Falklands vet returns PoW trumpetBy Andrew Kerr
BBC News
Tony Banks met up with Omar Rene Tabarez 28 years on from the war The Argentinian jets screamed overhead the young paratrooper from Dundee, dropping their deadly payloads over Sussex Mountain.
For Tony Banks, the Falklands war had become real and terrifying as the battle for Goose Green got under way.
"All through that night and all through that battle, I just thought 'God get me through this, just get me through this'," Tony said.
"I'd seen comrades fall - that was the first time I'd seen anyone close to me getting killed."
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
I never spoke about the Falklands for years, I just never felt I could speak to anyone about it”
End Quote
Tony Banks
Tony survived, physically unscathed at least. Other comrades-in-arms were not so fortunate, with close friends paying the ultimate price.
The young para returned to "civvy street" and made efforts to put the war behind him. He started working in the care home sector and built up a multi-million pound business.
Despite his success, the dark shadows of war still haunted his imagination.
He said: "I never spoke about the Falklands for years, I just never felt I could speak to anyone about it.
"It's always this thing about civilians that they don't understand what it's like. But you took it out in other ways."
Adjusting to post-war life brought out some unpleasant characteristics.
Hard to adjust
Tony said: "I was a very angry young man, you drink too much, you get involved in fights and that was common with a lot of the guys at the time.
"We found it really hard to adjust to being back into normal life."
Mr Banks said the experiences of war had shaped his whole life It seems it's an all too common experience for many soldiers.
Charities such as Combat Stress say the number of service personnel seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder has risen by 72% in the past five years.
The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have contributed to that but it's a familiar problem for veterans of any conflict.
"When people come back from a war situation, they sometimes can have moderate to severe depressive symptoms," according to Major Garry Walker, an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder at Surehaven Hospital.
He said: "More commonly they abuse alcohol or other substances to help them sleep because they may have nightmares about particular situations."
Continue reading the main story
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I thank you because this closes that stage of my life”
End Quote
Omar Rene Tabarez
For many, these symptoms lessen as time goes on. For a small minority of people it causes lasting damage.
Tony Banks now devotes a lot of his time to helping veterans at Combat Stress.
Tony's thankful he's been spared a level of mental turmoil that many of them face - but he feels there's some unfinished business standing between his Falklands experience and a full recovery.
There's an unusual reason for this.
As the Argentinian prisoners of war were loaded onto British troop carriers, Tony and his mates made sure they were not carrying any personal possessions.
There was nothing sinister to this - they were following standard procedures.
One small black box caught Tony's eye. It contained a trumpet and a book of music. He confiscated it from the Argentinian trooper and kept it as a war trophy.
Plagued by nightmares
Twenty-eight years on that instrument is a reminder of those cruel times.
He set out to find the soldier so he could hand it back. Tony only had a name written inside the music book: Omar Rene Tabarez.
A trip to Buenos Aires, the Argentinian capital, followed and one wet and miserable evening he found himself in Omar's front garden.
The door opened and a warm, friendly figure welcomed Tony and paid tribute to him for bringing the trumpet back.
"I thank you because this closes that stage of my life," said Omar.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
I can go to my grave now thinking I did the right thing”
End Quote
Tony Banks
"To find myself reunited with my companion gives me strength. It lifts my spirits."
Those words were rich with meaning, as Omar too suffered mentally after the war - plagued by nightmares.
The two old enemies - now it seemed the greatest of friends - sat down and reminisced about the war.
Omar even played the trumpet, faltering a little at first but the militaristic notes became loud and clear.
This moving act of reconciliation certainly seemed to have moved Tony on to a better place.
"Having come back now and given Omar back the trumpet it's brought a bit of closure to me," he said.
"I feel I've returned the trumpet to the rightful owner. I can go to my grave now thinking I did the right thing."
For years, Tony has been that frightened young para, pinned down on the dark mountainside in the Falklands. Now he can begin to escape his past.
You can see more of Tony's story in From War to Peace on BBC One Scotland at 1930 BST on Monday.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
What Lucy found on the number 9...
Significance of number 9 in the bible : ( I boldened the part I think could relate to MacBeth. )
The number 9 is used 49 times in the Bible and pictures finality or divine completeness from the Lord.
Jesus died at the 9th hour, the completion of His physical life. His death was the beginning of the finishing of sin and Satan.
