Is it just me? Or are black plastic bags really very poor these days? The other day while clearing the debris from my decorating adventures, I dropped some rubbish into a bag and it fell straight through the bottom. It wasn’t particularly heavy or sharp, the bag was just not good enough. Nowadays if I fill these things with stuff to take somewhere else, usually the end of the drive so that the refuse men can collect them, but frequently to the refuse tip itself, as they are not too keen to take some materials away, I struggle to put more than leaves into the things without sharp pointy thing sticking through, splitting the bag and allowing everything to fall out!
Things like black bin bags are probably made in China. Let’s face it, most of the crap that we are sold these days does come from there. I once vowed that I would never willingly buy anything made in the People’s Republic, but that is very hard these days. It would seem that they are taking over the industrial processes that produce all those little things that we “need” in 21st century living. Dammit I bought a new laptop the other day. Apple are so well known for quality, and now they are assembled in China! I almost sent it back, but I will wait for it to breakdown first.
Black plastic bags are important. They are a symbol which in the end signifies US. When we die, effectively our worldly things will end up in them, and not long after we have been carried out in our boxes, our goods will follow, hastily shoved into bags so that our next of kin can clear the house and sell it.
I don’t want all my worldly things falling out as the bags are dragged out to the end of the drive. I’d hate to think that my remnants were on display to the whole world. Maybe I will request cardboard boxes, both for me and my stuff, and maybe we can be incinerated together.
Saturday, 12 July 2008
Friday, 11 July 2008
They
"They" are amazingly powerful people, and I don't even know who they are. I have searched high and low all of my life and have never yet met one of them. They are the ones that predict the outcomes of our actions and our decisions, they are the ones whose voices are so often heard while others are not, they are responsible for many of the big decisions that we make in life.
I wonder why we are so subject to their views and why they are so universally accepted as being the final word on things? It seems that few of us make decisions unless "they" are consulted. I mean this evening I am going out. They say it is going to rain, so I will wear a raincoat! See what i mean? I believe them and yet there is no reason why I should. What makes their word any different in value to mine? Ok I say that it isn't going to rain! No one listens, and no-one would believe me if "They" say the opposite.
There have been times in my life when decisions that have had huge impact on me, have been made on the basis of what "they" say or think, and i really would like to meet them and punch them on the nose. Actually I wouldn't as i don't do that sort of thing. I have never intentionally punched anyone anywhere let alone on the nose. I would like to give "them" a pice of my mind however and maybe suggest that they keep their opinions to themselves.
I wonder if they operate outside this country? Do the Chinese have a "They"? and if they do, what are they saying about the forthcoming olympic games? They say that a third of the population is Chinese and I reckon that means that they can say and do pretty much what they want!
I wonder why we are so subject to their views and why they are so universally accepted as being the final word on things? It seems that few of us make decisions unless "they" are consulted. I mean this evening I am going out. They say it is going to rain, so I will wear a raincoat! See what i mean? I believe them and yet there is no reason why I should. What makes their word any different in value to mine? Ok I say that it isn't going to rain! No one listens, and no-one would believe me if "They" say the opposite.
There have been times in my life when decisions that have had huge impact on me, have been made on the basis of what "they" say or think, and i really would like to meet them and punch them on the nose. Actually I wouldn't as i don't do that sort of thing. I have never intentionally punched anyone anywhere let alone on the nose. I would like to give "them" a pice of my mind however and maybe suggest that they keep their opinions to themselves.
I wonder if they operate outside this country? Do the Chinese have a "They"? and if they do, what are they saying about the forthcoming olympic games? They say that a third of the population is Chinese and I reckon that means that they can say and do pretty much what they want!
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Bloody rain
The rain today is heavy and unyielding. I know that i needed some to fill up the empty water butts but I have had enough now, it can stop. Not only is it raining but I also feel cold! Cold in the first week of July??? Yet another wonderful British summer. This is all made to feel so much worse when i get messages from my daughter telling me how hot it is in Greece right now.
It has been suggested by some that peoples are the products of their climates, and that it is the dour and miserable weather that we get here that makes us what we are - dour and miserable i guess! And also as a nation, very hard working and industrious. I suppose that while it is raining like this, you might just as well be at work as on holiday.
I see that Iran has just tested a rocket with a range that would make Israel a potential target if ever they manage to complete their weapons programme. Now forgive me if i get things wrong here, but Iran is a Muslim state, yes? and we are told that Islam is a religion based on peace and understanding and tolerance of others? Now what would a religious state want with weapons capable of such mass destruction? I am clearly missing something here. The thought of nuclear capability in the hands of any religious group is surely a scary prospect but in the hands of Iranian fundamentalists who have openly declared that Israel should be erased from the map (peacefully, and in an understanding way of course as God is good!), is so scary, and today has come a step closer to being a reality.
Rain in Israel may soon contain a lot more than water, and if that happens then farewell Iran!
Maybe that is why the Muslims are all moving here, the weather dampens their enthusiasm for everything except making money.
Ok hands up those who I have offended today!!
It has been suggested by some that peoples are the products of their climates, and that it is the dour and miserable weather that we get here that makes us what we are - dour and miserable i guess! And also as a nation, very hard working and industrious. I suppose that while it is raining like this, you might just as well be at work as on holiday.
I see that Iran has just tested a rocket with a range that would make Israel a potential target if ever they manage to complete their weapons programme. Now forgive me if i get things wrong here, but Iran is a Muslim state, yes? and we are told that Islam is a religion based on peace and understanding and tolerance of others? Now what would a religious state want with weapons capable of such mass destruction? I am clearly missing something here. The thought of nuclear capability in the hands of any religious group is surely a scary prospect but in the hands of Iranian fundamentalists who have openly declared that Israel should be erased from the map (peacefully, and in an understanding way of course as God is good!), is so scary, and today has come a step closer to being a reality.
Rain in Israel may soon contain a lot more than water, and if that happens then farewell Iran!
Maybe that is why the Muslims are all moving here, the weather dampens their enthusiasm for everything except making money.
Ok hands up those who I have offended today!!
Sunday, 6 July 2008
life, don't talk to me about life
LIfe is strange. There are times when I think that it is quite ridiculous and am not surprised that people look for a meaning. I mean, what is the point of it all? We are born, we grow, we learn and some make a big impression on the world, but in the end we all die and for the majority of us, the world is no better, nor any worse for our passing.
