Very hot Friday evening spent in the local school grounds drinking bubbly whilst the children played. A perfect way to end the week.
There is a community booze up every Friday evening at the school. I think it started when all the local pubs fell down because of the earthquake.
Morning all Paris for the weekend, why thank you kindly, that will do very nicely And I think a walk down the Champs Ãlysées through the Christmas market is in order as well! U' Orns but I will be keeping an eye out for the score
Sæl öll. Cappuccino, coffee, tea donuts and fruit are on the bar. Frothy cappuccinos for for al, HH, and W_Y Coffee and cramel frapachino for IB Coffees for COYH, Frenchie, Kev rob theo and vic-rijrode Strong coffee for Sandy Milky coffee for Yorkie Espresso for SuffolkHorn Strong black coffees for Bragi Norway and zen Black coffee half hot half cold and no sugar for Charlie A peppermint latte for DanH Tea for BHD Cornish Mark jsybarry Lloydinio and BCFCRed Tea with skimmed milk and no sugar for GG and Leon Hot chocolate with marshmallows for BBW Caramel latte for Hornette Scullion Canary Dave Fossefilberto and Maestro Una paloma for Mexican Hornet Redwine for NZ and kiwiqpr as they are ahead of us in time -15C on my thermometer today.
Grey with a mizzle in the air, but mild at present. Supposed to become dry later, but cloud expected all day, so says the man from the Meteo. Street lights went out at 8.06am today reminding me that the days will soon start to become longer again. Strange how being an hour ahead of the UK can make such a difference to the body clock, but it is agreed to be better by many friends who now live here.
Morning all from a damp and chilly bandit country. The storms effecting Scotland & the North never really made it this far south, just a strong wind late last night. Interesting morning on the radio after the sad death of Mandela. I'm going to be a bit controversial and I am sure I will create a strong response, but I struggle to understand the scale of the outpouring in this country. Whilst I am very sad for the family and friends of Mandela, just as I would be for anyone in the same position, I struggle to understand the reaction of ordinary people in this country. To me it seems it is the media and politicians just jumping on a very populist agenda and are desperately trying to make a connection to this country. Clearly Mandela and others in the ANC fought hard to change the foul regime in SA, no one can doubt that. But it has not been without a lot of issues - poverty is still rife, corruption has just changed colour, SA is now one of the most violent countries in the world and a total lack of leadership in addressing Aids in SA. But why do ordinary people in this country feel inspired or changed by Mandela or anyone else from the ANC? As I said, probably not a very popular view...
One thing I vividly remember about the 80s was the huge appetite for protest in this country against things people believed to be unjust - the anti appartheid movement seemed to be the biggest. We had that unbelievable 6 months where the berlin wall and Iron Curtain collapsed and then Mandela was released and i just think he was seen as the most iconic figure of that period. I don't think your view is particularly controversial and it's a legitimate question but that period of political and social history was unbelievable when you look back at it now - people actually believed they had the power to bring about real change and went out and di soemthing about it.
I think your post is thought provoking - one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist ... personally I have great respect for Nelson Mandela - he had the courage to stand up against an all poweful regime (corrupt and inequitable) with arguably no expectation of winning and more than likely at the expense of his life - that takes great courage.
Personally, I tend to agree with you - the scale of respect for the man almost smacks of a hugely successful media campaign. I have no strong opinions either way, but am slightly bemused by the situation - as, I suspect, was Tony Benn when he said "Nelson Mandela was a man who took direct action against apartheid and was described widely in the West as a terrorist because he used force. Then he won and then world leaders flocked to praise him and gave the impression as if they had supported him all along..." I do wonder where the depth of feeling for him comes from - given that he was found guilty of, and actually admitted to, being involved in acts of terrorism. Regardless of what motivated him, he actively took part in the bombing of military installations, power plants, telephone lines and transport links. - in today's world, officialdom takes the same view of such activities as it did back then, they are simply not acceptable. I also wonder if, in 30 or so years time, the likes of Abu Hamza & Abu Qatada will be viewed by the world's population in a similar way. Somehow I doubt it - unless, of course, they have achieved their Islamic goal of world domination.
For me he was a freedom fighter or whatever word you may choose, was imprisoned and refused to be downtrodden and exacted respect from his jailers.. and on release was a great mover for reconciliation and for all parties to live together. I also believed he never forgot what he did, we all have blood on our hands.... etc etc.... BUT The behaviour of Cameron... who himself was funded on a trip to S Africa by the apartheid regime years back... and he never spoke up against it... AND The behaviour of the Chinese Govt I quote: *Mr. Mandela’s role in liberating oppressed people, and drawn comparisons between him and China’s revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong. The Chinese government has in official condolences emphasized the former South African president’s role in establishing formal relations between his country and the People’s Republic of China in 1998.* Well we all know Mao was responsible for the death of 100 million people and manipulated his armies to wipe out disgruntled factions of the population..... and the Chinese Govt continue to demonise the Dalai Lama and keep Tibetan monks and nuns in torturous conditions in labour camps.... Mandela is an Icon of our times and all parties want to associate with him and get some of the kudos..... Sad eh....
Gerry Adams or Nelson Mandela? One mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorist. Lucky for Nelson Mandela he was "fighting" a repressive regime from a prison cell (where I admit horrendous things could and did happen); not all the members of the ANC, who were beaten or killed for their beliefs, had that safety net, while the other was fighting a western democracy. Also one was adopted by the media and the other wasn't. Both were acting for what they believed in, which doesn't make what they did right.
