Wednesday 31 May 2006

Child of the museums

I was twelve years old when I was put on a plane and flew across the world on my own to the UK. It was a strike for freedom for me even though I was heading into the unknown with relatives I didn't know. School took a month or so to get sorted and as the adults in my life were out working I was left to my own devices.

Living in south London I think it was the number 74 bus I could get that would take me all the way into town for a mere 4 pence. One of those old red double decker buses with a conductor who would still break off a ticket from the block strung around their waist. Even then, 4 pence was very little and was exceptional value. I'd delight in planning my days which almost always centred around visiting the museums. Little tiny me and I had the delicious freedom of London.

Day after day I'd visit the museums and spend hours peering into glass cases, walking in wonderment around exhibits drenched in gold and jewels, or in awe of the tremendous age of some of the exhibits. In the V & A I'd stare at the intricate religious icons with their macabre bloody scenes and adore the jewelled goblets. In the Science Museum I'd explore the rockets; play on the magnificent 1970s computer that churned away to produce simple binary; and use the telephone exchange and watch all the gears clicking into action. (Years later that telephone exchange is still there with its old fashioned dial telephones which my own kids did not recognise as phones!)

The Geological museum was fabulous for the earthquake simulator which, in those days, was a simple metal platform which I'd often stand on. I am really not sure but I think it used to be a separate museum but is now part of the Natural History museum which never really appealed to me back then. Goodness knows why not because I'd have loved those dinosaurs!

And then there was the British Museum. There was only ever one reason for a kid to visit and that was for all the Egyptian mummies. Room after room of mummies. You could even see the wrinkled bodies and broken bones through the wraps. Mummified cats and other creatures all held fascination. I'd try and work out the patterns of the bandaging and admired the perfection of the handiwork. I was also taken with the library and its illuminated manuscripts.

Each of these museums are in wonderful Victorian buildings with great stone edifices and steps that I'd imagined many an excited researcher had climbed over the decades. Each time I'd approach and enter these buildings I'd be filled with a rush of excitement and anticipation. A feeling that is still with me now when I visit.

I ended up knowing my way round each of the museums. I'd know the back stairs and how to dart from here to there and where each of the rooms were. That was back in the days when they didn't make museums child friendly. They were special, elusive and desirable.

And then there were the canteens. In those days they were not Restaurants or Cafeterias but rather more basic canteens where you could get a cup of tea and nice fresh ham or cheese roll for an extremely modest amount. For me they were as much an attraction as the exhibits and I knew which were the best value items in each as I was always on a budget.

Those were a glorious few months when I had my freedom and the London museums were free to enter. They are free again now but I fear they may have lost a generation or two in the interim decades when high entry charges were made.

Jo at Inner Girl inspired me with her post about a recent visit to the British Museum. She raised some important feelings about how these artefacts came to be in our museums in the UK.


Original Posts:

Britmum said...
That was a great post and such great memories for you.

I started to take the boys to a couple before we left the U.K. but it was the cost of the train up there that put us off. It was great that it was free to get in. I loved the Science museum.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 9:08:00 PM
Cheryl said...
You make me feel like I was such a chicken at that age.
I am in awe

:-)
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 10:58:00 PM
doris said...
Britmum They are great museums and it was great that you managed to take your boys there. I do think though that the museums need more than a few visits to begin to feel familiar and less of a stranger. Life is just so much busier now. And being across the world is a bit of a stumbling block!

Cheryl But you were probably in with the "In" crowd and one of the girls I'd have admired. I was a bit nerdy and just because I did manage to get out and about for a little while I would never have done anything outrageous or naughty! What was really scary was coping with a London Secondary school with over 2,000 students which was about the population figure for the town I had come from. On reflection I didn't cope with that very well. Travelling round London was a piece of cake in comparison.
Thursday, June 01, 2006 2:38:00 AM
Pookie65 said...
As a child I had the opportunity to visit many museums and travel to many historic places. Thank God I have my memories of them because at the time I was far too interested in getting out of there as fast as I could than absorbing the wonders right in front of my face.

At some point I'd love to retrace my steps and visit many of the places I'd visited as a silly child. This time I'll promise to fully embrace all of the history and the honor of being allowed to glimpse into the past.

I really was a foolish child.

What a wonderful post!

Huggers!

Pookie
Thursday, June 01, 2006 1:29:00 PM
Milt Bogs said...
"Those glorious 1970s didn't come along until I was in my mid twenties," he sobbed.
Saturday, June 03, 2006 8:18:00 PM
Jo said...
Ah nostalgia....School trips, bagsing the back seat on the coach, having to complete that ruddy 'question sheet' as you went round the museum so teacher could tell you were paying attention.

The Earthquake simulator in the Geological museum is still a crowd puller and my kids love it. Though as it's all dressed up to 'simulate' the Kobe earthquake, I'm not quite sure whether it's in very good taste or not?

The dullest museum I ever visted at this stage of my life was the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock in Wiltshire, charting the very beginnings of photography. Wrist slittingly boring for a pile of adolescent boys who had been crammed onto a smelly old bus for hours. We did have a rather entertaining hard boiled egg fight in the coach park using the contents of our packed lunches I seem to recall though...

Oh yes, and Slimbridge wildfowl sanctuary, from which my school got banned after a bit of an 'incident' in one of the Observation towers, but that's another story :-)
Sunday, June 04, 2006 12:00:00 AM
Rain said...
aw, great memories you have described, I love museums too.
Sunday, June 04, 2006 4:35:00 AM
Anji said...
You were so lucky! I wonder how many other 12 year olds would have used their time so well. I was taken to a museum in Birmingham at about the same age. We were whizzed round by an adult who wasn't really interested. The only thing I remember about that visit was that she was asked to take off her high heeled shoes because the floor was wooden and it would dent!
Sunday, June 04, 2006 8:35:00 AM
Badaunt said...
I love this post. I wish there had been decent museums near where I grew up.

When I was in London last year I visited the British Museum three times, and I was only there for a few days. Partly this was because it was around the corner from where I was staying, but also because... well, one visit was not enough.

I wish I'd known about the earthquake simulator at the Geological Museum when I was there. I could have tested it for verisimilitude! If it was well done, they would have been able to tell because of the woman curled up in a fetal ball, whimpering.
Sunday, June 04, 2006 1:04:00 PM
Ally said...
I love the British Museum; both for itself and because of E Nesbitt's 'Five Children and It' and the 'Phoenix and the Carpet' when they always seem to be visiting.
Sunday, June 04, 2006 2:33:00 PM
Annie said...
Oh gosh, that sounds like absolute bliss (except the mummies). I adore museums. My parents took me and my brother to London for our first stay there in 1981 when I was 16. I remember going to a museum which had some of the cells of Newgate prison as part of it, but have never been able to remember which one it was.
Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:48:00 AM

Saturday 27 May 2006

What am I?


Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more.

I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.


