Recently, in fact every day for a few months now, we have been inundated with bad news. It has come at us all relentlessly and with monotonous regularity. Mainly this has concerned the collapsing economies of each of our countries, and then, because this is not quite bad enough, we are reminded it is a global recession. In case you incorrectly assumed that you might, in your corner of the world, get away with it, they’re going to make sure you realize that you are just about to catch it in the ear.
In case you think you’re so rich and secure that you’re immune to the vicissitudes of the economic storms raging just outside your door, and then wait for it, the terrorists are bound to get you.
Just when you’re safely through the security issues and have convinced yourself its OK to go through the airport check in you are somberly reminded that we are having the worst war situations since the Second World War in Iraq and Afghanistan.
All these issues are, obviously, terrible problems, and all too real, but give us a break. It wouldn’t be dishonest to talk these issues up a little less. After all it must be clear to everyone that the more we talk up these problems the more we worsen these situations to the detriment of all. We are talking ourselves into a recession and, if we carry on in this depressive mood we could actually tilt into much worse. It is not necessary and it will be very stupid if we become the architects of our own destruction in the ultimate act of suicidal stupidity.
We will get through this economic situation and come out the other end more prosperous in my opinion. The worst case scenario will be a better regulated environment and enhanced self discipline.
Our military will get out of Iraq, as they will, eventually, from Afghanistan.
In fact we would all benefit from a little less pontification and a bit more reconstruction, and, as I have repeatedly said in this column, the sun will, eventually come out tomorrow.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
ObamaQuestions
I seem to be hitting a nerve with my American friends regarding the upcoming Presidential election. It’s not like we share some special knowledge, but perhaps simply because we are looking at these issues from a slightly different, British angle.
In Britain we remember when Margaret Thatcher was first standing as the leader of the Conservative Party. They were fast approaching their first opportunity in government for quite some time. All the polls indicated that Maggie was going to win but as the date for the election approached her supporters were becoming extremely nervous. Remember that the economic situation in the UK at the time was so hopeless that the country was thought to be ungovernable. Many were emigrating, and my family and I had moved to the States to avoid the 3 days work week, punitive taxation and power black outs.
Would the people who said they were going to vote for a woman actually going to do so in the privacy of the voting booth? Would it have meant that the country was misogynistic if it did not?
Luckily for Mrs. Thatcher, and many say for the UK, they overwhelmingly did so, with the result that the UK had its iron lady as its Prime Minister. The secondary result was the renaissance of the British economy that, from that time only knew growth and prosperity over 44 successive quarters, until now!
The same type of hypothesis applies to Barack Obama. Will the American people really vote for a black man just like they say they will do? Is the country racist if it does not?
The truth is that the world really would prefer America to choose Obama, not because they especially love him, but due to the fact that they believe he represents a new beginning, a hope that there might be a step change in the way America behaves abroad as the remaining superpower.
Personally I don’t share the common perception that McCain is such a bad choice, or that Obama will be such a great one. I am highly nervous about both their choices for running mate. Joe Biden is simply a windbag, probably just about suited for the non-job of being number 2 to Obama. But it is much more likely that whoever is the back up to McCain has a better than even choice of being promoted to President. Palin in that role is more than scary.
Whoever wins will have to sort out some livable arrangements for an acceptable pull out from Iraq in the kind of time frame the Iraqi political leaders are talking about, over the next 18 to 36 months. Most of the slack will unfortunately be taken up by some kind of troop surge against the Taliban in Afghanistan to achieve the same type of result. Whatever our liberal hearts might wish for, there is no way to avoid the confrontation with the exporters of terrorism. Remember they were bombing you long before you thought of defending your country.
The real big elephant in the room for whoever leads America is how good are they going to be when dealing with the economy. That needs an alchemist who has a great deal of luck, because the job might be more about timing and long term planning in a global context than it is simply turning the US economic taps on and off. So far neither Obama nor McCain has offered any meaningful answers for these problems, and it could be that so far, there are no answers available for anyone to give.
In Britain we remember when Margaret Thatcher was first standing as the leader of the Conservative Party. They were fast approaching their first opportunity in government for quite some time. All the polls indicated that Maggie was going to win but as the date for the election approached her supporters were becoming extremely nervous. Remember that the economic situation in the UK at the time was so hopeless that the country was thought to be ungovernable. Many were emigrating, and my family and I had moved to the States to avoid the 3 days work week, punitive taxation and power black outs.
Would the people who said they were going to vote for a woman actually going to do so in the privacy of the voting booth? Would it have meant that the country was misogynistic if it did not?
