An aspect of modern life that boils my blood

Is wearing earphones at work. Try to talk with someone and they a) can't hear you or b) you feel like you're interrupting.

Grump.

Austrian German is not German German.

I have received a letter recently from the Austrian embassy regarding upcoming European elections, and popping it through google translate does curious things with what I am sure are colloquialisms in the text.

For example: "In dolphin fields you can get used to your community.", "The shipwreck shipment through the southerly community wird ab 02 May 2019" and "Steam cabinets and wheelchairs in the wheelchairs and the wheelchair access, all the way to the bus stop 26 May 2019 at 5 pm."


Think I need to find me a German speaker to help out a little.

Reading a post this morning made me slightly sad.

It seems that my son and I are the only people who wipe water from their bodies after a shower or bath, before towelling dry.

At least, that's true for the small circle of people that we know.

And it made me feel slightly lonely too. I've always been different from others: sometimes I can dominate a group, sometimes guide it, sometimes be present watching what goes on, sometimes be ignored by it - I seldom feel just a part of it. Note the word feel - these are feelings, not necessarily how things really are - and feelings should not be the ultimate arbiter of reality.

I wonder too if this is one of the reasons for wanting adventure, to pioneer a bit - when you're doing that loneliness is not a problem, because OF COURSE you're alone. If you're in the trenches with everyone else then it can remind you more of feeling alone than solitude.

Blummin' 'eck, this is maudlin for a Monday afternoon, though I was even more maudlin this morning.

More on the 'to vax or not vax'

Moron?

Regardless. I read some statistics the other day, that before we had a meases vaccine the disease would kill 2.4 million annually worldwide. In countries without a universal vaccination program it STILL kills thousands every year. And those are just the dead, rather than brain damaged or with other long-term diseases remaining from the infection.

Vaccination really should not be a freedom of choice issue.

Never thought I'd see the day

But I find myself agreeing with someone who used to be a more prolific blogger. His experience is quite different from mine, both because of culture and world view, but it seems the disease of disinterest has spread to his part of the world too.

I was interested in his view of the cost of being part of church, particularly as church is no longer seen as the place we go to get re-filled and energised for the week ahead, but a drain on energy & resources on what would otherwise be a day of rest. I went looking for a post where I talked about this, only to realise I'd posted it as a comment on Backyard Missionary recently. In the post linked LT described himself as $20 in the plate and another voice drowned in the music - perhaps if that's all church really is then it's time for those gatherings to close?

Where is the real issue? Is it the people or something bigger?

Makes me wonder if a part of it is that what was underground and experienced with joy when persecuted has become the ordinary, commonplace and mainstream, sucking life out as it becomes increasingly democratised and mundane. The church has a long history of thriving and being healthy when suffering, but causing suffering when in power.

To vax or not vax?

Italy has begun to require vaccinations for children to be permitted to attend school. I hate the compulsion, but knowing that the parents who refuse vaccination will cause some of their children harm, and also cause harm to children unable to develop immunity through vaccination, it's not a completely unreasonable step.

It's amazing how short memories are, of how the diseases these vaccines prevent did so much harm.

Toni Ertl, like you never saw him before.

 Toni Ertl and Pilgramsreuther Blaskapelle - Rosen und Flieder.

Hipsters all look the same - fact. ;-)

An amusing Friday morning article from El Reg here.

Essentially a 'hipster' saw an article from MIT Technology review suggesting that for a variety of reasons anti-conformists all end up conforming in appearance that was accompanied by a picture of a typical hipster that appeared to be himself. He complained angrily, only to discover that the photo was actually of a model, thus proving the point of the article and demonstrating that sometimes hipsters conformed so closely they couldn't even tell each other apart.

The comments after the article were also comedy gold:

Yup. I remember at a large bike rally a small child was found wandering around early in the morning and was taken to rally control.
"Ok, lad? You've lost your parents?"
"Yes"
"What's your Dad's name?"
"John"
"Ok, and what does John look like?"
"He's got a bald head and a long beard and tattoos down his arms!"
"Let me take a guess. Is he wearing jeans and a black shirt and a leather jacket?"
"Yes, do you know him?"


Was conformity ever so similar?
 

Just driven through horrible countryside

I'm working for a couple of days out towards East Anglia, pretty much directly east of where we live. I won't name the towns, but driving through the grey drizzle and pre-dawn light this looks such an ugly, almost blasted countryside. Possibly sunshine and clear skies would help, but I doubt it.

An early departure meant a clear run and early arrival, and now I'm looking at mouldy grey and orange brick buildings with ventilation stacks on top surrounded by a high fence topped in barbed wire. I came for a job interview at this place in 1997 and was pleased not to work here then. Hopefully I'll complete their training adequately today and not have to return in the morning.

Presently my throat is not happy, and the less I need to talk the better. At least it's just a demo, rather than teaching.

A man has been charged with assault by beating:

Presumably with beating an egg? 😉

Sometimes reality seems stranger than fiction, and the law only partially connected to reality.

BBC News - Jeremy Corbyn egged: Man charged over Finsbury mosque attack http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47438562

How are you Toni, I hope you're having a great day?

I had a call from a recruiter at lunchtime that I'm sure I've never previously heard of. Then I saw this:


Last month, a world-wide telephone survey was conducted by the UN.

The only question asked was: "Would you please give your honest opinion about possible

solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?”

The survey was a complete failure because:

In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.

In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.

In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.

In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.

In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.

In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.

In the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

And in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Great Britain everyone hung up as soon as they heard the Indian accent.