Blue Bead Earrings

I designed and made all the hand-made blue bead earrings myself, unique and what's even better, very cheap - just right if you are tightening your belt in the recession but still want to buy something attractive which doesn't look cheap!

All these earrings cost just $11.50 (£7.00)

BLUE BEAD EARRINGS

Wooden Bead Earrings - Cheap Gifts

Ideal Presents.


Affordable hand-crafted unique earrings which I designed myself - they cost under $15 (£10) and are cheap enough for you to buy several pairs as presents.

Wooden Bead Earrings

The Adventures of Tintin: How to Entertain Children

The new Stephen Spielberg film, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, USA release 21 December 2011 has led to a renewed interest in Tintin.

I have done my best to save you precious time by gathering together a variety of Tintin products, and ideas for Christmas presents, including Tintin toys, Tintin games, Tintin books, and even T-shirts and a mug showing Tintin, Tintin Youtube videos, a Tintin Quiz and a Tintin Poll to entertain you.

The Adventues of Tintin - the Secret of the Unicorn

Beswick Figurines - Alice Series: Great Collectable Christmas Presents

You'll love these wonderfully detailed and lovingly created Beswick figurines created in the "Alice" series by master craftsmen which are acollector's delight.

Anyone would love to receive one of these Alice in Wonderland figurines as a gift - they would make great Christmas presents

You could also buy and collect them as an investment as some of them are quite valuable

See the full article at Beswick Figurines - Alice in Wonderland

Ataturk - Father of Modern Turkey

To Understand Turkey, You Need to Know About the Founder of Modern Turkey - Ataturk, Turkish General, Politician, Statesman, Humanitarian and Reformer.

Oh, and at the end I have added some beautiful Turkish designs, which you will find on Zazzle - The would be very nostalgic for Turkish people and would also make beautiful and unusual Christmas presents. Zazzle has quite a lot of items which have designs with a Turkish flavour, and you can choose to put most of the designs on different things. Take a look.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1j1f4

Oil Paint versus Pastel Crayons

A debate about the benefits of Oil Paint as opposed to Pastel Crayons.

Lots to look at - pictures by famous artists, arty things to buy as Christmas presents and a Quiz about Art.

Quite entertaining

The Road to Hell by John Parker

 See the full article here: Oil Paint v Pastel Crayons 

Chicken & Turkey Leftovers: Quick Easy Recipes

After you've had a good meal of roast chicken and vegetables, it can be a bit of a bore knowing what to do with the remnants, and devising meals with the scraps which someone will actually want to eat. I hope this will give you some new ideas and also remind you of things you already knew but haven't put into operation.

I come from a background of great change, and have experienced both wealth and poverty, travelled widely and have lived in several areas of very mixed cultures, ending up in one of the most metropolitan cities of all - London. I have had the opportunity to try many wonderful national and international dishes and, in a city where so many cultures live side-by-side, it is easy to find an enormous range of imported food sitting side-by-side with local produce. As you would expect, this has influenced my style of cooking.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1iuc9

Poppy Seed Pudding - the Story

Explaining how I developed a delicious recipe purely by chance, rescuing a kitchen disaster. You will find it quite fun.

This builds on my recipe web page about Poppy Seed Pudding Diana, but this story page is more of a blog.

Take a look

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ispw

Poppy Seed Pudding Diana Recipe - Thanksgiving

Not everyone likes poppy seeds, but if you do, you will love this Poppy Seed Pudding.

It would make a delicious dessert for Thanksgiving dinner.

This pudding recipe evolved in my own kitchen - that's why I named it Poppy Seed Pudding Diana - a delicious and unusual pudding.

I developed a lasting interest in cooking when working in, and helping to run, a restaurant in the 1960's. It wasn't a fancy restaurant, maybe more of a cafe really, where the emphasis was on simple home-style food, and as a result of that experience, I became adept at creating simple easy recipes, using the sort of ingredients you might have around the home,

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1iqng

I Wrote a Song in My First Song Writing Class

 I Wrote a Complete Song in My First Songwriting Class

I never knew I had it in me, until I wrote a poem years ago about the Fire at Alexandra Palace. It had a chorus, and was very repetative, and people at my poetry group said it had the makings of a good song, and I ought to get it set to music. Of course I never did, and it languished as an unrecognized lyric.



However, a few days ago a friend asked me if I would like to go to a free songwriting class at our local library, and, ever-curious, I went.


