Leigh and Rodney discuss pollution, transgender, war and much more, come and join in.

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#transgender #NHS #pollution #Ukraine

Another piece by surrealist Eric Lastick … touches of Burroughs and even Cohen are beginning to appear in his unusual work

 THE TWO SIDED CHAMPAGNE GLASS, AS THE NIGHT SHAPES RIGHT INTO THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR… Alone on new years eve.. an O’L Rocker’s look-about, attempting to find the key between the ivories & the sharps.  ( A Champagne glass half full) In juxtaposion of a lonely female escort in a crowded bar—looking for an escape route, this new years eve—with her glass nearly empty—too a refill of shallow tomorrows!

(Glass half empty) 

  Jacolyn Rose Strumpet, tonight my love…shadow smiles & miles of dream’t up goings in her mind’s eye. Dark Mister, make way, this day. Large ambitions, yet rambling’s in one’s uncertain skews and reasons. Brake the glass of ice filled Scotch that rest just under his chin. “Is this real or a figment of the restless night of happen-place… and of boredom?” The lonely Martini of just one green olive. One umbrella twist…and one last drink, before all goes through the lone of night. Tie swing like the wild. The all out charm—-comes a man from the night air. No, not a Mickey Spillane, noir spoiled great crime swagger…and gloted column…bar girl Strumpet too meet? No Humphrey Buggard,  glad to light her cigarette… & a call of another round for the lady? No, but rather a flagrant picture that extend the wall …and glare back down, after to many 7 & 7’s. Ms Strumpet, and Lady of the night, this New years eve. Confusion in what is real, and what of dreams? Night aires and holiday myths— mind her store. Search an early escape hatch…be her blunder. Street vent sided fate’s call. Early bird wake up call, officer of the law. No way for a lady to spend a brand new calender year—-with her glass nearly empty—-too a refill of shallow tomorrows. Family fun and dinner bells stretches— all along the Londondery square. Anxious shoppers and home makers—-scurry and rush like bus loads of fruits and assorted spice runs—-out-weigh the bustle of the double deckers. Beatle music on the loud speakers, speak easys. Jacolyn Rose Strumpet views from inside a local withholding cell… with a concellation of a window view of olde London new years day streamers. Sir Paul’s rest stop by a doorman’s hold of breakfast on a hardy cup of tea. Mr, Paul with O’L Penny lane eyes—-stares through the angered glares—-with connetive repetitives glances…sights and sees of Ms Strumpet. Yet this is no dream! Her chance to escort anyone of this calibor, or any calibor at all; is set on hold. As all her slaps on the faces of her charming but crazy date partners, returns ten fold…and right back on her! Now, a pawned picture of a midnight stab, here at booths of 7 & 7 bottled dream. 

Roger, O’l Chap. Grand Rocker and high end music melody maker. Seat set alone, this new years evening. A glass you drink, as one lean and stretch of table. Corner glare through the shades of soft light; with thoughts of the company of words; there in riches, as of friends in good found circles that one addressess, better to senders. Restless are the gravel roads of old souls. An acquaintance drift in mind. Light up a smoke, as you watch,and it lingers. Good moves off bare chords and blues.The Champagne glass remain hardy and half full. Stay strung the memory. The tone of every good day’s done. Cars glances and shffles through this window you roll. In thought and in venture—too another rev-up, and peel out in that moment, like a new wheeled spin…blacktop fire of our old buddies devices…and of Thundercats…layin rubber—too the rye & call of the streets. Endless memoirs and silver linings. Signs set at every door. New age, old age—-reliving as one sits…the table swags in jukebox honor. Clear are the causes, the good friends to have, and still know. Raise a glass to them all in this moment…and at this very time; and know of the depth and character, you and they have built. You then, are never alone. Now you own the key between the ivories and the sharps. So good to be home.

Meghan and Harry have again declared war on the royals and the media – the two institutions that guarantee their futures. Their highly-anticipated Netflix series has hit our small screens, with the first three episodes of the six-part docu-series moping and moaning through our sound bar. King Charles and Prince William are set to respond.

