[SystemSafety] Off Topic

[Ross Hannan - Sigma]

PBL condescendingly wrote:

> How often are you out and about in continental Europe?

I have flown around five and a half million miles. Last week I was not "out
and about" in Continental Europe as I was in Israel. This week I spent four
days in Berlin. Next week I have one day in London, two in Cologne with EASA
and two in Madrid in respect of an Air Traffic Control System.

> Do you have a local paper?

Yes.

Ross

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Bernard Ladkin [mailto:ladkin at rvs.uni-bielefeld.de] 
Sent: 25 June 2016 09:59
To: Ross Hannan - Sigma; systemsafety at lists.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de
Subject: Re: [SystemSafety] Off Topic

On 2016-06-25 09:14 , Ross Hannan - Sigma wrote:
> .... I rather suspect the rest of the European Union will not attempt 
> to be as spiteful or disruptive as you imply in seeking to maintain a 
> safe, secure and integrated airspace for Europe.

Interesting that you would categorise anything I wrote as related to
exhibitions of spite or disruption. How often are you out and about in
continental Europe?

My local paper today has ten pages discussed the main points (from their
perspective) about Brexit.
How many pages does your local paper have on it? (Do you have a local
paper?)

The first page is about the events of yesterday in GB. The second page's
main story has the headline "London's credit is used up", with a picture of
Schulz, Juncker and Tusk sitting in an office in Brussels. (Characterise
that how you will - I'm just reporting it.)

The third page is about the consequences of Brexit for Ostwestfalen-Lippe,
with the opinions of seven local mayors and a map of GB showing their UK
partner towns (they all have at least one. Ours are Rochdale, where my
sister was born, Enniskillen in NI, where the G8 met three years ago, and
Concarneau in Brittany. There are regular exchanges. What's the name of your
town's partner cities in continental Europe?).

The fourth page is interviews with a bunch of Brits who live here. Sample
headline "they have no clue what they've just done". Notice the pronoun
"they", coming from a Brit named Chris Martin (no, not that one).

The fifth page is interviews with local politicians, including Elmar Brok
who chairs the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. (Seen him a
couple times at the train station. Saw the German Defence Minister last
month on my train. I thought "gee, von der Leyen standing around in public
with only one bodyguard?" I didn't see the others until one firmly asked me
to step aside so they could all get in the carriage together and then they
melted away again except for one. It's
impressive.)

Sixth is a page about the stock exchanges.

Seventh a page with comments from 12 local business chiefs, including ones
people here will know of:
 Bertelsmann (largest English-language publisher in the world), Miele,
Oetker, Melitta, Phoenix Contact. (Quiz for Derek: what does this have to do
with system safety?)

The eighth page debates the wisdom of referenda.

Ninth is various consequences for football, art and so on.

The last page relates what it's like being in Britain at the moment
(including, at bottom, the weather), with the headline "Depression and
Awakening on the Island" and a picture of someone reading the Evening
Standard on the tube.

That's the entire first section. The rest of the paper is cats up trees,
cars around lampposts, birds, bees, kids' choirs, street parties and local
sports teams.

I'm curious - has any British paper apart from The Economist done ten pages
about Berlin, say, or Paris, or indeed "what it's like" concerning Brexit
anywhere in continental Europe? I always found it informative to be able to
gaze at more navels than one's own.

PBL

Prof. Peter Bernard Ladkin, Bielefeld, Germany MoreInCommon Je suis Charlie
Tel+msg +49 (0)521 880 7319  www.rvs-bi.de