Cultured Views

Remember when Bingo was played in a drafty old hall…?

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I certainly do, in fact, just up until about five years back the only place you played a game of bingo was in a community hall and the players were usually of a ’senior’ nature.

But it’s all changed now and online bingo has taken this hugely popular social pastime, modernised it and enabled countless people to participate in a game from the comfort of their own home. So, let’s take a look at today’s new bingo.

BingoPort offers not just the opportunity to play the game but comprehensively reviews a wide range of sites allowing the player to choose which selection appeals to them the most covering…

* No Deposit/Deposit Bonus sites

* Reviews of at least 33 different Bingo sites based in the UK

* A forum for players to not only pick up tips and share experiences but which also offers prize winning incentives

* Options for those who wish to participate in free bingo 

* Monitoring of games and players; and loads of info regarding bonus cash, prizes, free cards…

What appeals about this site is that it is visually attractive and truely interactive - very much like playing bingo ‘the old way’ - the only difference is you are online. Soon as you arrive on site you can log in and pretty much start playing. While I do find the site very attractive, colourful and inviting - there is a slight overload of bonus offers which continue as you scroll down - but if this is what you are looking for then you will love it.

If you like to stay updated you will like the newsletter format plus if you are a fan of ITV’s Bingo Night Live  latest newsletter tells you how you can get involved online and at home.

If you like your gaming sites visual, informative and easy to navigate then this player-friendly site will very much appeal to any bingo fan.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Life was hard for a Bay City Roller fan

I was reading just recently how one of the members of that defunct boy-band Blue is now engaged to, and expecting a baby with, a longtime devoted fan. And how did this lady snare her idol…? in a very modern day way - she bombarded him with racy pics of herself on his MySpace page until he succumbed to temptation.

Boy, did her efforts pay off!

It was very different when I was a ‘fan’; as a very young girl (and I do mean ‘very’) my heart belonged to none other than the Bay City Rollers - those tartan terrors from Scotland and I idolised them just as millions of other very young girls did back in the 1970’s.

Of course we all were convinced that each one of us was absolutely destined to marry either Les, Eric, Derek, Alan or Woody - the only depressing prospect was that millions of other very young girls all thought the same thing.

We all wrote cute letters to our favourite Roller; if you liked Woody (as most of the fans did) you knew you had write an especially cute letter to him if yours was to convince him that you were meant for him; if you liked Les you were a bit of a rebel as Les was the bad boy of the group ( or so they said ); if you liked Alan or Derek (the brothers) you were normally one of the older category of fans - at least 15 or 16.

But if you liked Eric - as I did - then you were my worst enemy. I wrote letters to Eric, via one of those dubious fan clubs which abounded back then - they took your parents cheque for $10.00 and all you got back was a poster…and nothing else. But you did not care - you were official and you just knew Eric was actually getting your letters placed in his hand and was reading them and thinking what a great girl you were.

We all thought it was sooo cute that Eric and Woody shared a house; of course, they wrote their songs together so why not?…

Yep, I went to the concert in Sydney in ‘76 - I screamed, I cried, I even tried to faint like all those fans at the concerts in England were supposed to have done. But all we got out of the experience was a case of tinnitus for a week due to the deafening screams and a piece of tartan off the floor which someone else had dropped.

I never heard a note they played, my beloved Eric resembled a zombie on stage and the worst thing of all…he never even looked at me…not once!!  big let down…I wrote and told him I would be holding a tartan teddy bear aloft to signal it was me in the crowd but he completely ignored me!

And I held my teddy bear much higher than all those hundreds of other girls did!

A few years down the line and I had grown out of Eric and the ‘Rollers so when I read somewhere that Eric and Woody were still playing house together I consoled myself with the thought that maybe he wasn’t such a great catch after all…

Shang a lang!

Popularity: 31% [?]

Do you know how many weeks it is till Xmas…?

Yep, we are almost ready to say goodbye to June - once that’s done you know what means…the Xmas countdown begins. I am sure that if you are like me once July swings in you start saying to people ” Did you know it’s only 24 weeks until Xmas…? ”

But considering the shopping season starts at least in October - that’s when all the decorations start to go up around the shops - you really only have something like 16 weeks to start putting your listing in order. Scary stuff eh? but being prepared is by far the best way to go about things - let’s make a determined effort to get all that gift buying done sooner rather later. I always find that this time of year - midyear - is when all those special items you want go on sale; if you try the strategy of making three or four purchases a month up until December then, voila!, you are home and hosed.

By far the best way of shopping early in this way and getting the most out of all those discounts is to shop online; forget the high street shops, everyone’s out because it’s summer and who needs crowds…? I have been shopping online for five years now and I think it is one of the best innovations ever. Okay, so you have to visit the shops at some stage - but you can still get the bulk of all your stuff online and delivered with relative ease now.

But go ahead - make your list - any idea what you’re after? I often find it easier to make those gift choices way before Xmas as by then the stress levels are peaking and I cannot get my head around everyone’s wishes and wants. It goes without saying that the kids nowadays prefer anything and everything that involves gaming, internet and things which involve wireless connections. I suppose that has been a godsend to us parents - how many of us have spent a small fortune on batteries in the past…?

Of course, and especially you Mums out there, don’t forget to make up your own wishlist as someone is bound to say to you ” So what do you want from Santa dear ? ” - I know what I want…books/biographies. That’s all I ever really want as I just love to read - the more the better. This year I have my eye firmly on ‘Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography’ by Sidney Poitier as this is a man I have admired for many years; not just for his acting roles but his dedication to many good causes and humanity.

This book is also included in the brilliant Oprahs Book Club which also means it is a quality publication and carries a special discount. This has become a very popular way to select a good book now as only the best books are chosen for inclusion in Oprahs Book Club. Santa could fill my Xmas stocking with as many books as he likes because that is what I love to do above all else when I take time out for myself - reading.  Actually, even though I have not read this book myself as yet I would even go so far as to recommending it to anyone now - the reason being this man has led a fascinating life and is not just an articulate speaker but just as much a writer.

Apart from a good bio anything non-fiction would keep me happy too; I love to read about other countries and cultures, especially the ancient one’s. Oh, and those great cook books - everyone’s a celebrity chef these days and with so much choice in that area there’s no excuse for not cooking up a storm this summer!

And one last thing; the advantage of shopping now means the kids will be at school when the postman arrives with the goods - anyone who has tried sneaking those Xmas gifts into the house with the kids around will know how difficult it is. So go on and get shopping before it’s too late. Only 24 weeks remember….

Popularity: 31% [?]