Why try? You might fail

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Brian Clough on Jose Mourinho

“That Jose Mourinho’s got a lot to say for himself. He reminds me of what I was like at his age – but I was better looking.”

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War Studies: Bombing Gaza, 2023-24

The Israeli bombing campaign is a strategic failure. Their air force generals recognise this. Yet the campaign is now in its second year. What’s going on?

Claiming a bombing campaign is a strategic failure is bold. Why is their campaign in Gaza a strategic cul de sac?

Bombing has a long and tragic history of failure.1 During the Second World War Germany was pulverised with 1,000 bomber raids. Hundred of thousands of people died and cities were reduced to rubble. Germany fought on regardless. It wasn’t until Germany was conquered with ground troops that the war ended.2

Gaza has no strategic targets. This means it hasn’t any significant industries, transport hubs or infrastructure to bomb. Israel’s F-35 fighter-bombers cost about $80m with a further$6.6m in annual maintenance costs.3 Israel’s sledgehammer is smashing a walnut.

Israel is using a hyper-sophisticated war machine against Gaza. Their equipment is perfectly designed for a different war. Israel has bought expensive F-35s, so they are using them. They are bombing Gaza into the Stone Age. Utter destruction isn’t a strategy, it’s revenge.

Israel doesn’t have a ‘Day After’4 strategic goal. Two million Gazan people are still there despite their territory being reduced to rubble. Annexation is attractive until it comes to implementing it. Dispersing two million people requires international cooperation, which is unlikely to happen.

Israel’s bombing campaign is incomprehensible.

Notes

1 Exception: the August 1945 bombing of Japan

2 Principally the USA from the west and the Soviet Union from the east.

3 F-35 Sustainment: Costs Continue to Rise While Planned Use and Availability Have Decreased | U.S. GAO

4 ‘Day After’ means the day after the war finishes

Mission Statement: Concise critiques of major military events in two minutes

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Capitalism Hard At Work

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Black Lives Matter: Dick Gregory

“Last time I was down South, I walked into this restaurant. This white waitress came up to me and said, ‘We don’t serve colored people here.’

I said, ‘That’s all right, I don’t eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.’

About that time, these three cousins came in. You know the ones I mean, Ku, Klux and Klan. They said, ‘Boy, we’re givin’ you fair warnin. Anything you do to that chicken, we’re gonna do to you.’

“So, I put down my knife and fork, picked up that chicken, and kissed it.”

Dick Gregory Oct. 12, 1932 – Aug. 19, 2017

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David Williams reviews M&S Collection Pieronte Barolo, Italy 2019

Having had some of the most memorable food experiences of my life in Piedmont during the truffle season, eating al tartufo, made with fresh tarjarin pasta, butter, eggs and shavings of truffle, it’s hard for me to conceive of a better match than the local ethereal red wines made from the nebbiolo variety. Barolo is the most famous of these and, like white truffles, it doesn’t come cheap, starting at £20 for the very pretty, floral example at M&S and soon reaching £84 for a bottle of the magnificent Paolo Conternor Barolo Ginestra Montforte d’Alba.

Observer Magazine, Wines of the Week, p 29, 10th November 2024

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Nothing more to say

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A John Cleese quip

If one door closes and another door opens you’re probably in prison.

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Cooking for Slackers: Convenience food

People think Slackers love convenience food. They’re wrong. (1) they’re expensive and (2) they’re inconvenient.

Inconvenient?

Slackers are addicted to cheap, quick food. Cheap doesn’t mean unhealthy. It means good food that’s cheap. A look at the cooking instructions and ingredients of two convenience foods explains everything that is wrong with them.1

Sainsbury Pizza: £2:75 (turbo-charged bread and cheese!)

“A pizza base topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of oregano and black pepper.”

1. Preheat your oven to the temperature below.
2. Remove all packaging, even out toppings
(prep work), and drizzle with a little oil (more prep work and an extra ingredient, which you provide)
3. Place directly onto the top shelf of your pre-heated oven.
4. Cook in line with the timings below.
5. Remove carefully and serve. Enjoy!

200°C 16 mins, Fan 180°C 16 mins, Gas 6 16 mins Ovens are energy VAMPIRES

Marks and Spencer’s ‘Fiery Hot Chicken Tikka Masala’ £5:50

This is what you’re eating (good luck):

Smoked Chicken Breast (50%), Onions, Single Cream (Milk) (15%), Water, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Paste (3%), Yogurt (Milk), Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Unsalted Butter (Milk), Lemon Juice, Salt, Coriander, Cornflour, Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower/Rapeseed), Honey, Turmeric, Natural Colour: Paprika Extract, Ground Garam Masala (Roasted Coriander, Roasted Cumin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Kashmiri Chilli Powder, Black Pepper, Green Cardamom, Cloves, Bay Leaves), Cumin Seeds, Kashmiri Chilli Powder, Dried Garlic, Ground Cinger, Ground Paprika, Ground Smoked Paprika, Sugar, Naga Chilli Extract, Ground Cinnamon

Cooking time – 25 minutes. Most Slackers regard 25 minutes as an eternity not a convenient interlude before a meal hits the plate

Keep faith with Cooking for Slackers recipes

Addendum: Dominos pizza’s health ratings

A comprehensive analysis of their pizzas that is virtually unreadable and is published for food scientists with magnifying glasses.

C5 Corporate Nutrition Brief Pizzas Bases and Toppings.pdf (dominos.co.uk)

Note

1 The best analogy is looking at the insert in a box of pills. Even aspirin has side effects which include death.

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Dogs! Don’t you love them?

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