Hi Folks,

The City of Newport Pipes and Drums are staying at the Premier Inn, Charing Cross in readiness for the Pipefest Festival on 7th Aug.  We are looking for recommendations on a good pub where we can enjoy Friday night (6th Aug) and Sunday night (8th). There will be approx 30 of us.

Looking forward to the Glasgow hospitality...

IanB

PM

Took the kids to see Toy Story 3 and thought it was fantastic, with plot reminiscences, realisations and all tinged with a little sadness.

Andy is now 17 and ready to head off to college, leaving Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang to ponder their uncertain futures, either in the trash or confined together in the attic. When the toys are accidentally donated to the Sunnyside Daycare Centre they are initially overjoyed to once again be played with, but their enthusiasm quickly turns to horror as they discover the true nature of Sunnydale under the rule of the deceptively welcoming Lotso, a bear who smells of strawberry. Now, all the toys must band together in one final, crazy scheme to escape their confines and return home to Andy.

Some of it might be quite upsetting for the youngest audience, I even caught my wife with a tear in her eye.

Great film and nice conclusion to the series.

I must add that the 3D experience is the future and once the technnical minds come up with a way of getting rid of the 3D glasses, the tv revolution will be upon us. The wee Night and Day animation at the beginning was eye-opening and fresh. Great stuff from Pixar again.

Just watched that programme Sherlock and loved it. Which is most surprising. Im a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories and although Basil Rathbone was fantastic, he didnt have that nasty streak that is there in the stories. Its never blatant but the madness and calculated recklessness are there and this aspect was very well portrayed in Sherlock tonight. Granted, Watson is, thus far, poorly portarayed, but Sherlock is spot on.

The game is afoot....

I first saw these young guys on TV at T in the Park when they did a few songs in the studio.

Wasn't so sure about the main man's reflective vocals but something about the way it all gelled together dragged me back to check the album Flaws out, so glad i did, for a start, its a vast departure from their debut, thank god and its abit magical, pleasantly haunting, melodic, bittersweet, odd and it has to be said slightly original. Their particular brand of folk pop really hits the spot. For instance check the first song,  Rinse me Down. Hooky verses break into catchy choruses with sweet acoustic guitars & harmonies and this prevails throughout the 11 solid hits of mature and considered lyrics.

Apparently recorded mostly in one of the band member's bedroom, the production here is excellent with a real warm sound.

With an album still to come from the great Belle & Sebastian in October, i doubt this will be album of the year but certainly a nominee for the Mercury Prize wouldn't surprise me.

Juat back from a week in ther Haven holiday park in Berwick upon Tweed. My two boys, aged 3 and 5 had a fantastic time going to all the amenities offered by Haven and loved the evening entertainment. Letting the boys off the leash for a while in the show bar is good for their confidence. Nice caravan and great views of the sea. Weather fantastic and using the kid's sun tan cream is a definite winner. Evening entertainment high was the wrestling which was hlarious. One baddie wrestler said he was "from Scotland but hated everything Scotland was producing, namely the obese, lazy, un-employed trash who couldnt afford a proper holiday..." hahahaha.. Pissed myself at the stunned silence from the obese (and by christ there are some fatties out there !!) lazy un-employedd trash who couldnt affor a proper holiday. hhahahahaha.. still pissing myself.

Berwick itself is nice and the surrounding area has lots of great family oriented entertainment. Visit the place with the wasps (forgotten the name) and out the back you can have coffee and cake in the top deck of a bus.

Maybe a week is enough though.

Good UK family holiday.

So the Labour supporting press are already complaining in print about the emergency budget delivered by George Osborne. Isnt that just typical of them.

These papers, The Daily Record for one, supported all the labour expenditure, railed against the evil banks who ruined the economy, but fail to complain about Gordon Brown selling all our gold at about £400 an ounce when now we could get £1200 an ounce for it. No thats fine Gordon. Oh, keeping the poor in benefits to the expense of the hardworking people of this country... Well done Gordon they said, looking after the less fortunate is a well placed notion.

And today, the Labour press in Glasgow (the Daily Record) is red in the face about this Tory budget.

VAT rises will hit the poor hardest they say.. How? VAT on food is nowt and VAT on home fuel is 5%. No its the big ticket items they mean, liek plasma TV etc. Well I for one dont think someone on benefits and calling themselves 'poor' should be buying these big ticket items anyway. Whats wrong with a used TV from the snips for £50, pay no VAT and use the money to feed yourself or pay for stamps for sending out your CV. Its all red rhetoric and scare-mogering to the great unwashed/un-educated benefit scroungers.

Why shouldnt the poor pay more, when these very people expect me to pay for their lounging around and then expect a free ride when things get bad and look for me to pay more. Get a grip on reality. Its time you did something and benefit reductions is the way to go. Read that housing benefit will be capped at £400 per week.. £400 per week??? Who the hell on benefit needs 400 quid a week housing benefit. My parents and Grandparents lived cramped in a wee tenement flat with a big family during hardtimes when the poor really were POOR. I would vote for a 200 quid cap and if thats not enough, too bad. Move, otherwise get off the benefits merry go round and pay your own way for once in your sorry existence.

Making it hard for the benefit spongers should be a priority. Thats what being poor means...Hardship and struggle, not 20 Malboro, Colombo on the 52" plasma of an afternoon and alcohol of an evening.

Thanks goodness I didnt sell my second home as the CGT isnt as bad as feared and I will just get more tennants for the flat.

