This ‘OPINION’ section is an addition to my website, an after-thought. Up until now, I have had topic parameters which has forced me to be disciplined in my blogging on CARRY ON KOBY. The ‘LIFE’ section is for my blogs on depression and associated conditions, on positive attitudes, on inspirational stories and other life-enhancing and ...
PRINCE PHILIP’S PASSING: NO TIME FOR ‘JOKES’!
My heart aches for Price Charles, he looks, as one would expect, heartbroken. A man who has lost his dad. My heart also aches, of course, for The Queen, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and all the Royal Family who have lost a husband, a father, a grandfather and a great grandfather. Yes, this ...
ISRAEL, THE UAE AND SAUDI ARABIA: WHAT A WEEK!
https://www.facebook.com/628655827/videos/10160051134860828/?extid=SpL7dbJLdRqzlcdc
ISRAEL, THE UAE and SAUDI ARABIA
https://www.facebook.com/james.gould.754/videos/10160051134860828/ ‘El Al flight to Abu Dhabi in the UAE,quite something to see,flew through Saudi Arabian airspace,SAUDI, THE face of the Arab World. The moment was a watershed,considering that relations between Israel and these countries were dead.Saudi and the UAE have set a new agenda,have set the pace,and now there’s a race between other nations to improve ...
CORONA VIRUS: IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO REFER TO IT PUBLICLY AS “THE CHINESE VIRUS”?
Earlier this evening, I tweeted (@kobysnews) criticism of President Trump's referring to the Corona virus as the "Chinese virus" but, having read, with an open mind, a lot of criticism of my position, I changed my mind/position and I'm ok with the reference, especially as China tried to pin the blame on the US military. ...
ONE LESSON TO TAKE FROM CAROLINE FLACK’S DEATH
In light of Caroline Flack’s tragic passing, I apologised, this morning, to a tv journo for directing at her, last week, on Twitter, a critical comment which was OTT. Social media platforms, especially Twitter, make it TOO easy for us to communicate with people whom, before social media, we couldn't get near. Undoubtedly, many of us ...
THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX CROSSING THE POND: ANOTHER HEADACHE FOR THE QUEEN
The marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has, very unfortunately, become a bit of a soap-opera of late and, the Royalist that I am, it upsets me – it’s all so unseemly. I appreciate that there are some big news stories out there and that some of them, Iran/Iraq ...
ISRAEL ELECTIONS – AGAIN! DON’T FALL FOR NETANYAHU’S SCARE TACTICS! DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH! READ FROM OBJECTIVE SOURCES!
Those of you out there who are in two minds as to whether to vote for Likud/Bibi or Blue&White: DON'T buy the scare tactics, lies, deceit etc etc etc put out by Bibi that Blue&White are leftists who will surrender the country. That is an out and out lie! Blue&White is NOT a left wing coalition of ...
CHURCHILL: THE ‘DUTIES OF A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT’
Churchill said, in a speech in 1955, a speech on the ‘Duties of a Member of Parliament’: "The first duty of a member of Parliament is to do what he thinks in his faithful and disinterested judgement is right and necessary for the honour and safety of Great Britain. His second duty is to his constituents, ...
BBC’s ‘PANORAMA’: THE END FOR CORBYN?
That Panorama programme goes on air on Wednesday 10 July. It’s Monday 8th today and Jeremy Corbyn and the horrors in his inner sanctum are running around in panic, headless chickens all! Bottom line, if they had nothing to hide, if they thought that the whole thing was going to be a work of fiction, they would ...
BIBI WINS AGAIN. DON’T JUST GRUMBLE, SIT BACK AND WAIT FOR THE NEXT ELECTION…
So many of us, in light of Israel’s election result, are on a scale between ‘a bit down’ and ‘utterly despondent’, so many of us feel that an opportunity for change, an opportunity to ‘clean the sewer’, an opportunity to sweep away political corruption, legal and moral, an opportunity to introduce fairness, equality, kindness, empathy, ...
THE BRITISH HONOURS SYSTEM SHOULD BE MANAGED FAIRLY OR BE SCRAPPED!
I’m fuming so I had to put ‘pen to paper’. An MBE for this incredible lady shines a shameful light on the mockery that is today's Honours System. David Cameron's hairdresser was 'awarded' an MBE for 'services to hairdressing'! Shami Chakrabarti was 'awarded' a Peerage (by Jeremy Corbyn of all people!!) for, well, nothing, Lynton Crosby ...
FROM PESCATARIAN TO VEGETARIAN… TO VEGAN?
This pescatarian is now a vegetarian. Each unto their own - freedom of choice!! non-judgemental!! - but I can no longer reconcile my animal welfare considerations which stopped me eating meat 20 ish years ago, chicken 19 ish years ago, with my continuing to eat fish (I’m Jewish so swine and shellfish are out anyway). ...
