Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

So if we were the allies, why were they called the axsis forces?

From Wikipedia:

The term "axis" is believed to have been first coined by Hungary's fascist prime minister Gyula Gömbös, who advocated an alliance of Germany, Hungary, and Italy. He worked as an intermediary between Germany and Italy to lessen differences between them to achieve such an alliance.  Gömbös' sudden death in 1936 while negotiating with Germany in Munich and the arrival of Kálmán Darányi, his non-fascist successor, ended Hungary's initial involvement in pursuing a trilateral axis. The lessening of differences between Germany and Italy led to the formation of a bilateral axis.

Fascinating! (well fascinating to me a least).

I did write thank you, but predictive text changed it to 'Ring toy'.

[RED-DOG]

Have you ever heard of Jane Elliot? She's a middle aged white American who does a special class on racism.  This is part two of "The Angry Eye" and I'd be interested to hear your take on her teaching...

Thanks Dawn. I will deffo watch and report back.

Do I need to see part one?

[RED-DOG]

Despite the frost and the geriatric state of the year, the leaves around our way are still clinging steadfastly to the trees.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

I've just noticed the contrail to the right of the tree. WTF was that plane doing?

[tikay]

Mrs Red & I, along with other members of the Gypsy community, were invited to march at the Cenotaph again yesterday to commemorate the Gypsies who fought in both world wars.

It's such a moving ceremony, and it really is great honour and privilege to be asked to attend.

Like everyone who was not in uniform, we had armbands to say who we were representing, and it was wonderful to see the surprise on the faces of the spectators when they saw who we were.

This is the third consecutive year that we have taken part in the parade, but this is the first time we have been mentioned in the commentary.


You can catch a brief glimpse of us at 1:53.03, (That's me in the yellow shirt pushing the wheelchair) and hear our mention at 1:53.25.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03hw8n1/Remembrance_Sunday_The_Cenotaph_2013/

Must be a great feeling Tom. I watched this yesterday right up to 1:52. Who was in the wheelchair Tom?

The man is Pete Mercer MBE. He isn't wheelchair bound, but you are on your feet for over five hours during the parade and it's more than he can manage now.

He is currently Chairman of the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups. I've printed some info from the web below.


Pete Mercer MBE lives with his family on the local authority Travellers Caravan site in Peterborough. He is the General Secretary of the East Anglian Gypsy Council and British representative on the International Romani Union Praesidium.

For twelve years Peter worked for Peterborough City Council as Traveller /Gypsy Liaison Officer. Peter worked with the Commission for Racial Equality in pressing for, and obtaining a legal judgement declaring Roma/Gypsies as a racial minority.

For many years he has provided training for the British police on Gypsy/Traveller issues, and is still acting as a lay adviser to the Central Police Training and Development Agency (CENTREX). He was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) for his work in Traveller/Gypsy education over many years.

Peter has been involved in working with European Roma/Gypsies for over fifteen years. He shares his experience and expertise in the areas of community development, equal opportunities, Roma/Gypsy empowerment and Roma/Gypsy participation at all levels. Since the mid-1990s Peter started working with European Dialogue and was the Chair of the Roma Rights and Access to Justice in Europe Programme



He is a "former Lance Corporal with the Duke of Wellington Regiment who served in Cyprus. His father was wounded at Dunkirk and he has two sons serving with the Grenadier Guards."

Click to see full-size image.

You look so proud in that, Tom, smart too, haircut & everything.

[tikay]

Our group at the Horse Guards parade ground after taking the salute from Princess Anne.

Click to see full-size image.

Tom,

Who is the Gent to your right, in the yellow tie? Looks the spit of you, but better-looking.

Bet that big tall bugger is a right character.

[tikay]

Ignorant question. Is the tall man in some form of uniform?

The tall man is Romany Gypsy Kerry Hawkins. His father served in Aden.

Kerry is wearing his fathers blazer with service medal. (If you wear a medal of behalf of someone else, you must wear it on your right breast).

Fact of the day!

I LOVE stuff like that.

[RED-DOG]

Mrs Red & I, along with other members of the Gypsy community, were invited to march at the Cenotaph again yesterday to commemorate the Gypsies who fought in both world wars.

It's such a moving ceremony, and it really is great honour and privilege to be asked to attend.

Like everyone who was not in uniform, we had armbands to say who we were representing, and it was wonderful to see the surprise on the faces of the spectators when they saw who we were.

This is the third consecutive year that we have taken part in the parade, but this is the first time we have been mentioned in the commentary.


You can catch a brief glimpse of us at 1:53.03, (That's me in the yellow shirt pushing the wheelchair) and hear our mention at 1:53.25.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03hw8n1/Remembrance_Sunday_The_Cenotaph_2013/

Must be a great feeling Tom. I watched this yesterday right up to 1:52. Who was in the wheelchair Tom?

