MORE TO LIFE: A Skeptic’s Journey from Depression to Spiritual Awakening, by BRITT SEVITT

I’ve just re-read Britt Sevitt’s book, ‘More to Life: A Skeptic’s Journey from Depression to Spiritual Awakening’ Contrary to what some people might think, the book is not just about depression, it is about so much more, it’s upbeat, inspiring and exciting, it is about the vision of an ‘awakened’ person, it’s highly thought-provoking, it is ...

20 YEARS SINCE MY COLLAPSE

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20 years ago today, 7 March 2001, a day that is etched in my memory, I came to the end of a journey, almost to the end of my life. I’d been in a steep decline into a pit of chronic clinical depression and, on that fateful day, I collapsed whilst crossing Gosforth (in Newcastle ...

BUCKET LIST

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“Bucket list I don’t want to die with these opportunities missed, So imagine the doc say’s “You’ve got just a year”, More I’d prefer but what would I do with that one? I want to sky dive, Feel really alive, Grab an open mic at a comedy store, Wait, that’s not all, there’s more, I want to learn to fly, Play the piano, well ...

FEEL ALIVE!

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"Want to feel alive? Live in the moment like you did when you were five? Feel excitement? Thrive? Get out of your home, Step out of your comfort zone, Put in you diary a new target, A standard you’ve never before met, Set yourself a new goal, Ask yourself, “What is my role?” The challenge needn’t be that big, You don’t have to scale an oil ...

CREATIVITY, ART, A WINDOW ON YOUR SOUL

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“Sometimes I feel like speaking, letting rip with some vociferous oratory, But oft times, no, some writing, some poetry, That’s what I want to create: Poetry needn’t have a proscribed shape, symmetry, It can flow, I can allow myself some artistic licence, I sense that that’s what I’m doing now, free verse, No need to practise, rehearse, It’s just consciousness streams, Well, it ...

2021

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I’ll start the new year with a pretty long run, About 28km, it won’t be fun, But I’ll kick it off as I mean to go on, Moving forward, glad that the year 2020 has now gone. I’ll keep pushing out of my comfort zone, How liberating and empowering that is, I have shown, It’s something I recommend to you all, Exercise, ...

DON’T IGNORE YOUR CALLING

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“It’s all about getting into sync your body, mind, heart and soul, It’s about authenticity and feeling whole, Allowing your values to be a bridge Between what you do and what you think, Allowing your values to be that link. For me, life coaching is my natural space, It puts a smile upon my face, Giving people a lift, When there might be ...

KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT…

Every day is a struggle with my demons, the little buggers trying 24/7 to bring me down, every day, those voices, "you can't do it!"- it can be deafening! But I fight harder than my demons, they give me their best shot, mine's better, sometimes I land a sucker punch, my voice is louder than theirs, I drown out their filth! My demons try ...

FORGOT TO TAKE MY PILLS!

"Feeling like the lights are on but no one's in, like I'm being punished for committing a sin, silence, nothing doing, brain not working, I'm not shirking, my brain really is not working, it's like my on/off switch is in the off position, I haven't got the mental wherewithal to make a decision, I just cannot think, can't do anything, I've lost ...

SELF-CARE, AS IMPORTANT AS THE MEDS!

"Adderall for my ADHD, and coffee, that's me, free of the shackles of fatigue and lethargy, I now feel awake, alive, but for Corona there'd be high-fives all around, yup, now feel sound as a pound, let's have a round of applause for adderall and caffeine, I mean, in the words of James Brown - and he knew, he was no clown, ...

THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN

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"Sitting outside on the porch, heat no longer blasting from a blow torch sun, I sense that it is the first day of Autumn, the Fall, the breeze, a call to step outside, the humidity less, I’m no longer a sweaty mess, the wind so refreshing and welcome, a delight, a mild day, a cool night, just to sit and do nothing, it’s ...

MIRACLES

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https://www.facebook.com/james.gould.754/videos/10160060286810828/ “Many people argue that there are no miracles today,  but I think that that’s an odd thing to say;  I don’t need to see someone split water,  I see miracles in my sons and daughter,  I think it’s a miracle that Yaf is my wife , I see a miracle in the fact that is my life.  What else is a miracle?  Let’s ...

ISRAEL, THE UAE and SAUDI ARABIA

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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 ...

I’M BACK!

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"Yesterday’s mood was grey, the sun’s rays weren’t getting through, another run was called for, always is when the feeling is raw. It worked magically, radically, real change, across a range of my emotions, it broke the depression, stopped my regression in its tracks, got me off the rack. The lifting of the weight was tangible, palpable. Suddenly. I felt lighter, brighter, that metamorphosis is one of life’s great feelings, when I ...

“THE SOUL

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Yuval Noah Harari is an author in fashion - he incites the passions, love and fury; I’m reading his ‘21 Lessons for the 21st Century’: in it, he refers to two beliefs about the source of our desires and emotions, one which is biological, some will view it as heretical, the other, based on religion, some will treat it with derision and ridicule, as if the ...

WHAT’S THE POINT?

https://www.facebook.com/james.gould.754/videos/10160051134860828/ IMPORTANT, re the following poem, it does NOT reflect how I feel NOW! PLEASE DO NOT BE CONCERNED! I nearly didn't post it, so sensitive is the subject of suicide, and I know that it'll concern a lot of people but, please, do take note of the positive attitude in the second half of the poem. I ...

FRIENDS…

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"Acquaintances don’t live in your heart, your soul, they live in your brain, they’re off when it rains. Friendship, that’s made in your soul, friends make you feel whole. Friends give, they don’t lend, they’ll stand next to you till the end of time, friends get their own poem, they are celebrated in rhyme. I miss the guys – and the girls – back ...

END OF THE DAY…

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“Suddenly, tired, my mojo has expired, no more spark, I’m in the dark, I feel the end of this day, my mood is grey, I can’t think straight, my poetry ain’t great, there’s nothing there, I’ve lost my bit of flair. It’s time to call time on this day, nothing more to do nor say, except that tomorrow is another day, a new start for me and my ...

WHY POETRY?

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Day and night, I have to write, crunching words, playing with rhymes, thinking, in poetry land, always a notebook and pencil to hand. Scribbling, dribbling words on the paper, it’s like a caper, verses dancing, whilst I’m romancing about perfection. Writing is my art, I have a passion, but why this fashion, why poetry, why not the spoken word, why not oratory? My mind is a laboratory, always playing with ...

MY STORY: LIGHT, NOT DARKNESS

https://www.facebook.com/james.gould.754/videos/10160037490145828/ ‘A tweeter, Lauren Kay (@laurenikay) asked us to say, to tell her, what inspired us to tell our stories: I write my story, sometimes dark, but oft times, one of glory, to help people who suffer, who might be having a rougher time than me, - and I have been through tough times: I write about them in my rhymes. Mental illness is my story, depression, regression, darkness – ...

EXERCISE

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"So that pre-Shabbat run last night, did it happen? Did it…heck! Fatigue, mired in it, so, so tired. But this morning, twenty-to-five, awake, feeling alive, an early rise, out at five, just 8k, I felt more than OK! Well, parts of the run weren’t fun, but I had the resolve not to stop and walk - I had to talk to myself, keep going, no slowing down, I had to ...

POVERTY

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Footballers costing $220m,  there should be shame,  I mean, football, it’s only a game!  Who is to blame for global poverty?  Global corruption,  an eruption of greed which suffocates those in need,  this is not the human condition,  there needs to be global contrition!  Division, poverty, homelessness, hunger, despair,  the world is in dire need of repair!  But there’s too much power in the hands ...

SOME MORNINGS…

'Wake up in the morning, sun outside,but inside, it’s pouring,not fully awake, mentally still snoring,pain,nothing to gain from getting out of bed,legs of lead,weighed down,it’s written in the frown on my face,anxious about re-joining the human race. Can’t see,nothing’s clear,everything distant,nothing, except the darkness, is near,my speaking, monotone,feeling lonely, alone. It’s just one of those days,the sun’s ...

WRITER’S BLOCK

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Writer’s block, the clock shows me the passage of time,I’m without a rhyme to show for it,not a word on the paper,nothing an hour later. There’s nothing there,all I do is stare at the ceiling,hoping, in vain, for some healingin my brain,the creative cells,hoping for an awakening,the sound of bells chiming in my head,calling me to attentionwith the ...

“THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS”

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sing it: "Coffee and yoghurt and muesli and branflakes, apples, bananas, sultanas and fruit cakes, De Niro, Pacino, when Sinatra sings, these are a few of my favourite things. Music and writing and running and walking, poetry and singing and rhyming and talking, Elton and Elvis and Bennett and Sting, these are a few of my favourite things.” - Koby

ZIV’S OFF…

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"Ziv’s off the day after tomorrow, I’ve got no time to borrow, in the blink of an eye, the present’s in the past, it doesn’t last, it flies by far too fast. Time, we don’t own it, we can’t control it, we can’t slow it down, soon, Ziv will be at Uni, one minute in student garb, the next in his finery and academic ...

DOWNGRADE THE EGO AND THE SELF

"The attitude of gratitude is the place of true joy, the real McCoy,it’s a place of giving, not taking,of being authentic,not faking,it’s part of the human condition to push forward a mission to make the world a better place,which isn’t easy when you get caught up in the rat race. Anger, envy, ego, self,they are the antithesis, the ...

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’

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"I was thinking over Shabbos (Shabbat) and the need arosefor this piece of prose…  A Shabbos of mixed emotions, sadness and pride, I cried, it being my son's last Shabbos before going to England, to uni, to read law, knowing that, on Wednesday, he’ll be walking through the door,  leaving home, not that he should ever feel alone- this will always be ...

