saying things like this then I am not going to believe for one second you are presenting a balanced argument at all. 

Some individuals may wish to kill Jews, but it certainly isn't the rest of the World or even most of the people in the Muslim World. 

Then we get to the bit where Israel is surrounded by people who want to commit genocide on them.  Whilst I can half believe it of some elements in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, but even then it is never going to be a majority view, and I struggle to see how you can extend it to Jordan.  You'd also struggle to convince me that your average Egyptian has designs on murdering  hundreds of Jews.  Even in Gaza I expect most people just want to live a normal life and very few would really consider donning a suicide vest. 

Then we get a couple of paragraphs detailing the use of human shields. Though I am sure it occasionally happens, you aren't going to find many documented examples. It just seems like the work of one side's PR machine.  We wouldn't kill so many civilliabs if they didn't use them as human shields.  It can't just be kids living with their families or just those in the wrong place at the wrong time?  No the justification is frequently the much more unlikely "human shield" story this time round.   I accept that Hamas do launch rockets from crowded areas, but a lot of that is the result of living on crowded areas and due to the imbalance of each side's war machine, rather than a policy to use human shields.

Then we hear how Muslim's don't condemn ISIS, well I don't know of a single one who isn't horrified by them, and the developing refugee problem in Iraq and Syria doesn't suggest mass support even on their strongholds.  If I lived in Iraq, then it would seem odd that people elsewhere would believe I was more concerned with possible Israeli war crimes than with the territory captured by ISIS.   And nothing either side is doing in Israel seems to come close to their modus operandi. 

I really don't want to take sides, but this has been posted twice now here.   I just wanted to point out this article is much more unbalanced than it purports to be.   

I personally find both sides pretty reprehensible in all of this.  If it isn't clear above, I think firing rockets at Israel seems a long way away from the best thing Hamas could do for their own people.   It is wrong as a long term strategy to bring abou a better life for your people, and much worse for those who happen to be In close proximity.  I am sure they are a whole lost of things that Palestinians have done recently I can happily condemn too (sure I read somewhere the other day an arms cache had been found in a school for instance).  But no amount of idiocy on either side seems enough to jusify the other sides actions here and I just wish people would stop trying to justify them.

+1 A friend sent me this article this morning, and my reaction was not particularly polite. I also enjoyed the running argument that Jews were better than Muslims because they were less religious as I felt that was fantastically intellectually rigorous

roll eyes smiley

[Karabiner]

So Tony, did you read the article?

[tikay]

So Tony, did you read the article?

Ha!

I'm ducking & diving a bit this morning, between here & Next Door, & was hoping to avoid that question.

Yes, I read it. When I first saw it I was busy, so decided to take a look late last night, when I had no distractions, & could read it properly. In fact, I enjoyed the style of writing so much, I read it twice. Loved those little bits at the end of each section. "READ THAT AGAIN. I'm NOT SAYING BLA BLA BLA."

I had not heard of the author, Sam Harris, previously, so I Wiki'd him,....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Harris_(author)

All a bit deep for me, in truth.

As to the Content, well my reaction this morning, to a degree, is influenced by all the feedback on here.

I'm afraid I'm rather ignorant as to the whole history of Paslestine & Isreal.   

I do know I ache with sorrow every day when I read of all the innocent civvies, children especially, being killed or maimed. When will it end? I've been thinking that most of my life about that conflict, just as I did about Northern Ireland. Whole generations of people living their entire life under a cloud. Meanwhile, Next Door, I'm busy fielding questions every day from poker players who think life is over because Sky Poker don't have running Antes.

But anyway....

I actually thought Mr Woodfield added an interesting PS. 

I think the problem is that people want a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy' - it gets much harder when both sides are a bit of both.

The problem with tit for tat is that we can do that forever.

I genuinely wish that whole thing would go away, be solved, that's all I know for sure. And I don't see that it ever will. It will continue to divide all of us who have even an iota of humanitarian care in them. 

And thats not a kop out, it's what I think. 

[Karabiner]

So Tony, did you read the article?

Ha!

I'm ducking & diving a bit this morning, between here & Next Door, & was hoping to avoid that question.

