Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tonytats]

Thanks for answering my big o question the other day !
What's Omaha hi lo with a half kill ? - I often hear that being called in the Venetian ,not sure if I've played it once or twice ! Memory's getting a bit hazy these days !!

Joan Collins s dress was silk and cost £3200 the other woman's was a primarmni or some such inferior make and cost £32.99 ? Did I read in this mornings papers ?
I've just started reading brysons latest offering little dribbling by coincidence , a walk in the woods is still my favourite Bryson offering !!
Where are you staying in Vegas ?
We are at the Rio n nugget ?? I'm sure we will meet up !!

[Tal]

Thanks for answering my big o question the other day !
What's Omaha hi lo with a half kill ? - I often hear that being called in the Venetian ,not sure if I've played it once or twice ! Memory's getting a bit hazy these days !!
 

Half kill increases the limits by 50%, so a 2/4 game becomes a 3/6 game.

[tonytats]

That's it cheers I'd forgotten

[Karabiner]

Joan Collins made the headlines yesterday.

Why?

Well she turned up at a TV Studio for an interview wearing a dress very similar to that of the female Presenter. Gasp, what a disaster.

Think we can swiftly gloss over what are politely called "dress malfunctions" these days, though thank the Lord we were spared a Janet Jackson style nipplegate. With all due respect to Miss Collins, who turns 83 in a fortnight, the nipples of an octogenarian are a sight I'd rather be spared. Those who play golf, & have been in the Locker Room on Seniors Day, will get my drift. These are not pretty sights.

What did interest me as to Miss Collins, & all others of similar age - Karabiner springs readily to mind - is that whilst facially, cosmetic surgery can work absolute miracles - Miss Collins could easily pass for 40, facially - it's the arms, neck & hands that have so far eluded cosmetic surgeons, especially the hands.

 

I thought we agreed that you would not mention my cosmetic surgery, especially my top-of-the-range nose-job, however despite that you have reminded me of another outfit/dress malfunction.

As you know I went to boarding-school from there age of seven and at the end of term we would all catch the school-train from Ayelsbury to Waterloo where all of the boys would be met in on the platform mostly by their mothers.

One such end of term - I could only have been around nine years old - I arrived at Waterloo station and everyone else was greeted and embraced by their long-lost mothers and mine was nowhere to be seen. Eventually after almost everyone had headed off I heard someone utter pssssst and my mother who was hiding behind a large column beckoned me over.

She was wearing a rather fetching and quite loud red and black checked suit, probably from Selfridges latest collection, but in the distance leaving our platform was my friend Alastair and his mother was wearing the exact same outfit.

[Doobs]

OK, time for the daily perambulate.

I spotted a Water Fowl Mum & Dad with their day old chicks yesterday, the chicks were like little bundles of fluff, bobbing up & down on the surface of the water.

But better than that, & a real thrill, I espied at close quarters, sitting calmly on the flowing water of Molesey Weir, a beautiful Grey Heron. It's the first Heron I have seen on the Thames, ever.

It quite made my day.

This is not my photo, I found it on google Images, but this is the exact spot I saw it, & most probably the same Heron.

The Twitter caption said......


"Old Bill" the heron on the Thames - Molesey Weir - yesterday looking for a meal. New fish pass top right

When I lived in Putney, there used to be one sat under the bridge most mornings when the river was low.  That must have been 15 years ago.

[david3103]

OK, time for the daily perambulate.

I spotted a Water Fowl Mum & Dad with their day old chicks yesterday, the chicks were like little bundles of fluff, bobbing up & down on the surface of the water.

But better than that, & a real thrill, I espied at close quarters, sitting calmly on the flowing water of Molesey Weir, a beautiful Grey Heron. It's the first Heron I have seen on the Thames, ever.

It quite made my day.

This is not my photo, I found it on google Images, but this is the exact spot I saw it, & most probably the same Heron.

The Twitter caption said......


"Old Bill" the heron on the Thames - Molesey Weir - yesterday looking for a meal. New fish pass top right

When I lived in Putney, there used to be one sat under the bridge most mornings when the river was low.  That must have been 15 years ago.