LAST CHANCE…

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"We’re not free any more,a virus and the law have reined us in,us, our friends, our kith and kin,no hugs, don’t want those bugs,no hello kissing, I’m missing the contact,I detest social distancing, the staying apart,which so many have perfected, turned into an art. Every time we go out, those masks,I do feel that it’s quite ...

DON’T BLINK!

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'Time flies so fast, in the blink of an eye, it’s way back in the past. Romi used to love me holding her hand, giving it a squeeze, now I cannot do as I please – no more squeeze. She used to love sitting on my knee, cuddling in, with her choochy grin, now, no more, that’s the law, and I’ve just got ...

LIVE AN AUTHENTIC LIFE

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"You don’t want a husband, you want a wife,no problem – it’s YOUR life,listen to your soul, to its voice,it is YOUR life, so it is YOUR choice. It’s YOUR life, not theirs,ignore their stares. If they aren’t brave enough to follow their dreams,don’t let them stifle yours,ignore the cultural and local mores,unlock and open YOUR chosen ...

WRITING INSPIRATION

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"Today, I’m tired, can’t write, try as I might,  there are no words in my head, my thought processes are dead, no imagination,  no creation taking shape, nothing on the poetry landscape. I never know, from one day to the next, if it’ll be there  or if I’ll just stare at a blank sheet of paper. One day, alive and kicking, the next, it’s gone missing, I’m on ...

TRUE JOY

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The hunt for the holy grail,it's on the trail which leads to pure joy,which you find not by looking out but looking in,deep below your skin. Pleasure is a transient treasure,it’s in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,it’s not in your soul,it’s in taking, not giving,it’s a fleeting high,to which you’re always saying goodbye. Happiness is taking ...

TRUE JOY

"The hunt for the holy grail,it's on the trail which leads to pure joy,which you find not by looking out but looking in,deep below your skin. Pleasure is a transient treasure,it’s in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,it’s not in your soul,it’s in taking, not giving,it’s a fleeting high,to which you’re always saying goodbye. Happiness is taking ...

DEPRESSION: AN INVISIBLE, OFTEN FATAL, ILLNESS…

'He’s the life and soul of the party,  the most socially-at-ease,  always the first to please,  the joker, the jester, the clown,  the man about town,  the one who is always up for a laugh,  the most popular member of staff, the mostly talkative on the team, his smile a blinding beam…  NEVER TAKE THAT SMILE AT FACE VALUE, it’s all an act,  he’s wearing a ...

ADHD, A MISSED DIAGNOSIS

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https://www.facebook.com/james.gould.754/videos/10160023163590828/ "Some quotations really resonate, and this one, by James Michener, is great: 'I love writing.  I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.' Now, THAT is a notion,  replete with emotion,  which really strikes  a chord with me. Thanks to depression and ADHD, which numbed my mind, made me 'blind', as a kid at school, I just couldn’t see it: to get my English ...

NOT EMPTY NEST SYNDROME…YET!

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"Further to my poem this morning,which doubtless had most of you yawning, the poem about Ziv and Romi flying the nest(some, it seems, thought the poem one of my best),I have been advised that my condition of sadness,to add to my condition of madness,is ‘Empty Nest Syndrome’,the children leaving home and mum and dad living alone. Well, ...

FLYING THE NEST…

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"Lots of emotion,  all this commotion, physical and mental, forgive me while I get sentimental. 5, 4, 3…soon there’ll just be Yaf and me; the children are flying the nest, no, really, I do not jest. Ziv’s off to uni in England to study law, that makes my heart so sore, Romi’s off to mechina*, soon, it’ll have been weeks since I’ll have seen ...

FOLLOW YOUR SOUL

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'Take what action  to secure enduring satisfaction, to achieve the holy grail, what does it entail? The holy grail is true joy, it’s peace of mind, how do we find that peace of mind? Don’t look outward, look in, look deep below your skin, focus on your soul,  ask yourself, “What is my role?” Ask yourself, “Is my body, mind, heart and soul in sync?” because between where you are ...

A RUN WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE…

"Today, I can’t get my creative juices to flow,I don’t know what to write,the lights are on but no one’s home,I’ve got the imagination of a rock or a stone. Maybe today, a little depression,which has brought about some minor regression,but I’ll be ok later,after I’ve been out for a run,yeah, I know how to have ...

A DAY TO PROFESS LOVE AND GRATITUDE

"Tu B’Av, Jewish Valentine’s Day,   on which we send our thanks above   for the blessings that have given us the ones we love.   But, in addition, today, it is my mission   (as a poet, and didn’t you just know it    - I do feel queasy, that line was pretty cheesy)   to give thanks to Yaf, my wife,   on our anniversary,    the Hebrew date,   so ...

DEPRESSION, NO SHAME, IT’S AN ILLNESS

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"Depression is often invisible, to deny that it’s an illness, that is risible.  Sufferers, listen, there’s no reason to feel shame,  I don’t want to see nor hear the word ‘blame’. Many years ago, depression almost killed me,  I was as good as dead, the doctors said they didn’t know if I’d pull through,  if I’d make it.  I certainly didn’t fake it, my illness ...

THE CORONA ERA

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"What a time we live in, got us all in a right old spin, can’t get together, we’re at the end of our social tether, got to keep apart, social distancing, it’s become a work of art. Can’t shake hands or kiss, got to give that a miss, what about a hug? Nah, don’t want to risk catching the bug. So, for now, got ...

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Your comfort zone,  it numbs your soul, it’s a dark place, as black as coal. If you want to grow,  you must know the importance of  leaving that zone, so do it, don’t moan. Challenge yourself, no magic, no hocus pocus, you must focus on the challenge, persevere, you can get from there to here. No option to quit, never give up, grit your teeth, you can win the cup, but keep raising the bar because you’re ...

THE HOLY GRAIL

"The holy grail, an escape from going stale, peace of mind, you will find, if your body, mind, soul and heart are in sync, a work of art. With the right state of mind, you will find that peace of mind. If you feel gratitude and contentment, not resentment, if you stop chasing, racing, you will find that peace of mind. Don't consign yourself ...

SUNDAYS CAN BE TOUGH DAYS

"Some days, just getting up in the morning  can be an achievement,  It can be difficult when you feel like you’ve suffered a bereavement, Take it easy, don’t frown, Don’t let depression get you down. It’s Sunday, it needn’t be a fun day, Life’s a rollercoaster, lots of ups and downs, Not every day is for jesters and clowns. Cut yourself some slack Don’t look ...

JUST 24 HOURS LEFT

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What to do if just 24 hours left, Not to leave loved ones forlorn and bereft, I don’t want to die with things unsaid, Lying on, and leaving from, my death bed. Gratitude to express, Love to profess, No, there’s no emergency, But I have a sense of urgency. I must express that gratitude -  authentic, not a platitude, I must do it today, not ...

REGRETS? NO!

"Went left, not right,What a plight!Went right, not left, I was bereft!I left, didn't stay,Why didn't I obey?I stayed, didn't leave,Why didn't I believe?But the road I travelled to get me here,To my children and my darling dear,It was the only road,Truth be told.So, mistakes, errors: regrets?Should I be miffed?No, they were blessings,They were a gift." ...

DARKNESS AND LIGHT: TOMORROW’S ANOTHER DAY…

Yesterday, I saw the sun, Today, I am numb. Last night, I saw the moon, it was a boon, Today, clearly came too soon. Yesterday connected, Today not. Yesterday, up for living, Today, not a lot. Yesterday, an appetite, Today, I'm not right. Yesterday, the world, a sense of awe, Today, it's all rather a bore. The stillness, it's an illness, Soon, I'll take my pills to attack ...

BEHIND THE MASK: GETTING TO KNOW MYSELF…

I was having a private message 'chat' with my new, unofficial writing mentor yesterday and, re one of the exchanges, she said, "love this! this is a beautiful blog post, as is": I guess that she meant that what I had just said would make a great blog - so here it is... "Depression, mental illness/health/wellness, anxiety ...

THE BLACK DOG’S REALLY SUNK HIS TEETH INTO ME THIS MORNING!

Wow! The chill winds of depression are cutting right through me this morning (I've taken my antidepressants but they may as well be sugar pills!). I'll be ok when I've taken my ADHD med (Adderall)*. That'll crank my engine. But, for now, the lights are on but no one's in... My depression demon has really thumped ...

I AM NOW TAKING ADDERALL (like Ritalin): AM I RIGHT, HAVE I BEEN SUFFERING FROM AND WITH UNDIAGNOSED ADHD ALL MY LIFE?

I’ve been prescribed Adderall for ADHD. I'm 54. I take an antidepressant (Citalopram), anti-psychotic (Aripiprazole), together for clinical depression and OCD, and a beta blocker (Metoprolol) for panic attacks. I felt really flat this morning. Then I took my meds (taking Aripiprazole tonight). Buzzing, a new type of buzz! Not, IMHO, related to having also taken ...

TRAUMA: IF WE DON’T PROCESS IT, IT WILL WEIGH US DOWN AND HOLD US BACK…

My memoirs, I wrote about trauma yesterday.  My friend, my good friend, my mentor, motivator, Britt Sevitt (she doesn’t know that she is my mentor/motivator but she is, she just is), she has been talking to me about trauma, trauma in childhood. Until we got into this area, I thought that childhood trauma meant stuff like ...

“FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT”, a play by BRYONY KIMMINGS and TIM GRAYBURN:

I’ve just read a superb play which painfully resonates with me. I found it, in parts, hard to read! Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn’s “Fake It ‘Til You Make It” is, in essense, a play about depression, what it is, what it is like to live with, from the view/standpoint of the sufferer, Tim, and his ...

‘YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING’: A WORK OF SUBLIME, EXQUISITE PERFECTION.

For me, what we have here, music composed by the colossus, Michael Legrand, lyrics by the legends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman (French lyrics by Jacques Demy), on piano, the enigmatic Evans, Bill Evans, that mercurial maestro, and the voracious vocalist, the icon, Tony Bennett, we have in this team effort which produced this recording of ...

‘OUTRUNNING THE DEMONS – lives transformed through running’, by PHIL HEWITT: A ‘MUST-READ’ BOOK!

Phil Hewitt’s book, ‘OUTRUNNING THE DEMONS: lives transformed through running’, I have never connected with a book quite like I have done with this one, never has a book so resonated with me, never have I been so energised in the reading of a book, never has “I just couldn’t put the book down” so ...

A LIFE-CHANGING BOOK: PHIL HEWITT’S ‘OUTRUNNING THE DEMONS – lives transformed through running’

I often read a book and say afterwards that it's a "life-changing book" but I'm not sure that any has actually proved to be that - life-affecting, perhaps, but "life-changing", hmmmm....I don't know. However, a book which I'm reading now, and haven't finished yet, I already know that it'll be, for me, life-changing. In my ...

54th BIRTHDAY, I’LL CELEBRATE IT THIS YEAR: I’M ALIVE!

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Tues 16 June, lots happening... a) my 54th birthday: I'll celebrate it this year, I'll celebrate being ALIVE! b) I'm running my first ultra-marathon, 54km, with my elder son, also his first ultra; c) Marathon Monster (that's me and my son), we're meeting with Israel Centre on Addiction's (ICA) PR team, Unik*; d) I'm going to stop the ...

WHY I’M EXCITED ABOUT NEXT WEEK’S ULTRAMARATHON DESPITE THE FACT THAT I KNOW IT’S GOING TO HURT…

NEXT WEEK, at 12.01am on 16 June 2020, I'll start, with my son, my/our first ultra-marathon. On that day, I turn 54 years old. We're running 54km (33.75 miles) up and down 730m-long Herzl Street, Ra'anana. It's part of a training programme geared towards a 100-mile (160km) run, all on Herzl Street (222 times up ...

‘FIVE FAMILIES: THE RISE, DECLINE, and RESURGENCE of AMERICA’S MOST POWERFUL MAFIA EMPIRES’, by SELWYN RAAB

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A brilliant ‘Mafia’/‘Cosa Nostra’/‘Mob’ book by Selwyn Raab, absolutely brilliant, a journey from Sicily in the early 20th century, through Joe ‘The Boss’ Masseria, Salvatore Maranzano, the Castellammarese War and Charles ‘Lucky Luciano’, through the precursor to, and formation of, New York’s big five Borgatas/Mafia ‘Families’, the Bonnano, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese ‘Families’, their ...

‘MONSTER-MARATHON MENTAL MILLION CHALLENGE’

‘MONSTER-MARATHON MENTAL MILLION CHALLENGE’  As many of you will know (publicity-shy I am not and, in this matter, it’s just as well!), Ziv and I have set ourselves a challenge: NAME OF CHALLENGE: ‘MONSTER-MARATHON MENTAL MILLION CHALLENGE’  WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE? THE “HERZL HUNDRED”: To run 100 miles (160km) on Herzl Street, Ra’anana* (less than half a mile long) in under ...

ADDICTION: IT’S AN ILLNESS! “THERE, BUT FOR THE GRACE OF G-D, GO I…”

2006, Hank Jones introducing: “…Next is a young pianist…you’re going to hear a lot more from (him) in the coming years and his name is Mr. Austin Peralta…" Austin was just 15 years old at the time. A star, becoming a legend in his own time… https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=__7k0Bb0jSg Fast forward to 2012, Austin, a man who had a golden future ...

OUR CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH IS BEING IGNORED! SITUATION: CRITICAL!

It’s 8am, I walk downstairs, I see my daughter sitting, motionless, silent, expressionless…. She’s got a bagrut exam this morning (she’s 18, the bagrut is the Israeli equivalent of an English A-Level): “What the exam today?” She thinks for a second, translates the Hebrew into English for me: “Jewish philosophy”, she mumbles, her face still expressionless.  “Jewish philosophy”, I ...

LIFE’S A SHOE

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Divine is a foot.  Her life’s a shoe.  Would that Divine’s life was an open-toed shoe, a sandal, a flip-flop, airy, light, a good fit, or a great pair of trainers, again, the right fit, comfortable, if a closed shoe, lots of wiggle room for her toes….but it’s not so; you see, Divine is a right foot, the ...

OCD: IT’S MORE THAN A LITTLE OTT CLEANING AND CHECKING…

I have to stop this, calorie-counting and protein-counting. Even chewing gum and the splash of milk in my coffee, they’re in the count! I have ‘OCD‘ (‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - though my youngest, when approx 12 years old, he thought it stood for ‘Obsessive Cleaning Disturbance’: children see things, they are very aware, conscious of, what’s ...

34C/94F THIS MORNING: WHAT DROVE ME TO RUN IN THIS HEAT? WHAT DID I GET OUT OF THE RUN?

It was a hard run this morning, much harder than it should have been! It wasn't a long run, only 10km, but it was hot! My alarm was set for 5.10am. I should have been out the door by 5.30am, on the street for the run. Unusual for me but I slept through the alarm.  Showered and dressed ...

QUESTION. PSYCHOLOGIST TO ME: “DO YOU EVER EXPERIENCE PEACE?”

My psychologist asked me a question yesterday (2nd session), asked me if I ever experience "peace" - I had to think about that one! After a few moments' thought, I told her that I find it in music, in listening to music. She asked me if I find/experience it in/during my running. Again, a few moments' ...

THE SOURCES OF DEPRESSION

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A few days ago, I 'penned' a blog entitled: "FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST…AND, IN THE WORDS OF ‘THE GODFATHER OF SOUL’, JAMES BROWN, “I FEEL GOOD”". I've been thinking about it, about that first session with the psychologist, thinking about mental illness, thinking about why I might have the conditions, clinical depression, anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, ...

FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST…AND, IN THE WORDS OF ‘THE GODFATHER OF SOUL’, JAMES BROWN, “I FEEL GOOD”

I've had to get this down on paper, or laptop screen, whilst the adrenalin is still flowing... I've just seen a psychologist after decades of psychiatric treatment without, to all intents and purposes, ever really seeing a psychologist. I take meds for my clinical depression, anxiety, panic attacks and OCD. If I stop my meds, I'm a ...

‘STAND-ALONE’ EATING DISORDER OR ‘JUST’ A SYMPTOM OF OCD and/or OBSESSIVE PERSONALITY?

I’m watching, and loving, ‘The Sopranos’.     One of my ‘issues’ in life is calorie counting and keeping tabs on my daily protein intake.     I keep myself on a tight food rein and what they seem to do most in ‘The Sopranos’, more than killing people and going behind their wives’ backs, is eat - eat, eat, eat, ...

DEPRESSION: THE LIGHTS ARE ON BUT NO ONE’S HOME

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Numb, disconnected, I'm on the outside of the world, looking in, I feel like I don't belong, like I'm out of place. I'm jaded, drained, exhausted, so, so tired, frustrated, angry, shame of who and what I am (though not ashamed of my depression!), hatred of myself, disoriented, intolerant, impatient, irrational, illogical, hopeless, hopelessness, pointless, ...

THOUGHTS ON A BAD DAY… STAYING STRONG, RESOLUTE, RATIONAL, FIGHTING THE BLACK DOG OF DEPRESSION

A tweet I published yesterday (@kobysfightback):     1/8 #depression #mentalillness# mentalhealth Blo*dy hell! I am being mauled by the #BlackDog today. I am on the floor! Last few days ain't been great but, today, splat! You couldn't peel me off the floor! Ran y/day, #running tomorrow, NEED TO! I'm drained, exhausted, numb...     2/8 #depression #mentalillness #mentalhealth #panicattacks  Defo time to ...

‘THE IRISHMAN’ (2019)

I watched Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ last night: in a word, ‘superb’. As soon as it finished, I posted a short tweet (@kobysstars), said that, for me, it’s up there with ‘Goodfellas’, I “wow”’d the acting and the soundtrack, lauded Scorsese as a genius and left it there… BUT I woke up this morning and ...

CORONA VIRUS: IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO REFER TO IT PUBLICLY AS “THE CHINESE VIRUS”?

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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. ...

AM I SUFFERING FROM AN EATING DISORDER?

Perhaps a little obsessive on the calorie counting, protein counting front. Everything I do during the day, working, resting, playing, it’s all under an umbrella of calorie counting, it’s all part of my 24/7 food, eating, nutrition and running mindset.  Everything outside of food, eating, nutrition, running is subservient, in terms of importance and priority, to ...

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

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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 ...

LOVE IS…

Can we be completely explained by science?   Are we just oxygen, calcium, carbon, sulphur, magnesium et al?   Are we inherently ‘programmed’ to behave in certain ways, do we react to physical and mental stimuli as a result of electrical impulses?   Do we think and act independently or is it all just synapses, impulses, biological algorithms?   Do we make decisions ...

QUITTING MUST NOT BE AN OPTION

This morning, I went out for one of my runs. I felt heavy-legged, sluggish, when I got out of bed at 5.45am. It’s marathon training season, I ran 28km last Friday and 12km on Monday. Today, 8km with 14km coming up on Friday.     An aside, the back story: I’m 53 years old and started running, from ...

