Letter from Europe

[stromberg2]

That's nuts.....uh...I mean bollocks!

Stromberg2

[Barbara Nadel]

Love your description of these customs.

One british custom I particularly enjoy is the naming of towns like Ramsbottom. There is a bit of pithy Python wordplay in that one...

Yes, the names can be amazing. Just in a ten mile radius we have towns and villages called Slack, Slack Bottom, Venomous Clough, Mankinholes and Lumbutts, oh and a local teacher called Mrs Shufflebottom.

[Barbara Nadel]

That's nuts.....uh...I mean bollocks!

Stromberg2

Oh, yes, bollocks! I remember how much you love that word! Yes, it is all a load of lovely bollocks and cobblers too [[cobblers the same as bollocks)

[canuck]

Oh, yes, bollocks! I remember how much you love that word! Yes, it is all a load of lovely bollocks and cobblers too [[cobblers the same as bollocks)

The cheek of you! lol

[Barbara Nadel]

Well, Easter is nearly over for another year and I am gearing myself up to write another book. Just finished a Cetin Ikmen book set in Istanbul called 411 [[after the number of the room where Agatha Christie used to stay when she was at the Pera Palas Hotel in Istanbul. But now I'm back in London and this book will require a lot of trudging about in disused alleyways and gaining access to closed graveyards that are monitored by CCTV. Looking forward to it. Not however, looking forward to having my thyroid gland scanned on Thursday. I don't have either an underactive or an overactive thyroid but I do have a goitre which is a bit of a pain. Sometimes it presses on my windpipe and so it might have to go. That said, I really hope it doesn't as that will mean a visit to hospital. Aaaaggghhh! Wish me luck.

[Gannon]

Well, Easter is nearly over for another year and I am gearing myself up to write another book. Just finished a Cetin Ikmen book set in Istanbul called 411 [[after the number of the room where Agatha Christie used to stay when she was at the Pera Palas Hotel in Istanbul. But now I'm back in London and this book will require a lot of trudging about in disused alleyways and gaining access to closed graveyards that are monitored by CCTV. Looking forward to it. Not however, looking forward to having my thyroid gland scanned on Thursday. I don't have either an underactive or an overactive thyroid but I do have a goitre which is a bit of a pain. Sometimes it presses on my windpipe and so it might have to go. That said, I really hope it doesn't as that will mean a visit to hospital. Aaaaggghhh! Wish me luck.

Please do survey the available holistic healing literature before allowing the professional hacks to whack off a part of your body which you probably need. Standard medical science doesn't understand the body in whole, only in pieces. We are more than pieces.


Look into whatever you consume or live within which might cause this condition. It can be anything from a dietary issue, immune condition...or even electromagnetic radiation where you sleep. Or a combination of things...but don't let them take away your valuable pieces. Please. You're better to us whole.


Cheers!

[Barbara Nadel]

Please do survey the available holistic healing literature before allowing the professional hacks to whack off a part of your body which you probably need. Standard medical science doesn't understand the body in whole, only in pieces. We are more than pieces.


Look into whatever you consume or live within which might cause this condition. It can be anything from a dietary issue, immune condition...or even electromagnetic radiation where you sleep. Or a combination of things...but don't let them take away your valuable pieces. Please. You're better to us whole.


Cheers!

Don't worry I won't let them just whip it out. Believe me I will explore all and every eventuality before I let them get the knives out. I am, as you know, ever grateful for the free medical care we get in this country but it does carry risks - not least of which is infection. I've worked in this system and so I know. That said, no alternative therapies are available on the National Health Service and so one must go privately and pay for such things here. They are very expensive and so any holistic type of treatment I might try would be something that I would have to research and sort out for myself. There are trust issues too in this country. Sadly there is no regulation of alternative therapies here and so you can all too easily end up going to someone who is a total charlatan. So we'll see what happens but don't worry I won't let them have anything that belongs to me unless I absolutely have to! And thanks for you concern and advice too. Will let you know.

[Barbara Nadel]

Stop press on the goitre front! Spoke to the surgeon yesterday and he doesn't want to whip it out until we've tried to get it down using thyroxine. So no cut throats yet. Meanwhile looks like there could be a revolt in our government here. So many ridiculous decisions have been made in the last few weeks [[cutting tax to the super rich, stopping tax relief to charities) and now there has been a call to investigate the finances of our leaders, most of whom do not pay the top rate of tax [[45%). So they're all quaking in their boots - as well they should. In addition ex-PM Tony Blair is also up for investigation too. This is not, in my opinion, a moment too soon. He is a multi millionaire many times over and yet what exactly does he do? Apart from looking pious and moaning about how the UK is such a godless society, he wanders around the middle east patronising people. There was a report into his middle east envoy job a couple of weeks ago where people in the middle east were interviewed about their dealings with him. They all thought that he was quite a nice man but none of them knew what he did. He certainly hadn't done anything for them.

[Barbara Nadel]

It's not often that I'm shocked but a crime has taken place here that sounds like some really sick shlocky crime fiction plot. This happened in rural Cornwall, a beautiful part of the country with a fantastic coastline, wonderful scenery but also mass unemployment and deprivation on a huge scale. An unemployed man and his girlfriend were drunk in their house with their kids. They then had a fight [[he had a history of domestic violence) but then he went really berserk. He broke her jaw, her nose and then, almost unbelievably, he gouged out her eyes! THEN he held her and the kids hostage in the house for 12 hours while she screamed in agony! He's going to prison for ever but even so. God almighty how can anyone do that to someone? He isn't insane, the psychs have cleared him to serve prison time so he knew what he was doing. I can't help feeling that unless we [[as in 'we' the world) address the problems inherent in joblessness and lack of education and self worth [[boredom, booze, thwarted dreams, stone age gender politics) then this sort of thing will keep on happening.

