98th Entry Halton Apprentices

I have some very good friends who are Burmese by birth and so I wanted to go to the border of Burma while I was in Thailand. On principle, I would not enter Burma, but I was curious to see the border and hopefully see some people from the oft forgotten country under the grip of a harsh miltary junta.

The most northern town in Thailand is Mae Sai and so this is where we headed. It was not long before we saw some pitiful sights of malnourished and poor people from Burma. The photos tell their own story

The young girl below was begging through the railings at the border post:

The young boy below had found his own illegal route into Thailand avoiding the guards:

Heading back to Burma at the end of the day with some basic necessities for life:

It was only a snapshot of life at the border of Thailand and Burma but it gave me an indication of the suffering and hardship being endured by the people under oppression. 

“My parents have always been there for me, ever since I was about 7. ” David Beckham

“I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league.” Mark Viduka

“Alex Ferguson is the best manager I’ve ever had at this level. Well, he’s the only manager I’ve actually had at this level. But he’s the best manager I’ve ever had.” David Beckham
“If you don’t believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day.” Neville Southall

“I’ve had 14 bookings this season - 8 of which were my fault, but 7 of which were disputable.” Paul Gascoigne

“I’ve never wanted to leave. I’m here for the rest of my life, and hopefully after that as well.” Alan Shearer

“I’d like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona ” Mark Draper

“You’ve got to believe that you’re going to win, and I believe we’ll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we’re knocked out.” Peter Shilton

“I faxed a transfer request to the club at the beginning of the week, but let me state that I don’t want to leave Leicester ” Stan Collymore

“I was watching the Blackburn game on TV on Sunday when it flashed on the screen that George (Ndah) had scored in the first minute at Birmingham . My first reaction was to ring him up. Then I remembered he was out there playing.” Ade Akinbiyi

“Without being too harsh on David Beckham, he cost us the match.” Ian Wright
I’m as happy as I can be - but I have been happier.” Ugo Ehiogu

” Leeds is a great club and it’s been my home for years, even though I live in Middlesborough.” Jonathan Woodgate

“I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.” Stuart Pearce

“I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right.” Lee Hendrie

“I couldn’t settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.” Ian Rush

“Germany are a very difficult team to play, they had 11 internationals out there today.”Steve Lomas

“I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock.” Barry Venison

“I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, I don’t know into what religion yet.”David Beckham

“The Brazilians were South American, but the Ukrainians will be more European.” Phil Neville

“All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed.” Mitchell Thomas

“One accusation you can’t throw at me is that I’ve always done my best.” Alan Shearer

“I’d rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd.” Johnny Giles

“Sometimes in football you have to score goals.” Thierry Henry

1. No more boom and bust!

2. The right decisions for the right reasons.

3. I gave the troops all they needed.

4. I did not refuse to fund helicopters.

5. I loved Tony Bliar.

6. We are best placed to weather the recession.

7. I am here to help the middle class.

8. I saved the world.

9. I do not bully my staff.

10. I am the greatest Prime Minister ever.

Anybody fancy adding any more?

Sometimes…

when you cry….

no one sees your tears.

Sometimes…

when you are in pain.

no one sees your hurt.

Sometimes..

when you are worried..

no one sees your stress

Sometimes..

when you are happy..

no one sees your smile ..

Sometimes..

when you write ..

no one reads or notices..

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But FART!! just ONE time…

And everybody knows!!

A small selection of the photos I took in Thailand. I hope you like them.

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California  was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Congressman Harry Reid’s great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.Below is the only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana territory:

On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: ‘Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.’

So Judy recently e-mailed Congressman Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.

Believe it or not, Harry Reid’s staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

“Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory . His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed.”

That’s political spin! Thanks again to Hugh Jupp for sending in the story.

One of the sites on our itinerary around Thailand was to visit the Bridge over the river Kwai. Made famous by the film starring Alec Guinness it was a very interesting day and a poignant reminder of the suffering inflicted on so many by the Japanese. 160,000 men (service and civilian) died building the ‘Death Railway’ as it has become known. Above and below are photos of how the bridge looks today:

First, early one morning we walked across the bridge and then we travelled by train along part of the railway to Wang Po where we had lunch. Part of the railway we travelled along can be seen on the left of the photo.

We then visited the Don Rak war cemetery which, as with all war cemeteries, is kept immaculate by the War Graves Commision. The Japanese War Cemetary is immediately adjacent to the last resting place of the British and |Australian servicemen!

Later I will add a few words about the  Jeath Museum and a very unusual Japanese soldier who served  as a prison guard on the railway.

Last night, my grand kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, ‘I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.’

They got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine!!!!

The little bastards …….!

A father walks into a restaurant with his young son. He gives the boy
three one pound coins to spend on sweets. Suddenly, the boy starts choking
and going blue in the face. The father realises that he has swallowed the coins
and starts slapping him on the back, causing him to cough up two of the coins-
however, the boy is still choking and is now going black in the face, at which
point the father starts panicking & shouting for help….

A well-dressed, attractive, serious looking woman in a dark blue business suit,
who is sitting at the window reading a newspaper and sipping coffee, responds
to the commotion - puts her cup down, gets up, folds her newspaper, lays it on
the table and unhurriedly makes her way towards the boy and his father.
Reaching the boy, the woman carefully pulls down his pants, takes hold of his
private parts and starts to squeeze & twist them… gently at first and then very firmly … tighter & tighter!!! After a few seconds the boy starts to convulse violently and coughs up the last of the coins… which the woman deftly catches in her free hand!

Releasing the boy’s bits, she hands the coin back to the father giving him a
cold smile and walks back to her table without saying a word. As soon as he’s sure that his son is breathing regularly again, the father rushes to catch the woman as she is leaving and starts to thank her saying, “I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that before - it was amazing? Are you a doctor?” “No,” she replied,- “I’m with the Inland Revenue….”

My thanks to Hugh Jupp for sending me the story.

Although I did not keep as up to date with world events as usual while I was on holiday I did notice two items of news that made me sit up and take note. The first was the backlash unleashed on the ‘global warmers’ which has been long over due. I no longer feel so lonely as a committed flat - earther, warming denier or whatever abuse the government throws at people like me who do not blindly follow their propaganda. I see that even the Met Office is reviewing its statistics and forecasts. Not before time if you ask me. I hope the BBC now adopts a more balanced view of climate change issues.

The other topic I noted with interest was the public debate over the future of the armed services. In particular, I read that the RAF was being written off, or, at best was seen as the most vulnerable service for the chop. People I spoke to about my fears for the RAF before this public outbreak of service in-fighting suggested I had lost the plot. Well, we will see. I still don’t think I will be too wide of the mark come decision day. When I look at the ’airships’ currently at the top of the RAF tree I do not see a Trenchard to fight the good fight as he did to secure the future of our former service. However, as I have said before I very much hope I am proved wrong.