George Junior

Cultural evolution

2011-08-11T12:27:00.001-07:00

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Disappointed in Portland

2011-08-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, driving back from the shops, I turned on the radio to find Socialist Workers Party member Richard Seymour and Darcus Howe talking claptrap about the UK riots on OPB.

I didn't travel 5,000 miles for this!

Top presidents

2011-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

So, I asked the Big Fella for his three favorite U.S. presidents. He's sixteen now and already knows a lot more about American political and economic history than I do, which makes having political conversations with him somewhat daunting.

Anyway, these are his picks:

1. Grover Cleveland
2. Calvin Coolidge
3. Warren G Harding

Not the kind of list you'd expect from your average teenager!

Religious freedom

2011-07-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

Followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster rejoice!

From the Telegraph: Austria recognizes the right of a Pastafarian to wear a pasta strainer on his head for his driving licence photo.

Pinker animated

2011-07-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

An RSAnimate of Steven Pinker talking about some of the ideas in his book "The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature".

Tuesday roundabout

2011-07-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

At CIF: Omid Djalili on the plight of the Bahá'í in Iran.

At Harry's Place: Flaming Fairy on the UK's Equalities and Human Rights Commission's seeming preference for religious rights over gay rights.

According to calculations at Bad Astronomy, it's been a Neptunian year since the planet was discovered.

Did I miss Talk Like A Pirate Day? Ms Baroque was in bucaneering mode Saturday and Sunday.

And finally,

T-shirt of the day at Sense of Events.

Symbiosis

2011-07-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

When I saw this at xkcd, I knew a post about it at Language Log would soon follow.

Down in Dingle

2011-06-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Lisa Hannigan at Dick Mack's pub.

Saturday roundabout

2011-06-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

James Lileks takes a look at representations of 1950s suburbia.

Neo-neocon revisits some of John Updike's non-fiction.

Language Log: writing "going to" for "gonna".

Lee Goldberg at the WSJ pays tribute to Peter Falk's Columbo.

And finally,

Lionel likes it! Poliwood reviews "Bridesmaids".

Poetry corner

2011-06-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

I've only just come across this, so excuse me if it's old hat, but Taylor Mali has his own YouTube channel.

You'll find more than just Taylor Mali there, including: Sarah Kay, Rives and Marty McConnell.

Check it out! And while you're there, you might help Taylor Mali in his quest for a thousand teachers.

Right Wing Radio Duck

2011-06-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Boy, am I behind the times! I only just came across this inspired Disney/Glenn Beck mashup. [h/t The Wardman Wire]

Tuesday roundabout

2011-06-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Talking Turkey: Michael Totten interviews City Journal's Claire Berlinski.

Bad Astronomy features stunning time lapse images of the Milky Way.

Baroque in Hackney has a link-filled tribute to Gil Scott-Heron.

Impatience and Wisdom: Cobb just turned 50.

And finally,

Sciencepunk has a recipe for desserts that look like bacterial cultures.

Scratch & Dent Dreams

2011-03-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

Eric Darby at the 2005 National Poetry Slam.

Doctrine! What doctrine?

2011-03-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

From today's New York Times:

In laying out his justification for the American-led assault on Libya on Monday night, the president offered the most detailed portrait of when he might commit the country’s military might in a tumultuous world.

He would take action, he said, if vital national security interests were at stake. He would consider it if economic interests were threatened, or if there was a humanitarian crisis so deep it could not be ignored. But in those two instances, he would hesitate unless there was international participation, and the cost was not too high.

But these conditions seemed tailor made for Libya, and the president seemed to provide little guidance for what position he would take in other, more vital nations in the region[.]

The money quote (from David J. Rothkopf):

If there were ever a speech more dedicated to eliminating the idea of a doctrine, this was it.

Computer computer computer

2011-03-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

I just got my computer back from the shop - that's the third time it's been in since I bought it a couple of weeks ago.

If you're looking to buy gum, Office Depot sells it. For anything else, I'd shop elsewhere.

English teeth

2011-03-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

In the first of a series on American dentistry, June Thomas at Slate recounts her experience growing up in England.

[E]veryone in my family, and every other adult that I grew up around, had false teeth by the time they were 30.
[...]
I didn't even own a toothbrush—my parents had never brushed their teeth, and as adults their oral hygiene was achieved by soaking rather than brushing. I'd never even heard of dental floss, and I ate far too much candy. I prefer not to think about the excruciating pain that decay and resulting abscesses caused—pain that you can hear, that stops the world, that makes listening to the teacher or concentrating on homework impossible.

I think English dentistry and general oral hygiene have improved a lot since those days. Nevertheless, one of the first things I did when I got to the States was have some dental work done.

And I've still got English teeth.

Weekend reading

2011-03-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Man, Economy, and State by Murray Rothbard

The Ludwig von Mises Institute lecture series on economics

That's not my weekend reading, by the way - that's the Big Fella's reading list (he turned 16 in January). And he's not actually reading the LMI lectures - he listens to them on his iPod when he's walking to and from school.