As 8 symbolizes circumcision of the heart and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, 9 signifies the fruit of the Spirit. There are 9 fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Longsuffering
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-control
The number nine is a most remarkable number in many respects. It is held in great reverence by all who study the occult sciences; and in mathematical science it possesses properties and powers which are found in no other number.*
* Among others may be mentioned (1) that the sum of the digits which form its multiples are themselves always a multiple of nine; e.g., 2 x 9 = 18 (and 1+8=9); 3 x 9 = 27 (and 2+7=9); 4 x 9 = 36 (and 3+6=9); 5 x 9 = 45 (and 4+5=9), etc., etc.; and so with the larger numbers: 52843 x 9 = 475587 (and 4+7+5+5+8+7=36, and 3+6=9). (2) The sum of its multiples through the nine digits = 405, or 9 times 45.
It is the last of the digits, and thus marks the end; and is significant of the conclusion of a matter.
It is akin to the number six, six being the sum of its factors (3x3=9, and 3+3=6), and is thus significant of the end of man, and the summation of all man's works. Nine is, therefore, the number of finality or judgement.
What are the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit?
The gifts of the spirit in 1Corinthians 12:8-10 are also nine in number:
1. The word of wisdom
2. The word of knowledge
3. Faith
4. Healing
5. The working of miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Discerning of spirits
8. Divers kinds of tongues
9. The interpretation of tongues
The number 9 is used 49 times in the Bible and pictures finality or divine completeness from the Lord.
Jesus died at the 9th hour, the completion of His physical life. His death was the beginning of the finishing of sin and Satan.
As 8 symbolizes circumcision of the heart and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, 9 signifies the fruit of the Spirit. There are 9 fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Longsuffering
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-control
The number nine is a most remarkable number in many respects. It is held in great reverence by all who study the occult sciences; and in mathematical science it possesses properties and powers which are found in no other number.*
* Among others may be mentioned (1) that the sum of the digits which form its multiples are themselves always a multiple of nine; e.g., 2 x 9 = 18 (and 1+8=9); 3 x 9 = 27 (and 2+7=9); 4 x 9 = 36 (and 3+6=9); 5 x 9 = 45 (and 4+5=9), etc., etc.; and so with the larger numbers: 52843 x 9 = 475587 (and 4+7+5+5+8+7=36, and 3+6=9). (2) The sum of its multiples through the nine digits = 405, or 9 times 45.
It is the last of the digits, and thus marks the end; and is significant of the conclusion of a matter.
It is akin to the number six, six being the sum of its factors (3x3=9, and 3+3=6), and is thus significant of the end of man, and the summation of all man's works. Nine is, therefore, the number of finality or judgement.
What are the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit?
The gifts of the spirit in 1Corinthians 12:8-10 are also nine in number:
1. The word of wisdom
2. The word of knowledge
3. Faith
4. Healing
5. The working of miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Discerning of spirits
8. Divers kinds of tongues
9. The interpretation of tongues
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
A brilliant site that paraphrases the whole play!!!
http://www.enotes.com/macbeth-text/act-i-scene-i
Monday, 23 January 2012
James found this web page that looks at the mechanics of Shakespeare's text and writing style. READ IT!
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xIllustrations.html#Stage
Sheila's research:
1960– 1970 Political Timeline
(Briefsummary of events leading up to Thatcher's Britain)
(writtenby Sheila)
Year Prime Minister Party
1957 – 1963 HaroldMacmillan – Conservative
1963 – 1964 AlecDouglas-Home – Conservative
1964 – 1970 JamesHarold Wilson – Labour
Labour won the 1964election with a narrow majority of four seats. During 1965, this wasreduced to a single seat as a result of by-election defeats, but inMay 1966 Wilson called another election and this time won it by a96-seat majority.
Wilson's first threeyears in office were dominated by an ultimately doomed effort tostave off the devaluation of the pound. He ruled during 'a period oflow unemployment and relative economic prosperity (though also ofsignificant problems with the UK's external balance of payments.)
A number ofliberalising social reforms were passed through parliament duringWilson's first period in government. These included:
The abolition of capital punishment,
Decriminalisation of sex between men in private
Liberalisation of abortion law
The abolition of theatre censorship.
The proportion of council housing rose from 42% to 50% of the total. The number of council homes built increased steadily under the First Wilson Government, from 119,000 in 1964 to 133,000 in 1965 and to 142,000 in 1966. Allowing for demolitions, 1.3 million new homes were built between 1965 and 1970.
