Uncle Remus Lover - Re: Song of the South on VHS/DVD - this being a Disney release, it only gets let out occasionally. Bratling and I have an ancient copy on VHS, she played it practically non-stop for a month. We found it in the remainder bin for some stupid price, so they are out there. Ex rental or second hand copies are probably your best bet.

Katlaughing - "big fishie"... If we're going to be pedantic - the whale is not a fish, it's a mammal. However, I will allow you poetic licence because 'big mammie' has entirely different connotations although not unconnected with this subject.

I heard an argument on the radio yesterday (Radio 2, Jeremy Vine show, 12.00 midday) the crux of which was that Britain should 'compensate' Africa for the slave trade. Oddly enough, it was the African gentleman (sorry, was at work so couldn't take note of names) who was confirming that it was 2 way traffic and that it was an empty argument. It was the (unspecified ethnicity) woolly Liberal woman who was insisting that we send lots of money to Africa to say sorry. His argument was: it was the corrupt and greedy chiefs who sold their people into slavery in the first place and the regime hasn't really changed. Any 'compensation' would go straight to the pockets of the same corrupt and greedy chiefs rather than to those who need it. Her reply was to bluster and try to insist that it would not be so, that the money would be 'managed' by Britain. Anyone spot the fly (blue tailed or otherwise)in that ointment?

And who else chooses to forget that many of the signatories of the Declaration of Independance owned slaves?

LTS