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 ...

‘PROOF of HEAVEN: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife’, by EBEN ALEXANDER, M.D.

First of all, I have no doubt that a lot of people, people who would enjoy this book, who would get a lot out of it, that they will steer clear, will be repelled by the title:     DON'T BE! You do not need to be religious, to believe in a theistic God, in any God or ...

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 ...

A ‘MUST READ’ BOOK! “JOG ON: How Running Saved My Life”, by BELLA MACKIE.

I’ve been reading a lot of books which resonate with me these days: Bella Mackie’s terrific, inspiring "JOG ON – How Running Saved My Life” is one of them. In fact, Bella’s book, her story, mirrors my story in many ways. I so ‘get’ Bella, I can see so much of myself in her struggles ...

MY OBSESSION WITH EATING: AM I IN CONTROL OR AM I BEING CONTROLLED?

Four years ago, I started a major lifestyle change, dietary, exercise (running), no alcohol, big weight-loss, mental health focus.     Before I continue, I should point out that I suffer from clinical depression, I take SSRI antidepressants and I take betablockers to keep panic attacks at bay. I should also point out that I have OCD (psychiatrist ...

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, ...

LIFE’S MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE

The second most beautiful experience we can have in life is witnessing compassion, empathy, love and kindness, witnessing the manifestation of the very best of humanity:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5umUPJ2G4Y     THE most beautiful experience we can enjoy in life is acting - OURSELVES – with compassion, empathy, love and kindness and witnessing the reaction from those towards whom the humanity ...

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). ...

“Mum’s Little Book of BIG RULES (in no particular order): For David, Reuben & Ethan and anyone else who might find inspiration in these pages (with some repetition for emphasis :-)”, by Deborah Judah

I have just read this wonderful ‘Little Book of Big Rules’: The beautiful Deborah Judah, of blessed memory, passed away a year ago at the tragically young age of 52. That pesky cancer stole her away from her family, loved ones, friends, colleagues, from all those whose lives she touched in her short life and all ...

CLINICAL DEPRESSION: IT’S AN ILLNESS, IGNORANCE STILL ABOUNDS AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT IGNORANCE CAN BE FATAL

A conversation I had yesterday with a pal of mine, a guy in his early 30's, from India, a guy with very little money who grew up in poverty, in India (poverty by Indian standards!), it shocked me (though I'm not sure why) but, more than that, it terrified me.     My pal (protecting confidentiality, I'll call ...

LOVE, EMPATHY, GOODNESS, KINDNESS, COMPASSION…ARE OUR FEELINGS AND ACTIONS REALLY JUST A SET OF COLD, BIOLOGICAL IMPULSES?

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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 ...

‘SINATRA: BEHIND THE LEGEND’, by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Back in 2015/6, I read a magnificent biography of my favourite, my No.1, Frank Sinatra, a two-part colossus of a work by James Kaplan: VOLUME 1:  ‘FRANK: THE VOICE’ (in the UK, ‘FRANK: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND’) VOLUME 2: ‘SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN’. When I finished reading the biography, I was convinced that I had read the definite Sinatra biography. I, some ...

MY EXPERIENCE OF THE DARKNESS THAT IS DEPRESSION

An excerpt from a message I sent someone yesterday, a message in which I tried to convey some of the dynamics of a depression ‘episode’:     "...mental illness, depression et al, it is so destructive and, tragically, still so misunderstood. One of the big problems with depression is that although it manifests in many ways, although the ...

I AM WHAT I AM

During a recent conversation about the creative advantages of suffering from ADHD, I made, in relation to my own condition, clinical depression, the following comment:     “I'm sure that my mental illness, clinical depression, gives me an insight, an x-ray vision, which is more pronounced, deeper, when I'm going through an 'episode' (except when it's really deep ...

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 ...

‘A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL’, by JOHN PRESTON

I’ve just finished reading John Preston’s terrific book on the ‘Jeremy Thorpe affair'. I only managed to catch the first episode of the BBC’s production but it whetted my appetite and reawakened my interest in the scandal so I bought the book.     What a great read! I will watch the BBC’s production and I don’t want ...

‘HARVEY MILK: HIS LIVES AND DEATH’, by LILLIAN FADERMAN

Lillian Faderman's biography of Harvey Milk is terrific.   Harvey’s story is inspiring and, because he was no angel, because he didn’t live in an exalted stratosphere, ‘ordinary’ people like me, with character faults and failings, can relate to him, person to person. We can all learn from, and be inspired by, the life of Harvey Milk. ...

‘THE TIMES’: “ADOPTIONS FALL AS COUPLES CHOOSE IVF AND SURROGACY”. TRAGIC!

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Tragic.   'The Times':   ADOPTIONS FALL AS COUPLES CHOOSE IVF AND SURROGACY https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/adoptions-fall-as-couples-choose-ivf-and-surrogacy-hmblckr9k?fbclid=IwAR3G5sWJM_q9sftc9JXUq4eoXzYMP5leST74OQZy4Z9EF3AVThtfZnGhn7Q     My view/opinion/attitude is, I assume, informed by the fact that I am adopted.     I don’t want to generalise nor judge. There are, clearly, many reasons why a couple might opt for surrogacy over adoption (IVF is a different matter, I can understand why some people try IVF before ...

LIVE IN THE PRESENT, ‘IN THE MOMENT’, EACH UNIQUE MOMENT, OR YOU’LL MISS EVERYTHING

Facebook, today, posted on my ‘timeline’ a photo which I posted on 11 November 2011, a photo, dating back to around 2005, of two of my children (in 2005, we ‘only’ had two.). FB posted the photo 'memories' for my eyes only but I 'shared' the photo with my Facebook 'friends'. In the photo, my ...

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?!

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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 ...

TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE MASSACRE: THE BEST, THE ONLY, RESPONSE

Anderson Cooper’s tribute to the Tree of Life Synagogue’s victims.     Anderson’s calm, respectful style and tone is perfect. What a pro! Sincere, warm and authentic:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY0Jdusd5-A     How poignant it is that the Synagogue/Temple/Shul is just 5 minutes from where Fred ‘Mister’ Rogers lived, a man of love, kindness, tolerance and empathy.     Hatred and division must never be allowed to ...

CHARLES AZNAVOUR, THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC, YOUR HUMANITY AND THE SUPPORT. AU-REVOIR, IT’S NOT GOODBYE…

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Charles Aznavour, a genius of a musician, soulful songwriter (more than 1,000 songs - some he co-wrote), heavenly lyricist, magical singer, courageous activist and diplomatic, his life was one in which he made a big difference, a life in which he added quality to the lives of so many people.     He was a friend of Israel/Israelis/Jews, ...

SHANA TOVA UMETUKAH (GOOD AND SWEET YEAR) – MY GOOD WISHES TO EVERYONE

Wishing all my family, Jewish friends/followers a shana tova umetukah, a good and sweet year ahead (into next year, the following year and beyond), a year of good health, happy times, peace (for all people across the world), simchas (weddings, bar mitzvahs etc), nachas (events and occasions involving our families and friends which give us ...

A LIFE-CHANGING BOOK: ‘BEYOND HAPPINESS – HOW TO FIND LASTING MEANING AND JOY IN ALL THAT YOU HAVE’, BY SIR ANTHONY SELDON

Every now and then, we – certainly I – read a book which we feel is ‘life-changing’. However, I can’t think of a single book which has genuinely proved to be, for me, life-changing. I’ve read the books, felt, during the reading and when finished, that they were life-changing but then, over time, I’ve ‘forgotten’ ...

‘TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL’ (2015)

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On 22 July 2018, I tweeted the following:   @TabHunterDoc(blog to follow): tears of sadness & joy in my eyes, throughout! A beaut. #humanbeing! From his #soulrose up #love, #courage, #perseverance, #tolerance, #forgiveness, #gratitude, #understanding, #empathy. Telling my wife about the doc afterwards, I burst into tears.     So here’s the blog:     After I watched this brilliant documentary on the ...

‘THE SONG OF BERNADETTE’ (1943)

I watched, last night, 'The Song of Bernadette' (1943), a movie masterpiece from Director Henry King, a stupendous, Oscar-winning, 'divine' performance by Jennifer Jones, one of the most staggering, most powerful acting performances I've ever seen, Alfred Newman's celestial, pathetical, powerful score (Oscar) is so effective, art direction/interior design, B&W (Oscar), cinematography, B&W (Oscar), both ...

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 ...

DEPRESSION: OFTEN AN INVISIBLE AND FATAL MENTAL ILLNESS

Following the latest, heartbreaking, tragic case of terminal depression at Bristol University (Ben Murray passed away just a few weeks ago, in May), Sam Gyimah MP, speaking at the University of Buckingham’s Festival of Higher Education, reiterated his call for providers to see themselves as being in loco parentis for vulnerable young students who were living away ...

PEOPLE WHO DIE FROM WHAT TURNS OUT TO BE TERMINAL CLINICAL DEPRESSION, THAT IS WHAT THEY DIE FROM, THEY DO NOT DIE FROM/OF SUICIDE – THAT IS ‘JUST’ THE FINAL, FATAL SYMPTOM OF THE DEPRESSION – AND, FAMILY AND FRIENDS, DO NOT BLAME YOURSELVES!

A lady I know, her son suffered from terminal clinic depression - he passed away a few years ago. She still, to a degree, blames herself inasmuch as she can't stop wondering what she could have done to prevent him dying.   I responded with this post (in the interests of confidentiality, I have changed her, and ...