Luckily for Mrs. Thatcher, and many say for the UK, they overwhelmingly did so, with the result that the UK had its iron lady as its Prime Minister. The secondary result was the renaissance of the British economy that, from that time only knew growth and prosperity over 44 successive quarters, until now!
The same type of hypothesis applies to Barack Obama. Will the American people really vote for a black man just like they say they will do? Is the country racist if it does not?
The truth is that the world really would prefer America to choose Obama, not because they especially love him, but due to the fact that they believe he represents a new beginning, a hope that there might be a step change in the way America behaves abroad as the remaining superpower.
Personally I don’t share the common perception that McCain is such a bad choice, or that Obama will be such a great one. I am highly nervous about both their choices for running mate. Joe Biden is simply a windbag, probably just about suited for the non-job of being number 2 to Obama. But it is much more likely that whoever is the back up to McCain has a better than even choice of being promoted to President. Palin in that role is more than scary.
Whoever wins will have to sort out some livable arrangements for an acceptable pull out from Iraq in the kind of time frame the Iraqi political leaders are talking about, over the next 18 to 36 months. Most of the slack will unfortunately be taken up by some kind of troop surge against the Taliban in Afghanistan to achieve the same type of result. Whatever our liberal hearts might wish for, there is no way to avoid the confrontation with the exporters of terrorism. Remember they were bombing you long before you thought of defending your country.
The real big elephant in the room for whoever leads America is how good are they going to be when dealing with the economy. That needs an alchemist who has a great deal of luck, because the job might be more about timing and long term planning in a global context than it is simply turning the US economic taps on and off. So far neither Obama nor McCain has offered any meaningful answers for these problems, and it could be that so far, there are no answers available for anyone to give.
ObamaQuestions
I seem to be hitting a nerve with my American friends regarding the upcoming Presidential election. It’s not like we share some special knowledge, but perhaps simply because we are looking at these issues from a slightly different, British angle.
In Britain we remember when Margaret Thatcher was first standing as the leader of the Conservative Party. They were fast approaching their first opportunity in government for quite some time. All the polls indicated that Maggie was going to win but as the date for the election approached her supporters were becoming extremely nervous. Remember that the economic situation in the UK at the time was so hopeless that the country was thought to be ungovernable. Many were emigrating, and my family and I had moved to the States to avoid the 3 days work week, punitive taxation and power black outs.
Would the people who said they were going to vote for a woman actually going to do so in the privacy of the voting booth? Would it have meant that the country was misogynistic if it did not?
Luckily for Mrs. Thatcher, and many say for the UK, they overwhelmingly did so, with the result that the UK had its iron lady as its Prime Minister. The secondary result was the renaissance of the British economy that, from that time only knew growth and prosperity over 44 successive quarters, until now!
The same type of hypothesis applies to Barack Obama. Will the American people really vote for a black man just like they say they will do? Is the country racist if it does not?
The truth is that the world really would prefer America to choose Obama, not because they especially love him, but due to the fact that they believe he represents a new beginning, a hope that there might be a step change in the way America behaves abroad as the remaining superpower.
Personally I don’t share the common perception that McCain is such a bad choice, or that Obama will be such a great one. I am highly nervous about both their choices for running mate. Joe Biden is simply a windbag, probably just about suited for the non-job of being number 2 to Obama. But it is much more likely that whoever is the back up to McCain has a better than even choice of being promoted to President. Palin in that role is more than scary.
Whoever wins will have to sort out some livable arrangements for an acceptable pull out from Iraq in the kind of time frame the Iraqi political leaders are talking about, over the next 18 to 36 months. Most of the slack will unfortunately be taken up by some kind of troop surge against the Taliban in Afghanistan to achieve the same type of result. Whatever our liberal hearts might wish for, there is no way to avoid the confrontation with the exporters of terrorism. Remember they were bombing you long before you thought of defending your country.
The real big elephant in the room for whoever leads America is how good are they going to be when dealing with the economy. That needs an alchemist who has a great deal of luck, because the job might be more about timing and long term planning in a global context than it is simply turning the US economic taps on and off. So far neither Obama nor McCain has offered any meaningful answers for these problems, and it could be that so far, there are no answers available for anyone to give.
In Britain we remember when Margaret Thatcher was first standing as the leader of the Conservative Party. They were fast approaching their first opportunity in government for quite some time. All the polls indicated that Maggie was going to win but as the date for the election approached her supporters were becoming extremely nervous. Remember that the economic situation in the UK at the time was so hopeless that the country was thought to be ungovernable. Many were emigrating, and my family and I had moved to the States to avoid the 3 days work week, punitive taxation and power black outs.
