Is it time to apply some common sense to the Climate Change debate?

IS THERE A COMMON SENSE APPROACH?

The United Nations says that while world wide actions to reduce the causes of climate change are working, but remain inadequate to stave off potential disasters.  Climate change deniers scoff at these views and say that there have always been natural changes in climate and always will be.

I'm not a scientist. You probably aren't either. Even if you are, you probably aren't someone with the expertise and experience needed to make some sense of the vast array of data available on the subject of climate change and then derive sensible conclusions.  There aren't many such people in the world.  And they are far from unanimous in their interpretations of the possible causes or outcomes.  A large majority continue to say that the risks are real, the potential consequences enormous and devastating for the human race.  But others say this is nonsense and the earth's atmosphere is perfectly capable of taking care of itself.

Of course there is a wide continuum of views available, with extremes at either end of the spectrum.  An intriguing aspect of this is the ways in which a scientific subject has found itself reflected in political extremes as well.

By and large the left of politics want to take action to prevent further global warming, whilst the right think that will harm economies. For the far right, such as ukip here and the Tea Party in the US, the latter position has become a matter of faith and they seem to have become fully immunised against any facts or new information which might make them rethink their views.

This is a crazy way to approach a subject where millions of lives are at stake, one where the science matters far far more than politics. Shortsightedness could prove disastrous.

At one extreme are those who fear that climate change is largely man made and will have cataclysmic consequences in this century. They are advocating that humanity greatly reduces it's reliance on fossil fuels and develops alternative energy sources as soon as possible. Other thoughts are to reduce our meat consumption and move more towards a vegetable and cereal based diet which is far more energy efficient.

On the opposite side the extremists say alternative power sources, such as wind, are bad for the economy, waste resources and ruin the countryside. Their first priority is the short term goal of economic prosperity.

I don't know who's right. My instinct says the answers are somewhere between the two, but how far along that continuum, and in which direction, I have no idea.

But applying some common sense to the discussion it's hard to avoid one conclusion.

If the climate change deniers turn out to be correct, but we've invested vast resources in new energy technologies, and other green policies, nothing disastrous will happen. We might be a bit poorer in the short term, but most of what we do will not be wasted. One certainty is that fossil fuels will eventually run out and we have to replace them at some point. In the long term energy renewables make more sense than nuclear from which the dangers can never be fully eliminated.

But if the fears of those who say climate change will dramatically increase sea levels and make vast swathes of the earth uninhabitable could come even remotely true, yet we've done nothing to stave off the outcome, the results would be the greatest disaster ever to face mankind.

Looked at from that perspective, isn't the obvious conclusion to do everything we can to implement those Green ideas?  Not to do so is to play Risk on a grand scale with the lives of future generations.

Coming to the hockey

IT'S NOT ALWAYS LIKE THIS....

As I explained at the beginning of this year one of the big changes in my life, our lives, since moving north has been an increasing addiction to ice hockey matches and a passion for supporting the Edinburgh Capitals.  The strength of the resultant feelings continues to surprise me, and the story has moved on since.  This season we are proud to be season ticket holders at the Murrayfield rink, and I now find myself a member of the Supporters Club committee.

There's no going back now.  I'm even in danger of becoming a hockey bore, with a tediously (?) evangelical approach to encouraging others to come along and see what they're missing.  And when people from our old life down south come up to visit they are firmly told that if they come up on a weekend between September and March that will be taken as tacit agreement that they want to go to a match....

Two couples have been up here recently and both experienced hockey for the first time in their lives (well three of them did, one woman recalled going to games at Wembley in the sixties!).  It turned out that they picked their times wisely.

The first match was against Braehead, with the Caps putting in a storming performance and coming up convincing 6-2 winners.  Our friends saw some great goals and were sitting with some very happy fans.  I had to tell them it isn't always like this....

The second took place yesterday, and this had a bit more drama thrown in.  A woeful looking Capitals team (and some, ahem, 'controversial' refereeing) found themselves four goals down to arch rivals Fife Flyers.  Our friends were enjoying the experience, the speed and excitement, and the occasional gentile bout of fisticuffs that broke out on the ice.  They also felt a bit sorry for us, watching a drama unfold that might not leave us in the happiest of moods....