First we were asked to do some physical loosening up exercises as a prelude to singing a song.  I was a bit disconcerted, as I consider myself as being useless at singing - one of the reasons I never bothered to continue guitar lessons was because it didn't seem much good if I couldn't sing along to my own strumming.
Anyway, I did the arms above head and down to the ground, wriggle around, blow through your lips like a sperm whale and so forth.


Then we were given an explanation writing a simple song using AAA format. This is, basically, three similar verses or stanzas, no chorus, no complications.


We were shown a song by Bette Midler, "The Rose", which was in this AAA form. Then we sang it, reading the words from the song sheet.  A bit tricky for me really, as I didn't know the tune. However it was pretty easy to pick up, and, although I merely droned without proper singing, I didn't disgrace myself more than averagely.


Then we talked a bit about travelling and were asked to write something ourselves, in class, something personal, maybe about a journey, using some rhymes.


The man next to me (whose name shall not be revealed here) is already a seasoned musician and song writer, but he said he couldn't possibly write something there and then, and preferred to write something at night.  That left five of us, including our teacher, ready to get writing. 


I had something down on paper quick as a flash. I'm used to doing this in poetry group (which I no longer attend) and at home - you get something down in writing, anything, and then you can always go back and polish it up - indeed revision is an essential part of writing poetry.


The man who wasn't writing was chattering away, and said something about throwing a line. This got incorporated into my poem. I was only marginally bothered by this diversion, but my friend, who is also in the poetry group, was well put off, and asked him to desist, as she couldn't concentrate.


I wrote quickly, and finished quarter of an hour before everyone else. Surprisingly, I was the only person to write a complete poem, the others having varying success. Inspiration just came without much head-scratching.  One man could only think of  two lines, another wrote a lot of very existential philosophical stuff, which was clearly going to be the best one of all once he found the words to finish it off, and my friend and the teacher wrote competently but needed to take their pieces home and do work on them.


So that was a good experience.  I managed to find suitable rhymes, and although one or two of the rhymes were rubbish and had to be revised at home, I was reasonably happy with the result. This is what I wrote:

                Travelling to Dover

      As I travelled on the train one rainy morning

      Tired and wet, I couldn’t stop my yawning

      Looked up and saw what surely was a warning

      Hooded eyes that set my heart a-warming

      I turned away and stared into the mist

      But all the while I held a secret wish

      That I’d put out a line and catch this fish

      And he’d be mine forever on a dish

      He moved to sit by me and I moved over

      I sensed that one day soon he’d be my lover

      And give me hell because he was a rover.

           I caught him as the train pulled in to Dover

© Diana Grant                       16^th November 2011

Life Happens: Tell A Story About It

Life Happens: Tell A Story About It

A very thought-provoking article - snippets of people's lives, written by alwaysjules who is a playwright and writer.  Her writing skills show through, and her philosophy of life speaks out for itself.


The article is on Squidoo, and she was deservedly awarded a Purple Star for excellence.  


Go and have a look, then come back here to tell everyone what you thought about it

Snow - by Orhan Pamuk

This book is about a poet, Ka, who is also an investigative journalist. He is stranded in a snowbound small town for an eventful few days to learn about the mysterious suicides of young women who have been obliged under the laws of Secular Turkey to remove their veils. The book is poetic, dreamy, atmospheric, exciting, political, and very informative about the ideological cross-currents in modern Turkey.

I was captivated right from the start by the sheer poetry and competence of the writing, which shone through the sensitive translation by Maureen Feely.

There is a love story interwoven with a tale of political unrest, and an exploration of the contrasting attitudes of secular society in Turkey and Muslim fundamentalists, culminating in violent action.

The viewpoints of the characters are revealed sympathetically and non-judgmentally, giving an insight into the problems of the warring factions in modern Turkey, which, under the auspices of Ataturk, became a secular state in the 1920's.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ibpk

Why Make a Will

If you do not make a Will, your estate will devolve according to the law relating to intestacy (Intestacy means not having a will). The consequence of intestacy is explained below.

The Will disposes broadly speaking of everything which you own. A Will should be carefully worded, as it may affect not only the financial well-being of your family but also its harmony.

 

An unfair or inadequate Will can create 

lasting grievances.

