A British Election - Vote now For Gordon Brown!

So, Tony Blair has called an election for May 5th, despite a successful prosecution for election fraud in Birmingham yesterday. He’s not being brave, just pragmatic. He will win. Not because people like him or his policies, nor because of the success of his policies (high tax, no results). He will win because people don’t see a viable alternative.

The most obvious alternative is the Conservative Party. Since they lost the last election they have had several leaders[i]. The current one is Michael Howard, of whom one colleague said “there is something of the night about him” – this was Anne Widdicombe (also known as Doris Karloff due to her rather bizarre appearance), about whom one could say that there was something of the “extremely odd”. Howard has done a lot to focus on policy, to get the message across that the Tories are ready to govern and that “less government is more effective than more government”. He wont win. He is not personable, people don’t trust the Tories after Thatcher/Major and the electorate will worry that cutting £25-30billion in public expenditure will make things worse (it would help a lot).

The other choice is the Liberals and Charles Kennedy. He is a bright boy who entered the house as the youngest member in his early 20’s and has been a politician ever since. He took a strong stance on Iraq (against it when everyone else was for it), which will stand him in good stead with his own party and some disaffected Labour supporters. Liberals can always say what they want because the odds on them having to implement anything are so long. But he will gain seats.

The real issue facing the electorate is Blair’s successor – Gordon Brown, currently Chancellor of the Exchequer. Brown is quietly seizing control of the party, is a strong believer in bigger and more centralized Government (both of which are real mistakes) and is very vindictive to those who oppose him. He is who the electorate are actually voting for, since Blair has already indicated he will step down during this next term (most British people I know don’t believe a thing Blair says, so they don’t believe this either).

While Iraq will be an issue, the real issues which the election could affect are these three: (a) the role of Britain in the new European Union under the new constitution; (b) the dreadful state of Britain’s public services, which need less money and more change; and (c) the security of Britain in terms of both policing and anti-terrorism. There are several side issues, nonetheless important – the future governance of Northern Ireland, reform of the House of Lords, the rural strategy (a significant issue, since foxhunting was banned there is a sense that Labour doesn’t understand or like the countryside) and the environment.

Four opinion polls published today suggest Labour's lead over the Tories has slipped to between 2% and 5%. They suggest the Lib Dems trail the Tories by between 10 and 16 points. But one of the polls also suggests the Tories are 5% ahead of Labour among those "certain to vote".

So we will see. It will be interesting.
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[i] In 2001 the Conservative party, which had come to be seen as anti–European Union, was again trounced at the polls by Labour, leading Hague to resign. Ian Duncan Smith was chosen to succeed Hague but served only two years as party leader before he was replaced by Michael Howard.

The Next Pope, Prince Charles and Events

I wrote in this blog on February 2nd about the papabili - the likely successors to John Paul II (known now as The Great). Since then, the Pope has died (in the most amazingly graceful and meaningful way - showing the true meaning of peace through suffering - a well established Catholic concept) and the politics of succession have begun. I wrote extensively on the process of the conclave some time ago (see http://www.ausu.org/voice/search/searchdisplay.php?ART=2112 ), so will not reherse this again here. But there are some interesting developments.

First, there are two significant front runners. Cardinal Archbishop Tettamanzi of Milan is the favourite (bookies odds are 5-2). He fits the bill of a conservative Italian. He's 70 years old - so one of the younger Cardinals - and is affable and popular amongst the Cardinals who will be in the conclave. Cardinal Ratzinger, Dean of the College of Cardinals, is a dark horse second. Cardinal Rodriguez of Honduras is also seen as a possibility. (I dont understand the fascination with a possible "black" Pope - Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria, who is not a particularly nice guy and has the occassional Mugabe like outbursts on some issues - women, abortion, homosexuality for example. But his odds are currently 3-1 at some bookies, putting him well ahead of Ratzinger).

But there is a long way to go. The Cardinals meet every morning until the conclave begins - the affairs of the church are in their collective hands (under the day to day guidance of Cardinal Sodano) until the Conclave begins. You can bet your life there is a lot of jockeying for position and for influence. Be nice to be a fly on the wall.

But there is a more serious outcome. Charles and Camilla have had to postpone their wedding, which was scheduled for the 8th - the same day as the Pope's funeral (the British general election, widely expected to be announced this week, has also been put off) - but just for a day. So here we have a divorcee and the next titular head of one Church (Church of England) having his wedding to a divorced women with whom he had an adulterous affair during his previous marriage and with whom he has been living in sin since his separation delayed by the death of the head of the Catholic Church. I sense a divine message being sent here.

I have been looking at the work of the Copenhagen Consensus - a group of economists and policy wonks who gathered in 2004 to look at the key issues facing the world and what was likely to happen. The book documenting their work - edited, interestingly enough, by Bjorn Lomborg - makes interesting (if sometimes very technical) reading.

In the analysis of what they think may happen, they classify the issues as follows:

1. Those where there was a very good chance of policies being effectively pursued:
   Communicable Disease – control of HIV/AIDS
   Malnutrition and Hunger – providing micronutrients
   Subsidies and Trade – further liberalisation of trade
   Communicable Disease – control of malaria
   Those where there was a good chance that effective policies would be pursued:
   Malnutrition and Hunger – development of new agriculture technologies
   Sanitation and Water – community managed water supply and sanitation; small scale water technology in support of livelihoods; and research on water productivity in food production
   Governance and Corruption – lowering the cost of starting a new business
   
2. Those where there was a fair chance of action been taken:
   Migration – lowering the barriers to migration for skilled workers
   Malnutrition and Hunger – improving infant and child nutrition; reducing the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW)
   Communicable Diseases – scaling up basic health services in the developing world
   
   
3. Those where there was a bad (or, in some cases, no) chance of appropriate action:
   Migration – guest worker programs for unskilled labour
   Climate Change – introducing an optimal carbon tax, success with the Kyoto protocol and value-at-risk carbon taxation
   
   The basis for their analysis and ranking is cost-benefit, coupled with judgements about political will.
   
   It will be noted that the innovations required to secure the gains which the Copenhagen Consensus imagine as possible (categories 1,2 and to some extent 3 above) require a combination of science, engineering and socio-economic and political skill – science alone will not be enough to secure gains in the control of communicable diseases or access to clean water.
   
   The work of the Copenhagen Consensus made some implicit assumptions. The first is that China and India would continue along the path of economic development they are currently pursuing. This is a major assumption.
   
   Chinas’ rapid economic growth is creating significant poverty for a growing number while at the same time creating significant wealth for others. China’s history is full of examples of peasant revolt against precisely these conditions[1]. In 2003, some 3 million peasants were involved in revolt and confrontation with the Chinese Government over exploitation and taxes. Such revolts have been growing ever since the major peasant revolt of 1977[2].
   
   India too has had its moments since independence from the British in 1947, most notably with tension and threats of war between two nuclear powers – India and Pakistan – over Kashmir. It also has a rapidly growing economy and a growing level of self-sufficiency and will became the most populated nation on earth sometime between 2015 and 2020.
   
   The second major assumption made by the Copenhagen Consensus is that global terrorism does not so disrupt trade and the movement of people that it affects our ability to manage critical issues, such as the need for migration to counter the known demographic trends which will have an impact on the economies of Europe, North America and the developed world.
   
   A third major assumption is that we have some time to deal with all of the issues that face us and that we have appropriate mechanisms for doing so. This too seems like a major assumption. With the sovereign power of states in decline, the growth of multinational entities with significant power – e.g. the European Union, the World Trade Organization, NAFTA – and the growing power of multinational corporations (MNC’s) and multinational non-government organizations (NGO’s), we may not have all of the systems needed to translate good intentions into sustainable action over time.
   
   Whether the Copenhagen Consensus framework is correct or not, a context for those of us concerned with building a culture and context for innovation needs to begin with such a big picture of the world in which innovation is to take place. What are the issues which face us as a society and which will have a significant impact on both the work of companies which seek to harness innovation and the work of governments, public organizations and non profits who sustain communities ? Unless we have some of this context, we will not understand the kind of society we will inhabit in 2025 and we will miss some key components of the innovation agenda.

Anyway, a serious blog today. Maybe the rest of the week will be fun.

If you're interested in these topics, here are some references:
[1] Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao (2004) China’s Peasant’s: A Survey. Hong Kong: People’s Literature Publishing House
[2] See report at http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/55/022.html A Half Million Peasants Plunge into Rebellion in Four Provinces by Li Zijing, 1st August 1977. See also World History Archives at http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/55/index-nb.html

Gas and the Pope

I must say that I am getting very excited about the wedding of Charles and Camilla. Well, when I say "very excited" I probably mean that once in every 1,000 hours I think - poor buggers. I mean who cares.

Now here's a strange thing. I fill up with gas at Legal, which is always around 5-7cents cheaper than City gas. Its an Esso station, so I use Superpass - a small thing attached to my key ring automatically opens the pump, lets me pump gas, charges it to my visa card and credits my aeroplan account with an appropriate (and modest) number of miles. Its a great idea. I dont have to "go in and pay", I can just drive off.

