Wimbumbledon.........

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Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us. Thomas Paine

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. Bruce Feirstein

Belief is a moral act for which the believer is to be held responsible.- Lillian Hellman

Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.- Voltaire

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- Today's Podcast is currently uploading and there is a lot of really good music and memories including the panning of Elvis by the critics, Gene Vincent, Guy Mitchell and much more

In Britain, the nation will be united in disagreement as to whether Andy Murray is a Brit or a Scot. It's a rather nonsensical debate because it all hinges around the fact that England haven't had a male tennis star for ages and Tim Henman wasn't able to win Wimbledon.

Both sides are right yet both sides are wrong. He is a Brit and he is a Scot. It's the fault of bueaucracy again. Let's really make this difficult to understand. If the Brits don't understand it how can the rest of the world cope?

If you are asked to fill in a form and state your nationality the word itself springs from nation. Broadly speaking a nation may refer to a community of people who share a common territory and government; and who often share a common language, race, descent, and/or history. It can also refer to the inhabitants of a sovereign state irrespective of their ethnic make-up. In international relations, nation can refer to a country or sovereign state.

This is all very well but in true British confusion Britain can be any or all of the following definitions. Is it this complicated for French, German or American people? I don't think so!


The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a sovereign state. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands.I'm informed there are some 2000 islands!

I give up with all this. I'd like to see Murray win the title....I'd also like to see Nadal win. However, there is the other semi-final and don't be surprised if the winner comes from there. It's about time we had a clear winner. A Tsonga for Europe if you get my drift.

Meanwhile, the women have continued to grunt their way through Wimbledon. It sounds positively orgasmic at times if you'll pardon the word. I am really surprised they are allowed to make such a noise. It almost makes John McEnroe's behaviour like that of a choirboy! No I cannot be serious. However, if everybody were to suddenly decide to make these silly noises the place would be bedlam. As they say in Cornwall...'There's be hellup!'

The Tour de France starts this weekend with a pack of sweaty cyclists doing the rounds for three weeks and my mate, Phil Liggett, doing the commentary for Chabbel 4. He had a great bike when we went to school together. We didn't go to the same school but we used to get the same bus until Phil got his bike. He was then seen chasing the bus for most of the trip as he changed his Deraillier gears and looked the part down to his very bike clips.

Are they still sold? The used to clip the bottom of your trousers so you wouldn't have material likely to go into the chain. There were some men in our area who kept their bike clips on all day nd they appeared to be like a follower of Mussolini whereas they were just too lazy to take off their bike clips when they weren't on their bikes.

I wonder if Norman Tebbit wore Bike clips? I'm rambling a bit but he probably did more for the cycle industry than anyone as his famous phrase in the 80s advised us to get on our bikes and look for work. He didn't have to as he is rich but the tradition of using the bike as a weapon of publicity has been carried on by David Cameron (who was caught on camera going into an area he shouldn't have been) and Boris Johnson. He's a bit beefy for his bike......

Well it's a lovely day with temperatures building. Let's check the weather as there are some weather systems about in Spain....

Today

28 °C

Partly Cloudy

Tonight

21 °C

Chance of T-storms 

40% chance of precipitation

Tomorrow

30 °C

Partly Cloudy

Sunday

31 | 24° C

Mostly Cloudy

Monday

30 | 22° C

Partly Cloudy

Tuesday

30 | 22° C

Partly Cloudy

Be aware that thunder storms are about. I think I'll be unplugging my equipment just in case. Remember, if you're plugged in at the wall your computer (and anything else) is vulnerable

 

Events



1543 - England and Scotland signed the peace of Greenwich. With a joint time signal?

1596 - An English fleet under the Earl of Essex, Lord Howard of Effingham and Francis Vere captured and sacked Cadiz, Spain. Bullies

1798 - Napoleon Bonaparte took Alexandria, Egypt.To the movies?

1863 - During the U.S. Civil War, the first day's fighting at Gettysburg began. Oh dear!

1874 - The Philadelphia Zoological Society zoo opened as the first zoo in the United States. I like visiting zoos

1876 - Montenegro declared war on the Turks.

