Orac points out how much attitudes have changed to cigarette smoking. I find it interesting to watch old films and see how taken for granted smoking was. The contrast with today’s attitudes is very striking. The zeitgeist moves on…
-
The Godfather?
Somehow, I didn’t expect this as a result; and I went for the full 45 questions as well…Leave a comment
-
More Tosh
I see Mark Vernon has been cranking out tosh again. Not content with this, he’s now come out with another column that leaves me pounding my head on the table. He seems to be saying that awe arising from ignorance is better than awe arising from knowledge. Bizarre. And he quotes with approval Stephen Jay Gould’s hoary old NOMA – Non-Overlapping MAgisteria; a particularly pernicious way of allowing religion to erect "Keep Out" signs around questions of meaning and purpose.I see that Jean Kazez has also raised her eyebrows at his column, and Vernon replies in the comments with more waffle. Sometimes I wonder if Vernon secretly hankers for the days when he was a priest.Leave a comment
-
Songs of Mass Destruction
It arrived in today’s post. The latest CD from Annie Lennox: Songs of Mass Destruction. It’s playing as I write. Whoo-Hoo – Marvellous! Wonderful! More!Simply magnificent.2 responses to “Songs of Mass Destruction”
-
Hi again Geoff,
Yes have to say I’m still hanging onto the fringes of spaces, though don’t get around anywhere near as much as I used to… Annie lennox… I think hers was the first ever LP (geez showing mi age) I bought all those years ago…
hope the weekends been a good one.
hugs
Eth 🙂 xxx -
Eth – I wouldn’t worry about showing your age: the first record I ever bought was a 78!
Leave a comment
-
-
What’s Good About Religion?
I do like Pat Condell’s riffs on religion… I just wish I shared his optimism.Update: August 2013. I’ve long stopped watching Condell’s videos. It seems to me he has crossed the line into prejudiced argument. Avicenna puts his finger on it.Leave a comment
-
More Books on the Isle of Man
I mentioned in the last entry that I’d stumbled across a 1909 book on the Isle of Man that had been scanned in by the University of California. Curious, I’ve just done a search of the Internet Archive, and it’s returned (as of the time of writing) 21 results.The wonderful thing is that, so far as I’ve checked, a number of them are books belonging to the University of California, and all date from around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.The mystery was explained when I looked at the first book in the list: The Isle of Man, by Joseph E. Morris, published in 1911. The flyleaf has an ex libris sticker that bears the legend The Library of the University of California Riverside; in memory of Professor Henry J. Quayle, presented by Mrs. Fannie Q. Paul, Mrs. Annie Q. Hadley and Mrs. Elizabeth Q. Flowers. I’m delighted to say that I have a copy of this in my own library, although I note that the cover is different from the version owned by Professor Quayle.So my guess is that Professor Quayle (and that is a really Manx name) taught at UCAL, and then after his death, his three daughters presented some of his Manx books to the library… Judging by the fact that one of the other books is devoted to Trout Fishing, my guess would also be that the good professor enjoyed fishing in his spare time…And then there is Edward Callow’s Phynodderee, dating from 1882, and held in the New York Public Library. More Manx Folklore! I’m a happy bunny.Leave a comment
-
Isle of Man Guide
I see that the University of California has scanned a copy of a book originally published in 1909: The Isle of Man, written by Agnes Herbert and illustrated by Donald Maxwell.
It’s a fascinating read. Miss Herbert lived on the Island, at least for a time, so she describes the society and customs of the times with probably a greater degree of accuracy than many. She has a rather dry wit as well:A young man introducing a new-found ladye to the man with whom he is holidaying shrouds the presentation in the mystery of, "My friend – my friend." If they are not friends, they are "fiongsays." It is one of the compensations of the lower orders that an engaged couple can go away for a summer holiday together without appreciably disturbing Mrs. Grundy. If this beneficient arrangement could be extended, a much greater knowledge of one’s "fiongsay" could be arrived at, and the dangers of the matrimonial precipice reduced to a minimum. This by the way.Inevitably, she has a chapter on Manx Folklore, which, even in my day, was still strong. Nonetheless, it was but a pale shadow of what it must have been like in 1909, but even then, Agnes Hebert detects the waning:Every Manx boy and girl of to-day who is born into this world alive starts with a belief in fairies, but nowadays the faith is crushed in early youth. There is nothing to foster it. Romance and lodging-house keeping do not run together. There is no connexion between a seaside landlady and romance. She is quite the most realistic thing in Nature.…I know from personal experience that in the more remote corners of the Isle of Man many of the cottagers believed in fairies and spirits generally, up to twenty years ago. At that time, as a child, I saw much of the natives, and chatted with many old and middle-aged and young who did not doubt the existence of the "little people," ot the "good people," in the least. The word "fairies" was always ostentatiously avoided, as the small sprites were supposed to dislike the use of it exceedingly.She translates the Manx word Phynnodderee as troll, but mentions that in Cregeen’s Manx Dictionary, he gives the meaning as "satyr" (which he does, I checked). I can’t help feeling that she is closer to the mark, given the Scandanavian influences that lie deep-rooted in the Island.All in all, this is a terrific book. Thank goodness for the internet!Leave a comment
-
Microsoft and Flickr – Part II
Recently, I blogged about the facility that Windows Live Photo Gallery has to upload photos into Flickr. This is just a heads up to those of us who care about image metadata (“the truth is in the file”) that not everything is smooth about the upload process. WLPG makes a mapping decision that I find bizarre. I’ve updated the original blog post with the details.
