power, real power: the importance of charm and confidence

Another gem in Michael Sandels' "Reith Lectures on morality" was his Ronald Regan story:

MICHAEL SANDEL: Well I prepared … I was a high school debater, Sue, and thought I was really very good, and Ronald Reagan held views that were anathema to me and my classmates. So I prepared the toughest questions I could muster and for 25 minutes or so grilled him in front of the 2,000 plus students. And somehow he charmed everyone in the room and then left! (LAUGHTER) 

SUE LAWLEY: What is the moral of this story: beware the charm of politicians, or don’t be bedazzled by celebrity? I mean what went wrong with the grilling you prepared?

MICHAEL SANDEL: Well either I wasn’t good enough or he was too good. (LAWLEY LAUGHS) And he went on, having been Governor of California at the moment, to work his charms on the American people.

My rudimentary understanding of Marxism, is that the upper classes rule through their economic power, it all boils down to their control of capital. In my "big picture overview" of Marxism, is that you focus on the real power, and the church, polticians, courts and other elements of the establishment are more of a reflection of this power: "money is the ultimate power" and "power always wins".  

To be honest when I see films like "Who Killed The Electric Car" and "The Corporation" I think the Marxist analysis of capitalism makes some pretty good points.

However where Marxism totally falls down for me, is that to focus exclusively on economics is to miss most of human life and humanity. Only Marx could have been narrow minded to think that centralised state control would be any sort of nirvana.

Ben Goldacre's "Bad Science" column, book, podcast, blog ... are full of powerful insightful, giving good examples of how dangerous the public's misunderstanding of science can be, however my concern with Ben is that he misses that many other field specialists are equally concerned by important popular misconceptions of their fields? Marx's obsesses on one particular area of human knowledge (i.e. economics) and this gives him a warped perspective on reality. Both Ben and Marx don't seem to see a big picture which is infinitely complex and possibly beyond any of us to understand in a truly balanced way?

Anyway, putting aside my doubts of anyone finding  a unified/balanced theory for the meaning of life... The thing which always surprises me about the upper classes, is how they continue to dominate by charm and confidence, they maybe talking nonsense but the ruling classes: lawyers, politicians, directors of companies  say everything with charm and confidence, which is probably more important than depth of knowledge and truth.

 

nirvana |nərˈvänə; nir-|

noun Buddhism

a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and samsara. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.

• Hinduism liberation of the soul from the effects of karma and from bodily existence.

• a state of perfect happiness; an ideal or idyllic place : Hollywood's dearest dream of small-town nirvana.

ORIGIN from Sanskrit nirvāṇa, from nirvā ‘be extinguished,’ from nis ‘out’ + vā- ‘to blow.’

Marxism |ˈmärkˌsizəm|

the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism: 

Central to Marxist theory is an explanation of social change in terms of economic factors, according to which the means of production provide the economic base, which influences or determines the political and ideological superstructure. Marx and Engels predicted the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism by the proletariat and the eventual attainment of a classless communist society.

Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") refers to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome. In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled technique or practice.

In its more restricted contemporary sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, and to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research.

Humour: Daniel Radcliffe

I really like the actors who play Harry, Ron and Hermione in Harry Potter. It is strange to have watch them grew up: 

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter: "I'm an atheist, but I'm
very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism, but I have a huge
amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do. Anything he
does on television, I will watch." He joked: "There we go, Dan, that's
half of America that's not going to see the next Harry Potter film on
the back of that comment."

The was another great interview reported in one80 (a Brighton based gay newspaper):

Radcliffe went on to say that he thinks it's wonderful that Rowling has outed Dumbledore as gay and the thought she had done it to "f*!k off the right wing"

Humour: Technology jokes

By boyfriend sent me this one ...

Two packets walk into a pcap bar...

One says to the other, "can I sniff you?"

