Political Stupidity

I can't help making a few political comments although this is a personal/business blog.

This week we had some stupendous nonsense when Lady Vadera suggested that she thought that things might not be as bad with the Economy as the rest of us seem to think.

Apparently she needed to apologise for saying that because it was an insensitive thing to say. Apparently she is not allowed even to think what she said.

My questions:

Democracy and free speech?
Why suddenly do we now learn that Vadera is very powerful and Mr Brown needs to be careful?
Why tell us that years ago Vadera met Tory Sarah Hogg with a view to working with her but didn't?

The stupid tree dwellers are back!

Speaking of stupid, I see William Hague is moving back up the Tory Party. Clever and focused, the foetus as he is known, Hague utters more crass nonsense even than George Osborne and David Cameron combined.

Now Heathrow! So there will be a third runway and a sixth terminal at LHR. I hear everyone ranting at the environmental aspects of this project. All badly informed comment I think.

Today on Radio 4 had a clever aviation chappie on the programme yesterday who pointed out that fuel consumption in aviation has been falling at 2% a year for many years already, carbon fibre bodies are coming in that will save a lot more and new engine types are becoming available that will save a further 10%.

Even the uselessly combative interviewer John Humphrys was flattened by this news and meekly moved on.

It's fine to be green but it's better to be properly informed. I am making NO judgement on the merits of the LHR project here, by the way.

DW
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I Didn't Forget

It came around to 12th January again and my thoughts turned to John Sutcliffe.

John was my best friend from the age of 3 or 4 and throughout my early childhood. 12th is John's birthday. Tragically, though, John died in a motor bike accident a couple of years ago.

RIP John and at least you now know the answer to the greatest question of all!

DW


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Increasing by one every day ... whatever can it be?

A while ago I bought a new radio phone for home and gave my old one to my next door neighbour. It meant I could call him and he could tell me where in the house he was at the time ... an unintended consequence!

 

Well, my neighbour’s a nice old man but not that tech savvy so every now and again he asks me to look at the phone to sort out a problem for him.

 

The other day he brought one of the handsets together with the user’s manual and asked if I could sort out a problem he just couldn’t fathom.

 

He showed me the display and said, See that number? I just can’t get rid of it. And every day it increases by one.

 

I said, That’s the date, M: it’s meant to be like that!

 

My neighbour said, Well I never ...

 

Nice story I think!!

 

DW

Bull in a China Shop? Peace, man!

I read a report of an experiment recently where they put a real bull in a real china shop.

What they found was that the bull carefully AVOIDED all shelving and china. VERY little damage done.

So they put another bull in the shop and together they both tried to avoid the china and shelving. Again, VERY little damage done.

Finally, they put a third bull in the shop and, in perfect harmony with diseconomies of scale, only now was there any damage as the bulls needed to avoid each other as much as the china and shelving!

This was on Mythbusters! So where did the bull in a china shop scare story come from I wonder?

DW

MPs … whatever happened laddie?

As I travel around and read newspapers from a variety of different countries, I notice the way that people behave, how journalists report things and so on. When I visit a new country or go back to a country for the first time in over a year or so I bring home with me a new copy of a local, usually national, newspaper. Just for interest.

Anyway, you have probably started noticing that there are no Members of Parliament any more or Senators or whatever you USED to call them. For some reason, the 12 year old journalists who inhabit our television news rooms and newspaper news rooms and so on have decided that an MP is now a law maker.

Of course, when I feel the need to discuss the goings on in a parliament or other house of government, I shall continue to refer to MPs, Senators and so on. The fact that they make laws is taken for granted but it is only one part of their jobs.

DW

Home Networking

I know I have not been alone in my quest to have my various computers at home talking to each other but eventually I got some help from a couple of decent chappies on the internet and now, I have just got my desktop and my main laptop talking to each other.

The solution was simple but I have been aghast at how counter intuitive it was for my Vista and XP computers to remain so stubbornly opposed to talking to each other until now.

The network is working across my wireless network so the cross over cable I bought in the middle of last year is, I am happy to say, redundant. It cost very little and I am sure that one day I will use it or donate it to someone who can use it.

For all of the wasted time and lack of networking opportunities Bill Gates III, thanks for nothing. For all of the people on the internet who swell Microsoft’s coffers every day against their better judgement, but who are actually saving Gates’ @rse, I say a big and genuine thank you.

DW

Please Explain

Louis Vuitton bags the colour of poo! Can someone please explain to me the attraction of a poo brown bag?

Moreover, very expensive.

Moreover, as the LV logo is plastered all over the bags, the owner of the bag pays a premium to advertise the company making the bags when it should be contrariwise, in my opinion.

