[Philthechill]

Following my recent input re. my 'knee-injections' I felt it better to start a new Thread to express my thanks on the many replies offering cautionary advice on any future 'perambulations', (aka bike-riding!), I may be contemplating plus personal experiences of the 'injections'.

Apropos this it's dawned on me that SN is, virtually, a gigantic ship with many crew-members and, as many will recall, when we were having a few cans and someone may raise a question on some vague subject there would usually be someone would say, "Ah yes! I remember when I sailed with (quoting the name of the outfit)", and follow-up this 'starter' by offering advice on alleviating, or curing, whatever the basis of the 'subject' was.
Unfortunately very few of us will actually meet-up but, luckily, we have our computers which enables us to start and enlarge-on new friendships and these 'friendships', unlike the somewhat transient nature of 'friendships' raised when we were at sea, will be life-long.

Thank you all for your 'inputs'(Applause) and, SN, thank YOU for this fabulous site. (Thumb)Phil

 

[Erimus]

Nicely put amigo....mind you sometimes the mutineers ought to be abandoned to the elements!

geoff

 

[sparkie2182]

Well said, Phil.

S2182

 

[Barrie Youde]

Amen to all of the foregoing!

Writers, broadcasters and journalists are not always held in esteem by mariners, whose world necessarily demands truth and accuracy, with all too little scope for variation, discussion or debate. It was refreshing, therefore, to discover today a new book by James O'Brien under the title "How to be right." He is a radio-journalist who has presented a phone-in discussion programme for some years.

His book is most refreshing and I recommend it highly to all in SN.

 

[spongebob]

Right on the nail Phil, you can smell the Stockholm tar on your breath and the lube oil on your hands . Maybe we may all meet in a big but. Cosy bar in the sky one day, I'll buy you a pint

Bob

 

[sparkie2182]

Does it have a preface by Theresa May?

🙂

 

[Barrie Youde]

#6

Far from it.

O'Brien writes, "Theresa May took this aversion to thinking [i.e. an aversion to rational thought] to its apotheosis when she declared that 'Brexit means Brexit' shortly after becoming Prime Minister in July 2016. Even by the standards of modern British politics, this is a slogan of such sweeping vacuity that it beggars belief that she could utter the words with a straight face. Consider the events of the following months and years and ask yourself whether she could have been doing anything other than using it to discourage thinking, to avoid facts and to postpone reality. You don't need to be William of Ockham to conclude that this is the only (emphasised) - never mind the simplest- explanation for her words."


I regress by sixty years. I am aged sixteen on my first trip to sea and I read, for the first time in my life, a do***ent called the "Master's Night Order Book". This is on the bridge of a well-found ship trading world-wide under the British flag. It is fatuous to point out that, within that book, facts were facts, instructions were instructions and orders were orders. If the Master had written therein anything quite so fatuous as "Brexit means Brexit" (c/f "Afloat means Afloat" or perhaps "Offing means Offing") my guess is that his career would have met its end in a period shorter than the three years granted to the Vicar's daughter.

The point which O'Brien makes is that in recent years, matters have gone seriously wrong, to the point where such vacuity is accepted from a Prime Minister without challenge. My own first-trip shipmaster would have chucked her off the bridge in the first night-watch!

The best that can be said for Mrs May is that she meant well. I believe that she did. But she was hopelessly, hopelessly inadequate.

 

[sparkie2182]

Quite so, Barrie.

It used to be called leadership as I recall

 

[alaric]

Yes, yes, yes. In particular to NH3 aka PhiltheChill's starter.

 

[Pompeyfan]

Why oh why do some members have to spoil a thread by mentioning Mrs May or other politicians and worst still Brexit. Some seem obsessed by Brexit. If you must bore us with political bias or whatever please do so in Stormy Weather, which we created for Off-topic Political & other touchy subjects.

 

[Dickyboy]

Why oh why do some members have to spoil a thread by mentioning Mrs May or other politicians and worst still Brexit. Some seem obsessed by Brexit. If you must bore us with political bias or whatever please do so in Stormy Weather, which we created for Off-topic Political & other touchy subjects.

(Applause)(Applause)(Applause)

 

[Robert Hilton]

Why oh why do some members have to spoil a thread by mentioning Mrs May or other politicians and worst still Brexit. Some seem obsessed by Brexit. If you must bore us with political bias or whatever please do so in Stormy Weather, which we created for Off-topic Political & other touchy subjects.

