Bargain Hunters for Homes. By Uncle Monty.

Bargain Hunters for Homes.

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos & Graphic By Alex Albion.
::

Orthodox Jews with their two curls of jet black hair

at the side of their heads along with them wearing

their Yarmulkes or Kippas. Traditional male Hindus

with their tightly-fitted white and maroon turbans

and Bindis or Tilaks on those of female foreheads.
Nationalistic African men with their native shammas

and antelope boots. Islamic woman wearing their dark

yashmaks or hijabs or khimars. And, stiffly married

English retirees with their plain hats and coy coats.

Such were among the motley crowd of Arabs,

Russians, Chinese, Eastern Europeans, and good-
ness knows who else, at the two property auctions

I have attended at the English capital to find out

what it was really all about for those
bargain hunters for homes.
::
At first, I was surprised at the number of women

bidders present over their male counterparts. And, I

was even more surprised at finding some of the property

bidders looking so sinister, so seedy and so unsavoury,

that I would be almost scared of having as my landlord.

Their suspected traits of Rachmanism (Peter Rachman,

1920-1962) seemed to be their evident

characteristic to me.

::

Most of the properties up for auction were hardly

grandiose. Many were located in the worst post codes

of inner and outer London and the Home Counties.
Some looked like derelict properties to me from the
photos I saw inside the two free property catalogues

containing 240+ pages between them. Others were

homes scattered largely out of town in other parts like
depressed Northern England, at far off flung hamlets

in Scotland, and at dreary former coal mining towns
of central Wales. Properties in other parts of Western

and Central Europe were also up for bids.
::

The Property Auctioneers.

::

A good many of the 500+ lots of dwellings or business

properties or open land among the two auctions I

observed were noticeably by Order of the Mortgagees.

While others came by order of various councils or housing

charities like The Peabody Trust. Some of the properties

I almost wouldn’t even want, even if they were free.

They were that bad to me. But those bargain hunters

for homes, nevertheless, soon snapped the up …

::
I wasn’t sure if such were “bargains” or not, since I

know so little about property buying or real estate.

But I’m sure bad economic times, like now, bring out

vicious sharks to the property market to rip-off
those poor devils who have lost their own

homes due to their financial hardship.

::

With thousands of mortgaged property owners in

Britain having their homes and businesses reposs-

essed at an ever rapid and alarming rate due to the

present all-embracing credit crunch and broken

financial markets, property auctions seem to be

booming for those who want or seek to buy cheap.

::

Personally, if I had a spare couple of hundred thousand

quid, I wouldn’t even think of buying any property in

the UK. Such property prices are truly outrageous
and totally mindless compared to buying the same

or better properties abroad or in North and South

America. You almost have to sell your soul to get
on the property ladder in England thesedays.

And, you’ll never get any spare change from such

investment unless you’re one of those in the pro-

perty Big League or simply very lucky. In fact,
the individual, non-professional, property owner

seems to be losing, and not gaining, profit on their

investment or long standing purchase of their own

home in Britain of today. Rather, many are now
in negative equity if they’re still making inflated

payments on their fixed mortgaged property.

Each day seems to get grimmer for them.

::
But those bargain hunters for homes may well

be at their hey and hay day, while rental pro-

perty is also booming because many folkz

have opted out, either by choice or force,

not to buy a house or business at

this time.
::
Some of the bargain hunters for homes.

::

Anybody who is a novice and planning to buy at

any property auction would be best to first attend

such auctions to get some clearer understanding

of the dangers and pitfalls inherent in bidding and

buying such property, like a house or a business

or land, by such a method.

::

Read very carefully all the written instructions and

obligated requirements needed to actually participate

in those public auctions before you even consider

participating. Learn the legal obligations and pro-

perty jargon and all the financial and tax impositions

on you when buying at property auctions. Beware
that you could quickly become unstuck if you
make a property mistake that you’ll pay for dearly.

::
Caution is the key word and property knowledge
is the best safeguard against making any future
error(s) when bidding and buying. Don’t, in other

words, become penny-wise and then pound foolish.
Auctions can gobble you up in no time, if you don’t

watch it. If you’re not in personal control, then

the auction will control you … The auctioneers
love those who they can control at their pro-
perty auctions above all else … It brings them

greater profits at the expense of such foolish

and ignorant bidders and buyers.
::

One last word or so, DON'T buy any property

unless you've actually seen it to inspect it before

the auction no matter how dirt cheap it is or how

appealing it may be. Would you wed someone

you've never actually seen or looked at? Of

course, not. The same applies, in my opinion, to

buying property, a business or land or any-

thing ... Make sure you've seen it with your

own eyes, first. Another simple lesson before

the auction of your property dreams is to go

and visit as many properties that you can that

may fall within or near the scope of your de-

sired home or business or land. And, above

all make sure you have enough money spare

to be one of those future bargain hunters for

homes. If you don't have the financial resources

or means, don't waste your time at property

auctions for they'll bring you no good happi-

ness along with a sense of compounded

jealousy and even perhaps anger. Wait for

another day. The sunshine always comes.

sooner or later. So don't fret ...

