Roger Collis

-         The failure of market capitalism…

-         The threat to civilization as we know it of United States hegemony; talk about the ‘evil empire!’ Setting the world against itself. The ‘re-colonization’ of Britain; and Britain’s supine stance towards American ‘leadership.’ Let us remember that there has never been a ‘special relationship.’ The U.S. is an alien state that has never had British interests at heart. The United States has much to offer culturally and in scientific innovation. I have many American friends and embrace many things American – I worked for American newspapers for more than a quarter of a century, for heaven’s sake. But the United States is a flawed model for Britain; there is an underclass of ‘have-nots’ – almost a ‘third world’ – co-existing with the ‘haves’ who live in their golden ghettoes, oblivious of the brutality of the social system.  (Canada is a more enlightened model.)

-         The dangers of Globalization; how can we protect ourselves from the domino effect; involuntary contagion from other markets? (The Greek debacle? The unknown limits of debt and liability through the profusion of ‘derivatives.’ How can we control the pirates?) 

-         How can we as members of the EU remain separate from the failure of the political Euro adventure; the persistence of the Euro-zone to preserve the Procrustian political/monetary fiasco of one bank rate to serve all in a region of social and economic dissonance?  How can one have monetary union without political union? Anything less is a disaster.  But for any kind of political union to work, one would need a much smaller EU of arguably ‘countries like us’ – Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands… I would balk at the Balkans, Greece and Turkey… except for trading deals.  

-         Alas, no nation is an island…? (No pun intended)

-         Banks: the need to separate once again the high street side of banking from the gambling side. And how to meet their blackmail of ‘Too big to fail’?  This has now extended to all large private companies providing essential public services; which now expect open-ended taxpayer subsidies.  

-         The perils/morality of privatization of public assets/services; private shareholding is inimical to the public interest.

-         Throwing public money at private failure in an alarming number of areas, such as care homes for the elderly…

-         Redistribution of wealth: the growing dichotomy of the rich and the poor erodes social cohesion – obscene bank bonuses et cetera.   Click here

-What is the story? The angle? It may be clear at the outset; it may emerge, or change, in the course of research. (Writing a weekly – especially a monthly – column, there is the risk of being pre-empted by news reports; the more spectacular the news, the more likely this is. One answer is to acknowledge knowledge of the news and comment on it from a fresh angle with your own inimitable spin.)

-Researching the story: sources can be news clippings (which may spark the idea for a story; people… who can lead you to other people… the rush of excitement when suddenly you hit ‘pay dirt’ after a series of cold calls. Never rely on second-hand sources. Check and re-check the facts. If in doubt, leave it out. Click here

‘North American English, like its British cousin, has many diverse dialects and sub-dialects. Did you know that residents of the San Francisco Bay area generally speak differently from other Californians? Had you heard that people from parts of New Orleans sound like New Yorkers, or that residents of North Carolina’s outer banks can sound more like folks from Charleston, South Carolina than other southerners? All this information and more is available on Rick Aschmann’s map of English dialects in North America. Click here

Here’s the first item in a rather incongruous column I’ve been asked to write for Golfersguide.com. I can’t think why. But it might be a way of trialing the Cook Book recipes.

(The Cook Book, by the way, is now running at nearly 20,000 words… I have posted several recipes on the site.)

‘I was sorting out the remnants of an early supper I’d served for two guests the evening before and thinking of lunch for myself. I kept the rest of the half shoulder of lamb for another time; then tipped a remaining couple of boiled potatoes into a bowl to join the few remaining sautéed shallots and red peppers, slicing the potatoes with a sharp knife as I went along. It wasn’t a lot, but there was an aromatic gloop in the bowl I couldn’t bear to waste. 

So I sliced an avocado, and threw it into the bowl with the rest of the vinaigrette* from yesterday’s green salad. And then added a finely-chopped stick of celery, a few pieces of cold roast chicken; a tiny knife-edge of Chile powder; a spoonful of Dijon mustard; a reviving splash of olive oil; showed it the pepper mill and mixed well.

*My preferred vinaigrette is Dijon mustard, raspberry vinegar; and olive oil whisked until you have nice, thick emulsion. I sometimes ring the changes by substituting a good balsamic vinegar. You might also add a pinch of sugar.

Building an impromptu dish like this is a bit like a Picasso painting – adding on layers of complexity – and following your taste buds…

Remember, fast food doesn’t have to be junk food – food can be junk at any speed!’

From ‘Food and the single man (or woman): Recipes for survival and seduction.’

Copyright 2011 Roger Collis

I am starting to lose count of the times I’ve come down with a nasty chest infection after flying with EasyJet. Is this beyond coincidence? The inevitable consequence of traveling in any crowded space; or the particular hazards of air travel?

Have you noticed that actual flight times within Europe have become longer; and should you twist the gizmo in the panel above your head for fresh air, no air emerges.

This is because airlines fly slower these days to save fuel; and pilots have been asked to save more fuel by switching off air-conditioning units and reduce the amount of fresh air in the cabin and re-circulating more stale air.      

But there is a risk of passengers and crew catching serious airborne diseases – such as nasty strains of influenza, bronchitis, tuberculosis and Legionnaires’ diseases. Click here

‘If my boss calls, make sure you get his name.’

I’ve got an intriguing guest at Beyond Romance today – Roger Collis, veteran travel and business journalist, author of a book with the title above, and aspiring erotica writer. Check out his surprising post, “My Life as a Lesbian”.
 
http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-life-as-lesbian.html

Musings and meditations from author Lisabet Sarai and her friends

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

My Life as a Lesbian

By Roger Collis (Guest Blogger)

Not my real life, I hasten to add; although the boundary between reality and imagination is somewhat blurred these days. Oscar Wilde famously said: ‘One’s real life is often the life one does not lead.’ And, after all, the mind has been described as the ultimate sex organ. Click here