Ain’t that a shame!

Fats Domino has died aged 89. There goes another legend. Last night on the news they showed film footage dating back to 1956 when the “King of Rock’n’Roll” was only 28. A round-faced, fresh-faced very cheerfully enthusiastic looking Fats Domino sang “Ain’t that a shame! My tears fell like rain”, bouncing all over his piano and looking as far from tears as it is possible to look. An audience of equally cheerfully enthusiastic looking teenagers clapped in time to the music. They were all white teenagers, of course, since black and white audiences could not mix. Ain’t that a shame!

It was going to be a fair few more years before the Beatles went along and insisted that they would not sing to segregated audiences in the USA.

And still now black sportsmen are “taking the knee” instead of standing to the national anthem in protest at police brutality towards African Americans. Ain’t that also a shame!

There’s a lot of discussion about whether or not sports events are the place for socio-political protest. But so many people watch American football that itvseems the ideal place to get a point across.

Then I read today about African Americans being advised to boycott American Airlines in protest against their racist treatment of African American passengers.

But, of course, that is happening in America. Surely such things could not happen here, or could they?

It’s enough to stress anybody out.

Stress is in the news too. And this time it is not just stress for drivers going past roadworks. MP Tim Loughton is co-chair of a cross-party parliamentary group on mindfulness. Yes, I am as surprised as anyone but this seems to be a real thing - is this really what MPs are paid for? Anyway, he says he considers showers to be “one of the greatest causes of stress”. He starts the day with a good, long bath, reading the newspapers and composing his thoughts. Lucky him! Back when I was a full-time working lady I would have had to get up at silly o’clock to have time for a bath before setting off into the cross-Manchester traffic!

Then there are new rules being proposed to make house buying, always seen as a major cause of stress, “cheaper, faster and less stressful”. Gazumping is one of the things they want to sort out. 

Maybe the cross-party parliamentary group on mindfulness could join in the discussions.