Well it made me smile anyway :)

Humour: Frozen Assets

I liked this ad for Cook... When I move to Brighton we wanted to be near Waitrose. I'm now pleased to also have Cook, Taj and Jame Oliver for neighbours as well :)

Édith Paif: Chanteuse de cabaret

Édith life in Paris is very bohemian, she gets involved with gangsters and murders but her singing talents carry her through to a world of international celebrity:

À l'automne 1935, elle est découverte dans la rue par Louis Leplée, gérant du cabaret Le Gerny's, sur les Champs-Élysées. À cette époque, Piaf fredonne principalement des chansons du répertoire de Fréhel. Leplée lui choisit comme nom d'artiste « la môme Piaf » (un « piaf », familièrement, est un moineau, et «  la môme Moineau » existait déjà). Le succès arrive. Son talent et sa voix hors normes sont remarqués entre autres par le compositeur Raymond Asso, et par Marguerite Monnot, compositrice et pianiste virtuose, sa future, et fidèle, grande amie, qui l'accompagnera tout au long de sa carrière et composera pour elle les musiques de Mon légionnaire, Hymne à l'amour, Milord, Les Amants d'un jour.

bohemiannounhe is an artist and a Bohemian nonconformist, free spirit, dropout;hippie, beatnik; informal boho. antonym conservative.adjectivea Bohemian student life unconventional, nonconformist, unorthodox,avant-garde, irregular, offbeat, alternative; artistic; informal boho,artsy, artsy-fartsy, way-out. antonym conventional.

Édith Piaf: a tough childhood

She had a very colourful and difficult childhood. I would like to make a mini-pilgrimage..

Édith naît le 19 décembre 1915 à Paris, au 72 rue de Belleville, dans le 20e arrondissement, d'après la plaque apposée sur la maison sise à cette adresse ; selon son acte d'état-civil, Édith Giovanna Gassion est née 4 rue de la Chine, adresse de l'hôpital Tenon. 

Enfant du spectacle, née dans la misère, elle est la fille de Louis Alphonse Gassion, artiste de cirque contorsionniste (né à Castillon dans le Calvados en Normandie le 10 mai 1881, mort le 3 mars 1944 à Paris) et d'Annetta Maillard (4 août 1895-6 février 1945), Line Marsa de son nom d'artiste, chanteuse de rue d’origine française, née à Livourne (Italie). Le prénom « Édith » est choisi en référence à l'infirmière anglaise Edith Cavell3, morte en héroïne quelques mois plus tôt, fusillée par les Allemands.

Sa mère, trop misérable pour l'élever, la confie très petite à sa grand-mère maternelle, Emma Saïd Ben Mohammed, Aïcha de son nom d'artiste (1876-1930), d'ascendance berbère marocaine par son père Saïd Ben Mohammed, ancienne dresseuse de puces, vivant désormais de ménages.

 Sa grand-mère, ne se serait pas occupée d'elle, laissant la petite fille dans la saleté, ignorant l'eau et l'hygiène. Ses biberons, selon la légende, se seraient faits au vin rouge... Elle reste 18 mois dans cette pauvre demeure avant que son père en permission de retour du front, ou peut-être sa tante Zéphora, la confie à sa grand-mère paternelle, patronne d'une maison close à Bernay en Normandie. Édith est choyée par les prostituées de la maison, mangeant pour la première fois à sa faim, portant de jolies robes et buvant du lait de Normandie. Vers l'âge de 7 ou 8 ans, elle perd momentanément la vue en raison d'une kératite. 

La grand-mère, ayant appris la guérison d'une gamine atteinte de la même maladie après qu'on eut prié pour elle sur la tombe de Thérèse Martin à Lisieux, décide d'aller avec ses « filles » y demander la guérison de la petite. On prend le train, on prie sur la tombe de Thérèse, on ramène de la terre qu'on lui applique en bandeau sur les yeux tous les soirs. Après huit jours environ, Édith est guérie ! Elle conservera toute sa vie une dévotion particulière à la « petite » Thérèse, dont elle gardera la médaille autour du cou sa vie durant. 

pilgrimage |ˈpilgrəmij|nouna pilgrim's journey.• a journey to a place associated with someone or something well known or respected : making a pilgrimage to the famous racing circuit.See note at journey .• life viewed as a journey : life's pilgrimage.verb [ intrans. ]go on a pilgrimage.ORIGIN Middle English : from Provençal pelegrinatge, from pelegrin(see pilgrim ).

chanson francais: Elle Fréquentait La Rue Pigalle

Nadjib taught me the words of this sad song of a "lady of the night" picked up, made good but eventually returns to the streets she came from, only even sadder now ...

