A rather sad and tragic article about our troops 'over there'.

It's not about innocence lost or about becoming men - it's about the truth behind the recruiting poster. And I guess, the truth behind the politics.

Upper Gereshk: The Helmand plan meets tough reality

By John CantlieGereshk Valley, Helmand

After 10 years in Afghanistan, foreign troops can claim successes in the notorious province of Helmand - but a vicious guerrilla war still rages in the Upper Gereshk valley, which US marines are in the process of handing back to British forces.

It has only just turned 07:00 and it's already pushing 35C (95F). The three litres of warm water you drank at dawn have already soaked into your flak vest.

Image via Wikipedia

The patrol advances slowly, inching through poppy fields like their lives depended on it. Suddenly a massive explosion rips through the air less than 50m behind. The Taliban have booby-trapped the right-hand gate of the compound with a grenade and an IED (improvised explosive device) during the night. By chance we exited by the left gate.

"Well good morning to you, too," grunts a marine.

Tough Reality continued

kthanxbai!

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• Taliban Finds Retreat From Marines More Palatable (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
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Sesame Street meets Glee

Glorious and gorgeous!

Glittering Glee and salacious Sesame Street have gathered their group of generic artistes  to generate this generational gap gutting clip.



Yeah, I gsuck at this.

kthanxbai!

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Steve Jobs RIP

It's very sad to hear that Steve Jobs, the creator and leader of Apple Inc., has passed on this evening.

He changed the world for the better, both in the creation of products that make life easier, but also in the way he treated his employees and the company as a whole.

Rest in peace sir.

Apple Success?

Really? No-one in marketing saw the possibilities of the name for the newest iPhone?

Is the latest 'iPhone 4s hit'?

Come on guys!!

Blackadder the Fifth? Me likey!

According to the British tabloid newspaper, The Mirror, the star of the Blackadder series, Rowan Atkinson, has hinted that season 5 might be in the offing.

Image via Wikipedia
The amazingness that was Blackadder combined humour with history and real emotion. The final minutes of the final episode of season four still brings tears to the eyes of grown men (allegedly...)

Recognisable faces in the cast picture include Stephen Fry of QI and everything clever, Tony Robinson from Time Team and of course that nice young chap Hugh Laurie from that medical show you might have heard of, now what's it called? Home? Building? No, I remember - House...

Image via Wikipedia

So a rather large 'huzzah' for bringing back the Blackadder series!! 

kthanxbai!

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Funny Things

You know what I like? Funny things. Yeah, crazy I know but that's just the way I roll.

This particular video made me laugh a heck of a lot!



Whereas this video - well it struck home!



  Enjoy!! kthanxbai!

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So Rosh Hashana is just around the corner so I thought I would share with you a few of the ways my friends and colleagues having been sending wishes around the interwebz;

How to conduct yourself in the synagogue

Dip Your Apple - Fountainheads Rosh Hashanah

The Maccabeats - Book of Good Life (free MP3)!

Have an amazing Rosh Hashana!!

kthanxbai!

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I'm Proud.. Kinda

I say it in my description above and I'm not ashamed of it - I live in Israel.
Image via Wikipedia
The mere fact that I think you might have a problem with me because of where I live actually speaks volumes itself.

And this Australian article really helps to explain it:

Anti-Semitism the real issue that dare not speak its name

A YEAR or two ago, I took a taxi from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. It was a brilliant sunny day and all around me the hills were green, as we passed a prosperous Arab village, a beautiful kibbutz, a bit of jangled traffic.

The taxi driver was English, an English Jew who had found a better life in Israel - better pay, less anti-Semitism, safer streets, an easy air commute to his daughter in England, but close to other relatives in Israel, and lots and lots of sunshine.

Read more from the article here...

kthanxbai!

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• Anti-Semitism And Skin Color (pinkbananaworld.com)

Challafax or Halalifax Canada?

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeJust saw this and thought it was the funniest thing I've seen in a long while.

Image by Mez Love via Flickr

Jon Stewart really is a very funny young chap.

But I wouldn't get him tattooed on my arm though!

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

kthanxbai!

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Brilliantly smart-ass responses to completely well-meaning signs

The funniest thing about this site? People have actually invested time and energy in coming up with these answers.

LMAO? You betcha!



And the link is here: Brilliantly smart-ass responses to completely well-meaning signs

kthanxbai!

As I sit here listening to the names of those who were murdered on September 11th 10 years ago, being read out by survivors, I think of Frank Bennet Reisman who died that day.

Image via Wikipedia

I had no connection to him in 2001, but since I wrote this article on September 11th, 2009, I have him in my heart. 

Rest in peace, Frank.

kthanxbai

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• New York Marks Moment of Silence, Families Read Names of 9/11 Victims - Fox News (news.google.com)

Queen Google

Blogger has a new interface so for now they're safe. I'm not quite up to moving to Wordpress yet. But the second they muck it up - I'll be soooo gone!

