Hot and bothered

So there I was getting all worked up over a story about crazy Harry Potter fans making ridiculous demands, only to find that the story had been denounced as wholly fictitious.

The story was that a new power cable linking the UK national grid to Ireland had to be diverted because it was due to pass under the grave of a Harry Potter character, namely Dobby, the fictitious elf.

The construction company supposedly got hundreds of calls demanding the cable be rerouted to avoid “desecrating” the supposed grave.

I wondered straightaway if the story was genuine, because it was so far-fetched, but I couldn't find any correction anywhere. It appeared in several mainstream sources (BBC, Guardian, CNN, Irish Times etc), and was so full of convincing details (even naming the project manager) that I swallowed my doubts and ran with it.

And was totally fooled. Oh well, somebody must be laughing themselves stupid over how many people were taken in.

Privacy

People have very different attitudes to privacy, don’t they? Some take elaborate measures to avoid being subject to the slightest scrutiny, others couldn’t care less how much attention they attract.
 
Its common in Northern Ireland for people to keep their window blinds down permanently so nobody can see into their house. They also like huge hedges for the same reason. We had some old window blinds removed because we don’t care if people look into our windows. What harm is it going to do?
 
As for personal privacy, both Jenny and I prefer to use the bathroom in private without the other barging in. I know a lot of couples are quite happy to be intruded on but we’re not one of them.
 
There’s a lot of fuss about websites that harvest our personal data, but personally I can’t see what the problem is. I’m sure hundreds of websites have my personal data but so what? What interest can anyone possibly have in my utterly humdrum existence? It would be different if I had loads of pornography or bomb-making guides.
 
People can get a bit paranoid about privacy for no good reason.

Liverpool

So Jenny and I were in Liverpool for a few days, partly because we like Liverpool – the architecture, the river Mersey, the dockside – and partly to catch up with two old friends from Chester.
 
Of course there were one or two glitches and annoyances along the way, but travelling is never trouble-free.
 
We discovered that our hotel didn’t have air conditioning because that might have spoilt what was a grand old listed building. Luckily it wasn’t too hot and we had a good fan and also windows that opened.
 
Several museums and galleries were closed simultaneously for updating, which must have disappointed an awful lot of tourists. Why did they all have to be closed at once?
 
It was Beatles overkill, much more than on our previous visit. Everywhere we went there were references to the Beatles and Beatles-related merchandise – even Fab Four cafes. Are there not other famous people who’re associated with Liverpool?
 
I was bothered by a bit of back ache, which meant I couldn’t stand or walk around for too long, but that didn’t stop me enjoying things. I’m happy to say Liverpool hasn’t lost its appeal.

                                                       Taking a short break -  back soon

Needing water

About half of England is suffering a severe drought, brought about by a drastic decline in rainfall.
 
Northern Ireland has plenty of water, but large parts of England are dry as a bone with water in reservoirs at much lower levels than normal.
 
People are using water faster than it can be replenished. Some parts of Devon haven't had any rain for 50 consecutive days. England has had only 7 per cent of the expected rainfall in July. Some 40 per cent of the English population are under a hosepipe ban.
 
Farmers are especially concerned that they might run out of water and their crops will be affected.
 
It has been known for a long time that unrepaired leaky water pipes are wasting huge amounts of water, but little is done to seal the pipes.
 
Along with a water shortage, people in England are facing extreme heat waves that are hard to cope with. Companies are being urged to give their employees time off when it’s simply impossible to work because of the heat.
 
I imagine the USA is in a similar situation, but not as bad as England.

Do I remember?

How come some people have phenomenal memories while others (like me) have terrible memories?
 
Jenny has a remarkable memory and can remember things in enormous detail, even things that happened years and years ago. She can remember the exact words that someone used and even what clothes they were wearing.
 
I on the other hand can forget stuff rapidly, and Jenny often reminds me of things we’ve done and said and people we’ve met, things that have long vanished from my memory.
 
I would be hard put to remember a conversation I had with someone a week ago, while Jenny could recall it easily.
 
It’s all very embarrassing. Rather than admit my hopeless memory, it’s tempting to pretend I remember what someone is referring to, when actually I have no idea what they’re talking about.
 
