Monthly Archives: July 2003

Evil spirits up your arsehole

Posted on July 12, 2003 by acb

Christian Life Books of Shreveport, Louisiana, has come through with Graham Dow’s little pamphlet on deliverance, which is the polite term for exorcism. Here is a partial list of the practices that the Bishop of Carlisle believes are caused by, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in God, Journalism | 4 Comments

credo quia impossibile

Posted on July 9, 2003 by acb

I have been having really strange intermittent problems with the net these last few days. At first I thought it was a problem with my blog, then with my server. I just could not post anything longer than about 256 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Software | 2 Comments

domestic violence at full length

Posted on July 9, 2003 by acb

Phone rings at half past eight this morning. A well-spoken, rather angry woman says “May I speak to Caroline?” “No. I’m afraid she’s out getting flowers. Can I take a message?” “No. I’ll call later.” “OK. Who shall I say … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blather | Comments Off on domestic violence at full length

the horror

Posted on July 7, 2003 by acb

Last night I watched the Philip Larkin film, something on TV which could for once properly be described as horrifying. So much of the excellence of the poetry survived: it was wonderfully read, in such a natural tone that the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in God, Literature | Comments Off on the horror

Some unwilled perversity of my own

Posted on July 6, 2003 by acb

This is a placeholder for a piece I have to write about the folly of wishing that the occupation of Iraq will fail — we’re stuck with it, and must hope and work for it to succeed — but I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in War | 3 Comments

A deeper well

Posted on July 6, 2003 by acb

Because I’m thinking about groups, socially, and biologically, and because I’m meant to be writing about them, too, I found myself reading Clay Shirky’s latest. One of those delicious moments when you discover why someone has a reputation for worthwhile … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The wilful perversity of Andrew Sullivan

Posted on July 6, 2003 by acb

Could anything be more stupid than this? “One of the many layers of the arguments for invading Iraq focused on the difficulties of waging a serious war on terror from a distant remove. Being based in Iraq helps us not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Small pleasures

Posted on July 2, 2003 by acb

I had a really nice letter from Johann Änglemark a couple of weeks ago, who had been led to the Harry Martinson poem by one of the twisty little links with which this site abounds. So I went back this … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | Comments Off on Small pleasures

What we were told (July 2002)

Posted on July 2, 2003 by acb

A weekly series chronicling what was in the warhard papers a year ago: in the first week of July, the Telegraph had no opinion pieces mentioning Iraq. But it did announce our role in the war. Tony Blair and George … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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