Twice in the last two months I have been chased down the highway by some well meaning guy in a Ford or Chevvy one tonne, who then pulls in in front of me forcing me stop, gets out of the car and angrily accuses me of stealing gas from the gas station. When I explain, they generally dont believe me, so we go back to the gas station and the nice lady behind the counter (Doreen) says "Hi Steve - forget something?" and then she explains to the guy (its always a guy) how Superpass works. It was amusing the first time, getting to be a real pain now.

John Paul wont last much longer. I have written before in this blog about his successor (check out the archive). I hope he is as serene as they say.

Misheard

Listening to the news this morning on television while eating breakfast and making a cappucino, I heard that a bullock had come through the roof of a house not far from here and that the police were investigating how a bullock could drop onto a woman while she was sleeping.

You can imagine how my imagination then got to work. Perhaps an irate ex husband had hired a helicopter, attached a bullock to a sling, flown over her house at 3am in the morning and dropped the bullock at exactly the right point for it to crash through her ceiling and land on her side of the bed (her husband next to her was, according to the report, not hurt).

It was only later I found out that it was a bullet that had come through the roof (still a mystery as to how this could happen) and not a bullock.

I was disappointed. I thought we had a real sci-fi mystery to solve and now its just a matter of physics and the man..

Watched an interview with Ian Ranking (author of the Rebus novels) and was impressed - a down to earth guy who treats writing like any other trade and gets on with it.

BAIT and VERA

John Hurt is a powerful actor. He acts with his face, eyes and voice. We saw him last night in a made for TV movie with Sheila Hancock and Rachel Stirling - Bait. Watch it. It's what movies are all about - tension, surprise, an effective and powerful story. Simply filmed, but effective nonetheless.

We spent some time trying to remember where else we had seen Rachel Stirling, daughter of Dianna Rigg (of Avengers fame). Then it came to me. She was in Tipping the Velvet - where she played a lesbian who went on the stage.

Looking forward to seeing Vera Drake, out on video yesterday. Think we'll take this to Jamaica with us. It was Oscar nominated (Best Actress) and is a story of a back street abortionist in London in the 1950's. Imeldia Staunton, a very versatile actress (Shakespeare in Love, Cambridge Spies, The Singing Detective) plays the lead as Vera and the film is directed by Mike Leigh, one of the best and most creative in the world.

Speaking of versatile actors, saw an old TV series with Richard Griffiths (Pie in the Sky, Sleepy Hollow, Harry Potter, Guarding Tess, Gorky Park) in which he played a Savoy lunch politician and did so exceptionally well. His final scene in the series - the series is In the Red - was a brilliant political speech based on the statements made by a couple making love (its a long story). He's very talented and very large. I sat with him on a journey from Reading to the south coast on a First Great Western train. Believe me - he is VERY large.

We are just a week away from a vacation in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Looking forward to it. Never been before and this is a luxury job, courtesy of a friend.

Finished another Henning Mankell novel this week - almost read them all. This one not involving his Wallander character - Return of the Dancing Master. Very nicely written and a powerful and effective plot. He does character very well and takes the reader inside his characters with great effect.

Its possible we could have an election over Kyoto Protocol issues and carbon emissions, which might liven things up a bit. Canadian politics are so dull. So very very dull. Excrutiangly dull. With Mr Dithers ((the nick name for our Prime Minister) having some twenty issues, all of which are "his number one priority" and a cabinet full of light weights its not surprising that its dull. The problem is that Kyoto is such a dud deal in any case, its hardly worth fighting over. Ah well, we'll see.

Lord Callaghan, Being Julia and Henning Mankell

I wrote on 17th March that Jim Callaghan would be devastated by the loss of his wife, Audrey. Well - he died yesterday, just 10 days after she did. Broken heart - I suspect this has a lot to do with it, after 67 years of marriage.

Watched Annette Benning and Jeremy Irons in Being Julia - based on Somerset Maughan's book on the theatre. She gives a stunning, Oscar level performance as Julia and the final sequence in the theatre is a real gem. Michael Gambon plays himself (well, almost) and Jeremy Irons is ideally cast. Just an excellent piece.

Finished another Henning Mankell novel - The Return of the Dancing Master - which recently won him a prize (as did his novel Sidetracked). Powerful, realistic characterisation and effective writing make him simply a master of the mystery genre. While Inspector Wallander doesnt appear in the Dancing Master, the depth of character he has built with Wallander makes him a real person for many readers - quite a skill that.

Today its a pedicure day. I enjoy having my feet done (may also do my nails too). Got to look after my feet (we diabetics must stick together).

Knickers Long Gone

Knickers long gone, but not the friendships

This is a headline in today's Edmonton Journal (see page B1). Its a good example of english usage being different between two countries. In England "knickers" are panties - here they are a form of trouser. So a Brit reading this headline (which was about nurses) would think that women who lost their panties and didn't bother finding them again had many friendships!

Which reminds me of another phrase I like. Describing a pretentious and ostentatious person, my grandmother would say "Ah, she's all fur coat and no knickers!". Lovely phrase.

Went to the Easter Pro-Coro concert last night to hear the Mozart Requiem. Choir and 18 piece orchestra is excellent form and most of the soloist were passable, except the tenor who was simply dreadful. Michel Landry - who teaches high school chemistry by day and sings by night. He should stick to chemistry. In a hall with some of the best acoustics on the world, he was timid, limp and poor - it would have been better without him.

But the evening was made for me by the world premier of a new oratorio like work from Allan Bevan called Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode which was outstanding. A haunting narration, beautiful soprano singing from Jolaine Kerley and excellent orchestration, which included the concert organ. A powerful work which I think will be performed time and time again and should be. I was grateful for the chance to thank the composer personally - always nice, especially when the work is so stunning.

The other piece was Mozart's Exultate, Jubilate - where Jolaine was not as strong as she was the rest of the evening (nerves, perhaps - the place was full and holds 1,900 people).

Had a meal beforehand with Neil and Jeanne and their friend Nancy, who paid. The restaurant cant cope with a table for 5 - they can do 2,4 and 6 but not 5. The host (we cant call them Maitre D' here - too French) was some 9 years old schoolboy who was wearing his first pair of long pants and who has the social skills of a deformed ant. The food - thai - however, was superb. Ah well, cant have it all.

Bought some lovely pure silk shirts for my Jamaican vacation at the best shop on the planet - Winners. This shop buys up remainder goods all over the world and sells them. So you end up with quality goods at half price or less. What a good concept.

The wedding we were to go to in Bristol in July looks like its not going to happen. SJA is not ready for this particular marriage at this particular time. I hope she's OK.

My friend, Senator Tardif
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My Friend, The Senator..

Driving back to Edmonton from Athabasca I heard that a colleague and friend - Claudette Tardiff - has been named to the Canadian Senate by the Prime Minister. How amazing.

Claudette is former Dean of the Faculte St. John at the University of Alberta and is currently Acting Vice President External at that University. We met last October with regards to the Canadian Unity Conference we are both planning and became friends at that time. We have met several times. Then she was made Acting VP, which surprised her as well as me and she hit the ground running in that job. And now Senator Tardif. Nice eh. Good luck to her I say. She is a little older than me, but you wouldnt know it.

Novels, Films, Future and Snow

10 days ago there was almost no snow near the house. In fact, we had started to work the garden - herbs were growing and some of the perennials were starting to green after five months of serious winter. Then, snow. Lots of it. 18 cm in fact. Which is a lot. It started to melt today, but it is likely to freeze, thaw and freeze, so ice will be our next problem. Then it will all melt quickly, so the "run off" will be fast and substantial.

Ah well, I guess if you chose to live this far north then this is what you should expect.

Saw two poor films last week-end. The Garden State - a little story about a boy placed on lithium by his father after he had pushed his mother and crippled her for life. Not a great movie - nothing wrong with it, just not very interesting. The other was P.S - a movie about a woman who finds a "clone" of a dead boyfriend and dates him. Again, nothing wrong with it, but nothing to rush out for.

Finished another Henning Mankell mystery novel. My fourth since I finished reading the three volume biography of Graham Greene. Mankell has created a detective - Wallander - who is full of self doubt, has a complex social life and is obsessed by his police work. A kind of cross between Morse and Rebus. Very well written and full of twists.

Working on a paper for the National Research Council on 2025 Innovation Culture - what can we do to create an effective culture of innovation by 2025. Immersed in demographic, economic and political analysis right now. I hadn't realized just how serious Canada's demographic issues are - we need 270,000 immigrants a year to stay stable as a vibrant economy. Most of these immigrants will come from China, India, Pakistan and Philippines. Given that India will have some 1.4b people by 2025 and China pretty near the same, we can expect that this immigration is possible. But at what cost ?

A friend and colleague has decided to move on from the University. She will be missed, by me at least. A woman of integrity, deep appreciation for the feelings of people and a real passion for intelligent writing and conversation - she has been an ideal colleague to have around. One of those people I was glad to have something to do with bringing to the University in the first place. Bon voyage, Pam.

Watching a TV program, hosted by Tony Robinson (Baldrick), on the Holy Grail - a review of the evidence relating to the key ideas in the Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown). Tony (now on the national executive of the UK Labour Party). He's a good host for this historical detective story.

