Vince Tracy's Podcasts

The song this week is called Wirral Wonderland and is taken from on of my DVDs of our wonderful peninsula.....it's one of many songs I have written about the area....and it is from the heart and dedicated to those who feel the same way....as I used to say "There is Wirral...and there is everywhere else". We discussed last week the commercialisation of Christmas with the Tesco advert showing Muslims celebrating the occasion which I said was nice to see (apparently the ad caused a bit of controversy)...I added that the whole thing has turned into an annual party and that I didn't know many people who go to church....which I didn't mean in a disrespectful way as I respect all beliefs and nationalities...but this is how it is....in fact Christmas starts in September with adverts and albums all jumping on the band wagon...but where I do have an objection is when the likes of Greggs bring out an advent calendar featuring a sausage roll in place of various personalities on photographs....one being the three kings around the crib with a sausage roll in it....it's not funny and serves no purpose and will upset a lot of people. I thought for one minute we were going to be spared a Cliff Richard Christmas album....no chance...he's in the frame with everyone else...actors...TV presenters....etc...etc....however one guy who can actually sing has fallen at a fence...Aled Jones has been accused of improper sexual conduct 10 years ago....so one of the nicest blokes on TV obviously had a giggle with some young lady back in the day and she has decided to tell the world how upset she was 10 years later....for how much money I wonder?....this along with Sylvester Stallone allegedly misbehaving in THE SIXTIES does make the whole thing a joke....what is annoying about all this is the fact that the media knew about all this so called sexual harassment at the time but it obviously wouldn't sell papers back then...I really do despise the gutter press....and feel sorry for anyone who believes the tripe they come out with. .It's back !!....our lives are now complete....I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here....PLUS Ant and Dec....I'm glad Ant has recovered from his recent illness....but I still fail to see what talent the pair of them have....I put them in the same category as Jedward...'nuff said...against my better judgement I watched the first couple of episodes....oh dear....a bunch of so called celebs sitting in a forrest making inane conversation in between silly games and a multitude of adverts proving this rubbish is well past its sell by date and at my age I haven't got that sort of time to waste............and Michael MacIntyre has a new show which at least is original....I'm not a big fan but he works hard....makes a change from the usual played out chat shows with half a dozen celebs on a couch all talking at once trying to promote their book or album with Graham Norton guffawing over it all..... There are 7.5 billion human beings on this planet.....we have just been informed that for this country to get out of the EU it will cost us 40 BILLION POUNDS.....however we are not told why...like everyone else I thought we would just leave.....now 40 billion would give every single person on this earth just over five pounds each...but where is the money coming from?...we haven't got any have we?....and where is it going to go?...we can shout and moan but who listens?....it's like a comedy show except it's not funny....and that silly sod Boris Johnson who opened his big mouth and got that women's sentence added to in Syria has finally apologised...after two weeks....how long does it take to say you're sorry....20 seconds?....so why TWO WEEKS?

The song this week is a tribute to one of my favourite pop stars from my schooldays back in the day....Ricky Nelson...it is a track off my doowop album and the lyrics utilise some of the titles of his many hits.....Ricky made great records and we always waited for the great guitar solos played by James Burton who I have had the pleasure of playing Ricky hits with on 8 occasions. .I have just spent a few days in Lancaster and decided to spend a day in Morecambe ...I haven't been there for few years and the last time I went we chatted about how run down it was...and there was a lot of work going on on the waterfront...well I can report that the "new" Morecambe is wonderful...it is a pleasure to stroll along the new promenade which goes for miles with a great view of the Lake District across the bay...I must admit it took me by surprise and the work carried out will definitely pay off. On the showbiz scene we have new "albums" out featuring Bradley Walsh singing well worn "swing" classics...along with Alexander Armstrong who is also on the bandwagon...plus Nick Knowles who has made his "first" album because someone wrongly told him he could sing....I have often wondered why these wannabes think they can sing classic songs as good as the original...if I want to listen to swing I'll listen to Sinatra...Sammy Davis...Nat King Cole...etc...not some bloke who should stick to presenting...now Shane Richie has joined the albumers....BUT at least he does play in a band and has put his own slant on country music so a bit of an effort has gone into it...I would prefer NEW songs instead of old hat....BUT one must realise that when a record company latches on to someone who is never off the TV and ply him with old songs they get the publicity for the album with no payout for royalties so the only one making money is the record company....that's showbiz.....I would suggest these celebs jumping on the bandwagon listen to Sam Smith...THAT is a voice. .The earthquake in Iran in which 400 lives have been lost just about got a mention on the news...obviously there is far more important news like the woman who has come out of the woodwork complaining about Kevin Spacey sexually assaulting her 18 year old son 10 years ago and left him traumatised ...this made me think of my own son...he is now 39 but when he was 18 he played rugby for Cheshire and got a North of England trial....if the likes of Mr.Spacey had tried it on with him back then I'm afraid Kev would still be in traction...if you are 18 and you can't put a whimp like Spacey in his place there is not a lot down for you.......................and more headline news is Priti Patel the MP who has upset the PM and been recalled from her visit for Africa....this involved full news coverage of her getting off the plane and her car being followed along the motorway by a helicopter O.J.Simpson style...WHY??...nice to know where my licence fee goes. ....and finally....Tesco have caused a major upset....they have put a TV advert out featuring white folk AND Muslims celebrating Christmas....this has caused an outcry from the boneheads who OBJECT to MUSLIMS joining in with OUR celebrations....how dare they!!!....I'm afraid Christmas ceased to be a religious occasion back in the dark ages....it's now an excuse for companies to make money and for everyone to have a boozy family gathering....and in my opinion is there for everyone whatever their beliefs.....personally I don't know many people who actually go to church on the day.....we really should lighten up....personally I can't stand the whole thing and glad when it's over.....Bah Humbug

