This Sunday's rumble is likely to be more of the occasional mini-burp given that we are enjoying some exceptional and gorgeous global warming.
An excellent satire: Many thanks to my e-pal Hank who has sent me an exceedingly witty satire on the progress, if such it be, of NORCOM. Written by Michael Peck of Foreign Policy.com it is well worth a read and here is a flavour of it:
Three years into the continuing rebellion of Great Britain's North American
colonies, public and parliamentary criticism of efforts to suppress the
insurgency is mounting. FP spoke with General Sir
Richard Featherweight, chief counterinsurgency adviser for Britain's North
American Security Assistance Force (NOSAF), regarding the state of the conflict:
FP: My Lord, critics argue that the British
counterinsurgency campaign in America is foundering. Do you concur?
General Featherweight: Good Sir, this is an absolute falsehood. With
the support of our Hessian coalition partners, we have almost broken the
insurgency. The army of General Washington...pardon, the so-called army of the
so-called General Washington...has been driven into the mountains of the
province of Pennsylvania, far from the cities and farms along the coast. His
army is depleted, and we are successfully interdicting his supplies and
reinforcements. Insurgent strength is melting like snow in June. Mark my words,
Sir. By next year, King George III will be able to proclaim "mission
accomplished."
A right pair of Bastiats: The other day in a comment thread my e-pal, DM, raised the name Frederick Bastiat, hitherto, a man totally unknown to me although by coincidence his name had just come up at Cafe Hayek. Then, blow me down, he gets another mention because a symposium of economic swots are going to discuss his intellectual legacy. You can read one of the papers here. It's just too damned hot to read economic theory today but it's worth bookmarking for later.
A message to the little Deltoids: I have just left the following comment at Deltoid where a tiny handful of 'Warmers' gather to hold hands in an ever-decreasing circle of support for global warming:
Hello, little Deltoids! You will notice that I have waited until this
afternoon before posting because, of course, on Sunday mornings you all gather
in the Chapel to chant things like “I belieeeeve! I belieeeeve” and I am always
a great respecter of religion.
But, I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for this dose of global warming we’re all
enjoying. Well, I know we’re not supposed to actually ‘enjoy’ it but the fact is
that most of us do and the only problem for the last 15 or so years is that we
haven’t had any!
Perhaps, next Sunday when you go to Chapel you could pray to the great
Mann-God for a bit more global warming, well, I mean, he keeps forecasting it
but somehow it never quite happens. Anyway, sorry to interrupt, carry on
chanting!
Honestly, you can't rely on the Jocks for anything! Now look, I'm a fair-minded man, always prepared to judge people by their deeds and all that sort of thing and so, of course, well ahead of the game I had already prepared a suitably sarcastic post full of anti-Jock invective ready to hurl at 'ur wee Andy Murray when he lost . . . but . . . but . . . dammit, he won! Doesn't he realise that it is a cherished, British tradition to lose but to do so with grace and charm which are not, one must admit, qualities one instantly attaches to Mr. Murray. So, hey-ho, another confident forecast of mine follows all the rest into the 'Wrong' box but I don't mind really. Mr. Murray deserved that win and I am delighted that Mr. Djokovic was on top form so no-one can say that Mr. Murray was lucky and had a walk-over. It was tennis and athleticism of the very highest order and the winner, inarticulate, shambling grunt-snuffler that he is, deserves our genuine praise.
No more burps today, I'm knackered after all that tennis!
Some chap supposes that a General Sir Hoity-toity would be addressed as " My Lord": worra tit!
Posted by: dearieme | Sunday, 07 July 2013 at 12:50
Now you must be more understanding, DM, ever since their huge error of judgment in 1776 they have lost the minutiae of correct addressage to their betters. Looking at their Lordships these days I sometimes wish we had, too!
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 07 July 2013 at 14:42
Graceless bugger, Murray.
Meantime you have failed suitably to celebrate the Lions win against the Wobblies. A cracker, my dear sir, a cracker.
Posted by: dearieme | Sunday, 07 July 2013 at 23:41
Well, what about us? We have to sit up all bloody night to watch the tennis from the UK. Murry didn't win here until 1.30 a.m. Some of us have to go to work you know.
Posted by: Andra | Monday, 08 July 2013 at 00:15
'Genius', I use the word loosely, often is graceless, DM, but, hell, which do you want, a charming English loser, Tim Henman, or a gruntish Jock winner? Actually, as I always watch most TV with the sound off I think I'll go with Murray. And to be fair, it was a supreme test of skill and endurance which he passed with real grit and determination. As for your rugger buggers, alas, increasingly I find them hard to admire. I do not believe all that bulk which has appeared in recent years is natural, and nor do I like the slippage in good manners. Rugby is the roughest and toughest of all games and the fact it was always played with due deference to the ref made it very watchable. Today they behave like footie players, than which etc, etc!
But you had the rugby, Andra, you can't have it all! By the way, I caught a glimpse of Rod Laver in the crowd and I remarked to the 'Memsahib' that back in the day Wimbledon was dominated by Aussies. What went wrong?
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 08 July 2013 at 08:52
How about the football match in Brazil? Ref checks player; player cross and answers back; ref stabs player; crowd draw and quarter ref and then behead him!!!! And they weren't follows of the Prince of Peace either.
Posted by: backofanenvelope | Monday, 08 July 2013 at 11:18
I'd have queued for tickets for that one!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 08 July 2013 at 12:02
Bastiat? You'd never heard of Bastiat?
My dear boy (as one of my schoolmasters used to say), your education is incomplete.
Hie thee straightaway off here:
http://bastiat.org/en/twisatwins.html
and read it all. No slacking now - it's all the best of stuff.
Posted by: Andrew Duffin | Tuesday, 16 July 2013 at 14:46
Yes, Sir; very good, Sir; the site is now bookmarked to read - but only when this bloody (lovely) weather cools down!
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 16 July 2013 at 20:32