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S'mae
Dec 13, 2013 14:09:21 GMT
Post by iolo on Dec 13, 2013 14:09:21 GMT
I tend to leave introducing myself to about the time people begin to think it is right to throw me out, so perhaps now is it. I thank Cenydd for inviting me to join, and greet with pleasure those I have already met elsewhere. I'm an educationalist by trade, married with four daughters, and am what English and others call 'Welsh', which means 'foreign' in foreign, meaning I'm native British. I was brought up in as bilingual family and society and, after a fashion, speak English, Cymraeg, French and Mandarin, the last three rather badly. I also dabble in the Classics. I served in the RAF once upon a time , having worked on farms, market gardens, dairies and tax offices, and then went on to experience a university in England, Secretaryship of its Socialist Club and near-alcoholism, despite which I have three degrees, so they tell me. I've been a socialist since I met Harry Pollitt when I was eight and have served on a trades council,been a Labour Party Constituency Membership Secretary and worked as an SWP Branch Secretary. I walk, garden, write verse and was briefly Chair of our CAMRA Branch. I find Americans incredibly weird but like them, English tories so sick I think they must be a Fiendish joke by Humorists from Hell. Nadolig Llawen, whatever, Happy Christmas!
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Admin
Administrator 
Posts: 377
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S'mae
Dec 24, 2013 13:04:07 GMT
Post by Admin on Dec 24, 2013 13:04:07 GMT
Nadolig Llawen!
Don't worry - you're not on the brink of being thrown out. You'd know about it if you were.
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S'mae
Dec 24, 2013 13:28:49 GMT
Post by iolo on Dec 24, 2013 13:28:49 GMT
Nadolig Llawen! Don't worry - you're not on the brink of being thrown out. You'd know about it if you were. Diolch/Ta. Blwyddyn Newydd dda/Happy New Year. And two words more for the word count! |
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S'mae
Dec 24, 2013 23:55:57 GMT
Post by fred on Dec 24, 2013 23:55:57 GMT
I'm Engish, love Maggie, don't mind most Welsh people and even have Welsh friends .............. but Rhyl is a dump.  Socialists are poo from the devil's own arse. Variety is the spice of live and makes forums so much more interesting. |
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S'mae
Dec 27, 2013 17:33:16 GMT
Post by iolo on Dec 27, 2013 17:33:16 GMT
I'm Engish, love Maggie, don't mind most Welsh people and even have Welsh friends .............. but Rhyl is a dump. Socialists are poo from the devil's own arse. Variety is the spice of live and makes forums so much more interesting. We at least agree about Rhyl. My problem with the people called right-wingers is that you can always predict everything they ever say - it is just their masters' propaganda filtered by their own intelligence. No variety there, alas! |
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S'mae
Dec 28, 2013 0:20:10 GMT
Post by fred on Dec 28, 2013 0:20:10 GMT
I'm Engish, love Maggie, don't mind most Welsh people and even have Welsh friends .............. but Rhyl is a dump. Socialists are poo from the devil's own arse. Variety is the spice of live and makes forums so much more interesting. We at least agree about Rhyl. My problem with the people called right-wingers is that you can always predict everything they ever say - it is just their masters' propaganda filtered by their own intelligence. No variety there, alas! Master? Mistress for me, Maggie, but not the sort of mistress that my wife would chop my thingy off for having (much as it pains me). As for predictable, sorry dude, your stereotype doesn't work with me, as you'll find out when we lock horns. One stereotype that does work is for the political left, they all, to a man, sorry, person, spout Proudhon's crap as if it could actually work and a totally ignore reality so their little farm can actually exist, sans porkers. Sadly, much as socialism would be lovely, it's a load of old bollocks because the basics are wrong. Your error is simple enough and, as you're clearly educated, I'm amazed you haven't worked it out; there will always be one man who rises up above the prols. Napoleon knew and exploited this so, as with real life, the pigs ended up in charge. Happens every time and there's no point trying to do anything about it so, if you can't beat them, join them. Any attempt to keep humans from being human will fail, unless you can cite an example of a successful socialist country. Don't tell me, it's never happened because - <list of usual excuses for total fail>. Back to Rhyl. It's a horrible, drug addict infested toilet of a town but, so short a Bentley ride away, we see Bodelwyddan Castle. In case you don't know the history, it isn't actually a castle, more the local Lord's residence that looks like a castle. It's a place where rich people (Tory voters and socialist politicians) go to spend a relaxing holiday. To my question - A very large mouth, attached to a socialist politician called, George Galloway is the extremely rich owner of a million quid house in London. Another large mouth is attached to a quite rich Arthur Scargill, owner of a very nice house in an exclusive village of in the south of Barnsley (He was forced to give up his 1.5 million quid London flat, provided to the great socialist by his former union). If socialism works, how come the leaders always seem to have fat bags of cash? |
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S'mae
Dec 28, 2013 0:27:07 GMT
Post by fred on Dec 28, 2013 0:27:07 GMT
Hang on, I missed something.
Mandarin?
That's a story I want to read. I used to be able to manage a reasonable conversation in Mandarin but that ability is lost as a result of time and inactivity in that tongue.
The wild ride of life forced me to take up Indonesian, so Mandarin was lost.
