Variation on a Theme!

I met Michelle and Steven who own the Euroweekly News this morning and they were guests on my show. It was very nice to meet the people behind the paper as the paper is a tremendously well produced medium and my Sunday Guest, Leapy Lee, is also part of their team. There is a story in the news about a teacher in Alicante being brought before a court in Spain for giving 100 lines. There´s a lot lost in the translation but the gist is there for teachers and others to ponder over. Personally, I am against punishing the same students over and over again and in the same way. I am afraid other educationalists see this very differently but all I see is the same people being punished in the same way and nothing really changes. Is it any wonder that many children end up hating their schooldays? I think teachers need to think outside the box or more accurately I believe teachers should be allowed to think outside the box.

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I was sent a link to a very powerful video about too many drugs being prescribed worldwide. I believe we are prescribed too many drugs but I wanted to know more about who sent me the video. The video was issued byThe Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a non-profit, public benefit organization dedicated to investigating and exposing psychiatric violations of human rights. I needed therefore to find out more about CCHR.

CCHR was founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and the internationally acclaimed author, Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York, Syracuse. At that time, the victims of psychiatry were a forgotten minority group, warehoused under terrifying conditions in institutions around the world. Because of this, CCHR formulated a Mental Health Declaration of Human Rights that has served as its guide for mental health reform.

This now is slightly more worrying as I think there is more to this than meets the eye. If they´re after mind I am inclined to agree with a lot of what they say. If they´re after my money I haven´t got any……I´ll sit back and see what happens next.

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I received this piece of very good news this morning..

…………..Thanks to a tireless and dedicated campaign by PETA India – and the continued support of compassionate people like you – the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) has made the decision to ban zoos and circuses across India from keeping elephants.

Elephants currently held in Indian zoos will be transferred to undeveloped areas controlled by the Indian Forest Service – and will no longer be kept in chains. This is a massive step forward in our efforts to end the captivity of animals in zoos and other forms of “entertainment” around the world. It is a ban that will be heard around the world.

Life in zoos for elephants must be frightening and confusing – and it often ends badly. In their natural homes, elephants form complex, lifelong social bonds and stay with their families for life. They travel vast distances – an activity that is essential for their physical and mental well-being – and thrive by caring for one another, teaching their babies how to survive, warning each other of dangers and sharing food.

Compared to an elephant’s natural habitat, zoos – no matter where they are in the world – cannot and do not provide anything close to what elephants need. Invariably, elephants in zoos spend their entire lives standing or shuffling about in relatively barren enclosures, sometimes without even a blade of grass or a tree, sometimes all alone or paired with one elephant with whom they may not even get along. With their natural herding instincts frustrated, they go insane from the lack of exercise and social contact.

I received an e-mail from my former OCI colleague, Beverly Stewart. Beverly would like the following to be spread far and wide……..

INTERNATIONAL DIVAS…a very special pre-Christmas show.

“International Divas” will be a two-night performance  25 and 26 November in Alfaz’ Casa de Cultura, produced by Pamela Dawson Tasker and John Bennetts with the profits donated to AECC the cancer charity. Wednesday 25 will be for the Modern Divas with seven professional artists from 6 countries singing popular ballads covering swing, pop and country music.

Thursday 26 is for the Classic Divas: entitled  “The Four Sopranos” these divas will perform  arias from the most popular operas.

Tickets are now available at 10 euros each night. Buy direct from Mary Boutique Alfaz or reserve your tickets by phone 96 686 0735 or by e.mail pdawson802t@cv.gva.es

When you book by phone should you get ansafone please leave your name and phone number and we will get back to you to confirm your booking.

25 NOV    MODERN DIVAS: POP,COUNTRY, BALLADS

ARTISTS APPEARING

ELENA LASCO  – RUSSIA

JOANNA SPANJERBERG  – HOLLAND

JOANNA  JAMES-UK

CHIANA-GERMANY

IÑES- SPAIN

JENNY RENN-UK

MARCELLINA- HUNGARY

NOVEMBER 26   POPULAR ARIAS FROM FAV. OPERAS

ARTISTS APPEARING

CECILIA BIANCHI       España y Argentina

MARIA RAIMONDI     Buenos Aires

LUCY GUAJARDO LIRA   Santiago

CATALINA  GONZALEZ   Valencia

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Word of the Day

el camión cah-myon’  (noun)

truck, lorry, van, cart, bus, truckload

EXAMPLES

El camión de la basura siempre viene los lunes. – The garbage truck always comes on Mondays.

