Skin rash?

I was shocked when a doctor told me several years ago that I had Scabies and that it was a notifiable disease (in the UK), meaning I had to cancel Christmas and notify recent contacts!

I thought it was a thing of the past, but not so.

I'd been scratching at an itch on my neck, which soon appeared on an arm and one shin, becoming persistent and concerning, so off I went to the "quack". She took all of 15 seconds to diagnose Scabies, saying I'd probably picked it up 2-3 weeks previously from someone or shared materials. (towel/sheet/pillow?). 

It itches like fury as mites burrow and feed under your skin, depositing their eggs along the way. A prescribed cream kills them, though the process by which your skin exudes them over time itches even more! It was months until my skin went back to normal and I was greatly relieved.

BUT; not all ailments of the skin are as straightforward to diagnose and these days, with the NHS and GP services failing, there must be many people waiting for an accurate diagnosis of what is wrong with their skin, though some do get lucky. 

That which caused me to search for skin problems recently was finally diagnosed as Cellulitis, but while you wait you may wish to peruse these sites.

Scabies

 Common adult skin diseases

Blotchy skin?

Psoriasis

Less common skin diseases

Arms and legs

Erythrasma 1 and Erythrasma 2

The NHS has this to say

I found this. Happens 2-3 times a year, lasting about a week?

Bye for now

Trump won and is in the process of "losing it" big time, Europe is fucked, the world is becoming a toxic and fascist nightmare, the whole of Africa is reverting to corrupt tribalism, China must remember that repressing millions is ultimately futile and Putin is running a once proud population into the ground, making friends with and giving sanctuary to other "leaders" of disrepute, not forgetting Israel who seem to be brewing a regional war for themselves whilst Trump, as pathologically eager as ever to keep himself in the headline, has joined in. He and his cronies are beyond words, signalling that they want their quarter of the influential areas of the world, China can take theirs, Russia theirs and Europe can muddle their way to theirs.

You get my drift. I'm going back to reading books and listening to music in a fairly simple, isolated life. Bye for now. 

How many people in the world?

I came across this website, which you may be tempted to visit, that gives details about the world's human population.

We humans are the "elephant in the room" when looking at many world problems, from famine to war, to monumental destruction of habitat, including our own. Cutting the number of children being conceived for a couple of years might is a good and long-lasting solution?

People / Km2 - The UK is officially full so stay away!

I think a falling global population can be our only viable option for human continuance, but many "professional" Demographers and the Chinese state do not, citing population growth is needed to facilitate market growth, as if "growth" is good for the world as opposed to merely good for multi-nationals. The Chinese population seemingly desire less humans for their birth rate continues to fall.

Fewer "workers" mean more robots can be used, which can be switched off or on as demand varies; it means less is demanded from the Earth and we can proceed with more and more set-aside for re-wilding. 

Those who say we need more people to defend ourselves (war) forget that we could produce robot armies to our hearts content and virtually automate wars if we have the wealth to do so. I just don't see  continuous human population growth as being desirable in any way, as many in more enlightened populations are demonstrating by a "jaw-dropping" global fall in babies, which the UN tell us is now an unprecedent fall in global fertility.  Good!

Sex, Sex, Sex and then just a bit more sex

Maybe because of my age, or a growing awareness of the ages of my four granddaughters, I am becoming sensitised, almost to a point of anger, to the constant drip-drip of overt and overly sexualised images and attitudes that we are all exposed to by "the media". Maybe I am just becoming an old git?

The lazy, easy-money sales pitch that sex(ynes) is all we need to be successful, appreciated and happy, even normal, is seemingly becoming more prevalent, whilst the further assertion that to be "sexy" you have to be young and thin is almost as obscene as the constant exploitation and pitching of aspirational sex(ynes).

Anyway - I'm not sure where to go with this blog so I've posted a poem (from long ago) when tenderness and affection did not require an obligatory fist of fun. (Wink Wink - know what I mean!)

Speaking Hands ...
LAURENCEAUX England LAURENCEAU Lawrenceaux LAWRENCEAU Laureanceaux LAURANCEAU Lawranceaux LAWRANCEAU Loranceaux LORANCEAU Lorranceaux LORRANCEAU POETRY Prose POEMS Social Comments HUMOUR Humerous SMILE Smiling LAUGH Laughing LAFF Laffing CYNICAL Truism TRUISMS Welcome HULL Kingston-Upon-Hull Kingston Upon Hull KINGSTON-ON-HULL Kingston On Hull YORKSHIRE East Yorkshire HUMBERSIDE Yorkshire DEPRESSION ThisISUll FED-UP Pissed-Off LONELY Disgruntled DISSOLUSIONED Blue BLACK Thinking BLOG Blogger LYONEL

Kath Hignet - Newsweek News

Kath Hignet News

This journalist's article (or A.I. Code) contains poor grammar foisted upon readers via Internet "News". I may read false news but I want it well written.

