FEEL THE ANGER

On hearing the news of war when I woke up in the morning, I felt an instant sinking feeling of dread in my stomach. I am not alone in this. I have heard the same from friends who experience the same anxiety. I was born during the second world war. Many of my friends were as well. Some have some slight memories of the war, but on the whole were too young to experience the full horror.  I have grown up in an area of the world which has, for the most part maintained a semblance of peace. Governments have come and gone, but there has been a steady trend towards democracy and civility. The rule of law and duty of care has been at the forefront of most societies. There had been a coming together of nations to form groups in solidarity against aggression and uncivilised brutal behaviour. The International Court of justice was established at The Hague in the Netherlands to deal appropriately with miscreants. In short there has been a steady trend towards creating a civilised planet, more so now because of the ecological threat to its very existence.

 

We now have amongst us a man of unspeakable evil. He has been allowed to turn the Russian people into an obsequious citizenry.  He has around him a formidable military and a militaristic police force, ready and willing to do his bidding to arrest and incarcerate any and all dissenting citizens.  The slightest criticism is stifled and anyone that he feels might get out of hand is killed. He has people to do this for him. There are clearly many willing participants that allow him to stay in power and do his bidding.

 

The clear televised evidence of his current administration sitting silently in ranks whilst he spues out lies, deception, threats and violence is remarkable and terrifying.  What is his hold on them? The corruption of the Russian State is of singular magnitude.

 

What strikes me is that this tragedy enfolds all the while the world is reaching its greatest triumph, a greater respect for civilisation and the rule of law than Mr Putin understands, or perhaps because he understands too well, that Nations are moving beyond violence. What Mr Putin sees as weakness has allowed him to exploit his brutality in the full knowledge that no civilised nation will violently interfere. He has issued warnings that should anyone do so, he will unleash Armageddon. No doubt he will.

 

The civilised world now knows full well that he has no shame and cares not one jot for humanity. Also there is no doubt that the European Nations and the Americas have more than sufficient military power to engulf Mr Putin in a world of hurt. Unfortunately that hurt will extend across the world and the resultant casualties do not bear thinking about. The hope is that down the line he will come to an end and that blanking him, and sadly his country, from the rest of the world through sanctions will redress the situation and some new peace will grow out of the current carnage.

 

That is the civilised approach. Mr Putin has gambled on it, and so far, for him, it has paid off. He knows no one wants to start a world war and he will bully his way round as long as he is able. He doesn’t care. So long as he remains in power he couldn’t give a shit. This attitude has not surprisingly received adulation from the likes of Donald Trump and Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson. This is something else the Americas must contend with. But I digress, how do we, in the meantime cope with what we have?

 

Sadly whatever armed forces that exist in the Civilised world, must be ready at the slightest move by Mr Putin to expand his war. He is more than capable of doing so. I abhor that thought, but as I survey the tragedy in the Ukraine, now bleeding, I am reminded of the words of Mark Antony. Read it to yourself slowly and aloud. I never thought that I could ever utter those words in earnest, but I have never felt such anger:

 

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,--
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue--
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

WHERE ARE WE NOW ?

On this palindrome day 22-02-2022, there appears to be an unwholesome nationalist miasma pervading around the globe. Despite the Olympic Movement’s winter games being splashed across the media, its principles (as stated by IOC President Bach, that “Solidarity fuels our mission to make the world a better place through sport. We can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger by standing together – in solidarity”) are being undermined, daily, by unfortunate squabbles within its ranks, as well as the current suspect human rights record of the host country.

On top of that, the poisonous cloud obscures any thought of world solidarity towards making itself a better place, owing to the situation surrounding the Ukraine, brought about by a demagogue who persistently lies to his citizens,  the continuing assault on democracy in the United States, brought about by a would be demagogue who persistently lies to the citizens, the systematic failures of the current UK Government brought about by a would be populist demagogue who persistently lies to his citizens, and many other lies being promulgated in national governments across the world.  

Whatever excuses proffered by Mr Putin for the annexation of the Ukraine back into the “Russian Union” are exaggerations and manufactured slights. Latvia and Estonia, NATO member states since 2004 have bordered Russia for 18 years and there has been no aggressive move towards Russia in all that time. So any anxieties Mr Putin claims, about having NATO member states on his borders, seem hollow. As far as I know, there has been no gathering of forces along the Latvian and Estonian border with Russia. By annexing the Ukraine he will add NATO members Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania on his border; or, is he after regaining control of what was once the Warsaw Pact? Who can say what is on his mind?

