You know you're so mystifying, can't believe it's true (The Kinks)

Wie geht's?

The British love to shoot themselves in the foot, right?

One word - Brexit.

Another couple of words: Sunderland, Nissan.

Great story from The Guardian about a city who voted 61% to leave the EU but who are faced with Nissan abandoning them as a result. A must read. What the heckfire????

As we visited the beautiful city of Vienna, Jacky and I wondered why of why the UK would want to turn its back on being connected to such a wonderful city. 

It's clean, well looked after, the people are pleasant and helpful, the buildings are amazingly well preserved. Clearly austerity measures aren't in place here.

For us, it's brain dead stuff - the British mentality to withdraw into its own island and make it infinitely harder for themselves is utterly bizarre.

I don't get it!

Love and peace - Wozza 

I read the news today, oh boy (The Fabs)

In praise of old fashioned newspapers, you know - ones that are actually printed.

It's so nice to be back in a country where you can visit a newsagents, corner shop, whatever, and choose from a quality selection of daily newspapers.

Mr Patel's shop opposite Patrick and Randy's house in Ferntower Road (a.k.a. Shire central in Highbury/ Islington) has a nice selection that includes the biggies: The Independent, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the greatest paper in the entire world: The Guardian.

Within 30 seconds I can leave their front door and buy a newspaper... every day if I so wanted (and I do).

That's pretty damn cool.

Back in NZ I never bother to buy a newspaper - I read The Guardian online instead. There, the local papers (and I include ALL NZ papers in that description) are rubbish. Sorry, but they are.

But even reading The Guardian online is not like the real thing - flicking through a paper and reading stuff I had no idea was there before I bought it.

[To wit: read this - it's great! and I never would have seen it online]

When I read online I scan headlines and maybe read one or two things before heading to the English football stories. I scan them and maybe read one or two involving Arsenal or the train wreck that is Chelsea right now. 

When I buy a print version I take so much longer to read it. I read stuff I never would online and I relax as I'm doing it. A nice cuppa goes down nicely.

Yes, I know - I'm a simple soul, but I really miss that experience.

Making the most of it right now!

Love and peace - Wozza

Your STINK FOOT puts a hurt on my nose! (Frank Zappa)

Inconceivably, I haven't bought a Guardian Weekly for months, until today.

Before my monthly hair cut appointment I stopped off at Whitcoulls for a browse. Nothing much happening in the magazine section but a copy of The Guardian Weekly caught my eye.

Now, you all know about my devotion to The Guardian- it's one of the things I miss most about living in the U.K. and while I check the online version regularly it doesn't beat reading a real paper.

So, I bought it and shock horror probe- it cost $8.50. Even the girl behind the counter with fifty piercings in her face was shocked on my behalf. I gasped and said it may be a while before I buy another one and she said, yeah, I don't blame you and I departed to get my hair cut.

While waiting- she was doing a fancy cut on some girl, I read most of The Guardian Weekly.

Including a piece on Bill Crosby by Hadley Freeman. The whole thing is here... http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/19/bill-cosby-image-shielded-cliams-rape-lectured-black-america

Hard to believe that the guy who gave us Fat Albert and all those stories about

Ms Freeman - I'm refusing to put
a picture of Mr Cosby on my blog.

his kids is such a sleaze.

That's the point though, isn't it. He covered himself in an image brilliantly-so brilliant that our first thought of these accusations is 'how can that be true?'

Apparently it's all been common knowledge for years (same pattern as all those other recent celebrity douches) but it's only being taken seriously now.

Shame on us all. I feel manipulated and sick that he's both done these despicable things and conned us all into thinking he's a nice guy.

If I had any of his albums they would have gone the same way as my Lost Prophet CDs. 

Love and peace - Wozza

Well, I could a had a religion (Muddy Waters)

As-salam alaykum. I read this article in the Guardian Weekly this week and it seemed an obvious one to share. Many of our friends share the western view of Islam and the stereotypes associated with Islamic women in particular. This article probably won't change their view but I found it interesting.

Having lived in the Middle East and having had a joyful experience working with both Arabic men and women there I read the article and felt that admiration again that Kristiane Backer expresses (her quote is down below).

Anyway - it's a great article about western women converting to Islam...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/11/islam-converts-british-women-prejudice

Some pull quotes from the women being interviewed:

I stopped seeing [Islamic practices] as restrictions on personal freedom and realised they were ways of achieving self-control. (Ioni Sullivan - pictured above)

[The headscarf] can attract negative attention from people who stereotype "visibly" Muslim women as oppressed or terrorist. (Anita Nayyar)

The Muslims I met touched me profoundly through their generosity, dignity and readiness to sacrifice for others. (Kristiane Backer)

Love and peace - Wozza

You got my future in your hands (Stevie Wonder)

Phew - in the end it wasn't as close as had been predicted but it was gripping drama none the less as Obama made it over the finish line ahead of Mr Flip Flop or was that Mr Flim Flam?

I read a Guardian article recently that indicated Obama was the world's choice (apart from China apparently) but that's the kind of thing that Americans hate. Oh you want Obama? Okay well we'll vote for the other guy.

I am staggered that so many would actually vote for Romney and can only put it down to that perverse desire to piss off the rest of the world. How can anyone vote for someone who engages in such abrupt about faces? His expedient changes in stance (he had no policies) were dizzying. What a scary notion - that he could actually be the leader of the American Empire. 

The CNN reporter in Boston (Romney HQ) said that Romney's motorcade had left his hotel and the concession speech would be in 4 or 5 minutes. Then she indicated that the Hotel was attached to the area where the speech would take place. He could have walked the 5 minutes, but instead took a motorcade?????? What a plonker.

The concession speech by Mitt (really?) when it came was nice and he seemed almost human for a moment but then 15 minutes later Obama emerged in Chicago and delivered an electrifying address that had me on the edge of my seat.

I loved the choice of music before he spoke too - Stevie Wonder - oo baby, here I am: signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours.

SWMBO and I fly off to China tomorrow night, arriving on Friday morning for the next bit of our great adventure. Stay tooned for further developments.

Love and peace - Wozza