Dawn

Dawn

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Note: I posted something on the EU earlier today. Scroll down, if interested.

Last night,I proposed the creation of KAUB - Kill All the Useless Bureaucrats. Reader Ferrolano, supported by Mike, suggested the acronym be extended to KAUBAB. Or Kill All the Useless Bureaucrats And Bankers. Presumably by spit-roasting. I'm quite happy with this. Though it could be argued it'd be equally valid to replace Bureaucrats And Bankers by the one word, Bastards. And so return to KAUB. Against that, this would cover an awful lot of people in the world who aren't bureaucrats or bankers. So KAUBAB it is.

Today we're told that the Brits are the most child-unfriendly people in Europe. This comes hot on the heels of last week's news that they/we treat our old folk worse than any other nation in Europe. And, worst of all, the young women I see on the streets are nowhere near as attractive as those in Pontevedra. Still, people here have vastly better antennae than the Spanish and, so, no one has either walked across or into me in the weeks I've been here. Actually, that's not quite true; one young woman did. But then she turned round and apologised profusely.

Talking of other European nations, it came as a surprise to learn last night that a Dutch chap was responsible for the British empire. Specifically, one Jacob van Neck. After the first and highly profitable Dutch convoy to Indonesia, old Jacob penned an account of it under the catchy title of A True Report of the Gainful, Prosperous and Speedy Voyage to Java in the East Indies, Performed by a fleet of Eight Ships of Amsterdam. The rapidly-produced English translation of this caused envious consternation in the hearts and minds of London merchants, who got together and formed a joint-stock company called The East India Company. And the rest, as they say, is history.

For no good reason, other than pressure from my daughters, I'm now in what you might call a beard phase. I mention this only as a prelude to the comment that I today saw an advert for a 'stubble trimmer'. Not a 'beard trimmer', which is what they used to sell as, but a 'stubble strimmer'. I assume their purpose is to make you look fashionably unshaven. In other words, you put a lot of effort into making it look as if you haven't bothered to shave. It must make sense to someone.

Finally, a hearty welcome to the three people who've recently become Members of this blog. Thank God Google dropped the word Followers.

Finally . . . finally . . . A request that you all cross your fingers that the people who've said today they're interested in buying my house in the hills really are as unworried by the prospect of a nearby quarry as they seem to be. Perhaps they mean to knock down the house and sell the land, at a vast profit, to the company involved. Stranger things have happened. Maybe I should look into this . . .

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