Blue Buzzard

Second Figgy wander of the day - the first giving me the almost blip, till this Buzzard got the seagulls animated (we heard them coming long before seeing them) and organised into a Mob Squad.

Looooovely day in the sun getting stuff done, but beware, mini-rant x 2 coming up.

1. Amy Winehouse

When did compassion become so passé? Yes it's not a surprise she has wasted a talent at such a young age, but this girl had problems, massive problems, that those around her should have helped her with, but instead chose to ride on the coat-tails without giving a damn about her well-being. Declaring that you are not going to 'mourn' the passing of such a person betrays a certain lack of understanding of the frailty of the human condition, and what can happen when extreme circumstances conspire on an extreme person.

The strangest argument I've heard for not liking the coverage of her death is that it came on the same day as the horrific events in Norway. I've heard this from 4 or 5 different sources, and again it seems to miss the point slightly. Firstly it pre-supposes that if you are sorry for the demise of Winehouse that, for some reason, you can't also be horrified by what happened in Norway. Er. Emotional multi-tasking is easily possible. And secondly it seems to suggest that death is some sort of pissing contest and therefore where more deaths are involved a single, solitary passing should be ignored.

Well, to anyone who says 'what about what happened in Norway?' I would say 'Forget Norway, thousands are dying through drought in Somalia, Norway doesn't matter'. See, sounds stupid and 'competitive' doesn't it? But you've jumped on the 'cause celèbre' in countering the media coverage of Winehouse - try showing a little imagination. And compassion.

2. BBC Sport

So Mark Cavendish wins the green jersey on the Tour. The first time ever by a Brit. And only the second Tour jersey ever won by a Brit after Robert Millar was King of the Mountains in 1984. And yet, the BBC sports homepage, plays 'spot the cycling story'. They really don't like any sport they don't cover do they?