Herewith an interesting interview with Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš, Prime Minister of Latvia:

 

What Mr Putin should be asking himself is why, within 5 years of the Berlin Wall coming down, all those countries decided to join NATO? Instead, however, he has moved away from worries about NATO to the grand gesture, in flagrant breach of International Law, of recognising two provinces of the Ukraine as independent sovereign countries in need of a peace keeping force of prodigious proportions.

There are difficult days ahead of us. The world’s attention has been grabbed by the situation in eastern Europe and it is obscuring other areas of equally great concern i.e. Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, the continuing saga of the Middle East, Haiti, Myanmar, Islamist militancy in Africa and generally relations between the United States/Europe and China/Taiwan/Israel/Iran quite apart from Russia.

It is also giving Boris a second chance to deflect from the ongoing problem of his resignation. Whilst he still inhabits the office of Prime Minister and purports to be performing on the global stage vis a vis Putin, together with other European Ministers, he appears to be protected by the importance of the situation. That does not make him any the less incompetent, unqualified and undeserving to serve in that office. He has lied and mislead Parliament. His place on the world stage can easily be replaced by another more truthful and competent individual, who would command greater respect from European Ministers of State. The UK does not have to be lumbered with him and MPs should take the time to correct the mistake of Boris Johnson. He is not essential to events. To claim it is not the time is nonsense. I would have thought the British public and its political representatives were capable of multi-tasking e.g. dealing with foreign affairs and getting rid of Boris Johnson. If that is not the case, and they are incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, then woe betide the country.

In effect, just as any concerned citizen should not be befuddled by the current state of world and domestic affairs, the same must apply to our representatives; however, I confess the miasmic mist that surrounds us is getting pretty thick, and it becomes difficult to find the way in this fog. Stay alert and stay safe is about as much as one can hope for. It’s about now that one hopes for a thunderbolt of clear light to strike the Kremlin and lead us out of the darkness.

Oh, and a few sparks to ignite the Trumpian horror to oblivion.

Peace in our time? Where have I heard that?

MULLING OVER KNOWLEDGE

Things being mulled over:

There are numerous quiz programs on radio, television and on line.  The amount of surplus knowledge or trivia people have stored in their brain is quite phenomenal. On examining the word -

 

Knowledge:

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

1. The state or fact of knowing:

2. Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study:

3. The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned:

4. Archaic Carnal knowledge.

 

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers

1. the facts, feelings, or experiences known by a person or group of people

2. the state of knowing

3. awareness, consciousness, or familiarity gained by experience or learning

4. erudition or informed learning

5. specific information about a subject

6. (Law) sexual intercourse (obsolete except in the legal phrase carnal knowledge)

7. come to one's knowledge to become known to one

8. to my knowledge

a. as I understand it

b. as I know

9. grow out of one's knowledge Irish to behave in a presumptuous or conceited manner

 

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd.

1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles.

2. familiarity or conversance, as by study or experience:

3. the fact or state of knowing; clear and certain mental apprehension.

4. awareness, as of a fact or circumstance.

5. something that is or may be known; information.

6. the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.

7. the sum of what is known:

8. Archaic. sexual intercourse.

Idioms:

to one's knowledge, according to the information available to one:

 

Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 3^rd edition revised 2008

1-Information and skills gained through experience or education

2-The total of what one knows

3-Awareness of or familiarity with a fact or situation

Phrase: to (the best of) my knowledge: 1- so far as I know:  2- as I know for certain -

 

- it would appear that awareness of, or familiarity with, facts is the key, either through education or experience.

 

What is surprising constantly, to me, is the lack of awareness or familiarity with certain facts which seem self-evident. The sort of fact one assumes every person who purports to enter a particular quiz would be aware of or familiar with.

 

I was listening to the last broadcast of Counterpoint, the music quiz on Radio 4, hosted by Paul Gambaccini. One of the questions involved the ‘Au fond du temple saint” duet from the Pearl Fishers by George Bizet. A short excerpt was played. It is perhaps one the most played duet on radio. It is one of the most popular numbers in western opera. It has appeared on seven of the Classic 100 Countdowns of several radio stations round the world. Yet, none of the three contestants knew it. One of the contestants a, Ms Sarah Trevarthan from Manchester, scored a magnificent 31 points, which according to Gambaccini was the most anyone has scored since he has been presenting the program. Her knowledge was indeed extensive, and impressive; however, for someone with her store of surfeit knowledge of music and related questions, not to know the duet from The Pearl Fishers was puzzling to say the least. For all three contestants to be nescient of the piece was striking. At least, so far as I was concerned. It is almost like asking does 2 x 2 = 4? But perhaps not.

