Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[Lois R]

Thanks, Mysty, for your daily funnies...no better way to start the day.

 

Leaving for Madrid tomorrow morning and returning May 11. Really excited about this trip since Roberto will be receiving the highest prize for a Spanish or Latin American living composer. Apart from concerts and other formalities, we plan to escape on day trips to Toledo, Segovia and Córdoba. We had visited these cities many years ago, so it will be a treat to re-visit them. I'll try to post my impressions of this trip...sorry, no pictures..

 

Hi Cam, congrats to Roberto:)...what a wonderful thing!........and the trip sounds awesome too. I have never been to any of those places before.......one day.

[mysty]

Safe travels Cam! Congrats to Roberto! What a great honour! Have a wonderful trip!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Have a great trip Cams and regards and congrats to Roberto. :)

[spinnaker2]

Congrats Cam and Roberto! Truly awesome.

 

 

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[Camillus112]

Thank you so much, my friends! I'll keep in touch.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Today’s Sunday Clarkson

 

If this farm-supplies store folds, my pigs — and the Hamster — will starve

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/if-this-farm-supplies-store-folds-my-pigs-and-the-hamster-will-starve-xwj28mf57?shareToken=bbd851ce3ec06118f9092da66a7aefb5

[mysty]

Thanks J! I look forward to Sundays hoping to get another chance to read your links to Sunday Clarkson. It seems a little short-sighted on the part of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate this partial resurrection as a potential monopoly situation. Unless of course someone of influence has fingers in the "stop this rescue plan" plan.

[UKCruiseJeff]

You're most welcome M ..... I know you look forwrd to it and rest assured that unless I am forgetful or he has a week off then I'll post a link each week - whether it is good or bad.

 

Re you comments about competition, when I worked for "The Corporation" we were always in the dark shadow of American anti-trust laws as they were really out to get us as was the EU competition commisioner. In those days we had a world-wide monopoly. We were always relatively safe in the UK as we had some pretty close political relationships that oddly it was part of my job to foster towards the end of my career. Euphamustically called "Corporate Affairs". The mantra was that "if you say the wrong thing our CEO could go to prison" an incentive that had the reverse of the intended effect. Our mainframe salespeoples' training was an initial two years a lot of it taken with "business conduct guidelines". It was rumoured that training our salespeople cost four times the budget that BA were spending on training a pilot from scratch.

 

As I get older I seem to be realising that sometimes good regulation is essential whereas I use to think that most regulation was bad. We really need some teeth in controlling new challenges like Twitter and Facebook because it seems they are being used for bad and poor politics will inevitably end with unintended and bad consequences -as you will know apart from anything - from the Stone recalibration of history.

 

Oh well ... I think a small voddy beckons.

[mysty]

Enjoy your voddy J! The best intentions can have disastrous results when greed and self-interest come into play. And playing the game is key! I'm on the last episode of Stone's history. It is much more unsettling than I was anticipating and I think it has coloured a lot of my views of what I had taken as "gospel" before I was exposed to it. Not a good feeling and yet I feel more informed now than previously.

[UKCruiseJeff]

I fear that the series requires at least three views as it is so detailed and absorbing and one is overwhelmed by facts. I think the way he focuses on a vertical thread of a topic through time rather than taking all history sequentially ie progressing time progrmme by programme which is the normal historical process shows his skill as a film maker. And the regular use of the actual voices saying what he says they said is incredible.

 

There is so much to discuss about what emerges as a result of his work one wouldn't know where to start and it would likely cause an uproar from those that have strong feelings but haven't been confronted with his series. My overwhelming concern and sadness is how little do we all know about factual history rather than the fairy tales we are brought up with. And in the series we are confronted continually about what actually motivates leaders rather than what they tell us, which is pretty sobering. Wifey was talking this evening about her lip reading of Gorby begging Reagan to go back in and have another hour ...... and his simple "no" .... and the look of dissapointment on Gorby's face - if only that had happened.

 

I think I'll make it a slightly bigger voddy. :)

[mysty]

I agree J! I'm not sure the firm believers in the "fairy tales" would give any credence to what is presented in Stone's work. There would probably be accusations of misrepresenting "facts". We have no dog in this fight so we may be more inclined to hear an alternative presentation of history. It is a little disheartening though. And current events seem to indicate no interest in exploring a different approach.

[UKCruiseJeff]

After I watched the series first time round, I did some searching for rebuttals and because I expected there to be a lot and I was anxious to see contrary evidence but about from seeing non-detailed generalisations there was nothing about for the odd claim that "it wasn't in June - it was Juiy" type stuff. I have this overwhelming feeling that the American and European people have much more in common with Russians than they realise and more than they have with our leaders who are motivated differently.

 

Yesterday we were rewatching the episode about how Islamic extremists were armed, financed, trained and supported just so that Russia would need to spend more of it's GDP on defence and have to divert it from feeding and looking after it's population purely to undermine communism. Look where it has got us.

[mysty]

It is depressing in the extreme! I will be re-watching as well. There was so much information in each episode that my sad little brain was only able to digest a portion of it. And even that small portion was enough to make me sit up and struggle to absorb the rest of the episode. There are so many people who have made decisions and choices that if understood by the world's population would result in potentially dangerous reactions. There were a lot of unforgivable actions and approaches.

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! I think Spring is back on the job! Meaning the North American interpretation of that phrase as in back at work. :) Apparently that phrase can mean something different across the pond.

 

In honour of Spring's return..........

 

 

Have a great day all!

[MissSophia]

Talking of ‘plants’ Mysty....the local nursery beckons this week to order the hanging baskets and bedding plants....no doubt I will return home with a car full of other stuff that takes my fancy!

 

Belated safe travel wishes to Cam and congrats to Roberto....such a wonderful achievement.

 

S😊

[Tothesunset]

A quick '' Where am I'' photo. No prizes!

 

 

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[mysty]

Beautiful shot TTS! I don't know where this is but I would love to be there!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Prague!

[V8Babe]

JP - yes, we join the Wind on 18 September - can't wait.

 

We're staying at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, not quite walking distance but I'm sure we'll cope.

 

Glad you enjoyed Melbourne; I used to live in Queensland but have called Melbourne home for about 15 years now. It really is a lovely place to live.

 

Hope your conferences go well.

 

Karin

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Miss S...enjoy your nursery shopping! I think yard work is in the plans for us today.

 

TTS....could we get a hint on the location of your beautiful pic? Is it in the Netherlands somewhere?

 

Today's funny...I may actually have some engineering skills based on this flowchart :)

 

 

 

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Funny graphic M! :D

[Tothesunset]

 

TTS....could we get a hint on the location of your beautiful pic? Is it in the Netherlands somewhere?

One point for The Netherlands. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Further 5 points on offer for the exact location.

[sakaara]

:D Kinderdjik.

Beautiful!

[Tothesunset]

:D Kinderdjik.

Beautiful!

Correct. And it really is delightful.

[Mudhen]

Still giggling over the flow chart. That's my tool box!