Elle Fréquentait La Rue Pigalle
Edith Piaf

Ell' fréquentait la rue Pigalle.
Ell' sentait l'vice à bon marché.
Elle était tout' noire de péchés
Avec un pauvr' visage tout pâle.
Pourtant, y avait dans l'fond d'ses yeux
Comm' quequ' chos' de miraculeux
Qui semblait mettre un peu d'ciel bleu
Dans celui tout sale de Pigalle.

Il lui avait dit : "Vous êt's belle."
Et d'habitud', dans c'quartier-là,
On dit jamais les chos's comm' ça
Aux fill's qui font l'mêm' métier qu'elle
Et comme ell' voulait s'confesser,
Il la couvrait tout' de baisers,
En lui disant : "Laiss' ton passé,
Moi, j'vois qu'un' chos', c'est qu' tu es belle."

Y a des imag's qui vous tracassent
Et, quand ell' sortait avec lui,
Depuis Barbès jusqu'à Clichy
Son passé lui f'sait la grimace
Et sur les trottoirs plein d'souv'nirs,
Ell' voyait son amour s'flétrir,
Alors, ell' lui d'manda d'partir,
Et il l'emm'na vers Montparnasse.

Ell' croyait r'commencer sa vie,
Mais c'est lui qui s'mit à changer.
Il la r'gardait tout étonné,
Disant : "J'te croyais plus jolie,
Ici, le jour t'éclair' de trop,
On voit tes vic's à fleur de peau.
Vaudrait p't'êtr' mieux qu' tu r'tourn's là-haut
Et qu'on reprenn' chacun sa vie."

Elle est r'tourné' dans son Pigalle.
Y a plus personn' pour la r'pêcher.
Elle a r'trouvée tous ses péchés,
Ses coins d'ombre et ses trottoirs sales
Mais quand ell' voit des amoureux
Qui r'mont'nt la rue d'un air joyeux,
Y a des larm's dans ses grands yeux bleus
Qui coul'nt le long d'ses jou's tout's pâles

Michael Sandel: Reith lectures and respect for politicians

This years Reith Lecture with Michael Sandel were excellent. He is extremely articulate and witty and his left of centre liberal politics were perfect for a radio 4 audience, many of which badly stung by the credit crunch.

Michael is extremely erudite and there are many jems in these four lectures.

I want to just consider the vexed issue of respect for our politicians. Michael has a grudging admiration for the political class:

SUE LAWLEY: And you didn’t wind up becoming a politician either. You became a political philosopher. What would you say to people who said you took the easier option; that it’s easier to be high-minded in theory than in practice?

MICHAEL SANDEL: I think that being in elective politics, being a politician is an extremely demanding job. And so for all of the shenanigans and misdeeds of politicians, I do think that they are engaged in what potentially is a noble exercise and they do, most of them, make great sacrifices to engage in it.

A few years ago I have a Tory backbencher gave a very insightful interview on Woman's Hour, this blustering public school type was going on about MPs pay being total inadequate. This was of course in comparison to his "CEO peers" in private enterprise.

The thing which really struck me about this interview was this was not the standard banter of the Today Program (which to me is dull and leaves me cold), for some reason on Woman's Hour this "Tory Boy" let his guard down slightly and spoke with passion and conviction. He genuinely believed that he and most politicians were primarily driven by ideals of public service and were making great sacrifices for the common good of the common man, he didn't use the term altruism but this was the gist of it.

My personal opinion is that while the "MP expenses scandal", is that if you accept and put aside for a moment the issue of the huge wage inequality in the UK, then given that most MPs are in a position to get better paid jobs, then the fraudulent expense claims been overhyped. The old perception was that MP's basic wages are not terribly high but the expenses were good. However I also think we should reflect carefully that politicians tends to massively ambitious and this does not necessarily make them good "public servants".

I see a parallels between our ambitious politicians and bankers. Many investment bankers used high risk strategies has made many of them obscenely wealthy but eventually turned sour, and left us with a financial black hole in the Credit Default Swap (CDS) market aka the "credit crunch". Similarly our politicians need to prove themselves in a short period of time and are keen on radical reform; this does not make good long-term guardians.