War cannot be avoided until the physical cause for its recurrence is removed and this, in the last analysis, is the vast extent of the planet on which we live. Only through annihilation of distance in every respect, as the conveyance of intelligence, transport of passengers and supplies and transmission of energy will conditions be brought about some day, insuring permanency of friendly relations. What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and pride which is always prone to plunge the world into primeval barbarism and strife... Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment...

The spread of civilisation may be likened to a fire; First, a feeble spark, next a flickering flame, then a mighty blaze, ever increasing in speed and power.

Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.

The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of a planter -- for the future. His duty is to lay foundation of those who are to come and point the way.

Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.

All quotes by Nikola Tesla
All photos by Doris



Original Comments:

Cheryl said...
I like this Mr Tesla fella!

I love that you made the pictures work as spiritual interludes between thoughts, similar to how Bart uses them, then got to the bottom to turn what seemed to be a paragraph of continuous thought into snippets (separate quotes) yet to finally give the pictures their other meaning and bring it all together.

Very well done!
Saturday, May 27, 2006 6:32:00 PM
Orikinla Osinachi. said...
That was a perfect post for everyone. Even the Pope would have loved it.

The atheists should find it quite enlightening.

The abstract surrealism was very appropriate for the illustrations.

God bless.
Saturday, May 27, 2006 8:58:00 PM
Britmum said...
A really lovely post Doris.
Sunday, May 28, 2006 12:19:00 AM
Badaunt said...
Tesla was a fascinating person. I read a biography of him years ago and remember thinking he was ahead of his time. Why is he not more famous, I wonder?

(Also, he liked pigeons. :-)
Sunday, May 28, 2006 4:11:00 AM
doris said...
Cheryl What an amazing and lovely and sensitive comment Cheryl. You bring real thought and analysis to what were a bunch of pictures I took yesterday thrown together with some quotes. I do not deserve your response - however, I really like the way the photos landed with each quote (almost by accident) and yet mean so much.

About Mr Tesla - he could be quite a revolting man and difficult. On the other hand, he was pretty amazing and sidelined out of history.

Orikinla Osinachi Gosh.

Britmum Thanks!

Badaunt From the biog of him that I read he seems to have been extremely famous in his time even though bit by bit he was robbed or diddled out of his "inventions". Since then, well you know how "we" like to re-write history and I suppose those that had the "power" didn't want their conniving to be known and so better to re-write history and minimise his role.

LOL I forgot about his like of pigeons! Seems there are a few of us around! ;-)
Sunday, May 28, 2006 8:01:00 AM
Jo said...
Ok catch me up...Tesla was the real discoverer of electricity etc, right? Not Faraday et al? Romanian? (Jo scratches head for any other buried 'Tesla knowledge'...er...no, that's it!)

Beautiful pictures Doris. How did you do them?

And the words...

"Only through annihilation of distance in every respect, as the conveyance of intelligence, transport of passengers and supplies and transmission of energy will conditions be brought about some day, insuring permanency of friendly relations. What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and pride"

This is a decsription of the net. With it's capacity to connect, to elevate, to break barriers and to make us all greater than ourselves and more than the sum of our parts.
Sunday, May 28, 2006 12:42:00 PM
doris said...
Jo Depends on politcal geography - two biographies say Croatia.

As for the photos. We had a nerdy day out yesterday and I just took pics (with a tripod). A room full of tesla coils and plasma flashing all over the place. Very scary. Wonderful. Loud. Exciting and inspiring. All home-made instruments in a potentially lethal hobby. Some of those pics are a portion of a flash up to six foot in length. We just had to stand back and hope for the best! I'm sure though that "they" knew what they were doing. At least I hoped so!

And I too couldn't help thinking the parralel to the internet in that quote.
Sunday, May 28, 2006 1:00:00 PM
Anonymous said...
Jo, I believe that electricity was discovered long before Tesla, see for example the overview on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity

But Tesla did indeed invent certain pieces of electrical equipment that are responsible for homes carrying alternating current (AC) rather than direct current (DC).
Sunday, May 28, 2006 11:35:00 PM
zandperl said...
Here in the US, we usually credit Ben Franklin (1706-1790) as the discoverer of electricity via his kite and key experiment. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) studied capacitors and some electromagnetism (how electricity and magnetism interact). And Nikolai Tesla (1856-1943) came up with the AC system, which is the basis of modern home electricity delivery. Tesla also did a lot of work on electromagnetism, and this work has been the target of various alternate history sci-fi works.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 12:32:00 AM
jane said...
That was beautiful, both in words & graphics. I especially liked this sentence, "Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment." So very true.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 11:43:00 PM
Gerald Ford said...
and the elimination of egoism and pride which is always prone to plunge the world into primeval barbarism and strife... Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment...

Tesla sounds like a Buddhist. :) I always said he was a smart man. Ha ha ha.

Really cool pictures by the way.

I read somewhere how Tesla managed to create an electrical arc 30ft high, and managed to sink so much electricy in the ground that it blew out the city generator miles away.

Pretty revolutionary he was.
Friday, June 02, 2006 5:39:00 AM
rashbre said...
You have an amazing hobby, if thats what it is. I was awestruck with your Tesla flashes. The versions I've seen involve fishbowls and argon gas, not 2 meter arcs across a room.

I happened to be refilling the washers on my car a few days ago and noticed the headlamps had a little sticker about danger 25000 volts, so maybe there's a further source for this type of high frequency madness.

Excellent.
Saturday, June 10, 2006 6:16:00 PM

Wednesday 24 May 2006

Letter Meme

Thanks to Cheryl who got it from Annie, I have accepted the challenge to be tagged for the letter meme.

I have to come up with ten facts about me/my life based on ten items beginning with the letter I have been given.

Cheryl has assigned me the letter T
  1. Tunnel - my kids and I try to hold our breath for as long as possible as we go through tunnels. Doesn't work on the Channel Tunnel or when I'm driving.

  2. Tea - I like mine decent strength Indian black tea with just a touch of semi-skimmed milk and no sugar.

  3. Todger - I have experienced a reasonable number in various shapes and sizes and can categorically state it is not the size but what a man does that matters. Bigger todgers match bigger egos and a tendency to lay back and think they are God's gift. Zzzzzz.

  4. Thoughts - Sometimes I have too many.

  5. Tumour - I have a tumour on the back of my neck that is called a lipoma. A lipoma is a benign tumour of the fat cells.

  6. Tickle - I can't bear being tickled but I don't mind gently tickling others.

  7. Tease - I am a tease. I can be a tease. I like to tease. But only gently and only with a twinkle in my eye.

  8. Tummy-button - Up until I was a young adult I had a sticky-out tummy button. With the confidence I have now I could have had a lot of fun with it instead of feeling self-conscious.