The thoughts below appeared first at this time last year… but Meghan and Harry are still shooting anybody they think could earn them more airtime…

Meghan Markle’s so-called win against The Mail on Sunday last year was not a victory for the man on the street who doesn’t want his dirty washing aired in public. Neither was it a boost for the rich, the powerful or the famous who want to keep their peccadilloes well hid.

Her shallow win is simply another insidiously dangerous bloating of judge-built restrictions on free speech and the right to expose the truth to the world.

‘News is something somebody doesn’t want printed; all else is advertising’ … so the great saying goes. And I agree with it entirely… I have exposed many people over the years for their secret lives, celebrities who abused children, bent businessmen, lying cheating influencers, politicians, racists and thugs.

We are working on three exposes as I write this. One day soon they will appear. And we will tell the truth about how people with power and money enough to protect themselves have worked tirelessly to stop these stories coming out.

Why? Because they will be shown up for the dishonest uncaring people they are.

But WAIT! That isn’t to say that Meghan Markle is a criminal – of course she isn’t.

No, she’s just a poor little rich girl who wants to be able to control what the media says about her and her balding lapdog.

Appeal Court judges have ruled that the newspaper’s decision to publish half of a letter from Meghan to her father had indeed been a breach of her privacy.

Yet her ‘win’ was simply created by the use of laws built by judges themselves over the past decade or so.

And these self-serving laws, in so many ways, are nail after nail after nail in the coffin of human freedom of expression – and the right of newspaper people in particular to publish and be damned.

Don’t forget about freedom of information, truth and law either. These ‘new’ laws were applied after a ‘summary judgment’, meaning without a proper trial where the facts and evidence could be scrutinised.

Now, more than ever, in a time when a little sticky bug identified as Covid is chomping away at our natural freedoms like a disease-ridden Pacman, surely, those at the legal fundamentals of our human life should be leaning in favour of free speech, not their own personal values.

Long live the Reputation Lawyers and their disregarded for day-to-day victims, eh?

And so the rich and famous have had their legal arsenal boosted again by a woman who has celebrity and fame, money and power and courts publicity every chance she gets while protesting about the nasty world of media all the way to the bank.

Newspaper in particular, you see, look at the hypocrisy of public figures. This is often called lampooning, a joke, taking the p*ss … it can be funny, hurtful, outrageous and telling. But it has a purpose.

And that purpose is the scrutiny of people with influence.

Amnesty International – no great lover of the media – says people in publicshould tolerate more criticism than private individuals. ‘So defamation laws that stop legitimate criticism of a government or public person, violate the right to free speech’.

Amnesty also says journalists and bloggers ‘face particular risks because of the work they do. Countries therefore have a responsibility to protect their right to freedom of speech. Restrictions on Newspapers, TV stations, etc can affect everyone’s right to freedom of expression’.

But our judges, instead, act on the old mantra that ‘what is of public interest is not to be confused with what interests the public’.

So being interested is no longer a human right?

Truth is no defence to a privacy claim and the cost of fighting an action is a serious deterrent to exercising the ‘right’ of free speech.

Airtv International – Free Family Safe Worldwide Television

#leighgbanks #airtvinternational #sundaymail #ukcourts #judges #meghan

Here we go! The two latest shows from Rodney and Leigh! Have a listen and let us know what you think!

Outrageous, alarming
Courageous, charming

So many of the world’s problems seem to be ganging up on us all … Leigh and Rodney disagree on so many things, yet both of them want to expose the conmen and liars and support those who do good here on earth…

The introduction might be a bit ‘Donkey Hote’ – but the conversations are real, the passion is real

click the links below

Outrageous! Biden, Trump, Truss, they all get it in the neck from Leigh and Rodney! – The Leigh G Banks Preservation Society

Outrageous! Biden, Trump, Truss, they all get it in the neck from Leigh and Rodney! – The Leigh G Banks Preservation Society

#politics #radio #trump #truss #sunak #star mmer #uk #usa

join us at The Leigh G Banks Preservation Society – Surviving life with laughter, literature and love…

AND

Airtv International – Free Family Safe Worldwide Television

STREAMED ON ROKU

If you are interested in politics, corporate crime and how the world looks at humanity, join Leigh and Rodney – the filmmaker and the journalist – every week! It veers from left to right and coruscates the middle with wit, aplomb and an innate understanding of the iniquities of our society today!