1893 - The first bicycle race track in America to be made out of wood was opened in San Francisco, CA. This seems very early

1905 - The USDA Forest Service was created within the Department of Agriculture. The agency was given the mission to sustain healthy, diverse, and productive forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Very enlightened

1909 - Thomas Edison began commercially manufacturing his new "A" type alkaline storage batteries. Clever

1916 - The massive Allied offensive known as the Battle of the Somme began in France. The battle was the first to use tanks. Different tactics involved

1940 - In Washington, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was opened to traffic. The bridge collapsed during a wind storm on November 7, 1940. Good

1941 - Bulova Watch Company sponsored the first TV commercial in New York City, NY. I still remember the name from the 60s

1942 - German troops captured Sevestpol, Crimea, in the Soviet Union. That area was always problematical

1945 - New York established the New York State Commission Against Discrimination to prevent discrimination in employment because of race, creed or natural origin. It was the first such agency in the U.S. It took Britain until the mid 70s

1946 - The U.S. exploded a 20-kiloton atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Ugh!

1948 - The price of a subway ride in New York City was increased from 5 cents to 10. OK

1960 - Somalia gained its independence from Britain through the unification of Somaliland with Italian Somalia. OK

1961 - British troops landed in Kuwait to aid against Iraqi threats. Precursor to 1990?

1961 - The first community air-raid shelter was built. The shelter in Boise, ID had a capacity of 1,000 people and family memberships sold for $100. OK

1968 - The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was signed by 60 countries. It limited the spreading of nuclear material for military purposes. On May 11, 1995, the treaty was extended indefinitely. Good but impossible to keep

1969 - Britain's Prince Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales. Something to do for the day

1979 - Sony introduced the Walkman. Great idea but highly anti-social

1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that provided for 2 acres of land near the Lincoln Memorial for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Good

1987 - John Kevin Hill, at age 11, became the youngest to fly across the U.S. when he landed at National Airport in Washington, DC. Inspirational

1989 - The Montreal Protocol, an international treaty, went into effect. It limited the production of ozone-destroying chemicals. Good

1994 - Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organization visited the Gaza Strip.His head dress will always be remembered

1997 - The sovereignty over Hong Kong was transferred from Great Britain to China. Britain had controlled Hong Kong as a colony for 156 years. This is offered as one explanation as to why we have so many todo shops in Benidorm. They have got British passports! I don't know if this is true

July 1st: On this day

1956, Elvis Presley appeared on NBC- TV's 'The Steve Allen Show' and performed 'Hound Dog', to a live Hound Dog. US TV critic John Crosby panned Elvis' performance, calling him an 'unspeakable, untalented and vulgar young entertainer.' Critics are great atpotting talent

1962, Gene Vincent plus up and coming local group The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool.I'd have loved to have seen him there

1963, The Beatles recorded their next single at EMI Studios, London, ‘She Loves You’ and ‘I'll Get You’, completing the two songs in less than four hours. Released in August this year, ‘She Loves You’ went on to become The Beatles' first million-selling single. We just couldn't believe what was happening at the time
1967, The Association scored their second and last US No.1 single with 'Windy'. Not a hit in the UK.Good song

1967, The Beatles started a 15 week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', the group's 10th US No.1 album. Great atmosphere associated with this concept album
1969, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and family were involved in a car accident in Golspie, Scotland. Both John and Yoko needed hospital treatment. Lennon later had the car crushed into a cube and exhibited it on his lawn at Tittenhurst Park.Great idea

1972, Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Song Sung Blue', his second US No.1. A No.14 hit in the UK.I sing this song still

1972, Slade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Take Me Bak 'Ome', the group's second No.1. The song was very popular

1973, Slade and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band appeared at Earl's Court London, tickets cost £1.00-£2.00. Special 'Slade' trains were running form Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester to take fans to the show. As I said they were popular
1975, 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I'm Not In Love'. The instrumental break featured the repeated spoken phrase: "Be quiet, big boys don't cry...", which was spoken by Kathy Warren, the receptionist at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, Cheshire where the band recorded the track. Good trivia
1981, Rushton Moreve, bass player with Steppenwolf was killed in motorcycle accident Santa Barbara, California, aged 32. Had the 1968 US No.2 single 'Born To Be Wild' and he co-wrote their hit ‘Magic Carpet Ride.’ Another sad story from the world of pop

1983, A New Jersey based quintet calling themselves Bon Jovi signed to Phonogram's Mercury records. Great band

1989, Milli Vanilli scored their first US No.1 single with 'Baby Don't Forget My Number', a No.16 hit in the UK. Did they sing or do anything on the record?

