Cool The Earth

Pope groomed by online pontiff-phile who pretended to be God

2011-02-12T12:17:00.000Z

"Pope Benedict XVI is said to be heartbroken that a long running ‘virtual romance’ on Facebook with someone pretending to be God has turned out to be a scam perpetrated by a 54-year-old plumber from the UK".

John Moody

2011-01-04T22:05:00.000Z

John Moody was born in 1868. He went into Finance. His company went bankrupt in 1907. He founded a new company which eventually became Moody's Bond Rating Service. For some obscure reason, this service was one of only two agencies given the responsibility to forecast the capacity of countries, yes - countries, to pay off their national debts.

In 1929, Moody's Bond Rating Service reporting on the U.S.A.: “prosperity which has characterized this country with only moderate setbacks since 1923 is likely to continue without great variation well into the future”. In October that same very year, there was the Wall Street Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.

So there we have it. A company founded by an individual who got it all wrong and went bankrupt. And a company which got it all wrong.

So what happens then? This same independent company still has the job of reporting on countries. The grading system is very very sophisticated: like AAA, BBB, CCC - that sort of thing. On the basis of that, taxes are raised, hospital beds are emptied, pensions are pared, jobs are lost.

Pope canonises first Australian saint

2010-10-18T11:11:00.002+01:00

St. Ruth

Fairness

2010-10-11T21:32:00.000+01:00

Adjusting taxes and benefits
within the tolerances
suggested by focus groups,
Richard Murdoch and
the Daily Whatever.

War, Politics, Money...

2010-09-22T23:09:00.002+01:00

UK finished paying off WW2 debts to USA in 2005. WW1 debts were never paid off to USA - nor a larger sum from other countries to UK.

"This was because President Herbert Hoover declared a debt moratorium during the global financial crisis of 1931."

I suppose the USA was world banker at that time - but it is interesting how finance - which on the surface looks like a straight question of who owes who what - is joined at the hip, or even controlled by, world politics. A debt is only a problem when someone calls in the chips.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article1264220.ece

(Access to The Times is increasingly on a paid basis - but the above link should be free - until Murdoch shuts that particular gate.)

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI goes to war with 'atheist extremism'

2010-09-16T21:12:00.002+01:00

Weapons of Mass Disbelief
45 minute warning?
War, war, war...
And a well-deserved Tony Award.

A Dark Matter of Belief

2010-09-16T21:03:00.003+01:00

This caught my eye.

I have observed a metal ball
expanding over a bunsen burner
and I enjoyed reading Bill Bryson's
A Short History Of Nearly Everything.

But when it comes to M-theory
and this multiverse article,
- what happend to Infinity?
And why would a creator (sic)
be divine?

Pope News - BBC

2010-09-16T20:40:00.000+01:00

After reading how
the Pope visited Glasgow
I checked the Sport site.
McDowell did well
in the Australian Open
(mind you, that was only
the first round)

Memory Loss

2009-08-25T17:21:00.006+01:00

1988

Iran Air Flight 655

300 killed

66 children

"The US government has never admitted responsibility or apologised for the tragedy.

Some believe the Lockerbie bombing, carried out six months later in December 1988, was masterminded by Iranians in revenge for the Airbus tragedy, although a Libyan man was convicted and jailed in 2001.

In February 1996 the US agreed to pay Iran $61.8 million in compensation for the 248 Iranians killed, plus the cost of the aircraft and legal expenses.

It had already paid a further $40 million to the other countries whose nationals were killed".*

Now, you were saying, MISTER FBI?

* from the BBC

Rough

2009-08-11T21:49:00.002+01:00

Twitter

2009-08-07T22:51:00.005+01:00

To witter:

something silly
short
almost meaningless

Poetry; Crass; Cynical.
In reply to @nobody about 2 mins ago

I may regret this.
Then again
maybe not.

Writer's Block

2009-07-23T20:29:00.003+01:00

COWarDICE

Frank McCourt 19th July 2009

2009-07-21T22:35:00.005+01:00

I read Angela's Ashes but didn't warm to it. Not really. Too grim. Sure, go ahead. Read it: it will do you good but I don't really want to read it again.

I love the warmer bits in Frank's life. Like in 'Tis how he soaked for hours and hours in a hot bath as the only way of keeping warm. And where he goes back to have lunch and a laugh with Horace, "offering me another chunk of sandwich telling me I could use a few pounds on my bones....the power of this sadness that tells me this won't come again, this sandwich, this beer on the pier with Horace that makes me feel so happy all I can do is weep with the sadness in it..."

A sandwich figures in Teacher Man, too. "This bread was dark and thick, baked by an Italian mother in Brooklyn, bread firm enough to hold slices of a rich baloney, layered with slices of tomato, onions and peppers, drizzled with olive oil and charged with a tongue-dazzling relish". A youngster threw the sandwich. Frank ate it. It was classroom management and it worked.

Well done, Frank.

Thanks.

Get well soon...

2009-07-02T20:01:00.004+01:00

Interesting article here.
Well, it caught my eye.
I enjoyed exploring
the use of words
especially "slash".

As there is Society
does it have a memory?
Are we heading for a
token Peace Hour
in the Notional Curriculum?

And has anyone out there
met Ferdinand the Bull?

Typing Speed Test 22a

2009-06-17T17:53:00.003+01:00

The Big Bang Theory

In the beginning, every word and meaning that ever was or will be, was packed into a tiny tiny space. Then BANG! In 0.00000000000001 seconds, meaning and understanding expanded in all directions and continues to do so. Of course, your average "developed" Joe is unaware of all this. He is more interested in the latest score and which greedy bastard claimed what for dog food.

Signs of the (Irish)Times - 2

2009-06-17T12:01:00.003+01:00

Beware of the Bulls

Beware of the Bear

For Sale
Celtic Tigers
Only two left

Clean up after your TD
Use a poop scoop or plastic bag

You're Going The Wrong Way
- Turn Back!

