68 Years Ago Today: This Scouse Brit Was Born ...

Today is should have been this scouse Brit's birthday.

Here's his Liverpool family's official website.

Here's his wikipedia page.

*(Cross posted across at 'appletree')

Holocaust Memorial Day ...

Hands up who knew what today is the 63rd anniversary of ?

And with hand on heart, who knew - without looking it up - which army actually did the historic deed? (We've blanked it out below.)

27th January -- 1945:

Auschwitz death camp liberated


The =**=**= Army has liberated the Nazis' biggest concentration camp at Auschwitz in south-western Poland.

According to reports, hundreds of thousands of Polish people, as well as Jews from a number of other European countries, have been held prisoner there in appalling conditions and many have been killed in the gas chambers.

Few details have emerged of the capture of Auschwitz, which has gained a reputation as the most notorious of the Nazi death camps.

Some reports say the German guards were given orders several days ago to destroy the crematoria and gas chambers. Tens of thousands of prisoners - those who were able to walk - have been moved out of the prison and forced to march to other camps in Germany.

Little did we know that we had arrived at a place, the name of which would become as well known and remembered as any battle in the war.

Read the rest of the relevant BBC report of that time -- and find the answer to our earlier army question.

And incidentally, today in Liverpool, our own home city and current European Capital of Culture ...

All faiths commemorate Holocaust

The Archbishop of Canterbury joined the Chief Rabbi to mark Holocaust Memorial Day with a ceremony in Liverpool.

Read the rest of this report re; our own city's solemn remembrance service.

*(Cross posted at Appletree)

Willy Russell's Brilliant 'Blood Brothers' Revisited ...

Yesterday, on a day that America's Iowa caucus-circus unknowingly & unintentionally entertained (as only America can entertain), serious political pundits everywhere outside that country, we elected to venture out in search of some serious culture.

We braved the (blooming biting), bitter winter weather and went to our own beloved fair-seaport-city's famous 'Empire' theatre - where we watched once again a brother Liverpudlian's masterful musical drama - 'Blood Brothers' - a immensely inspirational creation of a tried, tested & true fellow scouser extraordinaire, Willy Russell.

Over several recent years we've now watched, listened to, laughed and wept our way through this brilliantly moving piece of musical theatre - three times in all.

Starring yesterday was ex 'New Seeker' Lyn Paul (shown above), whose wholly admirable & enjoyable performance came a fairly close second to our own particular favourite - by far - filler of the forlorn Mrs Johnstone's stage shoes -- ex Nolan Sisters' Bernie Nolan.

The other Mrs Johnstone we once watched was (probably the better known), Barbara Dickson.

Yesterday's supporting cast, musical director and orchestra were as good as any we've ever experienced.

Sadly, the latterly revised stage script was most certainly not.

For yesterday the 'F' word wasn't thrown in once or even twice, for (perhaps?) dramatic effect -- but for far too many times.

It's not that we're prudes - in fact we couldn't be further away from same. Moreover, if this 'fouling up' of all earlier productions had actually helped make this super show better than it originally was, we'd no doubt have actually welcomed it.

But it didn't.

The fact is that quite to the contrary, it definitely detracted - since it was unarguably, and entirely gratuitous. And as such was nothing short a shame.

We can't help but wonder if Willy Russell is aware of these alterations - and if he is we'd love to learn what he, as the writer, thinks. Likewise, local lad made good (as an extremely impressive, multi-millionaire impresario), Bill Kenwright.

Willy Rusell.

Bill Kenwright.

Perhaps it's just another - in the words of one of the show's especially poignant songs - "Sign of the Times". If so, we're saddened.

All that being said, this is still a magnificently, marvelous piece of musical drama.

In conclusion, if the opportunity to see it ever presents itself, do not miss it - because, believe us - you'll be all the better for seeing it.

We guarantee it.

But unless and/or until this revised, class act is cleaned up (script-wise), please don't take any children.

We (as it transpired, rather regrettably), took our 12 year old granddaughter. She was dumbfounded. We were embarrassed. As were several other families we overheard expressing some similarly strong views as the Empire emptied after the show.

"Did yer ever 'ear the story of the Johnstone twins?
Both, born and died on the self same day."

*

Special Short & Sweet Vanity Post ...

British women check their appearance up to 71 times a day, a new survey has claimed.

London and Newcastle were the second and third most vain cities for women- topped only by xxxxxxxxx, the female vanity capital of Britain.

The online survey of 2,039 people, carried out by beauty make-up, company, Transformulas, ranked cities by how many times a day people looked in the mirror.

Any ideas, anyone?

G'warn, give it a guess.

Ta daaah!

It's ours.

And here's who says so.

*

Liverpool's Shame:The Shooting Of Little Rhys Jones ...

Time was when we used to take pride in being British. Time was when we loved being labeled Liverpudlians. Time was when we cherished our 'scouser' heritage.

But time's a terribly tough taskmaster, and as ever was the case, the times they are a'changing.

And not always for the better. Indeed, lately, sad to say, far too often for the worse.

Witness what follows.



Read this and weep.

Seven held over Rhys Jones murder

Saturday August 25, 2007 - Guardian Unlimited

Seven people, including two girls, were being held tonight over the killing of 11-year-old Rhys Jones.

Six of them were arrested in raids today around the Croxteth area of Liverpool where the schoolboy was shot on Wednesday.

Police were granted an extension to detain the sixth, a boy of 15 who was arrested yesterday.

The six people taken custody today were boys aged 15 and 16, a man aged 19 and girls of 15 and 18. The 19-year-old needed hospital treatment after falling from the back window of his home apparently trying to escape arrest. Another 19-year-old was also arrested later in the afternoon.

Rhys was killed by a teenager on a BMX bike who fired bullets from a handgun as the young football fan walked home with friends across a pub car park.

Two bullets hit a car but a third hit Rhys in the back of his neck.

He died as his mother Melanie, who had run to the scene from their home nearby, held him in her arms.

Read the rest of this heartrending report.

As we said at the outset, we used to be proud of this place.

But that was then.

THIS - is now.



So who's to blame?

Parents? Police? Schools? Teachers? Government? Judiciary? Legal profession? Arms dealers/gun runners? Our children? Ourselves?

To varying degrees - and though it hurts us like hell to have to say it - we believe the actual answer is "all of the above."

Yet at the same time, we soooo sincerely want (several) certain somebodies to prove us completely wrong.