Yes, I read it. When I first saw it I was busy, so decided to take a look late last night, when I had no distractions, & could read it properly. In fact, I enjoyed the style of writing so much, I read it twice. Loved those little bits at the end of each section. "READ THAT AGAIN. I'm NOT SAYING BLA BLA BLA."

I had not heard of the author, Sam Harris, previously, so I Wiki'd him,....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Harris_(author)

All a bit deep for me, in truth.

As to the Content, well my reaction this morning, to a degree, is influenced by all the feedback on here.

I'm afraid I'm rather ignorant as to the whole history of Paslestine & Isreal.   

I do know I ache with sorrow every day when I read of all the innocent civvies, children especially, being killed or maimed. When will it end? I've been thinking that most of my life about that conflict, just as I did about Northern Ireland. Whole generations of people living their entire life under a cloud. Meanwhile, Next Door, I'm busy fielding questions every day from poker players who think life is over because Sky Poker don't have running Antes.

But anyway....

I actually thought Mr Woodfield added an interesting PS. 

I think the problem is that people want a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy' - it gets much harder when both sides are a bit of both.

The problem with tit for tat is that we can do that forever.

I genuinely wish that whole thing would go away, be solved, that's all I know for sure. And I don't see that it ever will. It will continue to divide all of us who have even an iota of humanitarian care in them. 

And thats not a kop out, it's what I think. 

Those notes by the author were added after he had re-read the transcript of what was originally a pod-cast.

I agree with you Tony, I just wish it would end too.

But the problem has now become so complex that there probably is no simple solution, especially with Islamists like hamas in charge of Gaza.

[tikay]

So Tony, did you read the article?

Ha!

I'm ducking & diving a bit this morning, between here & Next Door, & was hoping to avoid that question.

Yes, I read it. When I first saw it I was busy, so decided to take a look late last night, when I had no distractions, & could read it properly. In fact, I enjoyed the style of writing so much, I read it twice. Loved those little bits at the end of each section. "READ THAT AGAIN. I'm NOT SAYING BLA BLA BLA."

I had not heard of the author, Sam Harris, previously, so I Wiki'd him,....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Harris_(author)

All a bit deep for me, in truth.

As to the Content, well my reaction this morning, to a degree, is influenced by all the feedback on here.

I'm afraid I'm rather ignorant as to the whole history of Paslestine & Isreal.   

I do know I ache with sorrow every day when I read of all the innocent civvies, children especially, being killed or maimed. When will it end? I've been thinking that most of my life about that conflict, just as I did about Northern Ireland. Whole generations of people living their entire life under a cloud. Meanwhile, Next Door, I'm busy fielding questions every day from poker players who think life is over because Sky Poker don't have running Antes.

But anyway....

I actually thought Mr Woodfield added an interesting PS. 

I think the problem is that people want a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy' - it gets much harder when both sides are a bit of both.

The problem with tit for tat is that we can do that forever.

I genuinely wish that whole thing would go away, be solved, that's all I know for sure. And I don't see that it ever will. It will continue to divide all of us who have even an iota of humanitarian care in them. 

And thats not a kop out, it's what I think. 

Those notes by the author were added after he had re-read the transcript of what was originally a pod-cast.

I agree with you Tony, I just wish it would end too.

But the problem has now become so complex that there probably is no simple solution, especially with Islamists like hamas in charge of Gaza.

Amen.

[bobby1]

Wtf is going on here Tony, poetry from you and poker talk from Tal? I'm starting to think there is some multi accounting going on here and you got your logins mixed up.

I was going to post this on Tom's excellent diary but it seems like a brief interlude from war, religion and that poetry bollox you  have posted might lighten the mood.

It was a warm summer day and the mountains in the distance looked....er, far away.

Anyway, We were getting ready for a nice day out and the Mrs appeared in a very nice outfit. I passed polite approval along the lines of 'nice spangly bits across your knockers darling'

As everyone was now ready I decided it was time to jump in the shower but had a small problem as the door was one of those concertina type doors that has a hinge in the middle. Being a sausage finger type of guy I just started pulling it about in the hope it would open. Unfortunately I pulled all the wrong bits and the entire shower door came off its roller at both the top and the bottom.

I reverted to my usual approach in spots like this and just shouted 'Mrs, Mrs we have a problem'

In marched the aforementioned spangly topped lovely who looked at me standing in front if the shower with the entire door in my hand and gave me a calm and comforting 'knobhead' so I at least knew she wasn't cross.