[Pam]

He isn't insane, the psychs have cleared him to serve prison time so he knew what he was doing

Knowing what you are doing doesn't make him sane in my book. He can still be a sociopath.

[gazhekwe]

Some people lose it with drink. They are not the same person, or they are insane. I have seen it many times. The face changes, the eyes go strange, the person loses reason. Then you can't say anything to them. In his case, you couldn't even look at him, apparently.

[Barbara Nadel]

Sanity is such a difficult issue - and I speak as a psychology grad. But legally here in the UK if you knew what you were doing when you did it and the Devil or Hitler or whoever didn't 'tell' you to do it then you are culpable and will be treated as a felon rather than as a sick person. Not ideal but I suppose a line has to be drawn somewhere.

[Pam]

Sanity is such a difficult issue - and I speak as a psychology grad. But legally here in the UK if you knew what you were doing when you did it and the Devil or Hitler or whoever didn't 'tell' you to do it then you are culpable and will be treated as a felon rather than as a sick person. Not ideal but I suppose a line has to be drawn somewhere.

I understand the legal definition of sane and my definition might differ. I read some articles on this case and the guy had a history of abuse and violence so something was definitely not right about him. [[And the poor deluded girlfriend was quoted as thinking she could "change him". Yeah, like that ever happens.)

[Barbara Nadel]

I understand the legal definition of sane and my definition might differ. I read some articles on this case and the guy had a history of abuse and violence so something was definitely not right about him. [[And the poor deluded girlfriend was quoted as thinking she could "change him". Yeah, like that ever happens.)

Totally. Just goes to show that no-one should ever put up with abuse, not even once. If the woman had let the police prosecute him when he first hit her, she'd still have a sight. A lesson for everyone.

[Barbara Nadel]

Just to let anyone who tweets know that I have finally joined the 21st century and am on Twitter. Heavens above, who would have thought it. So I can be 'followed' [[a bit of a creepy term that which may take time to get used to!) on @BarbaraNadel

[gazhekwe]

I have twitter, but I never go there. Boring for anyone who wants to follow me.

[Barbara Nadel]

I have twitter, but I never go there. Boring for anyone who wants to follow me.

I don't know how it will pan out for me. At the moment I'm just stumbling around trying to find my way about. One can easily feel overwhelmed by Twitter and so I can relate to why you rarely go there.

[Barbara Nadel]

This Sunday is the London Marathon and I am in London - not to run you understand. 26 miles! That's crazy! No I'll just watch and not move the car.

[Gannon]

This Sunday is the London Marathon and I am in London - not to run you understand. 26 miles! That's crazy! No I'll just watch and not move the car.

LOL...I'll admit that finishing a marathon IS psychological, as long as your parts work and you've done even a medium amount of training to know how your body responds under duress...but I think it is crazy NOT to do at least one during your lifetime!

Once completed, you realize there is almost nothing you cannot do...marathons are great teachers and testers.

I'm aiming to jog three this year...it's better than going to the doctor.

Cheers!
John

[Barbara Nadel]

LOL...I'll admit that finishing a marathon IS psychological, as long as your parts work and you've done even a medium amount of training to know how your body responds under duress...but I think it is crazy NOT to do at least one during your lifetime!

Once completed, you realize there is almost nothing you cannot do...marathons are great teachers and testers.

I'm aiming to jog three this year...it's better than going to the doctor.

Cheers!
John

Oh anything is better than going to the doctor. Putting your head in a shark's mouth is better than that. But seriously, well done. It's amazing to do a marathon. Me, I go to the gym and leave it at that. My body will just have to make do. It's lucky it gets that actually all the times its hopeless bones have broken in the past. I am the bionic woman!

[Barbara Nadel]

Will be offline for a few days but back soon. I haven't run away, honest!

[gazhekwe]

Be safe, Barbara.

[Gannon]

Oh anything is better than going to the doctor. Putting your head in a shark's mouth is better than that. But seriously, well done. It's amazing to do a marathon. Me, I go to the gym and leave it at that. My body will just have to make do. It's lucky it gets that actually all the times its hopeless bones have broken in the past. I am the bionic woman!

Now...those people who go to the gym? They're crazy.

And those who do triathalons.

Oddly, I've never broken a bone. Isn't that crazy?!


Cheers!

[maxx]

...So many ridiculous decisions have been made in the last few weeks [[cutting tax to the super rich, stopping tax relief to charities) and now there has been a call to investigate the finances of our leaders, most of whom do not pay the top rate of tax [[45%). So they're all quaking in their boots - as well they should. In addition ex-PM Tony Blair is also up for investigation too. This is not, in my opinion, a moment too soon. He is a multi millionaire many times over and yet what exactly does he do? Apart from looking pious and moaning about how the UK is such a godless society, he wanders around the middle east patronising people. There was a report into his middle east envoy job a couple of weeks ago where people in the middle east were interviewed about their dealings with him. They all thought that he was quite a nice man but none of them knew what he did. He certainly hadn't done anything for them.

Your super-rich should come to the States. We love them here. Forty-five percent tax rate? Not in the good old U.S., the land of equality. Someone is wondering what Blair does? Too bad a few more people don't wonder how Mitt got so wealthy.
http://front.moveon.org/robert-reich...716803-9yPhknx

[Barbara Nadel]

Your super-rich should come to the States. We love them here. Forty-five percent tax rate? Not in the good old U.S., the land of equality. Someone is wondering what Blair does? Too bad a few more people don't wonder how Mitt got so wealthy.
http://front.moveon.org/robert-reich...716803-9yPhknx

As far as I can see Mitt is some sort of money making machine. Is that right? The only other thing I know about him is that he has clearly had some sort of personality bypass surgery.