I
mentioned yesterday that an English heritage is not much celebrated
in the USA. Tght on cue, today I read this paragraph in a review of 'The Lady Vanishes' by A
A Gill:- This
was an American co-production, and it played to all the embarrassing
and degrading stereotypes of English class and snobbery the Americans
love to loathe us for. It's
a little worrying to realise that there's a US version of
'Shameless', set in feral Manchester. Or perhaps not, as they don't
get to see the original.
Spain's
opposition PSOE party has come up with a scheme which is either
brilliant or crackpot.With the aim of bringing into circulation the
billions of euros of dirty money stashed in one place or another and so stimulate the economy, it proposes that the
EU should simply abolish the favourite note of crooks and brothel owners – the 500,
called for some time the 'Bin Laden', in recognition of the fact it's so rarely seen.
I
happened upon a talk on Jesus's (non)existence today. It reminded of a thought I had about Christianity last week. This was that, if I
were thinking - as I am - of starting a new religion, I wouldn't base
it on a 33 year-old, unmarried man still living with his parents and
consorting with a group of 12 men. And perhaps the occasional
(transvestite?) prostitute. Not an original thought, I'm sure, but no
less valid for that.
Talking of Jesus, I found myself wondering today what he would do in the following circumstances:- “A mentally handicapped seven-year-old girl has been barred from taking Holy Communion and being confirmed because the vicar says she will not understand the lessons learnt in Sunday school." What she does understand, however, is that she's not going to be confirmed or have a 3 grand First Holy Communion do. That's Catholicism for you, showing the religious equivalent of Hitler's exclusionist approach to the handicapped.
Down on earth, in
the wasteland which is the Spanish property market, prices are said
to have fallen by 54% since the peak in
2007/8. Worse, they're predicted to decline
for at least another five years, “as weak economic growth, high
unemployment and the lack of available credit will prevent the
country from a dealing with the massive oversupply of houses built
before the crisis.” Which is less than encouraging. Closer to home,
there was activity yesterday on the site of the 23 houses behind mine,
finished 3 years ago and never occupied because of (il)legal
considerations. A couple of vans came to do something to the
electricity sub-station but I don't know whether they switched the supply off or on. Time will tell.
Reader
SP picked up on my conversation with Telefonica the other day, giving
his own example of stupid excuses for bad service. It reminded me of
the most comprehensive waiver I've ever seen. It was on the airway
bill for the dog I brought home from Tehran. This read:- BA ACCEPTS
NO RESPONISIBILITY FOR DEATH CAUSED BY MORTALITY. Brilliant.
Finally
. . . Something to please the ladies and amuse the gentlemen.
Perhaps.
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