She then got into the very tight shower cubicle and attempted to remedy the problem by attaching the rollers to the top and bottom rail to put the door back in place. The shower has one of those protruding taps that only moves left for hot and right for cold and up to make it more powerful. As she stood up to get a better view of the top rail her arse cheek pushed the tap on and also up which turned on the shower powerfully and covered her with water and brought about a very piercing screech. There she stood, all spangly wet and flapping about in her new going out clothes but still holding the entire shower door in her hands. We both then burst into laughter and she did that Eric Morecambe line from the Singing in the Rain parody and just said ' I'm wet, I'm all wet'

In typical Geordie bird fashion she then just carried on fixing the door with water dripping off her, got out and said ' have a bath instead you numpty'

[tikay]

Wtf is going on here Tony, poetry from you and poker talk from Tal? I'm starting to think there is some multi accounting going on here and you got your logins mixed up.

I was going to post this on Tom's excellent diary but it seems like a brief interlude from war, religion and that poetry bollox you  have posted might lighten the mood.

It was a warm summer day and the mountains in the distance looked....er, far away.

Anyway, We were getting ready for a nice day out and the Mrs appeared in a very nice outfit. I passed polite approval along the lines of 'nice spangly bits across your knockers darling'

As everyone was now ready I decided it was time to jump in the shower but had a small problem as the door was one of those concertina type doors that has a hinge in the middle. Being a sausage finger type of guy I just started pulling it about in the hope it would open. Unfortunately I pulled all the wrong bits and the entire shower door came off its roller at both the top and the bottom.

I reverted to my usual approach in spots like this and just shouted 'Mrs, Mrs we have a problem'

In marched the aforementioned spangly topped lovely who looked at me standing in front if the shower with the entire door in my hand and gave me a calm and comforting 'knobhead' so I at least knew she wasn't cross.

She then got into the very tight shower cubicle and attempted to remedy the problem by attaching the rollers to the top and bottom rail to put the door back in place. The shower has one of those protruding taps that only moves left for hot and right for cold and up to make it more powerful. As she stood up to get a better view of the top rail her arse cheek pushed the tap on and also up which turned on the shower powerfully and covered her with water and brought about a very piercing screech. There she stood, all spangly wet and flapping about in her new going out clothes but still holding the entire shower door in her hands. We both then burst into laughter and she did that Eric Morecambe line from the Singing in the Rain parody and just said ' I'm wet, I'm all wet'

In typical Geordie bird fashion she then just carried on fixing the door with water dripping off her, got out and said ' have a bath instead you numpty'

Great stuff Phil. You are in Spain, right?

That poetry bollox? Just did it to annoy Chalet Man, knew he'd bite. He did.

It was a warm summer day and the mountains in the distance looked....er, far away.

You see, that is GOOD. That bloody Absolute Poker book got worse, acres of that banal nonsense. Honestly, I've never read a boom as bad as that, ever. And that includes Chompy's book.   

[bobby1]

Yes we are here until 2morrow afternoon. We met up with a long time friend of mine and his family over the weekend  that now lives in Gib and is in charge of footy ante post at the firm Mr Tabor seems to have become the major share holder.

His knowledge of the lower league stuff is fantastic, was fascinating to listen to him dissecting teams in the Ryman and other lower leagues. The thing I found amazing was that the influx of the bookmaking fraternity in Gib has caused a huge increase in house prices and rents. They moved from the place they originally moved into when they were told the rent was going up 500 a month after their initial agreement had expired. No negotiating, it's up 500 or move out. Some of the guys have had increases of 800 a month after the initial agreements and when they have moved out there has been a new tenant in straight away and paying the new monthly rate.

I'm guessing the landlords have realised that with re location  packages and a boom industry out there they were in a period they could get maximum value from. I'm not sure how POC tax will change the need for offshore offices but here must be a chance that the housing market there could be a right mess. We have been holidaying near Benalmadina harbour for many years and some of the apartments in the bay there were going for 3/4 of a million 8 or so years ago. Looking through the for sale brochures last weekend and some of them are for sale for 1/2 a million now so could see a similar thing happen in Gib too should the gaming firms start to relocate back to Blighty again.