I do enjoy a quiz, as it tends to increase one’s store of information, and it is instrumental in retrieving some of those stored bits and pieces hovering round the hippocampi. It’s fun. One is sometimes taken aback when no one is able to answer certain questions, but that usually tends to be about some fairly recent historical or biographical fact, or event, which occurred before the contestants were born. It is only known by one’s self, because one lived through the event at the time. Age is very often a factor in matters of general knowledge. That is the ‘through experience’ part of the definition.

Indeed as one gets older, one is non plussed frequently by the fact that one can be talking to someone who has no idea what you might be referring to, because they have no frame of reference to the subject.  It is completely pointless asking someone “Where were you when Kennedy was shot?” if they are only 60 years old. One tends to forget how old one actually is. You see grey hair and you assume a certain synchronicity of experience that just isn’t there.

 

By contrast, particularly when watching University Challenge (College Bowl in US), one is astonished at the stuff some of these young people have knowledge of.  This is a good thing, as on the one hand we are comforted by the fact that we know stuff they do not, and are able to swiftly recall the knowledge (swift recall being the key) and we are able to learn things along the way. The brain still sparks and functions, if only kept alive by this surplus knowledge or trivia.

 

Keeping the brain alive and functioning with swift recall is very much of consequence. It can sometimes be a trifle challenging, but I believe it is important to pursue.  Albert Einstein commented that "The pursuit of knowledge is more valuable than its possession"

 

“Such is always the pursuit of knowledge. The celestial fruits, the golden apples of the Hesperides, are ever guarded by a hundred-headed dragon which never sleeps, so that it is an Herculean labour to pluck them.”— Henry David Thoreau

 

A bit florid and perhaps too much time spent on the pond. 

 

Thomas Jefferson stated:

These are but three quotes involving that endeavour, it is clearly not something to let go. In particular following truth and reason, which the United States could well do with ramming down Trump’s throat. He could use a bit of bearding, as could Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Victor Orban and countless other demagogs.

DON'T TELL ME THE SCORE !!

You’ve all seen the scenario of sports fans trying not to know the score of a particular match so they can watch a replay or a recording, in order to keep the suspense of the game alive. In is not an uncommon situation. Indeed, on some news casts, when it comes to reporting the sports news, the reporter will say “If you don’t want to know the score, look away now”. A very decent and correct thing to do. It is a situation with which we are all acquainted and it is very sensitive of the reporter to understand the psychology.

The difficulty is, of course, avoiding any possible reporting of the game. The inadvertent comment overheard in a restaurant, or a shop, from the radio, television, from just passers-by in the street, or even, indeed, amongst one’s friends.  The spoiler alert sign looms large over one’s head to no avail. It is definitely not an easy task.

You would think that, so far as the American Superbowl is concerned, in the United Kingdom, it would be relatively simple to manage. Granted, the BBC must now think that there is a sufficiently large audience for the Corporation to pay the premium to broadcast the Superbowl live from the US.  The NFL show with Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora, has been a regular fixture for a couple of years now and there clearly has been a reasonable, and perhaps increasing, fan base for the BBC to keep it going. Their commentary and analysis of the NFL over the season is a joy to watch and listen to. Consequently, the ups and downs of the leagues and the players become familiar.

In the leadup to the game on Sunday, much was discussed of the defence and offence of both teams, the growing skills of the young Joe Burrow (the possible successor to the GOAT Tom Brady), the great success of the young Sean McVay (now youngest head coach to win the Superbowl), the competitiveness of Aaron Donald and any number of facts and historical football lore. During the course of the season, the fan’s such as myself, have been able to keep abreast of the goings on.

As to the Superbowl being shown in the UK and round the world, the timing of the broadcast can be difficult. The time difference between London and Los Angeles, on this occasion, meant that it would be shown between 11:30 PM and 3 AM which would mean staying up till the small hours of the morning. In my younger days that would not have been a problem, a couple of beers, popcorn or slices of pizza would see one through. Nowadays that is more difficult. Technology however is a saviour. One can easily record the game on one’s new ultra-high definition tele and watch it during the course of Monday afternoon. Not too difficult to avoid the score as American Football, although becoming popular, is not the headline news it might be in the United States.