LOVE, EMPATHY, GOODNESS, KINDNESS, COMPASSION…ARE OUR FEELINGS AND ACTIONS REALLY JUST A SET OF COLD, BIOLOGICAL IMPULSES?
I'm having one of those deep, introspective days.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbHKY363eT4 The Holocaust, the accounts, the stories, the evil, the suffering, it screams at me "G-d, a theistic G-d, to be specific, cannot possibly exist" and, if He does, he ain't for me, not against this backdrop (see *'Epicurean Paradox' below) but stories such as these, stories of mind ...
THERESA MAY’S BREXIT: AN EXERCISE IN AUTOCRACY
Dominic Lawson in @sundaytimes (16 December 2018): “the one thing that all the campaigners for the second referendum have in common is they want to reverse the outcome of the first one. They are interested only in that, not in the democratic process.” That has infuriated me. Why does he not believe that many who want a ...
‘FACTFULNESS: TEN REASONS WE’RE WRONG ABOUT THE WORLD – AND WHY THINGS ARE BETTER THAN YOU THINK’, by Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund
I’ve just finished reading a book about which Bill Gates said, “One of the most important books I’ve ever read – an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world”. It’s certainly one of the most important books I have ever read. This book, ‘FACTFULNESS, TEN REASONS WE’RE WRONG ABOUT THE WORLD – AND WHY THINGS ARE BETTER THAN ...
‘A Very English Scandal’ (TV mini-series, 2018) [see my book review]
I recent read the brilliant ‘A Very English Scandal’ by John Preston (highly recommended!). http://kobygould.com/a-very-english-scandal-by-john-preston/ Last night, I watched the Blueprint Pictures / BBC TV mini-series, all three episodes. Also highly recommended (though, be advised, adult language/theme, to say the least!). If you haven’t read the book AND you haven’t watched the mini-series, my advice is that you ...
AGAINST A BACKDROP OF RACIST ATTACKS, THE LIGHT OF HUMANITY SHINES EVER BRIGHTER…
So much man-made, totally avoidable devastation, destruction and heartbreak, day in, day out, across the globe: https://www.timesofisrael.com/christians-in-egypt-bury-their-dead-after-jihadist-attack/?fbclid=IwAR1d14Tvx0RNBH0O1Ddxjc6yzAqk-MTgwYV2tbaVkOiS7OKeQAI6t3v1U68 At the heart of it: ignorance. The causes of the ignorance are many but it is ignorance which spurs arrogance, intolerance, hatred and jealousy which, in turn, kill "man's" inherent senses of humanity, love, kindness, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude. Our only hope is ...
ANTISEMITISM IN THE UK: THE ALARM BELLS ARE GETTING LOUDER, THE WARNING SIGNS EVER CLEARER…
This sickens me and leaves me cold. I know that there are millions of non-Jewish people in the UK who will be appalled by this but it confirms what I and so many people have been saying for a long time, that the political right does not have a monopoly on hatred and antisemitism, that ...
RABBI DAVID LAU AND THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE: SOME CLARITY
I have, over the last few days, been critical of Rabbi David Lau's words/response to the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre. I think this JTA article (link at the end of this blog) adds something substantial to the unfortunate "did he call it a Synagogue or not?" debate and whilst I still have a sense ...
HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE HAVE TO BE KILLED ON ISRAEL’S ROADS BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN?!
2 parents, 6 children, dead. Families destroyed. Unimaginable devastation. https://www.timesofisrael.com/driver-arrested-for-suspected-manslaughter-after-family-of-8-killed/ How important was that phone call!! The Government has got to get tough on road users and not just in the matter of drivers using mobile phones when driving. I'm talking about driving generally. It’s like ‘the wild west’ on Israel’s roads and everyone talks about it as if it’s ...
THE TRAGIC, HEARTBREAKING, CHILLING DEMISE OF THE UK LABOUR PARTY: A WARNING…
Miles Webber, an old school pal of mine - and a LABOUR PARTY stalwart, member, worker, supporter for the last 28 years - this is his Labour Party membership card: I have no doubt that he'll have cut that card with a mixture of emotions - extreme sadness - heartbreak - extreme anger and utter bewilderment. He ...
MY SENSE OF BEING BRITISH/ENGLISH IS ON THE WANE…
Tuesday evening/Wednesday this week was the first Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism) on which we have had a child in the army, the IDF (not that our eldest is a child any more!!). I feel my Aliyah (my emigration to Israel – 2012), my Israeli identity, more ...
IRAN’S LEADERS ARE PARIAHS – EXCEPT, IT SEEMS, WHEN THEY’RE PLANNING TO WIPE OUT ISRAEL
I’m sitting here, aghast, though I don’t know why - I read this article (click on link below this paragraph) and the comments that followed. I know that the tentacles of the fake news octopus are global in reach and that they squirt the poison of antisemitism liberally but I never cease to be shocked ...