What followed will remain with me for a very long time, and certainly gave this southern couple something to remember from their visit.  A late goal in the second period kept the fans' hopes of a recovery warm, like a sighting of land from a lifeboat.  It turned out not be a mirage.  A change of tactics, and our North American pros earning every penny of their pay, saw two goals early on, and screamer of a shot from Ryan Hayes to equalise with five minutes to play.  Finishing up with a Caps winner in overtime.  No script writer would dare come up so implausible an ending in this cynical age....

And guess what?  I had to tell my friends that it isn't always like this....

It might be the top level of British ice hockey, but the resources available to the teams in this league vary enormously.  With Caps being firmly towards the lower end of the wealth scale.  You become a Caps fan and you become an aficionado of disappointment, a connoisseur of misfortune, someone used to dealing with the blows.  It's a very Scottish feeling, that underdog status, and one to be savoured like you'd been given the chips and no fish.  You learn to enjoy what you have.

Then there are those nights, like last night, when you not only get the full fish supper, but peas, bread and a decent bottle of wine thrown in.

No, it isn't always like this.  But when it is it's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

If you're in Edinburgh you should come along.

Pisa is cooler than Glasgow

PISANS 1, WEEGIES 0

Who'd have guessed that the inhabitants of one of Italy's oldest cities had a great level of sophistication than Glasgow's finest?  If you doubt the validity of that possibility then here's a bit of photographic evidence.

Of all the many fine achievement that can be attributed to Glaswegians, none is greater than the equestrian statue of Wellington that stands proudly outside the Gallery of Modern Art.  Now monuments to the Iron Duke are ten a penny across the cities of Britain, and there is nothing particularly remarkable about this one.  Except for his headgear, which may have once been unofficial, but has come to be recognised as a permanent fixture.

That traffic cone says more about Weegies than any ex Tory Prime Minister ever could.

And yet I found today that the people of Pisa have outshone them.  Forget the Leaning Tower, and all those ever-so-imaginative tourists posing in front of it with their arms outstretched (oh, how my sides ached to see them all....)

Pisa wins because of this guy.

I have no idea who he is.  And does it really matter?  He's cool.  he's just finished off his cocktail and looks ready for another.  Wellington, you may have a silly hat, but can you out-cool James Bond?

No, thought not.

Here he is again, looking a bit shaken, but totally unstirred.

Credit for picture of Welling ton statue :
Statue of Wellington, mounted, Glasgow - DSC06285" by Rept0n1x - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

Well he would, wouldn't he?

WHERE'S MANDY RICE-DAVIES WHEN YOU NEED HER?

So the head of a government agency wants greater powers and access to more information about us all and, one suspects, maybe a bit more on his budget to undertake all this extra work?  He claims there are far more terrorist threats being detected, but can't offer us any evidence for this because, you know, "security".  And the BBC just goes along with it and doesn't challenge him.

Was there ever a better time to adopt this philosophy?

My 2015 Fringe Top Ten

REALLY?  A TOP TEN WITHOUT MARK THOMAS?

For the past two years I've come up with a list of the ten Edinburgh Festival shows I enjoyed most and here's the 2015 selection.  But with a difference.  Looking back at those previous posts I can see a pattern emerging.  Every year we go to see a Mark Thomas show, every year he's simply brilliant, every year he'd be in my top ten list.  And that could get a bit dull, so this year there's no mention of Mark Thomas in this post.  Not even to say what a genius Mark Thomas is.

Instead this year's list will be restricted to people I haven't been to see before, or have only seen in a different context.  So that means that some of my favourite acts of this August - the likes of Stewart Lee, Aidan Goatley, Jess Thom and Mark Thomas - won't be cropping up in the following spiel.

As before I'm not going to try to put the shows into any ranking order.  They were all superb, all memorable in their varying ways, so the order below is simply the order in which I went to see them (and I've provided links to my reviews if you're interested).  If you get the opportunity to see any of them you won't be disappointed.

The first new (to me) act to make a big impression was The Big Bite Sized Breakfast Show.  Food and coffee are a good way to start a morning show, followed by five mini-plays in one hour.  The acting was excellent, the laughs frequent.  What surprised most was ability of the writers to manage to say something interesting, albeit at a surface level, on a wide variety of topics in such short periods of time.  So good was the experience that we went back later in the month to see another of the three 'menus' being offered.  And it didn't disappoint.

