Sir John Mortimer on Private Passions

Listening to on old recording (1995) of Sir John Mortimer on Private Passions. I was a bit stunned that this incredibly successful barrister should emphasise that the key for a defence lawyer is to get the jury to laugh.

Sir John Mortimer, barrister, playwright and creator of 'Rumpole of the Bailey', died last year. He was one of the very early guests on 'Private Passions', and this edition, recorded at his Buckinghamshire home and first broadcast in 1995, offers another chance to hear him talking about one of his greatest passions, music.

The more I think about the law and politics, the more dubious they seem. There is so much scope for powerful people to abuse charm, good looks, fashion, humour to sway political debate and the legal system.

As I get older, I fear that I am becoming more cynical, we appear to becoming increasingly short-sighted and dummying down?

However on the flip side, I think great progress has been made (especially in 60s and 70s) on civil liberties and the UK schools, prisons and policing becoming more humane. LGBT rights have made huge progress and we are making good progress in the UK (e.g. in the workplace taunting-gay men is now increasingly unacceptable - it happened all the time only 10 years ago)

Furthermore we are making great technological progress and hopefully we can use this knowledge to live in a more efficient way? However the 21st is going to present huge challenges. I hope our leaders will have the intelligence and integrity and reject the current trend for winning arguments in the short-term by skewing statistics, mockery, smart suits... yes this has always been there but I fear we are dummying-down and loosing out humanity.

humane |(h)yoōˈmān|

adjective

1 having or showing compassion or benevolence : regulations ensuring the humane treatment of animals.

• inflicting the minimum of pain : humane methods of killing.

2 formal (of a branch of learning) intended to have a civilizing or refining effect on people : the center emphasizes economics as a humane discipline.

DERIVATIVES

humanely |(h)juˈmeɪnli| adverb

humaneness |(h)juˈmeɪn(n)1s| noun

ORIGIN late Middle English : the earlier form of human , restricted to the senses above in the 18th cent.

Jesus Camp - the dangers of religion and indoctrination

I've just watched Jesus Camp, a film/documentary about the upbringing of children by extreme christains in America, quite scary really: Harry Potter is the devil and must die... but George Bush is the best. They are very powerful and very scary. The trailer gives a feel for the film (although the film has a slower more measured paced)

Fischer is shown preaching a sermon where she mentions the Harry Potter character and claims that had he existed in biblical times, he "would have been put to death". Fischer admonishes the children—many whom are in tears—to "clean up your act" and not be hypocritical in their actions. As several tearful children gather around her, she pours water on their hands to be "washed in the water of [God's] word." ...

There is also a scene at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Levi and his family go on vacation to hear its now-disgraced pastor, Ted Haggard. Levi highly admires Haggard, and is thrilled to meet him. He informs Haggard that he too wants to be a pastor and has already preached sermons. Afterward, Levi, Rachael, Tory, their families and several other children take part in a Justice House of Prayer rally held by Engle in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Additionally, there is a debate between Fischer and Mike Papantonio, an attorney and a radio talk-show host for Air America Radio's Ring of Fire. Papantonio questions Fischer's motives for focusing her ministry efforts on children. Fischer explains that she does not believe that people have the freedom to choose their belief system once they pass childhood, and that it is important that they be immersed in evangelical Christian values from a young age.

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

Here are a just few frightening quotes from the film:

Levi: At five I got saved...
Becky Fischer: Yeah?
Levi: ...because I just wanted more of life.

---

Rachel: [preaching to a group of guys sitting in a park] If you were to die right now in this moment, where do you think you'd go?
guy in the park: Heaven
Rachel: [subdued] Really?
guy in the park: Yeah. Sure.
Rachel: Oh... okay. Have a nice day!
[runs back to her friends]
Rachel: I think they were Muslims!

---

Home-schooled kids: I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag...

---

Levi's Mom: Did you get to the part yet where they say that science hasn't proven anything?

---

Becky Fischer: It's no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have... excuse me, but we have the truth!

