Fullerene

What exactly happens after that? "Okay, if we can't talk about trade, my flight home isn't until Thursday, any sightseeing you might suggest. I quite like a good walk."

The American public did not want to get involved in somebody else's war but President Roosevelt certainly did. He knew there was more at stake than all that. A Nazi-ruled Europe and a Japanese ruled East Asia was not going to be good for trade and might obstruct America becoming the world superpower that it now is. Still seems strange at times - Japan actually attacks America whereas Germany merely declares war but it is agreed from the start that defeating Germany is the priority.

There was also an attitude of "What's it got to do with us? We left the old world (which typically meant Europe) to start a new life here. Why should we send our sons and daughters away to die in somebody else's war?" That attitude also applied to the war in Vietnam decades later.

Yes. I recall one book where a German soldier said "The Russians are coming. If they are half as bad to us as we were to them then we are in serious trouble." A million people died in the Battle of Stalingrad, thousands were dying every day, the Germans regarded the Russians like vermin, Twenty million people in the Soviet Union died in the war and they weren't all soldiers

I was simply pointing out that Germany had to lose all its ill-gotten gains - and rightly so whereas the Western Allies were unable to convince Stalin that he should give up territory he gained when Germany and the Soviet Union were allies - such as eastern Poland which was incorporated into the Ukraine and Lithuania.

Happy to shake hands with anyone

No they didn't. They were in it from day 1 in 1939 and invaded Eastern Poland at the same time that Germany invaded Western Poland. Also, they declared war on Finland. It was their poor performance against the Finns that persuaded Hitler that they would be no match for the Germans. Stalin was very willing to befriend Hitler and was still sending him supplies the day before German betrayed him. Unlike Germany, at the end of the war, Stalin insisted on keeping all his gains - even at the expense of Poland, who were compensated for by land from Germany. Hence Churchill's remark that "Poland is a nation on wheels."

You might, just might, be able to argue that the German soldiers were more disciplined than the Russians. After all, Stalin had most of the top ranks shot before they started fighting the Germans. However, there was not too many people who saw the Germans coming and said "Great, here come the good guys." In a few cases, like Ukraine and Lithuania, they may have thought the Germans would liberate them from the Soviets but soon discovered they were worse. During the war, for a German soldier, behaving professional meant killing all Jews, Gypsies and other undesirables. The war on the Eastern Front was one of annihilation. I doubt good behaviour was displayed much by either side.

Reminds me of the contestants for the Miss Universe contest. What ever happened to that guy who use to run that? I think he said something about the Mexicans. Oh blast - his name escapes me.

I was there only last month. Now getting e-mails saying prices for hotel rooms in Corpus Christi have gone right down this week.

On a par with Kilmarnock merging with St Johnstone - I would say.

The Chilcot inquiry spent 30 minutes watching Lionel Blair dance before anyone admitted that there might have been a mix-up.

During the Cold War Lionel Blair's tap dancing was analyzed to see if he was sending coded messages to the Russians.

Looks like a loony in front of a shining star. That's what a lunar eclipse is - isn't it?

This is just a dry run. Once we leave the EU, an extra £35 million a week to the NHS will become 2 boxes of plasters and an extra pillow.

I suspect a lot of previous presidents come from a legal background where lying, especially in court, can get you into trouble. I am not saying that lawyers don't lie - just that they are careful about it. Trump comes from a business background - where it isn't lying - it's a sales pitch. "Okay, I was lying, exaggerating maybe, but you should have known I was lying so it is not my fault if you actually believed me."

We were also quite friendly with the terrorists when they were fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. I am not defending the Soviets on this but sometimes your enemy's enemy is your enemy too - and history is littered with too many examples where that has not been understood. Also, in Pakistan, being a bit soft on the radicals make it less likely you will be assassinated.

"Smile everybody. Say Cheese. Okay, right, don't bother."

You mean this Patsy Cline.

In the 1860 census - Kansas had two slaves.

Yeah. Some people were all for the Civil War because they thought it would be fun and might liven things up a little. Up until then a lot of Americans had not really known much about war and had some strange ideas. When the Battle of Bull Run took place only 25 miles away from Washington, some families organized picnics so they could go there and watch!

When it comes to the American Civil War, I like the story of Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. The North was against the Southern States seceding from the union but perfectly happy for West Virginia to secede from the rest of Virginia - but that is another story. Anyway, Harper's Ferry was surrounded by hills and impossible to defend - so for the South it was an easy early victory. Then, the North decided they wanted it back and since it was impossible to defend - they did so easily. Then, the South came back and took over again. The place changed hands eight times during the war. Must have been very tiresome for the people who lived there. Shopkeepers had to change the currency for their prices. Portraits and flags going back into storage and the other ones coming out. Even the songs would have to change. "Robert E Lee is the greatest General that ever lived, er, um - Not! What a nightmare.

They're trying to spot the guy who is singing out of key. They have been told he is wearing a red top.

They saw the big crowds at Murrayfield and said "our rugby park needs to be that big to fit in all the people." I guess somebody got confused somewhere.

My dislike of the gun culture in America is not that I expect to be murdered. The main purpose of a gun used in anger is to kill. You could argue it could be used to wound or to fire a warning shot or simply to intimidate a threat. However, buying a gun does entail the possibility that if you were to use it - then somebody dies. While I am happy to visit the USA, I would not want to live there. It is not just the USA - I don't want to live in any country where the perceived threat of strangers is so high that lethal weapons are made easily available.