Number two on the list left a lasting impression.  Whenever anyone asked us to recommend a show we'd already seen the words 'George Egg' always popped out first.  This was not only an extremely funny and imaginative show, but it managed to smell and taste good too.  Watching someone cook a three course meal using hotel room implements is both surreal and one of those why-hasn't-it-been-done-before? moments.  It's a beautifully structured and deeply engrossing hour of entertainment and an eye opener when you see how little we make of the resources we find around us.  I keep on wondering how Mr Egg is going to follow it up next year.

For number three I'm back with drama, albeit this time a more conventional two handed play.  Performed by Culture Clash Theatre, Hannah and Hanna was moving, involving and relevant, beautifully rendered by the two young actors.  When you see over sixty shows in around three weeks some will inevitably fade from the memory.  But even now my mental images of H&H remain strong, and the sense that I could easily sit through another performance and still find much that was new in the experience.

And now for something completely different.  Hotel Paradiso from the German company Family Floez.  Set in an Alpine hotel lobby an array of characters flit in and out of the action with impressive choreography and timing.  There is no dialogue, the actors wear masks throughout, and the physical comedy is often good old fashioned slapstick.  It's hilarious, absorbing, using body language to convey an entire storyline.  And the biggest surprise comes at the end when you find out that those endless hotel guests etc. were all portrayed by just four people.  Unforgettable.

Number five is a bit of a cheat as it's two shows, but one man.  What I Learned From Johnny Bevan is a one man coming of age drama that sticks pins in our idiotic class system, a powerfully poetic work.  Which is no coincidence as the writer/performer is Luke Wright whose other show sees him reciting his poetry of everyday life, with wit and panache.  Wright has the makings of being a star performer and is a pleasure to watch in either of the guises offered up.

An Australian next.  I can't recall what prompted me to decide to see this show, but I'm so glad I followed whatever serendipitous instinct was driving me that day.  Sarah Kendall is not only very funny, but an excellent storyteller.  Fact or fiction, her tale has something to say about the choices we make in life and their consequences.  One of the finds of the month.

Another bit of cheating.  We have seen Mark Steel before, but that was recording a radio show, so I feel able to include this stand up show as something different.  Anyway, he was bloody brilliant.  Telling the story of his search for his birth parents (he was adopted) Steel, who often gets confused with fellow left wing London comedian Mark Thomas, exudes compassion, humanity, cynicism and some enjoyably vicious drollery as he relates his tale.  There are plenty of surprises along the way but Mark is always realistic about his discoveries and there are none of the faux hysterics so beloved of Who Do You Thing You Are? on TV.  A lesson in how to remain grounded.

Number eight is also, surprise, surprise, a comedian renowned for their left of centre commentaries upon the world.  Like her husband, the wonderful Stewart Lee, Bridget Christie finds oblique angles from which to skewer pretension, injustice and convention.  Ranting doesn't get any funnier, or more thought provoking, than this.

Character comedy next.  Tom Binns delivered three very different personalities, the linking factor being his ability to poke fun at various showbiz stereotypes.  A master at engaging with his audience, Binns gives his characters an illusory reality whilst letting the audience in on the joke.  One of the funniest hours of the month.

Finally there's one more stand up show, one more comedian with a story to tell.  Mel Moon's verbal memoir has a serious core to it.  Diagnosed with an illness which means she's constantly at risk of death, Moon tells of the dark moments that knowledge took her to, but which also encouraged her to write a stand up show about her experiences.  If I'm told that a show I'm about to see is 'uplifting' my natural cynicism will probably express itself with two fingers down my throat.  So it was some achievement that I walked out knowing I'd just seen something very positive, even inspirational.  And also very funny.  I laughed.  A lot.  You would too.

So that was then, roll on August 2016.  And I think I just about managed to get away with not mentioning Mark Thomas.

A different Fringe. With a twist.

AN ODDITY OF AN AUGUST

August in Edinburgh means Festival time.  And for us that means three and a bit weeks of going to Fringe shows.  In the end we managed to take in 62 shows, most of them excellent. We could have tried for just one more on the final day, but I think we'd hit an entertainment wall by then.  Not to mention suffering from 'Fringe arse'. Comfy seats are a novelty in Fringe venues.

