Monthly Archives: October 2012

A change.

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It all feels a bit unreal.

As if I’m in some sort of fuggy dream. As if I’m not really there.

The change seems overnight although, in reality, it’s over a weekend.

And now, for me, it’s a race to the other end; a race to the light – almost literally.

I had promised to take the dogs out this morning as it was probably going to be raining and would probably keep right on raining until later in the morning. Which it has.

Although, when we were out, it didn’t seem too bad; not the heavy rain predicted, more of a lighter rain – the one just after or just before the heavy rain. It was dark, of course, but, then. it had been dark at this time for a few weeks.

As we approach the second traffic lights, they change from flashing amber to the normal red/green. I thought I must be late but, instead, it’s the lights’ change that’s early – by about 5 minutes.

The dogs (even Piero) keep as close to the buildings as possible.

I don’t let them into the dog area. They are wet already and there’s no need to get them really dirty as the puddles testify that the area will be just mud. Anyway, there are no other dogs in there (and probably won’t be, at least this morning), so Piero isn’t missing any play time. But, then, there aren’t usually any dogs in here at this time.

It’s raining, slightly, but not really ‘cold’ as such. About 13 degrees.

We walk back home. We, all three of us, want to get back.

As we wait for the lift, Dino is trying to dry himself on the walls. He looks forward to the towelling he has when he gets wet.

We get in the flat and I get the towels, Dino not taking his eyes off me, knowing what’s coming. Obviously, I do him first, dropping the towel on his head and starting to rub him down vigorously. He throws himself into this ritual and I think he would like it if I didn’t stop – but the other one has to be done.

The other one, on the other hand, does not really like it and tries to escape. But he’s still small enough to be able to keep in check without too much effort and he gets ‘done’ anyway.

I get ready and have coffee and leave to go to work.

It’s still raining – in much the same way – not too hard.

The car is close and, since it’s service, starts first time, which is great.

But it’s the drive to work that’s different. It’s still dark. It’s miserable. And different to Friday morning when it was light.

Of course, it’s made darker by the rain clouds.

But, as I drive, I don’t feel altogether “there” and it’s unnerving.

The traffic is, for the most part, quite light. Soon it won’t be like this.

It starts to get light on my way but I see the 50-shades-of-grey clouds, patchy and bleak, in the sky.

The race is on to February or March when it will (hopefully) get warmer and brighter.

On the plus side, F noticed that the heating was on last night (at home, obviously. At work the place is close to fridge conditions – especially as these fucking crazy Italians feel the need to change the air – or let the bloody cold in, as I like to say) and I am VERY happy about that.

The end of the world?

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Imagine a different world.

A world where everyone considers everything they do and say as to what impact it has on other people – and then they censor what they do/say based on whether there is someone, anyone, out there who will find it distatseful or, God forbid, offensive.

It’s a kind of utopia. Everyone will be nice and courteous. Nothing will be said that will ‘hurt our feelings’. Nothing, quite obviously, will be said in rage and, as a consequence, there will be no anger.

Without anger, there will be no need to defend anything and without the need for defence, there will be no war.

And everyone will live happily ever after.

Won’t they?

I mean, surely, that’s what we all want, sin’t it?

The problem with this, of course, is that the term ‘free speech’ becomes redundant. If you are only free to say nice things, what’s the point?

I try to be nice to people, espcially people I know. A friend I haven’t seen for two years or so was told by me that she ‘looked fabulous’. She did – but that’s not really the point. I am, of course, able to say ‘You look tired’ but a) it wasn’t true and b) I don’t think it’s very nice to say that. So I don’t. She’s changed her hair. It’s now short and blonde. I could have said a) your hair looks awful or b) you look like a prostitute. But I didn’t because it wouldn’t have been true and, anyway, it’s not a nice thing to say. Instead, I said ‘Your hair looks lovely’, which it did.

So, was I using ‘free speech’ and saying what I felt? Well, yes but, equally, even if they hadn’t been true, I may have said something like that anyway. And, at that point, I am no longer using ‘free speech’.