RECURRING DREAMS: WE MUST NOT IGNORE THE VOICES IN OUR HEARTS/SOULS/SUBCONSCIOUS

Recurring dreams, the same one/theme, just before I woke up this morning AND yesterday morning - can go on night after night after night, has been for years - setting, always University or school, always about exams, going to fail them or have failed them, my life crumbling…     I must be in REM dream sleep just ...

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 ...

MY ANTI-DEPRESSION MEDS DON’T LIVE MY LIFE FOR ME – THEY ‘MERELY’ ALLOW ME TO LIVE MY LIFE.

I am a 51 year old, life-long sufferer of clinical depression and anxiety – there’s a book in me, I should write it as I think it could be of value and assistance to other sufferers and their families/loved ones but that is not something for this blog.     I’ve had my ups and downs, some of ...

THE CRUCIALITY OF HAVING THE RIGHT MINDSET IN LIFE

3 years ago:     I don't think I realised how overweight I was back then!   Now: (I'm the one wearing the glasses!)     My mindset, 3 years ago, was so wrong, so damaging, so destructive.   I was passive, void of self-discipline. I had let myself go!   I wasn't controlling any aspects of my life, I wasn't even fire-fighting, I was simply being ...

A NEW EXPERIENCE TODAY – A SENSE OF EUPHORIA WHILST I WAS RUNNING…

Half marathon training, my plan was to run 16k/10 miles today, I did it but pushed on, to the half marathon distance, 21.1k (which was my max to date - before this morning), carried on...at 22k, a new experience, euphoria, a 'high', whilst running...23k...24k, I decided to make it 26k...I was running on autopilot, adrenalin...I ...

“TO LIFE – L’CHAIM”, by Dr. HENRY BRIGGS

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I’ve just read a life-enhancing/affirming, inspiring, highly pertinent and heartwarming autobiography of a man – a family man, a father, a husband, a grandfather, a great grandfather (I’m sure many other relation titles), a doctor, a healer, a carer, a multi-faceted man, a person with the soul, the essence, of great humanity, love and courage.     I ...

IRAN’S LEADERS ARE PARIAHS – EXCEPT, IT SEEMS, WHEN THEY’RE PLANNING TO WIPE OUT ISRAEL

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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 ...

TWO LEGENDS, PAUL ANKA AND NEIL SEDAKA

2 great songs, 2 songwriting geniuses, 2 great musicians, singers, performers, entertainers, 2 barnstorming recordings plus, what was for me, a real treat, a real joy, when I tripped over it yesterday…     First up, from the prolific legend Paul Anka who gave us, or gave Frank Sinatra, who then gave us, “My Way”, when he, Paul, ...

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 ...

1) STOP BLAMING OTHER PEOPLE; 2) TAKE RESPONSIBILITY; 3) MOVE ON…

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What a nonsensical legal action!     http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/21/oxford-graduate-sues-university-1million-did-not-get-first-class/     This paragraph, in The Times (22 November 2017), settles the matter for me:     "After graduating from Oxford in 2000, Mr Siddiqui trained at one of the “magic circle” law firms, Clifford Chance, according to court filings, but was not kept on at the end of the programme. He worked for three other law firms and ...

FORBES: “MILLIONAIRE AUTHOR JOHN GRISHAM SAYS NOT ALL MEN WHO WATCH CHILD PORN ARE PEDOPHILES”

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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 ...

MY PERSONAL EATING ‘DISORDER’ AND THE CONNECTION WITH MY OBSESSIVE PERSONALITY

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or a highly compulsive personality, they are both extremely difficult to live with - difficult for the sufferer (especially if it comes with other conditions such as clinical depression and anxiety, as I know only too well!) and difficult for the family of the sufferer - everyone suffers!     The particular aspect to which ...

LADIES AND GENTS, YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAKE AND EAT IT

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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 ...

‘(HAVE I STAYED) TOO LONG AT THE FAIR?’ (Billy Barnes)

'(HAVE I STAYED) TOO LONG AT THE FAIR?' (Billy Barnes), 1962 or 3 (please let me know the year if you know it!), is an awesome, beautiful song, full of pathos, introduced to me by ‘Count Swing’ (@zootswings) whom I follow on Twitter. In fact, 'the Count' introduced me not just to this incredible song ...

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

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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  - ...

‘LION OF HOLLYWOOD, The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer’, by Scott Eyman

I've just read, for the second time, Scott Eyman's brilliant biography of Louis B. Mayer, 'LION OF HOLLYWOOD, The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer' (who gave his name to the legendary 'METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER' movie studio). It is a must-read for anyone who, well, loves 'the movies' beyond specific movies - if you love 'the movies' ...

WELL DONE, ISRAELI SUPREME COURT!!

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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 ...

‘WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR’ by PAUL KALANITHI

I don’t remember the last time I finished reading a book and then immediately re-read it but that is exactly what I did with what I think is a life-changing, ‘must read’ book,   'When Breath Becomes Air '   by a very special human being (as I sit typing this blog, I feel tears welling up), Paul Kalanithi.   IMPORTANT:   THIS ...

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 ...

BOOK REVIEW: RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON – THE INVINCIBLE QUEST (CONRAD BLACK)

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I haven’t been blogging so much recently but I have just finished reading a book, a phenomenal piece of work, a biography of Richard Milhous Nixon, by the highly acclaimed and prodigious biographer/historian, Conrad Black, and I just had to put ‘pen to paper’.     RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON – THE INVINCIBLE QUEST.     This biography is a bit of ...

….AND ANOTHER TEENAGE SUICIDE…PARENTS MUST RAISE THEIR AWARENESS

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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

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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 ...

ROBERT OSBORNE, 1932-2017, RENOWNED, REVERED AND MUCH LOVED MOVIE HISTORIAN, EDUCATOR, EVANGELIST

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"I think we have to have dreams...we need a little Carmen Miranda with all her tutti frutti hats. And we need some Fred and Ginger dancing. We need Gene Kelly hanging off that lamppost. We need to be taken into a fantasy world, and not be afraid to go there occasionally."     Robert Osborne was  -  is ...

‘Psycho’ (1960)

I’m working my way through Hitchcock’s movies….     I watched ‘Rebecca’ a year or two ago, it’s a fav of mine, of course....Mrs. Danvers, horrifyingly played by Judith Anderson, Maxim, the legend Laurence Olivier, Jack Favell, portrayed by the wonderful George Sanders…     I watched ‘North By Northwest’ last week, fantastic! Cary Grant is off-the-scale wonderful, Eva Marie Saint ...

‘NORTH BY NORTHWEST’ (1959)

(BEWARE, SPOILERS!)     Last week, I watched, for the, yes, shock, horror, first time, ‘North By Northwest’ (1959), one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces.     Of course, as is well known, Hitchcock not being awarded a ‘Best Director’ Oscar in relation to any of his movies is one of THE Academy Awards travesties (of which, we know, there are many!).     Hitchcock was ...

‘THE CROWN’ (2016), NETFLIX TV-SERIES (1): OUTSTANDING!!

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Last week, I finished watching Series 1 of The Netflix production, ‘The Crown’. Some days earlier, I was trawling through the Netflix website when I happened across ‘The Crown’ and casually pressed ‘Play’. As the name of the drama suggests, this is a show which throws a spotlight on the Windsors, the British and Commonwealth ...

‘THE CROWN’ (2016), Ep. 9: JOHN LITHGOW’S CHURCHILL – SPELLBINDING!

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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

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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, ...

MOZART’S ‘REQUIEM’, PERFECT MUSIC TO DIE TO…?

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Listening to Mozart's Requiem, I could almost believe again that there is a god or something supernatural, something 'not of this world' - this music isn't 'normal' and one gets a sense that Mozart was 'somewhere else' when he composed this (everything he composed, for that matter).     Mozart's Requiem, the perfect piece of music to die ...

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 ...

CONVERTING YOUR DREAMS INTO REALITY

Times (of London) 'obit' (18 January 2017) on William Peter Blatty, author of 'The Exorcist', Oscar winner ('Best Adapted Screenplay', 1974):     'When his novel The Exorcist was first published in 1971 it was a slow starter. “I got very nice reviews . . . but nobody was buying the book,” he said. The screenplay was greeted ...

GEORGE MICHAEL, RIP

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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”?

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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 ...

ANOTHER TRAGEDY: WE MUST ALL RAISE AWARENESS OF DEPRESSION

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….and another….and another….and another, this time, a 49 year old, intelligent, artistic/creative, successful, admired, respected, loved and adored, husband, father, son….the list goes on, of course…close friend, another victim of the horrible, cruel illness - yes, illness - clinical depression, as much an illness and often, as in this latest tragic case, terminal, as cancer.     I ...

A WINDOW INTO ALICE HERZ-SOMMER’S BEAUTIFUL SOUL

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I'm not sure if this blog belongs in the 'LIFE' category or the 'MUSIC' category...so I have put it in both:     I saw this about 3 years ago.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oxO3M6rAPw     Alice: what a special lady!     What Alice says, how she says it, what Alice feels and how she expresses what she feels, the look on her face, the depth, her ...

BELIEF IN (A THEISTIC) GOD IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH RATIONALE

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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 ...

FRIENDS…

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I just have to tweet this photo:       Videos are great, of course, but 'stills' catch a moment...videos can miss the moment, they don't catch them, hold them, they don't suspend the moment like 'stills' do.     Here, my sister, with the dark hair, is catching up with an old friend ('old' as in they go way, way back). ...

