I have just had an interesting experience. For the first time in about forty years I’ve been for a job interview. At £9.50 per hour, being a part time receptionist at a local prep school is quite a long way off the £800 a day I used to earn as an itinerant golf commentator. Still it sounds interesting and I’ve got a 50/50 chance of success as there are only two shortlisted applicants. I think I was doing quite well in front of the three person interview panel until we got onto safeguarding and the children of today. I was probably unwise to espouse that they lack respect for their elders and have an unjustifiable sense of entitlement! Still, it’s what I very firmly believe and I’ve never been one to hide my views under a bushel, if you’ll forgive my mangling a biblical idiom. I just hope the selectors can see past my slip-up and focus on the many and varied talents that I would bring to the job. I’ll keep you posted.
It’s been intriguing listening to proclamations from the Far East about what will happen if/when China decides to invade Taiwan (on a Special Military Operation). Inspired no doubt by Japan’s forthright backing of the former Formosa, Sleepy Joe has come right out and said that America will come to Taiwan’s defence should President Xi press the go button. This is terrific news, except it’s quite hard to see how this might work. China is rapidly expanding its navy, including its submarine force, it will soon have hundreds of thousands of airborne forces and it has some of the most sophisticated missiles in the world. America would be utterly dependant on it’s carrier groups to launch a counter-offensive but it’s probable at this time that it doesn’t have the defensive capability to stop the legion of hypersonic missiles that Xi would concurrently launch to destroy Uncle Sam’s navy in one fell swoop. It also raises the question as to why America isn’t even now on Ukrainian soil? They aren’t, because Biden was fearful it would start World War III against a powerful nuclear nation. I am hard pressed to see how trying to stop China (an equally, if not even more powerful and sophisticated nation intent on world domination) from annexing Taiwan would be any less likely to start World War III?! Additionally, it would be fighting a war in much more adverse conditions in terms of supply lines etc and the chances are North Korea would invade the South at the same time. What a mess. Still, at least SJ is sounding strong…..
I’ve been watching quite a lot of football (soccer for my North American friends) recently as the British League season reached a thrilling climax. A phrase you hear oft-repeated by commentators is that “the ball slams into the back of the net”. I am slightly confused by this. Surely the goal faces the pitch? This would mean that its back is the bit pointing at the crowd. In other words the front of the net is the part inside the goal that the ball rockets into? Hence it should be “the ball slams into the front of the net”. I concede this might sound a bit odd, especially after decades of hearing the “back of the net”. Perhaps it should just be “the net”; “Messi drills it from thirty yards out, beating the diving Anderson as it slams into the net”. Must be worth a letter to The Times.
Our next door neighbours have just had their first baby. It was slightly overdue so the powers that be decided to induce. The night before said operation the non-producing half of the partnership was told that he had to go home as visiting hours were over and because of Covid they were being strictly applied. He had already been there for forty minutes so once again I am covered in confusion as to how he might be an added threat? His “wife” (they’re not actually legally attached) would have loved him to stay, but no, “on yer bike sunshine”. Perhaps more importantly, she and he would have loved it if he could be present at the birth the following day, but that was firmly rejected on the same grounds: Covid. They’re a young couple, it’s their first child and it’s the eight wonder of the world to experience. How inhumane can we get?!
We desperately need a bit of Satchmo at this point. From where I’m sitting this world isn’t looking quite so wonderful. Perhaps the view will be better from behind a school reception desk…….
ADayInTheStrifeOf 