“… those who philosophise on the matter, and who think men unreasonable for spending a whole day in chasing a hare which they would not have bought, scarce know our nature. The hare in itself would not screen us from the sight of death and calamities; but the chase which turns away our attention from these, does screen us.” (from Pensées by Blaise Pascal)
[Read more…] about Displacement InactivityArchives for April 2020
No Comment
Dateline 20 May 2017: Imagine being so sick that you need home visits by nurses. Imagine having a friend who one day takes you out to lunch where one of your carers happens to see you. Imagine being told that since you have a friend who can drive you to lunch, you no longer need home visits. Is this nationalised health care?
[Read more…] about No CommentOn Coffee and untold stories
Coffee is an acquired taste. I read an online article somewhere a couple of years ago that reported on research that drew several conclusions, one of which was that the tolerance of coffee flavour needed some brain training. We accept that it is bitter because we have learned to anticipate the stimulation it will provide.
I like my coffee. I learned to really like it when I was working in Argentina with GQ from Colombia. He demonstrated that coffee doesn’t have to be bitter. But it was a slow learning.
[Read more…] about On Coffee and untold stories20 Lines
What thoughts and whose ideas have a value?
Lia bought 20 Lines a Day by Harry Mathews recently. Stendhal had commented that “20 lines a day, genius or not, was a good place to start”. I was deeply impressed by Scarlet and Black when I first read it perhaps 40 years ago. A conversation with Gerry Hanley in the bar of the Delgany Inn elucidated from him that Stendhal got him writing with those same words. I had only just finished reading Scarlet and Black and was quite surprised at the coincidence, his bringing Stendhal up over a pint, my knowing who he was talking about. But I didn’t write 20 lines a day. Maybe that was a good thing?
[Read more…] about 20 LinesCelebrity changes
The advent of sound and in movies presented Hollywood with a problem. Many of its most famous actors had voices and accents unsuited to the talkies. The change in technology made them redundant.
In an effort to present uplifting news, TV stations are broadcasting messages of support from celebrities. I’m struck by how awkward their messages appear. Is this because celebrity is about aspiration rather than leadership? Like the great stars of the silent screen with bad voices that Hollywood never produced, the voices of many celebrities seem redundant. Sports millionaires for example. Sports are suspended and now the sports personalities are effectively wealth insulated rather than inconveniently health isolated. Not that you’d glean this from their messages presented as if they were just like you and me. They continue to broadcast like the celebrities they were only a month ago, competing for your attention like self-appointed social media influencers.
[Read more…] about Celebrity changesHard Lines
Hindcast: Dateline Dublin Christmas 1348.
14,000 have died of plague in the last five months. Dalkey and Howth together with the port at Drogheda have been devastated by the Black Death. One third of the urban population have died.
Forecast: Dateline Dublin Easter 2020.
1,500 may have died in the month since the first Irish death of complications arising from Covid-19.
Our capacity for benefit may become the ticket to healthcare and a future. The UK is considering having people 75 and older to sign DNR forms. Spain seems to be doing it unofficially for 65 and older by treating likely survivors first.
[Read more…] about Hard Lines