RICHARD B. SPENCER: THE REAL FACE OF TRUMP’S AMERICA?

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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, ...

ANDY MURRAY: A NATURAL COMPETITOR, A WINNER

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Andy Murray:   A spectacular competitor, sportsman, winner, tennis player.     The 4 aforementioned nouns aren't placed in any particular order except that I will say that I do think that the first three should come before 'tennis player' - of course, Murray is a fantastic tennis player but that is the minimum required to be in that top ...

IZZY DIX’S TRAGIC STORY: KILLED BY BULLIES

Teenager Izzy Dix's tragic story has consumed me today - what makes it worse is that Izzy's experience is not unique, it's not even uncommon. It happens, a lot.     Izzy’s poem: ‘I Give Up’:     "I arrive, Happy and fresh, Ready and excited To celebrate the goodness.   I am eager and keen to have a good time. As I smile from the bubbles ...

BULLYING DESTROYS LIVES!

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    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

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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?

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....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’

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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, ...

‘FOR THE LOVE OF YOU’ (1975)

An oasis of calm in the midst of all the crazy, scary politico-talk as we approach the 2016 US Election, a beautiful song, 'For the Love of You', music by Chris Jasper and lyrics by Ernie Isley (both songwriters, not just Ernie, members of the legendary 'The Isley Brothers'). This beautiful song is a track ...

LORD FARAGE?%$#@! PLEASE, NO!!!!!

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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 ...

MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL: “AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH”

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson's finest hour, the penning of this magical classic, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"*, made all the more magical and classic by Marvin and Tammi.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC5PL0XImjw       Marvin, whose divine musical sweetness and soul was so tangible and transparent, was destroyed by Tammi's tragic death at the horrendously young age of 24  -  she ...

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 ...

SALLY BRAMPTON: ANOTHER TRAGIC SUICIDE WHICH, MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

I read this on the BBC News website last night and it upset me to the extent that I could not compose myself enough to be able to ‘write’ a blog. The upset remains but some of it has given way to anger which has enabled me  -  motivated me  -  to blog:     http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37769093     I look at ...

TRUMP USING THE UNESCO VOTE TO BUY HIS OWN VOTES

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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…

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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 ...

AN APPEAL TO AMERICANS: PLEASE DO NOT PUT DONALD TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!

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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, ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “AND THE BAND PLAYED ON – POLITICS, PEOPLE AND THE AIDS EPIDEMIC” (BY RANDY SHILTS)

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I have just finished reading an excellent book:   "And The Band Played On  -  Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic" by Randy Shilts.     The ‘Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic’ part of the title lets you know that this is NOT a fun read! It is a book which had me drowning in a whirlpool of emotions, ...

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

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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 ...

DEPRESSION: AN INVISIBLE ILLNESS

Mental Health and Invisible Illness Resources:   "I HAVE A CHRONIC ILLNESS   DON'T BE SURPRISED IF...   I DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE OR REPLY TO MESSAGES STRAIGHT AWAY; I CANCEL OUR PLANS, ESPECIALLY AT THE LAST MINUTE; IT SEEMS LIKE I'M NOT LISTENING OR NOT INTERESTED (BRAIN FOG); I LEAVE EARLY FROM A SOCIAL GATHERING OR PARTY; I SUDDENLY NEED TO LIE DOWN OR REST.   I ...

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 ...

ELIE WIESEL Z”L RIP

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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 ...

“REAGAN & THATCHER, The Difficult Relationship” (by Richard Aldous)

I’ve just finished reading an extremely interesting book, “Reagan & Thatcher - The Difficult Relationship” by Richard Aldous. The protagonists are, surprise, surprise, Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, and Ronald Reagan, President of The United States between 1981 and 1989. Most of us have this idea in our heads, an image, ...

‘CASABLANCA’ (1942) AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE SILVER SCREEN

I finally got round to watching "Casablanca" last night. Exquisite! Love it! I knew that Ingrid Bergman was beautiful but I didn't realise HOW beautiful....stunning!! Her eyes and that GORGEOUS smile!! The cinematography, the lighting, the atmosphere...and her clothes!! In that outfit she wears when, with Victor Laszlo, she walks into Capitaine Renault's office, white ...

‘THE ALCHEMIST’ (by Paulo Coelho)

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I’ve just read, again, Paulo Coelho’s classic ‘short story’/novel, ‘The Alchemist’. I read it years ago but in my current state of mind, I was drawn to it again.     Insofar as the style of the novel(la) is ‘fantasy’, supernatural, quasi-religious, ‘The Alchemist’ is not a typical read for me. I usually read non-fiction though I do ...

OCD: A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

I’m on a diet.     Well, it started as a diet but things have probably moved on a bit…I’m manifesting, I guess, anorexia, or am I?     I’m fully aware, fully conscious of what I’m doing and I wonder, I’m not a psychologist nor am I a psychiatrist, but I wonder if that differentiates me from an anorexic: are ...

LOOK AT, ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOU’VE GOT!!

I have been cooked up in the house all day, I’m feeling flat, one of my usual ‘states’, I’ve been trying to rev myself up, crank the engine but there’s no spark so I’ll go out, get some air, wake up, connect with the living and have a coffee.     iPod, headphones on, music….Billy Joel…off I go….I ...

‘THE KING OF COMEDY’ (1982): MOVIE REVIEW

A movie review - how have I got through the last 33 or 34 years without watching ‘The King of Comedy’? What a delight…that might be the wrong adjective as this is a dark, a black, comedy and it is, at times, excruciating to watch….ok, in the context of masochistic entertainment, MOVIE entertainment, it was an ...

WHY WE ‘HIT’ SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN ‘CELEBS’ PASS AWAY

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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, ...

A LITTLE KINDNESS GOES A LONG WAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thk2KJFU2iM   A little bit of effort in the realm of kindness can have a huge effect on people's lives.     I've just been watching Yaf, my wife, slicing some cake, wrapping it lovingly, ribbons and all...she's off to visit a friend who has just come out of hospital. Yaf could have just taken the cake but, no, she ...

“PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!” (a monologue by me, James/Koby Gould, 16 March 2016)

“PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!” :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-aNNP7tk1Q   "Everything is great. Well, on paper it is great. Love is all around, beautiful wife, gorgeous two year old son, doting parents, loving sister, terrific friends - but I feel all alone - great house, good job, cars, holidays…I’ve got it all, I guess. But I haven’t got it all…I haven’t got my ...

‘ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL’, HBO FRANK SINATRA BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY

I must put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, to wax lyrical about a wonderful Frank Sinatra documentary I have just watched on the tele, “All Or Nothing At All”. What with James Kaplan’s magnificent, definitive two-volume 1,800 page biography and now this magical biographical documentary, my addiction to Frank has been powerfully fed ...

THE DEFINITIVE SINATRA BIOGRAPHY: A MASTERPIECE! (by JAMES KAPLAN)

VOLUME 1: 'FRANK: THE VOICE' (in the UK, 'FRANK: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND')   VOLUME 2: 'SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN'   Before I began reading what I am now sure is a never-to-be bettered, definitive 1,800 page, two-volume biography of Frank Sinatra, penned by a genius of a writer, James Kaplan, he, Frank, was already my No.1.   I have a wide, ...

I GET SO MUCH MORE THAN PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS FROM RUNNING

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Hardest but most invigorating, confidence-boosting run today: 9km to the Dan Accadia hotel (averaged 5.45mins per km), a spot of breakfast, a coffee at Bell Beach and then 9km back (midday heat, a lot of uphill running) in similar time.     Tiring? I guess so but the adrenalin and the endorphins were so in play that, at ...

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!

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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 ...

TONY BENNETT, INSPIRATION, LEGEND, WINS HIS 18th GRAMMY AWARD AT THE AGE OF 89. MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS!!

Tony Bennett is 89 years old, he still tours the world and, last night, he won his 18th Grammy award. I'm approaching, with trepidation, 50 years old, I have been bemoaning the ageing process, the speeding up of the passage of time and the relentless skidding towards my dotage.     Tony Bennett was already almost 40 when ...

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 ...

MY MUSICAL ‘DEMIGODS’

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Christopher David Tookey, Former Film and Video Critic, 'Daily Mail':   "The one other thing I remember about David Bowie was that he didn't have much confidence in his own voice. He knew that he sounded like Anthony Newley but was relaxed about that. Oddly enough, Newley hated this "imitation" and when Bowie sent him a copy ...

DAVID BOWIE, RIP

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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

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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…

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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 ...

TONY BENNETT: IMMORTAL!

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Tony Bennett is the last of the musical GREATS still gracing this Earth. The man is not only a giant of a musician, he is a giant of a man, a painter, a philanthropist, an awe-inspiring survivor, he is the last of the great presenters, the great deliverers, of the most beautiful music (in my ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANK

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Francis “Frank” Albert Sinatra, Hoboken, New Jersey’s local boy made good, whose life was truly a life worth living, a man who brought, and whose life and legacy continues to bring, to billions of people the world over, to generation after generation, extreme pleasure and happiness, is (yes, is!) 100 years old today, 12 December ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: ‘OPERATION THUNDERBOLT (FLIGHT 139 AND THE RAID ON ENTEBBE AIRPORT, THE MOST AUDACIOUS HOSTAGE RESCUE MISSION IN HISTORY)’ by SAUL DAVID

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It’s my guess that a lot of people think that they know what happened in ‘that’ rescue but I doubt that many know it in as much detail as I do now that I have read this terrific book by Saul David.   Saul David:   “…I decided to write it unfolding in real time, with the narrative shifting ...

