Ill-Fitting Bra

Poor spelling at a restaurant I frequently visit has given me an excellent opportunity for some puerile humour. I’m disappointed to say that, other than the title of this post, I haven’t come up with anything convincing for this little gaffe. If you can do better, please post a comment.

Catharsis

As a life-long hoarder, I’d never appreciated the value of a good throw-out. My wardrobe policy has historically consisted of only one rule – keep it, it might be useful some day. Having now vastly reduced the size of my wardrobe, including taking two bags to Oxfam, I’m surprised at how much better I feel about it.

There’s no realistic chance that I’ll carry this policy on to books, which are also crowding my limited space, but perhaps I can manage to de-clutter, even if I don’t throw out.

Salsa New Year

I’d forgotten how a really good night can give you a buzz that lasts most of the next day.

How Irrational Fear Takes Hold

There are many possible reasons why people dislike a particular technology. Some are fair, and some are not. Among the unfair reasons are the Not-Invented-Here syndrome, a fear of the new, or a slavish devotion to one paradigm or another. The reason I want to look at is a groupthink style that seems to evolve in IT shops, reminiscent of the one about the bananas, the monkeys and the electric shocks.

The Worst Salsa CD in the World … Ever!

The worst salsa CD I’ve ever come across is Salsa Sensation by the BBC Big Band Salsa All Stars. It is dross, an abomination, and an abuse of the word ’salsa’.

After Pérez Prado, the next most Latin name is Jobim, the Brazilian bossa nova chappy. The first two tracks are Mambo No. 5 with Lou Bega’s lyrics, and Brazil, with no lyrics. The percussion is limp throughout, giving a boringly simple rhythm, and the vocals are cheesy in the extreme. The horn section is merely very bad. Most of the tracks are not obvious candidates for salsa arrangements, and have not been arranged with any skill.

It’s tacky throughout, and I don’t recognise it as salsa music. The horrific thing is that this might be some poor people’s idea of what salsa is.

Political Deaths

Seems like a bad time to be a politician.

Big Brother and the Member for Bethnal Green and Bow

I admit I laughed when I read that George Galloway was participating in Celebrity Big Brother. I admired him for his stand against the war in Iraq, and I was pleased when he beat Oona King. I loved his performance in the US senate.

I can’t escape the feeling, though, that he should be representing his constituents, and that he won’t be doing it in the Big Brother house.

Freedom Isn’t Free

At least, it probably won’t be for long, if the Department for Constitutional Affairs gets its way.

“An about-turn on the newly implemented Freedom of Information Act has been prompted by a series of embarrassing revelations about the inner workings of government. The cost of responding to requests has also proved so expensive for civil servants to administer that a charge for information is being seen as the only alternative.”

So there you go. Freedom of Information is too expensive, and you might find out things that you shouldn’t.

Oceans Apart, part 252

My copy of My Job Went to India arrived today. I’ve only just started flipping through it, but I was quickly struck by a cultural difference between the author and myself.

In the introduction, on page six, he writes, “Forming labor unions and picketing would be defeatist.” Without giving you the surrounding paragraphs, it’s hard to be completely fair to the author. Nonetheless I’m taken aback by the idea that exercising a right enshrined by the UN (article 23.4) twice (8.1) would be seen as a bad thing. For what it’s worth, I’m not a member of a trade union.

Wikipedia needs you…

…to open your wallet.

I did, and I feel a sense of smug superiority already.