So you can imagine my surprise on opening an email this morning from Bob in California beginning: Surprise!!! Rams won!!

Followed by:

They controlled the ball enough in the 4^th Quarter so that their defence didn’t have to get back on the field for 15 plays. At the end the Bengals had under two minutes and one time out left, but the Rams defence showed up and stopped them with All Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald accounting for stops in the last two Bengal offensive plays.  Whew!! 

It’s been about 71 years since the LA Rams won a professional football championship while playing in Los Angeles (the one in 1951 was an NFL Championship before the Super Bowl was created.  Compare this with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots with 6 Super Bowl wins each!  The Super Bowl was created in 1967. Of the teams that have won the Super Bowl, the LA Rams have the fewest wins at 1!  The LA Raiders won Super Bowl 18 in 1984. The Raiders now play in Las Vegas.

I realise he was just being kind and informative to those in distant lands where the NFL does not seem to have a presence, but surprisingly it does.  So, In case anyone is interested here are the highlights reduced to 16 mins. You can watch it on You Tube, just follow link.

 

REQUIRED: PEOPLE WITH VISION AND IMAGINATION

There is a program on Radio Four under the title “More Or Less” which is at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00146b6

The notes relating to this particular broadcast are as follows:

Released On: 09 Feb 2022 - Available for over a year - Boris Johnson has been ticked off for misleading Parliament on jobs and on crime. He claimed that the number of people in employment has been rising - when it’s been falling. And he made a claim that crime has fallen - when it’s risen. We discuss the truth, and what Parliament can do to defend it.

It is worth a listen to. In effect it comes back to the Seven Principles of Public Life, and the Ministerial Code, that a Member of Parliament must not mislead the House. Mr Johnson has done so on a number of occasions. Despite having been informed of his false claims, and exactly why he is in error, he continues to repeat his falsehoods. He does not seem to care at all, so long as he can bluster about playing the bullish and up beat Prime Minister. He carries on as of nothing has happened. More tragically those on the benches behind him seem to be doing the same. What it is taking so long for the Conservative Party to develop some selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness and honesty when it comes to leadership? It is beyond me, or anyone else for that matter.

Fresh photographs from the Police investigation seem to have no effect whatever.  This is not word of mouth evidence; this is factual documentation of wrongdoing. I presume they are operating on the Lenny Bruce advice to cheating partner’s defence: 

“Even if they’ve got pictures deny it. Just say – we were just lying down next to each other to see who was taller”

What is apparent and clear, the longer this goes on, the more damaging it becomes.  One now has the spectacle of a Prime Minister seeking to promote himself on the world stage, together with his absurd choice of Foreign Secretary, both of whom have been ridiculed, in particular by Russia, and generally around the world. It is not as if their antics are unknown, what with headlines in Russian newspapers “Bye Bye Boris” and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, referring to Liz Truss’s effort as mere slogans and like having a conversation ‘of the mute with the deaf’.  This charade of a government is subject to serious ridicule across the globe. The pretence of a ‘Great Britain’ has long been blown with a leadership being propped up by a party that has lost all sense of reality, decency and connection with truth.

 

 

A government that demands respect, must uphold the basic tenets of its corps values. This is something the current Conservative Government have singularly failed to do. It sidesteps and obfuscates any legitimate calling to account, and proclaims they are getting on with the job, a job they are manifestly incapable of doing.

 

Mr. Johnson should take the hint and the example of Ms Cressida Dick. The Commissioner made a classic mistake of totally believing in the incorruptibility of her police force. She was well liked by her officers because she let them get on with the job and backed them all the way. She felt the glitches were just ‘bad apples’ which she could do little about. Like most commanders, she was of the view that she could protect her men and belief in the force.  They would do their job; they know what they’re doing. The blips are just rare occurrences. She trusted her officers. She has come to realise that some blips are fatal to the security of the organisation. 

Her job was to protect the public, not the force. Her job was to ensure that the force was educated, trained, fit and dedicated to protecting the public. She was to see to it that the people under her watch were doing their job based, primarily, on the same Seven Principles of Public Life, with the addition of Patience, Understanding and Professionalism. Being a Police Officer is not easy. It requires serious training, given the responsibility it entails. She forgot what she was meant to be concentrating on. Protecting the public requires equal treatment of every member of the public. A scrupulous adherence to honesty and a complete and thorough lack of prejudice of any kind.

