Interesting piece by David Byrne. Perhaps the super-rich will indeed go on partying as they always have, but perhaps they are also frogs sitting in water that is slowly being heated to boiling point along with the rest of us.
Year: 2008
-
Could Do Better
I see that Daniel Dennett and Lord Winston fired the opening salvos of their debate yesterday (on the question of whether religion is a threat to rationality and science) in written form. I must admit that I was surprised at how weak the arguments of Lord Winston seem to be. But then, I don’t find the Book of Job to be "deeply mysterious and spiritual", but a rather unpleasant story of what happens when God has a bet with Satan. -
Head, Meet Desk
Perhaps the person responsible for this banner was in full irony mode; but somehow, I rather doubt it. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -
Hotel Skeletons
Over at BLDGBLOG, a very Ballardian post – drained swimming pools and all. Very spooky, possums. -
The Universe and Morality
I do enjoy reading Ophelia Benson’s thoughts on this bizarre world in which we live. Her post "Chatting with Clerics" is a good example. Yup, Richard Harries, Gene Robinson and Desmond Tutu all have their hearts in the right place; but they do come out with the oddest statements now and then. The sort of thing that makes Ophelia and I go: "Pardon? Do you realise what you just said?" -
Schadenfreude
I really don’t know why my fellow Brits are complaining – it’s that time of year when the farmers fertilise their fields. Around here, we’ve smelt nothing else for days. Get used to it, you bloody townies! -
Don’t Be Honest
I find it strange that a rare honesty from a politician, telling the unvarnished truth, is likely to count against him. But then, this is the US Presidential race. Why should I expect normality? -
Strawmens ‘R Us
Dear lord, but this piece by Mark Ravenhill is pure shite. He clearly hasn’t read anything of TGD before putting up this strawman. What a wanker. -
Misplaced Trust
When it works, SatNav technology is almost magical. When it doesn’t, then the road to Hell beckons. Michael Bywater, in this piece for the Independent last week, sums up the failings, and the inevitable gnashing of teeth, very well. During our trip last weekend we tasted both the good and the bad. It navigated us to our hotel excellently, but when directing us to our friends’ house told us confidently at one point to turn right. Luckily, I saw the bollards in time, and carried straight on instead of wrecking the car.In most cases, this is simply fodder for humour, but there can also be serious consequences. A few months back, our neighbour (a widow living alone) fell ill in the middle of the night, and she called the ambulance out. They relied on their SatNav, which frankly, led them up a dead end in the middle of nowhere. They eventually managed to retrace their tracks, and find the correct road to the farm by following the old-fashioned signposts that said quite clearly that if you want to reach this farm, then don’t go that way, but go this way instead. Luckily, in this particular case, time was not of the essence. Although the delay certainly prolonged her pain, it could so easily have been more serious. I have sent in a correction to the navigation data, but as of the last check, nothing has changed. I hope it does before the next time that the widow has cause to call for an ambulance.It’s the old story, GIGO. -
A Day Out
We spent a weekend visiting friends in Sassenheim. On Saturday, we went for a stroll along the beach. It was the first time that our dog Kai had seen the sea. He was fascinated by the sand and the sea and spent most of the time galloping around and splashing through the surf.
-
“I Have to do this thing for our future”
The words of Mohammed Siddique Khan to his baby girl. Truly terrifying and sad beyond all my understanding. And here’s another example: the matyrdom video of Umar Islam. He’s clearly not the sharpest pencil in the box. Born Brian Young 30 years ago, how has he ended up as he has? -
The Encyclopedia of Life
The video made for the launch of the Encyclopedia of Life has been nominated for a Webby Award. It’s a good piece. -
“God Said So”
David Thompson ruminates on the phenomenon of believers being convinced that they are merely echoing what their particular deity meant, rather than using their deity as a label to justify their own prejudices. A common happenstance, I fear.For a measure of understanding of this whole phenomenon, I advise the reading of Martin Rowson’s The Dog Allusion. A witty, and I feel, true, explanation that "rationally, the whole enterprise of religion is a monumental and faintly ridiculous waste of time and money. But then again, so is pet-keeping".That’s as may be, but on the other hand, I don’t recall cat-owners embarking on an actual crusade against dog-owners, or the latter pronouncing death for apostates who renounce dogs in favour of goldfish. Apart from that, I think that Rowson hits the nail on the head. -
ABC Pop-Up
I have a weakness for pop-up books. This book, to be published in September, has gone onto my wishlist immediately. -
Torchwood Series Two Finale
Well, it was certainly a great improvement over the finale of series one, with its truly bathetic monster. But I still found it a bit of a curate’s egg.The best bits (for me) were:- Naoko Mori’s acting at the moment of Toshiko’s death. For me, it was up there with Sir Laurence Oliver’s interpretation of John Mortimer’s father going blind in a climatic moment from A Voyage Round My Father.
