Man Jailed for Racist Internet Post

Man jailed for racist internet post


A man who used a social networking website to post sectarian comments about Catholics and Celtic supporters has been jailed for eight months.
Stephen Birrell, 28, from Glasgow, was also handed a five-year football banning order at Glasgow Sheriff Court for writing the comments on a Facebook page titled Neil Lennon Should Be Banned.
Sentencing him, Sheriff Bill Totten said the courts had to send “a clear message to deter others who might be tempted to behave in this way”.
One of the comments, posted a day before a Celtic v Rangers game on March 2 this year, read: “Hope they all die. Simple. Catholic scumbags ha ha.”
Two days after the match, he wrote: “Proud to hate Fenian tattie farmers.”

Unbelievable!

I have no idea if there is more to this story than meets the eye;  yes, the comments are not pleasant but one reads such things on the internet on a daily basis.

On the one hand I applaud a stand against this sort of idiocy, but a custodial sentence seems to be quite draconian.

Some mountains for Christina

I did say to Christina some time ago that I would think of her when in the Tatras mountains this summer.  The High Tatras are a relatively small part of the Carpathian Mountains and form the border between Slovakia and Poland.  There are several small resorts along the slopes, some of which used to be very fashionable in the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire with wide pavements and shops with elegant verandas.  Now it is a ski region in winter and a walkers’ paradise when the snow disappears.  Her Majesty visited this area a few years ago on her state visit to Slovakia and Slovenia.

Our first outing started with the funicular, inaugurated by HM,  from Stary Smokovec to Hriebinoc at about 1300 metres.  Lots of trails cross there and it is pleasant walking country, though mist and cloud can descend very quickly and you have to be vigilant.


Continue reading “Some mountains for Christina”

Poetry

A WOMAN’S POEM:

Before I lay me down to sleep,
I pray for a man who’s not a creep,
One who’s handsome, smart and strong.
One who loves to listen long,
One who thinks before he speaks,
One who’ll call, not wait for weeks.
I pray he’s rich and self-employed,
And when I spend, won’t be annoyed.
Pull out my chair and hold my hand..
Massage my feet and help me stand.
Oh send a king to make me queen.
A man who loves to cook and clean.
I pray this man will love no other.
And relish visits with my mother.

A MAN’S POEM:

I pray for a deaf-mute gymnast nymphomaniac with
big tits who owns a bar on a golf course,
and loves to send me fishing and drinking.. This
doesn’t rhyme and I don’t give a shit.

Not Fade Away

OK, I’m a little slow, so it wasn’t until I heard a short tribute program on ABC Brisbane this arvo that I realised that to mark what would have been his 75th birthday last month, a tribute album had been issued with covers by some fab performers.  I don’t usually like covers, but most of these are beaut – or awesome, as the kids would say.

Here’s Stevie Nicks (think – Fleetwood Mac) with my all time Buddy favourite –

Ringo’s “Think it over” is well worth a listen, too. 🙂

Hear the entire album courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Withering Heights

Seats were scarce in the café as queues of tray-laden customers circled the room looking for a place to park. Those already seated sat smugly with their meals. There were a few plush couches in the establishment whose patrons would leisurely, aristocratically pick at their lunches. Even in a greasy spoon you’ll find snobs.

One window stool facing out to the main road stood empty. This sticking out like a sore thumb location was sub-prime. Windows to the world are for writers only. From this spot they can observe humanity in all its guises giving them reams of future material. I gave it a miss. Continue reading “Withering Heights”