Archive
More music while I work
Moved on now, to something more conducive to creative thinking that the mind-scrambling SAHB. Rhythm Sessions, by Lee Ritenour; fine guitarist who lets you know he’s there without being too intrusive.
Music while I work
School’s Out. No, not the original, but the great alternative version by the great Sensational Alex Harvey Band; ‘And remember, boys and girls, don’t pish in the water supply’.
On the beach
NIce day yesterday; 1200 words on the new book, a snooze in the sun, then picked up La Mia from summer school and went to the beach. Today’s plan is much the same, but we’ll go to a different beach. Montgo is just too crowded at this time of year.
Doc
I’ve been saying for years that Peter Capaldi would be one of my top choices to play Bob Skinner on screen. Now he’s been announced as the next Doctor Who, I’m thinking; too bad I don’t write sci-fi.
Really?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22885969
This makes me glad I gave up eating red meat some time ago.
Music while I work
Cool choice this morning, dug out from the back of the library. A Case of You, by Herbie Hancock. Download it if you dare.
Alcatraz
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23558360
Prisons run by inmates? In principle, that seems like a good idea. I always thought that Escape from New York was a blueprint for the future, rather than just a movie.
Question
Today’s press is reporting that Real Madrid’s president has bid £85m for Gareth Bale and that the Spurs chairman is insisting that he is not for sale. If those stories are true, who’s the crazier of the two?
Coward
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23512954
The conviction of Bradley Manning for passing thousands of classified US government files to the anarchist organisation Wikileaks has given its founder yet another media opportunity and he has taken full advantage of it. However I wonder if he realises how it makes him appear.
The misguided private is facing life imprisonment, no parole, but at least he has had the courage to face the consequences of his actions. While he is being sentenced, Julian Assange, the man whose abuse of Bradley’s stolen documents put him in the dock, will still be skulking inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, hiding from a Swedish arrest warrant that has nothing to do with sedition or anything similar, but was prompted instead by allegations of rape. Ironic isn’t it, Assange professes contempt for international law and yet he is hiding behind it.
The man is a coward and a creep. If he had a scrap of respect for the poor fool Manning, and a scrap of courage, he would go to Sweden, defend himself against the allegations, which he denies, and let events unfold. Will he? Don’t be daft.
Teetering
I had lunch with some Heart of Midlothian supporting friends the other day. They were confident that the club would soon emerge from administration by way of a Creditors Voluntary Agreement.
It seems now that their optimism was misplaced. Neither of the two bids submitted to the administrator came close to meeting the needs of the club’s Lithuanian ownership, which is itself insolvent. As a result liquidation of HMFC and the sale of its assets, namely the ground, is a real possibility. My Hibs fan friends may be chortling into their Fosters at the prospect, but they should realise that Scottish football is in the direst of straits at this moment, and the loss of its, arguably, third biggest club could drag many others under.
Eton mess
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23505723
This geezer was a member of the coalition government, aged 76, until last September when he was reshuffled off by Cameron. Well before that he was a member of two Thatcher Cabinets. In those days he was known as David Howell, and was rarely seen to smile.
I find it amazing that a man with such a track record can be so ignorant of the nation that once he helped to govern. Amazing, note, but not surprising; if you hadn’t guessed, he’s an old Etonian.
Slippery Vince
I saw Vince Cable on Andrew Marr an hour ago, apparently toeing the coalition line, while doing his oily best to destabilise the high speed train project.
There are people within the Lib Dems who want to ditch Clegg and replace him with the wizened seer. The rival parties must be rubbing their hands at the prospect.
Tubby or not tubby?
From sexism to fatism; if this guy was a half decent prop forward they’d have him in a flash.
Simples?
In the aftermath of all the political crap about the venue for last week’s Open Championship, there is another example of blatant sexism that Harriet Harman should be raising as a matter of urgency.
Why are there no female meerkats on http://www.comparethemeerkats.com?!?
House of ill repute?
This morning’s Herald newspaper is running a story about a series of raids on sauna premises in Edinburgh, in which customers and employees were taken on to the street and questioned, in public. It’s called Operation Windermere, apparently. It’s surely no coincidence that we are seeing this soon after the formation of the new Police Scotland, or Greater Strathclyde as I prefer to call it, through which policing policy across the nation is being laid down by a man in Glasgow, who arrived in Scotland in 2007, after a 26-year career in various English forces, including the Met. In other words a man with no experience whatsoever of on the ground policing in Scotland.
In the light of what would appear to be a cunning plan to drive prostitution in Edinburgh back on to the streets, I wonder what other surprises Sir Stephen House has in store for us.
Biblical
This has been an odd year weather-wise. Last week we were almost fried on the golf course; last night, in Gullane, we had a storm of Mediterranean proportions. The rain was so heavy that it wiped out the Sky satellite signal for a while, and almost overwhelmed the drains. What’s next? Raining frogs?
What’s in a name?
So it’s a boy. Congratulations to the young Duke and Duchess, who have done it their way all along. Will that continue when it comes to names? Probably not. Charles, Philip, George are all strong possibles I’m sure, but given that the princeling can have as many names as they choose, wouldn’t it be nice if they slipped in a Ryan, or a Zak. or a Jake?
Quote of the day
‘Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.’
Jules Renard
Like that one, Mike?
No cameras!
Sunday morning in Gullane: my final report from the Open front. By the way, for those of you who have noticed that I’ve posted no pics since Wednesday, there is a ‘no camera’ rule on competition days, and I am one of an apparent minority of punters who respect that . . . although the rudeness shown to the gallery on Thursday morning by Phil Mickelson’s caddy, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay, came close to making me change camps.)
So, who will it be? I can detect no great confidence that Lee Westwood will hold on, but he has a two shot lead and is in good form so you never know. I could be well wrong about this but I don’t see a winner from outside the last two groupings, which comprise Westwood, Hunter Mahan, Tiger and Adam Scott. Of that foursome you would probably say that Mahan is the outsider, but he played better than anyone yesterday, and I have a notion he might do it.
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