Professor Liam Hudson, formerly of Brunel, has died. I went to see him several times to discuss his book The Cult of the Fact (1972) when I was working on my Masters thesis at The Open University (it was a psychometric study and Liam had a lot to say about psychometrics). He was a gentle man and a widely read scholar. He was 71. He made a difference to my generation of methodologists, which is how I once thought of myself.

David Kosoff, the actor, has also died. I saw him play opposite Ertha Kitt (what a wonderful creature she was) in Bunny in 1972 on a trip to London (it was the Criterion theatre).

I must stop reading the obituaries and start shoveling some snow.

Dr Phil Meets the Osbornes

Next Monday, Dr Phil meets the Obsorne's at their home and does some family therapy. Brave man.

Dr Phil is a great money machine. I am sure he is sincere, but he is an effective marketer and salesman. His diet stuff, his new work on families and his basic work on self-respect is all fine and very American. He'll probably last another 2-3 years and then give up. Meanwhile, he'll have done very well.

He did very well before in his other business (which he still has) which is a jury selection and analysis business. This is how he met Oprah when she was put on trial by the Texas Cattlemen and Dr Phil was her jury consultant. She liked him a lot and had him on her show a couple of times, and then she bankrolled his own show.

As a psychologist he is very American - behavioural and cognitive stuff. His strength is that he is a powerful sound bite communicator.

I made a TV program on encounter groups, which included footage of me leading one. It came with a BBC warning!

Lady Callaghan

Lady Audrey Callaghan, wife of the former British Prime Minister James Callaghan, has died aged 91.

She was a tough lady. When I was election agent for the Labour Party in Cardiff North but a member of Jim's constituency association which was very concerned about his actions with respect to Cardiff, she took her husbands critics on and was very tough cookie to deal with indeed. She was also, in her own way, a real contributor to the party - being her husbands strength. She raised significant funds for charity and was innovative in the way she did this. She will be missed and I suspect Lord Callaghan has a broken heart. Though appearing as a pragmatist, he is in fact a romantic.

When Callgahan lost the election, I was in the room when peerage were under discussion. Sir Julian Hodge wanted one, the question was "what's in it for the party". Answer: donation.
It was all very sordid. At one point Lord Tonypandy (George Thomas) said to Jim - "reminds me of Lloyd George all this" and it was very much a strange and unreal moment in Labour party history.

Callaghan himself always presented himself as a decent kind of guy just trying to do an honest job. But he didnt hesitate to put special branch onto those of us who opposed him.

But today, I am all sympathy for him - he will experience a great loss. He daughter, Lady Jay (who I also knew before she was elevated to the peerage), will also miss her too. She modeled many aspects of her thinking on her mum.

Political correctness obviously missed these guys..
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Smarmy People - Odd People

Michael Jackson, the well known black to white minstrel, is running out of cash. While his assets (it is said) outweigh his liabilities, he has liquidity problems - he is short $300m. Seems to me he also has sanity problems. What I never understood was how a seemingly intelligent woman like Lisa Marie Presley could ever find herself married to him in 1994. At least she had the sense to end it pretty quickly. He then married to Debbie Rowe, a former nurse in 1996 with whom he had two children - Prince Michael 1 and Paris Michael Katherine. Pity them.

He's not the only odd guy around, though he is the current leading odd bloke to watch. I find others odd too - like Don Hill, recently fired CBC broadcaster (the only radio host I actually found myself disliking intensely - not because of his views, but because he was so patronizing, self congratulatory and downright "smarmy") or the guy who hosts the BBC show Bargain Hunt David Dickinson. Apart fromn the fact that he is a different colour from any other human being (which I guess is something he has in common with Michael Jackson), he is also "smarmy" and, well, odd.

I dont mind eccentrics - in fact, most of my own education was by eccentrics - but these "smarmies" I find difficult to take.

Jackson's trial may prove entertaining, but his behaviour is worrying. At least Don Hill and David Dickinson are harmless.

Watched Motorcycle Diaries last night - a strong simple film which I enjoyed. Lovely views of Latin America which encouraged me to want to go. Good story line and a well made film.

Just finished reading the second volume of James Lees-Milne biography of Harold Nicholson - statesman, writer and bon vivant. Married to Vita Sackville-West, who had an affair with Virginia Woolfe. They were both bisexual (Harold and Vita). Harold had hardly any money - he had to write to be able to eat (like Churchill) and only occassionally did Vita lend give him money. He designed Sissinghurst, supported by Vita - probably one of the most beautiful gardens in England.

Dave Allen

Dave Allen, funny man and intelligent comedian, has died. He had a wry sense of humour, and was a skilled user of subtle language.

Saw him in Cardiff in the 1970's. It was at the height of the Jeremy Thorpe scandal - it had been revealed that Thorpe, then leader of the Liberal Party, had paid someone to shoot his homosexual lover, they had missed and killed the man's dog. An election was called. The Liberal Party had posters all over Cardiff. Allen had one and asked audience members to come on stage and open it out. There was a big picture of Thorpe and the slogan was "Don't turn your back on the Liberals". Huge laugh. Allen stood serenely and said "you cant make stuff up all of the time!".

When I interviewed him for my comedians project he was probably the most intellectual comedian I came across. He understood the psychodynamics of humour, was a master of irony and took his art very seriously. He was also, it seemed to me, a very kind man.

Speaking of humour, we watched a film last night I love Huckabees with Dustin Hoffman, Lilly Tomlin, Jude Law (yes, another film with the ubiquitous actor), Isabelle Huppert, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Whalberg and Naomi Watts. Weird stuff and not especially funny. The idea had potential - existential detectives looking for clues as to the meaning of an individuals life and how several "cases" intertwine - but not well executed here. Huppert, though, is my kind of lady, though I thought her performance in Le Pianiste was a little too "tight".

Interesting week - JetsGo (Fly a Little, Loose a Lot) went bankrupt (the third airline its CEO has "lost"); Tony Blair loses big time in the attempt to pass legislation concerning terrorism in the UK; Mr Dithers, our Prime Minister here in Canada, dithers again.

Spelling is on the decline everywhere..
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The Next Wedding ?
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Our daughters "in law" to be (hopefully!)
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The engaged couple enjoying a moment at a party...James and Lena
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The Family at Play during Glyns Graduation Event, 25th Feb 2005
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I have been away in Toronto for a few days - cold and miserable it was too. Saw the film Kinsey, and what a dull film it was. I can understand the interest in him and he did do some interesting things, but Liam Neeson plays him with such intensity and seriousness that he hardly seems human.

I have also read one of the mystery novels by Henning Mankell (The Fifth Woman) - a Swedish writer who has an "Inspector Morse-like" quality. Very good. Picked up two more and am working through a second (The White Lioness). Also read Eats, Shoots, Leaves by Lynne Truss - subtitled A Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, which is both a good introduction to basic punctuation and also funny. I like her point about hyphens - look at the difference between the phrase "extra marital affairs" and "extra-marital affairs"! She has it in for Susan Sontag though - wonder why ?

Watched the Oscar show with the family. What a dull show this year. Chris Rock was below par - and certainly not up to the billing. His funniest line was that "next year they'll be awarding Oscars in the parking lot - there'll be a drive through lane for technical Oscars" - a reference to the fact that a number of Oscars were presented right down in the audience (not at the level "look under your seat, one of you will find your Oscar there!" - but close). I think the dullness of the show matched perfectly the dullness of the film season.

Our Government (Alberta) has announced some $4.5b in endowment funding for post-secondary education - which, interestingly, didn't make a headline in the national CBC news last night (but spending $2.5b on a GM plant in Ontario did). No wonder Alberta feels badly done to.
More to come, I guess.

Best Place to Eat

The March edition of Gourmet magazine claims that London (UK) is the best place to eat on the planet.

It is certainly better than it was twenty years ago - even ten years ago, but I doubt that this is a correct claim. I have had some of the best meals I have ever eaten there - especially at Locatelli and at 15 - but I have also been well fed here at home in Edmonton - Pack Rat Louis, Hardware Grill, Jack's Grill, Chance..

I suppose food is a very personal thing - the kind of thing where experience counts. Having been brought up as a young child in a restaurant (my grandfather was Marcel Leclerc - a well known chef in the north of England who was trained in Paris; he owned Hardy's restaurant in Bradford opposite St George's Hall) and having been cooking seriously (as an amateur) since I was 20 I guess my standards are high.

But its good for London that people like Gordon Ramsey are around and doing well.

Tonight is The Oscar's - a traditional Murgatroyd evening of dining, drinking and watching. The theme tonight is Tex-Mex (we are doing a chili while the kids do everything else).