Like Sir Robert Chiltern in Oscar Wilde's "The Ideal Husband", being a politician inevitably gives the MPs huge amounts of power, influence and access. So much of life is about experience and good contacts, becoming an MP is a fantastic opportunity and I see very few MPs doing badly (and I'm not sure they would all make it as CEOs).

Part of the problem is the media, we seem fixated with newspapers with sensational headlines. In the late 19th century the upper classes were genuinely suffrage movement, which was fighting to get the vote to the common man (although not the common women). There concerns were that if everyone had the vote that this would "dumb down" the countries government. While I m great believer in democracy and an equal sharing of power, it is depressing to read much of the knee-jerk reporting there is in the tabloids.

However returning our politicans, they would do well not to just enviously look up the ladder at the reward packages of the top CEOs, but to also to look down at the more meagre average wages in UK.

There was a fascinating psychological study (citation required), which found in a slightly counter intuitive way that the most stressed elements of the work-force were not the long-hours executive class, they found that this class felt powerful and in control of their environments and lives. No the most stressed are the low paid, often with little job security and very exposed to the vagaries of the market forces and their managers whims. While I did expect the hardest working to be the most stressed, on reflection I can see that although I do work very, I really enjoy my work find it very interesting and fulfilling.

erudite |ˈer(y)əˌdīt|

adjective

having or showing great knowledge or learning.

DERIVATIVES

eruditely adverb

erudition |ˈer(y)oŏˌdi sh ən| |ˈɛrəˈdɪʃən| |ˈɛr(j)ʊˈdɪʃən| noun

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin eruditus, past participle of erudire ‘instruct, train’ (based on rudis ‘rude, untrained’ ).

gist |jist|

noun [in sing. ]

1 the substance or essence of a speech or text : she noted the gist of each message.

2 Law the real point of an action : damage is the gist of the action and without it the plaintiff must fail.

ORIGIN early 18th cent.: from Old French, third person singular present tense of gesir ‘to lie,’ from Latin jacere. The Anglo-French legal phrase cest action gist [this action lies] denoted that there were sufficient grounds to proceed; gist was adopted into English denoting the grounds themselves ( sense 2).

overhype

verb |ˌōvərˈhīp| [ trans. ]

make exaggerated claims about (a product, idea, or event); publicize or promote excessively : it would appear that the organizers overhyped the crowd size.

noun |ˈōvərˌhīp|

excessive publicity or promotion : were the media more rational about it, the unmistakable taste of overhype would not be so strong.

meager |ˈmēgər| ( Brit. meagre)

adjective

(of something provided or available) lacking in quantity or quality : they were forced to supplement their meager earnings.

• (of a person or animal) lean; thin.

ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense [lean] ): from Old French maigre, from Latin macer.

suffrage |ˈsəfrij|

noun

1 the right to vote in political elections.

• archaic a vote given in assent to a proposal or in favor of the election of a particular person.

2 (usu. suffrages) a series of intercessory prayers or petitions.

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [intercessory prayers,] also [assistance] ): from Latin suffragium, reinforced by French suffrage. The modern sense of [right to vote] was originally U.S. (dating from the late 18th cent.).

Alphonse Mucha: an overnight sensation in Paris and the start of Art Nouveau

I love this Lithograph, it is epitome of classical feminine grace, elegance and beauty. The colours are soft and warm, while the beautiful curves, layers upon layers are so graceful.

Alphonse Maria Mucha   (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939) is not a "household name" so here are a few interesting details about this remarkable artist and his place in history:

Alphonse Maria Mucha was born in the town of Ivančice, Moravia (today's region of Czech Republic). His singing abilities allowed him to continue his education through high school in the Moravian capital of Brno, even though drawing had been his first love since childhood. He worked at decorative painting jobs in Moravia, mostly painting theatrical scenery, then in 1879 moved to Vienna to work for a leading Viennese theatrical design company, while informally furthering his artistic education. 

