“… 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)
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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?
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29 March 2020 – 20:39 GMT – 1°C Mostly Clear – Co. Dublin, Ireland
It’s that kind of day. Cleaned some windows. Watched the news on TV while my wife visited with a public health nurse to learn about injecting our daughter, in case she needs the help later in her treatment.
I’ve been practising social distancing. I think the best defence is to behave as if you’re infectious and do not want to infect anyone else.
Fascinating catch-up TV about Eel Pie Island. As often as I walked past it while doing Thames Walks, I had no idea just how important it was to the music of the 1960s.
[Read more…] about Crosswords and Sudoku1970 or 2020
24 March 2020 – 13:57 GMT – 13°C Mostly Cloudy – Co. Dublin, Ireland
I’m struggling to understand the uneven and unfair responses of global governments to the covidgency. Shoulder-to-shoulder prayer meetings in India and Bangladesh versus arresting curfew breakers in Macedonia versus Belarus selling TV rights for its continuing football games. Not enough ventilators in Lombardy, among the richest places on earth, a team in Bray just eight kilometres from me have an Open Source Ventilator project trying to coordinate mass production of ventilators on not-for-profit basis. When the symptoms are treated, we must address the cause. Could that really be related to deforestation?
19,000 deaths.
[Read more…] about 1970 or 2020