Ever wonder why Americans are so obese?

Knowing full well that my beloved Cincinnati Reds are off to a horrendous start (11.5 games behind the Cubs) I haven't checked in very often this baseball season with the official Reds website. But, since I knew the All Star break must be approaching I thought I'd pop in to see what was going on. I discovered for $30 you can now sit in an All you can eat seat. This gives you a really poor seat down the left field line, but allows you to eat all you can of the various delectable items that are proffered at the Great American Ballpark (beer not included). I wonder? How many of those frozen chocolate malts do you think a human being could eat in a nine-inning game? I would love to see a photograph of the clientele that inhabit those seats.

Bonekickers

Last night was the first installment of Bonekickers. If you remember, they filmed a portion of the programme at Central United Reformed Church. I raced home after our Elders' Meeting to watch the final 30 minutes. I had been cautioned that the programme was 'rubbish' and after watching it, I have to agree. But you might want to peruse these interesting bits by moving the toggle at the bottom of the iplayer.
2.10 a brief look up Pulteney Street outside of our church

15:57 -a brief but lovely aerial view of Bath

17:47 -is that McVitties that the student intern is serving? (for the William's gang)

20:15-21.00 -the 'Grove Street entrance' of Central URC is transformed into a Bath University building

25:06-26.30 -the Muslim Study centre is actually Argyle Hall at Central URC.

You can reach the BBC iplayer at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00cgsxt This is a direct link to the programme. But be quick, I think it is only up for one week.

Where's Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke?

Chimney repair

For the second time since we have moved to Bath one of our two chimneys was in need of repair. During my lunch break the stonemason invited me up the scaffolding to have a look at his work -of course, necessarily done in Bath stone.

Another proponent of universal healthcare. . .

Aneurin (Nye) Bevan's statue in Cardiff -one of my political heroes.

Thanks, Nye. . .

Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the National Health Service. The article from Reuters says it all. . .

LONDON (Reuters) - The taxpayer-funded National Health Service marks its 60th birthday on Saturday, secure in its future with Britain's main political parties committed to its credo of free healthcare at the point of need.
Treating one million people every 36 hours, its annual budget has grown from 437 million pounds in 1948 to over 100 billion pounds today, a near ten-fold rise once inflation is taken into account.
Treatments undreamed of at its beginning are now routine, with new drugs and antibiotics transforming the way doctors can deal with once debilitating and fatal conditions.
Hip replacements were so unusual in the late 1950s that the surgeon who invented them asked patients to agree to return them after their death.
The NHS now carries out 1,000 hip replacements every week.
Labour Health Secretary Aneurin Bevan launched the NHS on July 5, 1948 with the promise that "everybody, irrespective of means, age, sex or occupation shall have equal opportunity to benefit from the best and most up-to-date medical and allied services available."
"Nobody realised how much unknown sickness there was until the NHS began," said retired GP John Marks, 83, who qualified on the service's first day.
"So many people just could not afford to go to the doctor. There was an unprecedented rush to the GPs with problems people had been putting off for years.
"Before the NHS, healthcare in this country was a disaster, particularly if you were poor."
While the service was a keystone of Labour policy, successive Conservative governments were less enthusiastic.
But Conservative leader David Cameron has embraced the service after his party lost three successive elections to a Labour government committed to expanding healthcare funding.
"The fact that we have a health service that takes care of everyone, whatever their needs, backgrounds and circumstances, is one of the greatest gifts we enjoy as British citizens," Cameron said in a speech on Tory health policy last month.
"Devolution has brought different approaches to the NHS in the four nations that make up the United Kingdom and this is resulting in an unquestionable divergence between our health systems," said Scotland's Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon.
"Nevertheless, this statement on our shared principles highlights a resolve to ensure that the NHS remains free at the point of delivery and continues to strive for the highest possible standards in clinical excellence and patient care."

The food tent was quite popular -please note the barbecued delights prepared by yours truly.

Three British gentlemen surveying the Garner/O'Hagan estate.
Maurene is convinced that if she closes her eyes she won't be in the photograph.

After a grueling ordeal over the grills, I'm finally able to socialise with the revellers.

Those who couldn't find room in one of the three gazebos sought shelter under umbrellas.

Independence Day - 2008

For the second year running, Maurene and I hosted an Independence Day party at the manse. Yes, it rained again -although this year it was only sporadic and quite light. Approximately 60 guests from our three churches attended. There was lots of laughter, conversation, and good food supplied by our guests. Maurene made her now famous 'American flag' cake, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. I did the grilling -sausages, burgers, and chicken. Patriotic music provided a background, although disappointingly, none of the party goers seemed enamored with the 'Battle of New Orleans.' Go figure.

8 years and counting. . .
Tomorrow Maurene and I will host an Independence Day celebration at the manse. This will be the first year that we have celebrated our first nation's holiday after becoming British subjects. I also realise that on Tuesday I have lived in the United Kingdom for eight years. So would you please stand with me and sing along to the national anthem of the United Kingdom.

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