And for your delight and delectation today? Google. Yes Mr. Google and his elves have created quite the splendiferous logo for today's celebrity birthday - Mr. Queen (not Steve Mc - Freddie Mercury).

Which, when clicked, gives the most amazing song and cartoon  dance routine I've seen for a while - here;

kthanxbai!

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Summer 2012 - A Disaster Ahead

With the Middle East in turmoil, Colonel Gaddafi running away, Turkey attacking the Kurds with helicopters and Israel with diplomacy, London's Burning (and not the TV show!) and Greece is about to slide down t bankruptcy, I can already foresee next summer's disaster.

And may God have mercy on our souls.

kthanxbai!

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Are You Crazy?

Its been a while I admit but this got me riled.

Actually pretty annoyed.

And I can hope that it only starts people thinking, both in and out of Europe.





And yes - I was raised in the area of Walthamstow.

kthanxbai!

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Too Much Murder?

Like any red blooded young chap who owns a TV in 2011 I get to see a lot of murders on TV.


There are some great detailed  detective work in some of the amazing shows in the list below, which I have put in order of which ones I am addicted to the most at the beginning;


Sherlock, NCIS, Morse, Justified, Memphis Blue, Frost, The Glades, Bones, Bergerac, CSI, CSI Miami, CSI Hoboken, Taggart, CSI New York, Law + Order, Criminal Minds, The Protector, The Closer, Dexter

Image via Wikipedia

Danny Cohen, who I respect tremendously, in his position of head of BBC1 in the UK, who create a myriad of high class detective shows,  was recently quoted in the Daily telegraph as saying shortly before the latest rush of detective shows hit our screens, there’s simply too much of this crime stuff on the telly. “One of the things I want to do,” Mr Cohen, the network’s youngest-ever controller, explained helpfully, “is to broaden the palette a bit.”

Interesting attitude. Is it for the TV show makers to decide what people see or is it up to the viewing public? Admittedly the most watched shows in the US and UK are not dramas or murder shows but are in fact the talent shows where 'normal people' get to strut their stuff.
Image via Wikipedia

So should we be watching reality murders? Are we already watching too much murder on tv? The infographic below, and more importantly, it's popularity around the world in 2011 as opposed to 2001 - might lean us towards an answer;


The original can be found at www.forensicnursing.org 

kthanxbai!

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Some Great Reads

I like me some Vietnam stories. I don't particularly enjoy the fighting part of it, generally I don't believe half of what I read. I do like reading about the helicopters over there and how these guys went into the breach, time after time.

Image by colincookman via Flickr

There aren't many instances that I can think of where you get to see the same events but through different sets of eyes. Even 9/11 with photographers and videographers and eyewitnesses didn't see things significantly differently.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon 2 books in my personal library (ooh, doesn't that sound fancy?!!) where a pair of slick pilots had flown together, got shot at together and had told the tales differently.Image by javaczuk via Flickr

'Lest We Forget ' by William Meacham is a fantastic read about Huey pilots in The Nam doing a wide variety insane and ridiculous operations to save their buddies on the ground. Meacham was an enlisted man and worked his way up to become an officer which probably explains his rather more rigid and focused views on certain matters within the book.

What blew me away was that he brought W T Grant up to speed when he first arrived in The Nam. W T Grant wrote his book 'Wings of the Eagle' about those first flights and those very hair-raising (aka insane) missions.

Its not just me who is raving about these books, I'm just a few years behind the others!

I strongly suggest you get your hands on one of these books - they are well worth a read. Or two.




kthanxbai!

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Going Full Circle

I've been floating around the interwebz a fair bit this week and the most impressive thing I found for your delight and delectation is exceptionally close to my last posting Piff The Magic Dragon.

But its darned good.

Do you know how he does it?



Answers in the comments below please!

No seriously, I want to know how he does it!!

kthanxbai!

Piff The Magic Dragon

A rather hilarious young magician out to impress Messrs Penn & Teller.



Hat tip to Damn Cool Pictures



 kthanxbai!

I Do Like Me Some Angry Birds

Way back when, (well in mid-May) I mentioned just how much I like the game Angry Birds.

 

 

Angry Birds & Pomplamoose was a favourite post of many people.So here is proof that I am not a complete nutter;

 I guess its not 'proof' as such. It just shows that I'm not alone!

 Oh, and there's a movie coming out too.


 

kthanxbai!

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Simply A Great Ad

As the blurb at the top of the blog says 'Bringing you interesting articles, pictures and views from around the Blogosphere and the Interwebs'.


Probably the best ad I've seen in the past 6 months. Try and work out what product the ad is for before the clip ends.


Enjoy! 



The Exorcist from MrPrice2U on Vimeo.




kthanxbai!