So, Cataluñan Independence was declared then suspended. What does this mean? Who will benefit? Is Russia really in the mix? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stressed her backing for the "unity of Spain" in a phone call with Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy amid a threat by Catalan separatists to declare independence, her spokesman said on Monday. Leaders of far-right parties in other countries are being blamed. A group of Catalan professors at prestigious universities in the United States has become a crucial pillar of the independence drive. Their defense of a referendum and independence has helped to project an image of academic support. Some of these academics now strongly and forcefully defend a unilateral declaration of independence following the October 1 referendum, which was outlawed by the Constitutional Court. Barcelona, which the Financial Times once defined as the best city to live in, made the front page of Europe’s financial publications last week. This is because several major listed companies – including CaixaBank, Banco Sabadell, Gas Natural and Agbar – decided to join a growing list of small and medium enterprises moving their corporate headquarters out of Catalonia over fears of political turmoil should a declaration of independence be announced. Meanwhile, Ryanair and all the travellers involved Easyjet have been greatly disrupted by the French air traffic controllers. This does not seem to have made the headlines in the UK where the major interest seems focussed around the antics of wayward film directors and film stars. ....despite the fact that an estimated 1 million illegals roam around the UK. David Wood, an ex-director general of immigration enforcement, told MPs there are 'enormous difficulties' in removing overseas nationals who are in the UK unlawfully. The headlines tell us that jailbirds are returning to prison to help smuggle drugs into the jails.....A third of youngsters under 5 own a tablet and Researchers from the University of Nottingham found greater immaturity among young girls makes them 31 per cent more likely to be told they have ADHD, while boys are 26 per cent more likelyto be told they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the research adds. Barack Obama and his aides regarded the idea of a special relationship between Britain and the US as a joke, it was claimed. As more than 700,000 people in Lancashire had to boil their water in summer 2015 when microbial parasite cryptosporidium was found in the Franklaw water treatment works in Preston. The resultant fine was a mere 300, 000.

