Like many people I have been watching the dramatic scenes on TV coming from Haiti. It is utter devastation and puts any worries and problems I have into perspective. How can such suffering be allowed? It surely is a test of faith. These poor people have nothing to start with and now they have lost every tiny morsel they owned. I don´t realise how lucky I am in my life.
Our weather is beautiful today with waqll to wall sunshine and it is a very pleasant temperature. We did have horrendous winds during the night. Let´s check the week ahead for the Alicante province.
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday |
 16° C | 7° C
|
 18° C | 9° C
|
20° C | 9° C
|
18° C | 9° C
|
|
I watched a drama called Material Girl on the BBC last night and the one thing that came over loud and clear is that success in the world of fashion depends on connections as much as talent if the drama was factual. It also showed quite graphically how people shut out talent when they take a dislike to the person involved. Mi9nd you, this was a vicarage tea party where Emmerdale was concerned. In the village they are showing incest, violence and murder….and this is a good week! Never mind, there´s always the peace and tranquility of Eastenders. Cue…Murder…….
————————————————————-
Patrick Wilhelm has advised us of the following….
The Darwin Awards – 2009
Yes, it’s that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.
Here is the glorious winner:
1. When his 38 calibre revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach California , would-be robber James Elliott did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.
And now, the honorable mentions:
2.. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef’s claim was approved.
3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. ‘Understandably’, he shot her.
4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn’t discovered for 3 days.
5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train.. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.
6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided.. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer….. $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]
7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he’d just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.
8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID to which he replied, “Yes, officer, that’s her. That’s the lady I stole the purse from.”
9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren’t available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]
10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle Street , he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home’s sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he’d ever had.
In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with friends and family…..unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.
*** Remember….. They walk among us!!!***
——————————————————
A collision between two Ryanair planes at Girona Airport on Thursday is being described as a minor incident with no injuries to passengers, who were all due to be carried on later flights that day to their destinations in Turin and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
It happened as the aircraft were moving to the runway to prepare for takeoff, when one of the planes touched the second’s tail with its left wing.
AENA Spanish Airports described the damage caused to the aircraft as ‘imperceptible’, and it’s understood from Europa Press that both will be inspected by Ryanair technicians before they return to the air.
The passengers were able to disembark the two aircraft in the normal way.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
compartir kohm-par-teer’ (transitive verb)
to share
EXAMPLES
¿Por qué no compartimos el resto del pastel? – Why don’t we share the rest of the cake?
Gracias por compartir este tiempo comigo. – Thank you for sharing this time with me.
————————————————————————————-
My friend, Angie, sent me the following…
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less grey hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged, I’ve become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend. I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with ageing.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70′s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love … I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.
They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself any more. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become.
I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
————————————————————————
Here´s another item going around the Internet
How many zeros in a billion?
This is too true to be funny.
The next time you hear a politician use the
Word ‘billion’ in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the ‘politicians’ spending
YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
But one advertising agency did a good job of
Putting that figure into some perspective in
One of its releases.
A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were Living in the Stone Age.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
A billion Pounds ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes,
At the rate our government Is spending it.
Building Permit Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Income Tax
Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Petrol/Diesel Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
(tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Marriage License Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Local Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago…
and our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt…
we had the largest middle class in the world…
and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What happened?
My Comment Well, as this is American in origin I think it would help to add in 100 years of population growth, the advent of the motor car and jet planes, the sleaze of politicians, The Wall Street Crash, the greed of bankers and the shenanigans of the stock exchanges around the world. You could also add in World Wars, Vietnam,Iraq, Afghanistan, world policing and terrorism………….I´m sure you can think of more!
————————————————————————————–
John: ” Can you tell me if you get the same heart benefits from red grape juice as from red wine?”
John is on the right track with red grapes, which contain flavonoids and resveratrol. Both of these compounds are beneficial to heart health. But some red wines contain more of these compounds than others. The same is true of different grape juices.
Also, you’d need to drink a large amount of wine or grape juice to reap significant heart benefits. Needless to say, downing several glasses of wine every day isn’t a good idea. And gulping the same amount of grape juice isn’t good either – too much sugar content.
In other words, there’s no easy answer to John’s question.
……………………………………………………………………..
Another Thanks to Ian K from Villamar for the following……….
Dear Mum Letter…..
A mother passing by her son’s bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made, and everything was picked up. Then, she saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow. It was addressed, ‘Mum’ With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter, with trembling hands.
‘Dear, Mum. It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you. I’ve been finding real passion with Stacy, and she is so nice, but I knew you would not approve of her, because of all her piercing’s, tattoos, her tight Motorcycle clothes, and because she is so much older than I am. But it’s not only the passion, Mum. She’s pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods, and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone. We’ll be growing it for ourselves, and trading it with the other people in the commune, for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we’ll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS, so Stacy can get better.. She sure deserves it!!
Don’t worry Mum, I’m 15, and I know how to take care of myself. Someday, I’m sure we’ll be back to visit, so you can get to know your many grandchildren. Love, your son, Nicholas.
P.S. Mum, none of the above is true. I’m over at Jason’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the school report that’s on my desk.
I love you!
Call when it is safe for me to come home.’
—————————————————————
1958, The Everly Brothers made their debut on British TV appearing on The Perry Como Show.
1967, The Rolling Stones were forced to change the lyrics of ‘Lets Spend The Night Together’ to ‘Lets Spend Some Time Together’ when appearing on the US TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show after the producers objected to the content of the lyrics.
1983, Phil Collins had his first UK No.1 single with his version of ‘You Can’t Hurry Love,’ a hit for The Supremes in 1966.
1893, Born on this day, Ivor Novello, songwriter and actor. Annual British music awards are named after him. Died 6th March 1951.
1947, Born on this day, Pete Waterman, producer, TV presenter and part of the Stock, Aitken & Waterman team. Booked the first ever tour for The Bay City Rollers, signed Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw, during the 70s was promotion consultant for John Travolta. Had 1987 UK No.13 hit with Roadblock; Dominated UK pop in the mid-to-late 1980s. as part of S.A.W. the most successful pop writers & producers of all time producing Bananarama, Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan. Judge on UK TVs Pop Stars.