I have made my Oscar selections (stuff below shows % of 200,000 voting - my selections in bold and red):

Actor in a Leading Role : (4%) Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA(6%) Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND(17%) Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR(3%) Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY(69%) Jamie Foxx - RAY

Actress in a Leading Role : (14%) Annette Bening - BEING JULIA(2%) Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE (3%) Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE(76%) Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY(6%) Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Best Picture : (64%) The Aviator(4%) Finding Neverland(19%) Million Dollar Baby(10%) Ray(3%) Sideways

Actor in a Supporting Role :(8%) Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR(9%) Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS(10%) Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL(57%) Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY(16%) Clive Owen - CLOSER

Actress in a Supporting Role : (52%) Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR(3%) Laura Linney - KINSEY(7%) Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS(7%) Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA(30%) Natalie Portman - CLOSER

Directing : (47%) The Aviator(46%) Million Dollar Baby(5%) Ray(1%) Sideways(0%) Vera Drake

Its not been a great year for film (2004), with almost all of the real winners being released in the October - December period.

It's nice to see the film Vera Drake being recognised through a nomination. Worth seeing. Ray is outstanding.

This is the brother of the two girls (there were six children in all)...
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The girls from Morocco - met on the foothills while walking. Dont they look lovely..
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The Wind in the Windows

The Federal Government of Canada is seeking to increase investment in wind generated energy at exactly the same time as the Government of Germany - the world’s largest producer of wind power – is questioning its investment in wind farms. The reason: it is inefficient way of producing energy, it is costly and has but a marginal impact on green house gas emissions.

The German study, issued by its energy agency, makes clear that it costs between €41 - €77 (between $67 and $126) to reduce carbon emissions by one tonne. A similar study in the UK by the audit commission suggests that it costs between ₤70 and ₤140 ($166 - $333) to meet the one tonne challenge. The difference in cost between the two countries is due to economies of scale – Germany produces more wind power than the US, Spain and Denmark put together – the worlds other major producers of wind power. Close to 10% of Germany’s energy supply comes from renewable sources.

In Britain, where the Blair government is investing over $2bn in wind turbines, more than 100 national and local groups, led by some of Britain's most prominent environmentalists, including David Bellamy, Sir Crispin Tickell, and James Lovelock, have argued that wind power is inefficient, destroys the countryside and makes little difference to Britain's soaring carbon emissions.

The German study also suggests a more productive alternative to wind power – better home insulation and construction. Incentives to insulate and make energy efficient older homes are a quicker way to reduce emissions, lower energy costs and support the Kyoto protocol.

Given that it costs between three and five times as much to generate wind power over conventional power; that turbines destroy the countryside as anyone who has been on the coastal roads in Spain or the Yorkshire moors can attest; and that their environmental impact is marginal, we should not make significant investments in wind but should look for strong incentives for energy efficiency in homes while exploring other sources of renewable energy.

Peter Sherlock and Erroll Garner

Modern technology - other than solar powered pants - is really quite remarkable. I was sitting at my desk last evening downloading a collection of jazz piano pieces - Erroll Garner, Art Tatum,, George Shearing, Oscar Peterson - using Kaza when my mind turned to Peter Sherlock.

Peter was my closest friend at school. He was a gifted pianist whose mum was a wonderful woman who was like Hyacinth Bouquet - domineering but unaware that she was. His dad was a gentle man, who worked in the wool trade and was a magistrate. Peter had a great sense of humour and was just an all round good guy. He was best man at my wedding. He didn't go to University but got into law and is now Director of Legal Services in the Bradford court system. In the previous picture, he is on the back row on the far left.

He introduced me to jazz piano, especially Erroll Garner. Peter himself was no mean pianist. We would pop over to his place in Keighley for supper after school and he'd play, we'd talk and go for a beer.

When I was back living in Europe, we met up briefly. His son goes to St. Bede's - our alma mater - and I was giving out the prizes at speech day. Peter is very involved in the music scene in Bradford and has a small choir, which he conducts. He looks well and has been happily married almost as long as Lynne and myself (35 years this year).

I wish him well and thank him for my life-long love of good jazz piano.

Peter Sherlock is on the back row, far left - he was best man at my wedding and introduced me to jazz pianists. I wish him well.
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My Electric Trousers

A Professor at the University of Toronto has invented a nanotechnology spray, which when used on certain fabrics, converts the fabric to a large scale receptor for solar power. Rather than use the suns light, it uses infra red to charge the cells, thus is able to recharge itself even when it is cloudy. A pair of pants thus become a battery cell. A jacket is a battery cell as also can be any item of clothing, provided it is exposed to infra red rays.

Imagine, then, the possibilities:

• Beachwear advertising how available you are for parties, fun and games;
• Trousers indicating on the backside your current interests and hobbies, so it will be quicker to make friends and meet people;
• Hats with vibrating logos, showing your favourite team, or..
• Shoes with constantly changing messages
• The back of your jacket being an area which can display text messages

I am not overly excited about this technology. Imagine:

• Tony Blair (actually pronounced Bliar) with his jacket back displaying "I'M TONY, TRUST ME"
• Paul Martin, sometime Prime Minister of Canada, with "Mr Dithers" on his lapel
• Madonna with "I'm Married, Honest" on the crotch of her show panties

It could all get rather out of hand. But then, well..I guess nanotechnology will make all things possible..

Definately NOT my job !
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You Have to Smile..

Had a few interesting moments recently.. Went to the doctors, she told me I was “fat!”

I told her:
I aint fat

Fat is when you get on a set of scales and they
Say “to be continued..”

Fat is when you get on an up escalator and it starts going down!

Fat is when you put in corduroy pants and you cant see lines..

Fat is when you go jogging and you hear applause, but there’s no one there – its just you fat ass making all that noise..

So I aint fat..


I am doing well tho – still having sex at 53, this is good – I live at 54 so I don’t have far to walk..

I just put a skylight in my ceiling, I like it, but the people upstairs are really pissed off..

I just bought a microwave fireplace, you can spend an entire evening in front of it in just 8 minutes..

I bought some used paint, it was in the shape of a house..

I was born by Caesarean section – you cant really tell, but when I leave the house I do so through a window..

I have a hobby…I own the world’s largest collection of sea shells, so big is it that I have placed them on beeches all over the world, maybe you’ve seen some of them..

The other day I was playing poker with Tarrot cards – got a full house and four people died..

I saw a woman wearing a Tshirt that said “guess” on it – so I said implants – she hit me!

I don’t approve of political jokes – I’ve seen too many of them get elected..

Been away for a while, living in Europe. People ask me what I was doing there…well, this and that – mainly that and very little of this..

But I got a job writing billboard slogans..better than the job I had proofreading for a sky-writing company..

Anyway, thought you might like to hear some of the billboard suggestions I made that didn’t go anywhere..

HOOVER Our products suck

N AM FERTILIZER You think you job involves a lot of bullshit..

AM School of
Proctology Giving someone a finger isn’t always a bad thing

Canadian Armed
Forces We’re proud of our privates!


But I did start to explore some more research questions – those life puzzles that make us think..


Like:

If flying is so safe, why do they call airports terminals?

How come American’s only get to chose between 2 men for President, but 50 women for Miss America ?

How come most nudists are the very people you would never like to see naked?

If drunk driving is illegal, why do bars have to have parking lots ?

If never the twain shall meet, how did Shania get pregnant?

Is it OK to go door to door selling no soliciting signs?

Should gay students get straight A’s ?

What’s another word for thesaurus ?

How come the word “phonetic” isn’t spelled as it sounds ?

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to go with them ?

If someone with multiple personalities threatens suicide, is this considered a hostage situation ?

Whatever happened to preparations A to G ?

How come only fat people drink diet cola ?

Why did kamikaze pilots wear crash helmets ?

If a man stands alone in the forrest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong ?


Anyway, I just thought I should share these things with you. You never know, you may even be smiling by now..

An Unlikely Story
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The Queen, Governments and Gravy

So, the Queen has decided that she is unable to attend the wedding of her son Charles, heir to the throne (probably taking the title George) and Camilla Parker Bowles.

This wedding is turning into "I am a Monarch, Get me Out of Here" like farce. First, they couldn't use Windsor Castle because of the law; then there are issues about the legality of the wedding itself under the Royal Marriages Act; then some in the Church of England have argued that they cannot be a legitimate church blessing after the service. Its enough to make you want to elope.
The royal family is a seriously dysfunctional one (I used to be a family therapist and I wrote a book once on Families in Crisis) - and this wedding is a direct symbol of this.

Today I spent my time trying to influence, through others, the work of the Government of Alberta. Which is rather like saying I asked Mount Everest to move 23cm to the right by playing a mouth organ and tap dancing. (There is a famous Kurt Vonnegut story of a man from another planet coming to earth to warn people about their doomed future, but he could only communicate by tap dancing and farting - hence, no one really took him that seriously - and all that he was telling them was actually true, eventually!). I am sure things will happen that will be positive for the university sector, but it will be wasteful and more complicated than it needs to be.

Rather like making good gravy, which is an art and skill which few possess. This became clear to me today at the University of Alberta Faculty Club, which serves the most dreadful muck and claims that it is a meal. What they cant do is gravy.

One more thing, it seems to me rather strange that our Queen (she is the Queen of Canada too you know) wouldn't be at the wedding, even if she cant go as Queen of England, Scotland, Ulster and Wales. Maybe she needs some gravy..

Crab, Pork with Clams and Port

Portuguese cooking is interesting - lots of fresh sea food (especially shell fish), pork and lots of slow cooking. We went to Lena's mum and dad's (she is the one marrying James - see picture below) for dinner: stuffed squid (onions, squid tentacles, rice, spices), pork with clams, fish cakes to die for (cod, but so light they just melt in the mouth - super).

