Scotland-0 [Joke stolen from The Motley Fool.]
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25Mar05 — 1
Senior Conservative Ratners His Party
Something about this: Howard Flight has quit as Conservative deputy chairman over comments he made about the party’s spending plans. The MP, who is the Tories’ special envoy to the City, apparently admitted the scale of planned cuts were [sic] being concealed to help win an election. reminds me of this: They call it ‘doing […]
Read More17Mar05 — 3
Right. I’m Off.
I’ve got an article and a grant application to write—and something more important to do—so there’ll be nothing new here for the best part of a week. In the meantime here’s a Zen window in Cambridge: [click to enlarge]
Read More15Mar05 — 0
Shine On You Crazy Crystal
This could be the start of a new series: “Strange Windows In Cambridge”. Trust me: I have more photos at least as weird as this one. This city has the best university and the worst football team(s) (per capita income) in the country and the highest density of eccentrics on the whole planet. What other […]
Read More15Mar05 — 1
One For My Dad
Via the redoubtable Tim Worstall (who graduated to the ‘Blogroll here yesterday—like he needs the hits), I discover that there’s a British cricket ‘Blog called The Corridor Of Uncertainty. I like that it has a “Cricket” subject category, presumably to mark out the posts about cricket.
Read More15Mar05 — 4
Blonde On Blonde
“Good Scottish Pop / Bad Scottish Pop” has it about right, pointing up the unrecognized greatness of Del Amitri and the inexplicably ignored uselessness of Belle and Sebastian. Despite some dithering about the exact status of Simple Minds, only one artiste makes into both the Good and Bad categories: Laird Rodney of the Clan Stewart. […]
Read More14Mar05 — 1
And Your Point Would Be?
First the BBC turns against you, then Ted Kennedy snubs you: Kennedy spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said: “Senator Kennedy has decided to decline to meet with Gerry Adams, given the IRA’s ongoing criminal activity and contempt for the rule of law.” She said the events surrounding the death of Mr McCartney underscored the need for IRA […]
Read More07Mar05 — 16
The Last Outpost Of Traditional Rule
The ever-temperate front page of The Independent screams, “IS LEBANON WALKING INTO ANOTHER NIGHTMARE?” Without a copy to hand, I think you can imagine the name and the roseate visage that make up the byline beneath the headline. Because the Indie charges for access to the online version of its output I can only quote […]
Read More01Mar05 — 1
Star Trek: The Next Imperialist Neocon Zionist Conspiracy
“TrekUnited” is an organisation that claims to be dedicated to stopping the cancellation of the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise. It is holding rallies in New York, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, and London. Need I say any more?
Read More28Feb05 — 1
“Doing The Patriotic Thing”
Yesterday I had lunch with a “fellow” Catholic whose grandfather used to hide fugitive members of the “old” IRA in his house in the Irish countryside. We discussed the disgust being expressed by republicans north and south of the border at the behaviour of the supposed descendants of his grandad’s lodgers. Cathal (not his real […]
Read More27Feb05 — 2
Punk Slam Dunked
Effra, the first commenter on this story at Harry’s Place says most of the things I’ve felt about punk for the past twenty-plus years. She does so as she compares that musical movement of late seventies to this Web movement of the mid-noughties. She’s right about punk, but her assessment of ‘Blogging is about as […]
Read More19Feb05 — 9
It’s Academic Now
I also often disagree violently with the politics of the Anonymous Economist (AE) especially when it comes to Iraq. Yesterday, as we are wont to do, we had a vigorous online debate about British higher education. This is not surprising since we both currently have a professional interest in the subject. At the end of […]
Read More18Feb05 — 0
Via Slashdot
Those Americans, eh?: “The UK is known for many things, great food, a wonderful climate and beautiful women. However, according to a story on The Guardian, a new study puts the UK ahead in one more category: it leads the world in TV piracy, accounting for 38.4% of the world’s TV downloads, with Australia coming […]
Read More17Feb05 — 1
A Heartwarming Story Of Crime And Punishment
Just over a week ago, Duncan Grisby, one of this city’s many alpha geeks, invited readers of the legendary “cam.misc” discussion board to pop along to his Website to examine his action shots of a burglar. The thief had been filmed by the video Webcam that was sitting on top of the four thousand pounds’ […]
Read More16Feb05 — 0
Class War: Two Things
Hot Wheels Helena did mention that my account of the boxing tournament between Cambridge students and residents might have given the impression that I didn’t have a good night out. I did, in fact, have an excellent time. She also mentioned that—further to my amusement at one of the university’s champions being called “Hugh”—she and […]
Read More15Feb05 — 1
Bang
I bought a copy of Kate Fox’s Watching The English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour a few weeks back. I’ve not really had time to read it of course. So far I’ve managed three chapters: “The Weather” (which, appropriately, opens the book), “Linguistic Class Codes”, and “Rules of Sex”. It’s pretty accurate so far—so […]
Read More12Feb05 — 1
Golden Farewell
Look at the photograph accompanying this article about the removal of HP’s former CEO Carly Fiorina. Try to keep your mind free of these words: “You are the weakest link. Goodbye.”
