MY ANNUAL WALKING TOUR
Today I am off to the U.K. for my annual walking tour. I have done this for the past 10 years or so with mates from my university days.
However, big changes are afoot this year. Instead of its being in the summer term half-term around 1 June, it is being held now, after Easter. And instead of going to the Lake District, we are going to the Yorkshire Dales. Crikey, just writing it down makes me aware of the momentous nature of the break from tradition.
Still, some things won't change. We will still meet in Lancaster on Wednesday evening, walk for three days and then leave next Sunday (I will be going on to visit my mother). We will still drink quite a lot of beer. And we will put the world to rights.
I will be without a computer, so no blogging. Back in ten days or so.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Saturday, 7 April 2012
LEARNING CHINESE (2)
When I was in Hong Kong recently, I had the opportunity both to see written Chinese in everyday life, and to watch/hear my son, who is doing his best to learn it. It's tough.
My son is learning Mandarin, which has become the dominant dialect out of the many in what is a vast country (a bit like how Castilian became the dominant dialect in Spain). However, because of Hong Kong's separate history under British rule, the local Cantonese dialect has not disappeared, but is dominant locally (again, a bit like Catalan in the Barcelona region). Mandarin and Cantonese characters are not 100% the same, but are pretty close, it is just that they are pronounced completely differently. The chararacter for big, for example, which is one of the few I got to recognise, is pronounced "tai" in Cantonese, but "da" in Mandarin. On the metro, all of the upcoming station announcements are announced in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and you can hear the differences between the two Chinese versions. Cantonese has many more tones, for instance.
But it's the characters that are so difficult. In the course of nine days, I got to recognise with certainty only about five; those for person, big, middle, mountain and man. That's not many for a tourist actively interested in the language, not even enough to write a simple sentence. I suppose if you lived there, then you would see them more often, and they would slowly sink into your brain, like a sponge. My son has a pack of cards, with characters written on one side and the word and its usages on the other. So when he is idling, he can test himself.
A further complication was the decision by the Chinese authorities under Mao to simplify Chinese characters in order to try and reduce illiteracy. Simplified characters are used in China, Singapore and Malaysia; but (not least because of politics) the traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
One of the most interesting aspects of our stay was watching local Hong Kongers sms. Everbody has mobile phones, and they use them all the time. Prompt and touch technology allows you to start a character and get a prompt; easy characters first, followed by harder ones and then the most complicated. To be honest, it's easy to see why Asiatics are so obsessed with electronic gadgets, it's a lot easier than physically writing.
If I was 20, then I would definitely think about learning Chinese seriously. But I am 52, and I would be senile before I could master writing a memo. If I ever get to go to China on business, I'll just have to take my son along as an interpreter.
Walter Blotscher
When I was in Hong Kong recently, I had the opportunity both to see written Chinese in everyday life, and to watch/hear my son, who is doing his best to learn it. It's tough.
My son is learning Mandarin, which has become the dominant dialect out of the many in what is a vast country (a bit like how Castilian became the dominant dialect in Spain). However, because of Hong Kong's separate history under British rule, the local Cantonese dialect has not disappeared, but is dominant locally (again, a bit like Catalan in the Barcelona region). Mandarin and Cantonese characters are not 100% the same, but are pretty close, it is just that they are pronounced completely differently. The chararacter for big, for example, which is one of the few I got to recognise, is pronounced "tai" in Cantonese, but "da" in Mandarin. On the metro, all of the upcoming station announcements are announced in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and you can hear the differences between the two Chinese versions. Cantonese has many more tones, for instance.
But it's the characters that are so difficult. In the course of nine days, I got to recognise with certainty only about five; those for person, big, middle, mountain and man. That's not many for a tourist actively interested in the language, not even enough to write a simple sentence. I suppose if you lived there, then you would see them more often, and they would slowly sink into your brain, like a sponge. My son has a pack of cards, with characters written on one side and the word and its usages on the other. So when he is idling, he can test himself.
A further complication was the decision by the Chinese authorities under Mao to simplify Chinese characters in order to try and reduce illiteracy. Simplified characters are used in China, Singapore and Malaysia; but (not least because of politics) the traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
One of the most interesting aspects of our stay was watching local Hong Kongers sms. Everbody has mobile phones, and they use them all the time. Prompt and touch technology allows you to start a character and get a prompt; easy characters first, followed by harder ones and then the most complicated. To be honest, it's easy to see why Asiatics are so obsessed with electronic gadgets, it's a lot easier than physically writing.
If I was 20, then I would definitely think about learning Chinese seriously. But I am 52, and I would be senile before I could master writing a memo. If I ever get to go to China on business, I'll just have to take my son along as an interpreter.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday, 5 April 2012
FLAGS
Danes are nuts about the Dannebrog, the national flag which is red with a white cross. Most houses, particularly in rural areas, have a flagpole, and people are always waving flags if they have the chance. If you come through Copenhagen Airport, you will nearly always pass by a group of friends and relatives, waiting with small flags for someone to arrive through Customs.