"A galaxy spinning around a hungry supermassive black hole that's guzzling down matter and shooting out plasma jets has grabbed the attention of astronomers 13 billion light years away. This plasma-spewing quasar is spurting out brighter radio emissions than anything else ever observed in the early universe."

Q. Are the astronomers really 13 billion light years away?
Q. Are we in the "early universe", or another?

A galaxy spinning around a hungry supermassive black hole that's 13 billion light years away (from earth) and guzzling down matter whilst shooting out plasma jets has grabbed the attention of astronomers 13 billion light years away. This plasma-spewing quasar is spurting out brighter radio emissions than anything else ever observed in the early universe.

-------------------- " --------------------

5th Feb 2024  

I came across this in an unattributed BBC article and it doesn't seem right. Call me pedantic if you wish, but I like things right (quite often my "right").

"Jason Elordi has been accused of grabbing the reporter behind a radio prank gone wrong by the throat."

OR

Jason Elordi has been accused of grabbing by the throat the reporter behind a radio prank gone wrong.

-------------------- " --------------------

30th Jun 2024  

Another a BBC article, this time by Lipica Pelham.

"French media reported that three armed, hooded men arrived at the reception venue in Thionville late on Saturday night before opening fire on guests."

OR

 (as they did not have three arms each)

French media reported that three hooded and armed men arrived at the reception venue in Thionville late on Saturday night, before opening fire on guests.

-------------------- " --------------------

3rd Jul 2024  

Another a BBC article, this time by Jeremy Britton.

"The suitcase was found 10 days later by a member of the public washed up on the riverbank downstream, still containing the body of Ms Begum."

OR

 (as the finder wasn't washed up)

Found by a member of the public, the suitcase was locate 10 days later, washed up on the downstream riverbank and still containing the body of Ms Begum.

-------------------- " --------------------

4th Oct 2024  

Another a BBC article, this time by Jack Burgess.

"A French judge reversed a ruling in the trial of a man who is accused of drugging his wife to sleep and recruiting dozens of men to abuse her for over a decade."

OR

 (as his wife was not actually asleep for a decade)

A French judge reversed a ruling in the trial of a man who is accused of repeatedly drugging his wife to sleep for over a decade and recruiting dozens of men to abuse her.

N.B. This is a terrible French crime and the details get worse, but its victim is dignified and stoic.

-------------------- " --------------------

24th Jan 2025 

Another unattributed BBC article.

"Ethan Armstrong, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of violent disorder at Hull Crown Court."

OR

 (as his violent disorder was not actually at Hull Crown Court)

Ethan Armstrong, 26, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to one count of violent disorder.

-------------------- " --------------------

16th Jan 2026 

Another unattributed BBC article.

"French prosecutors have confirmed how a British couple died, five days after they were found in their rural home in south-west France."

OR

(Killed 5 days after being found in a French prosecutors' home?)

Five day after being found dead in their rural property in south-west France, French Prosecutors have confirmed how the British couple died.

-------------------- " --------------------

11th Feb 2025 

A Grimsby Live article.

"Walpole admitted three counts of making indecent photographs of children at Lincoln Magistrates' Court last year."

OR

(As the photographs were not really made at the court)

"At Lincoln Magistrates' Court Walpole admitted three counts of making indecent photographs of children last year."

-------------------- " --------------------

The NHS is dead

The NHS is nearly dead!

For years the British National Health Service (NHS) has been touted as the best public healthcare organisation in the world. IT IS NOT, nor has it been so for decades. It is no longer able to fulfil its intended responsibilities (set out in post-war years) and is no longer fit for purpose. Whether by intent, ignorance, inefficiency, political meddling, poor financial and resource planning, waste and loss of control over critical supporting components, including loss of doctors to other countries; it is no longer fit for purpose. Public confidence is at is lowest level, with over 7.5 million diagnosed treatment requirements listed that remain outstanding, with some lists over a year long; even the patience of patients (including me) is coming to an and as a national swath of excuses continue (I'm sick of still hearing the Covid backlog excuse!). It is currently so dysfunctional that even overseas newscasters report it and millions of pounds are "lost" as it insidiously outsource problems of their own creation, thereby accelerating the breakdown (break-up?) of the NHS in to a two-tier system of patient care: For those able to shop-around within the offered services and those that are not. Duplicity is also prevalent in the overseers of the NHS. 