Apart from anything else, being able to remember things in minute detail must greatly enhance your daily life, while huge lapses in memory mean I’m always in a kind of fog that limits my enjoyment.
 
I can at least remember the really big events in my life, which haven’t yet faded away. So all is not lost.

Just suppose....

It’s a good job we can’t read each other’s minds. The consequences of such total openness would be pretty mortifying.
 
Just imagine if other people knew who I despised or what crime I was about to commit or who I had a massive crush on or how often I was drunk-driving. All those things I was carefully hiding were suddenly on full display, out there for the world to see.
 
And vice versa of course, I could read other people’s minds and know all the dodgy things they were up to. I would know my next-door neighbour was defrauding the company he worked for or had just done a hit-and-run.
 
It would make life better in some ways. If someone was planning a crime, we’d know about it and they could be stopped. Our loved ones would know how much love and affection we had for them. People would know all the things I had in common with them and we could make new friends.
 
People couldn’t lie so easily as we would know straightaway they weren’t telling the truth, and there would be a sudden outbreak of honesty. That’s something that would take a lot of getting used to.

Data dilemma

Northern Ireland only has a few small uncontroversial data centres, but in other parts of Britain there are giant data centres that are attracting strong opposition.
 
The complaints are getting more frequent and more critical – of constant noise, rising utility bills, massive consumption of electricity and water, and air pollution.
 
But few people are joining the dots here. It seems to have escaped most people’s attention that everything we do on the internet uses data centres, so we actually need more and more of them, and if local resistance makes building them difficult or even impossible we have a major problem.
 
Most of us use smart phones. Most of us use a variety of online services. Most of us use the internet heavily. What would happen if construction of data centres couldn’t keep up with demand?
 
It would be impossible to limit people’s use of the internet, as we’re now so highly dependent on it.
 
But I haven’t seen any journalist considering what would happen if the supply of data centres was lagging behind the volume of internet use. It’s assumed that data centres will keep multiplying and multiplying as needed. Which is a big assumption.

PS: New York has banned construction of data centres using 50 megawatts or more for one year

Pic: A data centre in the Netherlands

A summer scam

I’ve had several scam adverts recently for supposedly ground-breaking air conditioners.
 
The ads are very professionally put together and could easily fool a lot of people. There aren’t the usual typos and grammatical errors and dubious email addresses. The air conditioners are said to be super-effective. They’re about the size of a bread bin, you just plug them into a power socket and hey presto, the room is cool in about 60 seconds.
 
A lot of Brits could be the ideal customers for them, with UK temperatures soaring into the thirties Celsius, and few homes having air conditioning already. Around 90 per cent of USA households have air conditioning, while the figure for UK homes is only around 15 per cent. The USA has long ago assumed scorching summers and provided for them.
 
But one golden rule for detecting scams is that if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
 
Up to now our house hasn’t needed air conditioning because it stays fairly cool in summer temperatures that are usually no higher than the twenties Celsius. But with climate breakdown pushing temperatures up, air conditioning might become a necessity in a few years’ time.

If only

I’m a confirmed oddball. Most of my opinions are way outside the mainstream. Which can make life uncomfortable and make it hard to connect with other people. They want to pin me down but they aren’t able to.
 
So there’s always this lingering feeling that if I could just be “normal” life would be a lot easier. I’d have more in common with other people and I’d have a much smoother ride.
 
Utter nonsense of course. Firstly, what the hell is “normal”? According to who? By what definition? I’m chasing after something as slippery as an eel.
 
Secondly, who says being “normal” is any easier than being an oddball? We all have our fair share of disasters and tragedies whatever our personality. If I imagine some blissful scenario where I just sail effortlessly through life, I’m sure I would be sadly disappointed.
 
But I suppose we all imagine some ideal world where our personal failings and quirks are magically discarded and suddenly life is a bowl of cherries.
 
It ain’t going to happen.

Rethinking the future

When I was young, like many youngsters, I didn’t give much thought to my old age and whether I would be financially comfortable or desperately poor.
 
Old age seemed such a long way off, it didn’t seem worth thinking about. I suppose I assumed that however my life panned out, everything would be fine. If it wasn’t, the welfare state would help me out. I certainly wouldn’t be living on the streets.
 
But things have changed so drastically since then that more and more youngsters are giving serious thought to their old age and what it will be like.
 