Would the people who said they were going to vote for a woman actually going to do so in the privacy of the voting booth? Would it have meant that the country was misogynistic if it did not?
Luckily for Mrs. Thatcher, and many say for the UK, they overwhelmingly did so, with the result that the UK had its iron lady as its Prime Minister. The secondary result was the renaissance of the British economy that, from that time only knew growth and prosperity over 44 successive quarters, until now!
The same type of hypothesis applies to Barack Obama. Will the American people really vote for a black man just like they say they will do? Is the country racist if it does not?
The truth is that the world really would prefer America to choose Obama, not because they especially love him, but due to the fact that they believe he represents a new beginning, a hope that there might be a step change in the way America behaves abroad as the remaining superpower.
Personally I don’t share the common perception that McCain is such a bad choice, or that Obama will be such a great one. I am highly nervous about both their choices for running mate. Joe Biden is simply a windbag, probably just about suited for the non-job of being number 2 to Obama. But it is much more likely that whoever is the back up to McCain has a better than even choice of being promoted to President. Palin in that role is more than scary.
Whoever wins will have to sort out some livable arrangements for an acceptable pull out from Iraq in the kind of time frame the Iraqi political leaders are talking about, over the next 18 to 36 months. Most of the slack will unfortunately be taken up by some kind of troop surge against the Taliban in Afghanistan to achieve the same type of result. Whatever our liberal hearts might wish for, there is no way to avoid the confrontation with the exporters of terrorism. Remember they were bombing you long before you thought of defending your country.
The real big elephant in the room for whoever leads America is how good are they going to be when dealing with the economy. That needs an alchemist who has a great deal of luck, because the job might be more about timing and long term planning in a global context than it is simply turning the US economic taps on and off. So far neither Obama nor McCain has offered any meaningful answers for these problems, and it could be that so far, there are no answers available for anyone to give.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
AmericanQuestions
Here is an exchange I have had with some American people, regarding the upcoming Presidential election. Salutations and thanks to my correspondents.
Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read, "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.
Once in the restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" pin, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.
When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to
someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I 've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.
At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized
the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.
I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept
than in practical application.
To which I responded;
I am a Brit and live in the UK. We have, since WW2 lived with socialism in all but name, most of the time.
Let me tell you, my American friends, whatever you call it, socialism doesn't work, unless the givers and receivers are happy with the deal, like the tiny proportion of people who live voluntarily in those mini socialist paradises called old style kibbutzim (in Israel).
I don't have a vote in your election and to me Obama reminds me much more of a handsome, darker version of Jimmy Carter, which is very worrying. But he looks like he's decent and trying to do the right thing, whereas McCain looks a really decent guy, who doesn't have a clue about the economy. What would swing me and most of my fellow Brits to vote for Obama is our total terror of Sarah Palin!
By the way, most of us in the UK love your country and are always fascinated by it, and we want good to happen there, particularly me as I have a daughter who lives there and two grandchildren who are American.
Good luck with the election America, you need it!
All the best, Tony Klinger
Which drew another response;
I am a friend . I enjoyed reading your response. I have a question for you. What scares you about Sarah Palin? She was a Governor of a state. This, in my opinion, gives her more experience of being in charge then Obama. He was a Senator. What does a Senator run? Nothing! I do agree with you. Just curious about the Palin thing. According to people in Alaska, she has a very high approval rating. So she must be doing something right. Obama and Biden just remind me of con men.
In return I sent this;
I have done quite a lot of research on Sarah Palin, who, initially I thought a very attractive person and candidate. There have since been a great many personal anecdotes and interviews about her, which I found disturbing. Being a journalist/ documentary filmmaker by original profession, I am trained to triangulate my sources on the basis that one source might lie, two might distort but three means you have a fair chance of some accuracy. I have so far logged about 20 genuinely worrying instances of her behavior that I find of great concern. I think she does mean well, and I am convinced her intent is genuinely good, but I also think she is armed with very little self-correcting political / personal GPS. I'm not saying positive things about Obama, and I think Biden is a wind bag, (please feel free to read some of my blogs on these men!) but I do think we have to consider what might happen if Ms. Palin were to assume power one day, and that is probable if McCain was to win. There are all kinds of problems beginning to surface in Alaska, which she has tended to run like a mom and pop shop rather than as a democratic state.
