Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

It's routine for journalists to make predictions at the start of the year. Here's a couple that might just be tongue in cheek:-
- Launch of 17-speed Europe: A new version of the eurozone, in which each nation adopts its own version of the single currency, is hailed as a model of European cooperation and financial stability.
- June: Charlie Sheen wins the Republican nomination. The former Two and a Half Men star emerges as frontrunner from an eclectic field of candidates that has at one time included everyone from Herman Cain to Newt Gingrich. In spite of his incoherent speeches and debate performances, Tea Party enthusiasts consistently rate Sheen as "more trustworthy" than Mitt Romney.

More seriously, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard sticks his neck right out and predicts, inter alia, that:- Germany will not be able to fudge EMU any longer. It must either immolate itself, accepting a debt union and internal inflation to save a currency it never wanted and doesn't love; or opt instead to uphold fiscal sovereignty and the essence of its own democracy, and let the Project die.The shrewd, equivocating, ice-cold Chancellor will quietly oust arch-europhile Wolfgang Schauble and let the Project die, always pretending otherwise. See here for more.

Looking back at 2011, one strange fact to emerge is that the ugly pug dog "has increased in popularity by 557%." I confess to be astounded by this as I've always said it's impossible to tell this dog's front end from its back end. Nowt as queer as folk, as they say up here in the North. I'm reminded of the vet acronym DMITO - Dog more intelligent than owner.

Why am I not surprised to read that President Sarkozy has been accused of riding roughshod over European law after he proposed to pump taxpayers' money into the ailing cross-Channel ferry company, SeaFrance? Competitor companies are getting ready to appeal to Brussels, where they may or may not get short shrift.

Talking of disputes, for those who can stand it there's more on the Suárez-Evra spat. As reader Mark has pointed out, Evra apparently not only called Suárez una concha etc. but also a sudaca. This is also a new one to me and appears to be an ethnic allusion. More on all the nuances here. I'm indebted to Victor for the news that Suárez used one of the old Hispanic regulars, viz. that he couldn't be racist as one of his relatives was black.

Still investigating the coffee scene in Headingley, I today came across a Starbucks that had closed. Leaving the field to Costa Coffee, which sells expensive coffee but provides the British tabloids for reading matter. A nice trick.

Finally . . . Here and here is information on the flying machines which took the fotos of Santiago Cathedral cited in yesterday's blog. I would advise anyone who hasn't seen this wonderful video - whether pious Catholic or resolute atheist - to scroll down and take a look.

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