School Ahead - Slow - Slower

Do not obstruct the view
Planners will be prosecuted

Thinking Allowed

Iraq inquiry...

2009-06-16T10:51:00.002+01:00

And now
Freedom of Information
is a private matter
between dissenting adults

Choice fruit fruits

2009-06-15T11:05:00.005+01:00

This
morning
morning's
subject
matter
matters:

A punnet of "mixed fruit";
the church bell
tolls
tolling
for a funeral;
the usual
politic
politics;
or
Aung San Suu Kyi's
trial
trials?

Decision postponed
generals
generally.

38

2009-03-30T23:20:00.003+01:00

yes
wait an age for a bus
with or without god
or better still
a friendly conductor.

It's a thing we can't deny*

2009-02-02T21:17:00.004Z

"nine million bicycles in Beijing"
has a certain ring to it;
"26 million out of work in China"
sounds a much bumpier ride.

*appropriate credits to Katie Melua

A Good Childhood Report?

2009-02-02T14:56:00.003Z

On the BBC this morning: "The aggressive pursuit of personal success by adults is now the greatest threat to British children, a major independent report on childhood says".

This major independent report will be published this week by The Children' Society.

The full title of The Children's Society is The Church of England Children's Society.

Full details here.

Also interesting that "The Good Childhood" is a registered trademark of The Children's Society - sorry, The Church of England's Children's Society.

It will be interesting to see what is in the above report.

Gerald Kaufman MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza

2009-01-19T10:58:00.002Z

I did hear some mention of Gerald Kaufman's speach in Parliament the other day. He should have been quoted more widely.

"My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszów. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. Madam Deputy Speaker, my grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt among Gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians. The implication is that Jewish lives are precious, but the lives of Palestinians do not count. On Sky News a few days ago, the spokeswoman for the Israeli Army Major Livovich was asked about the Israeli killing of, at that time, eight hundred Palestinians. The total is now a thousand. She replied instantly, "Five hundred of them were militants." That was the reply of a Nazi. I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw Ghetto could have been dismissed as militants.

and

"Hamas is a deeply nasty organization, but it was democratically elected, and it is the only game in town.

and

"It's time for our government to make clear to the Israeli government that its conduct and policies are unacceptable and to impose a total arms ban on Israel. It is time for peace, but real peace, not the solution by conquest, which is the Israelis' real goal, but which is impossible for them to achieve. They're not simply war criminals; they're fools."

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Kaufman

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qMGuYjt6CP8

Audio slideshow: Brunel's achievements revisited

2008-11-29T19:16:00.007Z

"It is 150 years since the death of Robert Howlett - the young photographer who took this iconic image of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

"Robert Howlett died - in December 1858 - from a fever, most likely caused by exposure to the poisonous photographic chemicals that he used.

"Intrigued by how the Brunel photograph was created, photojournalist David White set out - using non toxic methods - to recreate some of Howlett's images.

"With a specially-made camera, he travelled across south and west England to view Brunel's extensive legacy".

Story and slideshow here

Money isn't working...

2008-09-29T21:33:00.003+01:00

"The City of London underwent the "Big Bang" of deregulation in 1986 that
helped expand the financial services sector, create scores of thousands of
jobs and enhanced upward mobility for classes of workers that had
traditionally experienced a glass ceiling in the City..."

Margaret Thatcher: Radical visionary who rescued Britain. Daily Telegraph, April 2008
full article here

New Labour took up Maggie's torch and carried it well.

Peter Mandelson: "We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich".

And now there's another blue queue at the trough.

Is the future Conservative?

2008-09-11T19:31:00.005+01:00

"New Labour has created a more individualised and wealthier society, but not a freer or more equal one. And now the party lacks a vision that can challenge the Tory revival.

It is time for the left to take on the New Tories. This challenge cannot be separated from the need to address the problems facing post-New Labour social democracy. By critically engaging with Cameron's Conservatives the left can rethink its principles and renew itself".

- Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford, New Statesman, September 2008.

Full article here

Do the Super-Rich matter?

2008-09-09T21:49:00.001+01:00

"It's the controversy that is becoming symbolic of a wider debate about the future direction of the UK. Should we be 'intensely relaxed' about the superrich, as Peter Mandelson claimed?

Or are they symptomatic of something fundamentally wrong with Britain? Do the Super-Rich Matter? forensically analyses the impact the wealthiest are having on our wellbeing. It reveals an economy increasingly skewed to serve the interests of a tiny minority and a society losing touch with a basic sense of fairness.

Uniquely, Do the Super-Rich Matter? proposes a bold programme to address these worrying trends".

- briefing paper and pamphlet download here

Peep

2008-09-08T10:04:00.001+01:00

peep

08-08-08

2008-08-08T23:09:00.003+01:00

It may be a date
to note - or not.

Life goes gone
- or not.

(BBC)Russian forces battle Georgians
- tanks...

(BBC)Fannie Mae unveils loss of $2.3bn
- money means fuck all
(unless you don't have any)

(BBC)Spectacular opening for Olympics
- so Human Rights
can take a run and jump.

Next they will be telling us
the air ain't worth breathing

(cough)

Still, no point in being down about it
- we have to laugh, while we can.

Making A Meal Of It

2008-07-22T12:28:00.002+01:00

What with
"All Day Breakfasts"
and
"Evening Meals
Served All Day"
No wonder
so many of us
are permanently
out to lunch.

Sound Of Silence

2008-07-12T23:32:00.002+01:00

drip

drip

drip

drip

drip

,

.

Another Fine Mess, George....

2008-07-03T21:15:00.006+01:00

What is it with George Bush and oil? Surely Iraq is enough of a mess, even for George's greedy backers? Oh no, they have to drip sump oil all over lunch. For those who have a lunch that is...

"Biofuels are prime cause of food crisis, says leaked report

"Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated.......

"The figure emphatically contradicts the US government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises.....

"President Bush has linked higher food prices to higher demand from India and China, but the leaked World Bank study disputes that: 'Rapid income growth in developing countries has not led to large increases in global grain consumption and was not a major factor responsible for the large price increases.'

