THE

FAME

GAME

What with ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ divas getting their knickers in a knot about comments regarding their contours, and Arsenal F.C. manager Mikel Arteta saying that (football club) managers are being put off taking jobs because of the sort of abuse suffered by Steve Bruce the former Newcastle United manager… that’s verbal abuse... during a game, and comments on ‘social network’ sites etc. ... it  wouldappear that being in the public eye is becoming a bit of a blinkin’ botherment.

Well… there ya go… the price of fame! Is it stardom or stardumb?

I don’t watch ‘Strictly’… I’d rather be a target for the British Olympic archery team! I used to go to football matches, but the current style of play doesn’t cut my mustard.

It has been estimated that Steve Bruce was “earning” a base salary of £2.75 million/year… equating to £57,000 a week! The 60-year-old, who had managed 11 clubs in 21 years, oversaw his 1,000th match when Newcastle lost at home, 3-2 to Tottenham Hotspur, last Sunday. His win percentage over 97 games with the Magpies was 28.9%. He will however, not be leaving empty handed, as it is reported he is set to be sent packing with an £8 million payout! I could do that… g’is a job!

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde reckoned“…there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”, but the Roman editor, banker, and patron of letters, Titus Pomponius Atticus (c. 110 BC – 32 BC) once said, “Fame is a poison most would drink readily despite the warning of a slow and miserable death.”

When I hear that some celebrity has been complaining about criticism, I tend to quote the American President, Harry S Truman (pictured right), who it is said, invented the phrase… “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!” In other words... if you are having difficulty dealing with the pressures and difficulties of a situation, you should leave others to deal with it rather than complain.

The other phrase associated with Truman that has entered our language is… ‘The buck stops here!’… which he had printed on a standing sign on his desk in the White House.

 

 

BEWARE 

OF GEEKS

BEARING

GIFTS!

A recent news item stated that Facebook is planning to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to develop a so-called ‘metaverse’ which, we are informed, is “an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.”

Well… first of all I didn’t know that the word ‘game’ was a verb… heigh-ho! “I game… I saw… I conquered!” You learn something new every day, don't you... if you're not careful!

Apparently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (virtual picture above left) has been a leading voice on the concept. There you are then… that explains it all… the mountain of sugar is serving up a (profitable) pile of poppycock!

The announcement comes as Facebook deals with the fallout of a damaging scandal, and faces increased calls for regulation to curb its influence. Who's been a naughty boy then?

"The metaverse has the potential to help unlock access to new creative, social, and economic opportunities. And Europeans will be shaping it right from the start", Facebook said in a blog post. Well... to paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies*... "They would, wouldn't they?"

"Metaverse” is a new buzzword in internet technology, used to describe “a virtual space within digital environments”. I suspect it is actually designed for the real space between some people’s ears! The observable 'universe' which has a diameter of around 93 billion light-years is being condensed to the word 'verse' by some gobbledegeek! Stroll on!

A few days ago, whilst pulling back the curtains to let the light of day filter into our front room, I noticed a small boy, probaly around nine years of age, walking along the pavement on the opposite side of the road. He was sporting a school uniform, complete with cap, so I presumed he was bound for a local brainery. In his left hand there was a mobile phone, or some similar device, which he was vigourously punching with one of the digits of his right hand. Had there been a manhole cover missing in his path I reckon that you wouldn't have got very good odds on him disappearing from view.

Who was the tiddler talking to at such an hour? Personally, I find that incident sad and somewhat perturbing! Grab 'em while they're young I suppose! When I was going to school I never felt the urge to dash into a phone box! I have never owned a mobile phone... I prefer to keep my brains between my ears!

I know next to nothing about "on-line worlds", thank you very much, but I do understand something about growing up, which I did quite some time ago, as a member of a working class family. I played football, cricket and tennis. I went camping with the Cubs and Scouts. At school I did cross-country running, which I hated, but there you go... not very quickly as it happened. Needless to say, my generation was fitter, better adjusted, and better prepared for the rigours of later life.

The geeks are building a generation who will believe that success in life depends on who has the best controller and the quickest thumbs!.

Zuckerberg and his wife founded the ‘The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’ in 2015. It is supposed to focus on “personalised learning, curing disease, connecting people, and building strong communities.’

Recent research by Facebook (of which Zuckerberg was one of the founders) discovered that Instagram, which it owns, was affecting the mental health of teenagers. But Facebook did not share its findings when they suggested that the platform was a "toxic" place for many youngsters. Mandy Rice Davies again!

The words “cause” and “effect” spring to mind!

Hows about changing the name to "Faecesbook"

*A Welsh-born model and showgirl, best known for her association with Christine Keeler and her role in the 'Profumo Affair', which discredited the Conservative government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963.

AND NOW
FOR
SOMETHING
COMPLETELY
THE SAME!

I noticed the other day that the Internet Movie Database has an ad for 'FAST & FURIOUS - THE FAST SAGA 9' and I discovered that numbers 10 and 11 are waiting in the wings... (or should that be 'the pits'... more appropriate I reckon!) This  means I have eight to catch up on before I watch the latest... but having seen brief snatches of some trailers before I was able to firmly press the off button on the device control, I reckon I would rather watch cheese melt!

'F & F' is locked in a spin-off battle with 'Planet of the Apes' which I have also managed to avoid. That series will probably go on for ever, with... 'Flea Market of the Apes', followed by 'Twighlight of the Apes', followed by 'Return to Sender of the Apes'... with countless others yet to be made! And thereby hangs a tail!

I am surprised that no-one has come up with a 'Gone with the Wind' franchise... after all, that film has lots of fans... hotcha, hotcha, hotcha! Suitable titles could be... 'Returning with the Wind', 'Sufferng with the Wind', 'Enduring the Wind', 'Gone Again with the Wind', 'Windy Planet of the Fast and Furious Apes"...

Why do I keep giving these invaluable ideas to Hollywood?