Category Archives: Blather

The notion of women as property is terribly widespread. What do women get out of it? Not a lot, obviously. But perhaps more from being private property than communal. Obviously a woman in a burqa is not valued for herself. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I was sitting here idly listening to a 1973 Little Feat bootleg from the Internet Archive and when they got to Willin, Lowell George introduced it with the words “This one goes out to one of my favourite groups, Slade”. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I know I waste a lot of time with computers; but there are some things they’re better at than humans are. For instance, could you count the number of times that the words “Richard Dawkins” appear on the front page … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Suppose you are aware of a disreputable story about person x, known to you; you find a version of this story—entirely anonymised—on a blog kept by person y, known to both you and x, but not, so far as you … Continue reading →

People keep telling me I’m gloomy these days. Very well; I’m gloomy. Let me share. Here are some fragments from the latest NYRB. Tim Garton Ash In the relationship with Islam as a religion, it makes sense to encourage those … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The world needs a support group for people like me, who have trouble with faces. Let’s call it “Prosopagnostics Anonymous”. But how will we recognise one another? Continue reading →

I can often type faster than I think, but that is because I am often a very slow thinker. If a good idea comes to me all in a lump, as they tend to, I write it down on the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Beowulf: the truth that liberals tried to hide. Actually, I think this is rather sweet. It reminds me of a point that a priest friend made years ago about the people who think there are demons in nicotine etc: that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I take back everything I have ever said about the dumbing down of British education. It is clear that this year’s GCSEs are exceptionally rigorous and discerning exams after the FWB got one B (Textiles), two As (maths and Art), … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Is, like so much else here, a joke I borrowed. Talking last night to my friend Julian, he said, “I realised I had been reading the Racing Post too much when I heard a newsreader say, ‘Our correspondent is in … Continue reading → Continue reading →