The Prisoner, the iconic 1960's TV show and brain child of actor/producer Patrick McGoohan was set in The Village (actually Portmeirion in Wales). I didn't know this (or more likely just plain forgot it), but the the village had a motto, and no its not "I am not a number, I am a free man."
The Prisoner Had Many Questions ..... |
- but the village captors counter reply of - 'Questions are a burden for others; answers a prison for oneself'. This idea could be applied to many states around the world ... not least Wales.
How Dirty Is My Valley
The Welsh are officially the users of the most bad language in the UK. They use a swear word once every five minutes, or 12 times and hour in general conversation, and more so when roused to anger. They are only matched by Londoners with this swear rate, but beat the Irish and Northerners (Yorkshire is very close though). The works counted are F*ck, Sh*t and C*nt. The worst offending industry for casual swearing was the energy sector .....
Its A Crap Decision
The courts give away compensation these days with little regard for the claim culture society we are creating. Two kids in Rhyl North Wales, got covered with ordure after a portable toilet they were in toppled over. For this they each got over £500 each. Accidents it seems always have someone who has to pay.
Drunken Dustup
A bikini clad Stacey Keeble attacked her best friend Stacey Philips while both were at a hot tub party in Hakin, West Wales. The row bubbled up after the hot tub party moved from Miss Philips garden to another neighbours house. For some reason this upset Ms Keeble, and when Miss Phillips tried to console her, Ms Keeble suddenly assaulted her friend of 15 years, leaving her needing stitches. She got a community order with curfew, and ordered to pay £470 in costs and compensation. .... What drink does to some people is always amazing to me .....I just go home.
Dunken Dickus
Darren Hyde, who was in court for drunkenly assaulting a man in Barry, South Wales, was listed in court papers under both his real name and a number of aliases he has used in the past. These were detailed as Paul Bromley, Scott Churchill, and Mr Hide (get it eh? .... oh so clever).
Risible Humour ...... |
However the one that made it to the newspapers was 'Biggus Diggus' .... I am not sure who is the Biggus Dickus, him or the reporter who thought that was newsworthy. He got 3 months curfew and a drink treatment/counselling course.
Welsh Woolies
Leslie Turnbull (75) and his young wife Clare (37) started flushing their underwear down the toilet of their home in Min y Graig, Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, Wales. They carried on this strange procedure for 18 months until water engineers had to come out to fix a blockage and found the 'mass of undergarments' that had caused the problem. The couple who originally pleaded not guilty before changing their plea, were fined £1,220 at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court, but refused to give any explanation for their odd behaviour.
Shinnichi Kebab
Samurai sword collector and "shinnichi" (Japanophile) Alun Jones, committed suicide in Newport, Gwent, Wales. He was home visiting his mother at the time of the act, as he usually lived in Japan, but true to his chosen lifestyle he committed the 'Hara Kari' ritual, plunging a sword into his own stomach, by falling on it.
Not Covering Up A Crime
Police in Cardiff Wales raided the home of a suspected shoplifter and found him hiding naked in a kitchen cupboard.
Festive Fun
5,000 people turned out to watch the Christmas Lights being turned on in Cwmbran, South Wales when a fight broke out .... sigh. Two people were arrested.
Valium Valleys
In proof if ever you needed it that Wales can be a depressing place. Figures released by the Valley Steps charity, showed that 1 in 3 of the 8,000 population of the Welsh town of Mountain Ash are on antidepressants.
Not Really Surprised
Finally Wales has more of its population in prison than any other country in Western Europe, with 154 prisoners per 100,000 people. Its prison terms are smaller than England's, where the confinement rate is 141 per 100,000 people. What makes this all slightly odd, is that the crime rate in Wales is actually lower than in England.
I'm not sure that is slightly odd; if more of them are in prison they can't commit crimes.
ReplyDeleteHmm .... a lower crime rate, but a higher number in prison says 'slightly odd' to me. Thanks for the comment.
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