Monday, October 13th, 2008
Today is my mother's birthday; she would have been 87. OK at times, she irritated the shit out of me but I never doubted her love. She showed me so much and she guided me. But she was beholden to no one and neither am I. She who 'Stands with her fist' had nothing on her.
Thank you Mom.
Monday, 13 October 2008
Reflections
Monday, October 13th, 2008
In the final two weeks before I retired, I wrote down several hundred reflections of my life, some personal, some relating to business. It was not difficult for these thoughts just filled my head. I have done several hundred more since I retired. So from time to time, I shall paste some here. You get the numbers just as they came to me.
In the final two weeks before I retired, I wrote down several hundred reflections of my life, some personal, some relating to business. It was not difficult for these thoughts just filled my head. I have done several hundred more since I retired. So from time to time, I shall paste some here. You get the numbers just as they came to me.
6. Refrain from declaring how tough you are going to be until you know how tough you can be.
Being a detective
Monday, October 13th, 2008
There are so many movies and documentaries on these. I'd have loved to have been one, you know, investigating, putting together the jigsaw and finally solving the case. The whole intellectual process fascinates me. My mind up against the mind of the criminal.
But I would never have succeeded because I would never have conformed as a policeman. All that authority crap and playing by the book. Might have made Sergeant but no more.
There are so many movies and documentaries on these. I'd have loved to have been one, you know, investigating, putting together the jigsaw and finally solving the case. The whole intellectual process fascinates me. My mind up against the mind of the criminal.
But I would never have succeeded because I would never have conformed as a policeman. All that authority crap and playing by the book. Might have made Sergeant but no more.
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Music and Prague
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
Prague is a beautiful city and maybe I shall write more on it some time. But for now, let's think about music. It seemed when I went there that it was a city of concerts in halls and churches every night - wonderful. But one night as I hurried to a concert across the Charles Bridge, I came upon this and it stopped me in my tracks.
I have never seen music like this and it was quite delightful. Well I had to hurry but in the closing minutes before I left for the airport the following night, I did manage to buy his CD's. His name is Alexander Zoltan.
Prague is a beautiful city and maybe I shall write more on it some time. But for now, let's think about music. It seemed when I went there that it was a city of concerts in halls and churches every night - wonderful. But one night as I hurried to a concert across the Charles Bridge, I came upon this and it stopped me in my tracks.
I have never seen music like this and it was quite delightful. Well I had to hurry but in the closing minutes before I left for the airport the following night, I did manage to buy his CD's. His name is Alexander Zoltan.
Mussels
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
I do like mussels; many people don't. Well that's good for it means they are inexpensive. I find them quite delicious. My favourite is to steam them in white wine with a few chopped shallots and lemon grass. Take them out when they have opened and reduce the liquid. I break off the empty half shells and then pour the reduced liquid over the rest. With crusty French bread, it is a meal fit for kings.
I do like mussels; many people don't. Well that's good for it means they are inexpensive. I find them quite delicious. My favourite is to steam them in white wine with a few chopped shallots and lemon grass. Take them out when they have opened and reduce the liquid. I break off the empty half shells and then pour the reduced liquid over the rest. With crusty French bread, it is a meal fit for kings.
Total eclipse of the Sun
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
I do think that this is one of the most amazing natural sights you can see from this Earth. I waited 54 years for mine. By that I mean 54 years from the time I really became aware of them to the time that I actually saw one in Turkey in March 2006. I'll spare you the historical details.
Oh yes, we have all read about it and seen it on the TV but nothing prepares you for the real thing. It gets cold in the final minutes but the end is mind blowing. In the flash of the second, it's gone, just gone and the corona erupts all around it. Even up to 99% or is it 99.9%, the sun is dazzling. Do not delude yourself that anything compares with totality.
And in our case, everyone went quiet and we remained so for the 3 mins 58 secs of totality. When it returned we went crazy with shouting and clapping. Yes well, we understood the phenomenon but that did not restrain our joy: imagine what it must have been like for our ancestors.
It is magic pure and simple.
I do think that this is one of the most amazing natural sights you can see from this Earth. I waited 54 years for mine. By that I mean 54 years from the time I really became aware of them to the time that I actually saw one in Turkey in March 2006. I'll spare you the historical details.
Oh yes, we have all read about it and seen it on the TV but nothing prepares you for the real thing. It gets cold in the final minutes but the end is mind blowing. In the flash of the second, it's gone, just gone and the corona erupts all around it. Even up to 99% or is it 99.9%, the sun is dazzling. Do not delude yourself that anything compares with totality.