The song this week is entitled "Seasons" and came about after a conversation I had with a chap a while ago....he had emigrated to Australia and decided he had made a mistake....he was originally from Wirral and I mentioned hot weather and "barbies" to which he replied he was fed up with the heat etc...I casually mentioned the fact that I enjoy the seasons and he said that was it...that is what he misses most....this was the inspiration behind the song which ended up on one of my DVDs of the area. Theresa May had a cough during her speech at the Tory Conference...which has become BIG NEWS....it was a COUGH that's all...we all get them...the BBC news coverage was pathetic...as always...I thought she did really well...but the stupid BBC have to make a major issue of it with unfunny comedy clips.GROW UP!!!!....and I'm getting a bit sick of politicians thinking they are showbiz personalities with their modern hairstyles etc....they should concentrate on doing their job !!! And still with the BBC....a car crashed in London and injured 12 people....it wasn't a terror attack...but just in case the BBC send a helicopter up with full news crew taking aerial ictures of the situation ending up with a disappointed statement that it wasn't a terror attack....cost of the whole thing ONE MILLION !!!....what a total waste of money...MY MONEY !!...what a pity they couldn't sensationalise the situation like they do with everything else. .I watched a programme about chat shows going wrong which featured amongst others Jerry Lewis being interviewed and he was so rude to the interviewer....he simply answered Yes or No to the questions with a bored look on his face....I could never stand him anyway....and Denzel Washington was the same....these "stars" need a reality check and should remember who put them there in the first place....the programme also featured Wogan trying to interview that drunken idiot George Best....dreadful...I remember Jimmy Nail turning up at Radio City in Liverpool and a young lad who worked there asked him for his autograph to which he got "I haven't got time for that sort of thing" and brushed past him...haven't heard much of Mr.Nail lately....I wonder why. And finally...I am delighted to announce that my composition Googi The Liverpool Duck has entered the charts at NUMBER 6 !!....however NOT the charts we know....it's the Bottom Of The Pops chart which is featured on Radio Merseyside on Sunday...the programme is presented by a chap called Graham Mack and is really good....he has asked the local population to vote for the worst novelty records ever made...they are all in there...Benny Hill...Bernard Bresslaw...the number one was The Barron Knights....but hey there is still time...I was very disappointed when Googi never made the classical music charts but this has made up for it.

We first must share our prayers and good wishes to all those caught up in the tragic events in Las Vegas. Two days after Catalonia held a banned independence referendum, the region was operating at half speed on Tuesday due to a general strike called by small unions. The two large Spanish general workers’ unions, UGT and CC OO, have encouraged people to demonstrate in a “paro de país” (country stoppage) to protest the police violence on Sunday, but underscored that they are not participating in the call for a general strike. Europe has had a rocky ride with referendums in recent years: think of Greece’s anti-austerity vote in 2015, or the Brexit shock and Italy’s failed constitutional referendum in December 2016. As the UK found with the 2014 Scottish independence vote, even holding a referendum at all can be highly destabilising to the traditional political order and political party systems. Shouting slogans such as “¡Viva España!” and chants such as “I am Spanish,” around 10,000 people, according to figures from the central government delegation in Madrid, attended a demonstration at midday on Saturday in the Plaza de Cibeles, in the heart of the Spanish capital. Britain's biggest ever peacetime repatriation mission has been launched to rescue Monarch's 110,000 stranded passengers.The airline ceased trading on Tuesday, with all future flights cancelled and nearly 2,000 people left without jobs. Transport secretary Chris Grayling promised a mass effort will now be executed to bring holidaymakers home, at a cost of £60million. Theresa May must reverse the ‘hollowing out’ of the Armed Forces, a top general has warned. In a letter to the PM, Sir Richard Barrons said states had the capability to seriously threaten the UK. The UK's second blind judge wholly failed 'to meet the standards that are demanded by the office of a judge' according to a panel's ruling. Meanwhile, a British Asian lawyer, Nazir Afzal, who was widely praised for his role in tackling the Rochdale grooming scandal, has been barred from making the keynote speech at the Society of Asian Lawyers annual awards and ball in London on October 28.

The song this week is especially for you "Wirral Splendour" and it extolls the virtues of this wonderful Peninsula we both know so well...even though you are a deserter....I wrote it in the 80's as part of an E.P. I produced for Wirral Borough Council...the words say it all..the council sold it via the libraries and sports centres etc....it was written from the heart The Las Vegas shootings have dominated the news here and everywhere else....it's a terrible situation which I doubt will ever be solved...to outsiders from other countries the answer is to alter the gun laws and ban guns...but there is a lot more to it than that...America has a very short history and they think differently to the rest of the world...and it would seem that the gun companies make so much money and control the government....apparently you can't buy a Kinder Egg because they are banned....the toy inside might choke a child....but you can buy a machine gun over the counter. We need more nurses and we need more police because the ones we have are under too much pressure...but there isn't enough money...is what we are constantly told....when the likes of Tony Blair and his cronies can rake in 250 grand for ONE after dinner speech....and the likes of Chris Evans raking in 2 million (not quite sure for what)....is it any wonder?....A nurse gets 25 grand for saving lives...Evans gets the equivalent 80 nurses...but obviously him and the likes of Linacre and his totally unnecessary "pundits" are more important....I'm sure the homeless guy in sleeping in the shop doorway is delighted for them. Now Monarch Airlines has gone under and with the Ryanair fiasco I am glad that foreign travel is of no interest to me any more...I frequently go up to the Lake District and enjoy the ambience and also frequent Snowdonia in Wales....it does not get any better than this...I can walk in the hills and honestly say there is nowhere else I would rather be...I just don't understand suffering the pressure of airports to go and fry beside a pool which most of those with no imagination seem to do...but I also appreciate that I am fit enough to do what I do...unfortunately some people aren't...but this country has so much to offer which so many don't appreciate. O.K....are you ready for this....forget Superman...forget Batman....forget Captain Marvel...we have our own super hero DAN DARE !!...and he is from SOUTHPORT !!...Dan Dare Pilot of the Future was featured on Radio Luxembourg at 7.15 every night for 15 minutes...back in the fifties.....I never missed an episode....he was also featured on the front of The Eagle comic and the artist who created him lived in Southport....and there is an exhibition on there celebrating the super hero with original artwork etc....Dan Dare...Digby and Jocelyn Peabody....rock on !!!