::

Perhaps then some rich unknown uncle or

aunt in America will pop-up from nowhere

and leave you in their will a nice homestead

at the Texas Panhandle or at the Prairieland

of the mid-West or perhaps even some

English cousin will leave you property in

the dulldrums of Dartmoor or Exmoor ...

Nice thought, yeeeeeeeeep?

::

So, happy property auction days are here

again for those with good, old-fashioned,

cash in hand ... to bid their way all day

to their own hearts content.

::

Cheers everybody, Uncle Monty.

+After Apostles Simon and Jude, 2oo8.
::

No Longer Toothless. By Uncle Monty.

No Longer Toothless.

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.

- - -

New dentures make you feel young again with a
set of gleaming white teeth after being toothless
perhaps for years or months on end. To suddenly
find you’re no longer toothless with your new
dentures displayed for all to see by your newly
founded broad smile impacts psychologically on

the mind and physically on the face, I do believe.
- - -
While on the flip side of the coin, however, new

dentures intrude on whatever make believe you

had that you’re not really getting old when in
fact dentures only confirms you are indeed and

like the practical reality confirms, too, you are.

Dentures sorrowfully denies that you’re

young or even middle-age, anymore ...
- - -

The use of dentures transcend race, creed, nationality
education and/or mental state. But economic status
may deprive many from access to getting needed
dentures at old age. Dentures, I suspect, is also a

Western invention. But who knows or cares?

I don’t …
- - -
New dentures can for sure play havoc with your

big mouth by creating a speech impediment that

you never before had. When you first go to speak,

the dentures impede your ability to speak in the

manner you usually and normally do. Instead,

your words, if you can get them out of your

mouth, come out sounding like some mumbo-

jumbo or an imbecile. I stopped for some moments

from speaking to others out of fear I'd be labelled

such an imbecile with dentures. Time, I am told,

will correct that as you get "acclimatized" to your

new-fangled teeth. Just twist your tongue and

then the words soon flow ... Maybe so, but I do

feel abit like an idiot if not a known imbecile

when I "denture speak."

- - -
And, taking the first bite of food to eat with den-

tures is frought with open embarrassment when

the dentures suddenly want to tumble right out

of your stupid mouth. Mine did, you know ...
- - -
Rarely do dentures first sit so comfortably inside

one’s old pitapat mouth. Nipping gums or rubbing

nerves, dentures can drive you up the wall trying

to get them to behave properly inside what was

once your toothless mouth.

- - -
So into my gob I put my first "trial" hard mint

humbugs, only to find my dentures soon crying

out loud inside my vivacious mouth. They wanted
it out of my mouth… and my new teeth started to

rattle, too, at my endeavour to suck on my

favourite mints. My Pascall’s sweet Rhubarb and

Custard hard drops did the same thing. Oh and forget

those English sticky toffees for my upper and lower

dentures screamed as they got stuck together

like I had now a pitiful mouthful of superglue.
- - -
The best thing about dentures is you can brag

a nice broad smile once again with such nice look-

ing false teeth. But beware, not to be too smiley.
Because there’s nothing more embarrassing than

finding one’s dentures slipping out place and making

your smile look like a real imbecile trying to sudden-

ly adjust them back into place. And for heaven sake,

don’t wear them at night under any circumstances

‘cause you’re liable to get them stuck in your throat

like finding a dead frog in your home-made soup.
Such isn’t nice, know is it? Stuck dentures aren't

good for the denture nor for your

throaty throat mind for you.
- - -
Whatever, my Creekside Dental Centre’s super-

dentist Dr. Abdul Salim-Said, and his professional

dental assistant Ruby, must be “blamed” for making

me no longer toothless. For months they’ve painstak-

ingly worked on my dental needs with the determination
of making me look alot more fearsome when I grit my teeth
and hold on now like a pitbull terrier to bite those who would
dare to upset me. What Abdul and Ruby, however, never
told me was that only a silly old foggey like me would ever

dare wear dentures to appear to be no longer toothless.
When in fact I am more toothless now than at any other
time in my life. Let me now grit my dentures at least ….
My bark is still bigger then my bite with or without
those nice Abdul and Ruby dentures of mine …
in my own now no longer toothless mouth.
...

This is my pretty set of dentures.

Smile, you're on camera, Uncle Monty.

The Day of the Jackal, 2oo8.

...

And, here's mum Fiona and Archie, who'll

be just 3 come Bonfire Night, 2oo8. Cheers.

...
New Logo for thebiggerissie.org
...

Slamming The Homeless. By Uncle Monty.

Slamming The Homeless.

Story By Uncle Monty.
Photos and Graphics By Alex Albion.

:::

Screaming with its bold black headline of “£1.5M HOUSES

FOR HOMELESS,” London’s Friday edition of The Evening

Standard used twenty-two boldface black fonts of almost

1.5 inches each in size to ram home its sensational story

about how some of the homeless are being housed

in such very expensive London abodes.
:::
Reported by its chief reporter Robert Mendick, the

story highlighted how greedy landlords are being paid
as much as $1.800 a week by wealthy local councils,
like Kensington and Chelsea, to house a few of
London’s homeless, or would-be homeless, folks.

