Letter from Europe

[Jimaz]

Does anyone know what Mitt Romney is on? I'm thinking some sort of drug that makes you stick your foot in your mouth whilst simultaneously erasing all notion of social skills/tact. Apparently he came here to the UK to make contacts and friends but he's done neither. He brought up our Olympic security issues at a dinner hosted by Boris Johnson the Mayor of London which had Boris, who is a bit mad admittedly, spitting with rage. He did the same to Prime Minister David Cameron, one of the most conservative people in the universe. Cameron really gave him the cold shoulder. I mean we can criticise our own Olympics as can foreign people, no problem. But if you are a visiting dignitary you just DON'T. What is wrong with him? Apart from his woeful domestic policies, as far as I can tell, he seems to be bloody useless at foreign policy too. I hope you don't get him as your next president but then I imagine you're all hoping that too!

One thing's for certain: He's not campaigning overseas for votes. What else but money could he be seeking? Do votes even matter anymore in a mock democracy?

Hopefully we won't have to dust off the old Sorry Everybody website.

Oh! He's trying to upstage Mr. Bean. That explains it.

[Barbara Nadel]

One thing's for certain: He's not campaigning overseas for votes. What else but money could he be seeking? Do votes even matter anymore in a mock democracy?

Hopefully we won't have to dust off the old Sorry Everybody website.

Oh! He's trying to upstage Mr. Bean. That explains it.

Of course he is! That's it! But Sorry Everybody will be unnecessary here. Mr Obama had done a good job of repairing US/UK relations in the past few years and most of us realise that it is 'just Romney'.

[Barbara Nadel]

Did all of any of you see the Olympic opening ceremony? Even a terrible cynic like me was impressed. Well done Danny Boyle! But then it was all about the people as opposed to our generally horrible leaders. We had the workers in the factories of the Industrial Revolution, The National Health Service, The Suffragettes, local rapper Dizzee Rascal as well as remembrance of all the people who died in the London bombing of 7th July 2005. If you looked closely you would have seen a couple of gay kisses in the segment about entertainment too. So it was truly inclusive. We all loved it here and feel proud for once. Not necessary about hosting the Olympics but because we, as opposed to our wretched government, made that opening ceremony the success that it was.

[Barbara Nadel]

Honestly, bloody people! Our top UK diver, Tom Daley only came 4th in his competition yesterday and so some arse hole felt that he could go on Twitter and abuse him. Sick! This moron alluded to the fact that Tom's dad, who only died a short time ago, would have been 'disappointed'. I am SO glad the police have arrested this person. That is so cruel and also untrue. Tom Daley is a brilliant diver who did his late father proud. God, doesn't sport bring out the worst in people sometimes?

[gazhekwe]

Somebody has to come in 4th, after all. Our gymnast from DeWitt, Michigan [[north of Lansing, the capital) came in 4th as well, showed pix of her crying, but she did not do her best.

[SMRJim]

I read about that idiot twitting [[that's my word for it) about that guy's father. Truly pathetic. People get way too tied up in being fans/spectators of sports and thinking they somehow have a personal stake in the outcomes [[actually I'm now wondering if that moron lost money on it). I'm a huge sports fan, but would NEVER personally attack anyone no matter what. These Olympic athletes work incredibly hard just to make it there. Just being an Olympian is a great accomplishment. Most people will never make it there no matter how hard they work at it. And they also don't understand how easy it is for one little mistake to put you right out of the medals. For anyone who wants to criticize these folks, try it yourself first! Then we can twit about how bad YOU are at it.

[Pam]

Barbara are you going to attend any of the Olympic events?

[Barbara Nadel]

Well two weeks of Olympian elation are now over and we have to look to what our politicians call the 'legacy' of the games. Personally I'm so proud of what was done - and I was very sceptical - especially by the athletes and Danny Boyle who produced the opening ceremony. That was so fabulous because it was a history of our people as opposed to a history of our rulers and featured our fantastic free health service as well as our workers and soldiers. Loved it. But what will the games mean for the future of the country and of East London? There are plans to build houses on the site at some point although not many of them will be affordable - which is disappointing but predictable. With regard to sport, the government want fund elite sports to the tune of £150 million in the next 4 years - in time for Rio. But no money for non elite sports and just this morning on the radio I heard that a lot of schools are being forced to sell their sports fields in order to pay their taxes. Just more proof that you can never trust a politician.

