Dream on....

A local politician (not someone I admire) recently stated that if at first you don't succeed , just forget about it. 

Personally I find that rather sad. Without dreams where would we be? In many cases possibly a great deal wealthier.

This is something that Americans are very good at. Martin Luther King had a dream which eventuated to some extent but only some time after his death. They are great believers in following the dream in striving to achieve the impossible. Does it work.? Probably not in the majority of cases.

Indian Prime Minister Modi has a dream that Yoga resume its place in Indian culture and society and he has appointed a minister in his newly formed cabinet to be I/C Yoga. He's got something like 66 new ministers. 66 Lotus positions at a Governmental meeting would be something to behold.

Few of us are lucky enough to get to the goals we set ourselves because life, like voters , is  fickle. However, everything is relative, especially in India where everybody is related to everybody and a farewell at Heathrow resembles a miniature New Delhi without the rickshaws. Funny lot. On the one hand so spiritual and mystical and on the other really very materialistic. Anybody seen young middle class Indian ladies shopping? It's scary.

A person one may consider to be a drone may be extremely content in his or her humdrum existence.Yet another who avoids stress and worry could well be at peace with the world and live to a ripe old age. It doesn't mean they have not had dreams but they've faded with age; sometimes dreams turn into nightmares.

Waffle,waffle.....there's so much more but you'd be bored to tears.

And when he was halfway in he was....

neither in nor out...

It's been a while coming but it seems as if the Brits are not happy with the EU. Of course, there was always the deep rooted suspicion of "foreigners" eg those who live across the Channel. It is hard for them to accept the concept of a system that operates fairly smoothly without class. Unfortunately for Mother England, class still exists, maybe not as pronounced as previously but still prevalent.

Now the British have developed a taste for French wine, French cheese, German cars and spaghetti but that's enough of a good thing. The pretty little houses en Provence and in Espana are also all part of the deal but again, enough's enough. The wealthy ones are sitting pretty. Now is the time to get serious.

Unfortunately for the "Continentals" the British also also fairly rigid in their concept of rules and how things ought to be done. Hence the finger pointing at the "PIGS" ( Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) whose system of book-keeping is somewhat akin to gambling. The Germans and Dutch are pretty rigid but somehow manage to function without treating blue or white collar workers as troublemakers. There's a gap as wide as grandma's bloomers between the divisive Anglo Saxon philosophy and the more inclusive European system.

Having narrowly survived the eventuality of Scotland leaving the Union, the UK is now paying the price of many wealthy nations with refugees ,both economic and political,  flooding their shores. It's compounded by the old colonial outposts now wanting a piece of the action and repayment for wealth extracted. 

When voting regarding EU membership comes along who knows what will happen?. In the meantime the UK is taking a much harder line with refugees , much to the chagrin of the EU.

More than cricket

Stability in the sub-continent ; anyone for Yoga?

""I am prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote our friendship and cooperation. However, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate environment". So said Indian Prime Minister Modi in his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars against each other since independence in 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Then there is the problem of Muslim unrest on the world stage.

His comments on Pakistan came a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif criticised India for cancelling bilateral talks last month.

India's economy is well on its way to becoming an industrial powerhouse as well as rivaling China in terms of population.Will Pakistan get dragged along by India's coat tails or will it fall behind causing more instability?

P.M. Modi's speech was well received by hundreds of delegates.  Mr Modi also proposed creating an International Yoga Day. Hallmark must be working on this already.

 Don't know if yoga can solve this one. Should we be concerned, hopeful or apprehensive?

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Believe it or not

A bizarre load of crap

Sorry. Got to be direct. Maybe you missed it but it was reported on the news that people are tuning into YouTube to watch complete strangers whispering as they quietly fold towels or brush their hair; it supposedly creates what is known as ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Enthusiasts describe it as a kind of bliss; seven million people have viewed  a 16-minute clip of Maria, Gentle Whispering, as she's known, brushing her hair.There's more; much,much more and it does get worse than that. What about watching someone fold a towel? Got ten minutes? Come on! 

PS: I've asked my wife to have me sectioned if ever she catches me doing this!

Horses for courses

Melbourne Cup of course!