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO

The first of an investigation into utility companies and how they treat their customers … tell us if you have been through the same!

As the world’s best-known – and richest – ‘space cadet’ Elon Musk says he is ready to help connect isolated parts of the British countryside by using broadband beamed from space

So, we look at the reality of getting connected in the UK’s villages of the damned.

The internet zooms if, like Putin, you want to nuke the world – but not if you call granny from your English country garden…

Years ago now British governments clicked on the potent idea of super-fast broadband across the countryside from Ambridge to Middleton Scriven.

What a joke!

But Boris’s smug promise to “level up” our nation by providing next-generation-speed broadband to most homes within the next three years is about as useful as cyber spiders from Mars as people like me – those who live down the leafy lanes – are dumped by the hedgerows.

And this is confirmed in many ways by parliament’s very 0wn slathery spending watchdog.

A report by the public accounts committee found that Boris and his boffins were just relying too much on BT Openreach and the likes of Virgin Media  and O2, to sign-in to the election pledge.

But these companies arguably focus on less costly urban conurbations across the country and are slow to deliver proper connectivity for those who live a little more remotely.

And there is no doubt that chintzy cottage dwellers like me are being treated like village idiots.

So, here we have the true story of trying to get acceptable broadband in a commuter village equi-distant from Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds and the way major players treat their customers.

The thing is, on the internet you can fight a war if, like Putin, you have your finger on the metaphorical button.

But if you chomp on a bit of straw like it’s a signal booster and talk to Bill and Ben about flower pots and a little weed, then you are flobber-lobbing f*cked!

If you live in a good signal area you can close down hospitals and governments as your fingers do the walking – you can find everything from how to make a chip shop curry to the best way of vaporising your next door neighbour.

The internet is an ignorant, arrogant, useless, unfeeling, uncaring robot of no determinable intelligence.

It purveys endless porn but also lets you share films of your little kittens. It tells you how to make bombs or commit suicide, extols conspiracy theories, lies without thought, fakes news designed to undermine society, allows you to accuse anybody of anything you feel like accusing them of, publishes pictures of carnage and horror. And steals your personal information and sells it to the highest bidder…

Wow! What an innovation – an invaluable link to the world’s secrets, sex, lies and video tapes.

AND YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT!

Trillions of pounds worldwide are pumped into this new age invisible man-woman by people like me (£60 a month).

But what actually happens when a dissident group phones BT or EE – there are many other internet failures available – and says in a guttural voice: “Ello!” Ello! I must have internet – I don’t care if it costs a bomb.”

Or what happened when old Vlad Put-it-in called and said: “I want to start a war involving obliterating a country and possibly nuking the world– can you do me a deal? I’m happy to have my mobile with you!”

Err, why doesn’t BT-ski or EE-ski just turn off Vlad’s internet because he’s been a naughty boy!

Well, the British equivalent trashed my account only a few days ago when I upset an Openreach engineer by complaining.

I was the messenger and they shot me a. because I’d complained about their service b. because I had no idea what the 2^nd and 5^th letter of my ex-wife’s mother’s maiden name is c. because I wanted my PA to speak to them and d. I think it was easier than getting me some broadband.

Do you know, all it appears Openreach had to do was re-instate the phone line… ff they’d done that we could have plugged back in to our lives, no problem.

But they refused.

And, instead, told us to keep an eye out for the next few weeks AND MONTHS for any indication of fibre arriving at the brick toilet block of a ‘cabinet’ 15 feet across the road from our 300 year old cottage.

What a mirthless arrogant abrogating joke!

The problem is though, that they’re not longer afraid of me, the customer. They don’t need me or my business. There are plenty of other cyber-suckers waiting to be insulted by them.

No, I am just a customer! Yep, they just hang up on me when a. they can’t solve the problem b. I tell them off for incompetence c. or they just get bored.

And so here I am, back in the Village of the Damned, after five years of travelling through 15 countries – we’ve had internet from Delhi to Doncaster, from Bratislava to Bolton and from Minnesota to Manchester.