But, why not? Didn’t people fight for this right? And if people laid their lives down for this right, why the hell ain’t I using it?

But what if I DID? What then?

Well, most probably, old friends would, suddenly, be a little unfriendly. Now, if I didn’t care, that wouldn’t really be a problem, I guess.

And, at what point would something I said become genuinely offensive? And how do you measure offensive in the first place?

Does the feeling of ‘That’s not very nice’ constitute offence? What if something said makes you feel like bursting into tears? Does that make it offensive?

What if I made some joke about a person who had recently died? A sick joke? I mean, a really sick joke about someone who died very recently that I didn’t know? Well, the dead person wouldn’t be offended. But their family? There again, how would their family know if I just told this very sick joke to my friends who live thousands of miles away from the family?

But, what if one of MY firends was offended by it? There again, how can they really be offended. Are they just saying they’re offended because they think my joke is really sick and not something one should say?

And what is the difference between telling a really sick joke to my friends from saying, for example, that I’m going to blow an airport up should my flight be cancelled for the fourth time, when I’m really angry. I mean, we all say things in the heat of the moment. Things said in anger aren’t really meant.

How many times have you said, ‘Oh I could kill so-and-so’ but, in reality, and, even given a weapon and anonimity, you would NEVER do such a thing. It’s an expression to mean you are REALLY pissed off with a person.

‘They should just bomb the place’ – another expression which I’ve heard said because someone doesn’t like what they’ve heard of about or seen at a place. It doesn NOT mean that they would actually do it. And, if the murder or bombing were to actually take place, most normal people would be horrified that they had said it.

After all, these are just words, however tasteless and disgusting they may be.

And, if we go back to our utopian idea of having a world where no one says anthing that will offend anyone else – what kind of monstrous world have we created?

And yet, this is what ‘they’ seem to be trying to achieve.

And it would be as boring as hell or worse. Even if I don’t agree, or even like, what people say and even if I am outraged by some of the stuff that’s said or done in this world – at least it is premitted to be said or done.

Anyway, for more of the same, read this little article.

Let’s just say that mob rule is the real offensive thing here. And even without the prison sentence, I think that, maybe, Matthew Woods has learnt a valuable lesson – as we all do when we are young and say things that may be considered offensive or crass. Most of us, nearly all of us, don’t go to jail for it, though!

The IMF – just a bunch of know-nothing bankers

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Austerity. You must do this to protect the future and get yourself out of the sh1t.

Oh sh1t. Well, we thought it would be OK but now we see that, in fact, Growth is important. Except for some of the poorer countries. For them it’s still all about austerity.

No, wait a minute. It’s Europe’s fault. They should help the poorer countries.

Austerity. Growth.

Whoops! We were slightly wrong.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Once upon a time, I thought that people who had the necessary training and qualifications were to be respected. After all, they know what they’re talking about.

Now, maybe because I am much older, I know that this is an utter load of bollocks.

Most people, even those supposedly in charge and who should know what they are doing or saying, don’t.

And, this article sums that all up quite nicely.

To save you the bother of reading it, here are some really ‘choice’ bits:

Christine Lagarde warned that only with greater co-operation and courage could governments hope to prevent a repeat of the financial crisis.

She is the head of the IMF. so she must know what to do, right?

Apparently.

Lagarde said banking regulators had told her that reforms of the financial system were incomplete and in many cases banks were as unsafe as before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

So, the regulators of the banks (who are ex-bankers) have told her (the head of the ‘International Bank’) that the banks are unsafe, still, after one of the banks (in the USA) was ‘allowed’ to go bust because the regulators had failed to ensure it was safe.

Europe has come under fire for its failure to end the debt crisis

Because, of course, everyone else has been really brilliant and solved their crisis.

Lagarde said: “We expect action and we expect courageous and co-operative action on the part of our members.”

Ha! So what action do they expect to see?

The IMF has expressed frustration with Europe’s piecemeal response to its debt crisis and warned that a recent respite in borrowing costs for debt-laden countries such as Spain may prove short-lived unless eurozone leaders come up with a comprehensive and credible plan.