We live in a quiet cul de sac on the edges of town and get a few interesting visitors to our garden. Our neighbours across the fence have a small fish pond which may have helped attract this one (apologies for the photo which was taken in a rush with my mobile

Click to see full-size image.

[Tal]

Yup, how good was Matt Elliot the other night?

From watching him play, assumed he'd be another Martin Keown type.

Top five guests of all time?

Completely agree with this. Watched it last night and I thought he was absolutely terrific.

[tikay]

Joan Collins made the headlines yesterday.

Why?

Well she turned up at a TV Studio for an interview wearing a dress very similar to that of the female Presenter. Gasp, what a disaster.

Think we can swiftly gloss over what are politely called "dress malfunctions" these days, though thank the Lord we were spared a Janet Jackson style nipplegate. With all due respect to Miss Collins, who turns 83 in a fortnight, the nipples of an octogenarian are a sight I'd rather be spared. Those who play golf, & have been in the Locker Room on Seniors Day, will get my drift. These are not pretty sights.

What did interest me as to Miss Collins, & all others of similar age - Karabiner springs readily to mind - is that whilst facially, cosmetic surgery can work absolute miracles - Miss Collins could easily pass for 40, facially - it's the arms, neck & hands that have so far eluded cosmetic surgeons, especially the hands.

 

Joan Collins was the reason for the only major row my parents had in over 50 years of marriage.

When I was about 8, I had an operation on my foot which meant I was in hospital for about two weeks.

On my ward for part of that time was Tara Newley, the daughter of Ms Collins.

One evening my parents came to visit me at the same time Joanie came to visit her offspring.

According to my mother, dad spent "90 minutes constantly ogling that bloody woman".

He was in the naughty corner for months after that.

If I am not mistaken, you came from a posh part of Surrey, close to Mr Ambo, as a youngster?

If so, I am sure you are familiar with these two quite spectacular buildings.

They were both funded by the same man, Thomas Holloway, who made his money in a peculiar way - peddling patent medicines, which, in truth, had no value, medical merit, or healing powers.

Anyway, he made a proper fortune selling this stuff, & in his later years built this spectacular building, which I am sure you must be familiar with.

I just happened upon this place one day whilst Gill & I were out having a little ride in the country. I stopped the car, looked at it, & it took my breath away, the sheer scale, & grandeur of it. And remember, this was a philanthropic thing, Thomas Holloway paid for it all. These days, it is part of The University of London.

Hard to believe such a place exists, just off the A30 in Surrey, a few miles west of Heathrow, & hardly anyone seems to know of it, let alone marvel at it.




 

[tikay]

Our friend Thomas Holloway, perhaps panged by conscience, then built this place, which has the forbidding look of a Victorian Mental Institution, which is almost what it is (or was) - a sanatorium. It cost him, in around 1880, some £350,000, which was serious money in those days.

Don't think we even have "sanatoriums" these days. I believe they mostly existed to rehabilitate patients suffering from tuberculosis.

Another spectacular building though. Sadly, it is a posh, gated, housing estate these days.

[tikay]

And Mr Holloway himself lived rather grandly, too, in a place called Tittenhurst Park, between Ascot & Sunningdale.

Later owners of Tittenhurst Park included John Lennon, who in turn sold it to Ringo Starr. Many Beatle & Lennon videos were filmed at Tittinghurst Park, including "Imagine", that white piano one.  

Ringo eventually sold it to the President of the UAE, Sheikh bin Somebody, who later died.

Lennon paid £145,000 for it, & sold it to Ringo Starr for twice that. When last valued, it was worth north of £30 million.





 

[tikay]

After The Road to Little Dribbling, I started my next read, "The Dark Net".

Oh my word, you could not begin to imagine a more stark contrast from the easy read of Bryson's pleasant ramblings.  

This is real life stuff, not fiction, & it's quite the scariest, most frightening & depressing thing I've come across in a very long time. It actually gives me nightmares if I read a chapter before bed.

If anyone here thinks they have seen, or been the wrong end of, trolling & flaming, read this book, & you are in for a very nasty surprise indeed.

Seriously, there are some bad bad people out there, who will stop at nothing to revel in the distress of others.

Barry Carter, in particular, probably understands this subject more than most, & I hope he reads it & shares his views with us more eloquently than I can.

