Graeme J W Smith M.R.I.N.

Scotland v's USA - Polo

2008-06-09T19:33:00.007-04:00

Polo - USA v Scotland
Saturday June 21st, 5:00pm

Gardiner Seveney Sports Complex
715 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI
6 miles north of downtown Newport.

Tailgate picnics on the lawn are welcome with field-side admission of $10.00 for adults. Children 15 & under are free! Great Family Event.

The Mystic Highland Pipe Band will perform before the match, for the Scots National anthem and at half time will give a display of sword dancing.

The Scots' fifth appearance in the USA - they lead the series 3-1

The appearance of the Mystic Highland Pipe Band is sponsored by Atlantic Technology Group LLC - premier providers of Managed Computing and Advanced Infrastructure Solutions in Southern New England.

Newport, Fall River and New Bedford.
http://www.atlantictechgroup.com/
401-864-1897

Old Shipmates never die - they merely fade away...

2007-10-18T07:41:00.000-04:00

USS Wilkes (DD441) Reunion Cancelled

USS Wilkes DD441 - at anchor in the Pacific - 1945

1,000 WWII vets are dying each day. As the disappear from our individual memories their traditions and collective memory also slips away. I received this today from one who served but can no longer make it this weekend to a planned reunion event....

The Wilkes Reunion has been cancelled. There were less than ten registered. John had made all the arrangements to no avail. I guess we are all getting older for some reason. In some cases the man or the wife cannot travel anymore. Wally, Joe, John had registered. I suppose we will.... I thought John would have notified you. The people who have ship's memorabilia are sending it to the Destroyer Museum, USS Kennedy, at Battleship Cove. That is if they don`t want to keep it anymore. Rich is the curator there.

We were really sorry to hear That the Captain passed away. I know he was getting quite frail at the last reunion. I don`t think he was at all happy after his wife died. I guess time marches on.

The best of everything to you and all the family.

Sincerely,

USS Wilkes Web Site

USS Kennedy, at Battleship Cove.

The Best D@%n Iris Party Ever!

2007-06-10T09:03:00.000-04:00

Saturday 9th June 2007 dawned cool and gray and rain threatened all morning. A team of friends and neighbors descended on Captain Rommel's house to clean, polish, cook and prep. In the preceding week others had worked all over the garden so the apple trees were trimmed, the topiary looked perfect and the iris were best displayed - despite the battering the previous week's rain had given them. Tents were raised and a temporary floor laid for the band. Whatever the day brought - everyone was determined that this would be the "Best Damn Iris Party Ever!"

Dan Ferreira and his Meadowlarks set up in a tent on the lawn and played to the arriving honored guest - Captain Herb Rommel USN (Ret), his guests, the family and the neighborhood where he has lived these past 40 years. Friends and guests arrived through the afternoon to share memories of Herb's late wife Mary and to enjoy the house, gardens and family they had made together.

The weather was kind and though it was cool - it never rained. Tubby the cat was reunited with Herb. Guests danced, shared good cheer and food. The afternoon finished with Herb and guests singing "God Bless America" to match Herb's take on his life: "I have been lucky and I have been blessed".

Later that night Herb passed in his sleep.

Herb Rommel - www.herbrommel.com
Herb Rommel - as he and his shipmates remember Pearl Harbor
Herb Rommel - as he told it to me - BBC People's War
At the time the BBC piece was written I got a couple of dates wrong - but the story is as Herb told it.

Rebellious - to a "T"

2006-12-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

A number of years ago I first visited the North American Continent to give a paper at a conference in Toronto. At an awards ceremony later I was given an "off the cuff" award of "Honorary Revolting Colonial" for my forthright views about matters Scots' as they pertained to matters English.

So you will understand why I am rather taken with the views of Ian Hamilton QC on his blog

Ian - in case you don't recognise the name - was responsible for - amongst other things - removing the Scot's ceremonial throne from beneath the throne of Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Day 1950 and liberating it back to Scotland. You gotta love someone who can get away with something like that.....

Christmas 1776 ~ 2006

2006-12-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

We hope this letter gets to you. Communications are difficult because the English Navy guards our coast so close. It has been a desperate year. On the 8th July the Continental Congress in Philadelphia declared our independence from England and read the news to the populace from Independence Hall. Here in Rhode Island the declaration was read to the populace from these very steps of the English Governor’s Colony House on the 20th July where we are pictured in better times.

In the Newport Artillery Company we were divided in our loyalties. The English ordered our leader Captain Malbone to surrender the City of Newport to them and he did. However half of us have refused to be part of this and have left to join part of the American army based in Tiverton across the East Passage on the mainland. We plan to lay siege to Aquidneck Island and so prevent the English breaking out and fighting us on the mainland.

Things have not gone well for our cause. General Washington laid siege to the English in Boston but was disastrously defeated in an attack on Bunker Hill. He was able to rescue the Army and withdraw to New York but he was again defeated and has had to fall back on New Brunswick which he was forced to abandon last month. The main army is not paid in months, has little food and almost no arms or supplies. We wonder what the Continental Congress is doing in Philadelphia. They do not seem to be supporting our army. Most of Washington’s men have said they will not sign their re-enlistment papers for the New Year and will go home. Many already have in the dark of the night.

As we write we have news that General Washington has given us a glorious victory to end the year. On Christmas Day he arranged for the remaining loyal army members to be ferried across the Delaware River in the dark of the night. We hear it was a fearful operation as most men had no clothing or shoes, the ice was thin and they had to keep quiet so as to not raise an alarm. Cannon had to be hauled out the water and then hauled miles afterwards on hard snow covered roads. On the 26th he has attacked and completely surprised the feared Hessian German mercenaries the English had stationed at Trenton. They are utterly routed and mostly captured and we have lost only 4 men of the 2,400 loyal army members who attacked. We now have supplies and a great victory. The password for the day was “Victory or Death”.

We hope the news is true and that 1777 will be a better year for our cause and that we will prevail.

Historical Note - The Continental Congress resolved to declare independence on July 2nd 1776, The populace in Philadelphia were the first to hear the news on the 8th. The Declaration was not actually signed by most members of the Congress till the 20th July and it was backdated to the 4th July - which is why we celebrate the 4th as Independence Day.

