Month: September 2016

I remember staying up late on the night of 23-24 June. Several times throughout the night I woke up with a start and went to check the status of Britain’s vote for freedom. When the results were finally announced I was nearly delirious with joy and exhaustion. Naturally, the actual political machinations are far murkier and slow than one would like but being realistic is a necessity. There is one development that has left me SEETHING with ANGER, to borrow the STYLING of the EXPRESS. The Royal Yacht Britannia could be RECOMMISSIONED. Continue reading “Britannia Rules… Leith?”

It now appears that the story of a 23 year old Australian muslim who alleged that she had been chased off a Riviera beach at Villeneuve-Loubet for wearing a burkini was a set-up. This report in Nice Matin has the story as seen by locals who were actually on the beach at the time.

http://www.nicematin.com/index.php/faits-divers/femme-en-burkini-chassee-dune-plage-a-villeneuve-loubet-un-coup-monte-79276

The camera was apparently set up before the woman arrived and plonked herself down. She and her companion were originally asked to move since they were sitting in the space reserved for jet-skis.  Then one of the locals asked the camera man to stop filming since he was taking photos of local children, which the parents objected to. This was why the father wanted to call the police – to stop the filming of his children. So far, so totally nothing to do with burkinis. How very disappointing for this Aussie who had flown all that distance to “show her support for local muslim women”. Still, never let facts get in the way of the untruth you want to spread. Has Channel 7 been conned?

I haven’t seen any burkinis in the past week we’ve been in Antibes, just along the coast from Villeneuve-Loubet, but every day I’ve seen jeeps full of paratroopers patrolling the old town and tourist areas. I find them very reassuring. I like that sort of show of support.

The BBC’s article on a recently-released book about the remnants of India’s Anglo-Indian population made me think of one of the most under-considered aspects of colonial experiences: the human product. From the 17^th to early 19^th centuries it was hardly considered inapprop Continue reading “Esta é a Ditosa Pátria Minha Amada”

As my scheduled departure date to Spain was drawing near I grew increasingly frantic. Perhaps it’s because my sense of adventure is starting to resemble Keith Vaz’ reputation for probity or my gut instinct warning me that something was terribly wrong. Whatever it was, once my nerves had recovered somewhat and my mind was passingly clear it was apparent that Spain was not exactly an ideal country for me. I remember feeling as if my hearse arrived when I see the Iberia Airbus A321 pulling into the gate at Kastrup in February. Continue reading “LH 1113”