Metaphor Problems

It is, I suppose, hardly surprising that the market for new cars in Europe is in poor shape. With Germany having to support failing economies in southern Europe to a lesser or greater extent, and with 25% unemployment in Spain and so on, the purchase of a new car is not likely to be top of the list for many people.

Late last month there was a report by the BBC about the prevailing gloom amongst the motor-manufacturers that included this splendid statement from Sergio Marchionne, FIAT's boss:  

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat Auto agrees. "The European car market is a disaster," he says.

"It has plunged off a precipice that doesn't seem to have bottomed out yet. The prospects are anything but rosy,"

There was once some correspondence in The Times about mixed metaphors that included a superb example where a professor accused another of "Propping up the scaffolding of a collapsing hypothesis with a red herring."  Marchonne's statement runs this one quite close I think.

Until the next time

Global Warming, Passive Smoking - or perhaps both?

Dead birds falling from the skies in the USA and now Sweden are indeed strange events - and quite disturbing.

However, stranger still if no-one comes forward to blame "global warming" or "passive smoking" for these sad events!

And on the latter subject, three cheers for the Spanish rebels.

Until the next time.

More Smoking (Not actually)

I have never visited Spain, as indeed I have not visited many countries in Europe - and none at all in the rest of the world, unfortunately.

Since 2007 when so many countries enacted absurd anti-smoking (and anti-smoker) legistlation, Spain had become attractive since its government decided that bars could declare themselves either "smoking" or "non-smoking" a fair solution I thought in the face of hysterical anti-smoking lobbies.

Now Spain has dropped well down the list since, as the Daily Telegraph reported last week, it has decided that smoking in public places is to be banned, bringing the country into line with other oppressive regimes like the United Kingdom and France. It was pleasant, now that the weather has turned very cold to visit my favourite frontier bar yesterday morning, to be greeted with a warm and welcoming fug as I walked in!

Those who are critical of, or resent my stance on this subject, or those who believe all the propaganda, would do well to visit Frank Davis's Live Journal. His articles are very readable and appeal very much to me as an opponent of "Big Government." Mr Davis has performed some exhaustive research which makes fascinating reading and clearly shows how data have been manipulated to provide the "correct" results - exactly as have data concerning so-called global warming. Here

Until the next time.

Effrontery

Yes, effrontery - in other words, a bloody cheek.

I have three instances for you to consider.

First, we have the recent case where in some London play, members of the cast performed something called a "Haka" which by all accounts originates with the Maori natives in New Zealand. The Maoris, or at least their spokesman objected to this performance on the grounds that "it insulted their culture."

Second, the Chinese have protested about the sale of a couple of old bronze figures which they say were stolen from China around 1860. Supposed to be worth around €14 million apiece, the Chinese say that the sale of these sculptures "insults their culture." Indeed some individual representing some sort of Chinese interest actually bid for these items, won the auction and now refuses to pay. The Chinese seem to imagine that the current owner will just give the sculptures back to China! Dreamers.

And finally we have the story from Gibralatar reported today in the Daily Telegraph. Yesterday, the Princess Royal arrived to perform the official opening of a military clinic. The Spanish Government has protested about the visit saying "It is an affront to Spain." Why?

My word, isn't everybody quick to take offence?

The Maoris protest about some dance routine about 10,000 miles away; what the hell has it got to do with them? None of their damned business is it?

The Chinese protest about the sale of a pair of sculptures; they have possibly a bit more of a case, but frankly it was 149 years ago - are they really serious?

The Spanish of course have an absolute bloody cheek. Gibraltar has been British since 1713 - ceded by Spain as part of the treaty of Utrecht. What goes on there is none of their damned business; it is a British colony. As Gibraltarian resident observed:

"As for Spain, well what happens here is none of their business," she commented. "They lost Gibraltar 300 years ago and its time they got over it and left us alone."

All over the world we have countries, groups, religions and individuals taking "offence;" we have the ludicrous situation where prime ministers and presidents apologise for events hundreds of years old.

What's the matter with all these people?

Until the next time.