Scott Pixello's Blog, page 6
January 28, 2014
Egypt- Arab Spring Goes Boing
So Egypt is still undergoing a painful transition to democracy. Having thrown out the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammad Morsi, there are supposedly free & fair elections on the way.
Don't worry, this is not a news bulletin. My Point of interest is the name of the army's preferred candidate. Now, of course to English ears, foreign languages often sound strange & I'm sure the guy's name is not pronounced like this BUT a small part of me was glad that the favoured authoritarian candidate is called Al Sisi. It's hard to take a military-backed ruler entirely seriously if they sound like 'Mr Sissy'.
Don't worry, this is not a news bulletin. My Point of interest is the name of the army's preferred candidate. Now, of course to English ears, foreign languages often sound strange & I'm sure the guy's name is not pronounced like this BUT a small part of me was glad that the favoured authoritarian candidate is called Al Sisi. It's hard to take a military-backed ruler entirely seriously if they sound like 'Mr Sissy'.
January 26, 2014
Turn it down, fatso!
Well, now we know the cause of obesity- central heating. A report last week suggested a link between over-heated houses and a lack of mobility. I don't think it's central heating that's causing by waistline to expand- it's the amount of cakes & beer I stuff in my fat face while I'm sitting in my centrally-heated home.
Facebook II
What did people used to do with the time they now spend sending cutsie animal pictures to each other? How did they ever motivate themselves without some bumper-sticker piece of philosophy to get them through the day?
The constant need to be prompted and prompt others to feel or think in a certain way suggests we have lost the power to do this by ourselves.
Without the latest picture and an amusing caption, would could we possibly do with our day? It's a really weird scrap-booking mentality. Sometimes what is sent can be thought-provoking but all -too-often, it's just nauseous. I will try (but possibly fail) to avoid this.
The constant need to be prompted and prompt others to feel or think in a certain way suggests we have lost the power to do this by ourselves.
Without the latest picture and an amusing caption, would could we possibly do with our day? It's a really weird scrap-booking mentality. Sometimes what is sent can be thought-provoking but all -too-often, it's just nauseous. I will try (but possibly fail) to avoid this.
January 25, 2014
For years I've battled misanthropy/agoraphobia but as of yesterday, I took the conscious decision to use Facebook much more aggressively. This is partly to reach more readers but also to force myself to interact with other people. This sounds a bit weird perhaps to those of you who don't feel this way but an uninhabited desert island rather than being a nightmare would be my perfect home. Trouble is, as a writer, if I'm writing about human characters, I need to exist in that same world- hence me peeking out of my shell. I hope to take further steps from weirdness to normality in the coming months.
January 23, 2014
Assassination of Margaret Thatcher
Hilary Mantel, author of the fantastic historical novels Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies is apparently working on the much-awaited third part of this trilogy but in the meantime she is due to release a collection of short stories, charmingly entitled 'The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher'. I'm a big Mantel fan but I must say, as a title, this seems a little ironic after Mantel's controversial character assassination of Kate Middleton last year.
January 22, 2014
Chicken Kiev
The situation in Ukraine is looking fairly bleak with draconian new laws about the rights to protest (no wearing of masks, no 'convoys' of more than 5 cars in a row etc). This has been rumbling on for months but yesterday took a sudden dramatic turn with an ultimatim from the opposition, which almost feels like a declaration of war.
It becomes a case of who blinks first and sadly for Vitali Klitschko & Co., it probably won't be the eastward-leaning government ofPresident Viktor Yanukovych.
All serious stuff but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was half hoping that during the street demonstrations, a foolish member of the riot police might have pushed Mr K just a bit too hard and provoked the world boxing champ into unleashing a swift right hook. Wishful thinking, I fear.
It becomes a case of who blinks first and sadly for Vitali Klitschko & Co., it probably won't be the eastward-leaning government ofPresident Viktor Yanukovych.
All serious stuff but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was half hoping that during the street demonstrations, a foolish member of the riot police might have pushed Mr K just a bit too hard and provoked the world boxing champ into unleashing a swift right hook. Wishful thinking, I fear.
January 21, 2014
Quenelle ('kin hell)
Nikolas Anelka's post-goal scoring gesture from a week or so ago continues to stir debate.
The gesture, which has overtly anti-semitic meaning is also used in France to express anti-Establishment sentiments. The problem is, the Establishment under the stewardship of Francois Hollande is now so unpopular, there are plenty of such sentiments around. Anelka says he was only showing support for his friend (Dieudonné, the comedian who uses the gesture) but as novelist & filmmaker David Baddiel has pointed out, the idea that 'I'm not racist, I'm just showing support for my friend the famous anti-Semite' is a little untenable as a position.