And in our case, everyone went quiet and we remained so for the 3 mins 58 secs of totality. When it returned we went crazy with shouting and clapping. Yes well, we understood the phenomenon but that did not restrain our joy: imagine what it must have been like for our ancestors.It is magic pure and simple.
The British Cabinet
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
Lot to say here.
Let's start with the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Well I said that I believed that first impressions count with me and my first impression of Gordon was that he had the charisma of a brick and so it has proved to be. His back is against the wall now so like many of our leaders, he moves the deck chairs on the Titanic, that is, he has reshuffled his Cabinet.
Now he has 23 top ministers with a further 6 attending Cabinet meetings. By comparison the USA has 15 + 6. Most of the US titles are clear enough - State, Education, Defense etc - and so were ours once. Not now they aren't. We get things like Innovation, Universities & Skills, Culture, Media & Sport as well as the basics.; its jobsworth.
Peter Mandelson (the most unpopular politician in Britain) has Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform - a conflict of interests if ever I saw one. Harriett Harman is the Leader of the House of Commons, whatever that means. But she is also Minister for Women and Equality. Well try setting up a Ministry of Men and Equality and you'd get locked up. 'Equality' would have sufficed.
And then there is Baroness Royall of Blaisdon who is, no less, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council, further meaningless titles. Never been elected by the public to anything, she is now a full member of the Cabinet and invisible to the public - what does she do all day?
Moving on to the junior ministers, you get to Baroness Vadera, Minister for Small Businesses ie 50 employees or less. What on Earth does she know about this? She spent 14 years in an investment bank (and we now know how clever they are) and then advised the Government of the day on the privatisation of the London Underground and Railtrack. Disliked by so many in the Cabinet office, Brown did a Mandelson on her and made her a peer and took her into Government.
I could go on all day about this but let's finish with just one more case. Huw Irranca-Davis is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (ie No. 2) at Environment, Food and Rural Affairs + Minister of State for the Natural and Marine Environment, Wildlife and Rural Affairs. He seems like a nice lad though. Let's just hope that his mission extends beyond Morris Dancing, badgers, stranded whales and chucking rubbish in the hedgerows.
In all this, I am reminded of Bernard Levin, a great political columnist of The Times. Of the North Thames Gas Board (famous for its appalling customer service), he once wrote something like, 'I do not doubt for a moment that matters would be improved overnight if the entire Management Team were replaced by an office boy and a cat. The cat would be there chiefly to keep the boy company but it could certainly have run the financial side of things better than the present incumbents.'
Lot to say here.
Let's start with the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Well I said that I believed that first impressions count with me and my first impression of Gordon was that he had the charisma of a brick and so it has proved to be. His back is against the wall now so like many of our leaders, he moves the deck chairs on the Titanic, that is, he has reshuffled his Cabinet.
Now he has 23 top ministers with a further 6 attending Cabinet meetings. By comparison the USA has 15 + 6. Most of the US titles are clear enough - State, Education, Defense etc - and so were ours once. Not now they aren't. We get things like Innovation, Universities & Skills, Culture, Media & Sport as well as the basics.; its jobsworth.
Peter Mandelson (the most unpopular politician in Britain) has Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform - a conflict of interests if ever I saw one. Harriett Harman is the Leader of the House of Commons, whatever that means. But she is also Minister for Women and Equality. Well try setting up a Ministry of Men and Equality and you'd get locked up. 'Equality' would have sufficed.
And then there is Baroness Royall of Blaisdon who is, no less, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council, further meaningless titles. Never been elected by the public to anything, she is now a full member of the Cabinet and invisible to the public - what does she do all day?
Moving on to the junior ministers, you get to Baroness Vadera, Minister for Small Businesses ie 50 employees or less. What on Earth does she know about this? She spent 14 years in an investment bank (and we now know how clever they are) and then advised the Government of the day on the privatisation of the London Underground and Railtrack. Disliked by so many in the Cabinet office, Brown did a Mandelson on her and made her a peer and took her into Government.
I could go on all day about this but let's finish with just one more case. Huw Irranca-Davis is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (ie No. 2) at Environment, Food and Rural Affairs + Minister of State for the Natural and Marine Environment, Wildlife and Rural Affairs. He seems like a nice lad though. Let's just hope that his mission extends beyond Morris Dancing, badgers, stranded whales and chucking rubbish in the hedgerows.
In all this, I am reminded of Bernard Levin, a great political columnist of The Times. Of the North Thames Gas Board (famous for its appalling customer service), he once wrote something like, 'I do not doubt for a moment that matters would be improved overnight if the entire Management Team were replaced by an office boy and a cat. The cat would be there chiefly to keep the boy company but it could certainly have run the financial side of things better than the present incumbents.'
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