HOSTILITY TOWARDS THE ROYAL FAMILY IS GETTING PERSONAL AND NASTY
There's a lot of poisonous invective and personal vitriol being directed at Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the forthcoming Royal Wedding as well as at the Royal Family generally at the moment, especially in relation to poverty, homelessness and other societal ills but the former 'grouping' is not related to the second. The ‘attacks’ are getting ...
FORBES: “MILLIONAIRE AUTHOR JOHN GRISHAM SAYS NOT ALL MEN WHO WATCH CHILD PORN ARE PEDOPHILES”
This article (click below) on John Grisham’s view about people who watch child porn, that not all of them are pedophiles, is controversial, to say the least. That’s the headline of the article and I, initially, chose not to read it because I felt that the position/opinion was horrid and unjustifiable so why should I ...
LADIES AND GENTS, YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAKE AND EAT IT
I appreciate that I’ll take some stick for this but I’m bothered about an allegation that Kate Malby, writer/journalist and Tory supporter (I don’t know if she’s a member of the Conservative Party), has made this week against Damian Green, First Secretary of State/Deputy Prime Minster. An article appeared in The Times yesterday, Wednesday 1 November ...
SIR EDWARD HEATH AND THE SCANDAL THAT IS ‘OPERATION CONIFER’
Operation Conifer, the police investigation into allegations of paedophilia-related offences against Sir Edward Heath, UK Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974, is a shameful affair, a shambles. It is infuriating, hellishly frightening, sickening, and it must leave open to serious question the foundations of the justice system at the police investigation stage. What Superintendent Sean Memory ...
EQUATING HATRED OF ISRAEL WITH ANTISEMITISM
Yesterday, 27 September 2017, The (London) Times ('Red Box'/Comments section) published a succinct 'comments'/article by Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, headed: 'HOW MANY MORE TIMES MUST WE CONDEMN ANTISEMITISM IN LABOUR' I may be asked by Karen and/or The Times to remove the article from this blog for reasons of copyright - ...
WELL DONE, ISRAELI SUPREME COURT!!
Under the headline: "ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS MUST DO MILITARY SERVICE, ISRAEL'S SUPREME COURT RULES" The (London) Times reported: "Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews must serve in the military, the country’s supreme court has ruled, angering a large and influential voting block that forms a core part of Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition. The court found that parts of the conscription law that have exempted ...
NEWS TODAY, IT’S BIASED, PROPAGANDIST, SUBJECTIVE, AGENDA-DRIVEN, DANGEROUS ‘FAKE NEWS’
I detest publishing political blogs on my blog website but this article by Gregg Carlstrom in The Times (of London) today has riled me to the extent that I have simply had to 'put pen to paper'. Click on the link and see the first photo, a boy in the custody of two security guards. Unless ...
BRIAN CANT, LEGEND, RIP
A lot of sadness will be felt amongst Brits of my vintage as they learn of the passing of a man who was/is, for so many of us, a legend. I know that, like the word 'genius', the word 'legend' is bandied about causally these days but I'm not doing that here - I, like ...
….AND ANOTHER TEENAGE SUICIDE…PARENTS MUST RAISE THEIR AWARENESS
Another heartbreaking teenage suicide: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/24/teenage-audi-mechanic-committed-suicide-colleagues-set-fire/ ...and still there is so much misunderstanding and mind boggling ignorance about depression! There are still people out there who believe that people who die from the mental illness, depression, are selfish, selfish for dying and leaving their loved ones brokenhearted! ALL PARENTS MUST TAKE NOTE! In this case, depression was clearly not ...
YOM HA’SHOAH (HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY) 2017: MY THOUGHTS
http://http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-allies-could-have-saved-4-million-jews-if-theyd-bombed-death-camps-in-1942/ I'm not a fan of Bibi and his speech last night (see link above) did border on political self-promotion but, on the whole, he spoke well and the points he made were valid - quite what the UN knew in 1942, what could have been done etc., I don't know but it's not relevant in ...
DON RICKLES, RIP
I am gutted!! Don was one of the greatest, funniest comedians of all time, part of the fabric of the golden age of Hollywood, TV, music, of THE entertainment era, one of the VERY few who were allowed, authorised by the Chairman himself, to make fun of Frank Sinatra: "It's all over, Frank, I know you ...
6-JOB OSBORNE MP – EITHER HE’S SUPERMAN OR HE’S TAKING THE…..
George Osborne is taking the proverbial!! 6 jobs whilst an MP?! Editor of the London Evening Standard??!! I don't know what all of the six jobs are and maybe some of them require him to just turn up for a 2 hour meeting once a year but the point is that either he isn't spending ...
‘THE CROWN’ (2016), Ep. 9: JOHN LITHGOW’S CHURCHILL – SPELLBINDING!
