Tag Archives: Tash Friday

What’s his name?

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Good morning Tash Appreciators,

Earlier this week, I had to do google image searches for manly/macho men (don’t ask, but I swear it was legit). 

What struck me about the results of these searches was that although there were one or two familiar faces (Tom Selleck being one, obviously), there were also a whole slew of Tash toting men who weren’t named. They were simply filed under the name “manly man”.

A few examples:

Who are these men? I may simply be ignorant and these chaps are in fact as well known as Tom Selleck, but I doubt it. It’s strange that their names have been lost/forgotten but the fact that they’re proper blokes lives on. 

In classic portrayals of “real” men, such as classic westerns, the hero of the piece is often not named. He just appears, fights off a gang of lesser men and rides off into the sunset. The best example is perhaps Once Upon A Time In The West where Charles Bronson (another classic Tash) is simply listed as “Harmonica”:

 

A more recent example would be Ryan Gosling in “Drive”, where he’s simply “Driver”:

 

There’s something about these characters that appeals to men (and women?). They lack any ego whatsoever, to the extent that they have no name, but they do have a conscience and a depth of character which goes beyond simply what they are known as. 

In an age when every person has to self-publicise themselves and what they do – and when every movement must be documented on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other social networking website – it’s reassuring to know that, even on google, a real man can be just be a bloke, without having to provide his life story. If people like his work, great. If they don’t, then that’s fine too. 

I suppose it harks back to simpler times, but sometimes simple would be better. 

Have a great weekend folks.

Keep going!

Salami Tactics

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Good morning Tash Appreciators,

I apologise in advance for this weeks relatively short TF. Unfortunately, firing out this nonsense every week does not pay enough to allow the giving up of the day job or the employing of someone to cook and clean (if I’m honest, it doesn’t pay anything). Actually, the reason for my lack of time this week is that I need to wash and iron a Tash t-shirt for a dress-down-day at work tomorrow. 

I should also apologise to those of you who complained about the lack of a TF last week. The rule is that if I’m not in work, TF gets skipped too. I was in fact out and about in what felt like conditions like these:

 

Thanks to Mission Cycling; everyone’s got to have a dream. 

This week’s TF is just a brief update to alert you to the creeping influence of the Tash around the world. It’s been very apparent this week.  

In the west end of Glasgow, a (very nice) cycling-themed cafe is using the fact that their staff sport Tashes as part of their advertising campaigns:

 

If big Johnny David’s reaction is anything to go by, it’s having the desired effect. 

Our US correspondent has also dispatched a report pointing out that the sexiest man alive (at least according to People Magazine in 2006); and the nicest man on the planet (see Forest Gump, Apollo 13, The Green Mile etc) have been spotted rocking Tashes this week. They are, of course, George Clooney and Tom Hanks:

 

#swoon 

Anyway, my t-shirt is almost dry. Now comes the hard part: ironing. I will need to concentrate so I shall sign off by wishing you all yet another fantastic weekend!

Keep going.

The best small country in the world

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Morning Tash Appreciators,

First on this week’s short agenda is a big “THANK YOU!” to those who sponsored the Etape Caledonia riders last weekend. On the ride itself, records (and bikes) were smashed to pieces and a thoroughly enjoyable – but painful – few hours was spent by all while clattering round the country roads of rural Perthshire. 
Next, I have some bad news and some good news.
In the bad news, it appears that Nigel Farage (the poster boy of closet racists across the country) once attempted to pull off a Tash:

The good news is two-fold: Firstly, Mr Farage has realised that he can’t quite manage to pull off the Tash and has resorted to look which, in TF’s view, is much more fitting for a man of his stature:

The second piece of good news is that Mr Farage visited Edinburgh this week and was given a welcome which must make the Scottish Tash Appreciators amongst us exceptionally proud. According to The Guardian, he was forced to leave a pub on the Royal Mile to chants of, amongst other things, “Nigel, you’re a bawbag, Nigel you’re a bawbag, na, na, na, hey!” It looked like this:
 
 

Sometimes, and quite often when it comes to politics, this wee country of ours just gets it absolutely, positively, spot on. Haste ye back, Mr Farage, we dare you.
 
Nigel Farage cannot be this week’s Tash so here’s something more appropriate: a man standing outside Hampden, rocking a Tash, while wearing Irn Bru sunglasses and a saltire shirt:
 

Have a great weekend folks.
 
