It's been a beautiful day in Bournemouth. The temperature is in the mid-eighties, but it's not humid and there is a gentle breeze to stop us scorching. As I sit on the lawn in the shade of the apple trees I can smell the jasmine and the lavender, unadulterated by the whiff of singed goat. The barbecuers are not out tonight.
I know where they are though; I can here the strains of Elton John coming through the trees. He is playing tonight at the local football ground and both my daughters have gone.
Talking of football; England are out of the World Cup. As usual they have lost on penalties. Just as two years ago in the European Championships, they lost to Portugal. Just as 8 years ago their golden boy has been given a red card; then it was Beckham, today it was Rooney. England raise their game as they played the last half of the match with 10 against 11, but they couldn't score. Once again they go out in the quarter finals. For England that is par for the course. It is what they expected; no better, no worse. More shocking for Brazil to go out. The last four are France, Germany, Portugal and Italy. Four European sides and no South Americans; the balance of power has changed.
It's the second pop concert my daughter has been to this week. Earlier she was listening to the Pet Shop Boys at the Tower of London. It's something I've never done - been to a pop concert. Can't say I'd really want to.
Andy Murray beat Andy Roddick at Wimbledon. The young Scot gives the Glaswegians a double celebration: England defeated and a Scotsman making the second week in the tennis.
Freddie Trueman dies from lung cancer at the age of 75. England's fiery fast bowler from the fifties has bowled his last over. I guess he couldn't stand the England one day team being whitewahed by Sri Lanka.
All is quiet, now. I have been studying that remarkable poem. It keeps coming back.
The cells divide. The cells that will not die
divide too well and so they multiply.
They kill the host to keep themselves alive
Well my crystal ball is obviously a dud.
ReplyDeletePortugal - Timor Leste - No
Germany - Smelly sausages - No
France - Englands Natural Enemy - No
Italy - Pasta - Yum
Italia Italia Italia (grin)
Some little dweeb on one of the Sunday news shows in a commentary said that because the rest of the world doesn't like America, we should take up with soccer. I say, too high of a price!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I can't understand people who care if America is liked or not. Who cares if Portugal likes us? I could not care less.
In America, a sense of isolationalism runs very deep. Our first President warned against foreign entanglements. I agree.
America shouldn't have gotten involved in the first World War. We had to in the second because of the pure evil of Nazism. The cold war, ditto, because of the evil of the Soviet empire.
America needs to build many nuclear power plants, become energy self-sufficient, and then we can draw up our drawbridges to the rest of the world, seal our southern border (and probably our northern border as well), and just let the rest of the world go to hell.
America is the world's oldest democracy (we have no royalty, thank goodness). We can set an example to the rest of the world, and if they choose to follow, fine. If they don't, fine as well.
Let the rest of the world play their stupid soccer, and rot merrily away. Just leave us out of it.
It depends what you mean by democracy. I think the Ancient Greeks got there first, though.
ReplyDelete"The cells divide. The cells that will not die
ReplyDeletedivide too well and so they multiply.
They kill the host to keep themselves alive"
Poignant poem. Me, personally, I can't wait for the day when the cells will die, the cells cannot divide, and the cells leave the host in peace to live the rest of his/her life.
PARP inhibitors? HSP90 blockers? Telomerase targeted vaccines? Anti-BAFF monoclonals? Anti-TRAIL? We are just beginning to unravel the mystery, and there are so many good ideas out there.
I just wish it were possible to speed up the process, get these novel drug candidates from the lab bench to the patient bedside. Good science needs time to develop, and I am all for that. But surely we can encourage faster pace for some of these pivotal clinical trials while keeping safegaurds in place?
Dear researchers, please understand our sense of urgency. Patients march to a faster drum beat, our very lives depend on finding answers in real time. We are not being pushy or cheeky, just desparate to save our lives, the lives of our loved ones.
Terry, thanks for being our champion, it continues to give many of us hope and comfort.
Chaya