Moment of the Week: Probably a theme rather than a moment, that theme being the rift between how people want us to see them and how they really are. Nominees in this category include Gordon Brown and Alastair Campbell, for suddenly "doing" emotion.(I wonder why?), Tom Harris for advising bloggers to "Allow commenters to have their say" whilst ruthlessly moderating stuff merely because he doesn't like it, and ex Police Commander Ali Dizaei, who finally ran out of Race Cards to play.
Blog post of the week goes to The Universality of Cheese, whose piece about Scotland's relationship with the landed gentry gets us into the kind of thinking territory that could make Scotland a truly radical proposition as an emerging independent nation. I don't necessarily agree with what Mark says, but you have to sometimes think the unthinkable.
Best Heartwarming (literally) story for me is the case of Davender Kumar Ghai, aged 71, has won the right, in the British court of appeal, to be cremated in this country according to the ordinances of his religion and culture, after a long battle with beaurocracy. HERE
The only sad thing about this is my sneaking suspicion that Political Correctness had something to do with it, rather than a flat admission that we have a right to be disposed of as we wish, born out of an understanding that we have the right to self-determination and liberty.
There is rarely a day goes by when I don't think of our soldiers in various parts of the world, men and women who are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. I don't like war, but then again, neither to most soldiers. We should always remember them and support them as human beings, even if their political masters behave like war criminals. I have accordingly added a web site to the blog, http://www.the-daily-politics.com/ no, not that one, which is an arm of Olive Net, the military network.
Daft personal bit: I have taken up smoking a pipe. I am not a smoker, as such, but I wanted to try it. Not a good idea for someone with an addictive personality. Toodle Pip.
10 comments:
Deerstalker next WW? ;-)
Have a good weekend. Me? ... l'm off to see Chantel McGregor play at Howden Shire Hall tomorrow.
Don't know about you but l think there's something lost when artists get so famous and play at large venues ... especially the all seated ones! Just doesn't seem or feel right.
Ciao
I am jealous!
I'm looking forward to your first 'two-pipe' blogpost!
My grandfather smoked a pipe ;) They do make a nice smell, don't they?
They may smell good from a distance, but don't do it, Ged! I went onto a pipe when I was trying to get off the fags a few years ago. Useless - I ended up smoking both fags and a pipe, and inhaling the pipe into the bargain.
But a pipe has two big drawbacks. One is that it stings your mouth if you are not used to it. The other is that is does something funny to your tastebuds. After a smoking a pipe, I used to hate the taste of toothpaste, which did nothing for my oral hygiene. A guy I used to work with had smoked a pipe all his life, and had to have his tea black and really strong or he couldn't taste it at all. I have fond memories of my own Dad smoking a pipe, but I'd advise against it if you don't strictly have to do it.
Can you still get pipecleaners these days?
It'd be nice to have a really good bonfire going in a huge pipe and stroll into any office of local government (library, information office, town hall, whatever), just to get the reaction.
I smoked a pipe for a bit but one day I decided it was stupid, so I stopped.
TPF and Richard, I have packed it in. It was a cheap corn cob pipe, made, I believe, in Milwaukee. The bowl went into the fire with the few crumbs of tobacco. The whole thing was too big.
Just wanted to say, I've always enjoyed your writing, and I'm glad to see you're posting again. Thanks for coming back WW!
Iain Dale is a twat.
That is all.
Wise move, Ged. Those corn-cob pipes always looked a bit dodgy. The Milwaukee ones especially. I had a clear-out the other day and threw out all my pipes and associated kit. It hurt, but if you don't ned them, why keep them? I did keep a very fine Meerschaum that I bought in Delft, which lives in a proper case, because that's a work of art, not a pipe.
Thank you Jen. We obviously don't do snow like you do snow. (See Jen's blog)
Rab. Glad you looked in.
Richard, day one, and I only missed it a bit. The trouble is, the whole thing means having more equipment. That and stinking the house out, with the smell getting up into the bedrooms and the servants quarters.
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