By 1974, the top-rateof income tax reached its highest rate since the war, 83%. Thisapplied to incomes over £20,000 (£155,247 as of 2012), and combinedwith a 15% surcharge on 'un-earned' income (investments anddividends) could add to a 98% marginal rate of personal income tax.In 1974, as many as 750,000 people were liable to pay the top-rate ofincome tax. Labour's identification with high tax rates was to proveone of the issues that helped the Conservative Party under MargaretThatcher and John Major dominate British politics during the 1980sand early-to-mid-1990s.
Wilson had enteredpower at a time when unemployment stood at around 400,000. It stillstood 371,000 by early 1966 after a steady fall during 1965, but byMarch 1967 it stood at 631,000. It fell again towards the end of thedecade, standing at 582,000 by the time of the general election inJune 1970.
1970 – 1974 EdwardHeath – Conservative
Heath's premiership oversaw the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, with the suspension of the Stormont parliament and the imposition of direct British rule.
Heath also attempted tocurb union power with the Industrial Relations Act 1971, and hadhoped to deregulate the economy and make a transfer from direct toindirect taxation. However rising unemployment in 1972 caused Heathto reflate the economy at the cost of high inflation, which heattempted to control by prices and incomes policy.
Two miner's strikes in1972 and 1974 proved damaging to the government, with the lattercausing the implementation of the Three-Day Week to conserve energy.The general election in February 1974, an attempt to win a publicmandate to face down the miners' wage demands, resulted in a hungparliament. Following a failed attempt to establish a coalition withthe Liberals, Heath conceded power to a minority Labour governmentunder Harold Wilson, which won a small majority in a second electionin October that year.
1974 – 1976 HaroldWilson (again) Labour
Wilson's government came under scrutiny in 1975 for unemployment, with the total number of Britons out of work passing 1,000,000 by April of that year
In 1975 Wilson offered Muammar Gaddafi 14million (worth 500million in 2009) to stop selling weapons to IRA. Gaddafi refused.
On 16 March 1976, Wilson surprised the nation by announcing his resignation as Prime Minister (taking effect on 5 April 1976). He claimed that he had always planned on resigning at the age of 60, and that he was physically and mentally exhausted.
1976 – 1979 JamesCallaghan – Labour
Labour had already lostits majority in the House of Commons when he became Prime Ministerand lost further seats at by-elections and through defections,forcing Callaghan to deal with minor parties such as the LiberalParty especially in the Lib-Lab pact from 1977 to 1978, the UlsterUnionists, Scottish National Party and even Independents.
Industrial disputesand widespread strikes in the "Winter of Discontent" of1978–79, made Callaghan's government unpopular and the defeat ofthe referendum on devolution for Scotland* led to the passage of amotion of no confidence on 28 March 1979.
* (The people ofScotland first got the opportunity to vote in a referendum onproposals for devolution in 1979 and though a majority of thosevoting voted 'Yes', the referendum legislation also required 40% ofthe electorate to vote 'Yes' for the plans to be enacted.)
(Briefsummary of events leading up to Thatcher's Britain)
(writtenby Sheila)
Year Prime Minister Party
1957 – 1963 HaroldMacmillan – Conservative
1963 – 1964 AlecDouglas-Home – Conservative
1964 – 1970 JamesHarold Wilson – Labour
Labour won the 1964election with a narrow majority of four seats. During 1965, this wasreduced to a single seat as a result of by-election defeats, but inMay 1966 Wilson called another election and this time won it by a96-seat majority.
Wilson's first threeyears in office were dominated by an ultimately doomed effort tostave off the devaluation of the pound. He ruled during 'a period oflow unemployment and relative economic prosperity (though also ofsignificant problems with the UK's external balance of payments.)
A number ofliberalising social reforms were passed through parliament duringWilson's first period in government. These included:
The abolition of capital punishment,
Decriminalisation of sex between men in private
Liberalisation of abortion law
The abolition of theatre censorship.
The proportion of council housing rose from 42% to 50% of the total. The number of council homes built increased steadily under the First Wilson Government, from 119,000 in 1964 to 133,000 in 1965 and to 142,000 in 1966. Allowing for demolitions, 1.3 million new homes were built between 1965 and 1970.