See more about this on my Squidoo web page: 
Why Make a Will - How to Avoid 
Family Rows About Your Money

Blog - Resolutions From Hell and What Happened Next - Glorious Confusion

Developing Goals or Resolutions - My intention is that this will be an ongoing journal of my progress through the peaks and troughs of carrying out my New Year's Resolutions for 2011, and that you will dip in from time to time to wail or rejoice as appropriate. It will be a poignant journey and although I have done my best to keep it light and entertaining, it veers to the heavy side when I discuss the news as we knew it in January, and compare it with the most recent news. Hindsight can play games with our minds.

A positive story of triumph and success, or merely grim treading water whilst I try not to fall by the wayside? I know not.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1hk3a

Climate Change - Copenhagen Convention and Beyond

What Did the Day of Action on 12th December 2009 during the Copenhagen Meeting of World Leaders about Climate Change Achieve ?

The outcome of the Copenhagen Convention 2009, discussion,links to news items, a poll and a debate and even some music

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1gead

Halloween Activities and Quiz

I have lots of free Halloween pictures which you can use on your own websites, and if you are already a Squidoo lensmaster, you can earn lots of points by taking the Halloween quiz. You can also get some ideas for Halloween fancy dress, and buy some too. Last but not least, there is a Halloween poll.

So have fun, use the Halloween freebies, and maybe learn something about Halloween.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1g54a

Halloween Trivia and Pictures

You'll find lots of Halloween Pictures, Halloween Facts,a Halloween poem and some general Halloween Trivia
Some of the Halloween pictures are photographs I took of Halloween items in our local shop and then edited. Other Halloween scary pictures are posters you can buy and then there are Halloween goodies you can get from Cafe Press, a Halloween monster on a mug from Zazzle and more Halloween stuff from Amazon.

There is also a piece about the origins of Halloween, so whilst browsing you will also learn something new about the Halloween festival.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1e96c 
or go direct to Halloween Trivia and Pictures

Beefburgers - Quick and Easy Recipe

If you love beefburgers, you'll love this recipe. Because the beefburgers are home-made, you can control what goes into them, and make sure they are nutritious as well as tasty. using good quality mince meat - much nicer than anything you can buy.

This recipe is very easy, and therefore suitable for beginners, and more seasoned cooks will find it very simple and quick. There is also a Poll to entertain you and lots of pictures, as well as a few things to buy

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1dowd
Or go direct to Beefburgers - Quick and Easy Recipe

Beetroot Soup or Borscht Recipe

Borscht is a popular Eastern European and Jewish dish, made with seasonal beetroots, which makes it very cheap, as well as being nutritious. It makes a good vegetarian meal, as no meat is used, and it is so easy to make, because there are very few ingredients - just beetroot, lemon, salt, sugar, egg yolk and either yogurt, cream, or milk.

There are many different ways to make borscht, and this recipe is the way my mother used to make it.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cuwz 
Also on HubPages - How to Make Beetroot Soup or Borscht

"London, My London" has just earned a Purple Star!

I wrote this web page London my London on Squidoo to show off some of my many photos of London, the most wonderful city in the world. It's full of open spaces, trees, and internationally famous sights, such as Big Ben and the British Museum, but it also has little nooks and crannies which yield their pleasant surprises when least expected.

There are small museums which were simply the personal collection of one wealthy person, such as the Sir John Soane Museum, and the Hunterian Museum, which holds a very interesting medical collection within the Royal College of Surgeons (where I worked for a few months). I will shortly be writing a further web page on London, indeed a series in time for visitors to check out before the 2012 Olympic Games. So look out for more of the same.

I have also been wondering whether there would be any call for people wanting to rent a room with a family in London for a few days during the Games - I know lots of Londoners who would be happy to oblige, if you don't mind being in a suburb a little way from the centre, with something a lot less than luxury, but homely and welcoming nonetheless. Let me know if you think I should maybe do a short web page about that.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cth2

Favorites of the 1950's

The Music of the 1950's

Elvis Jailhouse Rock
Buy This Allposters.com
Let me take you through a snapshot view of the 1950's, a view skewed by the fact that I was not even a teenager in 1950, and by 1959 I was already a mother.
Too much happened in those post-war years to give you all the cultural, historical and political details, so these are just a few of my own musical memories which stood out.
It was the decade when Pop Music and Rock 'n Roll really took off but there was other good music too. And we played records on the gramaphone or radiogram.