Probably because on "EU, What's Happening?" discussion has given way to pointless squabbles.

 

[sparkie2182]

I'm sure Barrie and I both apologise for straying off topic.
We both do, however,post to SN on a regular basis which is more than can be said for many.

 

[seaman38]

Why oh why do some members have to spoil a thread by mentioning Mrs May or other politicians and worst still Brexit. Some seem obsessed by Brexit. If you must bore us with political bias or whatever please do so in Stormy Weather, which we created for Off-topic Political & other touchy subjects.

Hear! Hear! or is it Here! Here! (definitely not ear! ear!) as some pedantic may point out. They probably introduce it because as my old mum used to say, they only have a one track mind

 

[John Jarman]

Amen to all of the foregoing!

Writers, broadcasters and journalists are not always held in esteem by mariners, whose world necessarily demands truth and accuracy, with all too little scope for variation, discussion or debate. It was refreshing, therefore, to discover today a new book by James O'Brien under the title "How to be right." He is a radio-journalist who has presented a phone-in discussion programme for some years.

His book is most refreshing and I recommend it highly to all in SN.

James O'Brien of course, got most of his information to write the book from Mrs JJ. !!

JJ.

 

[John Jarman]

Why oh why do some members have to spoil a thread by mentioning Mrs May or other politicians and worst still Brexit. Some seem obsessed by Brexit. If you must bore us with political bias or whatever please do so in Stormy Weather, which we created for Off-topic Political & other touchy subjects.

And again....Well said.

JJ.

 

[John Jarman]

I'm sure Barrie and I both apologise for straying off topic.
We both do, however,post to SN on a regular basis which is more than can be said for many.

Yes, and some would say, "Too often".......Not me of course, Spookie!!

HH...

 

[Barrie Youde]

The full title of James O'Brien's book is "How to be right -in a world gone wrong".

Some of its critical previews are:-

"Consistently, forensically, brilliant " - Emily Maitlis.

"Intelligent, funny and worrying. An unsurprisingly brilliant read from a great broadcaster. I vehemently wish that everybody would read it. The world and this country would be a better place if they did. " - Gary Lineker.

"I am stupidly excited about this book." - The Secret Barrister.

"A total joy. If you feel like the world is going to hell in a handcart, here's the brakes." - Caitlin Moran.

I echo the view that a most valuable feature of SN is that it promotes intelligent discussion, from which I have learned much and am most grateful. Most of us here learned the vital nature of truth soon after joining our respective first ships, if we might not have appreciated it fully beforehand. I know that I did. To see the senior officers of ss Jason held to account by the Master every night without fail (by the requirement to sign their names in the Night Order Book each night) was a most enlightening lesson. Until then, as a sixteen year old, it had not occurred to me that such a thing might happen, simply because until then I had not given the matter any thought.

Amongst many points now raised by O'Brien is the commercialism of the national press; and their knowledge that sensationalism sells newspapers. All of us know that the press needs to be read with a pinch of salt. O'Brien offers the insightful point that every fairground operator knows that he will make more money out of the ghost-train than out of the speak-your-own-weight machine.

BY

 

[Varley]

Why oh why do some members have to spoil a thread by mentioning Mrs May or other politicians and worst still Brexit. Some seem obsessed by Brexit. If you must bore us with political bias or whatever please do so in Stormy Weather, which we created for Off-topic Political & other touchy subjects.

Perhaps because any discussion in GB can not avoid Brexit? Would you have had Chamberlain's 'Peace in our time' denied commentary even in Knitting Weekly should a knitter have so submitted? Topic is at the root of topical and there is nothing more topical than reminding our friends, whether here or on distant shores, that the handcart we are on now is going in the same direction that Mr. Chamberlain's one may very easily have gone too.

 

[sparkie2182]

Well said Farley.

I accept that I strayed off topic ......and apologised.
I do however take exception to the implication that the brexit issue is unwelcome on this site EVEN in "stormy weather"

As has been pointed out ad nausem......there is a warning when entering .....if members choose to ignore it........

The general trend of the brexit thread In "stormy weather" has been entirely respectful......which is more than could be said for many previous posts in innumerable threads found there in the past............the Scottish Devolution thread for one. Does anyone remember draigmor and marinejoky(sic)?..........tooth and claw posters of the first order.
My apology again to Phil (with whom I'm sure I sailed on the ACL ships)........for diverting the thrust of his thread.