Mucha moved to Paris in 1887, and continued his studies at Académie Julian and Académie Colarossi while also producing magazine and advertising illustrations. Around Christmas 1894, Mucha happened to drop into a print shop where there was a sudden and unexpected demand for a new poster to advertise a play starring Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous actress in Paris, at the Théâtre de la Renaissance. Mucha volunteered to produce a lithographed poster within two weeks, and on 1 January 1895, the advertisement for Gismonda appeared on the streets of the city. It was an overnight sensation and announced the new artistic style and its creator to the citizens of Paris. Bernhardt was so satisfied with the success of that first poster that she entered into a 6 years contract with Mucha.

Mucha produced a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewellery, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was initially called the Mucha Style but became known as Art Nouveau. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfons_Mucha

lithography |liˈθägrəfē|nounthe process of printing from a flat surface treated so as to repel the ink except where it is required for printing.• Electronics an analogous method for making printed circuits.

The earliest forms of lithography used greasy ink to form an image on a piece of limestone that was then etched with acid and treated with gum arabic. In a modern press, rollers transfer ink to a thin aluminum plate wrapped around a cylinder. In offset lithography the image is transferred to an intermediate rubber-covered cylinder before being printed.

epitome |iˈpitəmē|noun1 ( the epitome of) a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type : she looked the epitome of elegance and good taste.2 a summary of a written work; an abstract.• archaic a thing representing something else in miniature.ORIGIN early 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek epitomē, fromepitemnein ‘abridge,’ from epi ‘in addition’ + temnein ‘to cut.’

feminine |ˈfemənin|adjective1 having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with women, esp. delicacy and prettiness : a feminine frilled blouse.• of or relating to women; female : he enjoys feminine company.2 Grammar of or denoting a gender of nouns and adjectives, conventionally regarded as female.3 Music (of a cadence) occurring on a metrically weak beat.noun ( the feminine)the female sex or gender : the association of the arts with the feminine.• Grammar a feminine word or form.ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin femininus, from femina‘woman.’

female standup: the ambassador and the exotic dancers

A few months ago I heard Nadira Alieva  on Midweek with Liby Purves. 

She was a great guest on the show, a very colourful woman: a sexy dancer  as the partner of the maverick British ambasador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, I can't remember exactly what he got in trouble for, but he definitely didn't toe the UK government line.. I always admire someone who stands up for the small people against the mega-powers of national government, corporations or organised religions. The tone of her life story was turned for radio 4 first thing in morning, she was still a great guest but perhaps some of the more exotic and shocking parts of her life were glossed over (the Newsnight interview on youtube is more provocative and brutal)

Apparently Nadira meet the British ambassador when he came to Tashkent club to see the exotic dancer, it sounds romantic, glamourous and exciting. 

For a recent blog piece, on entertaining consultants using corporate accounts to pay for lap-dancing, I stmbled on interesting article on Nadira in the Telegraph. While I love radio, when it comes to stripetease, it is a challenging medium, an I would have to say in the rather modest but provocative photos in the Telegraph, she looks great!

Nadira has wonderfully soft and musical voice and spoke with some poigancy of the world of striptease:

There was no appreciation of my body as a whole, no enjoyment of my dancing as there would have been in my native Uzbekistan, where at least I got to keep my bra and knickers on.

Clearly adjusting to life in the hard west has not been simple:

The backstage area at Spearmint Rhino was huge and well lit with mirrors everywhere and the experienced girls mingled with the new.

When I mentioned that I'd never done nudity before, they said it was no big deal.

There is a hierarchy at these clubs and sometimes you don't get the chance to dance on the bar or main stage, you just walk the floor in search of a punter.

Still she sounded resoluted and overall quite positive about her new life.

The Telegraph article also discusses her new stand-up routine:

Nadira's move to London has been traumatic but she is using her experience as the basis of a one-woman show

"Your father is taking drugs," she admitted sadly.

I soon saw the horrible evidence for myself.

I walked into our kitchen to find my father tying a tourniquet around his upper arm and gripping his fist to find a vein in which to inject his heroin fix - known as "poppy milk" in our culture.

My mother screamed: "Not in front of the children, don't do it in front of the children."

But he just shouted back: "I am their father - I can do what I want because they love me and if they stop loving me, they won't cry when I'm dead."

It may sound strange but at times I almost liked my father when he was high because he was back to his old happy and loving self.