Ok some of us choose to breed and so our own little cluster of nucleic acids, albeit in a shuffled up and diluted form, gets another spin of the wheel, but even then within a few generation, what made us unique will have spread and mingled so far, that our impact has been no more than a pebble dropped into a very large pond.
I am a great adherent to the ideas of Richard Dawkins, who among other things, maintains that we are simply the tools that our genes have assembled as a means of ensuring their care, survival and procreation. I know that this is an over simplification but for me it works. I often see myself as an assemblage of genes and i have done my biological duty, producing two wonderful children who in their turn, may or may not choose to become biologically successful.
One of the big changes that science has brought about is that people now do have that choice. Before modern contraception, the biological urge for sex ensured that people bred, as long as they were able to anyway. Those with the greatest drives were often the ones that produced most offspring and so their genes proliferated. Alas it seems that now the choices made for economic or other reasons mean that the intelligent, or genetically more able, are choosing to delay the breeding process or not bother at all, while those less well endowed genetically speaking, are not exercising the same choices, thus altering the balance in the composition of the gene pool.
Those of us who have been lucky enough to get this far, have become redundant. I know that I have nothing more to offer and can contribute nothing more to the world, at least nothing that makes any difference. I did just finish decorating my study, and while it looks ok now, I know that it is a temporary thing and if i were to drop dead this instant............
Ok some of us choose to breed and so our own little cluster of nucleic acids, albeit in a shuffled up and diluted form, gets another spin of the wheel, but even then within a few generation, what made us unique will have spread and mingled so far, that our impact has been no more than a pebble dropped into a very large pond.
I am a great adherent to the ideas of Richard Dawkins, who among other things, maintains that we are simply the tools that our genes have assembled as a means of ensuring their care, survival and procreation. I know that this is an over simplification but for me it works. I often see myself as an assemblage of genes and i have done my biological duty, producing two wonderful children who in their turn, may or may not choose to become biologically successful.
One of the big changes that science has brought about is that people now do have that choice. Before modern contraception, the biological urge for sex ensured that people bred, as long as they were able to anyway. Those with the greatest drives were often the ones that produced most offspring and so their genes proliferated. Alas it seems that now the choices made for economic or other reasons mean that the intelligent, or genetically more able, are choosing to delay the breeding process or not bother at all, while those less well endowed genetically speaking, are not exercising the same choices, thus altering the balance in the composition of the gene pool.
Those of us who have been lucky enough to get this far, have become redundant. I know that I have nothing more to offer and can contribute nothing more to the world, at least nothing that makes any difference. I did just finish decorating my study, and while it looks ok now, I know that it is a temporary thing and if i were to drop dead this instant............
Monday, 23 June 2008
memories
This morning, I poured my muesli into a coffee mug! I am sure that I am doing more and more stupid things with every passing day. I wonder if this is normal for gentlemen of a certain age, or am I joining Terry Pratchett on the slippery slope to dementia.
Actually memory is not much more of a problem than it ever was. Mine tends to be selective I guess and I, selfishly remember the things that are important to me at the expense of things that are not.
This week I am redecorating the study. It’s a smallish room but by and large it is mine, and it is where I spend most of my life. I write there, I paint now and then, I dream there and I teach there. I also listen to music and visit virtual worlds. It is my sanctuary and where I feel happiest.
Ok I do come out from time to time and I do enjoy the company of others in reality, but given the choice between integration with Joe public in general or remaining where I am, there is no contest.
People in general, and I stress the generalism here, are becoming by and large quite unpleasant. Recently in the company of 80,000 others, there were stark reminders of the pure selfishness and lack of consideration for others. People are no longer polite, they push, they shove, they are aggressive, and utterly focussed on their own needs. Few open doors for others, the words please and thankyou have begun to vanish from the vocabulary, and the world in general seems to be becoming a far less pleasant place.
When I was a kid people were more considerate of others I am sure, or it that just a figment of my failing memory??
Actually memory is not much more of a problem than it ever was. Mine tends to be selective I guess and I, selfishly remember the things that are important to me at the expense of things that are not.
This week I am redecorating the study. It’s a smallish room but by and large it is mine, and it is where I spend most of my life. I write there, I paint now and then, I dream there and I teach there. I also listen to music and visit virtual worlds. It is my sanctuary and where I feel happiest.
Ok I do come out from time to time and I do enjoy the company of others in reality, but given the choice between integration with Joe public in general or remaining where I am, there is no contest.
People in general, and I stress the generalism here, are becoming by and large quite unpleasant. Recently in the company of 80,000 others, there were stark reminders of the pure selfishness and lack of consideration for others. People are no longer polite, they push, they shove, they are aggressive, and utterly focussed on their own needs. Few open doors for others, the words please and thankyou have begun to vanish from the vocabulary, and the world in general seems to be becoming a far less pleasant place.
When I was a kid people were more considerate of others I am sure, or it that just a figment of my failing memory??
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Black v black
Robert Mugabe claims that he was appointed by God and that only God will remove him from office!
Well now, this to me is like fuel to my fire. How many more atrocities will be carried out in the name of
this so called God!! I have not had a religious rant for a while but statements like this really do get my goat!
Mugabe has to be one of the most evil men on the planet. I know that is a sweeping statement, and there are plenty
more in that particular competition, and there will be plenty more coming along fuelled by material wealth and the
prospects of power. This man has almost single handedly demolished a country in order to provide for his own personal needs.
He removed the educated white farmers, who held the infrastructure together and who also employed half of the populace. They were a threat to his power base. Their land was confiscated and as a result the food production system is being run by headless chickens.
He has been defeated in a democratic process and his answer is to kill as many of those who oppose him as possible. He will not shift unless he is shifted.
Ok he may die in office, but the idea that a God will have the final word is laughable. If there was a God, then the situation would never have developed in the first place, unless she/he/it has a black sense of humour!
If only Zimbabwe has oil reserves! Then the CIA would have removed him years ago!
Well now, this to me is like fuel to my fire. How many more atrocities will be carried out in the name of
this so called God!! I have not had a religious rant for a while but statements like this really do get my goat!
Mugabe has to be one of the most evil men on the planet. I know that is a sweeping statement, and there are plenty
more in that particular competition, and there will be plenty more coming along fuelled by material wealth and the
prospects of power. This man has almost single handedly demolished a country in order to provide for his own personal needs.
He removed the educated white farmers, who held the infrastructure together and who also employed half of the populace. They were a threat to his power base. Their land was confiscated and as a result the food production system is being run by headless chickens.