But now I’m back in the garden of the UK, I’m left with no internet to speak of and I am condemned to spending hours talking to a robot masquerading as a human being.

This was what EE said two days after signing me up: “I’m sorry sir, but I can’t find an account for you.”

“But you’ve sent me two letters, two simcards!”

It sort of went a bit like this: “I’m sorry sir, I realise you must be very frustrated but you have no right to talk to me like that!”

“Like what?”

“In that manner!”
“What manor? I live in a cottage!”
“I’m sorry sir, I will not be spoken to in this way.”

And hung up.

Stupid robot!

So, I am left with an internet modem blinking at me like a one-eyed undertaker, nobody to communicate with, BT are sulking with me – and it’s costing me £60 a month!

UPDATE

DAY 7

EE confirmed they had mis-sold us a router which would never have worked at our property

But after seven hours of trying to get somebody to sort it out we still have a service which is about as useful as a pair of dropped ‘b*ll*cks’…

To reach this point:

Seven EE operatives have tried to solve the problem – four hung up on us because things just got too difficult for them

EE operatives smugly told us that the internet they were supplying was perfect – and didn’t accept it didn’t work properly

Then, inexplicably, EE decided it was because my house consisted of flats – it doesn’t but Openreach told them it was, so who you gonna believe? Some robots who live in the cabinet across the road? Or the bloke who lives in the house?

The robots of course.

Then EE had a brainwave – they decided that we needed ‘fibre’ (I said I get enough fibre out of EE’s bullsh*t) – but then they told us we couldn’t have it because there was no fibre in our village!

Yes there is!

DAY 9

I work nights for various broadcasters in the US so I wasn’t very impressed when the EE broadband team phoned before 8.30am, demanded to know the third and fourth letters of my ex-WIFE’S mother’s name and when I said I had no idea, they cancelled my order

Another EE operative then decided that the problem was because other people were living at the house. They weren’t/aren’t!

EE are now apparently re-ordering our broadband and it could take two weeks to install! Who are they ordering it off, if nobody can supply it?

Yep, that endevour was doomed to failure

UPDATE:

It appears the problem is solved as far as EE is concerned – they say that the phone line used by broadband into our house is actually owned by ‘somebody else’ … BUT they won’t tell us who because of ‘data protection’.

To help out, EE customer services refused to contact the ‘owner’ and get it sorted out – not within their remit, they say!

Now, EE customer services have decided to leave things as they are – perfect for them. They are not supplying broadband to us because it is too difficult. However, they are still taking our money/

When we asked to be put on to a supervisor EE customer services told us that ALL their supervisors ‘are in a meeting’.

UPDATE

We just received this message off EE – can anybody explain what it means exactly?

Hi,You recently asked us to make some changes to what the user of mobile number can do with their SIM, which we’ve now done. This means they no longer have the control you gave them before.Thanks,The EE Team

UPDATE:

At about 4.30pm EE texted us saying that they were cancelling our order if we did not call them immediately. We did! They didn’t answer, so they cancelled our order!

EE then called us AGAIN to tell us they are not sure if we have fibre to the house – and told us it would take up to five days to confirm … 7 days since they pledged their service to us plus 5 days to confirm the fibre crisis plus 14 days to actually plug it in! That’s 26 days to potentially get broadband working for us – I could build a small telephone exchange in that time!

And so we wait for the next call!

We will update this as it happens – tell us you tales of woe too!

OOPS – AN UPDATE:

DAY 9:

We received a letter containing a demand for almost £100 for the Hub that doesn’t work and £40-odd for the first payment for internet we never received.

DAY 10

The executive office didn’t phone us back as promised.

But we did receive a call saying once more that the problem lies with BT Openreach … they have a problem with their ‘cabinet’ across the road. What?

UPDATE

Now they want their Hub back! (Children!)

DAY 12

Today EE told us again that they could not supply us with internet because BT Open Reach had basically broken their ‘cabinet’. Hohum

It is a funny thing though, there are maybe 700 house in the Village of Damned. And they all have internet.

There are dozens of businesses. And they all have internet!

About 1800 people live within the confines of the village. And they all have mobiles and use the internet.