Keep going!
p.s. This week’s TF is in no way to be construed as being related to the independence debate.

Cash for a Tash

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Morning Tash Appreciators,

 
 
Some of you may have caught snippets of the Giro d’Italia, which began in Naples last Saturday. It’s one of the three grand tours (a race which covers an entire country over three weeks) and is arguably tougher in terms of climbing than its more famous brother to the north of the Alps. 
 
 
Pictures sometimes speak a thousand words and so the difficulty of the race is perhaps best shown by a shot of the Tash-toting winner of the “flat”, 206km (128 mile) stage 5:
 
image

That guy had just ridden for 4 hours and 37 minutes which, coincidentally, is about the same time that reasonably strong riders will take to do this Sunday’s Etape Caledonia. For the amateur rouleurs of Scotland, the Etape is a tough test: 130 km and approximately 3,300 vertical feet of climbing. 
 
 
As seems to have become a custom in recent years, a few Tash appreciators are taking the test on. One poor sod is even doing it for charity (thereby relieving himself of any way out of packing it in if it snows or there’s a gale force wind). In the spirit of charity, TF urges you to throw a couple of Pounds, Euros, Dollars, or whatever your native currency is, the way of his Just Giving page (all proceeds going to Marie Curie):
 
 
 
There have been statements on various social networking websites that TF tshirts would be given to all of those who donate. Alas, a restricted budget means that the tshirts can only be offered to those who make a donation of £100 (or the equivalent in euros, dollars etc) or more. 
 
 
The guy doing it for charity asked me the other day what he should be taking with him for the ride. He was particularly keen (perhaps a bit too keen, come to think of it) on knowing whether chamois butter (which one may use to prevent “saddle sores”) was worth using. I can answer that question here and, again, a picture is perhaps useful: 
 
 
When one is attempting a long bike ride, a few things are important: a bike, food, water, spare inner tube etc etc. However, one must always take whatever steps are required to avoid a sore… Graham Gooch:
 
 
image
Have a great weekend folks – spare a thought for the poor lads and ladies attempting the Etape on Sunday (which starts at 6.30 am)!
 
 
Keep. Going.
 

How to get a blockbuster

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Good morning Tash Appreciators,

Can it really be May already? 

One way of telling that spring is well and truly here, and that summer is on it’s way, is to look at the movie and music charts. It’s around this time of year that the big tracks of the summer (I understand that these may be referred to as “choons” by the hipsters) start getting airplay and the summer blockbusters start getting released. 

For once, neither David Guetta or Calvin Harris have made an appearance and the charts are being dominated by the latest Daft Punk (with some help from Pharrell) track – “Get Lucky”. It’s pretty catchy. 

Interestingly from TF’s perspective, when Pharrell started promoting the track he was rocking a Tash:

I can’t say at this stage that the Tash is the reason for the track’s success but, if a pattern emerged, then it surely must be considered whether a Tash is a sure-fire way to get a hit. 

That brings me onto the latest summer blockbuster to hit the silver screen. It’s also been greeted with critical acclaim from almost all sides and is sure to be a big hit. Coincidentally (or perhaps not coincidentally), the leading man looks like this:

Go figure, another guy rocking a Tash (with a little bit extra)! It seems like there may be something to the argument, which will henceforth be made by TF, that a Tash = success. 

Have a great weekend folks!

Keep going!

Usual Service Resumes

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Guten tag Tash Appreciators,

The last few weeks have been a little “heavy” (i.e. boring) so, this week, TF is going to keep it simple with some good old fashioned Tash related fun. 

I was watching the champions league this week (confirmation, if it was needed, that the premier league is not the greatest league in the world) and it reminded me of, firstly, a superb German football related Tash and then, secondly, that football is a rich source of Tash related material. 

Obviously, there can only be one starting point; Rudi Völler: 

Interestingly, in this week of footballers behaving badly (again), Herr Völler was also a party to a bit of rather poor behaviour. What makes this even more shocking is that the perpetrator, Frank Rijkaard, was also rocking a Tash at the time:

Many of the better footballing Tashes seem to have come from Liverpool players in the seventies who, I assume, chose to wear one in an effort to look even more menacing than they already were. From my in-depth research into the subject, Tommy Smith looks the most likely to break some knee-caps:

Unfortunately, footballers these days seem to be more concerned with their hair than looking like they could/would break your legs if you dared to even attempt to score. There are one or two kicking about (pun intended) but perhaps Michael Ballack’s strangely forlorn attempt is the reason why the fashionistas of the current footballing generation have left the Tash behind:

Have a great weekend folks!