"Since April, all petrol and diesel in Britain has had to include 2.5% from biofuels....."

Full article in today's Guardian:

here

Market Stalls

2008-07-03T09:57:00.003+01:00

Where does that leave us?
The shine off 'New' Labour,
the worm in the rose,
the filthy rich whiff,
the sound bite spit in the Sun.

Fat cats
doze comfortably
under hedge funds.

And there's a long blue queue at the trough.

Coldplay

2008-07-03T09:41:00.001+01:00

Coldplay at the BBC.
Great - I really enjoyed
listening and watching.
Great to see everyone enjoying themselves
- well, I take it the band were
- enjoying themselves that is
- I hope so.
Sometimes I wonder about
emotions without meaning,
bullet points without sense
- but, hey, nothing new in that.
And that silly nonsense of the interview
- give the guy some air
- give everyone some air
- some breeze for us all.

'New' Labour's Identity Crisis

2008-06-27T10:59:00.002+01:00

Good question:

"what's Labour for and what is it definitely against?"

Polly Toynbee in the Guardian here

a friend of a friend of a poster on the internet

2008-06-25T21:10:00.002+01:00

I read this
so thought
pass it on

it's the least I can do.

over to you...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7470761.stm

machoangelo

2008-06-25T16:03:00.002+01:00

my son
started school
a little boy
short pants

two days
later at home
he asked

Oliver
why is it
when I'm
walking along the top corridor and another boy is walking toward me
and there
is no one
else about

he
just bumps
into me

no reason
bump
why is that?

what could I say?
there is
NO reason

macho angels will bump
into each other
anywhere
even on top of a pin

Statesman

2008-06-24T09:33:00.005+01:00

Alan Little gave an interesting summary on the Today programme this morning:
here
His comments on Mbeke's and Mugabe's respective background have me thinking what is the difference between a statesman and a politician.
The entry in Wikipedia
here
is a good one.

Mugabe has proved he is not a statesman.
Bush, despite leading the most powerful nation for years, is still a grubby politician.
Blair talks more the part
has more of "the vision thing"
but lacks rational principles.
Zimbabwe has given Mbeke an opportunity to show he is more of a stateman.

(I raise the "'statesman' v 'politician' debate" in the context of some of the world's "leaders". If "statesman" gives a clue to desirable qualities for world or national leadership - or just political leadership - then it may be worth defining that more closely. An informed, intelligent electorate is better than one which elects on the basis of hairstyle, willingness to ride a bike, or similar minutiae.

The Wikipedia quote particularly appeals to me because of the use of "disinterested" i.e. "free from bias or partiality; objective" (O.E.D. definition). "Disinterested" in the context of world leadership raises questions about much of the assorted machinery of "democracy" - and, for instance, the power and role of the U.N. Security Council.

The Today piece I referred to, Alan Little, struck me as a short but very thoughtful analysis of the current crisis in Zimbabwe including a brief attempt to explain some of it in the context of some recent African history, colonial past, the distribution of world power (i.e. China), and some personal psychology.

I hope the situation in Zimbabwe - and southern Africa - can be resolved satisfactorily and that lessons learned can be applied to the many other troubled regions of the world.)

Oi! You! Mugabe!

2008-06-21T21:01:00.004+01:00

A Freedom Fighter
is someone
who fights
for
Freedom;
not

a Bastard
who
strangles
whips
and
rapes
it.

Stick Figure Olympics 2

2008-06-20T08:29:00.003+01:00

Aung San Suu Kyi
for the marathon.
Morgan Tsvangirai
high jump.
The Olympic flame
burns
in Tiananmen.

Hope For Zimbabwe

2008-06-20T08:27:00.001+01:00

Did Mbeki
suggest
the opposition in Zimbabwe
should shower after voting?
At last
there's soap
for Zimbabwe.

There goes Burmah - why not Zimbabwe?

2008-06-05T23:54:00.003+01:00

There are lots of parallels, including support from China.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for over 12 years.

What price Morgan Tsvangirai - just shoot him and throw him in a ditch?

Anyway, who cares?

here

Go on, send a card...

2008-05-09T22:15:00.003+01:00

Amnesty are trying to
highlight
abuse of humans
in
China.

After the Olympics
China can tell us to
take and run and jump.

So, go on.
Send a card.
here

I just wrote:
"Thinking of you at this time".

If you are interested in
The World
Amnesty does other stuff
here

as do other organisations.

I like
From Our Own Correspondent
from the BBC.
It give some personalised perspectives
on our little world
here

Prayer in the Care Home

2008-04-17T14:09:00.005+01:00

How are you, John?
Did you enjoy
your bread 'n marmalade?

Now, let me see you
take your tablets:

tamazapam to help you sleep;
senna to open the bowels;
paracetamol for the pain.
Amen

The Longest Day

2008-04-09T00:20:00.000+01:00

For some reason I watched it
- the film
- today.

Phones were big.
People often ended up in the wrong places;
It didn't always matter.
Sean Connery sounded the same.
People have short memories.

War depends on men being easily led;
That goes for goodies and baddies.
France was worth fighting for;
It still is.
People have short memories.

Soldiers dressed smartly;
Not a hair out of place. Still true.
They followed Hitler, they did.
The Germans that it - those ones.
People have short memories.

Normandy: famous for cider, butter, invasion.
Fuhrer: famous for loudness, temper, death.
They followed Hitler;
Managers, people, youth,that is.
People easily forget.

It's not a good idea to land in a town.
Unless you want to be there, that is.
It's not good to have your boots on the wrong feet.
Maybe it is now as it was then.
But people have short memories.

They lit their pipes, cigars, cigarettes.
And of course there is that bit at the end:
"He's dead. I'm crippled. You're lost."
And then, "I wonder who won".
People have short memories.

"O.K. Run me up the hill, son."

sat near the exit

2008-03-27T21:24:00.002Z

Only five minutes of visiting time left.
I walked past the nurses' station,
turned right
passed a toilet
into the little side room.