He has been defeated in a democratic process and his answer is to kill as many of those who oppose him as possible. He will not shift unless he is shifted.
Ok he may die in office, but the idea that a God will have the final word is laughable. If there was a God, then the situation would never have developed in the first place, unless she/he/it has a black sense of humour!
If only Zimbabwe has oil reserves! Then the CIA would have removed him years ago!
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
New things
At my age, new experiences are pretty hard to come by, and most of them are not pleasant. Generally new experiences tend to be associated with various parts of the body breaking down and needing repairs, and so it is pleasant to make new discoveries of a non medical nature.
Last weekend I went to see Bruce Springsteen at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, along with 80,000 other people. There were no rooms to be had at an affordable price in the whole of the city, and so we were booked into a hotel near to the airport, some ten miles from the city centre. Originally the plan was to take a train into the city centre to save all the hassle of parking, however the last train leaves the city at around 9.30 so that was knocked on the head. Knowing that parking would be a problem, we drove into Cardiff in the morning, for a concert that was due to start at 7.30. Typically there were plenty of spaces and we had a whole day to fritter away in exciting activities like shopping.
Anyhow, to cut a long day short, we made the stadium at 6, as we had standing tickets, and found the pitch area half filled already. It would seem that REAL fans get there even earlier and probably sleep standing up. Fan club members are let in in the morning I think, so goodness knows how they spend the hours before the event.
Having made sure that we hadn’t had a lot to drink, we chose a space, a tiny one, about half way back from the stage, and stood waiting for the stadium to fill. People watching can be fun and watching places fill up also has its fascination, however by 7.30 that was beginning to pall. The minutes ticked by and there was no sign of activity on the stage, and the awaiting throngs began to get twitchy. By now the place was filled to bursting point, beer flowed on the floor and probably other fluids too. Slow handclaps rose and fell, and mutterings of complaint buzzed around the crowd. Eight o’clock came along and by this time we had already been standing more than 6 hours and frankly I ached.
To make matters worse, there are always those who have to spend the evening travelling triangular journey between the pitch, the bar and the toilets, pushing and barging through the crowd, and it seemed that we were on a through route. I hate being pushed, I don’t much like being touched by people I don’t know and I can be very stubborn, standing my ground refusing to budge. I began to feel a degree of claustrophobia, and frankly at that time I’d have happily left, however at eight fifteen, without any apology, the East street band along with The Boss, began their set and played for three hours. They are great entertainers and within seconds the audience had forgotten the long wait and were swept along on a wave of Bruce mania.
By the end of the concert, every muscle and tendon in my body were aching, and we still had to get out of the place and walk a mile back to the car. Due to the late start, the pubs were shut and we’d missed our evening meal. Finding the hotel after midnight, dinner was bottled water and custard cream biscuits.
Ok we chose to stand. It was a new experience and now that I have done that, I know that from now on I will choose to sit. I really am too old for some things and that in itself is a sobering thought.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Junk Mail
I am about to change my email address. This is not something that one does lightly, or without careful thought, but alas my ISP has lost any attraction that it may have had and another company is prepared, in theory to offer more for less, so the bullet has been bitten and wheels are in motion, the change being set for monday. I have this fear that for a while i may well be disconnected from the virtual world and that my window on the outside will be missing. I know that I am addicted to the internet and what is more, I don't care.
My present ISP has one great plus - I never receive any junk mail. Previous accounts have been bombarded with everything from Viagra to penis enlargements, and it has been pretty good not to have to filter these out on a daily basis. Junk mail is a curse that seems ubiquitous in the virtual world and it is amazing that so many people are still subjected to it. I suppose that there are some who actually enjoy it in the misguided idea that at least someone is writing to them.
I worry that by changing ISP that I may once again become the target of spammers and Phishers and all the rest of the bastards that try to ruin things for everyone else. Time will tell I guess.
There has been a certain irony in all of this - at a time when Viagra may actually be a useful item, I no longer receive their ads!
My present ISP has one great plus - I never receive any junk mail. Previous accounts have been bombarded with everything from Viagra to penis enlargements, and it has been pretty good not to have to filter these out on a daily basis. Junk mail is a curse that seems ubiquitous in the virtual world and it is amazing that so many people are still subjected to it. I suppose that there are some who actually enjoy it in the misguided idea that at least someone is writing to them.
I worry that by changing ISP that I may once again become the target of spammers and Phishers and all the rest of the bastards that try to ruin things for everyone else. Time will tell I guess.
There has been a certain irony in all of this - at a time when Viagra may actually be a useful item, I no longer receive their ads!
Monday, 2 June 2008
Blame the parents??
When it comes to bad behaviour in teenagers, it is very easy to say, blame the parents. True that bad parents often produce badly behaved children but not all bad behaviour stems from a kids upbringing. Peer pressure means a lot to a kid and in the presence of a gang, even the nicest of kids can become a raving idiot, capable of almost anything.
The latest government initiative is to increase the number of crimes that a kid is able to commit. The punishments? More of the failed ASBOs that most kids ignore anyway, and raps on the knuckles or big fines for the parents. It will not work for any number of reasons, and it is like treating a bad dose of acne by squeezing the odd zit!
Fundamentally what need tackling is the heart of the problem, and that is the nature of youth culture. Youth culture is an active and dynamic thing that changes all of the time, and is reflected in the music the way kids appear and the way in which they behave.
Unfortunately the current trends are based on, and I hesitate to say this because it sounds so bad, black youth culture. Black youth culture seems to be about non achievement, violence, incoherent RAP, and an utter disregard for any sort of authority, whether that be the law or agencies that are supposed to be there to help.
Why do so many white kids want to look as if they are black? They dress black, they walk black and they even talk black and make the same noises. Now they go around in gangs, killing each other with knives. Maybe we need to look at what it is about being black that these kids aspire to, if indeed they aspire to anything.
For years now, the education system in this country has been bending over backwards to raise levels of achievement in girls. It worked. Girls now achieve far more in educational terms than boys do. As a result though, the majority of boys see achievement as uncool, and wandering the streets aimlessly, pretending to be black and with chips on their shoulders is far easier and far more appealing. Once on this road, it is very hard to extricate oneself, and so many bright and promising kids are doomed by their own misguided choices.
Unfortunately it is leading to the development of a growing underclass that do not fit into society, and as society gives them nothing, they feel obliged to take it.
