History & facts about Eurostar

Since the UK government are continuing  to refuse to bail out Eurostar due to the effects of Covid 19 & that it is quite close to be out of business. As a person who had travelled on the Eurostar train service from London St Pancras to Paris Gare Du Nord in the summer of 2019. 

Here are the facts gas out Eurostar via photos and websites.

The origins of Eurostar can be traced back to 1986. Construction began in 1988 and it was completed in the early 90s at the Channel Tunnel to connect direct trains from the UK to mainland Europe. The idea of the Channel Tunnel can be traced back to early 1800s in the 19th century. There was even an attempt to build the Channel Tunnel but it was not successful. Good for the UK & France to digging the tunnel in 1990 as it was a historic moment. 

And so, that is when the Eurostar service had started in 1994. 14th November 1994. 

Eurostar used to terminate at London Waterloo station until 2007. 

Since then, it have been terminating at London St Pancras station. When the cross channel train service started, it was from London to Paris and Brussels.🇬🇧🇫🇷🇧🇪 In the recent years before the pandemic, in 2018, Amsterdam 🇳🇱 was added as a new travel destination for Eurostar train service to go & terminate at the station. 

British Rail Class 373 (Eurostar e300/ TGV TMST rolling stock) have been an  Eurostar train since the inauguration of the train service in late 1994. It is still in service, although it has been refurbished & sometime soon in next few years, it may be out of the service completely as the new rolling stock British Rail Class 374 (Eurostar e320) have been in service since 2015. 

So regarding the financial situation of Eurostar, read my four previous blog posts & please do sign the petition in order to save Eurostar from going bust. 

mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

To know more about Eurostar, here are more sources about the information & facts

en.wikipedia.org 

apackedlife.com 

traveltips.usatoday.com 

eurostar.com 

google.co.uk 

railway-technology.com 

google.co.uk 

And I would strongly recommend that you do think of travelling on Eurostar. Especially when it is back to normal & not being out of business. 

Time to end epidemic of gun violence in the US

NRA & guns in the US: Time to end epidemic of gun violence in the US. 

Every single Republican politician including former US President Donald Trump are all against gun control policy. They all receive money from NRA (National Rife Association) as they are pro gun (& not for gun safety). Under Trump presidency, there has been many gun shootings.

From 2017 Las Vegas shooting to 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting to 2019 El Paso shooting. The list goes on. Given both GOP & Trump believe the nonsense philosophy that “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” Receiving funding from NRA.

Every time when Republican politician say “thoughts and prayers”, they don’t want to do anything to put a stop to mass shooting. Mass gun shooting. I know in US constitution which second amendment says “the right to bear arms”. Except it doesn’t really say the right to “endanger lives”.

So America should be not be afraid to do something to prevent anymore of gun incidents by having gun control laws. It’s not about “taking away” guns, it is about safety. That’s why Trump had the backing from NRA. youtu.be 

No wonder Barack Obama had found frustrating that he was not able to do anything regarding gun control when he was the US President & that he wanted to bring measures to prevent gun violence & tragedies. youtu.be youtu.be youtu.be youtu.be youtu.be youtu.be 

Even gun incidents had happened on every US President long before Trump & now under Biden. No wonder we see the US as Wild West in cowboy and western films. It’s time the country has a gun control laws. Plus it’s now three years since the March For Our Lives (MFOL) demonstration. Led by school students including victims of Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida to protest against gun violence.

Donald Trump (then US President) even had ridiculously suggested that arming teachers with guns should prevent gun shootings (particular in schools). Worst of all, Trump repealed Obama-era gun checks for people with mental health problems. You see. This is why the president was out of touch and had no empathy. google.co.uk google.co.uk google.co.uk google.co.uk No wonder he didn’t had the interest to stop any avoidable tragedies & incidents relating to gun violence & that he received the money from NRA. No wonder I am glad that Trump didn’t win for his second term. 

I understand that the topic about guns in America is difficult and complicated topic. However, it’s common sense to do something by putting a stop to it. It should never be divisive subject to talk about gun reform in the United States of America.

Gun checks and particularly universal background checks are the way to regulate guns. That is how it should be. Gun regulation. That’s gun control. Preventing more of gun incidents in the US. That’s why Joe Biden & Democrats are for Gun Control & the safety of American people. Plus today, The President outlined that he want to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in America during his speech. youtu.be youtu.be Since it is indeed as “international embarrassment” as President Biden is right to say. google.co.uk 

And on top of it, if you compare the US to any country, you would find that countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand & European countries like Germany, France, the UK and Spain have toughest laws by having a strict gun restrictions. That’s how gun control works. Stricter gun measures. Not having big gun incidents in the United States. 