The show reviews were quite good:

The title of The British Ambassador's Belly Dancer is ironic - the purpose of the play is to tell Nadira Murray's story and make crystal clear that she is much more than somebody's spouse. She does not see herself as a victim, but as a survivor and an achiever. In parts extremely moving, throughout Nadira Murray makes plain that these experiences - including multiple acts of sexual abuse by the police - are common experiences of her contemporaries. But the pathos is continually pierced by flashes of wit and a determination to find joy in the most trying of circumstances. Craig Murray does not appear in the narrative until the final third of the play, and any expectation that this play would be primarily about him is dashed by Nadira's initial assessment "I wondered who is this old foreigner - does he have any money?"

Craig comes across s a good fun and has apparently a strong taste for kinky spanking - good on him to be open and honest about what makes him happy! Even if he did obviously blush during the Newsnight interview ;-)

NB Apparently Craig got into trouble for refusing to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in Uzbekistan.. a man of principles.

Books: Neil Bartlett's Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall

The first thing which struck about this novel, is Bartlett's writing style - he requires to very carefully, no skimming here. Every world is chosen with care and the complex sentence structures need careful attention. If you are up for this it is very rewarding, however sometime when I was tired at the end of the day, I found this a bit tough (but worth it). 

There  were clear references to other "gay classics", some of which I got (Wilde) but there were clearly many more which I didn't:

Bartlett has created this book, as so many gay men create their lives, from bits and pieces welded together by a sense of what it should be. As he himself says in a final note, the novel includes fragments and reworkings of Oscar Wilde, Baron Corvo, E.M. Forster, Jean Genet, song lyrics and screenplays, the lives of divas, a century of gay history and culture filtered through his own vision of contemporary gay life.

Throught-out the book, there is a strong sensual theme, many of the men are quite effeminate and this relates to themes of homosexual culture which more prevelant when being gay was illegal and less-tolerated. Being a gay man in Brighton I know a lot of gays and lesbians, and I believe we are more like everyone else than the old effeminate stereotypes which gay men were encourage to play up. The gay community is still distinctively different, in my opinion "on the whole" less conservative, more conservative and more focused on just living.  

I'm not sure about the following comments, he probably has got the measure of the book, but this is in the hidden depths:

Ready to Catch Him predates, to a large extent, the "we're just like everyone else" political mantra espoused by The Movement in recent years, which itself strikes me as a have-your-cake-and-eat-it philosophy. Once upon a time, the idea was that we should all be treasured for our differences that make life something besides a round-the-clock 9 to 5. In many respects, the book is about gay liberation, but Bartlett has done it in such a way as remove it from the realm of the overtly political completely, although there is no escaping the highly political subtext. The hidden life of The Bar, the anger, the assaults, the life of Father, all resolve themselves in the final triumph of Boy and O, who ultimately are not granted the right to be treated like everyone else -- they just take it, as their due.

Last night I attended the Hove Library LGBT book group, and we discussed this book: 

• It went down reasonably well, this book was Neil's first novel and not everyone's favourite: "I'm glad I read Skin Lane before this". 
  
• The group liked that it was beautifully written with lots of incidental detail which gave real colour and flavour of what the "gay scene" was like in the 80s. 
  
• There was reminiscing of the quasi-private men-only bars in Birmingham in the 80s (apparently they let teenager lesbians in too). These bars had an unusual atmosphere, for example everything painted black floor to ceiling! 
  
• I raised this issue of that the men in novel where much more feminine then? This was something I have noted in other novels: Duncan in Sarah Waters' "The Night Watch" or in "Before the Night Falls" by Reinalo Arenas there is a sub-community of very camp and effeminate prisoners
  
• There is something curiously fascinating talking about the cultural changes within our own lives, an alternative perspective on gay men being less stereotype effeminate, is that heterosexual men now spend much more time on their appearance, with deodorant, aftershave/perfume and even manscara... (David Beckham wearing a sarong)
  
• Do some people just want to be kept - one of the recurring themes was age-gap relationships, firstly the stereotype middle-aged man with good looking young boy, and then the young boy looking after an elderly/geriatic man. It was pointed out these sorts of relationships are probably as common in the straight world and in many cases both parties are often content? 

reminisce |ˌreməˈnis|

verb [ intrans. ]

indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events : they reminisced about their summers abroad.

