I think that I made a wise choice when I decided to lie prone on my sun bed listening to the songs of Tom Lehrer rather than watch the English team be sent packing. Again.
I am however watching an appallingly refereed match where Mexico had a clearly (even I could see that!) off-side goal against them allowed by a linesman who obviously knows just a little less of the rule book than I do!
The clearly idiotic Capo (I use the word advisedly) of FIFA has made some sort of fatuous comment that the mistakes in refereeing add to the excitement of the game. I understand that this gentleman is French. A member of the nation whose national team has returned in disgrace to its home country and where a member of the team has been summoned to the presence of the diminutive president to explain himself. And I think that is sufficient xenophobia for the moment!
The best thing about the World Cup, as far as I can see is that there are now fewer teams in the competition after the group stage and there is only one game that the remaining teams play as they progress to the next round. The fewer the games the sooner it will all be over thank god.
I also fail to see that the travesties of sportsmanship that we see in every game and the blatant national hatreds that are demonstrated with startling clarity do anything to foster international understanding or anything positive at all – except to demonstrate the clear fact that there are some grossly overpaid under-performers in this world!
And I wonder if their wages are going to be reduced by 5% like government paid teachers in Spain! Thinking about it that is a poor analogy as teachers have done nothing to create the circumstances in which their wages might be reduced and there is no question about their ability to do their jobs – they are paying for other people’s mistakes. Whereas the England team, however, etc etc etc.
Listening to Tom Lehrer (a consummate professional) while ignoring the woeful performance of England (add your own adjective before the word “professional”) was a delight. Only he would have the linguistic temerity to rhyme “try to hide” with “cyanide” in the wonderful song of “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”. As he is still alive I have considered writing to him and asking him to pen a ditty along the same lines but this time taking dogs as the subject matter.
It really does seem like an unwritten law that each house and flat should have its own wolf-descended yelping travesty to lessen the peace in the world.
The amount of dog filth on the pavements is ludicrous and it looks as though there is some sort of coprophiliac turd fairy who trips along Catalan streets distributing disgusting canine deposits as she goes! The chances of an owner being fined as, to put it mildly, remote so they don’t need to worry too much about their pampered pets fouling the pavements.
Tomorrow I am supposed to be having some sort of meeting to work out what I am going to be teaching next year: this should be interesting as, in one or two areas that I am going to teaching I have been told that I can do what I like. Within certain limits. Perhaps I will find out what those limits are tomorrow.
Always something new.
I am however watching an appallingly refereed match where Mexico had a clearly (even I could see that!) off-side goal against them allowed by a linesman who obviously knows just a little less of the rule book than I do!
The clearly idiotic Capo (I use the word advisedly) of FIFA has made some sort of fatuous comment that the mistakes in refereeing add to the excitement of the game. I understand that this gentleman is French. A member of the nation whose national team has returned in disgrace to its home country and where a member of the team has been summoned to the presence of the diminutive president to explain himself. And I think that is sufficient xenophobia for the moment!
The best thing about the World Cup, as far as I can see is that there are now fewer teams in the competition after the group stage and there is only one game that the remaining teams play as they progress to the next round. The fewer the games the sooner it will all be over thank god.
I also fail to see that the travesties of sportsmanship that we see in every game and the blatant national hatreds that are demonstrated with startling clarity do anything to foster international understanding or anything positive at all – except to demonstrate the clear fact that there are some grossly overpaid under-performers in this world!
And I wonder if their wages are going to be reduced by 5% like government paid teachers in Spain! Thinking about it that is a poor analogy as teachers have done nothing to create the circumstances in which their wages might be reduced and there is no question about their ability to do their jobs – they are paying for other people’s mistakes. Whereas the England team, however, etc etc etc.
Listening to Tom Lehrer (a consummate professional) while ignoring the woeful performance of England (add your own adjective before the word “professional”) was a delight. Only he would have the linguistic temerity to rhyme “try to hide” with “cyanide” in the wonderful song of “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”. As he is still alive I have considered writing to him and asking him to pen a ditty along the same lines but this time taking dogs as the subject matter.
It really does seem like an unwritten law that each house and flat should have its own wolf-descended yelping travesty to lessen the peace in the world.
The amount of dog filth on the pavements is ludicrous and it looks as though there is some sort of coprophiliac turd fairy who trips along Catalan streets distributing disgusting canine deposits as she goes! The chances of an owner being fined as, to put it mildly, remote so they don’t need to worry too much about their pampered pets fouling the pavements.
Tomorrow I am supposed to be having some sort of meeting to work out what I am going to be teaching next year: this should be interesting as, in one or two areas that I am going to teaching I have been told that I can do what I like. Within certain limits. Perhaps I will find out what those limits are tomorrow.
Always something new.
No comments:
Post a Comment