Strictly, gun controls works in many countries & that is how there is no daily mass gun shooting like America does & that there aren’t any of crazy gun fanatics. 

The two recent gun incidents in Atlanta, Georgia & Colorado shows it is really got to stop. Gun violence. Enough is enough. Thoughts and prayers will not win prevent gun incidents. What will prevent gun incidents is politicians in the US Congress to finally pass a legislation in the House & the Senate for the president to sign it into the law. I know Democrats are for gun control. As for Republicans, they are totally against it? Why? They received from the NRA as I mentioned in my first paragraph. So yeah, President Biden should ignore NRA because they do not care. They do not care if someone have died due to gun given gun shooting is one of the cause of death in USA. All they talk is “the right to bear arms”. Where in the American constitution say that it is okay to endanger any innocent person’s lives with arms (guns)? Gun is a weapon. Dangerous weapon. Not a tool. Instead of making lies with the ludicrous narrative “they gonna take your guns”, they should in favour for gun reform. But they are not for that so that is why they will continue to behave the rubbish philosophy “Guns do not kill people”. 

Here is the comparison between two former US Presidents: Barack Obama and Donald Trump & how they handled the situation, relating to gun violence. Obama tried so hard to bring gun control measures when he was the president. While for Trump, he didn’t care about it. youtu.be 

So yes, there should definitely be gun control & gun control measures in America. 

The Idiot’s guide to Brexit

This blog post will be hilarious one. The idiot’s guide to Brexit. 😆😅😂

It’s like doing a quiz. I am doing this to debunk any misunderstandings & lies.

So here are things according to the Brexiteers (leavers) despite not everything is all got to do with the EU. This is in hypothetical situations. 

Here it goes. 🇬🇧🇪🇺

Council of Europe (CoE) - affiliated with the EU. Answer = Not true 

European Convention on Human Rights (EHCR) - affiliated with the EU. Answer = not true 

Eurostar (international & cross channel train service that connects the UK, France, Belgium & the Netherlands) = affiliated with the EU. Answer = not true 

Eurovision (the Eurovision Song Contest) = affiliated with the EU. Answer = not true 

The Single Market (& freedom of movement) = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true 

The Customs Union = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true 

European Parliament (where there are MEPs being representatives) = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true 

European Medicines Agency (EMA) = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true

European Court of Justice (ECJ) = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true 

European Arrest Warrant = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true 

Europol = affiliated with the EU. Answer = true

European Space Agency = affiliated with the EU. Answer = not true 

The list goes on. 

Conclusions: Unless if you happen to be Brexiteer & you think everything has to got do with the EU with non EU agency body & non EU institution or anything non EU then I am afraid that you are mistaken. I hope this can help you to understand better despite you have the right to support Brexit (that’s where we differ on things). Last thing everyone needs is the UK being anti European country. 

For the last couple of years, the govt who brought Brexit to the country just to divide everybody politically, I seen it as an distraction. 

So I hope with the guide that I listed will help everyone understand that not everything is all got to do with the European Union. After all, lies and defamation was told during the 2016 Brexit referendum. Mostly from the winning side (Vote Leave campaign) & leavers. Brexit is not beneficial to everybody at all. Regardless who voted remain or leave. 

So in all seriousness, not all Brexiteers are liars. Some of them can be misinformed & wish they would had voted different. In the age of fake news in the digital age, people would believe disinformation as “truth” false truth over the accurately relevant information. No wonder there are so many rubbish conspiracy theories currently about Covid 19 unfortunately. Especially in this day and age. 

The 2016 freedom pass fiasco in Barnet

In today’s blog post, I will tell you a story. My own story about the 2016 freedom pass fiasco in Barnet. I feel that I have found a right time to tell my story to you my readers. 

Three weeks ago on Tuesday 17th March 2021 marked 5 years since I first discovered a problem on my disabled freedom pass when I aboard a bus & then next day, it continued to persists. That’s when I found out the reason that my card was illegally stopped by Capita & Barnet council without genuine & proper reason. 

That’s when I explained all to Roger (my friend) & that’s when it did came to light with my story, Jenny’s story & others. With the efforts of two Barnet Bloggers Roger Tichborne (Barnet Eye blogger) & Theresa Musgrove (Broken Barnet Blogger) by doing a investigative blogging, it led to the restoration of freedom passes in Barnet. 5 years on, I remember what it was yesterday. 

I had some low moments in my life including my freedom pass stopped. So for that I want to thank both Roger & Theresa for that. Including nominating me an award of the Barnet Eye person of the year 2016 which I had received few months later when I collected at the Mill Hill Music Complex (Roger’s studio), It really meant a lot to me. 

