Amreican Idol

Thought I'd lighten the mood up as I'm mouse infested and could do with a break right now.

http://www.americanidol.com/

I have really enjoyed American Idol or shold I say I loved it up till last year and then it blipped big time when the grey ferret or whatever he's called won the show.

I don't have a favourite as of yet and so I can be completely impartial. It looks as Chris Sligh, who is a larger than average, geeky looking, curly haired....(Oh that's it - A bit like Alan Davies for the Brits who haven't seen him,) odd looking young man with a good voice, well he appears to have a strong fanbase and if you've got one of those then you have the battle half won............Antonella somebody has had some pictures posted of her over in the states and alledgedly she's pi**ed as a fart and not showing her best. It was when she was 21 so the moralists are on to it!.......Blake Lewis is a 'Hottie' but I cannot recall him at this moment in time? Don't always need a good voice do they though?

American Idol is on tonight at 8.30pm on ITV2

Auditions over, 2 boys and 2 girls go out. Who's going to be in the dogpound and who's going home!

Giveth with one hand.....

And taketh away with the other.

1,600 British troops will soon be coming home from Basra but what's this?

"More UK soldiers for Afghanistan"

Why and how many?

1000

This is according to a BBC News report ; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6388717.stm

Afghanistan is a frightening country and I cannot understand why we should send any more troops when it is in my opinion a dead end cause. The Taleban have been fighting in that country for decades and if the Russians and their mighty power could not cause a surrender then how the heck are the might of the current peacekeeping force plus an extra one thousand men and women going to help matters?

The one aspect that people in this country are possibly not thinking about is also how much does it cost to keep 6000 troops in Afghanistan, 7000 if the rumours are to be believed? Then we have our brave soldiers in Iraq too. I would never knock the bravery of those who are out there but I just cannot fathom out the cost of all of this.

No wonder the hospitals and schools have so little money?

Still no date?

Yesterday I was full of hope that Blair would announce a date for the removal of our troops from Iraq. Call it one of the last acts of honour before he resigns as leader at some point this year and Gordon the so called 'leader in waiting' takes over.
But no, 1,600 service people will be coming home which has got to be a good thing however we are swapping them with Prince Harry. I imagine those already serving hope he's good!
http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=642&id=286822007

Back to being serious. I was hearing a statistic today that 800 civilians per week die in Iraq. Who are we, the Americans and our fellow allied troops protecting? That's an unfair question because terroists play dirty games, nevertherless, I remember this being talked about before 'we' invaded?

What is the answer? I don't know. My grandmother, s German single mother, got together with my grandfather, a British army officer, while he was based out in Germany. Some Germans still did not accept the way the way the war had ended and did not accept English squadies in it's towns and cities.

60 years on we still have troops in Germany.

Our boys coming home

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6373087.stm

BBC News reports that finally our troops will be coming home soon from Iraq now that the Iraqis are taking the the lead in frontline security in Basra. All is "completed" and "successful"., Tony Blair is quoted saying!

My feelings on the whole Iraq business are very mixed because I didn't like the fact that we had troops over there in the first place and then yesterday I happened to be going past the church (by pure chance), when the 100th British soldier was having his service of rememberence before being laid to rest. I don't talk openly to my American friends for fear that my feelings would be in conflict with theirs and I so not want to offend? I don't know how differently we all feel and how strongly anyone feels? It's a hard call.....But the truth is I've hated this whole affair. The 45 minute rule business led to the suicide of a man who was never able to explain himself but who was made to look guilty by our government.......In fact I don't like our government but haven't liked ANY government yet!!!! The thought of the tories with their namby pamby rules getting in makes me fill with dread because as much as they are critical they would be just as bad.

So our troops will be home soon?

What about those innocents who are dying every day? Yesterday it was over 20, the day before 60 people dead......in total thousands but still not as many as Saddam had killed (Maybe?)

We still have troops in Afganistan and there is no word on when they are coming home......I'd like to hear that?

Costly remedies

Lots of puns today on our UK national health service and how apparently is is paying £500 million too much for medicines and all this is according to the Office of Fair Trading.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=437279&in_page_id=1770

How they worked this out was this, they looked at the price and of what value - sorry not value, that's another pun! what benefit iw was to patients. by looking at some sort of technical graph that us normal folk would not understand (I should imagine), OFT, worked out that some drugs were up to 10 times overpriced?

I take a medication which is not widely used in this country for nerve pain but it works for me. It may cost my GP practice a lot of money but they allow me to have to have this drug each month and because of it I have more of a life - MEASURE THAT!

Tragedy on the Friendship Express

Two bombs have killed dozens on an Indian train


Last Thursday saw a monumental breakthrough in links between Pakistan and India. The popular Samjhauta (Friendship) Express arrived in the border station of Attari, India from the Pakistani city of Lahore, marking the resumption of rail links between the two nuclear rivals after a gap of two years.
The two countries broke off most ties in 2001 after India blamed Pakistan for involvement in an armed attack on the federal parliament in Delhi

Today, that same service was hit with tragedy when two homemade bombs exploded on board killing at least 65 passengers. Television pictures showed one large plastic suitcase with wires and a plastic bottle attached. Another suitcase was stuffed with plastic bottles, which officials said contained some kind of flammable liquid, possibly petrol or kerosene.
Police said that although the explosions were relatively small, the apparent intention had been to cause a deadly fire on at least four of the trains coaches.


Most of the victims were Pakistanis but included some Indians, officials said. They described the attack as an apparent attempt to undermine the peace process between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Pakistan demanded that India act to catch those responsible for what both governments said was a terrorist act.
The blasts happened a day before Pakistan's Foreign Minister was due in Delhi for talks with Indian leaders.
The minister, Khurshid Kasuri, said the explosion was a "horrendous act of terrorism" but it would not change his plans to visit India from 20 to 23 February.

Oooh I say Richard and Judy in the dock

UK's Channel 4 has launched an investigation into The Richard and Judy show following allegations that viewers are being cheated out of thousands of pounds in a phone-in competition.

Viewers who pay £1 a time to enter the popular You Say, We Pay competition have been encouraged to phone the premium rate number after the potential winners have been chosen, it has been alleged.

Oh deary dear! A Sunday tabloid has leaked the story and nothing good can come of that and now we all know why last Friday's competition was mysteriously pulled "because of a technical problem with our telephone supplier", (Or so viewers were told.)

'Alledgedly' 32,000 people phoned the programme in the week beginning February 5 after they had no chance of winning.

In a statement, the channel said: "We take these claims seriously and will be investigating them fully.
"Channel 4 is committed to ensuring all our on air competitions are conducted fairly and transparently and we reject any suggestion that we would knowingly mislead viewers in any way."

As if Channel 4 haven't had enough on their plates with Big Brother........What am I saying? This is going to INCREASE viewing figures isn't it!