There have been some comments of late that have questioned both the accuracy and validity of some of the posts on this blog. The basis for such criticism being built on the flimsy, albeit accurate, notion that the individuals making them have more experience of the issues than I.
Seemingly, it appears that if you have done something "once", you are considered more knowing, more knowledgeable and more of any expert than someone like me who has, "only" done something that I would say was "broadly equivalent".
So for example, by this logic somebody who has actually climbed up to the base camp on Everest (Yes, they really have!), would be considered by some, to be more of an expert on the subject of 'Everest', than I, even though I can demonstrate that I have climbed an equivalent height! (albeit not in one go, not at altitude, not moving in a constantly upward direction, and not...well, to be honest NOT in too many ways to mention).
However, if doing something "once" allows one the right to comment as an expert, then this opens up a whole range of topics for me to write, as an expert, about.
Thinking about it, cooking, cleaning, ironing would all be valid subjects....OK, OK cooking would be a valid subject, as I'm sure I've done that at least once in my life - as long as the use of a microwave doesn't nullify the use of the word "cooking", and I don't see how it could.
So, being a humble sort of a guy (hah!) I suppose that I stand corrected. However, this is only because I consider that if I 'stand' corrected, then it must be quite difficult to be 'prone' to exaggeration, for which I presume that I would have to be lying down?
And finally...on this subject, I always remember that my father used to say "I've told you a million times not to exaggerate", although strangely he didn't say that to me when we played golf the other weekend. (I'm sure he was thinking "I should have told him a million times not to under-estimate", but whatever the expression he still beat me...at golf that is).
Having for so long told me "a million times" not to exaggerate, imagine my surprise to have received an email from him yesterday, defining the number "one billion"!
How's that for inflation?
But to finish this rambling with hard facts consider his email...
"...A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A. - A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. - A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. - A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. - A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
BUT
E. - A billion Pounds ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes, at the rate our government is raising money through taxes!
As they say in Westminster - "KERCHING!!!"
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