1989, Lou Reed, Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Robert Cray Band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tanita Tikaram, Pixies, R.E.M. and Texas all appeared at the Rock Torhout Festival, Torhout, Belgium.Bien

1990, Over a lunch meeting Mark Knopfler, John Illsley and Dire Straits manager, Ed Bicknell decide to reform the group, record an album and plan a world tour.Good idea

1995, DJ Wolfman Jack died of a heart attack. Was the master of ceremonies for the rock 'n' roll generation of the '60s on radio, and later on television during the '70s.A legend

1995, R.E.M. The Cure, Therapy, Offspring, PJ Harvey, dEUS, Senser, Bodycount, Channel Zero, Jeff Buckley, Spearhead, Belly, Morphine and The Cranberries all appeared at this years Rock Torhout Festival, Torhout, Belgium. Tres bien
1999, American singer Guy Mitchell, (born Albert George Cernik) died aged 72 at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas. He had the 1957 UK & US No.1 single 'Singing The Blues' plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles. Mitchell also appeared as George Romack in the 1961 NBC western detective series Whispering Smith. He had a distinctive style

1999, Jamaican reggae singer Dennis Brown died aged 42, the official cause of his death was a collapsed lung. During his career, he recorded more than 75 albums and had the 1979 UK No.14 single 'Money In My Pocket.' Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, naming him “The Crown Prince of Reggae." I knew him not

2000, Kylie Minogue was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Spinning Around', the singers 5th No 1 which was co-written by Paula Abdul, (it was originally intended for Abdul's "comeback" album). 'Spinning Around' gave Minogue the honor of being one of three artists (the others being Madonna and U2) to have a No.1 in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.She is a class act

2001, Rolling Stone Ron Wood was commissioned to paint a group portrait of diners who are regulars at the West End London restaurant The Ivy. Elton John and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant were two pop stars to be included in the portrait. He is a good painter
2002, Six postage stamps designed by Sir Paul McCartney went on sale in The Isle Of Man. With proceeds from their sale going to the Adopt-A- Minefield charity.Good cause

2004, Glen Campbell began serving 10 nights in jail along with two years of probation for a November 2003 drink-driving, hit-and-run collision. The 68 year old entertainer was also sentenced to 75 hours of community service and fined $900. Very sad and he died quite recently in June 2011
2005, Four Tops singer Renaldo "Obie" Benson died aged 69 in a Detroit hospital from lung cancer. He was diagnosed after having a leg amputated due to circulation problems. The Four Tops sold over 50 million records and had hits including 'Reach Out (I'll be There)' and 'I Can't Help Myself.' Benson also co-wrote 'What's Going On' which became a No.2 hit for Marvin Gaye.Great memories

2005, American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer Luther Vandross died at the age of 54 at the JFK Medical Centre in New Jersey, two years after suffering a major stroke. His 'Never Too Much', was a No.1 R&B hit, worked with Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and David Bowie. Vandross had won four Grammys for his final album ‘Dance With My Father.’Another sad event

2009, Sir Cliff Richard was ordered to demolish a £30,000 conservatory at his home in Surrey after the local council ruled that the conservatory should never have been built. The planning committee said the building contravened policy on green belt areas because it added more than 30% extra floor space. Too near the cliffs?

Born on this day

1915,Willie Dixon, blues singer, guitarist, 'the poet laureate of the blues'. Credited with writing more than 500 songs by the end of his life. Wrote classic songs: 'Hoochie Coochie Man', 'I'm Ready', 'You Shook Me', 'I Can't Quit You Baby', 'Little Red Rooster.' Major influence on The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Dixon died on 29th January 1992.

1928, Bobby Day, US singer, had the 1958 hit ‘Rockin Robin’, one half of the duo, Bob And Earl (recorded ‘Harlem Shuffle’ in 1963).

1939, Delaney Bramlett, Delaney & Bonnie, (1971 US No.13 single 'Never Ending Song Of Love', worked with Eric Clapton during the early 70's). Died on 27th Dec 2008.

1945, Deborah Harry, singer, Blondie, (five UK No.1 singles including 1979 UK & US No.1 single 'Heart Of Glass' and the 1978 world-wide No.1 album 'Parallel Lines'). And solo (1986 UK No. 8 single 'French Kissing In The USA').
1946, , June Montiero, singer, The Toys, 1965 US No. 2 & UK No.5 single 'A Lover's Concerto').

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