Thanks - To Rodger Grinnell of the Artillery Company of Newport and Karen Romanski for lending us their uniform and colonial dress.

Casino Royale

2006-11-25T09:17:00.000-05:00

When Sean Connery (arguably the “best” Bond) quit in the 1960’s – the franchise dug deep into the plot line of Ian Fleming’s book “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and produced a movie that many Bond aficionados recognize as one of the best – while introducing George Lazenby in the role. George - sadly - didn’t last and the franchise rumbled through some dreadful Roger Moore years propped up by outrageous stunts and sharply pressed dinner jackets. Pierce Brosnan rescued Bond from the dark and foreboding Timothy Dalton - so many were dismayed when he decided to hang up his Walther PPK and leave the producers looking for someone new.

So on the day after Thanksgiving – the outlaws and I headed over to the local multiplex where 4 of the 20 screens were showing Daniel Craig’s debut in Casino Royale. Glad we dropped by in the morning and bought our tickets early! If you haven’t read the books –this was Bond’s “first” mission for Ian Fleming and the producers have dropped a lot of the “givens” and started afresh with the franchise here too. Gone are Eon Productions, many of the “characters” who propped the previous movies and “in” are financial help from the Government of the Bahamas to place part of the movie there and some pretty overt product placement from Sony and Ford. Thank goodness it was a temporary aberration that had Bond drive a Ford rental, the Aston Martin (albeit Ford owned these days) gets more than a look-in with Bond winning a 1964 DB5 in a card game and later driving (and real world totaling) a DB9 later in the movie. But these little commercialization’s in the movie don’t detract from Daniel Craig’s hard edged killer which harks back to Connery in Dr No when he kills in cold blood – because that is his job.

Without spoiling the ending – this movie faithfully follows the twists, turns and doubts of the original 1953 novel. Some scenes are lifted straight from it – notably when Le Chiffre tortures Bond. Of course the movie has been brought up to date in terms of locations, bad guys and the world 53 years after the book was written. But the gadgets are believable PDA’s and computers that we all use in the real world – only a little better, the stunts are exceptionally good – and they are believable (well – just!) and the violence is not necessarily gratuitous – though people meet violent deaths when they get in the way.

Craig portrays Bond’s dilemmas as real spy world, not necessarily black and white but varying shades of grey. Not just in his conscience but in who got disposed of along the way – and should they have been. M has her doubts – Bond has to remind himself that to survive he cannot afford to have doubts. The character forms and introduces himself at the very end of the movie in the very last line – “The name is Bond, James Bond”.

Of course we really are now out of original Fleming novels so it will be interesting to see how we move on from here – but this Bond IS one of the best since the 1960’s. Perhaps reusing them realistically - as here and in OHMSS will keep the franchise strong.

Vacation, Holiday what the heck

2006-11-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

As I was happily keywording the blog I realized that as you cross the Atlantic the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's come up with slightly different interpretations on a theme that confuses many from the UK. So here is the definitive.....

USA	UK
Holiday	Bank Holiday
Vacation	Holiday

In the UK the term "holiday" is used a bit loosely, in the USA it is pretty precise as to which is which........

Happy Holidays!

Travelling for Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

The USA upped to Alert State ORANGE today. With everyone flying everywhere all over America to see family you have to consider it a time of risk – or not – it is too obvious a time to attack air travel – so we could not worry – but why take the risk? So on Orange Alert day we found ourselves at the airport early to get frisked, searched and generally worked over prior to our flight down to the Orange State of Florida for Thanksgiving with the outlaws – my partner’s family.

Through a quirk of air miles cashed in – we are flying for “free” – or more like tens of thousands of dollars spent with one particular credit card company over the years to earn miles. Amazingly we were not “blacked out” and could get flights – just we had to dogleg to Florida from Providence via the Windy city of Chicago.

It was a continuously turbulent plane ride in a small commuter jet with the bonus of a view of the Niagara Falls as we flew over them (the tiny white smudge in the center of the pictue). On America’s busiest travel day of the year – we arrived early in Chicago – we nearly got to jump a plane early to Florida but we would have had to sit in Florida and wait for our bags. There was more to do in O’Hare – we sat it out. People coming from New York were getting delayed due to a line squall – we must have been bumping along its northern edge - so a number of flights were slow out of Chicago as they waited for the planes or the crew but nothing disastrous and everyone was good humored.

Our departure for Fort Myers was on time. We were flying American – who lost planes on 9/11 so it was interesting the introduction we got from our matter of fact captain who stood at the front of the plane and offered:

Good to see you and please keep the sun shades up for take off – we want the competition to see we have a full plane.
There are three toilets on the plane – please use the two at the back, we don’t want you guys in coach to see the lovely facilities we offer first class in the one at the front – and more to the point I don’t like lines of people crowded around the flight deck door – and neither do the air marshals.
While you are at it – turn and shake the hand of the stranger sitting next to you – they just might be the air marshal who saves your life.
The first officer is called XX XX and learned to fly in college – used to work for Delta but saw sense and a chance of a pension and moved to us at American – we are glad to have him.
Some of you younger folk may have flown with me before – I learned to fly helicopters in Fort Myers and the last time we flew together I might have been pulling you out of a hot Landing Zone in Vietnam. Today’s ride will be considerably smoother.
When we land in Fort Myers – see if you can figure out who is landing the plane – college or Army!

When we got to Fort Myers there was not much doubt that we got a steeply banked and slightly gung-ho Army landing!

Later we had a quiet evening wandering around a brightly lit, well manicured Naples. But do those restaurants need to have so many propane side walk heaters pumping CO2 into the air? Firstly you were all almost empty and secondly – even if it was cool by Naples standards – a thin wrap of jacket would solve the problem for those who did come out to eat. The contribution to Global Warming was an outrageous waste. Guess the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York will involve a lot of waste too. For some funny and “traditional” reason – everyone wants to sit and watch it on TV.

Thank goodness we found a Starbucks for some decent coffee – just a block away – I know – I probably contributed to Global Warming in an abstract way by patronizing them. It is so hard to straighten out the priorities……Sigh……

Don't forget to vote Tuesday 7th......