We, the people, have allowed numerous governments to stealthily wind back the spirit of the NHS and its peripheral infrastructures for decades now. It is our fault that the NHS is failing, because we allow fuckwit politicians and "apparatchiks" to do as they desire under cover of "our" ignorance, indifference or apathy; that is not to say medical professionals within the NHS are blameless, for they have kept their timid heads down for years with few publicised whistle-blowers, perhaps because they know their money would keep coming anyway, or because an acknowledged and growing "toxic and bullying" culture intimidates them as parts rot from the inside. Even the Governments Care Quality Commission has been reviewed as not fit for purpose. To paraphrase a comment by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, "too many (in the NHS) have become very comfy in the tepid bath of managed decline". Ouch! 

Labour clearly want to shake-up the NHS following the sudden departure of the head of NHS England, so they abolished NHS England (and its 10000 employees), with the hope of successfully drilling down into issues that are long-standing and all too apparent. The former administrative body's work will be taken up by the Department of Health and Social Care who will look to changing how the NHS is run. It looks like the new broom in town is going to give the NHS a good scrubbing, though I understand few will mourn its passing. I had no understanding of what NHS England did, nor NHS Scotland and NHS Wales, but this article helped.

Everyone paying tax in the UK is statutorily contributing to the largest single employer in Europe and they are getting bugger-all back in many areas of the NHS once deemed important:  free prescriptions - gone, free dentistry and eyecare - gone, the availability of many local and social caring systems - gone, effective GP services - gone, effective hospital administration - gone. (GP now stands for generally poor as "super practices" are being formed throughout the land, giving service that at best is perfunctory) Everything we should value has been costed and wherever possible outsourced to organisations unknown and hidden in plain sight under NHS headed notepapers, in order to gain "efficiencies" and cost savings that have not made the NHS "better". Money that is being spent seems to be going on new estate, cutting edge medicines that benefit few, and all manner of frippery and corruption that doesn't really cure anyone; here I am thinking of the following: Political correctness and wokery,  help with being fat (eat less), smoking (just get on and die), drug addiction by self abuse (ditto), chronic self-harming (ditto), childlessness (adopt and thereby save a poor soul) and addictions to computer game playing for God's sake (81 units in the UK). Most noticeable is the erection of new "estate" that increases facility but not effectiveness.

It seems to me that there are now too many risk-averse, secretive, hostile administrators; too many non-medical centric people beavering away in ways that no-longer directly facilitate the treatment of patients, but sometimes actually undermine their care. Senior administrators do not exhibit interest in patients anymore; they talk money, risk, excuse, expediency, secrets and unpublished intent, often overriding concerned parties and whistle blowers. My personal interaction with the NHS, by being in hospital a few times, suggests that staff on the ground floor of the patient interface are dedicated, effective and friendly, yet a bit fearful for their future. They know things are bad.

NHS whistle-blowers are not often heard of in the press, but in the case of convicted killer nurse Lucy Letby it was seen how "blowers" are often suppressed by "those above", who deny problems and refuse to act.

LUCY LETBY - though not really within the context of this article was a nurse who was convicted of killing many children in her charge and her post sentencing review revealed examples of corporate denial and obfuscation, symptomatic of the NHS? Hospital bosses said they were mislead and yet her hospital administrators ignored complaints about her (for fear of bad publicity) and children died during their procrastination; though some are still unsure about her conviction and others think she killed more, some think less. What is obvious is how opaque the upper working of the NHS is and the disquiet about her convictions, which just keeps coming.

Getting back to the NHS; from my hospital bed I observed some people getting the briefest of interactions with staff and subsequently discovered they were "bed-blockers" - people fit enough to leave hospital but not "allowed" to do so because of social care commitments not being fulfilled by other parts of the NHS, or indeed by familial responsibilities/expectations. Bed-blockers cost the NHS billions and are acknowledged by government to be one reason beds are in shortened supply, putting fresh patients at risk by blocking their free flow through the NHS. To put this particular problem into perspective, in the Royal Free Hospital in London between 15-30% of patients are medically fit to be discharged but are unable to leave for a myriad of reason, predicting that of 141,000 beds available to the NHS nationally, up to 42,000 cannot be used. NHS bed blockers lead to corridor blockers and  corridor blockers as those unfortunes destined to suffer on a trolley, often for many, many hours. There are even reported cases of people signing DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) forms so that they never have to endure corridor care again. 