So we had a great time, but there were a couple of reasons why it wasn't our usual Fringe experience.  The first was entirely self inflicted.  Just for something to do I've started posting reviews of all shows, gigs and films I go to on my other blog.  Easy enough most of the time, but it became a bit of a challenge during those three weeks.  Not that it began to feel like work at all, that would be stupid, but on the days when we saw four or even five shows it did take a fair bit of time to knock them out.

The challenge was all the greater because of the second reason.  About two days in I started to feel like I had a bit of a cold.  No worries.  Except for some reason that decided to develop into a chest infection, then my wife got the same, then I started to feel better only for it to come back again even worse than before.  I, we, spent most of August struggling to breathe properly and, embarrassingly, trying not to cough during shows (thank goodness for comedy - you can always cough when everyone else is laughing!), with my worst experience being at the Blueflint gig.  Not only did they decide to come up into the audience to do an acoustic number, but the lead vocalist stood six feet away from me.   Guess when a coughing fit decided to hit me....?

Still, I'm not after any sympathy - we did see those 62 and had a fantastic time.  I'll be posting my personal top ten in the next few days.  And I still haven't mentioned the oddest moment of the whole Fringe, one that will make it stand out in my mind for years.

Our penultimate show was Joanna Neary.  Not one we'd booked ourselves, but a friend had kindly bought us tickets in return for a favour.  During the show Joanna indulged in a bit of audience participation and I was one of the people she talked to.  Having got her head around my name (eventually) she asked me questions and had a laugh with my answers.  'Blyth' got uttered about ten times.  I hadn't anticipated there would be consequences.

At the end of the show a man came up to me and asked if I was Blyth Crawford.  Regular readers will be aware I only returned to live in Edinburgh last year after thirty five years down south, so I don't know a lot of people here yet.  For about a tenth of a second my brain thought this had to be someone who remembered my name from School or uni, but he was clearly far too young for that to be possible.  Maybe he had been at one of the places I worked before I left?

But no, this was Gary Bainbridge, a Liverpool journalist I've had Twitter conversations with a few times, but never encountered in real life.  This was his first of only two nights in the city, he just happened to be at the same show that somebody else had bought our tickets for, I just happened to be one of only two audience members who got their name called out, and I just happen to have a weird name that you don't come across very often.  I think that counts as odd.

Nice to meet you Gary.  Even if it was somewhere on the extreme edge of coincidence.

This is real life, not a Fringe show.

TRAGEDY OR COMEDY?

We were walking along Princes Street today, after grabbing a bit of shopping, and found it increasingly difficult to get through the crowds on the pavement.  Now this is Edinburgh, in August, the Festivals are still running at full speed, and one of our major shopping streets is always going to be busy in the early afternoon.  But this was different, people stopping dead in their tracks and looking to the sky - and a bit of sunshine in Scotland isn't quite as rare as rumour would have it so it wasn't just the shock of that big yellow thing being there.

The centre point of all the attention was the top of the Scott Monument where a man was hanging on to the outside of the topmost viewing platform.  Down below the police had cordoned off the surrounding area, up top one of their number was there, doing his best to convince the man not to jump.

A tragic situation, and not without precedent at this landmark.  No surprise then that people would at least want to take a quick look and confirm the situation with their own eyes.  But what are you hoping to gain from standing there watching it all unfold?  Hopefully the relief of seeing the man climb back to safety.

But what were all those people doing pointing their phones skywards, taking photos of the incident?  With so many people now displaying a constant need to share their every movement on social media, how many of these photos were then winging their way on to Facebook or Instagram or Twitter?  And why?  Is this how ghoulish we've become?

Later on I heard the good news that the poor man had been persuaded to come back inside and was brought back down to earth.

For us personally there was the irony of coming across this scenario after recently seeing a Fringe show that had at it's heart a decision on whether or not to commit suicide.  I can only hope that the man today manages to find his own reasons to live just like our comedian did.

How to laugh at a Fringe show

HOW TO LAUGH AT THE FRINGE

It's been a few years since we got to one, but we were in the audience for several recordings of the classic Radio Four comedy series, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.  In his introductory remarks the producer always tells the crowd that there may be times when you hear one of the panel say something and you're not sure if it's funny or not.  If this happens, give them the benefit of the doubt....

