What Do You Think Today?

[Sorus]

That's a risk you run with that kind of event.

Smile, nod, picture them being carried off by a hungry pterodactyl.

[Skyweir]

Amen to that Sorus

x

Honestly some humans are just awful

[Sorus]

Dinosaurs are my go-to for dealing with difficult customers.

Some bitch is taking her bad day out on you? Along comes Mr. T-Rex to chomp her in half. Satisfying mental image with no actual threat involved.

...I need a new job.

[Skyweir]

Yup the dependable pacifist go to

Immensely satisfying without all the blood and gore

[peter]

Potentially the most dangerous situation in years developing in the middle east and our foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt is one hundred percent focused on the current leadership battle whereby he hopes to secure the party leadership. In view of this at least he has dispatched a professional civil and diplomatic servant to visit the area and try to bring about a descaling of tensions - a far cry from what he himself achieved during his disastrous tenure as Health Secretary - so I suppose for this at least we should be grateful.

[Skyweir]

Indeed.

What if anything was Bozos position on this?

[peter]

The missionary most likely knowing Boris

[Skyweir]

Predictably boring Bozo

[peter]

The store where I work is a franchise for a nationwide chain of 7-11 shops. These are the guys who thought advertising bottles of gin on special offer for mother's day was a good idea (have they never heard of 'mothers ruin' ) and cheap hip flasks with "Best Dad in the World" (just the right size for a quarter bottle of vodka) for father's day the same (verily did Oscar Wilde say that work is the curse of the drinking classes - luckily most of them manage to avoid it for the most part). Here is a sample of their latest odd level of thinking:

"Italy is well known as the world leader for arts, architecture and the finest of cuisine. But you don't have to go there to experience it; all you have to do is pop down to your local ***** to find a range of mouthwatering ready-meals to satisfy your ....etc etc". Well yes - but sorry guys. I'm afraid one pound fifty's worth of microwaveable lasagna or spag bol isn't quite going to cut it as a substitute for Florence in my book - or, I think, anybody else's!

Do people get paid for this?

[Avatar]

The problem is that there appears to be people for whom that works...

--A

[Skyweir]

aye tis true

[peter]

On a canal boat tour around the harbours and canals of Copenhagen last week I was brought to a consideration of the innocent and entirely benevolent practice of waving. As we proceeded leasurely around the shores and waterways, some fifty of us in an open topped barge, scores of people, children and adults alike waved across at us and we waved back. Entirely pleasurable in the small frisson of connectivity it gave one, the act was one of mutual respect and greeting, carried out between people who would never meet each other, never have cause to like, hate, argue or love each other - a simple message of "I see you and wish you well". How good is that; if nothing else it shows that at base, this is the tone of connection between people that exists before all of the complicated other stuff gets added. If only we could carry a little more of this spirit upward into our more complex interactions as they develop, how much better a place would the world be!

[peter]

On a canal boat tour around the harbours and canals of Copenhagen last week I was brought to a consideration of the innocent and entirely benevolent practice of waving. As we proceeded leasurely around the shores and waterways, some fifty of us in an open topped barge, scores of people, children and adults alike waved across at us and we waved back. Entirely pleasurable in the small frisson of connectivity it gave one, the act was one of mutual respect and greeting, carried out between people who would never meet each other, never have cause to like, hate, argue or love each other - a simple message of "I see you and wish you well". How good is that; if nothing else it shows that at base, this is the tone of connection between people that exists before all of the complicated other stuff gets added. If only we could carry a little more of this spirit upward into our more complex interactions as they develop, how much better a place would the world be!

Almost in diametric opposition to the above, we hear about a mass brawl on the P&O cruise ship Brittania after a week of sailing the Norwegian fjords and on it's way back to Southampton. Reports said that a booze fueled "patriotic party" in the afternoon had continued into the black tie dinner, and thence on into the night. When the fight actually kicked off (and it may have been due to someone appearing dressed as a clown of all things, and some passengers taking offence at this) two battling sides attacked each other with furniture and crockery and a number of injuries resulted. Police are investigating and appealing for witnesses. Crew members and less pugilistically inclined passengers were hiding in fear as the mele ensued. Nicely done guys; no doubt a good time was had by all. I wonder if they'll put pictures in next year's P&O brochure?