Keep going!

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Buenos Dias Tash Appreciators,

For one reason or another, targets have been on my mind this week.  For example, scenes like this got me thinking:

I use a train service which runs every 15 minutes. However, a couple of times this week (this very moment being one of them) the train I have been waiting for has been 20 minutes late. 

Thankfully, the train company has a helpful app to keep me up-to-date with developments. Strangely, the app says the train has been cancelled but the board on the platform says it’s just delayed and the announcer says the train “is approaching the platform”. The station announcer is clearly lying. The train I was initially waiting for isn’t approaching the platform and it’s not delayed. What’s really happening is that my train has been cancelled and the train which was due after it is 5 minutes late. 

The reason for this lie is that the rail company has targets to meet and if it fails to meet those targets the company will be fined. The reason there are targets is that when the rail system was privatised, consumers were told that strict standards would be imposed upon the companies who won the rights to operate the routes. It’s therefore in the operator’s interest to claim that the train is late rather than admit what’s really going on. 

Last year, this particular operator was fined £374,000 for failing to meet the required standards of service. When this was announced, both the operator and the Government hailed it as a triumph: this was the third drop in fines in a row and standards must therefore be getting higher. 

The problem is that there’s a disconnect between the result of the target being hit and what the customer actually wants: a service that runs on time, has plenty of seats and doesn’t cost the earth.  I don’t blame the operator; they’re hitting their targets. The blame, in my opinion, rests with the Government in setting targets that can be so easily manipulated.  

If you want a target which has some meaning, you have to set parameters which are appropriate for what you’re measuring. For example, spring will see many of you working out your annual targets for the coming year. If you’re in sales, your target will be to sell X number of products; if you’re in manufacturing, your target will be to make Y number of products; and if you’re in the service industry, your target will be to deliver Z services. 

But that’s too simplistic. The target also has to be realistic and balanced. To continue with trains, I don’t expect every train to be on time. The weather is poor today so I understand that the train might be late. The target therefore can’t just be about delivering the service. Other factors have to be considered too, such as whether the customer is happy and whether the service is of a decent quality. Targets shouldn’t be just figures.

Even though I use this train service five days a week for about 46 weeks of the year, I’ve never been asked what I think about it . Surely, it’s the customers’ views that should be the ultimate barometer of whether it’s a good service or not.  I think that’s something that gets lost these days; particularly when companies and the public sector are struggling for cash. After all, if the customer isn’t happy, what are we all doing?

To the Tash! A man who always hit his target and who always keeps his customers (“the poor”) happy: it’s Robin Hood:

Until next week…

Keep going!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

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Morning Tash Appreciators,
Firstly, following many complaints, may I take this opportunity to apologise for the lack of a Tash last week. It was a fundamental error for which there is no excuse. Disciplinary measures have been taken and heads are rolling around TF HQ. This both fits in with last week’s TF and also is simply a cracker:

Now, to business. 
TF cannot ignore the death of Baroness Thatcher or the debate about the celebrations which took place on twitter and in cities across the country. TF is of course neutral when it comes to politics and this allows the chance to sit back and look at the reactions of both “the right” and “the left”. In a way, it’s nice to see a difference between the two for a change. 
Rather than criticising either “side”, it might be useful to simply suggest an alternative to the kind of “debate” which we currently seem to have about every issue of importance. I came across an article in The Scotsman from January this year written by John Sturrock QC (one of the country’s leading mediators) in which he suggests a protocol upon which to promote a productive debate of the issue of Scottish independence. The protocol is equally applicable to politics (and life) in general. He says this:
Under pressure, it is all too easy to default back into reactive or defensive mode, allowing emotion to predominate over more reasoned and measured responses. But nobody gains if antagonism prevails.
 
In an attempt to encourage a more constructive debate, he goes on to suggest that we agree to the following:
 
  • Listen carefully to all points of view and seek fully to understand what concerns and motivates those with differing views from our own;
  • Acknowledge that there are many points of view and that these have validity alongside our own;
  • Show respect and courtesy to all individuals and organisations, whatever views they may hold and however they may express them;
  • Express our own views clearly and honestly with transparency about our motives and our interests;
  • Use language carefully and avoid personal or other remarks which might cause unnecessary offence;
  • Ask questions if we do not understand what others are saying or proposing;
  • Respond to questions asked of us with clarity and openness;
  • Support what we say with clear and credible information wherever that is available.

