One of my oldest and dearest friends has gone public on his support for Scottish Independence. I am greatly cheered by this. More thoughts later.
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“Which makes it so much better than the US. Exemptions for cancer is a big one. Be grateful for what you have.”
Don’t you worry Ben, every morning I get out of bed and thank the Lord I don’t live in America.
““We never used to have to pay for prescriptions.”
Since 1952 there have only been three years, 1965 to 1968, when prescriptions were free”
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Thank you for that, Fred.
Another bit of Gossian nostalgia demolished!
John Goss(and Mary) take note.
Two hours ahead of leafy Surrey, dear Mary.
But houses in leafy Surrey – for those lucky enough to own one – are MUCH more expensive than in Warsaw.
” every morning I get out of bed and thank the Lord I don’t live in America.”
LOL! Now you know why I transport myself here so often.
Mary
You are over 60 and comfortably off.
Do you think it’s reasonable that you should be exempted from paying prescription charges? If so, for what reason(s)?
Some people just don’t get it. There is something beyond narcissism, believe it or not.
Mary may be well, but empathy (look it up) transcends oneself, and she has shown compassion treated as though it were a weakness by those who can’t comprehend what genuine strength is made of.
Now toodle off to the Convention of Atavism where comprehension of the word ‘devolve’ may indirectly be discussed.
“Mary may be well, but empathy (look it up) transcends oneself, and she has shown compassion”
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I may be wrong, but I should have said that her posts distinguish themselves by a singular lack of compassion. Unless of course you see anger and bitterness as signs of compassion. Not that it’s especially important, though….
Maybe the Kaleidoscope needs adjusting, or perhaps a touchstone of reality wherein you can plumb the depths or shallows of your own sense of compassion?
Prescriptions have been free in Wales (still part of the UK) since 2007
I don’t, not until after the eighties ever remember having to pay for a prescription. So it may be nostalgia to some extent. And before 1952? I was too young to pay then. I must be thankful for a relatively healthy life.
Dentistry is even worse. Don’t get me going on dentistry! Dentists unnecessarily drilled and filled, pulled and gassed, went right into the nerve of teeth that obviously did not need treatment. The only teeth that have broken and had to be pulled were those with fillings. The fillings fall out the teeth crack. There’s nothing better than what God gave you. And now after all that unnecessary work we have to pay for getting the former cocked-up work of incompetent dentists! Don’t get me going on dentists! Birmingham University dentistry department is like a production line for dentists. God knows where they all go. But anyway it’s not free. Not like it was back in the USSR!
“Life is getting better, life is getting merrier!” (J. Stalin, ca. 1932)
@Mary on Maria Miller
I remember that Rebekah Brooks was also devastated. Of course such people will be devastated… they’ve been caught out!
” I doubt it would take long to get a good idea of who you would choose to be interfering if the place you, your family and friends lived in was to be subject to foreign interference. ”
Well obviously no interference at all would be best but to wheel out the tired old (non) argument that Russian action in Ukraine is somehow preferable or even acceptable because it has so far been accomplished with little violence is nothing short of pathetic.
Kempe
8 Apr, 2014 – 11:31 pm
“Well obviously no interference at all would be best but to wheel out the tired old (non) argument that Russian action in Ukraine is somehow preferable or even acceptable because it has so far been accomplished with little violence is nothing short of pathetic.”
I suggested we observe, measure and compare. I thought one of the advantages of a reductionist approach is that anyone can observe what is measurable and then draw conclusions from the data.
Can you explain why my suggestion that we gather data on Russian interference in Ukraine and consider how it would feel to be on the receiving end of different varieties of foreign interference makes you wriggle so much?
The you can explain why, in your opinion, it is acceptable for the West to bring democracy by means of industrial scale violence and fascist thugs, but it seems it is unacceptable for Russia to respond to the US backed coup in Kiev by supporting Ukrainians who wish to vote their governments into power.