The Dannebrog is widely held to be the oldest national flag. Legend has it that it appeared in the sky while the Danes were fighting to take Tallinn in Estonia in the early thirteenth century; with the siege going badly, the flag was a sign from heaven that they would succeed (which they did). The normal custom is to fly a "vimpel" (a small, thin, version) from the flagpole for most of the time, and only to put the full Dannebrog up on special occasions; birthdays, national days, that sort of thing. My mother-in-law put up the flag yesterday, for instance, since it was my daughter's birthday. However, you can only put the Dannebrog up after sunrise, and it must be taken down again before sunset. It must also not be allowed to touch the ground, since otherwise war will come to Denmark again.
Cycling past my mother-in-law's this afternoon, I thought it might be a good idea, if I got a new flagpole (the old one was rotten and fell down in a storm some years ago). Then I could fly a big Union Jack on my birthday later this summer. So I was horrified to learn that that would not in fact be possible. Since 1915 the only flags allowed in Denmark are the Dannebrog, plus the flags of the other Nordic countries, the U.N. and the E.U. If I wanted to fly the Union Jack, even on my own property, then I would have to get permission from the police.
Mmm, suddenly a new flagpole is not looking so attractive.
Walter Blotscher
Danes are nuts about the Dannebrog, the national flag which is red with a white cross. Most houses, particularly in rural areas, have a flagpole, and people are always waving flags if they have the chance. If you come through Copenhagen Airport, you will nearly always pass by a group of friends and relatives, waiting with small flags for someone to arrive through Customs.
The Dannebrog is widely held to be the oldest national flag. Legend has it that it appeared in the sky while the Danes were fighting to take Tallinn in Estonia in the early thirteenth century; with the siege going badly, the flag was a sign from heaven that they would succeed (which they did). The normal custom is to fly a "vimpel" (a small, thin, version) from the flagpole for most of the time, and only to put the full Dannebrog up on special occasions; birthdays, national days, that sort of thing. My mother-in-law put up the flag yesterday, for instance, since it was my daughter's birthday. However, you can only put the Dannebrog up after sunrise, and it must be taken down again before sunset. It must also not be allowed to touch the ground, since otherwise war will come to Denmark again.
Cycling past my mother-in-law's this afternoon, I thought it might be a good idea, if I got a new flagpole (the old one was rotten and fell down in a storm some years ago). Then I could fly a big Union Jack on my birthday later this summer. So I was horrified to learn that that would not in fact be possible. Since 1915 the only flags allowed in Denmark are the Dannebrog, plus the flags of the other Nordic countries, the U.N. and the E.U. If I wanted to fly the Union Jack, even on my own property, then I would have to get permission from the police.
Mmm, suddenly a new flagpole is not looking so attractive.
Walter Blotscher
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
THE END OF AN ERA
As the tweet above says, my daughter turns 18 today. Which means that all three of my children are now adults. And so my parental responsibilities are - legally - now over. It is the end of an era that has lasted just over 22 years.
Of course, whatever the legal position, the reality is rather different. Relationships don't often change abruptly from one day to the next, they tend to move gradually over time. In some areas, my children have been deciding for themselves for some years (who they want as their partner, for instance); in others, the situation is less clear cut (think money). And even if the relationship does change, it doesn't mean that the parent/child bit of it will. People often say that parents never stop treating their children as children. I know that my mother still does, and she is a sprightly 86; I suspect that I will be the same.
Nevertheless, all societies have their milestones, points on the road where things are deemed to have changed. Today is one of them, for me.
Walter Blotscher
As the tweet above says, my daughter turns 18 today. Which means that all three of my children are now adults. And so my parental responsibilities are - legally - now over. It is the end of an era that has lasted just over 22 years.
Of course, whatever the legal position, the reality is rather different. Relationships don't often change abruptly from one day to the next, they tend to move gradually over time. In some areas, my children have been deciding for themselves for some years (who they want as their partner, for instance); in others, the situation is less clear cut (think money). And even if the relationship does change, it doesn't mean that the parent/child bit of it will. People often say that parents never stop treating their children as children. I know that my mother still does, and she is a sprightly 86; I suspect that I will be the same.
Nevertheless, all societies have their milestones, points on the road where things are deemed to have changed. Today is one of them, for me.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
EUROPACTS (2)
The next building block in the saving of the Euro was put in place in Copenhagen last week. The European Stability Mechanism (otherwise known as the firewall) was increased from Euro 500 billion to Euro 800 billion (US$1.1 trillion, there's that trillion word again). The deal was a compromise between the German paymasters, who wanted less, and other Member States, who wanted more.