  9. Tipple - My favourites include a juicy red wine; a straight single malt whiskey; Baileys on ice; and Mackesons Stout.

  10. Travel - My parents moved house at least every two years when I was a kid. I hated the palaver every time but I always looked forward to the potential for a new start and that maybe things might be better this time. Surprisingly, I still love travelling because the good part of that legacy has survived as I relish the new and different experiences that happen through travel.

Would you like to play? If you would, say so in the comments and I'll tag you by emailing you a letter. And I'll list you here so we can come have a nose :-)


Original Comments:

Cheryl said...
Very illuminating list :-)
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 5:42:00 PM
doris said...
Now I keep thinking of more items!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 5:47:00 PM
266k said...
Hi Doris.. lovely place you have here.

And I agree with Cheryl, a most illuminating list.

I've got a lot of catching up to do.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 6:33:00 PM
Annie said...
I have a lipoma too, in my calf. I also had fibroids, and it makes me wonder whether some people are more prone to tumours in general. The brain one wouldn't be worrying anybody if my optic nerves weren't swollen.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 9:48:00 PM
ella m. said...
Have you tried the white tea that's been popping up everywhere lately? I'm curious but reluctant to give up my beloved spiced chai (low fat milk and a bit of honey, a hold over from my singing days) for an unknown quantity.


Though I love the idea of this meme,I'm refraining from participating as there isn't a letter that wouldn't produce some depressing results in my case.
Thursday, May 25, 2006 2:44:00 PM
Curly K said...
Love the list Doris, go on tag me; I'll try anything once, I will :-)
Thursday, May 25, 2006 4:47:00 PM
doris said...
266k Aww thanks for visiting :-)

Annie Anything with the brain sounds scary but hopefully yours stays under control. I've had my lipoma for over 11 years now and only this week got a name for it. It bothers me a fraction now whereas it didn't before.

Ella M White tea? Sounds lke a product rather than tea with a dash of milk. I've no idea.... any web links?

Curly K You should have your letter by now and I look forward to reading the results.
Thursday, May 25, 2006 6:56:00 PM
Britmum said...
You are so funny Doris. I nearly gagged on my tea when I read Todger. LOL
Thursday, May 25, 2006 9:38:00 PM
Le laquet said...
Tunnels were always so much fun as kids but I swear my dad used to slow the car down as we exited to keep us quiet a little longer.
Todger *sniggers* just love the word!
And belly buttons, how do they make innies and outies? Is it the way they tie the knot?
I'll have a tag please Bob!
Saturday, May 27, 2006 5:42:00 AM
Anonymous said...
did your tummy button change from out to in? how?!

curious "innie" charlie (who doesn't have a blog and hence posts anonymously but is nice really)
Saturday, May 27, 2006 11:08:00 AM
doris said...
To anonymous Charlie!

I suppose the real answer was my late growth and so I suppose it was the natural growth of my body that my tummy button went from being an outy to and inny. It came out again during my preganancies though and went back in afterwards!

Thanks Britmum and Le laquet for bravely acknowleding my Todger comments! LOL
Sunday, May 28, 2006 8:05:00 AM
MattyD said...
Hey Big D!

Long time no visit! I did laugh quite heartily at your todger comment...although being male that was kinda inevitable!

Good to see you're still alive :) If you're still playing this rather amusing game, I'd be happy to take a letter off your hands!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 7:02:00 AM
Reia said...
oh wow doris... it's been a loooong time! finally had a longer time-off to actually visit! count me in! i just loooove it!
Saturday, June 03, 2006 3:46:00 AM

Shabaz Shame



Thanks to Mr DoF for bringing the Newspaper Clipping Generator to my attention.



Original Comments:

Cheryl said...

The media circuit?
The guy said clearly he was providing a show. I don't think his social skills went beyond 'this is what we're supposed to do' and even then he got the wrong end of the stick.
Bless him; not a people person, I think any media attention would give him another short circuit - he needs to go back to his own little quiet world with his own things 'just so'.
Headmistress' summary?
Tries very hard; cannot handle change. Would make an excellent lighthouse keeper.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 7:04:00 AM

Jo said...

Hey this newspaper thingy is well cool :-) I'm off, in my normal Magpie Blogger way to have a look...

Have missed BB for the last couple of days thru work :-(

I have a real love/hate thing about it. Can't take my eyes off it when it's on, kind of hate myself for doing so. I usually only really get glued (and reconciled to watching) when they're down to about 4 or 5...

My money's on the boy with Tourettes.

Cheryl...speaking as a decendant of a generations of light house keepers (no kidding), I'll have you know that there have been many interesting and challenging technological changes in the field over the years and...(all blog readers fall asleep...)

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 4:06:00 PM

doris said...

I'd be really interested to know who else has tried out this "newspaper thingy" ;-)

I'll come and have a look if you let me know here.

Pete (the one with Tourettes) certainly seemed to come across really well in the Diary Room in connection with Shabaz.

If I were an axe-wielding maniac then whingeing, moaning and snivelling Nikki would be in my sights. Jeez and she expects some rich bloke to want to marry that?! She is a crime against women.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 4:30:00 PM

Jo said...

One thing that I always notice is how the BB people don't put in stupid, air head, fluffy blokes.

Sure you get some pretty dysfunction guys, but the nothing-at-all-between-the-ears slot seems to permanently reserved for a girl. There seems to be an absolute need that at least one or more of the women conforms to this stereotype, as if we expect that at least one of the eccentricities on show for us to laugh at is the 'traditional' brain dead woman.

It's insidious. I think I'll write a learned paper on it :-)

Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:17:00 AM

doris said...

LOL Jo ..... doesn't Glynn almost fit that role? But that might be because he is still young. But you do have a point.

I am sure that there are many learned papers to be written on this subject.

Meanwhile, last night whilst watching Shabaz being interviewed on BBLB our 12 year old son informed Mr Doris and I that he would like to be gay when he is older. Oh and why is that we casually ask to which he replied that he could then behave camp and get away with it. I suggested that maybe he could be camp without actually being gay and now he says he will be the only gay non-gay in the village.

I think the trouble is that we are all supposed to conform to this or that stereotype and there is little understanding and crossover.

Gosh, Big Brother is such a thought provoking and fascinating programme!

However, revolting BB programme last night showing Lord of the Rings behaviour against an admittedly antogonistic Shabaz. Very sad indictment on human behaviour.

Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:52:00 AM

Carol said...

I have to say right off that I didn't watch everything with Shabhaz, BUT I really think that the rest of the housemates bullied him shamelessly. If they didn't like him - fine, but locking him out, stealing his clothes, ganging up on him and laughing at him. Not on. Not nice.

Friday, May 26, 2006 4:05:00 PM

Pookie65 said...

I love Big Brother! Season 6 starts in the US on June 21 and I can't wait. This year it's past house guests returning for a Celebrity version. Hopefully America will pick the most outrageous ones!

Hope all is well and sending you many hugs!

Pookie

Saturday, May 27, 2006 1:14:00 PM

doris said...