Have tried to post this on Wingsoverscotland website but keeps telling me I can’t, so will just add it here after Robertson’s ridicuous ‘forces of darkness’ speech on Monday in the US:
Robertson may be a fool, or at least dismal at predicting what happened re: the Scottish Parliament, but he is senior director of a big US/UK defence company, ex Sec’y of Defence, NATO high heid-yin etc. His choosing (or being chosen) to speak at the Brookings Institute, an influential right-wing US defence think-tank to deliver his ‘forces of darkness’ speech is not casual – he is alerting the powers that be in the US that a situation in the UK that Westminster thought they had under control (i.e. the referendum) is spiralling in popularity, and out of Westminster’s control, and that the vote that Westminster thought would be a jokey, pretendy vote is actually turning serious. The fact thay they’re drawing out the ‘apocalyptic’ language is indicative of how unprepared they are – the fact that in the US Robertson is drawing on the ‘apocalyptic’ language (so beloved of US Republican war-mongers), before that language is openly used here, is indicative that they expect the US to ‘help’. Faslane is THE most important NATO base in the North Atlantic, full stop. In the early 1980s, the newly elected Labour gov’t in New Zealand declared itself a nuclear-free zone and tried to stop nuclear-armed and/or powered ships, including US ships, from visiting NZ ports, and the CIA helped overthrow that gov’t. What would they do now, if Scotland tries to oust the most important NATO naval base in the North Atlantic? Robertson’s ‘forces of darkness’ speech to one of the most powerful US defence think tanks is the beginning of what we need to get ready for, cause it’s going to be a very rough five months.
I was very pleased to hear a radio 5 presenter making light of the “forces of darkness” of George Robertson’s speech. Hope she doesn’t lose her job over it. He may be a pawn, but if you are correct, Falloch, he must be in a very important position on the chess board.
Falloch…
i’ll try that for you .. i have them on Fbook too…
i’ll let ya know how it goes.
Someone who shall be nameless should refrain from making generalisations about geographical locations and monetary wealth of the inhabitants. And as I keep saying, many parts of Surrey are far from ‘leafy’.
Kerry is at it again – winding up the cold war against Russia that is. He is just an appalling old war monger.
‘The US secretary of state, John Kerry, described recent developments in eastern Ukraine as “more than deeply disturbing” and repeated threats of western sanctions against Russia, which he said would be extended to the country’s energy, banking and mining sectors.
Kerry blamed pro-Russian protests in eastern Ukraine on “special forces and agents” sent by Moscow in a move he said “could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention just as we saw in Crimea”.’
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/08/us-moscow-crimea-style-intervention-eastern-ukraine
Russia counters with accounts of American mercenaries planted in Eastern Ukraine.
‘Russia claimed Tuesday that 150 specialists from an American private military group are in eastern Ukraine, the region where pro-Russia protesters are clashing with government forces.
A woman who identified herself as an employee of the group, the security contracting company Greystone, declined comment. She also declined to provide her name.
Greystone, on its website, identifies itself as a “provider of aviation and protective support services and training” formerly part of Xe Services, the security contracting company once known as Blackwater.’
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/russia-claims-american-mercenaries-are-eastern-ukraine-n74571
It was not a very imaginative move for BLACKwater to change its name to GREYstone. Is Erik Prince still in charge? No. He sold out and is now in ‘private equity’.
‘As of 2013 Prince heads a private equity firm called Frontier Resource Group, operating in more than a dozen African countries serving as an adviser to Israeli and Chinese investors in Africa. He created an investment fund of $100 million for this purpose. He “is building an oil refinery in South Sudan, owns a cement factory in Congo, conducts aerial gas and oil surveys across the continent, and is looking at taking over idle oil wells damaged by insurgents in Nigeria.”’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince
The $billions he took off the US taxpayers were obviously insufficient for his purpose.
More on the multi tentacled Academi, Blackwater, Prince, etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_USA_businesses#Greystone_Limited
Mary…
Up late tonight.. thanks for sharing the wee story of the the Tai Chi girl… i love Tai Chi… did it myself for a couple of years… i think because the Sifu ( teacher ) knew i was a jui jitsu expert..he showed me the applications….EVERY move that girl makes is a Martial art defense move..Cos Like Jui Jitsu..Tai Chi is a Martial art.. many of the rest are Sports…
Anyhoo… more to you’re thing is this….
