The Pathetic world of Political Incorrectness has reached the world of  Bingo… Yes, sad but true, one of the most popular and favorite past times for mostly old farts is under scrutiny by the Pathetic  Political Incorrect Brigade of twats that have nothing better to do than spend their time and even tax payers money looking for anything for them to whinge about.

Bingo halls throughout England have banned #11 = Legs 11 and #88 = 2 fat ladies, because they are scared to be sued!!

The decision to ban ‘two fat ladies’ and ‘legs eleven’ is the brainchild of Sue Brotherwood who  is a clerk in Sudbury Town Council who made the decision when she read in a paper about bingo caller being sued.  It is very sad because it is part of the fun of bingo but unfortunately in today’s society people take it literally.
Interestingly enough, an online bingo petition was started to protest the ban and as of today, of the 3,845 voters, an overwhelming 99% have insisted that the two fat ladies and legs 11 should stay.

The History of Bingo

The earliest bingo game was not in the form we play in modern times but still had recognisable features. It was played in Italy in the early 16th Century and dates back to 1530. It was a lottery type game called Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia. It is still played each Saturday by Italians as a State run lottery.
Over 200 years later, in the 1770s, the game found its way to France where the French called it Le Lotto. It was mostly played by the rich and was adapted to include tokens, playing cards as well as numbers.
The game soon reached Germany where in the 1800s the Germans used it to teach children mathematics, history and spelling.
From Germany the game reached the United States of America where it was adapted and given the name Beano. It can be traced back to being played in 1929.

Modern Bingo

The following bingo words and bingo phrases are called Bingo Lingo used by bingo callers when they call out the bingo numbers. They are harmless fun and add a laugh to the bingo night. For example it is traditional for the men to wolf whistle or clunk their drinking glasses when number 11 is called.

Bingo Numbers

Many of the bingo numbers are based on rhyming slang, whilst others are saying of what the number may look like. For example six and seven rhymes with Made In Heaven whilst eighty eight looks like two fat ladies! That may not be politically correct in modern times but is just harmless fun.

Bingo Calling

Sadly due to mordern day Political Incorrectness, bingo calling is a dying art and many bingo callers stay clear of the words and phrases used below and simply call out the numbers and rely on computer displays that display the bingo numbers for the hard of hearing or those who didn’t catch the numbers.

The traditional bingo lingo words and phrases below:

1. Kelly’s Eye
2. One Little Duck
3. Cup of Tea
4. Knock at the Door
5. Man Alive
6. Tom Mix
7. Lucky 7
8. Garden Gate
9. Doctors Orders
10. Tony’s Den
11. Legs Eleven [ banned]
12. One Dozen
13. Unlucky for Some
14]. Valentines Day
15. Young and Keen
16. Sweet Sixteen
17. Dancing Queen
18. Coming of Age
19. Goodbye-Teens
20. One Score
21. Key of the Door
22. Two Little Ducks
23. Thee and Me
24. Two Dozen
25. Duck and Dive
26. Pick and Mix
27. Gateway to Heaven
28. Over Weight
29. Rise and Shine
30. Dirty Gertie
31. Get up and Run
32. Buckle my Shoe
33. Dirty Knee
34. Ask for More
35. Jump and Jive
36. Three Dozen
37. More than Eleven
38. Christmas Cake
39. Steps
40. Naughty Forty
41. Time for Fun
42. Winnie the Pooh
43. Down on your Knees
44. Droopy Drawers
45. Halfway There
46. Up to Tricks
47. Four and Seven
48. Four Dozen
49. PC
50. Half a Century
51. Tweak of the Thumb
52. Danny La Rue
53. Stuck in the Tree
54. Clean the Floor
55. Snakes Alive
56. Was she worth it
57. Heinz Varieties
58. Make them Wait
59. Brighton Line
60. Five Dozen
61. Bakers Bun
62. Turn on the Screw
63. Tickle Me 63
64. Red Raw
65. Old Age Pension
66. Clickety Click
67. Made in Heaven
68. Saving Grace
69. Either Way Up
70. Three Score & Ten
71. Bang on the Drum
72. Six Dozen
73. Queen B
74. Candy Store
75. Strive & Strive
76. Trombones
77. Sunset Strip
78. Heavens Gate
79. One More Time
80. Eight & Blank
81. Stop & Run
82. Straight On Through
83. Time for Tea
84. Seven Dozen
85. Staying Alive
86. Between the Sticks
87. Torquay in Devon
88. Two Fat Ladies [banned]
89. Nearly There
90. Top of the Shop

Yes you did read it correct, and No it is not a joke… I heard about this a while ago, but shrugged it off as being nonsense. Well this evening  I found out the hard way that it is true.

This evening I was watching a serious program on the TV, and a small group of people were going to surprise a friend because it was his birthday.. of course the friend did not know the other people knew it was his birthday. But, the only person that got an (unpleasant) surprise was me, when suddenly the TV blurted out a 60 second long bleeeeeeep and a message saying they could not broadcast the singing of “Happy Birthday” because it was against Licensing Regulations.. WTF!!!!  this has gotta be a sick and perverted joke right?… Sorry, here is the deal

Did you know Happy Birthday is copyrighted and the copyright is currently owned and actively enforced by Time Warner?

Did you know that if you sing any copyrighted song:
…at a place open to the public
…or among a substantial number of people who are not family or friends
You are involved in a public performance of that work?

Did you know an unauthorized public performance is a form of copyright infringement?

Is Happy Birthday Really Copyrighted?

