What Do You Think Today?

[Skyweir]

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

Hahaha yes we do like to give things a name .. all our police operations are named .. to clearly identify them .. of course ... thats not a thing that's new here. And we always name our cyclones but not each gust of wind lol _ but we name them typical male and female as well as gender neutral names.

Do we want to impose an emotive quality of the object or operation naming _ not really I dont think. What emotive value does a hurricane named Irma have? I dont know.

Is it an attempt at anthropomorphism .. it could be argued but again I dont think so.

[peter]

Shed a tear for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as he mourns the loss of large parts of his extended food and restaurant empire and places the blame at least partly on Brexit and the uncertainty it has spawned in our society. Upwards of 1000 workers have lost their jobs and incomes as a result of the collapse and Oliver says it absolutely ruined his birthday. In some ways, he says, he feels "almost fortunate" to have experienced the lows of the business experience as well as the giddy heights to which he was perhaps more used to over the course of his twenty plus year career. He'll have much to think about he says, as he spectates on the unfolding drama of the next few months/years and it thinks he will organise things somewhat differently over the next couple of decades on the basis of his experience to date. Luckily he won't [unlike many of his ex-employees] have too much to worry about in terms of where he rests his head at night; the six million pound country estate he bought earlier this year and the multi-million pound London town house in 20015 should see to that side of things.

[Skyweir]

Yeah I expect he wont be the first Brexit casualty and yes he is more fortunate than most .. but he worked for his riches ... his safety net

[peter]

Fair comment Sky - for all my resighned acceptance of the irony of his different perception of what constitutes a crisis in life (and life will teach him this as it does all of us, when it ultimately strikes in a form that will do somewhat more than "spoil his birthday" {his words, not mine}) and which money has no power to assuage) I would not deny him his success. He has provided much pleasure to many people over the years as an entertainer. His business empire, for all it's current problems has provided income and security of employment (often to kids whose life chances would otherwise have been limited) to many over a sustained period. The pluses that can be chalked up to him way exceed the minuses. (But, damn, I had a bad meal at one of his restaurants once! )

[Avatar]

As a lifelong scruff, (the GF often accuses me of looking like I sleep under a bridge even though I don't (look it I mean)), I sorta enjoy the whole "being under-dressed" thing.

I picked my look back in the 90's and have never seen any reason to change it, regardless of where I go or what I do. She even considers me consenting to buying new clothes to be a noteworthy event...

Still, it's a difficult question...would I give up some measure of freedom to have a better functioning society? I'm not really sure I would...apart from the rampant inequality, I otherwise quite like the sorta chaotic and disorganised way things (try to) run here. However, it does have its drawbacks as well.

--A

[Skyweir]

Pete lols yes I totally agree. And a bad meal at one of his restaurants wow you should have given THAT feedback

I like Jamie Oliver but as a big time wealth magnet THAT feedback is fair input.

And lols Av ... arent all men scruffs?

Yes, yes, thats sexist and an arguably heinous stereotype .. but if I didnt organise the clothing in our household my better half would look like a bum .. un ironed, disheveled, mismatching clothes .. probably wouldnt wash his clothes often if he was left to his natural devices.

And Im VERY casual dresser myself .. I live in jeans in winter and shorts in summer. Im not a designer dresser at all. If I go out I might throw on a skirt or a dress but every day now Im retired Im a very basic dresser. So nowt wrong with casual imv. More power lol

[Avatar]

Haha, I've always been casual. Once turned down a job because they would have required me to cut my hair (it was long in those days) and wear a tie.

If I can't wear jeans and a t-shirt, I'm not doing it.

--A

[Skyweir]

Haha good for you

[peter]

Surely, we live in the post-truth era. Last week, in the wake of a grim forecast from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (or some such) predicting the first shrinkage of the UK economy since 2007, and in the face of a plethora of other dismal financial indicators, a smiling Sajid Javid (Boris's new Chancellor of the Exchequer) told us that the economy was in tip-top shape and ready to capitalise big time on the potential benefits offered by our shortly to be new found freedom to negotiate trade deals across the whole wide world (and beyond no doubt). Today, Michael Gove in top optimistic form told us that the dire predictions for a no-deal struck UK as outlined in the leaked Operation Yellowhammer report, were balderdash, and on the contrary the UK was well prepared to cruise through the no-deal exit scenario with all the ease of a quiet stroll in the park.

