MT Comment & Humour ‘And ice, mast-high, came floating by...’
15/03/2010
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I write this, not from my Suffolk home but sitting at my desk on board ship -the Regent Mariner – and we are currently approaching what is often described as the world’s southernmost city. At 55 degrees south, Ushuaia in Argentina makes this claim although, for many years, the Chilean town of Puerto Williams has disputed this.
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A modest proposal...
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does society and all the people who live in it. Which is why as soon as one wooden-headed footballer steps out of the limelight (having won headlines for his off-pitch shenanigans rather than his prowess for club and country) another one steps into his place.
Time to stop this airbrushing of history
There are several very high profile models – no names, no pack drill – who promote beauty products with all the lines on their face taken out. What is that about? And shouldn’t someone get done under the trades description act? “I used three large tubs of this extra strength wrinkle remover and I still don’t look like that woman on the TV. And my head keeps sliding off my pillow.”
Mature Times editor questions the effect on our psyches of constantly airbrushing celebrities and models.
Staying in touch with the world
As you pick up your copy of Mature Times this month I expect to be somewhere off the coast of South America en route to the South Atlantic. It’s several years since I was last in this remote part of the world and I must say that I am looking forward to seeing the Falkland Islands once again as well as venturing into colder waters to the South. On my last visit to the Falklands my wife and I had an opportunity to call on many local families and friendships we made then and which continue until today.
Pregnant in your 60s – do we have the right to decide?
The thorny subject of women in their 60s giving birth is back in the news: a London clinic has said it would be willing to give IVF to a woman of 59. "Does society have the right to decide on such an issue" asks MT editor Tony Watts.
Walking in a winter wonderland...
"How often over the years have you heard the complaint: "Ooh we don't get proper winters any more. Not like we used to, when you had to break the ice off the privy with a shovel before you could sit down." MT editor has a rant about shovelling snow, panic buying and General Election 'fever'...
How youngsters are playing their part in a troubled world
Terry Waite tells of his latest trip with the charity Ycare -working with young people towards a better life.
I long for a simpler, giving Christmas
What are your plans for Christmas? asks Terry Waite
"Manger danger" as pushy parents splash out on nativity plays
According to a recent report from department store Debenhams, ultra competitive parents are spending huge sums of money – apparently up to £150 to make sure their child is the star of the annual Nativity Play. Has the world gone mad? asks Kate Morley.
A trip down memory lane with Romany & Raq
If you are of a certain vintage, you may well remember the BBC tales of Romany & Raq - not forgetting Muriel and Doris...
By the time you pick up your copy of Mature Times I shall have been in Cumbria for the annual gathering of the Romany Society. First, I had better clarify matters. This is not a meeting of Travellers and their kin.
It is a gathering of friends who many years ago tuned into the BBC Home Service at five in the afternoon and were captivated by the stories told by Romany of the BBC.
Something for the weekend
Strange week this. No post, but plenty of odd stories. Like the paperboy who was laid off – and offered a ‘redundancy’ payment of £6.93. Or one week’s wages. According to the BBC, “Kane said he began his round two months ago to buy treats and a new cage for his hamster, Splodge. I got this piece of paper and I didn't really understand all the words."
Why the BBC was right to give the BNP airtime
The BBC has received a lambasting for inviting BNP leader Nick Griffin to take part in last night’s Question Time. Personally I think it was a brave and necessary piece of broadcasting.
Life is such a curious mix of joy and sadness
One never knows what is round the corner and when we were in the middle of our trip we received serious news. My wife’s elder sister was out with a walking party in a National Park when the branch of a tree fell on the group giving minor injuries to all of them except Ann who had to be airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries.
How pensioners can get get heard
Why are pensioner issues such a low priority when it comes to election time? Because politicians (national and local) can afford to ‘divide and conquer’. There is no single voice with a simplified, agreed agenda supported by a known constituency. And until this situation changes, politicians will continue to sideline older people. By Mature Times editor Tony Watts.
World economic models... explained by cows
Understanding different economic models, let alone explaining them concisely, has always been a major challenge. Until now. This very amusing email has been doing the rounds, and may help our readers appreciate the subtle differences - using cows.