Personally I hate to think of what Voltaire said, that a country gets the government it deserves, because that means both our countries must have been doing something pretty bad recently. Perhaps there needed to be a major re-adjustment of how things would be run, and we are still in the middle of that seismic shift. Sadly I don't think any of the candidates is anywhere near as outstanding as we need or, I like to think, warrant. I'm advocating a negative vote, Obama, possibly being a damage limitation exercise in an almost impossible situation. However, we should all remember that your country once faced similar impossible odds and came up with FDR who pretty much saved the Western way of life along with a little fellow my country found at just the right moment, what price a Winston Churchill right now?
Obama and especially Biden give me the same feeling they give you, but, unlike McCain and Palin, they also do seem to know, a little bit of what they're supposed to be doing. Not a great choice though.
I received;
Thanks for the comments. I enjoyed reading them.
Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read, "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.
Once in the restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" pin, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.
When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to
someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I 've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.
At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized
the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.
I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept
than in practical application.
To which I responded;
I am a Brit and live in the UK. We have, since WW2 lived with socialism in all but name, most of the time.
Let me tell you, my American friends, whatever you call it, socialism doesn't work, unless the givers and receivers are happy with the deal, like the tiny proportion of people who live voluntarily in those mini socialist paradises called old style kibbutzim (in Israel).
I don't have a vote in your election and to me Obama reminds me much more of a handsome, darker version of Jimmy Carter, which is very worrying. But he looks like he's decent and trying to do the right thing, whereas McCain looks a really decent guy, who doesn't have a clue about the economy. What would swing me and most of my fellow Brits to vote for Obama is our total terror of Sarah Palin!
By the way, most of us in the UK love your country and are always fascinated by it, and we want good to happen there, particularly me as I have a daughter who lives there and two grandchildren who are American.
Good luck with the election America, you need it!
All the best, Tony Klinger
Which drew another response;
I am a friend . I enjoyed reading your response. I have a question for you. What scares you about Sarah Palin? She was a Governor of a state. This, in my opinion, gives her more experience of being in charge then Obama. He was a Senator. What does a Senator run? Nothing! I do agree with you. Just curious about the Palin thing. According to people in Alaska, she has a very high approval rating. So she must be doing something right. Obama and Biden just remind me of con men.
In return I sent this;
I have done quite a lot of research on Sarah Palin, who, initially I thought a very attractive person and candidate. There have since been a great many personal anecdotes and interviews about her, which I found disturbing. Being a journalist/ documentary filmmaker by original profession, I am trained to triangulate my sources on the basis that one source might lie, two might distort but three means you have a fair chance of some accuracy. I have so far logged about 20 genuinely worrying instances of her behavior that I find of great concern. I think she does mean well, and I am convinced her intent is genuinely good, but I also think she is armed with very little self-correcting political / personal GPS. I'm not saying positive things about Obama, and I think Biden is a wind bag, (please feel free to read some of my blogs on these men!) but I do think we have to consider what might happen if Ms. Palin were to assume power one day, and that is probable if McCain was to win. There are all kinds of problems beginning to surface in Alaska, which she has tended to run like a mom and pop shop rather than as a democratic state.
Personally I hate to think of what Voltaire said, that a country gets the government it deserves, because that means both our countries must have been doing something pretty bad recently. Perhaps there needed to be a major re-adjustment of how things would be run, and we are still in the middle of that seismic shift. Sadly I don't think any of the candidates is anywhere near as outstanding as we need or, I like to think, warrant. I'm advocating a negative vote, Obama, possibly being a damage limitation exercise in an almost impossible situation. However, we should all remember that your country once faced similar impossible odds and came up with FDR who pretty much saved the Western way of life along with a little fellow my country found at just the right moment, what price a Winston Churchill right now?
Obama and especially Biden give me the same feeling they give you, but, unlike McCain and Palin, they also do seem to know, a little bit of what they're supposed to be doing. Not a great choice though.
I received;
Thanks for the comments. I enjoyed reading them.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
BrandWavesByeBye
Today in the UK we witnessed the ritual public humiliation of those found to affront the public taste. They are Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, two very naughty man boys, Russell now in his thirties and Jonathan in his late forties. Their BBC paymasters suspended them, on full pay. They had broadcast a very offensive radio 2 show and it has created a tsunami of a reaction and become an even bigger issue this week than the credit crunch.