---

Becky Fischer: I can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they're so open. They are so usable in Christianity.

---

Becky Fischer: [Referring to President George W. Bush] He has really brought some real credibility, um, to the Christian faith.

---

Ted Haggard: If the Evangelicals vote, they determine the election.

---

Levi's Mom: We believe that there's two kinds of people in this world: people who love Jesus and people who don't.

---

Rachel: There are certain churches, they're called "dead churches," and the people there, they sit there, like this
[blank stare monotone]
Rachel: - "We worship you God, we worship you God."... The churches that God likes to go to, are churches where they're jumping up and down, shouting his name, and just praising him, they're not acting - they're not quiet
[pious frown monotone]
Rachel: "We worship you... ," they're
[exuberant jumping]
Rachel: "Hallelujah God!" And depending on how they invite him, he'll be there, or not.

---

Ted Haggard: We've decided the Bible is the word of God. We don't have to have a General Assembly about what we believe. It's written in the Bible. Alright, so we don't have to debate what we think about homosexual activity. It's written in the Bible.
[pointing and looking into the camera]
Ted Haggard: I think I know what you did last night.
[audience laughs]
Ted Haggard: If you send me a thousand dollars, I won't tell your wife.
[audience and Haggard laughs]
Ted Haggard: If you use any of this, I'll sue you.

---

Becky Fischer: And while I'm on the subject, let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are the enemies of God! And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God and had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death!
Crowd: Amen!
Becky Fischer: You don't make heroes out of warlocks!

---

Becky Fischer: It's almost like being on the cover of "Rolling Stones"!

---

Levi: I think Galileo made the right choice by giving up science for Christ.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486358/quotes

Actually the parts which probably shocked me the most were Becky Fischers clear contempt for democracy and that indocrination of children is good!!

It all made think of that great Al Gore quote:

Al Gore [quoting Mark Twain] "What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so."

I also liked this forum post from imdb:

Jesus Camp is serious business., 14 September 2006

Author: mmckelley from United States

This film intrigued me for several reasons: First it is filmed in my home state of Missouri, not the deep south as so many people think, in fact it is filmed near Kansas City.

The film is a well-presented view from the perspective of the ultra conservative, Evangelical movement. It is honest in its intent. Minister, Becky Fischer, is honest in her goals for the camp and its attendees.

I did find that the film seemed to play fast and loose with numbers. For example it is stated that 75% of all home schooled children are evangelical. I come from a liberal background and have many well-educated friends who home school and none of them are evangelical so I am skeptical about their claim.

As one might expect, statements are made such as "there is no such thing as global warming" and that "all homosexuals are going to hell." That doesn't surprise me. The fact that not one of the adults or children questions any of these statements or offers to provide proof or seek an alternative explanation is the elephant in the room.

However; the film is filled with passion and filmmakers present the information honestly. The sad issue is that the evangelical movement seems not to have learned anything from the War in Iraq. Our presence there will only result in civil war. This was predicted long before the war started, now, four years later, if the U.S. were to leave, full blown civil war would certainly result. Why, because the church and state in Iraq are inseparable.

I will eagerly await the sequel five years from now when the filmmakers return to Jesus Camp and reinterview these children. On second thought, perhaps they had ought to wait ten years.

I also feel sorry for more moderate christains:

"It shows the Midwest evangelicals are comparative to Muslim camps in the Middle East as if we're training up warriors to battle the world," said Andy Braner, director of the Christian camp Kanakuk Colorado. "It gives people a bad taste of what camps are all about."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/novemberweb-only/146-12.0.html

But I also think Andy Braner is possibly missing the point about the dangerous cocktail of the church taking over the state (government/corporate&miltary power) in America?

I hope common sense and moderation wins-out in the worlds biggest super-power!

indoctrinate |inˈdäktrəˌnāt|

verb [ trans. ]

teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically : broadcasting was a vehicle for indoctrinating the masses.