[Avatar]

--A

[peter]

Visiting countries other than one's own can be an odd thing; it's always easy to spot countries that are less ordered, less developed and more poorly functioning than your own, but tagging those that are better in these respects is harder. You tend just to travel around, looking at the sights and taking it all in, but it doesn't register with you in say the glaring way that the shortcomings of less developed regions hits home. One of the big things is income equality; where this is large, it is highly visible, where not so, also visible - but by virtue of absence. My recent trip to Copenhagen brought this home, but only really registered with me after it was over. While only lasting a few days, I did manage to travel to a number of smaller towns and villages, and did the same on a day tour in Sweden, spending an hour walking around in each place we visited.

My chief impression was of a clean, well ordered society (in both places) where there was no (or at least very little) sign of the level of inequality that I see on a daily basis in my country - and where the overall standard of daily existence seemed to be at a better level, certainly than in the UK and from what I see on the television, I'm pretty sure in the US as well. Certainly it was a high cost country to live in, but the high grade services - paid for by high level taxation - seemed to be providing a better, cleaner life standard across the board (at least visibly) than in lower tax and service economies. Cars were newer, streets cleaner, people healthier (or no sign of the obesity epidemic we see in the UK and US at least). There was an air of slightly etherial superiority about Copenhagen - less so elsewhere, but still no visible signs of decay, disorder or an underclass that was 'falling behind' the rest of society. All very good on the face of it; the high cost of living seemed to be mitigated by an overall higher income, evenly (or at least more so than in the UK) distributed across the people - but there did seem to be one small fly in the ointment. I wondered to what extent this overall higher standard was willingly engaged; I mean, in an odd way it seemed that the people were rather coerced into it than engaging into it freely - as though to be other than the clean healthy upside individual that the state required you to be ........ would not be tolerated, either by your peers specifically or the state more generally. It was very slight, this impression, but came across in small things - intolerance of litter, jaywalking, failure to recycle. I wondered whether this high level existence was bought at a cost of freedom that, were I to say move into it, I might find a bit constraining, even oppressive.

I'll give one example of the type of thing I'm talking about in the experience of going through Copenhagen airport: compared to Heathrow it was seemless. No sooner had we landed than we were guided into the correct exit lanes by lines on the ground, our bags appeared as if by magic on the correct belts and the whole passed quickly, efficiently and without a moment's unnecessary delay. Outside the lines of taxi operation were similarly executed; people were got into a taxi moments after leaving the terminal and whisked away to their destination and before you even knew you had landed, you seemed to be on your way. But one particular memory of that little passage will stay with me; as I approached (following my line painted on the ground) to the man in the immigration kiosk, I passed a notice, clearly visible bearing an instruction "REMOVE YOUR PASSPORT FROM YOUR HAND-LUGGAGE". A few steps further on another read "OPEN TO THE PAGE SHOWING YOUR IDENTIFICATION". A few more steps and yet a further notice read "PRESENT YOUR PASSPORT TO THE DESK AS SHOWN" complete with a diagram as to the orientation in which you were to hold up your papers. One got the impression that not to follow these instructions would be frowned upon and so, like automatons we filed through the gates, quickly, efficiently and without any of the normal human failings, the rummaging in bags, the wasting of precious seconds, that normally accompanies such an operation. And now, back home in my disordered, unequal and yes, often dirty and down-at-heel society I ask myself, do I really want this higher quality of life, this overall more ordered and smoothly functioning high tech existence, if in order to have it I have to surrender my right to be a scruffy bum; or if not actually surrender it, to sit under the disapproving gaze of a nanny state and my askance looking contemporaries, tut-tutting as I live the way I choose to, rather than in conformity to the way that my society deems is the best one.