ORIGIN early 19th cent.: back-formation from reminiscence .

effeminate |iˈfemənət|

adjective

(of a man) having or showing characteristics regarded as typical of a woman; unmanly.

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin effeminatus, past participle of effeminare ‘make feminine,’ from ex- (expressing a change of state) + femina ‘woman.

sarong |səˈrô ng; -ˈrä ng |

noun

a garment consisting of a long piece of cloth worn wrapped around the body and tucked at the waist or under the armpits, traditionally worn in Southeast Asia and now also by women in the West.

ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: Malay, literally ‘sheath.’

geriatric |ˌjerēˈatrik|ORIGIN 1920s: from Greek gēras ‘old age’ + iatros ‘doctor,’ on the pattern of pediatric.USAGE Geriatric is the normal, semiofficial term used in the U.S. and Britain when referring to the health care of old people ( : a geriatric ward;:geriatric patients). When used outside such contexts, however, it typically carries overtones of being worn out and decrepit and can therefore be offensive.

Revered: David Attenborough and Komodo Dragons

This was a wonderful podcast, it really captured my imagination.

It starts ernestly, with Sir David talking in revered terms regarding a 16th Italian encyclopaedia which documents in detail several different types of Dragon? Sir David is respectful and takes these records seriously and at face value?

Next he jumps forward several centuries to the discovery of the "Komodo Dragons" on remote Indonesian island of Komodo. Technically a giant lizard, to the layman this huge reptile has a striking dragon-like appearance.

The dragons have a nasty bite, their venom acts slowly, an initial bite to a water buffalo would weaken and slow it, then a few days later, the Komodo dragon will bite again and the venom accumulates ... "the reptile has all the time of world":

Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.

But Sir David has not finished, these venomous carnivorous giant lizards have an even more exotic hidden secrets.. sex and death!  

At first the sex life of the Komodo is sounds sorts of rough but not that unusual: 

During this period, males fight over females and territory by grappling with one another upon their hind legs with the loser eventually being pinned to the ground. These males may vomit or defecate when preparing for the fight. The winner of the fight will then flick his long tongue at the female to gain information about her receptivity. Females are antagonistic and resist with their claws and teeth during the early phases of courtship. Therefore, the male must fully restrain the female during coitus to avoid being hurt. Other courtship displays include males rubbing their chins on the female, hard scratches to the back, and licking.

however, the next bit really caught my attention (this was a shocking as the idea of real life dragons):

A Komodo dragon at London Zoo named Sungai laid a clutch of eggs in late 2005 after being separated from male company for more than two years. Scientists initially assumed that she had been able to store sperm from her earlier encounter with a male, an adaptation known as superfecundation... 

Scientists at Liverpool University in England performed genetic tests on three eggs that collapsed after being moved to an incubator, and verified that Flora had never been in physical contact with a male dragon. After Flora's eggs' condition had been discovered, testing showed that Sungai's eggs were also produced without outside fertilization.

Komodo dragons have the ZW chromosomal sex-determination system, as opposed to the mammalian XY system. 

Wow... parthenogenesis and the ZW chromosomal sex-determination system!?

However Sir David still hasn't finished, the Komodo have one more dark secret, these ancient reptiles are also cannibalistic:

Young Komodo dragons spend much of their first few years in trees, where they are relatively safe from predators, including cannibalistic adults, who make juvenile dragons 10% of their diet. According to David Attenborough, the habit of cannibalism may be advantageous in sustaining the large size of adults, as medium-sized prey on the islands is rare

revere |riˈvi(ə)r|verb [ trans. ] (often be revered)feel deep respect or admiration for (something) : Cézanne's still lifes were revered by his contemporariesORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from French révérer or Latin revereri, fromre- (expressing intensive force) + vereri ‘to fear.’

parthenogenesis |ˌpärθənōˈjenəsis|noun Biologyreproduction from an ovum without fertilization, esp. as a normal process in some invertebrates and lower plants.ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: modern Latin, from Greek parthenos ‘virgin’+ genesis ‘creation.’

Allegations: the ultraconservative Legion of Christ

I have recently be re-read Shella Cassidy's "Audacity to Believe", I was invited by some Christian friends to see Shella speak at Oxford, and although it was nearly 20 years ago, I still remember being powerfully impressed by her integrity, courage and humanity.