Angela Merkel won power at the ballot box on Sunday but lost support to the far-right AfD party which gained its first seats in the German parliament, leading to protests across the country. Is it true that Catalans pay more than the rest? The answer is yes. It will be rightly said that Catalonia is a rich community and, therefore, it is logical that in a progressive tax system contribute more than, for example, Extremadura, the region with the highest unemployment rate and lower GDP per capita. Sympathy with Catalonia's bid to hold an independence referendum next week is running high in Scotland, where lawmakers are increasingly vocal in condemning Spain's actions and a group of volunteers is heading out to help He lives far away, but Jose Jimenez is convinced that Catalonia's independence referendum "won't result in anything," one of many Spaniards in the sprawling southern Andalusia region following the separatist crisis with concern. Mariano Rajoy visited the White House Tuesday to hold a working session with US President Donald Trump. The Spanish president, in his first meeting with Trump, plans to invite the US president to visit Spain and has put on the table his diplomatic position on sanctions to North Korea and Venezuela Not all countries are the same," says Antonio Javier Saborit López, a Spanish citizen who works in the construction sector in London, and is part of a surprising number of Spaniards based in the United Kingdom who support Brexit. Former Spanish king Juan Carlos at 79 has been named world sailing champion along with his crew during the classic six competition in Vancouver that also included American Dennis Conner. A hero Royal Marine who lost three limbs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan was praised by Prince Harry last night after winning a silver medal at the Invictus Games. Ryanair has announced it will scrap 18,000 more flights on 34 routes until March 2018 - having already axed more than 2,000 routes n a triumphalist keynote speech at party conference, Mr Corbyn said he was determined to sweep away the 'failed dogma' of 1980s Thatcherism and make the rich 'pay their fair share' A NHS plan to bring over 202 nurses from the Philippines to work at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, has stalled after 88 per cent of the first wave failed their English language test.

The song this week is called "The Magic Of Wales" where I have just spent a few days....the weather was great and out of curiosity we went to Trearddur Bay to have a look at the house that is featured in the TV series "Safe House"....it's a big one and fascinating to see in real life....the song is sung by my mate Paul Damian and was the follow up to my How To Say Llanfair P.G. song and sold equally as well...it is now a track on my Welsh CD album (available from my website www.donwoods.co.uk) .. must confess I have completely lost the thread of Brexit.....the reason I voted to leave the EU was because I was sick of being told what we can and can't do by some foreign country...and having to comply with their often stupid laws...and looking at the interest on my savings made me think things can only get better....but obviously we only got the vote to keep us quiet...we weren't supposed to WIN....so now it seems like all those who stand to lose their large incomes are totally complicating the whole thing...and on and on it drags...and now I haven't got a clue what's happening...like everyone else.....every time I hear the word "Brexit" or see that buffoon Boris Johnson on TV I simply change channels....when I voted "out" I thought that was it... I didn't think it would drag on forever. ..The ladies football has hit the news....the manager has been sacked for improper behaviour...apparently he had an affair with one of the girls in a team he managed a few years ago....shock horror...the fact that she was over 18 doesn't seem to matter...she was one of his players and that's that...it's a shame this unforgivable incident didn't bring an end to ladies football...I doubt if it would be missed...and as for women rugby....no comment. ..On the subject of rugby there is a move afoot to ban tackling in school rugby....for safety reasons...how long has rugby been played in schools?....the nanny state strikes again....I'm still trying to come to terms with them banning conkers !!....and they have changed the system of marking G.C.S.E.s....it's now a 1 to 10 system and the results have been poor....it does make you wonder who comes up with these bright ideas....not to mention boys being allowed to go to school in a dress if they so wished....I dread to think what would have happened to them at my school. ...We are now bombarded with Christmas items in the shops...it's SEPTEMBER for goodness sake!!!...personally I can't stand Christmas...Bah Humbug?... the reality is it's ONE DAY....then we have New Years Eve which is always a none starter...then NOTHING....when I used to play in the band we were out virtually every night up to Christmas so I never really noticed the build up...I think I'll get back on the road....three months of the same old Christmas songs in the shops....help !!!