1950s,rock,music,rocknroll,records,vinyl

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cphl

Creepy Poem for Halloween - "Subway"

In a large city like London, in many places where there are underground stations or busy main roads, you will find interlinked passageways.

When they are deserted, they can be very eerie, disturbing places, and you wouldn't want to linger there.

This is my poem about one such subway.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cnho

Quiz on Cats and Halloween

If you like cats and you like Halloween, this is the quiz for you.

There are lots of pictures - photographs and art, some of them famous, some of them not, but all beautiful in their own way.

I think you'll enjoy this

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cjzk

My Weird Collection for Halloween

My Weird Collection of Masks, Pictures, Figurines and Ornaments

What better time to display them than Halloween?
I've always had a fascination for arts and crafts, fantasy and oddities - I was considered to be mildly ghoulish when I was a child and my taste has developed rather than receded.
I must be a weirdo myself to have gathered round me such an odd collection and I'm going to show you some of the best ones. If you think they are a bit eerie, blame the craftsmen, not me! But one way or another, you must admit they are very collectable.

There's also a Poll and a Quiz about arts and crafts.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1civf

Pumpkin Pie: A Halloween Love Poem

Halloween poem about the lovely and desirable Pumpkin Pie

You will also find here a popular nursery rhyme, "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater", and some blogs

A Grinning Carved Pumpkin - Warm and comforting but by no means ordinary.

That toothy grin, those staring eyes all lit up by a candle.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ci97

My Weird Collection - for Halloween

My Weird Collection of Masks, Pictures, Figurines and Ornaments

I've always had a fascination for oddities - I was considered to be mildly ghoulish when I was a child and my taste has developed rather than receded.

I must be a weirdo myself to have gathered round me such
an odd collection of weird masks, pictures, ornaments and figurines and I'm going to show you some of the best ones. If you think they are a bit eerie, blame the craftsmen, not me!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ci8o

Symbols of Halloween

What Creepy Symbols do we Associate with Halloween?

Here are some appealing pictures of witches with and without pumpkins and cats, some ghosts, some lovely artwork, and definitely an atmosphere of Halloween and general ghostliness.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ci7h

Halloween Poem - London Darkness

A Creepy Psychological Thriller about Night Time in London - a Poem for Halloween

There is artificial light everywhere, the night-time sky is tinged with yellow.

Sitting on a bus travelling through London, you can see in to people's windows, you get a fleeting glimpse of their life, but not enough to make sense of it.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1cg5y

Halloween Creepy Poems and Pictures

Nasty things which go bump in the night - take a look!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1c94a

The Green Thing

This Comment on Green Living was sent to me by someone in the UK, who received it from someone abroad, and, being curious, I Googled it, and discovered that it is on about 15,000 different websites. And no wonder, it's so apt and true. I felt it deserved a repeat here.

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today.Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

Image: www.1900s.org.uk - 1940s sweetshop in Edgware

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store.
The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building.

We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind.

We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.

Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room.

And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn.
We used a push mower that ran on human power.

We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.

And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.


But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

*********************************************************************************

If you'd like a spot more nostalgia, you might like this design from my Zazzle Store - it comes from the photograph of a rag dolly which I made many years ago. The design is featured on a range of products from T-shirts to mugs and cards:

Party Invitation - Rag Doll by GloriousConfusion
Browse other Party Invitations

Pigs and Tigers Rear Each Other's Young

Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Thailand, tigers and pigs have learned to co-habit with each other to the point of rearing each others offspring.

The photographs are amazing.

Image by Allthatisinteresting.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1bjll

London Riots

I live in one of the troubled areas - Haringey.

Interesting to note that in our area the riots do not have a racial connotation, though this might be the case out of London, where the far right are involved.

But there is a lot of knife and gun crime, and the riots started because the police didn't explain or justify their action in shooting dead an Afro-Caribbean man. They said he shot first, but it has now transpired that all of the shots came from the police, although they say he threatened them first.Well it might be and it might not be - I would tend to suspend my judgment until the outcome of the independent inquiry. And whatever that is, there was no call to burn shops and homes in their own area and make 60 people homeless.

Our main worry here is keeping the teenage boys in our family out of trouble, but so far so good.