With more and more old people and fewer and fewer births, the state will struggle to  help oldies and may have to rethink or even scrap its current provisions – welfare benefits, the NHS, the state pension, travel passes, winter fuel payments, free prescriptions and more.
 
A lot of youngsters are now thinking seriously about providing for their old age. They’re setting up personal pensions, making investments, buying property if they can afford to, living with their parents so as to add to their savings. They’re less likely to be as cavalier about the future as the young me and my age group.
 
But how shocking it is that young people can no longer assume that if all else fails the state will ensure their old age is comfortable and they don’t have to rely entirely on their own resources. What an unnecessary burden that would be.

Feeling the heat

The current unprecedented heatwave in Britain is having unforeseen consequences – especially for the NHS.
 
The extreme heat (up to 40C) is causing computers and other machines to collapse and making the existing NHS crisis a whole lot worse.
 
The heat is knocking out a wide range of equipment - MRI scanners, radiotherapy machines, other machines used to treat cancer, diagnostic facilities, operating theatres, various IT systems, other electrical equipment.
 
On top of that health workers are struggling to do their jobs after several sleep-deprived nights caused by the heat and in some cases hospitals with broken-down air conditioning.
 
As a result of the equipment failures, many consultations, operations and treatment sessions are having to be cancelled.
 
And this is only June. Presumably there will be equally extreme heatwaves in July and August.
 
Fortunately Northern Ireland is not much affected because temperatures here are much lower than in the rest of the UK – possibly reaching the upper twenties. So although we’re sweltering we’re not completely wiped out by the heat.
 
Jenny and I are glad we’re not living in London any more. It looks like the temperatures there are pretty unbearable.
 
PS: Some London pavements have reached 57C.

Chasing power

Why do people want power? What’s the big attraction? I’ve never understood why someone would want what’s obviously a poisoned chalice.
 
You may think you can have a lot more control over your life, but in many ways you have less control. People will criticise you, abuse you, belittle you, want things from you. Your every move is scrutinised and judged. You may have responsibility for hundreds or even thousands of people and one fatal mistake can have awful consequences.
 
Who needs it? I’m more than content to have no power at all but simply to enjoy my life. I’m happy to be an anonymous powerless nobody.
 
But for some people power is their big goal in life, something they can’t get enough of, something that justifies any sort of mean or malicious behaviour – like  sabotaging anyone who’s their rival for power.
 
It’s sad to see people who have gained power wanting to hang on to it indefinitely. They become addicted to being flattered and fawned over, and the prospect of once again being nobody in particular terrifies them.
 
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

London

So….Jenny and I were in London for a week. We stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall, just across the river from the Houses of Parliament. A lovely hotel with friendly and welcoming staff – and huge breakfasts.
 
Some random impressions from the week:
 
·         London wasn’t as costly as we thought – except for the tiny flapjack costing £5 at the National Gallery
·         Every café and restaurant we went to asked us whether we had any allergies
·         I saw several men with painted fingernails
·         I revisited Watkins Bookshop, the first bookshop I worked in 53 years ago
·         We came across lots of school outings, some of them having a good look at the art galleries
·         We visited seven art galleries altogether (Tate Modern twice because it’s so huge)
·         We saw the Covid memorial wall opposite the Houses of Parliament with all its thousands of hearts remembering people who died
·         We met up with an old school friend of Jenny’s and her husband
 
Unfortunately I had a bit of back pain, which took the edge off my enjoyment a bit, but I was determined to keep to our art itinerary and not abandon anything. All in all a very worthwhile and stimulating week.

A short break

I'm off gallivanting. See you again soon.

Me in Edinburgh 2024

Too gullible

Why are people so ready to believe misinformation? Why aren’t people more critical of information that is obviously dubious or far-fetched or not confirmed by anyone?
 
Thousands of people were willing to believe that a certain woman police officer was responsible for arresting a man who was bleeding to death rather than asking for medical attention (the man was Henry Nowak in December 2025).

In fact the woman police officer had nothing whatever to do with Henry Nowak’s death and had actually retired from the police force 18 months earlier. But that didn’t stop gullible people from falsely identifying Christi Hill and turning her life upside down.
 
She has had to flee her home and move to a safe house elsewhere to escape the vicious abuse that has rained down on her since she was falsely accused. No doubt, as often happens, the misinformation will continue despite the denials and her life will be in constant turmoil.
 