Spain on Monday ordered North Korea's ambassador to leave the country by September 30th in protest over Pyongyang's nuclear tests, which it has criticised as "a serious threat to peace". Spanish police on Monday seized more than 100,000 posters promoting a planned independence referendum in Catalonia, while prosecutors summoned mayors who have agreed to help hold the disputed vote. Spain's Guardia Civil on Wednesday searched several headquarters in Barcelona of Catalonia's regional government, a Catalan government spokesman said. The Guardia Civil on Wednesday arrested the Catalan vice president's right-hand man, police and Catalonia's regional government said. Alex Green, a firefighter from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was found with a bleed to the brain and fractures to his eye sockets in the streets of Magaluff.The 26-year-old also had a broken cheek bone, nose and a collapsed lung when he was discovered on the street. He had travelled to the party resort with a group of 25 friends and family members but he was found just six hours later with severe injuries. Chet Sandhu, from Hartlepool, was arrested at gunpoint in Alicante Airport by Spanish police in November 1999. Chet - real name Gurchettan Sandhu - masterminded a steroid-smuggling operation with a market value of more than half a million dollars. Now in a new book Chet chronicles his life and time inside the notorious Spanish prison Fontcalent, famed for its tough conditions and high-profile inmates. Spain is the European country that has lost more money in the bailout of large economies, 4.3% of GDP....more than Germany, the United Kingdom or Italy, according to the European Commission. ........ 48,000 million not recoverable In Syria a Reaper drone operated by pilots 2,000 miles away at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, unleashes its deadly arsenal – obliterating a sniper keeping watch on a roof nearby. As the terrified crowds scatter in panic, the IS fighters are unable to stage their barbaric killing. The UK is still trying to clarify what happened with the Parsons Green rail bomb. The Syrian refugee arrested over the Parsons Green bombing appeared to enjoy smoking weed and drinking vodka as part of his 'very westernised' life. Yahya Faroukh, 21, was being quizzed in a south London police station after he was arrested on Saturday night outside Aladdin's Fried Chicken in Hounslow where he worked. On his Instagram he wrote about 'smoking weed every day' and posted an image saying: 'For better life you need to have weed, vodka and drugs.' Craig Dawick, 25,of Rochdale has been jailed for life for murdering his eight-month-old son Leyton for crying too much. He left him injuries that looked like he was in a car crash.........Meanwhile, John Robinson, 23, has been jailed after fracturing his seven-week-old daughter's skull and leaving her 'looking dead'. He has always denied responsibility but was jailed for one year. Omega Mwaikambo, 43, claims he did 'nothing wrong' after posting pictures of a loosely covered corpse hours after the Grenfell blaze struck the block of flats in Kensington in June.The 43-year-old was jailed for three months for his offences and is now out Claire Walton says the video of her daughter being attacked outside Blessed Edward Jones high school in Rhyl, North Wales, shows just how savage youth violence has become. Dawn French has done us a favour: with refreshing force. In an amiable interview at the weekend she was reflecting — as a comedy creator will do — on the absurdities of modern life when she landed, with sudden anger, on the ladette thing.She had been watching reality shows about 'young lasses out on the lash in Ibiza', not only helplessly drunk but having reckless sex with all and sundry.'I am shocked at how they behave,' French said.

