cross words

Guardian Cryptic Crossword forum: I thought this forum was the place where you could post a comment of how you favoured the crossword. I didn't realise the forum was patrolled by a dictatorial head master and an opinionated bully.

Maybe best not to say who I think they are in case they have taken out superinjunctions.

commonplace book

I came across this word, new to me, recently in a crossword and realised that this was what I like keeping. Whilst this is not exactly a commonplace book it is a good vehicle to become one.

commonplace book

n

(Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a notebook in which quotations, poems, remarks, etc., that catch the owner's attention are entered

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

review

Just checking up on all my blogs and realising that I've kept a modest number of blogs going for some time now.

north pole

Guardian 3 December 2005: Weatherwatch by Tim Radford.

The sky, Nansen reports "is like an enormous cupola, blue at the zenith, shading down into green then into lilac and blue at the edges. Over the ice fields there are cold, violet blue shadows, with lighter pink tints where a ridge heere and there catches the last reflection of the vanished day." The stars shine, a large yellow moon among light golden clouds floats on the blue background. And then, to cap it all this glory the aurora borealis "shakes over the vault of heavens its veil of glittering silver - changing now to yellow, now to green, now to red."

art

I'm not very impressed by artists that sneer at their predecessors/contemporaries whilst presenting their own work as cutting edge and unique. There is plenty of crap art around and some of it is from the avante garde.

false gods

I'm watching a programme about the ancient egyptian pharaohs and how their lives were determined by their devotion to their gods. They created phenomenal buildings and their entire economy became devoted to these aims. In essence they were creating vain-glorious memorabilia.

I am struck that modern leaders, like Blair and Bush, are doing the same thing; mobilising society in fulfilment of their ambitions - and, more importantly, sacrificing everything, as they can, to their gods of globalisation. Rameses had his god; Amun. Blair has his - Globalisation.

blair is mad

It is frightening to see the headlines of a Guardian newspaper saying that Blair claims that MPs are out of touch with popular opinion. This! ....from the man most out of touch with popular opinion. The man that took no notice of the biggest demonstration in Britain. The anti-war demonstration.

I dread the next announcement. "Blair claims the public are mad."