Looks like I've raised a libertarian. How'd that happen?

Paradise in Portland

2011-03-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Heaven is a Jewish deli on Eleventh and Stark (right on the edge of Downtown) called Kenny and Zuke's.

And really, you can quote me on this, their pastrami is to die for!

Cured 7 days, Smoked 10 hours, Steamed for 3 hours & Hand-sliced Just for You.

Oh, and their Reubens are legendary.

Friday roundabout

2011-03-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

At the Spectator: Alex Massie on the intervention in Lybia.

Harry's Place has a piece on Mary Gardner, the Scottish woman murdered in Wednesday’s bomb attack in Jerusalem.

Zoe Brain on challenging social and ideological monocultures.

Some thoughts on religion and community at Evolutionblog.

And finally,

Glimpses of Isadora Duncan at Neo-neocon.

Something Stupid

2011-03-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

On ukulele! And it's an absolute delight.

Rainy day news

2011-03-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't posted for fifteen months. That's a personal record!

And I'm not in England anymore; I'm in Portland, Oregon. I've been here three weeks and, I have to say, I'm loving it and have no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Of course, they told me it would be wet here, they just didn't tell me how wet. Every time I step out of my hotel I get rained on. Portlanders don't seem at all bothered by it - if you carry an umbrella around here, it's likely you're from out of town.

The other day, I was caught in a huge downpour, got drenched, took refuge in a cafe. I was saturated - so wet I was dripping all over the menu and a small puddle from the runoff was forming under my chair. But, when I mentioned the weather to my waitress, all I got back was: "Ya, it's fairly moist today."

And there was me thinking only the English possessed such mastery of understatement.

Still dreaming

2009-12-24T07:27:00.002-08:00

Saul Williams

2009-11-24T11:42:00.002-08:00

When The Clock Strikes Me (text here).

Military relations

2009-11-24T05:58:00.006-08:00

American generals are from Mars, seemingly.

I imagine that gives us an edge in combat.

Unreal images

2009-11-24T03:29:00.003-08:00

Pebbles by Jonathan Hunt

From the POV-Ray Hall of Fame.

Virtual rights

2009-11-24T02:12:00.002-08:00

Blurring the line between fantasy and reality:-

Video games depicting war have come under fire for flouting laws governing armed conflicts.

Human rights groups played various games to see if any broke humanitarian laws that govern what is a war crime.

The study condemned the games for violating laws by letting players kill civilians, torture captives and wantonly destroy homes and buildings.

It said game makers should work harder to remind players about the real world limits on their actions.

Friday roundabout

2009-11-20T02:24:00.004-08:00

Gordon MacMillan at Harry's Place has some thoughts on the Palin Newsweek cover.

Michael Totten is concerned about a Third Lebanon War.

Joe Katzman at Winds of Change on a second, unsuccessful pirate attack on the Maersk Alabama.

Bad Astronomy has Mandelbulbs: 3D Mandelbrot sets.

And finally,

Small Town Scribbles suggests a solution to the energy crisis.

Feeble tweet

2009-11-20T01:47:00.007-08:00

OK, so having declared today to be the first day of the rest of my life, I decided to start off with a spot of vacuuming. I even went so far as to vacuum my laptop - just to clear out the dust. Sledgehammer/nut: the vacuum sucked half the keys off the keyboard and I've spent the last half-hour fishing little black tiles out of the dust bag.

Three sixes

2009-09-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, I weighed a little over 200 lbs (that's a normal weight for my height - I'm 6'6").

Six months ago, I weighed less than 150 lbs.

Six days ago, I weighed myself - I'm almost exactly 175 lbs.

If this keeps up, pretty soon I won't be embarrassed to have my photo taken. And, even better, I'll start recognizing myself in the mirror.

Life goes on

2009-08-31T13:40:00.006-07:00

Well, I'm sorry to say, I haven't gotten around to any of that blogging and emailing I said I was going to be doing. It seems I underestimated the time and energy involved in starting again from scratch.

So, I've been getting on with things. And I now have a bed! It beats sleeping on the floor wrapped up in an old sheet. I'm still using the sheet but at least I'm elevated.

Next to do: furniture.

Update
Went out to buy furniture - came back with a small car!

A minor conflagration

2009-08-15T19:36:00.001-07:00

It took me a month to find an apartment and the first night I'm here there's a fire. Not a serious one - although it could have been - I left a light on in the sitting-room and one of the lampshades caught fire (a faulty fitting): I woke to the smell of burning. Luckily, I caught it in time, so there's no damage beyond the lampshade and fitting.

Looking on the bright side, the place has good mobile broadband reception (as opposed to the "wing and a prayer" connection I was working with before) so I can now surf, blog and email to my heart's content. Not right now though because it's 3:30 in the morning, the fire's out and I'm going back to bed.

Contact

2009-07-29T00:37:00.004-07:00

It's taken me a while to sort out internet access and an e-mail account (I've put the new contact details in the sidebar). I'm now back online and contactable.

