The Way We Were, Part III

Another from my little collection of old advertising.

In today's example, we have the Rolling Stones no less, promoting Kellogg's Rice Krispies "Snap, Crackle and Pop" was the slogan.

Very cool...

Until the next time.

"Trust me, I'm a Doctor"

"Doctor" Mugabe has spoken.

There is no more cholera in Zimbabwe, he says.  In fact in this video you can hear the old tyrant say that "cholera has been arrested..."  So that's all right then.

Presumably his police have now beaten it to death.

Reminds me of the joke about the three teams, from England, France and Soviet Russia, who were called in following the discovery of a splendid mummy in a pyramid in Eygpt.

The English went in first and reported back that whilst it was obvious that the person was a senior personage, they were unable to add anything.  The French went further saying that they were certain that the person was a king but could not work out his name.

The Russian team, conspicuous for their long black leather overcoats, were in the burial chamber for two hours; "It is Tutenkamun" they said.  The other experts were amazed: "How do you know?"  they asked. "Easy" came the reply, "We have confession."

It was astounding that out of the brutal Soviet system there came such a rich tradition of black humour.

Sadly I doubt that there is much humour in Zimbabwe today.

Until the next time

Antipodes

No, not Australasia, but William Skyvington's excellent blog.  William is of Australian origin, but now lives in rural France - the glorious Ardeche.  He writes on a very wide range of subjects and is always entertaining and often thought-provoking too.

He is an Apple fan, but this does not mean he has no sense of humour, as his latest post demonstrates.  He included the following excellent Simpsons video - amongst several others.

Until the next time

Defending the Indefensible: Africa Shows the Way

Zimbabwe; the African Union speaks:

"We have a serious humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. We have cholera. Do they think that we can eradicate cholera with guns?"

No dear boy, but they could eliminate the cause couldn't they, you stupid twerp!  I mean by "cause", "Doctor" Robert Gabriel Mugabe, pariah, tyrant and I assume, deranged dictator and megalomaniac.

It's very simple, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President George W. Bush have said, it's time for him to go - it's amazing that he is still there.

Hasn't he caused enough misery and suffering?

Come on, let's get rid of this bastard and his atrocious hangers-on.  Shoot them like the vermin they are.

Until the next time

And Still More on Free Speech

Following my recent posts about Belgian Defence Minister Pieter de Crem and the New York Barmaid, Nathalie, who was allegedly sacked as a result of her blogging about his presence in her bar, we have a new free speech problem.

This time it concerns Baltic State, Latvia.  Until recently, Latvia was a shining star of economic growth in the Baltic region.  Sadly she has been hit hard by the international economic crisis.

A university professor, a Mr Smirnov was "unwise enough" to offer his views to a newspaper as the BBC reports:

University lecturer Dmitrijs Smirnov told a newspaper the nation's currency, the lat, was heading for devaluation.

Mr Smirnov. Picture source, BBC

The result of this was that Mr Smirnov was seized by Latvia's security police - the Latvian equivalent I suppose of those who unconstitutionally raided Mr Damian Green's office at Westminster the other day - and locked up for two days.  "Charges" (for what exactly?) are still pending!

This is the moment for what the Americans call a "reality check."

Latvia is ostensibly a Western European state, espousing all those wonderful, liberal "democratic" values so prized by the windbags who occupy the European Parliament.  It is this state that has imprisoned an academic for expressing an opinion in a newspaper.

IS ANYONE AWAKE?

At this rate one might as well be living in China, Russia or even Mugabe's bordel of country.

Historians have claimed for years that the West is in terminal decline.  I had imagined that this observation might have been proven correct by the activities of the beards and towels brigade (in the service of Allah of course) but I am beginning to wonder if the decline is now coming from within.

Until the next time.

Political Wit

This morning, I read a Daily Telegraph report about the Oxford University Press's new edition of its Childrens' Dictionary.  The new edition is distinguished in particular, by the many words removed, words such as "empire", bishop", "marzipan", "sycamore", "fern", "raven", "chestnut","sin", "oyster."  New entries include "celebrity", "MP3 player" "bungee jumping", "voicemail", "vandalism."

As might well be imagined,  the comments after the article display extreme rage and anger (to borrow a line from Private Eye, this is after all Sir Herbert Gussett's territory).  I am in total agreement: as far as I am concerned, the Philistines are not at the gate, they are well-established inside.  Fortunately I am not inside with them.

One who commented, in a way that suggested that his anger had rather run away with him pointed out that the UK Libertarian party had recently sent a copy of George Orwell's 1984 to each of the 659 Westminster MPs with the notation that the book was meant to be a "warning not a blueprint."  I like this kind of humour.

Reminds me of the car sticker that read "Come back Guy Fawkes, your country needs you."

The manifesto of the UK Libertarian Party, makes for interesting reading.  After a quick read, it seems to me that the party's principal objective is less government, an objective with which I wholeheartedly agree.

Until the next time.