I’ve just watched Ep. 9 of 'The Crown' (Churchill's portrait sitting and retirement and The Queen and Prince Philip's 'difficulties). The acting is superb across the board but John Lithgow steals the show. His portrayal of Churchill is spellbinding, mesmerising and impeccable - the depths to which John Lithgow is able to delve in exposing the ...
‘THE CROWN’ (2016), Episode 7
I’ve just watched Ep. 7 of 'The Crown': The Queen giving Churchill a dressing down - THE most brilliant scene in any TV drama that I can remember watching. John Lithgow's acting is staggering. Claire Foy's portrayal of The Queen, just as it is in every episode, is glorious...so vulnerable, sweet and sensitive and yet so strong, ...
HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II, 65 YEARS ON THE THRONE – MY PERSONAL TRIBUTE:
I have just watched Ep. 5 of Netflix’s breathtaking, magnificent production, The Crown’ – This episode is entitled ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ but it could just as easily, though less cryptically, have been titled, ‘The Coronation’. What an accomplishment, to so successfully convey the awesomeness, the weightiness, the power, the 'Heavenly Godliness' of the Ceremony....an incredible achievement ...
INDULGE ME…A SHORT TRUMP RANT
Has a US President ever made such a b*lls up in his first 2 weeks? I very much doubt it - in like a bull in a china shop, he hasn't thought through anything, he has a right shower around him...those who didn't want him to win 'knew' it would be rough but I don't ...
GEORGE MICHAEL, RIP
Although I always worried that George Michael would pass away at a young age, I'm still in shock at the devastating, heartbreaking, tragic news. This is a 'Michael Jackson moment' though, personally, the news has hit me harder. He was - IS - one of my favourite musicians...in my humble opinion, he was, literally, a genius. ...
LUCY AHARISH: ALEPPO – “DO WE REALLY NEED A REMINDER”?
A 'MUST WATCH' vid!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAj25-XaGeA Lucy Aharish nails it - what today's Syria tells us about the state of humanity, how it reflects the abject, selfish, impotence of world 'leaders' and the UN, the indelible stain of shameful disgrace on the reputation of today's 'leaders' and the UN, particularly in view of the warnings of the past ...
BELIEF IN (A THEISTIC) GOD IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH RATIONALE
It’s impossible to have a rational debate with someone who invokes the ‘word of God*’. Faith and rationale are not compatible. Read this: http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-settler-leader-fires-are-divine-punishment-for-planned-settlement-uproot/ We know (and, by the way, I’m Jewish and I made Aliyah - moved to Israel - in 2012), we know that there are thousands of 'settlers' who share Rabbi Levanon's views and millions ...
THE PASSING OF THE HON. MARGARET RHODES, COUSIN AND ‘SOUL-MATE’ OF THE QUEEN
I hope that non-subscribers to the online edition of The Times (of London) can access this obituary by clicking on this link: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/the-hon-margaret-rhodes-8ljn8b96b Respectful, fascinating, a bit of a tear-jerker. The Queen will be devastated by this loss, her cousin but a close friend, a confidante, someone who knew The Queen so well, someone who The Queen ...
TEARS WELLING UP: FLORENCE ‘CAROL BRADY’ HENDERSON, RIP
Very sad passing, Florence 'Carol Brady' Henderson. The Brady Bunch, one of shows we loved when we were kids - the theme tune(s) and the intro, etched in that nostalgic part of our brains such that, when we hear and see it, even now, well over 40 years later, it warms and melts our hearts. ...
RICHARD B. SPENCER: THE REAL FACE OF TRUMP’S AMERICA?
In a speech recently delivered at the Annual Conference of the ‘National Policy Institute’, President of the Institute, Richard B. Spencer, laid bare his neo-nazi credentials - click on the link and watch the excerpt of his speech. Spencer’s language, his tone and his delivery are truly chilling ("Hail Trump"?%$#@!): https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/richard-spencer-speech-npi/508379/?utm_source=atlfbcomment He is basking in what he, ...
BULLYING DESTROYS LIVES!
Words don't just hurt, they break, destroy and kill. To bully is to assault. A child, motionless, silent, in a group which includes a bully is himself/herself guilty by association, is complicit in the assault, is also a bully. Bullying is a pandemic, a scourge, it affects and destroys the lives of children and teenagers all around the ...
JEWS VOTING FOR TRUMP = TURKEYS VOTING FOR CHRISTMAS
What now say all ye Jews who voted for Trump* or, if unable to vote, were going around singing his praises? Trump didn't wait long before pinning his post-electoral victory colours to the mast. https://mediamatters.org/blog/2016/11/13/white-nationalist-who-hates-jews-will-be-trumps-right-hand-man-white-house/214419 Hillary was no saint but Trump and co are in a different class (and that's not intended as a compliment). The only good ...