Thanks to all those who mailed wishing me a speedy recovery - I'll reply now I'm online again. Unfortunately, my address book has been deleted, along with a lot of my mail (some of it unread) so, if I don't reply to a particular e-mail, it's because I probably never got it.

So it goes.

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Back and forth

2009-07-29T00:15:00.005-07:00

Okay, so I'm back. The ulcers are under control and I've recovered well from the operation; I've started training (long walks and light weights) and I'm slowly gaining weight.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that the rest of my life seems to have turned into some kind of cheap soap opera. You know the sort of thing - lurid revelations, absurd plot twists and petty villainy. Anyway, the upshot is my family life is over and I'm currently living in temporary accommodation. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

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Playing for change

2009-05-22T11:20:00.004-07:00

Internal investigation

2009-05-14T01:22:00.005-07:00

No, I'm not back to regular blogging - still too sick for that - but I am having exploratory surgery today, so things are moving in the right direction.

They're going to be doing two procedures (both fairly minor): they'll be sticking a camera down my gullet and they're going to open me up and take a good look at my insides. I hope they find whatever's wrong with me so they can fix it and I can move on. But they won't be doing any fixing today, just rummaging around. Good luck to them!

Anyway, I've got to get going - I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Update
The surgeon caught up with me in the Recovery Room: "It's ulcers not cancer." That's the good news. The bad news is I have lots of ulcers (stress ulcers) and a lot of bleeding. Still, it's way better than having cancer. Am I relieved? You betcha!

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Los ocupas

2009-04-05T02:15:00.004-07:00

I told you about the squatters who moved in next door. Well, it turns out they're Spanish. And to call them squatters doesn't really do them justice - they're more like urban homesteaders. They've already cleared the garden, turned over the soil, dug in some compost and are now ready to start planting vegetables.

They're also musicians: most days we're treated to some very accomplished Flamenco guitar. Yesterday, along with the guitars (and the biggest ibo drum I have ever seen) they put on a display of traditional Spanish dancing - it was quite a performance.

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Sick note

2009-03-31T14:53:00.003-07:00

So, the computer is fixed but my health has taken a turn for the worse and I'm now pretty much housebound and bedridden. I'm slated for exploratory surgery but, in the meantime, I'm a bit of a mess.

Somehow, I don't think I'll be blogging for a while.

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Repaired

2009-03-19T09:51:00.002-07:00

So, I'm back. I've had computer problems - I got through three machines in five days. The first one went bang, the second went phrzzt and the third one just went dead.

Still, I'm back. And life is getting interesting: squatters have just moved in next door. It's a rundown old house that's been empty for a while, so they can't do much damage. Maybe they'll do the place some good. The neighbors will be up in arms about it, of course. They'll probably get up a petition or something. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Anyway, like I said, I'm back.

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Here be trolls

2009-03-04T17:22:00.002-08:00

There's a troll the size of a house over at Ophelia Benson's Notes and Comment - they've been feeding it for days. I couldn't resist getting involved - if only to try and shoo it away.

In my zeal, I misaprostophized Rawls. Oh the shame!

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Getting old

2009-03-01T14:50:00.001-08:00

Today is my birthday, I am 49.

God, I hate birthdays: they age me.

Thursday roundabout

2009-02-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Dave Rich at Harry's Place on the allegation that Israel is in some way analogous to Nazi Germany.

Black Triangle covers the latest vaccine scare story.

Watts Up With That has a short primer on the greenhouse effect.

Baroque in Hackney on the news that researchers have discovered the oldest English words.

And finally,

Science Punk challenges readers to redesign the cover of Ben Goldacre's "Bad Science".

Madness unconfined

2009-02-26T13:28:00.002-08:00

Has Brian Micklethwait completely lost his mind?

One of the most important memes that the internet has circulated during the last decade has been the extermination option, when it comes to Islam. Extermination of all muslims. Not now, you understand. Just if there continue to be serious muslim-perpetrated terrorist incidents

WTF?

Images of the Depression

2009-02-26T13:25:00.001-08:00

Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California. Photographer: Dorothea Lange.

From the Library of Congress Digital Collections.

Health and safety

2009-02-26T06:25:00.005-08:00

I grew up in a high threat environment where street violence was a regular occurrence and you could get beaten up (or worse) for simply looking the wrong way at people or, indeed, for nothing at all - except for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Growing up like that you learn a number of survival techniques - street smarts, if you will. You don't make eye-contact with strangers, you go out of your way to avoid groups of young men on street corners, eschew a range of behaviours that might mark you out as a victim and, most importantly, you don't hang around with dickheads. In this context, "dickhead" is a technical term for someone whose behavior is likely to result in them (and anyone who's with them) getting the crap beaten out of them.

Example: It's just past closing time outside a fish and chip shop in a rough area of Liverpool. One of the guys I've been out drinking with starts staring down a group of seven or eight lads who are waiting in line to buy chips. The inevitable challenge: "What the fuck are you looking at?" is met by my companion with: "I don't know. They don't label shit round here." At which point, the fighting kicks off. My companion was a dickhead.

