President Obama is off to Copenhagen to back Chicago’s bid for the Summer Olympics. That’s proof of the importance of the Olympic Games to any country in economic as well as sporting terms. Who ever gets the games will benefit financially but we should remember that the elite athletes are exceptional.
Sport is for all whatever our age or ability. As we get older we may only be able to manage a swim in the pool but we can always retain our interest in sport by supporting a team, joining a fan club or working for a club. We may choose to follow soccer the beautiful game or trudge around the golf course after Tiger Woods. We may think that Muhammad Ali was the best fighter ever or we may simply present the prizes at a school sports day. There is no doubt though that sport is an integral part of our culture and for many people an absorbing hobby or a lucrative business.

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Guinness, they say is good for you
And for two fifty years
It’s been a staple of our lives
Whether celebrating or in tears.
Now glasses will be raised on high
By British French and Tartar
And the pubs will echo to the sound
Of a toast to a man called Arthur.
‘Cos the pint of plain is your only man
And no one can make it like he can
Smooth and dark with frothy head
The water straight from the Liffey bed
And the saddest sight of all they say
Is to see it exported from Dublin Bay.

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The victory of Yang in the Major shows that even the best can be beaten. That’s probably what makes sport so addictive. Even those who follow the leading teams know that every time their team plays there is a calculated chance that they will be beaten. They realise that however good their favourite players are there is always some who may be better. That is probably why leading sportspeople often retire at the top of their profession. They are only too aware that younger sportspeople are snapping at their heels. What Yang’s victory tells us is that if you strive for excellence you’ll be glad you did. You may not win a Major of course but you could succeed in some other way. You might get promotion or become captain of the local swimming club. It could be that you get top marks in some examination. Each one of us has some aspiration and it is consoling to know that there are opportunities for success for all of us. Tiger Woods will probably go on to win many more Majors. Like him you should challenge yourself and reap the rewards. Put simply never give up on your dreams.

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Paris Jackson’s eulogy for a father said it all. It was poignant and to the point. In saying her father was the best father in the world she was encapsulating what her father meant to her. In saying she loved him she was expressing her own feelings for her father just as anyone who gives a eulogy should do. Nobody could doubt the sincerity of her feelings which, again, is just how it should be when giving a eulogy. It can’t have been easy for a young child to publicly express her grief for her father but there are few who heard her at that ceremony who will forget what she said. She wasn’t mourning an icon she was mourning the loss of someone dear to her and her father would have been proud of her.

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The funeral service for Michael Jackson has attracted worldwide attention. Tributes have been pouring in regarding the singer and tickets for the service have been avidly sought. It will be interesting to hear the eulogies given to this troubled singer. Eulogies should really be given by someone very close to the deceased. They should reflect the whole life of the person who has died. They should bring his personality to life and speak of his achievements. They should speak of his relationships to the various different types of people attending  the service. They should, in fact make us understand the deceased and his thoughts and actions. It is highly unlikely that this will be the case. Those who attend will be fans who will only speak of his music and what it meant to them. The fact that some who drew tickets sold them shows that they weren’t really fans. The eulogy of a musician like Michael Jackson will surely reflect on his career but we will be probably no wiser about his troubled mind.

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Have the Chinese authorities lost their commonsense? They are asking their people to smoke more. They don’t seem to realise that it is such a short-sighted way to help their economy. How does encouraging more people to die of cancer do any good in the long term? Surely it cannot be that in an over-populated country that it what they actually want?
The pollution problems in Beijing had to be tackled before the Olympics could be held. Asking people to smoke more is surely putting even more strain on their lungs and adding to the numbers who have breathing problems. With such a huge population this means a huge increase in medical conditions…
Of course the fact that they use complimentary medicines such as acupuncture may mean that they are saved the enormous bills western countries face for medical care. Nonetheless by this call to smoke they are flying in the face of all scientific findings on the dangers of smoking. They are putting themselves out of step with the rest of the world. It is inconceivable that any Government would ignore the scientific findings in this way simply as a means of raising taxes. Smoking too is an anti social habit as well as being medically unwise. Put simply smokers stink. Perhaps, though, if everyone is going to smoke that aspect, at least, doesn’t really matter.