Dunno about you, but i have the World Cup fever already. Im salivating at the thought of being bombarded by the beautiful game for the next few weeks. I cant decide who Im going to support as there are so many great teams with fantastic players on show. I reckon I will go for Germany as i like their attitude, their style and that you cannot count them out, whatever happens.

Though I must say I would expect Argentina and Brazil to do well, but I reckon Maradona is the weak link in the Argentinian team. After watching the Champions League final, I can see the Brazilians doing well as Lucio, Maikon and Cesar are fantastic in their positions.

Im looking forward to Saturday when the USA take on England, but i do worry that this game is a terrorist's dream come true. I just hope the security outside the stadiums is as good as those protecting the players. Im not sure.

Its a pity us Scots arent there, but until we are, cmon the Germans.

CCA is continuing its quest to make Glasgow the best UK city for independent cinema. This month we are showing classic British films Distant Voices, Still Lives and Winstanely as well as a powerful offering from artist Deimantas Narkevičius, The Dud Effect.

We are celebrating the success of our film programme by offering a special deal on film tickets, details of which can be found by visiting our website http://cca-glasgow.com/, dropping into our beautiful building on Sauchiehall Street, or giving us a ring on 0141 352 4900.

We would love to see you all there!!

Should the NHS pay people to stop smoking, taking drugs or to fight the flab?  Surely the answer is a resounding NO..

This question may already be academic; NICE, the body that advises the NHS on spending, will be gathering evidence, but it reportedly says rewarding lifestyle changes is an ‘idea whose time has come’.

And in fact, there are already schemes using financial incentives to encourage healthier lifestyles in parts of the country. The BBC cites a scheme in Tayside, Scotland, which way back in 2007 started offering weekly £12.50 grocery vouchers for pregnant women in exchange for stopping smoking.

So far 450 women have taken part with a fifth still not smoking at the end - twice the success rate of standard stop smoking services.

Other schemes are already in operation elsewhere around the UK; in Kent cash payments have been.

Not only do we have the Scum taking over The Scheme, known terror1sts resident in the UK who pose a danger to our lives  being told they wont be deported as THEY may come to harm when arriving in their country of origin, but we are now paying people with my tax money for THEIR overindulgence. 

The good people of this country are getting humped again by do-gooder beurocrats. Is there no-one in the public sector/government who can say NO to these ridiculous proposals/judgements?

The end is nigh.. Fight the Power

Did anyone watch The Scheme on BBC last night ? Car crash tv which was compulsive viewing. I knew things were bad in schemes like Onthank in Kilmarnock, but I didnt think it was as bad as that.These people have no idea or care what they do, how it affects their children and others and they seem to think their life is cool. Their lack of respect for themselves and others is shocking and all they care about is themselves.

One family, with a large breed trying to keep their daughter away from drugs, whilst the Mother shares a joint in the living room with her tearaway son. The other son who gets jailed for racism but the mother in her wisdom thinks he is a good boy. Christ, he has only be in court 7 times!!The Father crying cos he thinks its his fault. He may think he is trying to do his best, but it is your bloody fault.

The woman who takes in troubled kids, and uses unbelievable language in front of young children. Fuck and the cunt used in front of young children without thought for what this is doing to them.. Lying to the Police about the ned who was involved in a ram raid and then expecting the Police to assist when her car gets wrecked??? The mentality of these people is astonishing. Lying in bed all day, the young girl who doesnt get to school on time.. The other one who is pregnant and smokes whithout any care for her unborn child. Shocking.

Marvin the gaunt junkie who has a £700 tv and PlayStation, an 18 year old girlfriend who smokes constantly whilst pregnant. He knees her in the stomach, but as she said, he didnt mean it, and the Police dont know about the headbutt.

One thing of note. All the scum on view have flat screen tvs, Sky tv, constant availability of drink, drugs and cigarettes, new cars, football shirts, dance costumes that cost £350 a time... How they get this is beyond me. I work all week and cant afford a new car and a flat screen tv. Its my bloody tax money that is keeping the dregs like this lying about in their beds all day at their leisure and at my expense. Why should they bother trying to get out of that situation?? I would cut all their benefits. they dont give a shit. Wy the hell should I?

They dont seem to realise that they are scum. They dont realise how they are behaving is unacceptable to the people of Scotland, though I bet there a large number of people/families like that in schemes all over the country. The Scheme could be anywhere. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Inverness..

When will something be done about these people? What can be done? They clear the Schemes but they move the scum from one place to a better area and they do the same thing there. Affecting more and more good people. The good people of this country need to fight back and get rid of the scurge on the rest of us. I go back to the point that their benefits are keeping them in this situation. They dont need to get out of bed, behave themselves, bring their kids up properly, have respect for the law or the Police, repect for their elders/parents, parents (if you can call them that) with no idea how to bring up kids. I feel sorry for the babies in the Scheme. They have no chance. Shame on you all. And its the good people of this country who will bear the brunt of the breed of the scum..

Scum like that should be sterilised. A mass sterilisation of people like that is needed and a cleansing of the streets. A crystal night of the neds. I was listening to Radio Scotland looking for ideas for a mascot for the Glasgow Commonwealth games in 2015 and they were laughing at the ned/tracksuited ideas that came in. Thats not funny, its the truth of where our country is going.

The solution??? The Final Solution....

The Scheme? Change it to The Scum..... kill them all. It would be mercy.