• archaic teach or instruct (someone) : he indoctrinated them in systematic theology.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.(formerly also as endoctrinate): from en- ¹ , in- ² [into] + doctrine + -ate ³ , or from obsolete indoctrine (verb), from French endoctriner, based on doctrine ‘doctrine.’

Jeremy Clarkson: "alpha male" or "alpha tw*t"

I don't like Jeremy Clarkson and every time I hear his "toxic views" forced upon me in the name of humour, I think he is a sad and selfish macho man. Here are a few of things I find so upsetting about Mr Clarkson...

Clarkson scaled Ben Tongue in Sutherland in a new Land Rover Discovery for the BBC2 show, reportedly churning up fragile peat bogs and heather as he went.

The damage done will be lasting, according to the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, which says the stunt was irresponsible and likely to encourage similar destructive behaviour on other private estates.

"The virgin land Clarkson has chewed up will now take hundreds of years to be regenerated," said the council's president, John Mackenzie, the Earl of Cromartie.

"There's no excuse for this, no matter how good the Land Rover might have been. This sets a precedent and it is going to encourage even less disciplined individuals to act irresponsibly."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/nov/16/environment.broadcasting

His response to this criticism was totally un-apologetic - no surprise.

I think he is very toxic:

• Clarkson has long been noted for his pro-smoking viewpoint, with him even publicly smoking as much as possible on National No Smoking Day.
• On the environment, Clarkson is not sympathetic to the green agenda. He once said: "I do have a disregard for the environment. I think the world can look after itself and we should enjoy it as best as we can".
• He has little respect for groups such as Greenpeace, and believes that the "eco-mentalists" are a by-product of the "old trade unionists and CND lesbians" that hadn't gone away but merely found a new cause.
• Clarkson is not however a climate change denier, commenting on the effects of global warming - "let's just stop and think for a moment what the consequences might be. Switzerland loses its skiing resorts? The beach in Miami is washed away? North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane? Anything bothering you yet?"

Unfortunately I also think he is very influencial:

• Clarkson has been described as a "skilful propagandist for the motoring lobby" by The Economist

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

IQ and Politics: Childhood intelligence predicts voter turnout, voting preferences, and political involvement in adulthood: The 1970 British Cohort St

This fascinating story, obviously as an active member of the green party (who has previously voted lib dem) it is rather flattering.

Based on matching IQ data to voting patterns, at top at around 108 are the Greens and Lib Dems. Next at around 103/4 are the conservatives and labour and lastly at the both of the heap are UKIP and the BNP 98.

Monday 3 November 2008

Childhood intelligence is linked to voting preferences and political involvement in adulthood according to a recent study.

People with a higher intelligence in childhood were more likely to vote as adults, and were more likely to vote for the Green Party and Liberal Democrats in a general election, researchers have found.

The study, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, suggests that childhood general intelligence is associated with a person’s political allegiance as much as social class – which has been studied previously as a marker of British voting habits...

http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC005139

and from a The Guardian commentator:

If the results of general elections are anything to go by, voting Green or Liberal Democrat must be a thankless task. But now the supporters of these parties can console themselves with the knowledge that, although they may not elect a prime minister, there's a good chance that they are cleverer than the people who do.

Academic research published in the journal Intelligence compares the way people voted in the 2001 election with their IQ at the age of 10 (using data from the 1970 British cohort study). The results are fascinating.

On a party-by-party basis, the average (childhood) IQ scores for 2001 voters were:

Green - 108.3

Liberal Democrat - 108.2

Conservative - 103.7

Labour – 103

Plaid Cymru - 102.5

Scottish National - 102.2

UK Independence - 101.1

British National - 98.4

Did not vote/None of the above - 99.7

The research was based on a survey involving 6,000 people, so it's obviously pretty authoritative...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2008/nov/03/greenpolitics-liberaldemocrats

The scientist behind this study seem to come from very reputable institutions:

Childhood intelligence predicts voter turnout, voting preferences, and political involvement in adulthood: The 1970 British Cohort St