The reality is that the Germans won, since the increase is less than it seems. First, since the ESM is being merged with the temporary facility, the EFSF, which has about Euro 200 billion left in it, after rescues of Ireland and Portugal. The Euro 700 billion is then bumped up to the headline figure of Euro 800 billion by including loans already made to Greece. In other words, there is not really any new money on the table; though the money already committed can now be used earlier than would otherwise have been the case.
Still, money now is always better than money later. And if the agreement helps to keep Spain from going the way of Greece, then it will have been a success.
Walter Blotscher
The next building block in the saving of the Euro was put in place in Copenhagen last week. The European Stability Mechanism (otherwise known as the firewall) was increased from Euro 500 billion to Euro 800 billion (US$1.1 trillion, there's that trillion word again). The deal was a compromise between the German paymasters, who wanted less, and other Member States, who wanted more.
The reality is that the Germans won, since the increase is less than it seems. First, since the ESM is being merged with the temporary facility, the EFSF, which has about Euro 200 billion left in it, after rescues of Ireland and Portugal. The Euro 700 billion is then bumped up to the headline figure of Euro 800 billion by including loans already made to Greece. In other words, there is not really any new money on the table; though the money already committed can now be used earlier than would otherwise have been the case.
Still, money now is always better than money later. And if the agreement helps to keep Spain from going the way of Greece, then it will have been a success.
Walter Blotscher
Monday, 2 April 2012
SYRIA (2)
In my earlier post on Syria, last November, I said that I did not think that President Assad would be toppled any time soon. That prediction has turned out to be correct. To paraphrase the Three Little Pigs, the Western powers have huffed and puffed and even sent Kofi Annan to Damascus; but Assad's house is still standing.
The Syrians have apparently now agreed to Mr. Annan's plan for a ceasefire starting on 10 April, plus various other things. I have to say that whatever the diplomatic naunces in the plan, I don't believe that it will be implemented in full. President Assad is an expert at playing for time, and this is yet another example of it. The Syrian conflict will - unfortunately - rumble on for some time to come.
Walter Blotscher
In my earlier post on Syria, last November, I said that I did not think that President Assad would be toppled any time soon. That prediction has turned out to be correct. To paraphrase the Three Little Pigs, the Western powers have huffed and puffed and even sent Kofi Annan to Damascus; but Assad's house is still standing.
The Syrians have apparently now agreed to Mr. Annan's plan for a ceasefire starting on 10 April, plus various other things. I have to say that whatever the diplomatic naunces in the plan, I don't believe that it will be implemented in full. President Assad is an expert at playing for time, and this is yet another example of it. The Syrian conflict will - unfortunately - rumble on for some time to come.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday, 1 April 2012
NORDIC NATIONALISM (2)
One of the reasons I dislike the rise of right-wing, anti-immigrant parties in the Nordic countries is that it opens the door to even more extreme views. I am not suggesting that the parties themselves embrace these views directly (though some of their members undoubtedly do). Nevertheless, they expand the envelope of what is acceptable, and tacitly encourage others to make that envelope even bigger. The tragedy in Norway last summer is an example of what can go wrong.
Yesterday there was a demonstration in Århus organised by the Danish Defence League. This is a Danish offshoot of the rather nasty English Defence League, which is virulently anti-immigrant and even more virulently anti-Muslim. The march was intended to further links with, and inspire, similar organisations in Europe, particularly in the Nordic countries.
Århus is home to quite a lot of immigrants, so the march was seen as provocative, to put it mildly; and a counter-demonstration was organised. The police appealed for calm, and said officially that they hoped that everything would pass off peacably. It didn't, and 82 people ended up being arrested.
Muslims are not going to leave Europe, but neither are the people who want them to. This is a problem that is likely to grow.
Walter Blotscher
One of the reasons I dislike the rise of right-wing, anti-immigrant parties in the Nordic countries is that it opens the door to even more extreme views. I am not suggesting that the parties themselves embrace these views directly (though some of their members undoubtedly do). Nevertheless, they expand the envelope of what is acceptable, and tacitly encourage others to make that envelope even bigger. The tragedy in Norway last summer is an example of what can go wrong.
Yesterday there was a demonstration in Århus organised by the Danish Defence League. This is a Danish offshoot of the rather nasty English Defence League, which is virulently anti-immigrant and even more virulently anti-Muslim. The march was intended to further links with, and inspire, similar organisations in Europe, particularly in the Nordic countries.
Århus is home to quite a lot of immigrants, so the march was seen as provocative, to put it mildly; and a counter-demonstration was organised. The police appealed for calm, and said officially that they hoped that everything would pass off peacably. It didn't, and 82 people ended up being arrested.
Muslims are not going to leave Europe, but neither are the people who want them to. This is a problem that is likely to grow.
Walter Blotscher
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