Leave a comment
-
Naked-Eye Comet
Phil, over at the Bad Astronomer blog, reports that comet 17P/Holmes has increased in brightness, from magnitude 17 to magnitude 3, literally overnight. He gives its location in the night sky (you have to be living in the Northern Hemisphere), so I’m going to hope for a cloudless sky tonight to see it. The odds are not favourable at the moment…Leave a comment
-
UDA Drag
Once again, the Telegraph‘s Obituary column delivers it in spades. This time it’s for Sammy Duddy, aka Samantha. I swear, you couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.2 responses to “UDA Drag”
-
I read that one too Geoff. I had trouble, from the ‘photo they chose to use, imagining him as an effective Samantha, but who knows, maybe in his hey-day.
-
Never underestimate the power of pancake and slap…
Leave a comment
-
-
The Power of Advertising
I don’t know whether to be appalled or fascinated by this image of Mikhail Gorbachev being used to advertise Louis Vuitton luggage. Well, OK, I’m appalled. It would be rather like seeing Nelson Mandela advertising smack and crack. Ah, alright, that’s been done, but then that was a joke. This Gorbachev image is not – and it stinks. The one saving grace might be the book, but even here the effect is of a post-ironic comment that robs the image of any real power. Ah, Gorby, that you have fallen so low!Leave a comment
-
Bat-Boy
Interesting story of how a boy substituted echo-location ability for his missing sight.Leave a comment
-
The End of an Era
Damn! Misteraitch has announced that he is closing down Giornale Nuovo. That is a shame. If nothing else, it alerted me to the existence of Pulcinellopedia Piccola, which remains a book that I seek. And of course, GN provided many more riches than that alone…Leave a comment
-
Phantoms In The Brain
I’ve mentioned VS Ramachandran’s terrific book on the architecture of the mind: Phantoms in the Brain a number of times before. He’s also a very good presenter and communicator. Here he is talking about Phantom Limbs, Synesthesia and the Capgras delusion with his customary lucidity and humour. Highly, highly recommended.2 responses to “Phantoms In The Brain”
-
This one featuring Ramachandran is somewhat older and partially in Dutch: VPRO Noorderlicht (realplayer).Another one you’ve probably come accross already: Reith Lectures 2003 (audio)Cheers,Jim
-
Jim, thanks very much for the Nooderlicht link – I hadn’t seen that. Good stuff. The Reith Lectures I had heard.
Leave a comment
-
-
Government and the Hominid Troop
George Monbiot has an interesting column in today’s Guardian, pointing out that while he and the former chairman of the Northern Rock bank both trained as zoologists, they draw very different conclusions from their examinations of the same evidence. Worth reading.Leave a comment
-
Kees Moeliker Strikes Again…
Let it not be said that Kees Moeliker is afraid to take the search for science into areas in which others dare not tread…2 responses to “Kees Moeliker Strikes Again…”
-
Was it the lice, or the homosexual necrophilia in mallard ducks that drew you? I’d also like to know how he discovered this. Oh the uplifting effects of a large glass of wine and your blog. ty Geoff.
-
Oh, I’ve been keeping an eye on Kees since his well-deserved win of the 2003 Ig Nobel prize for his discovery of homosexual necrophilia in mallards (he happened to be in the right place at the right time, as it were). He followed up that sterling work by stuffing the sparrow that was responsible for the Netherlands losing its bid to win the Guiness Book of Records place for falling dominoes. And now he’s in search of pubic lice. Hats off to him!
Leave a comment
-
-
The Melbourne Edge
After my recent post that suggested that Melbourne was perhaps a worrying place to be, I’m delighted to redress the balance by referring you to this post over at Cosmic Variance. The Edge sounds like a terrific experience. Of course, for those of us with vertigo (e.g. Martin), the word "terrific" takes on the original overtones.So, Mary and Katy – have you tried it?Leave a comment
-
We’re Doomed…
Courtesy of Vaughan, over at Mind Hacks, I bring you yet another episode in the ongoing "We’re Doomed" saga. What really made me pause is the snippet that the robot that will be deployed on the border between North and South Korea is manufactured by Samsung. Now I fully understand the reason behind the phrase "a sensible bit of Samsung". Clearly, some Samsung employees are just as scared as the rest of us…Leave a comment
-
Robert Hooke’s Notebook
Robert Hooke‘s notebook is now online. You can leaf through it as though it is an actual book.(hat tip to PZ Myers)Leave a comment
-
Dumbledore Was What?!