Well written, & I can't put it down, it's like watching a car crash in slow motion. But it's just horrible in every way.

Read it, really enjoyed it (well not enjoyed, horrified, but interesting). There are some chapters about paedophiles which are uncomfortable reading.

Very much like this book, which I recommend as the best book of last year https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0196HJ6OS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1



In both instances, the saving grace in each book is how well the author captures the humanity of the people involved, without that they would be very dark reading.

The author, Jamie Barlett, is worth following on twitter, he is doing a new book atm about people who find themselves in extremist political groups.

I'm currently reading this, which is on our favourite subject - entitlement. Its from someone who has studied it for 20 years and has 11 million surveys worth of data, a real treasure trove of the stuff

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Generation-Americans-Confident-Assertive-Entitled--/dp/0743276981/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1462465825&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=joan+twenge




Prior to that I was reading a few books on the Cold War, fascinating stuff

Thanks for all that, Barry. Don't start me off on "entitlement", please....

Think I'll get that "You have been publicly shamed" book. Quite a topic, that.

[tikay]

Good interview with the Dark Web author, I find having heard an author be interviewed makes reading their book easier, gives me a narrators voice of sorts

Excellent video, thank you, & yes, you are correct.

He writes exceptionally well, in such a nice, concise, readable manner. Nice short, crisply worded sentences, & it flows really well.

Much of the content is utterly repulsive, but a compelling read.

I've not reached the paedophile chapter yet. I might even have to skip that. Some things I can't bear to face these days.

Thewy gave me, as a present one Xmas, the "Reservoir Dogs" Video, you know, Mr Pink & all his Mr Mates. I tried 3 times to view it, but always had to stop the video in that scene where Mr Nasty is about to slice off the chap's ear. I never did get to find out if he did so, but I fancy he well may have, & the poor chap is half deaf now.

[tikay]

One chapter of Dark Net dealt with camming.

"camming" is the term used when young girls, or nubile ladies, perform erotically in front of a live webcam, & take "requests" in exchange for a subscription fee.

And Dark Net explains how these girls are exploited & shamed.

Viewers gain her confidence, & then, bit by bit, trick her into doxing herself. To "dox" in Dark Net terms is discover & expose someone's true identity.

Once they gain her identity, they then, a whole bunch of them, upload screenshots of the young lady onto all her Facebook Friends & family pages, ditto Twitter.

This happens very swiftly, it's all co-ordinated, like a DDOS, & within less than an hour, the girls rep is destroyed.

The first she knows is an avalanche of incoming texts & phone calls "have you seen this?" sort of thing. And from that moment, her life is in bits.

I'm not saying that camming is particularly honourable, but then again, it's hardly a dreadful sin. These girls, often as a result of a bad upbringing, end up on the wrong side of the street, & just try to get by via camming & whatever.

Why do these guys do this expose? Just for the satisfaction of hurting a complete stranger. Nothing else, it's how they get their kicks in life.

My word, there are some seriously sick sorts around.

[hhyftrftdr]

You can thank Harvey Keitel for that scene and pretty much most of the film; Tarantino somehow got the script to him, Keitel decided he wanted to be involved, others followed, the budget went from $30k to over a million and the rest is history. Had that not happened, Tarantino was gonna shoot it with his fellow video clerk mates using amateur cameras, and Pulp Fiction never would have been born. And neither would have both the Kill Bill films, so its swings and roundabouts really.

I digress, I only came on here to request staking payment details. I assume carrier pigeon is ok? Not sure we have internet banking in Yorkshire yet.

[tikay]

In an odd twist of events, I once met once of these camming girls.

Next Door, who are famously prudish with these things, somehow got their wires crossed & invited a particular young lady to the Luton leg of the SPT.  

She turned up, somewhat pneumatic & flirty, but generally pleasant.

And then the word got round, later the same day "have you googled her?"

Oh my, oh my oh my.

I can't for the life of me remember her name now, but I think it was Kitty Somebody. Might have been "Lee", I just can't recall. Pretty sure Tighty will remember the young lady in question, if only because he has such an ordered mind.

Think it was the same SPT that John McCririck, Jac Arama  that bloody "Crow" bloke were present.  

Quite how those wires got so badly crossed I'll never know. Next Door don't like that sort of thing one little bit.