SIR JIMMY YOUNG CBE, ONE OF BRITAIN’S GREAT PUBLIC SERVANTS. RIP, BFN…
'The Times' obituary (first paragraph) - SIR JIMMY YOUNG CBE: 'According to the report on his BBC audition, Sir Jimmy Young was not suited to radio. After undergoing a test as a young entertainer in 1947, his agent received a curt letter telling her that “in our opinion, Mr Young has no future in broadcasting”'. The rest, ...
BREXIT HIGH COURT DEFEAT FOR THE GOVERNMENT: TOO EARLY TO GET EXCITED?
....and Sterling is loving it! http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-37857785 Now, Gina Miller and her team must hold onto this massive victory, hold on tight and make it count. I hope that, privately, Theresa May is pleased about this though I guess she'll have to appeal the Judgment, she's the PM and has a responsibility, further to the Brexit vote, to ...
PENSIONS REGULATOR’S ‘FINAL DEMAND’ TO PHILIP GREEN AND CO IS ANYTHING BUT ‘FINAL’
At last, The Pensions Regulator has sent a ‘Final Demand’ to Philip Green and Taveta Investments* for them to make good the ‘hole’ in the BHS Pension Fund. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37854657 ‘Final Demand’ is a misnomer. There’ll be a lot more to’ing and fro’ing before the Greens have to put their hands in their pockets and pay what's due, ...
LORD FARAGE?%$#@! PLEASE, NO!!!!!
According to BBC News, Paul Nuttall, "one of the frontrunners to succeed Nigel Farage as the leader of UKIP" wants to see his old boss in the House of Lords. He, Nutall, said that it would be a "fitting tribute to the man who gave us Brexit". http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-37816745 UKIP is sliding further and further away from the ...
SIR CLIFF RICHARD: HAVE SOUTH YORKSHIRE POLICE AND THE BBC DAMAGED HIS REPUTATION IRREPARABLY?
Sir Cliff Richard’s treatment by South Yorkshire Police and the BBC was nothing short of scandalous and I sincerely hope that he is successful in his court action against them. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37781674 Firstly, it is a violation of a person’s right to privacy and his/her right to be acknowledged as ‘innocent until proven guilty’ when accusations and allegations ...
TRUMP USING THE UNESCO VOTE TO BUY HIS OWN VOTES
Ynetnews: "The Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump attacks the United Nations and the UNESCO draft resolution on his Facebook page saying, 'This is further proof of the anti-Israel sentiment taking place at the United Nations. Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people and under my leadership, we will recognize it as such.'" Buying votes. 'Friends' like him we don't need. ...
ANOTHER CHILD MAULED TO DEATH BY A STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER: ENOUGH!!!
NOT AGAIN!! A child mauled by a dog and another child with "life changing" injuries. I guessed a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Did I guess right? Of course, I did!! I'd have been surprised if the killer dog had been a Golden Retriever or a Cocker Spaniel. All the BS, "It's not the dog's fault, it's the ...
SILENT, CREEPING ANTISEMITISM…
Unfortunately, there are many people who believe this vile, antisemitic claptrap: http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Israel-was-created-by-the-Rothschilds-not-God-Labour-members-post-reads-470013 There's a post going around, a photo of Jacob Rothschild, 'quoting him' as saying, "My family is worth 500 trillion (yes, trillion) dollars, we own nearly every central bank in the world (how can anyone believe that? - sadly, millions do!), we financed both sides ...
BREXIT: THINGS ARE GOING TO TURN NASTY!
Brexit: It must, by now, be becoming clear to all but the ostriches, the not-so-bright, the selfish and the racists that this is getting serious, that this is a real mess and that things are going to get a lot worse. Brexit supporters can make light of there being no more Marmite (or Marmite Light) on ...
AN APPEAL TO AMERICANS: PLEASE DO NOT PUT DONALD TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!
The current situation vis a vis this election, more precisely the popularity of Trump, highlights a serious US nationwide problem: the dumbing down of US society by people who are happy to have a man like Trump as their President and Commander-in-Chief, happy to have a man like Trump, a man with absolutely no class, ...
WILL BILL’S MAGIC, ONE MORE WAVE OF THAT FAMOUS MAGIC WAND OF HIS (DOUBLE ENTENDRE INTENDED) MAKE THAT ‘BEST DARN CHANGE MAKER’ THE NEXT PRESIDENT?
Bill Clinton has still got 'it': "The Best Darn Change Maker impassioned part of his speech, it's good, it could, in and of itself, be a darn good change maker in the polls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0NBixxiQDU Hillary has got to hope that Bill's charisma blinds the voters to her faults. I think, however, that that is a worry - that ...
ANGELA GIBBINS, YOU JUST DON’T GET IT – PRINCE GEORGE LIVES IN A GILDED PRISON!!
