Days like these make me pretty upset about being a London. I love my city. Why oh why cant we all just get along. I guess that's just my wishful thinking. This young woman cradling what I assume is her young son, lets rip with a 'Go back to where you came from' tirade. Apparently there's somewhere on the world map called Nigeragua or was that Nigeria? She couldn't make her mind up due to the Stella jars. Intoxicated or not, its unacceptable and a disgrace.
Monday 28 November 2011
Thursday 17 November 2011
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Ciao Ciao Silvio. Molte grazie!
Friday 11 November 2011
Thursday 10 November 2011
Can It Be That It Was All So Simple - Then
Once upon a time the idea of a single European currency seemed so idyllic, so succinct, so palatable. One could freely cross borders without the ball-ache of loosing your hard-earned at a rogue Bureau De Change on a Costa Del Sol beach for a start. For countries who were part of the early European Union plan and those who followed suit, such as those from the Balkan states, there were mixed feelings of anxiety, distrust and uncertainty as to what it would bring. A loss of national identity, almost like the changing of a national flag was expressed. Why replace the Lira, Franc, Escudos or Pesetas with a currency many struggled to even pronounce? How would states remain independent if their national finances were being governed by folk sat at a round oak table in Brussels chaired by an overweight German in a suit? What if the Euro fluctuated in value due to varying economic climates? For Balkan countries, adopting a currency which could give them the banking muscle even close to that of Germany, France and the UK must have seemed like striking gold and a no-brainer. So why did the Euro story sour?. The first warning sign I noticed was when I visited Spain, France and Italy a few years ago. Food commodities had suddenly doubled in price. Overnight the average Italian could not afford their usual brand of pasta. The cost of bread also shot through the roof compared with when I had been in Europe a year before. Individual countries struggled with inflation and the push and pull on interest rates continued all in the quest to balance the Euro books. To maintain the Euro's value and keep it competitive on the global market all countries involved had to maintain financial growth and also be honest as to what was short and long debt wise. Greece didn't play this game. As their borrowing spiralled out of control they feared the implications of a lower credit rating which leads to the dreaded higher interest rate on borrowing and catapults debt. To be fair most countries in the European Union haven't balanced the books but with low job growth, rising unemployment and a slowdown in banking profits the Euro seems like it will take many more punches before it manages to outbox its way out of the economic downturn.
Punk Still Rocks
Vivienne Westwood once described herself as ''Messianic about Punk''. Her quest was to ''put a spoke in the system in some way". Punk shoved the uncomfortable end of a safety pin into John Lyndon's nasal tissue while Vivienne made her own mark by bucking trends and shocking the masses with punk-infused attire and accessories much of which was influenced ironically by 200 year old Elizabethan Enlightenment and gentry wear. Just that her versions were ripped to shreds and pinned together again. Oh and with bigger gold buttons stitched on. Others of have periodically gatecrashed British fashion with varying degrees of success (Shami Ahmed of Joe Bloggs fame springs to mind), but somehow Westwood has remained relevant expanding her empire to Asia and Japan in particular where her name is virtually part of youth vocabulary. Despite her vast wealth resources Westwood lived in the same council flat in Clapham for over 20 years until in 2000 when she was persuaded by her toyboy to move into a Gothic-like Queen Anne style house built in 1703, which once belonged to the mother of Captain Cook. Seems like a perfectly logical move up the property ladder to me.
Having Your Cake And Eating Most Of It
A year and a half on from forming the coalition government the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties seem to have voters wondering who can take Britain forward and more importantly save us from the knock-on effect of Euro armageddon. In my opinion Cameron isn't doing a disastrous job. When he talks, people listen, which is a start. Many have put their class divisions aside to focus anxieties on the economies recovery. Saying that, current coalition rhetoric seems skewed in a tug of war government where Clegg is beaten down at first tongue slip of opposition to Tory-led policy. Dissafected Lib Dem voters must wonder how their beloved left wing alternative to mainstream politics became the whipping boy of their once fiercest rivals. Worst still, that boy has had to keep smiling - for the cameras at least. Its in effect like have the opposition party in power with no power. And Labour? Well asides Tessa Jowell running London 2012, it seems not many of the party are having things their way or being listened to at all. Whatever happened to the Reds. Bland Miliband where are you?
Teflon Don Copyrighted
John Gotti's grandson is Hip-Hop artist Carmine Gotti. In true mafiosi style he has asked rapper Rick Ross why he proceeded to name his upcoming album Teflon Don without his permission. I mean surely its plain for everyone to see that moniker should be preserved for Carmine's Granddad.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Friday 9 September 2011
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Thursday 1 September 2011
Friday 25 March 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)