Kick it out
I’m a vociferous Scottish Nationalist, and proud of it. However I am also a senior (in age) member of a multi-racial extended family. Discrimination of any sort . . . other than in favour of good over evil . . . is anathema to me. Our skin tone is an accident of birth. So also, to an extent is our faith, but we can do something about that in later life if we choose. We all belong to the same species; we can be good people or bad people, but we’re all the same under the skin.
Thus when I read, as I have lately, of something in England called the Society of Black Lawyers, my instant reaction is that any body that defines its membership by the colour of their skin is fundamentally wrong. We’ll never create One Nation by highlighting the prejudices that militate against it.
Bert de Marco
Many thanks, Bert. I have been in your eponymous leisure centre many a time, but not in many a year, since I looked like this.
You raise some interesting points, not least about Kenny McAskill’s ill thought out unified police force, which seems to be based on cost alone with no thought of value or public service.
Bob hates the notion and so do I, so yes, more prequels are a real possibility.
US Kindle store
A while back, I asked for help in checking how many of my books are available in Kindle form on Amazon US. It appears that the log-jam has been broken, for as of today all of them appear to be listed, with a buy button alongside.
We are now working on Barnes & Noble.
QJ recharged
Thanks to Dr Lang and everyone else at the ERI Day Case centre who made me welcome yesterday morning, and let me loose eight hours later, complete with new pacemaker box. The procedure was so quick and efficient, that I barely knew it had begun. I still can’t figure out when the local anaesthetic was applied. They can never say exactly how long the batteries in these units will last, but as I said to the doc, if I outlast it, that will be good.
Vite!
This isn’t anywhere close to delicate, but by God it’s funny.
Planet Arsenal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20194738
I like Arsene Wenger. He comes across as a passionate but very nice man. But I’ve no idea what game he was watching yesterday.
Sieve
I’ve just read this with some astonishment. It appears to show that the Leveson Inquiry, a celebrity video-box set up in a moment of panic by our half-witted Prime Minister to enquire into phone-hacking, bungs to policemen, leaking and anything else that take Leveson’s fancy, has itself started to leak. If so, will Dave set up an inquiry into the inquiry?
I commend, to those who have not seen it, the sixth episode of the recently concluded fourth series of ‘The Thick of It’ and to Malcolm Tucker’s tirade at the end, which encapsulates quite brilliantly the crazy ‘Inquiry culture’ in which we are now living. Sadly it has now gone from iPlayer, but should be out soon on DVD.
Let’s make some noise
When we were in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago, a demo by striking Metro workers passed our hotel. In Spain, the term ‘Peaceful protest’ means only that they do not throw things at the police. It does not mean that it is quiet.
Imaginary
You see some odd things in shop windows. This one is in Barcelona; I was reminded of it by a discussion with my stepdaughter who reckons John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, is one of the best songs ever written. While I understand that view, I don’t buy into it, for two reasons. One, I find the lyric naive and simplistic. Two, I am of Lennon’s generation and I don’t recall him putting into practice any of the things he preached, in his dealings with his first family, his band mates and even for a time, Yoko Ono.
Camping out
A few days ago, several people on my wife’s email list had a message from her with a link that referred them to this website.
Today I received the same link from someone on mine. Problem being, Eileen didn’t send that message, and I am quite sure, neither did Jean. When Yahoo and AOL allow our email addresses to be camped on and abused in this way, there can be no clearer demonstration that that there is no such thing as internet security.
Quote for today, and every other
‘Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who put us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.’
– Mark Twain
Fun time
I’ve got an interesting Monday in front of me. Those who know me well know also that I have a heart pacemaker. It’s one of very few things that Bob Skinner and I have in common. I’ve had mine for slightly longer than him, twelve and a half years, and the battery is beginning to run out. When that happens they can’t do anything as simple as plugging you into the mains, No, they have to take the old unit out and put a new one in. And as a bonus, these procedures have to be done under local anaesthetic, so it ain’t a case of ‘Wake me when it’s over’. For those who may be facing such an implant I have one tip: when they ask you, as they make the first incision, ‘Can you feel that at all?’ it’s best to say ‘A little’, just to be sure.
Wullie White
In spite of the name, Wullie, from your photie, you would appear to be a wumman.Whatever you are, thanks very much/
Grand old team
Just when I was settling down for a snooze on Monday in our Barcelona hotel, what did I hear but a familiar chorus. When I looked outside, what did I see? Whoever you are, I hope you enjoyed the game, lads. Sorry about the late goal.
Help wanted
A little while ago I gave the okay for my titles to be published in the US as e-books. Given that technical issues prevent us checking this out from the UK, it would be useful if US blog visitors could let me know whether QJ e-books are available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. All information and observations gratefully received.
No excuse
Two and a half hours late, we made it home yesterday. The proffered explanation was air traffic difficulty in France, but that doesn’t excuse calling passengers to the gate for a flight which ground controllers must have known would be delayed, or the lack of interest in advising passengers of the developing situation.
These people may not be directly employed, but airlines must be responsible for their passengers’ happiness and comfort nonetheless.
Ryanair shocker
Another Ryanair fuck-up. Currently in Barcelona Airport where our flight is showing as boarding on time. However it is not. Plane is there crew is not. There will be a two-hour delay but this has not been adequately announced and many punters are sitting on the ground bewildered.
Totally unacceptable.
Unstatesmanlike
I know it’s a form of blasphemy to criticise Sir Alex Ferguson, but it seems to me he fell short of his usual level of football statesmanship when he attacked one of his own players on telly last night. Rio Ferdinand is 33 years old, a respected figure in the game and beyond. For all that he’s had a lapse or two, he is also England’s most distinguished black player of his generation. Through no fault of his own, he was thrust into a most unpleasant situation between his brother and an England colleague. If he now feels resentment that the incident was allowed by the FA to drag on for a year without resolution, that’s understandable, and he was surely entitled to demonstrate it. He chose to do so by not displaying his support for an FA funded organisation that he feels has been asleep at the wheel. Any reasonable man would understand that, surely. Unfortunately SAF is not a reasonable man.
Every professional is entitled to a degree of respect and understanding from his manager, but Rio’s had the opposite from his. When he declared on Friday that all his players would be wearing the ‘Kick it out’ shirts, Sir Alex must have known how he felt, and that he was ordering him to go against his principles. By announcing that he would be ‘dealt with’, after he stood up for them, he’s putting his own reputation and standing at risk. I saw Sir Alex play; usually it wasn’t pretty, and he’s taken few prisoners during his coaching career either. That hasn’t stopped him becoming the greatest club manager in British football history, but this incident, it’s different. He created a rod for his own back by his statement on Friday. Now he’s felt its weight, and his reaction is petulant, arrogant and wrong.
What’s he going to do next? Will he and Gary Neville insist that the entire Man U squad vote Labour at the next election?
Man of many talents
This chap peering out of the kitchen of Can Roura, his excellent restaurant in St Martí d’ Empúries, is my friend Joan Malé. As well as being an outstanding chef, Joan has other strings to his bow. He’s a professional photographer, with his work heavily in demand. Not only that, he’s a musician, with his own record label and a second identity, Monoceros. Under that name, you’ll find his electronic constructions available through Amazon and iTunes.
Cheers, Joan.