I am not a racist, I have friends of all races and nationalities, and I respect them and their cultures, but I do feel that our own culture is in danger of being subsumed by those growing in our midst. Alas the present situation gives fuel to the hideous fires of the British National Party and the idiots that represent them. It is alarming that with each election, their numbers grow. If only the kids could find a way of getting back a culture of their own, maybe the days of the BNP would be numbered.
The latest government initiative is to increase the number of crimes that a kid is able to commit. The punishments? More of the failed ASBOs that most kids ignore anyway, and raps on the knuckles or big fines for the parents. It will not work for any number of reasons, and it is like treating a bad dose of acne by squeezing the odd zit!
Fundamentally what need tackling is the heart of the problem, and that is the nature of youth culture. Youth culture is an active and dynamic thing that changes all of the time, and is reflected in the music the way kids appear and the way in which they behave.
Unfortunately the current trends are based on, and I hesitate to say this because it sounds so bad, black youth culture. Black youth culture seems to be about non achievement, violence, incoherent RAP, and an utter disregard for any sort of authority, whether that be the law or agencies that are supposed to be there to help.
Why do so many white kids want to look as if they are black? They dress black, they walk black and they even talk black and make the same noises. Now they go around in gangs, killing each other with knives. Maybe we need to look at what it is about being black that these kids aspire to, if indeed they aspire to anything.
For years now, the education system in this country has been bending over backwards to raise levels of achievement in girls. It worked. Girls now achieve far more in educational terms than boys do. As a result though, the majority of boys see achievement as uncool, and wandering the streets aimlessly, pretending to be black and with chips on their shoulders is far easier and far more appealing. Once on this road, it is very hard to extricate oneself, and so many bright and promising kids are doomed by their own misguided choices.
Unfortunately it is leading to the development of a growing underclass that do not fit into society, and as society gives them nothing, they feel obliged to take it.
I am not a racist, I have friends of all races and nationalities, and I respect them and their cultures, but I do feel that our own culture is in danger of being subsumed by those growing in our midst. Alas the present situation gives fuel to the hideous fires of the British National Party and the idiots that represent them. It is alarming that with each election, their numbers grow. If only the kids could find a way of getting back a culture of their own, maybe the days of the BNP would be numbered.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Another rainy day
It is raining again and i am waiting for a student to arrive. This is the last week for them as their exams begin in earnest next week and I will miss them. I will miss them for a number of reasons, but mainly because they are young and they remind me of times when I felt worthwhile and had a useful role in the world. Nowadays I am to all intents and purposes rudderless and adrift with no aims, ambitions and aspirations. That is not to say that I am miserable; I am not, and there are a number of things in life that I look forward to and some things even make me smile now and then.
Having no students will leave a big hole in my week however, and I will have to find something to take their place. Ok i can blog more often, but then I need to have things to talk about. I cannot forever ramble on about my feelings, after all, who cares about those?
I have put in an application to become a volunteer photographer for the National Trust. Whether my efforts will be considered good enough is another matter, but if i am successful, it will get me out and about and will give me free access to Trust Properties all over Britain. All I need now is a free bus pass and the world is my oyster, or at least part of it will be.
So anyway, today i am filling in time, and have nothing controversial to say. It has been good to get a response from Canada, especially as I was quite nice to them. So far my dig at the Kiwis has not produced a response, but then, it is unlikely that any New Zealanders will have read my blog. Readership is very limited and i have only given direct access to people I know and trust.
Having no students will leave a big hole in my week however, and I will have to find something to take their place. Ok i can blog more often, but then I need to have things to talk about. I cannot forever ramble on about my feelings, after all, who cares about those?
I have put in an application to become a volunteer photographer for the National Trust. Whether my efforts will be considered good enough is another matter, but if i am successful, it will get me out and about and will give me free access to Trust Properties all over Britain. All I need now is a free bus pass and the world is my oyster, or at least part of it will be.
So anyway, today i am filling in time, and have nothing controversial to say. It has been good to get a response from Canada, especially as I was quite nice to them. So far my dig at the Kiwis has not produced a response, but then, it is unlikely that any New Zealanders will have read my blog. Readership is very limited and i have only given direct access to people I know and trust.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be
I feel completely drained.
I have had an interesting weekend, with visitors from the past descending one after the other, and as a result I am talked out and numb with nostalgia.
It is always risky to go back, and to spend time with people with whom you grew up but lost touch with years ago, has elements of risk, especially when they come to stay in your house. any trepidation I may have felt evaporated when Martin and his wife appeared. Talking to Martin seemed as natural as it did all those years ago when I was alive. It was as if we had picked up a conversation that abruptly ended in 1970. Ok we both look old and past it, but inside we are still the same people and the weekend was a timely reminder of the good times that we had as late teens. He was able to remind me of so many events and people that i have long since forgotten, and some that I have no recollection of even now and that is pretty scary. I always maintain that I don't ever forget people that come into my life, but clearly there are those who lacked the ability to stay in my head.
We talked almost without stopping for three days, interspersing with food and liquid refreshments, but the time went very quickly and now they have gone again and I am winding down after what has clearly been a stressful time albeit a pleasant one. I seem to have lost the habit of talking to real people and spend too much time alone. Hence the overwhelming sense of fatigue that has washed over me.
Now that the ball has been set in motion, it is possible that more contacts may be established, and who know? maybe a reunion of the lads may come to pass. It is more likely however that we may never meet again and that this weekend was more like the final twitches of something that has taken a long time to die.
I have had an interesting weekend, with visitors from the past descending one after the other, and as a result I am talked out and numb with nostalgia.
It is always risky to go back, and to spend time with people with whom you grew up but lost touch with years ago, has elements of risk, especially when they come to stay in your house. any trepidation I may have felt evaporated when Martin and his wife appeared. Talking to Martin seemed as natural as it did all those years ago when I was alive. It was as if we had picked up a conversation that abruptly ended in 1970. Ok we both look old and past it, but inside we are still the same people and the weekend was a timely reminder of the good times that we had as late teens. He was able to remind me of so many events and people that i have long since forgotten, and some that I have no recollection of even now and that is pretty scary. I always maintain that I don't ever forget people that come into my life, but clearly there are those who lacked the ability to stay in my head.
We talked almost without stopping for three days, interspersing with food and liquid refreshments, but the time went very quickly and now they have gone again and I am winding down after what has clearly been a stressful time albeit a pleasant one. I seem to have lost the habit of talking to real people and spend too much time alone. Hence the overwhelming sense of fatigue that has washed over me.
