Day Jar View

Received an uncharacteristically good joke via email this morning – also very topical in view of the current washout.

“It was announced today that the local climate in the UK should no longer be referred to as .”British Weather.’

Rather than offend a sizable portion of the population, it will now be referred to as ‘Muslim Weather.’

In other words – partly Sunni, but mostly Shi’ite.”

I’m all for promoting alternative languages, but the Council’s insistence (indeed legal obligation) on producing everything in both English and Welsh is puzzling.

In almost every other area of my life I can opt out of receiving paper: bank statements, gas bills, company invoices. But with the council, everything I receive is in both languages, and therefore sometimes on two separate bits of paper.

Why not ask me just once whether I want English or Welsh and be done with it?

I have to admit to a more-than-passing interest in the US Elections each time they roll around.

I don’t get too heavily involved in the policy detail, and I don’t donate any money to the candidate promising to save Americans a few cents on their $4 a gallon (I wish!) gasoline.

But as a piece of pure theatre, there really is no equal. Our own party conferences, viewed alongside their US equivalents, have a whiff of the church hall meeting about them. Half the time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bake sale being conducted at the back during the breaks.

This time around, of course, the interest and the stakes are high in the US. They have the opportunity to elect the first black (actually mixed-race) man, or the first Female Vice-President (a gun-toting, global-warming-denier from Alaska). The good news is that at least one of them will make their way to the White House next January. But had Sarah Palin not joined the McCain ticket, I’m not sure that Americans would have been ready to elect either of them if the alternative had been two Conservative, middle-aged, white males.

Whataver, the inclusion of Palin makes this race all the more exciting: it will be touted as a race between a Black man and a Woman, naturally, but the choice isn’t that stark. Bush’s legacy has ensured that McCain had a fight on his hands from the start, and the emergence of Obama as a charismatic, eloquent smoothie from a mixed-race background would have been a black and white choice, literally. 

Now American voters have to decide whether they want an elitist Black man as President, or a pensioner who can’t remember how many homes he has (7 apparently) with a woman seemingly brought in to shore up the vote amongst bitter Clinton supporters who might be tempted to switch.

From this side of the pond, America’s image is in need of some serious TLC after the Iraq debacle, and its general foreign policy ham-fistedness. The best thing it could show to the world is that it has the presence of mind to show it can change, and elect Barack Obama in November. Sorry Sarah – your turn next time perhaps?

My route to and from work takes me past most of the Estate Agents in town, being located as they are pretty much all on one main road that runs through the town.

Over the past year or so that I’ve been walking that route, I’ve noticed on a number of occasions various members of staff playing games on the pc, surfing the net, chatting, and generally not doing much Estate Agenting.

Today when I looked in the window, two of the offices of one particular branch are empty – phones siting on the desk with the cable wrapped forlornly around. I can’t say I’ve ever felt huge sympathy for Estate Agents at the best of times, and I reckon that the current housing situation is in some part their fault, what with over-valuing over the past 10 years amongst other crimes.

However, there are people behind those shiny suits and company 1-series BMWs , and it seems that there a few of them now twiddling their thumbs at home, wondering where the next cheque is coming from. Not a nice situation for anyone.

A chap wanted to use “Lloyds is pants” as his banking security password, but a member of staff at the bank changed it to “no its not”. That’s guerilla staff loyalty at it’s finest, surely.

For some reason, Lloyds say the member of staff responsible no longer works at the bank. I would have thought they should be running it by now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/hereford/worcs/7585098.stm

Benjamin Franklin said: “Beer is living proof that God exists, and that he wants us to be happy.”

In and around the coastal towns of West Wales this week, I think that the happiest people in the UK must live here. I haven’t seen one chain pub, but instead of these soulless behemoths, there are literally dozens of independent pubs lining the streets, all presumably making enough to keep going.

It may be that the culture of these towns is centred around the pub, so they keep them afloat, or it may be that the pubs themselves keep the towns together, acting as the hub for all the gossip and socialising. Every so often a politician or other bleats about the demise of the Post Office, and I seem to remember it was Prince Charles who said something about the demise of the country pub.

Now, flower-talking notwithstanding, I think he had a point. It makes for a nicer visit, and if I was a local, given the choice of either 5 smaller pubs with different beers, characters and banter, or one giant brewery with euro-lagers and big TVs – I’d go for a mini-crawl every time.

Just spent 25 mins in a sauna at an indicated 70 degrees. Felt pretty hot when I came out which is no surprise.

Compared to the world champ of the other week, though, I’m an amateur: they managed 18 mins at 110 degrees.

Wonder if there was anything left?

I suppose it is Bank Holiday Monday after all, so we should expect a 70′s disaster flick.

I was surprised to switch over and see The Towering Inferno though. I know it’s 7 years since 9/11, but the sight of Hollywood’s finest inside a blazing skyscraper is probably still too close to the bone for some. But hats off to Channel Five for showing it.

Perhaps more perplexing is how on earth they managed to get that many actors in the same place at the same time. Must have cost them a fortune.

Worth every penny I’d say.

Just watching this bilge that is masquerading as a live broadcast of the GB athletes getting off the plane from Beijing.

I think they did a great job, but I’m sure that the last thing they need (or viewers want) is to see a dolly “interviewing” each of them with such bon mots as “how does it feel to be home?”.

Such insight gives ammunition to those who talk of scrapping the licence fee.

I know how much wholesale gas and electricity prices have gone up this past year, so this isn’t a criticism of the energy companies, as I’m not some Liberal sandal-wearer (although I do own some nice sandals) who thinks that companies who make profits are the devil’s work.

However, when you hear that the owners of the holiday complex that we are staying in might have to close their pool and spa complex next year because of rising bills, it starts to hit home how these 30% hikes can affect people.

My business won’t be directly affected by fuel price rises, nor will we have to wear extra jumpers at home, as there’s plenty that can go before we do that. But when your fuel bill goes from £8000 one year to already £12000 so far this year, you are looking at your profits disappearing fast.

He said he can’t charge customers extra as they are paying more themselves at home too, but I for one would happily pay a bit more if it meant they could keep it going. Because to be honest, if they hadn’t had the pool complex, we would have gone somewhere that did have one.

I hope they manage to keep it.