Questions raised by Cherie Blair's autobiography

'Cherie Blair conceived Leo because she was afraid to take her "contraceptive equipment" to Balmoral'.

• Isn't she a Catholic?
• What did she worry that the household staff would think of her, that she was a married woman going to bed with her husband and that they may have sex but that she wasn't planning to have any more children?
• What is the equipment she uses? Is there a Hieronymus Bosch method? Isn't 'equipment' a strange word to use? Especially as no word at all was required, surely 'contraceptives' would have done the job.
• Why didn't they name Leo Balmoral Blair à la Brooklyn Beckham?

I haven't read the book, by the way, just an extract.

Another Islamophobic viral e-mail received

I don't often receive those e-mails that you hear about, I guess people know that I'll react in a way that doesn't suit them. In fact it has only happened once before, but today I received one. The subject-line read "How can you remove this from school history lessons cos it offends a religion" and the subject matter boiled down to the following sentiment "This week, the UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred". A little Googling shows that it is an old propaganda piece, which has been recently resurrected- presumably in the hope that people have forgotten the truth from the first time around.

I obviously responded to everyone in the e-mail trail that I could find to present the facts, but have so far received no response. I also alerted Islamophobia Watch and, should you receive one, I would urge you to do the same.

For the record, the most recent curriculum changes were to move the focus away from UK- centred history towards more international events. "Changes to the secondary history curriculum, announced last week, which will see less focus on figures such as Churchill, Hitler, and Gandhi from next year. Study of both world wars and the Holocaust, the development of political power, the British empire and slavery remain".

The other mail I received, by the way, was some time ago which warned that millions of pounds in taxpayers' money that was allocated to the preparations for the 2012 Olympics was secretly being utilised to build a mosque which would be bigger than St Paul's Cathedral and hold more people than Wembley Stadium. The truth was that a privately-funded and much smaller mosque was being built vaguely near the site of the Olympic village.

"we're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to"

As bad as things might seem here in the UK sometimes, at least we have the good sense to have avoided this kind of farce:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7416120.stm

US car dealer in free gun offer

A car dealership in the United States is offering a free handgun with every vehicle sold.

Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, says sales have quadrupled since the start of the offer.

Customers can choose between a gun or a $250 (£125) petrol card, but most so far have chosen the gun.

Owner Mark Muller said: "We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to."

The dealership sells new and old vehicles, including General Motors and Ford cars and trucks, and its logo shows a cowboy holding a pistol.

It has sold more than 30 cars and trucks in the past three days, an increase which the owners put down to their promotional offer.

Inspiration from Obama

Mr Muller said that every buyer so far "except one guy from Canada and one old guy" chose the gun, rather than the gas card.

He recommends a Kel-Tec .380 pistol, which he describes as "a nice little handgun that fits in your pocket".

He added that the promotion was inspired by recent comments from one of the Democratic nominees for the presidential election, saying: "We did it because of Barack Obama.

"He said all those people in the Midwest, you've got to have compassion for them because they're clinging to their guns and their Bibles. I found that quite offensive. We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns."

The website advertisement for the offer, which continues until the end of the month, mentions that an approved background check on gun ownership is required.

Write a letter to the Daily Mail

Hey kids, are you stuck for things to do when it rains during the summer holidays? Why not make like a grown up and write to the Daily Mail? It's fun, it gets you attention and it only costs the price of a stamp. Here's how:

Take an article from the Daily Mail, it doesn't really matter which one but articles about Asylum Seekers, Drug Dealers, Terrorists, the Labour Party and Paedophiles usually work best. Most days you can find a front page story that manages to tie all of them together- that's a sure-fire winner.

Now, you must start your letter by making it clear that you refer to that article. After that, there are no rules. It's a free-for-all. What fun! All that you need to do is to copy some or all of the following phrases in any order that you like and then end the letter with a woman's name (the frumpier the better) and add the title 'Mrs' in brackets afterwards. That will convince them that you aren't one of those awful dungaree-wearing feminists that used to appear on news bulletins in the 1980s. Here are your phrases:

• "The country is full up. I'm sorry, but we can't take your riff-raff any longer"
• "One of two of these people should be made an example of"
• "These people should be made to sit up and take notice"
• "What reasonable-minded person actually objects to bringing back the birch?"
• "It never did me any harm, I can tell you"
• "These bleeding-heart liberals really get my dander up"
• "We all know that these Socialists are only out to line their own pockets"
• "I come from an ordinary middle-class family."
• "The good old British taxpayer is the mug who has to foot the bill for this"
• "Decent hard-working British people who have paid tax all their lives"
• "This anarchist's paradise where there are no restrictions on the drinking of alcohol?"
• "I am English and proud. Why is that so offensive to our visitors here?"
• "All sorts of organisations will jump on the bandwagon and cry inequality"
• "This 'Nanny state' where people aren't allowed the freedom to smoke a cigarette"
• "If those of different faiths who have chosen to live in this country can still observe their customs, why can't we?"
• "Winston Churchill would be spinning in his grave"
• "It seems the politically correct brigade have been at it again"
• "What a child needs is discipline"
• "Can someone explain to me why soft drugs are tolerated by this Labour Government"
• "I'm simply disgusted at the way in which our government expects us to pay taxes through the nose"
• "It's no wonder this country is going to the dogs"
• "It's PC gone mad" (if you want to be really creative try something that means the same in fancier words like "this is secularism in a demented form")
• "Who can blame the millions who emigrate every year?"
• "Gordon Brown and his left-wing cronies in the cabinet"
• "What a child needs is to be kept out of danger from these lecherous beasts who are seemingly waiting at every turn"
• "People who have done nothing wrong have nothing to fear from this legislation"
• "I'm simply outraged at the way in which our government fails to provide anything more than the basic services that people need in hospital"
• "I've voted Tory all of my life and this country has never needed a Tory Government as badly as it does now"
• "Is this what generations of English men fought and died for?"
• "These people want nothing more than to be governed by Germany"
• "Isn't this simply another Labour Government attempt to extract more money from our pockets for fewer services?"
• "I have worked hard all of my life and for what?"
• "An Englishman's home used to be his castle. Well not any more"
• "Oh how I wish we could let Margaret Thatcher get hold of these people"
• "Is nothing sacred any longer?"
• "What a child needs is the freedom to learn and make their own mistakes without these namby-pamby rules interfering with the process"
• "These left-wing do-gooders will destroy every custom tradition and belief that English people hold dear"