The article begins: “Mohammed Abu Al-Qumsan had just picked up birth certificates for his newly-born twins when he found out they had been killed, along with his wife and her mother, by an Israeli strike on the Gaza apartment where they were sheltering.”
There’s more detail about the attack (tank shell) and a photo of the grieving man.
Scotland, hands down. I feel so lucky to be living here. I was only going to stay three years & then go back to New Zealand and settle down. Thirty-five years later I’m still here. I fell in love with the hills - and the freedom to walk on them - the lochs, the ancient ruins. But most of all I fell in love with the people. Their craic, their warmth and craziness, their generosity, their music. I love that you can talk to anyone and you’ll often hear an amazing life story.
I love things like this: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anti-deportations-group-issues-guide-24107754
I love the cultural richness that’s come from successive waves of immigration, from Italy, India & Pakistan, China, Poland and more.
I love the food. I love haggis and Arbroath smokies and Aberdeen butteries and shortbread and oatcakes and Tunnocks caramel wafers.
And least I forget, yes, I love the weather.
I just listened to a podcast on this whole saga - what a wild ride.
Struwwelpeter. We had an English copy handed down by my grandfather. It’s insane.
Example: “Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug (“The Very Sad Tale with the Matches”): A girl plays with matches, accidentally ignites herself and burns to death. Only her cats mourn her.”
Thanks! Will do some more research…
Oh dear. I was planning to visit Japan in the autumn. Guess I will give it a swerve. Maybe Korea then? I haven’t flown anywhere since the Before Times and have a hankering for foreign travel.
It was partly because my parents forced me into a scholarship that was tied to teaching afterwards - I was entirely unsuited to being a teacher, but neither of them even attended high school, and to them being a teacher was the pinnacle of achievement. I was pretty good academically but university overwhelmed me, so between that and no incentive to succeed, I failed miserably, only passing a few courses. I ended up getting a professional qualification (not a degree) in my 30s and had a decent career.
Living in a squat for a few years showed me I would have made a fantastic electrian or plumber, but you had to have a penis for that for some reason.
Oh yes, I’d forgotten about Winnie. I have a lot more respect for science and literature prizes than the peace prize though. Harder work, I reckon.
Is this the first Nobel laureate to run a country? How bloody amazing. Well done Mexico!
This is the correct answer. It’s how ships avoid running into each other. When whoever is steering the vessel is facing the bow (front, usually the pointy bit), port is their left, starboard their right. Ship’s running lights are red on the port side, green on the left. So if you’re out on the water at night, you can immediately see whether a ship is coming towards you or moving away. The rule for passing an oncoming vessel is “port to port”, thus avoiding confusion and collision.
Sitting up in bed I would consider the headboard the stern, because I have my back to it, and the foot the bow. So the area to starboard is right, and portside is left. Ahoy maties!!!
Agreed. My 2011 Toyota Auris hybrid is still chuntering along with minimal issues. A friend got a new car recently and its electronic horrorshow puts me right off giving up my dumb old car.
Baked potato, done properly in the oven so the skin is crispy, broken open and the inside mashed up with butter and grated cheese. Food of the gods.
I love the look on that poor dog’s face - “Such a big bed, and I’m only allowed this little corner? Do something!”
A long-dead cat for your pleasure. She arrived on my doorstep a starving kitten; after extensive travel in New Zealand she went to live in Canada, where she apparently lived to a ripe old age.
Not answering the question really, but it prompted me to check out property prices in my home town in New Zealand - small town near a small city in the south. Example: 3br “character” wooden villa on a small section, NZ$700k (US$434k, £350k). I had heard about the explosion in NZ house prices, but that really took me aback. The house I live in now, 3br mid-terrace with garden in a similar sized Scottish town, would sell for about £250k. Even that seems crazy expensive, but at least it’s within half an hour of a fantastic city.
(The estate agent’s website lists previous sale prices, it shows the kiwi horror story: 2022: $570k; 2019: $430k; 2011: $271k; 1988: $52k; 1984: $26k.)
These two:
One is hot, one is mild. It’s a lottery whether I can remember the right word in Hungarian when I open the fridge.
That’s wonderful and you are heroes.
I just watched that BBC doco about the guy, blood-freezing stuff. The way he worked his way up from being a minor prince to de facto king… yikes.