 

Ms Dick resigned because she failed to provide the structure to revitalise a police department that is bordering on complacency and lacking the internal determination to keep its officers up to the mark. She was too much concerned with Public Relations than in a relationship with the public, and so trust eroded. It’s not in the image, it’s in the doing. She was not helped by a home office that is equally obsessed with public relations.  Appearing to be tough on crime and legislating for greater powers for the police, is not solving the social issues that create crime. Such repressive action only alienates those who come into contact with the officers on the ground who are insufficiently trained to deal with the public in general.  

 

So now we have Ms Priti Patel, a classic example of someone ill-suited to the job, deciding on who will be her replacement.  Given her makeup she will be looking for a hard liner, not a person with the skills and imagination to restructure and rebuild a force trusted and accessible to the citizen. Rebuilding trust is not just about, stop and search and arresting people. Arresting people is not stopping crime. It follows that if you stop crime you are arresting fewer people; but, it is up to the police force to enforce the law and protect the public, whilst is up to the civilian authority, the respective elected representatives, to create the conditions that reduce the commission of crime, not the other way round.

 

So Boris Johnson continually repeating that crime is on the decrease, when in fact it has increased by spectacular figures as regards fraud and dishonesty, is misleading Parliament and the public. For that alone he should resign.

 

When Members of Parliament stop concentrating on their careers and concentrate of actually doing their job, then perhaps something will be achieved. The first thing they can do is enforce the seven principles and codes of conduct of members and insist on the resignation of the current incumbent at number 10. They must find people, amongst their ranks, with the imagination and vision to bring a floundering country back from entropy. The current lot haven’t a clue.

 

It is ultimately up to the electorate, and one can only hope that such people as are required will put themselves forward for genuine public service. I know they exist as many of them work for the NHS. What is needed are political candidates with the same sense of dedication as the doctors and nurses I encountered in my own dealings with the NHS, which because of the current government is in serious danger of collapse itself.

 

Much has happened in this last week that makes my head spin. I continue to rant. I don’t know if any of the people in the United States, who might read this stuff, can follow my train of thought, but I do hope so. They have their own problems with the ‘gazpacho queen’, Taylor Greene, and the various gun toting members of congress, and Trumpzilla roaming the country out of the everglades of Florida.

MY LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN

I have today sent the following letter to the Guardian Newspaper:

To the Editor:

The hypocrisy of Chris Philps Undersecretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy is symptomatic of every defender of Boris Johnson lamentable behaviour and duplicity. How they can make up excuses for calculated falsifications of facts in a vain attempt to excuse their own actions and those of their leader is uncanny. When asked this morning on the Today morning news program by Nick Robinson why Boris Johnson, who brought up the matter of Jimmy Saville in the House, suggesting the leader of the opposition failed to prosecute him, which was a lie, and which has caused outrageous thuggish action in the street threatening Mr Starmer, should not apologies and categorically withdraw the accusation.

Mr Philps claimed he should not and had no need to, as Mr Johnson later clarified his comment, stating that he did not mean that Mr Starmer was personally responsible but he was in charge of the CPS at the time. When pressed, why bring it up in the first place, Mr Philps went on to say that politicians bring up their opponents past record all the time, it's part and parcel of political sparring. Mr Philps again repeated that Mr Starmer was head of the CPS at the time of the Savile incident, and that at some point Mr Starmer even apologised on behalf of the whole CPS for not having taken action.  As the person in charge he was responsible for the CPS.  He also repeated that Mr Johnson had clarified his statement. He kept saying this as if it was an answer to the question, why did Boris Johnson mention it in the first place?

Was Mr Philps seriously equating the actions of the personnel in the prime minister’s office, with those of the inactivity of certain lawyers at the CPS. Was he seriously suggesting that there is no difference between Keir Starmer’s role at CPS head office, and his own at 10 Downing Street? They both have a shared responsibility, is that it? If Mr Starmer did not resign, why should he? Is this what it was about?

I wasn’t aware that there are pictures of Mr Starmer, together with his wife and his lawyer colleagues, having a work’s drink over the Savile file. I was not aware the Mr Starmer had some of those same lawyers come to his house with a birthday cake. I wasn’t aware that those same lawyers sent out for a suitcase of drink and had a quiz with Mr Starmer. I am clearly missing some vital information.

