Editor's Blog Aug 02nd 2012

Written on 02 August 2012.

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads

These are the memorable words uttered by Doc Brown at the end of Back to the Future Part 1 when Marty McFly realises that the DeLorean doesn’t have enough road distance to get up to 88mph and propel them into the future. Sadly, until we are able to change flying DeLoreans from Science Fiction into Science Fact, we are still going to depend on roads for a long time; and that’s a bummer (in more ways than one!).

So, with this in mind, why are our local roads so s*@t? There isn’t a length of asphalt in Gibraltar that is not scarred with lines of resurfaced trenches, pockmarked with potholes or cracked under the weight of heavy goods vehicles. A drive around our Rock is equivalent to sitting atop a washing machine full of ball bearings spinning at 1600rpm whilst experiencing a Force 10 earthquake. It is a bone-shuddering, bum-numbing, brain-joggling experience to drive our roads. In fact, in order to distract myself from the spine trauma suffered while driving, I have created a little game! I have made a mental map of where all the major potholes are located on my regular routes through Gibraltar and I have managed to figure out a course through the minefield, dodging gaping chasms and violent humps, in a vicious slalom so as to avoid smashing my axles to pieces.

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Editor's Blog Aug 01st 2012

Written on 01 August 2012.

Getting High on Tragedy

Shakespeare was a genius; not only was he a talented writer and performer, he was also a keen observer of human nature, expertly using this to his advantage. Shakespeare knew a good story when he saw one and he was clever enough and able enough to adapt these stories, using his observations of the human condition, in order to provide centuries of audiences with memorable characters, intriguing plots and lyrical speeches. His plays had something for everyone; from the common, plague-ridden, manure-encrusted groundling all the way up to the pox-marked, blanched-faced, wig-wearing educated gentry. All hail The Bard!!

What Shakespeare cunningly observed was that human beings, by nature, are predisposed to maintain a morbid fascination with the tragic; hence the resounding success of all his Tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello etc.). Loosely translated for all you groundlings out there – we all like a bit of a car crash.

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Editor's Blog July 31st 2012

Written on 31 July 2012.

Eddie here, writing by candlelight and with what the Russians, whilst laughing so hard they pee’d a little, used as an alternative to the biro to write in space… A Pencil! Let’s forget all about technology for a while, Why, well simple, it doesn’t work without electricity.

It was a crazy day yesterday; from about 15:30 through to gone 19:00 Gibraltar had no electricity. Somewhat of a freak accident, caused by building works, apparently, but hard to believe some times, especially here in Gibraltar, when we have suffered from so many issue to do with black outs, power cuts and the like.

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Editor's Blog July 30th 2012 - Developments stopped? Construction halted?

Written on 30 July 2012.

I went to the cinema yesterday, a little off subject, but thought I should set the scene so as you can do the same, should you choose. After having watched Christian Bale play Batman for a good two hours and forty-five minutes, which I thoroughly enjoyed, we left the cinema and headed downstairs in the Leisure Centre to grab a quick coffee before we left.

Whilst there, I noticed a beautiful scaled model of Gibraltar, well not the whole of Gibraltar, just the reclaimed western side, concentrating on the “new developments” that should have been built. It suddenly hit me… Development has stopped and so has construction, hasn’t it?

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