Russell Brand said, “I think it was a really, really silly thing to do. It happened in the spirit of the moment, I didn’t want to upset Andrew Sachs, particularly because I really admire him and his work as an actor. I didn’t want to apologize publicly before because it might seem I was apologizing for the reaction rather to the person I had offended. The reason I hadn’t apologized to Georgina, and I do intend to, is because I’m frankly embarrassed to do so.” It’s a great pity that Brand waited until there was a huge public revulsion before he offered a proper and fulsome apology.
Brand then resigned from his radio show. A contrite looking Brand went on to say, “ I was silly enough to speak without thinking, and I shouldn’t have done so. I apologize to Andrew Sachs for any upset I might have caused him.”
Andrew Sachs, the main offended party said, “These are two performers, I’m a performer, sometimes, you get it very wrong, and then you have to do better.” His granddaughter, Georgina, who Brand and Ross had said intimate things about said, “I’m thrilled because justice has been done.”
Ross’s Friday show recording was cancelled tonight. As Ross said, “It was juvenile and a stupid error of judgment.”
Of course something had to be done, and seen to be done. I called for the dismissal of both these men for their outrageous, illegal and obscene phone calls to the actor Andrew Sachs. I won’t recount the whole incident; you can look up my previous blog, and the millions of other articles and blogs that this controversy has generated in the last days.
Suffice it to say that the men have, apparently now realized that they have really screwed up. The BBC went into full grovel mode, with a succession of their middle and finally most senior management issuing total and self abasing apologizes.
Of course this was too little and too late. The BBC has been behind the curve on this issue throughout, which is incredible in these days of emergency preparedness for any and all contingencies. If they had dealt promptly with this unfolding problem would have been diminished to almost no significance.
As it is the number of complaints to the BBC has, so far, topped 27,000 with something like 99.5% apparently against Brand and Ross. There are also some people, almost all younger, and mostly the more youthful demographic of radio 1, who argue that these are just edgy comedians pushing at the limits of what’s acceptable as modern comedy is meant to do.
Now the BBC must hold a very fast enquiry and tell us how this pre-recorded program was allowed on air?
Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were clearly bouncing off each other, and the safety net is supposed to be the production team.
So how was it then possible that the producer could play this material and then OK it for broadcast?
What kind of training did this producer receive?
How could the producer have made this judgment after telephoning Andrew Sachs to discuss his feelings about what was proposed, and despite Sachs asking the producer not to broadcast it?
Why were there no BBC guidelines for this scenario in place for an obviously inexperienced producer?
It’s bad enough that this kind of show could get on air, let’s make certain it doesn’t happen again. But we don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We still want comedy, and edgy is fine, but that doesn’t mean its open season on those that can’t defend themselves.
Russell Brand said, “I think it was a really, really silly thing to do. It happened in the spirit of the moment, I didn’t want to upset Andrew Sachs, particularly because I really admire him and his work as an actor. I didn’t want to apologize publicly before because it might seem I was apologizing for the reaction rather to the person I had offended. The reason I hadn’t apologized to Georgina, and I do intend to, is because I’m frankly embarrassed to do so.” It’s a great pity that Brand waited until there was a huge public revulsion before he offered a proper and fulsome apology.
Brand then resigned from his radio show. A contrite looking Brand went on to say, “ I was silly enough to speak without thinking, and I shouldn’t have done so. I apologize to Andrew Sachs for any upset I might have caused him.”
Andrew Sachs, the main offended party said, “These are two performers, I’m a performer, sometimes, you get it very wrong, and then you have to do better.” His granddaughter, Georgina, who Brand and Ross had said intimate things about said, “I’m thrilled because justice has been done.”
Ross’s Friday show recording was cancelled tonight. As Ross said, “It was juvenile and a stupid error of judgment.”
Of course something had to be done, and seen to be done. I called for the dismissal of both these men for their outrageous, illegal and obscene phone calls to the actor Andrew Sachs. I won’t recount the whole incident; you can look up my previous blog, and the millions of other articles and blogs that this controversy has generated in the last days.
Suffice it to say that the men have, apparently now realized that they have really screwed up. The BBC went into full grovel mode, with a succession of their middle and finally most senior management issuing total and self abasing apologizes.
Of course this was too little and too late. The BBC has been behind the curve on this issue throughout, which is incredible in these days of emergency preparedness for any and all contingencies. If they had dealt promptly with this unfolding problem would have been diminished to almost no significance.
As it is the number of complaints to the BBC has, so far, topped 27,000 with something like 99.5% apparently against Brand and Ross. There are also some people, almost all younger, and mostly the more youthful demographic of radio 1, who argue that these are just edgy comedians pushing at the limits of what’s acceptable as modern comedy is meant to do.