2006-11-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

If you live outside the USA - and you listen to any media - you for sure have heard we are having local elections - and you probably realise that we could end up with the Congress getting held by the Democratic Party and the Senate might also go Democratic. This would effectively lame duck the Republican President in his final two years in office. What is less well understood is that we are also voting for a number of other candidates for local offices and for a number of ballot questions - effectively referenda on different topics. In fact this election in Newport we are being asked to pick candidates for 10 offices plus 4 councillors at large for Newport and seven school committee members. Then there are no less than 9 state referenda and 2 town ones for Newport. To help you get it right on the day you are allowed to go to the town hall for an advance copy of the ballot paper so for those who wonder what its about - here we go............

This is the paper for candidates. The Senate Race (we have Lincoln Chafee desperately trying to hold a Republican seat in a traditionally Democratic State) could make or break the Senate depending on which way it goes. Then we have our representatives in Congress, then the Governor of the State. The present Governor is trying to win re-election having won last time on a "clean up local government" style agenda. He has and it has made him pretty unpopular with those who have lost their sweetheart deals. This one is being closely fought. Then we have Lieutenant Governor - effectively the Vice-Governor - but an otherwise pretty empty ceremonial role. Robert Healy of the "Cool Moose" Party (UK - think Screaming Lord Sutch) promises to not take office and to abolish the role so saving the state $1 million a year - he just might win! Then a rash of other state roles. Then our town councillor (running unopposed) and then pick 4 of 7 for Newport councillors at large. The councillor at large with the most votes gets to be mayor!. Then 7 of 8 for School Committee. If you look VERY carefully at the Ballot Paper you will see a line(s) under each post called "Write In". Guess why? In the old days US ballot papers were blank and you wrote in the name of who you wanted. Guess what? You still can! You don't have to vote for people on the ballot. You can vote for ANYONE who can hold the office - you can even vote for yourself. Don't think it would do you any good? In 1954 Strom Thurgood made it to the Senate by running a "write in" campaign and there have been Congressmen and Mayors elected from "write in" candidates all over America. It has been used succesfully by people who didn't make it onto the ballot in time and as recently as 2002 - Beverly O'Neil, won a third term as mayor of Long Beach, California as a write-in candidate. The Long Beach City City Charter has a term limit amendment that says a candidate can not be on the ballot after two full terms, but does not prevent the person from running as a write-in candidate - she won a third term as Mayor.

This section of the ballot is effectively referenda questions which require voter approval. Different states do it differently - some items are mandated in the state constitution (This year our Questions 1 & 2 - are changes to the State Constitution - it has to go to the voters). You can get a question on the ballot by getting 10% of registered voters to sign a petition for a question and a question doesn't have to be binding. Non-binding questions are used to gauge public opinion. Generally borrowing money for the state must be approved by voters (called "bonds") and then there are other issues. This year our Question 1 is to allow the local Indian tribe to run a casino. This is a constitutional amendment because our state constitution only allows the state to run gambling. This has been a long and dirty campaign with both sides accusing each other of lying and hidden hints of racism directed against the Indians. Question 2 is to correct a problem in Rhode Island where prisoners out on probation are not allowed to vote. Rhode Island is the only state in the union that still has this old and out of date policy and this constitutional amendment should correct this. Q 3 is in effect an inflation adjustment to the State's Reserve Fund and the rest are borrowing questions. It is pretty horrific that the bonds will cost double what was borrowed by the time they are paid off - and no one seems to care. This year - all our questions are binding.

Newport voters get to decide whether to borrow money to repair our dreadful roads in town and whether or not to ban any more hook ups to the sewer system till it gets repaired sufficiently to work correctly and not flood the summer beaches with emergency sewer overflows when it rains.

If you live in the area - don't forget to vote - voter apathy in the past has traditionally run rather high but this year little old Newport and The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (smallest state - longest name) could hold the key to the whole country. This year - your vote really does matter because if the Senate is hung - your one vote for Lincoln Chafee or Sheldon Whitehouse could make the difference as to which party holds the Senate. As we don't use punch cards in Newport we won't suffer from "hanging chads". Still make sure you remember to vote and use a firm unambiguious stroke to mark your candidate or your APPROVE / REJECT lines. We don't want to end up in the US Supreme Court like Al Gore did in 2000 because people's marks were not clear!

Moronic Television Advertising

2006-10-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Newport, Rhode Island, USA

At my recent US Citizenship ceremony we were reminded to register to vote. The judge commented that we should vote for representatives who do good jobs and not vote for those who do not. We seem to have a couple of pretty good Senators. One drives a fairly green car and works hard for the state. The other actually visits Iraq to form an opinion and offers workshops to help kids make it to college.

However this local election is turning into a national poll about the State of the Union on polarized party lines – only worse. Six weeks ago advertising was generally a summary of candidates proposed policies. Today it is repetitive back to back Republican/Democrat or Democrat/Republican spin on one distorted fragment of the opposing candidate’s voting record.

Fellow citizens – can I remind you that in this local election we also have to vote for LOCAL issues – and there is a large slate of candidates and posts. Then there is the raft of Rhode Island issues that made it onto the ballot amongst which are:

A casino amendment on which I see a lot of “scare” advertising that rarely addresses the ACTUAL wording of the amendment and often plain does not.
The return of voting rights to prisoners out of jail on probation.
An increase in the state’s financial reserve.
A number of bond issues to improve roads, schooling and housing – all of which will cost nearly twice as much as the principal once paid off. Shouldn’t we be worried about this?

For all I know there could be additional votes required on town issues that might be on the ballot – like the need to borrow to repair the town sewers! I found out by accident this morning that there is. Trying to get real information on which to make a decision is not so easy in the noise of “spin” and character assassination.

As H.L.Mencken said: “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

We have done that bit. Now – through the “noise” - we are likely to elect unknowns into local positions because we don't know anything about them and make some lousy bond decisions too. Can we rise above the morass?

With a week to go - I challenge voters to obtain some real answers and policy statements from our candidates and information from bond promoters. I never thought there might come a day I might be glad to welcome back those dumb car adverts on the TV…

"This post was paid for with my personal funds and one finger typing and I approve this message" - Graeme J W Smith - Campaign for a real campaign before it is too late!

