The Times are a changing: views on news from the UK

Whatever jibes may be made about Barbados being "Little England", I'll take an educated guess that none of the news items below, which I read in a recent issue of The Times (so they must be true, right?), will have any parallels in Barbados. The silly season is not yet on for news, but I see that the journalists are coming up with more surprises every day.

First, a story about two transsexuals who are about to make unprecedented history as Mayor and Mayoress of Cambridge, England.Both were born as men, then underwent gender "reassignment". The Mayor, now named Ms. Bailey, is the father of two children, now aged 18 and 20. Her former wife is reported to be "incredibly proud" of her ex-husband's achievement at becoming mayor. I find the whole story a bit confusing, to say the least.

Second, perhaps more warming for the tourists who have fled England to practice their golf, is a story about an amateur golfer in California who made 14 holes in one during four months. Practice makes perfect, they say, but luck plays an important part. Tiger Woods eat out your heart!

Third, the small island nation of Mauritius (population 300,000, just a bit bigger than Barbados and often cited as a good comparison for Bim) has become the first to open a real embassy in a virtual world, by doing so on Second Life (see link). Sweden is reported to be the next real country to go this virtual route. The virtual world seems to be taking on more reality for many people, so this seems totally logical. The mind boggles at this kind of development. But the reality is that you can't escape reality, though plenty of people never cease to try.