Of course he wants us to do this so there's a good laughter track for the radio show, audience reaction being a critical element in a decent aural comedy.  (The cynic in me thinks it's also to save a bit of extra work in the editing....)  Plus it's true that the more you laugh, the more likely you are to continue laughing, and the noise gives added inspiration to the comedians themselves, a true virtuous circle.

Much the same applies to being in a Fringe audience, and even more so if the number of you sitting facing the person behind the mike has failed to climb above single figures.  So there are two types of laughter you need to have ready.  There's the genuine, just-can't-stop-myself, hilarity induced laugh.  The one you go to comedy shows to experience, the one that releases all those lovely endorphins and gives you a high, the one that results in you walking out of the room clutching your chest because it hurt so much to laugh.

Then there's the other kind.  The benefit-of-the-doubt kind.  When you can see that the person up there is really, really trying and just needs a bit of encouragement to get into their funnybone rhythm.  When you can feel that something went a bit amiss with the joke but it really could have been good enough.  When you can't help but like them even though they're not making you laugh.  When it gets so bad you just have to laugh out loud to try and get through it....

And if the total of number one type laughs exceeds the number twos then you're laughing.  But too many number twos, as with other areas in life, is a sign all is not well.

So far so good for our Fringe to date.  Only one show so far where the number twos threatened to overwhelm the ones (that may be an image you won't want to dwell on), and even that had enough moments to feel like it had been just about enjoyable enough.  Tonight we know not what laughing challenge we face.  The comedian approached us a couple of days ago, we got chatting, and she said we were just the kind of 'jolly people' she needed at her show when the reviewers were in.  (Yes, I do know she says that to everyone, but, hey, we got a free ticket.  And we're easily flattered.)   In return for the ticket we are there to give her a few number twos and help loosen up the audience, in case they are one of those crowds that feel they need permission to laugh.  We're there to give our friendly comic a boost when she hears our amusement at her lines.  We're there because - did I mention the free ticket?

Will it be a show dominated by twos or ones?  You can find out when I write my review on here later today.

Let down at not being let down by the Fringe

DISAPPOINTED AT NOT BEING DISAPPOINTED

Partly as a hobby, partly as a bit of a challenge, I decided, earlier this year, that I'd have a go at writing a review of every gig, show, play and film I go to, and post them on my other blog.  Knowing that, once August arrived, I would be committing myself to a fair bit of 'work'.

There's no pretence I have any degree of expertise in any of the fields I'm critiquing, these are just my views on what I've seen.  I've tried to be as honest as possible, even if that meant being heavily critical of someone I might like as a person.  If just a few people find one of these posts helps point them towards something new they'll enjoy, or helps them avoid something awful, then I'll feel it's been of use.

So it's important that I do reflect the negative as well as the positive.  Nobody is going to place any trust in a review blog that simply heaps praise on each and every event covered.  Last night I wrote about Nina Conti, a show that was hilarious overall, but had a couple of weak spots and I made sure I mentioned them too.

But what to write on a day like today.  Three shows, three great experiences, three I'd happily see again.  I can make minor carping noises about one, because it was the first performance and clearly it needed a little more familiarity, but that will be there within days.  Otherwise.... it was all just bloody brilliant.  Honest.

Roll on the day when I see something a bit shit again and I can regain some credibility.




What a fabulous day, 
All warm and sunny,
Three great shows,
They were all very funny

Though I would look better
And less of a tit
If even one
Had been just a bit shit

It's August, in Edinburgh, I'm excited.

WITH ONLY DAYS TO GO....

I first started going to Fringe shows back in 1974.  Sadly my long sojourn down south means that it didn't become the annual event I'd have loved it to be, but I've been to a fair number of shows over the decades, and the number has increased greatly since we retired.  Last year we hit sixty events, of one sort or another, over the three weeks.  But instead of getting blasé about the whole thing I find myself feeling just as excited as ever that August is finally here and our first shows are just a few days away.

