02.12.03
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:00 pm by
Two friends
Some of my friends are slightly eccentric, others downright dysfunctional, but here are two interesting titbits from that source.
First, take a look at Darren’s blog to see his work on airbrushing my family photos.
Then check out Hugh’s recommendation for a good book “Zuleika Dobson” by Max Beerbohm. Here’s a note to a later edition which solved a lunchtime quandry on how to pronounce the eponymous heroine’s name.
“I was in Italy when this book was first published. A year later (1912) I visited London, and I found that most of my friends and acquaintances spoke to me of Zu-like-a — a name which I hardly recognised and thoroughly disapproved. I had always thought of the lady as Zu-leek-a. Surely it was thus that Joseph thought of his Wife, and Selim of his Bride? And I do hope that it is thus that any reader of these pages will think of Miss Dobson.”
This meant I won the argument, although Hugh points out (pedantically he confesses), that Beerbohm is wrong in one regard: Zuleika was not Joseph’s bride, but the wife of Potiphar, Joseph’s master when he was sold into slavery in Egypt.
Hugh, who is over-educated, was also able to tell me that the name Zuleika became popular “among a certain class” due to a poem “The Bride of Abydos,” by Byron. The text of the poem may be found here.
We know one person named Zuleika. Are there any more? And must one search the work of Byron in order to find interesting names?
And guess what? I played the part of Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (school production). The wife does play a crucial part as her flirtation with Joseph results in his incarceration from whence he is rescued in order to interpret the Pharaoh’s dreams. BUT, in the text, she is merely called “Potiphar’s wife” and thus I only found out today her actual name. Another example of the attempt to write women out of history. Good job there’s a Skibbereen Eagle like me on the prowl.
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02.11.03
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:22 pm by
US Freedom
On a more serious note, here is further evidence of just how sick American society is. This is a story of a psychotically insane man on death row, given a reprieve because, well, he’s pyschotic. Except the authorities want to force him to take medication so he can be cured. So they can then execute him. So they recognise he’s mad but they want to kill him anyway.
This is a country run by enthusiastic death penalty advocates who can’t wait to overturn Roe v. Wade. Where is the consistency?
Please please tell me there is a credible Democratic candidate out there. And Lieberman doesn’t count.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 3:12 pm by
Coronation Street
I know there are more pressing matters on the national and international scene at the moment but the producers of Coronation Street deserve a rebuff. I had managed to implement my SEP (soap elimination programme) last Autumn but retained the Street in anticipation of the exposure of Evil Richard. (Apologies to those who thought I sat at home every night reading Chomsky.)
Christmas was infuriating. We had been assured that Christmas day would see Evil Richard attempt to kill Emily and instead kill Maxine. We kicked out our cocktail party guests and put the turkey on hold. What happened? Nothing. We complained bitterly to each other but perservered in the knowledge that a good murder followed by his exposure would come our way by January. My granny lay awake at night fearing for Audrey’s safety.
Since then? One anti-climax after another. OK. So Maxine did get murdered but Ashley’s grief has been maudlin and embarrassing. And still Evil Richard is at large and will remain so for several months to come judging by the lack of investigation and Emily’s awful memory.
In the meantime we have been pawned off by the developing sexual relationship of Sarah and Todd. What a non-story. This is the 16 year old who had a baby at 13. How is this supposed to hold one’s interest?
My patience is running out. Either signs of an expose develop quickly or I will have no excuses left and have to do yoga AND a meditation every night.
I suppose the producers think they are very clever, stringing out story lines so the ratings will keep up. Be warned though. While we viewers are expert time wasters, we are not complete fools and will abandon you.
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02.10.03
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:04 pm by
The Underheated Restaurant
I’ve had enough. For years now I’ve been sitting on uncomfortable chairs which make screeching noises on tiled floors watching the rain through the oversized street facing windows and SHIVERING! It seems like the more expensive the restaurant, the colder the designers make it. OK, so things weren’t so flash in the 80′s when it was all gicky carpets and dim lighting. But now its like the four restuarant designers in Dublin who get some work all went to London together for the weekend and have been ripping off St. Martin’s Lane (badly) ever since.
They think all that minimalist stuff is so cool. Like painting the walls white, installing stainless steel everywhere and getting wooden chairs is supposed to be original. Well enough is enough. The complaining starts here. And I’ve already had some success.
My protest has started at the lower end of the market. My colleague Ifah and I were sitting in Eddie Rockets in Donnybrook. I expect cut-price crappy food but we were still shivering even though we had our winter coats and scarves on. A complaint to the manager solicited the following response ” Well its alright for you, I have to work here”. I called the head office and they assured me that vouchers were on the way. If they do send them on hopefully they will have the heating repaired so we can eat it in relative comfort.
Cold restaurants in Dublin include Eden, Bang, Tearoom at the Clarence, and Jacob’s Ladder. (although at least you get a tablecloth there). Warm restaurants are Roly’s, Il Primo (Annrai gets a mention in this review) and Il Posto.