:::
To read the headline would imply that many of the

present homeless are being housed so comfortably in

private million-pound worth houses when such is far

from the daily grit and reality of the overwhelming
majority of the indigenous homeless in London.

:::
Thus, Mendick’s piece was also tanamount to slamming
the defenseless homeless who have little or no say at

where and when they might be housed by their local

councils. Indeed, many have been waiting years to be

housed in the cheapest council properties that would

make some people even cringe at how depressing

they really are.

:::

A fancy property perhaps for homeless rent?

:::

But when you have real estate agents like wealthy

Foxtons involved with wealthy landlords and wealthy

councils, the combination helps not the homeless per

se, but rather it helps first such wealthy operators

renting properties at rip-off prices under the guise

of housing the homeless. A London mews cottage, as

cited in Mendick’s report, costing £58,000 per year
for a homeless woman and her children is an outrage

to all the taxpayers who have no say on such careless

use and waste of money. The homeless aren’t to blame

for such rental prices or even being housed in £1.5

million houses, but rather housing and government
officials who agree to pay such outlandish prices in
the first place and at any cost in order to satisfy some
nebulous concept of reducing or containing the grow-

ing problem of Britain’s homeless population

across the whole country.
:::
Not quite so fancy, but fit for the homeless.

:::

Slamming the homeless who are housed in such expen-

sive properties is a cheap shot at all the other homeless at

wherever and however they are since most of them will

never see the front door, let alone be housed in such rich

properties. Slamming rich landlords, rich real estate

agents, and rich councils is certainly in order. But the

problem of homelessness, be it in London or elsewhere,

cannot be resolved by them for the problem stems from

deeper social causes and wider economic disparities

beyond their control or indeed the control

of the homeless themselves.
:::
And the British housing charities, I must say, seem
at a loss to truly resolve the depth of homelessness.
In fact, it seems they’d be out of business themselves
if they permanently solved the social housing crisis.
The more the homeless, the more housing charity

money comes to such charities it seems. In the

meantime more poor and marginalized folks are

still stranded on the cold and indifferent streets of

London and at other major cities around England.

:::

Slamming the homeless will not solve anything

and least of all giving them the chance to live like

a British lord or titled lady at some Chelsea and

Kensington mews cottage costing an arm and leg

to hide them from their homeless situation on

the mean city streets of choking London.
:::

Honestly, Uncle Monty.

+Eve of Alfred The Great, 2oo8.
:::
Coming shortly: “Bad Mouth British Bishop
Called Gordon Mursell.” By Uncle Monty.

:::

My New Week In Pictures. By Uncle Monty.

My New Week In Pictures.

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.

...

Going to get my weekly stock of the latest edition of

The Big Issue at London’s Covent Garden, I quickly

noticed has I passed Fred Perry’s store the window

display of wooden figures (shown below) that I in-

stantly photographed for the start of my new week.

...
It was the 13th day of the month, which wasn’t lucky

for me as I then saw Big Issue staffer Tom Woolock

arrive with his usual sullen face and curt manner. I

think he was also late at the distribution spot that is

located, as usual, right outside next to Boots at St.

James Street. With his usual sneering and contemp-

tuous attitude, Tom hardly acknowledged me or any

of the other vendors with his typical surly demeanour.

...
Never expect a “good morning” or “thank you” or a
“please” from him because you won’t get such from

Tom, who is partnered with Sam. She's been with

The Big Issue for well over 10 years now after she

herself was homeless on the streets of London.

She also rough-sleeped with the late Dame Anita

Roddick, who wanted to experience first hand

the sights and sounds of homelessness herself

for at least a couple of nights. That she

did with hard-nosed Sam at her side.

...
Last time I saw Tom was about 10 days before

the 13th, has he then walked right by my Big Issue

pitch and uttered no a kind word of greetings or

anything. How cold? Instead, he just glared hard at

me and so mean at me as if I had done something

wrong has he continued to walk right by with his

6 or 7 year old son and 3 or 4 others with him only

feet away from me and my Long Acre pitch.

...

One of his buddies had a camera in his right hand.
After he'd passed me, Tom then made some re-

marks about me to his street companions and they

all turned around to look at me as they continued to

walk on towards Great Queen Street. Yes, I know
Tom and me don’t care much at all about one an-

other. When I give him my 35 quid for my maga-

zine stock, I can bet a $1.000 he’ll not trust me

like others do. He always insists on counting out

my money as if I’m going to cheat. Sam is also

the same. They trust none of the vendors even

though they are themselves Big Issue vendors,

too. The Big Issue, of course, wouldn’t give a

vendor a dime anyway. Nor would they ...

...
One redeeming grace that I particularly like

about Sam is her short pieces she ably writes in

The Big Issue from time to time. That's if she is

the same Sam I read under the name of "Sam"

at the magazine's Street Lights. Her piece on

"drawing the curtains at night," for instance,

was truly superb. I loved every word she

wrote and I was impressed at her writing

style and her savvy composition. I only

wish she and Tom were like others who are

so kind and nice to me because, among

other things, of my own unbending writings

on just about everything ... At The Big Issue

distribution spot, I might as well be dead for

all they care about me or anybody else who

may be a vendor or a victim of homelessness.