The man is Pete Mercer MBE. He isn't wheelchair bound, but you are on your feet for over five hours during the parade and it's more than he can manage now.

He is currently Chairman of the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups. I've printed some info from the web below.


Pete Mercer MBE lives with his family on the local authority Travellers Caravan site in Peterborough. He is the General Secretary of the East Anglian Gypsy Council and British representative on the International Romani Union Praesidium.

For twelve years Peter worked for Peterborough City Council as Traveller /Gypsy Liaison Officer. Peter worked with the Commission for Racial Equality in pressing for, and obtaining a legal judgement declaring Roma/Gypsies as a racial minority.

For many years he has provided training for the British police on Gypsy/Traveller issues, and is still acting as a lay adviser to the Central Police Training and Development Agency (CENTREX). He was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) for his work in Traveller/Gypsy education over many years.

Peter has been involved in working with European Roma/Gypsies for over fifteen years. He shares his experience and expertise in the areas of community development, equal opportunities, Roma/Gypsy empowerment and Roma/Gypsy participation at all levels. Since the mid-1990s Peter started working with European Dialogue and was the Chair of the Roma Rights and Access to Justice in Europe Programme



He is a "former Lance Corporal with the Duke of Wellington Regiment who served in Cyprus. His father was wounded at Dunkirk and he has two sons serving with the Grenadier Guards."

Click to see full-size image.

You look so proud in that, Tom, smart too, haircut & everything.

Mrs Red says I have a head like a fifty shilling pot.

[tikay]

Did anyone watch the JFK:The Lost Bullet documentary on Nat Geo last night?

It featured several home movies of the assassination that have now been digitally enhanced. The deal was amazing, you even got to see never before seen footage from between the frames of the old 8mm film that a projector doesn't show.

If you missed it, look out for a repeat, it's excellent.

Yup, there is some tremendous stuff on Nat Geo, & a lot of Kennedy stuff right now, to "celebrate" 50 years since his passing. I remember the news coming through as if it were yesterday.

We were all mortified, he had God-status at the time. I must have read 50 books about him & the assassination stuff since then, but only latterly did I come to realise that, in many ways, he was not the great man we were all led to believe. In those days, it was not done to "out" big names, but these days it's standard. He did some good stuff, particularly as to Civil Rights, but he was far from angelic, & was putting it about sexually left right & centre, he had as many affairs as Tiger Woods.

I believe the coalition he struck up with Martin Luther King was based on the fact that both of them had "dirt" (as to sexual affairs) on each other.

Another Channel which I've been watching a lot lately is PBS, the American Public Broadcasting System, which is now listed amongst the Documentaries section on the Sky ENG.

Last week, they showed the Emmett Till story. Truly, truly horrific, it is hard to believe that could happen in our lifetime. It had me near to tears, even though I already knew the story well.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till

[RED-DOG]

Our group at the Horse Guards parade ground after taking the salute from Princess Anne.

Click to see full-size image.

Tom,

Who is the Gent to your right, in the yellow tie? Looks the spit of you, but better-looking.

Bet that big tall bugger is a right character.

The gent to the right is my good friend David "Span" Spencer. His wife is of Gypsy stock.

What an amazing man he is. One of life's....  'individuals'.

He has worked on the Chatsworth estate all of his life. He and his family live in a tied cottage in the village of Beeley nr Matlock.

Span is a great outdoorsman and dedicated historian, he is skilled in dozens of the so called 'lost' crafts. Gun Smithing, dry stone walling, food preservation, basket weaving, tanning, coopering, forging metals, the list is endless.

He has a great interest in and vast knowledge of the Native Americans. I spent a month with him once, visiting and living with several tribes on reservation land. The esteem in which he is held opened many doors for me and made me privy to things not usually available to outsiders.

He is first name terms with several members of the Royal Family, (By that I mean that they address him by his first name, he addresses them properly).

He is one of the most accomplished, and yet unassuming men it has ever been my privilege to meet. I could sing his praises for the next 100 pages and still not do him justice.

If you are ever in a tight spot, he is the man you want in your corner.

[tikay]

Our group at the Horse Guards parade ground after taking the salute from Princess Anne.

Click to see full-size image.

Tom,

Who is the Gent to your right, in the yellow tie? Looks the spit of you, but better-looking.

Bet that big tall bugger is a right character.

The gent to the right is my good friend David "Span" Spencer. His wife is of Gypsy stock.

What an amazing man he is. One of life's....  'individuals'.

He has worked on the Chatsworth estate all of his life. He and his family live in a tied cottage in the village of Beeley nr Matlock.