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The people aren’t having State banquets. They are not going on junkets. Instead they are having tea parties. In 1773 the Boston tea party was about taxation without representation. These tea parties are about taxation being spent recklessly and without consultation. After all nearly half the electorate didn’t vote for President Obama and even many of those who did are worried about the current spending spree.
As every prudent housewife knows you have to live within your budget. You do without things when you cannot afford them. Ask any small business person what they do when things are tough. They tighten their belts and only invest where it will yield returns. They will, for instance, have closed doors sales. Governments should do the same. The money they spend should be money that will yield dollars for every dollar spent… We should only invest in schemes that will prove profitable. That means no jobs for cronies but only for those who work hard and earn that money. It means definitely no money for the feckless who are not prepared to work. It means money poured into education to help those who need it to find jobs. It means putting money into research and into encouraging entrepreneurship. It means making every dollar work hard.
Tea parties themselves won’t make a difference but people talking at those tea parties can and will. In fact they may send the President an invitation to their next one. They may remind him that he took a pledge to serve with Liberty and Justice for all and that includes taxpayers…

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Newspapers do it for birthdays so too do greeting card manufacturers. They print a newspaper or a card detailing a certain event that happened on a certain date. Anyone who was born on the 18th January might be interested to know that on that date in 1778 Captain Cook discovered the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii. Alternatively he or she might be surprised to know that A.A. Milne creator of the children’s book character Pooh Bear was born on that date.
Birthdays are special days to most of us and if someone goes to the trouble of finding out something that ties up with a certain birthday the recipient is bound to be impressed. Obviously if someone is born on an important day such as that of the Apollo moon landing he or she will be already be aware of that fact. On the other hand he or she may not be aware that on his or her birthday June the 12th 1964 Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment in Pretoria.
If you are giving a speech at a birthday party you will obviously be gracious about the birthday boy or girl. You will speak of their attributes and kindness and wish them well in the future. Make your speech different. Tie up the date with some date in history, especially something that is relevant to the celebrant. If a pop singer was born on the 5th July he or she might like to hear that the Rolling Stones gave a free concern in Hyde Park on that date in 1969. A swimmer born on that date might be very impressed to think that on that date in 1946 a bikini was modelled for the very first time in Paris.
History, as unwilling students often say, is over. An interesting and personalised birthday speech, though, never goes out of date.

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Has it ever occurred to you to use sports commentators as role models for when you are giving a speech? They make their subject sound so exciting and keep their audience enthralled with their descriptions of the games. Your subject should sound equally exciting and you too should captivate your audience with your enthusiasm for it. Sports commentators also know their facts and figures and do their research on the players. Do you put the same effort into preparing your speech? If you are talking about Pele or trying to convince your audience that sport is for all you may probably have that enthusiasm but if you are speaking on a more general subject such as the Bermuda triangle or Ageism your speech may not have that same passion. Yet those sports commentators make their particular race or game exciting even when favourite falls at the first fence or one team is being murdered by the other. They are professionals of course, experts at keeping their audience on the edge of the seats. If you are giving a speech you owe it to your audience to be professional too. Then your speech will be a winner.

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A sentence can be a history lesson. Think of the words “The King is dead, long live the King!”  Over the years we have heard of monarchs and Generals who have changed the world by their actions and by their words. In this time of recession John F. Kennedy’s words “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” are surely a clarion call to action by each one of us.

Bill Gates is another who has been responsible for changing our world to a global village. In doing so he became aware of the needs of the less fortunate on our planet. He said, “The challenges are great but so is the opportunity to improve people’s lives”. Again his words are of those of a leader encouraging others to follow his example.

Martin Luther King had his dream of course and it is probably their dreams that make such people stand out from the rest of us. They have a vision of what can and should be achieved. They do or say something that strikes a chord with the rest of us.

When the first men on the moon landed and Neil Armstrong made his announcement we all knew exactly what he meant that they had taken “One small step for man one giant leap for mankind.”

Most of us won’t address a worldwide audience but, in our own sphere, our words too can make a difference.

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