The Nuffield Trust has reported bed-blocking numbers to Government for years yet the situation persists for tens of thousands of people; these two bed-blocking cases are particularly striking. A classic case of "bed blocking" and a woman who became like a prisoner in hospital, both caused by supposedly integrated social services failing. The NHS hospitals are doing their job, but social services are happy to renege on their paid responsibilities. (Though I do wonder if parents or family are dragging their feet also). 

The NHS no-longer delivers a service. It delivers a fractured and failing amalgamation of ever loosely bonded "facilities" designed to take the heat/demand out of core NHS services; "drop-in centres" exemplify this in that you drop in, they look at you without actual treatment and refer you back into a service no-longer working as it should. Perhaps drop-in centres (or unwanted shopping malls and large department stores) could be repurposed into residential care homes to house ex-patients stuck in NHS beds. The government houses immigrants at the drop of a hat, so why can't they store ex-patients, as indeed they once did in state financed care home beds? (Taking back a role outsourced by councils in the 90's to "save money").

Freeing beds for the sick should be a social priority, for the NHS still continues to waste billions on patients who don't need to be in hospital.

I predict that by 2035 the "NHS" will be an umbrella organisation below which will be a collection of separate corporate service providers responsible for enabling the aims of the "NHS", which they will promise to do only if there is money to be had for themselves.

ENOUGH!

Finally, if don't like your NHS job then leave or move on, as your wages are fair and for some very good indeed, so stop disrupting  or "robbing" from this already ailing service. 

If you think this item is a valid critique of the NHS, then pass it on.

Truism (for the avoidance of debt #3)

Your debit card will never lead you into debt (if it have set a zero overdraft facility).

 

Personal thought - Always use your debit card in preference to you credit card as it will help you manage your spending of your real money, as long as ig has a zero amount overdraft facility that you can set. When it's gone it's gone and your debit card will keep you from debt, unlike your credit card.

This video explains the pitfall of using a debit card overdraft facility.

IRAN reveals itself

By supplying the missiles for the attack on Israel from Gaza and being a supporter of troubles in Yemen and elsewhere, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) signposted a renewed desire to become a major military power, but why. If their intent was to destabilise their region by antagonising Israel into rash (or deliberate?) actions, then the strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria seems to suggest their aim(s) are being achieved; as have more recent Israeli attacks upon them and their infrastructure, which will lead to a war in which Israel is likely to prevail because it's smaller army is more sophisticated, with greater military capabilities, 

Israel will have realised the back-room role Iran is playing in the region, but it seems very doubtful their partial withdrawal from Gaza will assuage anyone's annoyance now, nor hint at what comes next, especially so after Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon into the Golan Heights made Israel invade there too, killing many high ranking Hezbollah personnel, as Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Lebanese to help his forces rid themselves of Iran sponsored Hezbollah. That request fell on deaf ears, but the elimination of many Hezbollah leaders will dampen their regional effectiveness and ability to expedite Iran's desire that Israel dies by a thousand cuts, without openly revealing their long term "gameplay"

Too Old?

Iran's attack on a supposed Israeli "spy headquarters" in northern Iraq and similar aggressions upon Syria and Pakistan (who retaliated of course) revealed their latest desire to become a more significant geopolitical influencer of the middle east, though striking a US military area inside Iraq which killed Americans was ill-advised and must stop if shit is not to hit their fan. Iran is showing off to their regional pals at the moment, hoping for an alliance against Israel, which is perhaps what the original Gaza/Hamas attack was really about? Iran's "leaders" want engineered strife in the region, whilst their people probably just want a stable, unoppressed lifestyle.

Update 14th Apr 2024: Having built tension(s) in the area over many months following the missile strikes and incursion into Israel, with murder and kidnappings, Iran and Israel finally came to blows. These former allies (until 1979) have been bickering for years, but why did Iran attacked Israel?

Israel seems to have been played like a fiddle; having been goaded into an over-the-top response to the "Palestinian" invasion from Gaza they have brought upon themselves global condemnation, enough for the self-appointed regional "white knight" (Iran) to feel justified in now "reprimanding" Israel. This is bad news, but possibly the fulfilment of "someone's" desire for instability in the region, for the long-term eradication of Israel.

Iran seemingly wants war with Israel, with a view to supremacy in the middle east, but former US President Biden's condemnation of Iran's brazen act, in which over 300 cruise missiles were inbound for Israel, will be ignored (for now) by Iran, because Israel has thus far done little more than put themselves on military high alert, choosing to savour their (inevitable) response and it's consequence(s). They are happy to promote the "success" of their defence systems, though it is telling that the USA had the intelligence to warn Israel, yet refused to be involve in any retaliatory strike(s), the first of which occurred on Thursday 18th April 2024 when Israel (alone) executed a missile strike onto an Iranian town hosting a major airbase and large missile production complexes. This war is official, we are seeing the first act of a simmering play and nothing good will come of it; Israel have been goaded into a long-term regional conflict and are being "played" into a war, starting with Lebanon's Hezbollah. (What is Hezbollah in Lebanon?)