.The song this week is from my Doowop album which takes us back to the golden days of rock and roll...it is called "Taxi To The Past" and wonders where the time has gone...as indeed do we all...and in reality time took us all out of those days without us realising so the song says if we could get a taxi back there for one day we could at least say goodbye. The BBC have come under fire for their coverage of the hurricanes in America...it was questioned as to why they had to have a reporter standing in the middle of it all when all that is required are camera shots.....and following their coverage of the failed bomb attempt on the train in London we were subjected to the reasons why the bomb never went off....so off they go explaining what SHOULD have happened....I'm sure this information will be helpful to the terrorists....nice one BBC. The latest car theft crimes are receiving a lot of publicity....the thieves now break into houses and get the keys for the car outside and off they go....which will make people a bit more diligent I suppose....and the police are too understaffed to deal with petty crime...or so it has been announced on the news which lets the criminals know the situation...and there has been a bit of publicity regarding some empty headed moron riding his motorbike down the middle lane on the motorway doing a wheelie..then waving both hands in the air...I think he got an 18 month ban...should have been jailed for 10 years....oh sorry I forgot about his human rights..........the human rights brigade need a reality check....what "rights" should criminals have....i don't find it difficult NOT burgling houses or not driving round like a lunatic....it's quite easy....but obviously these boneheads need to be treated humanely....it's a joke. We are now bombarded with "celebrity" panel shows....where no one has a clue who the so called celebs are...especially me......they seem to be talentless youngsters from either the soaps where they all seem to yell at each other or the reality shows where they are looking for a relationship....what happened to entertainment? and indeed entertainers....apart from the odd decent drama there is nothing worth watching on television these days....and.I have absolutely nothing against peoples preferences....love is love...BUT I was watching Tom Daley being interviewed with his "husband".....why can't he just be his civil partner?....the Oxford dictionary describes "husband" as a man married to a woman....I'm not offended in any way but find it a bit uncomfortable..... And finally Neil Sedaka has been featured on various chat shows....he is on tour in this country...I have a lot of time for him or indeed anyone who is capable of being self contained.....He co-wrote some great songs (he only wrote the music by the way)...but I remember him nearly going broke in the late sixties when Beatlemania swept all the old brigade to one side....what I could never understand was where did the millions he MUST have earned from his hits go?....these guys must know how to spend?

The song this week is called Exotic Adrian and is one of the many I composed and produced for wrestler Adrian Street.........I intend to re-release a double album of all the songs in the near future....a lot of the songs are not for the faint hearted or the PC Brigade. I have been watching the horrendous storms in America....I was once on holiday in Daytona Beach when Hurricane Andrew struck....fortunately we only got the tail end of it but it did a lot of damage in Miami....I remember they were appealing for money on TV to help the poor people who had been affected..Centre....maybe some of that would solve the problem....I nearly caused an international incident. Strictly Come Dancing is back....which I must say I do enjoy...and the new lady head judge who is replacing Len Goodman is from LEASOWE...which as you know is just round the corner from where I live.....however it has been suggested that in the future the programme should include same sex dancing....what next?...the BBC have quite rightly decided against it which will probably invoke a gay pride march....I watch the programme to enjoy beautifully sculpted women gliding round the dance floor ...I don't want to watch them doing so with Anne Widdecombe....or even worse Anton Du Beck waltzing with Bill Turnbull....NO THANKS. Piers Morgan strikes again...he was interviewing the woman who wanted the statues of Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill to be pulled down because of all the deaths they were responsible for....Piers referred to Nelson Mandella who had a similar history... which hit home.....he stated that Lord Nelson and Churchill saved our country from our enemies and suggested to the woman that perhaps it was because they were white....unlike Mandella....very interesting ...nice to see the race card played that way round for a change....he certainly shut her up .It has been announced that robots will have taken over from teachers by the middle of this century....so there....I once wrote a musical called;School Without A Teacher; where a computer was brought in to replace the teacher....the computer had all the answers and could solve every problem and kept all the kids under control....until the school bully had the answer....he pulled the plug out of the wall...the play ran for about an hour or so and and was performed by several schools in the area...ahead of my time or what?...looks like I'll be digging out again..

Broadcasting from Cool FM in downtown Benidorm. This was the day when Chubby Checker propelled The Twist into our young lives. The song originally came from Hank Ballard. Check out Chubby Checker's podcast with me.....http://www.vincetracy.com/checker.html

Broadcasting from Cool FM in downtown Benidorm. This was the day when Chubby Checker propelled The Twist into our young lives. The song originally came from Hank Ballard. Check out Chubby Checker's podcast with me.....http://www.vincetracy.com/checker.html

