Fullerene

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.

After the Second World War, the UK was broke and hardly in a position to challenge any colony seeking independence. Maybe we deserve credit for seeing the writing on the wall and helping was going to happen anyway but that is about it. You could argue that the peace in Europe that followed was due to the massive stand off between the United States and the Soviet Union that prevented any other disputes gaining ground. You could also argue that the Second World War was a serious bloody nose and a lot of people said "let's not do that again." What has not been mentioned is dictatorships - such as Spain, Portugal and Greece use to have as well as more obvious countries. Dictatorships love a good war. Some countries joined the EU to ensure an end to dictatorship and in that sense the EU has brought peace to Europe.

It's an outrage. We should threaten to leave EU. Oh shit. What's plan B?

Never mind handbags. Some magazines sell twice as many copies when she is on the cover. What's her view on combined harvesters or dual speed vacuum cleaners? Who cares - put her on the cover and make up a story.

Corbyn is unlikely to stand down soon because that would be a betrayal of the members who voted for him. However, those members voted for him as a refreshing change from other parts of the Labour Party that seemed too similar to the Tories. If Labour keeps voting with the Tories on everything to do with Europe, they will eventually conclude that he is not the refreshing change that they thought he was. I don't know how long that will take but it will happen I suspect.

Oh shit. Betelguese is more than 600 light years away. I can't exactly get there and say do your stuff - this bet is important.

Hopefully not but I am not one of the whackos who would have voted for him in the first place. Maybe they will do so again. Thankfully - even if they do and succeed - it will all be over in 2024. Long time to hold your breath I know but somehow the Americans keep dropping the bar yet the world goes on. My prediction: Betelgeuse to go Supernova first!

I know where you are coming from but do you ever get the idea that the US Republican party just love a dare? First they elected Ronald Reagan and that was seen as the end of mankind. .. but it wasn't. Later they went for George W Bush - but the world goes on. Now, it is Donald John - who spells the end of the world. .. or maybe not. In truth - he is not Mount Rushmore material and not even slightly He will never win the Nobel Prize. .. and ever the optimist - I think the world will survive the next 8 years and he will be barely be a paragraph in the history of the world.

Finally, I have got this clarified. Britain's position is written on the back of a fag packet. Restrictions on displaying said packet mean we can't show you anything - but it is there! Stop moaning