Carol And now, since the departure of Dawn I have great admiration for her and her rebellion. And yet she must have been part of the bullying too.

Pookie Thank you and hugs to you too. I wonder how a Big Brother House with all the previous popular/notable housemates would work. You know we have two series of BB a year now - the Celebrity one in the new year and now this one. And then, I'm sure I have seen mini BB type programmes whre they have mixed a few celebrities and popular ex housemates. (But I couldn't be bothered with it.) We have so much trash TV to chill out to! ;-)

Sunday, May 28, 2006 8:11:00 AM

Tuesday 23 May 2006

Apologies or Karma?

Some people haven't yet turned up this afternoon for a very important meeting. No precise time was finalised which was fine but I had been stressed out by the whole event. Just one of those things and nothing more to be said on the content of the meeting.

The question is, will I seek an apology for messing up my day or will I look at it as karma for some misdeed? In particular I am thinking of a blatant lie I gave on the phone yesterday to cover my tracks for a payment I had not made but should have. It is not good when one has a guilty conscience.

I have a hundred or so lines to write:

I will not have a guilty conscience. x100
I do not give out excuses.x100
I do not procrastinate.x100
I do my best. x100
I do good work for good money.x100
I am kind to me. x100
Pragmatism rools OK.


Original Comments:

jane said...

Gosh, I don't know if Karma boomerangs that fast. I think the people who didn't show up (and must not have called) owe you an apology. I'm assuming they're adults & have a certain amount of responsibilty. Now, get busy writing those sentences!!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 5:07:00 PM

doris said...

I've just emailed them with a copy of their acknowledgement of toay's meeting. I was very nice and put the ball in their court. Really!

:-) Jane!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 5:30:00 PM

Ally said...

I think that this might be a case of actually being able to have your cake and eat it :). Just because it might be a karmic come-back for you, doesn't mean that it's not poor behaviour on their part. They jolly well owe you an apology.

I've had karmic boomerangs come back quite quickly ... it's nice in a way, to know that you've mostly got it over with :).

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 5:57:00 PM

doris said...

I just had an apologetic phone call as a result of my email. Apparently someone was supposed to have phoned me to cancel as they were so behind schedule. They want to re-arrange for another day but don't know when yet. So.... yaaay I've had my karmic boomerang and can put it out of my mind now. I hope you are right Ally!


PS. word verification: wotnaewi (say it with a Socttish accent!)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 6:02:00 PM

Cheryl said...

I would say this is a credit in the karmic bank balance, that your disquiet today will be repaid by them being extra extra nice when they reschedule!

:-)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 6:13:00 PM

Britmum said...

You go Girlfriends!!! I am afraid that this just seems to be the way of the world. It just seems there is no importance to some people to keep scheduled appointments.

Sending good Karma your way via a Dust Storm from the Desert.

Take care

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:10:00 PM

Jo said...

You did the right thing being nice. Moral high ground and that...

Can be frustrating though. A couple of weeks ago I drove 60 miles to a meeting that had been cancelled but they'd 'forgotten' to tell me. I was 'nice' about it ;-)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:51:00 PM

She Weevil said...

I am kind to me. x100

This one needs to be moved to the top of the list

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 9:24:00 AM

Thursday 18 May 2006

White Pride

Surfing as you do, one link led to another and I am reading about a couple of young girls in the US forging their way ahead in the world of music touting their brand of "White Pride". They get a lot of bad press with many neo-nazi slurs and then they try to walk the line of justifying what they believe in whilst being horrified at the slurs.

I haven't listened to their music or read their lyrics and have no desire to purchase any in order to do so. They are said to deny the Jewish holocaust or at the least question it. I think it is right to question everything but when people react against the major horrors of this world by trying to somehow minimise or deny them then it is extremely worrying.

These girls are said to say that if there is Black Pride then why not have White Pride. But they seemed to have forgotton where that Black Pride is coming from and what it is working against: all these centuries of brutality, slavery, repression and downright bigotry. These young 13 year old twins have been heavily misguided and have effectively wiped out great swathes of history. They may deny some of the slurs written about them but if they go off amd make a cute snowman with Hitler features or wear t-shirts with smiley faces also with Hitler features then what are we to think? That Hitler was entirely mispresented and was really a good guy? I wonder if they realise how much they are being used. (We are all used to some extent but this is pretty dramatic.)

So where does that leave pride, nationalism and the like? I no longer have any of my books by Krishnamurti (I lent them out!) but he wrote some convincing arguments as to why nationalism and pride (in anything even down to football teams) bred discontent. That ultimately nationalism was not a uniting force but creates larger divisions because of course my pride/nationalism is better than yours.

Time has come not for "pride" but for something else. Something humane, helpful and positive.

Krishnamurti said:

To love anything beautiful in a country is normal and natural, but when that love is used by exploiters in their own interest it is called nationalism. Nationalism is fanned into imperialism, and then the stronger people divide and exploit the weaker, with the Bible in one hand and a bayonet in the other. The world is dominated by the spirit of cunning, ruthless exploitation, from which war must ensue. This spirit of nationalism is the greatest stupidity.

Every individual should be free to live fully, completely. As long as one tries to liberate one's own particular country and not man, there must be racial hatreds, the divisions of people and classes. The problems of man must be solved as a whole, not as confined to countries or peoples.


Original Comments:

Cheryl said...

Well that was divisive of him. Why the Bible? Doesn't he mean 'religion' in general, or is the guy as bigoted or blinkered as the people he is talking about?

Lovely post with a lot of truth in it but thats a disappointingly offensive quote that doesnt do justice to what you have to say.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 4:00:00 PM

Cheryl said...

Correction - truly BEAUTIFUL post.

I'm just still smarting at the quote, sorry, which is even more offensive because the guy is making himself out to be the opposite of divisive and somehow holy. Exactly the same as a Christian saying loads of stuff about loving your brother, and peace, and then remarking 'except for the Muslims'.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 4:10:00 PM

doris said...

Hmmm - he really is a good read. I did wonder if that quote of his would be taken out of context which is understandable.

He pretty much sleights all religions so it isn't just the Bible! And yet (as far as I remember) he feels any religion is OK as long as it didn't try to pull the "my way is the only way" stunt. (Er, it's been 20 years since I read his stuff so forgive me if I am wrong.)

I've just read your second comment Cheryl - I can understand where you are coming from but really, this guy is not like that. I do think he paints a different way forward that is more humanitarian.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 4:21:00 PM

Cheryl said...

Fair dos
This is a deep subject though because there is nothing wrong with national pride, team pride, religion, any of that, but only with the people that use these as excuses, as things to hide behind and gang up behind in order to belittle others. I think if these things were gone, they'd find something else. Its not the concepts, its the human condition. You think?

Thursday, May 18, 2006 7:37:00 PM

doris said...