Now, to remind ourselves, the IMF said, at the beginning of the crisis, that we should immediately impose austerity and cut borrowing. But, it seems they made a bit of mistake in their calculations:

[The IMF] admitted in its World Economic Outlook report that officials underestimated the effects of austerity measures on economic growth.

The report found that previous estimates that for every £1 of spending cuts the economy shrank by 50p were wrong and the economy shrank by around £1.30 instead.

The IMF was a strong supporter of austerity measures adopted by Western countries, including the UK, in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

As a result:

Most countries that adopted austerity programmes have missed their deficit reduction targets after a sharp slowdown in economic growth hit tax revenues and private sector activity.

So, let’s just get this right – they thought that austerity was good because we would cut debt but they forgot to factor in the fact that, as soon as we have austerity, people stop buying (and borrowing) and so the effect on the economy was a LOT worse than they expected.

I’m sure the head of the IMF will make a full and swift apology and shut her mouth in future.

The IMF has U-turned in recent months and urged government to allow their austerity reforms to be planned over a longer period to lessen the impact on growth.

But I see no apology. Nor do I see everyone ignoring her and the rest of the IMF – which is what they should be doing and should have done.

A three-year-old child would have a better grasp of the situation than they had and, not only do they earn vast sums, tax free (WTF?) but, with their qualifications and experience, they should be able to do much, much better.

Of course, what should be done is to scrap the model we have now – where debt is seen as an asset rather than a liability and the banks should be under control and should be stopped from gambling, which is what they do and which is what led us to this, now.

In fact, now, every time I see something that the IMF head has said, it just makes my blood boil.

It’s outrageous and, should I ever meet her, I just want to tell her to fuck right off.

A Makem and a Geordie go for a job

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Had to give you this joke:

A makem (man from Sunderland) applied for a job at a factory in his home town. A geordie (man from Newcastle) applied for the same job and since both applicants had similar qualifications, the manager asked them to take a test. When the results were in, both men had scored 19 out of 20.

The manager went to the makem and said, “Thank you for coming to the interview, but we’ve decided to give the geordie the job.”

The Makem said, “Why? We both got 19 questions correct. This being Sunderland and me being from Sunderland surely I should get the job.”

The manager replied, “We have made our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you got wrong.”

The makem said, “And just how would one incorrect answer be better than another?”

The manager said, “Simple. On question number 7 the geordie wrote down, ‘I don’t know.’

“You put down, ‘Neither do I ‘”

Lifted from Of course, I could be wrong…..

It’s here!

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And, it’s not necessarily a good thing, just inevitable.

I’m talking Autumn (or ‘Fall’ to Americans because, I guess, Autumn is too difficult to spell).

Last night, on our way back from the restaurant, I looked up the street and you could see a light mist – an obvious sign of Autumn, if ever there was one, even if, last night, it was not cold enough for a jacket (at least for me).

This morning, the same mist hung around. But this morning was a bit chillier.

And, as the mist hasn’t really lifeted much but, rather, made everything grey and miserable, the temperature has stayed lower and there is a chill in the air. Not really a ‘nip’ – yet. So, not winter (as everyone here has been predicting) but definitely Autumn.

The trees still have their green leaves though, although maybe there’s a tinge of change.

But, since the heating should (officially) go on in the middle of October, this year we’re quite late getting to Autumn. Normally, by now, I’m wishing for the heating to be turned on (because I’m bloody freezing) – this year, so far, it’s not been necessary – even for me.

One only hopes that Spring won’t be late coming (well, at least I only hope).

One out.

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I said 4 instead of 3.

To be honest, I couldn’t be sure. Was it 2009 or 2008?

I know I should know but, well, I don’t.

So I said 4.

In fact it’s 3. I had to check this blog to be sure.

Well, it WILL be 3 – at 9.45 this evening. When we shall be at our favourite restaurant for a quiet, lovely dinner. To celebrate. To celebrate 3 (and not 4).

But I was only one out, after all. And it does feel like longer (and shorter).

That’s just the way it is.

