Back on the right side of the globe again. Another 11 hour flight in the back with the other refugeestourists. Vainly tried to use my up grade certificates. The girl at the counter with typical German stiffness said, ” you vill sit in your assigned seat. Ve have no other seat for you…” . Read, slept, read some more, slept some more.
Some of the the things I read:
a) George Best passed away this weekend at 59. Many of the British papers had some very interesting articles about his life and achievements on the pitch and off. For you non-soccer conversant folks George Best was considered to be the best football player of his generation . One quote said, “He made football beautiful”. Since I don’t follow Manchester United or any other English football team, what I found interesting was the turbulent career he had and the hard driving, drinking life style he lived away from the field. It, of course, is a cautionary tale on the price of fame and living life to excess and premature death. The moralists would portray it as a familiar tale of self destruction. Ok, ok, that’s true. However, I found Best’s tale fascinating the more I read since it appears he and Skippy had two similar interests in common: women and booze…
The quotes by him and about him made for fascinating reading:
” People always say I should not be burning the candle at both ends. Maybe they have not got a big enough candle”. -George Best, 2003
” They say I slept with 7 Miss World’s. I didn’t. It was only four, I didn’t turn up for the other three.”- George Best
B) The Swiss Guard gets the “Cajones of the Week” Award. Good for the Swiss Guard! I knew I liked those guys. Wish the US Supreme court could have understood the real issues when it ruled in favor of the destruction of my alma mater……
The Vatican told women Tuesday that they have no chance of becoming members of the Swiss Guard, the elite group that has been charged with protecting popes for 500 years. The Vatican’s position on the admission of women was underscored at a news conference called to disclose plans for six months of celebrations of the anniversary of the unit’s founding.
“I can’t imagine that we would open up the Swiss Guard to women,” its current commandant, Colonel Elmar Mader, said in response to a question. He said that barracks in the Vatican were “small and cramped” and he did not want disciplinary difficulties.
“They are young and I don’t want to enlist problems,” he said. “I’m not saying that women are not qualified to be in security forces, but it is a question of discipline.”
Perhaps this guy should testify before Congress. Or DACOWITS……..
Finally read all about the fun and games on Capitol Hill this week. More in another post. However I do have a hotel recommendation for you: Hotel Metropol near Franfurt Hbf. Any hotel that has :a) Free mini bar, b) free high speed internet connections, c) free breakfast and d) free copies of the Economist….well that’s a good hotel.
Got to stop now…brain cells shutting down……ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz!