Such is the global nature of sport that a gesture mostly unknown until about a week ago in Britain has now caused a major shirt sponsor (Zoopla) to pull 3 million pounds' worth of money out of a football club. Who says gestures don't have meaning?
The gesture, which has overtly anti-semitic meaning is also used in France to express anti-Establishment sentiments. The problem is, the Establishment under the stewardship of Francois Hollande is now so unpopular, there are plenty of such sentiments around. Anelka says he was only showing support for his friend (Dieudonné, the comedian who uses the gesture) but as novelist & filmmaker David Baddiel has pointed out, the idea that 'I'm not racist, I'm just showing support for my friend the famous anti-Semite' is a little untenable as a position.
Such is the global nature of sport that a gesture mostly unknown until about a week ago in Britain has now caused a major shirt sponsor (Zoopla) to pull 3 million pounds' worth of money out of a football club. Who says gestures don't have meaning?
January 20, 2014
I want to go to the Olympics
As I noted in a previous post, as a Brit, the chances of being a participant in the Winter Olympics are a bit like Miley Cyrus- slim.
Unless, you are a world famous violinist, of course. Vanessa Mae, better known for her ability with an instrument, has apparently qualified (just) to ski for Thailand (she has a Thai father, I think).
It reminds me a little of Merlene Ottey, the legendary Jamaican sprinter who used every rule in the book to compete well into her 40s by first moving to Italy and eventually competing for Serbia.
I have no problem with people pushing the rules of eligibility to the limit but it is a bit sad that Eddie the Eagle still holds the British ski jump record, 25 years on from when he was a laughing stock as a great British loser.
If women did ski jump (which they should be allowed to do) Vanessa would have a better chance with that.
Unless, you are a world famous violinist, of course. Vanessa Mae, better known for her ability with an instrument, has apparently qualified (just) to ski for Thailand (she has a Thai father, I think).
It reminds me a little of Merlene Ottey, the legendary Jamaican sprinter who used every rule in the book to compete well into her 40s by first moving to Italy and eventually competing for Serbia.
I have no problem with people pushing the rules of eligibility to the limit but it is a bit sad that Eddie the Eagle still holds the British ski jump record, 25 years on from when he was a laughing stock as a great British loser.
If women did ski jump (which they should be allowed to do) Vanessa would have a better chance with that.
January 19, 2014
Midnight's Children Meets Goldenballs
Last year, former Irish and Manchester United footballing icon Roy Keane published his autobiography (cunningly called First Half). Now he's working on a sequel (and guess what it's called?).
What's interesting is that he has a ghost-writer this time: Roddy Doyle, author of The Commitments and other fine works of well-crafted, entertaining literary fiction.
Now, I can see perhaps why Mr Doyle, probably an admirer of Keane, might want to expand his range a bit but what about Mr Keane? What do football fans gain from a more literary version of footballing exploits? Will the vitriol towards Alex Ferguson be more poetically expressed? I'm not sure.
Perhaps we can look forward to the next volume of David Beckham's memoirs co-authored with Salman Rushdie- 'Midnight's Children Meets Goldenballs'
What's interesting is that he has a ghost-writer this time: Roddy Doyle, author of The Commitments and other fine works of well-crafted, entertaining literary fiction.
Now, I can see perhaps why Mr Doyle, probably an admirer of Keane, might want to expand his range a bit but what about Mr Keane? What do football fans gain from a more literary version of footballing exploits? Will the vitriol towards Alex Ferguson be more poetically expressed? I'm not sure.
Perhaps we can look forward to the next volume of David Beckham's memoirs co-authored with Salman Rushdie- 'Midnight's Children Meets Goldenballs'
Looking forward to the Winter Olympics
As a Brit, my interest in the Winter Olympics is more that of a disinterested spectator. The chances of us 'medalling' (Oh, how I love that phrase) is about as great as me beating Usain Bolt over 100m without a dragster.
What I am looking forward too though is the opening ceremony. Hopefully there will be a little dance number by the Greenpeace 30 with music provided by Pussy Riot.
Just an observation: I wonder how Vladimir Putin would feel if he knew that his macho, bare-chested posing in outdoor hunting scenes is actually really popular. On some gay websites.
What I am looking forward too though is the opening ceremony. Hopefully there will be a little dance number by the Greenpeace 30 with music provided by Pussy Riot.
Just an observation: I wonder how Vladimir Putin would feel if he knew that his macho, bare-chested posing in outdoor hunting scenes is actually really popular. On some gay websites.