A white bearded stranger in John's bed.

Back to the nurses' station.
I'm looking for John Cato?
Oh, you've just passed him
- he's in there?
Er, where?
In here - over to the blue door,
holds it open,
Ah - John Caton sitting on the toilet.

I left them to it.

You can sit here with your friend.
A day room with widescreen tv
- not pink and out of focus,
just a little snowy.
The blue sky out the windows looked fresh and clear.

George, burly 'n black, hobble by on a stick.
Mind, my friend - from John, tucking in his zimmer.
You're no friend of mine - from George with no neck
in an over eighty deiselish sort of way.
Eye roll and twitchofthelip from Caton,
with a murmer of which I only heard
uncouth, cut, and arse.

Lunch came in on trays.
I sat John at the large table.
Cut it up very small.
I did. Steaknkidney mashnpeas.
John fed himself.
Cecil, on my left, passed me
little packets of salt n pepper.
I tore them open.
He sprinkled them over
pureedpeas, mash, chicken
finely sieved.
He spooned enthusiastically.
Adjusted the oxygen when it slipped from his nose.
The nurse said well done.
She smiled at him.
I smiled at her.
John started on the jelly 'n ice cream.

George ate a big dinner with a big spoon.

Paul sat across from George,
also looking West Indian,
but as different as you can imagine.
Black, but chalk 'n cheese.
Sonny Liston 'n Gary Sobers.
Dave sat opposite Cecil.
White. Different as sleep and alert.

Tony sat beside John.
Looked a little Chinese.
Had pilau rice with olive mash.

We zimmered back to the chairs by the doorway.
John didn't want - him (George) listening in.
George cleared his throat, noisely,
looked like clearing his nose, didn't, luckily.
George slept. Paul, looking interested, nodded off.
Dave slept in his lunch.
Cecil gave me a wave, mouthed Thank You.
The sky was still blue outside.

John talked, hugged his zimmer, slept a little.
We walked his zimmer to the toilet and back.
We talked a little business - what needs doing,
what sort of care home.
No, money doesn't mean much, he said, I agreed.

Nurse I hadn't seen came in, officious.
I thought she must be checking the afternoon attendance.
No - forms to fill in for tomorrow's lunch.
What about you, Dave? He was awake.
Orange juice?
Mash, Olive Mash or Rice?
Beef, Fish or Chicken?
Would you like the beef, fish, or chiken?
Beef, fish or chicken?
Life or Death?

I left John. Gave him a pat on the shoulder.
Went downstairs, stopping at the toilet.
Felt young.
Walked home, stopping at Tescos:
smoked salmon, cucumber and crusty french bread.

Embryonic

2008-03-25T12:18:00.001Z

The Archbishop of Cardiff, Peter Smith,
called for a "calm, reasoned debate
based on the facts".

In faith, who would believe it?

here

Cash 4 - Honours 0

2008-02-24T23:37:00.002Z

Peter Mandelson, New Labour, said, "we are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich".

He did go on to say, "so long as they pay their taxes".

But "filthy" gave the game away.

Tao of Pooh

2008-02-02T16:19:00.000Z

I searched for laughter in TaoDeJing,
but the nearest I could find was slaughter.

I searched for fun in TaoDeJing,
but the nearest match was funeral.

But the Tao of Pooh is a bit lighter:
"When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few, other things that get in
the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and
mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun."

pants

2008-01-09T12:01:00.001Z

Hold his legs with my right
I grabbed his black underpants
with my left. Gave a determined
pull - sound of a seam giving.
His neck seemed all awkward,
so I propped his head on a jumper.
His left leg looked like an
elephant's, grey and dried,
a bloody hole filled with
sticking bits of toilet roll.
Got the pad off, threw it on
the floor by the low gas fire.
A careless wipe with a damp
tea towel. Maneuver white pad
over the heavy black skin, dead
weight, grey bloody sore mess.
Didn't bother with the underpants
just pulled on any pair of
pants and never mind the torn
flies. Trainers. Sit up. Warm
jacket. Up you get. But not
a hope down four flights of
stairsandthenthefrontsteps.
So I gave up and called for
an ambulance. Two of them
carried him downstairs strapped
in a stretcher-chair. "You'd
never have managed him" -
said he might lose his leg
with that neglected ulcer.
I - no - I don't care as a rule
- though lots of others care.

flat out

2008-01-09T11:30:00.000Z

Fresh from her bike ride,
grey-haired, she stretched
her black leather gloves.
She dealt with each finger
in turn then blew in them
- little balloons of hands.
Smoothed them flat. Put
them in her desk drawer.
A few years later she was
dead - heart failure, they
said. And sure wasn't she
a gentle soul. When you
think of all the children
who went through her hands.

gloves and underpants

2008-01-09T10:45:00.000Z

he
said the hard part is
making yourself vulnerable

she
said you can't say that
sort of thing

i
wrote about the gloves

The X Factor

2007-12-19T21:56:00.000Z

Even with the coal fire lit up,
hissing a little with smoke and flame,
the tiles near the mantle-piece
were cool for hand or forehead.

The plain cut-wool rug was an island
in the sea of lino. The little poker
with the sharpish tip - dig it in
a steaming coal vein - a satisfy jet,
bright but quickly dead.

Over at the dining table - well, only
for Christmas and special occasions,
- my brother and the Da acted out
their respective parts. Tonight we have

The Coalfield of England. Northumberland
anddurham was my favourite, all one word
of course. And Yorkshire. And Kent, being
the Garden of England was green.

But the high drama was when trains
puffed along the track, one just seven
miles faster than the other and how long
would it take the bath to fill when

the tap was doing so many gallons
and the drain was emptying pints.
All of this, a little pause for effect,
and then the whole point of the exercise:

Let x equal the answer! Oh occasionally
a or b acted as understudies, or y placed
a supporting role. But x was your real
man, Host, Saviour and slicker than
the Holy Ghost.