There is a context to London's riots that can't be ignored - Article in The Guardian

This is a wise and thoughtful article: You can hover over the title above or the link below to read the full article.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/context-london-riots?commentpage=1

So much has been written, but this is a particularly good article from The Guardian, followed by some interesting comments - in the end, it's hard to know what to think, there are so many conflicting views. http://amplify.com/u/a1aep4

You might like to read my own comments here:London Riots

Food for thought in this Guardian article http://amplify.com/u/a1aep4

Riots in Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey: See the photo link:

Tottenham Riots, London 5th August 2011

IMG_9756 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I'd like to post the actual photo on this page, but I can't because it's copyrighted, but well worth a look.

Such a beautiful Art Deco building with a carpet shop below and flats above wiped off the face of Tottenham High Road. People made homeless, jobs lost, and for what? - What idiots destroy their own community? I don't think this is anything to do with Mark Duggan's shooting - why would you burn your own shopping centre because you're cross? What would it prove?

Am I missing something?

I've lived in Haringey for 50 years, and this makes me feel very sad, because so much effort and money has gone into regeneration of the area since the Broadwater Farm incident 25 years ago, when an unarmed policeman was hacked to death with machetes during a riot. At that time, rioting got out of hand because many of the local youth were angered by the local police policy of "Stop and Search", when the police had a legal right to stop and search anyone they suspected of committing an offence. And the black community in Tottenham felt that they were being unjustly targetted.

After that, a huge effort was made to change policing, to employ more black police, have local community liaison committees and so forth; money was poured in to the bleak concrete jungle which was Broadwater Farm Estate, and much was done to make it more of a supportive community, with a community centre, and planting of trees and other cosmetic effects to make the occupants feel less alienated from society.

For years Haringey has had one of the highest council taxes in Britain, and this was to improve the lives of those living in the poorest part of the Borough. I believed in this Socialist principle, so didn't really resent paying high local taxes (just some of the wastefulness that went with it!).

Schools were improved, the whole Borough of Haringey was "greened up", with tree and garden planting, cleaning up areas where there had been fly-tipping, better street cleaning, better street lighting, improved, cleaner local parks, better sports facilities and good library facilities. There were "inclusive" policies, and positive discrimination in employment. There is a huge ethnic mix in Haringey, with something in excess of 100 languages spoken by children in the local schools. Official Local Government information leaflets are normally distributed in about 10 different languages, to help people feel loved and wanted. Many people did feel that things had improved considerably, but the youth unemployment and crime rate, much of it drug-related, remained high.

So why arson - one of the most dangerous offences in the book? In a crowded city like London, it can wreak havoc - and that's why it is a very serious crime - think "Fire of London".

I, for one, certainly don't think pouring a lot more money into Haringey is going to solve this one, because it doesn't seem to have helped much up to now. It seems to me that the people who did this, probably thoughtless youths who don't think beyond their own noses (and certainly not about actions having consequences), should now start to think about pulling themselves up by their bootlaces, like other second-generation immigrant populations before them, instead of behaving badly and then whining about their rights and lack of opportunities.

Child Contact and Residence or Custody - Where will The Children Live? Will I be Able to See the Children?What happens to the children when their parents get divorced? This can be a fraught question and people sometimes get worried that their children will be taken away from them.



Learn the facts here, and what to expect. http://amplify.com/u/a1aauv

The mechanics of obtaining a divorce nowadays are usually quite straightforward - particularly if the couple agree that the marriage is over. Even if you don't live in the UK, this information will give you a better idea of what to expect when getting divorced. http://amplify.com/u/a1aatv

Lemon - The Best Fruit Ever

Oranges or Lemons - Which is Best?

Lemons of Course!

You would be amazed by the many things lemons can be used for, from food and drinks to domestic cleaning, odour removal, anti-bacterial and freckle removal.
Save yourself some money by learning a few of the secrets that large corporations would prefer you not to know!
 Lemon - the Best Fruit Ever

 

Police went to her flat just after 4.0 pm and found her. So sad - what a waste of a wonderful talent - even I bought her CD and I'm 70+. I feel so shocked http://amplify.com/u/a19eyq

London, My London

London is full of surprising nooks and crannies - I love it

Quirky and interesting places in London if you want to go sightseeing, wonderful architecture. Photos of places to see in London - some you will recognize, and others you may be encouraged to visit after you have seen what I have to show you. There is also a Poll, a Quiz About London and a poem, "Subway", written by me.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a151fp

Humor and Jokes

There are some very funny humorous jokes going round the internet.