It is a deep subject and one I struggle with. I reckon I have my team pride/nationlism etc under control and I can let go and say it doesn't matter if my team (etc) doesn't win. However, I know I can get carried away just like the next person and it is easy to see in a small way how football fans get out of hand - whether that is alcohol fuelled or not. Step that up to a nationalistic pride and we can move towards wars and genocides - it is like "my team is right" amplified.

And then I'm afraid, similar can be said about religion.

Maybe it does come down to the human condition and the way we need to form into social groups and therefore we have our group identities and pride.

You will have to excuse me..... I shall become an extremely sad person and will be tuning into Big Brother in about 10 minutes or so to watch human behaviour at its extreme. See you in a few months!

Thursday, May 18, 2006 8:50:00 PM

jane said...

Very, very good post. In America right now, nationalism is actually becoming fascism & most don't even know it.
I knew someone whose son was a neo-nazi & she said the same example about black pride. I kinda just stood there with my jaw stuck in a dropped position.
We're one human race. Period.

Friday, May 19, 2006 12:44:00 AM

Jo said...

Good post Doris, and as I missed BB tonight, I can reply :-)

Actually the reason I missed BB was because I was out watching Billy Bragg supporting Hard Fi in Brixton. He seems quite apposite in this context as many of his songs are hard hitting polemics about the evils of racism, of sexism, of fascism. Half way through his set he stopped and delivered a passionate speech about the dangers of the Bristish National Party, about how he had been part of Rock Against Racism in the 70s which had helped to turn the tide against the National Front, and how it was time to do so again.

A great man.

I too worry about 'pride'. On the face of it, it's harmless enough - and a valuable way to express joint commitment and connection with others. The problem comes when the group in which you have pride is placed in competition with another group - then my pride becomes mixed with an insidious disparagement of the other side. Think football - think what England fans will be feeling if we come up against Argentina or Germany. In the 2000 European Championships (I think), I recall The Sun headlines - with pics of Hitler, corny puns about the Blitz, all the '2 World Wars and 1 World Cup' stuff. It's never far below the surface, and often easy to whip up into political, nationalistic ends.

The White Pride thing is horrible. Not because we (I speak as a white person) don't have things we might feel positive about (though they're really because we're human not because we're white) but because you can't avoid asking why should such a group need to exist?. When white people dominate so much of the world, and its resources, when - largely - white people are so undiscriminated against (certainly in the US where these girls live - in comparison with black people) what agenda can they possibly be promoting?

Logic suggests it must be about continuing white supremacy vs non white people. It cannot have any other purpose.

And another thing - people just don't get taught any proper history these days. My daughter has to my great relief just chosen History GCSE (there was talk of dropping it), and as a History Graduate I am very pleased! I bet these two silly girls in the US actually have no real idea about who Hitler was, what he tried to do and why. Though that doesn't excuse the adults who are manipulating them.

Friday, May 19, 2006 2:23:00 AM

doris said...

Jane Thank you for your comment. Yesterday I ended up reading through quite a few pages of the National Vanguard website and I'd have to say it was scary. They talk about being intelligent and using our brains and yet to them it is simply not OK to be either non-white or Jewish. Their advertising is on the one hand quite compelling (if you don't think!) and on the other scary.

Jo I'm glad you enjoyed the gig! And what an excellent contribution. You made the point quite well about the white supremacy possibly being at the root of it rather than "pride".

Friday, May 19, 2006 8:11:00 AM

Chandira said...

I'm with you Doris!

I've made too much of a study of neo-Nazis (and Nazis) and this whole denial of the Holocaust is more than just a desire to deny history, it's a move to discredit the Jews. It's that direct.

Cheryl, Krishnamurti was a beautiful man, not at all a bigot. It's just that at the time he was writing, he was witnessing 'Christianity' (and I use taht term loosely) taking over his country in such an irrational and heartless way. But he is free to criticise that which needed criticism. I'm sure if it had been Islam, he'd have said the same of the Koran.

Jane, you're right about that, fascism is taking over here. Because people don;t know their history. Exactly. When people lose the right to express other opinons than the main stream, we're in deep trouble.

The trouble with national Pride of any kind is it's 'f*** you' message to every body else. If it truly was national (or racial) pride and not hatred of 'other' as a threat, we'd be ok.
When we all realise God is the Life arising in us ALL, human, non-human, etc, then we'll be ok. I can't make sense of how people don't figure that out if they truly believe in God. What isn't God here? That was probably at the bottom of Krishnamurti's message as he was a Hindu, and Hinduism is a very peace-loving religion, like Buddhism. The underlying teaching is about the Unity of everything.

Great post and great comments..
:-)

Friday, May 19, 2006 4:30:00 PM

Gerald Ford said...

I think the Bible in this case was simply the best-known religious object to Western readers in this example. I don't think there was anything meant beyond that.

But any rate, yeah, I hear about the "white pride is an answer to black pride" argument, and it's just stupid.

Pride is never a good thing. Never. Confidence is one thing, but pride is evil. Martin Luther King jr. was deeply concerned about the Black Pride movement as he knew it would steer the Civil Rights movement in the wrong direction.

How could White Pride possibly be any better.

Being a firm Buddhist, who believes in the unending cycle of rebirth, I see little point in clinging to a racial identity anyways. One lifetime you're black, the next white, and then the next your a bug or something. Racial identity (and pride) is just a human construct and more trouble than it's worth.

This all goes for National Pride, pride in one's religion, or anything else. It's one thing to be happy and content, but pride is a poison best left alone. ;p

Saturday, May 20, 2006 3:33:00 AM

doris said...

Thank you Chandira and Gerald Ford because what you have written has been further food for thought for me. I haven't done any in-depth studies and don't know a lot so it is always interesting to hear others' thoughts. What I do like to do though is to read any information or pamphlets that come direct from these organisations or their proponents. Maybe the person outputting the info isn't qualified to speak for the whole organisation but it still gives a flavour of where they are coming from.

Saturday, May 20, 2006 10:58:00 AM

Mama Mouse said...

"...but pride is a poison best left alone.

I LOVE that! We all are the same underneath our skin. We all need the same sustenance and we all die from the same things. No religion or belief system, in my opinion, is the ONLY right one. I think that they are ALL right.

When it boils down to the crux of the whole thing ... we must live to the best of our ability and to abide by the Golden Rule ... do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Its in virtually every religion ... worded differently perhaps ... but there in essence.

To think your country/religion/belief is better than someone elses is arrogance. To deny a major historical event is ignorance personified.

There is a time and place for intolerance and it has nothing to do with national pride or religious pride ... or personal pride for that matter. It DOES have to with pain, physical or emotional, caused to people of any race, color or creed .... for any reason. When children are abused ... when women are beaten and raped ... when a culture is the victim of genocide .... THEN it is time for intolerance.

Sunday, May 21, 2006 11:04:00 AM

decrepitoldfool said...