Christina (Lena's sister) and her husband Rui were there too, so a nice evening. James told us the story of him buying a crab at Save on Foods. It was wrapped in a brown paper parcel, claws firmly closed and tied. When James got to the check out, the girl at the till was "totally freaked out that you'd bring a live crab here!" and couldn't check it through - James had to do it for her. Just another example of the coming generation being so deconstructed.

I told the story of going to Urban Fair (now no more, but once a gourmets paradise), picking up a celeriac and strolling to the check out. "What is it?" I was asked.

"Celeriac"
"No - that's green and its pronounced celery - what's this ?" as she pointed to the celeriac.
"Its called celeriac"
"No, that's green - I've already said this.."
"Yes, but this is a completely different vegetable - its called celeriac and its a root vegetable - soups, mashed with spuds.."

- so she finally looked it up, blushed and acknowledged that I was right.

Christina was saying that the most common mistake is to confuse sweet potato with yams, which is good because yams are much more expensive.

I have just finished the third and final volume of the Graham Greene biography by Norman Sherry. It is an excellent account of a man one cannot but admire - a fighter, fearless and brilliant novelist and play-write.

Now, I am looking for a good detective story - more later.

On Sunday we have the Oscars. Our annual ritual of reviewing the years best films and getting a sense of where the industry is at. It needs help, in my view. A poor year overall for film, though it got better in the last six weeks of the year. Predictions later.

Now, time to watch the TV series I have been following about the occupation of the channel islands during the second world war by the Germans. Excellent series on Masterpiece Theatre (KSPS - PBS Television) - recorded on one of my two DVD recorders.

We could also recognise this as someone not quite understanding all of the angles..
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We could call this truth in advertising..
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Awards

Industry associations are very important - they help sustain a cluster of people who do good work all of the time and, while they compete like hell with each other, help move ideas around and support continuous improvement.

They also offer, at least one night a year, a good dinner.

The advertising agencies and their associated support were on show last night at the ACE (Advertising Club of Edmonton) dinner at the Shaw. 500 people showed up for a good meal and 800,000,000 awards (felt like that at times). Lynne and I were the guests of one company - the "most winning company, I should add" - and enjoyed the evening.

Have you ever seen the programme What Not to Wear - not the tame, timid and tired US version of this show, but the UK original with Trinne and Suzanna ? They were featured on Oprah last Friday. These two would have had a field day - very large women wearing tapered pants (one pair looked like a bathroom wall from behind); a woman who was so thin I though she was a zipper; a woman who'se fold-over skirt didn't, a man in his late fifties trying to look "hip" with long scraggy hair, a white jacket, black shirt and white tie supported by blue jeans - one could go on. The Shaw was a fashion crime scene. It was like some evil fashion virus had hit the place.

I have always liked ads. My favorite TV/Cinema ad is a DDB ad for hot sauce where a fly lands on a guys plate as he is eating outside, tastes some hot sauce, flies away and explodes into a mushroom cloud with the strap line - "that's one hot sauce!".

My favourite poster / billboard is in Seattle for a strip club (watch this blog and I'll post it) - "Fifty Beautiful Women, and Five Ugly One's" (bet they never get sued under the Trade Descriptions Act).

We always go to the cinema to watch the world's best ads each year and, for several years, I had a source for failed ads or out-takes.

But it is a real skill to communicate an effective message in a short time span in a memorable way. The good news is, I know people who do this. They invited me for dinner.

The other son, Glyn (about to graduate from his Occupational Therapy program at the University of Alberta), with his lady (Michelle) and a person you may know - Jamie Oliver.
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James and his bride to be - the wedding is on October 8th and I assume he will have shaved by then! This was actually taken some time ago in Portugal.
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Shopping, Food and the Task of Men

Most men dont like shopping. Most especially for food.

I like shopping, especially for food.

The reason most men dont like food shopping is that it shows their ignorance, both of food itself and what one does with it. Mind you, in Canada this ignorance isn't just a male domain - many women we know are ignorant about food, food choices, food combinations and the possibilities of food preparation and cooking.

One sign of this is the worst invention in north American - the "pot luck" supper. More accurately, "you're right out of luck supper". Lynne went to one of these last night - coleslaw (a creation aimed at making sure you're put off food for life) mixed with cold, dry noodles ("to give it some extra crunch, you know"), various savoury jellies (a very Albertan thing), various stews (all over-cooked and all tasting the same), salads of unknown origin and cold perogies and cabbage rolls.

To cries of "isnt this wonderul", which it isnt, the ladies drank sweet German wine and very cheap Cabernet.

A worse evening I can only just imagine. It is when the meal has been badly prepared, but based on "Company's Coming" - a series of the most dreadful cook books on the planet.

But at least they attempt cooking (though often, it would be better if they didnt) - men rarely do. They havent a clue. We once were on vacation with a bloke who had one cooking skill - omlette. Other than that, he was lost. I have already mentioned elsewhere in this blog my former room mate, Dave Tidy (see blog in archive with this title), who hadnt a clue.

Yet most chefs are male and most chefs (though not all, see Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares for proof) can cook.

Its not just men. There are a growing number of people who have no idea about food. We see it almost every week at the check-out when the girl behind the counter has no idea what it is she is about to ring in. Last week it was an aubergine (which is known as egg plant here) - this was a woman who is studying for a Masters degree at the University of Alberta. Fresh herbs, celeriac and almost any interesting fruit cause problems at check-out.

Now that most families prefer to eat out rather than cook, we are losing knowledge and skills.

Its sad really.

It woluld never happen in the marines..
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The Things that Annoy

Small things annoy me.

The poor quality of pronunciation on the radio and television - for example, Carrie Doll our newsreader simply does not know how to say Wimbledon (she adds a "t" - Wimbleton).

The poor quality of north American newspapers, with the possible exception of the New York Times and the even poorer quality of American and Canadian TV news. Where is the in-depth reporting ? The really strong investigative journalism?

The idea that fries (which British people call chips, but chips here are what Brits call "crisps") go with gravy or that fries, cheese curds and gravy go together (its called Poutine).

Classic FM in Britain playing the same piece of music more than twice a day - in fact, if you listen often enough you develop the view that they only have a dozen CD's!

Don Hill on CBC Edmonton radio at 1pm weekdays - patronizing, "know all" who annoys the hell out of me by his condescending tone, air of superiority (usually associated with liberal, high moral ground points of view which are often dead wrong) - he is the only broadcaster to make me reach boiling point on a regular basis.

The absence of really good comedy, especially on radio. While we have Madly Off in All Directions, it is patchy and not often funny. But its something. The Royal Canadian Air Farce team should retire - they dont look to be enjoying themselves and rarely do we. This Hour Has 22 Minutes has lost its satire and biting edge. We are left with the funniest thing on TV being the coverage of parliament.

Poor quality food and people who think such food is good.

But when you look over the list, its not too bad. In fact, they are all relatively small things in life.
So I guess, I dont get annoyed much (unless Don Hill is broadcasting).

And this is how the world really works
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This is how we get to our current web based world
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Is Walking Really Good for You ?

Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $5000 per month. My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. Now she's 97 years old and we don't know where the hell she is.

The only reason I would take up exercising is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there. I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing. I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them. The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country. And last but not least: I don't exercise because it makes the ice jump right out of my glass.

In General

Tony Blair will call an election in the UK for May. He will win. He shouldnt, since he is a cad and bounder (to say the least) and the most devious son of a flea to occupy 10 Downing Street in a while. He will win with a similar majority to the one he has now and the Liberals will gain some seats. The Tories will remain in the wilderness.

After a while, Bliar (as I call him) will step down and there will be a leadership race within the Labour Party, which Gordon Brown will win. Within a short time, there will be cries for Bring Back Tony, but these will die down and when Brown fights his election three and a half to four years later, he will lose.

Before Bliar steps down there will be a referrendum in Britain on the new EU constitution, which Blair could lose unless he lies a heck of a lot, which is likely. For example, he will say that the new constitution does not create the foundation for a Europen state, which it does; does not remove furrther sovereign powers from Britain, which it does; cede power to an unelected group in Brussels, which it does, and so on. Only by not telling the "truth, the whole truth" will he win this vote. When he concludes this, he will step down.

His legacy will be all "flash and burn" - flash because he brought some energy into No. 10 (not to mention babies) and because he has a good turn of phrase; burn because he has spent through one heck of a lot of British taxpayers money (more and more raised each year through stealth taxes) for no apparent benefit and took Britain to war for no apparent reason.

What should really happen is that Britain uses the election to make a major change. Trouble is, there are no reasonable alternatives to New Labour. Britain is stuck with them.

Ah well. Could be worse. They could have the Canadian Prime Minister, known as "Mr. Dithers".

(Seattle is off, by the way - despite working hard to arrange such a trip at short notice, the University cant get its act together for two people to meet in Seattle. They clearly need me! - see previous blog entry)

The Middle East

Sometime ago I had a call from a UK based recruitment agency asking if I was interested in becoming Chancellor of a University in the Middle East. Having answered the obvious two questions - how safe is it and what's the money - I now find myself flying to Seattle to meet the crew and see where this will take us. They are exploring opportunuties and I rate my chances slightly above nil.