DW


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Bambi NOT on ICE

You know that tall and gangly sports people are often described as being like Bambi on ice. Well, where do you think that Bambi is no longer on ICE?

ICE refers to Emirates Airlines' in flight system:

Information
Communication
Entertainment

Since Bambi is no longer shown on the ICE system it is not possible watch Disney's cartoon Bambi on Emirates now.

Poo!

DW


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The BBC Hitting Rock Bottom?

So, a Premiership footballer has been charged with assault and affray following an alleged assault in a bar. Nothing new there and not only football players can do that!

Now then, does anyone consider that a footballer potentially disgracing himself is worthy of being the second leading story on BBC News: Radio 4 news from 6 am today?

This man plays football for a living: why does that make this story of national import? I don't care who the footballer is, why is such a minor offence being made out to be a national importance?

Moreover, in my daily BBC email I see that this assault and affray is shown both under news and football. Is this really a football story? I don't think so!

DW

BBC News Falls Down the Stupid Tree ... Again

• Here we are again, happy as can be
• Listening to lots of hogwash from the BBC

They've said it before and they say it again: the number of suicides in the USA following the 1929 Wall Street Crash was exceptional. I read part of a book by JK Galbraith recently and he had a chapter on this topic. Let Galbraith tell the story:

In his classic examination of the 1929 Wall Street crash John Galbraith disabuses us of a widely held notion:

In the week or so following Black Thursday, the London penny press told delightedly of the scenes in downtown New York. Speculators were hurling themselves from windows; pedestrians picked their ways delicately between the bodies of fallen financiers.

In the United States the suicide wave that followed the stock market crash is part of the legend of 1929. In fact there was none. For several years before 1929 the suicide rate had been gradually rising. It continued to increase in that year, with a further and much sharper increase in 1930, 1931 and 1932 – years when there were many things besides the stock market to cause people to conclude that life was no longer worth living (chapter 8).

Galbraith goes on to say that in the two months following the crash the number of suicides in New York were actually comparatively low. There were in fact only two suicides on Wall Street ...

http://frontierpsychiatrist.co.uk/category/suicide/

Wall Street Crash 1929

That rather gay Aussie, Aaron, who works on the business news at BBC World yesterday compared the current global economic downturn to the 1929 crash. Completely off his trolley but he was allowed to say that without being challenged. It is well known by even the most amateur of economists that there is no effective comparison to be made between 1929 and now. It's more BBC driven hogwash but it didn't stop them showing a few news reel clips from 1929 on yet another programme today. In that programme, as a matter of interest, there was an "expert" who had learned to say that today's situation is unique. That's all, he had nothing else to say. I hope they didn't pay him for that. That was in a review programme in which three "experts" were brought in to discuss this year's financial crisis. Extremely low level, all three trying desperately not to offend each other. One of them was wearing the most ridiculous socksI've seen in quite a while: at least they matched his shirt!

Lame Duck President?

By the way, when and where did you first hear George W Bush denounced as a lame duck president? You know the story, someone thinks it's smart that they can say on the radio or television that a US President who is about to leave office must be incapable of taking decisions ... What do you think? November, October, September? How about February of this year? Some young girl of a reporter included that sentiment in a report she had put together. My guess is that there was a lottery syndicate in the newsroom: who can work in this lame duck president angle first.

DW

Merry Christmas One and All!

Christmas comes but once a year. Innit.

So, happy Christmas to all of my many readers. Hope you enjoy the next few days with those you love, doing what you want and enjoy.

And other heart felt and sloppy sentiments.

Don't worry about me though, working over the holiday. All alone. In a hotel room. By myself. In a foreign country.

Take a look at my web site's home page, by the way: revamped! Let me know your thoughts.

All the best one and all.

DW

Senior Citizen

I have impudently been asked by my barber if I am a pensioner since he gives discounts for senior citizens. I tell him to ask again in 10 years.

On Sunday, however, I was given a discount of 3 Ringgit at the Manara Tower in Kuala Lumpur on account of my age! She started by asking how old I was as I asked for a ticket to go up the tower and when I said 21 she looked completely flummoxed ... as if I hadn't understood the question.The innocence of it all!

Makes me realise that it won't be long before I am announcing to the world that "I'm 83 you know!"

It's a 33 degree very sunny scorcher today, since you ask!

DW

Free Entertainment Needed? Sit near the hat rack

Want some free but rich entertainment? Then sit yourself near the novelty hat rack in a Christmas market. You will have endless fun as old and young, male and female, couples and singles try them on.