Span is a great outdoorsman and dedicated historian, he is skilled in dozens of the so called 'lost' crafts. Gun Smithing, dry stone walling, food preservation, basket weaving, tanning, coopering, forging metals, the list is endless.

He has a great interest in and vast knowledge of the Native Americans. I spent a month with him once, visiting and living with several tribes on reservation land. The esteem in which he is held opened many doors for me and made me privy to things not usually available to outsiders.

He is first name terms with several members of the Royal Family, (By that I mean that they address him by his first name, he addresses them properly).

He is one of the most accomplished, and yet unassuming men it has ever been my privilege to meet. I could sing his praises for the next 100 pages and still not do him justice.

If you are ever in a tight spot, he is the man you want in your corner.

Wonderful stuff about Span. Almost good enough to be labelled a hero, you reckon, or is that a step too far?

Anyway, I don't care, hero or not, I've put him in my "Ten to be Most Admired" people, right behind Robbie Williams & Marshall.

[Laxie]

Have you ever heard of Jane Elliot? She's a middle aged white American who does a special class on racism.  This is part two of "The Angry Eye" and I'd be interested to hear your take on her teaching...

Thanks Dawn. I will deffo watch and report back.

Do I need to see part one?

Part one mainly shows how and why she got started in the first place.  Will post it anyway to save you having to search it out. 

[Tal]

Our group at the Horse Guards parade ground after taking the salute from Princess Anne.

Click to see full-size image.

Tom,

Who is the Gent to your right, in the yellow tie? Looks the spit of you, but better-looking.

Bet that big tall bugger is a right character.

The gent to the right is my good friend David "Span" Spencer. His wife is of Gypsy stock.

What an amazing man he is. One of life's....  'individuals'.

He has worked on the Chatsworth estate all of his life. He and his family live in a tied cottage in the village of Beeley nr Matlock.

Span is a great outdoorsman and dedicated historian, he is skilled in dozens of the so called 'lost' crafts. Gun Smithing, dry stone walling, food preservation, basket weaving, tanning, coopering, forging metals, the list is endless.

He has a great interest in and vast knowledge of the Native Americans. I spent a month with him once, visiting and living with several tribes on reservation land. The esteem in which he is held opened many doors for me and made me privy to things not usually available to outsiders.

He is first name terms with several members of the Royal Family, (By that I mean that they address him by his first name, he addresses them properly).

He is one of the most accomplished, and yet unassuming men it has ever been my privilege to meet. I could sing his praises for the next 100 pages and still not do him justice.

If you are ever in a tight spot, he is the man you want in your corner.

Wonderful stuff about Span. Almost good enough to be labelled a hero, you reckon, or is that a step too far?

Anyway, I don't care, hero or not, I've put him in my "Ten to be Most Admired" people, right behind Robbie Williams & Marshall.

Frank Marshall? Would have thought there were more obvious American chess players, but each to their own

[RED-DOG]

Span in Native American regalia (I forget which tribe) that he made himself using traditional methods.

The Indians were flabbergasted by it's authenticity.

You should have seen the trouble he got me into while 'Collecting' eagle feathers at Brookfield Zoo

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Our group at the Horse Guards parade ground after taking the salute from Princess Anne.

Click to see full-size image.

Tom,

Who is the Gent to your right, in the yellow tie? Looks the spit of you, but better-looking.

Bet that big tall bugger is a right character.

The gent to the right is my good friend David "Span" Spencer. His wife is of Gypsy stock.

What an amazing man he is. One of life's....  'individuals'.

He has worked on the Chatsworth estate all of his life. He and his family live in a tied cottage in the village of Beeley nr Matlock.

Span is a great outdoorsman and dedicated historian, he is skilled in dozens of the so called 'lost' crafts. Gun Smithing, dry stone walling, food preservation, basket weaving, tanning, coopering, forging metals, the list is endless.

He has a great interest in and vast knowledge of the Native Americans. I spent a month with him once, visiting and living with several tribes on reservation land. The esteem in which he is held opened many doors for me and made me privy to things not usually available to outsiders.

He is first name terms with several members of the Royal Family, (By that I mean that they address him by his first name, he addresses them properly).

He is one of the most accomplished, and yet unassuming men it has ever been my privilege to meet. I could sing his praises for the next 100 pages and still not do him justice.

If you are ever in a tight spot, he is the man you want in your corner.

Wonderful stuff about Span. Almost good enough to be labelled a hero, you reckon, or is that a step too far?

Anyway, I don't care, hero or not, I've put him in my "Ten to be Most Admired" people, right behind Robbie Williams & Marshall.

Frank Marshall? Would have thought there were more obvious American chess players, but each to their own

Behave.

Mathers III.