Queueing at the bank

I say!

This was my view whilst queueing outside the Standard Bank the other day:


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This one's for Brian

I say!

I caught a taxi in London back in July, and I asked the driver if he'd had any other famous people in the back of his cab. He said "Yes - for example, I gave a lift to Brian Wilson the other day". Well, I nearly fell off my seat. It turned out that it was the real Brian Wilson, and not the Brian Wilson I know from Portobello.

Not only that, but the taxi driver said he'd recorded the whole thing. Hard to believe, but see below. I think you may need to click on the arrow to get it going:



Which rather brings to mind what I witnessed at Duneditin 2008 back in July, when Brian Wilson (Porty) attempted to interrupt the Ralwin Postulate session, and was brought down by Mr Albert McClochendichter, who I thought rather used excessive restraining force.

I have since heard, on good authority, that Brian Wilson (Porty)'s shouts of "Been too long", which started the whole business, referred to this song, and was not, as McClochendichter and the other delegates obviously thought, a criticism of the length of the session.

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Feats don't fail me now

I say!

How fortunate I was, on our recent trip to dear old Blighty, to not only attend the Duneditin Conference, but also see Little Feat play live. Little Feat are a legendary band that I've followed for many years. Their blend of funky music is very much appreciated here in Kalimbuka. They are one of Doviko's favourite non-African bands.

Below is what they looked like many moons ago.


And I took the following snap at their concert in Edinburgh.


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How to win any argument

I say!

I was reading in the newspapers recently about Brian London. Brian London used to box. He still gets up at 6.30am every morning, and still trains, and is still the same weight as he was when he boxed, but he hasn't boxed for a long time. He once boxed against Muhammad Ali in 1966. Ali hit him in round three, and Brian London lay down for a long time. You can watch that on YouTube.



Brian London was a brave fighter, but he usd to cut easily. He was cut badly by Dick Richardson, during the European Heabyweight Championship, (a headbutt).

Watching Muhammad Ali hit Brian London in 1966 made me remember a conversation I had with Mr Albert McClochendichter, possibly the most responsible of the delegates at the Duneditin bloggers conference, about how to win any argument. Now, I don't mean any physical argument. I mean any verbal argument, or any written exchange which turns into an argument.

The secret is, metaphorically speaking, to jab, jab, then uppercut and hook. In other words, after the argument has started - jab, jab - by introducing in quick succession two very sharp and relevant points, with hardly any pause. As in boxing, this will throw the other person off their guard for the moment.

The next step is to then - uppercut - introduce a thrusting and well-directed statement which is very difficult for the other person to argue against or parry. This 'uppercut' statement will likely be your best assertion with respect to the argument, and one which you feel is almost impossible to argue against. This will very much unsettle the other person and rattle their brains, just like a well-directed uppercut does the same in boxing.

Finally - the hook - for example, and without too much pause and before the other person has had a chance to recover from your 'uppercut', introduce some irrefutable evidence which completely backs up the rest of your argument so far.

If you follow this advice, you will almost certainly win any argument. Your opponent will be left flustered, dazed and confused, just like Brian London was on that fateful night in 1966.

In a future post, I'll explain how I used this technique in the bar at the Masongola the other night to win an argument with Brandon Fitzgerald, over who will win the Ashes next summer.

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