The best sport is to be had by those who insist on having their photos taken in the hats. The more ridiculous hat the more they like it. V signs, forced smiles and endless patience all displayed.

Another mega top tip!!

DW
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... as others see us

Of course, the UK is seen around the world in any light you care to name, from fantastic to an utter waste of space.

Just watching the news on Channel NewsAsia and there were two reports on the UK:

• crapwrap
• cheese rolling

Crapwrap

In London you can pay to have someone wrap your Christmas presents so badly that your recipients will be convinced that you must have done it yourself. Apparently, as many people at one shop opted for this service as opted to have their gifts wrapped properly

Cheese Rolling

They showed several adventurous men (didn't see any women) hurtling down a very steep hill in Leicestershire (? sorry, but didn't catch the name of the village) after ... a cheese. It's a 30 year old tradition in which someone throws a round cheese so that it rolls at speed down the hill and the competitors have to chase and catch it. Good news? Not so many people had to go to hospital this time: only 19 this year, including the winner!

Madness but it's better than all that serious stuff we see in which politicians and the like illustrate how far and how quickly they are falling down and out of their stupid trees.

DW

Taxi Sir?

This happened in the street as I wandered back to the hotel:

Driver: Taxi sir?

Me: No thank you.

Driver: (without hesitation of so much as a nanosecond) Do you want a nice lady?

Me: (Sorry but I burst out laughing!!)


DW



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Is it a Barrage Balloon or just a Balloon?

It's shocking and I'm going to be sizist and sexist now.

Sitting in the departure lounge at Doha Airport, Qatar and there are many nicely slim Asian and Middle Eastern women walking around.

Then there are many, many British woman the size of barrage balloons wobbling around. What are they thinking?

• They are not healthy
• They are not attractive
• They are not cool

They are usually badly dressed too.

Then there is about one in three of these women sporting a tattoo. egads, it just gets worse.

At least they don't have the opportunity to go on a binge drinking episode while they are here do they?

This is another official rant!

DW

Pony Tails on Men

Well, hardly men are they!

I feel wretched every time I see a man sporting a pony tail. Especially sad, old and middle aged men who have either missed some boat or other or who think they are being dreamily cool.

My theory is that these pony tails pull the hair so tight against the head that it looks from the front as if the wearer has a short back and sides hair cut ... which is the hair style they REALLY want but are too stupid to admit.

That's an official rant.

DW

Are you sure?

Just read this on a news wire:

... say they have unearthed vials of perfume similar to those that may have been used by ...

Well, were they or weren't there, did she or didn't she?

DW

Long Legs: top travel tip

If you are tall and go somewhere where the population is much shorter, on average, be sure to take care when sitting down to eat in a restaurant. You WILL crack your knees if you don't.

You don't get top tips like that on those "Wow look where I am and you're not" travel programmes.

DW
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Jobs Like THAT!

You know the jobs I mean: someone calls or write or sends a text message asking you to do something really simple.

You accept the piffling challenge with a waft of your hand and a, "Don't worry! Consider it done"!

I just accepted a job like that: while you're there, can you buy me a mini Santa Claus ... I collect them from all over the world.

I set off. Hmm! This is work for a woman, I quickly decided. I then realised that while Singapore fully embraces the spirit of Xmas it does so simply by erecting Xmas Trees and draping tinsel everywhere. I found that the deep and detailed Xmas isn't here, in the shops, I mean.

That's not to say that is a bad thing, it's just the way Changi Airport is.

Well, I went into one shop and asked an assistant whether they had any toy SCs. Go to Terminal 3 she suggested. I boarded the Skytrain and got to T3. The Toy Shop is right next to the train. I found Xmas type bears and dogs and red noseless Rudolph. Oh, poo! I carried on and failed.

My eyes lit up at the sight of SC lying on top of some cotton wool in a display cabinet in an electronics shop. I asked how much they wanted for it. Not for sale she said. S$10, I offered. Again, I met a refusal.

I wandered off and even went into the Ferrari shop where there was a pukka Rudolph. Much too big and £40 to boot! I declined their kindly offer.

In the end I resigned myself to having failed and having to resort to buying Rudolph the Not Red Nosed Reindeer and returned to the toy shop, crestfallen. A job like THAT had done me in.

I plonked Rufolph on the counter but asked they had any toy SCs. She pointed at the perfect thing: the last one in the shop, suspended from a stand.

It's perfect, I said. She couldn't follow my excitement or my wittering on about it being the only one in the airport: T1 and T3 anyway.

So I bought my little SC for my friend and was content that I must have done something good today to deserve such an outcome.

DW.
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