An article in The Times (of London) today: Angela Gibbins, a ‘senior official’ at The British Council, posted on social media a photo of a smiling Prince George (3 years old) with the comment: “White privilege. That cheeky grin is the (already locked in) innate knowledge that he’s royal, rich, advantaged and will never know any difficulties ...
THE FUTILITY OF ALTRUISTIC POLITICS
Headline in the UK's 'The Mirror' newspaper: "THOUSANDS OF TURKEY COUP PRISONERS 'RAPED. STARVED AND HOGTIED'" http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/thousands-turkey-coup-prisoners-raped-8485304 I 'shared' the 'report' on Facebook with the following accompanying comment: "If this is true, Britain, Europe, the US et al have to stop it - it can't be allowed to carry on for another day. An hour of this is too ...
MELANIA TRUMP’S SPEECH REALLY FRIGHTENS ME!
Tweet: Jim Stilwell @JimmyHack "I'd like to thank two of my speech writers, Copy and Paste, for their help in preparing my remarks" If Melania Trump wasn't a potential 'First Lady', if her husband was not one of two people battling to be the most powerful person in the world, 'keeper of the peace', it would be ...
MY SHIFT FROM THE BREXIT CAMP TO THE REMAIN/STAY CAMP
A real story by a Facebook pal of mine. How the EU Referendum result is hurting him personally: "The decision to leave the EU is already having an impact on the business community in Cornwall. Last week, I received the news that a prospective new client would be delaying commissioning my services due to their concerns about not ...
TO MY AMERICAN FRIENDS: I, BEGRUDGINGLY, WISH YOU HAPPY AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY
To my American friends, don't be offended by this - take it as a huge compliment - I find it hard to wish you Happy American Independence Day: I can't get over the Boston Tea Party defeat and were I to meet King George III, I would have to have very strong words with him ...
ELIE WIESEL Z”L RIP
A colossal loss. This great man has passed away. Dreadful news kicking off the new week! We live in a world today which seems oblivious to, and has not learnt from, the depths of depravity to which mankind has sunk in the past and continues to sink to today. Elie Wiesel devoted his life to the ...
“CORBYN, YOU’VE CROSSED THE LINE THIS TIME!!”
I have kept this blog a politics-free zone up until now but I am so angered by what Corbyn has said today that even venting my spleen on Facebook hasn't calmed me down. I have to blog about it and voice my outrage far and wide. Corbyn is a disgrace and he must go NOW. It ...
WHY WE ‘HIT’ SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN ‘CELEBS’ PASS AWAY
This article, ‘red rag to a bull’! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/our-public-grieving-over-dead-celebrities-has-reached-insufferab/ As one who, on social media, reports/highlights/comments, often at depth, on the passing of celebs (a word I use as a catchall but which is inappropriate as it cheapens the status of those who are of real substance), I feel that this loud mouth is having a go at ...
HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY WISHES TO HER MAJESTY, THE QUEEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GTwgZWjoJA Happy Birthday, Your Majesty. May you enjoy many, many more years of good health and happiness. I must keep this post to Happy Birthday wishes and references to your exemplary reign, tempting though it is to move into politics and talk of the tragic state into which your Britain has been allowed to drift. Your reign has, ...
VIRGINIA McLAURIN: A BEAUTIFUL, INSPIRING, LIFE-ENHANCING MOMENT IN THE LIFE OF THE UNITED STATES AND HUMANITY. THE SPIRIT OF MARTIN LUTHER KING IS ALIVE AND IT DROPPED IN TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE FORM OF VIRGINIA MCLAUREN!
BEAUTIFUL! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYUMpCOVoHY Regardless of politics, regardless of opinions on Barak Obama as President, this is a beautiful human story. Virginia McLaurin is 106, she's active, she's dancing in The White House with the President of the United States of America and his wife, The First Lady. Just think for a moment what Virginia McLaurin has seen and witnessed ...
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY: THE GREAT MAN’S DREAM IS STILL UNFULFILLED
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: I never cease to be blown away by Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech, the performance by the great, great man, such beautiful words, so 'musically', so 'poetically' and so powerfully, yet gently, lovingly and kindly, spoken. I can't watch/listen to it without tears welling up in my eyes. It ...
DAVID BOWIE, RIP
The passing of David Bowie, I know the world hasn't stopped spinning on its axis. I know that time hasn't stopped. The things that cause world leaders to lie awake at night, they were frightening and alarming yesterday and they are just as frightening and alarming, probably more so, today. We all know that but, ...
RIP AND THANK YOU, ROBERT ‘STIGGY’ STIGWOOD
Robert 'Stiggy' Stigwood - what a life story! What an inspiration! http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4657448.ece ...from this: 'He left Australia in 1955 and worked his way to Britain, hitchhiking lifts on land and from oil tankers at sea. He arrived in Britain with dysentery and just a few pounds in his pocket. Several jobs later, he and a friend set up ...