Ian J. Deary^a,, G. David Batty^{a, b} and Catharine R. Gale^c

^aMedical Research Council Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK

^bMedical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, 4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, UK

^cMedical Research Council Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK

Ian J. Deary BSc, MB, ChB, PhD (Edin), FRCPsych, FRCPE, FBA, FRSE, FMedSci Professor

G David Batty , lecturer in epidemiology. Epidemiology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT

Dr Catherine Gale PhD

Principal Research Fellow

After studying Classics at the University of Cambridge, Catharine Gale worked in archaeological research. She then studied Population Sciences at the University of Southampton and joined the MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit in 1994. She obtained a PhD in 1998 for a thesis on the role of antioxidant vitamins in determining risk of cerebrovascular disease and cognitive decline in elderly people.

The Brighton Pavilion election: Green vs Tories

The Tory party, have chosen a candidate who will be well received in Brighton. Charlotte is an attractive and stylish business lady, specialising in therapy over the internet:

• Explain your business to my Mum.

"An anonymous place where you can express what's on your mind, gain support and talk to others, to make your life happier."

• How do you make money?

"Providing co-branded support networks to organisations that wish to offer safe, anonymous and 24/7 facilitated support to their customers or employees; targets include corporate social responsibility programmes of corporates, charities, professional organisations etc - any organisations that offers support."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/jul/30/elevatorpitchbigwhitewallgi

There is no question that Charlotte represents the "nice-face" of the modern conservative party.

However the reality is that if elect she will be marginalised / ignored / "whipped into line", by a not-so-nice Tory party leadership. Even in Brighton she struggled to get elected as candidate despite her obvious appeal to the local electorate.

The current Tory party is more typically represented by the elitism, secret clubs and the worse excesses of extreme privilege... I'm sure Boris Johnson, George Osbourne and David Cameron were all exceptionally able academically and did very well in the cosy world of top public schools (Eton, Marlborough, ..), then excelling at Oxford in a world of privilege they perceived as their hard earned right.

I went to Oxford (89-92) and was an exact contemporary of David Hannah, who was then president of the Oxford University Conservative Association. David Hannah is now an MEP and has appeared regularly on Fox news, attacking both Obama'a health care reforms and the NHS:

Conservative US Republicans opposed to the President's healthcare plans have used the NHS as an example of “socialised” medicine...

Mr Hannan is a popular figure among grassroots Tories because of his strong right-wing views. His Telegraph.co.uk blog and his public harangue of Gordon Brown in the European Parliament earlier this year also made him a political celebrity in the US.

However, his agenda is at odds with the modernising message of Mr Cameron, who has repeatedly promised that the NHS would be the top priority of a Conservative Government.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/6025818/David-Cameron-backs-NHS-amid-United-States-healthcare-row.html

There is a clear demand in the Tory party for more private health care. In my mind, this can only lead to great inequality and injustice as is so clearly seen in our education system which does almost as much to divide a nation as it does to educate it.

So the nation is about to elect a new Tory government, dominated by Oxford educated, public-school boys who have a narrow view of the world.

I do find it deeply troubling that so many senior Tories (e.g. Boris Johnson, David Cameron and George Osborne) were members of the Bullingdon club:

Prospective new members are proposed by a current member and then subjected to a club vote. This is all done in secret. You can be "put up" and blackballed and never be any the wiser. The first a new bug knows about it is when his rooms are invaded (ideally, via the window) and ceremonially trashed by way of initiation ("they overturned some of my flower pots," recalls my source). The financial costs run to the outfit, which at close to £2,000 is safely beyond most student overdrafts. There have been rumours of wealthier members paying an annual stipend of up to £10,000....