Now that the ball has been set in motion, it is possible that more contacts may be established, and who know? maybe a reunion of the lads may come to pass. It is more likely however that we may never meet again and that this weekend was more like the final twitches of something that has taken a long time to die.
Monday, 26 May 2008
More stereotypes - Oh Canada!
The best way to upset a Canadian, in fact the only way that I know that CAN upset a Canadian, is to mistake them for Americans. (OK there are other ways too!)
Now, please, I do not set out to be offensive to anyone, and if any of my readers take umbrage at this then i am sincerely apologetic. I am not talking about ALL Canadians but more so of the stereotype. Canada is a huge country, much of which is unpopulated and some of which is unihabitable. It has a harsh climate, with hot short summers and bitterly cold long winters. Centres of populations are few and far between and between them good roads wrecked by pathetically low speed limits. There are parts of Canada that are utterly beautiful and parts that are, in the words of Marge Simpson, so very bland.
The Maple leaf flag is on display wherever there are people; i have never seen a country where there are so many flags reminding you of where you are. Maybe they are there to remind Canadians of there THEY are, or is it just a statement of - I am not American.
Some Canadians are afraid that they may become yet another American state and see a risk of being subsumed into that culture, and yet there seems little difference to the outsider between the American and Canadian ways of life. Canadians often drive American cars, the towns and cities are very much like those in the US, and they talk alike ............ Oh there is a way of distinguishing a Canook from a Yank - Listen carefully to the way they say "out".
Ok the pace of life in Canada may be slower, but that may have something to do with the long winters and the need to thaw out slowly. I cannot speak with any authority on this (or much else I know!) but I'd guess that the first flowers of spring will be the Maple leaves sprouting on the flagpoles.
I wonder what percentage of Canadians have Maple leaf logos on their underwear, just in case they get run over by a bus?
Canadian travellers all over the world are festooned with the flags, ranging in size from the tiny buttonhole variety to the full size jobs draped around shoulders or stitched carefully and lovingly to rucksacks. They are shouting to the world that they are Canadians and NOT Americans and yet maybe deep down they know that they are a part of North America and that by and large the rest of the world doesn't make much distinction and that few actually care.
Even though I will never visit again, I like Canada and most of the Canadians that I have met. They are open and warm (once they have thawed out!) and i hope that should any of them read this, that they will not take my words as a personal affront. They are just words after all and from such an inconsequential source too.
Now, please, I do not set out to be offensive to anyone, and if any of my readers take umbrage at this then i am sincerely apologetic. I am not talking about ALL Canadians but more so of the stereotype. Canada is a huge country, much of which is unpopulated and some of which is unihabitable. It has a harsh climate, with hot short summers and bitterly cold long winters. Centres of populations are few and far between and between them good roads wrecked by pathetically low speed limits. There are parts of Canada that are utterly beautiful and parts that are, in the words of Marge Simpson, so very bland.
The Maple leaf flag is on display wherever there are people; i have never seen a country where there are so many flags reminding you of where you are. Maybe they are there to remind Canadians of there THEY are, or is it just a statement of - I am not American.
Some Canadians are afraid that they may become yet another American state and see a risk of being subsumed into that culture, and yet there seems little difference to the outsider between the American and Canadian ways of life. Canadians often drive American cars, the towns and cities are very much like those in the US, and they talk alike ............ Oh there is a way of distinguishing a Canook from a Yank - Listen carefully to the way they say "out".
Ok the pace of life in Canada may be slower, but that may have something to do with the long winters and the need to thaw out slowly. I cannot speak with any authority on this (or much else I know!) but I'd guess that the first flowers of spring will be the Maple leaves sprouting on the flagpoles.
I wonder what percentage of Canadians have Maple leaf logos on their underwear, just in case they get run over by a bus?
Canadian travellers all over the world are festooned with the flags, ranging in size from the tiny buttonhole variety to the full size jobs draped around shoulders or stitched carefully and lovingly to rucksacks. They are shouting to the world that they are Canadians and NOT Americans and yet maybe deep down they know that they are a part of North America and that by and large the rest of the world doesn't make much distinction and that few actually care.
Even though I will never visit again, I like Canada and most of the Canadians that I have met. They are open and warm (once they have thawed out!) and i hope that should any of them read this, that they will not take my words as a personal affront. They are just words after all and from such an inconsequential source too.
Friday, 23 May 2008
Stereotypes
A while ago I wrote about the English. I claim no expertise in anything, and all i can do is speak from my mind, which some might say is not necessarily a good thing. I have been thinking about Nationality and national characteristics, and the more I do so, the more I realise where these stereotypes come from.
I have a niece, who, though born in this country, lived in New Zealand for much of her life. She cam back here a number of years ago however, and has lived and worked in London along with most of the rest of new Zealand youth, for years. She is a lovely girl but, there is always a but is there not?........... she has become a New Zealander, and by that I mean that she is arrogant and utterly insensitive to the feelings of people from other countries. Most New Zealanders consider themselves to be superior in every way to the rest of us, and i wonder why that is the case? They come from a small, remote, beautiful and utterly insignificant country, where nothing much happens that doesn't involve a rugby ball, and their participation in world events goes unrecorded, largely because there is little to record.
It is a country that lives in the past, it is a country with huge racial issues, few roads, less railways, lots of scenery, and an aging population because all the intelligent youth leave to come to London, New York, Paris etc. They call it God's own country, and yet they seem only too eager to leave it in their droves and then sit around in London pubs in the winter saying how awful London is and how wonderful it is back home. They go on ad nauseam about how they really want to go back but they never do. The temptation of the big money that they can earn here seems more powerful than the lure of the unmade road and the culture of 1950s Britain.
Their TV is appalling, radio stations not much better, and the Cultural scene is pretty backward. I attended a performance of a Midsummer Night's Dream in the National Theatre in Wellington, expecting something quite special. It wasn't, it was dire and probably the worst production of a Shakespeare play that I have ever seen.
Why am I slating New Zealand? I guess i am trying to establish the cause of the arrogance. Is it that underneath it all, they know that they come from the ass end of the world and rather than try to defend the indefensible, they feel the need to impress? For goodness sake, all they have is scenery- Oh and sheep, i forgot the sheep.