Nonetheless, it is flattering. Indeed, exciting. We have friends not far away in Charga and they have built their retirement nest egg there. Not surprising given that there is no income tax, living expenses are found and they pay for a trip abroad each year.

But I am philosophical. Lynne always said she wanted to go somewhere warm, but this is silly.
Still, we'll see.

What is also interesting here is the speed at which we are working. The approach was just before Xmas. Its now 15th Feb - all of a sudden its urgent.

Still, I get to go to Seattle and be close to the water...cant be bad, just for a day though..

This is Me (Honest)

I was trying to find a way of posting pictures to the blog, and have found it. Using a combination of Picasso and Hello (both computer programs from Google, who are also behind blogger bot), we can now send pictures quickly and simply to the blog. In fact, it couldn't be more simple. So, this is me looking serious (but while I can be serious, I am fun most of the time).

Overwight and Legal Challenges for Charles and Camilla

Watching Oprah and there is a guy who weighs 763 lbs and whose wasit was a size 86. He has lost over 500 lbs. I weigh 190 lbs (app.) and wouldnt mind losing another 20-25lbs. He has had to have surgery to remove 3 yards of excess skin which was "left behind" by the weight leaving. Its all rather scary.

Spent the day planning a collaborative presentation to Government which will take placed next week (22nd). We're putting a lot of time into what is in fact a simple presentation. Still, its the price of collaboration.

Rumour has it that the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles (see earlier blog) is already problematic. The BBC ran a documentary at the week-end which questioned the legality of the civil ceremony (followed by a blessing) proposed by the Royal Family (and accepted by cabinet). The problem is the 1772 Royal Marriages Act, which stipulates some conditions not yet met by Charles and Camilla. This all at the time when the Canadian House of Commons is debating civil marriage for same sex couples (maybe Charles and Camilla could use this legilsation, if passed!).

The 1836 Marriage Act allowed for civil marriages in England for the first time, with the exemption of the Royal Family. It was revised in 1949 but no specific changes were made to the royal exemption. Dr Stephen Cretney QC, Emeritus Fellow of Legal History, Oxford University, said he found it impossible to understand how a civil marriage for the couple in England could be legal. He said: "There is no statutory procedure whereby members of the Royal Family can marry in a register office. Although there may be this ceremony and public rejoicing, it could be the Prince of Wales is not married and Mrs Parker Bowles is not his wife and, constitutionally, it's important to know whether they are married or not."

But it was claimed that the Government and Buckingham Palace had taken advice from several independent lawyers who advised the marriage would be legal. Clarence House told on the programme that it believed the 1949 Act was not a continuation of the first Act but a completely new one, which did not specifically prevent members of the Royal Family from having civil marriages.

But Valentine Le Grice QC countered: "I am unsure of any such legislation. It's not open to them to follow the normal procedures of registry marriage."

The legal experts said until recently the Government's stance had been that under the Act a civil marriage in the Royal Family in England was not allowed. The experts want the recent legal advice to the Government to be made public to settle the issue. It was said on Panorama, if civil marriage in England was not an option, the couple could either appeal under the Human Rights Act, get married in Scotland, or go in for a common law marriage. The last was abolished for everyone except the royals. The other way out is to askParliament amend the law. (Based on materials from the Hindustan Times).

I'll keep us all posted.

Vegetables

Enjoyable meal with our sons and their ladies - mussel's in Thai sauce, beef roast and veg, home made banana ice cream (very good indeed).

Vegetables are a problem this time of the year, so I roast a lot. Green beans with walnuts and shallots roasted with paprika and oregano; brussel sprouts and potato roasted with fennel seeds, shallots and pine nuts. Both take around 40 minutes in a hot (375 degree) oven, but the extra work is worth it. Otherwise its ordinary. (Went to the farmers market looking for good veg, but not much around).

Nasty rumour that Billingsgate Fish Market here in Edmonton is experiencing financial difficulties and may close. We were there the other day and noted that their stock was low. Their wholesale business is causing the problem - competition. It will be sad if we lose this.

Vanity Fair and Reese Witherspoon

Who would of thought that an actress with the unlikely name of Reese Witherspoon could be so good in so many movies. Since American Psycho I have watched her blossom into an actress with tremendous skill, seen especially clearly in The Importance of Being Earnest (still a wonderful story, despite the several remakes) and Sweet Home Alabama. She excells herself in Vanity Fair, Thackery's tale of social class and social climbers. Nuances, gestures, energy, passion - she has it all. A great film, well worth watching.

I note that she has also started producing (Legally Blonde 2 and Sports Widow) - which means she must also be able to command commercial respect in LA. Not bad for a lady who was born in Baton Rouge in 1976 (22nd March) and has been making films since 1991 (and TV shows / movies too since 1998). She is married (to Ryan Phillipe, actor seen in Cruel Intentions, Gosford Park and Crash and currently filming Dorian Gray) and has two children.

She has been nominated for two Golden Globes (2000, 2002 - Election and Legally Blonde were the films), but didn't win.

She is an actress to watch. If you haven't seen her in Cruel Intentions, rent it.

Another film, this time a documentary, worth watching is Nine Good Teeth - a film by Alex Halpern. Its the story of an Italian lady who, when the film opens is 96 (she is now 105). The film unfolds through the stories of Halpern's Italian-American grandmother Mary Mirabito Livornese Cavaliere ("Nana"). In an intimate and often hilarious portrait, Mary, a fiercely independent woman, dispenses homespun wisdom in a series of unflinching conversations with her persistent and equally outspoken grandson. As she divulges family secrets and rivalries, Mary confronts her own mortality with candor and courage while remaining the rock on which the rest of her family relies. In the process of capturing Mary's life and times, Halpern turns his camera on various members of the extended family and uncovers a multitude of conflicting viewpoints. Questions are asked, left unanswered and later revisited. We learn Mary was an inattentive mother with artistic aspirations who resented being trapped at home. Mary and daughter Maria's explosive and contradictory relationship is steeped in a shared revisionism of past events. Her younger sister Gladys blames Mary for her lost adolescence and refuses to see her before either die. Mary's desire, from an early age, to live her life equal to that of a man, was often in direct conflict with her roles as daughter, wife, mother, matriarch and first-generation American. She is one tough cookie and good luck to her.

The film is full of good little sayings. Here are a few:

Italian Dialect: "Quando si manga non si parla, perch* si combata con la morte."
English:"When you eat, don't speak because you're fighting with death."

Neapolitan: "L'omo, che podda fare bichin'a vonella"
English:"What can a man do alongside a skirt?"

Sicilian: "Mangiati quattru figatedd'i muschi arrustitti."
English: Go and eat four roasted flies' livers.

You end up both liking and fearing this lady, but her story is compelling.

Today I am making ice cream in the new ice cream maker I managed to pick up on eBay. Watch this space! Lynne made some last week (Pistachio) and it was excellent.

"Sometimes a Dick is just a Detective"

That's a headline in today's Globe and Mail (or Glob and Mall as I like to think of this Toronto centric newspaper which is distributed nationally). An author took the fuss over the Freud archives and turned it into a novel, hence the headline..


We have had an interesting cafuffle here over our Police Chief. In fact, this week we have had 3 Police Chiefs - the actual chief (Raynor) who was fired Tuesday, the acting Chief (da Costa) who was hired Tuesday and the would-be chief who was contracted Tuesday (subject to agreement with City Council) who was let go Thursday. This is a complicated story, but some good comes out of it. The press indicate this morning that Athabasca University will be asked to launch a course for Police Commissioners ... work Curtis Clark and I did last year is suddenly paying off..

It looks like being a good year for Athabasca - new funds, new President and Vice President, new spirit of optimism. Hope these things dont get in the way of needed changes to our core ways of work..the problem with sudden postive $$ is that they often delay work that really needs to be done..

Had a wonderful Japanese meal last evening with Neil and Jeanne. We just asked for the meal for 4 and food kept coming - wonderful fishy Miso soup, great sushi, outstanding chicken Terryaki, a strange cold noodle dish in a nice sauce which one dipped in another sauce before eating.. anyway, left full and very pleasantly surprised. My previous experience of Japanese meals is having to pop in for a pizza on the way home..not this time.

Searching for volume 2 of the Harold Nicolson biography of James Lees-Milne while at the same time continuing to read Graham Greene biography by Norman Sherry. Writing the book on Innovative Enterprises with Don Simpson and rewriting the earlier book we did together on Focused Innovation - essentially updating. Busy time..

Camilla, Charles and Weddings

So Prince Charles is to marry Camilla Parker Bowles (whom Private Eye sometimes refers to as Camilla Poke your Bowels) on April 8th in Windsor in a civil ceremony followed by a blessing in the Royal Chapel. She is to become HRH Duchess of Cornwall. Good luck to them.

I wonder if I shall be invited ? After all, I have been to Cornwall a few times and I did meet a Queen once and had dinner with her (Queen Juliana of the Netherlands).