Breakages, scraps and bust-ups seem to be a hazard of membership. Standard Bullingdon practice is for club members to pay off in cash any injured party (usually a bemused restaurateur with a private room full of broken china). It's this high-handed brand of yobbishness that has drawn most public opprobrium. It's not so much the damage that causes offence. It's the attitude, the innate sense that position and - more specifically - wealth will always be able to make good any inconvenience suffered by "civilians".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/09/oxbridgeandelitism.highereducation

By electing Caroline Lucas in Brighton we can have a local MP who will defend the rights of the poor, has campaigned for many years on the importance of the environment and sustainability. Caroline has many years experience of being an MEP and has used the European Parliament a forum to discuss important issues, win legal reforms and defend the rights of the poor.

The harsh reality is that the attractive face of Charlotte Verre doesn't reflect the true injustice, intolerance and arrogance of a Tory party, born out of the British empire and that still perceives Great Britain as a quasi-imperial power.

The greens will be fighting for a fairer world and some common sense, where we try and address our tough environmental and economic problems. We haven't forgotten the £1,500,000,000 the UK government has had to spend bailing out the banking sector, who within 12 months of holding us to ransom with threats of economic meltdown were paying themselves multi-million pound bonuses!! The new leaders of Tory party (Osborne and Cameron) instead of addressing the institutional problems in the city, are proposing a harsh new policies attacking the pay and pensions of low paid public sector workers. Apparently even senior Tories and FT editorials have said this is the wrong policy because of (a) the injustice and (b) it is unnecessary / unhelpful and could prolong the recession and lead to widespread strikes?

equality: Action Against Hate Crime, Trafalgar Square, London

At the event I meet up with two friends from choir Steve (with me in the photo) and Angela (who took the photo) at the event.

It was obviously a very sad occasion on one level, however the atmosphere was good (it always helps if the weather holds out) and I was impressed that with absolutely minimal joint rehersal, they managed to fits us into their four-part harmony version "Seasons of love" - mostly it was quite a simple arrangement except for a few twirly bits (I was singing tenor-2 with Steve).

The event itself was very well run, some good speakers and Sandig Toksvig was a class compere.

The testimony of the pastor from St Martin's in the Field (an out lesbian priest), was truely horrific - the 10th anniversary of the Admiral Duncal nail bombing attack.

There were quite a few politican (Steve knew a few of the greens personally) and also a stand-up comic (the event needed some light relief).

Finishing on You'll Never Walk Alone worked well (although Steve was disappointed that they dropped Hand in Hand).

Lastly the testimony from Ian's friends brought a tear to the eye - he sounded like a good regular guy (apparently his sister was on the stage too but understandable couldn't bring her speak).

Stonewall - a tribute

This was a fascinating program, talking about the gay rights campaigning group Stonewall. The more I learn about Stonewall the more impressed I become.

Listening to me made quite angry at times, in particular when right wing started banging on about as homosexual as a bunch of sodomites try to pervert young boys... or how they hoped and expected us to be wiped out by AIDS. These moments in the program made me very angry and sad.

Sue brings together the men and women who founded the gay rights campaign group, Stonewall. She is joined by Sir Ian McKellen, Matthew Parris, Lisa Power, Michael Cashman and Olivette Cole-Wilson.

In 1989 a small group joined forces in a campaign against a law now known as Section 28. This law banned councils from 'promoting homosexuality' or 'promoting the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship'.

The gay rights scene at the time was radical and activist and there were no campaign groups engaging both gay men and lesbians together. Stonewall aimed to create a professional lobbying group that would fight against the discrimination of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. Dubbed Stonewall to signal doggedness and to commemorate the New York riots in which gay protestors had fought back against police brutality two decades before, it called for full legal rights, which still seemed a loony-left pipe dream.

Stonewall's moderate tone attracted criticism from more radical veterans of the gay rights movement, but also lent its advocates greater media respectability and a hearing from government ministers.

