Y Tu Mamá También

When does a factual statement about race become racist?  The question arises because an English rugby (union) player called a Welsh player a "gypsy boy" during a recent international.  The Welsh player does indeed come from Romany stock, and indeed has made no secret of it.  So. maybe not a nice thing to say (and indeed the English player apologised for it at half-time) but racist?  If somebody calls me an "English prat" is that racist?  It has been suggested that it's all a matter of intent, but who is to say what a person's intent is.  It seems probable that the English player's intent was to "wind up" the Welsh player, but does that make it racist or is it simply a (perhaps regrettable) aspect of the way sport is played these days?

Again???

What is it with our immigration service?  The other day it was the case of an sick, elderly lady in danger of being sent back to South Africa purely so she could apply to come back here, and now we have the story of Yvonne Karusseit.  It's too complicated to go into here in detail but have a look at https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-urgent-petition-grant-clive-and-yvonne-karusseit-indefinite-leave-to-stay-visas which sets out the whole sad tale.  Once again, I have to express disgust that the situation has been allowed to reach its current state.  Is there some hidebound jobsworth somewhere in the system who takes a delight in finding some rule or regulation which thwarts the exercise of common sense?

Left, right, left, right...

What's with all this fuss about who should sit where on breakfast TV?  Is the left-hand seat - as we look at it - for the man, or for the senior presenter?  The question has arisen (apparently) because following Bill Turnbull's retirement from BBC's Breakfast programme, he has been replaced by Dan Walker, who is a newcomer to the game and who has taken over Turnbull's left-hand seat, whereas his co-presenter, Louise Minchin, who has years of experience continues in the right-hand spot.  Does it matter? Well yes, apparently it does to many people, including possibly Minchin herself.  It's been suggested that, as we read from left to right, we look at pictures in the same way, and therefore what's on the left is seen as more important.  I'd never have thought of it myself - what about you?

'Tis the full moon, my lovely,

Did you know that the "were" in werewolf is the Old English word for man?  So werewolf is manwolf - that is, a man who can transform into a wolf.  And although we tend to think that the concept is Edwardian/Victorian, along with vampires and Frankenstein's monster and such, it actually goes back way beyond that.  There is reference to the "werewulf" in the laws of King Canute back around the year 1000, and the ancient Greeks told stories of the "lycanthrope" which has the same etymology - "lykos", wolf and "anthropos", man. Make you think there might be something in it, eh??

We will remember them...

The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, is in the news, thanks to some rather inappropriate nearby activity by the Top Gear team.  We all know what it is, but where does the word come from?  I imagine most of you would guess Latin or Greek, and you'd be right. It's from two Greek words - "kenos" meaning empty, and "taphos" meaning tomb.  So - empty tomb, a memorial to someone, or some group of people whose remains are elsewhere.  In the case of the one in London, the "Glorious Dead" - originally meaning those who died in the First World War, although it is now taken to represent all those who have died fighting for this country - whenever and wherever.  

A hard question.

Do you know the essential difference between a cake and a biscuit?  The question became a matter of some importance a few years ago in relation to Jaffa cakes. Cakes are VAT exempt, whereas biscuits are not.  The tax man insisted that Jaffa cakes - despite the name - were biscuits and therefore liable to VAT.  McVitie, who make them, not surprisingly took the opposite view.  So how to resolve the issue? After taking expert evidence, the court held that a cake, if left out to go stale, will go hard whereas a biscuit will go soft.  Jaffa cakes go hard, and are therefore indeed cakes. One up for the consumer!

Concentrate on the main issue.

So a magistrate has been sacked for refusing an adoption order to a single-sex couple.  He intends bringing a case for unfair dismissal.  He is accused of "bringing the judiciary into disrepute" by acting so as to cause " a reasonable person to conclude that he was prejudiced against single sex adopters".  But surely this is barking up the wrong tree?  Whether he is pro or against single sex couples is not the question. What he has to consider is what is in the best interests of the child. And I think there will be many people - myself included - who will think that, whatever our views on how people choose to arrange their personal relationships, a child up for adoption would be best brought up by a father and a mother.  This isn't a matter of discrimination or prejudice - just what is best for the child.

Only another three months to go...!

"Queen backs brexit" screamed The Sun's front page on Wednesday last.  Really?  If you delve further into the paper and the story, you find that The Sun is relying on an account of a meeting (maybe a dinner) that is supposed to have taken place nearly five years ago at which the Queen was present, as was, among others, Nick Clegg who was then Deputy Prime Minister.  If the account is true, the Queen is reported as saying that in her opinion Europe was "going in the wrong direction"  Not quite the same thing is it? - not even close. Both sides in the referendum debate seem to be getting sillier - and nastier - and maybe more desperate? Just take it all with a pinch of salt, is my advice.

It comes to us all...

Paul Daniels has left hospital and come home to die.  Your thoughts and prayers are entreated both for him and his family, who will have to deal with whatever is to come.

Ha ha

What's the difference between ignorance and apathy?
- I don't know and I don't care