Deja-vu all over again

Hello gentle readers. Its only been 2 years since the last UK general electiom and less than one since the Brexit fiasco.
Yet next week, Britain will once again go to the polls and choose a government.

Who should they choose? Who should they trust?

I don't know and frankly I dont really care.

I used to vote Liberal so I wont be doing that anymore. (Thanks Nick Clegg).
I could never vote Conservative (Sorry Teresa...you suck).
As for Labour.....well....if the choice is you or UKIP I might consider it.

For the first time in a long time I think that on every ballot paper there should be a choice that states "NONE OF THE ABOVE".

As for the two main parties here is something to look at. Apologies to non-UK readers who may not know who this is

Corbyn and May

Worzel and Sally

#ukelection2017

Today in History: 29th May

Hello again Gentle reader. Its time to squeeze the blackhead of history and lance the boil of time.

1886: The first advertisement for Coca Cola appears in the Atlanta Journal.



1917 John F. Kennedy 35th US president is born.

1919: Einsteins Theory is Relativity is tested for the first time by Eddington.


1953: Hillary and Tensing become the first people to stand on the summit of Everest.

1990: Boris Yeltsin is elected President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic



#yeltsin #coke #jfk #everest #einstein #29thmay

Top 10 fun filled facts about.....McDonalds

Well hello there Gentle readers, nice to see you back again for more stuff and nonsence. If this is your first trip to A Scotsman in Riga land, you are very welcome and please feel free to explore my blog further.

A few weeks ago I posted a story about Coke.
As a follow up I thought I would share with you my fun facts on that other bastion of western 20th/21st century culture...McDonalds.

So grab yourself a napkin, wipe the tears from your eyes and the drool from your chin and enjoy.

1. McDonalds used to have a website just for its employees that told them to avoid fast food.

2. About 7% of all potatoes grown in the USA are turned into McDonalds french fries.

3. In 1960 there was a plan to redesign the golden arches logo but a psychologist said this would be bad for business because the logo looks like a pair of breasts.

4. When McDonalds first opened they sold hot dogs not hamburgers.

5. A new McDonalds restaurant opens every 14.5 hours.

6. McDonalds is the worlds largest Toy distributor.

7. Queen Elizabeth II of the UK owns a McDonalds near Windsor castle.

8. McDonalds is not the worlds largest chain restaurant, Subway is.

9. In the 1970s McDonalds had pizza on the menu.

10. It would take the average McDonald worker 7 months to earn what the CEO of McDonalds earns in one hour.

Steve Easterbrook, CEO McDonalds

#mcdonalds #goldenarches #steveeasterbrook #top10 #subway #elizabethii

Not an ordinary day.

Hello gentle reader and welcome to post number 535.

Since January 27th 2015. I have been blogging about the stuff that I find important or interesting about life in Latvia and other stuff.

Now 850 days since that first post; I will pass the 100,000 page views landmark.

I am not the best writer in the world but I do have enthusiasm for what I do and it is this passion for my writing and blogging that keeps me coming back.

I teach for a living but it is also my passion.
I write my blog because I have something to say. Communication IS my passion.

My heart belongs to Lena and Robert who continue to be my inspiration. To both of them I say "I love you."

To you the gentle reader I say "Thank you."

#100000

Today in History: May 25th

Hello gentle reader. A long time ago in a Galaxy far far away.........

Its time to Feel the Force and take on the Empire of history.

1521: The Diet of Worms ends with Martin Luther declared an outlaw.

1660: Charles II lands at Dover at the start of the Restoration of the British Monarchy.

1977: Star Wars: A New Hope is released in cinemas.

1977: In China the cultural revolution ends with the lifting of a ban of the works of William Shakespeare.

1983: Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi is released.

2011: The last Oprah Winfrey show airs on US TV.

#starwars #martinluther #restoration #oprah #culturalrevolution #todayinhistory #may25

Thoughts on Manchester

Its a sad day Gentle Readers.

This morning, like many of you, I woke to the news of the terrible events in Manchester and the terrorist attack on the Ariana Grande concert.