It's so sad, but so true from what I have seen.

So my starting day of Monday then had mixed

encounters of the good, the bad, and the in-

different for sure.

...

Fred Perry's Covent Garden store window display.

...

Then on Tuesday one of my truly favourite people

arrived called Bronwyn Curry of The Royal Ballet.

We only get to see each other for about five weeks

each year since Bronwyn literally travels the world

as a rare choreologist that she is to the world's ballet

companies from far and wide. She's just been at the

Salt Lake City's Utah Ballet doing her expert chore-

ology there and will no doubt soon be off to some-

where else in the world of classical ballet.

...

Don't confuse Bronwyn Curry (shown below) with

those folkz like the late noted choreographers Sir

Frederick Ashton and Gene Tetley, who Bronwyn

knew so well. Choreology and choregraphy are two

different aspects of ballet to those who know all

about the art and design of professional dance.

...

She herself was a ballet dancer of note in the

1970's and she now lives in Italy with paint artist

Franco Bennetti and with each other when they're

travelling around the world together. I am hoping

perhaps to stay with Bronwyn and Franco next year

when I plan to attend the 7th World Homeless Cup

at Italy's Milano in 2oo9 and after I travel in Novem-

ber of this year to Melbourne, Australia, to attend the

2oo8 Sixth World Homeless Cup that has been fully

underwritten by Contessa Maria for me to go to the

far side of the world. In the meantime, I am enjoy-

ing spending some time with Bronwyn and Franco

while they're still here in London for another three

weeks before they set sail to somewhere else. It is

really so nice to be treated so nicely by them as

opposed to when I'm "being served" so coldly

by Big Issue's Tom and Sam ...

...
World Choreologist Bronwyn Curry of The Royal Ballet.
...
On Wednesday another of my favourite people came

by that happens to be Pret's driver (shown below)

Nuno Sarmento of Mozambique's old Lourenco

Marques and that is now known by its relatively new

name of Maputo, the country's capital. I think Nuno,

who is Portuguese, Spanish and English speaking, sees

me as a kind of grandfatherly figure to him which is

just fine with me. Always warm and friendly to every-

body, Nuno is about 22 years old and undoubtedly

as plenty of nice girlfriends to occupy him. He loves to

joke and make wisecracks with me to share and throw

at each other both happily and avidly whenever we're

at my pitch. He's been at Pret's for around a couple of

years I guess. He regularly visits my pitch almost

daily and never fails to offer me Pret sandwiches

and fizzy drinkz. That's so good of him.

Thankz again, Nuno ...
....
Pret's electric van driver Nuno Sarmento at the wheel

...

Come then Thursday, I "visited" the mechanical

nurse (pictured below) at Guys Hospital after

undergoing my first "CatScanDoo," as I called it,

or more correctly my MRI scan to see what the

the heart doctors could detect that's wrong with

my old and weary heart. Not heard yet what the

results have been of the extraordinary scan, but

my great heart consultant Dr. Gerry Carr-White

seemed pleased that my heart condition hasn't

gotten any worse of late. Where there's life,

there's hope. Right?

...
The Mechanical Nurse at Guy's Hospital.
...

My "Girl Friday" is sexy Sophie McElligott,

(shown below) who seems to pop-up at my

pitch mostly on Fridays ... She always stops to

say "Hi" and from time to time she also buys

The Big Issue from me. She is with the London

Fashion Showrooms is Sophie. She always has

a broad smile on her pretty face and a lovely

kiss for me without failure. Bravo. When I

sent her a nice postcard from Casablanca last

time, she was thrilled. I, too, was thrilled that

she was thrilled after sending the card

to her from the wilds of Morocco.
...

She's so cute is Sophie and is my

own "Girl Friday," I like to think ...

...
Sophie McElligott of London Fashion Showrooms.
...
Saturday was filled with people I didn't person-

ally know among all the idiots lined up at The
New Connaught Rooms for open auditions for
the tacky "Britain's Got Talent" competition.

Except for my buddy Aussie Ryan Tucker with

pups Lulu and Poppy (shown below), I didn't like

much of what I saw of the long and loud queues of

"wanna-be" celebrities lined up like cattle on London's

Great Queen Street all day long on Saturday and also

earlier in the week with street security guards con-

trolling the growing and stupid crowds of people.
...
Freemasons Arms' Aussie Ryan Tucker and pups.

...
Here you'll see below one of the would-be "wanna be"

groups like the Latino dance group all competing

to be seen and heard above the other "artistic" folkz.

...

Streams of Afro-Masons came out of the Masonic Head-

quarters as they walked down the street in unison with

my cameras taking a few snapshots of them while they

then sidestepped the audition crowds blocking their

public passage. I saw dozens and dozens of black

masons that I never knew before existed in such

large numbers at the Masonic Lodge.

...
Some of London's Afro-Masons.