MEADOWLARK LEMON, A LIFE WELL WORTH LIVING! RIP…
Beautiful words. BBC obituary: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35191863 'When he was inducted into the basketball hall of fame in 2003 he said his destiny had been "to make people happy".' ' "He was an incredible entertainer and brought happiness and lifelong memories to millions around the world," said Globetrotters chief executive Kurt Schneider.' They really are beautiful words - to want to make ...
TODAY, CHRISTMAS DAY, THIS JEW IN ISRAEL MISSES ENGLAND
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it and, to all of those who don't officially, religiously, celebrate it but who enjoy this time of year culturally, also have a super day. Today, Christmas Day, is the day I most miss England (well, I also miss breaking the Fast at mum and dad's after Yom Kippur...so it's ...
NEWCASTLE UNITED, ‘SPINELESS’ AND ‘GUTLESS’: HOW DARE THEY!!!
Crystal Palace 5 : Newcastle United 1 This Sunday Times Match Report (by John Aizlewood) makes for painful reading: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/sport/football/Premiership/article1638901.ece The Report of the game starts: "ANOTHER game, another spineless Newcastle United capitulation" and ends with: "For Newcastle United, another guts-free horror show and an unscheduled training session this morning." THAT'S what's most frustrating, not a lack of talent/skill but the players ...
A SAD DAY. THOMAS BLATT, SOBIBOR SURVIVOR, HERO, EDUCATOR, RIP
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4623851.ece Thomas Blatt, survivor of Sobibor extermination camp, hero, educator, man of unimaginable courage. We cannot afford to lose his kind, we need to hear the testimonies - live - first hand. His passing represents another potential nail in the coffin of a bright future, another potential nail in the coffin of a future built on ...
RIP PROFESSOR S. BARRY COOPER – A GREAT MAN!
As many of my Facebook 'friends' will know, I rarely let the passing of a celebrity, a musician, a philanthropist, an accomplished businessman, an actor, an entertainer, someone who has achieved in her/his life and made a difference, added value to the lives of others, go by without 'reporting' it on my 'timeline'. Of course, ...
Keith Michell, RIP
Keith Michell, actor and writer, has passed away at the age of 88 and it saddens me to report on his passing. What a career: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4620803.ece Michell's Henry VIII in 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' was incredible. I was only a kid when I watched it (I don't suppose that was on its original run in 1970) ...
WARNING: THE FAR RIGHT IS FLEXING ITS MUSCLE!
If one says that the tsunami of extremist, fundamentalist Islam, the clash of cultures in which we are all caught up, is nothing to do with Islam per se, that is akin to saying that the Crusades nine hundred years ago had nothing to do with Christianity and that the Spanish Inquisition had nothing to ...
FRENCH, AND US, BOMBING SYRIA = ANTISEMITIC HYPOCRISY.
I'm just thinking of what Israel is told to do when Hamas hits us, when terrorists jump from behind lampposts and trees and stab us to death, when they drive at us at bus stops, when they throw rocks at us and our cars and kill us, when they shoot their rockets at us...Monsieur Hollande ...
FRAZIER GLENN MILLER, MURDERER, WHITE SUPREMACIST: EXECUTE HIM OR KEEP HIM ALIVE?
Frazier Glenn Miller is a white supremacist who has been found guilty of killing three people at two Jewish centres in the US. William Corporon, 69, and his grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, 14, were murdered outside a Jewish Community Centre and Terri LaManno, 53, was killed outside a Jewish retirement centre. Miller has been sentenced ...
‘THE IMITATION GAME’ (2014).
I've just watched 'The Imitation Game' again - what a great film! Superb performance from/by Benedict Cumberbatch! I can't get my head around how shamefully the British State crap*ed on a man who was an absolute hero, a man who saved millions of lives, one of THE greatest war heroes in history, how and why he ...
THE ASSASSINATION OF PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN AND THE ASSASSINATION OF THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE FOR ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS – 20 YEARS ON:
Wow! This article made me cry: http://www.timesofisrael.com/clinton-i-really-loved-rabin-and-he-would-have-made-peace/ When Yigal Amir shot and killed Prime Minister Rabin, he shot and killed an inordinate amount of Israelis and Palestinians. He shot and killed that unique moment and opportunity, unique up to that point in the history of the State of Israel, that unique moment and opportunity for peace. There ...
ISRAEL’S ELECTRICITY INDUSTRY, A MICROCOSM OF SO MUCH THAT IS WRONG WITH ISRAEL’S COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE – IT STINKS!
The electricity 'industry' in this country is an integrated State-owned monopoly, no competition, no market forces - State officials and those running the company benefit, we, the punters, get screwed. That's all there is to it. It's an archaic, anachronistic set-up, an embarrassment to a country which claims to be progressive, modern, cutting edge economy. 'Progressive, ...
