Fullerene

In 1867, did you say? The same year that Queen's Park became the first professional football team in Scotland. Maybe just a coincidence but maybe awkward if it is not.

If I recall correctly, Lincoln asked him to take command of Northern forces before he decided to join the Southern cause. Once he had gone to the south, they confiscated his house and turned his garden into Arlington cemetery. Some of the state flags in the South are still modeled on the confederacy and the people see the Civil War as more than a fight about slavery. They would also point out that several famous Americans from an early time - such as Thomas Jefferson - were slave owners but don't seem to get criticized for it. I am not saying I agree with them - just pointing out where they are coming from. I went to South Carolina a few years back. At the time of the civil war, the slave population in the state was 400,000 and the non-slave population was only 300,000. I can see how freeing all the slaves might have changed things a bit.

How would you like to be the driver of that car? They can't even be bothered to clear the snow off the windscreen. No pressure eh!

Not sure what you mean by that. I know plenty of people who didn't cry when Thatcher died. Imagine explaining the popularity of "Hooray, the witch is dead" to the North Koreans!

I'm not - but he did have issues. Rather a lot actually. I am sure his mother loved him - at least before he had her shot.

Surprisingly on-thread remark actually! Some people in North Korea when to prison for not crying enough when Kim Jong Il died. Imagine if Thatcher had insisted on that. Al least half of Scotland would be behind bars now.

Stalin was just paranoid full stop - and dangerous to know. I have read numerous books where somebody met him and suddenly their live was in danger. For example, some specialist might talk to him about the mating habits of butterflies and he would decide it went against communist ideology and therefore the specialist had to be shot.

Both sides are to blame and I totally agree that the Soviet system was pretty much shit everywhere. I was simply pointing out the USA was not entirely innocent in this matter. On reflection, at the end of the war, the Soviets were still "allies" even if the Americans no longer trusted them. If the Soviets wanted to sent a million soldiers from Manchuria over to Japan "to get their photograph in front of Mount Fuji" then what would the Americans do about it. They hardly wanted to start the next war when they had only just finished the last one. So I guess appeasement was the easiest option and unfortunately Korea was located in the wrong place.

Yeah. Alternative history is somewhat silly. Such as maybe all these issues would been avoided if nobody had invented the wheel. Although I sometimes wonder if the guy who stopped Hitler getting into Art School ever blamed himself for the Second World War.

It is the Stalinist system that made it the awful place it was and still is but that would not have happened if the Americans had not suggested dividing Korea in the first place. It is worth a thought that if Japan had surrendered a week earlier, before the Soviets got involved - then maybe Korea would not have been divided in the first place. Obviously that is alternative history - but all the same.

Really? I thought that was why he was shot.

Worst thing about Donald Trump - eh? I am sure I can think of something else. Anyway, the quote from Mark Twain was "Golf is a good walk spoiled."

What an idiot. All those secret services guys around him and he has to kick it himself!

.. or he is having a crap game of golf.

Actually if you ever heard an American say "I'm in Guam" with a strong nasal accent - you would probably want to nuke it too!

Maybe we should be more concerned about this whole North Korea versus Trump thing then we are.

I would be more comfortable with this whole Brexit and Leave thing if I heard a politician who really had a clear vision of what it would mean and could say so in a really convincing manner. So far - nobody. All airy fairy - "trust me - we are better out." All this thing about not showing our cards. Reminds me of that famous speech by John F Kennedy. "Before the end of this decade - we will send a man somewhere (don't ask me to say where) and bring him back safely" Truly memorable!

One of these days, the world will have to make a massive apology to a country once called Korea. I am sure you know your history but for those that don't, after the Second World War, Germany was split in two and families were separated. Many people elsewhere said "I don't give a shit. You started the war - you deserve whatever you get." Similarly a lot of people were not too bothered that two atom bombs were dropped on Japan. (Although a quarter of those killed in Hiroshima were Koreans who had not chosen to be there) How does Korea come into this? Bad location basically. The Russians wanted a piece of Japan and the USA said No. "We fought the Japanese for nearly four years - and you fought them for less than four days!" On this point I tend to agree with Americans. However, as a fob, the Americans agreed to split Korea - because it was nearby and hey nobody knew much about it. So lovely Joseph Stalin (who kind of accidentally killed millions of his own people and Poles and others and what have you) got North Korea and the USA took charge of South Korea. Both halves were pretty dreadful. In the North, if you said Kim Il Sung was having a bad hair day - you went to prison - or you were shot. In the South, if you said Kim Il Sung was having a good hair day (unlikely but bear with me) then you went to prison - or you were shot. Somebody in the South went to prison for saying the North was better at growing pumpkins! Personally, I have no wish to ever grow pumpkins at all. Later on, around the time of the Seoul Olympics and they abandoned dictatorship - the South improved. I am sure there are people who can tell me how awful the South is - but I seriously doubt it is as bad as the North. Anyway, back to North Korea. It's shit. Public executions are commonplace and compulsory to watch. Nobody trusts anyone - not even their own family. Famine happens. Most corrupt country in the world (or joint first with Somalia - if you insist) Everything its government does is to ensure those in power stay in power and don't stand trial for war crimes. Yes. North Korea is a monster but the USA is the Dr Frankenstein that created it.

Oh boy. I wish he had been my chemistry teacher at primary school. Explain Uranium. Bad stuff. Explain Gold. Good stuff. Well done me.

What gets me is that nobody is demanding this money and nobody is having their feet held to the fire to ensure this happens. "We are leaving the EU because that is what the UK majority voted for and we cannot disrespect that vote." ".. but they also voted for an extra £350 million a week towards the NHS!" "Ho ho. What idiots! That is not going to happen."

You are forgetting about all the jobs that surround these jobs - i.e. all the people who make a living providing goods and services to these people. They will have a lower income, which in turn will affect the people who provide goods and services to them, and so on and so on.

Like a boxing match where one boxer says "Watch out, I am going to knock you into the back end of next week" and the other says "Careful or I will start talking to you harshly." Cameron, Osborne and Corbyn never looked as though they really believed in the cause.

I think it is more about ignorance than being stupid or thick. I think a lot of people on both sides are ignorant of what EU membership really means, or trade deals or any of that. For example, how does it affect my life if the EU has a trade deal with Brazil or Bangladesh or Burkina Faso? How does it make a difference if the UK leaves the EU and organizes their own deal with any of these countries? The EU campaign was about one side saying "We must definitely leave" and the other side saying "mmm, maybe it would be better if we stayed in." The leave campaign said "We are giving lots of money to the EU and sometimes they gives us some of it back. They tell us what to do and we can't even control who can come to this country and who cannot." The remain campaign should have argued that EU membership was about a lot more than that - but if they did - almost nobody was listening. I think as time goes on, people will become aware "oh that is what it all means" A referendum right now might be pointless but this time next year who knows.

.. and you might think I told them to but I didn't!

The extra checks affects everybody from outside the Schengen agreement including every other continent, several countries in Europe, and of course, the Republic of Ireland. I doubt they are doing it simply to annoy the UK although the usual UK papers will suggest as much. Anyway. Nothing wrong with a little healthy paranoia every now and then.