So whenever you hear a Kiwi, whining about how bad things are here, and that they would rather live anywhere else, ask them, why they are here and why indeed they are not sitting around in pubs over there whining about something else.
ps I forgot that they once had a good Rugby team, but they spent so much time telling everyone how wonderful New Zealand was, that they didn't notice the other sides scoring!
I have a niece, who, though born in this country, lived in New Zealand for much of her life. She cam back here a number of years ago however, and has lived and worked in London along with most of the rest of new Zealand youth, for years. She is a lovely girl but, there is always a but is there not?........... she has become a New Zealander, and by that I mean that she is arrogant and utterly insensitive to the feelings of people from other countries. Most New Zealanders consider themselves to be superior in every way to the rest of us, and i wonder why that is the case? They come from a small, remote, beautiful and utterly insignificant country, where nothing much happens that doesn't involve a rugby ball, and their participation in world events goes unrecorded, largely because there is little to record.
It is a country that lives in the past, it is a country with huge racial issues, few roads, less railways, lots of scenery, and an aging population because all the intelligent youth leave to come to London, New York, Paris etc. They call it God's own country, and yet they seem only too eager to leave it in their droves and then sit around in London pubs in the winter saying how awful London is and how wonderful it is back home. They go on ad nauseam about how they really want to go back but they never do. The temptation of the big money that they can earn here seems more powerful than the lure of the unmade road and the culture of 1950s Britain.
Their TV is appalling, radio stations not much better, and the Cultural scene is pretty backward. I attended a performance of a Midsummer Night's Dream in the National Theatre in Wellington, expecting something quite special. It wasn't, it was dire and probably the worst production of a Shakespeare play that I have ever seen.
Why am I slating New Zealand? I guess i am trying to establish the cause of the arrogance. Is it that underneath it all, they know that they come from the ass end of the world and rather than try to defend the indefensible, they feel the need to impress? For goodness sake, all they have is scenery- Oh and sheep, i forgot the sheep.
So whenever you hear a Kiwi, whining about how bad things are here, and that they would rather live anywhere else, ask them, why they are here and why indeed they are not sitting around in pubs over there whining about something else.
ps I forgot that they once had a good Rugby team, but they spent so much time telling everyone how wonderful New Zealand was, that they didn't notice the other sides scoring!
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Bloody politics
I am getting tired of so many things. I know that it is largely my current state of mind, and i am aware of some of the triggers, but it doesn't really help to have that awareness. There are some things which I can write about and others that I can't, and not being able to vent is very frustrating.
So I will stick to what is safe and empty at least a part of my spleen through this vehicle.
One thing that I am really tired of right now is Party Politics. We are looking at the last throes of a weary government, who, battered by the media and savaged by virtually everyone have fallen to rock bottom in the opinion polls. The opposition, are of course in the ascendant, and that is of course because the press are demanding change. As soon as things begin to turn sour, regardless of world events that have created the problems, the media bay for the heads of those in charge, and so we continue the swinging backwards and forwards between the only two political parties that make any difference. The minor parties have no voice at all and they may as well not exist. The liberal democrats only chance of power lies in a hung parliament and maybe, just maybe that could happen in an election one day. Until that time, they will carry on collecting their salaries and murmering their complaints about a system that never sees their party elected to government. How cosy they must be to know that they will never be accountable for anything.
The public are stupid! No I will not listen to the MPs who say that the voters are intelligent. I have worked with the public long enough to know that the vast majority out there are extremely thick. The best selling tabloid newspapers that cater to the majority are little more than comics with content aimed at low reading ages. The editors of these rags, have power, they can tell their readers what to think, and that makes it so much easier than getting them to think for themselves. And so it is the time to hang the current leaders out to dry, and the press has already begun the process. They rely on the fact that the electorate has the attention span and memory of a mayfly, so they forget what the last lot were like, and they imagine that a turn around will be a step towards Utopia, when everyone will be so much better off.
What people fail to realise is that in a Capitalist system, there is no way that everyone can be better off. Sure, some will be better off in any system, but if some gain then others will lose. The wealthy always gain because they have the power, and so the poor and weak will always be the ones to pay. It would be so refreshing if a politician of any persuasion, would for once tell the truth about how it all works. I suspect that if they did, then their career would also be very short. People don't want the truth, in the words of Jack Nicholson - They can't handle the truth!
The system stinks and is built on lies and skulduggery. All parties are bad and some worse than others. Whatever happens in the next election is of little consequence to anyone but the rich lists, so why do we even bother to vote? I guess we are brainwashed into thinking that we can make a difference - we can't.
So I will stick to what is safe and empty at least a part of my spleen through this vehicle.
One thing that I am really tired of right now is Party Politics. We are looking at the last throes of a weary government, who, battered by the media and savaged by virtually everyone have fallen to rock bottom in the opinion polls. The opposition, are of course in the ascendant, and that is of course because the press are demanding change. As soon as things begin to turn sour, regardless of world events that have created the problems, the media bay for the heads of those in charge, and so we continue the swinging backwards and forwards between the only two political parties that make any difference. The minor parties have no voice at all and they may as well not exist. The liberal democrats only chance of power lies in a hung parliament and maybe, just maybe that could happen in an election one day. Until that time, they will carry on collecting their salaries and murmering their complaints about a system that never sees their party elected to government. How cosy they must be to know that they will never be accountable for anything.
The public are stupid! No I will not listen to the MPs who say that the voters are intelligent. I have worked with the public long enough to know that the vast majority out there are extremely thick. The best selling tabloid newspapers that cater to the majority are little more than comics with content aimed at low reading ages. The editors of these rags, have power, they can tell their readers what to think, and that makes it so much easier than getting them to think for themselves. And so it is the time to hang the current leaders out to dry, and the press has already begun the process. They rely on the fact that the electorate has the attention span and memory of a mayfly, so they forget what the last lot were like, and they imagine that a turn around will be a step towards Utopia, when everyone will be so much better off.
What people fail to realise is that in a Capitalist system, there is no way that everyone can be better off. Sure, some will be better off in any system, but if some gain then others will lose. The wealthy always gain because they have the power, and so the poor and weak will always be the ones to pay. It would be so refreshing if a politician of any persuasion, would for once tell the truth about how it all works. I suspect that if they did, then their career would also be very short. People don't want the truth, in the words of Jack Nicholson - They can't handle the truth!