Howsoever this regional scenario was engineered, Iran is in their enterprise for a long haul, for not only are they targeting mainland Israel, they desire a de-facto embargo of goods into Israel as Iranian forces  began to seize Israel-linked ships.

Iran's aspirations seems set without major internal changes, so now (May 2024) one has to ask, was the death of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in a mysterious helicopter, an accident or engineered?  Is his death the first step to change in Iran or merely the consolidation of political controls to the supreme leader  Ali Khameei? Time will tell ........

Update 6th Jul 2024: The electorate spoke and reformer Massoud Pezeshkian was elected to be the the new president of Iran (not the ultimate voice there), possibly signposting Iran's internal reviewing of their standing and responsibilities in that region; or the restlessness for change of the voters.

Update 3rd Aug 2024: Whatever Iran's aims or expectations are in their region, they seem keen to keep swimming in deep waters, for such is their proxy war efforts against Israel in particular that the USA has been triggered into an overt stance in the region, ostensibly in support of Israel, though they still condemn the genocide ongoing in Gaza. Such is the region's dogma on many "sides" that all parties argue their greater "rights" and continue to kill, subjugate, terrify, curtail or ruin the aspiration of millions of innocents to just live a "normal" life, unfettered by political, religious, power-hungry war-mongers.

Update 25th Oct 2024: This is it then, Israel has spoken and struck out directly and decisively at Iran who can no longer skulk in the shadows of their mercenary's actions. They were called out by Israel and it's time for them to put-up or shut-up. To escalate or not. Whatever they wish(ed) for in that region is now becoming the main event.

Update 10th Mar 2025: With the sudden overthrow of the Syrian dictatorship of Assad and the decimation of Hezbollah's leadership by Israeli actions, an unstable power vacuum occurred, meaning Iran has to be overt or retiring in its stance toward Israel, for its regional aspirations seem to be shattering. They still need to come to terms with internal but wide-spread simmering resentment of Iran's national mismanagement amongst its population and it can only be hoped that the new Syrian head man can bring some stability to the region, something that seems possible following him signing a new constitution endorsing Syria's 5-year transition plan back to normalcy.

Update 15th Jun 2025: With a de-facto war erupting between Israel and Iran, it seems their provocations of the past have come home to roost and where that will lead is anyone's guess now that internal dissent is apparent.

Update 22nd Jun 2025: After ostensibly standing on the side-line whilst irritating and disrupting neighbours for many years, using regional proxy forces and threatening "death to America and Israel", Iran's time has come: They have been called-out by the USA, whose gloves are now off signalling their support of Israel, with spectacular bombing and the obliteration of many Iranian sites.

Update 9th Dec 2026: Internal domestic pressure continues to rise in Iran; originally started by shop owners protesting about inflationary trends precipitated by global trade sanctions, displays of discontent by the general populace are now nationwide and internal violence by "the state" against its people has caused the death of thousands as the revolutionary guard are being told to change their ways by the populace. Trump has warned Iran to not continue killing its protesters as they themselves become more violent.

Truism (about war)

It is harder to end a war than start one.

Putin fucked himself and harmed Russia but is Trump not far behind?

And Black Sabbath have a song for them

Putin is talking nuclear and trying to fine Google more money than in the world.

Invaders must take care

Update July 12th 2025: A year after writing this item,  the war with Ukraine continues, the Russian state and Putin prevail and deadlock seems likely for as long as there is money to flow or debts to be accepted; though both economies will be wrecked Russia may recover more slowly as it is larger and has fewer friends. Putin obviously thinks this is his war to win, as he continues to bombard Ukraine in spite of Trump's pompous claims about brining this to a close. Putin is giving Trump the finger continually.

Update January 3rd 2026: "Peacekeeper" Trump can't have Greenland yet?) so he had a go at Venezuela and in doing so is redefining the use of authoritarian powers across the globe.

Hull City Of Culture

Kingston upon Hull (to name its official title) was recognised as the UK city of culture from 2017 until the next city succeeded in 2021. By 2025 Hull is still successfully on its path of resurrection having been named one of the top 25 global destinations to visit in 2026, by the internationally printed periodical, National Geographic, but why would you visit Hull.