"I no longer have any of my books by Krishnamurti (I lent them out!)"

C.S. Lewis said your library in heaven would consist of those books you loaned out and were never returned. Not that I believe in heaven but it's a nice thought.

Yes, we are aware of the rise of facism in the US. It's like a sickening, slow-motion train wreck, like watching a loved one being destroyed by addiction to some overwhelming stimulant.

Monday, May 22, 2006 2:17:00 AM

Curly K said...

Fantastic post Doris, the antithesis of BB chat really (not that I love both).

It's unbelievable that people can still look at other races / creeds etc. and see them all as less than themselves. Where does the constant need to feel better about one's own race/creed by belittling and harming others come from? Ignorance is a huge part of it and yet very well informed people have become involved in genocides etc. throughout history.

I don't think it's pride necessarily that it too blame, I think a little pride is a good thing. Sometimes it looks to me like it's more like a need for constant affirmation and validation. It's a very difficult topic and even stranger is the fact that all too often those races/creeds who have previously been oppressed etc. go on to do the exact same to another group. Thinks Cheryl could have a point about it being the human condition. Also, a lot of misinformation from media sources and politicians etc. who are biased only fuel situations.

Monday, May 22, 2006 12:04:00 PM

Ally said...

Brilliant post. I saw an article about those two girls a couple of months ago. Nationalism scares me.

Monday, May 22, 2006 7:04:00 PM

doris said...

Mama Mouse Tis true that there are times for intolerance. Reminds me of that little saying.... "And then they came for me" after the person had said all the things he had let slip.

decrepitoldfool I hadn't heard that CS Lewis saying about books in heaven! I've got shelves of them then awaiting me :-)

Curly K Well, that'd be the abused becoming the abuser syndrome amplified. I think there is something about it being the human condition but I also think it is hard to accept that there is anything wrong with just a little pride in one's country/team etc. After all, I reckon I would never go that far, but this is where it all begins.

Ally Scary indeed.


Thank you again to everyone for a really interesting feedback and thoughts. It has struck me on many different levels and there are issues I want to really consider some more.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 4:55:00 PM

Anji said...

I know I'm a bit late, so I hope you'll get to read this.
Having lived abroad for a few years I must say it does hurt to hear your home country getting knocked. In France there is a tendance to gloat over things that go wrong in other countries. A few years back the fashion was to interview 'the man on the street' in the UK. They loved picking out people who couldn't express themselves very well.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 6:59:00 AM

doris said...

Anji I reckon they still do those interviews but more than that I reckon they get the interviews to fit what they want to say. So is it public opinion expressed (no matter how badly it is expressed so that we just laugh at it) or the political views of whichever media person in dictate at that time.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 10:00:00 AM

Monday 15 May 2006

Email shocker

I use Eudora and have a vast number of folders and filters set up. I am unable to deal with all emails as soon as they arrive and so I leave the email folder open in my "tray" so I know I have email in that folder to reply to. Each time I use my email all these open folders wink at me like sorry sentinals reminding me what I haven't done and of all the work I have to do. (Can I admit that some of these folders have lain open for months? Longer even.)

Just now I have replied to a few emails and rightly closed those folders. Then I did something quite startling. I just started closing the other email folders. Without even looking inside them. It felt like taking piles of unsorted boxes of papers and throwing them in the dump. Brushing the dust off my hands and walking away.

Wahey! I'm free. I'm going to re-boot, have a cuppa and get on with some more work.


It's a great day today :-)




Original Comments:

Cheryl said...

Whooo-Hoo!

Naughty girl - LOL! Congratulations.

:-)

Monday, May 15, 2006 4:11:00 PM

doris said...

Yes, I do feel quite naughty! ;-)

Monday, May 15, 2006 4:28:00 PM

Stegbeetle said...

Freed from the shackles of (possibly) unread e-mails!
You rebel, you!

Monday, May 15, 2006 8:25:00 PM

Curly K said...

Jesus, that's truly inspiring - I'd love to do that with my work email, my desk at work, my bedroom, in fact every area in my life which is cluttered (probably only leaves the downstairs loo in my house free from threat :-)!)

Monday, May 15, 2006 11:18:00 PM

Joe said...

Yup...what liberation :-)

Guess what I did?

I went through over 1500 emails in my inbox and filed/deleted them a couple of weeks ago. It took...forever. But it's done.

Eudora hey? I used to use Pegasus which I miss, now that everything in the world seems to demand Outlook.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 12:00:00 AM

Britmum said...

Yours so funny.... thats what I like about you the most and your lovliness.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 12:39:00 AM

jane said...

How funny cuz i could just visualize you cleaning out those email boxes. I'm glad you're FREE!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 1:37:00 AM

Karen said...

It makes you feel good doesn't it - we like the reckless Doris :-)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 1:09:00 PM

Ally said...

Good for you! My attitude to paper filing is similar - if you leave it in your in-tray for long enough it ceases to be relevant and I can throw it away :).

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 6:42:00 PM

Milt Bogs said...

I think I've got the filters set up wrong. The spam gets through and the genuine emails all get junked.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 1:06:00 PM

Carol said...

Wow. I'm impressed. I'm far too anal to do something so reckless

Thursday, May 18, 2006 2:07:00 PM

Annie said...

What do you reckon to BB7? I think Imogen comes across quite well. Good that they've put Pete in, but I hope they don't use his Tourette's for entertainment. Some of them I could hardly bear to watch, but I suppose they'll all settle down after a while.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 11:18:00 PM

Neutron said...

...so that's why you never replied!!

;-)

Thursday, May 18, 2006 11:22:00 PM

Saturday 13 May 2006

Humble Razor Blades

In the beginning the manufacturing God made the Safety Razor and he was well pleased. Plastics and the disposable age soon came upon us and we were provided with the disposable razor and the manufacturing God was well pleased. Before too long, we could choose to have the disposable razor with two blades. This was cutting edge technology. We were amazed and the manufacturing God was well pleased.

Before too long, we could have the disposable razor with two blades and a moveable head. It provided the hardest of men with the smoothest of shaves and the manufacturing God was well pleased.

When we came to the stage of having three blades on the one razor I laughed at what on earth could be next. But there was more to come and we now have four blades being advertised as "Quattro". In beginning to write this piece I went off to find a few photos and did some research only to have my mouth completely smacked (gob-smacked is the term but I'm talking about jaw dropping surprise here).

There is a new breed of razor out there with six blades. Five on the front and one on the back. With this little invention we have jumped from the four blade directly to six with the novelty of a single blade on the back? Can this be an early April Fool's day? I just can't wait to see what the advertising message is to be but I am sure the manufacturing God will be well pleased.

Naturally men's razors are all macho and black or blue packaging and have names like: Turbo; Mach; Extreme; M3; Comfort and Blue. Women's, which are mainly the same product, have pink or lilac packaging with names like: Venus; Venus Divine; Agilite; Intuition and Comfort. And we even have disposable razors that vibrate. Now what is that about .... does it give an added dimesion to the Brazilian?