Read More09Feb05 — 0
Class War
Last Friday I went to the Cambridge Union Society to watch the Town versus Gown boxing. I should explain to non-Brits that the Cambridge Union is Cambridge University students’ debating chamber and cross-college social focus. Several members of the various Thatcher cabinets were elected officers at the Union when they were undergraduates. Friday night’s event […]
Read More27Jan05 — 0
Harsh But Fair
Much as it pains me to write this, it turns out that Sisyphus had one legitimate grievance. This post of mine might be interpreted to mean that the organisation formerly known as Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq (CASI) questioned the existence of “mass” “graves” in “Iraq” and the “arrest” of Saddam Hussein. I am happy […]
Read More24Jan05 — 8
Writer’s Block
I might have to consult Will of A General Theory Of Rubbish. I’ve been trying to complete a post about Michael Howard, but I’ve run out of profanities.
Read More17Jan05 — 6
Second Up Against The Wall
Before he joined the Guardian looney tune crowd Jonathan Freedland wrote a republican manifesto called “Bringing Home The Revolution“. Early on in it, I think, there is a nice little paragraph about how the American dream is to arrive with nothing, work hard, and then watch your son strive and study until one day he […]
Read More09Jan05 — 0
In The Interests Of Balance
A very sharp Right-winger who goes by the alias of “femiokay” (I always picture him as a shrewd ex-pat Nigerian businessman) posts frequently over at The Motley Fool. He made a striking observation on Friday about the way BBC News online reported on the three main party leaders’ New Year messages. Tony Blair gets to […]
Read More31Dec04 — 0
Frontpage Splash
Today, under the headline “WALL SAVES COUPLE AS WAVE HITS THAI RESORT”, the Cambridge Town Crier tells me on its front page that “Several Cambridgeshire residents have escaped death in the Asian tsunami horror”. Realish via boingboing takes the prize, though, for spotting this headline.
Read More30Dec04 — 1
Post Office Counters
Good morning, Mr McKafka. Mr Counsell, we meet again. Not very often, what with your window only opening for business minutes at a time on days of the week with a “K” in their names. Your ready wit never fails to bring a smile to my routine. What quotidian but essential goal can I divert […]
Read More28Dec04 — 0
The Party Of Choice
I picked up this should-be-surprising-but-isn’t catalogue of a wannabe Tory MP’s experiences via PoliticalBetting.com.
Read More28Dec04 — 0
Hello! Tackles The Big Issues
The online version of Hello! magazine covers the persecution of Sikh playwrite [sic] Gurpreet Kaur. Why? Because some celebs are supporting her. I wonder how Samuel West will take to having his appearance as Dr Frankenstein in Van Helsing cited as his most noteworthy contribution to the dramatic arts. Meanwhile, over at the Fox News Website, […]
Read More27Dec04 — 0
Getting Worse
The Independent Radio News report on 96.9 Chiltern FM at four o’clock: “11 Britons are among the dead.” [Recording of northern Irish bloke recounting his experience] “—journalist Blahdy Blah on the earthquake in south Asia. In [Thailand] alone, eight Britons died. Others are on their way home to emotional reunions.” Don’t the media just love […]
Read More27Dec04 — 1
Shrinking Tulips
December 2004, is turning out to be the sixth consecutive month of falling house prices in the UK. The hysteria has flipped. John Plender in the Financial Times has a word or two to say to those who believe that markets are rational. [Read the article before it becomes subscription only.]
Read More24Dec04 — 0
More Bimbo Fun
I watched The Incredibles with the Anonymous Economist earlier this week. It is superb. See it. The movie takes a strong philosophical line on the question of unusual excellence and the way contemporary institutions, especially educational ones, do their best to smother it: “When everyone is special, no one is.” This quote encapsulates the underlying […]
Read More21Dec04 — 8
Four-Wheel Driven
If the worst came to the worst, you would, of course, stamp on the head of that annoyingly talented and inquisitive Pakistani girl who helps her mother out in the local corner shop, but luckily you don’t have to resort to direct violence to keep the little oik out of those places at Oxbridge you […]
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