[Lazy Luke]

if in order to have it I have to surrender my right to be a scruffy bum

I very much doubt you're a scruffy bum.

I travel through a suburban village to get to work. It's a veritable pictuesque time warp. Tudor-style and biscuit-tin cottages, rose gardens and white picket fences.
A couple of weeks ago I had left work early and the bus was filled with villagers on their way into town. I was shocked to overhear a snide comment from some old coot on my apparent scruffiness. They being dressed in cool summer clothes were as I was likely looking dusty and dishevelled.
It was an eye-opener, that's for sure. The posh residents there don't approve of thier bucolic lifestyle being invaded by towny worker tykes. But it's also a grim reminder that I too am a foreigner in a foreign land.

I left Scotland to live south of the border more than twenty years ago.
Actually, I was a refugee breaking away from an endless cycle of drug abuse and zero mental health.
I travelled from town to town living in B&Bs or homeless hostels, relying on various charities to stay off the street in an effort to gain a foothold. It took much longer than I expected, but, twenty years down the road and I'm now right where I wanna be. Far from the madness of druggies and drunks. So I'll take supercillious uppity any time.
Happy days indeed.

I've never been too keen on the holiday tourist thing. My travels served a differant purpose. Still, it must be grand to see places other than the British Isles.

[peter]

Agreed Luke - the tourist thing can be a bit of a 'bubble', but it does at least get you out to these places and you can use your eyes when you are out there. It's good to at least have some kind of idea of how other places function; it puts the pluses and minuses of your own country into perspective.

I love Scotland, but yes - I can see that as with anywhere you'd need to be in the right place both in your head and in the place itself to enjoy the best of it.

[Lazy Luke]

I was looking at national demographs, comparing Denmark to England. The Worrld Happiness Report puts Denmark at No.3, out of 156 countries, with England at No.19 - between the Unitied States and the United Arab Emerites!!

As you say, high taxation is likely the key to a successful and balanced economy - regardless of population size!

[peter]

Got to be part of it I'd think.

Meanwhile....

Am I the only one who thinks that the current trend to give everything a name, often quite emotive and intended to project a particular image, is becoming tiresome. In the UK every puff of wind more forceful than that required to blow the seeds of a dandelion gets it's own (female) appellation and every committee it's own particular branding. We have the NICE regulations dealing with health issues, the COBRA Committee with national emergencies and terrorism. This weekend my own local police force joined the game with the (apparently highly successful) execution of Operation Allied Wolf. This dramatic sounding exercise actually entailed half a dozen policemen with speed guns going out and targeting a particularly busy bit of local road and nicking 400 drivers a bit too keen on pressing the metal. Important work, yes - silly name, yes as well!

[Skyweir]

if in order to have it I have to surrender my right to be a scruffy bum

I very much doubt you're a scruffy bum.

I travel through a suburban village to get to work. It's a veritable pictuesque time warp. Tudor-style and biscuit-tin cottages, rose gardens and white picket fences.
A couple of weeks ago I had left work early and the bus was filled with villagers on their way into town. I was shocked to overhear a snide comment from some old coot on my apparent scruffiness. They being dressed in cool summer clothes were as I was likely looking dusty and dishevelled.
It was an eye-opener, that's for sure. The posh residents there don't approve of thier bucolic lifestyle being invaded by towny worker tykes. But it's also a grim reminder that I too am a foreigner in a foreign land.

I left Scotland to live south of the border more than twenty years ago.
Actually, I was a refugee breaking away from an endless cycle of drug abuse and zero mental health.
I travelled from town to town living in B&Bs or homeless hostels, relying on various charities to stay off the street in an effort to gain a foothold. It took much longer than I expected, but, twenty years down the road and I'm now right where I wanna be. Far from the madness of druggies and drunks. So I'll take supercillious uppity any time.
Happy days indeed.

I've never been too keen on the holiday tourist thing. My travels served a differant purpose. Still, it must be grand to see places other than the British Isles.

So a Scot Luke From where in Scotland do you hail? We could be related lol Stranger things have happened.