All posts by roger

Do you believe in climate change?

The Crazy World in which we Live

Seriously I do believe in climate change.

The Earth’s climate is constantly changing and has done for millions of years. There have been ice ages, floods, famines, droughts and the blistering summer of 1976. Of course we should be concerned if sea levels are rising and people’s lives are threatened.

What I am not convinced about is how much of this is our fault, and how much this new religion of Global Warming is just the latest scam adopted by Governments and the media to scare and tax the population.

Is this the latest millennium bug? That was supposed to herald disaster for mankind but it turned out to be a false alarm that could probably be traced back to innocent speculation by a scientist asked for an opinion at a conference out in the sticks somewhere. Yet we spent billions fixing a problem that didn’t exist.

So now we are spending millions trying to fix climate change when we don’t really know for definite whether we can fix it or whether we are responsible for it in the first place.

But do you know what?

Given that in Scotland we are used to summer being the hottest day of the year, I’m prepared to briefly forget all the Government retoric and media nonsense – and just thank climate change for the fantastic week of lovely weather we have just had up here.

Lost in 24

Entertainment, , , ,

In a doom and gloom world of recession, panics over swine flu and grubby members of parliament filling their own boots at the expense of tax payers, it is great to find an escape in popular culture.

This year, 24 has been outstanding.

Of course the plot’s total nonsense – and we all know that in congested cities like Los Angeles and Washington DC it is not possible to traverse the distances in scant minutes. If 24 mirrored reality the terrorists would have won by the end of episode two whilst Jack Bauer was stuck in a traffic jam miles from the action.

But I have found myself holding my breath on many occasions in the last 22 weeks and now I only have to hold it again for a week until the 2 hour season finale. Will Jack get his stem cell donation from his daughter Kim? Will he have to turn traitor to save her life first?

As if a week wasn’t enough to wait – I now have 9 months to wait for the next season of Lost having just seen the end of series five. As expected it ended as Juliet detonated the nuke that will either save everyone on the island or, more likely, introduce all sorts of other complications. Flash backs, flash forwards, dead people coming back to life and then being found dead in one place whilst they are still alive in another. Total nonsense again but also unmissable.

Of course 24 has given us a great new internet acronym. WWJBD.

I just wonder – if faced with the gloom of world recession, panics over swine flu and especially grubby members of parliament filliong their own boots at the expense of tax payer – just What Would Jack Bauer Do?

Appreciating the Apprentice

Entertainment, , , ,

I can usually take reality TV or leave it. I have long since tired of the parade of egotistical idiots emprisioned in the Big Brother House, or the Z list celebrities camping out in the jungle and subsisting on live insects and foul smelling vegetables.

But The Apprentice is in a different league. True the candidates are taken from further down the food chain with each successive series, but there is something totally addictive about watching them screw up in the most maginificent ways with tasks which in reality should be a push over for anyone with even an ounce of business acumen.

The problem is most of them do not have even an ounce of business acumen, and even those that do are so busy trying to shout over each other that they always miss the bleeding obvious, lose the task, or win by making less of a loss than the others. Then they face the wrath of Sirallan and that is when the fun really starts.

The episode where they had to create a marketing campaign for a breakfast cereal was perfect for me and my marketing back ground. The team that created the Treasure Flakes campaign did a very good job considering the time they had to produce a TV add, packaging and strapline. The Pirate Parrot was funny and on the cereal box the idea of making the fruit into pieces of treasure really appealed to the kids.

The other team did Pantsman!

What were they thinking? How could they let Phillip talk them into it? Was it not obvious that they were handing Sir Alan a put down beyond the dream of most script writers?

Still it took Phillip two more weeks to fall on his sword when he proved that his selling skills were just about up to the same standard as his marketing skills.

Complete PANTS!

Grenada the spice island gem

Travel, , , , , ,

I can’t believe I have just returned from my 6th holiday in Grenada. It really is that beautiful. No matter where else in the world we venture, something always tugs at the emotions and requires a return to this Caribbean gem every couple of years.

grenada spice islandMost people won’t have heard about Grenada – or at least they will think it is somewhere in Spain. In fact it is in the southern Caribbean and those with long memories might remember that the USA invaded Grenada in 1983. But that little episode is long past. Now the island is surrounded by warm turquoise sea, white (and black) sandy beaches, mountainous rainforests, and possesses a friendliness almost unsurpast. It is known as the Spice Island as a result of all the nutmeg and mace that they produce. The rum is pretty good and strong as well.

We stayed at the Coyaba Beach Resort on the superb two mile long Grand Anse beach. Now Coyaba is not the most luxurious hotel I have ever stayed in. In fact the last time I was in Grenada we stayed a couple of doors down at the Spice Island Beach Resort with its Egyptian cotton sheets, multi-cushioned beds, Molton Brown products and ambitions to become to Grenada what Sandy Lane is to Barbados. As a result it lacks personality and the staff lack warmth. It’s luxurious but it has no soul.

grenada spice islandCoyaba, however does have soul, passion, warmth and an irresistable charm. From the staff who seem to be on a mission to get to know you personally, to the extensive, lovingly maintained gardens with colourful plants and trees, to the walk up pool bar, to the bar manager, Stanley, who has been mixing cocktails there for 22 years, to the restaurant supervisor who will go out of her way to buy you a hand made Kite – the place is very special. The rooms are not huge but they are well designed and decorated in a minimalist Arawak style and are spotlessly clean.

Grenada Spice Island

In fact the gardens themselves outway the artifical luxury of places that cost three times as much. Coyaba promise a bed turn down service every night. This is something I have always thought to be an over indulgence – but I also believe that if a hotel offers such a service then it should make good on its promise. Coyaba is the only hotel in the world that I have stayed in that offers this service that has fulfilled its promise every night, and that includes chains like Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott. Small things like this make a real difference.

grenada spice islandThere are plenty of good restaurants nearby or in St Georges, but the food at Coyaba is also of very high quality. I particularly like their gourmet interpretation of Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings.

Grand Anse beach is very clean and the waters although a little choppy are great for swimming and snorkelling. Don’t ignore the beach traders. They will not pester if you don’t want to talk to them but it’s worth watching for the ones who have genunine talent at carving up a piece of black coral into a lovely keepsake.

grenada spice islandTake a day trip to Carriacou – Grenada’s sister island – and even more deserted paradise.