It’s a simple solution but it’s also one which would require a bit of determination to see to the end. After all, many of us (including myself) have a pre-disposition to lose objectivity when debating something which is important to us. 

I’ll only single out one person for criticism in light of this week’s events. It pains me to do it as he has rocked a Tash in the past (and his appearance before the US Senate was absolutely tremendous) but he really could do with learning a lesson in sensible and useful debate. I am talking about George Galloway MP:

Mr Galloway is a member of the Respect Party. However, I fear the foundations upon which the party were built have been washed away; perhaps by all the Bollinger he was drinking to celebrate the death of Baroness Thatcher. This is part of an emerging pattern: he recently left a debate at the Oxford Union simply because his opponent (a student) was Israeli. Mr Galloway says that he “does not debate with Israelis”. 

In the wake of Baroness Thatchers death, he said on twitter “tramp the dirt down”.  Do we really need that? Is it not enough to simply disagree with someone? In the spirit of debate, I’ll let you all decide. 

Have a great weekend folks!
Keep going!

Hell of the North

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Morning Tash Appreciators,

I was out and about over the weekend and there seemed to be loads more runners and cyclists than usual. Maybe folk are trying to get in shape for the summer. Or maybe they just thought the weather was decent for the first time in months! Either way, many of them appeared to be suffering. 

Spring has long been the time when people get their act together and start becoming a bit more active. Whether it’s spring cleaning or getting some exercise in, it’s like the sun gives everyone a bit more energy. 

When folk first start getting out on the roads or down the gym, the first few sessions will be the worst. People will generally feel like they’re going to throw up or that their limbs have turned to jelly. 

Thankfully, it’s the same for everyone, even pro athletes. For example, the cycling season started a month or two ago but the first few races were in exotic locations with pristine roads and comfortable temperatures. They weren’t real races. Now though, the season has moved on to Belgium for the spring classics and the real races have begun. 

These most recent races have seen dozens of cyclists abandon due to lack of fitness but there have been some incredible performances. In last week’s Tour of Flanders (a one-day monster where the riders tackle the same 20% hill six times) Fabien “Spartacus” Cancellara rode away from the rest of the field after 150 miles with pure will-power and determination. Look at the expression on his face:

This weekend sees the biggest race of the spring: Paris-Roubaix, also known as Hell of the North. Team-mates will not help in this race – the cobbled roads (yes, for large sections of the race the riders will be going at 20+ mph over cobbles) mean its every man for himself. Strong men end up looking like this:

The point is, it’s all relative. These boys will cover 157 miles in a little over 6 hours. However, the pain they suffer is no different to that of you or I as we pound the pavements or brave the pot-holed roads. 

For example, Nike released an advert a couple of weeks ago about an overweight boy who decided to lose weight and took up running:

s there any difference between his pain and the pain of the guys doing Paris-Roubaix? Yes, the cyclists are being paid big bucks and have thousands of people cheering them on; it’s much harder to put the hours in on your own.

If you’re getting out and about this spring, TF salutes you. 

Have a great weekend folks!

Keep going!

Dance, dance, dance the night away

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Morning Tash Appreciators,

I was able to see Argo earlier this week and see for myself what all the fuss was about. 

I’m not convinced that it deserved the Oscar for film of the year but if there was an Oscar for best Tash of the year (and if there isn’t, there should be!) then Argo wins hands down. Look at these belters:

The part I most enjoyed about Argo was the use of “Dance The Night Away” by Van Halen. Some of you will be aware of my penchant for cutting transcendental moves on the dance floor so not only does the message of the song appeal but it’s also very catchy.
Catchy, it’s not the most complimentary word to use when describing a song. However, for most of these monster 80s rock ballads, that’s about the measure of them: good fun but not the critics’ choice. 

Interestingly, Argo is set right on the cusp of the 80s: when mainstream rock music started to move away from the classic” bands towards more pop based fare. And as pop-rock rose, the mighty Tash started to decline. Within a year or two, bands that had members who looked like this:

Started having to compete with bands whose members looked more like this:

Both are good but torn tiger-print leggings aren’t my thing… yet.

Have a great weekend folks.

Keep going!