Unfortunately the following recent Independent article carefully chronicles, a very sinister ultraconservative movement in the Catholic church, which suppressed the good work of many modern Catholics in Latin America. 

 It is January 1979. At his right hand, briefing him, is the Mexican-born Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the ultraconservative Legion of Christ, one of the youngest but fastest-growing religious orders in the Catholic Church. This dapper, well-connected priest, worshipped by his adoring followers as "Nuestro Padre" ("Our Father") shares with the Polish pontiff a conviction that the liberal reform of Catholicism in the 1960s needs to be halted, especially in Latin America.

The article stressed how central and powerful this movement was within the catholic church:

That trip was the first public sign of the extraordinary bond between Maciel and the man in charge of a church of 1.2 billion souls. In the subsequent 26 years of John Paul's reign, the Legion was regularly lauded by him for its unwavering fidelity to church teaching, its intolerance of dissent, and its conviction that only Catholicism could save the world. Maciel was a prince of the Church, in the papal inner circle, sitting on the most important Vatican committees and running his own congregation of 800 priests and 2,500 seminarians, plus the 70,000 lay members of the associated Regnum Christi movement, as it spread around the globe, including a base in London.

There have been some very serious and sinister allegations, regarding this movement and "Nuestro Padre" himself:

Parents of youngsters recruited as Legionaries described it as a cult that targeted the young and naive in particular, some of them just 13, and then "brainwashed" them. But it is Maciel himself who has proved most controversial. Nuestro Padre was, according to one biographer, "a narcissistic sociopath" with a taste for flights on Concorde and five-star hotels. He is acknowledged by the Legion to have fathered at least one child – a 23-year-old daughter said to be called Norma Hilda and now living in Madrid.

It has also been alleged that he was a paedophile. The first accusation came in 1976 from the former head of the Legion in the US. By 1998, the Vatican had received sworn statements from eight men, all detailing how Maciel had abused them when they were young recruits.

Did his close links with Pope John Paul lead to some sort of cover-up:

Throughout the 1990s, a series of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests that had been covered up by the church authorities shook Catholicism in America, Canada, Australia, Ireland, the UK and other countries. At least two cardinals were forced to retire, dozens of paedophile priests were jailed for their crimes, and the Church paid out millions of pounds in compensation to victims. The damage to its reputation in the eyes of its own congregations has been huge, and bishops have struggled to convince sceptics that they have put into place procedures rigorous enough to ensure that such a betrayal never happens again.

Yet in Maciel's case, it took 30 years – until 2006, after John Paul's death – for the new pope, Benedict XVI, finally to issue a public rebuke, and then it was simply an order that he should see out his days in private prayer rather than face a court. The long delay is evidence, some have suggested, that the Vatican still does not take the issue of paedophile priests sufficiently seriously.

Now as much of this sorry episode is final being aired in public (these sorts of scandals always out eventually... you can bury a very seriuos scandal deeply and it may not surface until after your death but this only highlights the gravity of the scandal). The article discussed in detail much of the evidence and allegations.

Was Carpunky sexually abused? "I am one of the few people who has been in Maciel's bedroom without... you know... because he has a bedroom in each of the Legion's houses, reserved for him. In the American house at Cheshire in Connecticut, he even had his own Mercedes reserved for him 'because of his back problems'. He always had these weird things. He could only drink Evian water. For medical reasons, he'd eat only steak or a specific type of chicken that had to be obtained from Spain. I wasn't sexually abused, though a friend of mine in seminary had been molested by a Brother in the Legion in his early teens. When the rector found out, he told Maciel, and within 24 hours that Brother was sent to Rome, where he was later ordained as a priest."

It raises the suggestion of a culture of sexual abuse inside the Legion, taking its lead from the founder and covered up by the "private vow". Carpunky is not convinced. "Maciel was a monster and others were abused, but they were more the exceptions than the rule."

allegation |ˌaliˈgā sh ən|

noun

a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof : he made allegations of corruption against the administration | allegations that the army was operating a shoot-to-kill policy.

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin allegatio(n-), from allegare ‘allege.’

cover-up (also coverup)

noun

1 an attempt to prevent people's discovering the truth about a serious mistake or crime.