The system stinks and is built on lies and skulduggery. All parties are bad and some worse than others. Whatever happens in the next election is of little consequence to anyone but the rich lists, so why do we even bother to vote? I guess we are brainwashed into thinking that we can make a difference - we can't.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Embryology
The government seem to have made a sensible decision in supporting the new human embryological bill, that will allow a possible surge in our knowledge of stem cells, their production and application. There is of course considerable opposition to the whole notion of embryo research, the least convincing has come from the Roman Catholic lobby who have described it as immoral. Coming from Rome, accusations of immorality smacks of people living in glass houses throwing stones!
Monday, 19 May 2008
blank
For a while now I have been feeling low. Not actually in a black hole but sort of detached from the world and in a little microcosm of my own. I find that it is a safe place to be and although it is not exciting, I keep coming back and have to force myself to leave.
I have been making a conscious effort of late to leave the past behind me and try to live for the present. I don't look to the future much either, as that way lies disappointment.
I was reading about the art of predicting the other day. Predictions are so hard to make much of the time, because nothing exists in isolation, everything is connected and so dependent upon an almost incalculable number of variables. We try to predict all sorts of things, and our efforts are based on observations or maybe just whims of faith. Mostly though we base predictions on extrapolations of known behaviours and sometimes we get things right, and of course we also get things wrong too. I have got all sorts wrong in my life and no doubt will continue so to do.
I predict that i will soon emerge from this slump and will begin to write again. I hope so, I miss it like so many good things.
I have been making a conscious effort of late to leave the past behind me and try to live for the present. I don't look to the future much either, as that way lies disappointment.
I was reading about the art of predicting the other day. Predictions are so hard to make much of the time, because nothing exists in isolation, everything is connected and so dependent upon an almost incalculable number of variables. We try to predict all sorts of things, and our efforts are based on observations or maybe just whims of faith. Mostly though we base predictions on extrapolations of known behaviours and sometimes we get things right, and of course we also get things wrong too. I have got all sorts wrong in my life and no doubt will continue so to do.
I predict that i will soon emerge from this slump and will begin to write again. I hope so, I miss it like so many good things.
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Sent to me by a friend
What is a friend? I will tell you.
It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with him. He seems to ask of you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. He does not ant you to be better or worse. When you are with him you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you. He understands those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With him you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meannesses and absurdities and, in opening them up to him, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of his loyalty. He understands. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse him, neglect him, tolerate him. Best of all, you can keep still with him. It makes no matter. He likes you - he is like the fire that purges to the bone. He understands, he understands. You can weep with him, sin with him, laugh with him, pray with him. Through it all - and underneath - he sees, knows, and loves you. A friend? What is a friend? Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself.
C Raymand Beran
It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with him. He seems to ask of you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. He does not ant you to be better or worse. When you are with him you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you. He understands those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With him you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meannesses and absurdities and, in opening them up to him, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of his loyalty. He understands. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse him, neglect him, tolerate him. Best of all, you can keep still with him. It makes no matter. He likes you - he is like the fire that purges to the bone. He understands, he understands. You can weep with him, sin with him, laugh with him, pray with him. Through it all - and underneath - he sees, knows, and loves you. A friend? What is a friend? Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself.
C Raymand Beran
Monday, 12 May 2008
Led Zeppelin on Horlicks
I just got back from a weekend away, essentially to attend a concert in Cardiff. We got tickets to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and decided to make a long weekend of it.
The hotel was a stone's throw from the Millenium Stadium and apart from the fact that the room overlooked a railway yard, it was perfectly satisfactory for a single night stopover. The drive to Cardiff was fine and the city itself really very nice indeed. An afternoon in the sunshine was followed by a late afternoon in a "New Orleans" bar with a pleasant light meal and several pints of Welsh Bitter Beer. We could see the stadium from the bar so there was no urgency about getting there, and so fully sated and less than fully sober, we headed for the venue. Five minutes later we were outside the gates, and they were closed. The whole place was empty and tumbleweed rolled past us in the ominous silence.
A quick check on the tickets told us that the date was right, and then the truth dawned. Printed clearly on the tickets, which I had not actually seen up to this point, were the words - International Centre! It should have added in brackets, "not to be confused with the Millenium Stadium," however it didn't and we were in the wrong place. Fortunately Cardiff is not a huge place, and equally fortunate was the fact that the International centre was only a half mile away, and so we did make it with ample time to spare.
The several pints did take their toll however, and you know how it is, once the seal has broken, visits to the toilets before more and more frequent. At big events like this the toilets are always busy and a full bladder has a way of distracting one from anything else, so in the run up to the off, the route to the watering hole became quite familiar. Not to self - before next gig, no drinking. That one IS at the Millenium Stadium and we could be miles from relief!
Anyway, the warm up band, were i am sure very good, but unknown and no-one seemed to pay them much attention. In fact the bars seemed pretty full throughout their performance. Eventually - much much later, bladder nicely empty, the concert started.
A word first about Alison Krauss. She has an amazing voice and is very talented on the violin. She commands the stage through her music, but seems to have no stage presence. I am sure that she has personality, but it does not shine through and she seemed to have no real connection to the audience. That was left to Robert Plant. The old Rocker has lost nothing apart from his mobility. It was a little like Led Zeppelin on Horlicks. He had the moves, but they were a little slow and tentative, while his voice was maintained in 2nd gear most of the evening. He seemed very restrained and I felt that he was itching to burst out. No I am not referring to his trousers, though they were of course as tight as ever. Glad to say that his shirt was ample and loose.
The performance was wonderful, and the band exceptional and the standing ovation was well deserved.
We emerged, lifted and inspired, into the night and were immediately soaked by the predictable Welsh downpour. However, it was worth it and i look forward to next month and Bruce Springsteen.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Bleakness
The balance of life is very fragile. One minute, someone that you know well is here and next minute they are gone. We have all loved and lost and watched the mortal remains go through the rigmarole of funerals and interment or cremation. Human life in total hangs in the balance of an enormously complex structure that we call society.
The trouble is that the complexity is exponentially increasing and the biggest enemy of the machine is greed. There are those in society who are creaming off what they need regardless of the effect on the mechanism as a whole. Few people give real regard for the good of the whole and most are content to grab what they can while they can with scant thought for anything else.
Stock market crashes are artificial disasters brought about by extreme wealth wanting to become more extreme, the effects on their fiddling and tweaking can have consequences that are far reaching and devastating on the rest of the popluation, who have no control over the finances in their lives. Major financial crises could easily derail society as a whole; look at Zimbabwe with its galloping inflation; that country hovers on the edge of anarchy and unless something is done, catastophe is almost a certainty.