Appeals court upholds dismissal of anti-BDS lawsuit against Olympia Food Co-op
The Olympia Food Co-op, based in Olympia, Washington, was the first US grocery store to publicly honor the Palestinian boycott call in 2010. A year later, the resultant legal attack became the first anti-BDS lawsuit. In Feb. 2012, the lawsuit was dismissed as a violation of Washington State’s anti-SLAPP legislation, which prohibited lawsuits strategically designed to inhibit free speech—a ruling now affirmed in the court of appeals.
Although the five plaintiffs still have the right to appeal to the state supreme court, it is unlikely to produce a different result, as the supreme court had already refused to hear the case prior to the court of appeals decision.
For the duration of the court case—in which the plaintiffs claimed that the lawsuit was not a defense of Israel but a procedural challenge—several pro-Israel interests became involved, ranging from the multimillion-dollar Israel advocacy group StandWithUs, to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most recently the Lawfare Project.
Nice one eh.
OOOPPPS
The link –
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/04/appeals-dismissal-against.html
BREAKING NEWS – CULTURE SECDRETARY MARIA MILLER RESIGNS
You read it in Habbabkuk first!
“Someone who shall be nameless should refrain from making generalisations about geographical locations and monetary wealth of the inhabitants. And as I keep saying, many parts of Surrey are far from ‘leafy’.”
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Err, I was making a specification (or should I say, being specific). About someone who should remain nameless. (Clue : that person keeps complaining about well-off people).
Yes awful Brian. The Olympia case was quite famous. It is all bad publicity for the Israeli lobby. A little like this runner who was not allowed out of the open air prison to take part in a race in Bethlehem.
Medialens
You couldn’t make this up ‘ High Court rejects Gazan runner’s appeal to race in Bethlehem
Posted by Jackie on April 8, 2014, 8:27 pm
While looking at this, I tried to use Google Earth to find the distance between Gaza City & Bethlehem, Gaza & Bethlehem, Gaza & Tel Aviv, Bethlehem & Tel Aviv. No dice – “We do not understand your search”. But Tel Aviv & Jerusalem – oh yeah, that works fine.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.584478
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btw Mrs Miller’s gone. She said she should not be a distraction from Agent Cameron’s ‘vital work this government is doing’. We know what that is.
Breaking news
Maria Miller quits as culture secretary after expenses row
Maria Miller has resigned as culture secretary, Downing Street has said, following a row over her expenses.
In a letter to the prime minister, she said the controversy “has become a distraction from the vital work this government is doing”.
David Cameron said he was “sorry” to receive the letter, but accepted her decision.
Mrs Miller was cleared of funding a home for her parents at taxpayers’ expense, but was told to repay £5,800.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26951464
No one survives a mauling from Betty Boothroyd.
Someone who shall be nameless should also be careful of making assumptions about other people receiving prescriptions FOC. He has no idea about their medical status and/or whether or not their doctors prescribe medications for them!
John Ref dentistry.
Remember this? Another one of his lies.
Blair: NHS dentistry for all
Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised that everybody will have easy access to an NHS dentist within the next two years.
/..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/459949.stm
Kempe
8 Apr, 2014 – 11:31 pm
Let’s compare some body language.
Here are some images of the effects on people in Iraq of US use of high explosives.
http://mindprod.com/politics/iraqwarpix.html#IRAQWARPIX
Here are some images of the effects on people people in Crimea of Russian use of high explosives.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2586559/Streets-Crimea-erupt-celebration-residents-gather-celebrate-independence-referendum-world-condemned-illegal.html
Again I ask you. If you had the luxury of choice, would you choose for the place where you, your family and friends live to be interfered with by the US or Russia?
“Again I ask you. If you had the luxury of choice, would you choose for the place where you, your family and friends live to be interfered with by the US or Russia?”
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An interesting question!
If the countries of Eastern Europe had had the choice after WW2, I wonder whether they would have preferred to receive Marshall Aid from the US or be occupied by Soviet armies and have dictatorial Communist governments imposed on them for the next 45 years?
Just askin’.
“Someone who shall be nameless should also be careful of making assumptions about other people receiving prescriptions FOC. He has no idea about their medical status and/or whether or not their doctors prescribe medications for them!”
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Which assumptions would those be? Links and quotations, please.