Now the BBC must hold a very fast enquiry and tell us how this pre-recorded program was allowed on air?
Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were clearly bouncing off each other, and the safety net is supposed to be the production team.
So how was it then possible that the producer could play this material and then OK it for broadcast?
What kind of training did this producer receive?
How could the producer have made this judgment after telephoning Andrew Sachs to discuss his feelings about what was proposed, and despite Sachs asking the producer not to broadcast it?
Why were there no BBC guidelines for this scenario in place for an obviously inexperienced producer?
It’s bad enough that this kind of show could get on air, let’s make certain it doesn’t happen again. But we don’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We still want comedy, and edgy is fine, but that doesn’t mean its open season on those that can’t defend themselves.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
MygrandchildrenTheFish
My American grand kids called me on the phone from their mum’s car. They were excited because they had both made a giant step forward in the Lenny Krayzelburg swim school of Los Angeles.
Krayzelburg was born to Jewish parents in Odessa (then part of the Soviet Union, now the Ukraine). He and his family left the Soviet Union in 1989 for the United States. They settled in Los Angeles.
Krayzelburg's family was dirt poor. He took the bus and then walked 45 minutes each way to his swimming practice, and didn't arrive home until 9:30 each night. In addition, he couldn’t initially speak English, which was vital for him to understand his coaches' instructions. Thankfully he managed to adapt quickly.
Lenny attended Santa Monica College where he won both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke junior college titles. His coach at Santa Monica recognized his talent and recommended him to the University of Southern California, which he transferred to.
In 1995, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Four years later, he became the first swimmer since 1986 to sweep the backstroke events, 100 m & 200 m, in the World Championships. Later that same month Krayzelburg broke both the 100 and the 200 m world records respectively and was recognized as the top backstroke swimmer in the world and one of the best in the history of this swimming style. He continued to dominate at the Sydney 2000 Olympics backstroke, shattering the Olympic record .He also played an important role in helping the American team win a gold medal in the 4x100 m relay.
If any story every proved the power of an individual to rise above adversity that would be the story of the man whose swim school now teaches my grandchildren how to do their best.
Soli, my nearly 6-year-old grand son came on the line first, and unusually for him he wasn’t eating, and was actually talking when he was handed the phone. He was hugely proud, having been promoted through the ranks to now be the owner of a blue swim hat, which means he is only a white, silver and gold hat from the competition level. I now call him Soli the fish, but I think he wants to be Soli the shark, but we might compromise on Soli the Dolphin.
Perhaps even more proud was Maya, who will be 8 in December. She has already navigated all those other hats and as she told me, with the lofty knowledge only possessed by the very mature young ladies of California, “I get to try out for the competition team on Monday at 7 in the evening poppa, and I’ve only had a golden swim hat for one month, and the other girl trying out is nearly 12 and she’s been a gold cap for about a year, and she’s really big.”
Of course its obvious knowledge that we shared, poppa to granddaughter, that the entire family is part fish in its history. As she knows from family legend passed down to her from her mummy, I was a competition swimmer. So were many members of our family, and as Mrs. Klinger pointed out somewhat forcefully, so were many members of her family. I said to Maya that it’s no surprise she’s good in the water.
All of which is my long-winded and inelegant way of saying there is nothing more wonderful than families, or listening to the innocent joy of accomplishment of young children. All those who say kids don’t like to compete should listen to those kids who quite clearly enjoy doing their best.
I remember being so proud of winning my swimming races, and the sheer thrill of swimming a couple of miles in the sun blessed pool outside the Pez Espada hotel in southern Spain when I was much the same age as Maya is now. What a gift that was, passed on to me by my wonderful family who understood there is something wonderful, that needs to be treasured in striving for physical excellence, and I am proud that my family was able to pass that pleasure on, in tact, to our children, and now they are doing the same for their children.
I am totally convinced that there are also benefits to people who are stretched to their best physically in that they also thrive to their best mentally. Whatever the reason, its wonderful to see the smiles on small kids faces when they feel fulfilled.
It's also a big deal for all those mums and dads who spend time promoting their children towards excellence, without bullying them, to be the best they can be. Without my daughter Sarah spending time several times a week driving the kids to the swimming pool, and waiting for them as long as its necessary, whatever talent they might have would never be discovered. For all those mums and dads, well done!
In a perfect ending to this particular story I just heard that Maya won her place onto the Royal Swim Team and starts competing in her section in the next month or so. As they say in the States, “you go girl!”