This is a selection of really good jokes and humour which I have received in my e-mail. These jokes often seem to start in one country, maybe England, and end up in the USA, and sometimes even travel back again. So they are a mixture of British humor jokes and American humor jokes, depending on which side of the pond they originated.

Humour is certainly alive and kicking amongst my friends and relations.

They are all clean jokes, and there are several simple jokes - I would say they are suitable funny jokes for children, depending on their level of understanding.

Some of them are really funny jokes, and others just observational humour. There are a couple of humorous short jokes, and one or two long jokes.

There are religious jokes, well, actually, just a Jewish joke and three Christian jokes, so no Muslims will be offended. In this way, I hope to avoid flag and effigy burning, the throwing of shoes and issuing of fatwas. There is also a political joke and a joke about lawyers

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a17t2s

A twisted tongue won't help you to say tongue twisters 

(or anything else, for that matter). 

This man has a very twisted tongue 

Photoshopped tongue.

 http://amplify.com/u/a17oet

English Tongue Twisters

A tongue twister is a set of words which are specifically designed to be difficult to say. English has some difficult sounds to get your tongue round, and tongue twisters are good training.

They are particularly helpful to public speakers, such as actors, lawyers, and people who give corporate presentations, speeches and lectures.

The tongue twister will also help you if you are a student of English as a Second Language (ESL Students), giving you practice in improving your English pronunciation.

Ten tongue twisters, ranging from the world's most difficult tongue twister, to fairly easy ones. One or two are in verse, and there is even one I made up myself. Try them, and have a laugh.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a17odz

War on Slugs

A Miscellany about slugs and snails - poetry, humor, photos, gardening, a poll, and facts -

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a17i6k

Here are some photographs from the web page War on Slugs:

The first is Slugs and beans

The second is slug in grass

And the third is my cabbage eaten by slugs

The fourth is what happened to the slugs when I caught the culprits.

And here's the link again - Poem: War on Slugs - The Arena of War

More Divorces Start After Holiday Periods Than Any Other Time

More people make the final decision to get divorced after they have been thrown together for a few days' holiday than at any other time.

Why do people start their divorce in late Summer or early in the new year?

The reason is obvious if you think about it - when they are working or carrying out their usual every-day activities, they manage to rub along, and do other things to avoid thinking about their unhappy marriage, but, if they are already getting on each other's nerves, there's nothing like a few days in close proximity and family arguments to bring it to a head.

In my Web Page on Squidoo - English Divorce Procedure, written from a lawyer's perspective, I explain exactly what the divorce process in England & Wales entails. This takes you through the legal process of divorce step-by step in simple language, even showing photographs of the court forms.

Although, strictly speaking, this article on Divorce is about the English law, it would be fairly similar in many English-speaking countries which derived their law from the UK - so my article would still be fairly relevant even if you live somewhere else.

And, of course, if one partner is still living in the UK and the other lives elsewhere, you would probably have a choice of jurisdictions (countries) in which to start the proceedings. You might wish to start them in the country which is most beneficial for your sex or wealth status.

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Identify poisonous plants Chinese Lantern,Deadly Nightshade,Castor Oil Plant http://www.squidoo.com/poisonous_plants_physalis_deadly_nightshade_castor_oil_plant http://amplify.com/u/a15x5h

How to identify poisonous plants Iris,azalea,hydrangea

Are you aware that the iris, azalea and hydrangea are considered to be toxic plants?

Most people know about the very poisonous plants like mistletoe, deadly nightshade and poison ivy, but as a safety precaution, you should also know about other toxic plants like iris, azalea and hydrangea which might not necessarily kill, but could still poison someone and make them feel very ill.

Paradoxically, many potentially harmful plants, including Irises, are also considered to have healing properties.

Helleborus

Anna Martin
12 in. x 16 in.
Buy This Allposters.com

Make sure you avoid these poisonous plants - Chinese Lanterns, Deadly Nightshade and Castor Oil Plant http://amplify.com/u/a15qle

Letter of Complaint to Parking Control - Poem

Do you ever despair and think the Parking Wardens are out to get you?

This is one of a series of letters I wished I'd sent. As I never did send it, I felt free to put it in poetic form. A bit over the top? Moi?? NEVER!!