[Barbara Nadel]

Sadly not. The ticketing system was so mad and Byzantine not many people could actually work it out. But I did see some of the events on TV. Loved Mo Farah and Jess Ennis - really proud of all our athletes. Thought the synchronised swimming was great too - made costumes!

[Barbara Nadel]

No, not 'made' costumes, 'mad' costumes was what I meant to say! Not with it this morning. There's a surprise!

[Barbara Nadel]

Looking forward to the paralympics now, which I really do like a lot. How some of the athletes overcome their problems to compete at this level is truly awe inspiring. And some of the sports are so tough as well! Wheelchair rugby for instance is really, really hard with both physios and wheelchair repairers on hand by the side of the court.

I'm off to Dublin in a few weeks for a book launch and then hopefully over to Turkey for a few weeks. This has been a tough year for us and it still isn't over. I'm working at almost full pelt at the moment although I am very tired now and I realise that I must get a break soon or just fall over. Went to see a hospital doctor about my goitre the other day, which doesn't help, and he did a load of tests and so we'll see. I hope I just hope to have medication but if I have to have the goitre out then it has to be. They eventually end up deforming your windpipe which isn't good. So we'll see how it is after all the tests are completed.

[stromberg2]

Good luck, Barbara!

Stromberg2

[Barbara Nadel]

Still waiting for the last test for my goitre - another 3 weeks until that - just before I go to Turkey. Thanks for your best wishes for that. But now we have the paralympics which opened last night. Lots of more excitement - and I'm not even into sport - but this is good. The Olympics have also opened an interesting debate here about how much our soccer players are paid. On average they earn $200,000 a week [[yes, a WEEK). In return we get to see them play, they do as they please, behave like prima donnas and are largely above the law because our politicians fawn all over them. By contrast most Olympic athletes are lucky to earn $200,000 a year and behave in a sportsman like fashion and rarely get drunk and smash up cars [[unlike soccer players). Why are we paying soccer players so much money for being such massive morons? Good question and it's one people here are at last beginning to ask.

[Gannon]

They are your empire's gladiators...every one has 'em to distract the populace. Bread and Circuses...can't have the governed notice how their governors are misbehaving.

[Barbara Nadel]

They are your empire's gladiators...every one has 'em to distract the populace. Bread and Circuses...can't have the governed notice how their governors are misbehaving.

Absolutely although I think that their power may soon be broken. The politicians will ultimately sacrifice the footballers to save their own skins and the players will just have to 'get by' on maybe $50,000 a week. Who knows? I was asked this morning how much money I think the government should take away from poor and disabled people to help pay off our national debt. I said 'nothing' I also told the questioner [[from the local authority) that if they ever asked me about my race, religion or sexual orientation again, I would scream and run mad. I won't even answer those questions at hospital much less from a load of officials from the council. What business is it of theirs?

[Gannon]

Absolutely although I think that their power may soon be broken. The politicians will ultimately sacrifice the footballers to save their own skins and the players will just have to 'get by' on maybe $50,000 a week. Who knows? I was asked this morning how much money I think the government should take away from poor and disabled people to help pay off our national debt. I said 'nothing' I also told the questioner [[from the local authority) that if they ever asked me about my race, religion or sexual orientation again, I would scream and run mad. I won't even answer those questions at hospital much less from a load of officials from the council. What business is it of theirs?

I'll be 49 in a few months, and when I was in junior high school part of the required reading was George Orwell's 1984, which was way too odd and deep for those distracted by puberty's curiosities. As far as I know, it is no longer taught in the schools.

I didn't learn that he had a pen name until I was well into my twenties...when it became obvious to me that some things need to be flown under the radar of life. Damn shame, though, that those who studied 1984 as if it were an instruction manual for the enforcement of despotism are largely within the power structure of the world now. Same folks studied Machiavelli, and considered themselves the young prince.


Here, if you spouted off like that to an official, it is likely you'd get listed by our euphemistically-named Homeland Security. Of course we know it isn't their business, damn shame THEY don't realize it.

Cheers, anyways, I won't let the buggers get to me!
John

[Lowell]

Oh you Brit writers! This brought you to mind for some reasons when they ran a story on it on NPR this AM.

Silvia Hartmann began writing the first words of her new fantasy fiction novel "The Dragon Lords" and in doing so hopes to become the world's first author to pen a book while letting readers see every word being typed in an open Google Docs document.

Link to The Naked Writer Project. to read and follow along.