Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

How did your presentation go?

C-egg (M)

That one fooled the "smart" phone good and proper.

Haha. You're old Ralph. I bet Tony gets it.

I meant your (Mina Mina) smart phone, not me.

You're right. The Phone almost refused to send it.

[RED-DOG]

If nothing else, this made my day worthwhile.

A very anti Gypsy MP was spouting off about "My constituents have done enough, we have provided 19 (licensed) pitches....". Which translates as, "We opposed every one of those pitches, but they got approval in spite of that"

She went on to state that there had been "27 instances of illegal encampment on her patch the last 3 months"

I had a bit of inside knowledge of this, and asked her if these 27 instances were actually just one family that had been forced to move 27 times....

She didn't answer. In fact she didn't say much at all after that.

[RED-DOG]

Met up with an old friend and colleague at St Pancras. Peter Mercer MBE. (I'm such a name dropper)

Pete's getting a bit long in the tooth now, and suffers from diabetes. If he doesn't eat regularly, he goes a bit woozy.

He was just starting to wobble a bit when I arrived, so we popped into one of those little bistro jobbies at the station for a quick bite to eat.

Two bowls of tomato soup, and two cups of tea. Guess how much?

Sixteen bloody pounds and twenty friggin pence ffs!   (I have the receipt to prove it)

[RED-DOG]

All good for the diet though. today's intake = Aforementioned tomato soup, (Which nearly choked me) & a chicken salad.

Might have an OXO before bed.

[RED-DOG]

Been hankering for one of Ralph's sandwiches all day. (Ralph makes a mean butty)

[Karabiner]

Been hankering for one of Ralph's sandwiches all day. (Ralph makes a mean butty)

Was there no bread with the soup then?

I had a couple of lattes and an almond croissant at one of those places for breakfast before |I got my train back a couple of weeks ago and I remember wondering what tikay would have thought of those French coffee cups with no handles.

[RED-DOG]

Been hankering for one of Ralph's sandwiches all day. (Ralph makes a mean butty)

Was there no bread with the soup then?

Yes. I swear to God it was a little bread roll no bigger than my index finger with one end already dipped into the soup.

[RED-DOG]

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[celtic]

Tom, below is a transcript of a facebook convo from one of the walls of a facebook friend. Someone I used to work with.

This typical of peoples opinon?

The person that I used to work with is of foreign parentage, A minority if you like. I found it ironic that they come from an ethnic background with some non british traditions that others may see as strange, yet feel qualified to comment on the right and wrongs of another ethnic minority.

I have removed the names of the people involved. Two are from ethic minority families, one probably british. (I'm guessing from the names of the others)

This annoys me more for some reason when I see it from people whose family are ethic minorities.






Allow the gypsy weddings lol

Tuesday at 9:05pm via iPhone ·LikeUnlike · Comment.


 NO!!! It's all so wrong. Lol
Tuesday at 9:16pm · LikeUnlike. I know did u see the way the little girls were dancing!
Tuesday at 9:17pm · LikeUnlike. One was dressed in a kinky sailor outfit. Sooo wrong!
Tuesday at 9:17pm · LikeUnlike. Im lost For words when I'm watching it. I'd slit my wrists b4 I let my girls get with that lot. Slags is what they r. X
Tuesday at 9:20pm · LikeUnlike. Hahaha it's 2 funny. But we have to respect every1's culture
Tuesday at 9:30pm · LikeUnlike. Yeah right. Lol lol lol
Tuesday at 9:31pm · LikeUnlike. The kids ain't kids for long. It's such a shame. Little tarts.
Tuesday at 9:49pm · LikeUnlike. It's crazy
Tuesday at 10:01pm · LikeUnlike I would not be suprised if those outfits were all from Ann Summers. Strippers dance like that. I found it very disturbing...
Yesterday at 12:36pm · LikeUnlike I know Linda tell me about it. It's so sad. There should be child protection put in place
Yesterday at 2:37pm · LikeUnlike. But again... we are back to root of the problem...its their culture...nothing can be done.
Wish i knew tho how they can afford all of the parties and houses...hmmmm...i wonder:)
20 hours ago · LikeUnlike. Very true it is their culture and it has 2 be respected x
20 hours ago · LikeUnlike.

[RED-DOG]

In my experience, people from minority ethnic groups can be just as likely to see people from other groups as stereotypes, and that Includes Gypsies.

I'm afraid that the opinions of your friends are fairly common. Even members of the Gypsy  community are appalled to see such scantily clad girls, but at least we know that their morals are sound. Whereas outsiders think that they are tarts.

But, that's what happens when extraordinary behaviour is passed of as typical behaviour, and recent fashion is passed off as tradition.

I've been to dozens of genuine typical Gypsy weddings where bride, groom and guests were dressed like any other wedding party.

What you're seeing on TV is just sensationalism. If they had been filming outlandish weddings from the settled community, how long would it take to find some prime examples. Underwater weddings, sky-diving weddings, nude weddings, even celebrity weddings.

Entertaining yes. Typical, no.

By the way. I notice that those guys didn't discuss how wrong it was to smash people's homes up with bulldozers, and throw them off their own land, or or to drag old women through the mud while the police looked on.

No. the main topic of conversation was how the girls were dressed.

[RED-DOG]

Today was Holocaust Memorial day.

For Mrs Red and I, it started at 6:30am. First we went to Ripley to take part in an event where we manned an information stall.

After that we went to Derby Cathedral for a remembrance service, and then on to the Quad for another event. My group were proud to do a little presentation to honour the memory of the Gypsies who were murdered in the concentration camps.

We arrived home at around 11:30pm. a 17 hour day. We're exhausted.

I have to say this though. It was a truly momentous day, a red letter day, a day when I met people, and heard stories that I will never forget.

I heard stories of terrible atrocities, of desperation, of amazing courage, of survival, and of hope.

I learned many things today, but if I had to pick one, it would be this.

Simple basic human decency is without a doubt civilisation's most precious commodity.

 

[tikay]

Wonderful Post, Tom, & an astoundingly simple, but true, ending.

[RED-DOG]

A is for Appleby...








Lol. I'm just kidding. This clip is for Tony's benefit really.

Guess the name of the man holding the black & white yearling filly....

[tikay]

A is for Appleby...








Lol. I'm just kidding. This clip is for Tony's benefit really.

Guess the name of the man holding the black & white yearling filly....

Harry Hot-Pot?

[celtic]

In my experience, people from minority ethnic groups can be just as likely to see people from other groups as stereotypes, and that Includes Gypsies.

I'm afraid that the opinions of your friends are fairly common. Even members of the Gypsy  community are appalled to see such scantily clad girls, but at least we know that their morals are sound. Whereas outsiders think that they are tarts.

But, that's what happens when extraordinary behaviour is passed of as typical behaviour, and recent fashion is passed off as tradition.

I've been to dozens of genuine typical Gypsy weddings where bride, groom and guests were dressed like any other wedding party.

What you're seeing on TV is just sensationalism. If they had been filming outlandish weddings from the settled community, how long would it take to find some prime examples. Underwater weddings, sky-diving weddings, nude weddings, even celebrity weddings.

Entertaining yes. Typical, no.

By the way. I notice that those guys didn't discuss how wrong it was to smash people's homes up with bulldozers, and throw them off their own land, or or to drag old women through the mud while the police looked on.

No. the main topic of conversation was how the girls were dressed.

Sooooooo

How do you feel about Facebook allowing this stuff? Surely it's like any other form of racism?