I am also unaware of a report on the matter claiming there was a serious failure of leadership at the CPS at the time. There certainly were failures by the police, to whom complaints were made, to take any action, and failures by some CPS officials to take action. Mr Starmer, although far removed from the situation, did the decent thing and apologised on behalf of the CPS and Police for its failures.

Mr Johnson, on the other hand, is right in the thick of it. He participated in and was party to the party, but behaves as if he wasn’t there at all. The serious failures of leadership mentioned by Ms Gray, seemingly have nothing to do with him.  He claims he “gets it” and will institute a changing of the guard, as if it is all down to those subordinates around him. He apologies for everyone else’s disfunction save his own, which he clearly does not “Get”.

So while his cabinet and supporters demean themselves with tortuous excuses and nonsensical explanations in attempts to ‘move on’, deflecting serious questions on integrity, accountability, objectivity, openness, honesty and leadership, he carries on as if it is all too silly and meaningless in the grand scheme of his getting on with the job of government.

The fact that he is incapable and incompetent, mendacious and arrogant almost in the manner of a Donald Trump, seem to have escaped him and his simpering colleagues who assume that by offering their pusillanimous support, they will keep their jobs.  A general election cannot come too soon. A serious campaign to oust these perfidious members of parliament is an imperative if this country is ever to regain any respect in the world.

ASSUMPTIONS AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT part 2

One of the consequences of advancing years is the approach of the final year. As a result, one tends to look back over the preceding years ‘a la recherche du temps perdu’. Whether this is to find some key to what one’s life was about, like a “Rosebud” moment, or some validation of one’s existence, some noteworthy significance, something honourable or just plain nostalgia, it is difficult to say. Whatever the reason, one tends to reflect on the journey taken so far. There is indeed, more to come. How much, is another matter. 

 

There is a tendency to review in the form of a memoire. A biography is too exacting, demanding much detail and in any event is just an attempt at a chronological order of memories. The memoire is not necessarily an accurate historical account, but can be a simple collection of events that have settled in the hippocampi and pop up as a result of some occurrence, or present stimulus, that sparks off the thought. A sort of involuntary retrieval system that acts at random. It can be pleasant or unpleasant as the case may be, but more often than not it is pleasurable experience. 

 

As an example, I periodically receive an email from a French Estate Agent advising me of properties that may be of interest. This leads to my surfing round looking at various properties, location maps, satellite and street views, floor plans and the like. Of course there are adverts caused by ‘cookies’ which pop up alongside the various pages one peruses. On this occasion there was a link to a website for Accueil Des Villes Françaises which I clicked and was taken to:

Charles Nabet was the name of a school friend I was quite close to when I was at the Lycée in Montgeron, France in 1954/6. It was uncanny, but I was almost sure, from the smile, a certain look in the eye, that this was my old school friend I had not seen, spoken to, or heard from, in over 66 years.   I took a chance and telephoned the number and asked to speak with Charles Nabet. I was told he was no longer president of the organisation and the receptionist was not sure how to get hold of him. I explained the possible connection and that I was calling from England.  She managed to find an email address.. I emailed a copy of part of an old class photograph which he acknowledged. It turns out that it is indeed my old friend.

 

What is clear is that the hippocampi storage facility is quite uncanny. Despite the aging process, certain qualities on an individual’s face and eyes are sufficient to bring up a recall. They are so imprinted on the brain that no matter the passage of time, there is recognition. Of course the imprint can only happen through a close association, and there is no doubt that we were quite close at the time. I do hope that Charlie’s recollection is as fond as my own. And so we will meet in due course. There are certain memories that are very clear. Flashes of incidents that have been retained. Most of it is a bit hazy now, but snippets of crystal clarity. 

 

So much is to do with the eyes. Un certain regard is that small stimulus which opens the flood gates. Perception is key. So much in life is down to perspective. What we look at, observe and take in, consciously or unconsciously as the case may be, is somehow engraved in the brain, creating an unforgettable image, sufficiently adaptable to allow for recognition and recall. 

The last class photo from 1956 is a bit sharper: 

Charlie is in the front - middle, arms folded, sitting on the ground. I am in the third row or first row standing, 2nd from the left.