Yes.

The melody for Happy Birthday was first penned by two sisters from Kentucky, Mildred J. Hill and Patty Smith Hill. The song was called Good Morning to All, but bore the recognizable melody. The tune was first published in 1893 in the book Song Stories for the Kindergarten. The melody has since passed into the public domain, and is safe to hum in public without permission.

While it is not entirely clear who first wrote down the words for Happy Birthday, it showed up in a few places before Jessica Hill (another Hill sister) was able to demonstrate undeniable similarities between Good Morning to All and Happy Birthday and to secure the copyright to the song.

Working with the Clayton F. Summy Publishing Company, Jessica Hill published and copyrighted Happy Birthday in 1935. While the copyright should have expired in 1991, copyright has been extended repeatedly over the last quarter of the twentieth century and the copyright for Happy Birthday is now not due to expire until at least 2030.

The Clayton F. Summy Company is no longer independent, but, through a chain of purchases, the copyright for Happy Birthday To You lies securely in the hands of the Time Warner company. Happy Birthday’s copyright is licensed and enforced by ASCAP, and the simple little ditty brings in more than USD $2 million in annual royalties.

Is Singing Happy Birthday in Public Really Copyright Infringement?

Yes.

According to United States copyright law in United States Code, Title 17 §106, authors of works such as musical compositions have the exclusive right “to perform the copyrighted work publicly.” In United States Code, Title 17 §101, the law defines publicly performing a work as “to perform or display it at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered.”

This means that if you sing Happy Birthday to your family at home, you’re probably not committing copyright infringment. However, if you do it in an restaurant — and if the restaurant hasn’t already worked out a deal with ASCAP — you may be engaging in copyright infringement.

** the above was borrowed with all good intention from www.unhappybirthday.com

So, there you have it, next time you are at a birthday party, make sure you acquire the proper license before you sing Happy Birthday.

Dozens of public organizations in the U.K. have imposed bans on common words and phrases used by their workers and in their correspondence in an effort to be more politically correct. Rather than write a scathing opinion piece on how appallingly stupid we think it is to ban such phrases, and how overly sensitive governments and people have become, we’ll just list a few of those banned phrases with the reasoning behind why they were banned and let you decide for yourselves.

Whiter than white – A phrase used to describe someone who would never do something bad, has been banned because it is believed to be racial and infer that black is bad or criminal.

Black Day – Used to describe a time of disappointment or shame in a situation, has been dropped from publically funded agency language because it is believed to have racial undertones.

Ethnic Minority – Because in that context the word minority implies that ethnicity may be looked upon as small, unimportand or insignificant.

Gentleman’s Agreement – Because it can be construed as sexist and exclusive of women.

Black sheep of the family – Since it implies an outcast or an unappreciated person, and uses the word black in a negative way.

Master Bedroom – Because it implies subservience of women and dominance of males in relationships!

The city of Boca Raton doesn’t accept donated holiday decorations, but the policy was not going to deter the Rev. Mark D. Boykin.

A crèche, a Nativity scene depicting Jesus Christ’s birth, is the Christian symbol of Christmas, Boykin said, and has a rightful place alongside the Hanukkah menorah that sits atop a table in the city library. There’s a Christmas tree nearby, but, Boykin says, that’s a secular symbol that doesn’t impart the true meaning of the holiday.

So he and about 50 members of the Church of All Nations arrived at the library on Boca Raton Boulevard on Thursday afternoon with crèche in hand.

For nearly an hour they sang hymns, recited prayers and waved signs calling for freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Just before 1, they filed inside the library to make their presentation. Library Services Manager Catherine A. O’Connell was expecting them.

“We’re trying to be noncontroversial and enjoy the season without being partial to any religious organization,” O’Connell explained before the group came inside. “The menorah is a secular symbol, as is the Christmas tree and garland.”

Officials in the city manager’s and city attorney’s offices could not be reached for comment, despite attempts by phone.

Encircling O’Connell, Boykin and his followers — accompanied by their own camera crew, which was streaming live to the Web — asked her for permission to place the crèche by the Christmas tree. She explained city policy about donated holiday decorations, then watched as Boykin walked over and gently placed the manger scene beneath the tree anyway.

He blessed it and thanked O’Connell for her understanding.

Two U.S. Supreme Court decisions deal with holiday decorations on public property, but neither specifically addresses a crèche alongside a menorah and a Christmas tree, according to David Barkey, southern area counsel for the Anti-Defamation League.

“The Supreme Court says the menorah has religious and secular meaning,” Barkey said. “Next to a Christmas tree, the overall message is secular and OK. It’s never addressed a menorah next to a crèche, or a menorah, a crèche and a Christmas tree. It’s called the December dilemma and every year the same issue comes up.”

A similar controversy cropped up last week in Delray Beach when Jewish residents complained about the absence of a menorah from a holiday display at Old School Square. The situation was resolved when a Margate company donated a menorah.

Boykin, who believes the menorah is a Jewish religious symbol, wants the city to purchase crèches just as it has menorahs.

“This is not about the shades of candy canes or the height of a Christmas tree. It’s about eight city-owned facilities where menorahs are present,” he argued. “They believe because they have a Christmas tree it should placate all Christians. [The city] is discriminating against Christians.”

As Boykin and his followers left the library, O’Connell wished the group happy holidays.

“Merry Christmas,” Boykin replied.

What will happen to the donated crèche is anybody’s guess.

“We don’t have responsibility for it,” O’Connell said.

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