Without both of excellent Barnet bloggers, I would had use Oyster card or using my bank card to pay fares for public transport on bus & tube train. I am always grateful for what they have done after me telling Roger my story & that how he did published it on his blog which has stayed with me to this day. 

Now 5 years later, I got my own blog. Anything happens to me, I’ll explain on my own blog (without having to give my personal details of course for safety & confidential reasons). 🙂

I even done a guest blog when I accepted the award in December 2016 & then finally received it in April 2017.

In case if you have not been aware of my story & the 2016 Freedom Pass fiasco in Barnet (London Borough of Barnet), you can read up two amazing Barnet Blogs the links that I left in the following paragraph below. Not only it gained much of attention in Barnet, it also gained much of attention across London. 

I gathered many information & sources here below in the following paragraph. 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com 

barneteye.blogspot.co.uk 

wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk 

youtu.be 

m.mixcloud.com 

standard.co.uk 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

m.youtube.com 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

youtu.be 

barneteye.blogspot.co.uk 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com

wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com 

wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com 

wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

barneteye.blogspot.com 

times-series.co.uk 

barneteye.blogspot.co.uk 

It was my honour for me to tell the story on the Barnet Eye blog. Theresa and Roger inspired me as an blogger because now with my blog, I can do anything to express what I feel. 

I mentioned my diagnosis (autism = high functioning & learning difficulty = mild) whilst explaining everything to Roger. I don’t normally talk about anything personal so for the sake of it, I will not give out my personal details (since I am very careful person) other than the fact I felt at the time that I didn’t even wanted to mention it (my diagnosis cos I felt it’s personal) which in the end, I had no choice  but toto do so (Which I done so consciously) in order to eventually have free bus pass (freedom pass) restored by adding pressure on Barnet council (Conservative owned local authority). 

When I tell my story of how selfish & cruel was Capita (private outsourcing firm) & Barnet Council to Roger, it was first being done anonymously (& remained anonymous until sometime in December 2016). Given I didn’t wanted anything of publicity & exposure (not that I want fame or anything like that. Other than just telling my story, that’s all). 

Nowadays I am not afraid to say anything what is on my mind. After all, knowledge is power. I even had an interview with Roger in 2018 before the local council election in Barnet. 

Finally, given few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about how messed up is the welfare system & that it really people with disabilities who genuinely claim benefits & being treated unfairly as those who doesn’t have disabilities. 

mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

This really proves the system in the UK in general is not inclusive. UN panel criticises UK failure to uphold disabled people\"s rights | Disability | The Guardian No wonder the report from UN proves that the system have totally failed disabled people in all levels from welfare to education. All because of austerity policies by the government. disabled people shouldn’t had to being victimised of discrimination & austerity policies including unnecessary benefit sanctions & fit to work test & anything that affects the disabled poorly. google.co.uk 

It seems people with disabilities (& those with special needs) have really been deprived in our society in the UK awfully. As someone who has disabled brother who is non verbal, I would rather live in the society that is inclusive without ableism (or disablism) & I am sorry to say this but it is factual that the UK is a disablist country. When the cancellation of freedom pass happened in Barnet, it was nothing but an ableist. 

I do not want to live in the country where the system can treat people with different kind of disability awfully. No wonder 11 years of austerity measures under the Tory government have really shown this. 

I hope and pray that such event should never happen ever again in Barnet or any London Borough regarding disabled freedom pass. 

So that is all I can say about my own story of the 2016 freedom pass fiasco in Barnet. 

My Easter 2021 blog message

Hi Everybody 

Last 12 months have been a stressful year for all of us due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. It is still impacting in the present day. 

So on this day (Easter Sunday) as it is a Easter weekend, going into Easter Monday tomorrow as we already had Good Friday to start the season, I want to wish you my readers a Happy Easter. 

For me, Easter is the festive season. Like Christmas, Easter is a peace of mind & fun atmosphere when person goes on Easter egg hunt, chocolates (chocolate eggs), rabbits & attending church services. That is what I think of Easter as it is a holiday season.

Let’s hope and pray that next Easter won’t be like last year’s one and this year’s one so that it can be better and more fun like it was pre Covid. 

When we think of Easter, we think of the resurrection of Jesus (Easter Sunday) compared with Good Friday and Easter Monday. Three days in Easter season in March/April. With Christmas in December, it’s two days (Christmas Eve, Christmas & sometime Boxing Day or other public holiday or bank holiday, depending where you live in). Anyway you do understand what I am coming from.

So what we really need now in this moment is hope. Hope for ourselves and hope for the future as I said that Easter is a peace of mind and renewal. 

So have a good and blessed Easter holiday in this season and stay safe. Happy Easter. 🙂🙂🐣

The UK and the EU: Friend or Competitor?