Personally I check news items very carefully if they look in any way dodgy. If they don’t make sense, if they seem highly unlikely, and if there’s no other news source corroborating the story, I give them a wide berth and I don’t bother to comment.
 
There are enough true stories to assimilate without wasting energy on the bogus.

Pic: Christi Hill

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There was anti-immigrant rioting just outside Belfast city centre last night (Tuesday). It didn't affect us as we're about two miles away from the riot area. But it must have been terrifying for any immigrants.

A mellow fellow

The cliché (and the research) has it that people mellow as they get older, but I haven’t seen much evidence of it. I can think of many older people who if anything have become more acerbic.

Politicians especially can get less mellow and double down on their entrenched opinions rather than modify them. But lots of public figures are equally hard-line, not to mention one’s own elderly relatives who often become more vituperative rather than less.

Certainly my father got less mellow rather than more. He would fume and rage for days over all sorts of things. My mother on the other hand tended to be naturally mellow and take everything in her stride.
 
I think I’ve got mellower as I’ve aged. I don’t get so worked up over global events or neighbourhood disputes or difficult individuals as I used to. I tend to shrug my shoulders and leave others to make a fuss.
 
But I’ve always been somewhat mellow. Even when I was at school I never aligned myself with the boys who enjoyed making fun of their schoolmates or taunting the masters. I always felt for the victims and stayed well out of it.

The world could certainly do with a lot more mellowness and a lot less belligerence.

Body shaming

There seems to be no end to the epidemic of body-shaming and anti-fat abuse. People feel entitled to criticise other people’s physical appearance as much as they like.

Men are less likely to be criticised than women, even men with huge beer bellies, which are very common in Northern Ireland.
 
But women are castigated for any number of supposed physical faults – being fat, being too thin, being ugly, being badly dressed, being dowdy, you name it.
 
Luckily I’ve never been criticised for being fat, as I’ve always been thin and if anything I’m underweight. Being constantly reprimanded for being fat must be infuriating.
 
There’s a general assumption that a woman is fat because she eats too much, though of course that’s not necessarily the case. But the critics don’t care about the actual causes, they just want to be viciously judgmental.
 
There’s also an assumption that a fat woman is less intelligent than a thin woman, which is equally absurd.
 
I admire those women who don’t care over-much how they’re seen by others and just carry on regardless. It takes a lot of determination and self-confidence when other people (mainly men but not always) are happily picking holes in you.

Can't cope

It’s a platitude that after losing a partner women are more practical than men and usually cope quite well with being on their own, while many men can’t cope at all and are totally thrown.
 
Many men are so used to living with a woman who organises the house, does all the cooking and domestic tasks, and maintains friendships, that without her they are all at sea.
 
They fall into complete squalor, let the house fall into disrepair, don’t do enough washing and cleaning, and are generally unable to cope. Some men sink into such despair they end up committing suicide.
 
Apparently many older men who use dating sites aren’t looking for love but are really looking for a housekeeper, someone to organise their life for them.
 
I guess the underlying reason for this difference between men and women is the way boys and girls are brought up. Girls are encouraged to learn domestic and socialising skills while boys are taught that they needn’t bother.
 
I wonder how I would cope if Jenny died. Would I be one of those men who sink into squalor, or would I get along just fine? Hopefully the latter.

Always a rebel

I’m very much the odd one out in our family. The others are pretty conventional while I’m the fiery radical.
 
My parents were conservative as are my sister and brother in law. How I came to be the exception is interesting.
 
When I was at boarding school one of the boys lent me the Communist Manifesto. I read it and thought, this makes a lot of sense, why are some people horrified by it? After I left school London was in the grip of hippyism and everyone was questioning everything left, right and centre. So naturally I started questioning everything I had been brought up to believe.
 
I questioned a lot of the things my father believed, which he hated. He actually stopped speaking to me.
 
Later on I spent several years in a left-wing bookshop in London (now closed unfortunately) and picked up more progressive ideas.
 
It’s commonplace for people to become more conservative as they grow older, but I’ve done the opposite and grown more radical. I suppose I’m acutely aware of all the misery and horror in the world and I just want everyone to have a decent life. Is that too much to ask?