This letter was carried by the Newport Daily News on Thursday 2nd November in a three page spread of letters. All other letters consisted of negative attacks on candidates by other candidates or their supporters. The letter was also featured on the BBC World Service Programme "Have Your Say" on Wednesday 1st November and Graeme was interviewed on the programme.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-08-13T08:38:00.000-04:00

Otherwise known as "The Al Gore Movie". Let's be real clear if you are coming at this with preconceived notions. This is NOT a Republican bashing movie by an embittered nearly "next president of the United States". This is simply Al Gore seeking another outlet for a message that he clearly believes in with a passion. A message that is being ignored at too many levels in the USA.

As a European that moved here I was always a bit appalled by the conspicuous mass consumption here. I've become a little lazy in my ways and this serves to sharpen my views and actions. If you want a rounded, understandable and excellent introduction to the topic of Global Warming (and even if you DON'T) you owe it to yourself and your kids to pledge to see this movie (click on the logo top right), or read the book, or view the website. But truly - the images in the movie - like the one above - are best seen on a large screen with their context so you understand where those fishing boats are lying abandoned and why it occured - go see it.

World Cup 2006 - Fitba' Crazy

2006-06-11T00:00:00.004-04:00

EDITED OCT 2008 - Added link to the song Football Crazy on YouTube and transcription of words edited. Thanks to the person who posted on YouTube to help me out!

Now let’s be clear up front - Scotland are NOT playing in the World Cup - we didn't qualify. This will probably save us coming up with some “glorious – nearly made it” excuse as to why we got knocked out in the first round by a one goal difference though we never actually lost a game (al la 1974).

Here in the USA there is actually some serious TV coverage of this World Cup – if only because the USA has a team that is slightly fancied to make it to the top eight – possibly – maybe – we will see...... Here much was made of England's appalling opener against Paraguay where the only reason they won was a Paraguay own goal at the start of the game. Still as the commentator said - "A win is a win". Let's hope for England's sake they don't end up looking at goal difference to elevate them to the second round....

Football (USA=Soccer) or Fitba’ as it is called in my native Glasgow has held a fascination for many years. Our Primary school (USA=Elementary/Middle) playground walls had "impossible to discern" mystical marks on opposite walls that served for goal posts that were offset by some 30 feet to allow for the advantage the one-way slope supposedly gave the downhill attacking team. In fact in a throwback to polo – we had a local rule that forced a change of ends after any downhill scored goal – to try and equalize the bias. If you managed to score up the hill it was considered pretty good – but you didn’t get to change ends. For football duffers like me – relegated to the far wing on the uphill side, where the ball was seldom seen and where I wouldn’t cause too much mayhem – I usually had no idea which way we were playing and if the ball occasionally, fortuitously and accidentally landed at my feet – I would just play in whatever direction I happened to be facing – assuming I even managed to actually kick it - we played with a low, fast tennis ball - devoid of canvas covering and slippery as an eel! I had a 50% chance of picking the right direction and if I was wrong – the howls from my fellow team mates – assuming anyone actually knew which team I was on - would warn me I was going the wrong way!

Will Scotland Support England...?

As there are some scientific references in here -
we will use degrees Celsius.

Americans - multiply by 9, divide by 5 and add 32 - that gets you Fahrenheit

40 degrees - Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in Scotland sunbathe.
35 degrees - Italian cars won't start. People in Scotland drive with the windows down.
20 degrees - Floridians wear coats, gloves, and wool hats. People in Scotland throw on a T-shirt.
15 degrees - Californians begin to evacuate the state. People in Scotland go swimming in the sea.
0 degrees - New York landlords turn the heat on. People in Scotland have a last barbecue before it gets cold.
-10 degrees - People in Miami are extinct. People in Scotland lick flagpoles instead of ice lollipops.
-20 degrees - Californians all now live in Mexico. People in Scotland throw on a light jacket.
-80 degrees - Polar bears begin to evacuate the Arctic. Scottish Boy Scouts postpone winter survival exercise until it gets cold enough.
-100 degrees - Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. People in Scotland wear a vest and put something on under their kilts.
-173 degrees - Ethyl alcohol freezes. People in Scotland are angry 'cos they can't thaw their whisky bottles.
-297 degrees - Microbial life starts to grind to a halt. Scottish cows complain of farmers with cold hands.
-460 degrees - ALL atomic motion stops. People in Scotland start saying "Aye it's a bit cooler today... eh?"
-500 degrees - Hell freezes over. Scottish people support England in the World Cup

For the Scot’s there is total ambivalence about supporting England. We may be part of the "United Kingdom" but they are - after all – “the Auld Enemy”. In Scotland we know "Hae wis really World Champions in 1967"… Scotland having beaten the 1966 World Cup champions England at England’s home ground Wembley in a 3-2 nail biter. (You can be champions at anything if you wait long enough for the results to twist your way!).

Our slightly (well actually - totally) disgraceful pitch invasion after another surprise away win against England in 1977 led to the wholesale removal of Wembley's turf and a set of goals to head back to Scotland as souvenirs of that famous day. Many a Scottish garden is graced - or supposedly graced - with a piece of that turf as a memento. I wonder who has the goalposts? Are they surreptitiously set up in a back garden in Maryhill where - if you know Big Tam and buy him a pint of Tennant's - you will be taken to see them - and perhaps be allowed to kick a ball between them? Is it any wonder that the London office of the “Visit Scotland” tourist center has – I am reliably told – decided to play it down the middle and has put up a sign wishing the English team luck – on the grounds that people might think that Scotland was an inhospitable and rowdy place if they did otherwise. Apparently a recently released EU report has decided that Scotland is the rowdiest European developed country. Personally I think they could have just not done anything and got away with it!

The sidebar temperature guide gives a fairly accurate idea of the Scot’s feelings about the English team – though you have to read to the end.

However I have to admit that at age 6 in 1966 – concepts of the “Auld Enemy” had not yet poisoned my mind and I was as fervent about the competition as my fellow school mates. I even had a “World Cup Willie” England mascot sticker on my school jersey – and Mum if you are reading this – I’m not yet sure I have forgiven you for ironing my jersey one morning and melting it away to nothing. I remember crying inconsolably and my Dad having to deal with getting me to school. I see you can get original WCW stickers on eBay right now - there was a long term investment - whoever bought them all up back then!

