Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Very Random

It might not be politically correct (certainly not if we are to start taking "thinking" advice from the Prime Minister) and I am certain the family of Chris Brown would disagree but I have to admit to a small measure of sympathy for Raoul Moat.

I recognise this is probably counter to all the facts published and yes it’s hard to articulate why as he clearly is responsible for one cold blooded murder and two attempted ones. I do feel though here is a man who should not have ended up lying in a ditch with a shotgun to his forehead. It’s the same feeling I had when George put a bullet in Lennie`s skull - it could have been avoided.

I know the similarity between Lennie and Raoul ends with their size however in this instance I do feel that there could have been another solution. I have to add at this time I have a very distant perspective, do not know the man in question other than reading the BBC & other news channels and I am sure the police did what they could at the time.

When I watched the news last Saturday morning though I felt sad, not happy that the steroid fuelled nutter has been stopped in such a violent way. A somewhat different feeling to the one I had when I read about Harold Shipman`s suicide shall I say.

Anyhow the police have got their man and I am sure the streets are a little safer on account of this.

Not that the same can be said of a football pitch on which the Dutch team are playing - like the segue-way?

Yes, the World Cup is over for another 4 years and I have to admit being a little disappointed by the whole thing.

As with most things in life the anticipation is better than the actual event and this was no exception. The star players decided not to play and of course the much hyped England team seriously under performed. The stand out moments for me were limited but I have to admit to jumping up and shouting out when Iniesta finally stopped the Dutch from taking the final to penalties.

The best team won the tournament but judging from the tournament this does not say a great deal. Roll on Brazil.

The most pleasant thing I read this week is the story of a radio presenter who was fired for calling a local councillor a “Health Nazi”. Its not the story which interested me but its reference to a theoretical law called “Godwins Law”.

This is a theory developed in the 1990s by Mike Godwin a US Lawyer after observing chat room participants over a period of time. The rule states that, over time, all debates will end up with one participant comparing another to Adolf Hitler, or the Nazis.

Whether it’s actually proven or not I don’t know but what I like about it is it essentially articulates the point in an argument when one person simply shrugs their shoulders and tells the other to “fuck off”.

I will remember this theory so the next time I am in a pub and a drunken Neanderthal calls me a Nazi, Hitler or simply tells me to “fuck off” I can quite justifiably quote Mr. Godwin and point out, to my soon to be assailant, how I have won the moral high ground.

Ha-ha, let’s see who’s laughing then.