Hull is a great place to visit and walk around and to hear music and local contemporary poets. It also has a history unrivalled by many other major British cities and centred for many years around maritime trades and "Hessle Road" ('esl road): the West Hull centre of employment, commerce and social life of families involved with the fishing industry; very rich to very poor, many suffered greatly in the  Icelandic Cod War of the 70's and for centuries whenever boats were lost, the Gaul being the most famous and enigmatic. The works of Hull born photographer Alec Gill recorded much of this from the sixties to the present day, but his work is copyrighted and I may not show it. (Search Alec Gill Hull photographer)

Hull is weird place, always rated poorly in the national press but loved by people and visitors alike (many of whom stay to work) and has many questions asked of it by "outsiders".

Since 1299 the title of this city is actually Kingston Upon Hull (the King's town upon the river Hull) and though it has been blighted by poor politics and lousy national press over the years, it is actually a great friendly place to live, with an interesting history, especially the rejection of King Charles 1st's entry into the city; an act by Sir John Hotham that precipitated the English Civil War (and the later death of Hotham). To this day fools are not suffered lightly as there is still a bit of small town clannishness.

N.B. Some words (in the poems below) have mostly local use only:
Larkin = Larking around or Phillip Larkin, the ex poet laureate.
Tigers = Hull City football club. (Whole city)
Robins = Hull Kingston Rovers rugby league team (East Hull)
Airlie Birds = Hull FC rugby league team (West Hull) after street address (Airlie St.) of old stadium.
Quakers = As in the Quakers of quasi religious and benevolent fame (see pictures below).
Whitefriars / Blackfriars = Religious orders whose locations gave Hull street names.
Land Of Green Ginger = A small street in Hull (See web details)
Reckitts / Ferens / Needlers / Rosedowns = A few of many famous families / companies from Hull.
Frys = A famous Bristol based chocolatier Quaker family who inspired the Reckitts of Hull.
Mucky Buckies = Children of Buckingham Street.
Montrose's = The gang in Montrose street.
Farreey = Vast and semi-derelict railway land storing timber, gangs and girls.
Johnny Greensides = His mum was my first crush.
Mitchell Brothers = Of the Mitchell family, the hardest we knew, into bikes and removals.

Anyway, here are poems I wrote specifically about Hull, along with some pictures.

HULL

Hull is not a rat-race.
Hull is a nice place.

Hull is not chav-town
Hull has thrice a crown:
a king’s town.

Kingston Upon Hull;
Larkin land,
full or Tigers, Robins and Airlie birds,
and parks and memories of Quakers as great as the Frys,
not the Whitefriars
nor the rare Blackfriars
nor those of the Land Of Green Ginger,
but Reckitts and Ferens,
Needlers and Sizers
bobbers and jobbers
dockers and packers
trawlermen and lightermen,
independent spirits one and all.
Hull is a king's town.
Let no-one put us down!

THIS IS 'ULL

The firm leatherette feel of well rolled tarmac
and it’s once warmed smell,
and the blackened knees and hands
of interaction
are familiar prints in my galleried mind.
A grey playmate;
a giver of second-hand chewy
and ciggie ends,
uniquely flavoured
but eagerly sought for secondary use
or swops.

Our street,
our Hull street
was our street,
not for Courtney street's gang,
not Mucky Buckies
nor Montrose's
it was our Upton Street,
a dead end street
of clean houses
of clean people
in clean beds
and mucky, happy kids.

Hull was a small place
till I was 11 but I never knew it,
our world was our street,
our wood yard at the dead end
our "farreey" across the drain
where trains and girls could be explored
in equal measure,
ducking down in the long grass
if anyone came.

I didn't know that I lived in a city called Hull,
but I knew my friends,
their parents and Johnny Greensides
who owned the only car.
and the original Mitchell brothers
on their rocker bikes,
hero’s in leather and white scarves.

I was happy in Hull.
I am again happy in Hull.
Even the immigrants are happy in Hull
’cos we are Hull,
we are Kingston Upon Hull
and proud,
proud to know most people;
southerners and media,
even Yorkshire folk
don't really know us well,
'cos 'ull is our secret,
a hoard of decent friends.

What is wrong with "British" parents?

What on earth is wrong with the recent generations of parents in the United Kingdom? Why will they not ensure their children are vaccinated when their time comes due, even as the UK loses its Measles elimination standing and a deadly Measles outbreak flare-up kills a child, when a Chickenpox epidemic is predicted, as so few children are inoculated. Why are parents so blasé about their responsibility.