-/v\
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S'mae
Dec 30, 2013 17:16:53 GMT
Post by iolo on Dec 30, 2013 17:16:53 GMT
Your first posting above is, inevitably, entirely predictable.  What I learned was spelt at the time 'Gwo Yeu', National Language, and was, essentially, Mandarin without the more obvious class features. The RAF taught it me when I turned down Aircrew, and I remember only enough to impress Cantonese-speaking waiters in Chinese restaurants. |
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Post by fred on Dec 31, 2013 0:30:33 GMT
My capitalism and attempts to get sex started my interest in Mandarin. I knew a few Chinese lasses and realised I had a little fetish going so I picked up "Thank you" and a few other phrases in Mandarin and a little in Cantonese. Then came living with a lass from mainland China for a few months, that sparked even more interest. As I met more Chinese girls (Mostly just friends), I started to get known in the Chinese community for doing favours. I found a girl a job when her take away closed down unexpectedly and soon found myself with calls from Chinese workers looking for jobs and Chinese restaurants/takeaways, looking for staff. I helped so many find jobs/staff, it became embarrassing to go for dim sum in my favourite restaurant. Every time I went, some bugger would pay the bill because I'd helped them out with something. That soon led to doing work for various groups, stretching from Scarborough to Liverpool. I was also naughty. I love Chinese food, including the western versions, so I used takeaways a lot. Most of the people knew me but I have an evil humour so, if a new 'counter' was there (Counter = counter staff), I would pretend not to know the menu and engage in chit chat whilst asking about the menu items. I would toss in the odd Mandarin word, deliberately mispronounced, claiming it was an English word. They'd soon be confused, explaining to me all about the word also being used in Mandarin. After a while, I'd order some food in Mandarin and watch their face as they realised I was being a git. Sadly, many times, the routine was ruined by the lads in the kitchen laughing so loud, she'd cotton on. I have a terrible sense of humour - sue me. Frankly, it was a pretty great time as I was learning a lot about a new culture, getting great food, meeting lovely girls and, massive bonus, getting paid for doing it (No pay for the job agency, that was to help out). Come on, can you think of anything better? Many of the workers were illegals but did no harm to anyone and, to sod up the right wing idiot racists, took no jobs from white British people as they pretty much stuck to the Chinese food trade. Anyway, one evening, I was at a party in a club when some local drunks started a fight with "The chinks". The drunks lost out and got a deserved slapping but not a beating so, as they'd started it, I saw no problem. The cops did and rolled up at the takeaway to arrest them. The lads were illegal so that would have been that but I knew the result if they've been kicked out (Snakehead gangs arrange passage but the cost and debt are mad) so I stuck my oar in. There was a back door in the cellar so, whilst the owner was trying to hold back the cops, asking for a warrant and so on, I opened the cellar door (Cutting the cops'view of the stairs), excused myself for a pee, opened the back door, got the illegals downstairs and out. Then, using my Mandarin, told the owner they've buggered off and to let the cops in. I advised the cops to walk in, not charge, be polite and there would be no trouble. They did, took all the guys outside to so the CCTV operator could see them, all cleared and the cops sodded off, a bit grumpy at losing their easy arrest but with no clue how they'd escaped.. As a capitalist, I did rather well from a long series of deals but I'll bet you couldn't predict a capitalist helping people for free. How's the stereotype doing? |
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S'mae
Jan 3, 2014 13:04:31 GMT
Post by iolo on Jan 3, 2014 13:04:31 GMT
Depends on the capitalist, doubtless. CapitalISM never helped anybody. (nine words)
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S'mae
Jan 3, 2014 13:50:23 GMT
Post by fred on Jan 3, 2014 13:50:23 GMT
Depends on the capitalist, doubtless. CapitalISM never helped anybody. (nine words) Ah, now individual capitalists differ, I may have broken a stereotype; sorry about that. Question is, what exactly is the difference between a racist/bigoted stereotype, all blacks are <whatever>, and a political stereotype, all Tories are <whatever>? Capitalism has helped lots of people. A lad I knew, who was always a *cutie* to me at school, was knackered as he'd lost his job and was basically buggered. I needed someone to work with me over the winter so, at the request of a mutual friend, I took him on. The cash I paid pulled him out of the poo poo. I think capitalism could be said to have helped him. |
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S'mae
Jan 3, 2014 13:51:54 GMT
iolo likes this
Post by fred on Jan 3, 2014 13:51:54 GMT
I love the word filter.
B*ed = cutie
bugger, 8 words.
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S'mae
Jan 3, 2014 14:17:03 GMT
Post by iolo on Jan 3, 2014 14:17:03 GMT
I don't give a bugger whom capitalism helped. It will kill the lot of us before my grandson dies, as you know.
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S'mae
Jan 3, 2014 14:52:54 GMT
Post by fred on Jan 3, 2014 14:52:54 GMT
I don't give a bugger whom capitalism helped. It will kill the lot of us before my grandson dies, as you know. Hang on, capitalism never helped anyone but you don't care if it has helped people. How odd. Bad capitalists will bring misery to many, a good capitalist will not as sustainability is key to long term business. However, in the case of the American arms industry, they will murder (by proxy) by the millions to keep their trade alive. There are limits to capitalism I will support and that limit is easily surpassed by mass murder in the name of profit. |
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S'mae
Jan 3, 2014 17:22:26 GMT
Post by iolo on Jan 3, 2014 17:22:26 GMT
I don't give a bugger whom capitalism helped. It will kill the lot of us before my grandson dies, as you know. Hang on, capitalism never helped anyone but you don't care if it has helped people. How odd. Bad capitalists will bring misery to many, a good capitalist will not as sustainability is key to long term business. However, in the case of the American arms industry, they will murder (by proxy) by the millions to keep their trade alive. There are limits to capitalism I will support and that limit is easily surpassed by mass murder in the name of profit. Well, Engels was a capitalist manager. Think on! (more words needed?). |
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What I learned was spelt at the time 'Gwo Yeu', National Language, and was, essentially, Mandarin without the more obvious class features. The RAF taught it me when I turned down Aircrew, and I remember only enough to impress Cantonese-speaking waiters in Chinese restaurants.