I have tried to follow the story as closely as I can while at work but news seemed to trickle in slowly.

22 dead and over 50 injured. The Islamic State group proudly boast  of their victory over the enemy Crusaders.

Crusaders? Really? Since when are teenagers and young children considered anyones enemy.
I could spend hours writing about this. The anger I feel towards the cowards who perpetrated this hideous act in the name of their religion is palpable.
As a teacher it is my job to explain to my students about tolerance and respect for ourselves and others beliefs but there is no way anyone should tolerate what happened in the UK last night.

I dont usually agree with what Teresa May says but she was right today. The man who blew himself up and his ISIS commanders are not religious figures but murderers of children. The ISIS sympathisers and there are many should abandon them to their fates and allow reason to win this war of ideology.

My thoughts are with the victims and their families. My thoughts are with anyone who stands up to what this EVIL organisation stands for.

We are Manchester.

#manchester

Wednesday Thought: Bono

Like him or loathe him Gentle Reader, you certainly cannot ignore him. For the last 4 decades Bono, or Paul Hewson, has been one of the most influential musicians to ever take the stage. Musically as the front man of Irish rock band U2 or getting involved in politics and charity work he is hard to ignore. Today is his 57th birthday so I want to share some of his wisdom with you.

To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.

Music can change the world because it can change people.

Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds violence. We know this. In turbulent times, isn't it cheaper, and smarter, to make friends out of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later?

As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both.

The less you know, the more you believe.

In my view, the only thing worse than a rock star is a rock star with a conscience.

#wednesdaythought #bono #u2

Top 10 Fun Facts: Donald Trump

Well Gentle Readers, the first 100 days are done. The USA's Commander in Chief has flexed his muscles and come over as a bit of a cock. Just who is the man with the teflon coated hair. Let me enlighten you.

1. Trump has his own star on Hollywood Boulevard.

2. Between 2001 and 2009 Trump was a registered Democrat.

3. In 1998, Spy magazine sent cheques worth $0.13 to the worlds richest people to see who would cash them. 2 did....an arms dealer and Trump.

4. Trump tried to Trademark the phrase 'You're Fired!"

5. Trump tried to sue an author for $5 billion after the author said he was only a millionaire, not a billionaire.

6. He is a self-confessed Germophobe and hates shaking hands.

7. The character if Biff Tannen from the Back to the Future movies was loosely based on Trump.

8. Trump plays himself in Home Alone 2 and Sex and the City.

9. Between 1996 and 2015, Trump owned or part owned the rights to the Miss USA beauty pageant.

10. Although not the first president who has acted he is the only one to win  a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor for the movie Ghosts cant do it in 1991.

#top10 #trump #razzies #notfakenews #missUSA #potus

Today in History: May 3rd

Hello fellow time travellers its time to sit down in the barbers chair of history and get a fashionable haircut from the stylist of time.

1903: Singer and Actor Bing Crosby is born.

1921:The Partition of Ireland. Ireland is officially split into the Catholic South and Protestant North.


1933: The Godfather of Soul, James Brown is born.

1963: In Birmingham, Alabama. Violence from police towards civil rights demonstrators is shown on TV leading to greater support for the civil rights movement.

2007: 4 year old Madeline McCann goes missing in Portugal. This abduction became the most reported crime of this kind in UK history. She still has not been found.

#bingcrosby #ireland #jamesbrown #birminghamalabama #madelinemccann #3rdmay #todayinhistory

Wednesday Thought: School

Hello Gentle Readers.
Yesterday my Grade 10 Geography class took their first IGCSE exam. I have to admit I waa very nervous for them and I really hope they have all done well because I believe thay all really deserve to do well.

For my Wednesday thought this week I want to share the wisdom of some famous people about the importance or lack of importance about school.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

Albert Einstein


In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.

Tom Bodett


In some parts of the world, students are going to school every day. It's their normal life. But in other part of the world, we are starving for education... it's like a precious gift. It's like a diamond.

Malala Youzafzai


True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

Kurt Vonnegut


I was a smart kid, but I hated school.

Eminem