- Toshiko’s message from beyond the grave. Nice touch, which brought happy tears to my eyes.
Bad bits:- Captain Jack’s brother. I’m sorry, but both the character and the actor did not convince me in the slightest. Dreadful plotting, dreadful acting.
- James Marsters disappointed me. I had expected more of an edge. Instead I felt I got a rather soft and mushy sleepwalk of an interpretation.
Oh well, at least my main man is now back again. -
A Secular Society
I’ve noticed that some people seem to equate secularism with atheism. They assume, for example, that a secular society must be an atheistic society. This is not correct. Stephen Law explains secularism in a very clear fashion here. Worth reading, particularly if you’re one of the people who confuse secularism with atheism. -
The Golden Rule
I’ve only just got around to watching Karen Armstrong‘s speech at this year’s TED conference, in which she makes a plea to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine. She wants leaders from the three major monotheistic religions to help her build a Charter for Compassion. It’s a very laudable aim, but it sounds rather like the Global Ethic that was drafted for, and signed by the Parliament of the World’s Religions back in 1993. From where I stand, I can’t see that the Global Ethic had much impact on this sorry world, and I fear that the Charter of Compassion will achieve the same result.Still, I wish her the best of luck, I think she’s going to need it. As she herself says, many religious people would rather be right than compassionate.One last thought, Armstrong believes that the core of religions is the Golden Rule. Indeed, she quotes the story of Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, who taught the golden rule in a particularly emphatic way. One day a pagan said he would convert to Judaism if the rabbi could sum up the whole of Jewish teaching while standing on one leg. Hillel stood on one leg and replied: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah; the rest is commentary; go and learn it!" It occurs to me that one can equally dispense with all religions in that case. The Golden Rule stands alone, and all religions then become simply noise and gloss. I think I’m with Confucius on this one. -
Nasty Nationalism
I see that Rita Verdonk is playing the Nationalist card. I’m sorry, but there’s something about her views that simply makes my skin crawl. I’m reminded of Samuel Johnson’s aphorism, recorded by Boswell, that "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel". Of course, as Boswell wrote, Johnson "did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak of self-interest". Somehow Verdonk’s love of the Netherlands has never struck me as "generous". She strikes me as being close to the sort of patriot described by Johnson thus:A man sometimes starts up a patriot, only by disseminating discontent, and propagating reports of secret influence, of dangerous counsels, of violated rights, and encroaching usurpation. This practice is no certain note of patriotism. To instigate the populace with rage beyond the provocation, is to suspend publick happiness, if not to destroy it. He is no lover of his country, that unnecessarily disturbs its peace. Few errours and few faults of government, can justify an appeal to the rabble; who ought not to judge of what they cannot understand, and whose opinions are not propagated by reason, but caught by contagion. The fallaciousness of this note of patriotism is particularly apparent, when the clamour continues after the evil is past. -
Cod Science
It amazes me that tosh such as Brain Gym is apparently taught in schools. Clearly aimed at raising a gullible generation of Woo-fodder, then. I’m very thankful that I got through the school system before this rubbish was around. We got taught critical thinking instead.Update: I see that Brain Gym has also enraged Charlie Brooker. He does rants so much better than I. Go and read it.
Geoff Coupe's Blog 