PS. This mental abherration of a post was brought on by reading a very old post: Try the new pachyderm size by a very old blogger! ;-)


Original Comments:

David said...

good post - michele says welcome back !

Saturday, May 13, 2006 4:35:00 PM

Cheryl said...

And every brand and every model has a different connection between blade and handle so you can't interchange.
Then theres the ones with the moisturising gel strips etc.
And STILL there are men out there who carve their razor around like they thing their face is perfectly square, and end up taking chunks out of themselves.
I don't know why they don't just give up and quietly resort to facial immac/nair.
Hey maybe that'll be next - except twice the price in a nice black tube with a hint of sage in the scent.

Saturday, May 13, 2006 4:37:00 PM

Britmum said...

Its all about confusing the buyers, so that you spend an extra half an hour in the store trying to figure out what you want. Then you are so confused you end up spending more money. LOL

Good post...

Take care xx

Saturday, May 13, 2006 5:39:00 PM

Stegbeetle said...

And this is why I wear a beard. That and the fact I look about 16 without one (apparently)!

Saturday, May 13, 2006 6:32:00 PM

Gerald Ford said...

Ugh, six razor blades?! Isn't that overkill?

I am just glad we stopped using those old straight-razors that could seroiusly cut your neck. I'd hate to even try to use one of those. ;p

At any rate, I just buy the cheap disposable ones anyways that have 2-3 blades. I rarely shave, so that works fine for me!

Saturday, May 13, 2006 9:43:00 PM

Ghone said...

You just knew that you'd get lots of chaps commenting didn't you!

I found myself nodding as I was reading your entry. I also have wondered just how many blades they can fit onto a safety razor. I think that three blades are more that sufficient. I find a just as important factor is the foam used to lubricate ones beard. I'm a dense gel/foam man myself.

On a slight aside, my friend who's wedding I shot recently has not shaved since! He is the wolfman!
Mmm... I feel the need for a photo session!

Sunday, May 14, 2006 9:03:00 AM

ella m. said...

I always thought the escalating number of blades was a tool to market to men...the razor equivalent of bigger, better, faster, more horsepower.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 9:42:00 AM

Tony said...

Impertinent child, what d'you mean, very old blogger? I suppose at your age anyone of voting age seems ANCIENT.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 6:46:00 PM

Tony said...

P.S. Actually, I was only 25 when i wrote that piece (in 1956).

Sunday, May 14, 2006 6:55:00 PM

doris said...

LOL Did I say old blogger? I meant you had been blogging a long time! ;-)

Anyway, platitudes do not seem to suit you and I wanted to play. Thanks!

And now you have commented again - seems you were just a babe when you wrote that piece. And yet it could have been written in our times now. We are talking about the sizes article? Gosh. Even in my lifetime which is a tad or two shorter than yours so far I have noticed a growth in packaging. At least the soap powder boxes have retracted in sizing. They were getting ridiculous.

And some big supermarkets put a pence per gramme (or whatever measurement) on their price tags but I notcie they play around with similar items and put one in a per gramme price and another in per kg and you have to do the mental maths to get an equivalent figure to compare.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 7:05:00 PM

Nikki-ann said...

I think the more blades there are the more likely it is I'm going to cut myself!

Manufacturers just try to find more ways of getting the public to spend their hard earned cash!

Anyway, take care. Here via Michele's :)

Sunday, May 14, 2006 10:09:00 PM

Mama Mouse said...

That's so funny! My poor husband is deprived and I'll have to tell him so. He still shaves with a single bladed disposable safety razor! Two blades would boggle his mind ... and six would leave him stupefied!

Monday, May 15, 2006 4:53:00 AM

BondBloke said...

I don't care about making the "manufacturing God" happy I just want one of them there vibrating razors...

Monday, May 15, 2006 8:41:00 AM

Annie said...

I think I've tried the lot over the years. I'm a sucker for advertising. I'm currently using the Wilkinson Sword Quattro, which is very good. I don't have full feeling in my lower legs so I have to be really careful. Facial hair (yes, I confess to it - very dark hair and very pale skin) gets the cream remover treatment. I tried the sticky strips but they took my skin off too!
Why would anyone want a vibrating razor.....?
P.S. Off topic I know, but Big Brother 7 starts tonight (18th). I've given it a separate category on my blog, but whether I watch it will depend on the contestants.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 8:54:00 AM

doris said...

LOL Annie - us BB diehards always say that and each time we get sucked in!

My current blade is the venus with 3 blades and like Ghone use a dense gel which is a fascination in itself (that's if we are talking the same stuff). It starts to sort of foam slightly when it comes into contact with water rather than air. Quite a nice combo and real treat for me as I usually hack myself with the single blades.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 9:13:00 AM

Thursday 11 May 2006

Some days

Some days like today, I feel a sense of peace, achievement and contentment. I've worked hard, done allsorts and taken care of a wide range of things. And yet, just the last few days I've felt a deep depression. One day a great dark hole swallowing me up and then sweetness and light. When the depression strikes it is hard to fight against. Just brings silent tears and either an inertia or a feeling of going round in circles. When the sun shines it picks everything up and suddenly lots of things click into place. But it isn't just the weather - it is the kids co-operating, being polite or considerate; it is me getting on with work and getting great feedback; again it is me getting on and doing stuff around the house that makes a difference. I smile and it makes a difference.




Original Comments:

Stegbeetle said...

Sometimes the simplest things have a profound effect upon us. I'm pleased to hear you've had a "good" day and are having fun with font colours and sizes! I see Rainbows!

Thursday, May 11, 2006 8:22:00 PM

Cheryl said...

I wanted to say something else but the word verification is going bonkers. I am taking it as a sign.
Glad you have pulled yourself out of it - depression, especially irrational 'no real reason' depression, is the pits.

Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:44:00 PM

jane said...

What a refreshing post to read.

Thursday, May 11, 2006 11:02:00 PM

Britmum said...

Doris I know exactly how you feel. Some days are just unexplainable and have no apparent reasoning behind them.

Glad today was better.

I love the colours on your post too.

Take care

Catherine xx

Friday, May 12, 2006 1:59:00 AM

Karen said...

Thank you Doris - you've made me smile :-)

Friday, May 12, 2006 6:01:00 PM

Curly K said...

Beautiful post Doris, sums up how we all feel sometimes - love the colours :-)

Monday, May 15, 2006 11:16:00 PM

Monday 8 May 2006

Old Photos

It seems I wasn't the only blogger at the Queen's 80th a few weeks ago. Rashbre was also there with a couple of his mates but I must have missed them as I was probably too busy handling the camera calls.

Just now I was looking through some old photos and came across this one when I met with the dear old Pope and his mate a few years back. It was a lovely day and I think I made an old man very happy ;-)



Addendum: Rahsbre says, "Great setting and another amazing co-incidence! I just had to comment further!"