Krayzelburg was born to Jewish parents in Odessa (then part of the Soviet Union, now the Ukraine). He and his family left the Soviet Union in 1989 for the United States. They settled in Los Angeles.
Krayzelburg's family was dirt poor. He took the bus and then walked 45 minutes each way to his swimming practice, and didn't arrive home until 9:30 each night. In addition, he couldn’t initially speak English, which was vital for him to understand his coaches' instructions. Thankfully he managed to adapt quickly.
Lenny attended Santa Monica College where he won both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke junior college titles. His coach at Santa Monica recognized his talent and recommended him to the University of Southern California, which he transferred to.
In 1995, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Four years later, he became the first swimmer since 1986 to sweep the backstroke events, 100 m & 200 m, in the World Championships. Later that same month Krayzelburg broke both the 100 and the 200 m world records respectively and was recognized as the top backstroke swimmer in the world and one of the best in the history of this swimming style. He continued to dominate at the Sydney 2000 Olympics backstroke, shattering the Olympic record .He also played an important role in helping the American team win a gold medal in the 4x100 m relay.
If any story every proved the power of an individual to rise above adversity that would be the story of the man whose swim school now teaches my grandchildren how to do their best.
Soli, my nearly 6-year-old grand son came on the line first, and unusually for him he wasn’t eating, and was actually talking when he was handed the phone. He was hugely proud, having been promoted through the ranks to now be the owner of a blue swim hat, which means he is only a white, silver and gold hat from the competition level. I now call him Soli the fish, but I think he wants to be Soli the shark, but we might compromise on Soli the Dolphin.
Perhaps even more proud was Maya, who will be 8 in December. She has already navigated all those other hats and as she told me, with the lofty knowledge only possessed by the very mature young ladies of California, “I get to try out for the competition team on Monday at 7 in the evening poppa, and I’ve only had a golden swim hat for one month, and the other girl trying out is nearly 12 and she’s been a gold cap for about a year, and she’s really big.”
Of course its obvious knowledge that we shared, poppa to granddaughter, that the entire family is part fish in its history. As she knows from family legend passed down to her from her mummy, I was a competition swimmer. So were many members of our family, and as Mrs. Klinger pointed out somewhat forcefully, so were many members of her family. I said to Maya that it’s no surprise she’s good in the water.
All of which is my long-winded and inelegant way of saying there is nothing more wonderful than families, or listening to the innocent joy of accomplishment of young children. All those who say kids don’t like to compete should listen to those kids who quite clearly enjoy doing their best.
I remember being so proud of winning my swimming races, and the sheer thrill of swimming a couple of miles in the sun blessed pool outside the Pez Espada hotel in southern Spain when I was much the same age as Maya is now. What a gift that was, passed on to me by my wonderful family who understood there is something wonderful, that needs to be treasured in striving for physical excellence, and I am proud that my family was able to pass that pleasure on, in tact, to our children, and now they are doing the same for their children.
I am totally convinced that there are also benefits to people who are stretched to their best physically in that they also thrive to their best mentally. Whatever the reason, its wonderful to see the smiles on small kids faces when they feel fulfilled.
It's also a big deal for all those mums and dads who spend time promoting their children towards excellence, without bullying them, to be the best they can be. Without my daughter Sarah spending time several times a week driving the kids to the swimming pool, and waiting for them as long as its necessary, whatever talent they might have would never be discovered. For all those mums and dads, well done!
In a perfect ending to this particular story I just heard that Maya won her place onto the Royal Swim Team and starts competing in her section in the next month or so. As they say in the States, “you go girl!”
Monday, October 27, 2008
40ThingsWeCouldAllDoWithout
This is the list to end all lists, this is the list in which you get to write down all the things you would like to get rid off.
This is not going to be comprehensive, and we might have to revisit it when you’ve all had a look and decided to send me anything you want to add to my list.
So here goes, and I have numbered this list, purely so you can refer to any of the items more easily, to tell me where I’ve gone wrong.
Here is my list of things to remove from our planet.
1. Lists. Yes, I admit that lists are something to lose.
2. I particularly hate those list programs on television.
3. Call centers, this is a no brainer, everyone, even the people in call centers hate them.
4. Banks advertising, when they’re really hiding their money under a blanket in their offices right now.
5. Scotland, when are they going to wake up to the fact that they lose every important time they take the English on?
6. Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross for being such rubbish to Andrew Sachs on BBC radio 2 over the weekend. They deserve sacking.