It seems to me that in a sort of Trumpian style universe that our politicians now inhabit, the way to deal with anything approaching bad news is simply to deny it, deny it, deny it. In this universe the truth becomes not what - well - what it is, but rather what it is said to be. And how long can this kind of truth stand up to the scrutiny? As long as the denial is maintained is how long. As the lorries pile up and the pound plummets down, simply keep saying that it's all going swimmingly; keep smiling and sweeping aside the pictures, the shortages, the conflagration of our future hopes, because at the eye of the storm it's as calm as could be. It's all...... Going....... SWIMMINGLY!!!!!

[Skyweir]

It is strange times to be sure

[Avatar]

The truth has always been what people believe to be true.

(Interestingly, it's possible that by believing it, you can sometimes make it true, but the actual truth is not as important as what is perceived by a majority to be true.)

--A

[peter]

Agreed, and truth is a difficult thing to nail down at the best of times in that it doesn't always sit easily on top of the facts which pertain to it.

[Skyweir]

Aye and to be consider a truth it MUST sit comfortably on the facts or else it is exposed as falsity.

[Avatar]

"Truth" (as it is believed / perceived) does not necessarily have much relation to facts. You'd think it should, but...

--A

[Skyweir]

Really?? How so?

[peter]

It's relative isn't it? What is true for one person doesn't have to be true for another - or something?

Was Trump serious when he made his offer to "buy Greenland" - or just deliberately trying to be insulting? And then to pull the rug on his visit to Denmark; did he really do that because they wouldn't sell him the territory? Like a petulant child stamping it's foot?

Is this story for real; surely there must be more to it?

[Skyweir]

Yes I believe he was deadly serious about Greenland and the following link demonstrates why

https://apnews.com/20632f3e017741b89a15 ... SocialFlow

And it would seem from how he handled the Danish PMs response that is exactly the reason he cancelled his trip ... and yes definitely a petulant response. Not really out of character though is it?

[peter]

I get the strategic importance of Greenl, especially given the jockeying for position in the Arctic region - but the suggestion was so ham fisted, so undiplomatic in it's brazenness, that it could only have come from Trump. The man must have been aware of the insensitivity of his suggestion and I can only imagine it to be a further example of his need (ever present) to be shocking or out on a limb, the reactions to which, are the oxygen on which he thrives.

[Skyweir]

Yeah funny thing ... Im not sure he possesses political or diplomatic sensibilities ... after all THAT was part of his campaign platform and apparently what has garnered his popular appeal.

He seems utterly void of class, decorum and sensitivity period. This from the very words he chooses to express himself with .. verbally when non scripted and in his highly active twitter feed.

Its like he just doesnt understand what a filter is for or why he should use one

Hes quintessentially the spoiled bratt .. it has been his life experience to be given everything he has ever wanted. Wealth endowed and inherited from from his parents, he has. Ever had to do an honest days work for anything. He is Mr Acquisition... having is very different to earning. He has probably never had to be respectful to others ... which may be why respect seems such a foreign notion to him. Its kinda sad in many ways ...

[deer of the dawn]

Funny how I could read half a sentence of Sky's post and know exactly who she is talking about...

I think I am being perversely harsh with a relative on Facebook. Her posts are all simplistic memes punctuated with f-bombs in an attempt to substitute commitment for fact. I post articles rebutting her even though I know she doesn't care about truth. In the end I'll provoke another round of abusive emails from her after I worked hard to rebuild peace in the family. I might even deserve it this time. *mea culpa*

School has been open for 3 weeks now. Stag of the dawn is now teaching at the school where I've been teaching for 12 years, so that's different in a very good way. I'm a bit smug at how tired and stressed out he is, as he never really got it and felt I was being dramatic all those years. Heh heh. Hee hee. Hahahaha!! :LOL:

I have to return to the States in October for a biopsy. Hoping it's much ado about nothing. In the meantime I have peace, am enjoying my fresh crop of Littles to teach and get hugs from, and that Stag and my lives are more aligned than they've ever been (since we were dating and both worked in the same sawmill).