Original Comments:

Cheryl said...

Hehe

Monday, May 08, 2006 8:46:00 AM

Stegbeetle said...

Bless him. Who's that other idiot though?

Monday, May 08, 2006 8:56:00 AM

Annie said...

Oh, Doris, what are you like - lol!

Monday, May 08, 2006 12:37:00 PM

Le laquet said...

Bet he was jealous of the hat!

Monday, May 08, 2006 6:25:00 PM

Britmum said...

Doris you do suit red you know.

Monday, May 08, 2006 7:11:00 PM

Jo said...

Love the dress hon :-)

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 12:10:00 AM

Comment deleted

This post has been removed by the blog administrator.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 12:12:00 AM

rashbre said...

oops, wrong reference, its here

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 12:40:00 AM

rashbre said...

Great setting and another amazing co-incidence! I just had to comment further!

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 12:42:00 AM

Milt Bogs said...

Do you have a photo of you with Bill Clinton?

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 12:57:00 AM

Gerald Ford said...

Love that picture! It speaks to us on so many levels. :D

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 5:32:00 AM

Curly K said...

Good God Doris, I really don't think much of the company you are keeping these days! A war mongering recovering alcoholic who has access to the most important button in the world and the most conservative, right-wing - let's get ye women barefoot, pregnant and back to the sink kinda - Pope....



But you do look good girl!!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 12:24:00 PM

colleen said...

I was just googling to try to find a photo of Camille Parker Bowles's hat that she wore recently to some affair. It looked like a bird's nest. Do you know the one I mean?

I do remember Betty Boop.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 10:50:00 PM

doris said...

Afraid I don't. Just a matter of Googling a bit more or maybe a search of the BBC news website might do it.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 11:02:00 PM

Saturday 6 May 2006

Too much information

For a while I have thought about writing this post. As part of my work I need to process applications with very little information so I do quick web searches on the info given. So a word of warning, if you are into devious sexual practises it might be worth keeping an email addy just for that. I don't really want to know that you have a larger than normal penis or that you are after the latest Russian bride or that you are into dogging or wife swapping.

Of course we shouldn't be so prudish and the fact that these people have juicy private lives bears no relevance, it is just that I don't really want to know. At the moment, I don't suppose I would even remember these details when I deal with these people on a day to day basis but it does make me wince when I come across them.

On the other hand I have been completely struck by finding out the tragedy in someone's life. Finding out their little child had tragically and suddenly died. Just a year ago - enough info leading to a further websearch giving a BBC article. Watching the little website and memorials set up by a distraught parent. How can life ever move forward after such a devastation? My heart cries for them.


Original Comments:

Cheryl said...

Ouch.

Saturday, May 06, 2006 10:02:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Yes. Ouch! Sorry!

Saturday, May 06, 2006 10:10:00 PM

Britmum said...

Life does move forward eventually. Slowly but it never is the same again. There is always a piece of you that is missing.

It is hard learning about something that is very difficult to understand.

Take care

Catherine

Sunday, May 07, 2006 5:57:00 AM

doris said...

Oh Catherine, I am so sorry for talking about it in this way and hope that I have not been disrespectful.

Ouch is about right. It was like a brick wall had slammed into me when I read about this and yet I am only a stranger and don't know any of the people concerned.

Sunday, May 07, 2006 12:22:00 PM

Pookie65 said...

I'm always amazed by what people will put on their web sites. I've came across some of the sweetest and ugliest things imaginable.

For the family suffering from a tragic loss it's probably quite comforting to them. And I imagine there are many strangers sending them thoughts and prayers. Who couldn't use a few more of those?

Huggers!

Sunday, May 07, 2006 3:45:00 PM

stellamarch said...

Thanks for voting for me. Many people have told me this, but I don't understand how to fix my template so that it can be enjoyed by firefox users also. Do you have any ideas?

Sunday, May 07, 2006 4:58:00 PM

doris said...

LOL Stella! You managed to find me without my url!

I just looked at your coding.... I think you are missing a closing div tag. I just counted up how many opened and how many closed and I seem to have one missing - they must be the same number.

Missing div tags are often the culprit for things like this. It messes up the layout and then on top of that you have lost a backgroun which then gives contrast to your text - at the moment it is about the same colour as your background!

Now, in order to make this correction you should download yourself a Mozilla browser - get one from here www.mozilla.com

That way you can view your blog on that browser as you experiment especially if you have a preview option in blog manager.

Now you can safely experiment by putting in one closing div tag. It will look like this but without the spaces:

< / d i v >

The best place to try is to put it either before an opening div tag which starts off like this

< d i v

but may have other coding after the div to specify which one.

or better still, start at the bottom of the page and put it after an existing closing div tag.

Only make one change at a time and be sure you know where it was. That way you can view it in preview mode and if nothing is better then take it out, refresh the preview and then try somewhere else. Be careful and meticulous and you may be very pleasantly surprised. (If you get a bit sloppy then I can not accept any responsibility!!!)

It isn't difficult - just a bit scary.

Try that for starters and best wishes!

Sunday, May 07, 2006 5:18:00 PM

Britmum said...

Doris I didn't think you were being disrespectful at all sweetie. I know I would have felt that way too.

Take care

Catherine xx

Sunday, May 07, 2006 5:19:00 PM

doris said...

OK Stella - a couple more things....

Find this on your page - towards the bottom: (NB I have to put spaces in for it to be accepted here as text so REMOVE all spaces!)

< / < / f o n t >

It should read

< / f o n t >


Then down the bottom on bottom most list called: Wander you are missing a closing ul:

So after:

Weblog Archives< / a > < / l i >

Should read:

Weblog Archives< / a > < / l i >
< / u l >

Try those before the closing div tag thing.

Sunday, May 07, 2006 5:41:00 PM

Le laquet said...

That poor family.

Monday, May 08, 2006 6:02:00 AM

Carol said...

What the heck is 'dogging'?

Monday, May 08, 2006 5:25:00 PM

doris said...

Dogging is where couples who are exhibitionists do "it" in public car parks at night knowing that others get their kicks from going to watch. It is a mutual exhibitionism and voyeurism in pre-arranged car parks. Usually out the way and off the beaten track.

I think that just about covers this curious little sport :-)

Monday, May 08, 2006 8:02:00 PM

Curly K said...

Everyday I am constantly amazed by how someone very close has managed to move her life forward despite the loss of her precious little one.

Its always so important to try to remember that we really never know the true extent of what is going on in others peoples lives and that sometimes when they piss us off, they have good reason to be the way they are.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 11:50:00 AM

ella m. said...

I've had this happen with applicants at my job as well, and be it TMI or personal tragedy, it always makes the interview process damn difficult, as you can't exactly bring up either subject to get clarification on the matter, as you shouldn't be privy to it in the first place.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:08:00 PM