Since its inception, Stonewall has led the way with an impressive number of reforms, pressing ministers and taking test cases to court. These reforms include the repeal of Section 28, equalising the age of consent, permitting civil partnerships and overturning the ban on gays in the military. Another legacy has been to allow gay and lesbian politicians into the mainstream - not just demanding equal rights, but as representatives of the wider community.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mpmm4

To me Stonewall represents the intelligence and tolerant side of the English culture. Whilst I understand the frustration of the more militant elements of gay-right campaigners, Stonewall is highly effective and is building bridges so that the LGBT community is not perceived as "sick minority" (pitied but tolerated/decriminalised), no we are a colourful-jewel of modern society :)

My favourite moment was when the Stonewall paid homage to Peter Thatchel as an A* ground-breaking political activist. There was a good comparison with the more radical elements of the "suffragette movement". We need campaigner's like Peter, in the last couple of years I have been particularly impressed with (1) his campaign against "murder music" (a British Consular in Jamaica was killed last month... the police found the words "batty boy" scribbled beside his bed) and (2) within the UK legal system (a) religious beliefs are in some way mitigation against

and discrimination on grounds of sexuality and (b) apposed new legalisation in the UK where discrimination on grounds of sexuality is not treated in the same way as other types of discrimination... these are hard problems and if we don't fight our corner we will slip back...

suffragette |ˌsəfrəˈjet|

noun historical

a woman seeking the right to vote through organized protest.

Great Lives: Boris Johnson on Samuel Johnson

This was an interesting program, my father has always admired Samuel Johnson while I have found the way he is portrayed in the press, is often a bit smug, jingoistic and offensive:

Matthew Parris presents the biographical series in which his guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, nominates Samuel Johnson, writer of the great dictionary. Dr Johnson's biographer, Peter Martin, joins the discussion.

As for Boris Johnson, I personally find him arrogant, boorish, out-of-touch and a perfect example of why the country shouldn't be dominated by a clique lead from the old upper-class institutions of eton-charthouse-winchester-harrow-oxbridge... This is quite a complex problem as these institution certainly are the elite of educators, have incredible strong histories, attract many of the very best teachers and students. Despite a brief period in the 60s & 70s when a more open society and new state institutions became fashionable, these old class-riddled institutions have few rivals.

Anyway I was intrigued by this program, mediated by the Mathew Paris, one of the very few conservative MPs, I like and respect (I'm please to say that I admired Mathew Paris' before I learnt that he was also gay man).

I elarnt quite a lot about Samuel Johnson and I was left with a slightly more favourable impression of him. Although I am still mystified why anyway would say anything so misogynistic and plain offensive as his awful quip regarding women preachers:

Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.

Despite my more positive outlook regarding Samuel Johnson, my contempt and dislike of Boris Johnson increased another notch.. I don't understand why he would praise The Sun and The Mail for the bold rudeness, political incorrectness.. I can see the point he is trying to make, but to me it is so weak but maybe to a more conservative mind these are qualities?

Matthew Paris, as a openly gay brought up with great finesse, a quote from one of Boris Johnson's "political incorrect" speeches:

if gay marriage was OK - and I was uncertain on the issue - then I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between three men, as well as two men, or indeed three men and a dog.

It was a quote Boris foresaw that Matthew was going to raise and he tried to "talk over" Matthew, almost shouting him down to take control of the conversation and to try to drive the conversation away from this intensely nasty, bullying quip. However it was with great finesse, after Boris had blustered the conversation towards his own safe terriority, that Matthew

If you want to see more of the same, I have more on a blog post from May 2007:

http://davetravelogue.blogspot.com/2008/05/new-london-mayor-boris-vs-ken.html

Lastly both men, while have rare talents and are hard-working (workaholics?) the have common flaws.. their arrogance and conceit, alienate as many people as they inspire?

jingo |ˈji ng gō|

noun ( pl. -goes) dated chiefly derogatory

a vociferous supporter of policy favoring war, esp. in the name of patriotism.

PHRASES

by jingo! an exclamation of surprise.

ORIGIN late 17th cent. (originally a conjuror's word): by jingo (and the noun sense) come from a popular song adopted by those supporting the sending of a British fleet into Turkish waters to resist Russia in 1878. The chorus ran: “We don't want to fight, yet by Jingo! if we do, We've got the ships, we've got the men, and got the money too.”

nepotism |ˈnepəˌtizəm|

noun

the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, esp. by giving them jobs.