Christopher Hitchens on the other hand...

One of the greatest

2009-02-25T14:50:00.004-08:00

Seeing as how the State Tour arrived in Oregon last week, I would normally be wandering around the local blogs catching up with some of the things the tour didn't cover - like beer and environmentalism. But first I need to make a virtual visit to Willamette National Cemetery and pay my respects to my dad.

George Senior: Sergeant First Class, US Army Rangers - 06/21/1921 to 04/11/1992.

Wednesday roundabout

2009-02-25T12:47:00.003-08:00

David Adesnik at Oxblog: From Gitmo to suicide bomber.

At Normblog: the FKATWOT count hits 13.

Mark Liberman at Language Log on "Miss Thistlebottom’s hobgoblins”.

Collision debris: Zoe Brain on space junk.

And finally,

At Faith in Honest Doubt: Bigots or Pepsi?

Modern times

2009-02-25T03:28:00.004-08:00

Simon Heffer in the Telegraph provides the context.

The worst possible hour

2009-02-21T19:32:00.002-08:00

Didn't get to bed til four in the morning. What was I doing up? I was listening to Rives.

Friday roundabout

2009-02-20T12:44:00.005-08:00

Edmund Standing at Harry's Place on Muslim schools and social cohesion.

Michael Totten looks at the possibility of a third Lebanon war.

Eric Rall at Dean's World: Whence and Whither the Depression?

Dale at Faith in Honest Doubt features CBS's Adam Carolla on atheism.

And finally,

Via PooterGeek, there's Яolcats.

My morning

2009-02-20T05:38:00.006-08:00

Wake early in some discomfort, discomfort becomes severe abdominal pain, pain turns to agony: ambulance, hospital, morphine.

Home now but still feeling a little woozy from the drugs. Boy, my guts are screwed!

And I'm back on the dihydrocodeine, again.

Thursday roundabout

2009-02-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

The new taboo: Ophelia Benson on criticism of Islam.

Dan Jones defends evolutionary psychology at The Proper Study of Mankind.

Savage Minds: Learning an Endangered Language (Part 3).

At Sense of Events: It's the end of the world as we know it (again).

And finally,

At Language Log: The worst pun of all time?

Undecided

2009-02-19T07:23:00.001-08:00

I'm in two minds about a number of things at the moment:

1. The wisdom of the stimulus package

2. The purported charms of the "lovly Olga" (via unsolicited e-mail)

3. The Bat Segundo Show

Blogging Buddhists

2009-02-19T04:50:00.011-08:00

I came across a blogger recently who described himself as "mostly Buddhist". I struggle to think what that might mean. Does he imagine there are fewer than four noble truths? Which of the five precepts doesn't he hold with? Maybe he follows a twofold path. Who knows?

In any case, I got to wondering what it would mean to be a Buddhist blogger. Or, more specifically, what if anything Gautama had to say that might be relevant to blogs.

Right Speech (the third element of the Eightfold Path) seems apt:-

The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth. Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

Hmm. Do you know many bloggers like that?

(I do. But they're all dreadfully earnest.)

Domestic de-cluttering

2009-02-18T03:20:00.006-08:00

We're in the middle of some early spring cleaning - we have way too much stuff.

[Thanks to Norm for the video link]

Well well well

2009-02-15T12:40:00.008-08:00

I'm reminded that I haven't posted about my health since I mentioned I was being treated for post-operative ulcers.

Well, I've finished the course of tablets and the consultant reckons I've made a full recovery. I'm not going to argue with that - I've been sick so long I'm ready to believe anything. And besides, I really admired his jaunty optimism.

So, all I need to do now is get fit again. Of course, that could take some time. Before I got ill I used to be fairly active: kept goal for a local football team, played tennis two or three times a week and even managed (occasionally) to do some serious training.

Since then, I've lost a lot of muscle mass and stamina: it's going to be a long road back. What I need is a program of rigorous goal-oriented self-empowerment.

Ach, maybe tomorrow...

Or "soon, maybe", as my grandmother used to say. "Soon" being the Irish equivalent of "mañana" - though, as the old joke has it, there is no word in Irish that conveys quite the same level of urgency.

Child's play

2009-02-14T10:37:00.005-08:00

Spud's latest enthusiasm: the Pivot Stickfigure Animator which, according to the blurb, "allows you to create stick figure animations easily and without any artistic skills".

Here's an illustration of just some of the possibilities from J13 Productions:-

Current reading

2009-02-14T06:25:00.009-08:00

Rereading "Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East" by Michael Oren.

"1914: The Days of Hope" by Lyn Macdonald. An account of the first year of the Great War from Mons to the First Battle of Ypres.

"International Relations in Political Theory" by Howard Williams. From Plato to Marx (via Hobbes, Rousseau, Hegel, Kant and others): an introduction to political thinking on war and international relations.