Plain stupid driving.

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I’ve seen some strange things here.

For example, there was the live parrot in the taxi some time ago.

Then there was the rioting. And the winds that blew down the scaffolding in front of a 7 or 8 storey block of flats.

Then there was, one time, I saw a car driving on the tram track.

But this morning was, to be honest, amazing.

The trams run on rails. Sometimes, the rails run through roads and there, the top of the tram rails is the same height as the road. Obviously.

In some places, however, the road is at the side of the rails and the rails resemble normal train rails – i.e. the rails are not set at the height of the surrounding grass or small stones. Especially where the tracks have recently been re-done.

Like on Viale Regina Giovanna. The road is so wide (Viale meaning Avenue) that the road is split with dedicated tram tracks in the centre, lined with trees. The tracks have recently been relaid and, whereas before, the grass areas between the tracks were only slightly below the top of the rails, now the small stones are well below the top of the rails.

So, it would be really stupid to try to drive say, a car, down the tracks. Unless, maybe you had a 4×4?

Not least, it would be stupid because to enter the tram-exclusive area is not easy. I mean, you really have to make a concious effort to do so and you would have to be a) completely unaware of the trams and b) actually turn onto the tracks as opposed to following the road.

And, yet, this morning, holding up the trams, was an nice new Audi, stuck, with the rail being so high as to make the wheels ineffective.

There were about 3 or 4 guys trying to push the car backwards to, I guess, a place where the wheels would have some grip.

The shame was that I was in traffic so I couldn’t stop the car and take a photograph.

I wonder how long it was before he managed to get out. And, how embarrassing it must have been.

Mind you, some people are just plain stupid.

1 Englishman, 1 American and 2 Italians in a pub.

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There’s an Englishman, American, two Italians and two dogs, sitting in a bar ………

Sounds like the start of a good joke, doesn’t it?

OK then, let’s continue …..

The humans are talking about this and that, having a few drinks. It’s a pleasant evening, quite warm and, whilst not exactly outside, they are in a semi-covered area, stuck in a corner. It was the only place available. They are sittiing around a small, round table.

They haven’t seen each other for a while and it’s good to chat.

Suddenly, and without warning, there is this awful, retch-inducing smell.

The Englishman, being English, says nothing but pretends that nothing is happening.

The Italians, being ‘out’ say nothing and pretend that nothing is happening.

The American, having lived in Europe long enough, politely says nothing and pretends that nothing is happening.

The dogs, being non-human, say nothing.

The position in the bar means that there is no escape. And, to move would be to ‘know’ and no one wants that, do they?

Two, three or maybe four times this happens.

Each time it seems worse than the last.

Eventually, everyone leaves to go home.

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“It was Piero,” says F, as we are walking home. And I agree.

We had brought the dogs with us as our friends wanted to see the puppy, even if he is 5 months old and quite large now.

I mean, you get this problem with oldeer dogs. Occasionally, Dino ‘drops one’. But for such a young puppy – but it’s true and I agree. That night, when they were in separate rooms, it comes again and confirms it’s Piero.

Bloody dog! I haven’t even changed his food!

In any event, it wasn’t a joke at all. But what were we to do?

A lack of benefits?

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A list of the benefits.

But, what if that list doesn’t really contain many (or, indeed, any). What then?

Well, I guess, that kind of changes everything, doesn’t it?

I mean, the whole point of anything is that the benefits must outweigh the disadvantages or things that are decidedly NOT benefits.

And, if they don’t, then, where does that leave you?

Hmmmmm.

The kind of rain I like

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Whereas, for us, in Italy, it’s been a lovely summer with hardly any rain, I know it hasn’t been like that for all of you, particularly those in the UK.

So, perhaps for you, this would not be something you can imagine bothering with. However, it is something that I would love to go and see …… and experience.

It’s at the Barbican Centre in London (London does do great art) and it’s free. If I go to London before the end of February/beginning of March, I will definitely take a trip to experience it.

And, below is the video – but even seeing it on video would not be the same as actually being there. This is something that is no good in print or on video.