¿Cada cuánto pasa el camión? – How often does the bus come by?

IDIOMS

Estar como un camión – To be gorgeous

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A Muslim was sitting next to Paddy on a plane.   Paddy ordered a whiskey. The stewardess asked the Muslim if he’d like a drink.

He replied in disgust  ”I’d rather be raped by a dozen whores than let liquor touch my lips!”

Paddy handed his drink back and said  ”Me too, I didn’t know we had a choice!”

———— ——— ——–oOo- ——— ——— ——— –

Paddy calls Easyjet to book a flight.

The operator asks “How many people are flying with you ?”

Paddy replies “I don’t know! Its your  plane!”

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Paddy and Murphy are working on a building site.

Paddy says to Murphy “I’m gonna have the day off, I’m gonna pretend I’m mad!”

He climbs up the rafters , hangs upside down and shouts “I’M A LIGHTBULB!

I’M A LIGHTBULB!”   Murphy watches in amazement!

The Foreman shouts “Paddy you’re mad, go home”   So he leaves the site.

Murphy starts packing his kit up to leave as well.

“Where the hell are you going?” asks the Foreman.

“I can’t work in the dark!” says Murphy.

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Two Irish couples decided to swap partners for the night.

After 3 hours of amazing sex, Paddy says “I wonder how the girls are getting on”

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Paddy takes his new wife to bed on their wedding night.

She undresses, lies on the bed spreadeagled and says “You know what I want don’t you ?”

“Yeah,” says Paddy. “The whole bed by the looks of it!”

———— ——— ——–oOo- ——— ——— ——— –

Paddy, the electrician, got sacked from the U.S. prison service for not

servicing the electric chair. He said in his professional opinion it was a death trap!

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Paddy and his wife are lying in bed and the neighbours’ dog is barking like

mad in the garden. Paddy says “To hell with this!”  and storms off.

He comes back upstairs 5 minutes later and his wife asks “What did you do ?”

Paddy replies “I’ve put the dog in our garden. Let’s see how they like it!”

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Paddy is said to be shocked at finding out all his cows have Bluetongue.

“Be Jeysus!” he said, “I didn’t even know they had mobile phones!”

———— ——— ——–oOo- ——— ——— ——— –

Mick and Paddy are reading head stones at a nearby cemetery.

Mick say “Crikey!  There’s a bloke here who was 152!”

Paddy says “What’s his name ?”

Mick replies “Miles,  from London!”

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Why I fired my Secretary.

Last week was my birthday and I didn’t feel very well waking up on that morning…

I went downstairs for breakfast  hoping my wife would be pleasant and say,  ‘Happy Birthday!’,  and possibly have a small present for me.

As it turned out,  she barely said good morning,  let alone  ‘ Happy Birthday.’

I thought….  Well, that’s marriage for you,  but the kids…  They will remember.

My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfast  and didn’t say a word..  So when I left for the office,  I felt pretty low  and somewhat despondent.

As I walked into my office,  my secretary Jane said,  ‘Good Morning Boss,  and by the way  Happy Birthday ! ‘  It felt a little better  that at least someone had remembered.

I worked until one o’clock ,  when Jane knocked on my door  and said, ‘You know,  It’s such a beautiful day outside,  and it is your Birthday,  what do you say we go out to lunch,  just you and me..’
I said, ‘Thanks, Jane,  that’s the greatest thing  I’ve heard all day.  Let’s go !’  We went to lunch.  But we didn’t go  where we normally would go.She chose instead a quiet bistro  with a private table.  We had two martinis each
and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.  On the way back to the office, Jane said, ‘You know,  It’s such a beautiful day…  We don’t need to go straight back to the office,
Do We ?’

I responded,  ‘I guess not.  What do you have in mind ?’  She said,  ‘Let’s drop by my apartment,  it’s just around the corner.’  After arriving at her apartment,  Jane turned to me and said,

‘ Boss, if you don’t mind,  I’m going to step into the bedroom  for just a moment.  I’ll be right back.’  ‘Ok.’ I nervously replied.  She went into the bedroom and,  after a couple of minutes,  she came out  carrying a huge birthday cake …  Followed  by my wife,  my kids,  and dozens of my friends  and co-workers,  all singing ‘Happy Birthday’.

And I just sat there…..  On the couch…  Naked.

Here´s today´s show