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 By the way, if you ever feel that a parking ticket was unjustified, and you have a reasonable reason for what you did and where you parked, it is always worth objecting, because, even if your reason doesn't fall within a category specified on the parking notice, the local authorities have discretion to waive the fine. Of course they don't usually use this discretion, but you need to know that it is available, and that you do have a little leeway to appeal.
 Just remember, the local authority has a financial interest in issuing parking tickets and insisting on payment. They are not acting as independent arbiters of your case.

What normally happens is that the Local Authority rejects your objection and continues to insist that you must pay your fine.  They then send you a formal Notice, and you are given  a specified time in which to pay up or appeal in writing to the local Independent Parking Offence Tribunal.  You may feel that it is pointless to persist with your appeal if the Local Authority have rejected it, but this is not the case - provided that you can produce the evidence appropriate to your circumstances (e.g. a photograph, badge or whatever) and set out your reasons logically in a written statement or letter, you stand a reasonable chance of having your appeal accepted by the Tribunal.  If it is still rejected, they must notify you that you have a right to appeal to the Appeal Tribunal.  A date is then set for you to present your case in writing or in person.  You don't have to take a day off work, because it can all be done in writing.
 A very high proportion of Appeals are accepted.

London, My London

This is where I have lived for fifty years, and I know the obvious sights to see, and also some things slightly off the beaten track. This is my webpage about London as I see it, with lots of photos, a quiz, a poll, a poem a couple of videos about a less well-known museum, and some artwork by Claire Benoit, whom I have just mentioned in my last Amplify post.

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Beautiful Artwork by Claire Benoit

A young illustrator who has just graduated - I think she'll go far - take a look

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Bulgaria -Black Sea Coast

Bulgaria - spectacular scenery, lush vegetation, sea, mountains and wildlife
If you want to holiday somewhere different, Bulgaria is a very pleasant surprise, sitting on the Black Sea, with a long sandy coastline, stunning beaches and picturesque bays.despite a lot of construction work with a recent influx of foreigners buying up property, the country remains largely untouched and unvisited by overseas tourists.

This is what it's like

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Poem - Empty Swimming Pool

I wrote this poem after my holiday in Bulgaria. We stayed in a pretty coastal resort on the Black Sea, called St Konstantin.

Standing on our hotel balcony in the early morning before it got really hot, I would watch the swimming pool cleaners going about their daily business. This poem is the result.

There's a poll, poetry videos and a poetry quiz as well.

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Just a little light hearted story about my cat, with lots of nice photos:

http://www.squidoo.com/pussums-adopted-cat-grown-up http://amplify.com/u/a14efl

Favorites of the 1950's

Here's a bit of musical nostalgia - my re-vamped webpage - listen to some of the music and see if you remember the record covers

Favorites of the 1950's
http://amplify.com/u/a14cfa

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Great book - have your read it yet? This is my review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, an investigative journalist like the hero of the book

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Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned from his post as  head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after being charged with  attempting to rape a hotel maid.  He has now been released on bail with a condition of residence - basically house arrest.

One thing I don't understand - in England people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. I thought this was the same in USA, and yet he has already been treated like a criminal. Am I missing something?

You might find the following of interest:

Strauss-Kahn – Exerpt from BBC News 18 May

But many commentators, both in France and the US, continue to see the Strauss-Kahn case through the prism of the Polanski saga.

"Prosecutors say, plausibly, that Strauss-Kahn could easily hop on a plane to France and never be extradited and be a whole new… Polanski, over there," wrote Hamilton Nolan on the Gawker website.

Jim Dyer in the New York Times noted French anger at the television footage of the IMF managing director handcuffed in court - and compared it to Polanski's appearances as a free man at the Cannes film festival.

"Year after year, the director Roman Polanski strolled the red carpet, smiling for the cameras, apparently unworried - and rightly so - that the French authorities would notice that he was a fugitive from justice in Los Angeles, where he had drugged, raped and sodomised a 13-year-old girl," he wrote.

He went on: "Mr Polanski… lowered the odds that Mr Strauss-Kahn... will get bail in New York any time soon."

French gloom

Roman Polanski won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 2002 for The Pianist

In the same newspaper, Stephen Clarke, author of a book, 1,000 Years of Annoying the French, speculated that if Mr Strauss-Kahn were convicted he would "someday return to France, publish his autobiography (which will, of course, be adapted for the big screen by Mr Polanski) and eventually be made a government minister. Minister of gender equality perhaps?"