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02.06.03
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:35 pm by
Sex and the City
Sorry to dissapoint but yesterday’s speculation on the character of the Irish will not be continued until Monday. Further reflection and research is required. Also, I watched Sex and the City last night and I’m not happy.
On a superficial level the absurdity of a clearly pregnant Sarah Jessica Parker playing an unpregnant Carrie Bradshaw is getting too much. Secondly the increasing hysteria of the main characters is undermining the fun. The whole point of the series is trying to pretend that when it comes to sex women are actually men. Just as wild, just as horny. But of course, the great irony is that the characters are actually desperate for a proper relationship. All the coarse language and casual sex thinly veils the oldest story in the world – girls are desperate to get married. Its just Ally McBeal with bad language.
They (the characters) keep falling in love. They keep getting hurt! They keep searching for some impossible ideal and dumping perfectly nice guys and hurting THEIR feelings. And boy are they starting to age. So its the worst kind of backlash TV. On one level it establishes a Holy Grail: The marriage of Carrie and Big. On another, it has a range of self-destruct buttons for the normal situations which will lead to a happy relationship. For example, men can’t be trusted (e.g. Richard). If they can, they’ll never forgive you (Aidan). If they can, they’re crap in bed (Trey). If they’re not, they’re too poor (Steve).
The only redemption held out is that maybe, maybe, if she waits long enough, Big will finally cave in and propose to Carrie. And nothing else will ever make her happy. Primarily because she won’t allow it to.
And as for the others? Charlotte’s character was based around her dream of a fairytale ending. That’s now developed into her determination to be more slutty. Samantha’s character is her utter devotion to sex. What happens to her when she ages and men don’t want her anymore? She retires with the vibrator?
Miranda was the true career woman so they picked her to get pregnant and look how miserable they’ve made her. Piles of weight, can’t get the hair organised, no sleep and Carrie offered to help ONCE. And they try to tell us these women are great friends. Charlotte was the one who wanted the kid but they made her infertile just after she’d quit her job in order to devote herself to her potential motherhood. Why did she have to resign when she wasn’t even pregnant? What was it? Working might harm your ability to get pregnant? Attempting to get pregnant renders you incapable of working? Will revisit that one later.
In the meantime, what is real? Women are sexy and vibrant. Most of them do want committed relationships that don’t force them to sacrifice their personalities. But there is MORE. Having an entire TV series (AGAIN) that portrays them in this one-dimensional light is just depressing. Can’t we have one TV series with women as the leading characters where the search for the perfect guy isn’t the main storyline?
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02.05.03
Posted in Feminism, Uncategorized at 4:06 pm by
The Irish and Carrots and Sticks
My colleague Darren Barefoot is revisiting this theme on his blog prompted by a theory from our mutual colleague Keith. In my treatise below, I credited the acceptance of the proposed smoking ban to a mature Irish audience identifying that this move was worthy of support due to the rather obvious public health benefits. It appears not. Rather, for whatever reason, (speculation on which will appear tomorrow) we simply respond very well to the stick rather than the carrot.
Examples – despite encouragement hardly anyone recycled plastic bags until the 15c charge came in. Recycling was whole heartedly adopt within a week and consumption of plastic bags dropped massively. There was no respect for parking laws, with parking tickets being treated as souvenirs, until clamping was introduced. Within a week, parking was easy to find on Merrion Sq. These are just two examples, but they worked and without any civil unrest. Now the smoking ban is being calmly debated.
Accepting that disincentives are cleary more successful than incentives in improving our behaviour, this means that politicians should use this principle for a wide range of activities. For example, I had expressed my standard liberal minded abhorrence at the proposed refusal of state allowances to parents who do not get their children immunised, but I will have to re-explore this. I’ve always agreed with charging for refuse disposal (fortunately the EU agrees with me). I think the Australians are quite right to put people in jail for not voting.
Bullying works. And without much complaint. Hmmm…..
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02.04.03
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:30 pm by
So called competition
Did you know that Waterstones and Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street in Dublin are both owned by EMI?
In my history lessons we read all about Theodore Roosevelt and trust-busting. In the eighties we admired the achievements of Peter Sutherland, EU Commissioner for Competition who broke up the airline monopolies. But now it looks like 100 years of anti-cartel legislation got demolished in the last ten years. I think I’m comparing prices at Ikea and Habitat..but they’re the same company! I think I can choose between Waterstones and Hodges Figgis…but its the same company! I ring Aer Lingus to get a quote on a flight and then check with BA….guess what? I’m getting prices on the SAME flight!
There’s too much of this pretend competition going on. Karel van Miert tried to do something about it…but we need more like him and the old Peter. Not the new one.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 2:34 pm by
More proof that men aren’t so superior after all
From today’s Irish Times “MEN like to believe that they have more sexual partners on average than do women. That is, of course, impossible: for it takes two to tango and the average number of encounters must be the same for each sex (which does not stop us from lying, with the average 40-year old Brit claiming 9.9 conquests and his female equivalent only 3.4).”
Pathetic as usual guys.
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