...
For Sunday, I was able to get away from London's
maddening crowds with dear Elizabeth Middleton
as we went to Chipping Onger for the day. So from
the start of my new week -- Monday 13th to
Sunday 19th of October, 2oo8 -- I had
encountered all manner of man and woman
with perhaps taking more than 60 various
photos to record my full week for you at
my ever-growing blog readership.
...
Quietly, England's Chipping Onger.
...
:: SIDEBAR ::

No big issue and no big fus(s). I’ve used abit of
distortion here below to make a point that I will

leave you with for all to figure out one way or an-

other. I didn’t add “FUS” to the car plate, but I did

add “NO BIG ISSUE” to the café sign for fun and the

two crosses of light blue and bright orange … Have

you now figured out the point of the photograph?

If you haven't then simply email me for an explan-

ation at thebiggerissue@k.st. There's no charge ...

...
Have yourself a good and kind day, Uncle Monty.
+Hills of the North Rejoice, 2oo8.
...

Just Who In The Hell Is He? U.S. Election Notes By Uncle Monty.

Just Who In The Hell Is He?

U.S. Election Notes

By Uncle Monty.
***

By Michael Conlon,

Reuter Religion Writer.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - These are uneasy times for

America's Muslims, caught in a backwash from a presidential

election campaign where the false notion that Barack Obama is

Muslim has been seized on by some who link Islam with terrorism.
The Democratic White House candidate, who would be the first

black U.S. president and whose middle name is Hussein, is a

Christian. Son of a Kenyan father and white American mother,

he spent part of his childhood in largely Muslim Indonesia.

***

The idea that Obama is a Muslim has circulated on the

internet for months, by some as a fact to reinforce the

position that Obama is not a suitable candidate for the

White House.

***

Not since the election of John Kennedy as the first Catholic

U.S. president in 1960 has the faith of a White House hopeful

generated so much distortion, said about 100 "concerned

scholars" and others who have signed an October 7

proclamation aimed at countering Islamophobia

they say is on the rise.

***

In recent weeks:
-- More than 20 million video disc copies of a film called

"Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" were

included as advertising supplements in newspapers across

the country, many in battleground states where Obama

is in a close fight with Republican candidate John McCain.

The film, distributed by a private group unaffiliated with

the McCain campaign, features suicide bombers, children

being trained with guns, and a Christian church said to

have been defiled by Muslims.
-- A city council candidate in Irvine, California, who

is a Muslim convert, said he got a telephone call saying

"I want to cut your head off just like all the other Muslims

deserve," the Los Angeles Times reported.
-- A mosque in a suburb of Chicago, Obama's home city,

was vandalized four times in less than two months, with

anti-Islamic messages left on its outer walls, and windows

and doors broken.
-- An account of an Ohio rally for McCain running mate

Sarah Palin, filed by Al Jazeera and posted on YouTube,

shows a woman saying "he is not Christian, and this is a

Christian nation," and a second woman saying she opposes

Obama because of "the whole Muslim thing. A lot of

people have forgotten about 9/11 (the September 11,

2001, attacks). It's a little unnerving."

***

It is frightening to see at this point the label 'Arab'

or 'Muslim' being used de facto as an insult," said

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office

of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (C.A.I.R).
There is a feeling, he said, that hate crimes increase as

Islamophobia rises in public discourse, including that

going on peripherally in this election campaign.

***

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican crossing

party lines to endorse Obama on Sunday, made a demand for

tolerance when he referred to Obama-is-a-Muslim rumors.
"Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this

country?" he asked on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something

wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid be-

lieving that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard

senior members of my own party drop the suggestion

'he's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists.'

This is not the way we should be doing it in America,"

Powell said, while making clear such sentiment was

not coming from McCain himself.

***

Muslims make up less than 1 percent of the U.S. population

of 305 million, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and

Public Life, though some believe that number is low. About a

third of the world's population is Christian, another 21 percent

Muslim. Daniel Varisco, anthropology chair at Hofstra

University, said he wrote the "statement of concerned

scholars" after seeing Islamophobia on the rise.

***

"The attempts to label Senator Obama a terrorist or

rhyme his name with Osama (bin Laden) or accent his middle

name (Hussein), as well as false claims about his being sworn

into (U.S. Senate) office on a Koran, demonstrate how near

to the surface anti-Islamic sentiment is in the United

States," he said. Circulating such falsehoods "avoids

playing the race card directly but at the expense

of Muslims," he said.

***

The Clarion Fund, which distributed the film "Obsession,"

through a huge newspaper advertising buy, says it is an

independent education group focused "on the most urgent

threat of radical Islam" and that placing the film in the hands

of readers in battleground election states was an attempt

to grab attention. Spokesman Gregory Ross said, "we have

no political or religious affiliations to any group whatsoever."

***

The Islamic Circle of North America has meanwhile

opened an offensive of sorts -- a campaign promoting

Islam and seeking converts. It said it placed advertising

signs inside 1,000 cars in New York's subway network.
In Chicago the group had a number of city buses adorned

top to bottom with pro-Islam advertising, headlined

"Islam: The Way of Life of Noah, Abraham, Moses,

Jesus and Muhammad."