Of course the posters have been going up, and the physical preparation of the city taking place, for a few weeks now.  So the sense of anticipation starts to grow as the face of Edinburgh slaps on the makeup and gets ready to prostitute itself to the masses once more.  Many residents hate it of course, for the huge disruption it brings to their daily lives.  And the killjoy tendency has always had a strong Calvinist following up here.  I have never been one of them and, despite the over-commercialisation that is synonymous with the twisted society we find ourselves in, still find myself childishly delighted at the prospect of three weeks of shows, fliers and confused looking crowds.

The planning of our Fringe is largely complete, with thirty shows booked so far, plenty of Free Fringe shows still to be slotted into the schedule, and a list of 'possible' to fill in those free moments.  Just to make it interesting we have three different groups of people coming to stay with us at various times.  But they can find their own shows to go to....

So what do I find myself looking forward to the most?  Inevitably there are a few old reliable favourites we'll be back to see again, and who I know won't be a disappointment.  That includes just a few names who people might know off telly or radio.  And topping that list has to be Mark Thomas.  Every year he comes up with something new, something brilliant, that's moving, funny, meaningful, funny, thought provoking and funny.  To us he's become unmissable.

I'm excited to be going back to see Stewart Lee, because there's nobody else quite like him as a storyteller, or at highlighting simple truths in a new framework.  Plus he despises ukip, so he's definitely one of the good guys.

There are also a few less well known acts that we've been to see before and wouldn't consider not returning to.  Austentatious put on an improvised play based on a spoof Jane Austen title put forward by a member of the audience.  Obviously they must have some stock routines and situations to fall back on and form the core of that day's production, but it's still impressive the way they take a title they've never heard of before and carry it through the hour.  And very funny, especially when things go a bit wrong.

Also the same but different, we'll be back to see Tourette's Hero, aka Jess Thom, delivering Backstage in Biscuit Land.  Even if the basic outline of the show won't have changed much Jess' condition guarantees it can never be the same show twice.  A major highlight of our 2014 Fringe.

And then there's the Return of the Danish Bagpipe Comedian, one Claus Reiss, with a title that describes exactly what and who he is, and yet manages to still be more eye catching than the myriad contrived names on offer.  Lovely guy too.  As is Chris Coltrane and sharply political , the Free Fringe answer to Mark Thomas.

And then there's Aidan Goatley.  Or as he's also known, Aidan Who?  Renowned on the Fringe as the man who is bringing back the same show for the fifth year running.  Which either indicates a very serious lack of imagination, or a show that audiences mysteriously fall in love with.  It may help that 10 Films With My Dad is a pretty good title.  Or that he keeps getting excellent reviews for it, and even invited to put it on in various parts of the globe.  But he has promised (again) that this will be it's final year of life.  Quite right too, or he may find himself featured in The Archers.  He's got another show too, something about goats.  Anyone not like goats?   Seriously though, he's a lovely man, very funny, and if you don't go and see him (twice) then it's only yourself you're fooling.

I'm also excited about some shows by people who will be entirely new to us.  Hannah and Hanna looks like an intriguing take on bigotry and racism in Britain, rather timely given the baying headlines of the media in blowing up events in Calais.  Barluath are a band we haven't come across before and look good on YouTube.  Last year we were delighted to discover the fabulous Dallahan at the same venue, so here's hoping we are similarly impressed.  And Hotel Paradiso is something a bit different, a masked theatrical performance from Germany that looks like providing a sophisticated form of slapstick.

Oh, and George Egg, a man who cooks a meal using items that can be found in a hotel room, and Simon Caine who has another one of these intriguing titles which may or may not be reflected in reality.  Anyway, I've just been talking to him on Facebook so I couldn't really leave him out.  No pressure Simon.

Finally, there's an aspect of 2014 I'll miss.  With only weeks to go before the fateful date of 18 September the Fringe featured several shows giving some take on the referendum to come.  We saw several great Indy themed shows, all with a strong Yes bent.  That's in the past, but two of the artists we saw dealing with the subject last year,  Bruce Fummey and Vladimir McTavish, have shows in which they explore the history of our country and how that reflects on our present.  The independence theme is still alive and well....

Roll on Wednesday and out first show.  Just need to complete a bit more stamina work first.

PS  I'll be attempting to post a review of every show I go to on my other blog so if you're coming to Edinburgh this month and want to know what I've seen that's good, or bad, then do give me a follow.  I'll also be posting links to the reviews on my Facebook and Twitter accounts.