Well, according to JK Rowling, Albus was a friend of Dorothy. Damnit, we’re everywhere…10 responses to “Dumbledore Was What?!”
-
She should have kept her mouth shut. Dumbledore being gay adds nothing to the narrative and is only going to enrage the fundies who are already having it pulled from schools and libraries in America on charges of witchcraft. The only purpose it can serve is the one you cite, that we’re everywhere, but that’s old news.
-
"She should have kept her mouth shut"? I’m disappointed in you.
-
Curb your disappointment. The response to any claim to be gay, which is especially relevant in this case, is "so what?" Now the focus is going to be on "Dumble-back-dore" or other such nonsense, instead of on a seminally admirable character in a great story-telling series. His being gay has no relevance at all to the stories and only opens up another political front to the detractors. I don’t want to be known as a gay writer, are you that gay retiree?
-
"His being gay has no relevance to the stories" – well, that’s your opinion; maybe Rowling thinks otherwise. She certainly seems to have posited it as an aspect to the character, which gives an additional layer to the back story. And I’m sorry, but kow-towing to detractors is a slippery slope if you ask me. I’m a retiree who is gay – yes, so what, but why should I refuse to acknowledge that fact. If, instead, some wish to view me as "that gay retiree", that’s their problem. I don’t give a toss.
-
Sorry, I’m back again. Your comments continue to nag away at me. I get the feeling that you’re either saying "don’t rock the boat" or that "being gay is not an issue". If it’s the latter, then why on earth should it bother you if Rowling says something about the back story of a character? And if it’s the former, then, sorry, but clearly the boat still needs to be rocked. No one would be happier than me for the fact that someone is gay to be a non-issue, but I think that we all have a long way to go before that.
A story: last week, my niece, her husband and their 9 year-old son came to stay with us. During the week, my niece suprised me by saying that she and her husband wanted her son to see for himself how ordinary Martin and I were, because the environment outside their home was somewhat anti-gay. I was suprised because I just take it for a fact that we are "ordinary"; but also somewhat dismayed that Andy could be growing up in an environment (in the Scottish countryside) where anti-gay prejudice is still a force.
That’s why I continue to say that I am happy to be seen as gay. It’s ordinary, but until it is seen as such, I will never shut up about it. -
I take your point Geoff, and agree, the boat still needs to be rocked in certain instances. Just not in this one. As for never shutting up about it, you need to do as you see necessary. As for me, being gay is no more an issue for me than my heterosexual friends being straight, though I acknowledge that the world sees us still as different. But I am different in so many other ways, I want that celebrated too. To my way of thinking, my being gay should be a non-issue to all but the man I love. And that’s how I live my life. My best friend is a straight male who often teases me by vocally appreciating good looking women on the street. I rebut with the good looking guys. He gets it. Ordinariness. I hope that’s the message your Andy gets. And hats off to your niece for trying to get him to see it that way.
-
Hmmm. Let’s see. Most days at school the kids make anti gay cracks – they use it as an insult and a limiter to many actions that boys take or things they enjoy. Its seen as a bad thing. Still.
Maybe by getting to like Dumbledore as a character first, only to discover he is a dreaded gay, will help. If they liked Dumbledore before, without even noticing he was ‘abnormal’ and a ‘gay-boy’ – maybe it will make them think. Fuck knows, something needs to. Excuse the language, I’m half way through a bottle here. -
having said that – it will for sure fire up the fundies even more, equating gays with witches and all that good stuff. Maybe Dumbledore’ds sexuality is irrelevant in a kids book – did she really need to add it? Time will tell.
-
Gelert, "maybe Dumbledore’s sexuality is irrelevant in a kid’s book". Maybe it is – and let’s not forget that it is never made explicit in this case; Rowling revealed it outside of her printed words. But I’m still very glad that she did it. Whether she did it to tweak the noses of the fundies ("Let’s rock the boat") or whether she honestly does not see it as an issue ("his being gay should be a non-issue to all but the man he loved"), no-one but Rowling knows the truth.
But in the wider sense of "should sexuality be irrelevant in a kid’s book", I’m all for it being a topic; if it makes sense and a good story, then why ever not?
Another story. Many (many!) years ago I was round at a friend’s house for dinner. There were six couples, two straight and one gay. One of the straight couples had their young son with them. He was about three or four at the time. The dinner was a very al fresco affair, we sat around on sofas and the floor, eating and talking. At one point, I leaned over at kissed my boyfriend on the cheek. Instantly, the boy was galvanised – he’d never seen a man kissing another man – and he was quite visibly surpirsed and not a little shocked. His parents did the right thing and said it was very ordinary, Geoff and Brian happen to be in love, and he relaxed and dinner carried on as if nothing had happened. Which, in a way, it had. -
Oh, and I see Philip Hensher comments on the Rowling affair in today’s Guardian. I agree with his sentiments. And I had forgotten about Balthamos and Baruch, the angels in Pullman’s His Dark Materials. I wonder whether Hollywood will airbrush out the fact that they are gay?
Leave a comment
-
Geoff Coupe's Blog 
Leave a comment