Showing posts with label Top Gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Gear. Show all posts

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Clarkson and Psychology



Difficult to say what is the biggest news item today.  Is it the plane crash costing around 150 lives or the sacking of Jeremy Clarkson from 'Top Gear?  I notice another contender is causing tears, screams and outrage in that a member of a group called 'One Direction' has walked out and wee girls are throwing themselves out of windows everywhere because of this.  For myself I tire of the delays in dealing with Clarkson, who has gone too far once to often, and sacking was the only step possible.  The information regarding this plane crash in the Alps is as always limited and I am not willing to read acres of space telling me how relatives are in tears.  That is neither offering information nor necessary.  Let people grieve alone I say. 
Clarkson was good in that he often said what many think but are not in a position to say so.  The PC lobby shuts the mouth of freedom far too easily, Jeremy cut through this.  He did go too far and there are those who say that lamping a producer because his dinner was not ready is a step too far and sacking was the result.   The singer, if he is a 'singer' concerns me not.  Such groups are there to sell to wee girls, not to produce music.  I suspect like most of this kind their offerings would be covers of others songs. Real musicians, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison and Joe Cocker and many others wrote and sang their own works usually.  They had something to say unlike the 'Bubblegum Music' still on offer today.
What's that about ageing...?


Scots they say are the most friendly and open people, Londoners the most miserable.  At least according to a psychological survey just published. According to whoever runs this thing where you live affects your personality, gosh I never thought that!  
Of course where you live affects you, the history of the place, going back thousands of years, the environment in which you live, hill, seaside, plain etc, all have an effect on you and those brought up there.  How could it be otherwise?  I could have told them how grumpy Londoners can be after 20 years of it, and it has always been thus, and Scots are of course happy, jolly always keen to be friendly type of people, and don't you forget it pal!   
However I sometimes wonder about psychologists.  Once upon a time it was the popular thing to study, then it was media studies as the money was better, I suspect the chattering classes are into gender studies today.  Rarely do such folks study something useful, like History!  
Some degree of psychology is a requirement, to attempt to understand humans is a good thing, however all to often some crazy studies appear with little practical or positive effect and such as that are published in the press.  This long study has only told us what we already know, was it worth it?


Tuesday 28 December 2010

Microwave



Early yesterday morning, having breakfasted on Nan bread left over from Christmas Day,  I slithered my way to Tesco’s on the icy pavements to check out the Microwaves. My aged and somewhat foul machine is falling apart from the inside and desperately required replacing. I noted the prices and observed the cheapest at £32.95 for a basic machine of 700 watts, or 'D' capacity, enough to meet my needs. I headed for Argos and here I purchased, for a couple of pounds less than the Tesco’s price, the same machine under a different name. The last time I ventured into Argos I waited so long I was tempted to lie on the counter and play dead! In the store behind headless chickens ran about while a queue stood expectantly as the disembodied voice cheerily announced "Number two hundred and seventy five to your collection point please," all the while ignoring the fact that number sixty eight was still waiting! The lass at the till that day noticed the people waiting to be served by her, she also noticed those awaiting delivery of their items, which appeared regularly as a headless chicken dumped them on the shelf, and she took immediate action, she disappeared! This time a bright young thing took my money, almost immediately, another stamped the ticket and off I went, within minutes! Wow!

I carried this brute home, a huge distance for one as fit as I, walking on the cleared road to avoid the ice bound pavements. The next few hours were spent struggling to get it out of the box and removing the old one. I then tested the thing with a cup of water. It worked! Hooray! I noted some condensation on the front glass but this appeared to have no effect so placing a bowl of Flanders Soup' inside it ran happily for ten minutes. Shortly thereafter I then placed the small Xmas pudding inside, switched it on and Phut! It said, and died! Ten minutes worth and the guarantee was for a full year! Later I realised, as I ought to have done immediately, that the glass ought not to contain condensation as electric machines do not require it. I later repacked the brute and staggered back to Argos wondering why the thing was heavier once repacked than it had been carrying it home? I dumped it on the counter ans wheezed my complaint only to be told to take it "over there." I left it and wandered 'over there' noticing the lassie had brought the box round for me, smirking at my lying on the floor on all fours attempting to get my breath back. The bright young lass (where do they all come from, they appear to be missing in such shops usually)    convinced me to choose a different version. This in fact turned out to be a cheaper version in stainless steel (we shall soon see how stainless this remains) looks much better! £27.95 I ended up paying, having £2 whole pounds given back to me! Hooray! Once again carrying the thing home was lighter than taking the other back. Why?   

Naturally as I woke this morning I ached all over. Muscles that are usually 'resting' do not like Lactic acid or whatever it is running around inside them. I tend to agree with them at the moment. Why me? Why can I never buy things in a straight forward manner? It's just a good thing that I am not one of those miserable people that complain a lot, for if I did folks would here about it I am sure.




Top Gear, that excellent BBC programme, took it upon themselves to attempt to recreate the journey of the Magi (that's the three wise men to you) from the East to Bethlehem. It is fair to say that this programme was as biblically accurate as much of the Church of England's preaching, so that gives an indication of how far from known facts they were! However it was once again a programme worth watching. The fear of being shot in Iraq was somewhat exaggerated but an excuse to run around in a fast car chased by a helicopter was typical Clarkson. However the plane failing to land and going round again was a delight to watch. The problems on such trips are always magnified, although James banging his head and being rendered unconscious was not planned, and if nothing else I enjoyed a view of the countries they passed through that is not often given by news coverage. James's bang on the head was worrying for a while, but not as much as three men dressed in Burqas driving into Damascus. Why they were not shot as suspected suicide bombers I cannot tell. Some may well have decided Clarkson was being rude while imitating a cut down Jesus at the Sea of Galilee but I don't. Nor did the final ending upset as I burst out laughing in a way I haven't for some time. This was the usual 'Top Gear' send up, funny and cheeky but not offensive, quite unusual for Clarkson right enough! Possibly you will be able to access the BBC IP site and find the programme 'The Three Wise Men.'  It's worth a look!






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