We never expected Rihanna to appear in our blog again but made no allowance for her need for self-publicity.  Her latest campaign, Free The Nipple, demanded further examination.  It’s aimed at on-line deliverers who blank the delicate spot with an out of focus pixel. Rihanna and her pals complain that they don’t do that with blokes. That could change if Paddy ever appeared with his vest off!  Jez’s initial reaction was ‘go for it girls’, until we considered the implications.  Several of our lady regulars live their lives on Facebook but we thought it unlikely they would join the campaign.  On the off chance they do, Adrian had advice for Facebook – “you’ll need more pixels.”

    In the long term, historians judge leaders more by their actions than by their rhetoric.  An old Chinese proverb sums it up succinctly. ‘Not the cry but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow’.  We say actions speak louder than words but the Chinese said it about 1000 years before us. It’s hard to find words to describe the downing of an airliner with almost 300 souls aboard and we can only spectate as world leaders sound off about what should happen next.  What we really need is action.  As the separatists grudgingly give access to investigators, Putin still has an opportunity to regain some credibility.  He should order the separatists to step back and allow investigators to do their work unhindered; to facilitate the return of loved ones to their families.  Putin postures as a strong leader but how he reacts during the next few days will show the world what sort of a leader he really is.

    While British ministers discussed Flight MH17 and Gaza at a COBRA meeting our Deputy Prime Minister busied himself on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch; his version of the event, extending his reach to those who don’t watch political television. The questions posed by interviewers were like watching cricket with a soft ball; designed not to hurt. We should expect to see him at knit & natter sessions in the near future.  “Knit one, purl one, where do the rest of you stand on greater federalization of the EU.”  Mind you, as Ben remarked, he stands in Sheffield and Yorkshire men aren’t famous for donning aprons or doing the cleaning.  So if he loses the blokes as well as the students he might be visiting a job centre next May.  On reflection he won’t need to.  His pals at the EU will surely find him a well-paid sinecure.

    Another long held belief came under fire this week.  I think the main advocate of people only using about 10% of their brainpower came from Dale Carnegie in his book, How To Win Friends & Influence People.  It has taken 80 years but neuroscientists now say it’s nonsense.  They state that the brain is fully active all the time.  Sam Wang of Princeton University in the USA suggests that the myth has been perpetuated by the multi-million self-help industry.  He probably has a point by the number of gurus who pontificate on the topic.  Sam’s view, “these neuroscientists never drove on the M25 during rush hour”, his point being that if some of the motorists he observed have fully functioning brains, it might be time to sell the car!

    Euthanasia caused a split in the Lords last week but it is still alive and well in business.  Philip Clarke, Tesco’s Chief Executive, yesterday fell on his sword, placed close to hand by the board, as the God of market share claimed another victim.  It came as no surprise to us, lured into Lidl and Aldi by attractive offers.  We didn’t know the brands at first and bought a couple of items to try them.  But all six of us did it, and suddenly we were recommending what we thought was good (and inevitably cheaper) over a pint.  In a couple of months we knew quality items we could trust and became regulars, Tesco et al just top up stores now.  A trial of six is never conclusive but the figures suggest we’re the norm.  How long before Marc Bolland at M&S follows Clarke.  Our wives insist the store has lost sight of what were its core customers, namely them.  That’s a trial of four but I wouldn’t bet against the ladies.

    Ben saw an interesting piece on pain differences between men and women this week, suggesting that higher levels of oestrogen may be why women have worse headaches than men.  His comment that oestrogen levels raise at bedtime got some smiles, then nods when he said he now knew what caused his problem.  Honesty from men, whatever next!