So let x equal the almighty
or we'll be sitting round for infinity
and the fire will have long gone out.

Buried In A Blog

2007-12-12T21:47:00.000Z

Last night, in the small hours,
I lay awake for a while trying
to sketch out a poem in my head.
The title would be something like
Buried In A Blog. Maybe in years
to come, archaeologists will dig
in the ruins, whatever those ruins
may be, unearthing objects of
possible interest. Bits of bone,
coins, some metals. Does vinyl rot?
That led me to remember Keats's
Ode To A Grecian Urn. What is our
equivalent? What would be on it?
And what of Truth and Beauty -
not to mention fame, influence, money.
And how famous or not is Robert Hooke?
Why is/was he over-shadowed by Newton?
Make a poem of that lot? Hmmm...

Gender on a spectrum

2007-11-30T22:53:00.000Z

This article in the New Statesman caught my eye.

If you want, you can read it here.

Someone asked why the article caught my eye.

This is my reply:

I try to look at the headlines from BBC and Guardian, for instance. I respect both of those institutions for what they are, but they are very mainstream. So I have The Register, New Scientist and New Statesman headlines on my Google homepage.

The Gender On A Spectrum line caught my eye. I like the idea of a spectrum - as opposed to, say, a line or a fixed point. There is probably not a crock of gold at the end of a rainbow - maybe the rainbow itself is of more value than bits of metal.

That took me into the first paragraph of the article. I too distrust the word "weird". Vaccination, flight and long distance/wireless communications are "weird". And the idea of "discomfort" as an incentive to learning - yes, I find that interesting. Maybe the start should not be "Are you sitting comfortably?"

Gender, sex, spectrum? I grew up in Ireland at a time when there was little information about sex. One of the first informed conversations I had was with a friend's mother. I must have been about 9 or 10 at the time. She had some sort of social worker role in Dublin, 20 miles away. She described to me and one or two others how she had visited a convent in Dublin where the nuns looked after pregnant girls and put their babies up for adoption. However, the convent had a large room upstairs out of the way where the nuns had accumulated a number of youngsters no one wanted - and no one knew what to do with them. These children, over 10 of them, were of indeterminate sex. They were fed, physically looked after - but no one wanted them, recognised them, or knew what to do with them.

The woman in question insisted to the nuns that she was unhappy - and demanded that she should take one of the children home for the weekend with her, to spend time with her family. He had a boys name, and to us he was a young boy - about 8 or 9. I only saw him the once, though I believe he spent more than a few weekends at home with my friends family. And I was aware that there was a bit of a 'row' going on about what was happening to the other children.

For this and other reasons, as an adult I worked with children 'on the edge' - through behaviour, abuse and other circumstances. Fortunately, being on the edge, I have only dealt with relatively small numbers - though sometime the number has gone into three figures. But I try to counter the tendency to pigeon-hole children/people. I like the idea of positioning people on a very large map of mankind.

Similary I currently look to debate as an shared exploration on a spectrum of ideas rather than on a yaa-boo posturing from set points.

Does anyone out there have anything to say?

waiting for something to happen

2007-11-26T23:16:00.001Z

today's hero

2007-11-14T20:54:00.000Z

Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
and
he is pretty good on god.

Mass Distruction

2007-11-14T09:36:00.000Z

Politicians
sometimes jump
to conclusions.
Wars don't.

iniquity

2007-11-09T12:26:00.000Z

how come
someone
leaked news
to newspapers
re Stephen Lawrence
YESTERDAY?

who leaked that news?

who 'sexed-up' that news?

news which hampers
the ongoing Stephen Lawrence enquiry?

who tried
to avoid
any IPCC
investigation
re Jean Charles de Menezes
the report on which
was published
YESTERDAY?

who tampered
with the police
surveillance log
changed the meaning?

Jean Charles de Menezes

2007-11-08T20:10:00.000Z

He was shot
in the head
like a dog
on the tube.

It stinks.

And for the first time
ever
really
I don't understand
Ken Livingston.

BBC report and IPCC Report download link here

Egg

2007-11-08T19:58:00.000Z

It is true,
is it not?
An ant
can 'do' moral philosophy.

19

2007-10-06T00:10:00.000+01:00

12 or so, I think I would have been.
My older brother gave me a book:
St.Dominic - This Is Your Life, or
a title of that sort.
It wasn't a big red book. It was slim,
dignified, grey, new, smelled nice.
I only had the odd book back then,
rarely new, never slim.
St. Dominic died when he was nineteen.
The details escape me, but I remember
the number and couldn't see beyond it.

Tomorrow I will have beaten Dominic,
and my self-forecast by forty years.
Another no-no for religion then, not
that another no is needed by now.

The serious question though is why
Belief, Superstition, whatever you may
are stronger than cast-iron galvanized Fact.
Not all the time, of course, but in
kitchens, bedrooms, gardens, building-sites,
factories, and assorted such places.

Put another log on that fire, George.
Enough feckin' facts for tonight.
Who's got a song or a story, for Chris' sake,
get that dog away from the door.

Lucretius said

2007-10-03T22:55:00.000+01:00

the Sun is the same size
as we see it.
I'm not sure about that.

He says Death can be feared
if you look into a future without you,
but if you look back into the past,
way back before you that is,
then you are not there either.
And that feels, maybe, a bit O.K.?

I must remember to remember,
Lucretius that is, or was,
a good guy to have around.
Not sure about the Sun though,
or was it the Moon?

That Death bit is good though.
I can live with that...

first draft - belief 2007

2007-10-03T22:03:00.000+01:00

You can trust me*
You know you can - don't you
Don't you believe me?
How can you look at me
and say you don't believe me?
After all this time?
I trust you.
I'd lay down my life for you.
I'd do anything for you.
I love you.
I'm your father, mother,
sister, brother.
[use capitals for that lot]
I'm here for you baby,
my man,
[look at gender stats on this one,
don't want to miss a beat]
you KNOW that, for real.