It has been 3 months since the Brexit transition period came to the end on 31st December 2020. 

The effects of Brexit to this day continues to be a disadvantage for businesses in the UK as we already got used to it. Non tariff barrier, paperwork, customs duties, red tape, bureaucracy and certification to export products/items to the EU27. bbc.co.uk bbc.co.uk google.co.uk 

No frictionless trade when we were the member of the European Union. 

Plus furthermore, since the start of this year in January, UK trade to the EU have suddenly fallen. mirror.co.uk bbc.com Do you really think that has been a great start for the United Kingdom post Brexit now that it is out of the EU economic structures: the Single Market and the Customs Union? For the country that is an independent sovereign country when it was an member of the EU when it never really did lost sovereignty when the UK became the EU member 1973 (almost 50 years ago). Yet we hear so many two faced politicians who are Eurosceptic, anti EU/not pro European and pro Brexit to tell lies and myths about the EU. 

Look, the EU is not perfect especially with the UK Covid 19 vaccine (Oxford AstraZeneca) & that bickering really needs to stop between both sides cos it is not necessary. 

google.co.uk

While at the same time, the vaccine row between the EU27 and the UK is nothing but a distraction. Nothing will ever prove that the UK was right to leave the EU in first place because of how “un Democratic & unelected bureaucrats” is the EU & yet, we got unelected chamber in the Houses of Parliament. The House of Lords with ex government ministers, life peers, ex MPs & bishops that we have not elected them except MPs in the House of Commons. On top of that, we elected MEPs to the European Parliament so why say that the EU (supernatural organisation which is political & economic Union) be unelected? It totally makes zero sense. 

Nowadays we see the EU not only as an ally but an competitor. Rival. 

The media outlets in the UK which are mostly Conservative & Pro Brexit have successfully made an narrative that the EU is not “friend” of the UK & that it should be treated as an enemy. Now I do not know exactly why would the press to portray the European Union 27 like that? As if the EU is like Russia & China?

The EU (most of EU countries are in NATO. Same with the United States & Canada). In fact, Few days ago, Boris Johnson (UK PM) alongside France (Emmanuel Macron = French President) & Germany (Angela Merkel = German Chancellor) & other countries in the world who are all UN member states, calling for the pandemic treaty to mitigate & prevent any future pandemics. google.co.uk 

That is how multilateralism works. Regardless if the UK is in the EU or not. Yet some Brexiteers cannot stand multilateralism & the bloc of 27 nations in the EU was an example of it. 

And recently,  the UK alongside Canada, the US & the EU together sanctioned the Chinese for human rights abuses & the abhorrent treatment of Uighur muslims in Xinjiang & yet, some right wing media outlets have decided to behave despicable by writing rubbish articles just to deteriorate the relationship between the UK & the EU even further. google.co.uk How is that “Global Britain” while treating European neighbours as if it is not really friends and neighbours? Especially working together to combat the Covid pandemic? 

google.co.uk No wonder the reality have already started to bite. I am still to this day that Brexit is not beneficial & it never not be beneficial. 

Lastly, I accept that the UK is outside the EU & that it can thrive. But the altitude & behaviour from the Government (British government) & the press, they need to stop paining the EU as an villain & realise that although the UK can do do it’s own things as it is an “independent” country, the UK & continental Europe will still work together on common goals such as fighting Covid 19, dealing with climate change & other things. Not only for Britain & mainland Europe but also for the whole world. So let’s build bridges & not walls. 🇬🇧🇪🇺

Finally. BBC Newsnight report of how the UK - EU relations post Brexit will go now that the UK & the EU go separate ways. m.youtube.com 

We heard so many times that the UK left the EU but not Europe. Well for me, I have heard enough of it. I am still European. 

I quit writing a blog

Dear readers. 

I have decided that I do not want to write blog anymore. 

I enjoyed writing blog posts about anything what is on my mind. However, I didn’t find really it joyful at all in terms of writing so that is I have decided that I want to stop blogging. I quit. 

This is very last blog post guys. I want to say to you guys thank you for reading my blog for last couple of months ago. 

I have recorded my video message to explain why I decided to writing a blog. Thank you for all. Take care. 

youtu.be Click the link to my video message. 

If you seen the video. See my reaction below. 

😂😂😅😅

In case if you cannot tell that I was joking. I am not really going to stop writing a blog. Since this is my 66th blog post, I wanted to do something fun with you guys just to pull a prank & i cannot really believe that you really have fallen for it. The joke’s on you my dear readers. 😅 You have been Rick Rolled. Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up. 🎶🎵🎤🎼

Anyways, I want to wish you a Happy April Fool’s Day as we are now in the new month. April. 1st of April.