Blogging USA

2009-02-14T01:40:00.005-08:00

The Beaver State

End of the Trail: the Pacific coast and the Cascade Mountains. Mount Hood, Crater Lake and the Willamette Valley. Intel and the Douglas Fir. Blackberry pie, Oregon truffles and trout.

Milk is the official state beverage.

Checking out

2009-02-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

After an extended sojourn in Nebraska, the State Tour will be back on the road later today. Expect me in Oregon.

Only 46 states to go!

Checking in

2009-02-13T18:24:00.001-08:00

Too busy to blog yesterday and way too tired to blog much now.

So instead I'll just point you towards Nick Cohen's article from the Jewish Chronicle republished at Harry's Place: Jesus! I'm turning into a Jew!

Bad business

2009-02-11T18:18:00.010-08:00

Remember I said I was buying a business? Well, that's now looking highly unlikely. The due diligence exercise turned up more than a few snags including an outstanding lawsuit, a highly restrictive lease on the business premises and a number of previously undeclared liabilities.

I've got a meeting with the current owners tomorrow evening. Boy, is that going to be fun! I get to tell them their company isn't worth a tenth of what they're asking for it and, with their current management in place, I don't expect they'll survive the recession.

As things stand, the only way I'd get involved now is if they gave me a controlling interest in the company (for an entirely nominal sum). Unfortunately, I don't think they'll want to proceed on that basis, even though it's most likely their best chance of realizing some money on their shares in the longer term.

Ah well, I probably didn't need the hassle anyway.

Unfreedom of speech

2009-02-11T04:33:00.006-08:00

Following reports of the arrest in London of a British diplomat for "inciting religious hatred", Geoffrey Pullum at Language Log has something to say about the constitutional and cultural differences between the US and the UK:-

The thing is that Britain has absolutely no analog of the American guarantee of freedom of speech in its legal system. There is no Bill of Rights saying that one can speak one's opinions freely, even in political matters. The government can directly control what appears in the newspapers if it wants to, and has often done so. The courts can also, quite separately, block news reports of various sorts and do so all the time ("who for legal reasons cannot be named", say the newspapers when mentioning someone who a judge doesn't want identified in news reports). And speech about other racial, ethnic, or religious groups can have serious consequences here. It's not all just golliwogs and white wine. You shout out your opinions of the "fucking Jews" here, and you can face years in prison.

Norm also has some thoughts on the arrest.

Wednesday roundabout

2009-02-11T03:58:00.002-08:00

Zoe Brain comments on developments in brain modelling.

Dale at Faith in Honest Doubt: What Blogs Can and Can't Do.

Ophelia Benson on fundamentalism, tolerance and respect.

Armed Liberal at Winds of Change: On The End Of Privacy And Transparency.

And finally,

Britblog Roundup #208 is up at The Wardman Wire.

They love me

2009-02-11T02:10:00.003-08:00

Or they love me not.

I just received 30 copies of the same e-mail (titled: Poetry Valentines) from the Academy of American Poets:-

Be Mine: Poems for Sweethearts

Woo your sweetie by pairing the perfect poem with desserts, drinks, and flowers. The irresistible combination is sure to result in wobbly knees, a melting heart, and a thoroughly smitten valentine. From lustful to sacred verse, and classic to contemporary authors, pick up a few ideas from this selection of ten poetic pairings to lure your adored one straight into your arms.

On the web at: www.poets.org/pairings

Tsk! A whole academy of poets and they can't find someone to write better copy than that?

Très chic

2009-02-11T00:11:00.010-08:00

Le renouveau de la chanson française est arrivé.

Mac pointed out this video to me. She's been listening to a lot of Nouvelle Vague recently. The song is from their second album "Bande à part"; the video is a scene from Jean-Luc Godard's 1964 film of the same name.

No sympathy

2009-02-10T23:37:00.009-08:00

My life would be much easier if I'd learn to keep my mouth shut.

Mac and I were taken out for dinner recently - a rare occurrence and usually a pleasurable one. Not this time.

Half way though the food, the conversation turns to Gaza (I didn't bring up the subject) and our host says: "After Gaza, I have lost all sympathy for the Jews". She meant the Israelis. Of course she meant the Israelis. I quickly corrected her, she accepted it and the conversation moved on. To casualty figures, the number of children killed, the scenes of destruction...

I was in the middle of my dinner. I would have liked to have finished it. But no - we had to have this conversation. Which is a pity, because I had hoped that the tone I'd adopted when correcting our host's initial remark might have been taken as an invitation to change the subject. Unfortunately not.

So I weighed in. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. But, like I said, it's not something I've ever learnt to do.

The thing is, I've come across this formulation before: Because of X [insert action of Israeli government] I have lost all sympathy for the Jews. And, when I hear it I always find myself wondering the same thing: What kind of special sympathy did they have for the Jews anyway?

White DNA

2009-02-10T09:56:00.004-08:00

Theo Hobson in the Spectator:-

For whites in post-colonial cultures, racism is a post-religious form of original sin, something we know to be in our DNA and ought to repent of.