By 1974, the top-rateof income tax reached its highest rate since the war, 83%. Thisapplied to incomes over £20,000 (£155,247 as of 2012), and combinedwith a 15% surcharge on 'un-earned' income (investments anddividends) could add to a 98% marginal rate of personal income tax.In 1974, as many as 750,000 people were liable to pay the top-rate ofincome tax. Labour's identification with high tax rates was to proveone of the issues that helped the Conservative Party under MargaretThatcher and John Major dominate British politics during the 1980sand early-to-mid-1990s.
Wilson had enteredpower at a time when unemployment stood at around 400,000. It stillstood 371,000 by early 1966 after a steady fall during 1965, but byMarch 1967 it stood at 631,000. It fell again towards the end of thedecade, standing at 582,000 by the time of the general election inJune 1970.
1970 – 1974 EdwardHeath – Conservative
Heath's premiership oversaw the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, with the suspension of the Stormont parliament and the imposition of direct British rule.
Heath also attempted tocurb union power with the Industrial Relations Act 1971, and hadhoped to deregulate the economy and make a transfer from direct toindirect taxation. However rising unemployment in 1972 caused Heathto reflate the economy at the cost of high inflation, which heattempted to control by prices and incomes policy.
Two miner's strikes in1972 and 1974 proved damaging to the government, with the lattercausing the implementation of the Three-Day Week to conserve energy.The general election in February 1974, an attempt to win a publicmandate to face down the miners' wage demands, resulted in a hungparliament. Following a failed attempt to establish a coalition withthe Liberals, Heath conceded power to a minority Labour governmentunder Harold Wilson, which won a small majority in a second electionin October that year.
1974 – 1976 HaroldWilson (again) Labour
Wilson's government came under scrutiny in 1975 for unemployment, with the total number of Britons out of work passing 1,000,000 by April of that year
In 1975 Wilson offered Muammar Gaddafi 14million (worth 500million in 2009) to stop selling weapons to IRA. Gaddafi refused.
On 16 March 1976, Wilson surprised the nation by announcing his resignation as Prime Minister (taking effect on 5 April 1976). He claimed that he had always planned on resigning at the age of 60, and that he was physically and mentally exhausted.
1976 – 1979 JamesCallaghan – Labour
Labour had already lostits majority in the House of Commons when he became Prime Ministerand lost further seats at by-elections and through defections,forcing Callaghan to deal with minor parties such as the LiberalParty especially in the Lib-Lab pact from 1977 to 1978, the UlsterUnionists, Scottish National Party and even Independents.
Industrial disputesand widespread strikes in the "Winter of Discontent" of1978–79, made Callaghan's government unpopular and the defeat ofthe referendum on devolution for Scotland* led to the passage of amotion of no confidence on 28 March 1979.
* (The people ofScotland first got the opportunity to vote in a referendum onproposals for devolution in 1979 and though a majority of thosevoting voted 'Yes', the referendum legislation also required 40% ofthe electorate to vote 'Yes' for the plans to be enacted.)
Friday, 20 January 2012
What Elaine the Psychology lecturer said when I asked her about post traumatic stress dissorder...
Hi, because there are no set symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Dissorder it would be difficult to be specific here. I would suggest that you look at the following sites for an insight into war induced PTSD. There are case studies, poetry as well as more professional articles.
Even better would be to speak directly to a soldier with PTSD. I am sure Help for Heroes would be a good place to start.
I hope these help
Elaine
http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/post-traumatic_stress_disorder
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Vg99r90PqBoC&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=army+falklands+ptsd&source=bl&ots=R0hm0eJe_X&sig=9ZepJAJG2Wz7W-9yPW38GGqmCus&hl=en#v=onepage&q=army%20falklands%20ptsd&f=false
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/Falklands.htm
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/search.html?cx=008140764830693916603%3A7ixazkf_xzc&cof=FORID%3A10%3BNB%3A1&ie=UTF-8&q=ptsd
Even better would be to speak directly to a soldier with PTSD. I am sure Help for Heroes would be a good place to start.
I hope these help
Elaine
http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/post-traumatic_stress_disorder
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Vg99r90PqBoC&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=army+falklands+ptsd&source=bl&ots=R0hm0eJe_X&sig=9ZepJAJG2Wz7W-9yPW38GGqmCus&hl=en#v=onepage&q=army%20falklands%20ptsd&f=false
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/Falklands.htm
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/search.html?cx=008140764830693916603%3A7ixazkf_xzc&cof=FORID%3A10%3BNB%3A1&ie=UTF-8&q=ptsd
James discovered this great online Shakespeare translator.
http://www.shakespeareswords.com/Default.aspx
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