That picture was taken in the new year of 1956. In the September of that year I started at Beverly Hills High School and met some more amazing people. On discussion with Celia, she attended 7 different schools between 1944 and 1961 and I attended 10 different schools between 1942 and 1959.

The young man who is sixth from the right in that first standing row is Gaël de la Porte Du Theil – great name- who is now President of the International Tourism Group. There is a rather long lecture he gives on You Tube from June of 2013. It is rather long and I would not advise watching all of it, but it is part of the stuff that makes up the extraordinary mix of the lives of the people in our past. With so many connections, what on earth is there to fight about?

Gaël gives an interesting view of the reasons people travel and where to. The Chinese he says are not easy customers. In any event it’s a view and a take on the movement of people as tourists throughout the world; the holiday makers, travellers and amateur explorers as opposed to refugees. What kind of tourism do you want? What is the DNA of your tourism? How do you change the image of your country? How would you attract tourists back to Libya? International Tourism is clearly very much connected with international politics. So again, what is there to fight about?.

 

One can indeed ask “What are you waiting for to change the world?” So many people in our lives, doing so much stuff. It’s exhausting.

BEING IN THE PRESENT - AN OBSERVATION

The difficulties of keeping up with keeping up have never been more apparent than at the present time. I have previously listed events attributed to specific years - 1968, 1956/57/58/59 – but in the past 12 months there has been an onslaught of dangerous activity under the cloak of a pandemic, that takes one’s breath away.  

The incidents are not actually hidden, as the news media reports on these events, and various columnists and editorials in various journals, proffer opinion. Likewise, various reporters attempt to relay the facts of these occurrences around the world. Because of the nature of some events capturing the attention of the public and the media (e.g. party-gate in the UK, revelations by the Jan 6^th Committee in the United States, and Trumps endless harangue) it has been difficult to keep an eye on other governmental activity looming in various legislative bodies.

So far as the United Kingdom is concerned, the Crime bill and the Elections bill are instances in point of regressive and repressive legislation going through the parliamentary process to become laws that will cause a great deal of harm to this country before they can be amended and repealed; possible breaches of International Law in Northern Ireland; disturbing reports of the activities and endemic attitudes of sections of the Metropolitan Police only add to the perception of glaring failures by various administrations to take control of law enforcement. A cost of living crisis being addressed by a government in panic mode, attempting to shore up the rising costs, and floating a thick manifesto of principles to ‘level up’ societal divides. These measures are not to have immediate effect, but are supposed to bring equilibrium by 2030, 8 years from now. Why do ministers keep saying the UK is the fastest growing economy? Repeating it ad nauseum is not going to make it true. One only has to look around and hear people explaining their distress at current cost of living, difficulties of living on benefits, and the increased use of food banks to wonder how fast the economy is growing. For whom?

These measures are being announce to distract the public from current realities, not only of the incompetence of the government, but in particular from the deficiencies of the prime minister, whom they are somehow trapped to defend with inane excuses. The only way out of defending the indefensible is to distract. They do this by claiming to get on with the job, faffing around with grand promises and bits of cover expenditure to temporarily ease inflation, on the assumption that the public will be so grateful that the voters will keep them in office for the next 8 years. Can you believe the arrogance?

On top of all this, there is an international scene being developed by Mr Putin. Various world leaders have all lined up to speak to him on the phone. To what effect? What possible gain have we had from Boris Johnson’s day return to the Ukraine? So far it is all bluster and maybe sanctions that might cause problems for Russia but certainly not Mr Putin. I believe the movement of some personnel and the sharing of weaponry has only had the effect of hardening Vladimir’s resolve and image making for the Russian people.  I may be wrong.

There are also various elections coming up around the world, all of which will have some impact of the international scene. There is growing civil violence in Myanmar to dislodge the Junta. What assistance is being given by the western powers?

There is so much more stuff to take into account, all of which is viewed under the daily charts of Covid Infections, deaths as a result of covid, hospitalisation, percentages of vaccinations together with disputes over vaccination and mask wearing.  

The pandemic cannot help but continued to dominate, while other matters of import appear in an iCloud, to be downloaded piecemeal when some incident attracts attention. Party-gate is part of the pandemic, it is only one of the viral effects that plague this administration and has exposed its weakness. The glaring exposure of its leading jester as an habitual dissembler and the weakness of his acolytes forced, as well as choosing, to come to his aid with embarrassing appearance before the cameras, attempting to deflect real answers by claiming success for Johnson’s leadership on the vaccination effort, a growing economy, falling unemployment, great numbers of jobs etc.. none of which is real. 