The other cultural item of the time was Scotland’s leading folk duo Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor’s rendition of the song “Fitba’ Crazy”. My Mum was mortified. Not so much that I learned it but that I put such emphasis on the word “skivvies (servants)” which was “not a nice word”. Funnily enough – Robin and Jimmie's version of the song is almost impossible to obtain in any form and never appeared in any of the duo’s compilation albums – so the transcription below is from my faulty memory, prodded by a little web research.

Oct 2008 - Someone posted it on YouTube for me!! THANK YOU! Follow the link Football Crazy. I edited the transcription below too.

I also discovered – to my amazement – that the song was based on an 1885 music hall routine and that there is a fairly accurate rendition of the 1885 version on Glasgow school teacher Adam McNaughton’s CD “Words Words Words”.

Evolution of a Folk Song
This was originally published in Dundee in 1885. It is a a mixture of song and "patter" so it was probably a music hall routine
I transcribed these words from Adam McNaughton’s version of the song. Adam credits the song to James Curran. You all know my big brither Jock His right name’s Johnny Shaw Last week he jined a fitba’ club For he’s mad about fitba’ He’s got two black eyes already An’ teeth oot by the root Since Jock’s face came in contact Wi another fella’s boot. CHORUS ‘Cause he’s fitba’ crazy He’s fitba’ mad The fitba it has ta’en away The wee bit sense he had And it wid take a dozen servants His claes tae wash and scrub Since Jock became a member o’ That terrible fitba’ club The first game he took part in I wis there ma’sel’ an’ saw There were twa half bricks fae goalposts An’ a tin can for the ba’ The Prince of Wales wis present Wi’ lords ‘n’ ladies grand Oor Jock he got an egg box An’ he made a big grandstand CH Oh all the fitba’ teams hiv afloat He swears they are the prime An’ you want tae hear him bounce aboot Their beatin’ record time They’ve challenged every ither side Nane ‘ill tak’ them up Since they beat the Blind Asylum Fir a leather plated cup CH His wife she says she’ll leave him If he disnae keep Away frae playin’ fitba’ At night time in his sleep He ca’s her Pat McGinty An’ ither names sae droll Last night he kicked her oot the bed An’ swore it wis a goal! You can get a copy of Adam's CD from Music in Scotland CH	Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor's Version 1. Oh you a' know my wee brither An' his name is Jock McGraw. An he's lately jined a fitba' club Fir he's mad about fitball. An' he's got two black eyes already And teeth knocked fae his gob, Since Oor Jock became a member of That terrible football club. CHORUS: Oh he's fitba' crazy. he's fitba' mad. An the fitba' it has robbed him o' The wee bit sense he had. And it would tak' a dozen skivvies His claes tae wash and scrub Since Oor Jock became a member of that Terrible football club. 2. Oh the first match he took part in I wiz there mysel' and saw They'd twa half bricks fae the goalposts An' a tin can fer the ba' An' the Provost of Glesca he wiz there Wi' lords and ladies fair An' Oor Jock ran oot and kicked the fitba' Two miles in the air 3. In the middle of the field at Hampden Park The captain sez, 'McGraw, Wid ye kindly take this penalty kick? Or we'll never win at a' So he took fifty paces backwards, Shot off fae the mark. An' the ball went sailin' o'er the stand And landed in New York. CH 4. Oh his wife sez th' she'll leave him If he disnae keep Away from football kicking At night-time in his sleep. For he calls her 'Cherlie Tulley!' And other names so droll Last night he kicked her oot of the bed And shouted "IT'S A GOAL!" CH This represents my best transcription of a Glagow accent! Some other context: Provost = Mayor Glesca = Glasgow Hampden Park = Scotland's National Soccer Stadium Cherlie Tully = Charles Tully scored direct from a corner kick for Celtic against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup during the 1952-53 season. The goal was disallowed and had to be taken again because the crowd had come on to the pitch during the kick. Tully repeated the feat and scored again! When Robin and Jimmy first sang this on the BBC TONIGHT program in 1960 the goal was still in folk memory

Me – I’m off to watch the Scots play the USA at polo next weekend. We are looking for a hat trick – Scotland having won the last two encounters.

Farewell the Jamestown Bridge

2006-04-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

I first crossed the "old" Jamestown Bridge on one of my first visits to America in 1992 - just before it was closed. It didn't exactly inspire confidence as it creaked and swayed in the breeze and with the heavy trucks pounding up and down it. Next time I visited I was on the new bridge alongside the old one and that was that - I thought. But today not a lot of work got done locally. Everyone got to their best vantage points and hung on in the brisk and cool Northerly breeze. Our original plan to paddle up to the edge of the 3000ft exclusion zone was set aside in the 20 knot gusts. At 11:00 Eastern Daylight Time 18th April 2006 - the old Jamesotwn Bridge - completed in 1940 and closed since 1992 was imploded with a controlled blast.

Before

To watch the (4Mb large file warning) video - click here (Windows Media Format).

60 seconds later - After

1865 plus 140 years

2005-12-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

A fun afternoon at the photo studio trying on cowboy and gangster outfits and we finally settled on Civil War for this year's Holiday Season photo.

A Union "general" of indeterminate rank with his girl at his side after he got back from the war.

Happy Holidays!

260th Anniversary of the Scots last revolt

2005-08-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Glenfinnan Monument
On this spot, where Prince Charles Edward first raised his standard, on the 19th day of August, 1745; when he made the daring and romantic attempt to recover a throne lost by the imprudence of his ancestors; this column is erected by Alexander M'Donald, Esq. of Glenalladale, to commemorate the generous zeal, the undaunted bravery, and the inviolable fidelity of his forefathers, and the rest of those who fought and bled in that arduous and unfortunate enterprise.

Today is the 260th anniversary of the day in 1745 that Prince Charles (The Young Pretender) landed from a French ship in Glenfinnan, raised his standard and marched on London.

While getting within 100 miles of an evacuated and open London, ultimately the Scot's army fell back on Scotland and were disastrously defeated at Culloden a year later. The Highland Clearances followed destroying the Clan system, the true Highland way of life and leading to a mass exodus to Nova Scotia, New Zealand, America and Ireland. Many of the Scots who fled to Ireland (those with a "Mc" in their name) were forced to move on again a couple of generations later by the potato famine.

While the restoration of The Stuart line in the UK would probably have had disastous consequences for principles of religious tolerance - the genocide committed on the Scots after the revolt is hard to excuse.

