The
Clog
Bullet for my Valentine
The most dramatic story in February was
undoubtedly the arrest of Athletics icon, Oscar Pistorius, following the
shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp on the morning of Valentines Day.
There are some in the press who have pointed that there were signs that
Pistorius had a temper when he made a complaint about the length of a
competitors blades at London 2012. He quickly apologized for this rant against Alan
Oliviera but I can’t recall any of the press commenting that Pistorius had the
potential to be a homicidal maniac.
After his arrest, the Police involved in
the case bungled between calamity and farce, embarrassing themselves in the face
of a watching world. In recent times, Pistorius had his bail conditions relaxed
to allow him to leave the country and continue competing although concerns
remain that he could flee to Italy as he has a house there and there is no
extradition treaty in place with them and South Africa. It is clear that,
whatever the outcome of the forthcoming trial, the status of Pistorius as an
inspirational sporting icon has gone and a talented, attractive young woman who
had so much to live for, has died far too soon.
New Boss – Same as the Old Boss?
The world was shocked during February to
see the first Papal abdication in over 600 years when Benedict XV1 decided that
he was too frail to continue in the role. The Vatican then produced more
history with the appointment of the first Pontiff from Latin America in the
shape of Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina, who took on the name of Francis.
In viewing the extensive TV coverage that took place in the shadow of splendour
of The Vatican, a colleague who doesn’t attend any church pondered “you wonder
what Jesus would’ve made of all this”, going on to recount that Jesus was noted
for his humility and concern for the poor.
This blog is not written from a Roman
Catholic perspective, but it is to be hoped that the new Bishop of Rome will
make it his mission show humility in all that he does and champion the cause of
the poor and disenfranchised in society. The media has also been digging into
the Pontiff’s past to unearth details of his stance on the Falkland Islands. It
would be advisable that he steer clear of any political proclamations otherwise
his standing will be greatly undermimed and certainly won’t be in keeping with
one who has named himself after St Francis of Assisi, a man who wrote the famous
work of poetry, Make me a Channel of your
Peace.
The Anglican Church has also recently
appointed a new Archbishop of Canterbury. The previous incumbent of the office
was very much an old school intellectual who was often viewed as out of touch
with ordinary people and found it difficult to heal the schisms in the church.
On a recent edition of Songs of Praise, the
new Archbishop, Justin Welby, opened up about the pain of losing his young
daughter in a car crash quarter of a century ago and the testing of his faith.
The next few years will see how both of these men progress but it is to be hoped that
they will take heed from the message of sacrifice that is at the heart of the
Easter story and seek to take lessons from the founder of the Christian faith
in reaching out to those whom society leaves on the margins. Gentlemen, the
world is watching you but above all, never forget that you are also answerable
to a higher power.
Sport – The Boat Race
Easter Sunday saw the annual university
Boat Race on the Thames, this has to be the only sporting event that is also
cockney rhyming slang. The 159th edition of the event is more
corporate than in days of old but the fierce competitive spirit is still there
as it was clear that anything other than first place is not acceptable. In
light of the nature of the competition, it must’ve been a real kick in the guts
for the vanquished Cambridge crew to hear BBC presenter Claire Balding telling the viewers,
“now is not the time to be talking to losers”. Ouch.