Post-colonial genetic repentance?!

Right, and in the meantime, if racism is in white people's DNA maybe we should think about getting it recognized as a sexually transmitted disease. (Though, obviously, I'm not suggesting it could be treated with antibiotics - that would be stupid.)

Isabella

2009-02-10T07:21:00.002-08:00

Isabella and the Pot of Basil

Whitehall and the Jews

2009-02-10T06:48:00.001-08:00

From a review of Louise London's Whitehall and the Jews, 1933-1948: British Immigration Policy, Jewish Refugees and the Holocaust at History in Focus:

[B]etween 1933 and 1948 Britain held a consistent line on limiting Jewish immigration. Refugees would be assisted only if it was in the interests of Britain, a concept that holds true today if the attitude taken by many towards the current issue of asylum is considered. Thus, while Britain would 'tolerate' a certain amount of immigration for humanitarian reason, this 'toleration' was limited by several interlinked factors.

The first, was the perceived effect that this process could have on the fabric of British society. The charge that antisemitism would increase if too many Jewish refugees were granted entry was stated throughout the inter-war period, by both by government officials and the already-established Anglo-Jewish community. The second factor that was cited was employment, or more precisely unemployment. For this reason, refugees were landed on condition that they did not seek to enter the labour market without permission from the Ministry of Labour. This stipulation, however, was waived in two cases, firstly for refugees able to leave Europe with their business intact and willing to establish new firms in Britain and secondly for those who were able to enter Britain as domestic servants. Thus, on the one hand, refugees had to be able to either create jobs in Britain or had to demean themselves by working in low-paid, low skilled employment, whatever their former circumstances. A third factor was that of assimilation. Foreign Jews were expected both by the government and by the Anglo-Jewish establishment to conform to the British way of life and to minimise their 'foreignness'. They were inundated with advice to avoid showing their alien nature, such as not speaking German in public. Fourthly, the refugees were landed on a temporary basis, on the understanding that they would in the future leave Britain. Whilst in reality some 40,000 remained in Britain, this had not been the government's intention. Refuge was to be for a limited time, in the hope that most would seek other countries in which to settle permanently. Lastly and of greatest importance, was the issue of finance. From the very beginnings of this movement, the Anglo-Jewish community was expected to find the funds that would be required to support the refugees whilst they were in Britain. Foreign Jews were not to become chargeable to state finance in any shape. Again this situation would change, as by 1939 the Anglo-Jewish community had exhausted its funds and came to rely upon government grants.

Monday roundabout

2009-02-09T03:00:00.006-08:00

At Normblog: the FKATWOT count reaches 9.

Michael White hosts Humanist Symposium #32 [via FIHD]

Harry's Place notes the arrest of a British diplomat for "inciting religious hatred" against Jews.

Alert Shado: Lileks spots a UFO.

And finally,

At xkcd: the base metaphor explained.

οἱ πολλοί

2009-02-07T10:49:00.001-08:00

Weekend reading

2009-02-01T16:22:00.002-08:00

The Edge Annual Question 2009: WHAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING?

Charles Eisenstein at Reality Sandwich: Money and the Crisis of Civilization.

The Economist on the British Army's "lack of soldiers, lack of money and lack of conviction".

Psyche Volume 14 2008 (online journal of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness) on attention and consciousness.

Family life

2009-01-29T15:12:00.001-08:00

The Big Fella came running through from the TV room earlier with a big smile on his face. "Dad! Dad! They dissed Loop Quantum Gravity on 'The Big Bang Theory'. They reckon String Theory rocks." He said it in a tone of mock belligerence: "That's one in the eye for you, old man!"

The Big Fella's not a proponent of String Theory but he knows my thoughts on Loop Quantum Gravity: he's was trying to get a rise out of me. I took it in good humor.

And yet, I will have my revenge.

I've printed out a copy of a New Scientist article on Loop Quantum Cosmology. It's waiting for him on the breakfast table.

John Martyn 1948-2009

2009-01-29T12:25:00.001-08:00

Wednesday roundabout

2009-01-28T15:12:00.001-08:00

The Mother of All Quagmires: Michael Totten reports from Israel.

And Still I Persist has video of Obama’s Al-Arabiya interview.

Geoffrey Pullum at Language Log: "human/machine interface design is in a state of total freaking disaster".

Lileks's bleat: World’s Fairs, scrapbook memories and modern day America.

And finally,

Baroque in Hackney has something to say about Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem.

Red Square

2009-01-27T19:07:00.007-08:00

Thanks to Norm, I now have yet another option for displacement activity (as if I didn't have enough distractions already): it's Red Square survival.

I made it to ~~21.234~~ 21.953 seconds. I'd like to hit 25 seconds (I'm adept at setting myself pointless goals).

Meanwhile, I need to get back to work: I'm in the middle of trying to buy a business. Yes, I know we're in a recession. Best time to buy.