DERIVATIVES

nepotist |ˈnɛpətəst| noun

nepotistic |ˌnepəˈtistik| |ˈnɛpəˈtɪstɪk| |-ˈtɪstɪk| adjective

ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from nipote ‘nephew’ (with reference to privileges bestowed on the “nephews” of popes, who were in many cases their illegitimate sons).

misogynist |məˈsäjənist|

noun: a man who hates women.

adjective: reflecting or inspired by a hatred of women : a misogynist attitude.

DERIVATIVES

misogynistic |məˌsäjəˈnistik| |məˈsɑdʒəˈnɪstɪk| |-ˈnɪstɪk| adjective

finesse

noun

1 masterly finesse skill, skillfulness, expertise, subtlety, flair, panache, élan, polish, artistry, virtuosity, mastery.

2 a modicum of finesse tact, tactfulness, discretion, diplomacy, delicacy, sensitivity, perceptiveness, savoir faire.

3 a clever finesse winning move, trick, stratagem, ruse, maneuver, artifice, machination.

gay icons: Noel Coward

I understand why people might persceive Noel Coward as outdated - but he is a gay icon for me

This graphic captures the joy of Coward's world for me!!

Noel Coward’s Outdated Defiance

by James Kirchick

First published in The Washington Times, June 12, 2009

Noel Coward's "Design for Living" — now in revival by the Shakespeare Theatre Company — shocked audiences when it premiered on Broadway in 1933. It's not hard to see why.

The play, about a polyandrous relationship between two men and a woman, makes no apologies for its liberationist view of sex and relationships and could hardly be more direct in its sympathetic presentation of gay attachment. "Design for Living" was considered so risque that Coward had to wait until 1939 before staging a production in London for fear of offending British censors.

Seen today, the play shocks, but for an altogether different reason: Its message is so outdated that it's bewildering why any theater would put it on except for its curatorial interest as a period artifact.

http://www.indegayforum.org/news/show/31850.html

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.

C'est la nouvelle ministre italienne de l'Egalité des chances...

Berlusconi making a joke of equal opportunities - he is oh sooo funny :(

Elle s'appelle Mara Carfagna. Elle est brune, a des yeux de braise et arbore des mensurations de rêve. C'est la nouvelle ministre italienne de l'Egalité des chances, et la quatrième femme de l'aile "rose" du gouvernement de Silvio Berlusconi. Sa nomination a fait l'effet d'une bomba... latina. L'édition internet du Bild l'a proclamée "ministre la plus belle du monde". Après un exclamatif "mamma mia!" de circonstance.

A 33 ans, la "Berlusconette" est habituée à être dans l'actu. Les Italiens ont découvert son joli minois en 1997, elle venait de remporter la sixième place du concours de miss Italie. Un tremplin de rêve, c'est là que se recrutent les show-girls de la télévision. Dans la foulée, Mara Carfagna décroche une place de choix dans Domenica In, sorte de Vivement dimanche très coloré. Mais sa notoriété ne tarde pas à dépasser la ligne bleue des Alpes. Sur Internet et dans les calendriers, elle enlève le haut et parfois le bas, pour la bonne cause. Des poses, assure-t-elle aujourd'hui, qui "n'ont rien d'érotique". Entre deux shows, la jeune femme décroche en 2001 une maîtrise de droit.

This is from the BBC:

Critics have dismissed her as a lightweight - she says her main hobby is "collecting pens" - and have questioned her suitability to be equal opportunities minister after a career as a topless model.

But she is suing an Italian comedienne who joked she had earned her cabinet position by giving sexual favours to Mr Berlusconi.

And she insists: "The right has been more courageous [than the left] in trusting the young and women with important roles. It is not written anywhere that women have to make do with co-ordinating feminist movements."

Ms Carfagna recently released a book in which she listed her right-wing female role models, including former British leader Margaret Thatcher, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sarah Palin, the US vice-presidential hopeful.