Feb 28 2006

Arguing football, teams, players, styles, fouls, technology in sport, Spanish versus English football etc. is something friends often do. Our key difference is that the group in question is spread across 7 cities across 3 countries. Piu and Joydeep from Leicester, weighing in with unabashed support for Liverpool, as does Hari, technology entrepreneur from Mumbai and Ashok – a technologist in Pune. While I ponder global domination from my rented apartment in North London, Bobby covers the Iraq situation for Time magazine, and roots for Barcelona. Choyon, Analyst and Arsenal supporter (explains the anal in analyst) and Raja, Discovery Executive in Delhi complete the original line up. Thanks to Ashok setting up the group on Google – it’s been a brilliant forum for some serious debate, that is when the Iraq civil war doesn’t keep Bobby too occupied. Tells you something about interest groups and the “argumentative” Indian. Some times I stop and think about how connected we’ve become and Paul Simon’s words ring in my head “these are the days of miracle wonders, this is a long distance call”

Ken Livingstone is in the docks for comparing some journo to a guard in a concentration camp. In the meanwhile fires are still raging across the world protesting “those” Danish cartoons. Are we heading for a stage when all speech and all symbolism will need to be castrated of any possible offence to any category of people? Lets not forget we increasing live in worlds where cultures collide and rub shoulders on a daily basis.

You can’t say tsunami because it will affend the victoms of the disaster last year. I’m sure soon you won’t be allowed to say hurricane or flood so that New Orleans residents aren’t offended. Soon you won’t be allowed to say chicken so that bird flu victims aren’t offended. China will be expunged so that people who lose jobs don’t protest. The list of people to offend are endless. The only one’s left at the end will be the Royal family, since everybody seems to revel in offending them anyway.