So, back to work. But what to do: continue planning the due diligence exercise or start reviewing the draft contract? Hmmm, let's see, it's 3 a.m. and I'm pretty tired so maybe I'll take a look at the contract. Yep, right after I've had another couple of goes at that Red Square thingy. Is 30 seconds even possible?

Update.
Made it to 26.469 seconds. I doubt 30 seconds is possible - it just gets too fast.

Happy Birthday

2009-01-18T16:00:00.003-08:00

Interlude

2009-01-12T02:44:00.004-08:00

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T11:50:00.002-08:00

Here's hoping you all can keep the wolf from your door over the next twelve months.

Festive spirit

2008-12-12T04:38:00.006-08:00

Via Language Log:

Oliver Postgate 1925-2008

2008-12-10T02:48:00.006-08:00

OP brought a lot of joy to a lot of children and also, I dare say, to a good number of adults. My favorite character of his is Noggin the Nog (we used to read it to the boys when they were little).

All the stories start the same way:-

In the lands of the North, where the Black Rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long the Men of the Northlands sit by their great log fires and they tell a tale...
There are affectionate tributes to Postgate in many of today's papers and Michael Moran at the Times links to examples of his work online.

Ulcers

2008-12-10T00:24:00.003-08:00

That's what I've got, according to the consultant surgeon I saw yesterday, post-operative ulcers. Well, that would explain the pain and discomfort I've been experiencing since the operation.

I'm relieved it's only ulcers - I was starting to worry that there might be something seriously wrong with my innards. Thankfully not.

So, I have tablets. I'll take them. I'll get better.

Preparing to give thanks

2008-11-27T03:23:00.003-08:00

The Junior household has been a hive of activity this morning.

Mac has been out to the allotment to collect some veg and is now busy preparing the turkey, I've been dashing around the local stores doing some last minute shopping (yams, marshmallows, cream and flour) and the boys are sitting around eating chocolate flavored breakfast cereal. They only get to eat it three days in the year - Christmas, birthdays and Thanksgiving - so they're making the most of it and they're not rushing. They know that once they've finished they'll be on Kitchen Patrol with the rest of us.

Anyway, I need to get back to it. Hope you all have a good one.

Me me me

2008-11-24T01:07:00.004-08:00

What kind of blogger am I? Well, according to the GenderAnalyzer, I'm 84% male.

And according to the Typalyzer (found via the squiffy folks at DTPW), I'm an ESTP (Extroverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving).

Being labelled ESTP doesn't seem that wide of the mark. I think Mac and the boys would recognize me in the description given of an ESTP, particularly this bit:-

They can sometimes be hurtful to others without being aware of it, as they generally do not know and may not care about the effect their words have on others. It's not that they don't care about people, it's that their decision-making process does not involve taking people's feelings into account.

What can I say? It's the way I am.

A new dawn

2008-11-14T07:42:00.003-08:00

A momentous occasion in American politics - for the first time ever the president-elect is younger than I am.

Family life

2008-11-14T07:03:00.006-08:00

They're having a charity day at Spud's school today. The kids are all dressing up and Spud said he wanted to go as Uncle Sam, so Mac got out her sewing machine and made him a waistcoat and a top hat.

He thinks he looks cool. I think he looks cute.

Lost in translation

2008-11-01T06:22:00.005-07:00

Welsh traffic sign:

The Welsh translates as "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated".

Befuddled drudgery

2008-10-23T03:32:00.000-07:00

I think I'm building up a resistance to the painkillers - I can now tie my laces without slobbering all over my shoes. That's a plus.

On the down side: I'm still "out of it" most of the time, my sleep pattern's shot to hell and I'm finding it difficult to take much of an interest in anything at all.

Still, I'm here.

Homemade naan

2008-10-12T03:08:00.006-07:00

So, while the global financial system teeters on the verge of collapse, the race for the White House turns nasty and the war for God knows what continues in Afghanistan, I'm making naan bread.

Here's the recipe I'm using:

Ingredients

10oz plain flour
1 heaped tsp caraway seeds
1/4 pint hand-hot milk
1 tsp dried active yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp plain yogurt, beaten
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Combine milk, yeast and half the sugar in a bowl, whisk and let stand for 20 minutes until a froth develops on the top. Mix in the egg, yogurt and oil.

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl, add salt, baking powder, the remaining sugar and the caraway seeds. Stir in the milk mixture to make a firm dough (if it's too soft and sticky add some more flour) and knead until smooth. Put the dough in an oiled plastic bag and leave in a warm place for an hour to allow it to rise.

Punch out the dough, knead it again and divide it into three pieces. Roll out each piece into a teardrop shape (about 10" by 5").

Preheat oven and heavy baking tray to 275C, place naan on tray and bake for 3 to 4 minutes (until it puffs up) remove from oven, brush top with a little water to dampen slightly then place under a hot grill for 30 seconds.

Modern Britain

2008-10-06T04:52:00.003-07:00

Pupils don't give their teachers apples anymore; these days it's hash cakes, according to the Telegraph:-

A 15-year-old girl has been forced to move schools after she reportedly gave teaching staff cakes laced with drugs.