Naturaliz(s)ation as a US Citizen

2005-06-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

Waiting outside the court for the doors to open at 08:00

A cool gray morning outside the US District Court in Providence found 96 people from 37 countries standing in line with their guests and families waiting to complete a process - that had been a near odyssey taking upwards of 20 years in some cases. Everyone had a letter telling them to come to this appointment wearing "appropriate attire" and everyone also had some sort of documentation that said it was OK to live in the USA. Resident Permits mainly but some were in uniforms of the US armed forces. My car was sitting on a meter across the street which I could not get to take quarters because it was too early in the day but my appointment was going to run into meter time. Clearly the price of the day was going to be a parking ticket - a small price for what was about to happen.

Alex picked Red, White and Blue flowers from the garden for the day

The doors of the court opened at 8.00am promptly and we were all security screened. Mobile phones caused a problem for many because they are simply not allowed in the court and there was a brisk trade with the lady across the street in the bus station left-luggage locker room to look after them temporarily. Cameras WERE allowed and a specific point was made that today - and for today only - it would be OK to take pictures in court. After all this was a celebration. For me - 9 years of paperwork and living for a qualifying period in the US meant that today I would leave the court able to fully participate in the democratic process in America - till now I have only been allowed to pay taxes and social security - but voting for a non-citizen is not allowed.

Checking the paperwork

We arrived at the designated courtroom on the second floor and guests were asked to wait outside while we filed in for a final paperwork check. For (hopefully) the last time I was asked if I had ever been a member of the Communist Party or if I had been arrested for any crime since I last talked to immigration a month before - but the tone was friendly and was hopefully considered more of a formality at this point. Anyone who was holding the letter inviting them to the day has been inoculated, x-rayed, interviewed, scruitineered, background checked and fingerprinted (the last at least twice) since coming to America!

Waiting to proceed - the vets in caps have just finished giving us gifts. People are examining their packet of papers.

We were greeted by vets from the RI Chapter of the Jewish War Veterans who smiled, wished us welcome and gave us "a small gift" - a copy of the Bill of Rights - for those non-US - the first 10 amendments to the US constitution - a fact tucked away in my brain along with 150 others pertaining to civics, government and history of the USA about which I had been examined by an immigration officer a month before who was also trying to determine if I spoke, read and wrote English to a sufficient standard to make my way in the US. I guess I passed! Then our Green Cards and appointment letters were examined again, our names were ticked off on a list and we were handed a packet of papers and told to sit and wait. The court was hushed but there was a sense of anticipation and as folks sat we examined the contents of our packet:

A copy of the oaths we were about to take
Notes on how to apply for a passport
A booklet containing copies of:

The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution
National Anthem
The Pledge of Allegiance
Rules for Saluting the US flag
Duties of a Citizen
Rights of a Citizen
and other historically important American poems, songs and quotations

There was a letter on White House letterhead from the President welcoming us as a Citizen
....and a small American Flag on a stick

As the last of people were getting their paperwork completed some of us quietly shared our experiences as to how we ended up in the USA. The girl sitting to my left won hands down in my view - escaping from her village in Cambodia two days before it - and everyone in it - was destroyed by Pol Pot's soldiers in the 1970's. She had been a refugee in Thailand, then in the USA, then she had married and raised a family who had now persuaded her it was time to take citizenship because she was the only one in the family who was not a US citizen.

Petitioning the judge to grant the motions

After paperwork was complete - guests were allowed into the court and sat at the back or mingled with the rest of us - where ever there was space. Then there was a pause and finally we all rose when Judge Lincoln Almond (son of our last Rhode Island Governor - for those who recognize the name) entered and opened proceedings.

A gentleman from the Department of Homeland Security Division of Immigration rose and presented four motions to the judge:

1. That fifteen people be excused from taking their oath in English for reasons of age - Granted
2. That four people be allowed to change their names as part of naturalization - Granted
3. That three people be excused - on religious grounds examined and accepted by the Department of Homeland Security - from taking the parts of the oath that required them to bear arms in defence of the United States - Granted.
4. That the ninety-six people in the room be granted American Citizenship.

The judge indicated he would consider this request and then asked us to all rise and raise our right hands. Then in the manner of a wedding ceremony he took us through the oath of allegiance - reminding the 3 who would not bear arms to keep quiet at the appropriate parts. In one corner of the court a deaf woman was having the whole of the proceedings conveyed to her by a court interpreter in sign language and she took her oath in sign language. After the oath the judge declared the motion granted and declared us all American Citizens. There was a burst of applause and quiet cheering.

Oath of Allegiance - this guy seems to be having trouble raising his right hand properly. The woman on my left is my Cambodian friend.

The judge then gave a short speech reminding everyone that they were now Americans and not "Irish-American" or "Polish-American" but notwithstanding this we should not forget our roots and culture and should bring them into the United States - a nation of immigrants. Born Americans in the room were gently reminded that if they looked back a little in their family tree - they were immigrants too and should tolerate new Citizens. We were reminded that Citizens in the USA are the government and that we should register to vote and take part in government; that our representatives are exactly that - representatives - who we should vote in again if we felt they did good work and who we should not vote for again if they did bad work. Finally we were reminded that though America is often called "the land of opportunity" we must remember to grasp it. That education was a key to this opportunity and that we should never give up on education and should avail ourselves of the public education system in Rhode Island - one of the best in the USA .

Boy am I happy it is over!

Then the judge asked his court reporter to rise and lead us all through the Pledge of Allegiance - something I had tried to get properly memorized for the occasion. All rose and:

(I) Pledge(d) Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

There was a final smattering of applause and we rose one more time while the judge left. Then one final piece of “administritava” - we handed in our Green Cards (I was told for destruction to the point of uselessness) and appointment letter and in return were given our Certificates of Naturalization. All the staff involved in the proceedings congratulated us and friends and family crowded around. Pictures were taken and there were more than a few damp eyes. Outside the courtroom a woman in US Air force uniform was being congratulated by her fellow aviators (fight for the USA and you get automatic - almost - citizenship).

"Check we spelled your name correctly, that your date of birth is correct - don't forget to sign it"

We made our way back to the car - AMAZING - no parking ticket and drove off to work! Well almost - I had a couple of distractions on the day: By 12.00 I had registered to vote at Newport City Hall with my Certificate of Naturalization in hand - ink scarce dry - to prove my right; and by 14:00 it was in the mail to the passport office in Boston in support of my US passport application.

