The Stig

There is a breed of people who like to know things. Some things they have a right to know and if no one knows those things, these people are wont to research them. Good!

Some things are meant not to be known. So those people who like to know things should simply accept that these are the unknowables of life.

What am I talking about? The Stig of course: you know, some say he eats three Shredded Wheat for breakfast, some say he can bend iron girders with his teeth, all we know is, he's called The Stig ...

The Stig is the ANONYMOUS car driver who works for Top Gear* on the BBC. Part of the charm of The Stig is that no one is supposed to know who he is. It's good that way and I think we all like it too.

Then there are those smarty pants people who like to say, I know who The Stig is, I know who The Stig is! And they do because some spoil sport has unearthed his name and then written a book that includes his identity la la la.

They did all of this a couple of weeks ago and whilst I read the name of The Stig, it meant nothing to me. Still, ruined the illusion.

* Note: Top Gear is a BBC television programme that used to be a forum in which cars were discussed and demonstrated. Now it feeds Jeremy Clarkson's ego (after all, how can one be from Yorkshire and called Jeremy?), it does not feed James May's hairdresser since he has the most unruly late 1970s hair style and it feeds Richard Hammond's family as he is the least funny, witty and informative presenter on the team (and in fact on the whole BBC); and it might help if he were quite bit taller than he is!

DW

Hogging the Limelight was never this easy

So there's a narrow minded little man in Florida who claims to be a man of God. He runs a church or something with the word dove in its name. We all know that Doves are symbols of peace and love.

In a blatant self seeking marketing campaign this little man says on 9th September 2010 he will burn one or more copies of the Holy Koran.

Now he's got just 30 - 50 followers and yet for a week he generated publicity across the world, as far as I can tell, that would have cost him many millions of Pounds were he to pay for it.

How and why the major news channels, papers and web sites covered this story in such a way is a complete mystery. This little man might otherwise have burned the Holy Koran but who would have noticed?

I do not advocate the burning of anything like this: effigies, bibles, Korans, books, flags, people ... nothing.

It wouldn't be so bad if this were a genuine protest against something but it's clearly not and yet this little man had prime ministers, presidents and kings talking to him via the news media.

Astonishing and utterly irresponsible journalism in my opinion.

Then again, go to this little man's church or whatever it is on Sunday and see the size of his collection box. No doubt he'll now find himself on chat shows, panel games, being asked for his opinion on this and that. Typical small town little man who hit on a big idea.

DW

The Lone Fork Top tip

When that fork that you borrowed from the canteen is the ONLY means of eating your pot noodle without pouring it all over yourself, don't, repeat DO NOT, drop that fork behind a radiator where it is impossible to retrieve it.

Yet another top tip from yours truly.

DW

Billy the Beer

He's back, baseball cap and all!

Billy the beer, that erstwhile former leader of the Tory party has been caught with his pants ... OK, let's say half down!

As journalists and others dig into stories like this one, is he gay?, all sorts of things come tumbling out. Not only is the "other man" very young at half Billy's age but he's a quantity surveyor who graduated only five years ago yet he had become a special adviser to the UK's Foreign Secretary. How? On what basis? How and when did he apply and who conducted the interview? Was there an open competition for the job? Give me that job although the salary isn't that much I have to say!

Another aspect of the story is that as a former leader of the Party, Billy can apparently set his own agenda and do what he likes. They are saying the same about Iain Smith, the other former Tory leader in the Cabinet. The fact that these two are FAILED leaders seems to have got lost and in my world they behave or not and they are demoted or not.

Meanwhile, it seems that whatever the truth of this story, MPs and more especially senior MPs and Cabinet Ministers can get away with what they like.

One thing that comes across strongly for me, though, is the way Billy operates, on the basis that I have no time for the man. He boasted the other week how he and his Foreign Secretary equivalents from around the world text each other all the time. He also seems to tweet a lot. More than that, take a look at the photos in the press of Billy and then take a close look at his right hand: I think you will see a BlackBerry welded to it.

That BlackBerry welding says a lot more about Billy than many other things. Blair was hardly a technophile: as I understand he had/has never sent an email let alone used a PC (I stand to be corrected/updated). The fact that Billy is almost 50 years old and welded to a mobile phone tells me more than I need to know!

DW