Fullerene

Totally botched things up with Hitler - thought the Nazi-Soviet Pact was great - and was supplying arms to the Nazis up until the day they attacked the USSR. He also decimated the armed forces - killing anyone he could not trust - virtually all of them. Collectivization was disastrous and killed millions with famine. Great guy - eh. The Russians seem to think so. https://themoscowtimes.com/news/stalins-popularity-in-russia-reaches-16-year-high-57152

If anyone thinks I am going to try and get past these bouncers to go drinking in that pub - they can forget it. I think I will just go elsewhere.

The Russians were terrified by Operation Able Archer back in 1983 but if Kim Jong Un gets a little bit paranoid about all this - he has his uncle and half brother to keep him thinking straight. Oh hang on - he had them both killed.

For the Koreans - Yes. I think it was all a case of "The Russians are getting restless. They want a bit of Japan and not just the Kurile Islands" "They're not getting any of Japan. Give 'em somewhere else." "Okay where is this bit?" "Who cares - just give it to them. No - hang on. Cut in two and they can have half and we'll keep the other half. Don't see why they should get the lot." Of course, all of this was agreed to without anybody bothering to ask the Koreans themselves - but that is power politics for you and not that different from carving up Africa. .. and the Koreans were in no way responsible for World War 2 kicking off in the first place.

Okay. I stand corrected. Queen's Park was established in 1867 as the oldest association football team in Scotland - and probably not by Jefferson Davis but I can't be sure. Oh, and Alan Pinkerton of ("Pinkerton Detective Agency" fame) who was very helpful to Lincoln (as opposed to Lee) in the Civil War was originally from the Gorbals (which is not a million miles from Queen's Park by the way) - just so nobody accuses me of going off-thread.

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."