So many aspects of the modern world can easily break down and any one of them could precipitate the end of civilization. The electronic revolution has made us dependent upon computer technology and networks that are all so vulnerable to deliberate and/or accidental damage. Food supply is stretched to breaking point and while we now take for granted fully stocked supermarket shelves, that may not always be there. All it takes is a small climate change or a new virus to change all that in a very short space of time. HIV is not an infectious disease. What happens if it mutates into one that is? What happens if Ebola escapes from Zaire, and reaches a population centre?
Fuel is becoming very expensive and one day will run out. Who can imagine the powerful western states, sitting back and letting the OPEC countries hold them to ransom over the last drops?
We are living in a house of cards that is growing faster and faster, spreading in all directions. Sooner or later the wind will blow.
The trouble is that the complexity is exponentially increasing and the biggest enemy of the machine is greed. There are those in society who are creaming off what they need regardless of the effect on the mechanism as a whole. Few people give real regard for the good of the whole and most are content to grab what they can while they can with scant thought for anything else.
Stock market crashes are artificial disasters brought about by extreme wealth wanting to become more extreme, the effects on their fiddling and tweaking can have consequences that are far reaching and devastating on the rest of the popluation, who have no control over the finances in their lives. Major financial crises could easily derail society as a whole; look at Zimbabwe with its galloping inflation; that country hovers on the edge of anarchy and unless something is done, catastophe is almost a certainty.
So many aspects of the modern world can easily break down and any one of them could precipitate the end of civilization. The electronic revolution has made us dependent upon computer technology and networks that are all so vulnerable to deliberate and/or accidental damage. Food supply is stretched to breaking point and while we now take for granted fully stocked supermarket shelves, that may not always be there. All it takes is a small climate change or a new virus to change all that in a very short space of time. HIV is not an infectious disease. What happens if it mutates into one that is? What happens if Ebola escapes from Zaire, and reaches a population centre?
Fuel is becoming very expensive and one day will run out. Who can imagine the powerful western states, sitting back and letting the OPEC countries hold them to ransom over the last drops?
We are living in a house of cards that is growing faster and faster, spreading in all directions. Sooner or later the wind will blow.
Thursday, 1 May 2008
The English
We English, probably have much to be proud of, but we also have more in our history that we should be ashamed of. There are few nations that look up to the Brits anymore, if ever they did in the first place, and many nations despise us and for good reason.
Robert Mugabe is one example of a man who has a real hatred for Britain. We are seen as a nation who wish to return Zimbabwe to British rule, to suppress his people and turn back the clock to a time when the country was at least stable.
Africa has for centuries been colonised, recolonised, fought over, and intrinsically ruined by non Africans. It has become a huge and desperate money pit with aid pouring in from all over the world to try to support a desperate and impoverished people. Nothing ever changes, and the probably reason for that is the inherent corruption that enables those in power to syphon off the wealth of their people in order to fill their own bank accounts. Africans want to govern themselves, quite rightly, but so few of the countries seem able to do that.
Paul Theroux in one of his books, describes his return journey from Cairo to Capetown, and in that he makes the point that giving money to Africa has been a total failure, and that all that it achieves is providing arms to the many tribes that still make up that Nation, so that they can kill each other with increasing efficiency. Hospitals and schools that were built using aid have declined and crumbled because the people fail to maintain them properly, or because the educated minorities move away in order to escape the burgeoning chaos of a country that is trying to grow, but lacks the direction to do so. He infers that aid should be stopped, and that the hand out expectations of many Africans should no longer be met.
Africa has been forced through western exploitation, to attempt to grow up too fast. It is still a tribal society and if the west were to withdraw totally, which it won't because of vested interests, the whole country would probably revert to what it is at heart. Maybe then the countries would support themselves and the land would be able to sustain a more realistic population.
Robert Mugabe is at best a thug who has no interest in his own people. The country is a mess, their inflation rate is like that of pre-war Germany, he has been defeated in an election and refuses to budge. I wonder why the Americans are keeping out of this one?
I guess that we can hold our hands up and admit that many of Africa's problems date back to colonial times when the world map was mainly pink. We tried to exploit the Africans, through slavery and by stealing their land, and then we try to suppress their people, the way that the British people were suppressed, by indoctrination with Christianity, and then we wonder why nothing seems to have worked.
I must confess that all that I say is opinion and that I have never been to Africa, nor do i want to.
Robert Mugabe is one example of a man who has a real hatred for Britain. We are seen as a nation who wish to return Zimbabwe to British rule, to suppress his people and turn back the clock to a time when the country was at least stable.
Africa has for centuries been colonised, recolonised, fought over, and intrinsically ruined by non Africans. It has become a huge and desperate money pit with aid pouring in from all over the world to try to support a desperate and impoverished people. Nothing ever changes, and the probably reason for that is the inherent corruption that enables those in power to syphon off the wealth of their people in order to fill their own bank accounts. Africans want to govern themselves, quite rightly, but so few of the countries seem able to do that.
Paul Theroux in one of his books, describes his return journey from Cairo to Capetown, and in that he makes the point that giving money to Africa has been a total failure, and that all that it achieves is providing arms to the many tribes that still make up that Nation, so that they can kill each other with increasing efficiency. Hospitals and schools that were built using aid have declined and crumbled because the people fail to maintain them properly, or because the educated minorities move away in order to escape the burgeoning chaos of a country that is trying to grow, but lacks the direction to do so. He infers that aid should be stopped, and that the hand out expectations of many Africans should no longer be met.
Africa has been forced through western exploitation, to attempt to grow up too fast. It is still a tribal society and if the west were to withdraw totally, which it won't because of vested interests, the whole country would probably revert to what it is at heart. Maybe then the countries would support themselves and the land would be able to sustain a more realistic population.
Robert Mugabe is at best a thug who has no interest in his own people. The country is a mess, their inflation rate is like that of pre-war Germany, he has been defeated in an election and refuses to budge. I wonder why the Americans are keeping out of this one?
I guess that we can hold our hands up and admit that many of Africa's problems date back to colonial times when the world map was mainly pink. We tried to exploit the Africans, through slavery and by stealing their land, and then we try to suppress their people, the way that the British people were suppressed, by indoctrination with Christianity, and then we wonder why nothing seems to have worked.
I must confess that all that I say is opinion and that I have never been to Africa, nor do i want to.
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