During my Green Card interview back in 2000 I remember being asked if I ever planned on taking US Citizenship. I emphatically stated "yes" and the Immigration Officer at the time was clearly surprised. I asked why - He said that over 99% of Green Card holders never do. I mentioned that I didn't like the concept of "no taxation without representation" and he smiled at my response.

A new American!

I can't tell you how many Americans have since genuinely welcomed me and congratulated me on joining the team: cards, small gifts, flag pins from people I barely know have ended up on my desk. There is a true sense of being welcomed and it started today when the government officials put down their normally stern countenance and created a meaningful ceremony of welcome.

"Congratulations" from my niece Carys in Scotland
- clearly conflicted and wearing a crown.
The USA fought a war about crowns in 1776 you know!

Scotland v's USA Polo 2005

2005-06-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

Supported on the day by the Newport International Polo Series only life member Helen Cleary (who claims Irish descent) and by a loyal, small but very vocal band of Scots (including the enclosure waitress - Ginny) - summer finally arrived on the East Coast of the USA on Saturday 4th June and Scotland took the field for the introductions to the sound of "Scot's Wha Hae'" being played loudly over the speaker system (Scotland in RED).

In this - their second outing in the USA - the Scottish team had a lot to do to hang on to their winning record established in 2004. After respective national anthems the ball was put in - Scotland scored in the first minute and thereafter never looked back - finishing the first chukka 2-1 ahead. Being canny - at the Thursday practice they had deliberately pulled their game slightly so when the real game came around on Saturday the Americans were caught by the strength of the Scots' attack. Watch on video here. (Large file warning - broadband recommended, WMP - required)

By half time Scotland had established a 5-3 lead. Though by their own admission they were exhausted (!) and hoped they had done enough to keep the US at bay.

During half time we were treated to a marriage under the flags before the happy couple took to the field with the rest of the crowd to carry out the traditional divot stomping - flattening the field for the second half.

Despite their fears - In the second half the Scots continued to outplay team USA with extremely good defensive play when the American's attacked and which they would quickly turn to their advantage as shown here where they steal the ball quite effectively from the American Captain.

During the 5th chukka the American Captain's horse reared spectacularly in a scrimmage in front of the USA's goal and though he stayed mounted - as the horses broke from the mess - James Douglas was dumped by his horse. Un-injured and scrambling to regain his mount among the whirling hooves the umpires stopped play for safety. In the subsequent throw-in team USA defensively rode a Scot off the pack but the rest of the Scot's team got the tap on the ball, establishing the line towards the American's goal and team USA could only follow along as Scotland carefully tapped the ball along the ground and between the American's posts to give Scotland their 7th goal to finish the 5th chukka 7-3 in the lead. Watch on video here.
(Large file warning - broadband recommended, WMP - required)

4 goals in 7 minutes are not unknown at Newport and with the Scots now REALLY exhausted potentially the American's could have leveled the score. Team USA had kept fresher horses for the finish - but the players were tired too and the Scots hung on grimly through the last chukka - playing the best defence they could on their shaking legs and tired horses. USA made a determined assault on the score - putting in two - but Scotland had done enough beforehand and time ran out with the score 7-5 in favour of the Scots. A very small portion of the crowd went wild - the rest politely clapped!

As is traditional at Newport - the teams ride a gladatorial circuit to receive the plaudits of the crowd who though disappointed at the USA's performance gave the Scots a well deserved series of "high five's" as they toured the field - Saltire flying.

At the prize giving the Scots were presented with their mementos of the day and they gifted various bottles of malt to the American team and those who had been kind enough to loan them horses. They also voted Umprie Dave Bullis's horse "Fugitivo" Most Valuable Pony loaned to the visiting team.

The Scots
1. Dietrich Zank (Perth Polo Club)
2. Jamie Douglas - Captain (Edinburgh Polo Club)
3. James Douglas (Edinburgh Polo Club)
4. Hiro Suzuki (Edinburgh University Polo Club)
(So he's from the Philippines but his accent is broad Scots!)
Scots "Manager" on the day - Ed Pockney
The Scots were sponsored by "The Flat Company"

Team USA
1. "Gentleman" Jim Garner
2. Mark Wright
3. Dan Keating - Captain
4. Jacki Shore/Jim Zynsky

Umpires
Dave Bullis
Dave Markell

Commentary
Kate Jennings

Game record - Scotland 2 - USA - 0

Building Kayaks

2004-09-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

My partner and I built kayaks during the Fall of 2004. We bought them at the Newport Wooden Boat Show earlier in the summer. The website documents the build and first expeditions in them. The site is an attempt to donate back to the Internet information in return for everything we gleaned from the Internet and which we found helpful during the build.

Flags

2004-06-17T20:41:00.001-04:00

Scotland's Flag
The St Andrew’s Cross
also known as the Saltire.

NOT the Lion Rampant
which is the flag of
Scottish Royalty

A Scots National Anthem

2004-06-17T20:09:00.000-04:00

As Scotland is part of the United Kingdom the National Anthem is “God Save the Queen”. However as the countries that comprise the UK play each other at Soccer and Rugby – Country specific anthems are used. The Scots sing “Flower of Scotland” which commemorates King Robert the Bruce’s victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and through which Scotland gained independence.

O flower of Scotland
When will we see, your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill, and glen
And stood against them
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward, Tae think again

Those hills are bare now
And Autumn leaves, lie thick and still
For land that is lost now
But oh so dearly held
We stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward, Tae think again

Those days are passed now
And in the past they must remain
But we can still rise now
And be that nation again
That stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward, Tae think again

Lyrics Copyright © Corries Music Ltd

So you think your family name is associated with a tartan?......

2004-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Tartan was originally the term used for the way the cloth was woven. It actually had nothing to do with a colored pattern at all. (Incidentally, "plaid" - misused by most Americans - originally meant "blanket" and haa nothing to do with a design or pattern).

Take a look at your bed sheets. If they are cotton or a cotton blend, they are most likely a standard weave. Tartan, is woven with an alternating pattern which we now call "twill". This creates a diagonal effect within the pattern itself. Look at your jeans (Levis), denim is a fairly complex kind of twill. Notice how there seems to be diagonal stripes going through the fabric. This appearance happens even if the stripes of the actual pattern are at perfect 90 degree angles.