TODAY’S TERROR IN ISRAEL: THERE IS BLAME TO BE APPORTIONED ON BOTH SIDES AND, YET AGAIN, THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IS RELIGION
This is a great article! "The Paranoid, Supremacist Roots of the Stabbing Intifada": http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/the-roots-of-the-palestinian-uprising-against-israel/410944/ Islam is not the enemy. It is not Islam which is standing in the way of peace. It is extremism on both sides. I am aware of the fact that many of the terrorists attack us without God on their minds. I am aware ...
JEREMY CORBYN, GROW UP AND HAVE SOME RESPECT!
When I started 'CARRY ON KOBY', I intended to keep it a politics-free zone. However, Jeremy Corbyn's conduct in the matter of The Privy Council has infuriated me and I have to vent my spleen (I'll probably regret it and remove it from the blog shortly). Jeremy Corbyn, hiking when he should have been at Buckingham ...
JACKIE COLLINS: WHAT A LIFE, WHAT AN INSPIRATION, WHAT AN EXAMPLE!
The light that was Jackie Collins' life has sadly gone out: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4562805.ece What an amazing life!! Jackie Collins had ambition and dreams like so many people but unlike many dreamers, she actually focused and pursued the dreams until she achieved them (and she kept focusing and achieving). She lived in a way that tells me that she was ...
Sir Nicholas Winton z”l, The Personification Of ‘Goodness’. Tissues At The Ready…This Blog Is A Weepy!
I never met Sir Nicholas but I think it's fair to say that I love the guy. I don't mean a la "I love Fred Astaire" or "I love Mozart" - I mean the guy melts my heart. There were floods of tears when I watched this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_nFuJAF5F0 For me, there is an extra poignancy in watching ...
Rabbi Boteach On Last Week’s US Supreme Court Decision To Allow Same-Sex Marriage In All 50 US States
When I started CARRY ON KOBY, I decided that neither religion nor politics would be the subject of any of my blogs. I don't think I'm infringing my rules by posting this blog as it's more an issue of gay rights than religion per se. Well, here it is... https://www.facebook.com/RabbiShmuleyBoteach/videos/10153022077966089/?pnref=story Hear, hear!!! Well said!!! Now, THAT'S how to ...
Kirk Kerkorian: What A Life! RIP
The swashbuckling, self-made billionaire Kirk Kerkorian has passed away at the grand old age of 98. It feels surreal blogging that as he appeared to me to be immortal. He was still doing mega, multi-billion dollar corporate deals in his 90's! Here is The New York Times obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/business/kirk-kerkorian-billionaire-investor-in-film-studios-and-casinos-dies-at-98.html What a guy! What a life! He lived it ...
Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade – ALL Israelis who value human rights, freedom and democracy can be proud!
Stick this in your pipe and smoke it, all you bigots who slam Israel for trampling on human rights. http://www.timesofisrael.com/watch-tel-aviv-takes-pride-in-parade/ How many Gay Pride Parades are there in our neighbouring countries?? Do it large in Gaza, do they? This show moves on to Ramallah after Tel Aviv, does it? The LGBT community in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, ...
Senator Joe Biden, A Gilded, Golden, Glamorous Life? NO! He’s A Broken Man Drowning In The Quicksand of Tragedy And Heartbreak
We all know that illness and tragedy are not selective, that they are happy to destroy anyone and everyone, rich and poor, the 'average Joe' and also, as we learn today, the top Joe. Senator Joe Biden seemed, in the eyes of the 'outside' world, to have it all. In some ways, more than President Obama. ...
16 Hours Before Dignitas Clinic Suicide: An Emotional Hurricane
I cannot get my head around this photograph: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4451470.ece I believe that what Jeffrey Spector was about to do, in this photo - in 16 hours he was going to take his own life in the Dignitas Clinic - I believe that that was a matter for him and his family but I don't know how they ...
Cate Blanchett: “I Am Not A Lesbian, But Who Cares Anyway?” Sadly, Millions Of People DO Care!
Cate Blanchett is currently promoting her latest movie, 'Carol', a lesbian love story, a critically-aclaimed adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 'The Prince of Salt'. She was interviewed by a 'Variety' (movie magazine) journalist, Ramin Setoodeh, and there is a disagreement as to the wording of a particular question. He is saying that he asked her if she ...
Prince Charles Is An Invaluable Asset, A Real Gem, Who Has SO Much To Offer Britain, The Commonwealth And The World
Prince Charles is "damned if he does and damned if he doesn't" - he is caught in the crossfire between the likes of Simon Singh, a campaigner for evidence-based medicine, who said this week: “For him (Prince Charles) this (complementary medicine topic) is ideological and he is on the wrong side of science. I think ministers ...