Unlike my generation, modern parents are not as trusting of anything said by "officials", but are more than happy to trust their own judgement by predicting "their" child will not catch and spread the likes of Mumps, Measles, Chickenpox, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Rubella, Typhus, Diphtheria and even Polio (from Pakistan), some of which can kill or severely maim their precious child(ren). Of these mumps is regarded as the most innocuous, but it can cause fitting and leave boys sterile. If you can't get to a vaccination centre, they may come to you and your kids, so call them!

I wonder how enraged parents would be following infection in their child or themselves via another unvaccinated child? Whooping Cough is particularly easy to transmit and is killing children to this day, as does Measles.

UK vaccinations for children are free so use them you fools. I don't care that you think they do not  work, that you are in a suspicious-minded ethnic group or have some crack-pot religious reasoning. Just do it and don't play with your child's health. The rest of the world believe in inoculation so why don't you? If worried about it, click here.

We know it makes sense

Smallpox killed millions but vaccination eradicated it globally

N.B. British parents are not unique in their misguided mistrust of inoculation, as illustrated by a localised but lethal Measles outbreak in Texas and a downturn globally, attributed to social media generated mistrust, the proliferation of wars and disruption to services by natural (climate change) consequences. Even sophisticated countries such as Canada and the US are not immune to willful ignorance.

The only winners in the innoculation war are the diseases and we don't want to go back there do we?

The black arts

Sometimes in life it is what you don't properly see, what you cannot properly hear or that you cannot fathom that disturbs or actually frightens you the most. We get half a story, a whisper or a fleeting glimpse and our mind will fill in the blanks, envisioning to "us" what "it" want's. Indeed, without such a facility to fashion images to our consciousness, human sight would be very stressful indeed, as scientific investigation and those unfortunate to suffering anomalies of the mind have testified. Take theses few images as vey simple examples.

We know this is a motionless picture, but you try telling that to your mind. It's trying to deliver a sensible picture to "you", based in its life of experiences, but it can't decide, so you may be seeing the beads move, but even using one eye alone, many people will perceive two central troughs in what you know is just a flat picture.

This picture is flat but your brain has probably decide you are looking at a distant, probably moving, circular pattern through a patterned card with a hole in it. The change in the scale of the outer patterns suggest depth, the fuzz circles imply great distance, so your brain falls back on its rules of sight and gives you the impression you are no doubt experiencing now. Intriguingly I tried this on a friend and their experience was different to mine; that the card held a magnifying lens held over a spotty background. 

Here's a good one of the nurse Florence Nightingale,

 best revealed by moving the image around with your eyes fixed in a stare.

Wiggle image to see Vincent Van Gough

Watch this YouTube video and be amazed at how your brain messes with what you see, as does this one

Anyway, I think we are at a point of attention when I can tell you of my personal interest. I asked myself the question , "If your mind fills in bits, how will a picture change if you slowly remove or alter bits of it, thereby forcing your mind to add its bits to give it's meaning of what your eye is seeing?" 

After fiddling about with images I realised your mind is pretty quick at spotting what is missing and doesn't seem to make up anything of its own, but that if you darken an image, or bits of it to a point of abstraction, you brain starts to add or interpret until it is satisfied the "message" to you makes sense.

Try these 

Old man or chimpanzee? (Zoom in in for clarification)

Facing you (left knee higher than the other) or not? - Zoom in.

Hard - A doll, a ghost or a child? - Zoom in (in a dark room)

Word of the day - SMUG

The word today is Smug

Smug is an adjective and from my research means the following:

- To be too pleased or satisfied about your knowledge or achievements

- To attempt to belittle others by your dress or demeaner

- To be scrupulously clean, neat, or overly correct in chosen attire

Smug by nature and attire?

Smug is a word with dual uses, regarding personal behaviour or attire

If someone says you are smug, or being smug it is not a compliment

To act smugly or exhibit smugness is not generally a desirable trait

Smugness and gloating are interchangeable in use.

Your appearance may be smug (overly smart) but you may not be smug

If you need more start here or here.

There is an index of words of the day.

If you are brave or foolish enough to dig into the different types of words in English, try this.

Word of the day - MORES

The word today is Mores

Mores a collective plural noun and means the following:

- The accepted or traditionally held belief(s) of a country or population

- The traditional ways of behaving, typical of a society or parts thereof 

- The manners, ways and moral attitudes most common in a population

Collective sets of characteristics, actions or beliefs identify social mores of a group. E.G. Americans are loud and proud, Canadians not so.

Mores may be nothing other than a mutual understanding that moderates behaviour of individuals and countries. E.G. In the UK we queue respectfully, in Japan they bow a lot.

Think of mores as "this is the way we do things".

If you need more start here or here or here.

There is an index of words of the day.