* me is a lying hound.
I'm just being devil's advocate.

faith
belief
hope
knowledge
certainty
proof
[not sure about that one]
charity
mystery
love

but the greatest of these is...

why swim deep
climb high
surf on the breeze
go the extra mile
exceed expectations
earn more than you can spend
[potential corporates?]
buckle the bomb belt
[check]
on your knees and bow

knowledge is flat earth
faith soars into the unknown
knowledge is an apple on your head
faith is a safe landing, without wheels

believe me

I* know

* me is a lying hound.
I'm just being devil's advocate.

You know I'm right.
Right is Right
Fight the Good Fight, Fight, Fight.
I had a dream
You and me
Eternity

[loop tape - tea break]

* ignore - personal diary only,
though keep cutting edge -
that's what they believe in.

Maybe they're right.
Shit, maybe I'm right.

* need to re-assess

apple picking

2007-10-02T20:43:00.000+01:00

Grey lichen-covered apple tree branches.
Chest-high stinging nettles test trouser legs.
At least I remembered some old trainers.
A couple of old plastic crates, ladder,
two long-reach pickers with the orchard's name,
and off we went.

What a beautiful morning, I envy
the warden his snug environmental
shelf-lined house - he lives here among
badgers, butterflies, wasps and look straight up
a buzzard hovering high in the sky.

No sprays on these apples - unlike those Kurds.
Joe plonked his ladder under the branches,
well, from far off the apples had looked nice.
Unlike Saddam, or his prisoners, Joe
climbed down, strode off to try somewhere else.

We walked round the huge pond. No bodies floating.
Two woodpeckers rattled out, so Joe said.
He pointed, but it was into the sun.

We were lucky ones, with a picker each.
That mother and little boy over there,
he jumping to reach some little fruit.
So Joe gave them his picker and ladder
- with a 'well, you use the picker like this'.
You can bet it's not like that in Dafur.

After a look at some wild flowers, rabbits,
and lottery-funded hide for badgers,
someone called it was time for coffee,
so we joined the little band by the cars,
a large pot of tea, milk in a jug,
mixed Fox's biscuits out of the packet.

We'd only picked two boxes of apples,
Michael said the Bramleys were good.
Joan and Lily made back for the pears,
and there was a Red Admiral by the wall.

As we packed up, Joe said Lewis Hamilton
had grown up nearby. We were quite surprised
we both followed Formula One racing.
That's another Sunday morning ticked off.
Nothing much there to write home about.

I Should Be Proud

2007-09-28T23:03:00.000+01:00

Missed it - the radio programme that is.
Caught a trailer - Martha Reeves just talking.
I Should Be Proud: black men in black bin bags.
Yes, in the killing fields of Vietnam.

Debate about global warming cools down.
A cliche down, another comes around.
(got to do a few things here - so if you have
some ideas for this bit, do feel free)

Funny, wife being black, doing the ironing.
We were passing comments on the steam iron,
one of the latest sorts it seems. You can
even iron hanging curtains with it. Well,
when questioned on this the answer was "No".

Then the phone went, a black cousin, telling
how an art teacher at a staff meeting
offered a display of, erm, gollywogs.
A mother of two mixed-race adopted kids.

Claiming devil's advocate I wondered
was she trying to provoke honest debate?
Did this parallel using "nigger"?
A burst of steam from the iron left a doubt.

Which is best? A "wog" in the face
or a job application in the bin
with boxes all ticked and satisfied grin?

I'm glad I'm not in a black plastic bag.
Not a dead hunk of flesh from Vietnam.
I don't dream of hugs in Guantanamo,
or wait for that Big Bang in Iraq.

Nice one, Martha.
Be proud.

This man - a hero?

2007-09-25T21:01:00.000+01:00

I love what he said.
I love the way he said it.

I'm a coward.
He was brave.
I love the way he walked in water.

sacred heart almighty

2007-09-25T16:26:00.000+01:00

the doleful face
fair skin
long almost ringleted hair
combed tache 'n beard
looks not at me
no wonder he doesn't look at me

the palms of the hands
are pierced
but the key is the heart
la pee de la resistance

lurididly bathed in pale pink light
liver brown
circled with barbed wire thorns

this cannot be serious
can it?

walking looking back

2007-09-24T21:45:00.000+01:00

light north wind
high cool cloud streaked sky
hedges
fuchsia blackberry honeysuckle
haws rose
hips nettles fertile ground
rats
far off scurrying trailing tails
dead
fresh spilled guts on tar
hedgehog
gentle face curled in peaceful death
rolls of hay
where cocks used to stand
field of leeks
stubble speckled with black flakes of crows
twin brother tractors
tilling scratching soil
telegraph poles
iron gated railings
and the deserted gate lodge
whose estate was this?
fields of greens
browns yellows stretch
looking into the distance
to the Sugar Loaf Mountain
near the end
of the lane the solid dark truck
Motorway Maintenance
chiming with a beat
“Beware this vehicle is reversing”

Un Holy Alliance

2007-09-22T21:29:00.000+01:00

Cross of Fingers
Monks of Burma
Aung San Suu Kyi

here
here

and From Our Own Correspondent
gets up close and personal
in a BBC sort of way
here

Just asking...

2007-09-22T21:26:00.000+01:00

Is it ever of any value
to say, "I told you so?"

Blue Ribbon

2007-09-21T22:02:00.000+01:00

It was dull and gloomy
heading west through Wales.
The last run towards Anglesey
looking down towards the coast
a strip of brilliant sunlit blue
wide and deep enough to swallow thousands
of armies and more rewarding
than blood red streams and pools
of oil and poppies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Coole Park

2007-09-20T21:15:00.000+01:00

It may be Yeats
(but I doubt it)
or the Laurie Lee essays I brought
but Ireland does move me to write
of charred sausages
microwaved colcannon
apple tart and Maud Gonne.
Celebrated Autograph Tree
- more trite bark than bite.