We have our own sons wedding this fall (October 8th) and my good and dear friend Sarajane is marrying on 30th July in Bristol - so this is obviously a year of celebrity weddings!

We were looking at our wedding photographs on Sunday. What a thin, geeky looking guy I was. Young (I was 18) and looking more like a chemist than a bon vivant, and had very big glasses (as also did Lynne). Then, after a few years, I looked like Captain Birdseye with a full beard and lots and lots of hair. In fact, I would say an unbelievable amount of hair. In fact, so much hair that you could make a hair bed out of it. Dont know what I was thinking.

What I do remember is Lynne's dad being terrified of the speaking role he had at the banquet afterwards. He would practice this in the lavatory at home. When it came to the actual speech he stood up and simply said "all the best to you!".

Well good luck to Camilla and Charles, James and Lena and Sarajane and Brian.

Wynton Marsalis

Saw Winton Marsalis last night with the Lincoln Centre Orchestra at the Winspear Centre. Amazing. Such a cool guy - 44 and 9 Grammay's - with such musical skill and talent. He directed the band from his seat at the back with lots of simple signals passing between him and his fellow musicians. The drummer, Herlin Riley, was staggeringly good - most especially in the long (54 minute) piece by John Coltrane - A Love Supreme.

What a wonderful way to spend 3 and a half hours.

Jamie Fox

Dinner with Glyn and Michelle – savoury mushroom on filo pastry, Moroccan spicy chicken with couscous and pureed vegetables, home made ice cream (pistachio) with pears – and some nice South African pinot.

Watched the film Collateral, with Jamie Fox and Tom Cruise, directed by Michael Mann. This won Jamie his second Oscar nomination this year for best supporting actor (Best Actor for Ray) and I think this may well be deserved – a low key performance, building over the movie to a strong piece with a real sense of his character emerging. The film itself, however, a great disappointment. Cruise is efficient and effective as a “doing my job” as the best professional assassin in the business, but the film was repetitive, long and the dialogue poor. Michael Mann can do better.

Continuing my reading of James Lees-Milne’s biography of Harold Nicolson. An interesting man – diplomat, writer (novels and biography of literary figures such as Tennyson, Swinburne, Pope). Married to the bi-sexual Vita Sackville West – herself a novelist and poet – who had several steamy lesbian affairs, most particularly with Virginia Woolfe. The period I am at right now in the book is that between the two wars when Nicolson was consul in Persia (now Iran). Some wonderful descriptions of diplomatic life.

At work on my book on Innovative Enterprises with Don Simpson. Looking at why Canadian productivity is so low. Interesting.

Did I Shave my Legs for This ?

At the club last night two stories from Alberta’s past. One is simple: the definition of virgin in Red Deer in the 1930’s was “a girl who could run faster than her uncle”. No change there then.

The other concerned the wife of a former President of the University of Alberta, Mrs. Newton (her husband was President from 1941-1950). She detested smoking and would, today, have banned it from any location anywhere. She caught a female student smoking outside one of the lecture halls. She said to her “I would rather be caught having sex in public than smoking in public”. The student looked at her very coolly and said “so would I, but I only have five minutes between classes – so it’s a cigarette…want one ?”

Richard Siebaniuk spoke of the four founder cultures of the US and their continuing influence on US culture, politics and society. His basic argument is that the US is currently dominated by the “British border” culture (Berwick on Tweed and the Scottish lowlands), which is violent, an eye for an eye and always anxious. While he took a long time over his story – he spoke for close to two hours (a club no-no) – he contrasted this culture with the Quaker and Plymouth Brethren culture. The talk was based largely on Paul Johnson (see his paper in the New Criterion at http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/21/jun03/johnson.htm ) and a Professor Fisher.

Not much discussion, though Richard is obviously anti-Bush. Norbert, our brilliant engineer, is pro-Bush – they had a little spat. But, despite the erudite talk, we were all anxious to get home.

Lynne’s observation that the Everyday Italian chef we watch on television (Giada De Laurentiis) is “too thin” to be taken seriously (plus “her breasts don’t move when she whisks eggs”) reminds me of my grandfathers maxim (he was a French chef, trained in Paris, born in Neville) “never trust a thin chef”. Watching her as I write this, she is making things which should make her breasts move as much as Nigella Lawson’s or Mario Batali! For someone running a catering business, she needs more sausages.

Speaking of which …

Glenn Gould Prize

Andre Previn (known to millions in Britain, following a Morecambe and Wise sketch with him as "Andrew Preview") has won the Glenn Gould prize for his contributions to music. Most deserving. Previn is a tremendous jazz pianist, a superb Schuman piano interpreter, and a gifted conductor who has brought a sense of music to many. He was knighted by the Queen some time ago (1996) and is a widely recognized figure in music. He is 76 (or will be in April).

He bgan his career writing orchestrations in Hollywood - Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady and Paint Your Wagon being some of the films he worked on - and the scores led to a number of Oscar nominations and four Oscar awards. He moved on to playing and conducting, leading such orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1985-89); Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1976-84); Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Music Director: 1985-88; Principal Conductor: 1988-91); London Symphony Orchestra (Music Director: 1969-79; Conductor Laureate: since 1993); and Houston Symphony Orchestra (1967-70). He has toured extensively, and I have seen him conduct twice.

But he is also a composer. His opera A Streetcar Named Desire (1998) and his Violin Concerto - written for Ann Sophie Mutter (his wife) in 2002 - and a String Quartet with Soprano (2003) are amongst his better works.

I like him best as a jazz pianist. Listen to Triple Play (Telarc 3457) if you want a real treat.

Well deserved indeed.

Ray

I have just watched the film Ray and am blown away. Jamie Fox is simply terrific and deserves his best actor nomination (and to win the Oscar). Once the movie got going - we watched the extended version - it was as if we were watching Ray Charles, not an actor playing Ray Charles. Even Ray's son says in the DVD extras that he kept seeing his father in the way Jamie played the part. An oustanding film.

Mr Tidy

Every so often I have the desire to be highly organized. Still not well - the virus is settling down, now I am just running hot flushes - I can only concentrate for short periods of time and I am worn out by the exhaustive squatting and dosemboweling I have been through. (Its called the nowalk virus because one spends most of the time running to the washroom).

Anyway, I have had a tidy urge. I sorted out all the bills, documents and papers for the last six months which had accumulated in a pile called "Eventually". I am now turning my attention to the piles called "To Get To" and "File or Throw".

I was once advised as that as one got more senior in the organization, one needed more waste bins. For an organization that wants to be at the leading edge of technology, we generate a lot of paper. There are a fair number of CYA (cover-your-ass) memo's. some really interesting stuff and a lot of dross. I'll find a home for it.

Thank goodness for the shredder, though. There are so many bits of documents with bits of information about me all over my floor which, in times gone by, I would simply bin. Now that I lecture on identity theft I am much more conscious of just what information goes out of our house. (Blue bags, by the way, just make it easier for the skunks to view before they chew).

I cant tidy without thinking of my University room mate, David Tidy. He and I shared a single room with David Gent in Mrs Wellsbey's house in King's Rd, Canton, Cardiff in 1969 for one term. David Gent was an engineer - he's dead now (AIDS). He had several annoying habits - including making calculator/computer like sounds when doing his assignments and studying. Tidy and I decamped to 7 Plastrurton Gardens, but there was only one bed which we shared with a large blanket down the middle until friend Mike Statham decided we should each have our own (we were too poor to buy a second hand bed).

I was ill - not unlike my current spell, if I remember correctly - and David couldn't cook at all. He asked me to tell him, from my sick bed, how to boil an egg. I explained it to him and then fell asleep. About an hour later I awoke to see him sitting by the side of the bed, looking most concerned. "Do you think it will be ready now ?", he asked plaintively. I got out of bed and found a blackened egg bouncing in a bottomless pan on top of a full flame gas burner. "Yes", I said - "time to put some toast on". It was the begining of my recovery.

David also couldnt pee in a public washroom if others were present. When we went to the pub we carried a sign, which we had lifted from a work site, which said "out of order" which he hung on the toilet door when he went in and took off when he came out.

He is married now and works for a Council near London - we tried to get together before I left the UK to return to work here in Alberta, but we couldnt find a way of doing it. He was a very nice gent (unlike David Gent, god rest his soul).

Back to the piles, as it were..

I have finished the first two volumes of Graham Greene biography and will await the paper-back edition of the third and final volume, though I must say I find the writing superb and the story of GG compelling. Now reading James Lees-Milne's biography of Harold Nicholson (husband of Vita Sackville West).

We watched the British film Heartlands directed by Daniel O'Donnell (2002) - a UK film, not to be confused with others with a similar title. Northern tale of a darts player (Colin played by Michael Sheen) who loses his wife to a fellow darts player (Geoff played by Jim Carter). He tracks them down to Blackpool, but en route begins a journey of self-discovery. Filmed in London and the peak district, with a cameo appearance by Celia Imrie (Dinner Ladies, and a lot of good pieces) and Ruth Jones (Fat Friends and other large parts), the film appeals to the northerner like me. Not a great movie, but what we might safely call a "nice" movie.