NEWCASTLE UNITED, ‘SPINELESS’ AND ‘GUTLESS’: HOW DARE THEY!!!

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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

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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

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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) ...

THE BONDS OF RELIGIOUS/CULTURAL KINSHIP v THE BONDS OF HUMAN KINSHIP

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A video interview followed by blog comment:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXGfngjmwLA   I feel a bond with this lady, a lady whom I have never met, and doubtless never will, a bond of love and a bond of kinship. That kinship has two strands, a Jewish strand and a human strand. The interesting question I ask myself is whether the Jewish ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: ‘WINNERS – AND HOW THEY SUCCEED’ by ALASTAIR CAMPBELL

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Matt Parker (Head of Marginal Gains at British cycling):   “Pursuit of excellence has to be relentless, people underplay the amount of time and effort it takes to be the best in the world at anything. It should not, and it cannot, ever be comfortable, because the moment you feel comfortable you stop challenging yourself, so you ...

JONAH LOMU: HIS LIFE, AN INSPIRATION, HIS TRAGIC DEATH, SO YOUNG, A WAKE-UP CALL

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The death, at such a young age, just 40, of rugby union legend  -  icon  -  Jonah Lomu, has really upset and shaken me.   http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/34853536   I know nothing about rugby, I've never followed it (though I do 'get it', I see the 'beauty', the immense skill/talent  -  I love sport and I do appreciate that, in rugby, ...

FRAZIER GLENN MILLER, MURDERER, WHITE SUPREMACIST: EXECUTE HIM OR KEEP HIM ALIVE?

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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 ...

A FEW GREAT TUNES AND VIDS FROM THE 70’S AND 80’S

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu7AR0-FRro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8jEIQKgZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIpfWORQWhU ...thinking "The Wedding Singer" "Do you like A Flock Of Seagulls?" "I can see you do"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGVgfjnLqc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upyrWwstEMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypadKraAb1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXewIR7Y7cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks_qOI0lzho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6rrTROoZIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWtCittJyr0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmaVK1E-VKQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU

LYNDA BELLINGHAM’S BOOK, “THERE’S SOMETHING I’VE BEEN DYING TO TELL YOU”. A ‘MUST-READ’. INSPIRING, UPLIFTING AND LIFE-ENHANCING!

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A book that should be read by everyone who is alive now and who will eventually die, i.e. everyone. A 'must-read'!! Let me first make one thing clear: whilst I did, of course, cry when I was reading this book, predominantly Lynda's journey from her cancer diagnosis to her passing, I smiled more than I cried. ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “GODLESS (HOW AN EVANGELICAL PREACHER BECAME ONE OF AMERICA’S LEADING ATHEISTS)”

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I recently read Chris Hitchens' “God Isn’t Great” (his book IS great!) and Professor Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delusion”, another book which is having an effect on my life. These two books are helping me to navigate the swirling tides.   To those important books, I now add a third book:   “Godless”, How An Evangelical Preacher Became One ...

I THINK THEREFORE I AM…

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...and, for years, it was more a case of "I don't think therefore I am not". I’m misunderstood these days so let me put the record straight. Many years ago, I fell for religion hook, line and sinker. In hindsight, I was vulnerable, I was ‘easy game’. I was ready to fall, I was standing on the ...

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!

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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, ...

IMAGINE…

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Amongst John Lennon’s most famous words are the following: "Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today...   Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace...   You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not ...

TODAY’S TERROR IN ISRAEL: THERE IS BLAME TO BE APPORTIONED ON BOTH SIDES AND, YET AGAIN, THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IS RELIGION

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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 ...

VATICAN SACKS PRIEST WHO COMES OUT AS GAY: AN ADMISSION OF BIGOTRY (of course, Orthodox Judaism and Islam will be supporting the Vatican on its decision).

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What an ugly, tragic story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34432701 More evidence that the Bible, Old Testament and New, is incompatible with equality and fairness. The Vatican is manifesting bigotry/homophobia (just as Orthodox Judaism and Islam do*  -  we would have seen the same if this Polish priest, Msgr Krysztof Charamsa, had been a Rabbi or an Imam). If British Airways ...

THE WORLD HAS GONE BERSERK (OR, RATHER, MANKIND HAS GONE BERSERK)

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Watch this: https://www.facebook.com/StandWithUs/videos/10153240246827689/?pnref=story This is beyond my comprehension. I am utterly heartbroken and despondent. There is no light on the horizon. Everything is wrong here, 2015 and we are mired in religious war, hatred on both sides (and within each side), politics and irrational belief  which is making people do and believe mad and dangerous things. This ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: ‘I AM JEWISH, Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of DANIEL PEARL’, edited by Judea and Ruth Pearl

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Daniel Pearl, an American Jewish journalist, or a Jewish American journalist (only Daniel would have been able to tell me which) was working for the Wall Street Journal in 2002 when he was horrifically murdered by Islamic extremists, aka evil personified, in Pakistan. He was not an 'observant' Jew (I think I can say that ...

JACKIE COLLINS: WHAT A LIFE, WHAT AN INSPIRATION, WHAT AN EXAMPLE!

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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 ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: ‘THE MARRIAGE GAME’ by ALISON WEIR

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What a great book  -  I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm upset that I've finished it! Alison Weir, the renowned and respected historian, has delivered a delicious, spicy Elizabethan novel, full to the brim with love and romance, a little steamy raunchiness, heartbreak, pathos, religion, politics, jealousy, war, mischief and Machiavellian intrigue and skulduggery. Weir immerses the ...

OPENING MY EYES, OPENING MY MIND: GETTING REAL

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When you have experienced clinical depression and risen from the depths to see daylight again, after many, many years in the darkness, you find yourself a 'specialist' in the field of clinical depression. I'm not saying that the experience gives you the academic knowledge of a consultant psychiatrist but you do gain deep insight and ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: ‘THE GOD DELUSION’ by PROF. RICHARD DAWKINS

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I have no doubt that reading this book has been, for many people, a life-changing experience. I read it because the subject matter and the philosophy of the author, Professor Richard Dawkins, appealed to me as I walk a well-trodden, rocky, winding road. It has been of immense help and has given me enormous clarity. ...

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “GOD IS NOT GREAT (how religion poisons everything)” by CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

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This is one of the best books I have ever read  -  though I'll have to read it again, and again, to really understand it, to fully appreciate everything Christopher Hitchens 'is' saying. Christopher Hitchens is well-known for his atheism. He is also well-known for keeping 'bad company', e.g. Edward Said and Noam Chomsky and he ...

We Live In A Godless World

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I intended, from the outset, to keep CARRY ON KOBY a religion/politics-free zone. Change of plan. THE world news which is capturing and occupying the hearts of millions around the world: the tragedy of the asylum seekers fleeing today's evil. http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/09/02/dispatches-why-i-shared-horrific-photo-drowned-syrian-child One thing is for sure  -  we live in a Godless world! As I have said for some time, ...

Book Recommendation: ‘Deconstructing Sammy’ by Matt Birkbeck

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A few weeks ago, I finished reading a great 'autobiography' by one of the, if not 'THE', greatest all-round entertainers of the twentieth century, the legend Sammy Davis Jr. (co-written by Jane and Burt Boyar): http://kobygould.com/book-recommendation-why-me-an-autobiography-and-an-examination-of-the-nature-of-stardom-the-no-1-all-round-popular-entertainer-the-ultimate-song-and-dance-man-mr-show-business-sam/ The (auto) biography takes the reader 'behind the scenes'  -  to a degree, it's a warts 'n all picture of Sammy. ...

‘Victim’ (1961)

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I watched Basil Dearden’s great, powerful movie, ‘Victim’, again last night - it must be 25 years since I last watched it. ‘Victim’ was not a vehicle to showcase and build the ‘matinee idol’ Dirk Bogarde. Dirk had left the Rank Organisation (Film Studios) by the time he starred in 'Victim' and although he had starred ...

‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (1962): A Movie Masterpiece

I am not steeped in the 'Western' genre but, as a layman, I think this movie is a masterpiece. This is not just a piece of entertainment  -  this is social commentary and US history portrayed on celluloid,  glued together with great characters, an 'edge-of-the-seat' story line, comedy and romance. One only needs to look at the ...

“It Happened One Night” (1934)

Another magical movie, a Frank Capra triumph  -  quite literally: the first movie to grab the 'Big Five' Oscars. 1935 (though a 1934 movie) Academy Awards: 'Best Picture', 'Best Director', 'Best Actor', 'Best Actress' and 'Best Writing, Adaptation' for Robert Riskin. An inauspicious start, legend has it that Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were NOT the ...

Book Recommendations: “Why Me?” – An Autobiography (and an examination of the nature of stardom): The No. 1 All-Round ‘Popular’ Entertainer, THE Ultimate Song And Dance Man, MR SHOW BUSINESS, SAMMY DAVIS JR.

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"Why Me" is a fascinating, in-depth autobiography, penned by the greatest popular entertainer the world has ever known, and will ever know, the incomparable legend, Sammy Davis Jr. (co-written by Jane and Burt Boyar). It is a fast pace, entertaining, inspiring, emotional, heart rending, oft times desperately sad, roller coaster of an autobiography, an examination of ...

Sir Nicholas Winton z”l, The Personification Of ‘Goodness’. Tissues At The Ready…This Blog Is A Weepy!

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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

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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 ...

Book Recommendation: ‘Straight Flush’ by Ben Mezrich

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A tornado of a tale, this true story of ambition, entrepreneurialship, focus, commitment, team building, 'brotherhood', success, money, power and collapse runs FAST from start to finish. I must preface this 'critique' by stressing that I'm working on the facts as presented by the author, Ben Mezrich, that it may well be, of course, that the ...