7. Any more films about climate change that make statements without proof or evidence.
8. Any conspiracy clips on You Tube.
9. Music by James Blunt.
10. People parking on Disabled Parking spaces without reason or the correct stickers.
11. People who jump the line or queue.
12. Unsolicited telephone calls.
13. Drizzle, I don’t mind rain or sunshine or even snow, but drizzle is miserable. No one likes it, so let’s ban it outright!
14. Speed limits on motorways, highways etc.
15. Smoking anything ever. Since I stopped about 20 years ago anyone can, and must.
16. Anyone with a higher IQ than me, unless they’re anything to do with aircraft or other means of making me safe when I travel.
17. Anything and anyone that messes with any of my family or friends.
18. All the political parties in the UK with the exception of that chap in the Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable, who actually talks sense.
19. People claiming to be Spartacus when it’s obvious that I am Spartacus!
20. All those boring people that claim that they don’t have any time to watch television before they tell you, in detail, about every program.
21. People you care about dying.
22. Pets getting too old.
23. Long terminal illnesses of loved ones.
24. Short shocking illnesses of loved ones.
25. A lack of time to do all the things you wanted to do.
26. Long winter nights.
27. Angry people.
28. Fundamentalists of every hue, race, religion and creed.
29. Folk with bad memories, they cause so many fights.
30. Ignorance.
31. Lunatic drivers.
32. Green vegetables.
33. Almost all folk singers.
34. Morris dancers who bring shame on our otherwise great country by being the silliest people on the planet.
35. People who justify terrorism when it isn’t aimed in their direction.
36. George W Bush for pausing in, all the, wrong places.
37. Sarah Palin for letting down the possibilities for an elected woman in the highest reaches of American government.
38. All the bankers in the world for being greedy, greasy, inefficient and unapologetic.
39. The politicians for not having the good grace to admit that they are also at fault for our present problems.
That will do for now, please feel free to send me your additions or comments. I aim to use the best ideas in a follow up list.
This is not going to be comprehensive, and we might have to revisit it when you’ve all had a look and decided to send me anything you want to add to my list.
So here goes, and I have numbered this list, purely so you can refer to any of the items more easily, to tell me where I’ve gone wrong.
Here is my list of things to remove from our planet.
1. Lists. Yes, I admit that lists are something to lose.
2. I particularly hate those list programs on television.
3. Call centers, this is a no brainer, everyone, even the people in call centers hate them.
4. Banks advertising, when they’re really hiding their money under a blanket in their offices right now.
5. Scotland, when are they going to wake up to the fact that they lose every important time they take the English on?
6. Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross for being such rubbish to Andrew Sachs on BBC radio 2 over the weekend. They deserve sacking.
7. Any more films about climate change that make statements without proof or evidence.
8. Any conspiracy clips on You Tube.
9. Music by James Blunt.
10. People parking on Disabled Parking spaces without reason or the correct stickers.
11. People who jump the line or queue.
12. Unsolicited telephone calls.
13. Drizzle, I don’t mind rain or sunshine or even snow, but drizzle is miserable. No one likes it, so let’s ban it outright!
14. Speed limits on motorways, highways etc.
15. Smoking anything ever. Since I stopped about 20 years ago anyone can, and must.
16. Anyone with a higher IQ than me, unless they’re anything to do with aircraft or other means of making me safe when I travel.
17. Anything and anyone that messes with any of my family or friends.
18. All the political parties in the UK with the exception of that chap in the Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable, who actually talks sense.
19. People claiming to be Spartacus when it’s obvious that I am Spartacus!
20. All those boring people that claim that they don’t have any time to watch television before they tell you, in detail, about every program.
21. People you care about dying.
22. Pets getting too old.
23. Long terminal illnesses of loved ones.
24. Short shocking illnesses of loved ones.
25. A lack of time to do all the things you wanted to do.
26. Long winter nights.
27. Angry people.
28. Fundamentalists of every hue, race, religion and creed.
29. Folk with bad memories, they cause so many fights.
30. Ignorance.
31. Lunatic drivers.
32. Green vegetables.
33. Almost all folk singers.
34. Morris dancers who bring shame on our otherwise great country by being the silliest people on the planet.
35. People who justify terrorism when it isn’t aimed in their direction.
36. George W Bush for pausing in, all the, wrong places.
37. Sarah Palin for letting down the possibilities for an elected woman in the highest reaches of American government.
38. All the bankers in the world for being greedy, greasy, inefficient and unapologetic.
39. The politicians for not having the good grace to admit that they are also at fault for our present problems.
That will do for now, please feel free to send me your additions or comments. I aim to use the best ideas in a follow up list.
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