***
Rehab of the Chicago C.A.I.R. office said that kind of

approach may work to a limited degree, "but really the

crux of the issue is not learning about the details of a

religion but rather interacting with and understanding

that the average Muslim is no different than yourself."
(Reuter Editing by Andrew Stern and Frances Kerry)
***

U.S. Election Notes By Uncle Monty.
To me, there's something strangely wrong

when I see American Republican Colin Powell,

the former U.S. Secretary of State, coming out

to politically-back Obama. And then to see a

British Tory and Mayor of London like Boris

Johnson do the same, sounds to me like they're

gone bonkers about ultraliberal Obama. How

conservatives on either side of the pond can

unashamedly back any radical leftist like

Obama shows how politically unconservative

they really are. Yes, Obama is a charmer and

he's an handsome devil and very gifted, too.

But the caption cartoon above asks: Just Who

In The Hell Is He? Do you know? I really

don't, aside from all the media bowing and

swansong they're been giving Barack.

^^^

Obama's personal faith is his business and

I would not condemn him for whatever

faith or non-faith he may or may not hold.

As an avid Anglican, I believe strongly in

interfaith endeavours in order for us all to

be freer to practice whatever our faith or

creed may be. As for political Obama, my

concern is who is he really? Is he a political

wolf dressed like a lamb? And, I always

wonder, too, why no white man is elected

president in any majority black African

country? While an African-American black

can be elected to rule in basically a majority

white country like America, save for about

13% of her non-white population. Those who

may be opposed to Barack Obama on race

are dubbed 'racists.' But blacks in Africa

opposed to say a white candidate would

be viewed as politically correct by the

global news media and political pundits.

That's strange, too, to me.

^^^

With just a week and half to go before

the U.S. Presidential Election, all the

polls pretty well say Obama is already

the winner. But is he? I don't think so,

yet. Only after a very long Nov. 4th night,

will we then really know if Barack Obama

is the presidential winner that will rock

and impact America and the rest of the

world like nothing since America's 9/11.

^^^

That's if he should win. Talk of a landside

and/or an election tie between him and

John McCain has also been thrown about.

^^^

If there is a tie, then all bets are off that

Obama will win. Thousands of lawyers

have been hired by both candidates to

monitor the least little thing that may go

wrong on America's Election Day. Such was

also done at the 2000 and 2004 elections by

then candidates George Bush, Al Gore and

John Kerry. Bush won both times either by

fair or foul, depending on your own political

love for either candidates at that time.

^^^

What my fear is that the high expectations

that Obama will win could lead to street

violence or social unrest by leftist radicals,

Muslim believers, and/or street-wise

African-Americans if Obama should in

fact lose his race to become America's

first black president. Allegations of

election fraud, among other things, will

be rip raw and rife as the bloody streets

become the national arena for all

those disaffected voters of the

then loser Barack Obama.

***

And while he could well win

the popular vote, he could still lose to

to John McCain by electoral college votes.

That's what is the most important - not popular

votes per se, but rather those electoral votes

from key states - like California, Pennsylvannia,

Ohio, New York, Florida, etc -- that hold massive

electoral power on the night of the election. If

McCain can garnish more electoral votes than

Obama at the day's final reckoning, then John

McCain becomes the next President of the

United States. Obama will then be banished

as the would-be first African-American

President for at least the next four years

or until the next 2012 presidential race

in America.

^^^

My final 2oo8 election notes will come just

days before the actual votes take place. I will

also probably write a post-election story on

whoever wins after I've stayed up all night

on the internet to follow the results of the

2oo8 Presidential contest. It should be a

rivetting night for those who like Yankee

politics like I do ... After that, we'll ask again

"Just Who In The Hell Is He?" That's if he,

Barack Obama, should in fact win or lose.

I'm betting, however, that he won't win ...

Anxiously, Uncle Monty.

+Crispin and Crispinian, 2oo8.

^^^

The above caption poster of Obama is taken

from one of the many cartoons websites of him.

Many portray him rather negatively, I must say.

^^^

ABOUT TIME ... Immigration Notes By Uncle Monty.

ABOUT TIME ... But Still Too Little, Too Late.

Immigration Notes By Uncle Monty.

.=.
Britain to cut immigration due to weak economy: says minister.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain plans to reduce immigration in the

face of a weakening economy and rising unemployment, the Times

newspaper quoted Immigration Minister Phil Woolas as saying Sat-

urday. "If people are being made unemployed, the question of

immigration becomes extremely thorny ... It's been too easy to

get into this country in the past and it's going to get harder,"

Woolas told the paper in an interview. "This government isn't

going to allow the population to go up to 70 million," Woolas said.

"There has to be a balance between the number of people coming in

and the number of people leaving." At a time of economic difficulties,

employers should put British people first or they will risk fuelling

racism, Woolas said. Immigration has been high under the Labor

government which came to power in 1997, and the Times said

net immigration is estimated to be more than 200,000 a year

until 2012.
Woolas also said he opposed an amnesty for people who came to

Britain illegally because it would encourage more illegal immigrants.