The song this week is a track from my album "Stars Over 45" which features light hearted looks at some of our legendary celebs...it is called "The Ballad Of Una Stubbs".....and is a tribute to the lady who has always been everybody's sweetheart....I actually sent this song to her and she phoned me up and thanked me....cool or what.....she was really sweet.....the album did very well and is available from my website www.donwoods.co.uk I watched the ITV news last Friday morning from 8 to 8.30.....during which time there were three female presenters sitting side by side...Charlotte Hawkins...Kate Garraway and Ranvia Singh....they then brought on two more women to discuss an advertisement placed in a newspaper by a restaurant requiring an "attractive " lady waitress....how dare anyone do this!!!....looks should have NOTHING to do with it !!!.....said a collection of women caked in makeup with expensive hairdos ...all this sexist garbage is wearing a bit thin....then they bring on another woman actress to discuss her part in a TV drama then it's over to another woman for the weather...so there you are ... gender equality....I might invent a game for that programme called "Spot The Bloke"....I doubt if anyone would win it. ....in fact I hate to admit it but I'm beginning to like Piers Morgan ... at least he livens the proceedings up...and I wrote a letter to a magazine slating him and I got ten quid....so at Least I owe him that....love him or hate him he is compulsive viewing. I had to laugh at a recent top notch horse racing meeting.....a 50 to one outsider won a race and after everyone had been paid out (worldwide) they discovered it was the wrong horse....apparently the stable boy had put the saddle on the wrong horse...DOH!!...I bet he was popular with the thousands of bookies......and our ladies won the cricket world cup...I think....it earned a 2 minute mention on the news....which says it all....talented as they may be I'm afraid here there is very little interest in ladies cricket. There is a big outcry from the Royals regarding the broadcasting of Princess Diana's secret tapes which Channel 4 are putting out next Sunday....the Palace is trying to put a stop to it...which means EVERYONE will be watching it....there are mixed feelings from the public...why I don't know...as it has been on YouTube for ages and it has been broadcast in America...so what's the problem?....they recently had the two sons talking about her which has obviously started the ball rolling.....personally I think if you don't agree with it don't watch it......apparently the BBC had it lined up some years ago but the Palace put a blocker on it......as I've always said it's US and THEM....always was always will be. I have been watching with fascination the recent World War One features on the telly.....they have archive film of these poor young men in the trenches dodging bullets....it is impossible for my generation to even imagine what they went through....knowing that any minute you could be killed....as thousands were...and what for?...a total waste of life.........I have nothing but the utmost admiration for the likes of soldiers and police and firemen who put their lives at risk on a regular basis....and for a fraction of the money paid to our "brave" newsreaders...

Spain’s political parties on Monday sealed a historic agreement against gender violence that seeks to protect women and their children from the moment a doctor identifies any signs of abuse. So far this year, 32 women and six minors have been killed in gender violence-related cases, up from figures for2016. At a historic court appearance on on Wednesday morning, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that he had “absolutely no knowledge” about the possible existence of arallel accounts within his Popular Party (PP) that were allegedly used for opaque donations and illegal party financing. “I was never in charge of anything to do with accounting.” Madrid’s EMT municipal transportation company is set to hire 220 new maintenance workers between this year and next in a bid to combat the problem of fires breaking out on its fleet of buses. Supporters of Catalan independence have received a new setback, with the latest poll carried out by the regional government’s Opinion Studies Center (CEO) showing public support for secession from Spain has dipped 3% since March. A senior German MEP has warned that two of the EU’s top Brexit chiefs want to “punish” Britain to stop other countries trying to leave the bloc. The European Commission warned Poland it was “getting very close” to taking the unprecedented step of stripping Warsaw of its voting rights at EU summits, unless it stepped back from reforms that would undermine judicial independence. As the pier-master on the beaches of Dunkirk, Commander James Campbell Clouston organised the evacuation of more than 200,000 soldiers – only to be killed when his own boat was hit by German bombers.Now, although the Royal Navy officer's bravery has finally been recognised in the new acclaimed film about the 1940 battle, the pier-master in the movie does not use his real name – leaving his family bitterly disappointed. As families jet off for their summer holidays this weekend, the fees are likely to infuriate passengers already frustrated by having to pay for add-ons such as choosing their seats. Wizz Air, another low-cost airline, was this week forced to scrap a £9 fee for larger cabin bags following a backlash from 'confused' customers. Millions of young children’s lives are being put at risk because schools are not teaching them how to swim, a hard-hitting report has warned. One in 20 schools do not teach swimming at all, despite the subject being on the curriculum for more than 20 years.