Without the existing NHS there would have been no vaccination program. Boris did not produce the NHS. Producing a vaccine was underway from the beginning of the pandemic and did not require any asisstance or push from Boris. He just takes the credit. There are more jobs on offer because a lot of people have left jobs, either to work abroad, become self-employed, or are on zero contracts, or simply return to their own country as a result of Brexit. Inflation is wiping out any real economic improvement and the process of levelling up is a promise floating on the hot air being spewed out by ministers.

Again, I may be wrong about my analysis, and if I am I ask pardon. It is because I feel as if I am constantly observing through a fog or is it through a glass darkly?

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This is not to suggest that I am in any way religious or prepared to believe in a God, but the language of the Bible can sometimes produce a clear reflection of a passing moment of contemplation.

A LETTER FROM AMERICA

It’s very nice to hear from folk in Southern California, land of the heathen, according to Sheldon’s mom. Following on is a letter from Bob, a local resident and I believe supporter of the LA Rams. He has a very objective view of the team and I believe his views on matters Trump are equally as objective. He too is one of the four score club, and consequently entitled to the status of curmudgeon. It is, in my view, a badge of honour.

 

I can recall an evening in Camberwell London. Many years ago now, I was at a dinner party with friends and neighbours Keith and Emma. Amongst others, there were two celebrated guests at that dinner, Danny DeVito and James L Brooks. The word curmudgeon came up and various definitions were put forward. Mr Brooks, a very fine writer, with an Oscar or three, was not satisfied with the various definitions on offer, and in order to clarify, he rang his secretary in Los Angeles to check his dictionary for a definitive definition. It was clear Mr Brooks was a serious researcher and was devoted to, and reliant on, certain authoritative texts in his library. He was also considerate as he chose to make the call there and then, in the evening, to ensure that he caused no undue hardship in Los Angeles where it was 3 or 3:30 PM. It was a matter of some importance to him. Getting things right.  I can understand that and it was fun.

 

So here is Bob’s Letter from America in response to yesterday’s blog:

Although the Rams are in the Super Bowl, they have a history of folding in the 2^nd half of important games. The only reason they were able to win against SF was that the Rams’ offense was on the field so much in the first half, that the Rams’ defense was quite fresh for the 2^nd half. The Rams held on to the ball for long drives in the 1^st half eating up a lot of time – but not scoring a whole bunch – two dropped touchdown passes and a missed field goal! Errorless football it was not. So, if they continue with the errors in the Super Bowl, look for a Cincinnati win. 

As to Trump, if he’s not indicted by multiple jurisdictions soon, the Republicans are going to overrun the process and kill any prosecutions. The US Attorney General should have filed cases months ago against Trump and his henchmen. People in government are running scared as Trump minions have been threatening everyone from election officials to statewide elected officials relating to the running of elections and prosecution of persons criminally liable, including Trump himself. Trump just admitted to involvement in attempts to nullify the election and he should be prosecuted for sedition, inciting and organizing an insurrection the Capital, and attempting to overthrow a legitimate election. A number of constitutional law professors from top law schools are calling for the US Attorney General to file criminally against Trump. One state prosecutor in Georgia, who is considering an indictment against Trump, is seeking protection from the FBI against Trump’s minions. It’s going to get a lot worse soon. 

When are you guys dumping Boris Johnson? As a clown, he’s not so funny anymore. The Brexit, with Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson pushing for it, went so swimmingly! I can’t imagine an administration worse than Trump’s, but Boris runs a close 2^nd. 

Still isolating, for the most part, re Omicron Covid. Should be a vaccine around March. After that, I’m breaking out of here!! You and Celia must be tired of this stuff as well. Around here folks have decided they’ve had it with all the Covid stuff, and they’re going to football games and running around with no masks. Not us! Our gym requires masks indoors only. Half of my workout equipment is outside on their wide balcony. So, I wear my mask and steer clear of the idiots wearing surgical masks on their chins and under their noses. A good number of folks don’t seem to know that surgical masks are not very effective against Omicron Covid virus, and that N95 or KN95 masks should be used. I’m using an Air Queen, which is rated at 99 with a one micron filter. It’s a big mask! Getting used to going around incognito!!

 

Stay well.

  

If any of my American readers wish to post their views, they are more than welcome to contribute. Tee Hee