Ne'er a swan of any sort in sight,
the lake is low and peaceful though.
I cast a cool eye on life on death
try to forget the Ford Focus
with leather seats mark you.

Driver pass by.

train of thought

2007-09-20T21:11:00.000+01:00

mind
the
gap

Iraq, John Wain in

2007-07-14T23:05:00.000+01:00

We just stay put.
Keep them on their toes.
They'll start to split.
Quiet there!
Settle down, this'll be a long night....

Iraq

2007-07-09T23:05:00.000+01:00

3,606 US troops have died since the 2003 invasion
3,606 young people
That's a lot of youngsters,
brothers, sisters,
partners, children,
friends, communities...

three thousand,
six hundred
and
six

If lives* made cents,
how much is that in dollars?

*Iraqis don't count. They are free.

Size Matters

2007-07-09T21:22:00.000+01:00

She said mine
was a bit short.
So a poem
has to be long?

Sleeping Beauty?

2007-07-09T21:15:00.000+01:00

Alastair Campbell is no beauty;
nor a princess, even if he met one
in the mirror.
This business about spin -
what happens if someone wields a bodkin,
a sharp needle?
Maybe that is why he sticks things
in his hands:
a prick here, a prick there,
the blood spreads
all over the map.
Truth aborted.

What rhymes with drains

2007-07-08T23:56:00.000+01:00

Washing up the supper things
- stewed gigot chop, some fish,
new potatoes, carrots and peas,
if you must -
at the bit where glasses 'n plates
lead on to a few pots
a poem came to mind, line by line;
that will do, I thought.
So neat it went down the drain
before I even pulled the plug.
Maybe it will surface, somewhere,
sometime. Though it won't cause
ripples

Religion

2007-07-08T21:45:00.000+01:00

Enough.
Had it up to here.
Silly arguments, disagreements, rows.
Not speaking.
Fights - and worse.
Wars of sorts 'n bombs blowing apart.
Raised hands, shattered legs, blood.
You wallow in it if you want to.
Sackcloth, ashes, guilt, bonemeal.
Don't ask me hear for credit.
I've given it up for lent.
No offence - just bog off.
And don't knock next door.
They're out.

Killings In The Key Of Life

2007-07-07T21:54:00.000+01:00

market

capsule 07.07.07 capsule

2007-07-07T17:22:00.000+01:00

Sun
No, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Tony Blair accepted a senior position in Murdoch's News Corporation empire. A seat on the board, or whatever.

Stars
Just think, what we see around us as the Milky Way: all the stars in the sky we can see and cannot see, could just, say, a drop of rain in a bigger scheme of things.

Rats
Are not really very nice. Unless you happen to like them. Or if you are a rat...

Religious People
Some of my best friends are religious. Actually, that is not true. I have relatives who are religious. I don't have friends who are religious. It wouldn't bother me if I did, but I don't.

Sprats
I like sprats. They are one of the few foods everyone in this house likes. Bring them home from the market. Head, tail, clean and wash them. Leave them in a bowl with chopped onion, salt, pepper, thyme and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Flour them, put them on an oiled tray and bake them in a very hot oven. They should be starting to brown and crisp a little. We have them with brown soda bread, with lemon to squeeze over. Or with boiled rice, fresh tomato and pepper sauce and fried plantain. Although many varieties of fish are threatened with extinction, sprats are plentiful and likely to become even more so. Also, they are relatively cheap and very nutritious. They are delicious.

Space
Although there is a lot of it, like water, sometimes there is not enough space. There are human beings who do not have much space. Other who do not have enough water, or food to eat. There are people who suffer all the time because of what others do to them, deliberately.

Rocket
It would be good if this capsule launched into space from a real rocket. Instead I am send it into the Internet, virtual Space, by was of a blog, a virtual rocket. I hope it ends up with someone who reads it - the rest is up to them.

Breadrin

2007-07-05T21:58:00.000+01:00

There, on top of the freezer:
brown soda bread;
coconut bread - more like cake
for buttering. And it was a fresh
coconut from Ridley Market,
cracked with a hammer
between the eyes.
Lincolnshire Plum Loaf,
- more like a fruit loaf
for buttering.
No, indeed not,
the cupboard ain't bare.
An' Bix Beiderbeck breaks
into song - well it was
Seger Ellis - eighty years
ago but still fresh out
of the oven:

"There's a cradle in Caroline
A bough in a tree, a bowing to me
There's a cradle that I call mine
A carpet of green, you know what I mean"

MP3 Banks And Fields

2007-07-04T20:21:00.000+01:00

Houses in De Beauvoir 'town'
have spaces in between;
all look different.
Flats, blocked not quite
in De Beauvoir, are tallish,
flattish, sameish.

Finding myself striding out
too fast, stopped under a tree,
fished out my MP3 player,
walked on, more slowly.

Large black male, Royal
Mail, rooting from the red pillar-box;
suddenly looked my way as I passed,
dark swept-around sunspecs;
tapped me on the shoulder:
"You have a nice evening".
"You too".
Nice guy.

Our usual postie sits
plays with next door
comic-cut cat. Gives the old
man time to get downstairs.

Yes, compress some audio files,
easier to store and carry.
Lives? Leave those
empty spaces in between.
Don't go for lossless either,
guaranteed to fail under
cold grey slabs of mud.

Goodbye TB

2007-07-03T22:08:00.000+01:00

new blood spurts
bright red
chequered flag
well done
check rolex
podium
champagne spurts
pits

Tom Tom McO

2007-07-02T18:53:00.000+01:00

I TELL YOU NOW:
I set out for Damascus.
I met my destiny,
driving down the Falls Road
in a chariot of fire.
That is the way
of the almighty Lord,
as set out in
The Holy Bible.

We bow our heads to God,
His Son Jesus Christ,
our Saviour,

Éamon.

Puppy Love

2007-07-02T16:58:00.000+01:00

I’d like to write
in small clear words
like the Pet Shop Boys.

What I wrote
would not be as
popular.

