Bashar al Assad bashed his people badly.

According to the Violations Documentation Centre in Syria, Bashar the basher's forces were irresponsible for 89.7 per cent of civilian casualties from mid March 2011 until 2016. Bashar blamed terrorist groups, but his forces were bringing terror, mayhem and murder to the streets and residential areas of Syrian towns. Shameful!

A Good Year for Russia

The Russians have reasons to be cheerful. They have had success in Syria. Their athletes did well through doping, state assisted doping. They hacked brilliantly, if CIA and FBI sources are to be believed, and they were delighted to see Hilary defeated and Trump triumphant in the US election. Putin, the little Don, could well find a comrade in the big Don...ald.  They both really love money and power.

Thirteen years a sex slave, that's horrendous!

The accounts in the UK papers about the life and times of so called Anna Rushton are disturbing, to say the least. Thirteen years a sex slave having her children taken away and sold, that really beggars belief. It sounds like something out of a horror movie. How did it happen in England, in the West Midlands? This raises some serious questions, and those involved in this heinous crime should be severely punished. A thorough investigation must be done, and seen to be done according to the demands of justice, law, and human rights that have been denied to this poor woman. She must have lived through hell, harm, hardship and humiliation. 

George Michael was born in London N2

It is established that the George Michael, who died at Goring on Christmas Day, was born in June 1963 in East Finchley, London N2. According to various entries on the Web, he was born in Church Lane, and some state it was above a cafe. His father, Kyriacos Panayiotou, was said to be a Greek Cypriot restauranteur, who lived in Huntingdon Road, N2. George's mother was English. The family moved to north west London where George went to school, and then they moved to the Radlett area, near Watford, in Hertfordshire. It was in the area near Watford that George teamed up with his Bushey Meads school chum Andrew Ridgeley to form Wham.

JD Sports, Just Despicable

Channel 4 News programme has revealed the unacceptable employment practice of JD Sports, and it's just despicable. The alleged strike system is exploitative, completely iniquitous. Channel Four has exposed the woeful ways of JD Sports. Well done Channel Four. Shame on you Just Despicable Sports.

A winter walk in the sweet uneventful Essex countryside

It is good to go for a winter walk in the Essex countryside, called sweet and uneventful by Sir John Betjeman, the late beloved poet. It is good to burn off those extra calories as a result of the festive season. The chocolates and the cheeses, the mince pies, the Christmas pudding, the wines, the turkey, and the ham in cider. Thank God that we do not live under Sharia law. Thank God above all for the gift of His Son.

Putin's peace process

Orwellian Doublethink  prevails in Russia. Little Brother is saying that there is a peace process in Syria. It is, however, evident in war, the bombing, the genocide, the war crimes. The devastation and the destruction in Aleppo must be helping to rebuild the city and develop the economy.

Wonderful Winchester is named the best place to live in the UK

It comes as no surprise to me that wonderful Winchester has been named the UK's best place to live in a quality of life study.

The factors considered in the study were: life expectancy, health, employment rates, crime, education, broadband access, population densities and the weather.

I love the medieval streets, shops, Cathedral, markets, surrounding countryside (that inspired Jane Austen and John Keats), museums, nearby National Trust properties, and cultural life in this city.

Aleppo will be a 21st century Guernica

We will remember the actions of vile violent men. Wicked men of death and destruction. War criminals have produced the fruits of their evil enterprises in bombing the innocent, killing doctors in hospitals, shedding much blood in winning territory but harming so many lives. We know them by their trail of slaughter, suffering and carnage. The damage done in Aleppo will be a terrible testimony to the Assad regime and Bashar the Basher's Russian allies.

The international community, the UN and democratic countries should be active now in bringing these political gangsters, war criminals and agents of genocide to trial, judgement and before the appropriate courts of justice.

The fall of Aleppo will take years to put right and to forge a worthwhile peace. Currently there is serious division, hatred, bitterness, resentment, iniquity and unrighteousness. Civilians have been lined up in the street and executed as Assad's troops are gaining complete control of this ancient city. The blood of the innocent cries out for justice and the rule of righteousness. Many people in Aleppo are now without the basic and necessary needs to ensure survival. Aleppo is a modern day Guernica, suffering under the horrendous bombardment.

Lord, in Your mercy hear the cries of the sick, the suffering, the seriously wounded, the people desperately trying to survive and get through the catastrophic conflict. Make haste to help them in their time of need. Please stop the mayhem and this madness.

Poppies are not political, but a cultural symbol of remembrance

FIFA, the international football federation, should be condemned and castigated for trying to prevent our footballers wearing poppies, therefore by interfering with our cultural and well established tradition that transcends politics.

The Football Association, the FA, should be commended for allowing and encouraging our national teams to wear the remembrance poppy at matches.

Well done FA.
 Shame on you FIFA.

Leavenworth, Washington, or was it Bavaria?

This place in Washington State, and I was there during Oktoberfest, was more like Bavaria than the US. What do you think?

Awesome Oregon on the West Coast, USA

Awesome is overused in the USA, but when you see the scenery and admire the grandeur, then you do get a sense of awe and wonder. It is a beautiful state and it is becoming a popular place to live, and it may be hard to leave. The standard of living is high, crime seems low and there is a healthy laid back approach to life that appeals to many people. In summer the weather is excellent, though the ocean is not that warm.

Mount Hood

Cannon Beach

Manzanita, Oregon

       From Highway 101 looking down to the beach on the coastal resort.

Manzanita Beach, Oregon

                  Looking back to Highway 101, from the beach below.

Sunset at Vista House, Crown Point, Columbia River Gorge