Two teaching assistants at Wortley High School, in Leeds, suffered from dizziness and headaches after eating the hash cakes which the girl took into school last month.

They pair were taken to hospital for emergency check-ups where doctors said that they had probably been drugged with cannabis.

Probably? For some reason the cakes weren't tested for drugs - so maybe it was just bad cake.

In any case, expect a wave of moral panic.

Bartlet meets Obama

2008-09-29T02:23:00.003-07:00

By far the funniest thing I came across last week was a piece from Maureen Dowd in the NYT: Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet.

Sampler:-

OBAMA They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?

BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.

Pirate talk

2008-09-26T06:51:00.001-07:00

Dang! I missed International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Anyway, I imagine most pirates these days talk Swahili.

Stealth cat

2008-09-22T14:25:00.005-07:00

My ten-year-old's favorite YouTube video - he laughs his head off the whole way through (again and again and again):-

Rounding up the carnivals

2008-09-16T12:26:00.003-07:00

Jason Rosenhouse hosts the second Carnival of Evolution.

Freethought Fort Wayne has Humanist Symposium #25. [Via FIHD]

OrbitalHub hosts Carnival of Space #70.

Jonathan Calder at Liberal England has Britblog Roundup 187.

Ugh!

2008-09-13T10:45:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted something here - those seven days have passed in a codeine induced blur. Yep, I'm back on the painkillers: maximum dose! And, just for the record, the op site still hurts like hell.

Don't expect much from me.

Mr Kipling

2008-09-05T23:11:00.002-07:00

I feel I should say something after referring to one of Rudyard Kipling's poems in the previous post. Quoting Kipling is considered impolite (not to say offensive) in some circles and, before I'm branded for it, I just wanted to say that I hold with Orwell's assessment of the man:-

"Kipling is a jingo imperialist, he is morally insensitive and aesthetically disgusting".

Of course, that's not all Orwell had to say about Kipling: his article (first published in Horizon in 1942) deserves to be read in full.

Tommy turned away

2008-09-05T22:55:00.004-07:00

Echoes of Kipling's Tommy Atkins in this story from the BBC:-

A soldier home on leave after being injured in Afghanistan was refused a room by a hotel when he showed his military ID card at reception.

Corporal Tomos Stringer, 23, from Gwynedd, was visiting a wounded colleague in Surrey when he was turned away from the Metro Hotel in Woking.

He spent the night in his car after being told it was management policy not to accept military personnel.

Cpl Stringer, who has since returned to active service in Afghanistan, is reportedly still angry about what happened and the hotel has now apologized.

Sadly, the treatment of Cpl Stringer is not an isolated event: The Herald reported in May that the British government is set to outlaw discrimination against service personnel following a number of incidents:-

Discrimination against service personnel wearing military uniform will become a criminal offence under proposals accepted yesterday by the government.

The move towards outlawing any physical, administrative, or verbal abuse of troops quotes one major incident reported exclusively by The Herald in January, which involved 200 soldiers returning from Afghanistan being forced to strip off their desert camouflage uniforms on the open tarmac at Birmingham International Airport and change into civilian clothing before being allowed through the terminal building.

Three other incidents used as a basis for new legislation included verbal intimidation of RAF personnel in Peterborough which led to a local ban on the wearing of uniform in public, the refusal of Harrods to allow a uniformed Army officer into the store after a Remembrance Day parade, and abusive complaints about seriously injured soldiers from the Headley Court rehabilitation centre being allowed to use one lane of the swimming pool at a nearby leisure centre.

Rain rain rain

2008-09-05T22:43:00.003-07:00

It just keeps coming - according to the Telegraph, it's the national emblem.

Busy busy busy

2008-09-05T13:24:00.003-07:00

No, really, sometimes I am.

I did however manage to catch that speech by the Republican attack doll. She's clearly nobody's fool and evidently she is "ready for primetime" - though, unlike Roger L Simon, I found her somewhat less than Capraesque.

Midweek games fest

2008-09-03T06:48:00.004-07:00

On any given Saturday in the Junior household there's a high possibility that we'll be hosting the Big Fella's friends for one of their major gaming sessions: War Hammer, Risk, War on Terror, Diplomacy, Dungeons and Dragons (1st Edition) and video games - the mix varies.

Today isn't a Saturday but it is the last day of the school holidays, so the Big Fella has organized an Xbox games day: he's linked up a couple of games consoles, commandeered two of the televisions and taken over a couple of rooms for a day of virtual armed combat and heavy metal music. As a result, I've been overrun by up to ten 13 year-olds - though thankfully I only had to prepare lunch for eight of them.

I'm not sure how much blogging I'll get done today - Mac's been up in London all day and she has choir this evening, so I'll be on duty until late in the evening. Back later, maybe.

In the meantime you might want to check out one or two of the blogs in my blogroll over in the right hand sidebar, watch some classic performance poetry or just kick back and listen to some sounds.