What Do You Think Today?

[peter]

Nasty little rag the Daily Mail has got it's sight's trained on Victoria Beckham ostensibly for her decision to furlough her staff from her loss making fashion business rather than spring their wages from her own pocket during the lockdown.

Now I'm not particularly interested in Mrs Beckham one way or the other, but the poisonous attack is simply not fair and the paper should be called out for it. Yes the lady is rich - and yes she can be a bit of a spoilt child at times - but that does not mean that as a business owner she is not entitled to the same packages of support that other business owners are entitled to during the crisis. It would not be reasonable, nor could business owners be expected to carry the cost of retaining staff that cannot work as a result of decisions made absolutely beyond their control. If staff are not to be made redundant, then the Government must find some way to prevent this and shouldering the cost of their retention is about the only way of doing this. And this applies to Victoria Beckham's staff as much as any other business owner and her personal wealth has not one jot to do with it.

[Skyweir]

Ugh I hate nasty senseless shit

We can all do better ... but bitching about celebrities sells rags apparently.

Not quite sure to who .. but clearly someone laps this shit up.

[Avatar]

As true as that is, (and as well argued), one can yet not shake the sense that those who have profited so much should, in fairness, be willing to give a little back in these difficult circumstances.

However, there is certainly no reason that they should be required to.

--A

[Kizza]

Punters love to bring down a big noter. A self described posh person is ripe for that.

It is Friday. I have not had a drink since last Saturday. Cannot wait to play guitars with a couple of mates tonight. Would prefer Transylvanian but a German Pilsner may find its way to the jam.

[Sorus]

I don't think I have ever had Transylvanian beer. Is there a particular kind you recommend?

[Kizza]

Pilsner Urquell. It is Romanian, but that was Transylvania right?!

[Sorus]

Ah, I have actually had that. Didn't care for it at first - it had sort of a sweetish aftertaste that I didn't like - maybe I just got an off batch? Not as noticeable when it's ice-cold, as it should be. I've been buying Trumer Pils lately because it's the best of what my local corner market has to offer and I've been avoiding the larger markets because they always have a long line outside these days.

Have spent the week working in a different warehouse to help them prep for their annual inventory. My homebase is always freezing, so I wore my standard four layers, one of which is thermal. Turned out they had no AC. I'd be on a ladder with my hands full and my mask would decide to suction itself over my mouth and nose. It was like being waterboarded with my own sweat.

But yay for overtime. Tomorrow is definitely a beer day.

[Kizza]

Sorus, it has to be cold!

[Sorus]

Yeah, I think that was the problem. Trouble is I tend to be a slow drinker, and a bottle may no longer have an appropriate level of chill by the time I reach the end.

[peter]

No - I think I see the problem here - it's sitting around the phrase 'slow drinker'. Not being in a position to change the physical properties of the coldness retaining capacity of the beer, can I suggest this as the area to be worked on.

[Savor Dam]

Might I suggest putting an insulated sleeve around the bottle? It will stay cold longer...

[Damelon]

Pilsner Urquell is from the Czech Republic. I don't know of any Romanian beer offhand.

[Sorus]

Might I suggest putting an insulated sleeve around the bottle? It will stay cold longer...

I really should invest in one of those, it's just not the sort of thing I think of when I'm shopping.

[aliantha]

Pilsner Urquell. It is Romanian, but that was Transylvania right?!

Pilsner Urquell is a CZECH beer.



EDITED TO ADD: And I see Damelon beat me to it. Thanks, dude!

[Sorus]

I'm part Czech and I should have known that. Then again, I'm part just-about-everything. I think my ancestors boinked their way up one side of Europe and down the other.

[Damelon]

No problem, Ali.

Pilsner Urquell was, I believe, the first lager beer. A darn good product of the Czech Republic it is.

[Kizza]

Czech Romaninan Irish. Apologies, I got it wrong.
But the beer was cold. And the night was long and very good.

I also like the Weihenstephaner pilsner from Lapland.

That caused quite a stir.. Got to start looking into Transylvania and the Draculs.

[Savor Dam]

Czech Romaninan Irish. Apologies, I got it wrong.
But the beer was cold. And the night was long and very good.

"Tonight, tonight...let it be Lowenbrau"
Excuse the lack of diacritical marks. It's the Watch, not me.

That caused quite a stir. Got to start looking into Transylvania and the Draculs.

Explore your local craft ales. Appreciate that there are great beer choices nearby. Be safe. Once we can range wider for our potables, there will be time to discover far-off styles.

[peter]

I have repeatedly over the years posted on here about my belief that the care sector in the UK was grossly underappreciated, under-qualified, under-paid and generally treated with a cavalier attitude bordering on contempt.

Yesterday our papers ran headlines on various issues, but by far the most important was that in the Sunday People which simply ran "Sacrificed" - a story on the developing disaster in our care homes in which (they said) thousands had been left to die as a result of Government inattention and neglect, while they focused on the more 'romantic' area of the medical services proper.

This casual indifference was yet again exhibited by Andrew Marr on his Sunday political slot when, in running through the headlines, he simply said "the Sunday People have 'Saccrificed'" and tossed it aside to continue with a quirky comment on the photo of Boris Johnson's new baby on the front cover of the Mail. What a shame that a normally so grounded presenter in this simple and almost unconscious moment, displayed and endorsed this shocking disregard toward the sector that is virtually endemic across our whole society.

[peter]

On the same Show Michael Palin from the confines of his spacious study told us that we must all get used to holidaying in our own country which had secrets of it's own to reveal. One didn't (he assured us) have to visit exotic far-flung locations to see things of value. Well, I'm sure we all know that Michael - but it would be nice for 'ordinary people' in the future if they got the chance, as you have had.

And this chance is looking increasingly less likely reading between the lines of the answer given by Transport Secretary Grant Schapps when questioned as to how planes and trains were supposed to run with around only fifteen percent of their current capacity allowed on board (the estimated amount that will be possible if social distancing restrictions are enforced on such public conveyance). He replied (rather lamely and completely unrealistically if you think about it) that numbers of departures could be increased, but added - and this is the telling part - that "we are going to have to be realistic in our expectations of how travel will be carried out from now on". That, my friends, is double speak for saying that for the vast majority of us it won't be!