The government recently adopted a system under which would-be

migrants are awarded points depending on their value to the British

economy, designed to encourage skilled immigrants and reduce the

number of unskilled economic migrants. Britain's population is

around 61 million.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49H0L420081018
Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:32am EDT

.=.
Notes on New Labour's Floodgate Immigration.

By Uncle Monty.
.=.
As soon as I read the above Reuter news report, I said to myself
“ABOUT TIME …” But then moments later I also said to myself,
"it’s too little, too late." And it is as far as the numbers already

swelling New Labour’s free-for-all immigration policy that

has placed the very essence of England as a nation in mortal

peril by the sheer numbers of useless Third World immigrants

that have been allowed to come like a tidal wave to our shores

under mindless New Labour. Every day, there seems to be

still more and more all over the place and there seems no end

in sight to the continuing onslaught of so many immigrants -

despite the clear fact and reality of all too many of them

here already.

.-.

The turndown of the economy will be exasperated even

further with the millions of demanding Third Worlders

now in the UK. They expect nothing less than that they be

taken care of, even if they once lived in shantytowns with

little or nothing to call their own before they came and bas-

ically took over the place with their fancy native dress,

their ever present cellphones, their rights greater than

those of us who aren't immigrants or foreigners in our

own country, their overwhelming intrusion at every

level of British society, and their fertility rate that is

part and parcel of their desire to stay put in the UK

because with each baby they get more free money

from free New Labour. We wouldn't have the curse

of mass immigration and all its social and economic

fallout, if New Labour itself had not first created it.

Which, of course, it did beginning more than a de-

cade ago and it just keeps getting worse and worse.

.=.

I suspect, too, that many of the immigrants who

are now employed as council traffic wardens, security

guards, and bus drivers, are illegal in the UK no matter

what. While I welcome some first tiny steps by the

recently-picked new British Immigration Minister Phil

Woolas to curb the excess, the immigrant population

in the country is already so totally imbalanced that

only a complete and fast moratorium on admitting

any further non-EU immigrants for the next decade

would help perhaps to restore some kind of balance.

And, the aggressive expansion of deportation and

the strict curtailment of so-called "asylum seekers,"

needs also to be enforced without any further ado

by New Labour.

.=.

If not, not only will the Tories see their political

future and fortune continue to increase, but

also those political entities like the British

National Party (BNP) that tap into the real deep

anger about New Labour's mindless immigration

policy that has decimated the inner core of many

London and urban boroughs beyond repair and

recognition. Such has added to the negative

realism that is today's "Broken New Britian."

It may be too late politically for Labour to

now survive since its immigration fiasco,

among other things, comes home to roost.

.=.

The tragedy is that the nation is now stuck

forever and day with New Labour's floodgate

of those already admitted as immigrants even

if British Labour is never re-elected for decades

and decades to come. Those masses of immigrants

with their masses of new babies will undoubtedly

vote New Labour whenever they are eligable to do

so. And that's one reason I believe why Labour

has deliberately flooded the country with so

many useless Third World immigrants so that

it can draw in future upon such masses of new

Third World-born voters to vote them back

into office above and beyond their numbers.

.=.

Beyond that, whatever Phil Woolas does is

essentially only political window dressing to help

placate the growing anger and dismay of what

New Labour has so recklessly wrought on this

once wonderful country that now looks and

feels more and more like The Darkest Africa.

.=.

Truly, Uncle Monty.

+Eve of the 23rd Sunday after Trintiy, 2oo8.
.=.

:: UPDATE ::

By the time Frank Field, M.P. and I had again

exchanged some friendly email between us on the

bigger issue of immigration and Phil Woolas' sudden

"tough stand" on future immigration under New

Labour, Phil had then changed his tune somewhat

by back pedalling on what he had said or proposed

just a day or so before. Typical always of New

Labour, they do u-turns like jumping monkeys

almost every day. Now Immigration Minister

Phil Woolas says we need to be "kinder" to

new immigrants. What? Kinder? Why should

I be kinder when I see they're taking over my

country like an invading army at the behest of

this hideous government that is so completely

mindless in its unbending aim to make Broken

Britain even more broke by its refusal to stop

the continuing onslaught of mass Third World

immigration to the UK. Who gave Blair/Brown

the right to rob us of our own country? That's

what they've already done and they seem

to be totally out of control on killing Britain

with their political agenda of mindless mass

immigration at the expense of our nationhood.

Please, stop them by voting them totally out of

office no matter who you vote for, but never

again vote for New Labour. Just "Stop The

Bastards" for good ... I say.

Angry, Uncle Monty.

+King Alfred The Great, 2oo8.

=-=

Folkstone's "Dickens Room." By Uncle Monty.

Folkstone's "Dickens Room."

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.