Ill in Bed - I am not the Only One

Another troubled and sleepless night. There's a comedic line: "I've been in bed all night with my stomach!" (I should bloody hope so). Well I have had several nights in bed "with my stomach" and its not nice. Five days of stomach cramps, problems below and nausea are no fun. Oh for some sleep. Aat least I am not alone in being under the weather....

John Paul II is in hospital and many have gathered around the plaza assuming that this may be his last call. Don't bet on it. He's a sturdy man. While he looks frail - Parkinson's, continued inflammation of his injuries from the attempted assassination, IBS and other problems do this to you - his basic physiological system (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate) is strong. Its because he was having problems breathing that he was taken to hospital - my bet is he'll be back.

In fact, John Paul II could easily become the longest serving Pope in history, after Saint Peter. Saint Peter is said to have served in this role for 34 years (or 37, depending on which biography one is looking at) and the next longest serving Pope was Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) who served for thirty one years, seven months and 22 days, finally leaving us on February 7th 1878.

The race is on for the next Pope. The bookmakers are taking bets (see www.paddypower.com) and there are several cardinals in the race:

• Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (77) – Germany. Seen by many as the “Deputy Pope”, the 77 year old cardinal has emerged as a front runner for the papacy. A hard liner, very strongly supportive of John Paul’s Catholicism, he is currently head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – what used to be known as the Inquisition – and in this role is to “police” the doctrinal practices of the Church. He is also Dean of the College of Cardinals – the most senior of all the Cardinals in terms of rank (Cardinal Bishop since 1997)
• Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi (71) – Italy (Milan). The Archbishop of Milan and the favoured Italian for succession - considered a conservative moral theologian, the cardinal agrees with the pope's views on birth control and sexual matters. Born March 14, 1934, north of Milan, Italy, he was ordained at age 23 and became a cardinal at 63. He spent 32 years teaching future priests or running seminaries in Milan and Rome. One interesting fact: in 2002 he accepted an Honorary degree from the Opus Dei University of the Holy Cross – signaling his radical conservatism. (Cardinal since 1978)
• Cardinal Claudio Hummes (71), Brazil. Theologically conservative, but engaged in confronting poverty and other social problems, the Franciscan archbishop of San Paulo is considered one of the strongest Latin American candidates. (Cardinal Priest since 2001)
• Cardinal Francis Arinze (73) Nigeria. The head of the Vatican Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, Cardinal Arinze is the strongest African candidate. Personable and theologically conservative, Arinze has shown great loyalty to the current pope. But many cardinals are skeptical of a pontiff from Africa, where Catholicism has relatively shallow roots. (Cardinal Priest since 1985)
• Cardinal Godfried Danneels (72), Belgium. A brilliant and widely-respected theologian, Cardinal Danneels is seen as a unifying figure acceptable to both conservatives and progressives within the College of Cardinals. (Cardinal Priest since 1983)
• Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re (70), Italy. A theological moderate with unparalleled skills as an administrator, Cardinal Re is regarded in some quarters as a perfect transitional figure. But his experience has been almost entirely within the Vatican (as under Secretary of State), which may hurt his candidacy. His chances would improve if he serves as an archbishop before the next conclave. He is currently Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Two different bookmakers, however, (Paddypower.com and Oddschecker.com) both place him in the top five. (Cardinal Bishop since 2001)
• Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega Y Alamino (68), Cuba. The Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Ortega has kept the church alive in defiance of Cuba's communist regime. Many see parallels with John Paul II, whom he has closely supported. (Cardinal Priest since 1994)
• Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga (63), Honduras. The personable archbishop of Tegucigalpa has long been seen as a rising star. His youth and a recent outburst against US press coverage of the Catholic sex scandals and his open suggestion that John Paul II should abdicate probably weakened his candidacy. He has only been a Cardinal Priest since 2002.
• Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos (76) , Colombia. Favourite of arch conservatives, Cardinal Castrillon is the head of the Vatican office of the clergy. A defender of traditional doctrine, he's taken a bold stance against his country's powerful drug lords. (Cardinal Deacon since 1998)
• Cardinal Walter Kasper (73), Germany. Favourite of progressives, Cardinal Kasper is a intellectual heavyweight who's advocated decentralization of the church, reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, and a more lenient stance towards divorced Catholics. Kasper, currently head of ecumenical affairs for the Vatican, may not fit the profile of a "transitional" pope. (Cardinal Deacon since 2001)

My money is on Tettamanzi. Interestingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a 5000-1 bet - at least he is Catholic.

My other money is on John Paul surviving his current bout if "flu" (sic). I too hope to survive my current pains.

Its Norwalk

So my doctor confirms that my current incapacity is nothing to do with drink (which I havent had since Wednesday of last week), or diet or immune deficiency - I have a bad case of Norwalk virus. It's not a nice thing, let me tell you. Apart from the physical symptoms of an obvious nature, it leaves me weak and tired. I have around 15-20 minutes concentration and dont have a great appetite for work - unusual for me.

These blogs take some time, but dont have consequences (hopefully). The virus usually takes between 3 and 7 days to sort itself..we'll see.

The Other Stephen Murgatroyd's

Have you ever wondered what your name-sakes are up to ? I am off work, ill (see earlier blog) and trying to find something to do which doesn't require concentration or decisions, so I decided to see what other Stephen Murgatroyd's around the world are up to.

Stephen Murgatroyd of Doncaster Avenue, Thornhill Ontario is busy teaching dance classes at Viva Dance. Salsa, Tango and all that kind of thing. My two left feet on the dance floor disqualify me from this endeavour. I wish Stephen the best of luck.

Stephen Murgatroyd of Otley, Yorkshire (where I used to work by the way) is a craftsman tools specialist - selling and making such tools. Never met him when I was in Otley every week, but I wish him well.

Stephen Murgatroyd lost his submission fighting match in the UK (martial arts) against Lee Bowman, when they met recently - it was a close fight, by all accounts, the results being decided by judges. (Interestingly, in the same match Mark Jowett fought - Jowett is Lynne's maiden name and the middle name of our eldest son).

Stephen Murgatroyd is busy at his dental practice with his wife Margaret. The practice is in St.Agnes in Cornwall (in York House).

Stephen Murgatroyd is busy organizing and promoting events for the FinSig Group - a computer group for financial services. The group, based in the UK, meets in London. He has also been contributing the the Requirenautics Engineering Quarterly of the British Computing Society (mainly comments in an open debate) and offering reviews of books that link cognition and ergonomics to computing.

Stephen Murgatroyd is a busy primary teacher in Thailand, working on book week. Part of this work involves him being a Poetry Policeman, who has the right to arrest pupils who are not carrying a poem on their person (seems reasonable to me).

Mr Stephen Murgatroyd, a Freelance Effects Editor, be appointed as an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Television & Imaging at the University of Dundee.


(In pursuing this amusement, I came on a listing of the most famous counselling psychologists in the history of the profession - Freud, Jung, Rollo May, Ferenzi, Rogers etc and, yes, Stephen Murgatroyd (me in this case)).

I hope all of my namesakes are well and enjoying the world. It is an interesting place.

Creature of Habit

I am a creature of habit. Each morning, after a quick visit to the washroom (normally), I sit and read The Edmonton Journal online (it takes just a few moments, since there is rarely any news of interest), the BBC World News and UK news/politics, the Toronto Star and the Daily Telegraph. Of these, the Telegraph is the richest and most meaningful.

With the Telegraph, I begin with obituaries (Lord Aberdare died this week - I knew him through my long involvement with the University of Wales - he lived on his estates in Duffyrn in Dyfed, a most beautiful part of Wales and was a former conservative Minister with Sir Keith Joseph. His son Alistair and I were friends, and he now succeeds to the title). Then I read their accounts of the news, in particular their views of British news and Prime Minister Tony Blair (known more commonly as Bliar or Blurr). I have always found the writing in the Telegraph to be of the highest quality - clearly biased, conservative and sometimes reactionary. Its book reviews, analysis and commentary are amongst the best. Now that The Times has dumbed down to the point of resembling The National Enquirer, there are just two choices of sound newspapers - The Independent and The Daily Telegraph left in Britain. The Guardian, which some would argue is another choice, is just so annoyingly "correct" and liberal, that I find it increasingly unreadable.

The difference between news reporting in the UK and in Canada is significant. With the possible exception of The Toronto Star, our newspapers in Canada are focused on reporting rather than analysis; on telling the simplest story rather than offering an interpretation of the story. There is also a "herd" instinct in the press here - Bush is wrong, for example - where there is more variety of views in the UK press. Most importantly, writing in the British press seems to me of a higher quality.

My other morning habits are coffee, checking email and listening to CBC before doing anything serious.

Weekly, I read The Spectator - Britain's oldest political/arts magazine, now edited by Boris Johnson MP (garralous, brigand like intelligent MP who also writes for The Telegraph). Its a wicked, right wing, clever and insightful analysis of what is going on world-wide with views that usually shake the grey matter. Well worth the cost.


I often wonder, especially now as I get older (Lynne has become eligible for senior discounts at the wine store and gymn and I can't be far behind), whether these habits will persist. Hopefully, I am creative enough to invent new habits. We'll see.