This isn’t the blog ah wis gonnae write. Ah wis all set to write about Scottish stuff in the week between the Scottish Salmon season bein’ opened by First Minister Salmon(d) on 15th @ Dunkeld – (parr for the course really, it kinda hud tae be him, or it would’ve been salmon else) and em.. , Burns Night (29th). Ah jist thought, ahl away an’ put quill to paper, an’ create some bard-like prose. Wi’ Valentine’s Day just oer the horizon (14th Feb), it widnae dae ony harm to get some practice in on romanticky poetry.
My love is like a Polar Bear,
All big an’ white, an hairy.
She’s got big teeth, an come’s fae Leith,
But really, she’s no scary
Aw come on…, it could be verse, at least it rhymes!
Then I got sidetracked, when I started looking into planning a trip to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, to watch the Downhill Glissading event. (see earlier blog ‘Putin the Boot in) in the Land of the Red Bear. I was tempted though, to head for the Naked Sledding World Championships in Braunlage and watch all the Bare sliders in action.. very tempted. Then Mrs.P un-tempted me with a hard stare and a kick in the Balkans.
I was looking at a website with train times, prices, etc.. – The Man in Seat 61 an’ thought, that Mark Smith’s got a good life, travelling about by train and being able to justify going all over Europe (& beyond) in the interests of research. His title had a touch of Cold War espionage about it (eg. The Third Man, Man in a Suitcase), and a degree of anonymity which allows scope for adventure. It reminded me of the time Mrs.P an’ I went on a mission behind the Iron Curtain to Wroclaw in Poland. OK, we were a wee bitty late, bein’ 17 years after The Wall came down, but there was a still a sense of going back in time 30 or 40 years when wandering the streets, and I’m still certain we saw Harry Palmer drinking, in the Bar MIS. Speaking of Bears, as well as spying .. sorry, sightseeing, we visited Mrs.Ps great Auntie Tuya when we were there. Following a conference (the real reason for going), we decided to carry on with the MI6 theme, “The naimsh Bear…, Paul R. Bear” in our best Sean Connery accshentsh.
We took the Night Train from Krakov to Berlin (Ost), Prague, Vienna, through Switzerland and on to Paris. This was all planned, and the tickets bought, in advance, with the help of DB. All very efficient, and all very em.. German I s’pose. Maybe if the Third Reich had booked a few thousand couchette berths on the 22.20 Sleeper to Moscow they’d have got further (and, in well rested comfort) and not have got stuck at Stalingrad. Which, actually brings me back to the current topic of heading to Russia. Looking on the DB website, I can see that it’d take me 77hours 13minutes to get there. Leaving Perth at 23.22 Friday, on the Caledonian Sleeper, I’d be in Sochi at 08.35 on Tuesday morning. Bearly (geddit?) enough time for a Black Sea breakfast (….mmm, food) before hurrying off to spectate.
Speaking of rushin’, (in a hurry, Russia… talk about a seamless link, why don’t you) there’s been a lot of dialogue about Vlad the Bad’s recent comments about his quote: gays at Olympics must leave children in peace.
President Putin has said that gays face no discrimination in Russia and could feel “at ease.” But he emphasized that because of the new Russian law, they cannot express their views on gay rights issues to anyone under age. The recently introduced bill (Article 6.21 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses), banning the propaganda of ‘non-traditional sexual relations’ has provoked widespread international outrage from critics, who believe the legislation discriminates against gays.
Of course it does, in the same way that a ban on ‘propaganda of ‘non-traditional property ownership’ discriminates against thieving b******s. Obviously, the outraged propagandists (in this case LGBT activists) are going to be somewhat impartial in their vociferous response.
We also have similar legislation in this country banning the “propaganda of sexual relations to minors,”- where pornographic material is limited to over 18’s, and the remit of UK law covers both traditional (straight) and non-traditional (gay). So, should we, in this country be doubly outraged that the law prevents spotty 13yr olds from accessing porn?
Sounds like a storm in a tea-cup, albeit a big, pink, furry tea-cup
No stranger to criticism, Putin’s recent PR gesture ahead of the games, (release of political prisoners, Pussy Riot, Greenpeace 30 ) would appear to be a cynical attempt to manipulate world opinion…. but, that is his job, isn’t it?
Mostly opinions relate to his hard-man stance and how representative it is of Russia as a whole. We’ve been led to believe that this bigotted caveman approach is OUTdated and, so last century. But, think about this, maybe Putin’s actually ‘on message’ in expressing his Neanderthal sensitivities. After all, didn’t The Flintstones have a (to quote from the title song) a ‘GAY OLD TIME’?
Maybe Comrade Trog is more subtle in signalling where his sympathies lie, than we (and by we, I mean you) corrupted capitalists in the West give him credit for.
To provide a balance to th
is bit of the blog – I’ll come back to the enviro-stuff (Arctic Oil, etc..) in a later blog,- I feel I should say something positive about Putin. You have to admit, after spending £30bn to showcase sliding about in the snow – you can’t really criticise the Ruskis for underfunding something that us Bears love. (even if 50% of the building money has vanished – like snow off a dyke). Oh yeah, and choosing a (distant) relative of Mrs.P (little Yuri) as a mascot, is a sign that the Russians know a thing or two about public relations.(with bears anyway)
Talking about words that have been hijacked, and now have different meanings depending on your agenda, here’s another, Quenelle. Now, I’ve only just got up to speed with this word on Masterchef over the last couple of years. John and Greg waxing lyrical about quenelles, ballatines, sous vide, and other such culinary terminology, as if we’d all be rushin’ to Tesco an’ stocking up on truffle oil and Ortolan.
Now, a furore (ooh, I’ve never used that word before), a furore over a perceived anti-semitic gesture by a footballer in Birmingham (no, not the pointy hat Birmingham, the other one) has upset some folks, and Zoopla, by being seen, on telly, rubbing his upper arm. (I do it all the time when I’ve got an itchy arm, an’ anyway, there’s worse places to be seen scratchin in public) Celebratory antics by footballers are nothing new. If this ‘quenelle’ gesture is so offensive, why has the media given it all the publicity? Just ignore it and get on with watching the game. Anyway, surely as an ‘inverted nazi salute’ it should have the opposite aim (ie.anti-fascist) – and wot’s so bad about that?
Zoopla, it appears, couldn’t really have been less discrete if they’d tried, in publicly stating their shirt sponsorship of West Brom (due to end anyway at the end of the season), would end at the end of the season if Mr.Anelka was selected (it was reported) to play for West Brom against Everton. They (Zoopla) appear to be trying to influence team selection and dictate who can/can’t play. (oops, we’re back to dictators again)
Quenelle loosely translates as dumpling, which is possibly an apt description of the Zoopla boss who decided to publicly air his non-ultimatum after not getting his way. Basically, another storm in another tea-cup, but not the FA Cup.
Anyway, this might be useful info, if you find yourself stuck on a train for 8 hours with a gay nazi. Now, ah wonder if they serve salmon sandwiches on this train? By the way, in case you were wondering, I use seats 62 & 63 cos I’m wider than Mark Smith – now you know.
FYI:- The last time Winter Sports were linked to the West Midlands was Noddy Holder an’…sleigh(ed) – Merry Xmas in the ’70’s
Paul R Bear 