If you are brave or foolish enough to dig into the different types of words in English, try this.

Dump Trump 'cos he's a chump (with Bohemian Trumpsody)

Let me say this please, Trump's desire to make America great again is akin to masturbation: It feels great for a while but ultimately you are left on your own. He is still hands-on the phallus of the USA but it is slowly going down. 

The rest of the world, much to his apparent surprise and eventual recognition, are preparing to also play hardball and basically give him the finger. Sure, his trade is good to have but his hubris is proving unacceptably hard to swallow. As the rest of the world adjusts, the USA might just need new friends, whilst Trump's actions at home, with removal of food aid, health assistance and heavy handed homeland actions and directives may lead to intolerance by the masses, making me think he wants to actually break the USA; indeed, many ask when does friendship become a traitor's action.

TRUMP WON, ALLOWED TO DO SO BY A JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE AND AN AMERICAN VOTING POPULATION THAT DEFIES (my) UNDERSTANDING. GOOD LUCK USA!

TRUMP LOVES TRUMP and his ego knows no bounds - he and his coterie will ruin America, your reputation, your economy and your former friends' desire to care about you. Why did you do this to yourselves America?

Just weeks into the job the despotic bullying began.

Trump is open about his America comes first policy and his nationalistic desires are well documented. 

Trump's desire is to interfere in the social rights (and wrongs) he perceives in American society and those of other countries.

Trump is open about protecting American jobs, thereby portraying his party as a party for "legal" workers, whilst those he deems to be "illegals" are identified and arrested or camped.

Trump is using populist actions to thereby build-up his party and his base of avid supporters who swear by him. Their allegiance seems absolute.

To any reader with an understanding of recent (1930s) history you may be aware of what I am alluding to. Trump's party trust their leader implicitly to make their nation great again and the rest of the world must just hope things don't get out of hand, again. Trump will make America great again in their eyes, in their terms, but will undermine global goodwill toward them. The bias Trump exhibits toward the  Russians gives rise to a question: Is Trump a soviet agent and does his willingness to use the forces of the state against his own citizens suggest is he not a patriot, but an aspiring dictator (to the world)?

---- Original Article ----

Attention USA! Wake up for God's sake and get your leaders in order, or better still retire some of them, especially Trump AND Biden, who are too old for office and have had their time. Why not even elect a woman because what you are offered is seriously flawed?

We Europeans, for the most part, regard Donald Trump to be a dangerously smug narcissistic idiot criminal (along with other traits!), whose diktats to "make America great again" (to how it was up to the 70's), will probably precipitate some sort of social implosion there; you have enough explosive factions, such as Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, Illegals and of course, good old Whitey: all chomping at their bits to aggravate each other, but "you", sane electorate, must sort out this mess.

Start by retiring Biden (just about dead) and dump Trump because he's a chump-tyrant (growing a little moustache?). Of those two, Trump will screw you because Trump loves Trump alone and his history is nothing to be proud about, so pleaseUSA , US ,, Donald Trump , Trump , Biden , Biden and Trump , Trump and Biden

Dump Trump 'cos he's a chump maniac

(Pass it on!)

Here's a thought about old leaders

Bohemian Trumpsody

When Brits put their minds to anything they can produce brilliance combined with wit and erudition, such as this withering condemnation of Donald Trump, by the Marsh Family. Please be kind to the whole world and vote for anyone other than a Trump.

---- Later Additions To This Article ----

Trump has around him his "yes men" (and women) who gain empowerment solely by his patronage, without which many would be socially and politically irrelevant and truly respected by few. Their decisions and actions, however bizarre or spiteful go unquestioned only because of Trump, but to start firing members of their military, merely because of a feeling of being undermined is bullying of the highest order. A good example of this came as fall-out following Vice-President JD Vance's visit to Greenland. 

Trump wants Greenland! - an independent sovereign state who do not want, nor need him, but  Greenland falls into the USA's stated geographic "sphere of influence", so Trump thinks he can have it; but Alaska is in a "sphere of influence", that of Russia (its closest neighbour) and they might think Trump's rhetoric is good and then want Alaska for themselves?

Trump loves pulling the gear levers of state but God help us all. "Peacekeeper Trump" can't have Greenland (yet?) so he had a go at Venezuela.

Update January 3rd 2026: What is happening between Venezuela and the USA?

Final thought: Trump's partial demolition of the White House, a federal building he does not own, nor has permission to alter, and the replacement of former president Joe Biden's portrait in the White House, shows gross disrespect for his own office of state and how his petty childish mind is prone to work. Let us hope Trump's portrait is quickly replaced with that of a horse's butt (That's my childish mind!)