Posts by Rob Hosking
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Roger Miller. For reasons I cannot adequately explain I began singing Roger Miller songs to my daughter.
The starting point, I think, was singing ‘England Swings Like a Pendulum Do’ while trying to get her to go to the toilet.
No I don’t know why. Sleep deprivation, and resultant brain cells either dead or on life support, probably had something to do with it.
After a bit she would sing it automatically, so I’d get a sort of muttered “Eng Swing Pend do” to the accompaniment of straining noises and a distant plop.
This may of course have been a primitive form of musical criticism.
And for those who haven’t had kids yet/at all: See what a new, hitherto unimagined, world opens up to you?
Also likess the Chills. Hums along to ‘Come Home’. Will tolerate Able Tasmans.
It isn’t all good taste though. The other night a burst of the Bee Gees came on at the end of a re-run of ‘That 70s Show’ – she ran from the next room and started dancing in front of the teev. More go-go dancer style than disco, but very enthusiastic. She’d never heard that music before (unless they have it at crèche, which I suppose is possible).
Another time an ABBA clip came on - ‘Bang a Boomerang’. She thought it was hilarious. Absolutely roared with laughter. Maybe she understands more than we give her credit for. (It’s a song with the immortal line: ‘Love is a tune you hum de hum hum.’)
Still danced, mind you.
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One other thing : "Slumpy Cashflow" sounds like the name of a hobbit or an elf or something...
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Coupla points...
The consumer confidence survey actually isn't too bad an indicator of how the domestic economy is going to go. If you look back to the early 1990s it has moved ahead of GDP overall, on most occasions the economy turned since then (the one exception was early this decade, when, for reasons which elude me, it slumped in 2000 when GDP was quite strong, then went up and stayed up when growth hit a slight trough).
It's an even better predicter, though, of election results.
As for yer actshul economy....in 1998 we didn't have the high levels of household debt we have now. That means the slowdown isn't likely to be as sharp as 1998, but it will be around for longer. Households take longer to 'de-leverage' (horrible term) than businesses. Especially if they're facing higher grocery bills at the same time.
So its not a good time to be in the consumer durable business (the earlier discussion about eletrickery and ignorant Harvey Norman salesfolk notwithstanding).
I was in L V Martin's Willis Street store on Saturday (finally bit the bullet and bought a dVD recorder).
I was the only customer.
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This 'sincerity' thing is between a person and their deity, surely?
I dunno if it's all that strait forward. If it was that simple there wouldn't be ceremonial religious acts such as going to church, dressed in best on sunday
Well, if we're going to go biblical here, there's quite a bit in Matthews gospel where Jesus says to beware of people who make too big a thing about their church attendance.
Can't remember the exact references now (Craig will probably know) but I tend to think some of the best arguments against organised religion can be found in Matthew, and they come from JC Himself.
Re: Clinton v. Obama though... I think focusing on the religion thing is missing the wood for the trees. Clinton does have a bit of a track record for being less than fulsome with the truth. The 'sniper fire' thing this week is a good example.
We all know these people are going to lie or at least twist the truth into eye-watering shapes.
But someone who lies when they don't have to - and Clinton didn't need to come out with that whopper - is particularly bad news.
Having said that I hope Clinton gets the nomination, because in McCain the Republicans have, almost by accident, picked someone electable and who might actually be a good president.
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For consumer humiliation in an electronics store, its difficult to go past this:
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Why don't we put the evil foreign bankers in kinky boots and black leather greatcoats, folks?
I'd be on for that - you wouldn't??
Well, you'd probably have a more interesting time of it.
Did anyone ever have a sex fantasy involving someone wearing swandris and gumboots?
[That was a rhetorical question, in case anyone is wondering...]
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I'm sure Davies is a bit tired of some of the same ol's, but shit, not playing Waterloo Sunset is a bit like the Queen saying 'Oh, sod trooping the colours this year'...
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I see that the Rutles has had a welcome remastered reissue. I want.
Ahh, yes.
They were bigger than Rod.
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Just in case anyone didn't get it, the "odd boy who doesn't like sport" line is from another Bonzo song.
I gave up sport when I started high school, for a combination of reasons: (a) teenage rebellion (b) I was involved in Scouts and had discovered tramping and (c) I was very very very bad at it.
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Kyle,
Yeah, and he fronted twice, and was prepared to have another go in 1960.
Apparently the US president depicted in Dr Strangelove was based on Stevenson.
Meanwhile....here's the Canyons of Your Mind:
Finest guitar solo ever, until perhaps Dr Hooks' Cover of the Rolling Stone...