Kirk Kerkorian: What A Life! RIP

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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 ...

RIP Graham Lord

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So sorry to learn of the passing, at the relatively young age of 72, of the journalist and biographer, Graham Lord. His biography of one of my favourites, David Niven, ('Niv'), is a triumph and I so enjoyed reading it. Of course, Niv's celebrated classic autobiog, "The Moon's A Balloon" is an absolute joy and ...

Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade – ALL Israelis who value human rights, freedom and democracy can be proud!

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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, ...

Book Recommendation: Alastair Campbell’s ‘THE HAPPY DEPRESSIVE: IN PURSUIT OF PERSONAL AND POLITICAL HAPPINESS

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Alastair Campbell's 'The Happy Depressive: In Pursuit of Personal and Political Happiness' is a great read (and a short one). As I 'wrote' in the Amazon Book Review I posted, his candour and openness is to be commended. Heart on the sleeve stuff. People who suffer from clinical depression will empathise. The millions of people ...

Why I Gave Up Alcohol

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In the aftermath of the tragic premature death of Charles Kennedy last week, his good friend, Alastair Campbell, spoke to Sky News, not only about the personal loss but on the wider issue of creeping alcoholism which is spreading like wildfire throughout the UK. Alcoholism is a disease which hides behind the accepted drinking culture ...

‘Ooh Baby Baby’: 3 Beautiful Versions of a Beautiful Song – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Linda Ronstadt and Seal

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'Ooh Baby Baby', what a beautiful song, co-written by Smokey Robinson (and Pete Moore) in 1965, performed originally by Smokey and The Miracles on, of course, the Motown label. Watch this performance  -  Smokey's voice is exquisite, his vocal control is staggering. Class, class, class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwwsT2Hh1AQ I trust that you enjoyed that... Next up, a sumptuous cover by ...

Senator Joe Biden, A Gilded, Golden, Glamorous Life? NO! He’s A Broken Man Drowning In The Quicksand of Tragedy And Heartbreak

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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. ...

The Beauty Of The Miracle Of Life

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I defy anyone to watch this and not to burst into tears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ6Me4zVkwU It's difficult for me to put it into words because as much as I can appreciate what I'm seeing when I watch the video, as much as I can understand the elation, I can't know what they are experiencing. They are experiencing/feeling part of ...

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 ...

Wow, Wow, Wow!!! Seal Performing The O’Jays’ Classic, ‘Back Stabbers’

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Last night, I happened to come across this performance by Seal of 'Back Stabbers'. I have never before seen anything like it. What a beautiful performance! I watched aghast, I couldn't mentally digest what I was seeing. The colour 'play', it's magical, the song, of course, is special, the arrangement, orchestration, production/direction, all perfect, Seal ...

George Benson: “This Masquerade”, “Breezin'”

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Relax, get your headphones on, sit back and listen to, and watch, this, George Benson at his very best...the whole concert is off-the-scale terrific ('Absolutely Live In Belfast, Northern Ireland') but here's "This Masquerade" and "Breezin'". As long as I have known music, I have known George Benson, an outstanding guitarist, a beautiful singer and a ...

Cate Blanchett: “I Am Not A Lesbian, But Who Cares Anyway?” Sadly, Millions Of People DO Care!

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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

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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 ...

You Are Not Alone

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I read a lot of inspirational quotes  -  daily  -  and every now and then, one comes along which really speaks to me. One of my inspirations, Andi Saitowitz, posted on Facebook today a quote by inspirational speaker and author, Harvey Mackay: "None of us got to where we are alone. Whether the assistance we received ...

Don’t Take Each Other For Granted

Such a beautiful yet heartbreaking tribute to Dave Goldberg from Sheryl Sandberg: https://www.facebook.com/sheryl/posts/10155493238390177 It reminds us of what, of course, we all know, that life can change so unexpectedly in an instant and that we must live our lives conscious of that fact. We mustn't be morose, we mustn't let that awareness depress us...on the contrary, we ...

It Really Is Mental!!

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I learnt something about myself today. The 'dawning' came to me via a fairly easy lesson, less than 30 minutes...my emotions? surprised, inspired, very empowered, excited, energised, liberated. What happened? I'm not really one for exercise but I know, particularly as I approach middle age, at 48 years old (well, 'they' say that 50 is the new 40!), ...

My Sixpennyworth

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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 ...

Billy Paul: ‘Me and Mrs Jones’

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This song!! I love it. The dreamy, soulful, instrumental intro and Billy Paul's special, special, instantly recognisable vocal, his emotional input, his heart and soul, he puts everything into it. The orchestration, the production, I never tire of listening to it. This is a terrific performance on Soul Train. It's one of those songs, you're ...

What does it take to be a winner?

Golfer Jordan Spieth yesterday won the 2015 Masters at Augusta, Georgia: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/golf/32278605 (read how he did it)....and this is what winners do! Leading last year as he went into the 4th and final round of the Masters, he finished as the runner-up. He must have been gutted  -  self-doubt could have set in and made winning in ...

“The most important thing is to know oneself better.” — Spinoza. What do you think is the most important thing?

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A Facebook pal of mine posted the following on Facebook yesterday:   ' "The most important thing is to know oneself better." -- Spinoza. What do you think is the most important thing?'   My response:   "Heavy question! The most important thing (in terms of ourselves)? It took me over 40 years to get close to an answer. I blog a ...

True Grit

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Well, there's another movie that can be crossed off the 'must see' list: True Grit. I really don't know the 'Western' genre and I sat down to watch True Grit with an open mind. Verdict: I loved it. It had everything I thought it would have...plus more. I didn't expect comedy but John Wayne provided it. John Wayne's ...

Katie Hopkins’ message to you if you suffer from depression: ‘get a grip’, buy some running shoes and get some fresh air

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Katie Hopkins, a 'journalist', whose modus operandi seems to be to anger, hurt and shock, she's done it again: she describes depression as “the holy grail of illnesses”, “the ultimate passport to selfobsession”, she says that sufferers should “get a grip” and that “People with depression do not need a doctor and a bottle of something ...

Unearthing the talent within ourselves and our children

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http://www.surfermag.com/the-now/ray-collins/#HBUPdmfsHuiXRzfH.97 What a great story, so inspiring, hidden talent which may never have seen the light of day were it not for serendipity visiting Ray Collins, a colour blind miner in an Australian town which I hadn't heard of before today, Bulli. Ray was forced to give up, to leave, his job because of injury and with ...

Love in the extreme is more powerful than evil in the extreme

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Jan and Antonina Zabinski: heroism which renews my faith in humanity.  http://http://www.jta.org/2015/03/23/news-opinion/world/when-jews-found-refuge-in-underground-warren-at-warsaw-zoo What a beautiful story of selfless sacrifice against a backdrop of unimaginable, incomprehensible horror. Angels, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, harboured 300 Jewish children, taking the risk that the nazis (I never give that word a capital 'N', it doesn't deserve it) would find them, discover ...

First, accept and acknowledge that you have a problem!

Good afternoon, I only 'launched' this blog 3 days ago and can already say that the feedback has been interesting and not quite what I expected. People have been getting in touch with me to tell me their 'story'. One person told me that my story was almost a carbon copy of his and another person who ...

Frank Sinatra: ‘Dindi’

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One of my favourite songs, it is beautiful yet tragic...the music was composed by the legend, Antonio Carlos 'Tom' Jobim (words by Aloysio de Oliveira  -  English lyrics by Ray Gilbert) for the Brazilian singer, Sylvia Telles. After Sylvia recorded it, she was, in 1966, killed in a car accident. She was 32 years old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfudNEKC62c

I Will Wait For You

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I have just been introduced to the beautiful "I Will Wait For You", great renditions by Frank, Connie Francis and other greats but this, by the composer of the piece, Michel Legrand, I've just watched it and I was aghast...I was blown away, stunned...it is magnificent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X4AYu5m2ko

More “I’m A Fool To Want You”:

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oh, Linda Ronstadt, what a staggering beauty and what a voice she had...tragically, suffering with Parkinson's, she can no longer sing. This song, co-written by Frank Sinatra (his rendition is, of course, superb) is beautiful and Linda could not have done it more justice....jaw-dropping! The arrangement!! Johnny Carson's favourite song was the outstanding "Here's That ...

I’m A Fool To Want You

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sit down, get comfortable, relax, put your headphones on, volume up and listen to this...it's up there with the most beautiful music ever composed, produced and performed: it is magical   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z26panRGOI&index=65&list=PLniYytlAbsKXnjXLa3FbwfeqvephMw-Zs  

All About Eve

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I recently watched the classic film, All About Eve: I was in shock, aghast...Bette Davis was off the scale, a staggering performance and, ahhhhhh, George Sanders, that voice!! Anne Baxter as Eve, captivating, as deliciously poisonous as JR but more dangerous, more hungry, more manipulative, Marilyn Monroe, beautiful, those quivering lips, the pout, and the ...

Music and me

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Kiki Dee (and her band) sang and played, “I’ve Got The Music In Me”. That lyric springs to mind when I consider what music means to me. I think music is the most beautiful language and I sometimes feel that I can express myself more clearly in the language of music than in English. My daughter, when ...

Movies and me

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Movies have always been in my life. Music takes me back but movies from my childhood are also etched on my memory.  I remember crying at King Kong and having hysterics (crying, not laughing!!) at the horse’s head scene in The G-dfather. I was mesmerised by David Niven’s performance in A Matter Of Life And Death ...