Before we left the VoD to go working abroad, we’d had broadband for more than 20 years.

Watch this space.

UPDATE

EE phoned us and told us to try VIRGIN!

THE FINAL SOLUTION:

Weeks later we had broadband, yep, they sorted it – and gave us an apology and bit of compensation too.

And the internet works! Most of the time… depending what room you are in, which way the wind’s blowing and how it is feeling that day… well, it’s better than nothing, I suppose.

We’ll keep you posted – and publish your comments!

#PUTIN #BILLS #UTILITIES #EE #BT #OPENREACH #MOBILE #CALLCENTRES #CUSTOMERSERVICES #elonmusk #muskdobetter

BOB DYLAN has gone public after a blow to fans who bought his signed work.

The singer, who must be one of the world’s hardest-working artists, has said he “regrets” having made “an error in judgment” in using machine technology to sign and work then sold as hand-signed.

The error happened over a three year period.

Bob said the use of autopen signatures began in 2019 when he was hit by a case of vertigo. It then went on as Covid crashed businesses and made communication difficult.

Normally, staff would help with the hand-signing sessions.

But when the world went wrong Bob says was given “the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.” Now he says, “I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”

Dolly Parton, Brian Wilson, Kenny Loggins and Ozzy Osbourne have all been caught up in similar signature upsets.

Even Donald H. Rumsfeld, former defence secretary, was criticised for  doing the same thing  on condolence letters to the families of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dylan wrote on social media: “I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited-edition of Philosophy of Modern Song. I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem.”

He said: “However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a crew of five working in close quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging. So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help.”

He said that as “contractual deadlines” approached, the autopen idea was suggested, “along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.” He added: “Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”

Bob said: “With my deepest regrets, Bob Dylan.”

Now refunds are being arranged.

Simon & Schuster at first refused to discuss the problem but then spokesman Adam Rothberg said: “We acted quickly to address the situation, took the book off sale and initiated the process of issuing an immediate and automatic refund to all customers who bought the book.”

Simon & Schuster had initially refused to honour refunds, assuring buyers that the signatures were legitimate and validated by a “letter of authenticity”.

The publisher later made a public statement on social media, writing: “To those who purchased The Philosophy Of Modern Song limited edition, we want to apologise. As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”

The Philosophy of Modern Song has 66 essays on tracks written by other artists, and took him 12 years to bring to market. It’s his first book since he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

#BOBDYLAN #modernsong #philosophy #dylanapology #nobel

The Gentlemen Ranters, fiery Rodney Hearth and Leigh ‘Fallen-by-the-Wayside’ Banks are outraged at the way the world is going – Putin’s folly, Sunak’s simpering, Hancock’s jungle excesses and the world’s biggest Bankers…it’s Outrageous!

Click to view video –

So, we turned down a flooded dirt road with our limousine rocking and creaking like a galleon … we could see our rented house right out there in the distance. It was like a giant liner anchored in a dark sea.

Andrea was driving and I was listening to the One Who Lives Too Far Away and thinking about my wild daughter out in Oz. She is a blizzard of traumas and catastrophes (a tree fell on her car only a few days ago). But she is Mancunian tough and full of bloody determination.

The dirt road was a phantom of mist, trees and black yawning potholes. But the dirty rain coming off the fields was real.

I had the window open to let the thick hot smoke out and let the freezing night air in.

It was just like the old days when I first washed up in the Village of the Damned, 50 miles further into Shropshire and met its dark denizens.

Yep, a good dark spooky night in the heated seats of my battered limo, a reefer fizzing like a cheap firework between my knuckles and a beautiful woman by my side.

Sad songs on the radio.

That big bright ship of a renovated farmhouse ahead was only going to be a place to lay our heads for a couple of months but it undeniably felt like going home right now.

Just for a while.

It has been a long, long trip.

#middletonscriven #bridgenorth #shropshire #farmhouse #rupertscottage #holiday #winter

Leigh and Rodney get down to the nitty-gritty as they answer calls to become more hard-hitting and outrageous. What do you think? let’s keep breaking down barriers.

Click to see video

#radio #news #donkey #carrot #marbella #banks #putin #hancock #celebrity #coronationstreet #antanddec