Coss

ANZAC day. I always think that the sacrifices others made, allowed for some of the best times humanity has had and in particular my generation's fortune, to not have to serve in a war. That is not to say that there have been no wars, just that my life has been blessed in this regard. My paternal grandparents met in WW1, she a nurse and he a wounded soldier. Not strictly in the ANZAC Corps, but part of the same shindig. Lest we forget. These days: Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served" (excluding those in the New Zealand Wars however), it is also used as a time to reflect on the reasons why World War 1 was started and by who. Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918). ref: The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which primarily consisted of troops from the First Australian Imperial Force and 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force, although there were also British and Indian units attached at times throughout the campaign. The corps disbanded in 1916, following the Allied evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula and the formation of I ANZAC Corps and II ANZAC Corps. The corps was reestablished, briefly, in the Second World War during the Battle of Greece in 1941. The term 'ANZAC' has been used since for joint Australian–New Zealand units of different sizes.

And hidden amongst the many headlines, that are and will be, coming out of Trump's court case underway in 'merica is this little gem: Conviction upheld for operative who funneled Russian money to Team Trump seems that Jesse Benton In 2013, was convicted as part of a bribery scheme, but he avoided a prison sentence and was ordered to serve two years of probation. Trump pardoned him. Then in 2016 he did it again... campaign-finance violation: He was charged with helping funnel illegal money to Team Trump from a Russian national. Convicted in 2022 and sentenced to prison soon after. Appeal dismissed... https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/conviction-upheld-operative-funneled-russian-money-team-trump-rcna148833 Ya can't get a Pardon, if your clown is not a president anymore...

Looks like little Donnie, the multi billionaire who doesn't have enough money to pay a 175 million bond chose a bail bondsman, who also doesn't have any money, and is not licensed to do business in New York... https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/letitia-james-trump-fraud-bond-judgment-void-rcna148664 New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked Judge Arthur Engoron to void the $175 million bond in Donald Trump's civil fraud judgment, citing concerns that the bond company doesn't have the funds. In a filing on Friday, James said Knight Specialty Insurance Company, which underwrote Trump's bond, has not been able to show that it has enough collateral to back it. She described KSIC as "a small insurer that is not authorized to write business in New York and thus not regulated by the state’s insurance department," and said the company had never written a surety bond in New York or in the past two years in any other jurisdiction. James’ office is seeking to have Trump put up a replacement bond within seven days of a ruling. A hearing is set for Monday... etc etc etc

Wanna learn Polish? https://x.com/WhiteSoxic/status/1780608379641045403

My sister in law got her (lower) lips trimmed, I sent her a card from a guy in the burns ward thanking her for the new ears.

In the Maori language there's a phrase that sounds like "Kor Mea Hough" which means "I'm" or "this is" and is used before one's name, if you are a radio announcer or tv head. So Kor Mea Hough Mary Smith, sounds just like, Call me a Ho Mary Smith. Prolly only me that's noticed this.

I was 32 and distracted when that came out, so other than to note that little "Russ le Roq" seemed to have had some success, as an actor, I didn't pay it much heed. By distracted I mean, I had discovered Thailand.

Sleeping Dogs - 2024 - 1h 50m A film starring Kiwi Russel Crowe. An ex-homicide detective with memory loss is forced to solve a brutal murder, only to uncover chilling secrets from his forgotten past. This very good, Crowe has learned how to act well and the director Adam Cooper's debut, is phenomenal. Gripping. Mind you, I remember when Crowe was "Russ le Roq" and was sniffing around my sister in the Auckland in the '80s. Interesting wiki info: Through his paternal grandmother, he is a direct descendant of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, the last man to be beheaded in Britain. Wiki The above is not to be confused with another good movie: Sleeping Dogs - 1977 - 1h 47m Also with Kiwis, A New Zealand man recently estranged from his family gets unwittingly caught up in a revolution. Sam Neil when young.

as an aside... Rock the Boat: The Story of Radio Hauraki 1965-1970 https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/rock-the-boat-radio-hauraki-1996 They got a small ship and spent their time slinking about, between the islands off Auckland, to give us, music unapproved by nanny state...

or a G&T in some Thai dives...

I retract - it transpires that the woman who died was a Kiwi.

Found an interesting North Korea news site - https://www.nknews.org Some amusing stuff - including this gem: North Korea lauds event with pro-regime groups on promoting ‘Juche idea’ High-profile seminar aims to convince North Koreans that foreigners admire state ideology of Kim regime, experts say... https://www.nknews.org/2024/04/north-korea-lauds-event-with-pro-regime-groups-on-promoting-juche-idea/

An interesting collection of Iran photos https://www.yahoo.com/news/25-photos-show-iran-looked-190806215.html

NZ has ‘huge opportunity’ in Thailand, PM says. (NZ PM) Jury is out here, on NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, very short. Not as short as the Lao guy, but still very short...