The oldest piece of tartan dates to the 3rd century AD. Found near Falkirk, in an earthenware pot, it was covering about 1900 silver Roman coins. It had a checked pattern of undyed wool which consisted of dark brown and light brownish green, two common colors of the native Soay Sheep.

Tartan, to the ancient Celts, was first a form of fashion and later a symbol of wealth and power. The more stripe and colors, the more powerful and/or wealthy a person was. Therefore a simple farmer may have a tartan with only a few colors and large checks, and the Queen or the Clan Chief may have a pattern with 6 colors and an intricate pattern sett.

Clan affiliations did not appear untill much later. At this point, clan affiliations were shown in other ways: like putting a ribbon or feather of a particular color in your cap.

By the mid-1600s district patterns started to crop up; although, this may have occured more because of the local weaver than anything else. Dye was expensive and the process was labor intensive. A weaver may have a large quantity of red and blue dye in stock "and if you want green its gonna cost ya extra". So, a whole lot of red and blue tartan would be seen in one area or another.

One item of note here is that, most areas were populated by a family or a few families. So the district tartans were, in that respect, clan tartans by default.

Another item of note is that, if you are going to wear a tartan for re-enacment purposes you do not have to worry about your family lineage or offending someone for wearing a pattern that is not "yours". You may want to look into the district patterns, especially if you are portraying a later time period; however, it is most likely not necessary.

After the Jacobites (Scots loyal to the Scottish crown that was usurped in 1688) rebelled at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the English banned the wearing of all tartan. This ban was repealed in 1782 and the Scots had a widespread hope to re-establish the identity of Scotsmen as Scotsman (and not English or British). They were helped out by Sir Walter Scot in the early 1820s, as well as King George IV, who threw great parties where no one was admitted unless in "true highland dress". Each clan chief was expected to identify and validate a pattern for their clan. With this, the concept of the "clan" tartan was strongly set in place. Queen Victoria, who had a great liking for all things Scottish, only encouraged it all. It soon became a matter of pride to have a tartan all of one's own. The tartan, therefore, proceeded to become the National dress of Scotland.

Today there are over 2500 registered patterns as well as hundreds of non-registered and private variations.

Tunes of Glory - 2003

2003-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Tartan Day 2003 - New York. To see more Click Here

Tunes of Glory - All for a Good Cause

2002-04-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Read about the Tunes of Glory Series of Marches in New York. Click Here

Vacation 2000 - Out West in Colorado

2000-09-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

My marriage to an American free spirit ended fairly amicably in 2003. This post has been edited to respect her privacy - hence reference to "friends" in this post.

We flew to Colorado for a slightly rush arranged vacation. Uncertainties over jobs and Graeme winding Atlantic Services up to being a full time business left us booking tickets at the last moment and staying in the ski-resort of Vail in the middle of the summer. What had the potential to be pretty disastrous was fun. We got a decent Jeep and spent some time off roading and visiting the scenes of America's second silver and gold rush in the 1870's. Everyone who had rushed out west to California came back east to Colorado when immense silver deposits were discovered. The center was even harder to deal with than the coast and it was quite incredible to consider that people basically tore the mountains down by hand to get to the silver and gold (and they really did tear down mountains - there is a huge bowl in the middle of a mountain range that is about 5 miles across). The left over pollution and spoil heaps are only beginning to get dealt with. We even saw Doc Holliday's graveyard in Colorado Springs. Rather brings home that these people were real and in the not so distant past.

We went mountain biking the easy way - up on the ski lift with your bike for a mad run down after. We also went riding at two different ranches. One was pretty rugged and out of the way and took quite a bit of finding at the end of dirt trails. That was a long day in the saddle looking at scenery that you can only access on horse back. The claw marks of bears on the tree trunks was a bit sobering! On returning from that ride we discovered that they played polo. Well sort of - not knowing the rules they played with soccer rules - ten a side. So I had to get my picture taken on a Belgian Horse wearing Western Tack while swinging a polo mallet. I put the terrible looking swing in this picture down to the fact the horse is so short!

We also went on a performance ride at a ranch. This consisted of a trail ride to round up some cattle and then having driven them back to the rodeo ring we practiced barrel racing and roping cattle. We didn't actually get a rope - you have to learn to run the cattle down first and it is pretty hard to do. If you are not within 6ft of the cow no roping ability is going to let you get him. You basically have to be right on top of the cow. As the cow is running as fast as it can and weaving to avoid you and you are having to try and gallop right on its butt it is pretty hair raising stuff. The picture shows my friend "tracking" her cow which has just been released from the gate. It's running and she is galloping along the anticipated track - it veered right!!! In the real world you work as a pair - one cowboy gets the cow's head and the second one immediately ropes its back legs (think about that - you have to bounce the lariat on the ground just in front of its running back legs and it steps into the loop which is bouncing up to get it). You then ride in opposite directions to tumble the cow. It sounds cruel and it is certainly pretty rough but if done correctly merely tips the cow on its side. It is also the only safe way to hold a cow down while you inoculate it, carry out any other vet work needed and - oh yes - brand it.

Later in the week we went to the mid-week rodeo in the town where the working cowboys come into town for some mid-week competition and beer. If you look carefully in the picture these guys have just got the cow in 6.27 seconds. They were slow! Winning times from the cow being released to being roped both ends are less than 5 seconds! We also stayed through the thunderstorm to watch our wrangler from the day before try his hand at bareback bull riding. Poor guy lasted less than 2 seconds!

Green Card

2000-02-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

After 2 years of waiting and interminable paperwork (usually in triplicate with certified copies of EVERYTHING) - Graeme was awarded a Green Card and is therefore officially immigrated to the US. For those that want to know - this means he is still a British Citizen and though he has the right to live in America, work, pay Taxes and to join the US Social Security System he is NOT a US Citizen and cannot vote in the US. In November 2004 he can apply for American Citizenship which would be awarded in March 2005 if he can pass the civics exam and can speak English to a standard that allows him to take the exam! Hmmmm..... Yes the image is a of a real Green Card but it has been altered so we don't help anyone trying to make a forgery.