And it would not be heard,
either,
like the Pet Shop Boys.

Nothing so popular
as cute puppies in a window.

Rape'n'Death in Darfur
gets boring after the
first few rhymes.

Excuse me! Could I have a quick word?

2007-07-02T16:22:00.000+01:00

sometimes
a word
is not
enough
not even
quite a few
of them
not
even
set
to
music

Permanent Pen On Vinyl

2007-06-28T21:20:00.001+01:00

Bhundu Boys – I can listen
on CD via
laptop or player
earphones, speakers, surround sound,
Ipod,
Ipaq,
Walkman,
Grundig,
down the street,
at the kitchen table,
on the cream leather sofa,
the two-piece African chair,
in bed,
in the garden,
in the sun.

Those hands, smiles,
voices are dead;
so young,
so early
so long.

[Rise Kagonga is still in Scotland,
but don’t let life get in the way
of love of money.]

Change

2007-06-28T09:36:00.000+01:00

If we are going have change,
we need to change.

If we are going to change,
we need education.

Not “Education, Education, Education”,
for money, industry and appearances,
Education
as in Learning,
discovering how things work,
helping each other learn,
making things better
spreading contentment,
comfort and happiness.

No,
not, “Education, Education, Education”.
More like, “How, How, How”
And, "Ho Ho Ho".

More fun,
less shooting
from the hip lip.

Spitter Spatter Lies

2007-06-05T22:40:00.000+01:00

Scooter
-spit

Libby
-spit

Bush
-spit

Cheney
-spit

Rumsfeld
-spit

enough to give 'prison' a bad name...

Bush
Oil
Enron
-spit - spit - spit

Waiting In Limbo

2007-06-05T21:12:00.000+01:00

Nothing new here:

Guantánamo

A Breughel in the West Indies

2007-06-05T20:27:00.001+01:00

At the centre and heart
a clay oven
roofed with corrugated
iron.
The woman
in the red dress - and apron
feeds a loaf
in on a long wooden paddle.
More risen loaves
wait on a sturdy
table.

Two boys, bright shirts
squat in the yard,
playing marbles.
Two hens,
proud, combed, red,
peck and scratch.

A man,
blue trousered, white shirt,
laid back hat,
back from work,
chats with woman sitting
on the throne of her door-step.

I love this picture of a warm
and natural life. Even
when it hangs
over
our gas-fired Aga.

moneeeeeeeeeeeeee.....

2007-05-20T23:34:00.000+01:00

sometimes
good people
just don't know
how low
people
can go

sometimes
good people
just don't want
to know

some bad people
just do the right thing
even though
they know
it's wrong

moneeeeeeeeeeeeee.....

wicked
right?

Open Government

2007-05-16T21:30:00.000+01:00

Suez
still secret
50 years on.

from New Labour manifesto, 1997:
Open government
Unnecessary secrecy in government leads to arrogance in government and
defective policy decisions. The Scott Report on arms to Iraq revealed
Conservative abuses of power. We are pledged to a Freedom of Information
Act, leading to more open government, and an independent National
Statistical Service.

guns 'n stones

2007-04-25T21:35:00.000+01:00

When the Rich fight the Poor:
that's War.

When the Poor fight the Rich:
that Terrorism.

[Did Tony Benn say that?]

When the Rich fight the Rich?
[No, preferably - too much to lose.]

library table

2007-04-05T20:51:00.000+01:00

at one end of the library table,
sixteen, sitting opposite two nuns.
dreams of writing about barbed wire
and discovers he can write with his
left, just for spite.

down the other end
fifty-eight, sitting fronting
laptop. thinks of writing how
clean a chicken can be inside.
discovers he can cut with his
right, just for fun.

so it's never too late to be
dirty.
'half-baked' is not very good.
and they shouldn't really believe
things
without knowing, but they would,
do, have been,
very well done.

Would you believe

2007-04-02T11:18:00.000+01:00

John Cornwell's 'Seminary Boy'
was interesting,
stained glass
dark wood
but at the end
it seemed like something was missing
- for him at least.

Yann Martel's 'Life of Pi'
was interesting
full of light
bright colours
and nothing missing
- for me, for one, that is.

migrant labour

2007-03-20T21:20:00.000Z

Chris Stewart's "The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society" is worth reading, if only for his discription of a short stay with a Moroccan Berber family.

Rabbit on

2007-03-19T21:45:00.000Z

The flowers on the kitchen table
looked happy and fresh,
white, yellow and blue.
Sunlight streamed through
the basement window.

Harriet, only five but
with an eye for pretty things
stood and admired but
said nothing.

A few days later those flowers
drooped, wrinkled.
"What happened to the flowers?"
"They don't last long when
they've been cut - especially
in the kitchen".

Harriet was stunned. She
looked at me, stared,
"I don't want to die!"

What could I say? It was easier
for her brother - well at least
he and I watched Star Trek
with its occasional sense of
cosmic recycled dust

Months later, in the heat
of Summer,
we were in the garden. Still
hot dusty bare earth. Just
their old swing. And a hutch
for Bandit, the white rabbit.
At our old house he used to
come in the kitchen and sit
watching television, we said.

'Uncle' came round with his
sledgehammer. To drive metal
stake holders for a new fence
- Bandit liked to jump the brick
walls as well.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
in the dusty heat of the sunny
day. And the rabbit stretched
out, quivered. "There's something
wrong". "He's not well, dying,
dead".

Harriet had disappeared. I looked
downstairs, upstairs, in her room.
Back in the garden, there she was,
kneeling in the dusty earth,
beside the rabbit,
stroking it very gently. She looked
at me, stared, calm.
"See, I'm not afraid any more".

So we buried Bandit, the rabbit,
by the wall, where the apple
trees grow now, and the lawn with
visiting foxes. And the newted
lily pond where the swing used to be.

note

2007-03-10T12:54:00.000Z

Did someone say
Art, Religion and Science
make up an important
- triangle?
Philosophy is a much
nicer word then Religion
- well, I think so.