Part 2 of 2.

~~~

Over 550 years-old, The British Lion pub first opened

at Folkstone in the year of 1460. Outside at The Bayle

it looked like the place was quiet and deserted until I

openly ventured inside to find it packed and busy with
loads of locals enjoying a drink or two with plenty of
companionship and serving platefuls of good home
British cooking. Nick and Dee Gill from West Yorkshire
were the hosts and Dee did all the cooking that for me
was worth several encores. The menu was about as
British as they come with the usual Steak and Kid-
ney pie, Yorkshire pud, and spotted dick, among
other classic English food dishes to choose from.
~~~

My Trout.

~~~

But for me, I wanted their local catch of large

Folkstone fresh broiled Trout with lemon, green

peas, boiled new spuds, four vegs, and light fish

gravy. Plus, a hotpot of English tea along with a

nice bowl of deep green mint ice cream with thick

dark chocolate sauce to round off my mid-day

lunch at The British Lion’s own tiny "Dickens

Room." Adored with momentoes of Charles

Dickens himself on the walls, the dining room

was snug and warm and held only four or

five dining patrons at any one time.

~~~
Eight and half quid for the delicious trout.
A quid and twenty pence for my hotpot of

boiling tea. And, three and half quid for the

mint ice cream saw me spend less than 14

quid in all for my good lunch at the "Dickens

Room." The meal was big enough and healthy

enough for me not to worry about going back

later for evening dinner. I was full and my

English belly told me so: "Please, don't stuff

me anymore," it said. Okay ... The same lunch

at Folkstone's British Lion would have cost

me probably 25 to 35 quid in London or

New York or Paris for sure.
~~~
My Trout Gone ...

~~~

Other lunch patrons included four elderly and abit

snooty ballroom dancers who had come to Folkstone

from nearby Drellingore to spend the weekend ball-

room dancing to their old heart’s content. I was told

when I asked that they did not dress up in fancy

evening dress when they danced as non-professionals.

The wife of one of them looked like she was almost a

hospital case from the way she hobbled along. How

she could ballroom dance I don’t know unless she

was held up like a rag doll with her shaky legs and

ghost-like face that I wouldn't want to meet in

some dark Folkstone alleyway late at night. Talk

about Halloween, she was the part if you asked me.

Her skin looked like she’d spent days in a full

lavatory bucket of white bleach for she looked

whiter than the White Cliffs of Dover. And, when

she spoke she sounded like death warmed up …

Pooooooor woman. She also trembled like a leaf.

So much for glamorous ballroom dancing, I said

to myself as she left The British Lion moments

before me … I was glad I wasn’t going to the

ballroom dance after seeing her and after my

delightful British lunch at the "Dickens Room."
~~~
Folkstone's Sacred Grounds Since 630AD at St. Eanswythe.

~~~
At Folkstone’s St. Eanswythe (shown above),
Christian worship has taken place since the beginning

of the first religious nuns there in 360AD. Only an

heathen or an idiot wouldn’t recognise such sacred

burial grounds upon seeing such like I did. The anc-

ient design of the oval, oblong, graves was something

unusual to me. I cannot recall seeing the same style

and shape of such graves any where else other

than for the first at St. Eanswythe's.
~~~
Folkstone's Own "Guitar Man."

~~~
He was doing well as I tossed in a quid coin
for his guitar playing near Folkstone’s Parade
Steps. I immediately dubbed him as the sea-
side town’s own “Guitar Man.” His guitar

case was pretty full of tossed coins as he

stopped for a moment to be photographed,

as shown above, with my own black and white

graphic of him based on the image I originally

took of him in full pure colour. I then used my

Corel paint to add my dimension to the

original image of the "Guitar Man."
~~~
Preaching The Word Was He.

~~~

Here’s a fellow who is one of Folkstone’s

own seaside folks (shown above) preaching
the good word. His name is Eric, he told me.
With all the zeal of an American televangelist with
just myself and another one or two onlookers more

curious about him than of the word he spoke. He’s been
doing his preaching for years. One of his “followers”

– an elderly lady – told me she’d been bedridden for

20 years and thru the power of prayer she was

suddenly made whole again. How true her story

is I do not know, but I hope it wasn’t a figment

of her emotional imagination or perhaps of her
old age senility. Whatever, we did pray together
holding hands in a circle, while Eric-The-Preacher

earnestly invoked the fine name of our good Lord

just for me. Whoopi ... It was nice of him, I think …
As for the ex-bedridden lady, she begged not to

be photographed when I asked her if I could have

her stand posed next to Eric. Her false teeth

then came out like fangs at me. I think she'd

be better off bedridden, again, if I dare say.
~~~
A glorious view of Folkstone's waterfront.

~~~
The kidz had just made a "big" catch - one small crab.
~~~
Folkstone's Own "Blues Band" ready to play for charity.
~~~
Folkstone's Modern Grand Burstin.
~~~
Two young weekend beach surfers at Folkstone.
~~~
I've written snippets here, if you will, of my first visit to
British Folkstone having spent a long and an enjoyable
weekend there at what is its October tourist off-season.
"Folkstone's Seaside Folks" I've also written about in
my earlier short piece and again here in my more
detailed story with several more photos that I think
helps illustrate the variety I found as I ventured all
over the seaside and fishing town of Old Folkstone.
I do hope you've enjoyed my story as much as I
have enjoyed telling you about it ...
~~~
Kudos everybody, Uncle Monty.
+John Henry Newman, 2oo8.
~~~